- - -

Crystal Guardian

Arc 2: Restoration of Hope

- - -

Chapter 15: The New Weapon

- - -

Nalen awoke to find that the Intrepid was now ready for testing and all systems were operational, and everyone was waiting for Nalen because he was the one designated to be the first to enter the Intrepid. Without any delays Nalen entered the Intrepid followed by Esara, then Anun, then Loj, and then Ocyris and then the rest of the ship's staff which amounted to 90 people. After Nalen activated the Intrepid's flight systems and the ship was ready for departure he began to hand over Command to the ship commander.

Nalen : " I'm now handing over command to the Captain of the Intrepid! Captain; the ship is yours!"

Esara : " Thank you Nalen! Crystalorb Command Centre this is the Intrepid"

At the Crystalorb Command Centre (CCC) Deputy Guardian Commander Lesego had assumed Command.

Lesego : " Intrepid the Crystalorb Command Centre reads you clearly"

Esara : " Requesting permission to depart Crystalorb Airspace?"

Lesego : " Permission granted!"

Esara : " Nalen; Climb to 18000 meters at 20 degrees nose up, and set course for the Antarctic"

Nalen : " Aye Captain!"

Nalen then relays orders to senior Vangleads.

Nalen : " Set Electromagnetic Propulsion System to 10% and start full range atmospheric scan."

The Intrepid proceeds to the desired location, and once the ship reaches the designated altitude the Guardians go on a tour of the ship led by Ocyris, this leaves Nalen in command of the Intrepid Command Centre.

Anun : " This is an impressive Vessel Ocyris!"

Ocyris : " Yes sir, a true marvel of technology"

Loj : " How many people can the ship carry?"

Ocyris : " The ship has 500 residential apartments, and each of these apartments has 3 bedrooms and a living room. We chose the apartments format because we expect that some of the ship's permanent staff have families that would visit for extended periods of time, and although the bedrooms are somewhat small they are reasonably comfortable. There are additional 500 bed single rooms at a different section, and also another section that can house more than 1000 people in close proximity for emergencies. The ship can therefore carry more than 2000 people with ease, but for current operations the staff will be between 250 to 500 people"

Esara : " This is a very big ship, and with a push the Intrepid could carry even more people"

Anun : " I can't wait to see the weapons demonstration" the commander visibly exited at the prospect " The power!"

Ocyris : " At first I didn't understand why Nalen wanted to develop a weapon system like this, but I've come to understand the need for it. Nalen explained that a weapon system like the Intrepid would have made all the difference during our last battle with the HOD in the Central African Republic"

Esara : " A ship like this could provide air cover in a situation like that"

Ocyris : " And the weapon systems on the Intrepid would be able to hold off an entire Enforcer assault force similar to the one faced at the Central African Republic."

Loj : " One ship does not an army make!"

Esara : " But the Intrepid could help us keep the peace between humanity and Hybrid humans"

Anun : " How fast can the ship go?"

Ocyris : " At very high altitude the Intrepid can reach mach 7, but only at altitudes higher than 70000 meters where the air is thin. The Intrepid is designed to operate at high altitude, and will thus spend most of the time at high altitude, only coming to lower altitude to receive supplies"

Nalen activates the Intrepid’s internal communication systems in order to speak to Esara directly.

Nalen : " Captain; we’re nearing the designated testing location!"

Esara : " Change status to Red Condition One, and prepare the ship for combat operations!"

Nalen : " Aye Captain!"

As the Intrepid's crew took their battle stations the Guardians made their way to the Intrepid Command Centre were they would observe the combat manoeuvres. As Esara took command of the ship Nalen took his place as ship systems manager where he would make sure that the Intrepid’s systems were fully operational. Senior Vanglead Setu and his team would see to the weapons systems.

Esara : " Charge Energy Crystals, and activate main weapons array!"

Setu : " Aye Captain!"

Esara : " Set forward Crystal for ElectroLaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball attacks at 20%, and begin simulated target acquisition"

Setu : " All Crystals charged and ready!"

Esara : " Set back and bottom Crystals for ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts at 20%, and prepare for multiple attacks”

Setu : " 927 targets simultaneously locked on!"

Esara : " Crystalorb; Permission to proceed?"

Lesego : " Cleared to attack Intrepid!"

Anun : " Let's see what this ship can do!"

Esara : " Fire!"

Setu : " Firing on all targets!"

