Page 6 (2/2)

"Let's sword accelerated into the debris field, following the Pelican's path The aft caet Antih space, and three of the missiles exploded into red fireballs The Covenant's plaslohite hot--about to fire--when the last missile impacted The explosion sht it had hit the shield, but then he saw that the explosion was inside the shiy The plasy was immediately ab- sorbed into the cloud of dust and vapor around the ship Dull red plas its sen- sors The ship listed to port, momentarily blind

"That should keep thesword arced under a half-kilometer-wide metal plate--just as a plas the plate sputtering and spinning through space

"Or not," Cortana ed, and the controls jerked out of the Chief's hand The Longsword's afterburners kicked in, and it ac- celerated toward a field of tu the hullon to the seat with one hand and pulled his harness tight with the other He moved the scanner display to the center viewscreen and saw the two nearest Covenant cruisers vectored toward his and the Pelican's position The two UNSC ships h the debris field for a few minutes, but soon their fuel would be exhausted, and the Cove- nant would move in for the kill

And where could they really run to, anyway? Neither ship had Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engines, so they were stuck in this system and the Covenant knew it They could afford to take their time and play with their prey before they pounced

The Chief perfor to give hi to get hiain that would give hie the rules--change his strategy

He scanned the ship--that was the key

That's how he'd be able to turn the tables on the enemy

He keyed the COM system and hailed the Pelican "This is Master Chief SPARTAN-One-One-Seven Recognition code Tango Alpha Three Four Zero Copy"

"Copy," a woman's voice answered "Warrant Officer Polaski here" Other voices argued in the background "Daood to hear you, Chief"

"Polaski, proceed at maximum burn to this position" He dropped a NAV point on the display directly on the Covenant flagship He included an exit vector indicating a rough course

There was silence over the COM

"Copy, Polaski?"

"I copy Plotting course now, Chief" The voices arguing in the background beca Polaski out" The channel snapped off

"Get us there, Cortana," he said, tapping the NAV point "As fast as you can ht and pitched toward the ee forces increased

"You do knohat you're doing?" Cortana asked "I erous Covenant ship in this syste and brutally simplistic plan you've cooked up?"

"Yes," the Chief replied

"Oh, good Hang on," Cortana said The Longsword rolled to port and dived under a rock An explosion detonated aft of the ship "Looks like your 'plan' has gotten their attention I' to overtake us at flank speed"

"And the Pelican?"

"Still there," Cortana reported "Taking heavy fire But on trajectory to the NAV pointslower than us, of course"

"Adjust our speed so we arrive at the sae for a secure systesword decelerated; it shuddered to starboard and then to port, and laser fire flashed along either side

"You never told me," Cortana said in a voice that was equal parts irritation and cal Captain Keyes would approve of" The Chief suation console on the h, I want a course froship--"into the gravity well of Basis to slingshot us around"

"Done," Cortana replied "I still-- Hey, they've stopped firing"

The Chief tapped the aft camera The six cruisers continued their pursuit, but the tips of their weapons cooled as they pow- ered down "I was counting on this We're on the saship They won't shoot"

"Pelican noelve hundred kiloe for system link"

The Chief hailed the Pelican "Polaski, release your controls

We're taking over"

"Chief?"

"Establish encrypted systeer"

Cortana's hologram appeared on the tiny protection pad She appeared to listen intently for a moment, and then declared, "Got theht on top of the Pelican"

"Maneuvering to intercept the Pelican Five hundred kiloship"

"Prepare to alter our course, Cortana, as we pass the flagship

Also get ready to direct all scanners at the flagship if we pass"

'"If?" Cortana asked

The flagship's turrets turned to bear on the Longsword and Pelican They glowed like angry eyes in the dark

"Three hundred kiloth of the Covenant craft as it pre- pared to fire; dull red plasathered; three torpedoes extruded and raced toward them

"Evasiv--" the Chief said

Cortana banked hard port, starboard, and then hit the after- burners and pulled up Streaks of hell&e brushed close to the hulls of the Longsword and Pelican--then were gone behind them

The Chief had hoped for this: Their extrele combined with their speed made them hard to hit, even for the notoriously accurate Covenant plas in burstship in the blink of an eye The Chief saw gun turrets straining to track their ap- proach The alien craft had sleek lines, relatively flat top to bot- tom, but it curved fro its hull ran glowing blue conduits of super- heated plasy shields

He eased back into his seat The Chief hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath, and he exhaled "Good," he said

"Very good"

"Burning into a high slingshot orbit," Cortana announced

The Longsword's engines rumbled The acceleration played hell with the Chief's inner ear He wasn't certain for aus closer to the Pelican," he said "Right on top Give me a hard dock on its top access hatch"

Cortana set her hands on her hips and frowned "Readjusting burn para an orbital burn is not stable"

"We won't be linked long," he said and slipped out of his harness He drifted aft, pulled hisword's access hatch Green lights on the intervening pressure door winked on in succession He removed the safeties and popped the seal