"They must have detected the signal from Spock's remains and determined its value far exceeds this derelict ship!" Kirk instantly concluded, a chill spreading down his spine. "They got here before us and are likely on their way to the signal source right now! They might even have already succeeded!"
He dared not delay another second.
"Maine, leave two people to guard the shuttle, establish a defensive position, and maintain communication relay! Everyone else, rally to us immediately! We must reach the signal source at once!" Kirk ordered rapidly.
"Understood!" Maine responded without hesitation, immediately assigning Rebecca and Pilar to stay behind. He then led Valerie, Jackie, Dorio, Falco, and Morris swiftly out of the klingon wreckage and sprinted towards the shuttle.
Soon, the two teams converged.
Kirk glanced at Rebecca and Pilar, who were staying behind, nodded, and then waved his hand: "Everyone, follow! Quickly!"
With Maine's team serving as vanguards and flank guards, Kirk, Osiris, Carol, and McCoy positioned in the center of the formation, the group began a forced march towards the location of the photon torpedo beacon, locked onto by the Enterprise's sensors.
Beneath their feet were soft or sharp nascent soil and rocks, surrounded by a silent and alien ecosystem. The air was filled with ozone and a sweet, organic fragrance.
But at this moment, everyone's nerves were taut, their eyes constantly scanning the surrounding crystal clusters and jagged rocks where enemies might be hidden.
Osiris' mechanical body emitted a low hum as he moved, his sensors fully active, monitoring any energy fluctuations or life signs in the environment.
—
The team moved quickly through the strange and unfamiliar environment. Beneath their feet were nascent, colorful lichen-like plants that made a faint squishing sound when stepped on. The air was filled with a strong scent, a mixture of ozone, sulfides, and a sweet pollen.
Tall crystal clusters around them occasionally refracted shifting light, and a low, earth-pulsating tremor emanated from the distance.
Osiris' massive mechanical body did not cease its work during their advance; his surrounding sensors continuously collected environmental data.
Suddenly, his voice echoed through the team's communication channel, breaking the silence that had only been filled with footsteps and breathing: "Environmental scan shows anomalies. This planet's energy release rate, geological activity frequency, and the evolution speed of biological signals all far exceed reasonable models of natural evolution."
His voice carried a cold, analytical tone. "Based on my preliminary calculations, the spacetime here appears to be in a highly compressed state, forcibly compressing planetary evolution processes that should span millions of years into a scale of months or even days."
Carol explained to him: "This is one of the known side effects of the 'genesis device'—'accelerated evolution.' The device's energy, while reshaping the planet, also greatly accelerated its evolutionary speed."
Osiris' optical lens turned to her, posing a sharper question: "Then, what is the decay rate of this unstable state? According to the theoretical model of the genesis project, how long is this rapid change expected to last?
More importantly, will such violent energy release and material restructuring prematurely deplete the planet's core energy, leading to its demise in an extremely short period? Current data is insufficient to support reliable predictions."
His concerns were not unfounded.
In his database, any process that defied natural laws and was forcibly accelerated often came with significant hidden dangers and backlashes.
Carol's reply carried a hint of uncertainty: "The theoretical model predicts that this accelerated evolution will gradually decay as the 'genesis particles' energy dissipates, eventually stopping and allowing the planet to enter a normal, slow evolutionary trajectory. But…"
She paused, her tone growing heavier. "We lack long-term observational data on a real planet. Genesis is the first successful and only case, and it is still so 'young.'
Is its internal energy balance as stable as the model predicts? How significant is the entropy increase effect caused by this forced time compression?
I… I cannot give a definitive answer. Perhaps it truly will be like a prematurely aging infant, rapidly growing old after a brief burst of vitality."
This conversation made the atmosphere in the team even more somber.
They not only had to track dangerous Klingons and search for Spock's remains in an unstable, rapidly changing environment but also face the unknown disasters that could erupt at any moment from the planet beneath their feet.
This planet was like a ticking time bomb, and no one knew when it would run out of energy, or when the compressed spacetime would cause more drastic distortions.
"Stay alert, speed up!" Kirk's voice came, carrying an undeniable resolve, pulling everyone's thoughts back to the most urgent task at hand. "Regardless of this planet's future, our objective remains unchanged!"
The team fell silent again, only the hurried footsteps and breathing echoing.
—
The group passed through a strange woodland filled with glowing vines and giant purple fungi. The view then opened up to a wide area covered with jagged rocks.
And in this clearing, they saw their target—a group of heavily armored, ferocious-looking Klingon Soldiers.
They seemed to be cornering a target, a small, slender figure in ragged clothing, with pointed ears and the typical Vulcan hairstyle… a child?
The child moved with unusual agility, weaving among the rocks, evading the Klingons' capture, but he was clearly exhausted and had been forced into a corner.
The moment Kirk and the others appeared, the Klingons immediately spotted them.
Unexpectedly, these Klingons showed no hesitation or warning. Upon discovering the new intruders, the leading squad leader let out a crude war cry, raised a disruptor (a klingon energy weapon), and fired in their direction! A crimson energy beam streaked past the rocks.
"Fire!" Kirk ordered without hesitation, while quickly seeking cover.
However, the ensuing battle scene made the people from the Warhammer Universe and Cyberpunk World feel a touch of… absurdity.
In the eyes of Osiris and Maine's team, these Klingons' tactical movements were crude, their coordination unskilled, their shooting accuracy low, and their charges chaotic, relying entirely on brute force.
Their seemingly fierce appearance and wild war cries formed a stark contrast with their actual combat effectiveness.
"Is that all?" Rebecca even had time to quip. Her shoulder-mounted plasma cannon wasn't even used; she simply used her arm-mounted bolter for precise single shots, suppressing two Klingons attempting to charge.