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Crystal Guardian

Arc 3: Perversion of the Light

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Chapter 29: The Honourable Path

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The Crystalorb Leadership was in heated discussions about the incident in Mexico, and some were implicating the HOD in the attempt by the Americans to capture a Crystalan. The 48 Grandlords that formed the High Council of the Hand of Destiny also met to discuss their next course of action, and there were rumours that the war was about to resume. Many on the Hodian High Council were eager to hear the new Viceroy's proposal on the matter.

After long and heated discussions the Chairman of the Hodian High Council Tumo Ralefa brought the meeting to order in preparation for the Viceroy's address.

Tumo : " Thank you everyone! This has been an important year in the history of our people, and the war with our opposite numbers in Crystalorb has escalated to incomparable limits! But we have pulled back from the brink! We have stayed the hand of Fate! Allowed cooler heads to prevail! When Lerumo came to me with a proposal for a direct assault on Crystalorb I thought that the time had come for the Hodian people to finally end the war. I believed we could win! For the first time we had the support of one of Crystalorb's own, a Crystal Guardian had joined our side, but it wasn't enough, and once again our efforts were thwarted by the Olen family. The son of the legendary Red Guardian came to Crystalorb's rescue. The Olen family bloodline has been a constant thorn in our side, and one we have not been able to remove. We left Crystalorb in ruins, and we took their precious Spirit Stone. Our Intel indicated that without their Spirit Stone the Crystalans would grow weak and we would finally be able to control them. Our forces killed 60% of their population, and most of their forces were in disarray, but somehow they found the strength to fight back. They fought back with even greater tenacity! Over the next few months we noticed something disturbing in their behaviour. For the first time in their history the Crystalans were showing a complete disregard for human life! They seemed intent on destroying us, and were no longer mindful of the consequences to the wider world! It was at this point that our new Viceroy brought to my attention the Crystalorb war strategy; Viceroy!"

Nato Ralefa the new Viceroy of the Hand of Destiny took the podium to address the Hodian High Council.

Nato : " Thank you Chairman! Good Evening! We are a great people! We've earned a pivotal place in the world! We are respected by great people and Great Nations" He pauses for Applause "The Chairman has already given an outline of the events that have brought us to this moment. When I evaluated the battle strategy of the Crystalans I notice a disturbing pattern. The first thing you notice is the way they attack. First they attack from the air with their ship, and then they send in their Vanguards to finish the job. In the past the Crystalans only targeted structures and not people, but they had changed, and they were now targeting people. They weren't just targeting our Enforcers, but they were also targeting the civilians who worked for us. Within a few weeks the civilian death toll reached thousands, and this did not go unnoticed by the Governments. The Crystalorb strategy was to cut off our energy supply, and to that end they wiped out 70% of our livestock holdings. The damage has been unimaginable to the global livestock industry, and millions of people have lost their livelihood, the world milk prices have hit the roof, but worse than this has been the food shortages that have resulted from this. As you know we source the feed for our animals from all over the world, and because we no longer require the quantity we used to consume grain prices have been depressed. Most farmers have stopped planting grain in favour of other more lucrative crops, and this has resulted in food shortages in some areas of the world. With grain so cheap exporters see no value in shipping such a product, and the result has been food shortages. Our forecasts of the situation indicated that the world will face at least 2 years of grain supply constraints and 5 years of high meat product prices. In the past the Crystalans were always careful not to destabilize global food prices, but that view seems to have fallen by the wayside. The Crystalans seemed to have gone mad, and it became clear that this was more than just rage. The answer laid in their complex relationship with their Spirit Stone. Their Spirit Stone is more than just a power source, it has an effect on their mood, and without the Spirit Stone the Crystalans had lost control. We always thought that the Crystalans were unnaturally benevolent, and now it’s clear that the reason they were so considerate had to do with the Spiritual force contained in their Spirit Stone. Because of the presence of the Spirit Stone the Crystalans can't help being good. It's not a matter of choice for them." after a brief pause "Without their Spirit Stone the Crystalans went into an uncontrollable rage that only found expression in their war against us. Soon it became clear that the Crystalans would plunge the world into chaos, and there was very little we could do to stop them. Lord Tumo met with them, and he found them to be reasonable and good mannered, but that does not change their deadly intent. When Lord Tumo met with their Red Guardian she expressed an intent to end the war one way or another. To them ending the war and ending the HOD is the same thing at this moment. Thankfully there is something they want more than our destruction; The Spirit Stone. My Analyst tell me that it would take a million Enforcer army to take mount Crystalorb. We almost succeeded with 20 thousand Enforcers, but that was because we had the help of a Sector Guardian. We would need a million Enforcer army to march on Crystalorb, but the Analyst also point out that the Crystalans will never allow us to raise such an army. I'm assured that the Crystalans will erase entire cities to stop such a force from gathering. The best we can hope for is a stalemate, but even with their forces at 40% they have enough power to destroy us. We are outgunned people, and it's time we faced the facts! Crystalorb has had the power to destroy us for decades now, but for years now they've chosen not to use it. Do any of you know why?" He takes a long pause "Does any of you here know why the Crystalans have for years chosen not to destroy us? Anyone? Lord Tumo?"

