Instant Story

Challenge #03474-I186: Deadly Mixology

Never underestimate a person who is cornered, has nothing left to lose, and has access to cleaning supplies. -- Anon Guest

They had done a lot of damage to the ship as it sailed between one place and the other. They had done a lot of damage to the passengers and crew.

They were, in fact, talking about blowing the vessel up once they were done stripping it of anything at all valuable.

The one fly in the ointment was a single janitor. She had evaded the initial invasion by being in the wrong place at the right time, and subsequently became a problem with an all-access keycard and physique small enough to scoot through the air vents with ease. So far, there had been seventeen poisonings, fifteen time-delayed chemical reactions, nine outright traps, and three pirate deaths. For the record, five of them were holding on by a thread and the rest were not happy.

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Challenge #03473-I185: Occupational Hazard

The entire ship is worried, the companion is starting to feel stressed. Why? The human has begun to mention how they've been getting bored lately. -- The New Guy

Humans are very strange. For a species of Deathworlders, they can both be remarkably gung-ho, and also remarkably paranoid. Often, it's the same Human being both. They will keep animals that would eat their bodies if they died. Some keep animals that would eat them when they're asleep. Some are content with routine

Challenge #03472-I184: Taken Away From it All

The human is a Virtual Reality addict. Why? Because real life had become just too painful to face anymore. -- Anon Guest

It was the one thing she wanted to hurry for. After a tedious day of thankless, repetitious, endless toil, Mayra could take her day's wages, buy the cheapest meal she could get, and spend the rest of her resting hours in a Booth.

Like most of the Booths in Centua City, the actual facilities were filthy, falling apart, and had

Challenge #03471-I183: It Never Gets Old

They were human, once, a long time ago. Due to a massive accident, their body was lost, they chose a mechanical one instead. Then they earned enough time to buy a ship. The ship would sometimes be their body, sometimes the android in the charging niche. It is a wonderful life and career they have now! -- Fighting Fit

Immortality isn't for everyone. The B'Nari average out at eight hundred years before they get bored enough to let their Selves die. They

Challenge #03470-I182: Post-disaster Debris

Could we see what happened after the CRC docked? Did pilot rush back to Plover to see what was going on? I'm guessing Pilot's a drone machine? How did the CRC react to the menacing looking bots and Plover's protectiveness? More please?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03377-i089-priority-one -- Anon Guest

Of all the survivors of the Plover Incident, the most heartbreaking were the tiniest children. They had no understanding of death. They kept asking when their parents or guardians were "coming

Challenge #03469-I181: Strange Bedfellows

Yes I am Human. Yes I am marrying a Bugbear. We don't care what you think! -- Anon Guest

Everyone thinks that Bugbears are goblinoids created to be the violent enforcing arm of goblin rule. However, their temper is entirely understandable. Goblins are furless tunnelers distantly related to both lizards and Dragons[1]. Hobgoblins are only a little larger than their extremely prolific cousins.

Bugbears average out at eight feet tall.

Once all three goblinoid people banded together, it was the Bugbears

Challenge #03468-I180: Acts of Diminished Responsibility

A Knomira thinks they know better than the safety and security personnel, demanding they let her take her normal shortcut through the station to get back to her quarters. That area is blocked off due to upgrades being done. Long story short, Knomira forces her way in, refuses to acknowledge warning signs, and ends up in an ICU drawer.

Warning signs are there for a REASON people! -- Anon Guest

Floating on a cloud of really great painkillers. Watching friendly colourful blobs

Challenge #03467-I179: Lofty Goals

What if Amatu were to go up on cliffs and up in trees and work on his fear of heights. Sometimes, even severe phobias, can be lessened and controlled through careful exposure. While they're not always overcome, they can sometimes at least be controlled. After all, flying is an incredible thing to have when being an adventurer.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03375-i087-elevation-trepidation -- The New Guy

On the Windy Plains there was an entirely different method of play. They called it

Challenge #03466-I178: The Rest of the World is Wrong

That push of regret was everything. But it happened, and now things were forever changed... -- Pixels By Kris

