Chapter 118. Humanoid Cindy’s Traffic Fortress—Wormhole
After Isaac finished his report, Himes was silent for a moment. He seemed quite shocked, which was understandable as there had been no previous indication that anything like this was going to happen. He was clearly looking for the right words, words that didn't make him appear powerless. But it was clearly difficult for him. "What do you think of this?" he asked Isaac at last. His voice didn't sound as firm as usual.
"Based on the current data, it is difficult to judge the situation," the Admiral answered evasively. Clearly, he doesn't trust Cindy. But in this case, he felt it inappropriate to remind everyone that he had said this before. "There is currently no evidence that Cindy was at fault in any way. However, there is also no evidence that Cindy is innocent. Based on our past experiences with them, I believe it is likely that Cindy was involved in the vice president's death."
Helms nodded in understanding. His face showed that, although he was still trying to digest the terrible news, his mind was already re-energized. "You think Cindy led us into a trap?" Without waiting for an answer, he nodded and continued. "Every indication seems to point to Cindy playing a double game with us. However, we have no evidence so far. Not even a solid lead. We can't jump to conclusions prematurely until we know more. But we also We will not be deceived by Cindy. We will never believe their guarantees. The matter must be investigated and solved together. We must not be excluded." He paused. His fierce determination returned. Maybe it was just habit that took over so he could handle the pain and shock better. However, he must now exercise some restraint. Even though he is president, he can never make decisions alone. Under the Constitution, he cannot do so either. “I will bring this matter to the Bundestag,” he then said, but more to himself. "I will call an emergency meeting. We cannot delay, this issue must be discussed urgently."
Isaac just nodded. He knows how federal institutions work. Nonetheless, he has an irrational expectation of getting a quick and clear decision on next steps. This sends a clear signal to Cindy. Because obviously, Cindy only understands tough tactics. And the Federation should show that it can do the same. But the concern is that politicians may make themselves ridiculous by softening their response to Cindy.
"I'll be in touch," Hyams interrupted Isaac's thoughts.
"Okay," Isaac nodded stiffly. He hopes the Lexington will soon provide some more concrete information to clearly demonstrate the urgency to Congress.
When the president hung up the phone, Isaac looked out the window into the darkness. It was already two hours past midnight, but he decided the president's announcement was more important than sleep. Especially since it was already morning in Paris.
The silence of the night is reassuring. It's like a black veil covering the brightly lit office front. It seems to reflect the current situation. Only a little of the coming days can be seen, the rest is lost in the unknown darkness. Maybe Cindy's incident won't change anything, but it might.
Meanwhile, Dre Ingemar strolled out of the bathroom. He was only wrapped in a towel and didn't put much thought into drying himself off. There were still a few drops of water on his wet body, but he didn't pay attention. He yawned deeply and stroked his still wet hair with his hands. Despite taking a shower, he felt no more energetic than before. This may be because he takes a long, hot bath. Or just from sitting around all day. After all, completely idle in his quarters, he waited for what was about to happen. He had no influence over it. So he spent the whole day reading, napping and listening to music, but he didn't feel like he had done anything valuable today. He felt somewhat useless and redundant. After all, it had been a while since his last day off. He was on Earth at that time, spending time with his friends. Spending a day alone at his place was something he had never done before. Typically, crew members are on duty seven days a week on the ship. So, he didn't know what to do with the sudden extra time. Especially since he was locked up in his own quarters.
Oddly, he felt more mentally tired than physically. Still, he was sure he wouldn't get a good night's sleep tonight. If only he could use up some energy in the fitness area. But this is also impossible. Unless he can get a special permission, his confinement will soon leave its mark on his body. All the hard training will be meaningless and the visible results will be in vain.
He yawned deeply again and walked over to the couch. However, he hesitated to sit down. For one thing, he'd better get dressed first. To avoid getting sick. On the other hand, because on the first day of house arrest, he had seen enough of this sofa. And there must be countless days waiting for him. If these days were like the first, he might end up needing therapy, he mentally shook his head at the depressing thought. In fact, he had spent enough time talking to psychologists after the recent Republic mission. He was in no hurry to repeat the process again.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his data tablet flashing. Apparently, someone sent him a message while he was in the shower. Wonder who this could be? No one has contacted him so far. He wasn't surprised, considering the crew's loyalty to their captain. Apparently, no one dared to contact him. or the captain expressly prohibits this.
