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Kurt waved to her and then aimed his single-beam COM at the rendezvous rock. The COM established handshake and then crackled to life.
"One coming in," he said.
"Come ahead," Kelly's voice came back. "Good to hear your voice."
"Yours too. Out."
Kurt remembered the last time he had Kelly on the single beam—when his thruster pack had exploded and he rocketed out of control into deep space.
He'd never realized how much he had missed his old teammates until he had seen them again. Of course, now Blue Team was in jeopardy, but that seemed like old times as well. He couldn't have asked for better soldiers to be in trouble with.
He ran across the field, low and silent, and then jumped into the shaded hollow. Tom, Ash, and Mendez crouched next to Kelly, Linda, and Fred. They whispered to one another and drew plans in the dirt.
Lucy sat quietly next to Dr. Halsey, who glanced at Kurt and then went back to her laptop computer, examining Forerunner glyphs.
The other SPARTAN-IIIs were missing, presumably on watch.
"Glad you made it back in one piece," Chief Mendez said, and gave him an abbreviated salute. "Almost had me worried."
"Thanks, Chief. Set up a single-beam relay outside and hail the others on patrol."
"Yes, sir." Mendez grabbed a tiny antenna dish.
Linda, Kelly, and Fred all turned to Mendez when he said "sir" and then looked at Kurt.
Kurt flicked his index finger up, the wait-a-second gesture, and then he turned to Ash. "Private."
"Sir," Ash said, and stood straighter.
His helmet was off. Sweat glistened on his head and neck. It was a serious breach of combat protocols, but SPI suits had never been designed for extended use, and Team Saber had to have been sweltering in the stuff for days.
Kurt glanced at the helmet and Ash blanched at his mistake, and immediately slipped it on.
Kurt said, "Saber jumped the gun on that ambush."
"Yes, sir." Ash snapped into precise regulation attention. "It was my fault. I felt it was the right time, that the Sentinels were about to move out of optimal firing position. That's no excuse, sir. It won't happen again."
Had Ash sensed something Kurt hadn't? Still, orders had to be followed.
"I'm counting on you to keep your team on task and focused. We clear?"
"Absolutely clear, sir," Ash replied.
Kurt then moved closer to Blue Team.
Fred set a hand on Kurt's shoulder, a rare gesture among Spartans. It spoke volumes in the language of the Spartan's tightly restrained emotions.
"We thought you were dead," Fred whispered.
Kurt clapped Fred on his shoulder as well. "There's so much to brief you on. The Sentinels, the SPARTAN-IIIs—everything."
Mendez stepped back into the shadows. "Single-beam linkup established, sir."
"… Which will have to wait a little longer," Kurt told them.
Kurt opened up his TEAMCOM to both Blue and Saber, "We're taking out that Sentinel pair before the next phase of
this operation," he said. "Ash, take Saber and scout the ravine ahead. Find that tunnel you sacked in a few days ago. Dante will rig it with two satchel charges. We'll lure the Sentinels inside and then, since we can't penetrate their shields, we'll blow the place, and bury them."