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【Vision of an Alternate Future】
Arc 2: Return of the Crystal Guardians
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【VAF】Chapter║: 31 ─ Prologue
Despair
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Earth date 16-07-2608; Some 321 years after the first Migon attack on Humans and the largely frozen Earth hosts a population of just over 200 million people. The 5 Human Federations are still waging a struggle against the Migon Federation and the Hakum. The Galactic Alliance war with the Migon Federation had been brutal, and the Migon had destroyed many Civilisations in their campaign against the Galactic Alliance.
The 5 Human Federations have become a shadow of their former selves, and the protracted war has left them battered and weakened. With the United Human Civilisation in decline the entire region has fallen into despair, and fleets of Hakum and Migon ships have conquered and enslaved countless worlds. This has left many once powerful Civilisations roaming the Interstellar space lanes aimlessly as refugees.
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At the Chambers of the Council of the Light of Destiny Captain Atola Lesedi begins to speak to the Council of Light; Captain Atola needs the Council of Light to approve her mission.
Lord Brown of the Council of Light gives her permission to speak.
Capt-Atola : " Honoured Leaders! I'm here to seek the Council's support on a mission of critical importance, and I ask that the Council give my request careful consideration." she takes a moment "I descend from Lodians, Hodians and Crystalans! I therefore carry within me the legacy of Crystalorb. However with Crystalorb gone that legacy will be extinguished! The only surviving Crystalans with Chest Crystals are on O'con protected by the O'con Federation. The O'ltana keep them in stasis until Naole returns, but I fear that we don't have time to wait another 200 years for Guardian Naole to return. The last 120 years have been difficult for the Human race, and many believe that not even the legendary Guardian Naole can save us, but those of us who have Crystalan blood flowing within our vanes know that the Envoy of the Forbidden is the only one who can save us."
Brown : " What can one man do against such reckless aggression? What can one man do against such Power? "
Capt-Atola : " The Envoy of the Forbidden is not just a man, but a link, a link to the Crystalan dead!" she takes a moment "Guardian Naole is the Envoy of the Forbidden; He has the power to recreate the Spirit Stone."
Brown : " What are you talking about? The reason the O'ltana keep the remaining Crystalans with Chest Crystals in stasis is because they could not breed without their Spirit Stone. The O'ltana hope to somehow find a way to help them breed in the future, they're not waiting for Naole. Those of you who descend from Crystalans without Chest Crystals simply cannot accept the fact that Crystalorb is gone. Over the past 150 years we've sent a hundred expeditions to try and find the resting place of Guardian Naole with no positive results, and the only thing we've learnt is that he's not on the thousands of planets we've searched."
Capt-Atola : " Naole's final words to the Council of Elders were; Please, don't try to look for me. However if something goes wrong and you need to find me, I'm returning to the Beginning!" she takes a moment "I think that we now understand what he meant by returning to the Beginning."
Brown : " You think?"
Capt-Atola : " Having looked everywhere else, we can only conclude that Naole didn't mean the beginning of an event in his life, but the beginning of the Crystal."
Brown : " What Crystal?"
Capt-Atola : " Lesedi's Crystal!"
Brown : " You think he's on Earth?"
Capt-Atola : " The Crystal did not begin on Earth, but on an Azleck Kingdom Warship."
Brown : " An Azleck Kingdom Warship which was destroyed."
Capt-Atola : " Yes, but the Idea of the Crystal began with Zao on the planet Azleck."
Brown : " Azleck is a dead planet! You think Naole would go to that radioactive wasteland?"
Capt-Atola : " Naole is a Knowledge Guardian; To him the beginning of an Idea is the same as the beginning of a project. He would naturally consider planet Azleck to be the beginning."
Brown : " Even if you’re right, Azleck is a big planet, and Crystalorb stealth technology would make it nearly impossible to locate Naole. This has been the prevailing problem with finding Naole."
Capt-Atola : " Yes, but I am a Crystalan! Naole's Guardian Spirit will respond to my call."
Brown : " You are only part Crystalan. All the pure blooded Crystalans are gone or in stasis."
Capt-Atola : " I am Crystalan enough."
Brown : " I hope it is Enough."
Capt-Atola : " It will be my Lord."
