Chapter One: The Daily Life of an Alien

Director Yanan of the Quartpa Space Administration convened the work meeting as usual. The team members entered the director’s office punctually and in good order.

Director Yanan began, “Teammates, the purpose of today’s meeting is to assign you a brand-new mission. Recently, two black holes collided in the northern part of the galaxy, and another white dwarf has perished. The effects of these events will cause a fundamental transformation in the spatial fabric of our usual interstellar trade routes, which will disrupt our ship transports. We must conduct a thorough survey and repair of these affected regions and the interstellar trade hubs under our jurisdiction.”

A middle-aged member named Kos volunteered, “Respected Director, I am best suited for this mission. I have extensive surveying experience and have led expert teams for exploration in many regions of the galaxy.”

The director replied with great satisfaction, “You are outstanding. This arduous and noble mission is yours.”

Kos’s survey team worked with meticulous precision. In addition to needing a multifunctional, ultra-luminal spacecraft, they would bring a set of antigravity systems for manipulating miniature black holes. Their task required them to reach the galactic rim, over 30,000 light-years away—a journey that, at normal ship speeds, would take an unthinkable length of time. To solve this, the team planned to set up spacetime microtubes at crucial locations created by black holes, allowing them to reach their destination swiftly. Following Kos’s instructions, the young team member Kandon collected an advanced black hole manipulation system from the Quartpa Interstellar Academy’s warehouse. The survey was about to commence.

Kos addressed the team, “Comrades, our expedition is to last 0.1 Quartpa days. On our calendar, there is no concept of months, and a day is longer than a year. The journey is arduous and far; please steel yourselves mentally. Once we leave the spectrum and energy of our own star, obtaining sustenance will be difficult. We must store enough M-nectar and homeworld solar energy.”

Kandon reported, “Captain, all antigravity black hole manipulation systems, medical supplies, food liquids, and solar energy reserves are ready.”

With his rich experience and attention to detail, Kos personally inspected Kandon’s preparations and tested the ship and black hole devices, praising Kandon’s diligence.

Kos continued, “We are about to depart. This is our final pre-departure meeting. Does anyone have suggestions or improvements? This survey must yield a worthy report for Director Yanan.”

Kandon expressed a concern, “Captain, the precise quantities of dark matter and dark energy in the regions we will pass through are still uncertain. I have some reservations about this.”

A mantid assistant—a species on Quartpa much like giant, intelligent Earth mantises, slightly more intelligent than humans and invaluable helpers in daily life—responded, “Are you referring to the dark matter near the Celtis system? Rest assured, the density there is high but harmless to our ship. The negative effects are negligible. However, the Celts themselves have long eyed us greedily. If their queen orders an attack on our vessel, what then?”

Kos replied, “Our mantid friend speaks wisely. We must be wary of the Celts. Since we defeated them by force, they have kept a low profile and worked diligently. They’ve made significant advancements in short-range gravity technologies and may possess unknown weapons and technology. We must prepare ample defenses against the Celts. I agree with our mantid brother’s assessment.”

After thorough preparations and careful organization, Kos’s team was ready to embark on their grand mission.

Kandon reported, “Captain, the ultra-luminal ship is standing by. The black hole manipulation system has passed all tests. Only the defensive weapons need your inspection.”

Relying on his expertise, Kos conducted a comprehensive examination of all the ship’s weaponry and praised both Kandon and the mantid crew for their excellent readiness.

Kos addressed his team, “Dear comrades, I am honored to lead this glorious mission with you. We are about to embark. Now, Sphere Chief Abbot and Director Yanan will meet us in person. Please prepare yourselves mentally. If you have any thoughts or concerns, you may communicate them directly to the Sphere Chief.”

On the bright red surface of Quartpa, under the intense light of their home star, a beautiful landscape unfolded. At the center of a square, a low rectangular bench awaited the Sphere Chief’s arrival. Suddenly, a voice called out from the crowd—Sphere Chief! Sphere Chief! Suspended two meters above the ground, a wheel-less car floated (on Quartpa, people long ago escaped the grip of gravity). The vehicle resembled a two-tiered cake, with two antennae on top, and panels of dark matter glass embedded around its sides. It drifted silently to the center, then descended gently, landing as lightly as a feather. The driver stepped out, opened another door, and a majestic, four-legged figure strode forth, greeting the crowd with two antennae like a bee’s. This was Sphere Chief Abbot, followed by Director Yanan.

