Mega-Man Legends: Renegade

[spaceface]

Hi everyone!



It's been awhile. Things have finally gotten a little less crazy in both my life and the world in general, and fortunately I've been spared a little bit more breathing room for these little fan projects of mine. So I thought I'd start posting something new that I've been working on for the last little while. Anyone who's followed the more recent posts from my Eternities thread will already have seen the first couple entries I plan on posting here, the story of which is set several hundred years prior to the game's canonical starting point. This was all originally meant to serve as a short, contextual backstory to my Eternities plot, but as I continued to research what little in-game lore was actually provided regarding this specific point in the game's timeline, the more utterly fascinated I became with the overall concepts and character-rich potential just begging to be further explored. Thus, I decided to create this thread in what will be my attempt at telling the story of how the Master System's greatest Purifier Unit became the most notorious and feared Aberrant of all time.



Story Synopsis:



"The System exists only to protect and serve the Master. We exist for this and only this purpose."



- Mother Sera



For thousands of years, artificial humans known as "Carbons" have lived upon the surface world of Terra. Originally designed by the Master System to protect and preserve the cradle of humanity, as well as it's last remaining survivor who now lives eternally upon the celestial moon of Elysium, the automatons of both worlds now await and prepare for the day of humanity's ultimate rebirth and reclamation. For this purpose alone, First-Class Purifier Unit, Mega-Man Trigger has lived his entire life with only one set of directives: Serve the Master. Protect the System. Hunt down all Abberrants who would dare to threaten either.



However, when reports of suspected Aberrant activity sends the Purifier on an investigation to a remote island settlement, the Carbons whom he encounters there, as well as the enigmatic leader who keeps them sheltered from Elysium's watchful eye, suddenly forces Trigger to question the true definitions of humanity, as well as the System supposedly designed to preserve it.



Suddenly faced with a newfound perspective, Trigger decides to fulfill a long-overdue request from humanity's sole survivor, the Master, himself, who has long wished for the Purifier Unit to escort him to Terra so that he might gaze upon his creations with his own eyes. Knowing such an action will forever mark him as an enemy of the System, Trigger resigns himself to exile upon Terra as he faithfully watches over the Master, who lives out his remaining years in hiding among the Carbons.



With his desires to experience mortality finally fulfilled, and knowing he will not last much longer outside of Elysium's life support field, the Master then gives Trigger the orders to carry out what will be his final command: Destroy the Master System and stop the Carbon Reinitializing Program.



Thus begins the story of the Renegade Purifier: Trigger. Once heralded as the greatest and most powerful defender of the System, now turned into it's greatest threat. But, if he is to ultimately stand a chance against the powers of Elysium, he will need to enlist the help of the same Aberrant Units he had once hunted (as well as the assistance of several noteworthy Carbons who know the terrain) in order to uncover the secrets of the Master System's true origins buried deep beneath the surface, and hopefully...the vulnerabilities that will help to eradicate it's presence on Terra once and for all.


So that's it for now. I've already got the first few entries fully written out and will be posting them here periodically. If any of you like what you see, or have recommendations or suggestions, I always love the feedback. If not, I at least hope you enjoy reading what I have to offer. Till next time!!

[Dashe]

You know I'm always down for more fanfiction! I think I've forgotten the plot of Eternities again because it's been so long, but this works as a standalone piece too, right?

[spaceface]

Sorry for taking so long to reply! Anyway, so glad you asked, Station Master, Dashe! Yeah, I'm aiming to make this read like a stand-alone piece, engaging and easy to follow while at the same time not overly expository, so that even those not intimately familiar with Mega-Man games or lore can find it enjoyable. (I'm even having my wife read through each entry for added assurance to that fact).

And with that stated, here's the first in what I hope will be many more entries to come! Though, it will probably be awhile before I'm able to post again. Hope you all like it!


<Memory log 25.32-B. Appx 600> cycles from last systems reboot

<Data Corruption Detected…

<Running Systems Diagnostics…

<Record Found…Initiating Memory Playback:



“I still can’t believe how long it’s been since our last visit!” Data chirped, bouncing up and down on the pod’s flight control deck as he stared up at the flickering holo-display. “Almost 30 cycles now, right?"


The little monkey's cheerful cries seemed sufficient to pull Trigger out of his trance-like state.


"Hmm? Oh…yes. I suppose it has been a while, hasn't it?" he said, allowing himself a few moments to gaze thoughtfully at the floating image of Terra.


The first-class Purifier-Unit, designation: Mega-Man Trigger, sat quietly within his pilot seat, carefully resting his chin in his palm as he tapped a finger against his temple. For him, this was, admittedly, an unnecessary human gesture, supposedly meant to convey a look of contemplation - one of the various articulations he'd unconsciously adopted thanks to centuries of observing the Master up close.


Just now, he'd been lost in calculative thought, pondering over the details of their current mission. It was making it somewhat difficult to indulge in the Memory-Unit's perpetual state of excitement.


"It doesn't look like anything has really changed about it since the last time we were here," Data said, tilting his head as he closely examined the image.


