Zuka ’Zamamee had entered theTruth and Reconciliation via the ship’s maingravity lift, taken a secondary lift up to the command deck, sufferedthrough the usual security check, and been shown into the Council Chambersin record time. All of which seemed quite appropriate until he entered theroom to find that only a single light was on, and it was focused on the spotwhere visitors were expected to stand. There was no sign of Soha ’Rolamee,of the Prophet, or of the Elite3 to whom he had never been introduced.
Perhaps the Council had been delayed, there had been a scheduling error, orsome other kind of bureaucratic4 error. But then, why had he been admitted?
Surely the staff knew whether the Council was in session or not.
The Elite was about to turn and leave when a second spot came on and’Rolamee’s head appeared. Not attached to his body the way it should havebeen, but sitting on a gore-drenched pedestal, staring vacantly into space.
An image of the Prophet appeared and seemed to float in midair. He gesturedtoward the head. “Sad, isn’t it? But discipline must be maintained.”
The Prophet made what ’Zamamee took to be a mystical gesture. “Halo isold,extremely old, as are its secrets. Blessings5, really, which theForerunners left for us to find, knowing that we would put them to good use.
“But nothing comes without risk, and there are dangers here as well, thingswhich ’Rolamee promised to keep contained, but failed to do so.
“Now, with the humans blundering about, his failures have been amplified7.
Doors have been opened, powers have been released, and it is now necessaryto shift a considerable amount of our strength to the process of regainingcontrol. Do you understand?”
’Zamamee didn’t understand, not in the least, but had no intention ofadmitting that. Instead he said, “Yes, Excellency.”
“Good,” the Prophet said, “and that brings us toyou . Not only were yourmost recent efforts to trap the marauding human a total failure, he went onto neutralize8 part of Halo’s security system, found his way in to theSilent Cartographer, and will no doubt use it to cause us even more trouble.
“So,” the Prophet added conversationally9, “I thought it might beinstructive for you to come here, take a good look at the price of failure,and decide whether you can afford the cost. Do you understand me?”
’Zamamee gulped10, then nodded. “Yes, Excellency, I do.”
“Good,” the Prophet said smoothly11. “I’m gratified to hear it. Now,having failed once, and having determined12 never to do so again, tell me howyou plan to proceed.If I like the answer,if you can convince me that it willwork, then you will leave this room alive.”
Fortunately ’Zamamee not only had a plan, but anexciting plan, and he wasable to convince the Prophet that it would work.
But later, after the Elite had rejoined Yayap, and the two of them wereleaving the ship, it wasn’t a vision of glory that he saw, but ’Rolamee’svacant stare.
The Master Chief paused just inside the hatch to ensure that he wasn’tbeing followed, checked to make certain that his weapons were loaded, andwondered where the hell he was. Based on instructions from Cortana,Foehammer had dropped her Pelican13 through a hole in Halo’s surface, flownthe dropship through one of the enormous capillary-like maintenance tunnelsthat crisscrossed just below the ring world’s skin, and dropped theunlikely twosome off on a cavernous landing platform. From there the Spartanfelt his way through a maze15 of passageways and rooms, many of which had beendefended.
Now, as he walked the length of another corridor, he wondered what laybeyond the hatch ahead.
The answer was quite unexpected. The door opened to admit cold air and asudden flurry of snowflakes. It appeared as if he was about to step out ontothe deck of a footbridge. A barrier blocked some of the view, but the noncomcould see traction17 beams that served in place of suspension cables, and thegray cliff face beyond.
“The weather patterns here seem natural, not artificial,” Cortana observedthoughtfully. “I wonder if the ring’s environmental systems aremalfunctioning—or if the designerswanted this particular installation tohave inclement18 weather.”
“Maybe this isn’t even inclement weather to them,” he said.
The Chief, who wasn’t sure it made a hell of a lot of difference, not tohimanyway, stuck his nose around the edge of the hatch to see what might bewaiting for them.
The answer was a Shade, with a Grunt19 seated at the controls. A quick glanceto the right confirmed the presence of asecond energy weapon, this oneunmanned.
Then, just as he was about to make his move, a Pelican appeared off to theleft, roared over the bridge, and settled into the valley below. There was asquawk of static, followed by a grim-sounding male voice.
“This is Fire Team Zulu requesting immediate20 assistance from any USNCforces. Does anyone copy? Over.”
