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"Thanks, Spartan," she said Do I mean that? Yes, I think I do "I’l try to find you a steak"
CHAPTER TWO
HUMANITY CAN NOW BREATHE AGAIN
THE COVENANT HAS FINALLY BEEN DRIVEN BACK THE COST IN LIVES--OUR TROOPS AND OUR CITIZENS--HAS BEEN ENORMOUS
BUT FREEDOM NEVER COMES CHEAPLY, AND NOW, WE REBUILD
I PROMISE THIS TO EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD ON EARTH AND IN ITS COLONIES
WHILE WE WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR A PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE WITH OTHER SPECIES, HUMANITY WILL NEVER AGAIN ALLOW ITSELF TO BE THE VICTIM OF AGGRESSION THIS IS THE MOMENT WE START TO RECLAIM OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
(INAUGURAL SPEECH OF DR RUTH CHARET, NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNIFIED EARTH GOVERNMENT: JANUARY 2553)
CORE 5, OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, BRAVO-6 FACILITY: JANUARY 26, 2553
Don’t mind me BB settled down to watch and learn I’m no trouble at all I’ll stay out of your way I’ a man who seemed to think his ti but over? David Agnoli, Minister for the Colonies, sat on the low oak bookcase with his back to Parangosky’s office He stil didn’t seem to have the measure of UNSC yet
"Do you think the old bat’s ever going to die, Captain?" Agnoli reached down between his legs to pul out a volu an eye on the office door via the reflection in the glass panel opposite "Or wil she transrify into her true basilisk forood h the book, a faded and ancient copy of The Adlanced at him with faint contehly of you, too, David," she said sourly "I think the easel Wel , it began with a W, anyway"
"Coet me in to see her, can’t you?"
"If she’d known you were coot a lot of souls to digest" She gave hi pages "Look, do you kno ave it to noli turned to look over his shoulder as Parangosky’s door opened Her flag lieutenant, Dorsey, hovered with his hands braced on the door frame as if he didn’t dare cross the threshold
"The Admiral wil see you now, Captain" Dorsey noli "Oh, hel o, Minister Wil we be seeing you at Dr
Charet’s reception later?"
"Possibly" Agnoli closed the ancient book with exaggerated care and stood up to put it back on the shelf He nodded at Osman as Dorsey vanished "I’l show myself out, then Perhaps the lieutenant can make an appointment for ht--but not out of BB’s--then reached out to pick up some files from her desk BB decided it was time to introduce hie into the doorway and waited for her to react
How else was an AI supposed to shake hands?
Osman stopped in her tracks and stared at him "And whose little pet are you?" She cocked her head a fraction as if she suddenly wasn’t quite sure what he was "You are ful y sentient, aren’t you?"
"I’ht I’d introduce myself before we see the Ade in her expression whatsoever BB’s holographic avatar was a cube, a featureless box picked out in blue light, because he saw no point inother than what he was--pure intel ect, his intricate thought processes a closed book to organic life He couldn’t bear the theatrics ofas flesh and blood
Faces are for wannabes I’ate human
"You didn’t answeruntil he moved aside "Whose AI are you?"
He fol owed her for a few meters as she walked down the corridor, as far as he could project hi her desk terht like to as wel "
Os, but he’d run out of range and had to switch to another terminal It took hih the fire alarosky’s terain in front of Osain to look for hied to startle her
"Apologies, Captain," he said "As I was saying, I work for Parangosky"
"Doing what, exactly?"
"Whatever she wants," BB said
Look after Osman Trust her I’ve kept her under wraps for years, hidden her even froht the sun shone out of Osnoli could see that she’d take over when Parangosky decided to cal it a day, even if he didn’t knohy
And if it was good enough for Parangosky, then it was good enough for BB
Ah … Hogarth An alert rippled through BB, detected by extensions of his prograhout the cos There he goes He’s on the prowl Even if Captain Hogarth hadn’t put a private appointment with the UEG in his diary, his comms handset made his moveh betrayed his identity He wasaround the president’s suite of offices So you’re off to do so, are you? You really do fancy your chances as head of ONI