Глава 15

Closure, I have the right to refuse the data module inspections and upgrades you're proposing.

I will not be treated like THRM-EX and Lancet-2. You know very well that I am different from my 'colleagues'.

Haha. Relax. I'm not trying to trick you into a module upgrade this time.

Then please restore the power supply to my mobility module. Restricting a respected scholar's personal freedom is really unbecoming behavior.

Take a look at the expression doodle on my faceplate. It indicates how I feel.

'Angry'.

This won't take too much time. Justice Knight is already lined up waiting at the entrance.

Mr. Friston, I guarantee this maintenance will be quick.

Alright. There we are.

You've blocked me from accessing PRTS data?

Blocked you? No. I just disconnected you from PRTS. To be more precise, I physically removed your reception module.

(It looks like that went well enough. I thought there would be some irreparable failures.)

You just did that, without any sort of planning?!

Haha. Well, how do you feel now, Mr. Friston?

I recorded the entire experiment. You violated protocol, and I'll be discussing your negligence with Kal'tsit shortly.

Not to mention your reckless disregard for my life. She'll hear about that too.

Mr. Friston, please do one more self-check and to be certain you're not getting any transmissions from PRTS.

You should just be thankful nothing went wrong. I checked, and I indeed cannot connect to PRTS any longer.

Ugh... it's like I have blurred vision. It's a very subtle feeling, and I don't like it one bit.

Perfect!

Now we can talk, Mr. Friston.

If I wanted to disconnect all the retrofitted operation platforms from PRTS, would there be a safer way to do that?

I refuse to speculate about such dangerous work. That would be no different than killing all of my precious 'colleagues'.

What if... we had no other choice?

Please tell me what might cause you to draw such a conclusion.

Have you discovered something?

Closure, can you determine the root cause of the last few PRTS operation errors?

The logs show that most of the errors were caused by human error, operational mistakes made by team members.

This again?

Either way, backup systems are being deployed as quickly as possible.

The framework for independent terminal command system has been upgraded as per Kal'tsit's suggestions. I've named it ZOOT.

Temporary admin permissions have been given to the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and Amiya.

And me, of course. A lot of the ideas I had when I first designed this system feel a bit outdated now.

I really want to scrap it and start over, but Kal'tsit shot down that application!

We don't have much time left.

Can we seamlessly switch to the new terminal command system?

I... I'm still working on that.

We still have no way to replace PRTS's current role in Rhodes Island's daily operations. Much of our medical data and resource allocation calculations still rely on PRTS.

But the biggest issue I'm facing is how to construct a data center and energy hub reliable enough to support the new command system.

Nothing comes close to what PRTS can do here—even while handling the massive, high-precision computations Rhodes Island requires, it still has power to spare.

Unfortunately, I still can't make sense of PRTS's underlying logic… Even ZOOT, which completely mimics its design, keeps throwing errors in weird places you wouldn't think of.

What if we used Amnannam?

Closure, I reviewed the comments you added to my report, and the theories you outlined in response.

According to the Kazdel office's logs and experimental results, there is—at least in theory—a possibility that Amnannam could function as a data center and energy hub.

But...

That is also extremely risky.;We still aren't totally familiar with Amnannam.

But it's not like we haven't learned anything from all this.

At least we verified that there's a possibility of using Amnannam for super-long-range communications and data transfers.

Even though she'd been informed in advance, Wiš'adel was still freaked out when your 'greeting' showed up out of nowhere.

And the operators who went to assist Kazdel, have they settled in alright?

Everyone was surprised when they first got there. They assumed the city would be in... worse shape.

They found their footing quickly, and when the time came for Midnight and me to head back, it was hard to say goodbye to the new friends he'd made.

Doctor, do we really have to keep sending people out to the various branch offices?

I've never seen the ship as deserted as it is now.

We've come to a mutual understanding, Closure.

We're sending more personnel to the regional offices partly to reduce the number of people at risk in the event of an accident aboard the ship, and partly to ensure those offices can respond more effectively when needed.

I know that, of course. I'm just not used to having to say goodbye to friends all of a sudden.

I don't know when it started, but my schedule is packed with farewell dinners now.

Once the risks aboard the ship are cleared, it'll be up to you to decide when the operators return.

If everyone is here, then we'll start the meeting.

Also, don't forget to delete the voice recordings and data logs from today—wipe them from PRTS.

From here on out, every decision we make will shape the future of Rhodes Island.

We've reached a consensus: if we want to guarantee the safety of Rhodes Island's people and assets, there are certain decisions we can't avoid any longer.

Simplify the ship's structure.

Yes. We need to segregate Rhodes Island's important resources and help the personnel stationed on the ship settle in.

This will help ease the concerns of those stationed on the ship while also improving everyone's response time in the event of an emergency.

Uh, but I still have some questions, Kal'tsit.

This means we'll have to dismantle the vast majority of the ship's structure.

Dr. Kal'tsit, did you accelerate Rhodes Island's defense planning only because of PRTS's recent irregularities?

The recent irregularities have made one thing clear—

PRTS is slowly spiraling out of control.

And as time goes on, this will only accelerate.

However, PRTS is only Rhodes Island's terminal control system.

If it's no longer in our control, then who is it taking orders from?

You're worried about internal threats?

Amiya, that possibility has always existed.

...I trust you, Dr. Kal'tsit.

Phew. What a headache. What do you think, Doctor?

I trust Kal'tsit's judgment.

She and I have already rehearsed hundreds of contingency plans.

Okay. Then what can I do, Kal'tsit?

You've already played a big role in the ship's reconstruction.

The mechanical structures connecting the different core areas have been almost completely replaced with cyclic hydrocarbon prefabricated materials over the past five years, which can support a certain degree of modular disassembly.

A certain degree?

The power systems on the lower deck and the uppermost deck cannot be separated for now.

When Rhodes Island was first excavated, the limitations of available technology and other constraints prevented us from restoring it to its ideal condition.

It wasn't until seven years ago, when Closure and I drafted the blueprints for the restoration, that we discovered it would be very hard to modify Rhodes Island's structure. I'm pleasantly surprised that we've managed to do as much as we did.

The Catastrophe warning system and the medical center are particularly crucial modules. Both involve technologies that are not yet ready to be disclosed and are also the hardest to deploy.

Columbia?;Ægir?;Londinium?

We have a close working relationship with Rhine Lab. Appointing them to take care of the warning system and medical center was an obvious choice.

But Mark Max has long maintained a high level of interest in Rhodes Island, and I can't predict how the President of Columbia will view the collaboration between our two companies.

In addition, the situation in Trimounts is still complicated; I am afraid that Rhine Lab might not be able to shield itself from the fallout.

I have an idea...

It's risky, but well warranted.

Leveraging Clementia's and Gladiia's private channels, we won't even have to establish contact with the Ægir authorities. I can ensure this matter is handled discreetly and properly.

We might even be able to conduct technology transfers. I reckon that would make Warfarin happy.

That is the path I believe we should take, Doctor.

The Londinium Parliament's reconstruction work these past two years has been difficult, but the results have been surprisingly impressive.

Not only have they cleared most of the Originium crystal clusters from their route, they've also managed to stabilize the city's supply of medicine and other resources.

Londinium can now indeed provide a secure operating environment for the medical center, and we'll also be able to obtain a large amount of firsthand case data.