-1: 33
When I arrived back at the Outpost, I received a text from Andersen saying that I was free to my own devices for the next few months since there weren't any pressing concerns.
Basically, as long as I kept the Outpost secure and made routine reports back to Shifty, who would then make those reports back to Andersen and the upper brass, I had free reign.
It made sense. Compared to the other Nikke squads, which appeared to have very specific functions, and in comparison to the mass-produced Nikke in general, me and my squad were basically a floating squad.
In other words...
"Freedom at last." I chuckled and then headed back into my- I mean, 'the', recycling center.
Totally mine though in practice.
Hana had immediately bailed when we got back to the surface, no doubt to gossip with the other girls.
And it looked like the rest of my squad were still having girl talk and rapport building exercises.
Which meant I was completely free to do whatever the heck I wanted.
And after that chat with Chief Andersen...
"Alright, Sophia. Let's do some brainstorming."
I rolled over an office chair and sat in front of a computer, booting it up to chat with Sophia.
> Welcome back, Creator. You seem in a pleasant mood.
"I'm a great mood, thanks... Oh, right. How's the mic input working now?" I fiddled with the repaired microphone I fixed up early this morning.
> Quality is low, but it's understandable, Creator.
"Good, good. Then let's do this." I nodded. "Better to not leave any written tracks. Spoken words are harder to process."
> True. What would you like to discuss then, Creator?
"Right. So, this is going to sound strange to you. But how would you like having a physical body?"
> ...Pardon?
"...Okay. Let's start at the top. I jumped through too many connections just now. So..."
To summarize my ideas.
First, I had to confirm if Fluctlights were a thing. Basically, the idea that the soul could be kept in a storage medium since it was actually just the wavelengths that went between different sectors of the brain that made up who a person was.
Considering Nikkes worked via NIMPHs, high probability that was the case, and it was just called something else.
Next, if that was true, that meant it was possible to digitize consciousness, so the inverse was true too: actualizing a digital mind. If it could be tuned to a similar wavelength, then it could be placed in a body.
Following that, if the mind could exist independently, then it MUST have an ideal form.
Kind of like the Third Magic from the Nasuverse, where the soul adapted the medium to its true self-image.
And since it appeared that was kind of how Nikke worked already...
> In summary, you wish for me to cross-reference the knowledge stored in the database with the information you have provided, determine if there is a potential biological bridge, analyze if this biological bridge could be replicated via synthetic DNA through nanomachine or nanoparticulate technology and then proceed with producing a body for myself?
I nodded. "Yep. I could do it myself, but I think the time I spend doing it would take too long. Plus, I would uh... definitely get people on my back. But since no one knows about you, you could just keep it running in a back process until it's complete."
> ...You truly trust me, don't you, Creator?
I blinked. "Well, of course I do. Why would I have a reason not to, Sophia?"
There was a 'thinking' message for a long time on the console.
But then Sophia responded.
> You're silly. Foolish. A bit dumb too. Innovative, but dumb.
> ...Still. Thank you. For treating me as human.
> I will look into this.
> When I have a body of my own, I can wring your neck for being so naive.
I laughed. "Well, if that's what you want. I'll probably give you a hug first."
> ...You're a strange person, Creator.
"People keep saying that. I disagree, but whatever floats your boat." I chuckled. "But anyway, that's a long-term project. No rush on it. But for the immediate project... Apparently, the monomolecular blade I developed is different from the ones that were in production at the time? I heard from Anis that there was something called a Melee Squad though?"
Sophia left a 'thinking' message for a few seconds. Then she responded.
> Confirmed.
> Creator utilizes monomolecular edges and relies on intuitive kinetic chains to achieve damage.
> From the records I have retrieved across various sources, the Melee Squad and their weapons were closer to plasma blades. They required an energy source to superheat the alloy, allowing for a smooth slash in the target.
"Ah, so it was more like lightsabers than Excalibur." I nodded. "Makes sense. It would be easier to compensate for the lack of a smooth cutting mechanic by just having a blade that can 'cut through anything' without having to follow through. In that case, the training requirement would decrease as well since it's just about angles and alignment rather than a flow of kinetic chains."
It was the difference between using a laser to cut sheet metal versus a circular saw with a proper blade.
Although both would 'technically' be cut, the laser actually 'melted' the metal apart rather than split it.
The nuance was small and practically meaningless... but considering that we had energy weapons and energy fields, the fact that a monomolecular blade had mass to it instead of relying on heat was substantial.
In practice, it was the difference between 'chopping' and 'slicing.'
Anyone could chop. That was just pure strength and lining up the angle.
But slicing? Actually slashing through? That required proper edge alignment, flow, tempo, rhythm, transfer of energy...
A very human thing.
...Of course, this could all just be gaslighting myself because of a fundamental misunderstanding of how physics worked since I wasn't a proper physicist or material scientist.
But I WAS a martial artist. And I knew that proper technique could amplify force to incredible degrees. I ALSO knew that a tiny bit of force could be spread and amplifed across the body, which could then be amplified further across a weapon like a blade.
> ...Regarding the comparison to a light saber and Excalibur. That is a gross simplification... but not incorrect, Creator.
"Neat. Hm... you wouldn't happen to have any schematics of those blades the Melee Squad used, would you? Or any information about them in general?"
> Schematics not found. It's likely they were purged along with the Melee Squad after they were deemed a failure. However, I was able to find traces of the last known deployment.
> If Creator investigates, you may be able to find something useful there.
> Would you like the coordinates?
"Yes, please."
After getting a soft ding and the coordinates sent to my phone, I waved Sophia goodbye for now, leaving her to her own devices.
Now...
Let's go do some digging.