No Cry For Help

When Professor Cree Caarlso receives a desperate call from an old friend, he finds himself the only one who can help. No Cry For Help is a whodunit set on an alien world where a humanoid species have developed from a dolphin like ancestor.

This is the first story in the Alien Science Fiction series by Simon J. Cooper, a series taking an alien perspective.

Opening:

The house system bleeped, waking Professor Cree Caarlso from a generous snooze on his office chair. The working day ended two hours ago, so he let it go to message, he could reply if there was anything urgent. In Caarlso's experience, one cetecan's definition of urgent was very different to another's.

There was the sound of laboured breathing, and then a whisper. "Cree… are you there, Cree?"