Challenge #02903-G346: Don’t Do It
Five Times Human Pib got Stuck and Needed to be Rescued, and One Time Human Pib did the Rescuing. – Anon Guest
[AN: Mandatory callback link Which is but one tale among many.]
Fact: The Humans aboard the Jaunty Merchant had reproduced. This was not a great impact on the functioning of the ship as a whole until their spawn, a Human named Pib, learned to move around independently. Human Pib, in short succession, learned problem-solving skills and fast became a problem for the rest of the crew.
Fact: Human Pib was, in the words of their parentals, “a flakking little Houdini.” This, the crew soon found out, meant that Human Pib had a knack for circumventing increasingly intricate security protocols and escaping their domicile habitat when they were bored. Or when they were curious. Or when they missed someone. Or when they wanted to find someone funny.
Fact: There were numerous times when Pib’s ambition to get somewhere outstretched their ability to return to relative safety. This, of course, lead to the impromptu Pib Rescue Team. On the plus side, it did explain why the Humans Orgo and Lun complained about being tired all the time. Keeping up with a larval Human was a full-time occupation for a team of five at best. At least, that was the consensus of the Jaunty Merchant’s crew.
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Challenge #02902-G345: Escape By Mercy
They had nothing to give, no funds what so ever. With them was their youngest sibling, unable to move due to the injuries so severe that even the best medicine around could not fix it. Their only hope were the B'Nari. The sibling wept, feeling terrible because their beloved family was going through so much for them since the accident. But kept being assured that it was the least they could do since the injuries which caused the complete paralysis of the body was due to the heroic efforts the teen had gone through to save their family when the accident had occurred. But would the B'Nari be compassionate enough to give a new body for free to a family who was destitute and only able to go there due to the kindness of the freighter captain and a lot of luck? – Anon Guest
Desperate times lead to desperate measures. When things are at their worst, there are those who are willing to do anything to save those near and dear to them. Mars’ job had been to look after Lor. In a way, they were still doing that.
Lor had paid his ability to save Mars, and that wasn’t the way things were supposed to work. After they had been dug out of the rubble, his paralysis was revealed. Mars had gone through rage, yelling, “You dumbass, I’m supposed to keep you safe,” then bargaining, offering everything they had, including access to their body, to make Lor well again. It wasn’t enough. You had to have Third Gold Yacht money to afford the stuff Lor needed.
Including the constant care that Lor needed, now that his body was wrecked. They did what they could afford, with bracers and plaster and -yuck- adult didies. But what Lor needed most was someone there to take care of it all. The family would starve without every pair of hands working to pay all the bills. They had to beg to make ends meet.
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Challenge #02901-G344: Vocal Gymnastics
The human spoke in a half-whisper as they were going through the jungle trying to skirt the edges of a hostile camp. Normally, they’d be ‘kick backside and take names’ but they were carrying a wounded havenworlder with them and could not risk their friend. Damnit, if only the life pod’s transmitters had worked! No use for it, they knew where the rescue ship would be, but the hostiles were not going to make it easy.
Their friend then noticed the voice of their human, they’d heard it before, but hadn’t quite believed their hearing. Now in the quiet, with just their human’s whisper, they realized it fully. It was not one voice, it was two. One softer, slightly gravelly, one stronger. But also in tone, one higher pitched one lower.
Havenworlder: “How are you doing that?”
Human: “doing what?”
Havenworlder: “Two voices at the same time?”
Human: “Oh that’s easy, one side of my voice box is tighter than the other, there’s scarring there from when I got sick as a kid. Growing up in the DeRegger worlds was hell. I practiced to control it, it’s natural to me now. You should hear it when I make myself sound like two different people all together.” – Anon Guest
[AN: The original Nonny who posted this is apparently capable of this feat and can also self-harmonise. Neat]
Humans talking to themselves was nothing new. Neither was the phenomenon of arguing with themselves. Humans doing voices was nothing new either. Having them sound realistic wasn’t entirely novel, either. It was when Human Dors was muttering at opposite ends of vocal plausibility that Companion Grox began having a concern.
One voice was deep and gravelly, the other higher in tone and clearer. Neither were Human Dors’ usual speaking voice. Sometimes, they overlapped each other as once voice interrupted the other. It was quite a trick.
Companion Gorx said, “How are you doing that?”
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Challenge #02899-G342: The Evidence Speaks For Itself
Shortly after their receive a shipment of stolen parrots, alien smugglers learn that pet parrots tend to repeat some of the most common phrases they have heard the hard way. There are some things that should never be heard, and can never be unheard. – Anon Guest
“Captain Fresk is going to panic,” said a voice. It sounded a lot like crewmate Jori, but it came, seemingly, from the cage of brightly-coloured exotic Deathworlder avian that they had successfully stolen from Brightwing Station. They assumed that Crewmate Jori was behind the cage.
“Captain Fresk isn’t going to panic. It’s all under control.” This time, since Haak was facing the bird, she got to witness the avian go into an act. The bird repeated the public address chime and an announcement common to Brightwing Station.
“Bingley bingley beep. Attention all Havenworlder visitors,” the bird recited, “The scheduled bar fight in the Ruined Drum Drink will begin at precisely Four Seventeen in the afternoon, station time. This is your twenty minute warning. Bingley bingley beep.”
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Challenge #02898-G341: And Not a Bite to Eat
On a planet where eating meat was so illegal that even replicated meat grown in nutrient vats can mean prison time, the deathworlder’s ship landed heavily. Fortunately, they got the whole ship down and hadn’t needed a life pod, but repairs were going to take months. However, hearing the strict law against eating meat on this planet was going to be a problem. While meat replacements worked for a small amount of time, they needed actual meat to survive or they would, quite literally, starve to death. Their species were almost pure carnivore. For a while, he tried to hide the nutrient growth vats where meat was grown for consumption, but the planetary officials in the area where his ship was soon learned of it. – DaniAndShali
Good news, bad news, good news, bad news… around and around it went. Harro didn’t know how to feel about it. Bad news, a micrometeor got past her Hungry Caterpillar by being sharper than the gathering maw and the retaining, gathering tunnel beyond. It was also faster than any of the other ‘mouths’, and thereby pierced her hull in a critical place. Good news, she was flying near a habitable planet and could actually survive to get there.
Bad News, it was going to be a close call. Good news, the planet was inhabited. Bad news, by people who considered her anathema. Good news, she could survive the soft landing. Bad news, barely, and by sacrificing large portions of the ship. Good news, there were enough resources to rebuild the ship and get away before the people here arrested her for being a carnivore.
Welcome to Plabarli. No carnivores allowed. Depending on how one measures the time, some centuries or millennia ago, Humans made a colony based entirely on having a clean herbivorous lifestyle. They therefore looked into bringing with them pollinators that would only pollinate because they wanted to, herbivorous pets, and all the things they might need to make their high dreams a reality. Eating meat, using animals at all, was the worst of sins. Needless to say, they were highly isolationist and very angry that their pure example had not lead the rest of the universe into their own virtues. They were especially offended by obligate carnivores.
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