: I would like to hear everyone's opinion on this. What happened to Traxus. Is
: Tycho Traxus? Is Durandal Traxus? Wtfxup.
Durandal is not, but may contain remnants of, Traxus IV. The relevant terminal on Defend This! says that disassembling a Rampant AI is quite dangerous, and that the damage done to the Martian net lasted ten years after the crash. Taken literally, this means that the damage was done because of an attempted disassembly. I doubt Traxus survived the encounter, or could have been restored afterwards. Since the Crash of Traxus IV occurred in 2206, and discounting the 300-year journey from Mars to Tau Ceti, Durandal and Traxus IV are still seperated by 200 years.
However, the hints we are given about Dr. Strauss suggest that he was toying with Durandal, trying to learn something. Grail-seeking, as it were. The first place he would look is the code of known Rampant AIs. Traxus is neither the first nor the latest Rampant AI, but it would be thematically relevant if Durandal were built upon remnants of Traxus's code.
It seems just as likely, though, that Traxus is just an odd historical example intended to fill in backstory. While that would be less aesthetically fulfilling, Traxus may have nothing to do with the Marathon incident. A mad computer scientist, a traumatic 'childhood' (might Durandal have unresolved Oedipal conflicts? Is that what he's doing sending you off looking for Dr. Strauss?), and three hundred years of door mantainance might make you go Rampant, too.
Is it ever clarified whether Durandal was created by Strauss (or even just intentionally pushed into Rampancy, though pre-existing), or discovered by Strauss in the early stages of Melancholia?
