CHAPTER 02

0516 HOURS, 17 JANUARY 2546 (UNSC MILITARY CALENDAR)

HIGH ORBIT OVER PLANET HARVEST, EPSILON INDI SYSTEM

ON BOARD UNSC FLEET OF FOOT

"So, how long is the jump going to be?" David asked of no-one in particular.

"205 Zeta Indi is only two light-months away from Harvest- the jump's a really short one- maybe one or two hours at the outside," was Sierra's reply. When the room's other four occupants looked at her, she shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I spoke to the captain- as leaders of the operation, Edward and I had to report to the bridge first thing."

David nodded and checked his mission clock. It would be a while before they cleared Harvest's gravity well, and to wait through both the ascent and the Slipspace trip after that seemed a Herculean feat, even for Spartans. He'd trained for seven years on Harvest- woken up before the crack of dawn, given next to no time to prepare, thrown into bind after bind and expected to somehow get the best of the various obstacles in his way, be they the harsh weather, automated turrets firing rubber stun rounds, or all-too-angry drill instructors. He realized that he had come to expect situation after situation unfolding at a rapid pace- now, with nothing to look forward to for several hours, he wasn't sure what to do. He'd already triple-checked every single detail on his shotgun and the shells that were supposed to be loaded into it; his rifle stood in a corner, each of its magazines placed vertically one on top of the other with perfect precision when he'd attempted to alleviate his boredom. Yes, that was it, he thought. He was bored.

"Hey, has anyone seen Hayden?" he asked the room at large.

"What do you think?" came Logan's reply. "He's probably still laughing himself silly that we're taking those bike-things into space while Reaper gets a straight drop to the surface."

David shook his head. The Class-II Spartans were trained in almost every vehicle that could be conceivably piloted by Spartans, and somehow it had been decided that they would be introduced to a craft that they were not only untrained with, but totally unaware of. So be it. Adaptation was supposed to be human nature. Scavenger would fly as well as they could- but he didn't like it.

"I don't get that," Jacob said. "Couldn't we just T-pack over, or take drop pods?"

Sierra shook her head. "Unless you want to bounce off the shields trying to get in, I don't think so. The captain said some egghead would come down and brief us on our entry- supposedly they've got some special plan to get us into the ship."

"Yeah right," Jacob snorted. "Like a Gauss cannon would ever get through a destroyer's shields- even if we flew the damned things into the ship it wouldn't do anything."

From a lotus position on the floor of the room, Celia shrugged. "We could ask Hayden to try that out- not sure he'd mind committing suicide if he got to die while riding one of those things."

David smiled in spite of himself- not even Hayden was that reckless. Underneath the callous humor and never-ending defiance, Hayden could be counted on to come through for the rest of them. In seven years, not once had he abandoned them. He had always been there to assist and get the team out of trouble- in his own ways, of course. He wouldn't sacrifice his life if there was another less wasteful way of doing a job. Maybe that was why he was so unorthodox, David supposed. Maybe he simply thought of ways no-one had tried or accepted.

"What do you think, Two?" came Sierra's voice out of nowhere.

David shrugged noncommittally, and the rest of the team nodded in acceptance- his ambivalence was simply something they'd learned was a part of him, just like Hayden's tactics, and Jacob's perpetual attention to his sniper rifle, which he was now cleaning again for the third time that day. David was on the verge of asking the room a question again when Celia beat him to it.

"So what are we supposed to do once we get on the ship? Just start shooting?"

Sierra, now pacing the room like a restless cat, paused for a moment. "We're supposed to blow the main plasma reservoirs on the destroyer- without it; they've got no weapons and no fuel. We also have to knock out communications- that asteroid's not the only thing that could call for more ships. Captain said we should take out the bridge crew too, just in case they get any ideas."

"Why? It's not like they can kill us by venting the room- we've got internal pressure."

"Don't ask for trouble, Five- it'll find you soon enough."

"Yeah- like Elites can come up with new stuff. Covenant combat handbook- Rule One: Fight humans. Rule Two: If you can't beat 'em, glass 'em. I'm telling you, Sierra- they've got imaginations like rock crabs. Anyway, they'd doom half their crew if they vented the ship's atmosphere, and we'd be untouched."