The Intrepid then opened fire on all selected targets simultaneously with ElectroLaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball attacks from the forward Crystal and multiple ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts from the bottom and back Crystals. In just 10 seconds all the simulated targets were hit and destroyed, and even though the targets were just rock and Ice, this proved that the weapon systems of the Intrepid were Quick, Precise and efficient.

Even Nalen could not have known that by designing and building the Intrepid he has fulfilled the true intended purpose of the original Crystal. The Crystal had origins that could never be uncovered by even someone as talented as Nalen, but now the Crystal had come full circle as far as purpose was concerned. Nalen had harnessed the power of the Crystal for automated targeting and attacking of multiple targets, and this was something that the Azleck Kingdom had created the Crystal for.

The Intrepid's Energy Crystals like the Chest Crystals can produce Gamma Radiation Photons and high energy Photons. This meant that the Crystals could produce ElectroLaser Particle Beams using a wide range of materials including a combination of Neutrons, Protons, Antiparticles, Hydrogen atoms/Ions and Helium atoms/Ions for the resulting Particle Beams. The ElectroLaser Particle Beams would become the main weapon systems of the Intrepid.

Esara then ordered that 2 large rocks be attacked; the first one with an ElectroLaser Lightning bolt attack at full power and the second one with an ElectroLaser Lightning Plasma Energy Ball at full power. It was important that the full extent of the Intrepid's capabilities be measured, and the results exceeded even Nalen’s expectations. Just then it became clear to Anun and Ocyris why Nalen had Created the Intrepid.

Anun : " I see why Nalen built this weapon system!"

Ocyris : " Now that Crystalorb has this Ship, the Council of Elders will never again need Esara or Nalen to fight against insurmountable odds like they did in the Central African Republic."

Anun : " This is Nalen's way of keeping his family safe!"

Esara opens a communications Channel to Crystalorb.

Esara : " Crystalorb; the tests are complete, and the Intrepid is coming Home!"

Lesego : " Acknowledged Intrepid!"

As the Intrepid set course for the skies above Crystalorb Nalen felt very pleased with himself, and he had once again proven himself to be the brightest of his generation, with the Intrepid as his crowning achievement.

- - -

After 3 weeks of further preparations the Intrepid was now fully ready for deployment, and the crew was now fully trained and prepared, but the ship was on the ground on a 4 square kilometre flat surface that had previously been prepared. The Intrepid's nuclear reactor was also operational and was now powering the ships electrical systems. Food and other resources were being loaded onto the Intrepid, and once all the processes were complete the ship could depart for the high altitude skies of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Because of the predicted long deployments of the Intrepid, crew members who were married were chosen first, and that meant that many of the crew had their spouses also serving on the Intrepid. And if the couple had children the children were also taken onboard the Intrepid. The result of this was that there were 90 couples serving as crew on the Intrepid, and they brought 190 children onboard the Intrepid. There were a further 200 single crew members joining the Intrepid, and that brought the staff compliment to 380.

Three nights before the Intrepid was due to depart the Council of Elders and the Guardian Council held their weekly meeting of the Crystalorb Leadership. For the first time Nalen was part of the meeting because of his status and rank of Deputy Guardian. The Deputy Guardian was also referred to as Guardian Third Class with a Guardian First Class being designated to the Guardian Commander and Deputy Guardian Commander.

The main discussions at the meeting were centred around the cost of the Intrepid. Some of the Crystalorb Leadership were unhappy with the cost of the Intrepid, while others wanted to build a second ship that would be dedicated to the defence of Crystalorb and Crystalorb’s interests. Once again Nalen was causing a lot of controversy at the meeting.

Gaurdius : " Anun; Why would you want to build another ship?"

Isis : " The cost would be too great"

Ocyris : " The minerals used in the construction took 7 years to stockpile, if be bought them on the open market today it would cost 95 Billion Rands, a cost we would not be able to manage."

Gaurdius : " I get that many of you dislike the idea that the Intrepid is outside the chain of command, but can't you understand that for the Intrepid to meet its intended objectives there must be an element of autonomy, and for that reason the Intrepid will receive their orders from the Council of Elders directly."

