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54
HALO: FIRST STRIKE
"Orbital exit burn in ten seconds," Polaski said.
"Dog the rest of that," the Chief told Locklear. "And brace
yourself."
Locklear secured the collection of weapons and ordnance in a
duffel bag, looped it around his neck, and then found a hand-
hold. Sergeant Johnson leaned against the cryopods. The Master
Chief grabbed the bulkhead.
"Releasing Pelican," Polaski said. There was a thump from
beneath the hull. "Pelican away."
"Pelican autopilot programmed," Cortana said.
"Moray mines attached and armed," Haverson added.
Polaski said, "Exit burn in three... two... one. Burn!"
The Longsword's engine roared to life, the hull creaked with
stress, and everyone leaned against the acceleration.
The Pelican pulled ahead, rounded the horizon of the moon
first, and arced back into the debris field. As the Longsword fol-
lowed, the light struck the surface of the moon just right and the
Chief saw meteors rain upon the planetoid, leaving craters and
tiny puffs of dust as they impacted.
Polaski snapped the display port camera centered on the
Covenant cruisers. "They were waiting for us," she cried. "Eva-
sive maneuvers." The Pelican rolled to starboard. "Accelerating
to the flagsh—"
The flagship was close. Too close. It must have anticipated
their orbital trajectory. But it hadn't counted on them turning
straight toward it. If they hadn't, the flagship would have been in a
perfect perpendicular firing position.
"Pelican now two hundred kilometers in the lead," Polaski
said.
The bulky craft drew fire from the cruisers. Smoke trailed
from its hull, and bits of the empty ship were vaporized.
"Mines away," Haverson announced. "Plugging coordinates
and trajectories into NAV, Polaski. Don't run them over."
"Roger," she said. "Hang on—we're going in."
"I hate this crap," Locklear muttered. "Ships shooting each
other, fire so thick you could walk on it to the LZ, and me sittin'
here not able to do a damn thing but hang on and wonder when
I'm going to get blown up."