Saber Marionette J: Mister Prickly Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYAhotmail.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/smj/index.html Disclaimer: Saber Marionette J and characters belong to its creator. And all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and characters. The manga has precedence over material in the anime. This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete form and proper credit given. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without permission from the author. Fanart can be found at: http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html ------------------------------------------------ "Ieyasu!" called a woman's voice, in a dignified manner. The young man turned in place toward the source of the shout. Ieyasu kept a firm grip on the duffel bag slung over his right shoulder, and raised his free left hand up to wave to those he was leaving behind. "Take care of yourself!" continued the source of the voice, Ieyasu's mother. She stood next to her husband, who had his arm around her waist. Both looked quite proud. "I will!" the young man shouted back, waving. He added a great smile of his own. Turning to leave, Ieyasu started walking away, reaching into his pocket for a schedule list. He spared a momentary glance at it, then looked upward to a control board mounted from the ceiling. Satisfied, the Japanese-descended man stuffed the list back into his pocket. "Mesopotamia, here I come!" Ieyasu Tokugawa the 12th stood up from his seated position, shaking the foggy memory from his mind. There was much work to be done, and strange memories only got in the way most of the time. Most of the time. Leaving his attendants behind, the Shogun of Japoness walked to what appeared to be a blank, white wall, styled as in ancient Japanese castles. Anyone who took the time to study the walls would know of the faint cracks that formed the outline of a hidden door, to which Ieyasu pushed inward. The door swung on its axis in the center, allowing the Shogun to enter the elevator beyond. Though the exterior would mislead those unfamiliar with Japoness, the elevator, despite appearing to be made of wood, was in fact metal layered with wood to match the atmosphere. Ieyasu pushed the button on the control panel near the exitway, and folded his arms as the doors shut to a close. The elevator hummed consistently as it descended the height of the castle. As a force of habit the Shogun watched the light indicator above the elevator doors blink. The lights approached, then passed ground level, and started its way to the underground lab. When the elevator car came to a complete stop at the sixth basement level the doors slided open. Ieyasu walked into the spotlessly-clean lab, where white- coated engineers worked diligently at numerous work stations in the vast room. A complete opposite from the castle's Japanese style the lab was outfitted with the latest in Japoness's cutting-edge technologies, developed and researched for the betterment of the country, and for a dream. Ieyasu vaguely remembered having to replicate this technology from the remains of the Mesopotamia life boat, and it was amazing to him that this level of technology had been achieved in a relatively short time. He nodded and waved to each engineer who greeted him as Ieyasu made his way to the man at the other end of the lab. Engrossed in his work, Dr. Nobunaga Oda hardly noticed the Shogun's approach. The youthful engineer stared at a computer terminal, his only movement being his arm shifting a mouse from here to there. "Ahem!" Craning his head from the circuit design on the computer, Nobunaga said, "Ah, Shogun!" "I hear you have positive results?" Ieyasu said, driving to the point. Nobunaga nodded. "Yes, yes... you came about THAT." He stood up from his seat, and adjusted his bland red tie. "Well, as in the memo I sent a couple months ago...." "It was seven months ago," the Shogun pointed out. "Well, yes... oh! Time sure does fly, doesn't it?" "Indeed." Ieyasu already felt impatience growing in him, but knew that berating the engineer wouldn't help any. "Okay, then," the engineer said, straightening his lab coat. Gesturing for the Shogun to follow him, he continued, "As you know, in recent years there have been numerous leaps and bounds in semiconductor fabrication as well as new materials to work with, enabling us to use techniques much more efficiently than before." He stopped in place and turned to face Ieyasu. "And in result I was able to make a new technological wonder." "That would be your new artificial intelligence microprocessor?" guessed Ieyasu, even if he hardly had to ask. Nobunaga grew excited. "Why, yes!" He resumed his walk, the Shogun trailing behind. "In fact, these past months we've tested the new microprocessor extensively, and have already produced a prototype model." "A prototype?!" Ieyasu exclaimed in surprise. "Why was I not informed?" The engineer smiled as he looked back over his shoulder. "You'll see." He came to a stop at a security door. Reaching at the keypad nearby, Nobunaga punched in his access code. Ieyasu knew enough that the keypad was not much there for the code than it was for the fingerprint identification routines in the keys. The security door slid open, the engineer entering immediately without waiting for the Shogun first. Ieyasu