Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Chapter 174 Battle of Critical Star ([-])
While thinking about these things, Ellie continued to send out blocking signals to cope with the detection of another object in the system.She hoped her actions could be covered up for as long as she wanted.The other object's letter turned into a series of Bessel functions, which she then corrected to avoid any flaws.

She automated the process using the Covenant's own navigation computer, then moved the electronic phantoms of the Master Chief and his men to confuse the elite warriors pursuing them.The engine room was very close to the Master Chief, and they only had to turn down a few more corridors to reach it.

Meanwhile, she continued to study the Covenant ship and its systems—an opportunity that was once in a lifetime.Information about their advanced slipspace drives and weapons could allow humanity to leap forward decades in technology.

"Ellie?" Tommy's voice snapped her out of her rapt state, and she heard the blast of plasma beams and the sound of automatic weapons fire. "We've encountered elite warriors in stealth suits and need to find a way around this intersection."

She ignored the refractive skills of the elite warriors.She was doing so many things that she was exhausted both physically and mentally.She stopped studying Covenant technology and found a way out for Tommy around the intersection.

She restarted her human communications and route-drafting program and said, "The access door on your right, Tommy. Go three meters down, five meters straight ahead, turn left, and then up again."

She heard an explosion. "Done," Tommy said.

Ellie must focus on protecting the three scattered teams.She interrupted her other searches and looked carefully at the ship's diagrams.She had to find something she could use.A weapon, a way to stop enemy forces - there it is: the backup end of the air preconditioner.Unlike other systems, it is classified as low priority and has a low level of security protection.

In one microsecond, she calculated 20 million codes used by the Covenant forces and successfully cracked the system.She first connected the vents in the corridor where the three teams were located to the main air circulation system, and then ordered the air pump to run the program to extract the air from the rest of the spacecraft.

The air pressure in 87% of the spacecraft's channels suddenly dropped, and the alarm devices of the entire computing system emitted flashes of light.She turned them all off.

The unknown agent in the system attempts to shut down the air pump.She blocked the signals it sent and reset a password for the security system: You are such a pig.

She snickered as the artificial being screamed, waves of echoes rippling through her processor.She was familiar with the sound—it sounded like a human being, but severely distorted.

She scanned the cameras on the ship and saw the Grunts screaming in agony and falling to the ground, their respirators leaking methane as the external air pressure dropped.The engineer turned blue, became sluggish, and then died.They float in the air, their tentacles curled, as if they are still looking for something to stick to.The hunter-type elite warriors stopped in the corridor, grabbed their own throats with their hands, opened their jaws and tried to bite the air that had been sucked out. Soon they fell to the ground and suffocated to death.

At this moment, a pulse came from her moral subroutine, issuing an interrupt command, intended to make her stop and reconsider her decision.However, Ellie knew that now it was either the enemy who died or we died, so she changed the signal path sent by the moral program, and then turned off the program.She couldn't let these mother-in-law concerns slow her down.

"Tommy." She whispered in the communication channel, "Please note that the channels I have uploaded to your navigation system have been cleared of air. Your men will die if they enter those areas."

Tommy paused for three seconds, then replied, "Got it."

Ellie decrypted the Covenant's information involving the "Saint", but had to stop after running the decryption program for one cycle.The language they used was unusually gorgeous - far more gorgeous than the gorgeous articles written by elite senior officials. It was impossible to translate them word for word, but she identified an important person. Expect to be in the Halo wreckage area, soon.

This visitor is so important. Now these Covenant warships are just the advance team, and more spaceships are still behind, hundreds of them. "Tommy," Ellie said, "we might have a problem—"

"Sorry, Ellie," Tommy interrupted, "We are outside the command center. Can you first tell me how many people are inside?"

"No. They turned off the bridge sensors," she replied.

"You all heard what Ellie said," Tommy said to his companions. "Be prepared for the worst, Sergeant. You and your men are at your posts."

"Understood," Avery whispered, "In position, I'm going to kick the Covenant's brainless ass."

"We're going to blow the door open on this end, Ellie. Get ready."

Ellie noticed the surge of energy from the sensors next to the flagship.In the fleet of Covenant troops chasing the Truth and Harmony, a cruiser turned its head, its plasma cannon glowing with an orange-red dim light - a precursor to firing.

"Tommy," Ellie said, "hurry up!"

"I'm going to throw a plasma grenade." Tommy shouted on the communication channel, "Attention! It's being thrown, take cover!"

****
Tommy threw two plasma grenades, which erupted with blinding flames like burning magnesium ribbons, and then stuck to the alloy isolation door closing the bridge - one of the most useful features of this alien weapon.

He quickly ran to the corner of the corridor and stood in front of Rebecca and Polaski to act as their shield.Five seconds passed before a flash of light illuminated the entire hallway.Tommy returned to the door.The doors shone brightly like mirrors where the grenade exploded, but they suffered no serious damage.

A hundred grenades couldn't blow open the doors - but the plasma grenades destroyed the electronics and protective gear when they exploded.Tommy inserted his armored fingers into the crack of the door - hoping that the generators and protective devices that kept the door closed had been destroyed.

The muscles in his arms and back were so tense that they were trembling. He used all his strength to try to open the door through this gap.They slid open a few centimeters with a squeaking sound, then stopped again.Tommy adjusted his standing position and pulled the door to both sides again, but this time it didn't budge.

A red dot popped up on his motion detector—there was enemy activity on the other side of the door.

(End of this chapter)