SECTION III SIGMA OCTANUS Chapter 15

0000 Hours, July 17, 2552 (Military Calendar) /UNSC Remote Scanning OutpostArchimedes , on the edge of the Sigma Octanus Star SystemEnsign William Lovell scratched his head, yawned, and sat down at his duty station. The wraparoundview screen warmed to his presence.

“Good morning, Ensign Lovell,” the computer said.

“Morning, sexy,” he said. It had been months since the Ensign had seen a real woman—the cold femalevoice of the computer was the closest thing he was getting to a date.

“Voiceprint match,” the computer confirmed. “Please enter password.”

He typed: ThereOncewasAgirlThe Ensign had never taken his duty too seriously. Maybe that’s why he only made it through his secondyear at the Academy. And maybe that’s why he had been onArchimedes station for the last year, stuckwith third shift.

But that suited him fine.

“Please reenter password.”

He typed more carefully this time:ThereOnceWasAGirl .

After first contact with the Covenant¹, he had almost been conscripted straight out of school; instead, hehad actually volunteered.

Admiral Cole had defeated the Covenant at Harvest in 2531. His victory was publicized on every vidand holo throughout the Inner and Outer Colonies and all the way to Earth.

That’s why Lovell didn’t try to dodge² the enlistment³ officers. He had thought he’d watch a few battlesfrom the bridge of a destroyer, fire a few missiles, rack up the victories, and be promoted to Captainwithin a year.

His excellent grades gave him instant admission to OCS on Luna.

There was one small detail, however, the UNSC propaganda machine had left out of their broadcasts:

Cole had won only because he outnumbered the Covenant three to one . . . and even then, he had losttwo-thirds of his fleet.

Ensign Lovell had served on the UNSC frigateGorgon for four years. He had been promoted to FirstLieutenant then busted⁵ down to Second Lieutenant⁴ and finally to Ensign for insubordination and grossincompetence. The only reason they hadn’t drummed him out of the service was that the USNC neededevery man and woman they could get their hands on.

While on theGorgon , he and the rest of Admiral Cole’s fleet had sped among the Outer Colonieschasing, and being chased by, the Covenant. After four years’ space duty, Lovell had seen a dozenworlds glassed . . . and billions murdered.

He had simply broken under the strain. He closed his eyes and remembered. No he hadn’t broken; hewas just scared of dying like everyone else.

“Please keep your eyes open,” the computer told him. “Processing retinal scan.”

He had drifted from office work to low-priority assignments and finally landed here a year ago. By thattime there were no more Outer Colonies. The Covenant had destroyed them all and were pressinginexorably inward, slowly taking the Inner Colonies. There had been a few isolated⁶ victories . . . but heknew it was only a matter of time before the aliens wiped the human race out of existence.

“Login complete,” the computer announced.

Ensign Lovell’s identity record was displayed on the monitor. In his Academy picture, he looked tenyears younger: neatly⁷ trimmed jet-black hair, toothy grin, and sparkling green eyes. Today his hair wasunkempt and the spark was long gone from his eyes.

“Please read General Order 098831A-1 before proceeding⁸.”

The Ensign had memorized this stupid thing. But the computer would track his eye motions—make surehe read it anyway. He opened the file and it popped on-screen:

United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1Encryption Code:RedPublic Key:file /first light/From:UNSC/NAVCOM Fleet H. T. WardTo:ALL UNSC PERSONNELSubject:General Order 098831A-1 (“The Cole Protocol”)Classification:RESTRICTED (BGX Directive)The Cole ProtocolTo safeguard the Inner Colonies and Earth, all UNSC vessels⁹ or stations must not be captured with intactnavigation databases that may lead Covenant forces to human civilian¹⁰ population centers.

Ifany Covenant forces are detected:

1. Activate¹¹ selective purge¹² of databases on all ship-based and planetary data networks.

2. Initiate¹³ triple-screen check to ensure all data has been erased¹⁴ and all backups neutralized¹⁵.

3. Execute viral data scavengers. (Download from UNSCTTP://EPWW:COLEPROTOCOL/Virtualscav/fbr.091)4. If retreating from Covenant forces, all ships must enter Slipstream space with randomized vectorsNOT directed toward Earth, the Inner Colonies, or any other human population center.

5. In case of imminent¹⁶ capture by Covenant forces, all UNSC ships MUST self-destruct.

Violation¹⁷ of this directive will be considered an act of TREASON, and pursuant to USNC Military LawArticles JAG 845-P and JAG 7556-L, such violations¹⁸ are punishable by life imprisonment¹⁹ or execution.

/end file/PressENTER if you understand these orders.

Ensign Lovell pressed ENTER.

The UNSC wasn’t taking any chances. And after everything he had seen, he didn’t blame them.

His scanning windows appeared on the view screen, full of spectroscopic tracers and radar²⁰—and lots ofnoise.

Archimedesstation cycled three probes into and out of Slipstream space. Each probe sent out radar pingsand analyzed²¹ the spectrum²² from radio to X rays, then reentered normal space and broadcast the databack to the station.

