Chapter Twenty-Six: The Pyramid and Cold Weapons

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Above the Quartapa planet, where the length of a day exceeded even its own revolution, a vast airship hung in the sky, shifting now and then between motion and stillness. This was the Quartapa Military Emergency Command Center during wartime. Here, Director Yanan of the War Intelligence Bureau and the head of Military Command, Sade, were engaged in the planning and arrangement of the next campaign.

“According to the most recent reports from the front, the Taar army’s composite fleet has abruptly changed its deployment. The ships have widened the distance between each other, maintaining a significant separation. Moreover, an anomaly has been observed: the pyramid structure they had established on Proxima B has suddenly gone silent. When one of our combat ships escorted special-operations marines into the airspace above Proxima B, all physical effects inside and around the pyramid vanished from our sensors; no life signs could be detected. So, where have the Taar garrison gone?” Sade inquired.

Director Yanan replied, “This is not surprising. The Taar army must have intercepted intelligence about our operation to deploy special field forces to Proxima B. Their soldiers have surely retreated into the protective field of their cloaked pyramid. The Taar pyramid is a formidable integrated military system, shrouded in mystery both in function and principle. Though their warships are spread far apart, each carries partial pyramid functionalities, and their internal communications are exceptionally smooth. Unless we destroy the core of their pyramid systems, we cannot blindly attack their main fleet, nor can we proceed to the solar system to launch operations against Earth. Only by annihilating their pyramids can we hope for victory.”

As Sade and Yanan conversed, an elliptical, conical device in the room emitted several flashes, signaling new information. With practiced ease, Sade flicked the two language tendrils atop his head, sending electromagnetic waves. The conical device began to rotate, initiating a three-dimensional video call directly linking the military command with the frontline fleet commander—the most advanced quantum communication technology the Quartapans possessed. Massless wave signals allowed for instantaneous transmission, untethered by time; in other words, transmission required no time at all.

“Commander, our special-operations marines have safely arrived near Proxima. All preparations are complete. Awaiting your orders, as our scouts have discovered that the Taar garrison on Proxima B’s surface has suddenly vanished,” the frontline commander reported.

Sade responded, “Intelligence indicates that the Taar’s supreme military ruler, Mr. M, is personally commanding the front. His high-mobility ship serves as his mobile command post, often stationed near Proxima C. Mr. M is a formidable adversary, renowned for his unbroken string of victories in external campaigns. We must not fall for his stratagems. They have activated the pyramid’s cloaking feature; it is our sensors that are blind. At this critical juncture, follow orders strictly. Do not act without authorization. Once we secure reliable intelligence, I will inform you to employ our new weapons in a probing attack, which may trigger part of the Taar pyramid’s automated defense systems, allowing us to intercept valuable data and intelligence.”

“Understood,” the frontline commander replied.

The ship bearing 200 Quartapan special field marines had safely docked on the rear deck of a combat vessel within the great Quartapan interstellar carrier fleet. These marines, selected through a rigorous process, were trained for all manner of special missions.

Orderly, the 200 Quartapan commandos filed out of their quarters. Their weapons seemed almost fantastical—some wielded iron hammers, others crowbars, some carried spears and shields, and several bore broadswords—standing in perfect formation on the deck.

A Quartapan major, moving with a gait reminiscent of a hippopotamus, stepped forward to address the special forces with a brief speech:

“Comrades, now is your time to prove yourselves, to demonstrate the worth of a soldier. In a past war against the Celts, our predecessors carried the same weapons, defeating and capturing the enemy’s supreme commander under even harsher conditions. Their victory broke the Celts’ supremacy in the galaxy, and from that moment, Quartapans were liberated from their oppression.

Today’s foe is utterly unlike the Celts. The Taar are bipedal beings with many physiological flaws. Their brains are wholly concentrated in their heads—sever one, and the body collapses instantly. They reproduce sexually and, unlike us, cannot split to form new life after dying; true death awaits them. Thus, on the battlefield, they face a crippling fear of mortality. Another disadvantage: they are physically inferior to you. An average Taar stands three meters tall yet weighs only ninety kilograms—no match in direct combat.

