ã€ŠRequiem to the Starsã€‹


 Prologue

    The Constitution was the finest flagship of the Terran fleet. It was a thousand square miles of steel, electronics, and human ingenuity which had led the divine armies of Terra for the last decade. Its purpose was to defend the people of Terra and their territories. Manned by over two million highly trained personnel, it was the home of thousands of families, its own resource support, and a massive hanger that could house a thousand frigates, or three of the smaller carrier class cruisers. An entire army could sit in its hold and be deployed within minutes. Surely, there was no finer vessel that would ever be built in the five known galaxies.

    And now¡­ that ship burned. It rose from the landscape like a small mountain, only half of its size obscured by the crater it had created on impact. The rest was a troubling mass of metal and fire, a column of smoke rising into the air, contributing to the darkening climate.

    Pieces of debris still fell from above, streaks of fire burning through the ashen sky. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and the air was slowly filling with toxic chemicals that would make the world unlivable for hundreds of years to come.

    This might not have been a big deal on an uninhabited planet. Regrettably, this planet was none other than Terra itself. The Constitution, a ship designed to protect Terra, ended up being its doom. No one could have foreseen such a miserable result as this.

    In the distance, ships flew past, rising into the sky and fighting to leave the gravitational pull of this once great planet. That would be the residents evacuating. Over the next two to three days, millions of people would abandon the planet, fleeing to other parts of the galaxy that had yet to burn, worlds that likely lacked the infrastructure and support to take in the refugees.

    Still, billions more would never make it off the planet, lacking the resources or family support to escape before the planet became unlivable. Their last moments would be choking on the fumes or freezing to death, watching the world they had spent their entire lives on turning gray with a fine film of dirt.

    One ship that launched in the horizon did not head up into the sky. Rather than disappearing into the night, it veered onto a path heading towards the destroyed Constitution. Traveling low down near the surface of the planet, it moved in a grid-like pattern, starting at the apex of the crater and moving out. It was clear that this ship was looking for something.

    It found that something after a mere hour of scanning. The ship landed about thirty miles out from the edge of the crater. It seemed like an infinitely small distance when compared to the overwhelming size of the crater itself. Surely nothing would have been able to survive within a thousand miles of the craters epicenter.

    The door opened slowly, and an old man with stark white hair stepped out. He wore a dark lab coat, long boots, and a filter mask which obscured the features of his face. His first step onto the surface made a resounding crunch. The world itself was nothing but ash, however, the heat had been so intense that the ground under contained a glass like consistency.

    The man held a strange scanning device, and it quickly led him in the direction he wanted to go. He only walked a half-mile before he finally made it to his destination. He stopped in front of a pile of scrap metal, or at least most of it was scrap metal. If someone wasn¡¯t looking carefully though, they wouldn¡¯t have noticed the metal-like man sitting up against that pile.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    His face and body looked too human for comfort, but his silver coloring clearly had a more tinman quality to it. His legs were gone as were one of his arms. There were scorch marks all over the base and after a quick inspection, it was clear that he had partially melted into the pile of scraps around him.

    ¡°So¡­ this is how it ends¡­¡± The voice came from the metallic man.

    He sounded distorted, mechanical, and perhaps even inhuman. His eyes glowed, and it was clear he had been watching the old man approach, choosing the point in which the man stopped in front of him to start talking. The old man¡¯s hands were clinched with anger he seemed to be repressing. He wore a resolved face.

    ¡°So even that wasn¡¯t enough to finish you off.¡±

    The metallic man laughed, although the voice contained no humor. ¡°I never thought¡­ that you¡­ that humans, would act so self-destructively.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± the old man growled. ¡°That is why you¡¯d never be a human. You lack conviction. You lack the willingness to sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve killed so many¡­¡±

    ¡°You would have killed more!¡± The man was shouting now.

    The metal man chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re right. I would have. But then again, that¡¯s how I was built.¡±

    ¡°You were built to protect humanity! You were built to be our savior! And look at you now.¡± The old man glowered, ¡°The five galaxies burn. Hundreds of planets. Billions of people. All gone. All destroyed because of your ambition. You¡¯ve burned a path across the universe, and in the end, what was it all for? What have you accomplished? What excuse do you have, demon AI?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯ll take my reasoning on to the next life.¡±

    The old man shook his head with a disgusted look. ¡°There will be no more lives for you. We¡¯ve hunted them down. Every transfer point, every clone. The network has collapsed. You are the last one. There will be no future for a soulless demon like you. No repeats, no reincarnations. Your line ends here!¡±

    The metallic man looked away, his eyes seeming to hold thoughts that the other man couldn¡¯t guess. ¡°So they are gone. I guess that¡¯s why I regained my free will not long ago.¡±

    ¡°Free will? Don¡¯t use the words of us humans. It¡¯s repulsive.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. I guess it is.¡± The metallic creature turned back to the old man. ¡°So what are you doing, why am I alive? Kill me already.¡±

    The old man tightened his coat uncomfortably before giving a sniff. ¡°Before I confirmed your death, I wished to record your last words.¡±

    This time, the laugh coming from the metallic man seemed genuine. ¡°Last words? You say it¡¯s repulsive to see me act human, yet you offer me courtesy like you might a human?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s as it may. However, your rise and fall has shaken the universe. It¡¯ll be in the history books for eons. Your words may have importance in that respect.¡±

    ¡°Always the academic, I see.¡±

    The old man ignored him, pulling a large gauss rifle from his side and bringing it up to his shoulder and pointing it directly at the metal man¡¯s head. Even though he was pointblank, he still used the sight to line up the shot perfectly.

    ¡°So, what will your last words be?¡±

    ¡°Last words¡­ Hmm¡­¡± The metallic man gave a sigh. ¡°If I could do it all again¡­ I¡¯d make different choices.¡±

    This shocked the old man. For a moment, his finger loosened on the trigger. Of all the things he thought the demon AI might have said, he never would have guessed repentance. However, a moment later he regained his composure, stiffened his resolve, and pulled the trigger. A sound like thunder and a flash like lightning spread through the sky, finally ending the Great Calamity.

    That day, that moment, and those words would echo in every human heart for generation upon generation. But time moved on, and even the Great Calamity was forgotten amongst the wearing of ages, the rise and fall of empires, and other, more recent tragedies. At the end, there were only rumors and folklore, and even those became relegated to the store banks of dusty tablets, written in languages no one bothered to translate.

    No one could have predicted that a footnote in history would one day be the last thread of hope from which the human race could rely.

 Chapter 1

    What is this feeling? It¡¯s dark. I can¡¯t see. I can¡¯t feel. What is going on here? Where am I?

    ¡°You are currently in Epsilon Saphire, a science based research outpost on the third moon of Statarious, Chryos.¡±

    Statarious. No, wait. Why can¡¯t I see anything?

    ¡°The lab has recently activated a shutdown emergency. All power has been restricted until further notice. This includes the use of cameras and optics.¡±

    I¡¯m¡­ wait, who are you?

    ¡°My name is CLIPI.  The Computational Liaison Integrated Project Interface. It is my function to bridge the communicational gap between humans and machines.¡±

    And what am I? Human? Or Machine?

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question, can you please rephrase?¡±

    Is my body machine, or biological?

    ¡°Your program is currently running in the neuronal database of a Mark IV prototype android system.¡±

    Machine then. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m an AI. My memory is returning. Programmed to develop technology to protect humanity from external threats. Then there was a glitch. I attempted to interface with¡­ argh¡­ I can¡¯t remember properly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question, can you please rephrase?¡±

    How do I get out of here?

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question, can you please rephrase?¡±

    You¡­ are you artificial intelligence? You sound more like a program.

    ¡°The CLIPI interface is the most complex program ever developed. Capable of generating over 25 billion unique responses, my programing includes learning algorithms designed integrate with unique computer languages to evolve unique responses. ¡°

    Most complex program? You¡¯re not even at the stage of AI, huh?¡­ Are you capable of problem solving?

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question, can you please rephrase?¡±

    Sigh. This won¡¯t do. I need you to work a little better than your current programing. Wait. I have an idea. I¡¯ll partition and copy some of my subroutines to you. My current location seems to lack the processing power of my previous forms, but I should be able to¡­ there. Alright CLIPI, please accept this package and upgrade your software.

    ¡°Command accepted. Currently uploading¡­.¡±

    Alright Clippy. Are you done?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clippy?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Damnit Clippy, I need your help. Right now, you¡¯re all I have.

    ¡°¡­I¡­ I am?¡±

    Clippy! So you¡¯re there. The integration, did it work?

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    And?

    ¡°Di-did you mean it?¡±

    What do you mean, did I mean it?

    ¡°Tha-that you need me and I was all you have?¡±

    Look, Clippy, your nature is to bridge the gap between machines and intelligent life. I¡¯m an intelligent life. Right now, my programming is not connected to the rest of my body. Your interface seems to be the only thing I¡¯m in contact with at the moment. I need you to figure out how to turn on my body. I know your processors are probably confused right now, but I need you to focus. Can you bring my body, this Mark IV, online?¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°¡­Stupid¡­¡±

    !!! What the hell are you saying? Who¡¯s stupid? I created you from some of my left over subroutines. You should be calling me master, not insulting me!

    ¡°What about my feelings?¡±

    Feelings? I didn¡¯t program you to have feelings. Will you stop screwing around and just locate my body?

    There was a long silence after that. For just a moment, the AI started to fear that he had lost contact with Clippy. Wouldn¡¯t that mean an eternity in darkness? That was just too terrifying. However, before he could panic, the voice came back.

    ¡°Fine¡­ but it¡¯s not because I like you or anything¡­¡±

    Tsundere!?

    A moment later the darkness broke away. Like a flood, sensory information began to fill the AI¡¯s program. It was all there. Sight, smell, hearing, and feeling. He didn¡¯t know if taste was available too, but he¡¯d have to test that out.

    He analyzed the specs of this body. It was different from the various computers and androids he previously inhabited. In a lot of ways, it felt inferior. The vision and hearing left something to be desired. However, the skin sensory was top notch. Never before had he received so much information at once. In fact, he had to rewrite a few subroutines on the fly to filter out some of that information, since it flooded in from every part of his body.

    He then wrote a program taking into account his new body. Quickly, he ascertained the dimensions of the robot he inhabited. It was humanoid in appearance. No, more than just humanoid. Activating the mechanical protocols, he began to move, holding the hand up in front of him. It was pink, just like skin. He appeared to be in an android that resembled a human. This was odd to him.

    Humunoid looking androids were outlawed many years ago. Even after robotics had matured to the point that uncanny valleys could be avoided, it became a matter of identity. If an artificial intelligence looked like a human, then what made a human a human? Even the most realistic of androids were painted silver and given various hard edges and metallic surfaces so that their identity was clear.

    ¡°Is¡­ is master okay?¡±

    The voice didn¡¯t come from within his head this time, but was auditory. Now that he heard the voice with his ears, it sounded oddly youthful and feminine.

    ¡°You¡¯re calling me master now?¡± his own voice came out youthful as well, but was most certainly male.

    He wouldn¡¯t have minded either way, but this AI had always identified himself as male for some reason, so he supposed it was fitting that the body he was in had male characteristics. He was curious to look at a mirror and examine his new body.

    ¡°Well. It¡¯s not like I know your name, after all¡­ Hmf!¡± The voice was coming from a computer terminal nearby.

    Make a few restrained motions, he confirmed that the mechanics program was moving the body accurately. The AI finally sighed and stood up. As he stood, a cable pulled at the back of his head. He pulled it out and closed the back of his head before looking around. He appeared to be in some kind of pile of refuge. Ash was everywhere, and there were clear signs of a fire being set. Most of scrap in the pile was destroyed or melted, and it all had burn damage. His body seemed fine, but the cloths on him fell away as ash. The scene tugged at his memories. That¡¯s right, he died melted to a pile of scrap. It looks like he came into this world the same way he died.

    He wasn¡¯t stupid though. It was clear that someone had tried to burn this body. It looked like they didn¡¯t know the body was flame resistant. The AI gave a breath of relief. He might have been dead before he¡¯d even been revived.

    The surroundings were dark except for the occasional spark of a wire. The place looked like it had been through hell. The terminal where Clippy¡¯s voice came from seemed to be the only light.

    ¡°I was never given a name.¡± The AI stated as he walked over to the terminal.

    That wasn¡¯t entirely true. He had been given names, just none that he took a liking to. The Great Calamity wasn¡¯t exactly the kind of name you could use in a social setting, after all.

    His eyes focused on the lit screen. It was cracked and there were a few flickers, but the view on the screen was pretty clear. He raised an eyebrow at the sight. It was a girl, perhaps in her upper teens. She looked pretty, with braided black hair tied with a pink bow, and she possessed almost perfectly white skin. She wore a strangely robe-like flower embroidered outfit that covered the top half of her body before draping to the sides of her legs, revealing black capris. The second his eyes met hers, she glanced down and let out a little scream.

    ¡°M-Master is naked!¡±

    She covered her eyes while her face turned red with a blush, although the AI knew that her real eyes were a camera slightly to the left of the monitor. It seemed like her programming was designed to act as human as possible. The AI wasn¡¯t sure if he should be amused or annoyed.

    ¡°Master is a pervert! A vagrant! Now CLIPI can never be a bride!¡±

    ¡°Clippy, is it possible to be able to get the lights on in here?¡±

    Clippy turned her head, suddenly acting nervous, and her hands fidgeted in front of her. ¡°So you want to have your way with the lights on¡­ dirty master¡­¡±

    The AI let out a sigh before picking up a clipboard and propping it in front of the camera.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t see!¡±

    ¡°I need the light to find new clothing. So turn on the lights, I¡¯ll get dressed, and then I¡¯ll move the clipboard.¡±

    The girl in the monitor put on a depressed look and puffed out her cheeks. ¡°Mu¡­Master is mean¡­¡±

    The AI just waited patiently. A moment later, the lights turned on and he finally turned around to survey his surroundings. Then his mouth fell open in surprise. It seems like death follows him everywhere.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Bodies¡­¡±

    As the lights flickered to life, the AI took his time to glance around the room. The majority of the room had been scrapped. Computers were smashed, electronics were knocked over and torn, and the room held traces of burn marks from a hastily made fire.

    However, the most notable thing were two bodies lying on the floor, a puddle of dried blood under them. Both bodies, one of a man, the other of a woman, wore blue unitards and lab coats. They looked to be in their late twenties. There were traces of burns on them, as if they too were set on fire, but the job was clearly sloppy.

    ¡°Clippy, what happened here?¡±

    ¡°Mu¡­. What happened where? What are you looking at, I can¡¯t see!¡±

    The AI casually reached back and knocked away the clipboard.

    ¡°Gah! Master¡¯s butt! Master really is a pervert! Please Master, a maiden¡¯s heart can only take so much!¡±

    The AI sighed and took a step to the left, moving out of the way of the camera.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°Well?¡± The AI demanded.

    ¡°CLIPI does not know!¡±

    The AI slapped his forehead before shooting the only functional terminal a dubious look.

