第205页

　　"Thank  you,  Sergeant."  He  hesitated  and  then  added,  "I'll  take  care  of  this."
　　The  Sergeant  nodded  and  strode  toward  Weapons  Station  One.
　　John  turned  back  to  the  blank  monitors  and  retrieved  the  other  data  crystal  from  his  belt  compartment.  Yesterday  he  had  be?lieved  he  had  done  the  right  thing  by  giving  the  Lieutenant  all  of  Dr.  Halsey's  Flood  data—including  the  data  on  the  Sergeant,  which  she  assured  him  would  lead  to  his  death.
　　But  now?
　　Now,  John  knew  the  difference  one  man  could  make  in  this  war.  He  understood  Dr.  Halsey's  desire  to  save  every  person  she  could.
　　John  held  the  two  data  crystals,  one  in  each  hand,  and  stared  at  them—trying  to  discern  the  future  from  their  glimmering  facets.
　　336 HALO:  FIRST  STRIKE
　　That  was  the  point,  wasn't  it?  He  couldn't  know  the  future.  He  had  to  do  what  he  could  to  save  every  person.  Today.  Now.
　　So  he  decided.
　　He  tightened  his  fist  around  the  crystal  with  the  complete  mis?sion  data  and  crushed  it  to  dust.  John  couldn't  condemn  Sergeant  Johnson.
　　He  hefted  the  remaining  data  crystal.  There  would  have  to  be  enough  in  it  for  ONI.  He  set  the  crystal  securely  back  into  his  belt.
　　Today  they  had  won.  They  had  stopped  the  Covenant.  John  would  return  to  Earth  with  a  warning  and  enough  intel  to  keep  scientists  at  ONI  busy.
　　But  what  about  tomorrow?  The  Covenant  didn't  give  up  once  they  set  their  sights  on  a  target.  They  wanted  Earth—they'd  come  for  it.  Destroying  their  fleet  would  only  delay  that  in?evitable  fact.
　　They  had  time,  though.  Maybe  enough  time  to  prepare  for  whatever  the  Covenant  could  throw  at  them.
　　John  would  take  today's  victory.  And  he'd  be  there  when  the  fighting  started  again—he'd  be  there  to  win.
　　SECTION  VII
　　HARBINGER
　　EPILOGUE
　　Ninth  Age  of  Reclamation,  Step  of  Silence  \  Covenant  Holy  City  "High  Charity,"  Sanctum  of  the  Hierarchs.
　　A  hundred  thousand  probes  darted  and  scanned  with  winking  electronic  eyes  across  the  void  of  tangled  nonspaces  enveloping  the  Covenant  inner  empire.  They  gathered  data  and  emerged  into  the  cold  vacuum,  where  they  were  recovered  by  the  hundreds  of  supercarriers  and  cruisers  in  station-keeping  positions  around  the  massive,  bulbous  planetoid  that  dominated  the  heavens.
　　Not  a  single  rock  larger  than  a  centimeter  could  enter  this  space  without  being  identified,  targeted,  and  vaporized.  Autho?rization  codes  were  updated  hourly,  and  if  any  incoming  vessel  hesitated  for  a  millisecond  with  the  proper  response,  it,  too,  met  unyielding  destruction.
　　The  High  Charity  drifted  beneath  this  impervious  network,  il?luminated  by  the  glow  from  scores  of  warship  engines.
　　Deep  within,  protected  by  legions  of  crack  Covenant  soldiers,  the  Sanctum  of  the  Heirarchs  was  an  island  of  calm.  The  walls,  floor,  and  ceiling  of  the  chamber  were  ornamented  with  mirrored  shards  made  from  the  fused  glass  of  countless  worlds  conquered  by  the  Covenant  Hegemony.  They  reflected  the  whispered  thoughts  of  the  one  who  sat  in  the  center  of  this  room—mirrored  them  back,  so  they  might  consider  the  glory  of  its  domain,  and  learn  from  its  wisdom...  because  there  was  no  higher  source  of  intel?lect,  will,  and  truth  alive  in  the  galaxy.