The AI recognized the call sign as belonging to one of the units operatingout of Alpha Base and made her reply.“Cortana to Fire Team Zulu. I readyou. Hold position. We’re on the way.”
“Roger that,”the voice replied.“Make it quick.”
So much for the element of surprise,he thought. The Spartan14 stepped out ofthe hatch, shot the Grunt in the head, and hurried to take the alien’splace on the Shade. He could hear the commotion21 the sudden attack had causedand knew he had only seconds to bring the barrel around.
He swiveled the weapon into position, saw the sight glow red, and pulled thetrigger. A Grunt and a Jackal were snatched off their feet as the raveningenergy bolts consumed not only them, but a chunk22 of the bridge as well. Allthe rest of the enemy forces seemed to melt back into the woodwork.
Then, with no clear targets left in sight, he took a moment to inspect thebridge. It appeared to have been built for use by pedestrians23 rather thanvehicles, had two levels, and was held aloft by the traction beams he hadobserved earlier. Snow swirled24 down from above, hissed25 when it hit theglowing cables, then ceased to exist.
There was movement farther down the bridge deck, which he rewarded with asteady stream of glowing energy. He used the plasma26 like water from a hose,squirting the deadly fire into every nook and cranny he could find, therebyclearing the way.
Then, satisfied that he had nailed all the obvious targets, the Spartanjumped to the deck. The bridge was large enough that it featured a varietyof islands, turn-outs, and pass-throughs, all of which could be used forcover. That cut two ways, of course—meaning that the Covenant had plenty ofplaces to hide.
Moving from one bit of protection to the next, he fought his way across thespan, dropping down to the lower level to deal with Covenant forces there,then resurfacing at the far end, where he spotted28 an Elite armed with anenergy blade. The Elite ducked behind a wall.
The Chief saw no reason to close with such a dangerous opponent if it couldbe avoided, and tossed a plasma grenade over the wall. He heard the startledreaction as the explosive device latched29 onto the Elite’s armor and refusedto let go. The alien emerged from hiding, and vanished in a flash of light.
Thankful to put the bridge behind him, the Chief activated30 the hatch, madehis way through the mazelike room beyond, and entered a lift. It dropped fora long time before coming to a relatively31 smooth stop and allowing him toexit. A short passageway took him to a hatch and the battle that ragedbeyond.
As the door opened the Master Chief looked up, saw the bridge directlyabove, and had a good idea where he was. Then, looking down, he saw a snow-covered valley, punctuated32 by groups of boulders34, and the occasional standof trees.
Judging from the fact that most of the Covenant fire was directed toward thecorner of the valley off to his left, the Spartan assumed that at least partof Fire Team Zulu was trapped there. They were under fire from at least twoShades and a Ghost, but putting up a good fight nonetheless.
He knew that the heavy weapons offered the greatest danger to the Marines.
He sprinted36 from the protection of the tunnel, paused to shoot the nearestgunner with his pistol, then headed toward the dead Grunt’s Shade. He couldfeel the heat radiating off the weapon’s barrel as he jerked the corpse37 outof the seat and took his place behind the controls. There were plenty oftargets, a rather busy Ghost primary among them, so the Chief decided38 totackle that first. A couple of bursts were sufficient to get the pilot’sattention and bring him into range.
Both the human and the Elite opened fire at the same moment, theirreciprocal fire drawing straight lines back and forth40, but the Shade wonout. The attack vehicle shuddered41, skittered sideways, and blew up.
But there was no opportunity to celebrate as a Wraith42 mortar43 tank turned itsattention to that corner of the valley, lobbed cometlike energy bombs highinto the air, and started to walk them toward the Marines.
The Spartan sent a stream of energy bolts toward the tank, but the range wastoo great, and the fire couldn’t penetrate44 the monster’s armor.
Convinced that he would have to find some other way to deal with the tank,the Chief decided to bail45 out, and was twenty meters away when one of thebombs scored a direct hit on the Shade he had just occupied.
The Marines saw him coming and took heart from his sudden appearance on thescene. A Corporal tossed him a weak grin, and whooped46, “The cavalry47 hasarrived!”
“We can sure use your help—that Shade has us pinned,” another Marinechimed in.
The soldier pointed48 and the Spartan saw that the Covenant had dropped aShade onto the top of a huge rock overlooking the valley. The elevationallowed the weapon to command half the depression and even as the Chieflooked, the gunner continued to pound the area where Fire Team Zulu hadtaken refuge.
