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Challenge #02096-E272: Empty Perfection

A group of colonists find an abandoned city, complete with canals, solar power, etc, with only one problem -- no people -- Anon Guest

The team Human had baulked before they entered the city limits. Just looking at the city had made Human Rese go back for their highest grade livesuit. Humans had an over-the-horizon radar for trouble, so the rest of the team -ha- followed suit. Progress into the actual city was slow and careful. Passive scans only. Checking every path for traps.

Many creatures do not fear the liminal as deeply as Humans do. They do not possess the Deathworlder ability of Thin Slicing, which tells the Human in question that something is most definitely not as it should be. This city scared the living spit out of Human Rese, and they were determined to protect their team from whatever it was that had caused the wrongness to exist.

As for the Phelidd, all they saw was a perfect city. Beautiful architecture, all things within perfectly maintained. Everything crisp and clean. The water from the taps was pure and the machinery was in perfect working order. Even the food machines were stocked with crisp and delicious-looking fare. Solar power kept everything running. Plants bloomed in abundance within the garden beds. All shaped to be aesthetically pleasing.

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Challenge #02095-E271: A Morning of Intense Regret

"Must have been a great night; I'm imaging thudding noises."

"It was a stupendous night, and it's not your imagination." -- Anon Guest

Marvin winced at the light making its way through his eyelids. It was too sharp for him to open his eyes, just yet. The booming thud shook him and stabbed his brain, and the whimper in his throat sounded like a roar and felt like knives on fire were coming out of him.

"Have we learned something?" Wraithvine murmured.

Challenge #02094-E270: One of THOSE Customers

"I have one nerve left, and you're dancing on it with ice-skates on!" -- Anon Guest

It was supposed to be a five minute job. A simple reconfigure for someone new to this particular level of technology. It sounded simple on the request ticket. The first warning sign was his own pondering as to why such a nice old lady would have so many warning markers on her name and address.

Surely, it couldn't be that much trouble to reconfigure one app.

Challenge #02093-E269: Start of a Beautiful Friendship

"Wait were you flirting with me? Shit! I should have said something way cooler." -- OohLookShiny

She couldn't help but smile. Sanderson wasn't aloof and cold. He was just dim. Socially speaking, he was thicker than a sack of bricks. Which sort of made up for him being just about everything else. It was hard not to like the guy. Friendly, outgoing, talented, politely outspoken, and smart. He had won a scholarship with his muscles, but he was using his brains once

Challenge #02092-E268: Call of Destiny

"How stupid do you think I look?"

"I don't know, I can't see you from here." -- Anon Guest

Of all the curses, in all the known universe, there is little that's more insulting than being sassed by a telemarketer. "Listen," I said, "I'm not going to do your stupid damn check for a windows virus. I'm not paying my taxes by the phone. I'm not suing someone for a car accident I had twelve years ago that didn't even do any

Challenge #02091-E267: Schrödinger's Bounty

"How did the cat get inside a locked cupboard?"

"It's an incomplete Schrödinger." -- Anon Guest

Krissk stared at his Human companion. "How is a thought experiment on the nature of the Uncertainty Principle at all related to the presence of a feline in a locked box with no other exits?"

Human Jan said, "It's because of the Uncertainty Principle that cats can teleport," with a completely straight face. "That's how they get into places and things that they physically should never

Challenge #02090-E266: A Bond Cemented With Carbonic Acid

"I'm just joking!… Unless you're down for it." -- TheDragonsFlame

Evidently, Thrass had been contemplating too long. "I am still positing the logistics," she said. "I need time, please."

Human Josh quelled in her place. "Sorry."

Thrass and Human Josh had been through a great deal together. War, survival, relying on each other's strengths and supporting each other's weaknesses. They had really bonded on the long, exhausting, trying trip from the wreck of their ship to the relative safety of the Edge

Challenge #02089-E265: Living Corbomite

"I don't know what is happening, but I don't like it"

"Why ?"

