Disclaimer: Don't own Red Drawf or it's cast, just Kira Olivier, etc...
Ok so this may or may not be the last Kira Olivier story, but i apologise in advance for those who are bothered about the lack of Rimmer and the loads of plot holes that there are bound to be in this story. Anyway, read on.
Realisations
Awakenings
Cat sat up in bed and groaned, he reasoned that it must have been a hang over but he didn't feel drunk – just in pain. He looked round and sniffed his surroundings – He was in the Medi-Bay.
He closed his eyes trying to think, then it came back to him, how they found the Reliant and the Computer and the virus, and how Kira… Smeg! He thought wildly, was she ok? According to his watch that he had nicked from one of the officer's quarters on a shiny thing hunt it was a whole week after the event occurred.
He sniffed the air again and registered that it was Kira coming down the corridor. He swung he legs over the side of the bed and through the covers away. Cat looked down to find he was dressed in a different suit to what he had being wearing under his suit. Love the coordination, should try out these colours more often. Cat decided looking at his fetching black and red number. He wondered if it had been Kira who had changed his clothes and he laid down on the bed again.
Kira entered carrying one of her favourite Catherine Cookson novels, she looked up at the Cat. Gasped as she realised he was awake and the book fell from her hand landing on the floor, it's sound seeming to echo round the deathly silent room.
"You're awake?" Kira half asked half stated in a slightly dumb manner that was totally not part of her normal character.
"Yeah babe." He replied thinking that there wasn't much else to say in answer to that.
"How'd you feel?" She asked bending down to pick up her book.
"Like I've gone through a trouser press." Cat answered, rubbing his head.
Kira smiled softly as she walked slowly towards the bed. As she did so Cat took a good look at what she was wearing tight fitting black jeans and top with black block high heels and small studded earrings with just the right amount of makeup.
"Nice outfit." He said smiling, thinking it looked like an outfit from "Matrix"
"Thanks, I've taken to wearing clothes like these, sexy but practical." Kira explained as she sat down on the bed.
"I approve of your choice most strongly." Cat whispered as Kira leaned over and they kissed.
Behind them Holly's face had appeared on a nearby screen, he watched for a moment before speaking.
"There's an emergency going on. Could science officer Olivier please report to the drive room?" Holly asked, trying to use up some of his power to prevent his digitised face from blushing.
"On my way Hol." Kira sighed reluctantly standing up. "I've gotta go." She muttered, stating the obvious.
"I'll come too." Cat decided, not wanting to be left out.
"No you should rest." She said trying to reason with him.
"I'm coming, he said commandingly.
"Fine, but don't exert yourself" She warned.
"Only if I have to" Cat smiled as he stood up.
"Cheeky." She laughed tapping his arm playfully.
Meteors
As they neared the drive room, a blast hit the ship, knocking them off their feet.
"Smeg!" Kira cried as she and Cat helped each other to their feet and legged it to the drive room.
"What the SMEG was that?" She yelled as they burst into the drive room to find Lister putting out small fires with an extinguisher and Rimmer was poring over data appearing on one of the screens.
"Ah, Kira, so nice of you to join us, AND Cat, well this is a surprise, now we can all die in the same room." Rimmer said smarmily as he looked up from the screen.
"What's happened?" Cat asked, trying not to yell though there was panic rising in his voice about the safety of himself, Kira and his suits.
"Well m'laddo–." Rimmer began but Lister butted in.
"Holly says we've being floating into an meteor belt for the last 2 days but he didn't know because he had tinted the windows a few days ago to stop the endless sight of stars getting us down, and his didn't no from his read outs because he had accidentally turned off the monitors, and now were on several collision courses as the rocks become more densely populated." Lister yelled above the sound of the extinguisher.
Kira then went to the console to help Rimmer with the readouts, and Cat got another extinguisher and started to leave through the door.
