Chapter Thirty-Six: Descendants and Reincarnations

After receiving approval from the planetary chief, all preparations were complete. The military operation against the native forces of Tarl was about to commence. Without the participation of regular troops, could a mission executed by two agents—who were never originally part of the intelligence corps—truly be reliable? What weapons and tactics would the Kwatepa Military Directorate employ? Read on to find out.

Following rigorous, specialized training, the operation was led by Kondon, a young ordinary staff member from the Kwatepa Spatial Administration, accompanied by a single mantis assistant for the entirety of the mission.

Kondon piloted a small, ultra-hyperspeed spacecraft, heading alone toward the Tarl star system. The vessel possessed both temporal folding and spatial tension effects, swiftly traversing countless star systems and the vast reaches of space. Kondon and the mantis, well-trained, operated every procedure with practiced ease. Thanks to the ship’s extraordinary speed and diminutive size, their approach evaded detection by Tarl’s intelligence surveillance systems.

Measurements of the gravitational fields showed they had reached the designated location, only about ten light-seconds away from Tarl. Kondon activated the anti-inertia system; the ship stopped instantly, maintaining a stationary position. After a brief rest, the two prepared for the attack with the military techniques provided in their training, completing all preparations with remarkable proficiency.

Kondon packed the mantis and a nano-powered device into a micro-flight pod, only slightly larger than a cigarette box. The mantis navigated the pod using preset coordinates, reaching and orbiting a meteor roughly five meters in diameter. The meteor’s gravity was too weak to bind the mantis and the pod, but the intelligent pod extended mechanical arms, gripping the meteor like octopus tentacles. The mantis landed successfully on the meteor’s surface, crawled out, using six legs to secure itself to the rough stone, then with its two large pincers, extracted the nano-powered device from the pod. With professional agility, the mantis completed the installation, and the device now controlled the meteor’s trajectory. On Kondon’s command, the mantis piloted the pod back and re-entered the ship’s cabin.

Ten light-seconds below Kondon’s ship lay the legendary Tarl planet. Naturally, Kondon and his mantis companion couldn’t resist observing the small rocky planet in detail. Through a high-resolution optical telescope, they saw Tarlians piloting various spacecraft shuttling between the planet and its two moons. Tarl’s size was comparable to Mars. Within its dense atmosphere, aircraft akin to Earth’s were busy at work. Yet, Tarlians were rarely seen on the surface; their dwellings, agriculture, research facilities, and commercial sectors all operated within subterranean pyramids. The planetary surface was pristine, with lush vegetation though few varieties. The structure of the Kwatepa and Tarl systems differed vastly, and their life forms bore no resemblance. After peering for a while, both lost interest in the planet.

The mantis remarked, “This planet is just another small Earth. In our galaxy, I doubt such planets and base life forms have any real value.”

Kondon laughed, “But our planetary chief and military director insist we respect the existence of Tarlians.”

The mantis asked, “Why do we only see their ships taking off and landing? Where are the Tarlians themselves?”

Kondon replied, “Because their homes, schools, factories, farms, hospitals, and military—all social activities—are conducted entirely in underground pyramid cities. The surface is left to wild animals.”

The mantis queried, “Why don’t Tarlians conduct most activities on the surface like Earthlings, or move everything to space as we Kwatepa do?”

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Kondon explained, “Tarlians were once technologically backward and failed to use science rationally. They lacked understanding of nature, over-relied on mineral and oil resources, and caused severe ecological imbalance. The planet’s magnetic field vanished, and for a long time, there was no atmosphere. Tarlians endured these man-made disasters by surviving underground. Later, as science advanced and was applied wisely, Tarlian scientists restored the magnetic field, and with artificial intervention, the rocky planet regained a dense atmosphere. Still, Tarlians remain accustomed to living beneath the surface.”

The mantis replied, “I see—I was ignorant. I’ll rely on your guidance in the future.”

From above, Tarl, though Mars-sized, boasted diverse geology: mountains, plains, deserts, rivers—though no oceans. Kondon and the mantis focused their telescope on a plain, where a large natural cave was surrounded by numerous small ships—Tarlians had long replaced ground vehicles with flying transports. Takeoffs and landings were frequent.

Kondon pointed out, “Look closely—this is a Tarlian infant incubation bureau, today’s target for our attack. The cave entrance is busy with families delivering eggs for free incubation, or retrieving their newly hatched children.”

