Chapter 124. Carrying Ingemar
Daisy stood bent over in the Experimenter's cabin, with a console in front of her, staring at the displayed data with a straight face. However, the data was not what she expected. Once again, she felt very frustrated. What she wanted most was to take the machine apart and throw it against the wall, she was so frustrated.
She ran a simulation of the function of the teleportation engine, but again it failed. The program told her that this variant wouldn't work either. And gradually, she ran out of ideas to try. Over the past few weeks, they've tried just about everything possible. At first, she followed a professional approach, analyzing the problem and finding a technical solution, but in the last few days, desperation took hold of her and they tried everything that had not been tested before, some just for the sake of giving it a try. Whether it makes technical sense has become less important. But sometimes, luck can work. But such luck did not seem to befall them. And they may not have much time to find a solution. Noah had heard that Naval Command was considering terminating the teleportation technology project.
"Ms. Daisy, there is a message for you." The voice of the officer in charge came from the speaker of the spacecraft's internal communication system.
Daisy looked up, not sure whether she should be angry or relieved at the interruption. Perhaps she should be more relieved that she might continue staring at the data for hours and not find a solution.
The console she was standing on could only access data from the machine's core. So she walked over to the lead engineer's position and started the screen there. She was delighted to see Noah's familiar face. For a moment, she was even able to put her frustration behind her.
"Noah, it's great to see you." She greeted warmly.
"Hi, Daisy. I'm happy too," he replied with a smile. Then he turned serious. "You look a little tired though."
Daisy still remembers what she saw in the mirror a few hours ago. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she did look a little tired. This may be because she has had little sleep lately. Because she was so frustrated with the drive issue and getting nowhere. This has been going on for several months and is a very frustrating feeling for her. She was completely confused and didn't know what to do next. Therefore, even in the rather limited free time she currently has, she cannot get a break.
"It's okay," she reassured herself firmly, trying to downplay the problem. "I'm just a little tired at the moment."
Noah nodded indulgently. Although he was clearly unconvinced, he did not delve into the topic. "I have another question to talk to you about," he said instead. He then briefly reports to her about his mission, which is to help Cindy investigate the events that resulted in the deaths of diplomats on both sides. "The crew of the Republic will be regrouped for this mission. I need you as my chief engineer. I will only feel at ease when I am under your command."
Daisy glanced aside thoughtfully. She hadn't expected this development. This will change everything. On the one hand, it means she'll once again have a job with a chance of success. But it also meant she would have to give up everything. Not only her work on the project, but her still-unsolved relationship with Peggy. Perhaps this would cost her the chance of a happy future together. The contradiction in her heart pulled her back and prevented her from seeing the truth of the matter clearly. She needs to calm down and think about it first.
"Daisy," Noah said when she didn't respond. "I need you. And after the Republic mission, Carol needs you too." He paused, trying to put more force into his next words. "The teleportation voyage project will be terminated in the next few days, or at least significantly scaled back, continuing only in the laboratories of a handful of scientists and engineers. But it's certainly not for you, I know. I know you too well. The experimenter will receive ordinary Wa
p driver and put into use. There will be nothing more to do here for you. Who knows where you might be sent. Take a chance and join Republic. "
Daisy nodded stiffly. She put so much into this project that she couldn't walk away without regrets. However, there was also a voice in the back of her head, delighted at the chance to get out of here, and urging her to accept the offer immediately. But she hesitated. "I'll think about it." Then she realized she had to talk to Peggy first.
Noah seemed a little surprised. Evidently he expected an immediate and delighted reply. But he immediately regained his composure and smiled understandingly. "Of course," he nodded. "But I can't give you much time. I need your decision by tomorrow afternoon or I have to start looking at other options."
About twenty hours to go. That should be enough. Still, she felt like she needed to make a very important decision about her future in a hurry. She would most like to have had several months to fully explore all possibilities. However, such a large time window can also bring about a danger that you will overthink, delay making a decision, and ultimately lead to external circumstances making a decision that you may not want. Sometimes, instant and quick decisions are the best. Maybe it's just that there isn't time to think about all the options for long. Imagine a “what if” situation.
