1930 hours, September 12,2552 (revised date, Military Calendar)\Captured Covenant flagship Ascendant Justice, in Slipspace en route to Eridanus system.
Black space churned with pinpricks of light; it split, and the Gettysburg-Ascendant Justiceappeared in the Eridanus system.
The Master Chief stood on the Gettysburg's bridge. He'd wanted to be on the medical deckwhen Dr. Halsey had finished with Linda, be there when she woke up ... or be there in case she never woke up. But he had to be here; this was his idea, and he was the closest thingthey had to an expert on this place.
"Systems check," Admiral Whitcomb ordered.
Lieutenant Haverson leaned over the ops console and flicked through several screens."Residual radiation fading," he said. "Navigation systems and scanners coming backonline."Fred stood at the Engineering station and reported, "Reactors at sixty percent. Slighthysteresis leak in coil ten. Compensating.""Plasma?" the Admiral asked as he settled into the Captain's chair.
Cortana's ghostly image flickered onto the holographic pad next to the star chart.
"We can fire only one turret," she replied, and a wash of red flashed across her image then cooled to its normal deep blue. "The other two functional turrets are offline; theirmagnetic coils refuse to align. It might be a side effect of the artifact's radiation.""One shot..." the Admiral muttered. He tugged on the end of his mustache and sighed."Then we'll just have to make it count." He turned to the Master Chief. "Lead the way,son."ERIC NYLUND251The Master Chief stared at the three large monitors that had replaced the bridge'sobservation windows. Eridanus blazed in the center of one display; stars shone with asteady brilliance. "Move us one-point-five astronomical units relative to the sun," he said."Heading zero-nine-zero by zero-four-five.""Destination one-point-five AU," Haverson said. "Heading confirmed. Coming about.""Plot an elliptical course parallel to the plane of the asteroid belt," the Master Chief added."Cortana, scan for asteroids ap.proximately two kilometers in diameter.""Scanning," she said. "This might take some time. There are more than a billion movingobjects, some of them in deep shadow.""Tell me again about your old "mission,Admiral Whitcomb said. "You and the otherSpartans were here before?""Yes, sir," the Chief replied. "Myself, Fred, Linda, Kelly, and Sam. It was the Spartans' firstreal mission: an infiltration into a rebel base. We captured their leader and got him to ONIfor debriefing.""I didn't even know the Spartans were around in 2525," Lieu.tenant Haverson said.
"Yes, sir," Fred answered. "We just didn't have MJOLNIR ar.mor or the advancedweaponry we have today. We looked like any other NavSpecWar team.""I very much doubt that," Haverson said under his breath.
The Admiral raised one bushy eyebrow. "You mean five peo.ple made a zero-gee vacuuminfiltration onto this space station? And then exfiltrated with a prisoner who happened tobe the guy in charge of the place?""Yes, sir. That was the basic plan.""I suppose it went off without a hitch?"The Master Chief was silent for a moment as he remembered the dozens of dead peoplethey had left behind on that base ... and he felt a pang of regret. At the time he hadn'tthought twice about removing any obstacle that would have compromised his mission,human or otherwise. Now, after fighting for humanity for two decades, he wondered if hecould shoot another human without a good reason.
252HALO: FIRST STRIKE"No, sir," the Master Chief finally replied. "There were enemy casualties. And we had toblow their cargo bay to escape.""So," the Admiral said, tapping his fingers on the arm of the Captain's chair, "they're notgoing to be happy to see a UNSC ship knocking on their front door?""I wouldn't expect so, sir.""Faint emissions on the D-band detected," Cortana said. "Come about to new headingthree-three-zero.""Aye," Haverson said. "Three-three-zero.""It's gone, now," she said, "but I definitely heard something""Keep on this course," Admiral Whitcomb ordered. "We'll run it down.""There's one thing I don't understand," Haverson said as he squinted at the forwarddisplays. "Why are these peop"le even here?
