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On the Rim, Ch. 41, 42, 43: Doc, Cap'n, and Claw

2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 41: Doc's Very Full Day

Chris rarely if ever slept in and, even without setting the alarm on his PCD he was usually up at the same time every day. It was a strange trait, especially since it was consistent whether he was on a planet with 24 and a half hours like back home on Mars, 24 like on Sol, or in space on a 20 hour cycle. Planet A, as far as he could ascertain, was about the same size as Mars but closer to the system star than Earth. It had approximately 24 hour days, close enough that the doctor had his PCD set for Martian time. Based on that, he woke up at 5am every day.

During his time on Planet A, Chris had done what he could with the supplies available and the help provided by his fellow survivors up to the point of creating a half-way decent medical bay. Some days were busier than others but, for the most part, it was far quieter than most days aboard a space station or a large corporate ship. The exception, of course, had been the past few days after a third of the base came down with "The Planet A Flu". It wasn't deadly, and everyone seemed to be recovering, but he took his job seriously and having multiple patients to treat at once wasn't exactly relaxing, or easy.

The fact that Claw recovered so quickly was a nice relief, and when Myra got better it decreased the drain on his time, allowing him to spend more of it with each patient individually. That morning, as the recovery team was getting ready to go, Chris only had to focus on two patients still under his care: Leo and Duct-Tape. Lizzy, who he'd cleared that morning for duty, had been selected to join the team since the Lion wasn't available. Claw didn't miss the opportunity to come into the med-bay just to declare "You better not be faking it just to get out of a mission."

Doc stepped in to forestall any undue stress on his patient. "It was my call, Private. I'm not about to release a patient until I know they've recovered."

The Badger grunted, about-facing and, as he headed out the door he grumbled "Wouldn't put it past him to figure out how to fake out a scan."

Chris had his remaining two patients spaced out within the med-bay, providing them each with as much privacy as they could considering the communal set-up. He went to address Leo. "Don't let him get to you. Not everyone has genetically modified accelerated recovery."

Leo offered a wink in response. "I don't let anything get to me, Doc... except maybe being forced to stay in bed this long--"

The Human smiled patiently. "Well, I promise to get you better as soon as I can."

The Lion Gen continued as if he'd been interrupted, offering another wink as he spoke. "--without someone else with me. I mean. You know, if you REALLY want to help me get better faster, I can think of something you could help me out with... you know... putting that bedside manner and gentle touch to good use."

Doc provided a polite smile in return, and offered what he considered an unmistakable decline to the request. "No thank you, Leo-- I already have a romantic attachment I wouldn't want to preempt."

His patient apparently didn't consider that a problem. "Heh... that's fine, Doc-- I'm not looking for a boyfriend. Nothing wrong with a bit of fun, so there's no reason THIS'll come between the two of you."

At first, Chris didn't quite realize why it was the Lion but the emphasis on the word he chose, until he looked down and saw a distinct tent in the blanket right over the Gen's crotch. Although his professionalism kept him from getting flustered, Dr. Zimmerman didn't bother trying to mimic appreciation at what was likely an attempt at humor. "I'll be back to check on you in again soon-- your numbers are coming down and I think I should probably be able to discharge you in a few hours."

Leo purred a retort. "Oh... I could 'discharge' right now if you wanted..."

The retrieval squad left about a half hour after that and, when Doc did his follow-up set of rounds he determined that Leo was fit for duty. The Lion was overjoyed. "Wow... I'm all better AND I don't have to go hiking all over the place? This day just keeps getting better and better."

Dr. Zimmerman wasn't specifically trying to ruin the Lion's evening, but he did have a message from Sandra. "The Overseer said when you got better she wanted to speak with you about guard assignments-- since most of the security detail is out you'll probably get a double-shift tonight."

Leo picked up his firearm from the storage cabinet. "Well fuck."

