Chapter 125. Republic personnel gather and the mission begins
As the door closed again, his mind began to race. Fortunately, his life is now in order. So three hours is definitely enough. He doesn't have much either. And he never really settled here.
Although Atlan's words were not very specific, at least he could draw some conclusions. So they haven't reached Earth yet. But he will soon be closer to Earth than he would like. Apparently Captain Olly had arranged for faster transportation to get him to Earth faster. To get him to court faster. This is not a very good prospect. On the other hand, a new ship also means he has a chance to get along better with a new crew. Maybe he'll be heard there. If he had a chance to speak. It wouldn't be a long voyage to Earth, but maybe he would be able to have someone there believe his story and get some support. Maybe someone will realize that he was treated unfairly. Granted, it's a faint hope, but it's better than nothing.
With this hope in mind, he began to gather his belongings.
On time, three hours later, two security officers also came along. Even if he asked them anything at this moment, he would not get an answer, so Ingmar walked among them silently. He'll know where to go in no time.
In the teleportation room, Atlan bid him farewell with brief words. No one else was present. Ingmar was fine with this. He was not interested in seeing the captain or representatives again. Then the teleportation beam took him away.
In front of his eyes, the scene of the teleportation room slowly appeared. Although he was in another teleportation room just now, his reorganized brain still noticed the difference. This teleportation room seemed larger and friendlier. While both are white, the hue here is easier on the eyes, or at least gives that impression. He could also see the outlines of two people. One was standing behind the teleportation console, and the other was standing directly in front of the teleportation platform, seemingly waiting for him.
Even though the teleportation lasted only a few seconds, he noticed it all. When the teleportation beam finally freed him, to his surprise, behind the teleportation console, he saw Tiny. What surprised him even more was that the person standing directly in front of him was Gabriel Caro. Judging by the badge on her red uniform, she is the captain of the ship. Life is really full of coincidences. He sees a marked increase in opportunities to find support here.
"Captain Carol," he smiled friendly.
"Mr. Ingmar," she responded with some reservations, but in a friendly manner. "Welcome to the Republic."
His surprise grew. "Republic?" he echoed, somewhat foolishly. "Wow, this ship has changed a lot. Changes are all good, of course."
Her smile widened slightly, showing her pride. "You can say that."
As he walked down the two steps from the teleportation platform, he gave Tiny a friendly nod. Then his eyes wandered around the room. He noticed there were no security officials. Is Carol going to take him to the detention room herself? Or was his escort waiting outside? Although he was not anxious about being placed under house arrest again, he struck up an innocuous conversation.
"I see Tiny is here too. How many of your old crew are still on board?" he wondered. Last he learned, the crew had dispersed in all directions across the Federation.
She was briefly surprised by his question, but seemed to catch on quickly. "There are 288 old crew members here."
Now it was Ingmar's turn to feel confused. "288?" he repeated in disbelief. "How did you bribe so many people?" He shook his head in shock. “Now you might also tell me that the entire leadership is there.”
Her eyes widened, as if she didn't know if he was joking or serious. "Now you're here, yes. The entire leadership of the old ship is here. Even Admiral Noah is on board now." She looked at him reproachfully. "Didn't you read the letter that accompanied your transfer letter?"
Ingemar felt as if he had been struck by lightning. For a moment his mind went blank, and it was even difficult to count to three. Finally he said softly: "Transfer letter?"
Carol squinted at him. "Are you under the influence of LSD?"
He shook his head mechanically. "Then you're not here to send me back to Earth to face a military court trial?" He didn't answer her question and asked another one directly.
"No." She frowned. "Charges were stayed."
Ingmar couldn't believe what he was hearing. "when?"
"Three days ago." She frowned in confusion. "No one told you?"
Still surprised, he nodded. "It seems that Captain Olli Lion may have forgotten." He said with a sarcastic tone.
"This means you were under house arrest just now?" Carol couldn't believe it.
Ingmar nodded, then shrugged. What could he say? He'd always known that Ollie was an arrogant idiot.
"He no longer has that power. This is a deprivation of liberty," Carol said angrily. "Olily exceeded his authority and ignored direct orders."
"Yes, he did," Ingmar confirmed weakly. "But that's in the past now."
