Red Dwarf: What if the crew survived?
Authors notes: The idea is a collection of stories based on episodes, based on the idea of the whole red dwarf crew surviving. I know Rimmer and Lister are acting out of character, I'm having trouble capturing the mannerisms of younger Lister and Rimmer. And I know I've changed Kryten a bit.
Chapter 3: Nova 5: Future Echos
J.M.C mining ship Red Dwarf, location: Deep space.
Logbook:
This is the video log of Captain Frank Hollister, captain of the Jupiter Mining Corporation ship the Red Dwarf. Morale has picked up over the past 3 months, our systems are repaired, the hydroponic labs are producing 40% of our food, the fish hatchery is working again and finally, are we've been able to establish our location and distance from Earth. From the navigation data we've gathered, we are currently in the Sirius system. Unfortunately, our maximum flight speed is only 200,000 miles per hour. The idea is to set a course for Earth and re-enable the stasis field. In other notes, our newest crew member has displayed an amazing aptitude for piloting the recon crafts, the Starbugs and the Blue midgets. Cat however is still a little antisocial with crew members he is unfamiliar with, but with perfect scores during the training simulations, his skill could be invaluable to us. He usually behaves when partnered with Lister, maybe I could get Miss Kochanski to go with Lister and Rimmer on the next scouting mission, allowing Cat to pilot. End log.
The Starbug approached the small planetoid cautiously, having been sent out to examine a signal that appeared to be human in nature. At the flight controls, Cat was pretty relaxed, Kochanski was manning the auxiliary controls. Rimmer observed the Navicom while Lister lay back in his chair half heartedly listening to the radio.
"Nothing." Lister said, "Could it be part of an old Earth signal what the Dwarf picked up?"
"No, it was much clearer." Kochanski said, "Careful Cat, if you approach too fast you could damage the heat shields or the overheat the engines."
"I remember reading somewhere, the engines are kind of needed to fly right?" Cat asked
"Pretty much, yeah." Rimmer said.
"Oh ho ho, we're getting something." Lister said, switching the radio to speaker mode "This is an automated distress call from JMC scout ship Nova Five. Please respond."
"This is JMC surface transport vessel Starbug Three, we read you Nova." Lister said. The voice on the radio transformed, a voice with a Canadian replied.
"Another ship? Oh thank the creator. My name is Kryten, I'm the ships mechanoid." the voice said.
"What's a mechanoid?" Cat asked.
"I'm an android, programmed for household duties." Kryten replied, "After the ship crashed I was separated from the crew, I need the power system restored to allow access to the main deck so I can provide any required first aid to the crew."
"We're on the way." Kochanski said, taking control of Starbug to land next to the crashed ship.
"My God, that design looks a million timed more advanced than Red Dwarf." Rimmer said
"So does a combine harvester." Lister said.
After landing and docking the ship, Lister managed to contact Kryten again.
"When did the crash happen?" Lister asked
"About 5 days ago." Kryten replied. As the power from Starbug was rerouted to the Nova the ships systems started up again.
"Oh smeg." Lister said as the lights came back on.
"Oh my God." Kochanski said.
"Ugh." Rimmer groaned. Two mummified remains of the ships crew were lying on the ground. As the cameras on the ship activated, it was clear everybody was dead and had been for some time.
In the distance, they heard a door opening and a strange being entered the room. Humanoid shaped but with a misshapen head.
" Captain, does anybody need...help?" Kryten said and stammered incoherently, "I was trapped for less than a month."
"Kryten man, the crew had mummified." Lister said, "Either you have a faulty time keeping programme or you were knocked offline and the ship revived you."
After burying the crew of the Nova 5, the ship was salvaged and it looked like good news, the Nova 5 was capable of lightspeed travel and red dwarf could be retrofitted with those engines. After 3 months of work, the time had came to test it out. Eventually, after days of accelerating Red dwarf hit lightspeed. It was at this time, things got too weird for words.
It was early the next morning, Lister was shaving before he went on duty, he wanted to finish before Cat started to groom himself, knowing the feline would take hours.
"Smarting yourself up?" Rimmer asked amused, "Is it Christmas?"
