dmims Chapter 142 Friendly Signals
Chapter 142 Friendly Signals
The Ark and the Retribution were caught in a long chase through the sea of stars.
Sometimes they were separated by several star sectors, and sometimes they were so close that the Ark's rear shields could directly feel the shockwaves of the pursuing artillery fire. The two sides exchanged fire in the unnamed asteroid belt and also briefly lost signal to each other on the far side of a barren moon.
More often than not, they tracked, probed, and avoided each other across the long shipping lanes.
The Ark searches for the source of the fire, while the Retribution searches for the Ark.
Time is stretched out on the star chart.
The so-called long voyage didn't give everyone time to marvel at the beauty of the starry sky. Energy reserves, course deviations, shield depletion, medical bay capacity, and enemy pursuit—each and every one of these factors needed to be carefully considered.
Optimus Prime stood in front of the main control panel on the bridge, looking at the remaining trail of the AllSpark.
That trajectory has always been unstable.
Sometimes it was so clear it seemed right in front of us, and sometimes it was so elusive it was as if it had never existed. The deep-space navigation array was calibrated again and again, the police car disassembled each waveform for comparison, Jazz and Arcee took turns leading the reconnaissance missions, and Bumblebee almost memorized the star map.
But the source of the spark is still in a more distant place.
When the Aquitron signal was first detected, the Ark had just completed a long jump.
The bridge was quiet until a police car compared the trajectory of the previous AllSpark with the deep space communication screen, which suddenly lit up.
A clear, stable signal, free of hostile encoding, traversed the sea of stars and reached the outer receiving array of the Ark.
[Aquitron pays homage to the voyagers.]
This planet is willing to provide safe passage, basic supplies, and information exchange.
[Long-duration wear and tear detected on your ship.]
If you need to dock, please use the following low-risk navigation sequence.
Bumblebee raised its head, its optical scope flashing: "Friendly signal?"
The police car remained silent, breaking down the signal into several layers to examine its semantics, encryption method, energy identification, and navigation parameters.
"The signal structure is intact. No attack programs or forced access attempts were detected."
Jazz leaned to one side: "Sounds like a fake GG."
Bumblebee looked at him: "Now you even doubt friendly signals?"
Jazz tilted his head: "We've been drifting for so long, and suddenly we've encountered a planet with clear signals, polite language, abundant energy, and that even offers us a safe passage."
He shrugged: "Either it's good luck, or there's an opportunity to package good luck up and put it on the roadside."
The police car retrieved a planetary scan.
Aquitron appears on the main screen—a light blue planet.
The outer cloud bands are soft, the ocean coverage is extremely high, and the land area looks like a chain of silver-gray islands scattered on the water.
Deep-sea energy reactions are stable, and the ocean floor contains high-density mineral resources and energy deposits that can be refined. Several major cities are located at the boundary between the sea surface and the shallow continental shelf, in a beautiful and clean environment with their defense systems concealed.
Alita stood on the other side, her gaze fixed on the planet's outline: "Too peaceful."
The ambulance driver frowned as he looked at the scan results: "They have usable medical energy, high purity, and quite a lot of it."
Tin Man crossed his arms: "Then we should be even more careful."
Hengpao whispered, "Have you guys lost the ability to accept good news normally?"
Arcee glanced at him indifferently: "War has taught us well."
The police car continued to retrieve the data attached to the signal, then suddenly stopped.
Optimus Prime noticed: "What's wrong?"
"Their open deep-sea observation array recorded a high-energy residue." The police car zoomed in on the image, "The waveform shows a local similarity to the trajectory of the ignition source residue."
The bridge was completely silent.
Bumblebee couldn't help but take a step closer: "The AllSpark?"
"It can't be confirmed," the police car said. "The similarity is insufficient to draw a conclusion."
The ambulance driver said coldly, "But we can't say it isn't either."
This is the most troublesome part.
If it's just about supplies, they can politely refuse; if it's just about friendliness, they can keep their distance.
But it mentions the source of fire.
Optimus Prime gazed at the light blue planet, pondered for a long time, and finally spoke:
"Maintain a minimum level of readiness."
"Police car, continue verifying the signal."
"Jazz, Arcee, prepare for perimeter reconnaissance."
"The Ark will not enter deep orbit; it will first dock at the outer orbit."
The police car nodded: "Understood."
The Ark approached Aquitron.
That planet quietly opened a shipping lane.
-
Aquitron's request for a meeting arrived quickly.
The other party identified himself as the "curator," the temporary manager of the Aquitron Planet Energy Observation Array and the Extraterrestrial Civilization Reception System.
From his appearance, he did not resemble a Cybertronian or any kind of mechanical life form they had ever seen.
