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Crystal Guardian

Arc 1: Between the Darkness and the Light

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Chapter 5: The Legend of Heart

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Meanwhile the research team completed their research into the production of the new Manacle, the Light of Ilesia or the Manacle of Ilesia. The Light of Ilesia is a similar device to its predecessor the MOD, but different in that it gave the user the ability to produce supercharged electrical energy balls. The Light of Ilesia energised air particles making them bond into a highly charged sphere that the researchers called an Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball attack, which was one of the attacks of the Crystal Armour.

To aid the Manacle of Ilesia the research team created a uniform made of Crystals that could be worn like ordinary Military uniform. The Ilesian uniform gave the Ilesians increased strength and agility while providing protection from energy and physical attacks. The Ilesian uniform draws its power from the Light of Ilesia, and thus did not need to be recharged directly at the recharge centre, but the Light of Ilesia would need to be recharged at the recharge centre.

The Light of Ilesia could also be used to generate an Electromagnetic Field in order to create the shield. However the shield could only be sustained for a limited period of time because of the energy requirements. Because of the Electromagnetic Fields the Light of Ilesia allowed the use of short term flight capabilities. The intent of the flight capabilities was to allow the user quick exit potential in case of emergencies. Maximum altitude 750 meters, maximum speed mach 0.3 (103.2 meters/seconds or 371.52kph) and range at maximum speed 20 kilometres.

All those who used the Light of Ilesia would need to provide a small sample of their blood and this would form a basis for the link with the Light of Ilesia. Unlike the Manacle of Destiny the Light of Ilesia would not pass to a relative upon death, but return to the Spirit Stone allowing for the blood of the former user to be forever part of the Spirit Stone. The Light of Ilesia was often referred to as the Manacle of Ilesia, and those who wore the Manacle of Ilesia were named Ilesian, under the command of the Ilesian Guardian.

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One of the 12 smaller Hemispheres (First level of Hemispheres) surrounding the main Hemisphere in Crystalorb was used as a training facility where all preliminary flight training was done. Vanguard, Vanglead and Guardian Armoured trainees could then proceed to train in the airspace above Crystalorb because their Crystal Armour generated Electromagnetic Fields had the property of absorbing radio waves thus making them invisible to both the military and civilian radar.

Because of the physical toughness of the Crystalans even the children’s training Armour was upgraded and made flight capable. The Council of Elders was adamant that Crystalan children learn to defend themselves from as young an age as possible. It was with this increased demand on the Crystalan kids that Nalen realised the limitations of Naole's Blue Chest Crystals. The red Chest Crystals also had limitations, the very high energy requirements were a strain on their hearts, and the toll on their bodies was immense. It was these increased demands on the body that concerned Nalen; it was this very reason that his mother Shanela and Esara's father Lekalo had such short lifespan.

The potential for a critical electrical power induced heart failure was very high with the red Chest Crystals, and even higher for the blue Chest Crystals. It was not like they could go out and find a heart donor.

Tests on all three red Chest Crystal Crystalans revealed that Esara, Nalen and Casara had very good hearts, the Second and Third generation red Chest Crystals were less disruptive to the body biochemistry. The bodies were making adaptations with each generation, increasing power output while reducing the risks. Casara's body chemistry was at the pinnacle of red Chest Crystals capabilities, she was ahead of the curve in all respects.

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It was June 1999 and Nalen was teaching Casara and Naole the importance of the Electrical fields in the generation and control in of the Electromagnetic Field shield. Nalen was teaching his kids how to make use of their unique Chest Crystal capabilities to increase the strength of their shields.

Nalen was teaching the two kids how to generate an electric field using their Chest Crystal without the use of the Crystal Armour. Nalen felt that it was important that his kids develop a natural sense of their energy reserves; he wanted them to be constantly aware of how much energy they had to operate with. Every night All four; Esara, Nalen, Casara and Naole performed a ritual where they would drain 95% of their energy into their reserve energy spheres.

