Chapter 95. Humanoid Cindy Bai Ze
She shook her head. "I'm not going any further in there. It's too cold for me."
"You can't do this. Come on. Let's swim for a while," he said, almost begging. "If we just move, the water won't be so cold."
"You can tell me a lot of things," she replied with a critical tone. But she seemed to agree with him, because she slowly took another small step.
"Get in the water and that will settle everything." His suggestion drew a reproachful look.
She took two small steps forward, then she finally understood and chose to jump into the water, just like Ingmar had done just now. But she chose to swim rather than dive.
"I just said that," he commented redundantly.
"Although you are young, you are so smart." She replied dryly, and then swam past him.
Ingmar just grinned and jumped into the water, swimming beside her.
So, they swam for a while until they swam to the center of the lake. The further they swam, the colder the water became. Ingemar's movements also became slower and slower. Finally, he stopped swimming, using only the necessary movements to stay afloat. Here he could no longer stand.
"What's wrong?" Shu Ran wanted to know. She didn't stop, but continued swimming around him.
"I guess I have to go back," he gasped. "Otherwise I can't do it."
"You're not serious, are you?" She seemed really surprised. For herself, there is nothing wrong with swimming.
"Yeah. I...I'm kind of exhausted."
She smiled. "You often go to the gym, run, and work hard to stay in shape. Now swimming makes you breathless?"
"Swimming is not part of my training plan," he said half-heartedly.
Shu Ran shook his head. "Ingmar, you are the strangest person I know."
He tried to shrug, but almost sank into the water.
"Okay, let's swim back," she conceded. "If I have to save you, give me a signal. Preferably louder."
"I won't let you be proud," he replied a little aggrievedly. "I'll get through this on my own. If it's the last thing I do."
"Really?" she said defiantly, then added vaguely: "I don't want this to be the last thing."
Ingmar could say nothing. He felt a little bit of strength gradually draining away. He must save his breath if he still wants to reach shore. This left him with no extra energy to speak. This decision proved to be the right one. Because once he was on solid ground again, he gave up swimming and walked quickly until he reached the shore. But it's not easy. He still felt like he didn't have enough oxygen. Only when his upper body emerged from the water and the pressure of the water disappeared could he truly breathe freely.
"I think I should swim with you more often in the future," Shu Ran said standing next to him. There was a mixture of derision and concern in her eyes.
Ingemar waved his hand and gasped: "This... will pass quickly."
They walked back to their towels and sat down. Ingmar was still a little out of breath, though he slowly calmed down.
Shu Ran lay on her side and looked at him. They lay like this for some time, enjoying the silence. The sun slowly warmed them. While the water was no longer as cold as they were swimming, the breeze immediately gave them goosebumps once they emerged from the lake. Now they are starting to warm up again. Even a little hot.
"Can I ask you a question?" Shu Ran asked cautiously.
"You can ask me any question," he replied, wondering what strange question she had in mind now.
"What do you particularly like about me?"
Ingemar suppressed the rolling of his eyes. What's the problem? Such a typical woman. Of course, he liked everything about her. Otherwise, would he fall in love with her? But he recalled her description of her last relationship. And the scant confirmation she got at the time. Clearly, she needed that validation now. He couldn't blame her.
"I like your eyes," he said.
"Are my eyes unusual?"
"Your beautiful, brown eyes," he replied lovingly. "They are so deep. I can get lost in them. I can see your heart through them."
She leaned over and kissed him. Her body felt warm against his skin.
"That's very well said."
Ingmar felt his breathing become rapid again, but this time it was obviously not because of the water. He was still gripped by a sense of pleasurable excitement as he felt her so close, separated only by a clinging layer of clothing.
He returned her kiss passionately. His fingers touched her body tenderly. Shu Ran pulled him closer, and her warm skin sent a rush of warmth down his back. Finally, they couldn't help it anymore, entangled each other, enjoying their naked bodies in the sun.
The time in colonial orbit flew by. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. In the end, half a year passed without any progress.
After successfully surviving the crisis of the kidnapping of the Earth's envoy, the tension on the ship gradually disappeared. Although lawmakers still insist that the danger has not passed yet, there is definitely a conspiracy on Earth. However, as there is no sign of this, and as time passes in silence, this theory becomes less and less likely. The crew enjoyed the quiet days and made the most of their time off on the planet. Therefore, for most of the crew, the question of getting home and whether they can get home has become less important.
Lakes and oceans with a variety of secluded dreamy beaches become a top choice for boaters. Although there are no official days off, work hours have been significantly reduced, leaving plenty of time to make these trips. There was nothing to do on the ship. Restoration work is almost done without a dock. There are also no new tasks for research and science laboratories. So there is plenty of free time.
