Appearances can be deceiving.

That was one of the tenets that had kept the Commander and his battlestar going all these years.

Under the careful hand of the helmsman, the Colonial warship spun on her axis and slowly navigated into position.

“Five, four, three, two, one … ”

The voice echoed around the command information center (CIC).

At zero, the ship shook as its hull made contact with the docking collar of fire control station GC1BK4T.

“Go get what we need, Chief,” ordered the commander.

One minute there was nothing and then in the next a large Colonial battlestar flashed into existence.

It was the fifth such jump the Valhalla had made while jumping around the Staunton sector in search of the elusive target.

All the crew really knew was that a passing merchant ship had described it as larger than life and something they would instantly recognize.

Even as the first sensor sweeps began, the alarm klaxons echoed throughout the ship.

Sensing the dangers posed by a large stellar bug, the Commander ordered an emergence jump away from what the database classified only as “GCZ5T7.”

“Ready to jump on your command,” Lt. Gator calls from his station.

“Commence jump!” the Commander orders.

Pulling out the master key, Gator slips it into its slot on the console in front of him.

He turns it to the left until it locks into position.

Instantly, the Battlestar Valhalla winks out of existence in one place only to reappear somewhere else.