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On the Rim, Ch 27, 28, and 29: Claw, Cole, & Cap'n 2020 copyright comidacomida

Part 1: Claw and the Rescue Squad

Led by Grizz, the rescue team left the cave system early in the morning and arrived at the identified camp mid-afternoon. Their opposition were clearly tribesmen and their defenses looked no better than what Claw had encountered before; he had very few doubts that the battle would go in their favor. The Corporal, however, still chose to play it safe.

The entire area was covered in thick, leafy vegetation, which allowed them to hide only a short distance from the camp. Grizz had selected a spot near, but not too close to plan the attack, maximizing the opportunity for everyone to get to their specified location before he gave the 'go' command. They had approached the camp from the east, which meant Leo and Kurta were assigned to flank around to the north and south respectively. Claw, as expected, got the order to do what he did best: he was going to circle around behind the camp and hit them from the opposite direction.

The Badger didn't wait to hear about the rest of the assignments, taking the opportunity to head out on his sortie since he had further to go than anyone else. He moved slowly and quietly, meticulously picking his way through the overgrowth until he found a slightly raised section of earth-- not quite a bluff, but more than a hill. He settled down atop it, half-hidden by the canopy, and yet still in possession of a decent view down through it and into the village. Claw had no doubt he'd be able to hear it clearly once battle began. He wasn't let down.

The Badger recognized the sound of a combat rifle and, since the only member of their team with one was Grizz, Claw knew right away what the signal was for the attack; a second later Missy's smg opened up. The sound of a charge rifle and pistols discharging heralded the beginning of the assault in earnest, and that was the Private's cue. Sliding down the mossy incline, Claw charged into the camp at full tilt, arriving just in time to see a Gen Black Bear emerge from one of the huts; a powerful plastisteel punch to the face decked him in one blow.

Pausing only to make sure to separate the Bear's spear from his grasp, the Badger stood back up and glanced around quickly to plan his next move; he looked up in time to see a pale skinned Human raising a bow to aim at him. A split second later, the side of the tribesman's head exploded as a charged shot opened it up like a celebration party popper. Kurta slipped through past the body, glancing his way for just a moment before disappearing behind another building to the right.

Claw continued through the huts as well, mindful of his surroundings and tracking which set of footsteps would be Kurta. Taking cover behind the corner of a building, he waited silently as another sound of movement came his way. The Badger had all but memorized everyone's distinct gait and he knew right away that, whomever was approaching, was not one of his team. Waiting until the last moment, Claw sprang from his cover, only to see that a human tribesman was waiting for him, spear at the ready.

Despite a lack of surprise, Claw had no trouble dispatching him; turning the jabbed spear aside with the back of one arm, the Badger stepped inside its effective range and opened the man's throat up with his other claws. from there, he grabbed the spear before it fell to the ground, hefted it, and threw it across the way at another tribesman who, after witnessing the death of his ally, had chosen to retreat; a spear colliding with his back made that impossible.

The battle didn't last much longer but, just to be on the safe side Claw made one more sweep of the camp. Leo hung back and debated total kills with Lilly and Missy or, more likely based on the fact that he was the only one speaking, the Lion was praising his own efforts and talking up whatever mediocre successes he'd had; based on Claw's estimates, the feline couldn't have finished off more than one... if that.

Grizz brought focus back to the group shortly thereafter and he directed everyone to do a sweep of the village to look for survivors; he specifically gave the order not to kill anyone and, if any foes survived they were to be taken prisoner. Having seen Leo's bloodlust on at least one occasion, Claw returned quickly to the Black Bear he'd incapacitated and quickly bound the still-unconscious Gen. Kurta passed by the Badger, announcing "I think I found her... she's in the hut at the end of this row."

The building in question was just one over from Claw. He nodded to the NHH. "Alright. I'll tell the Corporal. Wait for back up just in case."

Finding and informing his commanding officer took scarcely two minutes but, by the time Claw had returned with Grizz in tow, Kurta was already inside the building. There was a discussion going on and Lizzy, who stood by the door, came to speak with the security team. "We found her. Her name is Lele and she's from the Venture... She worked in storage."

Grizz nodded. "Alright... bring her out and we can get moving on."

