Chapter 75. The ship self-destructs and attacks the Republic
"Take care of Carol, Murakami, and Jeffrey," the captain whispered to Ingmar as he passed. "Take them to the infirmary."
Ingemar just nodded, secretly thinking about how to complete this task. He turned to the three men with a smile. "You'd better go get Dr. Celia checked out, you look a little tired," he suggested.
Before Noah left the teleportation room, he gave his daughter an encouraging look. He wanted to hold her, and for the past few days he had thought he would never see her again. Their disappearance will certainly trigger a series of reactions that they must be prepared for. He hurried to the elevator. "Bridge," he ordered. When the elevator door was about to close, Jeffrey quickly entered the elevator. It's no surprise that he managed to avoid a visit to the infirmary.
"The person in charge of the Earth government seems to have noticed that the Earth rebels kidnapped us. Do you think the Earth army will attack us?" Noah asked the Vulcan.
"It's possible. But we found out during the last attack that there was nothing they could do against us," Jeffrey recalled calmly.
"Yes," Noah nodded. He didn't say anything more as the elevator door opened in front of him again. He quickly walked onto the bridge. Everyone present turned to look at Noah, and he could see the relief on their faces that the captain had returned. He quickly waved away any possible congratulations, they really didn't have time at the moment.
"Mr. Nilf," he said to the driver. "let us..."
Suddenly, the deck beneath him collapsed, and Noah fell into the void without a trace. He could also see Jeffrey falling to the ground as well. Then the alarm went off. For one moment, the bridge went dark, the lighting system failing, then flickering back on the next.
"Debrief," Noah growled, trying to get back to his feet. His first attempt failed. His left shoulder nearly exploded with pain. He gets dizzy whenever he moves his left hand. He groped for the command chair with his right hand and climbed up with difficulty.
"We've been hit," Paulner reported when he finally stood up again and sat back down at his console. "One of the Earth ships opened fire on us."
"No way," Noah muttered, his teeth clenched. He was slow to sit back in the command chair. "No way with this kind of firepower."
"It does seem possible. Maybe we underestimated them."
"Okay. Pilot, get us out of here."
Just as Noah gave the order, he felt the Republic accelerate rapidly. At a glance, he saw Nilf sitting on the console. Clearly, the half-Vulcan is ready for a quick takeoff. Noah realized that Nilfer hadn't even asked for the target's direction. This is a trait that captains appreciate. His officers were able to think for themselves. The captain should have expected that Nilf came up with such a bold idea on his own, allowing the ship to accelerate to a point where even the inertial damper could not stop it.
At the same time, Jeffrey arrived at his console. He appeared to have survived the fall unscathed. At least apart from the marks of being imprisoned, there were no other obvious injuries on his body. In contrast, Noah wonders about his arm. Although the pain slowly subsided, further sensation disappeared.
"Our shields collapsed during that attack," Paulner reported from his post. He had sat back down and analyzed the data. "If there is another such a strong attack, we may be destroyed." His voice trembled slightly. Apparently, he was only now realizing how dangerous things really were.
"Captain." Jeffrey turned to the command chair. He stood as straight as usual, with his hands folded behind his back.
Noah turned slowly. "What did you find, Mr. Jeffrey?" He managed the words, controlling the pain.
"Earth's military seems to have found a way to increase their firepower," Jeffrey said.
"I noticed," Noah interrupted sarcastically. "I'm particularly interested in their ways."
Mr. Jeffrey went on to explain, "Apparently, they were able to focus their energy on one point, allowing them to fire a concentrated phaser beam. However, this appeared to cause them to overload their entire ship. Sensor records indicate that these overloads damaged All their energy wires went out. Then, their ship blew itself up."
"Self-destruction?" Noah couldn't believe it, but then his shoulder hurt again because of a clumsy move. "This should deter them from trying a shooting like this again."
Jeffrey downplayed his hopes. "Unlikely," he said negatively. "Another ship has opened fire on us. If it hadn't been for Mr. Nilf's bold move, we might have been hit." Jeffrey's voice seemed reproachful. Apparently, he had noticed that Nirfer did not adhere to Vulcan teachings as strictly as he expected.
"Did they sacrifice their own people and ships just to stop us?" Noah shook his head in surprise. "It's crazy."
