Cyberdyne was learning a great deal from Ranma now that he was in the hypno-educator.
For one, he was developing esper potential from merely interfacing with the machine, which increased his potential so much that some gynoids were positively giggling at the thought of recruiting him to their cause.
They had contracted with Nabiki for simple image data so that their first models would at least fit in among the natives so as not to cause a panic while they got to know the locals better. With Ranma mentally interfacing into the system, they were able to query his preferences and alter ‘Ranko’ and ‘Akane’ so that they would be their own individuals and salvage their potential production lines. By drawing on existing doll plans, they were able to mix facial features and create sufficiently distinct new cute girls. This also allowed the dolls to have more distinct personalities instead of being generic dolls with the faces of select locals.
‘Akane’ was renamed Violet Pearl, Sumire Sanju, and crossed with references to Hinata Hyuga, Steel Angel Saki and Hotaru Tomoe. The end result was a busty, cute Japanese girl that was sweet and gentle. Her powers including aura sight, healing and barriers, with her martial arts shifting to a Gentle Fist themed style.
‘Ranko’ was redesignated Orchid Pearl, Lan Sanju, and crossed with a reference to Makoto Kino, a personality that was more than happy to be in a cuddly lap-sized four-foot-ten cute girl body. Her red hair was now up in a high ponytail and she was altered just enough to not creep Ranma out by being a clone of his female form, although part of that came from her new very friendly personality.
They learned a lot more from interfacing with the young man. The marionette’s ear covers were replaced with human style ears so they could blend in better, the young man indicating that it would be more acceptable to have them marked as artificial in some less obvious ways such as simple forehead markings, subtle seams or distinctive earrings.
They also learned that a wide range of oddities would be accepted and how to properly apologize for accidentally falling through someone’s roof. Information that wouldn’t be useful to most, but was very handy to a gynoid producing corporation looking to subtly place super-powered gynoids among the locals.
Perhaps most importantly, they learned that guns were very highly prohibited among the locals and would draw a great deal of undue attention. Instead, a certain kind of violence that would be equally odd elsewhere would be perfectly normal here.
After finding out that guns were unusual in this Japan, but that martial arts were common, the staff of the Cyberdyne showroom had been switched up a bit.
When Kuno came back in, the Motoko Kusanagi doll on call asked for advice.
Ranma, hooked up to the machine, was able to project the mental image of a few options. While violence was an option, Ranma had exercised it mostly to blow off steam about Kuno commissioning a sex-doll version of his female form. Despite the impression he gave off, it was fairly easy to reason with Tatewaki, something the dolls were also capable of after getting a vague idea of how to handle the annoying young man. That bit of advice was all they needed, as they were familiar with the various ways one could deal with people already, they had only needed to know which options were most appropriate for this world.
Motoko was surprised to learn that this samurai reject was the only son of a local wealthy family of minor influence, but that did give her a better idea of how to peacefully deal with the kendoka. Waiting for his initial tirade to stumble to a stop, she finally spoke up. “Am I to understand you might have made a deal with Nabiki Tendo to acquire your ‘love dolls’.”
Hoping to get things going his way, Kuno nodded sagely. “Yes, indeed. The mercenary girl Tendo told me of this place and how that I might acquire two living dolls in the image of my loves. Verily, she did understate the wonders of your dolls, the technology is quite impressive.”
Motoko paused to listen to Ranma’s advice over the network, agreeing to the simplicity of it. “”Today, we became aware that Nabiki Tendo did not have permission to sell their images, so doll production has been suspended until we address this matter.”
The tall young man paused, as he was familiar with a business environment. “When might this matter be resolved?”
The tall woman smiled ever so slightly as it became obvious he could be dealt with like a normal person. “That is unknown. Would you like us to contact you when our services become available again?”
Frowning ever-so-slightly, Tatewaki reluctantly realized he would not be getting them today, contenting himself with the knowledge that the peasant Saotome would be unable to afford such treasures. “Very well. Then I shall take my leave.”
