Well, no, what we actually get is Potter flinging the money back in Station’s face for the sake of busting his balls, and while I see her point to an extent, many an employer might figure that a flesh’n’blood human should understand the professional implications of putting embarrassing photos on Facebook rather better than an AI should be able to understand sexual harassment. A real tough cookie, Jeff, would have been able to make Station understand without the screaming, yelling and swearing.
Man I suck at predictions. But there’s still hope for making her Marten’s next love interest! There’s got to be some reason Jeph’s spending so much time on her.
Good call. Makes the character extremely idiotic, imho - she could have yelled at the AI and have her $5 million. Instead she gives it back and stews until the AI calls her on it.
I, ah, don’t see any screaming or yelling. At all.
I do see three swears, used pretty much appropriately for emphasis.
I’m also not seeing ‘flinging the money back in his face for the sake of busting his balls,’ I’m seeing ‘returning a vastly inappropriate gift in such a way that it teaches Station how to act around people.’ Because it was pretty clear that he DIDN’T understand what the problem with his behavior was previously, and that the huge-but-meaningless-to-him gift was a way to smooth everything over without actually dealing with it or examining his behavior.
If how she dealt with it was so terrible/idiotic, what should she have done?
–
A bit preachy, sure, but that’s hardly a QC first.
Might there not be professional ethical issues at play as well - i.e. she might not have been allowed to keep the money anyway, being a military officer in a professional relationship with the station AI? By returning it first, she gets to make the gesture with “free” money, as it were.
I don’t know that’s the case, I’m just asking.
I, ah, beg to differ. Now, things are coming to a pretty pass when you go to Captain Socially-Awkward here for advice, but since you ask and with memories of assertiveness training to draw upon I think it might go something like this:
Station: Lt Potter? The EC-Tech shares I transferred to your control have been returned to my account.
Potter: Yeah, I gave 'em back.
Station: Why?
Potter: Station, I think you just don’t get what you did. You made a materially generous gesture to atone for it, and I appreciate that, but that’s not the point. It was foolish of me to put indecent pictures of myself in the public domain, but I shouldn’t have to confront them in the workplace. That’s embarrassing and hurtful. I’m a tough cookie and I can take a fair amount, but it upset me, and many more sensitive people than me would have been really hurt. I don’t want the money; I want an assurance that you understand why people don’t do that to people they care about - personally or as professional colleagues - and that you will not do anything like that again.
Station: I - I am sorry, Lt Potter. I had no idea of the ramifications of my behaviour. You have my word that it will never happen again.
Potter: Thank you. Also, Station, you’re too innocent by half and it would feel like taking money from a child. Even if you have plenty more, I’m the adult here - so take it back before I change my mind. Five mil is a big test of anyone’s integrity!
And it all gets done without the shouting, swearing, talking about how much trouble she could have got Station into or moaning about how e gets too much of is own way in the first place.
Keep in mind it’s easy to stay rational when it’s somebody else’s public humiliation that’s being discussed. But people are a lot more emotional when it’s their own humiliation. Under the circumstances, I feel Lt Potter’s reactions were believable.
That’s one valid way to handle it, Malacandra. Potter’s is another. I don’t think she did anything wrong, and between the embarrassment of the picture and the shock of $5 mil, she was pretty well restrained, all things considered. Your response involves a hell of a lot of rationality as well as time to think it out and consider the response. Hers was extemporaneous, so I think some imperfection can be allowed.
When dealing with personalities there is never just one right answer or approach.
I’m a daily reader of QC. Usually I get a smile; today I laughed out loud.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2142
It’s about time someone showed interest in Marigold. I hope they don’t both die from the awkwardness first.
Raises an interesting point. Does Marigold realize that Dale has been flirting with her? It would be funny to see her reaction if she were to suddenly figure that out.
Marigold is miiiiiiineaghglhlgh
Sigh. Fine. Apparently I need to find a real world geek girl with big boobs. FIIINE.
But Dale is Alliance scum!
I’ve been to enough cons to conclusively state: They’re out there, man. In droves.
I’m, uh, kind of getting bored with the space station trip. I wish somebody would hook up so they can go back to Earth and get on with their lives.
Why does the station orbit the Earth on its side?
For the view?
I’m with you. I miss Dora. 
That’s how the Enterprise ususally does it.
But, rather more often than not, shows a horizontally-oriented segment of the planet on the viewscreen.
And we’re back!
Or maybe it’s just a one-off, depending on the comment below the script.