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On the Rim, Ch 44, 45, 46: Duct-Tape, Myra, and Jackal

2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 44: Duct-Tape Hits the Ground Running

Duct-Tape was finally released from Dr. Zimmerman's care the following morning. Not usually used to down time, the Fox was more than ready to get back into the thick of things and he elected to start in the hydroponics room. The basins were much as he'd left them, all except for the fact that they were devoid of plant life; apparently Cole had completed all the harvesting while Duct-Tape was recovering from being sick. It was an event that the Fox truly regretted missing, but he was pleased to see that the task had been completed.

The Stallion had sent him a message on his PCD early that morning explaining that the water system had been cycled and the equipment was reset, but apparently he hadn't been given the time to planting. That meant that Duct-Tape had his first task ahead of him: reseeding. It was a job he enjoyed, so, despite not being around to help with harvesting, he at least had something he could take pride in completing. The Fox got down to work without hesitation, getting into his work with body and soul.

Duct-Tape spent the majority of his day in the hydroponics chamber, diligently working away at setting up the crops. He was essentially on his own, and relied on occasional visits from various members of the installation for companionship and for updates on the goings-on in the other tunnels. His first visitor, to his surprise, was Missy. The Lynx was apparently staying close to the cave system since the Overseer was concerned that there could be a group of pirate scouts nearby.

Missy ended up helping for about an hour with some of the planting, and passed the time chatting about Doc spending time away from the med-bay, working in the kitchen with Myra. Cole, who was usually available to help the Fox with hydroponics had been repurposed by the Overseer; the Horse was working alongside Claw putting down some sanitary tiles in the med-bay and kitchen for hygiene purposes. She was just getting to a discussion about Kurta and the new wolf when she was called away by the Overseer.

Ms. Simpson poked her head into the room after Missy left. "Duct-Tape, I have a new interstellar trade ship on the comm line-- Missy is going to help me with an exchange. Is there anything specific we need for our crops?"

The Fox shook his head. "No, Ma'am... everything's in good condition here, thanks."

Just like that, Duct-Tape was alone again, left to his own devices, but he didn't mind. The day passed quickly as he spent his time setting up the grow system for best effect. Although he wasn't particularly listening in on purpose, the Overseer's excitement was evident in her voice as her volume raised during the discussion. From what the Fox could hear, it sounded as if she were getting some unexpected information from her new contact.

The discussion took a lot longer than the usual exchanged she had and, as time continued to pass, curiosity eventually got the better of Duct-Tape, who wiped his paws off and stood up, heading out into the main room to actively listen in. He wasn't the least bit subtle about it, but, judging from the fact that the Overseer had switched the output channel to a speaker instead of a headset, it was obvious she wasn't trying to be secretive-- that, and she'd gathered something of an audience.

The shared emotion was palpable when the trader provided a unique response to the Overseer's never-ending questions about transport off of Planet A. "Always a pleasure hearing from you each time we pass by, Ms. Simpson, but we don't have corporate approval for passengers this time."

It was not a flat-out 'no', which created a lot of excitement in the camp. The Overseer hushed everyone down and followed up with "But... this is the third time you've been by here. If this is a constant trade lane for your corporation then--"

The comms officer from the orbital trader interjected; his was the stronger comm system so it squelched the base's transmitter easily. "I already submitted a corporate inquiry. Last I heard, our relations officer was trying to reach out to Relegra to let them know about your situation."

A loud murmur went through everyone gathered in the main hall. Duct-Tape was happy that their morale looked to have received a much-needed injection, but the Fox was also a realist; few interactions between interstellar corporations went smoothly and, depending on what corp the trader worked for, there was even the possibility that Relegra wouldn't accept a message, let alone acknowledge a world in which the orbital trader could assist with rescuing the survivors of the Venture.

The trader continued "Anyway, we'll take you up on that offer-- if you have the leathers and hides ready to go I can have the supply officer release a few sets of medi-packs to you. I know you're good for it"

The Overseer dismissed everyone, making a shoo-ing motion with her hand as she turned back to the comm console. "I have three staff ready to receive the drop pod-- we'll be moving everything out into the open for easy loading."

