Chapter 29. Rebuilding the Republic
Gabriel Kahlo moved uneasily around the village. She couldn't say exactly what made her so uneasy, but the feeling was so deep inside her that she couldn't let it go.
Dusk is approaching and the sun is disappearing behind the horizon. The last rays of sunlight licked through the distant treetops, coloring the sky and isolated clouds every shade of red imaginable. This is a fairy tale picture. Carol, however, paid no particular attention to the beauty. She only thinks about the Republic and is eager to get back there, but she's not quite sure why. It wasn't because she was here directing the work of scientists and engineers that the job even made her happy. But something pulled her thoughts back to the ship.
The past few days have been uneventful. Scientists are still busy analyzing and investigating. They seemed to be going well.
Engineers surrounding Alva Daisy took two space shuttles to the wreckage of the crashed spacecraft every day. There they continue their investigation and have already discovered some interesting things. For example, even though these boats are small, they are equipped with powerful warp drives. In addition, the ship is equipped with as many weapons as possible. Although the strange ship had no shields, its hull armor was strong enough to withstand multiple attacks. This is also the reason why the spacecraft crashed with almost no damage. To Carol, these findings meant nothing. No known race has built such a craft. Not even the Romulans or the warlike Klingons would be so full of ships with offensive weapons while ignoring defense systems. Is there really a space race that doesn't use shields? For this race, only victory seems to matter, and the extent of losses does not seem to matter. Just like ants or bees. In the end, only focus on the results, the individual is not important.
The grass beside Carol crunched. She looked around and saw Alva Daisy standing next to her.
"Is everything okay?" Daisy asked. "You look a little worried."
Carol glanced at the fading colors in the sky. "I have a feeling we should return to the Republic," she continued.
Daisy's eyes widened. "Back to the Republic? But they're not back yet," she reminded her superiors.
"I know," Carol replied seriously, then looked at the engineer intently. "But they've been gone for a long time. To me, it's been a little too long."
"Yes," Daisy said simply. She understood exactly what Carol meant.
“The original plan was for three days,” Gabriel Kahlo continued. "Then the captain sent us a message saying they were going to free the slave miners. But that was four days ago. We haven't heard from them since. Something must have gone wrong." She Pretty sure that's the case.
Daisy smiled in an attempt to sound confident. "You shouldn't underestimate a captain's ability. And freeing slave miners does take time. I guess so. Unfortunately, I have no experience in this area. The last time I freed a slave was centuries ago. At that time I Not involved.”
A smile appeared on Carol's lips. "You're right," she said, relaxing slightly. "But I still think we should confirm it. We will set off early tomorrow morning and follow the direction of the Republic," Carol made a decision.
"Follow the Republic?" Daisy repeated in disbelief. "That could take days. I mean, we have the coordinates of the mine, but only one of our shuttles has a warp drive. And that's only one of ten test shuttles. Ever. No one has ever used a shuttle to go to the area of space we have to go to." In fact, Carol should have known all this, but Daisy was not sure whether she had a detailed plan, so Daisy had to mention it again.
"And our shuttle can only reach Wa
p2," Carol added knowingly. "It will take us four days to reach the coordinates of the mine and then catch up with the Republic. Yes, I realize that. "Caro had already planned it. She had been thinking about it all afternoon. Only in this way could she remain relatively calm.
"Yes, that's right," Daisy nodded in surprise. She hadn't noticed that Carol's plan had progressed to this point. The two were silent for a moment, and then Daisy, the chief engineer, continued. "Do you really want to go through with this plan?"
"If the Republic needs our help, we can't wait any longer," Carol said firmly.
Daisy suspected that if the Republic did get into trouble, they might not be able to do much with a shuttle. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she had other questions. "Are we taking everyone with us? Engineers and scientists?"
"No, there's not enough space in the shuttle either. Just engineers, you and me. The scientists can continue to work here, they don't need us much these days."
Alva Daisy nodded. This will make a total of seven people. Not a problem for the shuttle, but it would still be four long, cramped days. It doesn't look great.
The sun has lost its last brilliance at this time. It was already dark, and the electric lights in the camp illuminated the surroundings. As usual, everyone was gathering together for dinner at the moment. This has become a good habit. They can share their day's experiences with each other and have a laugh together. This makes it easier to get away from a hard day's work. Even scientists who usually seem very reserved feel relaxed in this circle. It has become the best moment of the day for everyone and most people look forward to it when they wake up in the morning. This makes them a close-knit group.
