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Crystal Guardian

Arc 2: Restoration of Hope

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Chapter 13: The Light of Knowledge

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After many days without incidents Crystalorb was returning to a state of normality, but things were are about to take a turn for the worst, and the forces of chaos were already at work. It was 2 months since the last confrontation between Crystalorb and the HOD, two months since both forces suffered major losses on the battle field, two months since Nalen returned to once again assure the security of Crystalorb.

Esara was hard at work training the recruits for the Intrepid, and surprisingly many of those who joined the Intrepid group were Crystalans who were not born with Chest Crystals. Loj, Peo and Nasan also found themselves responding to numerous calls for assistance from HOD members (Hodians) who were requesting sanctuary. In just two months 700 Hodians (HOD members) had made their way to Crystalorb, and many more were in hiding, waiting for an opportunity to be securely transported to Crystalorb.

On the other hand at Crystalorb the Crystalans with Chest Crystals were beginning to feel uneasy about the changing face of Crystalorb, and the prospect of being overrun by the former Hodians. This situation would test the true character of Crystalans, and Crystalans would finally discover whether they are as accepting as they thought that they were. The Council of Elders was busy devising an integration plan.

Esara was finding it difficult to teach fighting techniques to Crystalans without Chest Crystals, to aid her she requested the assistance of Tebo; who is one of the senior Vangleads in the Ilesian Division. Tebo being an experienced operative and warrior was perfect for the job, but it soon became clear that Esara had to design new methods and techniques based on the Manacle of Ilesia.

Esara went to Nalen for help in the use of the Manacle of Ilesia, and because it was Nalen who created the Manacle of Ilesia, there was no one better suited for this task.

Esara : " Can you help?"

Nalen : " Perhaps!"

Esara : " Well?"

Nalen : " The answer is right in front of you!"

Esara : " What?"

Nalen : " There is this belief that those of us with Chest Crystals are different to those without Chest Crystals, but that's not the case, and we can use the Manacle of Ilesia!"

Esara : " Are you saying that you could build me one?"

Nalen : " I don't know, I may have to build you a different and separate system! As you know the Manacle of Ilesia operates in a very different way to the Crystal Armour, and because of the fundamental differences the Manacle of Ilesia relies more on the operating system that is contained within the logic and the computational centres of the Manacle of Ilesia"

Esara : " I get all that, but would it work with me?"

Nalen : " All the Manacles of Ilesia are produced as identical tools, and it's the addition of the users DNA that customizes the Manacle of Ilesia. Once the DNA is added the Manacle of Ilesia changes and becomes unique, and from that moment onwards that particular Manacle of Ilesia will only recognise one user and one user only. You have to understand that the Manacle of Ilesia is based on the HOD's Manacle of Destiny, and because of that it pumps energy into the user's body, increasing their natural abilities"

Esara : " Are you saying that you are not sure how the Chest Crystal will react to the Manacle?"

Nalen : " Precisely! The Chest Crystal is very sensitive, and it's connected directly to our brains, so what happens to the Chest Crystal has effects on the brain. This is why I never tested the Manacle on myself or on anyone with a Chest Crystal."

Esara : " So what do I do?"

Nalen : " It's fate that you've brought this to me now, because I've been experimenting with the adaptation of Crystal Armour technology in the construction of the Airship, and I think I've come upon something that might help you understand what it feels like to have such raw power within you like Ilesians."

Esara : " After seeing the capabilities of the Grandlords, I wonder if the power of the Chest Crystal is eclipsed by the regenerative capabilities of those without a Chest Crystal?"

Nalen : " While I was asleep I had a lot of time to think about the kind of things I would ordinarily not have had time to think about. The true nature of Crystalan physiology became clearer to me, and now I understand to some extent why there are such differences between those with and those without Chest Crystal. I could construct a Manacle using fragments of your Chest Crystal from your energy sphere, and it should allow the Chest Crystal to link to the Manacle without any problems, but I think that’s the wrong way to go."

Esara : " Why can't you produce a Manacle that will allow us to be as powerful as the Grandlords?"

Nalen : " From what I've seen of the Manacle of Destiny it would be almost impossible to duplicate their technology to that extent"

Esara : " Why? Is it because the Manacle of Destiny is based on a completely different energy source?"

Nalen : " Exactly! Life force energy is not something we can duplicate, but Spirit Stone energy is similar to life force energy in many ways, which makes me think that there might be a way to reach the desired energy levels"

Esara : " But none of this changes the fact that there are some genetic differences between Crystalans and Hodians, and it may be that those differences are what allows them to reach Grandlord level power."

