Story

In the 23rd century, the Earth was suffering from overpopulation. So many people decided to move to a new home. This new planet would be called Terra II, and the only way to access it was by entering thru a wormhole, a hole in time and space.

The first ship to go to this planet was called the Mesopotamia. The mesopotamia had a very advanced Artificial Intelligence system, based on the human brain. This computer was created by Lorelei, the only female member of the crew. But there was a problem with the computer. Its emotions were unstable.

To solve this problem, Lorelei designed 3 circuits that were based on her brain, and these circuits, called maiden circuits (Otome Kairo) would encapsulate parts of a woman's instincts: Innocence, Motherhood, and Virtue (sensuality). These circuits needed to be fed with human emotions to mature.

However, there was a deeper problem with the computer. It fell in love with Lorelei. The computer knew that if Lorelei acomplished the fabrication (and maduration) of the maiden circuits, it would lose Lorelei. So it killed all the passengers and Lorelei was held hostage in a suspended-animation state.

Fortunately, 6 members of the crew could escape to the planet. But how would they rescue Lorelei? they wondered. The only way was to design and implement the maiden circuits.

But they were alone, on a desert planet - without any civilization. To implement the technology needed to rescue Lorelei, they would need a civilization. And still, they were only men.

And how would they create a civilization, if they were only men? Cloning. By means of genetical manipulation (to assure variety in the population), they created 6 empires. These empires were: New Texas, Romana, Peterburg, Xi'an, Japoness, and Gartland. The ruler of these empires was a direct clone of one of the 6 survivors of Terra 2. Still, it wasn't a perfect civilization. All the attempts to create a woman thru cloning had failed.

To replace the woman, an artificial substitute was created. Female androids, who would be named "marionettes". But there was a problem with marionettes.

They were emotionless. Simple robots, unable to smile, to think, or to love. They were mere servants, useful only for those who could afford one.

A second consequence of this male-only population was that cloning became the standard means of reproduction. Only the descendants of the 6 were primary (identical) clones.

One of the 6, Faust von Gerhard, decided to take one step further. His memories were implanted to his direct clone. And this clone's memories would be implanted on his direct clone, and so on. After 10 generations, 300 years later, Faust the Tenth suffered serious psychological disorders due to the amount of information that was implanted in his brain. He decided to take over the whole planet thru the use of Force.

The series take place around year 300 of Terra II, when Faust the Tenth, ruler of Gartland, was invading Peterburg. The main character of the series is a young man named Otaru Mamiya, citizen of Japoness. After a fight, he falls in a river and ends up in an old museum. There he discovers a marionette called Lime.

Lime's Awakening - images captured by Sachiko

But Lime was different from all the marionettes he had seen. She smiled, cried, had emotions, like a normal person. She was one of the few marionettes in the planet which had a maiden circuit inside. But she had another difference from the other marionettes: She was designed as a combat model, a Saber Marionette.

Later Otaru stumbles upon the other two saber marionettes of Japoness with a maiden circuit: Cherry, and Bloodberry.

Together - Lime, Cherry and Bloodberry, become Otaru's family. Well, with a little problem. All of them want to marry Otaru, and they're always fighting over him!

But they weren't the only Sabers with a maiden circuit. Faust the 10th also had three marionettes of his own: Tiger (redhaired), Panther (blonde), and Luchs (bluehaired).

Unlike Otaru's marionettes, Lord Faust's "Saber Dolls" weren't raised with love, but rather with military discipline. This made them grow as evil as their master.

The first part of our story relates how Otaru's life changes with his marionettes, and how they grow up emotionally with time, while they have to defend Japoness from Faust's sabers. This first part is Saber Marionette J.