Part 24 (1/2)

”There will be nothing left to stop the Covenant,” he finished.

Captain Keyes turned to Lieutenant Dominique. ”Get those Spartans back online,” he said. ”Tell them to evac ASAP. In a few minutes, it's going to get very nasty around Reach.”

He took a deep breath. ”Then raise the Master Chief on a secure channel. Let's hope he has some good news for us.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN.

0637 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Station Gamma ”Multiple signals on motion tracker,” the Master Chief said. ”They're all around us.” The pa.s.sageway behind the Master Chief and Blue-One swarmed with blips. So did docking Bay Nine, ahead of them. The Master Chief saw, however, not all the blips were hostiles. Four Marine friend-or foe tags strobed on his heads-up display: SGT. JOHNSON, PVT. O'BRIEN, PVT. BISENTI, and PVT. JENKINS. The Master Chief opened up a COM channel to them. ”Listen up, Marines. Your lines of fire are sloppy; tighten them up. Concentrate on one Jackal at a time-or you'll just waste your ammo on their s.h.i.+elds.” ”Master Chief?” Sergeant Johnson said, startled. ”Sir, yes sir!” ”Blue-One,” the Master Chief said. ”I'm going in. We're going to open up theCirc.u.mference like a tin like a tin can.” He nodded toward the Pelican in the adjacent bay. ”Give me a few grenades over the top.”

”Understood,” she replied. ”You're covered, sir.” She primed two frag grenades, swung around the pressure doors, and threw them behind the Jackals. The Master Chief pushed off the wall-propelled himself in the zero gee across the bay. The grenades detonated and caught the Jackals on their backsides. Blue blood spattered on the insides of their s.h.i.+elds and across the deck. The Master Chief crashed into the Pelican's hull. He pulled himself to the side hatch, opened it, and crawled in. He got into the c.o.c.kpit, released the docking clamps, and tapped the maneuvering thrusters once to break free. The Pelican lifted off the deck. The Master Chief said over the COM channel, ”Marines and Blue-One: take cover behind me.” He maneuvered the Pelican into the center of the docking bay. A dozen Jackals poured in through the pa.s.sage that Blue-One had just left.

The Master Chief fired with the Pelican's autocannon-cut down their s.h.i.+elds and peppered the aliens with hundreds of rounds. They exploded into chunks; alien blood twisted crazily in zero gravity. ”Master Chief,” Linda said, ”I'm picking upthousands of signals on the motion tracker, inbound from all directions. The entire station is crawling.” of signals on the motion tracker, inbound from all directions. The entire station is crawling.”

The Master Chief opened the Pelican's back hatch. ”Get in,” he said. Blue-One and the Marines piled inside.

The Marines did a double take at Blue-One and the Master Chief in their MJOLNIR armor. The Master Chief turned the Pelican to face theCirc.u.mference . He sighted the autocannon on the s.h.i.+p's forward viewports-and opened fire. Thousands of rounds streamed from the chain-gun and cracked through the thick, transparent windows. He followed up with an Anvil-II missile. It blasted through the prow and peeled the craft open. . He sighted the autocannon on the s.h.i.+p's forward viewports-and opened fire. Thousands of rounds streamed from the chain-gun and cracked through the thick, transparent windows. He followed up with an Anvil-II missile. It blasted through the prow and peeled the craft open.

”Take the controls,” he told Blue-One. He slipped out the side hatch and jumped to theCirc.u.mference . The inside of the s.h.i.+p's c.o.c.kpit was . The inside of the s.h.i.+p's c.o.c.kpit was sc.r.a.p metal. He accessed the computer panel in the floor deck and located the NAV database core. It was a cube of memory crystal the size of his thumb. Such a tiny thing to cause so much trouble. He shot it three times with his a.s.sault rifle. It shattered. ”Mission completed,” he said. One small victory in all this mess. The Covenant wouldn't find Earth . . .

today.

He exited theCirc.u.mference . Jackals appeared on the level above them in the docking bay. His motion tracker blinked with solid contacts. He jumped back into the Pelican, strapped himself in the pilot's chair, and turned the s.h.i.+p to face the . Jackals appeared on the level above them in the docking bay. His motion tracker blinked with solid contacts. He jumped back into the Pelican, strapped himself in the pilot's chair, and turned the s.h.i.+p to face the outer doors. ”Blue-One, signal the dockmaster AI to open the outer bay doors.” ”Signal sent,” she said. ”No response, sir.” She looked around. ”There's a manual release by the outer door.” She moved toward the aft hatch. ”I'll get this one, sir. It's my turn. Cover me.” ”Roger, Blue-One. Keep your head down. I'll draw their fire.” She launched herself out the back hatch.

