Chapter 2

I continued speaking, “We can’t let the workers know exactly where ‘this’ place is. We must also keep the vital parts of the construction secret. We especially must keep the cannons and the powder safe. That’s our protection.”

Raey said, “There’s the smaller ship up in front of this one. We can use it to go get our supplies and workers. That way we can travel to Dovater. It roughly resembles a normal airship. We need to go there to get parts for the steam engines, boilers, and other hardware. They have a lot of good workers there to select from. One more thing, Khurick.”

“Yes, dear?”

She said, “We need several women here. I spent a long time here as the only woman worth looking at. I still feel unclean from my Kozza experience.”

I said, “That makes good sense. Lonely, horny men can be dangerous.”

She said, “We need a plan.”

I said, “Be still my heart. A woman I can identify with.”

She tittered, “We women are not so bad, are we?”

I said, “Uhh, I have no idea. Not my planet, not the women I know. Let’s go back to the cave. It’s cooler in there.”

She said, “That’s a good idea.”

We spent the remainder of the day talking and working on the plan. She was happy when I pulled paper and a pen out of null. We made lists, or she did. I knew nothing of building airships or what particular things she needed.

On top of the list was to inspect the smaller ship. It had been relatively untouched for months. It was nasty inside. We threw the bulky trash out, and I blew a wind through it and ran a few cleaning spells.

Raey slept in my arms all night. It was glorious. I had not realized I missed a tall woman so much. By Rukac standards, I am of average height. The Chaosians had been almost tiny to me.

I pulled my little folding stove out to make hot creamed wheat and tea for breakfast. A dash of cream and a half spoon of honey made it worthwhile.

After eating, we inspected the smaller ship. We stoked the boilers up and inflated the two balloons. Then we checked the cordage to make sure there was no rot or other issues.

Raey moved the control surfaces with the long levers. She rotated the propeller. It was in good enough shape, it would do.

Raey figured the trip was two and a half days from here to Dovater, weather permitting. The ship already had ample fuel. It was hard work to fill the water tanks. We had to hand-carry water and pour it into the tanks.

We had to dip water from the lake and pour it into a barrel. Then, we took the small pull wagon to the ship and dipped the water from the barrel. Then, we carried each bucketful aboard to pour it into the water tank funnel. We did this over and over until the tanks were full.

Water from here is still cheaper than buying it in a port somewhere else.

That took a large part of the day. I should help her invent condensers and closed-loop steam systems. They reuse most of the steam, thus consuming a lot less water.

Our second day together was a long one. I came to the realization that this planet has one more big difference. Raey is seventeen years old, yet physically, she appears older. The sun is bigger here; this planet is bigger around and probably heavier. Lastly, one year here is probably from 1.3 or 1.4 years of Chaos years. Raey is more like 22 or 23 years old on my planet of Rukac.

I had no idea what the Dobrazian calendar was like or if one even existed. With two seasons, one wet and one dry, it may be less important to them.

I got the five-minute tour on how to pilot an airship. The front, smaller shed has the balloon heater in it. It’s used to fill the balloons with hot air.

The stove I had cooked the flat cakes on was used to fill the balloons and to cook meals.

The shed the stove is located in is called the dog house. This heater has one pipe exiting the heater, and then it splits two ways to fill each balloon individually. After the split, the two pipes have their separate valves to control each balloon.

Raey showed me the valves I needed to use to monitor the stove’s heat and the ones to balance the two balloons. One full balloon and one-half full is not a good thing. The ship’s pitch would be badly affected.

The larger shed close to the stern was called the pilot house. It has a boiler that provides steam to the piston-driven cylinder. A double cylinder would be more efficient and provide more power. Maybe I will show her how to make one of those someday. They also need a governor.

Once the engine was running, most of the work was working the two big flight control levers. One moved the rudder from side to side. The other controlled the elevator to control up and down motion.

There can be only one pilot on a ship, only one captain. The control to go up and down the elevator must work in close conjunction with the state of the lift balloons. Pointing the ship to go down when the lift balloons are too full would be dangerous.

The balloons up top are trying to go up while the elevator is trying to go down. This puts a lot of strain on the hull and rigging as they try to pull apart.

I am not to do anything she doesn’t order me to do.

The effect of the balloons depends on the ship’s speed. The faster you are traveling, the different the effect is. If the ship moves too fast, it takes more people to control the rudder and elevator to keep her properly balanced.

If you go too fast, you need more control using the balloons for balance. Working the elevator and rudder at the same time can take a lot of work. Piloting and controlling an airship is more an art form than a science. A lot of balancing of forces goes on.

The pilot does 80% of the work.

To navigate from place to place, they use a big, rough chart. Then, they set the course according to a magnetic compass that relates to the map. The compass has 16 points and a half points. They relate to the directions used on the map.

This part can be difficult. If you miss a waypoint or an intermediate destination, you’re screwed. Then, you must double back to get back on course.

This, too, is not a science. As you are pointing the ship towards a point, the wind is subtly pushing you off course. The harder the wind, the more off-course you can be pushed.

The compass has a small telescope on it to help see and better determine your waypoints from afar. I was not that kind of sailor. My experience was on water-born boats that sailed themselves and had automatic navigation systems.

We did not use air travel on my home planet, Rukac. We have portals which are much safer. That is unless you are a follower of Loditte, and he hijacks to somewhere else from time to time.

Being on the ocean is more about the fun and solace when gets from enjoying nature. There are a few large ships that are used to move bulk loads like grain or food. Even so, most trade goods go through a portal.

We eventually got to Dovater. We stopped early each night and left each morning at dawn before the wind started. We don’t use wind to move at all. With no keel in the water to press against, wind is only a nuisance to an airship.

