Fic - "Going Forward" - BSG/STNG AU - Part 2
Here's part two. Again, it helps to read Going Native first since this is a what if AU based on the idea that the colonials ended up in Federation territory and Felix Gaeta was actually a lost starfleet officer who led them to safety all the while pretending he was just... you know, that guy in the CIC.
&Earlier&
Lee Adama looked up as the sound of children playing wafted through the open window. He could see by the sudden smiles around the large table that he wasn’t the only one distracted by the school children playing. When things got a little bigger, the planetary government was going to need a separate building, but even with the colony growing, they still had plenty of room in the three story building that had been one of the first put up when the colony was established. He had seen the plans, hell, he had helped make the plans for the city. Once the government outgrew the facility, the building would be turned over to the school, which he assumed would also need more space. In fact, judging by the baby boom, the Wiliam Keikeya School was going to need to expand soon
“So we’re going to approve these twenty applications for immigration and settlement,” Laura Roslin said quickly, obviously drawing everyone’s attention back to the work at hand. She turned to Jacob Mueller, the Quorum member who had brought the proposal. “I think we all agree that we still need skilled outsiders and the previous immigrants have fit in well.” Lee and the other Quorum members nodded in agreement. Immigration to New Atlantis was still strictly controlled and he didn’t see that restriction being lifted until most of the new generation was old enough to vote, but they did allow it. It had been necessary, to get the skilled workers they needed, and there were almost three thousand new colonists, immigrants to the new colony. Mueller, born on Alpha Centauri, was the Quorum delegate that represented what the media called the 13th tribe. Lee was already realizing that the tribal system was going to be awkward at best to recreate. There were already rumblings from the Sagiterron and Gemonese quarters that the system unfairly favored people in less populous tribes but Roslin had managed to keep them quiet by harping on tradition. Meanwhile they were both working on getting the future government designed to be more representative and less like a town hall meeting combined with an unwieldy ancient system of tribal affiliations that hadn’t made a lot of sense before the Cylon attack and were hell to work with now that so many people had intermingled. There had been a lot of cross tribal marriages. Most of the people, even in the more populous tribes, wanted something different. So did he, but Laura was surprisingly obstinate about revamping and removing tribe affiliation. He wanted a system based on where people lived in the new colony and he had a feeling he’d get it eventually. He had the backing of several of the Quorum, the younger members who had been voted in since the settlement, and he also suspected Roslin was holding on to the old system only because one of her hot button topics was preserving what was left of the Twelve Colonies.
Which was fine, for now. Roslin had made it clear that she didn’t plan to change the provisional government structure, but he also knew she didn’t plan to stay president of New Atlantis forever. One of the perks of being Vice President was having the inside scoop. She was, Lee realized sometime early, only going to stay in office until she was certain that the new colony was stable. The time for change would come, and he sensed that it was going to be sooner than later. She liked his ideas for the government, and he suspected she just wanted her own time tidily finished before he proposed changes.
“We have two more things on the agenda,” Roslin sad as she consulted her computer padd. “Admiral Adama is reporting that the refit of the Galactica is almost finished.” Lee struggled not to grin. The Galactica was, by Starfleet standards, something of an antiquated behemoth. They were still under a prohibition against weapons access, it would be another five years before that restriction was lifted. The Admiral however had insisted on an overhaul. Since the colonial military worked closely with the New Atlantis FTL Research Institute, and used the Galactica as a base for the research into the FTL drive, the Galactica hadn’t been retired. It was functioning as more of a mobile space station, with crews going to and from the small Starfleet station that had been established as part of their treaty agreement. As part of that agreement there were three older starships assigned. Older class ships, with crews that weren’t as sharp as the crew of the Enterprise, but when the probationary period was up, the ships were to be handed over to the New Atlantean military. Right now they functioned as training ships, letting the colonial military get the feel of the new weapons and technology without simply giving them the technology. The refit had been contentious because people wanted newer ships with Starfleet weapons, but it had passed and he had to admit, he was relieved to know it was almost done. The complaining from the opposition would stop on that point.
“It’s nice to know that this particular drain on the economy is almost done,” Tom Zarek muttered. Lee rolled his eyes. Tom had been against the refit from the beginning, labeling it a waste of credits. Fortunately the colony was very flush. They were actually turning away some immigration applicants. If they simply let in everyone who wanted to live on New Atlantis, the original population would be overwhelmed. It was another sore point of Zarek’s, since he viewed new citizens as new members of his voting block. It was amusing because Zarek had a tendency to say his nasty comments just loud enough to be heard but not loud enough for the official record.
