As the group descends towards the counselor, I practically run into the hallway. I leap into action and stand defiantly in front of her. My declaration of “get back to your stations immediately” is met with comments about how I am just as bad as "her kind” for taking the side of the “splicer-babies”. The situation is much worse than I had first thought, and at the rate that it was escalating, I am sure it will quickly get completely out of hand. Thinking fast, I loudly tell the counselor to follow me to the operations section. They are so stunned about my announcement that they begin to argue amongst themselves as to why I would even consider taking “one of those things” up to operations. I let out a momentary sigh of relief as my plan of distraction had worked, giving us enough time to get away.

As soon as the counselor and I get into the lift, I tell the artificial intelligence of the ship computer there is an emergency and give a command to close the door and proceed to the operations section. In a swift motion, we are now safe from our would-be attackers. It’s disturbing that these people were my colleagues and, I thought, my friends. As we arrive at operations, I am in for another unpleasant surprise. As we walk towards the front of the deck, it becomes clear that the entire operations section was completely empty. No one is here to monitor the ship, as everyone had left their post to join in the riot downstairs. It is clear that this is no longer merely a situation of disrespect for my position. Their desertion is tantamount to downright mutiny.

I quickly order the main computer to set the operation station systems to high alert and to lock all doors on the senior operations staff wing of the upper deck. Then I call down to the President of Security. The president acts quickly, calling down to the holding cells. Luckily, I am kept in the loop as the rioters are operations staff that worked for me. “All security personnel report to the senior operations staff wing. All of the senior operations staff are to be taken to the holding cells for inciting a brawl.” I momentarily become upset about the lack of mention about the rioters committing desertion, but I soon calm down. That kind of irrational anger will serve no purpose except to potentially make the situation worse.

As the counselor and I reach the central operations section on the bridge, I call down to the rear of the upper deck. I know that it is necessary to contact the junior operations staff, as we still have an operation section that needs to be properly staffed. I order the highest-ranking among the junior operation staff to report to the operations section and then order half of the remaining junior operation staff to report to the senior operations wing. They will likely remain there for a while. I'm glad that the engineers who designed the ship made it so that the lower area can be sufficiently operated with a small crew in times of emergency. The exact length will have to be determined once things calm down, and I have to make time to properly assess the situation.

I look over at the counselor, who looks like she had been hit by the vehicle which was called a bus back on Earth. “How are you doing, Maria?”, I ask. “I'll call down to the medical wing to let them know you are not going to report back to work. Head back to your quarters. Doctor Coleman is on staff now so I'm sure she will be able to take over for you.” Maria looks at me and seems to calm down a bit. “I could say the same for you. You’ve been through the same thing, and you look just as stressed as I’m sure I look right now.”

I sigh and shrug my shoulders. “I really wish I could, but that’s not an option right now. My authority has been challenged, and I really have to let the rest of the operations staff know that everything is alright and to continue as usual.” At that, she looks me straight in the eye. “There’s nothing usual about this. It’s been over a century since this kind of behavior has occurred on this ship or, at least, since violence has occurred on this level. No one on the ship today has ever had to deal with this kind of behavior.”

“I know, and that’s exactly why I have to continue to assert my authority. Things could easily escalate from here, and that’s the last thing that anyone needs. It’s hard enough living in the same cramped conditions for your entire life. I have to try to calm the situation down. It’s not like we can do as our ancestors did and go to port for a holiday.”

“I know, and that’s why I should stay on duty too. If we want to show that it’s business as usual, we have to conduct our business as usual. I can handle it.” I look her in the eyes, which were now burning with a conviction that I haven’t seen since she was going through the process to get her doctorate. “I know you can, Counselor. There was never any doubt about that.” I sigh, involuntarily, and continue, “all right, we both need to report to our positions, then. If anything happens, be sure to contact me immediately.”

“I will, President. Thank you.” Those words alone gave me confidence, as the words of respect for my position from someone who knows what I am going through makes me feel like I can handle things. And with that, she heads back down to the medical wing, and I head down to the senior operation staff wing. I want to make sure that everything has been handled and that the junior operation staff are settling in alright in their new positions. I also hope tensions aren’t rising. After I deal with that, I know I have to head down to the cells and confront the senior staff. I can't say I look forward to that meeting at all. So much for the uneventful start to my presidency.

