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Kurt was lucky that Hunter shield hadn't cut him in half "I understand" He rechecked his ether for a few more minutes Then you can do whatever you want to s here were flattening fastest The ledges were only an eighth of a ht flashes of golden sunlight There were other colors: green, blue, and brown, but the distortion was so great, Kurt couldn't focus on what shapes lay beyond

"Once it closes, this Slipspace field will remain intact?"

"I have no reason to believe otherwise," she replied

"Impenetrable…" Kurt whispered

"To any force in our nors, this so-called "shield world," and the clockwork design that the Forerunners had set in o was about to end… and it made sense to Kurt

At least itoption

He unpolarized his faceplate and looked at her "I think I understand what you were trying to tell me before, Doctor The Forerunners built this construct to protect these 'Reclaimers' froot inside You were going to use it for the Spartans"

" 'Behind the sharpened edge of the shield,'" Dr Halsey quoted "Safe… perhaps fro"

He locked stares with her and nodded

"I' Teaht you said we stay together"

For the last two decades Kurt had struggled to keep his Spartans alive But what if Dr

Halsey had been correct and all their battles ht they could not win this war? Did it ht another day?… Even if that "day" was very far away

He turned back to the Spartans "Tom, Lucy, Team Saber," he said over the COM, "set Dante and Will on the pods Saber will go ahead and scout the core"

Toathered the fallen Spartans

Ash jumped into the center and approached "Sir," he said, "we're not leaving the fight"

"This isn't about a fight," Kurt told him "You have a mission to accomplish, son Carry out my orders"

"Understood, sir"

Ash motioned for Olivia and Mark to join him near the rift

"Go," Ash told theether jumped into the brilliance

There were a pair of flares and they vanished

Ash hesitated, his handthe standing order of "no saluting in coave Kurt a nod, and jumped after his teammates

Kurt keyed the COM, "Saber One, you read oooo…" Ash's voice dopplered to the ultrasonic

"Saber One? Ash?"

Static washed over the channel

Not even a COM signal thened Kurt's conviction that he was doing the right thing He hoped for the best, hoped Saber and the others would be okay

"Pods," Kurt said, and motioned toward Tom and Lucy

His NCOs pushed the cryo pods and the bodies of Will and Dante through More flashes

Silence

"Chief Doctor," Kurt said "You're next"

Mendez looked to the spatial rift and then to Kurt He sed, and said, "Aye aye, sir

We'll see you on the other side"

For once Dr Halsey had nothing to say Instead she esture over her face She blinked quickly, and then turned to the fissure

Mendez took her hand and they stepped-- And were gone

"They're starting," Fred announced over the COM

"Guard the opening, you two," Kurt ordered Lucy and Toe of the hill and watched with Fred as 150 Elites moved toward them This time it was not a slow, careful ed en h and t, accelerating ahead of the Covenant infantry and then over the hill

They ducked behind the towers, and then Linda popped out as the Banshees passed

"I have them" Linda's sniper rifle was to her shoulder She stoodfliers, htly, and fired once more

The rear two Banshee pilots fell Riderless, the Banshees nosed to the floor, bounced, and sparked to a halt

Linda dropped the azine, examined the chamber, cycled the bolt, and then set it down "I'm out"

Kurt, Kelly, and Fred leveled their assault rifles at the reh the air and stitched over the Banshees Smoke billowed from the leader, and erupted into a ball of flah the air

The last lone Banshee pulled up and circled back

The advancing horde of Elites and Hunters was only two hundred y bolts streaked overhead

The towers now lay thirty degrees off the deck, and the "hill" only three meters tall Kurt knew they'd soon have no cover left

Fred glanced at the open s bolt of his MAB5 "I'm out, too," he said

Kurt opened up the administrative subdirectory on his heads-up display and accessed SPARTAN-104's file "As acting CO of Tea you a field commission to the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade," Kurt told Fred "Congratulations"

Fred shook his head, not understanding

Kurt uploaded Fred's change of rank, and his IFF icon blinked to the star-and-bar insignia of Lieutenant

"As an officer, you'll have to keep your eye on the larger picture, Fred Get your teaht behind you"

Linda and Kelly gathered around the to leave you again"

Plas stone, and superheated convection rolls distorted the air

"No one's leaving anyone behind," Kurt assured her "I just have to rig a little welcorabbed the pack with the FENRIS warheads, and swung it over his shoulder

Kelly, Linda, and Fred exchanged glances

"I'll be right behind you," Kurt told the to need you"

A hail of needier shards arced up and over the top of the slope, iether, presenting the s as the crystal rounds detonated

The hardened plates of Kurt's SPI armor cracked and the concussion rattled his bones and splintered the hardening bio-foam in his abdomen He tasted fresh blood