Lord Tumo stands to answer

Tumo : " Because they held out hope that we would see the error of our ways and join them in their quest to make the world a better place for all mankind!"

Nato : " Exactly! The Crystalans considered us their lost brothers. They used to see us as lost and misguided! But after the assault on Crystalorb they think of us a menace, and they intend to purge the world of us. Unless we do something drastic we will soon find ourselves extinct! They are no longer welcoming defectors into Crystalorb. This means that we no longer have eyes and ears inside Crystalorb. They no longer interact with the citizens of Crystal Valley City, and this means that we don't have the opportunity to convert any of them to our side. I'm assured by Hodian analysts that we have no viable military options! If the ceasefire fails the war will continue to its inevitable conclusion. If any of you still questions this analysis ask yourself this question; Why are there only 48 Grandlords? There used to be more of us, and every moment this war continues is paid for with the blood of our people! Yes we will fight to the very end! But the point is that the end will come! "after a brief pause "What do we do then? How do we save our children from this impending doom?" after a long pause "We have to make peace with Crystalans! There's no other way! It's either that or death! In their current state of being the Crystalans are unlikely to believe us when we offer them peace, and they've told us that only their Council of Elders can declare peace with the Hand of Destiny, but as you all know we killed 8 of the 9 members of the Council of Elders. They tell us that once someone is officially nominated for election to the Council of Elders their soul has to be judged by the Spirit Stone to determine whether they are worthy to be a member of the Council of Elders. Without the Spirit Stone they cannot reconstitute the Council of Elders. Which brings us to my proposal! The Crystalans will need proof that we won't attack them while they continue to search for their stone! How do we prove to them that we are serious about peace! How do we show them that this is not a trick! We have to make a gesture of faith, and it has to give the Crystalans confidence in our efforts. To that end I propose that the entire High Council of the Hand of Destiny surrender themselves into the custody of Crystalorb until the Spirit Stone is recovered!"

The Grandlords voice their displeasure at Lord Nato's proposal.

Nato : " I tried to make contact with the Crystalans but I was told that they are not taking any calls! The clock is ticking people! After the incident in Cancun Mexico the Crystalans will surely re-evaluate the ceasefire! It may take years for them to find the Spirit Stone! We may have to spend the rest of our natural live in their custody! But at least it will insure the survival of our children! This is the moment of truth people! Do we choose life or do we choose Death! Let's put this to a vote"

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The High Council of the Hand of Destiny voted 31 to 18 in support of Lord Nato's proposal. The Viceroy and the 48 Grandlords travelled to Crystal Valley City as a first stop on the path to Mount Crystalorb. The flight capabilities of their new Manacle of Destiny allowed them to fly into the city undetected by the City security officials, and with the Spirit Stone gone Crystalorb could not detect their Hodian energy.

The Grandlords travelled in small groups to avoid raising suspicion. At about midday the 49 members of the Hodian High Council gathered on the outskirts of Crystal Valley City, they then transformed to their Metallic Crystalline Form and began walking up the hills in the direction of Mount Crystalorb. At the same time as all this was happening, the Intrepid was making its final approach into Crystalorb Air space.

Over the years the Crystalorb air ships had realised that high speeds at low altitudes created havoc for residents of the City, and therefore official protocol mandated that the ships conduct slow descent from high altitude when operating in populated areas. As the Intrepid was making its slow descent from high altitude the Jalen detected the approach of the Grandlord formation, and this sent Crystalorb into high alert.

The Joint Communications Channel was activated, and the Crystalorb Forces prepared for battle while the Gaurdius and the Jalen prepared to attack the Grandlord formation. The Crystalorb Defence Cannons targeted the Grandlord formation and prepared to fire. Onboard the Intrepid the crew also prepared themselves to join the battle, and on the bridge the senior staff was searching the area for additional Hodian movement, but they couldn't find any, and this present challenges of its own.

