It's Not A Ship Without the Jerks
by Eleni

Lt. Ethan Diringer had had enough of a day checking in the lower crew. This was his first assignment as a full lieutenant and he got stuck with the dirty work of the senior staff. At least, he didn't have a roommate this time.

The first thing he did upon entering his quarters was check his vid phone messages and email. Nothing from Lydia. Day number two, she was giving into her fears. Ethan never understood why people got scared before they got married. She was avoiding him like the plague, and he didn't understand why. It was just a ceremony. Then, things would be just like before, only they wouldn't have to hide it when he stayed with her on shoreleaves. And tax breaks. But, that was it. His career outranked her, and he didn't feel that it was anything to be ashamed of. That's what they taught in the academy. Country first, everything else is less important. Sure, he loved Lydia, but love was vastly overrated, at least in his book.

He groaned, thinking of the amount he had left to pay on the ring. Any old diamond ring wouldn't do. Lydia liked the one-carat oval cut with side stones in platinum. And it cost him out the ass. At least engineering paid well in the military.

His quarters were neat and barren. He liked life this way. He changed out of his uniform, feeling anti-social, and changed into sweats. He took a few deep breaths and began to practice his Tai Chi warm-ups. This was about all the space use his quarters allowed. It was better than sharing a room with a junior officer slob. He stretched and listened to the quietness of the ship.

He began the walk down the corridor the men's head and saw a tall blonde girl trying to walk down the hall, but two men in blue enlisted crew uniforms were taunting her.

"What's wrong, Ensign? Can't spare a few minutes for a couple of favors?" one asked. By `favors' there was obviously a double-meaning. She was pretty, a little awkward and shy, but pretty. And her discomfort was showing through.

Ethan had seen so many people come onto the ship today, he couldn't remember who was who, yet. These men were obviously making her uncomfortable. "Excuse me," he said. "You're both enlisted men, right?"

"Yes," one said.

"I'm Lt. Diringer. You're going to treat every woman on this ship like you'd treat your mother, understand?" he said. "That's an order."

Both men looked at him, speechless.

"What you're doing is sexual harassment and it goes against military code. Next time, consider yourselves court-martialed," he snapped. "Now, go find something constructive to do with your time."

They didn't waste time. They were already on the Lt's shit-list. They continued down the hall, with cold angry looks.

The girl brushed her hair back out of her face and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest and slumping over. She's in her civies, he noticed. He couldn't tell her rank. And she looks awfully young.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "They were just ass holes. I've dealt with worse." She began walking away. She was obviously embarrassed by it all. He decided not to pursue it any further.