Chapter 5- Wildfire
Angela was in a deep sleep in the cockpit. Ace would have woken her up if he had more warning, but you never knew when you were going to be fired at. The huge crash rocked the entire cockpit, flinging Angela out of her chair and against the wall.
"You ok?" Ace asked her.
Angela slowly got up and grabbed onto the wall incase
of another huge crash like that. "What the smeg happened?" She shouted.
"We got hit, but this old ship has been through a lot, a small hit like that doesn't do any damage." Said Ace.
"Maybe not to you." She said. Blood dripped out of a small gash on her head from the impact of the crash.
"I think the distress signal came from around here somewhere. I can see why." Said Ace.
Another huge crash shook the cockpit. luckily they were prepared this time.
"You'd better get strapped in. there's more where that came from." Ace warned, in a macho Ace voice that sounded totally fake to Angela. She had heard Rimmer imitate it many times. it was pretty funny. It sounded so weird taken seriously.
There were a few more smaller crashes that Angela was able to stand, but then one came so huge she flew across the cockpit slamming herself against the opposite wall, knocking herself unconscious.
Ace of course was just fine, being that he was used to this kind of thing by now. He glared over at Angela laying in the corner, blood coming out of a small gash on her head. She looked so helpless. He was forced to make a difficult decision, get up to help Angela and risk them firing at him while no one was steering, killing them both, or just leaving her there. Without time to think, Ace pulled off his safety straps, and dove across the unstable cockpit to her. He lifted her up. Another crash shook the cockpit, but Ace kept his balance. Ace kicked the lever to lower the seat with his boot and strapped her in. He wiped her gash off and quickly bandaged it, and got back to his seat. It was Simulants. Ace usually didn't have problems with them, because he did not give off any life sign. After all, he was a hard light hologram. Now that Angela was with him, he may have been in much more trouble then he bargained for.
"Ace, I have the feeling there is no one here to rescue but yourself, deary." Said The computer while she stared at him dreamily.
"You mean it was all a trap just to lure me in?"
"Yeah, looks like they fooled you." She said sadly.
"Damn" mumbled Ace.
Light began to flood into Angela's eyes. She couldn't remember where she was at first, then she saw the back of Ace's head and it all came back to her. At least the constant crashing and shaking had slowed down. "Ace, what's happening?" She asked, in a helpless slight panic.
"Don't worry about it, I've got it under control." He said softly. It was almost if he had only said it to convince himself of it, and not her.
Angela could sense the panic in his voice. "What happened to me?" She asked.
"You slammed against the wall and passed out." Said The computer. She began to smile. "Ace here fixed you up and strapped you in."
"Its nothing really." Said Ace.
"thank you." She said, pulling her seat back up so she could sit upright. She felt a little light headed. She was a little scared, but didn't want to mention it. "What keeps firing at us?"
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Said Ace.
Angela took offence to that. "Ace, I can handle it! Tell me!" She usually didn't yell at people like that, but it seemed right.
"Alright then, they're Simulants. This old ship can handle it, though." Ace didn't seem to be paying a whole lot of attention to Angela. There Sims just didn't give up, did they? They had been firing at him for almost a half hour.
Simulants…simulants. This was not the first time Angela had encountered Sims. She had come across them twice before. They had just barley made it alive. Those sims fought dirty. "Not them again." She mumbled.
"You've come across sims before?" Ace asked, looking back at her for a moment.
"Yeah, with my old crew, the one before Red Dwarf."
Ace shook his head. "These guys are sick. I once found an abandoned ship crashed on a planetoid. They had shot the ship down. There were four people in stasis onboard."
"What happened to them?" She asked.
"Dunno', I fixed up their ship, re booted their computer and got out of there."
Angela's eyes widened. She gasped. "My God! It was you!" She shouted.
"Me?" He asked curiously.
"that was almost 10 years ago! I was only 15 back then. The S.S.S. Dragonfly!" She exclaimed. It had been a mystery for the last 10 years of how their ship had gotten repaired, and their computer had gotten booted up. She would still be lying in a stasis booth if it weren't for him, and she would probably be there until the dawn of time, lying there in a state on non-being.
