Chapter 129. Antimatter explosion, the Federation is up to something?
Otis pulled out his communications device, tuned to the Starfleet frequency, then called the ship and waited for a response.
"This is Captain Carol," a deep female voice finally came from the small device's speaker.
"I am Otis. You can convey to the general that we are here waiting for him," Otis conveyed his message.
"Thank you very much. Our team will join you in a moment," the woman announced. With that little device, it's hard to tell if she's friendly or unfriendly. But that's not too important. After all, he had a deal with the Admiral. And the admiral will definitely comply, Otis is sure of it.
"Okay," he confirmed. "Otis over." He then turned off the communication device and returned it to its belt holder. "
In fact, after only a few seconds, three energy pillars appeared next to them, and the outlines of three people appeared. When the transmission was complete, Otis recognized Noah, Jeffrey the Vulcan, and another blonde woman he didn't recognize.
Otis walked towards Noah with his arms outstretched, remembering this human gesture. "Admiral, it's nice to see you again."
"I'm very happy, too," Noah nodded friendly, even though they had been on Otis's ship together only a few hours earlier. Then, the admiral's eyes scanned the surrounding scene, and a look of horror appeared on his face. Otis understands how he feels. When he first came here, he was almost frightened. Therefore, it is surprising that the Admiral can be so calm. Clearly, he's been through scarier things in his life. This means that the person deserves more sympathy than envy. The shocked look on the woman standing next to him was obvious too. The only unmoved figure was Vulcan, who looked at his surroundings with a blank expression.
"It's hard to imagine there's anything left to investigate here," Noah finally regained his voice, although it sounded hoarse.
"Well, some of the elements and some of the radiation from the explosion must have disappeared," Otis said hesitantly. Because conducting detailed investigations has taken too much time.
"We'll see what we can do," Noah said better than he felt. Then he nodded to Jeffrey.
The Vulcan picked up his delta scanner and began scanning his surroundings. He walked slowly along the area of destruction, not daring to step inside. One of the Crawling Cindy guards, a little further away, was responsible for keeping an eye on the Vulcan, preventing him from engaging in any unauthorized activities, but not interfering with him. Therefore, with some caution, he kept a distance and observed the Vulcan's movements.
While Jeffrey investigated, Noah walked over to the woman who was still staring at the scorched earth. "Doctor, is everything okay?" he asked gently.
Celia shuddered slightly, but then nodded firmly. "Yes, sir. Everything's okay." She didn't want to tell him that the sight made her feel more than she imagined. While horrific, at least the explosion destroyed the remains of all living things. So apart from the charred earth and a few soot-covered remains of walls, there's little to see. However, the sight reminded her of the destroyed colony of Taurus in another timeline. These images came back to her now.
"Okay, then let's get to work and get out of here," he said softly, hoping to inspire them by reminding them of their duties. In Cindy's presence, he was reluctant to use other means of motivation, such as briefly putting his hand on her shoulder, to avoid misunderstandings. He wondered what these gestures might mean in the eyes of their master. To avoid any misunderstanding.
Celia nodded and picked up her delta scanner too. While Jeffrey searches for radioactive residues that could shed light on the explosion, Celia is more focused on organic residues that may still be measurable. If they're lucky, they might be able to determine how many people were killed and what species they belonged to.
Keeping their eyes on their scanner data, they walked slowly around the area of destruction. Due to the scale of the destruction and the detailed logging of all data, it took them more than two hours to get back to where they started. All the while, their entourage followed them closely, watching their every step with suspicion. But only once, when Noah tried to penetrate deeper into an area that needed inspection, did a crawling Sindy have to intervene. The crawling Sindy growled lowly and roughly grabbed his arm, pulling him back. But beyond that, the guards followed them like shadows, ever alert but silent.
When the three officials came together again, Noah looked at his two colleagues expectantly. "Have you found any important clues?"
Celia shook her head. "The data I looked at did not provide key clues. However, some data may require deeper analysis to get a more comprehensive result," she said slightly more optimistically. "Perhaps the ship's computers could allow for a more in-depth analysis."
Noah wasn't too optimistic about it, but he didn't want to sound too negative right now. "That's a hopeful thought," he said simply, and then he looked at Jeffrey.