“Yes, Tom,” Roslin said, her voice taking on that tone they all knew so well. “We’re all aware of your views and you are welcome to again propose cutting military spending. As it happens, Admiral Adama reports that with the refit, when the time comes, it will be relatively easy to arm the Galactica with Federation weapons, which means we won’t have to be so dependant on Aurora Station and its Starfleet personnel if there is an attack. With all the talk about the Klingons, the Cardassians and now this Dominion, I doubt the people want to stand down militarily but you are welcome to propose it.” She waited a moment and turned the paper on her clipboard. “The last thing is Aurora Station. As you all know, Lt. Cmdr Grossen has been commanding the station while Starfleet decides who will assume command. I am pleased to inform you all that a new station commander has been chosen.” She smiled slightly. “Commander Felix Gaeta has been assigned. He’ll be bringing a new Starfleet prototype out and will assume command of the Starfleet personnal assigned. Of course we could protest….?”
Lee noted almost everyone around the table smiled at the idea. Mueller seemed neutral, which wasn’t a surprise. Most of the Terran immigrants, even off worlders like Mueller, didn’t care for the religious regard Felix Gaeta was held in on New Atlantis. Ironically, he knew Laura Roslin didn’t like it either, but the Federation required religious freedom and it wouldn’t do to stamp down on the new temple goers. Zarek of course looked almost apoplectic.
“Felix Gaeta?” the older man snipped. “Well, that’s wonderful. Starfleet is certainly sending us the best and brightest.”
Lee wasn’t surprised at how the Quorum bristled at that , despite the problems it presented. There were a lot of reasons to not be enthralled with Starfleet’s choice of station commander despite the general good will Gaeta had with the colony, not the least of which was the influence Gaeta had over the average citizen. In fairness, over the last few years, the man rarely said a word about politics or voiced an opinion on anything volatile. Gaeta very rarely said anything official. No doubt what frustrated Zarek was that Gaeta, when pressed, generally came down on either the side of the Federation, or of Bill Adama or Laura Roslin. When he didn’t beg off the question with a quick comment how he didn’t live on New Atlantis so he couldn’t have a relevant opinion. Gaeta had a way of saying nothing that Lee realized was almost an art form.
Then again, as his wife often said, Felix Gaeta was nothing if not a sneak and a weasel.
“Are you voicing an official complaint, Mr. Zarek?” Roslin’s voice was pleasant but cutting.
“No,” Zarek shot back, just as cutting. “I’m just not shocked that Starfleet is sending an officer to run Aurora Station of his… shall we say, challenged background?” He held up his own computer padd. “I trust you’ve been following his career?”
An old trick that didn’t work as well as Tom thought, Lee realized. He understood the game, Tom was voicing his displeasure openly but the transcripts of the Quorum meeting didn’t reflect tone, just the words said. He was forgetting that the new technology made it easy for all public meetings to be stored for viewing. Lee had no doubt that someone in the media would find the time to watch the meeting on a view screen and if they wanted to create a fuss, it would end up on the weekly political commentary vids. He wondered why Zarek was taking such a risk. Badmouthing the man that had saved them all several times over didn’t go over well with the general public. On the other hand, Zarek wasn’t a political yahoo or has been. The man was sharp, if more of an opportunist than his stated philosophies implied. And, Lee’s own political senses had sharpened enough to wonder if Tom was already past it. The new colony was paradise compared to their lives in the fleet, and even the disenfranchised, the felons and the Sagiterrons had good jobs and nice lives. Their children went to the same school as the children of Caprican politicians and the Earth born children of Starfleet officers. The teachers at the school were either open minded or from Earth and that meant that children of the perceived lesser colonies weren’t disregarded. In ten to twenty years, Tom’s rhetoric was going to fall on ears that simply couldn’t understand why. The man’s base followers had slowly been deserting as it became clear that Roslin’s policies were in line with the Federation’s humanitarian views. It was hard to be the head of the oppressed minority when the oppressed minority didn’t consider itself oppressed anymore. Tom Zarek, he realized suddenly, for all that he had been a pioneer as a young man, wasn’t changing with the times.
“I have,” Roslin retorted. “I’m not sure what your concern is. Commander Gaeta was promoted recently and has been working on several starship prototypes. If anything we should pleased that Starfleet is assigning an officer who is familiar with the colony and our concerns.”