"You were on that ship?" he asked.
"yeah"
"What happened to you guys?"
"Ace, it was like hell! They betrayed me, they even… raped me. Lesbians raped me! It was horrible. After 8 years we were attacked by the sims and they died. I am wondering what took the sims so long! I was rescued by the crew of Red Dwarf. I just made it."
Ace was shocked. He could tell she was pretty ashamed about the rape. Her voice was shuddering. It seemed like she was on the verge of tears. "They died, huh?" He said. He still wasn't good at talking. Even though he had been Ace so long.
"Yeah." She mumbled. "That was a long time ago."
"Yeah, it was." He said, while dodging more firings.
"We always wondered how we were saved. The computer couldn't remember. I guess I should thank you." She had a tear in her eye. Ace would have hugged her if he didn't have to steer.
"no, you shouldn't. You just said it was like hell."
"Well, I am still glad you saved us." She wiped her tears.
"You know, Angela, this isn't the first time I have seen you." He said.
That was curious. "What do you mean?"
"A yeah ago, my light bee was hit by a laser. Didn't think I would make it. I was in this dimension at the time, and I thought I would have to recruit a new Ace-"
"What? Recruit a new Ace?"
"I'll explain later. Anyway, I flew right over Red Dwarf. I looked in, and saw Arnie with a wife and friends. I couldn't take him away from that, he looked so happy. I copied my memory in my final minutes, then I died. The computer had to steal another light bee from Red Dwarf, and re-boot me."
"How did she do that? She's just a head."
"Hey! I may be just a head, but I am capable of quite a lot! I have an IQ of 10,000!"
Angela smiled. "That's what they all say! I bet it gets decreased to 10 when you are around Ace." She could tell the computer had a huge infatuation with Ace.
Ace laughed. "She hypnotized Kryten, got it from him, then erased his memory."
Ace was pretty good at carrying on a conversation at times of danger.
Angela was in a deep sleep in the cockpit. Ace would have woken her up if he had more warning, but you never knew when you were going to be fired at. The huge crash rocked the entire cockpit, flinging Angela out of her chair and against the wall.
"You ok?" Ace asked her.
Angela slowly got up and grabbed onto the wall incase
of another huge crash like that. "What the smeg happened?" She shouted.
"We got hit, but this old ship has been through a lot, a small hit like that doesn't do any damage." Said Ace.
"Maybe not to you." She said. Blood dripped out of a small gash on her head from the impact of the crash.
"I think the distress signal came from around here somewhere. I can see why." Said Ace.
Another huge crash shook the cockpit. luckily they were prepared this time.
"You'd better get strapped in. there's more where that came from." Ace warned, in a macho Ace voice that sounded totally fake to Angela. She had heard Rimmer imitate it many times. it was pretty funny. It sounded so weird taken seriously.
There were a few more smaller crashes that Angela was able to stand, but then one came so huge she flew across the cockpit slamming herself against the opposite wall, knocking herself unconscious.
Ace of course was just fine, being that he was used to this kind of thing by now. He glared over at Angela laying in the corner, blood coming out of a small gash on her head. She looked so helpless. He was forced to make a difficult decision, get up to help Angela and risk them firing at him while no one was steering, killing them both, or just leaving her there. Without time to think, Ace pulled off his safety straps, and dove across the unstable cockpit to her. He lifted her up. Another crash shook the cockpit, but Ace kept his balance. Ace kicked the lever to lower the seat with his boot and strapped her in. He wiped her gash off and quickly bandaged it, and got back to his seat. It was Simulants. Ace usually didn't have problems with them, because he did not give off any life sign. After all, he was a hard light hologram. Now that Angela was with him, he may have been in much more trouble then he bargained for.
"Ace, I have the feeling there is no one here to rescue but yourself, deary." Said The computer while she stared at him dreamily.
"You mean it was all a trap just to lure me in?"
"Yeah, looks like they fooled you." She said sadly.
"Damn" mumbled Ace.
Light began to flood into Angela's eyes. She couldn't remember where she was at first, then she saw the back of Ace's head and it all came back to her. At least the constant crashing and shaking had slowed down. "Ace, what's happening?" She asked, in a helpless slight panic.
"Don't worry about it, I've got it under control." He said softly. It was almost if he had only said it to convince himself of it, and not her.
Angela could sense the panic in his voice. "What happened to me?" She asked.
"You slammed against the wall and passed out." Said The computer. She began to smile. "Ace here fixed you up and strapped you in."
"Its nothing really." Said Ace.
"thank you." She said, pulling her seat back up so she could sit upright. She felt a little light headed. She was a little scared, but didn't want to mention it. "What keeps firing at us?"
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." Said Ace.
Angela took offence to that. "Ace, I can handle it! Tell me!" She usually didn't yell at people like that, but it seemed right.
"Alright then, they're Simulants. This old ship can handle it, though." Ace didn't seem to be paying a whole lot of attention to Angela. There Sims just didn't give up, did they? They had been firing at him for almost a half hour.
Simulants…simulants. This was not the first time Angela had encountered Sims. She had come across them twice before. They had just barley made it alive. Those sims fought dirty. "Not them again." She mumbled.
"You've come across sims before?" Ace asked, looking back at her for a moment.
"Yeah, with my old crew, the one before Red Dwarf."
Ace shook his head. "These guys are sick. I once found an abandoned ship crashed on a planetoid. They had shot the ship down. There were four people in stasis onboard."
"What happened to them?" She asked.
"Dunno', I fixed up their ship, re booted their computer and got out of there."
Angela's eyes widened. She gasped. "My God! It was you!" She shouted.
"Me?" He asked curiously.
"that was almost 10 years ago! I was only 15 back then. The S.S.S. Dragonfly!" She exclaimed. It had been a mystery for the last 10 years of how their ship had gotten repaired, and their computer had gotten booted up. She would still be lying in a stasis booth if it weren't for him, and she would probably be there until the dawn of time, lying there in a state on non-being.
"You were on that ship?" he asked.
"yeah"
"What happened to you guys?"
"Ace, it was like hell! They betrayed me, they even… raped me. Lesbians raped me! It was horrible. After 8 years we were attacked by the sims and they died. I am wondering what took the sims so long! I was rescued by the crew of Red Dwarf. I just made it."
Ace was shocked. He could tell she was pretty ashamed about the rape. Her voice was shuddering. It seemed like she was on the verge of tears. "They died, huh?" He said. He still wasn't good at talking. Even though he had been Ace so long.
"Yeah." She mumbled. "That was a long time ago."
"Yeah, it was." He said, while dodging more firings.
"We always wondered how we were saved. The computer couldn't remember. I guess I should thank you." She had a tear in her eye. Ace would have hugged her if he didn't have to steer.
"no, you shouldn't. You just said it was like hell."
"Well, I am still glad you saved us." She wiped her tears.
"You know, Angela, this isn't the first time I have seen you." He said.
That was curious. "What do you mean?"
"A yeah ago, my light bee was hit by a laser. Didn't think I would make it. I was in this dimension at the time, and I thought I would have to recruit a new Ace-"
"What? Recruit a new Ace?"
"I'll explain later. Anyway, I flew right over Red Dwarf. I looked in, and saw Arnie with a wife and friends. I couldn't take him away from that, he looked so happy. I copied my memory in my final minutes, then I died. The computer had to steal another light bee from Red Dwarf, and re-boot me."
"How did she do that? She's just a head."
"Hey! I may be just a head, but I am capable of quite a lot! I have an IQ of 10,000!"
Angela smiled. "That's what they all say! I bet it gets decreased to 10 when you are around Ace." She could tell the computer had a huge infatuation with Ace.
Ace laughed. "She hypnotized Kryten, got it from him, then erased his memory."
Ace was pretty good at carrying on a conversation at times of danger.