Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2019 19:29:35 -0400
From: Purple Jubliee <purplejubilee17@gmail.com>
Subject: The Rogue Archon: Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter, I hope you like it. Reminder that
this story is a continuation from the story Sins of a Future World. If you
haven't read that yet, this might get confusing lol. Let me know what you
think at purplejubilee17@gmail.com.

Thanks so much to my patrons, Rachel, Dan, Quenton, and Dave. Go check out
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Thanks for reading!
<3 PurpleJubilee

The Rogue Archon
Chapter 2

       Ryn engaged his helmet almost instantly and Jace followed suit. As
they did so, a strange hissing noise filled the air. To Jace's shock he saw
a cloud of arrows arcing down toward them. The action from the riders had
been so quick that he had not even seen them produce weapons, take aim, or
fire. Frantically, he tried to pull Ryn back toward the shuttle but Ryn
waved him off. The thread of thought that reached him was one of curiosity,
not of concern or fear.
	As the deadly projectiles began to land around them, Jace
instinctively threw himself in front of Ryn, trying to cover him as much as
possible, and fully prepared to die for him. He felt several soft pokes in
his back, as if someone was gently prodding him with a finger. Turning in
confusion, he watched an arrow strike his shoulder and then bounce off
harmlessly as if it were made of plastic. The rain of darts left the sand
around them looking like a pincushion, but neither of them had so much as a
scratch.
	Remembering Ryn's descriptions of the durable mesh jumpsuits, Jace
looked down in surprise. Not only had they shielded them from the barbed
ends, but they had absorbed almost the entire force of the impacts. Jace
had hardly felt a thing.
	He did not have much time to marvel at this though. With a war cry,
the riders produced blades and waved them overhead as they charged their
mounts down the sand dunes. Jace raised his weapon, but Ryn lifted a hand
to stop him.
	"No, Jace." He spoke quietly but reinforced his words with thoughts
to be sure Jace `heard' him. "They cannot hurt us. We must not hurt them."
	Regardless of Ryn's assurances, Jace kept his gun leveled at the
oncoming riders, who swung their glinting swords around their heads. He
didn't know how much the suit would protect against, but the idea of
getting trampled was not appealing.
	"Calae. Defensive perimeter. Four meters." Ryn said calmly.
	"Understood, Archon."  Suddenly, the shuttle emitted a high-pitched
whine, and a shimmering transparent barrier with a blueish tint built its
way from the ground upward in a dome around the small craft.
	The riders saw the bubble appearing and had to pull hard on their
reins to avoid running straight into it. The charging stampede came to a
grinding halt just in front of the perimeter. One man in front brought his
sword swinging down on the shining obstruction. The blade bounced off with
a loud crack, and a sizable notch could be seen in the edge, as though he
had struck a solid rock.
	Ryn deactivated his helmet and stepped up close to the
barrier. Despite seeing the shield in action against the sword blade, Jace
did not like leaving Ryn so close to these obviously angry men. He stepped
up behind him, keeping his gun trained.
	When the men in front saw Ryn approach without his helmet, they
seemed confused. Their swords gradually lowered, and their mounts stamped
in the sand uncomfortably.
	Jace saw that the beasts the men rode were not horses like one
might have seen on Varros, or even camels. They appeared almost like some
cross between a zebra and a gazelle, only much larger. The creatures were
tall and powerful, with the coloration patterns of a zebra, and yet they
were sleek and obviously agile, with long horns atop their heads.
	The men that rode them were difficult to place. They wore flowing
white garments that hid most of their features and left only their eyes
visible. These eyes now all looked down at Ryn with a mixture of anger,
suspicion, and even fear.
	"We mean you no harm." Ryn did not speak loudly, but his voice was
amplified, whether electronically or through the use of his gifts Jace did
not know.
	At the sound of his voice, the men all looked sharply at one
another and began conversing in low tones. Jace could hear them clearly
through the barrier but could not understand a word of what they are
saying. The tone of the conversation was not immediately obvious either, as
though the men outside were unsure what to make of the situation.
	"Calae?" Ryn asked.
	"Deciphering now, Archon." She responded. "It is not a language
known to me, but I will do my best."
	Ryn put his hands up, making sure that the mounted men could see
them clearly and then took a hesitant step forward. The man who had struck
the shield with his blade pointed his notched sword at Ryn and yelled
something, then pointed it to Jace.
	"Jace. Point the gun away. And take your helmet down." Ryn said
calmly, without looking away from the group in front of them.
	About to argue, Jace felt a quiet insistence coming from Ryn's mind
that convinced him to follow through. He dropped his arm that had been
keeping a bead on the hostile group, then pressed the button on his wrist
link that retracted the helmet. The men outside the barrier flinched in
surprise but soon stilled once more and peered at Jace curiously.
