Chapter 137. Lei Ze provides evidence and the truth will soon be revealed
Noah sat in his cell, leaning his head on the back of his chair. Here, he could barely tell he was on an Aqua Cindy's boat. The room was filled with smooth metal walls. Even the floors and ceilings are metal. Even his bunk was metal with soft cushions on top. The cushions were slightly too soft for his taste.
He had learned that this room was specifically designed for land creatures to allow other Sindi races to stay on the ship. He didn't know if the room was regularly flooded to make it available to the Aquatics. Smooth metal surfaces could be a clue. Although he couldn't imagine life underwater. Do they have a personal residence? If so, how is it arranged? Under water, it is certainly impossible to have cabinets and other furniture like those found on land. Even the paintings on the walls are unimaginable underwater.
He hasn't seen any Aqua Cindy here yet. They live in the pool part of the boat, which has no windows. At least he hasn't seen it yet. This actually makes sense. Why do the walls here have windows? Starfleet ships also have no windows. So the only time he saw Water Tribe was when he was brought before the Council to face the charges. These creatures had a great attraction for him. Too bad he never met them here. Even when asked, he had not seen them. All communication takes place via the internal communications network. Because aquatic creatures cannot come in at will.
The questioning a few days earlier had been the worst experience of his captivity. On Otis's ship, he is questioned by the humanoid Sindi. They scolded and threatened him to get him to answer their questions. Yet they did not use violence. Of course, he tells them whatever they ask, as he's still trying to build consensus between the Federation and Cindy. Although he felt that not all of his answers satisfied the Sindi.
Then he was transferred here. On the same day, he was questioned by the arboreal tribesmen. To him they were an absolutely delightful race. They asked him questions in a rational manner and listened to his answers, all the while maintaining their characteristic composure. Whether they believed him, however, was not shown.
The next day came Cindy the Insect and Cindy the Crawler. Things didn't go well for Noah. Although he also told them everything he knew. But Insect Cindy doesn't seem to believe him. They brought small electric shock devices and tortured him. Finally, he felt himself burning inside. But the worst of all was Creeping Cindy. They tied his feet with rope and tied his hands behind his back. Then they beat him with their fists and heavy boots. Finally they threw him to the ground. Noah lay on the ground, barely able to move due to his restraints. Despite his loud complaints, Creeping Cindy wasn't interested. And the Water Tribe people couldn't help him. So he had to spend several hours in this position until he was picked up by Plant Cindy's guards and dragged to the Council Hall.
He couldn't say exactly how long ago it was. He lost all sense of time. The feeling of time passing was also heightened by the conditions of the cell. Because the Aqua people always keep the lights on. There is no rhythm of day and night here. Even meal times seemed to have no fixed rhythm. So his sleeping and eating patterns were very irregular. This is not a good thing for the sense of time.
And he had no idea what was going on outside his cell. About the progress of the investigation, about what happened to the Republic. He was completely cut off from the outside world, completely isolated. The Water Tribe seemed to feel no need to inform him of anything. So he had a lot of time to imagine situations in great detail. Gradually, he felt like he was losing his mind. Madness seemed to want to take over his mind, but he was powerless. Because there was nothing in this room to distract him. Not even a scratch on the wall. Just the shimmering metal walls and the flickering lights. These are crazy ideal conditions.
Lei Ze sat nervously on the command chair of the Black Ghost, supporting his left elbow with his hand, and slowly rubbing his chin with his hand. In front of the screen, they could see a crawling Sindy battleship slowly approaching them. It is leaving the solar system that the Negro is about to enter. Creeping Cindy seemed unaware of the pirate ship's presence, and Razor thanked their cloaking device again for shielding them from rude prying eyes. Still, he felt a little nervous. Although they had attacked the Sindi, those were cargo ships whose technological potential was incomparable to battleships. Maybe Creeping Cindy can penetrate the nigger's cloaking device. He had no experience with this. And crawling Cindy flies too slowly. Is this a bad sign? Have they discovered the pirate ship? Or is it just a coincidence, and the Sindi people are still unaware? Razer has decided to find out. Because they still have to fly to the galaxy ahead and have close contact with the Sindy battleship again. A test wouldn't be bad either, just to see what happens. Rather than testing it across the entire fleet, it could be tested on just one ship. He just wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer, whether the Sindi would be able to detect them. Because no matter how dangerous it is, they must enter this galaxy. It was the sense of responsibility he felt for discovering what he knew, even though his personal benefit was very small.