The Master Chief tapped the Pelican's thrusters and the s.h.i.+p rose higher in the bay-up to the second level. The upper decks were the mechanic bays; the area was littered with s.h.i.+ps that were partially disa.s.sembled in various stages of repair. It was also where a hundred Jackals and a handful of Elite warriors were waiting for him.

They opened fire. Plasma bolts scored the hull of the Pelican.

The Master Chief fired the chain-gun and let loose a salvo of missiles. Alien s.h.i.+elds blazed and failed. Blue and green blood splashed and flash-froze in the icy vacuum. He hit the top thrusters and dropped down to the lower level-slammed the s.h.i.+p back into a berth for cover.

Blue-One crouched by the manual release. The outer doors eased open, revealing the night and stars beyond. ”You're clear for exit, Master Chief. We're home free-” A new contact on the Pelican's targeting display appeared-right behind Linda. He had towarn her- A bolt of plasma struck her in the back. Another blot of fire blazed her from the upper decks and her- A bolt of plasma struck her in the back. Another blot of fire blazed her from the upper decks and splashed across her front. She crumpled-her s.h.i.+elds flickered and went out. Two more bolts. .h.i.t her chest. A third blast smashed into her helmet. ”No!” the Master Chief said. He felt each of those plasma bolts as if they had hit him, too. He moved the Pelican to cover her. Plasma struck the hull, melting its outer skin. ”Get her inside!” he ordered the Marines.

They jumped out, grabbed Linda and her smoldering armor, and pulled her inside the Pelican. The Master Chief sealed the hatch, ignited the engines and pushed them to full thrust-rocketing into s.p.a.ce.

”Can you fly this s.h.i.+p?” he asked the Marine Sergeant. ”Yes, sir,” Johnson replied. ”Take over.” The Master Chief went to Linda and knelt by her side. Sections of her armor had melted and adhered to her. Underneath, in patches, bits of carbonized bone showed. He accessed her vital signs on his heads-up display. They were dangerously low. ”Did you do it?” she whispered. ”Get the database?” ”Yes. We got it.” ”Good,” she said. ”We won.” She clasped his hand and closed her eyes. Her vital signs flat-lined.

John squeezed her hand and let go. ”Yes,” he said bitterly. ”We won.” ”Master Chief, come in.” ”Master Chief, come in.”Captain Keyes voice sounded over the COM channel. ”ThePillar of Autumnwill be in rendezvous position in one minute.”

”We're ready, Captain,” he answered. He set Linda's hand over her chest. ”I'mready.”

The instant the Master Chief docked the Pelican to thePillar of Autumn , he felt the cruiser accelerate. He took Linda's body double time to a cryo chamber and immediately froze her. She was clinically dead , he felt the cruiser accelerate. He took Linda's body double time to a cryo chamber and immediately froze her. She was clinically dead -there was no doubt of that. Still, if they could get her to a Fleet hospital, they might be able to resuscitate her. It was a long shot-but she was a Spartan. The med techs wanted to check him out as well, but he declined and took the elevator to the bridge to report to Captain Keyes. As he rode inside the lift he felt the s.h.i.+p accelerate port-then starboard. Evasive maneuvers. The elevator doors parted and the Master Chief stepped onto the bridge. He snapped a crisp salute to Captain Keyes. ”Reporting for debriefing, sir.” Captain Keyes turned and looked surprised to see him . . . or maybe he was shocked to see the condition of his armor. It was charred, battered, and covered with alien blood. The Captain returned the Master Chief's salute. ”The NAV database was destroyed?” he asked. ”Sir, I would not have left if my mission was incomplete.”

”Of course, Master Chief. Very good,” Captain Keyes replied. ”Sir, may I ask that you scan for active FOF tags in the region?” The Master Chief glanced at the main view screen-saw scattered fights between Covenant and UNSC wars.h.i.+ps in the distance. ”I lost a man on the station. He may be floating out there . . . somewhere.” ”Lieutenant Hall?” the Captain asked. ”Scanning,” she said. After a moment she looked back and shook her head. ”I see,” the Master Chief replied. There could be worse deaths . . . but not for one of his Spartans.

Floating helpless. Slowly suffocating and freezing-losing to an enemy that could not be fought. ”Sir,” the Master Chief said, ”when will thePillar of Autumn rendezvous with my planetside team?” Captain Keyes turned from the Master Chief and stared out into s.p.a.ce. ”We won't be picking them up,” rendezvous with my planetside team?” Captain Keyes turned from the Master Chief and stared out into s.p.a.ce. ”We won't be picking them up,”

he said quietly. ”They were overrun by Covenant forces. They never made orbit. We've lost contact with them.” The Master Chief took a step closer. ”Then I would like permission to take a drops.h.i.+p and retrieve them, sir.”

