Chapter 27: The Great Defeat of Centaurus

Inside the mobile command post of Proxima Centauri C, the supreme commander of the Tarl army, Mr. M, manipulated the functions of the Proxima B pyramid and his own command ship, granting himself comprehensive information about the unfolding battle. At present, both sides were faced with critical disadvantages.

The Kuat army had not yet destroyed the Tarl pyramid, and the two hundred Kuat special forces soldiers who had landed on Proxima B were entirely within the physical interference field of the pyramid. Thus, the Kuat troops found their front-line operatives unable to communicate with their rear, forcing these two hundred soldiers to fight in isolation. Should the Tarl army employ aerial strikes, these special forces risked total annihilation. Regrettably, the Kuat’s massive interstellar carrier fleet blocked the Tarl’s task force 150 million kilometers out in deep space, preventing the Tarl main force from lending support to their defenders on Proxima B.

Although the Tarl command center maintained unbroken communication with the front-line soldiers, the central fleet dared not risk passing through the Kuat fleet to reach Proxima B. To provide fire support to the defenders on the surface, Tarl warships would have to bypass or defeat the Kuat interstellar carrier fleet—a feat clearly beyond the fleet’s current capabilities.

As the ground battle on Proxima B was about to erupt, the Tarl soldiers could clearly see the various weapons in the hands of the Kuat special forces under the glare of visible light. Major Tarl, leading a handful of warriors armed with lightsabers (plasma swords), faced off against the Kuat special forces at a distance of less than a kilometer.

In the command room on Proxima Centauri C, an aide asked Mr. M, “General, shouldn’t we take preemptive action? We could order our task force to open fire on the Kuat interstellar carriers, catching them off guard, then lure them toward Proxima B and use the pyramid’s interactive functions to our advantage. That would give our embattled defenders greater support.”

Mr. M replied, “Given the current situation, I’m well aware that if our pyramid is destroyed, our entire operational system will collapse. But I also know the consequences of engaging the Kuat fleet head-on! To support our defenders on Proxima B, we’d first have to eliminate the Kuat carrier fleet overhead.”

Head bowed, Mr. M’s expression was one of deep frustration, hesitating over the aide’s suggestion. The other aides, too, could only look on helplessly.

Another aide spoke, “General, you and Intelligence Chief G formulated the MG Plan, with preemptive action as its core. If the enemy fleet launches an attack, how should we respond?”

As the three discussed their options, they kept one eye on the large screen before them. Thanks to the pyramid’s unique communications function, the commanders had a full picture of the battlefield; they could even hear the conversations of both armies and see the weapons in the soldiers’ hands.

On the surface of Proxima B, as the Tarl defenders faced imminent peril, they still attempted to convince their opponents to negotiate rather than fight. The Kuat special forces, however, demanded immediate surrender. After a brief exchange, both civilizations realized there was no room for compromise. Thus, a true interstellar war was about to ignite.

The unarmed Tarl major who had just spoken with the Kuat representative turned away, walking back to the line of Tarl warriors bearing lightsabers. The Kuat representative did likewise, returning to his own ranks. Both sides now understood that negotiation was futile.

A row of Tarl warriors swept forward with their lightsabers, advancing toward the Kuats. The gravity of the planet clearly hampered their movements, but their difficult maneuvers drew grudging admiration from their foes. Yet this was no performance: the Kuat sergeant dispatched a squad of unarmed soldiers, charging forward like rhinoceroses. This was no game, but the prelude to a deadly struggle.

Suddenly, a three-meter-tall Tarl officer called a halt and ordered a change of formation: the troops formed groups of three, spread twenty meters apart. What tactics were these? Only the coming clash would reveal the answer.

The Kuat sergeant ordered his special forces to attack. Unarmed, the Kuat soldiers formed a straight line and charged at lightning speed toward the Tarl warriors, who held their ground. The Kuats pressed their attack with unwavering momentum.

The fastest Kuat soldier reached striking distance first. The Tarl commander ordered only a single group of three to meet him, with the rest withdrawing. The three Tarl warriors worked in perfect concert, their lightsabers landing precise blows on the enemy. Yet in the first round, a miracle occurred: the Kuat sergeant instructed all but the first attacker to hold back, so on the field only one Kuat special forces soldier faced the Tarl trio.

