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Crystal Guardian

Arc 1: Between the Darkness and the Light

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Chapter 8: Pre-emptive Attack

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On the day of the first attack the Intrepid reached the predetermined location from which they would launch their attacks on Hodian Targets. The launch time was set at 23h00 GMT, chosen to coincide with a series of storms that would blanket most of western European skies. The storms would provide perfect cover for assault teams. Esara was concerned about the capabilities of the European defence forces, the Crystal Armour had some vulnerability to infrared detection, but because of the associated costs of advanced infrared systems many European defence forces didn’t acquire Infrared systems.

An hour before launch the Council of Elders and the Guardian Council convened at the Council Chambers to observe and command the battle, holographic displays were then activated on all four sides of the pyramid for all Crystalans to observe the strikes, the Crystalorb Broadcast system was authorized to give direct holographic feed; those who did not wish to gather at the pyramid could watch from their homes. It was Crystalorb policy that the Council of Elders not hide from Crystalans any military activity taken in the name of Crystalorb, and on behalf of Crystalans.

The Belief was that Crystalans had the right to know about any death caused in the name of Crystalorb. Consequently those with young children were advised not to let the children watch if a close relative of the child was involved.

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At the command centre the four Guardians were awaiting the final order to launch.

Kolen : " Honoured Councils, the time is 22h49, we await your command"

Gaurdius : " Is everyone ready?"

Loj : " We are in position!"

Amang : " Guardian Escort operational!"

Esara : " Expeditionary Units Armoured and ready to go!"

Kolen : " Assault force good to go!"

Gaurdius : " The Council of Elders herby orders you to engage!"

Isis : " Proceed to your assigned targets and destroy them!"

The order to engage was given, and so the Guardians relayed the orders to the Five teams. The Intrepid was moving 400km from they Norwegian coast when the attack orders were given, travelling target to target at the optimised speed to minimize the travelling distance. Peo was to hit 3 targets with the total distance covered being approximately 5000km and Nasan would hit 2 targets with the total distance covered being approximately 6750km.

To accomplish this in the required time Esara decided that their average speed should be optimized to Mach 7.5. This meant that Peo’s team could complete the round trip in 32.3 minutes and Nasan’s team could complete the round trip in 43.6 minutes.

Esara maintained communication with the team leaders

Nasan : " We are Airborne! Shields active, and stealth active! Team Nasan ready to proceed"

Peo : " Team Peo Airborne, altitude 7000 meters, automatic navigation active, we're ready to proceed"

Esara communicates with both Nasan and Peo.

Esara : " Increase shield to 90% and Climb to 30000 meters. You are cleared to go hypersonic!"

The two teams quickly reach the target speed of mach 7.5, each team moving in the direction of their first target. Since Peo's targets are closer his team is first to arrive within range of the first target.

Peo : " Coming within range of Primary!"

Esara : " Begin drop sequence! Attack speed mach 2.9! Drop two Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Balls each!"

Peo's team began their dive towards the target, and when they reached an altitude of 1000 meters they each fired two Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Energy Balls from their Armour's Chest Crystals, and then climbed back to 30000 meters.

Peo : " First objective met, sensors indicate that the target was destroyed, proceeding to second target, requesting permission to increase speed to mach 8.5"

Esara : " Permission granted, good work" then speaking to one of the Intrepid crew "link me to Crystalorb" communication is established with the Crystalorb command centre "we have confirmation that the first target has been destroyed!"

Gaurdius : " Acknowledged! Loj is currently engaged, we have confirmation that his target has also been destroyed. Kolen's first team is coming up on target as we speak"

The communication link between Esara and Crystalorb is suspended.

Peo : " Guardian, we are coming up on the second target"

Esara : " Proceed similar to the first target and move to the third target"

Intrepid receives communiqué from Nasan.

Nasan : " Intrepid, we're within range of first target"

Esara : " Nasan your target is more fortified, use 3 Electrolaser Lightning Bolts and 2 Plasma Energy Balls each"

Nasan : " Understood!"

Nasan's team began their dive towards the target, and when they reached 1000 meters they each fired two Electrolaser Lightning attacks from their Armour's left hand, Right hand and Chest Crystals, and then climbed back to 30000 meters.

