第95页

　　Lieutenant  Haverson  slung  his  rifle  and  said,  "Sorry  for  the  warm  welcome.  Cortana's  been  picking  up  transient  contacts  all  over  the  ship.  We're  going  to  have  to  deal  with  them  sooner  or  later—preferably  before  they  deal  with  us."
　　"Agreed,"  the  Chief  said.
　　Polaski  approached  the  Lieutenant,  saluted,  and  gave  her  report  on  her  efforts  to  master  the  Covenant  dropship's  controls.
　　Locklear  edged  closer  to  the  Chief  and  the  Sergeant.  "What  do  you  think,  Sarge?"  he  whispered  and  cast  a  furtive  glance  at  Polaski.  "I  mean,  about  her?  Sure,  there's  that  Marine-Navy  thing  to  get  over,  but  I  can  get  past  that.  You  think  there's  a  chance  that  she  and  I?  I  mean—"
　　"I'd  give  you  the  same  odds  as  spacing  yourself  and  walking  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Reach,"  the  Sergeant  declared.  "In  your  skivvies."
　　"Give  me  a  drop  capsule  and  I'd  take  those  odds,  Sarge."  A  smile  split  Locklear's  tanned  face,  and  he  turned  to  the  Master  Chief.  "Sure,  I  get  it.  Wouldn't  be  so  defensive  if  I  hadn't  been  close  to  the  mark.  Where  there's  smoke,  there's  fire,  right?"
　　The  Master  Chief  stared  at  Locklear  and  slowly  shook  his  head.
　　Locklear's  smile  faded,  but  not  entirely.  "You  guys  are  just  jealous,"  he  muttered  and  absentmindedly  ran  his  finger  over  the  scar  that  lined  his  jaw.  "That's  cool.  I  get  that  all  the  time."
　　Locklear's  spirits  had  improved.  Despite  the  ODST's  rough  edges,  the  Chief  had  seen  him  in  combat.  He  didn't  panic,  and  he
　　154 HALO:  FIRST  STRIKE
　　had  the  skill  and  luck  to  survive  Halo—qualities  the  Master  Chief  knew  they'd  need  if  they  were  ever  going  to  get  back.
　　"Exiting  Slipspace,"  Cortana  announced,  "in  three  ...  two  ...  one."
　　According  to  the  Master  Chief's  mission  clock,  it  had  only  been  eight  minutes  since  Cortana  had  told  him  their  ETA  was  nineteen  minutes.  Was  there  more  to  the  time-dilation  effect  than  she  realized?
　　The  bridge  lights  dimmed,  and  blackness  filled  the  arc  of  dis?plays  along  the  wall.  Stars  winked  into  existence,  and  at  three  o'clock  blazed  the  warm  yellow  orb  of  Epsilon  Eridani.
　　"We  are  seven  hundred  thousand  kilometers  from  the  system  center,"  Cortana  told  them.  "I  wanted  to  jump  in  close  enough  to  see  what's  going  on—but  far  enough  away  so  we  would  have  time  to  recharge  and  reenter  Slipspace  if  there's  any  trouble.  Picking  up  signals  now.  Covenant  signals.  Lots  of  them.  Trans?lating  ...  stand  by."
　　Haverson  tapped  one  of  the  screens  and  magnified  the  image.
　　"My  God,"  he  whispered.
　　A  planet  appeared  on  the  screen.  He  sucked  in  his  breath  as  he  saw  a  world  smoldering  from  pole  to  equator.  Fires  raged  over  its  surface,  and  a  hurricane  of  black  spiraled  through  the  atmosphere.
　　The  Master  Chief  felt  as  if  the  ship  had  suddenly  decelerated.  His  hands  clenched.
　　He'd  sent  the  majority  of  his  team  down  there—and  had  con?sidered  it  the  "easier"  mission.  He'd  gotten  his  Spartans  killed,  he  was  sure  of  it.
　　Had  they  at  least  died  fighting?  Or  were  they  burned  from  an  orbiting  Covenant  ship,  helpless?
　　"Are  we  in  the  right  place?"  Locklear  murmured.  "That's  Reach?"  He  removed  his  cap,  crushed  it  in  his  hand,  and  whis?pered,  "Poor  bastards."