Chapter 52. Ino Murakami, a native of Andorra
But to Ted, the most interesting thing was the tentacles on Murakami's head. They are two blue protrusions about ten centimeters long that stick out from the white hair. Surprisingly, they can move. Whether intentional or not, they move according to the mood of the Andorran people. Therefore, they complement the expression on his face. This makes Andorrans seem more emotional. Ted had never noticed this before. Yet he had never dealt with Andorrans before. Although the Andorians were among the founding members of the Federation, only a handful have served in Starfleet to date.
The Andorran people are a very proud people with a military tradition. Therefore, after the establishment of the Federation, it was difficult for them to agree to form a fleet together. They wanted to retain their Imperial forces and use them as the fighting force of the Federation. The long-running feud pushed it to the brink of collapse. Thanks to the efforts of former Enterprise captain and now Admiral Jim, a compromise was finally reached. As a result, the Andorians were able to retain their fleet and co-exist with Starfleet. In fact, their fleet still exists. Although the Imperial Guard has become a purely traditional military force, most young Andorians prefer to join there rather than Starfleet. However, this trend is slowly changing.
Ted's breathing calmed down. He closed his eyes momentarily and held his breath. Yes, he has a great team. In an emergency, everyone risks their lives to ensure the safety of the crew.
His stomach growled. He was tired from long training sessions on an empty stomach. He slowly stood up and took off his shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from the bare area on his head. This was his achievement after losing in the match with Io Murakami. They agreed that the loser would have his head shaved. Ted was convinced that he would win, otherwise he would not have agreed. At that time, Io Murakami had just joined the team, and Ted didn't know what kind of opponent he would encounter. However, he learned his lesson. Murakami Io is obviously stronger than him, even though it doesn't show it from the outside. Next to Ted's muscular body, the Andor looked anything but trained. But Ando's musculature seemed to be different as he caught the security chief off guard and knocked him to the ground within seconds. Afterwards, Ted had to shave his head. However, he quickly adapted to the bald head. After a while, he even felt it made him look more dangerous. He considers this an advantage for a security officer. Therefore, he kept his head bare.
After showering, putting on his uniform and leaving the gym, his communicator beeped. He picked it up and opened it.
"Mr. Ted, the ship's leadership team has held a meeting at headquarters," a woman from the secretariat explained to him. "The meeting is scheduled to be held at one o'clock in the afternoon in conference room 3.632."
Ted thanked her and glanced at his watch after putting away his communicator. He still had nearly two hours. Then he can have a quick bite to eat.
Noah was one of the first people to settle on the Republic. He started packing the night after the departure date was announced. In fact, there is not much luggage. Knowing from the outset that his stay on Earth would be limited, he packed only the most necessary items. However, as time went by, his belongings gradually increased to the point where he was busy packing his belongings until late into the night. The boxes are now placed in his residence. He didn't have time to open the box. He inspected the ship, learned about some of the new changes, and attended at least one meeting at headquarters every day. Even his clothes were still in the shipping box. Only two sets of uniforms and enough underwear have been placed in the wardrobe.
Noah sat on the couch, amidst the chaos, lacing up his uniform boots. An hour later, he was heading to headquarters for a leadership team meeting. Since the teleporter isn't ready yet, he has to take a shuttle to Earth.
Republic is still parked at the space dock, in fixed orbit around the Earth. Therefore, he had to travel multiple times a day to meet all the meetings. It was a situation he didn't like very much, but there were few other options.
After lacing up his boots, he stood up and looked around the room again. He discovered repeatedly that people could live in such chaos. Even though it goes against his sense of neatness. But in a few days, that will change.
He walked out of his apartment with the papers under his arm and walked through the corridor to the hangar. On the way, he said hello to a passing technician. After taking two steps, Noah stopped with a frown and turned around.
"Lieutenant," he called to the man.
The man called stopped and turned. He is a young man in Daisy's team. His face was lined with worry, and he had deep dark circles under his eyes. "Captain," he replied wearily.
"Are you okay?" Noah asked.
"Yes," the man nodded.
"You look a little worried."
The technician smiled bitterly. "There's just too much going on right now. I don't know how to deal with it all."
"I understand," Noah said understandingly. For technicians and engineers, the time pressure is enormous. They had to complete the work within an already tight two-week schedule. The task is difficult to complete. "Just take it one at a time. Don't think about all the tasks at once, just think about the next one. That way the mountain won't seem so high. I know you're all doing a great job. If there's a problem, just Talk to your colleagues and superiors. Or come to me directly.”
"Yes, sir," the man nodded.
"This is a predictable time period. You can handle it. Do your best and no one is expecting you to perform miracles. If something doesn't go as planned, we will find a solution together. No one will be left alone." Noah hoped his words would give him some courage.
"Yes, sir. Thank you." The man raised the data tablet politely and moved on.
Noah looked at his back briefly. He knows that the crew is currently doing a lot of hard work. He just hopes no one suffers long-term damage from this. And once we set off, things will return to normal. After all, they were facing a potentially incident-free voyage of discovery. For crew members, such missions are often an opportunity to take a break, as the work is virtually stress-free.
On the shuttle platform, he walked directly to the waiting shuttle and sat down next to the pilot.
