Halo_ The Fall of Reach - Eric Nylund [114]
“Bottom fore,” she said, “along the lay line of the MAC system. There are very few gunnery placements there. Transient magnetic bursts tend to magnetize the weapons.” “Tell me about the MAC gun, Lieutenant. It looks under-powered.” “It fires a special light round with a ferrous core, but an outer layer of tungsten carbide. The round
splinters on impact—like an assault rifle’s shredder rounds.” She was talking so fast she had to pause and take a deep breath. “This gun has magnetic field recyclers along the length that recapture the field energy. Coupled with booster capacitors, we can firethree successive shots with one charge.”
That would be very effective against the Covenant energy shields. The first shot, maybe the first pair of shots, would take down their shields. The last round would deliver a knockout punch. “I take it you approve, Lieutenant?” “To quote Ensign Lovell, sir, ‘I think I’m in love.’ ”
Captain Keyes nodded. “I notice we have several single ships and some Pelican dropships in the bay.” “Yes, sir. One of the Longswords is equipped with a Shiva nuclear warhead. It can be remote-piloted. We also have three HAVOK warheads onboard.”
“Of course,” Captain Keyes said. “And the Pelicans? One of them had extra armor.”
“The Spartans were working on it. Some sort of boarding craft.” “The Spartans?” Captain Keyes asked. “They’re already onboard?” “Yes, sir. They were here before we got on board.” “Take me to them, Lieutenant.” “Yes, sir.” Lieutenant Hikowa stopped the elevator and hit the button for C deck. Twenty-five years ago Captain Keyes had helped procure the Spartan candidates for Dr. Halsey. She had
said they might one day be the best hope the UNSC had for peace. At the time he’d assumed that the Doctor was prone to hyperbole—but it appeared that she’d been correct. That didn’t make what they had done right, though. His complicity in those kidnappings still haunted him.
The elevator doors opened. The primary storage bay had been converted into barracks for the thirty Spartans. Every one of them wore MJOLNIR battle armor. They looked alien to him. Part machine, part titan—but completely inhuman.
The room was filled with motion—Spartans unpacked crates, others cleaned and field-stripped their assault rifles, and a pair of them practiced hand-to-hand combat. Captain Keyes could barely follow their motions. They were so fast, no hesitation. Strike and block and counter-strike—their movements were a continuous stream of rapid-fire blurs.
Captain Keyes had seen the news feeds and heard the rumors, like everyone on in the fleet—the Spartans were near-mythological figures in the military. They were supposed to be super-human soldiers, invulnerable and indestructible—and it was almost the truth. Dr. Halsey had shown him their operational records.
Between the Spartans and the refittedPillar of Autumn , Captain Keyes was beginning to believe Dr. Halsey’s long-shot mission might work after all. “Captain on the deck!” one of the Spartans shouted. Every Spartan stopped and snapped to attention. “As you were,” he said. The Spartans relaxed slightly. One turned and strode toward him. “Master Chief SPARTAN 117 reporting as ordered, sir.” The armored giant paused, and for a moment,
Keyes thought the Spartan looked uncomfortable. “Sir, I regret the unit was not able to ask your permission to come aboard. Admiral Stanforth insisted we keep our presence off the COM channels and computer networks.”
Captain Keyes found the reflective faceplates of the Spartans’ helmets disconcerting. It was impossible
to read their features. “Quite all right, Master Chief. I just wanted to extend my regards. If you or your men need anything, let me know.”
“Yes, sir,” the Master Chief said.
An awkward moment of silence passed. Captain Keyes felt like he didn’t belong here—an intruder in a very exclusive club. “Well, Master Chief, I’ll be on the bridge.” “Sir!” The Master Chief saluted. Captain Keyes returned the salute and left with Lieutenant Hikowa. When the elevator doors closed, Lieutenant Hikowa said,