Chapter Thirty: The Battle for the Pyramid

After the main fleet was devastated by the Kua army at 150 million kilometers from Proxima Centauri B, the Tal military commander, Mr. M, chose suicide. Yet the defenders on Proxima Centauri B’s surface continued their arduous resistance against the Kua army’s special forces. Although the remaining strength had withdrawn from the battlefield and successfully rendezvoused with the fleet stationed at the edge of the solar system, leadership was indispensable. The Tal king appointed his military advisor, Mr. E, as the new Supreme Commander.

With the frontline fleet’s disastrous defeat, if the Kua army now pressed directly towards the solar system to destroy Earth, it would be all too easy. The Tal king met with the new commander, Mr. E, to discuss military affairs and address the solar system crisis.

The king said, “I hope you can inherit Mr. M’s virtues. He has left much valuable legacy for our Tal army. Combined with your own strengths, I believe the Tal forces will be invincible. You are the pillar of the revival of Tal civilization.”

Commander E replied, “Whether Intelligence Chief Mr. G’s mission to Celt will succeed remains uncertain. But regardless of the outcome, we must not waver in our Earth plan, nor abandon our faith. There can be no compromise with the Kua side...”

After accepting the command, Mr. E realized a grave issue: the pyramid constructed by former commander M on Proxima Centauri B was merely a basic version, its functions limited, which became a principal cause of defeat. Furthermore, the construction was not completed on schedule, allowing the Kua army’s first wave to easily destroy most Tal weapons on the surface. M’s excessive caution and hesitance in battle also contributed to the fleet’s defeat. As the former advisor and now Supreme Commander, E was astute and understood the manifold reasons for M’s failure at Proxima Centauri. Without delay, E ordered the construction of a larger, more advanced pyramid on Europa within the solar system. This time, E would not be present but would remain on Tal’s homeworld, using the pyramid’s advanced communications to command the front lines remotely...

In the king’s underground pyramid palace, both the king and E watched live footage on the big screen as Tal defenders on Proxima Centauri B were wiped out by the Kua army. Only the two deputies of the previous commander, hidden on Proxima Centauri C, could be directed from afar. With most ships destroyed or fled, lacking intermediate forces, these deputies were eager but powerless to turn the tide. E ordered them to transmit all data from the mobile command ship to his new equipment, and soon E completed the physical link between the home pyramid and the newly built one on Europa, taking direct control of the core military chain. The two deputies were dispatched to Europa to operate the new pyramid, being skilled in its use and seasoned in battle.

On Proxima Centauri B’s surface, Tal warriors and Neanderthal soldiers still fought valiantly against the Kua army. Though equipped with plasma swords, they could not inflict real harm on the Kua special forces, only destroy their hand-held melee weapons. The Tal force was nearly annihilated, though many Kua soldiers also fell.

With the Tal army rapidly constructing a stronger pyramid system on Europa, the Proxima Centauri B pyramid became an abandoned shell. The surviving Tal special forces no longer needed to defend it. Commander E ordered Ms. T, stationed on the far side of the homeworld, to pilot a small ship to evacuate all Tal survivors from Proxima Centauri B.

Ms. T’s ship soon circled the homeworld and hovered above Proxima Centauri B. Adjusted to sub-light speed, she activated the anti-inertia system, halting just ten meters above the ground, then descended as lightly as a feather.

Emerging from the hatch, Ms. T was stunned by the carnage—corpses of both sides strewn across a small patch of land, a scene of unbearable devastation. The tall, slender Tal warriors lay dead. About ninety Kua soldiers surrounded six surviving Neanderthals, while another fifty Kua special forces, armed with hammers and clubs, stormed the underground pyramid. Far away on Tal’s homeworld, E watched every detail via the big screen. He no longer worried about the pyramid’s destruction, as it was already abandoned, but his greatest concern was that the Kua soldiers would dismantle its materials and core components, take them back to Kua planet, and study them. If the Kua scientists cracked the pyramid’s secrets, it would spell immeasurable loss for Tal civilization.

Now, Ms. T was the only Tal person present. She had come by order to evacuate survivors, but found only six Neanderthals, unable to escape.

Suddenly, Tal’s command system lost physical connection with the Proxima Centauri B pyramid; all signals vanished. E realized the pyramid had been utterly destroyed and anticipated an imminent airstrike by Kua combat ships, as the special forces' communications would now be restored. He ordered Ms. T to abandon the rescue and flee for her own safety. Yet, driven by powerful love, Ms. T chose to defy orders, determined to live and die with her beloved Neanderthal, Mr. H.

On the dark surface, both armies fought a brutal melee under artificial visible light. The equipment barely illuminated the scene, even as many warriors fell, their lights still glowing.

The six Neanderthals, including Mr. H, wielded spears and dueled the four-legged Kua soldiers. Tal’s ancestors once hunted mammoths with spears on Earth, and their descendants showed the same valor. The six warriors fought in coordinated groups of three, avoiding direct one-on-one combat and refusing to be surrounded. It was almost comical—three would lure foes by running, then strike when the fastest pursuer approached. Mr. H, armed with a hooked spear, expertly tripped his enemy; another warrior stabbed both eyes, and a third pierced the neural center in the back, leaving the foe motionless and awaiting death. This tactic killed several Kua soldiers, but exhaustion soon set in.

Ms. T watched the thrilling battle, anxious and fearful, shouting in Tal language, “My dear, I came to save you! Run with me, our ship is just behind!”

