Battlestar Galactica: Devotion

Prologue

Prologue

"You have to be kidding me, Lee", Lieutenant Kara Thrace, Call Sign Starbuck, said in disbelief to her CAG/friend/sometimes lover/pain-in-the-ass, Captain Lee Adama, Call Sign Apollo. "The Secretary of Education?"

"Did I stutter, Starbuck?" Lee wasn't in the mood for this. He had gone through a bad day. Then again, no one had had a particularly good day among the ranks of Humanity, that were suddenly cut down to a precious few. The Cylons, after a forty-year absence and silence, had struck the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, all the information coming into the Battlestar Galactica was that it had completely annihilated the twelve planets.

Lee had met the new President aboard what had been Colonial Heavy 7-9-8, and what was now designated as Colonial One. He had been assigned to escort the ship, carrying Secretary of Education Laura Roslin back to Caprica after she had been the guest of honor at the decommission ceremony of Galactica.

He was just glad to be alive.

He had destroyed a Cylon missile that was headed right at Colonial Heavy 7-9-8; he had tricked Cylon Raiders into thinking that the ship had been destroyed, knocking himself unconscious in the process; he had been there when Laura Roslin had been sworn in as president, and when the almost unbearable decision had been made to leave a host of non-FTL civilian ships behind, as The Cylons launched an attack.

"She was number forty-three in the line of succession, and that'll give you an indication of the magnitude of this attack."

"Forty third", Kara said softly, almost to herself. "There's no way she's qualified to be..."

"Who is", Lee asked with some exasperation. "The Colonies are gone, Kara. We are all that's left. By law, she is the President. Besides", he said, with a small gleam in his eye, "I've already seen her in action on Colonial One. She's tough as nails. I think she might even be tougher than you, Starbuck."

Kara snorted a laugh. "Highly doubtful."

"My point is", Lee said more earnestly, "to give her a chance. We need to get behind her, and do our job."

Kara Thrace was a hard woman to convince about anything-except if someone asked her to drink, smoke, or frack. But she would take Lee's advice, and give this nascent President a chance.

____________________________________________________________

"Commander", President Laura Roslin asked, "I don't recall meeting that pilot. Who is she?"

Bill Adama smiled despite himself. That pilot was currently chewing out a deck hand working on her viper.

"I don't care, Crewman", the young, blonde women said with feeling. "That gun belt needs to be pulled and replaced. Now I can go to the Chief if you want. Your call..."

"That, Madam President", Bill said with a shake of his head, "is Lieutenant Kara Thrace, Call Sign Starbuck. Our resident pain-in-the-ass."

"Why didn't I see her when I was onboard during the ceremony the other day?"

"She was cooling her heels in the Brig, Madam President. She slugged Colonel Tigh during a game of Poker. Tigh thought she was cheating. Saul upended a table into her, and she slugged him."

Laura's eyes opened in shock. "You're kidding? I can't believe..."

Bill stopped her. "Any other pilot, I wouldn't believe it", he observed. "Kara? Par for the course. She's been written up more times than I can remember."

"Why is she still on active duty, then?"

Adama looked right at the new President. "Because in my fifty years in the service, I've never seen a better pilot. Ever. I think she may be one of the best ever to fly any kind of fighter for The Colonies."

"High praise", Roslin said, having read up on Bill Adama's own extraordinary military career. "There's more to it than that", Laura mused, giving the Commander a sideways glance.

She's sharp, Bill Adama said to himself. "Yes, there is. She was engaged to my late son Zak, who was killed in a Viper about a year ago."

Laura knew of Zak's death, part of her file on the Commander. That information had been divulged in the report.

"Let's go over and talk to her", Bill urged the President.

Kara had finished putting the fear of the gods into the Crewman, and was back in her cockpit, looking for any more problems. Her ship had been shot up pretty good when they engaged The Cylons, but she expected it to be back in service by the next day.

"Starbuck", Bill Adama commanded, as he and Roslin approached the ship. Starbuck looked over and smiled at the Old Man.

"What can I do for you, Boss?"

"Come on down here for a moment."

Kara popped out of the cockpit and down the ladder that sided up to her ship. She turned upon reaching the deck, giving the Commander a salute, Adama doing the same.

"Lieutenant Thrace", the Commander said, looking at Starbuck, then at Roslin, "I'd like to introduce you to the President of The Colonies, Laura Roslin."

"Madam President". Kara snapped off a salute of her own, Laura knowing enough not to salute back.

"Lieutenant Thrace." Laura extended her hand, both women firmly grasping the others' hand. "It looks like you had some trouble with your ship?"

"No trouble with the ship, Madam President", Kara said with her cheeky grin, "just a problem with The Cylons."

"I see." Laura eyed the young woman closely. Her hair was cut tomboyishly short-it looked like she had cut it herself. She had a gorgeous smile, and beautiful, golden-green eyes that were sharp, but, Laura thought, hid under them a story of a woman who had seen far more than her young years would indicate. "I hear you performed an...unusual maneuver, to save Captain Apollo just before we jumped?" The President flexed her eyebrows upward.

Kara snorted. "Yeah, well, someone had to save Lee's ass, and I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd give him a...lift back to the ship." Bill Adama simply snorted when Kara looked at him. The smile that lit up Starbuck's face almost took Laura's breath away, so full of life it was.

"Well, on behalf of your President, I'm glad you saved Apollo's caboose." Kara laughed heartily at that. "Apollo pretty much saved our collective asses on Colonial One when the attack began, so I'm very grateful."

"He's already the President's pet?" It was said with another mischievous grin, making the President laugh.

"Starbuck", Adama warned her.

"It's okay, Commander", Laura said with the same smile, her eyes not leaving the eyes of this mysterious young woman. "The President is entitled to at least one pet."

The line was said with complete seriousness, that it caught Kara off-guard. She could only laugh loudly when she got it.

"I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, Madam President", Kara said teasingly, her eyes twinkling.

"I'll just steer clear of any of your card games, Lieutenant." Kara turned beet red, knowing she couldn't deny it. Laura had her own hearty laugh. "But I think you're right, Lieutenant."

As they parted, both women had the exact same thought about the other: She's definitely not what I expected.