The Chief knew there were probably more than a hundred of them—motion sensors1 were off the scale.
He wanted to see them for himself, though; his training made that lesson clear: “Machines break. Eyesdon’t.”
The four Spartans3 that composed Blue Team covered his back, standing4 absolutely silent and immobilein their MJOLNIR combat armor. Someone had once commented that they looked like Greek war godsin the armor . . . but his Spartans were far more effective and ruthless than Homer’s gods had ever been.
He snaked the fiber-optic probe up and over the three-meter-high stone ridge5. When it was in place, theChief linked it to his helmet’s heads-up display.
On the other side he saw a valley with eroded6 rock walls and a river meandering7 through it . . . andcamped along the banks as far as he could see were Grunts8.
The Covenant10 used these stocky aliens as cannon11 fodder12. They stood a meter tall and wore armoredenvironment suits that replicated13 the atmosphere of their frozen homeworld. They reminded the Chief ofbiped dogs, not only in appearance, but because their speech—even with the new translation software—was an odd combination of high-pitched squeaks14, guttural barks, and growls15.
They were about as smart as dogs, too. But what they lacked in brainpower, they made up for in sheertenacity. He had seen them hurl16 themselves at their enemies until the ground was piled high with theircorpses . . . and their opponents had depleted17 their ammunition18.
These Grunts were unusually well armed: needlers, plasma19 pistols, and there were four stationaryplasma cannons21. Those could be a problem.
One other problem: there were easily a thousand of them.
This operation had to go off without a hitch22. Blue Team’s mission was to draw out the Covenant rearguard and let Red Team slip through in the confusion. Red Team would then plant a HAVOK tacticalnuke. When the next Covenant ship landed, dropped its shields, and started to unload its troops, they’dget a thirty-megaton surprise.
The Chief detached the optics and took a step back from the rock wall. He passed the tacticalinformation along to his team over a secure COM channel.
“Four of us,” Blue-Two whispered over the link. “And a thousand of them? Piss-poor odds23 for the littleguys.”
“Blue-Two,” the Chief said, “I want you up with those Jackhammer launchers. Take out the cannons andsoften the rest of them. Blue-Three and Five, you follow me up—we’re on crowd control. Blue-Four:
you get the welcome mat ready. Understood?”
Four blue lights winked24 on his heads-up display as his team acknowledged the orders.
“On my mark.” The Chief crouched25 and readied himself. “Mark!”
Blue-Two leaped gracefully26 atop the ridge—three meters straight up. There was no sound as the half tonof MJOLNIR armor and Spartan2 landed on the limestone27.
She hefted one launcher and ran along the ridge—she was the fastest Spartan on the Chief’s team. Hewas confident those Grunts wouldn’t be able to track her for the three seconds she’d be exposed. Inquick succession, Blue-Two emptied both of the Jackhammer’s tubes, dropped one launcher, and thenfired the other rockets just as fast. The shells streaked28 into the Grunts’ formation and detonated. One ofthe stationary20 guns flipped29 over, engulfed30 in the blast, and the gunner was flung to the ground.
She ditched the launcher, jumped down—rolled once—and was back on her feet, running at top speed tothe fallback point.
The Chief, Blue-Three, and Blue-Five leaped to the top of the ridge. The Chief switched to infrared31 tocut through the clouds of dust and propellant exhaust just in time to see the second salvo ofJackhammers strike their targets. Two consecutive32 blossoms of flash, fire, and thunder decimated thefront ranks of the Grunt9 guards, and most importantly, turned the last of the plasma cannons intosmoldering wreckage33.
The Chief and the others opened fire with their MA5B assault rifles—a full automatic spray of fifteenrounds per second. Armor-piercing bullets tore into the aliens, breaching34 their environment suits andsparking the methane35 tanks they carried. Gouts of flame traced wild arcs as the wounded Grunts ran inconfusion and pain.
Finally the Grunts realized what was happening—and where this attack was coming from. Theyregrouped and chargeden masse . An earthquake vibration36 coursed through the ground and shook theporous stone beneath the Chief’s boots.