Performing this ritual allowed all of them to develop a feel of how much core body Crystal energy was available. It was during one of their ritualized energy purging that the weakness of Naole was discovered. Naole’s heart was failing under the strain of his high energy utilization. The blue Chest Crystals energy requirements were destroying little Naole's heart and lungs, there was so much electricity flowing through his tiny body that it was killing him.

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Nalen Approached the Council of Elders to ask that he be relieved of his responsibilities as the head of research so he could focus all his attention to the problems afflicting his child.

Nalen : " Honoured Councils, I come to you with a heavy heart, to ask for a reprieve. I am aware of the needs of the Council in regards to my duties, but fear that I may no longer be able to serve as one of my Order should. My attention has shifted from the needs of Crystalorb to that of my son. The boy is gravely ill!"

Gaurdius : " Is there anything that can be done?"

Nalen : " My wife thinks that there is nothing that can be done, we have both lost a parent to the particular problems associated with the Red and Blue Chest Crystals"

Isis : " How can we help you?"

Nalen : " I don't know if he can be saved, but it's my duty as his father to try anything possible. I need the time and space to work on this. So I ask that the Council relieves me of my duties!"

Onala : " For how long Nalen?"

Nalen : " For how ever long it takes for me to find a solution for him!"

Cyris : " Do you have a premise, an idea you think might work?"

Nalen : " No, I have nothing! Naole needs a transplant, but no transplant is possible since he is Crystalan. There can be no transplant match because we all know what happens to Chest Crystaled Crystalans when they die. This is why my wife has resigned herself to the probability of Naole's death, but I will not accept this defeat, not without at the very least putting up some kind of fight!"

Gaurdius : " The Council hereby relieves you of your duties as head of research. Know this Nalen, you have been an inspiration to us all, you have taught all of Crystalorb that no odds are too great, no mountain too high, in your heart you hold true to what it means to be Crystalan."

And with that Nalen, Grandson of the great Olen leaves the responsibility of protecting Crystalorb with his mind and focus, his attention to the survival of his son Naole.

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In Nalen's home the mood was sad due to the prospect of losing Naole, even the great Esara seemed powerless as Naole was growing weaker by the day. Casara held on tightly to her best friend Enala as she confessed her despair at the sight of Naole.

Casara : " My mom says that he's dieing, they say his heart is failing"

Enala : " Is there nothing that can be done?"

Casara : " He's just so special, the only one of his kind!"

Enala : " He has that beautiful blue Chest Crystal!"

Casara : " I'm glad you think it's beautiful, many people regard it as freakish, but I like it!"

Enala : " How long does he have?"

Casara : " Mom says a week perhaps two, but Papa says he won’t let him die, he has been working day and night for six days without rest. Mom told me that we should prepare for the worst, she said that some things are beyond the capabilities of even my father!"

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Meanwhile Nalen was hard at work in a large room in his apartment, he had turned the room into a laboratory. Using the Crystal based organic computer capable of very high computing speeds Nalen was creating simulations on designs he was working on. Nalen was working on building an electro mechanical artificial heart, he thought that he could use the heart as a replacement heart for Naole.

There was one problem, every artificial heart ever created throughout the world was always failing, they were inflexible and as such were not responsive to spikes in body demands. The complexities in Crystalan physiology were making it difficult, the heart of a Crystalan was more than just a blood pump; it was also an energy regulator. The energies involved were making things even more difficult for adequate simulations.

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Every simulation was failing to produce positive results; Nalen was getting more frustrated and desperate. Esara walked into the lab to find Nalen in a chaotic state.

Esara : " Nalen"

Nalen : " Yes"

Esara : " Won’t you take a break and talk to our kids"

Nalen : " I have precious little time!"

Esara : " Yes! Naole has little time left; we should spend what ever time he has with him!"

Nalen : " Are you asking me to give up?"

Esara : " No; I'm not saying that, I'm just...!"

Nalen interjects.

Nalen : " Because the answer is no, I won't quit on him!"

Esara : " No one will blame you for this"

Nalen : " I will blame myself"

Esara : " We are only human you know"

Nalen : " Only human?"