We possess another advantage: gravitational endurance. You trained on Quartapa, which has much stronger gravity than Proxima B. While the Taar are unaccustomed to Proxima B’s pull, you will be unimpeded, giving you the edge in crucial moments.”

Inspired by their commander’s words, the Quartapan marines felt their confidence swell. Then, a sergeant produced a Taar model to demonstrate techniques for swiftly decapitating the enemy, tripping their tall, frail forms, and other methods of killing.

Meanwhile, in a special chamber within the underground pyramid’s command center on Proxima B, a Taar major and the newly arrived Neander sergeant, Mr. H, conversed animatedly. One hundred Neander special forces and 250 Taar troops were gathered within and around the pyramid’s protective perimeter. Both officers displayed their valor and ambition during the exchange. Suddenly, the Taar major received instructions from Supreme Commander M: 1) No one may leave the pyramid’s protection without authorization. 2) The Quartapan force will soon land, under heavy air cover—no one is to return fire during their landing. 3) Stand ready, defend by countering, and lure the enemy close to the pyramid before engaging.

A light attack ship from the Quartapan fleet delivered the special forces’ craft above Proxima B, first dropping it on the hemisphere facing Quartapa, then swiftly flying to the pyramid’s location on the far side. In the utter darkness, guided by previously gathered intelligence, the Quartapan ship unleashed several heavy bombardments on the pyramid’s coordinates before signaling the landed marines to proceed to the far side.

The special forces’ transport lifted off from the front side of Proxima B, three distinct colored beams shooting from its top, neutralizing planetary gravity. Vertical ascent brought the vessel a thousand meters high, then the forward beam adjusted to a horizontal position, propelling the ship at sub-light speed to the far side. As it neared its destination, despite heavy cover fire from above, all navigation and weapons systems malfunctioned, and contact with the light attack ship was lost. (The Taar pyramid’s space-time perturbation was responsible for the disruption.) The Quartapan major in charge was momentarily at a loss, but after a brief discussion, the consensus was reached: land immediately and attempt to locate the pyramid on foot.

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In the pitch-black night, the Quartapan ship set down on a gravel-strewn surface. As the 200 special forces disembarked, they activated all their visible light equipment.

“Which way do we go?” one soldier asked.

“Please wait a moment,” the major replied. “I’m attempting to link with the attack ship above. We’ll need new navigation data from them.”

After some time, the major sensed something amiss: attempts to communicate with the hovering attack ship triggered time distortions. Under the pyramid’s interference, communications between ship and ground were scrambled, delayed, or reversed on the time axis—messages were garbled and incorrect. The team, realizing their predicament, grew wary, fearing the Taar might launch an attack with their own small craft at any moment.

In the last battle here, the Quartapan space tanks had not destroyed all Taar shuttles; two undamaged, unmanned Taar ships remained abandoned 500 kilometers from the pyramid, but Supreme Commander M, far away on Proxima C, could still remotely control them to attack the Quartapan marines.

In the mobile command ship orbiting Proxima C, Mr. M and his two aides intently monitored the impending engagement on Proxima B, observing three-dimensional feeds and analyzing data via advanced quantum communications.

The Taar garrison’s only two remaining shuttles on Proxima B were about to be pressed into service, remotely piloted by Commander M to ambush the advancing Quartapan commandos. “Set altitude to one thousand meters, speed to point one—launch,” M ordered. One aide expertly initiated the launch procedure, targeting the 200 Quartapan special forces on the ground. Both shuttles streaked toward the enemy—but before M and his aides could react, both were shot down by the Quartapan attack ship hovering overhead.

The loss of these two shuttles did not faze M; he had never relied on them, using their last operational moments merely to test the enemy’s response and firepower. Had the Quartapans failed to intercept, a heavy blow could have been dealt.

The inability to maintain contact with the landed marines left the Quartapan major in the attack ship above increasingly anxious. He patrolled back and forth, repeatedly attempting to reestablish communication, but to no avail. With no other recourse, he contacted the carrier fleet’s commander for help.

Upon learning of the lost contact, the carrier fleet’s commander found himself equally helpless, instructing the major to continue patrolling in the hope that communications might be restored, while ordering all ship captains to keep a close watch on the Taar fleet’s movements.

