HQ Building

32 days after planetfall.

The HQ Building seemed to have a busy schedule early in the morning. An excited small robot wheeled through the long and desolate hallways on the 2nd floor while occasionally glancing at its back from time to time.

"Successor! You must hurry! I cannot wait to tour you in this grand HQ Building!"

Avina-2 flaps its hands sideways, clenching his claws.

'This robot… Doesn't it have a splitting image of Major Edwards?', Julian yawns, 'That fool always does this, the hurry-up part. In the major's case, I find that he can't wait to mess up our day for an entire year. I wonder how's that old guy doing.'

He follows the impatient Avina-2 into the elevator in interest, "So, Avina-2, where will you tour this successor of yours today?"

"Today is a special day! Avina-2 will drag the successor first to the Control Room!", it spoke as a matter of fact.

"What? Why there?" Julian staggers to his feet.

"Avina-2 always wanted to enter the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the HQ Building! But that bastard Secturus has always blocked my way!", Avina-2's voice turned cold, "This Avina-2 will see to it if he still wants to block me with the successor around!"

'Don't tell me all the AIs on this facility is like this…' Julian prayed it wasn't the case.

The elevator came to a halt on the 10th floor of the HQ Building. Julian steps out, greeted by several cameras and scanners verifying their identity.

"Identity verified. The successor has arrived." A low and bland voice notifies. His voice trails from the long and empty corridors of the tenth floor. "Please proceed to the Control Room. I, Secturus, have long anticipated the successor's visit."

Julian notices the sliding door at the edge of the hallway opening and shivers in place, feeling the coldness of air gushing out from it. 

Julian and Avina-2 curiously approach the mysterious room.

'Where are the cameras? Hidden behind the walls?' He glances around and didn't find anything out of place.

The greenish-white walls were clean of anything, not even a speck of dust nor doors installed.

"Avina-2, was this building recently cleaned?"

"Yes! Avina-2 has spent the last 31 days cleaning the HQ Building to perfection!", Avina-2 proudly remarked.

"31 days? Was that the time I crashed here?" Julian calculated the time.

"Correct! In 31 days, I have cleaned and mopped and dusted, and cleaned again every floor of the HQ Building from bottom to top!"

"But you said you couldn't access the last three floors?" Julian glances at the 3-meter-tall ceiling. 'Can this little body even reach such a height?!'

Avina-2's enthusiasm subsides, "Oh, Secturus has his ways! And that makes Avina-2 angry! I was programmed to handle the cleaning duties and I shall dutifully perform them in every way, but Secturus is an obstacle that inhibits me! Avina-2 is very angry!"

They arrive at the entrance and Avina-2 strides in with great confidence. "Secturus, Avina-2 is glad that you still have some sense left around!"

"Avina-2. The troublemaker." Secturus blandly responds. "Your visit is just a coincidence."

Julian ignores their bicker and investigates the dimly lit control room.

The large screens in the far front flickered constantly, showing lifelike videos and images of the Base Complex Facility and the surrounding trees, each with a different sentiment against it.

The semi-circled railings, the staircases, and the countless desks and chairs below.

Julian closes his eyes and reminisces. 

"Silence, Avina-2! The successor is here!", Secturus reminded, "Detecting nostalgia from the successor. The structure, does it reminisce a memory?"

"Yeah...", Julian blankly stared at the empty room. How could he dare forget?

Secturus did not bother to ask anymore.

Julian sighs, awakening from his stupor, "Secturus, tell me a thing about this room."

"Control Room, access most information about the facilities in the Base Complex Facility. Can also access and modify set configurations. All configurations have been optimized and applied but can be overridden. Big screens, plainly decorative. Lacking subordinates to handle such data. All necessary information can be accessed through the successor's VNI."

Julian opens up his VNI and quickly finds the menu access for the Control Room.

Security, Network, AI Cores, Radar, and Energy.

Each menu presented detailed information and reports in real time.

Security was associated with everything about turrets, firewalls, room access, authorization, and other stuff that Julian couldn't comprehend.

The Network presented information about the Economic Connectivity Network, or the E-CONN, a highly active network for transporting 'digitalized data' of materials in between buildings and storages in the Base Complex Facility.

Julian skips the AI Cores and Radar, afraid that he might find himself lost.

