ThePillar of Autumn shuddered1 as her Titanium-A armor took a direct hit.
Just another item in the Covenant2’s bottomless arsenal3,Captain Jacob Keyesthought.Not a plasma4 torpedo5, or we’d already be free-floating molecules6.
The warship7 had taken a beating from Covenant forces off Reach and it was amiracle that the hull8 remained intact and even more remarkable9 that they’dbeen able to make a jump into Slipspace at all.
“Status!” Keyes barked. “What just hit us?”
“Covenant fighter, sir. Seraph10-class,” the tactical officer, LieutenantHikowa, replied. Her porcelain13 features darkened. “Tricky14 bastard15 must havepowered down and slipped past our sentry16 ships.”
A humorless grin tugged17 at Keyes’ mouth. Hikowa was a first-rate tacticalofficer, utterly18 ruthless in a fight. She seemed to take the Covenantfighter pilot’s actions as a personal insult. “Teach him a lesson,Lieutenant12,” he said.
She nodded and tapped a series of orders into her panel—new orders fortheAutumn ’s fighter squadron.
A moment later, there was radio chatter20 as one of theAutumn ’s C709Longsword fighters went after the Seraph, followed by a cheer as the tinyalien ship transformed into a momentary21 sun, complete with its own system ofco-orbiting debris22.
Keyes wiped a trickle23 of sweat from his forehead. He checked his display—they’d reverted24 back into real space twenty minutes ago.Twenty minutes ,and the Covenant picket25 patrols had already found them and started shooting.
He turned to the bridge’s main viewport, a large transparent26 bubble slungbeneath theAutumn ’s bow superstructure. A massive purple gas giant—Threshold—dominated the spectacular view. One of the Longsword fightersglided past as it continued its patrol.
When Keyes had been given command of thePillar of Autumn , he’d beenskeptical of the large, domed28 viewport. “The Covenant are tough enough,”
he had argued to Admiral Stanforth. “Why give them an easy shot into mybridge?”
He’d lost the argument—captains don’t win debates with admirals, and inany case there simply hadn’t been time to armor the viewport. He had toadmit, though, the view was almost worth the risk. Almost.
He absently toyed with the pipe he habitually29 carried, lost in thought. Itran completely counter to his nature to slink around in the shadow of a gasgiant. He respected the Covenant as a dangerous, deadly enemy, and hatedthem for their savage30 butchery of human colonists31 and fellow soldiers alike.
He had never feared them, however. Soldiers didn’t hide from the enemy—they met the enemy head-on.
He moved back to the command station and activated32 his navigation suite33. Heplotted a course deeper in-system, and fed the data to Ensign Lovell, thenavigator.
“Captain,” Hikowa piped up. “Sensors paint a squadron of enemy fightersinbound. Looks like boarding craft are right behind them.”
“It was just a matter of time, Lieutenant.” He sighed. “We can’t hidehere forever.”
ThePillar seemed to glide27 out of the shadow cast by the gas giant, and intobright sunlight.
Keyes’ eyes widened with surprise as the ship cleared the gas giant. He hadexpected to see a Covenant cruiser, Seraph fighters, or some other militarythreat.
He hadn’t expected to see the massive object floating in a Lagrange pointbetween Threshold and its moon, Basis.
The construct was enormous—a ring-shaped object that shimmered36 and glowedwith reflected starlight, like a jewel lit from within.
The outer surface was metallic37 and seemed to be engraved38 with deep geometricpatterns. “Cortana,” Captain Keyes said. “Whatis that?”
A foot-high hologram faded into view above a small holopad near thecaptain’s station. Cortana—the ship’s powerful artificial intelligence—frowned as she activated the ship’s long-range detection gear. Long linesof digits40 scrolled41 across the sensor34 displays and rippled42 the length ofCortana’s “body” as well.
“The ring is ten thousand kilometers in diameter,” Cortana announced,“and twenty-two point three kilometers thick. Spectroscopic analysis isinconclusive, but patterns do not match any known Covenant materials, sir.”
Keyes nodded. The preliminary finding was interesting,very interesting,since Covenant ships had already been present when theAutumn dropped out ofSlipspace and right into their laps. When he first saw the ring, Keyes had asinking feeling that the construct was a large Covenant installation—onefar beyond the scope of human engineering. The thought that the constructmight also be beyondCovenant engineering held some small comfort.
It also made him nervous.
Under intense pressure from enemy warships43 in the Epsilon Eridani system—the location of the UNSC’s last major naval44 base, Reach—Cortana had beenforced to launch the ship toward a random45 set of coordinates46, a standardprocedure to lead the Covenant forces away from Earth.
Now it appeared that the men and women aboard thePillar of Autumn hadsucceeded in leaving their original pursuers behind, only to encounter evenmore Covenant forceshere . . . wherever “here” was.
Cortana aimed a long-range camera array at the ring and a close-up snappedinto focus. Keyes let out a long, slow whistle. The construct’s innersurface was a mosaic47 of greens, blues48, and browns—trackless desert,jungles, glaciers49, and oceans. Streaks50 of white clouds cast deep shadows onthe terrain51 below. The ring rotated and brought a new feature into view: atremendous hurricane forming over a large body of water.
Equations again scrolled across the AI’s semitransparent body as shecontinued to evaluate the incoming data. “Captain,” Cortana said, “theobject is clearly artificial. There’s a gravity field that controls thering’s spin and keeps the atmosphere inside. I can’t say with one hundredpercent certainty, but it appears that the ring has an oxygen-nitrogenatmosphere, and Earth-normal gravity.”
Keyes raised an eyebrow52. “If it’s artificial, who the hell built it, andwhat in God’s name is it?”
Cortana processed the question for a full three seconds. “I don’t know,sir.”
Regulations be damned,Keyes thought. He took out his pipe, used an old-fashioned match to light it, and produced a puff53 of fragrant54 smoke. The ringworld shimmered on the status monitors. “Then we’d better find out.”
Sam Marcus rubbed his aching neck with hands that trembled with fatigue55. Therush of adrenaline that had flooded him when he’d received Tech ChiefShephard’s instructions had worn off. Now he just felt tired, strung out,and more than a little afraid.
He shook his head to clear it and surveyed the small observation theater.
Each cryostorage bay was equipped with such a station, a central monitoringfacility for the hundreds of cryotubes the storage bays held. By shipboardstandards, the Cryo Two Observation Theater was large, but the proliferationof life-sign monitors, diagnostic gauges56, and computer terminals—tieddirectly into the individual cryotubes stored in the bay below—made theroom seem cramped57 and uncomfortable.
A chime sounded and Sam’s eyes swept across the status monitors. There wasonly one active cryotube in this bay, and its monitor pinged for hisattention. He double-checked the main instrument panel, then keyed theintercom. “He’s coming around, sir,” he said. He turned and looked outthe observation bay’s window.
Tech Chief Thom Shephard waved up at Sam from the floor of Cryostorage UnitTwo. “Good work, Sam,” he called back. “Almost time to pop the seal.”
The status monitors continued to feed information to the observationtheater. The subject’s body temperature was approaching normal—at least,Sam assumed it was normal; he’d never awakened58 a Spartan59 before—and mostof the chemicals had already been flushed out of his system.
“He’s in a REM cycle now, Chief,” Sam called out, “and his brainwaveactivity shows he’s dreaming—that means he’s pretty much thawed61.
Shouldn’t be long now.”
“Good,” Shephard replied. “Keep an eye on those neuro readings. We packedhim in wearing his combat armor. There may be some feedback effects to watchout for.”
“Acknowledged.”
