Jayce picked up his communicator and called Cipher directly.
Actually, he'd always had Cipher's contact information, but all this time he just hadn't known how to face him, so he'd never reached out. Their past disagreements had created a barrier he hadn't known how to cross.
But today, he had no choice.
He opened the window of his laboratory and looked down at Piltover, now in complete chaos because Zaun had declared war. His heart was breaking as he watched his city.
This was his home. He couldn't let anyone destroy it. Not anyone.
Beep.
The line connected. He ran his hands through his hair frantically and immediately launched into a barrage of questions.
"Cipher, what the hell are you doing?"
"Wasn't the situation between us working fine? Why declare war now?"
"The oppression and exploitation of workers in Piltover is already being fixed! Just a few days ago Caitlyn and I resolved several major incidents, you've got to give us time, I need more time!"
After a long pause, a voice he hadn't expected came from the other end: "Jayce."
"Viktor?" Jayce's eyes lit up. "Viktor, please, help me talk sense into him! Call off this declaration of war. We've worked so hard for peace between our cities, what is all this madness about?"
"Jayce, listen to me carefully."
Viktor completely ignored Jayce's emotional plea.
"This declaration of war is not actually directed at Piltover itself."
"But that makes no sense!" Jayce said. "If you're not targeting Piltover, then what's the point? Tell me—"
"This is necessary," Viktor cut him off firmly.
"Viktor, what have you gotten yourselves into?"
"What we've gotten ourselves into? Did you think Piltover's wealth came without strings attached?"
"That's..." Jayce started, but the words died in his throat.
"We will not launch any attacks on your city or its people. The condition is simple: you must keep your council under control. Do not authorize any aggressive actions against us, otherwise a real war will become unavoidable. Can you do that?"
"I can try, but damn it, Viktor, they're already in emergency session. They're terrified. When they—"
"Then you'd better be very persuasive. Because if Piltover attacks us, we won't be able to hold back our response."
"Wait, Viktor, I don't understand—"
Before Jayce could finish his question, Viktor ended the call abruptly.
He was left standing alone by his laboratory window, cold wind whipping his face, completely bewildered by the conversation.
Wooo... Wooo... Wooo...
Suddenly, piercing air raid sirens began wailing from Zaun's direction. He quickly grabbed a telescope to observe what was happening.
Jayce watched as the rooftops of Zaun's tallest buildings opened like flowers, revealing swarms of drones and all kinds of bizarre, flying machines rising into the sky, heading directly toward Piltover's airspace.
He also spotted several particularly large rooftop platforms launching manned aircraft of unconventional design, likewise flying toward his city with obvious purpose.
On those same rooftops, massive anti-aircraft cannons were being raised into firing position, thick, menacing black barrels that clearly packed serious firepower and were built for sustained bombardment.
"Shit, when did Zaun develop such advanced aircraft? And those cannons look like they could level city blocks."
Cursing under his breath, he pulled out his communicator and contacted Sheriff Grayson directly.
"Sheriff, don't activate full war protocols yet. Get me an airship ready. I'm going to negotiate with them personally."
"Isn't that extremely dangerous, Councilor Talis? This time Zaun... they don't look like they're bluffing about anything." Grayson's worried voice came through the device.
"Trust me on this," Jayce said firmly. "Besides, our current defense systems are completely outmatched. We can't intercept their aircraft even if we wanted to."
Even from that brief glimpse through his telescope, he understood the gap all too clearly. The defense network he had helped design never considered the possibility of large-scale aerial assault.
Only the secret weapon he'd been developing in private, the Hextech Dragon, possessed genuine air combat capabilities that could match what Zaun was displaying.
His eyes drifted toward the back of his laboratory, where a fully tested, combat-ready Hextech Dragon waited under heavy canvas coverings.
But he forced himself to look away. The Dragon's destructive power was immense, once deployed in anger, it would inevitably escalate into a full war between the Piltover and Zaun.
Even so, he chose to put his faith in Viktor's words. Unless there was no other option, he couldn't be the one to fire the first shot. He had to try diplomacy first, however slim the odds might be.
With both Viktor and Heimerdinger rooted in Zaun, and with his own history with Cipher not entirely hostile, he told himself the talks shouldn't put his life in real danger. At least, that was the hope he clung to.
For Piltover's sake, I have to try. Someone needs to be the voice of reason.
"I understand your position. But you should know, war authority isn't mine alone, it requires a council vote. At best, you've got an hour, maybe two, before they make their decision."
Sheriff Grayson tactfully reminded Jayce that his window for diplomatic solutions was extremely limited.
If he couldn't resolve this crisis quickly, the council would inevitably vote to activate Piltover's full military response.
"That'll have to be enough. Thank you."
Jayce expressed his gratitude, knowing that if the problem couldn't be solved within two hours, it probably couldn't be solved at all through talking.
He secured his laboratory and headed for the rooftop to wait for the airship Grayson was arranging.
The situation was urgent, and the Sheriff's preparations were swift. He didn't have to wait long before an aircraft approached his building.
But its pilot caught him completely off guard.
"Caitlyn? You're coming with me to Zaun?"
Seeing his childhood friend at the controls brought him a moment of relief.
"Get in quickly. We don't have time to waste standing around."
Caitlyn kept her focus on the aircraft controls and tossed down a rope ladder without looking at him directly.
Jayce climbed aboard, glancing nervously at her Hextech rifle strapped to her back. They were supposed to be going to Zaun to negotiate peace, not to start a firefight.
Bringing weapons might send the wrong message entirely. If violence broke out, ten Hextech rifles wouldn't be enough to guarantee their escape anyway.
He wanted to mention this concern, but Caitlyn gave him no opportunity for discussion. She immediately steered the airship toward Zaun's most recognizable landmark, The Last Drop.
Poor Jayce, being played like a fiddle, still completely unaware that his childhood friend had already chosen her side in this conflict.
---
In an elegant apartment elsewhere in the city, Ambessa and Mel sat with Cassandra, raising glasses of wine as they watched the small airship disappear toward Zaun's territory.
"Our impulsive young councilor really can't help himself, can he? Didn't even think to consult with anyone before charging off to play hero."
Ambessa swirled her glass of dark Noxian wine. She preferred the bold, full-bodied wines of her homeland, strong flavors that matched her personality.
"Mother, Jayce has grown since we first met him. You can't expect someone to master science, politics, and military strategy all at once."
Mel felt compelled to defend Jayce, knowing her mother disapproved of his tendency toward reckless, emotional decisions.
"Young people are naturally inclined toward dramatic gestures. Caitlyn shows the same traits. They both need time and experience to develop proper judgment."
Cassandra agreed with Mel's assessment while sipping her preferred Piltovan vintage, refined and subtle, matching her tastes.
Ambessa didn't pursue the argument further. For those who had lived their entire lives in Piltover's comfortable bubble, it was difficult to understand the harsh realities that shaped Noxian thinking.
In Noxus, mistakes in judgment meant failure, sometimes death. But in Piltover, errors were treated with much more tolerance and second chances.
"Come, we should head to the council chambers now. I believe you'll find the little performance I've arranged quite entertaining."
Ambessa finished her wine and stood to leave.
The night before, she had discreetly contacted two councilors who maintained close ties with the House Medarda, arranging for them to create useful complications during the emergency session, enough chaos to create problems for the Noxian naval force that would soon arrive.
"We should go as well. The other councilors have been demanding that we begin the emergency session."
Mel shrugged. Her mother kept so many things hidden from her; she never truly understood all of her plans.
Still, for now, those hidden plans didn't seem to be working against her interests.
---
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