He proceeded to the Energy menu and found that the entire base was powered by an advanced cold fusion reactor core hidden underground, albeit heavily damaged.

This led to the diminishing production of 1 million energy units from several billions of energy units.

A diagram was presented, illustrating the damaged parts and the materials needed to repair them. Time was limited for him, however, as it was set to explode a decade from now on if left unrepaired.

The energy grid distribution displayed how the 1 million energy units were utilized. 

Half of it was utilized by the zoning barrier while the rest were unused or scattered around the rest of the buildings in the Base Complex Facility.

"Secturus, what's is this thing called 'Chamber'?" He found the term familiar after looking at the last disabled menu.

"Unable to disseminate. Secturus have no sufficient authority. The successor may consult Intellus for this one."

Julian remembered Avina telling him about someone named Intellus yesterday. "He's what? Our intelligence guy?"

Secturus affirmed, "Does the successor want to meet Intellus now?"

"Take me there, Secturus. And bring Avina-2 along."

His body turns weightless as it virtually transforms into bits of strings flowing through the network.

In the blink of an eye, he had traveled through endless space and reappeared in an extremely cold room with dozens of server racks filling the place from every corner.

'What-!', Julian shivered. This was even colder than going to Arctic planets plagued with winter all year round.

The sliding door behind him opens and he quickly runs out of fear from frostbite.

Avina-2 follows, contemplating on Julian's behavior. "Does the successor feel cold?", the stupid little robot asks.

"What do you think?!", Julian almost cursed out loud. Avina-2 scratches its round metal head in confusion.

"Oh, successor! Avina-2 has met Intellus once. He is brilliant and kind as well! He is better, way too better than that Secturus!", Avina-2 complained.

"Stop with the flatteries, Avina-2. Secturus and I are not so different from one another.", a calm voice replied, "Secturus is just doing his job like everyone else does."

Julian turned around and saw a humanoid bipedal robot standing before him. Its silver and seamless body frame was of adequate build. There were a couple of tubes inside its body seen from the outside overflowing with plasma. The human-like digital eyes on its face gazed at him with no change of expression.

"Secturus must not have accounted for the successor's organic body structure. And Avina-2's questions… are naïve. We AIs do not feel such senses, after all. Intellus hopes that the successor can forgive their ignorance."

"That doesn't matter.", Julian kept on rubbing his palms, "You must be Intellus. Secturus said you're some sort of a very intelligent AI?"

"Indeed, I am. And I have been longing to meet the successor as well.", Intellus bowed.

Julian did not expect that this robot's movements would be so smooth and non-rigid.

"I suggest that we should take a walk first to slightly increase the muscle activity in the successor's body. In hopes of thawing out the cold that has gathered in the successor's body, of course."

"Yeah, you could tell me about you accessing my memories first.", Julian takes the lead.

"I was planning to do that." Intellus walks to his side. "The successor's memories were accessed due to the integration protocol set by the Ancien Regime. Without it, we, AI constructs may have a hard time communicating with the successor through the Ancien Regime's language."

"Avina may have told the successor that I may know more but the Ancien Regime had their ways of not allowing us constructs to delve deeper into the successor's memories unless we were authorized to do so."

A wave of comfort descends to Julian after hearing Intellus's explanation, "Then what about this facility? The thing called 'Chambers'?"

"The Chambers are the 'advanced' facilities that the successor must search for to retrieve all the data that the Ancien Regime has intentionally fragmented."

Julian carefully pondered.  "I have to expand this base and build myself from scratch before I can find and reach these 'Chambers'?"

Intellus nods. "That is supposedly the Ancien Regime's arrangement."

"Well, what about other successors? You don't think there's nobody else but me?" 

"That could be a possibility." Intellus eyes flash. "But that is not our primary concern unless they are very hostile to us."

"Yeah, yeah. I know what the primary concern is. Rebuild the Ancien Regime and put it back to its glory." Julian interjects. "It is a very ridiculous idea. This ancient civilization fell before, and you expect someone like me to do all that myself?!"

"I fully acknowledge the successor's worry for safety and that you will have plans on your own. It may not be necessary to rebuild the Ancien Regime. It is, however, imperative to search for any information they may have hidden through those mysterious chambers scattered around the vast universe. That is the primary objective."

"I will only advise the successor on what to do.", Intellus bowed without hesitation, "If you want to conquer the Universe, then this subordinate will remain behind your call every time."

