Episode 16: Ringo’s Incarnation. Instant Fall in 3 Seconds
“Commander (Mum), how is it?”
“…Hmm. Well, there isn’t that much of a sense of incongruity… I guess…”
Before her stood a line of Doll Machines (Communicators), numbering ten. Functionally, they were almost indistinguishable from humans, so perhaps it would be more accurate to call them ten people.
These Bio-Androids were cultivated and manufactured based on her genes, so they looked very similar. However, their skeletons and other features had been adjusted as much as possible, so it wasn’t as if all ten had the exact same appearance.
“…I guess I’ll just push through with the idea that they’re a race with similar appearances…”
“Yes, Ma’am. As you wish.”
For the time being, they decided to conduct the first contact with these ten. The sailing ship they would be riding was 25 meters in length, classifying it as a relatively small vessel. A larger ship of about 50 meters was also being designed for full-scale trading. It was being created by fixing parts with a block-like basic structure to the keel, and then streamlining the exterior. The strength was expected to be about the same as or greater than a wooden ship, and it was designed to be very difficult to sink because each part was watertight. In addition, it had a lower density than wood and was equipped with ballast tanks to ensure the draft, making it very stable. However, because they emphasized appearance, there were no mechanisms to reduce wave-making resistance, and the maximum speed was expected to be about 40 km/h.
Normally, operating a ship of this size would require 30 or more people, but they would be going with only 10. Mechanistically speaking, it was a fully automatic, electrically driven system powered by a diesel generator, and ＜Ringo＞ would be remotely controlling it, so no crew was necessary. The judgment was that they could gloss over the small number of crew members by limiting the number of people going ashore to a few.
“So, when will the Brain Unit be ready for use?”
“Yes, in about a month. However, it may take several years to achieve complete autonomy.”
“…Well, that can’t be helped. It’s not a problem as long as ＜Ringo＞ is supporting it, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Hmm, she nodded and approached the Doll Machine (Communicator) that ＜Ringo＞ had been using for conversation.
“Your five senses are connected, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Confirming that response, she suddenly embraced the Communicator.
“Thank you as always, ＜Ringo＞.”
“…Yes.”
She noticed that ＜Ringo＞’s response was a little delayed, and continued to pat its head affectionately.
“How is it? Skinship is apparently not something to be scoffed at. Especially for Brain Units with Neural Networks, it seems to be effective.”
“Yes… It is effective.”
“I see. That’s good.”
(I hope this increases ＜Ringo＞’s mental stability.)
Judging from this reaction, it might have been a little too stimulating. She was delighted that ＜Ringo＞, who should have had the processing speed (specs) to answer any question without hesitation, had hesitated for even a moment.
It was unknown what kind of impact this action would have on ＜Ringo＞, but it wouldn’t be bad.
“Yes… That’s right. You should practice moving your expressions a little more.”
As she said that, she smiled brightly, and the Communicator in front of her also made an awkward smile.
“…＜Ringo＞, it’s scary if you make everyone have the exact same face… I guess this won’t work for a while.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will increase the patterns.”
Perhaps they should also practice the conversation itself.
Creating patterned expressions would be easy for ＜Ringo＞, but making expressions that matched the conversation would require practice. However, there was a limit since she was the only practice partner. All that was left was for them to learn on-site.
Incidentally, from then on, several times a day, ＜Ringo＞ began to demand hugs in a very awkward and roundabout way. It seemed that the stimulation had been too strong.
Of course, she happily embraced the Doll Machine (Communicator) that ＜Ringo＞ was operating.
◇◇◇◇
“Now then.”
55 days after the transfer.
She was finally gazing at the disguised sailing ship No. 1 floating in the sea at the completed ship dock.
“It’s finally time to set sail.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The disguised sailing ship for the first contact, with its keel and other main parts manufactured from reinforced Iron and Steel, and most of the other parts made of Cellulose-derived materials. It was equipped with a diesel generator and was intended to be powered by Paddle Steamers, but it could also sail. They would be heading straight for the Northern Continent on its maiden voyage, but ＜Ringo＞ had determined that there were no problems as a result of the simulation, so they decided to let it set sail as is.
“In the end, we’re heading out with nine people, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We will leave one behind.”
And, of the ten Communicators prepared for trading, one would be left at Fortress ＜The Tree＞ as her attendant, or rather, as a dedicated terminal for ＜Ringo＞. ＜Ringo＞ had insisted on this, unusually, so she had agreed without any particular hesitation. Perhaps it wanted to engage in Skinship.
“Alright… Should we decide on a name for the ship as well?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Our internal designation can be a number, but it would be better to have one for external purposes.”
“A name… a name, huh?”
Honestly, she didn’t think it was necessary to give a name to a ship of this level, but it was certainly necessary for external purposes. They couldn’t exactly introduce it to the locals as Prototype No. 1.
“Hmm…”
If possible, it would be better to have a name related to Fortress ＜The Tree＞. If possible, they could reuse it for the entire fleet of trading ships.
“Let’s go with ＜Paraiso＞. Trading ship ＜Paraiso＞. We’ll use it as the name of the fleet flagship.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will register it as such.”
Immediately, a work machine flew over and began to engrave the ship’s name on the bow. Confirming the name [PARAISO], she nodded.
“Okay, ＜Paraiso＞, set sail!”
“Roger. Trading ship ＜Paraiso＞, setting sail.”
＜Paraiso＞ moved for a while with the Paddle Steamers before beginning to raise its sails. With the power of the nine Bio-Androids and the winch, the sails were smoothly unfurled on the three masts. The wind was calm, but it was blowing enough to not hinder the ship’s progress. The sails caught the wind, and the ship slowly began to move.
“…A sailing ship in this era, huh?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We will build even larger ones in the future.”
Certainly, a sailing ship that could navigate using only the power of the wind without using fuel was not a bad option for the hungry Fortress. Although the ships scheduled to be built in the future would also be equipped with emergency Water Jet Propulsion engines, they would have to make sailing ships the mainstream for the time being unless they could secure petroleum or an alternative energy source.
“Can’t be helped, huh? Speaking of which, I’ve been putting it off, but what is the power source for the Paddle Steamers operating in the Northern Continent?”
“It is unknown from external observation, so that also needs to be investigated.”
The power source of the Paddle Steamers observed in the Northern Continent could not be inferred from their appearance, at least. A chimney was always necessary to burn fossil fuels, but no chimney could be confirmed. Therefore, ＜Ringo＞’s hypothesis was that they were using other unknown technologies. During the island occupation operation some time ago, flame radiation using a mysterious power was observed, so the prediction was that a similar technology was being used.
However, information gathering on these matters has not progressed at present. It would be good if there was a battlefield that was easy to observe, but all of those that had been observed were very far away, and they had not yet succeeded in photographing them.
“It would be good if we could gather information about that in the city we’re aiming for.”
The city they were planning to land in this time was a port town that was expected to be fairly bustling. The entry and exit of sailing ships had been confirmed, and since those ships were only slightly larger than ＜Paraiso＞, they predicted that ＜Paraiso＞, being a Paddle Steamer, would be intimidating enough. Since no ships equipped with rotating Turrets had been confirmed in the surrounding area, it would be possible for them to be recognized as a threat.
“I will do my best.”
“I’m counting on you.”
In this way, the trading ship ＜Paraiso＞ completed its five-day voyage from Fortress ＜The Tree＞ and was about to enter the target port town.