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102
HALO: FIRST STRIKE
justified because of the value of the intel. Still, if they wanted to
crucify him, all they had to do was check the time logged on his
Prowler's engines and do the math.
Hood waved his hand. "That's hardly the issue."
"I think it is," Ackerson snapped. "Reach is gone. There's
nothing between Earth and the Covenant now except a lot of
vacuum—that and whatever secrecy we can preserve."
"We'll review Section Three's practices later, Colonel." Ad-
miral Hood turned to Wagner. "I've read your report, Lieu-
tenant. It is extremely detailed, but I want to hear it from you.
What did you see? Are there any details you thought too sensi-
tive to include in your report? Tell me everything."
Wagner took in a deep breath. He had prepared for this and
he related, as best he could, how the Covenant ships appeared
in the system, the valiant efforts of the UNSC fleet defending
Reach, how they failed and were systematically destroyed.
"When the Covenant slipped onto the surface of Reach with
their tactical forces and took out the orbital-gun generators—
that was the end. Well, I saw only the start of the end. They
glassed the planet, starting with the poles."
Wagner, who'd two years ago had a third of his body burned
by Covenant plasma and not once screamed or shed a tear,
paused and blinked away the moisture blurring his vision. "I
trained at the Naval Academy on Reach, sir. It was the closest
thing I had to a home in the Outer Colonies."
Hood nodded sympathetically.
Ackerson snorted. He pushed away from the table, got up, and
moved to Wagner's side. "Save the sentimentality, Lieutenant.
You say they glassed Reach. Everything?"
Wagner detected anticipation in the Colonel's tone—as if he
wanted the Covenant to have destroyed Reach.
"Sir," Wagner replied. "Before I jumped to Slipspace, I wit-
nessed the poles destroyed, and approximately two thirds of the
planet's surface was on fire."
Ackerson nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. "So
everyone on Reach is gone, then. Vice Admiral Whitcomb. Doc-
tor Halsey, too." He nodded and added, "Such a tremendous
waste." There was no sympathy in his voice.
"I could only speculate, sir."