Zarek smirked at her. “Considering the views of the current station commander, I suspect assignment to Aurora Base is…. Shall we say, not a plum assignment?”
“Actually,” Lee said, hoping to diffuse the valid point Zarek had made, “I understand that Cmdr. Gaeta requested the assignment because his wife wanted their children to get some exposure to New Atlantis since they are dual citizens here.”
He could see that it took the wind out of Zarek’s comment, and Zarek saw it too. The man’s smile didn’t change but his eyes hardened. “Well,” he said easily, “you do have the inside track on information, but we can’t all be married to the savior’s sister now can we?”
Lee started to stand up, only to find Laura Roslin quickly pressing her hand down on his knee. “Tom, do you want to voice a complaint with the officer Starfleet has assigned or not? If you do, speak up. If you don’t, then say so. I’d like to close the session on time for a change.”
Clever, Lee thought gratefully. Zarek now had to state *something* to the official record. He either had to go on record with having a problem with Felix Gaeta, or he had to say he had no complaint. And Tom knew it. The smirk left his face as he attempted to stare down Roslin. “ I have no *official* objection, Madame President.”
“Good,” she said sweetly. “This meeting is adjourned.” Lee wasn’t surprised to see Zarek grab his paperwork and padd and leave in a rush, followed very quickly by Erica Janne, the Gemonese delegate. Coincidence or a hint at a possible alliance, he wondered. Unlike her predecessor, Janne was less bound to the literal religious beliefs that the Gemonese colonials held. The Sagiterrons and Gemonese had the largest number of survivors. In popular voting initiatives, each group was a formidable voting block. And Zarek had been talking up Mueller as well, and the Earth delegate tended to waffle.
He began to gather up his own things but a look from Roslin told him to remain seated while everyone else filed out. “That was nicely done, Madame President.”
Roslin shrugged. “Tom’s problem is that he’s like your father in one very important way. He’s much better when he’s got his back up against the wall, fighting against impossible odds. It’s a gift. When times are hard, he’s a good leader, even an inspiring one. And when there isn’t a crisis, Tom gets bored and makes trouble. And gets into trouble, so that he can have a crisis to work with.” She paused. “He was trying to get a rise out of you, and it worked. You married Serena Gaeta McHenry and that’s a problem. You are linked by marriage to Felix Gaeta, and that will both help and hinder your career as a politician here.”
“Zarek was just being an ass about Gaeta because Gaeta being assigned here is going to increase the religious talk.” Which was a pain in the ass but not impossible to deal with. “Actually, I think having Gaeta around will help that. Away, he’s some sort of hero figure with godlike powers but here, talking to people, enrolling his kids in school? He turns into a regular person again and the religious element calms down. People don’t treat Serena like a sacred object because they’ve gotten to know her.”
Of course, unlike Gaeta, Serena had a tendency to laugh at worshippers, and point out the obvious flaws in their beliefs. But he supposed it was that or just ignore it. Most people just ignored the small but vocal group of temple goers that focused on Gaeta.
“I agree,” Roslin said after a moment, “but you’re a political player now, Lee. You’re not just Lee Adama, you’re the son of Admiral Adama, the hero who saved us, you’re married to the sister of the Earth man who led us to safety, your own record as a viper pilot and commander is impressive, you were our first diplomat on Earth…. People are going to attack you over these things. Tom Zarek won’t be the last to suggest that you married Serena for power. And it is power, Lee. Tom knows it. He also knows that his power in the community is waning. In just a few years, most of the votes will be coming from people who vaguely remember Tom as Baltar’s vice president when they were living in cold tents, terrorized by Cylons. They’re not going to care about his career in the Twelve Colonies, or that he was a revolutionary fighting for freedoms in a system they don’t really understand or relate to. It’s already happening.” She gestured to the table of thirteen seats. “It’s only a matter of time before the tribal affiliations become a thing of the past. There’s already been so many cross marriages… twenty years from now, being Caprican or Aerelon is going to be something quaint that elderly parents bring up.”
“You sound disappointed,” Lee said after a moment.
