Chapter 7
Rimmer's head lolled back in his seat. He'd been sitting at the control panel in Starbug's cockpit for at least 2 hours, and he didn't appreciate getting up in the middle of the night, even if The Cat was insisting on having a bath - at 3am? The one-hour-to-shift-change alarm clanged, and he woke up with a start. He franticly checked around for anything unusual, and to his surprise spotted another ship. "Kryten, I've found something that may interest you!" He yelled to the mechanoid in the room next door. Kryten came trudging, and looked at the screen that Rimmer was pointing at. Kryten looked confused. He put the question through his thinking circuits, and came to an answer that he didn't like.
A few hours later, the ship had come closer, and the rest of the crew were up. Lister sloped back in his chair and sipped some coffee. "Rimmer, you are out of you head. Ace Rimmer can't have come back, the last Ace Rimmer was you from before Red Dwarf got resurrected. Why would he come back?" "Maybe because he's looking for another Arnold Rimmer to take over? I don't know!" Rimmer didn't like the idea of Ace Rimmer coming back. He wasn't all that keen on his alter ego. Too bigheaded and arrogant for his liking. The screen next to him started bleeping, and Rimmer shut it up. "Well, we are now in communication range. Shall we speak to the son-of-a-goit then?" He didn't wait for their answer, and he opened a channel.
"This is Captain Rimmer of the Jupiter Mining Corporation Transport Vessel Starbug. Now listen carefully, 'cos I'm not repeating myself," Rimmer spoke clearly down the microphone. The crew took a deep breath, they knew what was coming. "Ace, you are a smeghead. You cruise around making friends with people, and then leave you duties to someone else, preferably yourself!" Rimmer yelled down the microphone, taking everyone by surprise. "Thank you for listening asshole." And shut off the channel.
He looked around at the others. Krissie and The Cat had both raised an eyebrow at him, and Lister was smirking at him. Rimmer was about to retaliate, when a message came back:
"Alright Rimmer," Beksa yelled back at them, "I can see that you don't want me to ask you this, but I've been through a lot in the last week, and I'm not good at piloting space crafts. My hyper-drive broke when I crossed the Omni-Zone, the mechano-model of a ship keeps veering off coarse, I discovered that my mobile doesn't work outside the planet AND I found out who was stalking me. It seems to be your little friend called Ace Rimmer. He took advantage of me, and I on the run from certain Space Corps folk, so please GIMME A BREAK!"
The crew were stunned into silence, not knowing how to reply. She put through a picture channel, and the crew saw her face. Rimmer stared back, unable to believe who was on the screen. "Well?" Beksa asked, losing her patience, "Am I allowed on board or not?" Rimmer snapped out of his trance, and opened the cargo-bay door. "We'll meet you down there Miss.?" "Beksa, Beksa Riley" and she cut off the channel.
Rimmer's head lolled back in his seat. He'd been sitting at the control panel in Starbug's cockpit for at least 2 hours, and he didn't appreciate getting up in the middle of the night, even if The Cat was insisting on having a bath - at 3am? The one-hour-to-shift-change alarm clanged, and he woke up with a start. He franticly checked around for anything unusual, and to his surprise spotted another ship. "Kryten, I've found something that may interest you!" He yelled to the mechanoid in the room next door. Kryten came trudging, and looked at the screen that Rimmer was pointing at. Kryten looked confused. He put the question through his thinking circuits, and came to an answer that he didn't like.
A few hours later, the ship had come closer, and the rest of the crew were up. Lister sloped back in his chair and sipped some coffee. "Rimmer, you are out of you head. Ace Rimmer can't have come back, the last Ace Rimmer was you from before Red Dwarf got resurrected. Why would he come back?" "Maybe because he's looking for another Arnold Rimmer to take over? I don't know!" Rimmer didn't like the idea of Ace Rimmer coming back. He wasn't all that keen on his alter ego. Too bigheaded and arrogant for his liking. The screen next to him started bleeping, and Rimmer shut it up. "Well, we are now in communication range. Shall we speak to the son-of-a-goit then?" He didn't wait for their answer, and he opened a channel.
"This is Captain Rimmer of the Jupiter Mining Corporation Transport Vessel Starbug. Now listen carefully, 'cos I'm not repeating myself," Rimmer spoke clearly down the microphone. The crew took a deep breath, they knew what was coming. "Ace, you are a smeghead. You cruise around making friends with people, and then leave you duties to someone else, preferably yourself!" Rimmer yelled down the microphone, taking everyone by surprise. "Thank you for listening asshole." And shut off the channel.
He looked around at the others. Krissie and The Cat had both raised an eyebrow at him, and Lister was smirking at him. Rimmer was about to retaliate, when a message came back:
"Alright Rimmer," Beksa yelled back at them, "I can see that you don't want me to ask you this, but I've been through a lot in the last week, and I'm not good at piloting space crafts. My hyper-drive broke when I crossed the Omni-Zone, the mechano-model of a ship keeps veering off coarse, I discovered that my mobile doesn't work outside the planet AND I found out who was stalking me. It seems to be your little friend called Ace Rimmer. He took advantage of me, and I on the run from certain Space Corps folk, so please GIMME A BREAK!"
The crew were stunned into silence, not knowing how to reply. She put through a picture channel, and the crew saw her face. Rimmer stared back, unable to believe who was on the screen. "Well?" Beksa asked, losing her patience, "Am I allowed on board or not?" Rimmer snapped out of his trance, and opened the cargo-bay door. "We'll meet you down there Miss.?" "Beksa, Beksa Riley" and she cut off the channel.