Chapter 70. Another Earth
"Then you will return to your cell until the end of your life. It is your decision."
After a brief hesitation, Noah reached out and picked up the soap handed to him. They may be playing cat and mouse with him, but this is also a chance to regain some strength. Live today and fight tomorrow. There is no point in starving to death in prison. Maybe he would have a chance to escape. Or at least there's a chance to gather more information.
After the stench from the previous few days faded away, he was put on a gray jumpsuit, which was obviously a prison uniform. He was then led into a room where there was a rather richly decorated table. Well, abundance might be a bit of an exaggeration, but for Noah, after days of starvation, it was more than enough. There are breads, sausages and cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Enough to keep him full. Since he hadn't eaten for several days, he couldn't have eaten more. His body had adapted to the hunger.
Eventually, he was taken to the elevator. The movement of the elevator made him feel like it was rising. When the elevator door opens, there is another corridor in front of you, but unlike before, there is a large window on the left. The canopy of an avenue of trees swayed gently in the breeze. It seemed like Noah hadn't seen a tree in years. He was so moved that he stood still until a guard nudged him back into action. They walked along the corridor until they came to a large double-winged door. As they approached, one wing of the door opened. Noah saw a huge, hall-like room. The walls are filled with bookshelves and cabinets. The floor consists of parquet, and the ceiling displays frescoes usually only seen in castles.
His escort stopped at the door, and Noah hesitated.
"Come in," a deep voice came from the room. Noah complied.
In the center of the room sits a stately oak desk. There was a computer screen on it, along with some stacks of files and data pads. A tall man sat behind the table. He was probably almost sixty years old. Most of the hair has fallen out, leaving only a white fringe. His round face smiled when he saw Noah, and he waved to him to come closer. "Welcome, Captain. Come and take a seat. I'm eager to make your acquaintance."
Noah walked toward him with gentle steps, ignoring the outstretched hand. He sat silently on a chair in front of the table and looked at the man. The uniform was tight around his midriff, and the rank insignia on his shoulders identified him as a general.
The general retracted his outstretched hand, cleared his throat, and sat back in his chair. "Well, Captain, I hope your first impression of us was a good one."
Noah raised his eyebrows. "What kind of good impression can you make while being held and interrogated?"
"You must understand. We must remain cautious against Earth's enemies."
"You think we are enemies of the Earth?"
"We must think so," the general argued cheerfully. "Humanity faces many threats in the universe. If we were not careful, we would have been destroyed long ago."
Noah shook his head. "But you won't gain friends and allies by treating people this way."
General Frigg shook his head slightly. "You're right, of course. But there aren't many friendly races."
"No surprise," Noah muttered.
"Okay, let's talk about something else." Frigg smiled again. He picked up a teapot and filled two cups with tea. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
Noah didn't know what to do, but he agreed.
General Frigg handed him a cup of tea and asked, "Where on earth did you come from?"
Noah understood that was what they were trying. Psychological torture was not going to help him, and they apparently thought a friendly approach might do the trick. But maybe there is some hope. So, Noah smiled. "General, that won't work. But I have a suggestion. I'll answer one of your questions, and then you'll answer one of mine. We'll take turns like this."
General Frigg took a sip of tea and took the opportunity to think. "Okay," he finally said. "The size of your ships is staggering. Even the Klingons don't have ships of this size. Did you get this technology from a race we still don't know? Perhaps with the intention of destroying the Earth? Where did you come from? "
"We are from Earth. But, it seems, from another Earth," Noah tried to explain. "The Republic ship is from our federation, called the United Star Federation."
"Interesting. Does your Earth lead the Federation? So, where is your Earth located?"
"Every planet in the Federation has the same voting rights. Earth is no exception." Noah explained patiently. "There seems to be no similar Federation presence here. We have learned that Earth has formed an alliance with Andora."
"That's right. About fifty years ago, we formed an alliance with the Andorans. We thought it would be wise to seek allies. There are too many strange races in the universe that we cannot understand about them. Although the Andorans are Blue, and have tentacles, but they are most similar to us. It is easy to establish and maintain contact with them. We share common interests and goals. Our alliance is beneficial to both sides. Is the same true for you?"
