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On the Rim, Ch 33, 34, 35: Ben, Doc, Claw

2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 33: Ben's Happiest Moments

Ben lost track of when the psychic droning came to an end; he was so caught up with his racing mind and his racing heart that it went by unnoticed. The Wolf stayed up late, finding it difficult to sleep as the events of the night replayed over and over in his mind. Although he'd never considered himself a 'romantic' exactly, Ben had also never really had a chance for anything more than casual interactions with much of anyone, and certainly nothing that he could consider more than shallow friendships. Had that really begun to change?

His parents had always made sure that Ben's sole focus was success and that he kept his eye on his goals-- such an outlook often precluded interpersonal relationships and that was especially true of the Wolf. Between spending all his time on studies with long stretches of medical care in between, the thought of forming a bond with anyone seemed nigh impossible, let along any romantic interest. Whether it was the change of scenery provided by Planet A, or some wildly lucky turn of events, Ben honestly felt that his outlook was changing.

The research assistant was not the kind of individual to talk about feelings, or personal history, or really much of anything outside of his work, and yet Captain Archibald helped him open up; Ben felt like he could actually interact with the Dog on a personal level and, more than that, they'd kissed. The kiss-- it was the first thought on the Wolf's mind when he woke up. Over thirty years, and Ben had always wondered what a first kiss would be like; the Captain had not let him down.

His morning routine went by in a flash as he moved about his room, whistling happily as he got dressed, washed up, and prepared for the day. Ben had a spring in his step and a smile on his muzzle as he went out to join the rest of the group at the breakfast table. His tail wagged as the Overseer went through the dull process of handing out morning assignments and Ben considered himself lucky when he was paired with Cole Nine to work on the power grid.

The Stallion was one of several people at the outpost with whom he didn't mind partnering. Quiet, courteous, and in possession of a hearty work-ethic, Cole wasn't the smartest co-worker, but what he knew he knew well, and he was great at taking direction. The two ended up in one of the side tunnels reserved for expansion, adjusting the wiring to allow the addition of another power generator. The Horse had just finished preparing a groove in the wall into which the wiring could be inserted when he looked to the Wolf. "You must be glad that the psychic drone is over."

Ben adjusted the calibration on the device he'd put together from the components salvaged by the away team as he spoke. "Well, of course. I think everyone is. Why do you ask?"

Cole shrugged in response. "Ah... I just noticed you're in a good mood. That's all."

The Wolf wondered for a moment if his prior night was appropriate to discuss? No, he realized, a gentleman would never kiss and tell. Smoothing out the uniform where it was bunching up amidst the fur of his forearm, Ben looked to his coworker. "Oh... I just made up my mind to look at our time here from a different perspective. It makes a big difference."

The laborer offered a light chuckle. "Yeah... sounds like it."

That was the end of their discussion; two introverts usually didn't lend for long chats, but in Ben's mind it was just enough. It felt good to be able to call Cole something between a coworker and a friend, and the Stallion seemed to feel as comfortable with short exchanges as the Wolf himself. The rest of their work assignment went by smoothly until Cole was called away to join a few other survivors in checking out a mineral deposit near the valley.

Once Ben had the generator in working condition he did a quick diagnostics check before turning it on. The device was working but, to the Wolf's ear, it sounded just a little off. Fifteen minutes of careful calibration later he was finally ready to call it good, and he went to report to the Overseer. She was busy at the planning station, alternating between the computer projector and a page of parchment in front of her. He waited off to the side until she noticed him. "Ah... Mr. Grotan. How is the generator work going?"

He offered a tentative smile. "Done, Ma'am. Just finished. It's up and running, and the output is stable."

She didn't hide her satisfaction at receiving the good news. "I'm glad to hear that, Ben. Was there anything you can think of that we need to address? If so, I'll add it to the list."

The Wolf found it even easier to smile; it was a good feeling being so well regarded by the Overseer. "No, ma'am... but I remember Duct-Tape talking about the wiring system. If you're okay with it I'll look into fabricating some insulation for the wire. If the wet season really is coming then it might be worthwhile to look into preventing more short circuits."

Ms. Simpson acknowledged the comment and looked down at the parchment in front of her. "Alright. You're free to start work on that this afternoon then, and I'll add it to the list to be addressed formally. Thank you for all your hard work, Ben."

Once he was dismissed the Wolf went straight to the fabrication bench. While even the least trained laborer could work wonders with it, in the paws of a well-educated scientist it was capable of making advanced materials. Ben spent over an hour programming his request, remembering that there were two very important aspects to the work: first, he needed to make sure that the base materials would be available and second, what he was manufacturing had to meet the needs for which he had in mind.