Duct-Tape waited until the Lion had left before speaking up. "You have the patience of a saint. I think that may be why he toys with you so much."

Chris shrugged at the observation. "It seems to be harmless fun, so it's not that big of a deal."

The Fox nodded, covering his muzzle as he coughed. "Well... if ever it is, just let him know that you're serious-- he'll leave you alone."

The Doctor glanced back at his remaining patient. "Oh? Are you speaking from personal experience?"

Duct-Tape offered what almost looked like a demure smile. "Yes."

Dr. Zimmerman didn't push the issue and the Fox didn't bother elaborating. Doc rank a follow-up check on Duct-Tape's vitals and recorded them on his sheet. "You're looking better and better, but I think I may have you here one more night, just to be sure."

Chuckling, the Fox paused to cough again. "Yeah... not as spry as I once was... I get it, Doc. Can't get over this kinda thing quite as easily as you young'ns."

Chris laughed at that, especially the accentuated words Duct-Tape used to play the part of a crotchety old man, and he couldn't resist taking a poke at the Fox himself. "Well... if you were ONLY twenty or thirty years younger I might have made a pass at you like Leo did."

The white-furred Gen winked. "If I still had my nuts, I might have taken you up on it."

Doc made his way quickly out of the med-bay before the blush on his face could show; he was in a happy relationship with the Overseer, but there was something so endearing, calming, and comfortable about the Fox that he couldn't help but feel a little giddy. It was an innocent crush, that much he knew, but he actively ENJOYED being around him.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Chris did a quick lap around the cave system before heading outside to get a breath of fresh air; he only had about ten minutes before needing to return to his patient but he resolved to make the most of it. Once outside, he saw that the area around the cave entrance was busy. Ajax and Roscoe and Desiree were off to the right in a clearing left by felled trees, and off to the left Kurta was giving Cole a few pointers at the shooting range the security team had set up for combat training.

The time passed all too quickly and eventually Chris made his way back to the med-bay. Approaching the open door, he heard voices speaking within; he recognized the voices right away as Duct-Tape and Leo. The Human stepped inside just in time to hear the Lion's finishing statement "Well, when you ARE, she wants you back on hydroponics."

Dr. Zimmerman approached the two Gens. "Everything okay?"

Leo spoke up immediately. "Yeah... just letting this gold bricker here know that he has some work cut out for him... Overseer's already putting a list together for when he's better."

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest as he addressed the visitor. "I'll tell you the exact same thing I said to Claw when he was giving you grief; nobody here is taking advantage of 'the system' to avoid work. My patients leave when I release them and not before, and I would appreciate it if people started respecting how modern medicine works. It can be fast, yes, but it is not instant."

Shrugging, Leo walked by him. "Damn, Doc... no need to get yourself all worked up over it-- you need to get laid or something. I'm still willing t--"

Although he hadn't lost his temper, Dr. Zimmerman was still perfectly willing to raise his voice. "GOODNIGHT, MR CALICO!"

The Lion chuckled as he padded out the door. "Take it easy, Doc."

* * * * *

Part 42: Cap'n and Crew at the Impact Site

Before crash landing on Plant A, Captain Archibald would have thrown a fit if he were ever ordered to undertake a mission with civilians on the roster as part of his team but, given what he'd experienced during his time on the rim world he began to appreciate the out-of-the-box approach. Missy had turned out to be an exceptional addition to his command and, considering their progress on the day they sent out to recover the fallen piece of the Venture, he was pleased that the newest addition in the form of Lizzy did not slow them down in the least-- if anything, her presence meant that they moved faster without Leo, who chronically fell behind during the march.

Before they left, Archibald had completed a series of calculations based on the observations made by the visitors who had seen the piece's planet fall. With the help of the computer he'd determined that they had somewhere between 6-8 hours of travel to reach the site, with the variance taking into account uneven terrain and possible detours if the mountains proved to be too rough. Fortunately, the going went smoothly and they arrived a little ahead of schedule. That, he realized, was when the newest addition to their group would be put to the test.