"The Andorans are one of the founding members of the Federation. We also regard them as reliable partners. But I think they are a little too skeptical. For us, the Martians are our closest allies. Once we accept their rational logic The way they think, they are very pleasant creatures.”
Frigg asked, "Martians?"
Noah looked surprised. "You don't know Martians? They are similar to humans, with pointed ears and a hint of green in their skin." When Frigg shook his head in denial, Noah explained, "Martians are the first alien race we come into contact with. After Zafrem Cochran made the first faster-than-light flight on April 4, 2063, they discovered traces of faster-than-light speed and came to Earth. They helped us take the first step into space. They It also helped us solve the social problems of the earth and achieve the unity of all mankind. We no longer have hunger and poverty. The governments of various countries have been abolished, and mankind is unified in peace."
"So in your world, the Martians decide the fate of humanity," Frigg concluded.
"No," Noah smiled kindly. "Although the Martians were among the founding members of the Federation, very few Martians served in Starfleet. Most Martians rarely left their homeworld, where they devoted themselves to scientific research. If you don't know about the Martians, then you How did we make first contact?”
"In our universe, April 4, 2063 was also the day we made the first faster-than-light flight. But no one contacted us after that. The world remained divided. The Eastern Alliance, which only existed in name only after the war, was The threat of space flight tried to sabotage the project, but failed. The competing forces did not reach a common project. Then the first FTL2 flight was carried out, with Zafran Cochran personally aboard. It was planned to broadcast the flight process , and there we made our first contact. A strange ship attacked our "Forward" ship. After several attacks, the stranger destroyed our ship. It was not until much later that we learned that it was Kling Tribute." Frigg sighed. "There is also a bright side to this disaster. The governments of the Earth realized that we must unite together. So the Earth Army was established. Although there are still many disputes here, it was quite successful in the end. Various governments have been providing manpower and materials to the army, Especially financial support. Our second extraterrestrial contact, this time with the Andorans, went well. We established a trade relationship. They are the Andorans' old enemies."
"Have you fought with the Andorans? In our universe, this race has never been warlike." Noah was surprised.
"Indeed, they are not warlike. But they are traders. They sell weapons to the Klingons, which are often used against our ships and colonies. We must stop them."
"Andorans then?" Noah repeated the last few words.
"Yes, it is. We almost wiped them out. No other solution was seen at the time. Even during the war, they continued to provide weapons to the Klingons. The only viable solution was the total annihilation of Andor Pulling people in. It is certainly morally controversial, but it nominally brings us an ally. Moreover, we have warned the Andora people before."
"What?!" Noah became excited. He struggled to control his emotions and continued. "You actually justify genocide by gaining an ally?"
"I don't want to defend these actions," Frigg replied stiffly. "This is not a proud moment in human history. But at least it is related to our future. If we had not acted like that, maybe we would no longer exist now." He took a sip of tea and then put the cup down vigorously. on the table. "This is about the future of humanity. The fact is that since the destruction of Terra and the consequent cessation of weapons supplies, the Klingons have not launched an attack on Earth. According to intelligence reports, the cessation of weapons supplies has even affected them. The impact was greater than we expected.”
"But this is not enough to justify genocide. Your statement shows arrogance and arrogance."
Frigg's eyes darkened. "Everything you do to save the planet is worth it. We are all about human survival."
"But at what cost?" Noah asked. He felt like he was in a nightmare. "You saved humanity, but at the same time destroyed everything they believed in?"
"What do people believe?" replied the general angrily. "Peace? Equality of all creatures? Morality? So how do you explain thousands of years of war, murder, and tyranny? People have never cared about morality and justice. Even those who have been preaching give up what they have when they gain power The power needed to realize their moral concepts and selfish desires. Only a few individuals in human history have promoted high human morality to a certain extent, and this has never lasted for long."
"So we just gave up?" Noah tried to avoid a reproachful tone. "Shouldn't our goal be to constantly strive to improve humanity and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past?"
