Interstellar Relations, Monday, 6th Period

[hera-rises.livejournal.com]

She wore her favorite suit to class today, and was standing at the front of the classroom as the students entered. Her arms were folded across her chest, one elbow propped upward, a cup of coffee held not unlike the torch on the Statue of Liberty. Well, except not that high -- maybe about shoulder-level. She waited for class to begin with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"If you'll come in and take your seats from last time," Roslin said, gesturing with her coffee cup, "we'll get started."


The bell rang to signify the beginning of class, and she continued. "Last week we did budget submissions and got to know the fellow inmates in our cells." Her lips twisted into a lopsided grin. "Today, we get down to business. Your scenario is this: To this point, the United States, nor the Kingdom of Manticore have never heard of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Yet, after the last Cylon war ended badly, ships full of refugees have shown up in the solar systems nearby. You now have a first contact situation on your hands -- compounded by the fact that these Colonists have no other place to go."

It wasn't the best scenario she could come up with, she reasoned, but it was at least a timely one, and one very pertinent to her time on Earth. Now let's hope neither one shoots first and asks questions later...

"As I mentioned last week, I'll be circulating, filling in for those roles we can't cast. I'll also be giving you little bits of information. They may or may not be true. It's up to you to figure that out -- pry it out of your adversaries, if necessary -- and decide whether or not to act on it." She glanced at her watch. "You have one hour starting... now."

Laura then began to make her rounds through the classroom. She also began wishing she'd ordered the venti instead of the grande.


[A few OCD threads coming up. There will be a place holder for a later action for everyone to react to. ETA: Posted in the right place now.

ETA2: Please wait for the OOC thread. LJ seems to be giving issues, so it might be a bit.]

Comments

Terran (U.S.) Cell

[hera-rises.livejournal.com]

For internal Terran discussions.

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

Ray took his seat, scratched his head and wondered how he'd like to be greeted if he was an alien to the world.

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker was frowning. "Okay, so those guys just showed up after the animated robots kicked their ass. And came here?" She shook her head. "Let's hope the Cylons didn't feel like following them."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

"Could always keep them in one place for safety precautions," he said. "Until we know for sure."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy frowned and jumped into the discussion. "Like an internment camp?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

Ray shook his head. "Like an interrogation room. Just to talk to them. Not make them camp out or something."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"You want to interrogate hundreds of refugees?" Teddy asked. "Do we think they're here to invade or something?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

"Do we really know?" He leaned back in his chair, considering. "They could be here to be farmers or to take over. Some of them should, at least, be questioned before we let them go into the public."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker was still writing, but she pointed to Ray with her free hand. "What he said. But we'll need careful oversight. Not another Guantanamo Bay."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

"Maybe they'll have some organization," Ray said. "Maybe they'll have a leader."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker considered that, tapping a pen against her desk. Too hard to know if they'd show up in the same reality as the Stargate program, in which case, it would be less of a difficulty. "True. We could isolate them off-planet, furnish them with supplies, maybe get the kids off the ships first, then continue negotiations. If they've got interstellar transport, we'd have to make sure we got access to that. Prototypes, specs." She started making a list. "And evaluate the defensive position before we commit to anything else."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

"Cost a lot of money," Ray pointed out. "Tax money, most likely."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"We can hit up the U.N. and other Big Three nations for funds later, in return for some of the technology. We can't bogart the science forever, it'll leak out anyway." She shook her head. "Security's going to be *such* a bitch. Can you imagine how the public's going to react? You and Congress are going to have to deal with that fallout."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

Ray shrugged. "Public's gonna react how they're gonna react. No use in trying to control or prevent that. That'll just make it worse or make the reactions more extreme."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Play up the human refugee angle, pursued by robots, and maybe we won't have a ton of CNN commentators and pulpits denouncing them as the devil." Parker made face. "Hmm. Do we have any idea how many refugees we're talking about? If it's less than ten thousand or so, we could probably get them settled on Earth and then release the news before having to ask for extra funds. We could hit up Department of Homeland Security for emergency disbursement for that small a group."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[the-right-ray.livejournal.com]

"No idea on the number of people," Ray muttered. "We keep them locked away for too long, people will start thinking they're alien or carrying some movie type virus that wipes us all out. We'll need money, a plan to put them up, and a way to find out how they got there and if they brought any of their buddies along."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy sighed and sat down with his group. Dealing with aliens, oh joy.

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker cocked an eyebrow at Teddy. "Ready to make a good impression on the huddled masses, Mr. President?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy flinched a little at the 'Mr. President.' The government was not high on his list of nice things right now. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker cocked an eyebrow. "We need a coherent message. Or the entire planet freaks out. I mean, yay, refugess, good works, but come on. How altruistic are they going to feel about aliens?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy was well aware how people reacted to new species and races. "Hey look, something new and unknown. Kill it, kill it," Teddy muttered under his breath.

"Maybe introducing them to the public slowly would help."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Hmm. Spokespeople? Like the poster kids for famine-torn countries?" Parker nodded, writing this down too. "And slowly can't hurt. Maybe let the idea filter to the public in stages?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

Teddy nodded. "Get the public on board with us helping the refugees as much as possible. And we'll probably need to help the refugees get used to life here. Education and stuff."

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker nodded and made another note. "God knows what they're used to. But they have to be traumatized, at the least. WHO and the UN will definitely need to be called in. Vaccinations. No use saving them from starvation and space just to have them die of measles." She looked up. "Is it wrong that I'm enjoying planning this?"

Re: Terran (U.S.) Cell

[notthehulk.livejournal.com]

"A little weird," Teddy ventured. "But wanting to plan isn't a bad thing."

"What about kids without parents? They were in a war, right? There's bound to be a few orphans. Will we place them with one of the refugee families or with an Earth family?" Teddy asked, avoiding looking at anyone in particular.