The landing site was a large stretch of open desert. Debris had been flung several hundred meters away from the crater, some of it large enough to provide decent cover. A good sized hill was on the south west side of the area of operation and he quickly formulated the plan; it was time to see if Lizzy continued to be a good fit.

Turning to Missy, he motioned toward the hill. "Take Lizzy; I want you two on the high ground in case we're dealing with anyone else in the area."

She nodded "Got it, Cap'n."

Archibald looked to Claw next. "You're heading around the other way-- Grizz and I are setting up in the debris field near the cacti."

The Badger gave a salute. "On it, Cap'n."

The Dog took another moment to survey the scene. Missy paused long enough to give Grizz a kiss for good luck and then headed off toward the hill with the Cytkus in tow. Claw, as usual, moved with surreal speed and stealth as he slid carefully through the geography to whatever point he determined would be best for entering into the fray. That left the Captain and the Corporal. He glanced to the Bear. "Let's go."

"Copy that."

The positioning maneuvers went as smoothly as if they were out of a text book and Cap'n felt a degree of pride at watching everyone get into position without event. Archibald reached down to the PCD on his belt and hit the transit button, speaking into the mic in his helmet. "We're a go, Claw."

The next two minutes were complete silence as the Captain waited for any indication that the Badger had encountered any resistance. After the third minute came and went a transmission came through from the Private. "We're clear, Cap'n. First ones here-- No pirates. No tribals. No sign of hostiles."

Considering past engagements and how often they had to fight for anything the Captain was pleased that they caught a lucky break. He communicated with the rest of his team. "Alright-- Missy and Lizzy, you keep watch and let us know if you see any movement. Grizz, Claw, you're with me-- let's see what we've got here."

Although most of any long distance star ship was built to accommodate reentry, usually it was the outer hull that had the heat shielding required to prevent damage. Captain had taken a class on salvaging from sites where a ship had broken apart in orbit and, in his experience, the results weren't pretty. Then again, colonial expansion freighters were a heartier type of ship and, despite the obvious heat damage, a good portion of the fragment was still intact. The largest problem they faced was getting through the melted and fused portions.

It was hard work and, even with both the Dog and the Bear working with muscles, tools, and, at one point, a few carefully-aimed rounds from their charge rifles, they were at it for over an hour before they managed to create a hole large enough in the wreckage for Archie to squeeze into what he realized was a hallway from one of the lower decks; he recognized it right away, in fact, and called back out to the Corporal "Security deck. Lower level."

The security deck on the lower level of the Venture was relatively small so Grizz's follow up question was obvious. "Near the barracks or the armory?"

Using the light attached to his helmet and the one on his PCD, Captain moved down the hall, calling over his shoulder "I think you're standing in the armory."

The Corporal's response was not unexpected. "Well, damn."

The hall's power was understandably non-functional but the doors had an emergency release. Getting to the only remaining door in the short, wrecked hallway, Archie opened the panel and began turning the crank. "Keep an eye out. I'm heading into the barracks."

There had been over forty members to the security team on the Venture and, despite being a Captain, Archibald had been third in command; two Majors outranked him. The CO of the lower level detachment had been a Lieutenant. Archie had never worked with the Neo-Human before the expedition but they had been on friendly terms. He wasn't sure what he'd feel if anything when walking into the barracks but it was strangely easy; he felt almost nothing.

The room was in complete disarray with broken furniture and shattered containers; there were no bodies, which was a pleasant bonus, but any and all personal effects were strewn about, ruined, and/or shattered. He spent some ten or fifteen minutes combing through what he could. Aside from some salvageable nutrition bars and some clothing in reasonable condition he didn't find much until he turned to leave, and that was when he discovered quite a prize.

He emerged from the open section of the hull carrying the first portion of the salvage, announcing to Grizz "I have another armful more of this... and I need you to open the hole more-- there's a laser cutter in the duffle."

