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0120 HOURS MARCH 1, 2526 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ UNSC

CRUISER EVEREST \ FLAGSHIP BATTLE GROUP X-RAY \ EPSILON

INDI SYSTEM BRIDGE LOG (PRIMARY, VIDEO, SPATIAL

ENHANCEMENTS=TRUE)

Vice Ade of the Everest , followed by two adjutant coe stations were manned by officers and their assistants--all to coordinate the activities of the flagship and the thirty-nine other vessels co Battle Group X-Ray as they approached Harvest

The colony world glowed blue and filled the view screens that stretched floor to ceiling in the cavernous command center

Cole paused before a translucent screen the size of a blackboard, and with deft h the spatial planes of this star systeroup descended below the planetary plane a blip appeared on screen

―One ship," Cole ed

The Covenant warship had sweeping organic curves, an odd purple phosphorescence, and was

patterned with glowing red ovals and lines--the whole thing looked like a sleeping deep-sea

creature of gigantic proportions

―Two kilos off scale"

―Increase battle group velocity to three quarters full," Cole told one of his adjutant officers

He pulled the perspective back on the tactical screen so Harvest was the size of a baseball, and then plotted a parabolic course past the eneation inputs completed," Cole told the Everest ‘s AI

Narayptian robes

―Transmit burn vectors to the fleet," Cole ordered

―Aye, sir," Sekold

Forty coroup accelerated toward the Covenant vessel parked in orbit over Harvest

―Fire at will," Cole said There was no e and waiting

MAC rounds streaked through space--strikes of sten alloy iy shook about the alien vessel and shiram of metal touched its hull

Hundreds of Archerforces--blanketing the enemy ship with fire and thunderbut not a shred of shrapnel scarred its surface

Two curved lines on the Covenant flanks wavered and pulled free, oscillating through space

They enveloped ships on either side of Battle Group X-ray

Plash two h tissue paper

Explosions boiled through their interiors--blasting out the aft sections, bloo hite-hot secondary fusion detonations as reactors went supercriticalleaving s dust where a moment before there had been two UNSC destroyers

Officers scrambled to COM stations to relay reports from the fleet

―Nukes have no effect on the vessel, sir," and one officer shouted

― Sacrah !"

Vice Admiral Cole remained impassive at his tactical board

The Covenant ship fired again, plas the fragile flesh and bone contained within

―The Tharsis , Austerlitz , and Midway destroyed My God!!"

Cole squinted at the energy signatures oscillating on the display before hiinia Capes , too"

―Sound the retreat," one officer screamed

―Belay that order," Cole barked without looking up

The fleet arced about the apogee of their parabolic course and engines flared as they came about the dark side of Harvest The scattered debris of seven destroyers, however, continued on their previous trajectories, sparks and swirls of ht

Cole jotted down calculationsand frowned