"Well, I'll tell you my decision," she said firmly, already thinking about where Peggy might be now.
Noah nodded slightly and looked at her with puzzled eyes. "Are you okay?" There was genuine concern in his voice, and for a moment he forgot about his mission and all his preparations.
Daisy smiled, suddenly understanding what she wanted. She wanted to join the ship, with the old crew, friends and familiar surroundings. She wanted nothing more than this. But she also wanted Peggy. He was the only thing stopping her from accepting the offer immediately. This dependence bothered her. She had to solve this problem. immediately.
"It's okay," she reassured him. "We will definitely have a long talk before the Republic sails," she promised. Then she said a quick goodbye. She has a lot to solve now and can't waste time.
After the communication ended, she immediately asked for Pei Ji's location. The computer showed him on the bridge. She recalled that he also planned to conduct a test, along with navigation.
She set off for the bridge. As she walked down the hallway, she thought about how she could solve the problem and get him to finally say what he wanted. Even after the last meeting, nothing happened except walking her home and saying goodbye to her at the door. She feels like he's been acting a bit reserved since then, but that could just be because she had high expectations of him that weren't met. She couldn't believe that he suddenly lost interest in her. After all, feelings can't change so quickly.
When she walked into the bridge, Peggy was sitting at the technical console while another engineer worked on the navigation console. They seemed to be trying something, but from the look on their faces, it didn't seem to be working out very well.
She walked towards him. He barely looked up, but noticed her out of the corner of his eye. Daisy waited a moment because she didn't want to disturb him. He made no sign of turning around, however, so she ended up leaning closer to him. "We need to talk," she said softly.
He did look up, but his eyes indicated that he didn't think it was appropriate to talk about personal matters at work.
"This is a very urgent matter," Daisy said, unwilling to be refused. She was starting to get a little angry at his stubbornness. man. It's always the same. When it comes to talking, they always find an excuse to escape.
The corners of his mouth twitched nervously, and then he turned to look at the man at the navigation station. "Hey Peggy, let's take a five minute break."
Daisy rolled her eyes. Of course, five minutes. Why not two minutes? There was something important to talk about, but he thought five minutes would be enough. It's so typical.
The man looked over, his eyes moving between Peggy and Daisy. Then he seemed to understand, nodded, and stood up. "I'm going to get a cup of coffee," he said awkwardly, and left the bridge.
Pei Ji looked at her again, seeming a little annoyed. It was obvious that he had little interest in the conversation. "What's so urgent?" he asked, and Daisy thought she heard a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
For the first time, a small question ran through Daisy's mind: had she really done the right thing here. “I heard the project was being killed,” she said, even though the problem she was trying to solve was entirely different.
"I know," he nodded, relaxing a little. Apparently, he thought she was going to talk about something more serious. "I already knew it yesterday. A decision will be made in three days on how to proceed in the future. There is only one question at the moment, whether to significantly reduce it and continue it in the laboratory, or to terminate it completely. But the Experimenter will receive ordinary Wa
p drive. He looked around the bridge. "What a shame." This ship shouldn't be like this. It was supposed to be the first spacecraft to enter a new and unknown realm of space. ” Then he shrugged, as if to say he couldn’t change his decision.
"Then what are your plans next?" Daisy was a little confused. He had known about this decision for a long time, but he never told her. Maybe he just looked calm on the surface, but was actually more shocked inside? Might this explain his behavior?
He shrugged again, seemingly unconcerned. "I may be assigned to another project. But maybe there is an opportunity for me to continue to participate in the development of jump warp drive."
"What about the rest of the team?"
He looked at her with almost lifeless eyes. "Everyone has to figure it out on their own when the team is downsized," he then said.
Daisy could hardly believe what she was hearing. Is this really his point of view? Was she completely wrong about him?
"I was transferred to the Republic," she said, trying to sound nonchalant in front of him.
"Do you accept it?"
"Should I accept it?"
"You'd be hard-pressed to get a better opportunity. If it were me, I'd take it," he said.
She looked at him. He doesn't really seem to care if she goes or stays. "Then we would be light years apart," she retorted.