At the Crystalorb Command Centre Aman was in communication with all the defence assets, and the senior officers were awaiting his orders

Aman : " On my order open fire, but not before!"

Casara : " Wait!"

Aman : " This isn't the time for you to question my orders Casara!"

Casara : " Commander; None of this makes any sense!"

Aman : " Nothing they do ever makes any sense!"

Casara : " The last time they attack they were 20000 strong! They have millions under their command! But today I'm only counting 49!"

Kano : " The 49 could be some sort of diversion for a larger contingent!"

Aman : " When they reach designation 201 I want everyone to open fire, is that Understood!"

Palo : " Designation 201! Got it Commander!"

Casara : " Palo; You will stand down until I give the authorization to Fire!"

Aman : " What? I'm in Command here!"

Casara : " And I'm in command of the Expeditionary Division! That means all the ships take their orders from me!"

Aman : " This is insane! We have a Hodian attack force at our gates and Casara decides that this is the time to disobey orders."

Casara : " All I'm saying is that we make a proper assessment of the situation!"

Aman : " When they reach designation 201 the Crystalorb Defence Cannons will take them out, so you have just under a minute to make your assessment!"

Casara then turns to the officers responsible for Navigation 〘i.e. Directional movements of the Aircraft〙

Casara : " Shield to Maximum! Disregard speed protocol! Put us between the Crystalorb Defence Cannons and the Hodians!"

The Intrepid rapidly manoeuvres to shield the Hodian formation from the powerful Crystalorb Defence Cannons

Aman : " What the hell are you doing Casara?"

Casara : " Making a proper assessment Commander!"

Nasan : " This is highly irregular Casara!"

Crystal Armoured Casara stands from the Captains chair and proceeds to the ship's Vanguard launch bay, Kato is with her, and the Joint Communications Channel is still active

Casara : " I'm going out there!"

Kato : " What?"

Casara : " I'm going to talk to them!"

Kato : " Have you lost your dammed mind! There are 49 Grandlords out there! Not even you could stand up to that!"

Casara : " Someone has to talk to them"

Kato : " Then I'm coming with you"

Casara : " No! I have to go alone!"

Aman : " I knew it! She's lost her mind!"

Casara : " When have you ever seen so many Grandlords without escort? For some strange reason the Hodian Grandlords have chosen to expose themselves, I must do the same!"

The Crystal Armoured Casara leaves the Intrepid, and as she lands in front of the Grandlord Formation she transforms to her Crimson Form. Lord Nato steps forward to meet Casara

Nato : " The Legendary Red Guardian; It's an Honour to meet you! I'm Nato Ralefa; Viceroy of the Hand of Destiny!"

In an act never seen before from a Viceroy of the Hand of Destiny, Nato disengages his primary Manacle of Destiny and transforms from the Metallic Crystalline Form to normal, he then extends his hand to greet Casara

Casara : " That's different!"

Casara then also transforms from the Crimson Form to normal, and then she goes further by removing her Red Guardian Crystal Armour and locking it in its sphere

Nato : " Wow!"

Casara then walks up to Lord Nato and shakes his hand, and as she shakes his hand all the other Grandlords disengage their primary Manacles of Destiny and transform from the Metallic Crystalline Form to normal

Casara : " I'm Casara Olen; Acting Expeditionary Guardian; And Captain of the Intrepid."

Nato : " Pleased to meet you Casara."

Casara : " Strange. Likewise."

At the Crystalorb Command Centre the Guardians are in complete shock, and no one is more surprised than Aman.

Aman : " By the Source!"

Nasan : " Could it be...?"

Aman : " I don't believe it?"

Isalo : " The Light of Hope."

Cyris : " Finally; Something New."

Aman : " What do we do?"

Cyris : " They've travelled all this way, the least we could do is meet them."

Aman : " Meet them?"

Cyris : " Yes."

As Lord Cyris, Aman, Isalo and Nasan make their way out of Crystalorb, Casara talks to Lord Nato.

Nato : " That is an impressive Vessel."

Casara : " That it is Lord Nato. We are very proud of the Intrepid! It's Crystalorb's flagship! My Father told me that he built it to protect the future."

Nato : " I read about your Father. What did they call him? Genius; Warrior. Amongst other things he's referred to as a master weapons designer; I'm Inclined to believe that he was a man of peace."

Casara : " Yeah; Most people never got that about him."

