Ally or Alien: A Sci-Fi Novel Read Free

eyes glowed and it wasn't just because of the lab's spotlight. The scanner zoomed into the hull's surface. Details updated on her HUD. With the help of her extra twin-arms, eLoom moved the object around the pedestal and tried to capture every close-up detail in stunning hyper resolution.
    360 degrees, all the way.
    When she zoomed into the nano-realm, eLoom squealed. 
    Her assumption was right.
    She had discovered something alien...

4
     
    eLoom carried enough passion to burn through the ship's hull layers. She wanted to shout the news into every Newtype network but decided to tell only one unit—for now.
    eVax, the wisest compeer within the ship's perimeter.
    Message: sent.
    
    eVax arrived two minutes and thirty-two seconds later and looked as if a battery had exploded near his face.
    "What is it this time?"
    She rotated while two of her cybernetic arms still worked on the alien object. 
    "It is a cyborg."
    "What?"
    "It seems to be charged by some kind of internal powercell that reduces its vital function to an absolute minimum. Probably a measure to ensure its survival on the hostile environment of asteroid Pandora-5."
    She updated her Tri-D images to his feed. The bombast visuals flashed his optical sensors in rapid succession. eVax had to step back and O-shaped his mouth.
    eLoom added her thoughts in verbal form.
    "I can't interact with it, yet, but I'm working on that."
    "What makes you think it is a cyborg?" 
    "It does react to its surrounding. If you zoom into the surface, you can see it's made of nano plates that shift direction based on the angle of incidence, which means it's smart. The question is—how smart? I will know. Soon. Sublight-soon."
    eLoom's smile was about to break out of her snowy cheeks. A warm glow devoured her body. But good old eVax didn't share her sentiment. He looked almost distanced.
    Confused.
    "That is...good."
    "Good?"
    She let it burst out.
    "Good?"
    Passion dominated her body and used her lips.
    "This is THE discovery in the history of humanoids. I have found the first life form on a strobing asteroid. Celebrate. Recharge. Marvel."
    Her energy kept flowing into her limbs. She would have embraced everything in a wide arch if hadn't been for the two ersatz arms still attached to her back.
    eVax at least made an effort to smile.
    "You are right, it is amazing. Sorry, I'm still baffled by your solo-trip to the asteroid."
    He gestured left and right as if to look for eavesdroppers.
    "eTrinity is sending a cautionary report to the nearest relay. She says your ruthless behavior wasted resources."
    “I didn’t waste anything. I traveled to the asteroid myself.”
    “You are a resource.”
    eLoom bit her lips, which she had never done before. Here she was, making the discovery of a life cycle, and her compeer denounced her for deviating from protocols. This wasn't the way of the explorer. This was the attitude of a coward.
    She said, 
    "Since when is excitement a crime?"
    eVax focused his blue iris.
    "No one said anything about a crime. It is about your emotional outbreaks. We are worried about you."
    The next phrase seemed to be stuck in his throat.
    "You almost behave...like a human child."
    The phrase contorted his face.
    As if his spit tasted like acid, corroding his mouth. But to eLoom, it wasn't an insult. She remembered luminaries from ancient Earth, flesh-based beings with many faults, not nearly as perfect as her. 
    But they still longed for knowledge. 
    Like her.
    They wanted to debunk the mysteries of the universe.
    Like her.
    "What is wrong with sharing the traits of human offspring?"
    eVax shook his head in disgust.
    "I pretend I did not hear that."
    He looked over her shoulder and focused on the foreign object with partial interest.
    "Analyze your finding and share it with us. And watch your energy levels—your last recharge was over 29.3 hours ago."
    "Thanks for reminding me, papa."
    eVax wrestled with his lips and narrowed his eyes