Chapter Twenty-Three: Gratitude

The inhabitants of the slowly rotating planet Tarl rarely have the chance to witness a beautiful “sunset.” Although Tarl’s parent star is a red dwarf, much smaller in mass and volume than the Sun, the planet orbits so close that, to the eye, the star appears enormous. The light from this giant red orb, filtered through Tarl’s thick atmosphere and refracted, creates a spectacular and mysterious display. While ordinary citizens watched this rare beauty by a small lake, the King of Tarl also chose a lakeside spot to hold a relaxed meeting with his advisors.

Present were the King’s military advisor, Mr. E, the intelligence expert Mr. G, other subordinates, and an array of specialists, all assisting the King in drafting amendments to the “Tarqua” Agreement with the Quartpa civilization, to serve as negotiation content and bargaining chips. During this, a junior officer from the Tarl Interstellar Intelligence Agency approached a royal guard to request an audience with Mr. G, the intelligence chief. Granted permission, the agent handed Mr. G a secret interstellar letter.

Mr. G decrypted the message, discovering it to be a handwritten letter from Aibot, the Quartpa Leader, addressed to the King of Tarl. With courtesy, Mr. G handed the letter to the King, who briefly scanned it before passing it to his secretary—a striking Tarl woman, three and a half meters tall, hairless, and without eyebrows or eyelashes—to read aloud:

“Honored King of Tarl, greetings! Since our last meeting at the Interstellar Environmental Co-Governance Conference in the Sman system, I have looked forward to another audience with Your Majesty. I am, regrettably, the only Quartpa leader who has never personally visited the great Tarl civilization. I apologize for this. The histories of our two civilizations have not always been harmonious, but time has carried away old grievances, and the majority of our interactions have been friendly and peaceful. To safeguard lasting peace, we must both adhere to the terms of our previously established consensus—not modify them. It is with regret that I inform you Quartpa will only uphold the existing agreements and promises, and will steadfastly defend peace by any means necessary.”

With Quartpa’s position so clearly stated, it was evident they would not accept any modifications to the treaty previously signed with Tarl. The possibility that force would be the only means left to defend each civilization’s interests and dignity loomed.

Most of Tarl’s elite were caught off guard by the swiftness of Quartpa’s response. Upon learning of their resolve, the King acted decisively, leading his entourage back to the usual underground pyramid palace to direct the impending war.

Soon after, Intelligence Chief Mr. G received urgent frontline information: “A large Quartpa interstellar carrier group near Proxima suddenly opened fire on our task force. One of our major supply ships has already been destroyed.” The news left the King and his top officials momentarily at a loss. Everyone understood that hope of averting war through negotiation had vanished.

Quartpa evidently suspected Tarl’s motives were a delaying tactic and gave them no chance, striking preemptively. Now, only force could decide the fate of both civilizations.

During the sudden assault, Quartpa increased both firepower and the scope of their attacks. Besides the destroyed supply ship, numerous other installations on Proxima B were also eliminated, but Tarl’s underground pyramid command centers on Proxima B remained unharmed. These pyramids, crucial for officer protection and high-end weaponry, had withstood two prior large-scale wars—Quartpa had never breached their defenses. Tarl distinguished between military and civilian pyramids, continually upgrading their functions, making them ever more advanced.

After the return to the underground pyramid palace, the King resumed consultations with Mr. E and Mr. G.

“According to the latest battle reports, none of Quartpa’s advanced offensive weapons have inflicted real damage on our core defenses. This means that, for now, their scientists have not discovered any effective countermeasures against our military pyramids. I am confident they cannot break through our Proxima defenses in the short term,” said Mr. E.

The King asked: “Is there any risk that Quartpa has acquired key information about our MG Plan? The Quartpa people are especially cunning—adept at analysis, observation, and strategy. Given their three clear stances—one, accusing Tarl of violating the prior consensus; two, labeling Earthlings as pests; and three, refraining from attacking Tarl’s home system—might they choose to strike directly at the Solar System and destroy Earth? If so, can we stop them?”

Mr. G responded: “Our motorized special forces on Proxima B recently captured Quartpa communication devices during a covert operation. From these, we’ve obtained recent intelligence: unable to crack our military pyramid technology, Quartpa plans to undermine our command centers by sending elite ground troops aboard a small, ultra-lightspeed vessel. They aim to employ primitive tactics—attacking our pyramid hubs on Proxima B with close combat and cold weapons. Based on frontline deployments, there’s no current indication they intend to rush the Solar System. Even if they are deceiving us and do attempt such a move, Commander M has already redeployed our main forces from Europa to the Solar System’s edge, and they are on full alert.”

The King asked, “What do you mean by ‘primitive tactics’?”

Mr. E explained: “It means abandoning high-tech weaponry in favor of cold weapons and brute force. For example, a Quartpa soldier wielding a thirty-pound iron hammer could strike any part of our pyramid and possibly disrupt its functions. Against simple mechanical force, the pyramids’ original systems are defenseless—not all advanced tech can counter primitive weapons, just as, under special circumstances, the wise cannot overcome the simple-minded.”

The King reflected, “Quartpa excels at unexpected tactics. In our two previous wars, we suffered defeats because they took us by surprise. We have countermeasures for their high-tech, but what worries us most is some unknown, sudden event. How can we defend our pyramid hubs if Quartpa resorts to primitive warfare?”

Mr. E replied, “Quartpa is deploying field troops to Centauri. If we fail to intercept them in the air, we must be equally prepared to fight them on Proxima B’s surface, using the same methods—provided we are ready.”