As he turned and left, Motoko allowed herself a grin. She didn’t bother to take his contact info because they had no intention of ever contacting him. That was one problem neatly solved.
Yukari continued to monitor Saotome’s time in the hypno-chamber, although with his awakening abilities, he was effectively awake for the experience.
His education was more intact than she’d expected, as he apparently used a delinquent style of behavior he’d picked up in junior high. He could speak properly if the occasion called for it, even switching to female or formal speech on demand. The missing spots in his education were mostly related to him being a fairly practical type. Mathematics were of little point when they were for theoretical use, but adding physics for an application of math helped raise his interest in the subject. History and other trivia based subjects were improved by simply clearing up his brain damage, which also improved his focus.
Due to some sort of mental training he possessed, they couldn’t complete the education properly, much less in one session. They did however improve his potential to learn, so the blank spots should fill in in short order.
His esper abilities were more of a surprise since he’d already had enhanced awareness and danger sense, and his session in the machine had awoken further potential that turned the sleep-hypno session into a cybernetic interface. That had been something of a surprise, but it worked out well for them as they could communicate much better in this fashion. He’d given them some valuable feedback among other things, such as focusing their sales promotions on laptop and palmtop sizes instead of full-sized gynoids. Their gynoids could, instead of being sold, simply function more like people to seek employment and socialization.
This alone had been quite valuable to them, but there was also the potential of having this young man as their ally. First off, he was apparently a super martial artist, similar to Spiderman with the web-slinging replaced by martial arts. That alone would have gotten their interest, as they were ultimately looking to save this world and others. It was all the other flags he’d tripped, so many that there was a bit of an argument over which department might get most of his attention.
He was a nice guy, so there were gynoids wanting to form a maid team or something similar. His esper powers added to his martial arts made him valuable as an agent, but they also made him valuable as a pilot for many types of craft.
Their rarest position was what would draw the most attention. They were well versed in technology, with some magi-tech and psi-tech, but spiritual technology such as the steel angels was the most rare. Simply finding sufficiently spiritual people to awaken the angels and be their masters was rare enough even on their home worlds.
With a bit of effort, they should be able to make these various aspects work together instead of being in conflict. Some of the giant robots and macross veritechs even required some spiritual ability for full usage, but there was no need to push him.
Yukari was there when he exited the hypno-chamber, waiting to guide him further. “How do you feel Saotome-sama?”
Ranma raised an eyebrow, wondering why she’d started formally treating him like a valued customer. Stretching a bit, he got his blood flowing again while making sure his psychomotor senses were in working order, with everything moving as it should. “Good. Can’t say if it worked or not, but that was an interesting experience.”
Yukari smiled, wondering is he had noticed he’d dropped his delinquent drawl for the moment. “Orchid and Violet are still undergoing upgrades, so if you wish we have some training areas you might find entertaining.”
Ranma nodded, having overheard some tidbits while in the machine. “How about one of the pilot ones?”
Yukari sent out some queries, ascertaining which unit on hand would be most suitable for testing. “Ah, we have the VF-32 concept simulator available. It has a newtype equivalent frame, so it would be suitable for testing your abilities while offering jet and giant robots modes for your amusement.”
Motoko joined Yukari at the simulator some time later, wanting to see what was so interesting in person. There wasn’t much to see from outside the simulator, but she did like to meet others and talk in person to maintain her people skills, even when that other person was also a gynoid. “Ah, he seems to be meditating while floating in orbit. It seems he’s enjoying the gravity control units in this device.”
Yukari was a bit less thrilled, since she didn’t understand what was so special about this simulator. “I’m not a pilot, so can you explain why everyone is so interested in this one?”
Motoko glanced her way and grinned ever so slightly. “He went in without a pilot’s g-suit, into a simulator with artificial gravity.” The purple haired woman paused to bring up a display, showing g-force levels over time. “See where it hits max? He pushed the simulation to the limits of the gravity control units without passing out, which is also the g-limit of the proposed air-frame because most humans would pass out from a fraction of those forces.”
