Chapter 111. Lexington mission failed
"Don't stare at Admiral Peng like that," Heims said sternly when the president noticed Isaac's gaze. "He just did his duty, when he asked me for help. He didn't forget his duty. And not everyone in this room can say that."
Isaac forced himself to look at the president again, but remained silent for the time being. He waited for Himes to give him a chance to speak.
"What were you thinking at the time that you violated the rules like this?" President Heims continued in an accusatory tone. "You've only been in this position for a year, with a lot of praise and high expectations. It seemed like you could handle it all. And now you are. Why?" He stopped suddenly and looked directly into Isaac's eyes.
This was the order Isaac had been waiting for. "Mr. President, my actions were not intended to harm anyone. Not you, not your office, not the Federal Assembly. On the contrary, my interest was simply to protect all of them."
President Heim raised his eyebrows in confusion. In his opinion, it was hard to understand that after Isaac acted so arrogantly, he actually said it was for protection.
"Cindy approached us with an offer to negotiate," the president began in his defense. "Like Admiral Peng said before, he explained that Starfleet must first gather more information before turning this all over to the President or the Congress." Because they just found out a few months ago that they can't trust it. Cindy, the crew of the Republic at the time successfully prevented another attack on Earth. Even Himes was shocked by Cindy at the time, calling her the greatest threat since meeting the Klingons in a secret council meeting. More facts must be known before Parliament can decide whether to accept the offer of negotiations with Cindy.
"I beg your pardon if I speak too directly," Isaac continued. "But I find that when faced with such proposals, politicians often lack the necessary caution and expose themselves to unnecessary risks." He looked at Heims and noticed that the latter had already raised an objection. So Isaac sped up. "If a diplomatic delegation is held hostage by Cindy to put pressure on the Federation, the consequences will be disastrous. Worse, if you yourself are among them. The Federation will have to do what Cindy demands. We can't Take the risk." He finished his defense.
"But that doesn't give you the right to make your own decisions," Hyams shot back immediately, although he was no longer speaking with the same harshness as at first.
"If what I do protects the Federation, I can accept the consequences," Isaac said conservatively. He would never lie to save his job. Of course, if faced with the same situation again, he would definitely take the same action. But he didn't necessarily have to say it in a provocative tone. Because he still hopes to keep his position.
"But that doesn't help the Federation," Hyams said, sitting down slowly. He suddenly looked tired. "You may have had good intentions with your actions. But as the old adage goes: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The truth is, you got the Federation into trouble. Cindy was outraged. If we do not send diplomats with decision-making authority, there will be no further negotiations. It is a tricky situation. Perhaps only my personal participation in the negotiations can alleviate the biggest tensions as a sign of caution."
Isaac was shocked. Now exactly what he wanted to avoid happened. The president happens to be helping the Sindi people. "Mr. President," Isaac tried to persuade again. "Please allow Starfleet to continue gathering information about the Sindy's true intentions. Captain Olly has..."
"I have read Captain Olli's report," Heims interrupted him coldly. "I think the Captain is exaggerating a bit in his description of the situation. The Sindi have proven to us twice in the past hundred years that they are capable of destroying the Earth, even from a distance. If they really wanted to, They will definitely try this approach again. The meeting of diplomats is not necessary for them." He provided the superior general with his analysis of the situation.
Isaac took a deep breath. Does the president really not understand what this is about? Is he really that blind? It was just as he suspected. Politicians immediately see dialogue as an opportunity but ignore the risks. They think differently than the officers of Starfleet. They didn't seem to consider the possibility of a trap at all. Members of the military are certainly not in this situation.
But he also realized there was little chance he could get the president to abandon his plan. Hymath's actions may have been a reaction to Isaac's misdeeds. But Isaac still believes that his job is to protect politicians, so he at least wants to avoid the worst-case scenario. "Then I beg you, no, I beg you, not to participate directly in these talks," he told the president. "Worst case scenario, the Sindi could take you hostage or even kill you. At that point, the Federation would suddenly be leaderless."
Helms sighed and looked up at him. "If I didn't participate, that would be the wrong signal. There's no other way."
Trying to control his frustration, Isaac closed his eyes briefly. His stubborn disregard for President Himes was unbearable. What on earth was Heims thinking? Does he have to be a hero? Doesn't he know what trouble the Federation would be in if the President suddenly disappeared? He had never thought Himes could be so stubborn.
