Chapter 139. Noah died in the line of duty
"It doesn't appear from this message that this meeting was a goal between Cindy and the Federation. It's equally possible that his plan hasn't been implemented yet and he's still out there," Shan Mo said half-heartedly, probably to at least In Cindy's defense a little bit. "It remains possible that the federation was behind this attack."
Carol looked into his eyes. "You know how unlikely this is. The Earrat has just enough antimatter to exactly equal the amount used in this attack. He has the resources, he has the motive. And this meeting is a good target. Such an assassination would result in The burgeoning diplomatic relations between the Sindy and the Federation are stalled again for at least a hundred years. And with the magic flame gone, the Klingons will push towards the Sindy's borders. This is a bad prospect for the Sindy. Want Someone seeking vengeance against your species would do the same thing. This action would cause long-term damage, more proactive than destroying tens of thousands of lives on your hub world," she explained the situation to him. Shan Mo fell silent after that.
"This is ridiculous," cried the crawling Cindy again. He seemed uninterested in the facts. He tried every means to shift the blame to the federation.
Lei Ze turned around and looked at him with twinkling eyes. "The Earrat is a trustworthy member of my crew," he told the crawling Cindy Centipede through gritted teeth. "He has always acted in accordance with his high principles. I completely understand that he acted as he did because of this mass murder of a race. If I were in his position, I would do the same."
"Then you are as much a coward as the Earrat. Because killing people with secret explosions instead of an open duel is the act of a coward," said Creepy Cindy angrily.
"Then Creeping Cindy is the biggest wimp," Otis interjected completely unexpectedly. He stood up and looked at Centipede Yu menacingly. "Because the Creeping Cindy recently attempted to destroy the Earth with weapons spanning light years in Area 859J. How is this an open duel? You are pursuing your goals in questionable and extremely cowardly ways." Otis concluded, perhaps to It was not entirely too late for him. The arguments put forth by the humans are persuasive and more appropriate than any evidence Cindy currently possesses. Humanity is right. If he is now clearly on their side and can convince Parliament that they are right and that they can be trusted, then the diplomatic exchange he had intended will not fail. Suddenly, it was possible for him to succeed again. Sometimes things take a surprising turn.
"Shut up," Replied Cindy Centipede dangerously. "Your role in this matter also needs investigation. So you'd better be careful what you say."
"Your extremely suspicious role in this matter also needs to be investigated. You did everything to prevent the investigation," Otis suddenly realized. He finally saw the truth. "You arranged for false evidence. You purchased the shipping containers, and you initially took control of the scene. It was just to cover up the false evidence. You did everything to put the blame on the federal government. That was very much to your advantage. . For one thing, you have been opposed to these negotiations. If the evidence shows federal guilt, then the negotiations will end. That is exactly the outcome you want. And..." He paused, giving his thoughts a chance to follow up on his impulsive words. . He looked at Centipede Yu in disbelief as another thought came to his mind. "You know that a Demon Flame carried out this attack. By accusing other races, you are trying to divert attention from the Demon Flame genocide, which we have in our hands. Isn't that right?" Otis almost said the last few words. scream. Then suddenly, the entire room fell into an almost eerie silence.
The little eyes of the Crawling Cindy Centipede flickered viciously. He seemed to be searching for words but could not find them. He then pulled a small Federation phaser from his belt and aimed it at those around him. "That doesn't matter. The talks will end anyway. Because if it's proven that the Sindy Council was killed by the Federation, then all the other Sindy will demand open war. And they will get it."
Carol held her breath. She knew what Centipede was planning to do. He will murder his colleagues with Confederate weapons in hand. Then she, along with Noah and Razor, would also be killed by Crawling Cindy's weapon. The radioactive residue on the body will create the scene of a gun battle. And Centiyu's hypothesis will come true in the way he described. And there was nothing she could do. She, like all other council members, is unarmed. The two plant Cindy guards who escorted Noah in only had broadswords.
"And you, Otis, will be the first to die. I will enjoy the peace and quiet while you are gone." With that said, Centipede Fool aimed at Otis and pulled the trigger. Deadly rays of energy were fired at Otis within seconds. But it didn't hit him. No one noticed Noah during the previous argument. The admiral quietly stood beside Otis and stood in his way at the last moment. Now, he's hit by the phaser's energy and falls to the ground.
Carol stared at her friend and mentor in shock. She felt time slow down. She seemed to see Noah slowly kneeling down. Then his gaze dulled, the light disappeared from his eyes, and he fell heavily to the floor. Carol heard someone screaming. Later she realized that she had screamed. Without caring about what was going on around her, she rushed towards Noah to help him.
Razor didn't leave Creeper Cindy's sight for a few seconds. When Carol rushed towards Noah, he jumped up and threw himself at the crawling Cindy. Lei Ze was tall and strong, but Centiyu was on par with him. Razor throws him to the ground though, and they now begin to grapple. The phaser fell from Creeping Cindy's hand, only a few meters away, next to the two opponents. The side that gains the upper hand first will be able to grab the weapon, incapacitating the opponent. So both men went all out and tried to pin the other to the ground.