Just as he was finishing the final calculations to form a workable polymer, his work was interrupted by a call from the room's entrance. "Mr. Grotan?"

He recognized the voice immediately and he responded without having to turn around. "Hello, Captain."

The Wolf pressed the 'initiate' button, and he was finally done with the project; it would take an hour for the device to buffer as it compiled his programming, which meant he could actually turn to face his visitor. Doing so, he found that the Dog had already walked right up to him. Smiling, the Captain said "You don't always have to call me by my rank, Mr. Grotan... you can use my name if you like."

The Wolf felt his ears blush, and a little shiver ran from the base of his skull down to the tip of his tail when the Dog reached out to take hold of his paw. "Um... okay... A-Archibald."

The security officer rolled his eyes, tone suggesting that he was playfully poking fun at him. "Isn't that better... Benjamin?"

Ben realized his point right away, smiling. "Well... you can just call me Ben... Archie."

The Dog smiled back, leaning in to give him a gentle peck on the cheek. The researcher counted the seconds as Archie remained there, breath held as he wondered if the Captain was going to initiate anything more. In the end, however, Archie pulled back. "How's work going? The Overseer said you were--"

The Wolf cleared his throat, pulling back a half step as he turned, gesturing to the fabricator. "Oh-- y-yeah. Yes. Ahem. I just finished programming it. In an hour or two it should be able to help us insulate the wires so we don't have to deal with any more shorts in the system."

The wagging of the Dog's tail indicated that the tone in Archie's voice was genuine when he said "That's great, Ben! I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am that we have someone like you here."

"Oh-- well... it was nothing, really, I--"

The Captain's paw took his in its grip. "No. I mean it. Don't sell yourself short. What you do for us here is-- it's... incredible."

Ben had no idea where his next words came from. "YOU'RE incredible."

Even as he felt his entire head flush from the forward statement, he also couldn't deny the results. Before he knew it, the Wolf was in the Dog's arms, their muzzles pressed together as if there hadn't been the slightest pause in what they'd started the prior night. For a moment, Ben almost thought that he was dreaming, and he was riding the waves of euphoria, but he came right back down to earth when Archie pulled him closer still and the Wolf felt something firm pressing against his thigh from within the Captain's slacks. He realized right away what it was and quickly disengaged, flustered.

Archie released him immediately, head cocking to the side as he looked at the Wolf with concern. "Everything alright, Ben?"

The researcher bungled his attempt to speak the first few attempts but he eventually got his act together. "Yeah... just... I-- I don't know."

It was eerie how quickly the Captain picked up on his concerns. "Are we... going too fast?"

It was hard for Ben to say, so he started with a nod. "I-- yes... but-- but-- I mean... I... I really like it... it's just..."

Archie moved over to sit on the stool in front of the fabricator, facing Ben. The Dog reached out and took the Wolf's paw in his. "Don't worry, Ben. We'll go at your pace. I really like you and I don't want to scare you away."

Letting out a little giggle (and embarrassing himself with the sound), Ben just gave the comforting paws a squeeze. "Thanks, Archie... I-- I just... this is kinda new to me, and I... I'm in some pretty foreign territory."

The Wolf chuckled softly, squeezing back. "Yeah... me too."

Ben was struck dumb, completely caught off guard by the admission; he couldn't believe what he heard. "Y-you mean... you-- you're a virgin too?"

Archie froze in place, his ears rising so high they almost looked like they were going to unhinge and fall off the Dog's head. "Virgin? Oh... no." The expression suddenly changed from one of sardonic humor to surprise-bordering-on-worry. "Wait... are... you?"

Ben felt like he was going to die of embarrassment right then and there. Pulling his paw back he covered his face. "Oh god..."

He had no idea of what the Dog must have thought of him at that moment. The Wolf was caught between making a break for it, or standing inactive in the hope that the Captain would get the picture and leave him to his emotional misery. In the end, Ben didn't run, and Archie didn't leave. A soft touch on his forearm was followed by a gentle insistence of the Security Officer pulling Ben's paw away from his face. Archie smiled when their eyes met. "There's nothing wrong with that, Ben... I just didn't know. You're so sweet, and handsome, and likable... I just figured--"

The researcher shrugged. "I've never been very good with people... and I'm always so busy it just... never came up."

The Dog took a step closer, his free paw gently caressing the fur on Ben's cheek. "Is it alright that it's coming up now?"

