A Battlestar is Born
(Battlestar Xanthi – Cylon War, Day 1107)
*Click*…A spark forms in the dark, there is a pause and then…a reaction follows. Slowly, the reaction spreads and power begins to flow. The systems come on-line and…in the Engineering Room, a man in a spacesuit smiles. His name is Marcus McAllister and for what feels like forever, he had been overseeing the construction on this mammoth vessel. Now, it is no longer on power from the Scorpia Fleet Yards. It is slowly beginning to create its own heartbeat. *Click, Click, Click* McAllister started another reactor. *Click, Click, Click* And another. As McAllister walked around, the power begins to radiated outwards….first, the heating elements begin to work, then comes the gravity and finally the O2-Scrubbers and air vents. The Battlestar Xanthi was coming to life. A smile formed on McAllister's face.
"Hello sweetie." McAllister activated his wireless. "McAllister to Power-up Team One. You are cleared to board."
=/\= Wilco, boarding now. =/\=
McAllister walked to another console and throws a last series of switches. A light blinked on, followed by another…and another…another. Finally, the reactor room is fully lit. Like the power, the light begins to spread outwards. McAllister took off his helmet and breathed in the air. It was fresh and warm.
"Better. Much better." He put down his helmet. "Time to go."
He made his way to CIC. (As he walked out, three Engineers walked in. He gave them a polite nod as he passed them.) When he got there, four Engineers were powering up systems.
"Mike, how are we doing ?"
The oldest of the four Engineers looked up.
"We're on schedule, Colonel." He took out a computer chip. "Would you like to do the honors ?"
"Thank you, Chief." McAllister grabbed the chip. "Let's do this."
He walked to the FTL Console and put the lit in open position. McAllister took a deep breath, then opened a small access panel. (The screws were not in place yet.) Behind it was an incomplete circuit. He inserted the chip into a slot and there was a click. The FTL Console came to life. (He put the panel back in place, then put the screws in place.) He entered his clearance code and hit enter. There was a beep and then the FTL clock appeared on the screen. The drive was cold, which meant the clock said twenty minutes. Alas, it would not be McAllister who would order this Battlestar's first jump. That would be her first Commander's job. He took a deep breath and headed out of the CIC. It was up to his team now. As he made his way towards Airlock One, his mind wandered. He remembered the installation of the lights, the welding of the bulkheads, the testing of the PA and so much more. And now he had to hand it over to somebody else. He reached the Airlock. People were going to and fro. (Power-up Team had three-hundred hands.) Commander Peter Magnus was waiting there for him.
"Colonel."
"Commander." McAllister reached into his pocket, pulling out a small item. "So I guess this is it, she's all yours now." He looked back across the airlock. "You know, I had my doubts this ship would ever get finished. And now that she is, it's like a dream." He held up the item….it was a one Cubic coin. "This was my lucky charm throughout the construction process. It's yours now."
Magnus accepted the coin from McAllister.
"Thank you."
"Good luck, sir."
The two men shook hands. McAllister walked away, while Magnus boarded his new ship. He noticed that one of the men from the Power-up Team had followed the exchange.
"Something on your mind, crewman ?"
"Nothing serious, sir. It's…it's just a silly question that just popped into my mind."
"Let's hear it."
"Do Battlestars dream ?"
"Let's find out. Carry on."
The crewman went back to work, while Magnus walked deeper into the ship. As he did, he played with the coin. The man's question rang in his ears. Do Battlestars dream ? And what kind of dream would it be ? A good one, or a nightmare. Alas, there was only one way to find out. He pocketed the coin and went to work.