"You lot sort out the meteor problem, I'll go put the fires out over the ship – I can smell them…How come it's not raining?" Cat wondered aloud looking at the ceiling .
"Don't be a gimboid." Rimmer said turning his back.
"No, he's right." Lister said after a moment.
"I am?" He rhetorically asked before slowly dancing off down the corridor, occasionally using the extinguisher as he reached a blaze.
"Hol, why aren't the sprinklers working?" Lister questioned as he jumped onto a chair and tapped one with his finger.
"Some of my core programming has been damaged from the encounter with Computer." Holly replied quietly.
"You what?" Lister screamed as he fell backwards of the chair as another meteor smashed the ship.
"Ah, so this has happened because you didn't tell us not only are you senile, you're now defective." Rimmer summed up smarmily.
"Kira, anyway round the meteors?" Lister asked as he picked himself up, only to be thrown back to the floor by another jolt.
"None, Red Drawf has to reverse out of them before we become engulfed." Kira answered trying to type commands to the console, before giving up and kicking it in annoyance.
"But that could take years!" Lister moaned. Holding onto one of the tables.
"Yes, and we only have two stasis booths, but even then Red Drawf could be destroyed long before we could emerge." Kira admitted, falling to the floor as a large crash echoed round the ship and Rimmer's hologram faded and hummed.
"My projection unit must be…" Rimmer stuttered as he disappeared.
"Smeg, then there were three." Lister cried, taking Rimmer's place at the control.
"Without Mr Rimmer's drain on the power I can dedicate more of my runtime to the job in hand." Holly's voice stated as he appeared on the monitor.
"There's only one thing to do, we must escape in one of the starbugs, fly back through the belt in a few hours due to the ships' maneuverability then wait for Holly and Red Dwarf – if they make it, in stasis." Kira decided reluctantly.
"But each star bug only has two stasis booths, we'll have to split up." Lister said thinking that that was their only option.
"Yes that's a drawback, it's too unsafe for any of us to stay on Red Drawf." Kira agreed.
She picked up a communication receiver and switched it on. "Cat, can you hear us?" She asked hearing only static for a few seconds till Cat's voice crackled into the room.
"I'm here babe, I'm at Alphabet's projection unit, look like it's burnt up pretty bad, I'll see how his disk is…" He said he voice disappearing leaving static and crackling to fill the air.
"Of all the luck…" Muttered Cat over the comm..
"Is his disk badly damaged?" Asked Lister hopefully.
"Damaged?" Cat scoffed. "There isn't a smegging scratch on it."
"Bring his desk to the Transport bay, we've got to evacuate ship now." Kira said, picking up some tools from around the room that she felt would be useful.
"What for?" Cat asked, puzzled.
"We need to go into stasis while Red Drawf reverses and for safety we're gonna use the transport ships instead of the Red Drawf stasis booths, besides there isn't enough." Kira explained, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
"Right babe, I'll stop at the quarters, you take the weapons and other nearby labs, anything you guys want while I get a few suits." Asked Cat, silently grimacing in pain as he lost his balance, falling on one of his wounds as another meteoroid – larger than the others so far smacked into the ship not far from the holo-floor
"Check the case under my bunk, there should be some medical equipment and supplies, grab that and the black top and skirt I left on the table, oh and if you can my row Cookson books if you can." Kira spoke as she and Lister left the drive room.
"Right babe, you want anything dog breath?" He asked as another meteoroid hit, leaving the entire ship in blackness till the emergency backup kicked in
"Just get my guitar, will yah Cat?" Lister yelled as he once again picked himself up from the floor.
"Sure bud, I don't guarantee that it will be in one piece though." Cat laughed into the comm. Before emitting an ear piecing scream.
"If you even – CAT?" Lister yelled, taking the device from Kira's hands.
"I'm here bud, I fell down some stairs. I'm fine but my lining of my left sleeve got ripped." Cat groaned through the static.
