Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

"You can't hold on to anything right now." Gillis nodded to someone off-screen.

"Captain, radioactive rays detected!" Lieutenant Kazuko Hiyoshi shouted. "A spike in neutron radiation appeared in the area from seven o'clock to three o'clock. Five more were detected in the one to three o'clock position. They have nuclear weapons."

"Full right rudder, hide in the asteroid belt." Keyes ordered.

"Good, at least we're not dealing with idiots," General Whitcomb muttered.

"That's right. We are not idiots." Gillis replied. "The Earth Empire is beyond our reach, and the Covenant invasion is beyond our control." Someone outside the camera lens handed Gillis a tablet with the Gettysburg - Silhouette of the USS Justice after radar reflection.He hesitated, wrinkled his nose, and seemed confused by the strange appearance of the craft. "We are not stupid enough to use our overwhelmingly superior force when it is not necessary. Your 'ship' itself will soon fall apart. There is no need for us to waste precious and expensive nuclear weapons to stop you."

Whitcomb put his hands on his hips. "You need to reconsider the situation at hand, Lord Governor." He roared, "Weapons officer, find me a target - a rock the same size as this 'gentleman's' base!"

"Finish."

"Case, burn it!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir."

A plasma beam appeared on the starboard side of the Justice. It penetrated into space and hit a three-kilometer-long boulder tumbling in the asteroid belt.Its surface turned orange, yellow, and then white as the temperature rose sharply, the molten iron melted into small dots and splashed everywhere, and the jets of steam made the boulder spin faster.

The plasma beam cuts a wide arc into the rock, piercing all the way to the back.The uneven temperature inside caused cracks in the rock, and with an explosion it shattered into pieces.The wreckage spun rapidly and flew farther and farther, leaving behind a spiral trail of gradually cooling iron and gleaming metallic gas.

"Keep turrets two and three warm," the general said, "target their base."

"Done, sir!"

At this time, the sarcastic smile on Gillis's face had long disappeared, and his skin had also lost its original luster. "Maybe I was too reckless." He said, "Where did my cultivation go? Dear guest, please go ashore. Take your crew with you." He made a quick gesture to the people outside the camera lens. .The spacecraft surrounding the Gettysburg turned around and flew back to the rotating asteroid in an orderly manner.

"Have dinner with me and we can discuss your proposal. I promise no one will be harmed."

General Whitcomb smiled. "I have no doubt about that, Mr. Gillis." He turned to Case. "If we're not back in ten minutes, blow them all to pieces."

****
Without the helmet's brightness adjuster, the white light inside the Pelican was a bit harsh.Tommy looked at the monitor on the bulkhead, which only saw endless deep space and dotted boulders.He couldn't see it, but he knew that the spaceship aboard the noble team had set off, ensuring that they could control the situation at any time when the negotiation atmosphere became anxious.

"Tommy, your skin is so white." Fred, who was sitting opposite him, said with a low smile, "No wonder you are so popular with those girls."

Tommy glanced at him and touched his chin, which had grown a little stubble.He didn't wear armor because of the special circumstances of this mission - not long ago, in the docking cabin of the Justice, the general faced a group of Spartan warriors and asked the Master Chief: "Son, we are about to engage in a battle." For diplomatic negotiations, I need a young man who is both smart and capable to accompany me. Who in your team can take on this task?" Almost immediately, all the Phase II Spartans turned their attention to Tommy.

Master Chief is no exception. "He was once a member of my team, sir, and there's no one better for it," he explained.

So Tommy briefly changed his job and became a "diplomat" - a two-meter-tall diplomat who can blow the heads of everyone on the other side in a few breaths.

"You're the only one who can tell wisecracks, Fred." Tommy said, "Where's the female civilian you saved last time and kept pestering you? How are you doing with her?"

"How do you know?" Fred said in a nervous tone, "Okay, you can read my report."

"Hmm." Tommy nodded noncommittally.

Fred certainly didn't do anything to the female civilian, but she also caused a lot of trouble for the Spartans.

"We're about to dock, everyone, get ready!" the pilot's voice came from the cockpit.

Tommy used a portable mission telemetry probe to connect with Ellie. He was not wearing armor this time, so he carried a pair of tiny headphones commonly used by Marines to maintain communication.

At this time, Gillis's people had arrived at the landing module to greet them - there were six of them, wearing black uniforms and carrying old MA3 rifles on their shoulders.The other party hesitated for a while, and then tentatively walked towards the Pelican troop carrier.

Tommy didn't yell at them—if he were heading toward a heavily armed enemy ship, he would be more careful.However, if one of them pulls the trigger out of fear, the reception can turn into a bloody battle.

He lowered his voice and said to the microphone: "Ellie, tactical analysis."

The artificial intelligence replied: "This asteroid is a typical iron oxide mixture. It is reinforced with a layer of A-type titanium alloy armor. The armor is very cleverly hidden, but I used the deep detection radar of the Gettysburg Figured this out. Several parts have anti-corrosive coatings, and radar is exploring those areas - Covenant sensors will be used to do so later."

Governor Gillis walked calmly onto the deck and shook hands with General Whitcomb.Gillis nodded towards Tommy with a strange look on his face, as if surprised by his height and strong build.However, when he saw Master Chief and Fred wearing Mjolnir armor, his smile immediately disappeared.Afterwards, Gillis put a smile on his face again and bowed deeply to Dr. Halsey.

"There are six guards, and the weapons they carry are old MA3 rifles and plasma pistols hidden on their bodies." Ellie whispered, "I also found a ten-man firepower team in the adjacent passage. They are monitoring. The noble team is very It will be in place soon.”

"I saw them," Tommy said softly, "They are responsible for surveillance and reinforcement. I have no problem dealing with them."