He laughed out his response. "Thanks. The staff folks on board don't want to spend too long in orbit. I'm sure you can appreciate their pirate-concerns."

The Human woman gestured to Grizz, Missy, Cole and Kurta then motioned to the supply room even as she replied. "Sure do, Xavier. Thank you again. Please reach out again next time you find yourself out this way."

"Always a pleasure, Ms. Simpson. Largess out."

The next hour was full of activity as the appointed workers started moving items outside at the Overseer's direction. Anyone not occupied with the handling of inventory stuck around regardless, helping out here-and-there as they talked amongst themselves about the possibility of rescue, either from the orbital traders, or from Relegra itself. Duct-Tape returned to the hydroponics to finish up his work, but he was done and joined everyone outside as the drop pod came in for a landing.

It wasn't a particularly large pod, which meant that the Overseer's four appointed workers were the only ones who could fit around it unimpeded but, regardless, they made good time loading everything up. As with any orbital trading, the pod's cargo container representing the trader's contribution to the deal didn't open its door until the group's bay was filled with what they were offering first. True to form, when the group took stock of what they received it was all accounted for.

The Overseer motioned back toward to the entrance of the cave system. "Alright-- that's all for today. Everyone back to your posts and if you're not on a shift right now clear out too... the pod takes off in ninety seconds and I don't want anyone within blast range."

Duct-Tape made his way back to the doorway, but didn't bother going inside, choosing instead to watch the drop pod take off and rocket up through the atmosphere. It was loud, as usual, but it wasn't quite loud enough to completely mask the sound of what could only have been a bestial roar from somewhere near by. It took a few seconds for others to realize what they'd heard only to have it repeat itself, followed by a distinct shout in Cytkus.

Just as the group had collectively decided to figure out what was going on, Lizzy came stumbling back into camp, breathing heavily with blood dripping from the butt of her gun. "Bear..."

The security team was ready in an instant and Captain Archie was at the front. "Where is it?"

The Cytkus composed herself. "Dead... back that way."

Grizz's jaw dropped. "You killed it? By yourself?"

Leo smirked. "Apparently so... and, unlike the time you did the same thing, she looks none the worse for wear!"

* * * * *

Part 45: Myra Saves the Day

Myra spent most of the night and the following day butchering up bear meat. In addition to the generous cuts she was able to harvest off of the carcass she also kept the pelt in great condition. It did take up a lot of time, however, and the Rhino missed the Overseer's interaction with an orbital trader and the brief visit from a friendly tribe who had come to trade. Ms. Simpson was talking to a small group of workers when the Chef finally took a break, stepping out of the kitchen only to walk into the middle of a briefing.

The Overseer, as usual, was very direct. "The village is about a day and a half away so you'll be on the road for awhile."

The Rhino looked around at the assembled group: Grizz, Missy, Duct-Tape, Claw, and Lizzy. She looked to the lady in charge. "I walk into something?"

The Human frowned. "Nothing that concerns you, Ms. Shamrock. I'm organizing a trade caravan at the request of one of our neighbors."

Myra took the hint that she wasn't wanted and she quickly showed herself out; dealing with women in charge had never been the Rhino's strong point and she knew when to leave before she created a scene that could compromise her position. The situation didn't improve when she ran into Leo outside, who seemed to be in something of a sour mood. Taking up a position beside him staring up at the late afternoon sky she considered pouring some fuel on the fire. "Guess the Overseer's planning on sending some folks out to trade with one of the tribes nearby."

The Lion nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

The Rhino pressed on. "It doesn't sound like you're going."

Oddly, Leo's expression lit up immediately. "Really? You sure?"

Myra shrugged, surprised at his reaction. "I... think. I mean, Sandra's in there talking to the group right now-- Grizz and Claw are at the meeting... I'm surprised you and the Cap'n weren't. invited."

