Amalgam Universe

A 2305-post collection

Challenge #04145-K127: Do the Math

"You're a CEO.... but.. you're paying for the High Grade air and water filters for your people??"

"Yep."

"AND paying them higher wages with... HEALTH and HOUSING BENEFITS with paid time off??"

"That I am."

"So how in the name of MONEY are you making so much profit??"

"Oh that's easy. My people are happy, and they are healthy. Happy, healthy, workers means good production. They also tell me if something is wrong, and I mitigate it quickly. Safety is included."

"You're as corrupt as those GALACTICS! You should be in prison!"

"Hm, and yet it's ones like you that keep ending up on grave worlds." -- Anon Guest

"I don't get it," complained Oligarch Blote.

CEO Cens took a deep breath and tried again. "Let's boil this down into simple words. Nod when you understand." Ze waited for Blote to nod. "Motivated workers work better." Nod. "Unmotivated workers only work to order." Cautious nod. "Injured workers can't work as good as whole workers." Suspicious nod. "Sick workers work less." Slower nod. "Dead workers don't work at all."

"There's always more workers," said Blote. "Why should I care if some cog breaks? They're replaceable parts of the machine."

Cens took a different angle, since Blote could not be convinced to care about his workers. "All right. So. A cog, as you put it, breaks. You have to clean up the mess, which costs money. You have to find a replacement, which costs money. You need to equip them, which costs money. You need to train them, which costs money. You need to wait for them to get enough experience to work effectively. It all costs so much, that it's cheaper to keep one cog and make sure they don't get damaged. It's just economic sense to keep a trained worker healthy and uninjured."

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Challenge #04144-K126: Cost Effective Retribution

Utter chaos ensues when Mr. Sunshine actually gets peeved off. He and his friends go to town on this glittering mask hiding a hell-hole. The dereggers there are shocked. The innocents who didn't know what was going on were spared. Those who were actively involved? Death, when it eventually came, was a blessing.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03972-j320-a-debt-repaid -- Anon Guest

The big problem was finding the source of the rot. They keystones of the culture inherent in the mess of

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Challenge #04143-K125: Deadly Precedent

There is a massive meeting within the CRC, and representatives from around the Alliance are invited to either watch, or participate as they wished. This was for all the public to also be viewing.

The message was clear, when distress signal goes out, you go help. Don't you DARE dawdle just because they're Deathworlders. They can die, too!

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03545-i256-tough-suffering -- Anon Guest

The recording of Ret's last breaths played out in shocked silence. So many illusions were

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Challenge #04142-K124: Limited Choices

Deregger leadership mobilizes their fleet, and tries to hire mercenary fleets, to attack the planet of "evil naked perverts" who are trying to "corrupt the innocent", at least according to their propaganda.

Despite multiple attempts, and, a lot of unfortunate incidents, it does NOT go well. The dereggers scream even louder at the consequences. Esp. when their later attempted lawsuits fail, too.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03558-i269-your-body-your-choice -- Anon Guest

Shakespeare had a phrase that heartily encapsulates the nature of angry

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Challenge #04140-K122: You Want What Why?

A charity asks to get A LOT of the "sweetheart paper". They wish to sell it at a premium in order to fund a program that was building ships to better help smuggle deregger escapees from their polities to safe alliance harbors.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03445-i157-artistic-enthusiasm -- Anon Guest

The first efforts were gifts to Thal's crewmates and friends. It did not take long for the word to get out from there. All it took was for one Companion to

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Challenge #04136-K118: Essential Knowledge

The human and their beloved Gyiik companion opened a restaurant together. Their love taught them how to cook, they taught their beloved Gyiik how to set up for safe, human, parties. -- Anon Guest

"Economies of scale," lectured Sous Anne, displaying plates on the table before Thag the Gyiik. "A Gyiikish dinner plate is a Human share platter. A Gyiikish snack is a Human meal. A Human meal is a Havenworlder share platter, and our snacks are their meals. As for Havenworlder