Nalen : " That may be true! You have to remember that Crystalan DNA is different to that of the HOD in the way that matters for you"

Esara : " The Chest Crystal!"

Nalen : " Precisely! Even those Crystalans who aren't born with a Chest Crystal but are descendents of Lesedi carry some genetic material for the formation of the Chest Crystal, and those Crystalans who originate from the HOD don't carry the genetic components for the formation of the Chest Crystal"

Esara : " I thought that you said that only the male is the carrier?"

Nalen : " The Y chromosome keeps the genetic record, like the key, but these days the female has become increasingly important, however the X chromosome in the egg does not contain enough information to produce the Chest Crystal in the foetus. Therefore the primary information must come from the male, but over the years our DNA has become specific, and we now need both sexes to produce the Chest Crystal."

Esara : " Can two Crystalans who aren't born with a Chest Crystal have a child with a Chest Crystal?"

Nalen : " Not exactly; The production of sperm in the male does not begin until puberty, but the female is born with all her eggs intact. I have recently discovered with Naole that the Chest Crystal activates the particular genetic material when the male child reaches puberty, it is therefore necessary for the male to have a Chest Crystal for the offspring to have a Chest Crystal"

Esara : " So how can you link the Chest Crystal to the Manacle of Ilesia?"

Nalen : " I don't know about that, but the answer is already available. The Manacle of Ilesia is a system designed to give Crystalans who aren't born with a Chest Crystal the abilities comparable to that of Enforcers, Under-Lords and even Overlords. I don’t think you need that kind of boost because you already hold the power within you"

Esara : " You are talking about the Chest Crystal again?"

Nalen : " The Chest Crystal is far more capable than any Manacle, but it requires advanced skill and discipline to tap into the true capabilities of the Chest Crystal"

Esara : " How do you know any of this?"

Nalen : " The day I woke up from my deep sleep I drained my reserve energy sphere of nearly all its stored energy"

Esara : " You drained the energy into your Armour?"

Nalen : " No! The Armour was already full, so I drained the energy into my body"

Esara : " Why would you do such a thing?"

Nalen : " I needed the extra power"

Esara : " Did you experience any problems?"

Nalen : " The final level of the Crystalan Energy Techniques is Energy Absorption! Amongst Crystalans with Chest Crystals; Energy Absorption is most optimal in those who have mastered the Absorption Technique"

Esara : " The Crystalan Energy Absorption Technique is complicated by Energy compatibility problems as you very well know?"

Nalen : " The energy in the reserve energy sphere is my energy; therefore the Chest Crystal did not perceive it as external energy. That is what you must do, but don't start with too much energy, and give your body time to get used to operating at increased energy levels"

Esara : " I see!"

Esara received her answer, but she also understood that the task would be hard, and Nalen was still preoccupied with his work and would be of no further help in this regard. Nalen on the other hand was building the 4 meter long and 1.8 meter wide prototype. Nalen's great plan was to complete the prototype, and then utilize the energy of the Spirit Stone to grow the Airship until the dimensions increased 100 times.

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Crystalorb had become a hive of activities as former Hodians were being integrated into Crystalan society. The integration process was complicated by the fact that many former Hodians still contained in their bodies what the Crystalans considered to be Negative Psionic Energy. Consequently before any former HOD member could be accepted as Crystalans their soul would have to be judged by the Spirit Stone.

For the soul to be judged by the Spirit Stone the person would have to stand in front of the Spirit Stone, but the Spirit Stone would not allow anyone who still had Negative Psionic Energy to enter the pyramid where the Spirit Stone was held. The process of integration took many months and some of the former HOD members periodically grew impatient. However if one was patient and understanding the process moved along and full acceptance as a Crystalan was guaranteed to all those who’s soul was accepted by the Spirit Stone.

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Esara and Nalen were making good progress in their respective fields, but no one could have foreseen the events that were about to unfold. As the Crystalorb Leadership was convened for their weekly joint meeting at the Council Chambers, Lord Cyris made a special request for Nalen to be present at the meeting. Lord Cyris had previously told Nalen that he would arrange for Nalen to speak to the Crystalorb Leadership about the way training is conducted.

As Nalen enters the Council Chambers he finds the meeting already in progress.

Gaurdius : " Are the Crystalorb Defence Cannons operational?"

