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squeaks and guttural barks.
Easy, relaxed targets. Perfect.
He gave a series of slow hand signals to the rest of the team; they faded back until they were well away
from the Grunts’ field of view.
The Master Chief opened the squadwide COM channel. “They’re seventy meters from this depression—” He keyed a NAV point into the team’s topographic display. “They’re heading for the western hill
and will probably follow the terrain to the top. We’ll fall back now, and take concealed positions along
the eastern hill.
“Blue-Four, you’re our scout—stay near the bottom and let us know when the rear guard passes you.
Take them out first—they seem alert.
“Blue-Two, you have overwatch at the top of the hill.
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“Blue-Three, back me up. Silenced weapons only—no explosives, unless things go bad.”
He paused, then gave the order: “Move out.”
The Spartans crept back along their path and spread out along the hill.
John—in the center of the line—readied his assault rifle. The team was virtually invisible in the thickfoliage, and covered by the barrelwide tree trunks of the local flora.
One minute ticked by. Then two . . . three . . .
Blue-Four’s acknowledgment signal blinked twice in John’s HUD.Enemy detected. He relaxed his gripon the weapon, waiting—
—There. Twenty meters distant, the Grunt point man moved to the edge of the western hill, justdownhill from John’s position. The alien paused, his plasma rifle sweeping the area—then movedslowly up the rise.
A moment later, the rest of the formation came into view, ten meters behind the point man.
Blue-Four’s indicator winked again.Now.
The Master Chief opened fire, a short, three-round burst. The weapon’s muffled cough was inaudibleover the sound of jungle rainfall. The trio of armor-piercing rounds slashed through the alien’s throatprotection, rupturing the environment suit. The Grunt clutched at his neck, emitted a brief, high-pitchedgurgle—then fell to the mud, dead.
A moment later, the Grunt lines came to a clumsy halt, confused.
John spotted two strobe flashes, and the pair of Covenant rear guards dropped to the ground.
“Blue-Two to Lead: rear-guard eliminated.”
“Hit them!” John barked.
The four Spartans opened fire in short bursts. In less than a second, four more of the Grunt patrol weredown, dead from head shots.
The remaining trio of Grunts unslung their plasma rifles, swinging them wildly back and forth, lookingfor targets and chattering loudly in their strange, barking language. John sighted on the alien closest tohim and squeezed the trigger.
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The alien splashed into the mud, methane bubbling from his shattered breath mask.
Another pair of sustained bursts and the last of the Grunts were down.
* * *
Kelly policed the Grunts’ weapons and handed a plasma rifle to each of the team; the Spartans hadstanding orders to seize Covenant weapons and technology whenever possible.