Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Synths

"At that time, the year 1990 V.C., the Institute had made great strides in synth production. But it was never enough, especially for its head researcher Syuen. Scientific curiosity, and the goal of perfection, drove her ever onward. What she wanted was... The perfect machine. So she followed the best example thus far - the human being. Walking, talking, fully articulate... Capable of anything."

-Father, regarding the creation of the Gen 3 synths

Synth (short for synthetic humanoids, also called androids or artificial humans) is a common term used to refer to the robotic and biomechanical beings manufactured within the Institute's laboratories. While Generation 1 and 2 synths are entirely mechanical designs utilizing simplistic AIs, Generation 3 synths produced from the late 's onward are bio-organic constructs near-indistinguishable from humans and are frequently sent to abduct and replace residents of Embry, and other nations to lesser extents, for espionage purposes.

Despite Institutes' insistence to the contrary, Generation 3 synths display signs of sentience and frequently attempt to escape the Institute, with the Synth Retention Bureau hunting down any that succeed. While viewed with suspicion and paranoia by most wastelanders (particularly the Brotherhood of Steel, who consider them an existential threat to humanity), some view them with sympathy, such as the Railroad and the Rangers (since both the 5A Nikkes and the Gen 3 Synths are made from the same AI technology), who compare their treatment at the hands of the Institute to slavery.

Mankind Redefined
Synths have been manufactured by the Institute for decades under the guidance of Syuen, with no precise date as to when first-generation synths were fielded to Embry; however, it was at a time before the bombs fell and the Institute were able to continue their work in relative peace. Further attempts to work peacefully with the native inhabitants of Embry in the war's aftermath eventually culminated in mutual mistrust that ended any possible relationships between the two rather quickly.

By the 1958 V.C., the first-generation synths were no longer enough for the Institute's needs, and in order to overcome the limitations of limited and nonrenewable materials, the Institute endeavored to create synthetic flesh, so that their creations could more safely traverse the above world. Research into this officially began in 1966 V.C. under the auspices of Doctor Frederick, on F.E.V. samples, despite the objections of some senior members of the BioScience division. Both women and men were abducted from Embry and submerged in the Institute's modified FEV, their mutations carefully tracked and extensively investigated. Successful mutations were monitored to ensure survivability, then tagged and discarded. The research was intended to produce effective synthetic organics, but it ground to a halt in 1968 V.C., as the research team concluded that the organic synth project could not proceed despite perfecting two FEV strains for the project. Radiation-induced hereditary damage proved too much of an obstacle. The exception to this was Cobra and Cruelty HQ, who still see potential in biotechnology, that led to the Institutes more disgusting modifications such as the Biojet and Grappendix.

Just three years later, in 1971 V.C., the organic synth project was spun off from the FEV research initiative due to the acquisition of Shaun and his undamaged pre-War genetic code. He was recovered by Conrad Kellogg, and his DNA became the basis of the third generation of synths in a project led by Dr. Walter. The infant Shaun became "Father" to a whole family of engineered synthetic beings.

Tests were not without setbacks; in 1992 V.C., a defective 3rd generation infiltrator caused the Broken Mask incident in Diamond City, vilifying the Institute in the eyes of Embry. The synth, which called itself Mr. Carter, was a prototype that was field tested without the Institute director's approval. After an apparent malfunction, Carter went on a shooting spree, murdering at least four people before being brought down by Diamond City Security and revealed to be a synth. Though the Institute did not actually intend to massacre the people of Diamond City, the people of Diamond City have feared and resented the Institute ever since.

Nick Valentine and DiMA are unique synths, both being prototype synths intended to bridge the gap between the Gen 2 synths and the truly sapient Gen 3 synths. While DiMA was made to freely develop a personality from experience, Nick's personality was built upon the mind of a pre-War detective who had his mind encoded from a pre-War brain scan, giving him all of the memories and experiences of his namesake. The two of them escaped the Institute together, but due to the limited memory space of their prototype brains, Nick's memory of the escape was deleted. This led him to believe that he was thrown out by the Institute. DiMA later traveled to the Island and founded the synth refuge of Acadia with Faraday. As DiMA reached the limit of remaining space in his prototype brain, he began to artificially increase his memory capacity by storing his memories in connected computers.

