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The team started selecting their weapons first.
“Three-ninety caliber?” Fred asked.
“Yes,” John replied. “Everyone take guns that use .390-caliber ammunition so we can share clips if wehave to. Except Linda.”
Linda gravitated to a matte-black long-barreled rifle—the SRS99C-S2 AM. The sniper rifle system hadmodular sections: scopes, stocks, barrels, even the firing mechanism could be swapped. She quicklystripped the rifle down and reconfigured it. She assembled a flash-and-sound suppression barrel, andthen to compensate for the lower muzzle velocity, she increased the ammunition caliber to .450. Sheditched all the sights and scopes and settled for an integrated link to her helmet’s heads-up display. Shepocketed five extended ammunition clips.
John also chose an MA2B, a cut-down version of the standard MA5B assault rifle. It was tough andreliable, with electronic targeting and an ammo supply indicator. It also had a recoil-reduction system,and could deliver an impressive fifteen rounds per second.
He picked up a knife: twenty-centimeter blade, one serrated edge, nonreflective titanium carbide, andbalanced for throwing.
John grabbed the panic button—a tiny single-shot emergency beacon. It had two settings. The red settingalerted thePioneer that it had hit the fan, and to come in guns blazing. The green setting merely markedthe location of the base for later assault by the UNSC.
He took a double handful of ammo clips—then paused. He set them down and pocketed five. If they gotinto a firefight where he’d need that much firepower, their mission was over anyway.
Everyone took similar equipment, with a few variations. Kelly selected a small computer pad with IRlinks. She also had their field medical kit.
Fred packed a standard-issue lockbreaker.
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Linda selected three nav marker transmitters, each the size of a tick. The trackers could be adhered to anobject and would broadcast that object’s location to the Spartans’ heads-up displays.
Sam hefted two medium-size backpacks—“damage packs.” They were filled with C-12, enough highexplosives to blow through three meters of battleship armor plate.
“You have enough of that stuff?” Kelly asked him wryly.
“You think I should take more?” Sam replied, and smiled. “Nothing like a little fireworks to celebratethe end of a mission.”
“Everyone ready?” John asked.
Sam’s smile disappeared and he slapped an extended clip into his MA2B. “Ready!”
Kelly gave him John a thumbs-up.
Fred and Linda nodded.
“Then let’s go to work.”
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CHAPTER TEN
1210 Hours, September 14, 2525 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Eridanus 2 spacedock, civilian Cargo Ship,Laden (registry number F-0980W)
“Spartan 117: in position. Next check-in at 0400.” John clicked off the microphone, encrypted themessage, and fed it into his COM relay. He triggered a secure burst transmission to theAthens , the ONIprowler ship on station a few AUs distant.