"I demote Ensign Taylor and dock her pay."

Amber Taylor steadied herself and held back her tears. Waves of panic seeped into her chest, but she kept those at bay as well. The video eyeball , a black, 3-inch diameter sphere with 12 equidistant video microcameras, panned down from the blonde's stricken face to her heaving bosom. The video eyeball was linked to hundreds of other identical units run by an artificial intelligence program, that measured the crew’s cortical responses and determined where to focus a microcamera to create the matrix – a storehouse of video information available to any New Alliance crewmember regardless of rank.

Why is she being so cruel? Amber wondered. What did I think I was escaping to, just trading one hellion for another? She shuddered, remembering her stepfather's incensed rages, his insistent hands. It’s all very well and good for Doe, living in the nicest cabin, captain’s quarters and all, but I send over half my paycheck back to Darin and my two sisters, back home. I won’t even be able to afford rooming with Ensign Sekuzi, anymore. A spare sleep chamber and other amenities of the New Alliance – Free Galactic Prime – fuck that – is all I have to look forward to. I want my pay. I want my Darin. The idle thought flitted through her head that the love of her life might somehow, accidentally be pulled into sexual congress with either of her eighteen year old sisters, Destiny or Michelle. No, Darin’s not like stepfather. He’s too refined a man – too sensible. She quickly buried the thought to her mind’s darkest depths, where it met and mingled with stepfather and all his dark lessons.

"Amber – I’m beginning to wonder if your stellar record at Provisional was a fluke."

How dare she! No one had worked harder in her graduating class at New Alliance Provisional Training Grounds. She had fought even harder to be assigned to The Life of Riley. Worse – she admired Captain Doe, saw her as a hero and personal role model. The Captain just wasn’t being fair. She’s painting me as incompetent! The only person she admired more than her boyfriend, Darin Jeter, was Doe.

"I looked into your files, even before you came aboard ship Amber. And you've done too much time in Juvie, for my taste."

Amber willed herself not to cry. She willed herself strength and she envisioned herself standing up for herself, putting this nasty version of Doe in her place. If only she could lead a shipwide revolt and have John as her lapdog. Keep Doe on Command Deck, but demote her to Ensign. That would be fitting, she thought, but could not allow herself a smile.

"You were arrested for petty acts of vandalism. You were arrested for abusing a male custodian, your stepfather."

Maybe, I’ll let her have it, right here and now. Maybe I’ll give her an earful. I can give better than I get. John likes me enough to stand up for me. He’s practically my official career supervisor, all the help he gives me – I don’t even have to ask and he’s got my back.

"It makes me wonder, Miss Taylor, if you know how to proprerly respect the authority of those who are over you?"

Maybe it’s time I showed that hardass Captain what an Ensign can do with a little backbone and a few friends.