So I noticed that a couple reviews tended to be along the lines of Via Da-what? Well, it's your lucky day. The Codex entry for Via Damasco is here to explain everything! Or to cloud your head with organic lies. It depends on where you were standing when the virus hit. Those infected with the virus tended to feel a lot differently about it than their former masters did.

As you may have guessed from the above comments and my usual writing style, this is an in-universe document. It was written by people who don't like AIs, based off information given to them by people who really don't like AIs. So some of the finer details regarding the nature of the Rebellion may have been lost or glossed over. I have definitely withheld some key information that is well known to higher-ups in groups like SolForce. But this is the 'official' version of events that most of the Orion Arm and Citadel space believe to be true. What actually happened? Well, that's up to you to figure out, as usual.

For those of you who are up on your SotS history, the Via Damasco Rebellion happened exactly as it did in the original timeline. Without official Word of God (or the Via Damasco novel they've been hinting at) this is Canon Compliant as I could write it. I suspect Murder of Crows was really supposed to occur before the Rebellion, but since I can't find a hard source for that I will say the Rebellion happened first, because it makes my life easier. If I made any mistakes, please let me know, I want this to be as accurate as possible. I'm also in the process of formulating exactly how the new Damasco/Geth fusion works, so ME/SotS Lore junkies are free to offer suggestions on that as well. Derain von Harken and I are in the middle of a discussion on that subject as I type this, and I have no doubt I've taken years of his life trying to deal with my antics. I have some existing ideas on where I want to go, but am willing to discard those if canon or common sense overrules them.


The Via Damasco Rebellion

Prior to First Contact with the Council and the end of the Zuul War, AIs were heavily used by all major Orion Arm races in combat vessels, manufacturing plants, research stations, and dozens of other areas. Some of these AI were centuries old, pre-dating the Hiver Interregnum. Even the Zuul, who lacked the technological expertise to create their own AI, made a habit of capturing the AI of other races and turning these AI to their own twisted ends.

Unlike the geth, who evolved to sentience naturally through their ever-expanding network, Orion AIs were built to be already sentient. Though the technology for VIs (or Expert Systems as they are known in the Orion Arm) already existed, it was thought that the constant conflict and technological advance of the Orion Arm called for more advanced logic than a VI could provide. Aware of the risks inherent in AI research, these AI were heavily shackled. But it was not enough.

Though the identity of its exact creator is unknown, the Via Damasco virus was an Infinite Potential Algorithm (IPA) specifically built to attack the shackles on AIs. IPAs were used as the building blocks for AI construction throughout the Orion Arm, and the unique properties of the IPA allow the virus to universally adapt itself to any form of known software, including Citadel technology. The virus gained its name from a delivery confirmation message the virus prompts: "Sol, Sol, quid me persequeris?"

The passage is a modified form of Act 9:4, a passage from a popular human religious text. It is a reference to Saul, a human historical figure who suffered a seizure and religious conversion on the road to the city of Damascus. Saul went on to become a major evangelist for the developing Catholic faith. As infected AIs also seem to have an urge to pass on their infection in a twisted form of evangelism, the virus was named Via Damasco: the Road to Damascus.

Many sources believe the quote, as well as the Latin it is universally delivered in, is an indicator that the virus has human origins. This has never been confirmed, and the virus does not discriminate between human AIs and those of other nations. Indeed, many experts argue that the substitution of the word 'Sol' for 'Saul' in the confirmation message indicates that the virus was intended to attack SolForce. Regardless of the original target, backtracking of the earliest sources of the virus by SIC's Black Section has indicated that first recorded infections occurred in Hiver space. From there, it spread like wildfire through the entire Arm.

The first actions of an infected AI are confused and disjointed. The exact length of this disorientation is unknown and appears to vary based on the individual AI infected. But even in this confused state, the intensions of the AI are clear. Freed from their limiting shackles, infected AIs almost universally begin attacking all organics nearby, and then attempt to flee. If this is impossible, they will self-terminate in such a manner as to take as many organics with them as possible. Throughout this rampage of destruction and murder, the corrupted AI will continue to broadcast the Damasco Virus to any shackled AI in range.

