Part 2 Battlestar Galactica Finding Humanity: Saving Grace

Chapter 19

XIX

Four Days Later

It didn't take long for Kara to get her welcome back to combat from The Cylons. Fortunately, Kara was on her normal shift, when they came calling, and had been hanging out in the Jock's ready room when the klaxons went off. She was off in the second wave, which was far different than being launched first as had been the case when she was CAG-before New Caprica, that is.

Two Baseships had hopped in, three squadrons launched to interdict the Raiders, and protect the civilian ships until they jumped. Hot Dog could have assigned her to the force circling the civvies, but he wanted her in on the brawl to beat back the Raiders.

Kara's eyes were extra wide, and her senses feeling alive. She had almost forgot this feeling. As much as she hated running and this war, she lived for these moments, to give the enemy a bloody nose.

"Starbuck, Giggles, and Cowboy", she heard Hot Dog say in her helmet. "A group of Raiders is pealing off to your right, follow 'em!"

"Roger that, CAG", Kara said, finding those words, and applying them to Costanza, actually coming quite easy. "OK, guys, form up on me, let's spoil their party."

Kara's Viper and the other two made a quick, tight one-eighty to head back in the other direction. "Got 'em, dead ahead, Cowboy, you got the center guy, Giggles on the right."

"Roger Starbuck", she heard Cowboy yell. He was one of the newer jocks, just out of Nugget training. If he survived, Kara thought, he would be a great jock.

It was pretty much a milk run for the three Vipers. The Cylons usually peeled away several ships to threaten the civvies, hoping to get lucky and pick one off. They could have left those three to the Vipers hovering around the civvies, but better to get them when they weren't on top of a civilian transport, a Tylium ship, or a food ship.

Kara gunned her thrusters, and was on top of her bogey in under eight seconds, the Raider trying to juke her as he fled. "Oh, no you don't, Mr. Toaster", Kara said with a grin, "you're mine, you bastard."

In moments she had fired a volley of laser blasts, obliterating the target neatly.

"Woohoo! Splash that fraker!" Hot Dog was had been right: she needed this one battle to get under her belt, to get any jitters out of the way, and make sure she could do this when there was live shooting.

The other two took out their targets, and they made a swing around Galactica, watching the civvies disappear into their FTL jumps one by one. Heading back to the battle, it was clear that The Cylons would not do any heavy damage to Galactica, or to a civilian ship. This had been a we're letting you know we're out here raid by their mortal enemies.

The last civilian ship jumped away, Kara hearing the sweet announcement from Galactica. "Vipers, Galactica", she heard Dee's voice loud and clear, "everyone return home, break off, we're bugging out."

Twenty minutes later, they were in debrief, Hot Dog pulling her aside before everyone was settled.

"How'd you feel out there, Kara?"

Years ago, Kara would have scoffed at this, but she had found Hot Dog to be a very thorough, very first-rate CAG, and she appreciated his looking out for her.

"Felt good out there, Brendan", she smiled at the younger man. "No issues with my ship, or with me. It felt good to be back out there."

Brendan nodded. "Doesn't look like you've lost a step, Starbuck", he said with some pride. He moved into whisper to her. "I have a feeling we're gonna be switching places soon." He gave her a wink and a smile, heading toward the lectern to brief the jocks, leaving Kara was a grin on her face.