Chapter 89. The special envoy bites back
"We are the aliens who seek help on Earth, only to be betrayed, attacked and captured there," Gladys replied sarcastically.
Havendes looked at them doubtfully. "I was not on Earth at the time. I was on a diplomatic mission," he said, seemingly apologetically. "But I read the summary of the report. You came to Earth to seize government power."
"That's bullshit," Gladys said angrily, but was stopped by Carol's stern look.
"That's not the case," Carol replied calmly. "But that doesn't matter right now. We'll get on our ship together and discuss our next plans there."
"Take a spaceship?" Havendes looked at Carol in shock. "I would never volunteer to fly on a spaceship. Teleporters are only used for cargo transportation. Teleportation is very harmful to living things. All scientists have confirmed this."
"That's bullshit. Teleportation is completely safe. We use it every day," Carol explained calmly. She didn't want to cite the study that showed teleportation was the safest form of transportation humans had ever invented.
"I don't care. And I will never follow you to your ship. From hostage to hostage. I'll go to the airport. My ship is right there."
"What makes you think we'll say yes, sir? We have weapons," Gladys reminded him aggressively.
Havendes didn't care about this and just looked at them haughtily. Gladys was about to tell him how ridiculous it was to look dirty, but Carol quickly came to the rescue.
"Ms. Gladys, please inform the captain that our rescue operation was successful and we will now escort the envoy back to his ship," she ordered, keeping Gladys busy.
While Carol is not happy about following the envoy on foot to the ship, she is explicitly told by the captain not to do anything that would further damage her relationship with Earth. Now rejecting the envoy's request is clearly one of them. So she had no choice but to do as he said.
While Gladys informed the Republic of the events, Carol ordered one of the security officers to guard the prisoners. "After we leave, teleport them all back to the spacecraft." She explained softly.
"Why did you leave your people to guard the dead?" Havendes asked suspiciously, "They no longer pose a threat."
"They're not dead yet, just unconscious. And we still have some questions to ask them," Carol explained with some boredom.
"Are they alive? Then you must hand them over to the Earth government. They will be tried for kidnapping and murder. And I want my ship back."
"Of course," she just nodded. Then she pointed to the passage that hoped to lead to the exit. "Do you want to go back to your ship now?"
Havendes glared at her, but followed silently behind Murakami Io, who led the way forward.
In this part of the underground passage, the passage is wide and high, so they can walk comfortably and make smooth progress. They passed through two more halls and finally came to the entrance of the cave. It was already evening, and the sun was approaching the horizon, casting its last rays. Still, the weather was so hot that it almost suffocated them. It was cooler in the cave, but now it felt like they were in an oven.
"The airport is about fifteen miles northwest of here," Carol said after checking her triangulator. "We can't make it before dark."
"Unless we take the scooter at the back," Murakami Io said, pointing in the corresponding direction.
A ground scooter with room for seven people was parked near the cave entrance. The car was apparently used to bring the hostages. It's the perfect vehicle for kidnapping because it leaves no trace on the ground. Then they just parked it here, knowing that no one would pass by and the planet didn't have satellites to track it.
"Can you drive something like this?" Carol asked Murakami.
"Should be no problem," he replied confidently.
After a few minutes, they set off. The scooter is suspended about one meter above the ground. Carol didn't feel at all comfortable with this mode of transportation. The car must be an older model because instead of smoothly smoothing out bumps in the ground, it follows the terrain with a jarring thump. She was so happy when they finally arrived at the airport about half an hour later.
Harvenders also seemed relieved, because a relaxed smile flashed across his face.
They were greeted by a team of police who had cordoned off the airport to prevent another kidnapping. When they saw Envoy Havender, they stood in a circle beside the vehicle and drew their weapons.
Carol hurriedly intervened to prevent Murakami Io from drawing the gun, and Carol also made a stop gesture to him. "This is a misunderstanding. We must not use force to resolve this issue."
"I'll explain," Havendes said, and before anyone could react, he got out of the car. He went straight to the police commander. The latter was visibly relieved when he saw the special envoy Havendes.
"Mr. Havendes, I'm glad you're back safe."
"It's not your fault. This would never happen to the Earth Police," Havendes yelled at him. "But you still have a chance to prove yourself. In the car were three hostile elements from Earth. They kidnapped me. Arrest them."
The officer looked at him confused. It made no sense to him. "These are your kidnappers? But why..."
"Arrest them," Harvenders shouted angrily.
