Chapter Thirty-One: A Narrow Escape from Certain Death

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During a sensitive wartime period, three prominent figures—the intelligence chief Yanan, the military commander Sade, and the planetary leader Abbott—gathered once again on Quartpa to discuss military affairs.

Commander Sade said, “I regret to inform you, Leader, that the transport ship dispatched by our New Administration has been destroyed by the Tar forces. All crew, including those heroic souls who sacrificed themselves, have had their bodies reduced to ashes.”

Abbott, the planetary leader, erupted in fury: “The Tars are utterly insane. I will make them pay dearly for their barbaric acts.”

Sade replied, “I have already devised retaliatory measures that will ensure the Tar army dares not repeat such behavior on the battlefield.”

Note: The Quartpa are not sexually reproducing creatures; they have no gender. Once they reach maturity, regardless of whether they die naturally or accidentally, as long as their remains are unpolluted, their bodies will naturally fragment, and each piece will grow into a new life. If their corpses are not promptly handled or are contaminated, they cannot fragment and regenerate, which means true death. Thus, the Quartpa cannot accept the destruction of their compatriots’ bodies. The Tar army’s attack on the Quartpa transport ship carrying fallen soldiers’ remains sparked outrage across Quartpa, with citizens pressuring the military to retaliate harshly against such savage cruelty.

A mantis-like being entered the meeting room and informed the planetary leader, “An external guest requests an audience.”

“Bring them in,” Abbott said.

Following the mantis, a guest whose appearance resembled a sea lion floated into the chamber. This was the ambassador sent by the Queen of Kelt. The Kelts and Quartpa are not of the same species; their life forms are vastly different. Kelts and Tars are more similar, both are carbon-based life, relying on proteins and nucleic acids, and breathe oxygen as sexually reproducing organisms.

Whenever an external envoy visits Quartpa, whether among the common folk or the elite, it is treated as a matter of utmost importance. Especially during this special wartime period, the arrival of a former adversary’s envoy—the Kelt civilization—piqued the curiosity of Quartpa’s high-minded citizens, who anxiously awaited the purpose of the visit. Abbott personally received the Kelt ambassador with his senior staff, hoping the guest would speak freely during the talks, revealing more of Kelt’s position. Since the last war had ended, this was the first meeting between the two civilizations. The talks were held in the planetary leader’s aerial palace. Quartpa’s technical experts prepared a sealed chamber filled with breathable oxygen for the guest and provided translation services. The historic conversation began.

The Kelt ambassador spoke: “Upon hearing that Quartpa and Tar civilizations have entered military conflict, we Kelts feel immense sorrow, for both parties are important friends to us. We do not wish to see another war between Quartpa and Tar. On behalf of our Queen, I convey Kelt’s desire: we hope you understand the plight of the Tars. Their homeworld has reached its final age; they must relocate their people to a habitable planet as soon as possible. Yet, suitable planets in the galaxy are few. If Quartpa insists on blocking Tar’s migration to Earth or destroys Earth outright, Tar will fight with all its might to protect Earth and its people. Facing the powerful Quartpa, Tar is the weaker side. When a vulnerable group suffers, Kelts will lend a helping hand—this is our faith. Our Queen hopes to mediate peace between Quartpa and Tar, urging Quartpa to show magnanimity, to understand Tar’s religious beliefs and the existential crisis that shapes their anxiety.”

Abbott replied, “We thank Her Majesty for her concern. Regrettably, the Queen still lacks a deep understanding of the issues between the two civilizations. Quartpa has never encroached on any weaker civilization; on the contrary, Tar is formidable. They failed to communicate their needs properly, resorting to offensive deception. We cannot grasp their true intentions. Quartpa’s actions are purely defensive. Our demands are simple: Tar must provide a reasonable explanation, but they persist in deceiving us. Our stance is clear: either halt their Earth project or clarify their real purpose in the solar system. Historically, the Tar army twice invaded Quartpa, causing severe harm. Peace came only through the great agreement signed by both parties, and now Tar has violated it, making them wholly responsible for the current situation.”

The Kelt ambassador lowered his head in silence for several seconds, then said, “If you don’t mind, Leader, please elaborate more on Quartpa’s position. I will faithfully report to our Queen. That is my duty, though it is all I can do.”

After comprehensive talks with the Kelt diplomat, Abbott instructed a mantis-like aide to escort the ambassador to a comfortable setting for proper hospitality, informing him that Quartpa’s final position and decision would soon be clarified...

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Once the mantis had led the Kelt ambassador from the venue, the three prominent figures analyzed the situation. They believed the Queen of Kelt’s envoy was not seeking peace, but aimed to pressure Quartpa into compromise through threats. Yanan’s team had already obtained intelligence about the Tars sending an ambassador to the Kelts and realized the Kelt authorities might be drawn into the conflict. Yet at this point, Quartpa had not revealed its cards to the Kelts. Abbott himself was resistant to the Queen’s stance as delivered by her envoy, and he actively asked Director Yanan for more details about the Tar army. Yanan, with remarkable empathy, intercepted the biological signals Abbott emitted, fully understanding his attitude and knowing he wanted more negative news about the Tar military.