”Request denied, Master Chief. We still have a mission to perform. And we cannot remain in this system much longer. Lieutenant Dominique, aft camera on the main screen.” Covenant vessels swarmed though the Reach System in five-s.h.i.+p crescent formations. The remaining UNSC s.h.i.+ps fled before them . . . those that could still move. Those s.h.i.+ps too damaged to outrun the Covenant were blasted with plasma and laser fire.

The Covenant had won this battle. They were mopping up before they gla.s.sed the planet; the Master Chief had seen this happen in a dozen campaigns. This time was different, however. This time the Covenant was gla.s.sing a planet . . . with his people still on it.

He tried to think of a way to stop them . . . to save his teammates. He couldn't. The Captain turned and strode to the Master Chief, stood by his side. ”Dr. Halsey's mission,” he said, ”is more important than ever now. It may be the only chance left for Earth. We have to focus on that goal.”

Three dozen Covenant craft moved toward Gamma station and the now inert orbital defense platforms.

They bombarded the installations-the mightiest weapons in the UNSC a.r.s.enal-with plasma. The guns melted, and boiled away. The Master Chief clenched his hands into fists. The Captain was correct: there was nothing to do now except complete the mission they had set out to do.

Captain Keyes barked, ”Ensign Lovell, give me our best acceleration. I want to enter Slipstream s.p.a.ce as soon as possible.”

Cortana said, ”Excuse me, Captain. Six covenant frigates are inbound on an intercept course.” ”Continue evasive maneuvers, Cortana. Prepare the Slips.p.a.ce generators and get me an appropriate randomized exit vector.”

”Aye, sir.” Navigation symbols flashed along the length of her holographic body. The Master Chief continued to watch as the Covenant s.h.i.+ps closed in on them. Was he the only Spartan left? Better to die than live without his teammates. But he still had a mission: victory against the Covenant-and vengeance for his fallen comrades. ”Generating randomized exit vector per the Cole Protocol,” Cortana said. The Master Chief glanced at her translucent body. She looked vaguely like a younger Dr. Halsey. Tiny dots, ones, and zeros slid over her torso, arms, and legs. Her thoughts were literally worn on her sleeve; the symbols also appeared on Ensign Lovell's NAV station.

He c.o.c.ked his head as the symbols and numbers scrolled across the NAV console. The representations of Slips.p.a.ce vectors and velocity curves twisted across the screen-tantalizingly familiar. He'd seen them somewhere before-but he could not make the connection.

”Something on your mind, Master Chief?” Cortana asked. ”Those symbols . . . I thought I had seen them somewhere before. It's nothing.” Cortana got a far off look in her eyes. The marks cycling on her hologram s.h.i.+fted and rearranged. The Master Chief saw the Covenant fleet gathered around planet Reach. They swarmed and circled like sharks. The first of their plasma bombardments launched toward the surface. Clouds in the fire's path boiled away.

”Jump to Slips.p.a.ce, Ensign Lovell,” the Captain said. ”Get us the h.e.l.l out of here.”

John remembered Chief Mendez's words-that they had to live and fight another day. He was alive . . . and there was still plenty of fight left in him. And he would win this war-no matter what it took.

SECTION VI.

HALO.

EPILOGUE.

0647 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSCPillar of Autumn , Epsilon Eridani System's edge , Epsilon Eridani System's edge Cortana fired thePillar of Autumn 's autocannons-targeting a dozen Seraph fighters hara.s.sing them as they were accelerated out of the system. Seven Covenant frigates were now locked into the pursuit. She dodged a volley of pulse laser fire, using the ventral emergency thrusters. 's autocannons-targeting a dozen Seraph fighters hara.s.sing them as they were accelerated out of the system. Seven Covenant frigates were now locked into the pursuit. She dodged a volley of pulse laser fire, using the ventral emergency thrusters.

She pushed the damaged secondary reactor to critical levels. They had to build up more speed before activating the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight generators or the jump to Slipstream s.p.a.ce would fail.

She rechecked her calculations. Under the Cole Protocol, they would be jumping away from Earth . . . but it would not be a totally random heading.

The Master Chief had been right when he said that he recognized the shorthand navigation symbols on the NAV display.

Cortana accessed the Spartans' mission logs. She sifted through the data, and filed it into a secondary long-term storage buffer. When she reviewed the database of his mission reports, Cortana learned that Spartan 117had seen something similar on the Covenant vessel he had boarded in 2525. And again-the symbols almost looked like those on the rock he had extracted from Covenant forces on Sigma Octa.n.u.s seen something similar on the Covenant vessel he had boarded in 2525. And again-the symbols almost looked like those on the rock he had extracted from Covenant forces on Sigma Octa.n.u.s IV. ONI reports on the symbols found in the anomalous rock had defied cryptoa.n.a.lysis.