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On the Rim, Ch 30, 31, and 32: Leo, Missy, Cap'n

2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 1: Leo Makes His Rounds

Leo had spent enough time during his youth watching what he said around others; it was one of the few rules about survival on Jupiter Station since 'accidents' happened. Once he left that life behind he resolved to always speak his mind. Still, on occasion the Lion found it worthwhile to apply a little tact for the sake of peace... especially since he had no doubt that Planet A was far enough away from civilized space that 'accidents' could still happen. As such, discretion was the better part of valor one morning when he had been put on guard duty and identified an incoming delegate from one of the LLCs.

The Gen Tigress was bangin'-hot with curves, legs, and the kind of breasts that would have made him almost reluctant to give them a firm squeeze if she so much hinted at permission. Unfortunately, she was also an incoming delegate from one of the LLCs and that meant, he had to remind himself, not one paw on her-- and once his shift was done he could have a 'paw off' himself in the privacy of his own room.

After acknowledging her presence in what he considered to be a professional manner, and also offer a courteous compliment in the form of "You're one really sexy lady.", Leon went to collect the Overseer. Ms. Simpson followed him back outside, asking along the way "Did she say why she stopped by?"

The Lion offered a shrug. "Nope... but let me know if she's staying the night. I'd be happy to show her around."

The Overseer dismissed him and continued on alone to where the sexy Tigress was waiting. He considered how good stripes looked on her, and figured the only thing better looking on her would be him. Leo had to wait around for almost an hour before he was relieved and, at that point, he returned to his own room, where he could be relieved. He bathed before heading back out into the main hall, where the Overseer had pulled the group together.

Interestingly enough, Leo realized that it wasn't everyone; it was just the ladies. He also caught sight of the new crazy chick and, upon catching sight of Lilly, he about-faced and went back down the hall. Although it was some distance from the Lion to the meeting table, he was able to make out a few pieces of information. According to the Overseer, the LLC that Tigress represented had caught sight of another piece of the Venture impacting Planet A within close proximity and, as a courtesy, the LLC elected to inform them.

Ms. Simpson apparently planned to send out an expedition to the site and wanted to do so quickly before the wreckage could attract any scavengers or worse, pirates. The Lion nodded to himself, appreciating the plan, and he was just about to go let the security team know about the upcoming sortie when he heard the Overseer say "And I want to send the five of you."

Leo stopped in his tracks, creeping closer to the corner so he could listen in; he was intrigued. Myra sounded to be anything but. "I don't mind helping out wherever you need me, Ma'am... but isn't this a job for the security team?"

The Lion knew she had a good point and, for a moment, he felt a little indignant that the Overseer hadn't realized that same thing but then he reminded himself that the girls going meant that he wouldn't have to hike to hell and back; he was appreciating the plan more and more as time went by. Kurta brought up the next objection. "What about Desiree?"

Apparently the Overseer had thought of everything. "Duct-Tape has already offered to look after her while you're gone. The site is less than six hours away, so if you leave tomorrow morning you should be back by nightfall."

From there the discussion turned to specifics; the ladies were supposed to take their time so Lilly could recuperate without any males around. There hadn't been any sign of real danger but, just in case, anyone who wasn't armed would receive some weapons. Missy, having been on several missions with the security team already, would be in charge.

Out of everyone who could have put up more of an argument against being in charge than Leo himself, he would have guessed Missy. Based on what he'd come to know about her she was a free spirit; she didn't want to have to deal with looking out for others or keeping track and making sure everyone was doing their job. He was surprised when he heard the Lynx respond unexpectedly. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll do my best."

The Overseer was surprisingly relaxed about the casual acceptance. "I'm sure you will... and don't worry, I don't expect you to lead everyone into battle... just keep an eye out and make sure you all make it back safely."

Leo lost interest shortly thereafter and instead chose to stop by the supply room. The Lion had noticed on many occasions that Missy, free spirit that she was, returned after her forays out into the wilderness with a variety of 'interesting' supplies. Such supplies, the Lion had noticed, usually got traded off by the Overseer at the first opportunity. Leo reasoned that his 'first opportunity' might preempt hers.

It only took a few minutes to round up a collection of smoke weed and hops; he'd also identified some psychoid leaf, but that was a little too hardcore for the Lion's casual interest. He'd just put together a nice pack of the stuff to store somewhere less 'marketable' when noise out in the main room caught his attention. It was faint, but he distinctly heard a breathless, raspy "Help... someone help!"

Setting the pack aside, Leo wandered out to the main room and saw Ben leaning on the table, gasping for air. He approached the small Wolf, offering him a slap on the back. "Have a nice run?"

When Ben looked at him, the Lion saw fear in the lupine's eyes. "Asthma... bad...."

Leo didn't even pause. Grabbing the Wolf by the front of his duster, the Lion hefted him up bodily and carried him to sick bay. He stopped right out the doors and came to a halt. Setting the Wolf onto his own two feet he asked. "You good from here? I don't really wanna have to sit there while Doc does his work."

Ben nodded his head vigorously, coughing and wheezing as he stumbled past and into the med-bay. Leo made a quick retreat back down the hall, further from the doctor and closer to his original plan of setting aside a little 'special reserve'. Stopping at the supply room to pick up the sack he'd packed, the Lion also picked up a hand-held fabricator and a large collection of scrap metal and wooden planks before making his way out.

He moved into the adjacent hall which was reserved for base expansion, and went down the tunnel, bypassing three separate enlarged areas that had been hollowed out by Cole. Leo chuckled to himself as he thought about the Stallion, contemplating their past together and just how happy he'd made the Horse when they had been a 'thing'. Like all things, however, they eventually came to an end; Cole just couldn't keep up with him and bowed out. Leo was used to people leaving him and he took it in stride.

The Lion pushed those thoughts aside as he focused on his important task. He didn't get a lot of time off but he had vowed to put it to good use, and so he pushed himself to be as industrious as possible. By the time two hours was gone he'd managed to set up three brewing tanks and pushed them into hollows he'd created in the stone wall. He finished it off with a simple wooden accent panel to lay across them. Brewing was a millennia old art, and Leo had a hankering to practice some history.

* * * * *

Part 2: Missy's First Time in Command

Missy wasn't sure that she agreed with the Overseer's assessment of the situation when she sent the recovery team out without any security officers. While she didn't argue the point that getting Lilly out of the base and away from the men, that also meant that there wasn't anyone qualified to deal with her. The Lynx was no expert but she could tell that there was something distinctively wrong.

Lilly remained quiet for most of the trip. Lizzy and Kurta chatted happily and Myra occasionally provided some comments. The three seemed to get along well, which was great, but the newcomer had not shown any interest in joining in or contributing to the talk. Lizzy occasionally questioned the quiet Human woman, and Lilly would respond, but it would be a quick and simple reply to answer the question rather than let any conversation take root. Kurta, likewise, was met with dismissive responses; Myra and Missy were both ignored completely. The Overseer had said that Lilly might have issues with Gens, and her responses (or lack thereof) further reinforced that idea.

The road was long and rough but Missy was used to cross-country travel; she was more worried about making sure that everyone else could keep up. Fortunately nobody in the group lagged behind, which was a nice change from the patrols that she'd walked with the security team; Leo was always trailing. Those thoughts and more were on her mind when she caught sight that they were getting close to the impact sight. She called the group to a halt with a simple. "We're almost there."

Missy had everyone wait as she crept over the next ridge and, exactly as she's anticipated, a large section of earth had been blown outward; within the middle of the crater was a large hunk of a space ship. Not entirely sure that it was the Venture (Missy had never been good identifying star ships), she pulled out her PCD and ran a diagnostic scan; the device came back with an affirmative; it was, in fact, a portion of the starboard side ship storage module. That was good news.

She motioned for the rest of her team to join her and, once they did, she began setting out the plans, calling on the tactics she and the security team had used in the past. "Better safe than sorry... we're going to approach slowly, and I want to make sure we're all set up with cover in case there's trouble. First, Kurta and I--"

Myra cleared her throat and pointed. "Lilly's already gone ahead."

Turning, Missy saw that it was indeed the case. The Human woman was practically charging toward the fallen ship with no regard for cover or for personal safety. She called after her. "Lilly! Don't ! It could be dangerous!"

As it turned out, no trap was sprung. No enemies emerged to do combat and there were no threats to uncover. It was an unconventional win, but a win nonetheless. The Lynx promised herself she'd explain the situation to the Overseer once they returned; there was obviously something very wrong with Lilly and no amount of "girl time" was going to help whatever problems arose from her time being abused in captivity. Missy's heart went out to the Human, but she didn't want Lilly's presence to endanger her or the rest of the group.

They spent the next hour or two exploring the remains of the crashed ship part. While a large portion of it had been damaged by reentry, the center components were largely unaffected. Missy spent her time disassembling what she could since Duct-Tape had given her an MPT before they left, and the Multi-Purpose Tool turned out to be invaluable when salvaging advanced components from the ship.

