0440 hours, September 13,2552 (revised date, Military Calendar)Aboard hybrid vesselAscendant Justice-Gettysburg, station-keeping in Eridanus system.

Time was running out.

Dr. Halsey could feel the Covenant nearly upon them and her window of opportunityshrinking to a pinpoint. Only a few more things to take care of before she could go—before she started something she couldn't stop.

Someone approached the clean room, heavy footfalls that could only be a Spartan inMJOLNIR armor. Kelly appeared and waved from the other side of the glass partition thatseparated the clean room from the rest of Medical Four. Dr. Halsey buzzed her in.

"Reporting for treatment, Doctor," she said.

Kelly hesitated a moment as she glanced about at the unsterile environment the doctorhad been working in: Styrofoam cups littered the surgical instrument trays, thermalprintout paper curled from the biomonitors—and  the radiation-emitting crystal they hadfound on Reach sat on a nearby instrument tray.

"I thought that crystal was in the reactor room," Kelly said. "Behind plenty of radiationshielding.""It's perfectly safe," Dr. Halsey said, "as long as we're in nor.mal space." She picked upthe crystal and slipped it carelessly into her lab coat pocket.

"Lie down please, Kelly." The doctor gestured to the con.toured treatment chair. "Just afew more injections and we're done with your burn therapy."Kelly sighed and eased herself onto the reclined chair.

ERIC NYLUND273Dr. Halsey removed a cloth covering a pair of injectors. She clicked them into the ports onKelly's MJOLNIR armor ports that threaded directly into her subclavian and femoralveins. "Keep doing your ph sical therapy, and  the dermacortic steroids will remove mostof the scarring and restore yyyour full mobility within another week," she explained.

"A week?" Kelly growled and struggled to rise. "Doctor, I need to be one hundred percentASAP. The Chief has a mission—"Dr. Halsey activated the injectors, and they hissed their con.tents into Kelly's body. Sherelaxed and slumped back on the ta.ble, unconscious.

"No, Kelly," Dr. Halsey whispered. "You're not going on the Chief's mission. You're goingon mine."The sedative in her bloodstream would knock out an ODST in peak condition for thebetter part of a day. Halsey estimated that Kelly would be unconscious for a little morethan two hours. By that time they'd both be far  enough along that there'd be no turn.ingback.

Dr. Halsey swiveled one of the displays to face her. She exe.cuted the memory-erasecommand—wiping clean Cor'tanas recollection of the research they had done on old ONIlockdown codes. She folded the printout of their results and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Cortana?""Yes, Doctor?" she replied. Her voice through the room's speakers sounded distracted.

"Locate Corporal Locklear and have him report immediately, please.""Done, Doctor Halsey.""Thank you, Cortana. That will be all." She added in a whisper so low that only she heard:

"Take good care of them all for me."Dr. Halsey adjusted the examination table so it lay flat, and then loaded medical suppliesand equipment onto its undercar.riage. She placed a bag with four submachine guns andsixteen full clips of ammunition on top of the supplies.

She found a lukewarm cup of stale coffee and gulped it down to the dregs.

Corporal Locklear appeared at the open entrance to the prep room. "Hey, Doc. Cortanasaid you needed me?" he said tersely.

274HALO: FIRST STRIKEHe smoothed his hand over his shaved head. "I'm kind of busy right now, so if this canwait—""Whatever you're doing," Dr. Halsey told him, "this is more important." She nodded toKelly's prone form. "I need your help getting SPARTAN-087 to the launch bay.""Is she okay?" he asked and took a step toward her.

"She's fine, but I have to transfer her to the asteroid base. They have a piece of equipmentnecessary to complete her treatment."Locklear appeared unconvinced. "But I just saw her—""She's fine," Dr. Halsey assured him. "Just sedated. This pro.cedure is... unpleasant, evenfor a Spartan."Locklear looked into Dr. Halsey's eyes and then nodded, ac.cepting this explanation. Hemoved the head of the table and wheeled it through the doors, the med bay, and out intothe wait.ing elevator.

Dr. Halsey followed on his heels.