Anun : " The initial problems have been resolved, now all sectors are operational"

Ocyris : " Now that the Cannons are operational the Crystal Valley Farming and Industrial complex is no longer vulnerable to artillery and mortar attacks"

Hamun : " You are to be commended Ocyris"

Ocyris : " The thanks must go to Nalen for coming up with the Idea"

Gaurdius : " We will now hear from Nalen"

Isis : " Cyris tells us that Nalen has some problems with the way we train our forces"

Cyris : " Nalen has some concerns that I found were not without merit"

Jalen : " Let’s hear them!"

Nalen : ” Honoured Council" Nalen bows his head for moment as a sign of respect “I thank you for this opportunity to address the leadership of Crystalorb! Many of the people in this Chambers will not like what I have to say, but it has always been my nature to speak truth to power! I have never shied away from uncomfortable truths!" after a brief pause "The defeat of Crystalorb Forces in the Central African Republic is to my opinion indicative of the poor training that the Crystalorb Forces received."

Lenong : " Hold on there Nalen; we were not defeated!"

Nalen : " That's not what I saw"

Lerata : " I wouldn't call it defeat"

Tshego : " A stalemate is more of an accurate description"

Nalen : " It's this kind of denialism that impedes progress."

Gaurdius : " Let’s ask Anun what he thinks the situation was like"

Isis : " If we discount the presence of Esara and Nalen what would the situation have been like?"

Anun : " It's hard to make that kind of assessment, but without Esara's presence it can be safely assume that at the very least Lebago's group would have been wiped out"

Aman : " And given the size and power of the HOD force the Crystalorb rescue force would have suffered great losses. There is an over reliance on the Red Crystal Armour."

Gaurdius : " And that's precisely Nalen's point"

Nalen : " It's not the Red Chest Crystal that makes the difference, but its applications! Those of us born with the Red Chest Crystals have had to rise beyond the limitations of the Red Chest Crystal. To many of you it seems like we are more powerful than those with clear Chest Crystals"

Ocyris : " But the energy output tests indicate that there is more than 3 times more energy produced by the Red Chest Crystals as compared to the Clear Chest Crystals"

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Lesego : " More than that, I've personally seen Esara lift more than 3 times the weight that anyone her age can. This is a matter of record, so how can you say that the Red Chest Crystal is not superior?"

Isis : " The physical strength differences are incontrovertible!"

Ocyris : " At 41 years old Esara is the strongest Crystalan ever, and you Nalen, at 39 you are the second strongest Crystalan on record in terms of physical strength. The two of you are even physically stronger than Crystalans who were born without Chest Crystals. This is why we remain unconvinced!"

Esara : " True!" Esara looks at Nalen "Even you have to admit that there are some advantages!"

Nalen : " I will try and explain this in simple terms."

A clearly sarcastic tone in Nalen’s voice causes frowns in the faces of nearly everyone in the room.

Nalen : " Think of energy like a litre of water, and suppose that there are ten 100 millilitres containers, and you are required to pour all the water into the containers. The end result is that each of the containers will have 100 millilitres, but what if the capacity in 2 of the containers is limited to 50 millilitres, and the capacity of each of the other 8 containers is increased to 112.5 millilitres. The end result is the distribution of the litre is proportionally adjusted. What I'm trying to point out is that since the Clear Chest Crystal produces full spectrum energy some of the energy goes into areas that we are unable to harness for fighting purposes but are useful for other areas."

Jalen : " Like the ability of the Clear Crystal Armour to become invisible"

Nalen : " Precisely! Our historical records indicate that Lesedi once used his Chest Crystal to drain life from all the plants in a village, and to make a crowd of people collapse. This is just the tip of the Iceberg, because if you have control of the Clear Chest Crystal you can generate any kind of radio waves or light energy, so the possibilities are endless."

Ocyris : " What do you mean by; energy goes into areas that we are unable to harness?"

Nalen : " My analysis indicates that in addition to the energies we know about, the Spirit Stone produces a type of energy I have not been able to quantify."

Ocyris : " What sort of energy?"

Nalen : " The Spirit Stone produces full Spectrum Energy; Negative Psionic Energy and Positive Psionic Energy are on opposite ends of the Spectral Energies."

Ocyris : " Are you saying that the Spirit Stone produces Negative Psionic Energy?"

Nalen : " Yes!"

Jalen : " Never!"

Hamun : " Blasphemy!"

Gaurdius : " Careful Naole!"

