Chapter 9: Day 2, The First Meal (10g)
The next day.
“Well, it’s not exactly a refreshing wake-up, is it…?”
After the sun had set the previous day, she decided to go to bed. Perhaps due to the mental fatigue that had accumulated, her drowsiness had become quite severe. As soon as she woke up, she drank the water that Ringo had prepared for her. Cold water filled a metal cup—where it had come from, she had no idea. It was possible that Ringo had made it during the night.
“Good morning, Commander,” Ringo greeted. “First, regarding the food situation…”
“Ah… go ahead, I’m listening.”
For a moment, she considered postponing the report, but noticing Ringo’s unusually cheerful display of Emotion, she urged her to continue.
“Yes, Commander. Scientific tests have revealed no issues with the shellfish, fish, or seaweed collected yesterday. We can also use the salt obtained from the Fresh Water Purification Plant, so we can attempt some form of cooking.”
“…That’s good news.”
To be honest, she was very hungry. However, she couldn’t just gorge herself all at once, so she would likely only be able to eat a piece or two. Feeling somewhat disappointed, she got out of bed.
“Then let’s have the automatic cooker prepare something. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, Commander. I will begin by cooking approximately 10g of fish muscle as a protein source.”
Nodding, she headed to the restroom to relieve herself. Although she had only consumed water, it was necessary to expel the fluids she had taken in. It was quite uncomfortable, but there was no helping it.
◇◇◇◇
After successfully relieving herself, she returned to the command room, determined to allocate some resources to improve her living conditions.
(I need to figure out something for toilet paper at the very least…!)
While the washlet cleaned her up nicely, she couldn’t just put on damp clothing, which took time. The warm air feature was a small comfort, though.
(Next, I need towels. I’ll need a towel to take a shower. And at the very least, I want a change of clothes by tomorrow.)
The climate control within the fortress, The Tree, was comfortably maintained, so it wasn’t an environment where she would sweat unnecessarily. However, that didn’t mean her clothes wouldn’t get dirty. Her own state was, needless to say, no exception.
“Hey, Ringo, can we do something about towels and a change of clothes?”
“Yes, manufacturing is possible, Ma’am.”
She let out a sigh of relief at that response.
“Then, please make a few of each. I really can’t accept this situation continuing…”
“Understood. I will adjust the priority of the task. …It will be made from synthetic fibers rather than natural ones; is that acceptable?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Hmm… I wonder if the raw material is petroleum.”
She glanced over the component design displayed on the Integration Console. It indicated that sewing would be done with nylon fibers. It seemed they could use a multi-printer, allowing the items to be created in just a few minutes.
“I should have made them yesterday without being stingy. What a mistake.”
“Yes, I apologize, Commander. That should have been suggested yesterday.”
“…Well, I won’t hold that against you, Ringo. It was just my oversight; it’s not a blunder or anything.”
As she comforted the slightly downcast Ringo, she took a deep breath. Now, she needed to think about today’s tasks. The maintenance on the solar-powered reconnaissance aircraft, Swift, should be complete. She would confirm its launch and instruct the calculation of its operational range. After that, she could eat the cooked fish and rest.
(I have to taste it for my own sake… I’ll just eat quickly and hop into the Medical Pod. I can still work inside the pod…)
By the way, entering the Medical Pod was a precaution in case of any poisoning or toxicity. The pod’s functions could perform gastrointestinal cleansing or even emergency surgery immediately. In the worst-case scenario, blood replacement was also an option she was prepared for.
Given that she was dealing with completely unknown ingredients, the risk was quite high, as there could be toxins that wouldn’t be detected no matter how many tests were conducted. However, if she didn’t try, she would soon starve to death. She set the Medical Pod’s parameters to prioritize the preservation of her brain. As long as her brain remained intact, there would be a way forward.
(Still, I really don’t want to end up as a full-body machine with just my brain…)
Her body could likely be recreated through cultivation. While such technology had been strictly regulated in her original world, there was no organization monitoring it here. She had confirmed that relevant information existed in the library, so she had taken the worst-case precautions.
“Ma’am. The meal is ready.”
“Great, thank you. Could you bring it to the medical room? I’ll head there as well.”
For now, the preliminary tests had revealed no significant issues. She would eat, and if nothing went wrong after about eight hours, she would consider it safe. After that, she would gradually increase her intake over the next three days. As long as she could secure something to eat, she could slowly diversify her diet. The more samples she had, the more accurate her preliminary tests would become. Eventually, there would come a day when she could eat without worry.
“Ma’am, here you go.”
The automated machine operated by Ringo presented her with a plate containing a piece of sautéed white fish, seasoned with salt.
“Thank you, Ringo.”
She speared the small piece with her fork and brought it to her mouth. Having already completed the reaction test, she chewed it well, savoring the flavor before swallowing.
“The taste… it’s hard to tell since the portion is so small, but… I don’t think it’s bad.”
The saltiness was just right. Whether it was bland or not, she couldn’t discern the fish’s original flavor. It wasn’t unpleasant.
“Thank you, Ma’am. If there are no issues, I will serve you half a portion this evening.”
“Yes, please do.”
Perhaps because she had eaten, her stomach tightened, and she felt hungrier. However, she had to endure. By evening, she should be able to eat enough to satisfy her hunger. If nothing went wrong overnight, she could eat to her heart’s content.
“By the way, we can continue to catch this fish, right?”
“Yes, Commander. We have already captured some and placed them in a tank, so there should be no issues. We are also continuing our investigation in the surrounding area, and it seems they are widely inhabiting the reef.”
“That’s good to hear. I’d hate to think that after all this trouble, we wouldn’t be able to catch any more…”
Though she had instructed them to prioritize catching such species, it was likely just her overthinking.
“Ma’am, tomorrow we will conduct an edibility test on the seaweed. If we can consume both seaweed and fish, we should be able to avoid the risk of starvation for the time being.”
“That’s true. While we’ll need to continue monitoring to ensure we’re getting essential nutrients, as long as we can take in protein and minerals, we shouldn’t die.”
Returning the plate to the automated machine, she settled into the Medical Pod with a sigh.
“Vital signs check: all values are normal. Monitoring will continue.”
“Please do.”
“Blood sugar levels are low, so I will administer a nutrient IV.”
As the robotic arms within the Medical Pod efficiently carried out the procedures, she checked the information window.
“Now then. The launch preparations for the solar-powered reconnaissance aircraft, Swift… are good to go. Let’s take care of that too.”
“Understood. Initiating the launch of Swift Unit 1 and Unit 2.”
On the short runway that penetrated the fortress, The Tree, two aircraft were waiting. Capable of ascending to an altitude of 20 km and flying continuously for over 500 hours, these high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft would be operated in pairs for extensive patrols. In a few days, new units would also roll out, with plans to maintain a fleet capable of monitoring a radius of approximately 1,000 km in the future.
Today, her primary task would be to oversee these aircraft. Additionally, since underwater drones were conducting explorations, she would check on their progress as well. What they gathered would become her meals, making it an important matter.