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Challenge #04135-K117: Baby Steps

Vrax became closer to the badly harmed human. Introducing them to individuals who, though they didn't wear the uniforms, were highly trained therapists. It would take a long time, and a lot of careful, gentle, care. But this human was going to get the help they needed, even if it was in a round-about manner at first.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02486-f296-some-of-parts -- Anon Guest

Nobody went homeless in the Alliance. Even if they chose not to avail themselves of the

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Challenge #04134-K116: Peak Performance

A new, rather strange, band formed that was a mix of humans, and former pirates that used to be their enemies. They have one hell of a reputation for their eclectic music styles, and immense imagination. They end up pretty popular, too, their concerts are often pretty packed.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02473-f283-yo-ho-foe-no-mo -- Anon Guest

Call it serendipity. Call it synchronicity. Call it kismet. They called their band The Starfarers. A band of pirates met with a band of Humans

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Challenge #04133-K115: Lawsuits From Ignorance

A strongly male-dominated deregger group sues the woman who has so much time she could practically buy their entire solar system, and that's even after paying her taxes and giving to charity. The "crime" they claim she's committing? She's a woman who's making more money than they are.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02593-g036-safe-as -- Anon Guest

Engineer Dean read the message for the third time, juggling her latest foster child on her hip. She read it out loud in a singsong

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Challenge #04132-K114: Injured Ascendant

They were very sick, their body broken in ways that would never be able to recover by conventional means. Their family scraped together what funds they had to send them to the B'Nari, hearing they would help the poor and desperate for free. But the person was afraid.

"Will it... will it really be.. me? Or will I be dead and that... that body live on just thinking it's me? I don't want to die." -- Anon Guest

"You fear for your

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Challenge #04130-K112: Work Cohabitation Arrangement

Dierd asks F'tibb if they would like to team up with him. He went to sargassos to gather wrecked ships to bring them back so their materials could be used. He also captured asteroids for sale for their valuable minerals. The low-grav was no problem with the special suit he wore, and there were areas of his ship at normal grav for him to exercise in so he could retain muscle tone.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03541-i253-meet-cutie -- Anon Guest

If

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Challenge #04129-K111: Spiralling Upwards

''There was only one problem.'''

'''"What do you mean the CRC is paying us Years per freed citizen?" Kaat yawped. "These guys are making it worse!"'''

They hit upon a wondrous idea to use all those funds the CRC was paying them to try to alleviate the burden of having too much Time. They found an uninhabited, fairly young and safe, planet, paid to have it in their name, made sure all refugees had a safe, comfortable, home and

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Challenge #04127-K109: Well-Earned Trust

Abandoned by the crew, nearly friendless, so she thought, the human took her to get therapy, recognizing the ill health stress had caused. After a long time of therapy, and the human keeping open their friendship, she, tentatively, began the process of trusting again, though the human was obviously not happy with the crew that had filled her head with horror stories before telling her to flee like that.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03794-j141-the-big-mistake-hunt -- Anon Guest

It's easy to be

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Challenge #04126-K108: You Want to What?

Nils asks about buying more shed fur, at a rate higher than what the recycler was paying. In return, the show the knitted and crocheted handicrafts he had been working on after plying and dying the long fur and turning it into yarns and threads. They even offered to split the proceeds of selling these crafts with their friend 50 / 50.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03880-j228-fluff-and-nonsense -- Anon Guest

"Baby clothing," repeated Lech.

"And non-allergenic accessories," clarified Nils, "and some furnishing

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Challenge #04125-K107: Consequences of Ignorance

A notice is put out just outside of, and within all zoos and other animal exhibits in the greater Galactic Alliance.

"Notice to all visitors. There are safety and security barriers for a reason. Any individual, or group of individuals, attempting to bypass these barriers to interact with animals not marked safe for interaction, will be charged Time for the resultant medical intervention. These individuals will also be required to serve one standard Year of Community Service, and undergo rehabilitation along with

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