On the Rim, Ch 14: Sandra Reigns Supreme
Story by comidacomida on SoFurry
Welcome to Chapter 14 of "On the Rim"! This is a short story series based on a computer game I am playing called "Rim World". Rim World is a really cool indie game that accommodates an amazing array of mods that allow me to create a setting very similar to my story world in which several of my stories take place including "Fathom's Phantoms", "The Farlight Initiative", an "Paid in Kind".
For this post we follow the group's Overseer, Sandra Simpson around as she handles the day-to-day operations of the camp while the security team is out 'running an errand'. She certainly makes things happen, and they continue happening after the away-team's return! So, who do we follow for the next chapter? Here are the options:
A) Chris has a quiet day staying away from the Overseer and the Captain. He checks on Leo's wound, and shows up to say goodbye to another group heading out into the wilds.
B) Cole spends his day digging, lugging materials, and installing heaters (everyone is happy about that last part). He also chats a little with Ben... to mixed results.
C) Myra is a wiz in the kitchen and keeps mostly to herself preparing tons of traveling rations. At the end of the day she has a laugh at everyone's expense.
D) Ben helps set up a circuit to run heaters repurposes thermo coils from the shuttle. Later, in his spare time, he actually manages to pick up broadcast signals for entertainment purposes!
E) A foreboding, non-group focused post of intimidating and foreshadowing significance, just to pump up the suspense as it relates to things to come.
Voting won't be available long and no, the decision won't change the events of the story, just how they're presented along with who we get to learn more about via their point of view.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy "On the Rim"!
On the Rim, Ch 14: Sandra Reigns Supreme
2020 copyright comidacomida
In her several years of managerial experience Sandra had learned to deal with disagreements coming from above her and below her on the chain of command; she didn't take them personally and she always strove to see things from the perspective other than her own. Sometimes that approach helped her to agree, and sometimes it only made her more secure in her own viewpoint. In either case, if the disagreement was with someone further up the chain she'd have no choice but to smile and agree. On Planet A there was nobody higher ranked than she.
It was an important distinction when she and Captain Archibald started to see things differently. At first, it was a slight scowl on his muzzle or a flicked ear but, as it became readily evident that he disapproved of some of her decisions she thought the best thing to do was to call him on it and have a sit-down chat. In the end, he towed the line and agreed that she had the final say in things, but it didn't stop those disapproving looks. Fortunately, Captain Archibald was out on a mission to deal with a local pirate incursion so she would at least have a day from the break of 'security drama'.
It wasn't all positive, of course, and Sandra recognized that; having limited security personnel meant that any time she sent officers away from the crash site it opened the cave complex up to the risk of outside influence, and that was a bad thing. Even so, the increased manpower they'd been lucky enough to gather since the crash had improved her outlook that regard, and so she pushed that concern to a back burner in favor of focusing on more important issues such as quality of life for her employees.
The weather had been turning colder in the past few days. Although they hadn't had the time to do a proper scan of the seasonal variance for Planet A, Sandra had been under the impression that they'd landed in a sub-tropical area, but with the temperature dropping down to under 10c during the day and as low as 6c at night, she realized that she would have to get together with the group's engineers and figure out a heat system. That plan, however, had to wait, as the first order of business was a surprise visit from yet another Planet A based LLC.
The representatives identified themselves as a trading party from LMS LLC, a Gen-run mini conglomerate that was fairly isolated among the businesses on the planet due to their open opposition of pirate activities. Not only was LMS capable of defending itself, but apparently it had a miniature manufacturing sector that allowed them to craft, machine, and print weaponry; needless to say, their products were in high demand.
The deals went quickly and Sandra felt good back in her element. Dealing with the LLC was far easier than handling corporate negotiations and she felt all-in-all content with the deal she'd managed to make. Exchanging some raw metals that had been mined along with all of the meat Myra had 'harvested' from the numerous giant insect corpses she'd butchered for their exoskeletons, the Overseer managed to secure a few basic side arms for her group, and one set of low grade executive defense armor; reinforced business suits were always in fashion, but they seemed more like a necessity on Planet A.
