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【Vision of an Alternate Future】

Arc 2: Return of the Crystal Guardians

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【VAF】Chapter║: 41 ─ Galactic History

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Meanwhile; in normal space it had only been 46 days since Aurora and Naole went into the Crystalorb Inter-Dimensional Pocket, and the work to implement Crystalorb’s plans continued gradually, but despite the extraordinary Crystalan efficiency the work could not progress faster than the environmental limitations would allow. More Crystalan ships had been brought in from the Crystalorb Inter-Dimensional Pocket to help with the workload, but the progress was slow and it would take time for the Crystalan Ships to reach full operational capabilities.

For Forty days Guardian Kipan Lesedi of Sector One had travelled to O'con onboard an Andronian Federation Scouting Ship to oversee the revival of the Crystalans in stasis. Because of the Andronian security requirements Kipan could only take a small group of mandatory escort personnel.

Upon arrival Kipan was taken to meat with the O'con Federation High Council. Also present is Ambassador Cuvil; representative of the Andronian Federation to the O'con Federation.

Lord-Bital : " Welcome to O'con Kipan! What message do you bring from Crystalorb?”

Kipan : “ The Crystalorb Council of Elders has decreed that I temporarily take over the responsibilities of Crystalorb’s Ambassador to the O'con Federation!”

Lord-Bital : " Are you to be the Ambassador?”

Kipan : “ No! Crystalorb’s recalling the Ambassador to Crystalorb for consultations with the Crystalorb Council of Elders, and when the consultations are complete the Ambassador will return to the O'con Federation.”

Lord-Bital : " How long are these consultations suppose to take?”

Kipan : “ About 20 years SET!”

Lord-Bital: " 20 years SET? So you’ll be moving the Ambassador to Crystalorb Inter-Dimensional Pocket?”

Kipan : “ Yes!”

Amb-Cuvil : " Wait! Then that would mean that you brought with you …!"

Lord-Bital : " A fragment of the Spirit Stone!”

Amb-Cuvil : " But why couldn’t we sense its energy signature?"

Guardian Kipan produces a laser beam from his Chest Crystal that creates a small incision on his left arm, and from the incision emerged a 1cm diameter spherical Crystal.

Kipan : “ Behold; the Heart of Crystalorb!”

The Fragment of the Spirit Stone began to radiate energy.

Amb-Cuvil : " How can something so small generate so much energy?"

Lord-Bital : " They really have built a Phaylon Reactor!”

Kipan : “ The Crystalorb Council of Elders has decreed that This Fragment of the Spirit Stone be forever placed at Crystalorb’s Consulate on O’con! Therefore Ensuring Crystalorb’s continuing presence in the O'con Federation.”

Amb-Cuvil : " Is that the extent of Crystalorb’s support to the activities in the O'con Federation?"

Kipan : “ No Actually; The Crystalorb Council of Elders has ordered the deployment of a Fragment Carrier and its support ships.”

Amb-Cuvil : " What do you mean by; Fragment Carrier?"

Kipan : “ A Nalen Class SkyGarrison.”

Lord-Bital : " Isn’t it a little early to be bringing through Nalen Class SkyGarrisons?”

Kipan : “ That Question is for the Council of Elders to Answer!”

Guardian Kipan produces an Energy beam from his Chest Crystal that hits the Fragment of the Spirit Stone. The Fragment of the Spirit Stone then opens a tiny wormhole into Crystalorb's Inter-Dimensional Realm 〘Crystalorb-IDR〙.

Amb-Cuvil : “ These Crystalans are different from the ones in Stasis!” Ambassador Cuvil Speaks privately to Lord Bital “They are Stronger somehow!”

Lord-Bital : " They certainly learn quickly don’t they?”

Kipan : “ The Communications Portal to the Crystalorb Inter-Dimensional Pocket is active!” Holographic Images of people appear “The Crystalorb Council of Elders!”

Eld-Utel : “ Greetings Friends! Time is critical; we must therefore be brief!”

Lord-Bital : " Why bring through the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons so quickly?”

Amb-Cuvil : " The risk of exposure would be enhanced by this action!"

Eld-Utel : “ We share your concern, but events may have overtaken us!”

Lord-Bital : " How so?”

