“You could have killed them,” Cortana said. “Why didn’t you?”
	“My orders gave me permission to ‘neutralize’ threats,” he replied. “They aren’t threats anymore.”
	“Semantics,” Cortana replied. She sounded amused. “I can’t argue with the results, though—” She broke off, suddenly. “New targets. Seven contacts on the motion tracker,” Cortana reported. “We’re surrounded.”
	Seven more soldiers. The Master Chief could open fire now and kill them all. Under any other circumstances, he would have removed such threats. But their MA5Bs were no immediate danger to him … and the UNSC could use every soldier to fight the Covenant.