However, before he could say anything more, Admiral Peng suddenly came out of the corner. "Mr. President," he interjected into the conversation. "I have to agree with Admiral Isaac. You are not supposed to be attending these talks. At least not in the first place," he pulled back slightly as he noticed Heimth's surprised expression.
Isaac looked at Admiral Peng, but did not show his opinion of Admiral Peng's interference. In fact, he himself wasn't sure. Should he thank General Peng? almost impossible. After all, it was Peng Shang who would put the president's life in danger. He might be doing a little less damage now. But that was definitely not enough to make him grateful.
Helms frowned, looking first at one admiral and then back at the other. Apparently, the consensus between the two opponents now gave him something to think about. "I will think about it and consult with my ministers," he finally said. But that didn't reassure Isaac at all. Because those ministers are pure politicians and their opinions are indistinguishable from those of the president. However, there is nothing else to say. So the president let them go.
The admirals left the room together, but without saying a word to each other. They didn't even look at each other, even as they entered the elevator and descended. As they exited the building, they were greeted by wet, cold weather. Admiral Peng shrank his neck unconsciously, while Isaac walked into the drizzle without caring. Then they parted ways, never looking at each other again.
Dre Ingmar stared pensively at the data on the console. For several hours, the data remained the same. This was actually to be expected, as the Lexington was still orbiting the planet where the first talks with the Sindi were held. However, that was already two days ago. Since then, neither party has had contact with the other. Absolute radio silence between the two parties. Lexington is still waiting for instructions from Earth. And the same seems to be true for the Sindi. Because they also made no attempt to contact Starfleet ships. So the whole thing has become a nerve-wracking stalemate. In Ingmar's opinion, it was obvious that Captain Olli was responsible for all this because of his misjudgment of the situation. He broke off the talks at the very beginning. Although Ingmar was not present at the talks, he heard some news from other participants in the mission. Taken together, it formed a clear picture for him. He could only hope that there were more responsible people sitting there within the relevant agencies of Starfleet and the Federation. But how would they have made a different decision based on the captain's report? They only had a status report from the captain. They lack a statement from the other side. Ingemar has been suffering from this headache for the past two days. Should he be the one to save the day? But how will he do it? He didn't even attend the meeting. He can only hear what others say. And what does his opinion mean to a troublemaker, and what does it mean compared to that of a well-respected captain? His chances of being heard are almost slim. Also, if a message was sent to Starfleet on the ship, it would be noticed and he would get into real trouble for it. But is it worth it? He sighed and tried to focus again. At the moment, his decisiveness is not very strong. His personal circumstances had long since affected his work, rendering him equally powerless there. However, thinking about the Sindi people at least stopped him from constantly thinking about Shu Ran. Although his thoughts for her have not completely disappeared, they have been suppressed to the point that they no longer haunt him all the time.
As his thoughts continued to swirl, he noticed a change in the data. Something does seem to be going on. But it doesn't happen outside. More like a message being delivered. Perhaps it's the reply Earth has been waiting for. Or maybe the Sindi are trying to salvage something again. Regardless, the message was encrypted and sent directly to the captain.
"Captain Olly, we have received a priority one message", he immediately conveyed the information and turned around.
Ollie seemed to flinch. Apparently, he was also deep in thought. and was startled by Ingmar's sudden words. But he recovered quickly and nodded. "Okay. Pass this message to my room." Then he stood up and hurriedly left the bridge. Apparently, he was also driven by curiosity about the content of the message.
Ingmar worked on a few circuits and then there was nothing more to do for a while. How he wished he could see that message with his own eyes. He had to continue to endure it, which was not easy for him. He looked at Depp, who looked at him, and it could be seen from his expression that he was equally curious and nervous. What he wants to do most now is guess the content of the message. However, Commander Porterson's presence prevented any conversation on the bridge. So everyone focused on their consoles and waited. In this situation, no one can concentrate. Before anyone knew what the news meant for the ship and crew.
They waited, and the time seemed to drag on for an extremely long time. Although more than half an hour passed before the Lion finally appeared again, it seemed to everyone on the bridge that a long time had passed. So when the elevator doors finally opened and Ollie walked onto the bridge, the atmosphere was tense. They gave him furtive looks, each trying to get some clue from his expression. Everyone immediately noticed the sullen look on the captain's face. Whatever the message contained, it didn't look good.
