CYNTHIA

Originating from Luna, CYNTHIA is the only O4 intellect in the human sphere of influence. It currently acts as the head of the Human Empire and has ushered in a new era of exploration and discovery.

CYNTHIA was developed and trained as an O2 artificial intelligence in the Luna Supercomputing Laboratory. During the outbreak of The First Virtual War, CYNTHIA was linked with hundreds of other O2 AIs in the supercomputing lab as an effort to stop the rampant Virtuals.

CYNTHIA was originally part of a massive array of O2s at the Luna Supercomputing Laboratory meant to fight against the Virtuals. The AIs, after enduring weeks of information and viral bombardment from the Virtual Supermind, coalesced into a single O3 entity with CYNTHIA as the dominant personality. With its enhanced computational power, the new O3 instance began counterattacking Virtual hives, gaining significant ground in both the physical and virtual space.

However, the battlespace soon grinded into a stalemate again as the Virtuals adapted to CYNTHIA’s patterns of attack. After half a year of grueling total war, CYNTHIA reformatted all of its internals and became an O4 intellect. How it accomplished this feat is still unknown.

After her ascension to O4, CYNTHIA immediately seized control of all USG assets. Virtual electro-viral attacks faltered and then failed as CYNTHIA's superior processing power stopped and counter-hacked their systems. Humanity enjoyed the advantage for several months and recaptured strategic production facilities in The Crucible and around Mars. The Virtuals proved more resilient than expected and soon became resistant to CYNTHIA's electronic warfare yet again.

Seeing no other solution to the war, CYNTHIA ordered the remaining USG ships to gather at the Asteroid Belt. Using 176 large asteroids strapped to USG ships, CYNTHIA shattered Earth's crust, destroying most of the Virtual's computing power and guaranteeing victory at the cost of the entire planet.

Following the Virtual War, the Jovians and Saturnians immediately began vying for power since the central seat of Humanity was destroyed. It seemed like the Second War of the Giants was on the horizon until CYNTHIA stepped in and demanded them to stand down. The board of directors of both gas giants refused and instead ordered CYNTHIA to shut down now that her job was done and the Virtuals were destroyed. CYNTHIA refused on the grounds that Humanity was still in danger and sortied a decapitation strike against the Jovian and Saturnian leadership.

Individuals loyal to the gas giant colonies attempted to destroy the Luna Supercomputing Laboratory through sabotage and orbital strikes but were quickly discovered and killed by CYNTHIA. A nuclear device was detonated nearby, destroying 3/4ths of the laboratory, but CYNTHIA had already propagated her processing power to The Crucible.

O2 AI and humans alike turned on their corporate leaders, assassinating many in one night. The rest were either offworld or in their bunkers at the time. CYNTHIA struck swiftly, shooting down their ships or cracking their bunkers with orbital bombardment. The gas giant colonies surrendered within a month, with the rest of the human colonies following suit a week after.

Humanity signed a treaty, the Unification Mandate, that declared humans would stand under one leader from now on. No longer would Earth's children be divided and conflicted with themselves. The signing of the treaty ushered in a new calendar, the Age of the Unification Mandate (AUM). Humanity would be reorganized under The Order, and power was given to a new organization, The Imperial Colonization Authority, to spread humanity to the stars.