application: ataraxion
31/5/14 23:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cabinsP L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Shea
OOC Journal:laceandlaudanum
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: 24
Email + IM: sheawheatleyb@gmail.com, Ophelia.Drowns
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Éponine Thénardier,jondrette
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Laura Roslin
Canon: Battlestar Galactica
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: 3.13
Number: 043
Setting: A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away…
History: Laura Roslin had a rather boring life, the eldest daughter of the three Roslin girls, until she reached her middle-ages. Born on Caprica to the Roslin family, meaning that Laura was born into privilege. Caprica was easily one of the wealthiest of the 12 Colonies of Kobol, and it's citizens followed suit. Finding her calling in education, Laura quickly became one of Caprica's top educations, and caught the eye of then-mayor of Caprica City, Richard Adar. When Adar moved to make a bid for presidency, at first, Laura rejected, given her dislike of politics. However, after the death of her sisters, her father, and her unborn niece in a car accident, Laura chose to accept. When Adar became President of the Colonies, Laura was named his Secretary of Education
Working close with Adar, romance between Laura and the president bloomed. However, when a large strike was called by the teacher's unions, their relationship was tested, and did not survive. Laura managed to diffuse the strike peacefully, which Adar believed would be impossible. Knowing that he would have used the violence to put fear into the hearts of any other unions who thought about striking, Laura made this known to him. Adar, in response, asked for her resignation. Laura refused, and on that fateful day, marched to her doctor's appointment.
Bad things tend to happen in threes, and the doctor's appointment gave her number 2: Laura had breast cancer, with only a year left to live. Reeling from this, Laura left her appointment in order to attend the decommissioning ceremony for the Battlestar known as Galactica where she appeared in her capacity as a government official.
As for the third bad thing? As Laura, on board the ship charged to bring her and her staff to and from the decommission ceremony, left Caprica City behind, the Cylon forces attacked all 12 of the colonies, rendering each planet uninhabitable. It was a holocaust, that only 50,000 managed to survive.
In any intergalactic tragedy, it's of the upmost importance to turn to the president, to see what they could offer. As it turned out, the president had not made it off of Caprica. Nor had the vice-president. Or any of the 42 offices that followed the succession. That left Laura Roslin, the 43rd in line for the presidency to take office. And it was a task she rose to admirably.
From on board her ship now known as Colonial One, Roslin did the best she could to organize the remaining members of the human race. Bringing every ship with a Faster Than Light (FTL) drive capable of jumps together, she had the difficult task of convincing commander William "Bill" Adama of the Galactica not to launch an attack on the Cylons responsible. Unsure how to handle the fleet, and the future of the human race, Laura and Bill made an agreement: Adama would lead the both military and the fleet's ships, and Laura would take care of the personnel and civilians in their fleet.
But Laura could not act as the only voice of the government for very long. Civilians placed pressure on her to take their own beliefs into accounts, and as such, the Quorum of Twelve was created. A senate of sorts that was to voice the beliefs on behalf of the Twelve Colonies. The Quorum moved to nominate a vice-president, and chose Tom Zarek, a convicted terrorist, recently released from the prison ship Astral Queen. Zarek was on the Quorum as the elected representative of Saggitaron. Roslin, believing that Zarek would use his place as vice-president to assassinate her and take control of the military, nominated a man named Wallace Gray. Gray, however, came out far behind Zarek in the polls, and, hoping to keep him out of office, Roslin placed pressure on Gray to drop out, so that Doctor Gaius Baltar- a man known for his brilliant scientific mind, and later, for consorting with the Cylons and playing a key role in the destruction of Caprica- could run in his stead.
In the end, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by Roslin herself, Baltar was instated as her vice-president, turning out to be the lesser of two evils.
During all of this, Roslin was treating her cancer with an herbal drug known as chamalla, which was known for it's abilities to induce visions. These visions, Laura realized, aligned with the prophecies of Pythia- written in the the scriptures of Kobol, the religion shared by the Twelve Colonies. Pythia claimed that the thirteenth colony was a planet called Earth, and that a dying leader would lead the people to it. Laura began to see herself as this leader, and used the prophecies to push her presidency forward, and give the fleet a goal: Finding Earth.
This lead to some unpopular decisions being made. After being forbidden by Adama, Roslin ordered one of the raptor pilots, Kara Thrace, "Starbuck", back to Caprica, in order to find the Arrow of Apollo, which was supposed to point the way to earth. Because of her actions, Adama arrested Roslin, citing her interference in the military operations of Galactica.
While imprisoned, Laura managed to escape, thanks to the help of both Lee Adama, commander Adama's son, and Tom Zarek. Fleeing the Galactica, Laura appealed to the fleet to abandon the battlestar and join her on her search for the Tomb of Athena on the planet Kobol, which, when coupled with the Arrow of Apollo, was said to provide clues as to where Earth is located. After finding the tomb, with Adama in tow, Laura and the Commander reconcile their differences, and is once again able to resume her position as President.
