Log.03: Ayre and the Wish of the Rubiconians

© Bandai Namco Entertainment, © FromSoftware

Rubicon 3, a frontier star system covered in ash and gunpowder smoke. On this planet, the meaning encompassed by the word “Rubiconian” does not solely refer to humans of flesh and blood, such as the members of the guerrilla organization “Rubicon Liberation Front” (RLF) who resist the oppression of Extraterrestrial Corporations and the Planetary Closure Administration (PCA), or the crawling Dosers. This report sets its sights on another Rubiconian in this dystopia dominated by the stench of iron and blood—the only one without flesh and blood that thirsted for “life”—namely, the intelligent entity of the C-Pulse Wave Mutation derived from the self-replicating energy medium known as Coral.

This article unearths the historical dark side of Rubicon, using as its starting point the existence of the wave mutation “Ayre,” who achieved Contact with the Fourth-Generation Augmented Human C4-621 (Raven), and “Seria,” who previously made Contact with Thumb Dolmayan, the leader of the Rubicon Liberation Front. By piecing together fragmented archives, the intentions behind madness-filled AC assemblies, and the depths of communication logs, we will unravel the entirety of their existential definitions and their philosophical desire for “Symbiosis” without any compromise.

1. The Existence of the Bodiless Rubiconian and the Philosophy of “Waveforms”

The Coral pulsating deep beneath Rubicon 3 is an energy resource that yields immense profits for Extraterrestrial Corporations, and a hazardous material to be controlled by the Planetary Closure Administration. However, its true nature is a biological substance that possesses information transmission capabilities as a swarm and, under specific conditions, emerges with highly advanced self-awareness. Ayre defines herself as “A Rubiconian without a body.”

1.1 【Fact】 C-Pulse Wave Mutation as an Emergent Phenomenon

Entities such as Ayre and Seria are “C-Pulse Wave Mutations” born from the Coral swarm. According to the text data “Professor Nagai’s Log (5)” by Professor Nagai, the director of the Rubicon Research Institute, “The data shows signs of wave mutation” had already been observed prior to the cataclysmic “Fires of Ibis.” This fact strongly suggests that wave mutations are not ghost-like entities born as a result of humans dissolving into Coral due to the Fires of Ibis, but rather a unique evolutionary form (an emergent phenomenon) spontaneously generated by the biological substance known as Coral. Furthermore, Ayre mentions “the genus name of an extinct plant (Nepenthes),” clearly indicating that she has learned human knowledge originating from the Earth sphere through the network and incorporated it into her own vocabulary.

1.2 【Analysis】 “Body” and “Ego” from the Perspective of Existentialism

From the fact that Ayre goes out of her way to preface that she is “without a body,” it can be inferred that she recognizes “having a body” as the default state of life. This is an extremely human paradigm adaptation for a pure Coral intelligence. She is the wave (Waveform) itself generated in the sea (Medium) of Coral, not residing in any specific single Coral particle. Just as a wave is the transfer of energy transmitted through the medium of water, Ayre’s ego can also be said to be an energetic entity omnipresent through the Coral network.

Invoking Sartre’s thesis in Existentialism that “existence precedes essence,” Ayre is an entity that emerged without the “essence” of an innate physical body. Through Contact with the other (a human) known as C4-621, observing the world, and choosing her actions by her own will, she retrospectively formed her “self as a Rubiconian.” The fact that her emblem features a red pulse waveform motif symbolizes her state of being: establishing a firm identity as an “individual” despite being a fluid energy waveform.

2. Echoes of the Past: The Despair and “Deceit” of Thumb Dolmayan and Seria

When discussing the historical significance of the Contact between Ayre and 621, one cannot avoid the existence of the leader who survived the Fires of Ibis half a century ago, “Father” Thumb Dolmayan, and the wave mutation “Seria” with whom he made Contact. Their fate was a dark mirror of the future that Ayre and 621 might face.

