[1 year Avalician before the Brevon Incident]

In the stark bleakness of the interstellar void, a solitary spacecraft cruises at sub-light speed, undergoing minor repairs. On the bridge, Captain Shankara Kawaguchi is monitoring the progress. After reviewing the status of the repairs, and satisfied everything is proceeding smoothly, he retires to his ready room. As he settles down to nap, he is interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who is it?" he barks.

"Commander Kawaguchi, sir," comes the reply.

Shankara relaxes and smiles warmly. "Ah, Aquila my boy! Come in!"

The door slides open to reveal Commander Aquila Kawaguchi with a few cuts and abrasions marking his mottled grey scales. "I'm here to report on my mission," he reveals as he enters the room, the door closing behind him.

"No need to be so formal, son," Shankara assures, sitting up on the sofa. "At least, not in private."

"As you wish, father," Aquila agrees, taking up a chair opposite Shankara. "The mission started well, but we encountered-"

"Don't worry about all that," Shankara waves dismissively. "All I want to know is, did you get it?"

Now it's Aquila's turn to smile. "Of course," he confirms, taking an emerald the size of a deck of playing cards out of his right pocket. "One Wood Crystal, finally back in the right hands."

"Wonderful!" Shankara grins as he takes the Crystal. "So long as it's genuine," he adds with caution, examining the Crystal. After a few moments, he grins again. "And this is definitely genuine!"

"How can you tell?" Aquila asks.

"Bionic eye," Shankara reminds. "While you were planetside, I reprogrammed it to recognise the Crystal's unique signature: there isn't an emerald in the Universe with an electromagnetic profile like this one. And the other Crystals are the same, be they ruby, diamond, citrine, or sapphire."

"I think I'll be scheduling an upgrade soon," Aquila decides.

"Don't be too hasty, son," Shankara advises. "Not everyone is as fortunate as I am. I've lost too many men over the years when their bodies rejected upgrades. That's why I set up such a thorough testing and approval process, a process I insist you go through before getting any upgrade."

"Of course," Aquila agrees. "Though I don't see how I could fail."

"It always pays to make certain." Shankara stands and walks over to a sturdy and securely locked display cabinet. With a wave of his hand over the scanner, the cabinet unlocks. Shankara places the Wood Crystal in its allotted mount, then closes the cabinet door, which locks automatically. "RFID," he muses as he returns to his seat, referring to the tiny microchip embedded in his palm. "Even after all these centuries of technological development, such an antiquated toy is still the most effective way of securing a valuable treasure."

"No matter how antiquated, technology is to be celebrated and harnessed," Aquila states.

"And once we have all five Crystals, we can start rebuilding our shattered empire," Shankara continues. "Ryusekai will rise once again!"

"How long do you think it'll take to find the other three Crystals?" Aquila asks, a little concerned.

"As long as it takes," Shankara replies. "We got lucky seventeen years ago when we visited Avalice and found the Fire Crystal, just as we got lucky now with the Wood Crystal. We'll just have to hope we get lucky again soon."

"I hope so, otherwise we'll never find all the Crystals," Aquila sighs.

"It vexes me too, son," Shankara agrees. "But there's no sense fretting about it." Shankara activates his wrist communicator. "Captain to Engineering: how long until the hyperdrive is functional?"

"Another hour, cap'n," comes the reply.

"Very well," Shankara acknowledges. "Let me know as soon as you're finished." A second tap terminates the connection.

"He should be able to get the hyperdrive going in half that time," Aquila growls. "Want me to give him some 'encouragement'?"

"No, it's fine," Shankara decides. "On the grand scale of things, half an hour is nothing."

"But-"

"Patience is a virtue, son. Please show some."

"If you insist," Aquila sighs.

An hour later, with the hyperdrive fully operational, the Ryusekai starship RAS-1701 Genso No Seishin vanishes into hyperspace as its crew continues the hunt for the Elemental Crystals.