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But their plasma torpedoes continued toward their targets, splashing across two of the orbital defenseplatforms. The guns melted and collapsed into boiling molten spheres in the microgravity.
Thirteen guns left, Captain Keyes thought. Not exactly a lucky number.
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“Lieutenant Dominique,” he said, “request FLEETCOM to send all arriving vessels in-system to take updefense positions near our guns. The Covenant is willing to sacrifice a ship for one of our orbital guns.Advise them the Covenant ships appear to be dead in space for a few seconds after they execute apinpoint jump.”
“Got it, sir,” Lieutenant Dominique said. “Message away.”
“Lieutenant Hikowa,” Captain Keyes said. “Send the destruction codes to those wild missiles welaunched.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Belay that,” Captain Keyes said. Something didn’t feel right. “Lieutenant Hall, scan the region foranything unusual.”
“Scanning, sir,” she said. “There are millions of hull fragments; radar is useless. Thermal is off the charts—everything is hot out there.” She paused, leaned closer, and a hank of her blond hair fell into her face,but she didn’t brush it aside. “Reading motiontoward Gamma station, sir. Landing pods.”
“Lieutenant Hikowa,” Keyes said. “Repurpose those Archer missiles. New targets—link with LieutenantHall for coordinates.”
“Yes, Captain,” they said in unison.
“Diversion, distraction, and deceit,” Captain Keyes said. “The Covenant’s tactics are almost gettingpredictable.”
A hundred pinpoints of fire dotted the distant space as their missiles found Covenant targets.
“Picking up activity just out of the effective range of our orbital guns,” Cortana said.
“Show me,” Captain Keyes said.
The titanic Covenant vessel Keyes had seen before was back. It fired its brilliant blue-white beam—alance across space—that struck the destroyerHerodotus , one hundred thousand kilometers distant. Thebeam cut clean through the ship, stem to stern, bisecting her.
“Christ,” Ensign Lovell whispered.
A salvo of orbital gun rounds fired at this new target . . . but it was too far away. The ship moved out ofthe trajectory of the shells. They missed.
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Another beam flashed from the Covenant vessel. Another ship—a carrier, theMusashi —was severedamidships as it moved to cover the orbital guns. The aft section of the ship continued to thrust forward,her engines still running hot.
“They’re going to sniper our ships,” Keyes said. “Leave us nothing to fortify Reach.” He took out hispipe and tapped it in the palm of his hand. “Ensign Lovell. Plot an intercept course. Engines tomaximum. We’re going to take that ship out.”
“Sir?” Lovell sat straighter. “Yes, sir. Plotting course now.”
Cortana appeared on the holographic display. “I assume you have another brilliant navigationalmaneuver to evade this enemy, Captain.”
“I thought I’d fly straight in, Cortana . . . and let you do the driving.”