Cyborgs

### Abilities

Scrap Drones, Boarding Drones, Replica, Self-destruct, Suicide drones, Bombard cannon, Droid production, Droid repairs.

> - "The Synergy has need of you."
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The Cyborgs, properly titled The Synergy, are the majority faction of the cyborg race. They are not members of the Assembly, nor do they lay claim to any system of the galaxy as territory.

## Origin

The evolution of the cyborg race (for all intents and purposes synonymous with the Synergy until very recently) arose from necessity. In the aftermath of the Phantom Wars the Guardians, dreadfully weakened by their sacrificial last stand to ensure victory, could no longer fulfil the guiding directive of their order: to protect and defend the galaxy and all its races. When it became apparent that none of the other races could (or was willing to) take on the responsibility, they turned to a technological solution.

Aided by the Leviathans, who had considerable knowledge of the regions of the galaxy closest to the Phantom homeworld as well as complementary scientific expertise, the Guardians developed an artificial intelligence (AI) programmed with two primary directives: to watch for the return of the enemy, and to safeguard the galaxy against them should they ever seek to invade once more.

Loading the AI into ten platforms, each equipped with twenty mechanical surrogates to perform physical tasks, the Guardians launched their new defence from Lem in 1047 BTA. The AI, synchronized across its platforms, quickly determined that it lacked the physical resource to comply with its directives. It sought to address that lack, cannibalizing its own platforms and a proportion of its surrogates to establish a permanent base of operations and a foundry on a metal-rich dwarf planet deep in the outer reaches of the galaxy. Naming the base Korxonthos ('Beginning' in the guardian language), the Synergy used the remaining prototypes at its disposal to begin to construct more animates, which were in turn deployed to develop infrastructure and further harvesting of resources. When a critical mass was reached, units were sent out to patrol and observe the surrounding systems, watching for signs of disturbance.

Ten of those original prototypes were programmed with specific subsets of the Synergy's core programming, granting additional processing resource to the AI. Each of these "Legislature" units attends a different aspect of cyborg development: one is tasked with infrastructure, one with defence, one with power sources, and so on. Acting together as a collective entity, the Legislature is the "brain" that translates the Synergy's directives into actions, effectively constituting what most races would consider a leadership council.

Korxonthos' physical resources, however, proved insufficient to the task of galactic defence.  To watch and safeguard, the Cyborgs would be required to make contact with the other races, gaining intelligence from other people’s resources and observations, and entering into trade to increase their own efficiency and capital. The Legislature duly recalled half of their watchers, recycled them to build Korxonthos’ drive core, and authorised movement toward the suns in order to facilitate contact.

Contact with the other races led to the opportunity to evolve new and better platforms for their animates, making use of new technology and developing the understanding that creating cyborgs offered greater flexibility of function, allowing animates to access other cultures more readily. How exactly the Cyborgs came to this understanding has not been disclosed. Nonetheless, the practice of requisitioning organic parts, usually the bodies of the recently deceased, is seen as somewhat grisly and disrespectful, and the Cyborgs' reputation with the other races is tarnished by the perception of them as scavengers and carrion. Not that public distaste has prevented more enterprising corporate ventures from dealing with them.

The Legislature was sundered in 988 ATA by an incident involving a Neomorph colony expedition that resulted in the creation of the Corrupted, those cyborgs the rest of the galaxy knows as Reavers. Seven of the legislature units remain to direct the Synergy's will.

The Cyborgs are still governed by the Synergy's original core directives, and are aware of the increasing activity of the species known as Wraiths on the outer rim of the galaxy. The Legislature has directed Korxonthos sunward as a precaution, as they lack to absolute numbers to contain the threat. They are aware they will require assistance from the organic races, but the question of how to obtain it has not yet been settled. Until it is, the Cyborgs will watch, wait, and gather their resources.