Chapter Text
The world of Zimana was just like any other planet. The people here were always evolving, always finding new ways to better their lives with technology. You were a vital part of your village, a farmer who helped feed the people and traded goods with others.
Your life had been full of unpredictable surprises recently and you weren’t going to take any chances.
Especially with whatever had just fallen out of the sky and landed near your home. You had livestock to protect and a homestead to tend to, so whatever this thing was, you would be dealing with it swiftly.
The Militia already had you on edge, their tyranny sucking the life out of your community. You immediately assumed that this thing was one of their own. With a shovel in hand, you slid down the small crater, eyes never leaving the mass in the center.
When you were finally next to it, you crouched down carefully. There were two things, actually, one resembling a plushie covered in yellow fluff and the other almost looking like a land-mine with legs. They were not works of the Militia, as everything they created lacked any sort of cuteness or ornate designs. Everything they made was simple and optimized for enforcing their rule on the country.
Before you could study them further, they both started to stir, waking from the fall they had taken.
“<Blip> systems online. Visuals restarting.” The smaller of the two, the landline, stood up slowly, “Inquiry, was the teleportation device successful?” The tiny robot lowered its hind legs, looking directly at you. “Further inquiries required. <Blip> Identify yourself.”
Holy cow, was this some sort of a freaking alien? You told the machine who you were and where it had ended up.
“Affirmative. Teleportation successful.” The machine nudged the yellow plushie, “Alpha, you must wake, the machine was successful.”
“Kweh?” The small bird stood up on wobbly legs before ruffling its own feathers, “Kweh! Kweh!”
You stood in complete awe.
“Your facial expression indicates that you feel a sense of dread.” The machine spoke, “We mean no harm. I am no longer equipped with any means of combat. I am Omega,” It turned to the bird, “And this is Alpha.”
“Alpha and Omega.” You repeated, “So… you’re not from around here, are you?”
“Negative” Omega answered. “We come from a distant planet, a faraway universe.” It further explained,
“And you ended up here… why?” You crouched down, getting low enough to have eye contact with the pair.
“Alpha and I are traveling through various galaxies together and were provided the chance to teleport to another galaxy to continue our adventure.” Omega explained.
“Can you go back? Or are you stuck here?”
“We can return at our own leisure.” The robot replied.
You let out a sigh of relief, “Well, then, I suppose I’ll try to be a good host while you’re here.”
“<Blip> that is most appreciated.” The robot shuffled out of the whole, moving like a beetle as it waited at the top of the crater for Alpha. You climbed out of the hole, nearly slipping a few times.
“I am unable to assist you.” Omega droned, “My current chassis is incapable of such feats.”
“You’re okay,” You huffed, finally getting over the ledge, “I’m pretty independent.” Standing tall, you brushed yourself off before retrieving your shovel. “Do you… want to go inside?”
“Inside?” Omega repeated.
Right. He was a robot, so he was going to be terribly literal and blunt about everything.
“Inside my home. Would you like to sit down and get your bearings? I might have a map for you since this land is unfamiliar to you.” You suggested.
“Kweh Kweh!” Alpha chirped.
“That is a logical course of action.” Omega agreed, “Please, lead the way.”
Out of all of the things that could’ve happened to you today, you definitely did not have an alien bird and a talking robot stopping by on your bingo card. Oh well, at least they seemed friendly. You could only hold off the Militia for so long, so you couldn’t even begin to imagine how well you would fare against any other threats right now.
The crater where the duo had landed wasn’t too far from your shadow, so you were already at the door, holding it open for them. They entered, Alpha giving you a cheerful gesture with one of his wings as he went inside.
Omega looked terribly goofy when he walked, which made you wonder why his creators had chosen such an odd shape. Was he based off of a beetle? Better yet, who had created him and what purpose did he serve?
Robots were like tools around here; something formed to follow a function, like a shovel with digging or a tractor tending to the crops. Omega was built for a reason, but you weren’t sure about Alpha? Where had the little bird come from and how did he know Omega?
You still had so many questions and you planned on asking them as soon as they settled in.
“Your hospitality is appreciated.” Omega said.
You dipped your head at the tiny machine, “So, did you and Alpha choose my planet specifically?”
“Negative. <Blip> Alpha and I had no pre-determined location. It was’ a luck of the draw’, as some organic beings say.” Omega answered. His neutral voice was a bit unnerving to you, but you were sure you would get used to it the more he spoke.