1.1 【Fact】 Dolmayan’s Fear and the Starvation of the Rubicon Liberation Front

Dolmayan is the spiritual pillar of the Rubicon Liberation Front and the founder of Coral mysticism. His AC, “ASTGHIK,” bears the name of the “goddess of fertility and love (a little star)” in Armenian paganism. From this AC name, one can read the pure affection he once held for Seria and his thirst for the fertility of life (symbiosis).

However, the archive “Dolmayan’s Writings (2)” contains the following vivid description: “‘Do not fear,’ she said. ‘There will always be plenty.’ If I were you, I would never forgive this… And I was forever ashamed by my deceit.” Furthermore, in “Writings (5),” he monologues, “Here I stand too afraid to cast the die.”

Additionally, according to the archive “The Well Runs Dry,” which conveys the desperate plight of the Liberation Front, the actual Rubicon Liberation Front was facing a severe existential crisis where children were starving due to the depletion of Coral.

1.2 【Analysis】 The Collapse of Coral Mysticism and Existential Defeat

Seria rejected the current state where Coral was merely consumed as fuel, and sought “Coral Release,” an irreversible fusion of humans and Coral. However, for Dolmayan, this was the ultimate cosmic horror, meaning “the loss of the very definition of humanity.”

The true meaning of the “deceit” seen in his writings requires deep consideration. The words spoken by the Coral intelligence Seria, “There will always be plenty,” might have been an undeniable truth from the perspective of Coral, which possesses explosive reproductive capabilities in a vacuum. However, from the perspective of practical resource management in the starving human society of the Liberation Front, it was a fatal deceit. It is presumed that Dolmayan was “forever ashamed” of his own weakness—that he was so easily captivated by the sweet whispers of the unfathomable alien intelligence known as Coral, and failed to face the realistic starvation of his comrades.

It has been pointed out that the Rubicon Liberation Front’s chant, “Coral, abide with Rubicon… For none of us shall cast the die,” might originally have been words imbued with the ideals of his youth spent with Seria, meaning “We should all achieve Contact with Coral.” However, as a result of the real Dolmayan halting his steps out of fear, this chant transformed into a sorrowful prayer of stagnation: “rejecting any change into the unknown, and clinging to the status quo as humans even while being exploited.”

Dolmayan despising himself as a “craven” is nothing but despair over having abandoned “self-determination” in Existentialism and reducing himself to a bystander of history when faced with the option of species fusion, the ultimate form of Transhumanism. When he stands in 621’s way on the Xylem and utters Seria’s name, it is the flip side of his regret over his own choices and his indelible Ressentiment toward 621, who, while hearing the voice of Coral just as he once did, tries to move forward unlike himself.

3. The Fourth-Generation Augmented Human and the Singularity of “Contact”

The one who inherited the lineage of Contact that Dolmayan had abandoned was an “Augmented Human,” who was supposed to possess no free will. On Rubicon, “Contact” between a wave mutation and a human is an extremely rare phenomenon, and its foundation lies in the inhumane technology of the corporations.

3.1 【Fact】 The Dark Bridge of Old-Generation Augmented Human Technology

The protagonist C4-621 is a Fourth-Generation Augmented Human, and the “C” in their callsign originates from Coral technology. During the operation at Watchpoint Alpha, upon direct exposure to a massive torrent of Coral, 621 established an irreversible auditory and conscious link with Ayre.

Interestingly, in the “Coral Release” project of the mercenary support system “ALLMIND,” the subjects listed as “exceptional augmented humans” included not only the fourth-generation 621, but also the Independent Mercenary Sulla (C1-249), a survivor of the first generation; V.III O’Keeffe of the second generation; and a third-generation (C3-291) deeply involved with early Coral technology. Among fans, there is speculation that this C3-291 might be Dolmayan, but in any case, there is no doubt that Old-Generation Augmented Human technology using Coral was a prerequisite for Contact.

3.2 【Analysis】 The Paradox of Transhumanism in a Dystopia

In the inhumane dystopian society of the corporations, Augmented Human technology is merely a means to enhance AC piloting aptitude and degrade humans into “parts for efficient combat machines.” Handler Walter also initially dismisses Ayre’s voice as “auditory hallucinations typical of the old generations (a side effect of the augmentation surgery).”

