Chapter 4

"Where are we going?" Ferro asked.

They had stripped off their suits and hung them in lockers on the other side of the inner hatch. Kay made him strip off his clothes, leaving them in the locker as well. Reaching into a closet, she brought out clothes. They both dressed in simple woven pants and blouses that looked faded and well worn with lots of pockets. He tried on several pairs of soft soled shoes, which were really moccasins, until he found a pair that fit. Then she led him into a corridor that was crowded with people, most of them thin and sinewy.

"Follow behind me and don't lose a step, even for an instant," Kay said.

Ferro asked a question but didn't get a response. Most of the people weren't curious about the stranger in their midst even though he was sure that he stood out. They all looked preoccupied and purposeful as they flowed down the corridor. A few greeted Kay but none of them stopped.

Kay took a few turns, stepped through several hatches and then climbed a narrow set of stairs to the next level. This level was painted a different color, a soft pink. The corridors were not so crowded. Just when Ferro thought they had walked the entire length of the ship, Kay stopped in front of a nondescript door and knocked.

The door opened and Kay put her hands out in front with her palms out.

"Safe-be, Patriarch. I'm back with the engineer."

"Safe-be. How many times have I told you that I am the patriarch but it isn't my name," a man with grey in the black hair said. He was wearing the same clothes that Ferro and Kay were.

"Sorry, Pa — sorry, Benni. This is Ferro and he accepted the deal to design a ship for us," Kay said.

"You are tall," Benni said to Ferro.

"Uh, yeah," Ferro said, having no clue what one should say. "Why all the secrecy?"

"You ask a good question, but I'm not ready to give an answer. What do you think of our ship?"

"As big as this ship seems, the lower level is really crowded," Ferro said.

Benni chuckled. "It is the middle of the shift. The main corridor wasn't nearly as busy as it will be in a few hours."

Benni stood up from behind his desk and walked over to examine Ferro.

"Quiyo said that this one isn't fat," Benni said to Kay.

"Quiyo is on my short list for the day," Kay said. "She decided to fuck him in trade instead of what we had agreed upon. She gives too much in trade and doesn't negotiate well."

"Maybe she just wanted a fuck; maybe our engineer has a big penis," Benni said, giving Ferro another once over. "Do what you think is necessary."

Ferro was glancing around the office, wondering about the plants which were sitting in the corners, resting on shelves, and peeking out from every conceivable place. The room had a claustrophobic feel to it that made him want to run for the hallway.

"Ferro, you will design ships for us, but you need to understand us first," Benni said, looking Ferro in the eye.

"What kind of ships am I supposed to build?" Ferro said.

"Warships," Benni said. "Warships that conform to the Volentin way of fighting. The ships of the Space Marines are inadequate and will fail in the next war. We need a different kind of space weapon, and you are going to design it

"The next war? How am I going to do that?" Ferro asked, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"You are going to learn how to fight as Volentin does. For three months you will train as Volentin does for both shifts each day. After the first month, you will train for eight hours a day and design ships for another eight hours. This will leave you part of a shift to sleep. You may whine and complain all that you want, but understand that for everything that you say and that you do, there are consequences."

Benni stepped back to his desk.

"You are both dismissed."

As Ferro stepped out the door, he heard Benni call out softly, "Kayetti, give him to Doyan for training but make clear to her that this one must be kept alive."

Ferro forgot to breathe for a moment.