0626 hours, March 31, 2526 (military calendar)

UNSC Point Blank-class Stealth Cruiser Vanishing Point

Deep Space, Rendezvous Point Sierra-Yama, Polona Sector

To Catherine Halsey, the holographic image above the captured starholo resembled a half-eaten dinner of spaghetti and meatballs that had just entered zero-g and floated up off the plate. In this case, the plate was a silver disk sitting atop the cylindrical, waist-high equipment cabinet Task Force Yama had recovered from the Covenant frigate that the Spartans had downed on Seoba.

The “meatballs” represented gravity wells of various sizes, and the “spaghetti” represented the curvature of space-time around them. Sometimes, the spaghetti would bend so tightly they touched themselves somewhere along the strand, creating connection points that could be used as transit nodes by a slipspace-capable vessel.

With a little luck and a lot of hard work, Catherine hoped to use the starholo to trace the Covenant’s slipspace routes back to the primary supply depot serving their invasion fleet. She had already identified more than twenty transit nodes that opened near gravity wells she believed to be Harvest, Netherop, and Etalan—all planets that the Covenant had attacked and glassed. But only four nodes were also near other nodes that created a slipspace route into Covenant space—or, looking at it another way, out of human-controlled space.

Since it had taken five days for a new supply convoy to arrive after her Spartans destroyed the one at Etalan, she assumed the Covenant supply-depot had to be located somewhere between half and three-quarters of that distance at their slipspace travel rates, which seemed to be several times faster than human rates. Even if the message calling the replacement fleet forward had traveled faster than their vessels could, it would still need some time to traverse such vast distances.

Unfortunately, there were no gravity wells within that range on her short list of likely routes into Covenant space. Clearly, she was making an incorrect assumption somewhere along the line.

Without looking away from the starholo, she said, “Déjà, how certain are you about the size of the logistics base required to support the Covenant fleet? I don’t see any worlds in range.”

There was a pause and an unusual clitch-sound, and then the limited artificial intelligence created to assist Catherine with the SPARTAN-II program answered. “The calculations are correct, Dr. Halsey. The amount of resources required to support and maintain the enemy fleet are immense. The only feasible way to marshal them is from a depot supplied by a habitable planet—and because of the logistics involved in moving such vast amounts of cargo, efficiency dictates that it be a single habitable planet. Gathering supplies from two locations even in the same star system would create inefficiencies that would inevitably result in significant shipping delays.”

“Then where is this planet?”

Catherine waved a hand into the starholo and felt a cold tingle. Startled by the sensation, she quickly realized that sticking her hand into an alien projection field might not be healthy, and removed it. There was so much she didn’t know about Covenant technology, and that grew more apparent every time she used the starholo. Capturing it intact had been the kind of lucky break that could change the course of the war—and, unfortunately, the kind that was unlikely to come along twice. She had to make the most of the opportunity and figure out how to find the depot planet.

She turned toward Déjà’s projection pad. The AI presented herself as Greek goddess with flowing brown hair and brown, almond-shaped eyes.

“Habitable worlds create gravity wells,” Catherine continued, “and there aren’t any—not within four days of the most likely transit nodes.”

“But there is a habitable world within five days of Transit Node Bhadra.” Déjà made the clitching sound again, then paused for a deci-second before continuing, “Perhaps it’s not my calculations that are mistaken, but your assumption.”

“Are you suggesting the Covenant has instantaneous interstellar communications?”

Déjà spread her hands and clitched. “I am suggesting the Covenant has a great deal of . . . clitch . . . technology that we don’t . . . clitch . . . understand.”

Catherine already understood the cause of Déjà’s erratic pauses. She had tracked it down to a sophisticated data miner, which had been slipped into her quarantined lab computer by Hector Nyeto or one of his operatives. She was putting up with it not only because it had already succeeded in stealing her most closely guarded data, but because Catherine didn’t want Nyeto to realize she was onto him until she had decided his usefulness was at an end.

She turned back to the starholo and began to study the likely routes into Covenant space, looking for others with a world in the five-day range. Two had planet-sized wells within six days of Etalan, but the gravity well at Transit Node Bhadra was the only one at five days.

“Very well, Déjà,” Catherine said. “Your theory is the only one that fits the facts. We’ll assume that the Covenant does have instantaneous interstellar communications—and visit Transit Node Bhadra first.”

“A superb choice, Dr. Halsey.” Déjà drained back into her projection pad, saying, “And now I think I should take my leave. Your gentleman caller has arrived.”

“About time.”

Catherine deactivated the starholo, then went to a mirror and ran her fingers through her black hair. Despite being the mother of a one-year-old daughter named Miranda—a daughter who occupied her every non-working thought, who deserved to grow up on a planet that had not been glassed by the Covenant—she still presented a striking figure and didn’t think she would have much trouble convincing her caller to accompany her to her private compartments. She went to the door, then thumbed the control pad and put on a big smile.

“Colonel Crowther, what a delight.”

The colonel stood on the threshold in a rumpled work uniform. His weathered face looked confused and tired. “Your message said you wanted to see me as soon as the rendezvous was complete? For a . . . personal matter?”

“That’s right,” Catherine said. Knowing that she was almost certainly being watched by Hector Nyeto or one of his subordinate spies, she grabbed Crowther by the elbow and drew him into the lab. Then she hooked her arm through his and started across the deck toward her private compartments. “I just couldn’t wait another hour for us to be alone.”

Crowther looked confused, but tried to play along. “I see.”

“I hope so,” Catherine said. They reached the entrance to her private compartments. She placed her thumb on the biometric reader and stared into the retina-scanner, and the door slid aside. “It’s not easy for me, you know.”

“I should imagine not.” Crowther was being a good sport, but Catherine could see that he was a bit flustered by how tightly she was pressing her flank against his. After all, she’d had no secure way to warn him about her intentions. “You’re still a young woman. I can’t understand what you see in a man my age.”

“Experience.” Catherine pulled him through the door into her little galley area. “You really know how to handle yourself in a clench.”

“Well, I am infantry.” Crowther stood just inside the threshold, surveying the compartment as though looking for snipers. “You’re quite apt yourself.”

Halsey flashed him a warm smile. “Why, thank you, Marmon.”

She thumbed the control pad and waited until the door had snicked closed, then released Crowther’s arm and pointed him to a stool at the breakfast counter.

“It’s safe to talk in here,” she said. “I sweep for eavesdropping devices three times a day. It’s been clean so far.”

Crowther took the stool and continued to study the compartment in silence.

“I can offer you water.” Catherine was starting to wonder if she had picked the right man for this job. “Warm or cold?”

“Cold would be nice.” Crowther smiled and almost looked relieved. “I am feeling a bit flushed.”

Catherine returned his smile. “Sorry for the show, Colonel,” she said. “But we need to talk about how we’re going to handle Hector Nyeto before he tries to kill my Spartans again.”