"Pirates and insurgents," the Admiral answered. "They hijack UNSC ships, sell arms, and trade black market commodities. You're probably too young to remember, Lieutenant,but before the Covenant War not everyone wanted to be part of an Earth-ruledgovernment.""Rebels?" Haverson said. "I've read about them. But why con.tinue to stay separatedfrom UNSC forces when the Covenant War started? Surely their chances of survival wouldbe better with us?"The Admiral snorted a derisive laugh. "Some people didn't want to fight, son. Some justwanted to hide... in this case, liter.ally under a rock. Maybe they think the Covenant won'tbother with 'em." A smile flickered across his face. "Well, we're about to change all thatfor them."The elevator doors parted, and Dr. Halsey stepped onto the bridge. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She looked to the Master Chief as if she had just retimedfrom an in.tense fight—fatigued and shocked. He noticed a single drop of blood on thelapel of her wrinkled white lab coat.
"She's fine," Dr. Halsey whispered. "Linda will make it. The flash-cloned organs took."The Master Chief exhaled the breath he had been uncon.sciously holding. He glancedover to Fred, who nodded to him. John nodded back. There were no words to express how he felt.
ERIC NYLUND253One of his closest teammates, his friend, someone he had thought dead... was alive again.
"Thank you, Doctor Halsey," he said.
She waved her hand dismissively, and there was a strange look in her eyes—almost as ifshe had regretted the success of her operation.
"Damn good news," Admiral Whitcomb said. "We could use another hand on deck.""Hardly," Dr. Halsey replied, suddenly looking much more alert. "She'll need at least aweek to recover—even with the bio-foam and steroid accelerants I have her on. Then she'll barely be able to get on her feet. She won't be combat-ready."Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice moved into the plane of the as.teroid belt, and three rocksappeared on the screens.
"This region is the source of the D-band signal," Cortana told them. "There are three possible candidates based on the size pa.rameters you gave me, Chief.""Which one is it?" the Admiral asked.
"Only one is rotating fast enough to generate a three-quarter-gravity internalenvironment," Cortana replied.
"That's it," the Master Chief replied and nodded toward the central display. The rockhadn't changed much in the last twenty years. Was it possible the place had been abandoned? The D-band transmission that Cortana detected could have been an automated signal, weak from years of drain on a single battery ... or the lure for a trap.
"Admiral?""I know, Chief," he said. "They've baited the hook and we're taking it... at least that's whatit's supposed to look like." He chuckled. "Cortana, power up every turret on our Covenant flagship."Her holographic body flushed blue-green and she crossed her arms. "Let me remind you,sir, that of the three working turrets, two are offline. I have no way to aim the plasma. The magnetic—""I know, Cortana. But they"—the Admiral stabbed a finger at the displays—"don't know that.""Yes, sir," she said. "Heating them up now.""Power dropping," Fred warned the Admiral as he peered at the Engineering screens."Down to forty-four percent."254HALO: FIRST STRIKE"Lieutenant Haverson," the Admiral barked, "open a channel on the D-band. It's time we introduced ourselves.""Aye, sir. Frequency matched and channel open."The Admiral stood. "This is the UNSC frigate Gettysburg" he barked, his voice full ofauthority and colored with his Texas ac.cent. "Respond." And then he reluctantly added,"Please."Static filled the COM. The Admiral waited patiently for ten seconds, and then his bootstarted to tap on the deck. "No need to play possum, boys. We're not here for a fight. Wewant to—"He made a sudden throat-slitting motion toward Haverson, and the Lieutenant snappedoff the COM.
Tiny doors appeared in the two-kilometer-wide rock; from this distance they looked no larger than the pores on an orange. A fleet of ships launched, using the asteroid'srotational motion to give their velocities a boost. There were approximately fifty craft:Pelicans modified with extra armor and chainguns mounted on their hulls; sleek civilian pleasure craft carrying missiles as large as themselves; single-man engineering pods thatsputtered with arc cutters; and one ship that was fifty meters long with oddly angledblack stealth surfaces.
"That's a Chiroptera-class vessel," Haverson said, awed. "It's an antique. ONIdecommissioned them all forty years ago and sold them for scrap.""Is it a threat?" the Admiral asked.
