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ERIC NYLUND
259
skirt, and Jiles gently slid the chair under her. He offered her a
plate of plump strawberries, 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," Admiral
Whitcomb said. "The clock'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 over one of the chair's arms and laced
his hands behind his head. "You have my complete and full at-
tention, Admiral."
"Good," Whitcomb said, frowning at Jiles's disregard for the
seriousness of their predicament.
Admiral Whitcomb laid it out for him in short,
easy-to-understand sentences: the fall of 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.
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 tightened into 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 yield quite a profit...
provided the Covenant let you live long enough to cash in."
The Admiral grabbed a decanter, poured a glass of wine, took