Chapter 60. Giant Time Weapon
Noah looked up from his data tablet. "With half of the previous Wa
Go forward at p speed. Mr. Jeffrey, did the sensor receive any information? "
"No," the Vulcan reported tersely.
"Okay. Mr. Nilf, please start the scheduled search route." Jeffrey and Nilf jointly developed a navigation plan that can search the entire area while avoiding repeated scanning of the same area.
Another hour passed and everything remained quiet until Jeffrey's voice broke the silence. "Captain, we have received some information from remote sensors."
Noah turned to him. "What is it?" He looked nervous. They've been here for days, and the answer seems to be right around the corner. At least he hoped so.
"It's not certain yet. However, the sensor detected a huge object. Moreover, there is an energy field around it, and its value is close to the upper limit of our measurement range."
"Can you be more specific?"
Jeffrey didn't answer and continued to study the data and enter commands on the console. To Noah, it seemed like his science officer had no intention of answering him at all. Finally, Jeffrey said, "The sensor can now detect multiple objects. The main object is cylindrical in shape. It appears to be surrounded by several ships." He looked up from the data and looked at Noah. "Captain, the main object is 98 kilometers long."
Noah stared at him dumbfounded. "98 kilometers?" He couldn't believe it.
"That's true. It's even longer, but I don't think it's necessary to give an exact number."
"Okay." Noah was still shocked. "I believe it's large, even without providing a precise number."
"We now have the image data," Ingmar reported from his position.
"Project the image on the screen," Noah ordered quickly, his eyes already fixed on the screen.
The fast-flying stars previously displayed on the screen disappeared, replaced by a long cylinder that seemed to stretch endlessly as its end disappeared into the blackness of the universe. Due to its length, it looks almost fragile. About a dozen spaceships were floating around it, and they looked like tiny flies. The dark gray looked dim in the starlight. There are no planets or galaxies nearby. They were in empty space in no man's land.
Noah stood up in shock. They were flying almost head-on towards the object, so the view was distorted, but it was still so huge and intimidating. Who would build such a huge object? What is the purpose? And he was sure it couldn't have been a good intention. At least, the right stuff won't have such high radiation values.
The entire bridge fell silent. Everyone's eyes are focused on the screen. Dark thoughts raced through everyone's mind. During the flight here, they had been speculating about what they would find. And Cindy's attack on Earth in 2153 has always been a talking point. This mysterious race is responsible for the deaths of more than 7 million people. Although more than a hundred years have passed, almost nothing is known about this race. Although their territory borders the Confederacy, they successfully remain hidden from it. Now, they have become almost a myth, depicted as strange creatures. There's really not much one can imagine about such a creature. And now, they see the largest object ever built in the universe by a race whose purpose is still unknown. Images of death and destruction naturally came to the minds of the bridge crew. Although humanity has progressed and become enlightened, some prejudices and fears are difficult to eradicate.
Jeffrey was the only one who was engrossed in the data. "Captain, a huge amount of energy is being generated inside this object. The sensor detects multiple matter-antimatter reactors distributed along the entire length. And time particles appear to be forming at the front of the object. The computer can hardly obtain this data, and there seems to be a shielding field ." He raised his head and pointed directly at Noah. "I would like to point out that this object maintains a precise linear alignment with the Earth."
Noah's heart contracted. He had an extremely bad feeling. The orientation of this object is definitely not accidental.
They were sent on a detection mission. However, the situation here has evolved into more than just detection. Maybe they should take action now. "Jeffrey, what kind of ships are those? Transport ships, science ships? Or construction fleets?"
"I can only speculate. We have no similar data stored in our computers. These ships are completely alien to us. Based on historical Enterprise data, these appear to be Cindy's ships. Reptilian Cindy and insectoids to be exact Cindy-like ship. The number of weapons on board is more like a battleship. But I can't tell if their research ships are equipped with weapons as well."
"I'm getting more and more convinced that those aren't research ships," Noah muttered. He stared at the screen. As they got closer, the cylinder grew larger and larger. Now it fills almost the entire detection range. "What material is this object made of? Can our weapons destroy it?"
"Its alloy is made of reinforced Trelim D. It will take some torpedoes, but we can destroy it. At least to about 30%. We don't have enough torpedoes in stock to destroy more. But I must warn You, the attack is likely to be considered a hostile act. I don't think I need to tell you the possible consequences."
Noah nodded. "This should be our last resort. See what the Sindi have to say. Lieutenant Ingmar, contact them."
"They just discovered us," Ingmar responded immediately. "Three of their ships left their position and are pursuing us."
"Still, please try to contact them. We don't want to appear like aggressors. Nilfer, how long until we reach this object?"
"Ten minutes left."
Noah sat down again and looked at Lieutenant Ingmar expectantly. He hoped that the Sindi would respond and have a reasonable explanation for everything here. However, he doubted this. After what seemed like an eternity, Ingmar turned around and shook his head. The stranger did not respond to their communications.
The object now fills the entire screen. The opening of the cylinder faced them like the mouth of a gigantic whale. The Republic can fly in effortlessly.
"Captain, the strange ship is arming itself," Ingmar called.
"Turn on the shield." Noah looked at the monitor on the armrest of the chair. "Equip weapons."
The lights switched to a tactical alert and warning lights were illuminated throughout the ship. The sound of sirens alerted the crew to the danger.
"Captain, the density of time particles is increasing exponentially," Jeffrey reported calmly. "The amount of energy inside the object is beyond the measurable range."
