Layers of thick clouds rolled past the three star warships parked high in the sky of Wolf 359b. Although they were far away from the hurricane-like cloud belts filled with violent lightning on the planet's surface, the residual power was still there.
The three starships were like three-leaf boats in the vast sea, flickering in and out of the treacherous clouds, sometimes being swallowed up, and sometimes regaining life.
The constantly flashing navigation lights around the ship seemed to be a cry of struggle, but were soon enveloped by the clouds, leaving only a crystal clear moment, and then fell into deathly silence.
Endless loop, endless... flagship
Inside the "Taimiao", Snate stood in front of the porthole and stared quietly at the two starships not far away, falling into deep contemplation... As the commander-in-chief of the expedition fleet, the future of the fleet is his. The issue that has to be considered is also the most urgent issue.
Since escaping from the Tiberians, several executions have
After the joint encirclement and suppression of the "Space Vanguard" project fleet, the lives of 300,000 crew members and the future of the only three starships must be cautious.
Without being able to make timely contact with the Earth or knowing the current situation of the Earth, these three starships are likely to be the last remnants of the human armed forces in the universe, and every decision he makes is crucial.
That's why there was a scene where all the middle and high-level officers voted. He is not trying to shirk responsibility, nor is he so-called enlightened, but a self-salvation under heavy pressure.
Compared with the high spirits when the expedition fleet set sail, the three remaining starships are like old people in their twilight years. They have been exhausted by nearly 20 years of interstellar voyages and repeated failures.
It wasn't that they couldn't fight, but they were helpless and confused because of the fruitless fight. Seeing the fleet being consumed by the Tiberians bit by bit and gradually heading toward destruction was painful and even more painful.
Only 7.7 light-years away from the earth, the fleet lost more than 95% of all types of warships. It was not only a huge material loss and consumption, but also a heavy mental damage.
Looking back on the past, the Voyage Fleet seemed to have fallen into the Tiberians' conspiracy and fell into a huge encirclement and suppression array carefully woven by them.
Just imagine, if you continue to execute
The "Mission Exploration" plan, facing the vast universe and a front with no destination at all, how far can the remaining three starships go?
Perhaps, the three starships were attacked by the Tiber aliens before they even flew out of the Wolf star system. But staying here is not a long-term solution.
Returning to Earth seems to be a way, but this road is also full of hardships and challenges. Even if you are lucky enough to escape the attack of the Tiberians, no one can bear the guilt of returning without success and being defeated.
The interstellar heroes who have attracted the attention and admiration of the world will turn into timid and cowardly losers overnight. The huge contrast will make the crew put on spiritual shackles that can never be released, and live in humility for a lifetime.
No one wants to. This is why the vast majority of mid-level and senior military officers abstained from voting. They were collectively confused.
As the highest military commander of the fleet, Snet must make a final decision after considering all factors and weighing the pros and cons.
He's leaning toward returning to Earth, he admits
The "Mission Exploration" plan temporarily failed. He believes that in the face of the lives of 300,000 crew members and the last three starships, failure is not terrible. As long as this spark of hope can be preserved, he can return to interstellar space and start over.
Mission Discovery is not impossible. However, he needed a legitimate reason, but the middle and high-level officers did not give it to him.
Suddenly, the lights inside the ship became flickering, some even exploded, and some instruments also suffered varying degrees of malfunction and damage.
This phenomenon has occurred for the third time in the past month. After detection, it was found that the star Lutan 726-6, which is nearly 1 light-year away from here, had a brief helium flash. Fortunately, its intensity was not large, and No substantial damage was caused to the three starships.
At this time, Miyazawa and his party approached the porthole. When the guard on the side was about to remind Snate, Miyazawa waved his hand, and then stood quietly behind him.
After a long time, Snate came out of his contemplation, and when he turned around, he saw Miyazawa.
"When did you come?"
"It didn't take long." Miyazawa spread his hands.
"What's up?"
"Well...Yes, it's not an urgent matter. If it's inconvenient for you, next time..." Before Miyazawa could finish speaking, Snet interrupted him. After taking a few steps towards him, he asked He said: "Have the results of those two teams of detectors been obtained?"
"Not yet, but news without news is the best news." Snate thought for a while and nodded thoughtfully.
The two teams of detectors he mentioned are deep space electromagnetic scanning detector clusters, with a total of 18 in two teams. On the surface, they are star detectors and other detectors. In fact, they are searching for and warning unknown interstellar warships, especially the execution
The Tiberian star battleship of the "Cosmic Vanguard" project. Long before the expedition fleet entered Wolf 359, Snart ordered
"Huomiao" and
"Heli" released these two detector clusters into space respectively. One team in the cluster slowly advanced towards the center of the star, while the other team passed by the ecliptic plane of the star and then re-entered interstellar space. The purpose was to create the illusion of flying in from a distant starry sky and then detecting the star. .
