Never Be Forgotten
Disclaimer: All is built on the fabulous work of Ronald D. Moore.
A/N: I want to give a huge thanks to my beta total-whovian.
Chapter 1
Caprica: Delphi: Colonial Fleet Academy – 4 years, 2 months and 24 days Before Cylon Holocaust
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace sat in the very back row of the auditorium. The chair was tipping dangerously on its hind legs and her feet were slung up on the desk in front of her. Her short blond hair was falling down her forehead towards her eyes that were covered by her usual pair of sunglasses.
It wasn't an unusual sight for the other cadets crowding into the room. Starbuck, as most of the guys called her, was always first to the lessens, always sat in the back row and always pissed off the lecturer.
The room was slowly filling up. The sound of different voices echoed throughout the room. Kara nodded in greeting to most of the students filing in, grinning widely whenever someone shouted over to her, but the seat next to her remained empty.
A collective moan filled the room as a white haired, small man entered the room – precisely on time. Professor Bier was known for his tedious lectures on historical flight manoeuvres and their origins. Even Kara had stopped nagging the old professor, not being invested enough to care. But Professor Bier did not seem to mind. He walked to the front desk and started working through the large pile of papers he brought with him.
"Cadet Thrace, please take off the sunglasses and remove your feet from the table." He said without looking up. Every pair of eyes immediately fell on the blond at the back of the room.
Lazily Kara removed the glasses, putting them in the front pocket of her green cadet jacket. The feet, on the other hand, remained planted on top of the desk. She fixed her eyes on Professor Bier challenging him to pick a fight. Professor Bier looked up, meeting her gaze while taking in the situation. The silence was deafening – everyone held their breath waiting anxiously on the outcome.
Professor Bier narrowed his eyes, but did not take the bait. With a sigh, he turned around and instead started his lecture. Everyone slumped back in their seats again, bracing themselves for two hours of tremendous boredom.
Kara picked up a pen and started doodling. Letting her mind wander. Battle manoeuvres normally were a topic to her liking, but this was outdated shit.
She looked up when someone sat down in the chair next to her. A slim girl with long brown hair braided down her back and dark brown eyes slid down into the chair while breathing hard, like she had been running for her life.
"You're late!" Kara stated keeping her voice so low only Magen could hear. Magen Miller was a close friend of Kara. They met the first day at the Academy and loved to hate each other from the very first time they locked eyes. After two years of constant bickering, they'd settled for something more civil.
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Starbuck. How come you are never late? I've never met anyone else who is as punctual as you. You must have broken every single rule in this school, but being late." Magen huffed. She was notorious late and could not get over the fact Kara never was.
"You know, everyone has a skill," Kara answered grinning a big goofy smile. Magen just brushed her off.
"Are you coming to the Tower tonight?" Magen asked. "Helo and Papercut will be there, and even Gianne said she would try to take some time away from her medical books." Kara frowned. Gianne was nice, but that was also the problem. She was too nice, but not nice enough to ruin a night out with their small gang.
"Of course! I'll be there."
The two of them fell silent. Professor Bier was still talking non-stop up front, not realising that most of the class was half asleep by now.
"This is such crap," Kara hissed under her breath with a sigh.
When the clock rang, almost two hours later, Kara watched fascinated by how fast a group of drooling empty eyed student could come alive, practically jumping out of their seats to be the first one out into freedom.
"Please, if you can be quiet for just one more moment. I have some important information for you all." Professor Biers voice rose over the chattering to once again silence the room. "I've been told to inform you that Lieutenant Lee Adama, who graduated two years ago, will be holding a guest lecture this Friday. This will be the final lecture before your finals."
An excited murmur erupted throughout the room. Lee Adama was a well-known name to the entire school. Not only was he known for his famous father, who had been a Commander at the Colonial fleet for a decade, but he had also been a star student. Graduating as one of the best in his class, and the one to set most test records – until Starbuck smashed them two years later.
Kara huffed, before rising her hand.
"Yes, cadet Thrace?" Professor Bier looked at her questioningly.
"Is the lecture mandatory?" Kara asked in what she hoped sounded like a bored voice. "Sir." She added after a pause.
"Yes, it is mandatory."
"Frak me!" Kara hissed loud enough for most of the room to hear.
"Excuse me – I don't think I heard you, cadet?" Professor Bier asked.
"I said. Frak. Me" Kara said pronouncing every word with force before she left without another word, slamming the door as she went.
Caprica: Delphi: The Watchtower Bar
"What the hell happened to you?" Magen asked as she sat down next to Kara at their usual table at the back of the Tower. Watchtower Bar, or "The Tower" as most of the student called it, was an old pub in the middle of campus. It was loud, smoky and usually full of drunken students wanting to take a time out from their studies. The Academy campus also had one other bar, The Sentinel's, but it was a known fact that you could run into your professors, officers or other authorities there. But not at the Tower, it was strictly for students. It wasn't a formal law, everyone just knew.
Kara had stormed off after the lecture, not bothering to wait for Magen. She had gone straight to the Tower, and was halfway through her first glass before Morgan managed to track her down.
"Nothing. Just let it go!" she hissed at her friend. Magen didn't even lift an eyebrow. She was used to Kara being – well, Kara.
"What do you have against Adama, exactly?" she asked bluntly. "I didn't know you knew him? Have you ever even talked to him?"
"No, I haven't. Thank the Gods. And I don't intend to do so either." It was true. The closest Kara had ever been to Lee Adama was walking past him in the corridors before he graduated, and they had never exchanged one single word. Why should they? She was just a random nugget at that time, and he was the great Apollo.
"So what is it then? What on earth has Adama done to provoke your devoted distaste?" Can't she just let it go, Kara though, annoyed at her friends nagging.
"Starbuck just hates him because he is better than her." A familiar voice spoke from behind Kara.
"As a matter of fact, Helo, he is not. I've beaten every test score of his, and you damn well know it," Kara answered in a bored lecturing voice. She turned to face the tall, broad man grinning down at her.
"Yes, but he will have still graduated with more points than you, because he can take orders and you cannot. How many disciplinary notices do you have now, Starbuck?" Helo gave her a one-arm hug, pressing her to his side while ruffling her hair to show he was only joking.
Helo and Kara had hooked up during their second year, and after going out for a couple of weeks they both agreed they were better off as friends. They had been best friends ever since. If there was one person Kara could talk to about – almost – everything, it was Karl Agathon. She pushed him away, trying to look hurt, but knew he would not buy it. He knew her too well.
"Why are you talking about Lee Adama?" Asked Roderick Bates or Papercut as he was often called. Why he ended up with that callsign in the first place, no one seemed to know. A blond, pretty girl, closely followed him – Gianna, Kara realised with a sigh. She wasn't really part of the gang, but Papercut had had a crush on her for too frakking long and had in some way included her. The fact that Gianna did not seemed remotely interested had not put him off yet.
"We are going to have a guest lecture with the great Apollo!" Magen squealed while hugging a resentful Kara.
"Oh! You're so lucky!" sighed Gianne sitting down at the table. "I wish I could meet him. He's so handsome." Kara threw her a disbelieving look. Of course, frakking perfect! Gianne liked men like frakking perfect Adama. She rolled her eyes. They would be perfect together, she thought ironically.
"But, seriously Starbuck, what the frak do you have against Adama?" Kara realised Magen was just not going to let it go.
"I just think he's a stuck up, arrogant daddy's boy. I don't see why everyone has to lay down and kiss his feet just because he's handsome and has a famous dad." Kara said with a shrug.
"Come on, Starbuck, that's not fair. You don't even know him! I've heard he's a really nice guy…"
"I don't do nice guys" Kara huffed, cutting Helo off mid-sentence.
Helo continued without pause "And he IS in fact a really good pilot. It's not just that he is Commander Adama's son, you know. That you beat his record doesn't make him a lesser pilot, it just proves you are a frakking good one."
Kara chose not to comment. She knew she wasn't entirely fair to Lee Adama, But no one could be so frakking perfect and that made Kara awfully suspicious. Over the years, her distaste for this man she didn't even know, had grown with every fabulous story she heard.
"Can we please talk about something else other than Adama?" she begged and swallowed the last bit of her drink. "Next round is on me," she announced. Hoping that would put a stop to the conversation.
Caprica: Delphi: Colonial Fleet Academy – 4 years, 2 months and 19 days Before Cylon Holocaust
Lee Adama stepped out of the raptor that had flown him to The Colonial Fleet Academy and out into the sunny weather. He took a moment absorbing the warmth on his face – closing his eyes in contentment, before hopping down. It had been too long since he had been in the sun, being assigned on a deep space mission for the last few months. One of his previous Professors came walking over, stretching out his hand to greet him. He was a small man with white hair. Professor Bier, wasn't it? Lee wondered to himself. He could recall a flat, monotone voice talking for what felt like forever.
"Welcome, Lieutenant Adama. It's a pleasure to meet you again. We are so glad you took the time to come here today. Please follow me." The old man started talking non- stop, not giving Lee much time to answer as he led them away from the landing bay and towards the main buildings of the compound. It suited Lee fine. He tried to look interested and nod at the right places while his main attention was focused on his surroundings. Even though he hadn't been here for almost two years he found himself feeling at home, like he had just been there only days before. The appearance of the place hadn't changed much, but it was more than that. The sounds, the smell and the feel of the place were also familiar and weirdly comforting.
They stopped outside one of the auditoriums meant for lager lectures. He had spent many hours in this exact room.
"As you know, you will be speaking to this years graduates. They've been really excited. You have made yourself quite a reputation, Lieutenant," Lee only nodded, forcing a smile to his face.
Professor Bier turned to leave him, but suddenly turned his head looking intently at Lee. "And watch out for Starbuck. She's not your greatest fan for some reason, and can be – what is it you young ones says? – a real pain in the ass?" He chuckled darkly and left Lee standing alone, not giving him a chance to respond. Lee took a deep breath before entering the room.
"My name is Lee Adama. I graduated from Colonial Fleet Academy two years ago. Since then I've been assigned to Battlestar Solaria where I've been a viper pilot on a project on nuclear technology. I've been working on how to drop bombs on enemy targets both in space and planet side.
"Nuclear weapons are highly dangerous, as I'm sure you're aware, and hold immense power. If you mess up a manoeuvre, you could end up being blown to pieces yourself. Knowledge and precision are the key when working with nukes. I've been asked to hold this lecture in order to show you what works and what does not out there in real life."
Lee scanned the room full of expectant students while he talked. They were all hanging on his every word. Or almost everyone. His eyes come to a stop on a girl with short blond hair in the first row. In a stark contrast to her follow students, she was frowning, not hiding the fact she was not convinced. If I can impress her I've done it, Lee thought to himself. When their eyes locked, she leaned forward on her elbows, challenging him with her intense gaze. He turned to start drawing up the first manoeuvre on the blackboard.
Caprica: Delphi: The Sentinel's Bar
Kara knew she was drunk. After the lecture with Lee Adama, she went to The Watchtower with her fellow students. She had mostly been silent; eyes fixed on the drink in her hand, while listening to chatter about the lecture, the manoeuvres and of course the man of the day himself, Lee – frakking Apollo – Adama.
Adama had been good, more than good, he'd been brilliant. If Kara was honest, it had probably been the best lecture of the year. She was pondering over what she now should make of this Apollo guy. She had been so intent on hating him that she had never given him a chance.
Suddenly the worshiping talk had become unbearable. Wobbling along, she'd made it out of the bar. The fresh early night air had felt like a refreshing breath against her face after the stale, smoky air in the bar. She had wondered the compound for a while. Not bothering to care where her feet took her. But the night was still young and she soon had found herself wanting more ambrosia. No way I'm going back to the Tower, she thought to herself. Leaving her only one option – the Sentinel's.
It was quitter in the Sentinel's than in the Tower. Less smoke, less filth and less wasted students. Kara had only been here a couple of time, but being who she was, there was no other way to be in a bar than to act like you own the place. She therefore purposefully swaggered up to the bar, sat down in a chair and waived at the bartender to get his attention.
It wasn't until she got her drink and took a mouthful, that she turned her attention to the rest of the room. She turned slowly to take in her surroundings and cursed under her breath. Frak! What was he doing here?
Lee Adama was standing across the room, eyes fixed on her with a small smile slowly creeping across his face. He was standing with a small group of people that Kara didn't know other than by sight. Without breaking their eye contact, Lee slowly leaned over to the guy next to him saying something Kara could not hear. He then started walking straight towards her.
Kara broke away from his intense blue-eyed gaze turning away from him and focusing hard on the drink in her hands. What the frak was she going to do? Maybe if she just ignored him he would go away?
"Hi! Starbuck? Isn't it?" Lee dropped down into the chair beside her. It was clear he too had been drinking quite a bit. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, and he had a slight slur to his voice.
Kara glanced up at him. "I bet you're aware that's only my call sign, sir?" She asked cocking her head to one side, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, I'm aware," he answered. He reached out his hand for her to take. Kara looked down at his out stretch hand wondering if she should take it or not. Lee didn't move, just kept his arm out for her to take while smiling brightly at her.
Hesitantly she reached out her own hand in greeting. His hand was warm and he shook her hand firmly keeping a hold of her hand a few seconds longer than necessary. "Lieutenant Lee – Apollo – Adama" he said, as if she did not know damned well who he was.
"Cadet Thrace, sir," she answered, not giving out her first name intentionally, and he did not ask.
"I've heard you have busted all my records," he said. There was no trace of any hard feelings in his voice, which puzzled Kara. Most high preforming student tended to be on the more competitive side, and often went sour when beaten, but Lee did not seem to be. Quite the opposite – he seemed intrigued by her and even a bit admiring.
"You may have heard right, Lieutenant Adama, sir," she said, purposely keeping the strict military formalities. During the years, she had perfected speaking out of turn in the most formally correct way, making it hard for her superior officers to actually pin something on her. The smile on Lee's face faltered for the first time.
"Please, call me Lee or Apollo. We're off duty, I just want to talk, no need for the formalities."
"You're the boss, so if that's what you want…" Kara leaned a bit closer watching him intently "…Apollo."
"Fine," Lee did not back down, but met her stare with equal intensity. Kara held his gaze firmly, not wanting to be the one to back down first. A smirk crossed her face when eventually Lee was the one to look away. He turned as to wave at the bartender for a new round, trying to hide his failed attempt to stare her down. Kara smirked even wider.
"So, I bet you have big plans after graduation with such good marks?" He asked nonchalantly while handing her another glass of ambrosia.
"I've gotten a post on the Battlestar Triton." Kara was surprised of the words coming out of her mouth. Not because they were not true, but because she had not told anyone yet. She had gotten the call back only days before, and had not yet gotten it into her head she had actually received the post. Lee nodded impressed.
"Commander James Jonasson? Right? I've heard he is a hard man to impress. Congratulations."
"Commander Jonasson, yes. I've only meet him once. Couldn't have messed up that bad apparently." Kara laughed.
"No, you certainly couldn't have!" Lee agreed. "When do you leave for Triton?"
"At the start of September. I just have to pass final exams." Kara said with a shrug. She wasn't all that worried about it.
"You will! Your parents must be proud!" A sharp pain shot through Kara at his well-meant words, and she was trying her best to put up her best Triad face to hide her feelings, but the look in Lee's eyes told her he had noticed.
"No, I doubt that. My father left many years ago, and I haven't heard from him since. My mother thinks I'm the biggest disappointment of her life." She tried to brush it off with a broad smile and a shrug. Why was she even telling him this?
Lee looked at her with an inquisitive facial expression for a few seconds before answering. "My dad and I… We… We have had our ups and downs, but the day I got my wings…" he drifted off eyes getting glossy like he was looking at something far away. "Give her a chance, Starbuck. She should be proud of you!"
Kara wrinkled her nose in scepticism. Lee saw it – he reached out and took her hand squeezing it gently "Think about it. I have never seen my dad so proud before. At least give her the opportunity to be proud of you." He let go of her hand, leaning back in his seat. "So I bet you are ranked top five this year?" he asked before she could answer, switching the subject away from parenteral issues.
Kara laughed; glad Lee had given her the opportunity to not talk any more about her mother. "So are you clueless, or are you just trying to be nice?" Lee looked bewildered. "I take it that you don't know then. I thought that when you had heard about me beating your ass in simulation, you had also heard I'm as far from beating your perfect reputation as you can get. I have too many disciplinary notices to make top five. So, no, I'm not going to beat your graduation score even though I AM a better pilot."
"Oh, Now I remember someone DID mention you could be a bit cocky," Lee bit back with a grin. "No offense."
"Ouch! You are hurting my feelings," Kara smiled back. He was so easy to talk to. She felt oddly at ease in his presence, and she was not normally friendly with new people. A comfortable silent fell between them. Kara took another sip of her drink, feeling how the alcohol mad her head dizzy. She wondered vaguely how much they would remember of this the next day with all the alcohol involved.
"It was good..." said Kara after they both had gotten new drinks. Lee looked at her puzzled, clearly no idea what she was talking about. She sighed, not happy at having to spell it out. "The lecture – it was good."
Lee could not suppress the huge grin that her words caused. "And I was under the impression you weren't my biggest fan?"
"What?" asked Kara. "Who gave you that impression?"
"Professor Bier told me."
"Frakking Bier." Kara cursed.
"So you are saying it isn't true?" Lee was resting his arm on the bar leaning against it. His clear blue eyes were sparkling with mischief. He was so close Kara could feel the warmth from his breath on her face.
"I…" She drifted off, not really knowing what to say. Get a grip Kara, she told herself. She could not let any man unravel her like this, and surely not Lee Adama. She never got tongue tied, but while looking into those too bright blue eyes and the wide smile she could not come up with a proper answer. She tried to shake her head to think clearer.
"I… I have to…" she clumsily stumbled to her feet, not really knowing what she was trying to accomplish. She was suddenly struck with the urgency to get away from the situation. Get away from Lee. As she turned towards Lee her unsteady feet got stuck in the chair legs making her fall forward and straight into him.
Kara could feel his hard chest pressing against her own and his warm breath on her face. It was as if time went painfully slow. She could hear every heartbeat thundering like a drum drowning out all other sounds as she slowly lifted her eyes to look up at him. They were so close their noses were almost touching, and both had frozen – neither of them moving a muscle.
Their eyes met and Kara could see how his eyes became hooded, darkening slightly. He was no longer smiling; his carefree demeanor blown away and an electric anticipation shot between them.
Neither of them knew who made the first move, but suddenly their lips collided in a fiery kiss. Lips, tongues and teeth clashing together in a wild dance - fighting for dominance. Lee wrapped his arms around her back, drawing her even closer as she tangled her hands into the soft hair at the back of his head. Kara pulled away slightly, gasping for air and Lee used the opportunity to trail hot open mouthed kisses down her jaw line.
"Wanna get out of here?" he asked huskily against her neck, making her shiver. She nodded in agreement, and let Lee lead her by the hand out of the bar.
Frak! Frak! Frak! She thought. This was absolutely not going as planned.