Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

You never told me in detail— Cortana said, her calm tone not hiding her annoyance, what your plan was.

A plan that Captain Keyes would agree with. Tommy turned the navigation console to the main display. If we survive this, I want to learn from here, he tapped the navigation point on the flagship, How to use the gravity of the base star to eject them, and then rely on the speed advantage to throw them away.

Okay, Cortana replied, But I still—hey, they stopped shooting.

The Master Chief turned on the camera on the stern of the ship, and saw that although the six spacecraft continued to chase them, they turned off the energy of their weapons, and the muzzles slowly cooled down.

My estimate is correct. When we are in the same shooting direction as the flagship, they will not dare to fire. Tommy said while looking at Cortana, Let Polaski drive, you will count Efforts are focused on disrupting the Covenant warship's fire control system.

Yes, sir. Cortana shrugged and turned off the autopilot, returning the controls to Polaski's hands.

Let's just eliminate the pilots from now on. Polaski muttered dissatisfied.

The Pelican troop carrier is currently 1,200 kilometers away from us and is still getting closer. It has now reached a safe docking distance. Cortana reported.

Tommy called to the Pelican troop carrier: Captain Keyes, release your control of the ship and let us take over.

Colonel Price?

We will do encrypted docking.

Case paused slightly, I understand, let's go ahead and do it.

Cortana appeared on the small holographic display platform. She seemed to be listening to the movement at first, and after a while she said: Successfully controlled the Pelican troop carrier!

Coordinate our course, Cortana Polaski, fly the fighter to the top of the Pelican.

Yes, sir, Polaski replied.

Adjusting course to intercept the Pelican troop carrier. 500 kilometers away from the flagship.

Be prepared, Polaski, to change our course as we pass the flagship; Cortana, be ready to point all your scanners at the flagship, if we can get through.

'What if'? Cortana's tone was filled with surprise.

The flagship's cannons aimed at the Longsword interceptors and Pelican troop carriers, gleaming like angry eyes in the blackness of space.

There are still 300 kilometers to go.

The Covenant ship burst into flames and was about to open fire. Dark red plasma energy was gathering, and three plasma torpedoes were shot out from the spacecraft, heading straight for them.

Flash— the Master Chief yelled.

Polaski tilted the fighter plane hard to port and starboard, then started the afterburner, raised the nose and flew upward. Enemy firepower rushed in, and the Longsword aircraft and the Pelican troop carrier were almost hit, and the hellfire disappeared into the distant space.

Tommy had originally estimated this too: with the angle and speed at which they approached the flagship, it would be difficult for the enemy's weapons to hit the target, even the Covenant's plasma cannon, which was famous for its accuracy.

Ten kilometers to go, Cortana shouted. Scanning in burst mode.

In the blink of an eye, they flew over the three-kilometer-long flagship, and Tommy saw the enemy's artillery trying to pinpoint their whereabouts.

This alien spacecraft has sharp lines, and the top and bottom appear relatively smooth, but it is obviously bent into three spherical shapes from bow to stern. Blue glowing airflow formed by ultra-high temperature plasma rushes along the hull. The spacecraft is surrounded by A faint glow surrounding a silver energy shield.

The Master Chief let go of his worries and leaned back on the chair. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, he said, Very good.

Accelerating into the ejection trajectory. Polaski shouted.

The engine of the Long Sword interceptor roared loudly, making Tommy's eardrums extremely uncomfortable. For a moment he didn't know where the fighter plane was flying.

Get closer to the Pelican, Tommy told Polaski. Fly directly above it and dock with it at its top entrance.

Cortana put her hands on her lower back and frowned. We are assisting in re-adjusting the acceleration parameters, but you have to know that the position of the docked spacecraft is unstable during orbital acceleration.

We won't be docking for too long. Tommy said, gently pushing the Master Chief's seat, then floating to the tail of the plane, leaning down on the floor, and opening the entrance to the Longsword machine. On the protective pressure door, the green light kept flashing. He removed the safety valve and opened the sealing cover with a bang.

A hand reached out from below, and Tommy immediately pulled the visitor into the cabin.

The speed and course are being adjusted, Polaski said. On the display screen on the bulkhead, the fuselages of the Longsword aircraft and the Pelican troop carrier were tilting toward the base star. This can provide you with a multi-g gravity when you stand on the deck.

Case stood firm and patted the non-existent dust on his uniform, This trip is really not easy. I haven't flown a Pelican in a long time.

Judging from the limited contact between them, Case was not a person who liked to boast, so Tommy felt that the captain was highly skilled.

A Helltrooper corporal leaned over, his uniform sewn with his name: Locklear. He had a tan face, a shaved head, and a wild look in his bright blue eyes.

How's it going? Locklear asked impatiently. Is there anything here that could use our guns?

Relax, Corporal, Tommy said. Feel those G-forces? The interceptor is in a catapult orbit, and we're going to circle the satellite and then duke it out with the Covenant.

The Master Chief and Polaski also left their seats at this time and walked over.

That's right, the Master Chief agreed.

Our top priority should be to get back to the Truth and Harmony. Keyes said, his sparse eyebrows knitted together, Don't blindly fight the Covenant troops, we have recovered the cryopod.

That was my goal, Captain Keyes, Tommy said, but the Covenant warships between us blocked the road.

So what's the plan? Locklear asked. Ejection trajectory—and then what? Are we just going to hang out like this all day, Colonel?

No, Tommy replied.

He glanced at the people around him. Polaski, the Chief, Keyes, and several other paratroopers were all trustworthy, but Locklear was another story. This Helltrooper's body is tense, ready to explode or explode like an anti-personnel mine.