They are also the eyes and ears of the expedition fleet, and can monitor the nearly 1 light-year star field inside and outside Wolf 359 in real time.
Before the long-range fleet entered the thick clouds of Wolf 359b, they were only partially operational, and had only recently been launched in large numbers and with extensive maneuvers to ensure safety around the fleet.
"News without news is the best news..." Snate repeated Miyazawa's words. After a while, he raised his head and asked,
"Can we understand that, with us as the center, no alien warship has been found in the star field with a radius of nearly 1 light-year?"
"You can think so! However, in the direction of the Lutan 726-6 star system, our detector only detected a distance of 0.5 light-years. It was mainly to detect the cause of the helium flash and did not continue to detect it."
"You did the right thing. If a Tiberian fleet rests or anchors here, we will be in trouble." Miyazawa smiled and nodded, and then said: "The guard informed me that you haven't eaten all day. I have something, so I came over to take a look.”
"I'm fine."
"I want to say that the whereabouts of the fleet cannot be decided in a short while. As far as the current situation is concerned, whether we continue to implement the mission exploration plan or return to Earth, we will have to face the continued joint encirclement and suppression by the Tiberians. fact."
"So, you prefer to stay here?" Snart's eyes were aggressive.
"I was inclined to return to Earth just like you, but we also have to consider the opinions of all middle- and high-level officers. Just like the news about the detector cluster just now, having no choice may be the best first choice."
"That's nonsense!" Snart roared. His eyes were sharp and his face was flushed. Like a condescending defender, he continued to say wildly,
"Do you want the 300,000 sailors to do nothing and die here? What's the point of such a future? How is it different from The Walking Dead?..." Snart's rapid-fire rhetorical questions made him feel uncomfortable. Miyazawa was speechless and didn't even dare to look directly at him. He was like a primary school student who made a mistake, his eyes were downcast, staring at the floor dully and seriously.
About a minute later, Snart finished venting and sat on the chair panting, still staring fiercely at the confused Miyazawa, as if he was intimidating his enemy with his eyes.
"It's okay, I'll leave first." Miyazawa said in a low voice. He tried hard to restrain himself. He originally wanted to care about his superiors, but he didn't expect to be scolded in the face. If it weren't for the fact that Snart was only thinking about the fleet and worried about the future of the 300,000 crew members, he would definitely listen. Strive for.
But there is no point in doing so. If you want to blame it, you have to blame yourself for hitting the hole of the bullet. Snet is like a volcano that has been waiting for a long time and will erupt sooner or later. Unfortunately, it falls on his head.
"Don't leave yet, call Liu Hanyang over." Snate ordered angrily. Miyazawa nodded, then turned sideways and whispered a few words to the guard next to him, and the guard nodded and left.
15 minutes later, Liu Hanyang ran in in a hurry. The moment he entered, he smelled an unusual smell... He walked up to Miyazawa in small steps, looked at Miyazawa's serious expression, and then looked at Yu Qi Snart, who was still confused, seemed to understand.
He concluded that the two must have been arguing about the final destination of the voyage fleet.
"My idea is... to go home." Liu Hanyang trailed off. Snet's eyes shot towards him like sharp swords, and Miyazawa looked even more surprised.
"Indeed, I have been hesitant about my whereabouts. Thinking about it carefully, choosing to stay here can only be temporary, and it may not necessarily save my life. No one knows whether the Taibo people will be here somewhere in the future. Are you always aware of us?" Liu Hanyang said with a serious face.
"Have you ever thought that once we set sail into interstellar space, whether we continue to carry out the mission exploration plan, or return to Earth as you said, the final result may be to be buried in the stars." Miyazawa retorted calmly.
"If that's the case, then no matter which decision is made, the result will be the same." Liu Hanyang's words made Miyazawa's face turn serious instantly. Even Snate had a solemn look on his face. They seemed to be awakened. .
"Using these last three starships to continue a mission that is no longer possible is no different from risking death," he added.
"At a distance of 7.7 light-years, facing the elusive Tiberians, can you guarantee that returning home will not lead to death?" Snate finally spoke, with disdain in his words.
"The destination is clear, the rest is a matter of technology and strategy." The surprised eyes of the two people once again focused on Liu Hanyang. After a moment, he looked at the dark starry sky outside the porthole and said confidently : "Do you still remember the six-sided towers on Feida? Do you still remember the pattern formed when they were ignited at the same time?"
"Gate of time and space!?" The two said in unison.
"Yes! Using the Gate of Time and Space, maybe we can return to Earth safely as quickly as possible."
"Where is the door to time and space?" Snart asked. Liu Hanyang's eyes turned to the deep starry sky again, and he said unhurriedly: "It's near Lutan 726-6, where the helium flash occurred recently."