Eld-Utel : “ Our Knoras believe that we’ve all underestimated the true extent of the Migon’s Psionic abilities!”

Lord-Bital : " What are you saying?”

Eld-Utel : “ Knora Hilan will explain!”

Hilan : “ We think that the Migon have MindSight.”

Amb-Cuvil : " MindSight? How could you possibly know that?"

Lord-Bital : " What do you base that on?”

Hilan : “ When the Spirit Stone absorbed the Circleans we gained their complete knowledge, and that included the ability to use MindSight!”

Lord-Bital : " A predatory instinct!”

Hilan : “ Exactly!”

Amb-Cuvil : " An Evolutionary skill that makes it easier to find prey!"

Eld-Utel : “ The Circleans like the Migon were Predatory, and they needed to find suitable prey to quench their immense hunger.”

Hilan : “ Records indicate that the Migon were not surprised by Circlean MindSight.”

Amb-Cuvil : " That must mean that they also have MindSight!"

Lord-Bital : " Then there’s no hiding from them!”

Eld-Utel : “ They probably know more than we can imagine!”

Hilan : “ We estimate that Migon MindSight must be very advanced; Capable of defeating even the most advanced stealth technology. Penetrating through the vast distances of space and finding even the most hidden places!”

Eld-Utel : “ It is for this reason that we’ve decided to delay Crystalorb’s return to normal space by twelve months! Our timeline has shifted to 25 Months!”

Lord-Bital : " You think that they will somehow sense your return to normal space?”

Hilan : “ Our analysis indicates that they may not be able to sense a few hundred million Crystalans scattered across the Galaxy, but we are convinced that they will notice billions of Crystalans concentrated on a single planet.”

Amb-Cuvil : " This is an interesting Discovery! Suddenly some things make absolute sense. Does distance affect the sensitivity of MindSight?"

Hilan : “ Yes! The closer one is to the target the better.”

Lord-Bital: " This must be why they need a foothold in the region. With more Migons in the Area they would be better able to observe our activities.”

Eld-Utel : “ It gets worse!”

Amb-Cuvil : " There’s more?"

Eld-Utel : “ We believe that as soon as they detect Crystalorb they will launch an all out Campaign to destroy the O'con Federation!”

Amb-Cuvil : " Why?"

Lord-Bital: " Because they wouldn’t want to fight both the O'con Federation and the Crystalorb Commonwealth.”

Hilan : “ This would be their last opportunity to take control of the Region! They know that Crystalorb Support would tilt the balance in favour of the O'con Federation, and that’s something they can’t afford; so they will mobilize a Fleet the size of which the Galaxy has never seen before.”

Amb-Cuvil : " Then perhaps the Crystalorb Commonwealth should wait a little longer!"

Naole : “ The longer we wait, the stronger they become!”

Eld-Utel : “ Search your feelings Andronian! You can feel them getting stronger with every passing day”

Amb-Cuvil : “ I know! We also sense their growing Strength!” there’s a burst of energy as the Andronian’s anger rises to the surface “How could we have let this happen?”

Kipan : “ Wow!” Thinking to himself “These Andronians are even stronger than Ascended Crystalans!”

Lord-Bital : “ The situation is grave indeed!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ In less than 2 years 〘SET〙 Hundreds of Civilisations will be destroyed, and we are virtually powerless to stop it!”

Lord-Bital: “ Can the Crystalorb Commonwealth protect the less advanced Civilisations of the Region?”

Eld-Utel : “ No!” His head sinks into his shoulders “Their deaths are inevitable! It cannot be helped.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ This is where we failed isn’t it? Thousands of years ago we made the choice to save the younger Civilisations. Was it the wrong choice?”

Eld-Utel : “ A year ago we would have made the same choice.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ I see it now; your fusion with the Circleans has changed you; Now you have a Killer Edge you didn’t have before.”

Lord-Bital : " There’s a Raw Predatory instinct about you now.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Something we never had; We always sought to be benevolent, and a little while ago you were the same, but something has changed”

Naole : “ The truth is that we’ve always been violent; we are after all a Warrior Culture. About 70% of our activities are dedicated to warfare. We’ve always been like that. What’s different now is that we were never able to suppress our protective instinct.”