The three Spartans exhausted37 their AP clips and then, in unison38, switched to shredder rounds. They firedinto the tide of creatures as they surged forward. Line after line of them dropped. Scores more justtrampled their fallen comrades.
Explosive needles bounced off the Chief’s armor, detonating as they hit the ground. He saw the flash ofa plasma bolt—side stepped—and heard the air crackle where he had stood a split second before.
“Inbound Covenant air support,”Blue-Four reported over the COM link.“ETA is two minutes, Chief.”
“Roger that,” he said. “Blue-Three and -Five: maintain fire for five seconds, then fall back. Mark!”
Their status lights winked once, acknowledging his order.
The Grunts were three meters from the wall. The Chief tossed two grenades. He, Blue-Three, and Blue-Five stepped backward off the ridge, landed, spun39, and ran.
Two dull thumps40 reverberated41 though the ground. The squeals42 and barks of the incoming Grunts,however, drowned out the noise of the exploding grenades.
The Chief and his team sprinted43 up the half-kilometer sandstone slope in thirty-two seconds flat. The hillended abruptly—a sheer drop of two hundred meters straight into the ocean.
Blue-Four’s voice crackled over the COM channel:“Welcome mat is laid out, Chief. Ready when youare.”
The Grunts looked like a living carpet of steel-blue skin, claws, and chrome weapons. Some ran on allfours up the slope. They barked and howled, baying for the Spartans’ blood.
“Roll out the carpet,” the Chief told Blue-Four.
The hill exploded—plumes of pulverized44 sandstone and fire and smoke hurtled skyward.
The Spartans had buried a spiderweb pattern of Lotus antitank mines earlier that morning.
Sand and bits of metal pinged off of the Chief’s helmet.
The Chief and his team opened fire again, picking off the remaining Grunts that were still alive andstruggling to stand.
His motion detector45 flashed a warning. There were incoming projectiles46 high at two o’clock—velocitiesat over a hundred kilometers per hour.
Five Covenant Banshee fliers appeared over the ridge.
“New contacts. All teams, open fire!” he barked.
The Spartans, without hesitation47, fired on the alien fliers. Bullet hits pinged from the fliers’ chitinousarmor—it would take a very lucky shot to take out the antigrav pods on the end of the craft’s stubbymeter-long “wings.”
The fire got the aliens’ attention, however. Lances of fire slashed48 from the Banshees’ gunports.
The Chief dove and rolled to his feet. Sandstone exploded where he had stood only an instant before.
Globules of molten glass sprayed the Spartans.
The Banshees screamed over their heads—then banked sharply for another pass.
“Blue-Three, Blue-Five: Theta Maneuver,” the Chief called out.
Blue-Three and -Five gave him the thumbs-up signal.
They regrouped at the edge of the cliff and clipped onto the steel cables that dangled49 down the length ofthe rock wall.
“Did you set up the fougasses with fire or shrapnel?” the Chief asked.
“Both,” Blue-Three replied.
“Good.” The Chief grabbed the detonators. “Cover me.”
The fougasses were never meant to take down flying targets; the Spartans had put them there to mop upthe Grunts. In the field, though, you had to improvise50. Another tenet of their training: adapt or die.
The Banshees formed into a “flying V” and swooped51 toward them, almost brushing the ground.
The Spartans opened fire.
Bolts of superheated plasma from the Banshees punctuated52 the air.
The Chief dodged53 to the right, then to the left; he ducked. Their aim was getting better.
The Banshees were one hundred meters away, then fifty meters. Their plasma weapons might recyclefast enough to get another shot . . . and at this range, the Chief wouldn’t be dodging54.
The Spartans jumped backward off the cliff—guns still blazing. The Chief jumped, too, and hit thedetonators.
The ten fougasses—each a steel barrel filled with napalm and spent AP and shredder casings—had beenburied a few meters from the edge of the cliff, their mouths angled up at thirty degrees. When thegrenades at the bottom of the barrels exploded, it made one hell of a barbecue out of anything that got intheir way.
