“Sir, all hands are at battle stations,” Lieutenant1 Dominique replied. “General quarters sounded. Tac datauploaded to your station.”
A tactical overview2 of theIroquois , neighboring vessels4, andCradle popped onto Keyes’ personaldisplay screen. “As you can see,” Lieutenant Dominique continued, “wedid clear the station, but they aremoving on the same outbound vector we are. Admiral Stanforth wants them with the fleet.”
Captain Keyes took his place in his command chair—“the hot seat,” as it was more colloquially5 known—and reviewed the data. He nodded with satisfaction. “Looks like the Admiral has something up hissleeve.” He turned to Lieutenant Hall. “Engine status, Lieutenant?”
“Engines hot at fifty percent,” she reported. She straightened to her full height, nearly six feet, andlooked Captain Keyes in the eye with something edging near defensiveness7. “Sir, the engines took a realbeating in our last engagement. The repairs we’ve made are . . . well, the best we could do without acomplete refit.”
“Understood, Lieutenant,” Keyes replied calmly. In truth, Keyes was concerned about the engines, too—but it would do no good to make Hall more uneasy than necessary. The last thing he needed now was toundermine her confidence.
“Gunnery officer?” Captain Keyes turned to Lieutenant Hikowa. The petite woman bore moreresemblance to a porcelain8 doll than to a combat officer, but Keyes knew her delicate appearance wasonly skin deep. She had ice water for blood and nerves of steel.
“MAC guns charging,” Lieutenant Hikowa reported. “Sixty-five percent and climbing at two percent perminute.”
Everything on theIroquois had slowed down to a crawl. Engine, weapons—even the unwieldyCradlekept pace with them.
Captain Keyes sat up straighter. There was no time to spend on self-recriminations. He would have to dothe best he could with what he had. There simply was no other alternative.
The lift doors popped open and a young man stepped on deck. He was tall and thin. His dark hair—longer than regulations permitted—had been slicked back. He was disarmingly handsome; Keyesnoticed the female bridge crew pause to look the newcomer over before returning to their tasks. “EnsignLovell reporting for duty, Captain.” He snapped a sharp salute10.
“Welcome aboard, Ensign Lovell.” Captain Keyes returned his salute, surprised that the unkempt officercould demonstrate such crisp adherence11 to military protocol12. “Man the navigation console, please.”
The bridge officers scrutinized13 the Ensign. It was highly unusual for such a low-ranking officer to pilot acapital ship. “Sir?” Lovell wrinkled his forehead, confused. “Has there been some mistake, sir?”
“Youare Ensign Michael Lovell? Recently posted on theArchimedes Remote Sensor14 Outpost?”
“Yes, sir. They pulled me off that duty so quick that I—”
“Then man your station, Ensign.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ensign Lovell sat at the navigation console, took a few seconds to acquaint himself with the controls—then reconfigured them more to his liking15.
A slight smile tugged16 at the corner of Keyes’ mouth. He knew that Lovell had more combat experiencethan any Lieutenant on the bridge, and was pleased that the Ensign adapted so quickly to unfamiliarsurroundings.
“Show me the fleet’s position and the relative location of the enemy, Ensign,” Keyes ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Lovell replied. His hands danced across the controls. A moment later, a system map snappedinto place on the main screen. Dozens of small triangular17 tactical markers showed Admiral Stanforth’sfleet massing between Sigma Octanus IV and its moon. It was a sound opening position. Fighting inorbit around Sigma Octanus IV would have trapped them in the gravity well—like fighting with yourback to a wall.
Keyes studied the display—and frowned. The Admiral had moved the fleet into a tightly packed gridformation. When the Covenant19 fired their plasma20 weapons at them, there would be no maneuveringroom.
The Covenant was moving in-system quickly. Captain Keyes counted twenty radar22 signatures. He didn’tlike the odds23.
“Receiving orders,” Lieutenant Dominique said. “Admiral Stanforth wants theIroquois at this locationASAP.”
On the map, a blue triangle pulsed on the corner of the grid18 formation.
“Ensign Lovell, get us there at best speed.”
