Dear Readers,I want to inform you that I currently do not plan to include a prologue in my book until I feel the story is adequately framed. Additionally, please be aware that any images used in this book are not my own and belong to their respectiv...
It all began when James, a twenty-year-old, found himself reincarnated in the distant future. Initially, he was optimistic about this new lease on life, but his joy quickly faded as he realized humanity's status had plummeted in this reality. Once proud and confident in their intelligence, humans had lost their supremacy due to Earth's contamination, forcing them to inhabit spaceships. They soon encountered vastly superior extraterrestrial civilizations, ushering in an era of human subjugation and slavery.
Humans were classified as mere cattle or pets. The expendable were grown and used as raw materials, while the aesthetically pleasing were educated for the pleasure and service of their alien masters. James, possessing an attractive physique, was fortunate to be groomed for the entertainment sector.
As years of hardship passed, James, unlike his peers, attempted to resist oppression but eventually succumbed to the harsh reality. Gradually, he became cunning, learning how to manipulate situations to his advantage. He eventually became the favored pet of the spaceship's captain, holding significant influence aboard the vessel.
From his personal quarters, James would observe as his childhood friends were either eliminated or broken by their circumstances. One fateful day, while recovering from an encounter with his master, a mysterious figure in black burst into his room with a weapon-like device.
The man in black asked, "Are you 002?"
James, nicknamed 002, lazily glanced at the intruder through half-opened eyes, affecting a drunken demeanor with a bottle of wine in hand. Behind his flushed face lay a calculating gaze.
"Yes, that's me, 002," James slurred.
The man revealed himself as part of the human rebellion forces, seeking James's help to liberate the humans aboard the spaceship. Their vessels were en route, but they needed an insider to breach the crew's defenses.
"We hope you'll join us for the greater good, sir," the man implored.
James scoffed, "You want me to sacrifice myself, is that it?"
The man hesitated, "...Yes, but don't you want humanity to prevail again?"
"Firstly," James retorted, "I've clawed my way to where I am, enduring humiliation and worse. I won't just throw that away. Who do you think I am to be so selfless? I'm human—I fear death, I'm greedy, I feel!"
He gave the man a chance to leave before raising an alarm. The man retreated, chastened by James's refusal.
The next night, while with his alien-like master, James witnessed a holographic feed showing humans attempting to escape. The captain, aware of the rebellion, intended to crush any hope of escape. In the dimly lit confines of his personal quarters aboard the colossal alien spaceship, James reclined on a plush, alien-made chaise lounge. The soft glow of holographic displays cast an eerie blue light across the room, reflecting off his sharp features as he idly swirled a glass of synthetic wine.
His master, a humanoid figure with an unsettlingly cephalopod-like head, hovered nearby, its eyes fixed on James with an inscrutable gaze. The being emitted a series of clicking sounds, a form of communication that James had grown accustomed to over the years.
As the holographic panel flickered to life before them, displaying scenes from elsewhere on the ship, James feigned interest while hiding his growing sense of detachment from the plight of his fellow humans. On the screen, a group of terrified humans scurried through sterile corridors, attempting to evade the grasp of alien guards.
James's gaze shifted from the holographic display to the reflective surface of his wine glass. In its crimson depths, he caught a distorted glimpse of his own expression—a mixture of resignation and bitterness.
Suddenly, an alert blared through the quarters, startling both James and his master. The holographic panel shifted to a live feed of the spaceship's main gate, where the fleeing humans had been cornered by a squad of heavily armed guards.
As James observed the unfolding chaos, something within him stirred. It was a complex emotion, tangled and raw—a cocktail of anger, guilt, and a yearning for something lost.
Without warning, he sprang from the lounge, his eyes ablaze with a newfound resolve. Ignoring the perplexed clicks from his master, James dashed towards the control panel, his heart pounding in his chest.
" what are you doing!?" the cephalopod-like master demanded in its alien tongue, its tentacle-like appendages quivering with disbelief.
James ignored the question, his fingers dancing across the controls. He didn't fully understand his own actions; it was as if some dormant part of his humanity had been reawakened by the sight of his fellow humans in peril.
The control panel responded to his touch, emitting a cascade of lights and beeps. Alarms blared throughout the ship as security protocols were overridden. In that moment, James felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, drowning out the cacophony around him.
As the spaceship's gates slowly began to part, revealing a pathway to potential freedom, James's mind was awash with conflicting emotions. He glimpsed the frightened faces of the escaping humans on the holographic display and, for an instant, felt a flicker of solidarity.
But as the gates fully opened and chaos erupted in the corridors beyond, James was left standing amidst the tumult, his hands stained with metaphorical blood. The weight of his actions settled upon him like a heavy shroud.
And then, as swiftly as it had begun, everything faded to black.
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002/James
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