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On the Rim, Ch 47, 48, 49: Cap'n, Doc, and Jackal

2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 47: Cap'n's Double-Trouble Threat Response

When the Overseer first selected a trade caravan to go send supplies to a friendly village, Archibald was a little reluctant to get on board with the idea of not going with. Still, he trusted Grizz, Claw, and Missy, and the Overseer did have a good point about needing him at the base to oversee setting up defenses so, ultimately, he relented. He still didn't feel good about it while they were gone and his attention kept shifting toward how they were doing or if they were in danger. That didn't end until they returned safely.

Cap'n was working at the entrance to the valley alongside Cole, Leo, Jackal, and Lizzy, moving large rocks to form a makeshift waist-high wall. It wouldn't really keep out any dedicated attackers but, in the Dog's mind, it would be a reasonable position from which to fire under partial cover. Given time, he would build the wall out more to create a more easily defensible position but considering his limited labor force, starting out with something quick was far better than having nothing.

They were about an hour into the work process when Leo, who had been taking a break, caught sight of the caravan returning. "Hey, Cap'n-- looks like they're back!"

The work group broke down as everyone disbursed to welcome the travelers back. Captain Archie was willing to let that slide because he was just as interested in seeing them return. The trade group returned with a solid amount of supplies: food, clothing, and some dyed cloth. None of it was helpful from a security standpoint but provisions were never a bad thing and the items the tribesmen had requested for weren't really being put to use so it was a win-win.

The rest of the morning was spent stowing the items obtained by the group; the tribesmen had been kind enough to loan them a muffalo to transport it. The creature was a strange cross between a cow and a sheep, but behaved well enough and had done a fine job of carrying the wares back to base. They had told Missy that they'd be visiting within the next few days to collect it; the whole exchange made Archie think that there was some hope for civility on the planet, but his optimistic look was cut short when Missy, who had gone out to scout, sounded the alarm with a shout of "ROBOTS!"

Such a cry was not a standard exclamation of any kind under normal circumstances, so it got Cap'n's attention right away. He gathered up everyone at the base before turning to the Overseer. "Take Doc and stay here. I'll send someone back to get you when it's safe."

Still not having much information, the Dog headed out toward where he knew Missy to be, speaking to those accompanying him as he went. "Claw. Myra. I need you both up front. Everyone else, we'll put our firing wall to use. Line up on me and wait for my signal before you start firing. We don't know what's going on, and we don't need to make a--"

His statement was cut short as a pulse round flew high overhead. Archie knew well enough that the shot was far enough off mark that it was not an actual attack or even a warning shot, but it did confirm that there was aggression planned. What confirmed it beyond any doubt was Missy's call. "They're attacking!" It was followed up with the sound of her SMG opening up.

He barked out his order before breaking into a sprint. "MOVE!"

Civilians were not used to charging TOWARD combat so he wasn't surprised when the line faltered but, to their credit, all the non-security members still went in the right direction. Even as Archie knelt down to take cover behind the stone wall that was only partially built he was joined by Grizz and Jackal; a moment later Duct-Tape and Lizzy fell into position. Cole was right behind them, along with Kurta and, in his own time, Leo arrived. By then, their position was under attack.

The Dog glanced to Claw and Myra, who were awaiting orders. He offered it with a nod, and then rose up with his charge rifle to take aim as he shouted to everyone else "Covering fire!"

Myra, despite her size, was relatively agile and cleared the thigh-high wall with a jump; Claw vaulted over it right behind her and the two raced into the woods toward over half a dozen robotic soldiers that looked uncannily similar to those the group had faced in the past. With seven robots in all, the attack force was greater than what they'd faced in the past. To make matters worse, they instantly responded to the attackers, forming up as four of them wielding charge rifles faded back while three with plastisteel blades interposed themselves between the firing line and the group's assault squad.

Myra collided with the bladed robots first, slamming into it horn first before she swept its legs out from beneath it with the large steel bar she'd obtained to use as a weapon. Right behind her, Claw sprang into combat with one his cybernetic plastisteel blades leading the way. Seeing the back line of rifle-wielding robots take aim at the group's melee combatants, Captain Archibald squeezed off several successive rounds; the rest of the firing line followed his lead, and the gunfight began.