The rest of that day past in relative peace as business continued as normal; the laborers had double and triple checked the new geothermal plant and were able to increase it from test output to its full level of production. Duct-Tape managed fabricate and activate the final hydroponics table that would provide them additional resources if their stay on Planet A turned into an extended one and everyone else remained busy with general upkeep and chores. Doctor Zimmerman also ended up being surprisingly occupied, as the newest addition to the group, Ben Gotra had a nasty asthma attack.
In general the lung disorder was seen as a minor inconvenience as modern medicine had any number of ways to keep it under control but, unfortunately, so far out on the rim, the group had a limited number of supplies and none of them could be afforded for 'difficulty breathing'. Fortunately, between Missy's extensive collection of herbs and the good Doctor's know-how, they managed to fabricate an herbal remedy and synthesized a suitable chemical that would work at what Dr. Zimmerman referred to as 'a decent level of potency'. It took almost an hour, but eventually Ben's distress decreased enough that he was able to return to work.
The following morning Sandra gathered up Ben and Coal, one for the planning and the other for implementation. She sat them down in the main entryway table. "Everything I'm hearing from the locals is that Planet A is located along the outskirts of an outer rim trading lane... apparently plenty of non-corp traders think of this planet as settled."
Ben let out a wheezing laugh. "Wow... if this is 'settled' then I'd hate to see what they think of as wild."
Beside him, Coal offered an answer. "A no atmo moon?"
The Overseer appreciated the attempt at humor, but she brought the discussion back to something more pertinent. "Mr. Nine, I know you gutted the shuttle, but I assume you haven't done anything with the communication system?"
The Horse shook his head. "Still intact, ma'am.... I figured that'd be our only way to radio for help... not that it can broadcast past the ionosphere unless whomever's out there knows what to listen for..."
Ben piped in "We have enough resources here that we could increase the signal... it's not that difficult to put together a broadcast station if with the right components."
That was exactly what Sandra had hoped to hear. "If the two of you have full access to our supplies can you make it happen? If one of the orbital trade ships has some extra room for passengers..."
Missy, who had been wondering by piped in "Then we have a ride back to the core systems."
The Stallion and Wolf exchanged a glance and nodded to one another. Then, in unison, they looked back to Sandra and nodded again. She gave the order. "Alright then-- that's your priority today."
It felt good to have a direction and plan; Sandra spent the rest of the morning both optimistic and content in her decision. That sense of success only grew when, early in the afternoon, Coal came to get her. "Ma'am... we have everything put together. Would you like to do the honors and switch it on?"
She, of course, did... and the results were instantaneous. With the flip of a switch and the push of a button, Sandra was suddenly able to reach out and connect with over two dozen settlements on Planet A, many of whom were less than three days away. She spent the early afternoon reaching out and making contact; while some of the frequencies turned out to be pirates that wanted nothing more than to demand her location, threaten her, and shout profanities, she counted at least six settlements that were, at worst, indifferent.
Liz, the comm-troller from Freemarket LLC suggested that she consider getting an Orbital Beacon set up for the colony; not only would it help other friendly settlements know of the Relegra Corporation group but it would signal to passing orbital traders, allowing them to make contact and trade. The Overseer thanked her for the suggestion and, that evening, she brought it up at dinner to the rest of the group. It was at that very moment that the away team returned, and Captain already had an opinion on the matter. "No."
It was the most blatant case of the Captain question her command by that point, but she remained calm and collected as she asked "Why not?"
The Captain, despite being so obviously adamant that he get his way, was thankfully respectful in his objection. "You already said it-- just like it'll let all the friendly groups out there know where we are it'll also broadcast our location to all the pirates."
Leo, the newest member of the security team had a bandage tied around his leg, but what Sandra noticed more was his contribution to the conversation "Yeah... and we didn't just finish mowing down a forward base of pirates just to let them all know who did it."
The Captain put a very quick end to the Lion's interjection. "That's enough, Mr. Calico. Go have Doc see to your leg."
The argument, polite as it was, continued for nearly an hour; during that time everyone else finished their dinner and slid away to do whatever it was they were going to do before dinner, but Sandra did not relent and, frustratingly, neither did Captain Archibald. In the end, she put her foot down. "Captain, I appreciate your input and I understand your concern, but I see the possible benefits greatly outweighing the risks. We have you to keep us safe, and so I need to do my job of seeing us returned home."
The Dog apparently wasn't done making his point. "Ma'am, I--"
She, however, was. "Dismissed."