"President Roslyn needs to step down. She and her government were not elected by the people of the fleet and do not represent us. And everyone on this ship deserves their freedom or at least almost all of us. We were locked up for crimes created by an oppressive Caprican dominated government whose district attorneys are playing to see how many people they can lock up."
Tom ZarekChapter 8: Bastille Day
Since the fleet had gotten past the 33 minutes of hell that the Cylons had inflicted on them, Raptors had been sent out to scout for Cylon fleets and worlds and asteroids with natural resources that could be mined by the fleet.
Lieutenant Sharon Valeri was undertaking one such mission. The fleet had dispatched a dozen other raptors alongside her to go and find such resources but so far they had not found anything of use.
She was slightly annoyed by the fact that she had a new ECO, Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo who had been a survivor of the Ill-fated Battlestar Triton. He was a good officer but she just wanted Helo back. They had always worked well together and the two of them had developed a good professional relationship.
He punched in the FTL coordinates and they jumped into a new location. Immediately the sensors started reading out as the system was first found to be safe and then a better picture was gained of the surrounding areas.
"I'm getting loads of readings from those steroids asteroids. Looks like loads of Iron, nickel, magnesium, silicon, platinum, and uranium. Looks like some other types as well, we've hit the jackpot. No tylium, but this certainly makes up for it."
Boomer smiled. "That's a good-looking deposit. Get some readings and let's get out of here."
None of the other raptors had found anything else significant when it came to mineral deposits but their discovery more than made up for it.
There was a good mood in the CIC of the Galactica as the news came in; they were glad that it had been the case. Adama congratulated Valeri on the success over comms as she led the raptor into one of the Galactica's flight pods (the one that hadn't been converted into a museum.)
The Landing Signals Officer ordered her to wait, however, as half a dozen shuttles and raptors soon were landing in Galactica.
"What are those doing?" Crashdown asked.
"I think that they are recruits and reservists from the fleet. Galactica is under strength after all due to the decommissioning. Since she has extra space they're also using her to train them as well I think.
Back on Galactica Gaeta was looking over the data that he had been given from Sharon's scouting mission. The scouting raptors had hit the proverbial jackpot as far as minerals were concerned. If the fleet could spend even a little time mining here they could stock up their reserves of most critical resources and ensure that they didn't need to resupply with these ores for a while.
But there was one problem, a lack of manpower. He checked the estimates that he had used in his head in a calculator which confirmed his suspicions.
"How does it look, lieutenant?" Adama asked. He explained the readout that he had been given before explaining what was wrong.
"Commander, the mining ships can handle some of the asteroids but if we only want to be there a few days that's not going to make much of a dent in the minerals. However there is equipment in the fleet for mining on the asteroid surface with mining rigs and even hand tools, and if we were efficient we could get about 30 percent of the resources in five days. That would bring us to 80 percent of our existing capacity for such resources, and leave us room if we found something else, as we need room for other different types of resources as well."
He continued after sighing. "The problem is manpower. We need 4000 people to be able to do it at this efficiency. Most of it doesn't require any skills, thank goodness and the few that have needed skills either have the manpower in the fleet or they are on the mining ships, several of which are understrength in terms of personnel. Now we have lots of people who can do this in theory but they don't have incentive to do so as it's hard and dangerous work and the colonial economy has all but collapsed. I guess we could get a few but it won't be enough. If we're lucky about half of the needed people."
Adama stayed thoughtful throughout the entire message from Gaeta, silently thinking about what to do.
"What options do we have for manpower?" He asked.
"We could use the Marines. Those crazy frakers are trained for vac suit operations after all."
"That might be an option but we can't deploy more than 1500 to 2000 as we need them for fleet security," Adama said. "And there are only so many of them."
"What about the prisoners on Astral Queen?" Asked Lee, who had joined the room a few minutes ago."
"That's a possibility," Tigh said.
"Let's discuss this with the President," Adama said and looked at Lee. The prison ship was under the authority of the Colonial Ministry of Corrections who would report to Roslin. Those prisoners were going to be useful labor in humanity's fight for survival.
"I won't allow forced labor," Roslin said as she walked through Galactica with Commander Adama.
"Well, then what if we give the prisoners points toward freedom?" Lee pointed out. The prisoners would want to be given freedom and it was one of the best incentives that the fleet could give them."
"I don't like giving them the ability to potentially be free," Adama said. "The fleet isn't the most stable to begin with and having Tom Zarek out of prison of all people is not going to be a good combination. It's not going to is not going to help anything."
"These prisoners were supposed to be going to parole," Hudson said, who had just joined the group walking. "It's only fair to give them their day in court, and we could use this to help determine if they are willing to be free."
"I do agree, releasing the prisoners from a ship in the long run will be beneficial to the fleet. But only some of them; I don't want any thoughts of Zarek getting loose over the fleet. He's too dangerous."
"Commander, he should still have his day in court," Lee replied. "If we stop respecting the justice system we're going to have an even bigger collapse than we already have."