Jeffrey thought for a moment whether he should remind Noah that every clue was important so he could provide a detailed report. However, Jeffrey had lived among humans long enough to understand their tendency to simplify things and not incorporate details. So he strives to give concise answers. "The data confirms our sensor values and Cindy's data. There was a matter-antimatter reaction taking place here that caused these destructions. This reaction occurred within milliseconds and produced a huge energy release that destroyed a range of 100 meters. Everything. According to the data, it can be speculated that 10 kilograms of antimatter were used,” he reported.
"This is no small matter," Noah said with some surprise. While he saw the scale of the destruction, he couldn't do the back calculations to arrive at the initial value. So even though the number seemed strange to him, it felt familiar to him.
"This is equivalent to a standard reserve for a Starfleet ship to set sail," Jeffrey explained of the number.
He spoke so calmly that he seemed not to see the connection, but that was almost unimaginable. Vulcans never ignore a connection. To Noah, however, it was immediately clear what this meant. He had trouble controlling his facial expressions because he couldn't let the Crawling Sindi pay too much attention to him.
"The amount of antimatter used here matches the standard stockpile of a Starfleet ship?" he said, almost whispering so the Crawling Sindy wouldn't hear.
"That's right," Jeffrey confirmed still calmly.
Celia finally understood Noah's intentions. Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth opened. "You want to say..."
"That's right," Noah interrupted sharply, because her voice was too loud for such speculation. Then he continued again quietly, but just as worriedly. "The numbers match up perfectly. That makes Starfleet the prime suspect at this point."
Noah rushed onto the bridge in high spirits. He had just returned from the planet's surface and was still shocked by the initial results they were getting there. If their initial suspicions hold true, the Federation could be embroiled in a conflict that could turn into war. Fortunately, these are just guesses, although they fit pretty well. But they can't rely on such luck. If Cindy learns of this data, and they will sooner or later, they may not listen to the federation's explanation. They will draw their own conclusions and act accordingly. Therefore, before passing the data to Cindy, he must ensure its accuracy.
"Mr. Ingmar, establish contact with Starfleet Headquarters. I would like to speak to Admiral Isaac. Immediately, and over a secure connection." There was no way he was letting Cindy hear. Otherwise, he could also pass the information directly to them.
"Yes, Admiral," Ingmar confirmed immediately, although he glanced at Carol as he confirmed. After all, she was his captain. Although he also knew that Noah had the highest command over the mission, so he could directly accept his orders. But he still didn't want to skip Carol.
"We need to discuss this in your room," Noah said to Carol in a slight whisper. As captain, she had to be informed, though he wasn't sure if Starfleet's leader saw it that way. But he'd been a captain long enough to know how important it was.
Carol looked at him worriedly. His tone and display of decisiveness meant something was wrong. Something clearly happened on the planet that was not planned. And its consequences cannot be delayed. She looked forward to his report even more.
So Carol stood up from the command chair and planned to follow him, but she suddenly remembered something. "Mr. Ingemar, if you are unable to contact Starfleet, please transfer the connection to my room." Although she did not ask for his permission in advance, she believed that Noah did not intend to contact Elsa from the bridge. Admiral Grams called. "If you are unable to contact anyone, please let us know immediately."
"Yes, ma'am," Ingmar nodded, continuing to focus on his data. He also realized the urgency and didn't want to waste precious time by turning around to find her.
Noah asked Carol to go into the waiting room first. After all, it was her room and he was just a guest, albeit one with supreme command. Still, he respected her authority. Then he immediately followed her. The door was closed behind them so they could talk without interruption.
"Where is Mr. Jeffrey?" Carol wanted to know first. It was unusual that after such an outbound mission, the Vulcans were not immediately on the bridge for data analysis.
"He's in his dormitory," Noah learned of his whereabouts. "He wanted to be there quietly and without interruption to evaluate the data we were collecting." Jeffrey had his own access to the Republic's main computer, allowing him to conduct all his scientific work in his quarters without Required to be present on the bridge. As a Vulcan, he has less interest in the recreational activities of the other crew members and has less need for sleep, so he prefers to devote his free time to logical activities. This logical activity often for him continues to work.
"Is he trying to say that he can't concentrate on the bridge because we're too noisy?" Carol asked with a smile.
Noah started laughing too. "I hardly believe he would admit to something like that. He'd probably prefer to call it an emotional state," Noah replied, feeling less nervous for a moment.