Nasan : " Target destroyed, moving to second target"

Esara : " Good work Nasan"

Intrepid receives communiqué from Peo.

Peo : " Final target in range"

Esara : " Proceed"

After about 20 seconds.

Peo : " Target destroyed, returning to base"

Before Esara could respond to Peo the Intrepid receives communiqué from the Crystalorb command centre.

Gaurdius : " Esara, satellite images indicate that the Hand of Destiny is mobilizing to reinforce their centres in east Europe, be advised that you will face heavy resistance on those targets."

Esara : " What are the Council's orders?"

Gaurdius : " You proceed as planned!"

Intrepid receives communiqué from Nasan.

Nasan : " Second target destroyed"

Esara still speaking to Gaurdius.

Esara : " Message received"

The Link to Crystalorb is suspended, and the joint command communications is activated.

Esara : " Peo what's your Armour energy situation?"

Peo : " My Vanguards are at 80% and I'm at 85% of max"

Esara : " And you Nasan?"

Nasan : " My Vanguards are at 78% and I'm at 82% of max"

Esara : " Ok! Latest Intel indicates that the Hand of Destiny is reinforcing their facilities in East Europe, if we wait until tomorrow we'll face heavy resistance. I want you to transit to the secondary location and start the second mission, the Intrepid is en-route; I will recharge you on your way back. Remember you have to get there before their reinforcements arrive so increase speed to mach 10"

Peo & Nasan : " On your Command!"

Peo and Nasan change direction and head for east Europe. Then Esara calls in the six Vangleads assigned to support the Expeditionary teams.

Esara : " I'm deploying you six in two teams of three. I want you to hit 4 of the 8 Targets in east Europe, Peo and Nasan will deal with the other 4, they are already on route"

Surprised at the decision one of the Vangleads; Thabo, raises some question.

Thabo : " I'm not sure that the Guardian Council would approve of the this deviation from the original plan"

Esara : " Well the Guardian Council isn’t in command of this mission, I am, and on the field I make the decisions. Follow my instructions and leave the Guardian Council to me."

The two Vanglead teams flew at mach 10.5 towards the targets in east Europe. Again Peo's team moving at mach 10 was first to arrive at target location.

Peo : " We're nearing first target in region 2"

Esara speaks to all 4 teams.

Esara : " Remember to use 3 Electrolaser Lightning Bolts coupled with 3 Lightning Plasma Balls each"

Peo : " Beginning attack sequence"

Peo and Nasan were by now familiar with what can only be described as a bombing run, their teams executed the manoeuvre with absolute precision, Esara had trained them well.

Peo : " Target destroyed, moving to second target"

Nasan : " Beginning attack sequence"

Esara : " Thabo, Narun where are you?"

Nasan : " Target destroyed, moving to second target"

Thabo : " 15 minutes from first target"

Narun : " 25 minutes from first target"

Esara : " Thabo and Narun I didn't have time to properly train you in the Expeditionary manoeuvres, so use standard techniques, but at no point should your speed drop below mach 2.5"

Thabo & Narun : " Understood!"

Thabo : " Beginning attack run!"

There is a long pause.

Thabo : " Deploying Electrolaser Lightning Bolts" another pause "Target destroyed, moving to second target"

Five minutes pass.

Narun : " Target coming up"

Esara : " Proceed"

Nasan : " Deploying Electrolaser Lightning Bolts" another short pause "Target destroyed, proceeding to second target"

Peo : " Second Target destroyed, Vanguard energy 20%, returning to base at max velocity"

Esara : " Great job Peo"

10 minutes later the Intrepid receives communiqué from Nasan.

Nasan : " Second target destroyed, returning to base"

Esara : " Nasan what's your energy position?"

Nasan : " Vanguard energy 9%; will require intermittent recharge"

Esara : " I'm on my way"

While airborne and climbing to 30000 meters altitude the Intrepid relays communiqué from Vanglead team leader Thabo.

