Chapter 62. Attack on the Republic
"Mr. Jeffrey?" Noah turned to the Vulcan. Who else could be here but Cindy, he wondered.
"Some of the components show similar characteristics to Cindy," Jeffrey replied, continuing to study his data. "However, it's nothing like those ships approaching weapons. The size of the ships here is much larger."
"Will such a large spaceship pose a threat to us?"
Jeffrey turned to him. "There is definitely a threat."
"Lieutenant Shu Ran, contact them." Then he activated the internal communication system. "Daisy, how's the process going with the time particles?"
"We found a solution. We are currently reconfiguring the system to depolarize the hull."
"how long it takes?"
"It will take about twenty minutes." Her voice was distorted in the communication system.
"It's probably too late then. We have guests. I hope you can grab a little more time."
"We'll do our best." She interrupted the communication.
Noah knew she would act quickly. He just hoped they could resolve this whole thing diplomatically.
"Captain, we have established a communication link." Lieutenant Shu Ran looked surprised. She obviously didn't expect this. And he didn't either, he had to admit.
"Project onto the screen," Noah said.
A reptilian face appeared on the screen. A lizard's head, if you put it that way. However, this is obviously not demonic flames. There is no resemblance between this lizard and the Demon Flame.
There was a handful of coarse hair on his head. He has deep-set, piercing eyes. His reptilian skin shows little apparent expression. He is wearing a leather military uniform, and a red collar can be seen at the bottom of the frame. When he opens his mouth to speak, his sharp teeth can be seen. "Please identify yourself," he ordered in a deep voice.
"I am Noah, the captain of the Federation Starship Republic. Who are you?"
"You have entered our territory. We cannot accept your intrusion. Stand still and prepare to be boarded and searched." Communications were immediately cut off.
Noah turned to Jeffrey, hoping to get some information from him. It was a habit of captains, and one the Vulcans knew all too well. "For the record, they're Sindy. Specifically, the Reptilian Sindy."
"Yeah, that can't be ignored," Jeffrey muttered.
"Mr. Nierfer, enter a course that will take us back to Federation territory. But please wait until Ms. Daisy gives you permission before starting."
"Yes, Captain." Nilf confirmed. Noah briefly thinks of his former pilot Hogan, who did not survive his imprisonment in the demonic flames. He always muttered this answer too.
"Sir, they are activating the weapon system." Shu Ran kept paying attention to the data and conveyed important events.
"Put the shields on." Noah hoped this was purely a precaution. After all, they have almost no fighting ability. He had wanted to leave before the Sindy ships came within weapons range.
Io Murakami seems completely useless at his position. Without a weapon, he had nothing to do but study data and watch.
Noah looked at the screen. These two ships are huge. Slightly larger than the Republic. But they are better armed. This is certainly the designer's goal.
The captain recalled the historical information. Reptilians are the most aggressive of the Sindy races. They will certainly show no mercy. And surrender was certainly not an option.
"Captain, sensors can detect their weapons. These ships are equipped with twenty-two torpedo tubes each. In addition there are forty ray weapons similar to our phaser cannons. Their shields have a huge energy output. They are almost Can withstand our weapons attack unscathed."
Noah was surprised. These are literally flying fortresses. If Cindy had more of these ships, the Federation would be in trouble. And if Daisy doesn't get the job done quickly, they'll be in trouble too.
"We're still one minute away from weapons range," Shu Ran reported. She tried to hide her nervousness. Noah couldn't blame her. His hands gripped the armrest tightly. This waiting is the worst.
Then, a bolt of yellow lightning was fired from the first Cindy ship, heading towards the Republic. The impact caused the spacecraft to shake violently.
Two, four, six, no, ten torpedoes followed. Noah stood up. He must be able to do something.
"The shield failed!" Shu Ran shouted in horror. Now they can't even take a hit from a torpedo.
"Captain, the time particles in the ship's hull have dissipated," Daisy's voice came from the bridge speaker. It was almost like relief. It is the voice of hope and salvation.
Nilf didn't even wait for Noah's command. He started the engine. The Republic accelerated so fast that its inertial dampers began to hum. Noah had to use his feet to balance his position. In a tight turn, Nilf steered the ship as Cindy's torpedoes got closer. Then, the Republic finally entered Wa
p jump, escaping the deadly weapon. If Cindy hadn't chased them, they would be safe now.
Nervously waiting for news. Shu Ran then announced that they were not being tracked. They succeeded. Now they need to notify the Federation about the weapon and Cindy's threat.