Nato : " I thought that was obvious! Anyone who builds a ship like the Intrepid is undoubtedly a creative spirit! When you see the Intrepid for the first the thing time that strikes you is how beautiful it is; A thing of beauty. Like a work art. However its beauty is only equalled by its power."

Casara : " My father built it to protect. Not to destroy! But over the past few months it has become something else. My father knew that he would not always be around to protect Crystalorb, and so he built something that would. Because of its reproductive capabilities there would always be Ships to protect Crystalorb."

Nato : " We can only Hope that your father's creation can return to its true purpose of protecting the people of Crystalorb."

Casara : " My father recognized a simple truth."

Nato : " What truth?"

Casara : " The differences between Crystalans and Hodians are Ideological; The truth being that; Crystalans are also descendents of Ralefa!"

Nato : " An important fact that we’ve all forgotten over the past decades."

Casara : " The issues that separate us are Ideological, but we are in fact the same people."

Nato : " It’s strange to hear a high ranking Crystalan say that."

Casara : " It sound radical, but it is an inviolable Truth."

Nato : " With luck...?"

The arrival of Lord Cyris interrupts the conversation between Casara and Lord Nato. The Joint Communications Channel is activated to allow all of Crystalorb to hear and see the conversation between Lord Nato and Lord Cyrus. Lord Cyris is accompanied by a large contingent from the Expeditionary Division

Cyris : " This is an unexpected surprise!"

Nato : " We tried to call but no one would take our calls."

Cyris : " We've been in extended talks."

Nato : " I had a feeling that you might be in talks. What I have to say may have a bearing on the outcomes of those talks"

Cyris : " Were it not for Casara's insistence, we would have attacked."

Nato : " Insistence?"

Cyris : " She used the Intrepid to shield you from the Crystalorb Defence Cannons! Preventing us from attacking you."

Nato : " Why would she take such a risk?"

Cyris : " Crystalans with a Chest Crystal are very intuitive, and the Olen's come from an extremely intuitive bloodline. The intuition derives its power from the Chest Crystal, and the more effective the Chest Crystal the clearer the third sight. We had no Idea that Casara's abilities had reached that level. Esara was a little older when she started showing such profound abilities."

Nato : " She must have seen what I've seen. If the war between our peoples resumes hundreds of millions of innocent people will die. The entire High Council of the Hand of Destiny has come to mount Crystalorb because we wish to prevent that. We have come to Crystalorb to offer a lasting and true peace."

Cyris : " I'm not authorised to negotiate for Crystalorb."

Nato : " We are not here to negotiate; We are here to end the war."

Cyris : " What?"

Nato : " After the incident in Mexico we feared that Crystalans would think this to be another Hodian trick, and since you were not taking our calls we concluded that you would no longer trust our word, so we took a decision to make a bold gesture of faith."

Cyris : " A gesture of faith?"

Nato : " We have noticed a shift in the character of Crystalans. Crystalans no longer believe in the values that are enshrined in the Crystalorb Charter, and your recent actions are proof of that. The shift to the extreme on your part has had the effect of pushing the HOD to what were traditionally Crystalan positions. We've come to see the value of Crystalorb's true message to the world. You may no longer believe in yourselves, but we believe in you."

Cyris : " What? You believe in us?"

Nato : " We do what we do because we always knew that the Crystalans would be there to pick up the pieces of the chaos that we cause, but without your counterforce the chaos will spin out of control, and the world will destroy itself. Our differences can be resolved peacefully; This ideological war has gone on long enough! It's time to walk a different road." shaking his head “As Casara put it; The issues that separate us are Ideological, but we are in fact the same people.”

Cyris : " A different road?"

Nato : " We recognized that you would need proof of our sincerity; A guarantee. This war began with us, and it must therefore end with us. To that end; We the High Council of the Hand of Destiny surrender ourselves into Crystalorb's custody until the Spirit Stone is recovered."

Cyris : " What if it takes 50 years? 100 years?"

Nato : " However long it takes! If we die in your custody then you will just have to hold our bodies in custody"

Cyris : " We would have to take your Manacles into our custody until you are released."

Nato : " We expected as much. We brought them with us in part because we knew that it would ease your minds to know that the Manacles were in your custody."

Cyris : " In the absence of the full Council of Elders the Crystalorb General Council will have to make a decision on this."

Nato : " How long will it take?"

Cyris : " They are in deliberations as we speak."

Nato : " In the mean time?"

Cyris : " We wait?"