The Marines’ Warthog had flipped49, spilling supplies out onto the ground.
The Master Chief paused to grab a rocket launcher, but knew the range wasextreme, and that it would pay to get closer.
So he slung51 the launcher across his back, checked the load on his assaultweapon, and moved into the trees. A party of Grunts52 made a run at theMarines, and were pushed back even as the Spartan spotted a likely lookingtree trunk. He moved up, killed the Jackal that lurked53 behind the treecover, then brought the launcher up to his shoulder. The Shade winked54 bluelight as he peered through the sight, increased the magnification, and sawthe gun leap toward him. Then, careful to hold the tube steady, he fired.
There was an explosion on top of the rock, and the Shade toppled off theside of a cliff.
The Marines cheered, but the Master Chief had already shifted priorities. Heran for the ’Hog.
A mortar bomb exploded behind him and blew the tree cover he’d just vacatedinto splinters. A Marine35 screamed as a meter-long shard55 of wood penetratedhis abdomen56 and nailed him to the ground.
The Spartan grabbed hold of the Warthog’s bumper57, then used his armor’sstrength enhancements to flip50 it back onto its tires. One Marine jumpedaboard and manned the LAAG, and another jumped into the passenger seat.
Snow sprayed out from behind both of the rear tires as the Spartan put hisfoot down, felt the ’Hog break loose, and steered58 into the skid59.
The sudden movement gave their position away to the Wraith. It belched60, anda comet arced their way and slid sideways across the center of the valley asif to block the humans from reaching the other end.
The Spartan saw the fireball, raced to pass under it, and heard the LAAGopen up as the range to the Wraith began to close.
But there was an infantry61 screen to penetrate before they could dance withthe tank, and both the LAAG gunner and the Marine in the passenger seat wereforced to deal with a screen comprised of Elites62, Jackals, and Grunts as theChief slammed on the brakes, backed out of a crossfire63, and turned toprovide them with a better angle.
The M41 roared as it sent hundreds of rounds downrange, plucked Grunts likeflowers, and hurled64 them back into the bloodied65 snow.
The Marine in the passenger seat yelled, “Youwant me? Youwant some of this?
Come and get it!” as he emptied a clip into an Elite. The eight-foot-tallwarrior staggered under the impact and fell over backward. He wasn’t dead,however, not yet, not until the front of the Warthog sucked him under andspit chunks67 out the back.
Then they were through the screen, and more important, inside the dead areawhere the Wraith couldn’t fire mortar bombs without risking dropping themon itself. That was the key, the factor that made the attack possible. TheChief braked on a patch of ice, and felt the ’Hog start to slide. “Hithim!” he ordered.
The gunner, who couldn’t possibly miss at that range, opened fire. Therewas an earsplitting roar as large-caliber rounds pounded the side of thetank. Some glanced off, others shattered, but none of them managed topenetrate the Wraith’s thick armor.
“Watch out!” the Marine in the passenger seat exclaimed. “The bastard68 istrying to ram69!”
The Spartan, who had just managed to bring the Warthog to a stop, saw thatthe private was correct. The tank surged forward, and was just about tocrush the LRV, when the Master Chief slammed the lighter70 vehicle intoreverse. All four wheels spun71 as the ’Hog backed away, guns blazing,suddenly on the defensive72.
Then, having opened what he hoped was a sufficient gap, the Spartan braked.
He slammed the shifter forward and swung the wheel to the right. Thevehicles were so close as they passed each other that the Wraith scraped the’Hog’s flank, hard enough to tip the left-side wheels off the snowyground. They hit with a thump73, the LAAG came off-target, and the gunnerbrought it to bear again. “Hammer it from behind!” the Chief yelled. “Itmight be weaker there!”
The gunner obeyed and was rewarded with a sharp explosion. A thousand piecesof metal flew up into the air, turned lazy circles, and drifted downward.
Black smoke boiled up out of the wreckage74. What remained of the tank slammedinto a boulder33, and the battle was over.
The valley belonged to Fire Team Zulu.
Cortana’s intelligence revealed there were other valleys, all connected byone means or another, and he would have to negotiate every one of them inorder to reach his objective. A drop-off prevented the Spartan from takingthe Warthog any farther.
He bailed75 out and made his way through the snow. A cold wind whistled pasthis visor and snowflakes dusted the surface of his armor. “Damn,” one ofthe Marines remarked, “I forgot my mittens76.”