His appearance is closer to some kind of extraterrestrial life form that is a mixture of silicon and carbon, with soft lines, understated colors, and slow and steady movements.
He stood in a bright hall, with a transparent dome behind him, beyond which the calm sea of Aquitron could be seen.
"Optimus Prime".
The curator bowed slightly, his manners perfectly measured.
"Aquitron welcomes the Ark."
His voice was gentle, with a reassuring slowness.
"We have heard of Cybertron in ancient records. A great mechanical planet, and also a planet that has endured long wars."
Bumblebee stood at the back of the bridge and whispered, "He's so polite."
Tinplate replied in a low voice, "That's too much."
Optimus Prime remained vigilant, calmly replying, "We have no intention of bringing the war to Aquitron."
"We believe so."
The curator gently raised his hand, and a portion of the planetary data behind him was simultaneously made available.
"Our main city will not require your ship to disarm its defense systems, nor will it interfere in your internal affairs. Aquitron is willing to provide docking areas, supplies, medical and energy resources, as well as observation data that you may need."
The police car looked down to check that part of the data and found no traps or traces of malicious programs.
The curator continued, "We cannot promise an answer regarding the higher life energies you are seeking. However, the Aquitron Deep Observatory has indeed captured similar waveforms."
Optimus Prime's optical mirror moved slightly.
The curator seemed oblivious to his reaction, his tone remaining gentle.
"If you'd like, we can share the records."
The jazz murmured from the side, "That's a hard thing to refuse."
Arcee didn't reply, but her hand remained resting beside the weapon.
Optimus Prime looked at the police car.
The police car said, "Initial verification confirms safety. However, I recommend maintaining a separate communication link and not connecting to the local network."
The curator heard this, but his expression showed no displeasure.
"I completely understand," he said. "Voyagers should exercise caution. Aquitron will not ask you to surrender your security boundaries."
This statement is so appropriate, it's as if they knew in advance what the other person would worry about.
The curator bowed slightly: "You have experienced war; being vigilant is not impolite."
The ambulance scoffed, "That sounds nice."
Bumblebee whispered, "Maybe they're just being polite."
The ambulance driver looked at him and said, "You're not a new recruit anymore, don't be so naive."
Optimus Prime finally gave the order:
"The Ark has entered the outer docking area of Aquitron."
"All units shall remain on combat readiness."
The curator bowed his head again.
Welcome to Aquitron.
-
Less than one cycle after the Ark docked, an anomaly occurred.
First, there was a delay in the propulsion system feedback, then a slight error occurred in the deep space navigation array, and subsequently, the synchronization calibration between the long-range energy module and the propulsion ring suddenly dropped below the safety threshold.
The police car immediately locked onto the system: "The thrusters are not damaged, but it cannot enter a stable launch state."
The ambulance connected from the medical bay: "Don't tell me it broke down as soon as it arrived."
"No," the police car said. "It's more like external interference."
Arcee's voice turned cold: "Aquitron?"
"Cannot be confirmed at this time."
Just as the police car was about to continue its investigation, the curator proactively sent a message.
His expression was clearly apologetic as he provided the local space field data for Aquitron ahead of time.
"We have noticed an anomaly in your ship's navigation system, and we apologize for the inconvenience."
The police car calmly watched him without saying a word.
The curator continued, "The outer ocean and subsurface nuclei of Aquitron periodically generate a unique signal field. This usually only affects local deep-sea observation arrays and does not cause significant interference to starships."
After he finished speaking, he sent over a long list of historical records.
"However, the Ark's ignition tracking system is different from conventional propulsion systems and may amplify this interference."
The police car quickly verified the information, and the data was confirmed.
From a physical model perspective, the curator's explanation is perfectly reasonable, and no one can criticize him at all.
Optimus Prime asked, "How long will it take to recover?"
"Based on the timeline, it will take at least seven local days." The curator paused, "We can assist in setting up a temporary quarantine facility to try and shorten the time."
Arcee asked coldly, "What if we refuse to help?"
The curator replied calmly, "Then we will not approach the Ark. You can handle it yourselves; we will provide all publicly available data."
He took a step back, in a dignified and polite manner.
Jazz looked coldly at the other person through his optical glasses and goggles, unable to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with him.
The policeman looked at the rows of models, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"The explanation makes sense," he said, "but it's too coincidental."
The curator sighed softly, "I understand your unease. If Aquitron causes trouble for the voyagers, we are willing to provide the necessary compensation."
Optimus Prime finally said, "Maintain the Ark's internal isolation. Accept data, but do not allow personnel to board."
The curator nodded: "Of course."
After the communication ended, the bridge was quiet for a while.
Alita spoke up: "He was too cooperative."
