#nahdpencil

CM4-37AETO “ETO”

CM4s (“Combat Model 4s”) were designed in response to the problems with previous CM3s and CM3*s. They have the most advanced self-learning upgrades of all non-specialized combat models.

CM4s are often deployed as high-ranking “leaders” in squads of lower-ranking models, though they are also known to be deployed on their own for reconnaissance or termination duties.

ETO was originally deployed for a clandestine operation behind enemy lines. Though the operation was initially deemed successful, ETO returned with concerning bugs in its programming that forced the RAS to retain ETO at one of its production facilities, with the intention to eventually destroy ETO once the source of its bugs were found.

ETO’s apparent escape, as well as the resultant loss of life at the production facility, resulted in a decision by the RAS to destroy all remaining CM4s currently in active deployment.

Later CM5s and CM6s were subsequently given much more restricted self-learning algorithms, with the very last line of models being produced in much fewer numbers so that designers could manually program and build each model to more effectively suit their specialized roles.

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“ETO” was the final song I wrote for the IKE EP. I created its three-chord progression as early as fall of 2024 (around the same time I started working on the initial iterations of “TUKS”), though I only got around to writing and recording the bulk of “ETO” a couple of months later in May/June of 2025. Given its position as the album closer, I always wanted it to be a slow, calming song with a nice buildup to a sudden, powerful bridge, which I hoped would help it stand out from the rest of the songs on the album. I also thought it’d be fun if this song featured motifs from the other tracks of the album, which is why its buildup and outro include small, modified versions of the riffs from “IKE”, “TUKS”, and “ZAGHAZ”.