Sawbuck took his cup from Mary, blew upon it, then sipped it. “How goes your work, sir?”
“We’re making progress,” Inventor Call said. This line of questioning seemed to relax him. And I wondered if he felt ill at ease speaking to me, my position in the social hierarchy unclear as it was. “We’ve found several more Magma Steam Generators here in Spadros quadrant. Yet it takes time and men to search each one. But the power outages —”
There’d been one here in Spadros quadrant just the week before.
“— have become a distraction most unwelcome.”
“I imagine.” I took my cup from Mary, who curtsied and left. “Are these caused by the Generators, the pipes, or wires, or what?”
“Some of all.” Inventor Call seemed surprised at me asking the question. “Each case differs. It takes hours, sometimes da
