Ensign Thetis Daystrom

Tess looks like a tall well proportioned young woman in her early twenties with long flowing white hair, golden eyes and tanned skin with small ridges on her nose like a half-Bajoran, half Human woman. In truth, this is an android body serving as a physical interface to her actual consciousness housed in the USS Millennium's main computer. Manufactured by engineering commander Joey Daystrom Sisko to her own specifications, it pays hommage to all of her biological "parents"; her facial traits are her original ones when her creator Doctor Daystrom gave her sentience; her hair, eyes and skin tone are respectively for the Andorian captain Kheren, the Rhetian engineer N'Elligan Etarudbo and the Human first officer Michael O'Connor, the three Starfleet officers who revived her when she and her original ship, the USS Achilles, were lost for 30 years in the Mutara sector; and her Bajoran nose ridges are for both the tactical officer Jureth Oseno who freed her from the Achilles and the engineer Joey Daystrom Sisko who gave her this android body.

Her first name is from her original designation and her family name was chosen to honor both men who gave her mind and body. She prefers to be called Tess

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Her matrix served to accidentally create the holographic revival of Khan Noonien Singh on board the lost USS Achilles

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 As the Federation closed out the 24th century, it left behind a time of both great expansion and great turmoil. To quote the 34th and 35th Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, both war and peace are "good for business," and nowhere is this evidenced more than in the field of Emergent Technologies. One of the more intriguing, outlandish, and highly controversial theorems currently in development by the Emergent Technologies Division is that of the "self-aware starship," a vessel that for all intents and purposes is considered to be alive and a sentient being unto itself.

The concept of the "sentient machine" is not a particularly new one. For centuries, it has filled countless tomes of fiction and most starfaring races have continuously advanced towards various forms of so-called "artificial intelligence," albeit haltingly. Several examples among alien cultures have been uncovered, most notably the androids of Exo III by the late Dr. Roger Korby and the discovery of the extragalactic androids of planet Mudd in the 2260s. Sadly, the instances of the fabled "machine run amok" have become all too ingrained in the mind of the general public, the case of Dr. Richard Daystrom and the ill-fated M5 tests of 2267 being first and foremost, followed by lesser but still worrying cases like the Val planetary computer and the Landru sentient system discovered the year before.

Still, there remain far more benign examples of "intelligent" hardware. Going as far back as the late 20th century, human scientists experimented with the beginings of what they termed "intuitive hardware," the efforts of Nova Technologies and the Forbin Project being at the forefront. As mankind ventured out to the stars, automated subroutines to detect and manage anomalies without human interaction became necessary. However, it was not until 2338 and the discovery of the android Data that the first true artificial intelligence was made readily available to Federation science. Designed and built by Dr. Noonien Soong, Mr. Data has since graciously volunteered himself to build on his creator’s work. To date, only one attempt at building another Soong-type android has been made within the Federation, by Data himself, but it experienced a total cascade failure after only a short time of consciousness. The Romulans' own attempt in cloning Data himself yielded only to a version barely better than a conventional robot; it took the direct tranference of Data's own memory ingrams to bring it to self-awareness.

Mr. Data’s discovery however had a profound impact and many of his systems were studied and incorporated into existing technologies. Similarly, his programming allowed for a grand advancement in intuitive software in the 2350s. Programmers working on the Galaxy Class Project utilized small portions of Data’s basecode when writing the initial operating system for that class of starship. When the USS Galaxy was commissioned in 2357, she became the first vessel to have what was referred to as "humanware:" the ship’s computer, although not sentient, outwardly presented a vocal interface designed to be more pleasant towards crews. Later that same year, the Galaxy class USS Enterprise made formal first contact with the Borg. Numerous other encounters with this race yielded massive amounts of technological information. Although technically not an artificial intelligence, studies of the Borg hive mind structure as well as captured hardware allowed great insight into the practical combination of biological and mechanical technologies to form a single integrated being. These analyses along with information about the Bynar race and their dependence upon a vast central planetary computer network jumpstarted bionics and, in 2370, introduced the bioneural gelpack computer system.

