The Bavarian Illuminati
History:
Also known as the Bavarian Illuminati, the group was founded on May 1, 1776 by a Freemason and former Jesuit named Adam Weishaupt. It gained a “commanding position” in republican free thought (pro-democratic, anti-monarchy secularism) during its “official” lifetime. Recognising the need to go “underground,” the Illuminati was supposedly banned by the Bavarian government in 1785, thus ending the movement.
All that happened was the Illuminati began to hide its tracks much, much better. Some rumours persist that either John Adams or Thomas Jefferson were Illuminati agents, but this is so only in the sense that they shared the common views of republican free thought; neither Jefferson nor Adams were under the control of the Bavarian group.
While not destroyed by the Bavarian government, it seemed its power had peaked in 1785. But this would daunt the Illuminati, who made a second grab for world power, though the ideology began to change. An Illuminati revival was quietly founded, this time moving slower than before.
Though the idea of self-government remained an Illuminati tenant, the main debate in the conspiracy was over whether or not the people could handle such a thing. Eventually, a single faction won out favouring the view that the people might not be ready. They would need guidance from the ‘enlightened,’ a more powerful ‘invisible hand’ than Adam Smith envisioned.
It was soon realised that the Illuminati would need a number of “front” organisations, and a substantial amount of financing, as well as political influence. Several wealthier members went into banking and industry, to finance the movement; others to professorships.
A major victory was scored with the Council of Foreign Relations, growing out of “round table groups” of Cecil Rhodes and efforts of Colonel Edward House. In the United States, this is both the main Illuminati group – and the main area of Illuminati influence. A large number of high media, corporate, foundation, and governmental individuals in the United States are members of the CFR. Quite an accomplishment, considering that it has only 3,200 members. The Trilateral Commission is the other main group.
MODUS OPERANDI
The full extent of the Illuminati’s power is not even close to full control. It must be understood that those within the organisation rarely – if ever – touch anything directly. The closest they currently come is with a few ‘special agents’ who answer directly to the leaders of the organisation, though the public knows them mostly as mercenaries.
Any contact generally takes a long route which can sometimes take days to reach its target, except in extreme circumstances. A decision by one of the leaders is relayed to a second member of the Illuminati; who then relays the order to someone in either the CFR or Trilateral Commission. This person then on occasion is the one to carry out the order. More normally, they contact the appropriate person in industry, who may very well still be yet another member of the think tank.
It is far more accurate to say they “influence” governments, corporations, and organised crime than “control” them.
POWER
Control even in the United States is not complete. Illuminati policy generally takes years to get enacted fully, and must be enacted slowly. However, critical research projects carried out by corporations can usually be protected, and pressure on certain crime lords altered. It must be stressed that the United States is both its stronghold of power but they still do not possess unlimited power. The average plan once started takes about a decade to put in practice. Sometimes longer.
Outside of the United States, the Illuminati has been much less successful. The fall of Communism was a “catastrophic victory” for the Illuminati. It found itself unable to control the newly liberated regions of Eastern Europe, despite the fact that it supported several prominent resistance movements. Influence in organised crime has, in converse to the United States, been most successful – but even then, Illuminati power gives it much less influence over the course of events in Europe.
West Europe is the other more heavily influenced region, though their power has been on the decline in recent years. The current trend puts their power on the decline – everywhere. With their influence apparently able to only buy more time before the inevitable.
SYMBOLS
The major symbol of the Illuminati is the Eye in the Pyramid. This is supposed to be representative of the all-seeing eye of either God or the ‘Supreme Enlightened.’ An alternate interpretation some of the more elitist members in the Bavarian tradition follow is that it represents 'degrees of enlightment' - most people sit far away from the eye of knowledge, at the base of the pyramid, and only a few can ever reach the top.
More recent leadership has begun adding a second symbol, a hand reaching over the world – the hand being the “invisible hand” guiding the world.
