Amalgam Universe

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 a hand on his shoulder. The human looked to them, bent, broken, the voice metallic from an artificial voice box, the prosthetic hand upon a cane. "Alright, we can go back home now. I just wanted to see my friends again." -- Fighting Fit

Humans have a saying for everything. If not a saying, then a quote. As storytellers, they are a species that have a way with words. The one that came to mind now was, There are old soldiers, and there are bold soldiers. There are no old and bold soldiers. Walking now through the serried ranks of Humanity's dead, in a monument the size of a small city, Companion Thruk could understand why.

Human Sam marched past the monuments. Columns in the style of a past age, all cut short. Some were much shorter than others. This, the unspoken words said, is where the bold ones went. Human Sam was one of the rare ones who had grown old. They were lined up as they had been lined up in battle. Each troop. Each sergeant. Here and there, amidst the rows and columns, were gaps. Other old soldiers had yet to join the army of the dead.

Human Sam sometimes joked that ze was halfway there already. Two and a half legs, one arm, one eye, and a few internal organs had been replaced with artificial substitutes. Age had indeed wearied him. If the years condemned, he gave no sign. Companion Thruk had to trot to keep up with hir as ze marched through the troops of the dead. So many of these columns had had time to age. So few were complete, indicating that the deceased had lived a full life before they assembled for the hereafter.

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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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Challenge #02985-H062: The Superman Paradox

I would like to see a level 2 or 3 deathworlder who doesn't recognize a human as a level 4/4.5 deathworlder trying to be protective of the squishy. And the human letting them, on account of not being a fighting type of person. Right up until the level 2 or 3 deathworlder gets in over their head, and then the human is like nope. You do not hurt my protector. I am protector now, and it is time for adrenaline

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A 2347-post collection

Challenge #03004-H081: Guilt of the Survivor

Challenge #03003-H080: An Honest Mistake

Challenge #03002-H079: Friendship Offering

Challenge #03001-H078: How to Befriend a Monster

Challenge #02999-H076: Full on Pinkies Up

Challenge #02997-H074: For Neurochemical Imbalances

Challenge #02995-H072: A Great Need of Angels

Challenge #02994-H071: Survival's Edge

Challenge #02993-H070: Small Disaster Control

Challenge #02990-H067: To Ease Dreams

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

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

Challenge #02987-H064: Unwelcome Advancements

Challenge #02986-H063: Surprising Gifts

Challenge #02985-H062: The Superman Paradox