The Master Chief and his team, which now consisted of Grace, Linda, Will, and Fred, hadbeen ordered to report to the Officers' Club—normally forbidden territory to NCOs. Ofcourse, nothing about their circumstances had been normal for a long, long time.
The Gettysburg's O-Club had a massive table of oak, scored with numerous gouges2 and scorches3 from a hundred cigars casu.ally set upon its surface. There was a bar stockedwith bottles containing a rainbow collection of liquors, dusted with shattered crystal. The room's walnut-paneled walls were polished to a rich glow. Hung along those walls wasthe UNSC gold-fringed blue flag. There were also gold and silver citation4 plaques5 for merito.rious gallantry. There were photos of officers and past Captains of the Gettysburg.And most interesting to the Master Chief were tin Civil War daguerreotypes thatdisplayed battlefields full of charging men and cavalry6 and cannons7 belching8 flash and thunder.
Admiral Whitcomb and Sergeant9 Johnson entered the room. The Spartans10 snapped torigid attention. "Officer on deck!" the Master Chief shouted, and they all saluted12.
"At ease," Admiral Whitcomb said. "Please sit down."The Master Chief stepped forward. "With respect, these chairs will not support the weightof our gear, Admiral.""Of course," the Admiral said. "Well, make yourselves as comfortable as you can. This isan informal meeting." He snorted.
ERIC NYLUND287"I just wanted to see who was left on board and alive." He looked past the open doors tothe Officers' Club. "Lieutenant14 Haverson will join us shortly. He's investigating the site ofCorporal Lock-lear's... accident."A holographic projector16 pad upon the bar flickered17 to life, and Cortana's slender bodyappeared. Chunks18 of broken crystal on the pad refracted the light and distorted her image so she ap.peared half melted and cast prismed arcs of light onto the walls.
Sergeant Johnson stepped over to the bar and swept the pad clean.
"Thank you, Sergeant," Cortana said, looking over her re-sorted figure.
"My pleasure," he replied with a grin.
Cortana faced the Admiral. "Sir," she said, "you'll be happy to hear that I'm detecting no signals, residual19 radiation, or any transient contacts ... which is precisely20 what you wouldexpect from a normal Slipspace journey."Admiral Whitcomb nodded, sighed, and eased into one of the leather-backed chairs at thetable's head. "Well, that's one small blessing21.""And here's evidence that Doctor Halsey's crystal was indeed destroyed," LieutenantHaverson said as he entered the room. He paused to seal the door behind him.
Haverson sat next to the Admiral and set a small plastic bag flat on the table. "I found Locklear exactly where Cortana said he would be: B-Deck, the medical storage room.Overloaded23 electronics at the site are consistent with a high-energy radiation burst... as are the burns on the Corporal's body."He grimaced24 and added, "If it means anything, his death was quick. And these"—he tapped the plastic bag on the table—"are crystalline fragments that I found at the site. Atfirst glance they appear to be a match to the shard25 found on Reach." He shook his head."But what I found isn't sufficient mass to account for the entire crystal. So unless it was atomized and left no trace, a fact inconsistent with the presence of these larger pieces,then the rest of that crystal has to be somewhere else."Cortana tapped her foot, and one of her eyebrows26 arched. "If the radiation burst detectedbefore our jump correlates with the destruction of Doctor Halsey's crystal," she said,"then there is288HALO: FIRST STRIKEan alternative explanation. The timing27 between that explosion and the radiation flare28 was only forty-seven milliseconds. Since the crystal had unusual space-and time-bendingproperties, the missing fragments may have been 'squeezed' out of the ship and into Slipspace."Haverson asked incredulously, "You mean pieces of the great.est scientific discovery inhuman29 history are"—he nodded past the walls of the Gettysburg—"lost in Slipspace?""Yes," Cortana replied. She shrugged30. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant.""At least the Covenant31 can't get to it anymore," Admiral Whit-comb said. He flicked32 theplastic bag with his thick finger. "Or if they do, they're only going to find a bunch ofbusted fragments.""I just wish I knew why Locklear did it," Haverson said.
Everyone was quiet. John and the other Spartans shifted un.easily in their heavy MJOLNIR armor.
