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Crystal Guardian

Arc 3: Perversion of the Light

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Chapter 20: The New Path.

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At the Crystalorb Medical Centre Naole was refusing to be fitted with a prosthetic leg, but instead of that he wanted to use a crutch, and despite Casara's best efforts he was still refusing a prosthetic.

Naole : " No Casara! I won’t walk around with a plastic foot"

Casara : " Ok then!"

Naole : " Thanks"

Casara : " I'm here to take you home, and I have some good news"

Naole : " What News?”

Casara : " Early this morning I was upgraded to Guardian Crystal Armour"

Naole : " Don't let those fools on the Council treat you like a weapon they can point at their enemies"

Casara : " I won't! Besides I have a score to settle with the HOD"

Naole : " With luck the war ended with Lord Tsela"

Casara : " Not likely!"

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As they get out of the Crystalorb Medical Centre they find Enala waiting for them, and with Naole on crutches she helps with his bags. Enala is desperately hoping that she can keep what happened between her and Amun a secret form Naole, but because of the animosity between Amun and Casara she is afraid that the truth is bound to come out. Crystalan Teens are sexually promiscuous; in fact they are encouraged to be promiscuous because once they take the Vows of Honour promiscuity is frowned upon.

Consequently Crystalan Teens (both male and female) practice a level of promiscuity that other human societies would never approve, but once Crystalan Teens take the Vows of Honour they become model Crystalan Citizens and forget the reckless frivolity of the past choosing instead to live a life characterized by a pursuit of Honour.

As the three walk towards Naole and Casara's home they run into Amun who had just received his Vanguard Crystal Armour, and was surrounded by his friends, but as Naole, Enala and Casara passed the group one of Amun's friends says: "Freaks!"

Casara : " What did you say?"

Ntuno : " You Olen's have finally got what you deserve"

Casara : " How dare you!"

Ntuno : " You walk around here like the rest of us should be grateful to be in your presence. Now with those 2 gone people will look to normal Crystalans for pride, not freakish aberrations"

As Casara and Ntuno exchanged harsh words Naole noticed that Amun's Vanguard Crystal Armour was amplifying the thoughts being broadcast by Amun's Chest Crystal, and because Amun was looking at Enala, Naole was able to discover the truth about what happened between them.

As Naole turned to look at Enala he could see the guilt written all over Enala's face, and this enraged Naole, so he approached the Crystal Armoured Amun and spoke to him directly.

Naole : " Pathetic that the Council of Elders would entrust Crystal Armour to a brute like you!"

Amun : " What?"

Naole : " Your father was a brute, and that's why he was killed so easily! My parents were true warriors not like the brutish fools who run this place!"

Amun : " Don't you dare bring my Father into this!"

Naole : " Why not? Your incompetent family is one of the reasons my parents are dead!"

Enala : " Naole; Please!"

Naole : " Stay out of this Enala!"

Amun : " Let him have his say!"

Naole : " What's the matter, are you afraid of a man with one leg?"

Amun : " I would be stupid to go up against Guardian Armour?"

Naole : " Guardian Armour? I'm not wearing Guardian Armour"

Amun : " I'm not going to fight a cripple"

Naole : " You're a coward! Just like your Father, Mother and Grandfather!"

Amun : " What has my mother ever done to you?"

Naole : " It was your mother who sent my sister into a trap, and your grandfather and his cronies on the Council who refused to send the Intrepid to the area for a more effective air support"

Naole pushes Amun, and when Amun pushes him in retaliation Naole falls to the ground.

Amun : " You need to stop before you get hurt!"

As Naole struggled to stand on his one leg Enala tries to help him.

Naole : " Don't touch me! Get away from me! You have no Honour, Just like him!"

Amun : " Hey! Leave her out of this"

Naole : " Fine! I have no time for simpletons like the likes of her anyway!"

Naole then activates his Chest Crystal and produces Repulsive Electromagnetic energy that then allows him to hover.

Naole : " You see! Even without Crystal Armour I can still take the likes of you!"