Ingmar decided not to sit down just yet. He can also check messages while standing. So he picked up the small tablet and checked the message while standing. When he saw the sender, his heart stopped for a moment. The sender turned out to be Shu Ran. He had just replied to her message and she must have responded as soon as his message arrived. This was unexpected because she hadn't contacted him in a long time since they separated.
Now he had to sit down. Although he had hoped for such news, his suspicions grew throughout the day until he became convinced that there was no deeper meaning to her concern for him. Now that she contacted him again so quickly, his new speculation was overturned again.
He quickly checked the message. Maybe she would tell him what he longed to hear. Maybe those were the words in the message.
She appeared on the screen looking as happy as ever. Maybe even happier than usual. She explained that she was happy to hear from him and knew everything was okay. Although she emphasized this point, Ingmar still felt a sting in his heart. He couldn't even explain why. Maybe it's the way she talks. As if she was just saying it out of duty. Although others may not notice so much. She went on to talk about his detention and upcoming trial. It all seemed absolutely ridiculous to her, and he had to agree. She also comforted him and told him not to worry. Captain Orly Lion certainly wouldn't do well in a court martial. It sounded so simple when she said it. As if none of this was a big deal and he didn't have to worry. It sounded too simple, and he wondered if he was being too skeptical and negative. What she said sounded like a trivial matter. It seems like it will pass soon and everything will go back to normal. Maybe that's really what happened? Then she wanted to know everything about the incident they were investigating here. She wanted to know who was in the delegation, what was going on, and who was behind it. Was it an accident or could it be a terrorist act. Are all the diplomats okay and has Cindy spoken out. She admitted she was a little curious, but she had to know if there was a threat to the Federation. Also, whether it poses a threat to him. The message ended with her hoping he would get in touch again soon. She then blew a kiss to the camera and turned off the video.
Completely confused, Ingmar sat on the sofa and stared at the screen. He didn't expect to receive such news. She didn't seem worried about him anymore. She didn't seem to have any interest in his situation. She didn't want to know at all how he was doing, how simple his situation was to her. As if he had no reason to worry. Instead, she only cares about the latest news on Cindy's investigation. Had he become her personal source of information? She needs to get information from him since nothing is official yet? Is that really all she cares about? He couldn't believe it. He felt the anger rising inside him. Anger is based on feelings of disappointment, and a feeling of being taken advantage of. But then she blew a kiss at the end of the message. She had never done this before. Is this a signal to him? As he considered the question, his immediate anger dissipated. Is there still hope? It's all so confusing. He hates this feeling. He had no idea what situation he was in. Why are emotional issues always so complicated? How did he get into it? Everything used to be so simple. He charms women with ease, pursues them, and then moves on to the next. It was easy, it was successful, and he was completely untroubled by emotions that left him almost incapacitated. Moreover, he had been very happy before. At least until he experiences true love. But if he's never experienced that kind of love, he's not missing out on anything. His life could have continued like this.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. There is no point in continuing to think about what happened in the past. He had to deal with the situation at hand. He must figure out what Shu Ran's message really means without letting the phantom haunt him. Too bad Celia isn't here. He really needs her help now. Because he himself is too inexperienced in this field. Such games and insinuations were not for him. However, Celia was far away from him, and it would take longer to send a message back to Earth, even longer than sending it to Shu Ran.
He put down the tablet in frustration and closed his eyes. First, he had to get dressed. He didn't want to record a message for Shu Ran half naked. Then he had to think carefully about the right wording. He didn't want to play any games, he just wanted to tell her what he knew. Maybe she'll ask him again after learning what happened. Plus, he could finally introduce himself to her, even if she didn't ask him directly. Then she will at least know and can learn more about it later in her answer.
Which he eventually did. He got dressed, looked as tidy as possible, and then recorded a reply for Shu Ran. He told her everything he knew. Yet he knew little. He had heard nothing from him since he and the captain returned from that planet and were detained. He didn't know what information the crew had recently and what Cindy was up to. No one told him, and he couldn't access the information on the computer. Therefore, he had no new news to tell Shu Ran. So he told her a little more about himself and how boring it was to be alone in his room. When he had nothing more to say, he ended the recording. Then he hesitated. Did he really find the right words? Or should I delete everything and record it again? It's the same situation every time. He wanted to send the perfect message, one that made her understand what she would get if she accepted him. But even if he spends days honing his words, it's never going to be good enough.
