XIII

The music started at 0614, when General Post signaled to everyone in the operation and back at Offutt Air Force Base: Commence Operation Starcatcher.

Even in such a tense, expectant moment, the President had to make a quip, "Operation Starcatcher? That's pretty good, Steve."

The Commanding General of the operation had been all business, but that line broke his demeanor, and he snickered, "I thought you'd like it sir."

The President patted him on the shoulder, "If it gets good results I wouldn't complain about any name to be honest."

"Yes sir", the General said, his game face slipping back on. He turned to the President. "Sir, do you want to be in on one of the Raptors when she's spotted? I figured I'd ask you instead of you going over my head all the way to yourself."

Justin Bond laughed softly, "I go armed for this one."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. President. Just a sidearm, or do you want a heavy hitter?"

"A sidearm will do", he held up his hand, "Not any Rambo bullshit Steve. I'm still rated on military sidearms."

"Fair enough, sir. Stay close, because when we get word that she's been spotted or that it's safe to go in after her, I'm flying in with Chase-he also insisted on being in on the rescue."

"Kara would do the same for you-she'd do the same for me, General", he said with growing impatience and emotion. "There's nothing that could keep me away unless you put me under lock and guard."

"I've considered that, Mr. President." It was delivered with a smile from General Post, and the President gave him a nervous smile back.

"OK, Kara", he said sotto voce, "Here comes the Cavalry."

On the order to commence the actual rescue, the brigade south and west of town began to move forward slowly, as if to invade. The cadence of their fire increased; Raptors and helo's began firing ordinance into the edges of that side of the town; even a few Falcons and a F-35's skirted at higher altituded putting down fire.

It was meant to look like the Allies were intent on taking the city. It was, for the moment, still calm to the north and west. That would soon change.

Kara was relaxing on the couch in the living room of the abandoned dwelling, ready to head to the basement if shelling began nearby. She knew she was in no shape for a long run for escape if the Toasters arrived. They could easily outrun her if she were one hundred percent. She was nowhere near that at the moment.

Her trained ears picked up the increase of battle to the southwest, catching her attention. Something's afoot. Maybe they have seen my calling card... With a discipline she hadn't had on the journey to Earth she swallowed down the urge to run to the northeast, at least for the moment. The sun was up and the gods only knew if Centurions were nearby. She had taken a few discreet peeks outside in every direction and had seen no movement, so for the short term she felt fairly secure.

As she was settling back in to ride it out for the moment an F-35 Lightning II screamed overhead, startling Kara half to death. She had put some stick time in a 35 and knew what it sounded like.

"Gods that scared the living shit outta me!" Then she realized it had come from east of her location. Maybe the increased shelling means they're coming for me...

She heard several Raptors approach the town from due north, bolstering her feeling that something major was going on. She stepped out of the house for a quick peek to the north and west, and saw no other activity at the moment. She quickly went back inside. She was sure she would realize when it was time to move.

As she listened over the next thirty minutes, the noise from the shelling seemed to be getting louder, not simply more intense. They're moving into the town. Stay sharp, Thrace.

At that very moment, eight Raptors supported by four Chinook helicopters had just swung south some twenty kilometers north of Harlan. Fifteen Bradley personnel carriers, carrying twenty soldiers each had begun moving from staging points roughly ten miles north of the city and were moving slowly. Behind them were two dozen the new Powell Light Artillery Vehicles that had gone into service in 2024, mounting a 105 mm Howitzer and a pair of M2 50 caliber machine guns that could be directed and fired from the cockpit of the vehicle. It was a lot of firepower that would concentrate quickly in approximately fifteen minutes almost at Kara's front door. Once the Cylons detected those forces moving Kara would be in the most danger she had been in since being shot down.

The F-35 from the east and the Raptors joining the battle from the north had got the Cylons to raise their collective eyebrows. They had been reconnitored in Harlan before, but never fired on and never during a battle. A transmission for a dozen Cylon Raiders to head to the city was sent out. It would take them twenty five minutes to reach Harlan.

The Raptors tasked to rescue Starbuck and cover that rescue were about eight minutes out, the same for the ground forces that were now steaming in at 80 kph. They would arrive approximately two minutes before the Cylon Raiders.

As they passed the t-minus 7 minute mark, General Post committed his forces, "Attention all forces, Operation Starcatcher is past fail safe. It's a go."

Justin Bond closed his eyes in a brief prayer, put his kevlar helmet on, and checked his sidearm.

A faint noise rising over the cacaphony of battle to the southwest registered in Kara's ears. It was a sound that up until five years ago was foreign to any Colonial Warrior, but was a normal part of military noise on Earth-helicopters.

The report from helo's was always difficult to pinpoint until they were right on top of you, the echo part of the surprise and confusion of the machines. It certainly wasn't a sound that Cylon war machines made. Her adrenaline started to pump harder.

She peeked out the front door. Still no sign of Toasters although she knew with certainty that would change in a manner of minutes. She looked to the north and she saw the most beautiful sight she may have ever seen: a phalanx of military vehicles speeding toward her, with another phalanx of Raptors and Helicopters closing from behind.

Kara was jubilant. It was almost time to show herself.

At almost the same moment Starbuck heard the helo's, the Cylons figured it out: what was in front of them had to be a diversion. The enemy was carrying out something else from the other direction.

The Raiders that were now four minutes out were vectored away from the front-line fighting southwest of Harlan and instructed to check out what was moving from the north of the town.

At that moment, the lead element of Operation Starcatcher was two minutes away from their effort to retrive their pilot.

A minute later, General Post was back on the internal circuts, "Attention all units, prepare to rendezvous at destination. Prepare for assault."

The General looked over at his President, who was outwardly calm as could be. He kept wondering why it was so important for President Bond to be on the actual mission. Sure, he knew Captain Thrace had been his UED Aide for three-plus years, but there was something more primal, more personal in his demeanor. He let that thought pass for the moment.

"Ready, Mr. President?"

Justin Bond gave him the thumbs up, "Let's get this fucking show on the road General." The intensity in his voice was almost ovewhelming.

"OK, people, time on target ninety seconds."

Starbuck knew the rescue operation-that's what it had to be-was close now. It was time for her to come out of hiding and will her battered body and mind forward toward her comrades. Adrenaline helped ease the pain and speed up her movements as she slammed the screen door of the residence open and bounded down the steps, then turning left to the north.

The detachment of Centurions south of Kara's location had been ordered to move at that same moment, heading north in the direction of the incoming ground and air traffic. Even carrying their mortars, they could move faster than any healthy human being. They were in Earth military jargon, double-timing it now.

As they headed around a set of buildings and looked north, they saw a lone human figure about four thousand meters in the distance. They started to move faster.

Lieutenant Chase Carrico was in the lead bird. His eyes caught movement to his front and a little to his left, "General! I have our Mae West in sight! Estimate six thousand meters dead ahead!"

General Post didn't bother answering him, "All units we have our pilot in sight, prepare to land the birds tasked for recovery. Ground forces prepare for cover fire. Post out."

No sooner had General Post said that when a call from a helo to his west burst out, "Command ,Raiders maybe a dozen closing fast from the west, preparing..." The transmission went dead.

"All support ships, engage the enemy." He then dialied up another frequency, "Backstop, Catcher Actual , desend and enegage enemy Raiders!" That call was for the Falcons and F-35's to haul ass to the deck. With afterburners, that would take only a matter of fifteen second.

Justin Bond, like everyone else knew the world was about to explode around them.