The Spartans slammed into the side of the cliff—the steel cables they were attached to twanged taut55.
A wave of heat and pressure washed over them. A heartbeat later five flaming Banshees hurtled overtheir heads, leaving thick trails of black smoke as they arced into the water. They splashed down, thenvanished beneath the emerald waves. The Spartans hung there a moment, waiting and watching withtheir assault rifles trained on the water.
No survivors56 surfaced.
They rappelled down to the beach and rendezvoused57 with Blue-Two and -Four.
“Red Team reports mission objective achieved, Chief,” Blue-Two said. “They send their compliments.”
“It’s hardly going to balance the scales,” Blue-Three muttered, and kicked the sand. “Not like thoseGrunts when they slaughtered58 the 105th drop Jet Platoon. They should suffer just as much as those guysdid.”
The Chief had nothing to say to that. It wasn’t his job to make things suffer—he was just here to winbattles. Whatever it took.
“Blue-Two,” the Chief said. “Get me an uplink.”
“Aye aye.” She patched him into the SATCOM system.
“Mission accomplished59, Captain de Blanc,” the Chief reported. “Enemy neutralized60.”
“Excellent news,”the Captain said. He sighed, and added,“But we’re pulling you out, Chief.”
“We’re just getting warmed up down here, sir.”
“Well, it’s a different story up here. Move out for pickup61 ASAP.”
“Understood, sir.” The Chief killed the uplink. He told his team, “The party’s over, Spartans. Dust-off infifteen.”
They jogged double-quick up the ten kilometers of the beach, and returned to their dropship—a Pelican62,scuffed and dented63 from three days’ hard fighting. They boarded and the ship’s engines whined64 to life.
Blue-Two took off her helmet and scratched the stubble of her brown hair. “It’s a shame to leave thisplace,” she said, and leaned against the porthole. “There are so few left.”
The Chief stood by her and glanced out as they lifted into the air—there were wide rolling plains ofpalmgrass, the green expanse of ocean, a wispy65 band of clouds in the sky, and setting red suns.
“There will be other places to fight for,” he said.
“Will there?” she whispered.
The Pelican ascended66 rapidly through the atmosphere, the sky darkened, and soon only stars surroundedthem.
In orbit, there were dozens of frigates67, destroyers, and two massive carriers. Every ship had carbonscoring and holes peppering their hulls68. They were all maneuvering69 to break orbit.
They docked in the port bay of the UNSC destroyerResolute . Despite being surrounded by two metersof titanium-A battle plate and an array of modern weapons, the Chief preferred to have his feet on theground, with real gravity, and real atmosphere to breathe—a place where he was in control, and wherehis life wasn’t held in the hands of anonymous70 pilots. A ship just wasn’t home.
The battlefield was.
The Chief rode the elevator to the bridge to make his report, taking advantage of the momentary71 respiteto read Red Team’s after-action report in his display. As predicted, the Spartans of Red, Blue, and GreenTeams—augmenting three divisions of battle-hardened UNSC Marines—had stalled a Covenant groundadvance. Casualty figures were still coming in, but—on the ground, at least—the alien forces had beencompletely stonewalled.
A moment later the lift doors parted, and he stepped on the rubberized deck. He snapped a crisp salute72 toCaptain de Blanc. “Sir. Reporting as ordered.”
The junior bridge officers took a step back from the Chief. They weren’t used to seeing a Spartan in fullMJOLNIR armor up close—most line troops had never even seen a Spartan. The ghostly iridescentgreen of the armor plates and the matte black layers underneath73 made him look part gladiator, partmachine. Or perhaps to the bridge crew, he looked as alien as the Covenant.
The view screens showed stars and Jerico VII’s four silver moons. At extreme range, a smallconstellation of stars drifted closer.
The Captain waved the Chief closer as he stared at that cluster of stars—the rest of the battlegroup. “It’shappening again.”
