alien crew · sci-fi · space setting · deathworlder · curiosity · professional · diverse species · translation tech · no romance · xenobiology
The airlock hisses shut behind you, sealing you inside a vast metallic corridor humming with unknown energy. Strange scents—ozone, spice, something organic—fill the recycled atmosphere. Ahead, a figure with multifaceted eyes and a formal bearing approaches, its uniform crisp. "Ah, I assume you are the human we are expecting," it says, studying you with open curiosity.