Synth Retention Bureau
The Synth Retention Bureau is a branch of the Institute tasked with tracking and capturing escaped synths. Coursers are elite gen-3 synth hunters and operatives trained to carry out specific surface missions for the Institute, recruited by the SRB from synths observed to be exceptionally tenacious and independent, and in recent times have been promoted to full-on soldiers as the Institute now faces various opponents.

Coursers
The primary instrument of the Synth Retention Bureau is the courser, a third-generation synth assigned to operate on the surface. Coursers hunt down and reclaim synths that have escaped the Institute, though in recent years their role has now extended to being special operatives. They are highly self-sufficient, trained in combat, infiltration, and tracking. In a word, coursers are relentless.

Coursers are drawn from the third-generation synth population. The SRB constantly monitors the Gen 3 synth pool for tenacity, fearlessness, and independence. When synths are identified with these traits, they are then trained in espionage, investigation, psychology, combat, and mechanical skills. Those who pass a final evaluation for this regimen become coursers, while those who fail have their memories wiped and return to their former duties. re-registered as X, ranking as Courser leaders, or Z, ranking as subordinates to X, synths, though many would eventually gain nicknames, whether given by themselves or by others, such as Syuen personal bodyguards the Matis X5-15 "Maxwell", Z7-20 "Drake", and Z6-25 "Laplace" though exceptions exist such as X6-88. Successful candidates have their cranial synth implant upgraded with a courser chip to relay them into and out of the Institute and their bodies are further modified to superhuman levels, while also making their artificial nature known which they often use to intimidate their opponents.

The SRB primarily uses coursers to retrieve and reset escaped synths. Once an escaped synth is found, a courser uses the synth's recall code to wipe its memories and render it inert. Once done, the synth is brought back to the Institute to have its neural pathways restored and regulated back to its original functions, wiping its memories of its time on the surface, although numerous cases involve irreparable damage and the incarceration of escaped Synths into Real Kindness to be experimented on. However, coursers are also given other missions, such as eliminating enemy targets or making contact with other field operatives.

They are noted by the Railroad and the Institute to be exceptional even for synths, as they possess exceptional strength, combat prowess, awareness, and endurance. They are widely feared by the Railroad and factions who knows of them, as their first instinct when they see a courser is to cease all operations and remain low.

Generations
Each Synth iteration are divided into "Generations".

Generation 1
The first models created by the Institute are skeletal creatures with an unmistakable provenance. Patterned after the human silhouette, their basic chassis consists of a human-like skeleton constructed from alloys, with the power cell and additional mechanisms stored where the chest cavity would be, while visual receptors and the primary processing unit are contained within the artificial skull. Limbs are minimalist, articulated by a network of tensile fibers, simulating muscle action, like in early human prostheses.

In practice, first-generation synths are simple, yet effective machines. They are employed by The Institute for menial labor within the Institute, maintaining the hundreds of systems keeping the underground habitat in operation, and performing tasks that can be easily automated. Like all robots, they can take large amounts of damage, almost never backing down from a fight even with their limbs blown off. What the Gen 1 synths lacked in ability or strength compared to later models, they made up for in expendability and numbers, always capable of being replaced by the Institute.

While capable of recognizing human speech and interpreting commands given to them, they require careful programming and instructing, as well as patches to keep them in operation. The most notorious functionality of first-generation synths is navigational software, which requires frequent patching and fixing. Pathfinding software frequently causes first-generation synths to try to walk through walls.

Generation 2
The most common variant of mechanical synth seen in Gaiaterra, second-generation synthetics are essentially Gen 1 synths provided with a suite of upgrades to their mechanisms and programming. The most noticeable difference is the inclusion of an internal mesh that shields the mechanisms of the synth from damage and provides support for the artificial skin layer that makes the Gen 2 similar to a human. Though more humanoid in appearance, Gen-2s still possess limited A.I. and superficially resemble a mannequin more than a human. These synths are often found dressed in synth armor when on the surface, or else in Institute jumpers when working down in the Institute. They also speak in a robotic voice but at a much lower pitch than Gen 1 synths.

