Here’s the final contribution. This is an extract from a scifi AU thing I am (I should be) working on for Grey (the second one in the Fandom for Australia thing). I’m going to post it here to get a kick onwards to writing it
And comments are extremely welcome!
The Contct and the Guardian (Onni and/or Tuuri)“So, the important point to remember,” Caleb was lecturing away, “is that the Finaians are emphamorphs. Meaning, they will look like you think they look like. Usually around human clients they appear humanoid, but it’s up to you. They are most affected by the leader of any group, so in this case that would be you, Mr Västerström. Please try to think of them as any people.”
“But how can we? They are probably the most mysterious of all sentient races! Nothing is known of their true form!” Thalia interjected.
“This is by their choice” Caleb reminded his young client. “They only allow one hunting party every three to eight or so standard years, and strictly no research. The other important thing is to remember to do what they say. If any of you breaches their rules, we’ll be lucky if any of us get out.
So, anyway, we’ll be there soon. Often their appearance flickers a little at first, but usually it settles down when you all start expecting them to look like they just did. I have had a case and heard of another when the appearance the hunting party gave them was insulting, and they cancelled the Agreement then and there. So, just people, ok?”
“Ok, I’m sure I can manage”, Västerström muttered, rolling his eyes to Thalia. “I’m not a little kid who’s afraid of monsters under the bed!”
“It’s not just that” Caleb reminded the haughty youth “If they deem the appearance to suggest you consider them to be subservient to humans, they will not be pleased. So for example don’t forget that the Guardian will be holding all of our lives safe during the Hunt. They are not pathetic scrawny things.”
***
The Finaian space port was ridiculous, considering it was the main (possibly the only) port on the entire planet. There were the barest of necessities for a few environments and decon, and that was it. Conveniently Finaian environment was pretty nicely within Terra 2N parameters, so environment-wise their personal mods were sufficient and they didn’t need any external equipment.
Caleb loaded their stuff onto the sleds and lead the way down a long, barren hallway. “This leads to the departure pod. We’ll meet our service providers here. There will be one Contact and likely a Guardian, the Guide may or may not be here yet. Most likely we won’t meet anybody else. So, remember. Just people.” Caleb put his hand on the sensor and stated his name, the Agreement code, and the names of his three companions.
The door opened to a Terra environment space. The space was rounded, almost spherical although the floor had been flattened some. There was some human-type furniture and a large window? screen? showing a green and purple area that appeared to be surface environment. Near some of the furniture and in front of the window were two presences of... it was impossible to describe the first impression. They didn’t look or sound like anything, but at the same time they were flickering with thousands of forms and features. It was immediately clear there were two persons there, although Emil had no idea how he knew that. He was starting to feel dizzy, when Caleb grabbed his elbow. “Remember, just people!”
It helped. The flickering started to coalesce into two humanoid shapes. At first they looked identical, pretty much standard humans in white clothing resembling uniforms, with pale skin and eyes and pale, almost silvery hair. “I guess this is good enough. Welcome to Finaia. I am your Contact.” The voice came from the Finaian at the furniture.
The Contact’s voice sounded vaguely female to Emil, and her form altered slightly . She became shorter and her features rounder just a little. “Oh, thank you Mr Västerström. I am indeed what you might consider a female of our species, not that the distinction would be of any relevance to you. But it’s always nice to get some personal features. Please meet your Guardian.” It/she gestured towards the other... person in the room.
The Guardian had also changed. They had become taller and broader, with a strong jaw and piercing eyes. Their hair was a bit shaggy, and their clothing (uniform?) now sported strange markings. Emil glanced back at Contact and noticed her uniform also had some details now, but less than Guardian’s. The Guardian made a noise to acknowledge their presence but didn’t speak. It (maybe it was a he?) was looking stern, bordering on angry.
