He felt like throwing up. Ship battles, where he was monitoring the battle and receiving and giving reports and orders, were terrifying in a way that usually left him feeling exhilarated and excited for hours afterward. It was, in a way, better than sex, a total rush to be on the deck controlling the battle. It made up for the extra long hours of making shower and laundry schedules.
This was different. Gaeta knew any number of people on board who were passively suicidal since the holocaust. He knew a smaller number who were actively suicidal and even they would shun the opportunity to die at the hands of a Cylon Centurion. He understood Kara's plan, and it wasn't likely to work, no matter how good a shot she was. For starters, he had read too many reports on what a Centurion could do. He had been the one to inspect all of the damage from the last boarding assault. People had been literally sliced in half. Torn into pieces. The odds were against any of them surviving to begin with.
He tuned out Smash's blithering, and assessed their position. The Cylons wer emoving fast, making quick work of the defenses. There had been just a few lectures at the academy on infantry tactics. The life support controls were shuttered with the strongest metal they had been able to find in the fleet. Judging by the near deafening pounding going on in the corridor to the west, at least one Cylon was going to make it through the barricade. The shooting had been heavy for a few minutes but was down to sporadic shots. The Marines had taken a beating, he was sure. There were alcoves that they could take cover in. The only idea he had that made any sense was to hide, hold their fire until the Cylons were close and then pray that they took out all of the Cylons before they tore open the life support controls and blew out all of the air into space. Even then, with full cooperation from Smash, they were probably all going to be killed.
It's the fleet that's important, he told himself as he knelt down in an alcove and wiped nervous sweat from his brow, the fleet has to survive. The survival of the human race was at stake, and as much as he didn't relish dying in a hail of gunfire, if it meant the survival of the species, it had to be done.
" I'm taking that spot!" Smash grabbed him and tossed him into the opposing wall. "You stay out of my sight or I'll kill you right now!"
Gods protect me from idiots, Cylons, and all combinations in between, Kara Thrace prayed as she watched Smash slam Gaeta into the wall opposite her. It would actually be easier to be by herself. It was certainly safer. Smash was not going to listen to any rational plan, she had no illusions on that point. Smash had his image wrapped up in proving himself to be the warrior he thought he was. Blowing away a few Cylon Centurions was somehow going to wipe away the events of the last few days, in Smash's mind.
She wasn't sure that being stuck with Gaeta was such a prize either. Smart, much less likely to kill her in a psychotic rampage, that was all true, but it was obvious that Gaeta had spent too much time on the CIC deck. He moved like a deck officer, and he was thinking like one and that had to stop if any of them were going to get out of the life support hub alive. She grabbed Gaeta as he was pulling himself up off the floor and dragged him over to a much less exposed spot than the one Smash was insisting upon.
"Stop it," she hissed at him.
" Stop what?" Gaeta asked. He pointed at Smash, " He's going to…"
" I don't care," she whispered harshly. " Yes, he's going to get killed. That's no reason for you to volunteer to die for him. Stop zoning out, stop thinking so damn much. This is not the time to think. This is combat. Point your gun and shoot at anyone who shoots at you. Duck if they shoot back. Don't move from here unless I say so. Do you get me?"
She didn't have time to wait for Gaeta to think it over and acknowledge her. She dove back to her own spot and positioned herself. She could view the corridor the Cylons would use. Smash would have that view and a good look at the actual control panel area. He was also far more exposed than he needed to be. Gaeta was in a similar position to hers, less protected, but she didn't feel bad about that at all. Gaeta, if he fired his weapon at all, would just be a distraction. She had four explosive rounds and she prayed that there wouldn't be more than four Cylons. Each shot counts, she told herself as the corridor reverberated with the sound of tearing metal. One shot, one kill.
Smash started firing as soon as he saw movement. She cursed him under her breath and held her fire. There were three Centurions and Smash had the bulk of the good ammunition. Smash fired wildly and hit two of the Cylons but didn't take them down. They sped up, in that eerie way that Centurions had. Smash fired again, and took down the closest warrior. Despite her vow to not actively try and save Smash's life, she fired at the next Cylon. She winged it, and fired again and again, finally bringing it down. The third Cylon literally stomped on top of Smash. He was screaming, but then it suddenly stopped. She peaked from her position. The Cylon moved towards the life support controls. Smash's body was caught on one of its legs and he was dragged with it. She stood and fired her last round. The Cylon slammed into the wall, one of its arms severed, but still functional. It stepped up to the life support controls and started tearing at the barrier.
"Frak!" she shouted. " Gaeta, throw me your gun!" She would be damned if she spent her final moments waiting to die. She looked over to where Gaeta had been kneeling, but he was already moving, much to her surprise. " What the hell are you doing?"