Challenge #01463-D002: Visit Zoq'in University!
Motto of a Uni in a world where Humans are Doc Brown (doesn't necessarily have to be a human-run uni): Training the Terrifying Terran Technologists of Tomorrow. -- RecklessPrudence
All things considered, it is a great boon to the universe that Terrans have never been able to read Golq'ethin. Otherwise, when bright-eyed and enthusiastic future engineers of all flavours entered the decorative gates, they'd have read, Zoq'in University, Training the Terrifying Terran Technologists of Tomorrow. But they could not begin to unriddle the intricate curls and subtle colours that made up Golq'ethin, so they just thought it was pretty. They turned it into patterns around the hems of their clothing. They used it as decorative borders on their art, into partial doodles in their margins.
Never once knowing what they were mimicking.
Tutors at Zoq'in rotated quickly, despite undergoing Stress Resistance Training, having frequent holidays, and free therapy. And the reason why is... humans are incorrigible. They take extant technology and compulsively work on ways to improve it.
And they have a problematically expansive definition of 'improve'.
There's a reason why the Engineering buildings in Zoq'in are so new...
A human landed in the copious bushes, issuing a trail of smoke and bleeding a little. Well. Bleeding a little for humans. After a moment of terrifying stillness, interrupted only by the sound of distant alerts concerning, fire, explosion, and toxic gasses, the human picked themself up and inspected the damage.
"I think I know where I went wrong," they said to nobody. "It definitely needs that three-eighths gripley!"
The staring Golq'ethin nearby contacted Medical Services for both themselves -for the shock- and the human, for the obvious leaking. "Human," one called. "Please remain where you are. We have called intervention on your behalf."
"Oh wow, that's nice of you," the human laughed. They extracted themself out of the shrubbery. "Nah, yeah, I might have a bit of concussion," they checked their wrist chronometer. "Or it's because I haven't eaten since 6PM yesterday. One of the two. Are those human-edible?"
Another Golq'ethin, who knew a bit more about humans and their omnivorousness, slid some of their leftovers towards the gently-smoking mammal. "These should not cause upset, human. You are aware that your clothing is on fire?"
"Oh. Yeah. That. Right." They applied their tongue to both palms and began smothering the cinders. "On the plus side, all those blast shields work!"
News would arrive, via the crowding medtechs, that yet another energy and propulsion lab had exploded. Again. Which was a reason for the blast shields. And why pretty much all of the walls -where human engineering takes place- are friable to the pressure of, say, a human bursting through them at non-natural speeds.
But everyone agrees. Teaching these homicidally/suicidally enthusiastic mammals is so much better than letting them roam around wild.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / guijunpeng]
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