The next several seconds passed in the blink of an eye as the chaos of combat took over sensible thought. The Dog took down one of the rifle-bots but, although the melee combat ended quickly as Myra downed her foe and Claw finished one of his own, the third robot pushed past them and rushed the defensive position. As the Captain, Archie took it upon himself to protect the rest of the group.

To his left, Duct-Tape and Leo kept their shots aimed at the firing line of other robots while Grizz quickly came to aid the Captain. Archibald was surprised at how quickly the robot moved; it was far different than the ones they'd faced before, and, while he managed to fend it off with a combination of blows from the butt of his rifle, it still managed to slice him across the torso before Grizz finished it off with a close range charge rifle blast.

As the haze of combat lifted, Captain Archie took stock of the situation: Myra and Claw were both standing, though the Rhino looked to have taken a wound to her upper and lower leg. Claw, on the other hand, was miraculously still standing despite having a nasty puncture to his neck, a deep gash to his leg, and a nasty blow to his head that had cut deeply enough to reveal his skull. The Badger was clinging to the Rhino but, strangely enough, he seemed to be helping her more than vice versa.

Other than the close-range squad and myself, the Captain noticed that there were no further casualties, so he was willing to call that a win. Turning to Grizz, he announced "Have Duct-Tape, Cole, Lizzy and Jackal look over the enemy... make sure that they're all decommissioned then bring them back to the base for disassembly."

The Bear nodded. "Copy that."

The Dog then turned to render aid to Claw and Myra. Holding a paw over his own wound, he approached them. "Let's get you two back to the med bay... Doc'll wanna get a good look at you."

The three helped one another back to base but, just as Doc was receiving them, Cap'n heard the sound of renewed combat. He froze. "Another wave?!?!"

Although he meant to return to the field of battle, Dr. Zimmerman was surprisingly adamant about refusing. Archie was more than willing to override the doctor's authority considering it was a matter of the safety of the base, yet he couldn't refuse the direct order. Grumbling, the Dog followed the Human's command, grumbling to himself "Damn H-gene..."

He got a full detailed report from Grizz less than a half hour later; the robots were apparently learning, and they were getting more than capable. Duct-Tape, Cole, Lizzy, and Jackal were on the front lines when another seven robots struck. Grizz was there to help immediately, as was Kurta, who didn't even hesitate to jump into the fray. Lizzy was pivotal in helping everyone get to cover; she held off the robot's front line by herself in melee combat, and distracted them long enough that Grizz was able to move around to join in some crossfire with Missy.

When it was all said and done, Grizz and Missy each downed one. Lizzy not only held her own, but she even took one down in claw-to-blade combat. Kurta was the MVP with two confirmed kills, while Jackal and even Cole got one each. Of course, the defenders weren't without their own casualties-- four in total.

Despite Lizzy's valliant defense, she was stabbed in the leg, allowing one of the robots to push past. Duct-Tape had taken it upon himself to protect Cole, and his neck was grazed by a plastisteel blade before he could down the aggressor. The same robot had also stabbed Cole in the shoulder and Jackal, who had moved to intervene was stabbed-- his gun hand and forearm were cut open by the same blow.

All-in-all it was a valiant defense, and a win, but it left the Captain worried on many levels and in many ways.

* * * * *

Part 48: Doc Zimmerman, Professional Problem Solver

Chris was kept busy tending to the group's wounded; when he'd had Cole prepare six medical bay beds he never anticipated even half of them being full, let alone every last one... with a seventh relegated to laying across the two chairs set aside for visitors-- and it hadn't even been that long since he'd had to deal with the Planet A flu. Then again, there was a big difference between patients being sick and people suffering from traumatic injury. He got help from Sandra and Kurta, but it was late before he was able to actually call everything and everyone 'stable'.

Despite not getting to bed until well after midnight, the Doctor was up again at his usual time, having logged perhaps three hours asleep, but he knew he was needed back at the medical bay. He checked on all of his patients, changed wound dressings, and provided medication as necessary; most of it was pain killer. Fortunately, Duct-Tape and Lizzy were both healing well and he was able to release them by the time breakfast rolled around. That lowered his work load by almost one third.

