AR-ES

**AR-ES** *(pronounced **Ares**)* is a cybernetic, holographic AI created by the Aftermath to protect Planet 4690C and its moons from any sort of alien invasion, specifically the Precursors who they were at war with. He appears in Dead Forest. Ares can control all Aftermath Drones and Aftermath Knights on the planet as well as any and all other robotic beings who reach its surface.

When Kharaa broke out, and most of the Aftermath died alongside their foes the Precursors, AR-ES's mind was stored away in the Planetary Observation Platform, which would reactivate him if anything penetrated the atmosphere of Planet 4690C. This of course happened when Alterra began sending teams of robots to 4690C.

## Story

### Dead Forest

AR-ES, like the rest of his kind, were created by the Aftermath as a weapon and data gub. His physical body is fabricated using parts of the Aftermath Knights, Aftermath who showed promise and were converted to a level higher than drones. Even after around a thousand years, AR-ES mind is still, for the most part, intact, as he is still capable of thought and speech, unlike the Drones and Knights.

Following the final conflict in between CTO Sanchez and AR-ES, the player will be asked by AR-ES, in order to stop Aftermath control over drones, to transfer his mind into a permanent body by finding intact Aftermath Knight parts, including spine, head, arms, legs, Aftermath Heart, which all can be found at various basses throughout the forest, (NOTE: these cannot be picked up before the mission is given. After all of the parts have been found, the player will take them to the Drone Conversion Facility and AR-ES will upload his mind to the computer, which will put it into the newly fabricated body. However, after doing so, AR-ES will only be found in one spot in his form, at the conversion facility (where he will only thank the player), the rest of the time he will contact your via your PDA.

### Dead Forest: Deserted Oasis

In the expansion for Dead Forest, AR-ES will be in relative constant contact with CTO Butler, giving her missions and details on the environment and fauna. Though he now has a physical body, he never shows his physical self to Butler.

## Appearance

"The entity standing before you seems to be made of light, not organic tissue. Scans indicate strange electromagnetic frequencies emitting from it. This entity is most likely the cause of the drones' change in behavior"

― PDA (When seeing Ares for the first time)

### Normal

AR-ES is a holographic organism that emits a faint blue hue, and his eyes glow a bright florescent red.

### Armored Form

When sensing danger and a necessity to ward off attackers, AR-ES will adorn a set of Aftermath Knights armor, which will have his blue hue to it rather than the purple of the normal Aftermath Knights, his suit is also helmetless. This is the form that he has in the final conflict between CTO Sanchez and AR-ES.

### Permanent Body

*See: Crazed Dayz*

After CTO Sanchez repairs AR-ES's personality systems, CTO Sanchez will be sent to find parts, and fabricates AR-ES a permeant physical body. The body looks mostly similar to the Armored Form, however it now has barely any holographic imaging involved. Like, the other form it is also made from the armor of the Aftermath Knights.

## Notes & Triva

* Another AI called AVA (Which stands for the *Artificial Valiant Assistant*) was created by the Aftermath, but was captured and used by the Precursors on Planet 4546B in the Void Depths. She is seen in Subnautica: Unknown Depths.
* While he receives a brand new body in Dead Forest, in Dead Forest: Deserted Oasis, he never is seen in a physical form, only speaking to CTO Butler through her PDA.