The regrets of the past poison the decisions of the here and now. Valiant Stormwight Hallowfine Whitekeep, third of the name, had watched his older brother Purity roll himself in debauchery and excess. There wasn't a girl in all the Earldom that he hadn't sweet-talked into a bedchamber or, in extremis, an alley. And why not? Bastards of the Earl's line were a

Challenge #03465-I177: Missed Connection

The downside to being giant, intelligent, arachnid-like beings is that the ones you want to befriend so often run away. Even many of those lovely ones they call humans. -- Anon Guest

Sargasso stations are always "interesting" in the sense of "interesting times". They're either run by Nae'hyn who use them as retirement homes for decommissioned or retired Gravity Drives, or they are run by low-G insectoids. There is no middle ground.

Welcome to Pappus[1] Station. Bring your own gravity.

Low-G

Challenge #03464-I176: Speak Your Truths

A person has invented a type of chamber that, when used as a courtroom, no one within the courtroom is able to lie. The energy waves were tested from the highest level Deathworlders to the gentlest of Havenworlders. Knomiras and Dereggers HATE it! -- Anon Guest

The Muddoks[1] called it "Truth Rays", but the Muddoks always had a negligible relationship with reality. What it truly was, was a means of harmlessly projecting mild electromagnetic pulses in tune with cogniscent brains. Those

Challenge #03463-I175: Adventures in Pet-sitting

A human with a new puppy is often quite tired lately. Their friends had seen them play with the animal a lot, so they understood, but wow, the happy, hyperactive, puppy had more endurance than the human! -- Anon Guest

Doug was a puppy. A neotenous canid, true. He was also a squiggly, wiggly, squirming, wagging ball of excitement with the unstoppable inclination to lick the entire universe. Human Thu had been playing with the creature for most of their day off.

Challenge #03462-I174: At the Grave of Ostentatious

CEO - "You MUST obey me! Now bring me food, bring me the crops, I'm HUNGRY!"

Former employees - "We're stuck on this world, too, buddy. We grew this food, we'll eat this food. You want to eat, you either start helping out, or you can eat the bland nutripaste crap the replicators make."

CEO - "So why in h--- don't you just KILL me, if you hate me so much??"

Former employees - "Because it's more fun hearing you whine, and

Challenge #03461-I173: One True Sin

Why make a ship's engine sentient given how many ships end up abandoned out in space with the engines, damaged and unable to move, stuck alone drifting in the emptiness with nothing but their thoughts.. and often a lonely, unmourned, death? -- Anon Guest

[AN: You're confusing Gravy Drives with engines. Though some do serve the same purpose. When a ship is abandoned, the Nae'hyn serving her never leave the engine alone if they can help it]

This is space: it has

Challenge #03460-I172: Well Met Again

Could we have a story where the new young reborn Anthe and the young, highly magic, thief that Wraithvine adopted meet? Maybe they're both at his side at some point? Please?

From stories:

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03360-i072-hello-all-over-again

and

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03371-i083-deja-vu-all-over-again -- Anon Guest

[AN: Sorry, Nonny, but those stories are unrelated. Different time zones]

She was introduced as Gikka Winbelburrough at the next inn. Given good warm food and some relaxing tea. And a very confusing

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Challenge #03474-I186: Deadly Mixology

Challenge #03473-I185: Occupational Hazard

Challenge #03472-I184: Taken Away From it All

Challenge #03471-I183: It Never Gets Old

Challenge #03470-I182: Post-disaster Debris

Challenge #03469-I181: Strange Bedfellows

Challenge #03468-I180: Acts of Diminished Responsibility

Challenge #03467-I179: Lofty Goals

Challenge #03466-I178: The Rest of the World is Wrong

Challenge #03465-I177: Missed Connection

Challenge #03464-I176: Speak Your Truths

Challenge #03463-I175: Adventures in Pet-sitting

Challenge #03462-I174: At the Grave of Ostentatious

Challenge #03461-I173: One True Sin

Challenge #03460-I172: Well Met Again