Sergeant Johnson cleared his throat. "The boy was a little on edge. After all he'd been through, you'd expect that. But he was an ODST—tough as nails and twice as sharp andused to getting pounded. He wouldn't crack. He had a reason.""Doctor Halsey," Haverson remarked and narrowed his eyes. "She had to have set thisup."John started to defend Dr. Halsey, but he stopped himself from arguing with an officer.Yes, her actions were inexplicable33: She had exfiltrated Kelly, left them when they neededher the most, and given Locklear the alien artifact. John still wanted to trust her, though.Perhaps whatever she was up to was for the greater good.
"Let's not start this," the Admiral said. "I don't want anyone's perceptions colored by us discussing the 'whys' and 'what ifs' of this situation. Save it for the debriefing34 they're going to give us when we get back." He cast a sideways glance at the bar and un.consciously smacked35 his lips. "From here to Earth it should be smooth sailing, and we can finally relax.""Permission to speak, Admiral," the Chief said.
"Granted. Speak your mind.""I don't wish to contradict you, sir, but perhaps it shouldn't be smooth sailing. And maybewe shouldn't relax."Admiral Whitcomb leaned forward. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this. .. butexplain yourself, Chief."ERIC NYLUND289The Master Chief outlined his mission plan, how he and his team would take a Covenant dropship and insert into the ren.dezvous location for the invading Covenant fleet. They would then infiltrate36 their command-and- control center, the Unyielding Hierophant, and destroy it; that would hopefully cripple the Covenant force ... or at least slow them down. Maybe even enough to buy Earth time to reinforce their defenses.
The Admiral stared at the Chief without blinking and flatly replied, "Mission requestdenied.""Acknowledged, sir." He remained standing38, at stiff attention.
Whitcomb frowned, as the other Spartans also snapped to at.tention and remainedstone-still. He sighed.
"I understand your motivations, Chief. I do. But I will not risk transporting your team tothe Covenant rendezvous39 point," the Admiral explained. "If we lose this ship, Earth never gets its warning.""Sir," the Master Chief replied, "we will transition from Slip-space to normal space alone.Once the dropship clears the gravi.tational influence of the Gettysburg and theAscendant Justice, the Slipspace field will deteriorate40 and we will enter normal space. Youneed never even stop. And only a minor41 course cor.rection puts the Gettysburg on thecorrect trajectory42.""Has a drop out of Slipspace ever been attempted in a ship so small?" the Admiral asked.His heavy brows knitted together.
"Yes, sir," Cortana said. "Our Slipspace probes perform the maneuver43 all the time, but theshearing stress and radiation are considerable." She paused and looked toward John."The Spartans, however, in the MJOLNIR armor should be able to survive."" 'Should,' " the Admiral echoed, his face grim. "As much as I admire your daring, Chief, Istill have to deny your request. You'll need Cortana to get past the Covenant securitysystems. She has to make it to Earth. With the data she's carrying on Halo, the Flood, andCovenant technology, she's far too valuable to risk.""Understood, sir," John replied. "I hadn't considered that."Haverson slowly stood and brushed the sleeves of his tattered44 uniform. "I'll volunteer togo on the Master Chief's mission," he said. "I have extensive training in cryptology andCovenant systems."290HALO: FIRST STRIKEAdmiral Whitcomb narrowed his eyes and reexamined the Lieutenant as if seeing him forthe first time.
"You'd never survive the Slipspace transition," Cortana told him. "But..." She tapped herlip with her forefinger45, deep in thought. "There might be another way."Covenant icons46 entered the stream of symbols flowing along the surface of herholographic body. "I discovered a file-duplication algorithm in the Covenant AI onAscendant Justice. I success.fully37 used it to reproduce my la uage-translation routines. Imight use it to copy portions of my infiltration47 program.mingngng into the memory-processing matrix in the Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor. It won't be a full copy—there arereplication errors and other side effects—but it would give the Spartan11 team access tosome of my capabilities48. Enough, I think, to get them through the Covenant securitybarriers."Admiral Whitcomb sighed deepl . He stood, went to the bar, and then returned to thetable carrying a bottle of whiskeyyy and three intact crystal tumblers. "I assume youSpartans won't join me in a drink?""No, sir," John replied, answering for his team. "Thank you, sir."The Admiral set a glass before Haverson, the Sergeant, and himself. But before he poured,he set the bottle down and shook his head as if a drink were suddenly the last thing hewanted. "You realize, Chief, that you and your team will be on your own? That my first,my only priority, must be to get to Earth?""My team is willing to accept the risk," the Chief said.
