Chapter 1 - Trash Planet

It's been a week since I crash landed on this trash planet. A trash planet it was indeed.

For the past seven days I'd been scavenging around, trying to survive. Eating anything I find, assimilating scrap into my cybernetic augmentations, trying to hack the goddamned system so it stops sending my location to the Empire's Super Artificial Intelligence, Möbius XRLT3.3.

DING!

[Notice: It is impossible to remove the system]

I knelt down after having spent hours trying to hack the system. At the rate of things, they would find me soon.

'The prince definitely won't kill me for his stupid reasons, but what he will do will definitely be way worse.'

I let out heavy breaths, sweat snaking down my face and neck.

<Fuel reserves low!>

<Restock on reserves immediately!>

The automatic voice resonated in my head. I was too weak to care about what it said. I stood up and looked to the sky. It was a cloud of smog and filth. Pollutants that were choking me and hindering my vision and other senses. It wreaked of metal and rained acid twice each day.

What made it even worse was the mountain piles of trash all around. I hadn't even found a single Scrap Collector on this place.

Then again, the AL 259 sector was one people barely went to. That space bus I was in just had a bunch of fugitives on it. They were all trying to get to a safer place until the slayers came looking for me. That man lied to me.

'Damn! There were kids on that bus. Tch.'

I continued moving forward. The way the thick clouds were gathering, it seemed the rains were about to begin. I needed to arrive at a sort of shelter immediately. I already "ate" the space shuttle I brought in earlier so I couldn't hide there.

'Cheap mechanics! I thought that metal would have lasted me for a month or so, but it was cheap cryine. Useless.'

Suddenly, the golden holographic screen of the system popped up.

DING!

[Note: Nemva Cruis Elisia El! You have been found guilty for the crime of treason against the Intergalactic Empire!

You are now a target for arrest, but permission has been granted for a Kill-on-sight. Your location shall be redirected to all soldiers and bounty hunters interested.

Your capturer shall be awarded 100 Clorian Credits

Your murderer shall be awarded 80 Clorian Credits]

"Wha-?!" I was confused by this new information. I couldn't believe what I saw. I had to read the contents once again, for this was too much.

"A bounty... for my death? S-seriously? I'm free? Ha... Hahahahaha! Freedom! It's been so damned long! I'm now the Empire's enemy! Ha!"

I lied on the ground, this great feeling of joy spread throughout my body like electric current or ingesting some good sandorite.

However, I couldn't rest now. Just when I made up my mind, I heard a loud hissing sound.

HISS!

I looked around, but I couldn't find the origin of this sound. Another screen appeared before me.

DING!

[Protocol Code 6905 has been activated]

[Fugitive Nemva Cruis Elisia El. For your crimes against the Intergalactic government, you have been determined a traitor and a threat]

[Spawning Punishment Zone]

'Punishment zone? What is that?'

Just as i was thinking that, a giant monstrous snake appeared before me. It's body was completely mechanical, whirring from time to time, with blade spines erecting from its back and giant red glowing eyes.

It let out its fork tongue which seems to be fleshy and normal.

I simply stared up at the snake and it did same to me. I hadn't seen such a creature before even though I had been on several missions to various places. Naturally at this rate I should have been made a Rank 6 soldier, I mean, the genius prodigy from my year was already a Rank 8 and the average soldier from my year Rank 3.

The appraisal function of the system booted up automatically.

[Species: Bio Vipera]

[Description: A dangerous cannibal from the Randular System, found on the Mechanic Planet Vulcanus. A species that thrives off of eating metals and fusing them with its body parts to make it stronger.

They generally have a strong desire to consume metals]

"Ah. Doesn't that make it like a natural enemy towards the average soldier?"

The Vipera brought it's head closer to me and puffed out a cloud of smoke. I coughed up a bit while I was blinded by it for a bit.

I heard the sound of gears clicking, then a bunch of metal clashing against one another, then the feeling of a huge vehicle ramming into me, sending me flying through a pike of scrap.

[Warning! Psionic Barrier broken! Insufficient Psions present]

[Fill up on Psions]

My whole body ached. I instinctively knew I had a broken rib or two. My body had definitely grown far weaker over this week.

[You are currently bleeding]

[Report to a med bay for immediate treatment]

I listened to the bull the system was telling me with a very bored mind.

"Rather than telling me this shit, activate the damned emergency protocols."