Albergi and Jolio stood at a folding table with four other members of their kidnapping team. Everyone stared nervously at the large mobile communication device placed on the table. Minutes ago, they successfully sent a message to the alien spacecraft. Now, they nervously await a reply. None of them thought that at this time, they had no hostages. The hum of the teleporter didn't attract their attention.
They were in a vast forested area at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. A clearing serves as their temporary command center. The surrounding trees are too dense to navigate with heavy equipment. Attempts to enter the clearing by trucks or even tanks were futile. Therefore, they could only be subdued with a huge logistical effort. As a small-scale mobile terrorist group, they had already evacuated before the bulky military equipment arrived. However, they didn't expect to be found here either. Their actions were thoroughly planned and carefully prepared, leaving no clues to follow.
In addition, the region has another advantage. They are located on the frontier of the Rocky Mountains. From time to time there are rocks forming natural barriers. Not far from the clearing, the rocks formed an area enclosed on three sides, where they tied the prisoners. From here, they can't escape or see what their captors are doing.
"Two minutes to go," growled a thick-necked man, as if he was uncomfortable with the continued radio silence.
"They'll do what we say," another said quietly. "At the latest after one of the hostages dies, they will surrender to us."
They were all wearing black camouflage clothing that they found in abandoned military inventories.
Silence fell again. Jorio looked around. Birds were chirping in a nearby tree, making him nervous. There were obviously baby birds there, and every time a parent bird came close to the tree, it caused a cacophony of chirping until the bird flew away again.
Jolio had to control himself and stay calm. He was tempted to draw his weapon and shoot down the landing bird. However, Long Yichen would never tolerate this. He was the leader of them all, the one who planned and made the actions possible. Jolio didn't know his real name. Maybe no one knew it, maybe even he himself had forgotten it. He is known by the name Long Ge.
The baby bird begins to chirp again. Jorio's fingers moved, but he managed to hold them back. To divert his attention, he began to think about his next move. He was also convinced that they had to kill a hostage first. Then the aliens will surely abandon their ship. They are less likely to leave their companions behind. Once that is done, his team will board a stolen military shuttle to the ship. To ensure safety, they have been given military codes that will allow them to fly freely. Once they get the ship, they will use it to create a path. With superior technology, especially weapons, they can conquer any ship. It's only a matter of time before they gain endless wealth by plundering merchant ships. And no one can dispute them. They will become the most powerful people in the universe. They will live a carefree and luxurious life without any hindrance.
The more Jolio thought about these ideas, the more excited he became. He will throw huge parties with the best drinks, the most beautiful women and the most expensive drugs. His life will be a constant orgy.
Brother Long's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked towards him and saw a flaming face. "How dare you ignore my deadline?" he angrily ordered Jorio to deal with the prisoners. "Bring that woman here. She will be the first to pay for the arrogance of these people. Albergi, establish contact with that ship."
The person who was called did as he was told, while the others looked at each other uneasily. Even though everyone expected it, it was still a bit nerve-wracking when it finally happened.
Jolio suddenly came running back. He ran as fast as he could, almost falling. "Brother Long," he shouted, then stood in front of him. Although he ran a short distance, he was out of breath. He should exercise more, but soon that won't be a problem as he will never have to run again. "Brother Long, the prisoners are gone," he shouted excitedly.
"What?" Before the burly man could speak, he suddenly fell into confusion. "Search the camp and surrounding area immediately. Be prepared to cancel all operations and prepare to retreat." He wanted to be prepared for all the consequences. Losing a prisoner is almost a disaster. Either they were smarter than he thought and could save themselves, though he doubted that. Or they were rescued. In this case, they have been discovered and must try to escape. However, he did not dare immediately give the final order to retreat. Because that would mean they would have to give up everything. All their hopes and long-term efforts will be in vain. So he still held out hope that he could track down the escaped prisoner while the others prepared to leave.
Suddenly, shadows flashed across the sky. The shuttle takes up position over the woods and drops bombs, surrounding the camp and forcing the kidnappers to gather in the center. Then, the soldiers quickly disembarked from the shuttle.
"Shoot!" Brother Long ordered loudly. The first shot hit a soldier, and he immediately fell to the ground and died.
