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The med techs wanted to check him out as well, but he declined and took the elevator to the bridge toreport to Captain Keyes.
As he rode inside the lift he felt the ship accelerate port—then starboard. Evasive maneuvers.
The elevator doors parted and the Master Chief stepped onto the bridge.
He snapped a crisp salute to Captain Keyes. “Reporting for debriefing, sir.”
Captain Keyes turned and looked surprised to see him . . . or maybe he was shocked to see the conditionof his armor. It was charred, battered, and covered with alien blood.
The Captain returned the Master Chief’s salute. “The NAV database was destroyed?” he asked.
“Sir, I would not have left if my mission was incomplete.”
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“Of course, Master Chief. Very good,” Captain Keyes replied.
“Sir, may I ask that you scan for active FOF tags in the region?” The Master Chief glanced at the mainview screen—saw scattered fights between Covenant and UNSC warships in the distance. “I lost a manon the station. He may be floating out there . . . somewhere.”
“Lieutenant Hall?” the Captain asked.
“Scanning,” she said. After a moment she looked back and shook her head.
“I see,” the Master Chief replied. There could be worse deaths . . . but not for one of his Spartans.Floating helpless. Slowly suffocating and freezing—losing to an enemy that could not be fought.
“Sir,” the Master Chief said, “when will thePillar of Autumn rendezvous with my planetside team?”
Captain Keyes turned from the Master Chief and stared out into space. “We won’t be picking them up,”he said quietly. “They were overrun by Covenant forces. They never made orbit. We’ve lost contact withthem.”
The Master Chief took a step closer. “Then I would like permission to take a dropship and retrieve them,sir.”
“Request denied, Master Chief. We still have a mission to perform. And we cannot remain in this systemmuch longer. Lieutenant Dominique, aft camera on the main screen.”
Covenant vessels swarmed though the Reach System in five-ship crescent formations. The remainingUNSC ships fled before them . . . those that could still move. Those ships too damaged to outrun theCovenant were blasted with plasma and laser fire.
The Covenant had won this battle. They were mopping up before they glassed the planet; the MasterChief had seen this happen in a dozen campaigns. This time was different, however.
This time the Covenant was glassing a planet . . . with his people still on it.
He tried to think of a way to stop them . . . to save his teammates. He couldn’t.
The Captain turned and strode to the Master Chief, stood by his side. “Dr. Halsey’s mission,” he said, “ismore important than ever now. It may be the only chance left for Earth. We have to focus on that goal.”
Three dozen Covenant craft moved toward Gamma station and the now inert orbital defense platforms.
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They bombarded the installations—the mightiest weapons in the UNSC arsenal—with plasma. The gunsmelted, and boiled away.