May the Gods love be with you
WHO: Tom Burk and Crew WHERE: Battlestar Avalon and Strike Group WHEN: Y2002 Dec 2
“All stations check in for FTL Jump,” announced over the speakers ship-wide.
The Mercury-class battlestar with escort combat and support ships in formation cruise in the vast darkness of space. Avalon prepares for it first FTL jump in four months. Due the expense of jumping such a massive capital ship these were rare and only allow with permission from fleet command. Blame the years of military budget reductions.
Admiral Thomas Burk looked over at the XO. “Cue the music, Colonel.” It was a tradition on this battlestar to play music over the ship-wide speakers as the final preparations were made for a FTL jump as most of the crew would have nothing to do. The music was to calm those less adapt to the effects of the jump and a way to boost morale.
“Aye, sir.” The track started with a few cords of a guitar stung followed by other instruments and the singing of the lyrics to Space Oddity.* The ancient space maritime song played in the background in CIC as the stations were called off.
Elsewhere on the battlestar, idle crewmembers sang along with the lyrics as they waited for the end of the song if when all is checked, the battlestar and support ships will jump into Tauron space.
During the last chorus, some of the crew sang loudest knowing the jump’s event of the horizon was seconds away.
Here, am I floating round in my tin can,
Far above the moon.
Planet Earth is blue, and there’s nothing I can do.
The ancient verse referred to the mythical 13th Colony of Kobol. Was it a clue or did it simply rhyme?