"Unless they breached your suit, Cee," Logan countered. "How many times is someone gonna tell you the Chi Ceti story before you get it? This armor's good, but it's not perfect."

"Tell that to the guy who introduced us to the suit- I swear, the man sounded ready to marry it."

David joined the rest of the team in laughing. Although humor was a defense mechanism in Spartans, a way of shielding their emotions and keeping their minds keen, there were few occasions when it became an outlet for feeling rather than a screen. David sensed the irony of its double role, but didn't think too much of it- it was simply something he'd gotten used to.

Celia resumed her line of questioning. "So what do we use to take it out? I thought we only got one FENRIS."

Sierra nodded curtly. "We do- we're supposed to castrate the ship quietly with charges. No nukes- we don't want the Covies on the ground worrying until it's too late."

"So basically, keep Hayden in check until Reaper blows the coms?"

Sierra sighed. "In essence- yes."

None of them had heard the door hiss as it opened.

"You know, that really hurts, boss. I'm the only weak link in this chain?" Hayden leant against the door frame, spinning his helmet on one finger, and then catching it after several seconds. "And here I thought I was your ace-in-the-hole…"

"If we need to blow a planet up, you'll be the first one we call, Hayden- we promise."

"Aw, thanks Logan. You always were my favorite. Anyway, when's this guy supposed to arrive and show us how to break onto the Covenant ship?"

David frowned and turned to Hayden. "You heard that?"

Hayden grinned widely and ran an armored hand through his close-cropped hair. "I wish I had- awesome as our new rides are, even I know that a Gauss gun won't cut it against shields. So I figured someone would tell us the way in."

"Well, you're right for once, Six." Sierra glanced down at a readout; her mission clock, by David's guess. "He should be here right now, actually."

The door slid open once more, and Hayden vacated the door frame to allow the newcomer in. David assumed that a two-meter tall obstacle suddenly moving could only be a relief to the stranger, who the light now showed to be an operative from the Office of Naval Intelligence. The man was of moderate height- or at least he would be to non-Spartans- and wore a black uniform with a white-and-black insignia on his lapel. His close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair, iron-grey eyes and sharp features gave him the distinct appearance of having been carved from the ship's hull. When he spoke, Cole sensed an iron-fisted control in his voice; this man was obviously a master at masking- and displaying- emotion.

"Spartans," he said, "Captain Horner has ordered me to brief you on your upcoming mission before any potentially extenuating circumstances arise."

Before he could continue, a slight shudder announced the ship's entry into Slipstream space- arrival at 205 Zeta Indi was only a matter of time now.

The man in black continued. "As you have likely surmised, your booster frames do not have weaponry capable of breaching the destroyer's armor or shielding. As such, an alternate plan has been devised for your insertion. Yes?" he finished, seeing Hayden's hand was raised.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," Hayden started, "but could we get your name? Before you go on, of course."

The officer blinked twice in rapid succession before recovering. "Junior Lieutenant Alexander Graves. And I know who you are, Petty Officer Spartan Four-Oh-One. Hayden, isn't it?"

The Spartan smiled and inclined his head, but did not otherwise look impressed. Distraction over, Graves spoke again.

"Fleet of Foot will exit Slipspace approximately twenty-thousand kilometers from the asteroid and the orbiting Covenant ship will full stealth protocols enabled- the Covenant will know something's happened, but they won't know what caused it. Command believes it is highly unlikely that the destroyer will break orbit to investigate an invisible ship transitioning in-system, especially if it does not emit a Cherenkov radiation signature- we won't be carrying nukes. We are basing your insertion on the assumption that the Covenant ship will remain in orbit."

A small pit formed in the back of David's gut- assumptions created whole new avenues of possibility for things to go wrong. As Spartans, he and his team had to be prepared for anything- they did not 'assume'.

