"Very well, lieutenant. All the relevant information has been forwarded to my database." 22 gives you a crisp salute, puffing her chest and standing at attention. "I have been added to your operational nexus, sir."

Suddenly, the intercom springs to life. You can see some of the workers covering their ears as soon as the first few notes of the jingle begin playing. "LIEUTENANT TURNER TO DOCKING BAY 9. I REPEAT, LIEUTENANT TURNER TO DOCKING BAY 9."

You begin marching towards the bay, seeing Unit 22 follow you like an obedient dog, always staying just a little too close to you. Entering the bulky transport ship, you notice it to be empty. As expected, the entire thing is running on a skeleton crew.

With the sound of engines revving up, you take off, blasting off into the azure sky. The silver ship pierces its way through the thin clouds, rapidly approaching its destination.

Bored by the monotonous hum of the engines, you decide to chat with your Valkyrie. "Do you have prior combat experience?" You ask Unit 22 as she raises her head, quickly exiting from the standby mode. 

"No sir. I am factory-new." 

You smirk. So this is her first mission as well, huh? Perhaps you and this thing have a lot more in common. 

"Is there a concern sir?" She continues, tilting her head. "Should I remove my epidermal coverings?"

You blink in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Your facial movements indicate that you don't seem convinced. Would you like to check the hardware yourself?" Putting her hands on the collar, you can see Unit 22 readying to remove the skintight uniform. "I assure you that you will find neither internal nor external damage."

You think for a moment. Would this technically fall under the laws which prohibit officers from getting romantically involved with Valkyries? She is the one offering this, and it's not like this is something necessarily sexual. Simple technical check, right?

Rubbing your chin, you decide against it. You've already barely passed the academy, and you don't want to risk getting thrown to the curb. There isn't a reason to test the waters when you know that they are swarmed with sharks. 

"No, it is alr-."

Before you can even finish your sentence, the sound of metal crushing rings out behind you as the transport ship rattles in the air. You exhale sharply as the back of your head bumps against the barely cushioned seat, closing your eyes just to open them to the cabin basked in the harsh crimson lights of the emergency system. 

Unprompted, 22 relayed the status report in her usual calm tone. "Engines 2 and 3 are down. We are losing altitude. The main hull has suffered from a minor breach. The cabin is de-pressurizing." 

With all the excitement, you failed to realize how thin the air in the cabin is getting. You can feel a horrible pain in your head which slowly fades away as you begin losing consciousness. 

"Lieutenant?" You can see 22 approaching your seat, cusping your head in her soft hands. "Lieutenant, it is important that you stay conscious." Barely capable of keeping your eyes open, you manage to make one last eye contact with the unit. You may be going delirious due to the lack of oxygen, but her eyes somehow seem so full of life right now. 

"Sir? Sir, please say something." 

It all goes dark.