Lieutenant Haverson's forehead wrinkled as he considered. "No, sir. They were decommissioned because they broke down every other mission. They had far too many sensitive components without a central controlling AI. The only reason I recall them at allis that they had the smallest operational Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine ever produced. No weapons systems, sir. Like I said, it's not a threat... it's a museum piece.""But it has Slipspace capability?" Dr. Halsey asked. "Maybe we can use it to get to Earth.""Unlikely," Haverson replied. "All Chiroptera-class vessels were decommissioned by ONI—critical components removed and the ships' operating systems locked down so tight Idoubt even Cortana could reactivate them.""I wouldn't bet on it," Cortana muttered.
ERIC NYLUND255"No weapons," the Admiral said and stared at the blocky ge.ometry of the black ship."That's all I need to know.""Their 'fleet,' " Fred interjected, "is deploying and taking up positions around us in a widearc. Classic formation. They'll flank us.""There's no real threat from these ships," the Admiral said to himself. "They have to know we know that. So why bother w"ith this show?He scowled at the displays, and his eyes widened. "Cortana, scan the nearby rocks for radioactive emissions.""Receiving video feed," Fred announced.
The image of a man flickered on forward screen three. He was clearly a civilian, with long black hair drawn back into a ponytail and a pointed beard extending a full ten centimeters from his chin. He smiled and made an elegant bow. The Chief, for some reason he could not understand, took an instant dislike to him.
"Captain...," the man said in a smooth, resonant tenor voice. "I am Governor Jacob Jiles,leader of this port. What can we do for you?""First," Admiral Whitcomb said, "I am not a Captain; I am a Vice Admiral, the Deputy Chiefof Naval Operations. Second, you will order your fleet to reverse course and get out of my gun-sights before I forget my manners. And third, we insist that you make ready to let us dock on that rock of yours for emergency repairs and refit."Jiles considered these requests and then threw his head back and laughed. "Admiral, my sincere apologies for the confusion in your rank." He said this with a mocking grin. "As for your other requests, I'm afraid I can't accommodate you today.""And I respectfully suggest you reconsider, Mister Jiles," the Admiral said in a deadpan tone. "It would be unfortunate for all of us if I have to insist.""You're in no position to insist on anything." Jiles nodded to someone offscreen.
"Emissions detected!" Cortana said. "Neutron radiation spikes at seven by three o'clock.One by three o'clock. Picking up five more. They've got nukes.""Hidden in the asteroid field," Admiral Whitcomb muttered. "Very good. At least we're notdealing with fools.""Indeed. We are not fools," Jiles replied. "We have survived256HALO: FIRST STRIKEthe long arm of Imperial Earth and Covenant intrusions." Some.one off camera handedJiles a data pad with a radar silhouette of Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice; numbers andsymbols crawled alongside the picture. He hesitated and crinkled his nose, ap.pearingconfused at the odd configuration of mated craft. "We are also not foolish enough to use overwhelming force when it isn't required. Your 'ship' is ready to fall apart on its own. Ihardly think we need to waste one of our precious and expensive nuclear devices to stop you."Whitcomb set his hands on his hips. "You need to rethink the tactical situation,Governor," he growled. "Cortana, find me a target—a rock the same size as this 'gentleman's' base.""Done," she replied.
"Burn it," he ordered.
"Aye, sir!"A lance of plasma appeared on the starboard side of Ascen.dant Justice, cut throughspace, and blasted the surface of a three-kilometer-long stone tumbling through theasteroid belt. Its surface heated to orange, yellow, and then white, sputtering blobs ofmolten iron and jets of vapor that caused the massive stone to spin faster. The plasma cutthrough the rock in a wide arc—punched through the opposite side. The uneven internalheat caused the rock to fracture and explode into fragments. The debris pinwheeledaway, leaving helical trails of cooling iron and glittering metallic gas in its wake.