When the elevator doors closed, she turned to the Corporal. "Your hand, please."He looked puzzled but held out his hand.

Dr. Halsey took it and turned it palm-up. She set the long, lu.minous blue artifact in hisgrasp. The light emitted by the alien artifact shone onto their faces and made the interiorof the eleva.tor colder. "This is what the  Covenant so desperately want. They tore upReach to get it. They followed us into Slipspace. And Po-laski died protecting this thing."She watched Locklear carefully, gauging his reaction, and saw that he pulled away slightlyat this last remark; it had hit home.

"And what the hell am I supposed to do with it?""Keep it safe," she told him. "Guard it with your life, because if the Covenant ever get it,they'll be able to jump through Slipspace a hundred times faster than they can now. Doyou understand?"Locklear closed his large fist around the crystal. "Not really, Doc. But I can take care of it." He paused and wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "But why me? Why not ask one ofyour Spartans?"" 'My' Spartans," Dr. Halsey replied in a whisper, "could be ordered to hand it over toLieutenant Haverson. And he'd riskERIC NYLUND275etting it back to ONI Section Three—even if he had to gamble that the Covenant mightggget it."Locklear snorted. "Well, as much as I don't like El-Tee White-bread, I'd hand it over ifordered, too. What's the big deal, any.way? We're almost home.""Almost," Dr. Halsey repeated, and she gave him a slight smile. "But the moment youjump, this crystal emits radiation like a signal flare. The Covenant will find this ship ... andmaybe this time they'll win the battle in  Slipspace."Locklear grimaced.

She held his steely gaze a moment and then finally let go of his hand. "So I know you'll dowhatever it takes to prevent this object from falling into enemy hands."He nodded grimly. "I read you, Doc. Loud and clear." There was a hint of respect in hisvoice. "I know what I have to do ... count on it.""Good," she said.

The elevator doors parted. Locklear stuffed the crystal into his ammunition vest, andLocklear wheeled the table into the Gettysburg's launch bay. "Where do you want her?"The bay was a beehive of activity: A hundred of Governor Jiles's crew jogged to and from passages carrying data pad schematics and field multiscanners; robotic dollies carried fatArcher missiles, spiderlike Antilon mines,  and slender pods of deuterium fuel for theGettysburg's auxiliary reactors; three Longsword fighter craft were being repaired;exoskeletons thud.ded along the deck, carrying plates of titanium and welding them inplace.

"There," Dr. Halsey told Locklear. "Take her to that ship." She pointed to Governor Jiles'sChiroptera-class vessel. It sat on the deck looking like a sleeping bat. Its oddly angledstealth sur.faces blended into the shadows.

Locklear shrugged and pushed the loaded gurney.

Dr. Halsey halted by the ship's port hatch. It was sealed so tightly that no seam could bediscerned.

She retrieved the thermal printout from her coat and rechecked its contents. She then touched a recessed button on the hull, and a tiny plate slid aside revealing an alphanumeric keyboard. Dr. Halsey typed in a long  string and pressed ENTER.

276HALO: FIRST STRIKEThe hatch parted with a hiss.

She smiled. "Not even Cortana could crack their crypto, in.deed." She waved Locklear inside.

Locklear obliged her and pushed the gurney into the ship. Dr. Halsey followed, securedthe examination table, and escorted Locklear outside. She turned and headed back into the vessel.

He started back toward the elevator, then halted. "Doc, when we were talking... you saidwhen 'you'jump to Slipspace. You meant when 'we'jump to Slipspace, didn't you?"Dr. Halsey locked eyes with him for a moment. Then she touched a button inside the ship,and the hatch hissed closed be.tween them.

The Master Chief stepped off the elevator and onto the bridge of the Gettysburg.Lieutenant Haverson and Admiral Whitcomb stared at the displays at Weapons Station One and Engineering.

"Sirs," the Chief said.

The Admiral waved him forward without bothering to look up.

The Chief had two tasks. First, he would inform the Admiral of his first-strike mission plan. He had to convince him there was no risk to their primary goal of returning to Earth—and a huge payoff if they succeeded. The  only thing Admiral Whitcomb might object towas the high risk to his team.