“I am, just a bit.” She sighed. “There were things about the Twelve Colonies that needed to change, Lee, I don’t deny that, but there was a lot of good there and there’s not a day that I don’t miss Caprica. Here, New Atlantis, it’s beautiful because it’s something I helped make, but it’s not Caprica. It is something I have to accept. You’re younger, Lee…. Not young enough to just move on… but most of your adult life was spent in the fleet, fighting a war. It isn’t the same for you. Tom knows that, that as time moves on, the people of the colony will be less and less connected to the past. So he will attack you where ever he can, and that includes your marriage and your children. You have to find a way to throttle back your emotions on that point and remember that it’s not personal. Tom Zarek doesn’t give a damn who you married, or whether you’re in love. He only mentioned your wife because he knew it would anger you. You need to let that sort of comment roll off you like water. Tom doesn’t play that game with me, because he knows it won’t work. Because I don’t react to it. That’s the free advice.” Her voice took on a more brisk tone. “Now, what is Tom talking about? I don’t spend every day scanning the news for mentions of Felix Gaeta but at last check he seemed to be doing well.”
“Officially he is doing well. He was promoted to commander and while Aurora Base is a small starbase, it’s still a command and there’s plenty of mid level officers in Starfleet who would be happy to take it. It’s a stepping stone to a starship command. Zarek is off base suggesting that Starfleet is sending a disgraced officer out to exile.” He stopped.
“And unofficially?” Roslin asked.
“His two papers on the FTL drive and on Starfleet’s general readiness level to handle an attack from outside forces are considered must reads by some high level officers. Captain Picard, for example. But that’s not a majority view.” Lee hesitated. “I don’t know the details, all right? Yes, I am married to his sister and she loves him a great deal, but it’s not as though they share secrets.”
“But?”
He hesitated again. “Apparently, while Starfleet and the Federation has some high minded ideals, in practice there is as much jealousy and petty behavior that you’d expect in the average school yard.”
Roslin smiled slightly. “Would it shock you to know that I have suspected that for some time? The Federation is not perfect by any means. It occurred to me, once the rush wore off, that Gaeta was very lucky that we made contact with Captain Picard and not a less flexible thinker.” She leaned back in her chair. “You don’t want to know how close he was to getting a welcome home prison sentence.”
Lee nodded. It wasn’t something that was talked about, but between Kara, Serena, his father, and Roslin herself, he knew enough pieces of the story to know the next thing he was going to say had some truth to it. “There are people in Starfleet who believe he got away with a Prime Directive violation. According to Serena, that means it’s unlikely he’ll ever be given a ship to command and that does mean his career is effectively over. The people who backed his research got him assigned to Aurora Base so that he’s in the right place when the minority that backs him gets more control and can get him back in favor. It’s very political, made worse because of his background.” As Roslin raised her eyebrows in surprise, he was quick to add, “Not the time in the colonies. There are people who don’t trust him because he’s not fully human and the parts that aren’t human are fairly scary.”
“Officially there’s no discrimination in the Federation,” Roslin mused, “but then officially, there was never any legal difference between a Sagiterron and a Caprican. In practice though, and considered Earth’s historical wars, it’s understandable.” She tapped up an article on her padd. “Whenever a Federation representative gets too condescending about our views on artificial intelligence, I always point them back to their draconian laws on genetic enhancement. It occurred to me that Sophia Gaeta was a little old to be just a captain until I considered how difficult it must be to get promoted when a lot of your colleagues are raised to consider your abilities monstrous.”
“It was one reason that Serena left Starfleet,” Lee admitted. “That and she wasn’t very interested in a command and her specialty of anthropology is more human focused than most. Zarek has been chatting up Cmdr. Grossen.” Grossen had assumed command of Aurora Base one month earlier when Cmdr. Rosenfeld died unexpectedly.
“Grossen is an arrogant bastard who isn’t happy to be here,” Roslin said quickly. “I know Rosenfeld reprimanded him at least once for his comments. He’s also not enthralled with the FTL research… which means he’s probably in the Starfleet majority that disagrees with Gaeta’s research papers. Which explains how Zarek got the inside dirt on the situation. I don’t think this will garner Tom any votes right away, but we both know he loves to stir things up. At least the Admiral will have someone he can work with.”
Lee nodded but he had his doubts. Cmdr. Rosenfeld, a good leader, had crossed swords with Bill Adama and the colonial military a few times. She had been strict about the regulations, not inflexible but not a pushover either. Grossen was inflexible, and an ass to boot, but Lee didn’t think that Gaeta was going to be a pliant yes man. He had read the two papers the man had written. Both were daring, and politely scathing on some of Starfleet’s war policies. Bill Adama wasn’t getting back the carefully polite junior officer who he’d known, he was getting a new Starfleet commander, who wasn’t going to nod and agree to whatever the colonial military wanted. Which, coupled with Zarek already leading the charge to harp on Gaeta’s competence, and the weird religious cult that would likely stage a parade at the news, meant that Gaeta taking command of the base wasn’t as great news as he thought.