Unfortunately, cancer has a way of making things worse, and Laura was no exception. After being reinstated, she was informed that she had no more than a month to live. During this month, another Battlestar that had escaped from the colonies, Pegasus, emerged and under the command of Helena Cain, joined in the fleet. Unfortunately, Cain and Adama had very different views on civilians in the fleet, and unlike Adama, Cain never recognized Laura as the President of the Colonies. With this information, Laura pressed Adama to assassinate Cain, while Cain was planning the exact same thing. The last thing Laura wanted was Cain in a position of power following her immanent death. The deadlock between both Cain and Adama, as neither was willing to follow through, came to a head when Cain was killed by a Cylon that she had previously tortured and imprisoned. With Cain out of the way, and two Battlestars under their belt, Roslin moved to promote Adama to Admiral, and the two began to grow closer.
With the threat of Cain gone, Laura's cancer took a turn for the worst, and placed her in the sickbay. Under heavy medication, she saw Doctor Gaius Baltar on the day Caprica was attacked, arm in arm with one of the Cylon models, Number Six. Though the memories were hazy, they also revealed that Laura was asked to resign just prior to the attacks, and called further questions to the legitimacy of her presidency, given that it had been secured by the Cylon attack.
On the brink of death, Gaius Baltar saw Laura and took a leap of faith. He'd previously been looking at the DNA of the Cylons, and the half-Cylon fetus of Sharon "Athena" Valerii. By injecting Roslin with the blood of the unborn child, Laura was saved, the cancer effectively wiped out of her entire system.
Now in good health, and able to fully understand what the memories of Baltar and Six meant, Roslin approached Gaius, and asked him to remove himself from the position of Vice-President. Stubborn and prideful, Baltar refused. Taking it as a slight, and true insight into Baltar's nature, Laura told him he would never have another chance to resign.
Following the murder of her aide, Billy, Laura is called upon to make her toughest decision. Sharon's pregnancy became extremely complicated, and knowing how important a half-Cylon child was, Laura authorized the faking of the death of Hera Valerii, and was supported in this by her new assistant, Tory Foster. For the safety of the child, the fleet, and the human race, Hera was placed into the arms of an unknowing civilian woman.
Due to only being the president due to the death of Adar, Roslin's presidency was due to come to an end far sooner than the traditional four-years would indicate. Refusing to leave humanity in such a delicate state, Laura began to run for reelection against none-other than Doctor Gaius Baltar himself. One of the biggest issues in the campaign became that of abortion; when a Gemanese girl smuggled herself on to Galactica in hopes of undergoing an abortion, Laura was forced to ask herself what this would mean for the human race. At first, she was in support of a woman's right to choose, but knew that, if women had access to the necessary procedure, that meant that any pregnancy could be terminated. It would mean that the human race would have the option to not carry through with any pregnancy, and therefore, halt it's growth. Laura stepped out and publicly stated her stance as anti-choice.
Baltar, of course, took the opposite position.
Another issue setting the two apart in the polls was the discovery of an inhabitable planet dubbed New Caprica. Gaius believed that settling and colonizing the planet was the best choice of action for humanity. Laura, however, wanted to push forward, and continue to strive to find Earth. On election night, the polls were close, until a few hours until they were supposed to close, with Baltar pulling ahead by 5000 votes. Knowing what losing the presidency would mean for the rest of humanity, Laura's campaign advisor placed a call to Saul Tigh. Tigh and Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla intercepted an incoming ballot box and replaced it with one that leaned in favor of Roslin.
Roslin was announced as winning the election, and though Zarek, as Baltar's Vice President was suspicious, Baltar personally vouched for Laura, saying she would never ever allow voter fraud on her watch.
Ironically, Laura was the one who had authorized the fraudulent activity in the first place, and would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for Lieutenant Felix Gaeta. He knew that the ship that the ballots allegedly came from had a misprint- Baltar's first name was spelled incorrectly. However, the forged ballots had it spelled correctly. Gaeta, trying to do the right thing, turned to Adama. Adama then turned to Roslin, who confessed after some convincing. In order to keep to their principals, they announced there had been a tabulation error, and Baltar took office.
Looking for a life now outside of politics, Laura settled on New Caprica, returning to her old job as a school teacher. This way, she could keep a close eye on the half-Cylon child, Hera. Relieved from her presidential duties, Roslin and Adama grew closer, even though he remained on board Galactica. During his only visit, the two drank and smoked together, ending with them looking at the stars, and Laura revealing her dream of building a remote cabin in the woods.
Things were not all good on New Caprica, under the Baltar administration. A year after settling, the Cylons finally caught up with humanity. Baltar, always the one to run with his tail between his legs, immediately surrendered. With Cylons in charge, an underground resistance movement was founded, though Roslin did not join. However, Tigh declares his alliegence, and his forces, to Roslin and Zarek's given future presidency. With Tory's aid, Roslin creates a list of every member of the colonies who collaborated with the Cylons, for use in the event of the Cylons being driven off of New Caprica.
With things becoming dire, Tigh believed the best course of action was to use suicide bombers. When they began to strike, Roslin found herself taken into captivity under suspicions of giving Tigh the orders. Baltar, once more, speaks for Roslin's character and states that she would never allow the use of such force, and Roslin is released. This is short-lived, however, as soon after, Roslin is captured and brought to be executed with assumed members of the resistance. She, and the other condemned prisoners, are rescued by the resistance.