Nalen : " About 20% of the energy produced by the Spirit Stone is Negative Psionic Energy, 50% of the energy produced by the Spirit Stone is Positive Psionic Energy, but somehow the Spirit Stone is able to make Negative Psionic Energy and Positive Psionic Energy collide resulting in an annihilation effect. This is why there is only residual small amounts of Negative Psionic Energy in the Spirit Stone!"

Ocyris : " Wait a minute; Energy cannot be destroyed! It can only transform!"

Nalen : " True"

Ocyris : " The where does it go?"

Nalen : " When Negative Psionic Energy and Positive Psionic Energy collide resulting in an annihilation effect the Energy is transformed into Divine Light!"

Ocyris : " What is Divine Light?"

Nalen : " I'm not sure, but I believe that Divine Light is the Energy at the centre of the Spectrum Energy. The energy of both Order and Chaos! Both Negative Psionic Energy and Positive Psionic Energy! The energy of both Creation and Destruction!"

Ocyris : " How can it be both? And why haven't we been able to detect it?"

Nalen : " I'm convinced that Divine Light is extremely reactive, and contact with Negative Psionic Energy or Positive Psionic Energy starts a chain reaction that results in the dilution of the potency of the other forms of energy. It explains why Negative Psionic Energy used by the Hodians seems more potent than the Positive Psionic Energy used by Crystalans"

Ocyris : " Can these energies be manipulated?"

Nalen : " A warrior who understands can wield untold power, and energy manipulation is the key to this power! To defeat our enemies we must first understand our enemies!"

Ocyris : " I think I'm beginning to see where Nalen is going with this"

Gaurdius : " The rest of us are not Scientists, so we are still in the dark"

Ocyris : " Nalen wants training to focus more on energy manipulation than fighting techniques, and I have to agree with him. This particular case was proved by Nasan and Peo, and therefore proving that control is superior to brute force."

Nalen : " Current training methods are not knowledge based, we teach the use of the Crystal Armour like it’s an automobile; they know how to drive, but have no clue how a car works. The vast majority of Armoured Crystalans are completely clueless to the functioning of the Crystal Armour. How can you hope to control what you don't understand?"

Gaurdius: " We take that point, and many of us were completely amazed at what Esara and Nalen were able to do with the Crystal Armour"

Ocyris : " Nalen is correct about the over reliance on operating systems of the Crystal Armour. The current version of the Crystal Armour flies itself, and the operator is more or less a passenger. In the combat environment there are all these systems to make the operator more efficient, but I have often wondered if we had gone too far. Has the dependence on the Crystal Armour technology reduced innovation on the part of the operator? Have they lost their ability to be creative under pressure?"

Anun : " I will admit that there has been an increase in the dependence on the automatic systems of the Crystal Armour, but the automatic systems have also been beneficial to operational efficiencies, and the training of our people has become simpler."

Esara : " But at what cost? These days I see young people who are helpless without Crystal Armour. They are so dependent on Crystal Armour that when faced with the prospect of a confrontation that does not require the extreme power of Crystal Armour they find themselves incapable of responding."

Gaurdius: " It was the decision of this Council to train them as young as possible, to make our kids ready for what we believed would be a struggle for the very survival of Crystalorb."

Isis : " But because of Nalen that fight never materialized! When Nalen redesigned the Crystal Armour the abilities of our forces increased exponentially, and the ability to fly gave our forces a clear advantage over HOD forces."

Loj : " I was still with the HOD then, and I can confirm that the shield and flight capabilities of Crystalorb Forces made it impossible for the HOD to attack Crystalorb directly. Even the great HOD numbers would not make a difference, and because of this many Hodians had to rethink their position on the confrontation with Crystalorb."

Gaurdius : " But now they've found another way"

Isis : " They've found nothing! It's us who have lost our way, we have forgotten who we are, and surrendered to the march of technology!"

Ocyris : " Life favours progress!"

Isis : " Yet somehow Nalen killed more than 1300 Hodian warriors with four year old Crystal Armour."

Cyris : " Something that all our forces were incapable of doing with their state of the art Crystal Armour"

Lumen : " Nalen made progress in the only way that mattered for that situation, and that was mental progress"

Hamun : " For all we know only the Red Chest Crystal may have their enhanced abilities"

Ocyris : " That's not true Peo and Nasan are also familiar with those abilities. And as for the differences in physical abilities it may have something to do with the electrical energy content of the Red Crystal, and because the Red Crystals are part of every cell in their bodies it makes perfect sense that they would be physically stronger than those with Clear Chest Crystal!"

