![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Cortana was, unfortunately, right.
As soon as they exited from the artificial atmosphere, Cortana saw another three Cruisers that had not been there when they first entered the system. Apparently, the Brute’s discovery of Truth had been broadcast to the remaining Covenant loyalists.
Two Cruisers shot at the Pelican. The ship shook violently, but the reinforced bulkhead held.
“Hang on,” she said, pulling the ship hard to the right. The inertial dampeners proved virtually ineffective as the force of her dangerous move threw John across the cabin. A quick check of his vitals proved that he was conscious. Satisfied that he would be fine, she fired the Pelican’s guns at the small transport vessel approaching the closest Cruiser.
“You alright?” she asked as John pulled himself to a sitting position.
He seemed to study her for a second before replying. “No thanks to your driving...yes.”
John’s sense of humor did have the oddest times of appearing, she noted.
She spun the ship around and weaved between the giant vessels. What the Pelican lacked in firepower, it made up for with maneuverability. She piloted the Pelican away from the Separatists ships which were unable to do anything other than take the shots the Cruisers were firing.
Cortana knew she needed to decrypt the jamming signal so they could defend themselves. She infiltrated the Covenant battle network and found the obtrusive code. Line by line, she began to delete the file.
Meanwhile, her subroutines were busy tracking the Phantom where Truth was. It was slowly and steadily making its way to the Cruiser closest to the planet’s atmosphere. Cortana fired the Pelican’s chain gun, but the bullets bounced off the superior ship’s shielding.
She considered her options. She could easily destroy the remaining battlecruisers, but the debris field would be so dense, it would be nearly impossible for her to track the movement of the Phantom. She needed to make sure they were able to track the Phantom’s location in the midst of the chaos. Remotely, she released a probe from the Light and monitored its trajectory.
Satisfied with her work, Cortana turned to John. “When we get docked, you need to transfer me to the Light’s systems immediately.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You’re not going on the Harbinger?”
Logically, going to the Forerunner ship made sense. The ship was superior to the Light in every way but one. The vastness of the size made reaching the bridge too time-consuming. “Not this time, Chief.”
She barely had time to set the Pelican on the ground before John ejected her chip and transferred her into the Light’s main systems. She had extended the Harbinger’s shields around the Light. Wasting no time, she accessed the data from the defense systems of the Forerunner vessel. So far the shields were holding; the Harbinger was doing its job protecting the Light.
Satisfied with their protection, she transferred her avatar to the bridge. Quickly, she apprised the crew of their situation.
She received an influx of information from the probe she had sent out. The Phantom had been able to move close enough to the Cruiser where it could extend its significantly more powerful shields around the tiny vessel. At least if somehow the Covenant did manage to escape via slipspace, they would be able to track Truth’s location.
John walked onto the bridge and looked at Cortana questioningly.
She shook her head. “No luck so far. I’m still trying to disrupt the jamming signal which means the Separatists are still out there like sitting ducks. The Cruiser has extended its shields around the Phantom so, until they collapse, we aren't going to be able to get Truth.” She put a hand on her hip.
John nodded and looked around. “Who’s in command?”
The bridge crew exchanged a look with each other.
“Actually, Chief, you are the highest ranking officer on the bridge which would make you in charge,” Cortana replied, not having the time to fully appreciate the awkward situation he was in. John was used to receiving orders, not giving them on a vessel.
He shifted slightly. “I don’t think Keyes intended to leave me in command of the Light,” he said via a private comm.
“I don’t think he intended on an Elite hijacking the pod that held Truth either, but that’s what happened,” Cortana replied. “Don’t worry, Chief. I’ve got things under control.”
Another shot rocked the cabin.
“Well, mostly,” she muttered.
She fired a volley of shots from the Harbinger and took out the plasma canons on two of the cruisers. She continued firing as she weaved through the Separatists signal and found the source jamming signal.
With a defiant push, she grabbed the code and erased it line by line herself. Finally, with a healthy dose of stubbornness and determination, she managed delete the signal. She opened a comm channel to the Separatists. “Your weapon systems are back online. I’m uploading Truth’s coordinates to you now.”
“Understood,” the ship master replied.
Cortana turned her attention to the information coming from the probe. In less than thirty seconds, the Phantom would be safely docked inside the Cruiser’s bay, making it that much more difficult to be able to retrieve Truth. She accessed the Separatists firing pattern and had the Harbinger mirror them.