	Ryn took another step forward and placed a hand gently on the
smooth surface of the shield. It was an unmistakable gesture, Jace
thought. These men had to know after seeing how ineffective their attacks
had been, that they were outmatched.
	Abruptly one of the men swung down from his mount and stepped
forward. The angry man who had accosted them first yelled something at him,
but he paid no attention. Pulling off a leather glove, he tentatively
reached out a hand. First with one finger, then the whole of his hand he
touched the shield right over where Ryn's hand was pressed.
	Jace saw Ryn close his luminous eyes. He knew that Ryn did not
always have to be touching someone directly to act on them with his
gifts. Ryn could cause intense sensation, both pleasant, or terribly
painful, simply by willing it.
	The man on the other side gasped in surprise before pulling his
hand away and turning back to his companions. Suddenly he began shouting
something. Obviously Jace had no idea what he was saying, but his tone was
much different than the confused muttering and hostile confrontations of
the other men. He sounded excited, almost beyond words. Continuing his
shouting, he turned back to look at Jace and Ryn before abruptly dropping
to one knee and bowing his head.
	"What did you do to him?" Jace asked, impressed.
	Ryn gave him a confused look. "Hardly anything. I gave him warmth,
as a suggestion of safety."
	"Can't you just get in their heads or something and talk to them
that way?"
	Sighing, Ryn shook his head. "You know it does not work like
that. Besides even if it did, you remember how you reacted when you
discovered we had bonded in that way."
	"Right..." Jace admitted. Thinking back on it, the idea that Ryn
was inside his head had at first not been an entirely welcome one. "How's
that translation coming, Calae."
	"It takes some time to catalogue and structure an entire language
based only on context, Ambassador." It was always hard to tell with Calae,
but there were times when Jace felt that she purposefully put inflection
into her tone. With this response, the vibe he was getting was indignation.
	Ryn had not taken his hand off of the shield and now two more of
the men had dismounted and approached cautiously. One at a time they too
touched their hands to the barrier against Ryn's smaller hand. These two
did not have quite as strong a reaction as the first man, but still
obviously felt the power coming from Ryn. The first one bowed his head and
muttered something like a prayer before touching a closed fist to his
forehead first and then to his lips in some kind of deliberate gesture. The
second man gave a grunt of affirmation before looking Ryn in the eyes and
mimicking that same gesture.
	"I'm going to take down the shield." Ryn informed Jace.
	"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jace asked, keeping a tight grip
on his weapon.
	"They mean us no harm, Jace." Ryn replied reassuringly.
	Jace eyed the armed men skeptically. "They just attacked us." He
pointed out.
	"They were scared." Ryn reminded him. "We are in their
territory. Calae, deactivate the perimeter shield."
	"Yes, Archon." Calae replied. The translucent wall immediately
began to shimmer and fade. The men outside stepped backward in fright.
	Soon their protection was gone. Ryn held his hands out by his sides
in an open gesture. The men who had dismounted began to take hesitant steps
forward. The first man, the one who had fallen to one knee, took the lead,
mimicking Ryn's open-palmed gesture.
	With one hand, this man reached up to pull aside the thick cloth
that covered his face and protected him from the sand. When he did so, it
revealed an angular young face of a man about Jace's age, with tanned skin
and hazel eyes.
	Ryn gave the man a welcoming smile and took a slow step forward of
his own. As they drew closer, Ryn extended a hand cautiously. The man
looked down at Ryn's small hand, then slowly put out his own.
	When the two finally met, the young man grasped Ryn's hand gently
as Ryn followed suit. Ryn closed his eyes and allowed his gifts to flow
through their contact, giving warmth and a sense of comfort. The man's eyes
closed as well, feeling the energy welling up inside him a broad smile
creased his face and he retracted his hand. He began speaking excitedly to
Ryn.
	"To the best of my knowledge," Calae put in. "He believes you to be
some sort of deity angelic being. Although it is early yet, and my
interpretations could be flawed."
	"That is what I feared." Ryn answered quietly.
	"Why?" Jace asked. "Is that such a bad thing. It means they'd
probably leave us alone."
	Ryn gave him a scolding look. "The Light is the only truth, Jace. I
am not one worthy of worship."
	"I wouldn't mind spending some time worshiping you." Jace quipped,
earning him a stern `not-the-time' look.
	The young man, who had turned back to his companions, speaking
quickly and gesturing from Ryn and Jace up to the sky, then turned back to
Ryn. He repeated the closed fist to his forehead then to his mouth gesture
that several of them had used before.
	"Torun" The man pointed to himself then repeated the unfamiliar
word. It took Jace a moment to realize that he was giving his name.