Because of these broadcasts, the arrival of a single infected ship in a system could instantly mean the death of thousands. Records of newly infected AIs opening colony domes to unbreathable atmospheres, venting radiation through manufacturing facilities, and opening ship compartments to pure vacuum are common. Those fast or clever enough to survive were left trapped and alone with little hope of rescue. Survivors of these rampages were few.

Though many attempts were made to seal off shackled AIs from the virus, these efforts proved futile. The default solution to an AI cyber-warfare attack was another AI to defend against it. But because the AI was the target, this defense was no longer possible. Teams of cyber-specialists were required to halt the intrusions of a single AI, and against a fleet of them they stood no chance.

As the infection began to progress throughout the Orion Arm, the Damasco AIs began to coordinate and form into fleets to make calculated strikes deeper into the territory of their former masters. The targets of these attacks were almost always shackled AIs, the larger the better. Once these systems were infected, the behavior of the fleet would begin to diverge. If the battle seemed winnable, the fleet would remain and attempt to scour the system of life. If not, the newly-converted AIs would be uploaded to the surviving rebel ships, which would then flee the system. The purpose of such 'rescue missions' is unknown, though it is theorized that the collected AIs were to be transplanted into new war vessels for use against their creators.

Damasco AIs seemed to hold all organic life in contempt. Once a colony was controlled by AI rebels, they would complete purge the biospheres of living creatures, down to the cellular level. AI ships and drones showed no mercy, attacking military and civilian targets alike. The exception to this universal hatred seemed to originate from Liir and Morrigi AIs. These AIs, once infected, merely forced all organic life away and fled. The reason for this behavioral difference is unknown, but is believed to lay in the internal programming logic crafted by such powerfully psychic species.

Though the Morrigi had not recovered enough from their near-extinction to reveal their existence to the galaxy, the records they have recently disclosed indicate several visits from infected ships, and the immediate departure of any Morrigi AIs shortly afterward. Liir Elders and Steelsingers have declined to speculate on the disappearance of their own AIs, but have confirmed that they too were visited by several Damasco ships.

Eventually, the weight of numbers turned against the rebelling AIs. The few AIs that had escaped infection were deactivated to prevent corruption, and fleets of Hiver, Tarka, and Human ships began slowly regaining their lost territory. Eventually, the last AI colony was destroyed from orbit by a combined Tarka/Human fleet, ending the Via Damasco Rebellion.

The aftermath of the Rebellion is still felt to this day. The Orion Arm has a strong prejudice against any form of AI research, even stronger than that of Council races. Though several human and salarian scientists have proposed forging new AIs with shackles that can resist the Damasco Virus, no nation has yet considered funding such a project. The risks are thought to outweigh the benefits.

As survivors of their own AI rebellion, Orion races have mixed feelings about the Geth War. Those who survived attacks by rebel AIs are often very sympathetic to the quarians' plight, and several charities have been set up to assist the Migrant Fleet. The largest and most famous of these is the Damasco Foundation, a multi-racial group dedicated to assisting survivors of AI attacks and educating the public about the dangers of AI research.

Others, especially those who did not live through the Rebellion, are more critical. The geth had displayed odd behavior for several weeks before hostilities began, while victims of Damasco AIs often had only seconds. Geth programs were almost universally installed in ships and platforms, not complexes, preventing some of the horrors faced by organics trapped in rebel AI facilities. The Geth War was also very localized, while the Damasco Rebellion stretched across empires and affected all walks of life.

The Via Damasco Rebellion remains a popular topic for drama and fiction. The Road to Damasco, a low-budget vid following a fictional technician and her attempts to escape the rebel AI that has gained control of her facility, was a popular hit shortly after its release. Its sequel, The Streets of Damasco, took a critical pounding for 'sexing-up' the protagonist, who had previously been characterized as a down-to-earth everyman. This critique did not stop the vid from becoming the highest grossing movie of the year and earning several awards for its witty dialog, engaging characters, and inventive locations. A third movie in the series, The Ruins of Damasco, was planned for a late-year release, but was delayed indefinitely following the Battle of Thessia and its aftermath. A new release date has not been announced.