Dark Eco Beauty by Geia Akyama
Chapter 4-Miner

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Tulee squeezed past the young, and rather randy, men at the very back of the crowd by the Palace fountain and more than once the dark haired woman had to swat people out of her way and away from her pockets. Today she was using Tanners yellow security pass and he wouldn't thank her if she lost it!

At the head of the crowd and on a raised platform made of only the finest wood was Baron Praxis himself speaking pretty words and good intentions of his captive audience. He must have been talking for a while already because he'd abandoned looking at whatever had been prepared ahead of time and was looking into the eyes of everyone before him and speaking whatever came to his mind.

The Tulgar lady stopped in the middle of the crowd as the Barons' cybernetic eye passed over her on its wandering path to those in the back. The Baron had sustained those horrible injuries that forced him to rely on technology at the same time her father had been slaughtered by the Metalheads during that ill fated assault on the Nest over nine years ago.

"And so today is a very proud day! A day for you to go to your families after a hard day's work and say that you helped ensure your cities survival!" The Baron hit the podium so smartly with his thick fist that the whole stage jumped with the impact. "These jobs I create for you will help in our ongoing quest to destroy the Metalhead scourge forever and to bring about an era of peace! Some of you may die but that's a chance I'm willing to take, remember I'd never ask you to do something I was not willing to do myself. Work hard and everyone will prosper! Slack off and you'll take a short walk with one of my Krimzon Guards..."

The Barons growled threat hung in the air like the stink of an overworked Lurker on a stiflingly hot day. The Baron would keep his word of course; whenever it involved squeezing usefulness from others he always kept his word. The crowd shuffled its feet and a few peopled coughed during the brief silence before the Baron spoke again.

"You may now approach the Captains of the Guard and receive your occupations. Those of you with careers in mind will instead come to me."

It took a good five minutes just to find out where the Barons short line of applicants had wandered off to. another ten minutes of jostling to get there, and finally a scathing minute involving a pickpocket and her brothers Security pass but finally it was her turn to talk with Baron Praxis, or much rather Errol who'd taken the Barons place. The lanky Captain of the Prison Guard looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else except here and took to snapping at the people before him.

As usual Errol elected not to wear his face plate or even the standard uniform, instead he was wearing his racing uniform-which did nothing to hide how rather lanky the man was-and used the lack of protective faceplate to scowl at everything that moved. Well Tulee could dish out anything that came at her even if the egotistical Errol happened to be serving it out!

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When the tanned woman got her turn to talk, Errol was already thoroughly done with this tedious task of handing out occupations to spineless worms with no sense of duty! If you were unsure of where you wanted to be in life you joined the Guard! If you wanted to help with the Eco crisis you became a miner! And if he had to listen to one more complaint about how the Haven University had been closed to all but those willing to pay the entrance fee he swore on Mar's Lurker-soiled grave that person would be throttled on the spot!

Errol looked down his nose at the small woman and narrowed his eyes to the barest slits. Another worthless girl. Well perhaps farm work would suit this one. He listened with all too obvious disgust to her wish to work in one of the Barons mines. The mines were no place for a self-centered brat like this one! No, her place was either at home with her chosen mate or either at the farms just outside the City walls.

"Hahaha! You think you could help in the mines? I hope your joking because your kind belongs working the fields to feed the population within these walls. You'd just get in the way of an honest mans work!"

The girls' angry protest brought the Veteran Captain up short and he looked at this little nuisance for the first time even as her words called attention off those around her including his own subordinates. Dark Eco colored hair framed a rather pretty face and full lips were pulled back in a most unflattering snarl.

The girl stood at her full height, not much to be proud of there, and pulled her shoulders back to add another centimeter to her stature. That wasn't what commanded the attention of everyone who wasn't' trying to look busy. It was the nearly invisible emotional fire that cackled around her body and the black fire that danced in her eyes. She commanded respect from those factors alone and Errol was shocked that anyone would dare to interrupt him. But this girl's disrespect didn't end there; she took a deep breath and locked her eyes on his.

"Are you saying that one of the esteemed Tulgar Bloodline, the same Blood that has been spilled in the protection of this city, is not good enough to be put into the many undermanned mines about the outer City limits? Surely you're not saying that those criminals you send up there are far more worthy than one who's ancestors served the most honored Mar during his time of need! My blood is the same as that of the Barons! Maybe better if you take into account the deeds of our forefathers!"

Errol sucked in air through his teeth and felt the heat rise under his thin racing armor. A Tulgar, he should have noticed! They had ways of getting under ones skin in the worst way with no apparent effort. And this one was putting him on the spot in front of what felt like the whole city!

The taller man scowled and put reins on his temper. There were enough Tulgar's in the upper 

ranks of the Guard to make his tasks far more difficult than they needed to be. More specifically his dealings in the Dark Warrior Program. Rumors were getting out about a monster screaming in the depths of the prison and the descriptions of the monster were far too accurate for his tastes. No, he'd be fanning the flames if he gave the deceased Captain Archers daughter reason to stir her brothers into action.

Errol hissed and moved his arm as if he were going to strike this impudent girl from her feet to silence the tirade before it got any further out of hand. The girl danced backwards and eyed him with a challenge clearly written in her violet/black eyes. Already he could feel his men whispering behind his back and laughing at him. Anyone he caught mocking him would pay dearly!

"If you want to die in the Barons mines then go! But you'd best advise any Foreman that takes you in that he'll get no help from me!"

With that Errol turned smartly on his boot heels and stormed off to the Palace leaving those mindless sheep to wander around until night fell on Haven City. The next person to irritate him, however slightly would live to regret it. the metal hells of his boots hit the cracked pavement so sharply that sparks flew behind him as he mounted the steps to the Palace door. Errol's black mood carried through most of the Palace until he4 got to the hidden elevator to the Prison.