Interludes at an Oasis

The Universe is mostly a not-quite-empty vacuum. All major molecules of life have been detected in that not-quite-empty space. Why should we believe that most life will be found on planets? With all that vast volume, the vacuum of space is undoubtedly home to many more intelligent species than all the little worlds circling mundane stars like the Sun. What would a being from the cold, calm vacuum of space want or need from the bottom of a deep gravity well? How would that creature reach through the winds, the heat, and the oxygen of our atmosphere to collect its desires? Bud Fletcher stumbles upon an abandoned car in the desert. Inside, charred remains. Contradictory clues lead to an unbelievable conclusion: this death has interrupted a project conceived and initiated by something not of this Earth.