"Keep the wavelength open, meet you at Starbug and Blue Midget 1 entry gantry in 10 minutes." Kira ordered as Lister handed the radio back.
"Sure thing babe, over and out." Cat's voice ended and static took over.
"Over and out – how corny is that?" Lister scoffed.
"Hey, those old movie quotes are sweet." Kira argued. "Here, take this other radio, you take the weapons and science rooms, grab what you can, I'll see what I can find in supplies and the Medi-Bay." Kira ordered, tossing another radio at Lister and legging it down the corridor.
"Yes Miss." Lister muttered doing a mock salute like Rimmer's.
"Hey." Yelled Kira, turning round and running backwards for a few seconds. "I heard and saw that."
"What you gonna do? Slap me?" Lister grinned as he ran off in the opposite direction.
"Don't tempt me." She replied, turning the corner.
Lights Out
Cat was the first to arrive a cargo truck stacked to the hilt with his clothes, and some supplies from the rooms. On top of Kira's clothes – that Cat had neatly folded as if they were his own, and next to her complete collection of Catherine Cookson books was Kira's toilet bag that he had found in the bathroom and decided she might need it.
He shuddered as he thought back to what he had found in there. There are just some things males should not see, and the inside of a lady's toilet bag is one of them.
As he parked the truck just inside the hanger he heard a scream as the lights once again went out as 2 or 3 meteors all hit the ship at once. His sniffed the air and used his senses to locate Kira in the dark, forgetting all about his radio in his pocket.
"Kira?" He asked as he knelt over her, using his night vision to survey his surroundings, he was in the corridor surrounded by many items that Kira obviously had been carrying when she had knocked herself out in the latest meteor strike.
He gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms, he then bent down and picked up a supply case with a medical cross on the side, and made his way back to the hanger. As he laid her down on the floor he checked for injuries, apart from a small cut on her head, and the fact that she was unconscious she seemed fine. He opened the case and wiped the blood off her forehead.
"Kira, Cat, can you hear me?" Came Lister's faint voice.
Cat got the radio out of his pocket and fiddled with the frequency for a second. "I hear you bud, Kira's unconscious though, we're waiting at the hanger bay. Just inside the door." Cat answered as he ran his fingers down Kira's cheek for a second before setting back off down the corridor to pick up the items she had dropped.
"Ok I'm at weapons, I can't find any smegging torches and Hol says he can't get the electricity back on while he has to concentrate on avoiding the meteors." Lister yelled at Cat through the device. "You've gotta come and get me man. I'm feeling more claustrophobic every second, and any moment a meteor could knock out life support."
"Hold on bud, I'll follow my nose." Cat said dumping the supplies Kira had being carrying next to the transport truck.
"Ok, coz we gotta get outta here man, a ship of this size wasn't made to go through such a dense meteor field, and…" Lister's voice trailed off as static took over.
"Bud, you there?" Cat asked trying all the frequencies.
"Damn it!" He cried in frustration and pain from all the knocks he'd been taking on top of the injuries he already had.
He was about to leave the room when he had a thought, he smelt around till he found Kira's radio. Again he tried all the frequencies, but still nothing.
"It must be monkey's that's given up." He decided.
"Given up what?" Kira mumbled faintly, sitting up.
"Hey babe, it's Lister's radio, he's at weapons I better go get him, you load up the bug and Blue Midget if you can, use this touch." He said passing her the spare touch he had picked up, deciding that Lister may need one, but he didn't.
"Ok." She said, standing up and turning on the touch. As she did so a silhouette of Cat appeared on the wall.
"Almost as good as candlelight." Kira remarked softly.
"Yeah babe." Cat agreed before being engulfed in an embrace and kiss.
"Be safe." Kira whispered as they separated.
"You too." Cat whispered back, before sweeping out of the door.
Secrets & Rescues
As he walked down the corridors, sniffing out the way to the weapons section he absent mindedly placed his pocket and clutched a small box tightly.
