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He crossed his arms. "Colonel Ackerson is wise to fear you. Very well, Doctor, the COM probe launches from an underground gauss accelerator. A Shaw-Fujikawa translight generator then focuses the Slipspace rent in high orbit to avoid the obvious ramifications of an in-atmosphere transition."
"The probe launch and transition," she said, "would be like sending up a signal flare."
Endless Summer faded to a black-and-white ghost.
"The Sentinels will find the launch facility," he said, "and perhaps the passages that lead to the heart of the Zone 67 base, and me."
"Override self-perversion imperative," Dr. Halsey whispered. "Command FOXINTHEHENHOUSE /427-KNB."
"There is no need. Doctor," Endless Summer said, and held up his hand. "I understand my duty all too well. If they find me, there are explosive charges in place. I am prepared to die a good death. Are you?"
They starred at each other for a moment. Dr. Halsey wondered if this courage was a trick, a programmed facade… or real self-sacrifice.
"I'll prepare the message," she said. "I know precisely who at FLEETCOM to send it to. They'll listen to me."
"Of course," Endless Summer said with a careless wave. "I find such low-level human communications distasteful."
"One more thing," she said. "Here are my personal conclusions linking the collected Forerunner data. You deserve to know everything."
She dropped her notes into his FTP directory—along with a
capture worm in the footer of the data. It would copy and transmit every file Endless Summer accessed with her notes open.
Multiple files immediately began to flash-transfer to her laptop.
"Thank you," he said and his eyebrows quirked up. "Your logic is impeccable."
"Allow me a moment to draft the note," she said.
Endless Summer bowed. "I shall prepare the COM probe." His hologram faded.
Dr. Halsey decrypted the stolen files, and alien hieroglyphs streamed on-screen.
"What are those?" Mendez whispered, leaning closer.
"Forerunner language samples from these ruins, I surmise," she said. "Along with theoretical translation variants."
She searched for pattern matches in Cortana's log, and then cross-referenced the stellar coordinates embedded in the Cote d'Azure rock. There was a match: the symbol for the Halo construct.
She double-checked the stone and found coordinates for Onyx and a matching symbol in Endless Summer's database.
"What does that mean?" Mendez asked, pointing to a double-lobed icon.
"This," she whispered, "roughly translated, it means 'shield world.'"
"Funny thing to call a place," he observed.
In a moment of clarity she understood—not everything but enough to see a glimmer of the Forerunners' plan.
For every coordinated military effort there were offensive and defense aspects: attack, reinforcement, and, if needed, retreat. The Halo construct was only part of the Forerunner plan. Whatever was happening on this world was another portion of their strategy—triggered when Halo had been activated.