Lizzy and Kurta searched through the cargo, identifying useful crates while Myra did the heavy-lifting and moved the items around to help separate them from the junk they were leaving behind. The group of three worked well in tandem and they managed to process a large amount of the least damaged cargo, even transitioning to destroyed boxes in search of salvageable goods. In the end, they put together far more than any all of them put together would be able to carry back to base.

Lilly, while everyone else was staying busy, spent most of her time on slowly working a huge metal plate back and forth back and forth, weakening the piece of already-damaged hull until it came off, falling to the ground with a loud thump. Only once the woman started attaching some ropes to it did Missy realize that the Human was putting together a cargo sled. It was a small light of hope in the otherwise dark field that was the emotionally destroyed lady, but the Lynx was happy to see it.

Missy called for a break early afternoon and passed out some of the rations that she'd grabbed from the cooler. Myra had also brought a collection of supplies and the group sat down to have a hearty lunch. The discussion started up within the group and Lilly actually started to open up a little. Kurta managed to coax some answers out of her when it came to her position aboard the Venture, and a little about her past, but Lilly shut down completely when the talk veered toward what had happened after the pirate attack.

Ultimately, once their meal was finished, Missy had everyone return to work. By her estimate, and allowing for a slightly longer return trip due to being weighed down, if they spent one more hour working at the impact site they'd be able to get back to base before dark. She said as much. "Let's finish up-- I want to be heading back within the hour."

In the end, as they finished up, they'd all but filled the 'sled' that Lilly had created. Although the Human woman never did step into the ship to help with the salvaging, after lunch she had wandered around the nearby area and had been just as productive, choosing instead to pick wild corn, gather aloe, and agave. While none of that was technology, it was all a variety of foodstuffs and plant matter that didn't grow near the base. Myra was overjoyed. "Well... I can think of a half dozen new dishes to try now. Thanks, babe!" Lilly, as with every other time, ignored the Gen.

The trip back took even longer than Missy had presumed and, due to the extra weight they were carrying, the team require another rest break. Being one of the more physically fit members of the group, Missy didn't require as long to recover as everyone else so she took the opportunity to do a brief scouting. It turned out to be fruitful.

She'd given the rest of the team another fifteen minutes to rest and, on the Lynx's last circuit of the area she found something both unexpected, but also very pleasing. Tucked beneath the canopy of a particularly large tree were some squad, broad-leafed weeds with long stalks and large groupings of buds. Checking her travel pouch, Missy saw there was plenty of room, and so she began to carefully harvest as much Smoke Leaf as she could carry.

As far as common herbal plants growing in wild areas went, Smoke Leaf was surprisingly absent from Planet A, and that was much to Missy's regret. One of her favorite parts about traveling through the rim worlds was sampling the varieties of herbs available, and smoke leaf was among the top of the list. The few times she'd found the plants near the crash site the amount she collected was invariably 'repurposed' by the Overseer and traded off for 'more important' goods; it was disheartening.

Resolving to put the new find to a great use, Missy closed her pouch and returned to the team. "Alright... we have to get going. We're already running late and I'd rather avoid being out too long after dark."

Lilly mumbled a response. "It's not the four legged animals we need to be worried about."

The Lynx could have been insulted; she could have challenged the comment, but she chose to let it go. "Let's keep up a good pace, and we might make it back in time for dinner."

Myra chuckled, musing aloud. "It'd be a shame if they had to get into the food stores rather than have a fresh meal made by yours truly."

Lilly gave the Rhino a friendly elbow. "Didn't you say Doc was turning out to be a pretty decent cook?"

Laughing, the Gen elbowed her back. "Girl, there's a difference between a cook and a chef, and I'm willing to bet that they're getting used to eating GOOOOOD."

* * * * *

Part 3: Cap'n's Guard Comes Down

Captain Archie was outside helping with moving some stone slag when he caught sight of a group of tribesmen approaching. They were in the open, and all of them had their right hands raised; he had learned that on Planet A it was a symbol of peace. He raised his right paw up as well and went out to meet them, but not before calling for Grizz to get the Overseer. The group of six had a surprise waiting for him: four of the tribesmen he didn't know, but two he did.

Abeo bowed to the Dog. "Hello again, Mighty Captain. The knowledge in our heads mean we come with love in our hearts this time."

Archie nodded his head to the man, and looked to the old woman standing beside him. "I am glad to see that you two are doing well... this is a new tribe for you?"

Naabhak nodded, bowing too. "It is. Yes. They found us in the forest one day from here once you returned us to the wild. They allowed us to join them, and we now bring them to you because, as peaceful groups, it is important for us to know of one another."