Shrugging, the Lion turned to her. "Eh... probably worried about pirates or something... seems to be on her mind a lot lately. What about you?"

The Rhino regarded Leo. "What about me? I'm not security-- I'm the base's chef."

He was all smiles. "I mean, what brings you out here? Usually you're in the kitchen."

Leaning against the cliff face the Rhino shrugged. "Eh... figured I wasn't wanted in there with all that planning going on and I wanted to take a break from all of..." she waved her hand casually back toward the cave" "...that."

Leo's smile turned into a calculating smirk. "Mmm... well, seeing as you're free, and I'm free, I can think of a few ways to pass the time."

Myra had heard from several members of the group about the Lion's 'proclivities' but she hadn't had to deal with it herself. She figured best to let him realize just how not-interested she was. "Well... unless you're one hell of a cross-dressing, maned female Lion, I don't think you're my type... sweety."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? And what IS your type?"

She'd thought she'd made it pretty clear, but she decided to get even more blunt. "Women, pussycat. Chicks. Fe-males. I like snatch, Leo."

The Lion didn't even pause. "Oh? What a coincidence. Me too!"

The team that had been inside with the Overseer came out. Without saying a word, they all squared their shoulders against the heavy-looking packs they carried, and headed off into the jungle; Roscoe, Missy's 'pet' wolf bounded off after them. Leo continued staring in the direction they'd gone for several long moments, then glanced back toward Myra.

The way he continued looking at her left her with the impression that he didn't get it. She continued to spell it out. "Also, I don't like dick... which means I'm not interested in you."

His tail flicked mirthfully. "Maybe you just haven't found the RIGHT dick yet."

She rolled her eyes. "Only boys I'm interested in are cunt-boys. Only men I'm interested in are WO-men... and, if I wanted to bed a pussy, it'd be a pussy with a pussy."

Leo paused, FINALLY seeming to get it as he nodded thoughtfully. "Oh... got it... so you're into dildos."

Myra had no idea what that had to do with the situation. "I think I'm done talking to you now. Goodbye."

Turning around, she went back inside. He called after her. "Hard to acquisition things out here-- if you decide you need a dildo, you're more than welcome to ask me! I've been told I'm a really good one!"

Myra would have told him off right then and there if not for a strange tingle that ran through her head. The Rhino had been on Planet A long enough to know a Psychic Droning when she sensed one, but it wasn't one of the usual kind. No, she realized readily enough, it was one of the rare variety. A moment later she heard a thunderous rumble in the distance, followed by the sounds of bovine growling.

Duct-Tape and Cole were off to the side of the entrance and, unsurprising, the Rhino saw the same worried expression on the Fox's muzzle as she figured she wore herself. She called to them both. "Inside! Now!"

Cole was pushed back into the cave system by Duct-Tape, who needed no further encouragement. The Stallion complied, but he had a lot of questions; Myra let the Fox handle those as she moved after them, closing and sealing the door behind herself. The thundering grew in volume and the Overseer approached from within the tunnel. "What's going on?"

Duct-Tape explained before Myra could. "Another Psychic Droning... but this one is affecting animals. They'll kill anyone they can."

Ms. Simpson took everything in stride. "Alright... then I'll let everyone know that we're not going outside until the coast is clear. It's not worth--"

The statement was cut short by a loud thump against the door; Myra felt it shake behind her, and the impact was noticeable. "I don't think they plan on staying outside."

The Overseer quickly shouted for security, heading further into the cave system; Myra wasn't that surprised-- most women ran at the sign of danger. Of course, the Rhino wasn't most women, and she turned to face the threat head-on as the door splintered after another impact. The third caused it to break open and, suddenly, she was the only thing standing between what looked like a whole herd of wild buffalo and the rest of the base. She wasn't about to break as easily as the door.

She lost track of all of the thousands of pounds of beef as she began punching, kicking and horn-ramming them back. The natural choke point of the cave made it easy for her to avoid facing too many at a time and they couldn't get solid momentum to put their numbers to use. The Rhino was more than familiar with protecting settlements from wild beasts and, while a pack of bloodthirsty bovines was a first, she wasn't about to have it be her last.

