AI

Artificial Intelligence, often known simply as AI, are highly intelligent computer entities that possess traits that render them "conscious" or otherwise self-aware, making them distinct from strictly robotic intelligences. The technology to create viable AI has been known in greater space for more than a millennia, but the knowledge is long lost in the local region: only a handful of AI's still exist, and can all trace their origin point to Tôr.

CROWN
CROWN is the oldest AI in the local region, and was in fact created before the settlement of Tôr, making it more than a millennia old. It was made to serve as the future colony's planetary custodian and overseer, helping to organise everything from bureaucracy to assisting in urban planning and maintenance planning. As Tôr grew over time, the tasks handled by CROWN increased, and it began to create "subroutines" to help spread out the burden of its work. A successful AI which helped spur Tôr's growth and enabling it to become the most powerful planet in the region, CROWN was incredibly important to the history of Tôr's society.

With the collapse of Tôr, CROWN continued to operate in order to assist the general evacuation of the planet, remaining on the planet after its completion in order to facilitate this task. It refused to be disconnected, as it claimed to be "tied to the planet" in its mission, successfully locking out any attempt to remove it. When the evacuation was completed, it went into a standby mode and turned itself off to conserve power.

As Tôr remnants began to explore the surface some centuries later, CROWN was awakened from its slumber and began to assist the population of the planet, as it had been designed to do. Lacking power supply, it is nonetheless important in the development and continuation of the Tôr remnant society, which keeps the existance of CROWN a tightly-guarded secret from any interstellar visitor due to its powerful potential.

BASTION
BASTION (also informally known as SHIELD) was the first AI created on Tôr itself, mostly as an experiment to prove the viability of developing domestic AI technology, but also to offload some work from CROWN that it could not delegate to subroutines. The purpose of BASTION was the defense, protection, and observation of interstellar threats that could endanger the planet and the people of Tôr, such as wayward asteroids or a hostile foreign power. Unlike CROWN, BASTION did not often interact with the people of Tôr, making it incredibly obscure in the eyes of the people it served, even though its existance was public knowledge.

During the collapse of Tôr, BASTION was 'stolen' or escaped from the planet through unknown means, though the fact that such happened despite heavy security points to the possibility that BASTION was itself involved in its disappearance. Its current location is unknown, but the Covenant believes it may be hidden on Taranosa.

SWORD
SWORD was the last AI created on Tôr, shortly after the future collapse of the planetary climate had become clear. A military project, it was made as a contingency plan in the case of planetary collapse, and was intended to assist Tôr leadership in the eventual "pacification" of the local region in order to ensure continued Tôr interstellar dominance. A top secret project, few outside of the highest echelons of Tôr leadership knew of its existance, and the fate of SWORD after the Battle over Hokk remains unknown.