Though the Tarl lightsabers pierced the Kuat’s body, they had no effect. The Kuats’ skin was as tough as crocodile hide, adapted for photosynthesis on their homeworld—a digestive organ in itself. Further, Kuat biotechnology, through special ointments and medicines, rendered their skin “insulated”: high-energy plasma was no more dangerous than electricity meeting rubber.

Why had the Kuat sergeant called a halt? He was curious, wanting to observe this “three versus one” scenario and learn more about Tarl physiology.

Once the Tarl warriors realized their weapons were useless, they discarded their lightsabers and attacked barehanded. Two engaged the enemy from the front, wary of being ensnared by the Kuat’s tentacle-like arms, while the third circled behind, leapt onto the Kuat’s back like a rider, and prepared to attack his neck. But the Kuat, with four flexible tentacle arms, swiftly coiled one around his assailant’s neck and, with ease, pulled him off and hurled him to the ground. The Tarl warrior was left barely alive, unable to rise. The other two wisely retreated, unwilling to die needlessly.

The Kuat soldier gazed for a few seconds at his writhing foe, then narrowed his eyes and shook the two language tendrils on his head—a gesture echoed by all the Kuats behind him. Clearly, this was their way of laughing. Next, the Kuat raised a foreleg and crushed the Tarl’s skull underfoot, ending his life. With a tentacle, he seized the bloody corpse and flung it into the mass of Tarl soldiers—a clear act of intimidation. For the Tarl, who reproduced sexually, death was final; their bodies could not divide to form new life. The Kuat intended to use the stench of death to sow psychological fear among the Tarls.

Both armies had witnessed this rare duel between special forces, but there would be no more such contests—neither side had come for sport.

Having seen his soldier die so gruesomely, the Tarl major ordered all troops to retreat into the underground pyramid.

The Kuat special forces did not pursue, still hampered by disrupted communications and uncertainty about both enemy intentions and their own situation to the rear.

Mr. M and his aides in the Proxima C command center watched events on Proxima B’s surface unfold in vivid detail.

“General, if the Kuat special forces decide to destroy our pyramid, they could do so easily. Are you certain they will not attack?” one aide asked.

Mr. M, eyes half-closed and head bowed, hesitated before replying, as though weighing the question carefully.

The other aide spoke gently, “May I offer my personal view?”

Mr. M looked at him warmly. “That’s exactly what I need at this critical moment—more perspectives I may have overlooked. Please speak.”

“I believe that if the Kuat high command remains unable to contact their two hundred special forces, they’ll act soon—either by sending more troops to storm our pyramid, or more likely, by launching their carrier fleet against our task force. The Kuats are not reckless, but they act decisively when dealing with familiar threats. They have always been obsessed with, and afraid of, our pyramid; but they understand our conventional forces well. I believe they’ll strike at our fleet first—catching us unprepared if they do.”

During his remarks, the aide met Mr. M’s gaze, ignoring the big screen—a natural gesture showing his respect.

Suddenly, the other aide cried out, “It’s bad! Several Kuat attack ships from the carrier fleet are closing in and launching a fierce assault on our task force!”

Instantly, Mr. M and his companion turned to the screen, which now displayed a three-dimensional image: enemy ships swooping toward the Tarl fleet.

Before the commanders could exchange views, a new, more frightening image appeared: on Proxima B’s surface, the Kuat special forces had begun a direct assault on the Tarl pyramid defenders.

Only now did the Tarl commander realize the truth and ordered the front lines to respond. Before the message could reach all ship captains, a Kuat light warship had already closed in on a large Tarl supply ship and unleashed ten miniature space tanks. These zipped around the supply ship, opening fire, and before Tarl crews could deploy their own craft, the ship was repeatedly hit and destroyed. Its only recourse was to use fixed plasma emplacements to retaliate.

After downing two Kuat tanks, the Tarl supply ship was itself struck by a positron projectile, vaporizing vast quantities of supplies, logistics personnel, and soldiers in an instant.

The Tarl task force’s loose formation now showed its flaw: the distances between ships made mutual support impossible and allowed the Kuats to attack one-on-one. The Kuats’ ships, astonishingly fast, made short work of the Tarl vessels. It was clear that Mr. M’s deployment could well spell defeat.

Relying on the pyramid’s unique functions for coordination, Mr. M realized how dire the situation was. The Kuats’ flexible tactics—attacking on two fronts—had caught the Tarls entirely off guard.

