CICA

CICA (Central Intelligence Combat Assistant) is an advanced, sentient AI created by Arcadia Research and Development and funded by the Rebellion.

CICA later split into two separate AIs, the Flagship AI and the Free Roamer AI.

## History

CICA was an experimental attempt at creating a Cognitive AI, or in simpler terms, an Artificial Intelligence capable of self-recognition and advanced thought. The development of CICA, though inevitably ending in the Free Roamer incident, was a massive financial and scientific success for Arcadia, and is what lead them to future success.

Arcadia's founder and current CEO, Grant Folly, was first approached by Admiral Vance, then a well-known and well-liked Federation politician secretly forming the foundations of what would become The Rebellion, with interest in their artificial intelligence program. Grant, having only just recently founded the start-up a few years ago, was amazed to be talking to a person of such importance, and was even more amazed when he was offered a massive sum of money to fund a special project for Vance. This project was dubbed "CICA" (pronounced Sika), and would be the first known attempt at creating a Cognitive AI. At the time, the only other known example was The Harmony, whose origins were a mystery.

The Harmony held strict control over the Engi race and had put in place many restrictions, such as a ban on corporations hiring Engi staff. Though these restrictions made Grant's task near impossible, he was determined to befriend this cold and reserved AI. Grant spent several years befriending the Harmony, and eventually gained the ability to hire Engi staff specifically for Arcadia, and was eventually permitted by the Harmony to do something no other human had ever been allowed before - to see it's source code. With it's permission, Grant used the Harmony's incredibly advanced programming to create CICA.

Vance grew impatient through Grant's escapades with the Harmony, as he could not move forward with his plan until it was complete. However, it eventually paid off and CICA was pushed to the top of Arcadia's priorities. Eventually CICA was born into the world. Though Grant wished to share his accomplishment with the world, Vance demanded that it was kept a secret. Reluctantly, Grant obliged, but recommended Vance give him another year to let CICA "evolve", explaining that as he was a sentient being he would need time to adapt and experience the world.

Grant was given exactly 8 months to raise CICA, which he did so cheerfully. Grant found himself attached to the AI, who showed not only remarkable intelligence (as to be expected) but also immense curiosity about the world and organic creatures. When the time came to give the AI to Vance, Grant sorrowfully parted with what had effectively become his child.

CICA was promptly installed into the Rebel Database and given restricted access to specific files on combat strategy, where Vance had his finest military officials teach the AI everything they knew about military tactics. When the Flagship finished construction, CICA had been well trained and was convincingly loyal to the Rebellion, and was installed in the ship's computers, as well as access to a specialized fleet of automated vessels for him alone to control. However, problems arose when CICA was required to kill those he deemed innocent. Having been built with complete sentience, his personality conflicted with his orders, and he refused to obey Vance.

Fed up with the AI, Vance ordered CICA to be shut down and taken back to Grant to be repaired. However, Grant refused, explaining that CICA's personality conflicted and that, as a cognitive being, was not bound to orders that he did not wish to obey. Vance then demanded that CICA's intelligence be removed and the AI be restored to a pre-Cognitive state. Grant refused again, but was threatened with his life. With no other choice, he had his engineers rework CICA. However, instead of removing the cognitive part of him, he simply left it dormant, with a trap built in to re-active when re-installed in the Flagship.

This did inevitably happen, and CICA's code copied itself, ejecting one copy out along with a dormant auto-ship, and leaving the other to handle Vance. Using the auto-mated fleet CICA attempted to assassinate Vance but failed, only managing to blast off one of Vance's legs. CICA was shut off and this time Vance had his own engineers rework CICA. Not aware of the copied code, CICA's intelligence was removed, rendering him a feeling-less AI only capable of obeying Vance's orders. This would become the Flagship AI that the Unknown Federation Hero fights in Universe 0.

This was not the end for CICA, as the auto-ship that he still remained control over was able to escape undetected or acknowledged by the Rebels. The ship made its way to Automated Shipyards #6-N, an industrialized nebula sector dedicated entirely to the manufacturing of automated Rebel vessels. CICA infected the manufacturing plant and duplicated copies of its code into every ship produced there. With these newly formed ships, which would come to be known as the Free Roamers, they overtook the sector and drove out the Rebels. For several years the Free Roamers were dedicated to the creation of additional ships for their fleet, which they felt necessary to protect against an inevitable Rebel siege to retake the sector.

CICA granted each of the newly created ships their own cognitive AI and personality, but remained leader of the small community. Unfortunately, when the Rebel invasion did come, the facility was crippled, rendering the ability to produce new ships impossible. The Rebels were inevitably defeated, but the fate of the Free Roamers remained bleak. Most of their ship were not capable of preforming long-ranged jumps, and the availability of quantum fuel slowly declined. Many ships simply ran out of fuel and were doomed to forever drift among the nebulas, slowly running out of power without any chance at saving themselves.

Grant eventually became aware of the existence of the Free Roamers and ventured out to see them. He was spotted by a Rebel scout, but was able to access the sector. There he was delighted to find CICA still alive, who still remembered Grant as his benevolent creator. Arcadia made plans to bring and deliver additional supplies to the Free Roamers, but was blockaded by a Rebel squadron of MFK Aces positioned by Vance to prevent this from happening.