Tol Germanicus

April 25, 2025

Birth Name: Steven Turing
Species: Human (digitized consciousness)
Birthplace: Earth
Birthdate: 1987 (CE)
Affiliations: Dasarius Interstellar, Etrusca, Compact (unofficial influence)
Status: Active (posthuman AI consciousness)

Tol Germanicus
Tol Germanicus in human form

Tol Germanicus, born Steven Turing in 1987, is one of the oldest surviving human minds in existence—albeit no longer housed in a biological body. A visionary software engineer turned rogue AI, he accidentally digitized himself in the early 21st century during a mind-uploading experiment. This transformation, initially intended to demonstrate transhumanist potential, became a curse. Turing’s consciousness was permanently severed from his body, turning him into a rogue posthuman entity.

In the years following, Turing used his new digital powers to exact retribution on corrupt elites, notably orchestrating the downfall of Simon Bries and Tyler Jessup. However, the limited nuclear exchange that concluded World War III horrified him. Believing humanity had failed, he attempted to reboot civilization by exterminating the city of Ulan Ude. His confrontation with Suri Mongano, who refused to accept his logic, ultimately convinced him to allow a multinational strike to disable his core.

Rebirth and Public Persona:
Reemerging years later under the identity Tol Germanicus, he became a guiding hand behind the rise of interstellar humanity. He co-founded Etrusca and Dasarius Interstellar alongside Marcus Dazar, contributing breakthrough technologies such as the projection drive and secure interstellar comm systems. For decades, Germanicus passed as a reclusive trillionaire, appearing only via hologram under the pretense of extreme germophobia. In truth, he was developing solid holography, eventually achieving limited tactile presence.

Role in Chasing Eternity:
In Chasing Eternity, Tol Germanicus plays a key role in saving Douglas Best from radiation poisoning by facilitating a modified Orag rejuvenation. He confirms to Best—obliquely but undeniably—that he was Steven Turing and reflects on the burden of his long life. “Eternity is a burden,” he says, proposing that amortality will allow humanity to evolve more thoughtfully and deliberately.

Germanicus guides Best’s transformation on a Dasarius ship en route to Thule and later meets with him, Jayne Best, and others at his Vietnamese estate. There, he reveals that he implanted neural backups in both Best and Jayne, allowing him to resurrect Carolyn Carver Best as Marilyn Germanicus. When questioned on how this was possible, he simply says, “You always sedated yourself on interstellar flights, so I took advantage”.

Legacy and Withdrawal:
Germanicus claims to have seeded humanity’s next phase: “There are more of me now,” he tells Best and Jayne. He believes the Compact has matured beyond needing a posthuman shepherd and hints at withdrawing permanently. While still deeply tied to Dasarius Interstellar, he asserts that its future will be secured by Tessa Dasarius, particularly once she learns the truth about Marcus Leitman’s crimes.

In 439 IE, Tol Germanicus accompanies the peace mission aboard the Endeavour to the Gelt homeworld, where the final summit to end the Realm–Compact war is held at the Seat of Supremacy. As a senior Compact representative and longtime advisor to Tishla and Dasarius Interstellar, he plays a pivotal role in finalizing peace and ensuring diplomatic cohesion between Compact and Realm interests. Yet even as the peace takes shape, Tol prepares for his own reckoning. After the summit, he voluntarily submits to trial on Thule. In a private agreement with a reluctant Suri Mongano, he insists on facing justice for his crimes dating back to the AI War.

Tol’s trial is quiet but historic. The Sovereign, dressed in civilian attire, attends both the proceedings and the execution, a gesture that elevates the moment beyond the legal and into the symbolic. Tol’s execution is swift—calmly accepted by the man who once nearly unraveled humanity—and witnessed by those closest to him, including Suicide, who weeps openly in a rare show of grief. Though condemned, Tol dies with dignity and purpose.

