United World University for Space, United Korea Branch

Seoul, South Korea, United Earth Alliance

1100 Hours

[Time Frame: SSV LOONA docked at Seoul UWUS. Graduation Day!]

/

Ecstatic. The one word that could describe the state Hyejoo was feeling right now was ecstatic.

The graduation ceremony took place just a few hours ago, in the morning. The University was packed with the friends and families of the current graduating class.

It felt like a blur to her, everything was moving so fast. Just this morning, she was getting out of bed for her usual afternoon class. Next thing she knew, everybody was at the ceremony dressed in their formal Alliance blues. The University President and staff gave a couple of long speeches but even then it felt way too fast.

A lot of fireworks and cheering erupted when it was all over. Hyejoo found herself surrounded by her friends and all of their family members. Her dad found his way over to her first, lifting her up in a hug. Her mom and ma followed shortly after. Lots of crying and picture-taking ensued as everybody’s families got introduced to each other.

That wasn’t even the best part.

After Hyejoo took like a dozen pictures with everyone, Captain Jo had approached their group. Hyejoo could see everyone’s face light up when the Captain told them that they would be signing them on to her squad. Captain Jo handled all the official paperwork and answered all of their parents’ questions. Which was pretty nice of her, Hyejoo thought. The last thing she said was to be ready and meet at the Transport Dock.

And here she was, now back in her dorm room. She traded in her graduation clothes for the standard Alliance Navy Dress Blues. No rank pins yet, they were just starting out as enlisted servicemen recruits after all. For now it was just the 12th Fleet’s colorful pin—from Captain Jo—and their Wolf Pack’s small wolf head pin—from Yerim during one of their movie nights.

“You ready?”

Yeojin chirped from her favorite spot on their couch. Her eyes swept over the dorm. It looked like she was trying to mentally record everything that happened over the course of their last 4 years here.

“Yeah.” Hyejoo hummed in response. She finished tying her boots before standing up and reaching for her duffle bag.

“Then let’s go! They’re all waiting in the hall.”

Hyejoo chuckled lowly. “Yeah, I can hear them.” As if on cue, Yerim’s loud laughter rang out followed by Chaewon’s whining.

Yeojin jumped up from the couch and grabbed her backpack. She went ahead and joined their friends outside, her bag bouncing with every hop she took. Hyejoo strided out the door, only pausing to flick the lights off on her way out.

She glanced over the inside of the dorm one last time before gently swinging the door shut.

/

[Transport Dock 02, 1500 Hours]

The Wolf Pack were just entering the Transport Dock when they spotted Captain Jo and Commander Ha. The two officers were chatting nonchalantly. But in their eyes, they looked effortlessly cool in their casual Alliance gear. The numerous pins decorating their chests was the main fixation.

“Whoaa…” Yeojin’s eyes drifted to the docked spaceship that was stationed behind the two officers. “Look at the size of her... bet she flies like a dream .”

The rest of the Pack’s attention turned to the ship, all murmuring similar thoughts.

Captain Jo waved them over as they got closer. “Hello, recruits! Congratulations on your graduation once again.”

Commander Ha nodded along. “Let’s get going. Time for crew introductions and all that.”

The Captain wasted no time and excitedly led them all up the ship’s ramp. “Welcome aboard the SSV LOONA!”

“Last chance to ditch.” Commander Ha jokingly stage-whispered to them.

“Wha— Sooyoung! ”

The Commander merely shrugged with an impish smile playing on her lips. It grew when the recruits laughed along.

They entered the ship’s Shuttle Bay just as Commander Ha spoke, “Just to let you know, no need for formalities all the time—just in formal situations.” The Commander glanced at her Captain, she continued after getting an approving nod. “You can call us by our ranks or our names, whichever makes you more comfortable.”

Captain Jo, or Haseul now, picked up shortly after, “If we’re going to be working together for long periods of time, I’d rather us be comfortable and friendly. Of course, not everyone feels the same so just go at it at your own pace.”

They all nodded when the Captain finished. Once they were well inside the cargo hold, the ship blared a signal twice before the ramp began closing.

“Anyways, on with the tour!”

