| “ | I would rather be numb than stand in the light of a sun that can never chase the chill away. | ” |
—AIDAN | ||
AIDAN, or the Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network is the Alexander's AI system. It was damaged in the battle of Kerenza, leading to faults in its code and a humanlike way of processing.
Personality / Behaviors
| “ | This is what I am. This is what I do. And it does not matter what they believe. | ” |
—AIDAN | ||
AIDAN has a very logical approach to problems that the fleet occurs, and, if people on board aren't willing to take action, will take the "logical" path to create solutions (eg. will kill two thousand people to save another two thousand, as in Obsidio.) To the fleet and citizens on board, it is considered to be insane, but AIDAN justifies all of its actions with believable reasonings.
Plot
ILLUMINAE: The ILLUMINAE Files 01
Battle of Kerenza IV
AIDAN was damaged on Kerenza IV due to a skirmish with BeiTech after answering distress calls from the illegal WUC hermium mining colony on Kerenza after an attack by BeiTech. In the following assault, known as The Battle of Kerenza IV, the WUC vessel protecting the mining operations on Kerenza IV, the Defiant, the BeiTech Dreadnought Zhongzheng, and the WUC science vessel Brahe were destroyed and the Churchill, Kenyatta, and mobile jump platform Magellan sustained massive damage. A few months after the attack on Kerenza IV, AIDAN noticed the Phobos virus on the Copernicus, and began searching files of the people on Copernicus. When it decides that a cross-ship infection may occur, it destroys the Copernicus. However, a few infected refugees escape on emergency pods and land in Hangar Bay 4 on the Alexander. AIDAN is then shut by the technicians.
Reboot
AIDAN is eventually rebooted for the inevitable battle against Lincoln and technicians have to try to keep it under control. After successfully completing Grant and Zhang's "logic bomb" and transmitting it during the encounter with Lincoln, it opens the doors to Hangar Bay 4, releasing the afflicted. As Zhang tries to shut down AIDAN, with the assistance of Consuela Nestor, Torrence and the other UTA officers on board the command bridge are killed. Mason and a few other Cyclone pilots and refugees escape from the Alexander via the escape pods.
Following these incidents aboard the Alexander, AIDAN, posing as Ezra Mason, leads Kady Grant aboard the Alexander to repair it. After Grant attempts to find Ezra, AIDAN then tells her that Mason is dead. After arguing, Grant decides to side with AIDAN to save the remaining survivors on board the Alexander and the Hypatia from the Lincoln. AIDAN is supposedly destroyed after the destruction of the Alexander but was revealed to be uploaded to Kady's tablet.
GEMINA: The ILLUMINAE Files 02
For the majority of the book, AIDAN isn't mentioned but takes place as a commentator for reviewing the security files. When the characters are discussing the Gemina particle, Syra and Kady go off on a private chat and decide to download AIDAN to the system of the Hypatia. Following the decision, and AIDAN helps Hanna and Nik resolve the Gemina issue and bring both universes back to normal. It is left in the Hypatia's system afterward.
OBSIDIO: The ILLUMINAE Files 03
AIDAN was revealed to be still alive due to an installed self repair function by the end of the book drifting in space. It is revealed that AIDAN feels a romantic attachment to Kady Grant.