Chapter 92. Two-person market purchase
During a meeting, Noah informed his leadership team that they would travel to the remains of their home planet with two Vulcans, Flora and Flort, to conduct more research. The announcement triggered mixed emotions. After all, these two Vulcans were their best chance of getting home. Their presence on the ship inspires hope that this will all be over soon. But the thought of facing that ruined planet again soon isn't exactly inspiring. The sight reminded them all of what they had lost. The wreckage is like a cosmic reflection of their own non-existence.
However, it would be another five days before departure. Before this, there must be market transactions, and it was from this market transaction that the conflicts in the past few days began. The two Vulcans claim they have some business to take care of here. But Noah suspected they were just stalling for time. This way, the Republic would remain in the colony's orbit during market transactions, allowing it to temporarily deter ships from Earth. Apparently, the colonists hoped to protect themselves from attack in this way.
Noah wasn't so sure about that. The Republic suffered severe damage before they escaped from Earth. Although the Earth ship later exploded, the Earth military already knew that the Republic was not invincible. If the Earth government is really as fanatical as Olert said, then they will not be deterred by the Republic and are willing to pay some losses.
In addition, the captain also promoted Murakami Io to safety director. The promotion made him visibly uneasy. Although he was happy, he knew that the reason he was promoted at this time was because Mr. Ted passed away. So there is no reason to feel happy.
Meanwhile, the market is in full swing. Ships of various species orbit the planet in different orbits. Some small ships also landed directly on the colony's airfield.
Republic retreated to a higher orbit. Traffic between shuttles was heavy as no one seemed to be using teleportation technology. Noah definitely didn't want to get in anyone's way here.
Noah himself once attended the opening of the market. This was Olet's special request. But from then on, he preferred to stay on the ship. He didn't really like being shown off as prey by Orlert. It's time for Noah to once again focus more on the ship and their own problems rather than the colony. So he spent more time with Jeffrey, discussing possible ways out. He wanted to make sure the Vulcan considered everything and didn't rule something out just because it seemed illogical. It's not that he thinks he's smarter than the other person. He knew full well that he was no match for the Vulcans. However, when it comes to some of the crazier and out-of-the-box ideas, Jeffrey isn't so good. Those thoughts may be so illogical that Jeffrey quickly dismisses them.
Most crews see the market as an opportunity to sightsee and marvel. They had never seen anything like this in their lives before. While there are similar markets on the fringes of the federation, only a few people there participate. And most are on the run from the law and other suspicious characters. No Starfleet crew will be there. They are also not welcome. Because in such a market, not only legal goods are traded.
Tini and Mi Zhiwa were also among the visitors. They are attracted by the sounds and smells that surround them. Intertwined with various alien languages and many different human languages. The scene was so chaotic that having a one-on-one conversation was difficult.
Tini and Mi Zhiwa were pushed forward by the crowd. People were so crowded together it was almost impossible to decide where to go. With every step, another smell hits you. Sometimes there are aromas of everything from grilled meats to exotic delicacies with spices from all over the universe to disgusting dishes. Then there's the smell of leather or freshly laundered fabrics, engine oil, exhaust, or molten metal. In such a large population, there are occasionally some not-so-pleasant body odors that can be detected. The hot sun intensifies all smells.
Among all these smells, there was one particularly pleasant smell that caught Tiny's attention. A fresh and refreshing scent. Aromas of fresh ginger and oriental woods mingle with notes of rose, jasmine and saffron. The sweetness of fresh honey makes this scent even more special.
"Follow me!" she shouted to Mi Zhiwa loudly. Then she worked her way through the crowd toward the stall that gave off an alluring smell. The closer they got, the more the scent merged with other pleasant aromas. The air was filled with the scent of lavender and hibiscus, sweet vanilla and noble cedar wood, peach and guava, and so many other charming scents that Tiny could not identify their origin.
When the crowd in front of them dispersed and the stalls came into view, Tini's suspicion was confirmed. The stalls were filled with numerous vials and other beautifully crafted containers, arranged on an equally beautifully designed counter. Brightly colored flags and flashing signs catch the eyes of passing customers. The vials and vials were labeled with a variety of different words. There are Latin alphabets, Chinese, Arabic and Andean scripts. In addition, there are some symbols whose origins even the stall owners themselves cannot explain.
Most containers are either clear as glass or only slightly reveal their contents. Everything from regular, clear liquids to bright colors. Some liquids change color with gentle transitions, and there's even a pill bottle with bubbles coming out of it.
