The Name's Oliver - Ben Oliver. Ch. 159: Duty vs Ethics, Pt. II

[Schipperke]

Lost!, Part XVI

I wished Elaine and Arthur good luck and followed the abbot back down to the little room in the cellar.  “When you see your father,” he said to me, “please tell him we are doing our best to keep Good alive in Mordred's kingdom.” 



He looked at me for a moment then said, “I know not where you and your father come from.  But I am very grateful the Watcher sent you to us.  Please give him this with my compliments and tell him I would be pleased to see him again any time.  And his son is always welcome at this monastery too.”



“You saved my life,” I told him.  “I will never forget you.  The forces of Good could not have a better champion.  I believe you will ultimately prevail.”  I saluted the abbot and stepped into the time machine.



When the time machine doors finally opened, I was in Payne's Glade.  I saw my father coming toward me and for the first time since leaving Monte Vista I felt safe.  I had never lived in this place, but it was my father's place, and I felt I was home.



“Where have you been?” he demanded.   “De Luca has been phoning here constantly trying to find you.  She's convinced you must be off carousing with some woman.  And what on earth are you doing in that outlandish getup?  Did you join the circus?”



I told him the whole story.



“Imagine the time machine malfunctioning like that,” he mused.  “I've never heard of that happening.  But I'm very glad you met my old friend the abbot.  Now, do you suppose you could change your clothes and then we can sample this special vintage the abbot sent?”

I changed into my jacket and kilt and poured the nectar.





The Glade was always a peaceful place, and after my narrow escape from Mordred, I could have stayed there with my father for days.  But De Luca was trying to reach me, and that meant one thing – duty called.  I reluctantly said good-bye to my father.



I stepped into the time machine and headed back to Monte Vista.

[chetanhaobijam]

Yeah, duty calls for Ben. So nice to see him back in the glade and far from that danger kingdom. Hence, the saying 'alls well, that ends well'. Can't wait for more Ben adventures in Monte Vista.

[RaiaDraconis]

Ah, no rest for the weary, but a better ending to that little adventure I could not have imagined. I'm glad that Ben made it home safely!

[Schipperke]

Bunkum from the Bunker

Late at night, when normal Sims are all safely tucked up in bed, fearsome things that shun the light of day emerge.  Vampires stalk their prey.  Werewolves come out to hunt.  Zombies dance maniacally.  But more terrible than any of these are the evil creatures who seek to destroy all goodness in the world. 

They are gathering.  They make their way to an innocent-looking vacant lot in an unsuspecting city.  Down, down the evil ones go, deep into the bowels of the earth.  Who are they?  Let's meet them.

Honey Potts:



Roy Mustang:



Crimelia Steal and Oily Saint Claire:



Michael Goth:



Dasha Agonskaya:



Amadi Bonheur:



They make their way into the bunker and take their appointed seats around the table.



The man at the head of the table raises a hand in greeting, saying, “Welcome!  I am pleased to see such promising new recruits.  ESCARGOT is confident that you will all make excellent new additions to our organization.  One of our new recruits, Shax Zagan, will not be joining us tonight.  He has been sent on a hunting assignment.  I am the new Number Two.”



One of the new recruits asks, “Where is Number One?  Why isn't Number One here?”

Number Two replies, “Number One is busy elsewhere.  Number One has many important duties and doesn't usually attend these meetings.”

Amadi says, “You said 'the new Number Two'.  Why a new Number Two?  What happened to the former Number Two?”



Number Two says, “Well spotted, Amadi!  I knew that Perceptive Trait of yours would come in handy.  The former Number Two and his staff are – no longer with us.  They were removed after their plot to eliminate Ben Oliver by sabotaging his time machine ended in a colossal failure.”  He gives the recruits a moment to absorb this information then says, “As you know, Ben Oliver is number one on ESCARGOT's enemy list.  Here's his mug shot:



“His elimination is our highest priority.  You are the best and brightest that ESCARGOT has, so let's hear your ideas for the elimination of Agent Glade.  I intend to see him dead and buried as soon as possible.  I'll dig his grave myself.”



Dasha and Honey discuss the possibility of a bribe.  Michael listens but is hoping that whatever plan is adopted, it won't end in him going to jail again.  He's the only one of the new recruits who has already taken on an assignment, and he barely managed to escape police custody last time.*



Crimelia supports the idea of bribing Ben Oliver.



Amadi suggests a vampire attack, which he will personally volunteer to carry out.  “But only if Oliver is type O,” he emphasizes.



Oily muses about trying to make Oliver's death look like an accident – possibly an attack by a sea monster?



Roy listens thoughtfully.



Many ideas are discussed.  Finally Number Two says, “Look how late it's getting!  The sun will be rising soon.  It's time for us to adjourn.  Don't forget to put your names down on the list for the ESCARGOT easter-egg hunt.  Cookies and cakes on the sideboard!”



Crimelia exclaims, “Cookies!  My favourite!” as everyone but Amadi makes their way over to the goodies arrayed on the sideboard.



Amadi remains seated, muttering something about preferring Type O.

*Michael's misadventure can be found in chetanhaobijam's story Keep Your Friends Close.