Lord-Bital : " So that’s what you gained from the Circleans?”

Eld-Utel : “ In a lot of ways we’ve become ordinary. We’ve gained selfishness at the expense of our benevolence. We’ve become far less Noble than we used to be. We can only hope that the strength we’ve acquired from the Circleans is worth the sacrifice.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Naole; Surely you must have known about the cost? You had to have known that the Power gained from the Circleans would change Crystalans forever?”

Naole : “ I recognized the danger; But at the time I had little choice. More than my need, I wanted the true source of Circlean Power.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ And what is that?”

Naole : “ Their Ambition! The Circlean hunger for Power.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Power?”

Naole : “ They wanted to dominate the galaxy. However we only wish to be recognized as a major Power. In the past Crystalans didn’t care if others recognized the depth of our might. And at times we would even go as far as to allow ourselves to be pushed around by Civilisations that couldn’t even begin to compare. Those days are over! The Galaxy will marvel at the depth of our might as we reclaim our legacy.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ You really have changed.”

Eld-Utel : “ We will stand with those who stand with us! We will bleed for those who bleed for us! We will fight these Migon face to face, and if necessary we will crash them with our bare hands!”

Hilan : “ We cannot carry the weight of the Galaxy on our shoulders; as the Andronians do. We’re not going to take responsibility for the less advanced Civilizations. We are not Andronians! Yet for some obscure reason the Migon seem convinced that we’re an Andronian creation. Part Andronian! A weapon created by the Andronian Federation to destroy the Migon Federation. This seems to be the reason they are so intent on destroying us! Why do they think this?”

Naole : “ They have to have learnt from the Circleans that we are an accidental Azleck Creation.”

Eld-Utel : “ Unless there’s some truth to the Migon Assertion?”

Lord-Bital : " Could it be true?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Finally; The truth!”

Naole : “ By the Source!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Half a million Earth years ago the Andronian Federation sent an Expedition to find the Migon. What we found Horrified us to such an extent that it sent the Andronian Federation into a spiral of Chaos! It shook the Andronian Federation to the core! We began to interfere with the biology of younger races! Our experimentations were designed to accelerate Evolution. However this led to other problems; Diseases, plagues, Xenophobia, and finally Interstellar wars. We had to be stopped! The Jiquam Federation, the Folong Empire and the Carmak Republic decided to jointly oppose the Andronian Federation by military means. After a long and costly war the Andronian Federation military capabilities were sufficiently weakened to force us to agree to a peaceful resolution. The others wanted to understand why Andronians would act so recklessly. At the peace negotiations we told them of the horror we had witnessed. We showed them evidence of Migon atrocities! Entire world rendered lifeless! Whole Civilisations consumed at the dinner tables of Migon families! Holnari; the Andronian Supreme Commander showed the others Andronian despair! Fear and Desperation was their reason. At the time none of the Older Interstellar Civilisations had the power to oppose the Migon, but we all agreed that we would all meet this challenge to life together. We would all prepare and be ready to oppose the evil when it arrived. This is when the Andronian Federation began to give Developing Civilisations fragments of our Phaylon Crystal! They would give them a Sceptre of Andros that contained a fragment of the Phaylon Crystal as a symbol of Andronian affection. For generations we wondered why Andronian society became undone by what we witnessed at the hands of the Migon, but the answer would only become apparent at the battle of ten thousand Ships. Andronians are extremely powerful Psionics, but this power comes at a price; The suffering of Sapient beings affects us at a deeper level. The suffering of Sapient beings produces Negative Psionic Energy. Therefore for the Andronians preventing suffering on the scale the Migon cause is not a matter of choice, but something deeper. It's as though we have no real choice! It's as if the Spirit-Consciousness has designated us the protectors of Life! After the battle of ten thousand Ships the Andronian Federation stopped giving the Sceptre of Andros to Developing Civilisations for fear of them falling into Hakum or Migon hands. The battle of ten thousand Ships changed everything. Those of us who were there found Courage to stand against the End!" pause "When others wanted to retreat, Andronians refused to waiver! We stared into the empty void! Forced the Darkness to retreat!" pause "An Immortal gets used to being Alive, but the Andronians were ready to die! Supreme Commander Holnari put it like this; Protecting life on a Thousand worlds is worthy of Sacrifice!”

