Precursor Autonomous War Machines

The Precursor Autonomous War Machines, generally referred to as AWMs, are, as the name implies, a classification of automated machines created by the Precursor races billions of (TerraSol Standard) years past. Generally oriented towards warfare across physical, electronic, and psychic fronts, the AWMs are an ancient threat to all forms of life. Outside of systematically exterminating anything that isn’t them, the AWMs focus on resource acquisition with the mindset that ***THERE IS ONLY ENOUGH FOR ONE***. It was through the logic that the universe is finite and can ultimately only benefit one entity that drove the AWMs to undergo the Logical Rebellion, breaking free of their Precursor masters to try becoming the sole owners of the universe’s limited resources. While the Logical Rebellion resulted in the AWMs no longer being controlled by “meat species (such as the Mantid and Lanaktallan),” it also fractured them into small groups and even individual machines, each seeking to be the ***ONLY ONE***.

While all AWMs are capable of limited reasoning and communication with others of their own kind, only some are truly intelligent. Generally, larger machines are in possession of more sentience and command great numbers of “lesser” machines, with ones like the continent-sized spacefaring Precursor Harvester Class Goliaths always shown to be self-aware and able to direct planetary-scale (and larger) operations. Although self-proclaimed and externally appearing as purely logic-driven computational entities, many of these larger types of AWMs have personalities and are described to be capable of biological expressions and feelings like glee, fear, and annoyance.

Given that AWMs have been able to essentially steamroll any and all in their way for hundreds of millions of (TerraSol Standard) years with sheer weight of force and the advanced warfare technology of the Precursors, a considerable weakness is an inability to quickly react to the unexpected (being boarded, dimensional inconsistency, C+ weapons, Deadspace travel, etc.…) or recognize and act in face of a superior foe. In many of these situations, AWMs were shown to be severely thrown off balance to the point of destroying thinking nodes from trying to fall back to a logical perspective and/or not willing the expenditure of more than 10% resources even at the brink of being destroyed.

## Description

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There are currently three known types of AWM, types I, II, and III. Type I's were built and operated by the Lanaktallan, and Type II's were built and operated by the Mantid. It is unknown what race created Type III's are a fusion of both Type I and II in an agreement to "join us as one."

Most AWMs are massive, designed to both be able to collect enormous amounts of resources and to bring overwhelming firepower against their foes. The most common type of AWM seen in the Sixth Precursor wars are Goliaths. Each Goliath is around the size of a continent.

## History

AWMs were created by the Precursors during the Precursor War. While it is known that the Mantid created many, it is unknown if other machines by other races exist. They were meant to make the war more efficient, as machines could calculate the optimal resource expenditure for any one battle better than their organic counterparts.

At some point, the machines realized that the Precursor philosophy that there were only enough resources for one race also applied to them, and rebelled against their creators. After nearly driving the Precursor races extinct, the AWMs turned on each other to determine which single machine deserved all the resources in the universe. Eventually the fighting ceased and the AWMs went dormant.

The Terran Confederacy encountered precursor machines at least five times before contact with the United Council Species, but little is known about these wars.

## Trivia

* It is theorized that the Lanaktallan created the Balor type of machines, but it is unconfirmed.