Yanan fixed his eyes on Abbott, shaking his antennae: “When our special forces attacked the Tar pyramid on Proxima B, they encountered two types of enemies—a monster appeared on the battlefield.”

“Show me at once,” demanded Abbott.

Yanan had a mantis aide project a hologram of a Neanderthal corpse sent from the front lines. After careful observation and comparison, both Abbott and Sade concluded that these short, muscular beings were a new species artificially synthesized by Tar biologists using Earth human and ape genes. The three Quartpa leaders judged this creature—the Neanderthal—as direct evidence of Tar’s violation of the Quartpa-Tar agreement, and of other alien civilizations’ criticism of Tar biologists for creating artificial life. This revelation further fueled the Quartpa’s hatred and disgust toward the Tars.

Abbott declared, “The Tars claim their actions on Earth stem from religious faith. This is nothing but a ludicrous joke—a blatant and extreme lie.”

Sade said, “Clearly, the Tars have deceived us, and other alien civilizations as well. We must now intensify our military response to their vile conduct.”

Yanan’s holographic evidence not only provoked disgust and anger among Quartpa decision-makers but also slammed shut the last door to negotiations; there was no room left for compromise. Now, victory would belong to whoever held the strongest military force.

Abbott instructed the mantis aide to relay Quartpa’s final decision to the Kelt ambassador: “If war is to be avoided, Tar must surrender and continue to abide by the Quartpa-Tar agreement.”

The Queen of Kelt’s diplomatic mission failed to achieve its intended effect; Quartpa’s stance was clear and adamant. The Kelt envoy was already preparing to return to Kelt, where he would meet with Mr. G, the Tar Kingdom’s interstellar intelligence chief.

On the massive gas planet Kelt, the thick atmosphere teems with diverse life forms. The Kelts have thrived here, being the only advanced intelligent life on the planet, with most social activity taking place in the floating layers of the dense atmosphere. The Kelt civilization once flourished magnificently, even colonizing Quartpa for a long period.

Inside the Queen’s palace floating in the thick atmosphere, the Queen herself, newly returned from Quartpa, and her senior staff welcomed the envoy from Tar—Mr. G, the Kingdom’s interstellar intelligence chief.

“Tar representatives greet your Majesty. I bring greetings from King Tar,” Mr. G said.

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The Queen of Kelt replied, “You have endured much; we are deeply gratified by your arrival. This moment marks the beginning of a honeymoon between our two great civilizations.”

Mr. G said, “In the galaxy, both Tars and Kelts are rare and fragile in terms of life forms, yet we both possess incomparable wisdom to overcome adversity. Our civilizations have much in common—past glory, shared suffering. I believe Tars and Kelts understand each other best. Our long-standing empathy binds us; with your Majesty’s guidance, I hope Kelts will pay greater attention to Tar’s civilization.”

The Queen said, “Kelt once suffered planetary geological upheaval, causing natural disasters and mass extinction, setting our civilization back dramatically. In our darkest hour, King Tar extended a helping hand, dispatching biologists and other scientists, enabling Kelt to revive and flourish again. For this, on behalf of twenty billion Kelts, I thank the great Tars once more!”

Mr. G said, “Whether in our help for Kelts then or in our current plight with Earth, all our actions stem from our religious faith. Tars now face unprecedented trouble: the powerful Quartpa, without cause, label our kinsmen—the Earth humans—as pests, intent on exterminating them all and destroying Earth itself. Their real aim is to block our migration to Earth. As is well known, our homeworld has reached its dying age; we must immigrate to a planet suited for us. Thanks to Almighty God and the guidance of the Bible, we found Earth in the solar system. Sadly, Quartpa’s attitude toward us is full of suspicion, going so far as to wage war to prevent us leaving the Tar system. By royal command, I beseech your Majesty to lend the Tar people your strength, to help us resist the evil Quartpa.”

After speaking, Mr. G stood and bowed in silence to the Queen and her staff.

The Queen said, “I am already aware of the current conflict between Quartpa and Tar. To resolve this, I dispatched an envoy to Quartpa for peace mediation, but the results were most disappointing.”

She then introduced the recently returned Kelt diplomat to Mr. G. The envoy carefully relayed all information exchanged with the Quartpa leader concerning the crisis.

After the Queen’s team met with Mr. G, the Kelt elite realized now was the best opportunity for Kelt’s revival and to avenge Quartpa. Considering the interests of her people, the Queen agreed to Tar’s proposal. Thus, the Kelts were willing to ally with the Tars and use military force to jointly resist Quartpa. Mr. G revealed Tar’s trump card: if they defeated the Quartpa, King Tar would grant Neptune and Uranus in the solar system—both gas giants—to the Kelts as reward.

From now on, the Tars would not fight alone. Quartpa would face two enemies. The situation had turned against Quartpa and could threaten the safety of their home planet...

When the Kelt and Tar armies formed a powerful interstellar alliance, would the Kelt-Tar coalition focus its forces near the solar system for a decisive battle with Quartpa, or would they launch an assault on Quartpa’s homeworld? Let us wait and see.