Laura Roslin was right. He still had a lot to learn about politics.
&Earlier&
Lee Adama looked up as the sound of children playing wafted through the open window. He could see by the sudden smiles around the large table that he wasn’t the only one distracted by the school children playing. When things got a little bigger, the planetary government was going to need a separate building, but even with the colony growing, they still had plenty of room in the three story building that had been one of the first put up when the colony was established. He had seen the plans, hell, he had helped make the plans for the city. Once the government outgrew the facility, the building would be turned over to the school, which he assumed would also need more space. In fact, judging by the baby boom, the Wiliam Keikeya School was going to need to expand soon
“So we’re going to approve these twenty applications for immigration and settlement,” Laura Roslin said quickly, obviously drawing everyone’s attention back to the work at hand. She turned to Jacob Mueller, the Quorum member who had brought the proposal. “I think we all agree that we still need skilled outsiders and the previous immigrants have fit in well.” Lee and the other Quorum members nodded in agreement. Immigration to New Atlantis was still strictly controlled and he didn’t see that restriction being lifted until most of the new generation was old enough to vote, but they did allow it. It had been necessary, to get the skilled workers they needed, and there were almost three thousand new colonists, immigrants to the new colony. Mueller, born on Alpha Centauri, was the Quorum delegate that represented what the media called the 13th tribe. Lee was already realizing that the tribal system was going to be awkward at best to recreate. There were already rumblings from the Sagiterron and Gemonese quarters that the system unfairly favored people in less populous tribes but Roslin had managed to keep them quiet by harping on tradition. Meanwhile they were both working on getting the future government designed to be more representative and less like a town hall meeting combined with an unwieldy ancient system of tribal affiliations that hadn’t made a lot of sense before the Cylon attack and were hell to work with now that so many people had intermingled. There had been a lot of cross tribal marriages. Most of the people, even in the more populous tribes, wanted something different. So did he, but Laura was surprisingly obstinate about revamping and removing tribe affiliation. He wanted a system based on where people lived in the new colony and he had a feeling he’d get it eventually. He had the backing of several of the Quorum, the younger members who had been voted in since the settlement, and he also suspected Roslin was holding on to the old system only because one of her hot button topics was preserving what was left of the Twelve Colonies.
Which was fine, for now. Roslin had made it clear that she didn’t plan to change the provisional government structure, but he also knew she didn’t plan to stay president of New Atlantis forever. One of the perks of being Vice President was having the inside scoop. She was, Lee realized sometime early, only going to stay in office until she was certain that the new colony was stable. The time for change would come, and he sensed that it was going to be sooner than later. She liked his ideas for the government, and he suspected she just wanted her own time tidily finished before he proposed changes.
“We have two more things on the agenda,” Roslin sad as she consulted her computer padd. “Admiral Adama is reporting that the refit of the Galactica is almost finished.” Lee struggled not to grin. The Galactica was, by Starfleet standards, something of an antiquated behemoth. They were still under a prohibition against weapons access, it would be another five years before that restriction was lifted. The Admiral however had insisted on an overhaul. Since the colonial military worked closely with the New Atlantis FTL Research Institute, and used the Galactica as a base for the research into the FTL drive, the Galactica hadn’t been retired. It was functioning as more of a mobile space station, with crews going to and from the small Starfleet station that had been established as part of their treaty agreement. As part of that agreement there were three older starships assigned. Older class ships, with crews that weren’t as sharp as the crew of the Enterprise, but when the probationary period was up, the ships were to be handed over to the New Atlantean military. Right now they functioned as training ships, letting the colonial military get the feel of the new weapons and technology without simply giving them the technology. The refit had been contentious because people wanted newer ships with Starfleet weapons, but it had passed and he had to admit, he was relieved to know it was almost done. The complaining from the opposition would stop on that point.
“It’s nice to know that this particular drain on the economy is almost done,” Tom Zarek muttered. Lee rolled his eyes. Tom had been against the refit from the beginning, labeling it a waste of credits. Fortunately the colony was very flush. They were actually turning away some immigration applicants. If they simply let in everyone who wanted to live on New Atlantis, the original population would be overwhelmed. It was another sore point of Zarek’s, since he viewed new citizens as new members of his voting block. It was amusing because Zarek had a tendency to say his nasty comments just loud enough to be heard but not loud enough for the official record.
