Amalgam Universe

Challenge #02083-E259: Nonhostile Takeover

Their faces were caked with color, like they had heard of make up and tried to use it, but weren't quite sure what went where. -- OohLookShiny

This is space - theoretically, there's room for everyone. The only caveat is that most times, you have to build it. This is Ambassador Jess. She is negotiating with the owners of an otherwise boring asteroid so she can turn it into a semi-profitable habitat. This is the problem - the owners belong to Greater Deregulation South.

On their last teleconference, the leader of the GD pack of CEOs had told her that she and her crew "had better look professional" when they turned up for a face-to-face or the deal might be off. Jess, not knowing what the hell that phrase meant, had looked it up. Considering that she passed all the Galactic's low bars, she looked up the Deregulation version.

Greater Deregulation South tolerated females, in the same way that they tolerated bad weather or ill fortune. They had to happen to someone, but if it was pretty, then it could be tolerated easier. Which lead Jess, the Ambassador for Sapphos V, to eventually find out that this was using make-up and soft, flowy dresses. Two things that hadn't really mattered to either her or her team.

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Challenge #02082-E258: Limited Universal Communication

what if memes are a totally human thing?

like we meet aliens and try to explain this cultural thing, and they have nothing to compare it to, they don't have self replicating cultural phenomena. -- Anon Guest

The Human tripped on their own feet, tumbled, but tucked and rolled and recovered their footing in one nearly smooth moment.

"Sweet flips," cheered a different Human.

"Got the moves like Jagger!" The initial Human did a weird series of gyrations, causing them to hurt

Challenge #02081-E257: Young Game, Old Players

The thing most deserving of both respect and fear in equally large amounts is an old man in a place where they often die young. -- Anon Guest

Oort Herding is a game for the young. The ability to weave through free-floating bodies in the depths of absolute darkness, to spot a dirty snowball before the Hungry Caterpillar does, to do the necessary gravitational kicks to cometary objects and get out of the way in the correct direction, all needs fast reflexes

Challenge #02080-E256: Station Cats

what would be a "normal" day for a cat in a space-station? -- Anon Guest

[AN: I originally thought - normal pet cat or Skitty? And then I thought... why not both?]

Pet.

The day begins with the rude noise as Elith's Feedme[1] stirs in their sleep nook. Elith used her claws to show mild displeasure at having her own rest disturbed by the movement of the Feedme. Not that she could stop the bald, two-legged creature. Feedmes were much bigger

Challenge #02079-E255: Minions These Days

In a lab, an avian in a white coat with 'assistant' written on it has got a test tube in each hand while the researcher does her work. "What is he doing with those test tube?" "I'm helping Dr Susie !" "I told him that I needed him to hold those 2 important test tube and that one of them is highly poisonous and the other one is an unstable explosive. He doesn't know that's water." "Why ?" "Assistant, give me the explosive one.

Challenge #02077-E253: How Sissyphus Rolls

the Galactic allegiance was used to most of the human emotional quirks, they knew about our anger, and packbonding, our mental illnesses like depression, and how small things and gestures can bring us joy, and especially our compassion. but they had never experienced human indifference. Especially when confronted with those that had caused great pain. Humans have the capacity to just not give a damn -- Adam in Darwin

Of all the Human reactions that could have occurred when the Vol'nath Empire

Challenge #02073-E249: Audio Only

It went plonk, it went kablooey, it went shhhh, and it went blink.

But most importantly, it went whushhhak. -- Anon Guest

Sound was all that was left. The darkness was absolute, and Phel's ability to feel was impaired by the chemicals that the enemy had forced into hir system. Ze learned quickly how the Zebnaki pirates sounded when they moved, and also learned to avoid them. They had patterns of movement, too, and it helped.

Phel made it all the way

Challenge #02071-E247: What it Was, What it is

"It's a family heirloom." -- Knitnan

Those four words, unfortunately, did not answer the question. It was old, Kelly could tell that much. It had been through much, if the uncleanable burn scars and dents were any indication. It plausibly had moving parts, but now they were mangled or rusted or fused shut. Whatever its original purpose was, it was now, effectively, a work of art.