Lizzy's scaled snout scrunched up slightly and she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "She's... not doing so well."

Claw grunted. "Is she hurt? We have meds."

The Cytkus held up a talon. "Not so much physically as mentally. These bastards... DID things to her."

The Badger was not a stupid individual but he also didn't like vague statements, so the question was second nature. "Like what?"

Lowering her voice, Lizzy explained flatly. "She's been raped... a few times. And beaten. It shows."

If he had been anyone else, Claw probably would have felt a little remorse for making the Cytkus elaborate, but, as far as he was concerned, his question was answered and he had a better idea of how to proceed. "How badly is she hurt? Can she walk?"

The Cytkus woman shrugged. "Hard to tell. She didn't even want Kurta anywhere near her at first, and it took a lot of explanation to get her to calm down enough to even explain who she is. I don't think we'll be going anywhere for awhile. She needs time."

Claw let out a long sigh before turning to Grizz. "I can..." he made a fist with his metal arm and mimed a 'render-unconscious-gently' gesture "if you want, Sir."

Grizz shook his head. "No... we need to handle this delicately. She's already been through a lot and we have to respect that."

Leo, who came to check in with everyone paused, reaching up to run a paw through his mane as he laughed. "Well... we don't HAVE to--" when several sets of eyes settled on him he offered a sheepish smile "-- but I suppose it would be courteous to the poor girl... right?"

It was another five minutes before Kurta managed to coax the woman out of where she'd been held. Lele was completely naked and Claw quickly appraised the situation. She was badly beaten with bruises covering her body. The woman turned around as if to go back into the building and the Badger saw distinct claw marks on her back and, unless he was mistaken, dried blood was caked on her inner-thighs. He also didn't miss the fact that it looked as though her eyes had been gouged out.

Kurta was skillful in calming and directing the freed prisoner, who was looking around, obviously startled by the voices. "It's okay... they're friends. We're all here to help."

Grizz apparently had a decent grasp of Lele's needs too as he directed the group "Back up. Give her space if she needs it."

Claw complied and even Leo followed suit. Kurta eventually got her turned back around and Missy came over with a spare set of clothes, presumably scavenged from one of the fallen tribesmen if the look of it were any indication; the Badger appreciated the Lynx's proactive assessment. Eventually, once it was apparent that the prisoner was doing a little better, Lizzy said "We can stay with her for a few minutes, and we'll meet you on the east side of camp... when she's finally ready."

The bloodied prisoner froze and mumbled something to Kurta. The NHH paused, looking to her. "What?"

Lele pointed at the unconscious Black Bear; it surprised Claw to think that she'd noticed him without the benefit of sight but, then again, he remembered that the tribesman stank horribly. Missy announced "It's alright. He's our prisoner-- he can't hurt you. It's okay-- we have him tied up."

Despite having been meek and timid, the woman pulled free of Kurta and Missy, roaring out a savage cry with unrestrained bloodlust. She ran past everyone, pulling a long, torn piece of metal out of a wound in her palm and, without even pausing, flung herself atop the restrained tribesman. Her attacks were savage and unrelenting, tearing at him with the blade until she'd opened up a huge hole in his chest, but she didn't stop.

Everyone in the group stood passively as she ripped into the downed foe, her roars of rage slowly giving way to sobs and whimpers. Eventually Kurta managed to pull Lele off of the Bear and took the weapon from her, handing it to a stunned Missy. Leo summed up what needed no explanation, speaking quietly to Claw. "Well... guess we know who did it to her."

* * * * *

Part 2: Cole's Productive Day

Cole awoke to a call for assistance; it came from across the all where Duct-Tape was trying to help Ben. The Wolf was gasping for air and looked by all accounts to be doing very poorly. The Stallion responded quickly, heading out into the hall in his boxers and hefting the smallish Wolf up before carrying him off to the med-bay.

As usual, Dr. Zimmerman was already up and, in his usual efficient way, had a spot ready for Ben, complete with a treatment at hand. Although they still didn't have the precise medicine that would help the most, the treatment took effect much faster than the one that he'd had to cobble together off of herbs alone. within ten minutes Ben showed signs of improvement. Duct-Tape then provided Cole a gentle dismissal "I think we've got it from here... you can go get dressed."

