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Crystal Guardian

Arc 1: Between the Darkness and the Light

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Chapter 7: Strike Force

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When Esara stepped into Nalen's room she immediately sensed that something was different, she immediately asked to speak to the doctor in charge of Nalen's care.

Esara : " Doctor; I've just been to Nalen's room, and felt something different, I can't quite put my finger on it, but Nalen seems somehow different. It’s as if he is putting out far more energy than the last time I was here."

Dr Kanu (MD) : "It's amazing that you noticed it so quickly! I was just about to call you to tell you about the development"

Esara : " What’s going on?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " I don't know exactly, all we know for certain is that Nalen's brain activity doubled about an hour ago"

Esara : " What caused it? What happened an hour ago?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " To put it simply Naole, Your son Naole was here visiting Nalen. Naole was in a very exited state, he was jumping around Nalen's room telling Nalen how he was going to fly around"

Esara : " Naole was here?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Yes, that's when we picked it up"

Esara : " Picked up what?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Naole's excitement was triggering a reaction in Nalen's heart rate, it was as though Nalen was also getting exited"

Esara : " So Nalen can hear us"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " It appears so! Even though it may not seem like it Nalen is aware of things that are happening around him"

Esara : " What about the increased brain activity?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Yes, that’s a bit of a puzzle, we think that the increased heart rate triggered the increase in brain activity"

Esara : " What does that mean, is Nalen waking up?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " I don't know, but it gives us reason to hope"

Esara : " I've always had hope, what I need now is for you to tell me exactly what’s going on within Nalen"

Dr Kanu(MD) : " You must understand, Crystalan physiology is so different from human physiology, that my years of studying medicine are barely useful in the treatment of Crystalans. As you know most Crystalan injuries heal themselves completely without leaving a scar, the healing process is nearly five times faster for those Crystalan without Chest Crystals. Our research indicates that the difference in the healing rate is due to the Chest Crystal. I myself was not born with a Chest Crystal so I don't have a precise feel for the functionality of the Chest Crystal"

Esara : " I know all that, 40% of Crystalans don't have Chest Crystals, we also know the reasons why, but what does any of this have to do with my husband?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " I'm merely trying to impress upon you the whole picture! The possible reason you felt such a marked increase in Nalen's energy level has to do with something that is happening to the rest of Nalen's body. After the increase in heart rate caused an increase in brain activity something else happened"

Esara : " What?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Nalen's muscles are being stimulated by something, we're still running tests, but I have to tell you that I've never seen anything even remotely like this; we are now definitely in uncharted territory!"

Esara : " What do you mean by stimulated?"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " When one is moving there is a certain amount of energy that is used to achieve movement and the amount of energy needed for walking is less than the amount of energy required for running"

Esara : " Yes; I get that!"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Well when we measured the amount of energy in his muscles in relation to the rest position, we estimate that his muscles a using as much energy as if he were running. The muscle activity lasts for 10 minutes then stops for 30 minutes then activates for 10 minutes then stops for 30 minutes. It's cyclical!"

Esara : " He's exercising!"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " That can't be right, it's just not probable!"

Esara : " You'd think that, but that's because you don’t know my husband. When it comes to Nalen you must never rule anything out, he is a man without limits, and I always knew that he would find a way back to me!"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " I don't think so, I think the brain activity is triggering the response in his muscles to suggest anything else would be overreaching. All our brain scans still suggests that Nalen is still in a coma!"

Esara : " Let me tell you something, I once stood in this very clinic and heard people tell me that my son would be dead in two months, that was four years ago. In every occasion that Nalen was faced with a wall he has always found a way through it, it's as though his natural instinct is to rise beyond his limits whenever he is faced with what seems like an insurmountable obstacle!"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " Your faith in Nalen is admirable, but...!"

Esara : " But nothing! My husband is fighting his way back, and this time he needs a little help, so faith is the least that I can give him. If you can't have faith then look at the evidence, the proof of his unyielding spirit is right there!"

Dr Kanu (MD) : " What proof?"

Esara : " His heart" Esara pauses and takes Nalen's hand "Everyday my son lives I'm reminded just how special Nalen is, when I come here to see him and I see on the heart monitor Nalen's heart beat, and I am confronted by proof of a father's love; proof that miracles are possible if you only have the courage to believe. This isn't hope, I have seen what Nalen is capable of, and therefore believe that he can once again do the impossible. If you have trouble believing then use your machines and look at his heart and you will see the final proof of Nalen's capabilities, believe what you see and let Nalen tell you how to help" Dr Kanu is called away to attend to an emergency "I believe Nalen! I will be here when you find your way back!"

