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Amalgam Universe

A 2271-post collection

Challenge #02099-E275: Important Criteria

"Ok guys, for this little crisis I'll need [huge lion-like deathworlder] and [humanoid havenworlder] to stay back and help Sgt Jeanne taking care of the child escapee that we saved from those abductors, while I and the other help remind our "friends" why it's a bad idea to try to eat other's children."

"But... I'm a warrior !"

"First, it will be indoor combat in a really humid space, that's not your forte. Second, if some of them escape us and reach the child, Sgt Jeanne might not be enough and I trust you with that. Third, you are big, soft and fluffy." -- Anon Guest

Sgt Jeanne was one of the few among them who even knew how to interact with children at all. Aslan (a nickname) and Tillo were kept apart from the combat for very different reasons. Tillo because she was frail in the first place and usually the distant, technological backup and occasional sniper. Aslan because of the aforementioned humidity and close quarters.

She was the one who was chafing the most. "It's sexism," she grumbled. "I get crap at home 'cause I'm a maned female. Now I get relegated to babysitting with all the other females in the troop. Humidity. I can deal with it fine."

"You have run out of your electrolyte solution," Tillo pointed out. "And your cooling packs have expired. Were it not for the heat vents in your livesuit, you would be in great medical peril."

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Challenge #02096-E272: Empty Perfection

A group of colonists find an abandoned city, complete with canals, solar power, etc, with only one problem -- no people -- Anon Guest

The team Human had baulked before they entered the city limits. Just looking at the city had made Human Rese go back for their highest grade livesuit. Humans had an over-the-horizon radar for trouble, so the rest of the team -ha- followed suit. Progress into the actual city was slow and careful. Passive scans only. Checking every path

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Challenge #02094-E270: One of THOSE Customers

"I have one nerve left, and you're dancing on it with ice-skates on!" -- Anon Guest

It was supposed to be a five minute job. A simple reconfigure for someone new to this particular level of technology. It sounded simple on the request ticket. The first warning sign was his own pondering as to why such a nice old lady would have so many warning markers on her name and address.

Surely, it couldn't be that much trouble to reconfigure one app.

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Challenge #02091-E267: Schrödinger's Bounty

"How did the cat get inside a locked cupboard?"

"It's an incomplete Schrödinger." -- Anon Guest

Krissk stared at his Human companion. "How is a thought experiment on the nature of the Uncertainty Principle at all related to the presence of a feline in a locked box with no other exits?"

Human Jan said, "It's because of the Uncertainty Principle that cats can teleport," with a completely straight face. "That's how they get into places and things that they physically should never

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Challenge #02090-E266: A Bond Cemented With Carbonic Acid

"I'm just joking!… Unless you're down for it." -- TheDragonsFlame

Evidently, Thrass had been contemplating too long. "I am still positing the logistics," she said. "I need time, please."

Human Josh quelled in her place. "Sorry."

Thrass and Human Josh had been through a great deal together. War, survival, relying on each other's strengths and supporting each other's weaknesses. They had really bonded on the long, exhausting, trying trip from the wreck of their ship to the relative safety of the Edge

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Challenge #02089-E265: Living Corbomite

"I don't know what is happening, but I don't like it"

"Why ?"

"The human is smiling" -- Anon Guest

One of their own writers said it the best: Never trust a creature that smiles all the time, they're up to something. And they were very, very correct. The most frequent portent of doom, next to phrases like, "Hold my beer," or "I think I know what I did wrong," is most definitely a Human smiling in a certain way for a period

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Challenge #02088-E264: Visual Aids

Just read and interesting science article about how Humans are actually Bioluminescent but we can't see it because our eyes are not sensitive enough.

How amazing would that look to aliens? Especially if it were different colours like the Naa'vi in Avatar -- Adam in Darwin

The most astonishing fact that the Scollarids learned about Humans was this: Humans can't see their own glow. These Deathworlders were on par with them when it came to surviving strategies. They did more with less,

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Challenge #02083-E259: Nonhostile Takeover

Their faces were caked with color, like they had heard of make up and tried to use it, but weren't quite sure what went where. -- OohLookShiny

This is space - theoretically, there's room for everyone. The only caveat is that most times, you have to build it. This is Ambassador Jess. She is negotiating with the owners of an otherwise boring asteroid so she can turn it into a semi-profitable habitat. This is the problem - the owners belong to Greater

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Challenge #02082-E258: Limited Universal Communication

what if memes are a totally human thing?

like we meet aliens and try to explain this cultural thing, and they have nothing to compare it to, they don't have self replicating cultural phenomena. -- Anon Guest

The Human tripped on their own feet, tumbled, but tucked and rolled and recovered their footing in one nearly smooth moment.

"Sweet flips," cheered a different Human.

"Got the moves like Jagger!" The initial Human did a weird series of gyrations, causing them to hurt

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Challenge #02081-E257: Young Game, Old Players

The thing most deserving of both respect and fear in equally large amounts is an old man in a place where they often die young. -- Anon Guest

Oort Herding is a game for the young. The ability to weave through free-floating bodies in the depths of absolute darkness, to spot a dirty snowball before the Hungry Caterpillar does, to do the necessary gravitational kicks to cometary objects and get out of the way in the correct direction, all needs fast reflexes

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Challenge #02080-E256: Station Cats

what would be a "normal" day for a cat in a space-station? -- Anon Guest

[AN: I originally thought - normal pet cat or Skitty? And then I thought... why not both?]

Pet.

The day begins with the rude noise as Elith's Feedme[1] stirs in their sleep nook. Elith used her claws to show mild displeasure at having her own rest disturbed by the movement of the Feedme. Not that she could stop the bald, two-legged creature. Feedmes were much bigger

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Challenge #02079-E255: Minions These Days

In a lab, an avian in a white coat with 'assistant' written on it has got a test tube in each hand while the researcher does her work. "What is he doing with those test tube?" "I'm helping Dr Susie !" "I told him that I needed him to hold those 2 important test tube and that one of them is highly poisonous and the other one is an unstable explosive. He doesn't know that's water." "Why ?" "Assistant, give me the explosive one.

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Challenge #02077-E253: How Sissyphus Rolls

the Galactic allegiance was used to most of the human emotional quirks, they knew about our anger, and packbonding, our mental illnesses like depression, and how small things and gestures can bring us joy, and especially our compassion. but they had never experienced human indifference. Especially when confronted with those that had caused great pain. Humans have the capacity to just not give a damn -- Adam in Darwin

Of all the Human reactions that could have occurred when the Vol'nath Empire

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Challenge #02073-E249: Audio Only

It went plonk, it went kablooey, it went shhhh, and it went blink.

But most importantly, it went whushhhak. -- Anon Guest

Sound was all that was left. The darkness was absolute, and Phel's ability to feel was impaired by the chemicals that the enemy had forced into hir system. Ze learned quickly how the Zebnaki pirates sounded when they moved, and also learned to avoid them. They had patterns of movement, too, and it helped.

Phel made it all the way

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Challenge #02071-E247: What it Was, What it is

"It's a family heirloom." -- Knitnan

Those four words, unfortunately, did not answer the question. It was old, Kelly could tell that much. It had been through much, if the uncleanable burn scars and dents were any indication. It plausibly had moving parts, but now they were mangled or rusted or fused shut. Whatever its original purpose was, it was now, effectively, a work of art.

"I get that it's old. I just wanted to know what it is. Or was. It

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