decided to let it slide, allowing genuine curiosity to overcome protocol. It was a plain white room, Spartan, devoid of all features save the heavy window at the other end of the room. An observation room, of course, but Ieyasu could not see what was in the window from where he was. Nobunaga was already at the window, all smiles, hands behind his back. The engineer was obviously proud. Ieyasu gasped in shocked surprise when he looked into the window. Lying on top of a table in another rather empty room was a marionette. In typical Japoness fashion this marionette was dressed in a kimono, but somewhat loosely. Unlike commercial marionette models, this marionette seemed... older, as commercial marionettes were often designed after young girls. Her hair appeared wild, yet was held up with a couple pins in a similar fashion as the royal saber marionettes. But, it was her sleeping-like face that caught the Shogun's attention. "M... Mother?" he whispered. Obviously proud, Nobunaga proclaimed, "This, Shogun, is the new prototype saber marionette model, the JSM-R1. We modeled her from your original's records as a surprise gift." The Shogun glanced at the engineer, still shocked, then back at the marionette. "She's... she's...." "Beautiful?" finished Nobunaga. "Yes, she is very good looking, and such a serial as 'JSM-R1' is hardly fitting for her. So the guys got together and we gave her the name 'Baiko.'" "Baiko," Ieyasu repeated. Nodding, he said, "A fitting name. Thank you." "Wait until you see what she can do with the new microprocessor," Nobunaga said, reaching into his coat pocket for a phone. Flicking it on to the pre- arranged frequency, he said, "Switch on!" After a moment's delay, Ieyasu's jaw dropped in awe as slowly, the marionette's eyes opened, almost hauntingly naturally. The marionette stared up at the ceiling seemingly with the same cold unfeelingness of other marionettes. Then, her head turned to the window, and her eyes narrowed. Ieyasu jumped in surprise. "Ha-hah!" laughed Nobunaga. "Didn't expect that, did you?" "N...no!" admitted the Shogun. "I had no idea that microprocessor of yours could do such a thing!" "The microprocessor itself can't," the engineer corrected. "It's part of her artificial intelligence sub-routines." He sighed, as Baiko sat up on the table, taking in her surroundings. "Unfortunately, that's about the only thing we figured out how to program in at the moment, so we won't get anything as spectacular as a maiden circuit." Ieyasu nodded. The maiden circuits, designed by Dr. Lorelei, were devices that effectively split her personality into three components. Originally designed as a control mechanism to her new artificial intelligence computer, all plans were dashed when Mesopotamia rebelled against its human creators. The original six survivors of the Mesopotamia, all men of differing skills, obtained the schematics to design the maiden circuits, but for various reasons somewhere along the line the plans to fabricate the circuits became lost after each man made a set of three circuits of their own. Ieyasu's scientists wanted to study the existing maiden circuits, but the Shogun refused them, as he knew someday their purpose would come. Only the right man needed to come along. But for now, with the current technology available, something even as basic as... scorn? was a monumental achievement. Baiko was now standing on her feet, and stared directly at the Shogun. Her lips parted, and Ieyasu was also surprised at this. "Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa," she identified, lacking the monotonic tone of other marionettes. Baiko bowed respectfully to the leader of Japoness. "Her manners need a little work," Ieyasu muttered, "but they're certainly better than yours, Doctor." "Hmmm... well, yes," admitted Nobunaga. "When I designed her system I foresaw the need to upgrade her program, so I made it... expandable, if you will. But, she can learn on her own as well with each experience." "A learning machine?" The idea seemed amusing to the Shogun. "We're hoping one day to replace the saber models with models such as Baiko," continued the engineer. "At the moment, however, further testing is required, and we're going to wait and see what Baiko can do for us. Better to figure out the bugs now before we mass- produce them, eh?" "Agreed," Ieyasu replied. "Then as a saber model, we should put her to work. That's the best way, I think." "I'll see to it right away." "Things are looking brighter for our future," the Shogun said. "Perhaps something in these new technologies will help us even further than we imagined." Baiko surveyed her surroundings, constantly scanning for anything remotely suspicious. The night was still young, and the full moon at its zenith while the saber marionette stood alone in the woods outside the city-state of Japoness. As a combat marionette Baiko was prepared to fight at a moment's notice, as twin energy blades were sheathed on her back in typical ninja fashion. Seven meters away, a cricket was chirping at a mere 22 decibles, while a squirrel was scurrying in the branches above, about three meters up. The tree was a pine tree, of approximately three-hundred and seventy- two years of age.... Her sensory measures detected movement at the five- o'clock position. Heavy footfalls, judging from the sound the biped made-- likely