Chapter 2

Camille had been alone for so long. It had been a year since that terrible day; her only glimmer of hope was of somehow being reunited with Kryten. But what were the chances of that? The prediction was so terribly small; she didn't even want to think the number. She needed a distraction. She absently spun around on the chair, bored and lonely when she suddenly sat up. She realized with shock that she had completely forgotten about the DNA modifier. She cursed her memory for having forgotten something so important. Se immediately began preparations to board; still amazed she had forgotten it for a whole year.

She began the descent, with a limp form in her arms. She had made a promise to make Hector human, and human she would make him, no matter what. She entered the room and nearly fainted at what she saw. A room full of blinking lights, inviting her warmly to join them, encouraging he forward. She lay down the body and connected the computer to Azairah, asking her to solve the code, making sure she would make no mistakes.

After hours of intense working, well, mostly waiting for Camille, but working for Azairah, the code was cracked. Camille familiarized herself with the controls, before moving Hector in the path of where the beam would be. She began typing in the code, egged on by the determination to keep a promise with Hector. A deep voice said, 'New genetic structure accepted. Transmogrification in ten seconds and counting'. I sure hope this works. She watched in awe, as he seemed to glow, his shape completely changing. When the light subsided she saw the body of an angel. He had wavy golden hair, bouncing off his shoulders. He had brilliantly blue eyes that would never see. A perfectly formed mouth that would never kiss, ears that would never hear her say, 'I love you'. He was well muscled, yet tall and willowy. He was perfect. It pained her that he would never even live a second as a god of beauty that he was. She would never see him again. He's so beautiful! It just isn't fair that you will never know.

She began the journey of moving him to his final resting place. She took him back to their ship, where a paradise of rainforest awaited. She had grown it herself, for him. She had planned it to be perfect. In the center of the room, was a small pond, with a waterfall. But in the middle of that pond was a statue, made entirely of flawless crystal, of two lovers, arm in arm. She placed him in the garden, placed a rose in the hand of the crystal man and left, crying for her lost love. She slowly began her way back to the ship, ready to transform herself.

What she did not know was that on her journey back, a few pieces of plaster fell from the ceiling. They bounced on buttons, changing the DNA structure she had keyed in. But she would never realize this. As she returned, she began to type in a few more lines, making sure she would become a woman. As the lights flashed around her, she felt something she had never felt before. Her entire life was changing. When she saw herself, she nearly cried. She was a mechanoid, just like Kryten. Kryten, such a fond memory you are. But you shall never be more than a memory, what are the chances of being together again.

She moved quietly back to her ship, Staring at her cubed fingers. She felt so trapped, so alone. She had to adapt to so much, an unusual walk, not eating, having to clean when her CPU detected dust. That was the most irritating; she now had little control over herself. This at least kept her busy enough not to wander down the path to depression by distracting her from her loss of Hector.

She found she had developed strange new interests. She developed a love of washing dishes. She had never liked it before, but now she loved it. Ironing, once again a task she liked to leave on Hector, not always succeeding, but now it filled her heart fit to burst. Folding sheets, absolute heaven! Ah, this was what life was about. She felt so happy, yet she knew that there was a hole inside of her that would never be filled. She just wouldn't be rescued this far out, unless it was them. She let herself fantasize about meeting into some old friends, some that she wished to be reunited with dearly. The Red Dwarf posse, oh how she dreamed to become one of them. She let herself get carried away but was rudely interrupted by the hazard lights flashing everywhere. She ran to the cockpit in a panic. She saw something hurtling towards her at a frightening speed. It looked like a green asteroid. Wait a minute… Green? No time for questions now. It smashed into the side of the ship, sending fires everywhere. She desperately fought with the controls, until she was finally able to turn on the sprinklers. She gasped when she saw the other ship crashing into the surface, carving another, almost identical scar across the surface. She checked and found out that nothing on her ship was damaged except for the fact that now the ship would not let her out.

She let out a sigh, as she sent an SOS call to the ship. Gently she began to sing to herself.

Wishing on a dream that seems far off

Hoping it will come today

Into the starlit night

Foolish dreamers turn their gaze

Waiting on a shooting star

But

What if that star is not to come?

Will their dreams fade to nothing?

When the horizons darkens most

We all need to believe there is hope

Is an angel watching closely over me?

Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see

I know my heart should guide me but

There's a hole within my soul

What will fill this emptiness inside of me?

Am I to be satisfied without knowing?

I wish is then for a chance to see

Now all I need

Is my star to come...

Kryten, where are you? I want to be with you so badly. You seem to be the only person I know who would understand what I am going through. I hope I will see you again. Please find me.

As these last thoughts entered her mind, her CPU could no longer cope with keeping her awake; she had sustained internal damage that needed to be repaired. So she was switched off, the last thing she remembered was the music to The Copacabana.