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ERIC NYLUND
75
slippery with blood. Finally he twisted the Elite to the right and
launched a powerful open-handed strike into the alien's wounded
chest.
The Elite howled in pain and flew back, through the open
hatch of an escape pod.
"Get off this ship," the Chief said. He hit a control stud and the
hatch slammed shut. There was a sharp, metallic bang as the
locking clamps released. The pod screamed away from the hull.
The Chief exhaled. Sweat dripped in his eyes, momentarily
blurring his vision.
"Good work, Sergeant, Locklear," he panted. His shoulder
burned. He tried to move it, but it was stiff and wouldn't respond.
The ship lurched.
"Plasma impact on the starboard foredeck!" Cortana called
out. "Shields down to sixty-seven percent." She paused and then
added, "Amazing radiative properties. Chief, you need to disable
the navigation override so I can maneuver."
Haverson and Polaski strode toward the Chief. Haverson
clutched his chest and grimaced in pain from the sword wound.
Polaski set her hand on the Master Chief's shoulder. "That's bad,"
she whispered. "Let me get a first-aid kit from the Pelican, and—"
The Chief shrugged off her touch. "Later." He saw her con-
cerned expression melt into one of... what? Fear? Confusion?
"Cortana, show me what to do," the Chief said and made his
way to the raised platform in the center of the bridge. "Polaski,
you and Haverson get that other hatch open."
"Aye aye," Polaski muttered, her voice tight. She and Haver-
son went to the hatch and got to work.
The Master Chief glanced at the control surfaces. As his hand
hovered over them, the flat controls rose and became a
three-dimensional web of the distinctive Covenant calligraphy.
"Where?" he asked.
"Move your hand to the right half a meter," Cortana said. "Up
twenty centimeters. That control. No, to the left." She sighed.
"That one. Tap it three times."
Faint lights traced the surface as the Chief touched it; they
flared red and orange and finally cooled to brilliant blue.
"It worked," Cortana said. "NAV controls coming online. I
can finally move this crate. Hang on."