“Yes, Tom,” Roslin said, her voice taking on that tone they all knew so well. “We’re all aware of your views and you are welcome to again propose cutting military spending. As it happens, Admiral Adama reports that with the refit, when the time comes, it will be relatively easy to arm the Galactica with Federation weapons, which means we won’t have to be so dependant on Aurora Station and its Starfleet personnel if there is an attack. With all the talk about the Klingons, the Cardassians and now this Dominion, I doubt the people want to stand down militarily but you are welcome to propose it.” She waited a moment and turned the paper on her clipboard. “The last thing is Aurora Station. As you all know, Lt. Cmdr Grossen has been commanding the station while Starfleet decides who will assume command. I am pleased to inform you all that a new station commander has been chosen.” She smiled slightly. “Commander Felix Gaeta has been assigned. He’ll be bringing a new Starfleet prototype out and will assume command of the Starfleet personnal assigned. Of course we could protest….?”
Lee noted almost everyone around the table smiled at the idea. Mueller seemed neutral, which wasn’t a surprise. Most of the Terran immigrants, even off worlders like Mueller, didn’t care for the religious regard Felix Gaeta was held in on New Atlantis. Ironically, he knew Laura Roslin didn’t like it either, but the Federation required religious freedom and it wouldn’t do to stamp down on the new temple goers. Zarek of course looked almost apoplectic.
“Felix Gaeta?” the older man snipped. “Well, that’s wonderful. Starfleet is certainly sending us the best and brightest.”
Lee wasn’t surprised at how the Quorum bristled at that , despite the problems it presented. There were a lot of reasons to not be enthralled with Starfleet’s choice of station commander despite the general good will Gaeta had with the colony, not the least of which was the influence Gaeta had over the average citizen. In fairness, over the last few years, the man rarely said a word about politics or voiced an opinion on anything volatile. Gaeta very rarely said anything official. No doubt what frustrated Zarek was that Gaeta, when pressed, generally came down on either the side of the Federation, or of Bill Adama or Laura Roslin. When he didn’t beg off the question with a quick comment how he didn’t live on New Atlantis so he couldn’t have a relevant opinion. Gaeta had a way of saying nothing that Lee realized was almost an art form.
Then again, as his wife often said, Felix Gaeta was nothing if not a sneak and a weasel.
“Are you voicing an official complaint, Mr. Zarek?” Roslin’s voice was pleasant but cutting.
“No,” Zarek shot back, just as cutting. “I’m just not shocked that Starfleet is sending an officer to run Aurora Station of his… shall we say, challenged background?” He held up his own computer padd. “I trust you’ve been following his career?”
An old trick that didn’t work as well as Tom thought, Lee realized. He understood the game, Tom was voicing his displeasure openly but the transcripts of the Quorum meeting didn’t reflect tone, just the words said. He was forgetting that the new technology made it easy for all public meetings to be stored for viewing. Lee had no doubt that someone in the media would find the time to watch the meeting on a view screen and if they wanted to create a fuss, it would end up on the weekly political commentary vids. He wondered why Zarek was taking such a risk. Badmouthing the man that had saved them all several times over didn’t go over well with the general public. On the other hand, Zarek wasn’t a political yahoo or has been. The man was sharp, if more of an opportunist than his stated philosophies implied. And, Lee’s own political senses had sharpened enough to wonder if Tom was already past it. The new colony was paradise compared to their lives in the fleet, and even the disenfranchised, the felons and the Sagiterrons had good jobs and nice lives. Their children went to the same school as the children of Caprican politicians and the Earth born children of Starfleet officers. The teachers at the school were either open minded or from Earth and that meant that children of the perceived lesser colonies weren’t disregarded. In ten to twenty years, Tom’s rhetoric was going to fall on ears that simply couldn’t understand why. The man’s base followers had slowly been deserting as it became clear that Roslin’s policies were in line with the Federation’s humanitarian views. It was hard to be the head of the oppressed minority when the oppressed minority didn’t consider itself oppressed anymore. Tom Zarek, he realized suddenly, for all that he had been a pioneer as a young man, wasn’t changing with the times.
“I have,” Roslin retorted. “I’m not sure what your concern is. Commander Gaeta was promoted recently and has been working on several starship prototypes. If anything we should pleased that Starfleet is assigning an officer who is familiar with the colony and our concerns.”
Zarek smirked at her. “Considering the views of the current station commander, I suspect assignment to Aurora Base is…. Shall we say, not a plum assignment?”
