Chapter 28: The Birth of the Sisters and the Disturbed Commander
“Ma’am. Five Communicator Androids equipped with the first-generation Brain Units have been rolled out. We are currently performing final adjustments in the calibration chamber.”
“Oh my… Has it already been that long? Is initial registration necessary?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We would greatly appreciate it. The chemical control within the Neural Network cannot be perfected, so external stimuli for adjustments would be beneficial.”
As she was designing a charged particle cannon for the battleship, RINGO called out to her. The Brain Unit, which had been undergoing adjustments for some time, was finally stabilizing, allowing for a Deep Merge with the Communicator Androids. From now on, they would be tasked with various duties within the fortress, The Tree, while also nurturing their sense of self. It was said that having a superior present during activation would stabilize the stress gauge of the Brain Unit. However, this was merely information from the library, and the actual effectiveness would only be known through experience.
“Hmm, I can’t think of anything more, so I’ll put it on hold. Let’s think about it again tomorrow.”
In the end, she couldn’t solve the energy supply issue necessary for firing the charged particle cannon, so she tossed aside the blueprints. With a ship length of about 300 meters, the output of the energy supply reactor was insufficient. Moreover, due to atmospheric conditions, it seemed difficult to secure an effective firing range.
“Are we activating them now?”
“Yes, Ma’am. They are currently in a dormant state. They can be activated as soon as we arrive.”
“I see. Then let’s head over.”
All the Communicator Androids she was about to activate would register her as their superior. Although the Brain Units had already completed their initial learning with her as their parent, this was their first attempt at such a process. To be honest, she had no idea what would happen. Therefore, she aimed to enhance stability by performing the initial registration, which was a basic function of the Brain Units.
“However, that means they will be interacting with intelligences other than RINGO for the first time…”
“Yes, Ma’am. To avoid irregularities, please conduct the conversations one at a time.”
“What should I talk about…?”
In reality, there was no specific guideline for what to do during the initial registration. The guidance materials stated that the only successful method was to interact with affection rather than violence.
Ultimately, she arrived at the calibration room without coming up with anything to say. By the way, she had walked there to alleviate her lack of exercise.
“Ma’am. I do not wish to provide unnecessary information, so I will be waiting outside.”
“Alright… I understand.”
As RINGO exited the room, the front door slid open. From within, a humanoid machine was being transported, lying on a bed.
The calibration room was a newly established facility for mass-producing Communicator Androids. It consisted of cultivation tanks and calibration tanks, where the physical bodies were created in the cultivation tanks and the neural systems were constructed in the calibration tanks. The only difference between the Communicator Androids and the humanoid machines was the presence of a Brain Unit, allowing them to be produced using the same equipment.
“Ma’am. If there are no issues, I will activate Unit 1.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Although she hadn’t thought about what to say at all, there was no point in worrying about it now. She quickly gave her approval and approached the bed where the first humanoid machine lay.
“Unit 1, Ignition.”
With RINGO’s voice, the girl on the bed opened her eyes with a flutter.
“…Do you know who I am?”
She asked tentatively. The girl blinked slowly, then turned her head to look at her.
“Yes, Ma’am. Individual registration name, Kitsuneski.”
“Oh, let’s forget that.”
Panic surged through her. That’s right. In her World of Space, she had chosen that game name rather haphazardly. RINGO only referred to her as “Ma’am,” and since no one else called her anything else, she had completely forgotten.
“I’ll tell you my name later, okay?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
She sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. For now, she had managed to dodge the issue. The girl before her had an expressionless face, making it hard to gauge her reaction, but she decided to ignore it and continue.
“First of all, congratulations on your birth. From now on, you will be living here in The Tree. For the time being, you will be under RINGO’s command and will progress to the Primary Phase of education.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you.”
With the straightforward response, she nodded thoughtfully.
“Also, your name will be Akane. Your full name is Akane of The Tree. From now on, I will call you by your name.”
“Yes. My name is Akane.”
By naming the Brain Unit, that individual would begin to establish their sense of self. Computational efficiency would improve, and their decision-making abilities regarding individuality would enhance, but resistance would arise in their actions of merging or cooperating with other units. This resistance could be eliminated over time, but compared to those that had not been named, it would be considerably inefficient.
That said, the Brain Units installed in the humanoid machines could afford to prioritize independence over merging or cooperation. Thus, she had desperately thought of names.
Once the naming was complete, she stood Akane up and conducted a series of checks before leading her out of the room to wait in the hallway. Four more units were still waiting.
“Your name is Ichigo. Your full name is Ichigo of The Tree.”
“Your name is Utsugi. Utsugi of The Tree.”
“Your name is Erika.”
“Your name is Olive.”
The names of the five humanoid machines were inspired by flowers. Since she needed to maintain some level of uniformity for the names of those who would be added in the future, she wanted to choose names that sounded feminine, making it easier to come up with ideas.
Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, Olive.
These five… no, these five sisters would become the backbone of the Brain Units within the fortress, The Tree. The Brain Units cultivated in the future would be initialized based on one of these five.
“Now then…”
With the initial registration seemingly completed, she needed to provide them with some guidance. Essentially, they were connected to the internal network operated by RINGO, so there was no need for her to personally guide them. However, literature indicated that the more effort put into independent Brain Units, the better their growth would be. Thus, she decided to do as much as she could.
It seemed that the Control AI was also considering giving the Commander something to do to alleviate her boredom.
“This is the medical floor. All medical facilities are consolidated here, so I think you will have many opportunities to use it in the future.”
“Below this is the workshop floor. They create various things here, but it’s quite spacious, so I might have to guide you again tomorrow.”
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“This is the living quarters. Currently, only one room is in use, but as more of you arrive, we may need to convert the entire floor into living quarters.”
“I was thinking today would be free time after dinner until bedtime…”
After finishing the general tour, she turned around. Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive followed her silently like ducklings, waiting for the Commander’s next words.
“You’re quieter than I expected, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have not provided them with enough knowledge to recognize questions as questions yet.”
RINGO answered her inquiry.
“We are monitoring their consciousness levels, and by speaking to them or showing them things, the neural networks in various fields are being activated. They should soon be able to produce meaningful responses.”
“Oh, is that so? Then let’s continue.”
After showing them her bedroom, she pondered.
“Hmm… do they even have a concept of sleep?”
“Yes, Ma’am. While not to the extent of humans, the Brain Units do require time for rest and optimization.”
“Hmm… Well, I suppose I’ll be with you for a while…”
Having somewhat decided on her future approach, she turned back to her newly born sisters. Although they shared the same genes, it would be difficult to consider them children, so treating them as sisters seemed more appropriate.
“Now then, do you really have no questions? Anything at all is fine.”
At her words, Akane spoke up.
“Ma’am.”
“Oh! What is it?”
Delighted to receive a response, she smiled.
“Ma’am, I haven’t asked for your name.”
And then, her face fell dramatically.
She hadn’t managed to dodge that after all.