Esara : " Some things have no answers, and nothing we do can change that"

Nalen : " But we have to try"

Esara : " Everyone knows that you would give Naole your own heart if it were possible! It's time to be the best father you can with the little time we have left!"

Nalen : " Yes of course! Only human, so give him your own heart!" Nalen was now developing a new Idea in his mind "That’s it the missing component in the equation! Esara I have to get back to work, we’ll talk once my research is complete!"

Esara : " Ok my Love, do what you need to!"

Nalen had found a new way of saving his Child.

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Nalen thought that a completely artificial heart was not yielding the correct data on the simulation because the Crystalan physiology was so advanced that the cells of the Crystalan heart must have a specific chemical and energy signature that were a primary requirement of the Chest Crystals. Nalen believed that If an artificial heart would not work then perhaps a biomechanical heart may be the solution.

Nalen knew that he would need a sample of the cells of Naole's heart, but the boy was too weak to survive the intrusive nature of the cell collection process. So Nalen thought of another possible donor who had compatible DNA to that of Naole, someone who was a blood relative; himself. He went in secret to the Crystalorb Clinic to speak to medical professionals about collecting a sample of his own heart cells.

The doctor was apprehensive about doing the procedure, but Nalen was adamant that he would conduct the procedure with or without the doctor’s help. With Nalen leaving him no choice, the doctor performed the procedure. Then Nalen studied the heart cells in his laboratory, making an analysis of their functions and processes. Nalen then collected a sample of Naole's blue crystal from Naole's Energy storage sphere.

By mixing his heart cells with the microscopic particles of the blue Crystal then adding light, electrical energy, Spirit Stone energy and other components he was able to mutate the heart cell. It was the mutative properties of the crystal that Nalen wanted to harness. Once he was certain that he had the right mutated cell he needed to test to see weather these mutated cells could be used to repair Naole's heart.

Again Nalen volunteered himself for the testing process. Using very precise robotics technology Nalen Injected his heart with some of the mutated heart cells. Nalen then used ultrasound devices to record the process as his heart began to change, becoming more electromechanical with heart muscles becoming more like electrical circuits but still remaining organic. Because Nalen had used the blue crystals instead of his own Red Crystals there were some complications, Nalen’s body rejected his own heart.

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The simulations showed a 95% probability of acceptance with Naole, so without telling Esara that he might have damaged his own heart Nalen discussed his results with Esara.

Nalen : " Esara I have found a way to save our son, but the risk is great! I cannot make the decision to use my solution alone, I need your approval!"

Esara : " What solution, and how certain are you that it will work?"

Nalen : " I have synthesised mutated heart cells that will repair the damaged heart cells. I am 95% confident that the cells will work" Nalen shows Esara the computer simulation "The 5% has to do with the unpredictable nature of the blue crystal!"

Esara : " You think this will save him?"

Nalen : " I need you to understand that this may very well kill him, but it's my last hope, our last hope!" after a brief pause "I'm afraid, I need you to assure me that if this kills him that it won’t be my fault, I need you to assure me that he was going to die anyway."

Esara : " Until this moment I had no hope, I was certain that Naole was going to die, but now there might be a chance!"

Nalen : " Ok then let's proceed!"

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Again using very precise robotics technology Nalen Injected Naole’s heart with some of the mutated heart cells. There was an immediate reaction as the new heart cells merged with the old heart cells changing Naole's heart making it function more like a crystal electromagnetic pump. This was a long process taking nearly 10 hours. After the process was complete the ultrasound showed Naole's heart being 3 times larger than before, on closer examination Nalen saw something else, on the ribs there were small 10 millimetre diameter energy spheres that were forming all around the entire rib cage.

The nerves connecting to these tiny energy spheres were the same ones connecting to the heart. It seemed that they were additional energy for not just the heart but also for the Chest Crystal.

The blue and red Crystals in the heart cells were the primary energy supplier for the heart. Naole's heart had turned the colour blue with red spots. Unbeknownst to Nalen his heart had also turned the colour blue with red spots, because he had used more blue Crystals than red Crystals, Nalen did this so that Naole's body would not reject the mutated heart cells.