The Chief's second task would be more difficult. He touched the belt pouch containing Dr.Halsey's data crystals. One was her analysis of the Flood infection mechanism and apossible way to block it. The second data  crystal contained the source files of thatdiscovery, and according to Dr. Halsey it would lead to Sergeant Johnson's undignified,and unnecessary, death.

And yet, if it gave Section Three a better chance to stop the Floods—if indeed that threathad any meaning after the destruc.tion of Halo—maybe it was worth one man's life.Maybe if Sergeant Johnson knew, he'd  volunteer.

The Chief's duty was clear: He had to hand over all files to the Lieutenant—but deep down, he had to admit that it didn't feel right.

"Cortana." Admiral Whitcomb crossed his arms over his bar.rel chest. "Give me an update on our power."Cortana's tiny image flickered to life on the holopad near theERIC NYLUND277NAV station. She crossed her arms over her chest much as he had, and minute redsymbols raced over her glowing lavender skin. "Status is nearly identical to my last reportfive minutes ago, Admiral. Tests on Ascendant  Justice's reactor and the Get.tysburg'sengines are in synch, and will be completed in forty minutes.""Hurry," the Admiral growled. "I don't want to get stuck with.out power when unfriendlies show up. I want to get under way to Earth. Weapons status?""Aye, sir," Cortana said. "Plasma turret one is obliterated; no possibility of repair. Plasma turrets two, three, and four are re.paired, and although I'm waiting for power to testthem, I have run three hundred twelve virtual  test-firings without incident. Turrets five,six, and seven, however, require parts Governor Jiles does not have in his inventory. Two Archer missile pods on the Gettysburg have been refilled. That gives us sixteen missiles  hot and ready to go, sir.""I'd like to know where Jiles go"t those missiles,Lieutenant Haverson muttered. "They'reUNSC military contraband.""He is zpirate, Lieutenant," Cortana said.

"Good work," the Admiral told Cortana. "Keep me posted." He turned toward the Chief."You had something, Master Chief?"Before the Master Chief could speak his mind, Haverson said, "Admiral." He pointed at theforward screens and at the Chiroptera-class ship accelerating away from the Gettysburg'slaunch bay. "I thought Jiles was staying  on board to oversee repairs.""So did I," the Admiral said. "Cortana, did you catch Jiles leaving on surveillance?""No, sir, but you might be interested in this." On the screen a grainy video appeared ofLocklear, Dr. Halsey, and a Spartan on a gurney boarding the ship. "Locklear left them atthe ship, sir. Doctor Halsey and SPARTAN- 087 departed.""Cortana," the Admiral barked. "Hail that ship. Now.""Hailing."Governor Jiles appeared on forward screen number one. "Ad.miral," he said with anervous smile. "I just saw my ship leave the launch bay. Perhaps you can explain why you commandeered278HALO: FIRST STRIKEmy personal property when I have showed nothing but good faith in this—""Hold on to your shirttail, Governor," Admiral Whitcomb snapped. "I'm in the middle offinding out who took your ship and what precisely is going on. Cortana, any response toour hail?""An automated code, sir," she said. Her mouth opened in as.tonishment. "UNSC CodeThree-Nine-Two.""Three-Nine-Two?" the Admiral asked. He stared into space, trying to recall the obscure code.

The Master Chief cleared his throat and told him, "Admiral, that is an official'nonresponse' code, sir. Special Warfare teams use it to ignore hails... due to a higher-priority mission.""God damn it." The Admiral's face flushed, and he ground his teeth. "You mean the goodOn the forward screen the Chiroptera, its batlike wings nearly invisible against the black doctor just told me to go to the of space, accelerated in a sudden burst. Pinpoints of light appeared around the craft thatelongated  and smeared. The ship vanished.

"A Slipspace transition," Cortana said.

"I thought you told me," the Admiral said, slowly turning on Haverson, "that that ship was locked down. That vital compo.nents were removed when it was decommissioned. That............