Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

When Tommy saw her, her expression suddenly changed from concern to... How should I put it? fear? confuse?

He gently waved his hand to Polaski, indicating that she should go do other things first, and then looked at Rebecca, We'll talk about my injury later.

But--

We don't have the time now.

Rebecca clenched her hands in dissatisfaction and stepped aside.

Ellie, tell me what to do. Tommy said, walking towards the suspended platform in the center of the bridge. Polaski, you and Johnson go and open the other hatch.

Yes, yes, Polaski muttered, his voice unnatural. She and Johnson walked to the hatch and began working.

Tommy looked at the control panels. When he places his hand over them, the two-dimensional control devices rise and become a three-dimensional network of strange covenant symbols. Where? he asked.

Move your hand half a meter to the right. Ellie replied, Move it up another twenty centimeters. That control device. No, move a little to the left. That's it, tap it three times.

When Tommy touched it, its surface glowed with dim light, then suddenly turned into dazzling reds and oranges, and finally cooled slowly and turned into bright blue.

It's started, Ellie said. The navigation controls are getting wired. I can finally start this thing. Attention, everyone!

The ship tilted to port. The fully functional monitor showed the Covenant cruiser that was following them, chasing after them—and starting a fire attack.

The flagship accelerated forward, but the plasma torpedoes drew arcs and rushed towards them, biting them and not letting go. No, Ellie said, I can't make us go faster. It's going to hit us. Unless we can find a way to get into slipspace.

A rhythmic vibrato came from a monitor, followed by a dazzling red light.

Oh no! Ellie exclaimed.

The first plasma torpedo hit the ship's energy shield, and dark red flames filled the display screen.

What do you mean 'oh no'? Tommy asked.

The ship's jump fault generator is not responding, Ellie replied. The shutdown of the navigation control device is an illusion. It must be the work of the Covenant's artificial intelligence. It lured me here, but it had already turned off the drive. The coupler between the device and the nuclear reactor is disconnected. I can control it no matter what, and I can give instructions to the jump fault generator - but the system has no power support, and the spacecraft can't go anywhere.

There is actually an artificial intelligence from the Covenant? Locklear muttered, his eyebrows standing up in surprise.

Upload the position coordinates of the electric coupling device to the Master Chief, Tommy said. He can handle this.

Two more plasma torpedoes hit the shield, and the shield emitted a blinding light. The energy shield is disappearing. Ellie said, Attention!

The last torpedo also hit the flagship, and a dull sound of rumbling spread from the stern to the bridge. The temperature rose sharply, and the plasma gradually melted away the layers of armor plates. As the clouds of ultra-high-temperature metal vapor were discharged from the spacecraft, the spacecraft also rolled.

One more hit like that will destroy the spacecraft, Ellie said. The spacecraft is moving at full speed.

Position coordinates for the power coupler, Ellie, Tommy insisted.

A line appeared on his helmet-mounted display. These control rooms are twenty floors below the bridge.

It's useless, Ellie said to him, There must be many hunting elite warriors waiting for you below. Even if you eliminate them all, there is no way to repair the power coupler in time. We have neither the tools. , and no technology.”

Tommy looked around the bridge. A way must be found, and a way can always be found.

He leaned out from the edge of the central platform and grabbed a huddled engineer below. He dragged it up by its floating tentacles. The alien creature kept twisting and screaming.

We may not have the technology, he said, shaking the engineer in his hand, but this thing does.

Tommy let go of its tentacles, letting it float in the air, and then gestured with his hands: Come with me, go fix something. \u003e

The alien engineer's eyes widened when he saw Tommy's gesture. It no longer twisted around, but wrapped its tentacles tightly around Tommy, and gestured with a free tentacle: \u003cOkay, hurry up. \u003e

Everyone else stays here, Tommy said, suddenly feeling Rebecca tapping his armor with her hand.

You are injured and have difficulty moving. I will go with you. Rebecca said firmly.

Tommy stared at her, then slowly shook his head, Not this time, Beca, there is no gravity there, you have not received relevant training, stay here, I don't want to find that my hometown is gone when I come back.

Rebecca sighed and stepped aside. I wish I could be a Spartan someday.

Tommy looked at Avery again, Don't let the Covenant troops reoccupy the bridge.

No problem, Colonel, Avery replied loudly. After he finished speaking, he kicked the dead elite soldier in the teeth, and then loaded a new magazine into his MA5B with a pop sound. He jerked the bolt, fired into the room, and stood armed. Those Covenant bastards have to dance a tango in front of me before they can get into this room.

The Covenant cruiser opened fire again on the display.

Tommy watched as the plasma beam raced toward them, the flames lighting up the black space around them. Ellie, buy me some more time.

I'll try my best, Ellie replied, but you'd better act quickly, I don't have many options.

****

Ellie was very annoyed. She had allowed the Covenant's artificial intelligence—the other object in the system was undoubtedly an artificial intelligence—to fool her. Since the navigation system's prevention program was set up very simply, she got right in without any effort. She had never done a comprehensive inspection of the spacecraft's systems, always thinking that she was the only one who could cause damage here. If she had paid attention, she would never have made such a mistake.

She checked the ship's systems one by one, then isolated them using her own security measures.

Ellie stopped her emotional process of being angry and ashamed, and concentrated on protecting the spacecraft from being attacked and saving the lives of the UNSC personnel on the spacecraft. No. After reconsidering, she reverted to her emotional programming. Her program, which exists on the smart template, has intuition ability, which is precious and indispensable in battle.