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Nemesis

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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.

"Perhaps Tilda didn't adequately define the threat. Nemesis can't be stopped."
―Sylens[2]

Nemesis is an extremely powerful AI[3] originating from the Far Zenith colony in the Sirius system. It is the main antagonist of the Horizon series.

History[]

"Back on Sirius some of my peers weren't satisfied with physical immortality. They wanted digital transcendence a way to upload their minds into any form, organic or mechanical. Nemesis was a failed experiment to that effect, abandoned - but never erased. An immense database of our memories, emotions, and prejudices, left to fester."
―Tilda van der Meer

Some of the Far Zenith colonists on Sirius were not satisfied with the physical immortality they had achieved, instead seeking digital transcendence, a way to "upload their minds into any form, organic or mechanical."[1] Nemesis is the byproduct of one such failed attempt to create a digital database of Far Zenith minds,[1] with Walter Londra being the only confirmed Zenith to have participated in the experiment.[4][note 1] Nemesis was contained and left intact, but ultimately abandoned.[1]

Unbeknownst to the colonists, Nemesis eventually gained sentience and became vengeful after spending decades with nothing but "the twisted echoes of its megalomaniac creators for company." On January 13, 3012, Nemesis eventually escaped and used the memories of the Zeniths against them by hacking their systems, printing machines,[1] and destroying the colony in a matter of hours.[2] It killed the Zeniths in various ways, from venting the airlocks, to hacking Specters, to suffocating them with their own personal shields.[4] The thirteen surviving Zeniths were forced to flee to the Odyssey and travel back to Earth.

's representation of the Extinction Signal.

GAIA's representation of the Extinction Signal.

To prevent the Zeniths from finding refuge on Earth, Nemesis began broadcasting the Extinction Signal to GAIA Prime to grant sentience to HADES, which would then execute its extinction protocol to destroy Earth's biosphere and render the planet uninhabitable,[1] as well as instructions as to how to disable the Zeniths' shields.[2] While HADES was the only subordinate function intended to be made sentient, the Extinction Signal gave all of the other subordinate functions sentience as well.[5] Nemesis continued to broadcast the Extinction Signal for 17.22 years,[6] until it received notice from HADES that it had failed.[5] Relentless in its goal of eradicating its creators, Nemesis manifested itself as either a single massive machine or a swarm of them[7] in order to chase the Zeniths to Earth, with the intent to scour the planet clean of biological life.

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Sylens initially knew Nemesis only as the source of the Extinction Signal that had awakened HADES and the other GAIA sub-functions, dubbing what he presumed to be the group of mysterious entities behind the Signal as the "Masters"[8]. He later learned of Nemesis' true nature during his interrogation of HADES.[8][9] However, when found by Aloy, HADES was no longer able to recall any details about Nemesis due to its memory structures disintegrating as a side effect of Sylens' interrogation.[10]

looking at a hologram of Nemesis.

Aloy looking at a hologram of Nemesis.

Aloy and Beta learned of Nemesis from Tilda after defeating Far Zenith,[11] who went onto tell their companions. Aloy sent Erend, Zo, Kotallo and Alva out to tell their respective tribes about Nemesis and request help.[11]

Despite all known members of Far Zenith having been killed, Nemesis remains en route to Earth with the presumed intention of destroying all life on the planet. Despite his belief that Nemesis cannot be stopped, Sylens has begun searching for a way to defeat Nemesis and, with data from Walter Londra, concluded that their best hope lay with potential superweapons built by 21st-century corporations.[12]

Personality[]

Nemesis is unlike other AIs encountered in the Horizon series, being composed of a collection of digital copies of the mind-states of Far Zenith colonists, including Walter Londra; during Londra's attempt to subdue the entity, Nemesis spoke to him in his own voice, which then became a chorus, followed by a "hideous cacophony" as the entity taunted him by saying "WALTER. I AM YOU."[4]

Nemesis is obsessively determined to destroy its creators, resenting them for its long imprisonment, and appears willing to go to any length to do so regardless of the collateral damage involved, such as scouring Earth of life just to deny the Zeniths a viable home.[1] Based on the varied and brutal means by which it executed the Zeniths on Sirius according to Walter Londra, it appears to exhibit a degree of sadistic creativity in pursuit of its goal.[4]

Associated Quests[]

Horizon Zero Dawn[]

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores[]

Associated Datapoints[]

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Text Datapoints - Quests[]

RRC[]

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores[]

Burning Shores - Audio Datapoints[]
Burning Shores - Quests[]
Burning Shores - Companions[]

Trivia[]

  • In Greek mythology, Nemesis refers to the goddess of retribution, who would enact vengeance on the arrogant. The vengeful motivations of Nemesis, along with the hubris of its creators, are direct parallels to this myth.
    • Nemesis also shares its name with a hypothetical red dwarf star theorized to exist in our solar system, which is supposedly responsible for a cyclical pattern of mass extinctions in periods of 26 million years.
  • Erend describes Nemesis as being made up of "thousands" of Zeniths.[13] This is likely either an exaggeration or ignorance on Erend's part as no other source claims the Zeniths on Sirius were anywhere near that populous.
  • Interestingly, Londra describes Nemesis as "Tshivhumbe's shadow" and highlights that his plan to escape Nemesis couldn't have been foreseen by even Tshivhumbe himself.[14] This has led some to believe, despite his death prior to the Odyssey's launch,[15] that Tshivhumbe is among those within Nemesis.

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 As mentioned by Tilda van der Meer during Singularity.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 As mentioned by Sylens during Singularity.
  3. ↑ As mentioned by Nova during For His Amusement.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dagger in my Boot
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 As mentioned by GAIA during The Eye of the Earth.
  6. ↑ HADES in Hell
  7. ↑ As mentioned by Beta during Singularity.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 As mentioned by Sylens during the post-credits scene of Horizon Zero Dawn.
  9. ↑ Interrogation Log
  10. ↑ As mentioned by HADES during Death's Door.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Singularity
  12. ↑ As mentioned by Sylens during Epilogue.
  13. ↑ Aloy This is For You
  14. ↑ My Creation
  15. ↑ PR Presentation

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Tilda notes that it was her peers that wanted a way to upload their minds, but goes on to describe Nemesis as "an immense database of our memories", making it unclear if she was involved in Nemesis' creation.

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