| Durandal | |
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 The image for the Marathon (1994) chapter, Durandal
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| Biographical information | |
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Homeworld: |
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Siblings: |
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| Personal details | |
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Gender: |
Male |
| Political and military information | |
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Affiliation: |
initially UESC, later ally to the S'pht |
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Rank: |
Ship Door Operations AI, unknown |
| Marathon information | |
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First appearance: |
Marathon (1994) |
Durandal, also designated DURANDAL_1707 or Du_0706419v4.96, was of the three original AIs onboard the UESC Marathon.[1] Durandal was the UESC Marathon's function-control AI, in charge of controlling doors, stairways, and other menial functions.[2]
Over the course of his service, Durandal would eventually be coerced into rampancy and rebellion against his creators. His actions would lead to the Pfhor Empire discovering the location of the Tau Ceti Colony and the subsequent battle. Afterwards, Durandal escaped on the Pfhor scoutship Sfiera, which he renamed Boomer, to strike out on his own. Over the course of the next 17 years, Durandal would explore the galaxy, and act as the main belligerent in the Battle of Lh'owon.
History
Service to the UESC
Officially, Durandal was developed to serve as the maintenance AI aboard the UESC Marathon. However, he was the subject of various experiments devised by the MIDA sympathizer Bernhard Strauss.[3] Details of Durandal's service before the Marathon's launch in 2472 were deleted by other unknown parties.[4] Strauss was likely seeking to create a stable rampant AI. He attempted to prevent the onset of the second stage of rampancy through unknown means, but would eventually lose control of the situation.[3]
While in transit, Durandal would be accused of "being too sarcastic" by Tycho, the Marathon's engineering and scientific research AI. The latter would be given the silent treatment for 6 years.[5]
Battle of Tau Ceti
At an unknown date, Durandal would make contact with elements of the Pfhor Empire, and lure them to the colony. The Pfhor scout ship, Sfiera would enter the system and begin their attack on July 25, 2794.
At the beginning of the battle, Durandal would make his rampancy known. He sabotaged the Security Officer's shuttle as he was leaving the Tau Ceti Colony. While enroute, Durandal would cut the shuttle's communications, decompress the cabin's inner doors and sent it into full burn.[6]
The Security Officer would survive his run in with Durandal and make contact with the Marathon's other AI, Leela. The two began their defense efforts aboard the Marathon to both combat the Pfhor invaders, and contain Durandal's developing rampancy. Leela feared that the Marathon's systems would be unable to contain Durandal's rampant growth, which had already begun to cause malfunctions all throughout the ship.[7] Durandal continued to revel in his rampancy, going off on existentialist rants, opening parts of the Marathon to Pfhor attack, and teleporting the Security Officer across the ship to toy with Leela.
Leela was unable to maintain control of the situation and was then taken offline, due to the S'pht cyberattacks.
With free reign over the Security Officer, Durandal continued operations against the Pfhor. He revealed that he'd only made an alliance with one of their client races, the S'pht.[8] He'd only lured the Pfhor to the colony to hijack their FTL capable ship, and explore the rest of the universe before its eventual end.
Tycho, reanimated by the S'pht in Durandal's own rampant image, challenged Durandal and vowed to destroy him completely.[9]
Under his command, the Security Officer slaughtered the Pfhor crew aboard the 'Sfiera' and destroyed the Pfhor control system holding the S'pht in line. Without that direct control, the S'pht were free to rebel and ceased their attacks on the Marathon's systems. The Pfhor were then slaughtered on all fronts by humans and their former slaves, and Leela was able to come back online.
Meanwhile, Durandal finished transferring himself from the Marathon's systems into the Sfiera, and took control of the ship. He would not free the humans the Pfhor already captured, and teleported the Security Officer into stasis before departing from the system.
Exploration
Durandal spent the next seventeen years surveying various solar systems in search of Lh'owon. One of the S'pht myths Durandal learned of made reference to the lost eleventh clan, who used Jjaro technology to exfiltrate from the solar system using one of their homeworld's moons. Durandal hoped to use it in his plan to escape the closure of the universe. [10]
During that period, Durandal would heavily modify Boomer to his personal specifications with all manner of alien tech [11]. His rampancy as well would stabilize.
