There were two peepholes inside the airlock-with yellow eyes pressed to them. There
was a speaker on the wall. The Tralfamadorians had no voice boxes. They communicated
telepathically. They were able to talk to Billy by means of a computer and a sort of
electric organ which made every Earthling speech sound.
‘Welcome aboard, Mr. Pilgrim,’ said the loudspeaker. ‘Any questions?’
Billy licked his lips, thought a while, inquired at last: ‘Why me? ’
That is a very Earthling question to ask, Mr. Pilgrim. Why vow? Why us for that
matter? Why anything ? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs
trapped in amber?’
‘Yes.’ Billy in fact, had a paperweight in his office which was a blob of polished amber
with three ladybugs embedded in it.
‘Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.’
Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut