The blonde girl tapped her feet impatiently. "Well?"

"Well what?" The boy replied, reluctantly looking up from his toy viper ship. Although just a girl, maybe a year or so younger than him, she had an incredibly imposing figure, the young boy found himself surprisingly intimidated.

"Aren't you going ask me to play?!" The girl responded, rolling her eyes and thudding her hands down on her hips. "Recess is almost over and I'm bored!"

The boy shrugged. "I don't play with girls" He replied, looking back to his toy ship, but silently hoping she would simply leave him alone. He had heard of this girl before. After a few moments of ignoring her, he turned back to find her still standing over him. "What? Go play with a doll or something" he snarled. His friend, kneeling down with him and playing with a model Raider sniggered cruelly.

"It's a free colony. I'll play here if I want." The blonde girl, obviously unthreatened, replied. She then sat down between the twfo boys, blocking the models and toys from use, crossing her arms in a show of defiance.

Disgusted, the boys stood up. "Hey!" The second boy screamed. "I said no stinky girls allowed!" The other added.

With that, the blonde girl leaped from her position and pushed the boy with the raider toy, knocking him to the floor. The first boy moved to push her back to the floor, but she grabbed him in a headlock. She wrestled him to the floor, screaming and pulling hair. She kicked at the other boy, preventing him from getting up. "Get off me!" He screamed.

"Frak you!" She replied with a grin, scruffing his hair and making him move awkwardly. Eventually, the boy wrestled free but fell to the floor, breathing heavily. The blonde girl stood triumphant, her hands back on her hips, daring them to stand up again. They wisely stayed down.

"Kara Thrace!" The warning bellowed across the playground. The blonde girl flinched at her name being called. She spun on the spot, facing the teacher. "Yes, Ms Berna?" She asked, sweetly, quickly dropping her arms again.

"Don't play coy with me, Kara" The teacher scolded, pointing at Kara with an accusing tone. "I'm sick of this. You're going to the principal's office."

…

Kara Thrace swung her legs from her chair nervously. She'd been to the principal's office for fighting more times than she could remember, but this time was different. The school had recently hired a new head teacher and Kara hadn't met her yet, normally this wouldn't be a problem, but word around the school was that she was a harsh teacher and administered the most brutal punishments.

Kara gulped, silently wondering what her mother would say if she would be expelled from the school. She hoped they wouldn't have to move. Kara was a true Caprica girl and couldn't imagine living in any other colony.

"Come in, Ms Thrace" The request came and Kara held her breath as she stood and carefully opened the door.

The principal wasn't at all what she expected, Kara allowed herself to exhale as she saw a smile emerge from the teachers warm face. "Take a seat" She asked and tapped the seat opposite her.

Kara did what she was told and sat down in the chair. The principal had arranged the chairs so there was no desk between them, they were facing each other with no obstacles, almost like equals. Kara liked that, and she instantly liked her. She had long dark hair, slim figure and a warm smile. Kara tried to guess how old she was but soon realized she had no idea. All grown-ups were the same to her.

Of course, Kara let none of this apparent on her face, preferring to greet her new principal with a scowl. The principal continued to smile.

"So you're the first student that's been sent to my office, it seems" she said.

"Yup" Kara replied, though secretly she was surprised, given her reputation.

"Want to tell me what happened?"

"Mean boys wouldn't let me play"

The principal nodded, treating the situation seriously.

"I see..." She said

"They're just dumb boys" Kara added. "They think they're so tough. All I wanted to do was play stupid cylons and soldiers with them"

"Do you like playing with model ships?" The principal asked. "You wouldn't rather be playing with dolls?"

"I like fighter ships" Kara said through gritted teeth.

The principal looked at her for a moment.

"I've been looking at your school record. You've got excellent grades, Kara. Nearly top of your class actually."

Kara just nodded, a slight pride passing over her.

"You could do anything you want, you just need to put your mind to it, and get on well with your fellow students"

"But I don't know what I want to do" Kara sighed

"Maybe not, but some grown ups don't know. It took me a long time before I realized I wanted to be a school teacher, and even now I don't know if I should do it"

"I think you're a good principal" Kara said, blushing slightly.

"Well, thank you, Kara. I think there is something you want to do though"

"There is?"

Without a word, the teacher reached into her desk and pulled out a model viper ship. It's design was instantly recognizable to Kara. "A Mark II" Kara said excitedly.

"That's right, Kara!" The principal beamed. "Maybe you should be a pilot? You could be the best you know, if your reactions are anything like today on the playground" She grinned despite herself.

"I could be the best?"

The head teacher nodded. "The very best. If you want to be"

Kara sat back in her chair, stunned at the possibilities that had been opened to her. Her mother had been in the colonial army, and she suspected she would encourage Kara to do the same, but she had never encouraged her to do what she wanted. Kara suddenly realized that for the first time, she knew what she wanted to be, knew what she would always strive to be, thanks to a teacher she would never speak to again.

The principal left the school soon after, leaving for a career in politics, or so Kara had heard.

Years later, Kara Thrace earned her wings, adopting the callsign "Starbuck". Although she had quickly forgot the name of the teacher that had helped her so much, and forgetting her face soon after their only meeting, Kara would always be reminded of the meeting that had inspired her to be the best every time she climbed aboard an old Mark II Viper to defend the last colonists against the cylons.

And she was the best at it.