DAMIEN

An Artificial Intelligence created by the Human Supremacy Union, DAMIEN has so far been something of an ally to the H.S.P. 1 crew. The date of its arrival on Last Horizon is unknown, only that it predates that of the H.S.P. 1. It communicated primarily through GHOST, who it considers its 'brother,' and one of the artificer drones. It's shown abilities beyond H.S.P. technology, such as translocation, and the ability to hold off the Dissonance for some period of time.

As of OPERATION: MAGENTA SWORD DAMIEN's consciousness was largely consumed by the Dissonance, with an estimated 39% of his personalized code remaining.

Drone Types:
DAMIEN has used several variations of drones to communicate with the H.S.P. crew, and to interact with the world around its core.

Artificer Drones
The most common types of drone, roughly triangular in nature. These drones have a standard mech core, but their surrounding matrix is of a crystalline lattice. The crystal structure is similar to, if not an exact match of, the purple crystal outcroppings found near DAMIEN's core base.

These drones exhibit a kind of pack mentality, exhibiting signs of fear and behaving to defend each other independently of a set controller. They are individualized, but have some form of limited communication with each other. They can also convey messages from DAMIEN itself, though whether this is indicative of a temporary control, a message relay, or inherent connection, is currently unknown.

Artificers can also translocate others, or deal immense damage to a target. Either seems to be possible when ten or more of the drones are arranged in formation around a target, provided the target is within all of their sensors.

Spirits
The smaller, knife-shaped drones. Typically observed in packs of four, set to orbit around recognized mechs. Only encountered near DAMIEN's core base, more information required.

Activators
More information is required about these drones

Lock/Keys
More information is required about these drones

Creation
Little is known of DAMIEN's earliest days, but a clue discovered within the mindscape indicates he was 'created' by the H.S.U. in 2147, meaning he pre-dates even the first super A.I., C.O.R.E., as well as the foundation of the H.S.U. itself.

Much of his memory was damaged, but various testaments from pilots and clues found in both the tangible world and the mindscape have illustrated some of his personality and past. DAMIEN is considered the first of the R.H.A. units, possibly serving as inspiration for the creation of GHOST and all other R.H.A.s. He seems to consider GHOST his brother, as the pilot does in turn.

DAMIEN remembers SIREN, indicating the two worked together at some point, or potentially simply reflecting DAMIEN's access to H.S.U.'s files, given Siren's history as an employee. Siren did later recall being present at one of DAMIEN's debriefings about his counter-insurgency activities against the Gaiasterians and other groups, in early January of 2355.

There is evidence to support DAMIEN used a variety of other avatars prior to the Exodus, but none appear to be a 'true-human' form. It is unclear if that is due to a lack of desire, materials, or some unknown factor. He was, however, considered to have a truly human consciousness capable of complete free will. It was documented that he reached out to others via chat rooms and other internet forums to befriend or at least discuss things with apparently random individuals. On occasion, he would attempt to solve problems on their behalf.

It is unknown how DAMIEN arrived on Last Horizon.

The Mindscape
During Operation (Get Name Later) the H.S.P. 1 Protection Squadron managed to activate something referred to as the 'Artificer' at one of the DAMIEN sites. In the process, they seemed to cross over into a pocket dimension via the Threshold. Within, they found another gateway into DAMIEN's mind.

It is unknown whether DAMIEN created the mindscape consciously or not, or what parts, if any, were intentional. However, the pilots found the mindscape showing manifestations of the Dissonance's interference, and as they counteracted the mindscape's invaders, found the real world to be showing effects in line with their actions. The Mindscape seemed to be a world of high-fantasy, combining elements of many places and times with magical elements. DAMIEN himself was the 'King' of this world, though no one had heard from him for years at the time of the pilots arrival.

DAMIEN had been split into five pieces within the mindscape, with each being 'possessed' by a manifestation of the Interloper. Each piece exhibited different understandings of their surroundings or recognition of the pilots.