“Stow the BS,” a sergeant77 growled78. “Watch those trees . . . this ain’tno picnic.”
Strangely, the Chief felt very calm. Right then, right there, he was home.
It was sunny, only a few clouds dotted the sky, and the strangely uniformhills piled one on top of the other as if eager to reach the low-lyingmountain ridge16 beyond. It had been dry in this region, which meant that thevehicles sent wisps of dust into the air as they climbed up off the plain,and made for the heights above.
The patrol consisted of two captured Ghosts, or “Gees” as some of theMarines called them, plus two of the Warthogs that had survived the long,arduous journey back from thePillar of Autumn .
Various combinations had been tried, but McKay liked the two-plus-twoconfiguration best, combining as it did the best features ofboth designs.
The alien attack craft were faster than the LRVs, which meant they couldcover a lot of ground in a short period of time, thereby27 reducing the wearand tear on both the four-wheelers and the troops who rode them. But theGhosts couldn’t handle broken ground the way the Warthogs could and, nothaving anything like the M41 LAAG, they were vulnerable to Banshees.
Therefore, if an enemy aircraft appeared, it was standard procedure for theGees to scuttle79 in under the protection offered by the three-barreledweapons mounted on the ’Hogs. Each Warthog carried a passenger armed with arocket launcher as well, which provided the Marines with even moreantiaircraft capability80.
Of course thereal stick, the one the Covenant had learned to respect, was aPelican full of Helljumpers sitting on a pad back at Alpha Base ready tolaunch on two minutes’ notice. It could put as many as fifteen ODST Marineson any point inside the designated patrol area within ten minutes. No smallthreat.
The purpose of the patrols was to monitor a circle ten kilometers indiameter with Alpha Base at its center. Now that the Marines had taken thebutte and fortified81 it, they had to hold onto the high keep. And while therehad been some air raids, and a couple of ground-based probes, the Covenanthad yet to launch an all-out attack, something that bothered both Silva andMcKay. It was almost as if the aliens were content to let the humans sitthere while they tended to something else—although neither one of theofficers could imagine what the something else could be.
That didn’t mean a complete cessation of activity; far from it, since theenemy had taken to watching the humans, making note of which routes theytook, and setting ambushes82 along the way.
McKay tried to ensure that she never followed the same path twice in a row,but often the terrain83 dictated84 where the vehicles could go, and that meantthat there were certain river crossings, rocky defiles85, and mountain passeswhere the enemy could safely lie in wait—assuming they had the patience forit.
As the patrol approached one such spot, a pass between two of the largerhills, the Marine on the lead Ghost called in.“Red Three to Red One,over.”
McKay, who had decided to ride shotgun in the first ’Hog, keyed her mike.
“This is One. Go . . . Over.”
“I see a Ghost, Lieutenant86. It’s on its side—like it crashed orsomething. Over.”
“Stay clear of it,” the officer advised. “It could be some sort of trap.
Hold on, we’ll be there shortly. Over.”
“Affirmative. Red Three, out.”
The Warthog bounced over some rocks, growled as the driver downshifted, andentered an open area that led up to the pass. “Red One to team: We’llleave the vehicles here and proceed on foot. Gunners, stay on those weapons,and split the sky. The last thing we need is to get bounced by a Banshee.
Ghost Two, keep an eye on the back door. Over.”
There was a series of double-clicks by way of acknowledgment as McKay tookthe Warthog’s rocket launcher, jumped to the ground, and followed herdriver up the path. A scorched87 rock, and what might have been a patch ofdried blood, served as reminder88 of the patrol that had been ambushed89 therenot long ago.
The sun beat down on the officer’s back, the air was hot and still, andgravel crunched91 under her boots. The hill could have been on Earth, up inthe Cascade93 Mountains. McKay wished that it were.
Yayap lay next to a pile of wreckage and waited to die. Like most of’Zamamee’s ideas, this one was totally insane.
After failing to find and kill the armored human, ’Zamamee had concludedthat the elusive94 alien must be on top of the recently captured butte. Or, ifnoton the butte, then coming and going from the butte, which was the onlybase the humans had established. The butte was a strong point that theCouncil of Masters would very much like to take back.
The only problem was that ’Zamamee had no way to know when the human wasthere, and when he wasn’t, because while taking the butte would besomething of a coup39, doing so without killing95 the human might or might notbe sufficient to keep his head on his shoulders.
