Aftermath

I wrote this to ysabetwordsmith's third prompt.

When the Achuan invaded, they apologised.

At its most basic level, what they said translated into English as, “Uh, we didn’t mean to nuke your planet with our war debris.  Sorry.”

The vast swathes of three continents that had been peppered with ‘hot’ technology falling from the sky were not impressed with their apology or the invasion.  Until the aliens said they could fix it.

There was a white powder that they sprinkled on everything that was overly radioactive – even things that weren’t the result of falling, shot up star ships.  The radioactivity stopped.

Then the Achuan began trying to collect the broken pieces of starship.  Trouble was, once the debris was no longer radioactive, the human Terrani swarmed all over it.  Bits were gone, disappeared into workshops, laboratories and backyard sheds all over the planet.  When they realised that the Achuan got upset, stamped their feet and yelled.

Someone human, in authority, observing this behaviour thought to ask, very cautiously, “Are you an adult?”  Into the silence the human suggested, “Perhaps we should speak to your responsible adult?”

The Achuan produced a member of their species’ mentoring species.

“I’ve heard the Achuans’ explanation of the situation,” the newcomer said, its sounds being translated into Achuan and the particular Terrani language the human spoke by glowing orbs that circled its head, “and now I want to hear your view of it.”  It turned to the suddenly protesting Achuan and told them, “Go and wait over there!”  The Achuan crossed the valley and waited while the newcomer listened.

When the human finished the newcomer spoke again.  “What you’ve told me matches what my systems tell me.  These striplings think I’m a nice old man who’ll be easier on them than their parents.  I’m about to disabuse them.  They meant well but that white power is for small scale industrial use and should’ve been cleaned up straight away.”  It sighed.  “Rehabilitating this mess will take time.  Would any of your people consider emigration to your own colony worlds in the meantime?”

And then a human demonstrated that you could reverse engineer a stardrive.

Aftermath

I wrote this to ysabetwordsmith's third prompt.

When the Achuan invaded, they apologised.

At its most basic level, what they said translated into English as, “Uh, we didn’t mean to nuke your planet with our war debris.  Sorry.”

The vast swathes of three continents that had been peppered with ‘hot’ technology falling from the sky were not impressed with their apology or the invasion.  Until the aliens said they could fix it.

There was a white powder that they sprinkled on everything that was overly radioactive – even things that weren’t the result of falling, shot up star ships.  The radioactivity stopped.

Then the Achuan began trying to collect the broken pieces of starship.  Trouble was, once the debris was no longer radioactive, the human Terrani swarmed all over it.  Bits were gone, disappeared into workshops, laboratories and backyard sheds all over the planet.  When they realised that the Achuan got upset, stamped their feet and yelled.

Someone human, in authority, observing this behaviour thought to ask, very cautiously, “Are you an adult?”  Into the silence the human suggested, “Perhaps we should speak to your responsible adult?”

The Achuan produced a member of their species’ mentoring species.

“I’ve heard the Achuans’ explanation of the situation,” the newcomer said, its sounds being translated into Achuan and the particular Terrani language the human spoke by glowing orbs that circled its head, “and now I want to hear your view of it.”  It turned to the suddenly protesting Achuan and told them, “Go and wait over there!”  The Achuan crossed the valley and waited while the newcomer listened.

When the human finished the newcomer spoke again.  “What you’ve told me matches what my systems tell me.  These striplings think I’m a nice old man who’ll be easier on them than their parents.  I’m about to disabuse them.  They meant well but that white power is for small scale industrial use and should’ve been cleaned up straight away.”  It sighed.  “Rehabilitating this mess will take time.  Would any of your people consider emigration to your own colony worlds in the meantime?”

And then a human demonstrated that you could reverse engineer a stardrive.

Who Was He?

I wrote this from ysabetwordsmith's fourth prompt.

“No,” Alyssa walked determinedly onwards, “I do not want to go back to your room.”

“But you let me buy you a drink,” Barry protested, “That means-“

“And I bought you a drink and then we each hung around with other people,” Alyssa snapped back.  “I see no reason for either of us to go anywhere with the other.”