“My love, pilot the ship and escape—don’t worry about me. If you don’t go now, it’ll be too late!” Mr. H responded as he led his comrades in fighting and called out to his beloved.

Kua ears differed entirely from Tal’s, and without converting sound to electromagnetic waves, no matter how loudly Tal soldiers spoke, the Kua could not hear. Unfortunately, Mr. H’s gestures betrayed Ms. T’s position. Some Kua soldiers spotted the tall Tal woman nearby and gave chase, while others moved within striking distance of Mr. H. As Mr. H and his three companions attacked a Kua soldier, Ms. T managed to evade her pursuers and ran to Mr. H’s side. He had no time for greetings, as three Kua soldiers simultaneously closed in on his group. Using his usual technique, Mr. H tripped one, but before he could withdraw the hook, another Kua soldier, with octopus-like appendages, wielded a massive knife and swung at Mr. H’s head. Ms. T, seeing the danger, used her plasma dagger, and, thanks to her three-meter height, touched the Kua’s blade, vaporizing it instantly and saving Mr. H.

The three Neanderthals killed the Kua soldier using their signature tactic. Ms. T, seeing the enemy’s blade vaporize, immediately stabbed another approaching Kua soldier, but was surprised that his body was unaffected by the plasma blade. The Kua soldier, with tentacle-like hands, quickly wrapped one of Ms. T’s arms. With two hands, Tal people could not resist the four appendages of the Kua, whose weight was five times greater. Ms. T was captured alive, screaming instinctively for help.

Mr. H abandoned the group tactic and rushed solo at the ferocious Kua soldier. Leaping, he stabbed both eyes, blinding the foe, who, enraged, twisted Ms. T’s arm and neck, flinging her twenty meters onto a rock. Heartbroken, Mr. H forgot his comrades and rushed toward his beloved, only to be struck by a shield thrown by another Kua soldier, collapsing, barely alive. He crawled desperately toward Ms. T. Without the original group tactics, the remaining Neanderthals were killed one by one before Ms. T stopped breathing. Exhausted, the last of the trio lost their agility, and were also slain. All one hundred Neanderthals and two hundred fifty Tal soldiers, including Ms. T, fell—three hundred fifty-one in total.

Mr. H, with his last breath, crawled to Ms. T, cradling her in his arms. Though her body was still warm, she no longer breathed. His hot tears fell on her cold face, unable to revive her—it was the fate of lovers separated by death. On this cold, dark, alien world, all his comrades were gone. Heartbroken and helpless, Mr. H’s only hope was for the Almighty to save him, unaware that death was drawing near. A Kua soldier approached, shining a light on Mr. H’s back. Instinctively, Mr. H turned to see the enemy squinting and shaking his twin tentacles, as if saying, “You fool, even at death’s door you remain so devoted. Good for you—I’ll send you to the afterlife with your beloved.” The Kua soldier raised a foreleg and stomped on Mr. H’s chest, lingering for several seconds. This valiant Neanderthal hero sacrificed his life to protect Earth and his Tal lover.

The Tal fleet was destroyed, and the last Tal soldier on Proxima Centauri B was eliminated. The pyramid was demolished, but the Kua army’s objective remained unfulfilled—their ultimate goal was to reach the solar system and destroy Earth. Thus, the war between the two civilizations was not yet over.

The special forces who entered the pyramid emerged, some collecting data, others carrying dismantled components to take back for research by Kua scientists. The Tal civilization now faced unprecedented crisis; if the Kua cracked the pyramid’s secrets, Tal would have no leverage to contend with them.

A Kua major gathered the special forces on the surface, beside heaps of pyramid materials. They had just shifted from fear to the joy of victory and were about to return home. Suddenly, a bright light shone from above—a medium-sized transport ship from the Kua Newborn Administration. Its mission: to retrieve the bodies of fallen Kua soldiers for artificial regeneration. (Note: As long as the bodies are unpolluted and uncorrupted, they instinctively fragment, and each piece spawns new life.)

The transport ship landed barely twenty meters from where Mr. H lay. The surviving soldiers cooperated with the crew, carrying the wounded to the medical bay, the dead to another compartment, and loading all dismantled items from the pyramid.

At this moment, Mr. H regained consciousness—the Kua soldier’s stomp had not quite finished him off.

His awareness sharpened; he observed the enemy’s every move, fully comprehending the situation. The enemy was about to depart in triumph, his beloved Ms. T lay stiff, and all Tal and Neanderthal warriors were dead. What could he do before his last breath? He noticed Ms. T’s rigid hand still grasped the handle of a plasma dagger. He pried it free, pressed a button, and a bright slow-moving beam extended from the handle, forming a complete blade. This was Mr. H’s last chance for revenge.

After loading everything onto the ship, the Kua soldiers prepared to take off. The football-field-sized ship rose slowly, almost directly above Mr. H. He could see the landing gear retracting, and a powerful force surged through his body. Mr. H rose, throwing the plasma dagger into the gap of the landing gear. As the ship exited Proxima Centauri B’s atmosphere and prepared to accelerate, the high-temperature plasma ignited and detonated the weapons onboard. In an instant, the entire vessel was reduced to ashes, scattered in space.

This heroic Neanderthal, Mr. H, at the most critical moment, used his last breath to prevent Tal’s iconic, high-tech pyramid technology from falling into the hands of their ancient rivals, the Kua. It was a remarkable achievement for Tal civilization...