Jade found herself looking out the window as the transport she was on approached Starbase Bravo. It had been a long journey and her lower back was starting to hurt. She leaned forward and rubbed her lower back while getting a better view of the starbase. She dropped her jaw in amazement. The station was massive and she couldn’t help but admire it’s beauty. She had literally never seen anything like it before. She grew up on a military base and the closest she had come to something like this was during her time at Starfleet Academy. Her attention shifted to the traffic coming and going from the station. She took each one of them in and noted the differences in each and tried to identify them all just like her days back at the academy. She wasn’t the best at remembering them in those days but she surprised herself and was able to recall a majority of what she saw. This pleased her. She couldn’t help but think maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Her attention snapped back as an announcement came over the speakers; “Docking at Starbase Bravo in 10 minutes. All crew and passengers prepare for docking and disembarking. Safe journeys.”

Jade made her way away from the window and back toward her bunk. She started to gather her belongings and slung her messenger bag full of books over her shoulder and made her way back toward the airlock to wait for the transport to dock at the station. She wanted to be one of the first to disembark. She didn’t want to get stuck behind people walking slow. She couldn’t have her first day on the base start off poorly.

After a couple of minutes of impatiently waiting, she felt the shuttle bump as the airlocks locked in to place and the door in front of her slid open. Without hesitation, she stepped through and onto the station platform. She was greeted by a pair of ensigns who were assigned to look after the transport and the offloading of passengers.

“Lieutenant Hart reporting for duty,” Jade declared.

“Yes, sir. We have you right here. Please follow Ensign Smith to your quarters.” the smaller one stated.

“Thank you, Ensign.” she replied. She turned toward Ensign Smith and gestured with her hand before saying, “Lead the way, Ensign.”

Jade fell into step beside the young ensign. They walked silently for a few minutes which Jade didn’t mind at all. Silence was comforting to her and she figured she wouldn’t get as much of it in the days to follow. They made their way to a turbo lift where they were able to squeeze in with a handful of people. Jade immediately started to breathe heavier and wiped sweat forming on her forehead. She couldn’t stand cramped spaces and this many people only added to the claustrophobic feeling she was starting to feel. The doors finally opened on her deck and she quickly exited into the hallway.

Ensign Smith led her down the hallway for another minute or so before stopping in front of what Jade assumed to be her quarters. She looked to the door panel and confirmed her identity. She smiled and began moving toward the door.

“Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Starbase Bravo, Lieutenant. These are your quarters. Please stop anyone of us if you have any questions. This is quite a big base and one can get lost pretty easily,” stated Ensign Smith. The Ensign saluted her and then turned to walk away.

“Thank you, Ensign.” Jade replied. She couldn’t quite think of anything else to say. She mentally facepalmed herself and then turned to enter her room. It wasn’t bad. The room was more spacious than she had thought it would be. She set her duffel bag down at the bed and then began pulling the books out of her messenger bag. It would only take her a few minutes to unpack her belongings. That thought made her sad. The past 28 years of her life could be contained within two bags.

She began putting her books away on the shelf by her bed and tried to push the sad thoughts away. This was good. She was away from San Francisco. She was away from her father. The past 8 years in Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Legal Academy had prepared her for this and she was confident that she would not fail. She took a seat on her bed and let everything sink in. This was her home for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow would be her first day on the job. She wondered who would wonder into her office and what type of help they may need.

She stood to look at herself in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection and said aloud; “Jade Hart, esquire you did it! You can relax now.” She went back to sorting through her items and prepare herself for the following day. It would be her first day as a lawyer and the next day couldn’t come quick enough.