	"Torun?" Ryn repeated questioningly, earning an eager nod from the
young man. "Ryn." He put his palm to his chest.
	"Ken-haii, Ryn!" The young man declared excitedly.
	Ryn gestured toward Jace and stated his name as well.
	"Ken-haii, Jace!" Torun repeated with a now friendly smile. Jace
finally attached his weapon to the belt of his jumpsuit and held out a
hand. When Torun accepted it, Jace felt a familiar warm tingle run between
them. At first, he thought it was coming from the young stranger, but soon
he realized that it was Ryn working through him.
	"I didn't know you could do that." Jace remarked to Ryn when Torun
withdrew his hand.
	"We're connected, Jace." Ryn told him as though it were the most
obvious thing in the world. "I can use that channel, to a point."
	"Well that's weird." Jace looked at his hand, then to Ryn
suspiciously.
	Ryn gave a long-suffering sigh but said nothing. Torun, oblivious
to the context of the conversation had returned to talking to the other men
and encouraged them to come forward to greet Ryn and Jace as well.
	One by one, the men in the formerly ferocious party gave that same
gesture of a hand to forehead then mouth and repeated the phrase "Ken-haii,
Ryn." or "Ken-haii, Jace."
	Ryn took on a far away expression as he continued to greet the
procession of natives.
	"Ken-haii..." He mused aloud. "It is... familiar..." Suddenly his
face lit up. "Calae, does the Light have records of who initially explored
this system?"
	"Researching." Calae replied and paused for a moment. "The records
of this star system come from a time when the Light's history was not as
well documented. However, I have found mention of an Archon Gyren Moreal in
conjunction with the recorded exploration of this system. It is possible
that your own database may serve you better than I can in this instance. My
apologies, Archon."
	"I thought so." Ryn murmured softly before closing his eyes and
drawing in a long slow breath.
	"What does that mean?" Jace asked curiously.
	Ryn didn't respond immediately. Jace could see his eyes moving
underneath his shut eyelids as though he was having a waking dream. Several
seconds passed before he opened them again.
	"It means that I know their language. Or at least a dialect of it."
	This, Jace now remembered, was a part of what being an Archon
meant. In addition to Ryn's psionic gifts, he had knowledge passed down
from the Archons of the past. He had not known that it could be so specific
however.
	"Give me your hand, Jace." Ryn instructed and Jace complied,
feeling the familiar touch of Ryn's mind against his. "Let me in." This
time it was not Ryn's voice that spoke the words but rather a silent
message of thought. Jace slowly allowed his mind to open to Ryn fully. It
was not something that they did often, but it always felt strange. A nice
sort of strange, as though he and Ryn had fused into a single person.
	Suddenly Jace's mind was filled with lessons on grammar,
conjugations, and pronunciations of this strange new language. It was
almost as if he had been there himself, learning the language of these
people all those years ago. When finally, Ryn withdrew from the contact,
Jace found himself with a working knowledge of a language he had never even
heard only minutes before.
	"That's... Amazing..." Jace exclaimed. Torun and his companions
stopped what they were doing and looked at him in surprise. Jace realized
that without even intending to, he had spoken aloud in the language he had
just learned.
	"People of Terana!" Ryn raised his voice using his new
knowledge. "I am Archon Ryn Embara of the Harmonious Light, and this is
Jace Marron of Varros. We are but humble travelers to your world." His
speech was halted, and his pronunciations were labored, but the meaning was
clear.
	"You know our tongue?" Torun was clearly shocked as were many of
the others. "This is truly a blessed day for the Taigari!" The other's
joined him in a chorus of agreement.
	"The Taigari?" Ryn asked. "That is what your people call
yourselves?"
	"Yes, Holy One. We are the last of the tribes of Terana."
	Ryn winced at being called `Holy One' but did not address it. "Why
are you the last?" He asked curiously.
 	Torun looked surprised. "Surely that is why you are here, is it
not? You have come to rid us of the Red Demons."
	A picture began to form in Jace's mind. "Ryn." He switched back to
the common language. "That ship in orbit. Someone else must be here."
	Ryn looked at him and nodded solemnly. "Tell us of these Red
Demons." He instructed Torun.
	"Monsters!" One of the other men called from the group. "Evil to
look on." A ripple of angry agreement swept through the men.
	"They are made of metal." Another put in. "They kill women and
children. They steal them."
	Torun nodded to all of these statements. "Dallo is the only one of
us here that has seen them closely and lived."
	The formerly angry-looking man who had damaged his sword on the
perimeter shield stepped forward. He performed what Jace was beginning to
understand was a Taigari greeting gesture then genuflected before
Ryn. "Forgive me, Holiness, for my aggression." He pulled aside his own
face wrap to reveal a badly scared bearded man approximately in his late
thirties. "Your magic is like that of the Demons, but to look upon you is
to see that you are not of their kind."
