Page 1 of Who Did This To You?

ONE

ZANDAOR EXLITH-ORVANIS-ORKITH

The bone-deep rumble had been a second pulse for three months, a vibration so constant it had melted into the background like breathing, unnoticed until the reactor finished its spin-down cycle.

Then came the silence that haunted my dreams.

It didn't just replace the sound; it enveloped me like a giant's glove, the sudden claustrophobia gripping me in its grasp as the small cockpit of my long distance scout ship became all of a sudden far too confining. I knew my time as an Exlith-Orvanis was coming to a close, as niches were supposed to be places of joy, not anxiety. It had grown on me slowly, but now every time I went to sleep I feared the absence of that sound. The engine was my lifeline, the only thing keeping me alive in the vast dark of space, and its silence meant death.

But not today.

I ran through the debarking sequence, checking atmospheric composition, pressure, local gravitational force, each step a checkmark on a list designed to bring me back from the brink of space madness that was a risk for every Orvanis. Edge seekers needed safety checklists; it was an essential part of our niche, and as an Exlith-Orvanis, my safety relied on knowing when it was time to turn around and go home.

That was also not today.

I unclipped from my control rig, detaching myself from the clips that kept me centered in zero gravity. This massive cruise ship provided its own gravity, and the weight of it felt good. I had zero-gravity exercise equipment built into my small scout ship, but it wasn't the same as a good scuttle in gravity. The Captain, Masak, told me there was an extensive exercise room and multiple species on board who engaged in regular sparring, so there should be something to climb on.

I toggled the comm that was still open to the ship.

"Captain Masak, I request permission to come aboard," I said the required phrase that had been provided in the rules and regulations. When I spotted this ship on the outer edge of an unexplored solar system, I was shocked to discover it was a ship and not a space station. It was even more exciting to find out that the system held a new space faring species that had drawn the attention of a large number of civilizations in this star cluster. There was some political turmoil in the area, but Captain Masak handled communication with the local military force for me. His ship was something called a cruise ship, a ponderously slow journey through the small solar system with the purpose of giving the multiple species passengers time to relax and socially integrate. The influx of interest in this region was so extreme that the cruise was set up to facilitate the sudden overlapping of cultures, as well as to identify issues that might arise.

It was a magnificent find.

It would give me the chance to figure out the best way to handle first contact with this diverse system and set it up so that they listened and took my people seriously when we warned them of the imminent threat.

"Permission granted, Zandaor Exlith-Orvanis-Orkith," Captain Masak said. "I trust you have fully reviewed the rules and regulations, as you will be held to them."

It gave me a thrill to have this alien say my full title, acknowledging the glory of my third niche-finding.

I had expanded into a new niche, one that had been developed by necessity after my people fully understood the threat that faced us. My new role an essential one, and to hear myself adorned with it brought a swell of joy to my heart, even if the niche-finding was brought about by the darkness which we all faced.

"I have reviewed them and agree to abide by them," I said. They were some of the simplest rules I'd seen in a while; it was almost insulting that I had to voice agreement to them, as they should be basic to any space-faring species, but after our last disastrous contact experience with a new species, I understood the necessity of ensuring that everyone understood the boundaries of interaction.

"Welcome aboard," Captain Masak said. "A crew member is waiting to give you a tour of the ship."

He cut the comm connection, and I opened the hatch.

What struck me first was a tinkling sound, like chimes rustling in the wind, layered over one another with melodic resonance as it bounced off the floor of the docking bay. I swiveled my ears, instinctually tracking the beautiful melody, and turned to see a group of aliens streaming out of a small shuttle on the other side of the bay. There were a number of them that were all the same species, with skin ranging within the range of roasted kavintari beans. They had fine, silky hair on top of their heads, though one of them appeared to be wearing a spongy dark brown hat in the shape of a bed of flowers. As I watched, small tendrils wiggled through her scalp, adjusting the shape of a flower before descending down out of sight.

The beautiful sound was coming from those aliens… it was their laughter.

I was struck motionless, standing on the small ramp that descended from my scout ship, in complete awe at the joyful noises the aliens were making.

"I didn't expect the ground to crunch that much," one of the aliens said.

"I know! It was so crunchy with those pre-biotic organic building blocks coating the ice," another one said. "I learned a new word today, tholin!"

"I didn't know that Pluto had an atmosphere either! It made such a pretty blue haze on the horizon," another one added. "How much fun was that! First humans on Pluto!"

A cheer went up from the group.

I grinned. These must be the aliens from the local star system, the ones that had everyone swarming to meet them. I could understand why. Such exuberant happiness was addictive to be around, especially when it was accompanied by such beautiful voices and delicate features.

"Excuse me, Zandaor Exlith-Orvanis-Orkith?" a closer voice interrupted my focus on the celebration.

I looked down to see one of those same aliens standing there at the bottom of the ramp. It was wearing a long white tunic shirt decorated with colorful strips on the bottom hem, and underneath that were tight fitting black leggings.

It was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen.