Chapter 6-
Ace began firing at the sims, but his attempts did them no good. Their ship was nearly indestructible.
A Face appeared on the monitor. It looked familiar to Angela. "Hand over the human and we'll leave your vessel alone." Said the Simulant. It was a female with a low pitched voice like a lesbian. Angela got a little tense, but figured that Ace would not do that to her.
"Hell no." Said Ace He closed communication. He looked over at Angela. "Firing isn't getting us anywhere. I have to go aboard and kick some simulant ass, will you be ok alone?"
Angela nodded. She was a little scared, but he seemed confidant with this.
"Alright then, smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast." Ace strapped a jetpack on his back that just happened to be laying there, kicked open the door of the cockpit and dove out.
Angela checked her watch, breakfast was only a few hours away. She laughed silently to herself. Angela wondered what Ace was going to do on that ship. Probably just pop in and kick some simulant ass. Seemed like he did that kind of think a lot.
~
It couldn't have been more clear to Lister that Starbug had been tracked down by the sims. Maybe he could make it to Red Dwarf. It was about 15 minutes away now. A massive fire rocked the entire ship. It didn't hold out as well as Ace's ship did. The entire ship spun up-side-down, making Lister fall off his chair and on to the ceiling, then back on to his chair. He glanced at the damage report. One of the engines was out. There was no way he could out run anybody now. He began to type in the codes for a distress call. It was a final hope, but he knew no one could save him now. He was as good as dead.
~
Angela sat in the cockpit nervously for awhile, until a little machine started to beep. She had no idea what it did, so just ignored it. It had been awhile, and she was beginning to worry about Ace. The computer's face appeared on the monitor. "Oh dear, we seem to have a problem here." She didn't sound too worried, and Angela knew that if something had happened to Ace she would be in a hysteric, so she stayed calm. "What is it?"
"We are picking up a distress signal, but Ace isn't here to take it. I've already informed him.
Angela gasped. "Do you think its from-" She began.
The computer cut her off. "Ace is giving me instructions… he is a bit tied up at the moment and needs you to take care of this one."
"Me?"
"I'll walk you through it! They are your crewmates!"
"What about Ace?"
"He'll be ok. Once we are done we'll come and pick him up. Remember, he still has the jet pack."
Angela was really unsure about this, but she couldn't let anything happen to her crewmates. She nodded. "What do I do first?"
"Just hold on, I just programmed the ship to do a Hyper-jump to your crew mates. It's going to be quite a bumpy ride." As she said that, the entire ship began to shape, but just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Angela got up from under the seat she had been ducking under and looked out the windshield. It was Starbug.
"Angela, there are simulants close by. Dave is in there. First things first, we need to return him to his vessel, because that Starbug has a burnt out engine."
Angela nodded. She began to pull her space suit on. She felt quite uneasy doing this. First of all, she had never done anything heroic like this, and it would be kind of strange just going in and rescuing Dave. The computer told her where the Jet packs were. Angela rushed in and grabbed one. She also put on a watch so The computer could communicate with her. Angela kicked open the cockpit door like Ace had, but unlike Ace, she was shivering.
~
Dave had lost all hope now. The Sims shot at him a few more times, and now Starbug was completely useless. He probably only had a few more minutes before he would become their prisoner. He could here the doors of Starbug opening. Maybe less than a few minutes. "I surrender!" He shouted, with tears in his eyes at the thought of the torture that was about to come. And Kris. Would he ever see her again?
"No Dave, I'm here to save you, not capture you." The voice sounded slightly familiar. He figured it was a trap, but had to go look anyway. Someone was standing there in a small silver space corps space suit. They had a jet pack around their shoulders. "Hurry up, get a space suit on. The atmosphere out there is poisonous!"
Lister did as he was told. Before he knew it, whoever was in there was grabbing him around the waste and flying him out starbug's doors. "Where are you taking me?"
"The wildfire, then back to your vessel."
"Ace, that you?" Dave asked.
"Um.. It's a friend of his." She wasn't totally lying.
~
"What do I do now?" She whispered to the computer.
"Just return him to Red Dwarf, and send Wildfire back to Ace on auto pilot. He'll handle the Simulants."
"That's it?" she mumbled.
"Yeah! You are doing a great job!"
Angela opened up the cockpit of Wildfire and gently set Dave down.
"Who are you?" he asked her.
Angela wasn't sure if she should tell him. In fact, maybe it was better if they never found out she had saved them. On the other hand she missed them terribly, but how could she deal with the humiliation of coming back? She didn't answer him. A pang of anxiety rose from the pit of her stomach. She was going to have to see Arnold and Myra and Cat again. Their faces would bring tears in her eyes. She began to steer towards Red Dwarf. She had to do this fast. The Simulants were really close by. "So, what were you doing out there, anyway?" She asked him.
Dave sighed. "Just looking for someone."
A tear dripped down Angela's eye. She still had her helmet on, she he didn't see. She knew that someone was her. He had gone out to look for her. She had out him in danger.
Dave had his helmet off. "You know, you can take your helmet off." He said.
"I know" Said Angela. Before she could do anything to stop him he pulled it off. The result of which almost made him faint. "ANGELA!!!" He shouted. He wrapped his arms around her tight.
'Oh smeg' Angela thought to herself. More tears streamed her eyes.
"My god! I can't believe it's really you! What are you doing here?"
"Saving you from Simulants."
"But in Ace's ship?"
"I'm doing him a favor."
Lister pulled away from the hug suddenly. "I kinda' get the feeling you aren't that happy to see me."
"No Dave, Its not that. I am happy!"
"Angela, why did you leave?"