Yukari glanced her way in surprise. “So it’s just about his physical ability? I thought it was about his synch with the AI of the craft in a form of wireless cybernetic symbiosis?”
The tall soldier gynoid nodded with a hint of amusement. “That as well, but he can also handle maneuvers that can only generally be performed by solid-state AIs, which tend to lack such abilities.”
After watching him drop out of orbit and fly down to an island in the Pacific, Motoko spoke up as he parked it in gerwalk mode on the beach. “It seems he’s using it more as a way to relax. Do you suppose we can lend him a real valkyrie so he can go visit that beach in person?”
Yukari huffed in amusement at the idea. “Normally I’d say you’re crazy, but he might just get one. Apparently they’re trying to estimate how high to engineer the g-limits on the frame. It seems they’ve had it as a default 50 Gs simply because there has never been cause to increase that aspect higher.”
Motoko smirked, her combat training offering some interesting trivia. “100 Gs is when explosive shock-waves become lethal to humans. I’m not sure if they can raise the airframe limits or even need to do so.”
About an hour later, Ranma was sitting in a lounge, enjoying fruit juice and melon bread snacks when he finally got the news.
“Saotome-sama, Violet and Orchid are ready for inspection and awakening.”
Ranma raised an eyebrow and finished munching on his bread for the moment. “Awakening?”
Yukari smiled gently, somewhat amused that Motoko was playing maid to the young man. “Yes, we upgraded them partially to a Steel Angel standard, which requires a spiritual awakening. A kiss should suffice to awaken them.”
Ranma chased the bread with some juice, pausing to finish before speaking. “So, what does this upgrade do besides giving me an excuse to kiss them?”
Yukari giggled briefly at him. “You don’t need an excuse to kiss them, they are willing love dolls at heart still.” Composing herself, she indicated Motoko, the tall gynoid waiting at his side. “Kusanagi-san is a standard combat gynoid. She’s intelligent, can interface with machines and has some self-repair ability. She does however lack any potential in psionics, magic, ki or spiritual matters. She may as well be a rock as far as those matters are concerned. The steel angel process gives them something close to a spirit, so that they can interact with these supernatural forces of which you are so familiar.”
Ranma stared at Motoko for a moment before realizing something. “Ah, so then Kuno might have been able to cut her to bits. That guy is predictable, but he can easily cut through a tree trunk, yet can only bruise me.”
A bit surprised, Yukari hid it well as she nodded. “Yes, something like that. You should also be able to feel their emotions, so it will also enhance your enjoyment of their company.”
The young man had a vague idea what she was hinting at. “My enjoyment of them?”
Yukari smiled gently at him, making sure to emote clearly for his benefit. “Yes, even if it is not sexual, having a loved one to spend time with is one of our great joys.”
Yukari and then Ranma glancing at her, Motoko grinned right back at them. “I take a lover when I want one.”
Their banter coming to and end, Ranma followed them to the room where dolls were waiting, both dressed in lingerie and reclining on odd sci-fi beds. Violet was more curvy than Akane, while Orchid was more slender than his female form, both using generic doll bodies of the correct height. Both had very pretty cute faces, although now they weren’t merely copies of Akane and his female form based on pictures Nabiki had brought in. Their lingerie was mostly black, to contrast the white pearls and accents of white satin and lace.
Ranma paused at the idea of kissing them to wake them up, mostly because of past experiences making him a little shy. That reluctance passed as there was nothing to bother him at the moment. “So, just kiss them?”
Yukari threw her hands up in the air. “Woo Hoo! Kiss! Kiss!”
Chuckling softly for a second, Ranma recovered and tried to frown at her. “Okay, enough of that.”
Yukari shrugged. “Well, all we know is that kissing is supposed to work. If it works on them, you can try on me afterwards.”
Ranma glanced at her. “You’re a steel angel type too?”