However, he plucked up the courage and sent the message without checking again. Whether it was the right wording or not, he could only hope for the best.
Then he leaned back, gently supported by the back of the sofa. Now he could only wait. Waiting and hoping. Apart from that, he had nothing to do but think about Shu Ran again. Missing her again.
Otis still felt a little dizzy. Creeping Cindy's statement that the explosion at the negotiating location was a terrorist attack left him shaking inside. Although he had had this idea before, he had never wanted to believe it. Now, everything seems to point to this indeed being an attack. Because the records he took at the scene have been analyzed. The team on his ship pored over every byte of information and ultimately confirmed it. There was a clear muon component in the explosion remnants. Muons are elements that do not exist in nature. They are only formed when matter and antimatter annihilate, combining to release huge amounts of energy. The muons produced in such reactions are very unstable and immediately react with other surrounding elements. Nonetheless, with modern technology, these muons can still be detected.
His own scientists confirmed the existence of these muons, making Otis aware of their significance. There was indeed an intention to thwart negotiations with the Federation. Because there is no antimatter in the entire colony. The energy here relies entirely on solar energy. Unfortunately, the current investigation has not yielded any clues. And the crawler also prevented any further investigation. They explained that they did not want to allow any contamination of the site. Because as more people move around on site, the more likely it is that traces will be wiped out or foreign elements introduced. Otis found this explanation ridiculous. There's certainly that risk, but none of them are amateurs. Everyone knows what to look out for. It's just that the crawlers are simply unwilling to give up control of the scene. And he couldn't force them to do anything.
Otis has worked tirelessly to convince his home government to put pressure on the Creepers, but so far no one has been willing to heighten tensions between the species again over this incident. Otis was very angry about this. Because there are already new tensions here, why be cautious? He couldn't understand such a decision. But he doesn't want to give up yet. After all, it's not just the truth that's at stake, it's his career.
Currently, he is considering a way to enter the ground quietly. Through the teleporter, he can leave his ship unnoticed by the crawling Sindy soldiers. Because unlike shuttles, energy rays are not easily detected. The only difficulty was that he had to remain undetected on the ground as well. This is true for the eyes and sensors of everyone present. Because as a humanoid Cindy, his anatomy is different from that of a crawler. Tracking him will be a piece of cake for sensors. And he had no doubt that the Crawlers were monitoring the scene with sensors. Still, there's definitely a way. There was no way they could escape like this. Another thought kept popping up in his mind. Are the Creepers really just trying to maintain control of this place? Or could there be more behind it? If they carried out such an attack, killing everyone involved, including Cindy and the Creeper representatives, was it all a ploy, just to maintain control? Otis didn't want to believe it, but the more he thought about it, the harder it became to dismiss. Although it made him uneasy. To dispel these thoughts, all Sindy species must participate in the investigation.
As he was thinking about the problem, a voice suddenly came from the speaker and brought him back to reality. "Otis, please come to the bridge."
Otis was surprised and confused, and the captain was usually happy to have Otis in his room. After all, the captain and the politician didn't get along very well. So something important must have happened. There may well be new discoveries. Therefore, he quickly stood up from his chair and hurried to the command cabin.
When he got there, the captain immediately nodded and directed him to look at the screen. Otis followed his instructions and was surprised to see an Aqua Cindy's battleship. It was huge, nearly four times larger than the Creeper's battleship. Next to this ship, the other ships present looked like toys. Otis was impressed. Although he had heard of the Water Tribe's warships before, he had never seen one in real form.
"What is this ship doing here? What on earth are they planning to do?" Otis shouted.
"They emerged from the wormhole a few minutes ago." The captain answered Otis's question. Wormholes refer to the tunnels used by the Sindy ships to travel through hyperspace. Unlike other races, the Sindy do not use the Warp, but another dimension, hyperspace, allowing them to travel faster than the speed of light. As such, they are faster than normal warp-driven ships. But it also means they need more energy.
"Call Water Tribe Cindy." Otis ordered. He had to find out what Aqua Cindy planned to do. With this battleship, they can check and balance the other four species and dominate the situation here. Otis wasn't too happy about this. He didn't want anyone else trying to take control of this place.
