Chapter Twenty-Five: Love That Crosses Races

The massive interstellar composite fleet of the Tar army, stationed 150 million kilometers from Proxima B, was on high alert. They anxiously awaited reinforcements from the rear. Mr. M, the supreme commander of Tar's military, remained the fleet's chief commander, personally present near Proxima C, piloting a ship that served as his mobile command center.

The primary military objective of the Kwa army was to destroy the Tar underground pyramid on Proxima B. The Kwa believed the pyramid held the Tar army’s deepest secrets; a high-level pyramid possessed many unparalleled functions. Its communication capabilities enabled the supreme Tar commander to maintain seamless contact with every Tar soldier, as well as with the king and intelligence agencies. But the most terrifying feature of the pyramid was its ability to unleash a space-time disturbance effect whenever enemies or enemy weapons entered its vicinity. In other words, any advanced enemy weapon that entered the pyramid's physical influence zone would have all its functions and signals disrupted. Therefore, the Kwa reasoned that to defeat the Tar army, they must first destroy the core pyramid system.

To resist the imminent assault of the Kwa field army, a small ship carrying 100 Neanderthal special forces soldiers had departed from Tar and, thanks to favorable positioning, already arrived at Centauri. After resupply from the Tar fleet, they successfully evaded a large formation of Kwa interstellar carriers and safely positioned themselves in the space between Proxima B and Proxima C. On the cold, dark far side of Proxima B, the remnants of the Tar garrison waited for their Neanderthal brothers. Commander M ordered the Neanderthal special forces to land on Proxima B as quickly as possible, for intelligence suggested a contingent of Kwa field soldiers, escorted by a light attack ship, was also rapidly approaching. While the Kwa vessels were faster, the distance from their home planet Quatapa to Centauri was far greater, allowing the Tar’s small ship to deliver its special forces to Proxima B ahead of the enemy.

The pilot responsible for transporting the Neanderthal special forces was a quintessential Tar beauty, whom everyone called Ms. T. The major leading the 100 Neanderthal special forces was Mr. H, the same man who had once taught young Neanderthals in the jungles of Tar. Ms. T skillfully piloted the small tetrahedral ship, delivering the 100 Neanderthal soldiers safely into Proxima B’s orbit. In the dark and frigid environment, both Tar and Neanderthal wore atmospheric protective suits. On the surface, Tar officers activated numerous visible light devices to welcome the arrival of their Neanderthal brothers.

A Tar major, leading the original garrison, had been awaiting them for some time. As the triangular ship dropped swiftly and came to an immediate halt, hovering two meters above the ground, the hatch opened and a fabric ladder extended at a forty-five-degree angle to the surface. Mr. H led his 100 Neanderthal special forces and Ms. T out of the cabin in perfect order. The major stepped forward to greet them: they exchanged salutes, embraced, and then the major shook hands with each Neanderthal soldier.

The average Tar soldier stood three meters tall and weighed ninety kilograms, with an egg-shaped, hairless, browless head. Apart from these features, they closely resembled humans, except for their piercing blood-red eyes, which lent them a striking, cool appearance. The Neanderthal special forces, only half as tall as the Tars but weighing an average of 160 kilograms, boasted thick thighs and powerful arms—ideal for close-quarters combat. Indeed, these Neanderthals had been sent specifically to engage the Kwa special forces in the most primitive, physical hand-to-hand struggle. The Kwa scientists had never managed to crack the secret core of the Tar pyramids, and on every battlefield, the Tar’s pyramid powers rendered all Kwa high-tech weapons useless, leaving their commanders in despair. This time, however, intelligence revealed that the Kwa intended to send special field forces to destroy the Tar pyramid using the most original tactics and cold weapons.

In the makeshift underground pyramid on Proxima B, the Tar major treated the newly arrived Neanderthal comrades to a simple meal, showing that even alien soldiers at the front led a hard life.

