Chapter 133. Stick to justice and believe in the Federation
Isaac himself was so nervous that he could barely concentrate. While that's not all on his to-do list, it's what worries him the most right now. Because only when he gets the results can he give La Repubblica a reason to refute the accusation. And the sooner the better. Because with every second that passes, the Sindi may discover the truth. And according to Admiral Noah, this is something to avoid. Isaac agrees. Due to signal interference from the Sindi people, he didn't know the latest situation on Sindi's side.
The beeping of the communication device made him turn around. Based on the sound, he immediately realized that his secretary was contacting him. Is there any new news? Are reports from all ships and bases in place so that a complete picture can now be obtained? He rushed to his desk expectantly.
"Yes?" he asked expectantly.
"Admiral Feige is here, sir," she informed him.
Isaac frowned. He did not wait for the Admiral's arrival. Or did he forget about the date? Today he could not rule out this possibility. However, his calendar soon told him that was not the case. And it was unlikely that Admiral Feige would bring such desperately needed data. Because this inventory inspection was not within his scope of responsibilities.
Now, whatever it was that Feige was here for, there was only one way to find out. "Please let him in," he told his secretary.
A few seconds later, Figgy stood in the doorway. He walked in, closed the door, and walked to his desk. "Admiral," he greeted.
Isaac noticed immediately that there was something troubled about Figgy, as his usually friendly face had a worried wrinkle that was unusual for a man with Asian features.
"Mr. Figgy, what can I do for you?" Isaac asked kindly. He had to work hard to hide his impatience. Because he had little interest in having to discuss day-to-day matters with Feige. However, there is a crisis on the Syndy Conference planet, other departments of the entire fleet must continue to operate, and other topics should be taken seriously. It should never be conveyed that some topics are unimportant. Because this is bad for employee motivation.
"I've got the data you're looking for," Feige said, holding up a data stick.
Isaac reached out in surprise and took it. But before looking at the data, he looked at Feige with slight confusion. There must have been some question in his eyes, because Figgy answered his question before he could ask it.
“I was also involved in this inventory check,” he explained to his superiors. "Because it involves a ship that I'm responsible for. I have to know what impact this data will have on my crew."
Isaac just nodded and put the data stick aside. "So, what's the result of the inventory check?" he asked. His feeling was clear, Feige already knew the outcome.
"Our antimatter inventory is complete," Feige succinctly concluded the report.
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief, feeling very relieved. Even though he had expected the outcome, the confirmation was a huge relief. "That's good. Then we can provide Admiral Noah with some evidence to support his position."
"One more thing. One question. Two questions to be exact," Feige said, interrupting the relaxing atmosphere that was building. "On Aries, we lost six empty antimatter transport containers."
Isaac's forehead wrinkled again. "Aries," he repeated slowly, as if trying to remember. "A planet on the edge of our territory."
"Yes, sir," Isaac nodded. "That's an area where there's more piracy. There are some smaller races that seem to be supporting pirates, or engaging in piracy themselves to get resources. But we have no evidence. We also don't know exactly when these containers were taken Stolen. They were stolen about half a year ago. But we're pretty sure they're empty."
Isaac started to get a little angry. Angry at such an unnecessary and completely redundant blunder. Of course, he knew this could happen. And it seems to be the only loss over the past few years. But why does this happen? Couldn't these containers simply disappear and be used by new owners for their original purposes? That would be just simple theft, with no big consequences. Of course, this may also be reality. Because there is no evidence or clues. It could even be proven unequivocally that Starfleet is not losing antimatter. But will Cindy believe it? Especially considering that the maximum shipping capacity of these containers coincides with the quantities used in the explosion. This is a very unfortunate coincidence. And what's worse is that no one can take responsibility for this coincidence.
"You mentioned there was another problem," Isaac said, trying to stay calm.
Feige immediately responded: "We have lost contact with the Republic fleet."
"What does it mean?"
"We can't connect to them," Feige explains. "It seems like the subspace has been disturbed."
The corners of Isaac's mouth twitched slightly. He almost felt like the entire universe was against them because there were so many obstacles in his attempts to establish diplomatic relations with Cindy. "That means we can't even tell Admiral Noah what we've discovered."
Figgy shook his head briefly. "Yes."
Feige added. "The Lexington fleet was also blocked from communications by Cindy. We should now assume that Cindy is doing the same thing again. Perhaps they have come to the same conclusion as our people. I will check to see if we have a Ships that can get close and use long-range sensors to detect the situation."
"Let's do it," Isaac nodded in agreement. "It shouldn't hurt to take a risk."
The setting sun slowly casts the last scorching rays of the day onto the city, and then gradually disappears behind the horizon. This is a comfort to those creatures that don't like the heat. Because once the sun disappears, so does the scorching heat. The temperature dropped significantly. The planet has only a thin protective layer that doesn't retain heat very well. As a result, most of the heat escapes into space, causing the back side of the planet to cool very quickly. Only strong sunlight during the day can keep the ground warm enough so that temperatures don't drop below freezing at night. This is the basic condition for the existence of life. If the temperature constantly adapted to the minus 270 degrees Celsius of the universe, life would not be possible here. Because the temperature of the universe is too close to absolute zero to support organic life. Even colonies can only survive through technological means.
For Otis, the first hour after sunset is the most comfortable time on the planet. The heat of the day has finally subsided and the constant cooling is a blessing. Until the sensations began to shift and it became too cold for him. This feeling is most noticeable when temperatures drop into the single digits. He then preferred to enter the building or return to his ship. That's his favorite place. Here he felt more comfortable and more in his own place. Down here, everything felt strange to him.
But today he didn't have that choice. Due to recent events, they called an impromptu council meeting to discuss the situation. And since no Cindy was willing to enter the ships of the other races, a building was chosen in the colony where they now held their meeting.
Completely unexpected, he was the last person to enter the room. All other members of Parliament were already present. Even Centipede, the new representative of Crawling Cindy, was already sitting in a seat, looking at the late comer with his arms crossed. Lingyu, representative of Shuizu Cindy, participated in the meeting via video link. This colony is not suitable for water people. After the original conference building was destroyed, there was no longer a water tank large enough for their comfort.
Otis sat in the seat apparently reserved for him. The tables in the room were pushed together to form a square. A large screen hangs on the side, showing the image of the aquarium Cindy Lingfish. On the right sit Cindy the Crawler and Cindy the Insect. On the left is Otis and his colleague Shan Mo, a plant Cindy. The side opposite the screen is empty. This seating arrangement is in line with the current league situation.
Otis looked around silently at the people present. He and his race were not invited to this meeting. Therefore, he saw no need to speak. Instead, his eyes wandered among his colleagues. Insect Cindy's compound eyes were unrecognizable, while Crawling Cindy always glared at him with hateful eyes. It's almost incomprehensible if one looks at the events of the past few years as a race that always seems to be filled with so much hatred and arrogance. However, all the accusations and evidence seem to have no effect on Creeping Cindy.
The aquatic Cindyling fish, as always, looks aloof from everything and seems unconcerned with other people's problems. This impression is, of course, reinforced by the fact that he floats in the water without any contact with the ground. So people will have the feeling that he is really floating.
As for his colleague Shan Mo, Otis couldn't look him in the eye because he was sitting right next to him. But he knew the plant tribe well enough to know that he seemed a little slow. At least on the surface that's the case, although behind this laid-back and sometimes slightly slow exterior lies a clever and cunning spirit.
"Mr. Shan Mo," the water tribe Cindy Lingyu finally spoke. It was obviously a pre-agreed signal. As an invitation, Shan Mo responded immediately.
Shan Mo stood up slowly, cleared his throat, and then said: "In view of the new discoveries and new evidence, we need to agree on further joint actions."
"We have nothing to agree on," snapped Cindy Centipede. "The evidence is clear. Humanity committed this despicable act of terror. They must be held accountable. First, their ship will be confiscated. , the spacecraft is in orbit."
"We currently only have signs of crimes against humanity," Shan Mo retorted.
"That's ridiculous," Centiyu shouted, "This is clear evidence. Or is the plant family too cowardly to draw the necessary conclusions from this evidence?"
Otis just listened. He had no intention of getting involved. The situation is too complicated. Humanity's guilt can be inferred through the clues found, despite Noah's insistence that their race is innocent. However, Otis gradually developed an unfounded feeling that perhaps there was some truth to Admiral Noah's excuse. Maybe this feeling is just because he has a basic good opinion of human beings. This favorable impression may be due to humans being more similar to Cindy in human form. However, relying on this goodwill is very dangerous, and he has already had such painful experience. He worked for a meeting between Cindy and the Federation, but the outcome was so tragic that it cost him dearly. His career hasn't been in the best shape, and there's no telling how costly this move will be. Because his role and status have not been finalized until matters here are settled. Perhaps he will eventually be brought to court for gross negligence in assisting operations, or at least in diplomatic operations. In this chaotic and unfavorable situation for humanity, it is absolutely no longer possible to risk making any favorable statements for humanity. There was no way he was going to let his situation get worse. He must save himself first.
