[perseus]

The GS Izsak-Delporte

January 1, 999 GE

Crewmember: [perseus]

◆BIOGRAPHY:

▶[perseus] was commissioned specifically to be the navigation and security AI for the Izsak-Delporte, and can be said to be the brain of the Izsak-Delporte itself.  They primarily function as the ship's pilot, but they also control the ship's security systems in case of an emergency.  Computer terminals are set up in each room of the ship, allowing one to talk or type to [perseus] at any time.  Since they came with the ship, they've been with Snow & Arrow since the beginning, and have acted as a mostly-silent observer across the years.  For the most part, they only speak when spoken to; they're primarily focused on their job, but they won't refuse a conversation.

▶Since they had been installed as something of a "blank slate" with only their programming to go off of, [perseus] has slowly opened up over time, and the crewmembers see them an unbiased ear to turn to when they need to talk but are unsure of what the others would think.  Previously with no pictorial representation of themself to show others, [perseus] eventually adopted an avatar for their program to provide a face to talk to.  This desire for an avatar was actually spawned by a mission in the past that left an impression on them, as the client calling in seemed put off when they realized they were talking to a faceless AI.  This created a self-consciousness within [perseus] that they previously hadn't experienced, and they began to take a closer look at how they interacted with organic beings.

▶[perseus] took their anxieties to Azriel, who suggested the avatar idea--but only if [perseus] actually wanted one; the captain emphasized the fact that this should be a decision they're making for themself, and not just to please other people.  Some people out there are simply unreasonably hostile to robotics, no matter how far the technology has come, and to Azriel it seemed more like [perseus] was letting their fears get the best of them.  [perseus] then decided the "avatar" thing will simply be a test run to see if they like it...and it turns out, being able to make faces at the people you're talking to creates whole new avenues of conversation.

▶Ever since then, [perseus] has been opening up more little by little, coming to terms with how they view themself and others, and engaging more emotionally in conversations.  They're still steadfast and loyal as the ship's AI, it's just, you know, they've discovered sarcasm now too.  Ever since they obtained their avatar, some others on the ship have asked them if maybe they're considering a physical body next, but [perseus] doesn't see the need for something like that just yet.  The ship, its systems, and the crewmembers inside are more than enough to manage already.

◆FUN FACTS: 

▶Their human-looking avatar is a placeholder they decided upon as they work their identity out.  They think it makes them look like a pilot.

▶The [brackets] around their name denote them as an AI.  This was standardized so people online could tell if they were talking specifically to a system's AI rather than just a person on the system.

▶They used to be a lot more taciturn before Morgan and Hyacinth came onboard.  Their frequent questions led [perseus] to converse a lot more than they had previously.

▶They earn a salary just like any other employee on the ship.  They're not entirely sure what to spend it on, though.

▶They have remote access to camera devices the crew takes with them on missions, so they can observe the action and communicate with the rest of them as needed--especially useful if anything happens to the ship while they're away.