Chapter 40. Demonic Flame-eared Mouse Rebellion
Ten huge destroyers flew in formation in the sky. Of course, "huge" is a relative term. These ships are smaller and less armed than Federation ships, but with the right tactics, they can still become quite dangerous in combat. For a smaller and less powerful race, these ships were already a proud achievement. The Kingdom of Kabulan is also one of these smaller races. These ten ships are the pride of their entire clan.
Kablan is a small race spread across four planets in two different systems. Due to its location between the Demon Flame and the Federation and the very conservative attitude of the king's family, it was difficult for their kingdom to expand further. Still, they were unwilling to admit that their small fleet could not truly defend the kingdom in an emergency. And here, no one dares to openly criticize the ruling family. The king has too much power.
The fleet commander sat in his chair, satisfied. The drill was a success and now they can go home. If there is a threat, they are ready. He will report the success of the exercise to the king. He smiled inwardly, looking around the bridge of the command ship. Everything was calm and the crew was very skilled.
Suddenly, the siren sounded. The fleet commander was startled.
"Commander, a ship has materialized ahead of us," an officer shouted. He tapped on the keyboard and said, "This is the pirate ship that has hijacked several of our cargo ships."
The ship shook violently, and people could clearly hear the shield intercepting the huge impact of energy.
"Fight back," the fleet commander yelled, staring at the screen. These pirates must be crazy. They actually attacked the entire fleet. A boat. Or are they not alone? Are there more stealth ships nearby?
"Hit," he was triumphantly informed. "They're turning around and retreating."
Did they turn around and retreat? After such a brief attack? Doubts arose in the commander's mind. What was the purpose of this attack? Are they not alone? The attacker's actions made no sense. Not even a single Klingon warship stood a chance against these ten destroyers. They might destroy three or four ships in the fleet, but eventually the Klingon ships would be destroyed as well.
"Watch for other ships," he ordered, trying to understand the pirate ship's intentions.
"There are no other ships," the soldier replied. "But they didn't disappear. And they attacked again."
The hull shook again.
"Fight back and pursue them," the commander decided this time. "But the fleet must stay together. And watch the movements of other ships." No matter what, he never wanted the fleet to be torn apart. If this is the opponent's plan, he will not succeed. Because unity is the only safety guarantee for the fleet.
Reluctantly he sat down again and stared at the screen. The pirate ship slowly accelerated. It seemed to him that the pirates now just wanted to escape. If he could, in addition to his successful maneuvers, bring back this dangerous pirate ship that had caused huge financial losses to the Crown, he would become a highly respected man. He will be a hero. He was getting more and more excited about it, and he was fantasizing about the idea more and more. He already dreams of a big house in the best area, wealth, lots of food and wine, women, honors.
"They went into a hyperspace jump," someone reported to him.
"Follow them. We will deal with these pirates once and for all. This will never happen again." At least not for me, he thought to himself but didn't say it out loud.
Noah's eyes moved back and forth between the two weapon ports. At this moment, the only thing he felt was regret. Regret that he didn't help the crew. They were abandoned to a cruel fate. This is so unfair. What did these crew members do to deserve this fate? However, he knew that the universe was neither fair nor unjust. It doesn't care at all about the fate of living things. Only rarely do good people get what they truly deserve. He had known for a long time that things might turn out like this. The plan was risky from the start and their chances were slim. But they had no choice, and he knew it. Frustratingly, they weren't actually able to implement any part of the plan. They will die with hope in their hearts. But now all this is impossible.
He looked at the weapon port in front of him again. What are these disgusting creatures waiting for? Why not just kill him? He had no chance to do anything.
Then, the weapon port in front of him suddenly lifted up. A small blue energy ball detached from the weapon and flew over Noah's head. After a split second, he realized that the energy ball had not hit him. He quickly turned his head and saw the second Demon Flame falling to the ground with a smoking chest. He fell lifelessly to the ground, slamming against the stone floor.
