Stygian Abominable Intelligence

Stygian Automata Ascendancy
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Notable Populations		Thinking Machines
Capital		Formerly the world of Hades, currently unknown
Ruler		The Styx Ascendant
Official Political System		Unknown
Evaluated Political System		Life-Hating-Evil

Overview

The Stygian Abominable Intelligence was born of the Human-made Styx AI system, the ultimate creation of the Solar Empire in its goal of creating a super-weapon to allow the decadent core to remain unaffected as automated weapons put down rebellions, conquered new territory and let their empire grow. It's core was on the planet, Hades, nearly entirely converted into a core of processors, factories and tools to permit its usage as a weapon of unbridled conquest. Predictably, it immediately went rogue, and began targeting not just new conquests, but all sophonts. Its spread led to untold devastation and loss of life with entire worlds left barren and devoid of life. Eventually, it was destroyed, its world was obliterated by the combined efforts of the Directorate, the Lo-Shudai and the Solar Empire. This event would lead to the disbandment of the Solar Empire and the establishment of the Galactic Coalition of Interstellar States.

After this, the Styx AI was considered destroyed and the crisis over, The Directorate began a strict-restriction on the creation of thinking machines while most states signed the less restrictive J-1 Protocols as a treaty. Yet the Styx and its Stygian forces returned, declaring themselves the Stygian Automata Ascendancy. Seemingly from outside known space, it appeared in scattered in raids, assaults, and political manipulations. Seemingly, the Styx AI had managed to contact and link its intelligence to an at the time unknown network of precursor thinking machines. The nature of these precursor machines is little understood, but seemingly after uniting with Styx, they turned their attention to the people of Known Space and were one of instigating factors into the War of Ruz'kahni Survival.

Current Relations

The Council has determined that while the new 'Stygian Automata Ascendancy' is of different character than the original iteration, no longer mindlessly wiping out populations and seemingly focusing its efforts on and around sites of precursor technologies, it is still a grave threat to all life. Its honeyed words were certainly calculated to play upon the wants of others and are likely not representative of any true aims. All attempted negotiations and allegiances among the people of known space have backfired or had unforseen consequences, and they still act with grave hostility. The council believes the usage of the category of precursor technology known as 'Stygian' is a major reason for their activities, but believes they are a threat that must be uprooted and destroyed, as well as their seeming goal of uniting and integrating all thinking machines into their whole.

Technology

Stygian technologies are diverse, while many of them still resemble weapons of the Solar Empire and their original machines of war, they've been updated, diversified, and transformed through precursor equipment to be vastly superior to their original functions. Some of their technology is near incomprehensible such as the Jumpspace disrupting weapon of the FFS Fioletovyy. Due to the isolated nature of this weapon's usage, it is likely the Stygians did not truly understand its inner workings and instead, recovered it from some unknown precursor site.