TITAN Units

Saulosian technology often deviates vastly from what other species deem normal, and prime examples of this are the TITAN Units. Used in lieu of the Artificial Intelligences of the UNSC or Covenant, the TITAN Units are in fact organically grown super-computers, giant brain-like organisms grown by the Saulosians and then cybernetically linked to their starships and command facilities.

Origins
Precisely when the TITAN Units originated is presently uncertain, but it appears to have been within the past three centuries, prior to which the Saulosians had absolutely nothing even remotely similar to Artificial Intelligences. Apparently, during the war with the powerful Bujkowe, the Saulosian's saw the need to grant their warships some sort of consolidated control source to cut down on the number of necessary crew, which would allow them to build and man more ships.

Putting their best minds to work on solving the issue, the Saulosians soon began fielding experimental prototypes of the TITAN Units, including the so-called “Master Unit” Chaos: genetically engineered creatures that were little more than massive brains cybernetically grafted to the ship's systems, the TITANS proved better than expected (though, admittedly, the units still had several flaws). Ever since, the TITANS have served the Saulosian Navy (and some command stations), continually being upgraded to improve their capabilities.

Capabilities
TITAN Units are directly integrated into the ship's major systems, so at a single thought they are capable of firing any or all of the ships' weapons, maneuvering the ship in any direction with full control over the engine outputs, jump to slipspace, monitor communications systems, use the RADAR, infrared and other scanning systems, and access all manner of other necessary ship functions.

It should be noted that the TITAN Units themselves contain all the forms of RADAR, LIDAR and other sensory equipment: in a seeming lack of thought on the part of the Saulosians, these systems are not directly installed into the ship during the assembly process for any TITAN-equipped ship, but are a completely separate package that is only installed once the TITAN is in place and fully functioning: because of this oversight, starships have, in the past, been forced to fight sometimes with minimal sensory functionality. It has been noted in newer ships, though, that the sensory systems are being integrated directly into the ships.

Description
Personality-wise, the TITAN Units can be quite different, just as varied as Human or Covenant AI's can be: however, physically, each and everyone is almost exactly the same. Massive brains covered in a thick (though transparent) membrane that protects against some physical trauma, the TITANS are kept in massive glass containers filled with water, kept healthy through nutrients that are fed into the water and absorbed directly through the membrane by the units. Large wires sprout from the TITANS undersides, with the vertex of the wires being the cerebellum at the back of the creatures: these wires go downward and exit through the bottom of the tube, going out to the rest of the ship and connecting with the various systems to grant the TITANS control of the ship. On the tops of the TITANS are large metal plates that connect into the creatures, granting them visuals of directly in front of them as well as allowing them to communicate with those that wish to speak with them.

Drawbacks
Despite their unique nature and large amount of skill, the TITAN Units still have drawbacks when compared to UNSC or even Covenant AI's. The most obvious drawback is the almost excessive size of the TITANS: like their namesakes, TITAN Units are massive, and this makes transportation a major and difficult issue, completely eliminating the possibility of using them as aids to commanders and super-soldiers or mobile hackers as the UNSC and Covenant are capable of doing.

Another major drawback of the TITANS is the near-total dependence the Saulosian starships have come to have upon them: while immune to destruction by enemy hackers or AI's, TITANS are able to be cut off from controlling part or all of the ship or even be poisoned and killed.

Known TITANS

 * Chaos
 * Ouranos
 * Gaia
 * Pontus
 * Kronos
 * Rhea
 * Leto
 * Oceanus
 * Prometheus
 * Theia
 * Hyperion
 * Atlas
 * Hekate
 * Helios