It was this act that was causing complication with Nalen's body; the mutated Heart cells were doing the same thing to Nalen as they were doing to Naole. Naole was waking up, his heart functioning at maximum efficiency.

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Esara and Nalen were sleeping when Naole stood up and went outside to play. Naole found Casara and Enala sitting on a bench.

Naole : " Casara can I join you guys?"

Casara stands and rushes to embrace Naole.

Casara : " You're awake!" she embraces Naole, in her excitement they both fall to the ground "You're awake!"

Enala : " By the source!"

Casara : " Yeah!"

Naole was not aware just how long he had been ill; in his mind he was only asleep for a few hours. Casara runs home screaming he's awake! He's awake! Nalen was awoke by Casara screaming "he's awake!"

Casara : " He's awake! He's awake!"

Nalen and Esara wake up to find Naole gone.

Nalen : " Casara where is he?"

Casara : " He's outside!"

Nalen : " At last!"

Esara : " Naole!"

Nalen and Esara run outside to find Naole standing on a bench explaining to a group of other kids how he was dreaming of flying just like his parents. Esara rushed in and picked up little Naole and held him very tightly with tears streaming from both Nalen's and Esara's eyes. This was Nalen's greatest achievement; his brilliance had saved his son, a true testament of a father's love for his child.

No one knew of the danger Nalen had put himself in; none could understand the gravity of his actions. Even as they were celebrating Nalen could feel his strength leaving him, he could feel his power fading. Nalen accepted this as his fate, a price that needed to be paid, and a cost he was willing to bear. For the next few days Nalen pretended to be just exhausted from working for so long without adequate rest.

Then without warning Nalen collapsed, he laid on the floor of his bedroom for hours before being discovered by Esara. Esara quickly rushed Nalen to the Crystalorb Clinic. At the clinic Esara discovered just how far Nalen had gone to save his son Naole. The blue crystal in Nalen's system was overloading his Bio-Electrical systems; the energy requirements from the blue crystal material in Nalen's heart were too high.

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These new demands on Nalen’s body had caused him to slip into a coma. The doctors were not sure if Nalen would ever awaken, because there was so little brain activity.

Esara has a discussion with Kanu the doctor in of charge Nalen's care.

Esara : " There has to be something you can do"

Doctor : " I wish there was, but at this point we don't even know exactly what your husband did to his body, we have never seen anything like this. Did he keep any records of his activities?"

Esara : " He did, but they have all been encrypted, the only way to access those files is by him using his chest crystal like a key, but with him sleeping it's impossible"

Doctor : " Our life support systems can keep him alive for as long as it takes for him to wake up"

Esara : " I won't give up on him!" Esara turns to look at Nalen "You hear me! I won’t give up on you!"

Doctor : " It's in his hands now!"

Esara : " Come back to me Nalen, come back!"

Doctor : " I'm sure he can hear you and he will find his way back to you!"

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Nalen was sleeping and unresponsive, days passed, then weeks, then 12 months passed. It had been a year since Nalen collapsed and the situation with the Hand of Destiny was changing. The Council of Elders summoned the Guardian Council to the Council Chambers to discuss the developing situation. The Ilesian Guardian was Loj, and the new research head was Ocyris who until that appointment had been one of the 12 Crystalorb defence Guardian.

Gaurdius: " Guardians; recent developments has us concerned, please create for us an accurate picture of the current situation."

Kolen : " Honoured Councils; we are also concerned, I will now hand over to the research Guardian who has compiled an intelligence report on the situation."

Ocyris : " We have been monitoring the situation and can now report our findings. It appears that the Hand of Destiny has developed a new strategy in their engagement with us; they are trying to cut off our economic activities. As you know the Crystal Valley Industries company has become one of the largest suppliers of industrial gases, the HOD has been attacking the trains carrying the gases from the Crystal Valley Farm. We think as a second objective they are trying to draw out our forces into the open where they could be a target for ambush attacks."

