Halo_ The Fall of Reach - Eric Nylund [32]
“You have enough of that stuff?” Kelly asked him wryly.
“You think I should take more?” Sam replied, and smiled. “Nothing like a little fireworks to celebrate
the end of a mission.”
“Everyone ready?” John asked.
Sam’s smile disappeared and he slapped an extended clip into his MA2B. “Ready!”
Kelly gave him John a thumbs-up.
Fred and Linda nodded.
“Then let’s go to work.”
CHAPTER TEN
1210 Hours, September 14, 2525 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Eridanus 2 space dock, civilian Cargo Ship,Laden (registry number F-0980W)
“Spartan 117: in position. Next check-in at 0400.” John clicked off the microphone, encrypted the message, and fed it into his COM relay. He triggered a secure burst transmission to theAthens , the ONI prowler ship on station a few AUs distant.
He and his teammates climbed onto the upper girders. In silence, the team rigged a web of support nets so they could rest in relative comfort. Below them lay a hundred thousand liters of black water, and surrounding them, two centimeters of stainless steel. Sam rigged the fill sensor so the reservoir’s computer wouldn’t let any more water flow into the storage tank. The lights in their helmets cast a pattern of crossing and crisscrossing reflection lines.
A perfect hiding spot—all according to plan, John thought, and allowed himself a small grin of triumph. The tech specs that ONI had procured on theLaden showed a number of hydroponic pods mounted around the ship’s carousel system—the massive water tanks used gravity feed to irrigate the ship’s space-grown crops.
Perfect.
They had easily slipped past the lone guard in theLaden ’s main cargo bay and into the nearly deserted center section. The water tank would mask their thermal signatures, and block any motion sensors.
The only risky element entered the picture if the center section stopped spinning . . . things could get very messy inside the tank, very fast. But John doubted that would happen.
Kelly set up a tiny microwave relay outside the top hatch. She propped her data pad on her stomach and linked to the ship’s network. “I’m in,” she reported. “There’s no AI or serious encryption . . . accessing their system now.” She tapped the pad a few more times and activated the intrusion software—the best that ONI could provide. A moment later the pad pulsed to indicate success.
“They’ve got a nav trajectory to the asteroid belt. ETA is ten hours.”
“Good work,” John said. “Team: we’ll sleep in shifts.” Sam, Fred, and Linda snapped off their flashlights.
The tank reverberated as theLaden ’s engines flared to life. The water tilted as they accelerated away
from the orbital docking station. John remembered Eridanus 2—vaguely recalled that it once was home. He wondered if his old school, his family, were still there—
He squelched his curiosity. Speculation made for a fine mental exercise, but the mission came first. He had to stay alert—or failing that, grab some sleep so he would be alert when he needed to be. Chief Mendez must have told them a thousand times: “Rest can be as deadly a weapon as a pistol or grenade.”
“I’ve got something,” Kelly whispered, and handed him her data pad.
It displayed the cargo manifest for theLaden . John scrolled down the list: water, flour, milk, frozen orange juice, welding rods, superconducting magnets for a fusion reactor . . . no mention of weapons. “I give up,” he said. “What am I looking for?” “I’ll give you a hint,” Kelly replied. “The Chief smokes them.” John flicked back through the list. There: Sweet William cigars. Next to them on the manifest was a
crate of champagne, a Beta Centauri vintage. There were fast-chilled New York steaks, and Swiss
chocolates. These items were stored in a secure locker. They had the same routing codes. “Luxury items,” Kelly murmured. “I bet they’re headed straight for a special delivery to Colonel Watts or his officers.”
“Good work,” John replied. “We’ll tag this stuff and follow it.