And away get away you shanty girl!
Posted on 2023, Fri Dec 15th, @ 11:06am by Fleet Admiral Pat Lovell & Admiral Christopher Townsend & Commander Kate Townsend & Sergeant Major JB Dersch & Gunnery Sergeant Janet Bruke III & Corporal Kate Score & Cadet Freshman Grade Tess & Katie Townsend & Lieutenant Rose Andrake & Lieutenant JG Jason Reneé
1,417 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Getting Ready (Character Development)
Location: USS Halo - Deck 4 main lounge
Timeline: Days Before USS Halo Departure
Rose can be found here most days she's not working. Well, here, or pulling galley duty because she enjoys it. The forward lounge was always comfortable, meant to be a place for crew and guests to relax off duty. An elegant bar dominated the rear half of the room, on either side of which were the doors into the ship's corridors on either side of the kitchen behind the bar. Then came rows of tables and seating, before finally terminating with a stage nestled against the interior hull of the ship, using the forward prow as an amphitheater. Live music has been a tradition of seafaring crews from eras from before the seas became star spackled black and infinite, howling void. It was good for morale, and a nicety that can't be underestimated.
But most ships and stations don't have a need for a shanty girl, anymore. Didn't stop her from trying. "Alright, friends, enemies, and those still under review! Now back in the day, people would pay for such entertainment as my lovely self with coin and food and drink and a room to lay my weary head. Now while I got a day job, an' I got a room, I'm well fed, I find my cup is broken!"
She picked up the empty glass beside her stool, turning it over to shake it out. "Ne'r aken should be empty, right? Sorry, having so much fun I'm slipping into my native language! But I know some Klingon shanties if anybody's got a good blood wine! Bonus for home brews! I'll sing what I find!"
She stepped forward, placing her glass on the edge of the stage before tapping her fretboard, then giving a strum and beginning a melody. "Till then, I got one, something ancient and primal, something from the bygone eras when ships weren't always these big, glorious things, powered by antimatter, casually winning the race with light and flinging us to the wild corners of reality. Before radio, before computers, really. From way back in ye Olde eras, from the birth of my family, I bring you... A shanty! Now these were workin' songs, sung by a caller to keep time, with a callback for the workers. They could go on and on, but helped coordinate tasks. They told stories of the sea and its dangers, of news and the world as it was, and of silly stories to lighten the heart on those long journeys. So this one, first written in the first quarter of the twenty first century by a group called Fisherman's Friends, is called Shantyman. Now I've updated it a bit to be more fit for the modern era, but eh? So I sing the verse, you all sing the callback, we all sing the chorus, yeah? I'll tell you the words."
She looked out to the bar, seeking anyone paying attention. "So the callback is 'And away, get away you shanty girl,' alternated with 'And they got no use for a shanty girl,"" her notes pierced the air and hung for a moment, ready to be picked up by the gathered entertained. "And that's after every line. So try and stay on the beat, eh? I got'ye for the first chorus. Shall we begin?"
Hearing assent from the crowd, Rose seemed emboldened as her fingers flew across the guitar strings.
Now modern ships carry mighty funny gear
And away, get away, you shanty girl
Ain't seen a halyard for many's a year
And they got no use for a shanty girl
Slick new fittings are all your style
And away, get away, you shanty girl
All very clever, but it just ain't right
And they got no use for a shanty girl
Shanty girl, oh, shanty girl
Who's got a berth for a shanty girl?
Sing you a song of a world gone wrong
When they got no use for a shanty girl
Her guitar stopped for a moment. "Footnote, here. Y'all know the term halyard, yes? A manual seafaring ship, usually smaller, used for fishing or other sailing. So yeah... Back to the song!"
The Commander In Chief Walked in, Still in his Uniform. As did the Townsend family.
Rose didn't blink, didn't break beat as she watched someone in the crowd step back, almost looking shocked. She had seen it too many times before. In stead, she offered the Townsends a smile as she saw them walk in, before continuing her ditty.
Injectors to pull and buttons to press
And away, get away, you shanty girl
Real-life sailors you meet 'em less
And they got no use for a shanty girl
Floating computer dressed as a ship
And away, get away, you shanty girl
Skippered and crewed by a nanochip
And they got no use for a shanty girl
Shanty girl, oh, shanty girl
Who's got a berth for a shanty girl?
Sing you a song of a world gone wrong
When they got no use for a shanty girl
Major Dersch walked in, As Did Corporal Score, They were deep in conversation, Some of the officers talking besides the Door stopped when they entered, Dersch had a Reputation as did Score, they were both Decorated Marines with Tons of Service Medals, plus went head first when Ordered to move.
Reneé walked in, music playing and people singing. He made his way to a table and ordered something light to drink with some bread and offered several rounds to the shanty
Chris walked up and sat next to Renee at the bar. "Hello, What's up?"
It didn't take Rose long to finish the shanty, much to the enjoyment of the faceless crowd. She didn't check to see if that poor telepath was still there, but she approached the edge of the stage, plopping down on it to adjust her microphone and strum idly, taking a swig of the round offered. "Yo, we got some proper reactor brandy! Old Spacer specialty, seems someone lives on the edge of the law! I smell..."
Her voice trailed for a moment, considering the scents of the liquor. "Andorean roses and rose hips, Vulcan grown hibiscus, good dose of Terran pomegranates... The founder's trifecta, the holy trinity, soaked in Klingon honey and fermented to a perfect mead, then distilled! Aah, this is an amazing find, and..."
Her voice trailed again as she finally swigged the booze back, before a retching sound came over her mic. "Bleagh! California legal! Who gives a Boomer girl synthehol?! Yasik Brak!"
Kate and Katie moved to meet Rose, "Hey Rose, this is my Daughter Katie"
"Hey, Katie! I'm Rose. Your mom's helping me through a lot. Hope you're as nice as her. Come up on stage with me for a bit? I'll play the guitar for whatever song you want to sing!"
"Sing? I don't like to sing.." Katie said in a shy voice.
"Don't like to sing, huh? That's okay," Rose's voice was soft and warm, reassuring the shyness. "I didn't either, once. And it's not for everyone. My dad had the voice of a crow."
As she said this the Romulan/Vulcan/Human Cadet, Named Tess walked in and asked "Sounds like a Crow?" Tess asked in her Vulcan logic voice
Pulling her voice back in her throat till a harsh caw, like a crow or raven would erupt with her speech, she turned to the cadet, considering her response. "Well, I suppose it isn't so bad," she used the voice to ilicit a laugh where she could. "At least I don't sound like a parrot!"
Around this time Ra'dan stepped in to see how the crew where mingling. It was going to be good data to figure out the social clicks of Command and the lower decks. First and foremost this was supposed to a fun event, but Ra'dan couldn't help but just look at the angles the moment he walked into a room. Which of his personnel was here, are they imbibing too much and does that quantify a security risk. How many exits, how many points of weakness, he couldn't let his crew down like the officer before him.
Shaken from his reverie, he found himself in front of the replicator. "...ginger ale." he said evenly, taking his drink and finding a comfortable corner.
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Add any and all characters you like to this.
Here's the source song.
https://youtu.be/OH_fK0FVR2U?si=x_XAktKIj3CY5ejj
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