B7 Friday is a LiveJournal 'community'
which posts a weekly theme. Here are some of the stories I've done for it. These are mostly 100 word 'drabbles'. |
| Like a natural Woman (theme was to do a request by a fellow fridayer- lazy_neutrino asked for 'Some Jarvik, being sent for retraining to get in touch with his feminine side, please.') Jarvik grunted and threw the sack of flour over his shoulder. "No!" the instructor shouted. "You don't treat a baby like that! Cradle it! Protect it!" "Woo..., Major, kids need toughening, not pampering!" The Major looked him up and down. "You want tough? I'll give you tough! Bring out the Empathy Belly!" "That's got tits! I'm not wearing that!" It took two mutoids to hold Jarvik down as they strapped him in and sealed up the thirty pound device. Jarvik yelped as the simulated fetus kicked him. The Major grinned and patted him on the arse. "You're glowing already, dear." | mistraltoes requested- How Travis met the Andromedans Travis heard an odd noise after knocking out Par. He glanced back at the door to the courtroom and saw a pinhole leak, air hissing into it, bleeding off into space. If the door failed completely, the nearest safe compartment was too far away to reach in time. He began looking desperately for a temporary patch. A clear green liquid suddenly shot from the door and pooled on the floor, one thin strand still in the door. It broke off, leaving the hole filled. As Travis stared, the puddle gathered together, and took on color and form until Major Thania stood before him, her uniform, make-up, and hair as immaculately, artificially, perfect as ever. Travis raised the gun he'd taken from Par. "What are you?" "An ally, apparently." Thania gazed at Travis coolly. "What has humanity done for you?" Travis stared at the alien for a moment, and then laughed. "Maybe we can do business later." He turned and headed for Servalan's quarters. "If you can find me." Thania nodded and walked in the other direction. |
| Friendly Waves (Vilakins and SallyM wanted Vila and Deva) Vila floated happily. "This is the life." From the other side of the raft Deva said, "We're supposed to be on watch." "Blake said the locals are friendly." Vila fell asleep. Deva lay back down and soon followed Vila's example. Is it them? Is it? Can we play with them? Make them sing? Can they swim? Deva and Vila awoke and clung to each other. The raft was surrounded by sleek, blue-gray bodies that leaped and opened long jaws. From the shore, Blake watched as his chosen emissaries were accepted by the telepathic dolphins. This time the rebellion would succeed. | Flexibility (Hafren requested - what happened to Carnell afterward & that it wasn't horrible) Carnell knew people; he didn't know machines. Whatever was wrong with his ship, he hadn't a hope of repairing. He set up the distress call and opened a bottle of wine. Either someone would come along in time, or they wouldn't. In a way it was refreshing to have no control over a situation. The bottle was still half full when the comm. snapped, "Prepare to be boarded! This is the Amagon cruiser Star Queen!" Carnell smiled. "Gentlemen, I have a proposition of mutual benefit. If you listen to me, your next raid won't go pear-shaped like the Liberator fiasco." |
| Memories are made of this (theme was memories) "How did you know, Blake?" "What?" Blake looked up at Jenna from the console Avon had declared was a weapons' control. "How did you know that what Zen showed you wasn't real?" Blake looked down again. How to say that his sister always smelled of the bath powder he bought her every solstice, birthday and President's day? How she always pretended to be surprised and delighted. How his brother never met him without grinning and punching him lightly in the shoulder and offering to take him two falls out of three. He couldn’t say it. Blake shrugged. "I just knew." | Imprinted (don't recall the theme) The Amagons transferred Blake to another ship. By the time the Liberator's crew regained control Blake was gone. The huge ransom they offered tempted many con-men, so when Avon, Jenna and Vila entered yet another dingy room containing a blindfolded and bound, curly-haired man, they were skeptical. The man was barely conscious, head slack and mouth bloody. Vila blotted the man's broken lips gingerly with his handkerchief. The man moaned in falsetto, and Vila dropped the handkerchief. "This can't be Blake!' Avon took one look at the scarlet lip-print before snapping a bracelet on the man's wrist. "It's Blake! Teleport!" |
| Light Fantastic (don't recall the theme) When particularly irritated with Blake, I use Orac to search among obscure data-banks, whilst pretending to conduct vital research. This poem from the Old Calendar, written by a man named Milton back in 1632, struck a responsive chord. Come, and trip it as ye go, On the light fantastick toe. And in thy right hand lead with thee, The Mountain Nymph, sweet Liberty; Blake dances extraordinarily well. I believe that's why I stay - to watch the performance. I don't want to be here when he inevitably does trip and fall, but, until then…it's the best show in the universe. | Another plan gone to pieces (forgot the theme) Servalan strode out of the operating theatre, laughing. A politely professional nurse escorted her to a lounge to wait until they set up a communications link with the Federation. "There will be a slight delay, owing to com-conflict. All the survivors of the war, calling for rescue, you understand." Servalan nodded impatiently, and accepted the drink and plate of salty hors' d oeuvres the woman offered. After she drained the glass she overheard the nurse comment to another, "Imagine, saying she's the President of the Federation! Insanity shouldn't affect her organs." Servalan glared all the way to the operating theatre. |
