第156页

　　"Captain...,"  the  man  said  in  a  smooth,  resonant  tenor  voice.  "I  am  Governor  Jacob  Jiles,  leader  of  this  port.  What  can  we  do  for  you?"
　　"First,"  Admiral  Whitcomb  said,  "I  am  not  a  Captain;  I  am  a  Vice  Admiral,  the  Deputy  Chief  of  Naval  Operations.  Second,  you  will  order  your  fleet  to  reverse  course  and  get  out  of  my  gun-sights  before  I  forget  my  manners.  And  third,  we  insist  that  you  make  ready  to  let  us  dock  on  that  rock  of  yours  for  emergency  repairs  and  refit."
　　Jiles  considered  these  requests  and  then  threw  his  head  back  and  laughed.  "Admiral,  my  sincere  apologies  for  the  confusion  in  your  rank."  He  said  this  with  a  mocking  grin.  "As  for  your  other  requests,  I'm  afraid  I  can't  accommodate  you  today."
　　"And  I  respectfully  suggest  you  reconsider,  Mister  Jiles,"  the  Admiral  said  in  a  deadpan  tone.  "It  would  be  unfortunate  for  all  of  us  if  I  have  to  insist."
　　"You're  in  no  position  to  insist  on  anything."  Jiles  nodded  to  someone  offscreen.
　　"Emissions  detected!"  Cortana  said.  "Neutron  radiation  spikes  at  seven  by  three  o'clock.  One  by  three  o'clock.  Picking  up  five  more.  They've  got  nukes."
　　"Hidden  in  the  asteroid  field,"  Admiral  Whitcomb  muttered.  "Very  good.  At  least  we're  not  dealing  with  fools."
　　"Indeed.  We  are  not  fools,"  Jiles  replied.  "We  have  survived
　　256 HALO:  FIRST  STRIKE
　　the  long  arm  of  Imperial  Earth  and  Covenant  intrusions."  Some?one  off  camera  handed  Jiles  a  data  pad  with  a  radar  silhouette  of  Gettysburg-Ascendant  Justice;  numbers  and  symbols  crawled  alongside  the  picture.  He  hesitated  and  crinkled  his  nose,  ap?pearing  confused  at  the  odd  configuration  of  mated  craft.  "We  are  also  not  foolish  enough  to  use  overwhelming  force  when  it  isn't  required.  Your  'ship'  is  ready  to  fall  apart  on  its  own.  I  hardly  think  we  need  to  waste  one  of  our  precious  and  expensive  nuclear  devices  to  stop  you."
　　Whitcomb  set  his  hands  on  his  hips.  "You  need  to  rethink  the  tactical  situation,  Governor,"  he  growled.  "Cortana,  find  me  a  target—a  rock  the  same  size  as  this  'gentleman's'  base."
　　"Done,"  she  replied.
　　"Burn  it,"  he  ordered.
　　"Aye,  sir!"
　　A  lance  of  plasma  appeared  on  the  starboard  side  of  Ascen?dant  Justice,  cut  through  space,  and  blasted  the  surface  of  a  three-kilometer-long  stone  tumbling  through  the  asteroid  belt.  Its  surface  heated  to  orange,  yellow,  and  then  white,  sputtering  blobs  of  molten  iron  and  jets  of  vapor  that  caused  the  massive  stone  to  spin  faster.  The  plasma  cut  through  the  rock  in  a  wide  arc—punched  through  the  opposite  side.  The  uneven  internal  heat  caused  the  rock  to  fracture  and  explode  into  fragments.  The  debris  pinwheeled  away,  leaving  helical  trails  of  cooling  iron  and  glittering  metallic  gas  in  its  wake.
　　"Keep  number  two  and  three  turrets  hot,"  the  Admiral  said,  "and  target  their  base."
　　"Done,  sir."
　　The  mocking  smile  had  vanished  from  Jiles's  face  and  the  color  had  drained  from  his  golden  skin.  "Perhaps  I  was  too  hasty,"  he  said.  "Where  are  my  manners?  Please  come  aboard  and  join  me  as  my  honored  guest.  Bring  your  staff,  too."  He  made  a  quick  motion  to  his  crew  off  camera.