"I don't know. You're my first cyborg."
"My programming does not allow me to harm you, or by the effect of action, allow you to be harmed."
She raised her eyebrow. "You seemed awfully against Terrans."
"Are you Terran?"
"Kind of? My world, Earth, is on another dimensional plane, I guess, from what I understand. One of the names we use for Earth is Terra. You could call me a Terran. Or an Earthing, if you like that better."
"Earthling makes you sound like an item."
She smiled. "It does, doesn't it?"
Curiosity began to get the best of her. "So, tell me, what does this lysteel do for you? How does it function in your body?"
"It makes us stronger and able to move better. Plus, it helps us get whatever we need."
That was odd, and it made little sense to her. "I'm a scientist, so you're going to have to explain more, please."
"The lysteel creates whatever we need to survive in a given moment. Clothing. Weapons. Equipment."
Now that sounded interesting. This she did want to see. "Can you demonstrate?"
He shook his head.
And surprisingly, she was disappointed. She really would like to see that.
For scientific reasons.
Naturally.
"What about rest and recharging? I assume you must somehow fuel up. Do you eat? Drink?"
"We do drink fluids. Some food is palatable. In our meditative states, we rebalance our systems and download new protocols."
She nodded. "You sleep then?"
"Sometimes. But not often. Not like Terrans do." He blinked and glanced at her. "What kind of scientist are you?"
"An astronomer. Someone who studies the stars and their positions."
"A mapper, then."
"I suppose," she said. "Though I don't know that any of my knowledge would be helpful here since I'm not in the same galaxy I was in before, I imagine."
"You most likely are not," he said. "You, however, would have an ability to study the star charts and be able to better track stars and their lifespans."
"I imagine, in a galaxy, you'd need people to do that," she said.
He nodded. "Many work on a local level, studying a small number of sectors in a quadrant, and communicate with other groups about changes in their sectors."
She shook her head. "I cannot imagine what I would be able to contribute, with my own knowledge so limited."
"Everyone must start somewhere. If you choose to, I suppose."
"What do you mean?"
"You are obviously not interested in being my mate. I am not even supposed to be here. I should be returning to my homeworld. I suggest we get along as best as possible for the next thirty standard days, and we will make sure you've returned to your world as soon as you can go."
Tina nodded. "Are you upset?"
"I am a cyborg. I do not get upset."
The way his tone shifted, she wondered, for a second, if he was lying to her.
