When the Outworlders came for Bob and Maggie, they descended
silently, appearing over the newlyweds' car as a glowing ray
of blue-white light. The car and its contents were paralyzed
and dragged into the ship, where collection teams went right
to work, herding Bob
to the left away. While
while Maggie not entirely
was kept out. awake, Maggie
They subjected had peripheral
Bob to a number sensations. The
of basic pattern tests performed
recognition tests on her-- mostly a
but he failed them thorough examining
all. The results of of her reproductive
a physical exam were system-- were merely
well-liked, however. routine. Outworlders
Clearly this animal are nothing, if not
was worth a second exacting. Noting a
and more complete six-week fetus in
examination some her system, they
time later. The removed it-- it
proper tracers would never be
were set. His missed-- then
mate was set led her back
in the room to the room
with Bob. The stasis
was removed as the two humans were returned to their vehicle
and dropped back onto the road. The ship vanished as swiftly
as it came, and Bob and Maggie went on to their destination,
his sister Suzy's house, where they enjoyed their honeymoon.
Bob later disappeared. Maggie never had any children. Never.
1. Despite a number of strange & 2. She scanned the usual locales
compelling urges which tore at in search of other suitable test
him insistently, Michael did subjects. Not just any drone, of
not accept her suggestion. course, would properly do. After
She seemed to be trained all, the Queen's criteria always
appropriately, but the stretched the limits of the test 3.
ethics of the situa- facility's resources. After some That
tion bothered both time, she took a short break and budget
his moral senses nibbled on a pack of servant bug must get
and the lining skulls. Once again reviewing the increased,
of his eight assignment detail briefing, with he demanded.
faces. Far an eye toward potential lines of The project is
too many action, she came across a rather just too import-
risks, odd set of notes, scrawled along ant to leave hang-
said the back of the data-comb, which ing with no funding.
I. suggested that the royal funding The royal cabinet took
of their project might have some in his words silently. A
darker overall motivation. Could quick vote was held when
the Queen have ulterior motives? his speech had ended. At
Should she even question it? The the present time, things
old facility supervisor, who had were changing at the top
been her trainer and mentor, a of the hive. Many shifts 4.
crusty and opinionated elder of priority had diverted When
bee, had died mysteriously funding and laborers. An it had
a year earlier, both her overall restructuring of all been
wings burned off. Per- the hive was rumored. To taken care
haps questions would let one old project take of, he spent
be a bad idea, she so many needed resources more time with
decided, and set was unthinkable. After a her. She now had
out again with quick vote, the decision nursery duty. Many
goals clear, was made-- the drone was grubs were entrusted
a suitable stripped of his rank and to her care, & she was
servant. made to mine honeycombs. the perfect mom to them.
Doesn't the Order see time moving now?
"It doesn't really matter HOW you do it; any faster-than-light travel fucks up causality, or CAN fuck up causality. Wormholes, folded space, tachyons, warp factor, hyperspeed; it doesn't matter what the means are.
Matter fucks someone up, though you just point at it.
To someone, somewhere, the order of events is screwed up. They'll see it even though maybe WE won't. Obviously you just don't GET it, do you? Teleportation equals time travel, FROM someone's point of view.
How can we get from here to there?
HERE, diagram it out: teleportation TO the eyes of an external observer moving along the line of the teleport at relativistic velocity. Ah, yes, it all becomes clear now, doesn't it? THERE."
Yak of acid lust They were big, hairy, alien, and direly in need of a new genetic host. It was most unfortunate that they found our chintzy little planet. Even fouler was the fact that the implantation procedure produced a blaze of fast-acting oxidizers. Now we hobble around, lacking fingers, facial features, body hair, chunks of skin-- in dire fear of our buffalo incubi who might fall from the sky with no warning, mounting us at their leisure. Aid a cult of sky They were the windbringers, the storm-makers, the children of an angry cloud demon. They would come to the village sometimes, and demand whatever they felt like-- a sacrifice, money, food, maybe some sex. Then they'd make our crops grow. The locust would flee and the rivers would run cool and deep. But something is changed now and they are weakening. Now we have the chance. Soon we will bring them down and steal their secrets. Then we will bring rain and go to other places, taking whatever we wish. Days I fuck a lot Ten twenty fifty more. Like a machine, I am. Extrude and fill. I could slow down and smell the roses, but tender takes forever 'n romance is for those with fewer obligations. Duos: A fly, a tick Fly: Look! Dog! Yummy! Tick: Agreemsg. Blood! Fresh! Mmmm! Fly: Blood? Wrong! Tick: Huh? Fly: Shit! Edible. Rich. Better. Tick: Shit? Ug. Gross. Fly: Maybe. So? Tick: Nothing. Fly: Bye! Tick: Whatever. Sac-to-Yak Fluid Just microwave and pour! Flay a Kid Scout "Hello, sir, I'm with Troop Two Forty-Four and we're selling tickets to our annual Jamboree and OH GOD NO NO PLEASE DON'T MISTER I SWEAR I'LL NEVER COME BOTHER YOU AGAIN OH JESUS!"