Ella wasn’t one to get excited, well she was but not about things that people usually found exciting but on this occasion, she was finding it difficult to suppress her smile. She hadn’t dreamed of making a promotion in the first two years of leaving the academy (hell she thought shed get kicked out) but make promotion, be accepted for a departmental role and on a new ship in one? She wasn’t completely cold.

Her journey was coming to an end as she felt the shuttle gently touch down in the docking bay of her new home the USS Chimera. A Mjolnir-Class Carrier type starship and did she have something to look forward to. Aside from the full complement of fighters the Chimera had its fair share of weapons and defensive capabilities, a two-layered defence system, four forward-facing type eight phaser turrets for a near-constant barrage of fire, type X phaser arrays with a 270-degree arc of fire protecting her flanks and two more type X arrays positioned dorsally and ventraly.

And that wasn’t all, besides the four torpedo tubes and full complement of warheads there was the CIWS, Close-In weapon system any object with 3kms of the ship would find itself engaged by the battery of type 6 phasers banks and arrays totalling 13 different weapon systems giving the ship a 360-degree defence and offensive capabilities, of course, this mainly fell under the Tactical officers but it didn’t hurt to read up.

Besides all the last resort kit and equipment Ella found herself with plenty of room on deck twenty-nine containing a Squad room for the whole shift, offices including her own, which was adjacent to one of the two advanced question suits, a Brig with all the toppings including but not limited to Duranium bars and a level 5 forcefield to contain just about any lawbreaking citizen, the Armoury and two holodecks which prioritise security training. She was going to love it here.

It came time for her to depart signalled by the shuttles rear ramp opening and being greeted by a flurry of operations officers unloading the supplies which had also been delivering by her transport. There wasn’t anyone there to greet her but she knew had been familiarizing herself with the deck layout and knew how to at least get to the places she needed to be. Most people simply did the Captain, Medical and counselling but Ella had a different idea, she as suggested by her previous Chief was going to be stopping by all the departments which served two purposes. One get to know your ship and Two Get to know your crew she could hear her old chief telling her those exact words two weeks ago when she left.

The though of him made her both happy from the memories and lessons she learned but sad for leaving him behind. She shrugged off the thought before anything disastrous happened for example she cried and every man near her started bowing down to her, the thought of which left her feeling cold. There was a time whens he would have happily have stayed on Elas and have multiple husbands all serving her hand and feet but now she was different, and she liked the new her.

Taking in a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth she nodded to herself and parted the shuttle bay through the double doors ready to face the new world.

• Lt (JG) Ella Lokaa