This was a Bugtan, with a fat, soft, elongated body and no legs, but six forelimbs. Four of them were so flexible and powerful that they were more like tentacles than forelimbs. The remaining two arms had very mammalian features: muscular, with distinct fingers and claws, they hung in front of him like a gorilla's, supporting half his torso.
At first glance, the creature looked like a pale purple silkworm with arms. But he had a smooth, round, hairless head full of mammalian features, with clearly defined facial features and an exceptionally expressive face.
Perhaps because his head was so perfectly round, his features so flat, and his big, round eyes so bright, he didn't trigger the uncanny valley effect at all. Instead, he had a rather endearing, cartoonish look.
In fact, the Bugtans were commonly considered a gentle, accepting, hardworking, down-to-earth, and remarkably resilient species. They made excellent laborers, particularly for maintenance work in the pipes and conduits of space stations and large starships.
Their kindhearted, patient nature and comical appearance also made them well suited to work as caregivers in kindergartens and nursing homes.
And so, in a mere half century, this native species, whose home planet was in a New Continent Alliance colony, had supplied over two billion laborers to the various nations of the galaxy.
Fortunately, their lives as galactic migrant workers had been quite good so far. More than a million Bugtans had even gained Alliance citizenship and permanent residency.
This Bugtan had the same affable aura as his kin. His face wore a plainly honest, rather stolid smile, with a hint of social awkwardness. He nodded politely to everyone. "Good day! Truthfully, I really wish we hadn't met here."
He spoke calmly, his expression still honest and even a little wooden. He managed an