Chapter 119. Explosion Investigation
The communications officer looked at the captain quizzically, expecting him to confirm the order before getting to work. Everyone else was silent as he tried to get in touch with Aqua Cindy. Even people's breathing could not be heard. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath and waiting nervously.
Finally, the communications officer turned around. "Sorry, Captain. Aqua Cindy is not responding to our calls."
The tension was instantly shattered, although no one now knew what the next steps would be. Because no matter what plans Aqua Cindy had, it was useless to stop them. There was little they could do but wait and watch, carefully observing the situation.
"Captain, let the sensors record everything." Otis ordered, which earned him a gloomy look from the captain. As a captain, he obviously didn't need to be reminded so obviously, which made Otis think that the captain was suspicious of him.
Otis turned to the screen, concentrating on what was happening outside. However, he soon realized that nothing was actually happening. Actually nothing can be seen. The massive battleship orbited the planet in a fixed orbit, joining other ships already present. There is no sign that Aqua Cindy is taking any action. Maybe the battleship just happened to be passing by. Otis is as ignorant of Aqua Cindy's mission as the others are of their goals. These aquatic creatures are mysterious and enigmatic in every way.
After a few minutes, the focus on the ship on the bridge dwindled significantly. After all, why would they continue to stare at a screen when they both knew nothing was happening outside? So, daily work once again took over the bridge. Finally, Otis is forced to admit that nothing more may happen out there.
Just as he was about to return to his room to tie up loose ends, the communications officer suddenly called. "Captain, we have a call."
"Who is it?" Otis and the captain asked almost simultaneously.
"It's Water Tribe Cindy." The communications officer looked at the data doubtfully and was sure that he had read it correctly. "We have never communicated with them. But now they want to speak to Senator Odis, using the contact channel."
Otis glanced at the captain before heading to his room. There, he can quietly communicate with Aqua Cindy. Because these talks do not need to be reported to anyone outside Parliament unless there is a specific decision to be announced. Therefore, the captain and others on the bridge were kept unaware of the incident.
When he closed the door and opened the screen, he found that he wasn't the only one being summoned by Aqua Cindy. Members of the Council of other species were also present, their images appearing in small windows on the screen.
Aqua Cindy started singing, and the computer later started translating. "Creeping Cindy agreed to allow further investigation at the crime scene," he explained simply. He didn't explain why the Creeper compromised. But Otis guessed that the huge battleship itself might have frightened the Creepers. "Now all races can send scientists to investigate, and the results must be informed to us." In this way, they make up for the fact that they cannot send teams.
"Wait," Otis interrupted. "Before we begin, there are a few questions that need clarification. Who is in control of the crime scene now? Someone has to be in charge or we will soon be in disarray. Creeping Cindy is right about this. It is imperative to ensure that the crime scene is not contaminated ," he admitted reluctantly. "Otherwise we will never know what happened."
"I don't understand you, Otis," said the plant-shaped Cindy Shanmo slowly. "Initially you wanted access to the crime scene and now that we have gained access you object to our own understanding of the situation."
"That's not it," Otis responded, trying to remain calm. Why doesn't anyone understand him? "But we have to coordinate our investigation. And there's also a federal requirement that they be involved in the investigation. We can't forget that."
"Humans carried out this attack. We cannot trust them and must not allow them access to our facilities," the Creeping Cindy representative fumed. "They're going to erase all the evidence."
Otis insisted: "You will also bear the same losses. As for whether they are responsible for what happened, there is no evidence. This is a completely fabricated accusation."
"There's evidence," Creeper emphasized.
"Then show it to us," Otis responded angrily. This endless innuendo with no factual basis really pissed him off.
"We will present it in due course."
"This is ridiculous," cried Otis.
"We really need to coordinate the investigation," the aquatic Cindyling suggested calmly. "I recommend that Otis take leadership of the investigation."
Otis's anger suddenly dissipated. He never expected this. It was almost like an honor to be chosen by Aqua Cindy.
"Why should a humanoid Cindy be tasked with this task?" the insect Cindy representative hissed, and the Creeper echoed.
"Because we can't," the aquatic Cindyling replied simply.
Before Insect Cindy could respond, Otis had spoken out. "I will not accept this assignment if we do not bring the feds into the investigation."
"That's a shameless request," the Creeper fumed.
"We think so," agreed the aquatic Cindyling.
But this time, Otis was not willing to let the aquatic Cindyling succeed easily. "I realize that. Nonetheless, I stand my ground. I will only accept this assignment if we bring the Federation into the investigation. Summon Captain Noah." Otis tried to sound calm, as if he It’s clear why this person was chosen. But in reality, Noah was the only member of the Federation he knew. He hopes that by making this request, he can save his career. Because if the joint investigation is successful, it may bring the two forces closer together, forcing the Cindy to appear as a people. Of course, he also realizes that the Creeper might be right. If humans were indeed involved in the attack, they would have the opportunity to erase the evidence. But they have to take the risk. Furthermore, humans are never alone at a crime scene. So there is some monitoring and some safeguards. Still, he was almost certain humans had nothing to do with it. It was just a gut feeling, but he trusted it.
"Why do we want to include the Federation in the investigation?" Aqua Tribe Cindy Lingyu asked. Any possible attacks were filtered out by the computer's translation. Therefore, this question sounds very objective.