"The risk?" the Admiral whispered. "It's a one-way ticket, son. But if you're willing to doit, if you can slow the Covenant assault on Earth, then, hell, it might be worth the trade."The Chief had no reply to this. He and his Spartans had sur.vived against impossible oddsbefore. Yet the Admiral was right: There seemed to be something final about thismission ... something that told John he wouldn't make it. That was accept.able. The causemore than justified50 the sacrifice of four when measured against billions of lives on Earth.
Admiral Whitcomb stood and said, "Very well, Master Chief. Mission request approved."ERIC NYLUND 291The Master Chief arked the groaning51 overloaded robotic dolly next to the side hatch ofthe Covenant dropppship. The dolly held four tons of carbon-molybdenum steel I-beams.
Will unloaded the cargo52 and hauled it inside, where Fred and the Sergeant cross-bracedand welded the beams in place.
This was the final reinforcement to the dropship. The interior of the craft was so crampedthat two armored Spartans could barely pass one another.
They had welded layers of lead, boron fibers54, and Titanium-A hull55 plates they hadremoved from the Gettysburg. According to Cortana's calculations, this was the only wayto give them better than fifty-fifty odds49 of emerging from a Slipspace transition with anintact ship.
Admiral Whitcomb monitored the display of a computer re.pair cart, then looked up andsaid, "Cortana is ready for you, Chief." He waved him over.
The Chief marched to the cart and let the Admiral hook up the interface56 to the base of hisneck. "This should feel just like a nor.mal download," he said.
Chilled mercury filled John's mind just like it always did when Cortana entered and fusedwith his thoughts. This pres.ence, however, warmed too quickly, as if it were just thin icemelting against his body's heat. It was like a recollection of Cor.tana inside his head—notthe real thing.
"Initializing MJOLNIR armor systems check and subroutine unpacking57 protocols," Cortana's voice whispered.
At the same time, the real Cortana also spoke58 over the COM: "Don't listen to her. She'sonly half the woman she use"d to be.
"As long as you only copied the good parts," the Chief replied.
"I'm all good," Cortana replied tersely59. "Just don't get too used to a passenger you can order around.""I wouldn't dream of it.""Systems check complete," the copied Cortana whispered. "All systems are functional60."Linda approached the opposite side of the Covenant dropship; a robot dolly followedstacked with rifles, Lotus antitank mines, explosives, and crates61 of ammunition62. Sheangled the dolly and led it up the loading ramp53 until it butted63 against the hull.
292HALO: FIRST STRIKEFred emerged from inside, and Linda handed him an armful of submachine guns.
The Master Chief detected a slight limp to her stride and an almost imperceptibleawkwardness to her usual fluid motions.
He opened a private COM channel to Linda. "What's your sta.tus? Are you fit?"She shrugged. This gesture was notoriously difficult to per.form in MJOLNIR armor withits force-multiplying circuits. It took a degree of concentration and dexterity64 that spokevolumes about Linda's true coordination65.
"Doctor Halsey would say I needed a month's bed rest," she wryly66 replied. "But I'msquared away, Chief. I still have this." She picked her sniper rifle off the dolly and slung67 itover her shoulder with a liquid grace. "And I still have this." She patted her helmet. "Even though the Covenant did their best to shoot it off last time." She stepped closer to him. "Ican take care of my.self. And I can take care of the team's back. I've never let you down, sir. I don't plan on doing so now."He nodded.
What John wanted to do, however, was order her to stay be.hind22. But he'd need her uncanny skill with the sniper rifle on this mission. He'd need her so they could survive just long enough to stop the Covenant.
If he could have accomplished68 this mission alone, he would have made everyone on Blue Team stay. His team, however, knew the risks and knew the payoff for their sacrifice. Itwas as good a final fate as any soldier could ask for.
He marched to the other hatch on the dropship and boarded the craft. There was one lastdetail to take care of with Lieu.tenant15 Haverson. John moved past Sergeant Johnson who,ob.scured by a shower of sparks, welded the last supporting I-beam in place.
