Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 331 History and Culture (Fifth Watch)

Inside the Vulcan orbital dock, the Enterprise rests quietly between its docking arms.

The new burn marks and dents on the hull were particularly noticeable under the maintenance lights, like a battle-hardened veteran who had just stepped off the front lines and was taking a breath while taking stock of his wounds.

Vulcan engineers and Federation crew members skillfully carried out their work in this maintenance area.

Their silhouettes, clad in different uniforms, moved busily inside and outside the cabin, conducting structural scans and emergency reinforcements.

But beneath this orderly busyness, an unspoken heaviness permeated the cabin.

The crew members walking through the corridor spoke in hushed tones, and their movements as they operated equipment were unusually gentle.

Everyone knew that this was the Enterprise's last voyage as a starship.

Kirk stood on the bridge, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the tactical control console.

There is an inconspicuous scratch there, left from an emergency evasion five years ago.

His gaze swept over every control panel—Sulu's navigation system, Uhura's communication panel, Chekhov's engine control console…

These familiar devices, which have witnessed countless moments of life and death, now seem to be silently bidding farewell.

The debate surrounding the fate of the Enterprise is no secret.

The fleet command's realistic assessment report was on the table: the structural damage caused by the Genesis mission, coupled with the already aging hull, made the cost of continuing service unbearable.

This mission was Enterprise's last mission. Kirk had originally hoped that Enterprise could be decommissioned and converted into a training ship, but now it seems that the old ship can no longer hold on.

Occasionally, one could hear the crew exchanging messages in hushed tones.

Some say that there are people in the command who advocate dismantling it according to the usual procedures, believing that allowing this old ship to "retire" with dignity is the only way to be responsible to taxpayers' resources.

But more voices are debating – after the Khan incident, the miracle of Genesis, and Spock's return, what should the Federation retain?

The final news came through the official channel.

Enterprise, serial number NCC-1701, will be permanently retired after completing this return flight.

But it will not be sent to a dismantling plant; instead, it will be reborn in low Earth orbit—becoming an interstellar museum, continuing to tell visitors from all over the world the story of humanity's exploration of the stars.

In the engine room, Engineer Scott listened to the official announcement, his palm lightly resting on the familiar warp core control panel.

“A museum…” he murmured to himself, a complex smile curving his lips.

This was much better than dismantling it, but he still couldn't help imagining what the ship should have looked like soaring among the stars.

The atmosphere on the ship became subtle the moment the news spread.

The young technicians visibly breathed a sigh of relief, while veterans like Sulu, who had spent many years with the Enterprise, silently continued their work, only moving more slowly, as if trying to memorize the feel of each operation.

When Chen Yu obtained this information through the ship's internal network, he was analyzing the data stream of the Vulcan ceremony.

This news caused him to temporarily halt his calculations.

He couldn't help but recall the records in the Warhammer universe about preserving important individuals and equipment, those ancient weapons sealed in stasis fields, and the Dreadnoughts of the Astartes.

He recalled the Space Marines, too badly wounded to continue fighting, implanted into massive war machines, waiting in stasis fields for their next call.

Their existence serves as both a living historical lesson and a final reserve for war.

In the current 30k era, this is still considered good; in the future 40k era, these fearless elders may even become a religious symbol.

When the chapter needs them, these “Fearless Elders” are awakened, imparting their combat experience and the chapter’s ancient culture in voices filled with mechanical noise, or throwing themselves directly into the most brutal battles.

Perhaps the most famous of these is Bjorn the One-Handed, the first Chapter Commander of the Space Wolves, who lived to see ten thousand years in the future. This last Wolf Guardian remained active on the galactic stage even ten thousand years later; perhaps this is the history and legacy of the human empire.

Looking at the Enterprise undergoing repairs in the dock, Chen Yu realized that the two civilizations were continuing their history in their own ways.

The Empire of Man enshrines its heroes within the war machine, allowing history to continue its roar on the battlefield; while the Federation chooses to transform its starships into cultural symbols, allowing history to tell its story quietly in museums.

The former serves the eternal war, while the latter focuses on the inheritance of civilization.

Repair work is still ongoing.

Vulcan engineers were assessing the extent of the warp drive's wear and tear, while Scott stood by, arguing his case and trying to secure a better repair solution for his old buddy.

The Enterprise's final voyage has not yet begun, but everyone is already preparing to say goodbye in their own way.
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While waiting for the Enterprise to complete the necessary repairs, Chen Yu requested Ambassador Sarek to access the Vulcan Public Knowledge Base.

A scholar from another world wanted to learn about the local civilization and only requested access to publicly available information, so Sarek arranged the visit after some consideration.

Vulcan's knowledge base architecture exhibits a distinctly pragmatic style.

There were no superfluous decorations, only neatly arranged data terminals and an efficient information transmission system.

Chen Yu's massive mechanical body stood out in the reading area, but his arrival did not attract any extra attention.

With the authorized access, he began systematically downloading and analyzing the Vulcan civilization's public knowledge system.

This information does not involve military secrets or cutting-edge technology, but it contains a vast amount of data from Vulcan philosophy, basic science, historical yearbooks, and sociological research.

He noted that the Vulcan knowledge structure emphasizes rigorous classification and causal relationships.

Each theory is accompanied by a detailed derivation process and counter-proofs, and even old theories that have been disproven are preserved as part of the logical evolution.

This contrasts sharply with the federal knowledge base's emphasis on practicality and interdisciplinary integration.

In the field of natural sciences, the Vulcans have a unique perspective on the study of quantum physics and the structure of spacetime.

Although some of their early theoretical models have been superseded by more sophisticated federal theories, Chen Yu greatly admires the pure logical beauty displayed in their derivation process.

In particular, their mathematical model of telepathy, although it cannot be fully verified in this low-psychic universe, has considerable reference value in its theoretical framework.

Historical and cultural archives reveal the Vulcans' transformation from being emotionally expressive to valuing logic.

What interests Chen Yu most is the Vulcans' explanation of the philosophy of "IDIC" (infinite combination and infinite diversity).

This concept emphasizes both the universality of logic and the existence of infinite variations in the universe.

To some extent, this explains why they are able to coexist relatively openly with the Federation and other alien civilizations, despite their own society appearing so reserved and unified.

During the several-day visit, Chen Yu sat quietly in the designated area of ​​the knowledge base, never disconnecting from it.

His sensors record the flow of information, while the processing core constantly compares and integrates this new knowledge with his existing database.

Occasionally he would ask the knowledge base administrator clarifying questions, but he always strictly adhered to the boundaries of access permissions.

While this public knowledge of Vulcan did not involve any sensitive technology, it provided him with a completely new perspective on understanding the universe.

He began to grasp more clearly the similarities and differences between the Interstellar Federation and the Vulcan civilization, and also had more concrete ideas about the technological exchanges he might conduct in the future.

At the end of the visit, Chen Yu expressed her gratitude to Ambassador Sarek in accordance with social etiquette.

His database has been expanded with a deeper understanding of this reddish-brown planet.

This knowledge may not yet have direct applications, but for a wise explorer, understanding the essence of a civilization is never insignificant.

(End of this chapter)