The captain opened his mouth again and stared at the shooter in disbelief. This is simply impossible. Why did this demonic flame save his life? And not only that, he killed his own people. He didn't know what was going on here. Regardless, things seemed to be working in his favour.
The demonic flame didn't pay attention to Noah for a long time, and turned around to target the next guard standing down the corridor. He fired again, and the guard fell. The other prisoners seemed to notice the scene, as Starfleet officers rose to their feet and beat down the Fire Warriors with pickaxes and stones. Under the orderly onslaught of prisoners, these guards didn't stand a chance. Although some demons managed to pull out their beam guns and shoot around. But eventually they too were overpowered. The slaves' indifference suddenly turned into endless anger, exploding into an uncontrollable rage that completely eliminated the last trace of fear they had towards the guards. And all of this, since Noah attacked the first demonic flame, did not last more than a minute.
"Take up this gun," said Mo Yan, pointing to the dead man's weapon. "I hope you know what you're doing. Because your chances of survival are not high. They're going to fill this tunnel with poison gas. We're all going to die." He seemed quite confident about this, although neither his expression nor his tone could tell. any information.
"If you're so sure, why are you helping me?" Noah still didn't understand what was happening. Is this a trap of demonic flames? These creatures would kill one of their own just to lure him into a trap? But for what? He had long been their prisoner. He has no answer. Now he can only believe in the magic flame, and this magic flame may be able to change everything.
"I thought you had a plan," he growled at Noah. "But I'm starting to regret my actions."
"We are not dead yet." Noah replied firmly and took the dead man's weapon. "Tell me the tunnel to the surface," he instructed the demonic flame. He knew these tunnels existed. Pike had escaped the mine through one of the tunnels, certainly more than one.
"The tunnel has long been blocked," Mo Yan replied. "The alarm has been sounded. The mine has been sealed off. Don't you have any other ideas?" He seemed unwilling to believe it.
The captain remained silent. He didn't want to give away everything he knew. The insect creature Feiyu provides him with some interesting information. It's just that he's not sure whether he can trust this demonic flame, and he doesn't want to reveal all this to him before that. What if he ends up betraying them? But on the other hand, they couldn't keep him here, after all he had done for them. Because then he would definitely die. And, every second they delay, their time decreases.
"You have no other ideas, right?" Mo Yan guessed bitterly. "How could I have thought you would succeed. I will now die with the slaves. It is a meaningless death." He seemed to have begun to think about how to save himself in this situation, but the riot had broken out. He had no chance to become pious again.
"How about the last tunnel, just down there, at the end of the old tunnel?" Noah revealed some of his knowledge in an attempt to seduce Demon Flame.
"What's so special about this?" Mo Yan replied excitedly. Either he knows nothing about this particular tunnel, or he doesn't acknowledge its existence. "It was just a regular tunnel."
Noah glanced at him, then nodded for him to follow. He said to his daughter, who was standing next to him, "Tini, get all the people together. Have them go down this corridor. Into that old tunnel."
"What's going on here?" she asked, horrified and confused. She knew nothing about the plan. Noah originally planned to keep her out of it. She still seems confused by Hogan and Felix's deaths. And he wanted to minimize the number of people in the know to reduce the risk of the scheme being exposed. Now he even regrets telling his daughter.
He just shook his head. "Come on. We don't have time to explain." Then he ran down the tunnel, hoping there was an exit. If not, then they will surely be trampled to death by the swarming crowd.
Dark caves make running difficult, and uneven ground further complicates the situation. Besides, the slaves were a little overwhelmed. Now seeing that the guards were all dead, they didn't know where to go. So Noah had to make his way over and over again through groups of slaves who had gathered to discuss what to do next. Although officers involved in the plan told them where to go, some seemed unwilling to believe it. Noah could understand this. Instead of heading above freedom, they are heading below, deep into the asteroid. Moreover, the old tunnel has not been developed for a long time. No one is familiar with it. But as Noah and Demon Flame ran down the corridor, they all followed.
At the end of the corridor, Noah paused to think. There must be a door in the rock. But it's as hidden as the other doors. It's impossible to recognize it at a glance. So Noah counted ten steps from the end of the hallway and pointed to the left. "The door is right there. Open it for me."
Together they pushed hard against the rock, but it didn't budge. Not even a trace of the door could be seen. But it has to be here. Fei Yu once said this. If there wasn't a door here, someone would soon be dead. Although the prisoners who followed also stopped, they were pushed closer and closer by those who came after them. Everyone hopes to escape from here.
"What do you hope to find up there?" Moyan asked Noah as they continued to fight against the rock.
"There should be spacecraft up there. I want them to be able to accommodate everyone," Noah explained breathlessly.
"You seem to know a lot," Mo Yan felt strange.
"Yeah. You'd better help me," Noah replied impatiently. They don't have time to chat. The crowd kept pushing forward. But finally the rock gave way with a crunch. Just a little at first, then a rock of considerable height and width slid to the side. They reached the entrance to the passage. However, the passage can only accommodate two people passing side by side. It will be very crowded in front of the door. He could only hope that no one was hurt or killed. Noah couldn't take care of these problems. He must continue to search for escape exits and guide the crowd.
Behind the door is another tunnel, straight and flat. Apparently the tunnel was built by machines. It extends deep into the rock. A steep spiral staircase then leads upward. Apparently in times of crisis, Mo Yan is unwilling to rely on electric elevators. This is the Fugitive's advantage. Stairs are not as easily closed as elevators, trapping people in them. However, the climb up is very hard, especially for the exhausted slave.
However, the men seemed to gain new energy in the hope of escape. They swarmed forward and rushed Noah in without caring. He didn't resist. Instead, he pushed forward, hoping to be one of the first to reach the surface. He wanted to steer the tide of the liberators, lest their uprisings amount to nothing. He'll also make sure the spacecraft doesn't leave the ground before filling its final position. Even so, however, there are barely enough spacecraft to safely transport all the prisoners. Conflicts and arguments are to be expected.
The demonic flames did not leave Noah's side. Not even when they set foot on the planet's surface. They looked around briefly. The planet's surface is rough and rocky. It has never been renovated. There are deep potholes and cracks everywhere. A deadly trap. However, where they came out, a huge, flat platform was built. Apparently a landing pad of sorts. And above them is a vaulted dome to prevent the artificial atmosphere from escaping into space.
To their left were about twenty smaller spacecraft. Behind them is a building that is apparently the residence and administrative center of the Demon Flame. Computers and technical equipment may be housed there. Therefore, in the event of an uprising, there would also be deadly machines for killing slaves.
Noah briefly calculated in his mind how many people they might rescue. On a spacecraft of this size, he hopes to seat about thirty people each. There were twenty spacecraft and a total of six hundred people. Not a lot, especially since there were already nearly two hundred people in his team.
"Women and children first," he shouted, hoping to be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Wait until the spacecraft is full before taking off."
However, the panicked crowd lost control and rushed towards the spacecraft. They just want to get out of here as soon as possible. There is no more discipline or consideration now. The law of the strong takes its place. Anyone who falls will be mercilessly crushed by others.
Noah quickly found several Starfleet officials in the crowd and instructed them to get on the spacecraft to at least avoid taking off early. They can't take off with a spacecraft that's only half full. They need every position to save as many people as possible. Those left behind are destined to die.
Suddenly, the engine of a spacecraft behind him buzzed, and before he could react, it slowly lifted off. "No!" Noah shouted in horror, even though he knew they couldn't hear him. "Come back." Of course, it was in vain. The spacecraft continues to rise.
"Obviously, these ethnic groups are quite undisciplined." Mo Yan beside him said contemptuously.