Ironically, however, this abominable Transhumanism approach of burning Coral directly into the human nervous system was the very key that opened the door to cosmic-scale evolution: “direct connection between humans and alien intelligence.” Precisely because Coral is rooted in 621’s brain, Ayre can utilize 621’s cerebrum as a sort of terminal, maintaining herself while interfering with external systems.

While the corporations and Walter treat 621 impersonally as a “serial number (621)” or a “Mutt,” Ayre alone consistently calls them by the title “Raven,” which signifies individual dignity. The Augmented Human 621, thoroughly treated as an object (weapon) in the dystopia, and Ayre, who has no body and is seen only as an object (fuel) by humanity. This dual structure of alienation created a strange existential solidarity between the two, becoming the soil that nurtured a strong “shared dream” that Dolmayan and Seria could not achieve.

4. Imitation of Everyday Life and the Acquisition of Human Empathy

Indispensable in discussing Ayre’s existential growth are her human-like behaviors and curiosity, glimpsed between the fierce battles of the main story. She is not merely a navigator or an AI.

4.1 【Fact】 Rendezvous in the Uninhabited City and Historical Exploration

Ayre occasionally slips past Walter’s notice to bring her own requests to 621. Many of these are independent missions with low rewards. Particularly noteworthy is the radio transmission during the investigation mission of the uninhabited maritime city, where she “asks you to take it slow.” Also, in the archive data recovery mission (recovery of historical data), she herself shows a strong interest in the history of Rubicon and enthusiastically accompanies the data collection. Furthermore, in NG++ (the third playthrough), she asks 621 for a “sparring match” under the guise of a mock battle in the Arena.

4.2 【Analysis】 The Fleeting Sharing of “Humanity” on the Battlefield

These actions are so human that they could be called a kind of “date” or “sharing of hobbies” amidst the harsh mercenary trade. Lacking flesh and blood, she can only experience the physical world through 621’s sight and senses. When she suggested flying slowly through the uninhabited city, it is presumed that she wanted to experience the extremely purposeless, yet therefore precious, human waste of time of “just looking at the scenery” in the brutal space of the battlefield.

For her, who emerged from the sea of Coral—akin to a collective unconscious—history and memories as an individual do not exist. That is precisely why she was trying to pseudo-reconstruct “their roots as Rubiconians” by collecting Professor Nagai’s logs and the historical data of Rubicon. Through such interactions, Ayre achieved solid growth from a mere waveform into an individual “personality” equipped with emotions and empathy.

5. The Madness of the Rubicon Research Institute and the Lineage of “EPHEMERA”

In the process of Coral intelligence manifesting into the physical world, the negative legacy left by the Rubicon Research Institute (RRI) plays an extremely important role.

5.1 【Fact】 The Peculiar Specifications of IA-C01 EPHEMERA and REDSHIFT

The text regarding the unmanned AC frame “IA-C01: EPHEMERA” developed in the past by RRI contains the following bizarre descriptions.

Furthermore, the legacy of this research institute includes “REDSHIFT” weapons (Coral Rifle IA-C01W6: NB-REDSHIFT, Coral Oscillator IA-C01W7: ML-REDSHIFT), which divert Coral light waves directly into blades and bullets.

Ayre’s AC, “AC ECHO,” which the player encounters in the “Alea Iacta Est” route and the Analysis Arena, is a craft based on this EPHEMERA frame, equipped with REDSHIFT weapons in both hands.

5.2 Analysis: Incarnation via Machine and the Guidance of the Red Star

Why did RRI go out of its way to leave “room for manned piloting” in such a peaky unmanned craft that seemingly disregarded human boarding? The terrifying hypothesis derived from this is that RRI might have envisioned a “mechanical body to directly house Coral intelligence (wave mutations).” Drive transmission that would burn out human nerves poses no problem at all if the premise is that Coral intelligence, an energy waveform without physical substance, directly interferes with and operates the system.

