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216
HALO: FIRST STRIKE
As the blast door lowered, the Chief saw another fireball spill
across their port side. Energy sprayed across the bow in a blood
red borealis. Ascendant Justice's shields flickered and faded...
but they held. Barely.
The launch bay door touched the deck and sealed with a sub-
sonic thud.
"Blast door locked and secured," Cortana announced.
"Let's get this boat under way," Admiral Whitcomb barked.
"While we still have a boat." He looked around and frowned.
"Chief, lead the way to the bridge."
"Yes, sir." He marched to the passage that led deeper into the
alien ship. His Spartans and the rest of the crew followed.
Admiral Whitcomb turned to Dr. Halsey. "Catherine, explain
in layman's terms just what the hell is going on here. If we
can see those cruisers and they can see us, why aren't our shots
connecting?"
Ascendant Justice rolled to port, and explosions chained over-
head. The artificial gravity fluttered, and the deck tilted. The
crew stumbled, and Dr. Halsey fell to the deck.
"Turrets one and seven destroyed," Cortana announced.
Whitcomb helped Dr. Halsey up off her knees. She glanced
nervously up and down the passage. "I'd guess the alien artifact
we've brought with us into Slipspace has expanded the region.
Physicists believe Slipstream space is a highly compressed ver-
sion of normal space, layered over and under itself, like a ball
of yarn. Now, imagine that our ball of yarn"—she interlaced her
ringers—"is looped and knotted. These threads are not solid,
however; plasma, light, and matter jump from one thread to an-
other given the slightest quantum fluctuation."
"If that's the case, Doctor," Lieutenant Haverson said, "then
what about our ship? Why aren't we tangled and spread along a
trillion alternate spatial pathways?"
"Because of the mass of this ship." She pushed her glasses
higher onto her nose. "Imagine a rumpled sheet that represents
this space. If you set a heavy mass upon that sheet, it draws it
taut, smooths it out."
The Chief came to the heavy bulkhead door and held up his
hand, telling the rest of them to halt. He opened the door and