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ERIC NYLUND
The Pelican's aft section had been stripped of the padded
crash seats that usually lined the section's port and starboard
sides. The life-support generators on the firewall between pas-
senger and pilot's compartment had also been discarded to make
room. Under other circumstances, such modifications would
have left the Pelican's troop bay unusually cavernous. Every
square centimeter of space, however, was occupied.
Twenty-seven Spartans braced themselves and clung to the
frame of the ship; they crouched in their MJOLNIR armor to ab-
sorb the shock of their rapid descent. Their armor was half a ton
of black alloy, faintly luminous green ceramic plates, and wink-
ing energy shield emitters. Polarized visors and full helmets made
them look part Greek hero and part tank—more machine than
human. At their feet equipment bags and ammunition boxes
were lashed in place. Everything rattled as the ship jostled
through the increasingly dense air.
Fred hit the COM and barked: "Brace yourselves!" The ship
lurched, and he struggled to keep his footing.
SPARTAN-087, Kelly, moved nearer and opened a frequency.
"Chief, we'll get that COM malfunction squared away after we
hit planetside," she said.
Fred winced when he realized that he'd just broadcast on
FLEETCOM 7: He'd spammed every ship in range. Damn it.
He opened a private channel to Kelly. "Thanks," he said. Her
reply was a subtle nod.
He knew better than to make such a simple mistake—and as
his second in command, Kelly was rattled by his mistake with
the COM, too. He needed her rock-solid. He needed all of Red
Team frosty and wired tight.
Which meant that he needed to make sure he held it together.
No more mistakes.
He checked the squad's biomonitors. They showed all green
on his heads-up display, with pulse rates only marginally accel-
erated. The dropship's pilot was a different story. Mitchell's
heart fired like an assault rifle.
Any problems with Red Team weren't physical; the biomoni-
tors confirmed that much. Spartans were used to tough missions;
UNSC High Command never sent them on any "easy" jobs.