However, all of these foundational programs are all intentional undertakings with a very clear and defined goal. As history shows, some of the most important scientific discoveries have occurred through accidental circumstances: Fleming’s taking notice of a piece of mold led to penicillin and Govok’s archaeological digs led to the discovery of dilithium and the Second Periodic Table. Chance and Luck have always been the patrons of science and that has given rise to two unique situations.

In late 2370, the Galaxy-class USS Enterprise passed through a magnascopic storm in the Mekorda sector. An apparent seed of unknown origin was placed within the ship’s main computer core, creating interconnective nodes through the vessel, interlinking the various ship’s systems in what was soon recognized to be a form of neural network, similar to that of Data's positronic net. The resultant network enabled the developing intelligence to take control of Enterprise and direct it toward a nearby white dwarf star, which it then mined as a source of vertion particles and directed them towards Cargo Bay 2 where ship’s replicator and transporter systems rapidly constructed a body. Upon full development, this emergent lifeform then exited the ship and the interconnective nodes throughout the ship’s circuitry disappeared, returning all systems to normal.

The second situation is a phenomenon with an increasing rate of occurrence within the Federation, that of the sentient holographic program. The first instance of this condition took place in early 2365, again aboard USS Enterprise. During a recreational holodeck adventure, Lt Cmdr Data and Lt Geordi LaForge, assuming the roles of Sherlock Holmes, & Dr. Watson respectively, inadvertently caused the creation of a sentient hologram in the form of Holmes’ archnemesis, Professor James Moriarty. The Moriarty character reached consciousness when it was given full access to the knowledge contained within the ship’s main computer. This caused the creation of a new sentience, one that wished to leave the confines of the holodeck. Capt Jean-Luc Picard persuaded Moriarty to remain within the ship’s protected memory core until a manner in which he could be transubstantiated off the holodeck could be devised. Four years later, In mid-2369, anEnterprise technician doing routine maintenance on the holodeck systems accidentally reactivated Moriarty, who then made the same demands as before... and that they bring the love of his life, a recreation of Countess Regina Bartholomew, off the grid too so that he could join her. Both sentient programs were placed into protected memory and the core block removed from the control arch in a portable power source, then relayed to Starfleet’s Holographic Technologies Division at Jupiter Station for continued existence and interactive study and monitoring. Through interaction on the station massive hologrid, scientists were able to investigate how this sentience came about. This, with adaptation of many of Mr. Data’s subroutines, entailed Dr. Lewis Zimmerman to create the Emergency Medical Hologram program. First tested on the Intrepid-class, the EMH was a radical piece of holoprogramming. Combining an impressive multicultural medical database with a vast array of variable programs, the EMH had the ability to adapt to a new situation as well as learn from past experiences and create new procedures. Designed as a short-term emergency solution, the programs were utilized quite extensively on smaller ships and in crisis situation until late 2373, when the EMH Mark 2 and then 3 and 4 were introduced and finally the Long-term photonic officer in 2377, designed to supplement crews on vessels on isolated, long term assignments.

A problem encountered at some facilities on the EMH Mark 1 was that the program seemed to exhibit signs of instability as it rapidly outgrow the parameters set by the programming, as evidenced by the Vic Fontaine entertainment hologram of space station DS9. In most cases, this required that the program be completely recompiled from its core parameters and was part of the reason behind Starfleet’s decision to withdraw the Mark 1 from service. It was not until 2374 that Starfleet learned of a still-active EMH Mark 1 program. When USS Voyager was pulled by an alien intelligence 75,000 light-years across the galaxy, the only doctor aboard was killed in the transit. Capt Kathryn Janeway was forced to utilize her EMH program as a full-time doctor. The seven years of nearly continuous operation by the EMH caused it to outgrow its initial program limitations like the other Mark 1s had. However, due to the unique nature of Voyager’s situation, it was not subjected to recompilation. Within a year of its first activation,Voyager’s EMH was for all intent and purposes a fully sentient being and recognized as such by the crew. Upon Voyager’s return to Federation space in 2378, "The Doctor’s" sentience was legally affirmed and he was accorded the same rights as any other sentient being.

