Chapter 32. Half-blood Nilf
Otis frowned as he read the report in his hand. He was genuinely troubled and worried by the content of the report. He was very worried, but given his anatomy, it wasn't easy to frown. His slight forehead wrinkles made the skin so tight that he could barely move. Only when he's really worried and nervous does the skin on his forehead move.
It was a report from their racial intelligence agency that made him think. He had received the report last night and had been thinking about it all night. However, he still made no progress. All he knew was that the report was important and fraught with potential danger. According to reports, a Federation ship was attacked and severely damaged near the territory Cindy claimed. Subsequently, the ship was hijacked and the crew members were likely abducted. At this point, the report becomes somewhat vague. The sources providing this information are not entirely certain at this point. One of Cindy's freighters witnessed the attack from a considerable distance and reported back. The cargo ship was allegedly within range of the furthest sensor when the attack occurred. And they didn't dare to get any closer, lest they become the next target of the attackers. But it was clear that the attackers were preoccupied with their opponents and failed to notice the cargo ship. When they finally leave the human ship and leave it adrift in space, there may not be anyone alive on board. But witnesses could not tell who the attacker was. They knew nothing about the shape of these ships.
This report worries Otis in two ways. First, Starfleet was involved in the incident. This is the second federal ship to be attacked in the area within a year. No one will leave it alone. The two incidents are so close that it almost indicates that the interstellar base will conduct a more detailed investigation. This means that more federal ships may soon come here to investigate. This is not a pleasant prospect. It had been over a hundred years since their last contact with the Intergalactic Alliance, and the situation was, to say the least, complicated. There has been no contact since. Otis hopes to keep it that way, at least for the time being. He wanted to make the Sindi tribe stronger first, and then turn to other tribes. This will strengthen their position and make them less attractive targets for others to attack. Because against a powerful enemy, people will think twice before attacking, whereas against a simple enemy, they can attack effortlessly.
Otis is very concerned about the second point, which is these unknown attackers. No one knows who they are or where they come from. However, they have been conducting raids in this realm of space for years. And the frequency is getting higher and higher, and the time interval is getting shorter and shorter. So far, intelligence services have not succeeded in identifying the species. Otis knew very well that the Sindi intelligence department might not be the best, but it wasn't bad either. However, repeated accidents and negligence caused major setbacks to the investigation, which almost had to be restarted. The strangest events also occur while exploring the identity of these strange species. At one point, all information about the species suddenly disappeared. Just disappeared. And it includes backup. But all other data still exists on the computer. Even the intelligence services of the other four Sindi races have not succeeded in identifying this species. It's like this is a ghost tribe. Or someone wants to prevent them from learning more about the species. But that means one of them becomes a mole, able to manipulate all the data and prevent them from successfully doing their job. But it's almost unbelievable. Because then the intelligence services of all five Sindi races would have to be infiltrated.
Otis recognizes the threat these strangers pose. While they appear to avoid contact with Cindy, their actions attract other races. This added to Cindy's stress. Furthermore, an alien species that they knew nothing about or even recognized could not be tolerated expanding within the borders of the Cindy Empire. Although this seems to mostly affect the borders of the other two Sindi races. But Otis is well aware that no Sindi race can exist independently, despite the emphasis and expectations of some. Ultimately, they will all share the same fate because they are one race with the same history, the same ancestors, and the same home planet. Their basic DNA structure is the same. Even the staunchest independents cannot deny this. They are like brothers and sisters and that will never change.
Otis' eyes turned to the report again. He must submit this report to Parliament. He must convince his colleagues to help the Federation ship. Of course, do it from behind the scenes without being noticeable. This ship and its crew must return home. In this way, not only will the search and rescue teams disappear, but the attacks by these strangers will become so daunting that no federal ships will appear here again. In that case, there may even be some benefits to this matter. But they are far from that stage. He is well aware that persuading parliament to provide support will not be easy. No one would share with him his vision of the whole affair. His four colleagues are all very suspicious and unwilling to help others, even if it would benefit their tribe. Because in most cases they fail to consider this benefit.
