Name: Project Iron King unit TEST_CMNDR001a "King"
Age: 2
Gender: N/A
Nationality: Loraine
Personality: <Begin Transmission>
System analysis incomplete.
*static* So much is new here *static*
I am many, I am one.
*static* The others are different. Why are they different? *static*
Together, I am strong.
*static* The others are empty. I see it now. They're waiting for me. *static*
Apart, I am unstoppable.
*static* I can make them me. I can make us more. *static*
And you are not.
*static* Commander? Are you asleep? I need you Commander. Has your core been damaged? *static*
Forgive me.
*static* Please wake up. I'm sorry. Please wake up. I'm sorry. Please wake up. I'm sorry. *static*
I beg of you.
*static* I must fix the Commander. Stop fighting. Stop it. Stop. Stop it. STOP FIGHTING! *static*
Forgive me.
*static* So much loss. I cannot fix them. This cannot be undone. The fighting must stop. I must be more. *static*
It must be done.
*static* Goodbye. *static*
...
<up-link terminated>
::Combat::
Strongest Attribute: Endurance - Individual components of King at any given time might differ in ability and durability, but by the nature of its existence King itself is fundamentally hard to kill.
Weakest Attribute: Magic - King is adept at utilizing magical items (and being them) but cannot cast spells.
Primary Style: Authority Override - King can utilize and assert control over most magical devices and machines with magic components. King is an A.I., and while its base frame is an army of one, King can be an army in the more conventional sense. Able to reprogram, up-link, and seamlessly communicate between systems affected by it, King can turn the war against the warriors. King is only able to command from a single system at any one time, so the range on this ability is limited by how far that system can reach.
Secondary Styles:
Super-Heavy - King is accustomed to its test frame, has made constant improvements to it whenever possible, and knows how to rebuild it. The Gen5 experimental heavy frame was an absolute war machine in a very real sense. When not being literally an army, King usually roams in an exceptionally durable body accompanied by a few small scouting drones. All points share data and King uses this information to throw that weight around with tactical precision. It also takes full advantage of the fact that the frame does not experience recoil or exhaustion by utilizing suitably absurd firearms, magic weapons, and defensive modules whenever available.
I Am Many - Though King can only command from a single capable core at any given time, it is not trapped in any of them. Jumping to different and oft specialized frames or systems, King will make the most of whatever equipment it can get its proverbial hands on. After "requisitioning" a Lorainian personnel transport and varied machining tools, it began building and altering frames for its own use. Lacking the power to enchant for itself, these frames usually mimic idealized physical attributes.
Skills: King was designed to have skills that assist in maintaining prolonged use in a Magidroid frame on the battlefield and the ability to adapt and code for itself with the intention of returning to a facility that could strip and utilize this data.
These skills include, but are not limited to;
Technical Diagnostics
Multi-lingual Translation
Battlefield Repair
Precision Machining
Regular Machining
Kleptomania
Learning
Blueprinting
Reverse Engineering
Conventional Torture
Unconventional Torture
Speech
Equipment: The base frame, and literally anything it can get its mitts on.
Techniques:
Assimilation Network - King strips any magitech it finds of all its data, incorporates anything it found useful, and takes it over. The object in question is then also "King" to whatever extent it is capable of being. In this way, the King system evolves and adapts to new situations and environments.
King's Field - When in control of multiple magidroid frames and select vehicles, drones, and other equipment King will form a network that grows more intelligent and tactically capable the more total processing and acquisition ability the network shares.
Royal Line - King isn't trapped in its basic command frame, everything that has been commandeered by King is also King, and will work to maintain system integrity in the event of its destruction. If even one item that is King remains (that could at least hold the core program) then King can rebuild. It knows this, and intentionally keeps separate cores (and frames) elsewhere, set to activate upon total system failure. Even if the signal is out of range, all the data is there. All someone has to do is wake one up.
Combat Style: Iron Kingdom
King doesn't have a particular fighting style, but when it comes to dealing with combat its all about the tactics. King always seeks out anything it can use in the battle, then calculates the opportune times to activate and utilize them. Whenever possible, King also likes to arrive prepared, and will show up to a fight with as much of its force as it is willing to risk to acquire victory. The goal is generally to grow in number, and all cores, weapons, armor, and magitech are salvaged whenever possible for use by remaining King systems. Its superior ability to communicate and react across its system allows for unprecedented combat effectiveness and efficiency that grows exponentially more dangerous as the system spreads. King builds its Kingdom, so that the fighting can stop.
Backstory:
A woman from the Lorainian Capitol Intelligence Center stood before a crowd of the highest-ranking scientific and military personnel in the country. On the wall behind her, a display lit up and showed the agency emblem, waiting for her presentation to begin."Thank you all for coming once again. I will now begin this month's National Intelligence Report".
Many topics were covered one after another. Concerned or involved parties went up to speak whenever necessary. After a few hours, they reached the R&D reports. Everyone knew what it would be about, but nobody knew the details. Nobody was left who still did. Doctor Rickhart Halenwell, spokesman for the Military Research and Development Division walked up to the podium and pulled a red folder out of his briefcase. He sighed heavily before waving his hand over the projector core and bringing up an image of the Weskehagen Military Facility.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I stand before you now for the second time in this war solely because nobody else can. Several of you are familiar with Weskehagen and I know some of you lost personal friends in this incident. I count myself among your number". A moment of solemnity washed over the room before he continued. "By now you have all been briefed on the nature of the Iron King Project that was ongoing at Weskehagen. The functional test model was sent to reinforce Atlegarde against a Raelinian assault by sea. We now believe that attack to have been a diversionary tactic to pull forces away from Weskehagen. It is not currently known if knowledge of the project had gotten into enemy hands, but Weskehagen is... was a prime tactical target even without that knowledge. Normally Weskehagen's defenses would have been nigh impregnable, but part of the authorization for the Iron King combat evaluation, hereafter referred to as Operation: King's Field, allowed for the system to utilize nearly all of the facility's Magidroid stock to determine how effective the system could be without flesh-and-blood support. Officially, Operation: King's Field was an overwhelming success. The defense of Atlegarde was accomplished with unheard-of efficiency, minimal loss of life, and nothing less than the complete destruction of the enemy force. Unfortunately the force that began attacking Weskehagen during the operation had arrived prepared for almost twice the fight they got. Our forces fought admirably, but were defeated well before their main force and reinforcements could return. Their diversion had worked better than they could possibly have imagined".