Suddenly, Razer was kicked in the stomach. Centipede managed to lift his knee and kick him. Lei Ze couldn't breathe for a moment. And that's exactly what Creeping Cindy expected. Now he can knock Razer aside with a powerful punch, then grab the phaser. However, the phaser wasn't where he expected it to be. Confused, Centipede looked around. Then he saw the gun pointed at him. One of the Plant Cindy Guards has captured it, and now he's targeting the Crawling Cindy Centipede.
"I will kill you for this," Centiyu threatened the guard in a low voice.
Razer quietly looked under the table towards Carol. She was kneeling next to Noah, holding his head. The Admiral remained motionless. Yet he barely glanced at the scene on the other side of the table. He quickly stood up and stared closely at the insect Cindy standing next to the table. The insect seemed to realize that it was too late and could no longer stand on Centipede Fool's side.
Suddenly, the crawling Cindy Centipede jumped up and tried to grab the phaser from the guard. But the guard was resourceful and pulled the trigger in time. The deadly energy struck Lizard, knocking him to the ground and he never moved again.
Razor took a deep breath but remained tense. The lesson of being a pirate is to always be alert. The situation may change again at any time. If Cindy decided to catch these two again, he wouldn't let them succeed so easily.
Meanwhile, Carol felt for Noah's pulse. But she couldn't find any pulse. nothing left. There was no sign that he was still breathing. He lay before her, motionless and expressionless as a puppet.
"Noah!" Carol shouted, clutching his face with both hands. Then she reached for the communicator on her belt. She turned it on and called her ship on the emergency frequency. "Republic. Medical emergency. Transport Noah to medical department immediately. He is not breathing."
Almost instantly, Noah was swept by the teleportation beam and turned into atoms and disappeared.
Carol was still staring at the spot where he had been lying. She couldn't believe it. This can't end like this. impossible. After all, they've been through so much together. He can't take damage from a simple phaser. This is impossible.
A hand touched her shoulder briefly, causing her to look up. Otis stood beside her. He looked like he still didn't fully understand what had just happened. In the past few seconds, events have unfolded very quickly. If he didn't quite notice, no wonder.
"Go back to your ship and take care of the Admiral," Otis said softly. But he seemed to have some understanding of what had just happened. Noah saved his life. "We'll handle the situation here and get back to you."
Carol stood up slowly and looked into Otis's eyes. She didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to strangle Otis to death. Without this person, Noah might still be standing here. Maybe if Otis had made his choice earlier, things would have turned out differently. But in the end, she couldn't blame Otis for Noah's departure. So she just nodded to him and ordered the Republic to teleport her and Razer back to the ship.
When she reappeared in the teleportation room, she jumped off the teleportation platform, quickly walked through the corridor, and ran to the medical station in a few steps. She stopped at the door and saw Celia and three assistants standing in front of a hospital bed, exchanging brief instructions with each other, looking very attentive.
"Inject him with 100 ml of resting agent," Celia ordered an assistant. The assistant picked up a prepared syringe and sprayed the medicine into Noah's neck with a hiss. Since it has its own catalyst, the drug immediately spreads through his body. At this point, Noah's body was unable to transmit anything.
"Cortical stimulation device," Celia demanded. A small, portable device was handed to her and she quickly secured it to his forehead. Then she nodded to an assistant standing behind a computer console. A brief burst of electricity passed through Noah's body, which was supposed to reactivate brain activity and restore a heartbeat. But nothing happens.
"Do it again," said Celia with a determined look on her face.
Noah's body twitched briefly again, but the expected reaction didn't come.
The door to the medical station opened and Tiny rushed in. She stared in shock at the scene before her. Disbelief was written all over her face, as if she thought she was in the wrong room or was simply dreaming.
"Do it again," the doctor shouted in a more stern tone.
Noah's body was then blasted with energy again, but this time his body moved much less. The remaining energy in his body has been exhausted, and external input can only bring about a weak response.
"Do it again," Celia said louder than before, but the person behind the console just shook her head slowly. There is no point in doing this anymore. He told her that her personal emotions had trumped objective judgment in this case and that it was time to admit that there was nothing they could do anymore. The aide next to Celia touched her arm gently in sympathy, then turned away.
The constant beep from the monitoring equipment seemed to echo throughout the room, as if to confirm that a life had just ended. Finally, one of Celia's assistants turned off the device.
Celia looked down at Noah with a stiff face. As a doctor, losing a patient has always been very painful for her. But in this case, it was almost like a family member was passing away at her hands. She couldn't move on.
Tini also walked over slowly. Every step is heavy. Her eyes fell on her father, who was lying on the hospital bed without any signs of life, his face unusually relaxed. He had no external injuries, as the phase ray that hit him overloaded and destroyed his internal nerves. But the lack of obvious serious injuries made it all the more unreal. To the observer's brain, a clear sign is missing. So it looks like he is just sleeping and will wake up at any moment.