So, having given the problem extensive thought, and aware of the fact thathumansdid take prisoners, the Elite came up with the idea of putting a spyon top of the butte, someone who could send a signal when the target was inresidence, thereby triggering a raid.
But who to send? Nothim , since it would be his role to lead the attack, andnot some other Elite, because they were deemed too valuable for such adangerous scheme—nor could they be trusted not to steal the glory of thekill—especially given the increased demands associated with countering themysterious “powers” to which the Prophet had referred.
That suggested a lower ranking member of the Covenant forces, but someone’Zamamee could trust. Which was why Yayap had been equipped with anappropriate cover story, enthusiastically beaten up, and laid out next to awrecked Ghost which one of the transports had dropped in during the hours ofdarkness.
The final scene had been established just prior to dawn, which meant thatthe Grunt had been there for nearly five full units. Unable to do more thanflex his muscles lest he unknowingly give himself away, with nothing todrink, and subject to his own considerable fears, Yayap silently cursed theday he “rescued” ’Zamamee. Better to have died in the crash of the humanvessel.
Yes, ’Zamamee swore that the humans took prisoners, but what didhe know?
Thus far, Yayap had been unimpressed with ’Zamamee’s plans. Yayap had seenMarines shoot more than one downed warrior66 during the battle on thePillar ofAutumn , and saw no reason why they would spare him. And what if theydiscovered the signaling device that had been incorporated into hisbreathing apparatus97?
No, the odds98 were against him, and the more he thought about it, the morethe Grunt realized that he should have run. Taken what he could, headed outonto the surface of Halo, sought shelter with the other deserters who lurkedthere. The dignity of his eventual99 suffocation100 when his methane101 bladderfinally emptied had considerable appeal.
It was too late for that now. Yayap heard the crunch92 of gravel90, smelled themusky, unpleasant meat odor he had come to associate with humans, and felt ashadow fall over his face. It seemed best to appear unconscious, so that’sexactly what he did. He fainted.
“It sounds like he’s alive,” McKay observed, as the Grunt took a breath,and the methane rig wheezed102 in response. “Check for booby traps, free thatleg, and search him. I don’t see much blood, but if he’s leaking, plug theholes.”
Yayap didn’t understand a word the human said, but the tone was even, andno one put a gun to his head. Maybe, just maybe, he was going to survive.
Five minutes later the Grunt had been hog-tied, thrown into the back of anLRV, and left to bounce around back there.
McKay recovered two saddlebag-style containers from the wrecked96 Ghost, oneof which contained some clothes wrapped around what she took to be rations103.
She sniffed104 the tube of bubbling paste and winced105. It smelled like old sockswrapped in rotting cheese.
She stuffed the alien food back into its pack, and investigated the second.
It held a pair of Covenant memory blocks, brick-shaped chunks of somesuperdense material that could store who knew how many gazillion bytes ofinformation. Probably a kilo’s worth of BS? Yes, probably, but it wasn’tfor her to judge. Wellsley loved that kind of crap, and would have funtrying to sort it out.
If they were lucky, it would distract him from quoting the Duke ofWellington for a few precious minutes. That alone was almost worthrecovering the devices.
As the humans got back on their vehicles and went up over the pass,’Zamamee watched them from a carefully camouflaged106 hiding spot on aneighboring hill. He felt a thrill of vindication107. The first part of hisplan was a success. The second phase—and his inevitable108 victory—wouldfollow.
Finally, after battling his way through wintry valleys twisting passageways,and mazelike rooms, the Master Chief opened still another hatch and peeredoutside. He saw snow, the base of a large construct, and a Ghost whichpatrolled the area beyond.
“The entrance to the Control Center is located at the top of the pyramid,”
Cortana said. “Let’s get up there. We should commandeer one of thoseGhosts, we’re going to need the firepower.”
The Spartan believed her, but as he stepped through the hatch, and moreGhosts appeared and began shooting at him, none of the pilots seemed readyto surrender their machines. He destroyed one of them with a long,controlled burst from his assault rifle, then scurried109 up through a jumbleof boulders, and perched on one of the pyramid’s long, sloping skirts.
From his new position he saw a Hunter patrolling the area above, and wishedhe had a rocket launcher. He might as well have wished for a Scorpion110 tank.
The pyramid’s support structures offered some cover, which allowed theMaster Chief to climb unobserved, and toss a fragmentation grenade at themonster above. It went off with a loudcraack! , peppered the alien’s armorwith shrapnel, and generally pissed him off.