Naole then launches a fist attack against Amun, but Amun who was in Crystal Armour quickly counters Naole's attack. Naole now even angrier resorts to energy attacks, and Amun finds himself having to defend himself against the extreme power of the energy attacks produced by Naole. At first Amun thought that he could just deflect Naole's attacks but a series of ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts sent Amun flying to the ground.

When Amun retaliated with ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts from his Vanguard Armour he was shocked that Naole was able to stop the immense energy contained in the ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts. Naole was warming up and his Chest Crystal was increasing in energy. The crowd that gathered to see what was going on were astonished at Naole's power. Even though Amun was in Crystal Armour he was being overpowered by Naole who was not in Crystal Armour.

The most astonishing thing to the crowd was that Naole could fly without Crystal Armour. As their fight continued Naole delivered a blow with his fist that sent Vanguard Armoured Amun crashing to the ground.

Then Naole moved in to hover just above Amun.

Naole : " What's the matter? Not winning as easily as you thought? Pathetic! You lack the intellect and mental discipline to properly control the Crystal Armour!" Naole shakes his head "Just a Brute!"

As Amun tries to get up Naole attacks with yet another stream of ElectroLaser Lightning Bolts, and this time Amun is knocked unconscious

Naole : " Like I said; just a Brute!"

Then 4 members of Crystalorb security forces rush in and found Naole hovering above the unconscious Amun, but when they tried to talk to Naole he remained uninterested.

Naole : " Great! More Brutes!"

Vanguard officer : " You are under arrest, and I must take you with me!"

Naole : " You and what army? Brute!"

Vanguard officer : " In the name of the Council of Elders I order you to submit!"

Naole : " I don't submit to those fools on the Council of Elders"

Vanguard officer : " You can come quietly or we will take you by force!"

Naole : " You're welcome to try, Brute!"

As the Vanguards approached Naole he prepared himself for a fight, but after Realising that he would be outnumbered in a fight Naole gathered all his energy and focused it into his entire body, and as the Crystals in his cells became energized they began to transform Naole's skin to a deep Blue Crystalline form.

Before Naole could engage the 4 Vanguard officers Casara decided that things had gone too far, and it was time for her to intervene.

Casara : " Naole Stop!" With tears running down her face "Stop!"

Naole : " Hey; they are the ones who want to use Violence against me!"

Casara : " Stop! Naole please stop!"

Naole : " Ok!"

The transformed Naole returns to normal and descends to the ground, then two of the Crystalorb Vanguard guards take Naole into custody and escort him to the Crystalorb Detention Facility.

Naole is then scheduled to appear before the Council of Elders, and also present are other interested parties. Naole is to answer to criminal charges that would then be formally brought against him.

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30 hours after the incident Naole is brought before the highest authority in Crystalorb to answer for his actions and Casara volunteers to defend Naole.

Gaurdius : " Naole; You are accused of public Violence, The disregard of the rules of conduct, Starting a fight, Excessive use of force, Aggravated assault, disobeying a lawful order from a Crystalorb official and Contempt against the Council of Elders!"

Jalen : " How do you plead?"

Casara : " Honoured Leaders; Because Naole is not officially part of the Crystalorb forces he cannot be subject to the rules of conduct and Excessive use of force."

Cyris : " Let it be known that those Charges are removed!"

Lumen : " Then how do you plead?"

Casara : " Again we object to the presence of Lord Gaurdius on the panel on the grounds that the presumed victim is Gaurdius's grandson"

Onala : " The tribunal hereby asks Gaurdius to withdraw himself from the proceedings"

Gaurdius : " I agree to withdraw myself from this matter"

Naole : " I refuse to recognise the authority of this tribunal on the grounds that the convening members are party to the incidents that led to the alleged events"

Isis : " What arguments do you base this on?"

