In reply to Nightmare (msg # 329):

Hitch and Goliath are a human/mech pair associated with Braeburn's off-books ARCHON and AVATAR projects. You only know what they look like from distorted holograms.

Hitch appears to be a clean-shaven, dark skinned man with an athletic build.

Goliath appears to be a large mech with a bulky limbs and a sleek torso.

Relevant Archive & Crucible Entries

quote:

Regarding PROJECT AVATAR and PROJECT ARCHON, there were ultimately three versions of the experiments that met with any modicum of success. The initial experiment placed one of the most stable AIs (Sophia) with the most fully-developed prototype of the Archon-class battlemechs (Abraxas), piloted by one of Braeburn's most talented pilots (Xander), whose service records indicate an almost preternatural ability to intuitively control machines on an almost subconscious level. A follow-up experiment took place after Xander went AWOL, this one involving three names: Mithra, Logos, and Aletheia. Likely, these are the names of an AI, mech, and pilot. The Crucible lists their current status as DEPLOYED, with no further information available. Further scouring reveals a third experiment, dated years prior to Xander's own. The names involved follow a different nomenclature and pattern entirely, and consist of just two identities: Calvin and Goliath. Their current status is listed as MIA.

Additional Crucible Entries on PROJECT ARCHON and PROJECT AVATAR

quote:

PROJECT AVATAR was a program that was meant to transfer consciousness from humans to machines and back again, even if the "back again" was to a different human, thus creating a measure of immortality. An initial pool of volunteers was selected, each of whom had what were deemed to be exceptional minds locked within damaged bodies (terminal illness, advanced age, paralysis, etc.). The "send it back" part did not work, and drove participants stark raving mad. The program was shut down as a result, but there was disagreement about what to do with the remaining minds that were mid-transfer when the program was terminated. Unable to return the minds to their host bodies without driving them mad, the decision was made to keep the minds in inorganic housing, essentially making them the most advanced "AI" at humanity's disposal. When the initial attempts to restore minds to host bodies failed, that part of the project was put on hold indefinitely. Minds that had already been separated were kept apart from their bodies, leaving the latter in stasis. The files aren't clear on whether the ruined bodies were preserved for any particular reason. The project was later revisited from a different angle, with the intent to meld the human consciousness with the processing power of an advanced AI. The idea was to create AI of unprecedented utility by marrying the creative thinking of the human mind with the logical framework and raw processing power of cutting edge artificial cognition. This part of the project was overwhelmingly successful, with several candidates functioning far beyond all expected parameters. It is unclear how many human minds have been converted to AIs. Project Archon, Phase I Braeburn's top secret next-gen battlemech development program. Utilizing mysterious technology found at (redacted), hypothesized to be an example of (redacted), Braeburn's top scientists set about to create a brand new, highly experimental line of battlemechs with capabilities far outstripping anything before developed. While successful, results were highly unpredictable, with prototypes displaying a range of behaviors and quirks that stymied engineer teams. Development reports are rife with instances of prototypes acting of their own volition, despite lockdown commands, as well as manifestation of abilities entirely unimplemented on their chassis. Due to this instability, the battlemechs were deemed unsuitable for full-scale deployment, though development continued, in large part to continue testing the unexpected and un-directed adaptability of the chassis. If only they could find a means of controlling them... Project Archon, Phase II To that end, one of Braeburn's top executives had the idea to apply one of the successfully developed and currently idle advanced AIs produced from the defunct Project Avatar to attempt to control the Project Archon battlesuits. The initial experiment placed one of the most stable AIs (Sophia) with the most fully-developed prototype of the Archon-class battlemechs (Abraxas), piloted by one of Braeburn's most talented pilots (Xander), whose service records indicate an almost preternatural ability to intuitively control machines on an almost subconscious level. Though Xander turned traitor and absconded with Abraxas and Sophia, development presumably continues to this day.