Brown : " You certainly have the heart of a Crystalan. All right then! The Council of the Light of Destiny will sanction and endorse your mission. Select you team, and be ready to depart in 2 Standard Earth Days 〘SED〙. The routes out of this region are crawling with enemy forces, but since the Ra system is one of the Galactic Alliance's stations in the region we can request that your ship be part of the next BattleGroup to leave the System. Once you leave here you'll move through the outer edges of the Galaxy, and make your way to Azleck. Keep out of sight! Don't make contact with anyone!" a brief pause "Good Luck! For all our sakes, I hope you're right."
Capt-Atola : " My thanks to the Council of Light! The return of Guardian Naole will mark the return of the Crystal Guardians!"
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Atola secretly prepared her crew for departure, and because of the secrecy surrounding her mission only the senior staff knew about the nature of the mission. Atola’s vessel the AFS Nala D2586L is a Lodian replica of the Valiant Class Corvette, and even though it had been 152 years since Crystal Valley Industries produced their last version of the Valiant Class Corvette, the CVI design was still unmatched.
The Lodian version of the Valiant Class Corvette is identical to that produced by the Engineering Division of the African Federation of City States. Most of the Crystals used in the production of the Valiant Class Corvettes is synthesized from Lodians, Hodians and surviving Crystalans without Chest Crystals. However the ships produced by Crystal Valley Industries 152 years earlier were still 50% more powerful than current versions.
However the African Federation of City States still operated a respectable fleet due to the protection provided by the Galactic Alliance on the Ra Solar System. The other 4 Human Federations had been more exposed, but they had survived with sufficient numbers to begin to rebuild their fleets. It seemed as though the Migon were waiting to see what the Galactic Alliance would do before they made their next move.
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Onboard the AFS Nala D2586L, Commander Bruce Lesedi the Executive Officer awaited the arrival of Captain Atola, and as he waited his mind wondered to the mission ahead, he could not shake the feeling that this would be another wasted effort, but this was a high visibility assignment, assuring him of his own command when he returned; If they returned?
As the Captain arrives on the command Bridge the watch officer sounds the call to attention.
Capt-Atola : " At ease!" she looks at Commander Bruce "Is everything ready?"
Bruce : " We're good to go Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " All right then!” She opens a Channel with Fleet Command "This is Captain Atola Lesedi of the Lodian Corvette AFS Nala, requesting confirmation of transit authorization!"
Coms-O : " Transit authorization confirmed! You are to transit to Grid 1235 where you'll rendezvous with the Galactic Alliance BattleGroup!"
Capt-Atola : " Understood!"
Coms-O : " Good luck Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " Thanks, Atola Out!" she looks at Commander Bruce "Take us into Hyperspace!"
Bruce : " Aye Captain!"
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The AFS Nala D2586L then proceeds to rendezvous with the Galactic Alliance BattleGroup. Once the Galactic Alliance BattleGroup moves far enough away from the front lines the AFS Nala D2586L leaves the Galactic Alliance BattleGroup and stats its journey to its destination. The L in designation AFS Nala D2586L signifies that the ship does not belong to the African Federal Security Force, but forms part of the African Federation aligned Lodian Militia.
The African Federation of City States officially recognizes 3 Militia Organizations; the Lodian Militia, the Hodian Militia and the Crystalorb Militia. Each Militia Organization is granted official military status, and as such can be called upon by the African Federal Government or African Federal Parliament to perform official duty for the African Federation of City States. The African Federation is the only one of the 5 Human Federations to grant Militia Organizations official military status.
The Militia Organizations are not allowed to be designated defensive Organizations, and as such are not allowed to undertake Offensive military operations without authorisation from the African Federal Government. The weapons technology used by the Militia Organizations is restricted military technology, and that means that the Militia Organizations cannot share any part of that technology without authorisation from the African Federal Government.
However the Crystalorb Militia had previously been granted more rights. On 02-12-2454 the African Federal Parliament gave Crystalorb Independence as an African Federation Commonwealth Nation, and Crystalorb was then formally known as the Crystalorb Commonwealth. This limited freedom gave Crystalorb the freedom to act freely in Interstellar matters without endangering the stability of the African Federation. Crystalorb would remain part of the African Federation, but would not be subject to most African Federation Laws.
Crystalorb would only be subject to those African Federation Laws that the Crystalorb General Council agreed to. Crystalorb had not requested Independence, and for 20 years resisted the Idea of Crystalorb becoming an Independent African Federation Commonwealth Nation, but it was clear that Crystalorb Independence was necessary. Crystalorb did not want Independence, but in the end they accepted it.