After their latest discovery, the crew gathers to discuss the current situation. Although Razer was the ship's captain and supreme commander in times of crisis, decisions on fundamental issues were made jointly. This also includes their current missions. While his suggestion didn't get much support, nearly everyone thought it made sense. The conclusions drawn from their findings had consequences so far-reaching that they had to take action, even if they didn't directly profit from them. However, none of them wanted a war. Because in the long run, they will suffer severely from this.
The Sindi warships now flew almost alongside them. This is the decisive moment. If the Sindi sensed something, it would happen now. Lei Ze held his breath unconsciously.
Then, Crawling Cindy's battleship slowly slid past them. Lei Ze breathed a sigh of relief. Now he was almost certain that the Sindi had not discovered them. But there is no definite evidence to prove it. It's entirely possible that the Crawling Cindy didn't sense the threat in them and left the matter to the entire fleet in the system. But Razer didn't want to believe that.
"Let's keep flying," he ordered the navigator.
Dewen nodded, and then entered the corresponding instructions on the console.
The screen showed the galaxy ahead of them. It was a huge, hot star with only three planets, only one of which could support life. And their goal is there. But not directly on the planet, but in its orbit.
Slowly, the details become clearer and clearer. Their target planet becomes larger and larger, and finally, their target appears in orbit. There, the Republic is orbiting the planet, surrounded by five Crawling Cindy and Insect Cindy battleships. Not far away, there is another group of ships, one from each of Cindy's races. There are also four huge Aqua Cindy battleships distributed throughout the galaxy. If the Sindi discovered the Negro now, the pirates would be doomed. In the face of such a huge advantage, they couldn't even hold on for a minute.
Dewen commented on the scene in front of him and said: "Welcome to the lion's den."
Lei Ze smiled. "This is just a remote colony. The real Lion's Den is deeper in Cindy space. I'm guessing there will be more ships there. This is a walk in comparison."
"Yeah. That's crazy." Devin replied dryly. He is completely satisfied with the current lineup.
Razor turned to Alma. "Can we make contact with the Republic?" he asked. After all, this is their only purpose here.
Alma quickly entered the code to send the test signal and nodded to him. "We can connect."
"Then let's get started." Lei Ze muttered. "Establish a connection." His order was directed at Dewen.
"Connection established."
Lei Ze stood up and straightened his posture. He wanted to appear particularly determined. "I am Captain Razer from the Negro," he said in a habitual tone. "I call the Republic."
After a while, Dewen finally nodded with satisfaction and switched a picture to the home screen. A dark-haired woman wearing a captain's rank insignia appeared there, which confused Lei Ze a little. He thought it would be Noah.
"I'm Captain Gabriel Caro," she introduced herself. Razor thought the dark hair that framed her face highlighted her green eyes. If she weren't wearing a Starfleet uniform, she'd probably be a pretty attractive woman.
"Captain," Reiser greeted friendly. "My old friend, where is Captain Noah?" he asked curiously.
"Admiral Noah is not on board," she replied somewhat conservatively. Calling Noah an old friend seems a bit inappropriate in relation to this pirate.
"Ah," Lei Ze said slowly. This also explains her military rank. Although he regretted not being able to talk to Noah, because although he knew next to nothing about the man, he had a good impression of him. But there's no problem talking to Carol. "Captain, I have something to tell you that may be of great value to your mission here. You should listen to me carefully. If we are lucky, the Sindi are listening at the moment." He smiled slyly laughed, and began to report their findings to her. He told her about the stolen antimatter reserves and the detonators for the photon torpedoes. But he put it quite succinctly. He omitted the specific circumstances of the crime and the fact that all of their reserves had been stolen. This really isn't any of Starfleet's business. And, it embarrassed him. After all, he was originally a hunter and a thief. He was now a victim of his own theft and he couldn't admit it. Absolutely not. Too dangerous, others might laugh at him.
Carol listened carefully, but her expression gave no hint of what she thought of it. She acted almost Vulcan-calm.
"A total of ten kilograms of antimatter were stolen," Reiser concluded his report. He noticed Carol stir slightly when she heard the amount. She seemed to have heard of this number. This is undoubtedly important.
