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【Vision of an Alternate Future】

Arc 2: Return of the Crystal Guardians

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【VAF】Chapter║: 53 ─ Movements

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Nipaklos; Homeworld of the Migon. General Din of the Migon Federation Intelligence Forces Addresses the Migon Federation High Council about recent developments and offers analysis of Galactic Alliance activities.

Gen-Din: “ Noble Principalities!” he settles in and begins to speak “We have noticed extra-ordinary movements on the border with the Galactic Alliance, but what has so far eluded us is the reason for this unprecedented mobilization by our enemies! The last time we saw a similar threat on the borders Crystalorb was on our border with the Null Space. The Entig, the Andronians, the Carmaks, the Hildrano, the Folong, the Jiquam, Kulnet Dominion, Qua Federation, Bitori Conclave, the Drun Federation, the Vanod Republic, the Hinva Conclave, the Sif Enclave, the Bindve Empire and the Epnimac Federation have each put 5000 additional Ships on the border; a total of 75000 new ships on the border, and that puts their total force on the border at 35000 Advanced Ships and 60000 medium Ships. In response we have 48000 BattleSpheres, 2000 BattleSpears, 1500 BattleCylinders, 12000 Hakum Sky Swords, 3000 Hakum Sky Spears and 3000 Hakum Sky Super-Spears. We have 20000 BattleSpheres, 1000 BattleSpears, 1000 BattleCylinders, 4000 Hakum Sky Spears and 4000 Hakum Sky Super-Spears massed against the O’con Federation. In addition to these forces we’ve reserved 28000 Ships for Defence and we have another 25000 Ships dispersed at various locations for counter-operations. I’m suggesting that we recall the 25000 dispersed Ships and use them to reinforce our position on the borders!”

Pri-Hinavi : “ Surely the Galactic Alliance is trying to dissuade us from launching a full scale campaign against the O'ltana!”

Gen-Din: “ The Andronians have 7 Fleets; each of 5500 Ships! We can account for 5 Fleets; 1 at home, 2 at the border, 1 on O’con and 1 on Galactic alliance patrol missions. Somehow 11000 Ships have vanished without a trace!”

Pri-Doau : “ How the hell did you manage to loose entire fleets? And how long have they been missing?”

Gen-Din: “ We started noticing a thinning in deployed numbers about a month ago; at first there were a few ships missing here and there, and by the time we realized what was happening 2 fleets had vanished! The big problem is that we have no method to determine their locations, and 11000 Andronian SkyStriders is the sort of Force that you need no less than 20000 BattleSpheres to block. If the missing Fleets emerge on the border we could loose Byon, and if Byon falls Mardon could soon follow, and if Mardon falls then the sky is the limit!”

Pri-Hinavi : “ Are you saying Nipaklos could be in danger?”

Pri-Doau : “ Isn’t that what the Andronians want? Have the Migon Federation paralyzed by the fear of a potential Andronian Raid! We have fought the Andronians for millennia, and if an Andronian attack on Byon materializes then we will cross that bridge when we come to it. What we can not lose sight of is that we are on the eve of victory over the O’ltana, and the defeat over the Andronian allies puts us one step closer to control of over 70% of the Galaxy.”

Gen-Din: “ The Andronians have stood between us and absolute domination of the Galaxy for millennia. If the Andronian Alliance with the O’con Federation persists it will create a new enemy on the scale of the Carmaks that we will have to contend with; just as it happened with Crystalorb. And now we’ve learnt that the Andronians are rebuilding Crystalorb; a greater number of them survived than we thought, and they’ve been secretly rebuilding at secret locations in Hyperspace.”

Pri-Doau : “ Not this again; Crystalorb is gone General!”

Gen-Din: “ What proof do we have that it’s gone? For all we know they perfected subspace technology before we attacked! Now our agents in human space tell of a Crystalan contingency centred around the return of the one they call Naole; supposedly capable of re-powering the Crystalan Power Source.”

Pri-Hinavi : “ We attacked Crystalorb for one reason General!”

Pri-Doau : “ The Crystalan Power Source had become a significant threat to our Federation!”

Pri-Hinavi : “ What we learned from our Circlean allies elevated the living Crystalan Power Source to the Highest Threat to the Migon Federation! For the first time we understood that the Crystalan Power Source was in fact akin to a Phaylon Sphere, and that given time the Crystalans would become increasingly more problematic because of the Crystalan Power Source. The first objective was to capture the Crystalan Power Source but should that fail the secondary objective was to destroy it.”