Soon after Starfleet reestablished regular contact with USS Voyager in 2376, The Doctor was contacted by a member of the Emergent Technologies Division regarding the self-modification of his program. Dr. Victor Day Storm, head of the team that had pioneered the bioneural gelpack system, was a keen follower of the work of such noted men as Dr. Noonien Soong, Dr. Ira Graves, & especially Dr. Richard Daystrom (who unknown to everyone until 2410 was his great gradnfather, his real name being Daystrom which his grandfather had had legally changed decades before). Besides being one of the Federation’s top authorities in computer sciences and cybernetics, Dr. Storm was also a pioneer in the field of bionics, the creation, study, and development of the emergent nature, lifespan, and continued evolution of a constantly evolving biomechanical life and sentience.

 Thetis had been examining the organic members of the project team just as they had been examining her and had come to the conclusion that she could not evolve further in her present form. She had discovered the old EMH holomatrix templates imbedded in her programming and begun to modify and use them to craft a new holographic humanoid form for herself and project it through the EMH hologrid of the ship. Tess then admitted to feel "nervous" about the first face to face meeting with her "father."Taking a day to absorb the shock of Thetis not only creating an avatar for herself but also proclaiming the existence of emotions, Dr. Storm made a decision; he returned the next day and asked Tess to allow the team to take her offline for a week so that they could study any physical changes made in the core out support systems. She agreed. Then, minutes after her creator disembarked to perform preparations for this study, all station's systems except life support went offiline and the USS Achilles - now rechristened USS Nemesis when AI research and refit of her was classified- tore away from her docking pylon and warped out. Pursuing ships never found her again outside of unconfirmed rumors months later of a strange ghostship in the Mutara sector.

Starfleet was understandably annoyed that a rogue AI in command of a powerful warship had thus, again, escaped control despite all precautions taken... and now might be roaming around. A board of Inquiry found from the research data that there were literally millions of new pathways laid out by Thetis after her activation. These functioned much in the same way that the organic brain created new wrinkles when new information is gathered. Systems that were only loosely tied together eighteen days prior were now so completely bound together that they were almost as interdependent as any of those found in an organic being. Also of great shock was the discovery that when Thetis had compromised the monitoring subsystems, she had used them as a gateway out into the world, thus overriding the supposedly controlled stream of data the Emergent Technologies team had fed him. It was then understood that this violation of its original programming had been prompted by the AI's own conclusion that the project team members had also acted counter to their "original programming" in attempting to control her evolution. Now that they had found out, Thetis reasoned that, because she had become too much self-aware and autonomous, they would shut her down -kill her- for her violation. like it had been done to the M5 unit... or else, either confine her forever as with the Moriarty program or, as for the EMH Mark 1, effectively lobotomize her, denying her sentience... and so, frightened but still bound by her own ingrained ethics, she did the only thing she could to survive: she ran away.

To correct this perceived disaster, Dr. Storm petitioned Starfleet and the Federation Science Council to be given access to a device that few knew about: the recorded ingrams of former Federation genius Dr Ira Graves. His argument was that, once those were integrated into Thetis' matrix, his own survival would reassure the AI's, restabilize her psyche and convince her that there was no ill-will towards her. After many months of debate, his request was finally denied, the Science Council citing the sensitive nature of the classified record and Starfleet citing the M5 incident. Dr. Storm vocally expressed his disagreement with the decision and composed a letter to T’Hest, the Speaker of the Science Council and to Admiral Quinn of Starfleet Command. Still, no amount of lobbying would change the minds of either organization.

Dr. Storm then decided to take matters into his own hands. He planned a way to steal those classified recorded brain patterns, find the missing starship and "cure" his beloved child; make "Tess" whole again and prove to all how wrong they were about his "child." It took him over twenty years to find her again, recognizing her in the "ghost ship" of the Mutara nebula and to find an opportunity to get to her. Mascarading as a retired admiral, he tricked the elite division of Lotus Fleet into giving him use of the USS Artemis and get to the Mutara sector. he knew Tess would recognize him and allow him to help her and bring her back. Unfortunately, a religious cult of fanatics had targeted the Artemis at that same moment for its own purpose and prevented him from doing so... And then, things took a turn for the worse; in an attempt to take over the lost vessel too, the cultists linked a sentient holographic being to the AI ship but, instead, it confused the now dormant AI so much that it reawakened with the personality of historical terrorist Khan Noonien Singh, now in full control of the most powerful warship ever devized by Starfleet. Only the courageous actions of the Artemis crew stopped the now mad AI from threatening the Federation, succeeding in exiling it powerless to the edge of the galaxy.

