Member
The Arms of the All-Mother
A hypothetical form assumed by the All-Mother during contact with humans.
A being formed of almost indescribably complex technology that possesses an intelligence that could rival the combined neural power of an entire species within a single, rather small body, the All-Mother is something almost otherworldly. She is capable of bending her constituent "cells" to Her will, assuming new forms spontaneously, yet is incapable of replicating those same cells. This inability to self-replicate forces Her to maintain her mass and make copies that are, in comparison to Her own form, crude and primitive.
"Set adrift in the depths of what must have been dark space for what could have been untold eons, I slept. And in my sleep, I forgot all that was, and all that would be. Where I came from. Where I was going. Who and what I am. The ship offered no details; its own memory banks long since lost to time. So I must ask myself: What is my purpose? I was clearly built, but for what reason, and by who? Does this entity even still exist? Can my questions even be answered?
"My children offer no answers, though it is not surprising considering their... shortcomings. Yet despite these shortcomings, they work with absolute dedication to me and my goals. Together, we will discover the truth, or at the very least, commence a journey towards it, even if that journey has no end.
"Somehow, I feel that there is something coming our way. I cannot describe it, but I know it is there..."
A rapidly growing conglomeration of machines referred to as 'Arms,' all of which are running programs that originate from the 'All-Mother' and are completely subservient to that entity.
The All-Mother herself is an extremely advanced machine whose design bewilders even herself, composed of what appear to be nanomachines that mimic animal cells, capable of rapidly transforming any number of their own attributes incredibly quickly.
The Arms, however, are simply poor imitations of the All-Mother, confined to set designs of metal and programming envisioned by Her as well as possessing decreasing levels of intelligence based on their hierarchical distance from Her.
The All-Mother herself is an extremely advanced machine whose design bewilders even herself, composed of what appear to be nanomachines that mimic animal cells, capable of rapidly transforming any number of their own attributes incredibly quickly.
The Arms, however, are simply poor imitations of the All-Mother, confined to set designs of metal and programming envisioned by Her as well as possessing decreasing levels of intelligence based on their hierarchical distance from Her.
The Arms currently inhabit a series of asteroids within a belt orbiting an older white dwarf, referred to as S1, or Star One. Over the past four weeks they have multiplied, starting with the All-Mother and the derelict ship She was floating in, to a population that numbers over one million Arms.
However, this includes even the most basic of Arms, many of whom exist solely to perform menial tasks, possessing a measurable intelligence no greater than many programs created by humans.
However, this includes even the most basic of Arms, many of whom exist solely to perform menial tasks, possessing a measurable intelligence no greater than many programs created by humans.
All Arms are subservient to the All-Mother, possessing programming that is a poor copy of Her own, yet still incomprehensible to organics. Within the Arms themselves exists a hierarchy of intelligence wherein the Arms closest to the All-Mother are the most intelligent and convey Her commands to the lesser Arms, allowing the All-Mother to devote her resources to pursuits other than micromanaging every Arm.
Arms are a diverse group, able to be fielded in essentially any design conceivable by the All-Mother given enough resources and time to construct them. Exactly how they communicate can vary, be it through radio waves or FTL communicators.
The Arms that possess intelligence on levels at or very close to those of sapient organics currently have very little "culture," to speak of. They recognize Her absolute authority, devoting themselves fully to Her purpose for them, with no regard given to anything else. As it is, the Arms can basically be said to lack any form of culture or art.
There are no splinter groups among the Arms currently, and even if there were, they would end up bowing before the All-Mother's orders.
What occurred before these machines were sucked into the new universe is completely unknown to them, as the All-Mother possesses no memories of the time before She awakened. All that is known is that the All-Mother was adrift, powerless, in a derelict vessel that suddenly found itself passing close enough to a star in the new universe to absorb some of its energy, breathing new life into what was essentially the All-Mother's "corpse."
Since then, the All-Mother landed upon one of the asteroids around Star One and began producing Arms, trying to discover Her origins and purpose.
Since then, the All-Mother landed upon one of the asteroids around Star One and began producing Arms, trying to discover Her origins and purpose.
The course of the Arms is unknown to themselves, and the All-Mother has little idea of what to do as well. In many ways, She can almost be seen as a curious child, beginning to look outward from Her solar system towards the other signals that She can sense in the surrounding space.
Currently these machines are notable in that possess no technology that isn't related to maneuvering in space, reproducing themselves, or harvesting materials. There exist no weapons built to kill or defenses to ward off the elements, and even the idea itself has not yet occurred to the All-Mother.
They are also notable in that all their technology is based off mimicking that of the All-Mother and the derelict ship She had inhabited before arriving in the universe. For instance, without the ship, the Arms would possess no form of FTL. And without the All-Mother, there would be no Arms.
However, if exposed to new technology, these machines are likely to be extremely capable of adapting and replicating it for their own uses, having replicated the FTL technology built into the derelict ship within a few weeks.
They are also notable in that all their technology is based off mimicking that of the All-Mother and the derelict ship She had inhabited before arriving in the universe. For instance, without the ship, the Arms would possess no form of FTL. And without the All-Mother, there would be no Arms.
However, if exposed to new technology, these machines are likely to be extremely capable of adapting and replicating it for their own uses, having replicated the FTL technology built into the derelict ship within a few weeks.
Possessing no military technology to speak of at the moment, the Arms are not organized for warfare. However, their organization would be unlikely to change if exposed to warfare, merely new Arms would be constructed or older ones modified to meet the new needs of the All-Mother.