“Aye, sir,” he replied.
Captain Keyes fought down a wave of embarrassment24; theCradle stardock started to pull ahead oftheIroquois . It took up a position directly over the Admiral’s phalanx formation. The refit stationrotated, presenting its edge to the incoming Covenant fleet to show them the smallest target area.
“Rotating and reversing burn,” Ensign Lovell said. TheIroquois spun25 about and slowed. “Thrusters tostation keeping. We’re locked in position, sir.”
“Very good, Ensign. Lieutenant Hikowa, divert as much power as you need to get those MAC gunscharged.”
“Aye, sir,” Hikowa replied. “Capacitors charging at maximum rate.”
“Captain,” Lieutenant Dominique said. “We’re receiving an encrypted firing solution and countdowntimers from theLeviathan ’s AI.”
“Transfer that vector to Lieutenant Hikowa and show me on screen.”
A line appeared on the tactical map, connecting theIroquois to one of the incoming Covenant frigates27.
The firing timer appeared in the corner: twenty-three seconds.
“Now show me the entire fleet’s firing solutions, Lieutenant Dominique.”
A web of trajectories28 crossed the map with tiny countdown times next to each. Admiral Stanforth hadthe fleet exchanging fire with the Covenant like a line of Redcoats and colonial militia29 in theRevolutionary War—tactics that could best be described as bloody30 . . . or suicidal.
What the hell was the Admiral thinking? Keyes studied the displays, trying to divine a method to hiscommanding officer’s madness . . . then he understood. Risky31, but—if it worked—brilliant.
The fleet’s firing countdowns were roughly timed so that the shots would be staggered into two, maybethree, massive salvos. The first salvo would—hopefully—knock out the Covenant ships’ shields. Thefinal salvo was to be the knockout punch.
But it could only work once. After that, the UNSC fleet would be destroyed when the remainingCovenant ships returned fire. TheIroquois and the other ships were stationary32 targets. He appreciatedthat the Admiral couldn’t get too far from Sigma Octanus IV, but with zero momentum33—and no room tomaneuver—there’d be no way to avoid those plasma bolts.
“Sound decompression alarms in all nonessential sections, Lieutenant Hall, and then empty them.”
“Aye, sir,” she said, and bit her lower lip.
“Guns: status on the MACs?” Keyes’ eyes were glued to the firing countdown. Twenty seconds . . .
fifteen . . . ten . . .
“Sir, MAC weapon systems are hot!” Hikowa announced. “Removing safeties now.”
The Covenant ships started to rotate slowly in space—although their momentum continued to carry themon their inbound trajectory34 toward the UNSC phalanx. Motes35 of red light collected along the alien ships’
lateral36 lines.
Five seconds.
“Transferring firing control to the computer,” Lieutenant Hikowa said. She punched a series of firingcodes into the computer, then locked down the controls. TheIroquois recoiled37 and spat38 twin bolts ofthunder toward the enemy.
The starboard view screen showed UNSC destroyers and frigates launching their opening salvo.
The Covenant fleet fired as well; angry red lances of energy raced though space towards them.
“Time until that plasma impacts?” Captain Keyes asked Ensign Lovell.
“Twenty-two seconds, sir.”
The vacuum between the two opposing forces filled with a hundred lines of fire and smoldering39 metalthat seemed to tear through the fabric40 of space.
Their trajectories closed on one another, then crossed, and the bolts of fire grew larger on the mainscreen.
Lieutenant Dominique said, “Receiving a second set of firing solutions and times. Admiral Stanforth onthe priority channel, sir.”
“Put him on, holotank two,” Keyes ordered.
Near the main view screen, a small holographic tank—normally reserved for the ship’s AI—winked intooperation. Admiral Stanforth’s ghostly image appeared. “All ships: hold your positions. Divert allengine power to recharge your guns. We’ve got something special cooked up.” His eyes narrowed. “Donot—I repeat, do not—underany circumstance break position or fire before you are ordered to do so.
Stanforth out.”
The holographic projection41 of the Admiral snapped out of existence.
“Orders, sir?” Ensign Lovell turned in his seat.
“You heard the Admiral, Ensign. Thrusters to station keeping. Lieutenant Hikowa: get those gunsrecharged on the double.”
“Aye, sir.”
Keyes nodded as Hikowa turned back to her task. “Three seconds until first salvo impact,” sheannounced.
Keyes turned back to the tac display, concentrating on the MAC rounds that crawled across the screen.
The fleet’s MAC rounds hammered into the Covenant lines. Shields flickered42 silver-blue and overloadedas the super-dense projectiles43 rammed44 into the formation; several ships were spun out of position by theimpact.
“Guns?” he called out. “Enemy status?”
“Multiple hits on Covenant fleet, sir,” Hikowa replied. “Salvo two impact . . . now.”
A handful of the shots were clean misses. Keyes winced45; each one of the off-trajectory MAC roundsmeant one more enemy ship would survive to return fire.
The vast majority, however, slammed into the unshielded alien vessels. The lead Covenant destroyertook a direct hit from a heavy round, which sent the alien ship into a lurching port spin.
Keyes saw the destroyer’s engines flare46 as her pilot struggled to regain47 control—just as a second MACround struck on the ship’s opposite side. For an instant, the Covenant vessel3 shuddered48, held position,then flexed49 as the hull50 stresses became too great. The destroyer disintegrated51 and scattered52 debris53 in awide arc.
A second Covenant ship—a frigate26—shuddered under the impact of multiple MAC rounds. It listed tostarboard and rammed the next frigate in the enemy formation. Sparks and small explosions flared54 fromthe ships as a gray-white plume55 of vented56 atmosphere exploded into space. The ships’ running lightsflickered, then dimmed as the pair of dead spacecraft—locked in a deadly embrace—tumbled into theheart of the Covenant line.
A moment later, the wrecked59 ships hit a third Covenant frigate, and they exploded, sending tendrils ofplasma through space. A dozen of their ships vented atmosphere and fires flickered within their hulls60.
The fore9 view screen, however, was now filled with incoming weapons fire.
“Fleet commander on priority channel,” Dominique announced. “Audio only.”
“Patch it through, Lieutenant,” Keyes ordered.
A hiss6 of static crackled through the communications-system speakers. A moment later, AdmiralStanforth’s voice calmly broke through the noise. “Lead to all ships: hold your positions,” the Admiralsaid. “Make ready to fire. Transfer timers to your computers . . . and hang on to your hats.”
A shadow crossed the overhead camera. On the view screen, Captain Keyes watched as theCradle repairstation, the plate nearly a kilometer on edge, rotated and started to slide in front of their phalanxformation.
“Christ,” Ensign Lovell whispered, “they’re going to take the hits for us.”
“Dominique, hit the scopes. Are there any lifepods outbound fromCradle ?” Keyes asked. He alreadyknew the answer.
“Sir,” Dominique answered, his deep voice thick with worry. “No escape craft have left theCradle .”
All eyes on theIroquois ’ bridge were riveted61 to the screen. Keyes’ hands clenched62 with anger andhelplessness. There was nothing to do but watch.
The front view screen went black as the station passed in front of them. Pinpoints63 of red and orangeappeared along the back surface, metal vapor64 venting65 in plumes66.Cradle lurched closer to the fleet, theimpact of the plasma torpedoes68 pushing it back. The station continued to move downward, spreading outthe damage. Holes appeared in the surface; the internal lattice of steel girders was exposed and, secondslater, glowed white-hot—then the view screen was clear again.
“Ventral cameras,” Captain Keyes said. “Now!”
The view changed as Dominique switched to theIroquois ’ belly69 cameras.Cradle station reappeared. Shespun and her entire forward surface was aglow70 . . . heat spread to the edges, the center liquefied andpulled away.
“MAC guns ready to fire in three seconds,” Lieutenant Hikowa announced, her voice cold and angry.
“Targeting lock acquired.”
Keyes gripped the arms of the command chair. “Cradle’s crew bought this shot for us, Lieutenant,”
Captain Keyes growled71. “Make it count.”