Anun : " Now that the Spirit Stone has the ship building knowledge perhaps it can construct a smaller ship"

Ocyris : " It’s not that simple! Part of the problem is the way Nalen built the ship, and the energy that was supplied to the ship to make it grow. Even if we could build a smaller ship we would still need Nalen to grow it to size, but Nalen has indicated that he won’t be part of the construction of any ship"

Tshego : " And we have never been able to force Nalen to do anything he didn't want to do"

Gaurdius : " Nalen why won't you build a second ship?"

Nalen : " It's too dangerous, and I won’t risk my life just to make Anun and the other Guardians more comfortable. Redirecting Spirit Stone energy is not something anyone should pursue lightly, and the Spirit Stone does not want me to attempt this again."

Onala : " That's an extraordinary claim?"

Hamun : " Only the Council of Elders can commune with the Spirit Stone"

Nalen : " Who told you that?"

Gaurdius : " That is how it has always been!"

Nalen : " The Spirit Stone carries the spirits of all our dead relative, so what makes you thing that they would only want to talk to you? The Spirit Stone wants to talk to all of us, and the Council of Elders is supposed to be how the Spirit Stone communes with all of us, but if the Council of Elders fails to understand the Spirit Stone's message the Spirit Stone will find other ways to send the message."

Jalen : " How dare you?"

Lumen interject before Jalen could finish.

Lumen : " Nalen is right! If we search our Hearts we will find the truth"

Nalen : " The Council of Elders was never meant to be a Council of rulers, but a combined leadership! They're sworn to guide, not to dominate! The Guardians were created to protect, not to kill, they were meant to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers! This is why I've always resisted the rank of Guardian, it's because over the years the protective role has become militaristic, and I've been one of the architects of that policy by providing all of you with the most advanced weapons the world has ever seen."

Isis : " You don't want to build an army? You're afraid that we might use the Intrepid's technology to extend the power of Crystalorb"

Cyris : " I see Nalen's point"

Lumen : " Having witnessed the Intrepid's power the Guardians now want to have a fleet of ships."

Nalen : " And there lies the problem! Crystalorb is secure and there is no need for a fleet of Ships."

Esara : " Nalen what happens if the Intrepid is damaged shouldn't there be a back up system?"

Ocyris : " It would take years for us to collect the materials needed to build another ship, and because of the way it was constructed we cannot just replicate it using the Spirit Stone"

Nalen : " Even Ocyris and Esara have not realised what the Intrepid is, even they don't understand the greatness of my accomplishment, none of you understand just how wonderful the Intrepid is, perfect in its simplicity."

Gaurdius : " What are you talking about?"

Ocyris : " What’s so special about the Intrepid?"

Nalen : " It's amazing that none of you have noticed it."

Esara began to listen to broadcast messages from Nalen's Chest Crystal, and as Nalen's secrets began to reveal themselves, and she reacted with shock covering her mouth with her hand.

Lumen : " What is it Esara?"

Esara : " It's alive!"

Gaurdius : " What's alive?"

Esara : " The Intrepid! It's a living organism!"

Cyris : " What do you mean?"

Esara : " It's alive like the Crystal Armour, but self sustaining and not attached to a Chest Crystal"

Ocyris : " How? How did you do this Nalen?"

Esara : " That's why it can’t be duplicated!"

Nalen : " The Intrepid may not be conscious, but it is alive! It's more like a plant, a mobile plant! Isn't it great?"

Hamun : " What have you done?"

Gaurdius : " You never told us that the ship would be a living organism”

Ocyris : " That's how it's able to regenerate, the ship is healing itself! That means it has a nervous system"

Esara : " Its 5 Computers are organised like 5 parts of a brain! I sensed that there was something different about the way the Intrepid's Computers operate"

Ocyris : " This is just amazing!"

Nalen : " To say that I built the ship is the wrong description; a more accurate description is that I grew it. Using cells from my own body, and recombining the DNA with that from other sources I created a plant type organism whose cell growth could be directed by an external source. The research into this method is something I developed 4 years ago when I was looking for a cure for my son, and by adjusting the methods I created a living skin which I then used to cover a crystal mould. The mould had many pores to allow the skin to grow into the mould and ultimately absorb the mould. That's when I got the idea to introduce an organic Crystal computer as part of its components"

Ocyris : " You allowed it to develop by stimulating an organic response to external stimulus. The continuance process has an accelerated evolutionary effect on the genetic material of the organism, and thus producing an advanced life form within a very short space of time. Which is the reason for 5 computers; two organic Crystal computer and three non-organic Crystal computer. The Nuclear Reactor, flight and weapon systems are by design not controlled by the organic Crystal computer but the normal Crystal computer”

Jalen : " Do you mean a living computer?"