A red light winked63 to life on the security terminal, and a new series ofcodes flashed across the screen:
>WAKE-UP SERIES STANDBY. SECURITY LOCK [PRIORITY ALPHA] ENGAGED.
>x-CORTANA.1.0—CRYOSTOR.23.4.7“What the hell?” Sam muttered. He keyed the bay intercom again. “Thom?
There’s something weird64 here . . . some kind of security lockout from thebridge.”
“Acknowledged.” There was a static-spotted65 click as Shephard looped in thebridge channel. “Cryo Two to Bridge.”
“Go ahead, Cryo Two,” a female voice replied, laced with the telltalewarble of synthesized speech.
“We’re ready to pop the seal on our . . . guest, Cortana,” Shephardexplained. “We need—”
“—the security code,” the AI finished. “Transmitting. Bridge out.”
Almost instantly, a new line of text scrolled across the security screen:
>UNSEAL THE HUSHED CASKET.
Sam hit the execute command, the security lockout dropped away, and acountdown timer began marking time until the wake-up sequence would becompleted.
The soldier was coming around. Respiration66 was up, ditto his heart rate, asboth returned to normal levels.Here he is, Sam thought,a real honest-to-godSpartan. Not just any Spartan, but maybe thelast Spartan. The shipboardscuttlebutt said that the rest of them had bought the farm at Reach.
Like his fellow techs, Sam had heard of the program, though he’d never seenanactual Spartan in person. In order to deal with increasing civil turmoilthe Colonial Military Administration had secretly launched Project ORIONback in 2491. The purpose of the program was to develop supersoldiers, code-named “Spartans67,” who would receive special training and physicalaugmentation.
The initial effort was successful, and in 2517 a new group of Spartans, theII-series, had been selected as the next generation of supersoldier. Theproject had been intended to remain secret, but the Covenant War had changedall that.
It was no secret that the human race was on the verge68 of defeat. TheCovenant’s ships and space technology were just too advanced. While humanforces could hold their own in a ground engagement, the Covenant wouldsimply fall back into space and glass the planet from orbit.
As the situation grew increasingly grim, the Admiralty was faced with theugly prospect69 of fighting a two-front war—one against the Covenant inspace, and another against the collapsing70 human society on the ground. Thegeneral public and the rank-and-file in the military needed a morale71 boost,so the existence of the SPARTAN-II project was revealed.
There were now successful heroes to rally behind, men and women who hadtaken the fight to the enemy and won several decisive battles. Even theCovenant seemed to fear the Spartans.
Except they were gone now, all but one, sacrificed to protect the human racefrom the Covenant and the very real possibility of extinction72. Sam gazed onthe soldier in front of him with something akin73 to awe62. Here, about to riseas if from a grave, was a true hero. It was a moment to remember, and if hewas lucky enough to survive, to tell his children about.
It didn’t make him any less afraid, however. If the stories were true, theman gradually regaining74 consciousness in the bay below was almost as alien,and certainly as dangerous, as the Covenant.
He was floating in the never-never land somewhere between cryo and fullconsciousness when the dream began.
It was a familiar dream, a pleasant dream, and one which had nothing to dowith war. He was on Eridanus II—the colony world he’d been born on, longsince destroyed by the Covenant. He heard laughter all around.
A female voice called him by name—John. A moment later, arms held him, andhe recognized the familiar scent75 of soap. The woman said something nice tohim, and he wanted to say something nice in return, but the words wouldn’tcome. He tried tosee her, tried to penetrate76 the haze77 that obscured herface, and was rewarded with the image of a woman with large eyes, a straightnose, and full lips.
The picture wavered, indistinct, like a reflection in a pond. In aneyeblink, the woman who held him transformed. Now she had dark hair,piercing blue eyes, and pale skin.
He knew her name: Dr. Halsey.
Dr. Catherine Halsey had selected him for the SPARTAN-II project. While mostbelieved that the current generation of Spartans had been culled78 from thebest of the UNSC military, only a handful of people knew the truth.
Halsey’s program involved the actual abduction of specially-screenedchildren. The children were flash-cloned—which made the duplicates prone79 toneurological disorders—and the clones covertly80 returned to the parents, whonever suspected that their sons and daughters were duplicates. In many ways,Dr. Halsey was the only “mother” that he had ever known.
But Dr. Halseywasn’t his mother, nor was the pale semitranslucent image ofCortana that appeared to replace her.
The dream changed. A dark, nebulous shape loomed81 behind theMother/Halsey/Cortana figure. He didn’t know what it was, but it was athreat—of that he was certain.
His combat instincts kicked in, and adrenaline coursed through him. Hequickly surveyed the area—some kind of playground, with high wooden poles,distantly familiar—and decided82 on the best route to flank the new threat.
He spied an assault rifle, a powerful MA5B, nearby. If he placed himselfbetween the woman and the threat, his armor could take the brunt of anattack, and he could return fire.
He moved quickly, and the dark shape howled at him—a fierce and terrifyingwar cry.
The beast was impossibly fast. It was on him in seconds.
He grabbed the assault rifle and turned to open fire—and discovered to hishorror that he couldn’t lift the weapon. His arms were small,underdeveloped. His armor was gone, and his body was that of a six-year-oldchild.
He was powerless in the face of the threat. He roared back at the beast inrage and fear—angry not just at the threat, but at his own suddenpowerlessness . . .
The dream started to fade, and light appeared in front of the Spartan’seyes. Vapor83 vented85, swirled86, and began to dissipate. A voice came, as iffrom a great distance. It was male and matter-of-fact.
“Sorry for the quick thaw60, Master Chief—but things are a bit hectic87 rightnow. The disorientation should pass quickly.”
A second voice welcomed him back and it took the Spartan a moment toremember where he’d been prior to entering the cryotube. There had been abattle, a terrible battle, in which most if not all of his Spartan brothersand sisters had been killed. Men and women with whom he had been raised andtrained since the age of six, and who, unlike the dimly remembered woman ofhis dreams, constituted hisreal family.
With the memory, plus subtle changes to the gas mix that filled his lungs,came strength. He flexed88 his stiff limbs. The Spartan heard the tech saysomething about “freezer burn,” and pushed himself up and out of thecryotube’s chilly89 embrace.
“God in heaven,” Sam whispered.
The Spartan was huge, easily seven feet tall. Encased in pearlescent greenbattle armor, the man looked like a figure from mythology—otherworldly andterrifying. Master Chief SPARTAN-117 stepped from his tube and surveyed thecryo bay. The mirrored visor on his helmet made him all the more fearsome, afaceless, impassive soldier built for destruction and death.
Sam was glad that he was up here in the observation theater, rather thandown on the Cryo Two main floor with the Spartan.
He realized that Thom was waiting for diagnostic data. He checked thedisplays—neural90 pathways clear, no fluctuations91 in heartbeat or brainwaveactivity. He opened an intercom channel. “I’m bringing his health monitorson-line now.”
Sam watched as Thom led the Spartan to the various test stations in the bay,pitching in where he was required. In short order, the soldier’s gear hadbeen brought on-line—recharging shield system, real-time health monitors,targeting and optical systems all read in the green.
The suit—code-named MJOLNIR armor—was a marvel92 of engineering, Sam had toadmit. According to the specs he’d received, the suit’s shell consisted ofa multilayered alloy93 of remarkable strength, a refractive coating that coulddisperse a fair amount of directed energy, a crystalline storage matrix thatcould support the same level of artificial intelligence usually reserved fora starship, and a layer of gel which conformed to the wearer’s skin andfunctioned to regulate temperature.