Soon, the commander received an urgent distress signal: “The light attack ship piloted by Major X is experiencing severe malfunctions, likely due to pyramid interference—parameters are corrupted, and there is risk of automatic crash.” Weighing all risks, the commander ordered the ship to retreat one light-second, drawing closer to the main fleet and away from danger.

Blocked by the Quartapan fleet, the Taar composite fleet could not approach Proxima B. Their own ships were spread far apart, yet in three-dimensional space, they surrounded the Quartapans.

On the dark surface of Proxima B, the 200 Quartapan marines moved by artificial light, anxiously awaiting the rear echelon’s efforts to restore communications. Suddenly, one soldier spoke up: “Comrades, I have a way to find the Taar’s underground pyramid. Follow me.”

“This had better not be a joke—this is no time for that,” another replied.

This soldier had once been captured by the Taar and imprisoned for a time inside their pyramid on Proxima B. Relying on his exceptional memory, he recalled many details, including that every entrance corresponded to the planet’s magnetic field. By exploiting the Quartapans’ physiological advantage—their twin bioelectric antennae—he could interact with the planet’s magnetic effects and easily locate the way to the pyramid.

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Under the guidance of the former captive, the column drew ever closer to the Taar pyramid.

“Our communications with the rear are growing more distorted. What’s happening?” the major asked.

“It means our direction is correct,” the soldier answered. “The pyramid’s space-time perturbations are inversely proportional to the square of the distance; the closer we are, the stronger the effect.”

The 200 Quartapan marines advanced with ease under artificial lights; Proxima B’s gravity was far weaker than Quartapa’s. Though their average weight was five hundred kilograms, even after disabling their anti-gravity devices, they moved with agility. Quartapans were not naturally accustomed to gravity, but special forces training included rigorous adaptation to all gravitational environments.

The guide shone his flashlight across a nearby sand dune, about a kilometer ahead. “We’ve arrived.”

The sergeant seemed skeptical. “Do you mean to say that legendary pyramid is just that sand dune?”

Seeing the doubt on the sergeant’s face, the soldier explained, “Look closely. There’s a natural opening at the lower right of the dune—that’s the exit of the underground pyramid.”

“I see it,” the sergeant replied.

“You can see it with your biological eyes because the pyramid’s space-time distortion is designed to evade all technological detection—it has no effect on your own eyes. Take out your AQ-2 quantum rangefinder, your ER-8 dark energy infrared detector, and any other devices and try them on the scene.”

Testing each device in turn, the sergeant was astonished: the soldier’s words were true. The scene before them was visible only to the naked eye—no instrument could detect anything around the dune.

The sergeant hurried to the rear to inform the major: “General, the pyramid is just ahead. Please deploy our assault formation immediately to guard against a surprise attack.”

The major was visibly surprised; after hearing the sergeant’s detailed explanation, he was struck as if by lightning and instantly ordered the marines to change formation.

Trained to perfection, the Quartapan special forces swiftly reconfigured into a phalanx optimized for combat against the Taar, positioning those with different weapons accordingly. According to intelligence, the Taar garrison would still use plasma weapons—an area where their technology surpassed that of the Quartapans, allowing them to shape and wield plasma in unique ways. Countermeasures had already been prepared.

Once the formation was set, every visible light device was activated. Each soldier was covered with multiple light sources, turning night into day, and every light emitted a distinct spectrum. This “spectral language” was the Quartapan’s secret code, incomprehensible to the Taar. The antennae atop their heads functioned as ears for electromagnetic waves, while their eyes could “hear” the spectral language—a remarkable advantage of their physiology.

The two armies were separated by only a thousand meters. On the far side of Proxima B, what had been a realm of utter darkness was now illuminated by the Quartapan’s lights. Suddenly, the Taar emerged from an underground tunnel—a small group of tall, slender warriors brandishing light-sabers, plasma weapons in hand, advancing in a line toward the Quartapans. A close-quarters battle, perhaps even hand-to-hand combat, was about to erupt. Would the Quartapan commandos truly face the Taar’s plasma weaponry with nothing but spears and broadswords? Let us observe the unfolding details of the battlefield...