As the owner of the Maelstrom I feel I should weigh in on this discussion.
A Scylla will humble you if you don't know how to handle her. She has more weaknesses than many other cruisers in her class and has only a couple strengths - which you will need to master if you don't plan on being grouped in with Little Johnny Ellayebeecee.
Honestly I suggest you play around with a mass-market cruiser like the <strike>ribbed for her pleasure</strike> Siege Cruiser and learn what it's like being in one before moving on. It'll help you avoid being embarrassed by a couple of gunboats. I learnt that the hard way.
In other news, post your stories in the ironically named Stories and Biographies section of the forum. As an outsider it took me about 6 months from first thought to fruition of a fully functional and permissible Scylla.