“Actually,” Lee said, hoping to diffuse the valid point Zarek had made, “I understand that Cmdr. Gaeta requested the assignment because his wife wanted their children to get some exposure to New Atlantis since they are dual citizens here.”
He could see that it took the wind out of Zarek’s comment, and Zarek saw it too. The man’s smile didn’t change but his eyes hardened. “Well,” he said easily, “you do have the inside track on information, but we can’t all be married to the savior’s sister now can we?”
Lee started to stand up, only to find Laura Roslin quickly pressing her hand down on his knee. “Tom, do you want to voice a complaint with the officer Starfleet has assigned or not? If you do, speak up. If you don’t, then say so. I’d like to close the session on time for a change.”
Clever, Lee thought gratefully. Zarek now had to state *something* to the official record. He either had to go on record with having a problem with Felix Gaeta, or he had to say he had no complaint. And Tom knew it. The smirk left his face as he attempted to stare down Roslin. “ I have no *official* objection, Madame President.”
“Good,” she said sweetly. “This meeting is adjourned.” Lee wasn’t surprised to see Zarek grab his paperwork and padd and leave in a rush, followed very quickly by Erica Janne, the Gemonese delegate. Coincidence or a hint at a possible alliance, he wondered. Unlike her predecessor, Janne was less bound to the literal religious beliefs that the Gemonese colonials held. The Sagiterrons and Gemonese had the largest number of survivors. In popular voting initiatives, each group was a formidable voting block. And Zarek had been talking up Mueller as well, and the Earth delegate tended to waffle.
He began to gather up his own things but a look from Roslin told him to remain seated while everyone else filed out. “That was nicely done, Madame President.”
Roslin shrugged. “Tom’s problem is that he’s like your father in one very important way. He’s much better when he’s got his back up against the wall, fighting against impossible odds. It’s a gift. When times are hard, he’s a good leader, even an inspiring one. And when there isn’t a crisis, Tom gets bored and makes trouble. And gets into trouble, so that he can have a crisis to work with.” She paused. “He was trying to get a rise out of you, and it worked. You married Serena Gaeta McHenry and that’s a problem. You are linked by marriage to Felix Gaeta, and that will both help and hinder your career as a politician here.”
“Zarek was just being an ass about Gaeta because Gaeta being assigned here is going to increase the religious talk.” Which was a pain in the ass but not impossible to deal with. “Actually, I think having Gaeta around will help that. Away, he’s some sort of hero figure with godlike powers but here, talking to people, enrolling his kids in school? He turns into a regular person again and the religious element calms down. People don’t treat Serena like a sacred object because they’ve gotten to know her.”
Of course, unlike Gaeta, Serena had a tendency to laugh at worshippers, and point out the obvious flaws in their beliefs. But he supposed it was that or just ignore it. Most people just ignored the small but vocal group of temple goers that focused on Gaeta.
“I agree,” Roslin said after a moment, “but you’re a political player now, Lee. You’re not just Lee Adama, you’re the son of Admiral Adama, the hero who saved us, you’re married to the sister of the Earth man who led us to safety, your own record as a viper pilot and commander is impressive, you were our first diplomat on Earth…. People are going to attack you over these things. Tom Zarek won’t be the last to suggest that you married Serena for power. And it is power, Lee. Tom knows it. He also knows that his power in the community is waning. In just a few years, most of the votes will be coming from people who vaguely remember Tom as Baltar’s vice president when they were living in cold tents, terrorized by Cylons. They’re not going to care about his career in the Twelve Colonies, or that he was a revolutionary fighting for freedoms in a system they don’t really understand or relate to. It’s already happening.” She gestured to the table of thirteen seats. “It’s only a matter of time before the tribal affiliations become a thing of the past. There’s already been so many cross marriages… twenty years from now, being Caprican or Aerelon is going to be something quaint that elderly parents bring up.”
“You sound disappointed,” Lee said after a moment.
“I am, just a bit.” She sighed. “There were things about the Twelve Colonies that needed to change, Lee, I don’t deny that, but there was a lot of good there and there’s not a day that I don’t miss Caprica. Here, New Atlantis, it’s beautiful because it’s something I helped make, but it’s not Caprica. It is something I have to accept. You’re younger, Lee…. Not young enough to just move on… but most of your adult life was spent in the fleet, fighting a war. It isn’t the same for you. Tom knows that, that as time moves on, the people of the colony will be less and less connected to the past. So he will attack you where ever he can, and that includes your marriage and your children. You have to find a way to throttle back your emotions on that point and remember that it’s not personal. Tom Zarek doesn’t give a damn who you married, or whether you’re in love. He only mentioned your wife because he knew it would anger you. You need to let that sort of comment roll off you like water. Tom doesn’t play that game with me, because he knows it won’t work. Because I don’t react to it. That’s the free advice.” Her voice took on a more brisk tone. “Now, what is Tom talking about? I don’t spend every day scanning the news for mentions of Felix Gaeta but at last check he seemed to be doing well.”
