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Crystal Guardian

Arc 2: Restoration of Hope

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Chapter 14: The Hour of Darkness

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The results of the experiments carried out by the Crystalorb Research Division were of great concern to the Guardian Council. So after Ocyris presented the findings of the Research Division some of the Guardians gathered at Esara's home to further discuss the findings.

Esara : " Ocyris is a reasonable man; there is no way he would go along with the experimentation on human subjects"

Inala : " The Council of Elders is playing the numbers game, and the current consensus is that if the South African Government decides to go ahead with the super soldier program Crystalorb should offer them our assistance in manipulating the Mutagenic recombinant RNA"

Loj : " But the South African Government would then be in control of a terribly destructive tool"

Peo : " Don't they realize that they can't control the Hybrid Phenomenon? The Hybrids will eventually seek their freedom from the military"

Kanang : " Or better yet some in the South African military may sell Crystalorb manipulated Mutagenic recombinant RNA to unscrupulous characters"

Grace : " And thus plunging the world into an even deeper crisis"

Esara : " We must not allow this to happen! There has to be a way for Crystalorb to have closer relations with the South African Government without compromising the security of Crystalorb, or that of the entire world!"

Inala : " Will we once again force a decision against this process?"

Loj : " It won’t be that easy this time"

Kanang : " There are many on the Guardian Council who would relish the idea of a military alliance with the South African Government."

Peo : " They want to infiltrate every facet of the South African military, and then use that influence to reach out into other countries to observe the activities of other Governments."

Kanang : " It's not a bad Idea in principle, but it's how they want to ingratiate Crystalorb to the South African Government that troubles me"

Grace : " The way I see it, we need to find some thing that Crystalorb can offer the South African Government that would be just as valuable as advanced research into the Mutagenic recombinant RNA."

Esara : " But we can't give the South African Government access to Crystalorb technology, so what ever it is it would have to come from current world technology or resources."

Inala : " Where is Nalen? This is the kind of thing he would be good at"

Grace : " Nalen does not hold the rank of Guardian, and is therefore not authorised to know what the Crystalorb Leadership has decided to be of highest confidentiality."

Loj : " It's strange how the Crystalorb Leadership treats one of its greatest sons, and in particular the Guardians seem to have a strong dislike for him. I have only been a Crystalan for a number of years but yet I have quickly been promoted to the rank of Guardian. Don't you all think it's strange that the Crystalorb Leadership is more accepting of a former Hodian than of one of its own?"

Kanang : " That's because you never served with him! Nalen can be very difficult, and he's so powerful that you can't actually force him to comply with anything. I remember when he first became Crystal Armoured he periodically disobeyed orders."

Inala : " Part of the dislike for Nalen and Esara is the fact that power seems to come easily for them. The proof of all this is that all those with Red Chest Crystals start with Vanglead Armour, but those with Clear Chest Crystals all start with Vanguard Armour. So you often end up with a situation where someone born with a Red Chest Crystal who is younger than most in Vanguard Armour is in Vanglead Armour. To those in Vanguard Armour it seems as though those with Red Chest Crystals are Cheaters."

Esara : " In any case he probably already knows"

Inala : " Who? Nalen! Already knows what?"

Esara : " What the Crystalorb Leadership is in discussions about"

Peo : " Did you tell Nalen about the desire of some of the Crystalorb Leadership to hand over results of advanced research into the Mutagenic recombinant RNA to the South African Government?"

Kanang : " That would be a Breach of security"

Inala : " I don't think that's what happened. My daughter Enala tells me that Esara's daughter Casara can locate Esara's son Naole's exact position from over 5 kilometres away using her Chest Crystal. Enala says that Casara and Naole can even communicate from such distances. Enala says that Casara can even see what Naole sees, and Enala tells me that Casara and Naole were taught this by their father Nalen. Enala says that Casara remarked that her father could communicate with them even in their dreams."

Esara : " When Nalen returned he had been changed by the experience, and he's more powerful than ever with new and fantastic abilities. Nalen says that when those who are born with Chest Crystals are sleeping the Chest Crystal broadcasts the dreams, and the consequence of this is that Nalen and I are always in each others dreams. It's part of the reason we are so close, why we are so connected? Because we sleep next to each other it’s therefore impossible for the two of us to have secrets from each other."

Grace : " By the Source!"

Loj : " Are you saying that you can reed minds?"

Peo : " I think she's saying that those with Chest Crystals can all receive broadcast messages from other Chest Crystals"

Kanang : " But how far does the ability extend? And why did Nalen keep this quiet?"

Grace : " Why didn't Nalen tell us?"

Esara : " Why would we? Many of the Crystalorb Leadership already fear us, even some in this very room are apprehensive about the power of those with Red Chest Crystals"

Grace : " Did you just read my thoughts?"

Inala : " Yes she did! She just sent me a message confirming that she did read Grace's thoughts! Amazing!"

Peo : " So the abilities are not limited to Red Chest Crystals?"

Kanang : " Nalen is on his way back, and he knows that you told us about these abilities"

Esara : " Yes he felt it when I used communicative abilities of my Chest Crystal, and he's a little upset with me for telling all of you. And I didn't exactly read Grace's mind I just listened to what she was broadcasting."

Loj : " So this is one of the reasons why Nalen wanted to change the way training is done?"

Inala : " I get the feeling that Nalen is working on something revolutionary, something that requires advanced mental abilities and control"

Peo : " These mental abilities are somehow linked to advanced Armour techniques like field spin and projection aren’t they Esara?"

Esara : " Anything that helps with mental focus is useful in the advanced Armour techniques. It should be known that what Nalen wanted is that we train our people in using their Brain and Chest Crystal connection. The link between the Brain and Chest Crystal is something that requires practice to perfect. Because of the limitations of the Red Chest Crystal members of my family have had to practice precise Chest Crystal control in order to maintain sustainable core body energy, and this has resulted in us having developed an advanced Brain and Chest Crystal connection."

Nalen walks into the room to find that the Guardians are having a private meeting. Nalen greets everyone, then walks over to Esara and affectionately greets her, and then Nalen attempts to leave the room.

Kanang : " Nalen! We would like to talk to you about something"

Nalen : " Ok!"

Inala : " Esara has been demonstrating the telepathic abilities of the Chest Crystal to us, and I have to say it's just amazing"

Loj : " We understand your apprehension, and will do everything we can to protect you from the others who will undoubtedly react negatively to your discovery."

Peo : " Esara says that you are working on something revolutionary"

Nalen looks at Esara with slight annoyance.

Esara : " You can't do everything alone Nalen! We need help! The support of our friends can lift the weight off our shoulders"

Nalen : " I just don't know if we are ready? Or even if Crystalorb is ready?"

Kanang : " Then we will make them ready! How would you feel about a promotion to the rank of Deputy Guardian?"

Inala : " We want you to be Esara's alternate on the new Intrepid"

Nalen : " What about the kids?"

Esara : " We would take them with us"

Kanang : " The suggestion came from Aman during the security meeting"

Grace : " The Council of Elders will support it, but they are not sure that you would accept it, and so they wanted Esara to ask you privately"

Nalen : " Who would I take my Orders from?"

Kanang : " From the captain of the Intrepid" Kanang looks at Esara "Esara!"

Nalen : " I'll do it!"

Esara : " Just like that!"

Nalen : " I trust you implicitly Esara"

Kanang : " What progress have you made on the Intrepid II"

Nalen : " I ran into some problems with propulsion systems, but I've been working on new designs that will hopefully resolve those problems. The maximum fully loaded weight of the new Oval shaped Intrepid is projected to exceed 1500 tons, and upon completion will be the heaviest craft to ever fly. The use of compressed heated Helium will reduce the eventual weight by 90%, but the rest of the lift will have to be provided by other Thrust mechanisms"

Grace : " Are these the same Thrust systems as on the Crystal Armour?"

Nalen : " That's where I ran into trouble!" Naole reflects; hand on his chin "The current Crystal Armour thrust systems would not be able to meet the propulsion requirements at high altitude, and in my computer generated simulations as the ship reaches high altitude the energy required to maintain speed and altitude increases exponentially because of the lack of air for compressed air thrust systems"

Inala : " Then how are you going to solve that problem?"

Nalen : " The answer came to me when I was watching the Vanguards prepare to go on their security patrols. The solution has always been right in front of all of us, and the solution to my problem is the answer to the question; Why does the Crystal Armour sphere hover?"