Naole : “ What exactly do you mean by; interfere with the biology of younger races?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We Recombined their DNA with Andronian DNA! We hoped that they would somehow gain Andronian strengths.”

Eld-Utel : “ Did it work?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The results were less than optimal! The enhancements were a little more rudimentary. We quickly realized that to achieve the desired objectives we would have to be more forceful in our approach. It wasn’t enough for them to have the genetic material; the environment had to be suitable for the genes to activate. Thus for the first time since the Andronian Awakening Andronians could not agree on a course of action. Some decided to act on their own; conduct without accountability!”

Naole : “ So rogue Andronians introduced the aggression factor?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The flames of war were lit! Our creations began to modify themselves.”

Eld-Utel : “ They didn’t stop there did they? They modified others didn’t they?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Runaway genetics! Chaos! Death on a hundred worlds!”

Eld-Utel : “ Why didn’t the Andronian Federation intervene to halt the extinction?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We were in Denial about our complicity! The Andronian Federation was in a state of turmoil; we were trying to redefine ourselves! In our madness we triggered a bloody war with the other Older Civilizations! Our defeat at the hands of the Jiquam Federation, the Folong Empire and the Carmak Republic forced us to realize what we were becoming. We re-examined ourselves, and rediscovered our true Andronian nature!”

Eld-Utel : “ So this is how you became what you are today?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Following the Great War; the Andronian Federation went into thousands of years of Isolation. Left alone to our thoughts we could remember who we are. Then we chose to be more!”

Naole : “ It’s so obvious! I can’t believe I didn’t see this before?”

Eld-Utel : “ What is it Naole?”

Lord-Bital : " Explain!”

Naole : “ We’re not the only ones who are part Phaylon!”

Eld-Utel : “ By the Source!”

Lord-Bital : " Another proto-Phaylon?”

Hilan : “ Off Course; The 6 Older Civilizations are all part Phaylon!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We have all been touched by the Phaylon! The Phaylon touched us in such a way that it did not disturb our evolutionary path, but Crystalan Phaylon heritage seems to be far more pronounced than in the rest of us. Perhaps the Azlecks triggered something with their genetic experiments, or it may be that the Crystalan blood feud with the Hodians forced you to develop in a direction that enhanced your Phaylon nature.”

Lord-Bital : " Maybe it’s both! These Phaylon must be extremely Powerful.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ You have no Idea! What the Older Civilizations and the Crystalans have been able to uncover is only the tip of the Iceberg. Somehow; every Phaylon could open a vortex into an Inter-Dimensional Pocket.”

Lord-Bital : " What?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ For a million years we have struggled to understand the secrets of Phaylon Power. It’s obvious now that the secrets of Phaylon Capabilities have to do with their Power Source. For a million years the Older Civilizations have been trying to construct a sustainable and workable Phaylon Reactor, and while we’ve been able to produce working prototypes it’s nowhere near optimal. Yet somehow Naole was able to construct a sustainable Phaylon Reactor by pure instinct alone. It’s as if he knew exactly what to do because he had seen a Phaylon Reactor.”

Lord-Bital : “ Maybe it’s because he had seen it before. As their Spirit Stone gets older it somehow unlocks some of the Phaylon Secrets.”

Eld-Utel : “ Over the past 3504 years Crystalorb has been focused on Energy Research. We’ve devoted nearly all our resources to develop new forms of Energy production, but it was Naole who found a way to combine our research and bring into being a new limitless Energy Resource. The Spirit Stone has always been a Phaylon Reactor; this is knowledge that eluded us for generations.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The key to Phaylon Power is the Soul! The secrets of Phaylon Capabilities have to do with their Soul’s connection to their Power Source. In the same way Crystalorb’s Spirit Stone is connected to the Spirits of their Crystalan Dead.”

Lord-Bital : “ Now that Crystalorb has shown you the way, you can build a Spirit Stone of your own.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Easier said than done! We are immortal; to somehow harvest the Soul of an Andronian will require some sort of sacrifice. We don’t even know how to begin to even harvest the living soul of an Andronian.”

