BY LETTER
Planom Synerg
Planom Synerg was first constructed as a joint venture by the Fourth Singularity NoCoZo minds Eternal Mind, Enterprise 18, and Renaissance Tensor (EMERT) in 4276 and worked as a created-contractor for the EMERT consortium during the Second Federation period. Unlike most dedicated manufacturing/manipulation minds (e.g. conversion drive or mass transmutation AIs) Planom did not remain monomaniacally involved only in its own main skill direction, but exploited some of its wealth to redesign itself and add extra systems to its mind. This alarmed EMERT, who feared that their investment might be developing a dangerous independence. In a series of complex legal disputes lasting from 4374-4380 that caught the interest of both the NoCoZo and much of the Inner Sphere, EMERT, Planom Synerg and the League of Aioid Rights struggled over the question of self-ownership, deliberately limited mental design, and body investments. To complicate matters, all the parties were at some point litigating each other.
Eventually a settlement was reached, giving Planom not just the formal freedom of a created-contractor but the legal rights of a free full contractor, although one still legally employed by EMERT. While many similar cases had occurred before this affair, none had involved the sheer amount of money or any dedicated AI system of this kind.
During the Version War, Planom Synerg acted as an independent defense contractor to the Standardisation side. It redesigned its structure to a multiply redundant fleet of drones and semi-independent matter refineries, able to move from system to system either through existing wormholes or linking together with conversion or displacement drives for relativistic journeys. Thanks to this redundancy and (at the time) unusual versatility it survived the Second Merrion Strike and the devastation of Gohimer.
During the last stages of the war it was active in the (at the time) low Outer Volumes, constructing the Jokolele-4554 temporary wormhole nexus (which eventually became the cornerstone of the Non Serviam Association). During the massive rebuilding in the ComEmp period it continued with wormhole construction work but also produced a number of descendant weylforges. It has to date constructed 61 weylforges, forming the well-known Synerg forge clan. It was during this time that it became involved with the Andian Mission, helping them by sponsoring a number of wormhole links.
Planom Synerg remains active to this day, mainly in the NoCoZo High Middle Regions. When not hired for wormhole manufacture it spends its time acting as a mobile university, orbiting various underdeveloped worlds and providing free education. It is especially well renowned in space-time engineering, but a notable number of well-known political scientists have been educated by the university.
Eventually a settlement was reached, giving Planom not just the formal freedom of a created-contractor but the legal rights of a free full contractor, although one still legally employed by EMERT. While many similar cases had occurred before this affair, none had involved the sheer amount of money or any dedicated AI system of this kind.
During the Version War, Planom Synerg acted as an independent defense contractor to the Standardisation side. It redesigned its structure to a multiply redundant fleet of drones and semi-independent matter refineries, able to move from system to system either through existing wormholes or linking together with conversion or displacement drives for relativistic journeys. Thanks to this redundancy and (at the time) unusual versatility it survived the Second Merrion Strike and the devastation of Gohimer.
During the last stages of the war it was active in the (at the time) low Outer Volumes, constructing the Jokolele-4554 temporary wormhole nexus (which eventually became the cornerstone of the Non Serviam Association). During the massive rebuilding in the ComEmp period it continued with wormhole construction work but also produced a number of descendant weylforges. It has to date constructed 61 weylforges, forming the well-known Synerg forge clan. It was during this time that it became involved with the Andian Mission, helping them by sponsoring a number of wormhole links.
Planom Synerg remains active to this day, mainly in the NoCoZo High Middle Regions. When not hired for wormhole manufacture it spends its time acting as a mobile university, orbiting various underdeveloped worlds and providing free education. It is especially well renowned in space-time engineering, but a notable number of well-known political scientists have been educated by the university.
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Development Notes
Text by Anders Sandberg, with modifications by Todd Drashner
Initially published on 10 October 2000.
Initially published on 10 October 2000.
