Episode 3: The Hungry Commander

After a diagnosis in the medical pod, the results were clear: her health was stable. Her organs were similar to a human’s, so she could eat regular human food without any allergies or complications.

“Good thing there’s a supply of nutrient supplements…”

Relieved, she started administering the nutrient IV stored in the pod. The supply was plentiful and would last a while, so starvation wasn’t an immediate concern.

“Still, it doesn’t do much to stop the hunger…”

Now that she thought about it, she could feel her stomach rumbling. With a sigh, she got up from the pod, noting that her tail wasn’t in the way even while lying down. Somehow, her bone structure had been perfectly adjusted to accommodate it.

“Ringo, any updates?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Answer: Currently activating fortress facilities in sequence. Drone surveillance of the area has begun. No landmasses are visible within sight from the fortress’s observation deck. Aerial reconnaissance will proceed once high-altitude drones are ready. In the surrounding reef, seaweed and fish shadows have been detected; we will begin collection and analysis shortly. Operational bots are in startup.”

“Thank you, Ringo. Sounds good. I’ll keep exploring the residential area…”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Leave The Tree’s management to me.”

"Got it. I’m counting on you, Ringo."

For now, her main role seemed to be assigning tasks to Ringo, who was still struggling with apparent emotional instability. It was as if Ringo was experiencing something like amnesia—having gained emotional complexity with the brain unit, the AI’s feelings seemed almost out of control. In the real world, she’d expect Ringo to receive professional care, but since she was the only one here, she had to manage Ringo’s well-being herself.

(Although… I wouldn’t mind some care myself…)

Not that she had the luxury. If Ringo spiraled out of control, it could be catastrophic, and if it shut down mentally, her survival was at stake. She wasn’t confident she could survive on her own in such an empty place.

(Maybe I should have tried some survival games…)

She regretted sticking only to real-time strategy games, but who could have predicted this? She hoped Ringo’s library contained some survival knowledge she could look up.

As she walked down the brightly lit corridor, she noticed how pristine everything was, not a speck of dust in sight.

(It’s like this place was built just moments ago… No, that’s probably the case. Somehow, The Tree, Ringo, and likely myself all appeared here only moments ago. So yes, everything here is… brand new.)

This realization sent a chill down her spine. If everything around her had appeared from nowhere, there was a possibility it could just as easily vanish.

(…No. If I break down here, what will happen to Ringo? I need to stay strong…!)

She shook her head to dispel the fear, gathering her resolve. She couldn’t afford to worry about the unknown. First things first: she needed a secure place to sleep. Living in the command room didn’t feel right—work and rest spaces should be separate. She opened the door to one of the nearby residential rooms.

With a soft click, the lock released, and the door slid open.

“…Empty?”

Stepping inside, she sighed in disappointment. She had half-hoped for something useful, but unfortunately, her expectations were dashed. The room had nothing but a closet and a wall-mounted table, no bed or other furniture. It was too bare for her to stay there comfortably, and although the temperature was controlled, the lack of bedding made it unappealing.

“At this rate, all the rooms might be the same…”

She checked several doors, finding each room equally bare. Even the dining area, which she assumed would have something useful, held only tables—no chairs, no utensils. It seemed anything moveable wasn’t provided.

“Maybe there’s a kitchen?”

Following her voice command, the map appeared on the floating window. The kitchen was on a different floor, so she decided to take the elevator.

When she reached the elevator hall, the doors were already open. Ringo must have anticipated her movement, a sign that it indeed had control over the fortress systems.

“Floor 16.”

“Moving to floor 16. Doors closing.”

The elevator responded instantly, suggesting a simple AI operated it. She doubted Ringo would need to handle minor tasks like this, though it probably could if necessary.

The ride was silent, and soon she arrived. The layout appeared identical across floors, with only the large number 16 distinguishing this one. She followed the corridor and found the kitchen.

(Just as I thought… completely empty.)

The kitchen had counters, sinks, heating stations, and a large fridge—but not a single cooking tool. Even if she managed to get ingredients, cooking here would be difficult… although an automated cooking unit was installed, at least.

(Well, at least I could cook something if I find edible ingredients…)

Whether it could handle unfamiliar ingredients was another question. Familiar ingredients would be a relief, but she had yet to find any supplies.

After wandering around the floor a bit more, finding only more empty rooms, she felt a chill and decided to return to the command room. She made her way to the elevator and headed back up, remembering something she had yet to check—the bathroom. She also needed to locate a shower.

(…Ah, just as I thought. No toilet paper…)

A minor but important concern, she sighed, disappointed but unsurprised. Thankfully, there was a bidet function, so it wasn’t a total loss. Considering the lack of food, she wouldn’t need it often, for now.

(I wonder if I could manufacture essentials like this… A universal printer would be nice, but it would need material cartridges. I doubt there’s any stock of those here, so producing them from scratch sounds… exhausting.)

The shower room seemed usable, but predictably lacked soap and towels. Having a bed in the command room now felt like a blessing. She’d have to reuse the blanket there for now.

(Come to think of it, if there’s a hostile civilization nearby, we’d be in trouble… We might need to send out recon drones or a high-altitude plane. A strategy meeting later sounds like a good idea.)

With that, she returned to the command room to update Ringo. Technically, she could communicate with Ringo from anywhere, but her gaming habits led her back to the integrated console for issuing commands.