Eld-Utel : “ That may not be necessary! What you need is a living Power Source; not a Spirit Stone! In theory you could build a living Power Source that is governed and controlled by your Psionic Collective. What is of immediate concern to Crystalorb is; If the Migon are also part Phaylon, then the knowledge they would have gained from the Circleans would probably have given them the ability to build a Crystalan type power Source of significant capabilities.”

Lord-Bital : “ Would it be a connected Power Source like the Spirit Stone?”

Hilan : “ We don’t know the full extent of Migon capabilities, but we do know that with Circlean help they were able to produce an android replica of Naole!”

Naole : “ That means that they have some understanding of living Crystals!”

Hilan : “ We won’t know how much they know until we capture one of them!”

Lord-Bital : “ You actually intend to capture a Migon? And you think that you can force your way into the mind of a Migon?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ I’m always amazed by human Tenacity! The astounding human capacity for courage!”

Lord-Bital : “ It’s not just the Crystalans?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Ooh No! Fifty years ago at the battle of Sivati human special forces stormed into a city where a Migon BattleSpear had crashed; they challenged the surviving Migon directly and after a bloody battle emerged victorious!”

Lord-Bital : “ The cost in human lives must have been extraordinary?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Hundreds upon Hundreds of humans were killed just so they could kill 3 Migons!”

Eld-Utel : “ Humans won’t burry their heads in the sand hoping that the threat will go away; rather like a true warrior race we rise to meet the challenge.”

Lord-Bital : “ Why not just blow up the place? Wouldn’t it have been easier?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ When I asked the human commanders that very question; they told me that they needed bodies to show the folks back home that the Migon could be killed.”

Lord-Bital : “ What? They probably wanted to study Migon physiology and biology! The genetic knowledge they would gain would’ve been far too tempting.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The interesting thing here is that they actually managed to kill 3 Migons in a small arms fire-fight. Each Migon is stronger than an Armoured Crystal Guardian; yet somehow they were able to overcome that strength. I’ve seen Migons lay waist to entire divisions of Entig and Velrovians, but somehow the humans have succeeded where they have failed! It’s amazing how far they’ve come in such a short period.”

Eld-Utel : “ So the Entig and the Velrovians are an Andronian creation?”

Naole : “ That would mean that we are an Andronian creation!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We found the Mazin, the Gaudin, the Entig and the Velrovians in their infancy, and we tried to help them develop a little faster. The Mazin and the Gaudin were as old as the Entig, but the Velrovians were much younger than the other three races. The Entig, the Mazin and the Gaudin developed thriving vibrant civilizations over the next 300000 years. 550000 years ago the Andronian Federation determined that the Mazin, the Gaudin, the Entig and the Velrovians were ready for Interstellar travel; so we gave them the technology to travel between the stars. We don’t know how it started, but the Mazin and the Gaudin developed what we believed was a friendly rivalry. At some point the Mazin began to experiment with genetics making themselves stronger and faster, and as expected the Gaudin responded with genetic modifications of their own. As is often the case; the wave of runaway genetics spread into other species in the region. Both the Mazin and the Gaudin interfered with the biology of countless species; creating new life forms. It is at this point that Andronian Federation expeditions to Migon space revealed the full extent of Migon atrocities. We believed our involvement with the Mazin, the Gaudin, the Entig and the Velrovians to be a success; so we instituted a program for the accelerated development of younger species. While we were busy trying to advance the younger species the rivalry between the Mazin and the Gaudin quickly turned sour. The war that broke out between the Mazin and the Gaudin quickly involved their allies from younger species. As the war turned vicious it was clear that the Andronian Federation had lost control. We thought that the war would be an evolutionary catalyst, and that the warring parties would emerge stronger from its aftermath; we were wrong. When the other Older Civilizations tried to intervene we forcefully blocked their efforts; we were determined to prove that we were right, and we were so convinced of the correctness of our actions that we were prepared to fight the other Older Civilizations. As our war with the other Older Civilizations got underway the war between the Mazin and the Gaudin intensified. The war between the Mazin and the Gaudin turned into a bloodbath, and the two warring parties escalated their war by introducing biogenetic weaponry. Suddenly entire planets were dying! This dragged the Entig and the Velrovians into the war! The Entig and the Velrovians were afraid that the weapons of mass destruction used by the Mazin and the Gaudin would be turned on them! The Entig and the Velrovians formed an Alliance, and together they were able to protect their territories. By the time the war ended the Mazin and the Gaudin were dying, over a hundred and fifty developing Civilizations were all but extinct, and the Entig and the Velrovians had been infected by biogenetic plagues. The only way to save the Entig and the Velrovians was to change them even further!”