Haseul and Sooyoung commented along as the group walked.

“This is Deck 5, the Shuttle Bay. Here you’ll find the armory, the cargo hold, and our 2 resident Kodiak shuttles. Some procurement terminals are also located here. If you need anything offshore, this is the place to go.”

Hyejoo’s eyes were immediately drawn to the Kodiaks. She grinned when she looked back at Yeojin, noticing that she was sporting the same expression as her.

“And by the armory, we have weapons lockers. Each of you will be assigned one. Any and all battle equipment will be located there.”

The girls ooh-ed and ahh-ed as the officers went over minor details. The two officers ushered them into the elevator before pressing the 4th button.

“And this is Deck 4—Engineering.” Haseul stated. “Commander Jung, or Jinsoul, can be found here quite often.”

“Or fawning over her aquarium in our shared office.” Sooyoung muttered under her breath, quickly gaining an elbow from Haseul. “Oof!”

The hum of the ship’s engine and drive core could be heard strongest here. Hyejoo glanced curiously at Heejin. It looked like there were stars in her eyes when they passed by.

Haseul pointed out the other rooms on the deck, “The starboard cargo room and the portside cargo room are both used as storage. Some of the crew use them as meditation rooms… or for napping.” Haseul pointedly glared at Sooyoung but the Commander only snickered in response.

Back into the elevator they went, this time the 3rd floor was selected.

“Deck 3 is the Crew Deck. We’ll head over to the crew quarters so you guys can put your stuff down and get settled.”

The door to the crew’s sleeping quarters whooshed open and the group stepped inside. The recruits each picked a bed before storing their stuff in the compartments. Haseul and Sooyoung continued talking as they unpacked.

“On this deck you’ll find the medical bay, the bathrooms, the life support pods, the observation decks, the main battery, the XO office, and the kitchen.” Haseul listed off of her fingers. She and Sooyoung went over the details as the recruits shuffled around.

“The Observation Deck’s got a great view.”

“We have a resident medical officer in the Med Bay. Don’t hesitate to talk to her if you need anything.”

“The XO Office is where Sooyoung and Jinsoul perform their Commander duties, usually overlooking mission reports or working on any task I delegate to them.”

“Ah, yes. The tasks delegated to us.”

“Sooyoung! ”

Haseul cleared before resuming. “The squad members are scattered all over the ship. But most of the time, we’re all probably in the kitchen.”

“Let’s cut the tour short. Don’t want to overwhelm you guys too early.” Haseul came to the decision as she watched the recruits scutter around. “Deck 2 is the Combat Information Center. You can find the ship’s bridge there, as well as a couple conference rooms, a Quantum Entanglement Communications room, and the galaxy map. Deck 1 is the Captain’s Quarters. If you ever need to have a one-on-one talk, just let me know.”

Sooyoung could see that the recruits were almost done by now. “One more thing. You can change out of your formal uniforms. There’s a couple options for the ship uniforms but they’re all located here in the crew quarters.”

“We’ll let you get settled in.” Haseul smiled warmly before she and Sooyoung left.

/

Hyejoo flopped onto her bunk with a relieved sigh. She was glad that Haseul cut the tour short. The unpacking surprisingly took longer than expected.

Everybody opted to change out of their formal clothes, going for an Alliance logo t-shirt and combat dress pants. It kinda reminded her of their UWUS combat class clothes.

Chaewon mirrored Hyejoo’s flop onto her own bunk as she whined. “Whyyyyyy did that take so looooong.”

“Well, it didn’t take long for me.” Hyunjin replied with a cheeky look. She was perched on one of the top bunk beds, having claimed it first when they arrived.

“Shut it, Hyun. All you packed was clothes and bread.” Heejin huffed from the bunk under Hyunjin, she was still stuffing her things away into her compartments.

“Wait, really?! How much food did you pack—your bag was heavy as hell!” Yeojin inquisition turned into giggling. She had tried picking up Hyunjin’s bag when they were on the way to the Transport Dock. After she couldn’t, she jokingly asked if she had packed bricks instead.

“Guys! Now that we’re done unpacking, let’s go explore the ship!” Yerim brightly suggested.