The problem with Slipstream space was that the laws of physics never worked the way they weresupposed to. Exact positions, times, velocities²³, even masses were impossible to measure with any realaccuracy. Ships never knew exactly where they were, or exactly where there were going.

Every time the probes returned from their two-second journey, they could appear exactly where they hadleft . . . or three million kilometers distant. Sometimes they never returned at all. Drones had to be sentafter the probes before the process could be repeated.

Because of this slipperiness in the interdimensional space, UNSC ships traveling between star systemsmight arrive half a billion kilometers off course.

The curious properties of Slipspace also made this assignment a joke.

Ensign Lovell was supposed to watch for pirates or black-market runners trying to sneak²⁴ by . . . andmost importantly, for the Covenant. This station had never logged so much as a Covenant probesilhouette—and that was the reason he had specifically requested this dead-end assignment. It was safe.

What he did see with regularity²⁶ were trash dumps from UNSC vessels, clouds of primordial²⁷ atomichydrogen, even the occasional comet that had somehow plowed²⁸ into the Slipstream.

Lovell yawned, kicked his feet up onto the control console, and closed his eyes. He nearly fell out of hischair when the COM board contact alert pinged.

“Oh no,” he whispered, fear and shame at his own cowardice²⁹ forming a cold lump in his belly³⁰.Don’t letit be the Covenant. Don’t let it . . . not here.

He quickly activated³¹ the controls and traced the contact signal back to the source—Alpha probe.

The probe had detected an incoming mass, a slight arc to its trajectory³² pulled by the gravity of SigmaOctanus. It was large. A cloud of dust, perhaps? If it was, it would soon distort and scatter³³.

Ensign Lovell sat up straighter in his chair.

Beta probe cycled back. The mass was still there and as solid as before. It was the largest reading EnsignLovell had ever seen: twenty thousand tons. That couldn’t be a Covenant ship—they didn’t get that big.

And the silhouette²⁵ was a bumpy³⁴ spherical³⁵ shape; it didn’t match any of the Covenant ships in thedatabase. It had to be a rogue³⁶ asteroid³⁷.

He tapped his stylus on the desk. What if it wasn’t an asteroid? He’d have to purge the database andenable the self-destruct mechanism³⁸ for the outpost. But what could the Covenant want way out here?

Gamma probe reappeared. The mass readings were unchanged. Spectroscopic analysis was inconclusive,which was normal for probe reading at this distance. The mass was two hours out at its present velocity³⁹.

Its projected trajectory was hyperbolic—a quick swing near the star, and then it would pass invisibly outof the system and be forever gone.

He noted⁴⁰ that its trajectory bought it close to Sigma Octanus IV . . . which, if the rock were in real space,would be cause for alarm. In Slipspace, however, it could pass “through” the planet, and no one wouldnotice.

Ensign Lovell relaxed and sent the retrieval drones after the three probes. By the time they got theprobes back, though, the mass would be long gone.

He stared at the last image on screen. Was it worth sending an immediate⁴¹ report to Sigma OctanusCOM? They’d make him send his probes out without a proper recovery, and the probes would likely getlost after that. A supply ship would have to be sent out here to replace them. The station would have tobe inspected and recertified—and he’d receive a thorough lecture on what did and did not constitute avalid emergency.

No . . . there was no need to bother anyone over this. The only ones who would be really interested werethe high-forehead types at UNSC Astrophysics, and they could review the data at their leisure.

He logged the anomaly and attached it to his hourly update.

Ensign Lovell kicked up his boots and reclined, once again feeling perfectly⁴² safe in his little corner ofthe universe.

1 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

2 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

3 enlistment   

n.应征入伍，获得，取得

参考例句：

• Illness as a disqualification for enlistment in the army. 疾病是取消参军入伍资格的一个原因。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One obstacle to the enlistment of able professors was that they had to take holy orders. 征聘有才能的教授的障碍是他们必须成为牧师。 来自辞典例句

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

6 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

7 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

8 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

9 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

12 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

13 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

14 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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：

• Acidity in soil can be neutralized by spreading lime on it. 土壤的酸性可以通过在它上面撒石灰来中和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This strategy effectively neutralized what the Conservatives had hoped would be a vote-winner. 这一策略有效地冲淡了保守党希望在选举中获胜的心态。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

17 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

18 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

19 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

20 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

21 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

23 velocities   

n.速度( velocity的名词复数 )；高速，快速

参考例句：

• In experimenting we find out that sound travels with different velocities through different substances. 在实验中，我们发现声音以不同的速度通过不同的物质而传播。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A gas in thermal equilibrium has particles of all velocities. 处于热平衡的气体，其粒子有一切速度。 来自辞典例句

24 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

25 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

26 regularity   

n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐

参考例句：

• The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。
• He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

27 primordial   

adj.原始的；最初的

参考例句：

• It is the primordial force that propels us forward.它是推动我们前进的原始动力。
• The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.的尼安德特人是我们的原始祖先之一.

28 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

29 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

30 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

31 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

32 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

33 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

34 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

35 spherical   

adj.球形的；球面的

参考例句：

• The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。
• Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。

36 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

37 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

38 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

39 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。

40 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

41 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

42 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。