Shortly thereafter, Roslin and the colonists escape Caprica in a mass-exodus, and she resumes presidency once again, Zarek bowing to her. With the colonial fleet resuming it's quest for Earth, Zarek insists that once a new Quorum of 12 is founded, that he name Laura his new VP, and immediately step down, giving her the presidency. Laura then, knowing it is better to keep Zarek where she can keep an eye on him, surprises him by naming him her VP once again.
Hurting from their time on New Caprica, members of the fleet are thirsty for blood, and Zarek, along with Tigh, began to lead a group called The Circle. The Circle is a retribution tribunal, which investigats all allegations of collaboration with the Cylons, and promptly execute them. All of this in secret. With members of the fleet mysteriously disappearing, it doesn't take long for Roslin and Adama to find out, and put a stop to it. The moment that Roslin takes her presidency once again, she declares amnesty for all Cylon collaborators, hoping to bring together the fleet once more in their quest for Earth.
Gaius Baltar, who had been captured by Cylons following the exodus of New Caprica, meets with Roslin, along with a few Cylons to discuss the discussion of the Temple of the Five (referencing the Final Five Cylons that have yet to be discovered) on an Algea Planet, with both Cylons and humans looking for Earth. The temple is believed to provide clues to the location of Earth, in what they call the Eye of Jupiter, and both want it. During this meeting, the location of Hera is revealed, and subsequently, so is Laura's decision to fake her death. Hera had been captured by the Cylons, and has been living comfortably on board their baseship.
During this time, Laura comes to realize that her cancer has once again returned. In order to keep it at bay, she starts to take chamalla extract again, telling no one.
The fate of the Algea Planet is put into perspective when a star nearby is about to explode into a supernova, meaning the temple will be summarily destroyed. Both humans and Cylons try to come to the conclusion of what it means, and Roslin realizes that the temple, and the Eye of Jupiter, may have contained inscriptions both to the Cylons and the humans, serving two purposes.
The humans escape the Algae Planet before the star goes supernova, and in the process, re-capture Gaius Baltar, and regain possession of Hera. Hungry for blood, they begin to torture him in exchange for information, with plans to execute him. However, the offer is floated that he may escape execution if he cooperates, hoping that Baltar's time amongst the Cylons gave him insight into the location of Earth. Baltar, instead, asks for a fair trial. Roslin, against advice from both Adama and Zarek, agrees.
Personality: Laura Roslin has always been a soft-spoken woman. She cares deeply for those she loves, and values morals, education, and her friends. Born on Caprica to the Roslin family, that meant that in the 12 Colonies of Kobol, Laura was firmly situated in the upper-middle class. Caprica was a hot-bed of wealth and activity, easily the wealthiest planet in the Colonies. But Laura always lived a simple life. Her family raised her to stick to her roots, and not give in to the fanciful life they could lead. Keeping this in mind, Laura grew up to become a school teacher, which never really allowed her to have any sort of extravagant lifestyle. Which suited her just fine.
She's simple, in that she values books and education and experiences over material possessions. Her home has always been small, and her humble salary afforded her everything she needed. She had no aspirations of political gain, and even upon being appointed President of the Colonies, she remained unambitious. Imagine, a president who was not in the least bit power-hungry. She did not ask to be president, but it's a role she takes seriously, and with great responsibility.
Because of her easy-going, sweet disposition, Laura is easily underestimated. Many people had reservations when she first took office- herself included. After all, what was a school teacher doing leading the last of the Colonies on a quest for Earth? Yet, she has proven so far to be their savior, the dying leader predicted in the Prophecies of Pythia.
In her role as president, with less that 50,000 survivors of the entire human race, Laura often has to make the hard decisions. This means putting aside her own personal beliefs for the good of the Colonies. Even before that, she had to do the same as Secretary of Education. Not only does Laura make the hard decisions, though, she will do anything she can to ensure the survival of the human race. Laura tries to take a step-back and look at the bigger picture. If she has to commit fraud in order to do what is best for the people, she will do it, compromising her own beliefs.
Even within that, she will not compromise unless it's for the best. In her presidency, she took a hard stance in view towards traitors and Cylons, her preferred method for execution being throwing them out of the airlock. Still, Laura believes in justice, and if someone, as a member of the Colony, asks for a fair trial, she will give it to them, even if she is against it personally. Such was the case with Gaius Baltar's trial, when he was already almost to the airlock. Laura is an all-or-nothing woman, as she cannot be anything else in the face of the crises that have faced the people of the Colony.
Still, Laura is a kind woman. She was beloved by her students, and fellow faculty members, and her friends take pleasure in her company. When not discussing politics, Laura is easy-going, taking pleasure in books and conversations. She has a few vices, enjoying chamalla, though she takes it for her cancer (occasionally she has been seen smoking other substances, such as an herb native to New Caprica believed to be a close relative of marijuana), and finding wine and champagne to be some of the best to drink in the company of fine people.
She loves a good joke, and used to run regularly on both Caprica and New Caprica. Though a confirmed bachelorette, Laura has not locked love out of her life. Her romance with Adar was short-lived, and there appears to be something blooming between her and Bill Adama, despite their initial dislike for one another. Begrudging respect has made way for partnership, friendship, and now, an easy-going flirtationship. Laura has never been married, not finding time for it with her life on Caprica, and obviously, right now, she has a universe to run.
