Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Heading to the bridge of the Covenant cruiser captured in the slip space of the Seer system.

Several engineers did not stop for a moment, fiddling with the equipment here, causing the bridge to smell like machinery being burned by plasma. Rebecca, on the other hand, sat in a circle with the Helltroopers, with a thick layer of playing cards spread out in the center.

You're good at cards, Cecilia praised vaguely while chewing something. How many years have you been in the military?

Almost a month. Rebecca threw the pink bubble gum into her mouth and replied casually.

'One month'? Tao Teqi asked, You just joined the Marine Corps not long ago?

Well, just a few weeks ago I was a mercenary. Rebecca casually played a card.

The profession of mercenaries became extinct not long after the war between humans and the Covenant broke out. Taote recalled, thinking of Rebecca's outstanding performance on the battlefield, he couldn't help but look at her with admiration, Where are you from?

Night City, Rebecca thought for a moment, then added, What the hell galaxy in Orion, the Anshan star.

Is it a distant colony? It shouldn't be, Cecilia played a card in a daze, I haven't heard of it anyway.

It's normal that I've never heard of it. Before Arasaka Tower was bombed by the Yuanzhu, I didn't know that humans could actually build such a powerful space battleship. Rebecca said, Those corporate bastards are cheating It took us so long.

Is your company capable of this? Taote moved the sniper rifle behind his butt and played a card. It's too exaggerated. I don't think it's possible.

Shit, why is it impossible? Cecilia retorted, My parents were fooled by the rebels so much that they even sent apple pies to the rebels.

Aurora was cleaning the bone residue on the medical circular saw with a brush. She couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.

Taote~ You don't care about her~ Cecilia complained to him like a little daughter-in-law, Now you are laughing at your comrade. When you two get married, she won't be able to dominate you.

Marriage is nothing, the war is not over yet. Taote glanced at Rebecca quietly, and then played with the deck of cards in his hand, What about you? How long have you not seen your girlfriend?

It's been a few months. Cecilia pretended to be casual and said, She's not a girlfriend, just a sex partner.

You're going too far. You actually called me a sex partner, Aurora said angrily. I had dinner with Sally three months ago, and she quite liked you. You're really blind.

It's just disgusting. She still fucks her friends. I don't know who takes out her photos every night and secretly looks at them.

Hey, you kid doesn't want to be intimate with her, but you come here to spy on me.

Come on, you've been looking at that thing for a long time every time. Do you still need me to spy on you?

Cecilia lowered her head and stared at the cards without saying a word, and the others didn't say anything either. They just played cards one after another, and the atmosphere fell into silence.

By the way, Cecilia, Rebecca broke the silence, Are your parents still working for the rebels?

No, they are all dead, Cecilia said with an indifferent attitude. The rebels put a bomb in a bar in a residential area, and they were blown up to the sky.

Rebecca was silent for a while, then whispered, I'm sorry.

There's nothing to be sorry for. It happened more than ten years ago. If they were smarter, they wouldn't have ended up like this. Selicia took the helmet of an elite warrior and spit the pink bubble gum in her mouth. What about you? How are your parents doing on Anshan Star?

I don't know how, Rebecca said. I grew up in a cyber garbage dump and I have never seen them.

Well, it seems like I'm better than you. Cecilia rubbed the cards in her hand, Then how did you grow up? Did anyone raise you?

My brother, he found me in the garbage and brought me up. Rebecca took a Grunt mask and spit the bubble gum in her mouth, But he was raped by an exhibitionist cybernetic. The madman’s head was shot, and it happened so suddenly that I couldn’t save him.”

Cyber ​​madman. Taote was chewing on this novel word.

Cecilia paused in her movements and didn't say anything. Instead, she took out a small pack of bubble gum from the box next to her and threw it to Rebecca.

Rebecca caught it, tore open the package and threw it into her mouth, and started chewing again, her cheeks bulging. Thanks.

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become heavy again, Taut began to say something that everyone liked to hear. Speaking of which, how did you meet the Colonel?

Him? Rebecca smiled briefly, He seemed to appear out of thin air from the sand of the Bad Land, and he suddenly joined us for a drink one night.

Although he didn't take off his helmet at the time, Rebecca thought.

As expected of you, sir. Aurora finally finished servicing the medical equipment. She also sat over and joined the card game. I was so lucky that I suddenly met a Spartan warrior.

Rebecca opened her mouth to stop her, but was a step too late.

Sir? Cecilia said suspiciously. He and Taote looked at each other and found doubts flashing in each other's eyes. Aphroela, why is she your commander?

I'm a corporal. Of course I have to call you sir when facing a major. Aurora said matter-of-factly, Speaking of which, you haven't saluted her yet.

Really or not, you have become a major after just one month in the army? Cecilia said in surprise, And a major will hang out with us big-headed soldiers?

