Amalgam Universe

A 2327-post collection

Challenge #00545 - A170: Acapella

It was a companionable quiet, with the rhythmic “whud, whud, whud” of the engine accompanied by various tapping and clanking of everyone doing their jobs. Eventually everyone’s noises gradually synced with the main beat and suddenly the Lion King happened.

“I swear sir, I left for four seconds and they started a musical number" 

Goryx stared out at the rows of humans - still working, of course - as they continued to sing.

"TILL WE FIND OUR PLACE,” they collectively roared, “IN THE PATH UNWINDING… IN THE CIR-CLE…. THE CIRCLE OF LIIIIIIIIIIFE…”

“Please tell me this is an isolated incident?”

“Er,” said Chamb. “Actually…”

Goryx learned much, that day. For starters, that humans could start collectively singing at the drop of a beat. And there were many, many -too many- human songs in their collective consciousness that apparently everyone knew.

Also, that it was a good idea to separate the ones who sang Under Pressure from those who sang Ice Ice Baby. Just to avoid internal tensions.

“Is this a bonding exercise?” Goryx enquired.

“It can be,” explained Chumb. “In so far as I’ve been able to understand… they do it to make their days more interesting.”

“Interesting? Interesting can be fatal.”

“Yes, sir. This is a safe variety of interesting. They get… bored.”

Bored. A human word suggesting that life as they knew it was not sufficient. That safety and satisfaction were not enough.

Goryx eventually rolled hir eyes at them all and muttered, “Death worlders,” under hir breath.

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On sale now at Smashwords and any other good eBook stores! Tarqa watched the her back out. “Why? Why am I your best hope? I’d...

On sale now at Smashwords and any other good eBook stores!

Tarqa watched the her back out. “Why? Why am I your best hope? I’d have thought you humans wanted my people gone.”

“We just want to rule ourselves. We want to make our own decisions. Weather our own consequences. We want to do things on our own. And we want you Tu'atta to let us do it.”

“You aren’t equipped…”

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Challenge #00544 - A169: The Fine Print

If you’re going to make a year-long agreement, you’d better be sure you know whose year you’re using.

“What do you mean I’m still under contract?” Terry demanded. She tried not to make a fist around all her vital documents. “It says five years. It’s been five years. And forty-eight hours, and that’s only because it took that long to get all the forms filled out.”

“I’

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For sale now at Smashwords! Available in other good eBook stores later. They had caught some alive. Raven boggled. He was entirely un-used...

For sale now at Smashwords! Available in other good eBook stores later.

They had caught some alive.

Raven boggled. He was entirely un-used to chicken with its feathers still on. Or, for that matter, one that wasn’t in tasty chunks and bathed in sauce, presented on a bed of rice or with vegetables.

The first surprise, other than its volume was ear-splitting, was its size. There was less of it than a cat, but it had a cry of a

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If you only buy one eBook this year… buy this one! Simy forgot to simulate breathing, watching with all the other aides in the...

If you only buy one eBook this year… buy this one!

Simy forgot to simulate breathing, watching with all the other aides in the security room. The other three were merely holding their breaths.

They only breathed again when the sound of running water emanated from the tiny bathroom off one side of the cell.

“What is she doing?” demanded the Maq'eck. “She’s meat. Raw, fresh and tender.”

“Yes, but she also has Tarqa&

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Yours for the low, low price of anything you want! 365 stories, prompted by people like you. Readers all over the internet gave me every...

Yours for the low, low price of anything you want!

365 stories, prompted by people like you. Readers all over the internet gave me every kind of nonsense they could carefully concoct in an effort to stump me and got every kind of marvellous prose.

Now in a format where you don’t have to scroll through endless reblogs, ranting, and flamewars!

What would you pay for a years’ worth of work?

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Yours for only $2.99 at Smashwords! Even the spacious Othersider ships were getting crowded. Sahra watched from her safe space, protected...

Yours for only $2.99 at Smashwords!

Even the spacious Othersider ships were getting crowded.

Sahra watched from her safe space, protected from the germs of the abandoned humans below her window by uncounted airlocks and hallways. She made sure she stood at the right hand of Lord High Admiral Saviour King Django Ali. And she made sure he was wearing a more comfortable replica of his golden thorn crown.

At least she’d learned Mama’s trick of talking

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For sale now at Smashwords! There was a stall selling icons, on the way back to her home/farm. Most of them were of the Saviour doing...

For sale now at Smashwords!

There was a stall selling icons, on the way back to her home/farm. Most of them were of the Saviour doing miraculous things. Calling down yellow rain on the Tu'att. Making the walls bleed. All the miracles that had happened both before and after the Othersiders came.

One stood out.

The Saviour blessing a little girl in a gold sheath. Pointing to the angel of death and making that angel shrink away.

Except…

The way

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OUT NOW AT SMASHWORDS! Get the whole trilogy! Graak finally levered the last corner loose from the air vent, only to discover another...

OUT NOW AT SMASHWORDS! Get the whole trilogy!

Graak finally levered the last corner loose from the air vent, only to discover another grille, just behind it.

Damn Yoomins!

This had to be a trick to erode his morale. For all he knew, freedom lay on the other side of this grille. He ground his talons into the gaps, trying to get the metal to either wear away or bend. He was so devoted to it that he almost didn’t

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Yours for only $2.99 at Smashwords! Django would, when he was cross, throw his weight around. Raven often complained, when he wasn’t...

Yours for only $2.99 at Smashwords!

Django would, when he was cross, throw his weight around. Raven often complained, when he wasn’t prone to parody. And right now the prospect of becoming the Saviour of five systems worth of humans was making him fairly angry indeed.

“Do you have any idea what my people did to me?” he demanded. “They gave me a golden crown of thorns! They made me king of an island that nobody

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Now available to buy at Smashwords! Hevun fell Those words could not be censored out of existence because they passed at the speed of...

Now available to buy at Smashwords!

Hevun fell

Those words could not be censored out of existence because they passed at the speed of panic. From mouth to mouth. By filthy human trader and pristine Tu'att military vessel. Whispered in hallways, shouted at deaf grandmothers, passed in code by those who feared it being read by other eyes.

Even by flickering human fingers behind their Tu'atta masters’ backs.

Hevun fell to human rebels.

They had the Majestrix.

Undisputed ruler of six

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Challenge #00529 - A154: The Problem With Tired Old Plots

Free day!

There are a certain number of possible reactions to finding out that one is temporarily invisible and inaudible to the rest of the crew aboard the vessel you all share.

FUCK!” is in the top ten.

So is, “This is a plot from a bad science fiction series!”

As well as a solid string of curses old and new.

Jabrelle went through the entire top ten before she settled down and attempted to get a grip. She wouldn’t have

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