Qitzo drifted into the depot and took form at the counter. “I need to order an asteroid,” they said.

Xarm, the attendant phased a hospitable color. “Are you looking for any special materials or are you more interested in spectacle?”

Qitzo sighed. “I need something cataclysmic.”

Xarm phased a murky red. “That’s a serious order.”

“I’ve got a pest problem on one of my planets,” Qitzo explained. “Humans.”

Another customer who had been drifting nearby took form with interest. “I thought humans were decorative?” they said.

Xarm gestured uncertainty with three appendages. “They always transform the landscape in interesting ways, but they’re definitely considered invasive.”
“Really?”

The clerk swelled authoritatively, “A buddy of mine got humans in a system. One planet went from 4 million unique species to a hundred in less than six alignments.”

“That must be an exaggeration,” the passerby exclaimed.

Qitzo gestured a negative. “The atmosphere’s already degrading. I know an asteroid won’t help with that, but at least I can do a reset. No more life forms for me. Just cool rocks.

“Even that might not be safe,” Xarm cautioned.

“What do you mean?”

They laid a consoling appendage on Qitzo’s carapace. “Humans love cool rocks.”

* * *

Story by Gregory M. Fox