Nalen : " By living we mean that it is alive like a cell is alive, but not conscious like a human. We are talking about a more instinctive capability like a reptile, and so you can think of the Intrepid as cross between a Crystal plant and a reptile. The systems of the ship that could not for obvious reasons be completely organic have taken on a more Biomechanical nature. This has been a very complicated exercise and one I do not wish to undertake again."

Gaurdius : " You can understand the need for Crystalorb not to depend on one ship, and one ship only!"

Ocyris : " That kind of dependence is strategically unsound"

Nalen : " Don't you think I know that?"

Lumen : " Then you will construct another ship?"

Nalen : " No!"

Jalen : " You are being unreasonable Nalen!"

Nalen : " You still don't get it!"

Ocyris : " Get what?"

Nalen : " I won’t be building another ship because there is no need to build another ship. The Intrepid is alive and therefore capable of reproducing, and in about 5 years the Intrepid will lay an egg and with the aid of Spirit Stone energy the egg will hatch giving you a second ship. The baby ship will take 15 years of feedings by the Spirit stone and its solar energy collector along with the requisite materials before it can reach reproductive age, but in the interim the Intrepid will lay a single egg every 5 to 10 years. Before long you will have your fleet of ships, and every baby ship will inherit all the knowledge of its parent. I never intended to deny Crystalorb access to the technology, but there will be time constraints as the ships grow up; for lack of a better term. I trust this should satisfy all of your concerns!"

Lumen : " You truly are the cleverest man in Crystalorb!"

Cyris : " You have found a way to make yourself redundant, because with this technology we may never require you to create another weapon system for us"

Nalen : " That was part of my plan all along!"

- - -

As the meeting continued the Crystalorb Command Centre received a message from the South African Government indicating that the president of the Republic of South Africa and other senior leaders including the speaker of parliament were on their way to Crystalorb to meet with the Crystalorb Leadership in Crystalorb. The meeting was scheduled for 8 pm, and this was so that the South African Government could make the meeting secret.

As the four helicopters landed the South African Government officials were met by Gaurdius at the heliport. Gaurdius was going to be the facilitator during the meeting. President Themba Mbuto was accompanied by Dan Mjolo the Minister of Defence, Paul Hendricks the Minister of Finance, Thato Mogatsu the Speaker of Parliament and General James Mthetwa the chief of the South African National Defence Force.

After the group entered Crystalorb they were led to the General Chambers because there were concerns that the Spirit Stone might not allow the visitors into the pyramid which housed the Council Chambers and the Spirit Stone. As the South African Government officials took their seats alongside the Council of Elders there was a calmness in the room as the leaders began to talk about the issues that brought them to that point.

Gaurdius : " Thank you for coming Mr President, and welcome to Crystalorb."

President Mbuto : " As the representatives of the Republic of South Africa we are happy to meet with the representatives of your people and hope to form a peaceful and lasting relationship"

Gaurdius : " As do we Mr President"

President Mbuto : " I have to confess to being completely surprised by the existence of this place and that of your people. There are questions in our minds that require answers."

Gaurdius : " We hope that we will be able to provide answers to those questions."

Gaurdius then proceeds to introduce the rest of the Council of Elders and the President introduce his group to the Council of Elders.

President Mbuto : " A few months ago I remember seeing a news report in which a child was talking about a battle between the Fire gods and the Glass gods! So if you are the Glass gods then who are the Fire gods?"

Gaurdius : " We don't like the god description."

President Mbuto : " Neither do we! Would warrior do?"

Gaurdius : " We use Crystal Armour"

Isis : " Or you can just call us Crystalans"

Jalen : " And the answer to your question is that they call themselves the HOD; an acronym for the Hand of Destiny!"

Cyris : " They sometimes go by Hodian"

President Mbuto : " Are they the reason you are in hiding?"

Dan Mjolo : " And who between your two groups is responsible for the Hybrid Phenomenon?"

Onala : " We are not hiding from the HOD, but from the rest of humanity"

President Mbuto : " Where did you come from?"

Cyris : " The HOD created the Mutagenic recombinant RNA for reasons we don't fully understand yet, but we think it is part of their world domination ambitions. The HOD's ambitions are at the heart of our conflict with them, and they see us as a threat to their power."

