Rimward in the Periphery, Past that Concordat crowd,
Way beyond Farhome System, and the Perseus Cloud,
Lies a small nova fragment, reflecting infrared light,
Near which you’ll find a cluster of worlds,
And they’re full of such sights!
Their peoples hail from all over, each with strange tales to tell,
And soon you will realize, these could be Heavens or they can be Hells.
When you pick up a signal, listen to what they say,
Echoes from almost two hundred years,
Coming from every way:
“Welcome to the Nebula California!”
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)…
In a tortured space….
“Plenty of room in the Nebula California!”
Past the Inner Sphere (Past the Inner Sphere),
You will find it here.
Here, the reality’s twisted, to the point where its broke.
There’s planets filled with elves and orcs, alongside human folk.
This one’s covered in robots; no humans in sight.
They clash among ancient ruins, forced forever to fight.
So, I said to the big ’Mech,
"How are you still alive?"
It said, "We haven't heard from our makers here since thirty twenty-five."
And still more signals keep coming from far away,
Creeping out of the eternal night.
Listen as they say:
“Welcome to the Nebula California!”
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)…
In a fractured space…
“We’re living it up in the Nebula California!”
What a strange surprise (what a strange surprise)
For your mortal eyes!
This “Earth,” it has superheroes, and supervillains, of course.
Those without any powers here just wish that they had such force.
And in the Empire system, they clash together in fleets.
The Fortunate flash their vibro-swords, and perform fantastic feats!
When you think that you’re done here,
Just can’t take anymore,
You’ll wanna find the jump route back to the stars you knew before.
But "Relax," say the robots,
"We aren’t programmed to deceive.
You can jump-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"
“Welcome to the Nebula California!”
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)…
In a shattered space.
“There’s nowhere quite like the Nebula California!”
Once you’re caught inside (Once you’re caught inside)
There’s nowhere to hide!
(With apologies to the Eagles)
- Herb