Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📕

the prison camp, and that was where he and the Ren’mak now stood looking across a barren desert to three large cylindrical buildings butting up against one another.

That is what they had built to keep the Neofan in and contained, and inside was the Maverick that had successfully kept them here without any breakouts.

“You are nervous,” the Ren’mak said. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“I would like to head another direction and disappear in this Temple with you, but I have a duty I must uphold, and no one else can take my place. You can stay here, though, and wait for me. I can have the Caretakers programmed to supply you with all the food you need.”

“You trained me to fight with you. I will do so. Afterwards we can explore.”

“There won’t be an afterwards, my friend. The Neofan will not learn quickly, and I will have to handle everything myself for a very, very long time. We will not be able to escape to the forests again.”

“If you lead, you choose. How can they give you orders?”

“It’s not about orders. It’s about the work that needs done. I am the only one who can do it.”

“You tell them, they not tell you. You are their current now.”

“I have to be,” Plausious said reluctantly, for he truly did not want to see another Neofan again for the rest of his life. This was going backwards, not forwards, and he didn’t like dragging the Ren’mak into this despite the danger.

“No you don’t.”

Plausious sighed. “If I don’t do this, Star Force may be overrun by enemies in the distant future, and those enemies will come and find us wherever we are and try to kill us. I would rather help Star Force fight them now, using the Neofan, than let the galaxy fall and try to survive in it.”

“You command the Hadarak now.”

“There are enemies worse than the Hadarak out there, and we are already behind on time.”

“You fear they will make you them.”

“I do, in some ways.”

“Then don’t let them. Make them do it your way.”

“Keep reminding me of that occasionally. I’ve got a lot of old habits that are going to try and reassert themselves, and I may slip a little too far into them before I have a chance to destroy them.”

“I will remember for you.”

“Time to go then,” he said, stepping across the short platform in the natural building that held the portal and slowly floating into the air as the Ren’mak hopped off his shoulder and flew beside him.

Plausious used the comm gear in the armor Davis had constructed for him to signal ahead so any perimeter defenses wouldn’t shoot them down as they approached, but Lord Ver’nan had taken care of it as the prison indicated they were already cleared to approach.

They flew up to the roof landing pads rather than the surface entrances, but when he set foot on the Star Force construction the Trinx was not here. He was told by her subordinates that she was currently in a training session and was not to be interrupted.

When he informed them that Director Davis had sent him here with orders to remove all the Neofan, they agreed to take him to Jasmyn…but they would not interrupt her. However, they would let him do it.

They gave him access to the Archon sanctum in the prison where the elite staff would train, but did not go in themselves, saying they were not allowed to. Plausious did not care, and walked in already sensing 6 individuals in the various sections of the large facility.

As the doors shut behind him he found a data terminal and interfaced his armor with it, gaining access to the surveillance equipment and identified who each of the people were. Two were Archons, the other four were Mavericks, and only one was Trinx.

With Jasmyn’s location now determined, Plausious walked through the lengthy corridors past numerous specific training chambers he could only guess at. Far more than had been on the cargo ship he had rode here on, though he could feel some of them were designed for Essence use.

The one he eventually stopped at was not, and the doors opened to an area set for sparring matches…with the Trinx being here alone and fighting against a series of ball-like drones with the wrist-mounted energy swords Star Force seemed to inordinately favor over more efficient ranged weaponry.

The Trinx either didn’t notice him arrive or ignored him as she slashed in a furry at the fast moving orbs that worked to keep her just out of reach as they peppered her with small energy blasts...some of which she was able to absorb on the thin green blade, but most hit her and seemed to slow her movements somewhat, suggesting a stun charge given the lack of bleeding.

Plausious felt an Essence rush from her, and suddenly all of the drones moved towards her at the same time as if pulled, then with a quick series of combos she cleaved all of them with the pieces clattering to the floor as she spun around and stared at him angrily.

“Who let you in here?”

“I am Reignor Plausious,” he identified.

“I know who you are. Why are you in here?”

“Because I have no time to waste, and neither does Star Force. Your training can wait.”

The Maverick raised a hand towards Plausious, gave him a moment to register the Essence build up, then she released it at him. It was unrefined and meant to push him over, but he easily countered it with his own and began to shove the flow back towards her.

But then his progress stopped as her intensity level increased along with a mocking smirk as she dropped all pretense and nearly knocked him over.

The Reignor shoved the Ren’mak