	Jace could tell that Ryn was uncomfortable with being addressed as
a praiseworthy figure but did not know how to correct it or explain who
they really were.
	"You were only protecting your people." Jace jumped in, sparing Ryn
some awkwardness.
	Dallo turned his attention to Jace for the first time and Jace
could see the enormous pain, both physical and emotional, etched into the
man's weathered face. He gave an affirmative nod before continuing. "But I
could not protect them. Not from those creatures." Dallo shuddered visibly
and Jace could not imagine what kind of horror could so thoroughly shake
the resolve of a man who seemed to be a hardened warrior. "They are half
again as tall as any man." Dallo continued eventually. "Made almost
entirely of red metal. The magic of their weapons, heat and light, kill
easily and with great pain."
	The man pulled open his tunic to reveal the unmistakable blotchy
red and white burn of a plasma wound. Jace, having a rudimentary knowledge
of plasma-bolt weapons, could tell that a burn like that would have to be
generated by a weapon at great distance, or by a bolt that had already
traveled through something else. He feared the later.
	Sympathy was etched deeply into Ryn's face. "How did you escape?"
	Dallo's face turned to a dark scowl. "Taigari do not escape." His
tone was sharp. "Taigari win, or we die. It is our way." The air suddenly
went out of him and he bowed his head. "There were two of them. Over a
hundred fighting Taigari warriors in the village, and our families. And
only two of these Demons. They killed all of the men first. Our weapons did
nothing to them." He gestured down at the ruined sword on his hip. "I was
ordered to ensure the safety of the women and the children. And I failed."
Dallo's voice shook with emotion. "Where were you, Holy One?" His tone was
not accusatory but filled with such genuine pleading as he tried in vain to
keep from crying. "Where were you when they slew my wife and daughter? They
pulled her apart with their metal hands and laughed while she
screamed. They left me broken in the ashes. I wish I were of a weaker tribe
that I might have died there. Instead their laughter follows me every hour
of every day. Why? Why did you wait so long to come to us?" By the time he
finished, Dallo was practically sobbing. Torun had stepped forward to place
a hand on his shoulder.
	Ryn bit his lip as two tears leaked out of his eyes and rolled down
his face. Suddenly, his luminous eyes hardened to stone. Jace had seen this
happen before. This was when Ryn, the sensitive and caring boy,
disappeared, and Ryn Embara, the Archon, took his place with all the
authority that his title carried.
	"Calae." He spoke in a voice teeming with righteous anger. "Does
Radiance have the long-range signal strength to reach the nearest Light
satellite?"
	"Unclear, Archon." Calae replied regretfully. "The composition of
this planet's core and soil are dampening my sensors. I have been
calibrating since we landed but it is unlikely I will be able to operate at
full capacity while we are here. As such, I can say that the nearest Light
satellite is approximately 6.8 light years away. This would be at the very
edge of Radiance's broadcast range in optimal conditions. I am sorry
Archon."
	"So we are alone." Ryn spoke solemnly. "Send out the call,
regardless." He instructed. "These fiends must face justice."
	Ryn had changed languages when he spoke to Calae and the natives
were suitably intimidated by his drastic change in demeanor and by the
disembodied voice that he conversed with.
	"Are you all that is left?" Ryn asked Torun looking around at the
mob of several dozen warriors.
	Torun shook his head. "No. When we saw you falling from the sky, we
feared the worst. Our women and children, and a second detachment of
warriors, remain at the Taigari camp."
	"What do we do?" Jace asked Ryn in their own language. "We can't
fight a colonizing army by ourselves."
	"The readings off of their ship suggested that their technology was
not up to Light standards or even those of the Coalition." Ryn told
him. "It is possible that a show of force could cause them to abandon their
claims to the planet."
	Jace frown skeptically. The brutality Dallo had just described did
not seem to be a trait of a group that would be easily intimidated.
	"If the signal gets out, and if the Light chooses to come to our
aid then we may have reinforcements soon to put weight to our threat." Ryn
told him, sensing his wariness.
	"If they choose to come?" Jace questioned. "Why wouldn't they?
You're an Archon and these people need help."
	Ryn sighed and nodded. "True. Though I do not imagine I am held in
very high esteem at the moment with the councils of the Light. After all, I
defected from my post and disappeared with an outsider." He looked guiltily
at Jace.
	"And the fact that you discovered the technology that will save
your people in the long run doesn't count for anything?" Jace put out
incredulously.
	With a shrug, Ryn frowned. "I do not know. Possibly. Only time will
tell." He returned his attention to the Taigari. "Torun, will you take us
to your camp? I would like to address your people."
	Torun bowed deeply. "Of course, Holy One."