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Challenge #03429-I141: The Last Song of Ease

An apprentice cleric is about to be elevated to journeyman status. Their mentor goes to teach them the song of death. The melody which ends a life gently, and eases the dying into the next world. The apprentice is appalled that such a song exists, but there is a reason it can only be used on those who are at the edge of death and in pain. The journeyman has to sooth the apprentice, this is one of the hardest lessons among many. -- Anon Guest

Hannalore stared at the page as hir heart and stomach fell all the way to the planet's core and the hells beyond. "This... this is the song that kills people."

Maestre Thistle sighed and prevented Hannalore from tearing it to pieces. "This is the song that eases a soul into the next world. It is a necessity when there is nothing else to be done." She could see the argument forming on Hannalore's lips. "We cannot cure old age. We cannot heal a chronic illness that causes a life of endless agony. When a baby is born with their heart in the wrong place and their innards tied in knots, or with their brains outside of their skull... sometimes the only choice is an end without pain."

Hannalore was a good student. Ze had the best empathy, the most sympathy, and the greatest skill at returning health to an ailing body. Ze surrendered the written song to hir teacher. "But... killing them?

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Challenge #03428-I140: Weighed in the Balance

A younger person, who is heavy-set and was mistreated on their homeworld due to their appearance, has very poor self-esteem. Upon finding their way to Alliance space, they make friends that help them realize that they are, in fact, quite beautiful, in body, mind, and spirit. -- Anon Guest

They made fun of hir, even as Adina was leaving them forever. All the usual bon mots like, "Better pack light so they can compensate for hauling you," and, "Sure the ship will

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Challenge #03427-I139: A Study in Suffering

In a class meant for therapists working with inmates, a history of prisons from various worlds, especially earth, is given. Along with unfortunate examples of prisons, and prison-life, from Deregger worlds and the damage it does before people are rescued. -- Lessons

Deathworlders, especially, hold the belief that punishing a wrongdoer will prevent them from doing wrong ever again. This has naturally lead to the idea that some groups are genetically predisposed to crime. That, as we know today, is a logical

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Challenge #03426-I138: Strange Justice

The criminal begged for mercy, demanding a trial rather than what was facing them. The Pax Humanis member stood there, blade in hand, blood staining the clothing, giving the criminal the choice between the knife, or take their chances and jump from the cliff to the sea. -- Fighting Fit

Out in the Edge territories, things are a lot less formal than what one might expect. A small settling colony may take objection to a traveling shyster, but their decisions about meting

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Challenge #03425-I137: Explosive War Prevention

Please tell me, father, why we keep going to war? It never works, and all that happens is we lose the ones we love most. -- Anon Guest

"That's the trick of it, my lad," said King Gerhardt. "They also lose the ones they love the most. Make them pay for killing ours, eh? Balance the scales a bit. We must remember the pain they caused us so that we can claim our vengeance."

Prince Ethelbert frowned at the concept as he

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Challenge #03424-I136: Ferocious Friend

Captain Gorx and his crew find out that this pax humanis member is actually a kind individual, and a good friend, even during a fight, it shows. https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03355-i067-diminished-concerns -- Lessons

It was the stare, more than anything else. Daiz had an unblinking way of viewing the world. A habit of standing just a fraction too close. An air of alertness not often seen outside of the wild. The closest domesticated analogy that Captain Gorx could reach was

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Challenge #03423-I135: Not Pinpoint

A: I’m lost, where tf are we in the timeline?

B: like I said after the primate revolution and the before the cleave of humanity

A: MF THAT’S A 700,000 YEAR GAP

B: Oh, after all the creation of the argunaught

A: THAT DOESN’T HELP -- Anon Guest

It was one thing to learn that time travel was possible. It was another to learn that the Professor's time machine looked and sounded like a Winnebago. A rather arthritic

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Challenge #03421-I133: Sharing? Inconceivable!

Several CEO's, disgusted on how disastrous many of the Deregger worlds have become secretly get together to start changing their own empires, making a tidy profit while doing so. First stop? Dedicating a couple of worlds to preserve and protect endangered species, not for hunting, or as pets, but to help restore nature's beauty. -- Anon Guest

"But... why? It's a planet full of resources. We should be exploiting it. Especially the live ones." Saxon clearly wasn't getting the program.

Maverick tried

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Challenge #03420-I132: Of Course it's Healthy

The world was dead, badly irradiated, it would be a long time for it to heal. The few survivors were in emergency hospital facilities, and the CEO's, now former CEO's, of this badly sickened world, were imprisoned, but also having to take treatment due to pretty severe radiation poisoning. -- Anon Guest

"You can't do this to me, I know my rights," CEO Martlebury Fauntleroy Jenkyns tried to struggle against the Mediks. "This so-called treatment is making me worse! Radiation sickness is

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Challenge #03419-I131: Passed With Flying Colours

"Don't bother the gods and they won't bother with you." She said. However, in back memory is one lost to both time and other things, is a time when she did see the inside of an old, run-down, temple as a little girl. She rescued what she thought was just an old person stuck in the rubble. They were deeply grateful for her kindness.

From - https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03353-i065-the-ravelld-threads-of-fate -- A New Guy

The building was old and falling

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Challenge #03418-I130: Look After Yourself

Ma scolds Wraithvine for making a very rare, for them, dangerous mistake. Fatigue can get to anyone. -- Lessons

It had been a long, long day of chaotic encounters in a Wild Magic Zone. Wraithvine, suitably frazzled and tired, had 'only' wanted to light hir pipe and smoke a little dandelion to calm hir nerves. Of such little things, big mistakes are made.

When ze came out of being an iron statue for a quarter of an hour, ze was face to

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Challenge #03415-I127: Convergent Evolution

The humans call us "foxes", close enough for them, since they have trouble pronouncing our proper name at the moment. We met these small, squishy, beings when we answered a distress call. Given our thick fur, our planet's pretty cold, and the pictures they showed us of their earth creature called the grey fox, we suppose, in their eyes, we do somewhat look like that. Still, at least these strangers are friendly. -- Anon Guest

Humans are great at misnomers. Just look

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Challenge #03417-I129: Making it Look Easy

I love my job, I mean I REALLY love my job! I get up every day excited to go to work! What do I do? I run a multi-species salon and spa aboard a space station. Did I mention I really, REALLY, love my job? -- A New Guy

Livesuits don't tell the entire story, did you know that? Most species evolve in single gravity[1] environments and that means a mostly anthropoid body form. Some of them turn up in rented

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Challenge #03416-I128: Walking Carpets

A human who hires out as a protector has two large, beautiful, Newfoundland dogs. They gets some very interesting looks both on ships and on stations. -- Fighting Fit

The Human entered the ship with two bears. Not teddy bears, actual ursine life forms. The fact that they were padding amenably at Human Hip's heels did nothing to reassure the crew of the Indigo Shamrock. Companion Ty almost scurried onto a high shelf from the terror.

"How is having Ursid pet?" she

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Challenge #03414-I126: The Escape Clause

An old spirit, hearing the two conversing, steps forward to give a hint of the bell. What was the hint? "They who become too tied to their power, become tied by the power. They who learn to work with hands, not magic, soon learn they hear no bells."

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03352-i064-just-in-their-nature -- Anon Guest

"Have we met?" said Wraithvine. "Normally the spirits who seem to lend instructions are trying to redeem themselves for something they did. Usually to me.

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