You're right to be thinking about getting an accountant. It's really not advisable for someone with no prior experience of businesses, accounts, tax returns etc., and yes, the fines for late submission can be high, not to mention the lost opportunity cost of getting things wrong and paying more tax than you need to because of poor tax planning.
You may not "need" to be VAT registered, but voluntary VAT registration is often beneficial and the benefits may well be high enough to pay the accountant on it's own if a special VAT scheme is adopted.
Likewise, get your payroll set to the right amount and get the timings of payment of wages and dividends right, and again you could save some tax/nic, again, maybe of a high enough amount to pay the accountant fees.
Plenty of qualified accountants that will help you set up the company, register for taxes, deal with the VAT, help with book-keeping, deal with payroll submissions, and year end, for around £1,000 mark per year. Just make sure you choose one that knows about IR35 and personal service companies - shockingly, many accountants aren't up to speed re personal service companies and you also have to be wary of unqualified accountants as it's not a regulated profession like architects or solicitors so anyone can call themselves an accountant even if they've no qualifications, no insurance, not even any experience!
The short period isn't a problem of itself, but you'll still be paying for virtually a full year anyway as the time taken to do a year end set of accounts and tax returns is pretty much the same as for a shorter period, not to mention the time to set up and register and then for de-registering and closing down.