"We'll leave tomorrow," Daisy agreed with her superiors' plan. "But now let's enjoy tonight. And tell everyone our plans. Now is the best chance." She turned around, but stopped when she saw Carol was still hesitating. "Come on," Daisy invited her cheerfully.
"Good job," Carol replied, and followed. She made a difficult decision, but deep down she believed it was the right one.
Ted struggled to open his eyes. He had a pounding headache, the smell of vomit made him nauseous, and the dim lighting confused him. And he found himself lying on the floor, in an elevator. Then he remembered what happened. Did he really pass out? It looks like this. But how long was he unconscious? Minutes or hours? He didn't know, and the time display on the elevator was broken.
He slowly tried to sit up. Although his head hurt violently, he didn't feel dizzy. This time the feeling of nausea was not so strong. He sat for a while first. He wanted to allow his body to recover slowly so he wouldn't faint again. However, the smell in the elevator left him little time. He desperately needed fresh air, it would make him feel better. Therefore, he must get out of here.
He climbed to his feet, albeit on wobbly legs, and leaned his back against the wall. His breath hitched and he closed his eyes. He knew very well that it would take a lot of strength to get out from here. But there is no way. He can't stay here.
The pain in his left hip returned, as did his left temple. He must conserve his strength and get out before his remaining strength is completely exhausted.
But there is no one here. He was alone and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The hallway was lit only by faint emergency lights. And it's very cold. If the life support systems don't work, the spacecraft will quickly cool down in the freezing cold of space. In that case, his previous efforts would be meaningless.
There was deathly silence all around. There was no movement, and Ted concluded that he was probably the only one on the entire deck. If he is unlucky, he may even be the only one on the entire ship. Still, he remained vigilant. He walked slowly down the corridor, ready to hide in case something popped out. But the situation has not changed. There was still silence and no movement.
On the turbine lift door leading to deck nine, he saw the sign. There are only warehouses and restaurants here. He must go there. If there are others on this deck, they may be hiding there.
When he was still a few meters away from the restaurant, Ted hid. There was something on the floor in front of him. The dim emergency lights prevented him from making out what it was. Therefore, it is wise to wait for a few minutes, hide and observe the situation. But it was hard for him to wait patiently. As Safety Officer, he is responsible for the safety of the ship. Now they were under attack and he didn't even know what was happening. He thought, no, he had to find out the truth. This is his responsibility. And it must be done quickly. If he wanted to salvage anything, maybe a few minutes would matter.
He stepped out decisively and no longer hid himself. If the thing on the floor killed him now, it was better than hiding and waiting. This way he at least did his duty. However, the surroundings remained silent. He quickly approached the object, then stopped in surprise. What was on the floor was a body, lying in the middle of a pool of blood. He had a pained expression on his face and stared at him with wide eyes. The right arm was cut off at the elbow and looked like it had been torn off. There were several stab wounds, almost puncture holes, on the body. An ordinary knife would never cause such damage.
Ted bent down and closed his eyes for the man. He recognized the body as Lieutenant Tang Hu, an officer in the medical laboratory. He may have been in the restaurant when the attack occurred. Now Ted has no doubt that the spacecraft has been boarded by unknown species. Judging from the blood on the ground, the attack may have occurred several hours ago.
His eyes slowly slid over the body. The gashes in his chest and abdomen shocked him. His nausea returned, but he forced himself to keep watching. Maybe he could discover something important. Although he was not a doctor, it would not be difficult to determine the cause of death in this case. The large amount of blood in the hallway was telling, and the wound didn't look like a heart injury. But as chief of security, he knew a lot about weapons. He could only imagine a stabbing weapon inflicting such a wound: a knife with many backlashes, ripping the surrounding tissue as the knife was withdrawn. But he didn't know anyone who used such a knife.
Anger welled up inside Ted. Furious at these ruthless attackers, they did this to the crew. And anger at himself for not being here to stop the attack, even though it should have been his duty.
"Restaurant," the thought flashed through Ted's mind. He stood up immediately. If he found a body here, what would happen in the restaurant? Is it bloody? Bodies everywhere?
He walked the last few meters, breathing heavily. The most horrific scenarios flashed through his mind. Images of Earth's three world wars, civilians killed in small-scale border conflicts on Earth, concentration camp massacres. Will the situation here be added to history textbooks?
