Space

"Tablet. Light, please."
Excitement coursed through her veins when she shined its light onto the paper. She traced the symbols
with her index finger, their lines and curves filled her with elation:
"Yadari."
Whispers of a thousand voices traversed the partially broken down spacecraft, its mother
tongue unknown.
In the galley, the entire crew gathered, their expressions serious and sombre. The voices
had been constant and ceaseless, its source yet to be determined. They had tolerated it for
almost a week now, but their patience had clearly thinned.
Their presence on this planet was not welcome, that had been made clear, as a series of
unfortunate events had plagued them ever since their arrival.
"So you're telling us that these voices has something to do with those texts?" Erie asked
hesitantly.
Everyone turned their attention towards Kaydn and Humaira, both of whom had called for
the meeting. Humaira sat on the table's edge whilst Kaydn stood, her hands constantly
playing with her tablet.
They exchanged a meaningful glance before Humaira nodded, encouraging Kaydn to
answer.
--
"Yes," Kaydn replied, "Tablet, show me Yadari please."
She placed the tablet in the middle of the table as a series of symbols floated above it.
"When I first heard the voices," Kaydn began, "A part of me said that something about
them seemed... familiar. And then it dawned on me, I have in fact heard these words before.
Worked on them, even. I then spent the entire week searching, looking through the records
on my computer. And that was when I found it, the very audio clip that started this mission.
The clip that came with these texts."
"You don't mean--" Erie's voice hovered over the final word, her tone suggestive of fear.
"It’s them," Humaira confirmed, "they've finally revealed themselves to us."
At the sound of those words, a sudden shift in energy overtook the room. Everyone had
become lively and curious again, as they had been once before.
How could they be so certain? What do they mean by ‘revealed’? Why didn’t they resume
their communications earlier on?
More and more questions were hurled her way but Kaydn paid no heed. Instead she pressed
on, more concerned about their reaction towards her upcoming proposal than their queries.
She was certain that they wouldn't warm to it, but it was the only way that she could think
of.
"Which is why I suggest that we return to the caverns. To the source of these messages."