Chapter 7
Goodbye Ace
"Time was anything but on the long side of the goal post old
sausage" said Commander Ace Rimmer, her soft light hologramatic image flickering unsteadily, as a testament to the fury and frustration that went into the hobbling together of the essential components necessary
to resurrect Ace back from the dead.
Almost.
0500 hours, same day, another Femverse.
Five short days ago, which may as well been five years or five hundred
years for all the sense it made. Deb Spanners Lister had spent the better part of the last twelve hours on her back. And at the moment she couldn't have been more satisfied.
This was her job. She had chosen this life and she knew the consequences. When she finally decided to again take up the horizontal position, Deb grabbed a cup of coffee and started planning.
When Rimmer arrived Lister was sitting in front of the generating console clutching a mug of steaming black coffee and a jam doughnut brushed with sugar.
"Spanners old fruit cake what's the good word on the Wildfire?" Ace
beamed at the tired Lister.
"All's A -O.K. I check her out from top to bottom. Everything seems as tight as a bank manager's wallet.
Project WildFire was the code name to the Space Corps latest and most
advanced drive the lab boys in engineering could come up with. The only
problem is that they weren't exactly sure of what the Wildfire drive actually did.
One group of the engineers were totally and completely positive that the
Wildfire drive would allow the ship and pilot to travel faster than the speed limit for the universe. Break the Speed of light. Hence bringing womankind into a golden age of space travel, where now the human race could spread itself over the entire galaxy, thus screwing up it's environment as well.
The other group, the group which Deb was founder, head, treasurer, council and clean up committee, believed that Ace was on a one way ticket to another dimension. Besides herself only one other person on Europa the shared this opinion.
"Well then there's nothing holding us back now. You can just report it's all safe to Bongo and I'll be off into the big black and beyond."
"So what do you think of all this nonsense they're pushing against
us with the light barrier crap," said Deb dripping coffee down the front of her grease smeared overall's that were probably once white long ago.
"Well old love the way I see it is like this. If everyone on the base thought the way you and I did there would be so many damn fair well
parties with the Admiralty that I wouldn't have enough pep in me to
make the flight. Anyway this'll give the yahoo's something to gape at when I send that Tachyon transmission from another dimension and have
you to thank for the mental prep on my part. That's another one I owe you
Old lemon Tart."
"Well that's all fine and dandy, Ace. That really is but what perhaps
if you were to enter a dimension that was slightly more hostile than our own,
and wound up on the dead side?" Questioned a grinning Lister two of her
locks hung over her cleavage, which was also grease smeared.
"What's your point lass?"
"Point is this." Using her unseen hand Deb tossed a devise that resembled
a pregnant spark plug to the commander, who gently snatched it from the
air.
"A light bee old girl, what on Io would I need a light bee for without a
full size star ship to run the fool thing?" Ace tossed it back.
"Ah but this is a new and untested light bee. It runs off a remote
projection power belt, it virtually makes the user independent."
Lister smiled a satisfied smile.
"You lab boys managed to hammer together a light bee that enables a hologram to walk among the rest of the universe unhampered by projection booths, and a ships usual inability to run more than one hologram at any given time." Ace pulled a cheroots from her inside pocket and lit it in celebration offering one to Lister.
Deb lit her smoke and continued. "It also has one little extra that
regular light bee don't. It fits in your ship's black box. So even if the ship is destroyed, as long as the black box is in tact, you'll be as returnable
as a new pair of shoes. Also it will catch you up."
"How's that," Ace asked."
"Well, normally a disc you updated last month, would be missing the knowledge, experience and growth that you acquired this months . This one doesn't have that handicap. The black box info is all sent through this baby.
It will be every bit as you then as you will be."
"Skip I don't know what to say but thanks."
"Skip," muttered Lister. Ace hadn't called her that since she'd rescued Deb and her mates during a fishing expedition gone awry all those years ago. Back then Lister was a no good space bum.
Ace helped changed that.
Now she was a Space Corps Engineer and married to her Kristopher Kachanski, with twin girls Jane and Bexly.
You would be looking at a completely different Deb Lister had it not
been for Ace.
Before Lister could say anything Arnie had pulled something out of
her flight suit, and held it out to her mate.
"I pulled some strings with the admiralty, you've earned yourself two weeks of R&R. You've been here so often of late I'll bet Kris and the kids
hardly recognize you."
Lister peered into a manila envelope.
"What's this underneath the passes" asked Deb as she lifted
out a set of keys.
"They're the keys to my bungalow cottage on Io. Nothing big really. But It does have it's own private beach. It's really quite nice."
"Your letting me have it for the whole two weeks?"
"No. I'm giving it to you. That is if you want it. Won't be any use to me where I'm heading. Will it now Old plumb?"
"I don't know what to say. Thanks Ace."
"No. Thank you Skip." Ace emphasized the You. " If not for your foresight I wouldn't know where I was headed. Gives a gal a sense of security.
Never mind that little electronic free ball in the game of life." Ace pointed
at the light bee.
"I'd probably be dead a dozen times over if it wasn't for you
and your lass' down at engineering. Come here and give me a hug you big sissy." The women embraced.
"Look," Deb said before turning to blow her nose. "Don't
you go off risking your life and saving the universe more than three times a week while your gone, or I'll have to come after you and kick your smeggen arse."
"And I'd bet my last dollar pound that you're just the lass who might
be able to pull that one off." Smoke me a KIpper Skipper, I'll be back for breakfast."
Then she walked off towards the flight deck.
After Ace's footsteps no longer echoed in the hangar Lister thought to herself.
"No matter how many times Ace helps you out, he always makes it seem that he owes you. Maybe some day I'll pay you back Ace."
Then she said out loud to no one in particular. "What a gal."