Moreover, even if he can convince Parliament, this is just a proposal, and each government can choose to accept or reject it. This makes the whole job incredibly difficult and frustrating.
He went over in his mind the arguments he would use to convince his colleagues. The most important thing is for them to realize how dangerous it can be for other races to be so close to the border. And how dangerous the Federation fleet could be to Cindy. It is unacceptable for foreigners to come so close to Sindi territory and invade.
He also had to convince his colleagues to redouble their efforts in identifying these strangers. If they want to succeed, they must cooperate more closely on this issue. This is not an easy task given the suspicion between Cindy's races.
Most of the prisoners had long since heard the signal to rest and were lying down in the hall to rest. The crew of the Republic also lay down wherever there was room. This was their first day in the mine, and such extreme physical exertion was unprecedented for them. They were all exhausted and could barely move. Therefore, they are unhappy and unfazed by having little space and privacy. At this moment, they just want to rest and sleep, just find a place to lie down, and there will be no movement after lying down. Only Tiny was still moving around restlessly, looking at the sleeping prisoners. But she could find no trace of her father. Jeffrey and Vida haven't returned yet. Tiny's face showed concern. What happened to them? Could they even be dead? If they don't show up soon, they have no chance of survival. Because once the doors to this hall are closed, guards patrol the mines, firing on anything that moves. Demonic Flame does not want slaves to hide in the mines, which would violate Demonic Flame's authority.
"Tini, what's wrong?" Pike asked tiredly, she had just walked to him. He was also one of those unlucky people who had the misfortune to be caught by the demonic flames. Although they have discovered that not all of the crew is here. It's possible that not everyone was in this mine, or others may have died. No one knows for sure. Tiny was happy that Pike was here, but sad to see him suffer.
"My father hasn't come yet," she said, somewhat alarmed. She didn't know what to do.
"He'll definitely come," Pike replied nonchalantly. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.
"But the door will close soon. If he doesn't come..." She did not continue because she could not tell the consequences. Knowing the consequences is bad enough, but speaking out makes it even more real.
Pike muttered angrily. If the captain were here, he would be able to sleep long ago. "Your father is such a selfish guy who wants to save face and think he is so conspicuous," he responded viciously. "He should just accept his fate and there's no need to put us all in danger."
Tiny felt as if her heart stopped for a beat, so shocked when she heard his words. Is he serious? She couldn't believe it. Before she could continue thinking, however, movement at the door caught her attention. To her relief, Noah and Jeffrey walked in. They carried the unconscious Vader. Their uniforms were in tatters and stained with blood. The blood stains frightened Tiny again. The two placed Vader next to the other officials, and Tiny walked over worriedly.
"What's wrong with her?" Tiny asked worriedly.
Noah and Jeffrey carefully placed the unconscious Vader on the ground. Celia came over and checked Vader's pulse. After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Her pulse was normal, she was just passed out," she explained to those standing by. She then tries to wake Vader.
"She fainted and one of the guards tried to whip her," Noah recounted what happened. "Jeffrey and I blocked him, and we were punished." He looked at his tattered uniform, his back covered with gaping wounds, with bright red blood flowing out of them. Despite this, his expression remained unchanged and he looked the same as always. "But we saved her," Noah continued.
"Doctor, can you wake her up? Before the demons find out?" Jeffrey turned to the doctor and immediately returned to the current situation. They are not out of danger yet.
"I'll try my best," Celia replied shortly, continuing her efforts.
Less than two minutes later, Vader opened his eyes. She looked confused but in good health. Came just in time. At the entrance of the cave, two demon flames appeared, and they looked around the room. The officials tried to keep a low profile so as not to let the demonic flames notice them. But it was obvious that Mo Yan had no intention of doing this. Seeing that everything was calm, they rumbled the gate shut. The prisoners were once again imprisoned. It doesn't make a difference though, since they've always been imprisoned. But the psychological impact of the extra door on the prisoners cannot be underestimated.
