arrow_of_apollo | [theatrical_muse] 259

259 - Write a prompt that begins with the words: "I don't understand..."

((set between 4x08 "Sine Qua Non" and 4x10 "Revelations"))

I don't understand these people. At all.

The purpose of the Quorum of Twelve was originally to give the people of the Twelve Colonies a representative voice in the government. Each member was the duly elected voice of his or her people, charged with making the best decisions that would benefit the citizens of their respective worlds. With humanity a sliver of what it once was, the Quorum has come to represent, rather than individual worlds, the sometimes disparate groups that comprise the fleet, but for the same goals and with the same responsibilities.

Instead, they act like a roomful of schoolchildren, bickering over toy starships and building blocks.

The more difficult and the more fractious the situation, the more important it is for the legislature to be mindful of the bigger picture. This fleet is running and fighting not only for our lives, but the survival of the human race itself. Petty concerns over old territorialities are irrelevant, especially considering there is no more territory to fight over.

Maybe it's a function of the method by which these Quorum members are usually elevated to that status. They're not chosen from the best and the brightest of a society's greatest minds or morals. They're not held up by their fellow citizens as models of courage or integrity. These are people who have sought out public office, for whatever motivations.

I'm not about to accuse every single member of the Quorum of being a power-hungry, manipulative shark. But I have seen them circling one another like those deadly predators, and with all the same lack of remorse or apprehension. I've seen them turn on whoever was the most convenient, if it meant furthering the agenda they came to the table with.

President Roslin has been kidnapped, aboard a baseship full of renegade Cylons. The Admiral is alone in a Raptor, waiting for her to return. We might be close to Earth, or we may be a hundred years away.
This isn't the time for in-fighting, this is a time for the Quorum to be looking out for the best interests of the people-- all the people. But no, it's all the same inane bickering as always.

I don't understand these people at all.

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