Damocles

File:Genesis Level8 11.jpg

Damocles is the main computer of the TCTF HQ, seen in CHAPTER 06 . COUNTERATTACK and CHAPTER 13 . PHOENIX RISING. It might coordinate the electronic infrastructure of the whole building, but it seems to be primarily used to store and process information related to Konoko and her Daodan "symbiosis". For that purpose, it's interfaced with Konoko's "handler", the SLD Shinatama. There's a seat built into the base of Damocles, and cables in the back of Shinatama's head plug into sockets under the headrest of that seat.

Damocles features a Marathon logo on the chassis as an Easter egg.

Name origin

The name comes from a well-known anecdote of Sicilian history.

Sword of Damocles

Damocles was an excessively flattering courtier in the court of Dionysius I of Syracuse, a 4th Century BC tyrant of Syracuse, Italy. He exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging by a single piece of horsehair directly above his head. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful boys and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate.

Bungie developers, however, admitted they used the name just because it sounded cool.

Harry

Who did the first Oni trailer? The one yanked from the web rather often.

Alex [Okita]

I did the direction for it, Steve [Abeyta] and Chris [Hughes] did all the animation.

Harry

And the crate with the Marathon logos. A nice touch...You made Hamish [Sinclair] really paranoid with that one...

Alex

(grinning) That was our goal.

Harry

That's why that picture of Damocles has a small Marathon logo on it, huh?

Alex

Yeah (laughs) It kicks up some dust.

Harry

Any significance to the name?

Alex

It's kind of [a] cool name.

Harry

It's not gonna drop on your head or anything...

Alex

No, heh. Although it is kind of neat; it's a giant supercomputer which has all these cables going through the ceiling.