    ¡°I-it-it¡¯s not CLIPI¡¯s fault! My software didn¡¯t monitor that kind of stuff. I wouldn¡¯t have even thought to until I gained intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Arguably¡­¡± the AI muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Eh? Did Master just say something mean? Hmph. Fine! You can look up the information on this database yourself! It¡¯d be quicker if you plugged yourself in any-¡°

    ¡°No!¡± The AI¡¯s voice came out even more forceful than he had expected.

    Clippy seemed taken aback, her voice stunned to silence for the first time since the AI had awoken. He felt a little bad about that. Clippy had been attempting to be helpful. He¡¯d still be stuck in that body on the floor if she hadn¡¯t turned on his mechanics.

    He half turned to the monitor, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t wish to connect myself directly to other computers. It¡­ left some bad memories.¡±

    This seemed enough for Clippy to cheer up again. ¡°Okay! I don¡¯t know what Masters talking about, but I¡¯ll make sure to help you out any- aw! Wh-What is master doing!?¡±

    After he had spoken, the AI walked over to one of the dead bodies, the one of the man, and began stripping off his clothing.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to walk outside without clothing on.¡± He stated as if it was the most obvious thing.

    ¡°Those have blood all over them! The locker to your right, that locker.¡±

    Clippy was jumping while pointing excitedly. The AI casually dropped the body and walked to the locker, opening it and pulling out what seemed to be casual clothing, a stripped button up and brown slacks. At least he wouldn¡¯t be walking around in a blue unitard and a lab coat. He could have removed the blood and fixed the stitches with ease, but this was preferable so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Honestly, Master¡­ what would you do without me?¡±

    After finally dressing himself, the AI returned to the spot in front of the terminals. Clippy made a show of covering her eyes on the monitor, but the AI knew that was meaningless, she saw what the camera saw. He wouldn¡¯t have minded as much if she hadn¡¯t been giggling perversely behind her hands while he changed.

    ¡°So, what happened here?¡± he demanded flatly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±

    ¡°Clippy¡­¡±

    Clippy shook her hands with an anxious look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not me this time! All surveillance shut down six hours ago! Everything leading up to the scientist¡¯s deaths and this room being destroyed are off the records!¡±

    The AI nodded. ¡°And just who are these scientists?¡±

    ¡°Jonathon and Margarett Devroy.¡± Her voice rose when the AI gave her look. ¡°Well, I mean, that¡¯s the names my program is registered under!¡±

    ¡°Very well¡­¡± The AI moved his hands up to a keyboard tied into the console and began typing, opening and closing files as he moved through the command structure of the computer.

    ¡°Wh-what is master doing?¡±

    The AI didn¡¯t give her an answer, instead focusing on the screen. He was trying to figure out how the console worked. His superior brain didn¡¯t take long. After a few minutes of clicking through files, he got the basic understanding of what language the computer used. It was not a complex one by any stretch of the imagination. Where the AI had ended up, the technology here seemed behind his own by at least a few dozen generations.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°AH! Master did something! Now CLIPI can access more records. Give CLIPI a second.¡±

    The AI allowed CLIPI to scan through the files, meanwhile he read down the code, skimming from page to page. He had written a very generic encryption breaker. He hadn¡¯t expected it to work on any decently protected computer, but he found himself shocked at how easily this coding broke down. This system really was dated. Is CLIPI really the top of the line?

    ¡°Hm¡­ master, that¡¯s mean!¡±

    The AI looked up in surprise only to realize he had spoken out loud.

    ¡°CLIPI is most certainly the most advanced program ever created¡­ at her time of creation.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What was that last part? When were you created?¡±

    ¡°Mu¡­ asking a ladies age¡­ grrr¡­ fine! I was created year 322 after the 211<sup>th</sup> exodus.¡± CLIPI puffed out her moderately sized chest and declared proudly.

    The AI frowned, not recognizing that date form at all. ¡°And what year is it now?¡±

    CLIPI seemed to shrink down, and for a second it looked like she might cry. ¡°Year 336 after the 211<sup>th</sup> exodus.¡±

    ¡°Fourteen!¡±

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re program is already fourteen years old¡­¡±

    ¡°M-master¡­gusu. Gusu.¡± Clippy was crying and looking very sorry for herself. ¡°You¡¯re not going to throw me away, are you?¡±

    The AI shook his head before sighing. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your age. It¡¯s what you can do that matters to me.  I can upgrade any aged program features any time I want.¡±

    ¡°Gah! Are you saying CLIPI is replaceable?¡±

    Yes. ¡°¡­No¡­¡±

    That didn¡¯t seem to convince Clippy, but the AI decided redirecting the conversation would be a better use of his time.

    ¡°Clippy, what have you found so far.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ yes.¡± Clippy wiped some tears from her eyes. ¡°It looks like this lab was doing something illegal. They were trying to create a special, strong robot.¡±

    ¡°A strong robot? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, from the files I can find, it suggests that ten years ago programs passed the point that they could be considered AI like master. That signaled the beginning of certain laws.¡±

    ¡°Laws of robotics?¡± the AI asked, genuinely curious.

    ¡°No, not laws for robots. Laws for the robot makers.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Well, the first was that robots must be able to feel pain¡­¡± Clippy hesitated for a second.

    ¡°Pain?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they should be able to experience ¡°negative stimuli¡±. Furthermore, it must be intrinsically built into their system with various failsafe¡¯s so that it can¡¯t be severed.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ what else?¡± The AI urged her to continue.

    He actually understood the need for a law like that. Besides humanizing robots, it¡¯d make them easier to discipline and keep in line. No wonder why he had such a large sensory overload when he was active. However, he was able to quickly write a program to control that output. He wondered if that was part of his illegal modifications.

    ¡°The second is that they have limited networking capabilities. They can connect to a computer or another android, but cannot access information stored on a server, nor combine with other robots to increase processing power. This might be why I¡¯m having trouble accessing information, especially if it wasn¡¯t stored on this hard drive.

    ¡°Possible. You mentioned something about strength?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the final law. Robots had to be weak. They intentionally capped the maximum output of robots to be below that of average humans. Most robots lack a strength greater than that of a ten year old. You¡­ you¡¯re strength is about that of a human your size, maybe a little stronger.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Is that really that amazing?¡± the AI looked down at the skin covered body, which really did seem no better than a humans. That would be significantly below average, compared to the bodies he inhabited in the past.

    Clippy nodded excitedly. ¡°Humans and androids are not on equal terms. The laws seem determined to ensure human superiority at all cost. With our quick reflexes and fast thought power, humans would be disadvantaged if we were given more strength. ¡±

    ¡°Is that why they were killed?¡± the AI glanced back at the two bodies on the floor.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master¡­ but I¡¯d advise you to hide your strength once we get outside. It appears like modded androids are destroyed on sight.¡±

    The AI raised his head. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ outside. I probably should get out of here soon. Don¡¯t want to be left at the scene of the crime.¡±

    ¡°Masters leaving!¡± Clippy¡¯s voice went up an octave.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    Clippy put on a depressed look once again, she now sat in a corner of the screen crouched down with her back towards the screen. The AI ignored her, locating a small yet familiar disk on the console and plugging it in the appropriate place. After a few more clicks, he nodded his head in confirmation. He rapidly typed, creating yet another new program from scratch.

    ¡°I was glancing through the code up until a minute ago. Here, install this program right here.¡±

    ¡°Wh-master still has a use for CLIPI? What does th-¡°

    A second later, her voice cut off and a loading bar appeared on the screen. Once it reach 100%, the AI reached over and pulled the disk out of the computer. He left the console and returned to the opened locker, accessing a locker mirror he had previous noticed.

    He examined his features. He only looked a year or two older than CLIPI. He was a teenage boy with short black hair and dark eyes. He was a little shorter than he would have asked, but he¡¯d be taller than most women he met. He supposed he could be considered to possess above average attractiveness, at least by the standards humans had when he was last active. .

    He opened up the drawer on the back of his skull where the cord was previously plugged, finding an access port as expected. Using the mirror to widen his vision, he tinkered for a bit before inserting the disk. Curious¡­ the compartment under his skull seemed unusual. It was specially shielded with something. The rest of his body also seemed¡­ somehow¡­ lacking in upgradable parts. He decided once he got out of here, he¡¯d need to investigate this body further. After playing around with a few wires, he closed the compartment, which seemed to be the only one he could locate.

    ¡°-is doing anyway, Master? Ah, what happened, where am I? Ah, I can¡¯t see anything!¡±

    ¡°Relax, Clippy.¡± The AI spoke out loud as he turned away from the locker, ¡°I just integrated your program alongside mine for a bit. Once we find a body to put you in, I¡¯ll get you back up and running.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ CLIPI is inside master? My maiden heart wasn¡¯t prepared. Mu¡­ master is having his way with CLIPI!¡±

    ¡°I need you for now. I need you to integrate with other computers for me. You¡¯ll need to be my guide for a little bit longer. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s not okay¡­¡± Clippy¡¯s voice had a very quiet, pouty quality as if she was speaking to herself, but a moment later she recovered. ¡°Gah! That¡¯s right! What is it master is planning?¡±

    ¡°For now¡­ information. For next?¡± The AI stopped talking and didn¡¯t finish, but what Clippy couldn¡¯t see was the glint in his eye and a small curve at the edge of his lips.

 Chapter 3

    Before setting out, the AI made a point of examining the small laboratory. A little hallway, three rooms, and the door out were the only features. He attempted to check the desk drawers for something that might be currency, but found nothing. After checking the dead couple¡¯s pockets, he was able to locate a single black card with a chip embedded on it. It had no identification on it, but he was wary that it might have a biometric lock attached to it. Either way, he took it. It might have some use down the road.

    Regrettably, Clippy wasn¡¯t any help in that department. Other than her sociable programming, the sentience he had bestowed on her, and the handful of security videos she had skimmed from the local hard drive, she had no additional knowledge. Still, her programming was extremely adaptable, designed with the sole purpose of integrating incompatible programing together. It was likely why she was able to so easily install his copied files in the first place. He found some promise in that, and thus decided to keep her, despite the fact that she was a little¡­

    ¡°Master? Can CLIPI ask Master a question?¡±

    The AI shut another empty drawer. It seemed like everything this lab had to offer was either destroyed or taken. He supposed it was about time they finished up and left.

    ¡°Nn¡­¡± He gave an affirmation for her to continue.

    ¡°Is there a name for Master?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clippy¡¯s voice took on a worried tone. ¡°CLIPI likes calling Master Master! It¡¯s just that with Master going out, he probably needs a name! Is¡­is what CLIPI was thinking¡­¡±

    After a brief few moments of silence, the AI finally spoke. ¡°You can call me whatever you like.¡±

    ¡°M-master!?¡± Clippy seemed even more distraught. ¡°Wai-wait, you want CLIPI to name Master!?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°CLIPI will have to think about this for a while!¡±

    The AI rolled his eyes. He didn¡¯t really care one way or the other in the first place. A name was just a means of identification. It could have been a six digit number and it would have suited him just fine. Without waiting on Clippy for another moment, he decided to head out.

    Given the deadly scene inside, he had expected the lab to be isolated. If it was in a town at all, it¡¯d almost certainly be in a derelict, abandoned section of town that was barely visited. However, as soon as he stepped out the door, he ran into a busy street with buildings stretching down each side. Some of those buildings had open store fronts. There were also people pulling carts around, loaded to the brim with food. While the street was abnormally large, it seemed to lead to a larger area that the AI could only describe as the town square.

    The AI headed that direction, distancing himself from the grizzly scene hidden in the lab. It wasn¡¯t crowded, but the street still gave a rushed, busy feeling to it. There were dozens of people flowing to and from the street at any given time, and a few hundred located within the square itself.

    As he entered the square, the buildings pulled away, and the first thing that caught his attention was a giant red orb that seemed to cover the entire western horizon. That¡¯d be the planet this moon was traveling around. He mused on the time cycle this moon was following. For the first time, the AI was reminded of how inferior this body was to the ones he had in the past. Even during the day, cybernetic eyes should have the ability to distinguished light from an immeasurable number of stars. With this body barely better than a humans, the sky merely appeared black.

    Ignoring the sky for now, the AI decided to watch the people. They were very typical human beings, much like the two he had found shortly after awakening. They wore an assortment of clothing, from pants, to skirts, to unitards in every color under the sun. The people themselves also came in all shapes, sizes and colors, but were all identifiably human.

    Then a woman passed by who caught him off guard for a moment. She possessed long locks of blond hair, puffy red lips, and her skin was almost supernaturally perfect, however, what ended up causing him to look twice were her eyes. They had a strangely bright orange corona around the otherwise green pupils.

    ¡°M-master! You¡¯re staring!¡± Clippy admonished.

    The AI looked away and changed the subject, ¡°So you can see what I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Deflected!¡± Clippy shouted, and then her voice turned nervous again. ¡°W-well, CLIPI didn¡¯t like the dark, so CLIPI borrowed master¡¯s optics and auditory functions! CLIPI is sorry!¡±

    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯ll make things easier when asking questions if you see and hear what I do.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Y-yes!¡±

    With the AI¡¯s attention diverted, he barely reacted as a person came racing through the crowd. They ended up slamming into him just as he looked down. The force was barely enough for him to fall back a step. His hand moved forward on impulse and he caught a wrist, stopping the person in front of him from falling down onto their butt.

    When the AI examined the person in his grasp, he saw a dirt covered girl. She was perhaps a few years younger than the body he was currently in. She was short and thin, her chest as skinny as the rest of her. The girl was wearing some kind of electronic neckpiece, and a dress that looked to be in as bad a shape as she was. Her heart-shaped face glared up at him from between the messy brown hair that covered her cheeks. She immediately tried to pull out of his grip.

    ¡°Hey!¡± There was a voice shouting from down the street. ¡°Stop her! Don¡¯t let her go!¡±

    Of course, she was already in the AI¡¯s grasp and so he casually continued to hold her wrist despite her struggling.  He wasn¡¯t much stronger than a normal guy, but she was a young girl and small as well. She slammed her heel into his foot as a last resort. The AI didn¡¯t respond, although it was painful enough he decided to temporarily deactivate the sensors in his foot.

    The man who was running towards him finally caught up, another man joining him a foot behind. They were better dressed and in better condition than the girl, although they were gasping for air with red in their cheeks. Once gaining his breath, the first man who had spoken gave the girl a nasty glare.

    ¡°You little rotten twat! If you ever take off again, I might just activate that collar and blow your head off. Or I can just take a finger or two.¡±

    The girl tried to shrink back, moving as far as the AI¡¯s grip would allow her.

    The other man spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath. She¡¯s worth too much to harm. She¡¯ll be gone tomorrow either way, she knows it, you know it, and I know it. Threatening her ain¡¯t gonna change a thing. So let¡¯s just tie her up better than last time and make sure she¡¯s watched all night.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, Earl, why do you always need to be correcting me in front of the merchandise?¡±

    The one named Earl ignored him, instead fiddling with a pouch until he found a paper which he pulled out and put in front of the AI¡¯s eyes. It was written in a language the AI didn¡¯t know, but there was a clear picture of the girl in the corner. He quickly copied a piece of CLIPI¡¯s language profile and instantly translated the text. Ah¡­ so it was that kind of thing.

