Chapter 120. Admiral Noah is appointed again
The eyes of all present turned to the unexpected former captain. He didn't know what to say, so he could only look surprised. He couldn't understand Cindy's request. Apart from a brief conversation with a Cindy named Otis, he had little contact with Cindy. The conversation, while very interesting, was also quite harmonious in a way, after all Noah had already revealed information to Otis about Cindy the Creeper's betrayal. But this communication was too short to be an important factor in gaining trust.
"You must have made a lasting impression on Cindy, Admiral Noah," Isaac said. However, this doesn't sound like a compliment. It's more like he's blaming Noah for not giving Starfleet the power to make its own decisions.
Noah chose not to answer. What did he have to say? Any response is redundant. So, he remained silent, looking forward to Isaac's next step. Will the general hold him accountable? More importantly: will he accept the mission? There is no doubt that this will be an honorable mission that means a lot to him personally and especially to the Federation. However, if he fails, the responsibility will be solely his. Under current circumstances, failure seems likely.
"Given that we have not been afforded the opportunity to conduct another autonomous investigation, we will accept Cindy's request," Isaac continued. "Admiral Noah, you will be responsible for this mission."
Noah hesitantly confirmed the order. He was still weighing the pros and cons in his mind. If he was assigned a mission, he had no other choice, and he knew that. Eventually, he was willing to carry out the mission. This is so important to the relationship between Cindy and the Federation. However, the circumstances of the mission left him feeling deeply uneasy.
"Your hesitation is obvious," Isaac finally pressed. "Don't you believe in yourself?"
"No, that's not it," Noah said slowly. Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and if he wanted to achieve something, he would have to choose his words carefully. "It's just that I need support for this mission."
"You'll have support," Isaac quickly assured.
“I need the support of people who I can trust and understand their actions.”
Isaac frowned. He didn't know what Noah wanted, but he knew it probably wouldn't make him happy. "what do you want?"
"For this mission, we needed a spacecraft and a crew that was familiar with working together and trusted each other. And they had to be the best in their fields," Noah explained. He hesitated again, then continued: "If there is any hope for this mission, I need my old crew. All of them."
Several admirals looked at him with wide eyes. But those among them, who had commanded a spacecraft before, nodded in understanding. Nothing is more important than a reliable team. Especially in a mission that may affect the course of relations between two peoples and may even lead to war.
"That's impossible," Isaac said flatly. "The crew has long been dispersed, and some of them have served on other ships or have taken on other tasks."
This direct rejection without further thought made Noah angry. Isaac didn't even consider that there was a way to fix the problem, or if some of the crew could be reunited. And Noah allowed his anger to drive his decisions. "Either I get my original crew to support this mission, or someone else has to send in contact with Cindy," he said more firmly than originally planned, but he had to express his anger.
"Cindy doesn't accept other people," Isaac said bluntly. Sure, he could order Noah to go on the mission, but he wasn't sure the former captain would stick to his guns. Noah was not an easy man to manipulate. He has his own beliefs and principles and will never violate them. He would rather leave Starfleet. And as long as Cindy asked only of him, Isaac couldn't risk it. He knew that Noah also knew this, and consciously played this trump card. Isaac cannot make decisions on his own and can only let the environment decide. The problem with Cindy must be resolved quickly or the situation will continue to deteriorate.
Isaac looked at Noah, his inner struggle very evident. But ultimately he had no choice. "We'll see what we can do," he said at last, putting the subject aside for now. However, he privately took note of Noah's performance and decided not to give in in similar situations.
Noah is excited about the prospect of having his original crew support the mission. Without them, this task would be even more difficult than it is now. And he also knew that Gabriel Caro had tried his best to win over the crew members he trusted. Now there's hope for them to stay together after the mission. This will make Carol's job easier. Although he knew full well that this move of his might weaken his standing among the admirals, it would be worth it. He was certainly loyal to Starfleet and its principles, but his old companions were more important to him personally than satisfying his superiors.