Additional memory packets and signal conduits had been implanted into theSpartan’s body, and two externally accessible input94 slots had beeninstalled near the base of his skull95. Taken together, the combined systemsserved to double his strength, enhance his already lightning-fast reflexes,and make it possible for him to navigate96 through the intricacies of anyhigh-tech battlefield.
There were substantial life-support systems built into the MJOLNIR gear.
Most soldiers went into cryo naked, since covered skin generally reactedbadly to the cryo process. Sam had once worn a bandage into the freezer anddiscovered the affected97 skin blistered98 and raw when he woke up.
The Spartan’s skin must have hurt like hell, he realized. Through it all,though, the soldier remained silent, simply nodding when asked questions orquietly complying with requests from Thom. It was eerie—he moved withmechanistic efficiency from one test to the next, like a robot.
Cortana’s voice rang from the shipwide com: “Sensors show inbound Covenantboarding craft. Stand by to repel99 boarders.”
Sam felt a pang100 of fear—and sorrow for the Covenant troops that would haveto face this Spartan in combat.
The neural interface101 which linked the Master Chief to his MJOLNIR armor wasworking perfectly102, and immediately fed data to his helmet’s heads-updisplayon the inside surface of his visor.
It felt good to move around, and the Master Chief quietly flexed hisfingers. His skin itched103 and stung, a side effect of the cryo gases, but hequickly banished104 the pain from his awareness105. He had long ago learned how todisassociate himself from physical discomfort106.
He’d heard Cortana’s announcement. The Covenant were on their way. Good.
He scanned the room for weapons, but there was no arms locker107 present. Thelack of weapons wasn’t of great concern to him; he’d taken weapons awayfrom Covenant soldiers before.
The intercom crackled again: “Bridge to Cryo Two—this is Captain Keyes.
Send the Master Chief to the bridge immediately.”
One of the techs started to object, pointing out that more tests wererequired, when Keyes cut in. He said, “On the double, crewman,” and therating gave the only reply he could.
“Aye, aye, sir.”
The tech chief turned and faced him. “We’ll find weapons later.”
The Master Chief nodded and was about to move for the door when an explosionechoed through the cryo bay.
The first blasts slammed into the observation theater’s door with a noisethat made Sam jump. His heart pounded as he quickly hit the door controls,engaging an emergency lockout. A heavy metal barrier slammed into place witha crash—then began to glow red as Covenant energy weapons burned their waythrough.
“They’re trying to get through the door!” he yelled.
He glanced down into the bay and saw Thom, a stricken look on his face. Samcould see his own startled reflection in the Spartan’s mirrored visor.
Sam lunged for the alarm, and had time to call in an alert. Then, thesecurity door exploded in a shower of fire and molten steel.
He heard the whine108 of plasma rifle fire, then felt something punch him inthe chest. His vision blurred110, and he groped to feel the wound. His handscame away sticky with blood.It doesn’t hurt, he thought.It should hurt,shouldn’t it?
He felt disoriented, confused. He could see a flurry of movement, as armoredfigures swarmed111 into the observation theater. He ignored them and focused onhis wife’s picture—smeared with his own blood—which had somehow fallen tothe deckplates. He fell to his knees and scrambled112 for the photograph, hishands shaking.
His field of vision narrowed as he struggled to reach the discarded photo.
It was only inches away now, but the distance felt like miles. He’d neverbeen so tired. His wife’s name echoed in his mind.
Sam’s fingers had just brushed the edge of the photograph when an armoredboot pinned his arm to the deck. Long, clawed fingers plucked the picturefrom the floor.
Sam cursed weakly and struggled to face his attacker. The alien—an Elite113—cocked his head at the image in puzzlement. He glanced down, as if noticingSam for the first time. The human continued to reach for the picture.
He dimly heard Thom’s voice call out in anguish114: “Sam!”
The Elite aimed the plasma rifle at Sam’s head and fired.
The Master Chief bristled115. Covenant forces were in close proximity116, and afellow soldier had just died. He longed to climb to the observation bay andengage the enemy—but orders were orders. He needed to get to the bridge.
The cryo tech keyed open a hatchway. “Come on!” he yelled, “we’ve got toget the hell out of here!”
The Master Chief followed the crewman through the hatch and down thecorridor. A sudden explosion blew the next door to smithereens, hurled117 whatremained of the technician’s body down the passageway, and caused theChief’s shields to flare119.
He mentally reviewed the schematics of the Halcyon-class line of ships anddoubled back. He vaulted120 over a pair of power conduits, and landed in thedimly lit maintenance hallway beyond. An emergency beacon121 strobed and alarmswailed. The rumble122 of a second explosion echoed down the corridor.
He pushed ahead, past a dead crewman, and into the next section of hallway.
The Master Chief saw a hatch, its security panel pulsing green, and hurriedforward. There was a third explosion, but his armor deflected123 the force ofthe blast.
The Spartan forced open the partially124 melted door, saw an opening to hisleft, and heard someone scream. A naval crewman fired his sidearm at atarget the Master Chief couldn’t see—and the deck shuddered as a missilestruck theAutumn ’s hull.
The Master Chief ducked under a half-raised door just in time to see thecrewman take an energy bolt through the chest as the rest of the humancounterboarders returned fire. Covenant forces backed through a hatch andwere forced to retreat into an adjoining compartment125.
Chaos126 reigned127 as the ship’s crew did the best they could to push theboarders back toward the air locks or to trap them in compartments128 wherethey could be contained and dispatched later.
Unarmed, and well aware of the fact that Captain Keyes needed him on thebridge, the Master Chief had little choice but to follow the signs, andavoid the firefights that raged all around. He made his way down a darkenedaccess corridor—the Covenant boarders must have shorted out theillumination circuits in this compartment—and nearly ran headlong into aCovenant Elite.
The alien’s personal shields sparked and he roared in surprise and anger.
The Spartan crouched129 and prepared to meet the alien soldier’s charge—thenducked, as a Marine130 fire-team unleashed131 a barrage132 of assault-rifle fire atthe Elite. Purple gore133 splashed the bulkhead, and the alien dropped in acrumpled heap.
The Marines moved forward to secure the area, and the Chief nodded in thanksto the squad19 leader. He turned, sprinted134 down the passageway, and made it tothe bridge without further incident.
He looked out through the main viewport, saw the strange-looking constructthat floated out beyond the cruiser’s hull, and was momentarily curiousabout what it was. No doubt the Captain would fill him in. He strode towardthe captain’s station, near the center of the bridge.
A variety of naval personnel sat hunched136 at their consoles as they struggledto control their beleaguered137 vessel138. Some battled the latest wave of Seraphfighters, others worked on damage control, and one grim-faced Lieutenantmade use of the ship’s environmental systems to suck the atmosphere out ofthose compartments which had been occupied by Covenant forces. Some of theenemy carried their own atmosphere, but some of them didn’t, and that madethem vulnerable. There were crew in some of those spaces, perhaps some sheknew personally, but there was no way to save them. If she didn’t killthem, then the enemy would.
The Chief understood the situation well. Better a quick death in vacuum thanat the hands of the Covenant.
He spotted Keyes near the main tactical display. Keyes studied the screensintently, particularly a large display of the strange ring.
The Spartan came to attention. “Captain Keyes.”
Captain Keyes turned to face him. “Good to see you, Master Chief. Thingsaren’t going well. Cortana did her best—but we never really had achance.”
The AI arched a holographic eyebrow. “A dozen Covenant battleships againsta single Halcyon-class cruiser . . . With those odds139 we still had three—”
She paused, as if distracted, then amended140: “—make thatfour kills.”
Cortana looked at the Chief. “Sleep well?”
“Yes,” he replied. “No thanks to your driving.”
Cortana smiled. “So, youdid miss me.”
Before he could reply, another blast rocked the entire ship. He grabbed anearby support pillar and braced141 himself, as several crewers crashed to thedeck nearby.
Keyes grabbed onto a console for support. “Report!”
Cortana shimmered blue. “It must have been one of their boarding parties.
My guess is an antimatter charge.”
The fire control officer turned in his seat. “Ma’am! Fire control for themain cannon142 is off-line!”
Cortana looked at Keyes. The loss of the ship’s primary weapon, theMagnetic Accelerator Cannon, was a crippling blow to their holding action.
“Captain, the cannon was my last defensive143 option.”
“All right,” Keyes said gruffly, “I’m initiating144 Cole Protocol145, ArticleTwo. We’re abandoning theAutumn . That means you too, Cortana.”
“While you do what? Go down with the ship?” she shot back.
“In a manner of speaking,” Keyes replied. “The object we found—I’mgoing to try and land theAutumn on it.”
Cortana shook her head. “With all due respect . . . this war has enoughdead heroes.”
The Captain’s eyes locked with hers. “I appreciate your concern, Cortana—but it’s not up to me. The Protocol is clear. The destruction or capture ofshipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable. That means youare abandoning ship.
Lock in a selection of emergency landing zones and upload them to my neurallace.”
The AI paused, then nodded. “Aye, aye, sir.”
“Which is whereyou come in,” Keyes continued as he turned to face theSpartan. “Get Cortana off this ship. Keep her safe from the enemy. If theycapture her, they’ll learn everything. Force deployment146, weaponsresearch.” He paused, then added: “Earth.”
The Spartan nodded. “I understand.”
Keyes glanced at Cortana. “Are you ready?”
There was a pause as the AI took one last look around. In many ways the shipwas her physical body and she was reluctant to leave it. “Yank me.”
Keyes turned to a console, touched a series of controls, and turned backagain.
The holo shivered and Cortana’s image swirled into the pedestal below anddisappeared from view. Keyes waited until the holo had disappeared, removeda data chip from the pedestal, and offered it to the Spartan, along with hissidearm. “Good luck, Master Chief.”
SPARTAN-117 accepted the chip and reached back to slot the device into theneural interface, located at the base of his skull. There was a positiveclick, followed by a flood of sensation as the AI joined him within theconfines of the armor’s neural network. At first it felt as if someone hadpoured a cup of ice water into his mind, followed by a momentary jab ofpain, and a familiar presence. He’d worked with Cortana before—just priorto the disaster at Reach.
The AI-human interface was intrusive147 in a way, yet comforting too, since heknew what Cortana could do. He would depend on her during the hours and daysahead—just as she would depend on him. It was like being part of a teamagain.
The Master Chief saluted148 and left the bridge. The sounds of fighting wereeven louder now, indicating that, in spite of the crew’s best efforts,Covenant forces had still managed to fight their way out of the areasadjacent to the air locks and made it all the way up to the area around thecommand deck.
Bodies lay strewn around the corridor, roughly fifty meters from the bridge.
The human defenders149 had pushed them back, but the Chief could tell that thelast assault had been close. Too close.
The Master Chief paused to kneel next to a dead ensign, took a moment toclose her eyelids150, and appropriated the fallen trooper’s ammo. The pistolthe Captain had given him was standard Navy issue; it fired 12.7mm semi-armor piercing high-explosive ammo from twelve-round clips. Not what hewould choose to tackle an Elite with—but good enough for Grunt151 work.
There was a metallicclick as the first clip slid into the pistol’s handle,followed by the sudden appearance of a blue circle in his HUD—a targetingreticle—as his armor made electronic contact with the weapon in his hand.
Then, conscious of the need to get Cortana off the ship, he made his waydown the corridor. He heard the strange high-pitched squeaks152 and barksbefore he actually saw the Covenant Grunts153 themselves. Consistent with hisstatus as a veteran, the first alien to come around the corner wore red-trimmed armor, a methane154 rig, and a Marine’s web pistol belt. The alienwore the captured gear Pancho Villa–style and dragged it across the deck.
Two of his comrades brought up the rear.
Confident that there were more of the vaguely156 simian157 aliens on the way, theMaster Chief paused long enough to let more of them appear, then openedfire. The recoil158 compensators in his armor dampened the effect, but he couldstill feel the handgun kick against his palm. All three of the Grunts wentdown from head shots. Phosphorescent blue ichor spattered the deck.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
The Master Chief stepped over their bodies and moved on.
A lifeboat. That was hisreal goal—and he would do whatever it took to findone.
Ashamed by the ignominy of it, but consistent with his orders, the Elitenamed Isna ’Nosolee waited until the Grunts, Jackals, and two members ofhis own race had charged out through the human air lock before leaving theassault boat himself. Though armed with a plasma pistol, plus a half-dozengrenades, he was there to observe rather than fight, which meant that theElite would rely on both his energy shielding and active camouflage159 to keephim alive.
His role, and an unaccustomed one at that, was to function as an“Ossoona,” or Eye of the Prophet. The concept, as outlined to ’Nosolee byhis superior, was to insert experienced officers into situations whereintelligence could be gleaned160, and to do so early enough to obtain high-quality information.
Though both intelligent and brave, the Prophets felt that the Elites161 had anunfortunate tendency to destroy everything in their path, leaving verylittle for their analysts162 to analyze163.
Now, by adding Ossoonas to the combat mix, the Prophets hoped to learn moreabout the humans, ranging from data on their weapons and force deploymentsto the greatest prize of all: the coordinates for their home planet,“Earth.”
’Nosolee had three major objectives: to retrieve164 the enemy ship’s AI, tocapture senior personnel, and to record everything he saw via the camerasattached to his helmet. The first two goals were bound to be difficult, buta quick check confirmed that the video gear was working, and the thirdobjective was assured.
So, even though the assignment was empty of honor, ’Nosolee understood itspurpose, and was determined165 to succeed, if only as a means to return to theregular infantry166 where he belonged.
The Elite heard the rhythmic167 clatter168 of a human weapon as a group of theirMarines backed around a corner, closely pursued by a pack comprised ofGrunts and Jackals. The Ossoona considered killing169 the humans, thoughtbetter of it, and flattened170 himself against a bulkhead. None of thecombatants noticed the point where the metal appeared to be slightlydistorted, and a moment later the spy slipped away.
It seemed as if theAutumn was infested171 with chrome-armored demons172 spoutingplasma fire. The Master Chief had acquired an MA5B assault rifle along withclose to four hundred rounds of 7.62mm armor piercing ammunition173. In thissituation, with plenty of ordnance174 lying around, he preferred to reload whenthe ammo indicator175 on his weapon dropped to around 10. Failure to do socould result in disaster if he ran into serious opposition176. With that inmind, the Chief hit the release, allowed a nearly empty magazine to fall,and shoved a new clip into its place. The weapon’s digital ammo counterreset, as did its cousin in his HUD.
“We’re closer,” Cortana said from someplace just outside his head. “Duckthrough the hatch ahead and go up one level.”
The Master Chief ran into a shimmery177, black-clad Elite, and opened fire.
There were Grunts in the area as well, but he knew that the Elite posedthereal danger. He expertly sprayed a trio of bursts at the alien.
The Elite roared defiance178 and fired in return, but the sheer volume of thespecially hardened 7.62mm projectiles179 caused the Elite’s shielding toflare, overload180, and fail. The bulky alien fell to his knees, bent181 forward,and collapsed182. Frightened by what had happened to their leader, the Gruntsmade barking noises, turned, and began to scurry183 away.
