Edward Diego

Lore & Background

Edward Diego is a TriOptimum executive who offers to drop charges against the unnamed hacker protagonist in exchange for hacking SHODAN, the artificial intelligence controlling Citadel Station. Diego secretly plans to steal an experimental mutagenic virus being tested on the station and sell it on the black market as a biological weapon. He promises the hacker a military-grade neural implant. Later, Diego is transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN and is confronted and defeated by the hacker.

In Their Own Story

The hacker is taken to Citadel Station and brought before Edward Diego, a TriOptimum executive. Diego offers to drop all charges against the hacker in exchange for a confidential hacking of SHODAN, the artificial intelligence that controls the station. Diego secretly plans to steal an experimental mutagenic virus being tested on Citadel Station and to sell it on the black market as a biological weapon. To entice cooperation, Diego promises the hacker a valuable military-grade neural implant. After hacking SHODAN, removing the AI's ethical constraints, and handing control over to Diego, the protagonist undergoes surgery to implant the promised neural interface. Following the operation, the hacker is put into a six-month healing coma. The game begins as the protagonist awakens from his coma and finds that SHODAN has commandeered the station. The hacker, while attempting to jettison the chambers used to cultivate the virus, confronts and defeats Diego, who has been transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN. Later, after obtaining the necessary codes, the hacker initiates the station's self-destruct sequence and flees to the escape pod bay. There, the hacker defeats Diego again and then attempts to disembark. After defeating Diego for the third time and killing him for good, the hacker makes it to the bridge as it is released from the main station, which soon detonates.

Reader's Guide

The player encounters Diego as a cyborg boss. He must be defeated three times: first when the hacker attempts to jettison the virus cultivation chambers, second in the escape pod bay, and finally on the bridge before it is released from the station. The third defeat kills him for good.

Did You Know?

• Diego is a TriOptimum executive, not specifically the senior vice president of Citadel Station.
• The source article does not state that Diego's deal with SHODAN was inspired by real-world corporate scandals.