Optimus Prime looked at the quiet planet on the screen.
"Yes."
However, they cannot leave for the time being, and there is no evidence to suggest what Aquitron did.
-
The Retribution spacecraft soon appeared in the outer orbit of Aquitron.
Red Spider looked down at the light blue planet, its wings slightly folded: "The Ark is right here."
Sound waves are used to generate signals.
[Aquitron pays homage to the voyagers.]
This planet is willing to provide safe passage, basic supplies, and information exchange.
Red Spider raised an eyebrow: "Are they this friendly to everyone?"
Megatron stood in the center of the bridge, his gaze fixed on the remote image of the Ark's docking area.
He quickly realized that the Ark was unable to set sail.
However, Aquitron neither attacked the Ark nor fired at the Retribution; the entire planet resembled a neutral port that had opened its doors.
Megatron doesn't believe in freebies; such things usually come with a hidden price tag.
The curator's communications were subsequently connected to the Retribution number.
He stood in the equally bright hall, his tone still gentle: "Megatron."
The curator bowed his head slightly.
"Aquitron has heard of your illustrious reputation."
Megatron looked at him coldly: "Then you should know not to waste my time."
The curator wasn't offended: "Of course."
He released another set of data, which focused more on energy reserves, planetary defense, ship repair ports, and outer space routes.
"The Retribution has also suffered damage after its long pursuit. Aquitron is willing to provide a docking area and basic maintenance."
Red Spider chuckled: "Are you doing charity?"
The curator looked at him: "All voyages entering the Aquitron Passage will receive the same treatment."
"Including both opposing sides?"
"Aquitron does not wish to bring any alien war to this planet," the curator said firmly yet gently. "We can offer a stopover, and we can also provide space for mediation. If both sides are willing to temporarily cease fire, perhaps both will have the opportunity to obtain the information they need."
Megatron's gaze darkened: "What information?"
The curator seemed to have known he would ask.
"Regarding the source of the fire."
The bridge of the USS Retribution fell silent.
The sound wave's display flickered slightly, and the red spider lowered its wings a little.
Megatron stared at the curator: "You know about the AllSpark?"
"We have captured similar high-level life energy trajectories," the curator said, "and have preserved some ancient records that may be related to your search."
Megatron clearly didn't trust him.
The curator continued, "Of course, Aquitron won't force you to believe it; you can verify it yourself."
They were so friendly they were almost flawless.
Megatron sneered, "Then give us the docking area."
"I would be delighted."
Similar anomalies occurred soon after the Retribution entered the outer docking range of the Aquitron.
The propulsion system was delayed, the deep space navigation array was misaligned, and the Nemesis's main engine was unable to enter a stable jump preparation state.
Red Spider immediately turned his head: "I knew it."
Acoustic wave data retrieval: [External signal field interference. Source: Aquitron. Aggressiveness: None.]
Megatron's gaze turned dangerous.
The curator's apology letter arrived at the same time.
"terribly sorry."
He sent the complete space field period data again.
"The outer signal field of Aquitron may have interfered with your ship's navigation system. The Ark has also experienced a similar situation. We are assisting in the investigation."
Red Spider sneered: "How fair."
The curator bowed his head: "This is our responsibility. Aquitron is willing to provide all the information and cooperate with your ship's independent verification."
Megatron looked at him: "What if I believe you were the ones who did it?"
The curator did not back down, and his expression remained unchanged.
"Then I can only ask you to verify the evidence, not my emotions."
On the bridge of the USS Retribution, several Decepticons tensed up immediately.
Red Spider almost burst out laughing.
This statement is polite, but incredibly irritating.
Megatron stared at the curator for a long time, while the curator waited quietly.
Finally, Megatron gritted his teeth and said, "I will investigate."
"That's your right," the curator said. "Aquitron won't stop you."
Communication is closed.
Red Spider crossed his arms: "I hate him."
He knocked down the person standing behind him and checked his outer armor: "Because he speaks more like he's always right?"
Red Spider turned to look at him: "Be quiet."
Megatron ignored them and looked down at the planet.
Aquitron is quiet, prosperous, and friendly; the Ark and the Retribution were both left here.
This planet claims to know clues about the source of AllSpark and has even presented complete and well-founded data.
-
The main city of Aquitron was lit up with welcoming lights.
The sea was calm, and the city's dome reflected the azure starlight. The Ark and the Retribution were docked at two separate outer port areas, maintaining a safe distance from each other, and neither of their weapon systems were actually offline.
The curator stood at the end of the reception hall, sending welcome messages to both sides.
[Aquitron welcomes the Ark.]
[Aquitron welcomes the Karmic Retribution.]
May those who embark on long voyages find supplies, answers, and a moment of peace here.