Peo : " Well? Why does it hover?"

Kanang : " It's something to do with electromagnetic repulsion of the Earth's electromagnetic field"

Grace : " Are you saying you've found a way to generate the electromagnetic repulsion on a larger scale"

Esara : " No; Magnetic fields get weak the greater the distance between the two magnets"

Nalen : " It's the principle that I wanted to duplicate. The idea that two electromagnets can be arranged so that they repel each other brings interesting possibilities. I'm still running tests and simulations, but I can confidently say that I've found a way to make compressed air propulsion a thing of the past."

Peo : " But how does it work?"

Nalen : " Think of it this way; an object has two electromagnets attached to it, now imagine that the two electromagnets repel each other, as the two electromagnets repel each other the object begins to move in the direction of the weaker electromagnet"

Kanang : " That can't possibly have the manoeuvrability of thrust vectored compressed air propulsion systems"

Esara : " I posed the same question when Nalen first told me"

Nalen : " I also realised this manoeuvrability issue, so I designed a way to capture the repulsive electromagnetic energy using Spatial Compression. By arranging a group of electromagnets in a particular spherical formation I can redirect the repulsive energy in any direction, and will give even better manoeuvrability because the repulsive energy pushes against the fabric of space rather than the atmosphere. Spatial Compression Technology is also known as Spatial Warping Technology."

Kanang : " Incredible!"

Peo : " That has to be the most fantastic thing I've ever heard"

Esara : " I've seen Nalen's prototype and it's pretty amazing"

Kanang : " You said you can capture the repulsive electromagnetic energy, and then redirect it?"

Nalen : " The process is a little complicated, but to put it simply; in the spherical arrangements of the electromagnets the direction of the resulting electromagnetic energy release is determined by which electromagnets in the arrangement are producing the repulsive force. The repulsive force pushes against subatomic particles that form the very fabric of space, and thus by Newton's third Law this creates a reactionary force that pushes back. Although I have not been able to physically identify the subatomic particles that form the very fabric of space, I've been able to identify the energy signature they react to" after a brief pause "My experiments indicate that the repulsive electromagnetic energy may actually be expelling these particles from an area of space, and that is how they generate a reactive force, but this is merely a hypothesis, I can't be absolutely certain or offer scientific proof. Consequently I designed the spherical arrangements of the electromagnets so that the repelling electromagnets switch on and off at a very high frequency."

Inala : " Why on and off?"

Nalen : " This allows the compressed area of space to reform, and by that I mean that the expelled subatomic particles return to their original location so that the expulsion process can begin again"

Kanang : " Have you applied this to the Crystal Armour?"

Esara : " He’s currently working on that, but Nalen's main focus has been to apply this to the Oval shaped Intrepid prototype he's currently building, and there are energy efficiency and operational effectiveness questions that still have to be answered."

Peo : " Your concerns have to do with whether Crystalans have the necessary skill to control such a system"

Loj : " How would this affect the Manacle of Ilesia?"

Nalen : " The Manacle of Ilesia would also need to be redesigned, but to be truly effective there may be a need for a surgical implant that would give the Manacle's operator atmospheric flight capabilities comparable to that of an advanced Jet Fighter"

Loj : " Because those who operate the Manacle of Ilesia don't have Chest Crystals the control mechanism for the Manacle have to be external, are you saying that you can give us mental control?"

Nalen : " To an extent! I want to divide the Manacle of Ilesia into two parts one internal and one external, but the main weapons components would still be external, however the two halves of the Manacle of Ilesia would each contain a fully operational operating system that allows the two parts to form the Manacle of Ilesia. Operating the upgraded Manacle of Ilesia will not be intuitive like with Crystal Armour, but the end result will be a better and more efficient weapon system"

Kanang : " This is all just to amazing!"

Esara : " Just wait!" smiling "It gets better!"

Kanang : " I don't see how?"

Esara : " Tell them Nalen!"

Nalen : " Ok! Once I identified the repulsive electromagnetic energy signature I tried to duplicate it, but every simulation failed, every calculation resulted in errors. So I decided to expose the repulsive electromagnetic energy to my Chest Crystal directly, and the results were far more than I had anticipated."

Grace : " What happened?"