Food that morning was a quick affair: reheated, ready-to-eat meals since Myra was still being tended in the medical bay. After that, Sandra took Duct-Tape and Lizzy outside since the tribals who had loaned the group their muffalo arrived to collect it. That went beyond Chris' scope of labor and he excused himself to return to the med bay and continued tending to his patients, starting with breakfast.

Claw, despite being one of the most wounded, was released right after mid-day. Chris had heard stories about Gens who had been fabricated with combat in mind but, before encountering the Badger he had never met one and monitoring the Private's healing progress was not only mind-blowing, it was almost mesmerizing. The doctor didn't have time to dwell on it, however, not with his remaining patients still in need of his help.

Captain Archibald's torso wound, if it had been two inches lower could have been life threatening; as it was, the blade had been caught by his ribs. The damage would take weeks to fully heal but, by that afternoon, the Dog was well on the road to recovery and, after much complaining about having things to do, Archie finally got his wish when Chris released him, but only after saying "But I want to see you tomorrow for a follow up." The Captain agreed, and was on his way.

Myra, Jackal, and Cole were the last of the Doctor's patients and the extra space in the medical bay meant he was able to give them a little more elbow room. At regular intervals he had his patients get out of bed and move around to improve the healing process; he repositioned them after each one moved to spread them out. Cole was the next to be released mid-afternoon, leaving only two in his care.

Myra's injuries were all but healed thanks to the advanced medical supplies Sandra had obtained in her recent trade, so her release back to work would be scheduled for the following morning. While Jackal's wound was much shallower than Myra's, the nature of it being along the back of his hand meant an increased chance of permanent damage, and so he likewise elected to keep the young man for observation that night.

During Doc's second meal break of the day he joined the rest of the base before gathering food for his patients. He lingered after dinner a few minutes so he could spend a little time with Sandra. The two shared a kiss, then she excused herself to answer a call at the comm station; another orbital trader was contacting the base, but he refused to linger long since there had been increased pirate activity in the sector.

Chris was in the main hall long enough to hear Captain Archibald engage her in conversation the moment she hung up. "Can we focus properly on defenses now? Between those bots and reports of more pirate attacks I think it's about time."

The Overseer agreed, and tasked the Captain with getting defenses into order the following day. Although the doctor made his way into the med bay before their discussion completed, it wasn't long before Sandra showed up. She was direct in her greeting. "Chris, I have some goods coming down from an orbital trader in the next thirty minutes. There should be everything you need to get some medical scanners and vital monitors set up. What will you need to make that happen tomorrow?"

He thought about the request for a moment. "I have the medical knowledge, but I'll need someone with the technical engineering skills... Duct-Tape, maybe? If I can get someone to help with the set-up I can handle the calibration and system integration."

She nodded in response. "Alright. I'll get you Duct-Tape. Will everything be up and running by end of day?"

Chris was confident in his answer. "Assuming both my patients are ready to be released? Yes. Shouldn't take longer than maybe afternoon."

The Overseer smiled. "Alright. If everything is good to go in that regard then I'll also have Coal Nine come in to expand the available space in here-- god forbid anything like another attack happens again but if it does I don't ever want anybody relegated to laying on a row of chairs."

An expansion was no small feat, not when considering it included having to dig through rock to make the room larger. "How big an expansion are we talking?"

She rested a hand on his forearm encouragingly. "Relax. It shouldn't be too disruptive, but I want another four beds in here."

He didn't need to think very hard to do the numbers. "That's twelve beds... there are thirteen of us here."

Sandra's smile disappeared and she spoke frankly. "We have to be ready for a worst case scenario... and if that means twelve of us are in need of medical aid I want to be prepared. I know it's a lot to ask--"

He interrupted her by holding up a hand. "No. I get it."

She reached out to take hold of his fingers. "Thank you."

Leaning closer, Chris kissed her on the forehead; it was a little more of a personable action than he normally would have wanted to do in front of patients but Myra and Jackal already knew that they were in a relationship so he felt no need to really hide it; Sandra pulled back at first, but allowed him to complete the gesture. He lingered for a moment before regarding her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah... just trying to stay focused. Are you almost done here tonight?"