Tiny was dazzled. She immediately realized that today would cost a lot of money.
"That's great," Mi Zhiwa said when he finally squeezed in beside her. "You actually found the only perfume stall in this market all at once."
"Isn't this great? So many different fragrances. There are so many I didn't know about before." She was as excited as a kid in front of a Christmas tree. "Maybe I can find a suitable bottle. And I'll find one for you, too."
Mi Zhiwa said she didn't need perfume, but she didn't seem to be ignored. Finally, Tiny bought five new bottles of perfume. To do this, she spent all her savings. Mi Zhiwa was also forced to buy two bottles. According to herself, those perfumes suited her perfectly. Tiny had no answer as to when she would need these special perfumes. Mi Zhiwa knows that perfume is a very popular tool when looking for a partner. But she had no current interest in it, and it wasn't possible. Besides, she hadn't noticed anyone on the ship that interested her.
So, just to make Tini happy, she brought the two bottles and asked Tini to take them back to her residence like trophies. Mi Zhiwa just hoped that no one saw them. She would be embarrassed if anyone saw them like this and rumors might spread that the two crew members were looking for men.
“A few days ago, our generator failed. As a result, our drinking water filtration system is also not functioning. The entire southern settlement is currently without water. As you can certainly imagine this is a huge problem. We have to source water from other settlements Water is brought in at points. But that creates logistical problems for us. We simply don’t have the transportation to do that.”
"We'll go take a look," Daisy interrupted, trying to stay calm.
An hour ago, Noah asked her to teleport to the planet with a team of technicians. There is something wrong with the infrastructure here. They will learn about the specific situation on site. The person in charge of the settlement would receive and guide them at the agreed upon location.
Daisy was not at all happy about this assignment. There are enough things on the Republic that need repairing. This should be her full-time job. The ship was in such bad condition that she just barely made it out. She and five other colleagues stood alone in a small square in the settlement. No one is waiting for them. There are no pedestrians to ask for directions. Everything seemed empty. The only thing that made her even remotely happy was the sun shining on a cloudless sky.
She only endured it for five minutes. Just as she was about to order them to call back, a tall, lanky man rushed towards them, waving wildly. He introduced himself as Jem, the technician in charge of the area. Then he kept telling them. He looked so flustered and nervous that Daisy gradually stopped wondering why nothing was normal here.
In his nonstop conversation, Jem leads them to a building said to be the settlement's central technology and computing control center.
Before he could say anything, Daisy ordered her companions to go inside the building and take a look. They immediately scattered, happy to have escaped the talkative technician. Armed with delta recorders, they set into action.
Daisy also entered the building, followed closely by Jem.
“The first and second floors here are mainly computer terminals for controlling and monitoring systems,” he explained excitedly. "The real technical equipment is down there. In the basement. There are three levels."
Daisy nodded and looked around. The building is huge. She estimated that it was nearly five hundred meters long and about the same width. Behind the entrance is a large stairwell that leads to the upper and lower floors. Beyond that is a room that seems to cover the entire floor plan of the building. There are several pillars in the room that support the ceiling. There are computer terminals everywhere displaying endless columns of data. Wide passages weave through it, providing easy and fast passage.
"Can you give me a port to connect to the system?" She turned to Jem and asked. Since he didn't seem to understand her, she briefly held up the small computer she was carrying. Now he understood.
"Sure, follow me. Just hope your technology is compatible with ours."
"That should be no problem," she said confidently. After all, she had experience connecting federal technology to other systems. There shouldn't be much of a problem here. Maybe even easier. After all, although from her perspective, this is human technology from almost a hundred years ago, it is the technology of Earthlings.
She expertly connected her computer to the provided interface. "Let's check your system and see what's wrong."
Jem still sounded nervous and said, "Our system, despite regular self-tests, always shows no errors, even though there is clearly something wrong. I can't explain it." He sounded like he was apologizing. It was also the first time that I stopped talking.
"We'll find the problem," Daisy said confidently.
Jem let out an audible sigh. "You have no idea how happy we are that you are here. You are our last hope to find the problem. If we cannot guarantee a reliable water supply to the settlement, we may have to abandon it. And now, more and more new settlements People are still coming in.”
Daisy rolled her eyes, then interrupted: "If we can find the problem quietly, we'll solve it fastest." She stared at him seriously.
He nodded stammeringly and muttered, "Quietly, okay, so you can concentrate better."
