Fic: Aground (PG-13)
Pairing: Lister/Rimmer
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf, and I do not profit from this. I just do this to amuse myself.
This comes after the following:
Function
Static
Love
Release
Reunited
Byway
Weaknesses
Trepidation
Awakening
Officers
The List
Kryten was worried. It had been several hours since Starbug had crash landed, thankfully on a planet with a breathable atmosphere. He hoped that there was no radiation or contamination that was harmful to humanoids present, because he had a feeling that they might be there awhile. It would be quite some time before the diagnostic systems he needed to gain that information were online, even- if he could get them to work at all. It was difficult to unmelt circuitry. He stared at the charred mess splayed across the table before him in dejected despair, as though it were a deflated soufflé.
“Anything yet, Krytes?” Lister approached him from behind, his boiler suit soiled in grease. He wiped his cheek, leaving it grimy, and cast a hopeful, expectant look to the mechanoid. Kryten could never bear to disappoint him when he wore that expression. He decided that he would do everything in his power to keep Lister optimistic, for as long as possible.
“I’m afraid not much, Sir.” Kryten said, gauging the human’s level of distress and deciding that, as Lister seemed fairly calm, he should downplay his own worries. “There’s a bit of damage to the diagnostic system. A smidgen of loss in the navigation controls, as well.” He shifted uncomfortably, wringing his fingers.
“If by that, you mean that the navigation system has been torn out of the ship and is in orbit around this planet, then that’s about the size of it.” Kochanski responded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she frowned in concentration. Kryten shot her a nasty look.
“Smeg.” Lister groaned. “Have you at least been able to find out what happened?”
Kryten nodded. “It appears that we were drawn in, quite violently, by some force other than the planet’s natural gravity. Unfortunately, we can only guess at what exactly happened until the diagnostics are up again.”
Lister sighed, leaning tiredly against the console. “I was hoping you had some good news, because we sure don’t. The engine’s a mess. Maybe we’ll have that part sorted by the time you figure out what to do about the diagnostics.”
“I doubt it.” Rimmer replied glumly, trailing behind him. He took his place behind Lister and frowned. “The navigation system took out the third cargo bay, which held the spare parts and tools we need to repair the engine.”
Kryten winced.
“Well, we’ve got to keep trying.” Kochanski set her jaw in a determined scowl. “We are not going to panic, do you understand? We’re going to sort this out in a calm and logical fashion.” She pronounced each word with deliberate clarity, hoping that doing so would penetrate the message in the others’ minds.
The Cat grinned, seemingly unworried by the bleakness of the situation. “I’m with you, Bud Babe. Don’t worry.” He picked up a charred circuit board and gazed intently at it, turning it over in his hands and sniffing at it curiously. Kochanski managed a small, exasperated grin.
“Why don’t you go see if anything we have can be used as makeshift tools.” She suggested.
“Ma’am.” Rimmer replied, honoring her with a short, relatively informal salute. Lister sighed, and took Rimmer’s hand, leading him out of the midsection. After several faltering steps,he rubbed the bridge of his nose, swaying slightly on his feet.
“Lister?” Rimmer eyed him with moderate concern.
“It’s been hours. I’m exhausted.” It was true, he had been running on hope and adrenaline for longer than his body could tolerate. The reality of their situation had taken the wind out of him. “Can we sit and rest a bit?” He stumbled into their quarters, and collapsed onto his bunk. Rimmer sat beside him.
“We’re gonna get through this.” He murmured. He needed to believe that. He held the thought in his mind, thinking the words over as a mantra, until they almost lost all meaning and became incoherent sounds.
“We always seem to.” Rimmer said, in a quiet tone devoid of sarcasm. Lister’s eyes snapped open. Rimmer would only comfort him in this reassuring, yet detached way if their predicament was worse than he suspected.
Suddenly, he was very afraid.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf, and I do not profit from this. I just do this to amuse myself.
This comes after the following:
Function
Static
Love
Release
Reunited
Byway
Weaknesses
Trepidation
Awakening
Officers
The List
Kryten was worried. It had been several hours since Starbug had crash landed, thankfully on a planet with a breathable atmosphere. He hoped that there was no radiation or contamination that was harmful to humanoids present, because he had a feeling that they might be there awhile. It would be quite some time before the diagnostic systems he needed to gain that information were online, even- if he could get them to work at all. It was difficult to unmelt circuitry. He stared at the charred mess splayed across the table before him in dejected despair, as though it were a deflated soufflé.
“Anything yet, Krytes?” Lister approached him from behind, his boiler suit soiled in grease. He wiped his cheek, leaving it grimy, and cast a hopeful, expectant look to the mechanoid. Kryten could never bear to disappoint him when he wore that expression. He decided that he would do everything in his power to keep Lister optimistic, for as long as possible.
“I’m afraid not much, Sir.” Kryten said, gauging the human’s level of distress and deciding that, as Lister seemed fairly calm, he should downplay his own worries. “There’s a bit of damage to the diagnostic system. A smidgen of loss in the navigation controls, as well.” He shifted uncomfortably, wringing his fingers.
“If by that, you mean that the navigation system has been torn out of the ship and is in orbit around this planet, then that’s about the size of it.” Kochanski responded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she frowned in concentration. Kryten shot her a nasty look.
“Smeg.” Lister groaned. “Have you at least been able to find out what happened?”
Kryten nodded. “It appears that we were drawn in, quite violently, by some force other than the planet’s natural gravity. Unfortunately, we can only guess at what exactly happened until the diagnostics are up again.”
Lister sighed, leaning tiredly against the console. “I was hoping you had some good news, because we sure don’t. The engine’s a mess. Maybe we’ll have that part sorted by the time you figure out what to do about the diagnostics.”
“I doubt it.” Rimmer replied glumly, trailing behind him. He took his place behind Lister and frowned. “The navigation system took out the third cargo bay, which held the spare parts and tools we need to repair the engine.”
Kryten winced.
“Well, we’ve got to keep trying.” Kochanski set her jaw in a determined scowl. “We are not going to panic, do you understand? We’re going to sort this out in a calm and logical fashion.” She pronounced each word with deliberate clarity, hoping that doing so would penetrate the message in the others’ minds.
The Cat grinned, seemingly unworried by the bleakness of the situation. “I’m with you, Bud Babe. Don’t worry.” He picked up a charred circuit board and gazed intently at it, turning it over in his hands and sniffing at it curiously. Kochanski managed a small, exasperated grin.
“Why don’t you go see if anything we have can be used as makeshift tools.” She suggested.
“Ma’am.” Rimmer replied, honoring her with a short, relatively informal salute. Lister sighed, and took Rimmer’s hand, leading him out of the midsection. After several faltering steps,he rubbed the bridge of his nose, swaying slightly on his feet.
“Lister?” Rimmer eyed him with moderate concern.
“It’s been hours. I’m exhausted.” It was true, he had been running on hope and adrenaline for longer than his body could tolerate. The reality of their situation had taken the wind out of him. “Can we sit and rest a bit?” He stumbled into their quarters, and collapsed onto his bunk. Rimmer sat beside him.
“We’re gonna get through this.” He murmured. He needed to believe that. He held the thought in his mind, thinking the words over as a mantra, until they almost lost all meaning and became incoherent sounds.
“We always seem to.” Rimmer said, in a quiet tone devoid of sarcasm. Lister’s eyes snapped open. Rimmer would only comfort him in this reassuring, yet detached way if their predicament was worse than he suspected.
Suddenly, he was very afraid.