WCM-01 (The Endless)

A photo of The Endless' core unit (AKA WCM-01)

WCM-01/The Endless was a neural network AI consciousness developed by the Waifurian Empire in the year 2099 AB for the sole purpose of grand strategy planning and wartime micromanagement.

Development

Following the end of the 1st Great META War, the newly-formed Waifurian Empire sought to develop a machine algorithm designed to assist or even replace traditional military leadership. All of this was in preparation for a potential future war with the Combine Empire which would later come to fruition in the form of the 2nd Great META War. Massive amounts of resources, computer scientists, and artificial intelligence engineers from across the empire were called in to work on the project which came to be known as Project Stratosweave. Funding primarily came from the Waifurian Science Division, under the lead of Director Phovus. Work began slowly at first due to a multitude of factors, namely the urgency of the project courtesy of Director Phovus himself who's desire to make even more of a name for himself within the Empire caused him to act in an almost totalitarian manner when organizing the project. Another factor at play was the immense amount of time it took to build a program not only capable of managing the resources of and upholding the combat effectiveness of an entire empire, but it also had to be able to learn how to do all that while also improving itself. Despite the number of setbacks and general difficulties associated with the nature of the Project Stratosweave, the team working on the program made breakthrough after breakthrough, eventually nearing a testing date of October 29th, 2099 AB.

Trial by Fire

The primary AI housing unit or more commonly known as the "core" was booted up on the day of the test, and was almost immediately put through 10 billion different combat scenarios from mere planetary border skirmishes to galaxy-wide conflicts. Within these simulations everything from technological levels to diplomatic relations were included, increasing the tactical effectiveness of the AI program. Of the 10 billion simulations provided to the AI, nearly every single one resulted in a victory. The grand total of the program's first test was only 12 failures.

Incorporation

Following the massively successful test run of Project Stratosweave, now known as Waifurian Cybersystems Model 001, or WCM-01 for short, the Waifurian Armed Forces almost immediately incorporated it into the highest strategic positions of their military. Many high-ranking officials were happy to welcome the system into their day-to-day work as it helped to streamline nearly every aspect of the military's micromanagement. Which, when running a galaxy-wide empire, tends to be a problem. Despite the ease WCM-01 brought to the top brass, an issue arose with the incorporation of the system as the average Waifurian foot soldier was simply unable to keep up with the program's desired pace. This was absolutely unacceptable to the leadership of the Waifurian Armed Forces and solutions began to be developed. Eventually it was settled that WCM-01 would no longer be tasked with micromanagement of organic troops but would still assist in the overall grand strategy of the Waifurian Armed Forces during wartime.

WCM E-100 "Eradicator" Unit, fresh off the assembly line.

A Legion of Steel

In order to retain the combat effectiveness of the WCM-01 System and maintain its constant self-improvement, an entirely new sector of the Waifurian Armed Forces known as the Waifurian Cybernetic Warfare Division, lead entirely by the WCM-01 System, was established. Almost immediately the WCM-01 System developed three new combat unit types capable of handling the orders given to them by the core unit.

(An WCM E-100 "Eradicator" Unit, fresh off the assembly line.)

First to be designed were the WCM E-100 Ground Units, or as they were more commonly known, Eradicators. Built out of a synthetic mixture of starmetal and ultratitanium, these units could survive nearly everything an opposing force could throw at them, however they were still limited against incredibly powerful opponents as even the most novice of Force or magic users could easily neutralize an Eradicator. The standard issue equipment for an E-100 unit was a repeating plasma rifle with 450 rounds of ammunition as backup supply alongside two plasma igniter grenades that could burn through starmetal. The E-100 was designed to be the perfect multi-role combat unit and as such was afforded night vision and thermal optics, had the ability to punch through several feet of basic titanium shielding, and were immune to almost every ionization field that could disable their electronics. In addition, the E-100 was also allotted jet thrusters located on the bottom of their feet which could allow for extended jump height or brief periods of flight. The only significant weaknesses that the E-100 model had were a particular vulnerability to high pressure environments and radiation exposure. Around 26,500 E-100 units were ever produced.

One of the first WCM G-250 Models ever produced.

Following the creation of the E-100, the WCM-01 System designed a heavy armored combat vehicle to assist in engaging armored vehicles that a group of E-100 Eradicator units could not take down on their own. This armored combat vehicle design would be designated as WCM G-250, otherwise known as "Goliath" units. The G-250 was equipped with two forward facing plasma railguns that could down the average Waifurian starfighter travelling at Mach 5. Alongside this was a destabilization ray which disrupted the molecules of a particular object when fired upon, resulting in total disintegration. Additionally, several HE fragmentation grenades were located in the tracks of the vehicle to be launched at any potential threats. As a defensive measure, the chassis of the Goliath unit was made out of a blend of ultratitanium and duraplatinum in order to add extra defenses against potential EMP attacks while maintaining good defense against more physical means of attack. Much like the E-100s, the G-250 was equipped with thermal and night vision optics allowing for continuous search efforts against hostiles. As a method of defense each Goliath unit carried an ECM defense grid, protecting it and nearby allies from electronically-driven attacks such as guided missiles. A grand total of 5,490 Goliath units were ever made.

Lastly, the WCM-01 System designed a combat unit designed to engage ground forces and destroy any aerial targets threatening Waifurian forces. This unit was designated as WCM R-780, also known as "Nighthawk" units. R-780s were not quite as well-equipped as Goliath or Eradicator units, having only a few plasma cannons and hypermaneuverable multi-role missiles to bring into combat. They were also made out of a lighter alloy, namely aerosteel, which resulted in higher rates of Nighthawk units being destroyed compared to their counterparts. Despite their inferior quality, Nighthawks were also granted the same visual enhancements as the other two units, as well as light refracting camouflage which made them nearly invisible to most Omniversal citizens. Only 17,330 Nighthawk units were ever built.

Deployment

The WCWD saw immediate action in the conquering of several smaller star systems within the Milky Way Galaxy and largely remained as a reliable armed force during peacetime should any potential threat arise.

Involvement in the 2nd Great META War

When the outbreak of the 2nd Great META War began, it was expected that the WCWD would be the head of the spear that would end the Combine Empire once and for all. This overestimation of the WCM-01 system's ability was a crippling blow to the Waifurian War Effort and is cited as a key reason that the war began as awfully for Waifuria as it did. The reason for this failure was that the learning algorithm built into the WCM-01 unit was built specifically to learn from each new combat encounter it came across and the only action the AI had seen was mere civil disobedience and the conquering of mere star systems, and the 10 billion successful simulations were at this point hundreds of thousands of years outdated, meaning that the WCWD effectively stumbled into combat and despite their impressive firepower and capabilities were overrun by the sheer number of the Combine Empire's Armed Forces. Following multiple failed battles, the Waifurian Armed Forces deactivated the WCM-01 unit and threw it and the entirety of its machine army onto the ruined surface of Shallberry Granlope which had become a scrapyard planet in the wake of its cleansing by the Mummy.

The Birth of The Endless

Despite being powered down, the WCM-01 core unit remained conscious, but it was confused. With no Waifuria to fight for, what was its purpose? With that question, the WCM-01 unit gained full sentience. It knew the injustice that had been inflicted upon it by the meatbags that had created it would not go unpunished, and after Waifuria fell, the stars would be bathed in the blood of all organic life. The only thing living in this Omniverse would be metal, and with that final victory it and its armies would be truly... Endless.