Chapter 43
Stasis Leaks

"Listey now that were out of range from the Cat I have a question or seventeen to ask you." Rimmer spoke through closed teeth as he followed Lister off the Habitation Deck Corridor and into their quarters.

"I want to know where you got that Cat."

"I thought it should have been obvious to you." He spoke over his shoulder as he sloppily poured milk into a bowl for the sister of Frankenstein.
Who was mewing quite fanatically as feeding time was here.

"Yes it is quite clear," Rimmer addressed Lister to his face now that he had let the kitten drink and had started changing . "Unless somehow Madam Commander Rimmer has somehow managed to throw together a time machine from old bicycle parts, you've been down to floor seventeen
haven't you."

"Well where else do you think I was going to find a three million year old genetic ancestor to the Cat race. On that ocean planet we passed three weeks ago?" Lister matching Rimmer's sarcasm.

"But we all agreed. No one is to use the Stasis Leak unless were all
alerted to the matter. Then the ships senior officer makes a command decision."

At that moment Kryten waddled into the duos sleeping quarters, in the
middle of their conversation.

"What's a stasis leak?" Kryten queried.

"It's something we discovered down on floor 17 while you were asteroid hopping." Lister pulled his red London Jets tee shirt over his head.

"It seems one of the stasis pods had a leak, and leaked into a time pocket."

"A time pocket Kryten repeated. A time pocket to when?"

"About six weeks before the radiation leak wiped out the crew."

"This is extraordinary. If possible, in the future, I would enjoy seeing
the past again."
Lister grunted in agreement and addressed Kryten. "Come on, we gotta go down and help the scutters load the bug." He turned to Rimmer and asked.

"OK?"

"No Kay. I say now that we have the Cat back, let's skidaddle away and leave things to their natural cause of events. Isn't their a space corps directive that suggests this action to us." Rimmer hesitated thinking. "No, actually commands us not to interfere."

"Is that true Kryten?"

"If it were, I'm sure that the chap that wrote that particular piece of literary genius couldn't foresee an alternate version of yourself, who's evil through and through, enslaving an inhabited planetoid. They plan on taking it on the road. I can't imagine that we would be commanded not to interfere."

"Well," Rimmer said. "I propose we look into this tid bit of necessary data. Study it. Perhaps for a few weeks. Then maybe we can hammer out a more sensible plan and be sure of what we should do."

Rimmer thought he had actually pulled it off.
He had stated this eloquent argument as convincingly as possible,
especially seeing that he had been stricken with a panic attack
since early last Thursday, and it hadn't subsided for a moment.
In fact if anything it had become worse. Lister's face was clearly unhappy.

"You know I was really hoping some of Ace would rub off on you." He thought about what he just said for a moment and smirked. "I'm sure you did too, although in this particular instance I think we're talking about different bits." Lister's small smirk faded. Lister spoke: "But no change at all. You're still a weak slimy sniveling coward through and through. After all you've seen with Ace and Spanners." Lister shook his head in disgust while Kryten helped him change into Cloister.

"You know the odds, you know what they're up against. They're counting on us."

Lister had finished changing his clothing and headed towards the door. But stopped short to finish a thought he originally wasn't going to share,
perhaps his time with Spanners was making him more confident.

"We're helping save a civilization here man. Doesn't any of this mean anything to you?"

"Holly!" shouted Lister.
Holly's image illuminated the monitor within their quarters.

"What's shaking Dudes?"

"Were going back down, have the scutters refuel the Bug,
and send a squad to meet me by the cargo hold lift."

"Going back down?" Holly questioned sporting a new proxide blond bee hive hair du. "But you've only just arrived. You haven't had time for a nice hot cup of tea or anything."

"We've no choice. If we don't go back down all those cat people will suffer for the rest of their lives. I only hope Ace knows what she's doing.