Peo : " Tell us!"

Esara : " This is something you have to see for yourself! Do it Nalen!"

As Nalen stands up he begins to activate his Chest Crystal generating a Red electrical aura around his body, and then Nalen gently lifts off the ground and hovers a meter above the ground. This single act has the Guardians so shocked that they all stand up and quickly move away from Nalen.

With arms stretched out parallel to the ground Nalen moved slowly towards the ground until his feet once again touched the ground.

Grace : " But How?"

Kanang : " How is any of this possible?"

Esara : " How indeed" She said this smiling "It's now becoming clear what the true power of the Chest Crystal is? The Chest Crystal succeeded where mechanical design has failed"

Loj : " Now I've seen everything!"

Peo : " By the Source!"

Nalen : " I would be lying if I said I knew how I produced the repulsive electromagnetic energy, but once I was exposed to it I could simply just reproduce it instinctively by just intuitively focusing my mind. Esara can also do this, but she still lacks balance and control, hopefully that will come with time and practice"

Peo : " What about that Red electrical aura? For a moment I could have sworn that your skin was turning dark Red just like your Chest Crystal, but that must have been my eyes playing tricks on me."

Esara : " You are not wrong Peo! Nalen's skin did turn Red as the Crystals in his skin cells became energized. Most of us tend to focus the Chest Crystal externally, but it can also be focused internally. By focusing the Chest Crystal internally the energy of all the Crystals in every cell of the body increases transforming us into the form that is similar to that of the Grandlords, but there are some limitations as the energy requirements are also increased."

Inala : " So the Crystal Armour still makes for the most effective weapon"

Esara : " Yes"

Nalen : " Now for the answer to the rest of your questions. First I would like to point out that with enough Manacle energy Loj being from the HOD would probably be able to transform to the Metallic Crystalline Skin, but those who are Crystalan by descent and not Hodian, and have no Chest Crystal would experience a transformation that is similar to the Metallic Crystalline Skin with the Skin Crystals being more dominant than the Metallic. The removal of Negative Psionic Energy from those who used to be Hodian is the result of their skins absorbing enough Spirit Stone radiation that is sent through the Illuminating Crystals. Those with Clear Chest Crystals are the most efficient at absorbing the radiation from the Illuminating Crystals, and the radiation enhances all the abilities of the Crystals in our bodies that's why we all feel better when we are in Crystalorb."

Kanang : " You are reading Our thoughts aren't you?"

Nalen : " It makes things go faster! As for the problems concerning the desire for closer relations with the South African Government we just have to give the Government officials what they truly desire which is wealth, prestige and prosperity. We are the largest producer of Industrial Gases in the world, and many parts of the world still burns natural gas to produce electrical energy, so all we have to do is produce Industrial Gases that can be mixed with natural gas for gas power stations with the objective of lowering the natural gas input by more than 50% and thereby reducing gas power generation costs by more than 30%. This will result in us producing more than a hundred times more export product than we are currently producing, and this will result in more than a hundred times more tax revenue for the South African Government. Increasing our tax contributions to more than 50 times the current 12.70 Billion Rands. That more than anything will win Crystalorb the Favour of the South African Government."

Loj : " Without compromising our security?"

Nalen : " But for any of this to work the Crystalorb Leadership will have to invite high level representatives of the South African Government to Crystalorb. The Council of Elders would have to make the offer to the South African Government directly. We need to show them Crystalorb, let them see that we can be a powerful ally, and that we can help the Republic of South Africa become a global power, but also make them aware that Crystalorb is an independent authority and if they try to impose their Government on Crystalorb by force they will lose."

Kanang : " I will go to the Guardian Commander immediately and tell him all that I've learnt from all of you. I will persuade him to see things our way"

Inala : " And I will go to the Council of Elders and do the same. I will also inform them that Nalen has accepted the promotion to Deputy Guardian."

As the two Guardians rushed to the Crystalorb Leadership to inform them of the developments they had witnessed at Esara's home Nalen was feeling relieved because he knew that he would not have to once again face the suspicion and politics that would have been required had he been the one to inform the Crystalorb Leadership of his scientific discoveries. Nalen did not want to return to the unenviable task of the research head who has to explain research data to a Crystalorb Leadership that remains fundamentally unscientific.