As I am walking down to the senior operation staff wing, Tiffany Accado, the principal for the secondary school in the Sicilian neighborhood, confronts me. She is an elderly woman with piercing blue eyes. Her skin is pale and unusually smooth for her age. However, it's quite apparent that she’s been quite worried lately, as she has more visible wrinkles than usual, especially under her eyes. I, myself, begin to worry about what she could be concerned about. Troublingly, my worst fears are soon realized.

“Is it true that all of the operations staff are now imprisoned?” I am more than a little surprised that news has already spread outside of operations. It is my job to make sure that all people on the ship who have been affected by the actions of my staff stay safe and content. However, as of today, it appears I haven’t done a great job accomplishing that. I now owe it to her to try to calm her worries. “Only the senior operation staff have been sent to the holding cells. A fight broke out on the deck of the senior operations staff wing, and the junior staff operation staff are now handling things. There’s nothing to worry about. Once they have a chance to cool down, things will go back to business as usual.” She looks unsure and flashes me an uneasy smile. “That’s good. Everyone is worried that ship operations are falling apart.”

Her smile doesn't reassure me at all as I, too, am now worried. I can't help but wonder how much of the three hundred thousand-plus passengers on the ship were included in her assessment of “everyone”, but I don’t relay my worries. “It’s really nothing to be concerned about. There are always tensions during the transition of power on this ship. I’ve seen my fair share of it when I was simply part of senior operation staff, and my mother told me stories of tensions rising during her time as President of Public Relations. Things always calm down after everyone gets used to the new order of things.” Ms. Accado visibly relaxes. “That is certainly good to hear. I’ll let everyone know that there’s nothing to worry about.”

I don’t like the idea of gossip, but since it already started and would no doubt get out of hand if not dealt with, I decide that I can use her help. “Thanks, Ms. Accado, I appreciate it.” She looks me in the eyes and gives me one of those kinds of smiles that only kind elderly women can properly deliver. “No problem, President. You’ve been doing a great job so far. Your mother would be so proud of you.”

I smile back, doing my best to return her smile, although I still have several decades before I have enough life experience to do the smile justice. “Thanks, I greatly appreciate it.” I really do. She had been my fourth form instructor when I was young and had always been one of my favorite teachers. Her opinion still means a lot to me. I just hope that I can instill that level of confidence in the operations staff. It is true that every past appointment of a president led to some level of anxiety. However, nothing has ever reached the level of dissent that had occurred this afternoon. At least, my mother never mentioned anything like that while I was living at home, and certainly nothing of the sort happened during her presidency.

Ms. Accado and I part ways, just as I reach the lift that leads to the senior operations staff wing. After our conversation, I can't help but think about the wisdom my mother imparted onto me when she learned I had hopes to one day ascend to the position of president myself. Although, while she was alive, I worked as a junior operations officer whereas she had been a communications director prior to her election to President of Public Relations, I use her wisdom every day in all of my decisions. However, I cannot connect that wisdom to current events. It's a completely new, dangerous, unprecedented situation. I wish more than anything that my mother was here.

Riding down the lift, I really hope that I can get through to the senior staff. Most of all, I hope that this situation really will be just a temporary one. The last thing I want to do is to see the extension of the lockup period of these people, many of whom I had worked with for several years. That train of thought has to be temporarily derailed, however, as I have to deal with the junior staff right now. The senior staff will have to wait.

I summon up all of the courage I have and make sure that I put on an aura of authority. I try my best to portray the image of a person in power without appearing too stand-offish. It is a feat that I have always attempted, but it’s a tight-rope act that’s hard to pull off. I thought I was doing a good job at it, but it appears that the senior staff had seen through my act. I push my doubts aside and remind myself that it had been years of hard work and dedication that had resulted in my election to this position. Thinking that I was just acting, rather than being, in charge won't help anyone. I am in charge and I earned this position. I deserve my new position, and it is high time I made sure that not only the operations staff understand that, but that I do as well.

Any lingering doubts have to be pushed to the back of my mind, as it is now time to gauge the level of confidence the rest of the operations staff have in my leadership firsthand. I walk through the doors leading to the senior operations staff wing, hoping that the junior operation staff aren't as hostile as the seniors.