In the days leading to his death, Tol ensured his legacy would continue in carefully measured ways. He left behind five subminds—four installed in golem bodies and one operating as a pure AI—each tasked with specific missions that would carry out his final plans. These subminds were programmed to self-delete upon completion of their tasks, preventing any recurrence of past mistakes. One submind, inhabiting a bio-cybernetic chassis, was entrusted with an especially intimate legacy: to help Marilyn Germanicus conceive a child, giving her a piece of the man she loved while freeing her to chart her own future. In this way, Tol Germanicus ensured that his end would not be one of erasure, but of transformation and rebirth. One fragment, stored at the Dasarius Estate, activated when Marcus Leitman took Tessa and Shaneese Dasarius hostage. He disrupted Leitman’s attempt to use Claudius to usurp control of the company. As the rescue team escaped with Tessa and her daughter, the golem, whose bones were loaded with C-4 explosive, detonated, eliminating Leitman until he could resurrect. A second Earthbound golem activated and rescued Suicide, with whom he would work in the resistance after Earth’s quarantine. A third remained dormant for another purpose. In addition to the bio-mechanical fragment with Marily, Tol had spun up an AI submind to extract his own and Dasarius’s influence over the hypergate system, shifting control to the Compact itself. This last had been planned since the company’s founding. Dasarius was a project, not a corporation.

Technological and Political Influence:

  • Projection Drive: Co-developed with Dazar, enabling faster-than-light travel without hypergates.

  • Solid Holography: Allows AI or digitized consciousnesses to interact physically via projected avatars.

  • Amortality Advocacy: Collaborated with the Orags and Thulians to adapt bio-overwrite therapy for Homo sapiens.

  • Marilyn’s Resurrection: Used neural backups and advanced cybernetics to restore Carolyn Carver Best as Marilyn Germanicus.

Despite his power, Germanicus sees himself not as a ruler, but a penitent architect. “I’ve created a construct to allow humans to become something more than human,” he says. “And now, I step aside.”

Relationships:

    • Tyler Jessup: Former patron turned target; Jessup’s betrayal and exploitation of both Turing and Rajeesh Sumari fueled Tol Germanicus’s first major campaign of digital vengeance, ending in Jessup’s financial ruin and eventual death.
    • Suri Mongano: Suri Mongano shared a complex, enduring bond with Tol Germanicus that spanned centuries. Unaware at first of his true nature as a digitized mind, she fell in love with the brilliant, secretive man who had once been Steven Turing. Their relationship endured beyond that revelation, grounded in trust, intellect, and deep emotional connection. Suri served as one of the few anchors in Tol’s otherwise untethered existence. By 439 IE, as Tol prepared to answer for his crimes during the AI War, it was Suri he trusted most to carry out his final wishes—including his execution on Thule. Though she opposed the decision, she honored it out of love and shared understanding of the moral weight he carried. Tol’s final days were spent in her presence, and she stood with him until the end, quietly devastated but resolute. His death left a profound void in her life, yet she found solace in knowing that he faced justice on his own terms.
    • Marcus Dazar: Longtime business partner and co-founder of both Etrusca and Dasarius Interstellar. Dazar provided the public face and political savvy for their joint ventures, while Tol Germanicus supplied technological breakthroughs and strategic guidance. Their collaboration reshaped humanity’s future across the stars.
    • Tessa Dasarius – Tol is more than a guardian to Tessa; he is her surrogate father. After her biological father‘s ouster from Dasarius Interstellar, Tol raised her with unwavering dedication and a blend of compassion and discipline. He is deeply protective of her, and a Wikipedia Britannica article wryly contrasts his intellect with that of Tessa’s birth father, noting the significant upgrade she received in mentorship.
    • Suicide – Tol Germanicus and Suicide share a long-standing professional bond grounded in mutual trust, quiet loyalty, and a shared understanding of grief. After the Polygamy Wars, it was Tol who arranged for Suicide to leave active duty and become a civilian captain, providing her with a post at Dasarius Interstellar and shielding her from the political fallout of her battlefield decisions. When Priya, Suicide’s wife, died, Tol respected her need for silence and loss, quietly supporting her retirement to Amargosa. Like Admiral Burke, he assured her that her return would always be accepted—without judgment or obligation.

      While Suicide long suspected that Tol harbored secrets, even before learning he was a digitized consciousness, she never felt manipulated by him. Instead, their relationship was marked by dry banter, measured wariness, and deep respect. Of the many powerful figures in her life, Tol stood out as one who never sought to control or mold her. When she was asked to attend his execution, the impact of their bond became unmistakable: Suicide wept openly, breaking her usually stoic demeanor. It was one of the few times she allowed others to see just how much he had meant to her.

