Chapter Six
Enlisted Mess, TSS Vella Gulf, Lacaille 8760, December 25
“Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!” Calvin sang loudly, if not particularly well; the other 200 voices drowned him out so no one knew or cared whether he was on key or not. Being away from home on Christmas was always hard for military members, even if they were on a mission to save the planet. If it was the last Christmas that humanity was to experience, the men and women of the Vella Gulf would have liked to have spent it with their families.
Recognizing that, Captain Sheppard had commissioned a sing-along to take everyone’s minds off of being away from home, and nearly all of the off duty personnel came to sing. Even the men and women from religions that didn’t celebrate Christmas seemed to enjoy the camaraderie.
An outgrowth of the U.S. Navy, the Terran Space Fleet had kept most of the customs and traditions of that service, including the tradition of being ‘dry.’ No alcohol was allowed on board, except for a small amount kept under lock and key for ‘medicinal’ purposes. For Christmas, Captain Sheppard had decided morale needed a boost, and he had made an alcohol ration available; each member of the ship’s crew received two beers.
Looking around the mess, Calvin decided that the (admittedly bad) singing and the (too few) beers had worked their magic; at least for a little while it looked like morale had improved. As he walked out of the mess, he saw that someone had made a Drakul doll and had hung it by a noose from the ceiling next to the door. Pinned to it was the note, ‘Merry Christmas, Drakul scum. Now die!’ That wasn’t really the kind of Christmas spirit that Calvin had grown up with, but he could appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.
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