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So the Guardians made their case to the Crystalorb Leadership, and thereby winning the support of those who did not want to see Crystalorb bio-technology in the hands of those they did not trust. The Guardian Council in particular was very interested in the new technology that Nalen had developed, but many Guardians were suspicious of Nalen, and they wondered why Nalen had not shared his discoveries with the Crystalorb Research Division.

Fortunately for Nalen and Esara all the Guardians who were present at the meeting held at Esara's home decided not to tell the rest of the Crystalorb Leadership about Nalen and Esara's ability to hear other people's thoughts being broadcast by their Chest Crystals. The Council of Elders ordered Tumi to once again make contact with Jabu Mthembu the Deputy Minister of Intelligence.

The Council of Elders authorized Tumi to invite Jabu Mthembu on a visit to Crystalorb, and this was to be a prelude to a visit by the President of the Republic of South Africa. Tumi made contact with Jabu Mthembu and asked him to come on a tour of the Crystal Valley Farming and Industrial complex.

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When Jabu Mthembu arrived at the Crystal Valley Farming and Industrial complex he was informed that the tour would include a visit to the Underground facilities. Jabu brought with him Dan Sethoka the Deputy Minister of Defence and Joel Mlama the Deputy Minister of Finance on the tour of the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex. So when the three South African Government officials were taken underground into Crystalorb they had no idea what they were about to experience, and when they exited the elevator transit system they found themselves in an underground Crystal City.

The three South African Government officials and their security were escorted to a Chamber where the Council of Elders were waiting. The Council of Elders showed the three South African Government officials a two hour video that explained the history of Crystalorb and that of Crystalans. After the Video the Council of Elders explained what they wanted from the South African Government, and what Crystalorb was willing to offer the Republic of South Africa.

The three South African Government officials were also supplied with detailed documentation of Crystalorb's offer. As the three South African Government officials left the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex onboard two helicopters the Crystalorb Leadership knew that there would be no turning back now, and the future of Crystalorb would be determined by the actions of the elected officials of the Republic of South Africa.

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As time passed without a response from the South African Government many of the Crystalorb Leadership began to think that things were about to take a turn for the worst, and the finger of blame was being firmly pointed on Nalen who was now officially promoted to Deputy Guardian. So the Council of Elders summoned Nalen to the Council Chambers to answer questions on a wide range of matters resulting from the interaction with the South African Government.

Gaurdius : " Two weeks have passed and still no response from the South African Government! Perhaps your analysis of them was incorrect?"

Jalen : " They may be planning an attack even as we speak!"

Nalen : " It's probably not a good idea for Crystalans to see that the Council of Elders is in a state of panic."

Hamun : " Don't try our patience Nalen?"

Lerata : " We never should have listened to you"

Tshego : " Your suggested course of action may have doomed us all"

Nalen : " Why are you so worried?"

Onala : " You don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation"

Nalen : " You people are in a panic, and now you are afraid of your own shadows."

Gaurdius : " Let’s all try and remain calm"

Isis : " Nalen did not make the decision, but we the Council of Elders did"

Cyris : " And we bear the responsibility for that decision"

Lumen : " I have faith in Nalen!"

Hamun : " And that has always been your flaw! You trust too much!"

Nalen : " Ok! I will make you this promise; If the South African Government decides to go to war with us I will personally lead the strike force that crushes them. I hope that puts your minds at ease!"

Isis : " I'm confident it won't come to that"

Nalen : " So am I"

Cyris : " They just need time to formulate their position" he smiles "It must've been quite a shock for them!"

Gaurdius : " Nalen, have you finished your work on the Intrepid?"

Isis : " Is the new technology ready?"

Nalen : " The prototype is ready, and one month ahead of schedule at that! And with your permission I will take it outside and begin feeding it with the Spirit Stone energy to make it grow, but first I must upgrade my Crystal Armour, it's after all over four years old!"

Gaurdius : " How exactly are you going to make it grow outside?"

Nalen : " The same way the buildings in Crystalorb are grown, but only this time I will be the conduit for the Spirit Stone energy, and by using my Crystal Armour to redirect the energy to the prototype"

Jalen : " Are you sure you can do this?"

Nalen : " I do this all the time when growing crystals in my Laboratory"

Gaurdius : " But not at energy levels this High!"