Nilf hesitated in front of Tiny's dormitory door. He didn't know whether he should ask about her health himself. Logically there is little reason to do this. He knew she had a broken arm and had received treatment. This means the fracture has been reduced and she should be doing fine. According to the level of modern medicine, fractures can heal within a few minutes.
However, in this case, he felt his Vulcan side was a little out of place. Humans don't particularly pay attention to logic. And even more so in this situation. In this situation, they seek closeness to others and comfort each other. In this situation, an aloof person may seem out of place. He doesn't want this. Additionally, his Klingon side has been showing more and more emotion lately. It was a battle he'd been fighting his entire life, one he'd thought his Vulcan side had won. But apparently he could never get one side to win.
Tiny opened the door and looked at him in surprise. Apparently she hadn't expected to see him. "Nelf. Nice to meet you. How are you?"
He looked at her, smiled and said, "Actually, I wanted to ask about you."
She looked at her arm. "I'm fine, thank you. I can barely feel the pain anymore. Please come in." She invited him inside.
He hesitated for a moment, then went in anyway. Really he just wanted to see her briefly, but now he could use the opportunity to talk to her for a little while. After all, they had barely seen each other since setting off from Earth.
"How are you adapting to your new environment?" he asked after sitting down.
"Actually, it's okay. It hasn't been too long. And luckily I haven't packed too many things out yet." She pointed to the box that was still in the corner. "But I'd rather not open them while they're flying around. Who knows how many things are broken in there."
Nilf nodded. "It's true there could have been a lot of damage. But if you think about what happened, we were lucky."
"Of course." Tiny agreed with him. "Still, it's annoying." She shrugged. There was nothing she could do except vent her irritation. Of course, Nilf was right, they got through it safely.
"How are you doing now?" she asked.
"Mr. Jeffrey keeps me busy," he answered candidly. "We are still analyzing the sensor data to find out what exactly happened. But it is a very laborious task. The sensor has been affected by the energy radiation of the weapon, so there is little reliable data. Still, Jeffrey does not Too likely to give up." He frowned slightly, indicating that he was very dissatisfied with this task. This is a clear sign that his emotional side is emerging. Long sessions looking at data are not for him. Despite his Vulcan logic and control of his emotions, he has been a wanderer his whole life. An adventurer who is constantly traveling because he has nowhere to return because of his extraordinary alien nature. In the process, he favors quick action over tedious facts. So he was rather surprised by Jeffrey's seemingly endless patience.
"I'm sure there will be enough new data by the time we get to Earth that Jeffrey will give up on the old data," Tiny said wryly, smiling.
"We'll see," Nilf replied curtly. He looked at his watch. "I have to go. Mr. Jeffrey is probably waiting for me. I just wanted to see you briefly." He stood up and walked toward the door.
"It's so nice of you to come and visit me." Tiny patted his arm. She knew he didn't like contact. In this respect his two bloodlines are identical. This is a rare exception.
"Then, goodbye." He said and left her dormitory.
Tiny turned back to her dormitory. She still had a lot to do before all the damage was cleaned up. She sighed and got to work.
Ingemar was busy tidying up his dormitory when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of a visitor. He looked quickly around the room with a critical eye. He had gone to great lengths to clean up the biggest mess. The attack by the Cindy weapons caused anything not secured throughout the ship to scatter or fall over. Ingmar's dormitory looked as messy as the others after this. And with his ribs healed but still a little sore, and the restraints Celia had put on him, cleaning up wasn't going to be easy. He is far from done with all the work. But at least now I can sit on the couch.
He walked to the door and opened it. While he could have given the direct command to open the door, he wanted to entertain the visitors himself.
Shu Ran stood in front of the door. She had contacted him a few hours earlier and asked if he could hold a movie night early. She looked tired after the previous incident. She didn't want to be alone. And her roommate was injured and taken to the infirmary, so she wondered if Ingmar would be available.
Although he was a little surprised by her request. After all, they had nearly died and were now returning home seriously injured. With destruction spread throughout the ship, it's clearly not the best time to spend some private time with friends. However, Shu Ran insists that moments like this are important. If you don’t turn to friends for distraction and support during a crisis, then when do you turn to friends for support? On this point, Ingemar can only agree.
As the evening progressed, he became increasingly strange. The most different feeling came over him that he couldn't even describe. Excitement and anticipation come with all kinds of different thoughts. He likes Shu Ran and looks forward to meeting her. They have the same interests, the same sense of humor, and often the same mindset. They seemed to have a spiritual connection. Her closeness made him comfortable. Then he found himself asking a question: Did he want more? Does he want it? No, he decided immediately. She might be a good person, but there was more to love than that, he was sure of that. And she really wasn't his type. Still, this slightly exaggerated sense of anticipation never left him.