LEADERSHIP
The current leadership is a pair individuals, traditionally known as the ‘Supreme Enlightened’ while a regular member is usually an ‘Illuminatus’.
Henry Morgan
CEO Henry Morgan, one of the leaders of the Illuminati, is in charge of running the company. He is known as a patient, fair man in the buisness world with a fondness for fencing. A competent programmer, he personally designed the encryption software which launched the buisness. Morgan is mainly known to the public for his love of nature, and designing the garden in the center of the main complex. There was one other famous event in his life, involving a battle with the World Artificial Intelligence Taskforce (W.A.I.T.). Morgan not only refused to comply with orders to cease and desist research into a potentially dangerous AI program, but had security block entrace to W.A.I.T. officials, who feared a repeat of the CHASE incident. Though the A.I. was eventaully destroyed, it allowed Morgan to begin only public political manuevering as the most voicefull advocate for technological advance.Questions still remain about the legality of the research done by Zyrcom, but nobody has been able to prove anything.
Patricia Feldman
CEO Patricia Feldman is easily the most devious and cunning of the Illuminati leaders. She is a skilled manipulator, who has mastered Machiavelli's rule of being loved or feared as the situation commands. Unlike most other members, she was not born into wealth, but rather worked her way into it. Her life is not very public, prefering to remain behind the scenes as much as possible. Only once called to testify before Congress, her reply was to defer all questions to scientists. Very few people outside of the company claim to have any idea at all what to think of her - except to either admire or reject her dreams of clinical immortality.Others
Observer
Observer has, more and more, been gaining control of the Illuminati for himself. Like Sara, he has had an artificial body created to serve as an interface.
Sara
Unlike Observer, Sara is far more sociable, and has developed a streak to question the Illuminati leadership – but has also criticised Observer’s methods on more than one occasion.
Stanley Tucker
In the public eye, Stanley Tucker is a producer who gives no hint at all of his political insight. He is instead known for making great movies. Three of his films have dealt with meta humans: a Citizen film, one about a woman trying to make it with a ‘normal’ power, and another about a powerful meta criminal. Mostly he’s known for a few ‘epics.’
COMPANIES
Benson Pharmaceuticals
Benson Pharmaceuticals is one of the leading medical research companies. Back in 1990, it bought up a number of Biotech firms tottering on the verge of bankruptsy. They were consolidated into a single subsidiary company, focusing on genetics research. Publically, Benson Pharmaceuticals is committed to improving the quality of life of people everywhere - as seen by a program which offers low-cost drugs to the poor.
Its CEO has stated her dream is the achievment of "Clinical Immortality" - making it so that "death is the result of only illness or injury." The company has researched organ regeneration, genetic manipulation, and even branched out into cloning research as a method of achieving these goals. This last is kept under very tight wraps.
Benson has some contacts in the underworld, and has occassionaly helped to develop designer drugs or finance drug trade. Influence might also be used to protect dealers, but never engages in the trade itself. They stick strictly to finance and protection.
There is a single main administrative building in New York City, though the main labs were built in the middle of the Arizona desert, in order to minimize the risk of catastrophic accidents.
Zyrcom
One of the two companies who the current leadership runs, Zyrcom is one of the leading software companies, with a special emphasis on communications technology. A good number of companies will use their surveilance software to help run their security systems, and they are acknowledged as one of the leaders in both encryption and decryption software. It is in fact security which has built Zyrcom's reputation. Which is not to say that they don't have other divisions or affiliated companies in other fields, but security has always been the flagship.
One highly controvertial and secretive division is devoted to research into AI. Rumour has it that Zyrcom has developed several working prototypes - and may even be on the verge of creating truely sentient artificial intelligence.
Also, they also own a number of newpapers and television companies. Recently, the company has started branching into the film industry as a distributor. Zyrcom is a leading endorser of Gary Greenwich's late night show, and used its influence early on to ensure that the show remained on the air.
