Challenge #02710-G153: Paradox Wreck
As a warning for any future scientist: Do not hook up a warp-drive engine to a gravity-generator. you will create a gravity cannon that will obliterate 1/3 of a class zegalbond warship, but also lose 1/3 of you blood without any wounds. – Anon Guest
They called it ‘warp drive’ in flagrant violation of copyright at the time of the wreck’s discovery. What it did was create a temporary 'soft spot’ between real space and the parallel dimensional brane known as 'hyperspace’ in a slightly less dodgy violation of copyright. The experiments were successful in all but one detail - the 'warp’ drive was inexorably tied to the gravity generators.
Gravity drives and hyperspace do not agree. The artificial gravity forces translate into 'deep time’ pockets once inside. It’s basic safety to turn off the gravity drives before entering such a 'soft spot’. We know this now, but sometime between the modern era and three millennia hence, that vital information becomes lost.
Of the survivors, there was one in desperate need of urgent medical care. That survivor, the chief engineer of the experiment, was missing one third of their entire blood mass with no signs of injury. The crew of the Misty Hope were not much better, and very disturbed to learn that they had been thrown three thousand years into the past and some thousands of light years from their point of origin.
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Challenge #02709-G152: Fixes Any Problem
A: “You can’t be serious, we’re really going to be going all the way back to the port in nothing but… duct tape??”
H: “Sure! And we could even take the boat with us to use for later sails if we wanted to!”
Note - yes Sail boats have been made, beautifully so, out of duct tape. Here’s a video of my favorite team doing so, the Mythbusters! – Anon Guest
“Well, ductape and these lovely whippy canes,” said Human Jan. “Hold this one here for a sec’.” Since Human Jan had already employed both hands, both feet, and one knee to the extant construction, Frew had to assist.
What the Human held easily, Frew had to struggle with, using all of his strength. However, that strength lasted just long enough for Human Jan to quickly apply some more ductape to the resultant joint. It was the last join in the entire seemingly fragile frame, which looked like it was one good sneeze away from turning into a cage-turned-torture-device for Human Jan. Nevertheless, the ductape held. “This will remain stable?”
“Abso-tively. I’ve seen this done before. Heck. San Francisco has an annual ductape regata. It’s a heck of a thing to watch. Someone made a yellow ductape ducky, last year. That was hilarious.”
“You are not building a duck,” said Frew. Just to be certain. You never could tell with Humans.
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Challenge #02708-G151: Bug of Contention
The two humans in this ship are really close. They will do nearly anything to save the other. On the other claw, they destroyed the training room arguing about whether a certain earth insect is a lighting bug or firefly. – Anon Guest
The two Ships’ Humans were out of breath, bruising, and one of them had a dark reddish-brown ichor leaking from their nose. They were also kept well out of each other’s grip by the presence of Companion Jorx directly between them.
“I don’t understand,” said Duty Captain Vredd. “We were under the impression that you were a bonded pair.”
“Oh yeah, we’re still ride or die for each other,” said Human Zo, who was the one leaking ichor. “Right, babe?”
“Yeah,” said Human Stef. “Even though you’re completely wrong about lightning bugs.”
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Challenge #02707-G150: Rescue From Vulnerability
Some level four, and level five, havenworlders know their species is quite fragile. They also know that, in order to survive, to thrive, in this harsh universe, they need to grow stronger. With that in mind, and speaking to other havenworlders that were of higher levels, they all agreed training was in order. They hire a team of humans to help them learn to grow stronger. So, when they have their children, their children will be born stronger. The plan was for their children, like the parents, to train here too, and make things better for their people in the long run. – Anon Guest
Just as every cogniscent looks like a Havenworlder to a Deathworlder, every other cogniscent looks like a Deathworlder to a Havenworlder. When one belongs to a Level Five Havenworlder species, the rest of the universe is a very dangerous place indeed. Havenworlders, it has been noted, amble vaguely towards cogniscence because there’s little better to do. Therefore, they develop very old, very long-lived civilisations.
Which are, because of their longevity, most at risk of extinction because their star is getting old. Those who are fortunate have the time and ability to prepare. Those who are unfortunate… Well. Most of them preserve what they can for other civilisations. Others work on more extreme measures.
They became Genners. They introduce themselves to deliberate, yet tolerable stresses and enter into selective breeding programs in order to toughen up the entire species by induced epigenetic mutation. With an urgency previously unknown to their kind, they accelerate their development towards becoming tough enough to reach and colonise other worlds.
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Challenge #02706-G149: Terrifying Titans
Crabs are a universal constant. So much so that they are used in first contact. Earth is strange for the amount of crab types that we have. Keep them away from the Japanese spider crab though. The first alien to see one said it was the equivalent of an eldritch monstrosity. – CyberStrikeBeast
[AN: go to your favourite search engine and look up “Christmas Island crab migration,” and then “Coconut crab”. Sweet dreams :D ]
Welcome to Earth. We have weird crustaceans. Honestly, it’s hard to resist a sales pitch like that. Terra has a phenomenal amount of crustacean species. There’s fluffy crabs, big crabs, multitudes of crabs, crabs with human faces on their carapaces, and the terrifying abomination known as the Japanese spider crab. Some bold visitors have claimed that it is ninety-nine percent leg. This is almost true.
The Terran species universally recognised as being ninety-five percent leg is the daddy long-legs. A spider that is aptly named on a colloquial basis. Very aptly named. If you gave a daddy long-legs some gills, and let evolution take its course, then you would very much get something close in resemblance to the spider crab. If you can also picture a proportionate daddy long-legs with a body the size of a basketball, then you have an even closer approximation.
The spider crab also possesses claws at the end of its manipulating limbs that have been known to disconnect Human phalanges from the rest of the Human if they are handled incorrectly. Naturally, Humans view this crab as something of a delicacy. Then again, they are also the species that took one look at the coconut crab and wondered if it was edible. Humans will eat anything.
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