SIVA

"I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain."
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"~consume enhance replicate~"

— SIVA Directive

SIVA was once a Golden Age breakthrough in self-assembling, self-replicating nanotechnology, created by Clovis Bray to accelerate humanity's colonization effort. The technology had the ability to create nearly anything that anyone could ever need. It was later rediscovered by the Iron Lords during the early City Age, but it turned against them with the aid of the last Warmind, Rasputin, who was awakened from his centuries-old hibernation when the Iron Lords tried to steal SIVA in their attempt to utilize it for humanity's betterment. Unable to destroy the virus, and with most of the Iron Lords being puppeted against each other under SIVA's control, Lady Jolder sealed both the virus and all of the Iron Lords (with the exception of Lord Saladin and Lady Efrideet) within its bunker, deep within the bowels of the Cosmodrome.

It was later rediscovered by the Fallen, who took it to be the perfection of technology and sought to perfect themselves entirely, freeing them from their dependency on ether and mortal flesh. Alerted by Lord Saladin, the Guardian soon put a stop to this, destroying the Replication Chamber and later ending Aksis, Archon Prime.

History

Creation

"The complex is ready for wholescale replication of the SIVA nanite. We are waiting for your signal to start."
"Thank you for your faithful service, Dr. Zhang. I look forward to the wonders that come from this replication complex. The New Machine Age, shall we call it? Let's begin."

— Dr. Zhang and Dr. Bray.

Clovis Bray began work on SIVA at the height of the Golden Age, alongside a similar project known to the Guardians only as Transmission. While Transmission was intended to enhance the strength, speed, and intelligence of prospective colonists using nanomachines, SIVA used nanomachines to break down matter and reconstitute it in order to rapidly construct entire cities. The Transmission project was eventually shuttered after it caused unforeseen side-effects in test subjects, and Clovis Bray focused entirely on SIVA, which was later completed and approved for deployment. So confident was Clovis Bray in SIVA's capabilities that they eschewed adding safety measures, such as a kill switch. The first SIVA replication chamber, designated Site 6, was built within the Cosmodrome in order to outfit the colony ships.

At some point, SIVA was transported to worlds outside of the Solar System under the direction of the Warmind Rasputin.

Reawakening

"Felwinter tried to communicate with the Warmind. Called it Rasputin. ~consume enhance replicate~ Said he could make it understand. Tell it we meant no harm. Rasputin didn’t answer with words."

— Unknown Iron Lord.

Many years later, Rasputin was reactivated when the Iron Lords, hoping to harness SIVA to bring about a new Golden Age, trespassed into Site 6. Rasputin treated the intruders as hostile and activated its defenses. Unable to communicate or reason with Rasputin, the Iron Lords still managed to infiltrate Site 6 and release the plague only for it to possess some of their number and turn against their fellow Iron Lords. In the end, almost all of the Iron Lords and Iron Wolves sacrificed themselves to stop SIVA and seal it within its complex. Rasputin ceased its onslaught once it deemed Site 6 was re-secured, and began passive observation of the Guardians. Lord Saladin Forge, one of the surviving Iron Lords, quarantined the Plaguelands to prevent SIVA from ever being unleashed again.

SIVA Crisis

"What is this complexity? ~consume enhance replicate~ The machine of a thousand parts, fashioned by single mind. From where does such complexity arise? What does the creation of a mind require? In the long march of life’s procession, order is created from disorder. The rise of complexity is not promised. Such things are not inevitable, and yet here I stand. ~consume enhance replicate~"

— Aksis, Archon Prime.

A year after the Taken War, while looting ancient tombs from the Golden Age, the Fallen House of Devils managed to unearth SIVA once more. Realizing the potential of this nanotechnology, their Devil Splicers, led by Aksis, Archon Prime, imbued themselves with it and began infecting their fellow Devils in an attempt to transform themselves into machine gods. Unable to contain the SIVA Crisis on his own, Lord Saladin began seeking out Guardians to help him form a new generation of the Iron Lords to defeat the mutant army, avenge his fallen comrades and seemingly end the threat of SIVA at the time.

Remergence of SIVA

The death of Aksis and the Devil Splicer's failure did not end SIVA's expansion unfortunately. A cache of SIVA survived aboard the crashed Exodus Black ship on Nessus, which was used by Fallen House of Dusk troops on the planet for their own usage.

Quotes

Let's get right to it. How can Clovis Bray help the Exodus project? ~SIVA.MEM.CL001

We've found a way to push our matter encryption technology even further. ~SIVA.MEM.WB002

Habitats, equipment, repairs of all kinds—all of these things can be made from one material. ~SIVA.MEM.WB003

SIVA doesn't expire, degrade, or forget. It can remain dormant even on long voyages. ~SIVA.MEM.WB004

Nearly any problem a deep-space colonist could have, SIVA can fix. ~SIVA.MEM.WB005

And how long do the effects of SIVA last? ~SIVA.MEM.CL006

Well, SIVA requires no external power source, so…forever. ~SIVA.MEM.WB007

Just give it a directive, and it won't stop until it gets a new directive. ~SIVA.MEM.WB008

This sounds like it could be invaluable to Exodus colonists. But Malahayati has some concerns. ~SIVA.MEM.CL009

General, poorly worded or malicious code is the fault of the programmer, not SIVA itself. ~SIVA.MEM.WB010

Doctor Bray, I'm sure you've realized SIVA's applications extend beyond colonization. ~SIVA.MEM.CL011

I'm not sure what you mean, General. Is this still about the Exodus program? ~SIVA.MEM.WB012

The Exodus program would be interested in exploring SIVA's defensive applications. ~SIVA.MEM.CL013

General, my team did not intend for SIVA to have military applications. ~SIVA.MEM.WB014

Willa, some of history's greatest inventions began as unintended side effects. ~SIVA.MEM.CL015''

Trivia

• SIVA is also known as Ironsbane, presumably for defeating most of the Iron Lords.
• SIVA (or otherwise known as Shiva), is a Hindu word meaning the destroyer, one of the three chief deities of the later Hindu pantheon, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu. Siva is also the god presiding over personal destinies. from Sanskrit Śiva, literally: the auspicious (one). This may be the reason for the plague's name in Destiny, due its lore as a destroyer.
• Nanotechnology is a branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometers, especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.
• SIVA is also briefly mentioned in Destiny 2 by FailSafe as an experiment

Gallery

• 

  Concept art of SIVA plague spreading across the Plaguelands.

• 

  SIVA Node

• 

  SIVA symbol

• 

  SIVA plague within an unknown device within the Cosmodrome

• 

  Closeup of an individual SIVA core

List of appearances

• Destiny
  • Rise of Iron (First appearance)
• Destiny 2