TheIroquois shuddered as the MAC gun fired. On the status display, Keyes watched as the rest of theUNSC fleet fired simultaneously72. A twenty-one-gun salute three times over for those on board thestation who had given their lives.
“All ships: break and attack!” Admiral Stanforth bellowed73. “Pick your targets and fire at will. Take asmany of these bastards74 out as you can! Stanforth out.”
They had to move before the Covenant plasma weapons recharged.
“Give me fifty percent on our engines,” Captain Keyes ordered, “and come about to course two eightzero.”
“Aye,” Ensign Lovell and Lieutenant Hall replied in unison75.
“Lieutenant Hikowa, release safeties on the Archer76 missile system.”
“Safeties disengaged, sir.”
TheIroquois moved away at a near-right angle from the phalanx formation. The other UNSC shipsscattered at all vectors. One UNSC destroyer, theLancelot , accelerated straight toward the Covenant line.
As the UNSC ships scattered, the MAC salvo reached the Covenant ships. The Admiral’s firingsolutions had targeted the remainder of the Covenant battlegroup’s smaller ships. Their shields sparkled,rippled, and then flickered out of existence. Their frigates shattered under the impact of the firepower.
Holes ripped through their hulls. Wrecked spacecraft drifted lazily through the battle area.
The surprise second salvo had cost the Covenant dearly—a dozen enemy ships were out of the fight.
That left eight Covenant vessels—destroyers and cruisers.
Pulse lasers and Archer missiles fired, and every ship onscreen accelerated towards one another. BothCovenant and UNSC ships released their single-ship fighters.
The tac computer was having trouble tracking everything—Keyes cursed to himself over the lack of aship AI—as the missile fire and plasma discharges strobed in the blackness. Single ships—the humans’
Longsword fighters and the flat, vaguely77 piscine Covenant fighters—dove, and fired, and impacted intowarships. Archer missiles left trails of exhaust. Blue pulse lasers scattered inside the clouds of ventedpropellant and atmosphere, and cast a ghostly blue glow over the scene.
“Orders, sir?” Lovell asked nervously78.
Captain Keyes paused—something felt . . . wrong. The battle was utter chaos79, and it was nearlyimpossible to tell exactly what was happening. Sensor data was thrown off by the constant detonationsand the fire of the aliens’ energy weapons.
“Scan near the planet, Lieutenant Hall,” Keyes said. “Ensign Lovell, move us closer to Sigma OctanusFour.”
“Sir?” Lieutenant Dominique said. “We’re not engaging the Covenant fleet?”
“Negative, Lieutenant.”
The bridge crew paused for a fraction of a second—all except Ensign Lovell, who tapped on the controlsand plotted a new course. The bridge crew had all had a taste of being heroes in their last battle, and theywanted more. Captain Keyes knew what that was like . . . and he knew how dangerous it was.
He was not about to charge into battle, however, with theIroquois at half power, her structural80 integrityalready compromised, and with no AI to mount a point defense81 against Covenant single ships. Oneplasma torpedo67 to their lower decks would gut82 them.
If he remained where he was and attempted to shoot into the fray83, he was just as likely to accidentally hita friendly ship as a Covenant vessel.
No. There were several damaged Covenant ships in the area. He would finish them off—make sure theycould not launch any attack on their fleet. There was no glory in the action—but considering theirpresent condition, glory was of little concern. Survival was.
Captain Keyes watched the battle rage in the starboard camera. TheLeviathan took a plasma bolt, andher foredecks burned. One Covenant ship collided with the UNSC frigateFair Weather ; thesuperstructures of the two craft locked together—and both ships opened fire at point-blank range.
TheFair Weather detonated into a ball of nuclear fire that engulfed84 the Covenant destroyer. Both shipsfaded from the tactical display.
“Covenant ship detected in orbit around Sigma Octanus Four,” Lieutenant Hall reported.
“Let me see it,” Keyes said.
A small vessel appeared on-screen. It was smaller than the Covenant equivalent of a frigate . . . butdefinitely larger than one of the aliens’ dropships. It was sleek85 and seemed to waver in and out of theblankness of space. The engine pods were baffled and devoid86 of the characteristic purple-white glow ofCovenant propulsion systems.
