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How many times had he and his teammates had to find ways to slip past a Jackal’s shield? He’d have torethink his tactics. Rethink everything.
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“It provides full coverage—”Dr. Halsey’s voice piped through the speakers. “—and dissipates energyfar more efficiently than the Covenant shields the Spartans have recovered, though the shield is
concentrated on your arms, head, legs, chest, and back. The energy field tapers down to a hair under a
millimeter so you don’t lose the ability to hold or manipulate items with your hands.”
The lead technician activated another control, and new data scrawled across John’s display. “There’s asegmented bar in the upper corner of your HUD,”the technician said, “right next to your biomonitor and
ammunition indicators. It indicates the charge level of your shield. Don’t let it completely dissipate;
when it’s gone, the armor starts taking the hits.”
The Master Chief slipped off the platform. He skidded—then came to a halt. His movements felt oiled.
His contact with the floor felt tentative.
“You can adjust the bottom of your boot emitters as well as the emitters inside your gloves to increase
traction. In normal use, you will want to set these to the minimal level—just be aware your defenses will
be diminished in those locations.”
“Understood.” He adjusted the field strengths. “In zero-gee environment I should increase those sections
to full strength, correct?”
“That is correct,”Dr. Halsey said.
“How much damage can they take before the system is breached?”
“That is what you will learn here today, Master Chief. I think you’ll find that we have several challenges
in store for you to see how much punishment the suit can take.”
He nodded. He was ready for the challenge. After weeks spent traveling in Slipspace, he was long
overdue for a workout.
John slid back his helmet visor and turned to face Dr. Halsey. “You said there weretwo major system
improvements, Doctor?”
She nodded and smiled. “Yes, of course. ” She reached into her lab coat and withdrew a clear cube. “I
doubt you’ve ever seen one of these before. It is the memory-processor core of an AI.”
“Like Déjà?”
“Yes, like your former teacher. But this AI is slightly different. I’d like to introduce you to Cortana.”
The Master Chief looked around the tent. He saw no computer interface or holographic projectors. He
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cocked an eyebrow at Dr. Halsey.
“There is a new layer sandwiched between the reactive circuits and the inner biolayers of your armor,”Dr. Halsey explained. “It is a weave of additional memory-processor super-conductor.”
“The same material as an AI’s core.”
“Yes,” Dr. Halsey replied. “An accurate analysis. Your armor will carry Cortana. The MJOLNIR systemhas the nearly the same capacity as a ship-borne AI system. Cortana will interface between you and thesuit and provide tactical and strategic information for you in the field.”