Steam Age: Titan Project (Steampunk in Space Trilogy)

Chapter 4: A Stranger Feeding Ducks

It was not often that you saw a woman working underground, especially this far underground.  The dark labyrinths were no place for them in the first place, but when one was spotted, every man would turn to watch.  It was as if they had spotted a mystical creature. Nonetheless, a woman of about thirty years stood before a group of men.  Dark black hair ran down to her shoulders, with a small green cap that sat atop her head.  Her skin was surprisingly dark for someone who lived in Oceanic City.  She wore a sleeveless white t-shirt with brown overalls and steel toed boots. It was hardly the outfit of choice for any other female residing within the city.

"Well ladies," the woman said, addressing the nine men surrounding her, "the problem is not with your hydraulic lines at all.  The pressure is fine and everything is in order as far as they are concerned.  The reason," she spoke, leaning over to tighten a bolt on the inside of the machine," you can't reverse," she spoke again, alternating speaking with turning the wrench, "is because some moron," she took one last pause before leaning back up and shutting the hood, "decided to leave their hammer sitting on the primary engine.  Whomever this belonged to," she said, holding up a mutilated hammer that had been pulled from inside the machine, "can be thanked for ruining a perfectly good set of transmission gears."

Having nothing to say, the men remained motionless, feeling completely incompetent with nothing to say.  She just looked at them for a few seconds, tossed the hammer to the ground and started walking away.  They could hear her in the distance as she walked, barely able to make out what she muttering, "...don't get paid enough for this job.   Can't even work without having every eye staring at my..." her voice became too distant to make out the last few words in the sentence.  The men brightened their lanterns and began walking down the mine tracks without their drilling machine.  Today was going to be a long day.

***

"You know, I don't believe I've ever seen a woman know so much about machines before.  You're certainly the best we've got."  The woman turned to see her boss come from around the corner and begin following her back to the surface.

"Which is exactly why I need a raise.  I've been out here long  enough, Barnaby.  I don't know how much more I can take without a nice incentive."  She kept trudging up the incline toward  the main entrance to the mine.  Her employer was quick to follow suit behind her.

"Now, Kat, you know we can't have that.  I'll admit you're the best mechanic we've got, but it's not fair to the others who have been here longer than you.  We can't afford to give everyone a raise that deserves it.  It's just not good business,"  the man said patiently, trying to calm her frustration.

"Don't you dare tell me it's not good business.  You can well afford it.  The iron business is doing better than ever nowadays, and there's no reason it won't continue to improve.  You're just afraid you'll lose a little part of your bonus.  Well, don't worry...I quit."  With this, Kat took off her tool belt and thrust it into the man's stomach.  

After  struggling to regain balance and the air that was knocked out of him, Barnaby managed to reply, "Kat...don't  do this.  Do you really want to go work in the city?  Come on, Kat...I'll see what I can do," This made about the thousandth time that she had heard that line.  She shook her head and kept walking straight out of the mine, with Barnaby close behind her.  He was continuing his attempts to persuade her to reconsider, but to no avail. Without hesitation, Kat jumped aboard the mining trolley that would take her back to the city.

"Have fun, Barnaby...maybe you'll find another young girl to take my spot.  I'm sure they're crawling everywhere...Good day," Kat tipped her hat to him as the trolley pulled away.  Barnaby stood in place, watching as the trolley disappeared down the long tunnel.  It was obvious to him that he had made a mistake.  Kat was by far the best mechanic they had.  Rarely could anyone fix a machine in the same working day that it broke down, unless, of course, it was Kat.