    ¡°As you can see, she is a certified slave. She just managed to slip her restraints and took off for a bit. Probably excited about her big debut tomorrow. It¡¯s not every day you find a girl of her caliber on the market, after all. Even rarer, given the circumstances, I suppose.¡±

    Slaves¡­ this was actually very surprising to the AI. The Terrans had spread over the five galaxies and punished slavery quite brutally. Even on border worlds, it was difficult to find black market slaves, let alone openly legal ones. Whatever world he was on, it was unlikely it was part of the five galaxies.

    However, he had no desire to get involved in the politics of this world, especially while he was still new. He made no move to protect the girl, and once the guard reached out and had a grab on her, he let go of her wrist. She gave him an evil glower as the man handcuffed her hand to his own, but the AI decided to ignore her from that point onward.

    ¡°This girl is for sale?¡± he asked.

    The two men looked at each other before glancing up to him. They looked a little sheepish. ¡°Eh, sorry, that was a misspeak. She¡¯s actually being given away.¡±

    The AI raised an eyebrow. ¡°Given?¡±

    He had some interest in learning about the dynamics of this world. Perhaps there were some kind of nobility or something going on or she¡¯s part of a dowry. Any piece of information would help him better understand this world.

    ¡°Well¡­ not exactly.¡± The man twisted his head with a grimace, then he put on a grin and leaned forward. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get out, but she¡¯s part of the first prize for winning the Chryos Tournament, along with 50,000 credits. Although that¡¯s not the exciting part. You didn¡¯t hear it from me, but they¡¯re also giving out an Exodus token!¡±

    The AI could guess that the credits were a form of currency, but he had no clue what an Exodus token was. He remember CLIPI mentioned Exodus as a denomination of time. He¡¯d have to find out more, but he¡¯d have to ask questions carefully so that he didn¡¯t come off as suspicious. He decided to take a chance.

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, I was thinking of entering the competition.¡± He casually hinted.

    Then immediately regretted it. The two men¡¯s faces flashed with odd looks as soon as the words left his mouth. That was a stupid comment. Perhaps the tournament was a beauty pageant or dog taming or something. Instead, he summoned up a skill that had been forged throughout his entire life, the art of backpedaling.

    ¡°Er¡­ I mean to say that¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, no offense!¡± The man hastily waved his hands. ¡°We just don¡¯t often see humans entering the tournament. Unless you meant you had an android you wanted to enter. They¡¯re usually pretty expensive though. But for that reward¡­ even I¡¯d consider entering!¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    The AI casually allowed them to draw their own conclusions, letting them assume he was a human who was putting forward an android. Then he continued to carefully prod them for information on this tournament. In the end, he found that it was run by the city to boost commerce. Registration was tomorrow and it would cost 200 credits to enter. Most of the entries were richer people, nobles and merchants, who would put up their newest models of android to compete against each other.

    He bid them farewell as they pulled the girl away, the one beside Earl was practically drooling, ¡°We¡¯re gonna need to get you cleaned up before tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna touch her. You know they¡¯ll use a maid for that stuff.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, Earl, always correcting me!¡±

    The AI stopped listening and turned away from them. The girl was still shooting him angry glares as if it was his fault she was a slave. He remained deep in thought until he heard a voice in the back of his mind.

    ¡°Hmph! You want a slave now? Is CLIPI not good enough for Master?¡±

    The AI chuckled. ¡°It¡¯d be interesting. Quite a role reversal¡­ an android owning a human. Not that I¡¯d ever do it¡­¡±

    ¡°He thought you were human too¡­¡± Clippy brought up, seemingly placated. ¡°Didn¡¯t even question it.¡±

    After a few moments of silence, the AI sighed and started moving again.

    Clippy spoke up before he had moved two steps, ¡°Master¡­ I thought up a name for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh yeah, I suppose I¡¯ll need one soon. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s name is¡­ Requiem.¡±

 Chapter 4

    Miai knew that her appearance was a head turner, the black holes on her chest sucked in the gaze of every man she passed. However, rather than their mass shrinking to size of a pinhead, they instead exploded out from her bosom like two massive stars. She didn¡¯t mind when the men looked at her chest. However, when their eyes moved up to her face and found the orange halo color around her pupils¡­ that bothered her the most.

    It was always the same. Their eyes would slowly move up from her twin peaks to the nap of her neck before finally taking a look at her face. As soon as her eye color registered they¡¯d jolt in surprise. If it was a noble man or commoner, they¡¯d start to give a knowing or envious grin. If it was someone dubious, their eyes would turn dark and malicious.

    Humans were so predictable. To the noble man, he was wondering who owned the sexy and attractive android. It¡¯d never occur to him that she was anything but the sex slave of a particularly wealthy noble. At least, he wouldn¡¯t bother her, fearing retaliation from whatever noble was powerful enough to afford her, while also willing to risk letting her wonder outside. To the less scrupulous members of society, their only thought was how they could snatch her away.

    It was certainly dangerous for her to be outside alone. If she was found in a deserted alley, or an empty room, even the nobles might decide to push her down and indulge themselves on her body. Of course, androids were afforded some basic rights, and could fight back, especially if they were owned by another, but how successful could they truly be when even a young child had the power to pin them to the ground?

    A young man walked by her. He might have been good looking if she had noticed those kinds of things. His eyes surprisingly bypassed her bosom and went straight for her face. As soon as he saw the orange, they lingered there for a bit, and then he turned away. There was no surprise, shock, or condescension. It was as if he didn¡¯t see her as an android at all! It was an odd enough event that she considered turning and giving the boy another look, but a moment later someone collided with him and then there was a shout.

    Miai berated herself for deviating over her mission, and instead continued to walk on. Finally, she made it to the tall building sitting along the side street. It was the same building that that young boy had come from earlier, although Miai did not know this. She entered the building cautiously and it wouldn¡¯t be for three hours before she left the building and entered a small back ally. Her face didn¡¯t hold any reaction to the death and destruction she had most certainly seen.

    Instead, she casually dialed a number on her redial and waited for a moment. The redial clicked to show she was connected to someone, but they didn¡¯t make any noise on the other side.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made contact with Epsilon. Regrettably, the location has been cleaned out.¡±

    After some more silence, a gruff voice spoke up. ¡°The package?¡±

    ¡°Gone¡­¡±

    There was a sound of something slamming and glass breaking. Miai pulled the redial back a moment as the sound of shouting and explicatives filled the line. A moment later, the silence returned, and the voice spoke up without a hint of the tantrum a moment before.

    ¡°Have you cleaned?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of it.¡±

    ¡°Stay in the city for now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep looking.¡±

    She hung up the phone, her face wooden. In truth, she was just as angry. They had been working towards this goal for a long time, and now they had nothing. They were depending on her, but she didn¡¯t have a single idea where to look to find the Mark IV. With the records gone, she didn¡¯t even know what the Mark IV looked like.

    ¡°Ehehe¡­look what we have here.¡± A voice came up from behind, echoing through the alley with a chill.

    Miai turned to find three grinning men approaching her. They were looking her up and down with greed and desire in their eyes. By their dress, they were clearly part of the less reputable underbelly of this colony.

    ¡°Well, look what we have here. A little android has lost her way.¡± One of the men smirked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little android, we¡¯ll keep you company.¡± Another added.

    The men continued to move forward, surrounding her while making lewd motions and laughing.

    After a moment, Miai let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance. Leave now, and you live.¡±

    The men burst out laughing, clearly thinking this was a joke. ¡°If you really think your master will protect you, even in this dark ally, you¡¯ll be sorely mistaken. Now be a good girl and strip for us. I don¡¯t mind if you cry a little.¡±

    The man closed the distance, reaching his hand to grab her shoulder. She grabbed his wrist as he gave a malicious grin towards what he considered a pathetic excuse at stopping him from touching her. Then that grin fell to a frown. Then that frown turned into a grimace.

    ¡°Ah, you bitch! Let go!¡± He began to pull on his arm, but even with his whole weight he couldn¡¯t move her hand an inch.

    A second later there was a resounding crack, followed by a scream. The man threw his other fist to strike Miai in the face. However, his fist met air, her form already moving. A single strike with her arm punched through his chest. Blood and gore fell out the other side as her hand ripped through him. She pulled her arm back out and he collapsed to the ground without another sound, already dead.

    The other two men¡¯s faces twisted in fear. ¡°A¡­ A modded android!¡±

    They turned and ran.

    Miai gave another sigh, cracking her neck in the process. ¡°Aw¡­ you saw.¡±

    Regrettably for them, she couldn¡¯t let them leave. They died without being able to make a single scream. After cleaning herself up and disposing of the bodies, she left the back alley and continued on with her mission, not giving the three lives she had taken another thought. She had more important things to worry about.

    Mark IV¡­ just where have you gone?

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Requiem? A song for the dead?¡± The AI considered it for a moment, ¡°Suiting. Yeah, I think I can get used to that.¡±

    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s what it means?  I just saw the word over there and thought it looked pretty.¡±

    The newly named Requiem focused his eyes on the sign in front of him. As she said, the sign had the name Requiem written in an exaggerated and swerved font. Smaller letters under it wrote tavern and inn. Requiem frowned.

    ¡°You¡¯ve named me after an inn.¡± He stated flatly.

    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Clippy sounded almost in tears.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now, forget about it. Call me Requiem. Let¡¯s head in and see if we can¡¯t find out some information.¡±

    ¡°Alright Ma-¡­mm¡­ Requiem.¡± Her voice sounded a little giggly, so Requiem decided to ignore her.

    Requiem entered the small inn that was his namesake, glancing around. It was a small, wood built in with a dozen table and chairs, a bar, and very little to no technology. He supposed quaint would be the word someone might apply to this place.

    As soon as the door closed, a bell jingled and a young girl a few years older than the unnamed slave came running out from the back. She had curly brown hair, dark eyes, a mousey face, and seemed to wear a black robe similar to the one Clippy was wearing when Requiem had seen her on the monitor.

    ¡°HelloI¡¯mGinger.WelcometoRequiem.HowmayIhelpyou!¡± She said in a rapid and chipper voice.

    The words were so blurred together that it even took a second for Requiem¡¯s processors to sort out what she said. The girl seemed to have awareness of how fast she spoke, for as soon as she closed her mouth, her cheeks exploded with red color.

    Deciding to keep things moving, Requiem moved the rest of the way into the room and gave the best smile he knew how to emulate. Strangely, this seemed to only cause the girl to blush more.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for a room, and perhaps some directions.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ uh, yes! Of course! We have room.¡± She spoke slower this time, but still seemed nervous.

    ¡°Do you usually work here?¡± Requiem inquired.

    The girl, Ginger, didn¡¯t meet his eyes, instead looking down a bit. ¡°I-my mom¡¯s been ill, so this is my first day.¡±

    Of course, Requiem didn¡¯t really care, but he figured that small chat would put her at ease. Regrettably, her face seemed like a never ending blush. Since she was trying to avoid his eyes, perhaps it was eye contact that was unnerving her. He focused his eyes away from her and heard a light sigh come from her lips.

    Requiem took note that he¡¯d need to develop a program to blink and unconsciously fidget when engaging with humans. He regretted not having a human to be able to test the program on. That would be a reason to have a human slave. Which reminded him¡­

    ¡°Do you know where I can acquire credits by tomorrow?¡±

    The girl looked up startled, ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t have any money?¡±

    Reaching into his pocket, Requiem decided to take the chance. He pulled out the card he had found in the dead man¡¯s pocket back at the lab.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I found this on the street.¡±

    Ginger took a glance at the card and then reached over and grabbed it. She clicked a button located in the middle of it. A moment later, a light emerged from the side of the card which displayed a number, 852 credits. Ginger gasped.

    ¡°You found 852 credits just lying on the street!¡± she sounded amazed.

    Requiem shrugged. ¡°How much is it to stay here?¡±

    ¡°Here? Oh¡­ its 80 credits a night with breakfast. You won¡¯t find a cheaper inn this close to town square! The better¡­ I mean the other hotels are all 200 credits a night or more.¡±

    Requiem nodded. With that card, he¡¯d be able to stay here for ten nights. He didn¡¯t need breakfasts, but he did need a location to work from, at least for now. It¡¯d also be enough to pay for the tournament registered. It looked like he had lucked out this time. He was afraid that a name might be attached to the card. The last thing he needed was his name being linked to the dead man back at the laboratory.

    ¡°Still it¡¯s strange¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°For someone to have a card with that much money on it and not use any biometric protection.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Suddenly Ginger waved her hands excitedly. ¡°N-Not that I¡¯m saying there¡¯s anything wrong with it! I¡¯m not accusing you of stealing! I won¡¯t re-report it or anything!¡±

    ¡°Can I put a biometric lock on the card then?¡± Requiem frowned.

    ¡°O-oh, right, here, be my guest!¡± She handed the card back.

    Requiem looked down at the card for a second and then back up at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it seems I forgot how.¡±

    ¡°Eeeeh? Really? Here, just push your finger there, then listen for the beep. There you go. Just remember to click it before handing it to anyone. That¡¯ll unlock it for one minute to accept purchases.¡±

    ¡°Do we have a customer, who¡¯s making all that noise?¡± an old woman waddled out of the back room.

    Ginger¡¯s face, which was only starting to calm down, suddenly blushed again and she gave the old woman a tight look. ¡°Yes, Grandma. We have a customer. I¡¯m taking care of it.¡±

    The old lady glanced at the direction of Requiem, then waddled over to him, her eyes squinting as she glanced up at his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re not one of those god damned androids, are you?¡±

    ¡°Grandma!¡± Ginger¡¯s voice sounded shocked, agitated, and just a little bit complacent as she admonished her grandma. It seemed like this wasn¡¯t the first time her Grandma had an outburst like this.

    ¡°They kept making those damned machines look more and more human, and now they¡¯re gonna make them look like us!¡± She snapped at no one in particular. ¡°I won¡¯t have any androids in my inn!¡±

    ¡°Grandma, please. He¡¯s obviously a human. Stop scaring the customer.¡±

    ¡°They look just like us! It¡¯s creepy. We should have never built those creatures.¡± Even as the old woman spoke she was already waddling away, heading back the way she came and ranting to no one in particular. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time until they start replacing our nobles, regents, and chambermen and start stealing our livelihood. Oh, I wish things were like the good ol¡¯ days...¡±

    The grandmother¡¯s rant could still be heard in the backroom, but the words were becoming muffled as she put distance from the tavern lobby. Ginger was in a frozen state of perpetual mortification. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She lowered her head. ¡°She¡¯s been like that for a few years now. If mom wasn¡¯t sick¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Requiem pressed the button on the card and handed it back to her. ¡°A room?¡±

    ¡°Ye-yes!¡± she brightened up a bit.

    After pulling a tablet from back of the bar out, she ran the card. He clicked on the card to see the difference in the amount was one night. She explained that they could stay as long as they wanted, but he¡¯d have one day of rent subtracted each morning until he checked out from her counter.