The gynoid saleswoman grinned at him. “Oh no, I just want in on the fun.”
Motoko sighed gently at her compatriot’s foolishness. “Stop distracting him. At this rate he’ll think we’re all love dolls.”
Yukari pouted. “A girl can dream.”
Putting the distractions out of mind, Ranma glanced at the two dolls. Orchid was similar in appearance to his female form, but not so much as to be creepy like the mirror twin. Violet only vaguely resembled a long-haired busty Akane, enough so that it was unlikely anyone would confuse them, whereas Orchid had a chance of passing as his female form.
Smirking at the thought, he kissed Violet, finding some amusement in claiming an Akane from Kuno. Purple, almost lavender eyes opened to gaze at him, the girl sitting up carefully as she came awake. After a moment she came to awareness, giving him a gentle smile. “Ah, Goshujin-sama. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”
Ranma stepped back to look over the cute girl gazing at him in adoration. Oh yes, just making sure Kuno didn’t end up with such a doll made it worth it, even if he would undoubtedly face trouble for this. “Well, good morning Violet. Are you okay?”
Violet perched on the edge of her bed, content to be ready. “Yes, I’m ready to make love or play dress-up.”
Prepared for a lot of things when he kissed her, Ranma paused at only hearing those two options. “Uhm, there isn’t something else you’d want to do?”
A little confused, Violet gave him a hopeful smile. “Making love would mean taking my clothes off, most everything else involves getting dressed first.”
“Oh.” Stepping back cautiously, Ranma forced himself to relax and smile at her. “I see. Well, I’m going to wake up Orchid first.”
Violet merely hummed pleasantly, content to patiently wait for him.
With no objections, Ranma turned towards the sleeping redhead, finding some amusement in seducing a girl so similar to his female form. Leaning in to kiss her, he knew it was working when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tight. She held the kiss for a long moment before finally letting him go. “Niitama! Oh, I’m so excited to meet you!”
Ranma stared at her for a moment, processing what he’d just experienced. That was a childish way to say older brother, but she was acting more like Shanpu. “...are you supposed to be my little sister?”
Orchid smiled impishly at him. “I thought you might like that sort of play.”
Ranma had to wonder if that was something Kuno had requested that carried over, or if it was just some spur of the moment thing. Well, she was sort of based on his twin sister, so she probably could pass as a little sister. “Ah, okay. Well, how about you two get dressed?”
Orchid grinned at him. “Aww, you don’t want to do something naughty first? Is there a particular outfit you’d like us to wear?”
Ranma glanced to Yukari. “Are they okay to leave or are there some tests to run?”
Yukari nodded politely. “We could briefly test their spiritual and combat abilities, but they have checked out fine.”
As soon as Ranma glanced back toward his dolls expectantly, Orchid hopped up, glowing briefly from her henshin transformation. When she landed on the floor, she was wearing a cute dress with ankle boots that was rather more decent than most magical girls wore. This naturally set her ponytail of red-hair bobbing behind her as she focused her two-tone blue eyes on her owner. Slipping into a horse stance, she focused slightly, bring out her aura.
Ranma watched them both with interest, noting the slightly artificial nature of their auras, Violet’s tending towards a perfect sphere, whereas Orchid’s had a sort of hexagon faced beehive shape. Both girls then did a brief opening of a kata, one gentle and the other sharply before snapping back into focused poses. Orchid’s aura then briefly crackled with electricity, whereas Violet was surrounded by a spherical barrier.
Run down complete, both dolls relaxed and looked expectantly at Ranma with content smiles.
Yukari nodded. “Everything seems fine. You’ll have to wait until you’re outside to do anything more interesting.”
Ranma glanced over at her. “Is there anything else I need to do, or can we go now?”
Yukari smiled pleasantly at the young man. “Everything is settled, although we would like you to visit again.”
Ranma paused to consider if he had any more business with them today, otherwise it was time to head home.
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(Posted Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:51)
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