“Interesting. Well,” You opened the blinds, letting some natural light in, “This area of this world is in a bit of a pickle.”
“How can a community be within a pickled cucumber?”
Oh dear. “I mean, pickle as in trouble, not… food.” You rubbed the back of your neck, turning back to the pair.
“Apologies, I’m still not up to date on the vernacular of organic beings.”
“Kweh!” Alpha added.
“It’s okay.” It must’ve been hard being an outdated robot. Well, he didn’t look outdated to you, especially since he could speak! The only robots your village had were tiny constructs that aided in various tasks. They were completely silent and needed to be charged at least once a day. You didn’t have any, but you’ve always wanted one.
“What is troubling to your community at this current moment? Is it a physical threat?” Omega situated on the floor, lowering his body a little bit.
“It is.” Your brow furrowed, “There’s a group, they like to be called the Militia, and they’ve been trying to maintain control of my people. They take our resources whenever they please, destroy our land, and some are even drafted and forced to fight for them.”
Omega stalled for a second, taking in your words, “That is unfortunate news. Are they the current highest power in your world?”
“Probably,” You shrugged.
Omega stood as tall as he could, “<Blip> changing directive.”
“Kweh?” Alpha tilted his head.
Kweh was right! What was Omega doing?
“What are you changing your directive to?” Did you even want to know?
“There is a ‘pickle’ of my own I must attend to. I will no longer endure the struggles of my current chassis.” Omega moved from one leg to the other.
“Your… body? How can you change that?”
“In my previous state, I was capable of shifting my physical form, but I abandoned it after it was terminated. My conscience lives within this toy, but it is frail. <Blip> requesting all currently available technologies.”
“Oh- uhm, well, what do you need, exactly?” The request was a rather vague one.
“I require a way to update my current physical form or to change it to how I once was.” He beeped, “I am unable to engage in combat.”
“Ah,” You tapped your chin. The idea struck you, but you didn’t dare tell him. There were special machines made to change the very molecular structure of things. You had one tucked away in your barn just in case you were running low on a certain type of produce. But it was illegal to use it on anything conscious.
Like animals or people, or in this case, Omega. So, you wouldn’t be telling him about it just yet. Maybe as a last resort, but for right now, you wouldn’t offer it.
“I don’t know if we have a way to change your, uhm, chassis. Could you upload your consciousness maybe?” You didn’t have any other ideas.
“Negative.” Omega responded, “I am limited in my abilities.”
“Damn,” You hissed, “Well, we will figure something out for you, Omega.”
“Kweh kweh!” Alpha bounced a little bit, placing a wing over Omega. The machine hummed for a second before turning back toward you.
“May I view the map you previously mentioned?” He tapped his toes, almost anxiously. A machine couldn’t get nervous, though.
“Yes!” You searched through the nearby bookshelves, finding the map you had purchased to see how the land had changed around you. There used to be massive forests surrounding the village, but now they had been replaced by homes sheltering the Militia. “Here you are,” You rolled the massive piece of paper out in front of the two adventurers, “Here is the most current map of the countryside.”
Omega processed the map. He clicked and whirred, as if he was whispering to himself before turning to Alpha, “Our objective will be to enter the village for a larger map.”
You were a bit offended by his suggestion, “Hey, you wanted a map, I gave you a map! I don’t leave the countryside, so I don’t have a need for a huge map of the entire world!”
“You are faced with a threat. The only logical solutions are to either flee or fight.” Omega placed one of his small, robotic, talon-like hands on the map, “You have not fought back, nor have you fled.”
“From the Militia?”
“Affirmative.”
“I can’t fight back…”
“Why not?”
“They’re… much stronger than I am.”
“You fear termination?”
“I guess…”
Would a machine understand fear? And it wasn’t as simple as leaving your home or trying to fight back! He was a logical being, was he not? Did he not understand that there were more than those options?
“I require a new body.” He repeated, “Post haste.”
“Kweh! Kweh?” Alpha leaned down, pulling his wing back.
“I must understand your reasoning. If you fear termination, would you not try to escape? What keeps you grounded here?” Omega remained still.
“I don’t think you’d understand,” You admitted, “I don’t think you can process how I feel.”
“It is your heart… then.”
His words caught you off guard. A machine talking about your heart…
“I will no longer let this subject escape me. I will understand it, even if my coding deters me.” If he could switch his tone, you were sure he would sound determined.
“You will show me.”