The door still works. As Ted approached, the door opened slightly, as if to reveal a tragic sight. Ted looked inside cautiously. His heart was pounding. While his trained mind keeps him sane, he can't completely shake off his fear. After all, he wasn't a Vulcan.
The restaurant presented a horrific scene. Chairs and tables were destroyed and debris scattered across the floor. The furniture was mostly destroyed. All that was left of the replicator was scrap metal, and almost all of the paintings on the walls were damaged or completely destroyed. Parts of the wood trim on the walls and ceilings came off and are now hanging there. Among the wreckage were five more bodies, in similar condition to those in the corridor. It looks like the people here once put up a fight against the invaders. Of course, they didn't stand a chance, since Starfleet ships didn't carry weapons, so they didn't have much in the way of a counterattack against the attackers.
His eyes wandered around the room. His brain was slowly processing the destruction. But suddenly, he stopped as if he was petrified. He stared at a corner of the room in utter disbelief. No, this is not possible. His mind refused to believe what it was seeing. This is so unexpected. During his short walk on the ship, he saw abnormally functioning ships, corpses outside, and destroyed space buildings, leading him to believe that all was lost. Then this scene happened. This can't be true. This simply cannot be true.
"Lieutenant Ted," a surprised voice pulled him out of his thoughts and back to reality. In the corner sat a small group of survivors. About six or seven people. Everyone had minor injuries, nothing serious. They sat huddled together on the floor, trying to be as quiet as possible. Fear and horror were written on their faces. A fear that paralyzes and immobilizes them.
But one of them stood up and walked over to Ted. There was palpable relief in his voice: "There are other people alive," he said. He looked at Ted as if he were seeing an angel. "We thought everyone was dead or taken away."
Ted just looked at him in complete astonishment. "What happened?" he then asked.
Now it was the man's turn to be confused. "Is this a joke?" His surprise was mixed with anger. He seemed annoyed that Ted seemed to be laughing at him.
Eventually, Ted regained control of himself. He was able to think again. There are other survivors here, not just him. Maybe they were spread throughout the ship. It might be possible to restore the ship. Hope began to grow in him. But first, he needs to help these people.
"What's your name?" he asked the other person.
"Andrew."
"Listen to me, Mr. Andrew. I was trapped in a pneumatic lift. It took a while to extricate myself." He put aside the fainting spell for the time being. "All I know is that the demonic flames attacked us. What happened after that?"
Andrew's suspicion of Ted was gone. Maybe he was just happy to see another person. "They invaded the ship," he said, leading Ted toward the others. Andrew avoided looking at the bodies. "We were eating here when the fighting started. We quickly tried to get back to our respective departments but the door would not open anymore. The electrical system was still working. But something was blocking the door. We are stuck here. The next hit or two probably released the blockage, and suddenly the door opened again. But by the time we got to the pneumatic lift, it wasn't working. So we came back here. And then, all of a sudden, some magic Yan walked through the door and forced us to line up. Then they took away eleven people. One of them was Tang Hu, our friend. After that we couldn't stand it anymore and tried to resist. You saw the result." He pointed around . "Tang Hu, Haiman's husband, was the most violent. Understandable. But Mo Yan didn't like this. They attacked him with knives. There were thorns on the knives. Mo Yan tore Tang Hu into pieces in front of our eyes and those of Tang Hu's wife." When Mo Yan left, he was still crawling to chase Mo Yan. But I don't think he could chase very far. His injuries were too serious." Andrew's voice trembled when he spoke, and he even almost died several times.
"Lieutenant Tang Hu's body is in the door corridor, four meters away from here. He is dead," Ted said simply. "So, why didn't you try to ask for help after the demon flame left?" Ted felt completely puzzled as to why these people were still here.
"The demonic flames told us that this ship is under their control. We should stay here or die. We saw what happened to Tang Hu and others. We don't want to die the same way."
Ted just shook his head slightly and said nothing. He couldn't blame them. The wounds of the deceased looked truly horrific. And the survivors are likely in shock. Everyone has witnessed the cruelty of their enemies and lost friends.
"Why did the demonic flames take away the crew?" Ted thought.
"I don't know." Andrew sat on a half-ruined chair.
Suddenly it dawned on Ted. certainly. Charles once told them about the slave trade in Demon Flame. That's why the crew was kidnapped. They will all be turned into slaves. It's a scary thought, but there's no other explanation. He was struck by the thought of Charles's state of health. The entire crew faces the same fate. And somehow, he had to stop this.