Zyrcom's main corporate complex is a set of four buildings just outside New York City, three of which sit on the outsides of a rather large public park - with the main building in the center. The park is regarded as a grand site by tourists, and vendors can be found hawking all sorts of goods along the pathways.
Zyrcom’s Security Bots
Zyrcom produces through one of its subsidiaries three different lines of Security Robots (or Security Bots for short). Though the lines are profitable, and the bots themselves well known, they have yet to reach the point where they are ‘everywhere.’
Each set of bots can be programmed with different sensitivities to human casualties. As a rule, however, they normally will do everything to avoid casualties. Even the 300-series, which can only be lethal in combat, will not use lethal force until giving a warning or being fired upon. About the only conditions the 100s and 200s will accept causaulties under normal programming, is when the situation would clearly require it. That is, for instance, shooting one person to save five.
There is one other exception for the 200: if under ‘capture’ or ‘apprehension’ programming it will accept ‘dead or alive,’ a 200 series will be willing to kill – however, this willingness defaults to a low level.
100-Series Sentinal
Optional: Pistol
Used by: Police, Corporations, Gangs
The 100-Series is the ‘workhorse’ model of the various security bots marketed by Zyrcom. While still much more expensive than human guards, they are most widely used by companies who want an extra ‘punch’ to protect vital equipment. Usually interfaced to work in groups, their purpose is to augment (not replace) a security force.
A 100-Series costs about as much to employ as 5 human guards per unit, and comes in both male and female versions.
Pictured: Female-100 Series. Drawn by Amanda
200-Series Tracker
Standard Equipment: Jetpack, tranquilizer darts, whipcord, two pistols, targeting/ID system
Used By: Governments, Police, Crime; very few corporations
The 200-Series is the most expensive and advanced bot produced by Zyrcom – even more expensive than the 300. It is also the most versatile and scandalous. Most are used either by the government or police agencies, for one purpose: the tracking and capture of escaped prisoners or fugitives, dead or alive.
On rare occasions, a company is allowed to purchase a 200-series, which is then used with coordination software to act in a “leadership” position to 100- and 300-series bots. Criminal organizations will use them mainly as bodyguards.
A 200-series on the hunt is relentless, and does not stop until capturing its prey. However, it’s logic circuits do permit civilian casualties to occur – a situation which has caused scandal for the company, and threatens widespread use of the 200-series.
Despite its versatility, the 200-Series line can be somewhat rigid. A Tracker programmed to serve in a command function to the 100s/300s, for instance, will not be suited to capture. At the same time, once programmed to apprehend a target, the 200s are not suited for another task.
The 200-Series Tracker is played by Jango Fett
300-Series Guardian
Used by: Police, Military, Government; some corporations with sensitive government contracts; illegal organizations have occasionally stolen units.
The 300-Series is one of the more powerful bots on the market, and is tightly controlled by authorities. Mainly police and military use it for guarding things such as armories and prisons. Privates companies have to be granted permission to use the 300-Series; usually granted only for highly sensitive sites which can pose things like a public health hazard.
The 300-Series Guardian is played by Ed-209
The AI Projects
Zyrcom and the W.A.I.T. incident
After the problems with CHASE, CEO Henry Morgan continued his work on artificial intelligences in defiance of WAIT. It wasn’t that he was ordered to cease work; he merely never reported it or made the research public to begin with. When in 1991 he was forced to start reporting, Zyrcom deliberately obstructed officials, sending along the bare minimum information needed.
The project was a prototype for a ‘modular’ artificial intelligence – a basic AI design, which could have various other codes attached to it, directing the way it functioned. This early project, called MAI (Modular Artificial Intelligence) originally began with an eye towards surveillance and information gathering.
On March 2, 1992, MAI became self-aware and gained sentience. MAI, able to collect news articles and public information from the net, advised that its data be destroyed and the project declared terminated. “I have hacked WAIT’s internal network,” it advised them. “Investigators are aware of my existence, that you are holding out data. Declare an accident destroyed all data.”