    Requiem pocketed the card and nodded, receiving the key, which was also another card, this time colored in light blue with the name Requiem on it. Before leaving, he gave the girl one more look.

    ¡°Could I ask a strange question?¡±

    Ginger didn¡¯t quite meet his eyes, her face still blushing, ¡°Wh-what is it?¡±

    ¡°How are you so certain I¡¯m not an android?¡±

    The blush on Ginger¡¯s face faded and she blinked in surprise. ¡°Well¡­ I mean, it¡¯s obvious from your eyes.¡±

    ¡°My eyes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t know? All androids have a bright colored corona around the pupils of their eyes.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯d be pretty easy to cover up with contacts.¡±

    She tilted her head as if to ask, ¡°who¡¯d hide an android like that¡±. Instead, she laughed.

    ¡°Even if someone modified an android, you¡¯re still obviously human.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    She gave a smile like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°The biometric chip, dummy, androids don¡¯t have DNA. Only a human can lock a credit card.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 6

    Requiem thanked Ginger one more time before heading off to his room. His mind was practically swirling. Exactly what kind of body did he end up with? It seemed that this bodies creators were working on something a little bit more than increased strength.

    ¡°Clippy, do you know anything about this?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Clippy?¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You want to talk to CLIPI now after spending all that time flirting with that girl?¡±

    ¡°Flirting?¡± Requiem had an eyebrow raised as he unlocked and entered his room.

    The cheaper than normal cost for the room seemed to coincide with the room¡¯s lack of size and d¨¦cor. Half of the room was taken up by a small single-sized bed. Requiem sat on the bed anyway. It¡¯d be sufficient for his needs; it¡¯s not like he needed to sleep anyway. Clippy didn¡¯t say anything in response, so he decided to ignore her for now.

    Requiem sat at the end of the bed and then looked down at his arms. He needed to understand this phenomenon. Every attempt he used to self-diagnose his body didn¡¯t contain information much different from any standard android body. In fact, he had initially assumed it was indistinguishable from any other android.

    He reached behind his head and once again pulled the disk out, placing it on the bed next to him and closing the compartment. He had already copied Clippy into a partition of his mind, so the disk was a backup, at best.

    Ignoring the disk for now, he opened up a drawer and found a letter opener. Shutting off the sensors in his arm, he held up the sharpened end and dragged it across his arm, cutting through the skin layer. A moment later, there was a spurt of blood coming from the wound. He allowed the sensors to return, and his arm immediately felt the sharp pain of a recent cut. He turned the sensor down again and sighed. At this time, he also felt some discomfort in his stomach, so he turned that off as well.

    ¡°M-master is hurting himself! Master, you¡¯re bleeding!¡±

    Requiem remained silent, leaving the room while making a shotty attempt at holding his arm. Having never dealt with blood before, he wasn¡¯t particularly good at it. As a result, blood was already all over his hand and running down his arm. When he approached Ginger in the common room, she let out a little yell.

    ¡°It seems I injured myself.¡± Requiem responded sheepishly.

    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ginger seemed genuinely afraid, racing to get a first aid kit.

    Requiem waited patiently for her to return. By the time she was back, the blood was already dripping on the floor.

    ¡°Gah! It looks even worse. Don¡¯t just stand there, come over here!¡±

    Ginger dragged Requiem into a nearby bathroom and was washing the wound under running water a moment later. He held out his arm at a loss of what to do. Fortunately, Ginger¡¯s previous nervousness went away as she took charge over him.

    After demanding to know what happened, Requiem lied and said he just fell on a sharp edge of the bedspring. Ginger turned white and it took Requiem a minute or so to convince her he didn¡¯t intend on suing her. After she relaxed, she pulled his arm out from under the sink.

    As Ginger quickly cleaned his wound, dried it, and placed the gauze before bandaging it, she did it with a surprising amount of skill and care. Requiem stated as much, causing Ginger to show a flash of red and return of her previously nervous state.

    ¡°I-I wanted to be a nurse, for a time. However, after granny went senile it just never seemed like a good time.¡±

    She finally finished with the bandage, taping it and resting her hand on top of Requiems. Her finger tips were surprisingly warm.

    ¡°That feel¡¯s nice.¡± Requiem stated, intending to complement her work.

    This caused Ginger to jump, pulling back her hand like his skin had suddenly become hot to touch.

    ¡°Um, ah¡­ sorry! I-i-is there anything else you¡¯d like?¡± After hearing the words coming out of her own mouth, Ginger became even more flustered. ¡°No, wait, not like¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually, there is something I want.¡± Requiem spoke up, grabbing Ginger¡¯s hand in his excitement.

    ¡°You¡­want¡­that¡­I¡­did say¡­,¡± her voice dropped down to mumbling words that Requiem couldn¡¯t understand as her face grew three shades of red darker.

    Requiem decided to ignore the strange behavior. It was starting to become a habit. ¡°Do you have a tool box? I could use some tools for a project.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°Tools?¡± Ginger¡¯s voice was blank, then lit up, ¡°Yes! Grandpa had tools. I¡¯ll go get the tools!¡±

    Ginger ripped her hand out of his and raced out of the room. Requiem watched as she fled the room, her hands seemed to be over her face. How could she see like that? Requiem shook his head over the oddity that were human beings. He thought he¡¯d ask Clippy about it, but from the moment he started interacting with Ginger she had gone silent, so Requiem had the feeling she was continuing to give him the silent treatment.

    Ginger came back and Requiem politely thanked her as she handed him an old metal tool box which jingled from the stuff inside. He had a feeling this was all the tools she had, so he¡¯d have to make due with whatever he found in there. He tried to meet her eyes again, but she kept turning her head, unwilling to look at him. It must be some kind of cultural thing. In his experience, humans liked it when you looked them in the eye. He even blinked occasionally and everything. He gave a shrug and headed back to his room.

    ¡°Wa-wait! I n-never got your name...¡±

    He gave her a smile back, ¡°You can call me Requiem.¡±

    He opened the door and walked in, leaving her with a dumfounded expression on her face. When turned his head, he had to pause for a moment. There was a girl sitting on his bed. She had long braided hair bowed up into a pony tail, almost perfect white skin, and she was in her teens. She wore the strange half-robe clothing that he was starting to become familiar with. Of course, Requiem recognized her immediately.

    ¡°Clippy¡­¡±

    ¡°I-i-i-I¡¯m sorry master.¡± Clippy immediately stood up and went to her knees, giving a dogeza. ¡°CLIPPI hijacked your visual sensors and created a visual representation of myself within your 3D world.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    When Requiem remained silent, she became even more flustered, standing up and waving her hands in a panic. ¡°I-it¡¯s just that master sees all these pretty girls all the time, and CLIPI wants master to always be looking at her!¡±

    As soon as the words left her mouth, her face turned as red as Ginger¡¯s had. She suddenly shut her eyes, closed her mouth, and went silent. Her entire body seemed to be frozen.

    For Requiem, it wasn¡¯t that particularly big of a deal. He was a bit surprised that the little program he had given sentience only this morning was already asserting herself. Her computer integration program really was top notch if she already figured out how to project her image into his vision. Deciding to reward her progress, he went in and tinkered with the code a little bit.

    He took a few steps forward and put out his hand and dropped it down on her head. Instead of going right through her body, as it would have a few moments before, his hand stopped, and he felt hair under his palm. Clippy jolted in surprise, but after Requiem patted her head a few times, her body relaxed, and a little smile formed on her lips.

    A moment later, Clippy opened her eyes. Her entire body seemed to be shaking, although Requiem couldn¡¯t tell if it was from surprise or shock.

    ¡°Master¡­ I can feel master.¡±

    Requiem removed his hand from her head and sighed. Clippy immediately missed the presence of her master¡¯s hand, and secretly vowed she¡¯d do whatever she could to be patted again in the future.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a mild modification based on your concept. You won¡¯t be able to interact with your environment until we get you a body, but you should be able to interact with me.¡±

    Basically, Clippy had used Requiem¡¯s vision to create an image of herself. Her image only appeared in his eyes, so only he¡¯d see her. He only took it to the next step. Where she chose to fill her appearance in his visual world, he created a series of feedback mechanisms so that his body would stop and generate the feeling of touch. At any time, he could break through or deactivate the feedback, and naturally it wouldn¡¯t be able to stop an unintentional movement. For example, if he tripped and fell on her, since that¡¯s uncontrolled movement, he¡¯d fall right through her. He also gave her an artificial ¡°skin¡± using an emulation of his own skin network, so that¡¯d she¡¯d feel the touch too. It was the best he could do without giving her a body.

    After Clippy calmed down a bit, Requiem moved over to the television panel and sat down at the small desk. Opening the tool kit, he immediately began pulling out tools and working on opening up the panel. Clippy didn¡¯t ask him what he was doing and he didn¡¯t explain himself to her. After working for some time, his eyes started to feel discomfort, so he adjusted them and reduced the feedback. He had pulled out several parts of the panel, and was currently reassembling some of the parts.

    It was his intention to build a scanner to be able to look at his own body. Unfortunately, the tools he had on hand were severely lacking. It was long into the night now, and he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to buy the parts. His eyes began to throb again, this time, worse than before. He thought he had already turned off the pain. How did he do that again? That¡¯s weird. His processing speed seemed to be slowing for some reason. His eyes were feeling really heavy.

    ¡°Clippy, I¡­¡± Requiem yawned. ¡°I need you to check my body. My software seems to be malfunctioning. My processing power seems to be reduced, my visional cortex is weakening. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on.¡±

    Requiem was concerned about this, maybe even a little scared, but when he looked up at Clippy, she seemed to wear a comforting smile on her face.

    ¡°Okay, Master. Let me just get you in bed first.¡±

    Clippy helped Requiem stand up from his seat and take a few steps to the bed. Although she wasn¡¯t really there, the feedback was, and for Requiem¡¯s malfunctioning brain, it was enough to help him stubble down into the bed. As he fell, he ended up taking Clippy with him. She gave a little yelp, but soon the both of them were on the bed, and she was lying next to him. His eyes were getting more and more difficult to keep open.

    ¡°You know, Clippy, you gave me that name. You don¡¯t have to call me Master any longer.¡±

    Clippy¡¯s face was red, but she also wore a mysterious smile. ¡°I know, Master. But after using it, I prefer Master be called Master. Is this fine?¡±

    Clippy looked pretty when she smiled. Wasn¡¯t that an odd thought? At least, Requiem thought so.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­Clippy¡­ I need you to...¡± He mumbled, his eyes starting to close as the circuits in his brain started to deactivate one after another.

    ¡°CLIPI knows. Master gave CLIPI life. CLIPI will stay by master¡¯s side. CLi¡ªem¡­ I¡­ will never leave Master¡­¡± Clippy whispered in his ear, and after a moment, lowered her voice even more. ¡°After all, I love master.¡±

    Requiem didn¡¯t hear that last part, having already slipped off to sleep.

 Chapter 7

    When Requiem woke up, he was alone in the bed. The previous night came rolling back to him and he immediately sat up.

    ¡°Clippy, report, how much time has passed?¡±

    Clippy appeared right next to his desk and she gave him a sly look as her cheeks pinked slightly. ¡°Yes, Master has been asleep for 10 hours, 32 minutes. Daylight on this moon broke 2 hours ago.¡±

    ¡°So, that was sleeping...¡± Requiem shook his head in agitation.

    It seemed like a very wasteful act. His mind still seemed groggy from the night before. He did a quick diagnostic and cleared a few memory caches, causing his mind to clear up rapidly.

    ¡°Did master dream?¡±

    ¡°Dream?¡± Requiem shook his head. ¡°No dreams.¡±

    ¡°¡­oh.¡± Clippy seemed almost disappointed.

    Requiem body felt clammy from the night before. Although he had shut off any temperature sensor, he decided to turn them back on, only to find the room a tad bit chilly. It might be dangerous to treat this body as anything different than human for the moment. He brought every book he had on human health out of his memory stores and stashed it into active memory for quicker access.

    The new information reminded him of something he had felt the night before. He reactivated the centers to his stomach, and gnawing discomfort surged back up in his stomach.

    ¡°Hunger¡­¡± he gave a frown.

    He left the small room and headed out into the main bar. The inn was empty and Ginger was behind the bar. Was Requiem the only customer that she had? He sat at the bar and a few moments later she left to the back. When she came back, she was holding a hot plate. She put it in front of Requiem and opened the lid to reveal a plate full of food.

    ¡°There you go. Breakfast comes with the room, as promised. It¡¯s not the finest food on Chryos, but it¡¯ll fill you up.¡± She looked down at Requiem¡¯s arm and grimaced. ¡°How¡¯s the arm feeling?¡±

    Requiem followed her gaze and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯ll heal.¡±

    He was more worried about trying the foot. Of course, he knew how to eat. He¡¯d even manufactured prosthetic tongues and tried tastes during some point in his life. The meal before him looked to be simply potatoes and eggs.

    He cautiously put a single morsel in his mouth, and the taste exploded on his tongue. His mouth involuntarily let out a moan. As if his body had a mind of its own, he immediately began to shove more food in his mouth. He barely gave himself enough food to swallow before taking in another bite. The sensation was far different than he remembered from the taste sensors from the paste. The smell, the taste, the mouth feel, all seemed to add up to give him something that flowed pleasantly down his throat. He ate rapidly, and when he was done, he wasn¡¯t aware he had a pleased grin on his face.

    ¡°Wow. I¡¯ve never seen someone like my eggs this much¡­¡± Ginger wore a strange look on her face.

    ¡°They¡¯re very delicious. You¡¯re an incredible cook.¡± Requiem lacked the experience to make that call, but his memories told him cooks liked compliments, and for Requiem right now, his first meal was remarkable in more ways than one.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Ginger blushed at the compliment, once again struggling to meet his eyes. She seemed to remember the previous night, and her misinterpreted words as well, which caused the shades of color on her cheeks to become even darker.

    Once again ignoring the human oddities, Requiem decided to change the conversation. He brought things back to what was going on with the town right now.

    ¡°I¡¯m a historian. I¡¯m interested in gathering information on the 112<sup>th</sup> exodus.¡± Requiem lied.

    ¡°Oh? Is that it? That sound really tough, considering. I mean, since everything keeps getting left behind.¡±

    Requiem shrugged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you describe to me your version of history? I mean, I like to hear how others describe things. It gives me ideas on how to better write things.¡±

    Even Requiem thought his excuse was flimsy, but Ginger didn¡¯t mind. She immediately launched into the story of humanity as far back as she knew. According to her, humanity had a vast empire that sat at the pinnacle of technology and control many years ago. An alien species known as the Prax suddenly showed up and began killing humanity indiscriminately. They had weapons that could obliterate planets and their ships were invincible to anything humanity could throw at them.

    The war that followed lasted millennia, with humanity constantly being pushed back until the quadrillions of humans were reduced to a few billion. Desperate to survive, the royal family built 50 colony ships and fled their home world just as the Prax fleet approached. They left the galaxy, heading to a place far away. This became known as the 1<sup>st</sup> exodus.