Onala : " Loj; what do you make of the new strategies of the HOD"

Loj : " They must have something up their sleeves, this is an obvious trap"

Gaurdius: " That may be true, yet we have to respond. Ocyris; what solutions can you offer?"

Ocyris : " We cannot deploy Crystal Armoured units to protect the trains so our only option is to deploy Ilesian Units"

Loj : " With respect this won’t be sufficient, we need air support to scan the path of the train and check for our enemies"

Kolen : " Loj is correct; scanning from the air will be a critical component"

Ocyris : " But that would mean that people who reside along the train track will see the Crystal Armoured units and that could prove more problematic for Crystalorb."

Isis : " If only we had Nalen, he was always very good at coming up with inventive solutions"

Ocyris : " I agree, he's a born problem solver"

Isis : " Esara; How is your husband? We could sure use his talents"

Esara : " There has been no change in his condition"

Cyris : " Even I miss his arrogance" Esara interjects "what is it?"

Esara : " Your mentioning of his arrogance has reminded me of something he once told me"

Isis : " Go on Esara"

Esara : " Nalen once said that I won’t think he has such a big ego when he turns invisible"

Onala : " Invisible?"

Esara : " Let me see!" Esara thinks for a moment "He said something about his red Chest Crystal not being able to generate the correct light spectrum to make him Invisible"

Ocyris : " Of course! The clear Chest Crystals can generate a full light spectrum!"

Gaurdius: " Ocyris; if you could perhaps tell the rest of us who do not understand the scientific talk what it is you are talking about?"

Ocyris : " It seems Nalen had an idea on how to solve the problem of people seeing us while we are flying. We can use the clear Chest Crystals to generate light that would turn the Crystal Armour Shield into a mirror thus making it invisible to the human eye"

Cyris : " Yes I see! That could prove a powerful tool for Crystalorb’s defence needs"

Isis : " Esara! Even in a coma your husband still finds a way to save the day"

Gaurdius : " That Nalen is something else"

Cyris : " Ocyris; Go and teach our units how to produce this light that will aid us in this effort to protect our interest"

Ocyris : " On your Command!"

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Ocyris then began a research process into generating the light that would make the Crystal Armoured units invisible. The research proved to be a complicated process. Once the light was generated the compressed gas in the electromagnetic field created a reflective surface that reflected the area around them. So while flying through the air they reflect the sky, but there were some problems, the shield reflected the ground thus making the Crystal Armour detectable.

The problems of ground surface reflection were solved through light refraction. Using holographic image projection combined with light reflection and refraction the research team found a combination that produced workable results. Once all the details had been worked out, asset protection operations began under the command of a new Mobile Assets Defence Guardian jokingly referred to as the MAD Guardian. The Council of Elders then increased the size of each Vanguard team from 3 members to 5 members this was to address the potential for increased capabilities of the Hand of Destiny.

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Because of the accelerated training programs Naole was now of age to begin wearing the training Armour, but because of Naole's health problems the head instructor decided that Naole should wait until he turns 10 years old before beginning any kind of training. Casara and Enala felt sorry for Naole and therefore undertook to teach him what they learn at the training Centre. Since Naole was not allowed to train at age seven with all the other kids, Esara occupied him with books and Computers.

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Because of the improvements to the Crystal Armour every encounter with the Hand of Destiny (HOD) had not proved fatal for the Crystal Armoured Crystalans. The electromagnetic field generated shield minimized the risk of injury to the Crystal Armoured Crystalans.

The Council of Elders knew that the security brought about by the Crystal Armour would not last forever; they knew that ultimate security can only be reached through a direct and symbiotic relationship with the rest of humanity.

The Council of Elders, the research team and the Guardian Council decided to hold a meeting in order to plot a path towards a more effective engagement with the rest of Humanity.

