Chapter Seven: The Sleep Button

Under orders from the king, Mr. G, a Tal interstellar intelligence expert, led two assistants on a mission to the Solar System, tasked with investigating whether the Quartpa people had entered the Solar System, including Earth. The trio piloted a lightweight superluminal spacecraft toward the Solar System, but instead of landing directly on Earth, they anchored on the surface of Earth's satellite, the Moon, to begin their intelligence gathering.

They traveled in a newly developed lightweight ultra-superluminal vessel engineered by Tal scientists. The craft was utterly unaffected by gravitational forces, utilizing the natural black holes of space to twist time and space, allowing the spacecraft to reach the Solar System at astonishing speed and land smoothly upon the lunar surface. Their spacesuits were composed entirely of a gaseous protective layer, not only supplying breathable oxygen but also shielding them from all manner of radiation and microwave weaponry.

One assistant asked, “Is this Earth’s satellite? The two worlds are so close—why do Earthlings not come here?”

Mr. G replied, “Earth’s current technological level cannot yet transport large numbers of people here, nor can they exploit its resources. Their science matches what our Tal ancestors possessed in the primordial era. Now, other alien civilizations eye Earth greedily. Our mission is to protect Earth and its people as much as possible.”

The three installed multiple detectors on the Moon to monitor whether the Quartpa had visited the Solar System or landed on Earth, and to observe Earth’s activities at close range. According to their original plan, the team intended to complete their mission swiftly and return to the Tal star system.

Another assistant ventured, “May I ask, why did we travel all the way from distant Tal but not land directly on Earth?”

Mr. G explained, “Our arch-enemies are the powerful Quartpa civilization, and they’ve already sensed our presence on Earth. Our priority is to gather dynamic information about Earth without direct contact. The instruments we’re installing here are essentially upgrading the functions of our pyramids on Earth. Most of those pyramids are now abandoned; the few remaining are first-generation, limited in capability. These new devices can interact physically with the pyramids, effectively updating them, allowing us to better observe Earthlings and monitor other extraterrestrial activities. Thus, there is no need to land directly on Earth, and our superiors forbade us from doing so this time.”

“I see—I suppose I was ignorant,” the assistant conceded.

Their work on the Moon complete, Mr. G’s team piloted their ship back toward Tal. As they entered the Solar System’s Walter Cloud, their craft’s alarm system lit up in a spectrum of colors. Analysis revealed their ship had been triggered by quantum radar waves—a technology possessed only by the Quartpa and the Keltans. Mr. G immediately activated the vessel’s stealth mode, successfully averting pursuit.

As their ship neared Centaurus, Mr. G suggested his assistants sleep until just before landing on Tal. Each assistant performed a massage-like gesture on their own head, activating their sleep system and instantly drifting off. Tal physiology was so advanced it allowed their biological clocks to synchronize with mechanical time, crafting a schedule perfectly suited to their needs and environment.

Mr. G piloted the ship himself, and after traversing several star systems, the mother planet of the Tal system appeared on the screen—an ominous dark red star, its contours growing as the ship sped closer, soon revealing the positions of its planets. Out of love for his homeland, Mr. G woke his assistants early, inviting them to admire Tal’s celestial beauty. Suddenly, one assistant shrieked, “Change course thirty degrees!” In their distraction, they had neglected to activate the anti-inertia controller, nearly crashing into Tal itself. After circling the planet counterclockwise, they landed safely on its surface.

In the subterranean pyramid palace of the Tal king, a luxurious office played the unique music of the Tal people. The king was at work when a three-meter-tall, bald, red-skinned female secretary entered. “Your Majesty, Intelligence Chief Mr. G requests an audience,” she said.

“I’ve been awaiting their report—bring them in,” the king replied.

Mr. G announced, “The results of this investigation are deeply troubling. Though we successfully installed our instruments on Earth’s satellite and upgraded the pyramids, and observed no sign of Quartpa visiting Earth during the short observation, as we left the Solar System’s edge, we were locked onto by Quartpa quantum radar waves—but quickly evaded. Worse, the devices we installed on the Moon were also detected by Quartpa’s quantum radar. Our operation may have been exposed.”

The king, furious, immediately convened a grand symposium with physicists, biologists, religious leaders, and Military Chief Mr. M, to discuss how to respond to the Quartpa’s actions. Each expert spoke in turn, sharing their perspectives.

A Tal priest declared, “In our last war with the Quartpa, our military disadvantage forced us into signing many unfair treaties. Now, facing a crisis of trust, I believe the Quartpa may suppress us again, possibly even militarily. But with our current strength, we are not helpless. I suggest we confront the Quartpa with resolve and need not adhere to those coerced treaties—especially the clauses forbidding Tal people from biological modification and from conducting bioengineering outside the Tal system.”

A physicist added, “If the Quartpa fully unravel the secrets of our pyramids on Earth, they’ll cite the treaty to demand explanations and may force us to abandon our Earth project.”

The king said, “We’re now on the defensive, with two choices: either abandon our plan, or contend with the Quartpa to the end.”

Mr. G interjected, “I’ve just received updates from the lunar devices: the Quartpa are frequently scanning Earth’s pyramids with their ultra-superluminal quantum waves.” His words stunned the assembly. Discussion erupted, but no clear solution emerged.

Military Chief Mr. M spoke, “We cannot currently revive the pharaohs within Earth’s pyramids, nor let them lead Earthlings against Quartpa invasion. We should avoid direct confrontation, since we lack insight into Quartpa policy. A military clash between Tal and Quartpa would be disastrous for us.”

The king calmly observed, “I agree with the military’s reasoning. Though the Quartpa may be planning to land on Earth, we lack grounds to stop them. We shouldn’t debate direct confrontation, but first discern their attitude toward Earth and its people. If they fully grasp our actions on Earth, they will act against us or the planet, because our intentions do violate the treaty we signed. The problem is, we still don’t know their ultimate purpose. We must intensify intelligence gathering; only when we thoroughly understand the Quartpa’s aims can we respond appropriately.”

Mr. G said, “With just the lunar instruments and the devices in the pyramids, we cannot fully monitor the Quartpa. We should send experts to Earth for direct surveillance and investigation.”

The king immediately agreed, as did the overwhelming majority present. Thus, to safeguard Earth and its people, the Tal king resolved to dispatch members of the Tal intelligence department to land on Earth, in order to investigate whether the Quartpa pose a direct threat to humanity.