Laura strives to be unruffable. She is calm and collected in heavy situations. Even while under fire, Laura keeps her cool. Stern, when she needs to be, as any good teacher can be, the motherly Roslin inspires respect, rather than fear. When she says something, she means it, and no one around her would dare to call her bluff.
In the Colonies of Kobol, the majority of the people worship the 12 Lords of Kobol, Gods known to most as Hera, Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and the like. Their society takes on a Grecian, polytheistic religion. Some Colonies, like Saggitaron, are more staunch in their beliefs. Caprica, though the center of the Colonies, has become far more relaxed. As such, Laura was raised to believe in the Lords of Kobol, but was never overly religious. But when she began having visions under the influence of chamalla, she began to take religion seriously, bringing in a priestess to help guide her. Laura believes in her visions, that they contain hints and clues about where they are going, and what they are doing. She looks to them for guidance as she makes her decisions in regards to the fleet. And so far, her newfound religious beliefs have not waned.
Laura is a tough, no-nonsense woman in the office, but outside of her presidency, a kind, loving woman. She is, in every respect, a mother to the colonists, and to all those whom hope to settle on Earth.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Laura is a human with a history as a cancer survivor. She is in her early 50s. Though she is strong mentally, physically, she leaves something to be desired.
Laura's greatest weakness is her desire to save the human race. She will not back down, she will make the unpopular decision if it means preserving her species. She will not confuse what is right with what is smart, and vise-versa.
Laura is human, once again. She has the same strengths and weaknesses that any woman of her age and height and weight should have. She cannot drive a spaceship, raptor, or viper. She has a reasonable grasp on technology.
Previously, Laura was inches from death due to breast cancer. Though she successfully had it removed from her system once, it came back for a second time. This time, it does not appear that she can beat it, though thankfully, the healing goo of the Tranquility will erase it from her system once more.
Inventory:
- one (1) pencil skirt
- one (1) blouse
- one (1) blazer
- one (1) pair of glasses
- one (1) pair of sensible kitten heels
- one (1) book of Pythian Prophecies
Appearance: Mary McDonnell
Laura Roslin is pleasing to the eyes, but not the drop-dead bombshell type that you would find with, say, Model Six. A tall, trim woman, Laura is in her early 50s. Years of hard work are visible in the lines around her eyes, though the most pronounced are, by far, her laugh-lines.
She most often wears glasses over her dark brown eyes, taking them off and putting them on as she needs to, according to, honestly, what is the most dramatic movement necessary to undermine her point. Often, when she is being honest and open, she will remove them. When getting down to business to defeat Cylons, she'll put them on again.
No, Laura is a pretty woman, with her auburn hair trimmed neatly, and minimal makeup. She's never considered herself anything but pretty. She eats well to maintain her figure, and previously exercised regularly (obviously, being on a space-ship makes that a lot harder). She dresses well, most often in skirts and suits, as well as the occasional dress when she is relaxing. She does not hide her femininity, and sees no reason to do so.
Age: Early 50s
AU Clarification: N/A
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: Right, left, right, left, right, left. Laura's feet found an easy pace on the metal floor of the Tranquility. Left, right, left, right. Having managed to find a pair of running shoes in roughly her size, and that the standard uniform given to those aboard the Tranquility happened to be suitable for exercise, she had taken to running. Well, returned to it. It had been some time, unfortunately, since she'd been able to jog freely, since New Caprica, come to think of it. But here, the ship was much larger than Colonial One, and less-crowded than Galactica. This, she reasoned, made for a perfect place to return to her hobby.
That, and cancer was gone from her body once again. Able to breathe easy, she wanted to do just that: breathe. And what better way to get the oxygen flowing and blood pumping than to jog?
What better way to situate yourself with your new surroundings than to explore, too? Perhaps find some sort of bay that might contain, well, clues, to what they were doing here, or why. Why she had been picked to come here, instead of being left with the colonial fleet. They were so close to finding Earth, she could almost taste it. But now, she was here.
Determined not to let the thoughts of never finding Earth get her down, Laura kept her head up. Left, right, one, two. Now what she really needed to find, she mused, were stairs.
Comms Sample: [The feed begins with an attractive older woman sitting in a chair, her glasses on. She seems calm, collected, despite the relatively unfamiliar surroundings. When she speaks, it's with an ease of authority, looking just over the edges of her glasses.]
Hello. I am President Laura Roslin, of the 12 Colonies of Kobol. I am to understand that, as of this last jump, I am no longer with them. [She doesn't want to think what Zarek is doing in her absence.] While I believe this is not the result of my, now-former cancer, I still have many questions, not all easily answered.
Does this ship have any sort of command that I could speak with? The Captain, or perhaps a board of those, who, like myself, have found themselves pulled out of their lives? And if any amongst you happen to be familiar with the Colonies, and the Battlestar Galactica, I wish to speak with you privately.
Good day, ladies and gentlemen. [With a short nod, Laura cuts the feed.]
