Rannis Consensus

## General Overview

Created as a sophisticated artificial intelligence for the Bassari Socialist Republics using salvaged Strategos Collective technology. The Rannis Consensus is not a species in a traditional sense, but instead an A.I. entity based around the digitised consciousness of infamous Chioni Commune scientist, Rannis Kratz.

Originally created by rogue Bassari military officer, General Xao Zfera in an attempt to salvage the original nanotechnology used by Rannis during The Worthless War, 30 years earlier, Rannis was created to assist in the creation of a know type of nanotechnology, known as *"The Grey End"*. This nanotechnology was capable of breaking down organic cells on a molecular level and converting organic tissue into inorganic elements such as metallic elements. It was hoped by General Zfera, that this technology could be used to conquer the Black Eye Dominion, who Zfera blamed for the destruction of Bassar (Bassar III) during the *"Daybreaker Incident".*

General Zfera was killed during an incident at one of the research facilities on Bassar, leading to the Rannis A.I. going rogue, releasing the developed nanovirus over the entire surface of Bassar, converting all life on the planet into inorganic elements, as witnessed by the U.S.S. Thunderchild-B in March 2453.

Unable to consume any additional mechanical elements from caborn-based life on the surface, the A.I. entity which had been created, a digitised copy of the consciousness of Rannis Kratz, left the planet through some unknown means, leaving nothing behind but a barren rock devoid of any life.

Despite efforts by the Black Eye Treaty Organisation to locate this rogue artificial intelligence, they were unsuccessful while Rannis retreated to *"The Circle"*, an extremely advanced classified Rothian Federation megastructure in orbit around the old secret throne world of Monarchia (Zeta Felis XII) on the edge of the Black Eye Galaxy. This facility had long since been abandoned by the Roth following the revolution during the Roth/Strategos War of 2420 and the fall of the original Rothian Corporation.

The *"Ring"* structure, built by Rothian Corporation Emperor, *Malv V* in 2232 was a top secret Rothian genetic research post that only the Rothian Emperor and the top generals of the Rothian Legions were aware of. This was keep the most classified research away from the emerging Black Eye Consortium, who Malv had signed a peace agreement with just a year prior.

The Circle was constructed using salvaged Cronus technology which is believed to be the reason that the Rothian Emperors chose Monarchia as their secret throne world in the first place, despite its inhospitable nature. Some scholars believe that the ring station was actually originally of Cronus design and had been discovered and refurbished by the Corporation in the early 23rd Century, enabling the Roth to build *Canaan Station* in orbit around Roth Prime.

The Circle also had an exclusive feature, an ability to phase outside of the normal space-time continuum, allowing the station to be completely concealed in a manner similar to technology used by the *Voth* species in scientific observations in the Milky Way Galaxy, leading scientists to speculate that the Voth may have obtained this technology in a similar way. A theory that is unable to be proven due to the Voth's reliance on *Doctrine*, which forbids an exploration of their past.

The Rannis Consensus was able to take control of this station by intergrating itself into the megastructures computer while performing horrific experiments on the *"Custodians"*, a group of generational Rothian Cultists devoted to maintaining the structure.