The History of FLEET (page 5)
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The other version of the tale, the one repeated by breathless newbies at the back of lecture theatres...and nowhere else, because Boardies are careful to dismiss it as patently ludicrous...points out that the distances between stars are insanely huge, and that there was no way one satellite could broadcast a signal so far in so short a time, let alone have anywhere near the power needed to transmit it. And as for the tiny gravcomm being able to knock an immense battlecruiser off-course...! There is an alternative thesis, that points out that backtracking the shockwave that had such a spectacular effect, and cross-referencing this with records of the time, co-incides neatly with an entry in the Archives. It is well-known that, that night, David Jones watched his life crumble before his eyes and begged for some form of intervention from above, screaming his tear-filled rage at the stars. Boardies say their patroness clearly took pity on him and gave him the strength to survive...but some ask if her intervention was perhaps rather more...dramatic? Wide-ranging? Did he finally inspire Her to go on the offensive? Such divine largesse would be in character...but indicates a few unnerving things about their patroness. Unless, of course, he didn't need any help. It takes a lot of energy to boost a signal that far, but David has demonstrated the ability to wield spectacular amounts of energy in the past. Boardies tend to reject this, or say that it was just one outpouring of emotion in a night that may well have ramifications for humanity as a whole. Because that version, even for Boardies, does not make sense. Curiously, knowing as they do the gravitic tolerances of advanced drives, and perhaps allowing a mild romantic streak to flash a fin, FLEET have no problem with this interpretation at all. |