Instant Story

Challenge #03155-H246: The Right Kind of Electronic Babysitter

Several children, Humans, Havenworlders, and other Deathworlders, trapped together in the nursery. The power had gone out and the doors had locked. Everyone was scared, then someone started singing. Soon each youngster took turns singing their favorite lullabies their parentals would sing them to sooth them, and, as a result, when rescue finally got to them, all the kids were contentedly close to each other, peacefully asleep. The first singer? An independant AI nanny who'd just finished charging and unplugged just as the power had gone down. -- Anon Guest

N4N-E had to take some time to examine their initialisation footage. The children had been engaged in play and, as they began their warm-up procedure, the lights had gone out. Night mode engaged, filling N4N-E's visual input with shades of green. Their audio input filled with shrieks and screaming. Danger assessment became priority one.

Passive air circulation was in operation. Infonets down as the electricity had failed. Other AI's around the station were using more primitive radio bands to ping each other. The children were not hurt. Just panicked. Crying.

Initiate subsystem "calm and orderly". N4N-E ran their star-field lights and launched one of the soporific tunes. "Allouette, gentile allouette/ Allouette je te plumerai..."

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Challenge #03154-H245: Champions at Silly Buggers

A: With the things being the way it is now, all I can do is try to determine what might be going on though naked-eye observations and my imagination

B: In short, you're taking a best guess?

A: "best guess"?! My dear friend, please! That is a woefully inadequate representation of what goes on. a fairer description would be "observation and inference drawing on a wealth of professional experience, including analogous previous cases."

B: Okay, so an educated guess.

A: precisely --

Challenge #03153-H244: Alternative to What?

A Pure Lifer, whose ancestors had been some of the earliest of the Pure Lifers had gotten very, very sick. They were still quite young, had very small children to raise, and none of the "medicine" on their world was helping them. In fact, they were getting worse quickly, and no one was willing to care for the children if their parent were to perish, and they had no spouse. What were they to do? Only option left, contact the Alliance, it

Challenge #03152-H243: We Value Our Employees...

A CEO was BRUTAL to their workforce, to say the least. Suddenly, as if they had all become one hivemind: every man, woman, and child - it seemed like - on the entire colony called to the CRC. They sent drop ships and picked everyone up. Given how distant this world was, despite the fact it was THE most valuable resource planet in the CEO's portfolio, they didn't realize it had completely stopped producing for almost two days. When they went to

Challenge #03151-H242: Change is... Uncomfortable

A companion deeply loves their ship's human. When the human retires due to old age, the companion doesn't know if they can handle it -- Anon Guest

"This has to be my last trip," announced Human Set as she eased herself down into the launch chair. "I'm getting too creaky for everyone's good."

That sudden stab into Companion Elik's heart had to be psychosomatic. "You're... leaving us?" Ze could not keep the anxiety out of hir voice.

"I'm not cut out for

Challenge #03150-H241: An Idiot in the Dark

The apprentice wizard had screwed up and had messed up the invisibility spell. They were stuck. They went to find the immortal wizard Wraithvine and found them with the bugbear child and the kolbold companion. Soon as the bugbear child spotted them, they cried begging for help. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Possibly related to this one. Making me look these up eats time]

Being invisible sucks. Though there are senses that make up for it, like seeing your hand in the dark[

Challenge #03149-H240: Motivation Inclination

The young, 'chosen one', Kevin, is learning about his destiny. The fall leaves are changing, his mother is being her usual self, and the poor kid has just screwed up his fifth spell covering himself in yet another layer of overly bright colored dyes. Well, better learning on dyed dolls and straw dummies than anything alive, for now. Ah, what a lovely fall day! -- Anon Guest

[AN: This prompt harkens back to Kevin Oxbrydl in this story. PLEASE give the URLs

Challenge #03148-H239: You and Your Hobbies

Humans live in a somewhat rustic colony, though they have contact with their Alliance friends and live happy lives. Some Havenworlders come down to study what life is like on worlds that have decided to eschew most technology, save for the very large, highly advanced, hospital kept well out of sight thanks to the treeline, though easy to access if needed.

