It's dark in her room. Dark and quiet. It seams like when she is sleeping or trying to sleep is the only time that's been quiet in the past few weeks, the quorum had been having a field day about everything, bill had been very snappy at her for no reason and she even went as far as kicking him out of her office, then her assistant had gotten sick and to top it all off Lee had under covered the black market. So in her mind nothing else could happen to top it off. This morning though was not one of her quiet mornings. This morning her phone was beeping.
"Frak….frak" Laura swore into the darkness as she pulled back the covers of her bed fumbling for the lamp beside her bed. She flicked it on and was momentarily blinded by the light now filling the room. "What the hell could be so important at…….frak….5 o'clock" she made her way to the phone and picked it up. "Yes" she was angry anyone could have seen that, unfortunately for William Adama he was on the end of the line and already in her bad books.
"madam president I am sorry to have woken you but there is an urgent matter that lee and some others have discovered and there is a meeting being requested in half and hour" he winced at the sound of the sharpness in her voice when she answered. He new that she was pissed at him from the way he acted the other day and new that this was going to be a very long day indeed.
"Admiral Adama you woke me at 5 in the morning to tell me to come to a meeting about?" she was not in the mood for being told to come to a meeting especially not by will.
Will sighed heavily into the phone running a hand over his tired face. This was most definitely going to be a long day. "It is to do with a problem on the civilian ships that can't be discussed over the phone…so I will see you in half an hour. Good day madam president"
He hung up. Was all Laura could think "frak" she said this a little too loud because when she turned around she saw a very shocked Tori standing there. "I'm sorry Tori is there something I can help you with?"
Tori regained herself quickly "um no just some paperwork…are you ok?" she had never heard the president swear unless she was frustrated with something or someone, and recently that someone had been the admiral.
Laura smiled at Tories concern. " I just got woken up by admiral Adama, who says that there is something wrong on the civilian ships but wont say what only that there is a meeting organised about it in half an hour" she raised her eyebrow when tori gave a little laugh
"I'm sorry madam president but shouldn't you be getting ready?" Tori asked amused at how angry the president became when her sleep was deprived
Half an hour later Laura walked into bill's office "I'm sorry I am late I was only told about the meeting half an hour ago" Laura quickly scanned the room and saw bill sitting on one of the arm chairs, Dee and Lee sitting on the couch and another lady sitting next to them that she did not recognise.
Cornual Tigh came from where bill kept his stash of alcohol "madam president nice of you to show up" she glared at him before taking a seat in the vacant arm chair. Tigh choosing to stand nearby.
"Well what is so important that I was woken at 5 in the morning" she was grumpy and wanted everyone to know so.
Bill gestured to the lady sitting next to Dee "madam president this is miss Nettle she is one of the few school teachers in the fleet and is the best school teacher she organises all of the others and is the reason you where woken"
The lady rolled her eyes "I just do my job Bill and please call me Kelly" she turned to Laura "I'm sorry that I woke you but I thought that you would want to hear this privately"
Laura threw her hands up in the air "I don't mean to be frank but what the frak am I hear for" everyone in the room went quiet. Laura sighed running her hands threw her hair "I'm sorry I don't mean to be snappy I haven't had as much sleep as I would like to lately, but can someone please tell me what's going on"
Lee leaned forward knowing that his father was still pissed at the president throwing him out of her office and would try her patents to get back at her. "Madam President for a while we have been hearing reports that teenagers have been disruptive. When I was over on the civilian ships dealing with the black market I noticed that there are a lot of teenagers wandering around and I saw a girl who could have only been 13 walking around pregnant" he stoped making sure Laura was getting everything
"I was concerned and me and a few others including Dee have been conducting surveillance and all the teenagers in the fleet are messing about."
Laura ran a tired hand threw her hair "I new this would happen sooner or later and I am glad that you Lee figured it out but what I don't get is why Dee and miss Nettle are hear"
Dee jumped in "madam president when Lee mentioned the 13 year old girl I went to all the doctors and got information" she sighed heavily "all the doctors are getting girls coming in sick, they are getting a few girls hear and there that come in pregnant and there getting a lot of teenagers mostly men coming in that have been in fights. Madam President the teenage population is running a muck and that's where Kelly comes in"
Laura nodded her head clearly to shocked at the information. Kelly spoke clearly "madam president the teenagers are behaving this way because they have nothing to do I came up with an idea but for it to work I need your help. I need you as a school teacher, as the person that taught the teenagers back home, as the person who controlled the teenagers just by knowing how to help each individual." She waited holding her breath hoping that Laura would agree.
Laura processed everything that had just been said. She loved kids that's why she had become a school teacher and she was not going to let them perish just because she had become the president. "Alright Miss Nettle I will not sit by and watch as the teenagers perish. So let's hear your plan." She saw the cheeky smiles that where plastered on everyone's faces and was sure that she had just condemned herself to hell.
"Ok well like I said they are bored, hormonal teenagers stuck in ships. I suggest that we make then attend school" Laura raised an eyebrow knowing how hard it was going to be to make every teenager go to school.
"I don't mean a normal school like the little kids it just wouldn't work that way. It needs to be a place where they come to learn things that they need to know. For example sex education. We also need to teach them basic people skills, how to deal with pressure and crisis's." Laura nodded taking in everything
"Yes that is a good idea. Also you could train them and finally get them ready to enter the work place." Laura looked confused when Bill started laughing followed by Tigh, Lee and Dee. "What's so funny?" she hated it when people laughed at her
Kelly smiled gently "madam president I don't think you understand I can't do this on my own, I'm not ready mentally to take on this type of job myself and the other teachers are no way capable and they laughed when I suggested it. When I said I needed your help I didn't mean just to make the teenagers take this class I meant for you to help me run the whole thing."
Laura was speechless she didn't know if she was ready herself to take on this type of job then she remembered that 13 year old girl Lee had seen and new she could not turn down this job. "Ok miss Nettle you have a deal we will run this program and make it work.
Everyone in the room clapped at the new step they where all going to take. Laura stood up and addressed all off them "now seaming all of you new that I would say yes" she glared slightly at them all "all of you will help in your own way Dee I want you to assist us in talking to the girls sort of be a counsellor to them will you do that?"
Dee nodded her head "of course but I have no training in this" Laura smiled at her warmly "we will assist you. Cornual Tigh I want you to help with the discipline" Tigh nodded in agreement "Lee I want you to help teach them how to get by in the work place" Lee smiled and nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Laura turned to Bill and new that even though she hated him at the moment she would need his help. "Bill I need you to be the councillor for the boys, also to teach them respect and to teach all of them skills and tactics that will help them live better lives, oh and I need access to one of the fight prep rooms to use as a class room. Will you do that?" she held her breath not sure whether he would after all she did kick him out of her office the other day.
"Oh course I will help. So when do we start" every eye in the room looked at Laura who smiled. "I will inform the quorum that I am undertaking this mission today then later tonight I will make a ship wide announcement stating that I want every teenager from 13 to 18 on Galactica tomorrow at 7 o'clock and that the soldiers from Galactica will be on every ship in the fleet and will bring every teenager they find to Galactica anyway." Everyone nodded in agreement, before they left to do there jobs.
Tigh stayed behind will Bill "do you think she can handle it Bill?" Bill took a mouthful of the scotch before he answered "I think Laura will do it because many will doubt that she won't be able to do it and then she will shove her success in there faces" they both laughed at the thought and silently prepared for the biggest battle yet. The battle to help save the next generation of humans from becoming extinct.
Hope you like it so far I'm on holidays so hopefully it won't take me to long to post the next chapter. Oh yeah and please review. Thanks