Challenge #00926-B195: In the Instincts of the Beholder
“I want a sci-fi series to have an alien race that literally every other race but humans thinks are the hottest fucking thing but it just completely goes over humans’ heads. Like instead of the Asari or some neon skinned space babe, every other race is just fucking fawning over some bizarre spider race. When humans don’t get it they’re just like, “What the fuck’s wrong with you? She’s hot, dude.””
(feel free to edit language)
Freshly-minted Ambassador Harry didn’t think this was going very well. So far, she’d made one of the artificial intelligences break down, and was accidentally involved in a mishap involving a member of the Consortium of Steam.
And now some highly-appreciated Ambassador had just arrived in a cloud of fawning and cooing. One ambassador even had hysterics and had to lie down.
Ambassador K’thrikk looked like some bizarre insectoid centaur, with a hairy, spider’s thorax and abdomen, and a thorax of a preying mantis. Its eyes were the dull black of empty space.
Her carapace was an unusual colour. As if puce and olive khaki had had an abomination of a love child, who was then sick all over the creature.
Harry found Ambassador K’thrikk to be both fearsome and revolting. She didn’t know whether she wanted to throw up, run away, or launch herself at its head and start bashing it with whatever came to hand.
She gripped her desk with white knuckles, grateful that it was bolted to the floor. Focussed intensely on her bladder and its role in being well-behaved in this very unfamiliar public arena. And also attempted to re-hydrate her tongue.
Her assistant, a Cuidgari administrator nicknamed Jamie, gave off cooing to check on Harry. “Are you well? Many people who view the Hek’rath for the first time are overcome with awe.”
Harry swallowed nervously. If she looked at her desk, she would not feel the urge to regurgitate every meal she’d ever had. “I’m overcome with the urge to kill it,” she whispered. “But I know that would be very bad.”
“I’d heard your species was insane, but I thought that was an exaggeration…”
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