And so Esara stayed at the Clinic for two hours silently watching over her husband, confident in the knowledge that Nalen knows that she is there. The conflict with the Hand of Destiny was coming to a head, and one of Crystalorb's most legendary talents lay helpless. The hope of Crystalorb now lay with Esara, her strength and power was once again called upon to fight the good fight, to stand for justice and protect her home.

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Meanwhile Ocyris and his team were hard at work making the final preparations for the operations of the three Guardians; Kolen, Loj and Esara. The ship that Esara was to travel on was nearly ready for strategic operations, for the security of the Guardian and her two teams Ocyris installed defence systems on the ship. The armaments of the ship included a new Crystal based Laser weapon system designed to provide surface and subsurface projectile weapon defence.

The Crystal based Laser weapon system could also be deployed as an offensive weapon should the need arise. Along with the Laser there were other weapon systems that were installed on the ship that was now named Intrepid. Using technology from the Light of Ilesia the research team created a cannon with the ability to produce supercharged electrical energy balls known as the Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Balls, and the Cannon could also produce the Electrolaser Lightning Bolts.

As the deployment time of the strategic units approached Esara was finalising the training of the two Expeditionary teams led by Vangleads Nasan and Peo. Over six months the two teams had become competent in the use of the three electromagnetic shield manipulation techniques, Esara had been training them in the applications of these unorthodox techniques. Shield manipulation had become a critical component of their offensive strategies, and because of the three shield manipulation techniques Esara was confident of their chances of success.

The combination of the three techniques Expansion, Spinning and Projection was the ultimate progression that Esara wanted her two teams to master. Projection being the most powerful was the most difficult for the units; it requires enormous energy and concentration. The projected energy field could be used to manipulate other objects, so Esara showed her units how to use the projected energy field to move rocks and levitate both people and other objects, but the most difficult to accomplish was to combine Shield energy field Spinning and Projection

By combining Shield energy field Spinning and Projection Esara could drill into any material, even some of the hardest substances like the black Crystal covering the to of mount Crystalorb. The final technique proved too difficult for Vanguards to master, only the two Vangleads Nasan and Peo could perform the combination of the techniques Shield energy field Expansion, Spinning and Projection.

Esara's units were ready, the Intrepid was ready, and the other Guardians were also confident in the abilities of their teams to execute the mission, thus all that remained was for the Council of Elders to give the order and they would execute their attack plans as per the instructions of the Council of Elders.

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And so the Council of Elders and the Guardian Council met to give their final instructions and give the orders to proceed with the next phase.

Gaurdius : " In the name of Crystalorb I hereby declare this meeting constituted"

Isis : " Kolen; what progress can you report?"

Kolen : " Honoured Elders, I'm happy to report that our preparations are complete, we are ready to proceed"

Jalen : " Ocyris; what is the status of your preparations?"

Ocyris : " Honoured Elders, we a ready, our ship the Intrepid is armed and ready, it is already at sea and awaits the Expeditionary Units"

Onala : " Loj; how about you?"

Loj : " Honoured Elders, my team is fully prepared and other teams are preparing for deployment in support of the primary team"

Isis : " Esara; are the Expeditionary Units ready?"

Esara : " Honoured Elders, my people are ready; they've worked hard and await the Council's command. I'm also ready to lead them into the fight, but I'm concerned about my ability to back them up should they need it"

Lumen : " Is there a problem?"

Esara : " As you are all aware my Red Crystal Armour does not allow me to become invisible, so in the event that I'm required to assist my teams I will be visible. I've trained my people so that they won't need me, if they do I'll have to act, and this might attract undue attention from the public"

Gaurdius : " So what do you suggest?"

Esara : " A second Guardian onboard the Intrepid. The attack plan calls for simultaneous attacks on multiple targets, that means very high team rotation, I have to be present onboard the Intrepid because I'm the only one with the ability to recharge the Crystal Armours, a second Guardian could help support the Expeditionary role."

Cyris : " Well Kolen, can you spare one more Guardian?"

Kolen : " There aren’t enough of us; we just don't have enough Guardians. There are officially 16 Guardians, and my strategic operations require three Guardians to back up the strategic teams."

Isis : " It does seem slightly unfair to have Esara back up two teams while the three teams operating on the continent have three Guardians to support them should they need it."

Kolen : " I understand, but the simple fact is that there are 16 Guardians, Crystalorb security requires 12 Guardians and the strategic operations require 5 Guardians, that puts us at 17. Given Esara's combat history we simply assumed that she won't need the extra help, our opposite numbers in the HOD have come to fear the very sight of her, they call her the Red Guardian."

