《Short Stories - Bite-sized sci-fi tales》Lighting the Torch
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"The ambassador of the human civilisation will speak now."
On the call of these words a human walked up to the speaker’s podium in the Hall of Representatives. A thousand eyes - or whatever biological equivalent the many different species had - were on her from other ambassadors on the seats that arched upwards in many rows. Representative Harknethos was among them. The civilisation he spoke for was a late member and he was only the third one after the ambassador that had handled the initiation into the Commonwealth. So he knew exactly how this would play out. And he also knew that hundreds of billions of beings were watching the live transmission from thousands of planets across the Commonwealth for it was the very first official appearance of this new species.
The aged human looked tired and disheveled, seemingly badly prepared for the task of speaking on behalf of her people. The only thing not making her appear disrespectful was that she actually had an ambassadors cloth draped over her shoulders, the long and slim piece barely adorned with just a few additional lines of colorful yarn.
"Honoured ambassadors, representatives of all the species in the Galactic Commonwealth", she spoke the greeting in a clear and ringing voice. Surprisingly she used the common language, had the humans been this fast to learn it? It had caused a low murmur amongst the other ambassadors, but it quickly died down once the human continued.
"My name is Valentina Fedorovna and I am the chosen representative of all beings living in the human civilisation. I am sorry that the proper delegation was unable to appear on the short notice we were given. We did give up expecting an invitation many cycles ago. As the civil servant in closest proximity I am now speaking in their stead, though I certainly do not bring the soft diplomatic touch of my colleagues."
The obvious rudeness of the human caused a number of the present beings to make various noises of disagreement. This was not the way these things should go, she should have been begging for membership. It also seemed the dossier on the humans had been quite wrong - it stated that their species were only known since very recently. Meanwhile, the human just went on, ignoring any of the signs of mild protest.
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"Thirty cycles ago we made first contact to the Niowemar people. They had once been, as you surely are aware, a member species of your Commonwealth until they were exiled from their own planet and barred from the travel nodes. A flotilla of their refugee ships had made its way across the stars with sublight engines in search of a new home. The only one to arrive had carried fifteen million beings.
“I am certain you know how lifeforms handle cosmic radiation over longer than one generation. I am certain I do not have to tell you of the state they were in. We were unable to save half of them, but the rest we gave a home on our planet.
“They told us about the way conflicts were handled in the Galactic Commonwealth. They told us about the so-called deathless wars. And they told us what happened to the ones subjugated by the victors. We tried to contact you then, honoured ambassadors. In lieu of hearing your side, we took what we learned for the truth. Know, that I am speaking for the Niowemar now too."
Over the last part there were quite loud cries of disagreement. One ambassador especially was calling for the human speaker to be cut off - Harknethos identified them as a member of the people that had instigated the conflict against the Niowemar. Of course there had to be rules to the proceedings and the human still had time, so order was called and the noise died down again. But - thirty cycles? So long had the humans been known already and they did not get to speak until now?
"The last refugee ship had carried something exceptionally precious with it besides the many lives - the knowledge to create a hyperspace connection node. Two cycles later we had been successful in creating a stable one. I know you are aware of its limitations, but we were not.
“We had tried to contact you many times then, honoured ambassadors. And without guidance, we had to revert to experimentation. In the process we lost many ships and a number of lives only to learn that it is impossible to establish a connection to any other node from just one side.
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“This cut off from travel seemed deliberate and together with the communication silence it gave us the impression that the Commonwealth were trying to isolate us. Seeing that our node could only serve as an end point, we transmitted an open invitation for refugees of the Niowemar and anyone else displaced from their home."
More calls for order - these accusations were very serious and a number of ambassadors seemed to not want to wait for their turn to speak. It did sound unbelievable though, this pre-FTL species just build a feasible connection into the hyperspace network of the Commonwealth from merely theoretical second-hand knowledge? One thing was for sure, that dossier about them was worthless. Harknethos and probably a large number of the other ambassadors had been left in the dark about the recent history of that species. It was also obvious that the humans were crazy - to broadly call for anyone to just come to their underdeveloped world spelled suicide.
"We underestimated the number of species that were robbed of their planet or enslaved on it, and we saw a large influx of arrivals. By then we had stopped asking you for anything, honoured ambassadors, though we still needed help in ensuring order and safety. So we were actually lucky that the first larger group to show up was a fleet of Ja'kartii pirates.
“We welcomed them and offered them a home. They merely wanted us to spare their children from having to grow in the confines of a spaceship, and in turn patrolled the hyperspace node promising to protect anyone coming with peaceful intentions.