"We should ask the humans," the aquatic Cindyling interjected into the discussion.
"The insect tribe agrees with this," the computer translated the statement from the insect representative Cindy.
Shan Mo nodded. Then he pressed the comm device. "Bring in the prisoners," he said.
Creeping Cindy snorted disdainfully. "What's the point?" he muttered, but remained silent for the moment.
A door opened on the wall next to the image of the water tribe Cindy Lingyu, and two arboreal tribesmen walked in. They escorted Noah in but didn't feel the need to capture him, to which Crawling Cindy responded with an angry look. They took Noah to the empty table and left him standing there. Then they took two steps back but continued to stare at him.
Otis looked at Noah. He hadn't seen the human in two days since his capture. Because he was handed over to the Aquarium Cindy Lingyu shortly after being captured. He had been kept aboard their ship. Each Sindy has three hours to question Noah, and there are three rooms on the Aqua Sindy's ship dedicated to meetings with land creatures. This allows terrestrial creatures to stay aboard these ships, at least briefly. But this doesn't happen often.
Humanoid Cindy had already posed the question to the prisoners on their own ship, shortly after Noah was taken into custody. Therefore, Otis did not enter the Aquatic Cindyling's boat. He did not understand the human condition. Now he was shocked at how he looked.
Noah had a bruised eye that was almost too swollen to see. He also had several bruises on his face. Dried blood clots clung to the underside of his split lip. He was unable to remove the blood from his face as his hands were tied behind his back. These abuses must have been inflicted on him by Creeping Cindy during the interrogation. And insectoid Cindy will do the same thing. Plant Cindy was too gentle to inflict such harm on him. Due to his injuries, Noah stood up straight and exuded an aura that Otis had never seen before.
"Admiral Noah, you are aware of the charges against your people," Shanmo said to the prisoner. Noah simply nodded. "What is your response to this?" Shan Mo asked firmly.
Noah glanced at Shan Mo first, and then turned his gaze to the other people present. Realizing that his every word was being listened to, he thought about it for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "To the best of my knowledge, the Commonwealth had no involvement in the events that occurred during the meeting. Such involvement would violate any Commonwealth law, as well as all ethical rules and principles. I cannot imagine Commonwealth involvement in this matter."
He spoke clearly and clearly without sounding arrogant or speaking louder than was appropriate. His display had some effect on Cindy, for they were silent for a moment, seeming to consider his words.
Only Cindy's centipede didn't care. "It is expected that he will defend his race, as he has already done at the trial," he shouted in front of the crowd. "However, he acknowledged that his statements were based solely on his own knowledge. Such statements were not representative of the views of his entire race, as federal leaders would deliberately make his defense appear more credible."
"That's correct. I just have limited knowledge," Noah confirmed to everyone's surprise. "So please provide my ship with all the data you have." When the crawling Cindy tried to argue again, Noah raised his voice and continued over his words. "Work with my crew. They will help resolve this matter without bias and identify the culprits, no matter who they are."
"Of course it will. All evidence will be destroyed and false clues set up," the crawling Cindy said sarcastically. "I assume you want to bring the data to your crew in person."
Noah looked directly into the eyes of the crawling Cindy, not avoiding his sharp gaze. "No. I will stay here. It's a symbol of trust in you. And a symbol of belief in the innocence of the Federation."
Centipede laughed angrily. "You are dumber than I thought. You stay here because you are our prisoner. It is a symbol of our power over you. I also look forward to impaling your head on a pillar in front of the building."
Noah looked at Creeping Cindy for a moment, unmoved. If Cindy Creeper's words were intended to scare humans, his expression gave no hint of success. Then, Noah turned around and looked at the screen. If he responded with such aggressive words, it would further exacerbate an already tense situation.
The head of the aquarium Cindyling fish on the screen is shaking slightly in the water. Noah still found the sight of these aquatic creatures awe-inspiring. Maybe it's also because it's such a rare sight. Although he was trapped on one of the ships, he did not see any of these creatures there. Because they have no access to his living space, and their living space is the same to him. Therefore, he had only one audio contact with them. Otherwise, he is isolated from the outside world in his cell.
"Do you have anything else to add?" Aqua Cindy Lingyu asked Noah.
"No," Noah shook his head. "I'll just repeat what I said before."
"Take him back to his cell."
