From what you've told me about Max he seems to be more of an assembler than a disassembler, so I'm guessing Miles does the taking apart for him? :)
The smashing machine "The aliens," said Professor Giffnorth, "were unaware of ionising radiation for a very long time, and so they used some naturally occuring, but somewhat unusual, minerals to make tools for smashing atoms. Yes, child A1171, you have raised an appendage. Why?" Scott frowned slightly as he puzzled out what 'appendage' must mean, and then lowered his hand. He wasn't sure he'd been called on, but it felt like it. "Isn't smashing atoms dangerous? Uh, Professor." "Indeed," said Professor Giffnorth. He vibrated in his amniotic tank, turning slightly purple, which the class had come to understand meant that he was pleased with something. The pale blue fluid around him swirled as he moved, and a robotic arm attached to the tank tapped the screen at the front of the class, which changed to show a picture of aliens sitting in long rows in a large, open-topped shed, wielding crystalline hammers. "Very dangerous in fact, and the more so when you have no idea about ionizing radiation and so don't understand why the workers get sick and die. As you can see from this historical photograph, the aliens set their children to atom-smashing as they seemed to get less sick." The class shuddered as one. They were all children, and the implication was clear enough. "The specially shaped chambers that the atoms are located in mean that most of the energy from smashing them was directed below, into the energy-conversion chamber. As with most civilisations at this stage the energy was mostly captured by water, which heated, and then steam was used to drive other machines. They investigated their entire planetary system using ships powered by this." The Professor sounded oddly proud, and swirled around in his tank some more. "Now, while this was originally on your syllabus as history, some of you will have noticed that this course is now flagged with a little green flag, which indicates a practical element. Next lesson we will convene outside on the playing fields, where an atom-smashing machine is being assembled, and you will learn what atom-smashing is like yourselves. First hand, so to speak."
Greg - generally, yes. And often times to his older brother's dismay.
Really enjoyed this world you've created. Not sure the students would agree on that account, but as an outsider looking in, it is delightfully fascinating!
2 comments:
From what you've told me about Max he seems to be more of an assembler than a disassembler, so I'm guessing Miles does the taking apart for him? :)
The smashing machine
"The aliens," said Professor Giffnorth, "were unaware of ionising radiation for a very long time, and so they used some naturally occuring, but somewhat unusual, minerals to make tools for smashing atoms. Yes, child A1171, you have raised an appendage. Why?"
Scott frowned slightly as he puzzled out what 'appendage' must mean, and then lowered his hand. He wasn't sure he'd been called on, but it felt like it. "Isn't smashing atoms dangerous? Uh, Professor."
"Indeed," said Professor Giffnorth. He vibrated in his amniotic tank, turning slightly purple, which the class had come to understand meant that he was pleased with something. The pale blue fluid around him swirled as he moved, and a robotic arm attached to the tank tapped the screen at the front of the class, which changed to show a picture of aliens sitting in long rows in a large, open-topped shed, wielding crystalline hammers.
"Very dangerous in fact, and the more so when you have no idea about ionizing radiation and so don't understand why the workers get sick and die. As you can see from this historical photograph, the aliens set their children to atom-smashing as they seemed to get less sick."
The class shuddered as one. They were all children, and the implication was clear enough.
"The specially shaped chambers that the atoms are located in mean that most of the energy from smashing them was directed below, into the energy-conversion chamber. As with most civilisations at this stage the energy was mostly captured by water, which heated, and then steam was used to drive other machines. They investigated their entire planetary system using ships powered by this." The Professor sounded oddly proud, and swirled around in his tank some more.
"Now, while this was originally on your syllabus as history, some of you will have noticed that this course is now flagged with a little green flag, which indicates a practical element. Next lesson we will convene outside on the playing fields, where an atom-smashing machine is being assembled, and you will learn what atom-smashing is like yourselves. First hand, so to speak."
Greg - generally, yes. And often times to his older brother's dismay.
Really enjoyed this world you've created. Not sure the students would agree on that account, but as an outsider looking in, it is delightfully fascinating!
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