Nalen : " Which is why I need to upgrade my Crystal Armour. As you are aware I've made some breakthroughs in propulsion technology, and now I've applied the technology to my Crystal Armour propulsion systems"

Lumen : " When do you plan to start?"

Nalen : " Tonight at 23h00"

Cyris : " What do you need from us?"

Gaurdius : " How can we help?"

Nalen : " To access the energy of the Spirit Stone I will need three Elders, but the three Elders have to have some connection with me, some meeting of the mind, a natural trust is required for this to work. So for this I need Lord Lumen, Lord Cyris and Lady Isis"

Lumen : " Ok!"

Cyris : " Will do!"

Isis : " I will help!"

Gaurdius : " Now that that's settled we will now proceed with the upgrade of your Crystal Armour"

Isis : " And by upgrading of your Crystal Armour Crystalorb gains new and advanced technology that will help assure the security of Crystalorb"

Lumen : " And by extension the light of hope"

Cyris : " Crystalorb Thanks you for your efforts"

The Council of Elders began the Crystal Armour upgrade process.

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Nalen's new Crystal Armour looked like a complete redesign of Crystal Armour, and with the new electromagnetic Spatial Compression or Spatial Warping propulsion system the Crystal Armour was made thicker, denser and heavier. The new Crystal Armour contained nearly 10 times the energy reserves of the current operational Guardian Crystal Armour.

Nalen's Armour was nearly completely red just like Esara's Armour, but there were two major unexpected differences; The Left hand Energy Crystal was formed from Dense Clear Crystals, and the Right hand Energy Crystal was formed from Dense Blue Crystals, but the Armour's Chest Energy Crystal was still formed from Dense Red Crystals.

The new Crystal Armour had a bulge on the back, and it included two1m long aerofoils that have a maximum spherical range of movement. Each aerofoil has 5 Spatial Compression or Spatial Warping propulsion thrusters, and adds to the; 4 at the bottom of each foot, one on each knee, one on each Shoulder, 6 on the bulge on the back, 6 around the Armour's Chest Energy Crystal.

Nalen theorized that the blue Crystal was because of the Blue Crystals and Clear Crystals he had used when he developed a cure for Naole's heart problems. When Esara also upgraded her Crystal Armour the Left hand energy blast Crystal was formed from Dense Clear Crystals, but the Right hand energy blast Crystal was formed from Dense Red Crystals.

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At 22h00 Nalen began his preparations. Nalen put on his Crystal Armour, and along with Lord Lumen, Lord Cyris and Lady Isis stood in front of the Spirit Stone. Many of the Crystalorb Leadership went outside where the 1.8 metre wide and 4 metre long Oval shaped Intrepid prototype hovered. The Intrepid prototype had come into brief Direct contact with the Spirit Stone to Harmonize Crystal Connections. Other Crystalans also went outside to observe this momentous occasion, because this was indicative to the birth of a new Crystalorb.

By creating this very Large flying vessel they will bring fourth a new age for Crystalorb, and the construction of the Intrepid II will allow the Crystalorb Command Centre to have a standing mobile base capable of reaching every corner of the planet. The ship would multiply the expeditionary capabilities of the Crystalorb Command Centre, and the advanced technology contained in the ship would make the defence requirements of Crystalorb Ideal.

The Intrepid II was equipped with a reserve energy storage system that would allow the recharging of both the Manacle of Ilesia and the Crystal Armour. Nalen designed the Intrepid to have a massive energy storage system, and Nalen also designed an 8000 megawatt nuclear reactor as part of the ship's energy system, but the nuclear reactor was to be a back up power supply.

The main power supply for the Intrepid would be a combination of the Spirit Stone and a Black Crystal based Solar Collector placed at the top of Intrepid. The Spirit Stone would supply energy to the Intrepid through the Crystalorb Defence Cannons. There were 36 Crystalorb Defence Cannons; the Cannons were formed from Dense Clear Energy Crystals similar to the Energy Crystals on the Crystal Armour.

The Intrepid also had 4 Dense Clear Energy Crystals; one at the front of the ship, one at the Back of the ship, one at the bottom of the ship and one at the top of the ship. The 4 Energy Crystals were as capable as those on Crystal Armour, and it was through the 4 Crystals that the Spirit Stone could send energy to the ship. The Intrepid would now become the pinnacle of Crystalorb technology.