Ace began firing at the sims, but his attempts did them no good. Their ship was nearly indestructible.
A Face appeared on the monitor. It looked familiar to Angela. "Hand over the human and we'll leave your vessel alone." Said the Simulant. It was a female with a low pitched voice like a lesbian. Angela got a little tense, but figured that Ace would not do that to her.
"Hell no." Said Ace He closed communication. He looked over at Angela. "Firing isn't getting us anywhere. I have to go aboard and kick some simulant ass, will you be ok alone?"
Angela nodded. She was a little scared, but he seemed confidant with this.
"Alright then, smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast." Ace strapped a jetpack on his back that just happened to be laying there, kicked open the door of the cockpit and dove out.
Angela checked her watch, breakfast was only a few hours away. She laughed silently to herself. Angela wondered what Ace was going to do on that ship. Probably just pop in and kick some simulant ass. Seemed like he did that kind of think a lot.
~
It couldn't have been more clear to Lister that Starbug had been tracked down by the sims. Maybe he could make it to Red Dwarf. It was about 15 minutes away now. A massive fire rocked the entire ship. It didn't hold out as well as Ace's ship did. The entire ship spun up-side-down, making Lister fall off his chair and on to the ceiling, then back on to his chair. He glanced at the damage report. One of the engines was out. There was no way he could out run anybody now. He began to type in the codes for a distress call. It was a final hope, but he knew no one could save him now. He was as good as dead.
~
Angela sat in the cockpit nervously for awhile, until a little machine started to beep. She had no idea what it did, so just ignored it. It had been awhile, and she was beginning to worry about Ace. The computer's face appeared on the monitor. "Oh dear, we seem to have a problem here." She didn't sound too worried, and Angela knew that if something had happened to Ace she would be in a hysteric, so she stayed calm. "What is it?"
"We are picking up a distress signal, but Ace isn't here to take it. I've already informed him.
Angela gasped. "Do you think its from-" She began.
The computer cut her off. "Ace is giving me instructions… he is a bit tied up at the moment and needs you to take care of this one."
"Me?"
"I'll walk you through it! They are your crewmates!"
"What about Ace?"
"He'll be ok. Once we are done we'll come and pick him up. Remember, he still has the jet pack."
Angela was really unsure about this, but she couldn't let anything happen to her crewmates. She nodded. "What do I do first?"
"Just hold on, I just programmed the ship to do a Hyper-jump to your crew mates. It's going to be quite a bumpy ride." As she said that, the entire ship began to shape, but just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Angela got up from under the seat she had been ducking under and looked out the windshield. It was Starbug.
"Angela, there are simulants close by. Dave is in there. First things first, we need to return him to his vessel, because that Starbug has a burnt out engine."
Angela nodded. She began to pull her space suit on. She felt quite uneasy doing this. First of all, she had never done anything heroic like this, and it would be kind of strange just going in and rescuing Dave. The computer told her where the Jet packs were. Angela rushed in and grabbed one. She also put on a watch so The computer could communicate with her. Angela kicked open the cockpit door like Ace had, but unlike Ace, she was shivering.
~
Dave had lost all hope now. The Sims shot at him a few more times, and now Starbug was completely useless. He probably only had a few more minutes before he would become their prisoner. He could here the doors of Starbug opening. Maybe less than a few minutes. "I surrender!" He shouted, with tears in his eyes at the thought of the torture that was about to come. And Kris. Would he ever see her again?
"No Dave, I'm here to save you, not capture you." The voice sounded slightly familiar. He figured it was a trap, but had to go look anyway. Someone was standing there in a small silver space corps space suit. They had a jet pack around their shoulders. "Hurry up, get a space suit on. The atmosphere out there is poisonous!"
Lister did as he was told. Before he knew it, whoever was in there was grabbing him around the waste and flying him out starbug's doors. "Where are you taking me?"
"The wildfire, then back to your vessel."
"Ace, that you?" Dave asked.
"Um.. It's a friend of his." She wasn't totally lying.
~
"What do I do now?" She whispered to the computer.
"Just return him to Red Dwarf, and send Wildfire back to Ace on auto pilot. He'll handle the Simulants."
"That's it?" she mumbled.
"Yeah! You are doing a great job!"
Angela opened up the cockpit of Wildfire and gently set Dave down.
"Who are you?" he asked her.
Angela wasn't sure if she should tell him. In fact, maybe it was better if they never found out she had saved them. On the other hand she missed them terribly, but how could she deal with the humiliation of coming back? She didn't answer him. A pang of anxiety rose from the pit of her stomach. She was going to have to see Arnold and Myra and Cat again. Their faces would bring tears in her eyes. She began to steer towards Red Dwarf. She had to do this fast. The Simulants were really close by. "So, what were you doing out there, anyway?" She asked him.
Dave sighed. "Just looking for someone."
A tear dripped down Angela's eye. She still had her helmet on, she he didn't see. She knew that someone was her. He had gone out to look for her. She had out him in danger.
Dave had his helmet off. "You know, you can take your helmet off." He said.
"I know" Said Angela. Before she could do anything to stop him he pulled it off. The result of which almost made him faint. "ANGELA!!!" He shouted. He wrapped his arms around her tight.
'Oh smeg' Angela thought to herself. More tears streamed her eyes.
"My god! I can't believe it's really you! What are you doing here?"
"Saving you from Simulants."
"But in Ace's ship?"
"I'm doing him a favor."
Lister pulled away from the hug suddenly. "I kinda' get the feeling you aren't that happy to see me."
"No Dave, Its not that. I am happy!"
"Angela, why did you leave?"