"Because the Federation had a loss in this incident as well. They have a right to know what happened and what happened to their people," Otis explained, trying to stay calm. "We should invite them to participate in the investigation as a gesture of goodwill. Because they may be as suspicious of us as some of us are suspicious of them. Therefore, they are unlikely to be satisfied with our report. And, we also receive their participation in the investigation.”
“That’s a very bold request,” the Creeping Cindy rep complained again. "It shows the federation doesn't trust us."
"They have no reason to trust us," Otis replied. "Our peoples have had little to no contact in the past. If anything, we have sought to destroy their home planet. How can they trust us in this situation?
"On the other hand, it's not a bold request," Otis added quickly, not giving the Creeper a chance to respond. "If the situation were reversed, we would make the same request."
"But that's not the case now," growled Rep. Creeping Cindy.
"Otis is right," said Shanmo, the plant-shaped Cindy. "We should invite the feds into the investigation."
"We disagree," squeaked Cindy the Insect. Apparently, he didn't feel he had to explain his decision.
So, once again, the Aquatic Cindy Lingyu needs to resolve the impasse between the Cindy clans. Otis expected the aquatic creatures to withdraw again and spent several days conferring. Just like usual. He could barely remember them ever making a quick decision. That's not their style at all.
However, what is surprising is that the aquarium Cindy Lingyu responded directly: "Then let the federation participate in the investigation."
Otis couldn't believe his ears. Did the aquarium Cindy Lingfish really make a decision in such a short period of time? Or is there an error in the computer's translation matrix?
Others seemed surprised too, as no one spoke. Otis himself could hardly believe that he had succeeded. He was so moved that he was speechless. The first to regain her voice was the calm plant Cindy Shanmo. "So be it," he said. Otis was glad that the decision had been confirmed before either the Crawling Cindy or the Insect Cindy rebelled again.
Full of expectations, Admiral Noah entered the conference room on the highest floor of Starfleet Headquarters. Here, only the most senior leaders of Starfleet meet. Although he is now an Admiral, he holds a relatively low status within Starfleet's leadership. But for him, this position is completely enough.
He still had to adjust to sitting behind a desk rather than on the command deck of a spaceship. Even after half a year, he has not fully adapted. This is not surprising. Life on a planet is very different from life on a spaceship. On the Republic, everyone performs their duties every day, seven days a week. There are no weekends. And for senior leaders, they must also be available outside of business hours so they are ready to respond to issues that may arise both inside and outside the ship. Because senior leaders not only serve as role models but also safeguard the well-being of the crew. So sometimes a senior leadership officer has to mediate disputes between two crew members even during breaks. Since Noah has been one of the senior leadership officers on various ships for more than two decades, this situation is so familiar and normal to him that it is now difficult for him to adjust to his new position here. Because in his new job on Earth, when he gets off work, he can go home. He has real off-duty time, completely his own time. He could go home and no one would bother him about Starfleet again. Of course, if an emergency arises, he, like other officers, will be summoned immediately. But that would be a real emergency, not just the childish squabbling that sometimes happens between two crew members. This is a very important distinction. His spare time is truly spare time and absolutely private. The discovery already had its own charm, as he had discovered in the past. Still, he missed the almost family-like environment he had experienced on his ship over the past few years. At headquarters, this feeling will certainly never occur.
The invitation to this meeting came suddenly and very hastily. Just an hour ago, Noah received the invitation. It comes with such a high priority that it overrides any other meeting. He was curious about what the meeting was about, but also thought that his invitation was just a mistake. But since no one asked him to leave, it did seem like the right invitation. Of course, Admiral Isaac, the most senior Starfleet official, was also present. and other most important decision makers. Noah believed it would be an interesting meeting, but he also thought that maybe his attendance was just a mistake. Yet no one asked him to leave, so it did seem like the right invitation.
Admiral Isaac opened the meeting. After a brief greeting, he immediately spoke of the reasons for the meeting. Of course, the topic of the meeting was about Cindy. Noah should have figured it out. First and foremost, this is the most important issue for Starfleet and the Federation right now. Second, he was invited to the meeting, and since his last mission and contact with Cindy, he was considered an expert on the race. But he disagrees with this assessment. After all, he had barely any contact with any Cindy. Despite this, he also realized that he knew the most about the species than any other member of Starfleet. In this case, it's not difficult because the other person's knowledge is pretty much close to zero, while his knowledge is just slightly above zero.
"Cindy has responded to our request to be involved in the investigation into the death of our vice president and his delegation. They have allowed us to send a spacecraft to investigate," he said, updating those present on the progress of the agreement with Cindy .
There was a murmur among the people present. There was some relief, but also some anger that the Federation was so dependent on Cindy on this issue. After all, the death of the Federation's second most important politician was at stake, and that was no small matter.
"However, there is a limit," Isaac said, quickly calming people down about hope. He looked at everyone present with a serious face. "We already have two ships on site, but Cindy doesn't accept this arrangement. They require that our investigation be chaired by someone they designate." It was obvious that Isaac was very uncomfortable with this situation. Not happy.
Admiral Jim bent down with a surprised expression. "How could Cindy ask for a specific person? Do they know us so well that they know who would be the best fit?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Or the easiest person to manipulate," another added after a moment's thought.
Isaac sneered and said, "If that's the case, we'll have to take a hard look at Cindy's intelligence unit and our security breaches. No, Cindy's request can be explained more simply. They don't know anyone else." He looked to Noah. "They only allowed Adm. Noah to lead the investigation."
