Fragments of the Reclaimer

This Tomb

Aria didn't want to uncover her eyes. Hesitantly, she peered through her fingers with one eye to find they actually made it out. Rimmer was equally surprised. She was about to give him props for getting them out of there when their craft suddenly stopped moving forwards. Rimmer looked almost offended that it stalled.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy." she muttered.

He tried gaining control but it was no use. The gravity well was pulling them back just as it did Red Dwarf. Rimmer looked to her as if she had any idea what to do. All they could do is watch the ground get closer by the second.

"Well, look at the bright side." she said

"What bright side?"

She held out her hand, revealing shiny new Chinese worry balls. "At least I brought these."

His nose and upper lip twitched. He was ready to throw a slew of insults at her but he bit it back.

"Relax, Rimmer. Just switch to reverse thrust."

"I did that! Don't you think I know what I'm doing?!" he snipped.

"Do you?"

He subtly turned on the reverse thrust. "Yes." he said, smugly.

Aria wasn't blind, and would've called him out on being, as Lister would say, a smeghead - but his Rampancy was acting up. She didn't want to incur his wrath.

"See, Harkness? Contrary to popular belief I did not spend many years of my life being thick as a brick." he boasted with a smug look still painted on his face.

"No, just many years of your death." she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." she hastened to say.

Slowly but surely they lowered to the ground. They didn't land smoothly but they didn't crash and burn like Rimmer anticipated, either.

"I'm picking up a faint signal." Aria told him.

Rimmer perked up; a look of hope donned on his face. "Lister?!" He shot up and rushed over to her side.

"I don't think so. It's... different."

They stepped out and looked around.

"Anything yet?" Rimmer asked.

"Still too faint. Look, let's forget the signal. We should try and find a way off world. The sooner, the better."

"What if it's them? If it's Lister—"

"Keep your H on, you'll be reunited with your space husband soon enough." she retorted.

For a short moment he stared at her, wondering what she meant by that. "Listen, I want to go as much as you do, believe me, but if it is them and they're in trouble—"

She heavily sighed. "Fine," she said, defeatedly. "I think our best bet is to just keep moving until we find some way to get a hold of them."

They walked in silence for a long time. The only sounds were that of the planet life, Aria's breathing and the occasional mechanical whining of the planet's Forerunner architecture.

Rimmer kept looking from the ground to Aria, trying to think of something to say. He was never well versed in talking to the opposite sex. He'd either say something offensive or he'd become completely tongue tied. Aria finally caught him staring at her. He quickly diverted his gaze back to the ground.

"So, you having any fun yet?" she asked, trying to strike up a conversation

"Missy, if your idea of fun includes being stranded on a planet that has pulled us in, not once but twice, you are deeply disturbed."