The Stallion returned to his room immediately; his ears felt like they were on fire. Playing the part of the hero AND the fool that morning set an odd pace for the day but, fortunately for the Horse, the next several hours turned out to be relatively normal. Cole continued finishing off the semi-incomplete spare rooms before moving on to doing general maintenance on some of the motorized work benches in the caves.

The Overseer, he noticed, spent most of that morning in the med-bay with Doc and Ben, which meant that the Stallion was able to select his own projects. There'd been a number of things on his mind that needed tending too, and Duct-Tape had mentioned something about water-proofing the electrical system before leaving. Just as Cole was heading to see if he could at least fabricate some junction boxes, a shout from outside heralded the return of the rescue party.

Duct-Tape was the only member of the group faster than him to greet everyone as they entered the valley. The Horse was able to catch sight of the rescued prisoner right away, and his mouth hung open, useless when he saw her condition. Claw, who was near the front of the group, pulled him aside. "Give her some space-- she got wrecked inside and out by a Gen tribesmen... she's not doing so well around the rest of us."

The Stallion had trouble coning to terms with the explanation. "Inside... and out?"

The Badger was more blunt than a stone club. "He raped her and tore her up."

Cole blanched at the explanation. "Oh... oh god."

Claw didn't relent. "We found her bleeding from both holes between her legs... bastard gouged out her eyes with his thumbs... used her for his own personal scratching post too from the looks of it... wouldn't be surprised if he--"

The laborer quickly took his leave, retreating to the safety of the cave system as he raced to get as far away from the Badger as possible. He almost ran into the Overseer. "Is everything alright, Mr. Nine?"

The Stallion didn't even know where to begin. "The lady they rescued... she... she's hurt REALLY bad. The tribals... um..."

Grizz approached, finishing the report in a matter-of-fact manner. "Raped her. We need to make room... she's not so good around Gens. Black Bear got her, so I need to make myself scarce... not that she can see much-- fucking bastard gouged out her eyes."

On average, Cole was usually relieved three times per day that he was not someone in charge. Watching the way the Overseer processed the information, came up with a plan, and had those around her execute said plan gave him a triple sensation all-in-one. "Grizz, inform the Captain of the situation. I'll let Dr. Zimmerman know that she's coming-- nobody is allowed into the med-bay without my permission. Mr. Nine, are you standing around for any specific reason?"

It took the Stallion a moment to realize that her final statement was directed at him. He quickly hopped to, heading off after saying "No-- no, Ma'am."

He managed to stay busy far, FAR away from the med bay for the rest of the afternoon. He heard through second-hand details that the newcomer, who the rescue team had decided to call 'Lilly' had indeed been on the Venture and, more surprising, was a member of the storage team; it was a position surprisingly similar to his own, except she dealt with internal supplies rather than ones moving to and from shuttles.

When dinner rolled around, Cole noticed that Doc and the Overseer were absent. According to Kurta, they were in with the newcomer. Ben, who had been pre-empted out of sick bay also informed the team that the Overseer had asked him to see if he could fashion together some optical implants for Lilly, which he did. That statement seemed to catch Captain Artie by surprise. "What'd you do? Just... slap something together out of spare parts? The components for something like that..."

The Wolf blushed slightly, shrugging. "Well... the Overseer had us salvage parts from those robots, and the optics were plenty good... a little clean up and some fabrication and I was able to make some cybernetic eyes that should work just fine. I think they're probably in there with her while she gets used to them."

The chatter continued as the rescue team elaborated on the situation of her liberation, up to and including the way she reacted when she apparently smelled the Bear who had abused her for weeks. The story made Myra sit up and lean back in her seat. "Well slap my ass and call me a muffalo... that doesn't sound the least bit good."

Doc had emerged from the med-bay without anyone's notice. "Lilly has been through a prolonged traumatic experience... she'll need some time to recover."

Leo spoke his question in a bland manner "And how long exactly does it take to 'un-snap'?"

Dr. Zimmerman frowned. "The proper term is a psychotic break, and there is a lot going on, so it's a lot more complicated than that. I'm not a psychologist, and I can only help so much. It's going to take all of us to let her know that she's in a safe environment among friends and then? Weeks? ...maybe months? It's hard to say."