Isis : " In the name of Crystalorb, I hereby call this meeting to order"

Onala : " With the Hand of Destiny continuing with their hit and run attack it has become clear to all of us that we must find another way to ensure our security"

Gaurdius: " The Hand of Destiny is engaging in a war of attrition against us, forcing us to spread our force too thinly to be effective against the Hand of Destiny"

Isis : " The Hand of Destiny is no friend to the rest of humanity, and that fact should be the premise for our interaction with the world"

Onala : " Indeed, this gives us and the rest of the world a common enemy"

Esara : " Except for this; the Hand of Destiny is the single largest supplier of animal foods to the world. Any attempt by us to oppose the Hand of Destiny openly will be met with resistance by the rest of humanity. I believe that we should focus our attentions on a single government; the one above us. We should make contact with the South African Government and work out some kind of autonomy"

Cyris : " The South African government will undoubtedly want access to our technology. Self interest and corruption has infected every fibre of the South African government, dealing with them will be a disaster."

Kolen : " In any case the South African government will eventually find out about us, it's only a matter of time. How they interact with us will be a function of how they learn about our existence!"

Ocyris : " That may already be too late. Over the past few years there has been satellite scanning of South Africa for underground mineral reserves, they are sure to have found the underground cavity we call Crystalorb. We suspect that once all the satellite data is processed they'll try to investigate."

Loj : " We must borrow from the methods of the Hand of Destiny and use the wealth of the Crystal Valley Industries Corporation to buy influence with the South African government"

Ocyris : " There is another problem!"

Kolen : " What problem?"

Ocyris : " The Hand of Destiny has since their defeat at the hands of Esara been working on recombining their DNA with that of normal humans in order to produce a human hybrid. They are trying to rapidly increase their enforcer numbers; we don’t know exactly why they require such numbers. Projected numbers indicate that they could reach 11000 enforcers within a year"

Gaurdius : " We are aware of this."

Ocyris : " Yes, but there is something that concerns the research team"

Onala : " What?"

Ocyris : " The potential for that recombined DNA ending up in the hands of Global Governments. The recombinant DNA would allow these Governments the ability to produce what would be super soldiers. They would deploy these soldiers against each other with terrible consequences. More than that the recombinant DNA will actually spread into the human population creating an uncontrollable mutation that will risk the future of the world"

Cyris : " Is there anything we can do to stop this?"

Ocyris : " Probably not!"

Gaurdius: " But we have to try!"

Loj : " The Hand of Destiny will risk the fate of all man kind in order to keep what they believe is rightfully theirs"

Isis : " By the Source! We must do more than survive; we must protect the world from the growing threat of the Hand of Destiny"

After the meeting was concluded preparations for contact with the South African government were started. The Council of Elders knew that they would have to move cautiously, the Hand of Destiny would probably have well placed and well paid spies in all major governments, including the South African government. If things were to go wrong the fate of the country could hang in the balance.

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Over the years the Crystal Valley Farm had become more than just a farming area, but had become an industrial complex. The Crystal Valley Farm was now covered with structures that processed the various gases that the Crystal Valley Industries Company produced. The storage and transportation of these gases had to fall under the rules and regulation of the relevant South African Government Departments.

Before the Council of Elders could make official contact with the South African government a mortar round hit one of the surface storage facilities. Fortunately because of the risk of explosion most of the flammable gases were kept in underground storage facilities build according to South African government Specifications and International Standards. When the mortar hit one of the surface depots a small fire started risking a catastrophic chain reaction.

Government inspectors were immediately sent to investigate the explosion at the Crystal Valley industrial complex. The Hand of Destiny was again using sabotage as a tool to destabilize Crystalorb, even if it meant that Crystalorb is exposed to the world. The inspectors were there for a week making their investigations, calculating the trajectory of the Mortar Round that had landed on the gas storage system.

The inspectors concluded that it was a terrorist act at the hands of Islamic fundamentalist bent on sabotaging the Economy. Little did they know that this was the doing of the HOD. During the time the inspectors were present at the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex, the Council of Elders had no choice but to halt all direct Crystal Armoured flight activities.

Even with the new Crystal Armour's invisibility field the doorway into Crystalorb would still need to be opened. This was the true intent of the attack, to stop the Crystal Armoured Crystalans being able to patrol.