Thabo : " Second target destroyed, energy 50%, returning to base"

Esara : " Good work Thabo"

Five minutes later as Esara moves at mach 12.5 towards Nasan's team the Intrepid relays communiqué from Vanglead team leader Narun

Narun : " Second target destroyed, energy 40%, returning to base"

Esara : " Good work Narun"

Narun : " There were some complications!"

Esara : " What complications?"

Narun : " One of the Armour Chest Crystal Electrolaser Lightning Plasma Balls overshot the target"

Esara : " And?"

Narun : " And hit a nightclub!"

Esara : " Intrepid, scan news channels for coverage of the night club incident!"

As the crew of the Intrepid watch news reports they realise that there were a possible 183 people killed in a night club explosion in the Ukraine. Esara reaches Nasan's team, and by touching their Armour Chest Crystals for 2 minutes she increases the Armour reserves from 5% to 10% which is enough to get them back to the Intrepid. As Esara and Nasan's team were travelling towards the Intrepid Esara received a relay from Narun

Narun : " Guardian; we have a problem!"

Esara : " I'm listening”

Narun : " My sensors indicate that we are being tracked by an infrared device"

Esara : " Intrepid, open a link to all teams"

Intrepid : " Channel open"

Esara : " I want everyone to go into nap of the Earth mode, track the terrain, shields to maximum, speed to mach 5"

All the teams reduced their speed and descended to altitude of 5 meters, but Esara went to an altitude of 25000 meters

Esara : " Narun I need the location of that infrared tracking system"

Narun : " It’s coming from the American base in Germany"

Then Esara used the Armour Crystals to generate high energy electric field supercharging the storm clouds below her, as Esara descended and moved through the storm clouds she increased the charge in the cloud particles the result of which was a dry lightning storm in the outskirts of a Polish city, as the lightning storm grew Esara left the area and started other lightning storms near 3 German cities. This was all to divert the attention of military infrared devices, and to obscure its detection capabilities.

As Esara arrived on the Intrepid she opened a channel to Crystalorb.

Esara : " Mission accomplished, Intrepid setting course for the south Atlantic!"

Gaurdius : " Esara, why have you deviated from the agreed upon plan?”

Esara : " The plan no longer had any merit"

Gaurdius : " You acted alone Esara, you should have consulted before making the decision.”

Isis : " You cannot risk the lives of Crystal Armoured Crystalans without our approval."

Onala : " This is highly irregular"

Esara : " With respect, I have to disagree, on the field I and I alone bear the responsibility for the lives of those under my command. After all this is why the Guardians were created, to do what must be done."

Cyris : " Even so, you still had an obligation to inform us of your plans"

Gaurdius : " Crystalorb has the right to be aware of the activities of its warriors”

Isis : " We cannot have a situation where people can just decide to act on their own!"

Esara : " My departure from the plan was not acting alone, perhaps the Council has forgotten that all the targets were approved and authorized by the Council. It was the Council who tasked me with the responsibility of the destruction of the centres. If the Council is unhappy with my actions feel free to relieve me of my command"

Isis : " That's not what we are saying"

Onala : " Not at all, we only seek is to voice our concern"

Esara : " In retrospect I should have informed the Council, but at the time I wanted my mind focused on the mission, if anything the plan was flawed!"

Cyris : " What’s your status?"

Ocyris : " What are your energy reserves?"

Esara : " All Units are safely onboard, and we are in transit, I will recharge their Crystal Armours and then return to Crystalorb to recharge my energy sphere, I should arrive in Crystalorb in 40 hours"

Cyris : " We will have to continue this discussion then"

The communication link between Crystalorb and the Intrepid was terminated.

Esara began the process of recharging the Crystal Armours of the Crystalans who had taken part in the operations. After the recharge was complete Esara briefed the units on the activities of the coming days.

Esara : " As you know our mission was 98% successful, but because of the loss of innocent lives in the Ukraine the Council of Elders wants a full briefing on my activities. There are those who are unhappy with the decision I made to attack the east European targets ahead of schedule, so I'm being called to account. I want you to know that I stand by the decision I made, it was the right choice when you consider the Intel I received at the time."

Peo : " How long will you be gone?"

