The alarm hooted1, and Zawaz sprang to his feet with a startled yelp2. The squat3 alien, a Grunt4 clad in burnished5 orange armor, fumbled6 and dropped his motion scanner. He keened in fear and retrieved7 the device with a trembling claw. If the scanner had been damaged, the Elites9 would use his body as reactor10 shielding. If his masters learned he'dbeen asleep at his post, they might do far worse than kill him. They might give him to theJackals.
Zawaz shuddered11.
Fortunately, the scanner still worked, and the diminutive12 alien sighed with relief. Three contacts rapidly approached the moun.tain that separated Zawaz's cadre from thedistant human forces. He reached for the warning klaxon but relaxed as his detector14 identified the contacts—Banshee fliers.
He peered over the dirt edge of his protective hole to confirm this. He spotted15 three of thebulbous aircraft on approach. Zawaz snorted. It was odd that the fli ht wasn't listed onhis patrol schedule. He considered alerting his superiors, then thouggght bet.ter of it. Whatif they were Elites on some secret mission?
No, it was best not to question such things. Be ignored. Live another day. That was hiscreed.
He nestled back into his hole, reset16 the motion detector to long range, and prayed itwouldn't go off again. He curled into a tight ball and promptly17 fell into a deep sleep.
Fred led their flying-wed e formation. The purple and red air.ships arced up and overthe treetops of the ridge18, gggaining asERIC NYLUND27much altitude as the Banshee could manage—about three hun.dred meters. As hecleared the top, what he saw made him ease off the throttle19.
The valley was ten kilometers across and sloped before him, thick with Douglas firs thatthinned and gave way to trampled20 fields and the Big Horn River beyond. Camped in thefields were thousands upon thousands of Covenant21 troops. Their mass covered the entirevalley, and thin, smoke-choked sunlight glinted off a sea of red, yellow, and blue armor.They moved in tight columns and swarmed22 along the river's edge—so many that itlooked like someone had kicked over the largest anthill in existence.
And they were building. Hundreds of flimsy white dome-shaped tents were being erected,atmosphere pits for the methane-breathing Grunts23. Farther back were the odd polyhedralhuts of the Elite8 units, guarded by a long line of dozens of beetlelike Wraith24 tanks. Guardtowers unctuated the valley; they spiraled up from mobile treaded bases, ten meters talland topppped with plasma25 turrets26.
The rules had indeed changed. In more than a hundred battles Fred had never seen theCovenant set up encampments of such magnitude. All they did was kill.
Floating behind all this activity, almost brushing against the far hills, the Covenant cruisersat thirty meters off the ground. It looked like a great bloated fish with stubby stabilizingfins. Its gravity lift was in operation, a tube of scintillating27 energy that moved matter toand from the ground. Stacks of purple crates28 gently floated down from the craft. In theafternoon light he could see its weapons bristling29 along its length, casting spider-likeshadows across its hull30.
Their Banshees leveled out, and Fred dropped back to tighten31 his formation with Kellyand Joshua.
He glanced again at the enemy ship and the guard towers. One good hit from thoseweapons could take them out.
Fred saw other Banshee patrols circling the valley. He frowned. If they passed them, theenemy pilots would almost certainly de.mand to know their business... and there was noway of knowing what the established patrol routes were. That meant he'd have to28 HALO: FIRST STRIKEtake an alternate flight path: straight down the middle, and straight over the Covenanthorde.
They'd only need one run to do this. They'd probably only get one run.
He activated32 a COM frequency. "Go."Kelly hit the acceleration33 and glided34 toward the cruiser. Fred fell in behind her. He armedthe fuel rod gun built into the Banshee.
They were six kilometers from the cruiser when Kelly achieved the maximum speed ofher flier. Grunts and Jackals in the fields below craned their necks as the Spartans35 flashedover them.
They had to go faster. Fred felt every Covenant eye watching them. He dived, trading hisaltitude for acceleration, and Joshua and Kelly did the same.
Communication symbols flashed across his Banshee's wind.shield display. The UNSCsoftware built into their armor worked only with some of the spoken Covenant languages—not their written words. Odd, curling characters scrolled36 across the Ban.shee'sdisplays.
Fred hit one of the response symbols.
There was a pause, the display cleared, and dozens more sym.bols flashed, twice as fast.
Fred clicked the display off.
Three kilometers to go, and his heart beat so hard he heard it thunder in his ears.