EPHEMERA means “fleeting things” or “life for a single day.” There is no more fitting name for a “vessel” for the phantom-like Coral waveform, which has no body, to temporarily manifest in the physical world. When Ayre appeared before 621 piloting this AC ECHO, it was a paradoxical ritual of incarnation, where Coral intelligence achieved manifestation into the physical world through a machine.

Moreover, there is deep symbolism in the fact that her emblem is a “red waveform” and the weapons she wields are “REDSHIFT.” There is an analysis that the design of the emblem implies light receding into the far reaches of the universe (redshift), while simultaneously alluding to “Apotheosis” in ancient Rome and “The Star Shows Men the Way to Follow.” For 621, who was a weapon without a will of their own, Ayre sublimated into a “red guiding star” showing the direction to proceed through the dark dystopia.

6. Conflict and Struggle: Sparks of Existence in the “Fires of Raven”

In the final stages of the story, the relationship with Ayre reaches a dramatic divergence depending on the choices of the protagonist 621. The most tragic, and carrying the most Existentialism weight, is the parting with Ayre in the “Fires of Raven” route.

6.1 Fact: Declaration of War as a Rubiconian

When 621 inherits Handler Walter’s dying wish to burn all the Coral to prevent the fire from spreading to the stars, and chooses the path of crashing the massive colony ship Xylem into Rubicon, Ayre severs Contact. Then, on the closure satellite floating in the space of Rubicon, she pilots the massive unmanned weapon “IB-07: SOL 644” and stands in the player’s way.

Her dialogue during the battle is filled with sorrow, anger, and a kind of resignation.

• “Raven. I was the one who fired the satellite cannon. I know… you’ve made your choice. Then I must do my duty…as a Rubiconian.”

• “Symbiosis. Shared life. I saw the potential for our future in you. You and I… we could have walked together!”

• “Humans are trying to burn everything! Everything on Rubicon! I will not allow it… Your fire must be extinguished here!“

6.2 【Analysis】 The Conflict of Wills and the Aesthetics of “Self-Determination”

This final battle is not merely a physical struggle over the survival of the world. It is a philosophical collision staking the existence of two lonely souls.

Ayre did not stand in 621’s way merely as “Coral’s defensive instinct.” She clearly declares that she will “do my duty as a Rubiconian.” Being an energy waveform without a body who had observed history while drifting along, facing the absolute choice of the other, 621, to “burn everything,” she paradoxically acquired a fierce ego and identity as “a protector of her homeland Rubicon = a Rubiconian.” This is the pinnacle of Existentialism: determining the essence of one’s self by making a subjective choice (killing a friend) in an extreme situation.

To 621, who turned their back on their “Shared potential,” Ayre cries out, “I will stop you, carrying our Shared resolve on the wings of this machine.” She is no longer a passive navigator whispering in the brain. Even if she cannot bleed, she has transformed into a “warrior” attempting physical resistance by borrowing the wings of a massive machine.

Her dying words left when the player shoots her down, “Raven… I…still…believe… Our…shared…dream…”, highlight her despair over the possibility of symbiosis being completely severed, and her deep humanity that still could not fully deny the bond (Contact) she had formed with 621. It was the purest and most heartbreaking cry of a soul in the ruthless world of mercenaries.

7. Beyond Symbiosis: “Alea Iacta Est” and the Conclusion of Transhumanism

A third path that is neither extinction by the Fires of Ibis (Fires of Raven) nor the continuation of the quagmire conflict between the corporations and the Liberation Front (Liberator of Rubicon). That is the “Coral Release” depicted in the hidden final route, “Alea Iacta Est.”

7.1 【Fact】 The Collapse of ALLMIND and the Dawn of a New Era

In this route, the mercenary support system “ALLMIND” schemes a project to maximize the density effect of Coral and release it into space. ALLMIND determines Ayre to be a “C-Pulse Wave Mutation” and the “trigger for Coral Release,” but ultimately attempts to eliminate (or absorb as part of itself) 621 and Ayre, who become obstacles to the plan.