The engineer didn't respond to him. She never wanted to give him another chance to talk non-stop.
Jem looked around, obviously feeling very uncomfortable and useless at the moment. He walked slowly to the next computer terminal, adjusted his chair a little, then sat down and said, "I'm going to sit here for now. If you have any questions, you can call me."
Daisy glanced at him, nodded, and then turned her gaze back to her screen. Just as she expected, her interface adapted well to the older technology. It transformed data into the technical language she was familiar with. There was only one particular detail that troubled her computer, and she had to ask Jem to explain it. Otherwise, she can handle it on her own.
Occasionally, her colleagues would join in. They then imported the data collected within the building into a computer. In this way, they gradually get a complete picture. Whether it's a tiny crack in a data line or a low-quality interface handling data transfer, it can now be seen on a computer screen. An hour passed and Daisy smiled. "I think we found the problem."
Jem, who was leaning back easily in his chair, suddenly sat up straight. "Already found?"
"Yes. It's quite simple actually. Look here." She pointed at her screen.
Jem walked beside her and looked over the place. He frowned and studied the data. "Energy flows erratically through the system," he said slowly.
"That's right," Daisy agreed. "Voltage peaks occur that exceed the tolerable range. The system is therefore briefly overloaded. This overload must be relieved somewhere, and at this node the overload is passed on to all other systems. Data lines, communication networks , everything will be affected.”
"Then the overload disrupted everything in the system," Jem added. He suddenly wasn't nervous anymore. He was fully committed to a system he was familiar with, and that was where he couldn't make mistakes.
"That's right." Daisy confirmed. "And there will be no more data at the end of the line, no power, no anything. You will just get a bunch of data garbage that no post-processing system can handle. There is no insurance, no graceful shutdown, which brings a series of problems."
"But we have smoothing systems, they're supposed to prevent voltage spikes like this." Jem reminded.
"But only half are still working. Look here."
Jem stared at the data, then shook his head in frustration. "These smoothers also return feedback to the system that they are working properly. But that may be their only function."
"That's right. Then your entire diagnostic system is misguided. There's no way you can find the error."
Jem added: "It makes no difference. We have no spare parts. The system is so old that it has long ceased to be used on Earth. It is so inefficient that I can only confirm that. It's a pity that in the colonies When we were founded we just got this old system. Now there are no spare parts. So we're back where we started."
"Not necessarily." Daisy stood up and began to disconnect her computer from the device. "I'll go back to our ship and make copies of the parts needed. Maybe a few more to spare. For future failures."
Jem stared at her with an expression of surprise. Then he started laughing. "Would you do this?"
"certainly."
"But... we can't afford this."
"Don't worry," Daisy waved, it wasn't a big deal to her, she believed Captain Noah had already bargained for the service at Olet.
"How can we thank you?" Jem's words were full of sincere gratitude.
"I told you, you're welcome. One of my guys will be back in two hours with the required spare parts and set them up immediately." She packed her equipment into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"Perhaps I could buy you a meal as a thank you?" Jem suggested, his nervousness returning.
"Thank you, but I still have a lot of work to do on my ship." Her tone was clear. She had no interest in dining with this man. Overall, she didn't like the colony. She had enough trouble on the ship and no time to waste here. Just for Noah's sake, she did the job without much protest. He couldn't expect more from her than to maintain a semi-polite attitude.
If it had been her wish, they would have left the colony long ago and started looking for a way back to her universe. Unfortunately, she didn't come up with a really constructive suggestion as to where they should look for this return.
Just then, as if by prior agreement, four of her colleagues appeared. Relieved that she didn't have to discuss any more thanksgiving with Jem, she turned and headed for the door. Before leaving the building, she said to Jem again: "You must be here in two hours." Then she hurried out, hoping to return to the ship as soon as possible.
The leadership team looked forward to the next few days as if it were a day of hope for the future. Everyone expected things to get better. No one considered the possibility of a less positive outcome. That possibility is simply unimaginable.
Noah was also affected by this atmosphere, even though he originally wanted to avoid it. He originally wanted to be objective about how things were going, give things a chance, and not act hastily because of forced circumstances. But, as expected, disillusionment eventually emerged amid the tension. For some crew members, there may also be some frustration.
However, everything started out well. Two Vulcans, Flora and Flort, boarded the cabin with some equipment. Although they wanted to use Republic's more advanced technology for research, some of the equipment they were unwilling to give up. These devices are used to verify and validate measurement data.
