Freya McKenzie's first view of the U.S.S. Enterprise was, in a word, magnificent. Framed against the velvet darkness of space, spotlighted by thousands of sparkling stars, the hull gleamed dully as the shuttle swung smoothly round to the entrance bay. Freya gazed out of the window, awestruck, a huge grin slowly spreading across her face. "Aren't you just a beauty," she whispered reverently in her slight, lilting Scottish accent. Her gaze then focused on her reflection in the window as the shuttle came into land. Nervously, she tugged at her wavy strawberry blonde hair, pulling it up into a messy ponytail, then checking her pale, freckled face and red Star Fleet dress for imperfections. She wanted to make a good impression on her first day aboard the famous flagship.
The hustle and bustle of the ship made the Edinburgh born girl feel perfectly at home as she elbowed and dodged her way through the crowds until she found the Engine Room. The Chief Engineer was waiting for her there. Freya was going to be second in command.
"Engineer McKenzie reporting for duty, sir," she said, breathless with excitement.
"Ah, so you're a Scot too, are you? Excellent," said Freya's new boss with a grin. Freya could barely hold back her smile as she shook his hand; she was glad to work with someone from her home country.
"I'm Montgomery Scott, sir when anyone's listening, and Scotty when no-one is," he said, rubbing one hand through his short, red brown hair. Freya already liked him; his easy smile, laid back personality and Scottish heritage made him the perfect boss for her.
He's not bad looking, either, said a hopeful little voice in the back of her mind. She pushed it away quickly, wishing she'd let her waist length hair hang loose to hide her faint blush.
"Well, we'd best get down to business," said Scotty, motioning for Freya to follow him.
"We've got everything top notch here, if I do say so myself – best engines, latest weapons, shields – and everything works a treat, too. We shouldn't have much to do...actually, ignore that, we're bound to walk straight into some kind of trouble in a few weeks and then our lovely lady will take a real beating. We've got a good captain, and he loves the ship, but not the way us engineers do...he seems to think we're miracle workers, not just simple grease monkeys. Ah, well. You've worked on a star ship before, haven't you?" Finally, he paused and turned back to Freya.
"Uh, yes, sir."
"Good, good...you should do fine, then. Just stick with me, lass, I'll teach you a few tricks."
Freya walked behind him with a spring in her step, smiling so wide she was in danger of swallowing her own head. She was sure that she'd be happy here.