Once the Dog had provided the Corporal direction he returned to where he'd piled what they would take back to base. Archie gathered up the rest of what he'd scavenged and walked back down the hallway to where Grizz had increased the size of the opening marginally, and was continuing to work. The Bear stopped long enough to accept the goods, asking "How much longer are we here, Cap'n? No telling when someone'll come by-- I'm sure others saw this thing come down."

The Dog motioned back down the hall. "One more thing to get-- just open it up a little more... big item."

Archibald honestly wished he'd had a free paw available for taking a picture of Grizz's face when he emerged from the ship rolling along a mobile tech frame, from which hung a nearly perfect condition suit of high quality security spec combat armor. The Dog and the Bear had their own suits, which was true enough, but considering the limited supplies available on Planet A, such a find was amazing.

The Corporal had always had a brain for tech specifications so the Captain let him look it over while Claw helped gather up the rest of their loot. Eventually the Bear noted "Looks like it's keyed-in for Gens... could probably work with a Neo-Human, but the space for a tail would probably be pretty damn silly in that case."

Archie nodded. "Then it looks like we have something for the Priv--"

Claw interjected. "If it's all the same, Cap'n, I'd rather pass on the combat armor. To clunky, too noisy, and gets in the way of the cyber spurs." The Badger flashed his cybernetic arms, extending and retracting the plastisteel blades to accentuate his point.

Grizz's ears raised. "Well... Missy is always with us, Cap-- maybe we--"

The Dog cut the statement short. "She is an invaluable member of this team, I don't deny that, Corporal, but she doesn't have a security commission from corporate."

The Bear didn't give up. "Does that really matter all the way out here?"

Claw interjected "Considering her specialty I'd think it'd be a liability-- she deals with the same thing as me... why handicap her with a tin can?"

Archie nodded. "And that... besides, we DO have a qualified member of security who needs some combat armor."

The disgusted look on Grizz's muzzle revealed the Corporal's opinion on the matter before he even said the name. "Leo?"

Claw was one huge scowl. He walked away mumbling "Hmm... at least ASK Missy if she wants it first..."

* * * * *

Part 43: Claw & the New Guy

It was late at night when the retrieval team got back to base and Claw's mood hadn't improved any. He couldn't argue that they managed to get some worthwhile supplies and weren't required to do any fighting; by all accounts that should have been a major win, but the Badger couldn't get his frustration settled, not when the best possible resource obtained was going to go to a fuck-nut like Leo.

Not only was it a waste, but it was an affront to security personnel galaxy wide that such a useless lump of a Gen was going to be given such worthwhile combat armor. It was an ongoing narrative in the Badger's mind-- one he knew he shouldn't let get to him, but he couldn't help himself; he knew how important a find it was for the group but it was lost on someone like Leo... and he was content to let everyone in the retrieval team know his opinion on the matter for the entire trip back to the valley. Upon arrival, however, he found an entire reason to bitch, and he wasn't alone.

During their absence, the Overseer had apparently continued to do business with neighboring villages and even an orbital trader. While that news wouldn't normally be anything worthy of note, Claw was standing next to the Captain when Ms. Simpson explained that her recent trade took place with pirates. Right as the Dog began to object she interjected. "They are not from Planet A, and contacted us in peace. They sent a drop pod to trade and honored their part of the deal-- they had sick people on board and were desperate for medicine."

If it was supposed to put the Dog at ease it failed horribly-- it had the exact opposite approach. Although the Captain objected, he did so courteously, which was far more than Claw knew he'd do himself. "Meds are in short supply here, Ma'am... what was worth trading them off to get?"

At that statement she motioned to the training area, where Leo was standing with a young Human; if Claw had to guess he would have assumed the boy was probably in his late teens. The Badger also noticed something else about him, and didn't bother holding his tongue. "Hey-- dipshit... you're holding the baton wrong."

