The Scrapyard Sovereign

Kaelen Vex, once a minor scion of a forgotten tech dynasty, found himself jettisoned into Neo-Veridia’s lowest tier – a sprawling scrapyard ruled by brutal gangs and forgotten dreams. His former family, a shadow of its once-mighty corporation, had decided he was a liability, exiled to rot amongst the rust and acid rain. Above, the mega-city's spires gleamed with deceptive promise, hiding the rot of corporate corruption, augmented assassins, and data-cults that worshipped forgotten AI gods. The system was broken, a gilded cage built on the backs of the exploited. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Very well. Since they all wanted to play a zero-sum game, Kaelen would simply stop playing human altogether. His elder brother controlled profitable data-mines? He'd seize the codes and the tech. His estranged sister commanded a legion of elite augmented mercs? He'd break her network and claim their loyalty. Those powerful synth-shamans in the wastes, clinging to their ancient lore? He'd take their most potent practitioners. The Overcorp's vault, rumored to hold forbidden schematics? That, too, would fall. The Chrome Baron, the Synth-Queen, the Data Daemon — none would stand in his way. This dying world… might as well be remade in his own image, piece by bloody piece.