Nato : " Ok."

An hour later the Crystalorb General Council concluded their deliberations. The Crystalorb General Council agreed to accept the Hodian offer and took the entire High Council of the Hand of Destiny into custody.

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For the duration of their stay in Crystalorb each of the Hodians would be accompanied at all times by one of the Crystalorb Guards. The Hodians would sleep at the Crystalorb Detention Facility, but would be allowed to move freely under Crystalorb Guard escort in Crystalorb's non restricted areas.

The Crystalorb General Council felt that without their Manacles the Hodians posed little threat, and because they were constantly monitored there would be no possibility for them to cause chaos. The Hodian Manacles were kept in a secure location under the guard of 3 Vanguard teams, and that included 3 Vangleads. The ceasefire was now permanent, and the Hodian Overlords assumed command of the Hand of Destiny.

The Crystalorb Forces continued to observe the Hodian activities, but they were under strict orders not to interfere with the Hodian activities. A great majority of Crystalorb's resources were focused on the recovery of the Spirit Stone. Crystalorb's ships searched the world's oceans, but found little success. The world was too big for even those with Crystalorb's advanced technology.

The sea water was making it difficult to detect the Spirit Stone's energy signature. The water was dissipating the energy trail and this posed an enormous challenge to the searching ships. The Crystalans resolved to search the ocean floor inch by inch. They would deploy advanced robots to search every square meter of the Earth's oceans, but Casara amongst others knew that even this would not guarantee positive results.

Casara and others recognized that the ocean floors were full of caves and crevasses that the submarine containing the Spirit Stone could have been hidden in, and the ocean floors were constantly shifting and changing. That meant that the submarine containing the Spirit Stone may be berried under mountains of rubble. Casara and others believed that the best they could hope for was that the Negative Psionic Energy containment field used to trap the Spirit Stone would eventually fail.

The hope was that once the Negative Psionic Energy containment field failed the Spirit Stone could then free itself and return to Crystalorb. To the Crystalorb General Council this was too much to hope for, they preferred to actively seek and search for the Spirit Stone. Half of all Crystalorb Forces were deployed to assist in the search for the Spirit Stone. The search became the primary focus of all Crystalorb's activities.

After 18 months of searching with no tangible progress the Vanguards were beginning to feel the strain of their endless search. Many Vanguards were beginning to wonder if the search was pointless, and the popular view was that the Spirit Stone would return when the Negative Psionic Energy containment field used to trap the Spirit Stone eventually fails. The warriors of Crystalorb were beginning to accept the situation, but the Crystalorb General Council was not prepared to end the search.

When the Leba laid its first egg it became clear that the future of Crystalorb was on hold until the return of the Spirit Stone. A few months after the Leba laid its first egg the Intrepid laid its fourth egg, and this added further proof that the Spirit Stone was crucial to Crystalorb. The eggs needed to be fed Spirit Stone energy to finalize their development and with the aid of Spirit Stone energy the eggs would hatch and become baby ships.

The eggs were kept inside Crystalorb for security reasons, and they were kept under strict guard. Crystalans were keenly aware that the ships were the only thing that kept the wolves outside the gates and without them the Hodian High Council would have never considered making peace with Crystalorb. The Crystalorb General Council decided to change the command structure of the Crystalorb ships, and they decided to split the ship command in half.

The Intrepid, the Jalen and all their future offspring would remain with the Expeditionary Division. The Leba, Gaurdius and all their future offspring would be directly under Crystalorb Command. This was done to avoid situations where the Expeditionary Command refused to follow Crystalorb Command Centre Orders. All this arose from the constant clash between Casara and Aman.

The Crystalans with Chest Crystal seemed to have more duties than those without Chest Crystals. The Crystalans with Chest Crystal were required to use their Chest Crystal to grow the Crystals required for the production of Crystal Based Batteries for Crystal Valley Industries, and because of this the Crystalorb General Council required that Crystal Valley Industries pay the Crystalans with Chest Crystal the equivalent of 200 times the South African Government recommended minimum wage calculated daily. This meant that the Crystalans with Chest Crystal received two hundred times the minimum wage for each day they worked to grow Crystals.

Though there were concerns that their payment would create an uneven wealth situation in Crystalorb the Crystalorb General Council felt that it would have been unfair to ask the Crystalans with Chest Crystal to work for Crystal Valley Industries without payment. The Crystalans with Chest Crystal were also responsible for most of the repair work required to rebuild Crystalorb to its former glory.

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