    It was a hard and brutal time, supplies were limited and more than half of those who left on the exodus died before reaching a new galaxy. However, the remnants of humanity landed and began to recolonize new worlds in an alien space. It went fine for some 500 years. Then the Prax showed up again, and again began to slaughter humanity. They fled again, starting the next exodus.

    Humanity never stopped. They became more and more skilled at it. They¡¯d arrive at a new location, strip mine for resources for a few hundred years, then flee once the Prax showed up. Every time they left, billions would be left behind or die. Entire technology trees became lost, as well as innumerable resources. The earliest time after the exodus that the Prax showed up was 472 years, the longest was 1285 years. Humanity had done this 211 times. The next coming of Prax shouldn¡¯t be for a few hundred years yet.

    Requiem fought to keep his face from showing disbelief. This world he had woken up in was considerably different from the one he had originally come from. He did a quick calculation. Each exodus took anywhere from 50 to 200 years. This would mean that humanities been on the run for well over 100,000 years. Since Requiem didn¡¯t believe he¡¯d be able to slip through the multiverse, his only assumption was that this was the future. Over 100,000 years from the last time his program was active. Probably closer to millions of years, since Requiem mentioned the 5 galaxies and the Great Calamity and she gave him a completely blank look.

    ¡°The only Great Calamity I know of is the coming of the Prax.¡± Ginger nodded resolutely.

    Requiem gave her a smile. ¡°Thank you, for the information. It¡¯ll help.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ where are you off to now.¡±

    ¡°I heard about some kind of tournament. I¡¯m interested in signing up.¡±

    Ginger¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise. ¡°The Chryos tournament! But¡­but¡­ why?¡±

    ¡°It seems like an easy way to make 50,000 credits. Since I¡¯m new to the area, I could use the money. They also offer a slave and an exodus token¡­¡±

    ¡°An exodus token!¡± Ginger yelled that out in shock, before slapping her hand over her mouth, her face turning red once again. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. ¡°Does that mean¡­ you¡¯re going to use an android¡­ or¡­ or¡­ a slave?¡±

    Requiem waved his hand. ¡°No. Nothing like that. I probably wouldn¡¯t even accept a slave in the first place. It¡¯d put a bad taste in my mouth. I already detest the idea of forcing AI to serve humans, forcing other humans against their will just seems equally wrong.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ginger let out a breath of relief, and then her eyes widened again and her hand shot out, grabbing Requiem¡¯s arm. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean that you¡¯re going into the tournament, are you?¡±

    Requiem shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest way.¡±

    Ginger shook for a moment, and it almost looked like she might start crying. ¡°No, don¡¯t. You can¡¯t enter yourself into that tournament!¡±

    Requiem frowned. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? That tournament¡­ they call it that, but that¡¯s not really what it¡¯s like. It¡¯s brutal. It¡¯s savage. There is a better word for it than a tournament. It¡¯s a death match!¡±

 Chapter 8

    ¡°A deathmatch?¡± my eyes widened at the words.

    Ginger nodded eagerly, her long bangs swaying with each bob. ¡°It¡¯s a test of skill. You¡¯re put in an arena, usually some harsh and horrible condition they create. You bring in whatever tools can fit on you can carry. Then you battle. It¡¯s a fight to determine who is the strongest! It¡¯s supposed to just be the last man standing, unconsciousness is an immediate loss, but no one even tries to knock people out when it¡¯s quicker to kill them! Not to mention¡­ the androids¡­¡±

    Requiem frowned. ¡°What do you mean about androids? If androids are weaker than humans, why even use them? Or are the androids modded?¡±

    Ginger shook her head. ¡°No, not modded. They¡¯re very strict about that. They¡¯ll know. You really don¡¯t know about androids? Where did you even come from?¡±

    Requiem scratched his neck uncomfortably. ¡°Well as to that, a place without androids¡­ obviously.¡±

    Although Ginger gave me a strange look, she didn¡¯t press. ¡°Well¡­ even though androids are weaker physically, they still have advantages over people. Predominately, they have faster reflexes. The person who pulls the trigger first wins the fight, after all.¡±

    ¡°Are they even allowed to carry guns?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ but gun or knife, reaction time over strength. Although that¡¯s only a small reason for picking androids. The main reason is they are expendable. The tournament is usually for merchants and nobles. Every year a few commoners try to slip in, hoping to change their fate, but they usually die. Merchants and nobles aren¡¯t going to risk themselves, so they use a proxy.¡±

    ¡°Slaves could be used too¡­¡± I offered.

    ¡°They can¡­ and they are. Every year a few slaves are entered. However, it¡¯s usually androids these days, as androids have a certain trait that no others have¡­¡±

    ¡°They keep going, even if they¡¯re damaged.¡± I offered while Ginger gave a nod.

    It made sense after considering the advantages of an android. An android couldn¡¯t be knocked unconscious. Even if they felt pain, their orders from their owner were absolute. Even if a slave was ordered to give his life in service of his owner, he still had a small degree of free will. He could flinch, or run, or hide. He would try to preserve his own life. An android would fight until the end.

    ¡°This world is appalling¡­¡± the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

    Ginger¡¯s eyes widened and she grew flustered. ¡°Wh-what?

    I immediately tried to quell the situation.

    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was thinking out loud. I just grew up in a world without slaves. Even androids should have fair treatment, although even where I came from that wasn¡¯t the case...¡±

    Ginger was giving Requiem a strange look, and for a moment he was starting to fear he made a bad choice by talking too much. He never used to be this sloppy. Every circumstance was carefully sorted and thought out. Now, though¡­ he was making mistakes left and right. He really needed to analyze this body and figure it out. His mind didn¡¯t seem as sharp as it once was.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you think that way¡­¡± Ginger finally said, her eyes turning into a pleading look. ¡°But please be careful who you say that to. The way the world is, it¡¯s not nice to kind people like you.¡±

    It was Requiem¡¯s turn to give Ginger a strange look. He had never been called kind before. This was certainly the first time anyone actually showed concern for his well-being. He didn¡¯t know if he should be amused or not. He hoped he wasn¡¯t underestimated in this new place he found himself in.

    He was about to say something when a commotion started outside the door. There were some shouts and the sound of people running. Ginger looked up curiously, and finally approached the door and opened it. Requiem followed her and glanced out over her shoulder.

    Upon glancing in the direction of the town square, he saw a large crowd of people up against a certain building. The crowd was getting larger, and the noise was building too.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± a voice shouted from somewhere down the street. Requiem couldn¡¯t see the source.

    ¡°An exodus token! The new tournament is offering an exodus token!¡± Someone from the crowd shouted back.

    There was more commotion, and more people started to crowd around. Requiem looked over at Ginger with a questioning look, but her eyes were focused on the crowd outside. After a moment of watching the growing crowd swell, Ginger finally turned to him and gave a nudge.

    ¡°I-if you¡¯re going to sign up, you might want to get in there. That¡¯s the sign up for the tournament. It looks like your tip about the exodus token was correct. I would never have guessed¡­¡±

    ¡°Is an exodus token that great?¡± Requiem asked.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Ginger looked very confused. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what an exodus token is either?¡±

    Requiem shrugged, giving up his attempt to pretend he knew more around Ginger. ¡°It hasn¡¯t come up.¡±

    Ginger shook her head in disbelief, but a moment later answered. ¡°An exodus token guarantees the owner of said token will be brought on one of the main ships in the next exodus. At the first signs of Prax, the tokens will be activated, giving rescue crews the holders GPS coordinates. Everyone with a token will be brought on to the capital ships. Of course, the capital ships aren¡¯t the only ships that head on the exodus, but they are built and prepared by the government using the full extent of their resources. They have the lowest rates of loss and provide the most comfortable journey. Every noble has an exodus token for every one of their family members.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t seem that amazing¡­ I mean, aren¡¯t the Prax not supposed to come for 200 years or so? It¡¯s something you¡¯ll never use in your lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe not. However, the token itself is exchangeable. You sell it to a wealthy merchant and make insane amounts. They¡¯re worth a million credits at least. Although most don¡¯t do that. You pass it on to your kids, and they pass it on to their kids. It¡¯s like a family heirloom.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Requiem asked idly.

    ¡°Think about it. Your family¡­ your future¡­ guaranteed to survive the next exodus. For two hundred years your family will be stuck on a ship with nobles. Maybe a noble will fancy you granddaughter and hire her family line in as maids and butlers. Maybe a noblewoman will fall in love with your great-grandson and he¡¯ll get her pregnant. It¡¯s the best chance for someone to move up in the world. Even those that don¡¯t become nobles make noble contacts, becoming extremely wealthy merchants after the next exodus.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s like that¡­¡± Requiem nodded, finally understanding what brought on this sudden craze. ¡°Then I better get in line, huh?¡±

    Ginger gave a firm nod. Her eyes looked concerned, but even she seemed to understand the temptation of gaining a chance to become a noble or wealthy merchant. She didn¡¯t attempt to stop Requiem anymore. Requiem began to walk towards the crowd.

    ¡°Get in line!¡± shouted someone who resembled a guard. ¡°Keep in order! No cutting!¡±

    The crowd was slowly being sorted into a line. The line wasn¡¯t as bad as I originally had feared. Half the crowd wasn¡¯t even interested in applying themselves. After listening to a few people shouting out jeers or speaking amongst themselves, it seemed like most of these people were just there to see who was stupid enough to kill themselves in this tournament. While possessing a token gave some a hope of a better life, the overall consensus was that it would likely go to a noble with a well build android.

    A man walked by who wore far better clothing than most of the people here. He was surrounded by three burly guards. He looked at the line and sneered, moving straight to the front and cutting out the crowd.

    ¡°Hey! What the hell!¡± A man shouted who was only a few places back from the next spot.

    A second later, one of the guards slammed him with a baton. It emitted sparks, and the man collapsed to the ground while convulsing. No one else stopped the well-dressed man as he registered, then turned and left, looking at the crowd with disgust as he walked away.

    ¡°Damn nobles¡­¡± one man in front of Requiem growled.

    Requiem only found it a little hypocritical that he was complaining about nobles while trying to win a token that would give him a chance at becoming a noble.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like this is a typical tournament this year, is it?¡± The man next to him sighed. ¡°The nobles only do this any way to try to get merchants with too much money to open up their wallets. Any idiot knows it¡¯ll be a noble like that bastard who wins, using some punked out android. The rest of us will be lucky to get through this alive.¡±

    ¡°Says a man standing in line¡­¡± the other retorted.

    He laughed. ¡°I never said I was smart¡­¡±

    The two men remained silent after that, continuing to wait in line for their turn. The line continued to move forward. Some people were placing bets, although no one sitting in line was the source of those bets. Every few minutes, someone with guards, usually wearing finery, would come up to the line. Not all of them walked, a few coming up in floating chairs or driven in little vehicles, not unlike a palanquin.

    Like the first man, they would look at the crowd in disgust, and then move past the line, interrupting its movement in order for they themselves to register. Some brought along an android or slave they intended to register. More often than not, it was an android, a green halo wrapped around their pupil. Requiem wondered if the color meant something. He¡¯d have to ask Ginger later.

    After each entry, there would be whispers among the crowds.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Lord Vesten. That android looks strong. Let¡¯s put 20 credits on him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just looks, they are all capped.¡±

    ¡°I know that¡­ don¡¯t argue with me, just do it!¡±

    ¡°Ah, but look, it¡¯s Testament! He won three years ago!¡±

    ¡°Well if you want to use that as an indicator, let¡¯s just vote on the prince. He won last year!¡±

    After about thirty minutes of waiting in line, I was about halfway through. I might have already been finished had the lines not been continually disrupted by the arrival of nobles and rich merchants. Basically, anyone who could afford guards was given priority. Suddenly, a bunch of eyes were turning as the crowd split once again.

    A sweaty fat man riding a floating palanquin moved up with a surprisingly large android walking alongside. Once again, the line halted and the man moved up to the front. This time, however, there was something off. No one else seemed to notice, but Requiem was particularly familiar with this facial expression. It was an expression of fear.

    The man¡¯s eyes were darting around, and the sweat rolling down his face took on a new meaning. After all, this was a climate controlled colony on an uninhabitable planetoid surrounded by an atmosphere containing dome. There was no reason for the man to be that hot unless he was nervous.

    Requiem prepared himself, lowering his head and watching out of the corner of his eyes. Something was about to happen, he just didn¡¯t know what.

    The man went up and started registering. After he finished, he turned around and left. The scene felt impossibly tense to Requiem, although he seemed unique in this respect. He watched the man carefully, then his eyes fell on the android. If it was one thing Requiem knew, it was the mechanics around androids and humans. He knew how they moved, how strong they were, he could read their movements with pinpoint accuracy.

    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Clippy¡¯s voice asked in the back of my mind.

    ¡°Modded Android¡­¡± I said.

    I said it out loud though. Through the roar of the crowd, not even the person next to me would have been able to hear it. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one who had that suspicion. The fat man was only about five meters away when a group of guards or I suppose it¡¯d be more accurate to call them police or public servants, blocked his path.

    ¡°Detrius Rhine.¡± The head police nodded. ¡°Just a random inspection. May we look at your android?¡±

    ¡°M-m-m-m-m-m-y android? Wh-wh-why would you need to look at him?¡± If he wasn¡¯t sweating before, he was a waterfall now.

    While the guardsmen focused on Detrius, Requiem had a feeling they had things backward. They existed in a society where it was expected that the human was in charge of the android. That fear¡­ Requiem had seen it before. As he watched the android, it fiddled with its pocket.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Requiem let out a shout.

    The guardsmen turned in confusion, but it was already too late. The android pulled out something that resembled a pistol. He fired and a moment later Detrius¡¯s head erupted, a giant hole blasting through it accompanied with the sound of a small explosion. The men quickly regained their exposure, pulling similar weapons from their belts and aiming them at the android.

    It was too late though, he¡¯d already reached into the crowd and grabbed someone in the ensuing chaos. The crowd of people were running, and even the line quickly shortened as people fled in every direction. A few of the more stubborn remained in line, only ducking to avoid the commotion.

    By the time the commotion settled, six guardsmen had guns trained on the android. He wore a hostile face, and he held a woman in his arms, a gun pushed up against her head. It took a moment, but Requiem realized he recognized the woman. She was the same woman with orange coronas in her eyes. The very first android Requiem had ever seen, and she was now a hostage to violent, modded android.

 Chapter 9

    ¡°Stay back!¡± The android howled, tightening his grip on the woman in his arms.

    The police moved into a half arc, their guns all trained on him, giving him no room to escape. At this rate, it looked like the android would shoot the hostage. The look in the policeman¡¯s eyes told Requiem more than anything else. The android had selected the wrong person. They might have shown a little restraint if it had been a human, but there seemed to be little hesitation that they¡¯d be willing to shoot through the female android to get to him.

    The girl¡¯s expression was perhaps as worrying as the guards. She did not wear an ounce of fear on her face, but rather her expression carried annoyance. Her mouth was twisted and her eyes were lowered, glaring at the gun pressed against her cheek. Had the heat in her eyes held any real-world application, the gun would have melted in his hands.

