Amalgam Universe

A 2288-post collection

Challenge #03009-H086: You Think You're Tough

Be a hell of a blade for a space warrior to carry. I can see them now, them drawing it from their belt when another deathworlder, an enemy, tries to push their luck thinking the "squishy human" is weak and helpless. They clean their nails with the tip and go "You really want to do this?" -- DaniAndShali

Humans only seem to have no natural defenses. Many learn this lesson the hard way. Such as the Gendraaugi, Yauch, who had come to the Edge of the Galactic Alliance just to cause trouble. In such places, there are dives made exclusively for Deathworlders.

The walls, ceilings, and floors are specially re-enforced. The tables are bolted to the floor. The drinking vessels are all made of metal and periodically panel-beaten back into shape. The serving staff are behind the best possible barrier and carry heavy stunners at all times. That's how you can tell. Some of the classier versions have large windows made out of homing microbots that reassemble themselves because the owners know that this is a form of Deathworlder enrichment.

This one was not one of the classier establishments. If you were lucky, they hosed it out once a week and maybe re-dented the flagons annually. They did have Time Per Sivu[1] pricing, which meant that nobody with a very dented flagon was short-changed. Yauch didn't need the influence of inebriants to ramp up their courage. They just needed to find the toughest Deathworlder there and fight them.

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Challenge #03004-H081: Guilt of the Survivor

I was a trained soldier, I taught others how to fight.

I was a trained soldier, I taught others how to escape.

I was a trained soldier, I taught others how to kill.

I was a trained .....soldier..... I taught them... how to die well.

A flower was placed upon the stone, tears sliding down their face. Two dozen stones, each one with the same, white and red, flower, upon it. The old man's head bowed. His caretaker, a gentle havenworlder, placed

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Challenge #03003-H080: An Honest Mistake

These havenworlders were marsupials and, as such, it was not unusual to see a tiny head poking out of a specially modified set of ship skins from time to time. When the human said she was expecting, her spouse was excited, but the havenworlders were confused that the humans politely turned down the offer for a modified set of skins with a pouch opening. -- DaniAndShali

It was hot news on the Trembling Whisker - the Ships' Humans were reproducing! The pair

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Challenge #03002-H079: Friendship Offering

They were used to having humans aboard ships over the years. One group or another would work with them to protect them whenever they were heading out to map the Edge. As usual, they had four humans with them. Two scientists, two guards. But one of the guards was different. Unlike all the humans the havenworlders had worked with in the past, this individual politely declined all of the sweet desserts that were offered in friendship and preferred fresh fruits and sliced

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Challenge #03001-H078: How to Befriend a Monster

An alien meets human's pet cat and has an existential crisis dealing with the fact that their seemingly sane friend keeps a tiny ferocious predator around and thinks it is cute. -- Anon Guest

"[GENDER PRONOUN] is just an old softie," should definitely be classified as words of impending horror. Brex had just been told not to mind Meep, and then spotted a low, fast shape zip through his peripheral vision. Human Pod had assured him, "He's just an old softie, really.

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Challenge #02999-H076: Full on Pinkies Up

There were cupcakes, which immediately drew attention to the activity. There were also the ship's humans, both of them, sitting quietly and sipping from fancifully patterned drinking vessels, despite usually becoming a shrieking maelstrom of highly active competition when interacting with one another. There was a small container with a spoon in it that, upon inspection, contained sugar. ...there were more cupcakes than two humans could reasonably eat on their own. There were extra cups. There was, it turned out, an open

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Challenge #02997-H074: For Neurochemical Imbalances

A level 3 deathworlder has to come bail their human out of jail again! The human has an arm band showing they are currently battling a mental health issue. The poor person is an addict undergoing treatment and had escaped from the care center. The havenworlder medic at the caretaker's side sighs, shaking their head as the human is dealing with a major hangover. Helping addicts clean up is so incredibly frustrating! Sure the work is rewarding, but it's no wonder the

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Challenge #02995-H072: A Great Need of Angels

They were privateers. They attacked pirate ships as their primary prey. However, there were times they attacked civilian vessels as well. However, when they attacked civilian vessels, it was not the outcome people expected. While everyone was unconscious from the knockout gas, they would go around the ship repairing any damage they did, and any issues they noticed, make sure the crew and passengers were unharmed, and then leave a listing right where the captains and crews could find them of where

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Challenge #02994-H071: Survival's Edge

One of the squishier, timid alien species is marooned on a dangerous planet with their ship’s human. The escape pod has disintegrated ejecting various components over the landscape. The human is injured and unconscious through the ordeal. The alien survives by initially reciting the mantra of “What would Human Sal do?”. And then venturing out to retrieve bits of the craft to create a shelter, healing technologies, food, etc… Macgyvering all the way as they have seen their human do in

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Challenge #02993-H070: Small Disaster Control

Sometimes, previously scheduled social bonding activities go wrong, especially when dealing with humans. In this case, one of the humans in question was found drinking beer in the corner and crying during a time that was blocked out for a social gathering. When questioned, they explained that there had been some tension between two other members of the group, which had just sort of gotten worse when they tried to defuse it, until the whole gaming session had dissolved into raised voices

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Challenge #02990-H067: To Ease Dreams

Try petting a sleepy human, you may be surprised how they react

Going by my household, that reaction can be anything from screaming and flailing to rolling over, hugging you, and purring. -- Anon Guest(s)

[AN: This was in two posts by as many as two Nonnies, so I added the option for a plural]

Companion Hyekk read and re-read the helpful hint in the Companion's Guide to Bonding With Your Human, and considered what he knew of Human Gof. Not

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Challenge #02989-H066: One Somber Free Time in the Soft Corner

A: I thought this was your dedicated study time?

B: ...my brain is too full of sad to fit any more information right now... -- Anon Guest

It was easy to tell when Human Jori was having a bad day. They were magnetically attracted to the Soft Corner, and burrowed in. Not to sleep, but to be comfortable and, if truly stressed, entertain themselves with simple things meant for children.

Jori was deep in the beanbags, burrowed under the weighted blanket, and

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Challenge #02988-H065: It's Friendly Out There

They'd stowed away aboard a galactic ship. They were very sick, feverish, shaking, and all alone. They had no family, and the few friends they'd had died of the coughing sickness that was common among those that lived in the slums that smelled of acrid soot. They spotted the owner of the ship, but dizzy from illness, had collapsed. They expected to be spaced, now, and was surprised to wake up alive. -- Anon Guest

Bubba had one goal. I am not

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Challenge #02987-H064: Unwelcome Advancements

[H] "Hold still, we're going to try this again."

[galactic volunteer] "It won't knock me out like last time?"

[H] "Nope, bugs are worked out, we tested on other humans first for a reason after all, that knock-out was accidental, sorry about that."

[galactic volunteer] "Alright, I'm ready."

The human throws the small metal disk which adheres to the galactic and, suddenly, they can't move. They can breathe, see, hear, they are not being hurt, but they can't, otherwise, move.

[galactic] "Well.

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Challenge #02986-H063: Surprising Gifts

They were a level 3.5 to level 4 deathworlder. Yet they wore a livesuit because they were quite small and looked almost like a humanoid jellyfish in appearance. Their world would be considered a 'gas planet' where none could land, but in a world where there is tonnes of organic matter, life would evolve. Not quite a gas giant as far as size and gravity, but not a small world. Yet the livesuit was not to protect them from the atmosphere

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