Chapter 301: James T. Kirk
In the tense standoff, the leading middle-aged man's sharp gaze swept over the Maine squad, noting their armed modifications and heavy weapons that far exceeded the era.
When his eyes fell on the plasma cannon humming with a low charge in Rebecca's hands, and the clearly unusual deflagration weapon on Maine's left arm, his pupils contracted involuntarily.
The hand holding his gun remained steady, but the muzzle subtly drifted a few fractions away, no longer pointing directly at the target.
As an experienced commander, he clearly recognized the extreme danger of engaging in a firefight with this squad armed to the teeth in this confined space.
"I am James T. Kirk, Admiral of the United Federation of Planets Starfleet." He announced his identity in a deep voice, his words echoing in the cave, deliberately emphasizing the weight of the words "Starfleet" and "Admiral": "This is a critical scientific research outpost under Federation jurisdiction. Your sudden intrusion has seriously violated Federation law and is interfering with a crucial military operation."
His words carried the unique authority of a military man, but listening closely, one could detect the caution hidden within.
At an obvious disadvantage in firepower, he chose to use his identity and the massive organization behind him to establish deterrence, trying to regain the upper hand in terms of momentum.
Those sharp eyes stared intently at Maine, while rapidly evaluating everyone's reactions, searching for any signs that might ease the situation.
Valerie acutely caught this opportunity for dialogue.
She took a half-step forward while using a covert hand gesture to signal her teammates to stay alert but not make any rash moves.
She responded in a clear and calm tone, deliberately adopting formal phrasing similar to the other party's: "Admiral Kirk. I am Valerie, from the cross-dimensional exploration squad under the command of the 'Magos'." Her voice spread steadily in the cave, "We are conducting a routine dimensional jump survey mission, but an unexpected coordinate deviation occurred during the teleportation, leading to our accidental arrival here."
She paused briefly to let this information be fully received, then continued: "We deeply apologize for trespassing into your facility. This was entirely an accident."
She cleverly emphasized the two key pieces of information: "cross-dimensional exploration" and "Magos".
Given that the other party clearly represented the background of some massive organization, implying that their own side was also backed by a mysterious entity possessing technology beyond the norm—especially the cross-dimensional teleportation capability they had just demonstrated—was undoubtedly the best strategy to keep the other party cautious.
Admiral Kirk's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, clearly and acutely catching the shocking term "cross-dimensional."
His gaze subconsciously turned to the female officer beside him, who had a serious expression and typical Vulcan features.
Saavik immediately understood and quickly took out a tricorder to begin scanning. The instrument emitted a rhythmic hum, and the jumping data on the screen seemed to be verifying certain abnormal spatial readings.
Hearing the term "cross-dimensional," Dr. Carol beside them couldn't hide the surprise on her face. As a scientist, she understood the meaning of the word "cross-dimensional" better.
"Cross-dimensional exploration?" Kirk repeated, his tone half-surprised and half-doubtful.
He pondered briefly, his sharp gaze quickly sweeping over the futuristic equipment of Maine's squad.
Not only was this group of people well-equipped, but the professional competence revealed in their actions further showed that they were well-trained.
More importantly, the spatial teleportation technology they possessed had clearly exceeded the Federation's current technological level.
At this critical juncture of hunting down Khan, rashly making enemies of a faction possessing unknown technology was obviously not a wise move.
Kirk quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and ultimately decided to reveal some intelligence to test the other party's stance, while leaving room for potential cooperation.
"We are pursuing an extremely dangerous fugitive," Kirk said in a deep voice, "named Khan Noonien Singh. He is a genetically augmented human from the late 20th century who once ruled parts of Earth.
"Not long ago, he attacked our facility and seized a starship. We must depart immediately to continue tracking him."
He turned slightly to indicate his companions beside him: "This is Dr. McCoy, Science Officer Saavik, as well as Dr. Carol and her son David."
The introduced Dr. McCoy muttered in a low voice about "always running into new trouble every time," while Saavik maintained her signature calm expression, intently observing the other party.
Dr. Carol and young David couldn't hide their nervousness, their eyes occasionally falling on the intimidating cybernetic prosthetics and heavy weapons of Maine's squad.
Valerie acutely caught the keyword "genetically augmented human." As a former Arasaka corporate agent, she immediately realized the immense value this might hold.
She quietly noted this information down, preparing to report it to Ryo later.
Seeing this, Maine responded in his usual concise style: "Maine, squad leader. These are my team members. We are hired to execute an exploration mission."
He deliberately maintained the mystery unique to mercenaries, without revealing more details.
Valerie acutely seized this critical timing and opportunely took back the dominance of the conversation.
She maintained a proper posture, her voice steady and clear: "We fully understand the urgency of your mission, Admiral. Our primary goal is also to assess the current dimensional environment and safely return to base."
She paused slightly, letting the weight of her words fully manifest. "Under these circumstances, perhaps we can avoid unnecessary conflict? As far as I know, the 'Magos' has always been open to establishing contact with orderly alien civilizations."
She cleverly mentioned the title "Magos" again, while implying that it might represent an even larger factional territory behind it.
This statement successfully transformed them from mere "illegal trespassers" to "potential formal contacts," effectively changing Admiral Kirk's judgment of the situation.
Kirk's gaze flickered slightly, clearly weighing the stakes involved.
As an experienced commander, he clearly recognized that detaining or attacking a group of emissaries representing an unknown faction capable of cross-dimensional travel could trigger incalculable consequences.
After all, no one knew whether the faction behind them would pour in more forces if they failed to return successfully.
Inside the cave, although the initially explosive, tense atmosphere had not completely dissipated, the obvious hostility had eased.
Replaced by a subtle state of mutual probing, both sides were cautiously evaluating each other's strength and intentions.
On the edge of this potential conflict, Valerie, relying on her skilled diplomatic finesse, successfully steered the situation in a direction that, although uncertain, was at least non-hostile.
(End of Chapter)