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"Proxiuration matches neither UNSC nor Covenant profiles"
On-screen a radar silhouette appeared: an odd trilobed sy a blackbody radiation of six thousand degrees Kelvin
"What is it?" Kelly whispered
"What are they," Jerrod corrected "Detecting three hundred twelve of these ships On an intercept course Vectors suggest an attack pattern"
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
1000 HOURS, NOVEMBER 3, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ZETA DORADUS SYSTEM, NEAR PLANET ONYX \ ABOARD DECOMMISSIONED UNSC CHIROPTERA-CLASS VESSEL (ILLEGAL REGISTRY) BEATRICE
Dr Halsey examined the multiple contacts on the passive radar screen They rery swarm of wasps
"Three hundred," she murmured
"Three hundred twelve," Jerrod corrected
Dr Halsey tapped her lower lip with her thuht"
Kelly snapped her head from the radar display to Dr Halsey "We have to try" She looked around the bridge "Weapons station?"
"Jerrod," Dr Halsey said, "show all data on that anomalous planet"
"Dr Halsey," Kelly insisted "Weapons?"
"This ship has no weapons," she replied
Kellythis As a Spartan she had a lifeti that demanded she take action, fire a weapon, confront her enemies; she was not trained to sit and watch
On the NAV screen a blue-green cloud-swirled planet appeared as well as data on its orbit and an atet," Dr Halsey said "Earth-like gravity and atetation An uninhabited habitable planet so close to UNSC space? An improbability… or more likely, one very well-kept secret"
She tapped the display The planet shrank and a silvery ice-ball moon drifted at two o'clock The relative position of the Beatrice appeared--as well as the fleet of intercepting ships between them and the planet
"What can I do?" Kelly said
"Strap in and stand by," Dr Halsey said "I'll need you in three minutes"
"Aye, ma'am" Kelly pulled herself into the first ht
"Engine parameters on this screen," Dr Halsey said, and tapped the display on her left
Therra we retained the Slipspace transition energy"
"Yes, Doctor," Jerrod replied His holographic dot of light dim Ninety thousand kilo"
She strapped into the captain's chair "Come to course forty-five by forty-five"
"Aye aye," Jerrod said The Beatrice tilted and the engines sputtered with the alignment burn "Course corrected"
Dr Halsey studied the plasma coils While the rest of the ship was an antique, the coils were al It appeared Governor )iles was only half the fool she had believed
"Initiate one hundred twenty percent oversurge in the pre-coil," Dr Halsey told Jerrod
Kelly fidgeted; her gauntlets clenched into fists
"We cannot fight," Dr Halsey explained to her "Nor aator that Captain Keyes was"
"Oversurge in three seconds," Jerrod announced
"Which only leaves us one option: run like hell"
The Beatrice rumbled and leapt forward
Dr Halsey flattened into her seat
"Pursuit vessels accelerating to intercept," Jerrod informed her
"Hold course," Dr Halsey said with effort
The e on the central viewscreen
"I'm afraid I had no chance to double-check the trajectory," Dr Halsey told Kelly through gritted teeth "It's shot approach"
"It is quite accurate, ma'am," Jerrod chimed in
"I may not survive the acceleration," Dr Halsey said, now breathing with exertion "I will certainly not remain conscious You"Progra reentry…"
"What 'others'?" Kelly asked
"Energy spike," Jerrod said "Lead pursuit vehicles' central cores now erees Kelvin"
Dr Halsey rechecked the engine scheer "Increase power output to thruster by one hundred sixty percent"
"Yes, ma'am"
The aft section of the Beatrice shuddered and ion of the planet's moon filed the viewscreen with canyons of blue ice and eysers
"Aft view," Dr Halsey breathed The corners of her vision darkened
The viewscreen switched In the black of space, pinpoints of white sparkled and lances of energy slashed through the dark
Kelly gripped the sides of her chair with such force that the metal bent
"Initiate roll," Dr Halsey whispered "Two radians per second"
The Beatrice spun The incoht as solar flares, and the video feed distorted chromatic as they closed-- then passed
"Missed!" Kelly almost leapt out of her harness
Dr Halsey's heart pounded in her throat She closed her eyes and tapped in coers knehat to do She prograuess at how e the plasles, and although she didn't believe in God, she prayed to… someone
When she reopened her eyes, she couldn't see Blood pooled in her central organs, depriving oxygen from her brain
On her keypad she pressed Enter
"That is an inadvisable course of action Doctor," Jerrod said
"Kelly," Dr Halsey murmured "Find them Save them"
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
1020 HOURS, NOVEMBER 3, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ ZETA DORADUS SYSTEM, ORBITAL ENTRY VECTOR OVER PLANET ONYX \ ABOARD DECOMMISSIONED UNSC CHIROPTERA-CLASS VESSEL (ILLEGAL REGISTRY) BEATRICE
Kelly unbuckled her harness and checked Dr Halsey She was breathing, but without a pressure suit the acceleration had been too much for her
Unfah Kelly She resented not being briefed about this newthrust into theabout, and worst of all-- having no way to fight
But maybe it had happened too fast for John and the others to revive her Everything had happened too fast since the fall of Reach Still, soh, that she wasn't getting any answers fro either of the first Locate your enemy