Binary Star

Chapter Two: Encounter

I was growing increasingly frustrated with this human. If the fate of my entire species hung on the likes of a man who couldn't be bothered to even check his mail to get notified I was coming here, the future was looking rather bleak. "I do not quite understand it myself, but our council chose you to be paired up with me, and your leaders agreed," I grumbled. "I can't tell you why you were chosen for this, but I am here on a mission, and you will not get in my way."

Jinnai bared his teeth. "Like hell! You're telling me you're going to live with me, and I have to protect you!? I don't need a roommate, especially not a tiny alien! If something happens to you, I might get abducted and probed as punishment! I didn't agree to any of this!" I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. "Well, neither did I. If I knew you were going to be this obnoxious and ignorant, I would have selected a different partner. This isn't an ideal situation for either of us, but that's just the way it is. As of today, I officially declare you my manservant, on the grounds of the treaty between the Earthians and the Lilliputians."

Jinnai took a step toward me, making the ground quake. His eyes seethed with anger. "Oh, really? I don't care what damn treaty you guys made, that doesn't mean I have to follow it. Why the hell would I agree to being your manservant? I'm much bigger than you, so I'm clearly the one in control here. I could just step on you and kill you right now. Or, how about I just grab you and break you in half, huh?"

A massive hand filled my field of vision as he reached down. I jolted back and gasped. On instinct, I reached behind my head and unraveled a long, thick black wire with a spear-like plug affixed to the end. I thrust it at him, and the tip sparked wildly. That discouraged him very fast. He recoiled and crashed to the ground, backing away from me as fast as he could. "Wh-what the hell is that thing?!"

"S-stay away!" I snapped, clutching the sparking plug out in front of me. "I'm warning you, one shock from my wire will stop your heart! Keep your distance, beast!" That was a lie. The wire didn't produce enough electricity to kill a human, just temporarily stun them, but I figured the threat of death would deter him from attempting to harm me.

Sure enough, it did. He pressed his back against the wall, teeth gritted. "Okay, okay! I promise, I'm not going to hurt you! Just get that thing away from me!" Cautiously, I lowered my wire, but I refused to take my eyes off of him. Lazy or not, he was more than capable of ending my life without even breaking a sweat. Jinnai sat still for a while, just looking at me. "Wha...what's that wire thing coming out of your head?"

"It's a cybernetic modification," I explained. "It's an adapter wired to our brains that we can use to connect with and power our equipment using our minds alone. We even have the ability to communicate with each other and share our memories telepathically if two of the wires are connected. It also doubles as a weapon for defense. We Lilliputians have several internal cybernetic modifications that we had to have implanted to help us survive in the harshness of deep space."

Jinnai got up on his knees, seeming interested. "So...you guys are like little cyborgs then?" I blinked at him. "I do not know what a cyborg is, but if you are implying that we are robots, then you are very wrong. As I said, they are simply modifications, upgrades to increase our endurance and make us stronger. We need all the help we can get." He huffed. "Yeah, I can see that.

But I can't do this, I don't know how. I could barely take care of a hamster before it died, how am I supposed to take care of you?"

I took a few careful, nervous steps toward him. "I think you misunderstand. I am not an animal, I do not need your constant care and attention like a pet. I did call you my manservant, but in a technical sense, you are more like my guardian, or my guide, more or less. Your role is to help me understand the rules and customs of your world. My kind will eventually establish colonies on this planet, but as of right now, this place is untamed wilderness to us. Why, there was even a maneating beast stalking around outside, some awful furry creature with pointed ears. I wasn't aware such predators were allowed to freely wander in a human settlement."