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ERIC NYLUNO
265
of his mustache. "We wouldn't be able to outrun that Covenant
cruiser even if we had full power. Our only chance is to take
them out before they take us out. Launch those Clarion spy
drones, Chief. Target the region abeam that planetoid—so we
can see around the corner."
The Master Chief kept one eye on the fluctuating magnetic
field strengths of the superconducting coils as he programmed a
course for the spy drones. Set to either side of the large asteroid,
they'd effectively give them another set of eyes to see past the
obstructing rock.
"Drones away," the Chief said and launched them; their feath-
ery propellant trails vanished into the distance.
"Cortana," Admiral Whitcomb said, "slave your targeting sys-
tem to the feed from those drones. I want a clean shot fired before
the cruiser crosses that rock's shadow and shoots at us."
"Working," she replied. "Getting magnetic field variations
from the Ascendant Justice-to-Gettysburg energy transfer."
"Drones in position and images online," the Master Chief said
and pushed the video feed to the forward screen.
Doubled images of the Covenant cruiser appeared. Along its
three bulbous sections, lateral plasma conduits glowed and every
turret bristled with energy, ready to fire. Their laser batteries oblit-
erated the large asteroids in their path, while the smaller ones sim-
ply bounced off their shields. The warship accelerated as it entered
the gravitational influence of the planetoid between them.
"They're going to slingshot around," the Admiral said. "Cor-
tana, give me your best targeting solution and fire at will!"
Cortana narrowed her eyes and calculations flashed across her
body. "Extrapolating their course and speed," she breathed. "I
got them."
On Weapons Station One the Master Chief saw the accelera-
tion coils of the Gettysburg's MAC pulse—then redline with
power. Magnetic field lines ballooned, overlapped, and distorted
asymmetrically. Static washed across his MJOLNIR armor's
shields, and every electrically conducting surface on the bridge
sparked as the magnetic lines of force penetrated through the
ship and toward the turret on Ascendant Justice.
Their only working turret heated, and plasma gathered at its