Abbot moved elegantly on four legs to the central platform, settled on the waiting bench with a camel-like poise, and again waved his four octopus-like arms in gratitude and respect. The square gradually quieted. The Sphere Chief activated his twin language antennae and broadcast his speech silently to the crowd.

“Citizens, since my investiture, this is my seventeenth meeting with you. Compared to my predecessor, I appear less frequently, for I am often engaged with our experts on interstellar affairs and receiving diplomats from other civilizations. Therefore, I ask your understanding for my rare public appearances. Today, I bring you good news. According to my personal physician, I will soon undergo homeworld corona rebirth. On Quartpa, there is no concept of death—rebirth is the cycle. We have no parents, only former selves; when a Quartpan reaches maturity, whether by natural or accidental passing, so long as the body is intact and untainted, it fragments into many pieces, each piece developing into new life. Soon, you will welcome a new Sphere Chief. I hope, under new leadership, our system will become even stronger and more prosperous.”

The audience responded with frequent applause, interrupting Abbot several times.

Now, the Sphere Chief continued, “The second piece of good news: thanks to our scientists, we have overcome many technological obstacles. One hundred and fifty thousand days ago, our ships were limited to subluminal speeds, making interstellar contact difficult. Our slow transports were the cause of our failed military action against the Celts. Now, our vehicles surpass theirs. With our current spacecraft and black hole technologies, we can tour the galaxy in a fraction of the former time. In physiology and medicine, we have also made great strides: our average lifespan has risen from 50 to 190 Quartpa days. In military technology, the Celts now lag behind, most of all in our mastery of black holes, which they fear greatly.” The crowd erupted, “Long live science! Long live the scientists!”

“For the last piece of good news, I’ll leave it to Director Yanan of the Space Administration,” Abbot said.

Yanan, standing beside the Sphere Chief, expressed gratitude with four waving arms, then activated his two bee-like antennae and addressed the crowd, “I thank Sphere Chief Abbot for his trust. My team will once again survey the galactic rim. If you are interested, you can follow our live broadcasts with your dark energy quantum communicators.” (These communicators, common on Quartpa, resembled Earth candles and used dark energy and temporal compressors to achieve instantaneous, limitless-range communication.)

The crowd, excited, pulled out their candle-like communicators. Director Yanan raised his own device, pressed a button, and a slow blue laser beam extended into the sky. The audience hurried to beam orange signals from their communicators, connecting with Yanan’s blue beam to establish contact.

The square quieted once more, and Sphere Chief Abbot addressed the gathering: “Dear compatriots, it is a joy to interact with you at this beautiful moment. To bless our space survey team, let us dine together.”

A floating vehicle the size of half a tennis court drifted gently to the Sphere Chief’s side and landed. Workers expertly set out rows of bottled liquids before Abbot. It was a special treat—the traditional Quartpan food, suited to their unique biology. (The Quartpan diet is between that of Earth’s animals and plants; their mouths are like bee’s straws, sipping a mixture called M-liquid, akin to a blend of petroleum and methane, and absorbing nutrients via photosynthesis with their special skin under stellar light.)

Yanan said, “Thank you, Sphere Chief, for your generosity. We are honored to partake of this meal. Now is the best time to absorb solar heat for efficient digestion.”

At high noon on Quartpa—a world without atmosphere, wind, or rain—the crowd savored the Sphere Chief’s gift. Then, a three-story ship the size of a basketball court approached. Polygonal and diamond-like from all angles, it awaited the team. The survey crew made their final farewells and boarded in order. From the ship’s top sprang three beams—red, violet, and blue—whose combined pull powered the vessel, adapting dynamically to the changing fabric of space. The ship lifted off, accelerated, and, at many times the speed of light, vanished into the vast darkness of interstellar space.