1852 hours, September 22,2552 (Military Calendar) \ Captured Covenant flagship, inSlipspace, location unknown.
After the Chief had left to investigate the cryopod, Haverson made certain that the bridge doors locked. He turned and walked over to the Covenant Engineer who'd repaired theMaster Chief's armor.
"Fascinating creatures," he murmured. He drew his sidearm and pointed it at the back ofits head.
Two of the Engineer's six eyes locked onto the muzzle of the weapon. A tentacle reachedfor it, split into fine probing threads, and touched the blue-gray metal.
Cortana asked, "What are you—"Haverson shot the Engineer. The round tore through its head and spattered gore across the display the alien had been repairing.
"Haverson!" Cortana cried.
The other Engineer turned and squealed—then a blinking light on the broken display captured its attention and it returned to its work, oblivious.
Haverson knelt by the dead Engineer and holstered his gun. "I had no other choice," hewhispered. He touched the creature's odd, slick skin. Its color faded from a faint pink to a cold gray.
He dragged it to the escape hatch, opened it, and placed the body in the corridor. He paused, and went back to fold its tenta.cles over its body. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it.""Why was that necessary?" Cortana demanded.
Haverson stood, wiped his hands on his slacks, and sealed the escape hatch access. "I'msurprised you even have to ask, Cor.tana." He heard the anger in his voice. He checkedhis rising ire.
ERIC NYLUND 97He wasn't mad at Cortana; he was mad at himself—furious be.cause of the ugly necessityof his act.
"The Covenant are imitative—not innovative," he said. "The Engineer you ordered torepair the Chief's armor just got a first.hand look at our shield technology, a technology we stole from the Covenant and improved upon. If it somehow managed to re.join theCovenant, that improved technology would be theirs. How would you like to see thattechnology manifest as better personal shields for their Elite warriors? Or on theirwarships?"Cortana was silent.
"Corporal Locklear was right," Haverson muttered. "I really hate this shit, too.""I understand," Cortana finally replied, but her voice was so cold it could have frozen helium.
Haverson sighed and looked at his hands. The Engineer's blood tattooed his skin with tinypinpoints of blue-black. "Do you think that the Master Chief will find what he's reallylooking for on Reach?""What do you mean 'really looking for'?" Cortana said. Her voice was still frosty, butcuriosity thawed her tone.
"I mean the other Spartans." Haverson gave a short laugh. "True, his argument to go toReach was valid—we wouldn't be going otherwise. But that's not what he's after. He sent his team down to the surface of Reach... sent them to their deaths. What commander wouldn't go back? And what commander wouldn't hope that they were alive? No matter what the odds?"