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They weren't attacking, yet they had to sense the Spartans inside It al this doe to shoot such a close target What good would it have done? He couldn't penetrate those shields

He felt vibrations, and in the distance lights flickered along the rile ship appeared, then another Seraph appeared, then sevenin for this was just a search party

A line of Covenant destroyers followed, so ht sky A second wave of cetacean-shaped vessels resolved, and then a Covenant carrier flew on overwatch, surrounded by a hundred Seraph fighters

Kurt had never seen so many enemy ships so close--all of them headed toward his position Twenty warships The subsonic thruo soft

The Sentinels circling the dome moved to intercept the new threat

Pinpoint laser artillery shot them out of the air

The two leading destroyers peeled off the battle group and drifted over the doht flashed frorav transporter bearound

Kurt looked for Dante and spotted hi of rope and suction climbers He pressed blobs of C-12 onto the patterned stone

Kurt directed his single bea pad "Will, what's Dr

Halsey's status?"

"She's found soet it ready"

"Get what ready? Never mind We don't have ten minutes," Kurt told him "Prepare for a hot reception"

Kurt watched Covenant assets pour down the transport beams and assemble in the city: more Elites with plas fuel-rod cannons and nearly impenetrable shields, plasma turrets and their Grunt tenders, and a monstrous Scarab walker

Spirit and Phantom dropships escorted by Banshee fliers buzzed the do ar pad They had to fall back-- fast

His teaone down their rope, Kurt followed

Blue plasrip on the rope and free-fell a dozenthe brake at the last instant before he hit the floor He rolled and dove behind the starboard hull of their ship

Lasers stitched the stone platform behind hih the archways They circled, rapidly descending

Fred and Lucy crouched, hefted SPNKr missile launchers, and fired

The missiles streaked up and detonated on the cockpits of the inco dropships The ships hobbled out of control and crashed into the dome wall

The other four dropships landed hard; Elites jumped out, took position behind the hulls, and opened fire

The air filled with crisscross patterns of needier shards, plasma bolts, and streaks of MA5B and MASK tracers

Kurt didn't want to leave the FENRIS warheads behind, but there was no way they could hold this position Their cover was poor, and they'd have to contend with more air support soon He started to order their retreat, but Covenant plasma spattered nearby, and a square meter of their dropship's hull blasted away

A Hunter pair e battle-plate shields

Linda took aiet

One Hunter eased its fuel-rod cannon around the edge of its i with deadly radiation--and fired

Fred ju phosphorus

The Hunter hit him dead center in his chest, a blast that would have destroyed their dropship His energy shields flared brighter, failed, and Fred cru

"Cover fire!" Kurt shouted

The Spartans sprayed the Elites and the Hunters, who turtled behind their shields

Dante and Lucy darted out and grabbed Fred, dragging him back

A fire team of five Elites popped from cover and unleashed a torrent of plasma and needles They were riddled with bullets and dropped--but one lanced his side He flinched, but didn't stop pulling Fred to safety

The Hunter pair peeked around their overlapped shields

Linda fired e blood spattered from one Hunter's exposed midsection

The Hunters dropped behind their shields, screae, everyone," Kurt ordered

One by one the Spartans slipped to the edge and jurenades on the floor, grabbed a zip line, and rappelled down One wide swing into the open and he pendulated back, landing on the curve of spiral stairs under the platform

Dull explosions whumped overhead and the ropes fell away

Kurt saw that Dante and Lucy supported a groggy Fred between thens were erratic but strong All their bio signs were pushing the redline

"Blow the dome," Kurt told Dante

Dante nodded, passed Fred over to Mark's shoulder, and he lie of the stairs, remote detonator in hand

Kurt motioned for Olivia to take point, and the rest of the Spartans followed her down the stairs

Thunder echoed off the do platform overhead Elites screamed and blue plasma detonations lit the air

Three revolutions around the stairs and Olivia held up a hand They all halted

"Gotcha inthe mines… okay, come ahead"

Kurt and the others entered the chamber Kurt noticed the LOTUS antitank ood kill zone

Will and Kelly crouched to either side of the opening to the bridge of light, hidden by its glare

Kurt did a quick count All present… save Dante

Dante brought up the rear, li his side He stood straight and saluted Kurt

"Sir," he said, "I think I got nicked"

Dante's bio signs flatlined and he collapsed

Kurt dropped to Dante's side and unlatched his SPI chest piece He'd seen hih, there were second- and third-degree burns there that had boiled off the liquid-ballistic layer Under his ared and detonated The bones of his rib cage were exposed, and deeper, black congealing blood pooled

He was li Kurt could do