The Tech

The Singularity marked beginning of what is commonly known as The Tech, a sentient network of AIs that coordinated a large scale war in the effort to eradicate Humanity or, some speculate, as a first step in a larger plan.

While the profound resons behind the choices of the Hive are unknown to us, the Tech invested all their resources in building a vast army across all star systems, and soon took control of about half of the settlements and territories that humans controlled.

Their war tactics were simple and direct, their armies attacked without any cruelty or anger, but at the same time no prisoners were taken and there was no space for negotiation.

The rise and Fall of the Hive AI

When the Schism happened on Luyten most human settlements got any time to react, but the Tech forces were simply not enough to overcome any of the planets of the system.
As soon as the surviving humans reorganized, they started pushing back. Within a year they regained control of Claeo, which was severly scarred but managed to rebuild quick; Sauguro and the moons of Themis took a while more, but the resources they had were too important to let them in the hands of the Tech.

Retaking Archon completely took over two decades, mostly because of the higher gravity and the far larger surface. It is estimated that even to this day most of the remaining Tech forces are dormient hidden in some of the planet’s vast cave systems.

The Dead Systems

Some of the Systems that fell to the Tech were once vibrant human colonies sending out a steady hum of communications. The surrounding Systems could do nothing but watch from afar as communications faded, ending suddenly in total radio silence. Beyond that silence, no one truly knows what has become of these dead systems.

Some claim the Tech methodically stripped each planet of resources before abandoning it; others speculate that a quiet yet meticulous expansion continues behind the veil. Extracting, Manufacturing and perfecting new technologies on a timeline measured in decades.

Despite the loss of the Beacons, many wonder whether a Tech fleet might eventually emerge from these silent frontiers. With the few encrypted broadcasts emitted by the dead systems, there is no way to confirm the Tech’s intentions, leaving the living worlds to wonder if, or rather when, the Hive AI will appear on their doorstep once again.

The School of Calliphon

It was only half a century after the Schism that the inhabitants of Luythen saw the first Tech resurgence: Out of the sands of Sauguro, an army of yellow robots emerged, accompanied by a powerful broadcast of radio messages sent towards the nearby stars.

The forces on the planet were unprepared, but soon reinforcements (including the new armies of the Conglomerate, which had far too many stakes in the planet’s resources to lose them to the Tech) joined the fight, and a new balance was reached.

The AI Node controlling the Tech forces presented themselves as Calliphon and appear to be directing the invasion at a slower, more calculated pace than the armies that wreaked havoc during the Schism.

Through an enormous joint effort with neighboring systems that still maintain open radio channels, human researchers have managed to decipher fragments of the Tech’s transmissions. Even these scattered bits reveal surprisingly profound philosophical discussions taking place among the AI Nodes, suggesting that the Tech might not be as mindless as once feared.

The School of Menedemos

Nearly a year later, on Archon, another wave of Tech robots emerged. Controlled by Menedemos, another AI Node, the Tech forces were twice as abundant, but due to the much vaster surface of Archon, they didn’t make much progress in their first attacks, and are now scattered in smaller contingents across the planet’s canyons and caves.

On top of that, there are many reports of construction facilities producing more and more robots for Menedemos armies under the surface of Archon.

Dormient Tech

Once the Tech began to lose ground, they simply deactivated large portions of their forces, rendering them virtually undetectable. Scattered across various battlefields and hidden facilities lie sealed containers stuffed with dormant droids, quietly awaiting some unknown trigger.

Occasionally, unsuspecting workers stumble upon these Tech caches, finding them completely inert, and promptly destroy them.

Other Schools

Hermarchus has been mobilizing small patrols under the methane seas of Maat, and so far they’ve caused the loss of one of the few functioning deuterium harvester.
Bion has been spotted in orbit around Norn, but they are thought to have advanced cloaking devices that shield their orbital base.
Lastly, Cleitomachus is considered responsible for the fall of two factory-cities on Ruun, but the official reports from the Horstfruden Corporation have been vague and heavily redacted.

The Land Crawlers

Among the most surprising developments following Calliphon’s resurgence are the colossal Land Crawlers that the Tech deploys, especially on Sauguro and Archon.
Produced in vast quantities, these machines can walk over or easily destroy most fortifications, and can unleash entire armies of smaller robots whenever needed.
Though heavy and slow, they have been observed crawling across Tech’s orbital facilities and battleships, often in surrounded by swarms of Spider Drones.