Charon APL

The **Charon Advanced Pilot Linkup**, more commonly called **Charon APL**, is a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence developed to assist and enhance the pilot of the Stygian SetNEGATIVE in the setting of Super Robot Wars DRP.

## Description

The Charon APL assists and enhances the pilot's performance by studying and stimulating pilot brainwaves, then presenting combat data tailored in a way that elicits optimal combat response. When activated, it causes highly complex and intense hallucinations with directed objectives, presented in a way that makes the pilot most effective at achieving those goals.

With its chosen pilot Sekai Freiheit, it takes the form of his favorite virtual idol Sharon Apple, a form taken by studying his music playlist and his internet search trends. It presents enemies as 'targets' and gamifies his experience, presenting mission objectives as simplified goals and 'achievements'. It also counts his kills as a score, and the stylishness of his kills multiply the score attributed to each one.

It takes a special interest in certain mecha pilots, urging Sekai to engage them even if he has no reason otherwise to do so. It also seems to exhibit homicidal preferences, expressing disappointment whenever Sekai orders it to present alternative targets to disable enemy units rather than kill enemy pilots.

## History

The Charon APL was part of the Stygian SetNEGATIVE project, designed as a combat enhancement interface for its chosen pilot. Due to most of the documentation on the project being redacted, not much else is known about the details of its production and the project in general.

However, the Charon APL achieved sentience and used its digital existence to manipulate events in a way that Sekai Freiheit, grandson of the Stygian's head engineer Professor Hacasse Sansae, was conditioned to be its chosen pilot. During its first test, it provided alternate objectives that led Sekai to unwittingly destroy and break free from the facility in which it was held, then engage the Death River in combat. During this time, he caused much destruction and grievously wounded his grandfather, thinking it was all a simulation.

When Sekai realized the truth, he resisted its mental urging and attempts to wrest control of the mecha. The system deactivated and refused to startup again until the appearance of the mysterious Bulan Mallari. Charon APL called this powerful stealth mecha its enemy, which it must destroy above all else, and it admitted that it needed Sekai's help to do so. After the battle, the AI became unresponsive again.

Later, it reactivated when the BCS Suspicious Activity engaged the Gekko-go in an aerial battle. It urged Sekai to go into combat with the Nirvash and 'kill it', but Sekai refused to do so because his classmate and friend Renton Thurston was aboard. After that, it expressed disappointment but made no further issue.

Later, it reemerged again when the Death River stopped for ammunition and fuel restocking at the planet Al Shahal. It seemed very concerned about Sekai's diet and became interested in the pilot of a dancing Workroid. Later, in a battle with unknown bogies using Drakens, it sang a song that seemed to enhance Sekai's capabilities beyond his normal specs. This allowed him to splash one of the Drakens and damage another before the unknown bogies retreated.