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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.
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- "Home. GAIA."
- ―AETHER before being returned to GAIA.
AETHER was the subordinate function of GAIA tasked with detoxifying Earth's ravaged atmosphere as part of Project Zero Dawn.
History[]
Purpose[]
AETHER was designed for the purpose of detoxifying Earth's atmosphere, which had been poisoned by the Faro Plague, and moderating the weather. The Alpha in charge of AETHER was Anders Larsen.[1]
Results[]
Early Stormbird shown alongside AETHER's purpose in Elisabet's explaination of Project Zero Dawn.
Although little is known about the AETHER program, breathable air in the New World indicates AETHER was successful. Stormbirds were likely machines that worked under AETHER, as they appear in Elisabet Sobeck's explanation of GAIA as a facet of the subordinate function.[2]
Independence[]
On August 26, 3020, the Extinction Signal sent by Nemesis arrived at GAIA Prime and turned her subordinate functions, including AETHER, into independent AIs. This led the subfunction HADES to initiate his purpose of destroying the biosphere. To prevent this, GAIA initiated her self-destruct in an attempt to destroy HADES, which would also destroy her and the other sub-functions. However, in response to this, HADES released a virus that unshackled all the other subordinate functions from GAIA, allowing them to escape.[3]
AETHER in the computer core under the Memorial Grove.
AETHER took refuge in a computer core situated beneath the Memorial Grove, an ancient military museum that had become capital of the Tenakth tribe. As the subordinate function settled in the processing core, it briefly activated a holographic recording of Anne Faraday and her call for peace following the Battle of the Mojave. AETHER's arrival and the subsequent activation of Faraday's speech was witnessed by Hekarro, then a Lowland warlord who had conquered the Grove only minutes before. Interpreting the Vision as a message from the Ten, Hekarro dedicated his life to uniting the Tenakth's warring clans in peace.[4]
For the next two decades, AETHER continued to carry out its operations, but its rampancy and separation from GAIA inevitably led to errors. As these errors accumulated, erratic weather and massive storm systems became more frequent in the months leading up to her reactivation.[5]
After helping Hekarro hold off Regalla during her assault on the Kulrut, Aloy was allowed to access the chamber where AETHER was located. Using the Master Override, she returned AETHER to its original, non-sentient state, before transporting it back to the Base to reintegrate into GAIA.[6] Upon AETHER's removal from the computer core, the Visions of the Grove were partially restored. The Vision of Faraday reactivated again, showing the Tenakth the Vision that inspired Hekarro, and cementing their loyalty to his cause.
Reunited with GAIA[]
With AETHER restored to her, GAIA was able to stabilize local atmospheric conditions, reducing the number and severity of the supercell storms.[7]
Personality[]
As an independent AI, AETHER was described by GAIA to be "lost and scared". This is seen in how, without GAIA to guide it, the weather it generated became increasingly chaotic. Despite its unstable nature, however, the AI held no animosity toward humans, not attempting to fight back when Aloy offered to bring it "home".
Trivia[]
- AETHER is named after the primordial embodiment of the upper air in Greek mythology.
- AETHER is the only subfunction named after a primordial embodiment (Protogenoi), rather than a god. It shares this name origin with GAIA, the primordial embodiment of the Earth.
References[]
- ↑ The Subordinate Functions
- ↑ The Good News
- ↑ GAIA's Dying Plea
- ↑ Dialogue with Hekarro during The Broken Sky.
- ↑ Dialogue with GAIA during The Eye of the Earth.
- ↑ The Kulrut
- ↑ Dialogue with GAIA after completing The Kulrut.
[]
| AI Characters | |
|---|---|
| Project Zero Dawn AIs | AETHER - APOLLO - ARTEMIS - DEMETER - ELEUTHIA - GAIA - HADES - HEPHAESTUS - MINERVA - POSEIDON |
| Firebreak AIs | CYAN |
| Far Zenith AIs | Nemesis - The Julius |
| Other AIs | Nova - VAST SILVER |