“They’re in a geosynchronous orbit over C.te d’Azur,” Lieutenant Hall reported. “Their thrusters arefiring microbursts. Precision station keeping, sir, if I were to guess.”
Lieutenant Dominique interrupted. “Detected scattering87 from a narrow-beam transmission on the planetsurface, sir. A far-infrared laser.”
Captain Keyes turned toward the main battle on-screen. Was this slaughter88 just a diversion?
The original attack on Sigma Octanus IV had been for the sole purpose of landing ships and invadingC.te d’Azur. Once accomplished89, their battle group had left.
And now—whatever the Covenant’s purpose was groundside, they were sending information to thisstealth ship . . . while the rest of their fleet kept the UNSC forces from interfering90.
“Like hell,” he muttered.
“Ensign Lovell, plot a collision course for that ship.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Lieutenant Hall, push the engines as far as you can. I need every bit of speed you can get me.”
“Yes, sir. If we vent57 primary coolant and use our reserve, I can boost the engine output to sixty-sixpercent . . . for five minutes.”
“Do it.”
TheIroquois moved sluggishly91 toward the Covenant ship.
“Intercept in twenty seconds,” Lovell said.
“Lieutenant Hikowa, arm Archer missile pods A through D. Blow that Covenant son of a bitch out of thesky.”
“Archer missile pods armed, sir,” she replied smoothly92. Her hands moved gracefully93 over the controls.
“Firing.”
Archer missiles streaked94 toward the Covenant stealth ship—but as they closed with the target, theystarted to swerve95 from side to side, then spun out of control. The spent missiles fell toward the planet.
Lieutenant Hikowa cursed quietly in Japanese. “Missile guidance locks jammed,” she said. “Their ECMspoofed the guidance packages, sir.”
No other choice, then,Keyes thought.They can jam our missiles—let’s see them jam this.
“Run them over, Ensign Lovell,” Keyes ordered.
He licked his lips. “Aye, sir.”
“Sound collision alarm,” Captian Keyes said. “All hands, brace58 for impact.”
“She’s moving,” Lovell said.
“Keep on her.”
“Course correcting now. Hang on,” Lovell said.
The eight-thousand-tonIroquois slammed into the tiny Covenant ship.
On the bridge, they barely felt the impact. The diminutive96 alien vessel, however, was crushed from theforce. Her crippled hull spun toward Sigma Octanus IV.
“Damage report!” Keyes bellowed.
“Lower decks 3 through 8 show hull breach97, sir,” Hall called out. “Internal bulkheads were alreadyclosed, and no one was in those areas, per your orders. No systems damage reported.”
“Good. Move to her original position, Ensign Lovell. Lieutenant Dominique, I want that transmissionbeam intercepted98.”
The ventral cameras showed the Covenant ship plunge99 into the atmosphere. Its shield glowed yellow,then white—then dissipated as the ship’s systems failed. It burst into crimson100 flame and burned acrossthe horizon, a black plume of smoke trailing in its wake.
“TheIroquois is losing altitude,” Ensign Lovell said. “We’re falling into the planet’s atmosphere . . .
bringing us about.” TheIroquois spun 180 degrees. The Ensign concentrated on his displays, then said,“No good, we need more power. Sir, permission to fire emergency thrusters?”
“Granted.”
Lovell exploded the aft emergency thrusters and theIroquois jumped. Lovell’s eyes were locked on therepeater displays as he fought for every centimeter of maneuvering21 he could get. Sweat ran down hisforehead and soaked his flight suit.
“Orbit stabilizing—barely.” Lovell exhaled101 with relief, then turned to face Keyes. “Got it, sir. Thrustersto precision station keeping.”
“Receiving,” Lieutenant Dominique said, and then paused. “Receiving . . . something, sir. It must beencrypted.”
“Make sure you’re recording102, Lieutenant.”
“Affirmative. Recorders active . . . but the codebreaker software can’t crack it, sir.”
Captain Keyes turned back to the tac displays, half expecting to see a Covenant ship in firing position.
