Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019 12:52:19 -0400
From: Purple Jubliee <purplejubilee17@gmail.com>
Subject: The Rogue Archon: Chapter 8

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The Rogue Archon: Chapter 8

       The first thing Jace noticed as he hid behind one of the terminals
was the eerie silence. The constant wailing alarm had ceased the moment the
lights shut off. The Sirsh'th had halted their barrage after they realized
they could no longer see their prey. This left the entire room in near
complete stillness. Jace heard the creatures at the entrance grumbling what
he guessed were curses before the room was suddenly partially illuminated
by bright spotlights.
	Wasting no time, Jace poked his head out to take a shot at the
probing lights. A cry went up as one of the Sirsh'th fell, and immediately
his companions opened fire. Jace had not waited that long however. The
moment his shot was away, he had dived back into cover and scrambled along
to a new spot farther into the room.
	He had no idea if he had been successful or not. Obviously,
something had caused the lights to go out, but whether it had been Calae,
or a simple failsafe to attempt to block the intrusion Jace did not know.
	It seemed that Dallo had done his job well when it came to thinning
their numbers. As Jace struggled to keep his breathing quiet, he counted
the lights that were scanning the dark room. Only four.
	Their lights gave him a bit of an advantage. He could see exactly
where they were, while they would only know if they shined their light on
him. Risking another shot, he heard it connect, but it must have not been a
direct hit. Almost instantly the air around him was filled with white hot
plasma as he scurried away to a new position.
	Suddenly, the room was bathed in a pale light as one of the
monitors where the Sirsh'th were beginning their probe turned on, blaring
loud static into the silent room. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jace
popped up and dropped two of his foes before they could react. This time
however, his getaway was not quite so clean. A bolt of plasma slammed into
his hand that held his pistol, superheating both the weapon and his
jumpsuit. Jace screamed in pain as he felt the direct hit searing his
flesh.
	Falling backwards, he heard loud thumping footsteps as the
remaining two Sirsh'th rushed forward to finish the job. His instinctive
fear and the acute pain of his damaged hand drove Jace to action. He rolled
underneath one of the terminals, leaving his now useless weapon behind,
then began to crawl.
	Another screen lit up on the opposite side of the room from Jace,
causing one of the Sirsh'th to shoot at it in surprise. It was only then
that Jace realized that this had to be Calae, inside the system. That gave
him an idea. Carefully raising himself to a crouched position and cradling
his injury close to his chest, Jace darted to the next row of computers. It
seemed they did not notice him move that time, still distracted by the now
destroyed monitor.
	Jace pulled out the last of the heat grenades that had been in the
care package and armed it. If they were going to get him, he wasn't going
alone. He really hoped that Calae was actually in their system, or else
this might be a suicide mission.
	Taking several rapid breaths, Jace planted his feet carefully in a
runner's stance. Sparing one last look at the creatures who had started
scanning the room for him once more, Jace launched himself from his hiding
spot and began sprinting for the exit. A cry went up from the Sirsh'th and
the bolts started to fly. Jace felt one hit one of the plates on his side,
nearly stumbling him, but he kept running. Another bolt hit his thigh and
Jace felt the agonizing searing once more. Knowing his leg was not going to
support much more after a hit like that, Jace threw himself forward toward
the open door, just barely clearing it and dropping the grenade behind him.
	The moment he was through, the door slammed shut behind
him. Seconds later, Jace heard the powerful explosion and saw the sturdy
door bow outwards as everything inside was obliterated.
	Breathing hard, Jace took a moment to get his bearings. The hallway
was dark save for dim emergency lights running the length of the corridor
but providing no real illumination. Despite the pain from his injuries,
Jace heaved a sigh of relief, letting himself sprawl across the floor not
caring that he lay next to the corpses of slain Sirsh'th from Dallo's
heroic last stand.


	"Archon Embara." Calae's voice roused Ryn gradually. He still felt
very weak from his intervention with Jace. Moaning softly, he looked around
at the inside of Radiance that had been his prison for the past few
days. All the lights were off, but that was nothing new. All non-essential
functions had been shut down to save the power for the shields.
 	His head spun as he tried to focus his mind. In times like this, he
allowed his training to take over. The tiny pieces of all the Archons
before him that gave him wisdom beyond his years also strengthened him when
he needed it.
	"What is it, Calae?" He asked weakly. Ryn knew that her
determination to wake him could mean only one of two things. Success, or
failure.
	"Ambassador Maron has uploaded my data into the Sirsh'th systems."
	A smile spread across Ryn's face. He knew all along that Jace could
do it. Calae continued before Ryn could say anything though.
	"In the process, he needed to destroy most of the terminal hub from
which he made the upload. This has slowed my progress in infiltrating their
networks."
	The smile faded. "I see. What does that mean, Calae?"
	Calae did not respond right away. "Archon Embara, Radiance is no
longer being shielded. It is likely a matter of a short time until the
Sirsh'th realize this. It will take me some time to work through all of
their networks and connect to their ship."
	Ryn sighed and slumped back in his chair. "So... it was all for
nothing then." His voice was dejected but not despairing. He had resigned
himself to the will of the Light when Radiance had first been captured.
	"I am sorry, Archon." Calae's voice did not often carry emotion,
but Ryn knew that his long-time artificially intelligent friend was feeling
a very real pain.
	"You did your best, Calae. We all did." He sighed again before
pushing himself wearily to his feet. "We shall see if they will accept my
surrender. Please tell Jace to get to safety if he can. Should the Sirsh'th
decide to..." Ryn swallowed a lump in his throat and removed the psionic
relay he wore. "It will be a difficult time for him."
	A surge of emotion coursed through Ryn as he thought of what Jace
would go through if things went the way he expected them to. It brought
back horrifying and painful flashbacks to the moment that Archon Felan had
died. Yarra had been Ryn's first love. They had sworn themselves together
in duty to the Light, but it had been more than that.
	The bond that the two Archons shared had been as close as Ryn's
bond with Jace. Their training together had culminated in romantic and
physical intimacy that connected them far more deeply than most beings
experienced. This was especially true because they both shared the ancient
knowledge. Even before they had discovered their mutual attraction, their
lives had been destined to be intertwined.
	Not a day passed where Ryn did not mourn the loss of Yarra, his
first soul mate, who had taught him how to love at such a young age. Yet
not an hour passed where Ryn did not thank the Light for Jace, whose
seemingly contradictory cynical optimism never failed to make Ryn smile;
and whose fierce protectiveness always made Ryn, a powerful Archon of the
strongest civilization in the galaxy, feel safe and secure like a warm
blanket. Jace had taught him so many things that he could never have
learned from his teachers within the Harmonious Light.
	With one final sigh, Ryn pressed the button to open the airlock and
waited to step out into the enemy ship.

	Jace limped around a corner just as a large group of Sirsh'th
rushed past. He was in no condition to fight. Staying hidden was his only
option. The base was still dark but was swarming with Sirsh'th with
spotlights. Jace hoped that the creatures would assume he had died in the
terminal room explosion.
	Fighting back the pain, Jace continued in what he hoped was the
direction of the exit. He was no doctor, but he knew that his injuries this
time would likely take more than a little medical gel to heal. Not to
mention, he had used most of it on patching the cord.
	It was obvious that Calae had made it into the system, but he had
not heard from her at all in some time. Just as he was beginning to worry
about her absence however, Calae's voice came through his helmet.
	"Ambassador Marron, you need to get out of the facility as quickly
as possible."
	"Really?" Jace grunted in pain. "I thought I'd stick around for a
while and see the sights."
	"This is not the time for sarcasm, Ambassador." Calae reprimanded,
catching Jace off guard.
	"Lighten up, will you? I'm the one shot full of holes after all."
Jace commented, limping his way down the hall. Calae rarely overtly
displayed an attitude so her brisk response made Jace worry. "Is something
wrong? You're in their system, aren't you?"
	"I am." Came Calae's simple response.
	"But...?" Jace prompted. "There's something you're not telling me."
	After a long pause, Calae informed Jace of the situation and of
Ryn's decision to surrender himself.
	"No..." Jace shook his head in protest. "He can't do that. They'll
kill him. We're so close. Tell him to stop!"
	"It is too late, Ambassador." Calae told him regretfully. "The
shield is down. There is nothing more to be done."
	"Launch the ship anyway!" Jace was practically shouting, he could
feel tears stinging his eyes as he continued down the corridor, and this
time not from the pain of his wounds. "Radiance can break through their
magnetic current. By the time they realize what happened, you'll be able to
take over their systems."
	"Ambassador, breaking the magnetic current forcibly would likely
cause significant damage to Radiance. The shuttle would be at great risk of
breaking apart."
	Jace slammed his fist against the wall then cried out in agony as
he foolishly agitated his injury. "There has to be some way!" Jace
demanded. "Think, Calae! Anything!"
	A loud pinging noise suddenly came from Jace's wrist link,
startling him severely and almost making him fall backward. Looking down at
the little monitor, he saw a strange green light blinking rapidly on and
off. Frowning curiously, Jace tapped a finger on the blinking light.

	As the ramp hissed open, Ryn mentally ran through what he would
have to say. He had never issued a formal surrender before, so only knew
the words from his studies. That was of course, if they didn't just kill
him outright.
	It took the Sirsh'th outside several seconds to realize what was
happening as Radiance slowly opened. The shuttle they had been working
unsuccessfully to crack round the clock was now simply opening for
them. Chattering urgently in their hissing, clicking language, the group of
more than a dozen of the creatures took up a formation around the small
craft in their docking bay. Their weapons were drawn and readied awaiting a
fight.
	One of the Light's many reasons for training their Archons so young
was their harmless appearance. Even highly hostile combatants were far less
likely to fire on what appeared to be an innocent child. This effect was
not lost on the Sirsh'th as Ryn descended he ramp slowly. Even to their
alien eyes, it was still obvious that Ryn was much younger than they had
expected.
	The Sirsh'th kept their guns trained however, and one of them
hissed something at Ryn that Ryn could not understand.
	"I wish to surrender myself, and my ship." Ryn spoke in the Taigari
language. "As an Archon of the Harmonious Light, I give myself up as a
prisoner of war."
	The Sirsh'th blinked their large eyes, looking at one another. None
of them seemed to understand what Ryn had said. The one that had spoken
first grunted louder and waved its gun menacingly.
	Ryn held his hands in the air, trying to appear
nonthreatening. After using so much of his influence to save Jace, Ryn
wasn't sure he would be able to stop it if this alien decided to put him
down.
	"Is there someone that I can communicated with?" He kept his voice
as steady as possible.
	Muttering quietly among themselves, the Sirsh'th didn't
move. Finally, the one in front growled angrily, lowering its weapon and
marching to the back of the ranks. The creature hauled one of its comrades
forward to the front before jabbering something to it.
	The new Sirsh'th's eyes narrowed as it stared at Ryn, still
pointing a gun at him.
	"What. You. Say?" It croaked out with much
effort. "Be. Slave. For. Sirsh'th?" It gestured with its
weapon. "Give. Ship?"
	Ryn sighed and his shoulders slumped. The idea of surrendering as a
"slave" was not appealing in the least. The Taigari had told them about the
harsh manual labor their captured kin were forced into. For a moment, Ryn
wondered if it might just be better to make a grab for the creature's gun
and let himself be ended right there. Then he thought of Jace and the
amount of agony he would go through if he felt their connection severed
like that.
	He was about to nod and accept his fate when suddenly a loud ping
came from his wrist link. The Sirsh'th growled in surprise and shouted to
each other in their language, all of them training their weapons on Ryn,
waiting for him to make a move. As Ryn saw the green light blinking on the
monitor, his luminous blue eyes went wide with shock. A tingle rolled over
him as stunned realization came to him.
	"Calae." Ryn switched back to a language he knew that the Sirsh'th
could not understand.
	"Yes, Archon?"
	Ryn squared his shoulders and lifted his head to meet the eyes of
his hostile captors. "How much of the Sirsh'th language have you gleaned
from their files?"
	"Enough, Archon." Calae assured.
	"Good." A hint of a smile touched Ryn's lips. "Translate for
me. And power up Radiance's light cannons."
	"Of course, Archon Embara."
	"Hear me now, Sirsh'th!" Ryn added his signature slight
reverberation to his voice and Calae spoke in the guttural hissing tones,
amplified through Radiance. "I am Archon Ryn Reynia Embara; servant of the
Harmonious Light. You have occupied an underdeveloped world and enslaved
its people. You have murdered thousands and irreparably shaped the future
of Terana with your avarice!"
	Calae repeated the words he spoke and the Sirsh'th that had first
spoken tried to cut him off, raising his weapon to shoot Ryn down where he
stood.
	Radiance's light cannons rolled out from its sleek hull and trained
on the group of Sirsh'th, making them collectively take a step back.
	"And..." Ryn raised his voice to project over the tumult and Calae
did the same. "You have now abducted an Archon of the Light! With the Light
as my witness, I judge the Sirsh'th to be guilty of war crimes that mandate
immediate intervention! You will surrender the planet and this ship, or you
will be destroyed."
	Ryn's ominous warning echoed around the docking bay as Calae
dutifully translated.
	"You cannot fire your weapons in here. It will destroy you too!"
Calae relayed the scornfully shouted message from the Sirsh'th soldier.
	Suddenly, an alarm began to blare and a Sirsh'th voice came over
the intercom, causing a fractional distraction. Ryn did not need Calae to
translate. He knew what the alarm was about. Taking advantage of the
Sirsh'th confusion, Ryn pressed a button on his wrist link as he dove
backward onto Radiance's ramp. It immediately snapped closed as the
gathered Sirsh'th began peppering Radiance's elegant hull with bolts of
plasma.
	"Launch us now! Break the magnet!" Ryn ordered, and Radiance surged
to life at his command.

	When Jace pressed the flashing green button on his wrist link, a
voice came through, mixed with intermittent static.
	"...Archon Embara... of the... Light... call... orbiting
pattern..." The male voice was choppy and impossible to make out.
	"Calae..." Jace was feeling cautious hope building within him. "Who
is that? Can you clean this up?"
	"Connecting you to the Sirsh'th communications relay." Calae
confirmed. Several seconds later, a clear elderly voice sounded through
Jace's wrist link.
	"Hail, Archon Embara, the Light shines on you. This is Aveden
Kossra, Light-Father of the Song of Rapture. The Light heeds your call.
Falling into orbiting pattern at Terana."