The three of us showed up at our assigned naval base shortly before 0700 on the appropriate day. We had arrived in town the night before and shared a hotel room so we’d be well-rested for the day while being sure to arrive on time.

  “Reason for visit?” one of the marines at the front gate asked as we approached.

  “Recently-graduated cadets reporting for duty,” I responded.

  She nodded and held up a portable interface scanner. We each approved of the scan, and she checked the results on her tablet. “Aye, looks like you’re approved for entry. Proceed directly to the main administration building straight ahead. Good luck on your first assignment.”

  “Thank you,” I said, leading the others to the designated building. We walked in silence—I, at least, was too in my head about what was coming to hold a conversation. Anxiety and excitement fought for which would win out, but I focused on the goal and tried to push both of them to the side.

  A bit under two minutes later, we entered the main administration building, helpfully labeled “Administration.” Inside, there was a moderate sized lobby with a chairs and tables scattered around and a single desk off to the side. Multiple doors led off to other places, some labeled, some not. There were a dozen or so cadets milling about and three standing in line at the desk. We walked over to the desk and waited with the others until it was my turn.

  “Please place your hand on the scanner.” Once it read my false information, the receptionist nodded. “You’ll be in group C, called at 0730. After you go through the short oath and promotion ceremony, you’ll receive your orders.”

  I saluted and stepped away to wait. Once the others finished, they joined me.

  “So,” said Kolo before lapsing into silence. Neither of us other two said anything either. There wasn’t much to say. I knew we all hoped for a shipboard assignment, but it wasn’t guaranteed. There were plenty of stations or ground postings, though I knew some cadets had learned during our exercises that shipboard duties weren’t for them.

  Finally, I sighed. “Listen, we’re going to get an assignment, and we’re going to rock it. If it’s on a ship, great, but if it’s not, well, we just have to do well enough that we get one later.”

  The other two nodded at that, breaking the ice a little and allowing us to quietly chat about nothing while we waited. Eventually, though, group C was called, and the three of us followed the commander along with three other soon-to-be ensigns. We ended up inside a large, well-appointed office, and we stood at attention waiting for the commander to speak.

  “You all have proven you have what it takes to serve as officers in the Imperial Navy. This is no small accomplishment. I won’t waste any of our time with a long speech—I’m sure you’ll hear enough of them over the years.”

  She then called us forth one-by-one to give our oath and receive our new epaulets, signifiers of our promotion. When my turn came up, I recited from memory the oath I had first given nearly two cycles ago.

  “I, Dax Juniper, do swear to uphold and protect the laws and values of the Empire of Erythralia and its military and to defend the Empire and its Emperor against all threats domestic and foreign and to discharge my duties as an officer of the Imperial Navy faithfully and fully. May the Emperor judge me should I fail.”

  “Dax Juniper, I hereby promote you to the rank of Junior Ensign. Please take these symbols of your rank.”

  She handed me two pieces of thick cloth to attach to the shoulders of my uniform. They were largely white with a single black stripe, signifying my rank. I saluted the commander in thanks and stepped back to let the rest of the group give their oath. Once everyone was finished, the commander tapped something on her tablet, then spoke to us all.

  “You are now ensigns. Your assignments should be available on your tablets. Please wait until we return to the lobby before checking them.” She then led us back to the lobby and called the next group.

  The anticipation reached its peak as I pulled out my tablet with shaky hands. Tapping, I found the assignment message, opened it, and began to read.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Ensign Dax Juniper, you are hereby assigned to the ISS Bluejay. You are to report to shuttle pad Charlie-7 at 1300 on the 13th of Bitart 1165, where you will be taken to Eryth Station Beta to await your ship. The ISS Bluejay is scheduled to arrive on the 14th of Bitart 1165. When it arrives, you will receive a specific date and time to report to the captain for duty.”

  I looked up, a smile on my face that was mirrored on my friends’.

  Kolo was the first to speak. “I’m assigned to the infirmary on the ISF Oloderm. I’m getting a ship!”