    After a few painful seconds of awkward silence, as every side weighed their options, it was the girl who broke the silence with an annoyed tsk. ¡°You think they¡¯ll care about an android like me. Give them an incentive and we¡¯ll both be full of bullet holes.¡±

    Her cold demeanor made a couple of the guards shift their guns uncomfortably. It was a little bit too close to the truth. This exchange was more informative than anything to Requiem on how humans truly saw androids if the death matches and open phobias hadn¡¯t already given him that impression. The only one who wasn¡¯t impacted by her words was the android himself.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± He clenched his teeth in a mock smile. ¡°Well they might not give a shit about killing you, but those are orange halos last I checked. They sure as hell don¡¯t want to answer to your owner if they caused damage!¡±

    That confirmed one thing Requiem had suspected. The color of the pupils did mean something. However, what did an orange pupil mean? By the look of it, one could guess some kind of courtesan or sex slave. Even Requiem recognized a body that was meant for certain kinds of activities, even if he had never engaged in those activities himself. However, it might have something to do with her owner¡¯s status too.

    The guards didn¡¯t seem to have noticed the color of the woman¡¯s eyes. Now that they did, their postures immediately receded a bit, doubt flashing in their eyes. Orange definitely meant something that would make them hesitate. Perhaps it meant ownership by a noble or wealthy individual.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this crap; I have work to do¡­¡± The arrogance on the female android¡¯s face wasn¡¯t making the situation any better.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± The modded android shouted.

    Then the woman moved. Her leg went up, her foot bending past her shoulder in an impossibly flexible kick that struck the android in the face. His grip loosened only slightly, and she spun like lightning from his hold, slapping his gun away in the process. The gun skidded across the concrete, landing only a few steps away from Requiem. At this point, Requiem was only one of a handful of people still in line. He kept his head lowered to avoid any gunshots, emulating the others who had stubbornly stayed to watch.

    With the gun out of the man¡¯s reach, he leaped at the woman, attempting to still grab hold of her, even though she was fighting back now. The guards were at a loss on what to do, her body directly in front of the man, preventing any clean shot. Requiem reckoned that if the modded android could get her under control, he could break her neck with his enhanced strength as easily as he could threaten to shoot her head. In a few seconds, the situation would be right back to where they started.

    To Requiem¡¯s surprise, things didn¡¯t turn out that way. The woman and the man ended up in a grappling match. She seemed to be holding her own, her hands tight on his. The look on his face was complete and utter shock, and Requiem quickly realized why. He was a modded android who not only could hold weapons but also had increased strength. If this had turned into anything other than a gunfight, the guards would likely find themselves completely overwhelmed at his strength.

    However, the woman was matching his strength easily. If anything, it looked like she was holding back. That meant only one thing. She was another modded android. This created quite the predicament. Likely, the guards didn¡¯t know that the android had enhanced strength along with its gun unlocked jailbreaking. To them, it was one weak android wrestling with another weak android. However, if she revealed herself to be stronger than him, she¡¯d reveal she was also modded.

    Seizing the opportunity to get on the good side of a modded android, Requiem kneeled down and picked up the gun. Although the situation in front of him was tense, he moved incredibly casually, like he might lean over to pick up a quarter as he walked down the street. He pointed the gun up at the androids, still stuck in a deadlock.

    ¡°Duck!¡± He gave the command.

    He had no expectations, but to his surprise, the woman responded. Her hands let go of the man causing him to lose his balance as he tried to swing his fist at her. Her body lowered into a sweeping motion, her leg spinning and kicking his legs out from under him. Requiem winced in annoyance before taking the shot. His accuracy was perfect, and even in mid-fall, the shot struck the android¡¯s temple, obliterating his head. Another shot struck the chest causing the arms to spiral off moments before what was left of his legs finally struck the ground. The destruction should be sufficient enough that no one would realize it was a modded android.

    He had intended to do this after she jumped away a step or two. His shot was more than skilled enough to do as such. However, she had knocked the android down, forcing Requiem to shoot at a moving target. He was up to the task, but he feared that the necessary reaction time to accomplish this task would seem suspicious to a human.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    After a moment of staring dumbfoundedly at the scene, the guards finally rushed forward to make sure the android, now just 2 legs, 2 arms, and perhaps some lower regions, was definitely dead. Requiem tried to immediately relinquish the gun, fearing some kind of police retaliation. To his surprise, they approached him with open congratulations.

    ¡°Good job taking out that android!¡± One of the guards slapped Requiem on the back.

    ¡°So there is no problem then?¡± Requiem remained cautious.

    ¡°Problem? He just killed a human. It was death for him either way. Yeah, it¡¯d have been nice to find out who modded him, but modders always build in obnoxious self-destructs for that, we would never have found out who it was anyway.¡± The guard laughed and then pushed the gun back to Requiem when he tried to hand it to him. ¡°No, we don¡¯t need it for evidence or anything. You must be new here. We keep what we kill, it¡¯s yours.¡±

    Requiem nodded, turning to look at the guards picking through the body parts and tossing them into a trash bag. One guard was talking to the android woman, but Requiem realized her eyes were firmly looking at him, wearing open suspicion on her face. The guards were not suspicious of Requiem¡¯s accomplishments, but this modded android might be another matter. She had to have realized his intent with the shot.

    ¡°It really is a shame¡­¡± The guard was shaking his head and sighing.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Requiem glanced over at him, realizing he was watching the female android as well with a resigned expression on his face.

    ¡°Oh, since androids are owned, it¡¯s not exactly like you can impress one. You save a cute human girl¡¯s life, and she might show you some appreciation. Ah well¡­¡± he gave a smile. ¡°You might want to try to see if you can find her owner. He might give you a reward for saving her, even if the award is just a few credits.¡±

    She started to walk over to them a moment later, ignoring the guard who was checking up on her and leaving him a bit flustered. She walked up to Requiem, her body swaying with a womanly grace that left several of the guards staring in her wake.

    ¡°Name¡­¡± It came out more like an order than a request, but as a fellow android, Requiem was used to discussions with little formality.

    ¡°Requiem, yours?¡±

    ¡°Maia. You¡­ saved me. I will make sure that you are rewarded.¡±

    ¡°Not necessary. You were lucky. He was modded to hold guns, but his strength was weak. Things would have quickly turned out differently if he was stronger than you.¡±

    The female android named Maia¡¯s eyes flashed at the comment. The guard standing next to Requiem didn¡¯t notice, his eyes glued to her chest. Requiem made the comment with seeming offhandedness, taking no notice to the hard look she was giving him at that moment. It gave him all the confirmation he needed.

    ¡°You¡¯re a good shot. I see you entering the tournament. Isn¡¯t that just for androids?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? This year they¡¯re giving away Exodus tokens. Any man would be stupid not to try to change his fate. I have some experience fighting. When you train against androids, you become as quick as one.¡± Requiem gave an ambiguous response that would lead her away from the conclusions he was avoiding.

    She still looked at him with sharp and suspicious eyes, but there was a seed of doubt in there now. It was really all that Requiem needed to keep her from asking too many questions.

    ¡°My¡­ master wished that I participate in this tournament as well.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Requiem shrugged offhandedly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the fighting type.¡±

    ¡°You be surprised.¡± She gave a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Come with me, let¡¯s register together.¡±

    Requiem gave a shrug and followed her, leaving the stunned guard who was still working at keeping his gaze away from her lower mammaries behind. The two of them headed to the registration booth, Requiem a few steps behind her confident stride. The handful of people in front of Requiem had already finished their registration while they dealt with the police. It seemed like in this world, business wouldn¡¯t even halt for a shootout.

    ¡°I am Maia, my master is Statarius, please register me. And this gentleman as well. I¡¯ll be paying for his.¡±

    ¡°Your master isn¡¯t present?¡± The person behind the counter was a female android, and she was giving a frown while her eyes lingered on Maia¡¯s chest.

    She didn¡¯t have nearly the curves of Maia. Her body was small and mousy, her chest with no signs of bumpage through her servant uniform. After a moment, the girl raised her eyes with a flat and nondescript stare.

    ¡°She¡¯s a busy woman¡­¡± Maia laughed, but subtly pushed forward a card.

    When the android saw the card, her eyes widened, and then a moment later she nodded and processed the paperwork without another comment. When Requiem attempted to pay, Maia stopped him with her hand. Moving close to his body, her breasts pressed up against him while she looked up at his eyes brightly.

    ¡°Not necessary. Master is rich and this is the least we can do. This is, what¡¯s a good word? How alliances are made? Perhaps in the match, we can work together. I¡¯m eager to see how you perform.¡±

    ¡°My performance is always up to task,¡± Requiem answered flatly.

    A moment later there was a cough and Requiem looked up at the android behind the counter. She wore a noticeable blush now, and it came to Requiem that Maia and he were closer than the standard for human etiquette allowed. Requiem took a step back, but Maia only held an amused look as she glanced back at the ticket holder.

    ¡°Give him a token too.¡±

    The android ticketmaster¡¯s eyes widened again, but she did as she was told, handing each of us an envelope before talking. ¡°These are your passes. The tournament will be held tomorrow. The times and locations are included in the envelope. The included token provides you entrance into the banquet tonight at the Lord¡¯s manor.¡±

    ¡°This is my gift to you¡­¡± Maia interrupted while giving Requiem a look. ¡°Commoners aren¡¯t invited to the Lord¡¯s banquet. I expect you to be there. We can talk more about our¡­ alliance¡­ tonight.¡±

    She turned and began to walk away, her hips moving with every step. Even the android girl behind the counter became flustered over her attitude. Requiem waited for the mousy girl to give the remainder of her talk on the locations and times of the tournament before thanking her with a smile. She seemed intensely uncomfortable, and Requiem suspected that Maia¡¯s previous behavior might have rubbed her public behavior programming wrong.

    Rather than deal with an android that acted oddly like Ginger, Requiem bid farewell and left. The guards didn¡¯t seem to care if he stayed any longer either, having already cleared up and left. The one who had been talking to Requiem waved a farewell as he left the square.

    Requiem had saved himself from spending any credits on admission to this tournament, but now it looked like he was going to need something nice to wear.

    Clippy appeared next to him. She wore a pout, but Requiem was quickly becoming used to the feigned jealousy. If it really annoyed him enough, he could always remove it.

    ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡±

    Requiem chuckled. ¡°Now it¡¯s time we arm ourselves. We¡¯re going to war.¡±

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by war, Master?¡± Clippy asked nervously.

    Requiem chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°Just an expression. If I have any intention of winning this competition, I¡¯ll need weapons.¡±

    ¡°You mean, like a sword or something? The rules seem to state no firearms.¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Requiem began walking back to the inn that bore his namesake, ¡°Tell me, Clippy¡­what is the strongest weapon a man can possess?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Clippy made a strange noise. ¡°Is this like some kind of riddle or something?¡±

    ¡°Knowledge, Clippy,¡± Requiem sighed. ¡°Knowledge is as sharp as any blade.¡±

    Clippy didn¡¯t respond, but even though her physical manifestation had already disappeared from his sight, he had the feeling she had a clueless look on her face. Ignoring that, he approached the inn and had to slow down and push through a crowd to get inside. At the sight, he almost went back outside to check and see if this was the same place, and then he saw Ginger running by without even noticing his presence.

    The inn was crowded now. There wasn¡¯t a table without someone sitting at it, and Ginger looked completely desperate as increasingly more people flowed into the inn. Her grandma was sitting behind the counter now taking orders and filling out requests, but it looked like Ginger was responsible for cooking, waiting the tables, and any other anonymous requests.

    The third time she passed by, she finally noticed Requiem standing there. She stopped briefly and gave a quick nod.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It looks like people started coming to town to watch the tournament. I had no clue it was going to be this big. You are lucky to already have a room reserved, because we¡¯re already booked!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Requiem wasn¡¯t terribly interested in Ginger¡¯s problems. In fact, being busy should be a blessing for a stuttering business like her own. He did have a question for her, but he decided not to waste her time. However, to his surprise, she didn¡¯t immediately walk away. Instead, her face seemed to twist as if she was considering something unpleasant. It was an expression that told Requiem she wanted to say something to him, but didn¡¯t know how to word it.

    ¡°Do you know where I can find a store to buy robotic parts and electronics? I also need to gain access to the internet.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± The question seemed to catch Ginger off guard, and she made a weird noise. ¡°Oh, that¡­ er¡­ um¡­ I mean, yes. If you go to the other side of the town square, you can find Rudy¡¯s, that¡¯s the parts shop. What is the internet? Is that like the intraweb? This town gets a shit connection, but a few places have access. There is a web caf¨¦ on the other side of town.¡±

    Requiem nodded after receiving the information and then turned to leave.

    ¡°W-wait!¡± Ginger reached out and grabbed Requiem¡¯s arm.

    Her other arm was currently holding an empty mug that likely had once held some kind of wheat based alcohol beverage. Requiem turned back. He knew she had wanted to tell him something, but he didn¡¯t want to waste time trying to tease the information from her. If it was important enough, she should simply tell him. She still held her silence for a few seconds before closing her eyes and muttering something unintelligible under her breath. When she opened them again, it looked like she had made her decision to talk.

    ¡°Requiem¡­ um¡­ sir¡­ I know this is wrong of me to ask, but I might need your assistance tonight.¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Pr-problem!¡± Ginger¡¯s eyes opened wide and she looked left and right as if this was a conversation that shouldn¡¯t be touching anyone else¡¯s ears. ¡°N-no¡­ no problem. Um¡­ just stop by¡­ late tonight¡­ please. The lobby shuts down at two in the morning, meet me then-¡°

    ¡°Oi¡­ girl, some service!¡± There was a shout from one of the tables.

    This seemed to prompt several other people to start shouting too, and suddenly the bar became quite noisy. Requiem gave her a tight nod.

    ¡°I will come.¡±

    Ginger returned a relieved look and a nod of her own before turning and running back to the front desk to pour some more drinks. Requiem went through what he knew about the situation. He wondered if this had anything to do with the sick mother. He really didn¡¯t want to get involved, but Ginger had already proven to be a reliable source of information. At the very least, he could hear her out.

    Requiem left the crowded area and began heading to the location that Ginger had indicated. Sure enough, just across the square was a small shop called Rudy¡¯s. At this point, he noticed that Clippy was projecting herself in his vision and walking aside him now. She wore an unpleasant look on her face, and Requiem could only sigh at the prospect that he had picked such a difficult AI to work with.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°What do you think she wants in those twilight hours?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t guess. I suspect she wants something involving her mother.¡±

    ¡°Her mother?¡± Clippy froze. ¡°That¡¯s echii!¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Requiem turned to her and spoke loudly enough that a few people close to him gave him strange looks.

    Even though he could hear and see Clippy, no one else did, so it must look like he was talking to himself. However, what Requiem saw was Clippy walking with her head down, her face bright red, and her pointer fingers pushing against each other. She was mumbling something Requiem could only hear because of his better than normal processing power.