Crystalorb had become too powerful to be subject to African Federation policies, and the African Federation was at risk of complete collapse. In terms of Numbers; Crystalorb operated a fleet 25 times the size of the African Federation fleet. The African Federation Economy was dominated by Crystal Valley Industries, but that was not the main problem, the problem was that the African Federation was becoming absorbed by Crystalorb.
Even though the African Federation had a larger population than Crystalorb there was no balance between them. Crystalorb Military, Economic and Social power could be felt throughout the African Federation. Crystalorb Ideology found expression in every facet of the African Federation. Legislators began to harmonize the laws of the African Federation with the Laws of Crystalorb, and this began to impact the rights of the citizens of the African Federation of City States.
Soon the views of the Crystalorb Leadership became more important than the views of the Federal Executive Council; Thus de-legitimizing the democratically elected leaders of the African Federation in favour of the powerful Crystalans. This was not a deliberate act of usurpation on the part of the Crystalans, but it came as a consequence of the power wielded by Crystalorb in Galactic Alliance Politics.
As Crystalorb military power grew so did its influence in Galactic Alliance, and the close relationship with the O'con Federation who themselves had close ties to the Andronian Federation gave Crystalorb unusual access to the Older Interstellar Civilisations. Visits by the Entig, the Andronians, the Carmaks, the Hildrano, the Folong and the Jiquam to the Crystalorb Moon elevated Crystalans in the eyes of the citizens of the African Federation and in so doing minimized their own leaders.
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Onboard the AFS Nala D2586L, Commander Bruce looks out the windows of the observation deck as the ship rebuilds its energy reserves before the next jump sequence. Captain Atola approaches the standing commander.
Capt-Atola : " We're moving through uncharted territories to hide our course. We've been ordered to move in a way that will conceal our eventual destination." she notices displeasure on Bruce's face "What is it?"
Bruce : " Permission to speak freely Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " Granted! Speak freely Bruce."
Bruce : " This is a waste of time Atola; We are chasing myths and legends!"
Capt-Atola : " You're a Crystalan Bruce; Just Like Me. You of all people should understand why it is so important that we find Naole."
Bruce : " I grew up watching stories of the legendary Crystal Guardians of 150 years ago, and my grandfather grew up on the Crystalorb Moon. He would tell us all the time that we are descendents of a mighty people, that the name Crystalorb once reverberated throughout the Galaxy, but that time is over! Crystalorb is gone, and for 150 years we've taken shelter amongst the Lodians. My father was like you Atola! A true believer, but in the end he died chasing nothing. In one of the expeditions to find the fabled Blue Guardian they were attacked by a Hakum Sky Sword and he was killed. He never found what he was looking for! It's foolish to think that one man can save us!"
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Capt-Atola : " Naole is not just a man; He's the Envoy of the Forbidden. A Knowledge Guardian! A Crystalan warrior of the Highest Order!"
Bruce : " I just don't believe in a messiah. What can one man do against such evil?"
Capt-Atola : " He can give us hope!"
Bruce : " I want to believe, but he left us, left his people to their fate. Can such a man give hope to a people who've been scattered to the wind?"
Capt-Atola : " This is not a question of faith Bruce; It's a matter of fact, and when we find him you'll see our people reborn."
Bruce : " I wish I had your confidence Atola."
Capt-Atola : " The light of Crystalorb will return, of that I'm certain!"
The two look out into Hyperspace in silence as the ship moves through the darkness.
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Only the CVI Version of the Valiant Class Corvette is atmosphere capable, and since the AFS Nala D2586L is Lodian it could not land on the surface of Azleck. Two months of travel had brought them to the other side of the Galaxy, and there on the lifeless desolate planet they hoped to find the sleeping Crystal Guardian, a legendary Crystal Guardian who wielded a power like no other.
Captain Atola now had a new task ahead of her, and after the long journey searching an entire planet seemed like an easy job. They had moved through some of the most heavily patrolled areas of space undetected, and now all they had to do was find something that did not want to be found. To find Naole they would have to think like Naole, and that was because Crystalorb stealth technology made it virtually impossible to find a Crystalan on a structure the size of a planet or moon.
On a planet Crystalorb stealth technology could blend into the environment and use the planet's energy fields to shield Crystalorb structures from even the most advanced search technologies. Something shielded by Crystalorb stealth technology could not be seen with the naked eye, and it took considerable technical capabilities to be able to find it. Only Developed and Advanced Interstellar Civilisations had the skill to locate an object cloaked by Crystalorb stealth technology.