"Keep number two and three turrets hot," the Admiral said, "and target their base.""Done, sir."The mocking smile had vanished from Jiles's face and the color had drained from hisgolden skin. "Perhaps I was too hasty," he said. "Where are my manners? Please come aboard and join me as my honored guest. Bring your staff, too." He made a quick motion to his crew off camera.
The ships surrounding the Gettysburg turned and maneu.vered back toward the rotatingasteroid.
"Join me for dinner and we can discuss what you need. You have my word that no one willbe harmed."Admiral Whitcomb chuckled. "I have no doubt about that,ERIC NYLUND 257Mister Jiles." He turned to Cortana. "If we're not back in thirty minutes, blast them all tohell."The Master Chief linked mission telemetry with Cortana as Jiles's men met them in thelanding bay—six men dressed in black coveralls with old MA3 rifles slung over theirshoulders. They hesitated, then took tentative steps toward the Covenant dropship. The Chief didn't blame them—he'd have been careful, too, if he were moving toward an armedenemy vessel. One fear-induced pull of the trigger from any one of them, however, andthis greeting would turn into a bloody firefight.
He closed off his external speakers and asked, "Cortana: tacti.cal analysis."Cortana replied: "The asteroid is a typical ferric oxide composite. It's reinforced with alayer of Titanium-A armor. The armor is well camouflaged, but I spotted it with theGettysburg's deep radar. They have a few sections with ablative undercoats as well.Radar's bouncing off those sections—so would Covenant sensors. Impressive."Governor Jiles strolled across the deck, flipped his black fur cap over one shoulder, and shook Admiral Whitcomb's hand. Jiles nodded to Haverson. His smile vanished, however,when he looked at the Master Chief and Fred in their MJOLNIR armor. Jiles recovered hisgrin and bowed low to Dr. Halsey.
"There are half a dozen guards armed with old MA-3 rifles and concealed plasma pistols," Cortana whispered. "I'm also picking up a fireteam often in the side passages, watching.""I saw them," the Chief muttered. "They're overwatch and backup, just in case. No problem.""This way, please," Jiles said, and with a flourish he led them through a narrow corridor.
The Chief took one last look at the docking bay. It seemed smaller than he remembered it.Twenty years ago he and his team had blown off the external doors, stolen a Pelican,escaped, and left a dozen men dead on the deck.
His team had accomplished that mission without MJOLNIR armor. It hadn't been developed yet—so there was no way any.one here could have known that John and Fredwere part of the team that had extracted the last "governor" of the base, the258HALO: FIRST STRIKEtraitor Colonel Watts. Yet Jiles's guards glared at John as if they knew everything.
As the Master Chief stepped into the corridor, Cortana in.formed him: "This passage isfrom a UNSC cargo vessel, ripped out and reinforced with a bulkhead every ten meters.Airtight and tough. This place can take a lot of damage before buckling.""Good place for an ambush, too," the Master Chief said, and kept one eye on his motion tracker.
They were being followed. Three contacts behind them, and three ahead, keeping pace.
The Master Chief had an urge to step in front of the Admiral and Dr. Halsey and clear thepassage with a burst of fire. But this situation required diplomacy, something John was illsuited for. He wished the Admiral had taken John's suggestion to bring more Spartans with him. Or at least to have two of them infiltrate while the Admiral and this Jiles spoke.
They were led to a circular room. Half the far wall retracted, revealing thick red velvetcurtains, which also slowly pulled away and exposed the half-meter-thick windows thatoverlooked the asteroid field. Beyond was a gentle ballet of rocks tumbling, rotating, and bouncing off one another in slow motion.
Men carried in a long table, threw a white silk cloth over it, and smoothed it down. Then asuccession of women carried in silver trays heavy with fruit, steaming meats, andchocolates, and a dozen decanters sloshing with amber, ruby, and clear liquors.
Padded chairs were brought in for them all. "Please." Jiles motioned toward Dr. Halseyand he pulled out a chair for her. "Relax and sit down."The Master Chief took up a position by the door where he had a clear view of the entireroom. Fred made sure the corridor was empty and then sealed the door.