While willing to be optimistic, Captain Archie was still a little concerned that people the Overseer had released had returned with a new group. His worry turned out to be needless, however, as the Overseer appeared, full of smiles and well-wishing, and the entirety of the visitors mirrored her outlook. He excused himself once it was evident that the gathering was indeed peaceful, but he left Grizz on duty... just in case.

The tribesmen ended up electing to stay for a time, and the Overseer welcomed them in and had Grizz take them to the guest chambers. The captain stayed busy, and remained close to the guests just to keep an eye on them. In the end it was a good thing; one of the young warriors that had come with decided to flex on him. The Human was in his mid-teens, seventeen at the oldest, and he walked right up to the Dog. "Abeo says that you are a great warrior."

Archie had never felt the need to brag. He shrugged. "I fight when I have to."

The teen scoffed. "You have few scars. Your home has no trophies. I see no great warrior before me."

The Captain turned to regard the teen, glancing around to see if there was a member of the boy's tribe he could flag down to remove the brat before someone got hurt. "Why aren't you with the rest of your tribe, kid?"

The Human responded with a scowl. "I am no 'kid'. I am a man. I am Canter, and I have killed a wargh."

Archie couldn't help but scoff at the statement. "Hmmm... if that's all it takes to become a man, then we have a few women here that are men."

Captain Archibald later learned that he'd insulted the teen's honor. Without any indication, warning, or challenge, Canter lunged forward, catching the Dog with a punch to the side of his head, and then to the end of his muzzle. Archie didn't bother hesitating; he acted. In the blink of an eye he had blocked the teen's next strike, locked his elbow, and brought his knee up into the Human's solar plexus. As Canter doubled over from the blow, the security officer finished the scuffle decisively with an elbow to the back of the teen's head.

Only once the Captain looked up from his fallen opponent did he see that there were a number of people from both the tribe and the survivors who had watched him take down the boy. Fortunately, the tribesmen were quick to acknowledge Archie's innocence and identify Canter as the aggressor. The Overseer smoothed any ruffled feathers by leading them to the medical bay where she had Doc look over the unconscious teen. The tribe promised to have the young man sequestered for the remainder of their stay, and that was good enough for the Dog.

Captain Archie spent the rest of the afternoon doing rounds. He monitored the tribesmen without looming, and did a general circuit of the complex to make sure that everything was safe and sound. As the afternoon turned to evening, the peace and quiet was disrupted yet again but, unfortunately, it was not done by an opponent easy to defeat: the incessant brain humming returned, and it was, as always, disruptive, unpleasant, and distracting.

Dinner came and went; once it was over the Dog excused himself and went outside. Although the away team was technically late they weren't late enough for it to be a real concern but, just to keep his nerves in check, Captain Archie decided to stand watch so he'd know when they made it back safely-- if nothing else it would let him focus on something other than the incessant buzzing in his skull. Apparently he wasn't the only one to think being outside might help, as he was joined before too long by a Wolf.

Ben took a seat on a rock near where the Captain had elected to take up post. He offered a courteous "Evening, Cap'n."

There was something about Ben that Archibald had had difficulty balancing in his head and, for once, the distraction of not being able to get a feel for someone right away was a welcome distraction. The Dog usually got a good understanding of someone within an hour of meet them yet, despite being stationed at the same facility for the better part of a month, he was no closer to really understanding Ben Grotan. Moving to take a seat by the Wolf, the Captain addressed him. "Tell me something, Mr. Grotan..."

Ben seemed taken aback "Y-yes, Sir?"

The Dog kept it simple. "Why the Venture?"

"What do you mean?"

The Captain took a moment to rephrase his question. "You are obvious a very intelligent young man, so why--"

The usually meek Wolf actually interrupted him. "I'm not that young, you know."

The interjection threw the Dog off his train of thought. "You... what?"

Ben turned toward him. "I saw your file, you know. I'm a year older than you, actually... young man."

Captain Archie wasn't sure whether he was angry or intrigued, but, regardless, he was still surprised. "You have? How?"

The Wolf paused, as if realizing what he'd just said, and his ears lowered, reddening slightly. "O-oh... the computer system... it has the full duty roster..." he recovered though, and became belligerent again. "But that doesn't change anything. I know I may be short, but do I really come across like I'm a puppy or something?"

The Dog didn't quite know why he felt like he was put on the spot with the question, but he was so distracted by the buzzing in his head that he definitely didn't mean for the answer he provided to come out. "I think it's a little about you being small... but you're also cute, so that might make a difference for--"

He shut his muzzle audibly once he realized what he'd been saying. The Captain was not one to evade discussions, but he also always made it a point to keep his personal feelings or any prospective attachments at arm's length. Ben didn't make it easy. "You... think I'm cute? As in... like... how?"

