“What we have here, I believe, is a first-contact scenario,” I said. “An entirely new species, heretofore unknown to us or to any other race in the galaxy, occupying a space utterly alien and incomprehensible to our three-dimensional minds.”

I pulled up video of the original viral takeover of our ship’s systems. It seemed like so long ago now, even though it had been only a matter of mere days.

“What we initially thought to be a virus was, in actuality, the introduction of the basic building blocks between our two species. It is a language unlike any other, far more advanced than anything we’ve seen.” I paused a moment, then continued in a more contemplative tone. “And yet, for them, I suspect it is somewhat rather like resorting to baby talk in order to communicate. I would not be at all surprised to find that this cartographical language is not their native tongue, but rather an intermediary version designed for conversing with ‘lower’ species.”

Silence reigned over the gallery as this idea sunk in.