"That's the reality of our industry. Colleagues come and go," he shrugged. "That's never going to change."
"Do you really not care that much?" She was confused. She had wanted to get him a job on Earth so she could be by his side, but it didn't seem to matter to him. Had he never really been interested in her? This might explain why, in each of their meetings, he never took the final, decisive step. But why is he flirting with her?
"Of course not," he replied with some enthusiasm. "It's not often that I get the chance to work with someone as brilliant as you."
"What about that personal relationship?" she asked coldly. She was almost afraid of hearing the answer.
"I've rarely had anyone I got along with as well as you. I think we could have been good friends. Maybe in the future. We could have stayed in touch." He meant his words.
To Daisy, it was like a slap in the face. Did he never think beyond friendship? Did she misinterpret his words? He used to show more intentions. Perhaps he suddenly got scared and quickly withdrew. Sometimes, it’s really hard to understand a man’s thoughts.
"Yes, we can keep in touch," she replied robotically. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and had to leave here. And she knew what choice she should make in front of Noah's proposal.
Ingemar grew desperate in his room. He felt as if the walls of the room were threatening him. It was as if they were closing in on him, trying to crush him. It's just crazy. After all, even a room like his was only a few square meters. And definitely not enough to keep him in there for very long. Especially when he was forced to stay inside.
He had been under house arrest for ten days, a situation he initially coped with relatively easily. But slowly, it really started to wear on his nerves. There was nothing for him to do here. Everything that still needed to be done he had done. He watched some movies but got bored after a while. He read a book and was almost relaxed. He even cleaned the room and cleaned it. It would have been almost unthinkable in the past because he hasn't been very tidy in this area in the past. But since he needed to stay away from Shu Ran half a year ago, his room condition has remained very good. So there was little else he could do while under house arrest.
The captain seemed serious about court-martialing him. At first, Ingmar thought this was an absurd threat, not worth mentioning. But as time went on, he became increasingly uncertain. While the whole situation is still pretty ridiculous, no one but him seems to think so.
The worst part about this isolation was that he had no idea what was going on. No one informed him, no one reported to him what was going on. Are they still in the Cindy Galaxy? If yes, what happened? Peace or war? Although this is unlikely, as in that case the USS Lexington would be the first target and he would certainly have noticed. But he knows nothing now. And he didn't know how long this state would last. This is really frustrating. Therefore, he lay on the sofa almost every day, staring at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts.
In this silence, the doorbell suddenly sounded. At first, Ingmar was shocked because he was not expecting it at all. No one has knocked on the door for several days. why? He has a replicator in his room, he can get his own food, and he has everything else he needs to survive. Now someone is looking for him, which is a bit surprising. But no matter what, this is definitely not a good thing. That doesn't happen on this ship. Therefore, he deliberately stood up slowly and took some time before walking to the door. The doorbell rang again.
When the door opened, standing in front of it was Atlan, the security director. She immediately rejected his gesture of inviting her into the room. From the look on her face, it was obvious that she had some bad news.
Ingmar leaned against the doorframe with deliberate ease and looked at her quizzically. If she had something to say, she had to say it herself. He wouldn't ask her.
Her cheekbones moved slightly and she spoke the truth. "You are to pack your bags. Everything. It must be ready in three hours. You will be leaving the ship."
This is really unexpected. Ingmar looked at her with his big eyes. "What? He thought he might have heard wrong.
"You're leaving the ship," she repeated uncomfortably.
"Where will I go?" This is a masterstroke by the captain. Or they've reached Earth and are now sending him to a Starfleet prison.
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you," she said. Her unease grew with every word.
"Come on, Atlan. This isn't right. The captain can't do this." He had to convince her of the injustice, and maybe that way he would know better. for the captain had no right to keep his destination a secret from him.
She looked nervously down the corridor. There was no one else here except the guard in front of Ingmar's room. Then she looked at him again and lowered her voice. "You will be transferred to another ship. That's all I can say." Before he could answer, she took a step back. "You have three hours," she said loudly again, and turned away. Guards stood in front of Inge's stable door, preventing him from pursuing her.
