Solarians. Such a young species. For eons, My kind and I have watched them, first evolve, and then later grow as sentient beings. We see their loneliness in the universe and hear their desperate greetings when they send out their radio signals in a futile attempt at communication.

And we weep for them.

Solarians have short lives, so short compared to the rest of the species out here, that a member of their species can be born and die of old age before we finish a conversation.

It's these short lives that make Them intriguing. Their mind runs with a speed we have trouble calculating, much less understanding. You can give Them the barest minimum of information and they will have expanded upon it a hundred times before you finish talking. Like a flame flaring up in the moment before it flickers out

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

What took us thousands upon thousands of their years to figure out, they accomplished in a handful of decades, a mere 66 of their 'years' from the first powered flight to the first Solarian stepping foot on the moon of their homeworld, the chaotic nature of their beautiful young minds granting Them an unprecedented talent for innovation and problem-solving.

It is also their curse, the toll such a mind takes on the physical form proving so great that their bodies Are breaking down from their moment of birth until they cease to live.

They will never realize that we have tried contacting them since the beginning of their species. Nor will they realize that they will be forever alone in a universe that moves so slowly it might as well stand still to them.

Pity the young free thinkers. And watch Them closely. Or you might miss the flare of a trillion bright flames that flare up and die, faster than it takes to blink your eyes. Cherish the species of little flames. and watch them closely before their light fades.