Myra lost track of when back-up arrived; at one point Cole jumped in to support her, pushing the herd back with a long pole and, shortly thereafter, Cap'n showed up with the new recruit, taking up positions on either side of the doorway as they fired past her and the Stallion. Another minute of conflict and all of the hostile beasts lay dead. Cole looked a little banged up, but that was only because the Rhino had taken the brunt of the aggression. She put her back to the stone wall, letting out a long breath, culminating with a simple. "Ow."

Even as she was ushered off to the med-bay, she still had another thought on her mind. Shouting over her shoulder as she was brought to Doc's capable care, the Rhino blurted "Get them into the freezer! We don't want to waste the meat."

Yes... it was an odd evening.

* * * * *

Part 46: Cameron "Jackal" Galas

Cameron never knew his parents; he also didn't know his planet (or orbital) of origin. The only history the teen knew was that his adopted parents found him in the seedy underbelly markets aboard an unsanctioned space station that had been abandoned by a corporation after they'd set it up around the smaller of two gas giants in Delta Centauri. It had been taken over by a civilian governing board-- his adopted mother had been on that board, but she died a few years after she'd taken him as her son.

His father had been a sortie runner for the station and, since he wasn't home often, the man elected to take Cameron with him when he made his runs. That continued for almost four years before his adopted father also died thanks to a pirate attack. The pirates hadn't killed Cameron; they chose to press him into service... and that service was far from pleasant. In his late teens, the Human had planned to join the military but, instead, he became a play-thing for the Gorumn crew. He made their meals, tended to their war dogs, and was occasionally forced to join them in their beds-- sometimes with more than one at a time.

He was not the least been upset when they traded him off to the planet-bound survivors of a corporate expansion ship. The Overseer reminded him of his mom in a lot of ways, and his impression of her as a positive force in his life was solidified when she assigned him to security detail after learning about the plans he'd had before being pressed into service by the pirates. At his request, he even let him keep his nickname 'Jackal', a badge of honor he'd earned after he successfully beat one of the pirate's new recruits in a blades-only fight to first blood.

She had put him into the care of the base's head security officer, Captain Archibald; that was yet another bonus in Jackal's mind since the Dog was everything the pirates were not. Captain Archie reminded the teen of his father in many ways, but also as an elite, professional, hard-assed military officer, which was everything he himself strove to be. Truth be told, if Jackal was being honest with himself, he was enamored. That adoration only grew when they fought side by side dealing with insane bison, and again the following morning, when they had to deal with another crisis.

A group from a local LLC called "The Union" had arrived early in the morning and the majority of the folks at the base were gathered in the main room to entertain their guests. Jackal and the Captain were doing a quick walk-around through the many tunnels when the group's head laborer Cole cried for help with a single word. "FIRE!"

Cap'n responded immediately. "That's the battery room. Come on!'

It turned out to be a short in the system, and a fire had started. Cole was trying to beat the fire back with an untreated hide and the security Captain didn't even pause to think. "Jackal-- go get Kurta and Leo-- get buckets, and get back here with water!"

The teen did exactly as ordered, moving as fast as he could to do the bidding of his superior officer. He made it back before either the Gen or the weird-lady, carrying two himself. With constant trips and constant attention the fire was put out in a matter of minutes; according to Cole there was no permanent damage other than the discharge of power, emptying the battery bank. Although most of those in attendance were content to hear that Leo didn't seem very pleased by it. "Huh... and here I thought we upgraded the wiring... wasn't' this supposed to NOT happen again?"

The Stallion wilted immediately beneath the statement, but Kurta was quick to pipe up "What do you mean 'we'? Unless I'm not remembering right it was mostly Cole and Duct-Tape doing all those upgrades-- you didn't have anything to do with it."

Leo folded his arms over his chest. "Fair enough-- in that case, I'll also point out then that this obviously wasn't my fault."

