Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Congratulations, Catherine. Case smiled while holding a pipe in his mouth, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to fade.

That's great news, Admiral Whitcomb said. We have another helper on board.

No, Dr. Halsey replied, looking suddenly sober. She's going to need at least a week to recover - even with the self-healing foam and steroid accelerators I gave her. Now she can barely stand up. Not to mention being ready for battle.”

Gettysburg - As Justice flies into the plane of the asteroid belt, three boulders appear on three screens.

The D-band signal is emitted from this area. Cortana told them, Based on the size parameters you gave me, there are three asteroids here that can be used as candidates, Master Chief.

Which one is it? Case asked.

Only one spins fast enough to create three-quarters of standard gravity within the environment, Cortana replied.

That's it, the Master Chief replied, nodding towards the center monitor. The stone hasn't changed much in the past twenty years. Is it possible that this place has been abandoned? The D-band signal detected by Cortana may just be an automatically transmitted signal. The battery used in the transmitting device has gradually dried up due to age, causing the signal to weaken. Maybe it is the bait of a trap.

General?

I know, Chief, the general said. Case, they've baited the hooks and we're going to eat them. Or at least that's what it looks like.

Yes, General, Case said, Lieutenant Hiyoshi Kazuko, charge all the turrets on the flagship.

Cortana's holographic body glows with a blue-green light. She crossed her arms and said, Let me remind you, sir, of the three intact turrets, two are inoperable. I can't get the plasma weapon on target. Magnetic—

I know, Cortana. But they, Case pointed a finger at the monitor, don't know.

Yes, sir, she said. Now raise their temperature.

Power is declining. Lieutenant Hall looked at the engineering station display and warned the captain, Down to 44%.

Case, it's time for us to introduce ourselves! the general shouted.

Lieutenant Dominic, Keyes ordered, open a channel on D-band.

Yes, sir. The channel is open.

The general stood up. This is the UNSC frigate Gettysburg. He shouted loudly, his tone full of authority and his Texas accent clearly revealed. Answer. Then he added reluctantly, Please.

The communications channel was filled with static. The General waited patiently for ten seconds before his boots began to tap lightly against Kohan. No need to play dead, man. We're not here to start a war, we're here to—

He made a neck-wiping gesture to the communications officer, and the lieutenant closed the communications channel with a snap.

Several airlock doors appear on the two-kilometer-wide stone. From this distance, they appear to be about the same size as the pores in an orange. A fleet of spacecraft was launched, their speed greatly increased by the rotational motion of the asteroid. Nearly fifty ships in number: modified Pelican troop carriers with added armor and miniguns mounted on the hull; luxury civilian yachts armed with missiles as large as themselves; with one-man engineering bays A curved armed speedboat; there is also a fifty-meter-long spaceship with a black invisible surface that curves weirdly.

A Bat-class spaceship. Tommy pointed at the spacecraft with a black invisible surface on the screen. These are all old antiques. The Military Intelligence Agency decommissioned them all forty years ago and sold them as scrap metal.

Is it a threat? the general asked.

Tommy shook his head. No, General. They were retired because their operating programs interfered with each other and contained too many sensitive components without a central hub to control the artificial intelligence. The only reason I remember them is that since they were put into production The smallest of the Sho-Fujikawa hyperdrives. No weapons systems, sir. Like I said, it's no threat and is a museum piece.

But it has the ability to jump through space? Dr. Halsey asked. Maybe we can use it to return to Earth.

Not necessarily. Tommy replied, After all the Bat-class spaceships were decommissioned by MI, key components have been removed, and the spacecraft's operating systems have been locked. I doubt Cortana can restart them either.

I wouldn't bet on that, Cortana muttered.

There are no weapons. The general said, staring at the blocky geometric pattern of the black ship. I know this is enough.

Their 'fleet,' the Chief jumped in, is deploying in a wide arc around us. Classic formation. They're outflanking us.

These ships pose no real threat, the general said to himself. They must know we know this. But why go to all the trouble to put on a show? He frowned at the monitor, then opened his eyes wide. , Cortana, scan nearby rocks for radiation.

Receiving video signal, Fred announced.

An image of a person flashed on the third screen ahead. He was obviously a civil servant. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail on the back of his head, and the goatee on his chin was ten centimeters long. He smiled and bowed gracefully. Tommy felt disgust at the sight of this man, and all his past experiences fighting against the rebels came to mind.

Captain, the man said in a smooth, booming tenor, I am Governor Jacob Gillis, the chief of this port. What can we do for you?

First of all, General Whitcomb said, I am not a captain, but a lieutenant general, deputy chief of space fleet operations. Second, you have to order your fleet to go back the way it came and leave us before I forget my courtesy. range. Third, we ask that you be prepared for us to dock in your port for emergency repairs and re-equipment.

After Gillis looked at him quietly for a while, he raised his head and laughed: General, I sincerely apologize for confusing your military rank. His smile was full of sarcasm when he said this, As for the rest of your I’m afraid I won’t be able to comply with your request today.”

I sincerely suggest that you reconsider, Mr. Gillis, the general said coldly. If I persist in my opinion, I believe it will be to no good to all of us.