Eld-Utel : “ Velrovians?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ They are much more than they seem. They are more like Crystalans than you know. Extremely loyal friends. We thought that they were extinct; it is therefore fortuitous that you found them.”

Hilan : “ You introduced more of your Andronian DNA into their physiology!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Only the body of a highly evolved species could withstand the biogenetic plagues that ravaged their peoples! We used a virus as a vector; transforming the Entig into their current form; giving them some of our strengths and our abilities. The Velrovians had an unexpected reaction to the Virus; while they gained some of our strengths and our abilities the mutation went a little further, and that triggered some sort of regression. They generated so much power that their bodies wore out far too quickly; so their lifespan was greatly reduced.”

Lord-Bital : “ I see! A genetic mutation that has since been perfected in Crystalans.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Yes!”

Ambassador Cuvil produces holographic Video of Velrovians fighting Migons. Then one of the Velrovians transforms into a Clear Crystalline form similar to the Reducted Crystalline form of the Crystalans.

Hilan : “ I don’t believe it? They have a Reducted Crystalline Form!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ That’s not all!” Ambassador Cuvil produces another holographic Video that shows Velrovian warships “See anything familiar?”

Eld-Utel : “ They look just like Crystalan ships!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The Original Homeworlds of the Entig and the Velrovians were near the Galactic Alliance borders with the Migon Federation; so they were some of the first Civilizations to confront the Migon threat! The Entig and the Velrovians along with others put up quite a fight, but in the end the military might of the Migon federation was too much for them. The speed and size of the Migon Attack Force caught the Velrovians off guard; and by the time Andronian Fleets arrived the Velrovian Homeworld had been destroyed. All that remained of the once powerful Velrovian Empire were the ten Velrovians stationed on the Entig Kingdom’s Homeworld. When we realized the size of the Migon Attack Force we knew that we could not save the Entig Homeworld; so we evacuated the entire population to an area near an Andronian Enclave on the outskirts of Quarantine Space. The other Older Civilizations also have Enclaves in the same area; so with thought they would be safe there. As you all know the Entig have flourished under our protection!”

Eld-Utel : “ What about the ten Velrovians?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ I thought you’d be very interested about that. This conversation must be draining an incredible amount of Energy; Can’t all this wait? Shouldn’t you be conserving energy?”

Eld-Utel : “ We need to know!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We put the 10 Velrovians in stasis! Since all 10 were male we planned to clone them; we’ve been preparing a planet at the edge of Entig Republic Space for them. We planned to somehow clone a Billion of them, but when Naole stumbled upon remnants of Velrovians we quickly went to Crasla and relocated the entire population to their new world; which they promptly named Crasla. Incidentally their original Homeworld was also called Crasla. The Velrovians that you found are descendents of the crew of a scouting ship that crashed on the planet after a battle with a Migon ship some 20000 years ago. Because the Migon destroyed the wreckage of the scouting ship they were unable to preserve their information. At one point they became a new, separate, sophisticated Velrovian Civilization; but that too was destroyed by the Hakum. Clearly the Hakum recognized the Velrovians for what they are. Now that we have a sufficient genetic pool the cloning process can begin in Ernest. When we are finished the Velrovians will be restored to their former glory, and the Velrovian collective will allow them full access to the knowledge of the 10 surviving Velrovians. When they’re ready they’ll be a power comparable to Crystalorb.”

Eld-Utel : “ What?”

Naole : “ How have you solved the problems associated with their short lifespan?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We didn’t understand it until we saw Naole fight Aurora. Only then did we understand that your power is your life-force; the Velrovians are the same way, and draining their power shortens their lives. What they need is a life sustaining power source similar to your Spirit Stone; that’s what Crystalorb will have to give them! Crystalans can’t survive without the Spirit Stone; Velrovians can survive without the life sustaining power source, but without it they will never reach their full potential.”