"We will notify Cindy and Noah will work with Cindy on the investigation," Isaac concluded after looking around. "We still need to discuss the specific time..." He paused, and then continued: "...if..." He hinted at Noah's request for the original crew. "We don't have much time, though. We have to make our presence known to Cindy, lest they think we have no interest in the investigation. Plus, over time, there could be potential leads that are erased or even covered up. "
When no one said anything further about it, he turned to Noah again. "Thank you very much for attending, Admiral. We will keep you informed of further steps."
It's a scene that elegantly hints at his dismissal, and Noah recognizes it immediately. Others would stay, and there were obviously topics not suitable for him to hear. Perhaps they were already discussing scenarios that might come up in the investigation. Whatever the final outcome, Noah is glad he doesn't have to be involved here. He didn't like to discuss things that could only happen, without any solid facts to back them up, they were just assumptions. It is like distributing the hide of a bear before killing it, as the proverb on earth goes. So he nodded to those present. "Goodbye ladies and gentlemen" he said and left the room.
"Here's to us," Tiny said, raising her glass. "For us, may we always be united." She raised her glass and toasted to her two companions sitting with her at the Pearl's bar. Nilf and Mi Zhiwa also responded to the toast and then raised their glasses. Then the sound of them knocking glasses was heard, attracting the attention of some other guests. Mi Zhiwa frowned a little embarrassedly. As the ship's psychologist, she doesn't like to attract attention. But Tiny just smiled and drank the glass in one go. She was in such a good mood that she didn't even care about attracting attention.
They have settled in very well since moving here. This was not difficult for them as the crew loved them. Moreover, Tini and Mi Zhiwa already have many admirers on the ship. This is not surprising, after all, they are very attractive in appearance.
Nilf is respected for his sharp mind and understanding. There are no real Martians on the Pearl, and Nilf's personality and way of thinking are closest to those of Martians. As a result, his calm and logical style became a stabilizing factor on the bridge, often helping everyone through logical reasoning.
After putting down the cup, Mi Zhiwa asked: "Have you heard anything about other people?"
"Who are you referring to specifically?" Tiny asked. After all, the Republic had a crew of more than 400 people. "Well, like your father," Mi Zhiwa shrugged. "And Carol, Ingmar, Daisy and others." Mi Zhiwa only stayed on the ship for half a year, and then the ship was decommissioned. She didn't know a lot of people, so she wasn't referring to anyone in particular.
A mischievous smile flashed across Tiny's face. "My dad is still trying to get used to his desk." She doesn't have much new to report. "Caro is still waiting for her boat to be finished." She knew little else about anything else. After the transfer, they had frequently discussed the current situation of the old crew and what everyone was doing. But now half a year has passed, this is their new home, and there is no point in dwelling too much on the past. In addition, there are no special changes to others. Like Nilf, Tini and Mi Zhiwa, they are all engaged in new tasks.
While the three of them were silent, several colleagues came to their table. Four young people, about the same age as Tini and Mi Zhiwa. "Hi Nilf, hi girls," one of them greeted cheerfully.
"Hi, Delilah," Tiny responded. After all, she knew him. She knew almost everyone on the ship.
"A few of us were wondering, could you tell us about your encounter with Cindy?" Delilah requested. "We heard that Cindy and the Federation are in negotiations, and you've already met Cindy."
Tiny frowned and looked at her two colleagues. But they don’t have much support. Mi Zhiwa just shrugged, while Nilf looked at her expressionlessly. With friends like this, there is no need for enemies, Tini thought.
She pointed at Mi Zhiwa and Nilf, and then pointed at herself. "We have not been involved in any contact with Cindy here," she said, disillusioning those who asked. "We have never met Cindy personally."
The inquirers had disappointed looks on their faces. They were expecting to hear an interesting story.
"That's not entirely correct," Nilfer corrected.
Everyone turned to the half-Vulcan in surprise. Even Tiny was surprised. Did she forget something?