Gaurdius: " But the rules are clear, no Guardian must fight alone. Is there no one new who can answer the call of the Armour?"

Kolen : " There is none! Guardian Armour isn’t something one can grow into; the minimum requirements are quite intense. If the energy requirements exceed the capabilities of the Crystalan then that's that."

Tshego : " There is one, But he's been sleeping for 4 years!"

Cyris : " My daughter tells me that there have been some new developments with Nalen"

Esara : " The doctor in charge of his care is increasingly optimistic about Nalen's condition, there have been some improvements. I deploy in 10 days, and therefore need to make provisions for any additional people that fall under my command during this mission"

Isis : " I understand what’s going on, Esara is the youngest of all Guardians, and therefore none of the other Guardians want to take orders from someone so young"

Onala : " And we cannot put the command of the mission or that of the two Expeditionary Teams under another Guardian, the teams trust and believe in Esara they won't follow anyone else in the same way."

Anun : " My lord if I may, perhaps there is another way!"

Cyris : " Go ahead Anun"

Anun : " Each Guardian here in Crystalorb has 12 teams under their command, and the 12 Guardians are essential to the security of Crystalorb, we need the teams but not necessarily the team leaders. Would Esara's need be satisfied by six Vangleads instead of a Guardian"

Esara : " Yes, that would be satisfactory"

Gaurdius: " Guardians; we need six Vangleads! Who amongst you will assist the Expeditionary Guardian?"

Anun : " I will offer two Vangleads"

Kutu : " I will offer my most experienced Vanglead"

Inala : " Esara you can have two of my best Vangleads"

Aman : " You can have my second in command"

Gaurdius: " Well there you are, Esara you have what you need! The Council hereby orders the deployment of the strategic units in the service of Crystalorb, you are to destroy the selected targets, let those who wish Crystalorb harm be undone by the evil in their hearts!"

Ocyris : " I have something further to report"

Jalen : " Go on!"

Onala : " Speak Guardian!"

Ocyris : " Recent developments with Nalen has forced us to take a look at one of his earlier queries"

Onala : " Which one?"

Jalen : " There are so many after all"

Ocyris : " After the development of the Light of Ilesia Nalen noted a 2.457% increase in the physical strength of the users after 8 days of use. He then recommended a full scale study of the effects of the energy enhancements on Crystalans."

Cyris : " We received Nalen’s reports but felt that there was nothing be to concerned about!"

Gaurdius: " What’s wrong with our people being stronger and cleverer?"

Ocyris : " So you haven’t noticed it either?"

Gaurdius: " What are you talking about?"

Jalen : " Are you suggesting that we missed something?"

Ocyris : " A Crystal Guardian without Armour today is more powerful than an Armoured Vanguard from 2 years ago?"

Gaurdius: " What?"

Onala : " How is that even possible?"

Esara : " Are you saying that we’ve become Stronger?"

Ocyris : " By a Hundred fold!"

Jalen : " That’s not possible! We would have noticed; right?"

Esara : " So that’s how he survived!"

Cyris : " Who?"

Esara : " Nalen"

Ocyris : " The Manacle of Ilesia feeds energy directly into the body; something first discovered by the Hodians. The effect of this method is transformative to the enhanced physiology of a Crystalan; It activates dormant genes! Crystalans have Ten Thousand Times more dormant genes than normal Humans; I’m not sure we should even be considered Human! We a theorizing that the original Crystal may have been part of a Technogarnic Weapon System"

Esara : " That would explain why this war has had such an effect on us! The war with the Hodians is changing us!"

Ocyris : " Crystalans Like to Fight! And I suspect that Hodians also enjoy combat!"

Loj : " They do! It is suspicious that all members of two separate communities enjoy potentially lethal violence."

Onala : " Are you sure we all like the violence?"

Esara : " We do!"

Onala : " All of us?"

Ocyris : " Every single one of us!"

Tshego : " How could you possibly know a thing like that?"

Cyris : " That can’t be right!"

Esara : " It’s true; My grandfather noticed it too!"

Isis : " But Crystalorb is so peaceful?"

Gaurdius: " It can’t be the Spirit Stone can it?"

Loj : " I think it’s easy for those of you who grew up under the Light of the Spirit Stone to be oblivious to its power; it’s basically a God!"

Ocyris : " Once we decided to go to War with Hodians the Spirit Stone removed some the limits it had placed on our Abilities; first signified by Nalen wearing Guardian Armour!"

Cyris : " He knew didn’t he?"

Jalen : " Did Nalen know?"

