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Authors: Shelley Adina
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she should have. “I am not meant for fetching tea and sweeping floors, I am afraid. So I fill the hours with fixing things and then documenting what I have done. Sadly, though, I have been asked to cease and desist. Apparently the managing director does not appreciate more paper arriving on his desk.”
She smiled, hoping he would smile, too, but he merely gazed at her, puzzled.
“And what of the department head?” he asked. “Should not the notice of these improvements be directed to him?”
“They were, but after I found my reports in the rubbish bin, I’m afraid that in a fit of pique I sent them to the managing director.”
“Did you?”
He might have sounded a
little
more encouraging. “He called me into his office earlier in the week and, well, I shan’t be writing any more reports.” She brightened. “But he did not tell me I must stop improving things, so that is some comfort.”
“What improvements are we speaking of?”
“The cable that runs between the engine room and the navigation gondola in the A5 model, for instance,” she said eagerly. “I spliced in a communications wire so that commands might be given simultaneously, as we do in the newer models. Such a simple adjustment, yet so much more usefulness and efficiency! And then—”
“Claire, let me understand you correctly. You have made engineering changes to parts that are already in production?”
“Yes, because—”
“But this must not be.”
She stopped walking, and at the drag on his arm, he stopped as well. “Why not? I have documented everything, despite my so-called superiors’ choosing to ignore it.”
“Changes such as these must come from the Office of Quality Control on the third floor and be disseminated correctly.”
“I sent them to the third floor for that very purpose. And they were tossed in the rubbish bin.”
“That is because you are a junior engineer.”
“Then they are fools. Had you treated my modifications in such a manner, we should both be dead under a snowdrift in the Canadas.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
“Lives were at stake.”
“If the A5 plummets to earth because the engineers and the bridge cannot communicate efficiently, lives would be similarly at stake.” With an effort, she remembered his many kindnesses, and attempted to rein in her distress at his lack of understanding.
“My ships do not plummet to the earth, and that is because men of talent and skill take care that they should not.”
“But sir, what of my talent and skill?”
“It is a raw, untried talent that needs cultivation and discipline,” he told her kindly. “It needs to be tended by men of greater knowledge, who have come up through the ranks and learned just as you will learn.”
“So Herr Brucker said.”
“I am glad to hear it.” He gazed at her. “I know how you feel, Claire.”
Did he? Could he possibly—a man with a Blood heritage, who managed his own empire without let or hindrance, with the possible exception of the odd command from the Kaiser himself?
“I once burned with ambition, too,” he went on, “and fate conspired to place me where that flame would do the most good. There is a reason the hierarchy operates so well at the Zeppelin Airship Works, my dear. You will see. You will rise quickly through the ranks and prove to one and all that you deserve every promotion—and that your improvements ought to be taken seriously.”
At last the truth was borne in upon her. “So you can do nothing to change my situation? I cannot work on the automaton intelligence system, as I had expected when I accepted the post?”
“If you were to do so, you would be like that rose there.” He pointed to a spindly-looking specimen. “It has not had the benefit of sunlight on all its petals, and is therefore lopsided. We do not want our best engineers to be one-sided, only working on projects that appeal to them. Our best engineers can turn a hand to any project in the hangar. Can
She smiled, hoping he would smile, too, but he merely gazed at her, puzzled.
“And what of the department head?” he asked. “Should not the notice of these improvements be directed to him?”
“They were, but after I found my reports in the rubbish bin, I’m afraid that in a fit of pique I sent them to the managing director.”
“Did you?”
He might have sounded a
little
more encouraging. “He called me into his office earlier in the week and, well, I shan’t be writing any more reports.” She brightened. “But he did not tell me I must stop improving things, so that is some comfort.”
“What improvements are we speaking of?”
“The cable that runs between the engine room and the navigation gondola in the A5 model, for instance,” she said eagerly. “I spliced in a communications wire so that commands might be given simultaneously, as we do in the newer models. Such a simple adjustment, yet so much more usefulness and efficiency! And then—”
“Claire, let me understand you correctly. You have made engineering changes to parts that are already in production?”
“Yes, because—”
“But this must not be.”
She stopped walking, and at the drag on his arm, he stopped as well. “Why not? I have documented everything, despite my so-called superiors’ choosing to ignore it.”
“Changes such as these must come from the Office of Quality Control on the third floor and be disseminated correctly.”
“I sent them to the third floor for that very purpose. And they were tossed in the rubbish bin.”
“That is because you are a junior engineer.”
“Then they are fools. Had you treated my modifications in such a manner, we should both be dead under a snowdrift in the Canadas.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
“Lives were at stake.”
“If the A5 plummets to earth because the engineers and the bridge cannot communicate efficiently, lives would be similarly at stake.” With an effort, she remembered his many kindnesses, and attempted to rein in her distress at his lack of understanding.
“My ships do not plummet to the earth, and that is because men of talent and skill take care that they should not.”
“But sir, what of my talent and skill?”
“It is a raw, untried talent that needs cultivation and discipline,” he told her kindly. “It needs to be tended by men of greater knowledge, who have come up through the ranks and learned just as you will learn.”
“So Herr Brucker said.”
“I am glad to hear it.” He gazed at her. “I know how you feel, Claire.”
Did he? Could he possibly—a man with a Blood heritage, who managed his own empire without let or hindrance, with the possible exception of the odd command from the Kaiser himself?
“I once burned with ambition, too,” he went on, “and fate conspired to place me where that flame would do the most good. There is a reason the hierarchy operates so well at the Zeppelin Airship Works, my dear. You will see. You will rise quickly through the ranks and prove to one and all that you deserve every promotion—and that your improvements ought to be taken seriously.”
At last the truth was borne in upon her. “So you can do nothing to change my situation? I cannot work on the automaton intelligence system, as I had expected when I accepted the post?”
“If you were to do so, you would be like that rose there.” He pointed to a spindly-looking specimen. “It has not had the benefit of sunlight on all its petals, and is therefore lopsided. We do not want our best engineers to be one-sided, only working on projects that appeal to them. Our best engineers can turn a hand to any project in the hangar. Can
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