Challenge #02772-G215: To Aid in Aggression
It was a huge battle, they ended up having to ACTUALLY call for help in the form of human space marines. Why? Because these unknown creatures that had attacked the colonial world had been so powerful that the Vorax ships it’d passed had turned tail and fled as fast as it could, after seeing how easily it had overcome two of their biggest warships.
The humans actually were having a challenge with this battle, not just in space but on the ground. These monstrous beings were insect-like in form, very highly intelligent, and had a ‘take no prisoners’ philosophy. It wanted this world for its own, to strip it bare of resources as it had done other worlds this species had encountered, before it inevitably moved on to other worlds.
One human, to encourage his men, pulled out the one song that had become their battle-cry. And as it blasted over the loudspeakers, it reminded others again, just why so few wanted to face a Space Marine on the field.
(this is the song, along with the lyrics)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFi7bWkyRpA – Anon Guest
The moral of the ocean is, there is always a bigger fish. The same can be plausible for space. There is always a bigger Deathworlder. Everyone knows of the Vorax. They were once the most deadly Deathworlders for centuries. Then there was the unnamed swarm that never had their own name.
Humans called them Those Bastards. They would get no other name. They were so voracious and aggressive that even the Vorax kept their distance, and the Vorax were famous for retreating only from one other species - the Humans.
Therefore, it was only logical for the colonists of Vrantamire colony to seek help from the most stubborn badasses in known space. The Terran Space Marine Corps. They may be terrifying Deathworlders for whom death is cheaper than usual[1], but they were reliable and terrifying Deathworlders et cetera, et cetera. They came to do the job and then didn’t have to be paid to leave.
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Challenge #02771-G214: A Few Minor Obstacles
Everyone, even havenworlders, like to have pets. The type of pet, of course, depends on the type of havenworlder. One, after visiting, and surviving, her visit to the deathworld known as Earth, and especially Australia, had learned of a harmless, but brightly colored, bug called the Christmas Beetle. It was short-lived, not edible - but only because it had a very thick shell, but otherwise completely, utterly, harmless. She learned how to breed them and soon began to sell them as safe, harmless, pets to other havenworlders. People loved these colorful things. Oddly enough, though, even though some got loose on havenworlds and people feared an invasive species, they seemed only capable of breeding in conditions matching that of their native homelands. Which was not such a bad thing, really, for controlling population. And she made quite a bit of time off a new, harmless pet. Though some humans shuddered at the feel of those scritchy legs on their skin.
- Note - I figured it could be a “part 2” of this prompt? I can see a havenworlder turning these harmless bugs into pets. They’re quiet, harmless, easy to care for, very pretty with their bright colors, and, in the right circumstances, not too hard to breed. And I could easily see her breeding them to make their colors more vibrant.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02624-g067-seasonal-invasion – DaniAndShali
[AN: You can learn more about these colourful critters at Backyard Buddies and please keep in mind that I am inventing these farming methods wholesale]
Frip was fascinated by the insects. They had had a close call with anthropocene extinction in the past, but those who loved them insisted on loaning them some habitat so they could survive. The adults, like most adult insects, lived to breed, and then soon met their end as the resources diminished for the cold season.
Frip learned everything they could about the life cycle. Their preferred habitat, favourite food, breeding and nesting grounds, all of it. Then the engineering began.
Now they had a terrarium containing a dwarf-formed eucalyptus with more leaves than it should have had. There was a heat lamp, a lot more soil than there should be for one plant and a patch of grass. There was a system for monitoring the water content of the environment.
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Challenge #02770-G213: Filtered Through Children’s Lies
Re-Discovery part two: electric boogaloo https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-02447-f257-solid-documented-scientific-evidence – Anon Guest
With enough instrumentation, it is possible to find things you don’t understand. With enough inclusive cogniscent contacts, you can also find someone willing to explain it to you.
Human Kev had been hired by the Sciencer EVR890 to scare of anything big enough and mean enough to be a threat to the Havenworlders within. Now, in spite of being hired to be the ‘muscle’, they were holding what they called a TED talk.
“Light’s a part of the electromagnetic spectrum,” Kev began, and stopped at the chorus of inquisitive chirps from the audience. “This is a set of radiation frequencies that are both electronic and magnetic. You know how electronics emit magnetic radiation, right? You know how magnets can make electrons move. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”
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Challenge #02769-G212: An Ounce of Foresight
Human Jane is calm compared to the others, but always carries a cocky attitude. Arguing with the others claiming they will destroy the ship. The day was like no other noise but in a sense calm, until Jane suddenly rose from her chair and dashed into the halls. The moment she left the room an explosion was heard from the training room. – Anon Guest
Humans are their own health hazard. This is known on an intellectual level to many, but most sublimate this knowledge so they can work with these amazingly useful Deathworlders without periodically needing to hide somewhere and self-comfort like a small child.
It’s not just the personal habits -or lack thereof- of the Humans in question. It’s not just their hobbies. It’s mostly their leisure time. More damage has been caused in the process of “horsing around” than most low-content battles. A point that Human Jane continuously pointed out to the rest of the Human Nest aboard the Vexing Question. “Y'all are going to destroy this entire ship with your bullshit, you know that, right?”
The response from the other Humans was always the same. “Relax mom. We’re cool. We got it.” Then they would subsequently continue their nonsense with only a modicum of caution.
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Challenge #02768-G211: Disturbing Deathworlder Deeds
Ki'it thought ze was ready. Ze had survived Human Kev’s “oops"es, learned to anticipate Human Lin’s "I know what I did wrong!"s, and even managed to halve zer dosage of calming medication after a half dozen of Human Ren’s "uh-oh…"s.
This, however, was zer introduction to the dreaded, "Wheeeee!!!! Again!” – Anon Guest
[AN: You are of course free to use any gender-neutral pronouns you love in prompts… it’s just that I cannot conjugate anything else than ze/hir. The rest of them just confound my poor old noggin. I am trying, but for writing, I’d rather stick to ze/hir. Apologies for the offence, dear readers]
Living with Humans is an exercise in unexpected stress caused by untranslatable noises. Not words, but nevertheless sounds that had significant meaning. Humans insisted that they didn’t have a tonal language, but they could infer meaning out of “Hm” or “Um” or other nonverbal noises. Ki'it was learning to do that, since it was vividly important to know what each set of non-word grunts could possibly mean.
“Uh oh,” was a trouble grunt. It meant, loosely speaking, “Something has gone wrong and might yet go catastrophically wrong.” Which was a lot to cram into two syllables with a glottal stop.
“Uh oh,” in Ki'it’s experience, meant, “Make sure my livesuit is ready for urgent activation because the crazy Deathworlders have messed something up again.” Again, a lot to cram into two syllables, but as warning signals went, it was very efficient.
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