“I am certain you learned the force of their railguns, honoured ambassadors, when you sent one spy-ship after the other. Just know, that the Ja'kartii too found a home with us and I am also speaking for them."
The noise had gotten ridiculous. Even the call for order had not been enough to silence some, but the human just spoke on, raising her ringing voice over the commotion.
"Working with the people that followed our invitation, we colonized another planet and two moons in our own solar system, before we made landfall in two neighboring ones. These hyperspace nodes we were able to connect to the one near our home planet that still had new ships arriving every day.
“We saw more pirates too, most of them not as benevolent as the Ja'kartii, and some of them only pretending to be pirates. You must surely know about the latter. We observed those and the constant spy-ships to be the only sort of communication from the Commonwealth until the invitation to this very event, which I can only assume had to be in error.
“I want you to understand, honoured ambassadors, that I am speaking for sixty-five billion beings across Earth, Mars, Titan, Europa, Boru and Laetillia. I am speaking for fifteen species that are now our equals in the human civilisation. I am not here to ask for membership to your Commonwealth. I am not here to ask for anything at all. I am merely here to state our invitation to every sapient being in the galaxy."
Across the chaos that unfolded through the Hall of Representatives boomed the humans voice: "Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
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A lonely exploration of Tao
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] When Avery crosses over to the Prehistoric land of the Chinese myths, accompanied by a game-like system, he is eager to start his new exciting life and dominate the world. Unfortunately, he is stranded in an inhospitable land devoid of life, and the system is barely enough to keep him alive. He has to honestly rely on himself to get stronger, and without guidance he needs to pioneer a cultivation technique suitable for him. A solitary life of meditation, slowly delving into the secrets of the universe, forging his own path and making the best of unfortunate circumstances. Maybe one day he will triumph and escape, revealing his brilliance for the world to see. _____________ Hi, I am the author vaurwyn. I am a huge fan of complex magic systems, so this is the major theme of the book, an ordinary man exploring a Taoism-inspired magic system. Release schedule : Once a week, Saturday at 7pm (Except during Writathon)
8 135Reincarnation: EVOLUTION.
Our protagonist dies when war broke out on Earth. After who knows how long he is reincarnated in a fantasy world with the help of a GOD! It would be all fine and dandy, if only his reincarnation wouldn't be a..... ####################################################### My first fiction so comment shit out of it!!! Also English isn't my native language so, sorry for my grammar. Inspired by RE:MONSTER and RE:HAMSTER.
8 124The Paths Of Life (Cancelled)
In the year 20XX, a mysterious rift erupted upon Earth. It connected mankind to a strange planet populated by titanic and horrifying lifeforms, where the law of the jungle reigns supreme. Yet with courage and ambition on their side, mankind boldy braves the new world, Tartarus. Half a millennia later, one young man prepares for his coming of age ceremony, ready to fight along his brethren against the harsh reality beyond the walls. For ten years he has prepared for that sole purpose, to willingly give his life for the protection his people. And yet... The paths of life are vast and unpredictable. Every choice made creates a new path to walk upon, towards endless possibilities, while those forgoed dismantle them. When the time comes, will his choices lead to prosperty, or dismay?
8 168Again
Most villains, no matter how terrifying, are defeated by a hero on the first try. The hero may be forced to flee or otherwise delay the real confrontation, but it’s still certain that he will win when it occurs. But some villains simply defeat all comers. Against an opponent like that, the only options are to give up or to try again. --- This story is a participant of the WriTEr's pledge. In short, I promise to finish it, and may I be Hall of Shamed if I don't.
8 92An Exploration of Vulnerabilities
Corporations are struggling to keep up with these tumultuous times. New Businesses are practically blooming overnight with revolutionizing ideas, forcing their competitors to ignore security and stability just to keep up. All the while Governments are lagging behind and try to keep up with laws that try to ensure the bare minimum. But time is running out as the potential consequences multiply and even a single flaw could cause billions in damages. The clock is ticking.
8 176The Mountains Of Versailles
We all have defining moments. These are the times in our lives we often reminisce about times we were proud of, or accomplished great feats. This was not one of those times.A quick warning from me before you read! This story has broken characters. They all have flaws and none are perfect. The MC can't fight, he's only a human just 18 years old. As it is tagged with mature you should also know that suicide, while not a core theme plays a part in the story. Abuse both mental and physical as well. Also, I make some really stupid jokes. What do Earth's morals mean in a world where killing is easy? When Bran is tricked by an uninformative and unhelpful goddess he is taken to another world. How will the weak Bran survive in this world without any cheat skills, or even knowledge of the basic human language? Can he possibly find a reason to even try to stay alive in this strange new world? These are all answered in the completely original, no-holds barred story: The Mountains Of Versailles.
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