On the perfectly flat surfaces of the vast, white crystal lakes that cover much of planet Zonn, a peculiar race of creatures perform their dance. We call them Veix. Their slender, tubular, inky black bodies swirl, elevate and descend, raising ethereal clouds of white dust from the surface, adding an eerie feeling to the spectacle.

They are intelligent and alive, yet so alien that only now do we begin to comprehend elements of their biology and behaviour. Their non-carbon organisms seem to absorb the energy of their planet to sustain their life. They don’t have any observable sensory organs; they’re diametrically different from life on Earth.

The Veix never tire, they never sleep; they dance. When planet Zonn reaches certain stages in its procession around its nearest star, Aria VII, the Veix tend to stop and look into the sky. When a moment passes, they get together and engage in a form of trophallaxis, the purpose of which is as of yet unknown.

And then they dance.