Celestial Vanguard

## Summary

The Celestial Vanguard was an organization best classified as interstellar "aliens." Having discovered the presence of Dechalus on Earth, they sent an invasion force to seize this highly valuable resource. Being a highly organized military force, they had developed a large amount of large war machines the sizes of skyscrapers, and an infantry force to use alongside them.

## History

### Celestial Strider Article

The Celestial Striders, also known as the infamous CSs, are massive, semi-humanoid machines that were created by an alien species under the Celestial Vanguard. While it is unknown when these massive machines were actually developed, they first descended upon earth during the Interstellar Conflict, or First Great Conflict. They, along with the Military Spaceships escorting them, launched a massive assault on the Santalis Core Order. In the first month of the conflict, the Striders already greatly overpowered the human-scaled vehicles desperately trying to counter them. They were only forced to retreat from the Decholon region when one of their units was hit and destroyed by an Ichor-powered Ballistic Missile. In their absence of Decholon, the island natives finished the development of the Anti-Warship Support Gun, better known as the Solar Cannon. In the second assault on the island, many of their units were quickly shot down by the devastating laser blasts of the Cannons.

Under the realization that humanity was finding a way to fight back, the initial forces called in reinforcements; but by the time the second wave of forces arrived, the first wave had been defeated and through the technology recovered from them, the AEGIS Program had been born. With this second wave packing a similar amount of firepower to the first, they were wiped out with the Armadeli Defense Joint Military’s Heavygun and High-Mobility Type machines. With yet another wave gone from sheer poor timing, the interstellar forces realized that they would have to give it their all.

The Celestial Vanguard sent out the best of their military divisions, with a size comparable to over three times the amount as the first waves’. When they arrived at the scene, they were met with...

### Nightwatch Incident (Maybe)

The Nightwatch incident was the first instance of the Celestial Vanguard becoming a potential threat. Even after centuries of their departure from the Santalis Core Order, the remnants of their technology still posed a thorn in humanity's side. The Nightwatch incident in particular involved the testing of the Celestial Strider AI [DESTINY\_RUNNER]. Under the project BURST RAID, the unit it was paired with was cultivating some hopeful results until it went haywire. Effectively brainwashing the NDRC Spy Calvin LaMaris (who would go on to become the infamous "Nightwatch") into going on a genocidal rampage, it would take the combined efforts of the two other units under BURST RAID to stop it. All three units would be later vaulted in a derelict Citadel, never to be heard from again. The Nightwatch Incident would bring to light the dangers of tampering with the ancient Celestial Vanguard technology, and was promptly swept under the rug from ever happening. However, this would not be the last time the CV technology began to work on its own accord.

### CS Lacerta Incident

The Lacerta Incident was the second instance of Celestial Vanguard technology resurfacing. Following the Fall of the NDRC and Nightwatch Incident, three bounty hunters were hired by an unknown figure into hunting down a piece of Interstellar-Era weaponry. Upon finding it, the hunters realized they were manipulated by the presumed decommissioned [DESTINY\_RUNNER] into reactivating the Celestial Strider "Lacerta" of which this event was named after. Even as this CS was heavily damaged and long since abandoned by the Vanguard, that didn't stop it from wreaking havoc on Mercury Legion-controlled Decholon. It would take a combined total of five former Project X Garrisai and their pilots to defeat the Lacerta, with [DESTINY\_RUNNER] remaining trapped in the unit it was programmed into.

(In context, after the Nightwatch Incident the majority of the DR was deleted from the Dark Pegasus and its BURSTRAID System removed. However, its essence or "spirit" remained trapped in the Pegasus, rendering it only capable of hacking into easily accessible hardware. This was how it was able to send the messages to the three bounty hunters, though it had no control over the CS "Lacerta". The conclusion of the Lacerta Incident rendered the AI incapable of sending any more messages, as the Silent Citadel was promptly shut down from all sources. When General John Orion and Regina LaMaris arrived at the Citadel, they were unaware that they had reawakened the dormant DR when powering the Kingship up. This was how the AI was able to prevent Regina from purging the Dark Pegasus' Core when it realized Dom was coming to use it.)

### CS Peacekeeper Incident

The Peacekeeper Incident was the last known event of Celestial Vanguard influence in humanity's conflicts. Its introduction late into the Harbinger Uprising was prompted after General John Orion and Regina LaMaris reactivated The Silent Citadel, which consequently reawakened the [DESTINY\_RUNNER] AI once again. Dominic Ramirez, leader of the Swords of the Maverick, would seize both the AI and the Dark Pegasus in which it was installed, effectively freeing the AI from its prison. [DESTINY\_RUNNER] would go on to influence Dom into restoring the Celestial Strider "Peacekeeper" up on Mount Draco as its ultimate revenge on humanity. It would take a considerable amount of time to actually activate the Strider, to the AI's dismay. In that time, a group known as Legacy Team would rally a force in stopping the Strider from launching. In a nearly superhuman battle, LEGACY Team triumphed over the CS Peacekeeper, effectively destroying the AI for good. This would mark the end of the Celestial Vanguard's influence in the Santalis Core Order, leaving the CS and its AI entombed at the bottom of the Decholonian coastline.