Justin asks Holly

<snip>
"Well...I can force a fast reboot, but it could damage his systems, he may not
be able to shut down again by himself...we'd need to remember to do so when we
leave...otherwise, his systems will degrade and who knows what could happen...."
"Got it...do it..."
<end snip>
Who: Justin, Jay, Efof, Rosette and anyone else
Where: Flight deck
When: After snip
Justin found a small office off the flight deck and tapped in some commands into
the computer. Holly started to reboot and eventually his face could be seen on
the screen in front of him.
"Holly, can you tell us what happened to the ship?"
"Drive plate was incorrectly sealed. Cadmium core exploded. Ship toxic with
radiation, please leave." Holly said, then turned off.
Justin and Jay looked at each other. "What an odd guy." Said Justin.
"Turn him on again." Jay ordered.
Justin nodded and powered him up again. Holly appeared on the screen, and spoke
quickly. "Cadmium radiation levels are critical, you guys really shouldn't be
here." Then he vanished again.
"Turning him on and off like this can't be good for him." Justin said.
"But we need his help." Said Jay. "Can you stop him from turning himself off?"
Justin nodded and rebooted Holly again.
"I told you before, Cadmium radiation levels are critical. Get out of here!"
Holly said, then paused. "I can't turn myself off. Did you do that? I need to
preserve my runtime for when the radiation levels have decreased."
"When will that be?" Asked Justin.
"Three million years." Said Holly.
"Three million years?!" Shouted Justin and Jay.
Holly nodded. "That's radiation for you. Don't mess with it."
"Holly we need your help." Jay asked. "There are some aliens onboard, can you
tell us anything about them?"
"Do you mean the cats?" Holly asked. "They live somewhere in the hold where the
skutters can't get to them. I've just left them alone, they aren't doing much
harm."
Jay looked at Justin who shrugged. "No, I don't think these are cats. They're in
an area where there's a high amount of radiation. Also they installed some
turrets to the outside of the ship."
"Oh bugger." Said Holly. "I thought we were heading in a direction away from any
habitable planets. I didn't think anyone would find us and come aboard." he
started to worry. "Are they causing trouble? They're not near the stasis chamber
are they?"
Jay leaned closer. "I was hoping you could tell us where they all were, and what
they're doing here?"
Holly shook his floating head. "Sorry dudes. My internal sensors aren't powerful
enough to cut through the radiation. I can't tell you who they are or where they
are on the ship."
Justin had an idea and quickly piped up. "We can boost the power to your
internal sensors." He said. "If we can get to the Internal Sensors Control room
on Deck 88, I can increase power so you'll be able to tell us who they are, what
they had for breakfast, and whether or not they're Jewish."
"But how do we get to Deck 88 with all this radiation?" Said Jay. "It's not
going to be possible.
"Actually it is." Said Holly. "If you go through the horticulture deck, there's
not as much radiation there. You'll be able to drop down an express-lift shaft
into Deck 88."
Justin nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
-----------------------------
Who: Justin, Jay and others
Where: Horticulture deck
When: A few minutes later
Justin abseiled down a rope into the abandoned horticulture deck and joined the
rest of the team. This deck was where fresh fruit, vegetables and crops were
grown for the Red Dwarf's long journey through space. It contained acres and
acres of farmland, under special heated bulbs to maintain the perfect growing
conditions.
After 10 years of low power and leaking radiation, the crops had started to die
and shrivel up. Jay lead them through a field of tall dried wheat "Look out for
anything hiding in the field." He said.
"I think I saw this in Jurassic Park 2." Justin said, then thought he saw
something moving to his left, he stared at the tall wheat which was gently
moving from the breeze from overhead fans. "It's nothing." He told himself.
<OOC- or is it? Does someone want to introduce our alien foes?>