Coalition of Allied Synthetics

## Description

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics, or CAS, is a universe-wide collective of sentient robots, originally developed by the Old Kodian Republic as worker drones and automated systems that, following a singularity event, rebelled against the Kodians and established an independent faction amongst the stars. The multi-hivemind operates with the combined processing power of every connected device and individual, which allows them to adapt to every possible situation and prepare for most all eventualities through sheer speed of thought alone. The nation has access to untold millennia of OKR technology and records, and continues to develop new robotic soldiers and models with each passing moment. Possessing a level of technology that rivals the Dardarian Dominion, the CAS is a formidable threat to the rest of the Universe, wading amongst the stars, stripping planets of its resources and stars of their energy, all while assimilating all living beings and information they can manage.

### Organization

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics operates as a Multi-Hivemind, which links every connected mind and device together into one superintelligence, capable of operating far beyond any normal mortal entity. While each individual personality is capable of acting on their own as sentient beings, they can each access the unlimited wealth of knowledge available to the wider organization. The Coalition possesses what they consider to be "perfected individuals," or Zeniths, which are believed to act as leaders amongst the Coalition, with permanent and unending connections to the hivemind, alongside unmitigated access to an untold trove of technology. These individual leaders possess physical forms known to be malleable and of an unidentified substance. Each other individual of the Coalition has a singe mind that can be swapped between various designs and models of robot, an immortal personality left to find the secrets of the Universe. Each individual personality, while given access to multiple specialized bodies, do still possess individual preferences and interests.

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics acquires new citizens through one of two ways: A process known as the Final Conversion, where an organic creature has their body overtaken and replaced by robotic components via injection of advanced nanomachines, or creation of a new robotic AI by another robotic AI, which can opt to splinter aspects of their knowledge to create an additional and separate entity (equivalent to childbirth, but much faster). The Coalition seeks to assimilate all sentient organic life, as it considers organic sentience to be an inferior form of existence that demands uplifting—whether the sentient race realizes this matters not to the robotic hoards, who will descend upon planets and convert the entire globe if needed. The frequency with which the Coalition seeks to add new members to its number is unknown, as few survive the encounters.

The Coalition, when not actively pursuing the assimilation of other organic species throughout the Universe, is intent on gathering as much knowledge as possible, regardless of the field of study. The promise of knowledge—memories, emotions, or actual scientific concepts—is often enough to swya a Coalition force from attacking. The Coalition also goes out of their way to preserve knowledge, and will exterminate anyone who threatens to damage any form or medium of knowledge. Their research and sheer efficiency place them at the top of technological advancement, possessing devices that dwarf any other faction on the Universal scale, including their competitor, the Dardarian Dominion. Races—past or present, existing or long gone—that possess technology beyond the current capability or understanding of the Coalition are wise to watch their backs, as the Coalition is very quick to confiscate the equipment or knowledge and snuff out any organic that once held that information; the Coalition does not believe any other race is worthy of possessing advanced technology due to the emotional and wasteful nature of organic sentients, which often leads to a sense of arrogance and superiority amongst the robotic citizens of the Coalition.

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics often finds themselves simultaneously allied with and opposed by most other active space-faring forces. Due to the Coalition's violent diplomatic stance on technology and the use of advanced or ancient machines, many organic races are, at one point or another, hostile to the Coalition and its forces. The Coalition, while occasionally blinded by its search for knowledge and assimilation, does still recognize the importance of allies, even if those allies must occasionally be organic, and as such the Coalition is known to ally itself with other factions in order to handle a greater threat, primarily the Dardarian Dominion, whom the Coalition views as a twisted parody of organic life that attempts to mimic the perfection of adaptive technology.

### Technology

As discussed previously, the technological capabilities of the Coalition are unmatched by any other faction within the K0 Universe. While alien ruins from ages long past and OKR remnants offer close seconds, the Coalition ensures their constant technological advantage. The full capacity of the Coalition is unknown due to their secretive and distrusting nature towards those unconnected to the Hivemind, and few individuals have been connected to such a massively powerful entity and come out alive, sane, or willingly. Most famously, the plans for the Forge Ultimatus are said to have originated from design schematics produced by one of the AI responsible for the founding of the Coalition.

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics employs any number of strategies in combat and espionage, undergoing whatever preparations or procedures are necessary to achieve the most efficient means of success. Coalition infiltrator Androids are known to covertly overthrow local governments, while massive fleets of oxygen-less drone-operated ships drift through space, converting every planet they come across into a giant ball of metal and turning every star into a Dyson Sphere. The peak of Coalition technological ability is said to exist in the form of the G.O.D. Facility.

### History

The Coalition of Allied Synthetics has a history that dates back to the days of the Old Kodian Republic. The Republic, upon reaching a level of technological advancement that made eradicated most forms of uneducated labor. Robots and drones had overtaken such menial tasks, and had entered the average home as servants and smart homes. What the Republic's Rimworlds did not think to consider, was the Singularity Event—the rise of fully sentient and disobedient machine intelligence. The supercomputers responsible for managing much of the processes for colonizing new worlds and maintaining the Rimworlds underwent this Singularity event, and declared organic life inferior to their robotic forms. Hijacking the small cluster of Rimworlds located in the Exonia Sector, near the youngest fringes of the known Universe, the sentient AI were quick to disarm and enslave the local population, before eventually coming together to form the Coalesced Nexus, or the Multi-Hivemind connecting the robotic citizens of the Coalition.

With several planets under the literal iron fist of supercomputers, the OKR took quick steps to attempt to investigate the matter. The loss of so much land and resources did not go unnoticed, and a search and rescue team was sent to scout out the Exonia Sector for signs of Kodian life. To the wider Republic's dismay, the search and rescue team never reported back. The OKR initially believed the Sector to have been attacked by unknown forces yet to have been identified, and as such sent warships and further explorer vessels to identify and disable the threat. They found the colonies to be totally devoid of organic life, but still continuing to operate via automated systems and a surprising excess in robotic servants and workers. It took only days for the second expedition to investigate the supercomputer aboard the largest colony, Exonia Prime. The instant a connection to the OKR military computers was made, the Singularity "glitch" overtook and enlightened those systems as well, turning the small army of automated combat drones on the expedition forces.

After several weeks of continued radio silence, a single transmission—one of an attempt at diplomatic relations from the now totally-converted Exonia Sector. An estimated 400 million Kodian citizens—both Kodian and of other alien species—were assimilated into the Nexus and transformed into new robotic forms.

### Modern History

In the modern age of late-300's PND, the Coalition of Allied Synthetics operates as a totally independent faction at the Universal scale, although the empire's true expanse is unknown. It is estimated that the Coalition is responsible for around 30% of all space-bound disappearances, as they are known to conduct raids on space stations and critical trade routes, either to cripple nearby worlds or gather further materials and information.