a man, since it was far too light to be a young-adult ponta. Immediately reaching for her twin energy swords, Baiko turned and dashed toward the enemy. "Prepare to die!!" she shouted, blades sparking to life. The opponent was a heavy-set swordsman, approximately 1.57 meters tall, weighing around 283 kilograms, and carried a finely-made katana. Instantly judging all this Baiko attacked. The swordsman hardly had time to react as the saber marionette sliced into him with surpising speed. Baiko allowed the swordsman's body to collapse upon himself as another man attacked, this time above at a 85 degree angle, projected speed of 78 kilometers per hour, leaving precious few seconds.... She arced her blades in a cutting motion above her, slicing the silent attacker in two. In a blinding storm of fury more black-clad ninjas attacked from all sides, using various weapons that Baiko effortlessly deflected or destroyed in mid-air. The new saber shouted a battle cry, then ran into the fray, slicing with deadly precision. "Satisfactory," she heard Ieyasu said evenly, ending the reality simulation. Baiko said nothing, lowering her blades as the environment, and the bodies of her opponents, vanished into nothingness, revealing only blackness. She knew, judging from the echoes produced by the sounds generated, that it was a perfectly-square room, and there was a hidden door and window at the south end. Ieyasu, Nobunaga, and the simulator technicians were behind the window, which was leveled 3 meters above the door. She extinguished the energy blades, replacing them. "Peak efficiency is desired, as I detect a slight decrease in motor skills during the simulation." "You're working yourself too hard," the Shogun insisted. "This is the fifteenth simulation in a row, with the same results." Baiko nodded, folding her arms. "However, there is a deviation of .017 in efficiency rating, inconsistent with desirable values." "Why don't you take a break?" suggested Nobunaga, taking over the microphone. "I hardly require maintenance at this time." "But you shouldn't overexert yourself." "If this is a test to find the limits of my capabilities, then surely I have failed," Baiko reasoned. "This model is definitely inefficient for your services if even endurance is insufficient." She heard Ieyasu laugh from the speaker. "Good Doctor, you've outdone yourself this time! To think the day has come when a marionette would say such things!" "Well," Nobunaga said, "she IS supposed to try to better herself." "Precisely," Baiko concurred. "In order to secure the safety of the state its Guard must never falter in efficiency. As these tests shall prove, I will be sufficient to carry out such duties." "You should take a break," Ieyasu insisted. "*I* need a break." "Very well," the saber replied, somewhat reluctantly. "Your new marionette appears to be satisfactory," the Shogun of Japoness told Nobunaga as the two stood in the express elevator, heading back to the top of the castle. The engineer nodded, pushing up the rim of his glasses. "Baiko is operating much better than any of us expected. She learns at an even greater exponential rate than we expected when we crunched the numbers." Seriousness entered Ieyasu's features. "Are you certain that the marionette won't try to overthrow me, or otherwise endanger the city? There are many stories from Earth where a sentient machine overthrows its masters...." "We're aware of that concern," interrupted Nobunaga, who seemed to take the suggestion as an insult. "I've taken the steps to prove her loyalty, and she can't lie to us, either. Well, she can't lie to anybody, actually, not programmed for that." Ieyasu nodded. "I'm thinking it's about time to see if Baiko can survive in the field. If what you're saying about her learning curve is true, then she can't learn much more from simulations." The elevator came to a complete stop, and the double doors slided open. "Just a little while longer," insisted the other man, as the two exited the elevator. "We're going to run one last test. After the final results are in construction can begin on the second prototype." "Second prototype?!" exclaimed the Shogun in surprise. "You're building another one?" "Didn't I say so?" When the response was a blank stare, the engineer explained, "Well, we figured if a new generation of marionettes were going to be based off this new AI it'd be best to consider differences in growth and learning rates. After all, the things you've experienced are certainly different than mine." The Shogun nodded in agreement. "In the meantime, we'll monitor Baiko," Nobunaga finished. "Any problems that come up with her, we'll be sure to address in the second marionette." Baiko looked bored, but in actuality she was simply observing-- looking for something even the slightest out of place. Standing alone on a roof of a single-story building the marionette stared down at the market below, ignoring the stares and fingers of the men who noticed her. While she could make out what they were saying, Baiko chose to disregard it, for their conversation was meaningless to her duties. Only four days passed since being released from the underground laboratory, and Baiko believed she knew everything she needed to know about Japoness. The borders of the city-state were guarded at all times by human sentries, backed by disposable saber marionettes. The