There wasn’t much left of either the Covenant or UNSC fleets. Dozens of ships drifted in space,billowing atmosphere and burning. The rest moved slowly. A few flickered with fire. Scatteredexplosions dotted the black.
One undamaged Covenant destroyer turned, however, and left the battlefield. It came about and headedstraight for theIroquois .
“Uh-oh,” Lovell muttered.
“Lieutenant Hall, get me theLeviathan —priority Alpha channel,” Keyes ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
Admiral Stanforth’s image appeared in the holotank. His forehead had a gash103 across it, and bloodtrickled into his eyes. He wiped it away with a shaking hand, his eyes blazing with anger. “Keyes?
Where the hell isIroquois ?”
“Sir,Iroquois is in geosynchronous orbit over C.te d’Azur. We’ve destroyed a Covenant stealth ship andare in the process of intercepting104 a secure transmission from the planet.”
The Admiral stared at him a moment unbelievingly, then nodded as if this made sense to him. “Proceed.”
“We have a Covenant destroyer leaving the battle . . . bearing down on us. I think the reason for theCovenant’s invasion may be in this coded transmission. And they don’t want us to know, sir.”
“Understood, son. Hang on. The Cavalry’s on its way.”
On the aft screen, the remaining eight UNSC ships broke their attacks and turned toward the incomingdestroyer. Three MAC guns fired and impacted on the Covenant vessel. Its shields only lapsed105 for a splitsecond; it took a round through her nose . . . but it continued toward theIroquois at flank speed.
“Transmission ended, sir,” Lieutenant Dominique announced. “Cut off in midpacket. The signal wasterminated at the source.”
“Damn.” Captain Keyes considered staying and trying to reacquire that signal—but only for a moment.
He decide to take what they had and run with it. “Ensign Lovell, get us the hell out of here.”
“Sir!” Lieutenant Hall said. “Look.”
The Covenant destroyer was changing course . . . along with the rest of the surviving Covenant vessels.
They were scattering, and accelerating out of the system.
“They’re running,” Lieutenant Hikowa said, her normal iron calm replaced by astonishment106.
Within minutes, the Covenant ships accelerated and vanished into Slipstream space.
Captain Keyes looked aft and counted only seven UNSC ships intact, with the balance of the fleetdestroyed or disabled.
He sat in his command chair. “Ensign Lovell, take us back the way we came. Make ready to take onwounded. Repressurize all uncompromised decks.”
“Jesus,” Lieutenant Hall said. “I think we actually . . . won that one.”
“Yes, Lieutenant. We won,” Keyes replied.
But Captain Keyes wondered exactly what they had won. The Covenant had come to this system for areason—and he had a sinking feeling that they may have gotten what they had come for.
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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overview
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| n.概观，概述 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| 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 | |
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colloquially
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| adv.用白话，用通俗语 | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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defensiveness
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| 防御性 | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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salute
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| 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 | |
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adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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protocol
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| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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triangular
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| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
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grid
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| n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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radar
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| n.雷达，无线电探测器 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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frigates
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| n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 ) | |
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trajectories
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| n.弹道( trajectory的名词复数 )；轨道；轨线；常角轨道 | |
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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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34
trajectory
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| n.弹道，轨道 | |
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35
motes
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| n.尘埃( mote的名词复数 )；斑点 | |
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lateral
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| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
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recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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42
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
projectiles
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| 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 | |
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rammed
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| v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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flexed
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| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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disintegrated
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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hulls
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| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pinpoints
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| 准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的第三人称单数 )； 为…准确定位 | |
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vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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venting
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| 消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风 | |
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plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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torpedo
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| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
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torpedoes
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| 鱼雷( torpedo的名词复数 )； 油井爆破筒； 刺客； 掼炮 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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bastards
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| 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 | |
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unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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archer
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| n.射手，弓箭手 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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structural
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| adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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82
gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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83
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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87
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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88
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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89
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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91
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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streaked
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| 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 | |
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swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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97
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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99
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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100
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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101
exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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102
recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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103
gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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104
intercepting
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| 截取（技术），截接 | |
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105
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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106
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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