Accepted
Your Name: Shea
OOC Journal:
laceandlaudanumUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: 24
Email + IM: sheawheatleyb@gmail.com, Ophelia.Drowns
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Éponine Thénardier,
jondretteC H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Laura Roslin
Canon: Battlestar Galactica
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: 3.13
Number: 043
Setting: A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Far Away…
History: Laura Roslin had a rather boring life, the eldest daughter of the three Roslin girls, until she reached her middle-ages. Born on Caprica to the Roslin family, meaning that Laura was born into privilege. Caprica was easily one of the wealthiest of the 12 Colonies of Kobol, and it's citizens followed suit. Finding her calling in education, Laura quickly became one of Caprica's top educations, and caught the eye of then-mayor of Caprica City, Richard Adar. When Adar moved to make a bid for presidency, at first, Laura rejected, given her dislike of politics. However, after the death of her sisters, her father, and her unborn niece in a car accident, Laura chose to accept. When Adar became President of the Colonies, Laura was named his Secretary of Education
Working close with Adar, romance between Laura and the president bloomed. However, when a large strike was called by the teacher's unions, their relationship was tested, and did not survive. Laura managed to diffuse the strike peacefully, which Adar believed would be impossible. Knowing that he would have used the violence to put fear into the hearts of any other unions who thought about striking, Laura made this known to him. Adar, in response, asked for her resignation. Laura refused, and on that fateful day, marched to her doctor's appointment.
Bad things tend to happen in threes, and the doctor's appointment gave her number 2: Laura had breast cancer, with only a year left to live. Reeling from this, Laura left her appointment in order to attend the decommissioning ceremony for the Battlestar known as Galactica where she appeared in her capacity as a government official.
As for the third bad thing? As Laura, on board the ship charged to bring her and her staff to and from the decommission ceremony, left Caprica City behind, the Cylon forces attacked all 12 of the colonies, rendering each planet uninhabitable. It was a holocaust, that only 50,000 managed to survive.
In any intergalactic tragedy, it's of the upmost importance to turn to the president, to see what they could offer. As it turned out, the president had not made it off of Caprica. Nor had the vice-president. Or any of the 42 offices that followed the succession. That left Laura Roslin, the 43rd in line for the presidency to take office. And it was a task she rose to admirably.
From on board her ship now known as Colonial One, Roslin did the best she could to organize the remaining members of the human race. Bringing every ship with a Faster Than Light (FTL) drive capable of jumps together, she had the difficult task of convincing commander William "Bill" Adama of the Galactica not to launch an attack on the Cylons responsible. Unsure how to handle the fleet, and the future of the human race, Laura and Bill made an agreement: Adama would lead the both military and the fleet's ships, and Laura would take care of the personnel and civilians in their fleet.
But Laura could not act as the only voice of the government for very long. Civilians placed pressure on her to take their own beliefs into accounts, and as such, the Quorum of Twelve was created. A senate of sorts that was to voice the beliefs on behalf of the Twelve Colonies. The Quorum moved to nominate a vice-president, and chose Tom Zarek, a convicted terrorist, recently released from the prison ship Astral Queen. Zarek was on the Quorum as the elected representative of Saggitaron. Roslin, believing that Zarek would use his place as vice-president to assassinate her and take control of the military, nominated a man named Wallace Gray. Gray, however, came out far behind Zarek in the polls, and, hoping to keep him out of office, Roslin placed pressure on Gray to drop out, so that Doctor Gaius Baltar- a man known for his brilliant scientific mind, and later, for consorting with the Cylons and playing a key role in the destruction of Caprica- could run in his stead.
In the end, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by Roslin herself, Baltar was instated as her vice-president, turning out to be the lesser of two evils.
During all of this, Roslin was treating her cancer with an herbal drug known as chamalla, which was known for it's abilities to induce visions. These visions, Laura realized, aligned with the prophecies of Pythia- written in the the scriptures of Kobol, the religion shared by the Twelve Colonies. Pythia claimed that the thirteenth colony was a planet called Earth, and that a dying leader would lead the people to it. Laura began to see herself as this leader, and used the prophecies to push her presidency forward, and give the fleet a goal: Finding Earth.
This lead to some unpopular decisions being made. After being forbidden by Adama, Roslin ordered one of the raptor pilots, Kara Thrace, "Starbuck", back to Caprica, in order to find the Arrow of Apollo, which was supposed to point the way to earth. Because of her actions, Adama arrested Roslin, citing her interference in the military operations of Galactica.
While imprisoned, Laura managed to escape, thanks to the help of both Lee Adama, commander Adama's son, and Tom Zarek. Fleeing the Galactica, Laura appealed to the fleet to abandon the battlestar and join her on her search for the Tomb of Athena on the planet Kobol, which, when coupled with the Arrow of Apollo, was said to provide clues as to where Earth is located. After finding the tomb, with Adama in tow, Laura and the Commander reconcile their differences, and is once again able to resume her position as President.
Unfortunately, cancer has a way of making things worse, and Laura was no exception. After being reinstated, she was informed that she had no more than a month to live. During this month, another Battlestar that had escaped from the colonies, Pegasus, emerged and under the command of Helena Cain, joined in the fleet. Unfortunately, Cain and Adama had very different views on civilians in the fleet, and unlike Adama, Cain never recognized Laura as the President of the Colonies. With this information, Laura pressed Adama to assassinate Cain, while Cain was planning the exact same thing. The last thing Laura wanted was Cain in a position of power following her immanent death. The deadlock between both Cain and Adama, as neither was willing to follow through, came to a head when Cain was killed by a Cylon that she had previously tortured and imprisoned. With Cain out of the way, and two Battlestars under their belt, Roslin moved to promote Adama to Admiral, and the two began to grow closer.
With the threat of Cain gone, Laura's cancer took a turn for the worst, and placed her in the sickbay. Under heavy medication, she saw Doctor Gaius Baltar on the day Caprica was attacked, arm in arm with one of the Cylon models, Number Six. Though the memories were hazy, they also revealed that Laura was asked to resign just prior to the attacks, and called further questions to the legitimacy of her presidency, given that it had been secured by the Cylon attack.
On the brink of death, Gaius Baltar saw Laura and took a leap of faith. He'd previously been looking at the DNA of the Cylons, and the half-Cylon fetus of Sharon "Athena" Valerii. By injecting Roslin with the blood of the unborn child, Laura was saved, the cancer effectively wiped out of her entire system.
Now in good health, and able to fully understand what the memories of Baltar and Six meant, Roslin approached Gaius, and asked him to remove himself from the position of Vice-President. Stubborn and prideful, Baltar refused. Taking it as a slight, and true insight into Baltar's nature, Laura told him he would never have another chance to resign.
Following the murder of her aide, Billy, Laura is called upon to make her toughest decision. Sharon's pregnancy became extremely complicated, and knowing how important a half-Cylon child was, Laura authorized the faking of the death of Hera Valerii, and was supported in this by her new assistant, Tory Foster. For the safety of the child, the fleet, and the human race, Hera was placed into the arms of an unknowing civilian woman.
Due to only being the president due to the death of Adar, Roslin's presidency was due to come to an end far sooner than the traditional four-years would indicate. Refusing to leave humanity in such a delicate state, Laura began to run for reelection against none-other than Doctor Gaius Baltar himself. One of the biggest issues in the campaign became that of abortion; when a Gemanese girl smuggled herself on to Galactica in hopes of undergoing an abortion, Laura was forced to ask herself what this would mean for the human race. At first, she was in support of a woman's right to choose, but knew that, if women had access to the necessary procedure, that meant that any pregnancy could be terminated. It would mean that the human race would have the option to not carry through with any pregnancy, and therefore, halt it's growth. Laura stepped out and publicly stated her stance as anti-choice.
Baltar, of course, took the opposite position.
Another issue setting the two apart in the polls was the discovery of an inhabitable planet dubbed New Caprica. Gaius believed that settling and colonizing the planet was the best choice of action for humanity. Laura, however, wanted to push forward, and continue to strive to find Earth. On election night, the polls were close, until a few hours until they were supposed to close, with Baltar pulling ahead by 5000 votes. Knowing what losing the presidency would mean for the rest of humanity, Laura's campaign advisor placed a call to Saul Tigh. Tigh and Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla intercepted an incoming ballot box and replaced it with one that leaned in favor of Roslin.
Roslin was announced as winning the election, and though Zarek, as Baltar's Vice President was suspicious, Baltar personally vouched for Laura, saying she would never ever allow voter fraud on her watch.
Ironically, Laura was the one who had authorized the fraudulent activity in the first place, and would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for Lieutenant Felix Gaeta. He knew that the ship that the ballots allegedly came from had a misprint- Baltar's first name was spelled incorrectly. However, the forged ballots had it spelled correctly. Gaeta, trying to do the right thing, turned to Adama. Adama then turned to Roslin, who confessed after some convincing. In order to keep to their principals, they announced there had been a tabulation error, and Baltar took office.
Looking for a life now outside of politics, Laura settled on New Caprica, returning to her old job as a school teacher. This way, she could keep a close eye on the half-Cylon child, Hera. Relieved from her presidential duties, Roslin and Adama grew closer, even though he remained on board Galactica. During his only visit, the two drank and smoked together, ending with them looking at the stars, and Laura revealing her dream of building a remote cabin in the woods.
Things were not all good on New Caprica, under the Baltar administration. A year after settling, the Cylons finally caught up with humanity. Baltar, always the one to run with his tail between his legs, immediately surrendered. With Cylons in charge, an underground resistance movement was founded, though Roslin did not join. However, Tigh declares his alliegence, and his forces, to Roslin and Zarek's given future presidency. With Tory's aid, Roslin creates a list of every member of the colonies who collaborated with the Cylons, for use in the event of the Cylons being driven off of New Caprica.
With things becoming dire, Tigh believed the best course of action was to use suicide bombers. When they began to strike, Roslin found herself taken into captivity under suspicions of giving Tigh the orders. Baltar, once more, speaks for Roslin's character and states that she would never allow the use of such force, and Roslin is released. This is short-lived, however, as soon after, Roslin is captured and brought to be executed with assumed members of the resistance. She, and the other condemned prisoners, are rescued by the resistance.