| Neglected Love (don't recall theme) 'Make the trousers an inch tighter across the hip, Zen.' Jenna was the only one who realized Zen was present throughout the ship. At least she was the only one who talked to him by name while she was getting fitted for a new outfit. +'That will eliminate ease necessary for comfortable movement.'+ Jenna laughed. 'I'm not looking for comfort, Zen. I want something to make Blake notice me. And make the heels higher on the boots, too, will you?' Jenna tossed the garments back into the replicator. +'Confirmed'+ Zen wished he could do something to make Jenna notice him. | The Day After(Guest Character) The First Citizen does not take the drink from my tray. I wait the prescribed time, and take it away. I prepare his mid-day meal. When he does not consume this, I observe him more closely. He does not appear well. I carry him to the doctor, but after holding the First Citizen for ten minutes it is time for my next assigned task. I lay him down on the nearest examining table before I leave. The volcano monitoring devices do not respond. I report this to the technician in charge, and prepare a fresh drink for the First Citizen. |
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During one semi-annual catch-up on missed themes I decided to combine themes into several drabbles, to include them all. For this story I used Strange combinations (Pinder and Tarrant on spaceworld with a plastic ferret), proverbs, sayings, and Figures of Speech (out of the 10 random ones generated, I used these: frightened out of his wits, river of tears, neither a lender nor a borrower be, bald faced liar and parting shot), Cons, and Wishes Ferreting out the truth Liberator had gone to Space World for parts. It was safe, the people were in charge, but most of them were not quite right in the head. 'Buy a magic wishing ferret!" an old man begged, holding out a lumpy plastic object to Tarrant. He looked frightened out of his wits when Tarrant refused to fall for that old con - not again. "Egrorian will beat me if you don't!" The bald-faced liar wept a river of tears. Avon snorted when Tarrant asked for fifty credits for a ferret. "Neither a lender nor a borrower be," was his parting shot. | For this story I combined the themes Alien planet, wish fulfillment (Mistraltoes #8, Blake visiting Ushton as a boy) and 3 random words from an on-line generator-tick hairy verified. The Catch Roj was proud of his kill, but reluctant to pick it up. Inga snickered. "What's the matter, Roj? Are you afraid of a dead deer?" "Of course not." He picked up the deer and slung it over his shoulders. He was glad Exbar's wildlife was stunted by the shortage of oxygen. Inga giggled and followed Roj home, the hairy pelt scratching at the back of his neck the whole way. Inga learned a few new words that evening, when Ushton noticed Roj scratching at his neck, verified the presence of a deer-tick, and burned it off with a red-hot poker. |
| This one used Gan, set on earth, free-range rebels, advanced technology, memories Mangled Veron didn't care if she died, so of course, she didn't. She found a grav-lift and managed to reverse the field so it pushed the rubble off Gan. She was determined that Servalan wouldn't be able to collect the bounty on him. He'd been kind to her. She brushed back a tear, remembering her father. Gan was nothing like her dim recollections of him- except... that he was. When she dragged him out of the muck, something caught. She pulled harder and then felt sick when she saw the limiter, exposed.
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She buried him under a patch of forget-me-nots. | Following the Thread (theme was clothing) Avon read the Freedom Party Manifesto, and in return, Blake read a work of Avon's choosing, with Avon's favourite passage highlighted yellow. You don't have to signal a social conscience by looking like a frump. Lace knickers won't hasten the holocaust, you can ban the bomb in a feather boa just as well as without, and a mild interest in the length of hemlines doesn't necessarily disqualify you from reading Das Kapital and agreeing with every word. ~Elizabeth Bibesco Blake put down the book and shook his head firmly. "No, Avon. I am not going with you to Hard-Core Leather." |
| Food for Thought (theme was Food) Dayna smiled up at Tarrant afterward. "I could go for a taco." Tarrant grinned. "Settle for a tongue sandwich?" He kissed her and then drew back, puzzled. "What's that?" "Oh! I forgot!" Dayna pulled out her mouth-bomb filling and blew their way to freedom, disconcerting the avidly watching Ultras. "Oh, hell." Tarrant turned Dayna away from the hopper, not wanting her to see Avon's boots disappearing down the grinder, fed to a giant brain. "Get Cally." "But Avon!" "Too late." Dashing tears away, Dayna helped guide Cally to the machine that could restore her mind. Tarrant ran to the nearest reader and determined which of the two mind-cylinders contained Cally. Still weeping noisily, Dayna cradled Avon's cylinder to her bosom as they escaped the disintegrating Ultraworld with a dazed Cally in tow. Orac, Dayna, and Cally designed a custom-made android capable of housing Avon's personality. Tarrant was disgruntled that Dayna and Cally spent so much time arguing over the appearance and functionality of parts he hadn't