"After the Sindy weapons were destroyed and the Republic began its return to Earth, we received a contact from a Sindy named Otis," he helped Tiny remember.
"Yes," she slowly remembered. "But I wasn't there, I wasn't on the bridge."
"What does that Cindy look like?" Delilah asked immediately. He nodded to the others, who pulled up chairs and others joined in to watch. The number of curious people around the table immediately increased.
Nilf raised his right eyebrow at this question. "He's a humanoid Cindy," he explained in a very Vulcan tone.
This is certainly not the story audiences were expecting. Tiny made this clear to Nilfer. "Then tell the whole encounter in a nutshell," she added.
Nilf nodded slightly. "We were on our way back to Earth. The Republic was severely damaged and could only reach a top speed of Wa
p 2," he began calmly and objectively. "Four hours later, our sensors detected a ship following us. We don't recognize the boat due to its shape, but based on the alloy used, we can assume it's Cindy. The state of the ship made it impossible for us to escape or fight. So Captain Noah decided to sail on and wait and see what would happen. Since we destroyed Cindy's weapons, the likelihood of Cindy tracking us for revenge is high. but it is not the truth. Instead, Cindy tried to get in touch with us. "
"Nilfer spoke too calmly, that's not how things went," Tiny interrupted reproachfully. "I learned from my father that tensions were very high on the bridge. After all, we could all be killed."
"That's always a possibility. So there's no reason to get overly nervous," Nilfer responded, prompting some shakes of the head and a few smiles at his sometimes unseemly calm approach. Tiny also patted the back of his hand gently.
"Keep talking," she demanded again.
"A Cindy named Otis contacted us and wanted to know what we were doing in the Cindy realm, specifically in that area. He didn't seem as hostile as expected. Captain Noah decided it would be best to ask Cindy Dee told the truth. So he admitted to Otis that we destroyed a Sindi weapon that threatened Earth. Surprisingly, Otis was relatively calm about it. We now know that there is tension between the different Sindy races Relationship, reptilian Cindy had acted alone, and humanoid Cindy did not approve. Therefore, he was interested in any information we had about the weapons."
"From your description, it all seems rather mundane," Tiny interrupted, then winked. "But I heard the tension was much higher. Cindy stopped the Republic and then demanded in clear terms the reason for its existence. Then asked for details of the incident and the weapons. At first, no one knew why Cindy was doing this . My father even thought that Cindy might want to rebuild the weapon. So he was cautious in his answers. The fate of the entire ship hung on a thread. But after talking to Cindy for a while, they became More reasonable. So then he said that the weapon changed the timeline in order to make the reptilian Cindy the ruler of all Cindy, right?" She wanted to get confirmation from Nilf.
"I didn't notice that," Nilfer corrected. But he was indeed speechless for a moment. And obviously shocked too. "Because he demands all data that proves the Reptilian Cindy's quest for domination. He intends to provide this data to the other Cindy's in order to thwart the Reptilian Cindy's plans."
"My father was happy to have all the data handed over to him for this purpose," Tiny added. "Because if this can stop Reptilian Cindy, it will certainly eliminate a threat to the Federation. As for your original question, about what he's like. He seems pretty friendly."
"Then you only saw this one Cindy?" Delilah asked. "You haven't seen Reptile and the other Cindy?"
"Yes," Tiny confirmed with a nod.
Delilah looked at her a little disappointed. "What a shame. Those were definitely more fun."
Tiny shrugged. She cannot tell what she does not understand. She looked up at the crowd around her and saw that they were getting larger and larger. Now it seemed like the whole bar was paying attention to Cindy's story.
"Do you think the threat can be eliminated through negotiation?" someone asked.
Tiny looked at Mi Zhiwa and Nilf with a smile. I secretly wondered when they became experts on Cindy. "I don't know," she admitted candidly.
"Tell us more about your experience with Cindy," another shouted.
"And about how you destroy weapons," someone else added.
Tiny looked at Nilf and winked at him. "Then go ahead," she let him speak first, already eager to interrupt him again.
...