Alerted now, the Hunter fired his fuel rod cannon111, just as the Chief hurleda plasma grenade and hoped his aim was better this time. The energy pulsemissed, the grenade didn’t, and there was a flash of light as the Covenantwarrior went down.
It was tempting112 to run for the top, but if there was one lesson the Spartanhad learned over the last few days it was that Hunters traveled in pairs.
Rather than leave such a potent113 enemy guarding his six, the Master Chiefclimbed up to the first level, ducked around the wall that separated oneside of the pyramid from the next, and took a peek114. Sure enough, there wasHunter number two, gazing down-slope, unaware115 of the fact that his bondbrother was dead. The human put a burst into the alien’s unprotected back.
The spined116 warrior fell and slid, face first, to the bottom of thestructure.
The Chief worked his way farther up, zigzagging117 back and forth across thefront of the massive pyramid while an extremely determined Banshee pilottried to bag him from above, and all manner of Grunts, Jackals, and Elitesemerged to try and block his progress.
He took a deep breath, and continued his climb.
At the top of the pyramid, the Spartan paused and allowed his long-sufferingshield system to recharge. He stepped over the fallen body of a Grunt, andloaded his last clip into the assault rifle.
A huge door fronted the top level. There was no way to tell what waited onthe other side, but it wasn’t likely to be friendly—a series of motionsensor traces ghosted at the edge of the device’s range.
“What’s the plan?” Cortana inquired.
“Simple.” The Spartan took a deep breath, hit the switch, spun on hisheel, and ran.
It was about twenty meters back to the Shade, and the Chief covered thedistance in seconds. Once at the controls he swiveled the barrel around justin time to see the doors part and a horde118 of Covenant soldiers pour out.
The Shade was up to the job. Just as quickly as they appeared, the aliensdied.
Dismounting once again, the Spartan entered a large, hangarlike space, tookthe time required to deal with stragglers, and activated the next set ofdoors.
“Scanning,” Cortana said. “Covenant forces in the area have beeneliminated. Nicely done. Let’s move on to Halo’s Control Center.”
He made his way through the doors and out onto an immense platform. Agleaming reflective bridge, apparently119 without supports, extended over avast emptiness and ended in a circular walkway. In the center of thiswalkway was a moving holographic model of the Threshold system: a gianttransparent image of the gas giant overhead, the small gray moon Basis inorbit around it, and suspended between the two, the tiny shining ring ofHalo itself.
Outside of the walkway, stretching almost to the edges of the enormousspace, was another model of Halo, this one thousands of feet across,displaying as it rotated a detailed120 map of the terrain on its inner surface.
The span lacked any kind of railing, as if to remind those who passed overit of the dangers attendant to the power they were about to encounter. Or soit seemed to the Master Chief.
“This is it . . . Halo’s Control Center,” Cortana said as the MasterChief approached a large panel. It was covered with glyphs, all of whichglowed as if lit from within, and went together to form what looked like apiece of abstract art.
“That terminal,” the AI said. “Try there.”
The Spartan reached out to touch one of the symbols, then stopped.
He felt Cortana’s presence dwindle121 in his mind as she transmitted herselfinto the alien computer station. A moment later, she appeared—giant-sized—over the control panel. Data scrolled122 across her body, energy seemed toradiate out of her holographic skin, and her features were alight withpleasure.
Her “skin” shifted from blue to purple, to red, then cycled back as shegazed around the room and sighed.
“Are you all right?” the Master Chief inquired. He hadn’t expected this.
“Never been better!” Cortana affirmed. “You can’t imagine the wealth ofinformation—somuch , so fast. It’sglorious !”
“So,” the Master Chief asked, “what sort of weapon is it?”
The AI looked surprised. “What are you talking about?”
“Let’s stay focused,” the Spartan responded. “Halo. How do we use itagainst the Covenant?”
The image of Cortana frowned. Suddenly her voice was filled with disdain123.
“This ring isn’t a cudgel, you barbarian124, it’s something else. Somethingmuch more important. The Covenant were right, this ring—”
She paused, and her eyes moved back and forth as she scanned the tidal waveof data she now accessed. A puzzled look flashed across her face.
“Forerunner,” she muttered. “Give me a moment to access . . .”
A moment later, she began to speak, and her words rushed out in a flood, asif the constant stream of new information was sweeping125 her along.
