A Family of Time

I would like to mention that the Viking lore and runestones play into the story. They provided me an access for naming different things.

    Odin, who is the Norse/Viking king of gods who ruled from Valhalla. Since the computer at the Valhalla moon base was to control everything there when no technicians were present it was therefore called Odin.

     Valhalla which, depending on what translation you go by, is either their version of heaven or a place where the gods rule or a combination of both. Viking warriors who showed bravery and died in battle who be honored in Valhalla.

     Loki, who was know for mischief and/or causing trouble for the other gods and humans, was good at creating illusions. Loki's Breath, a specialized gas, creates the illusion of those who are placed in it as them being dead. They aren't really dead, but are in a really deep state of suspended animation. They still have extremely slowed metabolism which through certain components of the gas provide much of what the body needs while in it. Early testing before the story begins indicated that the gas could heal certain ailments of the entire body including the brain. These early tests gave slight indications that individuals could still learn things using stimulation to areas of the brain. Those were preliminary tests that only lasted for a few weeks at the most. The MacMurchaids were to be the first people to be in Loki's Breath for three months. The MacMurchaid children were to be the first children to be placed in what was termed pseudo-death while in the gas. Unfortunately those three months became four hundred and fifty-five years.

     Valkyrie which the craft that took them to them was named for a female warrior sect who were fierce and often feared in battles. The craft was the first of its kind for space travel. It was assembled in space and originally meant to only fly there. It was somewhat faster than the Apollo spacecrafts in going to the moon. With moveable thrusters located on different portions of the craft, it could virtually fly any direction and hover above the moon at any angle.

     One term that I cannot contribute to the Norse/Vikings was angel. Apparently whoever worked for the space agency had been rushed to give the technicians stationed at the Valhalla moon base so the name given was angel. Each technician was called by this term combined with a number designation (Angel1, Angel2, etc).

     Hopefully that clears things up a little bit.