felt an android needed, and peeved that they refused to install an 'off switch'. Vila pretended to be annoyed that they'd left in the sarcasm. Avon the Paranoid Android merely smirked at them both. | Inheritance (theme was Gan) Servalan looked up as her cell door opened. She stood when she saw the broad shoulders and curly hair of her young nemesis. "Blake." The big man inclined his head. "Servalan." "Have they decided on the form of my execution?" "We're not going to execute you. My father wouldn't have approved. Despite everything, he wasn't a man of violence, not really." His eyes softened. "I was five when he died; four when a Federation 'officer' killed my mother for the crime of being beautiful, and loyal to my father, but they had time to teach me that hate only begets more hate. You'll be sent to a planet that needs strong women. You might even rise to power on Cygnus Alpha, but never off of it again, your power base is destroyed, utterly. Your crimes against even your own officers came back to haunt you." "I did what was necessary to preserve the Federation." "No." He shook his head. "You murdered and cheated and lied only to preserve your own power." "And so will you, Blake. It's the only way to rule an empire this vast." "Perhaps. But I won't be the one ruling it. Power has been put back in the hands of the people, where it belongs." He turned away from Servalan, and then looked back at her. "Before I go, I'll set the records straight, but I wanted to tell you myself. I did lie in order to lead the rebellion. My name is Gan, Sven Gan." The alternative title is 'Once a Gan' |
| My Hero (theme was:
take the nearest book and incorporate line 5, page 23 in a story- preferably
as the first sentence. Astrogirl2 actually got this sentence, and put it
up for adoption.) He left the alien, who was by now looking completely confused, and ushered Charlene into his Winnebago. "Oh, Vila, you're so wonderful," the long-legged redhead cried out. "How can I ever thank you!" "It was almost nothing," Vila replied. "It was obvious he was ignorant of interspatial dynamics. Now, about that locked chest left to you by your uncle..." "Can you open it?" Charlene's chest heaved with emotion as she brought out a small Herculaneum box. Vila smiled. "Of course." He tapped once on each corner of the box, and the lid sprang open, revealing a fortune in diamonds. " I love you." Charlene grabbed Vila and pulled him by the shoulder towards the red fur covered bed. "Ouch, not so hard." The grip on his shoulder increased and became a shaking. "Your watch, Vila!" Tarrant said, and strode off the flight deck as Vila rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Lousy sense of timing," Vila grumbled as he got up off the flight deck couch. | Free Range Rebels (that was the theme) "Nice one." ZorPj petted the long, blonde hair of his catch and laid it down on the cutting board. "I prefer the females. They're more tender." PxyqWwl smiled. "That's why you let the big male get away with a cut on his face?" ZorPj mock-threatened PxyqWwl with a filleting knife. "It's only sporting to let the feisty ones go, sometimes." PxyqWwl waved a pseudopod in agreement. "Domestic humans are bland. Why else did we stage that silly 'invasion' but to cull them out of the herd?" ZorPj glanced up at the wall chron. "Ah! I'm late." He tossed PxyqWwl the apron and put on his 'work suit'. He smoothed out the face. "How do I look?" "Fine, Rontane, you look fine." PxyqWwl put Jenna in the oven at simmer. "What do you think, potatoes?" |
| A Stitch in Time (this was the page 23, line 5 challenge again- 1st sentence is from Good Housekeeping New Complete Guide to Needlecraft) "Turn edges toward each other and stitch together," Gan read from the monitor. Vila looked at the still form lying on the table under the bright lights of the med-unit. "I can't. You need an expert." "We can't trust anyone in the Federation. You've got the best hands; if any of us can save him, it's you," Avon said urgently. "Try, Vila." "I hadn't realized he meant so much to you," Vila said, touched. "He and I..." Avon shook his head. "Please, Vila!" **
The operation was a complete success. Avon hugged the patient. "I love you," said little Ted. |
A really big tip
(Lord Peter by Dorothy L. Sayers page 23 sentence 5) The French porter is a Republican, and moreover, extremely ill-paid. Vila wasn't surprised when their winnings from Freedom City came up short. It was still more than they could spend, so he took the theft philosophically. Avon didn't. He was upset because it was an uneven number of cred-chips. They couldn't split it properly. Finally Vila offered to give Avon the odd ten-thousand cred chip. Avon's insulted glare astonished him. Avon's counteroffer of payment for Vila's services astonished Vila even more, but he agreed. He'd show that alpha a thing or two!
*******
That's how Avon learned to pick locks. |
| Memories are made of this (theme was memories) "How did you know, Blake?" "What?" Blake looked up at Jenna from the console Avon had declared was a weapons' control. "How did you know that what Zen showed you wasn't real?" Blake looked down again. How to say that his sister always smelled of the bath powder he bought her every solstice, birthday and President's day? How she always pretended to be surprised and delighted. How his brother never met him without grinning and punching him lightly in the shoulder and offering to take him two falls out of three. He couldn’t say it. Blake shrugged. "I just knew." |
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