There's something so weird over there.  - And then a bit closer to them, quite suddenly!  And then also more gradually.

Well that's presumably a sensor malfunction but it pays to be cautious and skirt around it. They'll get a better look that way and won't need to worry about running into anything unexpected head on.

It's tracking them.  Every few minutes it blips closer than its base speed allows.

Well that is less likely to be a sensor malfunction! Not zero likely, they are really quite crappy sensors, but still. He calls a halt and has the ship's docking and maneuvering lights turned on to make their position clear and hopefully avoid any collisions with the unknown and erratic vessel.

It's very small for a vessel, if their sensors are to be believed.  But then that would explain why they can't see it even as it gets quite close.

"Continue to hold position and sweep the surroundings with the maneuvering lights until visual contact is established."

"Aye Captain."

There it is!  It circles around and comes to a stop just in front of the ship.

That's definitely way too small to be a ship. It almost looks... humanoid...

The lights sweep forward to center on the anomaly.

There it yet remains!  Until it - doesn't -

That was definitely person shaped.

"Telemetry, where did the anomaly go."

"I... don't know Captain."

There's a quite-unpleasant chirp of sensory static that everyone on the bridge experiences in the pitch and the feel of the air.  Not coming from any particular direction.

"Captain," the same telemetry officer says in a strained voice, gaze fixed on a point behind Lucien. 

"Wha-" Lucien turns to look.

The anomaly is standing there, having struck a balletic third position.  It:

• is around seven feet tall, and yes, humanoid
• wears a mask of black lace, fashioned after a skull
• has hair that is somewhat smaller but not much less dramatic in the ship's gravity
• is covered in as many metallic trinkets as can rest within the bounds of taste
• wears a burgundy, historical-looking dress with the front of the skirt left open to display a pair of pants and high boots
• statics them again, a little more gently and a fair bit more sustainted.

"Greetings, this is the USS Keystone of the United Earth. If you would be so kind as to identify yourself and state your purpose for visiting our vessel."

There's a third building-up of static, which this time lasts long enough to sublimate into music.  It's cautious, trilling and fluttering, and lasts only about the length of a verse.

The tune - isn't memorable, once it stops.

"Lieutenant Singh, do you uh. Have any idea if that was language at all."

"Not yet, sir."

More music!  It almost sounds like it could be about being someone or wanting something, if music that wasn't even music could possibly convey that.

"I'm guessing the you don't need me for translating that,"

"Not yet anyways,"

Lucien address the... being.

"You want something?"

This not-a-song is about... agreement..... and something... else....... and maybe the concept of 'hello'?

"Uh. Hello. I'm not sure I got that middle part."

Confusionmusic.  Also there's a light breeze blowing in the bridge.

"I don't suppose that breeze is coming from anywhere?"

"No sir."

"Ah, well."

This one has the tenor of an instruction, or at least a request.  It's not remotely clear what for.

"You.... want something?"

A bar of frustration-song, and then - 'Yes.'

"Oh, would you like a moment to figure out how to communicate it?"

'No.'

"Is it urgent?"

'You're already doing it.'

"We're already doing the thing you want?"

Possibly the talking is helping the being learn to communicate but one thing at a time.

'I understand you poorly, but not at all when your words are not directed at me.'

"Ah, okay. I can talk to you if that's helpful."

'Am I growing in comprehensibility?'

"Yes, quite a bit."

The breeze fades out and it starts raining glitter, though with enough overlap that the particles should have been affected and - weren't, at all.  'Good.'

"Was there a reason for your visit here?"

'You were the closest living beings to me when I landed in this universe.'

"You are from another universe?"

'Two.'

"Hm?"

'I left my first universe, was forcibly returned there, and recently received assistance in leaving again.'

"Well. Welcome to ou-this universe. I suppose I'm not entirely sure whether it's our home one."

'How is that.'

"We ended up here due to an accident much closer to our home world. And I don't know 'here' is yet"

The being pauses.  'I am not currently powerful enough to trivially determine this for you.'

"Currently?"

'I have previously been much stronger than I currently am, and may someday be again.'

"I suppose it would be good to know if we are in our home universe."

"Would you like to take this conversation to our conference room?"

'Not actively.  I likely would not mind, if you find it preferable.'

Well the bridge really isn't the place for this, so he'll lead the visitor to the conference room, gesturing for Lia to follow.

They follow, haltingly, and turn back to give a shallow bow-curtsey-thing to the crew remaining in the bridge before continuing.  As they walk, the glitter follows them at a radius that intersects most of the closest rooms and their gaze darts around to various features of the ship.

Commenting would probably be rude.

'Your surroundings are very different from those of the humans I had met before.'

"How do you mean?"

'The craft on display is quite different both in vision and scale.'

"What were the prior circumstances?" he asks as they arrive at the conference room.

'I was on a planet, with decor both more and less intricate than this.'

"Was the planet called Earth?" Lucien asks, his voice hopeful.

'It was.  Though it was not the one of this universe.'

So not helpful then.

"Ah."

'I had not known humans could survive away from planets.'

"Oh, the Earth you visited was from earlier than us then. We've designed spacecrafts to allow us to explore and visit other stars and civilizations."

The glitter-rain gets denser.  'There are other civilizations?'

"Yes, though humans have interacted with only a handful so far - I graduated from the academy of one such civilization that is particularly advanced and close to Earth. There are likely tens or hundreds of thousands of sentient species in our galaxy given the density of the small section of it we've explored."

Glitter!!  'Are they very like humans?'

"More so then like you on the whole, but it varies."