Once upon a time,
they lived happily ever after.
The End.

That's a terrible haiku!

Once upon a time..

??????


Profit!

Ummm...que?

Did I get that wrong? Haven't you been in two tied rounds?

I did. I just misunderstood some stuff. Sorry. IGNORE ME!!

We all already ignore you.

Apparently not, as I've already tied twice. I'd say I've got just as much attention as the other guy, whoever that may be.

Suggestion, Kalel21 - next time around you could assign points to a win and to a tie (maybe 10 or 5 respectively) and either state the final score that would constitute a win - or maybe determine the number of rounds and then award the win to the person who ends up with the highest score. Just a few thoughts.

The secret votes will probably be helpful as well.

That's a good thought for future games. We'll see if the secret votes can't help out this coming round.

Thanks for picking up on my reference to August Derleth, a contributor to Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos and founder of Arkham House Books. Also, there is a tip of the hat to "The Colour Out of Space", by HPL.

Additional Easter Eggs:

- The Old Indian in the story is indeed meant to be Sitting Bull, who died after being shot while resisting arrest by the Fort Yates police agency. Crow Foot was his son's name.
- Daniel Boone died in 1820, 35 years prior to the setting of the story. His last words are recorded as being, "I'm going now. My time has come."
- The Robot Daneel in the story is a tribute to R. Daneel Olivaw, a character from Isaac Asimov's robot novels.

I picked up the Sitting Bull and Boone references. Missed the Daneel one, curse it all.

Maybe you could also find a way to make it so there's an odd number of people voting in each round so that, unless someone misses the vote, you're sure to get a winner one way or the other.

I feel that you're quite odd.

Here's the next round of stories:

Plot #1:

Abraxxa the Catalyzer arrives near Boston the night of April 18, 1775. She is a Biomechanoid (Biological core with carbon fiber and stabilized quark plasma exoskeleton) scout for the V'Hrzzii Combine, an aggressive, muti-species alliance of colonizers from the Sagittarius arm.

Deactivating her tachyon particle foils, Abraxxa deploys her bio force accumulator to scan for exploitable resources. Her task is interrupted by a nearby disturbance. Investigating, Abraxxa finds herself on a nearby crossroads. Paul Revere has been detained here by a patrol of British regulars.

Abraxxa approaches these creatures with the intent of scanning them for her assessment of the planet. The British are terrified at the approach of what, to them, could only be some monstrous demon from hell, covered with golden, glowing Armour plate and festooned with undefinable projections and symbols.

Those few Redcoats who do not flee in terror fumble for their muskets and open fire, but their primitive slug throwers pose no threat to Abraxxa, as her ionization helix disintegrates the slugs before the even make contact with her surface.

Realizing the futility of further action The troops flee, forgetting Revere in their haste.

Paul Revere struggles to his feet and stands face to cranial turret deflector panel with the maddeningly alien Abraxxa, too stunned to flee or take any action. Abraxxa scans this being and files the results along with her orbital survey. (A panel of V'Hrzzii specialists will collate her findings later and decide if this world is exploitable.)

Revere watches numbly as Abraxxa deploys wing-like tachyon particle foils and ascends rapidly into the night sky.

Capturing his horse, who fled a short distance away, Revere resumes his midnight ride, deciding it would be best to keep the account of this strange visitation to himself.

Plot #2:

Paul Revere knew the coming conflict with the British would not be an easy one, but he never expected the other invasion.

On April 14th 1775, as Paul Revere rides into Concord to warn the Massachusetts Provincial Congress of the impending British invasion he glimpses what looks like a huge double tea kettle settle to the ground. Thinking the accursed redcoats have arrived early in a strange new war machine, Paul turns his horse into the field.

Taking the initiative to surprise them he pulls his flintlock and rides his horse into the ship as the ramp lowers hoping to capture the enemy commander before the troops begin to spill out. Much to his surprise there is not a redcoat in sight, but instead the ship is full of naked little grey men. Startled he discharges his pistol and kills the commander of the ship.
The aliens quickly prostrate themselves to the great warrior who now stands above them. Using the advanced technology of their race they communicate that they are interstellar refugees needing a place to settle after fleeing their home planet for fear of being persecuted because they are gray instead of green. Taking pity on them Paul Revere offers them sanctuary in exchange for them assisting the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in freeing the colonies of the tyrannical redcoats.

The aliens realizing they have a chance to ingratiate themselves to the residents agree and Paul Revere and his now named, SpaceRiders lift off to deal the encroaching British a severe blow. The following weeks were a complete disaster for the Brits, who had no weapon capable of harming the space vessel and no defense against the terrible beam weapons of the SpaceRiders.

The Second Continental Congress declared victory over the British on July 4th 1775 and decreed that it would forever be Independence Day.
Paul Revere, war hero and patriot decides to leave the newly names United States of America for the stars with a small contingent of soldiers to return his SpaceRiders home and secure their independence against the tyrannical Greens.

END

Remember to PM me your vote rather than post it here. The deadline for voting is Monday by Noon Eastern.