"Cortana?" the Master Chief asked. "What's our status?"The Chief and the rest of his team scrambled3 out of the Cove1.nant dropship. Fred carrieda semiconscious Kelly out and laid her on the deck of the launch bay.
"Same as ever," Cortana replied. "We're in trouble."Video feed from the ship's external cameras appeared on the Master Chief's heads-updisplay. Covenant2 cruisers surrounded them, their plasma4 turrets5 aglow6; they remindedthe Chief of pictures he had seen of fish that lived at the bottom of Earth's oceans—swarms of phosphorescing lights and razor-sharp teeth.
He marched toward the edge of the launch bay and stood a centimeter from where theship's energy shield abutted7 the open.ing to the space beyond. He looked directly intothe vast blue fields and the giant warships8 far too close for his liking9.
"We jumped to Slipspace, didn't we?" Lieutenant10 Haverson asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Dr. Halsey replied. "And no."She withdrew the crystal from her lab coat pocket and frowned as she discovered that itwas no longer a slender shard12. The facets13 had rearranged like the pieces of a jigsawpuzzle... but in a configuration14 that differed from the one the artifact displayed in theCovenant grav beam. This time it was a starburst of edges and refracted light.
214HALO: FIRST STRIKE"We jumped," she said, examining her reflection in the arti-fact's mirrored planes. "Butnot to the Slipspace we know."The Master Chief's radiation counter clicked and a shrill15 alarm screamed through hishelmet.
"Secure that, Anton," he said and nodded toward the glowing stone. "Get it into thereactor compartment16 of the Pelican17."Anton relieved the crystal from Dr. Halsey, who only reluc.tantly released it from hergrasp. He sprinted18 toward the wrecked19 Pelican.
"There was a radiation surge, Doctor," the Chief explained. "And that thing is the source." The Chief noticed that the inten.sity of the radiation did not drop off as Anton moved itinto the Pelican.
"Whatever it is," Dr. Halsey said as she scrutinized20 the blue field outside their ship, "itwarps space. When we first ap.proached it in the great room, space curled around thecrystal. And again in the grav beam, it dispersed that field potential.""And now?" Admiral Whitcomb asked. "This tiling is affect.ing our passage throughSlipspace?""Apparently21 so," Dr. Halsey said, and stepped next to John to get a better look outside.
The Admiral joined her and watched as the Covenant ships' turrets heated. "Can theyeven fire those things in Slipspace? If they can, we're sitting ducks."The Master Chief could make out more shi s in the distance. The Covenant vesselsflickered, faded, disappeared, and then reappp eared in the fog. The nearest enemyCovenant ships fired. Amorphous22 balls of suppperheated gas belched23 from their turrets andaccelerated toward them, tingeing24 the blue space purple.
The Master Chief saw Locklear as he helped Polaski out of the Covenant dropship. Hekept her hand in his, and they watched together as the plasma sped toward them.
The balls of plasma streaked25 on—then curled and spiraled off their trajectories26. Severalsimply winked27 out of existence, only to reappear somewhere else. The enemy shots racedup, down, sideways—any direction but toward Ascendant Justice.
"What the hell is this?" Sergeant28 Johnson said and he stepped next to the Master Chief towatch the display. "I didn't think their ships could fire in Slipspace. Ours sure as hellcan't."ERIC NYLUND215Dr. Halsey removed her glasses, and her eyes widened. "Nor.mally, they can't. If they can fire, then logically, we're not in Slipspace. And wherever we are," she murmured, "therules have changed."The Admiral frowned. "Cortana," he shouted. "Whatever you do, do not return—"Too late. Cortana returned fire.
Columns of fire streaked from Ascendant Justice—streamers that twisted and helixed,then vanished and reappeared.
The bubble of tangled29 blue space containing Ascendant Jus.tice and the Covenantwarships now contained at least forty bolts of superheated plasma circling in random30 directions and accel.erated to incalculable velocities31.
Three spheres of roiling32 fire appeared in front of the nearest Covenant cruiser and splashed across its bow. The first boiled away its shimmering33 silver shield; the secondand third melted the armor and alloy34 skin beneath. Atmosphere vented35 and spun36 themassive ship like a child's pinwheel.