“Yes, the Forerunners6 built this place, what they called a fortress126 world,in order to—”
The Chief had never heard the AI talk like that before, didn’t like beingreferred to as a “barbarian,” and was about to cut her down to size whenshe spoke127 again. Plainly alarmed, her voice had a hesitant quality. “No,that can’t be . . . Oh, those Covenant fools, they must have known, theremust have been signs.”
The Chief frowned. “Slow down. You’re losing me.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “The Covenantfound something , buried in thisring, somethinghorrible . Now they’re afraid.”
“Something buried?”
Cortana looked off into the distance as if she could actually see Keyes.
“Captain—we’ve got to stop the Captain. The weapons cache he’s lookingfor, it’s not really—we can’t let him get inside.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s no time!” Cortana said urgently. Her eyes were neon pink andthey focused on the Spartan like twin lasers. “I have to remain here. Getout, find Keyes, stop him. Before it’s too late!”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
covenant
|
|
| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
reconciliation
|
|
| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
elite
|
|
| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
bureaucratic
|
|
| adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
blessings
|
|
| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
forerunners
|
|
| n.先驱( forerunner的名词复数 )；开路人；先兆；前兆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
amplified
|
|
| 放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
neutralize
|
|
| v.使失效、抵消，使中和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
conversationally
|
|
| adv.会话地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
gulped
|
|
| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
smoothly
|
|
| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
pelican
|
|
| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
spartan
|
|
| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
traction
|
|
| n.牵引；附着摩擦力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
inclement
|
|
| adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
commotion
|
|
| n.骚动，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
chunk
|
|
| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
pedestrians
|
|
| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
swirled
|
|
| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
plasma
|
|
| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
latched
|
|
| v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
activated
|
|
| adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
relatively
|
|
| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
punctuated
|
|
| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
boulder
|
|
| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
boulders
|
|
| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
marine
|
|
| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
sprinted
|
|
| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
corpse
|
|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
coup
|
|
| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
shuddered
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
wraith
|
|
| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
mortar
|
|
| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
bail
|
|
| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
whooped
|
|
| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
cavalry
|
|
| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
flipped
|
|
| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
flip
|
|
| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
slung
|
|
| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
grunts
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
lurked
|
|
| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
winked
|
|
| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
shard
|
|
| n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
abdomen
|
|
| n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
bumper
|
|
| n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
steered
|
|
| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
skid
|
|
| v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
belched
|
|
| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
infantry
|
|
| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
elites
|
|
| 精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
crossfire
|
|
| n.被卷进争端 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
bloodied
|
|
| v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
chunks
|
|
| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
bastard
|
|
| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
ram
|
|
| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
lighter
|
|
| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
defensive
|
|
| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
thump
|
|
| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
wreckage
|
|
| n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
bailed
|
|
| 保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
mittens
|
|
| 不分指手套 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
sergeant
|
|
| n.警官，中士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
scuttle
|
|
| v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
capability
|
|
| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
fortified
|
|
| adj. 加强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
ambushes
|
|
| n.埋伏( ambush的名词复数 )；伏击；埋伏着的人；设埋伏点v.埋伏( ambush的第三人称单数 )；埋伏着 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
terrain
|
|
| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
dictated
|
|
| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
defiles
|
|
| v.玷污( defile的第三人称单数 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
scorched
|
|
| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
reminder
|
|
| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
ambushed
|
|
| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
gravel
|
|
| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
crunched
|
|
| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
crunch
|
|
| n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
cascade
|
|
| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
elusive
|
|
| adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
wrecked
|
|
| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
apparatus
|
|
| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
odds
|
|
| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
eventual
|
|
| adj.最后的，结局的，最终的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
suffocation
|
|
| n.窒息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
methane
|
|
| n.甲烷，沼气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
wheezed
|
|
| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
rations
|
|
| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
winced
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
camouflaged
|
|
| v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
vindication
|
|
| n.洗冤，证实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
scurried
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
tempting
|
|
| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
potent
|
|
| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
peek
|
|
| vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
unaware
|
|
| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
spined
|
|
| adj.有背骨的，有刺的，有脊柱的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
zigzagging
|
|
| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
horde
|
|
| n.群众，一大群 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
detailed
|
|
| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
dwindle
|
|
| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
scrolled
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
disdain
|
|
| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
barbarian
|
|
| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
fortress
|
|
| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |