Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

If that's the case, doctor, what will happen to our ship? Why aren't we tangled up in a ball and spread out over trillions of intertwined space 'lines'? asked the Master Chief.

The reason is the mass of the spacecraft. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Suppose a piece of crumpled paper is used to represent this space. If you place a heavy object on the paper, it will tighten and become flat. .”

The Chief walked to the heavy isolation door, and two guardsmen saluted him and opened the door for them.

The bridge was bustling with activity, and Captain Jacob Keyes was smoking his pipe. Hearing the movement, he turned around quickly, and his eyes met Dr. Catherine Halsey who was walking into the bridge.

Plasma cannonballs were flying outside the battleship, and Colonel Keyes smiled at her. Catherine.

Halsey smiled back, Lieutenant.

Others entered the bridge one after another, and General Whitcomb came into their sight. It's time to catch up with old friends, Colonel Keyes. I've heard of you, and I hope you live up to your name. You're better at operating battleships than teaching. He stepped onto the high-altitude platform, Cortana, project the battle map onto the monitor. .”

The orientation of the enemy spacecraft and the flight trajectory of the plasma beam appear on the inner bulkhead. The signal points multiply and merge with each other, making the plasma beam look like waves sloshing around in a bowl. Another energy beam hit the bow of the Supreme Justice and exploded.

Through the deck, Tommy felt that the pressure inside the flagship began to decrease after being hit by successive explosions.

Hit the lower control bay, Cortana said. Those areas are being sealed off. There's a fire on the lower floors. Trying to isolate and remove the air.

Tommy's childhood artificial intelligence teacher, Deya, once taught the Spartans several famous naval battles that took place on the earth's oceans before humans traveled to the stars. They studied the cases of victory in the Punic Wars and the Battle of Midway, and also the case of Xerxes being defeated and defeated by the Athenian navy. However, Deya told them that the most terrifying enemy at sea is not humans themselves, but nature. Huge waves and combined winds can tear the most powerful battleship to pieces. Even the wisest captain's most flexible tactics are ineffective.

The Wushang Justice is at the center of the sea of ​​​​fire and is being hit continuously and is in danger of disintegrating. The explosion tore through the Justice's hull, sending a column of flames shooting through the corridors and onto the bridge. The air stirred and hissed as it fled the pressurized room.

The isolation door slammed shut, and the air returned to calm.

Sergeant Johnson shook his head to eliminate the discomfort caused by the sudden drop in air pressure, Let's leave slip space and fight them!

Okay, or just destroy the crystal. Rebecca shouted, If the cause of the chaos is on it. She drew her pistol, One bullet, boom! Problem solved.

No! Dr. Halsey said sternly, We will face a dozen or more cruisers when we return to regular space. And if you destroy the crystal, the slip space bubble we are in will burst immediately, and every person in the bubble will burst. A separate object will be squeezed into a whole. This transformation will kill us!

Anxiety was written all over General Whitcomb's face, and his frown seemed like it could crush an egg. I only have one choice left. Cortana, go ahead at full speed, with all weapons heated and ready to fire. We're going to rush right through those Covenant warships. No matter if the space is chaotic or not, we're going to be very close. Blast them all the way back to regular space within a short distance.”

Cortana's image appeared on the hologram platform. She glanced at Case, who was smoking an unlit pipe silently, and nodded slowly. Yes, General. The engines are being ramped up to full power.

There was a dull thumping sound from the stern of the ship, and the deck shook violently for a while.

Attention, Cortana said, Main engine failure - power dropped as soon as I connected.

I saw the external camera on the bridge monitor rotating and focusing on the tail hull of the Justice, and a serpentine plasma delivery pipe became the focus. Cortana adjusted the image, and a three-meter-wide hole in the pipe came into view. Blue-white gas continuously gushes out from the cracks.

That's our main pipeline, Cortana said. It's been breached, with two breaches detected so far. I'm shutting down the engine to conserve power.

The Master Chief narrowed his eyes. It wasn't hit by a stray bullet from a plasma energy beam. He muttered. It was so accurate and so difficult - it must have been intentional sabotage.

That's probably their plasma explosive, Tommy added. The Covenant's space forces often use this model when they need to blow up solid titanium alloys. He looked at Cortana, Remember what you reported? Is there a UFO? It must be an enemy boarding ship, and the Covenant forces want to gang up on us and paralyze us.

That must be it. General Whitcomb frowned. Master Chief, bring your team of Spartans and prepare to repair the pipeline in zero gravity.

Yes, sir.

Polaski stepped forward, I'm going too, sir.

Locklear grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back, but she shook his hand away. I can pilot the troopship - speeding Spartan teams in and out.

I'll go too! Rebecca took a step forward, stood beside her, and said not to be outdone, We can guard the key node to enter the maintenance point.

The general narrowed his eyes and looked at the two young girls. Very well, kid. He added softly, and Tommy almost didn't catch it. How many heroes have emerged in this war!

Polaski turned to Locklear, handed the handkerchief back to him, and whispered, Keep it with me, Corporal. I'll pick it up when I get back.

Locklear clenched his fist, then unclenched it. He took the token, nodded, and then turned away. I'll wait. He said, tying a handkerchief on his arm.

Soldiers, said General Whitcomb, you must come back alive. This is an order.

****

Time: Date Record [(Error)] Exception/Unknown Date

In the abnormal jump space bubble, near the flagship Wushang Justice, the captured Phantom troop carrier was captured.

The Phantom troop transport was small and cramped, and its bulkheads glowed light blue, making Tommy feel as if he was suffering from claustrophobia. When he came to his senses, he found this idea very funny, because he had been in tight armor all this time. Beside him, his fellow Spartans sat motionless in the cabin.