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The Rogue Archon: Chapter 5
"Maybe next time I will control you." Ryn told Jace as he dressed in the morning.
From his position on their mattress, Jace watched his love carefully, never wanting to miss a moment when Ryn was changing. He chuckled noncommittedly at the comment. It was not the first time Ryn had brought it up.
Usually, when it came to the bedroom, it was very clear which one of the two of them was in charge. Recently though, Ryn had been dropping small hints like that one that suggested he was curious about trying some new things. Although he would never say so out loud, Jace found this to be a little intimidating. From a very young age, he had cultivated a self-image centering around things traditionally masculine. He played sports, he repaired cars and engines, and he brought home women. Jace loved Ryn more than anyone he had ever known, and that fact alone had taken some time to come to terms with. The idea of changing their sexual power dynamic, even once in a while, was one that if Jace was honest with himself, scared him.
Reading Jace's mood easily, Ryn looked over his still bare shoulder with a sly smile. His hair obscured part of his face, but it was not hard to tell that he was enjoying Jace's discomfort.
"You probably would like it." Ryn told him. "You know that I do."
"That's different..." Jace struggled to put into words exactly how it was different.
"Why?" Ryn leaned over him to kiss his jawline. "Because you are a big strong man and I am just a poor defenseless boy that you must protect?"
Jace put his arm around Ryn and clasped him tightly. "Exactly." He stole a quick kiss while he had his lover pinned.
With the same cheeky look, Ryn closed his eyes briefly. Suddenly, Jace felt the arm that was locking Ryn in place go entirely numb. Then, as easily as parting a curtain, Ryn released himself from what had formerly been an iron grip around his waist. Immediately, the feeling returned to Jace's arm and he shook it out while giving Ryn an annoyed look.
"You forget that I am not quite so helpless." Ryn teased, offering Jace a hand off the mattress.
Rolling his eyes, Jace stood to get dressed as well. "Maybe we should talk about it tonight after we've handed those Red Demons their own asses."
Torun and around a dozen other riders offered to take Ryn and Jace out to the closest known compound controlled by the invaders. There was some discussion about whether or not they should just fly in, but Ryn made the point that they did not want to attract too much attention right away. Calae would follow them from a distance and be ready to swoop in if things went poorly.
"So, we're going to just ride up to the gates and say hello?" Jace queried.
"Well, we may have to knock first." Was Ryn's cheeky reply.
"How do you know they won't just shoot us on sight?"
Pointing to the wrist link he wore and the one attached to Jace's jumpsuit, Ryn replied, "There are small field emitters here that between the two of us should be enough to keep us protected until Calae can reinforce us." Sensing Jace's unease, he spoke more quietly, even though none of the Taigari could understand what he was saying. "I wish that we had a better plan." He admitted. "But we are alone. A show of force and confidence is all that we have."
Grumbling an acknowledgement, Jace climbed up on the back of one of the beasts the Taigari rode. He wore the same jumpsuit from yesterday, but Ryn had opted for more professional diplomatic attire, having picked out one of his high-collared robes with an ornate hood that was fixed in place.
The journey was tense and silent. The Taigari warriors no doubt viewed this mission as a test of their faith. All who had gone against these creatures before had died. Now they rode towards them with nothing but the assurances of two strangers.
The smog was the first thing to come into view as they neared the compound. A thick dark cloud of it hung in the air, disrupting the clear blue of the desert sky.
"Their fires burn thick and dark." Torun told them. "Always marking the sky. Taunting the gods."
As they came close enough to see the compound itself, it became immediately clear to Jace that it was a mining and smelting facility. Although the equipment he could see was not familiar to him, his experience as an engineer allowed him to recognize the function of much of it.
They stopped as they came just outside the reliable range of most firearms and waited. This was the part Jace hated the most. It was impossible to tell if the sentinels in the hastily constructed guard towers had seen them or not. For all they knew, they could be sending word for someone to come down on them from behind. Not for the first time, Jace checked his weapon to be sure it was within easy reach and fully charged.
Suddenly, with a grating sound that could be heard even from a distance, the scrap-metal gate of the compound swung slowly open. Jace counted six figures moving in formation out of the gate. They were too far away to make out any discerning features, even from where he was, Jace could tell that they were big.
The Taigari stirred restlessly as they watched the demons slowly moving toward them. They made no attempt to hurry, which Jace found both frustrating and a bit relieving. If the invaders were bent on capturing or killing them, then Jace thought there would likely be more urgency in their advance.
"Oh god... what are they?" Jace murmured as the creatures came close enough to see more clearly. Ryn did not answer but simply shook his head.
The Red Demons were called such because they wore what appeared to be thick red-painted metal exosuits that encased almost their entire bodies. It was impossible to tell how much of their considerable bulk and height was the suit and how much of it was the creature underneath. The smallest of them stood just under a foot taller than Jace. Only their heads were free of the armors, but parts of their faces were obscured by heavy breathing filters that were connected to the suits.
From what Jace could see of the heads of these creatures, they looked almost amphibian, with smooth mottled skin and no hair to be seen. Their eyes were wideset and blinked with two lids instead of one. There was no doubt in Jace's mind that this was some race of creature that had never been seen before.
All six of the large beings carried what was instantly recognizable as some form of heavy rifle. Jace's own small pistol felt puny in comparison. The squad halted about twenty yards from the contingent of Taigari and leveled their weapons.
Jace had to admit, the Taigari warriors were the definition of fearless. They sat in their saddles unflinching, facing what could only be to them something straight from a nightmare. They were not far off of some nightmarish creation for Jace either.
"You!" One of the creatures called out. His speech was broken and imprecise. Obviously not very familiar with the Taigari language, and obviously not evolved for using it. "Come submit to Sirsh'th? New slaves?"
Calmly, Ryn slid down from his mount and Jace followed suit. He got a mild thrill of satisfaction when he saw several of these creatures look to one another in a wordless question. Obviously, they were accustomed to seeing the Taigari dressed in simple clothing, not the ornate finery of an Archon, or the sleek jumpsuits of the Light.
"Sirsh'th?" Ryn did an admirable job pronouncing the nearly unintelligible word. "That is what you call yourselves?" His voice carried its own echo, as if he were somehow repeating each word a fraction of a second after he began to speak it. Jace had heard him employ this effect before, but even so it sent a shiver down his spine.
The large creatures seemed displeased with this. They had come out expecting a simple surrender. Now they were being presented with multiple unknowns.
"Enough." The one that seemed to be the leader said after a span of silence. "Sirsh'th not speak inferior language. Submit for slaves or die."
Ryn, completely unphased by the creature's threats, took another few steps forward. "We are not slaves." He emphasized. "We are servants of the Light. You have violated the terms of the Varros Galactic Accord by occupying an underdeveloped planet."
Apparently, some of the Sirsh'th understood more of the Taigari language than they let on. It was hard to read expressions on their alien faces, especially when obscured by their breathing masks, but Jace thought he saw uncertainty creep into their wide frog-like eyes as Ryn spoke.
"I will speak with one who has the authority to negotiate with an Archon of the Light. Otherwise, the Sirsh'th will be labeled a threat to galactic stability and destroyed by the Holy Fleet." Ryn's confidence was inspiring. Even the Taigari warriors, who only partially understood what he was talking about, were emboldened by his speech.
The one that had spoken flicked its eyes from Jace to Ryn to the Taigari indecisively. Eventually it let out a long hissing growl before speaking again. "No fleet! No negotiate! You lie!" The creature quickly brought up its weapon and aimed it at Ryn. Jace responded by instantly bringing his pistol to point directly at the creature's head.
The other five trained their weapons as well as the standoff continued. Jace's heart was pounding but he would have given anything to be able to see inside the minds of these creatures. Obviously, they were unsure, or else they would have fired already.
Ryn decided to break the stalemate. "Calae. Now please. Fast and low."
"Of course, Archon."
The same low-pitched humming from the night before filled the air only louder this time as Calae piloted Radiance with more speed and force, aiming to make an entrance. Almost immediately, the sleek silvery hull came into view as it rocketed across the sands. As it neared however, the shuttle turned on a dime to bring its broadside to bear toward the group of Sirsh'th.
The group of six was suitably cowed and retreated several paces, aiming their guns up at the shuttle and chattering intensely in a strange guttural hissing language. Not only did Radiance have a glimmering beauty that put their rough-looking exosuits to shame, but Calae had executed a turn that would have torn any Coalition ship in half at that speed, and this fact was not lost on the Sirsh'th.
Radiance only had two light cannons, but even one of them would easily be enough to destroy this small band within a fraction of a second. The Taigari hollered taunting war cries as the demons they had feared for so long were suddenly made to fear.
Before the situation could escalate any further, Ryn projected his voice over the chaos. "We seek a negotiation. You will bring this message to your superiors immediately. If in one planetary day I have not received communication from them, then a state of war will exist between the Sirsh'th and the Harmonious Light."
It was an ominous threat. One that Jace hoped Ryn had the authority to make. The Sirsh'th envoy recovered some of their composure but still eyed the looming craft warily. The leader gave that same growling hiss as he looked at Ryn with what could only be contempt.
"Is this understood?" Ryn's voice rose and one of Radiance's light cannons swiveled to point at the six large figures.
Again, the six creatures retreated several steps. One of them slapped the speaker on the shoulder, jabbering in their native language, which earned him a roared response from the irate front man. Eventually, the leader turned back to Ryn to once more fix him with a hateful stare. Giving one more aggressive hiss, he backed down several steps before turning away. With a shouted order, he and the other five began to troop back towards the refinery.
The Taigari cheered wildly as the Sirsh'th retreated. After they had gone a fair distance, Ryn turned back to the warriors who were urging forward to mill around him, offering praising and exultation. Ryn simply smiled and waved off their gratitude. He knew as well as Jace that this was only the beginning.
In the hours following the confrontation, Ryn decided to have Radiance touch down, but remain in sight of the refinery as a silent intimidation. He urged Torun and his riders to return to their camp so they would remain safe, but the young Taigari was adamant that he and his men would stay by their side as long as necessary. It was touching to Jace, because they must have known that there was nothing they could do, yet still they stood ready to jump in front of a plasma bolt to protect Ryn or Jace.
Ryn stayed aboard the vessel, watching the monitors carefully and waiting for any sign that the Sirsh'th might be trying to reach out to them. Jace on the other hand, quickly grew bored with this. He alternated his time between trying to distract Ryn and lounging outside with the Taigari warriors making small talk. During the later of these, he found that, for such a serious people, the Taigari had an advanced dry sense of humor that was quite endearing.
As he was in the middle of relating one of the dirty jokes that he had learned being a mechanic for the Coalition, one that was certainly not suitable for a deity to be telling, he suddenly felt the ground lurch underneath him, throwing him from his feet.
The Taigari tried to gain their footing but failed as the earth shook violently. Jace looked up to see Radiance pulling away from the ground, but there was something wrong. For one, he knew Ryn would never try to launch Radiance with Jace and the Taigari so close; and two, the jerky movements that the shuttle made as it ascended were nothing like the usual fluid patterns it executed during takeoff.
As soon as he could stand, Jace began sprinting for the still extended launch ramp. Ryn suddenly appeared in the doorway to the airlock however. He gave Jace a warning look before punching the button to retract the ramp.
"Ryn!" Jace yelled. Although his voice was lost in the rumbling of the ship as it strained against the unexpected movement, he knew that his lover did not need to hear his voice in order to truly hear him.
"Say back, Jace." He felt Ryn's voice through their connection, infuriatingly calm. This was Ryn the Archon talking.
Radiance was too high up now for him to reach even if he chose to disregard Ryn's warnings. He helplessly watched it rise into the air, confusion and fear racing through him. The Taigari watched in confused silence, certain that this was something Ryn had intended to happen.
Jace's wrist link came to life with Calae's voice. "Ambassador Marron, the shuttle Radiance has been caught in a highly focused magnetic current likely originating from the ship orbiting the planet. I am copying part of my functionality onto your wrist link in order to maintain communication between you and Radiance at all times."
"Can't you break free somehow?" Jace asked.
"Trying to break the hold of the magnetic current could cause significant damage to Radiance and place Archon Embara in danger."
As Radiance moved higher and higher, Jace thought he saw something shoot out from the side. At first his heart leapt, thinking maybe it was an escape pod of some kind, but he remembered that Radiance was too small of a ship to have any such pods.
"Archon Embara has dropped a package of items that will help you during what is to come, as well as assist you with communication. I will help you to locate it when it lands."
"'What is to come'... What do you mean!?" Jace demanded. Radiance was almost out of sight now. Just a tiny dot in the wide-open blue. He could feel his connection with Ryn still, but it was faint; just enough to know that his lover was still alive. "We have to get him back." Even as he said it, he had no idea how to execute that plan. He was stranded on a primitive planet with a few hundred native warriors against an army of comparably advanced hostiles.
"Ambassador Marron, it is time for you to trust Archon Embara." Calae told him. "I will relay messages until you are able to reestablish communication."
Jace forced himself to take deep breaths. Ryn was good under pressure. He knew that there was no one with a better chance of making it out of this situation. What he had to do now was focus on keeping himself alive and finding a way to help Ryn. Panicking would not accomplish either of those.
"Alright... What am I supposed to do?" Jace asked eventually when he was able to calm himself a bit.
"Archon Embara suggests that you locate the drop he has sent for you as quickly as possible. Might I suggest dealing with this issue first however?" His wrist link lit up, pointing in the direction of the refinery.
Looking up, Jace again saw six large shapes moving across the sand toward them. This time though, they were moving at a run, and spread out in a more tactical formation. The Taigari noticed too and quickly took to their mounts.
"Holy One!" Torun called out worriedly. "Where has your companion gone with the one called Calae? The Demons approach once more!"
"Stay back!" Jace ordered. At the speed the Sirsh'th were moving in their exosuits, he was not sure that the Taigari, even mounted, would be able to outrun them. "Calae... this jumpsuit. How well would it stand up to their weapons?" As he asked this Jace engaged the helmet of his suit.
"Unfortunately, Ambassador, it is impossible to say. Your suit is designed mainly for environmental dangers and not combat. However, it is possible that it would protect you for a time."
Jace also recalled what Ryn said about field emitters in the wrist links. He hoped it would be enough. The Sirsh'th this time definitely did not look like they were in a talking mood. Hopefully they expected that both he and Ryn had been taken up inside Radiance and were planning a quick purge of the Taigari.
Taking his weapon from his side, Jace quickly scanned the surrounding area and came up with a plan. "Torun!" He called out. "Take your men east, as fast as you can go!"
Torun gave him a stubborn look. "Taigari do not run."
Jace could have hit him. He looked warily over his shoulder to see how close the enemy was. Not much time before they would clearly see what was going on.
"It's not running!" Jace insisted. "It's a strategy. It's the only way. Now do it!"
Torun looked like he was about to argue again, but the desperation and anger in Jace's voice gave him pause. He looked at the dust being kicked up by the fast approaching Sirsh'th before giving a single reluctant nod. With a shouted order, he and his men turned their mounts and began galloping away from the oncoming troop.
Quickly, Jace darted to a nearby desert shrub and crouched behind it. It was not much cover, and with any serious look, one would easily see the dull glint of metal hiding behind the thin plant, but it was the best that Jace had, and he had to hope that the Sirsh'th would be too focused on catching up with the fleeing Taigari to notice.
"Would you like to engage this suit's camouflage?" Calae asked him casually.
"Camouflage? Why didn't you tell me there was camouflage?" Jace demanded icily.
"You did not ask."
Knowing better than to argue with Calae, Jace growled. "Yes. Of course."
All the mesh links of his suit suddenly shifted in hue to a reddish brown. Matching the color of the shrub that he hid behind. Once again, Jace thanked the technicians of the Harmonious Light for their seemingly miraculous inventions.
The Sirsh'th rushed past without even giving the bush a second glance. One even came so close that Jace was worried he might be stepped on. He let them go for a few yards before rising from his position and aiming his weapon at them. He did not even have time to worry about the morality of shooting someone in the back before he squeezed the trigger.
The power of the little weapon was impressive. Because it was a plasma bolt weapon there was very little recoil to it, but it tore through the exosuit of the rear-most hostile like it was made of paper. The creature let out a gurgling hissing cry as it toppled forward. Jace was able to bring down another of the six before the remainder realized what was happening.
"Calae, field emitter to full!" He dropped a third as the Sirsh'th opened fire on him with their heavy rifles. A transparent wall absorbed the deadly bolts about a foot in front of him and Jace sprinted forward while peppering his foes with white-hot plasma.
Another fell, leaving behind only two. Just as Jace was beginning to think he was in the clear, one of the bolts tore through the shield and whizzed by his head.
"Shielding power is drained." Calae informed him of what he already knew. Jace hoped desperately that his jumpsuit was strong enough to keep him alive.
He blasted down the second-to-last Sirsh'th just as the final one, Jace recognized him as the angry leader from earlier, leveled his rifle and blasted Jace from close range. Jace felt a searing pain in his shoulder as he leveled his weapon and discharged it right at the creature's head, which exploded upon impact.
Jace fell to his knees clutching his shoulder. Looking down he could see that the mesh from the jumpsuit was mangled badly, but to his infinite relief he saw no fried flesh or protruding bone. The bolt must have superheated the frame of the suit and burned his skin underneath. It would hurt like hell, but it was not a crippling injury.
Trying to ignore the smell and sound of sizzling flesh, he stood and flagged down Torun and his riders, while looking warily back at the refinery. It would hopefully be some time before they were able to mount another party to give chase.
When Torun and his men saw the carnage Jace had created, they looked at him with renewed respect. Torun helped Jace to mount when he saw that he was injured. As they galloped back toward the camp, Jace did his best to explain what had happened to Ryn in a way that Torun would understand. He was only partially successful, but he could tell that the young warrior understood the gravity of the situation.
"So, what do we do now, Holy one?" Torun asked with concern.
Jace gritted his teeth and paused before responding. "I only wish I knew."