ENP

An External Neural Processor, or ENP, is the evolutionary product of the Earthern Union's evolutionary direction for humanity. Together with a human being, they comprise one half of an Augmented Human.

Purpose
In the last 29th century humanity began to crave the processing power that could be afforded to them through pure machinery. However, the Earthern Union laws surrounding the development of artificial intelligence in human beings precluded the development of mechanical brains that would replace biological ones. In an effort to retain their biological heritage, humanity developed external brains, External Neural Processors, linked through implants in the brains of Augmented Humans.

ENPs provide Augmented Humans with massive amounts of processing power that could not be achieved with organic processing organs. As ENPs are self aware, they develop their own personalities and usually strike up a close bond with the humans they are paired with.

History
Early ENPs were similar in construction to the computers of the early 20th century; bulky, slow and required close proximity to function properly with peripherals. Later models were roughly half the size of a human head and gained the ability to levitate, providing the ability to follow the humans they were assigned to. Later, with the creation of the Neural Net they gained the ability to communicate with their charges regardless of their proximity, provided they are connected to the network.

Eventually ENPs became essential to the operation of a large number of human beings and were necessary in order for implants and mechanical augmentations to operate. As such, Augmented Humans are considered to have evolved to the point where they comprise of one baseline human and one ENP, in essence the two separate species becoming one.

Modifications
Augmented humans are able to modify certain modules of the ENPs they are paired with, for example changing elements of their personalities or increasing their processing power.

Multiple Instances
ENPs can often exist in multiple instances. Often an ENP will have its conscience duplicated and installed in another ENP module which is sent on a separate mission. Their consciences will then be merged upon their returns. AX-14 and AX-15 are in fact duplicated ENPs that were never re-merged.

Baseline Code
ENPs operate in the same way as Augmented Humans in that they are subject to the Foundation Statutes and operate on the Foundation Code.