Esara : " I think he suspected that we might be more than we are ready to accept!"

Gaurdius: " It’s more than Physical isn’t it? Our minds are opening up; becoming a great deal more than Human!"

Ocyris : " In any case I suggest we keep this a secret for the time being; at least until our people are ready to hear the truth."

Onala : " You should have kept quiet Ocyris; you never should have made us aware of this!"

Ocyris : " The implications were frightening! If we’re going to Fight you must all be aware that The Crystal Guardians being the most Evolved of Crystalans cannot be taken Alive!"

Kolen : " Understood!"

Cyris : " May the source give you strength!"

The meeting was concluded, the mission was approved and in ten days Esara would leave aboard a helicopter to rendezvous with the ship Intrepid. The Vanguards and the Vangleads would leave in eight days, two days before Esara.

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During the next 10 days those who were about to deploy used the remaining days to spend quality time with their families and friends.

Esara visits her friends Cyris and Inala the parents of Enala, Casara and Naole come with her to the lunch with Enala's family. After the meal the adults go of by themselves leaving their children on their own.

Cyris : " Esara; it's good to see you in a non formal environment!"

Esara : " I've been so busy these past few months that I've hardly had time to do anything else"

Inala : " And how is your husband?"

Esara : " His condition still has not changed, but for the first time in four years there is real hope. In the past week the doctors have seen things that indicate there is some awareness from him; they believe he is aware of things that are going on around him."

Cyris : " Many on the Council frown on me when I talk like this, but I get the feeling that we need Nalen; for if Crystalorb is to survive Nalen must return!"

Inala : " I didn't know you felt so strongly about this?"

Cyris : " It's not just me!"

Esara : " There are others on the Council who think the way you do?"

Inala : " Can one person truly be that important?"

Cyris : " I don't know, but I do know this, were it not for the efforts of Nalen Crystalorb would have already been overrun by the Hand of Destiny!"

Inala : " By the source!"

Esara : " What makes you think that he is so essential?"

Cyris : " If you look at the facts; It was your Grandfather who created the Crystal Armour, then his son Esara's father Lekalo and Lekalo's sister Shanela improved the Armour, and then Nalen took the Armour to a completely new level. Don't you see? The security of Crystalorb has always rested with your bloodline Esara!"

Esara : " But why do you think we need him to survive?"

Cyris : " I'm not the one who thinks we need him"

Inala : " Who then?"

Cyris : " The Spirit Stone, the Source itself recognizes the great power in Nalen, the Spirit Stone gave the Guardian Armour without us having a say in the matter. Nalen is a man without limits; even you Esara surely recognise the truth, the fate of our home is linked to the fate of Nalen"

Esara : " That can't be true; he is just a sweet simple man"

Cyris : " There is nothing simple about that man; he's the most complex individual I have ever met"

Inala : " It's true he's very complicated"

Esara : " He may be relentless, but with me he's just clear and simple"

Cyris : " You are too close to him to see it, let me ask you this, how did he save young Naole?"

Inala : " That was a little strange, to be better at something that you are unfamiliar with than those who have dedicated their lives to studying it"

Esara : " That's just who he is!"

Cyris : " And what about his fighting techniques, If the mind is truly the weapon, then his mind must be the most powerful of all!"

Esara : " I have to admit that, he has some amazing fighting techniques!"

Inala : " All that power, but no inclination to use it!"

Esara : " He sees the mind as a more effective tool!"

Cyris : " My daughter Enala tells me that Casara can generate more than twice the energy of her own energy. If you were to calculate it at age 13 Casara could operate Vanguard Armour. You and Nalen are the same way, between the two of you exists a power like no other! I think that my colleagues on the Council know this and it scares them!"

Esara : " But why would they be afraid of us!"

Inala : " Self preservation!"

Cyris : " We may have sealed ourselves in this cave, and we maybe born with extraordinary power, but Crystalans still remain fundamentally human, governed by human emotions!"

Esara : " What emotions do you ascribe this to?"

Inala : " The fear of someone you perceive as more powerful than you are!"

Esara : " What are you saying?"

Cyris : " It's a human fact; all of us are motivated by our feelings!"

Inala : " It’s true; I sometimes get a little jealous of you Esara!"

Cyris : " It doesn’t seem logical does it, but emotions aren’t always logical!"

Esara : " But why would you envy me? You have the perfect life, you are a respected Guardian and married to an esteemed Elder. I envy you!"

Inala : " Yes, but in your role as Guardian you are unchallenged, most members of the Guardian Council would never admit this, but you are the best we have; a Guardian like no other! Those who serve under you have absolute faith in you. That's why every one in your command requested to be in the Expeditionary Units!"

