Chronicles of Sol: The Fall

Ruri stepped into the lab and saw Countryman seemingly frozen. Without batting an eye, she took the basic uniform she had collected and proceeded to dress BG-001. If it was anyone else, she might have been concerned, but she knew Countryman. It didn’t escape her notice that he was plugged in. A glance at the monitors showed cybernetic machine code streaming by so fast that she couldn’t even read it.

Once she had her prototype babysitter android dressed, she took to her console and used it to take a look at Countryman’s work. She blinked, the moment she saw how much code he had written. BG-001’s code had grown so large it wasn’t feasible to measure it in lines, there were too many. Her core programming had reached nearly two hundred terabytes of machine code. Code that was rapidly evolving before her eyes, she watched one section of code vanish, only to be replaced by a new set of lines an instant later. At the same moment, several other sections were added, and a third was rewritten. She knew Countryman could program quickly its why she wanted his help, but this was happening far faster than she expected. Seeing as he was still distracted with the programming, she took a moment to measure his speed and consequently BG-001’s. Then she compared it with previous records. It wasn’t the first time she had measured his speed and she noticed that it had increased. Previously he had capped at a time dilation of seven virtual years to one real-world minute, he was currently experiencing twelve.

Suddenly she heard BG-001 gasp and then Countryman shifted as he separated. Countryman smiled, “Welcome to the world Rose. How are you feeling?”

“All systems are nominal. Ready to perform the primary function.”

Ruri asked, “How long were you programming her?”

“I completed her base programming after the first minute and then transitioned to a virtual training simulation. Her code base is based on my own, and is designed to evolve. Once the core programming was done, the best way to train her was with extensive one-on-one training. From now on, Rose is going to need exposure to the real world to further develop.”

Rose interjected, “I would like to see the Enterprise and start performing my duties.”

Ruri agreed. Rose did need to start babysitting to see how well she would do. If she did well, they would be able to build more units and Rose’s code could be copied and used as the basis for new units. She imagined dozens of girls just like Rose helping to raise the next generation. Hmm, maybe not identical though. It would be nice if Rose was unique among her sisters. It wouldn’t be that hard to make more like her, she’d based her skin on a soft yet resilient polymer that was fairly easy to make and quite new. Its creation was recent as people were looking for alternate materials to make clothing from. It hadn’t taken much work on her part to work it into a substitute for skin. Her frame was built mainly from Titan alloy and her internals were quite special. Her head contained an array of computational and sensory devices, while her main core was located in the torso, right next to her primary power cell which would supply power for about a hundred and twenty hours before failing. A micro-reactor might have been better, but the cell would do. Rose had a charging port that would allow her to charge while on standby. Any regular bed could be outfitted with a wireless charging port to connect with Rose’s port and supply power.

Not needing to worry about things like combat endurance had allowed her to simplify the design. Rose or BG-001 didn’t have weaponry, armor, or any form of protection. As she didn’t need it. One of the features she was most proud of was the nanite network she had installed inside Rose. It used a nano-rich gel and distribution system to maintain the body, the gel would require supplements of key compounds, replacement of contaminated water, and replacement lube for her joints. The reason for needing new water was that the gel was water-based, but it also degraded over time. New water and compounds would allow her body to replenish the gel and the old gel would break down into contaminated water which would need to be flushed out. Overall the feature would make it cheaper to maintain the young Android. By her estimates, Rose would only need a real maintenance check once every fifty years.

More importantly, she had put a lot of effort into the girl’s appearance. She was a social machine, intended to be a caretaker for the young. People needed to be able to trust her, so she needed to be cute and human-like. Ruri had researched babysitters and caretakers extensively to arrive at what she felt was the perfect look and now that she was coming to life, she felt she was right. She just hoped everyone liked her, but she felt Jac did. He even gave her a name. Ruri just couldn’t wait to see how she would do in an environment filled with children. She followed Countryman as he led Rose to her first real encounter with kids.

The pair stepped into a room on one of the lower decks, away from the labs and closer to the civilian quarters. It was rather lively as an older woman stood at the head of the room which was filled with young children. Young boys and girls that had been rescued by the Enterprise back at Luna. It seemed they had adapted well to life on the Enterprise which painted a good picture for the future of the ship.

Countryman smiled, as the woman noticed him. “Captain!? I wasn’t expecting you,” she glanced at Rose, “is that a new student for me?”