The rest followed closely behind. A fierce battle broke out with the soldiers who had landed. Several government soldiers were shot and fell to the ground, unable to escape as they died. But ultimately it's an unequal battle. Brother Long and his men were unable to stop the soldiers from surrounding them. The soldiers were able to use the trees as cover, while the kidnappers had nowhere to hide but stood helplessly in the middle of the clearing.
One after another, people were shot and fell to the ground, dying.
Jorio does not want to accept reality. They were so close to their goal. How could this happen? What happened to those prisoners? He fired with rage, hitting two other soldiers. He knew full well that they had no chance. The opponent's advantage is too great. But he never wanted to die without resistance.
There is only one explanation for the sudden appearance of the military. They intercepted communications sent to the alien ship and tracked them back. They had hoped to prevent this from happening by jamming the device, but apparently the device didn't work quite as planned.
Beside him, Albergi groaned briefly and then fell lifelessly. Jorio unleashed his inner frustration. Faced with certain death, he rushed to the edge of the woods, shooting as wildly as he could. After a few steps, he felt a hit on his shoulder. The pain caused him to stumble and lose his balance. As he fell, two more bullets struck him in the chest and tore out his lungs. He lay lifeless on the grass. The kidnappers were wiped out by the soldiers until no one was left alive.
Ingmar turned a corner and almost collided with Shu Ran. They stood together, staring at each other in surprise.
"Sorry, I was in a daze just now," Shu Ran was the first to speak.
"Me too," he replied flatly. He hesitated and took half a step to the side. Shu Ran followed him and took another half step.
"I was just thinking about you," she said, but before Ingmar could get hope, she continued. "I want to congratulate you on your successful rescue of the outside team. You did a really great job."
"Anywhere, other people would do the same," he waved his hand.
"I don't believe it," she replied firmly. "You took a chance on saving the captain. You're a hero. At least to me," she smiled.
He had to laugh and look at her mischievously. "It's a pity that heroes always act selflessly without reward."
"Yeah, that's unfortunate. For you," she replied tartly. "But that's not entirely true. Heroes don't seek reward, but they usually get it anyway."
"And what do I gain?" he wondered, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Don't look at me like that." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What exactly do you want?"
Ingmar thought. "I'll be waiting for a surprise. I can't ask for anything or I wouldn't be a hero."
She smiled. "Okay," she said, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
Ingmar had to hide his feelings. Of course, he delighted in every touch she made. Every time it was full of electricity, it gave him comfortable goosebumps. Although he was in more pain each time. In fact, he had no expectations for her. should not. Still, he felt an irrational disappointment. However, he smiled bravely. What other options are there?
“With a reward like this, I may have to do heroic things a few more times,” he said with a smile.
"Don't think it's always possible," she muttered in reply.
"No? Would that be better?"
In this little argument, the two kept taking small steps to one side, but kept moving closer to each other. They seemed to be cruising around each other, looking for closeness but keeping their distance. It seemed like both of them were happy with it.
"I'll wait until your next act of heroism to decide," she said.
"I am looking forward."
Unexpectedly, she kissed him on the cheek again. "Crazy," she whispered, then strode off to the side. The atmosphere that filled the air suddenly disappeared.
"I have to go, I have to go to work." She apologized awkwardly. Then she hurried down the corridor.
Ingmar sighed, his eyes following her figure away. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Will he succeed in seeing her as a good friend? He had some doubts about this. After all, he still considers her his one true love.
But since it was impossible for him to follow her to work, he could only continue walking to his dormitory. However, he imagined himself on the bridge now, kissing her in front of everyone, and the idea seemed very tempting to him. After all, he wanted to tell the world how much he loved her. But, nothing happened between them except friendship, he remembered. No one but Celia may ever know his secret, his hidden love.
He took a deep breath and shook off these distracting thoughts. Now it was time for him to deal with his mission, and although his heart was filled with thoughts of her, he had to move on. At least on the ship, they could still become close friends. That's better than anything else.
Ingmar turned around and walked towards his dormitory. He plans to focus on his work and not let these emotions cloud his judgment. He walked into his room, closed the door, and sat on the bed. He closed his eyes and recalled the good times with her, hoping to temporarily forget those tangled emotions.
"Captain, we are about to reach the Vulcan (Mars) system." Nilf reported from his station.
Noah raised his head nervously. After they left Earth, they flew straight to Vulcan. Vulcans want help here due to their logical calmness and deep advancement in science. And since humans don't yet understand this race, they now hopefully have answers.