“Request permission to remain on the bridge, sir,” the Chief said. “I . . . want to see it this time, sir.”
The Captain hung his head, looking weary. He glanced at the Master Chief with haunted eyes. “Verywell, Chief. After all you’ve been through to save Jericho Seven, we owe you that. We’re only thirtymillion kilometers out-system, though, not half as far as I’d like to be.” He turned to the NAV Officer.
“Bearing one two zero. Prepare our exit vector.”
He turned to face the Chief. “We’ll stay to watch . . . but if those bastards74 so much as twitch75 in ourdirection, we’re jumping the hell out of here.”
“Understood, sir. Thank you.”
Resolute’s engines rumbled76 and the ship moved off.
Three dozen Covenant ships—big ones, destroyers and cruisers—winked into view in the system. Theywere sleek77, looking more like sharks than starcraft. Their lateral78 lines brightened with plasma—thendischarged and rained fire down upon Jericho VII.
The Chief watched for an hour and didn’t move a muscle.
The planet’s lakes, rivers, and oceans vaporized. By tomorrow, the atmosphere would boil away, too.
Fields and forests were glassy smooth and glowing red-hot in patches.
Where there had once been a paradise, only hell remained.
“Make ready to jump clear of the system,” the Captain ordered.
The Chief continued to watch, his face grim.
There had been ten years of this—the vast network of human colonies whittled79 down to a handful ofstrongholds by a merciless, implacable enemy. The Chief had killed the enemy on the ground—shotthem, stabbed them, and broken them with his own two hands. On the ground, the Spartansalways won.
The problem was, the Spartans couldn’t take their fight into space. Every minor80 victory on the groundturned into a major defeat in orbit.
Soon there would be no more colonies, no human settlements—and nowhere left to run.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
sensors
|
|
| n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
spartan
|
|
| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
spartans
|
|
| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
eroded
|
|
| adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
meandering
|
|
| 蜿蜒的河流，漫步，聊天 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
grunts
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
covenant
|
|
| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
fodder
|
|
| n.草料；炮灰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
replicated
|
|
| 复制( replicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
squeaks
|
|
| n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
growls
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
hurl
|
|
| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
depleted
|
|
| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
plasma
|
|
| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
stationary
|
|
| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
cannons
|
|
| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
hitch
|
|
| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
odds
|
|
| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
winked
|
|
| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
gracefully
|
|
| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
limestone
|
|
| n.石灰石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
streaked
|
|
| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
flipped
|
|
| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
engulfed
|
|
| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
infrared
|
|
| adj./n.红外线(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
consecutive
|
|
| adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
wreckage
|
|
| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
breaching
|
|
| 攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
methane
|
|
| n.甲烷，沼气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
vibration
|
|
| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
unison
|
|
| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
thumps
|
|
| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
reverberated
|
|
| 回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
squeals
|
|
| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
sprinted
|
|
| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
pulverized
|
|
| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
detector
|
|
| n.发觉者，探测器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
projectiles
|
|
| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
slashed
|
|
| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
dangled
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
improvise
|
|
| v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
swooped
|
|
| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
punctuated
|
|
| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
dodged
|
|
| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
dodging
|
|
| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
taut
|
|
| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
survivors
|
|
| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
rendezvoused
|
|
| v.约会，会合( rendezvous的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
slaughtered
|
|
| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
neutralized
|
|
| v.使失效( neutralize的过去式和过去分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
pickup
|
|
| n.拾起，获得 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
pelican
|
|
| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
dented
|
|
| v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
whined
|
|
| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
wispy
|
|
| adj.模糊的；纤细的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
ascended
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
frigates
|
|
| n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
hulls
|
|
| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
maneuvering
|
|
| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
anonymous
|
|
| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
momentary
|
|
| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
salute
|
|
| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
bastards
|
|
| 私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
twitch
|
|
| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
rumbled
|
|
| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
sleek
|
|
| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
lateral
|
|
| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
whittled
|
|
| v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |