Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2019 21:23:18 -0400
From: Purple Jubliee <purplejubilee17@gmail.com>
Subject: The Rogue Archon: Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think! You
can leave your comments at purplejubilee17@gmail.com. There will probably
be two to three more chapters in this story.

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<3 PurpleJubilee

The Rogue Archon: Chapter 6

       "Alright, Calae. Explain." Jace demanded when he and the warriors
had returned to the camp. The riders had immediately launched into
embellished stories of Jace single-handedly taking on six of the
demons. They did not understand what had happened to Ryn, but in their
minds the day had been won. Jace on the other hand had a pit forming in his
stomach the entire way back and did not stick around to receive the praise
of the Taigari. He had retreated to his tent almost immediately to have a
private place to get some answers. "How did this happen?"
	"The ship orbiting the planet was able to latch onto Radiance with
a magnetic current." Calae explained. "As you saw, Radiance was taken into
orbit and now sits in one of the docking bays of their ship."
	"Ryn is aboard their ship!?" Jace's mind spun at a mile a
minute. "They'll kill him!"
	"Ambassador Marron, I need to advise you to remain calm. Archon
Embara is currently safe aboard Radiance. He wishes you to know that this
could work in our favor."
	As Ryn had ascended, his connection with Jace had weakened. Jace
could still feel him there, he knew that Ryn was alive, but he could not
reach out to him the way he had grown accustomed to. It felt empty. "How
exactly could this work in our favor?" Jace gritted his teeth.
	"The Sirsh'th technology is not advanced enough for them to break
through Radiance's shields without heavy cannon fire. They cannot operate
heavy weaponry within their own hold without risking damage to their own
vessel." Calae informed him in her infuriatingly calm monotone. "In the
meantime, Archon Embara and I believe that they are not at all prepared for
an advanced AI cyber-attack."
	The lightbulb in Jace's mind lit up. To bring the battle of Varros
to stalemate, Calae had infiltrated one of the Coalition battleships. The
spark of inspiration dimmed however when he continued to think through the
plan. "But that would mean Ryn would have to get into one of their
computers. It's too dangerous for him to leave Radiance."
	"I do not believe that will be necessary." Calae informed
him. "When you helped me to gain control of the VCS Lograin, I required you
to put my data directly into the ship's computer because the Coalition
possesses adequate firewall technology. If my assessment of the Sirsh'th is
correct, they will have much weaker defensive protocols. All I will need is
to be replicated into any one of their computer hubs on the planet. From
there, I should be able to move from one hub to another relatively
uninhibited."
	"That would mean you could jump right from one of their ground
terminals to the ship." Jace finished, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
	"When Radiance was lifted into orbit and above the interference
that we have encountered on Terana, I was able to do a more thorough scan
of the planet. I have sent to coordinates of the Sirsh'th terminal hub that
is closest to your wrist link."
	"Perfect." Jace jumped up. "What are we waiting for?"
	"Archon Embara suggests that you retrieve the supply package that
was jettisoned for you before you attempt to infiltrate the hub. You should
also attend to your shoulder wound. You will find anesthetic gel in the
belt of your jumpsuit that will expedite its mending."
	"What's in the package?" Jace asked, searching his belt for the
medication Calae mentioned. "And do you know where it is?"
	"I have sent its coordinates to you as well." Calae assured. "It
contains Light technology that will help you with your mission."
	"Can't be more specific huh?" Jace commented sarcastically. "Well,
whatever." He took down the top half of his jumpsuit to get a look at the
place he had been hit. The flesh was seared badly, and he had to peel the
suit of it, wincing the whole time. "I'll get Torun and his riders moving
again."
	Gently, Jace began to apply the gel to his shoulder. Almost
instantly, a cooling sensation began to spread through his injury. The pain
dulled to a satisfying numbness and he sighed with relief.
	"There is one more thing you should be aware of, Ambassador."
	Just by the way she said it, Jace could hear the other shoe about
to drop. "And what might that be?" He asked in an exaggerated voice.
	"Due to its position in the docking bay of the Sirsh'th ship,
Radiance is only able to draw power from its solar batteries, which are
already partially depleted."
	Jace's eyes flicked to one side as he thought about
this. "Meaning... The shields are not going to hold forever..."
	"I estimate that Radiance has enough power to maintain the shield
at its current strength for three more planetary days." Calae told him.
	"Swell." Jace wrapped his shoulder before pulling his jumpsuit back
into place over his muscled torso. "Guess we'll have to work quickly."

	Torun did not quite understand why Jace needed to be taken out to
some random spot in the desert after just earning a `victory' over the
invaders, but Olban wasted no time in ordering his son to take a contingent
to escort Jace.
	Carefully, Jace watched his wrist link as Calae guided them to the
drop that Ryn had left for him.
	"You have arrived." Calae told him suddenly, causing him to have to
yell a sudden halt to Torun.
	"What do you mean we've arrived?" Jace asked looking around at the
dunes. "There's nothing here."
	"It is possible the force of the impact buried the capsule." Calae
responded. "Its tracking beacon reads fifteen feet to your left."
	Inspecting the area closely, Jace saw a bit of an indent in the
sand about where Calae had indicated. Quickly he began to dig with his
hands. The Taigari, not entirely sure what was going on, helped him anyway,
excavating a wide hole in the sand as they continued to search for the
capsule.
	Finally, Jace scraped away a layer of sand to reveal a gleaming
hint of blueish silver. He brushed more of the sand away to confirm what he
already knew.
	The capsule was narrow, but about four feet long. Torun helped Jace
drag it out of the hole they had dug. Under Calae's instruction, Jace
entered a code into a keypad on the side of the capsule. Torun flinched as
half of it slid noiselessly open.
	Jace knew that the technicians and engineers of the Harmonious
Light were adept at creating compact equipment for easy storage, and this
capsule was no exception. Calae explained that there were two more
jumpsuits like the one Jace wore, as well as two more pistols and one
heavier rifle. Several heat grenades were packed into a bottom compartment
as well along with a generic toolkit. Jace pulled a metal band out of the
capsule that had a series of very small lights on one side.
	"What is this?" He asked Calae.
	"That is a psionic relay. It will allow you to communicate with
Archon Embara even from this distance."
	Jace's eyes widened. "How does it work?"
	Calae instructed him in wearing the relay on his head and
positioning it properly. It sat just above his ears like a circlet and was
almost unnoticeable under his hair. Almost as soon as it was in place, he
could feel his connection with Ryn strengthening.
	"Jace?"
	Relief flooded through Jace as he felt Ryn's voice in his mind once
more. It had only been gone a short time, but it had felt like being
deprived of half of his oxygen. Ryn's return was a full deep breath of
fresh air that made his worries fade away.
	Ryn expressed a similar feeling through their connection and did
his best to convey his deep love for Jace without being able to be close to
him. Jace said almost nothing the entire way back to the camp. He was too
wrapped up with making absolutely certain that Ryn was safe and well.
	"They've given up trying to get through the shield for now." Ryn
informed him. "They have not made any attempt at contact yet, but I expect
that they will."
	Night was falling by the time they returned, though Jace was not
feeling much like sleeping. He asked Torun and Olban into his tent before
bringing up the map with the coordinates of the closest terminal hub.
	"Do you know anything about this place?" He asked as he examined
the damage to his jumpsuit.
	Olban peered at the map curiously for a moment before
nodding. "This is where Dallo's village was. From what I am told, the
invaders built a great tower on the bones of the village with one of their
mines nearby."
	"Torun nodded his agreement. "I have seen the tower from afar. It
is hideous to look at but stretched up far into the sky."
	"Well..." Jace clasped his hands together. "I need to get in
there."
	Torun frowned and Olban looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No."
The old man eventually said. "It is impossible. You say that six of these
invaders did this to your armor." He pointed to the damaged shoulder. "And
took your companion hostage. These towers have many more of these
creatures. Dozens, perhaps hundreds."
	Jace was quiet for a moment, thinking. The plan that had in the end
had resulted in a ceasefire between the Harmonious Light and the Coalition
had been his. If only he could come up with something like that on
demand. All of these people were counting on him. And, more importantly he
selfishly thought, Ryn was counting on him.
	"I believe in you." Ryn's small voice cut through his haze and he
enjoyed a momentary respite from his worries.
	As he sized up the contents of the package that Ryn had dropped for
him, a tentative idea began to form. Torun and Olban were waiting quietly
for him to emerge from his thoughts and the younger man jumped slightly
when Jace suddenly spoke.
	"Has anyone seen one of these buildings up close?" He asked.
	Olban and Torun looked at one another. "Dallo has gone to look at
this one." Olban said pointing at the map on Jace's wrist link. "Many
times. He goes on his own and we never know if he will return or not."
	"Torun, can you find him and bring him here?"
	"Of course, Holy One." Torun bowed before standing and hurrying out
of the tent.
	Jace continued to ponder in silence for several minutes until Torun
returned with the badly scarred Taigari warrior following behind.
	"Greetings, Holy One." Dallo bowed slightly although his tone was
less reverent than Torun's. Jace knew that Dallo felt he had been let down
by his gods, and maybe rightly so.
	Wasting no time, Jace pointed to the map. "What do you know about
this structure here?"
	Dallo analyzed the terrain for a moment before scowling. "Built on
the bones of my village and the corpses of my wife and daughter." He fairly
spat. "It is a monstrous thing, as terrible as the Demons themselves, and
surrounded by them."
	"What about entrances? How many and how well guarded?" Jace
pressed.
	Dallo frowned at him. "You are trying to get inside?" The warrior
laughed. "Then you must wish for death nearly as much as I do."
	This was not the answer Jace had been hoping to hear. "Please." He
continued. "I need to know everything I can about the tower. The terrain
outside it, the number of entries, how many guards, everything you can
think of."
	Dallo sighed, but eventually nodded. The two of them spent the next
several hours discussing every detail Dallo could remember from his trips
to see the ruin of his home. Jace asked questions trying to be as specific
as possible. It was slow going. Dallo's memory was not perfect and some of
his answers were imprecise, but eventually a picture began to form in
Jace's mind.
	"I believe I have a plan." Jace finally said, less than
confidently. "Although to pull it off, I'm going to need some help."

	Jace barely slept that night. By the time the three Taigari left
his tent it was only a few hours until sunrise, and even then, Jace's
nerves kept him from finding peaceful rest. In the morning, he was up at
dawn, practicing with the intricacies of his jumpsuit with Calae's
help. Calae had copied much of herself onto his wrist link, which meant
that she could help him physically to move and react more quickly than he
otherwise might have been able to. It was a subtle difference, but Jace
needed every edge he could get.
	Using the toolkit, he was able to repair some of the damage to the
shoulder of his suit, then in a stroke of inspiration, he disassembled the
capsule and used pieces of the hard outer-shell to reinforce the suit's
armor. It was not perfect, and it was not too pretty, but his vitals would
be covered much more thoroughly.
       Torun and Dallo appeared as he was finishing his task and they
looked at him skeptically, dressed in his blue jeans and tank top. Jace
realized that they had never seen him outside of the sleek jumpsuit. If he
didn't look like a deity before, he figured he definitely didn't know.
       "We are ready." Dallo informed him solemnly. When the two heard
Jace's plan, they had immediately volunteered to help. At first Olban had
been reluctant to allow his son to put himself in such danger, but his
sense of honor prevailed, and he gave Torun his blessing.
       They moved off from the camp so as not to cause a stir and Jace
fitted the two warriors with the spare jumpsuits that Ryn had left
him. They struggled to pull the strange garments on and were very warry of
how skin-tight they were. Jace could only imagine how, for lack of a better
word, alien it must have felt to them. They filled out the suits well
however, and soon as the temperature regulation kicked in, Jace could tell
they were beginning get used to them.
       "These will not hold up under intense fire." Jace reminded them,
indicating the patchwork of armor he had layered over the damage to his
suit. "They will protect you from some damage, but don't rely on it." Jace
showed them the button to activate the helmets and extended and retracted
his own several times to get them used to the idea. Even so, both warriors
jumped violently he first time they pressed the button and the helmet and
mask flipped down over their faces.
       Next came a crash course in firearms. Jace was not an expert
marksman but did his best to remember his military training. Dallo was
given the heavier rifle, while Torun had one of the three pistols. They
took turns shooting at sand dunes while Jace carefully instructed them in
safety and accuracy. It felt a little bit wrong, asking these natives to
operate with such advanced technology that they had never encountered
before, but the two warriors took to the task surprisingly well. Especially
Dallo, who cradled his rifle like a newborn child.
       All the while, Jace could almost feel the clock ticking. He knew
they needed this training, but he also knew that the power for Radiance's
shields was draining by the moment. They could afford to waste no
time. Throughout the day, Ryn sent him feelings of encouragement and hope,
which Jace did his best to return in kind. He didn't know how Ryn stayed so
optimistic while trapped aboard his own ship.
       It took most of the day, but eventually Jace was satisfied that the
two Taigari had learned all that they were likely to retain. It was the
pinnacle of slapdash preparation, but they were racing the clock and
working with what they had. Radiance only had just over a day's worth of
power left to maintain the shield.
       Jace instructed the two warriors to return to their tents and try to
get some sleep. They would be up before the sun and Jace was beginning to
feel he exhaustion of a near sleepless night. He wasn't sure he would be
able to sleep that night either however.
       Slipping out of his jumpsuit and onto the large cushions that were
used for beds, he closed his eyes and tried to silence his mind. Tomorrow
would be the day. One way or another, they would know whether or not the
planet could be liberated. Of course, Jace might not be alive to see it. He
desperately wished Ryn was there.
       "I am here." Ryn reminded him softly from afar.
       "I know." Jace spoke out loud, just to have something to break the
silence. "But you know what I mean. I wish I could hold you." The thoughts
of what might happen if he failed assaulted his mind. "One more time."
       "Do not say that." Ryn scolded. "You are prepared. You have done
everything you can."
       "But what if it's not enough?" Jace moaned.
       "It will be enough." Ryn asserted.
       "I wish we stayed back on our tropical moon." Jace lamented. "Strong
drinks and cool waves and you in that tight bathing suit you've got..."
       Jace could feel Ryn's eyeroll.
       "It is the responsibility of the strong to stand up for the weak."
Ryn told him. "The Taigari need us. And right now, they need you. You will
do great things tomorrow."
       Letting out a long sigh and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "We can
only hope. At this rate I'll be lucky if I don't fall asleep when we get to
the hub."
       "Just relax." Ryn told him.
       "What do you think I'm trying to do?" Jace asked with a hint of
annoyance. Then to his surprise, he felt his limbs begin to lose the
restless jumpiness that had permeated them since the training. Ryn deftly
moved through his mind, pressing all the right buttons.
       "Sleep, Jace." Ryn's voice whispered in his ear, so real Jace almost
would have believed that Ryn was standing right next to him.
       Suddenly, another sound was layered over Ryn's voice. The sound of a
memory. Jace's memory that Ryn had brought forth as if they were watching
home movies together. It was a memory from Jace's time aboard the Luminous
Hand, when Ryn had shown him just how the Harmonious Light synchronized
their AI. Ryn's pure singing voice washed over Jace in the familiar melody
from his childhood. Then the harmonies from the other navigators, and then
from the anima themselves. It had been a truly beautiful moment. Jace
sighed again, this time in contentment as the power of this memory eroded
all his fears and worry.
       "I love you, Jace." Ryn's whisper was nearly lost in the sound of
the singing as Jace's mind tipped toward sleep.
       Jace did his best to echo the sentiment but found that he was
already slipping into a trance. With the last of his energy, he pushed all
of his loving feelings and care, the likes of which he had never felt for
another person, toward Ryn before he drifted away to sleep.