Asimov Center Spaceport, Luna, Sol; 08.04.2547
"No, Mom, I'll be fine. You don't need to worry."
"Of course I need to worry!" Her mother returned, face crackling with static over the COM. "My only daughter is going off to space to fight in the war! I'd be a fool if I weren't worried."
"Seriously, Mom, I'll be fine. It's a brand-new ship, anyway, I couldn't be safer."
"I'm still going to worry. Make sure you call."
In the corner of her eye she could see Ken Fraser waving her over towards a D77-TC Pelican that sat on a nearby pad.
"Look, Mom, I have to run or I'll miss my flight. I'll be fine, please don't worry, and I'll call you when I can. Alright? Bye."
She slipped her COM back into a pocket and jogged over to the waiting dropship. A man in a pilot's flight suit and an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth stopped her as she went to duck into the troop bay.
"You Selby?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Great. Buckle up, let's get moving."
He pocketed the cigarette and followed her in, heading forward into the cockpit whilst another crewman checked the harness' of the passengers. The engines started up with a whine, and the ramp began to rise. Fraser, in his fresh Marine BDU and with 2nd Lieutenant's bars on his shoulders, gave her a wink. She knew her own Naval Ensign's insignia was equally as shiny on the shoulders of her shipsuit.
The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. "Alright folks; welcome aboard Foxtrot Zero Zero Four. My name is Pilot Officer Ryker, I'll be your pilot for today. Emergency exits can be found at the rear of the aircraft, and the stewardess will be along with your complimentary drinks shortly…" He trailed off as his female crew chief banged on the cockpit partition separating the pilots from the rest of the passengers. "Alright, point taken. We're go for lift off."
The whine of the engines changed pitch as the aircraft lifted off the pad and angled away from Luna.
"And we're away. Should be at the Fate in ten minutes or so."
Once the initial press of acceleration faded, Rebecca took the opportunity to study the other occupants of the Pelican. Fraser, of course, she knew, but none of the others were familiar. A handful of Marines occupied one side of the bay, either side of Fraser who chatted away to them, whilst her side held a pair of Navy crewmen who seemed engrossed in their own conversation. Instead, she turned to look out the viewport next to her as the dome cities of Luna - the world of her birth, and the only one she'd ever stood on - faded away behind, and the rest of the Sol System laid itself out before her. Even the sun looked different from this fresh perspective, she reflected, even though there was no reason it should do.
"She's coming into view now, folks. Say hello to your new home."
Ten minutes had passed before she even knew it, and she adjusted her view forward as the UNSC Shattered by Fate came into view. Like all UNSC space faring vessels, she was angular and blocky. Like all vessels of her class, she somewhat resembled a flying gun - twin prongs at the front housed her main armament, a light MAC gun capable of accelerating 600 ton projectiles to around 30 kilometers a second. The stats flowed unbidden, remnants of her recently completed education. The ship was, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing Rebecca had ever seen. Objectively, perhaps not, but that was irrelevant. She was beautiful.
The pelican banked around, headed for one of the hangar pods along the flanks of the warship. The voice of the pilot communing with the ship's flight officer could be heard drifting aft from the flight compartment, and the few conversations that had filled the troop bay dried up as the aircraft touched down with a low thud. The intercom crackled to life again as the ramp began to lower. "Alright, thank you for flying UNSC airlines. Feel free to leave a tip for your pilots as you disembark. All complaints about my flying can be forwarded to the nearest airlock."
Suppressing a small smile, she grabbed her kitbag from under her seat and slung it over one shoulder, then joined the line of disembarking crew. They formed a loose knot at the base of the ramp, unsure where to proceed whilst ground crew bustled around the newly arrived pelican.
"Ah, you'll be our new crew members then."
A purple hologram flicked into life from a nearby projector, taking the form of a woman with a single braid of hair. The hair itself flickered with numbers, letters, and other characters, seemingly streaming along the individual strands.
"My name is Mira. I'm the Tactical AI for this vessel. Commander Jaeger asked me to greet you when you arrived. Welcome aboard the Shattered by Fate. Now, I'm sure you all have places you'd rather be than getting in the way in this hangar, so if you'll proceed this way -" she gestured down the hallway - "we'll see about getting you situated."
Her voice followed them as they made their way down the indicated corridor. "Now, as I'm sure you're aware, the Fate is a Stalwart-Class Light Frigate. She has a complement of 250 crew, and around the same in marines. We even have some ODSTs aboard, I'm sure they'll make themselves known sooner or later. Left here." The group took the indicated door, entering what seemed to be a mess hall. Marines and sailors went to and fro with trays of food, some sitting and eating, others stood around talking. Mira's voice rang out across the hubbub. "Attention, please!" The chatter died down. "I need some volunteers to show our new crew members to their quarters." A few crew members hesitantly stood up. "Excellent! If you have any further questions, I'm sure they'll be answered in time. I look forward to working with you."
A few marines made their way out of the press and led Fraser and the other marines with him back the way they'd come, presumably headed towards marine country - almost a self contained realm of it's own on many ships - and some junior sailors took the pair of crewman that had accompanied her on the dropship away, leaving her stood along in the doorway of the mess hall. A tap on her shoulder made her jump slightly, before turning round. A woman in a naval officers uniform stood there, Lieutenant's insignia on her shoulders and short blonde hair framing her friendly smile.
"Hey there, Ensign. You seem a little lost. Need a hand?"
"Oh, yes please. I have absolutely no idea where I'm supposed to be going."
"Officer Country is this way. C'mon." Her savior led her through the mess compartment to a different door. "I'm Eveline Dufour. I man Weapons. You must be the new girl, right?"
"Ah, yes. Rebecca Selby. I'm the new Communications Officer, I think."
Dufour glanced back at her as they ducked through a bulkhead. "New sounds about right, girl. Do you have any experience?"
"Not… not as such, no. I actually just graduated from OCS yesterday. This is my first assignment."
Dufour let out a laugh. "Merde, girl, I didn't realise you were that fresh. Welcome to the Navy. Stick close to me, I'll see you right."
"Thank you. I don't want to let anyone down, I'm just so excited to finally be out here."
"I know what you mean. Keep that attitude, you'll do fine. Here we are…"
Dufour led her through a hatch labelled "Officer's Quarters" and into a hallway with a number of hatches leading off either side. "This one's yours. I'm afraid that as both the last member of the bridge crew to take ship, and the most junior, you're left without a pick. Here - " she keyed the access panel, revealing a small cabin comprising little more than a bunk, a cupboard, and a small desk. "Welcome home, girl. It's not much, but…"
"It's just fine, thank you." She dropped her kitbag onto the bed, resolving to unpack it properly when she had time. "How do I get to the bridge from here?"
"It's just at the end of the hallway there and up the lift. Don't worry, though, you're not technically on shift until tomorrow, so you can take the time to unpack and explore for a while. Learn the ship - believe me, you'll need it."
She nodded. "Thank you, again."
"No worries, girl. We all start somewhere. Anyway, I've got to dash. Needed on the Bridge, I only came down to show you the way up." She smiled again. "Welcome aboard."