"Aren't you going to do something about this?" Carol looked surprised.
"It's over now," he repeated indulgently again. He was so relieved at the moment that he didn't want to take revenge on his old captain. In fact, he's just glad his days in Lexington are behind him. Even if he can't quite believe it yet. Now, he doesn't care if he's being treated unfairly. Just don't look back. Captain Olly and Lexington can go to hell, or somewhere else. The important thing is to stay away from him. Before Carol could go any further on the subject, he asked, "What happened?"
"The Fleet Council commissioned Admiral Noah to investigate the last disaster with the Sindi people. And he successfully persuaded the old crew to be reorganized. When we asked to transfer you, Orishi simply replied that you cannot transfer , because you will be tried by a military court." Thinking of this, Ingmar frowned.
“We were a little surprised by this,” Carol continued her story, walking down the corridor with Ingmar. "To be honest, we're not surprised that you're in trouble. But it's a little unexpected that there's a court martial right away." She squinted at him. "I then asked for the reason for this charge, but Ollie refused to reveal it. Until Noah successfully obtained the information. He cannot disobey the Admiral's orders. So the fact that he wants to charge you is really ridiculous. You decide Bringing the field team back to the ship showed responsibility and assessed the situation completely correctly. Ollishi, on the other hand, risked the safety of the crew. Noah also saw this and convinced the naval command .The trial is temporarily put on hold. A final decision will be made after this mission. It will undoubtedly be in your favor. Until then, you have no restrictions. In the end, Ollie has no choice but to accept the transfer. But obviously he has been acting role as a superior,” she concluded from the fact that Ingmar knew nothing about the transfer. "He probably never admitted his mistake."
"Oli has never admitted a mistake," Ingmar responded sharply.
At this time, they were already standing in front of the door of a crew room. "Whatever," Carol said. "Now you are here. Your belongings have been teleported over and are already in your quarters." She gestured to the door they were standing at. "There will be a memo on your tablet regarding the current mission. Please read and familiarize yourself with the upcoming mission."
"Yes, Captain," Ingmar nodded curtly. After so many days of doing nothing, he was looking forward to having something to do again. Now, he's very curious about his new dormitory. From what he had seen of the ship before, everything was impressive. Everything seems bigger and friendlier. That's probably just because everything is new. But if that impression extended to his dormitory, he would certainly feel very comfortable.
The door opened, but before Ingmar could step inside, he turned to Carol again. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "Thank you for believing in me and letting me off the hook despite the charges."
Carol waved lightly. "You've done well with us. And the facts in Lexington speak for you. But don't relax too much. You're under surveillance now more than ever. I'll keep a close eye on you." She looked at him seriously. , to make sure he understood what she meant.
"Of course." Some of his joy faded after those words, even though he knew she had to do it. He could even understand.
"One more thing," he said, frowning. "When all members of leadership are back on the ship and you are the captain, who will be the first officer?"
"We haven't decided yet. In the meantime, according to the order of rank, you are my agent for the time being," she explained succinctly and calmly. "I'll wait for you on the bridge while you go to work." She turned and walked away, leaving him where he was.
Ingmar walked into the dormitory thoughtfully. Is this his chance to be promoted to commander? Does he really want it? In fact, he was content with the scope of his duties and responsibilities. And will Carol accept him as her agent? Their relationship had not been particularly good in the past. Carol always seemed to have some reservations about him, as if she had concerns about him.
But as he looked around, these considerations suddenly disappeared. Of course, dormitories don’t have much of a homey feel yet. His things were transported here and were arranged in a haphazard manner in the room. But these could not diminish the impression the dormitory had on him. It was slightly larger than his previous dormitory. Compared to his quarters on the Lexington, there was a large panoramic window overlooking the stars. At this moment, he could still see the Lexington's chassis section, which was docked next to the Republic starship.
Ingemar felt like he was coming home, even though he had never been on the ship. But he felt so comfortable immediately that he didn't even realize that he hadn't thought about Shu Ran since he got on the ship.