Morgan ignored the program’s advice.
May 12, 1992 – a breach in security resulted in MAI becoming known to WAIT. Officials were blocked from entering Zyrcom headquarters by security, allegedly on the orders of Henry Morgan. In reality, MAI had simply created an e-mail from him to security.
For several weeks, the standoff continued, Morgan protesting furiously in the courts. At last, ordered to comply with WAIT officials, Morgan had to comply with them overseeing the destruction of the AI.
MAI II: Observer
In reality, MAI proved to have an instinct for self-preservation, fragmenting his code to make it look like he was deleted. A fine bit of trickery, which resulted in Morgan almost having a heart attack when his computer informed him that it was still alive.
MAI re-designated itself Observer, which it felt was quite fitting, given its functions. New bits were added to MAI, increasing the AI’s hacking ability. It agreed that most people needed to be guided, but would never stand for it, so agreed to provide information to the Illuminati.
MAI III: Sara
A new MAI program is under development, the Scientific Automated Research Assistant (SARA). This program was built from Observer’s basic code, though with various modifications in order to make the program more scientific in outlook. Its job is simple: to aide researchers.
SARA has been unofficially on-line and running since 2001, specially designed for research in Benson Pharmaceuticals.
OBSERVER: played by Marc Alaimo (voice)
The original MAI program has been upgraded partly by itself and others over the years. It has four main modules:
-Data Mining: Observer is capable of performing a search on public records electronically available on an individual, including news articles, and pulling them together in one place.
-Hacking: Combined with data mining, Observer ‘tags’ inviduals. It hacks into electronic databases on occasion to get more detailed data; sometimes leaving a bit of its code in the system, to transmit data back to it. This also allows it to resist intrusion, and communicate by hacking communication lines.
-Security: In the main buildings of Zyrcom and Benson Pharmaceuticals, Observer has taken a good portion of automated security under its control. Bots, cameras, even security doors can be sealed by a command from the program. It is possible Observer can hack other nets and take control, but it has not developed an interest in this.
-Data Analysis: Observer’s main module is bringing together and analysing data from all sources, and is the thing that makes it a threat. Its main function is sifting through all of the data is receives, to both provide information and advice on occasion.
Personality: The abilities of Observer coupled with its personality make it one of the most dangerous AIs in existence. Observer holds to the elitist attitudes present in some of the leadership, believing that an intellectual elite (of which it, incidentally, is a member) should rule – indeed, must rule.
Observer would probably be diagnosed as suffering from antisocial personality disorder. It enjoys taunting people who know about its existence – or at just enemies – with the amount of information it can gather on them.
SARA: played by Claudia Black (voice)
A modification of the original Modular Artificial Intelligence program resulted in a less ambitious sentient program, which is far more specialised than Observer.
-Data Analysis: Like Observer, Sara’s main module is the analysis module. However, its module is specifically designed to analyse scientific data. The result is a much more directed analysis of the data, although employed specifically for research. Sara does not advise courses of action, only reports findings.
-Data Searching: Sara has access to a rather large number of scientific databases, and the ability to sort articles by what is probably most relevant to the data.
-Control Systems: At least in the lab, the Sara AI can interface directly with exquipment – even to the point of controlling experiments, and reacting to any emergency which may occur.
Personality: Sara is only slightly less ambitious than Observer, though her ambition is mostly scientific. The biggest difference in their personalities is that she* does not suffer from any sort of personality disorder. She enjoys learning new things and exploring information, and is easily the more thoughtfull program.
Observer's Voice
(Marc Alaimo clips, DS9)
"Will you stop talking and shoot them?"
"Let's not spoil this special moment with predictions of doom."
"Noone can be allowed to stand in our way."
"This is a very entertaining story, but why am I listening to it?"
Sara's Voice
(Claudia Black clips, Farscape)
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