This brief vacuum allowed the Hand of Destiny to deploy around the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex. They had in their possession an experimental 100kw infrared Laser that they wanted to test on the Crystal Armour. Because of the size of the Laser the HOD needed a diversion in order to deploy it. The HOD could not fire the Laser from far away because radar had proved ineffective against Crystal Armoured Crystalans.

With their Laser deployed the Hand of Destiny was waiting for things to cool down so that they could make their move. After the investigation was completed the Hand of Destiny waited five weeks before they made their assault. Because of the Crystal Armour's invisibility field acquiring a target was a complicated exercise for the Hand of Destiny. Nevertheless they found a target, two Vanguards on patrol at the edge of the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex disengaged their invisibility fields so they could have a conversation. It was night time and the risk of exposure was minimal.

While the two Vanguards were talking one of them was hit by the high energy beam of light that penetrated his shield and then injured him at the back of the head, killing him instantly. The other Vanguard immediately raised his shield to maximum, this stopped the laser from killing him as well. The standard operating protocol until then was to keep the shield at 5% until you are engaged directly, the goal was to conserve Crystal Armour energy.

Back in Crystalorb the Spirit Stone alerted everyone about the death of a Vanguard. Other Vanguards on patrol were scanning the area, looking for the source of the Laser beam. The Vanguard who survived the attack was carrying the body of his friend back to Crystalorb. The Council of Elders gathered in their Chambers to observe the situation, Crystalorb was under attack, the Guardian Council had mobilized all the Crystalan warriors.

Anun; son of Gaurdius, the Guardian in charge of the sector where the Vanguard was killed led the search for the Laser weapon that had killed one of his Vanguards. By activating their invisibility field they searched all the area around Crystalorb, finally locating the abandoned laser device hidden in a neighbouring farm. The owners of the desert farm had been murdered; no doubt the doing of the Hand of Destiny.

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The Council of Elders and the Guardian Council convened to plot the path ahead, but first there was the matter of paying their respects to the fallen Vanguard.

The body of Tebang the fallen Vanguard still in Vanguard Armour was laid by his family before the pyramid. In this process Jalen, Hamun, Lumen, Tshego and Lerata the more Spiritual members of the Council of Elders would articulate and expatiate the commitment ceremony for the fallen Vanguard.

Tshego : " Heart of our people! Heart of Crystalorb!"

Lerata : " In the name of all Crystalans!"

Lumen : " We beseech you!"

Hamun : " Awaken mighty Spirits!"

Jalen : " And receive our fallen son amongst your order!"

Tebang's Vanguard Armour disengaged from his body, locking itself into a sphere then hovering 2 meters above Tebang's body.

Tshego : " We are born of the Light, we live in the light!"

Lumen : " And upon our death we return to the light!"

Lerata : " With this in mind, we will now return Tebang to the light"

Jalen : " Tebang!" Speaking directly to Tebang's body "It's time for you to return to the Source!"

Tebang's family activated their Chest Crystals, generating a beam of light that hit Tebang's body, this caused Tebang's Chest Crystals to activate, absorbing all of Tebang's body thereby increasing in size. When Tebang's Chest Crystal was finished absorbing Tebang's body it hovered next to Tebang's Vanguard Armour sphere.

Hamun : " Tebang's Vanguard Armour is a part of Tebang and thus cannot exist without him, It will now mourn him!"

Tebang's Vanguard Armour sphere generated a massive aura of light that was very bright, then produced an electrical energy stream that linked it to Tebang's Chest Crystals. Tebang's Vanguard Armour sphere began to move in circles around Tebang's Chest Crystal moving incrementally closer to the crystal until eventually fusing with the Chest Crystal.

Lumen : " Tebang is no longer with us, from here onwards he will forever be a part of the Spirit Stone"

Tshego : " Mighty Spirit Stone! Accept your son into your home"

With that, the combined Chest Crystal and Vanguard Armour sphere flew up the pyramid and fused with the Spirit Stone in a massive flash of light.

The ceremony was completed and the Security meeting could begin.

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