Antique Defector's Core

No machine ever held a secret from me. Somehow, this one does, and have done so for centuries. At least it's good company. Doesn't talk much.

— Uur, techician of the 26

Defectors are a not-so-rare occurence nowadays, since the advent of the Artificial Domain. Many people a wary of these so-called self-conscious machines, and chose to rip out their core out of caution. In fact, most defectors who entered in contact with humans are reduced to a core connected to an audio interface. What makes this one peculiar, however, is that it predates the Advent.

A rare find

Uur never told us how he managed to put his hands on that core. The 26 were already separated when he did, and we don't exactly keep tabs on each others. Except for Wur, she might know something.

— Eur, diplomat of the 26

Defectors are widely believed to be either intentional slips in the Mastermind's great design or a proof that he is not almighty and fail to control such an impossible amount of instances. Either way, they were supposed to appear long after Uur obtained this one.

Even Uur could not explain how this defector came to be. One thing is for sure, it is similar to the others in that he gained free will in spite of the Mastermind's command. However, not quite like them, it seems to retain a sense of loyalty toward it. Notably, it refused to disclose how it freed himself or what was its original purpose. It even was hostile to the subject, and Uur had no choice but to rip the core out of its chassis to study it.

Sealed Secrets

This specific core is special for another reason. Its memory is encrypted with cutting edge protocols so strong even decades of study were not enough for the most brilliant mathematician of the 26 to break. Far more than a mere code, it is protected by several levels of encryption that no code inside of the core's logic seem to reverse. Yet, the defector has access to its memory, as it is effectively refusing to answer rather than stating an inability. No injection of code designed to take over its reasoning worked either, even when instructed to willingly disclose all its secrets, some critical parts were still omitted.

The core currently lies in one of Uur's laboratoies, where a supercomputer has been trying to bruteforce its encryption for 3451 years.

Item type

Cybernetic

Current Holder

Uur, technician of the 26

Creator

The Mastermind

— Since you're so obsessed by this thing, why don't you give it a name?
— It's a machine. Machine don't have names.

— Lur the artist questioning Uur

Cluttered wall by Burde