"Hot damn," Sergeant Johnson crowed. "All we have to do is wait for those trigger-happy bastards37 to take themselves out. Look, they're firing again."The Covenant weapons heated and squeezed out a second salvo of plasma. The guidedbolts of fire veered38 off course, swarmed39, disappeared, reappeared, and spun out ofcontrol though the local.ized Slipspace bubble.
"No, Sergeant," Dr. Halsey said, her voice turning cold. "We're all in the same mess.""Cortana," the Master Chief said, "drop the launch bay blast door. Now!"The three-meter-thick door overhead shuddered40 and slid down.
A streamer of plasma on a parallel trajectory41 flashed through the dark not half akilometer from the Master Chief's face—so close that the external temperature rosetwenty degrees even through the ship's shields.
Red fire illuminated42 Ascendant Justice's starboard shield as plasma splashed across them;the film separating the launch bay from the external vacuum rippled43 like a thousandbroken mir.rors. Static crackled across the Master Chief's armor, and his shieldsresonated in sympathy.
216HALO: FIRST STRIKEAs the blast door lowered, the Chief saw another fireball spill across their port side.Energy sprayed across the bow in a blood red borealis. Ascendant Justice's shieldsflickered and faded... but they held. Barely.
The launch bay door touched the deck and sealed with a sub.sonic thud.
"Blast door locked and secured," Cortana announced.
"Let's get this boat under way," Admiral Whitcomb barked. "While we still have a boat." He looked around and frowned. "Chief, lead the way to the bridge.""Yes, sir." He marched to the passage that led deeper into the alien ship. His Spartans44 andthe rest of the crew followed.
Admiral Whitcomb turned to Dr. Halsey. "Catherine, explain in layman's terms just whatthe hell is going on here. If we can see those cruisers and they can see us, why aren't ourshots connecting?"Ascendant Justice rolled to port, and explosions chained over.head. The artificial gravityfluttered, and the deck tilted45. The crew stumbled, and Dr. Halsey fell to the deck.
"Turrets one and seven destroyed," Cortana announced.
Whitcomb helped Dr. Halsey up off her knees. She glanced nervously46 up and down thepassa e. "I'd guess the alien artifact we've brought with us into Slipspace has expandedthe regggion. Physicists47 believe Slipstream space is a highly compressed ver.sion of normalspace, layered over and under itself, like a ball of yarn48. Now, imagine that our ball ofyarn"—she interlaced her ringers—"is looped and knotted. These threads are not solid,however; plasma, light, and matter jump from one thread to an.other given the slightestquantum fluctuation49.""If that's the case, Doctor," Lieutenant Haverson said, "then what about our ship? Whyaren't we tangled and spread along a trillion alternate spatial50 pathways?""Because of the mass of this s"hip.She pushed her glasses higher onto her nose. "Imagine a rumpled51 sheet that represents this space. If you set a heavy mass upon that sheet, itdraws it taut52, smooths it out."The Chief came to the heavy bulkhead door and held up his hand, telling the rest of them to halt. He opened the door andERIC NYLUND217stepped onto the bridge, sweeping53 the space with his rifle. "Clear," he told them.
Admiral Whitcomb and the others entered the bridge. Lieu.tenant11 Haverson steppedonto the raised platform and said, "Cortana, project tactical on the displays."Enemy ship positions and plasma tracks appeared on the inte.rior walls. Contactsmultiplied and coalesced54, making the plasma appear like waves sloshing about in a bowl.Another bolt broke across the prow55 of Ascendant Justice.
Through the deck the Master Chief felt the successive thumps57 of explosive decompressions.
"Hit on subengineering decks," Cortana said. "Sealing those regions. Fire in the lower levels. Attempting to isolate58 and pump out the atmosphere."John's childhood AI teacher, Deja, had taught the Spartans about the great Naval59 battles on Earth's oceans before humans traveled to the stars. They had studied victories in thePunic Wars, and at Midway, as well as the disastrous60 defeat of Xerxes by the Athenian Navy. Deja had told them, however, that one thing was greater than any human enemy on the sea: nature. Tidal waves and typhoons could crush the mightiest61 of battle.ships ... andignored the tactics of the most brilliant captain.
Ascendant Justice was in the center of a sea of fire ... and it was being battered62 apart.
