Chapter 1430: Collateral Damage
“Flight N-177… This is the route dispatch center. Your direction has deviated from the preset route. Please correct the route immediately…
“Flight N-177… Are you there?”
No one responded in the communication channel.
There were bloodstains everywhere in the c.o.c.kpit of flight N-177.
The voice in the communication channel was like the whispers of a ghost.
Jean Ruzas kicked the corpse next to him. He was wearing a mechanical exoskeleton. He took off the headset from the ear of the captain, who had been shot, and tapped it twice with the index finger of his right hand.
A series of electrical noises pa.s.sed by. The hijacker spoke in the communication channel calmly.
“Flight N-177 has been hijacked by us…
“If we see any s.p.a.cecraft approaching within 100 kilometers of us…”
A cruel smile came up from the corners of his cold mouth as he stared at the pool of blood on the c.o.c.kpit gla.s.s and continued.
“Every minute, we will clean up a section of the pa.s.sengers…
“That’s all I have to say.”
After speaking, he closed the communication channel and threw the headset beside the corpse.
The other two militants standing in the c.o.c.kpit stepped forward and removed the corpse lying in front of the c.o.c.kpit. They took over the flight instead and sat in the pilot’s seat.
“The remote communication module has been removed.
“Re-igniting engine… raising power to 95%.
“The channel adjustment is completed, expected to contact target in 11 hours.”
A look of enthusiasm appeared in Jean Ruzas’ eyes.
“Good…
“Everything is going according to plan.”
Soon…
The entire Pan-Asia will be shrouded in terror!
This is revenge and punishment!
Without any hesitation, the militant sitting in the pilot’s seat replied, “Yes, sir!”
While the route dispatch center received a warning from the hijacker and quickly reported the situation to the police, the Pan-Asian Fleet radar monitoring array had already discovered the abnormal situation.
A flight had deviated from its original track.
The s.p.a.cecraft should have turned off the main engine and slowed down to enter the Earth-Moon system.
However, this s.p.a.cecraft did not decelerate, nor did it make a sharp turn or even go the other way. Instead, it accelerated and was moving in a straight line!
Pan-Asian Fleet Command Center.
The commander of the Pan-Asian First Fleet had a solemn expression on his face.
Just two minutes ago, they received an alarm from the route dispatch center and learned that flight N-177 was hijacked by an unknown armed force.
A minute ago, they had confirmed that the flight named N-177 was the civilian transport s.p.a.cecraft with abnormal routes.
“What is the situation now?”
Upon hearing the commander’s query, the staff sitting in front of the console immediately replied, “The trajectory of the s.p.a.cecraft has not changed, it is accelerating!”
The chief of staff standing nearby frowned and spoke after thinking for a moment.
“They may be planning to cross the Earth-Moon system in a straight line.”
“Straight through the Earth-Moon system?” the consultant standing aside said with an incredulous expression on his face. He continued, “But how do they plan to stop? If they continue to accelerate, the remaining fuel is not enough for them to slow down. If they miss the deceleration window, they will become asteroids drifting in the solar system… This is equivalent to suicide!”
Aviation and aeros.p.a.ce were different.
Airplanes on Earth could make an emergency landing if they didn’t have enough fuel. If the s.p.a.cecraft flying in s.p.a.ce didn’t have enough fuel, forget about emergency landing, the final result would be eternal drift in s.p.a.ce.
The commander looked at the predicted course outlined on the holographic star map. He frowned as an ominous premonition lingered in his heart.
Generally speaking, for the pirates who circulated near the asteroid belt, although they occasionally took hostages in addition to looting mining stations, they usually targeted mining s.h.i.+ps with poor mobility and s.p.a.ce workstations with low defense.
In recent years, with the popularity of mining drones, there had been fewer and fewer mining s.h.i.+ps that required manual operation, so hostage cases had almost disappeared.
Targeting a civilian transport s.h.i.+p with twelve pairs of engines and kidnapping more than two hundred people was a major robbery. This was unprecedented in the history of aeros.p.a.ce!
With such a large horizontal thrust upper limit and acceleration, even a general military s.p.a.cecraft might not be able to catch up any time soon.
Unless they had already begun to prepare for the robbery as soon as flight N-177 departed from the Mars...o...b..ting s.p.a.ce station.
“I propose to launch infrasonic missiles to suppress the attackers on the flight, then take over the flight through remote control and guide them to dock at the nearest s.p.a.ce station.”
The chief of staff immediately rejected the proposal from the consultant.
“No! Infrasonic weapons pose a threat to the lives of hostages and may irritate hijackers. Moreover, if the power is not large enough, it is difficult to penetrate the exoskeleton armor. It is more likely to damage the s.p.a.cecraft!”
The consultant continued to ask without giving up.
“What about sending a ghost team to land?”
This time, the Army adviser standing next to him shook his head.
“Even the ghost squad can’t take care of all the hijackers in the cabin in an instant. Any mistake may cause the lives of the hostages to be threatened.”
Besides, sending the ghost team to the hijacked flight was still a problem.
The 12 pair-engined s.p.a.cecraft had a headstart of two days.
The pursuit in s.p.a.ce was not just a pursuit of distance but also a compet.i.tion of speed!