The Lion strolled off, leaving Kurta, Cap'n, and Jackal alone in the battery room. The woman rolled her eyes and stormed out after him, which left just the teen with his superior officer. The Human took a step closer to the Dog. "Are you alright, Sir? No burns?"

Cap'n held up one paw, covered in plastisteel security armor. "All good. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off... I'm gonna clean up here."

Jackal shook his head. "No-- it's alright, Sir. I'll stay and help. I--"

The Dog's even tone held what the teen took to be a carefully concealed spike of displeasure. "It wasn't a suggestion, recruit."

The Human quickly showed himself out, hoping he hadn't offended his superior. Still, even though the Captain had told him he wasn't needed, Jackal had learned among the pirates that not staying busy usually meant being given a task that was far worse than someone could find for themselves; he took it upon himself to continue the rounds of the base, maintaining vigil on his watch.

The teen passed by the med-bay, where the group's Rhino cook was recovering from her run-in with the animals of the planet. He walked through the hydroponics area, where Cole was busy maintaining the crop. Jackal eventually made his way back to the main room where the Overseer was talking with Kurta; he took special notice that she was hiding her strange head-ridges beneath a stocking cap; he considered it an improvement.

His unofficial watch continued through the day as he stayed busy doing his rounds. Nobody gave him much thought and, on the few instances he had an interaction with anyone it was pleasant enough, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd offended Captain Archibald, and that put a dark cloud on his day. As the afternoon rolled around and he caught site of his CO walking the halls casually, Jackal decided to make the effort to patch up his position with the Dog.

The teen followed Captain Archibald down a side hall, through two rooms, and, finally, to a small section of the cave system sequestered far off to the side; the Dog came to a stop in front of a large stone box easily six feet long and several feet high. It almost looked like an old-fashioned sarcophagus; Jackal had read about them in an ancient customs book his mom had found for him. Pushing the past out of his thoughts, the young man took a step forward, clearing his throat. "Here to report, Sir."

The Dog didn't bother turning around, and his voice held no hint as to his mood. "You're not on duty tonight, kid. Unless there's anything of note you don't owe me a report."

Something about being called a 'kid' by his CO stung, but Jackal resolved not to let it get to him. Taking another step forward, he asked "Did I do something wrong today, Sir?"

The Captain shook his head, still not looking toward him. "Nah... you did fine, kid. With a little more training you'll make a fine security officer."

The duality of being praised yet also still being referred to as a child simultaneously warmed and frustrated the teen. He chose to let the mixed emotions fuel him as he took another step forward. "Captain, if you--"

The Dog interrupted him. "Can we do this tomorrow, Jackal? Now's not a good time."

The reality of the situation hit the Human like a ton of bricks. Actually taking in the scene Jackal realized that his first impression of the chamber had been right; they were in a tomb. Judging from his superior officer's entire bearing, he was obviously there to pay his respects. The teen wished fervently that he could rewind time a few minutes and not make such an ass of himself. "Oh. R-right. S-sorry, Sir. Of course, Sir."

"Goodnight, kid."

Despite the severity of the situation, Jackal just couldn't take it for a third time in a row. "Sir? Do you REALLY have to call me 'kid'? I'm not THAT young."

The statement got an immediate reaction from the Dog, who turned his way, ears up. The Captain stared at him for several seconds before slowly turning back around to face the sarcophagus. "No... of course not. Sorry, Jackal."

It was honestly far more than the teen had expected getting out of his CO. "It's okay, Sir... thank you." Lingering a moment longer, Jackal honestly wanted to stay, but knew he was probably dismissed. "See you tomorrow?"

The Dog merely nodded, saying nothing. It was an odd interaction, but Jackal realized he was content with it; the whole thing went poorly but it could have been so much worse. Returning to his room, the Human played the events over and over in his head. Was he crushing so hard on his CO that he was making THAT much of a fool of himself? Flopping face down on his bed, Jackal let out a deep sigh as he chastised himself. "Ugh... don't be such a Cameron, damn it. Man up, and stop doing whatever THAT was."

It was good advice, he decided, and resolved to do just that.