Carol followed Tiny but kept her distance. Although he is a good leader and friend to her, Tiny is his daughter and has the right to be by his side.
Celia looked up at her as she stood beside the bed. She looked at the young Indian girl, her face still showing disbelief, but slowly mingled with sadness as the initial shock wore off.
"I'm sorry," Celia said sincerely. She had wished she could have done more to save him, but that was beyond her capabilities. She has tried her best.
Tiny nodded wordlessly and swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't want to cry. Not here, not at this time. She felt she had to be strong. Just like when she was a kid, when she felt like she was alone. This feeling suddenly came back to me. She was alone again.
Then, as she looked down at her father, she couldn't hold back a tear. "Please wake up," she whispered. However, this is obviously a baseless idea. Deep down inside, she knew he would never wake up again, but she still refused to accept that fact.
Tiny felt Carol place a gentle hand on her shoulder. She wanted to show her that she was there for her. This gesture meant a lot to Tiny. Then, she slowly turned around and met Carol's eyes. There was more sympathy in Carol's eyes than Tiny could have imagined. Then Carol hugged her, and Tiny suddenly realized she wasn't alone this time. She has a crew and friends. She has a home here. This is the legacy left to her by her father. With this realization, she could no longer hold back her tears. She lay in Carol's arms and let her grief flow freely.
In his dormitory, Otis remains in shock. He stared blankly at the wall, but in fact his gaze did not stay on the wall, but was immersed in memories. He was still thinking about what happened in the council chambers yesterday. He thought over and over again that he should have died long ago. The deadly ray was supposed to take his life, yet he's still here because the captured human Noah stepped up to protect him. Although he should have known what he was getting into. And his behavior was completely unprovoked, no one forced him or asked him to do it. But he did it anyway. Despite the abuse he suffered during Cindy's capture, Otis believes he would not have acted this way in Noah's position. And this made his respect for Noah even deeper.
Now Cindy has been informed that Noah did not survive. To Otis, this was a shock, even though he had expected it. Someone died in his place. He felt like a thief who stole other people's lives.
After the humans left the council hall yesterday, Otis knew that Centipede Fool was also dead. He didn't notice the fight between Centipede and the pirate captain. Now they first need to inform Creeping Cindy's leadership and then discuss what to do next. Otis withdrew the ships originally guarding the Republic. Humanity has shown trust, now it's Cindy's turn to respond. He didn't care that it would put him on the side of humanity, possibly worsening his predicament. He was given a second life by Noah and he had to repay it in some way. Even if it’s just to push the conversation firmly down the road. for he knew that this was the will of the Admiral, though he scarcely knew him.
Eventually, the other delegates agreed to his proposal and withdrew the convoy. Now the Republic is once again unescorted in planetary orbit. If humans want to leave in silence, they can do so. But they held their ground, which made Otis feel good.
In addition, the data storage device carrying the message of the Demonic Ear Rat is undergoing further investigation. They need to verify the authenticity of this message, only in this way can they determine whether he actually carried out an assassination attempt on the negotiations. There was no doubt about it for Otis, especially after what happened yesterday. Noah's selfless sacrifice convinced him of the Federation's innocence. In his opinion, Centipede's actions that led to Noah's death proved that Creeping Cindy actually wanted to divert suspicion from the Federation. This is an incredible act, that they would use such a tragic event for their own purposes.
He's not the only one to hold this view. Shan Mo from the plant tribe also agreed with him. They all agreed that conversations with the federation should continue as long as the data storage devices are analyzed.
The Aquatic Tribe agree to this, but they are not yet convinced that it would be wise to continue negotiating. They still need to discuss further. Apparently, they've been making too many last-minute decisions lately. They don't want this to become a habit.
As for the insect Cindy, they were unusually quiet. Of course, everyone knows that their race hasn't fared well in past events either. After all, Crawling Cindy had tried to cover up Insect Cindy's actions. Otis had to admit that it wasn't Cindy the Insect's fight alone. Destroying the demonic flames was always a council decision. He was present. This makes him an accomplice. From this perspective, what Creeping Cindy is trying to cover up is the shame of all Cindy. However, this doesn't make things better. Because atrocities like the genocide against Demon Flame cannot be hidden. It must be announced publicly so that all races in the universe can learn from it. Only in this way can similar horrific events be avoided in the future. And by covering it up, this goal will never be achieved. So it's a good thing that Crawling Cindy didn't work out.
However, thoughts of what's next for the future can't mask the emptiness Otis feels inside. In a way, he seemed to have lost a part of himself, and not even Noah's sacrifice could change that. He felt guilty because he was still alive. From what he heard, Noah had a daughter. Although age is not an issue, she has now passively lost her father, which must be difficult for her. He felt responsible for it.
The intercom beeping startled him, even though he'd been waiting for the call. He immediately stood up and answered the phone. "This is Otis," he replied hastily.