Because I sympathize with my subordinates, young man. Seeing that the situation was like this, Rebecca no longer felt embarrassed. She pretended to be mature and said, Why don't you call me sir?

Call you sir? If you were a major, Cecilia grinned and stretched her neck, showing a smile that didn't deserve a beating, I would be a general.

“Damn it,” Rebecca picked up the stick again, “I think you’re a fool——”

Her words were interrupted by the sound of the bridge's pressure door sliding open, and Tommy entered alone.

Take a break. Tommy stopped the three hell paratroopers who wanted to salute.

Team leader, you're back. I'm about to teach this ignorant boy a lesson. Rebecca was staring at Cecilia fiercely, and then she noticed that Tommy was the only one back. Where's our hard-working airbag boy? ?”

It's busy elsewhere, Tommy said calmly. He inserted Ellie's chip back into the holographic console on the bridge and sat down next to them. What is the heated discussion about?

Boss, please tell me what the military rank of this lovely Miss Rebecca is. Cecilia said dissatisfiedly, She calls herself a major.

Rebecca looked at Tommy triumphantly.

Major? Tommy looked at Rebecca in confusion, Based on the military branch and seniority, it should be a first-class private.

Huh? Rebecca's eyes widened, The eldest lady on the bridge is a warrant officer, and I am a private first class?! She suddenly jumped on Tommy and hit Tommy's helmet hard. The punch struck out, causing his energy shield to buzz.

Okay, Corporal Rebecca, Tommy grabbed her little fist that contained infinite power and replied helplessly as he listened to the alarm sound of the energy shield, But back on Earth, don't blame me if the headquarters doesn't admit it.

Humph, a corporal is a corporal. Rebecca broke away from his hand and turned away, Anyway, that eldest lady has a prettier face and a hotter figure than me. It's normal for you to favor her a little.

Tommy was speechless for a while. Seeing that the other three hell paratroopers looked like they were watching the show, he pointed to the pressure door of the bridge, There are still a few boxes of supplies shipped from the Yongzhu in the hangar. Go and move them over. .”

They froze for a moment when they heard this, then turned around and ran out of the bridge laughing.

Becca, Tommy hugged her, When have I ever been partial? You've obviously been with me longer.

Playboy, it doesn't matter if we stay together longer, let me go. Rebecca squirmed in his arms, The three of them will be back in a while, why don't you mess with me like this? What majesty is there?”

Majesty? Tommy opened his big hands and rubbed her cheeks, twisting her little mouth into various shapes, Do you still have dignity?

Huh! Rebecca turned her head and deliberately didn't look at Tommy, but after waiting for a long time, she didn't see any reaction from Tommy. She turned her head and found Tommy looking intently somewhere on the bridge.

Rebecca followed Tommy's gaze and saw only a holographic display showing the dark jump space.

She was a little angry at first because Tommy didn't come to comfort her, but soon she felt something keenly.

What's wrong?

Nothing. Tommy came to his senses and shook his head.

Rebecca left his arms, found a small packet of bubble gum in the box next to the playing cards, tore open the package, and then stuffed the bubble gum into Tommy's mouth.

He chewed it and it was apple flavored.

When I'm unhappy, I like to chew bubble gum. Rebecca lay in his arms and gently grabbed his hand, It makes me feel better.

Tommy held her hand in turn and couldn't help but relax.

The jump engine of the Covenant cruiser is so advanced that there is no other sound in the entire battleship except the slight buzzing sound of the equipment running.

They enjoyed the hard-earned silence, and then Tommy was distracted again, staring blankly at the engineers checking the equipment on the bridge, until the sound of even and regular breathing after falling asleep came from Rebecca in his arms. Only then did he realize that a while had passed.

They hadn't rested since they encountered the enemy ship, and now Tommy couldn't help but feel extremely tired.

Taking out the blanket from the supply box placed on the bridge, Tommy found a flat place and put it on the back of Rebecca's head.

He turned on the communicator and asked quietly: Ellie, how long will it take for us to arrive?

There was silence for a while, and it wasn't until Tommy started to worry that Ellie responded to him.

Five days in regular space, 45 hours in jump space. Her tone was not very good, and she seemed to be a little restless.

He nodded, assuming that Ellie was resentful that he had just killed the engineer.

The pressure door of the bridge slid open, and the three of them moved the supply box back with a clang.

Tommy stepped forward to help them arrange the supply boxes in order, and then told them to rest as well.

The hell paratroopers each took a blanket and found a comfortable position to lie down.

Actually, it's good to stay in our cryo chamber and hibernate, Cecilia muttered to them. At least I can let the computer control my brain and let me have a beautiful dream.

You just want to lie down in there, Tote replied. I don't want to drink any more of those disgusting wake-up drinks.

Tch, your dreams are all about poop. Cecilia cursed and turned over, no longer looking at him.

