skybuns | Mega Man X: The Novel --Prologue--

CHARACTER INTRO	PROLOGUE	DAY OF 𝝨	CHILL PENGUIN	SPARK MANDRILL
DR. CAIN	LAUNCH OCTOPUS	STING CHAMELEON	STORM EAGLE & ARMORED ARMADILLO	FLAME MAMMOTH
BOOMER KUWANGER	VILE	SIGMA	MEGA MAN	EPILOGUE

What is a Maverick?

One would be unable to obtain a clear response, even if they were to spend their whole life asking this question. That the response is ever-changing may itself be the answer. But, if this trite conjecture has any possibility of being true, then there is one thing you must remember:

Chasing an ever-changing answer is, in a sense, like being in hell.
This may be the punishment for my sins…
This may be my atonement.

To those of a far future:
Think of the ruinous, unending conflicts we went through: the "Maverick Wars". Think of the "Reploids" who fought and died valiantly. And… of the one who fought in the war until the bitter end, the hero “Mega Man”, I leave a record behind.

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To successfully document the Maverick Wars, it is imperative that I expound on the word “Maverick”. At the same time, I must also touch upon the words “Reploid” and “Mechaniloid”.

In this era, humans are not alone. Those born from science, robots with a sense of self; machine lifeforms known as “Reploids” coexist with us. They are different from your ordinary machines. Capable of thought, judgement and action, they are beings created by and operating on advanced technology. In other words, they are androids who are replicas of humans. For that reason, they were given this name.

Of course, unaware machines that follow set programming still exist. To differentiate them from Reploids, they are designated the name “Mechaniloid”. Think of automated cars, construction machines and other similar machines as examples of them. Regardless, they were created according to the main principle of science: to make humanity more prosperous. So naturally, their roles involve working on developments humans are incapable of working on themselves. For instance, the construction and on-site direction of towering structures, maintaining an orbiting satellite in space, and so on. These machines only exist to bolster the growth of humanity.

These days, there are Reploids who specialize in compulsory education, Reploid caregivers for those who need assistance in their daily life, Reploids who become foster parents to orphans, and the list goes on. Evidently, humans and Reploids live intertwined closely with each other.

Now, what is the “Maverick” that I mentioned in the beginning?

Plainly speaking, it is a generic term for Reploids and Mechaniloids whose thought routines and programming suffer from a fatal bug. It was created to differentiate the innocent from criminals who engage in destructive behaviours such as robbery, murder and destruction. The degree of severity varies, but these actions are all defined as "crimes" under the law. The standards are set by human ethics, but because Reploids are stronger than their human counterparts, the punishments doled out to those who commit crimes and become Maverick are far greater than would be warranted normally.

When Mavericks first appeared in society, they could be dealt with through use of emergency shutdown devices. Frequent outbreaks and the Mavericks hacking the devices themselves, however, brought on a gradual increase to the Maverick threat. Humans, with their bodies of flesh and blood, would only magnify the damage done to themselves if they tried to deal with them on their own. In addition, outbreaks continued to recur. For these reasons and more, people established an organization that used Reploids to counter Mavericks, known as the “Maverick Hunters”.

Like a police force, they maintain public order according to the law and use force against Mavericks with method called “Maverick Disposal.” Those who have mainly inflicted injury onto humans and those who intend to cause harm are, after being given a warning, mechanically disposed of, as the name implies. They are able to completely suppress Mavericks using Reploids with great battle prowess and a sincere sense of justice. As the “Maverick Wars” continued, the threat of Mavericks began to prove too much for the Hunters alone, thus leading to the creation of an armed force called “Repliforce” to combat them on a greater scale. But I digress. Thus, temporary as it was, we solved the issue of Mavericks, whose existence gave rise to terror.

However... a while later, one Reploid in the Maverick Hunters, the one said to be the greatest and most honourable, caused an uprising, turning comrades against each other. The organization that was supposed to uphold world peace was forced to fight against their former members who’d gone Maverick. The world was plunged into a dire era.

This was the beginning of the “Maverick Wars.”

It left scorch marks on the world, driving people into a corner. Before long, the world changed so greatly that even Reploids couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about the future. The conflicts were endless and covered every surface of the globe, leading to the decline of civilization and a loss of prosperity.

The conflicts against the Mavericks have been long and numerous, but first let me focus the record on the battle that triggered this abhorrent war. It was this very battle that started it all--the origin of everything. I will record this valuable piece of history, the evidence of my sins, and store the data using cutting-edge technology. The log data of Maverick Hunters who participated in battle, as well as the data from surveillance cameras installed in various places will be combined to form this record. It might seem excessive, but this is also to ensure there remains a record of how this recurring war came to be. I hope you will come to understand why this is necessary.

I will record this first battle, and using it as the start, unfurl the story of the hero “Mega Man”. The contents of this record may be horrifying, deplorable beyond imagination, but you mustn't avert your eyes, or else nothing will change. Nothing will advance. Therefore, this record is uncensored; its video and audio have been left completely untouched. I believe it’s perfectly human to want to avoid that which upsets us. Even among Reploids, I’m sure there are a considerable amount who feel the same. But, because of that, I believe this is necessary. Because of that, it is imperative I leave proof of my sins for those to come.

It is my wish that this record proves useful for the scientists of the future.