Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 301 James T. Kirk (Fourth Update)
In the tense standoff, the middle-aged man at the head of the group sharply scanned the members of Mann's squad with their outdated weaponry and heavy equipment.

His pupils involuntarily contracted when his gaze fell on the plasma bombardment in Rebecca's hand, which was slowly charging, and on the obviously unusual explosive weapon on Mann's left arm.

His hand holding the gun remained steady, but the muzzle had subtly shifted slightly, no longer pointing directly at the target.

As an experienced commander, he was acutely aware of the extreme danger of engaging this heavily armed squad in such a confined space.

“I am James T. Kirk, General of the Federation Starfleet.” He announced his identity in a deep voice, which echoed in the cave, deliberately emphasizing the words “Starfleet” and “General”: “This is an important research outpost under Federation jurisdiction. Your sudden intrusion is a serious violation of Federation law and is interfering with a critical military operation.”

His words carried the authority characteristic of a soldier, but careful listening revealed the caution they contained.

Despite being clearly outmatched in firepower, he chose to use his identity and the massive organization behind him to create a deterrent effect, attempting to regain some momentum.

Those sharp eyes were fixed on Mann, while he quickly assessed everyone's reactions, looking for any signs that might ease the situation.

Valerie astutely seized the opportunity for this conversation.

She took half a step forward, while subtly signaling to her teammates to remain alert but not to make any rash moves.

She responded in a clear and calm tone, deliberately using formal wording similar to the other party's: "General Kirk. I am Valerie, from the interdimensional exploration team under the 'Sage's' command." Her voice carried steadily through the cave, "We were conducting a routine dimensional jump survey mission, but an unexpected coordinate deviation occurred during the teleportation, causing us to arrive here by accident."

She paused briefly to allow the message to be fully received before continuing, "We sincerely apologize for accidentally entering your facilities. It was entirely an accident."

She cleverly emphasized the two key messages: "cross-dimensional exploration" and "sage".

Given that the other party clearly represents a large organization, implying that there is also a mysterious entity behind you that possesses technology beyond the ordinary, especially their recently demonstrated interdimensional teleportation ability, is undoubtedly the best strategy to keep the other party cautious.

General Kirk's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, clearly astutely catching the startling phrase "cross-dimensional."

His gaze unconsciously shifted to the serious-looking female officer beside him, who possessed typical Vulcan features.

Savik immediately understood and quickly took out the tri-recorder to start scanning. The instrument emitted a regular humming sound, and the data jumping on the screen seemed to be verifying some abnormal spatial readings.

Dr. Carol, standing nearby, could hardly hide her surprise upon hearing the word "cross-dimensional." As a scientist, she understood the meaning of the word "cross-dimensional" even better.

"Cross-dimensional exploration?" Kirk repeated, his tone a mixture of surprise and doubt.

He paused briefly, his sharp gaze sweeping quickly over the futuristic equipment of Mann's squad.

The group of people in front of us are not only well-equipped, but their professionalism in their actions also shows that they are well-trained.

More importantly, their spatial teleportation technology has clearly surpassed the Federation's current technological level.

At this critical juncture in the pursuit of the Khan, it would be unwise to rashly antagonize a force possessing unknown technology.

Kirk quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and ultimately decided to reveal some information to test the other party's position, while leaving room for possible cooperation. "We are hunting down an extremely dangerous fugitive," Kirk said in a deep voice, "whose name is Khan Nunnion Singh. He is a genetically modified human from the late 20th century who once ruled over parts of the Earth."

Not long ago, he attacked our facility and seized a starship. We must set off immediately to continue the pursuit.

He gestured to his companions: “This is Dr. McCoy, Ms. Savick, the science officer, and Dr. Carroll and her son David.”

Dr. McCoy, who was being introduced, muttered under her breath, "There's always something new to come," while Savile maintained her signature calm expression, intently observing the other person.

Dr. Carroll and young David could not hide their nervousness, their eyes frequently darting to the intimidating modified cybernetic bodies and heavy weapons of Mann's team.

Valerie keenly grasped the key phrase "genetically modified humans," and as a former Arasaka Corporation agent, she immediately realized the immense value that might be hidden behind it.

She quietly noted down this information, intending to report it to Chen Yu later.

Seeing this, Mann responded in his usual concise style: "Mann, squad leader. These are my team members. We are hired to carry out exploration missions."

He deliberately maintained the mystique characteristic of mercenaries, revealing no further details.

Valerie astutely seized this crucial opportunity and promptly regained control of the dialogue.

She maintained a composed demeanor, her voice steady and clear: "We fully understand the urgency of your mission, General. Our primary objective is also to assess the current dimensional environment and return to base safely."

She paused briefly, allowing the weight of her words to be fully expressed, "In this situation, perhaps we can avoid unnecessary conflict? As far as I know, the 'Sages' have always been open to establishing contact with orderly extraterrestrial civilizations."

She subtly referenced the title "Sage" again, hinting that it might represent a much larger power structure.

This statement successfully transformed them from mere "illegal intruders" into "potential formal contacts," effectively altering General Kirk's assessment of the situation.

Kirk's eyes flickered slightly, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

As an experienced commander, he was keenly aware that detaining or attacking a group of emissaries representing an unknown force capable of interdimensional travel could have incalculable consequences.

After all, no one knows whether the forces behind them will commit more resources if they fail to return successfully.

Inside the cave, the tense atmosphere that had been on the verge of conflict had not completely dissipated, but the obvious hostility had eased.

Instead, a delicate state of mutual probing has emerged, with both sides carefully assessing each other's strength and intentions.

On the brink of this potential conflict, Valerie skillfully steered the situation in a direction that, while uncertain, was at least non-hostile.

(End of this chapter)