Gen-Din: “ I’m not saying that the Crystalans survived; the scans of the inside of the subspace vortex show that survival would have been impossible. However the Crystalan Power Source could have survived, and all the current existing Crystalans would need to do is find a way to retrieve it.”

Pri-Doau : “ What are you saying General? The Crystalan Power Source survived?”

Gen-Din: “ With EnthilB Crystalans to incubate their offspring there could be 5-10 Billion Crystalans within 50 years. The real threat with Crystalans is not their weaponry, but what they do for their Allies. With Crystalan support the O’con could double their Fleet in ten years, and the damage they could do to our long term prospects is incalculable.”

Pri-Doau : “ Which is why we should remove all potential threats now; while we still can?”

Pri-Hinavi : “ We can Defeat Crystalorb in whatever incarnation they choose to reappear. What we cannot defeat is a cohesive alliance of Older Civilizations that is reinforced by a rearmed and reinvigorated O’con Federation.”

Pri-Doau : “ The Knowledge of Crystalorb Gained from the Circleans has allowed us the ability to build a Migon Power Source that will in time rival even the Crystalan Power Source.”

Gen-Din: “ Crystalan technology was millennia ahead of Circlean Technology. We are nowhere near capable of reproducing a Crystalan Power Source.”

Pri-Hinavi : “ But we now know how to harness and store Ethereal Psionic Energy.”

Gen-Din: “ Analysis indicates that the new Crystalorb may be producing Crystalan like Power Sources for the Entig, the Andronians, the Carmaks, the Hildrano, the Folong, the Jiquam and the O’ltana.”

Pri-Doau : “ What evidence suggests this?”

Gen-Din: “ Our probes picked up Experimental Andronian Hyperspace Jumps triple and sometimes quadruple their normal jump length!”

Pri-Hinavi : “ Are you saying they’ve mastered Crystalan Energy Transfer Technology?”

Gen-Din: “ It is the only logical explanation for how their SkyStriders have been able to quadruple their normal jump length; covering nearly 2000 LightYears in just 5 Jumps!”

Pri-Doau : “ They could jump behind our lines with relative ease!”

Pri-Hinavi : “ But we would still see them coming!”

Gen-Din: “ It’s only a matter of time before they have enough energy reserves to move entire fleets with the speeds we last saw with Crystalorb Fleets during their dim-witted border campaign.”

Pri-Hinavi : “ Again; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!”

Gen-Din : “ Let us hope we’ll be ready then!”

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Back on EnthilB those who have chosen Crystalorb begin to gather at designated areas; they’ve packed only memorabilia’s and things that are of personal significance.

At each of the designated gathering points there is a tiny Fragment of the Spirit Stone, but what the Fragment of the Spirit Stone lacks in size it makes up for in raw power. Most of those gathered had never been in close proximity to something of such tremendous power, and many found the filling overwhelming; triggering uncontrolled burst of emotions.

The Fragments of the Spirit Stone had generated a Psionic Barrier and only those who had chosen Crystalorb could perceive it and experience its energies, and the rest of the EnthilB population was completely unaware of the presence of the Fragments of the Spirit Stone; they could see the gatherings, but they could not perceive the incomparable power at the heart of the Gatherings.

The Fragments of the Spirit Stone began to explain to the Gathered what is about to happen; describing the beauty and splendour of Crystalorb, and explaining to everyone that accommodations have already been prepared for them on Crystalorb. Once on Crystalorb the gathered would be transported to their designated residential locations according to family groups; making sure that all those who are related live close to each other.

The Fragments of the Spirit Stone explained to the gathered that once they are in Crystalorb they would be connected to the Crystalorb Network; giving them access to vast amounts of Crystalorb Knowledge. The EnthilB Crystalans would be injected with Bio-Organic Bio-NanoMachines; Technology that has its origins in Naole's Physiology. All Crystalans have these Bio-Organic Bio-NanoMachines, and they create a 9 millimetre sphere in the frontal lobe of the brain connecting them to the Crystalorb Network, and allowing them to develop the ability to control Ilesian Crystal Armour.

At the chosen moment the gathered began to speak in unison; Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!

And all the Fragments of the Spirit Stone on the Planet EnthilB open Inter-Dimensional Vortices to Various Locations on Crystalorb and all those who have chosen Crystalorb are sucked in and delivered to an awaiting Crystalorb population.

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Naole’s group find themselves outside the chambers of the Crystalorb Council of Elders; they had also been sucked in by an Inter-Dimensional Vortex to Crystalorb.

Holnari : “ What sort of Power can move an Andronian with such ease that you feel like your akin to an insect?”

Naole : “ The Crystal Heart is a Power like no other.”

