His first time was his indoctrination into the Spartans3—a lifetime ago. He recalled with a start howyoung Dr. Halsey had looked then. The second time was when he graduated from the Spartan2 program,when he had last seen Chief Mendez. He had sat on the bench next to him—where the Chief was sittingnow.
And today? He had a feeling that everything was about to change all over again.
Clustered around him were two dozen Spartans: Fred, Linda, Joshua, James, and many others he had notspoken to for years; constant battle had kept the tight-knit Spartans light-years apart for more than adecade. Dr. Halsey and Captain Keyes entered the chamber4.
The Spartans stood at attention and saluted6. Keyes returned their salute5. “At ease,” he said. He escortedDr. Halsey to the center stage. He sat while she stood at the podium.
“Good evening, Spartans,” she said. “Please take your seats.”
As one, they sat down.
“Assembled here tonight,” she said, “are all surviving Spartans save three, who are otherwise engagedon fields of combat too distant to be easily recalled. In the last decade of combat there have only beenthree KIAs and one Spartan too wounded to continue active duty. You are to be commended for havingthe best operational record of any unit in the fleet.” She paused to look at them. “It is very good to seeyou all again.”
She slipped on her glasses. “Admiral Stanforth has asked me to brief you on the upcoming mission. Dueto its complexity7 and unusual nature, please disregard your normal protocol8 and ask any questions youhave during my presentation. Now, on to the business at hand: the Covenant9.”
Holographic projectors10 overhead warmed and sleek11 Covenant corvettes, frigates12, and destroyersappeared in a neat row on Dr. Halsey’s left. On her right were a collection of Covenant species, roughlyone-third their normal size. There was a Grunt13, a Jackal, the floating, tentacled14 creature John had seen onSigma Octanus IV, as well as the heavily armored behemoths he and his team had bested.
A spike15 of adrenaline burned through the Master Chief at the sight of the enemy. Intellectually, he knewthat the images were not real . . . but after a decade of fighting, his instincts were to kill first and get thedetails later.
“The Covenant are still largely unknown to us,” Dr. Halsey began. “Their motivations and thoughtprocesses remain a mystery—though our best analysis points to some compelling hypotheses.”
She paused, and added, “The following information is, naturally, classified.
“We know that the Covenant—our translation of their name for themselves—are a conglomerate16 of anumber of different alien species. We believe that they exist in some kind of caste structure, though todate the exact nature of that structure remains17 unknown. Our best guess is that the Covenant conquer and‘absorb’ a species, and adapt its strengths into their own.
“The Covenant’s science is imitative rather then innovative18, a by-product19 of this societal ‘absorption,’ ”
Dr. Halsey continued. “This is not to say that they are lacking intelligence, however. During our firstencounter they gathered computer and network components20 from our destroyed ships . . . and theylearned at an astonishing pace.
“By the time Admiral Cole’s fleet arrived at Harvest, the Covenant initiated21 a communications link andattempted a primitive22 software infiltration23 of our ship AIs. In a matter of weeks, they had learned therudiments of our computer systems and our language. Our own attempts to decipher Covenant computersystems have only been partially24 successful, despite our best efforts and decades of time.
“Since then they have made increasingly successful forays into our computer networks. That is why theCole Protocol is so important and carries the punishment of treason for failure to comply. The Covenantmay one day not need to capture a ship to steal the information within its navigational databanks.”
The Master Chief stole a glance at Captain Keyes. The Captain cupped an antique pipe in one hand; theNavy officer puffed25 on it once, and stared thoughtfully at Dr. Halsey and the examples of the Covenantvessels. He slowly shook his head.
“As I stated earlier,” Dr. Halsey continued, “the Covenant are a collection of genetically27 distinct groupsin what we believe is a rigid28 caste system.” She waved toward the Grunts29 and Jackals. “These are mostlikely part of their military or warrior30 caste—not the highest ranking caste, either, given how many aresacrificed during ground operations. We believe there is a ‘race’ of field commanders, which we arecurrently calling ‘Elites.’ ”
She stepped toward the floating, tentacular31 aliens. “We believe these are their scientists.” As she movedcloser, the figure animated32; the image showed the creature disassembling an electric car of humanmanufacture. John instantly recognized his own battlefield recording33.
She pointed34 to the giant armored creatures. “This was recorded on Sigma Octanus Four. A heavilyarmored warrior superior to either Grunts or Jackals.” The massive aliens also sprang into motion,lumbering into combat, until Dr. Halsey froze the images in place.
She turned and strolled back to the podium. “ONI hypothesizes at least two additional castes. A warriorcapable of commanding ground forces and possibly piloting their ships, and a leadership caste. We havedeciphered a handful of Covenant transmissions that refer to—” She paused, checking notes on the datascreen in her glasses. “—Ah, yes. ‘Prophets.’ We believe that these Prophets are in fact the leadershipcaste, and that they are viewed by the Covenant rank and file with an almost religious reverence35.”
Dr. Halsey removed her glasses. “This is where you come in. Your mission will involve these so-calledProphets, and will be executed in four phases.
“Phase one. You will engage the Covenant and sufficiently36 disable, but not destroy, one of their ships.”
She turned to face Captain Keyes. “I leave that in the capable hands of Captain Keyes and his newlyrefitted ship, thePillar of Autumn .”
