Challenge #02680-G123: Small, Cute, and Terrifying
Doctor: Human, you need to take it easy. Rest. Don’t do anything strenuous for the next week.
Human: Alright, I’ll stay at home and watch the kids.
Doctor: From what I know of human young, that is strenuous. – Escla
[AN: Pffffft…]
The Humans had a saying for everything. Some have been adjusted slightly to be more inclusive, but the relevant one in this time and space was, No being is an island. Perhaps, with an added dash of, It takes a village to raise a child.
The Ships’ Human, Orgo, had painfully sprained a large number of muscles on the last mission and, since he was intimately bonded with Human Lun, ze had taken over active duties whilst Orgo was under orders to rest.
Which left their child’s maintenance under a large question mark, according to the rest of the crew. A family unit of Ships’ Humans was good luck, many agreed, but a Human youngling was… problematic at best. Having seen what Humans did to ‘child proof’ their habitation, it was more than alarming when the small Human Pib figured out how to hack the main door lock before they had quite finished with their toilet training[1].
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Challenge #02679-G122: Wonder No More
Have you ever walk past someone and wonder what is going on inside their head – Anon Guest
[AN: Link to a Rickroll has been expunged. Thanks Nonny. Be proud. You got me.]
Every now and again, some species, somewhere, thinks it would be cool to be telepathic. The Melil, natural telepaths, do attempt to stop others from doing this to themselves because it really, really isn’t a good idea.
Those without natural telepathy have no reason to filter their random thoughts. There’s no telling, for instance, what’s an intrusive thought and what is just Twosday[1] for the brain of a member of the Pax Humanis Enforcement Team. There’s further complications like ear-worms and vivid imaginations and internal monologues… it’s a noisy world out there for a mind-reader.
For all the imagined benefits, the detriments are uncountable. Telepaths need special training to go out into the world and maintain their sanity. Those who don’t get it… suffer. Like the shambling example scrabbling through the shadows in a station that was, until recently, Deregger territory.
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Challenge #02678-G121: The Terrors of Deathworlds
A researcher had been extremely curious and wanted to know why humans were, well, the way they were. They poured over notes, histories, field reports, everything they could get their hands on. The humans that volunteered for experiments were always told “You can call it quits at any time.” And, after a while, the humans always let him know when they’d had enough. To which he’d thank them, pay them and let them know his immense gratitude for their hard work, and go through the notes of his findings, sharing with them, of course, everything he had.
But it was never enough.
Finally, he decided to take a big gamble and live on Earth for a while to find out just WHY humans were the way they were. He was only able to talk about his time there after years of therapy, and a companion at his side to help him get through the flashbacks. – Anon Guest
“You woke up screaming again. What was it this time? The exoskeletal ones?”
“Yeah. The tiny ones. Beetles. Spiders. The ones those Deathworlders call ‘bugs’. Too many of them everywhere. Crawling all over everything. Leaving those… little dots. Everywhere. They were all over me. Scritchy scratchy little claw feet, all over my skin.”
“Was this a thing that happened? The insects everywhere?”
“Once. Yes. They called it… a locust swarm. I know they’re edible, but… they blotted out the sun. There were too many of them. And then… they started… they were…”
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Challenge #02677-G120: A Mind of Their Own
The war rages, bodies fell left and right, were they man or monster? They do not know, for the the line that separated them blurred centuries ago. – Anon Guest
Someone, somewhere, is re-inventing the Enlisted Man again. When will they learn, huh? – Elsyn Flaard comedy routine.
Some creatures, the unethical gengineers argue, are made for battle. With the right tweaks, they could become the most formidable fighting force in Alliance space. Then, they could make the majority decisions, and on and on and on…
It never really works. Let’s look at the most recent reason why. It always occurs in a secret lab, because if the CRC got wind of it before it happened, they’d shut that nonsense down before the final flourish on the last signature became committed to the business plan. There are always military-minded souls who honestly believe that might makes right and right makes the rules. They, and the wealthy who believe this might be a good idea, are the driving force.
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Challenge #02676-G119: Hot, Brown, and Horrifying
There are many unspoken laws across the galaxy. Don’t provoke a calm man. Fear the wrath of a protective mother. Don’t take any of Human Girth’s drinks. Ok maybe not that the last one but it only applies to one ship. – Anon Guest
Welcome aboard the Poke And Run, do not accept beverages from the Ship’s Human. You do not want to know why. Even though we know you’ll say you do. The usual rules of space travel apply: never ask what can go wrong, because it will. Never state how things could be worse. Never go for EVA without checking your suit, always have a roll of ductape, and don’t ask a Human about their special interests unless you want to be adopted.
There’s more, but you already know them. Yes. You want to know about Human Girth and their beverages. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
“Oh hey. New hire, right?” The Human is like most Humans. Large, hairy, prone to displaying their teeth. Like many of them, the gender dimorphism present may not match their gender identity, so ‘they’ or 'ze’ will work until they make their preference known. “You want the kitchen tour plus Girth’s Beverages Tutorial.”
Trust us, you do not want Girth’s Beverages Tutorial.
[Be sure to visit internutter (dot) org for a link to the rest of this story, and details on how to support this artist. Or visit peakd (dot) com (slash at) internutter for the stories at their freshest]