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The Nekovalkyrja Operating System is the proprietary, progressive software loaded onto a Nekovalkyrja body in order to give that body life. It is designed by Kessaku Electronic Systems, a subsidiary of Ketsurui Zaibatsu.
The Neko OS is a black box that has never been explained to its users, who consciously operate under it while simultaneously controlling it. Its use is innate to the end user.
Most of its theoretical functions and capabilities are either purposely encrypted and hidden, or buried behind an incalculable number of subroutines. Its syntax has never been listed and is not available to the public. The hardware that it operates on has never been publicly studied, and no information on it exists in the public sector.
Only the most generic information about how Nekovalkyrja are created is available, so it is unknown how the OS is created, stored and loaded.
Where the OS sits inside the Nekovalkyrja's body is unclear. NH-7 “Nekovalkyrja II” had multiple sections, with the first one relating to the “Primary Operating System,” or the soul of the weapon, but no physical locations for them beyond a vague statement about “multiple drives and factions.” The NH-17 "Nekovalkyrja V" had primary and secondary memory, but no indication where the OS would be.
It has been assumed that the OS resides inside the head somehow, possibly in the brain, based on kill data and the most detailed document available about the Nekovalkyrja, the NH-7 Technical Manual. While that is most sensible from a logistics standpoint, it is not clear.
The NH-7 Technical Manual does not describe the Neko OS or its hardware, besides suggesting it operates with organic neurons. It is unknown if this is still the case with the NH-29 "Nekovalkyrja VII" and NH-33 "Nekovalkyrja VIII" as they are designed to directly and intimately interact with PANTHEON computer units through the Somatic-Projection Interlinked Neural Ensemble.
The OS is presumably imperfect when viewed as an interface for controlling a weapon, according to the Technical Manual. Improper programming or use of the system can result in its malfunctioning, leading to the Nekovalkyrja developing psychological disorders.
No mechanism to address such malfunctions is mentioned in the Technical Manual.
Throughout the document, a “Tactical Operating System,” or TOS, is mentioned; it is the closest thing to an OS mentioned in the document. The Technical Manual does not detail the TOS, and furthermore suggests that the TOS could changed by the weapon's owner or by the two companies that made the Neko, PNUgen and WickedArms Industries — both now defunct.
Modifying the Neko, according to the Technical Manual, is not recommended. In the NH-7, anti-analysis systems prevented even a basic sub-epidermal inspection of the unit, stopping anyone from even learning where to begin modifying the body, let alone the internals or software.
Only one element of the Nekovalkyrja's mental components had a location spelled out: the Subconscious Tactical Computing Mind, accessed through a specific port on the Neko's body. The list of systems does not detail how that Mind is manipulated or where it is located.
The development of the Nekovalkyrja, especially as a power armor pilot, created a need for direct interaction with quantum computers. How this affected the OS is unknown, including what modifications the OS had made to it. It is clear the Neko OS is somehow capable of handling the data load.
Conjecture (links to 18+ forum) derived during the “Rewriter Virus” suggests the OS can be manipulated to be turned against the end user, likely by rewriting or overwriting parts of the basic code that regulates the nanomachine colony that is the key feature of the Ningyo Heiki series android/gynoid. How that is done — accessing the OS' base functions, deciphering its syntax, etc. — is unclear.
Basic AI theory suggests that eventually, given time and exposure, any AI can become self-aware to the point of independence from the original owner. The NH series' history see-saws back and forth before finally reaching the independence stage.
The NH-2 series, being prototypes, appear to have started life as self-aware constructs with imbued loyalties. This suggests an AI that is self-aware, but not truly independent. There only were the three prototypes — Yui, Yuumi and Eve — and records of their development, let alone their OS coding, are filled with gaps. What is for certain is that Eve at some point reached independence, either through her original programming as a war machine or through self-enlightenment.
The NH-7, being considered a semi-independent weapon instead of a lifeform, had a control system for the weapon's user to manually change the weapon — making independence theoretically impossible, as any inconsistencies with the user's desires could be overturned. Over time, NH-7 units were separated from constant monitoring of their OS, and independence eventually became possible and documented.
The OS' manipulation has become increasingly internal since the development of the NH-17, which can be considered the first time the weapon became an independent, sentient lifeform. Now, it is unknown just how self-awareness and independence come about in the mind of the Neko, especially in the NH-29 and -33 series. It is well-documented that they can form opinions that do not favor their “owners,” the Star Army and/or the Empire.
Why PNUgen, WickedArms and eventually Ketsurui Zaibatsu shifted to a “living, thinking weapon” instead of one more easily wielded by the owner is unknown, but two new technologies offer suggestions: the development of Soul Transfer technology from the Elysians, and the Mindy power armor.
Yamataian science dictates that Nekovalkyrja do not have souls. Even so, Soul Transfer technology is used to save their memories and personality.
The original Nekovalkyrja Operating System was developed by Ketsurui Uesu and Shinichiro Nobumoto. Because the Nekovalkyrja OS is a black box without a truly traceable history, and seems to receive minimal support from current creator Kessaku Electronics, it is theorized that the original notes on the OS are gone, possibly destroyed along with PNUgen.
The Technical Manual is the only text available that even relates to Neko history, but it provides no salient clues. It states that 20 years passed between the NH-2, the prototype series, to the NH-7 mass-production model. Changes were widespread, according to the manual, but without knowing what the NH-2 was like, the listed changes lack context.
