Some meetings began with grace.
This was not one of them.
"What do you mean he rewrote the calibration thresholds?! Who let him do that?!"
"Sir, it was the exam…"
"Don't give me that! We've been calibrating since before he was born! I thought it was a prank!"
Several masters were already pacing; one had his head in his hands, and another was standing on a chair, trying to get a better signal for his terminal, as if that had ever been a problem.
Instructor Moore sat quietly at the corner of the chaos, watching them spiral like well-aged tops. His expression said it all.
He'd warned them.
"Are we sure this isn't some setup?" someone muttered.
"Oh, please," said Master Colton, who was currently trying to yell into his terminal. "I've seen scams. This isn't one. This is a catastrophe! Quinn! Pick up the call, damn you!"
Across the room, one of the older masters grunted, "Well, the first exam was to repair, and his second exam was supposed to be making a part."