Today, several individuals are making homemade soap and decided to show their Havenworlder tourists how such a thing was made in

Challenge #03147-H238: Some Assembly Required

A traveling human with a few musical instruments with them is going from world to world, station to station, traveling across the alliance and even into the edge and beyond. Their goal? To learn the musical culture of as many various races as they can. To write a book all about a musical universe. -- Lessons

Her luggage wasn't as immense as many might think, given her life's goal. There were three changes of clothes[1] of bland similarity, and the rest

Challenge #03146-H237: Do Not Eat Your Heart Out

DEVOUR YOUR HEART!

That is the only way to rebel against the cruel world!

My soldiers, rage!

My soldiers, scream!

MY SOLDIERS, FIGHT! -- Anon Guest

Horseshit, thought Kosh, listening to this maniac leading the band of irregulars. He had only joined them because he and they were traveling in the same direction. Safety in numbers, and he was especially fragile following his great shame. Poisoned while under the care of the Master. It may have been better if he'd died.

His

Challenge #03145-H236: Si Vis Pacem

si vis pacem, para bellum -- Anon Guest

[AN: According to my translator webpage, this means: If you want peace, prepare for war. I believe Sir Pterry (GNU) had much to say about that though the Patrician.]

Humans have said for centuries, for millennia, If you want peace, prepare for war. Given the number of concurrent wars happening anywhere on the planet during those same millennia, one can safely posit that they got this horribly wrong.

They also believed that space travel

Challenge #03144-H235: Change Cometh From Above

You can open the cage of oppression and break the chains of slavery, but it's up to the individual whenever or not they step outside. For what does freedom really mean when demanded of you by a god? -- Anon Guest

To live was to work. To work was to live. Only the newborn were permitted hours of rest and sloth. All of them spent their time in darkness. The light of the sun was a privilege granted by the one on

Challenge #03143-H234: Call it an Infrastructure Issue

It was an artificial planet, the makers had kidnapped young Deathworlders, including small human children, as forced labor because they were small and able to get into tight places. Some of the kids died getting trapped in areas where the air would run out. CRC learned of this horror, Pax Humanis was called in. The madmen who kidnapped the kids soon learned WHY you don't mess with children in the alliance. Especially since one of those kids was the little daughter of

Challenge #03142-H233: Watch Out For the Little Ones

A crew of tough-as-nails space marines finds the lone survivor of a shipwreck that had been sending out distress signals. The planet itself was utterly uninhabitable, it was shocking the kid survived. The child, barely two years of age, became their mascot, and guarded treasure. This little child, a level 2 Deathworlder, would grow up with a large family, and space marines are a bit fierce about protecting those they love. -- Anon Guest

Trouble barely remembered life before they joined up

Challenge #03141-H232: Human Enrichment Duties

There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING in this universe that is more dangerous than telling a human that is completely bored out of their mind, that something, anything, is impossible. -- Lessons

There are some cosmic laws that are inviolate. Never ask what can go wrong. Never play finesse games with a cogniscent nicknamed 'Slick'. Never try to eat anything bigger than your own head... and never EVER tell a Human what's impossible.

Nature hates a vacuum, Humans hate monotony. Though some flourish

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Challenge #03155-H246: The Right Kind of Electronic Babysitter

Challenge #03154-H245: Champions at Silly Buggers

Challenge #03153-H244: Alternative to What?

Challenge #03152-H243: We Value Our Employees...

Challenge #03151-H242: Change is... Uncomfortable

Challenge #03150-H241: An Idiot in the Dark

Challenge #03149-H240: Motivation Inclination

Challenge #03148-H239: You and Your Hobbies

Challenge #03147-H238: Some Assembly Required

Challenge #03146-H237: Do Not Eat Your Heart Out

Challenge #03145-H236: Si Vis Pacem

Challenge #03144-H235: Change Cometh From Above

Challenge #03143-H234: Call it an Infrastructure Issue

Challenge #03142-H233: Watch Out For the Little Ones

Challenge #03141-H232: Human Enrichment Duties