Esara : " As you know the people who run this ship are from the Mobile Assets Defence division and are therefore not in command of the attack operations, but the Vanglead in charge of the Ilesian is by Crystalorb directive in charge of the ship. In my absence Peo as the most experienced Vanglead and my second in command at the Expeditionary Division will assume command until I return. Originally I was going to be gone for 27 hours, but now it looks like it might be closer to 42 hours."

Peo : " What are your standing orders?"

Esara : " As you know the six Vangleads from the sector Divisions are not too familiar with our attack sequence and precision attacks. What I want is you and Nasan to teach them these methods, so that we can avoid the incidents such as the one in the Ukraine!”

Peo : " On your Command"

Esara : " And remember to always use stealth when flying, the ability of the American military to detect our energy signature makes us vulnerable to some sort of attack from them."

Nasan : " On your Command"

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The following evening Esara left the Intrepid for Crystalorb taking with her the reserve energy sphere; only she could use it, and that meant that only she could recharge it. The reserve energy sphere could only be recharge by its owner, and there were two ways to recharge it, the first way was directly draining core body energy into the sphere using the Chest Crystal, and the second way was with Crystal Armour.

To recharge the energy sphere using Crystal Armour was the easiest way to recharge, to do this one would take the Crystal Armour and have it fully charge at the recharge centre at the bottom of the pyramid, once the Crystal Armour is fully charge they then drained the Crystal Armour energy into the reserve energy sphere, and then repeat the procedure until both the Crystal Armour and the reserve energy sphere were fully charged.

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When Esara arrived in Crystalorb she immediately went to see her kids then her husband. Over the days that she was there she recharged both her Crystal Armour and the reserve energy sphere. Esara's reserve energy sphere had increased in size to about 80 centimetres in diameter. The main purpose of Esara's extended stay in Crystalorb was to give a full report of her Divisions activities, and to account for her decisions on the battle field.

As Esara enters the Council Chambers she calms her mind, she finds the meeting already in progress with Kolen reporting on his activities.

Kolen : " We destroyed 85% of the targets in South Africa, 90% in Botswana Zimbabwe and Mozambique. We sustained heavy resistance, five Vanguards and one Vanglead have been seriously injured and are recuperating at the Crystalorb medical centre. Reports indicate that we have killed 153 enforcers, and the loss of innocent lives has been held at a minimum."

Onala : " What I want to know is; are you still operational?"

Gaurdius : " Yes; can your units still complete their objectives?"

Kolen : " I have requested reinforcements from the other Guardians, so we should recover operational strength within hours. We had trained additional units to reinforce us in the event of injuries."

Onala : " Thanks Kolen, we will now hear from the Expeditionary Guardian"

Esara : " Honoured Councils, I don't have much to report that the Council is not already aware of, we cleaned up Europe and are now heading to South America. My people are in good health and their spirits are high, we are good to go"

Cyris : " What about the incidents in the Ukraine, 182 confirmed dead and 7 in critical condition in the hospital, do you have anything to say about that?"

Esara : " What can I say, these things happen, the Vangleads were not trained by me, they are sector trained, and they were never intended for strategic assault. As a result of which, I formally ask the Council to allow me to recall all my remaining Expeditionary Units to join me on the remaining missions"

Jalen : " Is that all? You killed more innocents than the number of enforcers Kolen's teams killed"

Esara : " Its worse than that I'm afraid, we have calculated the death toll from all the buildings we destroyed to be at 729, and about 60% of them were normal Humans who's only crime was that they worked for the Hand of Destiny, they didn't even know who they were truly working for. And for the record I did not kill anyone, Crystalorb did!"

Gaurdius : " No personal responsibility?"

Esara : " None, I expected that innocents will die, but like I tell my people; the Crystal Armoured do not order the destruction of anything the Council of Elders does, ultimate responsibility lies with the Council of Elders."

Onala : " Are you blaming us for the deaths in the Ukraine?"

Esara : " Yes, I blame all of us, but mainly the Council of Elders, you alone bear the responsibility for the power of the Crystalorb Warriors."

Cyris : " Esara is right, we sent her to attack, kill and destroy. That's exactly what she did, and she did this with terrifying diligence, we sent her because she is the most destructive force we have at our disposal."