The Wolf shuddered slightly when Archie's body pressed against his again but it was much more frontal in positioning, and he could feel the Captain's firm maleness against his own. Ben's voice came out as a warble. "I... uh... yeah..."

The Dog gave him another gentle, patient kiss. "We can wait as long as you need, Ben. You're a good guy, and if this is all you're comfortable with, then that's more than enough for me."

The Researcher realized that his pulse was faster than it should have and his breath was labored. At first he was worried that he was having another asthma attack, but it'd never felt so good to be short of breath. His heart was beating so loudly in his chest he was sure that Archie must have heard it, but he was so helplessly and hopelessly entangled in the moment that he figured escape was impossible.

Ben also realized that he didn't want to escape. "The... the fabricator needs... um... time. I-I'm not going anywhere, and... and m-maybe if... if you're okay with--"

He was going somewhere with his rambling; he had a goal in mind, and it was simple: "I want to be with you." Unfortunately he just couldn't get the words out of his muzzle. He paused long enough to reset his brain, and was ready to force the sentence out, when the lights flickered and, a moment later a cry from further in the base ruined the moment. "FIRE!"

* * * * *

Part 34: Doc and a Moment of Regret

Chris Zimmerman was in the sick bay when the fire was announced. He raced to the site of the conflagration but it was already in the process of being handled so he remained off to the side, ready to render any medical aid needed. Fortunately, the fire had started in a room that was not yet in use, which meant that the only casualties was a bed and an empty dresser. Even so, he did step in and made sure he looked over Duct-Tape and Cole, the two members of the base who had been in the room to fight the fire.

Aside from some basic smoke inhalation and some very light burns neither was seriously injured and he saw to them before dinner. Duct-Tape gave a presentation about the importance of insulating the wires since the wet season was upon them and Ben followed that up with the reveal that he'd already loaded the fabricator with a formula for a usable material to cover the electrical system for the base. The Overseer vowed to make the additional upgrades a priority and, after a little more socializing, everyone went to bed.

The Doc was up at a reasonable hour in the morning, eager to check in with the group and make sure nobody had any lingering ill effects from the fire fight. It was fortunate that he was since Ben was waiting for him, looking horrible. The Wolf didn't have to say a word for Chris to guess at the problem. "Smoke set your asthma off?"

Ben nodded, and waited for him to open the medical bay before following him in. The Wolf moved obediently to the first bed on the right-- it had become something of the norm for him and Chris joked with him every time he stopped by that he'd eventually have researcher's initials monogramed on the pillow. Despite knowing the issue at hand, Doc still made sure to do his job, taking vitals and doing a cursory inspection so he could be certain there wasn't some underlying issue at hand. As expected, there wasn't.

It had taken a few tries but Chris had finally managed to create a fairly efficient serum for treating the Wolf's ailments. While the first attempt with herbal remedies had taken an hour to have an effect, later iterations cut that time in half, and half again. His newest remedy took only just over five minutes before Ben reported an improvement, and the Wolf was all smiles. "Thank you, Doc."

Chris smiled at the gratitude. "My pleasure, as always. Now, I want you to stay here until breakfast so I can keep an eye on you, just in case."

Ben nodded. "Sure. Thanks."

Dr. Zimmerman continued mulling about the med-bay, organizing the supplies and tools. A short way into his daily ritual, the Human's activities were interrupted by a comment from his patient. "The Captain and I finally talked..."

Chris was immediately interested. Having spent more time with Ben out of anyone else in the outpost except for perhaps the Overseer, the Doctor felt a camaraderie of sorts with the Wolf. They were both quiet and respectful; they were both well educated; and they were both naturally introverts, making it easy to 'hang out' without having to fill every second by saying something. They had regular discussions too, and the most recent one had been Ben's crush on the group's security commander. He took a seat on a stool across from where Ben was sitting on the bed. "Oh? How'd that go?"

There was obvious conflict in the Wolf's expression as if he were trying to figure out what he should say. A vague response finally came out. "It was... nice."

The Doctor was pleased to hear that but, at the same time, he felt immediately defensive. "Security guys can be a little overbearing... if he's ever too pushy or if he tries--"

Ben immediately held up his paws. "Oh-- no... nothing like that. I mean... h-he... he was a perfect gentleman."

Chris couldn't help but smile at that. Despite the hardships they'd all been forced to overcome there were still moments of joy and light like finding someone with whom to grow close; the Doctor found in the camp's Overseer, and his friend Ben was just dipping his toes in the water and exploring a possible connection with the Security Captain. Despite the casual nature of the conversation, Doc couldn't keep out a portion of his professionalism. "If you need, I can have the fabricator create some condoms when the two of you are ready to--"

The statement left the Wolf flustered "CHRIS!!"

Dr. Zimmerman chuckled and stood up. "I know... I know... it's my job as a doctor to worry about my patients' health."

The silence stretched out for a long time until Ben shifted on the bed uncomfortably and spoke up, voice barely above a whisper. "Um... so... uh... Doc?"

"Yes?"

The Wolf fidgeted. "So... say that... that Archie and I.... DID do something... you know... like that..."

Chris couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Mmm-hmm?"

Ben sat up a little straighter, looking at him. "I... I just-- I haven't... I mean--"

The personal discussion came to a halt when Kurta showed up accompanying Lilly. Doc stood up immediately, turning to the two ladies. "Good morning. Is everything alright?"

Kurta guided Lilly to the bed next to Ben. "The Overseer said she wanted Lilly looked at again... make sure she's healing alright. Shouldn't take long, right?"

Chris turned and smiled at Lilly. "Good morning, Lilly. How are you feeling today?"

She didn't respond, which was to be expected; she didn't do so well with men. Kurta motioned to the stool near the door. "I wait here, I guess?"

The Doctor nodded. "Please."

Aside from a few flinches and occasional moments where his patient recoiled from him, Chris felt that Lilly's check up went well. She was healing well and the new bionic optics that he'd installed seemed to be working flawlessly; he had Ben to thank for that. He moved away from the beds to sterilize his instruments, remarking as he did so. "Ben-- I'm sure you'd be happy to know that the cybernetics you helped manufacture have been integrated perfectly. Without you, Lilly would still be blind."

He heard the Wolf's tail beating against the bed. "Well... Kurta helped too-- they were designed with the same base nerve response system as what we'd created for Missy's wolf... I'm just glad I could help."

Lilly spoke up for the first time since she'd arrived. "Kurta... I want to go now."

The NHH spoke up from her place by the door. "Sure. Soon as Doc says it's okay we'll go join everyone for breakfast."

Chris turned around to face his two patience and smiled. "Alright... I can't see why not. I'll finish up here and bring a clean bill of health to the Overseer."

Lilly wrapped her arms around herself as she got up and tiptoed around Ben. As she passed, the Wolf held up a paw. "Your eyes did turn out really pretty."

The next moments were a blur as Chris was blindsided by the sudden feral scream coming from the woman. In the blink of an eye she was on top of Ben, pinning him to the bed as she flailed at him repeatedly. Only once the blood started spraying on the floor and walls did the doctor realize, to his horror, that she'd grabbed a scalpel. He called for help immediately, and so did Kursa; the two of them could barely manage to pull her off of the Wolf and, even then, they had no real success in pinning her until Lizzy showed up.

A moment later the security team arrived. Grizz stopped at the doorway to take stock of the situation, but the Captain rushed right in, everyone else in the room apparently forgotten as he saw Ben laying on the hospital bed, paw clutched to his neck. Despite the obvious shock on the Dog's face he responded quickly. Racing over to the Wolf's side, Captain Archibald pushed his own paw down on the wounds. "DOC!!!"

Finally free to release his hold on Lilly thanks to Lizzy, Chris ran to provide what aid he could. Less than a minute had passed since Ben had been attacked but, even as the Doctor looked down at the bloody Wolf he knew that it had been too much time; her first attack had aimed true, and Ben Grotan was already gone.

* * * * *

Part 35: Claw Picks Up the Slack

Claw had never been a fan of funerals, not that he'd attended many. Coworkers on the DRC security team had died while on duty and the 'ceremony' to honor them was usually a drink shared by the squad; he didn't know what to expect from a civilian funeral or, for that matter, what the group would do to honor one of their own. He continued not knowing, preferring to avoid it for the sake of everyone else; he knew that he grated on people, and didn't want to make a scene.

The Badger had great respect for Ben Grotan and, even though the sickly little Wolf was useless in a fight, ran at the first sign of danger, and didn't ever take part in even the most basic self defense training everyone else got he had made life better for the outpost, and he had to appreciate that. With those thoughts on his mind the Badger made his way to the side tunnels where the Overseer had directed Cole to build a sarcophagus. There were still visitors present when he arrived; the Captain stood at the foot of the burial box while Leo stood next to him talking.

