One of 100 units designed and launched by scientists from the University of Aglostarros over a century ago to explore the uncharted galaxy. Centurions resemble sleek, minimal humanoids, but inbuilt matter converters and malleable nanosurfaces allow probes to change appearance and build. This is most visible when the Centurion adopts the facial appearance of any sentient it encounters, but is also used to deploy weaponry, flight systems, additional armour and other augmentations as necessary.
Though highly advanced in its hardware, the Centurion’s base software is relatively simple, as its designers knew it would have to weather decades of adversity and development, adapting to conditions its creators could not foresee. As such, the Centurion has but two directives around which its programming develops organically: survival and exploration.
The “vitals” of the Centurion - its data core, power centre and processor - are contained within a bespoke anti-extinction blackbox, protecting its contents from hazards up to and including the heart of a star. To prevent hacking attempts, scrambling or misdirection, the Centurion receives signals though only one receptor, built into its chassis. Its simplicity means that, though the probe can communicate verbally, it cannot coordinate with other Centurions and can only be controlled from one location - a terminal on Aglostarros.
With great care and difficulty, Ele analysts have infiltrated the captured Centurion’s processor and analysed its programming. Their appraisal revealed that its adaptive algorithms are rendering it increasingly suspicious of outside communication of any kind. In simple terms, the Centurion is rapidly becoming paranoid.
SEE ALSO:
Prof. Argil Stroth [Personality]
On Adaptive Programming [Academic Paper]
'Jawbreaker' Virus [Software]
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