"As this ship does not have a launch bay of its own, you will leave via the mine deployment hatch- it is the only portage that will admit vehicles the size of your booster frames. The asteroids are both frequent and large enough to block sensor signals, so the scanners on the destroyer can only potentially pick you up at extreme short range. We can't assume that the Covenant will dismiss a sensor reading, even something as small as the six of you- relatively speaking," he said, taking note of the size of each of Scavenger's members.

"Strange as it sounds, the Covenant actually rotates the guard down on the asteroid. Every sixteen hours, three Spirit transports rotate a small portion of the troops stationed groundside for troops on board the destroyer- the Covenant lower the shields protecting the hangar bay to allow the Spirits in. That, Spartans, is your entry window."

David blinked. Then he spoke. "And we're supposed to 'assume' they won't blast us out of the vacuum as soon as we enter weapons range?"

Graves was not fazed in the slightest. "They will not fire on the Spirits, and as such the dropships will be the only things keeping you safe from heavy fire. Make the Spirits the nucleus of your flight path and you need not worry about the destroyer. But you must stay close to them. Move too far ahead and the shields will still be up. The destroyer can attack at leisure. Move too late and you'll fall behind- the shields will have been brought back up, and I don't need to tell you what happens if you miss that window."

All of Scavenger nodded. They didn't need telling.

Logan spoke before Graves could continue. "So when are the Spirits ascending to the destroyer? Is it possible we've already missed the window?"

Graves shook his head, his expression unchanged. "A Black Widow recon satellite has been transmitting rotation times for over a week now- we're dead certain, and we timed our jump from Harvest to fit the schedule. We're dropping into the system a full hour before the Spirits are supposed to move up to the orbiting ship- even accounting for timing anomalies thanks to our journey through Slipspace, or if we have delays in your deployment, we'll be there early. There's no way for you to miss the window."

Sierra nodded on Scavenger's behalf, then asked, "Is that all?"

"No. Once your sabotage of the destroyer is complete, you are to transit to the surface of the asteroid using you booster frames, if possible. And if it is not possible, there's a reason you weren't ordered to destroy the Covenant escape pods."

Hayden's smile was so wide it was infectious. David felt his lip curl, and fought the temptation to chuckle, even a little. The lieutenant didn't seem so happy.

"One more thing. Your extraction method is a Black Cat subprowler we inserted roughly equidistant from each Covenant facility on the surface- one klick north of the refinery and one klick south of the mine, in other words."

"Whoa- how did we get it down there?"

"While we are losing precious time, Chief Three-Three-Six, I will indulge you. The subprowler was dropped out of Slipspace near the asteroid when the destroyer Charon's Twin crossed through the system. While-"

"Charon's Twin? That's a destroyer? I've never heard of it."

"Very few have, Four-Oh-One. It's a ship under the direct command of ONI brass."

"I thought ONI only had prowlers- what's the deal?"

Graves clenched his teeth. "The deal, Petty Officer, is that it does not matter now what ships ONI has on its roster. What does matter is that you know how you are getting onto and off of that asteroid. Am I clear?"

Hayden made a movement that might have been either a shrug or an extremely half-hearted nod. It was Sierra that cleared things up. "Yes, sir," she said calmly.

"Good. Now get ready- ETA to 205 Zeta Indi is eighty minutes, and it's better to be early than late."

Hayden's grin grew wider. "Better late than never."

For the first time, Graves smiled. "Not always, Petty Officer. As you were."

And with that, he left. The door hissed shut behind him.

Hayden looked back towards the rest of the team. "Anyone get the feeling this whole thing is half-assed?"

Celia nodded. "At least you're happy- improv's your thing, isn't it?

David got the distinct feeling that Hayden only put his helmet on at that point so Celia couldn't see his grin.

"Commencing final check on booster frame systems. Scavenger Team, check in."

"This is Scavenger One."

"Two."

"Scavenger Three here."

"Number Four."

"Scavenger Five- coms are a-okay."

"Six- ditto that."

And so it begins, David thought. Our first op. We're part of the war now.

"Power systems."

"This is Scavenger One- fusion reactor is green."

"Two- all systems have power."

"Same here."

"Reactor's ready."

"Check that."

"Power's ready- can we just launch already?"