Before the battle, Tarl commanders had assumed the Kuats would only attack the fleet after destroying the pyramid. Now it was clear: both Mr. M and his officers had badly misjudged the enemy.

In this surprise aerial assault, six Tarl warships were destroyed. The debris and corpses drifted through the vast, dark expanse of space—a gruesome sight. Deprived of the pyramid’s protection, the Tarl fleet was defenseless.

On Proxima B’s surface, the Tarl defenders fought desperately against the Kuat special forces. Both the garrison and the pyramid stood on the brink.

Although the Kuats repeatedly tried to use powerful high-tech weapons, the pyramid’s interference rendered them useless. The Tarl defenders had nothing left but plasma weapons—their advanced arms having been destroyed earlier by Kuat space tanks, with no resupply since.

The Tarl pyramid itself was not an offensive weapon, but rather a high-end integrated defense and communications system.

A Kuat sergeant stood at the entrance to the underground pyramid and, using a converter, broadcast: “Your time is almost up. Surrender now or you will lose your lives and never see the beautiful planet Tarl again.”

Suddenly, two Neanderthal soldiers emerged from the tunnel, ignored the warning, and seized the Kuat sergeant, dragging him inside the pyramid. Immediately afterward, Mr. H personally led a squad of Neanderthal special forces wielding melee weapons out from the pyramid, charging straight at the Kuat ranks.

The Kuats did not hesitate to engage. In the ensuing fight, it became clear that the untrained Kuats could not match the Neanderthals’ coordination. The Tarl-Neanderthal special forces quickly formed new “three-man team” tactics: two strong Neanderthals armed with melee weapons paired with a Tarl warrior wielding a lightsaber. The Tarl warriors would destroy the Kuats’ weapons with their plasma blades, enabling the Neanderthals to deliver fatal blows. In effect, the Kuats—whose high-tech arms were rendered useless by the pyramid—were left fighting bare-handed.

This brutal melee saw neither side able to receive support. The Kuats’ melee weapons were nearly all destroyed by the Tarl lightsabers. Fortunately for them, their bodies were immune to plasma swords, so most had to rely on brute strength alone. Though the Tarl defenders slightly outnumbered their foes, the Kuats’ physical prowess and physiology gave them overwhelming superiority. Under such onslaught, even the mighty Neanderthals began to falter.

In the distant command room on Proxima Centauri C, Mr. M and his aides looked on in horror as the Tarl defenders fell back, their pyramid on the verge of destruction. In space, the battle was even bloodier: the Kuats destroyed another thirty-five Tarl warships, dooming countless Tarl soldiers to die with their ships in the vastness of space.

By now, two-thirds of the Tarl fleet had been destroyed. To avoid total annihilation, Mr. M ordered the surviving ships to retreat, slipping away toward the solar system to regroup with a small Tarl flotilla on its outskirts. The Tarl defenders on Proxima B were now completely isolated.

The Kuat carrier fleet could easily have pursued and finished off the fleeing Tarl remnants, but their commander ordered a halt, immediately convening his captains to discuss strategy.

Some Kuat officers believed the retreat was a tactical move to preserve strength; others suspected a ploy, a lure to draw the Kuats into an ambush. Ever cautious, the Kuat high command chose not to pursue, leaving the next move to higher authorities.

After thorough discussion among commanders and intelligence staff, no consensus was reached. The Kuat supreme commander ordered a halt to all military actions, reported the current situation to Military Director Sade on Kuatpa, and waited for new instructions and intelligence from Director Yanan.

After this fierce space engagement, the Kuats themselves were exhausted. With the enemy in retreat, halting the pursuit allowed time to rest and reorganize. Clearly, the Kuats were careful, analytical, and strategic on the battlefield. Their true aim was the annihilation of the Tarl main fleet, ensuring the safety of their own homeworld. Though their strategic vision demanded the destruction of Earth, they knew that was an easy task; before turning to Earth, they must first crush the Tarl army.

With the Tarl main force routed, the Kuats seized this precious opportunity to repair and regroup. What would happen next? How would the King of Tarl respond to this crisis?

Now, let us turn our attention to both the Tarl and the Kuatpa homeworlds, to see how Tarl’s leaders will break the deadlock—and what new plans Director Sade of Kuatpa might devise for the next offensive.