After he finished his report, she stared at him for a few seconds. She was clearly trying to understand what she was hearing and weighing what to do about it. "Thank you very much for this information, Mr. Razer," she said formally. "However, I have little faith that the Sindi would believe this story we are telling. At least not if we report it to them ourselves."
Lei Ze's eyes became more determined. He had expected to face such an argument, and he didn't like it. If he wants to be consistent, that can only mean one thing. "Then I will have to tell the Sindi myself. I will go with you."
"I don't know if the Sindy would believe a thief and a murderer," Carol replied unmoved. Razor almost thought she was provoking him. This woman was more cunning than he thought. "And you're still human. The Sindi would believe a carefully constructed construct of lies." She continued with a more convincing argument.
"We have to wait and see what happens in this matter." Captain Razor tried to keep a neutral tone, because if she heard the stubbornness in his voice, his credibility might be completely lost. "We'll hang around." At these words he felt the eyes of his crew behind him. But if they want to avoid a war, they have no real choice. "When you talk to the Sindi, you can add us to the mix."
Carol pretended she needed to think about it. Then he nodded reluctantly. "We will consider the proposal."
"Please do this." He was colder than expected, but Carol's attitude did make him a little angry. She is a tough person. He had to admit privately that she would be an excellent addition to his crew. Maybe even more.
Lei Ze reminded himself in his heart to calm down. He had to say something else before the call was disconnected. "Oh, by the way, Captain, before I forget. We believe the disappearance of the antimatter has something to do with the departure of our newest crew. That was about three weeks ago."
Carol looked at him, not understanding what he meant. Why should she care about the pirate ship's crew and how does she learn of their replacement? But then it dawned on her that her reaction was exactly what Lei Ze expected. Her eyes got bigger and you could almost see realization dawning on her.
"You don't mean..." she lost her voice. She glanced across the bridge before continuing. "It makes the whole thing totally different."
After Captain Razor disappears from the screen, Carol stares thoughtfully ahead for a few seconds. The information she just received changes everything. But how could she convince the Sindi? Will they listen to her? If so, would they believe her? She had no evidence, only her words, to convince the Sindi people. This is so little, even though it all sounds reasonable and true.
The more she thought about it, the more her sudden confidence faded. There were so many prerequisites that had to be met to get out of this predicament that her situation didn't change significantly.
She turned to Jeffrey. If anyone could immediately correctly understand these new discoveries and identify the changes in their situation, it was this Vulcan. Therefore, his opinion is important to her. "what do you think?"
"If what Captain Reiser describes is true, there will be many facts that answer most of the questions."
"You mean, he cheated on us?" Carol confirmed again. She hadn't considered the possibility before. She was so delighted by the possible explanation that she ignored any reservations. Fortunately, Jeffrey remains alert.
"We must not ignore this possibility. Captain Razer is not the most trustworthy of men. He is a criminal who is likely only pursuing his own interests."
"What benefit might he have if he gave this information to us?" Carol remained skeptical. She wanted to believe the information.
Jeffrey raised his right eyebrow. "I can only speculate on this. The actions of these individuals are often driven by emotions such as greed and a self-righteous sense of honor. Therefore, it is difficult to discern their true motivations."
"What our Vulcan means is that he doesn't know," Ingmar translated humorously. "At least emotionally, we are superior to the Vulcans."
"If you make a decision that is influenced by emotion, usually regretted in the next state of mind, and call it superior, that shows that you are more prominent in your position than emotion," Jeffrey replied to Ingmar calmly.
"Gentlemen, please calm down," Carol raised her right hand, ending the inappropriate argument. "Let's focus on the situation. Can we back up Razer's report with facts?" Carol asked the Vulcan. “Is it possible that data from the field could provide confirmation?”
"No," Jeffrey replied quickly. This didn't surprise anyone. Jeffrey kept the most important details in mind. "There are no clues about the fuse as the existing remnants do not identify the source of the antimatter and the explosion has obliterated all other clues."
Carol bit her lower lip. It's really despairing. They finally had a working theory, but couldn't back it up in any way.
However, she finally thought of some solutions. Despite the risks, they had to take the plunge.
"Mr. Ingmar, call Mir," she ordered. A new hope came over me that I could at least get some confirmation. Maybe they'll get lucky again and the Sindi won't discover their transmission.