"They activated that thing," Carol said in surprise.
At this moment, the siren on the bridge suddenly stopped. This was a completely normal process, however, so that the bridge officers could continue to exchange orders without shouting and without the danger of misinterpretation of the orders.
"What happened there?" Noah wanted to know. You can now see on the screen that space is distorted at the opening of the cylinder. It seems that a hole has formed there, with the other end reaching into the depths of the universe. The thought that they had arrived too late and were now witnesses to the disaster no longer left his mind.
"Large-scale energy can only have one conclusion," Jeffrey's voice came again. "Captain, this is a weapon."
"Thanks, I understand now," Noah shouted. "Lieutenant Ted, aim all weapons at that opening and fire a salvo. No matter what the target, we cannot allow such a massive weapon to be discharged."
"Yes," Ted confirmed immediately. Seconds later, four torpedoes streaked across the universe, followed by another salvo. They reached the cylinder unscathed.
Then, something happened. Before the torpedo explodes, a blinding beam of energy is emitted from the object. Its diameter is enough to cover the Republic in an instant. Only the shield protects the ship from direct destruction. However, the impact shook the spacecraft violently. Crew members were knocked from their seats. No one had a chance to catch anything. The impact was too strong. The whole ship buckled and twisted, the creak of steel echoing through the hull. The overuse of materials takes its toll. Pipes burst under pressure. Sparks flew, plasma overflowed, and fires broke out all over the hull. Computers were damaged and the fire suppression system subsequently failed. The cracked hull cannot be sealed. The crew was flung into space and instantly incinerated in weapons beams.
Noah realizes they have lost. Faced with such huge energy, the ship can only hold on for a few seconds. However, this realization did not protect him, causing him to hit his head against the navigation console. In an instant, he lost consciousness.
What is time? Ever since humans had a sense of time, scientists and philosophers have failed to answer this question. Time is the span of time in the past from one event to another. It is an immutable quantity and a unit that always passes uniformly. However, no one can accurately describe time without using units of measurement like days and years or words created by humans like minutes and hours. In the 4th century AD, the church father Augustine said about the question of time: "What is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is; but if I am asked to explain it to the person who asks, I don't know." He expressed A dilemma that most people still feel today. Everyone knows what time is, but explaining it sometimes seems impossible. However, everyone encounters the phenomenon of time. Usually it's because there isn't enough time. Because the feeling of time is always contrary to the real passage of time. Time always passes at the same speed as measured by a clock, but to humans it appears extremely different. For example, pleasant things make the day seem to fly by, but if the tasks are overwhelming, the day seems to never end. However, in both cases, the day passed. The situation becomes even more paradoxical when unpleasant tasks pile up throughout the day. At this point, a day seems like it will never go by, but at the same time it’s not long enough to get everything done.
Therefore, time is with us every day, throughout our lives. Because even life is subject to time. Birth, death and the time in between. The past time is called the past, unchangeable, as if carved in stone; the future is unknown. These immutable factors determine life. And this cannot be changed.
What if you can really change the future? What if the future is already determined? What if the past can be changed?
A certain future does not have much influence on us when it is unknown.
But what if the past is changeable? What if the event could have been changed, avoided, or happened on purpose? Who doesn’t dream of changing past decisions? Choose left instead of right at a fork in the road? Righting mistakes and making all the right choices? But where would everyone be without these bugs? What kind of person would he be without the consequences, without the knowledge gained? A person is shaped by the events he experiences, whether good or bad. What would a person be like if there were no setbacks, no adverse events to deal with? Will you have good self-confidence? Or will he become arrogant and arrogant, unaware of his mistakes?
This personal event applies equally to global memory, past and history.
What if we could simply change catastrophic events? Stop world war or terrorism. Fight disease and plague through modern medicine. Or provide timely warning of natural disasters. But how will the world change? World War II brought unprecedented death, destruction and suffering. Afterwards, however, there was an unprecedented peace in Europe. From hateful enemies to allies, even friends. How would history have unfolded without war and the fear that accompanies it?
World War III nearly destroyed the Earth, killing 200 million people in the war alone, leaving at least the same number dead in a radioactively contaminated world. However, there are good things here again. Facing the threat of extinction, mankind united and moved forward together.
Every war and every disaster brings about varying degrees of population migration. In this way, people get to know each other who otherwise would never have met. A blend of culture and blood is the result. What kind of world would there be without these negative events?
All the victims could have had longer lives without these events taking place, but on the other hand many, the way they are or have lived, may never have been born. Interference with time would cause people to suddenly cease to exist. No one will remember them because they never existed. Every intervention brings new changes. However, no one will remember all this, because history, including memory, will change in an instant. Chaos would be perfect because literally everything could change at every moment. It's like changing the channel between different shows. And no one will notice.
Therefore, it is good that time is an unchangeable constant. Because that's what it is. Or maybe that's not the case?
Noah struggled to open his eyes. The sharp pain in his head made him feel sick. But he resisted. He must do it. After all, he couldn't lie here forever. Where is this? He sat up with difficulty, his face contorted. He had to be careful not to vomit.
His actions attracted attention. Dr. Celia walked up to him, looking worried. Apparently things weren't going well for him. However, he has made the first progress. He realized he was in a medical station. This is already a beginning. Now, if he could still figure out how he got here, everything would be almost back to normal.
"Captain, you shouldn't overwork yourself," Celia warned. "You have a severe concussion."