He pulled it out of his pocket and turned on the touch so he could see the soft blue velvet as well as feel the texture. He flicked open the box and looked at the ring the box protected.
As he walked down the endless stream of corridors he thought of house he had found the ring – on one of his many shiny things hunts. So beautiful it was – and shiny. He turned off the torch again, flicked closed the box and placed it back in his pocket.
He wasn't meaning to give it to Kira, not for ages but he just felt safer knowing the ring was with him than if it was still in his quarters, in danger of being blasted to pieces by a large rock.
He snapped out of his day dreaming as he smelt Lister's scent of larger, reheated curries and sweaty socks just off to his left.
"Bud?" He asked into the darkness as he turned the corner.
He dimly could see Lister's figure crouched on the ground surrounded by bazookoids and a few other things. Among Lister's usual stench came a scent of fear that filled Cat's nostrils like nothing he had smelt before.
He touched Lister's arm but got no response – he was scared stiff from the claustrophobia and darkness, Cat couldn't quite believe it. He swung a few weapons over his shoulder, and put the others round Lister's neck, he then picked up the remaining couple of cases in his left arm, after grabbing hold of Lister, and anchoring Lister's left arm round his neck, supporting Lister and the other weight with his right arm.
He grimaced in pain but didn't scream however much he wanted to – he wasn't that kind of Cat. For Lister's sake he might have turned on the torch except for 2 problems; 1, Cat now doubted it would have made a smegging difference. And 2, he had put the torch in his mouth and no couldn't reach it anyway.
Preparations
After what seemed like an age of literally dragging Lister down the corridor, Cat reached the hanger. He was shocked to see dim lights coming from there and wondered what had been happening whilst he's been fetching Lister. As he entered the doorway he spit the torch out onto the floor where it landed with an almighty crash.
Kira spun round from the supplies she was looking through, she had already sorted most of the items into the two nearest crafts.
"Cat – what the?" She asked staring at Lister.
"I think he's in some kind of shock thing." Cat said as he untangled himself from his best bud.
"I think there's some adrenalin here that should do the trick." Kira answered rummaging in a medical kit.
After putting most of the weapons on the floor, Cat started to help Lister to the table where Kira was. But in the process both where knocked – as was Kira to the floor as another meteor hit, sounding a bit too close for comfort.
"What's happening?" Lister asked faintly.
"Skip the adrenaline babe, he's back." Cat yelled to Kira as Cat helped Lister to his feet.
"Right, you sort him out. I'll finish loading the supplies and I'll boot up Rimmer's hologram on Starbug." Kira said, catching Rimmer's holo disk as Cat threw it.
As she walked up the stairs to Starbug, Cat whistled appreciatively.
"Oi. Cheeky." She cried in mock indignation.
Cat grinned, showing off his pearly white fangs. "So how'd you get the light going?" Cat asked with a puzzled expression.
"I went to Starbug 2 and got the auxiliary kit, then routed it up to the mains to provide the hanger with light." Kira explained as she disappeared through the hatchway.
"Incredible." Lister and Cat replied together.
Abandon Ship
About 10 minutes later everyone was ready, Lister and Rimmer were manning Starbug, whilst Cat and Kira took Blue Midget.
"Bye Holly, see you soon." Kira whispered into the monitor, wiping away tears.
"Goodbye Miss Olivier, Cat." Holly stated, suppressing emotion, and disappeared from the screen, leaving it black.
A few seconds later Lister and Rimmer filled the screen. "See you soon guys, we'll rendezvous outside the belt before going into stasis. Ok?" Lister checked as the two ships emerged into space, dodging nearby meteors.
"Agreed." Answered Cat and Kira.
"See you soon." Rimmer added as the screen went black.
Heart To Heart
They had been driving through the field for about 2 hours, of the starboard bough they could just see Starbug dodging along as well, though they were out of range to communicate.
Kira broke the silence that had filled most of the trip.