Individually, the Grunts were cowards, but the Spartan had seen what a packof the creatures could do. He opened fire again. Alien bodies tumbled andfell.
He continued on through a hatch, heard more firing, and turned in thatdirection. Cortana called out: “Covenant! On the landing above us!”
He ran toward a flight of metal stairs, and charged straight for thelanding.
Boots rang on metal as he slammed a fresh magazine into the weapon’sreceiver and passed a wounded Marine. The Spartan remembered the soldierfrom his last action on one of Reach’s orbiting defense184 stations. TheMarine held a dressing185 to a plasma burn and managed to smile. “Glad youcould make it, Chief . . . we saved some party favors just for you.”
The Spartan nodded, paused on the landing, and took aim at a Jackal. Thevaguely birdlike aliens carried energy shields—handheld units, rather thanthe full-body protection the Elites favored. The Jackal shifted to take aimat the wounded Marine, and the Chief saw his opening. He fired a burst atthe Jackal’s unprotected flank and the alien hit the deckplates, dead.
He continued the climb up the flight of stairs, and came nearly visor-tovisorwith another Elite. The alien roared, charged forward, and attemptedto use his plasma rifle like a club. The Master Chief evaded186 the blow—he’dfought Elites hand-to-hand before, and knew they were dangerously strong—and backed away. He leveled the assault weapon at the Elite’s belly187, andsqueezed the trigger.
The Covenant soldier seemed to absorb the bullets like a sponge, continuedto advance, and was just about to swing when a final round cut through hisspinal cord. The alien soldier slammed into the deck, twitched188 once, anddied.
SPARTAN-117 reached for another magazine. Another Elite roared, asdidanother . There was no time to reload, so the Master Chief turned to takethem on. He discarded the assault rifle and drew his sidearm. There were apair of dead Marines at the aliens’ feet, roughly twenty-five metersaway.Well within range, he thought, and opened fire.
The lead Elite snarled189 as the powerful handgun rounds tore into theshielding around his head. Sensing the Spartan’s threat, the aliens shiftedall of their fire in his direction only to watch as it dissipated againsthis shields and armor.
Now, free to direct their fire wherever they chose, the Marines launched ahastily organized counterattack. A fragmentation grenade blew one Elite intobloody ribbons, shredded190 the Jackals who had the poor judgment191 to stand nextto him, and sent pieces of shrapnel flying across the stairwell to slam intothe bulkhead.
The other Elite was consumed by a hail of bullets. He seemed to wilt192, fold,and fly apart. “That’s what I’m talking about!” a Marine crowed. Hefired acoup de grace into the alien’s head.
Satisfied that the area was reasonably secure, the Master Chief moved on. Hepassed through a hatch, helped a pair of Marines take out a group of Grunts,and marched down a corridor drenched193 with blood—both human and alien. Thedeck shook as theAutumn took a new hit from a ship-to-ship missile. Therewas a muffled194 clang, and a light flared195 beyond a viewport.
“The lifeboats are launching,” Cortana announced. “We should hurry!”
“Iam hurrying,” the Master Chief replied. “I’ll get there as soon as Ican.”
Cortana started to reply, reconsidered, and processed the equivalent of anapologetic shrug196. Sometimes, fallible though they were, humans were right.
Flight Officer Captain Carol Rawley, better known to the ship’s Marinecontingent by her call sign, “Foehammer,” waited for the Grunt to roundthe corner. She shot him in the head, and the little methane-breathingbastard dropped like a rock. The pilot took a quick peek198, verified that thenext corridor was clear, and motioned to those behind her. “Come on! Let’sget while the getting’s good!”
Three pilots, along with an equal number of ground crew, followed as Rawleythundered down the hall. She was a tall, broad-shouldered woman, and she ranwith a flat-footed determination. The plan, if the wild-assed scheme she’dconcocted could be dignified199 as such, was to make it down to the ship’slaunch bay, jump into their D77-TC “Pelican200” dropships, and get offtheAutumn before the cruiser smacked201 into the construct below. At best, itwould be a tricky takeoff, and a messy landing, but she’d rather die behindthe stick of her bird than trust her fate to some lifeboat jockey. Besides,maybe some transports would come in handy, if anybody actually made it offthe ship alive.
That was looking like an increasingly big maybe.
“They’re behind us!” somebody yelled. “Run faster!”
Rawley wasn’t a sprinter—she was a pilot, damn it. She turned to take aimon her pursuers, when a globe of glowing-green plasma sizzled past her ear.
“Screw this,” she yelled, then ran with renewed energy.
As the battle with the interlopers continued to rage, a Grunt named Yayapled a small detachment of his own kind through a half-melted hatch and cameupon the scene of a massacre202. The nearest bulkhead was drenched inshimmering blue blood. Spent shell casings were scattered203 everywhere and atangled pile of Grunt bodies testified to an engagement lost. Yayap keenedin brief mourning for his fallen brethren.
That most of the dead were Grunts like Yayap didn’t surprise him. TheProphets had long made use of his race as cannon fodder204. He hoped that theyhad gone to a methane-rich paradise, and was about to pass by the gruesomeheap, when one of the bodies groaned205.
The Grunt paused and, accompanied by one of his fellows—a Grunt named Gagaw—he waded206 into the gory207 mess, only to discover that the noise wasassociated with a black-armored member of the Elite, one of the “Prophetblessed”
types who were in charge of this ill-considered raid. By law andcustom, Yayap’s race was required to revere208 the Elites as near-divineenvoys of the Prophets. Of course, the implementation209 of law and custom wassomewhat flexible on the battlefield.
“Leave him,” Gagaw advised. “That’s whathe would do if it were one of uslying wounded.”
“True,” Yayap said thoughtfully, “but it would take all five of us tocarry him back to the assault boat.”
It took Gagaw ten full heartbeats to assimilate the idea and finallyappreciate the genius of it. “We wouldn’t have to fight!”
“Precisely,” Yayap said, as the sounds of battle grew louder once more,“so let’s slap some dressings210 on his wounds, grab his arms and legs, anddrag his ass11 out of here.”
A quick check revealed that the Elite’s wounds weren’t mortal. A humanprojectile had punched its way through the warrior’s visor, sliced alongthe side of his head, and flattened itself on the inside surface of theElite’s helmet. The force of the blow had knocked him unconscious. Asidefrom that, and some cuts and bruises211 sustained when he fell, the Elite wouldsurvive.A pity, Yayap thought.
Satisfied that their ticket off the ship would live long enough to get themwhere they wanted to go, the Grunts grabbed the warrior’s limbs and waddleddown the corridor. Their battle was over.
TheAutumn ’s contingent197 of Orbital drop Shock Troopers, also known as ODST,or “Helljumpers,” had been assigned to protect the cruiser’s experimentalpower plant, which consisted of a unique network of fusion212 engines.
The engine room was served by two main access points, each protected by aTitanium-A hatch. Both were connected by a catwalk and were still underhuman control. The fact that Major Antonio Silva’s Marines had been forcedto stack the Covenant bodies like firewood in order to maintain clear fieldsof fire testified to how effective the men and women under his command hadbeen.
There had been human casualties as well,plenty of them, including LieutenantMelissa McKay, who waited impatiently while “Doc” Valdez, the platoon’smedic, bandaged her arm. There was a lot to do—and clearly McKay wanted toget up and do it.
“Got some bad news for you, Lieutenant,” the medic said. “The tattoo213 onyour bicep, the one with the skull and the letters ‘ODST,’ took a serioushit. You can get a new one, of course . . . but scar tissue won’t take theink in quite the same way.”
