Challenge #02274-F084: They Look Like MonsterssteemCreated with Sketch.

in #fiction5 years ago

canstockphoto18732424.jpg

Humans meet an intelligent species who is nice, friendly, understanding and honest to a fault. A human vessel breaks down and they send the distress call to Help.
The Problem is, they look Like a horror movie Monster. Something that looks somewhat human but mangled, discolored, and just... wrong in all planes of existence. Not to forget their teeth, claws,etc.
They have the smell of rotting meat, decay and blood, when they are happy and they move through the vents for easy access.
How will the Humans cope with helpful Monsters and their Overall nice Attitude? -- Anon Guest

It sounded like the plot to every horror movie that Terrans had ever made since the invention of fake blood. A spaceship crew stranded AU's from anywhere. Failing power, failing life support. Dwindling food supplies, and so forth. Stress upon stress with no hope of rescue. Until the Karmorp'se came to the rescue.

The first sign of contact was the docking clamps engaging with someone else's tube. Then came a flood of fresh air that was a blessing to all those survivors grimly clinging to their decor pot plants. Communication came next, first through simple pictograms, then via equally simple words. The greatest relief came with the knowledge that both parties spoke GalStand Simple.

The Karmorp'se were friendly and genial, they had an abundance of compatible supplies, which they eagerly shared through loading apparatus normally meant for Station docking. They were honest about everything and even managed to share a few jokes. They were eminently loveable and their voices sounded warm, sweet, and friendly. Eventually, suspicion raised concerning the lack of face-to-face communication.

The Karmorp'se, honest as always, said, "Regretting, face ours not looking friendly."

The Humans, in joking response, returned, "Species ours not looking friendly, Deathworlders us."

It took further minutes of friendly banter, but the Karmorp'se were eventually convinced to turn on vidcomms. What followed could only be described as an instant moment of regret.

They were Humanoid... sort of. The arrangement of neck, shoulders, elbows and other joints was not contiguous with a Human alignment. Their natural skin tone and hair growth looked almost exactly like a decaying Human corpse. Worse, they perspired a substance with a remarkable similarity to Human blood. In brief, the Karmorp'se had an appearance that was deep in the uncanny valley.

Every Human instinct told them that they should fight the Karmorp'se, reject them, alienate them, and otherwise stay well away from them. The only problem with this was that they had already bonded through verbal communications. There were some intense internal conflicts on the Humans' side. Relief on both sides occurred when the Karmorp'se revealed that Humans resembled legendary monsters from the Karmorp'se's past.

It's difficult to accomplish peace between species when there is an instinctual fear reaction on both sides. Humans, however, find a way. They will literally share their pack-bonding instincts with anyone and anything.

Apparently, the secret is to expose either parties to preparatory videos and briefings.

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / outsiderzone]

If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends!

Send me a prompt [50 remaining prompts!]

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Check out the other stuff I'm selling

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.28
TRX 0.12
JST 0.034
BTC 63463.10
ETH 3243.17
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.45