arrow_of_apollo | [theatrical_muse] 273 - Who watches the watchmen?

273 - "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who watches the watchmen?)

In my current line of work, I've found I still take flack for being the Admiral's son, just of a different kind. People like to accuse me of being too invested in military interests, of being too easily influenced by my father, of putting the needs of Galactica before the rest of the fleet's. I've been accused of being nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Admiral, his way of legitimizing his control of all aspects of the fleet.

It's crap, of course, the idea that I'm not making my own decisions or that they're not based on what's best for the entire fleet. But what the Quorum of Twelve rarely understood and what the new Quorum of Captains is proving to understand just as little is that in the long run, what's good for Galactica is what's good for the fleet. Without Admiral Adama, without the battlestar Galactica, humanity would be dead. It would have been dead within days of the initial attacks, instead of still alive, still fighting for its place in the universe years later.

But I can't deny that I have a unique perspective. I was one of those crewmen, fighting to protect what was left of the human race. I know what it means to put my life on the line for no other reward than knowing it was what was necessary as well as what was right. No matter what, I will always be proud of having served in the Colonial Fleet to the very best of my abilities. And I will never stop supporting the men and women who still put on their uniforms and safeguard humanity.

The Admiral isn't infallible. He isn't omnipotent or all-knowing. My father is a man, the same as us all, doing the best he can in the face of impossible odds and under unthinkable circumstances. But he has done things for this fleet that we will never be able to sufficiently thank him for, and because of that he has earned our trust a hundred times over.

Is Galactica a ship that has had its day? Yes. Should we make sure that we honor her service by making sure that she lives on, not only in our memories, but with what she can contribute to the continuance of the human race? Absolutely.

But she's not dead yet. And I don't care how eager the new Quorum is to scuttle her and scavenge her, they're going to have to go over my dead body before they do it without the Admiral's permission. I'll be watching them.

(429)