Project Steinadler

Projekt Steinadler (Project Golden Eagle) was the codename for a top-secret research project originally pursued by the Kaiserliche Heer, with the project eventually coming under the supervision of the Imperial Bureau of Human Progress in 2026. This research was conducted throughout the 21st Century, supported personally by Kaiser Siegfried I and the "Große 13," and culminated in the creation of the first "human supercomputer" (a supercomputer which used live human "drones" as processors and components) in the history of Sunalaya in 2050. This project would continue, creating another 3 "computers" over the span of 2053-2095. The project would be put on hold after First Contact, with the operational computers instead being used as strategic weapons against the invading alien forces. Following humanity's victory in 21--, the project was restarted and used to create the first Englean starships. In fact, the first ship - the SMS Phönix - was equipped with a Steinadler in order to efficiently run the vessel. As of the declassification of the project in 2650, the project had developed into a tool in order to control non-human populations on liberated territories in the galaxy through the usage of nanomachines.

Background

In the late 2010s, the Kaiserliche Heer sought to find a more efficient way to keep track of soldiers on the battlefield and also keep them connected to one another. This interest went without response for years until a young medical officer by the name of Helmuth Keitner approached Reichsmarschall Friedrich von Caridan with the idea of a special form of supercomputer. This computer would integrate with the human body, allowing nearly infinite amounts of data to be processed and stored. His proposal was approved by the Oberste Heeresleitung on March 30, 2019 and Projekt Steinadler became a reality. For the first five years, the project studied technologies that would integrate the human brain as a form of computer processor within the computer. As these brains were not alive, it was found that this form of integration did not work. The researchers determined that the only logical step was to use live specimens, however this had been seen as too extreme by both the OHL and many of the scientists attached to the project. This left the project to stagnate, until an Abwehr agent assigned with the facility came across Keitner's laboratory in 2026. The agent described himself as "fascinated," and after two weeks Keitner was transferred from the Kaiserliche Heer to the Kaiserliche Büro für Menschforschritt (also known as the Menschbüro) with orders to continue his research with full backing from Kaiser Siegfried I.

Initial Stages

Research on Projekt Steinadler primarily occurred on top-secret facilities within the Englean Kaiserreich. The first stages of the revitalised project saw the goal of creating a computer that would integrate with a host's brain through an artificial spinal cord. This would require the host's natural spinal cord to be removed and replaced with a heavily augmented synthetic spinal cord, which would be reattached to the host's brain. However, the primary problem that Keitner and his research faced was the lack of "specimens" for research. It was ultimately decided that sets of prisoners, primarily those deemed "forgettable," would be transferred to the Steinadler sites.

The First Human Supercomputer

Steinadler 1 Operational in 2050