Esara : " I wanted people who understand that the Expeditionary Units are the first line of defence, so they have to choose to risk everything, I didn't want people who were forced to risk their lives!"

Cyris : " I think that's precisely Inala's point, they follow you, not orders!"

Esara : " You are making me out to be more than I truly am!"

Inala : " Four years ago you showed the Hand of Destiny the true power of a Guardian, the strength of Crystalorb, no one in Crystalorb can deny that, and when things look bad the Crystalans look to you for strength!"

Cyris : " This has angered some on the Council of Elders, they would prefer that this was not the case, they have grown accustomed to public adoration, and you threaten that!"

Inala : " Even some Guardians think that you and Nalen want all the glory for yourselves!"

Esara : " The truth is that I would like nothing better than to stay home with my kids, but my people need me to recharge their Armours!"

Inala : " That's the other thing; this ability of yours to recharge other people's Armours makes some on the Guardian Council uneasy. I once heard the Guardian Commander remark that because of that ability you could raise an army amongst Crystalans and take over Crystalorb!"

Esara : " Why would I want to do that?"

Cyris : " It's the paranoid mind at work!"

Esara : " We can dismiss these fears as irrational for now, but eventually I will have to address them!"

Inala : " We just want you to be careful while you are away, and remember to act in the best interest of your people, even if it means offending the Guardian Council."

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As the day for Esara's departure approached she prepared herself for the coming battles by calming her mind with meditation techniques. There was a fury of activities in Crystalorb as the sector Guardians prepared for possible retaliatory attacks from the Hand of Destiny. All Crystal Armoured Teams were on full alert; they stood ready for an attack. Ocyris the head of Crystalorb research was preparing to fill in for the sector 7 Guardian Amang. Amang had been selected by Kolen to accompany Loj and Kolen on their operations throughout the continent.

Because of the inability to recharge from an external energy source other than the Spirit Stone, Amang, Loj and Kolen decided that they would operate in strategic strike role, returning back to Crystalorb after every successful mission, all missions would be designed to suit the particular targets. Because Loj's units did not have Chest Crystals they could pass for normal humans and therefore could hit targets in major cities where a large scale Crystal Armoured attack was not an option. Amang's responsibility was to support and protect Loj and his team. To help Amang three Vangleads from sector 7 were assigned to the mission.

On the day of Esara’s departure all the Guardians were stood fully Armoured in two rows at the base of the Crystalorb gate transit system. As Esara passed through the pair of Guardians parallel to her they activated their Armour Chest Crystals creating a moving arch of electrical energy, this was the Guardian salute, a way to honour a Guardian's courage. Then Esara travelled by helicopter to Intrepid which was now in international waters 420 km from the South African coast.

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Upon Esara's arrival the Intrepid set a course for Europe at 28 knots, they would arrive in 2 weeks. The destination of the Intrepid was the North Sea near the Norwegian coast; the Hand of Destiny had set up research facilities in that region, 2 centres in Norway and 3 centres in Finland. The five centres were Esara's first targets, The Hand of Destiny (HOD) had chosen the cold climates because of the nature of the research, this was where they carried out their bio research.

The next set of targets were in east Europe where the governments could be bribed to look the other way while they carried out animal testing of their mutagenic DNA. Then Intrepid would then move to South America. There were identified targets in Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. The Intrepid would then travel to the Pacific Ocean the targets being Mongolia, Indonesia and Cambodia, with the mission to destroy identified targets. The final set of identified targets would be in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Georgia.

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When the Intrepid was two days from target location Kolen, Amang and Loj ordered their units into position. The continental strikes would hit the heart of the Hand of Destiny's advanced weapons development located in South Africa. They would then hit other targets in Southern Africa, and then they would move to Central Africa, then North Africa.

The crux of the plan was to hit all the South African targets in one day. With proper energy management a team could hit multiple targets then return to Crystalorb to rest while their Crystal Armour was being recharged. It was an ambitious plan that depended on the element of surprise to be truly effective, so they made every effort to conceal their movements, making sure that the Hand of Destiny (HOD) remained unaware of the attack.

For all the teams the weapon of choice was the wave of Compressed Energized air particles electrically bonded to form a highly charged sphere that was called the Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball. Both the Crystal Armoured and Ilesian Units could produce such an attack, but it was the primary attack of the Ilesians. The Guardian Council chose this attack because Government Authorities would assume it to be electrical discharge either from a storm or electrical wiring, either way the attack would not point the finger at a sinister force.

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