McKay knew the patter had a purpose, knew it was Doc’s way of taking hermind off Dawkins, Al-Thani, and Suzuki. The medic secured the bandage inplace and the officer rolled her sleeve down over the dressing. “You knowwhat, Valdez? You are truly full of it. And I mean that as a compliment.”
Doc wiped his forehead with the back of a sleeve. It came away with AlThani’s blood on it. “Thanks, El-Tee. Compliment accepted.”
“All right,” Major Silva boomed as he strode out onto the center of thecatwalk. “Listen up! Play time is over. Captain Keyes is tired of ourcompany and wants us to leave this tub. There’s a construct down there,complete with an atmosphere, gravity, and the one thing Marines love likebeer—and that’s dirt beneath our feet.”
The ODST officer paused at that point, allowing his bright, beady eyes tosweep the faces around him, his mouth straight as a crease214. “Most of thecrew—not to mention your fellow jarheads—will be leaving the ship inlifeboats. They’ll ride to the surface in air-conditioned comfort, sippingwine, and nibbling215 on appetizers216.
“Notyou , however. Oh no, you’re going to leave thePillar of Autumn by adifferent method. Tell me, boys and girls . . . How willyou leave?”
It was a time-honored ritual, and the ODST Marines roared the answer inunison. “WE GO FEET FIRST, SIR!”
“Damned right you do,” Silva barked. “Now let’s get to those drop pods.
The Covenant is holding a picnic down on the surface and every single one ofyou is invited. You have five minutes to strap217 in, hook up, and shove a corkin your ass.”
It was an old joke, one of their favorites, and the Marines laughed as ifthey had just heard it for the first time. Then they formed into squads218, andfollowed their noncoms out into a corridor that ran down the port side ofthe ship.
McKay led her platoon down the hall, past the troopers assigned to guard theintersection, and through what had been a battlefield. Bodies lay sprawledwhere they had fallen, plasma burns marked the bulkheads, and a long line of7.62mm dimples marked the last burst that one of the dead soldiers wouldever fire.
They pounded around a corner, and into what the Marines referred to as“Hell’s waiting room.” The troopers streamed down the center of a longnarrow compartment that housed two rows of oval-shaped individual drop pods.
Each pod bore the name of an individual trooper, and was poised219 over a tubethat extended down through the ship’s belly.
Most combat landings were made via armed assault boats, but the boats wereslow, and subject to antiaircraft fire. That was why the UNSC had investedthe time and money necessary to create asecond way to deliver troops throughan atmosphere: the HEV, or Human Entry Vehicle.
Computer-controlled antiaircraft fire would nail some of the pods, but theymade small targets, and each hit would result in one death rather than adozen.
There was just one problem. As the ceramic220 skins that covered the HEVsburned away, the air inside the pods became unbelievably hot, sometimesfatally so, which was why ODST personnel were referred to as“Helljumpers.” It was an all-volunteer outfit221, and it took a special kindof crazy to join up.
McKay remained on the central walkway until each of her men had entered hisparticular pod. She knew that meant she would have sixty seconds less tomake her own preparations, and was quick to enter her HEV once the lasthatch had closed.
Once inside, McKay’s hands were a blur109 as she secured her harness, ran theobligatory systems check, removed a series of safeties, armed her ejectiontube, and eyed the tiny screen mounted in front of her. TheAutumn ’s firecontrol computer had already calculated the force required to blow the podfree and drop the HEV into the correct entry path. All she had to do washang on, pray that the pod’s ceramic skin would hold long enough for thechute to open, and try to ignore how fragile the vehicle actually was.
No sooner had the officer braced her boots against the bulkhead, and lookedup at the countdown, than the last digit39 clicked from one to zero.
The pod dropped, accelerated out of the ejection tube, and fell toward thering-shaped world below. Her stomach lurched and her heart rate spiked222.
Somebody popped a tiny disk into a data player, touched a button, and pushedthe hyped-up strains of the Helljumpers’ anthem223 out over the team freq. Theregs made it clear that unauthorized use of UNSC communications facilitieswas wrong,very wrong, but McKay knew that at that particular moment itwasright , and Silva must have agreed, because nothing came in over thecommand freq. The music pounded in her ears, the HEV shuddered as it hit theouter layer of the ring-construct’s atmosphere, and the Marines fell feetfirst through the ring.
The deck jumped as thePillar of Autumn absorbed yet another blow and thebattle continued to rage within. The Master Chief was close now, andprepared to sprint135 for a lifeboat. That was when Cortana said, “Behindyou!” and the Master Chief felt a plasma bolt hit him squarely between theshoulder blades.
He rolled with the blow and sprang to his feet. He whirled to face hisattacker and saw that a Grunt had dropped out of an overhead maintenanceway. The diminutive224 alien stood with his feet planted on the deck, a plasmapistol over-charging in his claws. The Master Chief took three stepsforward, used the assault rifle to knock the creature off its feet, andfollowed it with a three-round burst. The Grunt’s pistol discharged itsstored energy into the ceiling. Drips of molten metal sizzled on the MasterChief’s shields.
The armor-piercing rounds punctured225 the alien’s breathing apparatus,released a stream of methane, and caused the body to spin like a top.
A trio of additional Grunts landed on the Master Chief’s shoulders andgrabbed hold. It was almost laughable, until the Spartan realized that oneof them was trying to remove his helmet. A second alien carried an ignitedplasma grenade—the little bastards226 meant to drop the explosive into hisarmor.
He flexed his shoulders, and shook himself like a dog.
Grunts flew in every direction as the Master Chief used short controlledbursts to put them down. He turned toward the lifeboats. “Now!” Cortanaurged. “Run!”
The Spartan ran, just as the door started to close. A nearby Marine fellwhile running for the escape craft, and the Chief paused long enough toscoop the soldier up and hurl118 him into the boat.
Once inside, they joined a small group of crew members already on board theescape craft. “Now would be a very good time to leave,” Cortana commentedcoolly, as something else exploded and the cruiser shuddered in response.
The Master Chief stood facing the hatch. He waited for it to close all theway, saw the red light appear, and knew it was sealed. “Punch it.”
The pilot triggered the launch sequence and the lifeboat blasted free of theship, balanced on a column of fire. The boat skimmed along the surface oftheAutumn at dizzying speed. Plasma blasts from a Covenant warship slammedinto theAutumn ’s hull. In seconds, the lifeboat dropped away from thecruiser and dove toward the ring.
The Master Chief killed his external com system, and spoke227 directly toCortana. “So, any idea what this thing is?”
“No,” Cortana admitted. “I managed to slice some data out of the Covenantbattle network. They call it ‘Halo,’ and it has some kind of religioussignificance to them, but . . . your guess is as good as mine.” She paused,and the Spartan sensed the AI’s amusement. “Well,almost as good.”
“Halo,” he repeated. “Looks like we’re going to be calling it ‘home’
for a while.”
The lifeboat was too small to mount a Shaw-Fujikawa faster-than-light driveso there was nowhere to go but the ring. There were no shouts of jubilation,no high-fives, only silence as the boat fell through the blackness of space.
They were alive, but that was subject to change, and that left nothing tocelebrate.
One Marine said, “This duty station really sucks.” No one saw any reasonto contradict him.
Rawley and her companions skidded228 to a halt, turned back the way they hadcome, and let loose with everything they had. Their weaponry included twopistols, one assault rifle, and a plasma rifle that a pilot had scooped229 upalong the way. Not much of an arsenal but sufficient to knock three Jackalsoff their feet and put the aliens down for good. Rawley caved the lastJackal’s skull in with her boot.