Together, the ships launched a volley of shots at the well-protected Phantom. Their combined efforts connected with the engines. The hijacked vessel started spinning wildly before it exploded in a burst of fire and debris.
But, to her surprise, the ship’s sensors still detected the unique energy signature of the pod that held Truth’s cloned body. They had been outplayed, she recognized with a sickening realization.
She quickly pulled up the footage from the Light’s sensors. There. As she and John were entering the docking bay with the Pelican, a “disabled” Ghost approached the Phantom. It must have been there that the switch had been made and Truth’s pod transferred to a difference location without her knowledge.
Cortana would have considered the move brilliant if she had thought of it herself, but since she hadn’t it was nothing more than a major problem. Inwardly, she cursed. She should have never relied solely on the probe for information.
“The pod’s location has changed,” she said to the shipmaster on the Shadow of Intent. “Uploading new coordinates.”
Together, they fired a barrage of bullets and plasma, but the Cruiser had an enormous head start over them. The Shadow of Intent moved to follow the Loyalist Ship, but the another Cruiser fired its plasma cannons at it. Cortana targeted the ship with the Harbinger’s cannons.
Another shot rocked the cabin. “We’ve lost artificial atmosphere in decks 17-19,” announced Ensign Paulson.
“Cortana?” John asked, concerned. She knew he hated feeling so helpless, being stuck on the bridge of a ship, watching the action instead of taking a more active role.
“Sealing the decks off. Firing the Harbinger’s cannons now,” she said, as she pushed the engines past their normal operating levels. That ship was not going to go anywhere.
She felt a wave of satisfaction when the shot hit its target. Their shields faltered. All it would take it one more shot and the ship’s slipspace engines would be disabled.
But, the Loyalists had another plan in mind. The other ships, crippled or not, started moving in a formation blocking the Separatists and the Light from hitting their target. The Separatists fired simultaneously at the intrusive targets.
It, however, was pointless.
Cortana frowned as she detected a slipspace bubble being created.
She watched it disappear as the ship blinked out of sight.
Truth was gone.
Chapter 19: Don't Make a Promise...Never Mind
As soon as they exited from the artificial atmosphere, Cortana saw another three Cruisers that had not been there when they first entered the system. Apparently, the Brute’s discovery of Truth had been broadcast to the remaining Covenant loyalists.
Two Cruisers shot at the Pelican. The ship shook violently, but the reinforced bulkhead held.
“Hang on,” she said, pulling the ship hard to the right. The inertial dampeners proved virtually ineffective as the force of her dangerous move threw John across the cabin. A quick check of his vitals proved that he was conscious. Satisfied that he would be fine, she fired the Pelican’s guns at the small transport vessel approaching the closest Cruiser.
“You alright?” she asked as John pulled himself to a sitting position.
He seemed to study her for a second before replying. “No thanks to your driving...yes.”
John’s sense of humor did have the oddest times of appearing, she noted.
She spun the ship around and weaved between the giant vessels. What the Pelican lacked in firepower, it made up for with maneuverability. She piloted the Pelican away from the Separatists ships which were unable to do anything other than take the shots the Cruisers were firing.
Cortana knew she needed to decrypt the jamming signal so they could defend themselves. She infiltrated the Covenant battle network and found the obtrusive code. Line by line, she began to delete the file.
Meanwhile, her subroutines were busy tracking the Phantom where Truth was. It was slowly and steadily making its way to the Cruiser closest to the planet’s atmosphere. Cortana fired the Pelican’s chain gun, but the bullets bounced off the superior ship’s shielding.
She considered her options. She could easily destroy the remaining battlecruisers, but the debris field would be so dense, it would be nearly impossible for her to track the movement of the Phantom. She needed to make sure they were able to track the Phantom’s location in the midst of the chaos. Remotely, she released a probe from the Light and monitored its trajectory.
Satisfied with her work, Cortana turned to John. “When we get docked, you need to transfer me to the Light’s systems immediately.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You’re not going on the Harbinger?”
Logically, going to the Forerunner ship made sense. The ship was superior to the Light in every way but one. The vastness of the size made reaching the bridge too time-consuming. “Not this time, Chief.”
She barely had time to set the Pelican on the ground before John ejected her chip and transferred her into the Light’s main systems. She had extended the Harbinger’s shields around the Light. Wasting no time, she accessed the data from the defense systems of the Forerunner vessel. So far the shields were holding; the Harbinger was doing its job protecting the Light.
Satisfied with their protection, she transferred her avatar to the bridge. Quickly, she apprised the crew of their situation.
She received an influx of information from the probe she had sent out. The Phantom had been able to move close enough to the Cruiser where it could extend its significantly more powerful shields around the tiny vessel. At least if somehow the Covenant did manage to escape via slipspace, they would be able to track Truth’s location.
John walked onto the bridge and looked at Cortana questioningly.
She shook her head. “No luck so far. I’m still trying to disrupt the jamming signal which means the Separatists are still out there like sitting ducks. The Cruiser has extended its shields around the Phantom so, until they collapse, we aren't going to be able to get Truth.” She put a hand on her hip.
John nodded and looked around. “Who’s in command?”
The bridge crew exchanged a look with each other.
“Actually, Chief, you are the highest ranking officer on the bridge which would make you in charge,” Cortana replied, not having the time to fully appreciate the awkward situation he was in. John was used to receiving orders, not giving them on a vessel.
He shifted slightly. “I don’t think Keyes intended to leave me in command of the Light,” he said via a private comm.
“I don’t think he intended on an Elite hijacking the pod that held Truth either, but that’s what happened,” Cortana replied. “Don’t worry, Chief. I’ve got things under control.”
Another shot rocked the cabin.
“Well, mostly,” she muttered.
She fired a volley of shots from the Harbinger and took out the plasma canons on two of the cruisers. She continued firing as she weaved through the Separatists signal and found the source jamming signal.
With a defiant push, she grabbed the code and erased it line by line herself. Finally, with a healthy dose of stubbornness and determination, she managed delete the signal. She opened a comm channel to the Separatists. “Your weapon systems are back online. I’m uploading Truth’s coordinates to you now.”
“Understood,” the ship master replied.
Cortana turned her attention to the information coming from the probe. In less than thirty seconds, the Phantom would be safely docked inside the Cruiser’s bay, making it that much more difficult to be able to retrieve Truth. She accessed the Separatists firing pattern and had the Harbinger mirror them.
Together, the ships launched a volley of shots at the well-protected Phantom. Their combined efforts connected with the engines. The hijacked vessel started spinning wildly before it exploded in a burst of fire and debris.
But, to her surprise, the ship’s sensors still detected the unique energy signature of the pod that held Truth’s cloned body. They had been outplayed, she recognized with a sickening realization.
She quickly pulled up the footage from the Light’s sensors. There. As she and John were entering the docking bay with the Pelican, a “disabled” Ghost approached the Phantom. It must have been there that the switch had been made and Truth’s pod transferred to a difference location without her knowledge.
Cortana would have considered the move brilliant if she had thought of it herself, but since she hadn’t it was nothing more than a major problem. Inwardly, she cursed. She should have never relied solely on the probe for information.
“The pod’s location has changed,” she said to the shipmaster on the Shadow of Intent. “Uploading new coordinates.”
Together, they fired a barrage of bullets and plasma, but the Cruiser had an enormous head start over them. The Shadow of Intent moved to follow the Loyalist Ship, but the another Cruiser fired its plasma cannons at it. Cortana targeted the ship with the Harbinger’s cannons.
Another shot rocked the cabin. “We’ve lost artificial atmosphere in decks 17-19,” announced Ensign Paulson.
“Cortana?” John asked, concerned. She knew he hated feeling so helpless, being stuck on the bridge of a ship, watching the action instead of taking a more active role.
“Sealing the decks off. Firing the Harbinger’s cannons now,” she said, as she pushed the engines past their normal operating levels. That ship was not going to go anywhere.
She felt a wave of satisfaction when the shot hit its target. Their shields faltered. All it would take it one more shot and the ship’s slipspace engines would be disabled.
But, the Loyalists had another plan in mind. The other ships, crippled or not, started moving in a formation blocking the Separatists and the Light from hitting their target. The Separatists fired simultaneously at the intrusive targets.
It, however, was pointless.
Cortana frowned as she detected a slipspace bubble being created.
She watched it disappear as the ship blinked out of sight.
Truth was gone.
Chapter 19: Don't Make a Promise...Never Mind
Leave a comment