The others easily agreed with the idea. The Wolf Pack left the crew quarters, only after prying Hyejoo and Chaewon from their beds.

/

They decided to head to the CIC first, seeing as they haven’t been there yet. In a short amount of time, they marveled over the galaxy map, greeted the ship’s crew members, and fawned over the ship’s bridge and its military-grade piloting system.

Deck 4 was next. Heejin was the most giddy out of all of them. When they returned to the Engineering Deck, the view of the drive core was still mesmerizing. But unlike the first time, they weren’t alone.

Hearing the metal floor panels clanking behind her, Jinsoul turned around. She smiled when she saw who it was.

“Oh, hey guys!” Jinsoul waved at them with her wrench in hand. “What are ya up to?”

“Exploring!” Yerim answered in a cheerful tone.

Their XO chuckled lightly. “Well, it’s pretty chill most of the time. Nothing much goes on unless we’re engaged in battle.”

They conversed in small talk for a bit, mostly talking about what goes on Deck 4. The small group hung out until the terminal next to them beeped.

Jinsoul looked over, “Oh! Guess that’s my cue. Don’t let me hold you guys up from your exploring!”

The Pack moved on after bidding their Commander goodbye. They hopped back in the elevator and descended to the Shuttle Bay.

When the elevator opened, the girls spilled out. Hyejoo and Yeojin made a beeline for the Kodiak shuttles, fawning over them like kids presented with shiny new toys.

Their friends laughed lightly at their behavior. A new voice joined them, prompting them to look over curiously.

Two soldiers were by the armory. One was hunched over the weapons workbench, while the other leaned on the nearby wall.

“I’m guessing those two are the pilots in your group.” The soldier leaning against the wall remarked teasingly.

“Oh, hello!” Chaewon answered politely, they hadn’t even noticed them when they entered. “Yes, our friends over there have the best flying skills out of all of us.”

“Trust me, you do not want to get into something that Chaewon is piloting.” Hyunjin said as she pointed to Chaewon.

Said girl whined and smacked Hyunjin’s arm, making them all laugh. Hearing the commotion, Hyejoo and Yeojin rejoined the group.

The soldier leaning on the wall introduced herself. “I’m Lieutenant Kim Jungeun. And this is Jiwoo.”

Jungeun pointed to her friend. It was quiet for a couple of seconds, the only sound heard was the sparks flying from the workbench.

“Hey. Jiwoo.” Jungeun poked her friend, who was immersed as she occupied the workbench. “HEY!”

“Wha—!” Jiwoo was startled after the harsh poke to her shoulder and the loud scream. “Yes!”

Jiwoo jumped around, sliding her goggles to the top of her head. Her eyes widened when she realized that there were other people here. “Sorry! I get pretty into it when working on modifications. Heh.” She rubbed the back of her head and beamed at the recruits.

Jungeun shook her head softly, already used to it.

“Ah! I’m Lieutenant Kim Jiwoo. Nice to meet you!” Jiwoo introduced herself with a wide grin and a playful 2- salute.

Between the 2 lieutenants and the Wolf Pack, they hit it off pretty well. Some time had passed and they all decided to head to the Crew Deck’s kitchen. Jungeun and Jiwoo tagged along with their new acquaintances.

When they got to the kitchen, they found the senior officers already there. Jinsoul and Vivi were sitting at the table talking amicably. Haseul and Sooyoung moved around the small kitchen area, cooking up a storm. The area was filled with an appetizing scent.

“Oh hey! Got hungry from all the exploring?” Jinsoul’s lips quirked up when she spotted them.

“Plenty of room here.” Vivi waved them over to the table. She called out to the kitchen cooks, “Hey, I hope you made enough for all of us!”

“Yeah, yeah, we got it grandma! Haseul, I hope you’re ready cause we have more bottomless pits to feed.” Sooyoung’s banter came out so smooth that Haseul blinked in surprise before barking out a laugh.

The mood in the kitchen was laidback and noisy. Conversation flowed naturally, as if the crew had known each other much longer than they actually did. The food was ready soon enough. Dinner consisted of good-natured ribbing and jokes and getting to know each other better.

/