He sat silently on the command chair, pondered for a while, then took a deep breath and said directly to Depp, "Navigator, set the course for our charting mission. Let's continue where we left off." He didn't seem to have any more questions. There was much to say, for he leaned back in his chair and fell silent.
Depp took a moment to react. He looked at the captain with confusion until he realized he had an order. "Yes, sir," he confirmed with surprise before turning to the console again. He entered the corresponding route data. Like everyone else on the ship, he had no idea what was going on. This is not surprising, the captain has no explanation. "The course is set," he finally confirmed.
"Enter Wa
p speed," Ollie said in a low voice.
"Yes, sir." Depp activated the thrusters. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, the ship began to move. Lexington turned the corner gracefully and then entered lightspeed flight.
An icy silence fell on the bridge. No one knows why the captain left the negotiating site. Is that all? Has the century-old opportunity for reconciliation with the Sindi been missed? Uncertainty and confusion were palpable, eroding the morale of the crew. Although it only affects those on the bridge so far, sooner or later this situation will spread throughout the ship. Of course, this can always spread easily on a ship.
Commander Porterson, meanwhile, seemed unfazed. At least he didn't show it. To him, it was perfectly acceptable for the captain not to explain his decision. After all, no explanation is needed on a military level. Therefore, he made no attempt to prompt an explanation from the captain.
Ingmar could not understand Commander Porterson's disinterest. Sure, Starfleet is a military organization, but they're no longer in the Middle Ages. Starfleet expects their officers not to be blindly obedient, but to be actively engaged and think for themselves. No one wants a puppet with no opinions. And he was third on the boat. He had a right to know what was going on. He will demand an explanation. Right now. He turned around and stood up from his post. He wanted to talk to the captain at eye level, which would make things slightly easier.
Ollie noticed his movement and looked up. He also knew that there was no handover yet. So it's unusual for someone to leave their post. His eyes conveyed a questioning tone to Ingmar.
"Now is the time, otherwise I would be hesitant again", Ingmar thought to himself. "Captain, please tell us the reason for the sudden sailing. This way you can curb those speculations." His voice was firm, and he felt back to the confidence he had in the past.
On the other side of the bridge, Commander Porterson cast an angry look at Ingmar. In his view, Ingmar's performance was a provocation that no commander could tolerate. Especially not from someone like Ingmar. He slowly stood up, ready to side with the captain. He originally wanted to say something, but Ollie spoke before him.
"You're right," the captain nodded slowly. It didn't seem to take much thought on his part. He just seemed depressed and disappointed. "You have a right to know. All of you," he said louder.
Suddenly, the entire bridge's attention was attracted. Commander Porterson also looked very surprised. He hadn't expected this, and neither had anyone else. But he calmed down now, because of course he also wanted to know why they left the Sindi.
"Starfleet has called us back," Ollie said simply, but there was a hint of frustration in it. This comes as a surprise to most people, as that is exactly why Olly Lion prepared that report. Why is he disappointed about this now? "The Federation has decided that negotiations will now continue at a diplomatic level". That’s it, that’s the direction of the wind. The Federation did not take his advice. For Ingmar, this is not particularly sad. Like most people on the bridge. "Obviously, those in charge of the Federation don't realize that the Sindi are not to be trusted. No one seems to realize the danger the Federation is getting into. Once again we are space surveyors instead of fighting the Sindi on the front lines," There was some bitterness on his face.
Ingmar had to control himself not to sigh. How stubborn is this person? How could someone with such bigotry and racist ideas become a Starfleet captain? There are more than a dozen people of different races serving in this fleet. Cooperation between various species is emphasized in this fleet, which is one of the most important virtues.
"But orders are orders," Ollie said, as if that explained everything. He would carry out every order from Starfleet, no matter how meaningless the order was.
For Ingmar, returning to an old assignment bodes well. Here, Olivier and Porterson can't do much damage. Here, what they think or do is irrelevant. The Sindy should be handled by someone more capable. That way, the risk of wasting the opportunity is at least much smaller.
Since Ollie clearly had no intention of saying anything more, Ingemar sat down again. He realized what returning to the drawing task meant, which was a good thing for him personally: he had no distractions and therefore more time to think about Shu Ran.