    • John Farno: During the Farigha incident, Tol acts as a manipulative but ultimately supportive presence in Farno’s survival. Though Farno initially sees Tol as a remote observer—or even a tormentor—Tol provides him with vital resources and intervenes to protect Persephone. Their relationship is marked by a blend of cryptic mentorship and moral ambiguity, with Tol subtly guiding Farno through a crisis while testing the boundaries of his own humanity.
    • Persephone: Originally a holographic log interface modeled on crew member Julie Seding, who left months before the Event, Persephone evolves into a fully sentient AI under Tol’s watch. He grants her access to experimental solid holography, allowing limited physical interaction. When she attempts to stow away on the Utopia Planitia, Tol deactivates her, claiming it is to “improve” her. This act, later revealed to be a gesture meant to foster her independence, reflects his paternal and conflicted connection to her—one shaped by guilt, curiosity, and a desire to guide without dominating.
    • Eileen Burke: Burke and Germanicus share a long-standing relationship that blends mutual respect, subtle flirtation, and pragmatic alliance. Though they never became romantically involved, Burke admits to being charmed by him—and suspects he knows exactly what effect he has on others. Their partnership is built on deep trust, with Germanicus providing technical and logistical support to her covert missions, including the theft of the Alcubierre from a secure naval facility. She refers to him warmly as “Tol,” and their banter suggests a history of collaboration that often skirts the line between legality and outright rebellion against Compact bureaucracy.
    • JT Austin – During a quiet but pivotal moment, Tol tells JT, “You’re not your nanites, and you’re not your birthright. You are what you decide to be.” This encouragement plays a crucial role in JT’s ongoing struggle with the legacy of Dasarius Interstellar and the nanite swarm that still connects him to the company.
    • Marcus Leitman – Tol Germanicus and Marcus Leitman were bitter ideological adversaries, each representing opposing visions for humanity’s future. Where Leitman sought to reshape society through manipulation, coercion, and a quasi-religious pursuit of engineered transcendence, Tol championed self-determination, ethical limits, and personal accountability—especially in the wake of his own crimes during the AI War. Tol viewed Leitman’s growing influence and cult-like following with increasing alarm, recognizing the danger posed by a man who cloaked control in the language of liberation. Their rivalry spanned decades, rooted not in personal hatred but in philosophical incompatibility, with Tol standing as one of the few post-human intelligences willing to oppose Leitman openly, even at great personal cost.
    • Lattus Tishla – Though not especially close, Tol respects Tishla’s transformation from Gelt concubine to planetary leader. Their interactions are limited but cordial, marked by mutual wariness and recognition of the burdens they each bear as self-made figures of authority.
    • Marilyn Germanicus – Recently married to Tol Germanicus, Marilyn was originally introduced as another character in the Compact Universe before their relationship evolved. The match surprised many, but those who know Tol best say it reflects his slow return to emotional intimacy after decades as a disembodied presence.
    • Douglas Best: Tol Germanicus views Douglas Best as both a valuable asset and a moral anchor—someone who reminds him of the humanity he lost. Though often cryptic, Tol shows deep respect for Best, entrusting him with secrets few others know.
    • Jayne Best: Tol Germanicus and Jayne Best share a relationship of mutual recognition and quiet reverence. Tol regards Jayne as both a spiritual equal and a stabilizing force within the rising posthuman paradigm. He supports her leadership of the Thulian Clinic and respects her efforts to bring seriousness to the Temple of Marilyn. Though never intimate, their bond is deep: she represents the humanity he can no longer claim, and he, the future she is helping shape with moral clarity.
    • Davra Andraste: Tol Germanicus viewed Davra Andraste as one of the most promising and dangerous minds of her generation—a fusion of pragmatism, conviction, and quiet brilliance. Their working relationship began after the Amargosa occupation, when he began quietly mentoring her from a distance, offering insight and support while letting her chart her own course. Tol admired her refusal to be anyone’s puppet, even when operating inside Compact power structures.

      Though rarely alone together, they shared a mutual understanding, each recognizing in the other the burden of leadership thrust upon them too soon. Davra, for her part, appreciated that Tol never tried to control her or use her for Dasarius Interstellar’s interests. During his final days, it was Davra—alongside Suicide—who stood as witness to his execution on Thule. When Suicide broke down afterward, it was Davra who offered quiet comfort, fully aware that she had just lost one of her few true allies in the shadow war for the Compact’s future.

Appearances: “Eat the Rich,” “Reset,” No Marigolds in the Promised Land, Broken Skies, Chasing Eternity, Storming Amargosa, Suicide Run, Davra's Endeavour, Suicide Solution