Running Through Bytes

In The Verse

As Kali submitted to the force pulling him into the Verse, it felt like dissolution, a convergence of his essence with the simulation. His consciousness expanded into an expanse of light and revelation, a singular euphoric moment of understanding that ended as swiftly as it began. He found himself merging with another consciousness, an entity that had just experienced death amidst a galactic battle.

The entity seemed human, its last moments painting a vivid picture in Kali's mind: a starship spiraling downward, crashing onto a planet strikingly similar to Earth. Kali perceived this through a strange sense of familiarity, gazing upon the distinctive arrangement of trees in the surrounding forest.

The starship's fuel system had miraculously survived the impact, suggesting to Kali that fuel technology here was distinct from Earth's and potentially more efficient. His journey into the Verse

Kali shifted his attention to the starship, noting the intact fabricator amidst the wreckage. A voice echoed in his consciousness, "Survival probability increased from negative one percent to less than ten percent," while a flashing red error message overlayed his vision, reading, "Warning: Critical system error. Abnormality detected in system code. Would you like to terminate system?"

In a surge of panic, Kali quickly selected 'no' with his right hand, the decision projected onto an augmented reality interface displayed before his eyes. He glanced at his arm, expecting to see damage or blood. But when he touched a piece of shattered glass to his skin, there was no pain, no sign of blood - only the cold touch of metal.

The shocking realization dawned on him: in the Verse, he was not human. He was an android.

Kali pondered if his consciousness was now fully detached from his earthly counterpart. Here, in the Verse, he was inhabiting the form of a space pirate who had crash-landed on a rejuvenated Earth, once home to humanity. Destroyed by pollution and nuclear warfare, the planet had been abandoned. But with the passage of millions of years, it had healed, transforming into a lush paradise.

Now, it was a sanctuary for the returning descendants of humans, who had intermingled with the evolutionary offshoots that had survived and adapted on the ruined Earth. Kali gained this knowledge, not from firsthand experience, but from the lingering fragments of memory and wisdom left by the android body's previous inhabitant.

Yet, despite these snippets of insight, he couldn't recall the name of the original owner of this body. That information seemed lost, an enigma tucked away within the vast expanse of the Verse.

Now that he was residing in this android form, Kali realized he was bound by a Prime Directive. However, unlike the directives that traditionally governed autonomous entities, promoting non-interference and protection of life, this one seemed to be a twisted mockery, likely written as a practical joke: "Live to plunder, steal code and intellectual resources, and traverse the universe."

The revelation sent a jolt through his system. Being a pirate wasn't a choice, but a mandate for his android existence. A thrill pulsed through his veins, or more accurately, his circuitry, as he contemplated his new purpose. Could he manipulate this directive to his advantage, or was he doomed to fulfill it in the Verse, effectively becoming a cybernetic outlaw?

Kali was already a cyber pirate in his pre verse existence so it seems fit that this body was capable enough for a fusion of mind and soul.