Lesego : " What Nalen wants may not be possible! You can't teach people what they don't want to learn"

Jalen : " We must first investigate the properties of the Chest Crystal that Nalen points out, and once we have a clearer picture of what is possible we proceed with better training of our forces"

Nalen : " My two kids; 14 year old Casara and 12 Year old Naole are taking the University Entrance Exams (or Matric equivalency exams) as we speak, and it's not because we push them but because we have made them aware that knowledge is the only true power. My kids understand that we are in a very real sense our Information. Every decision I make is governed by how I understand the choices before me, and this is the principle that governs the concept of informed choice. Our people were killed on the battlefield because they lacked the information to make better choices on how they used Crystal Armour. The Crystal Armour used to be an ability enhancer, but over the past 4 years it has been transformed into a weapon system. As a scientist and inventor I like technology and believe in making technological progress, but that progress must not be at the expense of our humanity. I'm here to ask all of you to change that trend, and find a way to regain what truly makes us special."

Gaurdius: " We have heard you Nalen! Give us time to consider how to respond to the failures you've shown us"

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As Nalen leaves the Council Chambers he can't help feeling that the Crystalorb leadership will once again ignore his warning, but there was still hope, hope that they would see reason. Nalen had grown accustomed to their dismissals, and the Guardian Council in particular was full of seasoned warriors who disliked the fact that Nalen respected the science profession more than the warrior profession.

Many on the Guardian Council were opposed to Nalen's views on training because it meant that more of the Vanguards and Vangleads would be more independent minded, and independent thinkers don't make for obedient soldiers. Nalen hoped that those on the Guardian Council who agreed with him would disregard the views of his enemies and proceed with the implementation of his suggestions.

However other events were about to change everything. At the Crystalorb Command Centre the senior staff was observing events from around the world, and because all the Guardians were at the Council Chambers command of the Crystalorb Command Centre was left to Janu; senior Vanglead and second in command to the Deputy Guardian Commander. Janu was now the highest ranked Vanglead and next in line for promotion to Guardian.

This was a great honour for Janu, and he was eager to show that he's capable of handling his duties with diligence. As they were observing news reports they came across a news report that indicated that the Hybrid phenomenon had began.

News Reporter: " Witnesses say that the robber was shot four times by the Store clerk, but somehow the man stood up, then the Store clerk opened fire emptying an entire cartridge. What happened next is just unbelievable; the robber's skin seemed to have somehow absorbed the lead and turned Metallic. When the police arrived they also opened fire, but this time the bullets seemed to have little or no effect, and then the man who was now all but invincible began to run with speed never before witnessed, and just like that he disappeared. Now all this is difficult to believe, and even I would refuse to believe except for the fact that some of what occurred was caught on CCTV camera."

The television station then proceeded to show the video footage of the man being repeatedly shot, but still managing to stand up, and the video footage even showed the man's skin change and become more Metallic. Janu immediately sent a message to Lesego informing her that the Hybrid phenomenon had began.

The Council of Elders and the Guardian Council would have to accelerate their response to the pending reaction to the Hybrid Phenomenon. In the final analysis there was no way to stop the Hybrid phenomenon, all that Crystalorb could do was to try and manage the process. On the internet there were many reports of people doing extraordinary things, and conspiracy theories were running rampant.

As the weekly security meeting continued the information about the Hybrid phenomenon was spreading around the world as other news stations picked up the story. When Nalen heard about the global developments he searched the World Wide Web for possible images of the Hybrid phenomenon. The HOD plan was finally coming into Reality, and the world would soon face its greatest challenge.

Families would be torn apart as brother faces brother and neighbours turned against each other. The HOD had been waiting for the Mutagenic recombinant RNA that is included as part of the virus RNA used in vaccines to take effect, and there would be no cure to these virus strains, but fortunately the Mutagenic recombinant RNA was too complicated to be airborne. In any case millions of doses had been produced, and nearly half of those vaccines were destined for Africa and South America.

The HOD chose Africa because many African Republics lacked the medical science to detect and prevent the spread of the Mutagenic recombinant RNA, and therefore Africa was the perfect scenario for the spread of their Mutagenic recombinant RNA infected vaccines. When the Crystalorb Research Division acquired samples of the HOD Mutagenic recombinant RNA infected vaccines they began to experiment on mice and rats.

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