Frigg looked at him sharply. "From your description, Captain, it seems that you come from a perfect world. But we live in a world that is not perfect. We are fighting for the survival of humanity, in every sense of the word. Our world is threatened by the weapons of our enemies. threats, but also internal threats mixed with alien genes. We must prevent humanity from perishing. We have no choice but to defend ourselves. You are condemning us, but you probably never worried that your world would disappear. You might be able to Assume high moral principles. But what if you were in a situation similar to ours? If your life was dominated by the struggle for survival. Don't you think you would have similar thoughts? You condemn without really knowing us Us. Who is here to be arrogant and arrogant?" Frigg became increasingly calm, emphasizing every word. Apparently, he believed his own justification.
"I won't deny that if I grew up in your world, I might have similar thoughts," Noah began carefully. He couldn't take too many risks. But he needed more information, and maybe this was the only way. Therefore, he did not want to anger Frigg. But he didn't want to give in easily. "But that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. And, just because it was the way it was in the past, doesn't mean it has to be the way it is in the future. You can change your perspective. You can be in this world too as long as you believe and try Make a difference. The ones who fail are those who don't even try. Do you really think humanity can survive long-term if you take a confrontational approach to other races?"
"Obviously you don't understand the universe." Frigg may have wanted to say no more on the subject.
Noah stared at him. An idea formed in his mind. With all the information he gathered here, combined with their experiences on the way back to Earth, he got a big picture. Even though he had no proof, he was so sure that he decided to risk making the point. "The past is changed," he said suddenly. "Someone changed the past, thus disrupting the order of the entire universe. That's why history changes. That's why everything is happening here. We have to find the moment when the timeline was altered. From everything I've heard, it seems to be First Contact. Please help me repair the timeline and humanity will be restored to health."
Frigg looked at him in shock. He said nothing for several seconds, barely able to believe what he was hearing. Finally he said, "You want us to manipulate the timeline?"
"No, it's not manipulation. It's re-correction," Noah emphasized.
"Who says this timeline is wrong? So far, I've only heard your assertion. I don't get the feeling it's wrong. After all, I've spent my entire life here. It can't be wrong. And if, purely hypothetically, we changed the timeline, what would be the fate of this timeline now? Billions of lives would be at stake."
"It gets better for everyone," Noah implored him to believe.
"That's what you said. But each of us here has a life and a past. You said our world developed differently. You want to change the timeline of the last two hundred years? Do you know what that means? A lot of people Their fate will be completely different. Countless people will not even be born. What will happen to those people? Will they disappear without a trace and no one will remember them?"
"These people should never have been born." Noah ignored Frigg's roar and continued. "And what is true for your world is true for mine. Countless people have disappeared. Most people have been deprived of their lives and opportunities. We have built a world where everyone is equal and everyone has a chance to thrive. Society. How many of your potential talents are overlooked because you were born at the bottom of society? We must make up for these losses."
"No!" Frigg said excitedly. "What you are saying is impossible. You just want to destroy us. Destroy humanity. For reasons I cannot understand, you see us as enemies of humanity. There is only one way for you. Give us your ships. .Your entire crew can continue to live on Earth. You can rebuild a new life here. You will be scattered across the Earth, supported by various nations. You will not lack for anything. You can find jobs if you want , you can try to make our society a better place. But all of you will never be able to pursue a technical career again. Forget about your world."
"We're not going to do that."
"Captain, please think about it seriously." Frigg calmed down again and said to him almost pleadingly. "If someone confronted you with a technology more advanced than yours and told you that your world is incorrect and the timeline must change, would you agree?" Noah's silence was interpreted as agreement. "Look, why should we act differently? You have no evidence for your claim other than your description. Our world may not be perfect, but it is worth living. You say your world is technologically , especially morally advanced. But your description sounds almost too perfect to be true. Furthermore, it's no wonder that your attitude and demands make people think you are a threat. According to this statement, it is not appropriate to ask you The accusation that you want to destroy the planet is not entirely false. You do want to destroy our planet."
Noah just shook his head. Frigg was a stubborn idiot, but unfortunately he was right to a certain extent.