The Lieutenant sat in the cockpit checking the automated69 rou.tines that Cortana haduploaded into the system. These would generate the proper coded responses to Covenantqueries. They had also cha ed the dropship's registry tag so the Covenant would notrecognize this ship as belongngnging to the now renegade Ascendant Justice.
"Lieutenant," the Master Chief said. "Forgive the interruption."ERIC NYLUND293Haverson looked up and slicked the sweat-drenched hair from his face. "What can I do foryou, Chief?"The Master Chief eased into the copilot's seat. "Dr. Halsey gave me something to pass onto ONI Section Three: her analy.sis on the Flood."Haverson's eyebrows shot up.
He opened his belt compartment70 .. . and hesitated. Which data crystal? The one onlycontaining Dr. Halsey's Flood analy.sis and possible inoculation71? Or the one containingthe source files for her conclusions, the one she said would kill Sergeant Johnson?
While John felt justified in gambling72 his life and the lives of the other Spartans, that washis choice as their commander to make. That wasn't the case for the Sergeant.
It was a biological fluke that had spared the Sergeant from the Flood. A one-in-a-billionshot, the doctor had said. But it was a billion-to-one shot that he could save billions oflives. So the mathematics of the situation were almost even.
What had Dr. Halsey said about saving every person, no mat.ter what the cost?
No—John had sworn an oath to protect all of humanity. His duty was clear. He reachedfor the crystal containing the com.plete files and handed it to Lieutenant Haverson. "Shesaid it would help fight the Flood, sir. I'm not exactly sure what she meant.""We'll see, Chief. Thank you." Haverson took the crystal and peered into his depths. Heshrugged. "With Doctor Halsey, who can tell?"The COM channel clicked, and "Cortana announced, Ten minutes until we reach the dropzone. Make final preparations to launch Blue Team. You'll only get one shot at this.""Roger that, Cortana," the Chief replied. "Spartans, on deck!"Haverson tentatively extended his hand. "I guess this is it, Chief."The Chief gently shook the Lieutenant's hand. "Good luck, sir."John moved back though the dropship—almost running over Sergeant Johnson, who wasdragging the arc welder73 down the gangway.
294HALO: FIRST STRIKE"Allow me, Sergeant." John grasped the two-hundred-kilogram machine and lifted it withone hand.
The Master Chief exited the dropship, and he and the other Spartans assembled outside.
He stowed the arc welder and took his position at the head of the Spartan formation.
Admiral Whitcomb looked them over once and then said, "I'd wish you luck, Master Chief,but you Spartans seem to make your own luck. So let me just say I'll see you all when thisis over."He saluted them and they returned the salute13.
"Just one last order," the Admiral said.
"Sir?""Give'em hell."
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1
hybrid
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| n.(动，植）杂种，混合物 | |
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gouges
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| n.凿( gouge的名词复数 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…v.凿( gouge的第三人称单数 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出… | |
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scorches
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的第三人称单数 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶 | |
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citation
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| n.引用，引证，引用文；传票 | |
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plaques
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| （纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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belching
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| n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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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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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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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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projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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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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chunks
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residual
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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hind
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overloaded
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grimaced
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| v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shard
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| n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片 | |
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eyebrows
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timing
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flare
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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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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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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debriefing
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| n.任务报告，任务报告中提出的情报v.向（外交人员等）询问执行任务的情况( debrief的现在分词 ) | |
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smacked
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infiltrate
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| vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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standing
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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deteriorate
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| v.变坏；恶化；退化 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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trajectory
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| n.弹道，轨道 | |
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maneuver
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| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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icons
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| n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像 | |
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infiltration
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| n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗 | |
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capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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ramp
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| n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速 | |
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fibers
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| 光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质 | |
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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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interface
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| n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系 | |
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unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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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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59
tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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60
functional
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| adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的 | |
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61
crates
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| n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱 | |
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62
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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63
butted
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| 对接的 | |
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64
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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65
coordination
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| n.协调，协作 | |
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66
wryly
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| adv. 挖苦地，嘲弄地 | |
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67
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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68
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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69
automated
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| a.自动化的 | |
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70
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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71
inoculation
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| n.接芽；预防接种 | |
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72
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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73
welder
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| n电焊工 | |
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