Hilan : “ How are we supposed to do such a thing?”

Eld-Utel : “ We don’t even know where to begin?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Look inside you Crystalan; you are the only ones with the power to make this dream a reality. The Velrovians are a part of you!”

Lord-Bital : “ You can do this!”

Eld-Utel : “ We could give them a Fragment of the Spirit Stone?”

Hilan : “ The Spirit Stone is Fundamentally Crystalan. It only connects to a Crystalan Soul. Velrovian souls are different!”

Eld-Utel : “ Could we make them a Spirit Stone of their own.”

Hilan : “ Not even the Spirit Stone would know how to do that.”

Eld-Utel : “ Perhaps it can’t be done.”

Hilan : “ It will require a lot of research.”

Naole : “ The Spirit Stone says it can be done.”

Eld-Utel : “ What? Make them a Spirit Stone of their own?”

Naole : “ We can’t make them a Spirit Stone, but they don’t need a Spirit Stone; they need a self-sustaining life sustaining power source. They need a reserve energy sphere that is connected to a fusion reactor. Velrovian energy isn’t as complex as Crystalan energy; they are partially self-sustaining.”

Hilan : “ That means all we have to do is provide the heavily diluted positive Psionic Energy and their bodies will handle the rest. Their bodies are much more evolved than Crystalan bodies; much more resilient, and not completely dependent on an external Power-Source.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ What about the Psionic Energy? Where will you get it?”

Naole : “ We will infect the Velrovians attached to me with our crystals, and as they learn to live inside their bodies they will adapt; giving them the ability to reproduce Velrovian Energy. When the Velrovians die the Spirit Stone will combine the Crystals and give the Crystals everlasting life by joining them to the Brain of a Casara Class Cruiser. The Brain of a Casara Class Cruiser should allow the Crystal the ability to absorb energy; in particular Ambient Psionic Energy. It won’t have a will of its own like the Spirit Stone, but it will be alive; with full evolutionary growth potential.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ I’m surprised you already have a plan?”

Naole : “ When I thought the Spirit Stone had been destroyed I developed replacement options. This would have been temporary for Crystalans, but in an expanded format it will be more than sufficient for the Velrovians.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Can it support the energy needs of an entire Civilization? Billions of Velrovians?”

Naole : “ With time it could supply energy for entire planets!”

Lord-Bital : “ Would it be able to transmit energy like the Spirit Stone?”

Naole : “ I can’t be certain until I build it, but if I had to guess I would have to say no.”

Hilan : “ But it could be able to exchange energy through sophisticated Hyperspace relays.”

Lord-Bital : “ Perhaps you should build us one.”

Eld-Utel : “ We will! Then we’ll build one for the Entig Republic, one for each of the Older Civilizations, one for the Azleck Republic and finally one for the United Human Civilization.”

Hilan : “ Off course the Azlecks and the UHC would have to first prove their ability to protect such advanced technology.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ How long would all this take?”

Naole : “ The one for the Velrovians should be ready by the time Crystalorb returns to normal space. However building such a system for immortals may be a bit challenging, but eventually we’ll get it done.”

Eld-Utel : “ Before the Older Civilizations decide that they want the energy system they must understand that if their bodies are infected with Crystalan Crystals all of their genetic information will be absorbed by our Spirit Stone. The Spirit Stone will gain access to the memories of anyone connected to it; all of their knowledge, all of their information.”

Hilan : “ We don’t want to trick anyone into revealing more than they are willing to share!”

Amb-Cuvil : “ There are some things that we are yet to be convinced that Crystalorb is ready to assimilate. For this reason, the Older Civilizations may have to commit children to the process. Once infected; can the Crystals be removed?”

Eld-Utel : “ We’ve never removed the Crystals before, but there’s no plausible reason why the Crystals can’t be removed.”

Hilan : “ Since the Crystals are not a natural part of the body they can be removed!”

Eld-Utel : “ This conference has consumed all the energy assigned for these purposes, we must therefore say goodbye. Until the next time friends!”

Holographic Images of the Council of Elders disappear.

Kipan : “ The Communications Portal to the Crystalorb Inter-Dimensional Pocket has been deactivated.”