Fortunately Captain Atola knew what to look for, but even though the AFS Nala D2586L had the technology to locate an object cloaked by Crystalorb stealth technology it would still be difficult to locate such an object on a planet that is essentially a radioactive wasteland. Captain Atola recognized that this would be a daunting challenge, and she was under pressure to produce results or at the very least find some sort of link between Naole and planet Azleck.
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At the AFS Nala's surveillance centre Atola observes as the ship conducts planetary scans, and Commander Bruce walks in to report to the Captain.
Capt-Atola : " What’s the word?"
Bruce : " The Council of Light is expecting progress."
Capt-Atola : " I know!"
Bruce : " They took a big risk in sanctioning this mission, and if we don't come back with some kind of sign it will strain the Lodian relations with the descendents of Crystalans."
Capt-Atola : " Yeah! Some Lodians believe that descendents of Crystalans have too much influence over the Council of Light."
Bruce : " How does it look Captain?"
Capt-Atola : " The radiation is making it difficult to get accurate readings of Phaylon radiation; at this rate we'll be better off going to the surface."
Bruce : " A surface search will take forever."
Capt-Atola : " Not if you know where to look."
Bruce : " How so?"
Capt-Atola : " Naole did not want to make it impossible to find him; He left clues for us to find him should we need to, so all we have to do is think the way he did; does. If Naole was returning to the beginning of an Idea, then he would most likely go to the original Azleck Kingdom Research centre. However since everything was destroyed by nuclear weapons we are using Azleck Republic records to pinpoint the exact location of the Azleck Kingdom Research centre."
Bruce : " You think he will be buried there?"
Capt-Atola : " Yes! He would have buried his Containment capsule deep underground as a form of protection."
Bruce : " What about his ship?"
Capt-Atola : " The AFS Cada A2286C is a 16km long Casara Class Cruiser. It would have been impractical for Naole to land it on Azleck; my guess is that it's in Hyperspace."
Bruce : " How far away do you think AFS Cada is?"
Capt-Atola : " The AFS Cada is a Scouting Casara Class Cruiser. Therefore the ship has a maximum jump range of 92 LightYears from Nth Hyper-Space to Normal Space, and that means the ship could be anywhere within 500 LightYears."
Bruce : " Why 500 LightYears?"
Capt-Atola : " That's the optimal communications range of the Crystal Armour of the time. Once Naole's awake he'll be able to call the AFS Cada to him."
Bruce : " Call the AFS Cada to him?"
Capt-Atola : " Then we return home. Huh! I don't know what happens after that!"
Bruce : " You think he will know?"
Capt-Atola : " Yes; He has to!"
Bruce : " Even 321 years later?"
Capt-Atola : " He is Naole; Envoy of the Forbidden!"
Bruce : " I'm just saying that you should have realistic expectations of him."
Capt-Atola : " At the very least Naole has the kind of technical knowledge that would help us regain some of the technology we've lost."
Bruce : " Would it be enough though?"
Capt-Atola : " It's better than we have at this moment!"
Bruce : " Legend says that he's a genius; A powerful mind capable of anything."
Surv-O : " Scan complete Captain"
Capt-Atola : " Show me!"
Holographic displays show detailed images of the entire planet.
Capt-Atola : " Focus in on target location!"
Surv-O : " Aye Captain!"
The Holographic displays focus in on the historical site of the Azleck Kingdom research facilities.
Capt-Atola : " There!" she points at something on the displays "Zoom in on that depression!"
Surv-O : " Magnifying!"
Capt-Atola : " That ground has been disturbed!"
Surv-O : " Yes, but not recently; It could have been a natural event."
Capt-Atola : " No! He's there; I feel it!" she looks at Bruce "Prepare search teams Commander! We are going down there!"
Bruce : " Aye Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " Full Crystal Armour protocol!"
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When Atola's search teams landed onboard a Gunship Class StarShip they moved to the designated site protected from the elements by their Crystal Armours. Their Crystal Armours are a derivative of the Crystal Armour that was once used by Crystalorb's Ilesian Guards, and it gave them; energy shields, flight and advanced weaponry. With Crystal Armour they could move around in hostile environments that not even a Hodian could survive.
Over the 1500 years that planet Azleck had been lifeless the oceans had absorbed a great deal of the nuclear radiation caused by Migon doomsday nuclear weaponry, and this had killed most of the ocean life, but microbial life is resistant to extinction level events, finding ways to survive in even the harshest environments. A type of phytoplankton in the ocean was absorbing the methane in the atmosphere and producing oxygen in increasing amounts.
