They did not believe humans could survive such extremes of temperatures when no other species could. The humans, for their part, considered it no worse than doing a polar bear plunge, and then jumping into a hot tub afterward. -- Anon Guest
[AN: I've heard of people rolling around in the snow after a sauna, not the other one. I'm sure it's "bracing"]
Seeing things like this, it's easy to believe that they're Deathworlders. The survivors of the volcanic cataclysm were sheltering in environmentally-controlled bunkers. Unable to move to any evacuation means, since they were the first things that got lava bombed.
Enter the Humans.
They came with transports that would not be harmed by the ash pervading the air. They came with masks to make certain they didn't choke on that same ash. They came with emergency livesuits for the survivors.
They entered, gleaming with sweat. Soon shivering as they helped the survivors suit up. More than one survivor saw ice forming on a Human's hair. It could have been salt, but nobody asked.
The Humans passed the suited survivors into the escape ships along a living chain. Held above their smouldering boots, as each survivor moved between each sweaty pair of arms. Faster than any of them could move. All the way to the security of the ship.
When all were out, including the Humans, they lifted off for the much better security of the station, far above. The Humans on board cleaned up, discarded their ruined boots, and practically guzzled fortifying fluids. Seemingly no worse off for their efforts.
Some of them were steaming.
Survivor Lors watched a nearby Human with concern. Cogniscents should not be able to do the things that Humans did, and this one was twitching. Their muscles were vibrating as the rest of them seemingly took their ease. "Will you be well?"
"Eh, I'll pay for it later," said the Human. The name on the breast patch of their Skins declared their name as Kaer. "Right now, I could do with an all-over shiatsu, a bubblebath, and about half a chocolate gateaux." Kaer leaned back and sighed. "Not necessarily in that order."
Another Human, labled as Norz, was rubbing themself over with a wet cloth. Not for bathing, but for cooling. "I'm up for a long, tall, cold one and maybe a week in Medical."
"Worth it," said the Human who had collapsed, face down, across three seats. "So worth it."
The surprise vulcanism would settle down in time. A lot of time. In the meantime, the rebuilding would happen in a much safer continent on a much safer planet. The Humans would experience various medical consequences for their actions, but those were temporary.
Most terrible things were.
[Photo by Tetiana Grypachevska on Unsplash]
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