"I get that it's old. I just wanted to know what it is. Or was. It

Challenge #02070-E246: Noncogniscent, Noncommissioned Officer

How did Stabby (from Challenge #02032-E208) get his rank? -- さむらいでわない

Shipwide notice, said the message that went to all the crew. Any further referral to ship's equipment by any name is unauthorised. Only registered crew with names, ranks, and files in the ships' staff listings are permitted to be referred to by name, nickname, or rank.

Evidently, Captain Thork'z had grown tired of the Human crew chatting about 'Stabby', the altered vacuum-bot roaming the halls. Also as evident was the fact

Challenge #02069-E245: And in This Labyrinth

[All libraries are connected, including bookshelves in homes. This is why book lovers like to keep their books in darker and quiet places. They know that not all Travelers can handle light.] -- Anon Guest

There is an ancient chain of logic that leads to the inevitable. Knowledge is power. To know is to have an advantage, yes, but there is more than one form of power... Power can become mass. Play around with Einstein's famous equation and one can convert energy

Challenge #02067-E243: The Trouble With Gravy

"Unfortunately, gravity is temporarily out, so we're going to have to deal with it and float." -- TheDragonsFlame

"She's not dead," insisted the Nae'hyn Priest/technician. "She's just resting."

Captain Jarth repeated her question, "How. Long. Will it. Take?"

"I tried to warn you that it was a bad idea to transfer a short-haul gravy drive into a long-hauler," said Knekkit, who was ordinarily the translator. Today, she was being the repeater of known facts. "They get used to patterns of behaviour

Challenge #02066-E242: A Bug in the Peace Process

Aliens: "We don't know why everyone calls humans wild and crazy these guys just huddle together and whisper all the time"

Small band of humans: All terrified of the giant cockroaches but trying very hard not to cause an international incident -- OohLookShiny

They had expected resistance. They had expected a fight. Even though this was clearly a mercy mission, they expected the Humans to 'kick up a stink'. They knew that these were crazed Deathworlders who liked, very much, to keep

Challenge #02064-E240: Evac Under Fire

I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. -- TheDragonsFlame

Gorx halted in mid-step. "Surely the Human phrase is, I will cross that bridge when I get to it. Is it not so?"

Human Warin stopped for hir. "Not today. Keep moving. I'll explain on the way." He waited for Gorx to get moving again. "What I just said is a malapropism. A mixing of metaphorical sayings for humour or -in this case- appropriate action." He broke off to race ahead

Challenge #02060-E236: The Way to Make Change

Humans gonna Human -- TheDragonsFlame

A mother in a war zone hands her baby up to a complete stranger, knowing that they may never meet again, but her child has a chance at something better than this. Bullets sing through the air. Fire turns the surrounding landscape into tones of amber. And the last evacuation vehicle leaves the few remaining to their fate. The mother smiles anyway, and waves 'bye-bye' to her child. Pretending, perhaps for a last handful of minutes, that

Challenge #02057-E233: In-sult-roduction

A genetically upgraded cat is hired as a ship's crew member. The Captain unfortunately thinks that since ancient cats hunted vermin, this crew-member would do the same. -- Anon Guest

When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. -- Ancient Human Mnemonic/Caution.

Mixi Thicktail made certain she was crisp, businesslike, and formal. This was her first posting on a UFTP vessel and people had doubtless heard things about Nufurria and its residents by now. The difference between

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A 2309-post collection

Challenge #02082-E258: Limited Universal Communication

Challenge #02081-E257: Young Game, Old Players

Challenge #02080-E256: Station Cats

Challenge #02079-E255: Minions These Days

Challenge #02077-E253: How Sissyphus Rolls

Challenge #02073-E249: Audio Only

Challenge #02071-E247: What it Was, What it is

Challenge #02070-E246: Noncogniscent, Noncommissioned Officer

Challenge #02069-E245: And in This Labyrinth

Challenge #02067-E243: The Trouble With Gravy

Challenge #02066-E242: A Bug in the Peace Process

Challenge #02064-E240: Evac Under Fire

Challenge #02060-E236: The Way to Make Change

Challenge #02057-E233: In-sult-roduction