“Teasing, frigid, lesbian bitch,” Barry snarled at her, grabbing at her arm and missing, this time, “Time to pay up.”

Alyssa wished she was wearing flats instead of heels so she could run.  There were two street lights out in this normally well lit part of the university grounds and the shadows looked much bigger and darker than usual.  “None of the above,” she snapped, “I just don’t want to go to bed with you.”

“Don’t need a bed, do we?”  He managed to grab her this time and started manhandling her towards the shadows under the trees.

“Stop!  Let me go!  I don’t want this!”  Alyssa was shouting at the top of her voice now, hoping someone would hear, hoping a car would drive past and see that she was struggling.  “Fire!”

A flash of light made both of them aware that they were not alone, Barry blinking furiously because it had been straight in his eyes.  Alyssa could see the source of the intervention, a dark figure with the light behind him in tracksuit, and joggers with the hood from his jacket pulled up against the chill.  In the glow from the phone Alyssa could see a broad nose and dark skin over fingers hitting three numbers on the keypad.

Barry snarled, “What the-?”

The figure put the phone to his ear and said, “Police.”

“Barry,” Alyssa said loudly, “Let me go!  I do not want to go anywhere with you.”

“I’d like to report an assault in progress,” said the figure, “I’m sending you a picture.  She’s told him to let her go and he hasn’t done it yet.  Seems his name is Barry.”

Afterwards, the figure in the tracksuit disappeared before Alyssa could thank him.  The police had been very interested in Barry.

“I didn’t get a good look at him,” Alyssa said to the police officer of her rescuer.  “He could have been Aboriginal, Maori or an Islander.  He could even have been African or African-American, there are a few of those on campus, but I thought the accent was all wrong for that.”

“He could just have been cutting through the university grounds,” the policeman commented, “but the gym down the road’s still open and the two nearest residential buildings, the Theological College and the University Regiment, are mainly male.  He could be from any of those.  I’m sure we’ll be able to find him if we need his evidence.  His number will be against the emergency call.”

Who Was He?

I wrote this from ysabetwordsmith's fourth prompt.

“No,” Alyssa walked determinedly onwards, “I do not want to go back to your room.”

“But you let me buy you a drink,” Barry protested, “That means-“

“And I bought you a drink and then we each hung around with other people,” Alyssa snapped back.  “I see no reason for either of us to go anywhere with the other.”

“Teasing, frigid, lesbian bitch,” Barry snarled at her, grabbing at her arm and missing, this time, “Time to pay up.”

Alyssa wished she was wearing flats instead of heels so she could run.  There were two street lights out in this normally well lit part of the university grounds and the shadows looked much bigger and darker than usual.  “None of the above,” she snapped, “I just don’t want to go to bed with you.”

“Don’t need a bed, do we?”  He managed to grab her this time and started manhandling her towards the shadows under the trees.

“Stop!  Let me go!  I don’t want this!”  Alyssa was shouting at the top of her voice now, hoping someone would hear, hoping a car would drive past and see that she was struggling.  “Fire!”

A flash of light made both of them aware that they were not alone, Barry blinking furiously because it had been straight in his eyes.  Alyssa could see the source of the intervention, a dark figure with the light behind him in tracksuit, and joggers with the hood from his jacket pulled up against the chill.  In the glow from the phone Alyssa could see a broad nose and dark skin over fingers hitting three numbers on the keypad.

Barry snarled, “What the-?”

The figure put the phone to his ear and said, “Police.”

“Barry,” Alyssa said loudly, “Let me go!  I do not want to go anywhere with you.”

“I’d like to report an assault in progress,” said the figure, “I’m sending you a picture.  She’s told him to let her go and he hasn’t done it yet.  Seems his name is Barry.”

Afterwards, the figure in the tracksuit disappeared before Alyssa could thank him.  The police had been very interested in Barry.

“I didn’t get a good look at him,” Alyssa said to the police officer of her rescuer.  “He could have been Aboriginal, Maori or an Islander.  He could even have been African or African-American, there are a few of those on campus, but I thought the accent was all wrong for that.”

