C&C welcome. Certainly gotta be better than Rusted Soaps.
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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
------------------------------------------------
"Ieyesu!" called a woman's voice, in a dignified
manner.
The young man turned in place toward the source of
the shout. Ieyesu 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, Ieyesu'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, Ieyesu 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!"
Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu 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. Ieyesu 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. Ieyesu
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. Ieyesu
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 Ieyesu 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?" Ieyesu 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." Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu. "And
in result I was able to make a new technological
wonder."
"That would be your new artificial intelligence
microprocessor?" guessed Ieyesu, 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?!" Ieyesu 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.
Ieyesu 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.
Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu
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.
Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu 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, Ieyesu'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.
Ieyesu 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."
Ieyesu 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.
Ieyesu'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 Ieyesu
was also surprised at this.
"Shogun Ieyesu Tokugawa," she identified, lacking
the monotonic tone of other marionettes. Baiko bowed
respectfully to the leader of Japoness.
"Her manners need a little work," Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu 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.
Ieyesu, 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 Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu'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."
Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu began,
"but it in no way means that I'm not unsatisfied 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." Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu 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," Ieyesu
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," Ieyesu 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
Ieyesu 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 Ieyesu
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
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