The King pressed, “If Quartpa brings their primitive tactics to our pyramids, how should we prepare in advance?”

Mr. E answered, “Fight fire with fire. If they attack our pyramids with cold weapons, we can defend with cold weapons as well.”

The King nodded in agreement.

When conflict erupts between civilizations, the sovereign bears the heaviest burden. Tarl’s proposed negotiations were both a genuine hope and a possible stalling tactic. Now, with diplomacy dead, the King was consumed by thoughts of the future—restless, sleepless.

Mr. G reported: “Commander M has sent an urgent order: we must immediately dispatch a unit of specially trained soldiers from Tarl to Proxima B to defend our underground pyramid hub.”

Reviewing the intelligence system, Mr. G confirmed that Quartpa’s troop transports were moving with extraordinary speed. The three high-ranking Tarl officials realized they must act without delay—or face dire consequences.

On Tarl’s slowly spinning surface, the red parent star had half-sunk below the horizon. In a densely wooded region, artificial light was now needed to move about. Here lived a small group distinct from the Tarl natives: Neanderthals, averaging 160 cm in height, 165 kg in weight, robust of limb, and with intelligence slightly above that of Earth humans. By Earth standards, they might appear awkward or unattractive.

The light from the half-hidden star no longer illuminated the forest. Neanderthals used Tarl-provided, electricity-free lamps to gather in family units for social activities. With a population of 30,000, this forest was a designated autonomous region for them. Under Tarl education, the Neanderthals developed noble character and deep religious faith, becoming invaluable to Tarl, advancing its culture and science.

Tarlans are oviparous, like birds. Neanderthals, like Earth humans, are viviparous. Naturally, their genes cannot combine, but with advanced Tarlan genetic technology, hybrids are possible. Nevertheless, such unions are forbidden by Tarlan law and religion, though romantic relationships are allowed. Tarlan civilization is both highly free and rigorously disciplined.

Hanging from a great tree, several energy-storage lamps glowed—pure-spectrum, heatless, powered by energy from the parent star. Electricity had long since become obsolete, replaced by third-stage energy technologies.

Beneath the tree, a young Neanderthal known as Mr. H sat on the grass, fanning himself. He was a geography and history teacher and an active-duty soldier in the Neanderthal district. Around him gathered Neanderthal youths, a few adults, and children, all come to hear his lesson.

“Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming. Let’s have an open discussion and share knowledge tonight...” began Mr. H.

“I want to know where we come from,” a Neanderthal child asked.

Mr. H replied, “Long ago, the Almighty created a star system called the Solar System with unparalleled wisdom. That system’s parent star was larger than Tarl’s, and it had more planets. The third planet, called Earth, was a masterpiece—unique in the galaxy. After making the Solar System, the Creator placed over a million species on Earth, including us, the Neanderthals.”

Another child said, “My parents told me the same story at home.”

Mr. H continued, “Compared to other creatures, we were granted higher intelligence—our brains have more neurons than any animal. The reason for this is clear: the Creator hoped that, through our own effort and intellect, we would one day govern the Solar System and become its true masters.”

“Why did we leave Earth to live here?” a Neanderthal youth asked.

Mr. H sighed, “It’s a sad story. On Earth, we endured a harrowing survival crisis—one could say we made a grave error. We clung too tightly to tradition and ignored the greatest gift we were given—our minds. Lacking innovation, we failed to adapt to nature’s changes and went extinct on Earth. We did not choose to leave; we perished.”

“So why are we here now?” another youth asked.

Mr. H explained, “By a stroke of luck, great Tarlan scientists, during their first exploration of Earth, unearthed six Neanderthal remains from the deep snow. They extracted DNA, brought it to Tarl, and, through recombination and careful cultivation, made it possible for us to live again in this vast and mysterious universe. The Creator is our maker, but the Tarlan scientists are our rebirth-parents. Thus, while worshipping and loving the Creator, we must also feel deep gratitude to the Tarlan scientists.”

“I want to know what Earth is like now,” another youth asked.

Mr. H said, “We are fortunate that our other kin—Earth humans—lived on a warmer continent and survived. By the time Tarlan explorers discovered the Solar System and landed on Earth, humans had spread widely, whereas we Neanderthals were long extinct. As for Earth’s present state, I’ll tell you more in our next lesson.”

Mr. H’s words moved his audience to tears. Neanderthals, raised in such an environment, were deeply grateful; their bond with the Tarlans was unbreakable and unquestioned.

Tears streaming, the Neanderthal students pressed for more stories about Earth. Patiently, Mr. H answered their questions one by one...

Finally, he said, “Regrettably, I must pause our discussion and share urgent news related to Earth: our archenemies, the Quartpa, are invading Earth. Our forces are currently engaging them, for they intend to annihilate humanity and even destroy the planet—to prevent Tarl from settling there. Our main army is holding them at the triple star system near Centauri. I have just received orders from our Supreme Commander M: we are to send a unit of Neanderthal soldiers to the front. This is our moment, to repay the Tarlans and protect our brothers on Earth! I am a soldier—who will join me in battle against Quartpa?”

At these words, the Neanderthal youths’ spirits soared, and even some older children wanted to enlist. Of course, Mr. H would never take minors to war.

Clearly, Mr. H was rallying the Neanderthals, urging them to seize this chance to prove their worth and repay Tarl for their rebirth, while honoring their highest religious faith...