Amalgam Universe

Challenge #02527-F337: Expression Day

They had a thought. All this time the gravity drives seemed to have their own thoughts, their own personalities. But they never before had been given their own voice. It seemed a shame, really. They couldn't tell when they were upset, hurt, or needed to be fixed, these vital parts of any ship. The parts that most people treated as mere objects and often had lonely existences despite going through the expanses of space. So why not give them a voice? Give them that chance to express themselves? Maybe it should be recommended that all ships with gravity drives get this modification, but would it work? So three ships were given that modification to test it out. Their gravity drives given speakers to speak through, for the first time since their creation they could truly communicate. And one lovely voice began to sing. -- Anon Guest

People only think the Nae'hyn keep the gravity drives voiceless. They have been at this a very long time, both subjectively and by the accepted Standard Calendar[1]. They know when it's advisable to give a machine a voice. The hostile ones, the ones doomed to exist alone and like it that way - those are never given a voice. It is the kind ones who prefer company, the ones who trust new faces to care for them as they care for others.

There are reasons why the voice is not given before the engine has reached a certain age and level of maturity. Attach a voice to a drive that's too young and the entire ship cries. Or it becomes an absolute brat. A crew needs some intense parenting licenses in order to deal with an immature gravy drive if it gets a voice too early. The Nae'hyn have been through all possible journeys. Trust them. They know what they're doing.

Other machines have gained personalities and voices. The Deuteronomy for example. Some other members of the AI alliance have achieved cogniscence care of a Nae'hyn's hand[2], but the thing most people forget is... Gravy Drives are cusp-cogniscent.

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Challenge #02525-F335: Useful Obsession

Almost everyone has a collection of some sort. Some collect books, some do baseball cards, and others like stamps. Me? I love seeds. Every planet I've been to, and every ship I've been assigned to, one of the things I've always insisted upon as part of my contract as a bodyguard, or whatever, is this. In addition to my pay, I get ten packages of seeds. And they must be diverse packages, no duplicates. To ensure this, I give them a list

Challenge #02524-F334: An Appeal

"On this show we talk about humans, and for the most part it's scary stuff. But not today. Because there is one thing you can't say to a human, "you can't"

Today we will tell the story of a human who was told, "You can't save everyone. You will just die trying" " -- Hyorky

Go hard or go home, -- Terran saying.

The two most fate-inducing words to say to a Human are, you can't. Humans will defy logic, reason, and the

Challenge #02523-F333: Joy in the Season of Dying

He promised his avian friends a sight on Earth of breathtaking beauty. All they'd ever heard of, when it came to his home planet, was the horrible animals, the diseases, the terrors of trying to exist there. Of course, he knew those things were on Earth, but he loved his home planet even if his job kept him away for long periods of time. He got them dressed in warm clothing and took them to the northern hemisphere where autumn was in

Challenge #02522-F332: One Way to See

What if humans sight was akin to fantasy elves sensitivities to mana, “I may not have electro receptors like you but I'm able to to detect light with my eyes within the general vicinity” and they were so coy and vague describing light. Also if aliens have electro receptors imagine if they detect our nervous system. -- Anon Guest

The semi-amphibious Anatins didn't need to see light as they were evolving. They could sense the electrical discharges of predators and prey alike

Challenge #02520-F330: Teach to Learn

You know the one student that's always alone? The one student that, for some reason, just seems unable to make any friends? Often they're bullied while everyone else turns a blind eye even when they ask for help. A student can turn one of many ways in this kind of situation. They can turn into a killer, they can harm themselves, they can bottle it up and explode later, or, for the unusual few, it can make them even gentler even when

Challenge #02519-F329: For the Greater Good

Several Enforcers of Pax Humanis teamed up and took down a pirate's ship. They were tearing the ship apart from the inside-out when one hears crying in one of the cargo holds. Tearing the hold's doors off, they find dozens of children, human and haven-worlder, locked in cages with price tags already printed on the tops of them. Now they have children to care for, and the potential buyers? Were about to get a lesson in what it meant to mess with

Challenge #02518-F328: Specific Listing Please

Traveling with Humans was, or rather is, a dangerous prospect. Freelance Freighter captains quickly learn that it is usually best to keep your human away from anything that can, could be made to, or might explode.