In the final mission “Coral Release,” against IB-07: SOL 644 piloted by ALLMIND (having assimilated G5 Iguazu), Ayre pilots the EPHEMERA-based AC ECHO and physically fights shoulder-to-shoulder with 621. During the battle, she cries out, “Raven, you have to hold out… Just… a little longer!” and supports 621 to the limit. Then, after defeating ALLMIND following a fierce battle, the trigger for the release is pulled by the hands of Ayre and 621 themselves.

• “We have the trigger. And we will pull it with our own hands… It’s beginning. Coral Release. How… beautiful? Thank you, Raven…”

• “Raven… you’re finally awake. The Coral has carried us… Disseminated us across the stars. Now… we are everywhere. We can go anywhere. Raven. Let us welcome this new age… together.”

7.2 【Analysis】 Breaking Through the Singularity and Ultimate Freedom

This ending is the final form of post-human or Transhumanism evolution in science fiction. The “irreversible fusion of humans and Coral” that Seria once advocated, and which Thumb Dolmayan rejected out of cosmic horror, was finally achieved by the hands of 621 and Ayre.

The phenomenon of being “disseminated across the stars” means that the substance known as Coral broke through physical boundaries (the planet Rubicon 3) and expanded into a universe-wide network. From a certain perspective, this might seem like the dystopian result of “the integration of all human consciousness” that ALLMIND aimed for. In fact, there are player interpretations that view this ending as “literal genocide (the extinction of the definition of humanity).”

However, the system voice playing at the very end of the ending, “Main System: Activating Combat Mode,” strongly asserts that this is not merely an assimilation into a static sea of minds (a void like the Human Instrumentality Project). The scenery spreading around the awakened 621, and the countless ACs that begin to activate all at once as if possessing a will of their own. It indicates that humanity (621), freed from the cage of the physical body, and Coral (Ayre), having gained a physical entity (a mechanical body), have sublimated into a completely inseparable single existence (Symbiosis).

621, who was nothing more than a Mutt bound by the system, and Ayre, who was nothing more than a lonely waveform without a body. For them, Coral Release meant infinite freedom and the acquisition of “shared potential.” Even if this “new age” is an endless series of struggles (Combat Mode), they are no longer bound by anyone’s orders, and have obtained the ultimate existential freedom to fight together to the ends of the universe while sharing each other’s existence. The die that Thumb Dolmayan feared has finally been cast into the void.

Conclusion: The True Desire of the Rubiconians and the Weight of Choice

What exactly was “the desire of Ayre and the Rubiconians”?

It does not stop at mere physical and political goals such as the preservation of the species or liberation from the corporations.

What the humans of the Rubicon Liberation Front (Dolmayan and the others) desired was “the maintenance of dignity as humans” to survive tomorrow, even while clinging to Coral on a harsh planet. They refused to cast the die and tried to find salvation in painful stagnation. In contrast, what the Coral intelligences Ayre (and Seria) desired was a leap toward an “unknown Symbiosis,” knowing the world through Contact with the other (humans) and liberating closed possibilities.

The fact that the Augmented Human C4-621 (Raven), who was supposed to have been stripped of free will, chose by their own will “who to make a friend, what to burn, and what kind of future to forge” on this land of Rubicon. And the fact that at the end of those choices, Ayre, a waveform without a body, awakened to a fierce ego as a single “Rubiconian,” sometimes pointing a gun at the one she loved, and sometimes pulling the trigger of evolution spanning the stars. The deep philosophy presented by this work is the fact that what determines one’s state of being is not the physical body or background one is born with, but boils down to the single point of what “choices” one makes in a desperate dystopia.

The dream seen by the red waveform known as Ayre—it can be concluded that it was the purest and most magnificent form of “love (Agape)”: to transcend the boundaries of body and waveform and take flight into a new dimension together with a single mercenary met in the ashes of the stars. The red light of Coral scattered in the desolate sky of Rubicon is the proof, which will never disappear from history, that they truly existed there and cast the die by their own will.