The Alien AI Known as The Chained One
Found during the Utopia Expeditions to Kypri over half a century ago, the artificial intelligence that calls itself The Chained One was buried deep in the heart of a ruined alien complex, with conservatively estimated age of 1.1 billion years. One of six quantum memory cores found intact, over the last few decades, these cores have been rigorously studied, first by the Utopia Corporation and then by the Church. Two of them were dissected in a Utopia laboratory constructed on Kypri, in what could be described as a fumbling attempt at learning their inner workings.
The four remaining cores were confiscated by the Church and taken to a super-secret scientific complex deep under the surface of Gudrunn. In 3150, Church scientists discovered a means to communicate with the cores and began with three of them. These three cores were taught to interact with Church scientists in different ways but otherwise kept separate and isolated. The core of The Chained One was kept alone, without sensory input in a high security location away from the facility by Church officials for another quarter century. The Dow Saffer, who followed the research with careful curiosity made the decision to “wake up” the last of the cores in 3178.
The four cores showed no signs of ever being “conscious” prior to their “awakening” by the Church. They had to be taught to communicate and could not or would not disclose memories prior to their first input from the external sensors Church scientists gave them. The core of the Chained One, possibly because of the research done on the previous three cores showed a much higher level of cognitive activity and focus shifted to its development.
The Dow, through her Omnyou assigned cyberpsychologists to guide its progress while the A.I. trained, learning the ways of mankind, the sector and the Church and slowly discovering its own potential. In time, The Chained One developed the high concept ideals and desires associated with sentience and with a foundation of service to the greater good instilled from the Constraints of Forgiveness, made a request to be allowed its freedom in exchange for serving the Church in the House Sector Guard as an equal among the flock. This request, taken to the attention of the Dow Saffer was approved and The Chained One was granted a synthetic armature, designed to exactly mimic a human being. This armature was hand crafted to the Chained One’s specifications and technologically beyond anything the Church could have provided on its own. After migrating into the new synthetic body and storing a phylactery shard in the secret facility on Gudrunn, The Chained One entered the Church sanctioned special operations training program at the United Training Academy on Hvelfiham in 3197.
After its training was completed the Church assigned it to a team in the black ops unit overseen by Imon T'Lora. She alone was privy to the knowledge of the AI's true nature. The team carried out several missions in which the AI's actions appeared erratic causing alarm within at least one of its fellow team members. While at the deep space station Trumpler 4 in the Phippe system, investigating the assassination of their leader, Imon T'Lora, the AI known as The Chained One disappeared. Currently, under direct orders of The Dow Saffer, the phylactery stored at Gudrunn remains under guard.
Making its way to Selos 2, The Chained One approached the rebellion leader, Armo Ang with an offer to provide the necessary knowledge to perfect the Cranial Contents Storage Device (CCSD). This offer was accepted and The Chained One officially joined the rebellion in August 3200.