Carol nodded. At least their science officer didn't encounter the situation they initially feared. "What happened down there?" She became serious again.
"We've got our first clue about the source of antimatter. And it's not good news for Starfleet." Noah succinctly described Jeffrey's first analysis. If this proved to be true, the Federation would be in serious trouble.
"But that's not evidence," Carol finally said. She didn't seem to share his concerns. "It's also possible that this amount is just pure coincidence."
"Yeah, it could be a coincidence," Noah nodded. "But I have little faith that the Sindy, and I mean specifically the crawling Sindy and the insectoid Sindy, would believe that this was just a coincidence." He looked at her, then continued: "I also don't believe that Starfleet would be involved. .There is no motive. Starfleet will not benefit from this."
She looked at him skeptically. "Maybe there's just a motive that we don't know about."
Noah didn't understand her intention, so he looked at her with the same look.
"Maybe it's not about the Sindy. Maybe it's just about getting rid of the Vice President." She smiled to herself and shook her head. "Sorry, I've been reading some old Earth detective novels in the last few months. Apparently they weren't very good to me."
"I don't think your theory is likely to work," Noah replied seriously. "But as the Vulcans say, as long as there is no evidence to the contrary, we must consider all possibilities, even if they sound implausible."
"The Vulcan expression is different, but the meaning is the same," Carol confirmed. "Although I think my theory is very improbable, almost impossible."
"I think so too. But we can't rule it out at the outset."
"So now you want to give this information to Isaac?" she guessed.
"Yes, not entirely. For that reason alone, I won't be contacting you right away, even though Starfleet might be prepared for any accusations. No, I'd rather get some information myself. I want to get some information from Isaac From what I heard there, Starfleet wasn't involved. And I wonder if a certain ship's antimatter reserves are missing. Or maybe even an entire ship."
"Do you think Isaac would tell you this?" She looked understandably skeptical. Starfleet's involvement was something no one would acknowledge, let alone conduct via subspace communications.
"Yeah, I hope so. Or at least, I hope I can deduce something from his reaction." He knew it was a bit of a grasping at straws, but he wanted to know any detail. Perhaps a big-picture view can be formed from this.
At this time, Ingemar sent a message. He succeeded in convincing Starfleet that Isaac must free up his time immediately. Noah had to pay homage to Ingmar. The young man had no idea what had happened and had no idea what to report, but he seemed convincing enough. Of course, the nature of his mission helped, but that wasn't the only reason Isaac got into comms so quickly.
Carol turned on the screen. Isaac's face was sullen, his forehead creased with worry. Apparently he didn't believe such an urgent meeting was called because of the good news. "Admiral, Captain," he greeted nervously. "What's the emergency?"
Like Carol, Admiral Noah recounts their findings in detail. The wrinkles seemed to grow deeper on Isaac's face, but he listened silently. His mouth was pursed, and his hands were flat on his desk, with his fingertips tightly intertwined.
When Noah finished his report, Isaac spoke again. "These findings haven't been confirmed yet, right?" he asked immediately.
"Yes, sir, not yet," Noah confirmed. Still, he believes the issue must be taken seriously.
And Isaac seemed to think so. "I will report these circumstances to the Admiralty and agree on our joint response strategy. Please be sure to report any developments to us promptly, because if this evidence is confirmed, this conflict may develop in a very unpleasant direction."
"Indeed." Noah nodded. He didn't want to think about what might happen next.
"Please keep this information as secret as possible. Don't let anyone know." Isaac ordered sternly. "The more people who know, the greater the risk for Cindy to find out."
Noah nodded slightly to show that he understood. Although he secretly wondered if Isaac actually knew how impossible his order was. Currently, Jeffrey is processing the data. But he has also provided the data to the science department. Now, there are as many as ten people handling it there. Additionally, they reached an agreement with Cindy regarding data exchange. Sooner or later they have to get the data to Cindy. Even though it would be unpleasant to do so, how could they destroy the foundation of trust?
However, it's not that far yet, so Noah doesn't want to resist the order yet. Who knows what will happen in the next few hours, what else will change? There's no need for him to pass on uncertain data hastily.
Noah ultimately wants to know: "Did Starfleet have anything to do with this explosion?" He wants to question his superiors ruthlessly to get a sincere response. He stopped thinking about the details of his future career. He no longer cares about these fame and fortune. Or maybe he's just getting older.