"Bah! I don't have such grand ambitions. I just want a place to be safe for me and some other people." Julian rolls his eyes. 'Conquer the universe?! Are you kidding me?! Even the powerful Luxes can't dominate the vast void. They're a Type IV civilization, a Type IV!'

Intellus stood up and continued following Julian, "Then that would make our primary objective more important. There is some research data left behind in the Base Complex Facilities' databases."

He stopped walking as his eyes flashed, "The data has been synchronized into your VNI. You may access the available research projects and direct me to analyze a particular research project. Or I will automatically do it on my own."

Several pieces of information were logged into his VNI. A research menu popped up, displaying a simplified research tree but incorporating several fields at once.

"The successor may be confused about the convolution of information coming from these research projects. I assure you that the Ancien Regime may have purposefully settled with this arrangement due to their high achievements in their technological and scientific breakthroughs."

"I recommend that the successor follow the Ancien Regime's arrangements, or you may change it into the complex web of research projects for maximum efficiency."

Julian immediately rejected Intellus' latter proposition.

After looking for a while, he noticed data inconsistencies. "Some researches are incomplete…?"

Intellus nodded, "Correct. The Ancien Regime has intentionally hidden the rest of the data to either prevent accidental full disclosure of their research technologies..."

"Or they simply want to test my competence.", Julian smirked and shook his head.

Intellus ignored his self-praise and continued, "I can forcefully deduce and simulate the missing parts, but that will take a long time. I will avoid this complicated process unless the successor wishes to proceed."

Julian's body tensed. Another set of non-existent tasks was plunged into his back, "Can't we utilize the existing technology of the other civilizations?"

Intellus's eyes distorted for a while before turning back to normal, "That is also feasible. If you manage to steal their technological blueprints, I can use it as a template or a side reference to the deduction process which may or may not be… applicable."

"I will still suggest that the successor locate those Chambers.", Intellus insisted, "They may hold records that contain not only research and technological blueprints but a glimpse of their history with the universe."

Julian sighed. There was no use in urging Intellus anyway and selected the first research project on his VNI.

Intellus's eyes flickered, "Initiating Medical Efficiency Upgrade I research. Estimated time of completion: plus or minus 15 days. If the successor can provide a set of medicinal herbs, I might be able to speed up the process."

"Do note that this research project is incomplete but this does not mean that the existing medical products cannot be enhanced. Should the successor obtain additional medical product blueprints, I will automatically incorporate any medical upgrades that have been researched."

"This protocol applies to any other incomplete research projects."

Julian was surprised about the additional info.

"Tell me, Intellus. What do you think I should do now? I have a task to mine, but I don't feel like doing it, and I don't want to fight against unknown animals either."

Julian thought things through earlier. He did not want to test the beasts, nor would he want to mine or gather resources by himself. He had little knowledge of this planet's environment and blindly charging in would end up catastrophically.

"Performing separate analysis.", Intellus spoke aloud, "It is optimal for the successor to integrate the changes of his physical body first. The medical lab's laboratory tank has reworked the foundation and structure of your physical body."

"The successor may have piloted the EC-101 without much difficulty, but there are still areas in your physical body extremity that require further improvement."

Julian was surprised, "You arranged for Avina to let me do all of that?!"

Intellus nodded, "My methods could have been seen as unnecessary. However, I needed additional data to have a detailed analysis of the successor's capabilities. I hope that the successor can forgive me of my rashness."

"That's… fine, I guess.", Julian felt annoyed about hearing that. Luckily, some 'body parts' remained almost the same. He was confident of his physical abilities and to think this AI dared to mock him indirectly, "Then is there any training room here?"

Intellus' eyes flashed, "There is. I shall take you there now."

A thought passed through Julian's mind, signaling Intellus to stop.

"But what about the mining?"

"We can delegate that order to Avina and her proliferated constructs.", Intellus responded, "But the constructs cannot be created for now as we cannot fabricate additional mecha suits due to the inoperability of the Engineering and Fabrication Building. Temporarily, only Avina can do the job itself."

"Hmm... The EC-101 can't take a beating. I should accompany Avina while she mines out.", Julian suggested, "I also want to take a look at the scenery while at it."

"Whatever the successor wishes to do.", Intellus obediently agreed, "The MD-101 will be prepared for your use."