Aurora : “ We’ve been summoned.”

Civet : " They said it was beautiful, but I never imagined such splendour! Not even Andros or Andronus can boast such grandeur!"

Lt-Juvil : “ Andros is kept in a natural balance. And Andronus is a military instillation.”

Holnari : “ But you have to admit that Crystalorb is Magnificence made Tangible.”

Lt-Juvil : “ It is impressive! It resembles O’con; is it based on O’con?”

Aurora : “ Yes; the Design was modelled on the O’ltana Homeworld!”

Civet : " O’con is also a Planetary City?"

Holnari : “ There are plenty of Planetary Cities and then there are commanding Planetary Cities, and Crystalorb and O’con are definitely astounding Planetary Cities, but more than that they were deliberately designed to be Astatically Pleasing. Look at how light reflects of the surface of the planet generating a glow; an Aura if you will, and I suspect that you can see it from space as you make your approach; that was probably the intent! A design intended to emphasize Crystalorb’s connection to what they call Divine Light.”

They enter the chambers of the Crystalorb Council of Elders and the visitors are introduced to the members of the Council of Elders.

Eld-Utel : “ General; in your assessment can this plan work?”

Holnari : “ It is Daring and Audacious! Yet in spite of the risks, Audacity may be the thing we need to survive.”

Cmd-Arog : “ So you believe our course of action to be correct and true?”

Holnari : “ Who is to say where any course of action will lead? We Andronians have certainly made our share of mistakes. The last time Crystalorb took a bold course of action it was not clear to Crystalan leaders what the consequences would be; are you clear now? Do you have some idea what will happen when the Migon retaliate? Are you ready to make the sacrifices that we Andronians were never able to?”

Eld-Utel: “ Guardians; have we thoroughly understood the consequences of our actions?”

Aurora : “ There’s what we think the Migon will do and then there is what the Migon will probably do.”

Eld-Utel : “ In other words you don’t know?”

Cmd-Arog : “ What we know is that we thoroughly understand the consequences of our lack of action!”

Hilan : “ If we fail to act the less Advanced Civilizations will be enslaved, and if we act then less Advanced Civilizations will be extinguished; a Classic no win situation.”

Naole : “ The enslavement of less Advanced Civilizations poses a serious threat to all free Advanced Civilizations; for if the Migon manage to enslave all less Advanced Civilizations then all hope is lost for all Advanced Civilizations. The simplest course of action to ensure the security of the Advanced Civilizations would be to destroy the less Advanced Civilizations ourselves.”

Hilan : “ Is the choice for less Advanced Civilizations is a quick death or enslavement? Fortunately the survival of less Advanced Civilizations is not the responsibility of Crystalorb; we didn’t sign up for ghastly and laborious duty. We did However sign up to protect and assist our Friends and Allies, and if that means that less Advanced Civilizations take some sort of hit then so be it.”

Naole : “ And there in lies the Problem! What sort of damage to less Advanced Civilizations is Crystalorb willing to accept? Perhaps a total loss of the less Advanced Civilizations?”

Holnari : “ This is what we call an Andronus moment! We’ve been here before, and at the time we chose to stand Defensively.”

Eld-Utel: “ And we are all thankful! If Andros had chosen to take the Crystalan approach we might not be here.”

Holnari : “ Andronians are famous for our actions at the Battle of Ten Thousand Ships, but what many forget is why that particular Battle became a turning point? The Battle of Ten Thousand Ships came after millennia of warfare; thousands of battles. What made the Battle of Ten Thousand Ships a turning point is that armies on both sides were depleted by battles that came before, and the war was being fought on multiple fronts; therefore when the Migons Lost the Battle of Ten Thousand Ships they were forced to pull out of many other locations or risk a total defeat. The current situation is epitomized by a Migon Federation that has rearmed and modernized its Armies, and because of their larger numbers and slave labour they’ve re-equipped faster than us while maintaining a low intensity war at the borders. Therefore what we now face is a Migon mobilization unlike any we’ve ever seen before, and the last Migon mobilization on this scale destroyed over 200 less Advanced Civilizations. We should expect a similar result regardless of what actions are taken by Crystalorb. The Migon Federation is on the move, and there is nothing Crystalorb can do to stop that Campaign; the most that can be done is to minimize the damage to Friends and Allies.”

Eld-Utel : “ Are you saying our proposed course of action is meaningless?”

Holnari : “ Perhaps in the short term! However it is your long term goals that have the best chance of success.”

Cmd-Arog : “ Then why support us?”

Aurora : “ Yeah; why help us if you know that this particular course of action will change nothing?”