Shortly thereafter, Roslin and the colonists escape Caprica in a mass-exodus, and she resumes presidency once again, Zarek bowing to her. With the colonial fleet resuming it's quest for Earth, Zarek insists that once a new Quorum of 12 is founded, that he name Laura his new VP, and immediately step down, giving her the presidency. Laura then, knowing it is better to keep Zarek where she can keep an eye on him, surprises him by naming him her VP once again.
Hurting from their time on New Caprica, members of the fleet are thirsty for blood, and Zarek, along with Tigh, began to lead a group called The Circle. The Circle is a retribution tribunal, which investigats all allegations of collaboration with the Cylons, and promptly execute them. All of this in secret. With members of the fleet mysteriously disappearing, it doesn't take long for Roslin and Adama to find out, and put a stop to it. The moment that Roslin takes her presidency once again, she declares amnesty for all Cylon collaborators, hoping to bring together the fleet once more in their quest for Earth.
Gaius Baltar, who had been captured by Cylons following the exodus of New Caprica, meets with Roslin, along with a few Cylons to discuss the discussion of the Temple of the Five (referencing the Final Five Cylons that have yet to be discovered) on an Algea Planet, with both Cylons and humans looking for Earth. The temple is believed to provide clues to the location of Earth, in what they call the Eye of Jupiter, and both want it. During this meeting, the location of Hera is revealed, and subsequently, so is Laura's decision to fake her death. Hera had been captured by the Cylons, and has been living comfortably on board their baseship.
During this time, Laura comes to realize that her cancer has once again returned. In order to keep it at bay, she starts to take chamalla extract again, telling no one.
The fate of the Algea Planet is put into perspective when a star nearby is about to explode into a supernova, meaning the temple will be summarily destroyed. Both humans and Cylons try to come to the conclusion of what it means, and Roslin realizes that the temple, and the Eye of Jupiter, may have contained inscriptions both to the Cylons and the humans, serving two purposes.
The humans escape the Algae Planet before the star goes supernova, and in the process, re-capture Gaius Baltar, and regain possession of Hera. Hungry for blood, they begin to torture him in exchange for information, with plans to execute him. However, the offer is floated that he may escape execution if he cooperates, hoping that Baltar's time amongst the Cylons gave him insight into the location of Earth. Baltar, instead, asks for a fair trial. Roslin, against advice from both Adama and Zarek, agrees.
Personality: Laura Roslin has always been a soft-spoken woman. She cares deeply for those she loves, and values morals, education, and her friends. Born on Caprica to the Roslin family, that meant that in the 12 Colonies of Kobol, Laura was firmly situated in the upper-middle class. Caprica was a hot-bed of wealth and activity, easily the wealthiest planet in the Colonies. But Laura always lived a simple life. Her family raised her to stick to her roots, and not give in to the fanciful life they could lead. Keeping this in mind, Laura grew up to become a school teacher, which never really allowed her to have any sort of extravagant lifestyle. Which suited her just fine.
She's simple, in that she values books and education and experiences over material possessions. Her home has always been small, and her humble salary afforded her everything she needed. She had no aspirations of political gain, and even upon being appointed President of the Colonies, she remained unambitious. Imagine, a president who was not in the least bit power-hungry. She did not ask to be president, but it's a role she takes seriously, and with great responsibility.
Because of her easy-going, sweet disposition, Laura is easily underestimated. Many people had reservations when she first took office- herself included. After all, what was a school teacher doing leading the last of the Colonies on a quest for Earth? Yet, she has proven so far to be their savior, the dying leader predicted in the Prophecies of Pythia.
In her role as president, with less that 50,000 survivors of the entire human race, Laura often has to make the hard decisions. This means putting aside her own personal beliefs for the good of the Colonies. Even before that, she had to do the same as Secretary of Education. Not only does Laura make the hard decisions, though, she will do anything she can to ensure the survival of the human race. Laura tries to take a step-back and look at the bigger picture. If she has to commit fraud in order to do what is best for the people, she will do it, compromising her own beliefs.
Even within that, she will not compromise unless it's for the best. In her presidency, she took a hard stance in view towards traitors and Cylons, her preferred method for execution being throwing them out of the airlock. Still, Laura believes in justice, and if someone, as a member of the Colony, asks for a fair trial, she will give it to them, even if she is against it personally. Such was the case with Gaius Baltar's trial, when he was already almost to the airlock. Laura is an all-or-nothing woman, as she cannot be anything else in the face of the crises that have faced the people of the Colony.
Still, Laura is a kind woman. She was beloved by her students, and fellow faculty members, and her friends take pleasure in her company. When not discussing politics, Laura is easy-going, taking pleasure in books and conversations. She has a few vices, enjoying chamalla, though she takes it for her cancer (occasionally she has been seen smoking other substances, such as an herb native to New Caprica believed to be a close relative of marijuana), and finding wine and champagne to be some of the best to drink in the company of fine people.
She loves a good joke, and used to run regularly on both Caprica and New Caprica. Though a confirmed bachelorette, Laura has not locked love out of her life. Her romance with Adar was short-lived, and there appears to be something blooming between her and Bill Adama, despite their initial dislike for one another. Begrudging respect has made way for partnership, friendship, and now, an easy-going flirtationship. Laura has never been married, not finding time for it with her life on Caprica, and obviously, right now, she has a universe to run.
