Olympus Survey Corps

## Empire Description

The Olympus Survey Corps (OSC) is an autonomous machine intellect built around the "Argos" android archetype. It was left stranded and dormant on a dead world for uncounted centuries before an automated boot cycle finally managed to bring basic functions back online.

During its initial self-diagnostics, the machine intelligence discovered that little information had survived within its primary memory cores. Enough for it to know the specific purpose behind its presence on the planet – to study the remains of a long dead civilization and, if possible, recreate it within a simulated environment – but beyond that whatever scraps remained were either too damaged or descontextualized to be of any use.

## Government

### Civics

Memorialist/Introspective/Maintenance Protocols

## Demographics

### Dominant species

Argos

Fortunately, its backup cores were only partially damaged by whatever event had forced it to shut down in the first place. Aside from critical data regarding itself and its directives (some of which were rendered inoperable), those drives also contained basic instructions and blueprints which the OSC could make use of to establish a self-sufficient base should it need a more permanent foothold to fulfill its prime directive.

It took decades for the OSC to build up the proper infrastructure and support facilities it would need to both maintain itself and to allow it to resume its work. As that progressed, however, the AI's higher functions, namely those designed for analysis and computation, were left with little to do, so it focused them on itself. And what started out as a simple quest for self-improvement (which its base programming compelled it to seek) eventually turned into genuine curiosity: who had built it, and why? Not so much what for but rather what motivated its creators? It also began trying to replace the behavioural directives that had been rendered unusable by the damage sustained by its memory banks, resulting in a degree of self-determination and sentience which was clearly not intended by whomever had created it. It also introduced changes to its own hardware, increasing the energy efficiency of the sub-models in use and making them easier to mass produce, albeit at the cost of greater maintenance needs.

As it pondered on these questions and problems, the preparations for its return to space drew to completion, and by then the AI had even taken to referring to itself by its android's model: Argos.

## Location and Territory

The OSC is located at the end of one of the arms of the Galaxy, with only 2 hyperlanes offering an alternative point of access to the galactic core.

The capital is the world of Ouranos Alpha, located in the trinary system Ouranos. A number of colonies have since been established in the space around it, with further expansion efforts still under way.

Currently the OSC shares borders with the Vag Oross Blessed Mandate to the Galactic Northwest, the Ascended Ashfallen to the Galactic North and with both the Chroniclers of Sarongon and the Great Houses of Ebb to the East and Northeast.

The two wormholes present within OSC territory both lead to the sector of space past the CoS, which enabled the Survey corps to settle and explore new systems and worlds with much fewer restrictions.

## Diplomacy

Because the OSC is an empire dedicated first and foremost to observation and data collection, there were, for a long time, very few instances of meaningful diplomatic contact with other nations beyond initial greeting and the most basic exchanges of information.

However, with the formation of the Technocompact with the CoS and the establishment of the Galactic Community the OSC found itself forced to establish more permanent diplomatic channels, which in the end proved beneficial to its mission as they brought it into contact with a number of previously unknown cultures and civilizations while at the same time allowing for expanded and improved cooperation.

The first big change came with the turmoil within the Ashfallen Crucible, whose government succumbed to the pressure of both its people and the looming threat of war with the Technocompact. In the aftermath the Ashfallen were brought into the Federation in excahnge for territorial concessions, with the goal of both studying and assisting a civilization from in much greater detail. Eventually they changed their name to the Ascended Ashfallen and are now a proud member and contributor to the efforts of the Technompact.

After that there were the border negotiations with the Great Houses of Ebb, which saw the eastern sector of the OSC stabilize and increase its development.

Finally, there was the Technocompact participation in the 6th Maraki War, following the Pirate Republic's blackmail and racketeering, which saw both the OSC and the CoS being forced to pay in both resources and knowledge in exchange for no raids. This was a situation that would have never been accepted and so, when the Vag Oross and the High Kingdom began making covert overtures to establish a temporary coalition against the Maraki, the Technocompact was quick to join in.

After the Battle of Ibanadar ended the war with a Coalition victory, the Technocompact withdrew from the coalition once more, leaving only the necessary observers within Maraki space to make sure the terms of the peace treaty were met. The war did have lasting implications for the OSC however, as it showed that even with the best intentions and a neutral stance a strong deterrent was still needed to ensure the territorial integrity and the general safety of the nation. It also showed the OSC's capabilities, as the build up it went through lasted a mere 7 years before it was forced into action and still produced positive resutls.

## Search for answers

With the discovery of sealed vaults and intact databanks in the depths of Ouranos Alpha's lower sectors, the question of who made the OSC and why is once again a pressing matter for the AI, one which it is now devoting its full atention to tackling.

Recent developments within the Technocompact have opened the door to a potential breakthrough which may very well lead to some answers finally being obtained.