The mantis asked, “Adjust the focus—I want to observe their daily life.”

Through the advanced telescope, the mantis witnessed a scene remarkably unlike Kwatepa. The vast cave was indeed the entrance to the pyramid city’s incubation bureau, bustling with visitors. Pairs of parents, jubilant, carried their newly hatched children out and boarded their private ships. Couples, gleeful, brought eggs to the underground pyramids for registration and free incubation. Judging by the traffic, the pyramid city housed more than just the bureau; many commercial districts must exist nearby.

The mantis asked, “How long does it take for their eggs to hatch?”

Kondon replied, “I’m afraid I don’t know; I haven’t studied Tarlian biology or culture so closely.”

The mantis asked, “Can you explain the concept of sexual reproduction?”

Kondon responded, “Let me start with us Kwatepa. We call our newly formed infants our 'rebirth.' Tarlians call theirs 'offspring,' and there’s a fundamental difference. Our rebirth means that when a Kwatepa or mantis reaches adulthood, whether by natural or accidental death, if the body remains intact and unpolluted, it will automatically fragment, and nearly every piece forms new life. Tarlians, however, have two forms—male and female. Only after reaching adulthood, and amidst intense sexual desire, do they join together, each releasing what they call ‘sperm’ and ‘egg,’ which combine to create new life. Once a child is born, strong maternal care is needed for growth. Thus, for sexually reproducing beings, intense sexual desire and maternal love are essential for survival. Our reproductive mode is superior, relying on natural physiological advantages. Our most notable trait is powerful empathy and compassion, ensuring no tribal conflicts among Kwatepa; empathy and compassion regulate all social activities. In contrast, Tarlian genes are selfish, as their life continuation depends on sexual desire and maternal love—a narrow social nature. This is why Tarlian tribes often clash, and though the planet is now unified under one monarch, it was only recently so, after wars between tribal chiefs for supremacy. Their internal conflicts have harmed them more than any external wars; their history is a chronicle of battle.”

The mantis mused, “Incredible. War among their own kind.”

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Kondon sighed, “Please, don’t ask any more—I lack the knowledge to answer such questions.”

“Oh, it’s about time. Let’s begin.” The mantis said.

Kondon watched the Kwatepa temporal display in the ship’s cabin. The countdown began: 7654321—fire. Through remote command, he activated the device on the meteor, which abruptly altered course under gravitational forces, heading straight for Tarl, guided precisely to collide with the infant incubation bureau’s pyramid entrance. Despite interception attempts by Tarl’s advanced space defense system, they failed; Kwatepa scientists had equipped the nano-device with anti-interception jamming, causing Tarlian laser beams to bend near the meteor, missing their target time and again. The weapon was a natural meteor, accelerated by its own inertia and Tarl’s gravity. During its high-speed approach, the nano-device shut down many functions, rendering Tarl’s underground pyramids powerless to stop the impact. As the meteor crashed into the pyramid, a surge of hot gas and smoke shot skyward, forming a massive mushroom cloud and blocking sunlight across a wide area. Many adults and countless incubating eggs were obliterated by the shockwave. Tarl suffered its darkest day in history; fortunately, the population lived underground, so only wild animals suffered on the surface.

The covert military operation was a complete success. Kondon and the mantis fled the scene in their ultra-hyperspeed ship.

The kind-hearted mantis, having witnessed such devastation on his first mission, felt remorse, murmuring, “It was not easy for the Tarlians to survive. I don’t understand why our Military Directorate chose to attack their infant incubation bureau.”

Kondon replied, “We had no choice. In the Proxima battle, Tarlian forces destroyed a transport ship belonging to our Newborn Administration, annihilating the bodies of our heroes fallen at Proxima B, preventing their rebirth and consigning them to eternal death. It was a violation of our lives and religious beliefs. Our reprisal aims to force the Tarlian king to demand stricter discipline from their soldiers, so such tragedies do not occur again.”

The Tarlian king’s premonition had come true. Would chaos now erupt on Tarl? Though a victory was won near the solar system, now their homeland suffered a blow. Moreover, the elite of Tarl’s society had no idea why their pyramids failed to defend against enemy attacks. Tarlians had long prided themselves on their pyramids’ galactic renown, so this disaster would severely undermine military and civilian morale. How would Tarl’s authorities respond? What would Kwatepa do next?