Naole : “ Because it will save the O’ltana.”

Holnari : “ Vortex Jump Sequences are sufficient to save the O’ltana. We are supporting you in this particular course of action for one reason; it will deliver a message to the Migon that we have so far been unable to deliver.”

Eld-Utel : “ What message is that?”

Lt-Juvil : “ That they too can be killed! That their worlds are no longer safe! Make them understand that the simple truth of peace is that it benefits everyone!”

Holnari : “ The important part her is that the message will be delivered in the only language they seem to understand.”

Naole : “ Death!”

Holnari : “ Yes!”

Lt-Juvil : “ When we help you kill them they will know the pain of loss! We will help you make them feel your pain, and they will finally understand the pain they’ve caused to so many; the pain they mercilessly brought upon hundreds of billions.”

Eld-Utel: “ You realise that we wouldn’t be able to attack them directly without you? Andronians are therefore complicit in the atrocities Crystalans are about to commit.”

Holnari : “ We have waited a long time for someone with the stomach to do what Crystalans intend to do.”

Lt-Juvil : “ The Idea of wilfully slaughtering billions of innocent slaves has always prohibited the Allied Older Civilizations from taking vengeance upon the Migon Population. However things have changed and if Crystalorb is willing to pull the Trigger we will help you load the gun and point it at the enemy.”

Hilan : “ I remember hearing that Andronians are particularly sensitive to the suffering of others; can you take the sort of pain we are about to cause?”

Holnari : “ We developed Psionic shielding a long time ago.”

Lt-Juvil : “ Just in case we had to do the deed ourselves!”

Cmd-Arog : “ So you always knew it would come to this?”

Holnari : “ We’ve been around a great deal longer than Crystalans, and we have been at war with the Migon menace for long enough to have evidence that nothing else will make them hear us.”

Eld-Utel : “ It would save us a great deal of energy if Andronians were willing to open fire on the Migon Regional Capitals.”

Holnari : “ The Andronian Population is still opposed to that action; the Andronian collective is not at that point yet, and for the sake of all younger beings I hope we never reach that point because if we do the war will get a whole lot bloodier than any of us can imagine.”

Aurora : “ An end game scenario!”

Lt-Juvil : “ If the Migon believe that it’s the end game then they’ll fight in accordance with that scenario and all our analysis indicates that the Andronians, the Carmaks and the Migon will be the only ones to survive; all inhabited planets will be destroyed.”

Eld-Utel : “ You think they could reach even in CIDR?”

Holnari : “ It’s only a matter of time!”

Naole : “ The null space makes sense; when great powers collide nothing survives.”

Eld-Utel : “ Not even Crystalorb would survive?”

Cmd-Arog : “ The only way to survive that sort of Death-match would be to find a way out of the Galaxy.”

Eld-Utel: “ We are already working on contingencies to block unauthorized access to CIDR, and now we have to come up with a way to leave the Galaxy?”

Naole : “ The ability to leave the Galaxy is a necessary objective, and a failure to prepare for such a need could be catastrophic! For all we know we might have to deal with a violent Intergalactic Species sooner than anticipated; the Phaylon could not possibly be the only ones; that would be too convenient.”

Holnari : “ Thanks to Crystalorb’s Inter-Dimensional Vortex technology the probability of surviving an all out confrontation with the Migon is a great deal higher, and the Power Source you’ve built for us has given us the kind of strategic advantage we never had before. However the Front Line Migon Regional Capitals are relatively exposed and easy to attack as opposed to Major Migon Worlds which are protected by BattleMoons”

Aurora : “ BattleMoons?”

Naole : “ We’ve picked up what you describe near the Migon border with the Null Space!”

Cmd-Arog : “ And since we don’t know what it takes to destroy one of these BattleMoons we won’t be attacking the Migon Regional Capital of Citadle on the Migon border with the Null Space; Citadle is far too heavily defended. Attacking Byon and Mardon gives opportunities for Galactic Alliance forces to expand territorial control in a strategic region, but an attack on Citadle achieves no strategic benefit.”

Holnari : “ Migon BattleMoons are 1200-2000 km diameter moons that have been modified to serve as mobile defence platforms. Migon BattleMoons are designed to fight off entire fleets, and they have the firepower to do just that! Fortunately Migon BattleMoons are heavy and extremely difficult to move to the front lines, and the Migon use them to protect the core of Migon space. As for an Intergalactic Species that might threaten us Crystalorb’s Inter-Dimensional Vortex technology gives options on how to build effective contingencies.”