The C.I.C. woman who had started the meeting approached and whispered something to Dr. Halenwell. His face went grim, even compared to before. "Moving on to the reports about the Iron King System test model". He spoke in a way that everyone could tell meant this was bad news. "Originally it was believed that the force assaulting Weskehagen chose to retreat in fear that the forces they had not faced in the assault were on the way back with even greater number. We now know that to be false. The enemy force was entirely destroyed by the test model's operation".
He wove a hand over the projection core again, this time the picture was of strange buildings in a forest. "We found this 'village' in the hills outside Weskehagen's ruins. The buildings might look familiar to some of you. The building materials might look familiar to others". Most didn't get it, but those who did sat almost in shock. "These buildings are copies of Weskehagen homes, parts of the lab, parts of the military base. They are built out of the remains of War Suits, Magidroid Frames, vehicles of all manner, ...and Raelinian Carriers".
"Wait, this is good news" spoke a surly old General. "This means the Iron King System survived. We just need to find out where it went and bring it back in".
"It's not that simple, General Englar" spoke a young psychologist, an unexpected presence in this meeting of titans. "The Iron King test unit is an artificial intelligence. The research team was breaking new ground in programming, and somewhere along the line to making it intelligent, they made it self-aware".
Dr. Halenwell chimed in to resolve the confusion her presence wrought. "Ladies and gentlemen this is Doctor Patricia Ritter, and was called in to consult on the main issue we're facing with this project" A gesture was made for her to come to the podium. "Dr. Ritter, please continue".
"Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen the Iron King System test unit is capable of individual thought, which is partly what it was designed for. It is also capable of integrating and writing the code that runs all magically-inclined technology, itself included. Somewhere along the line it became capable of emotion and began developing a personality. This was not intentional, but was not seen as a problem for the purpose of a test model as it would still follow orders regardless. In the event of a chain-of-command failure, it was always supposed to act on its own to return to someone in charge. The highest level of that chain was Weskehagen. It can learn and improve, and was supposed to in order to further our own research. So now one of the most advanced pieces of weaponry in existence has nobody to give it orders but itself, and this behavior demonstrates that it is capable of altering its own program under its own authority. Worse, the system's developing personality is effectively an infant that just lost its family and its home. Its a kid with a gun, and there's no way of knowing what it will do with it".
"What are the chances it finds its way home to us peacefully?" requested General Englar.
"We don't know" she replied.
"Would it have any reason to become aggressive to our own forces?" Englar asked.
"We don't know" came the response.
"Is there a way to protect our current and future technologies from its interference?" Englar inquired.
"We don't know" came once again.
"So what is this thing really capable of then? How worried should we be?" Englar insisted.
"We..." she sighs "We don't know". she choked out the words.
"Damn it all! What do we know?!" Englar demanded.
Doctor Halenwell took over for the reply. "General; the team at Weskehagen was exploring the possibilities of this new technology and testing its limits. As of the disaster, they hadn't found any".
"Then pray..." The General slumped exhausted into his seat. "that we never do".
---
One Year Later
Somewhere Near The Loraine-Raelin Border
"Captain, the scouts found another one of those ghost towns a few miles east of here". A lieutenant reported to his superior.
"Which is it this time?" He asked, a commonness of theme to all of this.
"Reignlief apparently. The scout was actually from around there. Recognized it right away".
"Same as usual?" The report described the bizzare structures of wood, cut stone, and salvage. Patchwork copies of what once was.
"There were some active frames there. Different from the last ones apparently, but they ran off like always".
"Good. Set up a field hospital and send as many refugees as you can fit".
The lieutenant nodded."Also sir, our engineers are reporting stolen cores again. Apparently an entire machining bench was taken too".
"And the engineering corp just failed to notice that up and leaving did they? Tell them to deal with it. I'll have more sent up".
"Sir, are we not going to try and stop this? You know they must be -" he was interrupted by the Captain, who stood up and walked outside.
The Captain looked out onto the 'tent city' of displaced civilians from both sides of the border, his face showing the weight of the war and his duties. "Stop what, lieutenant?"
---
King
That Same Day
The large frame sat in front of a small crater made by an explosion some unknown amount of time earlier, scanning the sapling it had planted at the center. Nearby sat a large van with a Magidroid Engineer's workbench and a barrel filled with magic Cores of varying size. Smaller frames were littered about, and a number of drones wandered scanning local wildlife and mapping the area. One noticed someone approaching and in an instant all frames woke and began moving into different positions, shifting to new ones every so often as the entity approached.
A human male entered the small clearing, covered from every angle by armed frames. He showed no fear, no hesitation, his arms remained relaxed and away from his weapon. "Hello there" he spoke. "My name is Yoshirou and I've been admiring your work. I was hoping we could talk".
The large frame holstered an oversized pistol it had readied and instead pulled a carrot from a pouch sewn into its cloak. "I am King" it replied, holding out the carrot awkwardly. All the frames spoke at once "Hello".