第171页

　　Haverson  swallowed.  "Yes,  sir."  He  marched  to  the  elevator,  and  Cortana  told  him,  "He's  on  B-Deck,  Lieutenant,  medical  storage.  He's  not  answering  my  COM  page."  The  elevator  shut.
　　"Chief,  you're  on  the  Engineering  console,"  the  Admiral  said.  "Cover  the  NAV  station,  too."
　　"Yes,  sir."  He  moved  to  the  Engineering  station's  monitors.  There  were  thirty-five  minutes  to  go  on  the  shakedown  cycle  of  the  reactors  and  engines.
　　"Contact,"  Cortana  said.  "Bearing  zero-three-zero  on  the  so?lar  plane.  One—correction,  two—Covenant  cruisers.  They're  not  moving.  Maybe  they  haven't  spotted  us."
　　"It  never  rains  when  it  can  monsoon,"  the  Admiral  declared.  "They  can't  help  but  see  us,  Cortana,  with  all  the  radio  chatter,  ships,  and  leaking  radiation.  I  bet  they're  just  figuring  out  how  best  to  kill  us."
　　Governor  Jiles  turned  to  someone  off  screen,  and  then  said,  "Admiral  Whitcomb,  given  this  new  development  I  would  like  to  evacuate  my  people  off  the  Gettysburg  and  out  of  harm's  way."
　　"Of  course,  Governor.  Do  what  you  have  to."
　　The  number  three  screen  snapped  off,  and  the  stars  reappeared.
　　"And  I'll  do  what  I  have  to,  too,"  Admiral  Whitcomb  said.  "Cortana,  halt  the  reactor  and  engine  shakedown."
　　"Sir?  There  are  risks—"
　　"I  want  them  online  now.  Don't  tell  me  what  the  risks  are.  Just  doit."
　　"Yes,  sir,"  she  said.
　　"Master  Chief,  get  this  crate  ready  to  move  and  stay  on  your  toes.  We'll  need  every  trick  in  the  book  to  outmaneuver  two  cruisers."
　　"Affirmative,  Admiral."  The  Chief  observed  the  shakedown  cycle  halt  and  Ascendant  Justice's  reactors  restart.  Radiation  in?dicators  redlined,  and  then  dropped  to  a  hairbreadth  ...  which  was  technically  considered  safe.  The  Gettysburg's  engines  shud?dered  to  life.  The  Chief  felt  the  vibration  though  the  deck  half  a  kilometer  away.  "Reactors  are  hot,  sir,"  he  reported.
　　280 HALO:  FIRST  STRIKE
　　The  Admiral  watched  as  Jiles's  fleet  of  single  ships  and  tech?nicians  in  jet  packs  abandoned  the  Gettysburg,  swarming  across  the  dark  of  space  back  to  the  safety  of  their  asteroid.  "Rats  leav?ing  a  sinking  ship?"  he  wondered  aloud.
　　The  Master  Chief  wasn't  sure  if  that  was  a  question  directed  at  him,  but  he  decided  to  reply  anyway.  "They're  just  men  who  want  to  live,  sir."
　　The  Admiral  nodded.
　　"Covenant  cruiser  accelerating,"  Cortana  announced.  "Bear?ing  on  a  vector  otrtsystem.  It's  transitioning  to  Slipspace."
　　"Master  Chief,  get  this  tub  moving.  Now!  Bring  us  up  to  half  maximum  speed."
　　"Aye,  sir."  He  tapped  in  commands.  "Answering  one  half  for?ward."  The  radiation  warning  on  Ascendant  Justice's  reactor  flickered,  but  stabilized  and  subsided.
　　The  combined  mass  of  the  two  attached  ships  groaned  as  their  recently  repaired  superstructures  overcame  their  inertia.
　　"Heat  up  our  plasma  turrets,  Cortana."
　　"Aye  s—"  Her  translucent  lavender  hologram  faded  to  ice  blue.  "Sir,  additional  contacts  at  system's  edge.  Three.  No—additional  transitions  from  Slipspace;  counting  eighteen—now  thirty  Cove?nant  ships  of  various  classes.  Positions  zero-three-zero.  Zero-nine-one,  one-eight-zero...  Sir,  they  have  us  enveloped."