Billy Kekia was not sure if he was happy or not with the current situation. On one hand, his home world and most of the people he knew along with his previous life had been destroyed in a nuclear fireball, and the remnants were becoming more and more irradiated by the day.
On the other hand, he was now the senior aide to the President of the Colonies and had a role that was invaluable to the survival of the fleet. He had always dreamed about being influential in politics and had only recently gotten out of college before he became the staffer that had been selected by Roslin to come with her to the Galactica. Needless to say, he had a large impact on the people of the fleet and was happy to be of use.
And he had met the girl of his dreams.
Roslin knew about his relationship with Dualla and when she had to visit Galactica told him that he could go and visit her if she wasn't on duty or she didn't have anything for him to do. After learning that she was in fact off duty he soon headed to one of the places that she normally stayed in.
"Well hello," Billy said with a smile as the two ducked into a small storage closet and began kissing.
"Mmmm, how's the President's aide doing?" She asked between kisses.
"Could be a lot worse." He said, also taking in her lips with a lot of vigor. He was happy to spend some time alone with her as any man would with a word.
Meanwhile, back in the conference room, other matters were being attended to. "I can lead the mission, commander," Lee said to his father. "I've helped diffuse situations like this before."
"Not with the same stakes, but I can't think of anyone better for the job that we have," Adama said. "But you're not going alone. I need you to go with at least someone else to verify if these people can handle the equipment we're going to give them and someone who can verify their mental soundness. Specialist Henderson worked with similar mining equipment in the past so she can fulfill that role. As for verifying their mental soundness Galactica doesn't have a counselor anymore as she had left before the decommissioning ceremony." He looked at Hudson. "Do you have someone who could do this?"
"Yes commander, we have our ship consular on board. I'll have her sent over to participate in the mission."
"What kind of security does the prisoner transport have?"
"Substantial amounts, including a lack of essentially anything that can be used as a weapon readily accessible to the prisoners. All of the crew is either armed or has quick access to weapons and they have about 120 dedicated security personnel on top of 200 others responsible for upkeep of the ship." Lee said.
"And they have 2000 prisoners, I don't like that ratio," Tigh said. "If something goes wrong and even a few of the prisoners can get weapons, that crew is screwed.
"While they're over there I'll have a team of marines assembled just in case they try anything," Adama said.
Soon the three of them were in a raptor on their way to the Astral Queen. Lee and Henderson were joined by the counselor on the Lansing, Lieutenant Charlotte Burnette. She would be evaluating the psychological wellness of the prisoners and make sure they didn't plan on intentionally harming themselves or anyone else while working on the mining equipment.
They soon landed in the ship's small hanger bay and the craft was parked next to several raptors in the livery of the Colonial Ministry of Corrections. As they landed, several correctional officers began escorting them to the cell blocks where the prisoners were currently residing. They were outfitted similarly to the colonial marines though with gear that was a little older and probably had been transferred after the marines or army didn't want it anymore. However, all three of the colonial naval officers had the standard five-seven sidearm strapped to a holster. But it wasn't reassuring that the prisoners greatly outnumbered them and the guards, even factoring in the total number of prison guards and others personally that were not directly related to the security of the ship.
They soon reached the upper deck above the many prisoners in their cells. They could look over and see them. Apollo noticed that the cells were very cramped and that even if the prisoners were kept on this ship in the long term something would need to be done about their accommodations. They bordered on inhumane and were only designed to carry the prisoners for a relatively short journey.
"Attention everyone," Lee said into a megaphone, his voice echoing across the room. "Do you all want to have a path to freedom?" There was a chorus of yes as the prisoners began thinking of freedom. It was something that had been within reach only days ago but had slipped from their grasp as the Cylons destroyed almost everyone.
"We need some mining work done on an asteroid if the fleet is to have materials in the future that will allow us to survive," Lee said. "The leaders of this fleet are implementing a new system to potentially get your freedom. It's called freedom points." There was a howl of laughter from down below in the cells. "As you might think, if you accumulate enough of them you can gain your freedom."
"What about our parole hearings?" Someone yelled from one of the cells below.
"We're still having them."
"We respectfully refuse your offer." A voice that was familiar to many in the colonies said.
It was Tom Zarek.
Suddenly an alarm flashed. The prisoners were being let out of their cells and the gates that kept them away from the crew were being overridden due to an emergency. During a high-profile incident several years ago a prison ship had to be abandoned due to striking an old Cylon mine. The crew of the ship had evacuated and left the prisoners to die as their oxygen ran out, and many died before a response by the colonial fleet. While the crew of the ship had gotten off of criminal charges, it had generated outrage enough to get some laws passed that installed certain safety features that would release the prisoners if authorized by members of the crew.
Soon this exactly was happening. Unbeknownst to the Captain of the ship, plans had been put in place as soon as the destruction of the colonies had become known. Several members of the crew were sympathetic to not only getting freedom to the prisoners but to the ideas of Tom Zarek who was quite the orator and had swayed most of the prisoners to his side. In total about a third of the crew was collaborating with him.