“Officially he is doing well. He was promoted to commander and while Aurora Base is a small starbase, it’s still a command and there’s plenty of mid level officers in Starfleet who would be happy to take it. It’s a stepping stone to a starship command. Zarek is off base suggesting that Starfleet is sending a disgraced officer out to exile.” He stopped.
“And unofficially?” Roslin asked.
“His two papers on the FTL drive and on Starfleet’s general readiness level to handle an attack from outside forces are considered must reads by some high level officers. Captain Picard, for example. But that’s not a majority view.” Lee hesitated. “I don’t know the details, all right? Yes, I am married to his sister and she loves him a great deal, but it’s not as though they share secrets.”
“But?”
He hesitated again. “Apparently, while Starfleet and the Federation has some high minded ideals, in practice there is as much jealousy and petty behavior that you’d expect in the average school yard.”
Roslin smiled slightly. “Would it shock you to know that I have suspected that for some time? The Federation is not perfect by any means. It occurred to me, once the rush wore off, that Gaeta was very lucky that we made contact with Captain Picard and not a less flexible thinker.” She leaned back in her chair. “You don’t want to know how close he was to getting a welcome home prison sentence.”
Lee nodded. It wasn’t something that was talked about, but between Kara, Serena, his father, and Roslin herself, he knew enough pieces of the story to know the next thing he was going to say had some truth to it. “There are people in Starfleet who believe he got away with a Prime Directive violation. According to Serena, that means it’s unlikely he’ll ever be given a ship to command and that does mean his career is effectively over. The people who backed his research got him assigned to Aurora Base so that he’s in the right place when the minority that backs him gets more control and can get him back in favor. It’s very political, made worse because of his background.” As Roslin raised her eyebrows in surprise, he was quick to add, “Not the time in the colonies. There are people who don’t trust him because he’s not fully human and the parts that aren’t human are fairly scary.”
“Officially there’s no discrimination in the Federation,” Roslin mused, “but then officially, there was never any legal difference between a Sagiterron and a Caprican. In practice though, and considered Earth’s historical wars, it’s understandable.” She tapped up an article on her padd. “Whenever a Federation representative gets too condescending about our views on artificial intelligence, I always point them back to their draconian laws on genetic enhancement. It occurred to me that Sophia Gaeta was a little old to be just a captain until I considered how difficult it must be to get promoted when a lot of your colleagues are raised to consider your abilities monstrous.”
“It was one reason that Serena left Starfleet,” Lee admitted. “That and she wasn’t very interested in a command and her specialty of anthropology is more human focused than most. Zarek has been chatting up Cmdr. Grossen.” Grossen had assumed command of Aurora Base one month earlier when Cmdr. Rosenfeld died unexpectedly.
“Grossen is an arrogant bastard who isn’t happy to be here,” Roslin said quickly. “I know Rosenfeld reprimanded him at least once for his comments. He’s also not enthralled with the FTL research… which means he’s probably in the Starfleet majority that disagrees with Gaeta’s research papers. Which explains how Zarek got the inside dirt on the situation. I don’t think this will garner Tom any votes right away, but we both know he loves to stir things up. At least the Admiral will have someone he can work with.”
Lee nodded but he had his doubts. Cmdr. Rosenfeld, a good leader, had crossed swords with Bill Adama and the colonial military a few times. She had been strict about the regulations, not inflexible but not a pushover either. Grossen was inflexible, and an ass to boot, but Lee didn’t think that Gaeta was going to be a pliant yes man. He had read the two papers the man had written. Both were daring, and politely scathing on some of Starfleet’s war policies. Bill Adama wasn’t getting back the carefully polite junior officer who he’d known, he was getting a new Starfleet commander, who wasn’t going to nod and agree to whatever the colonial military wanted. Which, coupled with Zarek already leading the charge to harp on Gaeta’s competence, and the weird religious cult that would likely stage a parade at the news, meant that Gaeta taking command of the base wasn’t as great news as he thought.
Laura Roslin was right. He still had a lot to learn about politics.