Everyone fell silent as a pause in the conversation let those gathered digest the information, and when someone next spoke it was Kurta. "Lilly!"

Emerging from the med-bay, holding onto the Overseer's arm was the rescued prisoner. Cole saw that she was much cleaner, and her wounds had been treated. She was dressed in a spare Relegra uniform that the scouting team had discovered in one of the debris pods, and, all in all, she looked far better than she had when she'd arrived. She did, however, balk once everyone's attention was on her, hiding behind the Overseer.

Overseer Simpson turned back and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "You can go outside... I'll send Kurta to come get you once we clear the table, and then see about getting you something to eat."

The woman's quiet voice was barely audible. "T-thank you, Overseer."

Cole's heart went out to the woman as she quickly fled the cave and retreated to outside. The Overseer then turned to the table and approached, addressing everyone. "She is in a sensitive frame of mind. While Dr. Zimmerman was able to recover her vision, there are things he can't do to help. I'll need the support of all of you to make sure that she is able to remain calm and that we don't trigger any... reactions."

Doc elaborated. "She's dealing with a lot, and PTSD can be exacerbated in any number of ways. I'm sorry in advance, but we'll need to minimize her contact with me and with Gens-- and especially male Gens."

Leo leaned back in his chair casually. "I could just stay in my room til the coast is clear... who's gonna bring me my meals?"

The comment went without response-- except Claw, who reached down to grab one of the Lion's legs and pull upward, causing the procurement office to fall backwards in his chair. The Overseer shot the Badger a look, then addressed everyone once again. "Until I say otherwise, Kurta, Lizzy, and I will be helping Lilly get acclimated. Unless absolutely necessary I would prefer to have the rest of you avoid interacting with her."

Many head-nods and "Yes Ma'am"s later, the group ended dinner and everyone slinked off toward their respective areas to make room for Lilly. Cole, who went to help Duct-Tape in hydroponics, had lingered long enough to hear something else. Doc approached the Overseer, speaking quietly in response to a question she asked him. "She's outside right now beating on the martial arts targets."

Ms. Simpson replied "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

Dr. Zimmerman's response wasn't instilling much hope. "I couldn't say-- but at least she's finding an outlet for her emotions."

Although the unintentional snooping brought the Stallion some insight into the newcomer, what really mussed his mane was whah happened next. Cole wasn't specifically trying to eaves drop on purpose, but he'd always had good hearing, and the kiss the Overseer and Doctor shared was not in the least bit quiet... nor was the sound of her unbuckling his belt. Cole quickly moved further into the hydroponics room, missing whatever it was that Duct-Tape had said. He glanced to the Fox, eager for a distraction. "Huh?"

The Fox smirked, repeating himself. "I said 'keen hearing isn't always a blessing, is it?'."

* * * * *

Part 3: Cap'n to the Rescue

Captain Archie had stayed up late listening to a follow-up report on the rescue of the group's newest member, and then spent time making a record of his own in his PCD. Although the Dog was unable to join the team on their mission, he did notice the difference that the extra day of recuperation had on his shoulder, which was a good thing because he had to use it in an emergency situation the following morning.

Some time before dawn, a loud cry of "FIRE!" awoke the Captain. Noticing the faint scent of scorched metal in the air, the Dog jumped out of bed and raced into the hallway; plumes of smoke were roiling out of one of the unused bedrooms and the hallway was illuminated by firelight that shone outward from within. Several other members of the installation were already running around aimlessly so he quickly stepped into take charge. "You two! Buckets! You-- make sure everyone is up!"

Cole and Duct-Tape led the charge to handle the inferno that had engulfed the room. Standing a the forefront of the blaze, they accepted buckets, pails, and pitchers handed to them and, over the course of about five minutes, managed to extinguish the fire. In the end, other than some soot, grime, and a few coughs, nobody was hurt seriously; the only casualties of the disaster were the bed, dresser, and night stand that had been placed in the room in anticipation of a possible new member.

One the danger had passed, Duct-Tape sat down with the leadership of the group and explained the situation. "The rainy season is upon us. Although we're inside, the humidity in the air is increasing, and that means we have a greater chance for shorts."