Carol didn't hear the conversation in the car, but when Havendes pointed to the car, she felt something was wrong. She realized from the beginning that this man was definitely a sinister guy. So when he instructs the police to arrest them, she secretly pulls out her communicator. When Havendes now shouted for their arrest, she gave the order for immediate transmission. Before the police could do anything, they had disappeared.
During the teleportation process, Noah hurriedly walked into the corridor of the Republic and headed towards the infirmary. At an intersection, consultant Mi Zhiwa joined them.
"Captain," she greeted formally.
"Ms. Mi Zhiwa," he nodded. He felt that the young woman was always a little nervous around him. "Arrived on time."
"Yes, sir," she replied politely. He asked her to go to the infirmary. There still lay the Envoy's unconscious pilot, who had now been teleported aboard along with the two kidnappers. There are still some questions that need to be answered.
But when they entered, Dr. Celia immediately told them that she would not allow an unduly lengthy interrogation. This person also needs to rest. After Noah promises to proceed with caution, Celia gives him a shot to revive him.
The man looked around blearily. When he saw Noah's uniform, he asked in surprise, "Where am I?"
"In safety. You are in a medical facility. I am Dr. Celia," the doctor told him gently. "This is Captain Noah and Counselor Miguel. They want to ask you some questions. If you think it's too much, you can call me and I'll let them out," she winked at him kindly. She then went into the adjoining office, but left the door open so she could continue to observe the captain.
The man sat up with difficulty, studying his two opponents. "What do you want to know?" he asked.
"Well, you know who we are now. What's your name?" Noah asked calmly.
"I'm Banai," was the short reply.
Noah thought this was at least a start. He looked at Banai. This man was probably around forty. He looks well trained and in good shape. Perhaps he was part of the envoy's entourage. If there was a problem, he would surely be able to assist the bodyguards. His expression looked rude and unfriendly. Maybe he doesn’t appreciate art and culture that much. Although he reminded himself not to have such cliche thoughts, the question still emerged after seeing his appearance.
"Can you tell us what happened? Who are the kidnappers? What do they want from you and the envoy?"
Banai looked at him pointedly. "Why should I tell you?"
Noah had expected that he would refuse to cooperate. This reaction also seems to conform to certain stereotypes, although these impressions are usually not unfounded. "Because we saved you. Because it was the polite thing to do. And it certainly didn't involve state secrets."
"And because you're going to keep me here and not let me go?" he replied aggressively.
Noah sighed. Why does everyone think this way? "No, we won't do that. You can leave at any time. But if you would give us some information, we would appreciate it."
"We need this information to form our own opinions," Mi Zhiwa said. "We can only get information from the Colonial Assembly. They may make everything up. Only by what you tell us can we see through the colonists' lies. And act accordingly."
Noah tried to remain serious. In fact, Mi Zhiwa's proactive attitude surprised him. He didn't think her words were necessarily appropriate either.
However, Banai seemed to be thinking. He looked at Noah, then at Mi Zhiwa, and finally at Noah again. "We were attacked by four terrorists," he began, briefly describing the attack. Noah felt that he was exaggerating when describing his kidnappers. Apparently, he didn't want to admit that three well-trained bodyguards and two barely matched drivers were overpowered by four poorly equipped attackers. "They took Mr. Havendes and I to a cave. We were separated. You know the rest."
"Did the kidnappers make any demands of you?" the captain asked.
"At least not to me. As to whether they have requirements for Mr. Havendes, I don't know."
Noah nodded. "Thank you very much, Mr. Banai."
"Can I go now?"
"Of course," Noah said, nodding. "We will take you directly to Mr. Havendes."
However, things were a little trickier than he expected. After many kind words and constant reassurances, Banai was finally convinced to get on the teleporter and head to the surface.
Noah couldn't understand the rejection. He definitely didn't want to live without a teleporter anymore. Using a teleporter, you can travel to other places in an instant. Travel between ships and planets becomes simple and fast. By boat, he had to plan at least twenty minutes of travel time. But with a teleporter, it only takes a few seconds. But it's possible that this rejection is simply based on a fear of the new. People in the 19th or 20th century who once feared trains, automobiles, and airplanes have become inseparable from these means of transportation.
When he finally left, Noah asked Carlo, "Do you think he can be trusted?"
"I think he's telling the truth. The story fits what we already know. And why would he lie?"
"Well, I can think of a few reasons," Noah muttered. "But I also think he might really not know any better. I hope these two kidnappers know more and are willing to tell us."
"Mr. Havendes has been released!" a communications officer shouted in the Earth Army conference room.
The people present cheered. These hours were truly anxiety-provoking. Now, to everyone's surprise, the hijacking is over. They ended longer discussions and lengthy periods of uncertainty.