The landing area is located on the top floor of the headquarters. From here there is an elevator that leads to all floors of the building. However, Noah prefers taking the stairs. He believed he could walk down four flights of stairs. This helps keep him healthy. And he must seize this opportunity. There are no stairs on the ship. There he could only take the elevator.
When he entered the room he found that everyone was already there and waiting for him. He walked firmly to his seat, placed the documents on the table, and looked around. "This will be the last meeting in this room," he shouted, sitting down. "The departure date has been clarified. Currently, the coordination department is working hard to find the last three crew members. Apparently, they left for vacation without providing a destination." Noah smiled. "Understandable. Other than that, the rest of the crew has been informed."
"However, the objectives of our mission remain unknown," Ingmar interjected. "While there are some rumors, I would like to hear the official version."
Noah had to admit he was right. Of course there are rumors. He himself has heard some of the craziest things. At least his crew should know the truth. So he describes meetings with admirals and intelligence chief Harry. Describes strange measurements that scientists cannot clearly explain, as well as the Sindi and their mission. He only communicated the portions about space-time particles and timeline risks to those granted confidentiality. His lead officer had to know, but the rest of the crew didn't need to know much for the time being. The early departure date has caused enough commotion for now.
"But our crew is not fully formed yet," Celia pointed out. “The coxswain and transmission technician positions have not yet been filled.”
"These positions are already filled," Noah replied firmly. "Nilfer and Tiny have filled both positions."
"But they have to pass the test."
"They have been selected for both positions and there will be no changes at this time," the captain insisted.
"Our pointy-eared men haven't arrived yet," Ingmar interjected, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction. Besides them, Daisy Carol and Ted were present. Tiny and Nilfer and Jeffrey were not present.
"We'll pick up Jeffrey on Vulcan after we set sail," Noah explained. "He has some things to take care of there, so he hasn't joined us yet." Then he turned to the chief engineer. “What is the current status of repairs?”
Daisy gave her report. According to reports, major systems are basically functioning normally. Only the teleporter still has issues, but they are expected to be resolved before sailing. Other issues have been put on hold for the time being, and some equipment can only be used occasionally. In other words, their journey should be safe, but some convenience may be sacrificed.
After the leadership team finished their respective reports, Noah looked around. "Our departure time is very rushed right now. I know this is a particular stressor for some on the crew. Because of John's experience last year, Starfleet will assign an onboard advisor to our ship. If You see that a crew member is having problems or is experiencing excessive stress, please refer that person to a counselor immediately. I don't want unnecessary problems to arise."
Those present nodded in agreement.
"If there are no more questions," Noah continued, but Ingmar immediately interrupted him again.
"Captain, what should we do if we do encounter Cindy there?"
Noah stared at him for a few seconds, hoping Ingmar hadn't asked the question. He himself wasn't sure what to do in this situation. The admirals gave only very vague descriptions of the mission, probably because they themselves did not know what to do with this mysterious race. So they put the blame on the captain and crew. If something goes wrong, they will use the captain and crew as scapegoats.
"If we meet Cindy, we'll analyze the situation carefully," Noah explained carefully, but he hoped he could be convincing. "We will take action based on what we encounter."
Ingemar nodded seriously, although he understood that Noah was just making excuses. "But no matter what we do, we should gather enough evidence to prove the existence of Cindy. I don't want someone in a hundred years to claim that we only saw apparitions and credulously refer to them as Cindy."
Those present simply smiled or shook their heads, accustomed to such comments as only Ingemar could make.
Noah also smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Ingmar. We will be responsible for this." Then he looked at everyone present again. No one showed any sign of wanting to ask questions. "Then I'll see you on the boat!" he concluded the meeting.
Then, they all leave the conference room to complete their assigned tasks. There is still so much to do and not nearly enough time left.
Ingmar leaves the building with Celia. When he was sure no one else was around, he told the doctor, "That's great news."
Celia looked at him quizzically.
"This mission," he explained his dissatisfaction. "The whole thing was wrong. It was like a suicide mission, Cindy. No one even knew they existed. And then we set out in complete haste. It was literally asking us to die. It was definitely not going to end well."
"Are you serious?" Celia looked at him in surprise. "Do you really think so?"
"Don't you?" he replied.
She shook her head vigorously. "No. I'm more inclined to believe that our leadership is exaggerating. Maybe there is Cindy out there, maybe someone else. But it doesn't really matter. In the end, we may not find anything, and the whole fuss and Panic is completely useless."
"Do you believe this?" he asked in disbelief, his eyes seeming to be looking at an innocent person.
"Yes." She looked at him innocently, then said sarcastically, "I don't see a conspiracy behind everything."
Ingmar tilted his head and grinned. "I didn't say the word conspiracy."
Celia rolled her eyes and just shook her head.
Ingmar pointed in the direction of the hangar and asked, "Don't you need to go back to the spacecraft?"
"No, I still need to coordinate some equipment in the infirmary. We won't be on board in a few hours."
"Then I might have to leave the spacecraft again." His smile was a little pale. The schedule gave them little breathing room.
She nodded understandingly. "We'll see you again."
"Yes, at least after departure." After a brief hug, they separated.
