Video credit: BSG Deadlock player Lochdanon – he helped shoot a lot of the footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commander Eva Lawson was on a tour of the secret shipbuilding facility with Major Martin. Since the Mercury was still not considered clean from the standpoint of CNP related software, the tour was conducted on the Valkyrie class vessel, the Falcon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of this class of ship were named after birds. Nobody\nknew why. Someone liked birds at the office that choose ship names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility was impressive. A number of structures had been\nconverted to the task of warship building. There were three observatories that\nwere designed to dock six smaller vessels. These had been modified and extended\nso they could now accommodate a Mercury Class Battlestar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crews were at work, repairing battle damage on a wide\nvariety of ships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Major Martin conducted the tour from the forward observation\nlounge of the ship. Communications infrastructure was limited to light signals.\nThe room had been insulated against all known forms of transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Falcon was moving around the shipyard and a Minerva\nClass Battlestar came into view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is a Minerva?\u201d Lawson\u2019s draw dropped. \u201cI trained on\none of those. I thought they were all taken apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe assembled this one from the hulks of four others that\nthe scrap yard had drifting around. The contracts called for the complete disassembly\nof the ships. The contract terms were interpreted quite liberally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank the gods for that,\u201d Lawson replied, showing little\nemotion or devotion in her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes thank the gods,\u201d Martin said, sounding more like a\nbeliever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have eight ship building and maintenance platforms in\nall?\u201d Lawson asked, proving she had read the 900 pages of intelligence briefing\nmaterial she was given by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes. Four converted observatories, an actual platform that\nwas supposed to be assembled and added to Scorpia shipyards and three put\ntogether from wreckage salvaged at various fleet bases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll fully FTL capable?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes commander,\u201d after the revelations about Brother John\nthe Cylon, Martin had a hard time saying these words without having a second\nthought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBriefing says it takes ten minutes to button everything\ndown and make a jump. That is an eternity in terms of the way combat has gone\nwith the Cylons in this war. Any way we can speed it up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe run a couple of drills a week,\u201d answered Major Martin.\n\u201cIt disrupted the entire production cycle, but we think we can get it down to\nseven or eight minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat sounds good. I\u2019d like to watch the next drill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course, commander.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat NCO who killed two security guards. What did the\ninvestigation yield?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe you should ask the Cylon you were fracking, Major\nLawson,\u201d said a female voice from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two officers turned around to see an athletic looking,\ntall, brown haired woman in her late thirties or early forties. She was dressed\nmodestly in a long black skirt ad simple white blouse. She wore no jewelry and\nher skin was clear of blemishes. Her hair was shoulder length and hung loose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind her was a pair of beefy men, dressed in uniforms\nsimilar to the police, her security detail. They looked alert, heads on a\nswivel, but they took no interest in the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is acting commander to you Misses Brooks,\u201d Lawson\nreplied as she did not offer a hand \nshake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot if the council has to approve it,\u201d Brooks said with a\nself-assured look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly the president and the quorum can change military law,\u201d\nLawson said, making an effort to keep her voice calm. \u201cMilitary law says I am a\ncommander until another officer is found. I believe president Roslyn and the\nquorum are on their way to the thirteenth colony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur lawyers say the law of presidential succession states\nthat these powers fall in the event of death or incapacity to the executive of\nthe duly elected peoples council.\u201d Brooks looked quite calm, almost practiced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have a lawyer,\u201d said Commander Lawson. \u201cI just have\na Battlestar that answers to my orders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you threatening a military coup? Are you going to defy\nmy lawful orders?\u201d Brooks still looked rehearsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can set up a meeting,\u201d major Martin suggested. \u201cSurely\nthere must be somebody from the judge Advocate general\u2019s office alive,\nsomewhere in this fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you ever expect to wear the commanders stars, you will\ndeal with the council and me.\u201d Said Mrs. Brooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrankly, if given the choice between sleeping with\npoliticians and sleeping with a Cylon agent, I would rather be demoted to\ncommander air group and go back to sleeping with my subordinates. Perhaps\nAdmiral Cain would be available to meet with your council.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI read your report commander,\u201d Brooks answered. \u201cWe have\nappointed the prosecutor and she will be if she is ever captured tried for\ncrimes against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell then perhaps you can allow me and Major Martin to\ndiscuss when we can bring the Solaria in the rehabilitation it so badly needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am not done with you Lawson,\u201d Brooks interrupted the\nattempt to change the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday we are done, executive Brooks. My executive officer\nis named Major Maria Ramirez. Contact her and we will get you an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have other tools at my discretion,\u201d Brooks threatened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat my cubit will get you a cup of coffee,\u201d Lawson replied\nand turned away from the woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A loud speaker came on: \u201cAction stations action stations set\ncondition one throughout the fleet. Contacts. Cylon Raiders CBDR. This is not a\ndrill. Prepare to jump the shipyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n