Casara : " As soon as my brother learned that I was trapped on the Island he put on his Guardian Crystal Armour, and this gave him access to the classified Joint Communications Channel. It is therefore my understanding that the decision by the Council of Elders not to allow our parents the right to use the Intrepid during the Island confrontation directly resulted in the death of both Red Guardians. Furthermore it was the presumed victim's mother who ordered me into a trap and must therefore share the responsibility for all subsequent Crystalan deaths"

Lerata : " These charges are Fallacious"

Tshego : " We won’t stand for the Council's name to be brought into disrepute by these scandalous statements"

Lumen : " Nevertheless Casara has the right to make whatever statements she wishes"

Casara continued her detailed legal assault on the integrity of the members of the panel. Then Casara pointed out all the mistakes that were made, and her strategy was to strip away their moral authority and hold them accountable for abandoning her parents on the battlefield in their time of need. For hours Casara argued her case with diligence, proving that her parents had prepared her for all manner of situations.

Hamun : " Do you have anything to say before we hand down our judgement?"

Naole : " My mother served Crystalorb with distinction; she was Crystalorb's first knight! In the history of Crystalorb no warrior has ever been in this number of conflicts, and no warrior has ever produced this many victories. Every time the Crystalorb Leadership was looking for a champion she answered the call, every time you needed a hero she answered the call. My father was a great mind, a man of true intellect. My father gave Crystalorb the tools it needed to secure all its people, and without my father's hard work Crystalorb would have already been lost. Yet despite all their exemplary service the Crystalorb Leadership also known as the so called social elite have always viewed my parents with suspicion. In spite of all that my parents had done for Crystalorb, the Leadership still hated my parents. The Crystalorb Leadership is a group of mediocre fools who secretly run the affairs of Crystalorb. Every one of the people on the Crystalorb Leadership proved themselves to be treacherous. In their greatest hour of need my parents looked to the Crystalorb Leadership for help and found nothing but scorn. It's clear to me that the Crystalorb Leadership cares for no one but themselves, and I being of free mind and will shall never take instruction from such people!"

Casara : " Having taken my Vows of Honour I will only obey those orders that I deem to be Honourable. The Crystalorb Leadership has lost its way, and from this day onwards they must look to others to do their dirty work. The days of the Red Guardians answering the call of the Crystalorb Leadership died with my parents!"

After extended deliberations lasting 30 hours the tribunal returned with their decision.

Cyris : " On the charge of public Violence; we find you Guilty. On the charge of Starting a fight; we find you Guilty! On the charge of Aggravated assault; we find you not Guilty! On the charge of disobeying a lawful order from a Crystalorb official; we find you Guilty! And on the charge of Contempt against the Council of Elders; we find you not Guilty! "

Jalen : " We order that you be stripped of your Crystal Armour, and that you be held in solitude until you issue a public verbal apology for your actions"

Naole : " I refuse to offer any such apology!"

On the balance of things Casara had made a compelling case, and the sentence was lenient for the chaos that Naole had caused, but some of the members on the Council of Elders wanted Naole to admit that he was wrong as a kind of vindication of the position of the Council of Elders. Casara knew that Naole would see this as a test of his will, and therefore refuse to submit.

Naole was taken into custody and locked in solitude, and his Crystal Armour was removed from the Armour Storage Centre and placed under Guard at a secret location. Casara pleaded with the Council of Elders to allow Naole to continue his university studies, and because the Council of Elders never expected Naole to stay in custody for more than a few weeks they agreed to allow Naole to continue his studies.

Naole was given all his books, and the Council of Elders also allowed Naole the use of his computer which was not connected to any network. To many Crystalans Naole's violent outburst came as a complete shock, and even though there were occasional physical confrontations between two or more individuals it never involved Crystal Armour or energy attacks. Common fights were generally restricted to fist fights or martial arts.

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Two weeks after Naole was incarcerated Enala came to visit Casara, and the purpose of the visit was to explain why Naole was so angry with her. Enala told Casara everything, she did not try to manipulate the facts in her favour, she wanted to clear her conscience, and so confessed her part in the events that led to Naole's actions. Enala believed that Casara had the right to know the truth without any attempt to clean it up.

When Enala was finished talking she waited for Casara's response.

Casara : " Huh!"

Enala : " I guess you probably don't think much of me anymore? Why would you?" With tears in her eyes “but please believe me, it was never my intent to hurt Naole!"

Casara : " The intent is not as important as the result! But Amun?" shaking her head in disbelief "Of all people?"

Enala : " When Naole said; Acknowledge me or loose me! I ...!"

