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A hand reached up froh

The shock only lasted a rabbed a handful of the man's uniforainst the hull With a lightning-quick motion, he drew the newcomer's pistol and aimed it squarely at the man's forehead

"You were dead," the Chief said "I saw you die On Jenkins's ot you"

The black man smiled a set of perfect white teeth "The Flood? Hell, Chief, it'll takealien horror-show freaks to take out Sergeant A J Johnson"

CHAPTER SIX

1710 hours, Septehter, uncharted system, Halo debris field

The Master Chief held on to the ship's fraee With the other hand he pressed the pistol deeper into Johnson's forehead

The Sergeant's smile faded, but there was not a trace of fear in his dark eyes He snorted a laugh "I get it: You think I'm in- fected Well, I'rade-A Marine and nothin' else"

The Chief eased his stance but didn't lower the gun "Explain how that's possible"

"They got us all right, those little mushroom-shaped infec- tious bastards," Johnson said "They ambushed me, Jenkins, and Keyes" He paused at the Captain's name, then shook his head and went on "They swaruess I didn't taste too good"

"The Flood doesn't 'taste' anything," Cortana interjected "The Infection Forms rewrite a victim's cellular structure and convert him into a Combat Form, then later a Carrier Form--an incubator for more Infection Forms Based on e've seen, they cer- tainly don't just decide to pass up a victied He fished into his pocket, found the rear, and stuck it in the corner of his mouth "Well, I've seen different They 'passed me up' like I was undercooked spinach at a turkey dinner"

"Cortana," the Chief asked "Is it possible?"

"It's possible? she carefully replied "But it's also highly unlikely" She paused for two heartbeats, and then added, "According to the readings froeant's biomonitors, his story checks out I can't be one hundred percent positive until he's been cleared in a s indi- cate that he is clean of any Flood parasitic infection He's obvi- ously not a ht" The Chief clicked the pistol's safety to "on" then flipped the pistol around and handed it back to the Sergeant, grip first "But I'et We can't risk letting the Flood infection spread"

"I hear you, Master Chief Looking forward to those Navy nurses Now--" The Sergeant pushed off the hull and drifted toward the hatch "--let's get the rest of the crew on board" He hesitated by the cryotubes "I see you already picked up a few stragglers"

"They'll have to wait," the Chief said "It'll take half an hour to thaw the hypothere the Covenant"

"Reengage," the Sergeant said, savoring the word He s away froeant opened the hatch to the Pelican

The barrel of an MA5B assault rifle extended through the opening The Sergeant reached down and pulled it up

A Marine Corporal drifted though the hatch The name stitched on his uniform read LOCKLEAR He was tanned, shaved bald, and had a wild look in his clear blue eyes He retrieved his gun froeant and swept the interior with the point of his weapon "Clear!" he shouted back down into the Pelican

"At ease, Corporal," the Master Chief said

The Corporal's eyes finally locked onto the Chief He shook his head in disbelief "A Spartan," hepan--"

The Master Chief spotted the Marine's shoulder patch: the gold cone of the Orbital Drop Shock Troops The ODST, more colorfully known as "Helljuht

Locklear must have been one of Major Silva's boys, which ex- plained the young Marine's general hostility Silva was ODST to the bone, and during the action on Halo had been decidedly negative about the SPARTAN-IIs in general and the Chief in particular

Another e of the hatch and pulled himself up He had a plasma pistol strapped to his side and wore a crisp black uniform His red hair was neatly slicked back, and his eyes took in the Chief without obvious surprise He wore the black enameled bars of a First Lieutenant

"Sir!" The Chief snapped off a crisp salute

"Adjusting burn and angle," Cortana announced The Long-sword and Pelican tilted relative to the ive you a little ee on the deck"

The lieutenant settled to the floor and lazily returned the salute "I'm Haverson," he said He looked John over with interest

"You are the Master Chief, SPARTAN-117"

"Yes, sir" The Chief was surprised Most people, even experienced officers, had difficulty distinguishing one Spartan fro officer so quickly identified hine on the s over a trio of stars Inscribed above the eagle wings were the Latin words SEMPER VIGILANS--Ever Vigilant

Haverson ith the Office of Naval Intelligence

"Good," Haverson said He glanced quickly at Locklear and Johnson "With you, Chief, we ht have a chance" He reached into the hatch and pulled another person onto the Longsword

This last person was a woht-suit of a pilot Her dirty blond hair was tucked into a cap She saluted the Chief "Petty Warrant Officer Polaski, requesting permission to come aboard, Master Chief"

"Granted," he said and returned her salute

Stenciled onto her coveralls was a flania of the Twenty-third Naval Air Squadron

Although the Chief had never met Polaski, she was fron "Foeha like Foehammer, she would be a skilled and fearless pilot

"So what's the story?" Locklear de to shoot here?"

"At ease, Marine," the Sergeant growled "Use that stuffing between your ears for so your helee forces? This ship is in a slingshot orbit We're co around the moon for another crack at the Covenant"

"That's correct," the Chief said

"Our first priority should be to escape," Haverson said and his thin brows knitted in frustration, "not to blindly engage the Covenant We have valuable intelligence on the enemy, and on Halo Our first priority should be to reach UNSC-controlled space"

"That was sword nor your Pelican is equipped with Shaw-Fujikawa engines Without a jump to Slipspace, it would take years to return"