Few had visited Planet Azleck over the centuries, and they were therefore unaware of the miracle of life being reborn, but this would change once Captain Atola reported her findings. Even if the expedition never recovered Naole, the discovery of thriving microbial life in Azleck's oceans would be hailed as a success for Captain Atola's mission. However Captain Atola had not come to Azleck to make scientific discoveries and in her mind finding Naole would be the only success worthy of note.
The designated site covered an area 2.1 square kilometres, and the acoustic scanning devices could only scan to a depth of 300 meters with the kind of sensitivity that would allow the accurate detection of Naole's Containment capsule possible. This meant that Atola's teams would have to dig several holes spaced at 500 meters apart to be able to cover the entire area, and the depths would have to increase every 300 meters once the scans were conducted.
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After 35 days 〘Standard Earth Days or SED〙 there was still no sign of Naole's Containment Capsule, and the crew of the AFS Nala was growing impatient. There was significant tension onboard the AFS Nala, and most of the crew felt that it was time to abandon the search and return home. Some suggested that it was time to search elsewhere, but Captain Atola would not waiver, and she remained convinced that they were in the right area.
At the dig site Captain Atola stands at the edge of a 6 meter wide and 3km deep hole, looking into the hole as Commander Bruce rises from the depths of the hole.
Capt-Atola : " Well?"
Bruce : " Nothing Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " Nothing?"
Bruce : " Not a sign! Should we go deeper?"
Capt-Atola : " Yes!"
Bruce : " Look at the Sky Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " I know! This entire valley will be flooded in a few hours, and we'll have to stop digging for days; Believe me, I get it!"
Bruce : " Our people need time to rest; a little R&R will go a long way towards restoring their morale."
Capt-Atola : " You are probably right Commander! It's this dammed search; I'm not thinking clearly! Andronus is only 3700 LightYears away; we can go there for R&R."
Bruce : " We could all use a break Captain!"
Capt-Atola : " Order our people back to the ship!" the rain begins to fall "I'll be along shortly, I just need a moment"
Bruce : " Aye Captain!"
Commander Bruce gives the order for the search teams to withdraw back to the ship, and they immediately remove the diggers from the holes and fly them back to the Gunship for transport to the orbiting ship, but as they leave Bruce notices that Atola is still on the ground even as the rain grows heavier. Bruce then decides to leave the Gunship and join Atola on the ground.
As Bruce approaches Atola he can hear her speaking, and she seems to be talking to the hole in the ground while water pours in.
Capt-Atola : " I know you're here; I can feel it! I know this is not the proclaimed hour, but your people need you. I need you! It is said that you are the Light Preserver! A Symbol of Hope! It is said that a Crystal Guardian will hear the call of a Crystalan; I therefore call upon the power of Naole, Crystal Guardian; Envoy of the Forbidden!" she falls to her knees “Legendary Guardian of Crystalorb, in the name of every Crystalan still alive, I beseech you; Awaken mighty Guardian and return the Light of Hope to our people!"
Bruce : " Oh Atola!" he touches her shoulder "He can't hear you!"
As Atola turns to look at Bruce the ground begins to rumble, and then massive amounts of light energy began to emerge from the holes from a light source deep underground. Atola and Bruce move into the air as the ground shakes violently.
Capt-Atola : " By the Source!"
Bruce : " I don't believe it!"
And then the ground exploded, sending debris into the air and as the debris fall to the ground Bruce and Atola noticed an 8m diameter sphere hovering above the ground. A holographic image of a Kemetian Ankh appeared in sky above the area, and then a voice became audible.
Naole : " I hear you; I hear your Call!"
Capt-Atola : " Naole?"
Naole : " Yes! I will follow you to your ship!"
As Bruce and Atola flew higher the sphere followed them.
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Onboard the AFS Nala D2586L the entire crew gathered on the flight deck where the sphere had landed. They all wanted to see the Legendary Blue Guardian.
The Blue sphere opens to reveal Naole's Containment Capsule, and from the Containment Capsule emerges Guardian Crystal Armoured Naole.
Naole : " Permission to come aboard Captain?"
Capt-Atola : " Permission Granted Guardian!"
Guardian Naole then disengages his Crystal Armour, and everyone is surprised to discover that the Legendary Blue Guardian is nothing more than an unassuming young man with shoulder length dreadlocks. Naole then walks over to Atola and stretches out his right hand.
Naole : " I am Naole Olen of Crystalorb; Knowledge Guardian! Envoy of the Forbidden!"
Capt-Atola : " I am Atola Lesedi of the Lodian Militia!" she takes his hand "Captain of the AFS Nala D2586L."
Naole : " Pleased to meet you Atola!" Naole sends an energy burst into Atola's hand causing Atola's skin to briefly transform into a Clear Crystalline Form, and when Naole lets go Atola turns back to normal "Part Crystalan!"
Capt-Atola : " Wow!" she takes a moment to compose herself "Pleased to meet you Naole; May I present Bruce Lesedi"
Naole : " You too?" Naole takes Bruce's hand "Part Crystalan!" he turns to face the entire group "Good to see all of you!"
Capt-Atola : " This way sir! We can talk in my office!" she leads Naole to her office "We've prepared data packs to give you an Idea of what's happened in the past 321 years."
Naole : " I take it things have gone bad?"
Bruce : " That's an understatement!"
Capt-Atola : " Not now Bruce!" they exit the transit system and enter Atola's office where the rest of her senior staff is waiting "This is where you can link to the ship's database."
Naole : " Huh?" he looks at Bruce "I sense a lot of doubt and anger in you."
Capt-Atola : " Here Sir!" she shows Naole a chair, and this prevents Bruce from responding "The link is ready sir!"
Naole uses his Chest Crystal to download the data packs directly into his brain, and this allows him to instantly become aware of the situation.
Naole : " No! It can't be?"
Capt-Atola : " After the destruction of the Crystalorb Moon the Migon waged a merciless campaign against the rest of the human Federations."
Naole : " I see! I need time to commune with the Ancestors. The journey to Andronus will give me enough time to hear from them! My ship the AFS Cada A2286C will be here shortly; though I should change its designation to CCS Cada A2286C. Prepare to leave for Andronus!"
Capt-Atola : " Will do!"
Moments later the CCS Cada A2286C arrived and Naole went onboard. The CCS in designation CCS Cada A2286C stands for Crystalorb Commonwealth StarShip
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Once onboard the CCS Cada A2286, Naole connected to the Internet 〘referring to the Interstellar Network〙 and updated the Cada's database, he then downloaded all historical information of the past 321 years into his brain. The CCS Cada then connected to the AFS Nala D2586L and downloaded all the AFS Nala data into its systems, and that data included tactical military information.
From the data Naole learned that on 02-12-2454 the African Federal Parliament gave Crystalorb Independence as an African Federation Commonwealth Nation. Naole learned that following Crystalorb's Independence the six Older Civilisations designated the Entig Republic as Crystalorb's battle partner, but Crystalorb continued to have a close relationship with the O'con Federation.
Naole learned that by 01-03-2455 Crystalorb had reached new heights in military power, and that's when Crystalorb launched its major offensive against the Migon Federation. Crystalorb operated one of the largest fleet in the history of the galaxy.
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By 01-03-2455 the Crystalorb Fleet Contingent consisted of:
1000 Nalen Class SkyGarrisons
3475 Adult Intrepid Class Ships
2513 Intrepid Class Juvenile Ships
2094 Intrepid Class Baby Ships
770 Adult Indigo Class Ships
2166 Indigo Class Juvenile Ships
1816 Indigo Class Baby Ships
5000 Esara Class SkyCruisers
5000 Casara Class Cruisers
Crystalorb Fleet Contingent Total = 23834 Galaxy Class StarShips
Crystalorb's SkyGarrison BattleGroup consisted of:
1 Nalen Class SkyGarrison
2 Adult Intrepid Class Ships
1 Intrepid Class Juvenile Ship
1 Intrepid Class Baby Ship
1 Adult Indigo Class Ship or 1 Indigo Class Juvenile Ship
1 Indigo Class Baby Ship
4 Esara Class SkyCruisers
4 Casara Class Cruisers
Crystalorb's SkyCruiser BattleGroup consisted of:
1 Esara Class SkyCruisers
5 Casara Class Cruisers
1 Adult Intrepid Class Ship
1 Indigo Class Baby Ship or 1 Indigo Class Baby Ship
African Federation's SkyCruiser BattleGroup consisted of:
1 Afruika Class SkyCruiser
4 Vanguard Class BattleCruisers
6 Nubia Class Destroyers
3 Apollo Class Destroyers
2 Valiant Class Corvettes
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Crystalorb's Military build up had been swift, and with the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons fully operational the Crystalorb Leadership decided that it was time to launch their offensive against the Migon Federation. Crystalorb forward deployed 800 SkyGarrison BattleGroups in an offensive operation in the Null Zone with the purpose of creating a new front line against the Migon Federation.
With the aid of the O'con Federation, the Andronian Federation, the Carmak Republic and the Entig Republic Crystalorb was able to open a new front line along the Migon Federation border with the Null Zone. While most of Crystalorb's Fleet was away the 5 Human Federations would patrol 1800 LightYears radius around Earth to thwart any possible Migon Federation counterattack.
However the Galactic Alliance Intelligence had underestimated the size of the Migon Federation Fleet, and Crystalorb had made a monumental blunder. By forward deploying 80% of its SkyGarrison BattleGroups Crystalorb had left itself open to a direct attack, and with only 200 SkyGarrison BattleGroups protecting the Ra System and surrounding Human territories from Hakum and Migon Attacks the door was wide open for a Fleet of significant size.
The emergence of the Nalen Class SkyGarrison had led to overconfidence amongst the Crystalorb Leadership and that overconfidence would be Crystalorb's undoing. Naole had designed the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons to support and supply up to 1000 Esara Class SkyCruisers, 6000 Casara Class Cruisers and 200 Crystalan Ships. The Crystalorb Leadership was using them as large warships and not as mobile bases as Naole had intended.
The Crystalorb Leadership did not wish to commit the kind of resources required to build the Casara Class Cruisers and Esara Class SkyCruisers required to implement Naole's offensive plans. The Crystalorb Leadership chose to simply deploy the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons as big guns near the Migon Battle lines. For the most part Crystalorb's plans were working, and with the SkyGarrison BattleGroups moving as a single force they could break through Migon lines and push them back deeper into their territory.
News of Crystalorb led Galactic Alliance victories against the Migon Federation spread throughout the Galaxy, and because of these victories the Galactic Alliance began to think that total victory over the Migon Federation had become a distinct possibility. What Galactic Alliance Intelligence didn't know was that the Migon Fleet was not 30000 Migon BattleSpheres as they'd estimated, but lower estimates were 55000 Migon BattleSpheres.
The Migon Federation had been planning a total victory of their own, and fortunately for the Galactic Alliance Crystalorb's offensive had forced the Migon Federation to use its Expeditionary forces defensively. The Crystalorb led Galactic Alliance offensive had bought the Galactic Alliance time to build up military capabilities on hundreds of worlds. However this also tied the security of the Galactic Alliance to the fate of Crystalorb.
By deploying the majority of the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons to the front lines Crystalorb created a gap between the majority of the fleet and home base, a gap the Migon Federation could exploit for a counterattack. The Migon Federation would need actionable Intelligence on Crystalorb and its weaknesses, but those Galactic Alliance Civilisations who were secretly allied to the Migon Federation could not provide such information.
When the Migon Federation was desperate for solutions, one made itself available, one that senses the desperation of others, and has the same thirst for chaos as the Migon Federation; the Circle. Circleans had long resented Crystalorb for denying them access to the most potent form of Negative Psionic Energy, and because of the power wielded by Crystalorb the Circleans would not dare oppose Crystalorb openly.
In return for Circlean assistance the Migon Federation would grant the Circle Dominion over all human kind. For their part the Circleans revealed the secrets of the Crystalans and for the first time the Migon Federation understood what they faced. Circleans revealed the source of Crystalorb's power, and the Migon Federation understood that the only way to defeat Crystalorb was to destroy the Spirit Stone.
The Circle also provided actionable Intelligence by monitoring the fleets of the 5 Human Federations, and giving the Migon Federation precise locations of Warships of the 5 Human Federations and Crystalorb ships. Circlean Intelligence reports would allow Migon Federation fleets to plot a path to the Ra System that would not be detected until it’s too late to launch an effective response.
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On 01-11-2455 the Migon Federation made their move, and with a fleet of 15000 Migon BattleSpheres they launched a direct attack on the Crystalorb Moon. The Migon Federation Fleet had slipped passed long range parameter detectors by travelling as close to the centre of the Galaxy as possible, and through careful navigation managed to get within 5000 LightYears of Earth undetected.
The Migon Federation assault on the Crystalorb Moon 〘known as the Battle for Crystalorb〙 was one of the largest battles on record, and it involved:
180 Full SkyGarrison BattleGroups and 350 African Federation SkyCruiser BattleGroups. Additional Crystalorb Units Included; 1475 Adult Intrepid Class Ships, 513 Intrepid Class Juvenile Ships, 70 Adult Indigo Class Ships, 300 Indigo Class Juvenile Ships, 900 Esara Class SkyCruisers, 800 Casara Class Cruisers
The Battle for Crystalorb lasted 1 hour, and it's believed that at the end of the battle the Crystalorb Leadership decided to destroy themselves and the Migon Fleet rather than have their technology fall into the hands of the Migon Federation. Analysts believe that Crystalans created some kind of spatial vortex that sucked in the Crystalorb Moon and everything around it, and that included 10083 Migon BattleSpheres.
What continues to elude the military analysts is; why all the other SkyGarrison BattleGroups were also sucked into vortices despite the fact that they were thousands of LightYears away? Ultimately it was concluded that the Nalen Class SkyGarrisons were somehow connected to the Crystalorb Moon, and that they formed a connected network that somehow supersedes distance in normal space.
All the Crystalan Ships were gone, but 300 Esara Class SkyCruisers and 420 Casara Class Cruisers survived. In the aftermath of the Battle most of the surviving 13000 Crystalans took refuge in the O'con Federation. 26% of the surviving 13000 Crystalans were Crystalans without Chest Crystals, and some of them eventually chose to hide amongst normal human, taking shelter under the protection of the Lodians.
With the Spirit Stone gone the remaining 9620 Crystalans with Chest Crystals could not reproduce, and so the O'con Federation placed them in long term stasis until a reproductive solution could be found. By sheltering the Crystalans the O'con Federation incurred the wrath of the Migon Federation, and so began perhaps the bloodiest battle the Migon Federation had ever fought.
The Migon Federation were intent on eliminating the threat posed by Crystalans, but the O'ltana would not surrender their friends, and after a year of fighting with major losses on both sides the Migon Federation concluded that it was better to contain the O'con Federation rather than try to destroy them. The Migon made it impossible for ships that were not part of a large armada to transit to O'con Federation Space, and this essentially meant that travel to O'con Federation Space was strictly limited to Galactic Alliance Armadas.
With the O'con Federation effectively contained Human space became the new front line in the war against the Migon Federation. The defeat of Crystalorb had great implications for the region, and when SkyGarrison BattleGroups were sucked into vortices the Galactic Alliance forces could no longer hold the Migon Federation at their border with the Null Zone. Most of the Galactic Alliance forces were forced to retreat to O'con Federation Space.
Things quickly went from bad to worse, with the Migon Federation attacking the Azleck Republic, Zlarfh Empire, Pretovus Federation, Zolak Kingdom, Cromed Republic, Drafon Federation, Antora Consortium, Valdez Empire, Solte Federation, Bitori Conclave, Nabi Federated Kingdom, Curmallion Communion, Elmachi Empire, Kulnet Dominion and the Qua Federation in a series of raids.
Migon raids sent the entire region into a tailspin as the Nations panicked in a desperate attempt to survive. Confidence in the Galactic Alliance had been weakened, and the Migon Federation was targeting the weaker members of the Galactic Alliance as a way to test the military capabilities of the Alliance’s Advanced Interstellar Civilisations. The Migon knew that failure to respond would in a fact nullify the Galactic Alliance.
In the aftermath of an inadequately coordinated Galactic Alliance effort fear reigned supreme, and most of the Advanced Interstellar Civilisations were reluctant to send warships as part of Galactic Alliance taskforces for fear that they would be attacked. The Migon Federation capitalized on that fear and they used it as a weapon against the Galactic Alliance to great effect, virtually paralyzing the Galactic Alliance.
With Crystalorb gone the Human race no longer had the kind of rapid response capabilities that had previously been called upon by the Galactic Alliance during times of emergency, and the Humans had their own problems to deal with. It soon became clear that Crystalorb's offensive had forced the Migon Federation to use its Expeditionary forces defensively, and that meant that the Migon's confrontation with Crystalorb had weakened the Migon Federation's Expeditionary capabilities.
Even though the Crystalans had lost the war they had significantly weakened the Migon Federation, and had it not been for Crystalorb's offensive the situation might have been much-much worse. Some believed that the Migon assault was a direct consequence of Crystalorb's offensive, and that Crystalorb's defeat had opened the door for the Migon Federation to permanently cripple the Galactic Alliance.
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