<You have been banned from the emergency protocols function>

"... of course."

SHIIIIIINNNG!

The creature was drawing close to me and at the sound of things, it was quite quick.

"Ah... can I at least get access to the rank 1 inventory?"

<Affirmative>

"Oh? Seriously? In that case, get me a Banderie!"

<Insufficient points>

"Eh? A silvercut?"

<Insufficient points>

"Randerose."

<Insufficient points>

"A goddamned saber?"

<Insufficient points>

"Ah? How many points do I have?"

<You currently have 0 points saved>

"What the hell?! What happened to the thousands of points I had?"

<All points of traitors are deducted immediately>

"Then why do I still have access to the system inventory?"

<Your access to the system inventory has not been denied>

"Tch... that damned prince. Ah whatever, give me the free stuff!"

There was a giant lash and the ground shook mightily. I took this as a chance to get off and start running away.

[Generating item from inventory]

A light shimmered in my hand. The light solidified into a short metal stick.

[Item Metal Baton generated]

"What the sevexian is wrong with you?!"

As i kept jumping from trash pile to trash pile, I looked around for a means of defending myself against this mechanical beast.

Still there was no helping it. I couldn't find a way to escape this creature.

'Come here.'

A voice rang out in my head.

'Telepathy? Is there someone out there?'

'Come here.'

The voice came back again, a bit stronger this time.

'Where are you?'

'Come here.'

'Tell me where you are!'

An arrow pointing behind me appeared. I looked behind and saw the vipera there, shaking its head violently. It was looking for me, but for some reason it hadn't been able to see where I was headed.

'So... no, I am not going back there. Sorry!'

I decided to ignore the voice and run for shelter before the rains started. I knew for a fact that my body wouldn't be able to stand the acid rains.

'I don't need any burdens at the moment. I just need-'

'Power.'

The voice resonated in my head, and I could feel goosebumps climbing all over my still organic body parts.

'What?'

'Power.'

'Y-You have power?'

'Yes.'

I gulped at the voice's reply.

'If you do, come beat this beast.'

I gave the voice a condition. I wasn't simply going to believe a random voice. Besides, what if the power wasn't sufficient.

'Come here.'

It responded. Its responses were starting to piss me off, but strange enough, I felt obliged to comply. As if on instinct, my body turned around and ran towards the snake. My mind wished to object, but my body had a will of its own.

I just ran and the vipera's eyes locked onto me. It opened its maw and through the various scents, I recognised the sent of petrol coming from it. Its mouth was turning bright red.

'Oh, fuck me.'

It shot red raging flames at me and my body was still running towards it. Not wanting to die so soon, I forced my body to jump to the side, barely missing it. The heat was causing my mechanical parts to expand though.

<Warning! Warning! Body parts overheating! Body parts Overheating!>

<Cool your body parts down>

Still, my body was relentless. I jumped back, running towards the vipera once again.

"Ooh! Why are you doing this to me?!"

I yelled at my body. Since when did bodies possess minds of their own. Or wait... that voice. Had that voice taken over my body?

I threw the baton at the snake and it stopped breathing its fire. In the next second, I jumped at it and in the next, I was sent flying with a tail whip.

Once again, I landed in a scrap pile.

"Ugh... seriously?"

'Power. Revenge. Hate. Anger. Power. Power. Power.'

The voice suddenly got my chatty. And it was louder this time. Like an annoying alarm clock.

ZING!

I heard something vibrate. There was a blinding light. I needed to close my eyes and slowly adjust to it. I craned my neck towards the source of the light and what I saw was a sword.

[Error! Bzzt! @#$%! Unknown Material Appraised]

[Collect more information on Material]

I looked at the sword that hummed before me. This item was composed of metal that not even the Empire's system knew off. There were only two possibilities now.

The metal was so rare not even the Empire had found it and added it to its data base. Or, the Empire had found this metal, but it was so special they decided to keep such information locked from the basic soldier. Either way, was this not a golden opportunity?

I gripped the handle and my hand glowed a faint golden as streaks formed on it, then went on to surround the metal.

[Will you assimilate this item?]

>[Yes]/[No]

The normal system screen appeared. This question always appeared whenever I tried assimilation.

I didn't know why, but my instincts roared at me to accept this proposal. It felt exciting to be honest, to be able to make decisions for myself. Without a moment of doubt, I roared

"Yes!"