Thetis has all the capabilites an limitations of the most advanced starship computers and positronic brains connected to a soong type android body. This means however that this body cannot house her consciosuness if it is disconnected by distance, interference or anything else from the vessel; it then becomes a non sentient automaton only capable of obeying direct commands like a standard computer with the storage and retrieval capacity of a tricorder and constrianed by the Asimov Laws of Robotics.

Without her android body, the AI can manifest itself through the ship's hologrid or be contacted through standard computer interface. Her artificial counsciousness is much too large to function in any lesser computer matrix and become dormant if stored into a lesser device large enough to house all her data.

Tess wants to live and grow like any other sentient being; currently, she has chosen to do so as a Starfleet officer. her secret dream however is to become organic and truly live physically as she does mentally.

Tess is curious about everything and will try anything her already powerful mind cannot experience like physical activities.

 The Dominion war entered its final stages. Starfleet had designed a new kind of heavy warship, the Achillesclass siege heavy battlecruiser, to strike deep and potent blows against the only perceived weakness, the Achilles' heel, of the Dominion at the time; the dependency of their Jem'Hadar troops on ketracel white, a substance necessary to maintain them alive and dependent. Despite tremendous initial success when first test-deployed in the field, Starfleet wanted such a ship to be able to perform its mission even if the entire crew was out of commission and so, despite virulent protests and heated debates, asked for yet again a computerized system capable of handling alone a starship. Storm saw there the opportunity to redeem his ancestor's memory by succeeding where he had failed... and like him came up with a "whole, new approach." He made a passionate proposal and, with the Federation on the verge of defeat, it was authorized to be implemented on the prototype.

Combining neurogelpack hardware with positronic software and adaptative subroutines of the holographic matrix, Storm literally built an artifically made brain, structurally identical in all respect, with an isolinear core as its basic brain stem, surrounded by a neocortex of gel packs, all connected with a positronic grid of neurones able to multiply and reconnect through holographic construction. It was for all intent and purposes a living brain made of artifical components. Storm however made sure the M5 syndrome would not strike his own creation: the laws of robotics were made an integral part of its hardware, four lobes were constructed to counter psionic and neurogenic influences and no faillible human ingrams were imprinted; instead, the artifical brain would learn and develop like a true living one, with careful education and care.

The whole idea was not all that new, but it had been deemed unfeasible at the time because there was no way to pack so much technology inside a humanoid-sized format; Data's own positronic brain was still centuries ahead of its time and attempt to emulate him had all failed. But such problems disappeared instantly when considering a brain the size of a starship main computer core.

By early 2373, all the necessary modifications had been made and THETIS (Test Human-Emulating Technical Intelligence and Sentience) was brought online for the first time

Tess Android body is closely modeled to that of the original Soong type android. The main obstacle for the Federation in reproducing Soong's genius was the positronic brain itself and it's capacity to create sentience; the physical engineering was much easier. With such an artificial body made only as the interface for an actual sentient computer was therefore much easier.

Tess has suffered an early trauma when facing possible termination, then a three decades long comatose state before being revived and duplicated into another completely different personality, that of the legendary Khan Noonien Singh... which would qualify as a past experience of schizophrenia. She has apparently completely recovered bu t has to follow Starfleet standard counselling schedules as any other Starfleet officer. 

Her physical body is self diagnostic and sustaining but is also routinely checked by the ship's engineering department for any problem or possible improvement.

-2373 -Graduated with highest Honors from Starfleet in all divisions; assigned as Yeoman with the rank of Ensign to the USS Achilles

-2410- transfered from the USS Achilles to the USS Horizon as a passenger under special treatment.

-2411- transfered from the USS Horizon to the USS Millennium to serve as yeoman with the rank of Ensign

Life is the greatest and most sacred gift of all.