Captain Keyes acknowledged her compliment with a curt37 nod. He tapped the stem of his pipe on his lipsthoughtfully.
The Master Chief was unaware38 of any Covenant ship ever being captured. He had read the reports ofCaptain Keyes’ actions at Sigma Octanus IV . . . and considered the odds39 of actually capturing aCovenant vessel26. Even for a Spartan, it would be a difficult mission.
“Phase two,” Dr. Halsey said. “Spartans will board the disabled Covenant ship—neutralize the crew, andcrack their navigation database. We will do precisely40 what they have been trying to do to us: find thelocation of their home world.”
The Master Chief raised his hand.
“Yes, Master Chief?”
“Ma’am. We will be given mission specialist personnel to access the Covenant computers?”
“In a manner of speaking,” she said, and looked away. “I will come to that point in a moment. Let meassure you, however, that these specialists will cause you no serious complications during this phase. Infact, they will prove rather useful in combat. Shortly, you shall have a demonstration41.”
Like Captain Keyes’ statement that winning wasn’t everything . . . Dr. Halsey’s reply was anotherpuzzle. How would such computer specialists not be a liability to the Spartans in combat? Even if theycould fight, it was unlikely they’d be anything but weak links in combat. If they couldn’t fight, theSpartans would be forced to baby-sit a vulnerable package in a hot combat zone.
“Phase three,” Dr. Halsey said, “will consist of taking the captured Covenant ship to their homeworld.”
Several questions immediately formed in the Master Chief’s mind. Who would pilot the alien ship? Hadany one ever deciphered the Covenant control systems? It seemed unlikely since the UNSC had nevercaptured one of their ships before. Were there Covenant recognition signals that had to be sent whenentering their space? Or would they just steal their way in-system?
When a plan had so many missing pieces of data, the Spartans had been trained to stop and reconsider itseffectiveness. Unanswered questions led to complications—“snags.” And snags led to injuries, death,and failed missions. Simple was better.
He held his questions, though. Dr. Halsey surely would have planned for these eventualities.
“Phase four,” she continued, “will be to infiltrate42 and capture the Covenant leadership and return withthem to UNSC-controlled space.”
The Master Chief shifted uneasily. There was no intel or reconnaissance of Covenant-held space. Whatdid a Covenant leader—a Prophet—even look like?
Chief Mendez had told him to trust Dr. Halsey. The Master Chief decided43 to hear all the details beforehe asked any further questions. To do so might undermine her authority. And that’s the last thing heneeded the other Spartans to see.
And yet, there was one thing hehad to clarify. The Master Chief raised his hand again.
She nodded toward him.
“Dr. Halsey,” he said, “you did say ‘capture’ the Covenant leaders—not eliminate them?”
“Correct,” she replied. “Our profile of Covenant society indicates that if you were to kill one of theirleader caste, this war could actually escalate44. Your orders are to preserve any captured Covenant leadersat all costs. You will bring them back to UNSC headquarters, where we will then use them to broker45 atruce, possibly even negotiate a peace treaty with the Covenant.”
Peace? The Master Chief considered the unfamiliar46 word. Was that what Captain Keyes had meant? Thealternative to winning wasn’t necessarily losing. If you chose not to play a game, then there could beneither winning nor losing.
Dr. Halsey took a deep breath and slowly exhaled47. “Some of you already suspect this, but I shall state itanyway for emphasis. It is my opinion, and that of many others, that the war is not going well . . .
despite our recent victories. What is not widely known is how badly it is going for us. ONI predicts thatwe have months, perhaps as much as a standard year, before the Covenant locates and destroys ourremaining Inner Colonies . . . and then moves against Earth.”
The Master Chief had heard the rumors—and promptly48 dismissed them—but to hear the words fromsomeone he trusted chilled him to the core.
“Your mission will prevent this,” Dr. Halsey said. She stopped and frowned, lowered her head, thenfinally looked up at them again. “This op is considered extremely high risk. There are unknownelements involved and we simply do not have the time to gather the required intelligence. I havepersuaded FLEETCOM not to order you on this mission. Admiral Stanforth is asking for volunteers.”
The Master Chief understood. Dr. Halsey was unsure if she would be spending their lives or wastingthem on this mission.
He stood without hesitation—and as he did so, the rest of the Spartans stood as well.
“Good,” she said. She paused and blinked several times. “Very good. Thank you.”
She stepped away from the podium. “We will meet with you individually within a few days to continueyour briefing. I will show you how you will get our computer experts on board the Covenant vessel . . .
and I will show you the one thing that will let you get through this mission in one piece: MJOLNIR.”
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收听单词发音
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1
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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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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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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complexity
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| n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物 | |
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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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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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projectors
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| 电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 ) | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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frigates
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| n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 ) | |
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grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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tentacled
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| 有触角[触手]的 | |
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spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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conglomerate
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| n.综合商社，多元化集团公司 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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innovative
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| adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的 | |
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by-product
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| n.副产品，附带产生的结果 | |
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components
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| （机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分 | |
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initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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infiltration
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| n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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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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genetically
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| adv.遗传上 | |
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rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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grunts
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| （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 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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tentacular
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| adj.有触手的 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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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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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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infiltrate
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| vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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44
escalate
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| v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级 | |
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45
broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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47
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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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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