Before the discussion could go any further, the Overseer spoke up to the Captain. "The Pirates took him as a slave when they raided a private supply ship. He was the pilot's son, was on his way to enlist in the GCC military."

Claw interjected his point of view before the Dog could. "So we lose medicine, and get another mouth to feed? Brilliant."

Captain Archibald looked over at the Badger, expression unreadable, but the barely repressed growl in his voice said it all. "You're dismissed, Private."

Nodding, Claw took that as a sign and quickly stepped away, heading over to examine what was going on with Leo and the new kid. Despite not knowing how to hold a security baton, the Human was at least respectful. "Hello, Sir."

It had been a long time since Claw had been called 'sir' by anyone but, as Private, he did technically outrank a recruit. Ignoring the boy, he looked to Leo insted. "YOU'RE teaching him how to fight?"

The Lion shrugged. "Just getting him some exercise. I don't do tooth-and-claw, but this is what we had available."

The Badger slapped his forehead with his own paw. "He's a fuckin' Human, dip-shit... it's 'hand-to-hand' for Humans."

Leo shrugged. "Well excuse me for not being racist. Anyway, he's getting exercise, which is a form of training, so it's fine. It's all fine. Everything's fine."

Claw didn't miss the way the Lion was busy watching the teen's butt as the new recruit continued to swing the baton (poorly) at the melee dummies. Scowling, the Badger walked off. "Never mind... now I get it."

Entering into the cave system, Claw went straight to his room to dress down; he'd been in his 'away gear' all day, and he liked the thought of relaxing. Lounging in the main room at the chess table, the Badger contemplated the piece in front of himself; he hadn't learned the game until after he'd come to Planet A, and he'd since spent plenty of time perfecting his tactics, but he was still only 'decent' at it, and preferred to watch and critique rather than play and be get slaughtered everyone else at his old base-- they were all far, far better at it than he was.

Lizzy sat down opposite him after he'd been staring at the table for several minutes. "The new kid's name is Cameron. He said he's gone by 'Jackal' since the pirates took him from his family and he grew into it so that's what we're using, I guess."

The Badger moved a piece. "Hmm... you think it was a stupid trade too?"

She shrugged in response, moving a piece as well. "Maybe... but we could use the extra manpower here when it comes to safety, and the Overseer said that Cap'n and Grizz'll be teaching him how to work security."

Claw moved again. "That's bullshit... kid can't even hold a baton right."

The Cytkus likewise moved another piece. "We saved Duct-Tape from being a pirate slave and he's proven to be a great addition to the group. I can't really see how this is any different."

The Private moved another piece, capturing one of hers. "We didn't trade off supplies to get Duct-Tape... and besides, the Fox has a lot of skills."

She moved another piece of her own, capturing one of his. "Maybe we can find out what he can do before we assume he's not worth it."

The Badger snorted, reaching for another piece. "Well, unless he--"

She interrupted "Check, by the way."

Claw paused, taking stock of the board and realized she was right. Smirking to himself, he used an advanced move he'd learned and castled his king. "There... anyway, he's a kid that grew up on a cargo freighter, what could he--"

Lizzy interrupted him again, smirking, as if knowing something he didn't and moving her queen to take the recently-moved rook. "Check mate. Give him a chance, at least."

The Badger looked down at the board, then up at the Cytkus, who stood up and walked off. He wanted to object on many levels but wasn't sure whether he was more annoyed that she was so smug about her win or didn't agree with him about the assessment regarding the newcomer. Either way, it was another frustrating addition to his day.

Leo came in a moment later wearing the security armor that the group had brought back from the recovery mission. "Oh yeah... gonna get SOOO much tail in this."

Claw waited until the Lion had passed by and headed off down the hall toward the bedrooms until he face-planted his head on the chess table. It hadn't been a horrible day, per se, but there were definitely some lows.