The harbor, as they called it at Dovater, has various cradles you set your ship down on. They also had people that helped, Dropped your mooring lines down to the handlers. Then, they helped coax you physically into your cradle. Staying in port was not free, and having help getting down was not free. i.e., someone always has a handout in Dovater.

Outwardly, this ship looks like many other small ones. The wood used in constructing the hull is different. The small ship is only 40 meters long. It’s barely big enough to do what we want.

Raey left immediately to get the heater, boiler, engine, and assorted extras. We also needed valves, joins, and piping. This was for the next ship we intend to build. She was back before supper. The things she ordered were to be delivered soon.

I warded the boat and set a see-through shield. The ward would make someone quite uncomfortable. The shield protected the boat from anyone but us going aboard.

We went to dinner. It was nice to be in civilization again. This was not unlike Rukac, and it was many steps above Chaos. We wandered the streets and fooled around, just enjoying each other’s company.

It seemed the people here were freer than I was used to, the ladies at least. Most had their tops either completely open or just giving the men a peek or two. I saw many pasties on bobbing boobies. Breast size here is on the more modest end of the spectrum.

Dresses and skirts were colorful and fluffy. With the slightest bit of wind, there were all kinds of feminine delights to be seen. The women did not try controlling their fluffy dresses very well, if at all. The brazen hussies.

I was constantly treated to views of their bare legs and cute bums. Occasionally, I got the occasional fur shot.

All the women I saw in Dovater had hair on their nethers. They made no bones whatsoever about showing their wares.

We went back to spend the night in the owner’s cabin of our tiny ship. I could hardly walk back with my swollen balls aching and the chafing of my hard member.

I was not the only man enjoying the night air with a painful member. It seemed the trousers here are cut especially so that men’s organs are on display. A tit-for-tat arrangement? In any case, I was aching pretty bad when we returned.

We soon realized that we had missed an important step in our plan. On the trip, we had spent all our time on deck or in the pilot house. We had slept on deck. We realized we had failed to clean the owner’s cabin. We had missed it when we started working on the ship.

The Kozza had been nasty. I threw three light bombs into the cabin to kill vermin. Each bomb went in a different direction. I shut the door on the bombs before detonating them. They went off, one after the other. They made little sound, but when you can see bright flashes between the cane. We may have startled a few folks.

I opened the door and windows and called up a mini tornado to blow the detritus out of the cabin. I carried the mattresses out and disposed of them. I pulled two of my auto-inflating camping mattresses from null. I put them on the bed’s slats for the night.

We did not make love immediately. We lay down and attempted to sleep. My rampant cock would not let me rest. I knew Raey was tossing and turning, too. While I was drooling over the half-dressed young females, she had been exposed to all the male hard-ons those females had excited.

I turned over and nibbled an ear. That was all it took. We had been without sex for a few days while sailing. Too much to do and nobody else to allow us some time together. I chanted a noise spell, and then we screwed each other for hours.

The first time we came together was over very quickly. Later, we made love slowly and cared for each other properly.

My head is bald, but my crotch is dark-haired; I enjoyed watching my big dark cock go in and out of Raey’s pale white vulva. The contrasts are exciting.

Then there is her inner nooks and crannies. Her vagina’s friction is remarkable. The view of her delicate outer parts is incredible. Her vagina is delicate and lovely to look at.

In the morning, we got up and dressed. We headed out to find something different for breakfast. We found a street vendor that sold warm meat and potato pies. The pies are semicircular in shape. They are made to be a self-contained sandwich with a baked exterior with yummy fillings inside. Delicious.

Now we needed something to drink. We ended up at a sidewalk café. We each had a couple cups of herbal tea, mostly trying them for their flavors. As we walked around, I saw a lot of fruits and vegetables that I had not seen on Chaos. I was going to fill the cook’s ears with things I liked as soon as I hired one.

If I was forced to eat one more bowl of shepherd’s stew, I was going to scream. The choices of food in my area on planet Chaos had been too limited.

Dovater is a capital city and a port. It has everything under the sun available, including firearms. Many men wore pistols, and others wore swords. Feeling nervous about inviting a confrontation by looking unarmed, I thought about arming myself.

I stepped into a store’s vestibule, pulled a sword from null, and rapidly belted it on out of sight. I would likely not use it, but I wanted to let them know I was not a pushover. The sword was expertly made. I had years of practice with a sword. I stepped back to Raey and we continued.

We arrived back at the yard where our small ship was moored. We entered the hiring hall. We arranged to sit down with one of the talent chiefs there. A talent chief is the top-level rank for airmen. An experienced airman that has retired and now works here as an expert.

Talent chiefs specialize in interviewing customers and comparing them to potential hires. The purpose is said to give us the best possible employees. If you believe that, I have some waterfront property, I would like to sell you. What a deal! The waterfront property is an actual swamp.

Their hiring hall spiel was clearly a big crock of poo. One might call it extortion. Airmen had to go through the hiring hall to get a job. We gave the hall a 25% kicker for their assistance.

I have little idea how much the airmen get cheated out of. I suspect it is a lot. We had discussed what we wanted. Raey wanted five able-bodied airmen, four apprentice helpers, plus a cook. The able airmen needed to be males qualified to help when flying. This contract was for three months, tentatively.

What we did not tell him or the prospective employees was that we intended for them to stay with us for a much longer time. Permanently if they were receptive, which we figured they would be. A few months together would likely bind the men and women together.

There is no need for the workers or for us to fill the hiring hall’s coffers with more money any more than we had to. We wanted to avoid getting robbed by the hiring hall every time we needed a new able-bodied sailor.

Raey wanted at least five qualified, able-bodied airmen. They knew the front of the airship from the back. More than that, they knew how to operate the steam engine, the rudder and elevator, and the balloon inflation system.