Chapter Fourteen: Earth Under Attack

Although the authorities of Quartpa had no interest in Earth, its inhabitants, or any terrestrial species, and their research had confirmed that Earth’s civilization posed no potential threat to the Quartpa civilization, the actions of their arch-enemies, the Tarls, on Earth aroused deep apprehension. Furthermore, the original bacteria and viruses used in Tarl’s bioweapons during the last Quart-Tarl War had been products of Earth. Thus, the Quartpa suspected that the Tarls might exploit Earth’s resources to enhance their military strength. However, the Quartpa also believed it wise to avoid direct confrontation with the Tarls for now, as their experts feared that the Tarls might already possess, or were plotting to develop, gene weapons capable of terrifying the Quartpa people. As a result, the Quartpa military dared not recklessly attack the Tarl home planet.

To resolve the current crisis, the wise and resolute Chief of Quartpa made a decisive decision: to eliminate future threats, Earth must be destroyed. Only by preventing the Tarls from acquiring Earth’s biological resources could their malicious intentions be thwarted. The Quartpa authorities considered that as long as their military action targeted Earth and not the Tarl home planet, it would not escalate into a direct military confrontation between the two great civilizations.

Chief Aibot of Quartpa declared, “Once we launch an assault on Earth, the Tarl military may risk retaliating against our home planet. The military command must deploy our essential forces around Quartpa, for the protection of our homeland is paramount.”

Commander Sade of Quartpa replied, “Rest assured, Chief. With our defensive systems, the enemy will find it nearly impossible to breach our lines.”

After meeting with the Chief, Commander Sade began orchestrating a special military operation; the Quartpa military was about to strike Earth, and they intended to gauge the Tarl response in the process.

A young major entered Commander Sade’s Sky Privy Chamber, prepared to lead a unique mission. Sade handed him a miniature flying device, perfectly circular with a diameter of fifty centimeters and a thickness of only ten, saying, “This is a one-way vehicle—it flies once and requires no retrieval. Upon completing its mission at the destination, it will self-destruct.”

The major replied, “Thank you, Commander, for your trust. I am honored to demonstrate my abilities and value, and to lead this special operation fills me with pride. I hope for more opportunities in the future to earn your confidence and favor.”

Commander Sade said, “A soldier must possess not only self-confidence but also a keen sense of caution—never arrogance, never underestimating the enemy. Courage is essential, but recklessness must be avoided. From my observations, I believe you are fully capable of executing this special mission.”

The major responded, “I am grateful for your guidance and expectations. Under a strong commander, weak soldiers are rare. To match your military prowess and become an outstanding strategist like you is my ultimate aspiration. I look forward to learning much more under your command.”

Returning promptly to the matter at hand, Sade continued, “This vehicle is exceptionally fast and can reach its target in a very short time. Its small size makes it difficult for the enemy to detect or intercept. You need only pilot a light spaceship to the outermost gas cloud of the Quartpa star system, then follow the programmed instructions.”

The major said, “I’ve always been fascinated by testing new weapons. Thank you, Commander! I will carry out this great mission exactly as you command.”

Full of youthful vigor and daring, the Quartpa major piloted a light spaceship beyond the system’s outer gas cloud, then launched the miniature flying device from the cabin. Guided automatically, the device streaked directly toward the Solar System. Inside it were numerous new concept technologies developed by Quartpa scientists, marking the first time both the vehicle and its onboard weapons were deployed in actual combat.

As it traversed the relatively smooth, vast reaches of space, the vehicle flawlessly employed temporal folding and spatial tension effects. Crossing star systems with complex gravitational fields, it successfully shielded itself from all external forces. Quartpa scientists had raised the speed of their new technologies to unprecedented levels. The device was also equipped with reconnaissance capabilities, continuously transmitting data—quantum signals bearing spatial gravity parameters, dark matter concentrations, and more—back to the control center. Passing through Centaurus, it sent data revealing that the Tarl fleet was advancing toward Proxima B, indicating that the Tarls were deploying military might to protect Earth. This was a valuable piece of intelligence for the Quartpa military.

When the device reached the edge of the Solar System and entered the Oort Cloud, it encountered a chaotic region teeming with asteroids, rocky debris, and ice fragments. Dense matter and interference from Earth’s outward-bound radio waves disrupted its detection systems, causing it to lose track of Earth’s coordinates. Controllers back on Quartpa had to painstakingly reprocess the data to locate Earth and upload new instructions to the device. Upon entering the inner Solar System, the vehicle reduced speed to avoid collisions with asteroids and meteors. After crossing Mars’ orbit, it accelerated again, now only two light-seconds from Earth. Suddenly, it slowed to match Earth’s velocity, and its weapons bay opened automatically—Earth was about to be struck.

A dark matter bullet was fired from the weapons bay at 0.1 times the speed of light. Though the bullet weighed merely five grams, it could not maintain the vehicle’s original velocity after launch, lacking its own superluminal propulsion. Upon contacting Earth’s magnetic field, the bullet detonated. The explosion itself was not powerful; much like conventional explosives draw oxygen from their surroundings, this dark matter bullet absorbed the local magnetic field as it detonated, tearing a gaping hole in the field at the moment of explosion.

Quartpa scientists witnessed their newly developed dark matter bullet succeed in its first battlefield test, and together with the military, they celebrated this achievement with exuberance. According to data from Quartpa astronomers, Earth was now in serious trouble. Periodic solar winds were soon to erupt; if the Tarls did not intervene to repair Earth’s magnetic field, the entire atmosphere could vanish in short order.

The Quartpa’s attack on Earth was intended merely to test their new weapon and to observe the Tarl response. If the Tarls reacted contrary to expectations, these two great civilizations were certain to ignite another large-scale war in the galaxy.