Eager to get aboard their ships, the group ducked through the docking bayhatch, closed it behind them, and ran for the Pelicans230. Foehammer spottedher bird, gave thanks for the fact that it was undamaged, and ran up theramp. As always, it was fueled, armed, and ready to fly. Frye, her copilot,dropped into position behind her, with Crew Chief Cullen bringing up therear.
Once in the cockpit, Rawley strapped231 in, ran an abbreviated232 preflightchecklist, and started the transport’s engines. They joined with the restto create a satisfying roar. The outer hatch cycled open. Loose gear tumbledinto space as the bay explosively decompressed.
Moments later, the cruiser entered the ring world’s atmosphere, which meantthat the transports could depart . . . but they had to do it soon. Reentryfriction was already creating a wall of fire around the ship.
“Damn!” Frye exclaimed, “Look at that!” and pointed234 forward.
Rawley looked, saw a Covenant landing craft coming straight toward the bay,braving the heat generated by theAutumn ’s reentry velocity235. There was alimited window of opportunity to get off this sinking ship, and the Covenantbastard was right in the way.
She swore and released the safety on the Pelican’s 70mm chin gun. Theweapon shook the entire ship, punched holes through alien armor, and hitsomething vital. The enemy vessel shuddered, lost control, and spun236 intotheAutumn ’s hull.
“All right,” the wing leader said over the ship-to-ship frequency,“Let’s go down and meet our hosts. See you on the ground. Foehammer out.”
She clicked off the transmitter and whispered, “Good luck.”
One by one the dropships left the bay, did a series of wingovers, anddropped through the overarching ring. Rawley struggled to maintain controlas the atmosphere tore at her ship. The status panel flashed a heat warningas friction233 created a massive thermal237 buildup along the Pelican’s fuselage.
The leading edges of the ship’s short, stubby wings started to glow.
“Jeez, boss,” Frye said, his teeth rattling238 from the constant jouncing ofthe Pelican, “maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
Foehammer made some adjustments, managed to improve the ship’s glide angle,and glanced to her right. “If you’ve got a better idea,” she yelled,“bring it up at the next staff meeting.”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Until then,” she added, “shut the hell up and let mefly this thing.”
The Pelican hit an air pocket, dropped like a rock, and caught itself. Thetransport shook like a thing possessed239. Rawley screamed with anger andbattled her controls as her ship plummeted240 toward the surface of the ring.
Covenant forces had launched a concerted attack on the command deck aboutfifteen minutes earlier but the defenders had beaten them back. Since thattime the fighting had lessened241 and there were reports that at least some ofthe aliens were using their assault boats to leave the ship.
It wasn’t clear whether that was due to the considerable number ofcasualties Covenant forces had suffered, or the realization242 that the shipwas in danger of falling apart, but it hardly mattered. The important thingwas that the area around the bridge was clear, which meant that Keyes, plusthe command team who remained to help him, could carry out their dutieswithout fear of being shot in the back. At least for the moment.
Their next task was to take theAutumn down into the atmosphere. No smallorder considering the fact that, like all vessels243 of her tonnage, thecruiser had been constructed in zero-gee conditions and wasn’t equipped tooperate in a planetary atmosphere.
Keyes believed it was possible. With that in mind he planned to close withthe ring world, hand control to the subroutine that Cortana had left forthat purpose, and use the last lifeboat to make his escape. Maybe the shipwould pancake in the way he had planned—and maybe it wouldn’t. Whateverthe case, it was almost sure to be a landing that would best be experiencedfrom a safe distance.
Keyes turned to look at the data scrolling244 across the nav screen anddetected motion out of the corner of his eye. He looked, saw the primaryweapons control station shimmer35 like a mirage245 in the desert, and rubbed hiseyes. By the time the Naval officer looked for asecond time, the phenomenahad vanished.
Keyes frowned, turned back to the nav screen, and began the sequence oforders that would put theAutumn in the place she wasleast equipped to go: onsolid ground.
Isna ’Nosolee held his breath. The human had looked straight into his eyes,given no alarm, and turned away. Surely his activities had been blessed bythose who went before and from whom all knowledge flowed.
The camouflage, combined with his own talent for stealth, had proven to beextremely effective. Since he had come aboard, ’Nosolee had toured both theship’s engine room and fire control center prior to arriving on the bridge.
Now, standing246 in front of a vent84, the Elite contemplated247 what to do next.
The ship’s AI had either been removed or destroyed, he was sure of that. Atleast some senior personnel remained, however—which meant there was still achance.
In fact, based on the manner in which the other humans interacted with him,’Nosolee felt certain that the man named “Keezz” held the position ofShip Master. A very valuable prize indeed.
But how to capture the human? He wouldn’t come willingly, that was obvious,and his companions were armed. The moment ’Nosolee deactivated248 hiscamouflage they would shoot him. Individually, the humans were weaklings,but they were dangerous in packs. And animals grew all the more dangerousthe nearer they came to extinction.
No, patience was the key, which meant that the Elite would have to wait.
Vapor continued to roll out of the cold air vent, and the air seemed toshimmer, but no one noticed.
“All right,” Keyes said, “let’s put her down. . . . Stand by to fire thebow thrusters . . . Fire!”
The bow thrusters ignited and slowed the ship’s rate of descent. ThePillarof Autumn wobbled for a moment as it battled the ring’s gravity field, thencorrected its angle of entry.
Cortana took over after that, or rather, the part of herself that she hadleft behind did. TheAutumn ’s thrusters fired in increments249 so small thatthey were like single notes in an ongoing250 melody. The highly adaptivesubroutine tracked variables, monitored feedback, and made thousands ofdecisions per second.
The much-abused hull shuddered as it entered the atmosphere, started toshake, and sent a host of loose items tumbling to the deck. “That’s as faras we can take her,” Keyes announced. “Delegate all command and controlfunctions to Cortana’s cousin, and let’s haul ass off this boat.”
There was a ragged155 chorus of “Aye, ayes,” as the bridge crew disengagedfrom the ship they had worked so hard to save, took one last look around,and drew their sidearms. The fighting had died down, but that didn’tmeanall of the Covenant forces had left.
’Nosolee watched anxiously as the humans started to leave the bridge. Hewaited for the last person to exit, and fell into step behind. Thebeginnings of a plan had started to form in his mind. It was audacious—no,make that outrageous—but the Elite figured that made the scheme all themore likely to succeed.
The lifeboat reserved for the bridge crew was close by. Six Marines had beendetailed to guard it and three of them were dead. Their bodies had beendragged off to one side and laid in a row. A corporal shouted, “Attentionon deck!”
Keyes said, “As you were,” and gestured toward the hatch. “Thanks forwaiting, son. I’m sorry about your buddies251.”
The corporal nodded stiffly. He must have been off duty when the attackbegan—one half of his face needed a shave. “Thank you, sir. They took adozen of the bastards with them.”
Keyes nodded. Three lives for twelve. It sounded like a good trade-off buthow good was it really? How many Covenant troops were there, anyway? And howmany would each human have to kill? He shook the thought off and jerked histhumb toward the opening. “Everybody into the boat, on the double!”
The survivors252 streamed onto the boat, and ’Nosolee followed, though it wasdifficult to avoid touching253 the human vermin in such tight quarters. Therewas a little bit of space toward the front and a handhold which would beuseful once the gravity generated by the larger ship disappeared. Later,after the lifeboat landed, the Elite would find an opportunity to separateKeezz from the rest of the humans and seize him. In the meantime all he hadto do was hang on, avoid detection, and make it to the surface.
The human passengers strapped in. The lifeboat exploded out of the bay, andit fell toward the ring world below. Jets fired, the small craft stabilized,and followed a precalculated glide path toward the surface.
