Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 332 Earth's Destruction Crisis (Sixth Update)
The Enterprise underwent basic repairs and reinforcements at Vulcan Shipyard. Although it is far from being restored to its full potential, it at least ensured the structural integrity and system reliability necessary for long-distance warp-speed navigation.

After a period of rest and with Savik's subsequent guidance, the newborn Spock's mind and body have basically been integrated.

Although he occasionally reveals a subtle struggle with his overactive physical functions and occasional uncontrollable emotional remnants, his signature calm logic and profound wisdom have returned.

His very existence was a great comfort and encouragement to all the crew members.

With a touch of sadness at saying goodbye to the past and a complex mix of emotions about welcoming a new beginning, the Enterprise finally set sail again, set its course, and returned to Earth.

Warp drive was smooth and efficient, but when the Enterprise finally broke free of warp and entered the outer solar system, the expected welcome from its home planet did not arrive.

Instead, the communication channel was filled with chaotic static noise and a repeatedly encrypted emergency order from Starfleet headquarters: "All units, be warned! Unknown alien probe is approaching Earth! Its energy signal is extremely dangerous! Repeat, all units must not approach Earth orbit! Maintain a safe distance!"

On the main view screen, the image of the Earth is magnified.

A huge, oddly shaped cylindrical probe is suspended in near-Earth orbit, its surface shimmering with ominous energy.

Even more alarming is the continuous emission of a strange energy signal from the probe's tip, which seems to be stirring up the Earth like an invisible giant hand.

The atmosphere is experiencing intense global ionization due to the signal, with violent lightning storms spreading through the clouds; unprecedentedly dense water vapor is rising from the ocean surface, and global sea levels are dropping at a visible rate.

The entire planet is being slowly and irreversibly deconstructed.

“Scan that signal!” Kirk’s voice was hoarse with tension.

Chen Yu's mechanical body had already been connected to the science station, and the scarlet optical lens was flashing at high speed, analyzing the destructive energy pattern with all its might.

“The signal structure is exceptionally complex, but its core pattern is not purely destructive energy radiation… it’s more like… a communication attempt.” His synthesized voice carried a hint of confusion from his analysis.

“Communication? Communicate with whom? This kind of communication will destroy the entire planet!” Dr. McCoy couldn’t help but shout.

Chen Yu did not answer; his processing core was comparing the signal pattern with millions of known life forms in the database.

Minutes later, he reached an incredible conclusion: "The core frequency and modulation of the signal are highly homologous to the vocal patterns of humpback whales, although their energy levels have been amplified billions of times. The probe is trying to communicate with humpback whales."

“Humpback whales?” Kirk was stunned, a chill running down his spine. “But that’s impossible… Humpback whales went extinct in the 23rd century due to overhunting by humans.”

This harsh reality plunged the bridge into a deathly silence.

A probe from a distant galaxy travels countless light-years just to communicate with a species on Earth that has long been wiped out by humankind itself.

Now, this belated greeting is becoming a death knell for destruction.

Kirk immediately contacted the Federation's high command via the still-maintainable secondary communication link and reported this fatal discovery. Soon, a top-priority order from Starfleet headquarters was directly transmitted to Kirk: "General Kirk, the Enterprise is currently the only starship on the outer edge of the solar system with independent operational capabilities."

Headquarters orders you to resolve this crisis and save the planet at all costs. You are authorized to utilize all available resources.

The pressure weighed heavily on Kirk's shoulders.

Save the Earth? How? By explaining to a catastrophic probe that its friends are extinct?
Scientists were urgently summoned to the conference room, including Chen Yu, Spock, Carroll, and all the relevant experts on the Enterprise.

The discussion was intense and filled with despair.

Some have suggested using a stronger signal to interfere, but the risk is that this could provoke the probe and accelerate Earth's destruction; others have suggested trying to destroy the probe, but the level of its energy shield is unknown, and a rash attack could have catastrophic consequences.

Time ticked by, and the condition of the Earth continued to deteriorate.

Finally, it was Spock's calm voice that broke the deadlock. He looked at Kirk, his eyes clear and firm: "Captain, logic shows that conventional methods have failed. The only variable is time itself. The humpback whale exists in the past."

“Traveling through time…” Kirk muttered to himself. The idea was crazy and dangerous, but it was the only possibility that glimmered in all the impossibilities.

After meticulous calculations and risk assessments, the team concluded that by utilizing the extreme gravitational fields of Earth and the Sun to conduct a so-called "gravitational catapult," the Enterprise could potentially tear apart the spacetime structure and open a window to the past.

The target timeframe is the 20th century, before humpback whales became extinct.

The mission objective became exceptionally clear, yet incredibly challenging: to pilot this dilapidated starship on an unprecedented time jump back to Earth hundreds of years ago, locate the two humpback whales, and safely bring them back to the "present" in response to the probe's call.

Kirk stood on his captain's chair, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face, seeing both worry and determination.

He didn't hesitate at all.

“Set course, head to perihelion. All calculations required to initiate the ‘gravity ejection’ procedure. We,” his voice echoed across the bridge, with a do-or-die courage, “are going back to the 20th century.”

The Enterprise adjusted its course, like an arrow shot towards the sun, carrying the last hope of saving the Earth, and resolutely rushed towards that blazing light.
-
With meticulous calculations and immense courage, the Enterprise successfully used the Sun's extreme gravitational field to complete a dangerous "gravitational ejection."

A violent sense of spacetime distortion swept across the entire ship. When everything stabilized again, the sensors confirmed that they had successfully arrived in the target era—the Earth's orbit in the late 20th century.

Looking down at this planet, which has not yet experienced the baptism of the interstellar age and whose oceans and green lands are still vast, the core problem of the mission is before us: how to find specific humpback whales in the vast ocean and bring these two behemoths back to the future across hundreds of years?

“We need a base, and a legitimate identity and method for finding the whale,” Kirk ordered from the bridge. “Sulu, switch the ship to optical cloaking mode and search for a covert landing site in the San Francisco Bay Area. Scott, ensure the cloaking system and life support systems are functioning perfectly during landing.”

Like an invisible ghost, the Enterprise silently penetrated the thin atmosphere of the 20th century Earth and finally landed smoothly in a remote, sparsely populated valley near San Francisco.

(End of this chapter)