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Challenge #03549-I260: Time Enough and Care

They had been lucky enough to be born into a family that had more Time than they knew what to do with, even with all the charities they supported AND the high taxes. So, they bought a large, badly damaged, station, had it fully restored to become state-of-the-art, then turned the entire station into a massive, beautiful, natural-as-possible garden, so that people traveling could use it as a breath of fresh air, as it were, and a rest-stop in their travels. Food was free, rest was free, the only fees charged was a tiny sum if a ship came in needing repair, and that was only to cover the cost of the parts. -- Anon Guest

What do you do with all the Time one could possibly want? Corporations may have the privileges of people, that was true. What they also had was the responsibilities of people as well. That meant supporting employees, paying taxes, and being a part of the community.

Sometimes, even that wasn't enough to quell the power inherent in wealth. Fortunately for the Alliance, this much Time was in the hands of people with sense.

There was so much that could be done, if one had enough Time. Such as purchasing a dilapidated station and using it as a hobby project. Not exactly busy-work, but definitely a sanity project. Art was left to those with the talent. Gardening was a skill and could therefore be learned.

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Challenge #03548-I259: Wise to Surrender

All of the pirates from the attack managed to actually survive an encounter with the infamous human child known as Pib. They may be considered the luckiest SOB's alive by other pirate groups, but they need a lot of therapy, and a new career choice. -- Anon Guest

"Go to the Edge, you can be your own being," one of the captives mocked, sotto voice. "You can do anything you like out there, no consequences." He was not a good soprano, so

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Challenge #03547-I258: Any Way You Want

I read your newest story and the conversation you guys had in the prompts. I know you don't want more prompts right now, so please forgive me, this one popped into my head and I wanted to get it out before forgetting.

It's from this one

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03471-i183-it-never-gets-old#@ryivhnn/re-bkf-reddjq

A person who, despite a lot of therapy, hates their biological body. They've taken to hurting themselves because of it. They beg the B'Nari to please, give them

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Challenge #03546-I257: Deathworlder Branded Fun

Two humans ended up in the infirmary needing injuries to faces and hands treated. Especially the faces. Why? The two were boxing, just for the fun of it. Needless to say, medics dislike it greatly when humans do this to each other. -- Anon Guest

The understanding barrier is sometimes difficult to surmount. Such was the case aboard the Egmont, in an event with two Humans and a Medik. Human Daeth and Human Wat bore multiple contusions and lacerations. Medik Ixodidd treated

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Challenge #03545-I256: Tough Suffering

A Human and other Deathworlders are hurt, that was a bumpy landing in that survival pod. The human gives the others in the pod all of the pain meds. They decide to "tough it out" until help arrives. But, they can handle it. -- Anon Guest

Good news - it was a hospitable world. Great news, the molecular printers and disassemblers had survived in workable condition. Terrible news... Human Ret had survived the crash with fractured ribs. Compared to the others, a

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Challenge #03544-I255: The Paranormal Phenomenon Investigation Agency

You work for a secret agency that deals with the supernatural and you just shared a dumb idea with your boss, as a joke: "Instead of keeping everything under wraps, why don't we just release all info to the public, but pretend it's a work of fiction?" You got promoted on the spot. -- AmberFox

They called it Walking the Faerie Trail and more or less followed real agents around with cameras and then added some truly abominable special effects to make

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Challenge #03542-I254: Mental Health Break

Wraithvine has had a really bad day, everyone does from time to time, but Lilbit crawls out of hir pocket, onto the shoulder, purring, trying to cheer up their person.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03456-i168-meet-lilbit -- Fighting Fit

Long days are even longer for Elven kind. Their hours of rest are far shorter than other peoples, you see. It may give them extra time to spend on artistry. In this case, it gave one Elf extra hours in which to be

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Challenge #03541-I253: Meet Cutie

Heh, can't help it, this one's rolling in my head and not leaving me alone. F'Tibb meets a human who actually adores spiders and thinks they're beautiful creatures. The one the size of a person? No problem! But then again, the humans are odd like that.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03465-i177-missed-connection -- DaniAndShali

Body language has some interesting translations. Especially when paired with sound. This Human was screaming, but their body said, The thing I am screaming at has everything I

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Challenge #03541-I253: From Little Things

xx/x7/3xxx

I secretly took some medicine to test the ingredients, and found out that most of them didn't match the records at all. Vitamin C tablets, starch capsules, glucose solution... Some of the medicines are just placebos. Health deteriorates. What frightened me even more was that I figured out their intention in an instant -

Some were designed to find out what differences the treatment would make. Some were designed to test the effects of placebos in follow-up treatment. The

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Challenge #03540-I252: Stubborn, Independant, Exasperating...

Companion (concerned): Human, why are you on the floor?

Human (commando crawling down the hall): My com's busted, my back gave out, and I can't walk, so I'm making my way to medical. Help? -- Escla

It's always a good idea for a Companion to keep track of their assigned Human. Like an ocean or a Starting Education Facility[1], one does not gain good results from turning away from a force of chaos.

Case in point. Human Ham was slowly making

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Challenge #03539-I251: Inside the Church of... Me?

Wraithvine finds a temple out in the woodlands that is dedicated to aiding all those who come seeking no matter who they are, or where they come from. The temple has several worshipers and a single cleric. And whose face is it upon statue of the god in the place of honor and worshiped within? Wraithvine hirself. -- Anon Guest

Temples were always hit-and-miss shelters in extremis, and Wraithvine was a little bit dubious regarding the kindness of those strangers. The least

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Challenge #03538-I250: Black Widow Boss

Not all Deregger CEO's are male. There are very powerful, very dangerous, very cruel female CEO's that are just as bad as their male counterparts. And their counterparts know, just like other male CEO's, you don't mess with these individuals. Fortunately, the CRC doesn't care about gender, all Deregger CEO's must one day face justice. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I do not want to fall into the trope of the "cold uncaring childless girlboss", so thanks for putting me on a seesaw

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Challenge #03537-I249: Death Was Never This Delectable

A Vorax with severe injuries, and PTSD, wakes up in an ICU drawer. Fully expecting these people to kill them, they signal their surrender, their readiness to die, it will finally end the nightmares. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Vorax is a caste of a whole species whose name I have forgotten and do not wish to go on a wiki walk for. Vorax is an occupation, just like Viking]

Vorax Plepht woke up in a highly technological coffin. He fully expected to

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Challenge #03536-I248: Unearned Wants

It's easy to hate something, or someone, when you are lied to your entire life about that thing, or person, by someone who hates them, or is very jealous of them. So when this kid, barely into their teens, confronts Wraithvine with a head filled with the lies they were told their entire young life, well, what's a caring, fairly kind, wizard to do? -- Anon Guest

Even the organisations with the best of intentions have their dropouts. They try their best,

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Challenge #03535-I247: Peace of the Crag

An individual meets Wraithvine, Amatu, and the others and invites them to tea. Why? Just to make friends. -- Anon Guest

Kilby Kraghold found the strangers in his wolf pit. One of them looked like he could just fly out and another was big enough to be the ladder for the rest.

"Ho there," he said. "What are you lot doing in my wolf pit?"

"Following the plotted line of a very obtuse prophecy," said the Elf. "Hello. We're very obviously lost.

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