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

but continue fighting and killing those loyal to me, and I cannot guarantee you will live to see capture.”

“To the Vargemma, I know you are confused now. Never before have the Neofan conflicted each other, but know this. I am the true Reignor of House Atriark, and those that called upon you to war against Star Force and your own brothers here in the Temple are traitors. I will not execute you either if you surrender now. Much wrong has been done in the past, and my focus is on the future. Choose now to embrace my rule and you will be absolved for past actions.”

“I need those who are loyal to secure all infrastructure within this Temple and block usage of it. I want everything locked down until I can remove the disloyal. Do not attack the Neofan if you have a choice, for the Caretakers will target you in response. I have not yet had a chance to reprogram them. But you can block portals, seize transports, and communicate to help identify where the pockets of resistance are. I call upon you to do this so we can secure this Temple in as efficient a manner as possible.”

“Also know this. I am not at war with Star Force, and I come here with the understanding that my rule is not opposed by Star Force. I am allies and friends with their leader, Director Davis, and once I resume full possession of House Atriark, the war is immediately over. We have far bigger ones to fight in the future, and I will require your assistance to do so. You were promised a grand war against the Hadarak one day, and that war has already begun. Star Force is winning it, and many of your brethren are fighting with them, but a larger war is coming, and if we do not go to it, it will come here, inside the Temples, and fight you in your homes.”

“You have been given a great gift by being placed inside this Temple, and those of you who came from the outside remember this. Those who were born here do not fully understand, but you were told you owed us your servitude. I am not commanding you to help me. I am asking you to choose to help me. I will provide the leadership you have been lacking, and should have had long ago. I admit the Neofan have not lived up to the promises made to you, but with my return that is changing, for I have been changed. I was betrayed by my own people and left to die alone on a Hadarak world. I survived and have seen the failings in my past, and within our race. I have also seen the future, and if the Neofan do not change our race will be destroyed and the Temples with us.”

“Your fate and ours are now linked, and I ask for your loyalty. Not blind loyalty. Not loyalty coerced or leveraged. If you do not choose to follow me, continue making your daily Essence donations and nothing more will be required of you to continue living here. But for those of you who desire more, now is the time. I cannot secure this Temple without your help. There are too few Neofan, and too much work to be done. I do not know how many traitors there are within the Temple, but they must be found out and captured…not killed. Whether they be Neofan or Vargemma, do not kill them except in self-defense. We must preserve as much of our strength as possible, and the actions we take in the next few moments will be very costly if not taken wisely.”

“So travel to the infrastructure, secure it, and report to the Gjardan fleet where you are and who you are loyal to. We will offer further direction from here until we can secure the Neofan cities.”

“On a personal note, I want to offer my apologies for failing you in the past. You deserved better than you were treated, and you saw that under Star Force’s rule. Then you foolishly betrayed them at our order. That order should never have been given. A lot of things should never have happened. I cannot change the past, but I can change the future, and the mistakes of the past will not be repeated while I am Reignor. I swear this to you…”

Truven had sent many Overseers to this Temple to ensure the loyalty of his military Commanders especially, but also other elements of the Neofan population that were moved here to rule this Temple. They heard Plausious’s plea to the Vargemma and were nauseated to discover he had captured all of the Gjardans. But what they discovered over the next few days was that his speech to the Vargemma was immensely successful. They began disobeying the Neofan through peaceful resistance, and many of them were killed for that absurdity, but there were not enough faithful Neofan left here to deal with their insurrection.

And what was even worse was the capitulation of most of the Neofan population. Less than 10% remained loyal to Truven and the Diem, and they were being overwhelmed in battle by the others or surrendering without converting.

Amongst the Temple leadership there was one individual placed here by Truven that held ultimate command…without the others knowing it. He was simply referred to as the Hand of the Reignor by those few who knew of his existence, and only the Overseers were aware of his presence.

They were the first to be rounded up, aside from those who had fled and were in hiding…but the Vargemma were identifying their positions and reporting them to Plausious’s strike teams, with the number of free Truven loyalists being reduced to almost none.

The Hand of the Reignor was one of those left, and along with a small team of others they quietly made their way through the