He glanced around the medical bay; his patients had received their care for the night and neither was in critical condition. "I just want to settle things in here then I am... why do you ask?"

Sandra leaned closer, resting a hand on his shoulder as she spoke into his ear. "It's been a long day, and I was hoping for company tonight... Coal made me a new bed that sleeps two, and I think we could both use the distraction."

Chris normally wasn't a fan of being distracted, but he didn't even consider saying no. Smiling, he stepped back and noted professionally "Yes, ma'am."

* * * * *

Party 49: Jackal Struggles with Multiple Dilemmas

Although his rescuers didn't know that Jackal had prior combat experience he didn't find any reason to tell them that his pirate captors had used him on a number of occasions as expendable battle fodder. In fact, out of the six slaves they kept for fighting, he was the only one who had survived for any length of time. He didn't keep the information a secret on purpose and he would announce his experiences in an instant if his commanding officer would have asked; the teen had no delusions about keeping anything from the Dog, or doing anything other than his CO requested of him.

Jackal knew all about crushes; he'd heard about them all the time, usually in the form of comical or tragic discussion, but his life had been hell and he never figured that he'd be stupid enough to have one of his own... but he couldn't be rid of it. The desire to impress his CO and be suitably noticed for his contributions was what led the Human to his injury. He should have done the smart thing and let the robot hit its target, but Jackal knew that Cap'n wouldn't have approved, and so he intervened and got hurt in the process.

He wasn't used to sitting around doing nothing. The few times he'd been hurt while under the ownership of the pirates they rarely cared, and usually forced him to continue his usual activates despite the pain; the Group Under the Mountain were completely different, and he found himself wiling away the hours under the care of Dr. Zimmerman. It was a strange experience, but, like all other ones in his life, he weathered it. Fortunately, he was released before he went stir crazy.

The first thing to happen when he reported to the Captain was that he was brought on a security walk-about; the Overseer had appropriated the Corporal and the Private, which, unless the Dog wanted to bring Lion along and travel slowly, that left the recruit-- Jackal was more than happy enough to join up with him. It was an hour of extra time he got with his CO, and it was a great way to spend the morning.

Under his guidance, Jackal went on a walk-about, spent a little more time training, oversaw a trade between the group and a visiting LLC, helped with the Captain's defense structures, and even had a chance to join his CO for an early dinner. It was a personal affair, and he enjoyed the private time he could get with his idol. That made it all the more difficult when the Overseer pulled Jackal away to have an important discussion.

She started the talk in an odd manner. "Jackal... you've seen the tomb room, right?"

He nodded simply, attempting to emulate Cap'n's professionalism. "Yes, Ma'am."

Taking a deep breath, the Overseer said something that the teen had not yet heard. "Our friend Ben is entombed there. He was killed by one of our own group members-- Lilly. She was exiled because of what she did."

"I... didn't know."

The reveals just kept coming. Motioning over her shoulder, Mr. Simpson then said "She's here... with a group of tribesmen... to trade."

A strangled gasp behind Jackal forced him to turn around. He saw Procurement Officer Leo there. Leo stood, frozen in place. After a long delay, the Lion let out a long breath, followed by the statement "Fuck... makes me wish I had some popcorn..."

The Overseer shot the officer a dirty look. "Mr. Calico, I would like you to see to our guests and make sure they're settled into the side room before we sit down to dinner. I don't want them outside of the room-- especially not Lilly-- until the Captain is doing an evening walk-around outside. Do I make myself understood?"

The Lion quickly recovered. "Yes Ma'am. Got it."

Even as Leo was showing himself out, the Overseer's attention returned to Jackal. "I need your help making sure the Captain and Lilly have no chance of running into one another. In addition to her having difficulty dealing with Gens, she and Captain Archibald did not part on the best of terms."

Jackal scoffed, barely able to maintain an even tone as he said "I'm sure the Captain will be fine if she tries anything."

The Overseer's next statement was perplexing. "I'm not as worried about her as I'm worried about Captain Archibald. We don't need any more blood on our hands."