Laura strives to be unruffable. She is calm and collected in heavy situations. Even while under fire, Laura keeps her cool. Stern, when she needs to be, as any good teacher can be, the motherly Roslin inspires respect, rather than fear. When she says something, she means it, and no one around her would dare to call her bluff.
In the Colonies of Kobol, the majority of the people worship the 12 Lords of Kobol, Gods known to most as Hera, Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and the like. Their society takes on a Grecian, polytheistic religion. Some Colonies, like Saggitaron, are more staunch in their beliefs. Caprica, though the center of the Colonies, has become far more relaxed. As such, Laura was raised to believe in the Lords of Kobol, but was never overly religious. But when she began having visions under the influence of chamalla, she began to take religion seriously, bringing in a priestess to help guide her. Laura believes in her visions, that they contain hints and clues about where they are going, and what they are doing. She looks to them for guidance as she makes her decisions in regards to the fleet. And so far, her newfound religious beliefs have not waned.
Laura is a tough, no-nonsense woman in the office, but outside of her presidency, a kind, loving woman. She is, in every respect, a mother to the colonists, and to all those whom hope to settle on Earth.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Laura is a human with a history as a cancer survivor. She is in her early 50s. Though she is strong mentally, physically, she leaves something to be desired.
Laura's greatest weakness is her desire to save the human race. She will not back down, she will make the unpopular decision if it means preserving her species. She will not confuse what is right with what is smart, and vise-versa.
Laura is human, once again. She has the same strengths and weaknesses that any woman of her age and height and weight should have. She cannot drive a spaceship, raptor, or viper. She has a reasonable grasp on technology.
Previously, Laura was inches from death due to breast cancer. Though she successfully had it removed from her system once, it came back for a second time. This time, it does not appear that she can beat it, though thankfully, the healing goo of the Tranquility will erase it from her system once more.
Inventory:
- one (1) pencil skirt
- one (1) blouse
- one (1) blazer
- one (1) pair of glasses
- one (1) pair of sensible kitten heels
- one (1) book of Pythian Prophecies
Appearance: Mary McDonnell
Laura Roslin is pleasing to the eyes, but not the drop-dead bombshell type that you would find with, say, Model Six. A tall, trim woman, Laura is in her early 50s. Years of hard work are visible in the lines around her eyes, though the most pronounced are, by far, her laugh-lines.
She most often wears glasses over her dark brown eyes, taking them off and putting them on as she needs to, according to, honestly, what is the most dramatic movement necessary to undermine her point. Often, when she is being honest and open, she will remove them. When getting down to business to defeat Cylons, she'll put them on again.
No, Laura is a pretty woman, with her auburn hair trimmed neatly, and minimal makeup. She's never considered herself anything but pretty. She eats well to maintain her figure, and previously exercised regularly (obviously, being on a space-ship makes that a lot harder). She dresses well, most often in skirts and suits, as well as the occasional dress when she is relaxing. She does not hide her femininity, and sees no reason to do so.
Age: Early 50s
AU Clarification: N/A
S A M P L E S
Log Sample: Right, left, right, left, right, left. Laura's feet found an easy pace on the metal floor of the Tranquility. Left, right, left, right. Having managed to find a pair of running shoes in roughly her size, and that the standard uniform given to those aboard the Tranquility happened to be suitable for exercise, she had taken to running. Well, returned to it. It had been some time, unfortunately, since she'd been able to jog freely, since New Caprica, come to think of it. But here, the ship was much larger than Colonial One, and less-crowded than Galactica. This, she reasoned, made for a perfect place to return to her hobby.
That, and cancer was gone from her body once again. Able to breathe easy, she wanted to do just that: breathe. And what better way to get the oxygen flowing and blood pumping than to jog?
What better way to situate yourself with your new surroundings than to explore, too? Perhaps find some sort of bay that might contain, well, clues, to what they were doing here, or why. Why she had been picked to come here, instead of being left with the colonial fleet. They were so close to finding Earth, she could almost taste it. But now, she was here.
Determined not to let the thoughts of never finding Earth get her down, Laura kept her head up. Left, right, one, two. Now what she really needed to find, she mused, were stairs.
Comms Sample: [The feed begins with an attractive older woman sitting in a chair, her glasses on. She seems calm, collected, despite the relatively unfamiliar surroundings. When she speaks, it's with an ease of authority, looking just over the edges of her glasses.]
Hello. I am President Laura Roslin, of the 12 Colonies of Kobol. I am to understand that, as of this last jump, I am no longer with them. [She doesn't want to think what Zarek is doing in her absence.] While I believe this is not the result of my, now-former cancer, I still have many questions, not all easily answered.
Does this ship have any sort of command that I could speak with? The Captain, or perhaps a board of those, who, like myself, have found themselves pulled out of their lives? And if any amongst you happen to be familiar with the Colonies, and the Battlestar Galactica, I wish to speak with you privately.
Good day, ladies and gentlemen. [With a short nod, Laura cuts the feed.]
Accepted
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