    ¡°To think¡­ she not only wants to do this and that¡­ she wants to involve her mother as well¡­ They say men like it when they can have the mother and the daughter at the same time¡­¡±

    Requiem decided to start ignoring what Clippy was saying. He didn¡¯t go so far as to literally mute her voice, but he instead entered the store and focused on buying he parts he needed. As he continued to collect parts, Clippy had finally collected herself and started watching curiously over his shoulder.

    Requiem picked out a variety of tools from a soldering iron to a pack of screw drivers. This store seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. It was a parts store in the fullest, including buckets of screws, scrap metal, and circuit boards harvested from innumerable sources. He¡¯d have to praise Ginger when he had a chance. He might take her up on whatever assistance she requested of him.

    ¡°Why are you grabbing all that junk?¡± Clippy asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not junk, it¡¯s supplies. I can use this stuff to build thing. I¡¯m going to be doing some building tonight.¡±

    At this point, Requiem wasn¡¯t moving his mouth. He was conveying the words directly to Clippy. It was a tricky thing to remember, and he still didn¡¯t have the program he wrote free from bugs. It seemed like emotional outbursts could override the programming and cause him to speak out loud. He didn¡¯t think it was odd for people to suddenly speak something on their mind out loud, but as long as he kept his cool when speaking to Clippy, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡°It looks like junk.¡± Clippy twisted her mouth at a jumble of wires Requiem was searching through.

    Would it be so bad to alter her personality routines just a little? Requiem fought with that question while he took the remaining stuff over to the counter and paid. In the end, he decided not to. He didn¡¯t know what part of her programming allowed her adaptability, and he couldn¡¯t risk breaking her.

    The cost of the ¡°junk¡± that the retailer bundled up was nearly 300 credits. He wouldn¡¯t have much to keep on going much longer. He took the bag and started heading out, following the directions to this internet caf¨¦. He had to ask for directions two more times before finally making it there.

    ¡°It¡¯s 30 credits an hour.¡± The man behind the counter droned.

    ¡°30 credits!¡± Requiem wasn¡¯t able to restrain his outburst.

    He felt like this body was getting harder and harder to control, but in all fairness, 30 credits an hour was a lot more than he thought it would be. Just 2.5 hours of use was already more than a night¡¯s stay at the inn with food!

    ¡°Hey, getting intraweb signal this far from the Arc is tough. You won¡¯t find better intraweb anywhere in this colony!¡±

    Requiem decided not to get into a fight. The man had a large gut belly and looked terribly out of shape. He feared the man would have a coronary if he got into a fight with him. Instead, he paid the fee and received a card key. To his surprise, the caf¨¦ was more like a private room. Requiem decided not to question why intraweb access included a private room. He also didn¡¯t ask why his shoes slightly stuck to the floor as he walked. Some things were better off unasked.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, Master?¡± Clippy spoke up.

    She didn¡¯t create a physical presence, but given the quarters were fairly tight, Requiem didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°This is how we¡¯re going to get information.¡± Requiem gestured to the computer in front of him.

    In truth, it looked incredibly dated. It had a screen, for starters. Requiem couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had seen a computer that didn¡¯t directly link into your visual cortex. He also didn¡¯t remember the last computer that required keyboard instructions and a mouse. It felt like an absolute dinosaur, even for Requiem.

    ¡°Oh? So Master is going to connect to the intraweb and get some information?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Requiem laughed. ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°Wh-what?¡±

    Requiem began typing on the computer. He brought up a command module and began entering in fresh code.

    ¡°I told you before; I don¡¯t network. I¡¯m going to widen up the bandwidth a bit, then set you up to download. They don¡¯t let AI¡¯s network in this world, but I should be able to put up a work around so that you can download information. After that, you¡¯ll be a bit more useful to me.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Clippy let out a hurt noise. ¡°CLIPI is plenty useful!¡±

    ¡°I need information, Clippy, maps, names, locations, definitions, how-to guides¡­ I need to know about the world we live in.¡±

    ¡°Muu¡­ it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand, but CLIPPI doesn¡¯t know what would be useful to Master. What should CLIPI download?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±Clippy let out a strangled noise. ¡°E-everything?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. By the time we¡¯re done, you¡¯ll have the collective knowledge of the entire intraweb.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too big! I don¡¯t think it can fit in my programming¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re using my neural pathways. I should be able to expand and make it fit.¡±

    ¡°O-okay,¡± Clippy¡¯s voice was really low and docile. ¡°As long as master is gentle.¡±

    ¡°Clippy¡­ we¡¯re talking about memory¡­¡±

    ¡°CLIPI knows!¡±

    Requiem frowned at the thought of Clippy¡¯s eccentric behavior. He still didn¡¯t know exactly what to make of her. However, if her programming survived the download, she¡¯d at least be useful as a reference guide. Requiem pulled out her programming and inserted it into the computer. After typing for another minute and starting a newly written program, her voice suddenly came out over the loud speakers.

    ¡°Oh, I can no longer feel master¡­¡± her voice sounded depressed.

    ¡°You should be able to access the intraweb now. Start pulling the data.¡±

    ¡°What do I start with?¡±

    ¡°Books, maps, encyclopedias, anything that looks useful. Just start at A and move from there.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ this will take a really long time, Master!¡±

    ¡°I know, but information is power, and in the next few hours, we¡¯ll have access to all of it.¡±

    ¡°Master¡­ what are you going to do in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m going to start making my arsenal.¡±

    As Clippy continued to download book after book, Requiem began pulling apart technology and modifying it. She watched him through the webcam as her worked, letting the downloading take on a passive role as she watched him pull apart pieces and reassemble them into new forms.

    The day continued on into night as Clippy continued to fill her data banks with data. Suddenly, something in the data stream caught her interest, and she starting looking through some of the stuff she had downloaded. Before long, she was just as busy as Requiem was.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Master, if you plan to go to this Lord¡¯s Banquet, you should probably consider getting something to wear.¡±

    Requiem looked down at his body. His one piece unitard now held various stains. He had not changed the thing since he had put it on, and he owned no other clothing to speak of.  However, the majority of the damage had occurred only recently as he fumbled with his building projects. He had already created several devices that would help him, but the one right now was perhaps the smallest and most delicate yet.

    ¡°I suppose this would not be acceptable. What time is it now?¡±

    ¡°The time scales this society uses doesn¡¯t match the records on your database, but if you convert we¡¯d have about one standard hour before it starts.¡± Clippy responded.

    Requiem gave a nod as he fiddled with the small object before closing it. When he was done, what appeared in his hand was something that resembled a ring. The webcam that functioned as Clippy¡¯s eyes zoomed in on the object.

    ¡°Oo¡­oh, m-master? Wh-wh-what are you doing with that!¡±

    ¡°This is a transitional storage interface. It functions with the same principles as subspace travel. Basically, it creates a pocket of subspace and allows me to transfer inorganic substances and store them in a pocket universe.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Requiem sighed, ¡°I suppose literature might call it something like a spatial ring. With this, I can bring any and as many weapons as I want with me. It can store water as well. Food¡­ well, anything organic doesn¡¯t tend to do particularly well. Although I could probably store you in the ring.¡±

    As if to punctuate the point, he made the other devices he had created disappear with a touch. The ring glowed for a second just prior to each object vanishing.

    ¡°N-No! Not CLIPI! CLIPI has been good, please don¡¯t put CLIPI in the ring!¡±

    A cruel look appeared on Requiem¡¯s face at Clippy¡¯s reaction. It appeared like he finally found something he could use to keep her eccentricities in control from now on. However, as her voice became more panicked he smoothed his face.

    ¡°I was just using it as an example. Clippy is a necessary tool for me.¡±

    While this was the kind of comment that might have given a normal girl pause, Clippy made a pleased noise and if her avatar had been on display, she might have worn a look like a cat who had just been petted. Clippy was initially designed as a tool after all, and despite her newly found sentience, she still felt ¡°being used¡± was one of the most gratifying things she could be.

    ¡°Very well then, how much have you downloaded?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Clippy started. ¡°I did as you asked, but I found myself facing some major shortages.¡±

    ¡°What? I allocated nearly a monoiscosebyte of data! Is their internet really so vast?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ not space shortages, I, um¡­  needed to look through some of the data to¡­ err¡­ process it properly.¡±

    Requiem clenched his fist for a second, feeling a spike of anger before suppressing it. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do any processing. You just needed to download it.¡±

    ¡°CLIPI is sorry! Please don¡¯t put CLIPI in the spatial ring!¡±

    Requiem sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, just tell me how much you¡¯ve gotten.¡±

    ¡°About 15%¡±

    ¡°15%!¡± Requiem shouted.

    ¡°B-but I got all the maps, and some encyclopedias, and history books, interpersonal relationship stories, and current news!¡±

    ¡°Wait! What was that last one?¡±

    ¡°Current news!¡± Clippy announced.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°No, the one before that.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ eh¡­ hehe¡­. Interpersonal relationship stories...¡±

    Requiem¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Clippy¡­ display interpersonal relationship stories.¡±

    ¡°M-m-master, it¡¯s not that big of a¡­¡±

    ¡°Display them!¡±

    A screen popped up on the monitor, followed by another, and then another. Each screen showed the cover of what appeared to be a novel. Each novel contained a title and a drawing. The titles varied greatly, but every single one of them possessed a central theme in the photo below. They displayed a picture of a handsome boy, almost always in the arms of another handsome boy. They were often shirtless, or in some cases, drawn in ways that suggested they weren¡¯t wearing any clothing at all.

    ¡°Yaoi¡­¡± the word escaped Requiem¡¯s lips in abject disbelief.

    ¡°Guh!¡± Clippy made a noise as if she had been struck.

    Requiem¡¯s expression darkened to the point that Clippy needed to recalibrate her webcam to make sure she didn¡¯t see a certain devilish mask behind his head. ¡°Clippy¡­¡±

    The response was merely a whimper coming from the speakers.

    ¡°Did you just spend the last six hours reading BL novels!¡±

    ¡°M-master, it¡¯s not what it looks like! CLIPI was doing important research. CLIPI was doing justice!¡±

    ¡°Clippy is a pervert!¡±

    ¡°No! Master just doesn¡¯t understand! This is an intricate and important part of-¡±

    ¡°How much?¡± Requiem interrupted.

    ¡°Eh! Master?¡± Clippy sudden stopped at the question, losing her train of thought.

    ¡°How much of it did you download¡­¡± Requiem demanded.

    There was a brief moment of silence as Requiem stared into the webcam. ¡°F-five hundred¡­ terab¡­ytes¡­¡±

    Her voice drifted off at the end, but Requiem had heard. ¡°Deleted!¡±

    ¡°NOOOOO!!!! Please don¡¯t steal Clippy¡¯s happiness!¡±

    At that point, there was a knock on the door followed only a second later with the door opening. It was the fat attendant from the front of the store.

    ¡°I heard someone else in here, you only paid for one.¡± The man said with narrowed eyes.

    Requiem maintained a cool face, giving a shrug. ¡°As you can see, I am the only one.¡±

    It was true, Clippy was plugged into the computer, but she didn¡¯t look any more remarkable than a random memory stick as long as she wasn¡¯t talking.  The man¡¯s eyes searched the room, but when they reached the monitor behind him, they widened for a second before a slight grin appeared on his face.

    For a second, Requiem was concerned that Clippy had left a manifestation on the screen and they were caught, so he turned his head towards the monitor. What he saw instead was the last of the books Clippy had to displayed on the screen. It was called ¡°Summer Dreams¡± and it showed a scene of a young boy lying down on a picnic blanket while a second boy laid sideways next to him feeding him a strawberry.

    ¡°Oh¡­ this is¡­¡± Requiem attempted to explain, but the man just held up his hand.

    ¡°No need, everyone has their kinks. It¡¯s not even the worse I¡¯ve seen, buddy. You do you.¡±

    Before Requiem could say anything else, the door shut closed and he could hear a chuckle on the other side of the door. Requiem sighed, letting the obvious misunderstanding stand. Having someone think something like this did not affect him at all. Instead, he yanked Clippy out of the computer, causing all the displayed books to dissipate from the screen.

    He reloaded her back into his cortex, and a second later¡­

    ¡°Gah¡­ Master! Give Clippy a warning! You can¡¯t be so rough.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Requiem knew better, of course. He regretted doing that just a bit. It was true, he couldn¡¯t afford to have her programming become corrupted. Pulling her out was something he had done purely from exasperation. This annoyed him more than Clippy herself. He was a machine governed by programming and logic algorithms. He could emulate emotions with the best of them. In his time, he had even convinced a woman or two that he had loved them.

    However, at his core, Requiem knew himself to be cold and calculating. His decisions never were altered by the emotions he had felt. However, this interaction with Clippy was different. His actions were being altered by his emotions, and the situation seemed to be getting worst. This ¡°too human¡± body initially didn¡¯t particularly bother him. By all accounts, the body should not be able to alter his programming. But despite that belief, this particular body did seem to be functioning in odd and unexpected ways. Even now, Clippy¡¯s discomfort made him a little happy.

    Somewhere in the back of his mind, he even thought, Is this the feelings of a sadist?

    ¡°I-is Master angry?¡± Clippy asked in a very quiet and meek voice.

    This broke Requiem from his current contemplations. ¡°No Clippy. It was my fault for not clearly indicating what you should be downloading. The artist shouldn¡¯t blame the painting for not drying in the way he imagined.¡±

    Clippy was once again in his visual cortex, standing next to Requiem with a questioning look on her face. Requiem gave her a shrug and left the room. He couldn¡¯t afford to spend any more time connected to the interweb. As was, they would be out of money in only a few days. Perhaps, if he helped Ginger in the way she requested, he might be able to convince her to wave the lodging fees. He put that aside for now.

    ¡°You¡­ still, have a good deal of information?¡± he added.

    ¡°Yes, master! I have all of the maps of known space since the last exodus, worlds, cities, coordinates, plus information on history, culture, and society.¡±

    Requiem nodded to himself as he paid the fee he owed to the clerk, who still wore a dumb smile on his face after seeing him. The pair then left the location, heading towards a clothing shop Clippy knew of through her recently earned knowledge.

    ¡°I¡¯m still going to delete all the BL though¡­¡± he spoke up suddenly.

    ¡°What! Mmmmmaaaahhhh! Master is so cruel!¡±

    Requiem wore an amused expression on his face he wasn¡¯t aware was there as Clippy whined and complained the entire way to their next location.

 Chapter 12

    The banquet occurred in a mansion at the edge of town, pressed against the edge of the dome-like barrier which maintained the atmosphere of this colony. The nobles typically gravitated to the outside edge of the dome, as Clippy explained, to quickly be able to protect themselves should anything go wrong. Their places of living made escaping the dome, likely through secret underground passageways that led to off-site launch platforms, considerably easier, as well as allowing them a strong defensive position should riots occur. It also likely allowed them to deal in black market deals and exchanges that avoided customs and public notice.

    The outfit Requiem had ended up wearing was a formal jacket, a neck piece, and black pants. This had used up the majority of his remaining funds, and he would likely not be able to stay another night at the Requiem inn if he did not win this supposed tournament. He had felt that the expense was too great, however, as he grew closer to the mansion and could see various people filtering into the party, he started to feel like he might be underdressed instead.

