As the group descended towards the counselor, I practically ran into the hallway. I leapt into action and stood defiantly in front of her. My declaration of “get back to your stations immediately” was met with comments about how I was just as bad as "her kind” for taking the side of the “splicer-babies”. The situation was much worse than I had first thought, and at the rate that it was escalating, I was sure it would quickly get completely out of hand. Thinking fast, I loudly told the counselor to follow me to the operations section. As they began to argue about why I would even consider taking “one of those things” up to operations, I let out a momentary sigh of relief as my plan had worked. They were stunned about my announcement which distracted them enough to give us time to get away.

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

I quickly ordered 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 called down to the president of security. The president acted quickly, calling down to the holding cells. Luckily, I was kept in the loop as the rioters were operations staff that worked for me. “All security personnel report to the senior operations staff wing. All of the senior operations staff in that area are to be taken to the holding cells for inciting a brawl.” I momentarily became upset about the lack of mention about the rioters committing desertion to the end of the order but soon calmed down. It’s better to keep orders short, so as to not make the situation worse.

As the counselor and I reached the central operations section on the bridge, I called down to the rear of the upper deck. I knew that it was necessary to contact the junior operations staff, as we still had a ship to which it needed to be properly looked. I ordered the highest-ranking among the junior operation staff to report to the operations section and ordered the rest of the junior operation staff to report to the senior operations staff wing. They'd likely remain there for a while. The exact length would have to be determined once things calm down, and I had the time to properly assess the situation.

I looked over at the counselor, who looked like she had been hit by a bus. “How are you doing, Maria?”, I asked. “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.” She looked at me and seemed 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 sighed and shrugged 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 looked 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, violence 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 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 looked 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 even any doubt about that.” I sighed, involuntarily, and continued, “all right, we both need to report to our stations, then. If anything happens, be sure to contact me immediately.”

“I will, President. Thank you.” Just those words gave me confidence, as the words of respect for my position from someone who knows what I am going through made me feel like I could handle things. And with that, she headed back down to the medical wing, and I headed down to the senior operation staff wing to make sure that everything had been handled, and that the junior operation staff were settling in alright in their new positions. I also hoped tensions weren’t rising. After I dealt with that, I knew I had to head down to the cells, and confront the senior staff. I didn’t look forward to that meeting at all. So much for the uneventful start to my presidency.

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

“Is it true that all of the operations staff are now imprisoned?” I was more than a little surprised that news had already spread outside of operations. It was my job to make sure that all people on the ship affected by the actions of my staff stayed safe and content. However, as of today, it appears I haven’t done a great job accomplishing that. “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 looked unsure, but responded, “That’s good. Everyone is worried that ship operations are falling apart.”

I was worried how much of the three hundred thousand-plus passengers on the ship were included in her assessment of “everyone”, but didn’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 relaxed. “That is certainly good to hear. I’ll let everyone know that there’s nothing to worry about.” I didn’t like the idea of gossip, but since it already started and would no doubt get out of hand if not dealt with, I decided that I could use her help. “Thanks, Ms. Accado, I appreciate it.” She looked me in the eyes and gave me one of those kinds of smiles that only kind elderly women could properly deliver. “No problem, President. You’ve been doing a great job so far. Your mother would be so proud of you.”

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

Ms. Accado and I parted ways, just as I had reached the lift that led to the operation staff wings. After our conversation, I couldn'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. Granted, 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. Every day, I use her wisdom in all of my decisions. However, I could not connect that wisdom to current events. It's a completely new, dangerous, unprecedented situation. I wished more than anything that my mother was here.

Riding down the lift, I really hoped that I could get through to the senior staff and that this situation really would be just a temporary one. The last thing I wanted to do was to see the extension of the lockup period of these people, many of whom I had worked for several years. That train of thought had to be temporarily derailed, however, as I had to deal with the junior staff right now. The senior staff would have to wait.

I summed up all of the courage I had and made sure that I put on an aura of authority. I tried my best to portray the image of a person in power without appearing too stand-offish. It is a feat that I had 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 pushed my doubts aside and reminded 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 wouldn't help anyone. I am in charge and I earned this position. I deserve my new position, and it was high time I made sure that not only the operations staff understood that, but that I do as well.

Any lingering doubts had to be pushed to the back of my mind, as it was now time to gauge the level of confidence the rest of the operations staff had in my leadership firsthand. I walked through the doors leading to the senior operations staff wing, hoping that the junior operation staff weren’t as hostile as the seniors.