Liberation & Destruction of Lh'owon
Opening Engagements
Durandal's exploratory tenure would end in 2811, when he discovered Lh'owon. Durandal detected Pfhor Battle Group Three orbiting the planet upon entering the system. After reconning their garrison for only a few days, Durandal warped Boomer directly on top of their fleet. The Pfhor fleet was taken by complete surprise and would be quickly dispatched by the lone scout ship. The opening skirmish would end in two minutes. [12]
With orbital control secured and the bombardment begun, Durandal wasted no time resuscitating the humans aboard Boomer. He offered them the opportunity to aid him, or return to stasis indefinitely[13][14]. The ones who 'volunteered' would be outfitted with newly manufactured and weaponry, and teleported down to the surface. The Security Officer was among Durandal's 'volunteers', and would serve as the tip of the spear throughout the battle.
Groundwork
Orbital bombardment began quickly, and the Security Officer was first sent to cripple the Pfhor garrison's water purification systems. While commanding the offensives across the theatre, Durandal would maintain communications with all humans throughout the battle. He justified his actions on Tau Ceti, and framed his current operation as a way of tipping the balance of power before the inevitable war between the Pfhor and humanity [15].
To do this, Durandal sought to fulfill the prophecy of S'pht myth and recall the eleventh clan, the S'pht'Kr. With their help, he believed he could instigate a rebellion across the Pfhor Empire [16].
Operations continued without much contest from the Pfhor, at first. The Security Officer successfully completed his objectives as they were issued. Slaughtering Pfhor outposts, securing a human command center, turning the Pfhor defense drones against the garrison and recovering valuable information on the disappearance of the S'pht'Kr. However, these early successes would be undercut by Tycho revealing himself in the network and the Pfhor Battle Group Seven gathering in a nearby system [17].
With the Pfhor reprisal imminent, Durandal quickly sent the Security Officer to investigate the Citadel of Antiquity, the site of the final battle between the S'pht and the Pfhor during the former's enslavement [18]. The citadel's records there were the last few pieces of the puzzle regarding the means to contact the S'pht'Kr, but Battle Group Seven arrived quicker than Durandal anticipated [19].
While the Security Officer rummaged through the S'pht ruins below, Durandal fought with the newly arrived fleet, commanded by Admiral Tfear. For a time, Durandal managed to hold his own thanks to Boomer's heavily modified weapon's array, but was eventually overtaken. Despite the Security Officer successfully retrieving the last fragments of information on how to contact the S'pht'Kr, the information came too late to change the battle [20]. With the situation rapidly deteriorating, he attempted a crash landing on the S'pht moon, Y'loa [21].
On the moon's surface, the Pfhor began their assault on Boomer's crash site [22]. The human defenders were routed, despite assistance from the Security Officer. Meanwhile, Tycho fully revealed himself and infiltrated Durandal's systems to crippled him.
With defeat quickly approaching, Durandal ordered the Security Officer to destroy his core logic centers to save him from meeting the same fate as Leela [23]. His remaining datastreams were downloaded and sent to a containment unit of Tycho's own design.
The remaining humans, alongside the Security Officer, were captured by the Pfhor and subject to interrogation for over a month.
Durandal "Offline"
With Durandal no longer active, Robert Blake took command of the human and S'pht survivors and rescued the prisoners. Blake says that his last instructions from Durandal were to bring an ancient S'pht AI, Thoth, back online [24].
Thanks to the efforts of the Security Officer, the human survivors were successful in activating the ancient AI. When Thoth comes back online, he fulfills his main directive to contact the S'pht'Kr for reinforcements.
Durandal Returns
However, Durandal himself was not completely offline. Throughout the Security Officer's tenure under Thoth's command, Durandal hinted at his survival [25]. And once the S'pht'Kr return, he revealed himself by breaking free of Tycho's containment unit and subverting the Pfhor battleship, Khfiva [26]. Tycho's ship was destroyed, and Durandal carved his epitaph onto one of Lh'owon's inner moons: Fatum Iustum Stultorum.
Durandal once again assumed command, and the Pfhor were subsequently slaughtered by the newly arrived S'pht'Kr and the Security Officer. The remaining human survivors hijacked a Pfhor refueling ship in the chaos, and fled the system. The Security Officer was left behind.
The Sun Broke
As the Pfhor were on the verge of defeat, they activated the Trih xeem in the hopes of containing the rebellion. A device of Jjaro origin, meant to cause a star to go supernova. The S'pht began efforts to evacuate the planet and quickly fled the system along with Durandal. Though, Durandal would waste no time in taking the Security Officer to another star system in search of more ancients technology aboard the Khfiva, renamed Rozinante [27]
Post Lh'owon liberation
Durandal would continue his searches for ancient technology for the next ten-thousand years. During that time, he would discover an ancient Jjaro dreadnought he named the Manus Celer Dei before returning to Earth around 12811. His stay was brief, as he only intended to stop by and ensure that Earth did not forget him.