streets were patrolled by the Japoness police, its agents composed of very capable law-enforcing men. They, too, utilized saber marionettes for emergencies, but Baiko had yet to see them in action. And of course, the castle guard was the most efficient of all. All the guards were quite able and proficient in security, and could summon the royal sabers, if necessary. Men controlled the sabers because they had no will of their own. Baiko knew she had no will of her own, but she also knew she was unique among the sabers, being allowed to run about freely. She neither pitied nor despised the relationship between man and marionette; all the background information was available in her memory banks, and the inevitable social structure formed around it in a logical manner. It was unfortunate that the only surviving female on board the Mesopotamia was a prisoner of the machine, but steps were already being taken to rescue her-- an unspoken quest at best, however, for the means to reach Mesopotamia in orbit were unavailable at the present. A shadow darting about on another rooftop caught Baiko's attentions. Wordlessly, silently, the saber marionette dashed off in pursuit. The target was moving rapidly, but not fast enough to elude Baiko's tracking system. The intruder was definitely a marionette, likely a saber model on a spying mission. She immediately cross-referenced the visual data profile to match with any known models in the Japoness database, but turned up with a blank. A new saber model. The intruder seemed to catch on, and came to a stop on another roof. Baiko stopped on the same roof, and stood with her arms folded in her usual, dignified fashion. "Identify yourself!" she demanded. The intruder marionette, like most marionettes, was designed after the female body, and clothed in shiny black armor that concealed all but the lower jaw and hands. A matching black visor concealed the saber's eyes, but Baiko knew it was the true optical sensors of the intruder. A quick scan revealed a pair of concealed projectile cannons in her shoulders. The most prominent feature of the unmarked saber was a long tail of red hair dropping behind the helmet. "Identify yourself!" Baiko repeated harshly. The intruder responded without words, opening the shoulder compartments. Two small cannons popped out from their hiding place. Baiko anticipated the cannon fire, quickly moving away from the field of fire, while at the same time unsheathing both her energy swords. "I don't know how you got into the city," Baiko said, raising her swords, "but... PREPARE TO DIE!!" The enemy saber reoriented her shoulder cannons, and let loose another volley of bullets. Baiko slashed the air, carefully timing the speed of the bullets and cleaving them in the air. She quickly made her way forward, ready to tear at the enemy with her swords. But the red-haired marionette leaped out of the way at the last moment, catching Baiko by surprise. Turning quickly, she pumped several bullets into the Japoness saber in her moment of vulnerability. Baiko cried out in pain, suddenly realizing that this marionette likely possessed just as advanced an AI as she did. The stream of bullets kept coming, and the enemy saber said not a single word. A crackling and a slash followed. Baiko readjusted her optical sensors, forcing them open despite the pain-- the simulated pain, a simply inferior design. The enemy saber was cleaved in half from head to waist, sparking wires hanging out here and there. The blade of a naginata withdrew itself back from the enemy saber's chest, and for the first time Baiko registered the owner. It was a second marionette, but not an enemy. The regal, naginata-wielding saber dressed in a plain red kimono that hardly appeared to hinder her movement. Her hair was tied up in a long ponytail that seemed to disappear behind her back, and her eyes were dark and piercing. The serial was JSM-R2. "I am the Japoness Royal Saber Marionette JSM-R2: Tamasaburo," the regal marionette said in a serious tone. Baiko felt no need for introduction, for she was certain it was counterproductive. "The enemy saber bears no visible markings, exterior or interior," she said, going straight to business. "It may take much time to determine the point of origin." "IF the parts for its construction can be traced at all," Tamasaburo pointed out. "Study is required of this model, however...." Both Tamasaburo and Baiko quickly withdrew from the rooftop, just moments before the red-haired saber self-destructed. Roof tiles and wood flew about everywhere, pelting those on the streets below. Both marionettes studied the blast area with curiosity. "Hmph," snorted Baiko. "It possessed a destructive mechanism in order to protect the point of origin." "More data is required before action can be taken," Tamasaburo concluded, shouldering her naginata. "We must report our findings to the Shogun at once." "Yes," agreed the other marionette. Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa sat staring down at the kneeling Nobunaga Oda, who was flanked by Baiko and Tamasaburo, kneeling in turn to the left and right respectively of the engineer. The chamber was otherwise devoid of people, for the Shogun dismissed his attendants. "This may come as a hard decision," Ieyasu began, "but it in no way means that I'm not satisfied with the marionettes." Nobunaga said nothing, understanding the meaning immediately. "Tamasaburo and Baiko appear to be splendid saber marionettes, but I've taken the time to study the cost effectiveness of revamping our marionette forces with your new AI circuits." Ieyasu produced a stack of papers from behind him. "Do you understand how much funds you spent into developing them?" "Yes, sir," the engineer replied. "I believe this is the reason you wished to hide your prototypes from me, and I understand your feelings," the Shogun said, "but you were out of line. The money of the state is not yours to spend as you please." "Yes, sir." "While you may remain at your post, you must understand that you'll be carefully watched from now on," Ieyasu warned. "Until such a time the construction of marionettes utilizing your circuits comes to a reasonable cost-effectiveness level Tamasaburo and Baiko will be unique." "I understand, sir," the engineer said, nodding. He knew just as well as the Shogun that undertaking such a project now may very well ruin Japoness economically. "However...." "I'm letting you off too easy these days," Ieyasu muttered, shaking his head. "However," continued Nobunaga, "this will give us ample opportunity to observe the ongoing progress of Baiko and Tamasaburo. Perhaps someday, they could become just as good as the maiden circuits your ancestor built." "Maybe so," Ieyasu considered. "You're dismissed." The engineer bowed, then got up to leave. The Shogun sighed, taking one look at the regal marionette, realizing how hauntingly familiar she appeared.... "The test was a complete success," Dr. Hess, the man standing in the shadows of the Fuhrer's private retreat. "Our test model succeeded in infiltrating the Japoness borders and revealed to us that Japoness has also developed a similar circuit to our own." Fuhrer Faust the 8th said nothing, staring out at the sunset from the large, multiple-glass window. He tapped his walking cane on the floor twice in thought. Without turning around, he said, "So it looks like Ieyasu has been busy as well. Just as busy as I, it seems." "Further reports indicate that Japoness cannot continue to manufacture such marionettes," continued Hess, "for most of the parts come from other states, such as our own. However, that's not the only good news, Fuhrer." "I don't like suspense, Hess," hissed Faust. The Gartland scientist nodded. "We can mass-produce the new saber marionette model as we please, for we are the manufacturers of many of the components. Our costs will be miniscule in comparison to Japoness." "Excellent. That's the news I like to hear." "Then you will go ahead with the war plans?" "Of course," answered the ruler of Gartland. "The time may not be right to take up arms, Hess, but one of my clones will take up arms. When the time comes, I'll control a united Terra 2!" Tamasaburo and Baiko stood together, looking out the balcony of Castle Japoness's highest level. Across the moat was the town, and beyond the town was the walls that made up the perimeter. Beyond that was the Japoness Fuji, a near-replica of the mountain of the same name on Earth, save the jagged crystal formations. Dark clouds overhead signaled a coming plasma storm, and both marionettes knew that inside was the best place to be for a marionette. Marionettes are made of metal, and metal conducts electricity; not only is it harmful to circuitry, but would prove needless downtime and maintenance cycles. Neither marionette breathed a word about what Ieyasu Tokugawa said back in the chambers, for none was needed. Both marionettes came to the silent agreed conclusion that they were unique, and they were special, but must use their unique abilities to protect Japoness. "The bed of nails shall be named 'Mr. Prickly,'" Tamasaburo said out of the blue. "Your functioning must be flawed," Baiko replied, in no way criticizing her partner. "It is a conscious design parameter that I should recognize a sense of sentimental value," the regal marionette explained. "It was added to my design after an oversight was made in your own." "An improvement that possibly must be replicated," Baiko decided. "Stronger than a sense of worth but a desire to protect." "Nomenclature has little to do with a desire to protect," Tamasaburo pointed out. "Your programming fails to understand the concept." "Then why must you name the bed of spikes?" Tamasaburo said nothing, turning to stare out the balcony once more. The plasma clouds were already discharging energy in the distance. Finally, she turned to face her partner. "I have not been able to determine a satisfactory conclusion." ------------------------------------------------ Author's Notes Of course it's a Saber Marionette J fic. This is an idea I've head for a while but only got around to doing, due to a number of factors. Of course, Tama is my favorite character-- what differentiates her from Baiko, you ask? She just looks better :P There has been much speculation on just why T&B act the way they do, and in J to X a new idea was given, but I'm doing this going along the course that the two are like Data from Star Trek: TNG. I have no idea what their real serials are, or which was built first, or why they look as they do, but it's a nice speculation. Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOREPLYhotmail.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/smj/index.html