Now she stood in the doorway. "Come in," he deliberately pretended to be relaxed, trying to hide his inner excitement.
"Hi, Ingmar," she smiled charmingly and walked into the house. When the door closed, he followed her to the sofa and sat down carefully. Because of the band around his ribs, he can't lie down on the couch as casually as he used to.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"Oh, no big deal," he waved bravely.
She looked at him suspiciously. "I heard that you continued to work despite being injured, and the captain had to order you to the infirmary."
He nodded. "That's what heroes do," he joked.
"Hero? You're crazy," she scolded him. "You have no idea how serious your injuries are. You could have died."
Ingmar looked at her in surprise. Is she worried? It made him feel good on the one hand, and wasn't that a sign that she liked him? But on the other hand, he felt bad because he was the one making her worry. He didn't want her to worry. "Dr. Celia checked me on the bridge. She said I could still hold on for a while." He tried to comfort Shu Ran.
Shu Ran was still skeptical but said nothing. Instead, her hand reached for Ingmar and lightly brushed against the drawstring under his shirt. "Wow, this feels really solid. Tighter than I thought."
Ingmar felt a tingling sensation, although under the thick bandages he could barely feel anything. "It's going to hold everything together after all," he reminded her. "That's my abs, where you touch," he added with a laugh.
"Fool," she replied scornfully, gently pushing his head away with her index finger. She shifted slightly on the couch. "Do you think we can get home safely?" she asked worriedly. Maybe he knew more than she did, since he was part of the leadership team after all.
"Of course, we will get home safely," he said confidently. "While we may be a little slower than we were before, that's not a problem."
"I hope you are right." Shu Ran said.
"I'm always right," he interjected.
She poked him on the waist and then covered her mouth in shock. "I'm sorry, I forgot about your injury."
"It's okay," he waved. "I have my protective gear. Did you forget?"
"I thought those were your abs," she replied with relief. Then it became serious again. "Do you know how Mr. Ted is doing now?"
Ingmar's forehead creased with worried wrinkles. "It's not going well. Celia thinks his chances of survival are going down by one point for every hour that passes as long as we haven't reached Earth."
"Do you know him well?" she said sympathetically.
"No, we are colleagues, but our personalities are too different and it is unlikely that there will be much overlap between us."
She just nodded and continued after a moment of silence. "Heramin is still in the infirmary. Her condition is not that serious and is relatively stable. A collapsed cabinet hit her on the head. I hope she can return to our room soon."
"I will bless her." Based on her description, Ingmar guessed that Helanmin was Shu Ran's roommate.
They sat on the sofa and talked to each other. Ingmar felt her warmth, and for a moment her hips touched his, until she adjusted her sitting position. This slight contact made him feel comfortable, and it was unprecedented for him to talk to a woman like this without wanting to go further.
If he had the choice, they might have been sitting here talking. But Shu Ran's eyes fell on the clock, and she found that it was already past midnight.
She stood up from the couch. "It's time for me to go," she said. "You have to go to work in a few hours." She yawned widely. "And I'm tired, too."
Ingmar nodded. "Maybe you're right." Suddenly, the magic was gone. Even though he was disappointed, maybe it was just as well that she left. Because the disappointment he felt confused him. Why is he disappointed? What on earth was he expecting? And he didn't even know it, but this feeling made him even more annoyed.
At the door, she turned around again and hugged him. She hugged him tightly, letting him feel her body visibly. Her breasts pressed comfortably against his upper body and he felt itchy all over again. She was as tall as him, maybe even a couple of centimeters taller. So she couldn't rest her head on him. However, her head was still pressed against his, gently blowing "good night" in his ear.
Before he knew it, she was pulling away from the hug. Ingmar felt an inner turmoil. He could barely think straight. Shu Ran is definitely not his type. He even called her "fatty" a few days ago. But she made him feel so good. He wished he could keep her here and continue to enjoy her company. But what reason should he have for letting her stay?
In the end what happened? Has he really seriously considered dating Shu Ran? Besides, he had no idea if she felt the same way. If she had, wouldn't she have stayed?
Ingmar shook his head in confusion. He must go to sleep. This strange feeling will definitely go away tomorrow. It could just be fatigue that's making him feel this way. And the events of the past day also put him in a special mood. Apparently he just didn't want to be alone. Over the next few days, this feeling is sure to go away just as it came. He was convinced.