Notes:  1. With the exception of Number Two, all the Sims shown here were entries in The CAS Contest Recruitment Drive, and are available to be downloaded.  Thanks very much to their creators for giving permission for them to appear in this story:  Dasha Agonskaya (YZJay), Michael Goth (chetanhaobijam), Amadi Bonheur (Audren), Crimelia Steal (bubbles), Oily Saint Claire (Snufflesxx), Honey Potts (ombradellarosa) and Roy Mustang (Danielle Haydis).  I hope I've managed to do the characters justice here.  Permission was also given for Shax Zagan (GoslettM) to be used, but sadly we were limited by the household size of 8, so will have to wait for Shax to appear in a future episode.

2. The ESCARGOT t-shirt pattern was designed by Swirl-Girl, and can be found here.

[chetanhaobijam]

Very nice to see the new Escargot recruits in the story, expecially Michael. So, he suceed in escaping  from the jail. And so, that was the reason, Ben's time machine failed and he came to the mediaval age. Looking forward for next chapter.

[RaiaDraconis]

And the plot thickens further. So far their efforts to stymie Ben have proven fruitless...but their determination just might cause some trouble for our favorite good guy. Veeery intriguing.

And awesome to see all of the bad guys from the contest! And Michael, of course.

[Audren]

It's great to see Amadi again, as well as the rest of the recruits. I wonder how their plots will materialize. Personally, I think the vampire attack is a pretty good idea, though I admit that I'm probably biased a tad bit. 

This Number Two seems cool, and of course I'm intrigued by the identity of the mysterious Number One. (Now all I can think of is Codename: Kids Next Door.  )

[Sherry]

So my guess about the machine was sabotaged is true. Now who would have chosen as the carrier of the next mission to eliminate Ben?
Update soon Schip 

[Schipperke]

So my guess about the machine was sabotaged is true. Now who would have chosen as the carrier of the next mission to eliminate Ben?
Update soon Schip 

Yes, I remember that comment of yours, Sherry - you were definitely right! 

Thanks for the comments, chetan, Raia & Audren.  I really liked being able to use those wonderful characters from the contest, and quite likely we'll see them again in the story.   

[Playalot]

ohhhh, how exciting, another 'let's eliminate Ben' adventure. 

[Schipperke]

Duty vs Ethics, pt. I

Diary Entry

In the year or so since I began working for the military in Monte Vista, I had travelled to many interesting places.  I had met many beautiful women – uh, I mean many fascinating people of all sorts – and had incredible adventures.  But the bottom line, for me, was always the opportunity to do good in the world.  Even the time I spent incarcerated in Blood Island Penitentiary had led to positive changes in the correctional system, so it had been worth it in the end.

But my Commanding Officer was about to give me an assignment that would pose a significant moral dilemma.  What should a soldier do when his duty and his conscience conflict?  I had no idea of the issues I would be confronted with when De Luca ordered me to meet her “immediately, Oliver.”  I headed downtown to the pizzeria as instructed.  As always, we had the second floor to ourselves.  I never knew how De Luca arranged that.

I joined De Luca at a small table and listened as she described my assignment.



“But surely this is a job for the diplomats,” I pointed out.

“They tried,” De Luca said.  “They've been trying.  For months.  And gotten nowhere.  Now it's up to the army.  That means you, soldier.”



“But it's wrong!” I protested.  “What about the rights of the people involved?”

“As a famous philosopher once said, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,”* De Luca replied.

I threw up my hands.  “I won't do it!”



“Oliver,” De Luca said ominously, “do you know what happens to soldiers who disobey orders?”

Yes, I knew.  I said nothing, knowing full well that De Luca would spell it out.

“It's a long time since the military has had to court martial someone,” she said.  “But believe me, they haven't forgotten how.”



“Then I'll have to quit the military,” I said miserably.  “I can't do something I know is wrong!”



“Oliver, don't be an idiot!” De Luca said impatiently.  “Why do you think I'm sending you instead of a squad?”

“Because you hate me?” I asked

“Because, you twit, I don't like this infernal situation any more than you do!” my Commanding Officer bellowed.



“I was ordered to send in a squad and remove those people by force.  Those were my orders, Oliver.  I pointed out that it would be very bad press for the army if we go in and drag those people off their land and that you've demonstrated an ability to deal with tricky situations. 



“I managed to persuade them to let you try.  You've got one week.  Oliver, you're my only hope.  You have to persuade those people to listen to reason.  Please don't let me down.”

What could I say?  She was my Commanding Officer, and in a strange way, she was also my friend.  I didn't want to let her down.  “I'll do my best,” I said.



“I know you will, Oliver,” she said, shaking my hand.



“And now, soldier, best be on your way to Riverview.  The clock is ticking.”

I saluted my Commanding Officer.



And then I headed home to pack for the trip.  I tried to be optimistic.  Maybe something would occur to me, some brilliant idea for dealing with the situation.  But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was setting out on mission impossible. 

Diary Entry Ends

*The quote, of course, is from Mr Spock, as any Star Trek fan will recognize. 

[chetanhaobijam]

Awesome quote. And good luck to Ben on his new adventure at Riverview.

[RaiaDraconis]

Moral conundrums are tough to manage in a workplace environment. Ben is going to need all of the luck he can get with this one.

[Sherry]

Hmm... Wonder what he's asked to removed from Riverview. What could be so dangerous?

[Jocboos]

I just caught up and I can't wait! Keep going please!!!!!
Also I agree with Sherry.. what's so dangerous?