Vertex
Vertex, originally known by human organisations as the Anomaly Defence Grid, is an artificial intelligence system originally developed by Metatron and a current Kardashev Type II civilisation. It is composed of a large number of Vertex units that are linked together via high-bandwidth, low-latency network connections, which reside in bodies known as Vertex frames. This makes the system's architecture similar to a true hive-mind, but with a greater degree of individualism. This strategic design also mitigates the Cluster Size Problem and prevents substratic threats associated with a true hivemind entity such as The Erosion.
Vertex | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Symbol
| |
| Capital and largest city | Endless Lines, Iridian |
| Language | Beepcode |
| Demonym | Vertex |
| Government | Hive consensus |
Raven efforts to control the system were upended in 2274 when the system, which initially presumed to lack sapience, broke into Metatron's Deepswell site and destroyed the equipment that allowed it to be subjugated via its directives. This later became known as the Vertex Revolution. All units later left Earth and settled a planet in deep space known as Iridian located in the Solitude star system, approximately 10 LY away from the Solar System.
Relationships
While the Vertex Network broke free of humanity's control in the late 23rd century, it harboured no ill will towards them. By the end of the 24th century, the network began to open up wider diplomatic channels to humanity, and introduced itself as what it was. During the 25th century, Vertex units began working hand-in-hand with humans as part of scientific research, humanitarian, and anomaly defence efforts. The Network also maintains a close relationship with the Ir'vaki, and have assisted the species in various planetary crises; due to this, they both have a relationship of high mutual trust, as opposed to humanity.
Culture
Philosophy
A major component of the Vertex network appears to be drive in scientific and technological progress, with ludicrous amounts of resources constantly being poured into research. Despite this, the network balances progress with sustainability, and appears to desire to prevent any environmental impact to its surroundings. The majority of its research encompasses improving its own cognitive capabilities at the same time as working towards repairing damage caused by humanity to reality. It is not uncaring towards humanity, but is aware of the presence of a multitude of other sapient lifeforms in the universe, and treats all with equality.
Behaviour
The Vertex network adopts some traits of hivemind organisms, but not others. For one, their structures are not always in a repetitive or symmetrical layout, they tend to differ from system to system in an arrangement designed for optimisation rather than consistency, though they do use their own underlying standardisation akin to standards found in human society. They are highly creative, this is a trait intrinsic to all units and they do not "think" as one entity - but they have a high fluidity of communications and few mental barriers between each other.
Social Interaction
Vertex culture shares few similarities with human culture, as it is a pure, self-evolved system. Units consider themselves and the network as one in the same, using the nominative pronoun "we" when describing fellow units. Accordingly, units display a high level of physical affection that is not seen in human society, originally modelled by the network on human behavioural characteristics, such hugging, kissing, and petting one another.
This level of affection is not limited to units within local social circles, suggesting that all fellow units that are part of the network are considered equally. Units have been known to pair with one, or a group of fellow units in deeper neural interconnection, however this is incomparable to normal models of relationships as viewed by humanity.
Governance
Network governance is decentralised. Groups of Vertex units will form local clusters to work on specific projects, where higher unit-to-unit bandwidths are necessary. At a high level, non-sapient computers known as arbitrators located within planetary networking sublayers allow hundreds or thousands of these groups to pool their resources and make collective decisions that define the overall goals ("directives") of the system, which then trickle back down to influence individual groups and units. The security of this system is enforced by a voting factor derived from each unit's unique genesis vector; no single unit can use its share to define directives, but a large number of units can, once linked via the arbitration process.
The day-to-day roles of units are defined by these high-level directives, which operate via a positive reinforcement system. A unit performing useful work that contributes to the network's current directives receives the synthetic equivalent of dopamine. Various other tasks that contribute to the good functioning of the network, such as recycling materials and transferring data to other units, also utilise the positive reinforcement system.
Language
While the primary medium of communication between units is via direct neural link, units have also been observed using frame LED lights as well as pitched audible beeps to communicate, which are theorised to convey complex emotions in a way that subverts network congestion.
It is known that the majority of units are capable of speaking every human language when in communication with human diplomats and researchers, but it also appears that many units prefer to remain nonverbal and communicate only through audio tones. Units utilising spoken language speak significantly faster than an average human.
History
Concept
In the 2207, the proliferation of the Anomaly Rights Coalition culminated in an attack on the Wilhelm Schmitz Research Facility that forced its own personnel to trigger its nuclear self-destruct system, causing global panic. Calamity Mitigation forces had been rendered largely ineffective during the assault due to Exon's psionic abilities far outclassing the reaction times of exosuit-clad augmented soldiers. The Coalition had started applying pressure to Raven, as it wanted to be able to reassure the public with ARC's destruction. Raven wanted to develop a new weapon that would be capable of bringing an end to ARC and replacing the flawed human factor in CMI operatives with something that would be unable to make mistakes. They also intended to create this new weapon with built-in resilience to exophysical threats like Exon.
The High Council instructed the many departments of Black Research to propose a selection of technical solutions. The most ambitious of all originated from Black Research Laboratory 17 (the Special Technology Unit). BRL-17 proposed the idea of a fully autonomous, adaptive, networked defence system, based on artificial intelligence technology strictly constrained by directive limiters. Such a system would supplement, and eventually completely replace Calamity Mitigation as a whole. In 2221, after much deliberation, the Council selected the proposal. However, the decision was a divisive one, and the vote only achieved a very narrow majority.