Keyes was seated three slots aft of the pilot. He frowned, as if looking forsomething, then waited for the boat to clear. He leaned toward the Marine infront of him. “Excuse me, Corporal.”
“Sir?” The Marine looked exhausted254, but somehow managed to snap to a formof attention, despite being belted into an acceleration255 chair.
“Hand me your sidearm, son.”
The expression on his face made it plain that the last thing the soldierwanted to do was part company with one of his weapons, particularly in closequarters. But the Captain was the Captain, so he had very little choice. Thewords, “Yes, sir,” were still making their way from the noncom’s brain tohis mouth when he felt the M6D pistol being jerked out of his holster.
Would one of the 12.7mm rounds punch its way through the lifeboat’srelatively thin hull? Keyes wondered. Cause a blowout and kill everyoneaboard?
He didn’t know, but one thing was certain: The Covenant son of a bitchstanding in this lifeboat was about to die. Keyes raised the weapon, aimedat the very center of the strange, ghostly shimmer, and pulled the trigger.
The Elite saw the movement, had nowhere to run, and was busy reaching forhis own pistol when the first bullet struck.
The M6D bucked256, the barrel started to rise, and the third slug from the topof the clip passed through the slit257 in ’Nosolee’s helmet, blew his brainsout through the back of his skull, and freed him from the tyranny ofphysical reality.
No sooner had the noise of the last shot died away than the camo generatorfailed, and an Elite appeared as if from thin air. The alien’s body floatedback toward the rear of the cabin. Thousands of globules of alien bloodescorted bits of brain tissue on their journey to the lifeboat’s stern.
Lieutenant Hikowa ducked as one of the Elite’s boots threatened to hit herhead. She pushed the corpse258 away, her face impassive. The rest of thepassengers were too shocked to do or say anything at all.
The Captain calmly dropped the clip from the gun, ejected the round in thechamber, and handed the weapon back to the stunned259 corporal.
“Thanks,” Keyes said. “That thing works pretty well. Don’t forget toreload it.”
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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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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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arsenal
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| n.兵工厂，军械库 | |
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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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torpedo
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| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
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molecules
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| 分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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warship
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| n.军舰，战舰 | |
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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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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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seraph
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| n.六翼天使 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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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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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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15
bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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16
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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17
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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18
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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19
squad
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| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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20
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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21
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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22
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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23
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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24
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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25
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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26
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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27
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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28
domed
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| adj. 圆屋顶的, 半球形的, 拱曲的 动词dome的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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29
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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30
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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31
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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32
activated
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| adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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34
sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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35
shimmer
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| v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光 | |
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36
shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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38
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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39
digit
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| n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾 | |
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40
digits
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| n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾 | |
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41
scrolled
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| adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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42
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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43
warships
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| 军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只 | |
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44
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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45
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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46
coordinates
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| n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等 | |
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47
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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48
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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49
glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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50
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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51
terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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52
eyebrow
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| n.眉毛，眉 | |
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53
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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54
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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55
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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56
gauges
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| n.规格( gauge的名词复数 )；厚度；宽度；标准尺寸v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的第三人称单数 )；估计；计量；划分 | |
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57
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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58
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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59
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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60
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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61
thawed
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| 解冻 | |
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62
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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63
winked
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| 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 | |
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64
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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65
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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66
respiration
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| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
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67
spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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68
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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69
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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70
collapsing
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| 压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂 | |
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71
morale
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| n.道德准则，士气，斗志 | |
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72
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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73
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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74
regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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75
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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76
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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77
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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78
culled
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| v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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80
covertly
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| adv.偷偷摸摸地 | |
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81
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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82
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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83
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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84
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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85
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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86
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
hectic
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| adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的 | |
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88
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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89
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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90
neural
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| adj.神经的，神经系统的 | |
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91
fluctuations
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| 波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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92
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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93
alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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94
input
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| n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机 | |
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95
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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96
navigate
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| v.航行，飞行；导航，领航 | |
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97
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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98
blistered
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| adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂 | |
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99
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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100
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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101
interface
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| n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系 | |
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102
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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103
itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
awareness
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| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
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106
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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107
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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108
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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109
blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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110
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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111
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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112
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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113
elite
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| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
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114
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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115
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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116
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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117
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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118
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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119
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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120
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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121
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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122
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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123
deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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124
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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125
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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126
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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127
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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128
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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129
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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130
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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131
unleashed
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| v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
barrage
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| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
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133
gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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134
sprinted
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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135
sprint
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| n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过 | |
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136
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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137
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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138
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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139
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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140
Amended
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| adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
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141
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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142
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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143
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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144
initiating
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| v.开始( initiate的现在分词 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员 | |
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145
protocol
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| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
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146
deployment
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| n. 部署,展开 | |
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147
intrusive
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| adj.打搅的；侵扰的 | |
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148
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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149
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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150
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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151
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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152
squeaks
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| 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 | |
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153
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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154
methane
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| n.甲烷，沼气 | |
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155
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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156
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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157
simian
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| adj.似猿猴的；n.类人猿，猴 | |
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158
recoil
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| vi.退却，退缩，畏缩 | |
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159
camouflage
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| n./v.掩饰，伪装 | |
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160
gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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161
elites
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| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
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162
analysts
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| 分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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163
analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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164
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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165
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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166
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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167
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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168
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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169
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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170
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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171
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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172
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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173
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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174
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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175
indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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176
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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177
shimmery
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| adj.微微发亮的 | |
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178
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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179
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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180
overload
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| vt.使超载；n.超载 | |
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181
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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182
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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183
scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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184
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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185
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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186
evaded
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| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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187
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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188
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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189
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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190
shredded
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| shred的过去式和过去分词 | |
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191
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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192
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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193
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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194
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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195
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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196
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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197
contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
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198
peek
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| vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥 | |
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199
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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200
pelican
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| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
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201
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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202
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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203
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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204
fodder
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| n.草料；炮灰 | |
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205
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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206
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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207
gory
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| adj.流血的；残酷的 | |
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208
revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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209
implementation
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| n.实施，贯彻 | |
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210
dressings
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| n.敷料剂；穿衣( dressing的名词复数 )；穿戴；（拌制色拉的）调料；（保护伤口的）敷料 | |
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211
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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212
fusion
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| n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接 | |
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213
tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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214
crease
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| n.折缝，褶痕，皱褶；v.(使)起皱 | |
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215
nibbling
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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216
appetizers
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| n.开胃品( appetizer的名词复数 )；促进食欲的活动；刺激欲望的东西；吊胃口的东西 | |
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217
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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218
squads
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| n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍 | |
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219
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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220
ceramic
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| n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺 | |
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221
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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222
spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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223
anthem
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| n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌 | |
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224
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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225
punctured
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| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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226
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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227
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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228
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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229
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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230
pelicans
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| n.鹈鹕( pelican的名词复数 ) | |
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231
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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232
abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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233
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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234
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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235
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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236
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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237
thermal
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| adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的 | |
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238
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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239
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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240
plummeted
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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241
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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242
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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243
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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244
scrolling
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| n.卷[滚]动法，上下换行v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的现在分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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245
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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246
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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247
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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248
deactivated
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| v.解除动员( deactivate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；复员；使不活动 | |
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249
increments
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| n.增长( increment的名词复数 )；增量；增额；定期的加薪 | |
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250
ongoing
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| adj.进行中的，前进的 | |
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buddies
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| n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人 | |
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252
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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253
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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254
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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255
acceleration
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| n.加速，加速度 | |
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256
bucked
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| adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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257
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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258
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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259
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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