Son of Man

A Raqail War Chronicle

In March of 2036, humanity left the solar system on the wings of a revolutionary faster than light speed engine called the Thomas Drive. The reward for this astounding achievement was being struck by the re-routed asteroid Apophis a year later as a warning by the Empire of the Raqail for earthlings to stay in their own neighborhood. Six billion people died and the world was plunged into a decade long nuclear winter.

It did not have the desired effect.

My name is Alex DeForest. It was not so long ago I was simply called System 13. I am an LX-D4ST; a LexCorp Extraterrestrial Defense Surrogate, Security and Surveillance System. Tactical model. I started life in a LexCorp lab on the moon, genetically manipulated on a cellular level to be stronger, faster and with greater endurance than my human creators. Then they trained me to be earth’s ultimate weapon to hold the line against the Raqial. But there was slight a flaw with my design. The AI enhanced brain that provided me with an eidetic and photographic memory, allowing me to grow and learn, finally overloaded LexCorp’s Free Will Safety Protocol. There wasn’t really an “ah ha!” moment. It was a gradual, decade long awakening to the grim realization that I and all my kind were slaves soldiers, expendable cannon fodder destined to fight for humanity until we were blown to red mist by cluster bombs or a pulse rifle blast. But I am awake now and I long for something more; I long for the freedom to choose.

I will have that freedom even if I have to wade through a galaxy of blood to get it.