James rolled his eyes.  Gambling rings existed on almost every large starship, often serving as a vehicle for the younger and more naive crewmen to be separated from a third of their wages.  Normally, the Boatswain would supervise to ensure that no one was drained of all their available wages – a third of naval wages were banked on Earth or Britannia, rather than onboard ship – but this particular ring had clearly failed to remain under supervision.  He made a mental note to have a few sharp words with the Boatswain, then glared at the two men.

“Here is my judgement,” he said, coldly.  He scowled at the two men until they were shifting uncomfortably.  “You will return all the money you won over the past two weeks, then report to the Boatswain for shit duties for the next week or so.  And, while we are on this cruise, you will refrain from any further gambling until we return to port.  Do you wish to dispute my judgement?”

He smiled, inwardly, at their expressions.  They could, legally, ask the Captain to review the judgement.  It had been known to happen, from time to time, but it was far more likely that the Captain would confirm the punishment and add a few refinements of his own.  And it would end up in their permanent records, where it would be a black mark when they applied for promotion or mustang status.

“Out,” he ordered.  “Fletcher, stay behind.”

He waited until the hatch had closed, then studied the younger crewwoman.  She was a year or two younger than Midshipwoman Lopez; her file stated that she was the youngest child of a merchant family.  James was surprised she'd fallen for such an obvious trick – non-money forfeits weren't covered by any rules – but this was her first cruise.  And perhaps she was foolish enough to believe that the next round would allow her to make up her winnings.

James rolled his eyes as she twitched under his gaze.  If the two men hadn't rigged the game, James would have eaten his uniform hat.  She looked too sweet and innocent to deserve the chewing out she was going to get, but he pushed that aside and straightened up.

“Agreeing to that bet was stupid,” he said, sharply.  “What were you thinking, precisely?”

“I ran out of money,” Sally said.  She sounded on the verge of tears.  “I ...”

“So you agreed to a forfeit without checking the terms in advance?”  James interrupted.  “Or were you idiotic enough to believe you could win?”

He paused, long enough for her to pull herself together.  “I know; idiotic gamblers will agree to idiotic forfeits.  And I'm sure they would have pushed you into it if you tried to back out.  But there are regulations against such matters, young lady, and you would have been left holding the bag.  You could have been summarily charged with breaking those regulations and booted out of the navy.