Thunder ripped through Ascendant Justice's hull63; a geyser of flames shot out thepassageway to the bridge. The air jumped and hissed64 as it escaped the pressurizedchamber.
The bulkhead door slammed shut, and the air stilled.
Sergeant Johnson shook his head clear from the sudden drop in pressure. "Let's drop outof this mixed-up Slipspace and start fighting.""Yeah, or just get rid of that crys" "tal,Locklear said. If it's the cause of all this mess." Hedrew his pistol. "One round and boom! Problem solved.""Don't do that!" Dr. Halsey snapped. "A drop back to normal space has us facing a dozenor more cruisers. And if you destroy the crystal, the expanded Slipspace bubble we're inwould in.stantly collapse65. Every separate mass in the bubble will compact into a singlemass. We wouldn't survive the transition."218HALO: FIRST STRIKEWorry creased66 Admiral Whitcomb's features. "That leaves just one option. Cortana, giveme flank speed and heat u every weapon we have. We're going to run right over theseCovenant ships. Tangled spppace or not, we're going to blast them right back to normalspace from point-blank range.""Yes, Admiral," Cortana said. "Engines answering flank speed."A dull thump56 echoed from the aft section.
"Stand by," Cortana said. "There's a problem with the primary engines—a power dropoccurred just as I engaged."On the bridge displays the external cameras turned and focused on the aft hull ofAscendant Justice. A snakelike plasma conduit came into focus. Cortana adjusted theimage, and a three-meter-wide hole in the conduit snapped into view. Streamers of blue-white gas vented from the breach67.
"That's our main drive conduit," Cortana said. "It's taken a hit. I'm shutting down enginesto conserve68 power."The Master Chief squinted69. "That was no plasma hit," he mut.tered. "It was too preciseand too inconvenient—this had to be sabotage70."Admiral Whitcomb scowled71. "Chief, take your team and pre.pare for a zero-gee repair ofthe plasma conduit.""Yes, sir."Polaski stepped forward. "I'll go too, sir," she said. Locklear grasped her by the arm andtried to pull her back, but she shrugged72 his hand off. "I can pilot the dropship—get theSpartan team in and out faster."The Admiral narrowed his eyes, assessing the young woman. "Very well, WarrantOfficer." He added so softly that the Chief almost missed it: "Too many damned heroes inthis war."Polaski turned to Locklear, handed him back his bandanna73, and whispered, "Hang on tothat for me, Corporal. I'll pick k "it up when I get back.
Locklear's hand clenched74, then relaxed. He took the token, nodded, and looked away. "I'llbe here," he said and tied it around his arm.
"Chief," Admiral Whitcomb said. "Make sure you come back alive. That's an order, son."
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1
cove
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| n.小海湾，小峡谷 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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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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plasma
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| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
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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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aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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abutted
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| v.（与…）邻接( abut的过去式和过去分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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warships
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| 军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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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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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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shard
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| n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片 | |
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facets
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| n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面 | |
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configuration
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| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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pelican
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| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
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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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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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amorphous
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| adj.无定形的 | |
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belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
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tingeing
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| vt.着色，使…带上色彩（tinge的现在分词形式） | |
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streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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trajectories
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| n.弹道( trajectory的名词复数 )；轨道；轨线；常角轨道 | |
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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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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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velocities
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| n.速度( velocity的名词复数 )；高速，快速 | |
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roiling
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| v.搅混（液体）( roil的现在分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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bastards
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| 私生子( bastard的名词复数 )； 坏蛋； 讨厌的事物； 麻烦事 （认为别人走运或不幸时说）家伙 | |
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38
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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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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40
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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trajectory
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| n.弹道，轨道 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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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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spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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physicists
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| 物理学家( physicist的名词复数 ) | |
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48
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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49
fluctuation
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| n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动 | |
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spatial
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| adj.空间的，占据空间的 | |
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rumpled
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| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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coalesced
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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thumps
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| n.猪肺病；砰的重击声( thump的名词复数 )v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的第三人称单数 ) | |
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isolate
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| vt.使孤立，隔离 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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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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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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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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creased
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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conserve
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| vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭 | |
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squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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sabotage
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| n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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bandanna
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| n.大手帕 | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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