Isis : " If there was ever any doubt about her destructive nature it has been erased, she has proven herself to be a truly lethal tool"

Onala : " We see the numbers, your teams destroyed every target without suffering any casualties. Even the Guardian Commander was not this successful, we secretly knew when we sent you that this is what you will do."

Lumen : " That's true, we are aware of your views about our confrontations with the Hand of Destiny; you desire a more direct approach!"

Esara : " It's no secret that I would prefer a more aggressive approach, but the Injuries to Kolen's people should at the very least give you an indication of the growing capabilities of the Hand of Destiny. The HOD are stronger than we anticipated, I remember being hit by an Inferno plasma Blast from Overlord Kodu Ralefa!"

Isis : " What are you saying?"

Onala : " What makes you suspicious?"

Esara : " I think we need to hear from Commander Kolen on what exactly penetrated the Crystal Armour's shield"

Cyris : " Yes we need some analysis"

Isis : " Was it some new weapon system?"

Kolen steps forward.

Kolen : " It was a Laser, but this time they used multiple lasers, we were at target 9 when my team was attacked. We counted at least 8 different lasers, and if a Vanguard is hit by three simultaneously fired lasers the shield is overwhelmed. Coupled with a high energy Infrared targeting systems we were easy targets, it's clear now that they know how to beat us."

Gaurdius : " By the source"

Cyris : " What do we do now?"

Esara : " We need to mobilize Crystalorb, cut off the energy supply of the Hand of Destiny, destroy their power source. We must launch an all out attack on all the selected targets before the HOD have more time to adequately organize"

Kolen : " I don't normally agree with Esara, but she has a point, we've lost the element of surprise, we have to rethink our strategies"

Ocyris : " I'm interested in finding out how Esara's teams were able to avoid the HOD's defence systems?"

Esara : " They never saw us coming. I trained my teams in advanced attack techniques that I developed myself. My people attacked at very high speed, it was over before they had time to react, no time for our enemies to acquire targets. They could see us, but by then it was already too late"

Kolen : " Why didn't you share your methods with us?"

Esara : " I did, but you said that they were reckless and dangerous."

Gaurdius : " I remember your proposal, making a dive at that speed is problematic, a slight mistake and the Vanguard crushes to the ground"

Isis : " And yet Esara has been able to apply it with great effect"

Onala : " In any case we cannot sanction such an attack method; we will leave it up to the individual Vanguard to choose for themselves"

Esara : " Which is what I did, my people decided for themselves, once I explained to them the advantages they all wanted to learn. Which brings me back to my request; I ask that the Council allow me to recall all my Expeditionary Units to join me on the remaining missions"

Cyris : " I don’t know about that, the Expeditionary teams are critical in providing air support to the Mobile Assets Defence division. The rapid response capability is not something we can afford to lose, even if it's only for a few days.”

Esara : " All your fears are based on the notion that there is a looming attack on our assets, why not ask the Spirit Stone to see into the hearts of the HOD, and tell us what they are planning"

Jalen : " Not all Crystalans trust the power of divination"

Kolen : " The reliability has proven shaky in the past, and that’s because the visions are subject to interpretation"

Esara : " But at least we can have some idea of what they are planning"

Gaurdius : " How will that help us, the uncertainty still remains?"

Isis : " Esara is right, Crystalorb has abandoned some of its ancestral power; there is a marked over-reliance on Crystal technology. All of us are guilty of this, this may be one of the reasons we're not as successful as we could be."

Esara : " Lord Lumen; use your piercing light and show us the path that lies ahead!"

Lumen : " With the Council's approval we can have a look"

Cyris : " It can't hurt to try"

Gaurdius : " I agree!"

Jalen : " Then let's begin"

Jalen, Hamun, Lumen, Tshego and Lerata the more Spiritual members of the Council of Elders began the Divination ritual.

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 shine your light upon us!"

Lumen : " Let us now commune with the source"

When all the 9 Elders touched the Spirit Stone an aura of light appeared around them activating the Chest Crystals of the 7 Elders who had them, and for Lerata and Tshego who did not have Chest Crystals the eyes began to glow, it was as though their eyes were 2 very bright torches.