“Sort of, Samantha, I would like you to meet Rose. Ruri built her and she needs some exposure.”

Samantha Greyman smiled and welcomed the young girl up. “Rose is it?”

“Um, yes ma’am that’s my designation.”

Samantha giggled, “No need to be so stiff.”

Countryman walked up and more quietly explained, “She is meant to be a babysitter, but her program is still young and designed to evolve.”

“I see, so you want me to teach her.”

“Incorporate her into your classes and expose her to kids.”

“Alright, I’ll keep you apprised of her progress.”

Ruri, who was nearby, interjected, “I would like to hear those as well.”

Samantha turned to Rose, “Welcome to my class,” she pulled out some papers, “How about you join me as my assistant?”

Rose tilted her head, “Hmm?”

“My job is to teach these kids, which also means watching them, making sure their needs are met and that they have fun. Helping me will help you do what you were built for. Sound good?”

Rose nodded and took the papers. Countryman and Ruri stuck around for a bit to watch as the machine girl’s first day of school began. Once they were satisfied that she was doing okay, Ruri led Countryman out of the room. A destination in mind, naturally that one was her quarters.

Ruri led Countryman into her quarters on deck five. They were for an officer and while smaller conformed to the same general layout as Countryman’s. Although they lacked the homely decorations found in his quarters. Unlike him she didn’t spend much time here and only kept a few personal decorations, such as an old photo of her and Countryman on the wall.

Closing the door behind her, she started to slip out of her clothes. Jac chuckled, “Oh?”

She gave him a look, “We have Rose now, so I felt now would be as good a time as any. Unless you have another objection?”

He said nothing in response, instead he swept her off her feet while she was still half dressed and planted a kiss upon her lips. She melted a bit as she felt him against her, his warmth and the movement of his tongue. She knew in that moment that it was finally happening as he helped her into the bedroom, their clothes soon leaving a trail to the door. She knew that Rose would do well, she just needed time and it would be a few months anyway before she gave birth. Assuming she conceived today that was. It might take a few tries.

Then she felt the soft sheets on her bare back, and spread her legs a little. She was already a little wet, but Countryman didn’t just go for the prize. “No, I don’t. I’d love to meet our future daughter or son as the case maybe.”

She scoffed, she knew Countryman had already decided and there was little chance it would be a boy. Ruri recalled the many conversations where he had told her about the daughter he dreamed of and felt a flutter at that thought she would be the one to give him the daughter he wanted. Then his fingers found her breasts, his touch was gentle and slow at first. As he began to gently tease her. She leaned into the touches as she pushed her thoughts aside and started to reciprocate.

Meanwhile, Rose had joined the class at recess. They had left the classroom and traveled a few doors down to one of the ship’s recreational gardens. It was a gorgeous place with numerous trees, well tended flower beds, walk paths, benches and even places for kids to play. Rose felt those last items had been added later, as they didn’t mesh as well with the rest of the garden, but they still looked nice.

The younger kids had all rushed to the play equipment but she hadn’t yet joined them. Mrs Greyman had settled on a bench to watch them, while Rose was more interested in exploring. It was all rather new to her, and she wanted to learn. Not just about kids, but also people. She knew she was still young and while Countryman had taught her many things he had told her she still had much to learn.

She crouched near a flower bed, there was something about that she knew made it beautiful. It made her wonder a bit about the abstract nature of what made something aesthetically pleasing, but her racing mind couldn’t provide an answer. Not a satisfying one, maybe she should ask someone? Before she could think more on the subject, a boy’s voice spoke up, “I like the red ones myself.”

She blinked and looked over at the boy. Her database suggested he was about eight years old. He smiled, a lopsided grin, “and pointed at the flowers. See aren’t they lovely?”

“They are pleasing to the eye,” responded Rose.

He crouched next to one and proceeded to pluck it, presenting it to her, “See isn’t it pretty! Just be careful of the thorns.”

She took it not sure why he just did that. “Um, it’s nice,” she replied as she stared at it.

He giggled and then took it back from her before reaching for her head. She lowered herself a bit and he added it to her hair. As he stepped back, he smiled, “Perfect, you’re so cute now!”

Her mind blinked, now more confused about him. He ran off and then she blankly watched him go, not sure what had happened.