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Captain Wallace stood without saying a word. He stared at their one remaining view screen.
Dr. Halsey stepped forward. “Respectfully, Captain, I suggest that you alert the crew to get on respiratorpacks. Give them thirty seconds then vent the atmosphere on all decks, except the bridge.”
The COM officer looked to the Captain.
“Do it,” the Captain said. “Sound the alert.”
“Deck thirteen destroyed,” the ops officer announced. “Fire is getting close the reactor. Hull structurestarting to buckle.”
“Vent atmosphere now,” Captain Wallance ordered.
“Aye aye,” the ops officer replied.
There was the sound of thumping through the hull . . . then nothing.
“Fire is dying out,” the ops officer said. “Hull temperature cooling—stabilizing.”
“What the hell did they hit us with?” Captain Wallace demanded.
“Plasma,” Dr. Halsey replied. “But not any plasma we know . . . they can actually guide its trajectorythrough space, without any detectable mechanism. Amazing.”
“Captain,” the navigator said. “Alien ship is pursuing.”
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The Covenant vessel—a red-rimmed hole punched through its center—turned and started towardtheCommonwealth .
“How . . . ?” Captain Wallace said unbelievingly. He quickly regained his wits. “Ready another MACheavy round.”
The weapons officer slowly said, “MAC system destroyed, Captain.”
“We’re sitting ducks, then,” the Captain murmured.
Dr. Halsey leaned against the brass railing. “Not quite. TheCommonwealth carries three nuclear missiles,correct, Captain?”
“A detonation this close would destroy us as well.”
She frowned and cupped her hand to her chin, thinking.
“Excuse me, sir,” John said. “The alien’s tactics thus far have been unnecessarily vicious—like those ofan animal. They didn’t have to take that second MAC round while they fired at us. But they wanted toposition themselves to fire. In my opinion sir, they would stop and engageanything that challengedthem.”
The Captain looked to Dr. Halsey.
She shrugged and then nodded. “The Longsword interceptors?”
Captain Wallace turned his back to them and covered his face with his one hand. He sighed, nodded, andclicked on the intercom.
“Longsword Squadron Delta, this is the Captain. Get your ships into the black, boys, and engage theenemy ship. I need you to need to buy us some time.”
“Roger that, sir. We’re ready to launch. On our way.”
“Turn us around,” the Captain told the nav officer. “Give me best speed on a vector toward Chi CetiFour orbit.”
“Coolant leaks in the reactor, sir,” the ops officer said. “We can push the engines to thirty percent. Nomore.”
“Give me fifty percent,” he said. He turned to the weapons officer. “Arm one of our Shiva warheads. Set
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proximity fuse to one hundred meters.”
“Yes, sir.”
TheCommonwealth spun about. John felt the change in his stomach and he tightened his grip on therailing. The spinning slowed, stopped, then the ship accelerated.