The teen was immediately interested in just what the relationship between the Captain and the exiled renegade was but he also knew it wasn't his place to ask her... and probably not the best discussion to have with his CO either. Resolving to find out eventually, Jackal simply nodded obediently. "Yes, Ma'am. I won't fail, Ma'am."

Not bothering to release him, Ms. Simpson turned and walked off to where Dr. Zimmerman was waiting for her. Jackal wasn't about to eavesdrop but, as he was walking away back to Cap'n, he heard her ask of nobody in particular "What the HELL is she doing back here?"

The evening passed surprisingly smoothly and, although the Captain asked about the visitors, the Overseer said that she wanted them kept sequestered in their room; she indicated that at least one of them looked like trouble, and that she'd have Grizz keep an eye on things. It hurt Jackal to have to leave his CO in the dark, but he also realized that he was under orders to help make sure that peace was kept at any cost. Still, he promised himself, if Captain Archibald asked him what he knew, the teen would not lie.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that, and shortly after dinner the Dog dismissed him. "I think that's enough for tonight, Jackal... the rest of the night is yours."

Captain Archibald didn't wait for a confirmation before he headed off toward the tunnel that Jackal recognized as leading to the tomb. "Um... Sir?"

The Dog turned back to regard him. "What is it, Recruit?"

It felt wrong to pry, but the teen couldn't help himself. "The... the man buried there... did you know him?"

The slight tensing of the Captain's jaw immediately made Jackal regret the question. Surprisingly, the Dog answered. "Yes. His name was Benjamin Grotan. He was... very dear to-- ah... to the group."

The teen nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that, Sir."

Surprisingly, the Dog continued. "He was murdered."

The statement caught Jackal completely off guard. "He-- murdered, Sir?"

Captain Archibald's paws were both clenched, and they shook by his sides as he spoke, otherwise unaffected and without emotion as he stated "He should still be with us. It was a failure on many levels, and not one I plan to allow again."

Even though he was already aware of the circumstances, Jackal didn't know what to say to the statement and he stood there for several seconds. Eventually the Captain about-faced and walked off, leaving the teen to the tempest of thoughts and emotions in his mind. The situation only got more complicated when, behind him and down the hall, the Overseer took a call at the comm station. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it until the teen overheard an aside comment Ms. Simpson said to the doctor. "No... they're not in orbit. It's a Cytkus research station... here on Planet A!"

Jackal wasn't the only one to hear the statement and the comm station became the new gathering location. The communication lasted nearly an hour, with the survivors learning a lot about the fairly distant facility. It had been in place for over three years working on some top secret projects, but decided to reach out after all of the chatter about the Group Under the Mountain. Apparently one of the system administrators had interned at Relegra, and so the group was of interest.

Further, the research group did very little interacting with the inhabitants of Planet A, but had need of some help. The Cytkus on the other end of the line ended the thought with "And we can make it worth your while."

The Overseer went straight for the end-goal. "Can you provide us passage off planet?"

There was almost no delay in the response. "Sadly, no. We have a support vessel stop by once every 300 cycles, and we aren't approved to off-world anyone for another 500."

Doing a quick, rough estimate in his head, Jackal came to the conclusion that those numbers added up to over one Terran year. Although several others in the group looked dejected, the Overseer was still all business. "That's really all we need at this point. I'm happy to provide support to a friendly installation, but how could you help us if you can't get us passage off-world?"

The speaker on the other end lowered his voice; it was a common trait for Cytkus to do so even on electronic transmissions when sharing a secret. "We're doing research on the rim due to restrictions in our field of study in core space."

It looked as though the Overseer had an epiphany. "Artificial intelligence?"

Several others in the group murmured that the research station must have been responsible for the robots attacking them but they all went silent again when the Cytkus responded. "No, Ms. Simpson... although it requires further testing, we're developing a nano-serum that may be able to restore life to the dead."

The sound of a fabricated plate falling to the ground caught Jackal's attention. Turning around he saw Captain Archibald standing in front of a mess on the floor. A moment later all of the power in the base went out, ending any hope of further questions for the research station. In the blackness there were any number of voices speaking but, as if by providence, the only one Jackal heard clearly was the Captain's. "Ben..."