"You know, you're so brave I could almost shout for joy." She whispered, lowering her head so Cat couldn't see the tears forming.
"Thanks babe, but how'd you work that out?" Cat asked as he leaned back in the passenger seat, pulled up his top and rubbed some cream on some scars and bruises on his chest and ribs.
"Look at you, look how you've changed. From what I've been told about how you were before I joined the crew, you never would have acted as you have, - putting the safety of others before your own, being thoughtful and caring. You've grown over the last month, you've got to admit it." Kira smiled softly before adopting a concentrated expression as she pulled up quickly, to avoid a collision path with one of the meteors.
"I guess, I never really thought of it like that." Admitted Cat, smoothing down his top and cocking his head on one side.
"All I know is when I'm around you I feel… home, you're my lifeline Kira, even more than my suits are." Cat confessed, as he his hand in his pocket and gently felt the velvet of the small box.
"Cat that's… beautiful." Kira gasped, realising how much she must mean to him if she mattered to him more than his suits.
"Kira I would do anything for you, even though I haven't known you long, when I first met you and you asked "Why me?" I said it was "Because you smelt right." At the time that seemed lame – even to me, but now I'm beginning to understand the meaning of those words." Cat paused to see Kira's expression but her face was blocked from view.
"I'm… I'm glad you woke up when you did, we never would have made it if it wasn't for you." Kira disclosed, as she pulled the craft hard to the left.
"Thanks babe, but what you did with rigging those lights was just… amazing."
"Not really, I learnt it in basic training. I still don't know how you managed – in your condition, to get all the way from the weapons room to the hanger in the time you did, whilst carrying the weapons and Dave, now THAT was amazing."
"What can I saw? When you're hot, you're hot." Cat grinned.
"Yeah, and no-one's more boiling than you Cat." Kira laughed as she dropped her speed as they started to emerge from the field.
"Only you babe." Cat mumbled, just loud enough for Kira to hear. As the words reached her ears her heart fluttered and she was sure she could feel her heart stop.
"I love you." Kira whispered as she turned to kiss him, her emerald green eyes burning into his soft brown eyes.
"And I love you." Cat mumbled as their lips met.
They pulled away and waited for Starbug, which was about 5 minutes away the scanner showed.
"I was never going to give it to you… Well I was, but not yet but… now seems a good a time as any, but…" Cat just spit it out, you're making no sense.
"I can't say it." Cat mumbled turning away.
"Say what? Kira ask wondering what the smeg was going on.
"I'll have to show you." Cat decided out loud.
"Show me… Oh Cat…" She gasped as Cat slowly got down on his knees in front of her, brought out the velvet box, and opened it "It's GEORGEOUS!" Shrieked Kira in such a high pitch that Cat had to cover his ears.
She let Cat slip it on her finger then after pausing for a moment to admire it, she pushed Cat up against the door and they kissed deeply as they ran their hands through each other's hair and along their faces, exploring each other's features and lines.
Suddenly they were interrupted by the bleep of the comm. From Starbug.
"Better punch it up." Sighed Kira as she and Cat parted yet again and walked into the cabin.
"What are you two looking so pleased about?" Asked Rimmer moodily.
"We're engaged!" Kira cried over the intercom.
"Brutal!" Yelled Lister grinning.
"You jammy goits, we leave you alone for a couple of hours and you're engaged. Un-smegging-lievable!" Ranted Rimmer.
"What he means to say." Interrupted Lister. "Is congrats."
"Thanks guys, anyway we better get in the stasis booths. See you all in 5 years." Kira replied, before hastily turning of the comm.
As they approached the stasis area Cat pushed Kira up against the wall next to the stasis control panel. "Think we have enough time before we go for our 5 year nap?" Asked Cat cheekily.
"Oh I should say so." Kira replied as they kissed deeply, though of course this time there were no interruptions.
It's cold outside, there's no 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