"I may be a slob, but I dont like beards. Too itchy." Lister said, then looked at his reflection in alarm. As Rimmer looked up, he saw the reflection stumble and cut himself.
"What the smeg?" Lister asked. A second later, Cat yelled out incoherently in his sleep and Lister stumbled, cutting himself.
"You saw that too right?" Lister asked. Rimmer nodded.
"I'd say Freaky Fungus flashback, but we both saw the same thing. We need to report this." Rimmer said. In the drive room, Lister and Rimmer approached Holisters office, before they could knock, the captain walked out.
"Keep it down guys, what do you want?" Holister asked.
"Something weird happened sir." Rimmer said
"How did I get over here? Have you been eating those mushrooms again? Both of you, shut up. Don't interrupt when I'm talking." Holister said, "That goes for you too Kochanski!"
"What the hell is going on?" McIntyre asked
"You're all relieved from duty." Holister said.
"You've gone smegging nuts!" Lister said. Holister walked forward and faded away. a second later, he emerged from his office.
"Keep it down guys, what do you want?" he asked
"Captain? How did you get over there?" Lister asked
"How did I get over here? Have you been eating those mushrooms again?"
"Hes saying the same things he just said." Lister said.
"Captain..." Rimmer begun to say.
"Both of you, shut up. Don't interrupt when I'm talking." Holister said.
"What the hell is going on?" Kochanski asked.
"That goes for you too Kochanski!" Holister said.
"Am I malfunctioning right now?" McIntyre asked
"You're all relieved from duty." Holister said. Again, he walked off the flight deck.
"Wait, the cameras. Holly, transmit the footage of what just happened to the captains PDA." Rimmer said, "We can show him what we saw."
"Negative second technician Rimmer. That is classified to bridge crew." Holly replied.
"Carry out Rimmers order via my authorisation Holly. We need him to see what we saw." McIntyre said. After several minutes, Holister came back to the bridge and apologised for snapping.
"Don't worry about it captain. It was to smegging nuts to be believed." Lister said.
"Holly, what's going on? Why is time looping around?" Holister asked.
"Secure the flight deck, go to red alert!" a voice said. Lister and Cat, looking much older ran onto the flight deck.
"How bad is it, what are we looking at bud?" Future Cat asked
"Three GELF craft, they've hit engineering." Future Lister said, then looked horrified, "Bexky called in, the back of the ship is gone...we've lost Selby and Rimmer. Bring em online Hol."
In front of the crew, two new holograms formed, looking different to what holograms typically looked, both wore shiny uniforms and had the hologram H made from gold.
"Ugh, what happened?" the holographic version of Selby asked.
" We clearly died." Future Rimmer said, "At least these hard light body's will allow us to do things normally. Wait, I remembered something, we know you can see us. What you're experiencing are future echoes, a product of light speed travel, Kryten can explain."
"And those hovering drones from the Nova five are light bees, independent holographic projectors. They can be easily built, with them we're not limited to one hologram and they can leave the ship too."
"Seriously?" McIntyre asked
"Seriously George. Also, we found out how to make solid holograms, you just need to..." Future lister said before fading away.
"Holly, bring us to a full stop." Holister said.
"We shall stop within 5 days." Holly said, "I recomend activating Stasis to avoid more echoes, we've clearly saw our own future."
"And we know two of us die. Holly's right captain." Kochanski said.
"This is flight control, all crew report to quarters for emergency stasis." Holister said. 5 days later, the ship was at full stop and the crew revived.
"Any incidents?" Holister asked.
"Doctor Branagin was killed. He saw a future echo of himself suffering a heart attack, he then suffered a heart attack." Holly said.
"So, what does Keyren know of future echoes?" Holister asked.
"Red Dwarf is too large to safely navigate at light speed. The mass causes more concentration of the phenomena, we can safely travel at 25% of light speed, journey will take 30-40 years." Holly said.
end of chapter
It's cold outside, their's not kind of atmosphere
I'm all alone, more or less.
Let me fly, far away from here. Fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun.
I want to lie, shipwrecked and comatose, drinking fresh Mango juice.
Goldfish shoals, nibbling at my toes.
Fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun
Fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun
Copyright Grant Naylor
Copyright BBC