My cell phone vibrated and lit up with an alert. A message! I thought. I must attend to this immediately!

"Yo, any interest in grabbing a burger and watching the game tomorrow?"

I responded immediately and forthwith:

"Yes, my dear friend, I would be delighted! I had planned to watch the game anyway, but it will surely be improved by a burger and a companion watcher, to root on our beloved G---s or to commiserate in the event of their failure. Let's plan to arrive at H--- at 12:30pm EST, in order to secure a premium vantage point and get our orders in before kick off begins. Of course, I am happy to arrive first and obtain said seating, in the event you would prefer a later arrival. Looking forward to it!"

And SENT. I shook off my fingers, still getting used to the new speed with which they would execute their messaging commands. I watched the screen with rapt attention, eagerly awaiting my friend's reply and confirmation. I arched an eyebrow at the sight of three dots, which disappeared and reappeared with some regularity before the phone vibrated with new correspondence.

"lol ok cool, see you at 12:30."

A confirmation! My synapses fired with satisfaction and I punched the air in victory. The future was now a little more certain for the two of us, with a plan being cemented on the calendar.

I returned to organizing my pencil jar when, not but two minutes later, my phone lit up anew.

"Yo, buddy. Going over to Pat's to watch G---s E----s tomorrow, any interest?"

Ack! A scheduling issue! Crisis!

"I am so sorry to report that I've already arranged to watch the game at H---s with my dear friend Jeremy. Could I interest you and/or Pat in joining us? I know Jeremy is a stranger to you, now, but that need not be the case. In fact, you two have much in common in background and temperament. I daresay you might be friends. I do worry that Jeremy and Pat may find themselves at odds should the topic of country music come up, but given H---s propensity to play hip hop and top 40 songs during commercial breaks, when the game audio is paused, I am reasonably confident such a conflict need not arise. Please advise."

And SENT. I doubled over in pain while the situation remained unresolved, curled up on the floor like an overcooked shrimp. I waited forty-five enervating minutes, drenched in sweat but cold to the touch, before the phone buzzed again.

"All good, maybe another time."

OPPORTUNITY. Boiling excitement pulled me from my delirious posture and I resumed my position in my desk chair, firing off a response.

"Another time? Let's pick one! How about Monday night, at 7pm EST? I've recently acquired the new M--- W--- game for the Playstation 5 and have desired to try its co-op multiplayer functionality. I can order pizza and have beers chilling in the refrigerator for our enjoyment. You can even invite Jeremy! Please confirm."

And SENT. A SOLUTION, discovered and offered. The day was saved!

And now I wait for a reply.

I can talk to anyone. That's my superpower. Lock me in a room with some asshole, a gun, the promise of 5 million dollars in return for my death, and you get a suicide.

That's why I'm talking to the Grapulons, who hail from a star nearer to Sirius than us. That's about the gist of it before I stopped paying attention. Couldn't give two turds what they think, although there was a time I might have.

*****

The leaves covered me in shade on the forest floor. There was something magical about that planet, and it wasn't just because I was born there. It was the first we found without any intelligent native species.

I never really believed that, though. Any time I tried to talk to someone about it, I just thought about how stupid they would think I was. So I stayed silent, and watched the faeries of the woods.

*****

"We only want your water," the Graplulonian says to me across the table. Dude looks like an aborted fish, only in the middle of the desert. Something in the briefing about their evolution? I dunno, whatever. "Our first generation colonized the entire system millions of years ago. Only recently, with the help of the Ugithans," and here the demonic-looking Ugithan graciously accepts the thankful nod of the fishy ambassador, "have we managed to achieve spaceflight once more. You humans have water in abundance!"

"I get it man," I say, leaning forward. "You're dried up, husked out, and you see us come along, with our shiny ships and our water. And you're right, we do have it in abundance. But water isn't free, nothing is. The Ugithans praise history, would do anything to preserve it. I look to the future.

"So, tell me then, what do you got?"

*****

"I'm bored," the faerie said to me one day as I rested by a creek. She's had an ethereal appearance and could've passed for a human were it not for the wings. "Talk to me, I see you every day."

"I, uh, what?" I said. I couldn't string two words together back then. "Um, about what?"

"Anything, oh whatever, I'm going to make you talk!"

And suddenly I was filled with understanding. The universe was just a plane the we existed in, could manipulate if we tried hard enough. If only we understood how. And now I did. It's all just a matter of communication.

*****

It's later in the day now, and the Ugithan is already in the brig of our ship. They've been a thorn in our side for so long I can't even remember the history lesson they gave me on it. We've got their homeworld, despite their cloaking technology that confuses our telescopes.

I promised the fish water. Literally all I had to do. We left the meeting, and I told him to give up the Ugithans in return for water and he did. I don't even remember the words I used.

Now, we've got the Grapulons in our pocket, and the home address of humanity's greatest adversaries. All it took was a little communication.

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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