"The fact of the matter is," the man said, "my boy Ronny here is doing a thesis for his Tenth Grade Master's Degree. On starships."
"So I wanted to see one," Ronny said. He was an undersized child with a pinched, intelligent face.
"He wanted to see one," the man explained. "I told him it wasn't necessary, since all the facts and pictures are in the encyclopedia. But he wanted to see one."
"It gives me a good opening paragraph," Ronny said.
"Of course," Barrent said, nodding vigorously. He was beginning to wonder about the man. For a member of the secret police, he was certainly taking a devious route.
"You work on the ships?" Ronny asked.
"That's right."
"How fast do they go?"
"In real or subspace?" Barrent asked.
This question seemed to throw Ronny off his stride. He pushed out his lower lip and said, "Gee, I didn't know they went in subspace." He thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I don't think I know what subspace is."