Chapter Eighteen: Restoring Glory

During this extraordinary period of war, the Supreme Leader of Quartapa was planning military operations with the Commander-in-Chief, Sade, in the Celestial Palace. The task of intelligence gathering for the military temporarily fell to Director Yanan of the Quartapa Space Administration, as the personnel there were more familiar with the spatial and physical structures of the galaxy. Yanan's team was also responsible for collecting intelligence on the strength of the Tarl civilization, as well as reporting real-time updates from the front lines to Supreme Leader Aibot and Commander Sade.

News soon arrived that, while advancing toward the solar system, the Quartapa forces had been ambushed by the Tarlians near Alpha Centauri, resulting in the loss of a reconnaissance squad. This development made the three leaders acutely aware of the need for caution. Far from blaming the frontline commander for the setback, the Supreme Leader praised the decisive retreat, highlighting the calm and prudent nature of the Quartapans in the face of adversity. According to their shared doctrine, any interference or obstruction by the Tarlians would be considered an act of war, escalating the conflict between the two civilizations.

Supreme Leader Aibot first instructed Intelligence Chief Yanan to raise the intelligence alert to its highest level and urged Commander Sade to coordinate closely with Yanan in developing new tactical strategies.

Three massive interstellar carriers hovered above Quartapa, their officers disembarking to attend a secret meeting arranged by Sade and Yanan—a gathering that would determine the fate of their civilization.

Commander Sade addressed the assembly: “Generals, during your mission, you faced an unprovoked ambush by Tarlian forces. In the face of danger, you acted not with recklessness but with decisive withdrawal. I commend you for your exemplary conduct. You are the finest soldiers of Quartapa, and your choice to retreat earns you deserving rewards. I am confident that on future battlefields, you will employ even more rational tactics and flexible responses. Quartapan warriors have always relied on intellect, never rashness, to overcome the enemy.

“It is regrettable that we lost a valiant reconnaissance squad. Intelligence indicates that the Tarlians deployed special forces and wielded plasma flame throwers, vaporizing both our ship and our soldiers, leaving no remains to be revived. Their deaths are truly permanent and distant from us. I share in your grief. Now, I declare that the righteous people of Quartapa will soon exact retribution on the barbaric Tarlians, making them pay dearly for their savagery.”

The officers and soldiers voiced their strong support for Sade’s resolve.

Director Yanan then spoke: “Current intelligence suggests that the Tarlian army, to avoid the intense radiation and heat of Proxima B, has concentrated its main forces on the dark side of the planet. Their commander, Supreme Commander M, personally pilots a small pyramid-function vessel, which serves as their mobile command hub, frequently moving between Proxima B and Proxima C. The stealth capabilities of this ship, derived from its pyramid functions, make tracking M’s exact location impossible.”

Supreme Leader Aibot remarked, “Supreme Commander M is a formidable adversary, seasoned in interstellar warfare, and has led the Tarlians to many victories against other civilizations. His mobile command ship is said to be stationed near Proxima C, but whether he is aboard remains unknown. We require more reliable intelligence. Our initial military objective is to destroy their main force; whether we must eliminate M himself depends on how the situation unfolds.”

Commander Sade continued, “I propose deploying part of our forces to lure the enemy’s main strength far from Proxima B’s dark side, then landing another contingent on the planet’s sunward side and advancing overland to catch the Tarlians off guard. If successful, we will first annihilate their Pyramid Guard stationed on Proxima B and destroy their pyramid command system. The collapse of their pyramid on Proxima B will dismantle Commander M’s entire command structure. We can then swiftly eliminate their task fleet in Alpha Centauri and proceed directly to the solar system to annihilate Earth.”

A Quartapan major added, “The Tarlians managed to ambush us near Alpha Centauri and intercepted all our massless wave weapons, forcing us into close-quarters combat. Should we confront them on Proxima B, we must be prepared for primitive hand-to-hand fighting—even the possibility of capture.”

Commander Sade and Director Yanan both concurred with the major’s assessment.

Sade then reminded the assembly, “What we discuss here is based on our experience, which comes from our understanding of past events. The greatest battlefield danger lies in the unexpected—those that elude our logic. The Tarlian ambush in Alpha Centauri demonstrates intelligence gathering and preparation beyond our anticipation. Therefore, we must strengthen our intelligence efforts and avoid being caught off guard again.”

Director Yanan observed, “Though we appear proactive, we are actually on the defensive. I am currently monitoring developments on the Tarlian homeworld. Given their penchant for audacity, the Tarlians may even attempt a hasty strike on Quartapa itself.”

Supreme Leader Aibot agreed with Yanan’s concerns and immediately ordered Commander Sade to prioritize homeland defense above all else.

Yanan’s words awakened the assembly. Many officers insisted not only on reinforcing planetary defenses but also on securing sufficient intelligence before engaging the enemy. Only with thorough understanding could they seize the initiative.

Commander Sade declared, “Our current strategies are merely pre-battle plans. When combat begins, every action must be dictated by real-time intelligence. Should Quartapan forces be attacked while uninformed or unprepared, they must withdraw—under no circumstances are they to resist blindly. As the ancient strategist Sunzi advised, ‘Of thirty-six stratagems, retreat is best.’”

Under Sade’s directive, countless Quartapan interstellar troops piloted their ships across their planet’s skies, ever vigilant against Tarlian raids. Director Yanan also set his subordinates to comprehensive intelligence gathering on the Tarlian civilization.

Commander Sade could only initiate large-scale military operations with Supreme Leader Aibot’s approval. The Tarlian ambush in Alpha Centauri forced the Quartapans to mobilize vast resources and weapons and to intensify intelligence efforts. Yet their delayed engagement inadvertently granted the Tarlians precious preparation time, as their adversaries too had lacked meticulous planning and deployment.

With superior resources, the Quartapans rapidly finalized operational plans. They expanded their carrier fleet from three to fifty-three ships, supported by Yanan’s extensive intelligence network. Each branch assumed its duties, and the grand armada stood ready—a well-prepared host on the verge of launching the most brutal, large-scale war the galaxy had ever seen between these two advanced civilizations.

Fearing that such a massive mobilization might leak information, the flexible Quartapan military chose to bypass their old nemesis, the Celtic Star System, en route to the solar system. Yanan remained on Quartapa to oversee intelligence operations, while Commander Sade took personal command of the campaign from headquarters, directing the front via advanced dark-energy quantum communications—a system that transcended time, enabling instantaneous transmission regardless of distance.

In both size and strength, the Quartapan fleet far outmatched the Tarlian task force. How would the Tarlians resist such might? Could they bar the Quartapans from the solar system? The answer awaited in the chapters to come…