Lt-Juvil : “ Migon BattleMoons would require somewhere in the region of the weapons output 1500 Esara Class SkyCruisers to destroy! You therefore have to bring an entire fleet just to deal with one Migon BattleMoon. The Migon probably built the BattleMoons as a Deterrence against attack, and because of the sheer power and range of the BattleMoon’s weaponry they only need a few ships to support them in a battle against a fleet of opposing Ships.”

Eld-Utel : “ So the BattleCylinder isn’t their capital Ship?”

Holnari : “ The Migon BattleCylinder is their Capital Ship, and the BattleSphere is their Primary Warship, but the BattleMoon is their Planetary Defence Station.”

Naole : “ Ingenious!”

Eld-Utel : “ Do the Allied Older Civilizations have Comparable capabilities?”

Holnari : “ Nothing on the Migon Scale! The Carmaks have a few 1000km BattleMoons, but the rest of us have chosen greater mobility over size and power! There is the 50km wide and 400km long Andronian Federation BattleStrider, the 40km wide and 350km long Carmak Republic BattleStrider, the 37km wide and 340km long Hildrano Enclave BattleGlider, the 30km wide and 310km long Jiquam Federation AstralCruiser and its near Identical 30km wide and 310km long Folong Imperial AstralCruiser. The Carmaks eventually gave into our way of thinking; joining us in developing a similar class of ship.”

Aurora : “ This class of Ship is designed for the expressed purpose of Destroying BattleMoons isn’t it?”

Lt-Juvil : “ Its primary role is Planetary Defence, but its secondary role is as a BattleMoon eliminator.”

Eld-Utel : “ Naole; do we need Ships of this Class.”

Naole : “ The Nalen Class SkyGarrisons are about the limit of what we can operate given our technical capabilities; we could always build larger and more powerful, but doing so would compromise mobility, safety and operational effectiveness. The Nalen Class SkyGarrison can move relatively quickly for a ship of its size, and if the situation becomes untenable the SkyGarrison can retreat to a safe location faster than most opponents can pursue. Therefore given the Energy requirements of Inter-Dimensional Vortex Jump Sequences a larger Vessel would compromise our ability to move fleets; not forgetting our entire strategy is based on our ability to Vortex SkyGarrison BattleGroups at a moment’s notice.”

Holnari : “ We’ve found that our SkyStriders are more than sufficient to deal with most situations.”

Naole : “ We are committed to the coming battle, but I fear for those who lack the ability to defend themselves and I wonder if Crystalans have the resolve to stay the course when the number of the dead begins to rise.”

Holnari : “ We share your concern for the lives of the Innocent, and we acknowledge the terrible position you are in, but we do however note with sadness that Crystalorb has become so warlike; you used to be a stream of ideas and innovation, and now all your focus seems to be on this war with the Migon, but I understand; these are chaotic times. Crystalorb used to be a powerful Scientific Culture that influenced the evolution of the entire Galaxy. The word Crystalorb was once synonymous with Advancement, but what I see now is a finely tuned war machine; capable of tremendous violence. The beauty of Crystalorb belies a pugnacious tendency that has taken over a facet of Crystalan Society! Can you still remember what you used to be?”

Eld-Utel: “ The Migon attack on Crystalorb took something from us; something I don’t think we can get back until there is a true and lasting peace! For 3503 years we lived in peace, but once those in stasis were revived the Crystalorb Network was filled with angry voices, and their rage poured out into those of us who had only known peace. Therefore given what we are their anger became ours, and their pain became ours; we are after all one voice! We share your concerns about our darkening nature, and we worry that we’ve allowed the pain of our loss to dominate the more noble aspects of our Crystalan nature; we were a light once, and we can be again. The light on the hill, the line in the sand, here and no further!” he takes a moment as he struggles to contain his emotions “We stood for goodness once, and during the darkest periods we are supposed to be An Eternal Light of Hope! But our light was diminished; nearly extinguished! What hope is there for light in a sea of darkness; a darkness so powerful it warps and distorts the light! This universe is indeed a universe of unending darkness, immeasurable evil! Nonetheless we cling to our Crystalan Light, we hold on to the hope of a renewed tomorrow for that is who we are; the light of hope! And today on the very eve of war we remember that the Brightest Light is worth nothing hidden away in the dark!”

General Holnari was relieved to discover that Crystalans still remember their Noble and Gentle Nature, but most importantly that Crystalans yearned to be as they were before the Migon and the Circlean contaminated their temperament by the introduction of unending war.

General Holnari understood that Crystalans recognized that the warlike nature was not who they truly are, and that Crystalans guarded against the evils of an overly belligerent society.

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