The time had come for the process to begin, and so the three Elders touched the Spirit Stone.

Isis : " With the Crystal fragment on my Chest I unlock the Seal!"

Lumen : " In the name of all Crystalans I call upon the spirits of those who have left us!"

Cyris : " Mighty spirits awaken and hear the call of your children!"

Isis : " Nalen; Step forth and touch the Spirit Stone.”

As Nalen touched the Spirit Stone his Armour was filled with the energy of the Spirit Stone activating all the Crystal Armour's systems, and preparing Nalen for the task that would now take place. At the Crystalorb gates and the area surrounding mount Crystalorb 24 of the 36 Crystalorb Defence Cannons came online targeting the Intrepid at the top of the hill.

Nalen, who was still in Crystalorb began to commune with the Spirit Stone

Nalen : " Heart of the planet; guide me!"

Then Nalen was propelled out of Crystalorb and positioned above the Intrepid, and the 24 Crystalorb Defence Cannons began to select targets for energy projection. As the Cannons acquired their targets it became clear that the Cannons were targeting the Dense Clear Energy Crystals on the Intrepid; 6 Cannons were targeted at the front Energy Crystal, 6 Cannons were targeted at the bottom Energy Crystal, 6 Cannons were targeted at the Back Energy Crystal and the last 6 Cannons were targeting Nalen who would redirect the energy to the top Energy Crystal.

To supply the process with material for the Crystal growing procedure the Crystalorb Research Division was pumping crushed minerals into the mineral storage chamber of the Intrepid. The mineral storage chamber was designed to allow the Intrepid the ability to repair itself in the event that it is damaged. The minerals would be kept in the mineral storage chamber as part of a liquefied solution for future use.

As soon as everything was in place the Cannons began to produce light and electrical energy causing the Intrepid to begin to grow in size. For the next 19 hours the Intrepid continued to grow until the Crystalorb Research Division ran out of their prepared mineral reserves. The final dimensions of the vessel were more than Nalen had anticipated, and because Nalen was under the physical control of the Spirit Stone the Intrepid continued to grow until the materials were exhausted.

The new Intrepid was twice as large as Nalen had intended it to be, and its estimated weight was 10000 tons. The ship was enormous in dimensions; 900 meters long, 400 meters maximum width and 250 meters maximum height. As the growth process shut down Nalen recovered control of his body to find the massive Intrepid hovering above mount Crystalorb. This was a partially living organism with an artificial intelligence.

Nalen had equipped the ship with the ability to use the Earths magnetic field to support the repulsive propulsion systems, and as the Earth's Magnetic field repelled the Intrepid it reduced the propulsion energy requirement. Since the stealth systems of the Intrepid were already active the ship could only be seen through the Crystal Armour and Crystalorb holographic Broadcast System. The Intrepid was designed to require Crystal Armoured individuals as keys to the weapon systems, and without the Crystal Armoured the Ship can not Fire.

The heaviest and largest components were the three 100 meter diameter energy storage spheres located around the ship's centre of gravity and the Nuclear Reactor Core. The Intrepid was also equipped with helium storage tanks located throughout the ship, and the skin of the Intrepid consisted of a hard external Crystal on the outside and on the inside the Crystals were arranged to form tubes that look like vanes. The crystals that formed the skin or hull of the ship transports helium throughout the ship through the Crystal pipes imbedded along the hull.

As the helium was being pumped into the Intrepid Nalen took time to rest before the operational testing of the ship. Fortunately Esara had for the past few months been training the staff compliment required for the ship. The training of the Intrepid staff was expedited by the fact that Crystalans are already familiar with the principles of flight, and the Intrepid was designed to be fully automated, meaning that the ship maintained itself using advanced robotics.

As the Intrepid was being filled to capacity with helium and Nalen was sleeping the Crystalorb Financial Management Division was compiling a report indicating the financial cost of the construction of the Intrepid. The estimates of the Crystalorb Financial Management Division was that the Intrepid II will eventually cost 35 Billion Rands, making the Intrepid one of the most expensive weapon systems in the world. ( At the time 1$ equalled 5.5 Rands)

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