If the two key parameters of speed and direction couldn’t be synchronized with the target, even if the two s.p.a.cecrafts met in s.p.a.ce, they would just pa.s.s by, or they could crash into each other.
After listening to the combat plan put forward by the subordinates, the commander, who stood in front of the console, pondered for a while before giving orders.
“Start the AI battlefield a.n.a.lysis system to simulate the results of the action.”
The staff sitting in front of the console immediately responded.
“Yes, sir!”
The AI battlefield a.n.a.lysis system was soon launched. According to the real-time calculation results of the quantum computer, the success rate of scheme A was less than 3%, and the success rate of scheme A was even more pitiful, less than 1%.
According to the results of the trajectory measurement, flight N-177 would arrive at the Earth-Moon system in 11 hours at most and pa.s.s through the Earth-Moon system at an unimaginable speed, then enter the circ.u.m-solar elliptical orbit with a 124-year navigation period, becoming completely out of control.
There were no dormant cabins on the flight, and the supplies they carried couldn’t even last for a week.
Once the deceleration window was missed, they would be dead.
While the people in the command room were discussing countermeasures, footsteps were heard from outside. A man in his 50s, dressed in formal clothes with combed hair, walked in.
When the man walked into the command room, a shocked expression appeared on everyone’s face.
This person’s name was Wu Zongwen. He was a member of the Pan-Asian Cooperation Central a.s.sembly.
The news of the hijacked flight must have been leaked.
“Commander, I need an explanation.”
The commander felt a headache, but he hid his emotions behind his stern face and explained concisely, “Flight N-177 has been hijacked by unidentified militants. We are trying to confirm the ident.i.ty of the militants and launch rescues for the pa.s.sengers—”
“I’m not here to listen to you tell the story again! This matter is being discussed on the internet right now, don’t take me as a fool!” Representative Wu Zongwen said in a stern voice, “I hope you can truly be aware of the seriousness of the problem and properly solve the problem.”
The commander said stiffly, “We are solving it!”
Wu Zongwen: “What is the plan?”
“We are trying to communicate with the hijackers on flight N-177 through the nearest s.p.a.ce station. No matter what their demands are, we will try to persuade them to slow down and communicate with our negotiation experts.”
“Very good.” Wu Zongwen’s expression on his face eased a little as he continued, “If you can negotiate, try not to make any moves that anger them. No matter what they ask.”
The commander nodded. He was just about to respond.
However, at this moment, the military adviser who had not spoken yet suddenly spoke.
“Maybe they don’t want anything.”
Everyone in the command room froze.
The commander narrowed his eyes.
Yang Wu, former People’s Liberation Army General Staff Department General Staff, from 2050, currently served as a military advisor to the Pan-Asian Fleet.
The reason for going to the future was that the authorities hoped to ensure the military’s combat effectiveness in the future by sending officers from the peaceful era.
According to the international situation back then, the Chinese felt that if the Federation of Human Alliance was disintegrated, they would most likely break out in a war within 50 years.
However, the expected full-scale war did not break out.
And Yang Wu’s original mission was canceled. Instead, he was a.s.signed to the Pan-Asian First Fleet as a consultant.
Like other dormant people who were sent to this era because of historical issues, although he was a.s.signed a specific job, he did not have much authority. He was neither capable of commanding the army of this era, nor was it possible for people of this era to trust in an old man from the past.
In essence, there was no difference between him and Director Li. Both were mascots of the Pan-Asian Cooperation.
“Don’t want anything?” The army adviser frowned and said in disbelief, “How is this possible, kidnappers who don’t want a ransom, I’ve never heard of it before.”
“Not all ransom is in the form of money.” Yang Wu continued after a pause, “This may be a suicide attack.”
No one believed him.
“It’s impossible!” The army adviser standing on the side said, “What are the benefits of doing this? Other than spreading panic…”
“Spreading panic is the point.” Yang Wu continued in a calm tone, “By spreading panic, they can achieve their ulterior goals. I am certain that this is not the entire plan.”
After being silent for a while, the commander ordered, “Start the AI battlefield a.n.a.lysis system to evaluate the possibilities described by Advisor Yang.”
“Yes, sir!”
The results of the evaluation soon came out.
According to the judgment of the AI battlefield a.n.a.lysis system, the evaluation result obtained was less than 5%.
Yang Wu shook his head and spoke.
“You believe too much in the results of AI a.n.a.lysis, just like a medieval witch who is superst.i.tious about crystal b.a.l.l.s.”
Wu Zongwen, who was standing next to him, sneered with a faint voice.
“Something like that might happen in the barbaric early 21st century, but it’s now the 22nd century, it’s better for you to keep up with the times.”
Wu Zongwen no longer cared about the little consultant. Instead, he looked at the commander standing next to him and spoke in a warning tone.
“I’m warning you, this matter must be dealt with properly, no hostage casualties!
“The parliamentary elections are at a critical stage. If this matter is not handled well, the people will question Chairman Li Guangya and his ability to lead. If we are unable to gain an advantage in the central parliament, the Europa planetary development plan will be completely ruined!
“At all costs, protect the lives of all hostages!
“Do you understand me?”
The commander finally nodded after being silent for a long time.
“Roger that.”