First Command by J.S. Hawn Page A

Solarians tended to have more strictly defined gender roles than places like Earth, or Irulium. This was a by-product of the conservative culture of many of the original colonists. As such, the number of women in the military amounted to less than twelve percent of the total force. Some of Solaria’s more conservative citizens audibly sniffed at that, and some of the more liberally inclined protested it as too few, but the Military had established its rules long ago. Anyone who could pass the strenuous training could join, no exceptions were to be made one way or another. Sandra Chan for her part was a petite woman, only an inch taller than Jonathan with soft blue eyes, unusual for Solaria, and close-cropped brown hair. Her build and olive skin tone also marked her as Steader. Doing his best to stand at attention next to Lt. Chan, was the small, jittery form of Lt. Qin Smith Chief Engineer. Lt. Smith was about Jonathan’s height, but much older approaching his early fifties. The stylized Bosun’s pipe medal he wore on his uniform next to his other commendations, marked him as a Mustang - an enlisted man risen to officer. Grey in the temples, small and thin, Smith seemed extremely on edge. His fruit salad, the array of medals on his chest, however spoke volumes about the man. Among his impressive array of ribbons, was the blood red combat ribbon with three thick hash marks. Each hash denoted twenty combat engagements giving Lt. Smith well over sixty combat engagements. He also had three wound badges- the Navy Cross, two Legions of Honor, a Medal of Merit, and a Silver Sunburst, a collection of medals worthy of respect, even if the man who wore them looked as jittery as a frightened hopper. The officer next to Lt. Smith was a young man, but immaculately groomed. His over bred features and sandy hair marked him as a Landed and when Commander Trendale introduced him as Lt. Marcus Halman Jonathan’s observations were confirmed. There was a Eugene Halman in the Senate, a senior member of the Conservative Party who prided himself on not having an original thought in decades. Even trying to respectfully salute and shake his new CO’s hand, Jonathan got the feeling that Lt. Halman was doing his best not to have the same expression he would get if he had stepped on something particularly unpleasant. The last two officers standing stiffly at attention were introduced as Daimion Krishna a Provo if Jonathan had ever seen one. He was a black skinned, curly haired thin man with sterling grey eyes. The final man in line wasn’t a naval officer at all but the commander of Titan’s marine contingent. Lt. Varden Baker, who with his thick muscles, and towering six foot frame looked to have just stepped off a recruiting poster. His tan physique and brown eyes marked him as a Steader also. Having been introduced to the officers, Jonathan shook hands with the thick grey haired Master Chief Petty Officer, the ships senior NCO who introduced himself as Master Chief Donny Hartic.
    Nodding to the assembled formation, “Right then. There will be a lot to do in the coming days. Master Chief if you detail two men to stow my luggage, the rest of the formation is dismissed, and I want to see all officers in the wardroom in twenty minutes, Lt. Baker and Master Chief if you’d also be so good as to join us also.”
    “Oh,” Jonathan continued casually as if forgetting one final thing. “Undress uniform if you please. We have a lot of work to do.”  
    Twenty minutes later after Jonathan had stowed his luggage in his new quarters, a luxurious three hundred square foot cabin that included its own shower with actual water no less, the Navy felt the commander of its ships rated above ultrasonic showers an opulent luxury Jonathan didn’t dwell on much while looking at his assembled officers. They’d changed from their gaudy dress whites back into plain khaki undress, and were now looking at their new CO with an odd mix of curiosity, foreboding, and