Tshego : " It's time Lumen"

Lumen : " Mighty Spirits, we seek the guidance of Elders past!"

Jalen : " The knowledge of Elders past!"

Hamun : " To see the unseen!"

Lerata : " To hear the unheard!"

Tshego : " Open our minds to the truth!"

Lumen : " Use your power to pierce through the shadows and reveal the ultimate intensions of our foes, sink into their thoughts and show us what they are planning"

The Spirit Stone begins to radiate a full spectrum of light, as the light energy expands it reaches the Guardians in the Spirit Stone Chamber making them fall into a Trance.

Gaurdius : " What can you see?"

Isis : " What does the Spirit Stone foretell of our future?"

Lumen : " I see a ripple of darkness moving in a sea of light, with every obstacle the ripple hits it multiplies!"

Jalen : " I see flashes in the darkness spreading!"

Lerata : " I see a sand storm blanketing the sky!"

Tshego : " I see a bright light falling from the stars!"

Hamun : " I see a tree slowly dying!"

Then the Council of Elders quickly let go of the Spirit Stone, and thus stopped the light emanating from the Spirit Stone.

Kolen : " I don’t understand what any of that means?"

Gaurdius : " We must now attempt to interpret what we saw"

Isis : " We must combine our thoughts!"

Esara : " Can't you just ask the Spirit Stone?"

Isis : " It's not that simple"

Lumen : " The Spirit Stone taps into our ability to see; understanding what the Spirit Stone sees still remains our responsibility. We can all see what one of us sees; when we are before the Spirit Stone we are connected."

Isis : " As important as what we see is how we feel when we see it!"

Jalen : " The spreading flashes in the darkness reminds me of the feeling I get when watching images of mass suffering as a result of war"

Lerata : " I felt the same way when I saw my vision"

Tshego : " Sadness overcame me when I saw the bright light falling from the stars."

Hamun : " I felt the same way when I saw my vision; it felt like the death of a close friend."

Lumen : " Fear is what I experienced. Overwhelming gut-ranching fear!"

Isis : " The ripple of darkness moving in a sea of light sounds like the ‘end of the Crystalorb’ sort of stuff!"

Esara : " And the idea that with every obstacle the ripple hits it multiplies concerns me"

Gaurdius : " I share your concerns; this could mean the end of the world as we know it"

Kolen : " But none of this is actionable, we can't use this!"

Isis : " All information is important"

Esara : " The answer might lie in what our targets are?"

Kolen : " What do you mean?"

Ocyris : " I see; Esara has a point! Our main targets have been weapons and bio research facilities. We know that they have been trying to increase their numbers by introducing recombinant DNA into normal humans."

Kolen : " Yes you've talked about this before"

Ocyris : " It's clear now what will go wrong, the Hand of Destiny will never be able to exercise complete control over the enhanced humans, and they know this! I thought that they were trying to increase their numbers, but they had other plans, this was their plan all along."

Cyris : " What are you saying?"

Ocyris : " They've deliberately opened Pandora’s box!"

Isis : " By the source!"

Ocyris : " The HOD wants the world destabilized, they want the world to sink into chaos, and this must be one of their final solutions. They will force the world to accept them by making the rest of humanity destroy itself trying to contain the recombinant DNA strand"

Lumen : " They cannot!"

Ocyris : " It has probably already started, but there is some hope, because of the complexity of the recombinant DNA strand they would have to administer the recombinant DNA mutagen directly. It's not something that could possibly be spread by Air or touch; the sample would have to be introduced to the subject directly, making intravenous injection the best methods."

Kolen : " This means that the rate of spread is limited"

Esara : " We are missing something?"

Ocyris : " Yes, a component that would make this a final solution"

Gaurdius : " A sinister touch that we have come to expect of the HOD”

Isis : " The reason that they spread their research facilities throughout the world"

Onala : " They could have buried the research facility deep underground where we would never find it!"

Lumen : " So there is some kind of requirement for the appearance of openness"

Jalen : " Some government regulation?"

Ocyris whispers quietly to Esara.

