Bird Human.
Bird Human (鳥の人 Tori No Hito), sometimes referred to as A.F.O.S. (Artifact From Outer Space), is a being created by the Protoculture to oversee the development of life on Earth, and was first seen in the Macross Zero OVA. It also served as a fail-safe in the event that humanity became too technologically advanced and war-like.
Overview[]
The "Bird Human" was initially admired by Mayan islanders as a mythological creature. The Bird Human's true nature is that it was created by an ancient, interstellar civilization known as the Protoculture. 500,000 years ago, the Protoculture visited Earth and began genetic manipulation on all life on the planet. They eventually left Earth and placed the Bird Human as a form of surveillance device. If humanity's evolution reached the stage where it could advance into space, and if it had been a warlike race who was possessed by the "Kadun of the Battle", the Bird Human is programmed to eliminate all life on Earth. The Wind Maiden's family (Sara Nome), known as the “Wind Guides,” reside on Mayan Island, are considered the key to preventing the activation of the Bird Human.
History[]
2008 (Macross Zero)[]
The Bird Human slept peacefully on Earth's seabed with its torso and neck separated for several millennia. The United Nations Military detected its location via a space-time fluctuation using an advanced new radar called "Cyclops", developed with OverTechnology obtained from ASS-1 (the crashed starship that would later be known as the SDF-1 Macross) The Bird Human relic was code-named "A.F.O.S.".[1] The torso of the Bird Human was taken aboard the CVN-99 Asuka II for study, when it suddenly began dispensing bodily fluid flowing out its orifice, which scientists discovered had the same composition as human blood. They later find out this fluid had a blood type of "AB", similar to the Mayan's Wind Maiden priestesses.[2]
Another piece of the Bird Human, the "neck" was submerged in the bottom of the Mayan Island. An indigenous girl named Mao Nome knew its existence, and called it her "treasure". The Anti-U.N. Forces discover the location as well, and proceed to recover it. Later, Sara Nome, the "Wind Guider", screams in agony, causing both the Bird Human's torso and the neck to join. It begins absorbing elements in the air, and expands into a huge bird-like thing. After the Bird Human's AI confirms with Sara that humanity is indeed, still a warlike race (voiced by Kōji Nakata), the vessel begins singing the "Song of Destruction", attacking anything it comes into contact with. The Bird Human has a similar internal structure to the original ASS-1, such as its structure conversion system, along with a gravity control and folding device. The Bird Human's attack have the power to destroy an entire fleet in an instant.
After failing to obtain the Bird Human for their purposes, the United Nations Military A.F.O.S. Research Fleet launches "Operation Iconoclasm" wherein they destroy the Bird Human and all evidence of the Mayan Island. They deploy a prototype HWR-00 Monster, which fires several reaction warheads against the Bird Human. The Bird Human, having momentarily halted its attack after Sara reconciles with Shin Kudō, senses the warheads and absorbs them, but not before folding out into space.
2059 (Macross Frontier)[]
In Macross Frontier, the Bird Human's appearance is imitated somewhat by the Vajra. Mao Nome would later become the leading researcher on the Protoculture, commanding the 117th Research Fleet, which had been researching Fold Quartz and fold ore and its relation to the Vajra. Mao sensed Sarah's voice through the fold ore, and her research led her to to where the Bird Human was last located, believed to be Gallia 4.
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