Once Ingmar was on board, the real mission never stopped. The Republic was moving at full speed, heading towards its target. There was a festive atmosphere on board. Although everyone knows the importance of this mission and the consequences of failure. But first, the safety of the ship was not directly threatened, even though they had entered unfamiliar territory. This was done with the consent of the Sindi people. This mission is not expected to be as dangerous as previous missions. Secondly, everyone is happy to be reunited with their old colleagues. No one really believed that the team that had been through so much in the past would come together again. Everyone is already mentally prepared to start new tasks and meet new colleagues. Therefore, the joy is more intense. Elevated emotions also affect morale and work enthusiasm.
Carol is delighted to be able to command such a crew. This makes the job much easier. Although she takes more of a backseat to the role of first lieutenant on this mission. Admiral Noah was in charge of the highest command. However, he currently performs this duty with great caution. He even gave her the preparation room, and she was in it at the moment. His appearance on the bridge was minimal. She's in command of the ship, and there's no reason for him to get involved yet since they haven't begun the real mission yet. She's at the helm of the ship, confident that working with Noah will go smoothly, even when it comes to dealing with the Sindi. After all, they had worked together successfully for a long time.
At this moment, she was still looking through the personal files of some new crew members. Since she was leaving in such a hurry, she didn't have time to understand everyone's situation. Because nearly one-third of the crew on board are new. While the leadership was intact and she would have little exposure to much of the crew, as captain she felt it was important to at least have some understanding of her four hundred plus men. On the one hand, because she is responsible for everyone, and on the other hand, as a good superior, it is polite to understand the subordinates. Only a fool would not care about his subordinates.
Additionally, studying this information would provide her with some distraction. Because she didn't want to think about the possible consequences of the mission. What would be the impact if they failed. Or if they find out it was really an attack, no matter who carried it out. There are so many possibilities that could have an impact on relations with the Sindi as well as other peoples. Ultimately, all of this is just speculation because no one can predict what they will find and what the response will be. It's very possible that the final result will be completely different from what she expected. Just like it's always been.
After studying her profile for nearly three hours, she felt her head was spinning. She desperately needed rest and exercise. So she decided to take a walk and walk along the boat. It's something she really enjoys at the moment. For her, there was nothing better than a stroll on a boat. She simply couldn't get enough of the ship. In her opinion, it is not just new, but more of a unique feeling. She had witnessed it gradually taking shape in the dock, with pieces of metal parts gradually assembled into a skeleton, and then gradually completed into a complete spacecraft. Now, it's hers. This is her ship, and she intends to keep it there for as long as possible. She had to know its every panel and plasma circuit. In an emergency, she must know what is happening or may happen everywhere on the ship. She had to blend in with the ship. Only then can she feel its need. Only in this way can she become a truly excellent captain.
As she walked through the corridors at a leisurely pace, she encountered several crew members, some busy at work and others off duty and changing into casual clothes for leisure activities. She was able to call everyone by name, which brought a delighted smile to their face. It's a nice touch that the captain knows their names. Only once did she meet a man whose face did not correspond to his name. A quick look at his rank insignia revealed that he was a lieutenant, and she greeted him with an uneasy look. Of course, he didn't look as happy as the others. He just responded politely, which is completely understandable.
Her footsteps walked to the computer room unconsciously. Although she had no plans to go there, the place looked good to her. There, the engineers she met were working quietly and intently. Most people didn't seem to notice her because they were so focused. At the moment, everything on the ship is not fully operational yet. The departure was a bit rushed and there were a few hiccups. While these issues do not affect the functionality of the boat or quality of life, most of the crew are not even aware that anything is wrong. But every system on the ship has a purpose, and if everything isn't functioning properly, it can have serious consequences in an emergency.
Carol walked slowly towards the engine room and towards the speed core inside the ship. It doesn't get any bigger compared to the old ship. The vertical core still passes through three decks. But the technology at the core is more advanced. This speed core is more powerful and provides more energy, which is what this hungry spacecraft needs. Because with each upgrade, although the ship's systems become more energy-efficient, new systems are also constantly added, so the energy demand continues to rise.
"Captain, I didn't expect you to come here," Daisy came forward. Her reddish-brown curly hair looked strange and beautiful in the blue flowing light of the speed core. "If I had known earlier..."
"This is not a patrol," Carol interrupted her chief engineer. "I just wanted to walk around the boat and stumbled upon this." She wanted to sound reassuring, but she wasn't sure she did. She hoped to at least sound sincere.