Gaurdius: " In the beginning there was one Bloodline, but what once was one was split asunder and in its place there emerged two Bloodlines; Crystalan for the descendants of Lesedi and Hodian for the descendants of Ralefa! This is how both our peoples were born, and though we share a common ancestry we are worlds apart!"

President Mbuto : " What do the Hodians want?"

Gaurdius : " They seek to control their own Destiny, hence the name Hand of Destiny!"

President Mbuto : " That does not seem all that unreasonable?"

Cyris : " It's not! However it's what they are willing to do to achieve that goal that should concern you Mr President."

Isis : " At some point during the turn of the centaury, at the beginning of the 20th centaury the HOD concluded that the only way to control their own Destiny was to control the Destiny of all Human kind" Shaking her head "The Hodians decided that normal Humans were unworthy to lead them, and therefore must take a subjective role to Hodians! Now the Hodians are convinced that they are superior to normal humans and that they are the future of the human race."

Dan Mjolo : " What do they have against you?"

Onala : " They wanted us to join them, and when we refused they demanded that we not interfere with their plans. We could not stand on the sidelines while they implemented their global domination plans, so we intervened to stop them!"

Cyris : " And so began the war! A war for the right to determine the fate of Humanity; indeed the entire world!"

President Mbuto : " And you didn't think the rest of us had a right to know?"

Gaurdius: " Crystalorb's problems with the Hand of Destiny is considered a blood feud! There was no need to involve outsiders in our fight with our blood brothers in the HOD."

Dan Mjolo : " Why have you suddenly decided to make contact?"

Cyris : " The HOD is a global Empire! We can no longer contain their power, and there is an escalation in violence that if left unchecked could consume the world."

Dan Mjolo : " The Hybrid Phenomenon?"

Lumen : " Yes!"

President Mbuto: " When I first heard of you my Initial reaction was that we demand that you submit to the authority of the Republic of South Africa, but my military advisors told me that their analysis of your military capabilities indicate that you could crush the South African National Defence Force in a matter of hours. I'm left with the feeling that I have to negotiate with a gun to my head!"

Gaurdius: " That was never our intent! Crystalorb is looking for a friend and partner in the Republic of South Africa."

President Mbuto: " That's part of the problem! We have nothing to offer you that you could not possibly take by force. You clearly don't need us, but we need you, and with your help the Republic of South Africa can become one of the most powerful countries in the world."

Gaurdius: " It all has to do with location Mr President, and we are physically in the Republic of South Africa"

Isis : " And are also citizens of the Country"

President Mbuto: " But you insist that this underground place must be outside the Authority of the Republic?"

Onala : " Crystalorb is outside the Authority of the Republic of South Africa."

Gaurdius: " Our legal experts say that since Crystalorb precedes the Republic of South Africa then Crystalorb does not fall under the legal jurisdiction of the RSA"

President Mbuto: " It's because of that fact that we are willing to entertain the possibility of your regional autonomy"

Thato Mogatsu: " You have to understand that regional autonomy can only be granted by parliament, and that means informing the legislators about the existence of Crystalorb."

Dan Mjolo : " Unless of course we can create another pretext! I'm talking about a way for us to pass the Constitutional Amendment that would allow regional autonomy."

Gaurdius : " What sort of pretext?"

Dan Mjolo : " Over the past few months we've been experiencing some difficulty with the Hybrid Phenomenon. These Hybrids pose a danger to our national security, and if left unchecked could result in an escalation that would be beyond our ability to manage. We have out there super-powered individuals that we lack the capacity to contain."

Gen Mthetwa: " Which is where you come in! Your offer of assistance in managing the Hybrid Phenomenon provides the first opportunity for us to regain some control."

Gaurdius : " You want us to assist the police?"

Gen Mthetwa: " After some analysis we now understand that we can merge your desire for autonomy and our national security concerns"

Gaurdius : " The pretext!"

President Mbuto: " We want to setup a home for Hybrids on the area that you call the Crystal Valley Farming and Industrial complex. The home would be strictly voluntary, so all the Hybrids who come here would do so at their own free will. The hope is that all those Hybrids who feel persecuted in their communities can relocate to this area where they would feel safe and protected."

Gaurdius : " I don't see how that would be possible, doing this would cost enormous resources, and we don't have that much money. Moreover we will not be part of any attempt to pacify the Hybrids by creating a large detention centre under the guise of a homeland."