Ocyris : " I've always been amazed at how they work together, they finish each other's sentences, their thoughts are harmonized, it's as though the nine are one mind!"

Ocyris then returns his attention to the Council of Elders.

Hamun : " What rules do they have to obey?"

Gaurdius : " Ocyris; What is the HOD's main source of income?"

Ocyris : " Their main income comes from Animal agriculture including animal products"

Isis : " Does that include the Production of animal vaccines?"

Ocyris : " Yes"

Lumen : " And Insulin?"

Ocyris : " Yes"

Cyris : " Anti-venom?"

Ocyris : " Yes"

Jalen : " Some of the Human vaccines are produced from animals"

Lumen : " In fact if we did a search we would find that the HOD is one of the largest producers of vaccines"

Jalen : " Intravenous vaccines would be a perfect vehicle for a Mutagenic recombinant RNA!"

Ocyris : " Yes it would, we need to reassign the Vanguard teams, and the vaccine distribution facilities should be the primary targets."

Esara : " That won't work!"

Ocyris : " Why not?"

Esara : " The HOD has already distributed them to government facilities throughout the world."

Gaurdius : " We are already too late"

Esara : " We can still prevent them from producing more of the vaccines containing the Mutagenic recombinant RNA"

Isis : " This is the interpretation of the ripple of darkness moving in a sea of light, with every obstacle the ripple hits it multiplies."

Esara : " The HOD has once again outmanoeuvred us!"

Ocyris : " There must be a way to stop them!"

Kolen : " There may be..., but the question is, should we even try to stop this? If we think about this clearly we see that forcing the world to honour their human rights declarations by introducing a new kind of human does not sound that bad, this could be an answer to our problems."

Inala : " You can't be serious?"

Kolen : " How the world responds to these hybrid humans will determine the nature of our relationship with the rest of humanity. Nothing we do now will stop what's coming, change is inevitable. All we can do now is try to delay the night!"

Gaurdius : " If the Guardian Council could excuse us, we need to talk amongst ourselves”

The Guardian Council leaves the Council Chambers leaving the Council of Elders to discuss the matter further.

Isis : " These are hard questions!"

Gaurdius : " Indeed, but our people look to us for answers”

Onala : " Even the Guardian Council is divided"

Cyris : " Many on the Guardian Council would prefer to do nothing, leaving the fate of the world to the world."

Jalen : " We cannot un-ring the bell"

Lumen : " At the very least we must stand for justice"

Lerata : " What justice? The world is full of injustice!"

Tshego : " Are you saying that we should stand aside while millions of victims of the HOD face death?"

Hamun : " On some level the HOD has done us a favour, we are about to find out what the world will do when they find out about our existence."

Isis : " I don't believe my ears; the Council of Elders speaks of abandoning those who may suffer because of the actions of our relatives the Hand of Destiny"

Gaurdius : " Our duty is to Crystalorb!”

Isis : " We are nevertheless responsible for the actions of the Hand of Destiny."

Onala : " I disagree; they and they alone bear the responsibility for their actions!"

Cyris : " I say we share the responsibility. Both of our peoples were touched by the same crystal, we share our origins, and I suspect we share our fate!"

Jalen : " The only thing we can control is ourselves, why should we risk the lives of our children for a world that will never accept us, Ralefa and Lesedi found that out the hard way!"

Lumen : " You forget that some did accept them, they welcomed them, loved and cared for them."

Lerata : " Still we can find no example of that today!"

Tshego : " At the very least we must try and manage the process"

Jalen : " Chaos is unavoidable; it’s a law of Physics!"

Hamun : " We must act in the best interest of Crystalorb even if it means making the hard choices!"

Lerata : " I can almost guarantee that the world will find a way to blame us for this, because of our Chest Crystals we would be the perfect target in this scenario. We need to keep our heads down and ride out the storm!"

Gaurdius : " This must be one of the HOD's plans. They can always claim to be the victims of our conspiracy, making us responsible for the chaos that is about to begin!"

Cyris : " Are you saying that they want us to act openly?"

Gaurdius : " Yes, they will present us as the problem and they would be the solution!”

Isis : " Then we must act in secret"

Onala : " How can we?"