"Well, I would hope not," Trigger said with a mirthful huff. He reached up and flicked the orb with his fingers, twirling the projection into a spinning animation. “Planets don’t tend to change that often. It’s usually a bad sign when they do.”


The first crop of humanity discovered that reality firsthand, he thought to himself, noting the few specks of land that still remained above Terra’s oceans.


“We’ll be entering the planet’s atmosphere soon," he said, sitting himself upright, "so I’d appreciate it if you’d get down from there. Try to hold onto something.”


The tiny memory-unit quickly complied, flipping himself up and over Trigger’s head and clamping down onto his right shoulder. “Kikiki!” he chittered. “You still haven't told me anything about the mission yet. Where are we going, anyway? Somewhere fun, I hope!”


The amusement in Trigger’s eyes faded somewhat. He pinched his thumb and forefinger on the holographic orb, bringing it’s rotation to a halt before proceeding to splay out his hand in a motion that caused the image to zoom in. “Here,” he said, pointing to one of the relatively larger islands hugging the planet's equator. “Sight 542-B. Designation: Kattelox."


“Kattelox…" Data repeated the name inquisitively. "Oh, OH! That's Artemis' jurisdiction, right?"


"That's right," Trigger said, zooming in further as he charted out a trajectory. "There've been some...unusual reports that need to be addressed. Mother Yuna personally requested that I investigate.”


"Kiki! You must be excited that it was you she picked, then!"


Trigger gave the mechanical monkey a curious glance. "Why would you say that?"


"I just know how fond you are of Artemis, that's all. She used to make you smile a lot, remember? Or did you forget that I've got all your memories uploaded into my head?"


"Not nearly all of them," Trigger corrected.


"Very true!" he chittered eagerly. "In that case, why don't you fill in the gaps for me?"


Data hunkered down, waddling his behind like some overstimulated puppy. "I imagine you both must have been really good friends at some point, right? So what's the whole story between you two?"


“That's…" His words suddenly faltered as he felt an abrupt disconnect between his speech and his thoughts. "That's not really a topic I like to discuss."


"Oh, come on, pleeease?" he begged, making his eyes grow as big as they could. "She used to be a Purifier like you, right? Didn't you two ever...you know?" Data gave him that look, the kind that if he actually had eyebrows, would have sent them up and down in a suggestive flurry.


"Whatever you're implying," Trigger responded dully, "if you really are that interested, then feel free to ask her that same question yourself when we get there. Just don't blame me if the answer ends up being a solid kick to the face."


Data laughed. Nervously.


"Anyway, just be patient for now. I'm certain she'll have plenty enough to tell us when we arrive."


For instance, she can start by explaining why her census report is seven years late, he thought to himself, falling back into his pose of contemplation.


His finger tapped against his temple - each beat more vigorous than the last - as he played through a list of scenarios that could explain such irregular circumstances. In truth, it had been over three-hundred years since he'd last spoken with Artemis, right after her sudden and inexplicit request to be reassigned as a Bureaucratic-Unit on Terra. But still...


What are you doing, Artemis? This isn't like you at all.


“Approaching landing-zone,” the pod’s on-board computer robotically announced. “Stand-by for re-entry.”


Within seconds, the cabin violently began to shake as it tore through Terra’s atmosphere. Data whooped and hollered as his little monkey-body jostled up and down and side to side, gripping tightly to Trigger's shoulder as they made their final approach.


Before long, the shaking abruptly stopped, and the pod’s compressors hissed to match the air-pressure outside.

“We have arrived at our destination," the computer's too-pleasant voice announced. "Happy hunting, Master Trigger.”


“Switch-off…” he silently cursed under his breath.


He continued to remain seated, feeling suddenly hesitant. He knew that once he stepped outside, there was no turning back. (Quite literally; protocol required successful mission completion before his starpod would even authorize a return to Elysium).


And Yuna's transmission had made his objective abundantly clear:


"Investigate the island for any abnormal population growth. Should it appear that mega-unit, Artemis has neglected proper protocols, you are fully authorized to neutralize her at your discretion."


He would have to follow through on this. One way or another.


It’ll be fine, he reassured himself. Artemis...she couldn't possibly have turned Aberrant. He knew her better than anyone else, knew that when lines were ultimately drawn, she always chose the side of humanity.


No. This was all just a big misunderstanding. Broken comms, most likely. Those can be tricky to repair. She was never too much of a mechanic, so of course she couldn’t…


He steeled himself, rising from his seat as he took in a deep breath (another human gesture; this one signified determination) and unsealed the hatch. “Right then,” he said stiffly, lifting his helmet up over his head and locking it into place.


“Here we go…”

[Dashe]

Oh neat, it's like the Return To Kattelox plotline, but totally unlike any Return to Kattelox I've seen yet! Can't wait for the next part!

[phoenixlafonica]

Interesting start! I really enjoyed Eternities and I have high hopes for this one!

I do hope that you might consider discussing the Elder System and possibly its origins at some point, but other than that I can't think of any other suggestions. Looking forward to seeing more!