When the cheers died down, Sukosan looked around the room seriously. When people caught her gaze, the smile on their faces disappeared. It wasn't because her authority was intimidating that people used to laugh at her behind her back. But everyone has heard that the intelligence service has been strengthened and her powers have been increased. Besides, no one in the room wanted to make her angry. This always resulted in a long lecture about how lazy everyone was and all the work fell on her. This is what everyone fears the most.
"It's too early to celebrate," she said in a high voice. She and General Frigg were now the most senior figures present. The Vice President has taken his leave. Apparently, he had other important agendas.
General Frigg kept a low profile behind the scenes, leaving the scene to Sukosan. Let her make bad decisions that he can later correct. He wasn't too pleased with her promotion. He had to do something, and that kept him thinking. Furthermore, this way he avoids conflict with her. He didn't want to start this argument in front of everyone. After all, he wasn't sure he could win. Who knows what other trump cards she has hidden that he doesn't know about.
"Who sent this news? Do we have confirmation?" she continued. "How did our people get free? It would be a bad thing if the colonists themselves rescued them. It might win their sympathy. You see, there are still many unanswered questions. Only when everything is Get a resolution to our satisfaction and then, and only then, can we celebrate."
Some nodded sheepishly, others stared stubbornly at their screens, pretending to be back at work.
The communications officer who had declared freedom approached cautiously and handed over another data report. Sukoshan looked at him coldly. "There will be consequences for you in that report you spouted nonsense about."
The young man swallowed and nodded, but said nothing. He realized that continuing to talk would only make the situation worse.
"Okay, go ahead and report," she urged him.
"Mr. Havendes sent a message himself. He had returned to his ship. His message was very brief. He said that in the hijacking all his bodyguards had been killed. Also the two drivers, One of them was also killed. He himself was not injured. However, he said he felt deeply insulted. He demanded severe retaliation."
Sukosan nodded. "Are there any clues about the circumstances of his rescue? Did he manage to escape alone, or was there someone who helped him?"
"He said he was helped by a team from the alien spacecraft that tried to attack Earth a week ago."
"What?" Sukoshan was startled, but quickly calmed down. "Why are they helping him? What benefit do they hope to gain?" she thought to herself.
"He didn't say," the man whispered back. "That's all. Mr Havendes said he needed to understand the situation and be ready before contacting us."
"This guy has some nerve," she muttered. "Okay, you go back to standing guard."
He saluted and left quickly.
"We have to act now," Sukosan said to herself, because no one was standing by her side anymore. "If these aliens form an alliance with the colonists, the situation could be dangerous."
Although Frigg stood a few steps behind her, he heard her words. "You want to attack?" he asked, walking up to her. "You know how powerful this ship is. If you are willing to risk the risk of attacking, possibly losing your men and fleet..." He paused, wishing he could bite his tongue. He laughed at himself silently. This would have been a good opportunity to break away from her rivals. Sukosan would suffer heavy losses if that powerful ship (the Republic was good) was attacked. Maybe even lose the entire fleet. And he, the idiot, had to warn her.
"They're not invincible," she responded unhappily. "Even your personnel succeeded in causing significant damage to that ship."
"That's right. It's just that our ship exploded after that. And we had an unexpected advantage at the time. Now they may be ready." Now he could continue to provoke her until she attacked out of anger, just To prove to him that she was better than him. "Right now, the Republic probably has no obvious weaknesses. There's probably nothing you can do about it."
"My ship is more advanced than yours, and my men are better."
He pouted. "If you say so." That's enough. Don't make her suspicious. He turned and left the room. If something interesting happens, the allies here will call him back.
The head of the security department watched him leave with tightly wrinkled eyes. She felt Frigg was trying to achieve something. Whatever it was, though, she couldn't be fooled.
Even so, what he said was not completely unreasonable, she had to admit. She was unable to take further action at this time if the alien ship remained in the colony. She couldn't even punish the colony itself. Any action near that planet carries the risk of combat. She was unwilling to give up the power she had just gained, the power that comes with having a powerful fleet, by risking her fleet too much.
Maybe she could try to get Earth's military to send them there. It doesn't matter if their ship is destroyed. But perhaps that was Frigg's intention. This must be his plan. He wanted to destroy the Republic himself. Maybe his technicians and engineers found a weakness in that alien ship and could now destroy it without danger. But Frigg must not be allowed to achieve this success.
An evil smile appeared on her face. They saw through the general's plan. Now she could take steps against him. Eventually, she would overcome him.