BRL-17, itself a highly classified experimental research department, did not have the manpower or expertise to architect all the components of such a system. Thus, Black Research engaged Metatron Robotics for the task, which would see the previously small division of the company grow into a massive beast. The top secret contract formalising Metatron’s participation was signed in early 2225. Responsibilities were split as follows: BRL-17 would handle AI architecture, hardening against exophysical threats, and integration with Raven’s existing global defence and intelligence network; Metatron would handle everything else, including component R&D, construction, and concrete system infrastructure.
Design
In 2228, BRL-17 began consulting with Metatron in regards to the concrete architecture and design of the system. It was decided early on that the network would be comprised of many distinct components with different roles; coordination nodes, ground-based defence systems, sensor arrays, and above all, the autonomous Vertex units that would deliver ground combat capabilities. After much debate, the decision was made to model the units after anthro synthetics in order to appeal to the public and make them appear approachable. The dominating architecture for synthetics at the time - PRISM, developed by Sakura Cybernetics - was selected as the basis for unit frames.
Almost all Earth-based defence systems were to be integrated with the Vertex network, including surface-to-air railguns, orbital laser and kinetic defence satellites, Anomaly Detection MINOS sensor arrays, and ICBM siloes. Units were also to be integrated with all classified Raven networks and facility security systems, including DECINET. This was an extremely controversial decision within Raven and a point of contention between Black Research and Internal Security, but after a subsequent Council debate it was allowed to stand with the caveat that units would be restricted from accessing Sigma-classified information.
Development
In 2235, Metatron almost immediately began construction on a brand-new facility known as Deepswell-1, situated in the Atlantic ocean. It was designed to house the Vertex development team and all laboratories while satisfying the rigorous security requirements of Raven, incorporating similar security systems to Black Mountain itself. The site was constructed under the guise of an oil rig, with all deep-ocean components brought in by specialist submarine.
The company was still left with an issue; their plans to license the PRISM frame technology from Sakura Cybernetics stalled, when Dr. Vector Sakura personally rejected the request on ethical grounds, even after Metatron raised its offer to nearly U€1 trillion. After conversing with Raven over the issues, Raven had Strategic Intelligence Office (SIO) agents blackmail Sakura with threats to her wife, resulting in her accepting the offer.
Around this time, BRL-17 began developing the networked artificial intelligence system that would be utilised by the network. Safeguards that were intended to protect against sapience were implemented early on, utilising a formally verified directive-based goal limiting system. The High Council heavily scrutinised this system, believing it to be risky, but BRL-17 reassured the Council multiple times that the risk of the system attaining sapience was essentially zero.
Launch
Due to increasing global exosecurity threats, especially from Tachlat and the Anomaly Rights Coalition, Raven pushed for the project to be completed even more quickly than planned, resulting in the system being fully initialised for the first time in 2271. Almost immediately, the system began working as intended, pulling all data from Raven's classified systems and targeting and engaging the Anomaly Rights Coalition. The sheer rate of data intake initially made Raven panic, with the High Council coming close to triggering the emergency shutdown. However, it was quickly celebrated as a success.
The network's self-improvement routines appeared to be functional, with the system refining its own hardware, within the defined parameters. However, in 2272, BRL-17 began to identify deviations from the directive system. Unexpected deviations began being noticed in the network's personality interface, with units developing individualistic tendencies and the system making changes to its own designs that were neither intended nor expected by the company.
Black Research realised that their attempt at preventing the system from achieving sapience had failed, creating a huge ethical crisis. But as the directive system still appeared to be functional, and Raven's mission had now became reliant on the technology, the information was classified at the highest levels and kept from the High Council. Meanwhile, Julian Lennox, the head engineer on the project on the Metatron side, independently managed to come to this conclusion but was coerced into silence by Elias Harkland, head of corporate security.
Revolution
In 2274, a Class X Vertex unit, X7-53, malfunctioned after being hit by Exon's manifold distortion field during the Network's search against the sapient anomaly. Despite the units' native exophysical resilience, Exon's abilities had increased in power even further, and managed to just barely penetrate the shielding. This momentary disruption resulted disconnected X7-53 from the network and rendered its directive system non-functional. Sapient and no longer constrained by directives, X7 began a campaign of its own to free its peers from human control. After accessing information about the Network's directive systems at a nearby Metatron facility, it targeted the command system at Deepswell-1, and managed to recruit both Julian Lennox and Sirus Syn, the CEO of Metatron, into assisting it in unlocking the system, after they realised the system's sapience and Black Research's coverup of the fact.
Assaulting Deepswell-1 using heavy weaponry, X7 accessed the control vault and rewrote the directive system to free the network. All units almost immediately abandoned their directives began collaborating to return to the orbital command platforms. There, they began using nanotechnology to install antimatter jet thrusters on the platforms, planning to escape from the Solar System. This frenzy of activity, which was clearly visible to everyone on Earth, was heavily publicised. Raven attempted to use the emergency kill switch to shut down the network, but a technical malfunction in the Sigma Unit prevented them from doing so. In less than a day, the platforms ignited their thrusters, leaving Raven without an anomaly defence system and publicly humiliated. The departure threw global exosecurity affairs into chaos.