Chapter 97. The plan is exposed and the Republic retreats
"Captain, there are two Sindy cruisers ahead of me." After endless waiting, Ingmar finally reported from his post.
It seemed like everything was about to begin. They were just three hours away from their goal.
"Raise the shield." Noah checked the tactical data. Two of Cindy's cruisers were clearly interceptors. But instead of moving, they stayed where they were. "Plot a course of avoidance," the captain ordered Nilf. "We will simply ignore them and fly past them. At current speeds, this shouldn't be a problem. But be prepared to dodge possible torpedoes."
They quickly approached the two ships. Noah stared at the screen when suddenly the hull lurched to the left beneath him. He gripped the command chair tightly, feeling as if the ship's rotation would never stop.
After a few seconds, the boat stabilized again and the inertial dampers started working again.
"What happened?" Noah asked, taking a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Captain," Nilf apologized. "Those two ships launched their torpedoes. Just as you feared earlier. Apparently, they hoped to take us directly from Wa
Pulled out during p transition. Then I initiated the spin maneuver and we avoided those torpedoes. This is a trick I've used often on previous solo trips, although the Republic wasn't as nimble as the smaller boats I was sailing at the time. "
"Yeah, I noticed. Well done," Noah nodded. The few minor injuries the crew sustained during the Republic's spin were perfectly acceptable when considering the alternative.
"How are the two ships now?" asked the captain.
“They have started to give chase and are closing in,” Ingmar reported.
"Port torpedo, scatter in all directions. Detonate two seconds before impact," Noah ordered.
"Captain, Wa
Explosions in p-jumps can cause brief subspace disturbances," Ingmar warned.
"I know," Noah just nodded.
Ingmar wanted to say something more, but he seemed to realize something and decided to remain silent.
"Torpedoes are ready," Io Murakami reported.
"Fire!"
Two torpedoes detached from the hull and quickly disappeared behind the ship. Just before they were about to hit two strange ships, they exploded, causing a brief disruption in the Warp. This short time is enough. The two cruisers rushed in and were taken back to normal space. They slow down from multiple times the speed of light to an almost instant stop. The steel creaked, bent and snapped under the immense force. Wires snapped, metal torn. The crew was thrown into the air and slammed into the ship. One of the cruisers' antimatter containment was breached, causing the ship to explode. The other was severely damaged and stranded in space.
"It worked," Ingmar reported with relief. "The two ships are no longer following us."
Noah nodded. He knew this was just a small prelude. It won't be so easy next time. And if those two ships hadn't had time to transmit a message, hostile ships would soon emerge.
The next hour passed without incident. Although the situation could change at any time, Noah's thoughts have turned to landing on the planet. They will definitely encounter a larger fleet. While they got all the details about the galaxy from the humanoid Cindy, it didn't include the size of the army. Therefore, they had no idea what to expect. But given the nature of the Crawling Cindy, they can expect fierce resistance.
To avoid being immediately destroyed by enemy ships upon arrival, Nilf devised a plan to make the Republic only briefly visible to Crawling Cindy's sensors. Hopefully short enough to avoid detection. Crawling Cindy's planet is surrounded by a ring similar to that of Saturn. A ring made mostly of ice and stone, it doesn't look like anything special. At least that's what it seems at first glance. Because these rocks contain iridium and gallium. There aren't many, but it's hardly worth mining. But enough so that the ship hiding in the ring is invisible to the sensors. This is exactly their plan. Nilf will use the Republic to hide in this ring, waiting for the right time.
Slowing down not far from the Crawling Cindy teleporter, it quickly disappeared among the rock fragments. It was a risky maneuver. Because if Nilf slowed down too late, they would hit the rocks at such a high speed that even the shields wouldn't be able to protect the spacecraft. And if they jumped early, they would be exposed for too long and likely be destroyed by the Crawlers. Noah would not have agreed to this maneuver if Nilfer hadn't been in the driver's seat. But he believed in the half-Martian. If anyone could accomplish this feat, it was him.
Noah considered his next steps again and again. He tries to anticipate every possibility. Nothing can go wrong. They are the universe's last hope.
He had plenty of time to think. There might even be a lot of extra time. Time seems to refuse to pass.
But to his relief, Ingmar finally announced that they would reach their destination in a few minutes. Sure enough, the Republic began to slow down violently and jump. Within seconds, Republic disappeared among the ice, snow, and debris of the planet's rings.
"Have we been discovered?" Noah asked first. If so, then where they are at the moment will be attacked by the crawling Cindy they pissed off.
"I can't be sure," Ingmar replied dejectedly. "Our sensors failed. The gallium not only made us invisible, it also made us blind."
Noah nodded. "This is to be expected. Okay, let's move on as planned. Carol, you are responsible for commanding the bridge." He stood up and gave up his position to her. She took his place without hesitation. Although she objected to the captain leaving the bridge, she knew now was not the time for an argument. She had already had a bit of an argument with the captain before this, when he explained his plan. She made it clear that she wanted to be in his shoes for the operation. A mission on a planet is an adventure with little chance of survival. The likelihood of an outbound squad returning intact is low. Therefore, she wishes to attend in his stead. The Republic cannot afford to lose its captain. But he turned her down and gave her clear orders.
Noah, Murakami Io, and Gladys came to the transmission room together. A heavily armed security team of twenty people was already waiting there. Noah and Io Murakami also put on bulletproof vests and took the phaser rifles handed to them.
Tiny said: "It's time to start."
"Okay," Noah said, nodding. "Then let's go."
The first six members entered the teleportation beam, including Io Murakami. He wanted to be the first to ensure the safety of the teleportation point. The captain has to wait for the second group of people. This is the condition Murakami Io insists on.