David rolled his eyes at Hayden's comment. Even though odds were that nothing was wrong with their equipment, it was always better to be sure. In any case, deck officers apparently loved protocol.

"Thrusters."

"Scavenger One- all green."

"Two; ready to fly."

"Three is good to go."

"Four- lights are green."

"This is Five- everything looks okay."

Silence.

"Scavenger Six, check in. I repeat, Scavenger Six, check in."

"Only if we'll skip the rest of them- they're all green anyway, so what's the point of all these checks?"

"Hayden- just check in already," a different voice said.

"No, Sierra! You know all your systems are fine, and mine are too, and so are the rest of the team's! We're just wasting time here!"

"Just check in, damn it!"

Hayden's voice could have frozen nitrogen.

"Scavenger Six acknowledges green lights across the board- don't expect another peep out of me."

There was an icy silence. Then a voice- David recognized it as Jacob's- broke through the pall.

"He's got a point. Scavenger Three here- all systems are set."

"Scavenger Four- I'm for that. Acknowledging; all systems are green to go."

"Five; same here."

Another silence settled across TEAMCOM. Not one of the Spartans mounted on the booster frames looked at each other.

"This is Spartan Three-Three-Six, designation Scavenger One. All systems report back green. Scavenger Team is set for insertion."

"Copy that, Scavenger One. Deploy frames in three… two… one… mark."

The hatch that typically deployed the prowler's complement of HORNET nuclear mines opened, and as the last vestiges of the deployment bay's unvented atmosphere streamed out into space, so did Scavenger's booster frames. The last thing David heard as he exited the ship was the scream of the thrusters before the vacuum quashed all sound. In complete silence, the six vehicles moving through the asteroid field streaked between asteroids of various sizes, ranging from smaller bodies only several dozen meters long to larger ones which, in David's opinion, could potentially pass as planets if they had been a little larger. What struck David the most was the emptiness of the field- he had hardly expected to evade projectiles from every directed, but still…

"Approaching edge of short-range weapon and scanner range- halt here, team."

David winked his green acknowledgment light, welcoming the solitary beep against the all-consuming silence. He welcomed any noise in this noiseless space besides that of his own breathing, which sounded unusually loud inside his helmet. He had to deliberately slow his breathing several times in order to avoid hyperventilation- that and depleting his limited air supply too quickly.

He'd remembered hearing something to this effect back on Harvest in his lessons with Déjà- Spartans were the best ground asset that could possibly be deployed. They excelled in surface operations, and while it was impossible for any soldier to be completely calm about fighting insurmountable odds, Spartans were about as close as anyone could possibly be in such situations. In space, however, where their skill did not factor as much, Spartans were almost continually on edge. In space, there was no fallback position, no cover from heavy weapons, and no option of melee. If munitions ran out, they were dead. Worst, according to Déjà, had been engagements between large ships, when Spartans had nothing to do in the combat at all. Then the anxiety about being unable to apply themselves would combine with the traditional Spartan dislike of inactivity to form restlessness and cases of frazzled nerves- something which almost never occurred otherwise in Spartans. No, not almost. They never occurred otherwise in Spartans.

"David- adjust your course or you'll be in the open."

David shook his head and adjusted the thruster controls on his booster frame, drifting slightly off to the left, which took him behind a particularly large asteroid- and removing line of sight to the target. Something had caught his eye, though.

"Scavenger, this is Two. I think I saw something- permission to confirm sighting."

After a two-second pause, Sierra spoke back through TEAMCOM.

"Fine, but for heaven's sake, make it fast, Two."

David nodded and made slight changes to the thruster output on his booster frame. He rose, little by little, until he peered over the horizon created by the asteroid directly in front of them. In spite of himself, his eyes widened. After looking for several seconds, he flew his frame back down and clicked his com onto an open channel.

"Fleet of Foot, Sierra, this is Scavenger Two. Scrap the old plan."

"What? What is it, David?"

"Covenant ships in orbit."

"So?"

"Covenant ships in orbit."

David wasn't sure how else to say he had seen no fewer than three Covenant destroyers in orbit over the asteroid.