Lord-Bital : “ And that’s that!”

Kipan : “ I’m Curious; what percentage of us is Andronian?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ It’s difficult to say, but if I had to give an approximation of your current configuration I’d have to say to that in terms of genetic commonality you are; 5% Velrovian, 2% Azleck, 1% Entig, 1% Endo, 0.5% Enthori, 0.5% Kulnet, 1% Nabi, 1% Aloran, 8% Andronian, 4% O’ltana, 8% Phaylon, 48% Human and 20% Unknown.”

Kipan : “ Aloran?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Alorans are one of our earlier creations! Some 800000 years ago we came into contact with a Migon long range scouting ship; without warning they attacked. We defeated them, and after capturing their ship we unlocked their secrets. They had just completed their evolution to a level close to their current form. For the first time we got a glimpse at what would become the greatest evil to roam the interstellar space lanes; they had not yet decided to unleash their evil upon the Galaxy. We took their DNA, Recombined it with Andronian DNA and produced a new hybrid species that had the strengths of both. We removed all the negative genetic traits of the Migon; thus producing Alorans. The Alorans are about 4 meters tall with 8 limbs; that's 4 legs and four arms. Like the Migon two of their arms are much larger than the other pair, and the larger pair is webbed like a bat.” Holographic Images of Alorans appear “They are fully aware of their Migon and Andronian heritage, and they understand why we haven’t shared with them Interstellar travel technology.”

Kipan : “ They’re still around? The shape is Migon, but the skin and the eyes are Andronian! Are they carnivorous?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ They’re Omnivorous! Positive Psionics! They’ve formed a Highly sophisticated Civilization of Immortals, and they’re carefully monitored on their planet which is located deep inside our Enclave near Entig space. We keep them informed about developments in the Galaxy, and they are very keen to meet Crystalans. The Alorans are as advanced as any of the Older Civilizations. Their DNA is the basis for some of the modifications we made to the Mazin, the Gaudin, the Entig and the Velrovians.”

Kipan : “ So that’s how we ended up with Aloran DNA.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ The Azlecks must have also stumbled upon the Velrovians. We have no Idea how the Azlecks acquired Entig DNA, but they’ve always been very inventive; they’d been modified by the Gaudin to be very imaginative. The Gaudin never completed the modification of the Azlecks; leaving them with a myriad of genetic problems, and ultimately it was up to the Andronian Federation to repair the Azleck genetic profile. We’ve had to do a lot of clean up for the previous mistakes; ours and those of our creations.”

Kipan : “ Have the Alorans been outside their Homeworld?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Every Aloran that is allowed to leave Alora cannot return until Alorans become an interstellar Civilization. The Older Civilizations will decide when the time is right to reveal that there’s another Older Civilization. The Alorans would prefer that the secret be revealed after the war with the Migon is over.”

Kipan : “ Given what we now know about the Migon it may be necessary for the Alorans to join the fight against their Migon counterpart. We may need their strength to force the Migon Federation to negotiate.”

Amb-Cuvil : “ Should the Migon Leadership learn of their existence they’ll want to eliminate them to prevent their population finding out that there is another way. Perhaps they may decide that the Alorans are our captives; resulting in them intensifying the war in a bid to free the Alorans. Some of us fear that the Migon may consider the Alorans to be an abomination, and there’s no telling what they’ll do in an attempt to destroy them.”

Lord-Bital : “ Have the Alorans perfected warship designs? Could they be combat ready in a reasonable amount of time?”

Amb-Cuvil : “ We thought it important that they have the capabilities to defend themselves. So we shared with them our knowledge on Armour, propulsion, weapons and shielding. We deliberately excluded Hyperspace technology. Nevertheless they’ve built SkyDragons that are comparable to Andronian Federation SkyStriders in size and power; they have a system defence fleet of 500 ships. With help they could be combat ready in a couple of years.”

Kipan : “ The Spirit Stone has relayed data on the Alorans to Crystalorb. Hopefully we won’t need them, but the way things are going their involvement may be unavoidable.”

When the Crystalans on O’con were revived they had already learnt that Crystalorb has survived, and they quickly began the extensive preparation necessary for the support of a Nalen Class SkyGarrison.

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