The Engineer's Apprentice

Contents
 
 Dedication
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Chapter Fourteen
 Chapter Fifteen
 Chapter Sixteen
 Chapter Seventeen
 Chapter 11
 Chapter Eighteen
 Chapter Nineteen
 Chapter Twenty
 Chapter Twenty-One
 Chapter Twenty-Two
 Chapter Twenty-Three
 Chapter Twenty-Four
 Chapter Twenty-Five
 Chapter Twenty-Six
 Chapter Twenty-Seven
 Chapter Twenty-Eight
 Chapter Twenty-Nine
 Chapter Thirty
 Chapter Thirty-One
 Chapter Thirty-Two
 Chapter Thirty-Three
 Chapter Thirty-Four
 Chapter 20
 Chapter Thirty-Five
 Chapter Thirty-Six
 Chapter Thirty-Seven
 Chapter Thirty-Eight
 Chapter Thirty-Nine
 Chapter Forty
 Chapter Forty-One
 Chapter Forty-Two
 Chapter Forty-Three
 Chapter Forty-Four
 Chapter Forty-Five
 Chapter Forty-Six
 
 
 
 
 
 Your dedication here.
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 
 “AS WE WORK together to make you a licensed engineer, Ms. Sakdavong, I’d like to know what motivates you. Why do you want to be my apprentice and become an engineer?”
 I sat in Issa Obasi’s study as his maid, Mrs. Miller, filled cups with an aromatic tea. If he’d asked me the question yesterday, the answer would have been simpler. I would have confidently said I wanted to become a steam engineer to satisfy my curious nature, better understand star metal, or be the first woman to build a humanoid automaton. Understanding star metal’s impact on industry would be reason enough. Each option sounded good, but they were all lies. Professor Cross had prepared me for this line of questioning but the formulaic answers sounded hollow to me now. I decided to go with a story that seemed the most honest.
 “Well, it’s hard to know where to start. I’ve been working on designs for a humanoid automaton. They’re in the tube I handed you earlier. There are many reasons…”
 “Ms. Sakdavong, let me make it clear, automatons don’t interest me. What interests me is the situation we find ourselves in now.”
 Mrs. Miller returned from the kitchen with a cup and sipped it as she sat down in the chair beside Issa. I glanced between the two wondering about their relationship as she sat casually in on an interview with her employer. For that matter, I wondered how a mature white woman had come to be employed by a young black man in the first place.
 “I don’t think I understand your meaning, Master Obasi. What situation do we find ourselves in?”
 Mrs. Miller placed her cup on the table. “Annie, dear, I’m sure you’ve noticed, Issa is a black man and you’re a woman.” 
 She patted my knee, and I didn’t know whether she was patronizing me or really thought me stupid. Either way I felt heat in my stomach and I gritted teeth.
 “Yes, I believe that’s obvious.” I stared at the woman hard, wondering If she’d be a problem when I moved in and started my apprenticeship. 
 “Look, neither of you know a thing about me. Are you accepting me as your apprentice or not? If not, I can find somewhere else to go. I’m smart and should have been valedictorian at the university. There are a dozen other master engineers that would take me on.” I stood, reaching for a sword hilt I’d abandoned long ago as my voice grew louder.
 “No, you don’t,” Issa said.
 Mrs. Miller pointed to my reaching hand and raised an eyebrow. I straightened trying to force myself to be calm. Issa nodded and stared at me while sipping tea. I paced back and forth, frustrated.
 I glared at them. “You both seem to know a lot about me already. How about you tell me why I want to be an engineer.”
 “Strangely enough, I did ask Mrs. Miller to look into that. She didn’t find much.”
 “I’ve never done much work for the Asian community, I’m afraid. Fewer contacts.”
 I frowned. “Contacts? Aren’t you a maid?”
 “Yes, dear, and a damned good one.” She sipped her tea.
 “How about you sit down and tell us what’s really going on,” Issa said.
 I clenched my fist then grunted before plopping back in my chair. The two stared at me as I shifted my gaze between them.
 Issa sighed. “Let’s restate the obvious. First, there are no female engineers; therefore, we’ll leave the idea of an unwed woman moving in with her teacher out of the equation, for now.”
 “Where are you going wit…” I began.
 Issa held up two fingers. “Second, you are one of Jacob Cross’s students. If you’re as good as you say, why didn’t he take you on.”
 I shrugged. “He told me a major project required his attention. He even let his last two apprentices go.” 
 Issa raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mrs. Miller.
 I continued. “The letter of recommendation is right there.”
 Issa lifted the letter. He studied it, then ripped it to pieces, and placed them neatly on the table. I jumped from my seat again, wanting to bash the man’s head in with my fist.
 Issa raised three fingers. “Third, you do not act like a learned engineer. You seem violent. But anyone could pick up on that temper.”
 Mrs. Miller sucked her teeth.
 Issa added another finger. “Fourth, what’s my research dealing with?”
 I dropped into the chair again. “How am I supposed to know? I just got here.”
 Issa frowned. “I’m researching a way to integrate runes with steam. Basically, I want to see if we can use magic to generate steam. It would mean…”
 I interrupted Issa. “No more mining or Uranium Sickness. Plus, you might be able to create finer steam works. That’s amazing, I thought the two were incompatible.”
 Issa grinned. “Very good, Mrs. Sakdavong. You catch on quick, few engineers would. You’re correct. The issue is the impurities in the processing plants and the land overall. You’d need pure metals and a non-standard method to shape them.”
 “That’s perfect. I also do my own fabrication since I learned smithing as a child. I guess you know how to use runes?”
 “No, unfortunately, I never learned to use them. It caused