========== Nine years ago ==========
With the world already back on its feet a year after the White Knight Incident, the moment where nations around the globe shook as they witnessed the intelligence, pride and power of their respective militaries obliterated by a single Infinite Stratos unit. Hordes of ballistic missiles, fleets of ships and even squadrons of the world’s most advanced fighter jets could not withstand the power of the White Knight as it unleashes its full potential. Not even spy satellites that are thought to be out of reach were safe from the IS’ rampage.
By then, technological institutes no longer ridiculed the idea of the IS as they did when the creator, Tabane Shinonono, first introduced its theoretical potential. Said potential was no longer theoretical; it was proved practical and acknowledged by the world in a single major event of apparent terrorism.
As per their acknowledgement, 467 Infinite Stratos Cores were distributed worldwide from an unknown source and Core 001, the
first IS core that belonged to the mysterious White Knight, was among those that were given to technological institutions.
The Hyperion Corporation, an institution in the United States known for their forte in autonomous systems development, received
one of the IS Cores but the director of the institution kept the transaction secret from the rest of its personnel… except for one. Gerald Bastion, one of the Corporation’s most resourceful engineers, was entrusted with safekeeping the IS Core by the director who foresaw the eventual fall of Hyperion as most of its personnel would soon abandon the institution in favor of contributing their knowledge of artificial intelligence to the development of the country’s first Infinite Stratos, the
Silver Gospel.
“Sir… this Core is our
gemstone! If your prediction of Hyperion’s fall is true, this thing will help us prevent it!”
Young Gerald has always been fond of developing AIs of various specializations. During then, the Hyperion Corporation has been trying to develop an AI that can assume control of a space-faring vehicle and do independent research on worlds beyond Earth. The hopeful Gerald has always dreamt of space exploration and has been working on developing the ideal AI unit that can undertake the task even before the Infinite Stratos came into existence.
“I’m afraid that chance has come and gone, friend. Humans have always been caught up with evolution and the need to be stronger than anyone else… I cannot risk having this…
child… weaponized into another war machine. We don’t need those anymore in this world.”
“But… the Corporation will—”
“It already has, Bastion. There’s nothing we can do that will stop its derailment.”