Challenge #02546-F356: The Piracy Solution
The incidents of piracy were dropping dramatically since humans came on the scene. It wasn’t that noticeable, at first, but it soon became ever more apparent. The fighting prowess, and sheer terrifying ferociousness, of humans in battle was considered a part of the issue, but the odd thing was, many pirates were now giving up piracy for more honest, and often more profitable, trades. And almost always it was after tangling with humans. A study now was being conducted. Were humans, with their combat skills, to blame for this? Or was it their ability to pack-bond with all other species? Or was something else at work here? – Anon Guest
But many a king on a first-class throne, If he wants to call his crown his own, Must manage somehow to get through More dirty work than ever I do – Ancient Human Opera concerning piracy [AN: Thanks to elyrics.net ]
The Galactic Alliance is not an empire. Not exactly. The problem with empires is that they have to keep expanding their borders until they become too big for one centralised organisational structure to manage, and therefore fail and fall as all empires must. It is, however, a loose conglomeration of interstellar polities who have decided to put aside the various means of combat in favour of swapping cool things with each other in a system of mutually assured assistance.
It’s amazing how many Human polities have trouble with this concept. They’re Deathworlders. They can’t help thinking of things in terms of who has the biggest and most fearsome means of destruction ready to hand. Fortunately, there are plenty of instances of self-sacrifice being the ultimate noble act in Human lore to gently remove any fingers from any associated triggers.
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Challenge #02530-F340: Love for All Creatures
Humankind will happily share/shelter tiny pets with/from the universe. Hamsters, flying squirrels, cats, parrots, sugar gliders, lizards and snakes, even dogs. As an unsocial person, I will socialize the heck out off my girl despite my discomfort. As a nonviolent person, I will murder anyone who lays a hand on my baby. How much would I love someone who protected my pet for me? – Anon Guest
This wasn’t the first time Human An had woken up in a medbay. It was the smells that clued him in that this was not his ship. This didn’t smell like the Fortune’s Favour. An instantly knew that he had failed. The ship had died. The fact that he somehow survived meant that the Tralnith had rescued him from whatever he had decided to do to try and save them all.
Such a pity that traumatic injury wiped out short-term memories formed during said trauma. The last thing he remembered was insisting to his crewmates that he had an excellent idea, even though that was a lie. Therefore it was probably some winging-it thing that almost got him killed.
Tears stung his eyes as he remembered Fluffy. He hadn’t got Fluffy out. He had been thinking of all the cogniscent creatures on the Fortune’s Favour and not his dear little companion. Oh Powers, no… The others wouldn’t have thought of Fluffy either. The Medik came rushing in, a lizard, but not like the Tralnith. Different features and nose spikes. “All is safe,” they said in GalSimple. “All crew well. Wish seeing?”
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Challenge #02528-F338: Meeting Bip and Bop
A human is always highly protective of a large front pocket of his shirt. He makes sure, when he puts on his skins, always clear ones never opaque, or his armor, that there’s a space there, rather inefficient, but it’s when a tiny head pokes out that people realize, he has a pet there. A sweet little sugar-glider that is his constant companion. Sure they’re almost as fragile as a level 4 Havenworlder, but he loves his little pet very much. He has been raising these sweet earth-creatures since he was a child, and has never travelled without one in his pocket. – DaniAndShali
Humans are strange. Most Galactics know this, but every now and again, they find the statistical outlier on the normal curve that just serves to remind them of the very strong stereotype. Such as Human Li. When not on duty, when ‘just bumming about’ the station secure zone, they wore a shirt with a pocket that they guarded with their lives. They were careful of it and nearly ferociously protective of it.
Worn over Ships’ Skins, the garment was almost superfluous, and some wondered if the Human Li was somehow uncomfortable in Standard Mean Temperature[1]. As observations continued, Human Li’s co-workers started to wonder if their Human had something toxic or dangerous in their pocket. So a small committee of concerned peoples gathered to figure out who would get to ask the Human a dangerous question.
The eventual loser of the competition carefully approached as the Human was gently manipulating an eyedropper to the mouth of their shirt pocket. “Human Li… we are all growing concerned with–” Grix paused as the pocket in question moved on its own. “–the pocket of the shirt you wear. You have been… alarmingly protective of it and we need to know… are you carrying toxic matter and if so, why?”
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Challenge #02513-F323: Sensible Steps
The two ships had collided as one had a severe navigational error and the other had been stolen by a youth who wanted to go out for a joyride. They crashed together on a planet that, for both of them, was just barely habitable. The surviving humans called out to the other ship and found it to be filled with Nox who were even younger than the human youths who were barely into their teens. Despite a rocky start, the two groups begin to work together to survive the ordeal. By the time rescue comes to take the kids back to their homes, the teens, once barely getting along, were good friends. After all, it’s hard to avoid becoming friends when putting aside differences and working together was the only way to survive. – DaniAndShali
Given the Human book called Lord of the Flies, the rescue crews didn’t expect to find the surviving Human teens nor any surviving Nox younglings in any kind of good condition. In fact, given Human Media on the topic, they expected to only find sad remains.
They never expected to find a fully-functioning proto-society with a kind of improvised daycare for the Nox built in the remains of the ship, with passable structures for the rest and shelter of the young Humans. Together, the young Humans had created work-arounds for everything they needed given everything they already had. This, despite the fact that the logs in the wreckage indicated that half the young Humans were at the throats of the other half.
Yet, there they were, working together to farm, raise animals, and create tools, clothing, and shelter for all. Certainly, there was an invisible line of demarcation where one alliance was a definite distance from the other, but all Humans and some Nox were crossing that line in a calm and relaxed manner by the time the rescuers came. There were no lingering signs of violence, though there may have been some signs of pranking. All in all, the village was incredibly well-thought out.
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Challenge #02502-F312: In a Minute
A: not exactly “capture” more like take a moment and put it on a pixelated screen. Here
B: is something supposed to be on this slate?
A: what? It’s right here can’t you see?
B: see?
A: when light passes through ya eyeball
B: light? – Anon Guest
There were moments like this all over Galactic Space. One participant in a conversation would realise that the other they had been communicating with freely until this moment did not possess the same sense-set as the first participant. They are the speed humps in Galactic Alliance life. Or, in this case, an unexpected brick wall across the highway of life.
Human Pim seemed to freeze in space as if some cosmic entity had hit their personal ‘pause’ button. They remained like that for enough seconds to give their companion, a Pterop named Thaang, a small period of concern. Then, like pressing another button, Human Pim returned to motion with, “Sorry, I completely forgot you don’t use sight. Where’s your data-reader?”
Pterop Thaang gestured with hir tactile display unit. “Er. Are you well, Human Pim?”
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