The Lion was being his usual matter-of-fact self. "What I mean is, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to kill her, Cap'n... after what she did to the kid--"

The Dog interrupted him. "He was 31. I looked at his file."

"Huh?"

The Captain turned to regard Leo. "Ben Grotan was 31. He wasn't a kid."

Brushing the clarification away with a shrug, the Procurement Officer continued. "Anyway, you're well within your rights to go in and carry out a sentence. She killed him in cold blood. It's obvious she's a danger to all of us... best thing we can do is put her down."

Claw lingered in the doorway, not about to presume he had the answers in the case. One thing he knew was that no amount of additional killing would bring the Wolf back but, at the same time, if the Captain told the Badger to execute Lilly then Claw wouldn't think twice; he wouldn't need to. The Dog didn't give the order, and didn't sound like he was going to. "No... Overseer said she's getting sent out into the wild on her own."

Leo snorted. "That's bullshit."

Unable to hold his tongue any longer, the Badger stepped into the room. "She's damaged. We can't help her, and we can't risk her hurting anyone else. It's a fuck-all decision, but it's the best fuck-all decision available... this whole situation is shit."

Rather than address either of their points, the Captain looked to Claw, his expression, despite damp fur around his eyes, was completely neutral and professional. "Did you need something, Private?"

The Badger gave his report. "The LLC that visited earlier today mentioned something about a piece of the Venture coming down about a day away from here. There's some tribals gathered nearby but--

The Captain walked right past him. "I'm on it. Suit up, both of you-- you're coming up."

Less than twenty minutes later and they were on the road; in addition to Claw and Leo, Captain Archibald was also joined by Missy. Even though he didn't ask for her he didn't bother objecting when she and Roscoe invited themselves. The trip there was relatively relaxed; unlike prior outings they didn't have to contend with rough slopes, murky swamps, or scorching deserts. The approach, unfortunately, was on level ground with no real cover.

Barely even slowing the group, the Captain readied his rifle and, not even bothering to prepare a combat plan, the Dog announced "Crater's up ahead. Take out anything that tries to keep us from it."

The statement was definitely not what Claw had come to expect from the usually level-headed, tactical commander, but it also wasn't his place to object. There were a large group of Planet A natives, small humanoid lizards that some of the LLCs had taken to calling 'kobolds', but they were not well armed and, despite putting up a fight, they were slaughtered.

The Captain had started the engagement, burst firing at the kobold closest to them while the rest of the group set up a battle line making the most of the relatively useless cover provided by the tall grasses. Claw took it upon himself to take a wide path around the wreckage to flank them from behind. During his redeployment he watched as the Dog shot dead another, and then a third, and Grizz took down a fourth. By that point the remaining kobolds charged.

Apparently perturbed by the tenacity of his opponents Captain Archibald gave an order as he dashed forward "CHARGE!"

He and Grizz raced to meet the small tribesmen while Leo, as usual, followed along at a distance behind but, to his credit, he didn't forget that he had a gun, and managed to fire while advancing. Between the three members of security they downed two more kobolds, leaving only two left. At only a quarter of their original number they apparently decided that it was time to retreat and they did so, fleeing away from the charge; the direction they chose led them right into Missy and Roscoe. They immediately changed directions, and that was when Claw struck.

It was a simple but effective ambush; each of the little lizards took only one hit each to dispatch, and he did so with either claw in tandem. He grabbed the bodies by their smocks and dragged them back toward the main field of battle, declaring "That's the last of em."

Captain Archibald only acknowledged him with a nod as he stared down at two kobolds who remained alive, having only been injured by the shots that had been fired as the security team charged. Claw recognized the look in the Dog's eyes well enough; more than once he'd seen a warrior in such pain that they decided the only way to drown it was in a blood bath. He also knew that he wasn't the one to encourage or discourage it, so he held his tongue.

Leo didn't. "Didn't you say you dealt with these little pieces of trash before? You wanna leave em standing to come at us later, Cap?"

The Dog's grip tightened on his rifle and, for a moment, Claw came to the conclusion that the kobolds were as good as dead. When Cap'n spoke up though, it was unrelated. "Leo you're on watch Missy, Grizz, and Claw-- start seeing what we can get out of the wreckage."

They spent an hour or so emptying what they could out of the ship; it was a storage module, and there were a collection of Relegra uniforms and some toiletries. No, it wasn't any great find by any means, but the Badger didn't mind the idea of some shampoo. As the group gathered up to where they'd left the Captain, Claw noticed that the two tribesmen were still alive. The Dog announced his decision indirectly "Let's go... we're done here."