President Mbuto: " That's not the Intent! Our concern is that people are not very accepting of change, and what we fear is that there may arise a situation where misunderstanding may lead to public violence against Hybrids. We think that to preamp that possibility, a pull for Hybrids to a particular location must be created, and this would limit potential problems between the Hybrids and the general public."

Gaurdius : " And how would we finance such a project?"

Paul Hendricks: " We are willing to give The Town Council 50% of all your company tax. That means that you would be required to pay 15% of the profits of Crystal Valley Industries in taxes to the National receiver of Revenue (SARS), and the other 15% would go to the Town Council. Further more 80% of all personal income tax and 50% of Value added tax (VAT) in the area would also go to the Town Council. In today’s money that would be somewhere in the region of 13 Billion Rands, and as per your projected growth would reach 47 Billion Rands in 5 years. We would also offer our assistance in negotiating supply contracts with foreign governments to better accelerate the implementation your increased production plans."

Gaurdius : " What concerns us is a situation where we end up with millions of people flocking to the Crystal Valley Farming and industrial complex. The area is just 100 square kilometres, and that’s 10km by 10km!"

Paul Hendricks: " We have plans that would solve all that. We can offer you a loan at prime minus 4% for you to acquire the land that lies around the area at up to twice the market rate, but the land would have to be owned by the Town Council, and this will allow us to force the land holders to sell their properties. We will then create a 1 km security zone around the land"

Gaurdius : " How much land are you talking about?"

President Mbuto: " Current projections indicate that a radius of 121km around Crystalorb would make the most optimal solution"

Gaurdius : " What would be the size of the loan?"

President Mbuto: " The final figure would be 40 Billion Rands"

Gaurdius : " If we could break for a moment while you take a tour of Crystalorb?"

The two groups take a break as the South African Government officials are taken on a tour of Crystalorb. The tour includes the training facilities, the Crystalorb School and medical facilities. In the meantime the Council of Elders meets with the Guardian Council to explain the South African Government offer. After some heated discussions the Crystalorb Leadership made a decision to accept the South African Government offer.

As the South African Government officials return to the meeting they are surprised to hear that the Crystalorb Leadership has already reached a decision.

President Mbuto : " I didn't think you would reach a decision that quickly"

Gaurdius : " The Crystalorb Leadership has concluded that your terms are acceptable, and we will start construction immediately. When do you think you will be able to pass the necessary Constitutional Amendments?"

President Mbuto : " We have already started the preparation of the necessary text and we hope the process will be completed within two months"

Gaurdius : " We have 50 Billion Rands in cash invested through out the world markets, and we will begin bringing the funds to start the construction of the town, but since most of our assets are held in long term portfolios we will need those loans very quickly. The plans are in place to accelerate our production, and we should be able to be financially stable through this process"

President Mbuto : " What's the value of the assets held by the Crystalorb Trust?"

Gaurdius : " We don't know exactly! Since the Crystal Valley Industries is unlisted it is difficult to estimate its value, but by revenue the Crystalorb Trust should be in the top 500 in terms of net worth. Fortunately because there are thousands of members of the Crystalorb Trust not many people pay too much close attention."

Dan Mjolo : " We still have some security issues to iron out. An example of that is the Hybrids who commit crimes and thus need to be incarcerated, but we lack the technology to adequately imprison them, which is where you come in. We can understand that you don't yet trust us enough to supply us with your advanced technology, but you could in theory build a jail in this region for these Hybrids criminals"

Gaurdius : " We can do that! From time to time we've found it necessary to incarcerate our people because of their actions, but fortunately none of the crimes have ever warranted long term confinement. When ever Crystalans break one of our laws they're detained and confined in solitude to reflect on their actions, and after the requisite time they are brought before the Elders to determine whether they have truly seen the error of their ways. Crystalorb laws are designed to manage our interactions with each other, and to make us appreciate each other, so being confined in solitude teaches us the importance of human contact."

James Mthetwa : " That kind of utopian ideology may not work with large populations"

Gaurdius : " But it works for us"

President Mbuto : " I would like to take this opportunity to thank Crystalorb for trusting us enough to make contact with us, and for agreeing to be true partners as we forge our way into the future."

Gaurdius : " We at Crystalorb are pleased to have found friends in the South African Government who are willing to work towards a brighter future for all human kind."