Cyris : " They have the technology to detect us, and will happily hand it over to governments that are allied to them"

Jalen : " The greater the chaos the greater the beauty that comes out of it!"

Lumen : " They are raising the stakes higher than we can afford to meet"

Lerata : " That sound like the thinking of the HOD"

Isis : " We cannot resort to their methods, we must find another way"

Gaurdius : " The first thing we must do is destroy the HOD's capabilities to attack us, remove the immediate threat to us”

Tshego : " Destroy their advanced weapons research, development and manufacturing facilities."

Hamun : " Yes deal with the things we can control and leave the rest to fate!"

Lerata : " We can't save the world, but we can save ourselves"

Gaurdius : " Let us put this to a vote!"

By a unanimous show of hands the Council of Elders decides to redirect the Crystal Armoured attack teams to the HOD's advanced weapons research, development and manufacturing facilities. And by majority vote of 6 the Council of Elders decided not to do anything to try and limit the extent of the Mutagenic recombinant RNA outbreak, the six felt that it was time the world lived up to the ideals of human rights, but Isis, Lumen and Cyris did not agree with the majority Council decision.

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The Council of Elders then called the Guardian Council into the Council Chambers to inform them of their decision.

Gaurdius : " The Council has reached a decision on the matters before us”

Onala : " After some initial hesitation, we have decided not to intervene as far as the Mutagenic recombinant RNA outbreak is concerned; it is a world problem that should be left to the world to deal with."

Gaurdius : " We have however decided to destroy the HOD's capabilities to attack us by removing their advanced weapons research, development and manufacturing facilities”

Lerata : " To that end, we are expediting the attacks on these facilities"

Kolen : " What about my people who are already on the field?"

Esara : " And the Intrepid?"

Hamun : " Kolen; you will lead the assault on the HOD's main research facilities in Zambia and in the Central African Republic, since Loj and Amang are already in place in the Central African Republic you will start in Zambia and then move to support Loj. Kutu and Sello will join you Kolen"

Tshego : " Kutu and Sello will each bring 3 teams to support and assist the mission"

Hamun : " Given the resistance on your last mission this increased numbers should insure your success"

Gaurdius : " Esara; we need you to return to the Intrepid and escort the ship back to port, we cannot afford to have the technology on that ship falling into the wrong hands."

Isis : " I wish it didn't have to be this way!"

Onala : " But at this point people will get hurt no matter what we do!"

Hamun : " We are forced to prepare for the worst"

Jalen : " As the chosen leaders of Crystalorb we must do the unthinkable!"

Gaurdius : " Such is the burden of leadership!"

Esara : " You intend to leave the world at the mercy of the HOD?"

Lerata : " There is no other way"

Tshego : " To act now would put Crystalorb in extreme danger!"

Hamun : " The safety of Our people must take the highest priority!"

Gaurdius : " What I want you to understand is that it was never our responsibility to protect the world from the intensions of the Hand of Destiny, our purpose is and has always been the security of Crystalorb. The actions we take are motivated by our mandate!"

Kolen : " I agree; let the world deal with its own problems, and the Hand of Destiny is a creation of the world!"

Onala : " If the people in the village had not attacked Ralefa and Lesedi's family there would be no Hand of Destiny. They were born from Ralefa's anger, and the world will pay for the actions of simple villagers from over a hundred years ago!"

Inala : " You don't know that for sure, perhaps Ralefa would have turned bad anyway!"

Jalen : " Sins of the father shall be visited upon the son!"

Gaurdius : " Who knows, perhaps humanity will prove the pessimists wrong, and accept the hybrid human as a brother amongst them. We can only hope that Humanity has learned from the mistakes of the past. As for our part in this we cannot link the fate of Crystalorb with that of those who have shown in the past to be cruel to those they perceive as inferior!"

Lumen : " May the Source help us!"

Lerata : " Now you all know what needs to be done!"

Tshego : " We will observe the world, but not interfere with humanity's right to choose its own fate!"

Hamun: " Even if that choice leads the world to disaster! And so we must respect that choice whatever it is, and once they make their choice we will make our responsive choice!"

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