The Captain groaned to himself but carefully kept the sound from escaping. "I didn't mean it like that--"

The Wolf fidgeted, turning to look at him. "I'm... ah... not all that great at social interactions, and I-- I don't really know how to deal with people without making a fool of myself, but--"

He froze mid sentence when he saw the Wolf wilt visibly. Archie backpedaled quickly. "No-- I meant, I DID, but--"

Captain Archie interrupted him. "That's not true. Everyone here really likes you. You've done amazing things for the group. I don't think we'd've done half as well without you, so don't sell yourself short."

Ben smiled weakly at the praise. "Yeah... everyone really appreciates me for what I can do for them. It makes me an 'in demand professional'."

The Dog looked to the Wolf, ears up. "You don't think you have friends here?"

The researcher shrugged. "I don't know... I mean... Dr. Zimmerman is a really nice guy. He's helped me a lot with my sicknesses and all, but is that just me appreciating him for what he can do for me, or can I tell that he's a nice guy and be thankful for that?"

Captain Archie was not too familiar with emotional pep-talks but he tried to work his way through it. "Can't it be both? You should be thankful he's so good at what he does but also acknowledge he's a good man-- just like you."

Ben was quiet for a second, but even in the dim light outside the cave Archie could tell the Wolf was blushing before he even raised his voice to say "Or like you?"

The Dog said nothing as he tried to figure out if he was getting the right signals from the timid researcher. It had been a long time since Archie felt any inclination for anything more than a working relationship with anyone but, for some inexplicable reason there was something about Ben that he found... compelling. In the end, Archie figured what was best for both of them was to keep the Wolf at arm's length. "I'm not a good person. I'm corp sec. I kill people for a living, Mr. Grotan."

Ben's thin, gentle paw rested on his forearm and the touch sent a disconcerting thrill up the back of Archie's spine. The Wolf spoke softly. "I'd rather look at it a different way-- you save people, Captain."

Archie fought to keep his tail from wagging as he tried to push the discussion away from any misperceived heroics; the Captain knew he was just a Gen doing his job. "You're the one who saves people... the stuff you come up with-- the way you put the puzzle pieces together... and you do all that without a gun, Mr. Grotan."

The Wolf slowly stood and moved to behind the Captain. Archibald usually hated people behind him, but the moment Ben's delicate paws came to rest on his shoulders, the security officer couldn't object. A moment later, the researcher began gently kneading his muscles, and, for that moment, the buzzing in the Dog's head was forgotten. Eventually the Wolf's voice worked its way into the Captain's thoughts. "You can call me Ben if you like, you know... everyone else does."

The Dog wanted to-- perhaps too much. "I... don't think that's a good idea."

The rubbing on his shoulders stopped. "Why not?"

The Captain sighed. "In my line of work you learn that life is short. Emotional attachments get in the way of getting things done, and we tend to lose people we get close to."

Ben circled him and knelt down, face to face with him. "I've spent about 1 out of every 10 days under the care of a doctor, Captain... I know that life his short, and that's why emotional attachments are important! Yes, we lose people we grow close to, but we still have that chance to get close... if we want to."

Archibald honestly wasn't sure whether he leaned forward or the Wolf did, but the next thing he knew their muzzles were touching. The shiver that had gone up his spine earlier blasted through his body again, easily ten times as strong. There was something innocent and simple to Ben; even is kiss was full of gentle intent-- none of it crying out in lust. It was soft, and intimate, and personal... sweet in a way that wasn't sickeningly saccharine. The experience left the Captain content, yet still wanting more.

The Dog didn't know when he'd closed his eyes but when he opened them he saw Ben slowly pulling away, ears back, flushed with embarrassment. The security officer couldn't help himself. "And, yes... I did say 'cute'... Ben."

The Wolf blushed more, straightening up as he stuffed his paws into the pockets of his uniform. "I... I'm just glad I know where we stand. I-- I mean... I think I do?"

Archie stood up, stepping closer so he could rest a paw on Ben's shoulder. His other came up to brush at the fur on the researcher's cheek. "I'm pretty sure you do."

Their second kiss was just as amazing as the first, only it was interrupted by the return of the scavenging party. Ben retreated quickly in self-consciousness and his awkwardness in saying goodnight while simultaneously trying to scamper out of sight only made Archie smile more. Riding high on the unexpected exchange, the buzzing in his head went all but unnoticed for the rest of the night. The Captain fell asleep thinking of Ben Grotan, looking forward to seeing where the strange connection they'd made would take them.