"The human is smiling" -- Anon Guest

One of their own writers said it the best: Never trust a creature that smiles all the time, they're up to something. And they were very, very correct. The most frequent portent of doom, next to phrases like, "Hold my beer," or "I think I know what I did wrong," is most definitely a Human smiling in a certain way for a period

Challenge #02088-E264: Visual Aids

Just read and interesting science article about how Humans are actually Bioluminescent but we can't see it because our eyes are not sensitive enough.

How amazing would that look to aliens? Especially if it were different colours like the Naa'vi in Avatar -- Adam in Darwin

The most astonishing fact that the Scollarids learned about Humans was this: Humans can't see their own glow. These Deathworlders were on par with them when it came to surviving strategies. They did more with less,

Challenge #02087-E263: The True Revolution

[AN: Steemit has reconfigured its jiggery-pokery and I won't be able to post today's story there until much, much later. When that happens, this post will have a link. Stay tuned]

a female who hears about bad stuff happening to other ladies, but are oblivious because it never happens to them. -- Anon Guest

Cindy never knew she was her friends' Protector for years. She just thought that everything that happened was normal. Walking with Sishawna and any of her friends to

Challenge #02086-E262: Love on Lo Batt

"I don't know how to get home,"

"But you walked there yourself, just walk back the way you came,"

"Just because I managed to blindly stumble into the right building doesn't mean I have any idea where I am or how I got here." -- OohLookShiny

"What?" Blue made a face. It was a face that could easily be read as What the hell? because the print was so large.

Red sighed. "It's like this. My mind is constantly somewhere else. It's

Challenge #02085-E261: One Heartbreaking Revelation Far From Home

"Dragons are such majestic, Noble creatures!"

Drunk dragon forces its way through the doorway then collapses and starts snoring -- TheDragonsFlame

Marvin was grinning at everything around him like a child at their first Winterfeast Festival. He would giggle at odd moments and was almost vibrating with glee. Lady Anthe had her hood down for the first time since they had begun as an adventuring party because this was where the dragon-folk lived. Kobolds, Dragonborn, assorted Lizardkin, and actual real live Dragons

Challenge #02084-E260: Warned You So

It's been said, regarding history, that "Everything repeats over and over again. No one learns anything, 'cause no one lives long enough to see the pattern..."

...but what if someone did? -- Anon Guest

My name is Loth. It rhymes with moth. I've taken up variations on the surnames Smith and Jones, all over the world. I know a lot of people who do illegal things to make certain my identities are stable. See... when you're immortal, you don't always want the

Challenge #02083-E259: Nonhostile Takeover

Their faces were caked with color, like they had heard of make up and tried to use it, but weren't quite sure what went where. -- OohLookShiny

This is space - theoretically, there's room for everyone. The only caveat is that most times, you have to build it. This is Ambassador Jess. She is negotiating with the owners of an otherwise boring asteroid so she can turn it into a semi-profitable habitat. This is the problem - the owners belong to Greater

Challenge #02082-E258: Limited Universal Communication

what if memes are a totally human thing?

like we meet aliens and try to explain this cultural thing, and they have nothing to compare it to, they don't have self replicating cultural phenomena. -- Anon Guest

The Human tripped on their own feet, tumbled, but tucked and rolled and recovered their footing in one nearly smooth moment.

"Sweet flips," cheered a different Human.

"Got the moves like Jagger!" The initial Human did a weird series of gyrations, causing them to hurt

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A 4869-post collection

Challenge #02096-E272: Empty Perfection

Challenge #02095-E271: A Morning of Intense Regret

Challenge #02094-E270: One of THOSE Customers

Challenge #02093-E269: Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Challenge #02092-E268: Call of Destiny

Challenge #02091-E267: Schrödinger's Bounty

Challenge #02090-E266: A Bond Cemented With Carbonic Acid

Challenge #02089-E265: Living Corbomite

Challenge #02088-E264: Visual Aids

Challenge #02087-E263: The True Revolution

Challenge #02086-E262: Love on Lo Batt

Challenge #02085-E261: One Heartbreaking Revelation Far From Home

Challenge #02084-E260: Warned You So

Challenge #02082-E258: Limited Universal Communication