The three colonial officers drew their sidearms but they were too late. Prisoners who had hastily been given weapons now surrounded them and surrender was the only option. The takeover was a relatively bloodless affair, and only a few died in the limited number of shootouts. Faced with armed men nearing their position Sharon and Crashdown turned their raptor around and headed out, reporting the situation.
Adama was in the CIC when the message came through and was immediately concerned. This should have been planned for before, as they had trusted the authority of the prison ship to keep everyone safe.
That hadn't happened and seconds later a message came in from the prison ship. It was Tom Zarek, who was demanding the immediate resignation of President Roslin and her government because, having never been elected, they didn't represent the people. He also wanted freedom for all of the prisoners including himself.
"I want to speak with General Jamestown," Adama said,
Marine Assault Ship Hemes
"This sounds like a royal frack up." Colonial Marine General George Jamestown said. He was the commander of the 36th Marine Mechanized Brigade, which was a formation of combined arms that could be used to devastating effect against any opponent on open ground.
"We do have 8000 troops." Colonel Sara Green said. "Though they and our tanks are not going to do much against a prison ship."
"Some of your troops are trained for special boarding operations, are they not?" He asked.
"Well in fact all of them are, but there are a few squads that are especially well-trained for this type of mission." She replied.
"Their goal needs not to be retaking the ship but getting in, rescuing the hostages, and getting out. If Zarek wants the ship he's not going to get resupply which should bring him to the negotiating table pretty fast." Jamestown said. "If he keeps the hostages then he has bargaining power, and we want him to have as little as possible."
Several raptors soon departed the marine troopship, carrying a total of 36 marines in three squads. These were members of the marine special recon group, some of the best troops that the Marines had available. There were about a company worth on the ship and were unmatched in their skill in such combat within the fleet.
This wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Thought Captain Marks as he sat in the raptor. Marks was the leader of the Special Recon Group There were potentially hundreds if not over a thousand armed men and women on the ship. Sure some had probably never held a gun before but at least some were hardened criminals like Tom Zarek who would be lethal in combat.
This was why their mission was one of retrieving the hostages, not taking the ship back. That would be too bloody and even though the Marines had 8000 personnel.
Back on the Astrel, Queen Tom Zarek was watching Lee, cuffed to a chair back in the ship's CIC.
"What are you demanding?" Lee asked.
"President Roslyn needs to step down. She and her government were not elected by the people of the fleet and do not represent us. And everyone on this ship deserves their freedom or at least almost all of us. We were locked up for crimes created by an oppressive Caprican dominated government whose district attorneys are playing to see how many people they can lock up." He said.
"I can't speak for the Commander or the President but I'm willing to negotiate. President Roslin is up for election in about 7th months, so there can be elections to decide the leadership of the fleet." Lee said. "As for your freedom, if you help mine the minerals you can have it. However, there are certain people on this ship that I don't think anyone wants out and about in the fleet and people that may be refused entrance to many ships in the fleet. Murders, rapists, and other stuff like that. You also need to be willing to submit to potential conscription; there are a lot of you prisoners that have skills and experience that would be useful for the fleet."
"I'm willing to accept those terms," Zarek said. "I didn't know that you colonials were so amenable to what I wanted."
"I read your book when I was young," Lee replied. "I don't always agree with your methods, but you made some excellent points. Hopefully, since we've managed to not have a government it will mean that we start again and learn from our path." Lee said. "So the conditions are that we go free as well along with the mining that your men will provide?"
"Therese something else on the table." He said. "Being a bit of a criminal I knew a thing or two about where to get illicit materials and before I was arrested and was in contact with other members of my organization who have quite the network of bases across colonial space along with fleets of both converted civilian and old military ships. Along with some pretty substantial caches of supplies. I know that some of the bases are on Sagitarion and would be able to survive the holocaust that took place. So I can offer you quite a bit of resources if you set me free."
"That's a significant bonus," Lee said.
"Well, I'll speak to Commander Adama," Zarek said.
"You might be more successful if I tried it," Lee replied and Zarek agreed.
Lee was soon on with his father and explained his demands.
Adama paused before responding. "That's giving him a lot of ground, Lee."
"We were going to have to come to this problem eventually. Besides it takes up resources to keep them locked up, and I think a lot of them would be useful to the fleet. He then told him about Zarek's organization back in the colonies.
"Well, I have to admit that he has a point," Adama said. "I'll speak to him."
"I'll admit that you got me when it comes to the plan, I'm willing to accept it. However, if you cause any trouble and break any laws I command two Battlestars and several dozen support ships. Whatever dinky little fleet you dig up won't have even a fraction of that firepower." He said.
"You have quite a lot of understanding from me commander," Zarek said.
The marine attack was stopped and a raptor came to pick up Lee and the rest of the colonials. The mining operation also proceeded swiftly as the fleet had the resources to mine it quickly. While most of the prisoners would be let free a small group would be confined to the Astral Queen due to egregious crimes. Zarek was not one of them interestingly enough, and already there was a great amount of rejoicing around the Sagitarions of the fleet.
"I hope we made the right choice," Adama said, speaking to Roslin.
"Only time will tell but a confrontation was inevitable." She replied.