Amalgam Universe

A 2154-post collection

Challenge #04278-K260: Acid Test

Many places that cater to multiple customers deal with a knomira sooner or later. To prepare the staff, the owner hires others of many races, including humans, to come in pretending to be knomiras to help the staff train for such an eventuality. Security is, of course, informed ahead of time about the test, as are medics, just in case. The staff, however, are not. -- Anon Guest

Sooner or later, one of those customers blow in. The staff never know the full story, why they're like that, or how frustrating their day has been up to that minute. What they do know is that a phenominal number of them are Dereggers. Specifically, Dereggers who have been thrown aside for a younger, prettier, and more docile model.

There are others that break that mould, but they are significantly rarer.

Centuries ago, before Humanity shattered its own history and scattered to the stars, there was a concept called the secret shopper. Their existence was to test customer service at various franchises. The idea persisted, or was reborn, the instant Knomiras became a presence in Galactic Society.

All the training in the universe cannot prepare for the real deal.

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Challenge #04277-K259: Kharmic Realignment in Progress

The good lucker learns a painful lesson about pushing their luck to the extreme. In this case, when things really hit the fan? Even they end up hurt. First time in their life. Then comes the question, if I have a bad lucker tied to my good luck, does everyone? Sad thing is, the jerk takes quite a while to learn their lesson.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04190-k172-balanced-out -- Anon Guest

Some people, they say, have all the luck. They never

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Challenge #04274-K256: Second Time Around

I've been around for 200 years. As my old body grew weak and often ill, I saved everything I could and, with help from my mentor, got a new one. I still have a ton to learn. But the most important thing? I'm not as useless as I thought I was.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04196-k178-contractually-obligated-self-maintenance -- Anon Guest

Of all the universal truths, the biggest one I had to accept is, You can't learn everything in one lifetime. After a

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Challenge #04268-K250: New Record For the Longest-Running Experiment

The humans have a plan. It's both a bit frightening, and incredibly exciting. They intend to seek out a solar system with a huge asteroid belt, but no planet in the habitable zone. Their experiment? To create a warm, stable, earth-sized planet, and then terraform it to be a Havenworld. Will it work? -- Anon Guest

They went down to deepest-time wormhole to a system in the midst of formation. They were geologists, biologists, astrophycists, and a whole pack of scientists of

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Challenge #04265-K247: A Sincere Apology

"Look we know you didn't do anything wrong. Please forgive how we treated you, you did everything you could.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04197-k179-caveat-emptor-abundant -- Anon Guest

They found me in my best hiding nook after Jax went to safer territories. The eldest, and quietest of the Nae'hyn engineer-priests found me being very still in the ship's equivalent of the wainscotting. Somewhere between overhead and bulkhead and something associated with crawlspace for very small crawlers.

I learned a lot later that

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Challenge #04262-K244: Just Their Luck

The labs were heavily reinforced, padded, not a hard spot anywhere. One area had a couple of bad-luckers, almost as bad as it got. Another area had good luckers. The best genes possibly to find. Would gene therapy, donations from the good luckers help the bad luckers? And would some of the bad luck gene help the good luckers find some challenge in their life? These were all volunteers duly warned. Now it was time to begin. -- Anon Guest

[AN: The

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Challenge #04261-K243: Oh Hi There

History may not remember the names of the dead, but the stars will attest to their journeys. The first glimmer of light in the prolonged night often illuminates little, as it is fleeting and the darkness too vast. But, as long as something shines in the night sky, then when the first star falls countless more are sure to follow. -- Anon Guest

The unknown is always dark or foggy, at least when imagined by creatures who see. For those who orient

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Challenge #04260-K242: You Say That So Often...

The woman was a CEO, as brutal as they came. She was lucky, she was wanted alive. Didn't stop the Hunter from stating calmly. "Alive does not mean intact. Surrender, we do things mostly soft. Otherwise, we do things MY way." -- Anon Guest

This wasn't fair! Couldn't they tell that I was beyond the rules? Rules were made for others, not me! I'm the one who made the rules! I'm the one who rules all! Everyone below me or my peers

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Challenge #04259-K241: Volunteered Kitten-Sitter

Several cats and skitties leave their very small kittens right by where Lilicoon was relaxing in the park and bound off swiftly. The kittens try to play with her and each other. Over an hour later, the adult cats return with the saunter of a happy feline who'd done a good job. -- Anon Guest

She'd been reading quietly when the first of them deposited something on her skirt. There was a tiny, blind blob of a skitten snuggling into her tail

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Challenge #04257-K239: The Deadly Solution

The Alliance had come together long ago because of the threat of the cognisant eaters known as Thranityr. More specifically, the Vorax. With the befriending of humans, the danger was slowly fading away. But you know what they say of "There's always a bigger fish?" On the horizon, heading fast toward them, another enemy appeared. Hard scutes, large teeth, cranky, also cognisant eaters, and were not all that interested in covo. Worst part was? Their weapons were pretty bloody advanced, they were

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Challenge #04256-K238: Eyes That do Not See

Illness had rendered them blind. They had been told, after escaping their polity, the mediks here would make sure they could see again. But in the meantime.... "I wish I could still fight. That way, no one could hurt me again."

A soft voice nearby said. "That's not a problem, even unable to see, you can still learn to defend. Don't worry, I'll help you." -- The New Guy

I had learned how to use a stick to get around, in association

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Challenge #04254-K236: Cat Fishing

They were trying to reach into a vent after a lost tool. A skitty ran up and bit their arm. They pushed the skitty away and tried to reach again. The skitty attacked that arm again with teeth and claws. They backed up away from the skitty. Several sparks came from the vent. That skitty saved them from a lot worse injury. -- Anon Guest

Working on an old station has its charms. It has hazards to match, too. There's spaces that

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Challenge #04253-K235: Peas For a Goober

It was as dark green as a soybean pod, but the little "peas" inside tasted ... like terran peanuts. Yet it didn't contain any of the chemicals within that was the cause of the allergy so many had to that legume. A safe peanut that those with allergies could try??

One of the scientists, a being with a nasty allergy to the nuts, threw caution to the wind and tried one, medicine at the ready just in case. There was no reaction. --

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Challenge #04252-K234: In a Prickly Spot

They call themselves Holly, and we're best friends. I know they're a very advanced AI, but to me, they're still a person. They're in a body that looks like a lovely, silvery, mostly-human-shape the bosses chose. Once we're able to, Holly and I are going to escape this place. And we'll be able to choose our lives for ourselves. Holly wants to captain a ship of their own, and I plan on being at their side for as long as I can.

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Challenge #04251-K233: Tiny and Deadly

The Gravity (aka Gravy) Drive pushed itself to its maximum. Its hull was damaged, the family within, several were hurt, and it was not going to let them down! Blaring every alert it could, it raced as fast as it could, perhaps recklessly so, toward the nearest base that could help it, and its loved ones. -- Anon Guest

Of all the critical damage a ship can suffer, one of the worst is debilitating damage to their Hungry Caterpillar object defense system.

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