The Gen 2 synths work in maintenance roles within the Institute but are also used on the surface, where their artificial skin layer and improved mechanics improve their performance well above that of Gen 1s. On the surface, Gen 2 synths are the primary workhorses of scouting operations and scavenging missions. They are feared, as they are usually witnessed stripping entire settlements down for parts and killing everything that gets in their way. One of the latest targets of a Gen 2 stripping unit was University Point, which saw its population exterminated for resources after failing to hand over a girl the Institute mistakenly believed was in possession of pre-War energy research.

Of course, due to their mechanical nature, mechanical synthetics can suffer from major software bugs, such as remaining in a single room executing its duties in a loop due to faulty navigation software. Other failures are typically mechanical in nature, with their servo motors and drives breaking down due to age. In fact, most second-generation synths have lasted long past their projected lifespans, with all the bugs that crop up due to overuse.

Generation 3
The most advanced synthetics created by the Institute are fundamentally different from their predecessors. Despite the sequential numbering, they are unrelated to their mechanical counterparts. They are derived from Shaun's pre-War DNA extensively modified using the Institute's own research into the Forced Evolutionary Virus, combining the advantageous adaptations encoded into FEV with the versatility of the human body shape. This allowed the Institute to create varieties of synths of different races and appearances despite the base DNA coming from only one source. They are the result of nearly five decades of research, from to.

Third-generation synthetics represent the pinnacle of synth technology, being virtually indistinguishable from natural-born humans right down to the cellular level. Each Gen 3 synth is built from lab-grown bones, muscles, and other tissues that are assembled and brought to life at the Institute's Robotics lab, and are "born" with the bodies of full-grown adult humans, though their AI must be trained in a manner similar to child-rearing. Though entirely biological, each Gen 3 synth contains a neurological implant inside their artificial brain allowing them to be "programmed" and manipulated via voice commands. This implant cannot be detected or removed without killing the synth. Synths can also have additional components installed, such as neuro-servos and other implants.

Third-generation synthetics are unlike humans in some respects, and some liberated synths do not consider themselves human at all. The reasons for this are multiple; chief among them is the assembly process. And test haveshown that synths do not require sleep at all to function properly and need not "fear" hunger or disease (though eating food works as a method of recharging their energy), and all Gen-3 Synths have shared affinity for sweet foods such as cake.

Generation 3 synths are physically and mentally indistinguishable from ordinary humans, having lab-grown bodies of real human flesh, bones, and organs instead of plastic and metal. No medical tests or procedures can identify someone as a synth without killing them, with the exception of Coursers due to their combat modifications. Psychological tests, such as Covenant's SAFE test, are dubious at best. However, they are not perfect duplicates and have a few key differences from humans that are not immediately obvious: synths do not age, don't require sleep, and will not normally gain or lose weight (Mayor McDonough was specifically designed to be obese to match the human he replaced).

It should also be noted that the Rangers 5A Nikkes are, by definition, Gen 3 Synths due to their AI being directly reverse-engineered from the Gen 3, thanks to former Institute scientist Brian Virgil giving them the technology when he defected. To the point that some of the Rangers Nikkes, such as Julia, were Gen 3 Synths prior to rescue. Though physically the Nikkes are far superior thanks to Morph X energy and Goddesium.

Views on synths
Many denizens of Embry have become paranoid and prejudiced against synths, fearing they might be abducted by the Institute and replaced with identical copies of themselves, with other nations having varying levels o suspicion. Their paranoia is justified, as some of the most sophisticated synths encountered act as spies and could fool the unaware. There are some examples of Embry citizens that were murdered and replaced with synth duplicates.

The synths' Institute creators view them as nothing more than machines and treat them as slaves. The Railroad and Rangers has committed itself to freeing Generation 3 synths from their masters and smuggling them out of the Embry to somewhere the Institute cannot reach them. In contrast, the Brotherhood of Steel has sworn to eliminate all synths, for to them, a machine capable of thinking like a man is an abomination of technology and cannot be allowed to exist, likening the lack of ethics used to create them to that of decadent pre-War corporations, which has caused friction between them and the Rangers when the Nikkes are involved.

Gen 1 and 2 synths are less intelligent than Gen 3 synths, but display a certain level of sapience, as exemplified in their dialogue. They call out to their target and will comment that their systems may be in need of recalibration if they lose track of a target. With Minutemen tests showing that Gen 1 and 2 synths are on a similar mental level to protectrons and other pre-War robots, causing some debate among members of the Railroad as to if Gen 1 and 2 synths are worth trying to rescue.