The colonists soon realized this and tried to profit from it. In the center of the second largest settlement there is a small restaurant very popular among the crew. There were people coming and going all the time. But in fact, there are no special dishes there, just various specialties of the earth. But the chef did a great job making it feel like you were actually tasting the dish where it originated. Birthdays and department parties for the entire crew are now held there. The shop owner also became a wealthy man with a prosperous business.
There are also theatrical performances, concerts, book clubs, etc. There was nothing the colonists were afraid to try. Even the most famous bands on Earth were invited to perform in the colonies, despite Earth's resistance to the colonies. Of course, the colonists did this not just out of good intentions. They also made a lot of money from the crew of the Republic.
Over time, a good relationship gradually developed between the Republic and the colonies. There were also some bonds of friendship between them, and there were even rumors of a serious romantic relationship between a Republic member and a colonist.
However, as time passed and no new progress was made, the crew became increasingly depressed. Even with the outing to Taurus Alpha, their morale remained low. Many have given up hope of returning home.
The only one who is still in a good mood is Ingemar. He looked energetic, as if the whole situation had nothing to do with him, as if he had lost himself in reality. Now, however, everyone knows the real reason for his high spirits. It has become an open secret that he and Shu Ran are together, and it occasionally attracts some laughter. Although everyone is happy for him, to onlookers, these two people do seem to be a somewhat strange combination.
Jeffrey's research with two Vulcans, Flora and Flort, did not bring the expected results. In fact, they came up with no results at all. Noah gradually suspected that the two Vulcans were either deliberately sabotaging the research, or that they were simply incapable of conducting such research. This is not malicious speculation. Although they are Vulcans, they come from a time when they still had emotions and are therefore not nearly as efficient as Federation Vulcans. And they come from the past two thousand and five hundred years ago. Although this is incomparable to Earth. After all, Vulcans already had manned spaceflight at that time, and travel within the solar system was not uncommon. There are even spacecrafts carrying cryogenic hibernation personnel leaving the solar system. However, this is an ancient technology even for this universe. And these two Vulcans became relics of the times.
They placed too much hope on these two Vulcans, and captain Noah now realizes this. Because of this, they waste too much time. It's time to leave the colony and look elsewhere for possibilities to repair the timeline. Although he had no idea where to go, any possibility now seemed better than staying here.
Noah was recording these thoughts in the ship's logbook when Ingmar interrupted his thoughts.
"Captain, a strange ship is approaching this planet."
Noah didn't care too much about this. Various ships frequently came to the colony for trade. Most merchants come during the market though, and even during this time a ship passes by about every three weeks.
"Is it a familiar ship type?"
Ingmar shook his head. "No. This kind of ship has never been seen before."
Noah watched on the screen, slightly coldly. They had never been in contact with any businessman before. It is almost unlikely that merchants will have what they need. And merchants seemed to prefer dealing with their familiar contacts, as no strange ship ever called them.
However, the ship caught Noah's attention. Although this type of ship was completely unfamiliar to him, it seemed familiar to him in a way. He felt like he had seen this kind of ship before.
"Mr. Jeffrey, can you detect anything unusual on this ship?" he asked his science officer.
The Vulcan gave up asking the captain what he meant by the word "unusual," knowing that humans were accustomed to such vague instructions. Therefore, he usually analyzes everything possible. Often these analyzes already reveal what the captain calls unusual. As for the details of his discoveries, he usually kept them to himself because he knew that humans were not very interested in them.
"The structure of this ship is of a type that we are not familiar with. There are signs of damage on the hull. Judging from the damage, it should have been attacked. There are five creatures on the ship, and they are also of a type that we are not familiar with. I asked the computer to check the database Search whether there are similar records." He reported.
Noah looked at the screen thoughtfully. "What about the materials of the ship?"
Jeffrey retrieved the data. "Interesting," he then said, "The material composition used in this ship is similar to the Sindy ships we've seen on weapons before."
Noah looked at the Vulcan. "I know this looks familiar. But, what is a Sindy ship doing here?"
"We're not sure if they're really Cindy," Jeffrey reminded him. "And Mr. Olert told us that the colony also had dealings with Cindy."
"Did he say that?" Noah felt strange. "when?"
"When we first met him," Jeffrey recalled for him. He had long since ceased to be surprised by the memory capabilities of the human brain.
"That was half a year ago," Noah defended weakly.
Ingmar turned around, avoiding further rebuke from the Vulcan. "Captain, they're calling us."
Noah was surprised. So far, not a single trader has contacted them. "Okay, let it show up on the screen."
The head of a creature appears on the screen, looking very similar to a human. The only difference is that the forehead bones are more prominent and the cheeks are slightly swollen, indicating that it is not human. But this description is consistent with Captain Gulleron's records from more than a hundred years ago. This must be a Cindy, and in human form.
"I'm Captain Noah from the Republic," he introduced himself, deliberately omitting the mention of the Federation since no one here would know about it.