As they begin to disperse Dan Mjolo asks private questions.

Dan Mjolo : " This whole place is amazing; is it made by some kind of Magic"

Cyris : " It’s not Magic; but the Science of Elemental Energies!"

Dan Mjolo : " Science of Elemental Energies?"

Lumen : " We believe that Elemental Energies are the source of everything in our universe, and Crystalans have learned to harness these Elemental Energies to produce everything you see here using the Science of Elemental Energies."

Cyris : " But I will admit that Sprit Energy can be considered somewhat Magical!"

- - -

As the South African Government officials left Crystalorb there was new hope for permanent and lasting peace and security for Crystalorb. When the Council of Elders informed Crystalans about the agreement they had reached with the South African Government it was received with measured optimism, and the hope that this could be a new beginning for all humanity. The Council of Elders knew that having good relations with the South African Government was the only way to assure security for the people of Crystalorb.

A few days after the meeting the Intrepid formally deployed on its peace keeping mission through out the world, and because of the agreement reached with South African Government the Intrepid's mission had become that much more critical. Crystalorb decided to put together a 12 member rescue team to protect civilians in the expected wars. The team was called The Gallant 12 or G12, and it would eventually consist of: 3 Hybrids, 3 Former Hodians, 3 Crystalans and 3 Hybrids from the South African Military super soldier program

The Gallant 12 or G12 teams would be based onboard the Intrepid until their independent facilities could be built, and that included; buildings, aircraft, cars, bouts and submarines. The crew of the Intrepid would have to prove to the world that humanity had nothing to fear from hybrids by making sure that the conflicts between the two groups did not get out of hand, and they had to accomplish this without being seen.

In the meantime Governments around the world raced to acquire the Mutagenic recombinant RNA in order to apply it for military purposes. Hundreds of scientist around the world were secretly testing the Mutagenic recombinant RNA on lab animals, but others decided to forgo proper experimentation procedures and started human testing as soon as they acquired the Mutagenic recombinant RNA.

The advanced research into the Mutagenic recombinant RNA quickly became the holy grail of bio-research as the medical applications of the Mutagenic recombinant RNA promised a new generation of remedies and cures for a host of diseases. There was great optimism in the medical community, as the hope for new Mutagenic recombinant RNA based medical technology was bringing prospects of tissue regeneration for spinal cord injuries.

At the heart of the Hybrid Phenomenon was tissue regeneration which is also the primary special ability of the Hodians (HOD members). The HOD have 4 main abilities; Speed, Strength, Metallic Crystalline Transformation and Tissue Regeneration. With the Hybrid Phenomenon the Mutagenic recombinant RNA caused many of the individuals to have tissue regeneration and another of the 4 main abilities.

Although nearly all the Hybrids had tissue regeneration, but this was not the only ability that the Hybrids were endowed with, and those who received the ability to transform to a Metallic Crystalline Skin also received the properties associated with the Metal in the Crystal. If the Metal in the Crystal is copper the resultant properties would be strength and electrical abilities that far exceeds that of the normal human body. Similar abilities could be observed for Iron, gold Bronze, Lead, etc.

There were some undesirable properties resulting from the Mutagenic recombinant RNA contamination, and these properties were associated with the effects of the tissue regeneration on cancer cells. Because of tissue regeneration cancer cells were becoming immune to chemical and radioactive therapies, and thus leaving surgery as the only viable option, but because of this cancer treatment was becoming increasingly difficult amongst the Hybrids.

- - -

Meanwhile the Intrepid was already intervening in many situations around the African continent where the Hybrids are involved, and consequently in a matter of weeks the Intrepid was ordered by the Council of Elders to effect the rescue of 150 individuals who found themselves under threat because they had transformations as a result of the Mutagenic recombinant RNA that was introduced to the population through various vaccines.

The construction of the Crystal Valley City was already underway even before the South African Government proposed the legislation that would amend the constitution and allow regional autonomy for Crystal Valley City. As the Crystal Valley Industries construction division began the construction requested by the Crystalorb Leadership, Crystalans were preparing to receive thousands of people who would in all likelihood arrive with nothing.

The South African Government lived up to their promise of financial support, and the Government also speedily approved building plans and then allocated the requisite permits for Crystal Valley Industries construction division to quickly begin the construction projects. With government guarantees Crystal Valley Industries found it easy to secure financing for their expansion of the industrial output facilities.

- - -

- - -