However, Murakami was unable to report back whether the landing coordinates were safe. The ring's gallium also blocks any communication. In order to return home, their communication equipment was equipped with a signal booster, but it could only send a signal on a single frequency. When the Republic receives this signal, they will be beamed to the ship.
Noah and five other gun-toting officers stepped onto the teleporter. He nodded to Tiny, his eyes conveying not only determination but also confidence. Seconds later, he stood on a dark street lit only by the static light of the charged atmosphere: a light that cast everything into a reddish color and was bright enough for orientation. He could imagine that this kind of light would be attractive to reptiles because it gives a feeling of warmth. Perfect for reptiles. So after Xin was destroyed, they probably chose this planet as their home. However, Noah didn't like this environment. This kind of light makes people feel anxious. Coupled with the stifling heat, the place disgusted him from the start.
They were in the middle of an alley, surrounded by buildings. The alley leads to a wide street with an imposing building opposite. The three-story building gives the impression of a fortress made of solid stone walls. There were guards in front of the door and snipers on the roof.
"Is that where our goal is?" Noah asked.
Murakami Io nodded. His antennae leaned forward, and his blue skin and snow-white hair looked particularly strange in this red world. Noah knew that this planet was very different from Murakami's hometown. They are complete opposites. The captain had only been to the Andorran homeland once. It was a frozen planet, or more accurately a frozen moon. Slightly smaller than Earth, it is one of many moons orbiting a giant gas planet. Its surface is covered with ice. Even in summer, temperatures sometimes rise above freezing, but the ice does not melt. In such a harsh living environment, the Andao people gradually evolved. They are cold-blooded animals. The high temperatures on the Reptilian Planet are intolerable to the Andalians. Staying in such high temperatures for long periods of time can be life-threatening for Andao people.
Noah looked at the building and said, "If we take out the guards and snipers, our raid plan will probably be leaked."
Murakami Io nodded in agreement: "However, there is no other choice."
"Okay. First, we have to take out the snipers on the roof, and then the guards at the door. Let's hope our good luck continues and no more guards appear."
After waiting for the team members to be in position, Noah gave the order to attack. Two snipers were accurately shot, and the guard at the door was also knocked down.
Alarms sounded as the team began rushing toward the building. Searchlights illuminated the surrounding streets. However, it was too late to call off the attack. The automatic defense system fired round after round at them.
When they finally reached the door, Noah glanced back. Two officers lay motionless in the street.
Murakami Io opened the door with a small bomb. In front of him was a long and wide corridor, illuminated by a strong red light. There are various rooms on both sides of the corridor. This is an administrative building similar to that found in any civilization. According to the information from the humanoid Cindy Baize, this is the office location of the snake. Here they hope to find a way to repair the damage of time.
They rush into the corridor, but suddenly, more guards come out from the end of the corridor. The two sides engaged in a brief but bloody exchange of fire. Although they were able to overwhelm the guards, this definitely couldn't last long. Neither side had enough cover.
Gladys managed to open a hallway door. He led the group into an adjacent room. They kept their distance from the guards from the cover of the door.
"This can't go on like this," Gladys said with a pained expression on her face. There was a bone-deep wound on her thigh. "We have no cover in the hallway. We've lost seven people."
Noah just nodded. He realized the seriousness of the situation. However, there is no alternative. They must obtain time-altered data in order to save their universe. In particular, the energy frequencies and temporal particle densities of the Cindy weapons were crucial to formulating a plan to save Vulcan.
"Give me a few minutes," Noah said. "I'm going to try to hack into their system." He sat down at a computer in a room and started working.
Gladys wanted to respond with something, to express her opinion. They must get out of here as soon as possible. Their mission has failed. With such heavy losses, they were unable to continue fighting, let alone move through the entire structure. However, Murakami Io's firm gaze kept her silent. She couldn't even blame him. She volunteered for the mission, knowing there might be no chance of turning back.
The noise of phasers and Cindy weapons was deafening. Over and over came the screams and growls of the crawling Cindy. It was a husky, growling voice, but no one could understand it.
"Damn," Noah shouted, slamming his palm against the screen. "They shut down the system."
"You have a way..." Murakami Io's words were drowned out by a loud noise. Masonry flew and Noah's cheek was wounded by shrapnel. There was a loud roar as the walls collapsed. The crew members who had been fighting there a moment ago fell to the ground or were buried in debris.
Noah watched in horror as Gladys fell before him. The back of her uniform turned the color of blood.
In the space after the explosion, the Sindi roared. Noah couldn't determine the number of crawling Cindy's. He could barely see anything. Collapsed walls stirred up large amounts of dust, making the air turbid and making breathing difficult.
He realized they had failed. Here, they have nothing more to gain. It only takes a few seconds for the Crawling Sindies to completely eliminate them.
"Retreat!" he shouted as loud as he could, wondering who else could hear him. He quickly took out the communicator, hugged Gladys tightly, and sent signals at the same time. Then he closed his eyes.
He felt the teleporter taking him away from the chaos. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the teleportation room. Dr. Celia is leading a medical team to the teleportation platform, preparing to treat the injured. In addition to him and Gladys, Murakami Io and four of his men were also lying beside him.
After the first round of shock, Noah stood up immediately. It's not over yet. He looked at his daughter who was as pale as paper standing in front of the teleportation console. She was deeply disturbed by the condition of the injured and her concern for her father.
"Are there any signals from other members of our team?" he asked Tiny. But she just shook her head.
Noah had expected it. However, there is no time to mourn now. He ordered Carol to move forward at maximum jump speed immediately through the internal communication network. They must stay as far away from here as possible. First, they must retreat and recuperate. They have to wait and see what they can do next. Here, they clearly failed. They didn't get the information they wanted. So perhaps their last chance to return home has been lost.