"My name is Bai Ze," the Cindy replied. "I guess you're a ship from another parallel universe."
Everyone's jaw dropped on the Republic. Even Jeffrey, who was usually calm and ruthless, raised his eyebrows. No one expected to hear such a statement. Noah struggled to find the words, just opening and closing his mouth, then turned to the Vulcan. "
"I understand that you are a little surprised that we know about you," Bai Ze said, obviously amused. Then he quickly turned serious. "We Cindy have built a huge empire. To maintain it, we have agents everywhere."
Noah nodded, still confused. "Careful sailing ship." He could think of nothing else to say in response to this revelation, although he received a reproachful look from Jeffrey for doing so.
Since the Vulcan didn't know the idiom, he looked at Noah in confusion.
"No matter what," Bai Ze finally said. "There are some things you need to know. Here, we also have travelers from another parallel universe."
"What?" Noah said in surprise. "Who is it? How is this possible?"
"We don't know exactly. But obviously, our visitors planned to come here, and your arrival was unexpected." Bai Ze answered this question.
"But...why was it planned?"
"Captain, please don't ask too many questions. I will tell you what I know, but time is limited," Bai Ze said. "About half a year ago in your timeline, visitors from another timeline appeared on our home planet. Among them were five reptilian Sindy and two insect Sindy. They were equipped with advanced technology, This allowed them to easily seize power from our reptilian brothers, Cindy. Since then, our empire has been in chaos.
We Cindy are made up of five species. To date, all five species have equal rights. We have had disagreements in the past, but we have successfully resolved them. Ever since the power of the Reptilian Cindy changed, they tried to rule over all Cindy. And they've made tremendous progress. Plant Cindy has surrendered as they have no interest in fighting. We humanoids are currently involved in a war of annihilation that we are likely to lose.
We now know that these Reptilians intentionally altered the timeline in order to seize control of all Sindy. The plan is apparently to destroy the Earth in the past. Clearly, your species has had quite an impact on Cindy. To prevent this effect, they plan to exterminate your people.
However, this apparently was not entirely successful. Still, the timeline has somehow shifted. Snake, the Cindy leader from your universe, isn't entirely satisfied with the results, but he thinks it's still better than his world. Currently, he has seized control of the Crawling Sindy and plunged the remaining Sindy into civil war. His ships are equipped with advanced weapons that we cannot defend against.
Creeping Cindy discovered you were here a few days ago. You can't imagine the snake being angry because of this. Of course, they now want to get rid of you and your ship. "
"And you are here to warn us?" Noah interrupted suspiciously.
"No, we are here to tell you everything. And to ask for your help. Millions of our people have died, and more will die. Restore the timeline. Because in your universe, the Sindi seem to Still coexisting. Otherwise the Serpents wouldn't want to change this. Correct the trajectory of time, and only then will our race have a chance to survive."
There was a smile on Noah's face. Was he going to tell this Sindy that they had been trying for half a year and had no idea how to do it? I'm afraid not. And he couldn't quite believe it. Could it be that the Sindi tribe wanted to lure him into a trap?
"I guess you're also interested in the restoration timeline," Bai Ze continued. "And since you haven't been successful so far, I guess you haven't found a way yet."
Noah tilted his head. "What if that's the case?"
"Then our hopes will be dashed. Our race will be destroyed. And then it will be your turn. Because once the Reptilian Sindy take control of all Sindy, they will not stop and will most likely turn to Earth."
Noah couldn't overcome his doubts. Still, he realized he had to take action if he was to seize the opportunity. Maybe these Sindi can help him. "Do you know how your visitor from another timeline crossed over?"
Bai Ze was surprised by this question. "No, sorry. We don't know the specifics. All we know is that they exist. The exact method of their arrival is kept secret. As I said before, we are at war with them."
"So you have no clue as to the technology they used," Noah concluded in disappointment.
"Yes," Bai Ze shook his head. "But we can give you the coordinates of Crawling Cindy's home star. Then you can investigate on your own."
Noah's eyes widened. "Would the crawling Cindy and the snake-turned-snake allow this?"
"Of course not," Bai Ze replied, his tone betraying doubts about Noah's sanity. How could this person ask such a question? "You will encounter strong resistance. Although your ships are still superior to other ships in this universe, you must also be prepared to accept failure when facing the Crawling Cindy. Crawling Cindy's technology has improved in the past six months It’s growing pretty quickly.”
"What a surprise," Noah said sarcastically, and he could quite imagine how Crawling Cindy from his timeline might have affected this development.
"I would love to show you the evidence of what we claim, but we don't have it," Bai Ze apologized. "And we are being tracked by our fellow Cindy. If we do not want to lead them to this colony, we must leave. Acquire that technology, and then correct the trajectory of time. Only in this way can you save our race and yours."
Communication between the ships was interrupted. The screen on the Republic showed the Cindy ship leaving orbit and then disappearing.