"How long has this been happening?" Ted needed a rough idea of time to be able to tell whether the demonic flame was still here.
"I don't know," Andrew admitted sheepishly, shrugging. "We don't have clocks here, and we have no concept of time. But I guess half a day has passed. Although I feel like it has been a long time."
Ted guessed that more than half a day had passed. The blood outside had almost completely dried up, and he certainly didn't recover within two or three hours. He must have been unconscious longer. And the demonic flames have probably left.
"Mr. Andrew, we must look for other survivors." He decided not to tell them about the slaves yet. Their morale is low enough. "And we have to repair this ship." Ted plans to track down the Demon Flame and bring the crew back.
"What can we do?" Andrew suddenly looked tired. The hope he had raised when he saw Ted had long since died. Maybe he realizes that Ted isn't there to save them, but is the same victim, and even knows less. Now he's as depressed as the other survivors. They have lost their courage. Ted must first do something to improve the morale of the crew on the Republic at this moment.
"We still have a chance to rescue our friends and colleagues," he said, trying to remain optimistic. "The faster we move, the better our chance of success. We are Starfleet officers and we will not abandon any of our crew members."
"But what if they are all dead?" asked a dark-haired woman, huddled in a corner.
"I don't believe they are all dead. But if they are, I swear, the Demon Flame will pay for their actions," Ted replied darkly, a flash of anger in his eyes.
"Yes." Andrew stood up again, his voice seemed a little less optimistic. "Yes, they will pay." He looked at the other survivors. "Let's show these bastards who they're challenging, even if it's the last thing we do!"
Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the room. The fear of demonic flames is still deeply rooted in their hearts.
"I guess there's no magic flame left on the ship," Ted said. "They got what they wanted and are gone."
"Then we still have a chance," the other man mused, standing up. "We must avenge our dead compatriots. Even if we have to pay the price, I will kill some demon flames."
"Yes," the rest of the people stood up and more or less nodded. The news that the demonic flames had left made them brave again. They were willing to follow Ted as long as they no longer faced the danger of encountering the Demon Flame again. Only the woman huddled in the corner still sat.
"Okay, you search the lower decks for survivors and then report the damage to me on the bridge," Ted decided, his enthusiasm somewhat dampened. Pure hatred isn't a good motivator, and revenge doesn't make much sense. After all, they are not going to kill Demon Flame, but to save the crew. To do this, they need to think calmly and act cautiously. He could only hope that the people would calm down again while repairs were being made to the ship.
"Copy that, sir," they replied, and left the room. Now they will gradually rebuild the ship. Then they can think of ways to rescue their friends. Ted only hoped that the demonic flames had really left the ship, otherwise he had just sent them to their death.
Ted's eyes fell on the woman still sitting in the corner. Her face was buried in her curled knees. The stress, exertion, and fear of the past few hours showed on her face. There was no human expression in her eyes. If Ted guessed correctly, she was in her thirties.
He slowly sat down next to her. "What's your name?" he asked gently.
"Li Weiwei," she replied after hesitating.
"You don't seem to share the same enthusiasm as your friends, Ms. Levi." Ted said very cautiously. She seemed to be frightened on a deeper level. But unlike the others, she doesn't seem to have a sense of revenge. If he wanted Li Weiwei to open up, he couldn't act impulsively.
"What's the use? We're doomed." She sounded helpless, surprising Ted. She's trained by Starfleet and shouldn't actually have such an emotional meltdown. But no training can fully simulate what happened on the boat half a day ago.
"I believe we have not failed. If we work together, we can make the ship operational again. There should be other survivors throughout the ship. We can, and we will. But we need your help." Ted Looking at Li Weiwei. She was still indecisive, fighting with herself. Fear can sometimes be a powerful opponent, so he wanted to give her a distracting mission. "Please help me. Stay with me until this is over. Be my assistant until we find a higher ranking officer."
Li Weiwei looked at him with hesitation. She was still struggling. What she wanted most was to sit there, bury her head in the sand, and wait for it to be over. But knowing that as a member of Starfleet, this would be the worst decision she could make. "Okay," she said finally, though she didn't look entirely determined.
After successfully convincing this lady, other things should be much easier, Ted thought, looking at Li Weiwei with a smile. However she didn't respond. It seems he still needs to work harder.