Captain Archie had wondered what might have started the fire. "So you think a few sparks started all that?"

The Fox set a long section of blackened wire on the table as he spoke. "I know so. After we got everything extinguished I checked for possible ignition sources."

The Overseer quickly spoke up. "This is my fault. Duct-Tape warned me about this last week, but with everything going on it continued to be pushed further and further down the list. We'll remedy it right away."

The Dog nodded; although he didn't like having something like a fire happen right under his nose without any forewarning, he was at least content with the information that steps were being taken to see that it wouldn't happen again. "Anything else?"

Duct-Tape nodded. "The short in the system emptied our battery bank. Although we haven't needed any emergency power, if anything comes up in the next few hours, or maybe a day-or-so, we won't be able to rely on it."

As far as 'what else could go wrong', having no back up power stored wasn't the end of the world, and Captain Archie was willing to consider that acceptable. "Alright. Thank you. Overseer-- can we consider this matter closed, or will I need to have security follow-up on anything?"

The Overseer shook her head. "No-- that should handle it. Anyone not on early morning shift, go ahead and get back to bed. I'll see you all again at breakfast."

The Captain spent a few moments pushing in chairs before heading off to start his morning exercises; the delay was just long enough for him to catch sight of the Oveseer and Dr. Zimmerman kissing. On one paw, he was aghast at the obvious breech in protocol but, on the other, he couldn't help but be just a little jealous. Being in corp security left little room for relationships as the people with whom he spent most of his time lived just as dangerous a life as he did, and close connections usually ended in heartbreak.

His thoughts were broken at the soft touch of a paw on his. The Dog suppressed his reaction to jump and instead slowly looked over to see Ben withdrawing his own. Watching the Wolf wilt beneath his formal questioning immediately made Archie regret his overbearing tone. "Do you need something, Mr. Grotan?"

Ben clears his throat. "I... uh... just wanted to thank you."

"For?"

The Wolf's ears reddened just a little. "Well... it's thanks to you and the rest of the team that we're safe. That means a lot."

Thanks was something Archie was not used to receiving, but he recovered from the surprise quickly. "It's my job, but thank you for the acknowledgement. You..." the Dog paused, trying to figure out how to conclude the interaction "You do a good job with what you do too."

There seemed to be something more than casual about the Wolf's smile in reaction to the praise. Ben leaned against the chair nearest him. "Be careful on your rounds today, Captain... gotta make sure you take it easy on that shoulder... right?"

The Dog glanced to his arm and gave his shoulder a slow roll. "That's what Doc says, yeah... I will. Thanks."

Captain Archie was saved from the awkward conversation by Grizz, who came storming into the room. "That FUCKING Lion!"

Using the opportunity for a much-needed change of topic, he excused himself from the Wolf and turned to the Corporal. "What is it now, Grizz?"

The Corporal, face visibly red beneath his fur, clenched and unclenched his fists. "Leo came onto Missy."

The Captain stared at his second in command blankly. "Okay... and?"

The Bear almost roared. "AND?!?! HE HIT ON MY GIRL!"

The Dog remained calm, reminded again why relationships sucked. "And... what did she do?"

Grizz's anger abated just a little-- enough that he didn't shout out his answer. "She... turned the fucker down... of course."

Captain Archie let out a sigh, repeating his earlier statement. "Okay... and?"

The Corporal growled. "And then I confronted that asshole!"

Letting out a deep sigh, Archie reached up to rub the bridge of his muzzle. "How many times do you want me to say 'and' before you get to the end of this report, Grizz? Are you filing a formal complaint, or just bitching?"

The Dog's casual disregard apparently finally caught the Bear's attention. Grizz, deflated, murmured the rest of his objection. "I confronted him, and he admitted to it... and said he wouldn't mind I joined in. I told him no, and that he'd better leave Missy alone or he'd have to answer to me."

Captain Archie leveled his gaze on the Coropral. "So... you solved the problem?"

"Uh... yeah-- I guess I--"

The conversation came to a halt when the Overseer appeared. "I reached an orbital trader on comms... get together the laborers; we'll be having a shipment incoming shortly."

It was funny in Archie's mind that, despite being considered a 'hero', he ended up getting saved twice that morning.