  Even Valissa’s excitement poked through her stoic facade. “I’ve been assigned to the ISS Lightbird, a scouting vessel. It won’t arrive for over a week, though, so in the meantime, I have some make-busy duties on the station.”

  “I’ve also been assigned to a scouting vessel as well, the ISS Bluejay, though mine arrives tomorrow.”

  “Mine’s a frigate, obviously, and it’s arriving in three days.”

  I thought about my assignment. Scouting vessels were the smallest vessels. Because of their size, they actually moved faster than other ships, allowing them to, well, scout. They were used for a variety of purposes, from watching other nations to patrolling less-trafficked routes to searching discovered systems for resources. Occasionally, they even investigated untraveled systems, though that was less common. They contained a wider variety of high-powered sensors than most ships, making them ideal for this use, and while their weapons loadout was small, they were fast enough to outrun bigger ships.

  Frigates, like Kolo was assigned to, carried necessary supplies between systems. While merchant vessels did most shipping, the military wasn’t going to trust important shipments to civilian ships, so they used frigates. Frigates were extremely large, but most of that space was used for cargo.

  Size-wise, cruisers came somewhere in the middle. While they couldn’t travel as quickly as a scout, they were faster than other ship classes and had a lot of weaponry, making them perfect for regular patrols of travel routes.

  The last major ship class was the destroyer. Those ships were similar in size to a frigate, but rather than being filled with cargo bays, they were full of weaponry and defenses. Destroyers were designed for war, making them the least common ship type. Largely they were used as defense and deterrents in systems with populated planets or important stations. They rarely traveled beyond the system, though they were plenty capable.

  Honestly, I was quite happy with my assignment. Being assigned to a destroyer would mean I spent most of my time in one system, which while still preferable to a land post, would not be preferred. A frigate posting would be okay, though despite the importance of shipping supplies, it felt dull. A cruiser would have been interesting—you’d get to travel around a wide variety of systems while on a ship brimming with weaponry, on rare occasion getting into battle with a pirate. But a scout, a scout got to travel not only between established systems but into systems we lacked a presence in. That excited the scientist in me.

  It turned out the others were scheduled for the same shuttle, so we explored the parts of the base we were allowed in for a few hours, then stopped in the officer’s mess for lunch before making our way to the shuttle pad.

  The shuttle was similar to the ones we had taken before, and the trip took a bit less time than those trips. The shuttle passed through a special shield designed to hold air in but let ships and their contents through, and we landed on the station. From there, we signed in and were given room assignments.

  Like all stations and ships, the station was on capital time, so we arrived in the morning despite leaving in the afternoon. Since this was primarily a military station, there were limited civilians and forms of entertainment, so there wasn’t much to do. I ended up spending most of the day wandering the station, getting used to the concept.

  Unlike ships, stations had large open areas as well as comprehensive hydroponics gardens, making them feel more like land while still being distinctly different. Throughout the station were holoscreens displaying views from outside the station—even with modern materials and manatech, true windows were far too risky in the void, especially in the case of attack. But holoscreens were nearly indistinguishable from reality, using illusion tech to project a view that changed for each viewer’s position, making them seem like windows.

  My room was tiny, similar to shipboard officer rooms. I knew that there were larger rooms and apartments on the station, but this was transient housing, so it didn’t need to be much. It was private, though, which was nice, though I didn’t risk transforming into my true shape yet. When I got comfortable on the ship, though, I might.

  Come the next day, I was stuck waiting for my ship to arrive. It eventually did, and I received a message at 1422 that afternoon telling me to report to the ship any time between then and 1800. I quickly gathered my things and proceeded to head to the appropriate docking bay.

  Like all ships, it was roughly cylindrical with a rounded nose. It was quite a bit smaller than the learning ship I had trained on, but it was still a large piece of technology.

  I approached the loading bay where two marines were overseeing cargo being brought onto the ship. I stood at attention and waited for them to acknowledge me.

  “You Juniper?” asked one of them.

  “Yes, private. I am Ensign Dax Juniper, here to report for duty.”

  “Aye, scan your interface to confirm your identity.” After I did so, she gave me a nod. “Thank you, ma’am. Welcome aboard the Bluejay.”