After dinner, the Tar major took Mr. H into another room within the pyramid. The room was rich in information and multi-dimensional in space. There, Mr. H could not only see scenes from his jungle lectures on Tar but also observe the entire dynamic of the Centauri region, including both forward and backward temporal events. “Ah! That’s the very scene of me teaching students in the jungles of my homeland,” Mr. H exclaimed in wonder.

The Tar major explained, “Our pyramid technology remains unrivaled by any civilization in the galaxy. As far as I know, the pyramid is not the product of a single technology, but a comprehensive application combining physics, human science, and the properties of space-time. It is the crystallization of Tar wisdom over many generations. For instance, the scene you just saw of yourself teaching back home wasn’t actually recorded by the pyramid. Instead, the pyramid reads human memory. When your brain recalls past events or contemplates, it emits subtle bioelectric waves, which the pyramid captures and then reconstructs your memories.”

Mr. H was amazed, and the conversation between the two turned to matters of science and technology.

“Our ship is incredibly fast! I just slept once on the journey, and when I woke up, we were already passing through the gas clouds around that death star called Tatooine,” Mr. H remarked.

The Tar major replied, “Regrettably, our ships are far slower than the Kwa’s. As I understand it, the Kwa have already mastered time-folding and spatial-tension technologies in their transports. Our vessels lag a full generation behind theirs. Our crushing defeat in our first war with the Kwa stemmed from underestimating them—we never took a hard look at the Kwa’s advantages or properly assessed their high-tech capabilities. In the second Tar-Kwa war, our slow ships caused our supply lines to falter, leading to disaster…”

The camaraderie and affection between the Tar and the Neanderthals were extraordinary. These two brotherly peoples felt that a day apart was like three years, and they shared everything without reservation. Both were soldiers, marked by exceptional resilience, especially the hot-blooded Neanderthal, Mr. H, who exuded a natural aura of heroism. At this critical juncture for Tar civilization, with the fate of Earth also hanging in the balance, the emotions and determination of the Neanderthals defied description. Mr. H confided everything in the Tar major—his views on life and values, religious faith, compassion for Earth’s people, and thoughts on the interstellar environment.

Mr. H said, “You and I are both children of God. Protecting Earth is our shared duty. We must see our enemy and ourselves clearly. No matter how advanced the Kwa’s weapons or technology become, it cannot shake our faith, disrupt our plans to settle Earth, or change our determination to protect our Earth brothers. God is our creator; the Tar are the rebirth-parents of the Neanderthal people. General, whatever your orders, I will carry them out with my life if need be.”

The heroic presence of Mr. H moved the Tar major deeply—so much that words failed him for a moment. He raised his glass to Mr. H, saying, “Brother, let’s drink first and talk at leisure. There’s so much I wish to discuss with you.”

At that moment, Ms. T, the beautiful Tar pilot, entered and addressed the major: “General, I have just received orders from Commander M. Since the Kwa special field army is about to arrive, I am to leave immediately and proceed to a designated standby location on the far side of Proxima’s mother planet. You, too, must prepare for combat at once.”

“Thank you. Unfortunately, military duty prevents me from keeping you here as a guest, but I wish you a safe journey. When we have driven out the enemy and returned to our homeland, we’ll drink together in celebration,” the major replied.

Mr. H stepped forward, grasped one of Ms. T’s hands in both of his, and said with deep emotion, “I love you. I love you. Trust in our God—under His watch, we will surely defeat the Kwa with our strength. I regret I cannot be with you now, but while you are waiting on the other side of Proxima, please protect our people for me…”

Tears streaming down her face, Ms. T replied, “I ask nothing of you but that you stay alive and return to beautiful Tar with me.”

It turned out that Ms. T and Mr. H, though of different peoples, were lovers. Ms. T had always been drawn to Mr. H’s heroic and passionate spirit, and the two had grown up together, their bond maturing into an unbreakable love.

Seeing this tender and romantic moment between two such different beings in the midst of adversity, the major was moved as well. “I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” he said, stepping out.