——

Fatigue hit his nerves like a tide, and Tommy fell asleep soon. He dreamed of the majestic waterfall he saw when he was training on Reach when he was a child. The raging water vapor rushed towards his face, and his ears could hear the rumbling sound of the waterfall hitting the water.

He immediately realized that he was in a dream and jumped into the cold water for a swim. The water with huge kinetic energy hit his back, but he felt very comfortable, as if someone was massaging him.

The scene changes imperceptibly. He suddenly found that he had come to the long white beach on the edge of the Harvest Star Beeforst. It was so white that it was dazzling, and there were towering capes and brown mountains as far as the eye could see. He closed his eyes and walked barefoot on the beach, breathing in the fishy sea breeze.

Not long after, he felt that the soft and hot sand under his feet gradually became cool and a little hard. He opened his eyes and saw that he was walking alone in a vast orchard on the Harvest Star. The fragrance of the fruit trees teased his sense of smell.

There was a burst of footsteps and breathing nearby, and he felt one of his fingers being held by a soft little hand. He looked down and couldn't help but smile - it was Liga, the little girl from Tommy's boarding family.

He looked at Lijia carefully. At this time, her delicate little face like a porcelain doll was full of childishness, and her eyebrows did not yet have the heroic spirit of a warrior now.

Lijia smiled and held his hand, and they walked forward along the path in the orchard. There were fruit trees on both sides of the path, and the branches would scratch his face from time to time, and the smell of earth would tempt him to continue moving forward.

The branches were covered with all kinds of fruits - apples, cherries, plums, and many more colorful fruits that Tommy couldn't name at the moment.

He picked off a pineapple covered with sparkling dewdrops, wiped it briefly with his sleeve and handed it to Little Lijia.

Thank you, big brother~ Lijia smiled sweetly at him, then showed her small, white milk teeth and gently bit off a small piece of fruit pulp.

Tommy patted his head, as if there was a girl who also liked to call him brother. He tried hard to remember, but he felt as if his head was filled with paste, and he really couldn't remember the girl's name.

He looked at little Lijia again. She was only 3 or 4 years old. Her head was already covered with silver hair, with only a few black hairs hidden inside. Her cheeks moved slightly as she chewed, which was really cute.

Suddenly, he realized something.

Lijia, can you speak fluently now?

Why can't I speak fluently? Little Lijia tilted her head and looked at him doubtfully.

Tommy took out his fingers from her little hand and gestured to her in engineer's sign language: Do you understand this? \u003e

Huh? Little Lijia was even more confused. She stared at Tommy's fingers, and then suddenly laughed out loud, Does big brother know how to finger dance? I can too. Then she raised her little hand, without saying a word. The rules and regulations were chaotic.

Tommy stared at her, then laughed softly too. Sure enough, the first contact hadn't happened yet.

Big brother is a little different today. Little Lijia's cheeks twitched unconsciously, her little hand rested on her chin and she began to think. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up, she looked up at Tommy with a bright smile, You will laugh, big brother, you will smile at me!

Tommy reached out and rubbed her little head, making her hair a mess, Isn't this all thanks to you!

Little Lijia lowered her head in embarrassment, holding the pear in her hand with a red face and eating it in small bites.

On this cold, foggy morning, they continued walking until he saw a slim figure with blond hair at the end of the path.

Ellie? Tommy asked tentatively.

She turned her head, her beautiful face covered with tears.

I don't want you to spill innocent blood for me.

Feeling Tommy's whole body freeze, little Lijia's curious eyes wandered between the two of them.

I'm so jealous. Ellie's expression was unpredictable. She whispered, walking towards Tommy, I'm so jealous that they can be held in your arms and kissed tenderly by you.

Hearing this, Tommy was shocked. Ellie actually has such feelings for him? But it's just a dream, right.

Feeling his thigh being pushed, he looked down and saw Little Lijia pointing at Ellie and making a hug her mouth gesture.

His eyes returned to Ellie. She was only a few feet away from him, and he could even smell the faint fragrance of jasmine on her body.

Their eyes met and entangled in the air. Tommy then made up his mind and held Ellie in his arms.

It's just a dream

This is indeed a dream, Ellie in his arms said what he was thinking, so Tommy, wake up.

——

Tommy, wake up. Ellie's voice rang through the built-in speaker of his helmet.

Uh Tommy woke up in a daze. He tightened his arms, and the emptiness in his arms made him feel lost.

He looked at his task clock and saw that he had been asleep for eight hours.

What's wrong? Tommy asked confused.

The time dilation effect of the Ther Galaxy is weird, and we're getting there, Ellie explained.

About to arrive? Tommy frowned, it was his first time to experience such a short jump journey.

At this time, several other people also woke up slowly. They sorted out their equipment and gathered in front of the holographic console on the bridge.

Into regular space in a minute, she said to Tommy.

No, no, Ellie, Tommy corrected her, Now the person with the strongest ability to control the ship here is Rebecca, and she is the captain.

The three hell paratroopers looked at him in confusion, feeling very strange that Rebecca suddenly became the captain.

Tommy didn't explain to them.

That's right! I'm the captain now! Rebecca exclaimed happily.

Okay, Captain Rebecca, Ellie replied reluctantly.

Ellie, prepare all weapon systems and response systems. When we enter conventional space, if we encounter a Covenant ship, we will kill them!

Becca, Tommy patted her on the head, If we really take on the enemy, we won't be able to defeat them.

Yes.

Tommy suddenly began to doubt whether he had made the right decision in making her captain.

The display screen was gradually covered with green light, and stars came into their sight. A huge purple gaseous planet occupies one-third of the screen space, followed by five Covenant cruisers passing over the planet and slowly entering the shadow side of the planet.

We have bad luck, Cecilia muttered.

Everyone became nervous involuntarily.

Ellie? Tommy asked.

I need time to recharge the jump engine. Ellie's figure appeared on the holographic display platform. The fleet was very surprised why a cruiser suddenly appeared here, but it has not yet suspected our identity. The deciphering work is somewhat complicated. Difficult, they probably mean to ask us to follow them to a place called.

Ellie thought about how to translate this Covenant's vocabulary, and then removed all the honorifics and religious symbols contained in it, Go to a place called 'Halo', and then accept their boarding inspection.

What is a 'halo'? Tommy decided to put it aside for the time being. He looked at Rebecca, Don't alert the snake, let's walk with them for a while first.

Okay. Rebecca said, Ellie, ignite the main thruster and let us enter the orbit of the planet!

Yes, Captain. When Ellie said this, Tommy felt that the logical symbols on her body seemed a little messy and the color was slightly red.

The Covenant cruiser slid slowly into the gravitational pull of the planet's moon.

The shipboard radar told me that there is a huge, high-quality celestial body with strange outlines in the shadow ahead, Ellie's voice became a little blurry.

When the spacecraft circled the shadow side of the gas giant, this thing completely entered their field of vision. It was a ring-shaped object... huge.

Ellie, Tommy asked softly without realizing he was holding his breath, as if he was afraid of disturbing the celestial body, is this the 'halo'?

Ellie noticed that everyone was staring straight in the eyes, and there was a sudden spike in their pulses and breathing.

This thing rotates quietly in the sky. The outer layer is gray metal, reflecting bright starlight. Viewed from this distance, its surface appears to be deeply etched with gorgeous geometric patterns.

Could this be formed in a natural state? Taut asked.

Ellie paused for a moment before replying: The probability is too small. Instead of believing that it is naturally formed, I would rather believe in the 'geocentric theory'.

Activate the spacecraft's long-range detector, Rebecca ordered, let me see what it looks like.

This celestial body is so large that even the temperature on the bridge increased slightly when the long-range detector scanned it.

Its outline gradually appeared on the display.

The ring is ten thousand kilometers in diameter, Ellie said, and twenty-two and three kilometers thick. Spectral analysis has not yielded results yet, but the pattern is inconsistent with any known substance made by the Covenant. Match.

She paused and pointed all the long-range detectors at the giant ring. After a moment, a close-up image of the object appears on the display.

Its inner layers are a mosaic of green, blue and brown areas - uninhabited deserts, jungles, ice sheets and vast oceans. White clouds cast heavy shadows on the land. The ring rotated, and soon another brand-new landscape was displayed before their eyes: a huge storm formed on the unimaginably vast water.

Ellie studied this giant ring, and countless equations were running wildly inside her body. She checked the data over and over again—its rotational speed and estimated mass. Not quite normal. She ran a series of active and passive scans again... and finally found something.

This object is completely artificial. There is a gravity field that controls the spin of the giant ring and ensures the existence of the atmosphere. From this distance, with these devices, I cannot be 100% accurate, but I can say that this ring seems to have nitrogen An oxygen atmosphere and a gravity similar to Earth’s.”

This discovery is so interesting, said Rebecca, so let's go quickly and return to Earth again-

I detected the UNSC beacon up there, Ellie interrupted her impatiently, causing Tommy to glance at her hologram a few more times, and it will take a while to recharge before you can jump again. .”

Rebecca glared at Ellie angrily, but thought of her close working relationship with Tommy and ultimately remained silent.

UNSC beacon? Tommy didn't understand why Ellie treated Rebecca like this. He patted Rebecca on the shoulder to comfort her, Can you identify which unit it is from?

The logical symbols on Ellie's body flowed faster, then she shook her head and said: It can't be done, we are too far away from there, and the signal transmitted is too weak.

Look closer? Rebecca looked at Tommy.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded, We have the disguise of a Covenant cruiser, and we can't just leave the robes above.

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