Halo_ First Strike Part 22

She paused and reset her emotion subroutines-the AI equivalent of a deep sigh. Cortana had to remain focused and think of something something useful to do while she waited. useful to do while she waited.

The problem was that she'd been thinking at peak capacity for the last five days. And now she was thinking with a large portion of her mind occupied by the data absorbed from the Halo construct.

She again toyed with the idea of dumping that data into Ascendant Justice's Ascendant Justice's...o...b..ard memory. Now that the other AI had been erased, it should be safe. Yet one piece of technological data had already been leaked to the enemy ... and that could have extreme repercussions in the war effort. If the Halo data got into Covenant hands-the war would be over. onboard memory. Now that the other AI had been erased, it should be safe. Yet one piece of technological data had already been leaked to the enemy ... and that could have extreme repercussions in the war effort. If the Halo data got into Covenant hands-the war would be over.

She decided she would make do with her available memory-processing bandwidth.

Cortana listened and looked to the center of the Epsilon Eridani system with Ascendant Justice's Ascendant Justice's pa.s.sive sensors. Faint Covenant communiques whispered past her-eight hours old, because that's how long it took the signal to travel from Reach to here. pa.s.sive sensors. Faint Covenant communiques whispered past her-eight hours old, because that's how long it took the signal to travel from Reach to here.

Interesting. The present insystem chatter was undoubtedly focused on the intruders. Eight hours ago, however, it had been business as usual... whatever business that was.

She eavesdropped on the data streams, translating, and tried to make sense of it all. Among the more coherent samples of their excited religious babble were: uncovering the fragment of divinity, uncovering the fragment of divinity, and and illuminating shard of the G.o.ds to exist the perfect moment that vanishes in the blink of an eye but lasts forever, illuminating shard of the G.o.ds to exist the perfect moment that vanishes in the blink of an eye but lasts forever, and and collecting the stars left by the giants. collecting the stars left by the giants.

A literal translation was not a problem. It was the meaning behind the words that eluded her. Without the proper cultural references, this was all gibberish.

It had to mean something to someone, however. Perhaps she could use part of the dissected Covenant AI to help. It had spoken to her, so it was partially fluent with human idioms. She might be able to reverse-engineer its its translation software. translation software.

Cortana isolated the AI code and began the retrieval-andunpacking process. This would take time; she'd compressed the code, and the reconst.i.tution process would require a good deal of her reduced processing power.

While she waited, she examined the Covenant reactors. They used a pinched magnetic field to heat the tritium plasma. It was surprisingly primitive. Without better hardware, though, there was little she could do to improve their effectiveness.

Power. She needed more if she was going to head back insystem to rendezvous with the Master Chief. The Covenant weren't going to sit by and wait for them to hook up, bid a fond adieu, adieu, and then escape. and then escape.

Logically, there was only one way to do this: She was going to have to fight and kill them all.

She could conserve her s.h.i.+p's power and fire the plasma weapons as they were designed. That, however, would only delay the inevitable. A dozen s.h.i.+ps against one-even Captain Keyes wouldn't have survived such a lopsided tactical situation.

She deliberated how to solve this problem, spun off a mult.i.tasking routine that listed her resources, and filtered them in a creativity-probability matrix, hoping to find an inspired match.

The unpacking of the alien AI's routines finished. The code appeared to her as a vast cross section of geological strata: gray granite variables and blood red sandstone visual processors and oily dark function films. But there were dozens of code layers she didn't even recognize.

The translation algorithms, however, were in the top layers of this structure, glistening like a vein of gold-laced quartz. She tapped into the software; it had infinite loops and dead-end code lines-things that had to be errors.

Yet there were also slender crystalline translation vectors that she would never have thought of on her own. She copied those and slaved them to her dynamic lexicon.

The distant Covenant transmissions poured though her mind, now somewhat more coherent: Inner temple layers penetrated; Infidels present, Inner temple layers penetrated; Infidels present, and and Cleansing operation ongoing; Victory is a.s.sured, Cleansing operation ongoing; Victory is a.s.sured, and and The Great One's purity will burn the infidels; The holy light cannot be tainted. The Great One's purity will burn the infidels; The holy light cannot be tainted.

She picked up on the urgent undertone to these transmissions, as if the notorious Covenant confidence were not entirely genuine.

Since these messages made reference to an infestation to be cleansed, and since these transmissions occurred many hours before the Ascendant Justice Ascendant Justice had entered the Epsilon Eridani system, the Master Chief had been correct in his conclusions: There were human survivors on Reach. Likely Spartans. had entered the Epsilon Eridani system, the Master Chief had been correct in his conclusions: There were human survivors on Reach. Likely Spartans.

His correct a.n.a.lysis of the situation based on the six-note signal irritated Cortana. It annoyed her more that she had not concluded this as well. It made her realize how dangerously close to the edge of her intellectual capacity she operated.

One of her alert routines triggered. An access hatch on the route from the bridge to the reactor room-one that she had specifically directed Sergeant Johnson not not to weld shut-just opened. to weld shut-just opened.

"The trap is loaded," she whispered.

Cortana scanned the region with the s.h.i.+p's internal sensors. There was nothing ... unless that "nothing" was actually a group of camouflaged Elites-perhaps the "Guardian of the Luminous Key" mentioned in the Covenant's greeting communique.

She tripped the emergency hull breach shut on four bulkhead doors-two on each side of this opened hatch.

"Trap is sprung," she remarked.

Cortana vented the atmosphere in this sealed section.

She hoped that they had left the vent system open behind them-dooming any others left behind to a similar asphyxiation.

Her sensors picked up a plasma grenade detonation on the inner port set of doors she had sealed and locked. The discharge scrambled those circuits and disabled the locks. She noted that the doors were being slowly opened... but not enough to reach the second set of sealed doors ahead.

The opening of those doors halted.

"Gotcha," she whispered. she whispered.

She'd keep that section of Ascendant Justice Ascendant Justice sealed until Sergeant Johnson could confirm the kills. She wouldn't let her guard down, either. There had to be additional alien saboteurs aboard her s.h.i.+p. And if she found them, she'd deal with them in the same efficient fas.h.i.+on. sealed until Sergeant Johnson could confirm the kills. She wouldn't let her guard down, either. There had to be additional alien saboteurs aboard her s.h.i.+p. And if she found them, she'd deal with them in the same efficient fas.h.i.+on.

This minor distraction resolved, Cortana returned her attention to the Covenant AI's code. Small portions of the alien software looked like her. The odds of such a parallel evolution in computer science seemed improbable. It was almost as if it were her code ... only copied many times, each time with subtle errors introduced by the replication process.

Could the Covenant have captured a human-made AI, copied it, and then used the result in their s.h.i.+ps? If so-why had there been the need to replicate the code so many times? And with so many errors?

This theory didn't track, however. Smart AIs like her had an operational life span of approximately seven years. After that the processing memory became too interconnected and developed fatal endless feedback loops. In essence, smart AIs became too smart and suffered an exponential attenuation of function; they literally thought thought themselves to death. themselves to death.

So if the Covenant were using human-created AIs, all the copies would be dead within seven years-there was no reason to recopy the copies. It wouldn't extend their life span, because all the memory-processor interconnections had to be copied as well.

Cortana paused to consider how much of her her life span had been compromised by absorbing and a.n.a.lyzing the data from Halo. Her experiences within the Forerunner computer system had certainly pushed her intellect far past its designed limits. Had she burned away half her "life" doing so? More? She stored that thought for later consideration. If she didn't find a way to get the Master Chief and get back to Earth, her operational life span would be even shorter. life span had been compromised by absorbing and a.n.a.lyzing the data from Halo. Her experiences within the Forerunner computer system had certainly pushed her intellect far past its designed limits. Had she burned away half her "life" doing so? More? She stored that thought for later consideration. If she didn't find a way to get the Master Chief and get back to Earth, her operational life span would be even shorter.

She was, however, curious about one thing: She ran a trace on the origin of the copied pathways of the alien AI, and found its replication routine. This copying code was extremely convoluted; in fact, it took up more than two thirds of the Covenant AI's processor-memory s.p.a.ce. It was dark with functions that ran deep to the core. It spread dendritic fingers through the system, like a cancer that had metastasized throughout the AI's entire body.

She did not understand any of it.

But she didn't have to understand understand the code to the code to use use it. it.

Was it worth the risk of using? Perhaps. If she could mitigate the risk, she'd copy a portion of herself onto an isolated system in Ascendant Justice. Ascendant Justice. She could always erase this subsystem if anything went wrong. She could always erase this subsystem if anything went wrong.

The potential rewards of this operation were great. She might be able to restore herself to full operational capacity-even carrying the Halo data.

Cortana double-and triple-checked the system she would overwrite: the Covenant software that managed the life support on the lower decks. Since the lower decks were now evacuated and cold, life support was moot. She carefully severed the connections from that subsystem to the rest of the s.h.i.+p.

She also rechecked her thinking. This copying software was likely responsible for the Covenant AI's fractured thinking. Her thinking, however, was being squeezed to nothing. There had to be a balance between these two deleterious states.

Cortana initialized the Covenant file-duplication software. It moved, and the entire thing pulsed and reached for her; she immediately shut down all contact with her translation suite.

The dark functions touched her code, wrapped around them, pushed against the barriers she had erected. It happened too fast, but she didn't stop the process. It was far too interesting to stop.

She distantly felt that portion of her mind blur and replicate, a.s.sembled line by line into its new location within Ascendant Justice. Ascendant Justice. It felt strange. Not that it was strange she could think in more than one place about more than one thing at the same time-she was used to multiprocessing. It felt strange. Not that it was strange she could think in more than one place about more than one thing at the same time-she was used to multiprocessing.

This was different different strange-as if she had a glimpse into something wonderful... and infinite. strange-as if she had a glimpse into something wonderful... and infinite.

The replication ceased, and the copying code was once again inert and safely stored with the dissected Covenant AI's directory.

Cortana ran her entire system; nothing else had been altered.

She checked the new copied system. It was intact, and, apart from a few slight errors in the software-which she immediately mended-it appeared functional.

She initiated the new system and slaved it with her original system, running them in parallel-one tapping the ONI's English-Covenant lexicon, the other tapping the alien AI's Covenant-English lexicon.

If the alien copying software could duplicate her translation routine, could it duplicate more of her?

No. She squelched that thought. The risk of copying any more "hers" was too great. There were too many unknowns. And this was, after all, the enemy's code. There could be b.o.o.by traps, waiting to be tripped within the complex algorithms.

Besides, copying herself would do nothing to prevent her mental degradation. Those interconnection errors were already present ... and they always would be, despite the number of copies generated.

She remembered the strange fractured speech patterns of the Covenant AI and wondered how many times it had been copied.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Covenant transmissions became clear. It was suddenly as if she had a new set of eyes and ears to hear them: Excavation proceeding; new sublayer discovered at six-hundred-meter depth, Excavation proceeding; new sublayer discovered at six-hundred-meter depth, and and Patrol unable to find the Infidels; returning to base, Patrol unable to find the Infidels; returning to base, and and Minor artifacts discovered; rejoice! Minor artifacts discovered; rejoice!

And there was one thing she had missed in her previous a.n.a.lysis of the Covenant communiques, a second signal on the carrier wave: They used the same symbols she had used to find the Halo construct-the symbols that the Master Chief had discovered on the alien artifact on Cote d'Azur.

She hadn't seen the simple dots, bars, squares, and triangles before because the Covenant, naturally, had embellished the clean symbols with their highly decorated calligraphied scripts, and further with their overwrought religious allusions.

Cortana, with her new subsystem and her new translation lexicon, could, as Dr. Halsey might say, "cut through the c.r.a.p."

HALO: FIRST STRIKE.

These subcommuniques were orders. They originated from new s.h.i.+ps entering the Epsilon Eridani system and were, in turn, accepted and acknowledged by those outbound.

It was an automated mail system that could carry messages from the center of the Covenant Empire to the outer reaches of the galaxy. The Covenant were either too arrogant, or too ignorant, to properly encrypt these orders.

Still, Cortana realized that the UNSC had not, until just now, discovered their deceptively simple system... so who was more ignorant?

There were deployment orders for hundreds of s.h.i.+ps: carriers, destroyers, tenders-a ma.s.sive fleet. They were to meet at select locations, join up, refuel, gather resources, and then orient for the next Slips.p.a.ce jump.

Cortana knew how to translate these simple symbols into stellar coordinates.

There-a jump to the Lambda Serpentis system to gather tritium gas for their reactors. And there-another jump to the Hawking system to meet with three dozen carriers and effect a transfer of Seraph fighters. And there- Cortana halted all her processes. She directed her full intellect to check and recheck her translation matrix a hundred times.

There was no error.

The terminating coordinates for the Covenant's impending operation was Sol. The Covenant were headed to Earth.

SECTION 4.

GAMBIT.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

TIME:DATE RECORD ANOMALYEstimated 0640 hours, September 23,2552 (Military Calendar)Epsilon Eridani system, tunnel complex below surface of Reach.

John tensed as he watched the thousands of Covenant crowding on the galleries surround him and his team. He didn't dare move; his team was on the wrong end of too much firepower. They couldn't win this fight.

On the third gallery off the floor of the great room, at the four o'clock position, a Hunter pair roared with anger. They raised their fuel rod cannons and then leveled their weapons-and fired.

Kelly moved before anyone; she was a blur of motion and stepped in front of Dr. Halsey. John and Fred moved to either side of Kelly, while Anton grabbed the Admiral and threw the older man behind them.

The blinding white-hot plasma charges struck the Spartans' s.h.i.+elds and splashed over their chests. John's s.h.i.+eld drained completely. The overpressure forced him to take a step backward, and the skin on his forearms blistered.

Then the heat was gone, and he blinked away the black dots that swarmed in his vision. Kelly lay at his feet. Her armor smoldered and hydrostatic gel boiled from the emergency release vent along her left side.

A thousand more shots rang out from the gallery, and John instinctively crouched to cover his fallen comrade. He braced for the inevitable burning energy impact.

Plasma bolts and crystalline needles crisscrossed the galleries overhead, a spiderweb of energy and projectiles. Every shot was directed at the pair of Hunters who had fired upon John and his team.

The Hunter pair raised their s.h.i.+elds in unison and ducked behind them-the quarter-meter-thick slabs of metal could repel almost any single weapon's fire ... but not this merciless barrage. These mightiest Covenant soldiers burned, their armor and s.h.i.+elds ignited as well, and John caught their outlines for only a split second before they were vaporized.

The section of gallery where they had stood blasted into dust and smoke, and the debris rained onto the floor ... along with dozens of Grunts and Jackals who had been unfortunate enough to be standing too near the pair.

Three heartbeats pounded in John's chest. Neither the humans nor the Covenant hosts in the great room moved.

"What the h.e.l.l is this?" Sergeant Johnson muttered. "Shouldn't we be dead by now?"

John linked to Kelly's biomonitors; she was in shock, and her suit's heat pumps were strained to the failure point. He had to get her to safety.

From the uppermost gallery a Covenant Elite in golden armor raised its energy sword high into the air and shouted. Translation software in John's helmet whispered half a second later: "Take them-but the next one to fire at the holy light will be skinned alive! Go!"

Dr. Halsey pressed the arm of her gla.s.ses tighter against the back of her ear, listening as the built-in translator whispered. "The crystal," she murmured. "They're after the crystal."

Teams of Elites dropped slithering, plasticine ropes, which glowed a ghostly blue. They rappelled to the floor. A hundred Grunts squealed with excitement and danced from one foot to the other. Jackals followed their Elite leaders on the ropes.

"Polaski!" Admiral Whitcomb shouted into his COM. "Get down here ASAP! We need immediate extraction!" "Roger that," Polaski replied in her cool never-flinch Navy flier voice.

Fred, Grace, and Anton turned and fired three-round bursts straight up as a team of Elites tried to descend on their position. The Elites fell, spattering purple blood across the tiled floor.

Dr. Halsey stuffed the alien crystal into her lab coat pocket and knelt next to Kelly. She checked her vitals on the data pad and shook her head. She looked at John, her expression grim. "She's alive ... barely. She needs help."

"Let's not be rude," Admiral Whitcomb barked. "Welcome our guests, Master Chief!" "Perimeter fire," the Master Chief ordered. "Keep it tight. Dispersion pattern Delta. Go!"

The Spartans simultaneously stepped into a semicircle, a.s.sault rifles pointed outward. In unison they thumbed their weapons' safeties and opened fire. Right behind them Locklear, Johnson, Haverson, and the Admiral took up position inside the circle. They primed and threw grenades.

John paused and turned his attention to Kelly. He hauled her limp body off the floor and draped her over his shoulder.

The Covenant forces. .h.i.t the ground and edged closer, but they didn't return fire. Dozens of Elites dropped as armor-piercing rounds peppered their armor and frag grenades detonated with thunderous force. The Jackals who followed their masters on the ropes landed in the middle of the carnage, maneuvered in front of the Elites, and overlapped energy s.h.i.+elds. It was typical Elite bravado-they had to be the first into the battle ... even if that meant they'd die for that honor.