Kelly pulled slightly ahead of them. She was now thirty me.ters off the ground, gaining asmuch speed as she could, driving straight for the cruiser's gravity lift.iving straight for the cruiser's gravity lift.
The nearest guard tower tracked her; its plasma cannon37 flared38 and fired.
Kelly's flier climbed and banked to evade39 the energy fire. The bolt of superheated ionizedgas brushed against her starboard fuselage. Energy spray melted the Banshee's frontfaring, and her ship slowed.
A dozen plasma turrets turned to track them.
Fred banked and opened fire. Energy bursts from the Ban.shee's primary weapon strafedthe guard tower. Joshua did the same, and a river of fire streaked40 toward the towers.
Fred hit the firing stud for the Banshee's heavy weapon, and aERIC NYLUND 29sphere of energy arced into the base of the tower. It began a grad.ual tilt41, then collapsed42.
Kelly hadn't fired. Fred glanced her way and saw that she now stood in a low crouch43 atop her racing44 Banshee. She had one foot under the duct tape that had secured the nuke andnow held the bomb in her hand, cocking it back to throw.
A shard45 of jagged crystal, a round from a Covenant needier, pinged off Fred's port shield.He snapped a look below.
Covenant Grunts and Jackals boiled in agitation—a hundred badly aimed shots arced up after him; glistening46 clouds of crys.talline needles and firefly plasma bolts swarmedthrough the air and chipped away at his Banshee's fuselage.
Fred jinked his Banshee left and right, and dodged47 plasma bolts from the three guardtowers tracking him. He lined up for a second strafing run, and the Banshee's lighter48 energy weapons sent Grunts scattering49.
A hundred meters to go.
Kelly leaned back, coiled her body, and readied to throw the nuclear device as if it were a shotput.
The Covenant cruiser came to life, and its weapons tracked the Banshees. A dozen fingers of plasma ripped the air; white-blue arcs of fire reached for them.
One bolt connected with Joshua's ship. The Banshee's impro.vised shields overloadedand vanished. The canards50 of the flier melted and bent51. The alien airship lurched into a spin as its con13.trol surfaces warped52, and Joshua fell behind Fred and Kelly just as they entered the gravity lift of the craft.
Fred keyed his COM to raise Joshua but got only static. Time seemed to slow inside thebeam of purple light that ferried goods and troops to and from the belly53 of the ship. The strange glow surrounded them and made his skin tingle54 as if it were asleep.
Their Banshees rose toward an opening in the underside of the carrier. They weren'triding into the ship, though; they were trav.eling too fast and would cross the beam before they were three quarters of the way to the top.
Fred snapped around. He didn't see Joshua anywhere. Plasma beams hit the well andwere deflected55 as if it were a giant glass lens.
Kelly hurled56 the nuke straight up into the gullet of the cruiser.
30 HALO: FIRST STRIKEFred wrenched57 the Banshee's controls and arced the craft under the edge of the ship;Kelly was right behind him. The light vanished, and they emerged on the far side of theCovenant vessel58.
Behind them, distorted through the gravity lift, Fred saw Covenant troops firing theirweapons into the sky. He heard ten thousand voices screaming for blood.
Fred pinged Joshua on the COM, but his acknowledgment light remained dark.
He wanted to slow and turn back for him, but Kelly dived, ac.celerating toward theground, and she entered the forest that car.peted the mountainside. Fred followed her.They were scant59 meters above the ground; they dodged trees and blasted through tangles60 of foliage61. A handful of stray shots flashed overhead. They flew at top speed and didn'tlook back.
They emerged from the tree line and over the powdered snow of the mountaintop. They arced over a granite62 ridge, came about, and throttled63 back. The Banshees drifted slowly tothe ground.
The sky turned white. Fred's faceplate polarized to its darkest setting. Thunder rolledthough his body. Fire and molten metal blossomed over the ridge, boiled skyward, and rained back into the valley. The granite top of the intervening mountain shattered into dust and the snow on their side melted in muddy rivulets64.
Fred's visor slowly depolarized.
Kelly leaned across her Banshee. Blood oozed65 from her ar.mor's left shoulder joint66. Shefumbled for her helmet seal, caught it, and peeled it off her head. "Did we get 'em?" shepanted. Blood foamed67 from the corner of her mouth.
"I think so," Fred told her.
She looked around. "Joshua?"Fred shook his head. "He got t "hit on the way in.
It had been easy for him to fly into the face of certain death moments ago. Saying those words was a hundred times harder.
Kelly slumped68 and dropped her head back against her Banshee.
