Desperate times in the Diaspora
For ar_drabbles challenge 59, desperate talk. And for bsg_aussiegirl and bugsfic for making me think of the episode Sacrifice.
"It wasn't worth it."
"What would you have done, Madam President? Given in? What would you have given the next one? These people have nothing to lose."
"These people are our people. You don't have to tell me how they feel. I'm out there among them while you sit on your battlestar. Strategizing."
"With all due respect..."
"When someone says that I know the next words are going to be hugely disrespectful--"
"With all due respect, you are not 'out there among them.' You get carefully chosen photo ops and highly-screened meetings with pre-selected 'random' people. You ever sleep in a cargo hold? Wait in line hour after hour, day after day, for short rations? You have a staff and the liberty of your ship and mine. You don't know what the people are thinking any more than I do. They'll surprise you. They've surprised us both. There are more Sesha Abinells out there. We have to hold strong."
"Would you be saying this if it were your son on that slab?"
"Lee is a soldier. He knows the risks."
"Billy wasn't. He was just working a few years to get money for grad school. He didn't bargain on any of this."
"None of us did, Laura. We do what we have to."
"You did what you had to."
"It was a military--"
"Stop. Stop. I'd thought we'd gotten passed that, Bill. That -- facade -- that there's some difference between civilian and military. A military decision? Then why is a civilian dead? The price was too high."
"The price was too high. But I'd do it again if I had to. So would you, Laura. If it were anyone but Billy."
"It shouldn't make a difference."
"It shouldn't. But it does."
"What does that make us, Bill?"
"Human."
"It wasn't worth it."
"What would you have done, Madam President? Given in? What would you have given the next one? These people have nothing to lose."
"These people are our people. You don't have to tell me how they feel. I'm out there among them while you sit on your battlestar. Strategizing."
"With all due respect..."
"When someone says that I know the next words are going to be hugely disrespectful--"
"With all due respect, you are not 'out there among them.' You get carefully chosen photo ops and highly-screened meetings with pre-selected 'random' people. You ever sleep in a cargo hold? Wait in line hour after hour, day after day, for short rations? You have a staff and the liberty of your ship and mine. You don't know what the people are thinking any more than I do. They'll surprise you. They've surprised us both. There are more Sesha Abinells out there. We have to hold strong."
"Would you be saying this if it were your son on that slab?"
"Lee is a soldier. He knows the risks."
"Billy wasn't. He was just working a few years to get money for grad school. He didn't bargain on any of this."
"None of us did, Laura. We do what we have to."
"You did what you had to."
"It was a military--"
"Stop. Stop. I'd thought we'd gotten passed that, Bill. That -- facade -- that there's some difference between civilian and military. A military decision? Then why is a civilian dead? The price was too high."
"The price was too high. But I'd do it again if I had to. So would you, Laura. If it were anyone but Billy."
"It shouldn't make a difference."
"It shouldn't. But it does."
"What does that make us, Bill?"
"Human."