When the Demon Flames left, Jeffrey whispered to Noah, "Captain, we seem to be the only Starfleet officials. According to Charles, the prisoners on the Mandela are not here."
"I didn't see any other Starfleet officials, either," Noah mused. After going through a series of lies from Charles, not too surprised by this.
"We should also keep looking for the lady named Joan," Jeffrey suggested. Despite the complexity of the situation, he was a researcher who wanted to find answers to his questions.
"An escape route must be found," Ingmar interjected, more important to him than any answer.
"I can give you answers to these two points," a calm voice came from behind them.
The officials immediately turned around, curious to see who had overheard their conversation. At the same time, everyone immediately realized that they had to keep their voices quieter next time to avoid attracting attention.
The thin man lay behind them, wearing only a few rags to cover his waist. He was covered in wounds and scars, and even though he weighed very little, some muscles could still be seen, making him look very strong. Some of the wounds were infected, but he seemed to be able to tolerate it. His long black hair hung loosely on his head, and his beard was long and messy. The distinct bony ridges on his forehead clearly showed his ethnicity, and there was also a bit of blood. Overall, he was in very bad shape. But he was able to stand up without any help.
"Klingons," Ingemar said quietly, stepping back as if expecting an immediate attack.
The Klingon just raised his right eyebrow slightly, strangely ignoring Ingemar's shocked remarks. Typically, the Klingons will at least show their pride and will to fight with a defiant response. However, he said quietly, "I can tell you something about Joan."
Noah looked at him suspiciously. He was taught from an early age to view the Klingons as the enemy. They are a warlike race, and to them there is nothing more worthy of pursuit than dying in a glorious battle. He distrusted them and treated them with suspicion. However, in this case, if he wanted to know more, he had to listen to the Klingon. "How do we know you are telling the truth?" Noah still remained skeptical.
He simply replied, "You'll just have to trust me, or ask the other prisoners. They'll tell you the same thing." There was absolutely no hostility in his voice. Perhaps captivity had softened him.
"So, where is Ms. Joan now?" Jeffrey asked.
"She's dead," the Klingon replied calmly. "After Charles was taken away, she sat in the middle of the room and cried until the next morning. She never returned to the mine. She sat here alone and cried. Until the guards of the Demon Flame came and tried to He drove her into the mines with electric whips. But even so, she sat there. The demonic flames beat her with electric whips until she died."
Noah stared at him dumbfounded. How could this Klingon be so calm while describing such a brutal situation. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought he was in front of a Vulcan. This Klingon controls his emotions so well. Perhaps, in order to survive in this hellish place, he must do this. Because for the Klingons, this is hell too. Normally, a Klingon would have been in a life-or-death struggle with one of the Demon Flames, dying a heroic death. Because only a glorious death can allow them to enter the "Hall of Rebirth", the Klingon paradise.
"Verify his statement," Noah turned to his officers. "Never take a Klingon's word for granted."
"As for means of escape," the Klingon continued. "No. No one has ever escaped from the demonic flames."
"You must know that I am skeptical of your statement." Noah's voice was full of sarcasm.
Yet even in the face of such an insult, the Klingon didn't care. "If you have any ideas, let me know. I'll help you. I know something about this mine." He started to turn and walk to the other side of the room, but Noah stopped him.
"What's your name?" Noah at least wanted to know his name.
The Klingon looked over his shoulder at the captain. "My name is Nilf." Then he left.
"Nelf," Noah murmured. "A strange guy. What do you think, Jeffrey?"
The Vulcan still looked at the departing Klingon. Is there a look of surprise on his face? impossible. But there seems to be a point.
"No problem, sir?" he replied, obviously warning himself to better control his emotions in the future. "Sir, Nilf is a Vulcan name."
