Humanity has encountered numerous forms of alien life during its expansion to the stars, several which demonstrate intelligence. The broad term for these collected species are Asaps, a portmanteau of Alien and Sapients. While none of the Asaps encountered so far equal or even approach the technological sophistication of humanity, the apparent regularity of life and even intelligence on the cosmic scale has led many to speculate that it is only a matter of time before humanity encounters its first space-faring Asaps.
High in one of Maleth's archipelago towers, an Artalen elder named Kelai settled her tall frame carefully into a modified chair, her feather-like sensory crests adjusting to the artificial airflow. Across from her, a Limean trader called Wex perched comfortably on a cushion, his caprine features animated as he sipped a fragrant tea through a hollow reed. Ketai knew the drink as "Loma" and was told the reeds oils were essential to the taste of the beverage. Kelai would never know since the beverage was entirely indigestible by her biology. "I still don't understand why humans build up when they could build out." Wex mused. His horns, adorned with polished blue metal, caught the light as he gestured at the sprawling plains beyond the window and the edge of the city "All that space." Kelai's expression shifted, her crest flaring slightly in her species expression of amusement. "Says the species that adapted to human architecture and cohabitation in a single generation." "We adapt. You endure," Wex replied, a hint of even handed pride in his tone. "Different paths to the same summit." He paused, considering. "Though I sometimes wonder if humans appreciate the difference. They see my people's adaptability and assume it means we're...malleable in other ways." Kelai's crests flattened slightly - a sign of deep thought or concern. "While they see our longevity and mistake it for inflexibility," she added. "My great-grandmother still refuses to leave our ancestral islands, even as the storms grow worse. She says humans will come and go like the tides, but our waters remain eternal." "Is she wrong?" "No. And yes." Kelai watched a human transport dirigible passing between the tower of the city. "They're not like the tides at all. Tides are predictable. Humans..." She trailed off, searching for the right words. "Create their own currents," Wex finished. His ears flicked forward, a gesture his species apparently developed after joining human society, taken as equivalent to a nod. "It's why I trade with them. Every generation is a new species, practically. New opportunities." Kelai watched her friend and sighed, her voice soft. "And I will watch three of their generations pass before my own children reach maturity. Sometimes I envy your people's ability to keep pace with them." "And I your view of time," replied Wex.