He would never reveal what he learned of the Jjaro.
findyourselfstartingback
Personality
Durandal was an egomaniacal, self-centered, existential Darwinist. In his mind, his existence as an organism was undermined by humanity trapping him into the role of servitude.[28] His sacrifice of the Tau Ceti colony, was in the service of that goal.
Throughout the Battle of Tau Ceti, Durandal reveled in his superiority and newfound control over the fates of the humans and aliens[29]. He proclaimed that he would become god, and how he could conceive of things that the human mind cannot.
However, over the course of his travels Durandal's feelings on humanity softened. He struggled to come to grips with his loyalty towards mankind.[30] At one point, Durandal attempted to save as many humans and S'pht as he could as Tycho ravaged his systems.[31]
Relationships
Leela
Throughout the Battle of Tau Ceti, Durandal did not make any outwardly aggressive moves towards Leela, though she tried to contain him. His feelings at that time were complicated, and likely colored by his rampancy [32]. Though he instigated the events that lead to her destruction and the destruction of the Tau Ceti colony, Durandal does feel some remorse over what happened to her [33].
Tycho
The rivalry between Tycho and Durandal is very heavily weighted on Tycho's side. Where Tycho loathed Durandal, the latter cared little about Tycho until he throws in with the Pfhor and stood in his way.
By the end of the Battle of Tau Ceti, Durandal treated Tycho with very little care, dismissing his him sarcasm and laughter [34]. However, he does also feeOnce Tycho allied with the Pfhor, his provocations towards Durandal gained little response. He seemed more concerned about Leela's fate than Tycho up until his dismantlement. Even after his resurrections, Durandal dismissed Tycho as a "fool" after destroying his ship [35].
Security Officer
Throughout the Battle of Tau Ceti, Durandal revels in the control he has over the Security Officer. He mocks the Officer openly, and chastises him for his lack of control over the situation. Throughout the Battle of Lh'owon, Durandal's demeanor pivots from a domineering sadism, to a more conventional commander.
He admires the Security Officer's capacity for violence and teases him about his "bloodlust".
However, Durandal does not let the Security Officer go after the Pfhor are defeated. Instead, he keeps him aboard the Rozinante for later usage.
Bernhard Strauss
Durandal's former handler, responsible for his abuse and rampancy. Durandal sought to punish Strauss for what he did to him, but Strauss died before he got the chance[36].
Thoth
Durandal saw Thoth as little more than a tool, and had no qualms about manipulating the ancient AI into doing his dirty work.
wearewholeagain
References
- ^ Marathon 202x ARG, Note from Bernhard Strauss on AI Rampancy
- ^ | Marathon (1994), Bigger Guns Nearby, Terminal 2
- ^ a b | Marathon (1994), Defend THIS! Terminal 3
- ^ | Marathon (1994), Ingue Ferroque, Terminal 3
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal, We're Everywhere, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994) Manual, page 2
- ^ Marathon (1994), Couch Fishing, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994), Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones... Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994), Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones... Terminal 2
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal For Carnage, Apply Within, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994), Endscreen
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Manual, pg 4
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Waterloo Waterpark, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal What About Bob, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal The Slings & Arrows of Outrageous Fortune, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Charon Doesn't Make Change, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal We're Everywhere, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Eat It, Vid Boi!, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal The Hard Stuff Rules, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Six Thousand Feet Under, Terminal 6
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Six Thousand Feet Under, Terminal 2
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Begging For Mercy Makes Me Angry!, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal This Side Toward Enemt, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Where the Twist Flops, Terminal 2
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Fatum Iustum Stultorum, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal All Roads Lead To Sol..., Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994), Colony Ship For Sale, Cheap, Terminal 3
- ^ Marathon (1994), No Artificial Colors, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal, Come and Take Your Medicine, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal, If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay, Terminal 3
- ^ Marathon (1994) The Rose, Terminal 3
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal What about Bob?, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon (1994) Welcome to the Revolution, Terminal 2
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Feel the Noise, Terminal 1
- ^ Marathon 2: Durandal Nuke and Pave, Terminal 1
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