Challenge #02591-G034: Conspiracy to Spread Joy

There are those that are not fans of the holiday season. The reasons are as myriad as the individuals themselves. But then there are those who not only enjoy the seasons, but absolutely revel in them. All around the station they were showing up outside of doors. Showing up at people's workstations and amongst ship supplies. Carefully wrapped gifts. It only had three words on it "From a friend"
No one claimed responsibility for these actions and no one was usually around by the time they were found, but when the gifts were opened, they would be gifts appropriate to, and for, the individual the gifts were meant to be for. They were safe, they were lovely, and each item was always carefully settled in their gift boxes by a hand that obviously cared a great deal.
And yet, for some odd reason, surveillance could never find out who was doing this. On occasion one might catch a shadowy form, they obviously knew their way around enough to avoid getting caught, but that was all. And, through the month of what humans called "December", through the month that was the holiday of gift-giving, this continued. And the gift giver? Each time they heard of people discussing the gifts, they smiled softly to themselves as they went about their work. Why did they do it? No reason, it just felt good to make people smile. -- Anon Guest

Space, as a philosopher once wrote, is big. Really, really big. In the gulfs of darkness, the only spots of civilisation are the ones you bring with you. Nevertheless, it is there. Far from home, you bring home with you. Far from love, you share love with those you happen to be with. Well. That's the Human philosophy.

Human pack-bonding is weird like that. Which the crew of the Twitching Whisker found out during a period of three Standard weeks[1]. They didn't precisely know it was one of the Humans, but this particular level of chicanery fit almost exactly with other Human nonsense, so the odds were high.

The whole thing started with a box. Just a box, wrapped in bright coloured paper, and the whole thing was topped with a bow. This was immediately treated with suspicion. It had been left just outside of G'harth's door and the Vrothiin was uncertain of what to do about, or with it. This was not the usual season for Human Pranking, and the calendar showed no other nearby events of significance in the Offensensitivity calendar.

Cautious, G'harth fetched a scanner to examine the object. Nothing hazardous, toxic, or explosive. Fine... Okay. But... why a box? Why the elaborate decoration? What was the purpose of this?

As if in answer, one of the passing Ships' Humans gasped and cooed, "Oooh, you got a present. You gonna see what's in there?"

"This is not a trick? Not for making laughing Humans?"

"No trick. Promise. Good stuff. Look inside. It is... gift. Thanking for being friend."

Mumbling something dire about Humans and their love of deception, G'harth took apart the exterior with all the care and caution of someone defusing an unexploded bomb. Inside was... a very soft, very beautiful, hand-knitted garment in the same festive colours as the wrapping. It was so thoughtful and practical and confusing at the same time. Just like the Ships' Humans.

"I am still uncertain of the purpose, but... thank you Human..." G'harth squinted at the name plate. "Kam."

"Oh I didn't do this."

"Then who did?"

Shrug. "I dunno. It's a secret Santa. Sshh."

Four others got mysterious boxes, all less than half a standard DU cubed in size. All packaged neatly in boxes, covered in carnival-coloured paper, and decorated with bows or ribbons or rosettes.

"The Humans," G'harth concluded, "are up to something."

These... 'presents' of theirs were all... good. Practical things, like warming garments or multipurpose areas of handicraft. Edible things that the Vrothiin could consume with minimal harm, yet were also treasured treats. Decorative things like prints of the Humans' 'selfies' in hand-crafted frames, or totemic statues of creatures important to both Human and Vrothiini. All made with care, all gifted with consideration, and all perplexing in their delivery.

Every single Vrothiini aboard the Twitching Whisker received one gift per Ships' Human. No indication of who made what, when they did it, or how they avoided detection to both create and deliver such perplexing gifts.

Finally, the day after all 'presents' had been delivered, the Ships' Humans invited the entire crew to the mess for a festive feast. There was almost too much food, singing, small controlled explosions, and ridiculous paper hats. This, they eventually theorised, was a Human Pack-bonding Ceremony.

Whoever King Wenceslas or Santa Claus was remained a question to be asked at one's own hazard.

[1] Sum total of elapsed time: thirty days.

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / crifumi]

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