Hauling volatile chemicals? Heck no!

Mining equipment? That's just ASKING for trouble!

Precious metals? Why not just let the pirates know you're coming and save some time?

Logging equipment? Like, to record data? Seems harmless enough. Even fledgling colonies need some way to keep track of

Challenge #02517-F327: Kintsugi Badass

The person was a bodyguard, and damn good at their job. However, others did not realize this when they saw the person. Sure the legs could have been replaced long ago with what they made from their work, but it was rather amusing when an enemy saw the bracings and the skin suit covered stumps, and assumed the lack of legs meant being helpless. -- Anon Guest

Sometimes, when the Human was in a good mood, they called themselves Brad the Broken.

Challenge #02516-F326: Once a Sword

Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.

Humans, while striving for peace, prepared for war. -- Anon Guest

Let's go in the garden, you'll find something waiting... -- Terran children's song.

This is a gardening planet. Call it Agraria. It has been specifically engineered for farming food crops for Terrans by Terrans. The people who choose to live there are called Vegans and they are, by and large, peaceful. They do not eat animal sourced

Challenge #02513-F323: Sensible Steps

The two ships had collided as one had a severe navigational error and the other had been stolen by a youth who wanted to go out for a joyride. They crashed together on a planet that, for both of them, was just barely habitable. The surviving humans called out to the other ship and found it to be filled with Nox who were even younger than the human youths who were barely into their teens. Despite a rocky start, the two groups

Challenge #02512-F322: One Complex Thought Experiment in the Void

An empath and a sociopath trying to help each other interact with people. -- Anon Guest

Here are two humans. Call them Abe and Bee. Abe cares too much about others and other's feelings, to the point of neglecting their own. Bee doesn't care about anyone but themself. They are both abnormal Humans. They are both trying to get back to civilisation as they know it with a group of strangers for a crew on their kludged vessel. They're a rag-tag bunch

Challenge #02511-F321: A Pound of Cure

I told you not to come here during New Years but nooooooo “I want to experience the culture there” and now we’re running low on stress relief medication -- Anon Guest

"In my defence, the cultural displays looked very pretty and relatively harmless," said Prrit. Ze was currently huddled under a big, soft blanket and had mufflers over hir tympanum. "They looked so pretty and the music was so nice."

"Mus--" Human Dee tutted and tisked. "You had the offensensitivity filters

Challenge #02510-F320: Fractal Flaws

it just basically just captured lighting -- Anon Guest

Humans can freeze lightning. That was the original claim. On the edge territories, blocks of acrylic plastic or panes of glass are sold with 'frozen lightning' patterns etched impossibly into the inside of the structure. Some carry them in their vehicles as protection against plasma storms in Hyperspace. Nobody's certain if they work, but belief in sympathetic magic is a powerful thing.

The actual trick of it got out eventually. Of course it

Challenge #02509-F319: Berry Small Problem

It's inevitable that one person's treat is another person's hallucinogen, especially when it comes to dealing with various species in the Galactic Alliance. There is a plant that, for most Galactics, it's no worse for them than a human having some chocolate. In fact, it's sweet fruit is quite popular. However, if a human eats some, it's inevitable the human will sit for hours completely blitzed. So while it's a treat for some, for humans, it's a potential medicine to help those

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A 2288-post collection

Challenge #02527-F337: Expression Day

Challenge #02525-F335: Useful Obsession

Challenge #02524-F334: An Appeal

Challenge #02523-F333: Joy in the Season of Dying

Challenge #02522-F332: One Way to See

Challenge #02520-F330: Teach to Learn

Challenge #02519-F329: For the Greater Good

Challenge #02518-F328: Specific Listing Please

Challenge #02517-F327: Kintsugi Badass

Challenge #02516-F326: Once a Sword

Challenge #02513-F323: Sensible Steps

Challenge #02512-F322: One Complex Thought Experiment in the Void

Challenge #02511-F321: A Pound of Cure

Challenge #02510-F320: Fractal Flaws

Challenge #02509-F319: Berry Small Problem