Casara : " I get it!" Casara interrupts "You thought the two of you broke up!"

Enala : " I was never ashamed of him! It’s the fact that he was younger than me that concerned me"

Casara : " You thought it would focus negative attention on your family"

Enala : " Amun pretended to be caring and understanding" After a Brief pause "Or maybe I allowed myself to be deceived"

Casara : " How could you allow yourself to be manipulated like this?"

Enala : " I was going through something that I never experienced before"

Casara : " What?"

Enala : " There was a change in my body that made me overly sensitive"

Casara : " Change?"

Enala : " My emotions were all over the place! I don't want to make excuses for my actions; I just want to create clarity!"

Casara : " What Change?"

Enala : " At the time I didn't understand what was happening to me, but now it’s all too obvious, and soon it will be clear for everyone to see, because I won’t be able to hide it!"

Casara : " You're Pregnant!"

Enala : " Yeah!"

Casara : " And it's Naole's?"

Enala : " It’s almost three months now, so it’s definitely Naole's"

Casara : " Why haven’t you told him?"

Enala : " I was going to ...!" she sighs "But then .. !"

Casara : " If you told him he might…!"

Enala : " Would he?" Enala interrupts "Would he...?"

Casara : " Not likely!" Casara interrupts "The problem with this situation is that you are just a tiny part of his rage. Naole is angry about more than just your relationship problems. If it had been someone other than Amun Naole would not have reacted like that."

Enala : " Amun's mother is the Deputy Guardian Commander and his grandfather Gaurdius is the oldest member of the Council of Elders, and that makes them key members of the Crystalorb Leadership"

Casara : " The very group Naole and I hold responsible for the deaths of our Parents. He is angry! And he's not likely to calm down"

Enala : " I'm afraid if I tell him he would reject my child, and even if he accepts my child, would he be a stable influence in the baby's life?"

Casara : " I just don't know!"

Enala : " Perhaps if I had told him none of this would have happened"

Casara : " In all likelihood Naole would have found another reason to start a confrontation with the Crystalorb Leadership"

Enala : " You think so?"

Casara : " Crystalan men can be Unforgiving! They should come with a warning! My mother always told me; Crystalan men may look indestructible, but they are in a lot of ways the most vulnerable men in the world, and they are required as a question of honour to wear their hearts on their sleeves, unable to hide away, unable to shield themselves from Crystalan women. Crystalan men don't have the complex emotional skills that are available to Crystalan women! They are defenceless against us. Crystalan women must therefore always be gentle with them, careful with their feelings."

Enala : " I wish I had known that before?"

Casara : " I don't think any woman can truly understand until she loves a Crystalan man. I didn't fully understand until I fell in love with a Crystalan man, until I was loved by a Crystalan man, until a Crystalan man opened up to me and shared his Soul with me."

Enala : " And if you break their Heart?"

Casara : " They become like Naole! Unstable! Unpredictable!"

Enala : " He can't know!” shaking her head “At least not until he calms down! I’ll just have to raise the child alone"

Casara : " You won’t be alone!" Taking Enala's hand "Yes you've made bad choices, but I can still find a way to be your friend"

Enala : " Thanks!"

In a sign of great maturity Casara found a way to push aside her initial frustrations with Enala and focus on the more important things; Like the baby and her relationship with Enala's brother Kato. Casara knew that if her relationship with Kato was to flourish she would need for Enala to be stable. Casara recognized that Enala had made a genuine mistake and was deeply regretful of it, and thus deserved an opportunity to make things right.

Naole on the other hand was stubborn, with an unbreakable will. Naole was not the type to give in on a question of principle, and every day he spent in the detention facility was like throwing mud in the faces of the Crystalorb Leadership. Many people in Crystalorb began to wander why Naole did not just simply apologize, and as time passed it became clear to many Crystalans than Naole was very principled.

Then the question began to arise “If Naole is a person of such high principles, What kind of people are the ones who imprisoned Naole?". The Crystalorb Leadership was growing concerned with the situation, but they could not just simply release Naole, On the other hand Naole's continued detention was wining him favour with those members of the Crystalorb population who were also unhappy with the Crystalorb Leadership.

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