“He could just have been cutting through the university grounds,” the policeman commented, “but the gym down the road’s still open and the two nearest residential buildings, the Theological College and the University Regiment, are mainly male.  He could be from any of those.  I’m sure we’ll be able to find him if we need his evidence.  His number will be against the emergency call.”

Heart To Heart

I wrote this to aldersprig's first prompt.

“I think we need to talk,” Mirren announced from the doorway.

At the sound of her voice Bannoc closed up whatever it was he was doing on the computer.  “What about?”  He was as brusque as he had been for months.

“Us.  You.  Me.”  Mirren leaned against the door frame.  “Are we still an item or not?”

“I told you,” he glanced at her and then turned his attention to the keyboard, “You don’t want to be with me.”

“That’s your stated opinion, yes.”  Mirren’s eyes were fixed firmly on his face.  “So, I’m allowed to be with someone else?”

“Of course.”  His head snapped up in surprise.

“Then why is it that every time I go out with someone else you break gym equipment in front of them?”  She tapped her foot, “I’ve had complaints – every time I get dumped.  In fact, I get accused of playing games and I don’t play that sort of game!”  She glared at him.

“I don’t mean-“

“Then why do you do it?”  She wasn’t leaning against the door frame any more.  “You won’t go out with me, you won’t sleep with me and you won’t let anyone else do those things with me either.  Where does that leave me?”

Bannoc looked as if he was trying to come up with an answer and failing.

“It’s not as if I expect you, or anyone else for that matter, to marry me,” she snapped at him, “but I thought we were good.  I thought we could be happy together for years...”

“Wait-,” he was confused again.  “Why wouldn’t I marry you?  I mean, me, if you knew-.  But me not marry you?”

“No-one marries the women in my family,” Mirren was stone-faced, forced to talk about something she always tried to ignore, “we’re not good enough, trash.  Always have been.”

“Who’s been telling you that?”  Bannoc was on his feet.  “I’ll kill him.  Do you want to see the body?”

“The world.  All my life.  I don’t want there to be a body.”  She smiled tiredly.  “So what’s with you?  Tell me.”

Bannoc sat down and his face crumpled.  “I killed them.  I believed Trode and I killed them.  All the babies in Rensa’s family.”

Heart To Heart

I wrote this to aldersprig's first prompt.

“I think we need to talk,” Mirren announced from the doorway.

At the sound of her voice Bannoc closed up whatever it was he was doing on the computer.  “What about?”  He was as brusque as he had been for months.

“Us.  You.  Me.”  Mirren leaned against the door frame.  “Are we still an item or not?”

“I told you,” he glanced at her and then turned his attention to the keyboard, “You don’t want to be with me.”

“That’s your stated opinion, yes.”  Mirren’s eyes were fixed firmly on his face.  “So, I’m allowed to be with someone else?”

“Of course.”  His head snapped up in surprise.

“Then why is it that every time I go out with someone else you break gym equipment in front of them?”  She tapped her foot, “I’ve had complaints – every time I get dumped.  In fact, I get accused of playing games and I don’t play that sort of game!”  She glared at him.

“I don’t mean-“

“Then why do you do it?”  She wasn’t leaning against the door frame any more.  “You won’t go out with me, you won’t sleep with me and you won’t let anyone else do those things with me either.  Where does that leave me?”

Bannoc looked as if he was trying to come up with an answer and failing.

“It’s not as if I expect you, or anyone else for that matter, to marry me,” she snapped at him, “but I thought we were good.  I thought we could be happy together for years...”

“Wait-,” he was confused again.  “Why wouldn’t I marry you?  I mean, me, if you knew-.  But me not marry you?”

“No-one marries the women in my family,” Mirren was stone-faced, forced to talk about something she always tried to ignore, “we’re not good enough, trash.  Always have been.”

“Who’s been telling you that?”  Bannoc was on his feet.  “I’ll kill him.  Do you want to see the body?”

“The world.  All my life.  I don’t want there to be a body.”  She smiled tiredly.  “So what’s with you?  Tell me.”

Bannoc sat down and his face crumpled.  “I killed them.  I believed Trode and I killed them.  All the babies in Rensa’s family.”