The Chief checked behind the curtains for hidden men, sur.veillance devices, or falsepassages.
"Cortana?" he whispered.
"Looks clear," she said. "I'm not detecting anything. Walls are half a meter of Titanium-A.""We're clear," the Master Chief told the Admiral.
Dr. Halsey finally sat in the proffered chair, smoothed herERIC NYLUND259skirt, and Jiles gently slid the chair under her. He offered her a plate of plumpstrawberries, which she graciously declined.
Haverson took one of the strawberries, however, and bit into it. "Delicious," he remarked.
Jiles inclined his head. "Our hydroponics facility—""With respect, Governor, there's no time for chitchat," Admi.ral Whitcomb said. "Theclock's ticking. In more ways than you might realize."Jiles sighed and sat in a chair covered in gold leaf and black velvet. He threw his legs overone of the chair's arms and laced his hands behind his head. "You have my complete andfull at.tention, Admiral.""Good," Whitcomb said, frowning at Jiles's disregard for the seriousness of theirAdmiral Whitcomb laid it out for him in short, easy-to-understand sentences: the fall of predicament.
Reach, the Covenant's search for an alien technology, the chase and battle in Slipspace,and the unclassifiable radiation that would lead the Covenant through Slipspace... to here.h for an alien technology, the chase and battle in Slipspace,and the unclassifiable radiation that would lead the Covenant through Slipspace... to here.
As he spoke, Governor Jiles set his feet onto the floor, and his relaxed position solidified.He leaned forward and set his elbows on the table. His congenial smile slowly tightenedinto a scowl.
"Bloody Elisa!" he shouted, jumped to his feet, and swept a decanter off the table. The glass shattered and ruby-colored brandy spattered across the hardwood.
John and Fred had Jiles instantly in their gunsights, but the Admiral held up his hand.
" 'Bloody Elisa'?" the Chief asked Cortana.
"The patron saint of vacuum," the AI replied. "She's popular among civilian pilots.""I'd guess," the Admiral told Jiles, "that we have less than a day before they find us.""And what," Jiles said slowly, controlling his anger, "do you suggest / do about it?""That's the simple part of all this, Governor. You can help us, or you can try to kill me and my crew, and sell our ships for whatever the black market will bear. They should yieldquite a profit... provided the Covenant let you live long enough to cash in."The Admiral grabbed a decanter, poured a glass of wine, took260HALO: FIRST STRIKEa sip, and nodded appreciatively. "Now, assuming you manage to outwit our ship's AI— which I very much doubt—and assum.ing further you somehow disable our ship'sweapons before our AI blows your base to atoms —which I also doubt—then you'll have a Covenant fleet to contend with. And I don't think they're going to be sociable, sit down,drink your wine, and discuss this like gentlemen."Jiles placed his face into his hand and rubbed his temples.
"Maybe you're thinking," the Admiral said, "that you've kept this operation of yours hidden this long. From the UNSC. From the Covenant. Why should this be any different?Well, we found you easily enough. I don't think the Covenant will blink at over.turning every rock in this asteroid belt to find you."Governor Jiles picked up a new bottle and filled a glass to the brim. He downed the drinkin one gulp. "And the other option?" he asked coldly. "I help you? And together we fightthe Cove.nant? If they come in the force you claim, what difference will it make?""If you help us," the Admiral said, "get my ship repaired so we can make the jump toEarth, I'll evacuate all your people. I promise you and your crew amnesty."Jiles laughed. His cordial smile returned, and he asked, "Do you have any proof of any ofthis? That the mighty Reach is gone? That you have a new alien technology? Or that theCove.nant are on their way here?""Chief!" Cortana cried in alarm. On his helmet's heads-up display, a schematic of theEridanus system appeared. A NAV marker flashed near the third planet. It expanded into the famil.iar curved radar silhouette of a Covenant cruiser.
"We have company," the Master Chief said. He strode to the window and pointed. "There."The blue glow of Covenant engines flared as the ship came about and accelerated towardthe asteroid belt.
"There's your proof, Governor," Admiral Whitcomb growled.