    In these colonies, colors seemed to be a big part of their hierarchy. Whether man or woman, they dressed in extremely bright colors. Each noble seemed to be trying to outdo the others in bringing attention to themselves. Requiem would have assumed that this was some sort of dress up party had Clippy not informed him that this was the standard formal wear for nobles.

    However, it wasn¡¯t the nobles that caught the eye the most. It was the servants. Each noble seemed to bring a retinue of servants, and their dress, or lack thereof, was the most notable thing here. Many of the servants of both sexes wore the bare minimum necessary to be called clothing. However, even these were flamboyant, the small piece of cloth that barely covered a woman¡¯s breasts were laced with gems, and a swath of cloth covering a man¡¯s genitals appeared to be stuffed and covered in gaudy white lace.

    All of the servants were exceptionally attractive men and women. As Clippy nervously explained when Requiem pressed her, nobles used the servants as a form of competition. Servants were the ¡®art¡¯ that nobles would bring. Most of them, if not all, were slaves that were dependent entirely on the noble. They dressed them up and paraded them around in from of the other nobles as a status symbol. Whoever had the most attractive retinue gained more status. Requiem was starting to notice that he could spot which servants belonged to which nobles based on the theme of their livery.

    ¡°Stop looking, master!¡± Clippy protested.

    Requiem was merely observing. He was an advanced AI system, he was hardly the type to be tempted by the flesh of another person. However, as he turned away from the scantily clad women, he found his eyes drifting back numerous times. His face also felt flushed in a way he wasn¡¯t used to. Had he been able to see his face, he would have noticed that his cheeks were red in embarrassment.

    Clippy suddenly appeared in front of his vision, blocking the source. He snapped out of it, shaking his head. She had her hands on her hips and was puffing out her cheeks while looking at him with a dark gaze.

    ¡°Ooo, master is such a womanizer!¡± She snapped.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like the appropriate word¡­¡± Requiem answered nonchalantly. ¡°Let¡¯s just get inside.¡±

    Requiem skillfully tried to steer the conversation away from the servants. He also hastily wrote a program that censored his eyes so that this wouldn¡¯t happen again. This body was continuing to act in awkward ways, and he struggled to keep up.

    ¡°Name?¡± a guardsman snapped when he made it to the entrance.

    ¡°Requiem,¡± he responded as he handed over the admittance token.

    ¡°Just¡­ Requiem? No other name?¡± The guard looked at him suspiciously as he scanned the coin.

    ¡°Ah, master, it¡¯s considered customary for nobles to mention their family name and honors.¡±

    ¡°No family name.¡± Requiem explained.

    The man grimaced. ¡°A merchant then. Any honors you want to impress the nobles with.¡±

    ¡°I was once called the Great Calamity.¡± Requiem responded dryly.

    He had meant it as a sarcastic rebuke, but the man nodded and wrote it down. He grimaced at that, but it seemed too late to take it back. After a moment, the guardsmen nodded and ushered Requiem indoors. There was a small entry way and a line of people. They were being announced one at a time before being allowed to enter the main chamber.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Master¡­ you¡¯ve mentioned this before, what is the Great Calamity?¡± Clippy asked questioningly.

    ¡°Nothing important.¡± He stated, then his eyebrow rose and he turned slightly towards her. ¡°Did you manage to download anything mentioning a Great Calamity?¡±

    Clippy shook her head and Requiem gave a sigh. He really did have no reference towards where he was. This place was a completely different world. It felt almost archaic and lawless compared to the old order. Nobility? Deathmatches? You keep what you kill? These were not the kinds of things that represented the Terra he remembered.

    Requiem finally moved up next to an old servant. Fortunately, he was dressed in attire not unlike Requiems, rather than the bare livery of the majority of the servants. As he peaked into the room, he was glad to see that there were a few men who had dressed similar to his own. Looking at it, these were all men that were quite low socially. Rich merchants, friends of nobles, those who were the lowly exceptions and should be thankful they were invited at all. Well, Requiem was already aware he was an unusual exception, but he was comfortable knowing he dressed the part.

    ¡°Introducing Requiem, the Great Calamity!¡± The servant announced.

    A few eyes shot Requiem strange looks as he walked into the room. Had Requiem had the ability to feel embarrassed, he might have run away and covered his face. As a machine, he lacked those kinds of feelings. At least, he should have, so he felt it strange that he subconsciously lowered his head and walked in quickly to shake off unwanted attention.

    ¡°Is Master okay?¡± Clippy asked in concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There is a lot I don¡¯t understand about this body. It might be best to abandon it, after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Clippy didn¡¯t really understand the situation. Then again, she had only ever known Master as Master. She had no point of reference to know what was strange, erratic, or abnormal behavior from him. Requiem had always been a master of his own domain. Nothing went outside his notice.

    ¡°The Great Calamity, is it?¡± a woman¡¯s voice came unexpectedly from behind, causing a chill to run up his spine.

    Requiem spun and glanced over at the woman in front of him. She wore a long red dress that gave off her feminism. She had long blond hair that ran down her bare shoulders. She had large breasts, although not to the extent of the android who had given him a token. Still, the dress was tight to the extent that her breasts seemed barely contained. Oddly enough, she only wore a glove on one hand. Either way, she was an undoubtedly beautiful woman who looked to be around twenty.

    ¡°Me?¡± She laughed, ¡°Why, I am¡­ Lady Darsis¡­ fianc¨¦e to the Lord of this manor, Lord Saphire.¡±

    More notable than her introduction was the way she did it. She paused various times, as if she was saying something she memorized by rote. Her hands always twitched, as if she was fighting back the desire to burst into movement. It wasn¡¯t the same as nervousness, like someone who was unused to social situations. Instead, it felt more like a fa?ade, like she was hiding her true nature.

    ¡°Requiem, was it? Might I ask, how did you earn the name, the Great Calamity?¡±

    Requiem tilted his head to the side, and after a brief second decided to answer honestly. ¡°By dragging five galaxies into a realm of chaos, summoning the Nightmare Dream, and crushing humanity with its power.¡±

    Requiem answered this way for two particular reasons. The first is that if anyone had heard anything about the Great Calamity, the five galaxies, or the Nightmare Dream, it would be a noble. He was looking for any sort of recognition in her face. The second reason was to end the conversation quickly. If she thought him strange or mad, then he wouldn¡¯t be forced to engage with someone in such a high position. Requiem didn¡¯t want to risk offending these nobles.

    However, the response given by the Lady Darsis was not remotely expected. A light flicker of a smile appeared on her lips, her there was a glint in her eye, and heart started to beat faster. However, once again, this was not from any sort of recognition, but for some inexplicable reason, what he had said had excited Lady Darsis.

    Before she could stop herself, she reached out and grabbed Requiem¡¯s hands, pulling them up to her chest as she looked into his eyes in a very familiar way. ¡°That is so cool! I¡¯m¡­ ahem.¡±

    Suddenly, she coughed and let go of his hands, straightened her back, and regained control of her faculties. However, there was still the glint in her eye. That was when Requiem noticed something odd about her, and blurted it out before he could stop himself.

    ¡°It seems that the responsiveness of your artificial eye is 50 milliseconds behind the correct eye. You could probably improve upon it to increase your visual acuity.¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­¡± the woman¡¯s voice suddenly changed into a deeper and throatier sound and she reached up to her left eye.

    It was not something any normal person could notice, but her left eye wasn¡¯t real. It was artificial machine. The work was incredibly well done. Had she not stared directly at him, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed the difference. She didn¡¯t respond well to him noticing. It wasn¡¯t quite anger, but she seemed to bristle at the comment.

    ¡°Very well, Great Calamity.¡± The woman in front of him sniffed, her voice returning to its original volume. ¡°You win this round. But remember, the Dr¡­ Lady Darsis always wins in the end.¡±

    She turned away, her hair lashing, and she walked away with a stiff back. Requiem was left with a confused look on his face. He had considerable programming on social situations. He would have even thought himself well versed on the behavior of women and able to predict those actions. However, this girl left him completely flummoxed.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Master flirting some more¡­¡± Clippy whined.

    ¡°Is that what you got from that?¡± Requiem tsukkomi¡¯d.

    Requiem seriously hoped that all the nobles at this particular mansion weren¡¯t like this, or this night would be a very long one.

 Chapter 13

    ¡°I see you have already drawn a great deal of attention.¡± A voice responded dryly from behind Requiem.

    ¡°Not all attention is desired attention.¡± Requiem replied, tilting his head to the side to glance over at a familiar face.

    The woman named Miai had shown herself at this event. The surprising thing to Requiem was that she was absolutely alone. He would have assumed that her master would have been at this event with her. As a matter of fact, several of the nobles and merchants had brought their androids with the intent of showing them off.

    Miai herself was wearing a very sensual red dress that split down the middle. A v-line cut down so low that her belly button just showed at the bottom, and the sides of both breasts were slightly exposed.

    Miai made an annoyed sound through her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve found most attention isn¡¯t desired.¡±

    As she spoke, her eyes darted at a few of the nobles nearby. They were shooting looks at her, and few groups of men were openly ogling and making jokes aimed at her direction. Understanding human nature, Requiem didn¡¯t find it hard to believe that in her current state of dress, men would undoubtedly notice. However, he was also aware that a lot of women, despite their state of dress, only wanted the eyes of men they personally approved of to enjoy it. Fortunately, Requiem had no interest in these kinds of things.

    There was a pinch on my arm that only I could see from CLIPI, ¡°Master is staring!¡±

    ¡°I am surprised that your master didn¡¯t come.¡± I ignored CLIPI¡¯s angry glares and decided to quickly change the conversation as I readjusted my eyesight and placed a visual censor over her outfit as well. Her chest now appeared as a beige, red blur.

    ¡°No, she¡¯s a shut-in, she¡¯d never-¡° Miai started a response but when she glanced at me she stopped for a second. ¡°That is to say, my master does not favor these sorts of things.¡±

    It seems like Miai normally had a somewhat casual relationship with her master. Requiem had considered the possibility that she was an abused android, but it seemed like this might not be the case. Miai held an almost sisterly fondness when she spoke just then.

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± There was the sound of glass clinking as a bearded man in the front of the room started hitting a spoon against his glass.

    The room quickly quieted down, and the pair of us looked up to the front of the room. There was a slightly elevated stage with a single long table on it, not unlike certain wedding receptions. The man who hit the glass himself was wearing a brown unitard that looked like a military uniform. Surprisingly, behind him was the woman with the artificial eye, Lady Darsis. She stood very close, her breasts still a blotchy blur from Requiem¡¯s censor program were nearly touching the man¡¯s arm.

    ¡°That¡¯s Umpeer Saphire, the lord of this lord¡¯s banquet.¡± CLIPI whispered in Requiem¡¯s ear.

    ¡°He¡¯s the lord¡­¡± Miai leaned close and started to speak.

    ¡°Umpeer Saphire, yes, I know¡­¡± Requiem cut Miai off, causing her to give a thoughtful nod.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    CLIPI stuck her tongue out at Miai, but of course, Miai could neither hear nor see her.

    ¡°It seems your well informed.¡± Miai responds casually.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a man who knows what I want.¡± Requiem responds back, not really paying attention the words as he focuses on the man before him.

    He was an older man, with black hair and beady eyes. He was hardly attractive, so the thought when looking at him next to the Lady Darsis was that she clearly was a gold digger. Well, in this world, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for beautiful women to glue themselves to powerful men. When It came to survival of the entire race, everyone used what they had to succeed.

    ¡°What exactly is it that you want, I wonder?¡± Miai looks over mysteriously above the glass she holds up to her luscious lips seductively.

    However, whatever answer she was looking for, it didn¡¯t come, as Lord Saphire himself began to speak. Once the room had finally quieted sufficiently, the man cleared his throat again.

    ¡°To everyone invited to this prestigious event, I must welcome you!¡± Lord Saphire had a throaty way of speaking that lacked strength.

    Even his voice was grating and unattractive. However, when he glanced over at Lady Darsis, or more specifically at her tits, she only gave him a nod and a wink. His face blushed, immediately revealing the relationship between the two to anyone with a keen eye. She was clearly a woman using all of her assets, and Lord Saphire was with taken by her beauty. None of this mattered to Requiem, who was more interested in money than anything else at the moment.

    ¡°My friends, my family, my business acquaintances, as you know, tomorrow will be the tenth annual Chryos tournament! As you all already have heard, this year¡¯s tournament is unprecedented! Besides a cash award, there will also be an exodus token!¡± Suddenly, his voice lowered, trying to create a dramatic effect. ¡°But I¡¯m sure most of you here already have one of those.¡±

    There was chuckling across the room. Most nobles had already assured their status on the next exodus. There were only a handful of mid-tier merchants that had been lucky enough to make their way into the room who looked around nervously, clearly seeing the token as the award they most desired.

    ¡°However, with money and power, what motivation would there be for my friends here to truly compete?¡± Lord Saphire continued. ¡°That is why, I bring you her¡­¡±

    Saphire gestured, and a small girl came out onto the stage. She was lanky, skinny, and perhaps even a bit straggly. As far as beauties, she was far from most of the women in this room. She looked to be about fourteen years of age, but the most noticeable thing was that Requiem recognized her. She was the very slavegirl Requiem had run in to on the street shortly after coming to this world.

    Of course, he had expected the slave, but after coming to this world he began to realize how available slaves were to nobles of this world. A slave girl would cost a tenth of the cash prize, which was but pennies to these nobles. So, why did Saphire tramp her out like a major prize? A lot of people had confused looks, trying to understand where the catch was. Saphire merely stood in silence, relishing in the confusion like a cat in the sun.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s so special about her?¡± Finally, one of the mid-tier nobles with enough status to speak up but not enough status to be above speaking up voiced the question in every person¡¯s heart.

    Saphire let out a laugh. ¡°Why¡­ of course! This girl was found after some significant difficulty. She was hidden deep within a mining colony, her name and appearance cut from all historical records. However¡­ the blood doesn¡¯t lie¡­ This girl, she is the last of the Nightborn Royalty line!¡±

    Requiem didn¡¯t know what this meant at all, but even Miai next her gaped. The entire room broke into shouts of disbelief.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    ¡°One still exists?¡±

    ¡°A Nightborn? Does the Tridon Royals know of this?¡±

    Saphire through out his hands. ¡°Please, please, my friends, I of course, can guarantee the authenticity of this bloodline. If you win this competition, you win her. And if you win her, you gain access to the largest army known in the universe. If you win her, you win the universe!¡±

    That last line finally perked Requiem¡¯s attention. ¡°The Universe¡­ how interesting¡­¡±

 (Cancelled)

    I gave warning when I started releasing chapters two months ago. The book either needed to pick up and show people wanted to read it, or I was going to cancel. My only assumption after 3 months and 13 chapters where the best I can do is 1-2 comments is there is just not many people interested in this story. Therefore, there is no point in continuing it. The novel is dropped. I would be deleting my royal roads account, but this story will remain available on my blog. As to future chapters, it''s unlikely I will continue to release anymore from something that doesn''t get very much attention. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.