"Stay here, I'm going up to take a look." Fred powered up his Banshee and rose parallelwith the ridgeline. He nudged the craft up a little farther and got his first look into thevalley.
ERIC NYLUND31It was a sea of flame. Hundreds of fires dotted the cracked, glassy ground. Where the BigHorn River had snaked along, there was now only a long steaming furrow69. There was no trace of the cruiser or the Covenant troops that had filled the valley moments ago. All thatremained was a field of smoldering70, twisted bone and metal. At the edge of this carnage stood black.ened sticks—the remnants of the forest—all leaning away from the center ofthe explosion.
Ten thousand Covenant deaths. It wasn't worth losing Joshua or any of the other Spartans, but it was something. Perhaps they had bought enough time for the orbital MACguns to tip the bat.tle overhead in the Fleet's favor. Maybe their sacrifices would save Reach. That would be worth it.
He looked up into the sky. The steam made it difficult to see anything, but there was motion overhead: Faint shadows glided over the clouds.
Kelly's Banshee appeared alongside his, and their canards bumped.
The shadows overhead sharpened; three Covenant cruisers broke through the clouds anddrifted toward the generator71 com.plex. Their plasma artillery72 flickered73 and glowed withenergy.
Fred snapped open his COM channel and boosted the signal strength to its maximum."Delta74 Team: Fall back. Fall back now!"Static hissed75 over the channel, and several voices overlapped76. He heard one of hisSpartans—he couldn't tell who—break through the static.
"Reactor complex seven has been compromised. We're falling back. Might be able to savenumber three." There was a pause as the speaker shouted orders to someone else: "Setoff those charges now!"Fred switched to FLEETCOM and broadcast: "Be advised, Pillar of Autumn, groundsidereactors are being taken. Orbital guns at risk. Nothing we can do. Too many. We'll have touse the nukes. Be advised, orbital MAC guns will most likely be neu.tralized. Pillar ofAutumn, do you read? Acknowledge."More voices crowded the channel, and Fred thought he heard Admiral Whitcomb's voice,but whatever orders he issued were32 HALO: FIRST STRIKEincomprehensible. Then there was only static, and then the COM went dead.
The cruisers fired salvos of plasma that burned the sky. Dis.tant explosions thumped,and Fred strained to see if there was any return fire—any sign that his Spartans were fighting or re.treating. Their only hope was movement; the enemy firepower wouldshred a fixed77 position.
"Fall back," he hissed. "Now, damn it."Kelly tapped him on the shoulder and pointed78 up.
The clouds parted like a curtain drawn79 as a fireball a hundred meters across roared over their position. He saw the faint out.lines of dozens of Covenant battleships in low orbit.
"Plasma bombardment," Fred whispered.
He'd seen this before. They all had. When the Covenant con.quered a human world they fired their main plasma batteries at the planet—fired until its oceans boiled and nothingwas left but a globe of broken glass.
"That's it," Kelly murmured. "We've lost. Reach is going to fall."Fred watched as the plasma impacted upon the horizon and the sky turned white, then faded to black as millions of tons of ash and debris80 blotted81 out the sun.
"Maybe," Fred said. He gunned his Banshee. "Maybe not. Come on, we're not done yet."
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收听单词发音
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1
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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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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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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reactor
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| n.反应器；反应堆 | |
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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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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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con
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| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
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detector
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| n.发觉者，探测器 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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reset
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| v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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20
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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21
covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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22
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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23
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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24
wraith
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| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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26
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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27
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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crates
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| n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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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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tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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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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acceleration
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| n.加速，加速度 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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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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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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38
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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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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40
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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41
tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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42
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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43
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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44
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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45
shard
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| n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片 | |
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46
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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47
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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48
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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49
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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50
canards
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| n.谣传，谎言( canard的名词复数 ) | |
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51
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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52
warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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53
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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54
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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56
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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57
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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58
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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59
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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60
tangles
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| （使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 ) | |
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61
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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62
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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63
throttled
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| v.扼杀( throttle的过去式和过去分词 )；勒死；使窒息；压制 | |
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64
rivulets
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| n.小河，小溪( rivulet的名词复数 ) | |
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65
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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66
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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67
foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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68
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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69
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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70
smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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71
generator
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| n.发电机，发生器 | |
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72
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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73
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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75
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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76
overlapped
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| _adj.重叠的v.部分重叠( overlap的过去式和过去分词 )；（物体）部份重叠；交叠；（时间上）部份重叠 | |
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77
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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78
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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79
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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81
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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