Sons of Damas

Chapters

Heart of Machines
Camp Out
Training Days
Precursor: The Journey Begins
Precursor: Power
Precursor: Questing
Precursor: Beach
Precursor: Mists and Flames
Precursor: Stone and Time
Precursor: Answers
Precursor: Pony Perils
Precursor: The Citadel 1
Precursor: Robot
Dream Meanings
Light and Dark
Recovery and Adaption
Adjustments and Preparation
Haven: Rescue
Haven: Headaches
Haven: Sense
Haven: Odd Jobs
Haven: Arming 1
Haven: Arming 2
Haven: Rescuers
Haven: Relics
Haven: Isolation, part 1
Haven: Isolation, part 2
Haven: With Purpose
Haven: History
Haven: Days of Future Past
Haven: Revolution
Haven: Destruction
Haven: Liberation
Haven: Clean Sweep
Haven: Preparations
Haven: Inheritance
Haven: Prison Break
Haven: Laying Low
Haven: Race Against Time
Haven: The Calm
Haven: The Storm
Haven: The Reckoning
Haven: Rebuilding
Interlude: Relaxed Conversation
Interlude: Tense Conversations
Spargus: Plans Unfolding
Spargus: Bonds Rebuilding
Spargus: The Strong Survive
Spargus: Dark Inside
Spargus: Dark Under Control
Spargus: Second Trial
Spargus: Reach the Sky
Spargus: Beneath the Earth
Spargus: Light Inside
Spargus: Gladiators
Spargus: Agents
Spargus: Shadows
Spargus: Race Against Time
Spargus: Return to Haven
Spargus: Conference of War
Spargus: Into Enemy Territory
Spargus: Terra-Toxic
Spargus: Through the Woods
Spargus: Challenge Accepted
Spargus: Running Around
Spargus: Desert Battles
Spargus: Factory Attack
Spargus: Factory Falls
Spargus: Darkness Rising
Spargus: Turn it Back
Spargus: Circle
Spargus: Track
Spargus: End Game
Spargus: Ride Into the Danger Zone
Spargus: Monsters and Men
Spargus: The Circle of Life
Spargus: Into the Dark
Interlude: Recovery
Interlude: Changes
XCR: The Departure
XCR: The Racing
XCR: The Competition
XCR: The Report
XCR: The Plans
XCR: Advancement
XCR: The Ferocity
XCR: The Enemies
XCR: The Mystery
XCR: The Finale
XCR: The Agreement
Prelude to Journey
Brink: The Final Frontier
Brink: These Are the Voyages
Brink: Of the Ecoship Armor
Brink: Its Ongoing Mission
Brink: To Explore Strange New Cities
Brink: To Take On New Eco Forms
Brink: And Save Civilizations
Brink: To Boldly Go
Brink: Where No Pony
Brink: Has Gone Before
Brink: Through Fire and Flames
Brink: Da Boo Dee Da Boo Dai
Brink: Darker Yet Darker
Brink: Coming Into One's Own
Brink: Pieces of Fate
Brink: Challenge Accepted
Brink: Duel of Sages
Brink: Beyond the Horizon
Brink: The Core
Brink: A Whole New World
Return to Eden
Return to Elsewhere
Perfect Day, part 1
Perfect Day, part 2
Perfect Day, part 3
Perfect Day, part 4
Perfect Day, part 5
Perfect Day, part 6
Perfect Day, part final
Offending Shadows
Drowning Sorrows
Mending Fences
Tail's End
Dream Memories
Growing Friendship
Precursor: The Citadel 2
Haven: Reunion
Haven: Hammer and Shield
Spargus: Treasure Hunt
Spargus: Cleaning Up the Big City
Spargus: Holding Haven
XCR: The Reading
Interlude: Progress
Brink: Don't Know What to Say the Monkeys Won't Do

Heart of Machines

As Jak, Daxter, and Shining played together one autumn day, a question that had been bothering Daxter pushed to the fore of his mind. "Say Shining," he spoke up, "you talk to Samos more than just about anyone else, right?"

"Well, yeah," Shining replied. "It's these dreams I keep having...I want to learn enough to properly interpret them, if only to make them go away."

"Well, there's something about the way he acts that's been bugging me," Daxter pointed out. "You know how recently - ever since Gol and Maia left town - there's been a huge boom of interest in machines? Both the old Precursor stuff and anything new that can be developed?"

"We all noticed that," Jak pointed out, taking a seat nearby. "What's your point?"

"Well..." Daxter lay back in the grass, his eyes on the sky, gathering his thoughts. "Anytime just about anyone in town talks about putting more time or resources towards studying either Precursor tech or to developing new technology to harness Eco, Samos comes down on them like a ton of bricks, shouting about how those 'devilish machines' will tear the world apart, and that to do such things is disrespectful to the world the Precursors gave us, or something else like that...and the other Sages are in agreement with them."

"But?" Shining asked.

"The only exception is Keira," Daxter continued, "who, from what I can tell, Samos actively encourages to study and build new Eco machines, and to take apart any defunct Precursor tech she can find to learn how it works. The complete opposite of the stance he takes with everyone else...even though he grumbles about her interest in public." He shrugged. "Seems a bit strange, don'tcha think? It's the only time ever that Samos contradicts himself in anything."

"Well, the other Sages have talked about how Samos is the only one gifted with even the slightest touch of future sight," Shining pointed out. "It could well be that he knows that general use of such machines will prove dangerous...but Keira's knowledge of it will prove necessary."

"That's not why I think he does it," Jak pointed out with a smirk.

"Alright, leader boy," Daxter teased, poking fun at how Jak always took the lead in anything they did together. "If you're so smart, why is Samos encouraging Keira's interest in machines?"

"Hadn't you noticed?" Jak asked teasingly. "Ever since she started tinkering, she stopped cooking."

The entire group burst into laughter at that statement.

"I heard that!" Keira shouted out, her latest attempt at a combat walker sputtering and creaking under her as she marched towards them, leveling a paint launcher, the only type of weapon Samos would let her tinker with when she wasn't yet ten years old. "You're going to pay for that, Jak!" The launcher chugged for a time before launching numerous blasts of paint and water towards the three boys.

"Run!" Daxter shouted as the three took to their heels.

Once the trio had managed to escape Keira's rampage - rather easy since all three of them could run faster than the walker and Keira had to stop several times to get it working again - the trio collapsed to the ground, laughing together.

"Yeesh!" Daxter spat out once he caught his breath. "What got up her butt?"

"I dunno," Jak admitted. "I mean, she knows her cooking was terrible."

"Maybe it was you saying it that bugged her so much, bro," Shining offered. "Pretty sure she's sweet on you."

"Pssh!" Jak countered. "As if! You've seen how she snaps at me over things."

"You're the only one she snaps at over things," Daxter pointed out, smirking at the new tease game.

"Guys, stop making something out of it that isn't there!" Jak countered. "She's not even ten yet!"

"Samos was just telling me that girls mature faster than boys," Shining added thoughtfully.

"Shut up!" Jak countered, his face a little flushed.

"Oh!" Daxter laughed. "I think our fearless leader might be sweet on the little lady too!"

"As if!" Jak countered, pushing Daxter over and onto his back. As usual, this immediately spawned a three way wrestling match, ending with Shining on top of the other two as his bulkier small frame was harder to get a grip on and move for the other two. "Can we drop it now?" Jak asked finally.

Shining and Daxter looked at each other for a time, then grinned widely. "Nope!" they said together before running off.

"You guys!" Jak shouted, chasing after them.

Daxter and Shining had run in different directions, and Jak had chased after Daxter, since he could always get back at Shining once they were both inside for the night. Once he realized he wasn't being chased, he decided to go check on Keira.

Finding her having put her combat walker back in her garage and working on something else, he decided to approach her. "Hey Kei!" he called out, using his nickname for her.

"Hey, Shine!" Keira called back. "What brings you here?"

"Jak decided it was more important to chase Daxter than me," Shining replied. "Then again, he can always corner me at home."

Keira chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I've got something for you to try." Walking up, she presented strangely configured hoofshoes. "I noticed you have trouble with leaping through trees or up higher platforms, so I made these for you."

Confused, Shining strapped them on, feeling a tingle as they tapped his energy. "That felt weird," he commented.

"It's working!" Keira cheered. "Okay, now jump, then visualize jumping again in midair."

Shrugging, Shining did as he was instructed. Much to his surprise, the shoes responded to his thoughts, generating a burst of Blue Eco propelled him upward in a somersault. "Whoa!" he shouted, landing flat on his face. "What was that?"

Keira applauded. "The jump boots work!" she shouted happily. "I noticed your body generates an energy type that isn't Eco, and I was thinking about how I could make use of that...and I found an old bit of Precursor tech called an Eco Converter, which was supposed to change one type of Eco into another. It never worked, but I was able to tweak it so it could turn your energy into a specific type of Eco. I've been able to build more, but you only generate so much of that energy, so I designed the jump boots to use your energy to generate Blue Eco to let you jump again in midair!" She examined the boots for a bit. "I'll need to make some tweaks, though. You weren't supposed to face plant."

Shining couldn't help but laugh at that. "Alright," he said, standing back up to let her work. For a brief moment, he could have sworn she was lavender. Shaking his head, the brief flash passed, and he looked over the girl he was just a tad too protective of. "Say Keira..." he asked casually. "What do you think of Jak?"

"I think he's rather cute, and would probably make a nice boyfriend if he took his head out of his butt long enough to think about girls," she replied absent-mindedly.

Shining stared at that blunt response, trying to organize his thoughts. "Uhh..."

"Don't tell him I said so," she scolded. "Otherwise I'll rewire the next invention I hook you up to to make you sing falsetto."

"Duly noted!" Shining squeaked, crossing his hind legs.

Author's Note

In case you can't tell, I'm starting to run out of ideas for "while they grow up" cutesies. I'd welcome any suggestions, since I don't want to jump into the games just yet.

Camp Out

"Could somebody explain something to me?" Daxter asked as he, Jak, Shining, and Keira hefted packs to their backs.

"If we can," Shining replied. "Not sure if you'll understand it, though."

"Ha ha, very funny," Daxter sniped back. "I was just wondering why we were going camping in the Forbidden Jungle."

"Dad already explained that," Keira explained. "He wants the four of us to get more in tune with nature, since you three spend all your time playing and I spend all my time inventing."

"Oh, no, I get that," Daxter countered. "Heck, camping sounds like great fun. I meant, why are we camping in the Forbidden Jungle. I mean, last I checked, it was Forbidden."

"That's right," Jak replied. "No one can enter the Forbidden Jungle without the express permission of the sages."

"So why are we going camping there?" Daxter demanded in frustration.

"Because I'm going with you!" Samos called out, walking into the room with his pack slung across his back. "What's taking you youngsters so long?"

Daxter groaned softly. "Well, there goes the fun," he grunted out.

In the Forbidden Jungle, Samos led the group to a clearing deep in the jungle before marking the spot out with his staff. "Alright. This is where we make camp," he stated firmly. "Keira, Daxter, you two start setting the camp up. Jak, Shining, gather some dead wood - mind, dead only - to make a fire with and for anything else we need. No matter what you do, don't cut any live wood, and don't damage any plants. Also, be careful of Lurkers. They aren't that active, but they have been seen here and there."

"Don't worry," Jak waved off the concern. "We'll be fine."

"Nothing to worry about," Shining added, lifting his hooves one by one. "Keira finally perfected these, so I'm a lot more maneuverable now."

"Then get some good practice in!" Samos called out.

"I should have figured out a way to give you a pair soon, Jak!" Keira called out as the pair of brothers headed into the jungle to look for dead wood.

"How's she going to manage that?" Jak asked Shining. "I mean, your boots work by converting your 'magic' into Blue Eco." Samos had started referring to the things Shining did with the energy from his horn as 'magic', and was quite insistent that everyone call it that for some reason. Shining and Jak had decided not to question it. "I don't have magic."

"She's experimenting with Eco Generators," Shining explained. "She can't make them too large yet, or able to generate much Eco, but a small Eco Crystal in the right machinery components can create a recycling Eco field to generate small amounts of Eco. With luck, just enough to let you jump in midair...and maybe even hover."

Jak whistled in appreciation. "That's going to be sweet to experience." He scratched his chin. "Is she going to make a pair for Daxter, too?"

"Nope, just you," Shining replied. "The two of us are the only ones she makes tech for. Hadn't you noticed?"

Jak shrugged noncommittally. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Still don't believe she's sweet on you?" Shining teased.

"Still want your horn shoved up your rear?" Jak snapped back.

Shining laughed. "You're going to have to face and accept it eventually, Jak. You've got yourself a girlfriend."

"Okay, I know Daxter's just a perv," Jak pointed out as they gathered some wood. "But why are you so insistent on pushing this 'me and Keira' thing? What's your interest?"

Shining was silent for a time as he levitated some dead sticks onto his back. "How many unicorns do you know?" he asked finally.

"Just you," Jak pointed out.

"So no females, then?"

Jak closed his eyes as he realized what Shining was saying. "You just want me to tell you what it's like? To...be in that kinda relationship?"

"Well, with all the questions I have about myself unanswered, I doubt if I'll ever experience it," Shining indicated grumpily.

Jak rested a hand on his equine brother's shoulder. "Don't worry, Armor. You'll find someone someday. You're kind, sweet, good natured, and caring. And some people are freaks."

Shining couldn't help but snort at that. "Real helpful there, Jak," he countered, punching his brother playfully on the waist, the highest he could easily reach.

At that moment, the bushes around them rustled as several Lurkers lunged out towards them. The pair quickly spun back to back, using the sticks of wood they'd gathered as makeshift weapons to keep the Lurkers back.

As two approached Jak from either side, he turned to face one. Shining shifted to his front hooves, bucking out with both hind legs like pistons, sending the Lurker flying into a nearby bundle of vines which promptly wrapped around the Lurker and trapped it. Jak backed Shining up by swinging his makeshift weapon at a Lurker that was approaching him from the front.

"We need to get some altitude or something," Jak gasped out as they struggled to keep the Lurkers back. "Up a tree or-"

"Get on my back," Shining said quickly.

Confused but desperate, Jak quickly mounted Shining, clinging to his mane with one hand. Shining focused, his magic gathering in his horn and his boots. With a shout, he lunged forward, a wall of energy forming in front of him as he charged forward, slamming through several Lurkers at high speed as he charged back to the campsite.

Before long, they made it back to camp, and they both paused to catch their breath. "Lurkers!" Jak gasped out.

"Ambush!" Shining added.

Samos nodded, beckoning them into the camp. "That's why part of the trip out here is to have the two of you start unarmed combat training," he explained.

"Why only the two of them?" Daxter demanded.

"Because Keira can easily build weapons to back her up, and your limbs have all the strength of an overcooked noodle," Samos stated bluntly. He then turned back to Jak and Shining. "Did you remember the firewood?"

Both promptly fell over backwards, Shining for some reason letting out a bleat like a goat.

Training Days

Jak and Shining stared around at the island of Geyser Rock. When they'd gotten back from their camping trip, Samos had given them each a backpack of supplies, a book of plants, and a water canteen, and then hurled them through the transporter to the small island, stating that he'd open the gate for them again in a month, and he'd consider their training complete if they were still alive.

Jak glanced over at Shining. "So...what are we supposed to do now?"

"He said it's training," Shining pointed out. "I'd guess we're supposed to train."

"Any ideas on how to do that?"

Shining scratched his head. "Well...I suppose we could practice hitting things...or kicking things...and jumping..."

"So basic fitness stuff?" Jak asked, starting to stretch. "I guess. But if we're stuck here for a month, you're doing the cooking."

"Why me?"

"Because my taste buds have gone dead from tasting Keira's cooking," Jak pointed out.

Rolling his eyes, Shining chuckled. "Alright, fine. I'll cook. For now, let's get a camp set up or something."

It took them a few hours to set up camp, and by then the sun was starting to set. As such, Shining got started on cooking dinner from their supplies while Jak gathered some wood for the fire. When Jak got back, Shining had something unpleasant to report. "I've...taken a look at our supplies. Even stretching them as much as possible...we've got a week's worth, maybe."

Jak shrugged. "Then we'll just figure out how to live off the land for the rest of the time," he replied. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"As Daxter isn't here, I'll say it," Shining grunted. "Famous last words."

"Ha, frakkin, ha," Jak sniped back.

The following morning, Jak and Shining made an unpleasant discovery. While they'd both been sleeping, wild creatures had gotten into their packs and stolen all their food.

"Well...here's hoping 'living off the land' works better than I thought," Shining muttered once they'd both run through their surprisingly varied knowledge of curses.

"So...how do we do that?" Jak asked.

The pair stared at each other, neither having actually harvested food before. "Well..." Shining began. "I've...seen some of the people in town picking berries..." he allowed nervously.

"I...watched some of the adults fishing," Jak added.

They continued to stare at each other, swallowing nervously. "Didn't..." Shining began. "Didn't Samos say our training would be complete...if we were still alive at the end of the month?"

The pair had worked hard over the next few days, struggling just to survive and to learn how to gather food that was good to eat. The book of plants that was still intact proved invaluable to Shining, as he was able to find those that were edible amongst those that were hallucinogenic, poisonous, or both. Jak's attempts at fishing were much less stellar as he failed to catch fish with line or spear. Line failed as he lacked the materials needed to make a hook and bait, and spear as he couldn't seem to strike the fish correctly.

Watching him fishing, Shining quickly noticed what was wrong. "Jak!" he called out. "The water's distorting your view!"

"Eh?" Jak called back.

"Hold the tip of the spear under the water!"

Blinking, Jak did as instructed, smiling as he saw his problem. "Thanks!"

Not long after, Shining was struggling to get some fruit down from a tall tree, but he wasn't able to hold a stick long enough to knock it down, and when he'd tried with his magic or double jumping, the fruit squashed and became inedible.

Coming back from the water with a few fish on his spear, Jak watched Shining's attempts for a time, staring at how the fruit in question swayed on the branches. "Try kicking the tree!" he called out.

Confused, Shining turned his back to the tree and kicked the base of the trunk with both hind hooves. The whole tree shook, and the ripest fruit fell from the branches. Shining was able to catch it with his magic before it hit the ground. "Thanks!" he called to Jak, working to gather more. Between the two of them, they carefully gathered what they needed to make a scant if balanced meal, preserving what they could for future days.

That night, they took turns on watch, keeping wild creatures away from their supplies.

The two of them were able to survive well on the island, though it was a struggle. Both were much leaner and fitter as the month came to an end, and had learned to fight by driving creatures away from their supplies each night during their shifts. Each had learned any number of ways to use their bodies as weapons, and Shining had become more adept at throwing his shields about to both protect them and for use as weapons. Surprisingly enough, both had actually come to enjoy the training.

However, the end of the month was heralded by the reopening of the portal, and so they both returned through to Sandover Village.

Samos looked them both over as they returned. "Well, looks like you two handled yourselves," he admitted gruffly.

"I'll say!" Daxter agreed. "You two look real tough now!"

"The training definitely agreed with you," Keira said, stepping up towards Jak. "You look quite...heroic." She fluttered her eyelashes a bit.

Jak swallowed a bit convulsively, stepping back from her. Keira had 'blossomed' a little early, and in the month they'd been gone, her choice of fashion had taken a turn towards the practical...which in the climate of Sandover Village, translated to 'minimalist'. While her white/lavender midriff shirt and pink-and-purple cut off pants were technically decent in terms of modesty, they were also a lot more tight fitting and showed a lot more skin than Jak was used to...and a month with only his equine brother for company had made Jak a lot more aware of his growing interest in the opposite sex. So being confronted by his childhood friend with the obvious crush on him who had suddenly transformed into a hottie the moment he got back was probably the most awkward moment in his life...especially as her father was staring at the both of them.

Shining and Daxter couldn't help but snicker.

Samos rolled his eyes. "Tell you what boys, I think you've both earned a vacation. You two and Daxter can take some time to go anywhere you like...except Misty Island." He shook his finger in their faces. "Remember! Anywhere...but Misty Island."

Nodding, the trio of friends stepped out of the hut. "So...where should we go?" Shining asked.

Daxter chuckled. "You have to ask?"

Jak grinned widely. "Misty Island, here we come."

Precursor: The Journey Begins

Jak, Shining, and Daxter sailed easily to Misty Island, deciding to find out what it was about that place that was of such significance that Samos would make a special point of saying they weren't allowed to go there when the name of the place had never been mentioned before. "So...why do you think he made that point?" Daxter asked. "Do you think it's especially dangerous?"

"Maybe it's especially scar-r-r-ry!" Jak teased, making his voice echo ominously to tease Daxter, who splashed water at him, struggling against his own sea sickness.

"Maybe something significant will happen there that will change our lives forever and Samos knew the best way to get us there was to tell us we weren't allowed to go," Shining suggested jokingly.

Jak and Daxter glanced at each other. "It...does sound like something Samos would do," Daxter pointed out, taking the joke a little too seriously.

Jak chuckled. "I'll bet you 50 Precursor Orbs that's not the case at all."

"You're on!" Daxter countered back.

"Do either of you even have 50 Precursor Orbs?" Shining asked.

"I've got 50 stashed here and there in Sandover Village," Daxter pointed out.

"And I spotted 50 back on Geyser Rock, even if I didn't collect them given what happened to our packs," Jak added.

Rolling his eyes, Shining took the wheel and steered them into the dock at the edge of Misty Island.

Once there, they saw the plain grey stone with various large bones sticking out of the stone walls. The entire place was quite grim, dark, and foreboding. Under the light of the torches, they found their way to a large amphitheater. Hiding behind a large skull, they saw a large group of Lurkers gathered, and two blue skinned beings they didn't recognize warped in in a cloud of purple.

"Continue your search for artifacts and Eco," the emaciated male gasped out, his voice echoing and raspy. "If the locals possess Precursor items, you know what to do." He then slumped over himself, as though it took that much of an effort just to speak.

The scantily clad female spoke up then, her voice much stronger. "Deal harshly with anyone who strays from the village," she snapped. "We will attack it in due time. And...if those three cross your path...eradicate them."

Hearing all this, Jak, Shining, and Daxter withdrew silently, trying to get to a safe distance.

Some distance away on the island, as they approached a deep pit filled with purplish-black liquid, Daxter spoke up. "Can we get out of here now?" he begged. "This place is giving me the creeps!"

"Don't trip on the Precursor artifact," Shining warned, pointing to a large canister covered in Precursor runes.

Daxter shrugged as he picked it up. The trio stared down into the pit. "Yeek!" Daxter shouted. "What is that dark ooze?"

"I'd guess Dark Eco," Shining offered. "It has the same overall consistency as other Eco types, with the same energy reactions taking place over it...but I've never seen so much Eco in one place..."

Daxter shuddered, tossing the canister to Jak. "Can we get out of here now?" he begged.

"Uhh..." Jak began as the canister he'd caught glowed red in his hands.

Shining and Daxter quickly turned to face him...only to scream in fear. A massive blue Lurker in bone armor had leapt down to attack them. As Daxter and Shining backed up defensively, Jak acted quickly, hurling the canister at the Lurker...only for both to explode. The explosion knocked all three of them back, knocking Daxter into the Dark Eco.

When he popped back out, he was no longer human. He now stood as high as Jak's knee, with orange and tan fur, a short tail, and round ears atop his head...though he was somehow still wearing his gloves and aviator's cap, which had shrunk somehow. "Man that stung!" he gasped out, his voice confirming it was the same person.

Shining stared. "Daxter...you're an ottsel."

"I'm a what?" Daxter asked.

"He's a what?" Jak agreed.

"Well, he looks like a cross between an otter and a weasel," Shining pointed out. "What else should I call him?"

Daxter promptly started screaming and freaking out.

"...and that's what happened," Shining finished explaining to Samos. "So was I right that you knew something was going to happen and deliberately goading us to go?"

"Are you questioning me?" Samos demanded hostilely. "Especially after so blatantly disobeying me?"

"Yes," Shining countered. "Because you instructed me during my lessons to question everything, especially you, because some of your lessons would be deliberately misleading to teach me to think for myself."

Samos glowered at him for a time. "I don't know which is worse," he grumbled. "Having Jak as the indifferent student, or you as the excessively clever one."

"So...can you help us change Daxter back?" Shining asked happily.

"Nope," Samos replied quickly. "You were right that what you found was Dark Eco, and Gol and Maia were the only ones who knew enough about it to do anything like that. However, they moved to the far north, and the teleporter gates in the villages further north run by the other sages have been turned off."

"Which means we need to get through Fire Canyon," Shining replied. "Well, on the off chance of that I suggested Jak talk to Keira about heat shielding."

"She needs some power cells for the Zoomer," Jak stated as he and Daxter came in. "She's designed it to use a heat shield that will protect us on the way across the Fire Canyon, and she mentioned that the townsfolk might have some power cells we could use."

"Which means greasing a few palms with Precursor Orbs," Daxter added. "Not how I wanted to win that bet..."

"I guess it's time to head back to Geyser Rock and grab the ones we left behind, then," Shining agreed.

Precursor: Power

As Jak and Shining returned to Geyser Rock with Daxter in tow, another device followed them. It was bright blue, box shaped, floated, and had two antenna sticking out of the top. "What's that?" Daxter asked in confusion.

"It's a communicator I invented!" Keira's voice called out from the grill on the front of the floating device. "With it, my father and I can give you advice at any time during your quest."

"Useful," Jak commented dryly.

As the trio progressed along, gathering Precursor Orbs - egg shaped objects covered in runes - they stumbled across a Power Cell just lying out in the open. It looked like a stone sphere with four segments cut out from it, orbiting it at a distance. Forcing the segments into their slots while hooked to a machine triggered the production of immense amounts of energy from the cell, though no one was certain how it worked. "Lucky one was just lying around," Shining murmured, grabbing it carefully in his magic and stowing it away.

Not far beyond that power cell, they came across a strange box. Breaking it open, they found a device that looked like an oversized fly, except somehow adorable.

"Hey, that's one of my scout flies!" Keira pointed out. "I've sent seven of them to each area to track down Power Cells!"

"How'd they got stuck in boxes like that?" Jak asked in confusion.

"The Lurkers must have captured them," Keira explained. "If you find them all in each area, one of them should have a power cell."

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out for them, then," Shining confirmed.

As six other boxes were close by, Jak broke them open, retrieving the other scout flies and recovering another power cell. As they moved onward, they spotted a glowing blue cloud.

"That's Blue Eco," Samos explained. "Jak, Shining, the two of you are unique in your ability to biologically utilize Eco in your environment. While you do it by funneling the Eco through your magic, Shining... I'm uncertain how Jak is able to do so. However, it's an advantage you both should take advantage of. As you should know from my lessons, Blue Eco contains the energy of motion."

"Like what's in your jump boots!" Keira interrupted.

"Precisely," Samos agreed. "Absorbing it from your environment will allow you both to run fast, break boxes just by approaching them, and activate various Precursor artifacts by funneling the Eco you've absorbed into the device. However, while you're both able to hold Eco within your bodies, it won't stay long, and you can only hold one type of Eco at a time. Collecting an additional cluster of the same type of Eco will extend the time it will remain in your bodies before it dissipates. Make sure to use it carefully, as I don't know if there will be any side effects from overusing Eco."

Remembering a door marked with the symbol of Blue Eco - a blue lightning bolt - the pair gathered the Blue Eco and sought it out, gathering Precursor Orbs as they went. Reaching it, the Eco in their bodies flooded into the door, causing it to open.

"Well, at least one of you has a brain," Samos pointed out. "That was a Precursor Door. As you concluded, channeling Blue Eco into it is the only way to open it. Perhaps there's hope for you two yet."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Daxter demanded.

"Two and a half, then," Samos countered without missing a beat, resulting in Jak, Shining, and Keira snickering.

"Hi-larious," Daxter drolled.

Not far from the door was a vent in the ground from which Blue Eco could be seen pouring out of it. "I don't know the term for that thing," Jak spoke up, "but I know standing on it fills me with Blue Eco. Made use of it back during training to gather supplies quicker."

"It's called a Blue Eco vent," Keira explained.

"How original," Daxter joked, rolling his eyes.

Finishing their explorations, the trio found a total of 50 Precursor Orbs and 4 Power Cells. On their return to Samos' hut, he was waiting for them. "I doubt 50 - or even 100 - Precursor Orbs will be enough to get all the Power Cells the villagers have...or even if the ones they have will be enough to power my daughter's invention. It would probably be a good idea to also visit Sentinel Beach to gather any Orbs and Cells you can find there."

"Not a bad idea," Jak murmured. "We'll do it."

"As long as you're going, you might as well see to my Green Eco Collectors there," Samos added innocuously. "They've been clogged up again."

"We'd be happy to," Shining agreed readily.

"I can always count on you to be helpful and dutiful," Samos commented dryly, giving Jak and Daxter - who were both rolling their eyes - the fish eye. "Now you three have fun with your 'adventuring'...and get out of my house!"

Laughing, the trio raced out of Samos' hut, heading into the city to begin their explorations. It would probably take a while to gather everything they needed, but they were determined to have fun doing it. After all, as Samos had pointed out...this was going to be a grand adventure, and the three of them were certainly of an age to enjoy that.

"As long as I get pants at some point," Daxter grunted.

"Ahem," Shining complained, more than a little miffed.

"Hey, fine for you to run around naked," Daxter sniped back. "You're used to it. You've been doing it all your life."

"You'll get used to it," Shining countered.

Jak rolled his eyes, wondering if he was the only one who was taking this whole thing seriously.

Precursor: Questing

After a brief run through Sandover Village to collect the 50 scattered Precursor Orbs, free the seven Scout Flies to get the Power Cell they'd located, and talk to everyone in the village, the trio met back up on the village outskirts. "Alright," Jak began as the three pulled out their questing notebooks. "What's the report?"

Shining nodded as he flipped through his. "We currently have 100 Precursor Orbs, and several leads on where to get more. I talked to the Oracle - that Precursor statue at the top of the cliff - and it has two Power Cells that it will let us have...if we make an offering to the Ancients of 120 Orbs each. Also, the farmer gave me a Power Cell for herding his Yakows back into their pen."

"How'd you manage that?" Daxter asked. "Those things can be stubborn."

"Few things resist an electric shock to the rump for long," Shining replied, making the tip of his horn spark.

"Nice," Jak agreed. "Our Uncle will spare a Power Cell if we give him 90 Orbs."

Shining shrugged. Unlike Jak, he didn't feel quite the same kinship with the man Samos had proclaimed their Uncle, as he still remembered arriving in Sandover with Samos, though Jak had apparently chosen to discard those memories.

"Also," Jak continued, "the Mayor has two Power Cells for us. One if we contribute 90 Orbs to his re-election campaign, and one if we can fix the Eco beams in the temple in the Forbidden Jungle to give the village power again."

"And the artist's Muse has run off to Misty Island," Daxter pointed out, "and he'll give us a Power Cell if we bring the critter back. However, the only way there is with the fisherman's boat, and we need his permission to use it...and he's in the Forbidden Jungle somewhere."

"So we can either go to Sentinel Beach to do what Samos asked, or hit the Forbidden Jungle to see about getting more Power Cells," Shining summarized.

"More Power Cells sooner sounds better," Jak decided. "Forbidden Jungle it is."

"I have a question," Daxter pointed out. "Keira said the Lurkers locked the Scout Flies in the boxes, right?"

"Yeah," Shining confirmed.

"How'd they do that in the village without anyone noticing?" Daxter demanded. "I mean, some of the crates were in people's houses!"

"Actually, that was my bad," Keira said from the communications device. "I looked over the coding of my Scout Flies, and where it's supposed to say 'return to your box for retrieval', it instead says 'reconstruct your box for retrieval'. So once one of the Flies in a given area finds a Power Cell, all of them lock themselves in crates, and none of them will give up the Power Cell unless all seven in that area have been retrieved. Sorry about that."

"You're the first to work with tech like this," Jak pointed out. "Mistakes are bound to happen. The fact they work as well as they do is an achievement."

"If you're done flirting," Shining drolled, rolling his eyes as he turned to lead the way towards the jungle.

The Forbidden Jungle was lush and humid, filled with large trees, rivers, strange ground formations, and tons of hostile wildlife, both Lurker and ordinary animal. It also had a great deal of booby traps, including swinging logs covered in spikes hanging from the trees. As the trio progressed through, they eventually found the fisherman...who challenged them to use a tiny net to scoop 200 pounds of fish out of the river. He promised them both a power cell and the use of his speed boat to get to Misty Island if they succeeded. To up the challenge, they weren't allowed to miss 20 pounds of fish, and even one poisonous eel caught would poison the entire catch.

Shining decided to try the challenge, holding the net in his magical aura. He also extended that aura slightly outward into the river, using it to angle good fish into the net and push the eels away. The fisherman didn't notice, but Jak did, and gave his equine brother a thumbs up.

Another power cell and the keys to the speed boat in hand, the trio continued their exploration of the Forbidden Jungle. Along the way, they noticed several spiked vines coming out of the ground that hadn't been there when they'd come on the camping trip with Samos. After a brief detour in the water for another power cell, they found a lurker machine that was redirecting the Eco Beam the mayor had mentioned. Climbing to the top of it, they broke the Lurker mirror, which caused a Precursor mirror to rise out of the ground. Using the controls, they lined it up on the next mirror. Following the Eco Beams, they began climbing a Precursor tower to the next mirror, finding the seventh Scout Fly in the process. Reaching the top of the tower, they collected another Power Cell...as well as opening a pathway into the Forbidden Temple.

After some carefully timed jumps across pits, the trio activated the Blue Eco controller in the depths of the temple, activating numerous Blue Eco vents scattered across the continent and gaining another Power Cell. Using the Blue Eco opened several new paths...leading them to a large plant with eyes on its flower and spiked vines waving about. Dark Eco could just barely be seen veining its body.

Shining and Jak evaded the plant's movements, quickly realizing that the plant's bud was its vulnerable point. "How can we hit it to knock it out?" Daxter demanded.

Shining looked up at Jak and winked. Grinning, Jak held Daxter up by his hands, while Shining pulled back on his tail with his magic.

"What are you do-IIIIIINNNNGGGG!?" Daxter's question turned into a scream as he was propelled into the plant like he was launched from a slingshot.

After three such hits, the plant died, dropping a Power Cell. After grabbing one other last Power Cell, the trio finished aligning the mirrors, restoring power to Sandover Village. They then turned to return to plot their next move.

Author's Note

Precursor Orb Total - 250 (250)
Power Cell Total - 13

Precursor: Beach

As they passed through the village, Shining took a brief detour to collect a few Power Cells, as well as talk to anyone they'd missed previously. "I'll catch up to you at the entrance to Sentinel Beach!" he called out, taking the Precursor Orbs with him.

Shrugging, Jak and Daxter made their way through the village. Shining, as promised, caught up with them at the entrance to the beach. "Three more Power Cells and another request," Shining spoke up. "The old lady with the bird watching hobby asked us to push an orphaned egg down to where she can get to it, so she can take care of it. I got one of the Power Cells from the Oracle, and both that the Mayor had."

"That brings us to a total of 16," Daxter muttered, looking down at his checklist. "Four more to get through Fire Canyon."

"Maybe we should get a few extra," Jak pointed out. "I saw the A-Grav Zoomer Keira was building, and I'm not entirely certain it'll hold all three of us as is. We should probably gather all we can before giving them to Keira, just to be on the safe side."

"Not a bad idea," Shining agreed as they headed for the beach.

Once on the beach itself, the trio decided to address Samos' request first, following the lanterns as he instructed, collecting Precursor Orbs and Scout Flies as they went. At one point, they encountered several metal boxes that were too strong for them to break open. However, it just so happened that a Lurker had been throwing bombs at them, which Shining was able to use his magic to redirect to the boxed to break them open, collecting the Orbs contained therein.

When the trio approached a Power Cell that was just sitting out on the beach, a pelican swooped down, trying to snatch it up. However, Shining was able to snatch the Cell with his magic before the Pelican could get it in its mouth. Not far beyond, another Power Cell was collected from where it was lying on the beach, this time without any interference.

While Shining gathered a few Orbs from underwater with his magic, Jak gathered others hidden behind a waterfall. Later on, when they found an uncapped Blue Eco vent, Jak and Shining raced around to activate any Blue Eco based tech around. This resulted in collecting several more Orbs, another Power Cell, and disabling the Lurker cannon that had been launching the bombs earlier.

On a suggestion from Daxter, Jak chased some seagulls for fun, collecting another Power Cell and some more Orbs as he went. When the seagulls flew off the last time, their noise resulted in an avalanche, leaving another Power Cell visible further up the hills. On their way there, the group came across Samos' Green Eco Collectors, and removed the rocks that had clogged them up. The last blockage also happened to contain a Power Cell, making two more along with the one from the avalanche.

"It's about bloody time," Samos growled from the communicator. "You know, you three used to show me and my requests more respect when you were younger..." The rest of his grumbles were unintelligible through the communications.

Further along the cliff in question, they discovered the massive egg the old lady had mentioned. Rather than just push it off and risk damaging it, Shining lowered it gently to the hay pile the lady had mentioned with his magic. After the old lady provided the Power Cell, the egg hatched...and the large blue, white, and yellow chick immediately imprinted on Shining and Daxter as its parents. Shining was much more accepting of this than Daxter was, even going so far as to use his magic to gently preen the bird. The old woman took the bird back to the village to tend to, though, leaving the group to continue their explorations.

Not far from there, they found the last Scout Fly, getting the Power Cell the Flies had collected. After that, the trio returned to the village.

Once they returned to the village, a dilemma arose.

"Okay," Daxter began. "We have the 20 Power Cells we need to power Keira's Heat Shield, plus a couple extra. We could go give them to her right now and continue our adventure, heading through Fire Canyon and getting to Maya and Gol so they can figure out how to change me back. Or...we could go back to the Dark Eco filled island where I turned into this in the first place, risk all sorts of crazy further mutations for me or the two of you, in the hope there might be enough Orbs and Cells there to make it worth our while." He leaned back against Jak's head. "I'm pretty sure it's obvious what we should do."

"Well, I'm getting tired of you using me as an armchair," Jak pointed out. "The sooner you're back to normal, the better."

"Can't argue with that," Daxter agreed.

"But..." Shining began. "But the sculptor's muse is on Misty Island. What if she gets hurt? Or falls in the Dark Eco? Or worse? He'd never get over it..." He looked up at Jak and Daxter, his ears flat against his skull, his eyes wide and dewy.

Jak chuckled. "Shining, acting cute doesn't work on us. The only one that's ever worked well on is the old lady bird watcher."

"But if it means that much to you..." Daxter added.

Shining smiled. "Thanks. Besides, I really want to try out that speed boat."

"Now that's a motive I can get behind!" Daxter crowed. Jak chuckled in agreement as they headed for the speedboat, pausing long enough to give their Uncle the 90 Orbs he needed for his own adventuring, getting another Power Cell in return.

Author's Note

Precursor Orb Total - 100 (400)
Power Cell Total - 25

Precursor: Mists and Flames

The trio arrived at Misty Island again in a short time, leaping to the docks from the speed boat. They all looked around carefully, determined to not fall prey to anything on the island that might seek their lives. The land itself was brown and dead, and the Lurkers in sight wore bone armor, made from the bones of massive creatures sealed in the stone.

As they progressed, they caught sight of the sculptor's muse, a glittering green rodent about the size of Shining, looking not unlike a large squirrel with a tail that wasn't fluffy. Shining had no trouble getting the muse to come with them. He had a great deal of trouble convincing her to keep her paws to herself, much to Jak and Daxter's amusement.

"Quit laughing, or I'll tell Keira this is how to get you responsive," Shining growled at Jak, causing the latter to turn bright red and quickly continue looking about the island, though Daxter only laughed harder.

Continuing to explore, the trio made use of Blue Eco to ride a platform to a Power Cell atop a pillar of stone amidst the water. Further onward, they found a cluster of Red Eco, which strengthened Jak's physical attacks and the force of Shining's magic shots. Shortly after, Blue Eco opened the door to a large open area...where the trio immediately came under assault by a large group of Lurkers.

"Jak!" Shining called out. "I'm going to try something!" He squeezed his eyes shut as he focused his energy through his horn.

"What are you going to-" Jak's voice cut off as a sword made of magic energy and Red Eco appeared in the air in front of him. "Sweet!" he proclaimed, grabbing the sword by the hilt.

"It'll last for about...ten minutes," Shining stated. "Make good use of it." Lowering his horn, he charged into the Lurkers as Jak brandished the blade.

Once the Lurkers were all beaten - the sword allowed Jak to carve right through the bone armor some were wearing in a single swing - a stairway allowed them to make it back to the Dark Eco silo that had transformed Daxter. A Power Cell was available for collection on a wood bridge suspended above it.

Further exploration led them to a Lurker ship, and from there to Keira's A-Grav Zoomer which she'd teleported in, though minus the heat shield which wasn't complete yet. Seeing numerous Lurkers floating on balloons to patrol the area around the island, Jak decided to take them out. The Zoomer turned out to be too small for Jak and Shining to ride, so while Jak handled the Lurkers, Shining continued to explore the island.

When they met back up, Jak had recovered all the Precursor Orbs in the basin, and grabbed two Power Cells - one that had been floating in midair, and one that was revealed when all the Balloon Lurkers had been taken out. Shining, meanwhile, had grabbed the Power Cell on the Lurker Ship, one from up by the Lurker cannon after disabling it, and the one held by the Misty Island Scout Flies, along with the rest of the Precursor Orbs on the island.

With everything gathered, the trio made their way back to Sandover Village.

Returning to the sculptor's house, Shining managed to get the Muse to return to him.

"My muse!" the sculptor proclaimed happily, cuddling the little critter. "You saved her! You guys really are the best. Here, take this Power Cell as thanks."

Jak was happy to take the Power Cell, while Shining was happy to get away from the Muse.

"Aw, she likes you!" the sculptor said happily. "Say, do you think ya might pose with her for a statue or two?"

"Maybe later!" Shining called out as he raced from the hut.

Laughing, Jak followed before leading the way up to the entrance of Fire Canyon where Keira would be waiting for them. On the way, they took a brief detour to the Oracle to get its second Power Cell for another 120 Orbs.

Keira smiled as they approached. "I'm glad you grabbed a few extra Power Cells," she said happily. "I was able to streamline the Zoomer to handle a sidecar for Shining, so the two of you can cross together. But it needed extra Power Cells to both expand the Heat Shield and account for the cables that will let Shining amplify it with his own Shield, which should save your bacon should the temperature exceed 500 degrees."

"I...think that's a bit much for me," Shining pointed out nervously. "I don't have that much magic reserves..."

"Don't worry," Keira quickly reassured him. "I've released several blue coolant balloons throughout the canyon. Not only that, there are several Precursor structures that dip into the lava of Fire Canyon, but aren't melted. You can use those as jumps to get out of the heat for a time. Between the balloons and the jumps, you should be fine."

"As long as Shining's shield actually does protect against heat," Daxter pointed out.

"That's why this helmet is designed to funnel the energy through the Heat Shield," Keira explained, plopping the helmet on Shining's head and making the connections to his horn. "Also, once you're there, make sure to activate the teleport gate in the Blue Sage's lab, so Daddy and I can meet you there."

"I guess we're ready as we'll ever be," Jak muttered as the trio climbed onto the Zoomer.

"Good luck!" Keira called out. "I know you can do it!"

As Jak steered the Zoomer, they discovered that there were Scout Fly crates scattered throughout the canyon, as well as Orb Crates. They managed to gather all seven Flies and all 50 orbs within the canyon, as well as the one sitting at the other end of the Canyon atop the Zoomer warper, which could only safely teleport inorganic material.

As they entered Rock Village, Shining was breathing heavily. "I want some ice cream," he groaned out.

"What's ice cream?" Jak asked in confusion.

"No idea, but it sounds real good right about now," Daxter piped up.

Author's Note

Precursor Orb Total - 180 (550)
Power Cell Total - 36

Precursor: Stone and Time

In Rock VIllage, the trio's first stop was the Blue Sage's hut. "Umm..." Shining spoke up. "Shouldn't the Blue Sage be here?"

"Let's turn on the warp gate and let Samos tell us," Jak stated bluntly, stepping on the switch.

Once the warp gate opened, Samos' bird was the first one through, quickly followed by Samos himself, who landed flat on his face. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that teleporter tingling sensation," he grunted as he brushed himself off. Glancing around, he noticed many of the pieces of tech the Blue Sage had recently started experimenting with sparking and damaged. "Hey! Did the Blue Sage throw a party without inviting me? Again?!"

Keira gasped as she pointed out the window. "Rock Village is on fire!"

"You mean that's not normal?" Daxter asked. At the looks he got, he shrugged. "What? We've got lightning flying all over the place from the Blue Eco in Sandover, how do I know it's not this way from one of the other colors?"

"You could have tried paying attention to my lessons," Samos scolded.

"Also, it's being bombarded by flaming boulders," Keira pointed out.

"Definitely not normal," Jak agreed.

"So let's look around and see what we can do," Shining declared.

"Try and find some more Power Cells to power that levitation machine over there," Keira pointed out. "If it's working, I can use it to get rid of the flaming boulders."

After a quick exploration around the village, the trio gathered back together to discuss their results.

"Alright," Daxter began as he took the tally. "We've got...70 less orbs since we found 50, but traded 120 to the Oracle for another Power Cell. The Oracle has another one for 120 Precursor Orbs, and three people in the village will trade one for 90 Orbs each."

"The geologist, the gambler, and the warrior," Shining confirmed. "But we aren't doing any trading until we can trade with everyone, since we don't want anyone bragging."

"We also found all seven Scout Flies," Jak confirmed. "And, actually...I did trade the 90 orbs to the geologist after she also gave me the Cell for chasing the moles back into their holes with the A-Grav Zoomer."

"We should have put the priority on the warrior," Shining pointed out. "We need him to rebuild the bridge. ...Funnily enough, the gambler's also willing to part with a Power Cell if we beat the best time on the gorge Zoomer race."

"So that's another one we can get in the Basin," Daxter muttered, making his list. "Let's go see what we can find there."

The only reliable way into the Basin was via a Zoomer. Thankfully, with Shining in the side car, they were able to grab quite a bit beyond just what Jak could steer them through, although it took all their focus to manage it, so none of them spoke the entire time. Rather than having to drive into the flying Lurkers, Shining was able to shoot them down with his magic. When all were down, a Power Cell was revealed. The same occurred when Jak successfully maneuvered through the pink circles of light, and then again through the blue ones. Another was gathered from the Scout Flies, and Shining was able to snag one hovering over the lake with his magic. One last Power Cell was found after Green Eco from a vent was used to cleanse Dark Eco corruption from a field of plants.

Between that and the 200 Orbs gathered, the trip to the Basin was quite profitable even before they ran the racetrack.

Back in town, the group traded 120 Precursor Orbs for the Oracle's other Power Cell, as well as getting the one promised by the gambler for winning the race. Following the only other route presently available, the trio headed for the Lost Precursor City, hidden at the bottom of an elevator, beneath the surface of the sea.

The city proved to be a hive of technology and moving platforms, and the water itself was electrified. Thankfully, Shining's shield was able to deflect the electricity in the water, allowing them to swim without danger. The Lurker's were also quite strong, often working in pairs to fight, making them difficult to beat. However, Jak and Shining's teamwork proved a match for them, as Shining would hold one back with his magic while Jak took out the other.

They did their best to be careful, however, since they didn't want to put too much drain on Shining's magic, as Eco pickups didn't restore that.

Their first goal was to fully explore the Precursor City. This involved a lot of going up and down, both for them and the chambers of the city. At one point, activating colored pipes released two Scout Flies and a Power Cell in distant parts of a chamber, which Shining was able to grab at range with his magic.

Another Power Cell was suspended over a pool of Dark Eco by platforms that frequently flipped. Shining's magic snatched it readily enough, along with the Orbs surrounding it, since he'd managed to carry a sphere of Blue Eco with him without absorbing it. Lightning up several platforms by jumping on them in sequence also opened a door to another Power Cell.

Not long after that, they found the last Scout Fly, and got another Power Cell. After that, they slid down two long slopes to the bottom of the city, acquiring the last Power Cell. After that, they needed to rush upwards to escape the rising Dark Eco. Making it all the way out of the tube upwards, they found another Power Cell. Taking a lift pod out of the city not long after, they were able to grab the Power Cell that rose on top of the pod.

After that, they traded 90 Orbs each to the gambler and the warrior. This opened the path both to the levitation device and the Boggy Swamp.

Author's Note

Precursor Orb Total - 120 (1000)
Power Cell Total - 58

Precursor: Answers

Jak, Shining, and Daxter moved quickly through Boggy Swamp, the last area to explore around Rock Village. There were only two real points of interest for them as they went through. The first was their first exposure to Yellow Eco, which allowed Jak and Shining to throw fireballs. While Jak burned through the Eco as fast as any other time no matter how many he threw, Shining discovered that if he held the Eco in his horn with his magic, he could contain it far longer for later usage. Also, his fireballs launched from his horn.

The only other point of interest in the swamp was finding the Flut-Flut - the bird who thought Shining and Daxter were his parents - on a teleporter, saddled for riding. He seemed very eager to assist them, and helped them gather the remainder of the Orbs and Cells in the swamp.

On the return to the Village, they met Keira at the levitation device. As she started work on plugging the Power Cells in, Shining watched over her shoulder. "So...how does this thing work?" he asked.

With a smile, Keira began to babble technological terms well above Shining's understanding. Seeing how lost he was getting, she smiled. "Pretty much the same way as you're able to manipulate things with your magic," she explained. "But it uses the Eco energy of the Power Cells instead."

"But...same principles?" Shining clarified.

"Pretty much, yeah," Keira agreed.

"So...similar enough you could hook the helmet that channeled my shield spell into the A-Grav Zoomer's Heat Shield into the levitator and channel my magic into that so I could control whatever was being levitated?" he asked. "Using this big thing as an amplifier?"

"Hmm...maybe," Keira admitted. She pulled out a spare helmet. "Worth a shot! Now just hold still!"

While the actual connection process wasn't entirely pleasant, having the levitator guided by Shining's magic meant that the boulder blocking the path could be set aside rather than just held aloft. Seeing this, Daxter grinned widely. "Say, Keira...think there's enough juice for another lift?"

"With all the Power Cells you brought, certainly," Keira replied. "But what should I be targeting?"

"How about that Klaww fella up there?" Daxter offered.

A bit of tinkering later, and Klaww was dealt with using the levitator. Seizing him in the inverted gravimetric field, Shining slammed Klaww against boulders, into the ground, and several times into the magma.

With Klaww dealt with, Jak and Shining took the Zoomer through the Mountain Pass to the Volcanic Crater. While flying Lurkers tried to blow the place up, Shining shot them down before they could get out of sight.

Activating the warp gate in the Red Sage's lab, Jak and company stepped back to allow Samos and Keira to land. "Holy Yakow!" Samos proclaimed after straightening himself. "The Red Sage's lab looks worse than the Blue's!"

"Well, it definitely looks as if there's been a struggle here," Keira pointed out.

At that moment, a laugh was heard above them with a strange echo. As everyone looked up, the blue skinned, emaciated male Jak, Shining, and Daxter had seen on Misty Island smirked down at them from his hovering positon. "I'd hardly call it a struggle," he corrected. "Would you, dear sister?"

The female figure from the island floated down beside him. "Certainly not!" she proclaimed primly. "The red sage gave up with so little effort. No fun at all."

Samos stared. "Gol?!" he demanded in shock. "Is that you?"

"Gol?" Jak demanded. "Does that mean the girl is Maia?"

"Wow," Daxter muttered. "She has not aged well. She was much hotter before she was blue."

Maia stared down at Daxter for a time before her eyes flicked between Jak and Shining. "You three!" she snapped. "Ugh, even now you invade my privacy?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us how to reverse Daxter's Dark Eco related transformation," Shining countered. "I'm sorry if we upset you when we were younger. I assure you it wasn't intentional. Do you suppose you could take a look at him and see what you can do?"

"What?" Daxter demanded in shock and anger. "You want the freaky blue people who were talking about destroying the villages to give me a physical? No way, no how!" Daxter began flailing as he levitated into the air. "Whoa! Put me down!"

"Since he's so against it, I'd be happy to take a look," Maia purred, examining him through lenses of Eco. "...but this is not a mutation."

"Eh?" Jak asked in shock.

"What?" Shining added.

"Seriously?" Keira demanded.

"That's impossible!" Samos proclaimed.

"Are you loco in the coco?" Daxter shouted. "Look at me! How can this not be a mutation?"

"It is an evolution," Gol stated. "And before you start babbling about 'blind obsession with things we aren't meant to tamper with', we can see that Daxter's cells have undergone an accelerated evolution. Aging, energy generation, healing factor, Eco metabolization...all these factors have increased by at least a factor of 4 from an ordinary human - in excess of what our scans show Jak is capable of - and still growing every time his body absorbs Eco."

"However, scans show that these abilities are in infancy, and can't be reliably tapped yet," Maia clarified. "Also, his body appears capable of metabolizing Dark Eco...eventually. Not yet, but the potential is there."

"Wait, are you saying I'm some sort of super being now?" Daxter gasped, completely gobsmacked.

"It couldn't have happened to a worse child," Maia growled.

"Is that all it takes for this?" Daxter demanded. "Getting dunked in Dark Eco?"

"No," Gol piped up. "It appears your unique genetic structure was naturally keyed towards this evolution, and the Dark Eco exposure drastically accelerated it. Instead of your descendants 1000 or more years from now achieving these abilities, you did."

"At the cost of pants," Daxter grumbled as he was returned to Jak's shoulder.

"This is amazing!" Maia proclaimed. "Clearly, our studies are in the right direction! Dark Eco is the key to unlocking the secrets of the Precursors! Once the Robot is fully powered, we shall open the silos and unlock their ancient secrets...and all the Dark Eco of the world!"

"Wait, what?" Samos demanded as Gol and Maia vanished.

"So much for changing me back," Daxter grumbled. "Still...super being. Can't argue with that. ...but couldn't I at least have gotten a robe or something? I am not liking this breeze!"

"Do you think you can set your wardrobe issues aside long enough to focus on the end of the world as we know it?" Samos demanded angrily.

"Why?" Daxter countered. "Unless and until those abilities Gol and Maia mentioned kick in, I'm the comic relief of this trio. That means Gol and Maia are Jak and Shining's responsibility. They're taking it seriously enough for all three of us, so I'm going to focus on pants!"

As Samos and Daxter continued to argue, Jak, Shining, and Keira shared a much needed laugh. The tension relieved, the pair of warriors was ready to explore further.

Precursor: Pony Perils

As he finished laughing, Shining lifted his hoof to his brow, wiping away some sweat. "So...why's it so hot here?" he asked in confusion.

The others turned to blink at him. "Didn't you notice where you were?" Samos asked waspishly.

"Was a little focuth-focused," Shining corrected himself, stepping outside to look around. His jaw hung open as he took in his surroundings. The entirety of the village protected by the Red Sage was in the crater of an active volcano. "Oh," he muttered, starting to stagger a bit. "T...that's why it's...so hot..." His eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed onto his side.

When he came to, he found Keira leaning over him, and the air around him felt incredibly cool. "W...what happened?" he asked in confusion.

"Heat stroke," Keira replied worriedly. "You just collapsed from the heat of the volcanic crater. Daxter's the one who figured it out, since he wasn't doing much better in the heat. Figured out that your fur coat was killing you. We managed to get you up here to Snowy Mountain, and Dad went back to Sandover for some nutrient rich drinks to help you restore what you've lost through sweating and the like." She hung her head. "Shining...this is all my fault. You've been working your magic so hard - whether in regular combat, manipulating Eco, or with my gadgets - and I didn't stop to think what effect that might have on your body, especially with the heat you had to go through at every point. I'm so sorry..."

Shining managed to push himself upright, lifting a snow covered hoof to her cheek. "Hey, it's not your fault," he chided. "You didn't ask me to push myself that hard. I did that all on my own. And I'm fine now, really." He tried to push himself to his hooves.

"Oh no you don't!" Keira scolded, pushing him back down. "You're staying right here until Jak and Daxter have opened the teleport gate at the other end of the Lava Tubes."

"What?" Shining demanded angrily.

"Daddy's orders," Keira insisted. "The rest of this area outside the Snowy Mountain is just too hot for you, Shining. If you try to function in there, you'll drop dead. It's only the constant metabolization of stray Eco into his body that lets Jak maintain his body temperature, but you metabolize the Eco through your magic, which doesn't do it."

Shining sighed in a mix of frustration and resignation. "Could I at least see what I can do around here in Snowy Mountain?"

"Jak and Daxter cleared here first," Keira replied. "They wanted to make sure it'd be safe to leave us here."

Shining buried his face in the snow, grumbling. He then blinked as he looked up at Keira. "You're still dressed for Sandover," he pointed out.

"Yup," Keira replied, reaching into her bag. "Daddy's not the only one who went back for supplies." She held out some food and drink for him.

"Why aren't you freezing?" he asked as he dug in.

Smirking, Keira tugged at a metal ring around her neck. "Personal temperature regulator," she replied. "Powered by a mixture of red and blue Eco, it helps maintain body temperature in a variety of environments. While it doesn't have much of a battery life, it'll keep me warm until we're ready to go catch up to the others, and the one I made you will keep you cool on the way to the portal."

"Clever," Shining praised as he continued refreshing himself with food, drink, and the occasional bite of pure mountain snow.

Later on, Jak sent a message to Keira that he and Daxter were about to take the Zoomer through the Lava Tubes, having gathered all the Orbs and Power Cells from the region. At this point, Jak had been operating on the assumption that, with enough Power Cells, Keira could take something that Gol and Maia had built in their Citadel and turn it against them. With the message received, Keira snapped the personal temperature regulator around Shining's neck and led him back to the hut where the warp gate was.

While waiting for the next gate to open, the pair glanced around. "Shouldn't Samos be back from Sandover by now?" Shining asked worriedly.

"He really should," Keira murmured, biting her bottom lip. "I'm going to go check on him." She quickly hopped through the warp gate. When she hopped back, she looked horrified. "Daddy's not there!" she gasped out. "And his hut is a mess, just like the other sages' huts! I think Gol and Maia kidnapped him like the others!"

"Then at least we know where to look for him, if that's the case," Shining stated blandly.

"How can you be so calm?" Keira demanded frantically. "Lurker armies continue to grow across the land, the sages have been kidnapped, Gol and Maia have gathered enough Eco to complete their terrible plan, and to stop them you, Jak, and Daxter are going to have to fight your way through their citadel!"

"I'm calm because Samos being captured is the only part of that that's news," Shining replied, keeping his voice calm in the hopes of calming down Keira. "We were already going to be breaking into the Citadel to rescue the sages and stop Gol and Maia, which will stop the Lurker armies. And we were already going to rescue the sages. Now we just have four to rescue instead of three."

The calm, self assured tone Shining used managed to ease Keira's panic. "You're sure you can pull it off?" she asked worriedly.

Shining scratched his chin. "As is, I'm not so sure. I know I'll be up to it, since I'm rested. But Jak's been working himself just as hard as me, and he hasn't had a chance to rest. He could use some...extra encouragement."

Keira scratched her head as she thought about that. "Hmm..." Pulling out pen and paper, she quickly wrote something down before showing it to Shining. "Think this'll do it?"

Taking the note, Shining read silently.

Jak,

If you manage to pull this off, you'll have saved us all. You'll be a real hero.

And the hero always gets a suitable reward from the lady fair. ...just don't tell Daddy I wrote that.
Keira.

Shining grinned widely. "Yep, that'll do it. I'll be sure he gets this when the time is right." He slipped the note into his bag.

As the final warp gate opened, Shining joined his brother and best friend for the final assault.

Precursor: The Citadel 1

Jak, Daxter, and Shining made their way into Gol and Maia's Citadel carefully. The front door irised open with a metallic hiss. The inside was very high tech, beyond anything they had seen before...and, much to Shining's relief, temperature controlled. When they made it through the first tunnel, they found themselves in a massive chamber dominated by a giant Precursor robot held in a Dark Eco field. Without warning, Samos dropped down, suspended in a cage held shut by even more Dark Eco. "It's about time you three decided to show up!" he barked. "Shining, you doing better?"

"Yes sir," Shining confirmed. "I'm up to this."

"Good!" Samos barked. "Then get us out of here!"

"Us?" Jak asked in confusion.

"Gol and Maia kidnapped the rest of us to drain our power to fuel their Precursor robot!" Samos explained. "I'm still close to full strength, but the other sages have been here much longer. If they aren't freed soon, they might not survive. So make sure you free them first!"

Nodding, Jak turned to plot a course into the citadel. "I take it dealing with the robot will come later?" he asked.

"You'll need the power of all four of us to break the force shield protecting that monstrosity before you can begin destroying it," Samos indicated. "Now get going!"

The paths into the Citadel were a maze of floating platforms and wooden bridges suspended over deep pits. One thing was certain, none of them wanted to fall here. Switches raised paths of colored squares linked together. Standing on any square of one color caused all the squares of that color to drop back into the pit after a few moments.

"That's going to get annoying real fast," Daxter muttered as the group left off the first such bridge, which also collapsed in its entirety after a certain amount of time passed.

"Shh!" Shining hissed as they came to the next gap and set of rotating floating platforms. As the platforms were spaced to be exactly the distance Jak and Shining could clear in a leap with their jump boots, they needed concentration to clear the gap. The platforms leading upward were even more difficult, as Jak could just barely grab hold of the side to pull himself up, and then had to lean back over to grab Shining as he jumped upward to pull him up, and still having to plot the next leap before the platform had rotated enough to push them both off.

Reaching a stable, non-moving platform with a switch that would raise another color-bridge, Jak and Shining paused to catch their breath. "Why would they even set this place up like that?" Shining demanded breathlessly.

"It's not like they even need platforms," Jak barked out. "They can fly! Why make it so hard to get through if you can't? Why not just not have the platforms? Most of them aren't even connected to anything!"

Daxter glanced around at the positioning. "Well...either the arrangement is channeling Eco energy in a manner we'd need Samos to explain...or..."

Jak and Shining both turned to the little Ottsel. "Or?" they asked together.

"Or breaking the barrier around the Precursor Robot is part of the activation process, and they want us to free the Sages to do it," Daxter concluded. "The Sages wouldn't do it if they told them to, and we'd get suspicious if it was too easy to free them. And if they can get us to get the Sages to do it, they don't need to expend their own power to do so."

Jak and Shining both swallowed at the suggestion. "Two questions then," Jak spoke up. "Since we need to free the sages anyway...if that is the case, then how do we stop them?"

Daxter glanced around. "Well, with all the Eco tech around, there's bound to be a few Eco Vents, right? So once they're on the robot, we just need to make sure Gol and Maia are more focused on us than unsealing the silos long enough for you two to tear their robot apart somehow. What's the second question?"

"When'd you get so smart?" Shining asked teasingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daxter demanded angrily, causing both Jak and Shining to start laughing.

"Maybe his brain evolved from the Dark Eco, too," Jak suggested jokingly.

"Couldn't have made it any worse," Shining added with a chuckle.

"Ha ha," Daxter replied with a roll of his eyes. "Real funny guys."

While the laughter managed to dispel most of the worry brought up by the theory, the group continued with a more serious air around them. When they came across a Yellow Eco vent before a long hallway that soon became flooded with Lurkers, Shining got an idea. "Jak, Daxter, stay behind me," he ordered as he stepped into the vent.

The pair obeyed, keeping their eyes on their unicorn companion. Shining closed his eyes, focusing the Yellow Eco his body was absorbing into his horn. When he felt he could hold no more, he released it forward...in a flood, rather than a burst.

A blazing inferno erupted from Shining's horn, blasting the relatively weak Lurkers to ashes as it filled the hallway, subsiding as Shining fell back onto his rump and out of the Eco vent.

Daxter was the first to speak, expressing both his and Jak's reactions. "Whoa."

As blasting away the Lurkers had also broken several dynamos of some sort, which opened another door. The door led straight to where the Red Sage - a hulk of a man who looked more like a blacksmith than a scholar - was locked up. Breaking another dynamo released him, as well as providing another Power Cell.

The Red Sage chuckled as he turned to face them. "So you've finally come to rescue me," he said calmly, his voice rolling smoothly out of his mouth, showing a very laid back personality. "You know how long I've been here? What took you so long? And what are your names?"

The group introduced themselves.

"Jak."

"Daxter."

"Shining Armor."

"You're real heroes, you three," the Red Sage complimented them. "You've got to stop Gol and Maia before they can use their robot. I'll use my Eco Power to start breaking down the barrier." Turning, he aimed his hands forward and shot out a beam of Red Eco.

Glancing at each other nervously, Jak, Daxter, and Shining turned to keep going.

Precursor: Robot

The trio rode the elevator to the top, seeing Gol and Maia already at work on the silo in the distance when they disembarked. Grabbing some nearby clusters of Blue Eco, they activated a mobile platform to carry them over to the primary silo. They were using a beam of Blue Eco from the robot to force it open.

Daxter glanced around, trying to come up with a plan, since he knew Jak and Shining's plan would be 'charge in and smash', and that ran the risk of letting the silo open all the way. Besides, he was supposed to be a distraction. Looking around, he saw a seemingly useless Red Eco vent - they couldn't get close enough to the robot to attack it physically - a large metal pipe with a pointed end, and several clusters of explosive Yellow Eco. An idea hit him. "Shining! Can you cast your shield like a ball around yourself and roll it around?"

"Uhh...yeah," Shining replied, somewhat confused.

"Do it!" Daxter spun around. "Jak! Grab that metal pipe, hit the Red Eco vent, and get ready to play golf!"

Jak, also confused but curious, raced to do as instructed.

"You're too late!" Maia proclaimed from the robot as Jak and Shining raced to work the plan. "Soon, the silo will be open, we will have all the Dark Eco we need to complete our research, and there's nothing you can do to-"

"I LOVE YOU MAIA!" Daxter shouted at the top of his lungs.

The robot froze where it hovered in the air, the Eco Beam shutting down as it swiveled to look at Daxter. Jak fell face first into the Red Eco vent, nearly impaling himself on the pointed metal pipe he'd grabbed. Shining's shield fluctuated as it held the gathered Yellow Eco. All were staring at Daxter now.

"Why are you not moving to destroy the giant robot?" Daxter demanded in a stage whisper. "That won't work twice!"(1)

Maia suddenly screamed in rage. "You miserable, lying rodent! Why I-"

Racing from the Red Eco vent, Jak drew back the metal pole and - putting the Red Eco he was filled with behind the swing - struck Shining's shield as hard as he could, shouting, "FORE!"

With a loud "THWACK!" Shining's shield ball flew threw the air, slamming into the side of the robot's face with a massive Yellow Eco explosion, eradicating the emitters it had been using to fire the Eco Beams. As Shining fell back - his shield still charged with Eco - Jak raced forward and struck again. They repeated this process to blast bits of the Precursor Robot apart with each explosion, at one point sending Shining through a Yellow Eco vent that activated to one side of the silo to recharge him.

"Nice!" Daxter crowed, leaping into the air. "I didn't think my makeshift plan would work this well!"

At that moment, Shining - in his explosively charged shield - slammed into the center of the robot, causing the entire thing to explode. Daxter let out a scream as he tumbled off the side of the silo, just barely managing to catch hold of two side indentations. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to examine them until someone came and got him.

Atop the silo, Shining staggered around, looking drunk. "Mommy I don't want to ride the roller coaster again!" he chimed foolishly before slumping over in a heap.

Jak managed to catch his feet as Gol and Maia fell out of the head unit of their robot, the only part still in one piece. "You fools!" Gol proclaimed. "Without the Dark Eco, our research can never be complete! We'll never find the secrets of creation!"

"We'll never find a way to cure your little friend!" Maia added.

Blinking, Jak looked around. "Daxter?" he called out worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Daxter called out, sitting on Samos' shoulder as the Sages floated up on a wide platform the Blue Sage was powering. "Also, there's something you should see! Jak, bring that pole if it's still in one piece!"

"Gol, Maia, you both should come too," Samos instructed.

Confused, the trio boarded the platform, Jak carrying his unconscious brother.

"These are of interest, wouldn't you say?" Samos asked, indicating the indentations Daxter had grabbed hold of.

Gol leaned in close to the first one. "This is a...pressure guage?" he asked in shock.

"And from the looks of these Precursor runes, the silo's under...incredibly high pressure," Maia muttered. "If we'd succeeded in opening it all the way..."

"You would have flooded the entire world with Dark Eco," Samos finished for her. "Rather than perform any successful experiments, you would have killed everything, including yourselves."

"It's true," Gol murmured. "We lack the genetic markers...to achieve evolution via...the Dark Eco..."

"And there was no need!" Daxter pointed out, holding up a jar of Precursor alloy. "Observe. Jak, please put the pointed end into the other indentation!"

Noding, Jak inserted the pointed end. Dark Eco flowed down the pipe at a steady rate into the jar, which Daxter promptly capped once it was full and Jak had removed the pipe. "The Precursors obviously expected the study of Dark Eco," Samos explained, "and provided means to access it safely."

Gol and Maia glanced back and forth between each other, feeling incredibly foolish.

While the Sages discussed how best to handle careful Dark Eco studies, Jak sought out Keira. "Shining gave me your note," he told her softly, smiling.

"And you did save the day," Keira replied with a smile, hands behind her back. "Are you ready for your...suitable reward?" She looked up at him through fluttering eyelashes.

Jak nodded happily, smiling widely.

"I'm glad," Keira replied, leaning forward slightly.

Jak leaned forward as well, his eyes slowly closing.

Keira pulled her hands out from behind her back, holding a truly vile looking creation. "I baked you a cake!"

The sound of Jak's face hitting the floor echoed over Daxter and Shining's belly laughter.

(1) Scene inspired by this comment.

Dream Meanings

As the bits and pieces of the robot were salvaged and cleaned up, Jak, Daxter, Shining, and Keira found their way to a massive Precursor door, ancient and engraved with endless runes. Since it was stationed above the silo, it was plainly important. "What is it?" Jak asked, staring at it in amazement.

"It's a door," Daxter replied. "I should think that was obvious."

"How do we open it?" Shining asked, examining it from a distance.

Keira moved close to the door. "It looks like there's indentations for placing Power Cells," she stated, running her hand over one. "I count...100 of them."

"Holy Yakkow!" Samos called out, coming up behind the group. "That's a lot of Power Cells. You won't be getting that door open any time soon-"

"But we have 101 Power Cells," Jak pointed out logically.

"Oh. Of course you do," Samos replied, looking away. "Of course you do..."

Not really understanding the tone of Samos' voice, Jak placed the Power Cells into the slot, their Eco Power drawing them into the points on the door until every single one was filled. The group stared at the door for a time, waiting for a response. After a time, a crack appeared down the middle of the door, and the two halves swung forward slowly as it opened.

Behind the door was a massive ring of Precursor metal filled with light, and a strangely configured vehicle, large enough to seat four. The moment Shining's eyes fell on them, a shiver ran down his spine. There was something so...upsettingly familiar about them, as though bad memories were associated with the very shapes. He looked away from them, trying to get himself under control, only for his eyes to fall on Samos.

Samos was staring at the ring and vehicle with distaste. His hand stroked his chin as he slowly shook his head. His mouth was moving, and Shining's sensitive hearing picked up the quietest of words from his lips.

"Already? Why so soon? ...They're so young...so young..."

Shining's eyes went from Samos to the ring, to the vehicle, trying to make sense of what was going on. Approaching the vehicle, he stared into the seats. Climbing in, he stared up at the shining light within the gate...

Gate?

Samos' voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you. That's a promise."

Shining clutched his head as he fell over into the vehicle, not hearing the concerned shouts of his friends and family.

As Shining slowly came to, he found Samos standing over him. "Feeling better, Shining?" he asked softly.

Shining Armor glanced around, seeing he was back in Samos' hut. "That vehicle...the gateway-"

"Gateway?" Samos asked in shock.

"It's the same as from my dreams!" Shining said quickly, standing up. He staggered as his knees buckled, but he held his ground. "The dream of the grey city and the black sky, and the other unicorn and two Jaks! It always ended the same way. You, me, and Jak sitting in that vehicle, staring into the shining light of that gateway as you promised to take care of us! How is it here, Samos? What does it mean?"

Samos looked at Shining for a time, then sighed. "It means that your dreams will soon make sense, Shining," he explained at last. "But I fear that once they do, you will find them to be nightmares."

"Sir?" Shining's eyes widened, his confusion very much apparent.

"I had hoped that you would have more time before this would happen," Samos continued. "But I fear time has run out after all...or perhaps caught up to us. Even hearing the whole story, it never made sense to me..." He glanced away, sighing ruefully.

"Sage Samos?" Shining asked worriedly, walking up to him and nudging him with one hoof.

"Don't think about it for now, Shining," Samos stated firmly. "Enjoy the time you have while you can. The time's not far off when this peaceful life you two have known will come to a terrible end, and pain and strife will become your bosom buddies. Joyous moments will be few and far between. I've prepared you both for all this as best I can...but soon you'll be thrown into the fires of adversity." He turned back to Shining. "Shore up every gap in the armor of your heart with whatever happy memories you can make now, young hero, so these fires may temper you only, and not melt you to slag."

Shining swallowed, nodding. "Yes sir," he replied. He wasn't entirely sure he understood what Samos was talking about, but he was beginning to think the answers he'd wondered about for so long were going to be unpleasant to learn. It was best to relax and be ready. "How long do we have?"

"Until Keira gets the vehicle and gate working again, young one," Samos replied. "When that day comes...our peaceful time here will be at an end...and an adventure you won't be ready for will begin." He shook his head. "I know something of what might happen...but I know not how it begins. Be ready...and be happy."

Shining nodded. "Alright," he replied. "I'll let my smile be my armor." Turning, he headed out to find Jak and Daxter. One of them was bound to have an idea of something fun to do. Maybe they could go back to the snowcap mountain and go skiing!

As Samos watched Shining leave, he sat back down to gaze out his window. "Time is a fickle thing, the way the Precursors toyed with it," he muttered. "We made it safely around last time...but will we this time, young Princes?"

Light and Dark

Shining lay back in his hammock as he stared across the room at his brother, slumped over on his bed looking dejected. "Seriously, bro?" he asked. "Is that really how you were trying to get her attention? Who did you learn that cheesy pick up line from, anyway?"

"...shut up..." Jak grumbled back.

Shining chuckled as he rolled his eyes. While he hadn't passed on everything he'd talked about with Samos, he did pass on that the Sage had suggested taking a break and enjoying themselves. Towards that end, Jak had been attempting to progress things with Keira. As such, the entirety of Sandover Village was witness to Jak's attempts at flirting. He wasn't very good. "Seriously bro, if she didn't already like you, you wouldn't have a chance," he chided gently.

"...shut up..." Jak whimpered pathetically.

"Why do you keep posturing about it, anyway?" Shining demanded as Daxter wandered in, skittering across the wall as he adjusted further to his new body. "You're her friend from childhood, a freakin' hero, and the Sages keep acting like you're some sort of 'Chosen One'. Even Gol and Maia have been joining in on that. Stop trying to be something you're not and just be yourself!"

"And then how am I supposed to get Keira to look at me instead of that vehicle for ten minutes?" Jak demanded. "After all, she's seen me before, but that vehicle's brand new."

"You could try helping her with it," Daxter offered logically. "She's got all those tools scattered around. Learn their names, be there when she needs one, and get it for her. Show interest. Girls love when you show interest in what they do."

Jak and Shining both turned to where the ottsel was burying himself in the roof thatch. "And what would you know about girls, my fuzzy friend?" Shining posited.

"You're one to talk about fuzzy," Daxter replied. "And I was paying attention to Maia's research on Dark Eco - figured it might open a few doors as far as whatever abilities I have now - and she seemed to appreciate the genuine interest. ...a little too much, actually, which is why if she comes by, I'm not here." Daxter promptly pulled the inner layer of roof thatch closed around him.

Jak stared at where his friend was hiding for a time, then shrugged. "Well, I've tried just about everything else." Hopping out of bed, he headed off to where Keira was at work.

Shining lay back in the hammock, looking pensive. While he didn't like seeing Jak fail in romancing Keira, he had been glad that his attempts had delayed Keira's work on the vehicle. Samos had implied rather strongly that the peaceful time would end when her work was finished, so the longer it took the better. He was not looking forward to when she finished it.

Still, if it was a choice between Jak's continued depression or hastening their personal Armageddon...Samos did imply they'd at least survive the latter, in all likelihood. And happy memories were supposed to be good armor...

Samos sighed as he gathered his belongings. He knew, more or less, what was to come today. Keira had finally finished her work, and both vehicle and gateway were ready for use, braced just outside Keira's lab. The time for rest and relaxation was at an end.

Walking with his staff, he made his way along the village's bridges towards the gate, seeing Jak, Daxter, Shining, and Keira waiting for him. Shining was looking from vehicle to gate nervously, as though expecting monsters to leap out of either at any moment. Daxter sat on Shining's back, combing the young stallion's mane to calm him down. Jak and Keira sat in the vehicle itself, holding hands. Remembering things he'd seen in his own childhood, Samos couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Although he admitted privately to himself that if he didn't approve so strongly of Jak, he would not have viewed that with such equanimity.

He cleared his throat as he approached. "Today's the big day, everyone," he announced, drawing their attention. "I hope you're all prepared...for whatever happens."

"I'm ready for anything," Jak replied confidently.

No, my boy, Samos thought silently. No, you are not. But you are as prepared as I could make you...and it won't be enough. When you realize what I could not tell you, I hope you can forgive me...

"I think I've figured out most of this machine," Keira spoke up, indicating the vehicle. "It seems to interact somehow with that large Precursor ring. I'm pretty sure that front panel is a control mechanism of some sort...but I can't determine what either does beyond that without testing it." She stared up in awe at the massive artifact. "I just hope we didn't break anything moving it to the lab."

I can guarantee we did not, Samos thought sadly. Oh, what I wouldn't give to spare you what's to come...but without you, it will all fail...

"Easy for you to say!" Daxter complained. "We did all the heavy lifting!" Hopping into the front seat between Jak and Keira, he reached towards the controls.

"Daxter!" Samos snapped out, barely hiding the fear in his voice. "Don't touch anything! Though the Precursors vanished long ago, the artifacts they left behind can still do great harm!"

"We know," Jak replied with a roll of his eyes, smirking at Keira. "We've seen."

Keira giggled at his reference to their last adventure. "Or great good, Daddy," she pointed out. "Even you have to admit, Gol and Maia's latest research into Dark Eco shows great promise. In its plasma state, Dark Eco can enhance other types of Eco for amazing effects, as long as it's used in carefully controlled circumstances."

"I've had such experience with such things," Samos stated darkly as he took a seat in the vehicle. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, with Keira, Jak, Shining, and Samos all sharing the bench, Daxter on Jak's shoulder. My kingdom for safety harnesses, he thought to himself.

"Well, here goes nothing," Jak muttered, pressing the crystal switch, causing it to light up.

As the capsule opened, revealing a glowing sphere with two spinning rings around it, Daxter applauded. "Looks like Jak's still got the mojo!"

"Interesting," Keira mumbled as she examined the device. "It appears to be reading out some preset coordinates."

As everything began shaking from the vehicle's activation and the gateway responded, Samos clutched his staff tightly, hoping everything would work out as it was supposed to. As he heard the familiar voice announcing the opening of the last Rift Gate, and the Metalhead swarms - creatures of living metal that were a plague upon the world in any time - erupted from within, he could only murmur in awe. "So this is how it happened..."

Shining was never able to recall exactly what happened when they passed through the Rift Gate, or immediately after. He'd been focusing his magic into a shield to protect them from the creatures that came through. However, as soon as they'd entered, the feedback of the transdimensional energy through his magic had knocked him for a loop. The last thing he heard clearly was Samos shouting for he and Jak to 'find themselves'. When they'd landed, he'd been knocked completely out cold.

The next time he came to, his mind and vision were blurry. He couldn't make sense of his thoughts. There was a cold pain against the base of his horn. He heard two voices talking, but they were indistinct. While the words were clear, he knew he'd never know the voices if he heard them again.

"Are you certain about this?"

"Of course I am! The tests have shown that the research is sound!"

"But it's so old! And Dark Eco is incredibly volatile."

"Not in the Plasma state. We've had seven successful infusions."

"If you define 'successful' as 'turning into berserk, overpowered monsters', yes."

"That's why we have these two. They're mentioned in Gol and Maia's notes."

"Yes, and that pair are marked down as having been insane."

"The line between insanity and genius is fine indeed. And they aren't the only ones to mention these two could naturally metabolize Eco in its plasma state. A pity the ottsel got away."

"The city's being searched for him as we speak. But what about the unicorn's abilities?"

"An iron ring with a core of liquid Dark Eco around the base of his horn. He's not going anywhere. We'll start with him."

After that, all Shining knew was pain.

When the pain finally subsided, Shining felt like he was going to die. His body didn't respond to his commands. His thoughts were sluggish. The pain around his horn was worse than before. He wanted to throw up, but his throat wouldn't work right. He felt himself falling, only to land in a pile of something foul smelling. He felt himself fading.

"Shining?"

He knew that voice. "D...Dax...ter...?"

"Oh god, Shining, what did they do to you?" He felt small hands tugging on him, but he wasn't going very far. "Wait here, I'll get help!" He heard the little feet scampering off.

Eventually, those little feet returned, accompanied by larger feet. Shining felt himself being lifted into the air by gentle arms.

And everything went dark.

When Shining came to again, he found himself in a rather comfortable bed in a warmly lit, if small, room. The only thing that marked it as not being a part of Sandover Village was that the walls were made of metal. "W...where...?" he called out weakly.

"Finally speaking again, I see," a feminine voice called out.

Turning, Shining found himself looking at a rather curvaceous blond woman with sharply pointed ears and blue eyes, clad in a dirndl. "Who...?" he began weakly before coughing.

"Hold still," she instructed, bracing his back with her hand as she held a fragrant bowl up to his lips. "Drink this, it will help you."

Leaning forward, Shining began to lap up what proved to be a rather flavorful soup, rich without being overwhelming.

"My name is Misha," the woman explained. "I work as a barmaid in the local brewery.(1) Daxter's a regular customer, always going on about the friends he needs to save when he isn't looking for handouts or odd jobs. When he found you in the dump while scrounging for something to sell for cash, you'd been gone for over a year. He convinced me to take care of you until you were back on your hooves. Didn't expect it to be over six months before you were even awake to do more than drink."

Shining looked up as he finished the soup, feeling a bit better, though not up to moving yet. "Sorry to be such a burden," he replied softly.

"Don't worry about it," Misha replied easily. "Seeing how much he cared about you, I had to help. Besides, he's been paying me ten credits a day for keeping an eye on you between shifts, and a down payment of ten Precursor Orbs. Ten! Those things are rarer than anything, and he handed over ten like it was nothing if it meant getting you well! You sure mean a lot to him."

Shining blinked in confusion. Precursor Orbs, rare? He hoped Daxter was being careful with how he spent them, if they were that valuable here...wherever here was. If he remembered rightly, they had 470 orbs left that hadn't been traded for Power Cells, and Daxter had held onto them. 460, minus the ten he'd paid Misha.

The struggle to think proved too much for him, and he slipped back into unconsciousness. However, he was pretty sure he'd be a bit more stable when he next awoke...

(1) The only thing I'm using from the game "Daxter". While unnamed in the game, readers of my other stories will know I have enjoy giving names to unnamed characters I use.

Recovery and Adaption

As Shining had expected, the next time he woke up he was actually able to move about a bit without falling over or losing the soup he was fed. He didn't want to take any chances with his health or recovery just yet, so he kept his activity small. He rolled carefully onto his back, and then stretched each leg one by one into the air, flexing them each in turn to test his muscle tone, pleased to see no signs of atrophy. Rolling back onto his stomach, he lifted his head, repeating the process with his neck, twisting it this way and that. Finally, he pushed himself to his hooves, and carefully stepped down from the bed he was in.

Thankfully, the mattress was laid on the floor itself, so he didn't have far to step down to the floor. The hard metal felt uncomfortable against his hooves, but he steeled himself to get used to it. He didn't walk too far around, just twice around the bed. As soon as he felt his legs starting to shiver, he climbed back onto the mattress and laid down.

Finally, he turned to the one thing he was afraid of testing out. Seeing a warm bowl of soup, he focused his mind on it. He tried to send energy through his horn to grab hold of it. Slowly, the bowl began to lift in his magical aura.

As soon as the magic took hold, pain lanced down his horn and into his brain, twisting his insides into knots. Gritting his teeth, he struggled through it. He had expected this. His magic had interacted badly with the Dark Eco. If whoever had held him captive had been injecting him with the stuff - at least, that's what he interpreted from what he remembered - then it was to be expected that his magic would have suffered. Not only that, focusing magic at a distance like this was proving more difficult than he'd expected. The bowl was easier to hold as it got closer to him, but it wasn't even half way to him when it dropped from his grip.

"Whoa!" Daxter called out as he caught the bowl, managing to not spill anything. "Careful there, Shiny. Good food isn't exactly cheap, and this isn't even the syntho-crap most of the city settles for."

Shining managed a smile. "Hey Daxter...I was just-"

"Pushing yourself beyond your limits like the stubborn ass you are?" Daxter asked, setting the bowl down next to Shining. "Come on, eat up." He picked up a spoon. "Or do I have to spoon feed you?"

Locking his eyes on the spoon, Shining started to focus again.

"Oh, come on!" Daxter complained. "Didn't you just-"

"I need to overcome this somehow," Shining interrupted softly. "Even if it's one mouthful at a time..."

The pain wasn't as great holding the spoon so close to him, given how much lighter it was. He was able to feed himself a few mouthfuls of soup before his concentration failed. Daxter caught the spoon as it fell, before it could land in the soup.

"Not bad, not bad," Daxter complimented. "I'll feed you a few mouthfuls, and you can try again." Shining could only nod in return.

The meal continued like that, Shining levitating the spoon for a few mouthfuls, then resting as Daxter fed him a few more. Before too much longer, the bowl was empty, and Shining was able to set the spoon down in the bowl without dropping it. He let out a sigh, glad he'd worked through the worst of that little bit of magic usage.

As he pushed the bowl away, Daxter wrapped his little arms around his neck. "Shining...I was beginning to be afraid I'd never see you again...and even when I found you, I thought...I thought you might never wake up..."

Feeling the tears in his coat, Shining said nothing. Raising a hoof, he gently stroked his friend's back. Tears he'd accept, to help Daxter overcome this as well. He'd draw the line if he felt any snot. "And...Jak?" he asked hopefully.

"No word yet," Daxter replied, sniffling. Shining had apparently timed his question just right to avoid the snot. "I was lucky to even find you. I was raiding the dump for valuables to pawn off for credits the day before it was going to be incinerated when I found you."

Seeing just how downtrodden Daxter looked, Shining pushed aside his own worries and forced a smile onto his face. "Hey, if I made it, so did Jak. He's even tougher than I am, you know that."

"Yeah...I suppose so." Daxter turned to look out the window. "I just wish I knew where to look for him...or Keira...heck, I'd even be glad to find a trace of Old Man Samos at this point."

"So...where are we?" Shining asked curiously. While he did genuinely want to know, the surest way to cheer Daxter up was to get him talking.

"Haven City," Daxter replied. "One of the last vestiges of civilization, shielded from the assaults of the Metal Heads by the Eco Dome."

"Eco Dome?"

Daxter grinned widely as he raced up onto a nearby chair so he could look down at Shining the way Samos often had at all of them. "The Eco Dome is a shield surrounding the city. It was designed several hundred years ago by Mar-"

"Mar?" Shining gasped in shock, an old memory of a dream surging to the fore.

"The founder of the city," Daxter explained. "He's super famously historical. While his descendants still ruled the city, it wasn't uncommon for children of the line to be named after him." Not understanding Shining's sudden interest, he continued. "At any rate, the Eco Dome is maintained by five Eco Generators inside the Dome, one for each of the primary colors of Eco: Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Dark. It forms an impenetrable shield around the city from the ground up, that can only be passed with the proper keys, which are only issued by the government...or certain shady individuals who hire mercenaries."

"Or anyone with a shovel," Shining muttered.

Daxter blinked. "...what do you mean by that?"

"Well, you said it was an Eco Dome, right?" Shining asked. "Stops at ground level. So doesn't that mean anyone who could tunnel could get in and out at will?"

Daxter gulped loudly and rushed into the house's rafters. "I wish you hadn't said that!" he whimpered.

"Why?"

"Cause Metal Heads, according to rumor, are natural diggers!" Daxter blinked as Shining Armor suddenly appeared beside him in the rafters, clutching one of the roof beams. "Huh. I didn't know you could teleport."

"Me neither," Shining replied, staring down at the floor in terror.

Adjustments and Preparation

As the months rolled by, Shining Armor pushed himself hard, trying to get back to his old skill and ability levels. While his body recovered readily enough, he had a year and a half of atrophy to overcome, and whoever had held him had apparently taken his Eco jump boots. He was going to have to figure out a way to work around that later. Still, it wasn't long before he was able to move about on his own without difficulty, and was once again working to tone his body.

His magic was another story. Due to the Dark Eco toxicity lingering in his body, he was no longer able to generate magical fields at the same strength as before. While he could perform the same short range teleport he used to get to the rafters, experimentation led to the discovery that he couldn't use it to just go anywhere. If he tried to lock onto specific spatial coordinates related to him, the magic would grow in his horn, the Dark Eco in his veins would surge in response, and he'd end up doubled over. If, however, he locked onto Daxter - or Misha, or anyone else he'd been introduced to and gotten to know well - he had no trouble weaving the teleportation spell to get to them, no matter how far away they were, as long as he could see them clearly and identify them.

Shield spells were also more difficult. His original spherical shield was no longer available, as trying to put that much magic through his horn triggered the Dark Eco reaction. The same was true of a dome shield that stopped at ground level. Spot shields crafted at specific points around him weren't too difficult, as long as they were no larger than a standard buckler and he conjured no more than two at a time, and they were within five feet of him.

His telekinesis had grown easier with time, and he could now grip three objects in his magical aura at a time. Given the violent nature of the environment, Shining had decided to focus on weapons. In addition to two Red Eco blades - ordinary metal swords equipped with Red Eco mods that surrounded the blade with energy that let it sheer through just about anything if they were swung hard enough - Daxter had gotten Shining a Morph Gun with a Red Mod, the Scatter Gun variant. While it was effective at dealing damage, Shining had trouble holding onto it due to the recoil. He hoped he'd be able to get a Yellow Mod. The Blaster mode for long range looked to be more controllable with a magic grip.

Unfortunately, funds were tight. Daxter had sprung the tail end of their Precursor Orbs for one last piece of equipment for Shining: a set of saddle mounted Eco Rocket launchers. The connected headset would let him lock onto targets with eye blinks, and he could fire the rockets by depressing a button on the bottom of the saddle strap under his belly, whether with magic, hoof, or by falling flat to the ground. He didn't use it too much, as reloading the rockets was a great deal more expensive than reloading the Scatter Gun.

The local shooting gallery provided a good place for Shining to train with both guns and blades, especially since the membership Daxter had bought him not only included replacement ammo but also included credit prizes for setting records or performing various impressive feats. This made it ideal for practice, as he not only trained up to combat readiness but could earn food money in the process.

Meanwhile, Daxter kept his ears open for any details regarding Jak, Keira, or Samos. Unfortunately, at the current time, no sign of any of them could be found. Jak, presumably, was still in lockup, beyond Daxter or Shining's reach. Samos and Keira had vanished when the Rift Rider - Daxter's name for the vehicle they'd ridden into the gate - had exploded mid travel. On top of that, the Guard were on the lookout for Daxter for some reason, so he had to be very discreet.

It was towards the end of the sixth month Shining had been active - the end of the second year in Haven City, according to Daxter - that the little ottsel had good news. "Shining!" he called, rushing into the apartment they'd gotten for themselves once the unicorn had fully recovered. "I've found Jak!"

"You have?" Shining asked eagerly. "Where is he?"

"Locked up in the palace somewhere," Daxter replied. "That's where they're performing the Dark Eco infusion experiments. He's still undergoing it!"

"But how are we supposed to find him?" Shining demanded angrily. "Or even get into the palace?"

"Already taken care of it!" Daxter replied. "I have a cunning plan!"

"And now I'm worried," Shining quipped. "Let's hear it."

"Well, you know that exterminator's job I got? Well, I've made a few contacts through that which will get me into the palace so I can sneak around, swipe some blueprints, and find where Jak is locked up!" Daxter preened proudly. "All in a day's work for a hero like me."

"And how does that get me in?" Shining asked grumpily. "I don't have that job, and I'm rather distinctive. If I try to walk in there, they'll recognize me for sure."

"That's where the cunning part comes in!" Daxter replied, putting on a headset. "Open your communications channel."

Confused, Shining nodded. Blinking his eyes, his headset opened a communications channel. A tiny window appeared on his viewscreen, and he found himself looking at...himself. "Eh?"

"My headset's sending a transmission of what I'm seeing to your headset," Daxter explained. "I want to test something." Turning, he walked into the bathroom, out of Shining's sight. In the little window, Shining tracked Daxter's movements from his perspective, crawling up the wall to leap onto the sink, before staring at his own reflection in the mirror. "Try teleporting to me now!" he called out.

"But I can't see-" Shining paused, staring at the tiny window and the distinct image of Daxter. He began to see the ottsel's plan. If it worked...

A flash of light later, and Shining appeared in the sink. "...if I weren't stuck, I'd be very unsteady right now," he explained as he carefully extracted himself.

"But it worked!" Daxter proclaimed. "I can act as a lock on point for you anywhere, as long as my comms signal can reach you with video!"

"Might want to save it for infiltration, though," Shining grunted, his face a little green. "It took more magic than normal. The...the Dark Eco reacted a bit."

"Right," Daxter replied, helping Shining back to the floor. "I'll make sure I'm somewhere safe before I send the signal."

Shining nodded, then grinned. "But we have a plan..."

Haven: Rescue

Daxter was able to get Shining into the Fortress - an area connected to the palace which proved to be where Jak was actually being held - rather easily. Once inside and past the obstacles, the pair found Jak...undergoing Dark Eco infusion. At the sight of it, Shining shivered, the memory of undergoing the selfsame torturous experience coming to the fore of his mind from the image and sounds of the device itself, and the sound of Jak's screams.

"Easy there, Shiny," Daxter whispered, one hand on the unicorn's neck to try and calm him down. "We're no good to Jak if we get caught here."

Two other humans in armor stood over Jak as the machine shut down. "Nothing," the larger one stated. "I was informed that this one might be different!" At this, he gestured to Jak.

The smaller, younger one shrugged. "He is surprisingly resistant to your experiments, Baron Praxis. I fear the Dark Warrior program has reached a dead end."

Baron Praxis growled angrily, grabbing Jak by the head. "You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I pumped into you! Like that unicorn! Either that or metamorphosed like the failures! Why haven't you done either?!"

Jak's eyes flickered open and closed. "S...Shining..." he murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow and too quiet for anyone to hear...save Shining Armor and Daxter, both of whom had hearing much stronger than human.

"What now?" the other one demanded. "Metalhead armies are pressing their attacks. Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever."

Praxis' half-metal face contorted in rage. "I will not be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures! Move forward with the final plan! And finish off this...thing tonight." At 'thing', he once more gestured to Jak.

Shining felt anger beginning to stir in his heart, but he quickly quelled it. Not only had Samos taught him that anger could easily destroy him, his magic had always reacted to his anger in...unpleasant ways. Not only that, he could feel the Dark Eco inside him reacting to it even now.

"As you wish," the younger human confirmed his order. "I'll be back later," he whispered to Jak before leaving.

Daxter and Shining made their move immediately. Racing up, Daxter began to examine the controls. "Jak, you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Jak's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Praxis!" he roared angrily.

Dark Eco flared over his body. His skin turned grey, as did his hair. His hair grew out much longer in dreadlock-like spines, and his nails turned into black claws. His eyes turned into black pits, staring at the world around him in fury.

"That's new!" Daxter meeped.

"You'll pay for what you did to my brother, Praxis!" Jak shouted as he burst free of the manacles holding him to the machine, smashing it in the process.

"Jak, calm down!" Shining shouted, rushing to his brother's side. "You're going to bring every guard in the whole place down on our heads!"

"Bring 'em!" Jak roared. "I'll make them all pay for killing you..." His anger started to drain out of him as he turned to face Shining. "You...you're not dead?" he asked, reverting to his normal form.

"Thanks to Daxter, nope," Shining replied, only to get pulled into a fierce embrace.

"You're...you're okay..." Jak whispered, tears in his eyes.

"I hate to be a downer on this," Daxter began, "but as I'm apparently the reasonable one of this trio now, can I suggest having this tearful reunion back at our new apartment, after we've escaped the torturous death dungeon filled with enemy soldiers who will be out for our blood, or possibly brainwashing you when they discover their experiment was apparently successful?" He shrugged. "I mean, I can only assume that new 'super Dark Jak' form is what they were shooting for with something called a 'Dark Warrior' program..."

Shining managed to extract himself from Jak's embrace. "He's right you know," he admitted.

"Something tells me I'm going to be hearing that a lot more than I want to," Jak joked. He blinked, surprised the humor even came out.

"Good to see you're still you after all that, Jak," Daxter praised, climbing up to his friend's shoulder. "Now let's jet!"

"Here," Shining offered, levitating a bundle of clothes over to Jak, wincing as he did so. "Figured you'd want to wear something other than prison clothes."

"You okay?" Jak asked worriedly as he took the clothes.

"Dark Eco gave you a new super form," Shining joked. "It gave me nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and magic headaches."

"You know, this place has this weird pink medicine to treat most of that," Daxter joked.

Managing a chuckle, Jak changed into the new clothes, a blue jacket, white pants, and black boots and gloves. He was under no illusions that things were 'back to normal'. He could feel the pain of everything he'd been through hovering just at the edge of his awareness, and the rage was bubbling endlessly beneath his mind, waiting to unleash the new 'Dark Jak' once more. He was focusing hard, holding all that at bay, shielding himself with the camaraderie and jokes. He needed to keep it at bay for now...at least until they were out of the Fortress. Once they were safe...then he could try and face it. Still, he had Daxter and Shining with him.

He wanted to ask about Samos and Keira - especially Keira - but he was afraid of the answer. With no communicator signal yet, he could only assume she wasn't in on this mission. That meant she was either missing, or...

He blocked that train of thought. He had to be strong now. Had to be strong...be strong...

Haven: Headaches

As the trio made their way out of the lab where Jak had been experimented on, a voice called out from a communications grille. "Alert! Prison escape in progress!"

"Is that us?" Jak asked.

"Let's not stick around to find out," Shining suggested.

As they progressed, Jak discovered that his jump boots Keira'd made him had been taken. However, as a result of the experimentation, he found he could now jump a second time in the air without them. Shining teleported up to his side after each double jump, as he didn't have such an ability.

As they continued outward, they encountered a few Crimson Guards blocking their path. Neither Jak nor Shining hesitated to strike them down, though at this point Shining focused on using his Eco Blade, rather than the Morph Gun. It was less noisy, and more precise. At one point, however, the group came under fire and Shining was forced to haul out his Scatter Gun to shoot back, making the path easier for the group. Finally, they managed to make their way outside.

"We should be safe for now," Daxter spoke up. "But we need to head for the apartment so you can rest up, get the lowdown on what's going on, and eat something Jak."

As they walked, an old man approached them. "Hello strangers," he greeted softly. "My name is Kor. May I help you?"

Jak started to step forward angrily, the rage fed by the Dark Eco in his blood. Before he could get a word out, however, Shining kicked him in the shin. This resulted in a pair of giggles from nearby. Turning, the group saw a young human boy with sharply pointed ears...and a unicorn colt not much bigger than Daxter, still a bit unsteady on his hooves with visible baby fat.

Kor cleared his throat awkwardly after the long silence. "Is...is there a problem, strangers?" Turning over his shoulder, he saw approaching Crimson Guard. "Oh dear...perhaps we should talk later..." Taking hold of the young boy and colt, he moved away as quickly as he could.

The leader of the Crimson Guard unit stepped up. "By order of His Eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Praxis, everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring underground-"

The Guard's words were cut off as Jak's fist slammed into his gut hard enough to break his armor. "You annoy me," Jak grunted out as the Guard fell over.

The other Guards moved in quickly, and backup moved in from elsewhere. Shining quickly pulled out his Scatter Gun. "Just like old times," he muttered, shooting and slashing away.

At one point, Dark Jak came out again, smashing the Guards to the ground and shrugging off weapon rounds. When the last of that Guard unit was gone, Jak reverted to normal. "You okay, Jak?" Shining asked as he holstered his weapon.

"N...not sure," Jak replied. "I...I'm not sure I can...control that...side of me."

"Then I'll just sit on your shoulder," Daxter offered. "If you ever get too out of control, I'll bite your ear."

Jak and Shining both let out a laugh at that. "Thanks, Daxter," Jak replied.

"Just as long as you have better hygiene than you used to!"

As the trio laughed, Kor slowly approached. "Thank you for your assistance," he said softly. He gestured to the young boy. "This child is very important."

"No kidding," Shining muttered under his breath. He was pretty certain he knew exactly who the child was...but he decided to speak with the colt to confirm his suspicions. "Hey little fella," he whispered as he leaned down to the colt's level. "What's your name?"

The colt stuck out his chin challengingly. "We're not supposed ta talk ta strangers!" he proclaimed pugnaciously.

Shining chuckled. "And you don't get much stranger than us, right?" Seeing the laugh that got out of both colt and boy, he smiled. "I'm Shining Armor," he introduced himself. "That's my brother Jak, and our friend Daxter. What are your names?"

The colt smiled. "I'm Ar-Mar, who Shines. This is my brother Mar." Shining did his best not to show his best not to show his reaction, but Ar-Mar apparently noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shining hastened to assure the colt. "Just...the names sounded familiar is all."

At that point, Kor stepped up, taking hold of Mar's hand. "See you later!" Ar-Mar called happily as he followed after his brother.

Jak and Daxter stepped up beside Shining. "Looks like we need to head to the slums, near the city wall," Daxter explained. "Right after we get some food in Jak back at the apartment." Noticing the look on Shining's face, he tilted his head. "What's bugging ya, fuzzy?"

"I'll...I'll tell you back at the apartment," Shining replied, turning to head right back. Confused, Daxter led the way for Jak.

As Jak sat down for a real meal - Daxter had splurged with the last of their Precursor Orbs for a real-food meal as opposed to the synthetic rations - Daxter once more turned to Shining. "So...what happened back there? You looked like you'd seen a ghost."

"I know where we are," Shining replied.

"Yeah, Haven City," Daxter drolled. "Not that that tells us anything-"

"We're in the past," Shining continued. "Or, at least, my past...and Jak's."

Jak stopped eating as he and Daxter stared at Shining. "What do you mean?" Jak asked worriedly.

"Because that boy and colt...they're us."

Haven: Sense

After a time of staring, Daxter was finally able to find his voice. "Umm, sorry for the pun but...trot that by us again?"

"You know how ever since I was young I've been having dreams, Jak?" Shining began. "Dreams of a world of gray and bright lights? Of the father neither of us can remember? Of frightful enemies of metal flesh?" Jak's eyes widened in realization. "This is that world, Jak. And that's us...living it. Mar and Ar-Mar who Shines...not yet becoming Jak and Shining Armor."

Daxter stared in surprise. "Whoa," he gulped, glancing at Jak. "Dude, if your jaw were any lower, I could dump your meal into your mouth off the plate without lifting it."

Jak managed to get his mouth closed. "But you told Samos all about your dreams. Why didn't he say something when we found the rift gate?"

"He did," Shining replied. "He said that something was going to happen that he wasn't sure we were ready for. And that it was going to be bad, and to get as many good memories as we can before it happened."

"Wouldn't that mean Samos is from this time, too?" Daxter asked. "Isn't that the only way he could know?" He suddenly gasped. "Does that mean there's going to be two of him now, too?"

"Probably," Jak muttered. "So now, in addition to finding Keira and Samos, we need to keep our younger selves - and Samos - safe. That means getting in close with the resistance."

"Then we'll go to that as soon as we're done eating," Shining agreed.

After leaving the apartment, the trio hopped into an unattended parked air bike. Jak wasn't sure how he instinctively knew how to handle the controls, but he wasn't about to question it. It didn't take them long to find the back alley Kor had mentioned, but they were confronted by two people hanging around there. One was a blonde female with blue eyes wearing a form fitting green jacket, blue shorts, an orange scarf, and brown boots. The other was male with brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing what looked like Crimson Guard armor stripped of all insignia and identifying traits. He also had blue lines over a good portion of his face.

"We're looking for a guy named Torn," Jak began. "Kor sent us." As the two approached aggressively, Jak glanced at the man. "You Torn?"

The man stepped up close, plainly trying to intimidate Jak, though it wasn't working. "New faces make me nervous," he grated out, his voice dry and gravelly.

"We'd never have guessed," Shining replied drolly.

The man smirked. "Word is you three are out to join the fight for this city. Ya know, picking the wrong side could be...unhealthy."

"For the other side," Daxter boasted.

"We want to see the Shadow," Jak demanded.

"Not likely," the man laughed. "If you and your pets want to join something-"

His words were cut off as he found two Eco Blades threatening him, one at his throat, one between his legs, both held in a blue magical field. "Call me a pet again," Shining growled out, "and I'll relieve you of your life or your testicles. Your choice."

Torn chuckled. "Heh. Maybe you do have what it takes. But I need to know you aren't all talk."

"You want him to cut off your testicles?" Daxter asked, shocked. The woman giggled in response.

"No. I want you to prove you'll stand up to the Baron," the man explained.

"Alright," Shining agreed, sheathing his blades. "What do you want us to blow up?"

"Nothing that big," the man hastened to assure him. "We aren't ready for that level of confrontation." He looked up. "But if you steal the Baron's banner from off of the ruined tower, and bring it back..."

Jak raised an eyebrow. "...petty vandalism?"

"In one piece, to prove your skill," the man added.

Jak shrugged. "We'll be back." Turning, he leapt back into the 'borrowed' vehicle. Shining and Daxter leapt in with him.

The ruined tower in question was actually outside the city proper, though still within the area protected by the Eco Dome. As a result, they encountered no Metalheads as they made their way there. The area looked like it had once been part of the city until it had been allowed to collapse into ruins. The trio had to avoid some swampy areas, but other than that faced no real obstacles.

"This seems more like a test of courage than of skill," Jak commented as they began climbing the tower itself.

"Probably is," Shining added as he teleported up to his side for each step. "Still, we should be careful. These creatures have been mutated by Dark Eco."

"I've noticed," Jak replied. "I absorb some every time I kill one of them, and I can feel it building up inside me."

"Probably what powers your Dark mode," Daxter commented.

Eventually, the trio reached the top of the crumbling tower, and Jak seized the banner off its flagpole. As he did, the platform collapsed under them. Shining grabbed hold of Jak alongside Daxter as they fell, only to bounce off a fabric awning, grind down a rope, and land right in front of where the man was waiting for them.

Behind them, the tower collapsed.

"I said not to blow anything up," the man scolded.

"Consider it a bonus," Jak replied, bracing himself on the banner.

The man shrugged. "Guess you guys are in, then. Name's Torn."

Haven: Odd Jobs

Torn readily guided Jak, Shining, and Daxter into the Underground's hideout. Daxter, for his part, was more than ready to strut his stuff...but Shining came to a conclusion that dashed his ego. "You put that banner up there, didn't you?" he asked Torn.

"What?" Daxter demanded in shock.

"Good guess," Torn replied. "We used that tower to test anyone new who wanted to join the Underground, if they knew who to ask for and felt they were up to the challenge. You three are the first to make the attempt. Now we need to find a new way to test anyone else. But enough about that. Since you've proven so capable, there are a few things you three can do to further our goals."

"Go on," Jak murmured, nodding his head.

"The Baron's turned off all water to the slums, since he's figured out we're based in here somewhere," Torn explained. "He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives, just to stop us."

"Where's the valve we need to turn back on?" Shining asked.

"Outside the city," Torn confirmed, pointing to it on the map. "I've got a passkey that will let you get through the Eco Dome, but you still need to be careful. While it will let you pass through the Dome itself, it won't get you past the checkpoints. There's a large drain pipe in the north wall. It's a little dirty, but you can get through there without trouble."

"How do you get all this information, anyway?" Daxter demanded suspiciously.

"I used to be a member of the Crimson Guard," Torn explained. "I've still got some friends in it that feed me information on occasion."

"Can they be trusted?" Jak asked cautiously.

"As much as anyone," Torn replied worriedly.

"We're on the case," Shining promised.

Once at the drainage pipe in question, the pass worked as expected, letting them pass through the Eco Dome unharmed. Jak quickly hid it away in his clothes to keep it safe. The group caught their first sight of the Metalheads, which appeared to be varying sorts of creatures that were half flesh and half metal, with yellow crystals embedded in their foreheads. Destroying the Metalheads left the crystals behind, and Jak collected them on the off chance they'd prove useful.

The pumping station itself proved to be relatively easy to navigate for the trio, the path much more straightforward than similar areas back in the Sandover era. And between the extra toughness Jak's body had developed as a result of the Dark Eco experimentation and Shining's Scatter Gun, the few Metalheads and other creatures were easily dealt with.

When they found the valve in question, Daxter immediately leapt onto it, trying to turn it. Unfortunately, three things proved his undoing. The first was that his small size gave him no leverage. The second was that he was trying to turn the valve the wrong way. The third was the suction pipe directly above him when Shining added his magic to get the valve to turn.

Thankfully, it didn't take Jak and Shining long to get to where Daxter had become stuck in the pipes and release him, along with a spray of water. "Next time Jak," Daxter groaned, "you turn the valve."

With the task done, the trio returned to the Underground hideout to report and get a new task.

"The water's back on in the slums," Torn confirmed. "I'd love to see the heads roll when the Baron finds out."

"How about we give him more to be upset about?" Shining offered.

Torn grinned. "I like the way you think. Keep that attitude, fuzzy, and you might just get to meet the Shadow someday. For now, we've identified an ammo dump in the Fortress, and I'd like you three to take care of it." Noticing the wide grins spreading over the three faces, Torn raised a hand. "Not everyone who works in the Fortress or Palace is a bad guy. Some are just trying to survive. Just destroy the ammo dump, alright?"

"No worries," Daxter proclaimed expansively. "I'll keep these two in line."

"And now I'm worried," Torn snarked.

While getting to the Fortress passed without obstacles, trying to pass through into the Ammo Dump triggered the activation of a security tank. Glancing over his shoulder, Jak grinned. "I think we just found out how we're going to get rid of all the Ammo," he growled wickedly as he watched the spiked roller spin at the front of the tank which was following them.

The tank took shots at them, but Daxter kept his head back towards the tank, telling Jak and Shining when to jump and in which direction. The security tank, for its part, smashed through anything in its path in an attempt to hunt them down. There were a few other security guns, but Shining and Jak were able to evade them easily.

Eventually, they reached a point where the security tank couldn't follow, and they were confronted with Crimson Guards...though not for very long, as Jak and Shining made short work of them.

As they moved along, they found a red security pass. "That can get us through city checkpoints!" Daxter pointed out.

"Useful," Jak muttered, only to pause.

Down below through a grate, they could witness Metalheads inside the city. A pair of them were accepting a shipment of Eco from a pair of Crimson Guards, apparently on order from the Baron. Before they could react, however, the security tank caught up to them. Since they were in the ammo dump itself, they let the tank shoot out all the ammo, and a large missile. The trio managed to get out just before the missile exploded, taking the whole ammo dump - and nearly the three of them - with it.

"This place has too much excitement," Daxter groaned. "When can we move back to the country?"

Haven: Arming 1

The trio returned readily enough to the Underground's hideout. "Impressed yet?" Jak asked Torn as he leaned on the table.

"You can do better," Torn replied with a scowl.

"Is this the part where you actually are impressed at how readily we're able to do things, but are being deliberately condescending about it as a way of pushing us to do even better in the future?" Shining asked curiously. "Cause according to the books I was reading on military strategy and tactics during my recovery from Dark Eco poisoning, that's a standard Drill Sergeant approach to new recruits, and you said yourself you were a Crimson Guard."

Torn stared at Shining for a long time. "...no," he said at last, though it lacked conviction, leading to Shining and Daxter sharing a laugh while Jak rolled his eyes.

"We did see something odd while torching the place," Jak pointed out. "The Baron's Guards were giving barrels of Eco to Metalheads."

This seemed to catch Torn's interest. "Really, now?" He ran his hand over his chin. "The Shadow will be very interested to hear that."

"So is this where it turns out you're actually the Shadow, or what?" Shining asked again.

Torn chuckled. "I'm not the Shadow. But I do have another task for you three. And this one could get your boy here a weapon so I can send you on the more...interesting...missions."

"I'm listening," Jak spoke up as he leaned in.

"One of our...suppliers needs his payment delivered," Torn explained. "A bag of Eco Ore. Take the Zoomer out back, and drive it to the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon in Southtown. Ask for Krew, he'll be there. And don't let the Baron's patrols stop you."

"Understood," Jak agreed, leading the trio out back to the Zoomer in question.

"And when you get there, pump Krew for information," Torn added. "He's wired into the city, and may know what the Baron is up to."

The Zoomer was a bit smaller than the vehicle they had been using before, leading to Shining having to cling to Jak's back alongside Daxter, but its engine was more than strong enough to carry the whole trio. At first the trip was uneventful, aside from the Eco Ore slowly losing energy, but then the group came across a Crimson Guard roadblock, which opened fire on them. Rather than back off, Jak gunned the engine to plow through while Shining fired back.

Once past the roadblock, Jak was able to maneuver through the twisting streets and lose pursuit, before coming in to land at the Saloon in question.

Stepping inside, they found the saloon rather pleasantly decorated and dimly lit, a nice atmosphere for drinking. "Say, isn't this where Misha worked?" Shining asked Daxter.

"Yup, that's right," Daxter confirmed. "But it's under new management now. Must be that 'Krew' fellow we're looking for."

"So..." Glancing around, Shining gulped. "Would that be the heavily armed guy who looks like a bouncer, or the unbelievably fat guy on the hoverchair?"

"Not very respectful for a beast of burden, are ye?" the overly fat man - whose folds of fat overflowed to the point he looked like a massive slug - scolded. "Maybe you should be given a more...suitable job." He leaned forward menacingly as he chuckled.

Jak stepped between Shining and Krew, his eyes sparking with Dark Eco as his fingers fluctuated back and forth between having and not having claws. "Leave my brother alone," he growled, baring teeth that fluctuated between normal and sharply pointed.

Krew smirked. "Ah. I see why the Underground recruited you boy. Is my delivery intact?"

"Yes," Jak growled back. "Now why's the Baron giving Eco to the Metalheads?"

Krew glowered back. "Questions like that can get a person killed."

"The Baron already did his best," Shining snapped out. "We're still here."

Krew smirked at that. "Sig!" he called out to the heavily armored heavyweight. "Be good fellow and give these lads their bonus."

Stepping forward, Sig handed Jak a Morph Gun with Red Eco Mod, a scatter gun like Shining's.

"There's a shooting range nearby," Shining told Jak. "Come on, I'll show you."

"If you show some skill with that hardware, I might hire you for a job or two, eh?" Krew offered as Jak followed his brother out.

Once at the course, Shining gave Jak a few pointers about the Scatter Gun, and how to aim and use it. "Be careful, though. The wide spread fire makes it a bad idea when mixed with friendly targets. In a large group of unfriendlies, however, it's an ideal weapon. Give it a try on the course." He gestured to the entrance door.

Jak started to walk towards the door, but paused. "...why is your name at the top of the record score list?" he demanded.

"How did you think I got so good with the thing?" Shining countered with a smirk.

"I'll just have to beat your score, then," Jak teased back with a wide grin.

"Good luck!" Shining shouted back, his voice somewhere between encouraging and sarcastic.

As Jak entered, Daxter turned to Shining. "200 creds says he beats your score."

"You're on!" Shining countered back as they watched.

The pair watched Jak make his way through the course...only to not even clear the bronze rank. "One more time!" he snapped, running through the course again.

"...200 creds says he keep trying until he beats your score," Daxter grumbled as he handed over the original wager.

"No bet," Shining shot back. "Wake me when it's over, okay?" Leaning back, he curled up for a nap.

Haven: Arming 2

After Jak had met Shining's score - the people in charge of the course had to tell Jak that beating it was impossible, as Shining had scored the maximum score possible with the current course set up, which was why he was in the Hall of Fame ranks in permanent ink - the trio decided to stop back at the bar for a drink before checking in with Torn.

Krew greeted them as they entered. "Excellent shooting, Jak, and quite the determination," he praised. "And I didn't know it was you who held the permanent high score," he added to Shining. "Have either of you ever thought about being a Wastelander?"

"A what?" Jak asked, confused.

"Wastelander's go out into the wasteland beyond the city walls, fight Metalheads, and bring back valuable items," Shining explained. "Artifacts, weapons, you name it. Most of it comes from outside the walls. I got the offer to be one by proxy through the Shooting Range, but I declined. It would have taken time away from finding you."

"Ah, the bond between brothers," Krew mused as Sig approached. "How saccharine. But now that you're together again, perhaps you might reconsider the offer I tendered? Perhaps as a good way for the pair of you to bond? Do a good enough job, and I'll send some of the sweeter items your way. What do you say?"

"Kill Metalheads, get toys?" Jak asked, smirking. "Sounds like old times. I'm in."

"Now hang on a minute-" Daxter began.

"Outvoted, Daxter," Shining added. "Besides, you don't do much fighting to begin with."

"Yet," Daxter grumbled, flexing his hands and wiggling his fingers as though trying to make the Eco powers Gol and Maia said he had work.

"Sig will show you the ropes," Krew replied happily as he hovered off.

The silver armored warrior stepped forward. "So you wanna be Wastelanders, huh doughboys?" he asked, his voice and words exactly how Shining had always imagined a 'British Sergeant Major' - from the military stories he'd read while recuperating - would sound like. "Well, we'll see what you're made of when we get out into the thick of it. Krew wants some new trophies to put butts in chairs at the Hip Hog, so I'm gonna bag him five nasty Metalheads at the pumping station."

"Only five?" Shining asked, nudging Jak with a smirk as he remembered how simple the Metalheads they fought on the way there the last time were to beat.

"Confident, huh? I like it!" Sig smirked down at them. "Meet me at the pumping station...and don't leave me hanging."

It wasn't that hard for the trio to make their way to the pumping station, as they remembered the way from when they were last there. Sig was waiting for them. "Hello, cherries!" he greeted them. "Didn't keep me waiting long. Good. Ready to hunt a few Metalheads?"

"I was born ready," Jak growled out.

I'd believe that, Shining thought to himself.

"Then follow me!" Sig ordered. "Stay close and watch my six!"

"This is gonna be fun," Jak growled out eagerly.

A new type of Metalhead was present, a bipedal variant that wielded a weapon of its own. However, it did not appear to be what Sig was after, as he just kept going. He also blasted clear a new path with a charged shot from his staff shaped weapon, which he referred to as his Peacemaker.

After a time, Sig pointed out the first target, which was a large crab-like Metalhead that was bigger than the four of them put together. Jak and Shining watched Sig's back while he charged up his Peacemaker for a big enough shot to take it out. As it was only the local wildlife that came after him, it was simplicity in itself to protect him until he shot the large Metalhead down.

This was repeated with four more large Metalheads, although some of the weapon wielding Metalheads showed up for some of them. With the last one down, Sig sent Jak, Shining, and Daxter to tell Krew the job was done, while he stayed behind to clean Peacemaker and collect the trophies.

The group hadn't been back at the bar for a moment before Krew sent them out on another mission, though promising a reward for this one. They were heading into the sewers to destroy security turrets set up by the Baron, in exchange for a new weapon Mod Pack.

Jak had managed to pressure some information out of Krew on their way out, though. Something about a 'desperate deal' the Baron had cut with the Metalhead leader. The details of the explanation made out the Baron to be far worse than they'd thought.

"So the Baron gives the Metalheads Eco, and in exchange they don't overrun the city," Daxter began, "but still attack enough to justify his rule? What a bastard!"

"He is the one who experimented on us both with Dark Eco," Jak pointed out.

"And if the war ended, the city'd put young Mar on the throne," Shining concluded. "You're a Prince, Jak."

"We both are, for all the good it does us," Jak countered.

The sewers proved to be just as dank, dark, smelly, and dangerous as the group expected, swarming with amphibious wildlife and Metalheads swarming the tunnels and raw sewage filling the channels. In addition to that, some sections were shrouded in darkness until the right switch was stepped on to illuminate them.

The turrets themselves were simple automated systems that locked onto a target of specific size and fired two to four shots at a time, with a brief pause to reload before firing again. Much to the group's amusement, however, the turret was not programmed to fire at something Daxter's size. As such, Daxter would run up to behind a turret, Shining would teleport to his location, and then blast it apart with a single shot.

This worked flawlessly on each of the four turrets, and even a new type of Metalhead - gorilla shaped ones that lumbered towards them - didn't slow them down much. Though the Metalheads always attacked in large groups, the Scatter Gun was designed for groups, and two could blast them apart easily.

On the way back from the sewers, Jak found himself wandering away from Shining and Daxter, drawn to a hut in the south part of town, where he found a Precursor Oracle. "Greetings Great Warrior," it greeted him. "I sense there is a dark rage burning within you, and in time it will destroy you with its madness. Though the Dark has poisoned your brother as well, his rage is contained, and thus the Dark's influence upon him is limited. He will survive unaided until the last power of the Precursors can be given to both of you to save you. But for now, in exchange for the skull gems of the ones you call Metalheads, I will teach you ways to control the power you now have."

"...thanks?" Jak offered, confused.

"Destiny weighs heavy upon your shoulders," the Oracle replied simply, and said no more.

Deciding to investigate further later, he went to catch up with Shining and Daxter, who had acquired two Yellow Blaster Mods for their Morph Guns. Returning to the shooting range, the pair decided to see who could get the higher score.

Haven: Rescuers

After Jak and Shining had finished taking turns on the Blaster course until they'd both gotten perfect scores on it - with Jak playfully rubbing it in that he got the perfect score first - the trio returned to the Underground's hideout. Torn was waiting for them, and he didn't look happy.

"Sure took your sweet time with that job," he chided. "I hope you have something worthwhile to show for it."

"The Baron is trading Eco to the Metalheads to keep them out of Haven," Jak explained. "Also, to ensure they attack just enough to justify him continuing to rule Haven."

Torn was silent for a time. "Alright, that's some good information. Let's see about spoking that deal. One of the Baron's mining operations is under attack by the Metalheads. Part of the Baron's deal or not, the foreman's one of our best informants. His name is Vin, and he's just valuable enough to save...so you need to get there and save him, now. The warp gate is at the power station."

"Understood," Jak replied.

"Whatever the deal is, the city's Eco's running out," Torn added. "If we don't get that kid back on the throne soon, there might not be a city left to defend."

As the trio headed out, Daxter glanced at his friends. "So...no plans on telling them Jak's the kid in question all grown up?"

"Who'd believe us?" Shining indicated logically.

Daxter frowned. "Point made."

The Power Station, though a riot of electronics and delicate controls, was unguarded, as was the warp gate. Hopping through, the trio found themselves at a distant location, surrounded by heavy equipment and barren sand and stone, the only signs of life the occasional shrub and the huge number of small Metalheads.

The path into the mine itself wound around tall hills bare of any vegetation, and between several stacks of large crates. Though the Metalheads swarmed the trio, a balance of Scatter Gun shots and Blaster shots were able to take them out before they could get close.

After riding a basket full of stone along a line, the trio were able to clear the Metalheads away from a locked down building. Assuming this would be where Vin was hiding, Jak pressed a large red button beside the door, causing it to open.

They got the briefest glance of computer equipment before someone leapt up and started shooting at them, shouting, "Ah! Stay back!"

Shining immediately projected one of his small shields to block the incoming shots. This let them see the shooter clearly, a pale skinned human with white hair, wearing a white coat, goggles, and a hood covering most of his head. "Are you Vin?" he asked calmly.

"You'll never take me alive!" he shouted back, shooting randomly.

"We're here to rescue you!" Daxter snapped out. "Torn sent us!"

"Stay back!" the man shouted, ducking behind cover.

"If we were here to kill you, would we be talking?" Jak asked logically.

The man hesitated. "Friendlies?" he gasped out in relief before collapsing across his cover. "Thank goodness. So...where's the army?"

"As far as I could tell, there isn't one," Shining admitted. "Based on the charts around the hideout, I'm pretty sure the Underground is still in the 'recruitment and sabotage' stage of rebellion. I doubt if they actually have enough members for a full scale revolt yet."

Vin blinked for a time. "...now that you mention it..."

"Can we talk more back at the power station?" Daxter pleaded. "Before more Metalheads show up?"

"Good idea," Vin agreed, racing through the nearby warp gate with the group.

Back at the power station, Vin explained why he'd been at the strip mine. "Those Metalheads have been attacking our mining operations and we're running out of Eco," he began breathlessly, still a tad high strung. "Readings show that there's a steady Eco drop at the drill platform. Any of you care to guess why?"

"Metalhead eggs?" Jak offered. "I mean, if the Metalheads need Eco, maybe their eggs need it even more."

Vin's jaw dropped. "...uh...yeah, that's what I was thinking. Anyway, I've reprogrammed the warp gate to take you there, so you can destroy all the eggs before they suck us dry!"

"Can do," Shining agreed, turning to head into the gate. Not wanting to let him go alone, Jak quickly followed.

The drill platform was suspended high up in a tower of machines, and the Metalhead Eggs were all plainly visible. However, they were too durable for the group's weapons. Luckily, three turrets were visible in plain sight positioned relatively close to the clusters of eggs.

"I have a cunning plan," Shining began.

"I thought that was my job," Daxter countered jokingly.

"Daxter, can you operate one of those turrets?"

Moving forward as a group, they reached the first turret and Daxter looked over the controls. "...yeah, I can handle this," he confirmed. "Not too big for me."

"Then scamper up to one of the others," Shining instructed. "As soon as you're there, I'll teleport to your side, then you head to the third. We all target our groups of Metalhead eggs simultaneously, so the Metalheads can't focus their counterattack."

"Not bad," Jak praised, cracking his knuckles as he got into position.

It didn't take long for Daxter to get himself and Shining in position, and the trio then opened fire. The plan worked flawlessly, as the Metalheads couldn't adapt fast enough to the three pronged assault to protect the eggs.

With the eggs destroyed, Daxter crawled back to Shining, Shining teleported to Jak's side, and the trio returned to the Underground's hideout.

Torn looked perturbed when they arrived. "One of my old Guard comrades was sent to the pumping station," he explained. "There's been no word from the patrol, and after what you guys ran into out there..."

"So who are we looking for, and how tactful do we need to be about the rescue?" Shining asked.

"Her name's Ashelyn," Torn replied. Noticing Daxter's smirk, he cut in, "And no, not that kind of friend." Noticing Jak's smirk, he added, "Don't even think about it. She'd shoot you."

"Ah. That tactful," Shining confirmed.

"We'll be back soon," Jak promised.

Back out by the pumping station, the trio was surprised to see more of the large Metalheads that Sig had hunted prowling around. Each took several Blaster shots to take down, and were frequently backed up by both the small Metalheads and the ones carrying weapons. On top of that, the armed Metalheads had upgraded their armor, and now took several shots to take down. Jak and Shining moved carefully, frequently going back to back when they got swarmed.

Thankfully, it being nighttime worked for them as much as for the Metalheads. While the Metalheads could see better in the dark than they could, a Flash cantrip was easy for Shining to throw without any strain, and the Metalheads' dark-adjusted eyes were readily blinded by the blast of light. On the weakest ones, the damage from the flash of light was enough to destroy them.

Another tactic Daxter discovered effective against the larger Metalheads involved hurling small rocks into their side mounted weapons. After a few shots, the rock would become jammed in the gun, making it explode against the side of their bodies. This not only blinded their optics, but also damaged their armor, making them easier to take down.

As they approached a crashed vehicle, a red haired woman with similar facial tattoos to Torn dropped from the trees and wrapped her arm around Jak's neck. "Who the hell are you three?" she demanded angrily.

"Time travelers," Shining replied blithely.

"Try something a bit more believable," the woman growled out.

"Torn's new recruits?" Daxter offered.

The woman was silent for a time. "Okay, let's say you're time travelers," the woman allowed, making Daxter facepaw. "What are you doing out here?"

"Gathering allies to help put my younger self on the throne where he belongs?" Jak suggested facetiously.

The woman was silent for a time, glancing back and forth between Jak and Shining...before releasing Jak and saluting. "Ashelin Praxis reporting for duty, Your Highness," she stated resolutely.

Daxter's jaw hit the ground.

Jak straightened himself. "Not that I'm complaining...but what makes you believe us?" he asked, brushing himself off. As he spoke, the group got a good look at her. Her green eyes stared straight ahead from her 'at attention' position, and her red top and short blue jacket fit her figure snugly, as did her blue jeans which left the outside of her thighs exposed. Though it had the markings of a Crimson Guard uniform, it had plainly been customized.

"Before my father, the Baron, staged his coup, I acted as your bodyguard under your father, King Damas," she explained. "I recognize your brother. Unicorns aren't that common. My apologies for not being there to protect you during the coup. My father arranged for me to be assigned elsewhere at the time so I didn't end up dead. Torn then convinced me to act as a deep cover agent."

Daxter grinned widely. "Be sure to let Torn know who saved you next time you get a message to him," he chimed in, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"We aren't saved yet," Ashelin pointed out as several more Metalheads converged on the location.

"Close your eyes!" Shining barked out. Without waiting to see if anyone responded, he closed his own and set off a blazing cascade of rainbow light. Many of the Metalheads tumbled down the cliffs they were standing atop, and those that didn't were left easy pickings.

Jak and Ashelin had both covered their eyes when Shining barked out his order, and they opened fire as soon as the light faded. To back them up, Shining hauled out his saddlebag rocket launchers, using the ones charged with Red Eco for blast damage. It wasn't long before the charging group was all down for the count.

"A bit more warning next time, Shiny?" Daxter pleaded, staggering around and rubbing his eyes.

Ashelin smirked as she began to repair her hovercraft. "Even if he didn't raise you, you're every inch your father's son," she told Jak. "It was like watching him in battle again. Tell Torn the Baron's up to something big...and I think it has something to do with the Seal of the House of Mar. We're being sent out on suicide missions to locate artifacts from the time of his rule."

"Mar?" Jak asked, a bit confused after what Shining had told him.

"The founder of Haven city," she explained. "You were named for him!" She began to take off. "The soothsayer Onin in the bazaar might be able to tell you more!" As the hovercraft took off, she tossed Jak her Bazaar access security pass.

"What a woman!" Daxter shouted out, letting out a playful growl.

"You realize she's technically my old babysitter, right?" Jak pointed out.

"She can sit me anytime!" Daxter countered, rubbing his paws together eagerly.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Jak turned and led the way back to the City.

Haven: Relics

Taking Ashelin's advice, Jak decided that it would be best to seek out the soothsayer Onin. Following directions in the nearest vehicle's nav unit, they were able to find it without trouble.

Onin herself was ancient and wizened, sitting in the center of her hut surrounded by hanging dead creatures. The most noticeable thing about her was her oversized hat, which looked not unlike a bird bath.

Near to the entrance, an orange, yellow, and blue bird-monkey-thing hung by its tail, apparently as dead as everything around it. "Check out all the dead stuff," Daxter pointed out, poking the creature on the beak-snout.

In response, the creature opened its eyes and attempted to bite Daxter's paw. "Touch the goods again, rat-boy, and you'll be-" He broke off into a very bird like cry before continuing, "-counting with your toes!" Dropping from his perch, he flew over to rest in the bird-bath-like hat Onin was wearing. "I...am Pecker!" he proclaimed proudly. Noticing the snickers that introduction got him, he rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. My mother, she was...very vindictive. I am Onin's interpreter."

As he finished speaking, Onin opened her solid white eyes before bringing her hands together, Blue Eco sparking from her palms as she rubbed them together. She then began to make signs in the air with her hands.

"Onin welcomes you," Pecker translated, "blah blah blah, the usual boring salutations, she says it is good to see you again, Jak and Shining."

"Does she mean us or our younger selves?" Shining Armor asked.

"To a soothsayer, that question doesn't have much grounds," Pecker explained. "She doesn't really distinguish."

"Oh! Let me have a try!" Daxter piped up.

"How about no?" Jak countered. "I'd rather just get the answers we need and get moving."

"What?" Daxter demanded. "When did you get to be such a sourpuss?"

"Onin suggests it might have to do with being tortured via Dark Eco infusion for two years," Pecker offered. "Or perhaps learning that the kingdom that is his inheritance is on the verge of collapse and in the hands of traitors and villains. She also suggests it might have something to do with being held so tight by his old babysitter making him think of a different female embrace, filling him with worry."

"Stay out of my head!" Jak snapped angrily, Dark Eco flaring in his eyes.

"Oh...right..." Daxter mumbled, gently patting Jak behind his ear. "Hadn't thought about her in a while..."

Jak calmed slightly. "...neither had I..."

"Onin apologizes for upsetting you," Pecker continued. "Her grasp of time is not entirely linear. However, she foresees a heroic child of Mar in the distant future with the Green Light in his blood...or hers, gender rarely comes through in future predictions, and these are progressive times. She thinks this may offer you some comfort if it is a riddle you can solve."

"...hate riddles..." Jak grumbled under his breath.

Light shaped in front of Onin in the shape of the Seal of Mar, two hawkeye symbols pressed together in an oval. "Onin says you seek answers about the Tomb of Mar," Pecker explained. "And...she's going on and on about mystical energy channels, evil curses, and stupid OoooOoooOoo crap."

"Can you summarize?" Shining asked. "Before Jak gets impatient and goes berserk?" He smirked as he sidestepped Jak's playful punch.

"There are three artifacts in the Precursor Mountain Temple that Onin wants you to retrieve," Pecker explained. "Not two, not four, but three."

"So five is right out?" Daxter joked.

"Hilarious," Pecker grated out in an irritated monotone. "The Warp Gate at the northwest side of the city will take you there. In the meantime, get out! It's time for my siesta!"

The Forest Temple was a massive structure high up in the mountains, filled with floating platforms, twisting passages, and monkey-like Metalheads. As the trio passed by a waterfall, Jak felt himself relaxing. "...feels like old times," he muttered. "Like...the Forbidden Jungle..."

"Actually, these platforms look a bit like the things from Gol and Maia's Citadel," Shining pointed out.

"Think it might actually be their place?" Daxter asked.

Before anyone could answer, a rhino Metalhead bashed through a stone wall to attack them. While it was large and heavy, it was also slow, and had a habit of rearing up when it missed, exposing an unarmored underbelly, rendering it easy to kill.

"I think we should do less woolgathering, and more relic gathering," Jak suggested.

"Good idea," Shining and Daxter agreed.

The group carefully clambered their way to the top of the mountainous area to reach where the first relic was placed, this one shaped like a lens. With careful application of brute force and Shining's magic, they were able to get it out without anyone getting hurt, since Shining had the sense to prevent Daxter from stepping into the intense beam of light focused beneath the lens, which would have cooked him.

The second relic could be seen from the location of the first, but there wasn't a direct way to it. The gear was situated inside a rotating device of some sort on another platform, near enough to see but just out of reach from the platform the group was on. "So...do we keep exploring?" Jak asked.

"I have another idea," Shining offered. "Daxter, feeling adventurous?"

"...do I have to?" Daxter asked nervously. "I'm getting flashbacks again."

Jak took hold of Daxter's hands, lifting him up. Gulping, Daxter extended his tail, letting Shining pull back with his magic. As it once had before, this resulted in Daxter being propelled forward onto the platform, snatching the gear in question as he passed under the rotating device...which unfortunately collapsed behind him.

The path to the final relic, however, passed over a pool of Dark Eco. "Okay. Now I'm definitely certain this is part of Gol and Maia's Citadel," Daxter murmured. "Are we certain this is a good idea at this point?"

"They were on our side at the end," Shining pointed out as they reached the final relic, a floating shard of crystal that was oddly enshrined. When collected, it was discovered that it was constantly humming and vibrating.

With the last artifact collected, they received a message from Pecker over their communicator that Onin would search the timelines for answers regarding the artifacts, and that he would get back to them when Onin had an answer. With that, the trio headed back to town.

Haven: Isolation, part 1

As she fell out of the Rift, Keira found herself falling towards a huge junkyard just outside a massive walled city. She didn't know where she was, what was going on, where everyone else was, or why she saw what looked like an Eco battle in the distance, but at the moment her biggest concern was landing safely. Thankfully, she always carried her tools on her, and a few pieces of the Rift Rider were falling with her. Grabbing them, she cobbled them together with a spare Power Cell she had on her and managed to craft a powerful electromagnet that could be directed via the Blue Eco charge. Aiming quickly, she managed to grab a discarded board with wheels on it and magnetized a good portion of the junk below her into a ramp. Getting the board under her feet, she landed wheels first, using the magnet to lower the slope of the ramp towards the ground, turning it into a loop as she ran out of air to slow down in. Skating around the loop a few times, she waited for her momentum to bleed off before leveling her landing platform.

"Whoa..." she gasped out as she staggered off the board. "That was...a little too close. Pretty sweet landing, though, right guys?" She turned to where she'd expected Jak and Shining to have landed safely, only to see no one there. "Guys?" she called out worriedly. "Jak? Shining? Daxter?" She spun around. "Dad, where are..." Her voice trailed off as she realized Samos wasn't there either. "W...where is everyone?" she whimpered.

Glancing around in the junkyard, she decided she'd have to search for them, and her soft shoes weren't suited to doing it on foot over the hard ground. She'd need to cobble together something to ride on. She was rather amazed to discover her own A-Grav Zoomer tech inside a massive vehicle that had been left for scrap...mostly because whoever had installed it plainly didn't know what they were doing. "What the heck were they thinking with all these extra couplings?" she demanded in frustration, quickly gutting the massive tank as she scavenged the parts and couplings she needed for something much smaller and faster. "Well, the parts are in good order, but the A-Grav generator is burnt out. Just needs a new Power Cell, though it's no wonder it burned out when they overloaded it so much. Seat's pretty comfy, so if I just strap it right on..."

The resulting Zoomer was the barest bones of a working model, just seat, control, engine, and intake-exhaust valves for the air coolant system. "That should do it," she muttered as she brushed dirt and grease from her hands. "I'm not as good a rider as Jak...but I should be able to handle this."

Hopping on, she took off into the city. The vehicle had another device she'd scavenged that, with power running through it, broadcast some sort of ID codes. This caused the shield around the city to open to let her in, and she began zooming around the city streets, calling out for her companions...and unintentionally terrifying the citizenry.

Unfortunately, she was so focused on the search that she flew right into a trap the Crimson Guard set for her. While the A-Grav engine could have handled lifting higher even with half a dozen guards clinging to the net, 20 was asking for a burn out.

The unit leader pointed his weapon at her. "You are under arrest for flying an unlicensed A-Grav vehicle in city limits, flying an A-Grav vehicle without a license, and use of stolen Eco-Shield ID codes. Surrender peacefully, and we'll take you in in one piece."

Knowing she was beaten, Keira deactivated the engine and held up her hands in surrender. She was then frogmarched up to the palace once she was restrained.

After a time in a somewhat comfortable cell, she was walked to the stadium, where two men awaited her. The older man she'd later learn was Baron Praxus, ruler of the city. The younger who had been riding the Zoomer around the track she would learn was Erol, Praxus' second in command.

As she was brought in, Erol hopped off the Zoomer. "It's incredible, Baron," he said breathlessly. "It runs ten times better than anything we've got in the military, and easily 15 times as fast when pushed. Wherever this came from, we need to know." As he turned and caught sight of Keira, his expression turned lascivious as his eyes traced her figure. "And just where did a pretty thing like you get such a ride, hmm?" He reached out as if to stroke her cheek.

Before his hand could touch her, she lunged forward, nearly catching the outstretched finger in her teeth. "You keep your hands off me! And gimme back my zoomer! I need it to find my friends!"

Erol snarled at her. "I'll teach you some respect!" he growled, reaching for a weapon at his hip.

"Stand down, Erol!" Praxus barked out firmly, his eyes boring into his younger companion until he backed off. He then turned back to Keira. "You'll forgive my companion's brashness, I'm certain. He's young and impulsive, much like you." Dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand, he walked over to the Zoomer. "You call this yours...where did you get it?"

"The junkyard outside," she replied in a surly tone.

"Really?" Praxus asked, intrigued. "You found a fully functional device like this in the junkyard? Why would anyone toss it away?"

"Because they had no idea what they were doing," she countered. "The A-Grav drive had more than five times the necessary couplings to keep the vehicle hovering, the vehicle itself was three times the safe weight limit, and the exhaust manifold was installed backwards. I tore the hunk of junk apart and put it together so it would actually function, after replacing the burnt out Power Cell in the A-Grav generator."

Erol's jaw was hanging. Praxus, however, was grinning. "You seem to know anti-gravity technology like the back of your hand," he murmured. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Keira replied bluntly.

Both remained silent for a time, and then the Baron chuckled. "Of course. A gentleman should give his own name before asking a lady's. I am Baron Praxus, rule of Haven City. My young companion is Erol, leader of the Crimson Guard, Haven's defensive and police force."

"...Keira," Keira allowed after a time.

"Well, Keira, I have a proposition for you," Praxus continued. "As I'm certain you've noticed, Haven is in a state of war. The Metalheads - a half-machine scourge from the desert beyond the walls - seek our absolute destruction. We must turn every resource at our disposal to our very survival. The Zoomer technology you're able to create...it is leagues beyond what we currently have, and could be one of many things that helps turn the tide of that war. From struggling to survive, we could achieve victory." He smiled softly. "If you will make your expertise available to the Crimson Guard as an independent contractor-"

"A what?"

Praxus chuckled. "It means you do your own work and we pay you for it," he explained. "You don't work for us, but you have a contract to provide us with a certain amount of what you make in exchange for payment."

"Oh," Keira replied, still a little lost.

"If you will do that," Praxus continued, "then not only will I clear you of all current charges against you, but I will also make it a priority assignment for the Crimson Guard to keep an eye out for your friends. You'll be the first to know when we find them." He smiled softly. "Surely that's a more efficient means of finding them then racing around the city blindly shouting for them."

"...and I agreed," Keira concluded. "He made valid points...and it sure beat jail time."

"Understandable," Jak agreed. "So that's how Haven got Zoomers."

"Yeah," Keira confirmed. "Well, after that-" She suddenly cut herself off as a light above her work top began to blink. "Jak, hide!" she hissed.

Confused, Jak dove behind the curtain and under the project that was behind there...which he recognized as an attempt to rebuild the Rift Rider from scratch.

He couldn't see anything beyond his hiding place, but he could hear. And there was one voice he recognized. "Keira, I'm afraid your little present has stopped working again," Baron Praxus said gently as he entered.

"It's alright, Baron," Keira responded warmly. "I did say the power source wasn't perfected, and would need to be replaced every so often."

Silence reigned save for the sound of Keira tinkering. After a time, Praxus spoke again. "I'm always amazed at how gifted you are with machines."

"It's a knack," Keira countered demurely.

The sounds of more tinkering could be heard before Praxus spoke up again. "Keira...your friends have been spotted."

The tinkering sounds stopped. "What? But...but you said-"

"I was mistaken," Praxus admitted. "It is possible. However...it seems your young man has...undergone an unexpected change." Papers could be heard being laid out.

Keira gasped quietly. "But...but that can't...is...is that Dark Eco?"

"You recognize it," Praxus murmured. "Yes, it appears he's been exposed to a great deal of Dark Eco somehow...and he's become a danger to himself and all those around him."

Jak clenched his teeth, barely controlling his rage. Was Praxus really going to try and make himself look innocent of what happened to him? He clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his palms to keep from charging out and tearing Praxus apart.

"I see how he can be dangerous to anyone who attacks him," Keira mused at last. "But...how is he a danger to himself?"

"Dark Eco poisoning is cumulative," Praxus explained. "The more this...'Dark Jak' comes out, the less of Jak as you know him will remain, until eventually...the beast in these photos will be all that's left of him. If we can get him under control so we can learn how this transformation works, we may be able to help him...and then he could help all of us."

"...why tell me all this?" Keira asked at last. "I know you said I'd be the first to know if you found him, but..."

"Because if his feelings for you are even a fraction of yours for him, then you're the key to bringing him around."

"So that's it," Keira almost spat. "You want me to get him to follow me up to the palace so you can lock him up?"

"Don't be absurd," Praxus countered. "I want you to keep him here."

"What?"

Jak wasn't entirely sure for a moment if it was himself or Keira that spoke there. It was only when Praxus continued normally that he realized he'd managed to keep his silence.

"As far as we can tell, it's rage that brings this side of him out," Praxus explained. "Rage, and danger. The only way he can be kept under control so the damage he's doing to himself can be countered is if he is somewhere he can be calm and feel safe...and that's somewhere that's yours. We know he's in the city somewhere...and I have connections in the city, so I can arrange to have information spread that will likely lead him here. If he does come, do what you can to calm him down and convince him to stay."

"What then?" Keira asked. "Send Erol around to collect samples or something?"

"Are you asking for trouble?" Praxus barked out with a laugh. "You, Erol, and Jak in the same room? We'd need at least one body bag within the hour. No, I'll send in my daughter to make observations. Any studies and sample collecting will be your own responsibility, and at whatever rate you think best. He'll trust you: that's what we're counting on."

"...and since Ashelin and I are friends since she's been checking up on me the past few years, he'll trust her, too," Keira concluded.

"Precisely," Praxus replied. "Can I count on you?"

Keira was silent for a long time. "I'll think about it. If he comes...I'll decide what to do then." There was the sound of some sort of device whirring, and soft music played. "It's fixed."

"All I can ask," Praxus replied. "...I never get tired of watching the lights play, and hearing the music."

"I'm glad you like it."

After a long time of silence, Keira spoke again. "He's gone. You can come out now, Jak."

Jak extracted himself from his hiding place. "You're on speaking terms with Praxus?" he demanded, doing his best to keep his anger under control.

Keira gently laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. "That's...the second half of this very long story..."

Haven: Isolation, part 2

Jak sat back to listen to what Keira had to say. Keira, for her part, got ready to relive some of the most painful parts of her time in Haven City. This likely would be difficult for both of them. "Well, you know what the situation was once I took the job," Keira explained. "I was safe, as long as Baron Praxus thought I was working for him...but not safe if I was actually working for him, since there was already unrest about his rule in the form of a resistance group called the Underground."

"We're aware of them," Jak commented mildly.

"Thought so," Keira replied. "Anyway, I knew I had to do something to convince Praxus I was on his side while still protecting my own interests. Opportunity practically fell into my lap when I was invited to attend his birthday party. Not a showy affair, just close acquaintances and a few delicacies, rather understated for the ruler of a city...but it gave me the perfect opportunity to bug his private office."

"You planted a bug in his private office in the middle of his birthday party?" Jak demanded, shocked. "Are you insane? Do you have any idea how reckless that was?"

"Not very, considering he planted the bug himself." Seeing Jak's confused expression, Keira giggled. "He's even been kind enough to bring me the recording himself whenever it needs replacing."

"Wait...you mean that little gift...?" Jak began.

"The power source is designed to need replacing whenever the record tape runs out," Keira explained as she set up a device to read the tape for significant information. "And the lights and music it plays creates enough energy feedback to create a false positive on bug detecting devices when running...and I showed him that when I gave it to him. So that false positive he knows about hides the real deal."

Jak chuckled, shaking his head in amazement. "Not bad, Keira. What have you been doing with all that information you've been gathering?"

"I've handed off just enough to keep the Underground happy and not trying to actively recruit me, without actually giving them anything to use against the Baron," Keira elaborated. "They may not be happy about the situation, but without you here the Baron was the best chance this city had to survive. And after my first sighting of a Metalhead...well, I understand what the Baron was talking about with the struggle just to survive." She shivered at the memory. "If Ashelin hadn't taken it out, I would have been forced to build myself a new leg."

"Ashelin Praxus?" Jak asked.

"Yeah," Keira confirmed. "The Baron's daughter. She's...a friend of mine. Why, you know her?"

"...that's a complicated story involving time travel," Jak replied. "I'll explain-"

"So you are the lost Prince everyone's looking for, but older than they expected, aren't you?" Keira inferred. "Does she know you're the little boy she used to babysit all grown up?"

"...yes," Jak admitted. "That was...less awkward than I'd anticipated."

Keira smiled, remembering a few of the things Ashelin had mentioned of how mischievous Mar had been before the coup. Dispelling those thoughts, she continued her tale. "Anyway, I listened in on what the Baron was up to, while still trying to find out where you all were. But...a year after I arrived..."

Keira was actively working on some new Zoomer tech for the Baron, one for use out in the Wasteland that could hopefully supplement Eco Power by converting the heat of the desert into energy. The conversion engine was easy enough to produce, but making it work while the engine was running was proving more difficult.

It was as she was working on this that she heard someone unwelcome enter her workshop. "Keira, I need to talk to you."

Keira groaned in frustration. "Go away, Erol," she grumbled.

"Keira, this is important."

Sighing, Keira stood upright and glowered at the Captain. "Go ahead."

Erol walked up to her, his face a mask of concern and sorrow. "It's been a year, Keira. We've searched every inch of the city, checked every face. It's plain that your friends aren't in the city, which means they arrived somewhere outside the city...likely much further away than you did."

"So why aren't you searching out there, then?" Keira demanded angrily.

"We have been," Erol replied. "But...if they've been out there for a whole year, without food, a source of water, a means of contacting anyone, or any weapons...it's a foregone conclusion that they died out there, likely killed by Metalheads. And that's assuming they've arrived at all."

Keira had nearly stopped breathing when Erol laid out the likely fate of Jak, her father, and the others. She found herself latching onto the last sentence, however. "What do you mean, if they arrived?"

"You said you came through the rift," Erol explained. "Even our best scientists don't understand that part of Precursor science. And all records indicate that those who enter the rift without proper protection...do not return. It was blind luck you survived when your vehicle was destroyed. Your friends...likely weren't so lucky. That would be a better fate than...what would have awaited them in the Wasteland. Especially not after that...relatively fresh sets of bones Ashelin found, both human and not..."

Keira felt her heart beating out of tune. It...it couldn't be true. They couldn't all be dead...could they? Was she...all alone?

As tears rolled down her cheeks, Erol stepped forward. "I know this is hard for you," he stated softly. "So please, let me be here for you, to offer...comfort. To help you move on..." As he spoke, he reached out to stroke her cheek.

As she felt him touch her, the pain turned to rage. She smacked his hand away. "Get out!" she snapped angrily.

"But-"

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, grabbing a wrench and hurling it at him. As he ducked, she grabbed hold of the auto-turret mounted on the experimental Zoomer and spun it towards him. "Stay the hell away from me!"

As Erol fled, Ashelin caught him as he left. "The Baron wants to talk to you...now." Her tone left no room for disagreement. Once Erol was gone, she came in, gently wrapping her arms around Keira as she broke into tears.

"...that was five years ago," Keira concluded. "Ever since that day, I've been...trying to rebuild the Rift Rider. While it was true if you'd arrived in the Wasteland, you would be dead...if you hadn't arrived yet, I thought I could go back into the rift and save you. But...two years ago, the rift waveform I'd been locking onto collapsed. After that...I feared you were gone for good..."

Jak stepped forward and pulled her into a gentle, comforting embrace, letting her cry against his chest. "That was when Shining, Daxter, and I arrived," he explained. "In all likelihood, if the waveform collapsed on our arrival, then Samos either arrived before you or within the year before you locked onto the waveform. Unless you detected any spikes in the meantime?"

Keira shook her head. "No. The only spike was two years ago, when the waveform collapsed."

"It must have collapsed once all of us were here," Jak told her firmly. "Samos is here somewhere. We'll find him. I promise." He waited until he felt her calm down before he spoke again. "So why are you trying so hard to keep the Baron on the throne just now?"

"Because as inhumane as some of his decisions seem to be, without you he was still the best chance Haven - and humanity - had of surviving the Metalheads." Seeing Jak's disbelief, Keira smiled. "Will you believe it from his own mouth?" Reaching over, she triggered one of the devices on her worktable, which projected an image on the blank wall opposite. The image was date and time-stamped, marking it as being five years old, being filmed not long after the events Keira had described earlier.

And then the image began to move, and sound began to play.

Erol sauntered into the Baron's office. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked, his voice a little surly.

"Care to explain exactly what you thought you were doing over at Keira's garage just now?" Praxus demanded without preamble, or even turning to face Erol.

Erol blinked in confusion. "I...wanted to offer her comfort after the...bad news we had to deliver-"

"You wanted to catch her on the rebound, taking advantage of her in her time of grief?" Praxus translated harshly.

Erol bridled at the interpretation. "I'll have you know she attacked me!" he countered aggressively.

"Are you injured?"

"Well, no-"

"Then I'll consider the matter closed," Praxus proclaimed with finality.

Erol's jaw dropped, shocked. "But sir! She attacked a Crimson Guard Captain-"

The Baron spun, cold fury in his one human eye, the metal covering of the right side of his head sparking from the force of his rage. "And that's the only reason you are still a Crimson Guard," he growled out. "If she hadn't attacked you, then dealing with the incident would be in my hands, and you would have been out of the Guard before you could cough twice."

Erol gaped. "S-sir?"

"Erol, this is a war for survival," Praxus continued. "I know you can't grasp that, but I have to. And when it comes to survival, every living human being under my command is either a weapon or a tool for the survival of the species. And when it comes to those tools, there are four types: natural commanders like the former King, scientists like Keira, soldiers like you, and civilians. Natural leaders can see what people can do and what they need, and shape people and situations to get the maximum results for minimum effort. Scientists - those really gifted like Keira - don't just work with existing technology, but create new technologies. Soldiers are only good for following orders, or being turned into other kinds of weapons. In that regard, Erol, you've risen to the level of your incompetence, because you fail to see the truth."

Erol managed to get himself under control. "And...what truth is that, sir?"

"That she is worth 10 of you," the Baron concluded. "And if you do anything to interfere with her contributions to our survival, I'll kill you myself, because you are not worth her becoming an enemy." Having said his piece, he turned away. "This is a direct order, Erol. For the next three years, no interaction you have with Keira is to be anything but professional. Ashelin will be the judge of what qualifies there. If you violate this order, you'll have the choice of dishonorable discharge and exile to the Wasteland, or a transfer to the Dark Warrior project as a volunteer. Is that understood?"

Erol, quite pale now, swallowed convulsively and saluted. "Yes sir!"

"Now get out of my sight!"

As the video ended, Jak crossed his arms thoughtfully. "...okay, so the Baron kept an eye out for you?"

"Yeah," Keira replied. "To a certain extent, he treated me as a second daughter."

"...still doesn't make up for trading Eco to the Metalheads-"

"To buy time to perfect the Dark Eco control process and gather the Precursor tech needed to complete a superweapon that will wipe out all the Metalheads simultaneously."

Jak's jaw worked for a time. "...okay, that's...wow."

"While a good idea on paper, the damage to the Eco veins - even in their depleted state - could be catastrophic," Keira explained. "So, while a good last resort, not a good idea to use when there are other possibilities."

"...which is why you haven't fed that tidbit to the Underground?" Jak clarified.

"Yup," Keira agreed. "And now that you're here, once we find Dad..." Pulling back a sheet, she revealed a plan laid out in immense detail. Step by step instructions and back-up stratagems, leading towards three major goals: the elimination of Krew's influence on Haven; the destruction of the Metalheads; and the end of military rule over Haven, and Praxus' control of the city. "Then we can save everyone."

Jak stared at the plan in amazement. "This is...amazing..." As he looked over it, he found himself laughing gaily. "Keira, I love you!" he shouted out without thinking. Realizing what he'd said, he turned to look at her nervously.

Keira smiled up at him warmly. "Jak...you have no idea how long I've waited...to hear you say those four words. I thought...I might never hear them." Tears in the corners of her eyes, she stepped up to Jak, wrapping her arms around him and slowly leaning towards him.

"Yo, Jak!" Daxter called out, dropping between them with one foot braced on each of their shoulders. "Krew's been spamming our communicators, wanting to know when we're gonna be back. He's got more work for us, and Torn wants us to grill him for more information." He blinked in confusion as Jak glowered at him. "What'd I say-WHOA!"

Shining smirked at Jak as he telekinetically dragged Daxter out of the room. "I'll tell Krew we'll be there in an hour," he reassured the pair before leaving.

"An hour?" Daxter demanded. "Why so long? Shining, what aren't you telling me..."

As Daxter's voice trailed off with distance, Jak and Keira turned back to each other, once more slowly leaning in towards each other.

Haven: With Purpose

Half an hour later, Jak stepped out of the garage happily. "So Krew wanted us for something?" he asked with a grin.

"That's it?" Shining asked, surprised. "We've got another half hour."

"Then Krew will be pleasantly surprised we're early," Jak countered. "...besides, if I'd stayed much longer, we'd have done something neither Keira nor I are ready for...not with the Dark Eco running rampant inside me, or this war going on." He then smirked playfully. "And it would have taken a lot longer than another half hour."

"Ooooh!" Daxter gasped out. "Now I get it!"

Shining and Jak burst into laughter as they made their way back to the bar.

As the trio arrived at the bar, they noticed someone new behind the counter. Daxter, being Daxter, decided to try and flirt with the new blond. "Hey sugarplum!" he greeted happily. "You new here? What've ya got that's hot and..." He blinked. "Wait, I've seen you before. You're with the Underground, ri-"

The blond - who they'd last seen when they first met Torn - quickly shushed him by pressing two fingers to his lips. "Shh!" she whispered insistently. "I'm Tess." She smiled winsomely at Daxter, either not noticing or not caring that his eyes were most definitely not on her face. "Torn sent me to spy on Krew. Play along, and I may be able to get my hands on a few of Krew's secrets."

"Ooh!" Daxter replied eagerly, not noticing Shining's eye roll. "I love undercover work, baby! But...two can work better than one."

Shining decided to ignore Daxter's antics for a time, heading over to get the assignment from Krew, which involved making collections around town as fast as possible...and getting a drunk Daxter out of the bar before he made any more of an ass of himself.

By the time they'd finished grabbing all the money and bringing it back to Krew, Daxter had sobered up, and they were able to collect their reward without trouble, an upgrade for their Scatter Guns that increased the rate of fire. Since Krew had nothing else for them to do at the moment, they decided to go through with the first stage of Keira's plan. Towards that end, they swung by the Power Station.

"Vin, buddy," Jak began. "We need a favor."

"I can't help you with your Eco bill," Vin replied quickly.

"This is bigger than that," Shining countered.

"Sides, we've got that well in hand," Daxter added.

"Oh," Vin replied. "W...what do you need?"

"We need you to switch on the access elevator in one of the palace's support towers," Jak explained.

"Sheesh!" Vin gasped out. "That's part of the old B-zone power grid!"

"Which we'd need to reactivate before you could control it?" Shining inferred.

"If you pull it off, sure thing," Vin allowed, turning back to his console. "But it hasn't worked for years."

"Will you even be able to handle it?" Shining asked worriedly. "I mean, if it's that old..."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that!" Vin said quickly. "Mar designed this city very carefully. Once the grid's back on, I can-" At that point, Vin broke into a string of technical jargon about the power grid and electronic systems that went so far above the trio's heads they felt they were underground. "All you need to do," Vin concluded, "is find and turn on all the B-Zone power boxes located in the city. There are five of them...guarded by motion sensing turbo cannons!"

"...why?" Shining asked, confused.

"Likely to prevent exactly what we're attempting," Jak suggested, turning to seek out the power boxes.

The cannons proved to be much less difficult than advertised, as one shot from close range with the Scatter Gun took them out, and they couldn't aim up. It was an easy task to move in via overpass or Zoomer, take out the cannons, and then activate the power switches they were built on. The guards backing up the turrets also weren't very challenging, since Jak, Shining, and Daxter all moved too fast for them to get clear shots.

With the fifth switch activated, Vin informed them that the path into the palace Jak had requested was open, and the trio made their way there.

The elevator took them up to the top of the support tower, leaving a direct but dangerous path to the palace. The walkway along the power lines was narrow, and interspersed by rotating fan blades charged with electrical Blue Eco. Another section was completely coated in Red Eco, forcing them to detour along swing poles with Shining teleporting to Jak when he was across. Then Shining had to deal with a defense turret, using his Blaster to snipe it down.

Beyond that, several rotating portions of the path alternated between safe, flat platforms and deadly spiked ones, with another turret on the other side. The next section involved another detour below the normal path past more rotating fans across platforms that broke away shortly after they were stepped on, before using swing poles to get back up.

"Are we...there yet?" Shining asked desperately.

"...no," Jak replied, staring forward. "We're...only about halfway there." Seeing how exhausted Shining looked, Jak knelt down. "How about you stay here, and teleport to me once I get the rest of the way across?"

"...sounds like a plan," Shining admitted, slumping down to regain his strength.

"I'll wave when I'm safely across," Jak promised before continuing on.

The rest of the path was more of the same obstacles, save for a pair of turrets that rotated around the path, firing constantly once Jak was in range. Once off the mid-air path, he waved to Shining, letting him teleport to his side.

Once on the roof of the palace, the trio made their way to a skylight, where they could see Praxus and Erol speaking to an illusion of...someone. Unfortunately, they weren't in range to hear what was said. Leaning in close, they could only just barely make out the conversation after the image faded.

"He's toying with us!" Erol snapped. "Let me lead an assault on the Nest! I can take him!"

Praxus merely stared at Erol in silence. "I've seen what comes of such bravado." Reaching up, he brushed the metal covering half of his face. "It is foolishness. Penetrating the nest is impossible as things stand. The plan remains. The Metalheads are powerful, and they know it. That confidence is the key to their downfall. We must accede to their demands - seeming weak - until it turns to overconfidence. Then the final strike will work. And find that child!" This last was said fiercely, glaring at Erol with a steely glint in his human eye. "If you spent half the time you do trying to win Keira over doing your job, we'd have found him by now!"

"I don't see what's so important-"

"It's not your job to think!" Praxus growled. "It's your job to do as you are told! You're a soldier, remember?" When Erol remained silent, Praxus crossed his arms. "And a reminder...I want the child alive and unharmed! If he comes to harm, we're all doomed."

Seeing both men leave the chamber, Jak decided it was time to leave. As they were making their way off the roof, however, the Baron confronted them in a flying armor.

"Do you think I can't tell when I'm being spied on?" he barked out, his voice magnified by the armor like a megaphone. "And do you think you'll be leaving in one piece?"

Jak was silent for a time, his hands on his weapons. "Keira designed that for you, didn't she?" he asked finally.

Praxus watched him silently. Jak could see that he was trying to determine exactly how much he did and didn't know. "She knows you're here now," Praxus said finally. "She knows what the Dark Eco's done to you."

"Does she know you're the one who did it to me?" Jak demanded, Shining stepping up beside him, weapons primed.

"No more than you know why," Praxus replied. "You're worth more to me alive than dead, boy...but you still have value dead. It's your choice."

Jak stared Praxus down for a time, thinking things over. "...you want the Metalheads dead?" he asked finally.

"More than almost anything," Praxus replied. "The only greater goal is to keep humanity alive."

"...then let me ask you something," Jak asked slowly. "If the best way to ensure both goals was for you to step down from leadership-"

"In a heartbeat," Praxus interrupted. "But that's not the situation right now, is it?"

"No," Jak agreed. "But the answer is enough for now." He let go of his weapons. "I don't know enough about the situation to know if I'm on your side...but as long as the Metalheads are a major threat, I'm not your enemy. If you let us, we'll leave peacefully."

The Baron stared at him for a time...then grinned widely. "Gol and Maia's journals told me you would be coming, boy, and what they knew of your potential. I thought they had all the answers...but they only scratched the surface. How are you controlling your anger through the Dark Eco inside?"

"The Precursors are helping me," Jak replied.

Praxus fell dead silent for a time. "...your worth alive grows more and more, boy," he said finally. "...now get out before I change my mind!"

With that, Praxus withdrew, and the electrified barriers blocking the groups path disengaged.

Haven: History

The trio quickly made their way out of the palace. The Guard were conspicuously absent, giving them a clear run out. Once outside, they made their way to a back alley where they could talk unobserved. "Now what?" Daxter asked. "We got a good deal of information out of that...but what can we actually do with it? And what was the point of it, anyway? Keira's probably already got all that information!"

"That was the point," Jak explained. "It's part of Keira's plan...even Praxus catching us. He needs to know we know, but not realize that was the point of it."

Daxter stared up at his old friend. "...does that make any sense to you at all?"

"Nope," Jak replied. "But I trust Keira."

"Praxus' actions are a direct result of what he knows and what he can assume," Shining spoke up. "I think your choice to not fight him influenced events a great deal more than Keira expected. We can't go back to her right away though."

"Why is that so important?" Daxter demanded.

"Even in this day and age, the power of the Precursors is known and legend," Shining explained. "And Praxus now knows that they're weighing in on this conflict...on Jak's side."

Jak and Daxter both fell silent as they thought about that. "...we need to get that information to Keira as soon as possible-"

"Already got it," Keira's voice spoke up from their communicators. "Once I knew you three were back, it was easy enough to lock onto your comm signal. For now, you should report to Torn to move forward the Underground's agenda. And don't worry, Jak, you've actually moved up my schedule. The more Praxus needs you on his side, the easier it'll be to carry this out."

"Right," Jak agreed, glad to have Keira once more looking over his shoulder in terms of adventuring. It felt just a little bit more like old times.

As they arrived at the Underground, they found Kor, Ar-Mar, and Mar waiting for them. Torn looked livid. "The whole city's on high alert!" he proclaimed angrily. "What did you do?"

Jak decided it was about time Torn got a good idea of who was really in charge here. "We climbed up the palace, tripped a few alarms, had an interesting talk with the Baron."

"What?" Torn demanded. "I didn't authorize a strike on the Baron-"

"It wasn't a strike," Jak replied firmly. "Not a single shot fired from either side."

"Just who do you think you are to go over my head like that?" Torn demanded angrily, slamming his fists down on the table.

"Ask Ashelin," Jak stated bluntly. "Tell her you're authorized to know. In the meantime, you might like to know a bit about the Baron's double dealing...with the leader of the Metalheads."

"Double dealing?" Kor asked curiously. "Whatever do you mean?"

"The entire act of bribing is a ploy to buy time for some sort of super weapon!" Daxter barked out eagerly. "No idea what sort, but that's certainly of interest, right?"

Torn and Jak were still glaring each other down. Finally, Torn looked away. "Well, since you stirred this up, you get to move four of our agents to new safe houses-"

"Done," Jak replied. "Just tell us where they are and where to take them."

Torn continued to glower - much to Mar and Ar-Mar's amusement - but handed over the information.

In order to make the job go faster to maximize the safety of the agents, Jak, Shining, and Daxter each took their own vehicles to get the agents to the specified safe locations. Jak proved to be the fastest, and delivered the fourth agent to the designated safe house. With the three of them moving about at once, the Crimson Guard were forced to divide their forces, and weren't able to effectively deter any of them.

With all four agents safely moved, they returned to the Underground HQ for another mission. When they got there, Torn was alone...and he looked up at them with a good deal more respect than before, and almost a hint of deference. "Scouts report activity in Dead Town," he stated calmly. "Creatures moving towards the sacred site. Just like...before."

"What happened...before?" Daxter asked.

"Metalheads broke through the city wall," Torn explained. "We fought them, but then the Baron pulled us back...leaving everyone outside the range of the Eco Shield to die. Only the Shadow stayed...and somehow stopped the attack."

"And now you want us to protect the sacred site from the Metalheads?" Jak asked.

"If you're up to it," Torn replied easily. "It's up to you, though...isn't it?"

Shining smirked. "Ashelin talked to you, did she?"

"Yes," Torn replied. "But the Shadow would be...most appreciative if you did what you could. He might even ask to see you."

The trio glanced at each other. "We'll do it," Jak finally stated.

"Here," Torn replied, sliding two Vulcan barrels - modifications for their Morph Guns, using Blue Eco for a new type of blast - across to them. "Don't want you getting wasted out there."

Nodding, Jak turned to lead the way to Dead Town.

Once outside the city proper, the trio made their way to Dead Town, blasting their way through several different types of Metalheads they'd encountered before. As expected of a place called Dead Town, the terrain was inhospitable. Ruined buildings, swamps replacing roads, only brief spots of dry ground to jump between. Here and there, a plant attempted to grow, giving a sign of the life that might once have thrived there. It was overall a depressing place.

The new Vulcan Fury mode for the Morph Guns proved most effective for a great many of the Metalheads they encountered, inflicting a great deal of damage rapidly.

The Sacred Site, however, was far too easy for them to recognize. It was the ruined remnants of Samos' hut. The trio stood, staring at it. What Praxus had said about Gol and Maia's journals had told them they were in the distant future relative to their memory of Sandover...but it was one thing to know intellectually. Seeing the place they'd grown up in in ruins...hit them at an emotional level.

They couldn't deny it anymore. This was what their world became...

Haven: Days of Future Past

Jak, Daxter, and Shining were all somewhat down as they returned to the city after protecting the 'sacred site'. Another thought had come to Jak which was very sobering. There was no guarantee that the Samos they knew from their own time made it to this one alive...or that he was still alive after having made it here.

Daxter tried to cheer them up, reminding them that they were going to meet the Shadow now...but the encouragement fell on unheeding ears. And thus, it was a grim faced group that returned to the Underground headquarters.

Torn was waiting for them at the door. "The Shadow's decided it's time to meet you," he stated bluntly.

"...why's that old place so important to him?" Jak asked curiously.

"There's a powerful energy force at the old house," Torn explained. "The Metalheads are drawn to it."

"No kidding," Jak mumbled. "We...used to know the guy who lived there..."

"So you're the new recruits getting into so much trouble," a familiar voice stated from behind Torn.

Daxter's jaw hung as he saw the figure there. "No way! You?!" he shouted out.

While Jak could see why Daxter would mistake this figure for the Samos they knew, Jak spotted several differences. Whereas the Samos they knew favored green garb, this figure was dressed in dark reds and russet browns. His white facial hair and sideburns were much shorter, and the log held above his head was covered with thick growth that was a mix of plant life and hair.

"Welcome to the Underground Movement," the Shadow greeted. "I am the Shadow, but you can call me-"

"Samos," Jak interrupted. Rushing forward, he surprised everyone by kneeling down and hugging the squat figure.

"Umm...what?" the Shadow asked, confused. "I don't think I like such close contact with strangers-"

"I just want to say sorry for all the trouble I'm going to give you raising me and Shining," Jak stated quickly before letting go of him.

The Shadow stared up at him. "Hmmph. So Ashelin wasn't kidding." He brushed himself off. "No more, young man. I can't stand Spoilers." He turned to step aside. "Right now, we've got a Baron to overthrow, a child heir to protect, an invasion of Metalheads to stop, and a city to save."

"I'm confused," Daxter began.

"This is Samos from this time," Shining explained quickly. "The one who's going to go back in time with our younger selves to raise us."

"Oooh!" Daxter allowed. "So...anything I do to him-"

"Is probably why Samos had such an issue with you growing up," Shining interrupted.

"Then what's the point of time travel, anyway?" Daxter demanded, throwing his paws in the air in frustration.

"What did I say about Spoilers?" the Shadow demanded angrily. "Right now, you three need to get to Haven forest and root out a few Metalhead scouts. That forest is my source of power, but I can't protect it much longer. Chase down and destroy all the Metalhead scouts you find there. G-"

Jak raised his hand. "Could you not wish us luck?" he asked. "It...would feel awkward."

"Could you make cynically snide commentary about our chances instead?" Shining added.

"...I really grow up to be a crotchety ass, don't I?" the Shadow murmured.

"You have no idea," Daxter agreed eagerly.

"Have fun getting yourselves killed, then," the Shadow allowed, obviously feeling awkward.

"Thanks," Jak replied warmly. "It feels like old times."

As the trio left, Shining spoke up. "So...we going to tell Keira about this?"

"Not unless we have to," Jak replied. "As worried as she's bound to be about her father, his younger self who doesn't know her...that would not be good for her."

"Thanks for the concern, but you know I can hear everything now that I've got your comm signal, right?" Keira asked from the comm device.

Jak and Shining both glanced at each other nervously. "Oops?" Daxter supplied.

"I've left the Jet Board at the city exit," Keira explained. "You're going to need it. And I've known about the Shadow for three years. ...that's when I met him."

"...Keira..."

"Don't, Jak," Keira responded quickly. "I know there's no guarantee Dad made it through the rift to this side. I've...come to terms with it. If he is dead, I'll just have to be strong enough to keep moving." She managed a chuckle. "And if not, I don't want to give him anything else to lecture me about when you find him."

Jak smiled softly. "And I thought we were the tough ones."

With Jet Board in hand, the trio made their way into the forest, taking a floating platform to a new segment they hadn't seen before. The Metalhead scouts turned out to be winged reptilians, able to both run and fly quite fast. Jak focused on chasing them around on the Jet Board, while Shining watched their course before carefully positioning himself. Either Jak would catch them as they ran, or they'd run into Shining's ambush, and meet their end at his Eco Blades.

Once the fifth scout was defeated, the Shadow contacted them remotely. "Not bad for beginners," he grunted, obviously trying to be cynically snide. "It certainly took you long enough. Get back to the hideout. I've got another job for you." Before the signal fully cut, a last grumble could be heard. "I'm never going to get used to being an asshole..."

"He will," Daxter joked with a chuckle.

Haven: Revolution

As the trio made their way back to the Underground hideout, they got an unexpected communication from Krew. "My racing client tells me you're pretty good on that jet board," he commented, his voice oily smooth. "My sources tell me a shipment of Crimson Guard listening equipment just arrived in the port."

"And you want us to wreck them?" Jak asked. "We'll do it."

Krew chuckled. "Well, you're certainly eager, aren't you? I look forward to good results."

"Why'd you agree so fast, Jak?" Daxter asked once the communication was cut off.

"Because Keira told him about my jet board prowess," Jak replied. "Which means this mission is part of Keira's plan."

"So you're going to handle this one solo?" Shining asked.

"Well, there's only room for me on the jet board," Jak replied.

"And what should we do while you're doing that?" Shining asked.

"I got a message from Ashelin," Keira spoke up from the comms. "Something's going down in the Bazaar."

"Guess we're off to see your old baby sitter!" Daxter chimed in. "Let's go!"

"Meet back up at Underground HQ!" Jak directed as they went their separate ways.

When Shining entered the Bazaar, he couldn't avoid noticing where Ashelin was, surrounded by several heavy set Crimson Guard troops. He hoped he wouldn't get arrested for approaching, though he took the precaution of gagging Daxter, much to the ottsel's frustration. "Is something the matter, officers?" he asked, doing his best to be casual.

"We've got an Eco Tanker coming in from the Wasteland," Ashelin explained, "but the clearance transmission sounded fishy. The driver was scared for some reason. We're going to check it out, just in case. You might want to stay clear-"

As she spoke, the tanker in question crashed into the Bazaar, turning on its side as it screeched to a halt. The smaller tanks bounced around amidst the flames and smoke, knocking most of the Crimson Guard aside, though Ashelin was able to evade. The largest part opened up...and a new type of Metalhead hopped out, this one bipedal and wielding a rifle of some sort.

"Metalhead ambush!" Daxter shouted out as he chewed through the gag.

"Thanks for stating the obvious!" Shining shouted back as he lowered his headset, locking onto targets. "How many credits can we spare?"

"Quite a bit, why?" Daxter asked, confused.

Smirking, Shining jabbed the switch under his saddlebag strap. The bags opened up, and the eco-missile launchers extended. Red Eco missiles launched, one smashing into the Metalhead that had leapt out of the large tank, the rest shooting down the opening of the tank, exploding on the Metalheads that had yet to leap out. "Enough for fresh missiles?" Shining asked.

"I think we can spare it, yeah," Daxter agreed.

"Quick thinking," Ashelin complimented, leaning against a stray tank as she got her adrenaline under control. "The Metalheads are getting bolder everyday. It's almost like they're testing our defenses, like probing attacks."

"They do have a leader," Shining pointed out. "That may very well be exactly what they are."

Ashelin frowned in concern. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she murmured. "...thanks for the assist." With that, she turned and left.

"Come on," Shining called to Daxter. "Let's go meet up with Jak."

When Jak, Shining, and Daxter made their way back to the HQ, they found the Shadow waiting for them outside it, along with Mar, Ar-mar, and a large crocodog - a large green canine with a reptilian jaw, facial structure, and tail - which seemed overly fond of both of them. "I want you to escort the kids over to Kor at the power station," the Shadow explained bluntly as the pair raced over to the trio, the crocodog chasing after them. "He promised to look after them, and I'm too busy to babysit."

"You're getting better at crotchety!" Daxter commented pleasantly.

"I don't want to!" the Shadow snapped. "Rrr...if I ever meet my older self from your past, I'm going to give him a swift kick where the Eco flows free!"

"...should we be wincing?" Shining asked, confused, only to make Mar and Ar-mar giggle.

"And take their...Crocodog with you," the Shadow added. As he approached the animal, it growled at him and lunged, making him back off. "Isn't he sweet?" he offered lamely.

Chuckling, Jak took his younger self's hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's get moving."

"Can I wide?" Ar-mar asked, eyes wide and ears against his skull.

"I know you can speak normally," Shining scolded, but he still lifted the colt onto his back.

Looking down, Jak saw Mar reaching up to him as well. "I don't know whether this is sweet or creepy," Jak muttered as he lifted himself up onto his back.

"You and me both," Daxter muttered, sitting on Jak's shoulder and glancing back at Mar.

"Can we get ice cream?" Ar-mar asked hopefully.

"Just as soon as you tell me what it is," Shining promised.

As they walked out into the city proper with the youngsters in tow, the Crimson Guard began to approach. "Any ideas?" Jak asked as they homed in on them.

"Just one," Shining muttered. "Ar-mar? Can you make a shield around all of us in a solid sphere?"

Grinning, Ar-mar focused, releasing his magic. In an instant, the group was surrounded in a pink sphere that bullets bounced off.

"Now what?" Jak asked.

"Now we run!" Shining stated, running on the bottom of the shield and causing it to roll forward.

As they rolled over the Crimson Guard patrols, Mar hummed a catchy tune.

Haven: Destruction

When the group reached the Power Station, they found Kor waiting there for them, with no one else present. He was pleasantly surprised to see them. "Samos told us to bring the kids to you," Daxter shouted out.

"Thank you," Kor replied warmly, resting a hand on Mar's shoulder as the boy ran up to him. "I'll be sure to keep him close." At that point, the Crocodog growled at Kor. "How sweet," he sneered back.

Chuckling, Jak knelt down and scratched the Crocodog's spine, making it sit back happily with its tongue lolling out.

"Interesting," Kor muttered. "That insufferable mutt never liked anyone but the boy before..." As he spoke, the Crocodog growled at him.

Jak decided Kor was one of those who didn't need to know about the time travel shenanigans. "I guess I just have a way with animals," he joked, only to receive three punches on the arm, one from a paw and two from hooves.

Kor shrugged, letting it go. "I hope we have enough Eco to keep the Metalheads at bay..."

"Or we could just destroy them all," Shining offered.

"You do not comprehend the enormity of such an endeavor," Kor chided. "In my journeys to the depths of the Wasteland, I have seen the greater beasts of the Metalhead swarm. The creatures you have encountered so far are nothing compared to those...behemoths."

"We saw a big one coming out of a rift once!" Daxter spoke up. "It was uuuu-gly!"

"Hmph," Kor muttered, turning away and changing the subject.

Shining stepped back, frowning. There was something...off about Kor's reaction, but he wasn't certain what.

"Is everything okay, Shiny?" Ar-mar asked quietly.

"Just...be careful around Kor," Shining muttered back. "And take care of your brother."

"Will do!" Ar-mar replied, saluting. "Promised Pa!"

We keep that promise, Shining thought to himself as Jak collected an Air Train pass from Mar. "So where we off to?" Shining asked as he fell into step beside Jak.

"The Baron's trying to excavate the tomb of Mar," Jak replied. "We're going to slow him down."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Blowing shit up!" Daxter replied eagerly.

"Nice!"

The Air Train turned out to be just a red A-Grav transport car, and the ride itself proved uneventful. The area it brought them to was rather lush, though more rocky than forested unlike the forest area to the north of the city. The excavation site itself was inside a cave system not far from the Air Train landing pad. The Crimson Guard were heavy in their presence, but unfortunately for them were no better armed. Jak and Shining were easily able to mow through them. Even the new grenadiers weren't very effective, as the bombs they threw were easily spotted and evaded well before they exploded.

Once inside the main dig site, Jak used the jet board to sever support cables while Shining focused on taking out the enemy troops. Once all the cables were cut, the drill the Guard had been using spun out of control and exploded.

"Nice!" Daxter crowed. "Anything else we can destroy?"

"Let's get back to the city and find out," Jak suggested.

Back in the city, they received a distress signal from Vin, summoning them to the Power Station. When they got there, they found him in a state of panic. "The Baron set me up!" he shouted out in terror. "Actually, I think everybody-"

Shining quickly levitated a bag up to Vin's face, making him breathe in and out of it for a time. "Calm down and explain," Shining stated calmly. "What's gone wrong, and how do we fix it? Remember, we're on your side."

Once Vin was calm, he explained. "The Baron has no intention of piping the Eco from the wells I drilled into the city. Open Eco Wells attract Metalheads. You need to seal them off with these plasmite bombs I've prepared for you. Just drop them into the well after arming them-"

"Daxter, bombs are not for playing until after we're on the mission," Jak chided, swiping the bomb out of the ottsel's hand.

"What, you think I'm gonna accidentally arm the whole batch before you make it through the portal or something?"(1) Daxter demanded angrily.

"I'd rather not take the chance," Jak replied, stowing the bombs carefully.

As there weren't any Metalheads or Crimson Guard at the mining site, there were no obstacles in their way to demolish the open wells. Six bombs dropped from the jet board later, and they were safely on their way back to the city...only to be sent right back out again to the drill platform to take out a tanker ship the Baron was sending out, full of Eco.

As a mobile gunnery platform was provided for the task, this proved to be yet another relatively easy task. Shining used his spot shields to protect the platform from attacking Crimson Guard fliers, while Jak held the controls to blast them apart.

The ship itself was somewhat more of a challenge, as it was heavily armored to the point the platform's bullets bounced right off. However, whoever was in charge must have taken issue with the noise or something similar, as the ship deployed various turrets to try and take the group out. The turrets weren't as heavily armored, and each destroyed turret damaged the tanker. With all turrets destroyed, the tanker went down, allowing the trio to return to the city, mission accomplished.

(1) For those who haven't played the game, in the original Daxter's fooling around results in just this, leading to the mission being on a time limit.

Haven: Liberation

After finishing up at the Power Station, Jak, Shining, and Daxter decided to go get a drink and - hopefully - relax for a bit before heading out on the next mission. As they entered the saloon, however, they saw a large Crimson Guardsman in full uniform leaving. Krew practically pounced them once the guard was gone. "The Baron sent his goons to harass me, as usual," he moaned, as though trying to paint his lot in life as so terrible. "Health violations, back taxes...everyone wants a piece of me."

"Well, pieces of you would certainly violate the health codes," Shining joked.

"And you've got plenty of back to tax!" Daxter added, the pair bumping hoof to clenched paw in glee.

"...how droll," Krew replied blandly, plainly unamused. He turned back to Jak. "Destroying that cargo in the port was more important than you know. I've got a new project going, I don't need anyone snooping around my shipments."

Note to self: ask Keira if she's got a new model Scoutfly to sic on Krew's shipments, Jak thought quietly as he listened.

Noticing the looks the trio were shooting him, Krew smirked. "Let's just say...if things go as planned, I'm going to corner the market in Metalhead trophies."

"That's not ominous at all," Shining muttered to Daxter as Krew laughed.

"Anyway," Krew continued, "I have a job for you. An associate of mine, Bruta, works with me in the forced labor trade."

Jak's whole body clenched. "You mean the slave trade," he growled.

"I prefer 'freedom challenged'," Krew corrected delicately. He then leaned in conspiratorially. "Lurkers are the city's low class labor. Bruta pays me handsomely to help free Lurkers and get them out of the city." He let out an obviously fake heartfelt sigh. "It lifts my spirit to help those in need..." Rounding on the group again, his voice changed to a snarl. "And I need his money!"

"Lurkers?" Daxter gasped out, shocked. "We don't like Lurkers!"

"You like gun upgrades, don't you?" Krew countered, passing over an upgrade for their weapons' clips, letting them hold more ammo.

"How many?" Shining asked calmly, attaching the upgrade.

"Three Crimson Guard transports," Krew replied. "Pleasure doing business with you."

As the group left, Jak flexed angrily. "Keira," he muttered into the comms, "how much would it skew your plans if we went back in and slit Krew's throat?"

"Quite a bit, I'm afraid," Keira replied. "We need to keep him in place until we can take down his whole network."

"Then let's get this over with," Shining grunted.

Since the three transports were in close proximity, the trio decided to split into three groups to take them down. Each of them commandeered an A-Grav Zoomer, shifting into position near the transports. Shining and Jak took out all three transports at once with their Blasters. As the Lurkers ran and the Crimson Guard converged, each of the trio collected one of the Lurkers on their Zoomer before shooting off in three different directions.

Once all three had shaken off pursuit, they made their way to Bruta's trinket stand in the Bazaar, managing to get there all at the same time. Bruta - a rather large, red Lurker with nice hair - was quite pleased. "Little white warrior!" he proclaimed happily, shaking Shining's forehooves. "You have do great thing for Bruta and Lurker people!" He then proceeded to pepper Shining with kisses, much to Shining's displeasure.

"...thanks..." Shining muttered.

"You great guys!" Bruta proclaimed happily. "Bruta not forget! Bruta pay you back, you see!"

Back at the saloon, Krew had yet another job for them. "Years ago, when I was an art...collector, I hit the local museum to...borrow...a famous statue of Mar, the city's founder. In its hands, the statue held the Ruby Key to the city, an artifact of surpassing beauty...and of course, priceless worth."

"Let me guess," Shining muttered. "It's somewhere you can't get to, where you can't get anyone to go, and you want to send us?"

"Well aren't you the clever colt," Krew chuckled. "Yes. It is deep within the sewers, where dangerous floods and Metalheads discourage anyone from making their way-"

"We'll be done in an hour," Jak interrupted. Turning, he led the way back out.

It didn't take the group long to get back to the sewers, which - aside from being more empty - were no different than they had been on their last trip. It turned out that the path Jak needed to take to reach the Ruby Key was only passable via jet board, so Shining decided to wait for him to return. He didn't have long to wait, as Jak and Daxter were back in under five minutes. "So what now?" he asked.

At that moment, Bruta's voice came over the communicator. "I hear you three look for piece of Mar's shiny seal. Bruta love shiny, bright things too! I have piece, I thinks. It in water slums, hanging over me hut. You free to have! Gift from Bruta!"

"That," Jak replied to Shining as the message ended.

The piece of the seal proved to be exactly where Bruta had said. As soon as they collected it, another message from Bruta came through. "See? Nice and shiny, yes? All yours! ...uh oh! I think Red Troopers approaching!"

Bruta proved to be correct, as a Crimson Guard transport had pulled up and troops were jumping out of it...one at a time onto the narrow walkway over the water that led to where Jak and Shining stood, Blasters primed. "...Praxus needs to fire whoever's in charge of teaching these guys how to assault a fortified position," Jak grumbled as he opened fire.

"Or even a bottleneck point," Shining added, his own weapons fire backing up Jak's. "Why not leap over the buildings to flank us?"

"I'm not about to complain about having things too easy," Daxter suggested reasonably as the trio made their way safely out of the Water Slums.

Haven: Clean Sweep

Once out of the slums, the trio decided that Onin the Seer would be the best one to consult about the Seal of Mar fragment. Reaching her hut, they found that The Shadow was there waiting for them as well, Pecker on his head.

"The birdbrain and I were just talking about you," Shadow commented as the trio entered. "Onin is very proud of what you three did."

"What we did?" Jak asked, confused, not certain anything they'd done would make Onin that proud.

"What you did, what you do," Pecker interpreted. "It's all the same."

"Will you stop with the Deja Voodoo stuff?" Daxter demanded angrily. "It's creepy!"

"Onin says you must find the Tomb of Mar," the Shadow explained.

"Even now," Pecker began, translating directly for Onin, "Baron Praxus seeks-"

"We already know most of his plan," Shining interrupted. "So what's in the tomb that little Mar needs to fetch?"

"The Precursor Stone," the Shadow explained.

"It contains vast Eco Energies that can be used for great good," Pecker translated. "Or...great evil."

"So where are the other two pieces of the Seal of Mar?" Jak asked.

"One is inside the Lurker Totem at the dig site," the Shadow explained. "We haven't determined where the last piece might be."

"Easy enough to find," Jak confirmed, turning to lead the group out to the dig site. "Figure out where the third one is while we're gone."

Back at the dig site, the group found a few scorpion-like Metalheads wandering about, but they went down easily to the Scatter Gun. The bulkier ones took more than one shot, but still went down easily. The more concerning danger was the rivers of magma running through the site, adding an intense sense of danger to the mission, especially since the Jet Board wasn't properly shielded to coast over magma.

Moving deeper into the dig site, the trio found themselves confronted with a labyrinth of switches, rotating platforms, and rivers of magma. "Okay, this makes no sense," Daxter grumbled.

"What, that these protections would be here?" Jak asked.

"No, that they wouldn't have been dismantled when they were excavated!"

"Unless the entire chambers were excavated intact," Shining countered.

Daxter raised his paw in protest, only to yield. "Okay, there's that."

It took nearly half an hour of careful exploration of the site to find all the switches they needed to press to clear the path forward, and by that time all three were hot, sweaty, and tired. Jak then led the way across several pools of lava, allowing Daxter to ride his shoulder and Shining to teleport after him, doing his best to deal with the excess heat.

Towards the end of the dig site, they encountered some smarter Metalheads, which kept their distance and hurled Dark Eco grenades from above. Shining managed to find a clever way of dealing with them, using his Eco Blades to bat the explosives back at them.

Beyond that, a slope forced them to climb up platforms while evading spiked metal balls rolling down towards them. At long last, they finally reached the Lurker Totem, the Seal piece glowing near the top.

"Why don't you get this one, Jak?" Daxter suggested.

"Because I'm going to have to carry you two out of here," he pointed out, gesturing from Daxter's small size to Shining's near absolute exhaustion.

"...good point." Racing up the statue, Daxter carefully worked the seal piece - this one a round plate with two holes - out of the statue. "Wonder what makes it glow?"

"Maybe it's reacting to the blood of Mar in Jak?" Shining offered, panting for breath.

Shrugging, Jak pocketed the seal piece and slung Shining over his shoulders before making his way out.

"Hey Jak!" Daxter called out. "There's a portal behind the totem!"

"Talk about a welcome shortcut," Jak muttered, carrying Shining through.

After the three took a relaxing cold shower back at their apartment to cool off, they made their way to the saloon for some refreshing beverage. When they got there, they found Tess and Sig at the bar, with no immediate sign of Krew. Daxter immediately began to brag about a recent battle to Tess, painting himself as the 'hero of the day' while exaggerating the battle multiple times within the same telling. While Jak and Shining rolled their eyes, listening with tolerant amusement, Tess ate it up.

"Oh, Daxter, you're amazing!" she breathed, scratching his back just where he liked it.

"Quite the story there, golden boy," Sig teased. "Sounds like you're just the animal I need for a new mission. Combat Metalheads have been sighted in Haven Forest. These new bad boys have camouflage that make them tough to spot, but I'm sure with your 'killer instincts' you'll manage."

"Can we have a drink first?" Shining whined, only to be greeted with chuckles all around.

After getting proper refreshment, the trio made their way to the forest. The combat Metalheads were indeed tough to spot as Sig had suggested, though they tended to give themselves away when they opened fire. Not only that, the camouflage didn't work perfectly when they were moving, and also failed to fully conceal the crystals embedded in their foreheads. Though time consuming and nerve wracking, the trio was eventually able to eliminate all 30 of them.

"Wish we could have done this during the day," Shining muttered, shivering.

"Well, it's over now," Jak reassured him. "Let's head back."

Haven: Preparations

Once the trio made it back to the city, Jak decided that it would be a good time to check back in with Keira in person. Neither Shining nor Daxter disagreed, although both shot the Eco Warrior sly grins which he pointedly ignored.

Part way there, however, Shining spoke up. "Say, Jak...how about Daxter and I take that Ruby Key to Krew before he comes looking for it?" he suggested slyly. "He's probably upset we haven't handed it over yet, and the last thing we need is him showing up at the wrong moment and overhearing the wrong conversation, given Keira's long-term goals."

Jak smirked at his equine brother. "You aren't fooling me for a moment," he chided playfully. "But I won't say no." Passing the Ruby Key over, he made his lone way to the garage.

Chuckling, Shining dragged Daxter off with him, leaving Jak to have some alone time with Keira.

After dropping the key off with Krew, Shining and Daxter went back to the Underground HQ to see if there was anything they could do while Jak was spending some time with Keira. They found Torn waiting for them.

"Whatever you three have been up to, the Baron's not happy," he commented. "He's called in new Hellcat Cruisers to patrol the streets, hunting for your boy Jak. It's not safe for Underground agents anymore. We've already lost five men."

Shining smiled. "I can take care of that. Jak's a bit...busy just now."

"As long as he's out of sight," Torn grumbled. "Much as I hate to admit it, we can't afford to lose him."

"Got any Eco Mines?" Shining asked. "Red for preference."

"...a few," Torn admitted evasively. "How many do you want?"

"How many Cruisers are there?"

"Five," Torn replied. "But I don't see how you can-"

"Red Eco doesn't react to heat or flames until activated," Shining explained, making Torn grin widely in response.

The Hellcat Cruisers were readily identifiable, and a black cloak rendered Shining all but invisible to the Guards since they were looking for Jak, Daxter, and a white unicorn. With careful aim, Shining was able to fling each Red Eco mine up into the Cruisers' systems, attaching them to the engine exhaust near the A-Grav Generator. Once he'd attached a mine to all five Cruisers, he moved to a centralized location and set off the remote detonator, sending all five Cruisers to the ground. Since the mines were designed to eradicate all residue of themselves, it would look like a catastrophic failure of the A-Grav Generator due to overloading.

Torn contacted them over comms as soon as the explosions occurred. "Not bad," he praised. "not bad at all. That'll leave a mystery for the Baron as well, which will be good for us. By the way, Onin wants to see you. I've already told Jak."

"Thanks Torn," Shining replied gratefully. "We're on our way."

On the way to Onin's hut, Shining and Daxter bumped into Jak. "So," Daxter began teasingly. "How'd things go with Keira? Did you...take your time this time?"

Jak rolled his eyes. "We didn't do anything like that," he groaned. "And we aren't going to as long as the Metalheads are an issue. We just...spent some time together. It was...nice." He shrugged his shoulders. "And I'm on her racing team, now. Won the Class 3 race."

Shining turned to glare flat eyed at his brother. "Seriously?" he demanded. "The Baron sent brand new combat cruisers out to hunt you down...and you're racing?"

"Last place he'd look for me," Jak joked as he entered Onin's hut.

Inside, Kor was arguing with Onin via Pecker. "Expecting that little boy to save us is folly!" Kor proclaimed angrily, striking the base of his staff against the ground. "At his age, he's no match for the Metalhead leader." Turning, he spotted Jak and the others. "Oh, Jak...we were just talking about Samos's plan."

"Onin says your voice sounds very familiar," Pecker spoke up as Onin glowered at Kor. "I bet you golden oldies go way back, huh?" Jak and Shining both took note of how Kor flinched back from Onin's gaze. Before they could think further on it, however, Pecker continued. "Onin has noticed you three don't like all the mystical mumbo jumbo and long winded explanations, so much to my relief she's going to be brief. Each seal fragment was positioned in such a way to test you, in order to energize them so they can open the door. The first tested your strength against the Crimson Guard. The second your skills against the dangers of the mine. Now, Onin tests your mind."

As Onin began working her magic, Jak and Shining both could feel the energies flowing, following patterns in the air before them. Without even thinking about it, both of them focused on the patterns, following them with their thoughts. Jak's Eco and Shining's magic flowed out, following the patterns...and before long, anticipating them. As this occurred, the third piece of the seal took form out of the ether, a twin to the first. The three pieces fused together in the air before the trio before falling into Jak's hands.

"Behold!" Pecker proclaimed. "The Seal of Mar is now complete. Onin says the three artifacts you retrieved from the mountain temple are relics from an ancient light power. Old songs tell of how this light power once shined down on the actual site of Mar's tomb. I will sing one of these songs for you-"

"Did you know Jak's dark form is drawn out by irritation as well as anger?" Shining spoke up, as though discussing the weather. "And is highly carnivorous? And aggressive towards whatever triggered it?"

Pecker hesitated. "On second thought, I'll just tell you what you need to know. You must take the three artifacts to Mar's Gate. Only then will the Light Tower rise, and reveal the Tomb."

Jak, Shining, and Daxter chuckled as they prepared to go. None noticed that Kor had already made his way out.

Haven: Inheritance

With their directions received from Onin, the trio made their way through the city to the Canyon that Onin had mentioned, where they were to use the artifacts from the forest ruin. The canyon turned out to be in the forest area itself, and rather close to the entrance as well. The completed Seal of Mar opened the path to the canyon, letting the trio make their way to where the relics needed to be used. The path beyond the gate was straightforward, with no Metalheads or Crimson Guards to block their path.

Various ancient Precursor machinery filled the area at the end of the path, which activated as the trio placed the three artifacts in slots waiting for them. When the machinery finished, a laser shot towards the city, destroying a statue of Baron Praxus. The falling masonry revealed a hidden entrance.

"Talk about hiding in plain sight," Jak muttered as the trio quickly made their way back to the city.

Beyond the hidden door, an elevator carried the trio deep into the earth. At the bottom of the shaft, The Shadow and Kor awaited them, with Mar and Ar-Mar at their sides. Against the far wall was a massive sculpture of a Precursor Oracle surmounting a massive door.

"You did it, Jak!" The Shadow marveled. "You actually found Mar's Tomb. I know you prefer I be cynical, but this...this is just too amazing for words."

"So now what?" Jak asked bluntly. "We send Mar here into a meat grinder? He hasn't got the strength, skills, or training to make it through."

"But you do," Ar-Mar pointed out.

Shining blinked, surprised. "Well, yeah, but you think Jak should go through?"

Ar-Mar merely shrugged.

Kor, meanwhile, seemed excessively eager to get his hands on the Precursor Stone, which only made Daxter more suspicious.

"You must be cautious, child," The Shadow told young Mar. "The Tests of Manhood are fraught with peril...and Mar's heir must face them alone."

Jak stepped up close behind Mar as the Oracle became active. "Welcome, Heir of Mar!" it proclaimed as the door began to open. "Finally, the Chosen One stands before us. Enter and prove yourself worthy to claim your ancient birthright."

As the door opened, Jak picked Mar up and set him on his back. "Hold on tight," he instructed firmly as he made his way towards the door.

"But...but the heir must face the challenges alone!" Kor pointed out in confusion.

"Yes," the Oracle agreed. "Heir of Mar, You and You, alone may enter!" As Jak crossed the threshold, the door closed behind the pair.

Once the door was closed, Shining turned to pass the time with Ar-Mar...until someone shouted, "Freeze!"

Even with Mar clinging to his back, Jak had very little trouble facing the trials within the Tomb of Mar. While they were taxing on his body, they were no more difficult than any other trial he'd faced in his adventures thus far. Mar seemed amazed as he gazed around in awe at all the stunts Jak was capable of, slowly wrapping his mind around this being his older self who could do all this...that he would be doing all this someday.

Mar did express his confusion when Jak groaned as he came across one particular puzzle. "What's wrong with the colored floating tiles?" he asked softly.

"Trust me, kid," Jak replied quickly. "Someday, you'll hate the very sight of such a thing." Carefully he jumped across the illuminated tiles. "At least it's simpler here. Last time, standing on tiles of one color caused all tiles of that color to drop." Noticing Mar's eager expression, Jak chuckled. "You want me to tell you about my last adventure?" he asked. When his statement received an eager nod, he chuckled. "Alright..."

As he continued, he told his younger self all about the various trials he and Shining had encountered going after Gol and Maia back in Sandover Village. It was only as he reached the tale of the trials in Gol and Maia's own Fortress while he was activating a second laser switch to open the last door of the tomb that he came to a realization. "Huh," he muttered. "So that's why I seemed to know what to do throughout the whole journey."

Passing through the last door, Jak came to a massive Precursor Statue. "Welcome young warrior," it proclaimed proudly. "Eons have passed since our hope burned so brightly. Today you have proven yourself worthy to receive Mar's legacy. What you are about to receive contains grave power, and with it comes grave responsibility. Eons ago, the Precursors waged a terrible war with the Hor'qwa, those terrible creatures you refer to as Metalheads. Driven by their dark leader, the Metalhead legions destroyed our great civilization. And now, they swarm the universe unopposed, looking for the last relics of our power."

"We'll see about that," Jak muttered, shaking out his arms as he walked up to the statue.

"You are brave and determined, much like Mar before you," the Statue continued. "He tried to hide the Precursor Stone in this tomb to protect it from them. It is our last hope, and it is up to you to keep that hope alive."

Nodding, Jak walked up to the statue in silence, removing the large, green, octagonal stone from its mounting, rolling backwards as Praxus flew in in a large mecha. "You are more valuable to me alive after all, Jak!" he proclaimed loudly. "You've led me right to the Precursor Stone! Now, hand it over, or your Underground friends up above will pay the price!"

Sighing, Jak set Mar down. "Hold this," he instructed, handing the Precursor Stone to him. "I need to deal with this guy real quick."

"Don't take me lightly, boy!" Praxus roared as he braced the spider like mech against the statue.

"I don't," Jak replied. "But a mech like that...just isn't a threat to me." He popped out a clip of Vulcan Fury ammo, carefully popping out the Blue Eco shells.

"You think you're that strong?" Praxus demanded angrily.

"No," he replied simply as he popped the shells open. "But I know how to fight it." He promptly chugged the shells contents down his throat.

"Are you mad?" Praxus demanded, shocked. "That's pure Eco!"

"Exactly," Jak replied, drawing Shining's Eco Blades and charging them with Red Eco. Dashing forward too fast for Praxus to track due to the Blue Eco boosting his speed, he brought the blades down, slashing all eight legs off the mech before splitting it open.

As the mech and escape pod collapsed, Praxus leapt out, rolling to his feet. "Well, I certainly didn't expect that," he muttered, drawing a pair of Eco Blades of his own. "I've been calling you boy mistakenly all this time it seems. So let's settle this like men!"

Both lunged forward, clashing their blades against each other. Jak was careful, using one blade to strike forward while holding the other back to block incoming strikes. Praxus, on the other hand, lunged in for a full force clash, trusting in his greater bulk to overpower Jak's slimmer frame, and believing himself to have greater stamina than the Eco boosted warrior.

Mar, for his part, watched in awe, clutching the Precursor Stone tight to himself as the warriors fought against each other.

After a few full force clashes, Jak suddenly chuckled. "I just realized...I can't lose here."

"What are you talking about?" Praxus demanded angrily. "You truly think you're so great?" He spun, trying to catch Jak on the backswing of his blade.

"I don't need to be!" Jak proclaimed as he blocked the strike, his block moving into position almost before the strike was thrown. "Take a look at who's watching. A child that young, a fight this intense...whether he knows it or not, he's going to remember this fight all his life, replaying it in his dreams." He spun then, kicking Praxus in the face before catching one of his Eco Blades at the hilt, sending it flying away from the Baron's grip.

"So what?" Praxus demanded as he held his remaining blade two handed. "What sort of advantage does that give you?" He lunged in, trying to skewer Jak.

For his part, Jak sidestepped easily, catching the baron's extended arm under his own before bringing his remaining blade up to his throat. "Guess who he grows up to be?"

Praxus stared at Jak, stunned. "...now it makes sense," he grumbled. "The ability to biologically metabolize Eco of any color...that's unique to Mar's line. So...are you going to kill me now? Take back your throne?"

Jak stared back at him for a time. "Keira tells me you've treated her like a second daughter this past half a decade or so," he stated bluntly. "Was that genuine?"

Praxus blinked. "What does that have to do with anything?" he demanded angrily.

"If I'm going to kill you, I should understand you first," Jak replied simply. "Well?"

"What does it matter?" Praxus growled. "My heart is just another tool to me. If feelings I have are useful to a situation, I make use of them. If not, I suppress them. And I can fake feelings I don't have if need be!"

"Was. It. Genuine?" Jak asked once again.

Praxus screamed in frustration. "Yes, Maker damn you, yes! She wasn't much younger than Ashelin, and a lot like her! I wanted to take care of her and protect her, and since it helped win her loyalty I did so!"

Jak smiled. "That's good," he replied. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out something Keira had prepared and slammed it down on the metallic parts of Praxus' skull.

Praxus staggered back, clutching at his head before eventually falling to his knees. "What...what happened? What did...you do?"

"Keira got ahold of your medical records," Jak explained. "We were able to figure out that when your head was wounded during a raid on the Metalhead nest and you used Metalhead parts to repair it, some Dark Eco was left behind inside you, leaving you somewhat susceptible to the signals the Metalhead leader uses to control the Metalheads. Not enough to fully control you, but enough to warp your mind and perceptions. The device I just slammed into your skull contained a tiny bit of Light Eco Keira was able to extract from her last Power Cell from our old timeline. She gave it to me just before I entered the Class 3 Zoomer race. But she told me it would only work if the Dark Eco hadn't fully corrupted your feelings."

Praxus stared up at Jak...at Mar. "That's why...you made me answer? To see...how much of the real me was left?"

Jak nodded. "And it seems there was enough. That small dose won't be permanent, though. We'll need a great deal more Light Eco to fully purge the Metalhead Leader's influence on you...either that or eliminate him. But we have a few weeks grace period before he can start influencing you again."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just kill me?" Praxus demanded intensely.

Jak smirked. "You're more useful to me alive."

Praxus slumped, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "You...you..."

"I don't plan to lead some insane charge into the nest," Jak told him bluntly. "Metalheads are built for fighting armies. With enough ammo and preparation...Shining and I will take them down ourselves. They won't even know what hit them."

Praxus sighed...and then shifted to a kneeling position, his fist over his heart. "...command me, My King."

Jak glowered down at him. "I want to believe this...but as you yourself said, every thought and emotion is another tool for you-"

"He speaks true," the Precursor Statue proclaimed. "We see into his mind and heart. The corruption of the Hor'qwa twisted him, but the twists are coming unraveled. Knowing the influence the Dark Leader had on him, he now no longer fully trusts his own thoughts, instincts, and plans. But you, whom he tortured with Darkness to forge into a weapon, now speak to him as the King he believed in once did, and he is ready to follow the line of Mar once more."

Jak blinked in surprise, amazed that the Precursors could read Praxus so fully. However, seeing how the Baron wilted under the pronouncement, he knew that it was true. Nodding, he walked over to young Mar and took back the Precursor Stone. "Hold onto this," he told Praxus. "I'll need it later. In the meantime, keep an eye on my younger self as well. And don't let anyone know that you're working for me now."

"Understood, sire," Praxus agreed formally. He then stood up. "You have a plan?"

"First, I'm going to break into the Fortress and bust everyone out," Jak explained. "Then I'm going to carry out the rest of Keira's plan to purge Krew's influence on Haven. Then I'm going after the Metalhead Leader." Cocking his Blaster, he turned to walk out. "And when I get back from that, we're going to have a long talk about my Dad!"

Praxus sighed as he stood up. "...I look forward to it," he groaned, startled as young Mar walked up and took his hand, smiling up at him. Not knowing why he did so, Praxus smiled back.

Haven: Prison Break

Jak immediately set out to rescue Shining Armor, Daxter, Ar-Mar, and the others, making his way into the Fortress through the very same way Shining and Daxter had helped him escape. Security had been greatly improved, as the Guardsmen stationed there had better guns and armor, making them much tougher to take down. However, Jak decided it was time to show them exactly what he was capable of. Rather than using his guns, he downed several Yellow Eco cartridges, and then shifted into Dark Jak. As he'd expected, the transformation sustained the Eco charge, allowing him to blast Dark Yellow blasts of Eco from his hands far longer than he normally could, even as he leapt from platform to platform, using the physical boost of the Dark transformation to easily clear most obstacles. Another advantage he discovered with using his Eco abilities instead of the guns was that the fireballs could be thrown around corners much easier than bullets could...and the Dark Eco in them made the fireballs home in on the Guardsmen.

When he encountered a long path with several Guards swarming from pits on either side, he downed Blue and Red Eco charges, which also restored the Dark Eco inside him. Dashing forward, he slammed the Guards aside as he passed, not even giving them a chance to counter, some not even realizing they were under attack before they went down. When that path led him to an electrified fence blocking the way, he used the Blue Eco inside him to race up the wall and leap over the fence before smashing its power supply.

With the enhancement his Dark transformation gave his old Eco abilities, Jak was able to quickly make his way past nearly any obstacle he came across as he made his way to where his friends were held. He rapidly went up to each cell and ripped the doors off...much to the surprise of several of the occupants.

"You sure you've got control of yourself, Jak?" Shining Armor asked worriedly as Ar-Mar stared up at him in awe.

"Combining it with my old Eco abilities helped," Jak replied as he freed Daxter and Tess...who were in the same cell for some reason.

"Where's Mar?" Ar-Mar demanded angrily.

"Perfectly safe," Jak promised as he ripped open the last cell. "Samos, are you alright?" he asked, looking inside to see the Shadow.

Much to his surprise, Samos stuck his head around the cell door. "What took you so long?" he demanded angrily as Jak stared, slackjawed. "I added six rings to my trunk waiting for you guys to get me out of here-Great Yakow horns! What happened to you, Jak?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know what happened to me," Jak replied sourly as he reigned the Dark Eco in, reversing his transformation.

"Yes," the Shadow agreed. "It seems I have an older time twin...and now I can see just what a cranky old log I become. I can't believe it happens in only two decades!"

"And I can't believe what an immature sproutling I used to be!" Samos snapped back. "You really think your soft touch is any good for anyone working for you?"

"Says the one who used so much snide mockery that our 'chosen heroes' need it now because they don't know how to handle genuine praise!" the Shadow growled back.

"They told me themselves it works better for them!" Samos countered. "You should remember that already. I'm the one who has to worry about my memory at my age!"

"For adults, maybe, but not children!" the Shadow insisted, waving his arms angrily. "Do you have any parenting skills at all?"

"I'm the one with a responsible daughter remember!" Samos growled back.

"Yes, who knew enough not to contaminate the time stream by getting in contact with me until you were found!" the Shadow proclaimed proudly. "How she grew up so well with you as a parental role model, I'll never know!"

"Yes you will!" Samos snapped back. "You grow up to become me, remember?"

"Speaking of which!"

At that point, the Shadow carried out his threat to kick Samos 'where the Eco flowed strong'. Samos fell backwards, clutching the point of impact. "Well," he gasped out, his voice somewhat high pitched, "Keira wasn't likely to get any more siblings, anyway..."

Daxter stared at the interchange slackjawed. He then turned to Jak. "Can we keep this Samos?" he asked eagerly, gesturing to the Shadow.

"We do anyway," Jak pointed out. "He goes back in time to raise me and Shining, remember?"

Daxter blinked for a time. "This is so confusing..."

"For now, how about we head back to HQ?" Shining suggested. "Vin's activated the gate, so we should get out of here before the Baron sends more troops after us."

Jak smirked mysteriously. "I don't think we need to worry about that," he commented dryly. "Speaking of, though, I need to tell Keira that the mission was a complete success."

"Which mission was that?" Samos asked curiously as he got back to his feet.

"You'll see," Jak replied. "Let's just say that a lot of people are in for a big surprise."

As Jak refused to answer beyond that, the group made their way through the Warp Gate, eager to get back to somewhere that could be considered safe and plan their next move. Samos was also eager to see his daughter again. With how much Jak had changed, he couldn't help but be worried about her.

After all, there was a minor detail he needed to explain to her about her heritage as a Sage of Green Eco, especially if she and Jak were getting close...

Haven: Laying Low

After returning through the warp gate to the power station, the group dispersed to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Samos dragged his younger self off in one direction with young Ar-Mar, while Jak, Shining, and Daxter escorted Tess back to the salon. Jak and Shining both did their best to ignore how Tess was fawning over Daxter, making mental notes to tease him mercilessly about it later.

When they got there, they were relieved to find out that Krew was sleeping, meaning Tess could slip back into place as though nothing had happened. Sig was also there, but he seemed to have no interest in spilling the beans of Tess' situation to Krew. He had his own concerns.

"You boys are alright," Sig praised as they sat quietly in a corner. "And since the boss is out of it right now, I'm gonna give it to ya straight. I've been Krew's heavy for years, and I've done some things I'm not proud of. But this time, I think Krew's gotten himself, and us, into something really nasty. I'm thinking of getting out."

As Daxter started to get a little too excited, Krew woke up with yet another mission for Jak and his group, involving escorting some of his men through the sewers to investigate another possible secret the statue might hold.

Jak and Daxter happily moved to vacate the location as soon as possible. Shining, however, had one particular question for Sig in private, just to see if certain thoughts he'd been going over had any truth to them. "So, Sig," he asked casually, "how long after Praxus' coup did you come to work for Krew?"

He saw what he was looking for. Sig visibly hesitated as he lifted his glass to his lips. "Why do you ask about that date, specifically?" he wondered mildly, his other hand gripping his weapon under the table.

Shining's grin split his face. "Just wondering if any other Wastelanders you've met know any unicorns," he replied mildly before turning to leave. "Just a matter of interest."

He didn't let out the breath he was holding until he was out of the salon with no shots coming after him. He'd got what he wanted.

Damas was alive...somewhere. And Sig was his agent.

Thankfully, Jak had rode an elevator up from the area of the sewers the statue was in, and was available for Shining to go down with him, along with Krew's three demolition boys. They started to mouth off, plainly expecting to just do their own thing however they wanted regardless of what Jak and Shining tried to do. Jak established right out front that he would have none of it.

"Stay behind us," he ordered bluntly. "Stay together. Don't go wandering. If you see a Metalhead, get close to us so we can keep you alive." He primed his blaster before pointing it straight at the three. "Endanger the mission, and I'll shoot you myself."

"But...But Krew said you had to bring us back alive!" one of them complained.

Jak lowered his aim, making the group pale further. "I never said my shot would be lethal."

Once everyone understood each other, Jak led the way in. There was a new type of Metalhead - one shaped like a spider with a laser weapon - but it went down quickly to concentrated fire from Jak and Shining. Occasionally, the Metalheads tried to get them in a pincer attack by crawling over the walls and ceiling to behind the group, but they handled that by having Shining shift to guarding the rear.

At one point, they wound up surrounded in a large room as a full swarm of Metalheads covered the ceiling, but Shining grinned. Switching the payloads of his missile launchers to Blue Eco, he fired to specific locations within the swarm. When the missiles exploded, they released an electrical cloud that zapped all surrounding Metalheads into non-functionality.

"Worth every credit," Shining proclaimed, quite pleased with himself as the swarms numbers dropped from hundreds to 12. Jak easily dealt with the remaining while Shining waited for the launchers to cool down.

It wasn't long after that before the group reached the Statue of Mar. Before Jak or Shining could stop them, the three demolition boys had carried out their orders and demolished the statue...recovering a gem they called the 'Heart of Mar'.

The destruction they'd unwittingly participated in didn't sit well with any of the group...and their 'reward' of a Peacemaker Dark Eco modification for their Morph Guns didn't mitigate it all that much. Imagining what those mods could do to Krew helped a little.

Deciding to relax after that last mission, the group stopped by the garage to check in with Keira. However, when they got there, they only found Erol waiting for them. "Well...if it isn't the Dark Eco Freak," he snarled at Jak.

"Where's Keira?" Jak asked calmly.

"Don't worry," Erol replied, an oily tone to his voice. "I'm keeping a close eye on her."

Why do you think I'm worried? Jak grumbled silently to himself.

"You're the talk of the town, Jak," Erol continued, circling him. "You give the people hope. How pathetic. I would have enjoyed killing you in prison."

"I'd have enjoyed watching you try," Jak murmured, lifting one hand and letting it briefly shift to Dark form, seeming to admire the claws.

"It would be wise not to threaten a Captain of the Crimson Guard," Erol chided, though Shining could smell the fear pouring off of him. "Besides, it will be so much more satisfying to take you on the track, in front of the entire city! I can hear the roar of the crowd now...as everyone sees their hope die!"

Jak smirked softly. "I'm sure that would have been intimidating if you were at all...well...intimidating. But all I'm hearing is a spoiled lap dog pretending to be a fight dog, barking because some other dog got his favorite bone."

Erol lunged, reaching for his weapon, only to find an Eco Blade at his throat.

Jak grinned as he channeled his own Eco Energy along the blade. "Now be a good mutt and go back to widdling on Daddy's shoes."

Growling deep in his throat, Erol pulled back. "You won't be so confident on the track!" he proclaimed angrily as he stormed out.

As he left, Keira came in through another entrance, alongside Samos. "It's good to have you back, Daddy," she said happily, smiling down at him.

"Yes," Samos agreed, smiling back. "It's good to be free-" He froze as he saw Jak. "Jak! What are you doing with that sword?"

Jak chuckled. "Erol and I had a...disagreement. I put him in his place. It was rather...cathartic."

"He's still in one piece, right?" Keira asked worriedly. "There's pretty strict regulations about racers sabotaging each other before the races, and-"

"Don't worry," Daxter hastened to reassure her. "The only thing damaged was his pride."

"And possibly his undergarments!" Shining added jokingly.

Laughing, Jak headed out to win the Class 2 race, pausing long enough to exchange a chaste kiss with Keira.

"Now remember what we talked about," Samos warned chidingly.

"Please don't remind me," Keira groaned, refusing to meet Daxter or Shining's curious gaze.

Haven: Race Against Time

On the way back into Haven City from the forest, Jak, Daxter, and Shining were briefly accosted by Bruta, the Lurker merchant, hoping they could assist him in freeing six more of his Lurker brothers from transport Zoomers scattered about the city, and delivering them to entrances to their underground village. Since the only major task on Keira's plan regarding saving Haven involved Jak winning the Class 1 race, the trio was willing to help since they had nothing else pressing at the moment. Besides, Keira's research showed the Lurkers to be valuable potential allies.

The same strategy as before worked well, especially with the overall reduced Crimson Guard presence in the city itself, yet another sign of Praxus' work to assist them. When all six Lurkers were freed and safely escorted, Bruta informed them over comms that they were now honorary members of the Lurker tribe, and that they would help if needed.

With the Lurkers saved, the trio decided to swing by the Power Station to check on Vin. As usual, he was in a bit of a tizzy about something. "What's the news?" Shining asked after making a good amount of noise with his hooves on the metal floor so Vin would know he was there.

"There's good news and bad news," Vin replied as he struggled to stay calm. "The good news is that there's enough power online to keep the Shield Walls up, so the city's safe for now. But I don't know how long the system can hold..."

"And the bad news?" Jak asked morosely.

"We've detected a cluster of Metalhead eggs growing up at the Strip Mine site," Vin explained. "You three need to go back there and figure out how to destroy them before they become a whole new army of creatures!"

"I noticed the crane was carrying a large metal container," Jak pointed out. "If we could get on top of it, we could drop it from above."

"Why don't I like the sound of this plan?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"Because the risk is high and you're worried you won't handle falling well?" Shining offered.

"Sounds about right," Daxter agreed. "Let's just get this over with.

The strip mine site was all but abandoned when the trio got there, meaning that the only obstacle to carrying out the plan that Jak came across was the mine machinery and the jumps he had to clear on his jet board. Since he was the only one who could use it to grind on the various pipes, he had to complete the mission alone, not that it took him long. Once he was back, they went back to the Power Station through the warp gate...only to be informed by Kor of the danger of the Baron having the Precursor Stone, and young Mar. Jak did his best to suppress his amusement, given what he knew, much to the confusion of Shining and Daxter. However, to maintain Praxus' cover, Jak set out on Kor's instruction to destroy the Eco Control Tower at the drill platform to prevent the Baron from using Eco against the Underground.

Much to Jak's surprise, a pair of Titan Suits awaited them at the drill platform, one of which was the same modified Suit designed for Shining to control. This made the journey to the control systems for the tower both straightforward and quite direct, as they severely overpowered the few Metalheads that were in their path.

Once they reached the control center, Jak glanced around. "So...how do we shut this place down?"

"I assume they left us these suits because we were supposed to smash stuff," Shining offered.

"Good point," Daxter agreed.

After they'd smashed the computers for a time, however, they were forced to abandon the Suits as the whole place began to explode. They made it to the warp gate just before the whole place exploded.

As the Class 1 Race was coming up soon, Jak decided they'd best check in with Keira. She unfortunately had two bits of bad news. "I told you how I've been rebuilding the Rift Rider...but I'm missing two key artifacts to make it work. The first is the Time Map...and the second is a gem known as the Heart of Mar."

"Krew has it," Jak explained. "We'll get it back."

"There's more," Keira countered, worried. "I miscalculated the effectiveness of the Light Eco you used on Praxus. I didn't take into account how long it would be until you could use it. We've only got a few more days before the Metalhead Leader can influence him again."

"Umm...what?" Daxter and Shining both asked, confused.

"Long story," Jak explained. "Short version, I need to go win that race now, and taking on the Metalhead Leader just became a much higher priority."

"Then get out there and win the race already!" Shining Armor ordered. "We'll talk more after you win!"

Jak was unsurprised to see Erol roaring mad when he pulled up. "I want more than just to win, Eco Freak!" he snapped out. "I want you!"

Jak chuckled. "Hmm...which would be the better comeback? 'That's what she said' or 'You aren't my type'? What do you guys think?" This last he directed at the other racers, who laughed happily.

Praxus himself stood on a floating platform, announcing for the race. "Greetings racers!" he proclaimed expansively. "Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement! If any of you manage to beat our Grand Champion, Erol, then you will be awarded a month's supply of Eco, as well as a tour of the Palace! Good luck, and fight bravely! Ready...get set...go!"

Jak's familiarity with Zoomer tech from riding the original prototypes Keira created back in Sandover proved to his advantage, as he was able to pull well ahead of the pack, and maintain his lead over Erol as well. Jak claimed victory rather easily.

As he went to collect his month's supply of Eco, however, Erol tried to run him down, but Jak dodged to the side at the last moment...only for Erol to smash full speed into the Eco barrels. There was no trace of him visible after the Dark Eco explosion.

Haven: The Calm

As the crowd started going wild over Erol's rather violent and public death, Praxus quickly escorted Jak, Daxter, and Shining Armor out of the stadium and into the palace before anyone could notice what was happening. "That was unexpected...but oddly a relief," Praxus admitted as he led the way to the throne room.

"A relief?" Daxter asked, surprised.

"It was becoming more and more difficult to keep Erol under control," Praxus explained. "He'd become more and more erratic, especially since I stopped actively hunting you. The other day, I heard him ranting to someone...and he got a response of some sort."

"You think he was working with the Metalheads?" Jak asked, shocked. "What could they promise him?"

"Considering they were able to influence my mind, your death and Keira to do with as he pleased?" Praxus offered morosely. "A single implant in my skull let them twist me...how many deliberately planted ones would it take to completely control someone?"

Shining Armor wasn't the only one to shudder at the very idea. "So, Jak, care to explain how he's on our side now?" he demanded in confusion.

"He was being twisted by signals from the Metalhead leader due to Dark Eco in his implant," Jak explained. "Keira gave me some Light Eco from the Power Cells to counteract it until we can take the Leader out." He turned back to Praxus. "How's Mar doing?"

"Better," Praxus replied. "Ashelin's taken her old job of watching over him, which made him happy. He was even happier when his Crocodog somehow circumvented all our security measures to get to him, along with Ar-Mar." He sighed worriedly, wincing. "Unfortunately, during that event...someone managed to steal the Precursor Stone. Tracking it down has the highest priority, but..."

"Is there any chance it was Metalheads?" Jak demanded quickly.

"Not a chance," the Baron insisted. "The defense turrets have been updated with the energy signature of active Metalhead focus crystals, and take them out full force if they come anywhere near the palace."

"Then where was Krew last seen?" Jak inquired insistently.

"Last report had him at the Weapons Factory," Praxus replied. "The weapon intended to break the Precursor Stone is being dismantled there, and he's the one who designed it."

"I wouldn't put it past him to want to use it just for the thrill of it," Shining grumbled. "We need to get the Heart of Mar back from him, anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got the Precursor Stone as well."

"Should I send some Guardsmen, or are you going to take care of it?" Praxus asked, smirking.

"We'll be done before you can get anyone there," Jak replied. "But could you spare a Zoomer?"

The Zoomer vehicle Praxus was able to provide them got them to the Weapons Factory in seconds. Jak actually had trouble tearing himself away from the amazing vehicle...at least until Shining aimed his horn somewhere sensitive, much to Daxter's amusement. After that, they quickly made their way into the Weapons Factory. As Praxus had decided that subtlety in this regard wasn't the best of ideas - especially with Jak's plan to get the Heart of Mar back from Krew over the fat man's dead body if necessary - he'd sent them along with an ID signal that would let them pass by the Crimson Guards on patrol without harassment. It was built into the key he'd given them to enter the Factory, so they didn't have any problems getting through as the Guards they did come across assisted in clearing a path for them.

The Factory itself had a grim atmosphere, with sickly green chemicals flowing through most of it as Jak and his friends were forced to leap from platforms to conveyor belts to gateways, maneuvering between even grimmer pipelines pumping the sickly sludge throughout the place. The trio did their best to take in as few details as possible as they made their way through.

"When the Metalheads aren't an issue anymore, Haven could use some beautification," Jak muttered to himself, though loud enough for his companions to hear.

"A few trees, some nice rugs, a couple of throw pillows..." Daxter began, only to shake his head. "Nah, I don't think there's enough fab in the world to clear up this place's drab."

After making their way past a final few waves of automated security bots that had been tweaked to not recognize their security code, they reached the massive bomb that Praxus had built...and wasn't being dismantled for some reason. They weren't surprised to find Krew there.

"Ah, hello boys," Krew began. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. Any idea when the Baron's going to show up with the Precursor Stone? I have this splitter bomb I've designed just for him to crack open the Precursor Stone...but he's late."

Jak, Shining, and Daxter all exchanged glances. Either Krew didn't know they were in tight with Praxus now and was trying to play them - unlikely, if he was asking when he would be there - or someone had been interfering with Praxus' communications with the Weapons Factory, and Krew didn't get the signal to dismantle the bomb. "He's not coming," Jak stated bluntly. "And this bomb's not going off on our watch."

Krew's eyes narrowed. "Oh? You really think you can stop it?"

"I'd say so," Jak replied, detaching the ammo clip from his Blaster, shaking up the Red Eco inside. "And we're taking back the Heart of Mar."

Krew sneered at Jak. "Over my dead body!" he snarled.

Jak grinned widely, a grin that sent Shining and Daxter scurrying back into the factory. "I was hoping you'd say that," Jak breathed eagerly as he chugged all 100 capsules of Red Eco.

"Are you insane?!" Krew demanded, his one good eye nearly popping out of his skull as the other, almost completely white, spun crazily.

"That's debatable," Jak growled as he shifted to Dark form. Leaping to the splitter bomb, he tore it from its moorings, hefting it like a club.

Krew shrank back, whimpering. "Is it too late to change that 'over my dead body' bit?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Jak roared out as he brought the bomb down.

"And what have we learned?" Daxter asked carefully as Jak leaned over the side of the high platform, vomiting up a mixture of Red Eco, Dark Eco, bile, and blood.

"Ancient Precursor artifacts are incredibly durable?" Jak asked, glancing over at the undamaged Heart of Mar and the Heart of Mar shaped dents in the now defunct Splitter Bomb.

"And?" Shining prompted.

"And ingesting too much Eco isn't pleasant..." Turning, he once more expelled the excess. He then blinked. "Also, Eco vomit is apparently explosive..."

Haven: The Storm

When Jak stopped vomiting up Eco, Shining and Daxter decided to take him to the Hip Hog Saloon for some refreshing drinks and anti-nausea medicine. Since Krew was no longer a concern or among the living, Daxter started making plans to take over the management of the saloon as a way to make some money once the city was safer.

Once there, however, Tess had some interesting information for them. "Krew put something inside this game," she explained, indicating a machine labeled 'Metal Head Bonk', with eight holes and a scoreboard on top. "Whatever it was, he looked real nervous about it."

"Whatever it is, he won't be needing it anymore!" Daxter insisted as Shining helped Jak to a booth. "He's...not all together anymore." A little over here, a little over there... Daxter quickly suppressed his memory of the mess Jak had made of Krew before Jak wasn't the only one in need of anti-nausea medicine. "Now watch the game player do his stuff!" With that, he hopped up onto the machine.

"You're such an animal," Tess purred flirtatiously as she bent over the ottsel.

Over at the table, Shining rolled his eyes and shook his head ruefully. He then watched as Daxter played, bonking the Metalhead heads that popped up - grays and golds, but not electrified reds - while Tess continued to praise him. It wasn't long before Daxter beat the game, causing it to dispense a prize...the Time Map!

As Daxter started bragging about what he'd do to any real Metalheads that showed up, two large Metalheads entered the saloon. Jak struggled to get to Daxter and Tess' aid, only to stumble over Shining, as he wasn't fully recovered yet. As Tess screamed, Daxter lunged in and - as he'd bragged - bopped the Metalheads with the game's foam mallet.

Energy flashed from Daxter's body over the mallet with each impact. The focus crystals embedded in the Metalheads' skulls cracked and crumbled, and the Metalheads fell over dead. Tess stared in awe.

"Daxter...that was incredible!" Scooping him up, she kissed him on the cheek.

"...so that's what Gol and Maia meant about his Eco abilities," Jak muttered, staggering to his feet. "That looked like the Light Eco Keira got out of the Power Cell."

Daxter shivered in Tess' embrace. "That was terrifying!" he groaned, shivering. "Where's Sig when you need him?"

"Krew sent Sig on one last mission," Tess quickly informed him. "Something about using Mar's Ruby Key to open a secret door in the Under Port."

"We'll go check up on him," Jak stated firmly, feeling more stable at last.

"I'll take this to Keira!" Tess said quickly, scooping up the Time Map.

As they left the saloon, they got an emergency message from Vin informing them that Kor had turned off the Eco Dome, leaving Haven vulnerable to Metalhead attack. That message was quickly confirmed as the trio rode a Zoomer through the city to Under Port, as they could see Metalheads crawling about, engaging with the Crimson Guard and other members of the Underground.

"This is bad," Shining muttered under his breath as he stared out at the chaos.

"It'll be worse if we don't take out the Metalhead leader soon," Jak grumbled, gunning the engine.

Once in Under Port, Jak was relieved to see the Titan Suits awaiting them, meaning he would have more time to let his own body rest as they smashed their way through to wherever Sig was. However, as they leapt into the Titan Suits, the area began to fill with water...and the suits only had a limited air supply, forcing them to hurry. Thankfully, there were a few air vents they were able to use to replenish the air in their suits scattered about.

The water had a few squid like Metalheads and several mines scattered about that the pair needed to destroy and avoid as the situation demanded. Eventually, they reached the end of the passages and the water began to drain out, letting them leave the Titan Suits. Jak stabilized himself against the Suit as he got over the last of the damage he'd done to himself from OD'ing on Eco.

On the opposite side of a large door, the pair found Sig engaged in battle with Metalheads. When Jak moved to greet him, Sig nearly shot them. "Get your skinny ass over her and start shootin'!" he snapped. "I was set up! When I opened the door Krew sent me ta open with that Ruby Key ya found, Metalheads started streaming in from a passage outside the city walls! It's like they were waiting for me!"

"Krew's dead," Jak informed him.

"He's lucky then!" Sig snapped. "Cause he would not want me to catch him alive!"

"I crushed him under his own weapons."

Sig managed a smirk. "Won't argue with karmic irony!"

"Let's get you out of here!" Jak insisted. "Then you can give me directions to that passage, so the three of us can find the nest and take out the Metalhead leader!"

"You're crazy, you know that?" Sig demanded worriedly.

"Yeah," Jak confirmed with a shrug. "Kinda figured."

As they made their way forward, however, a large centipede shaped Metalhead burst through the wall, bearing down on them. The group fled as fast as they could, but it continued to pursue them. At one point, Jak nearly went down a pit when a bridge collapsed under the giant Metalhead while he was still on it, but Sig managed to grab hold of him and pull him up.

With the danger apparently passed, the group continued with Jak and Shining working to solve box puzzles to open the path forward...only for the centipede Metalhead to show up again, making them run for it.

They were almost out when Sig paused on a bridge. "Looks like we finally lost him, eh chili peppers?" he gasped out as he came to a halt. He gazed down at the trio proudly. "Now you boys are real Wastelanders! I say it's time we take this fight to the Metalhead leader himself!"

"That's the plan," Jak explained. "Any ideas how to pull it off?"

"If we find a way to juice up Mar's old gun, then boom baby!" Sig slammed his staff weapon into the bridge. "We storm the nest guns blazing! The four of us together! Side by side! Nothing'll stop us-"

"Maybe we could talk about this on the elevator?" Shining interrupted.

"What are you scared of?" Sig demanded. "We lost that creature a while back-"

As Sig spoke, the centipede Metalhead burst through the wall above Sig, crashing down atop him and taking him and the bridge down into the abyss with it.

Shining whimpered softly to himself. "...why didn't I speak up sooner?"

"It's not your fault, Shining," Daxter offered comfortingly. "Sometimes...these things happen..."

With nothing else they could do there, Jak, Shining, and Daxter went the few more feet to the elevator back to the surface...now more determined than ever to destroy the Metalheads.

Haven: The Reckoning

Author's Note

I made edits to the last scene of the previous chapter, for those who are interested.

Haven: The Reckoning

On their way out of Under Port, the trio received a communication from Keira. "Thanks for getting the artifacts guys. It's strange, though. The Time Map had a bunch of old coordinates in it. Come see me at the stadium."

"...we'll be right there," Jak replied quietly.

"...is everything alright Jak?" Keira asked worriedly.

"We...we lost Sig."

"Oh...Jak..."

Silence reigned after that, and the communications were cut. It didn't take long after that for the trio to reach the stadium, seeing a much larger and better equipped contingent of Crimson Guard patrolling the streets to take down the invading Metalheads. With Praxus working for them instead of against them, more resources could be directed towards beefing up anti-Metalhead defenses.

When they reached the Stadium, they saw Keira waiting for them outside along with the completed Rift Rider. When they approached, she quickly pulled all three of them into a hug. Nothing was said. Jak, Shining, and Keira all knew who Sig was as far as their long term goals, and losing him made a great many things a lot more difficult in the future. While Daxter wasn't completely in the loop, he decided not to stick his nose in just yet.

After a time, Keira raised an unrelated topic to clear the air. "The Rift Rider's finished, but Father says the Ring is somewhere in the Metalhead nest."

"Any plans on how to get it there?" Daxter asked curiously.

"Look!" Burta proclaimed as he popped out from behind the Rift Rider, pointing to a balloon carried wooden platform. "Bruta just knew friends would need lift if Metalheads attack!"

"Nice one, Bruta!" Daxter praised, fist bumping the Lurker.

As the two Samoses used their Eco to lift the Rift Rider onto the Lurker Balloon, Jak, Shining, and Daxter worked to take down attacking Metalheads. Jak and Shining utilized their guns and Eco Blades, while Daxter took advantage of his newly discovered abilities by grabbing a good sized - for him - blunt instrument and smashing. With the three of them working together, they were able to keep up a full circle of protection, and the fact that it was only the smaller scorpion like Metalheads attacking made the whole endeavor go much faster.

Once the Rift Rider was loaded onto the balloon, Keira and both Samoses went with Bruta to take the aerial route to the Nest. As they left the stadium, they got a message from Praxus. "Jak, I've managed to recover the Precursor Stone. It turns out no one actually stole it. Mar's Crocodog swallowed it. I've got it now. Meet me at the Construction Site, where Metalhead activity is at its lowest, so you can take it to Mar's gun to power it."

Knowing that it was time to move fast, the trio made their way rapidly to the Site.

Once at the site, Jak and his friends rushed forward to meet Praxus and his men, only for Kor to drop in out of nowhere. "Kor?" Jak shouted out. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sure you know," Kor replied, his voice wicked. "Deep down in your darkest nightmares!" As he said the last word, his face warped, his teeth becoming razor sharp. He then let out a high pitched whimper as Shining shoved an Eco Blade into his crotch. "I'm trying to do my dramatic reveal here," Kor complained.

"Yeah, you're the Metalhead leader disguised as a human," Shining replied. "Saw it coming. We've been keeping you in the dark on certain details for some time just in case." He pulled the blade out, only to shove it in again.

"...you know that's not damaging my true form at all," Kor indicated petulantly.

"Are you in pain from it?" Jak asked curiously as Shining drove his other blade into Kor's belly.

"...excruciating," Kor whimpered.

"Then I'd say it's a worthwhile endeavor," Praxus grunted, driving his Eco Blade into Kor's skull.

With a deep growl, Kor blasted them all away as his body erupted. "ENOUGH!" he snarled as he expanded. Four insectoid wings erupted from his back, six legs burst from his stomach, his head warped into a visage of death, and his spine ripped free to extend into a massive scorpion sting as he expanded to ten times the size of those around him, the human form torn asunder. "You see," he explained, "without the shield wall disrupting my power inside the city, I have my full potential! Now where is the Precursor Stone?"

"Daxter has it," Jak replied bluntly. "He's already on the way to use it to breach the Nest."

With an angry roar, Kor lunged into the sky.

"Nice bluff," Daxter whimpered from the small of Jak's back.

"Here," Praxus said quickly, handing over the Precursor Stone. "You'd best hurry."

Making their way out the Wasteland, the trio followed the map Praxus had provided them to Mar's ancient weapon, a massive gun designed to shatter the Nest Barrier to allow a more direct incursion. Numerous highly nimble Metalheads leapt about as they tried to slow the trio's progress, but they moved in hard to get past them. The only real obstacle they encountered was a massive Metalhead guarding a bottleneck with a rapid fire Eco weapon, but they were able to get past it by waiting for the weapon to overheat before lunging in to blast away.

The 'gun' itself was massive, as big as a building and mounted with the turret pointed at a large mountain. The trio rode the elevator to the ammo chamber, and Jak carefully placed the Stone in the proper slot. Immense amounts of Eco poured out of the Stone, filling the gun before it unleashed it all in a massive blast, ripping the mountain open and leaving a clear path into the Metalhead Nest. Jak pocketed the Stone as the trio made their way through the hole.

The path into the Nest itself crossed over lakes of Dark Eco, which released purple gas into the air constantly, filling the path with a dark fog. The Metalheads were much stronger inside the nest, and actively worked to take down the trio. However, much as Jak had predicted, they didn't actually know how to handle small groups or single targets all that well, and the weapons fire they were able to bring to bear mowed down the defending force. What they could see clearly of the Nest after that rather closely resembled the inside of a beehive or anthill, but on a much larger scale.

Eventually, the trio reached the central chamber, where Kor waited. "Finally...you've decided to join us," he whispered, moving his tail to reveal Mar and Ar-Mar, trapped in a Dark Eco sphere only just held at bay by Ar-Mar's shield. "And you brought the Precursor Stone. Good. The boy will now play his final part-"

"Since we already know most of the crazy time shenanigans going on," Daxter interrupted, gesturing to the Rift Ring nearby, "can we skip all the exposition, get the Cliff Notes, and just fight already?"

Kor frowned. "You know, you're taking all the fun out of this," he grumbled.

"Yeah...don't care," Jak countered. "By the way, I'm guessing you expect you can feed on the Eco inside this stone?"

"It's not just Eco!" Kor snapped. "It is the last Precursor life form! And it will only open to one with the pure Eco gift of Mar, undiluted by Dark Eco...one of the same bloodline as the Precursor inside!"

"Then it's a good thing there's two of me here," Jak commented dryly. While he wondered why the Stone hadn't opened when he'd handed it to Mar back in Mar's tomb, he guessed it hadn't been ready to open for whatever reason. So he had a new plan now: smash Kor, give Mar the Stone, watch the fireworks.

Kor, as it turned out, was disappointingly easy to take down. His wings hooked him to the roof of the Nest, making him a sitting target. Jak focused on shooting him while Shining and Daxter took out the Metalheads Kor spat out in eggs to attack them. He occasionally fired off a blast of Dark Eco at the group, but he telegraphed the attack too much to hit.

"It seems I was right," Jak muttered. "Against armies, you're all designed to consume everything...but a well armed lone warrior - or a small group - can easily take you down."

With an enraged bellow, Kor disconnected himself from the roof of the Nest to charge the group...only for the trio to scatter. Jak and Shining drew attention while Daxter quietly crawled under Kor before leaping onto the massive creature. His light weight went unnoticed as he crawled up the carapace.

Before long, Kor was able to corner Jak. "This ends now!" he bellowed.

Jak grinned widely. "You're right about that," he agreed, hurling his Eco Blade upwards.

Daxter leapt up, catching hold of the blade and bringing it slamming down onto Kor's forehead crystal, Light Eco surging along the blade. The crystal cracked and the beast began to stagger, only to stumble into the Rift Gate and explode.

Haven: Rebuilding

Kor's head fell to the ground, the last remnant of the monster he had revealed himself to be. The cavern shook in response to the settling of the titanic energies unleashed during the struggle, and Jak only barely managed to stay on his feet. Shining and Ar-Mar had better luck, being on four legs. Young Mar allowed himself to fall on his butt, since he didn't have far to fall. He was the first to recover, and immediately noticed that the Precursor Stone was glowing brightly. Drawn to the light, he reached out and lay his hands upon the jewel.

A blue humanoid figure of pure energy leapt from within the stone, a silhouette filled with power. "A...Precursor..." Jak gasped out in amazement.

"It is finished," the Precursor proclaimed, its voice deep and echoing, though subtly different from what issued from the Precursor Oracle statues. "Our ancient enemy is no more." The figure floated there, hands spread wide. Though there was no face, a sense of joy and pride emanated from the figure, filling all who were in range to hear with hope. "Take hope, brave ones of the line of Mar, noble sons of Damas, for the terrible darkness inside you both is now balanced by a glorious light, drawn from the blood we share, waiting to awaken and serve you."

As Jak and Shining stared, stunned, the Precursor took note of the approach of the Lurker Balloon. "We will meet again..." the Precursor murmured softly as he sailed into the Rift Ring, vanishing into space and time.

As he vanished and the sense of awe began to fade, Daxter was the first to speak up. "So...am I the only one who thinks that dude somehow grows up to be Mar?"(1)

Jak and Shining were both silent for a time. "...and I'd just started to wrap my head around all this," Jak finally groaned.

As the Rift Rider arrived, Keira and Samos stepped back, letting The Shadow, Mar, and Ar-Mar get ready to ride the Rift Rider back to Sandover. Shining approached his younger self. "You take care of your brother, okay?" he insisted. "He doesn't exactly have the sense he was born with some days."

Giggling, Ar-Mar nodded before hopping into the Rift Rider.

"Hey kid," Jak spoke up, approaching his younger self. "You take care of yourself and your brother, okay? Oh! And trust me on this. Stay away from any Wumpy Nests on your ninth birthday."

Chuckling, young Mar handed Jak the medallion he'd been wearing around his neck all this time, an artistic representation of the Seal of Mar. Smiling, Jak pocketed it as the Rift Rider rose up to dive through the Rift Ring...before the ring itself fell apart, its ancient power finally spent.

As the group got ready to leave, Daxter suddenly spoke up. "Wait a minute...I'm the one who got stung by all those Wumpys on your ninth birthday!" he insisted angrily.

"And now you know why Shining and I kept our distance," Jak teased.

With Daxter fuming and the others laughing, the group rode the Lurker Balloon back to Haven, to let everyone know...the war was finally over.

With the news of the war ending, Praxus resumed his duties as Governor of Haven, and began drawing up the plans to slowly cycle the city back to peace time functions, as well as drawing up ideas for how the Wasteland might be reclaimed and restored, though that was a very long term project. He declined attending the party to celebrate the end of the war, as with Kor's death his mind had become completely clear for the first time since his skull had been damaged and repaired, and he had a lot of deep thinking to do. And beyond that, he hoped to delay the conversation awaiting him with Jak and Shining regarding Damas' fate.

Daxter, for his part, had found a new source of income for the group until such time as a new adventure overtook them. Taking over Krew's old saloon, he had renamed it The Naughty Ottsel, "The hippest, happenist, hoppiest joint in Haven City". Out of a sense of karmic irony, Daxter had affixed Kor's head over the bar in the 'trophy' style that Krew had enjoyed so much.

As Tess marveled at it during the party, Daxter had proudly bragged, "I bagged that big boy myself, baby!"

Pecker readied himself to translate a snide quip from Onin, only to stare in amazement. "What do you mean he's not bluffing?" Pecker demanded in disbelief, causing everyone present to burst into laughter.

"Well, he did deliver the finishing blow," Jak pointed out, shooting his old friend a thumbs up.

"Well, looks like I was betting on the wrong pony, then!" Sig suddenly proclaimed as he entered through the front door.

"Sig?" everyone shouted out in amazement.

"You're okay?" Jak gasped out happily as he strode forward.

Sig marched in with a huge smile on his face. "You cherries didn't think some nasty breathed, giant sized lizard-bug was going to keep me from the biggest party in town, did you?"

"You're tougher than you look, big guy," Shining praised. "And that's saying something!"

"And look who I found stuck in a broken down Titan Suit down in the lower levels of Under Port!" Sig proclaimed expansively, pushing Vin out from behind him. "He's not so bad himself."

Vin definitely looked the worse for wear and rather shell shocked, but he kept moving his arms as though trying to make a Titan Suit punch, kick, or jump. "Just survive..." he mumbled under his breath. "The unicorn will save me...just survive and stay calm, the unicorn will save me..."

"Vin!" Shining gasped out in shock. "We thought you fell at the Power Station!"

"Just survive..." Vin mumbled again.

"I think he could use a few calming drinks," Sig suggested. "When I found him, he'd just accounted for three of those guys that took me into the Abyss, and didn't even seem aware that his Suit was about to explode. He refused to let go of the controls, so I had to carve them free."

"...the unicorn will save me..." Vin muttered again. He remained catatonic even as Tess poured a jug of rather strong liquid refreshment down his gullet. He then promptly fell over backwards to snore.

"Just some of Bruta's sleeping potion mixed with some of the lighter booze," Tess replied to the looks she was being given. "He'll be fine once he wakes up after a good night's rest."

Deciding to let Vin rest peacefully, the group made their way outside to watch the fireworks as the city celebrated the end of a war that had gone on for far too long.

(1) While it's never stated outright in the games, the way things are phrased heavily implies that Mar was a Precursor and that the Precursor Stone was one of the last of his 'eggs', somehow. While not exactly accurate even within the game's own mythos - or how I intend to straighten out the mess of the game's mythos - still something funny to interpret from.

Interlude: Relaxed Conversation

As the celebration continued, various individuals gathered together for conversations, whether discussing the past, planning for the future, or just asking 'what now?' In the garage where she'd spent so many years, Keira relaxed alongside Ashelin and Tess as they discussed various things they found of interest.

"Seriously?" Tess gasped out as she giggled. "That's what Daxter was like before he became so cute?"

"Yup!" Keira replied with a chuckle. "He was the idea man of the trio, but never had the guts to go through with anything on his own...except when he was the perv of the trio. I lost count of the number of times Maia Acheron tried to blast him for peeping on her...or her brother Gol tried to blast him for the same. The transformation certainly matured him quite a bit."

"He's such a sweetheart now!" Tess sighed dreamily. Keira and Ashelin rolled their eyes.

"So what was young Mar like growing up?" Ashelin asked curiously. "I watched over him as a toddler, and I thought I'd failed in making sure he would grow up...but seeing what he's grown up to be..."

"Jak was always just...Jak," Keira explained, smiling softly. "He was always rather quiet, and...I could always rely on him. If he said he was going to do something or be somewhere, you could count on it. A bit of a natural leader, which was why he was the ringleader of the three growing up."

Ashelin chuckled. "I guess Dad was right. Krisma does run in Mar's line."

Keira blinked. "You mean charisma, right?"

"No, I don't," Ashelin countered. "Similar, but distinctly different. You've met charismatic people before, right? People who can convince you something is the right idea, that they know what they're doing and you should go along with what they're saying even if it doesn't make complete sense at the time?"

"That's my Dad," Keira replied with a chuckle. "Even though Sandover had a Mayor, Dad was the one who was really in charge."

"Krisma's like that, but more so," Ashelin explained. "Have you ever known someone who could talk to you about something that needed to be done, and by the end of the conversation it not only made perfect sense but you'd swear it was your idea all along? When they look at you, you know that they're seeing everything you are inside, and a smile makes you feel like you're truly worthwhile for the first time in your life? And even when something they're going to do doesn't make complete sense, you go along anyway because you believe in them and you're sure they'll pull through somehow?"

"...yeah..." Keira replied softly, thoughtfully. "When I was a lot younger...that's the effect Jak had on me. It's...it's what first made me fall for him." She chuckled a bit. "Of course, that feeling faded overtime when I saw how much of a klutz and idiot he could be at times, as well as how awkward he started to get with me. Put him on less of a pedestal."

"That was Krisma, as my father calls it," Ashelin explained. "The sign of a true, natural leader. The sort of person who would never seek leadership or a crown, but those who know them will give them a crown on their own. It's how Mar first became the leader of the settlement that built Haven City. He didn't come in and takeover, he just started gathering everyone together and started nudging them towards safety." She laughed softly. "It's not in the standard history taught, but once the city was completed the populace offered Mar the throne and crown, and he actually thought they were joking at first...and then it took three days to track him down once he realized they were serious!"

Keira burst into loud laughter. "That sounds like Jak, actually," she managed to say. "He's a natural leader, but he'd hate being stuck in the position of authority."

"It's bred true in the bloodline," Ashelin continued. "It's why everyone in the city responded, almost instinctively, to Jak as a hope for the future. He didn't even have to do anything special...he just had to be." She turned towards Keira. "So what's it like being all but betrothed to the city's 'once and future prince'?" she asked teasingly.

Keira rolled her eyes at the tease. "Difficult," Keira replied. "Of course, most of the difficulty comes from being my father's daughter..."

"I thought you liked your Dad?" Tess spoke up, confused.

"Oh I do, don't get me wrong!" Keira said quickly. "But both my parents were Green Eco sages, which means whether I choose to train as a Sage or not, I have Green Eco in my very blood. That has some...interesting consequences that makes things...difficult with Jak."

Ashelin and Tess both sat forward. "How so?" Tess asked, confused. "Does it make things weird in the bedroom or something?"

"More makes things impossible in the bedroom," Keira countered. "Green Eco's the energy of life...which means I'm always fertile. Short of someone coming up with a way to prevent insemination, if I go all the way with Jak, I will get pregnant. And don't even bring up pulling out or anything like that: according to Dad, Jak's Eco abilities are similar to that of a Sage, and when two Sages become intertwined, their Eco resonates, leaving them consumed by their instincts. So if we go too far like that, I'll end up with a bun in the oven."

Ashelin winced. "Damn. That's rough...so you can never...?"

"Not until we're ready for kids," Keira confirmed. "Although Dad tells me there is a plus side, not that I've noticed..."

"What sort of plus?" Tess asked. "It's gotta be a big one to make up for that."

"I'm not sure what he meant by this, but he said Mother Nature would never leave me a crimson present," Keira explained. "Any idea what he meant?"

Tess and Ashelin exchanged glances. "Keira," Ashelin began, "I fully understand the frustration about what you can't do with Jak, but...you got damn lucky, girl." With that, she chugged her drink, leaving Keira very confused.

Interlude: Tense Conversations

Elsewhere in the city, a very different, much more serious conversation had begun, one with only two participants. Two leaders of the city, determining its fate through deep discussion of both the past and the future.

"It's time for that talk I mentioned, Praxus," Jak stated firmly. "I know why it happened, so we don't need to go into motivations...but details of events are important. What, exactly, happened to my father?" Though he did his best to keep himself under control, a growl entered his voice, his lip peeling back over fangs of its own accord. Steadying himself, he leaned against a pillar in the Palace throne room, struggling to limit visible hostility to a steady gaze.

"There's no need to hold your anger back, Jak," Praxus stated softly. "Whether Kor was messing with my thoughts or not, my decisions were still my own, and I will take full responsibility for them. If the consequences of my actions are your eternal hatred, or even death by your hands...I will accept them. I know you'll do what's best for the city, and the world." He closed his eyes as he sat in a chair he'd brought in for this discussion, despite Jak's refusal to sit on the throne as Praxus insisted was the young man's right.

Jak glared at Praxus until his gaze softened. "Just get talking already," he grumbled, upset that his own logical thought was robbing him of motivation to hate the Baron.

Praxus nodded. "As you know, in preparation for the coup, I reassigned Ashelin. The goal was to overthrow Damas quietly, and then take the reigns of the city by acting as your regent. However, Damas proved to be even craftier than I'd given him credit for. Instead of a quiet capture, it turned into a full fledged battle that tore the whole wing of the palace apart, and you and Ar-Mar went missing with your Crocodog sometime amidst the chaos. As a result, instead of making Damas disappear quietly and taking the reigns as your regent, I was forced to violently and publicly seize the reigns of government."

Jak nodded in understanding. "So what did you do with him?"

"I did the only thing I could do to remove him from the city without committing political suicide," Praxus replied. "I exiled him to the Wasteland as an enemy of Haven City. Executing him would have instantly spawned a full scale rebellion, and there was always the chance he'd survive out there and contribute someday once I'd proven him wrong and successfully eliminated the Metalheads." He shrugged his shoulders. "Or at least...that was my thoughts on the situation at the time."

Jak nodded. "How would he have survived the Wasteland? Shining's fairly certain he did, and has agents in the city."

"I wouldn't be at all surprised," Praxus replied. "Beyond his own stubborn tenacity, there's rumors of a city of survivors out in the Wasteland, who manage to thrive in those conditions. Exact details are unknown...but every exile sent into the Wasteland is given a beacon, just in case someone out there decides to pick them up and see what they're capable of. While the Metalheads were still a major threat, it was up to each exile whether or not to activate the beacon and risk being collected by the Metalheads instead."

Jak thought about that for a time. "...then that's how we'll do it."

"What?" Praxus asked, stunned.

"If they pick up exiles, they aren't going to pick up anyone who might still be working for Haven City," Jak explained. "So the only way I'm going to be able to check if the Wasteland city is where my Father is is if I'm exiled."

"...you do know that you're completely insane, right?" Praxus demanded.

"If you can tell me my father wouldn't do the same thing in my shoes, I'll make another plan," Jak countered.

"Just because it runs in the family doesn't make it something to be proud of!" the Baron snapped, slamming the table with his hands. "You're the only thing holding this city together at this point! What makes you think the city will hold together once you've been exiled? Or that we'll be able to make the exile believable?"

"Is there anyone in the government who really doesn't like me?" Jak countered.

Praxus blinked for a time, then nodded. "Count Veger. He's extremely distrustful of anything to do with Dark Eco. Since you were altered by the Dark Warrior project - which he was against in principle in the first place, despite being part of the coup - he doesn't like you at all. Why?"

"Would you say the count's any good at making speeches?"

"Well...I suppose," Praxus allowed. "Why?"

"Eventually, something's going to go wrong," Jak explained. "Something big enough to make people really upset. When it happens, Veger is most likely going to try to play public opinion to gain support for whatever his goals are...and my Dark Eco makes me his preferred scapegoat."

Praxus nodded. "Yes...and despite the fact you killed Krew yourself, you did provide him with the Ruby Key that let him allow the Metalheads entrance to the city. There's plenty about your exploits that Veger could twist out of context into political ammunition."

"And you'll let it happen," Jak finished. "You won't take sides, but you'll make sure you're the one who makes the final ruling of my exile, and make sure Ashelin is part of the squad that takes me - and Shining and Daxter, since they'll come with me - into exile...and give her anything to help me out in the desert in addition to the beacon." He pushed away from the pillar. "In the meantime, I'll cram lessons from Samos on wilderness survival, and get Keira to remake Shining's temperature regulating gear."

Praxus shook his head in frustration. "There's no talking you out of this?" he demanded curtly.

"There's a first time for everything!" Jak called back as he left.

The Baron sighed ruefully. "Damas...he is every inch your son..." he grumbled under his breath.

Spargus: Plans Unfolding

It had been a year since the death of Kor, and events had gone worse than Jak and his friends could have imagined. Despite the death of their leader, the Metalheads continued to rampage, and about half a year later they became organized again, indicating that someone or something had reactivated the signal network that controlled them. While Baron Praxus had been completely cleansed of Dark Eco contamination and was no longer under the influence of those signals, this was the merest spark of good news in what quickly became the worst year of Haven's history.

Not long after the Metalheads became organized again, the Crimson Guard's special defense "K.G. Robots" went rogue, attacking civilians and Metalheads alike, targeting anything that wasn't their own numbers. This divided Haven City into three sectors: the area over the underground gates, where the Metalheads rampaged, the military districts the KG controlled, and the area around the palace where the civilians huddled and struggled to survive.

And then one last conflict destroyed the palace, even as Jak, Shining, and Daxter struggled to hold and protect it.

That was the tipping point. While the timing could not have been worse as far as Jak was concerned, Count Veger made the move they'd been planning for, and made Jak the scapegoat for everything that had gone wrong in the past year. Despite wanting to stay and try to hold the city together, Jak knew this was his only chance to make it out to the city of exiles as an exile, to find his father. And so he remained silent as the charges were leveled, the mockery of a trial occurred, and Jak was sentenced to be exiled into the Wasteland.

Ashelin and a hand picked crew were flying the transport out into the arid land, to deliver Jak, Shining, Daxter, and Pecker - who had insisted on coming along for some reason - to the heart of the land, where their only escape from death would be rescue by the Wastelander Exiles.

Count Veger - a steely eyed elderly man without even a hint of nobility to his actions or appearance - had gone along with as well, whether to gloat or ensure that no one snuck them anything Jak was uncertain. He did seem a trifle smug, however, as he read from his ledger. "By order of the Grand Council of Haven City, for heinous acts and crimes against the people, you are hereby banished to the Wasteland for life."

Jak merely stared expressionlessly at Veger as the elderly statesman closed his ledger, not even bothering to struggle against the brace binding his wrists together.

Veger seemed somewhat unnerved at the calm way Jak was glaring at him, and quickly returned to the dropship. Shining, Daxter, and Pecker moved to join Jak in the desert sands, Shining and Daxter in silence, Pecker squawking his outrage, although no one paid much attention to him. Once Veger was back onboard the dropship, Ashelin walked up to Jak. Disengaging the cuffs, she slipped a bundle into his hand. "Stay alive, Jak," she ordered.

Jak smirked. "Will do," he replied calmly.

Once the dropship was out of sight, Daxter looked up at Jak. "So...there is a plan here, right? With the way you were going along so calmly, I kinda figured there was one, but I probably should have asked sooner."

"Survive," Jak replied, opening up the bundle.

"...great plan there, Jak," Daxter replied sarcastically as Shining chuckled. "Great plan."

"Here," Jak stated, holding out several bracers sized to Daxter with glowing crystals on them. "Put these on your wrists, ankles, around your neck, and on your tail."

Confused, Daxter did as instructed. "What are they?"

"Bracers based on the training equipment used for Sages," Jak explained. "Samos taught Keira how to make them, and she broke open a Power Cell for the crystals. These should help you control the Light Eco abilities you've been demonstrating, until you actually know what you're doing."

"Huh," Daxter muttered, admiring his new 'bling'. "Fashionable and functional. Don't suppose she included any pants?"

"No," Jak replied quickly as he passed Shining his new temperature regulating choker and dropped the cloth, holding only the active beacon.

"Anything for me?" Pecker asked. "Since you have something for everyone else..."

"Honestly, I have no idea why you're here," Jak replied. "It wasn't part of the plan."

"So...that's a no," Shining offered apologetically.

Pecker stared at them. "...that's a wonderful AWWWK omen for the rest of the journey."

The group marched out into the desert, travelling in as straight a line as they could manage if only for the hope it was the right direction. "Are you sure you know...where you're going Jak?" Pecker gasped out.

"No," Jak replied shortly. "Keep your mouth shut. It conserves moisture."

Glaring daggers, Pecker did as instructed, although it was plain that none of them would last much longer in the heat of the waste. Glancing around, Jak managed to spot an overhang under a massive rocky outcrop. Staggering into the offered shade, he pushed Shining as far under as he could go before collapsing, letting Daxter and Pecker arrange themselves in the shade while making sure the beacon he held was visible in the sunlight. He kept as much of himself as he could in the shade, ready to sleep out the sun and walk anew with the moon if no one came. Night travel was better in the desert...that's what Samos said...

Struggling to keep his focus on this, Jak slipped into slumber. He hoped that they would be found. He hoped he hadn't just gotten them all killed...

Spargus: Bonds Rebuilding

Jak came aware very slowly. He found himself floating in water in a large stone chamber, open shutters letting night breeze in through large windows. Torches illuminated a chamber that was on the verge of being royal, but in a more spartan manner than the lavish ones that had been in the palace of Haven before its destruction, though the basic design was similar. As his mind started to come back, he spoke up. "S...Shining? Daxter? ...Pecker?"

"We're okay, Jak," Shining spoke up from nearby. "A bit dehydrated...but the water therapy is helping." When Jak turned, he saw Shining sitting in the water, only his head sticking out. "Hope I can get the sand out of my nose so I can smell again soon..."

"Ahhh..." Daxter sighed as he splashed around a bit. "I love water. Oh yes, it's so good. Desert bad."

"Well, you've came back from the dead, haven't you?" a gravely voice spoke up.

Turning, Jak caught sight of the speaker. He was a tall man, old and grizzled. What white hair that he had left hung from the sides of his head like dreadlocks around his bald crown, and he was garbed in pieced together, barbarian style armor, and wielding a large double bladed spear assembled from bits and pieces of Precursor materials bound together. "Uh..." Jak began.

"This would normally be where I introduce myself, letting you recuperate before asking questions..." the man began, glaring down at Jak with rage. "But one of the things you clutched in your hands when we found you caught my attention."

"...the beacon?" Jak asked, confused.

"While the fact that it was on our frequency is of interest," the man replied coldly, "it is what was clutched in your other hand that requires immediate answers." Lunging forward, he grabbed Jak by the front of his shirt and yanked him up. He held up the Seal of Mar medallion Jak had gotten from his younger self. "Where did you get this?" the man demanded, rage strong in his voice.

Jak blinked, a bit dazed and confused. "...I gave it to myself..." he muttered drowsily.

"Don't play games with me, boy!" the man snarled, his spear flying to his hand. "I know exactly what this medallion is, and if you don't give me a straight answer for how you have hold of it, I'll carve the answer from your entrails!"

Pecker gulped nervously from his perch on the nearby throne. "Sire, I think perchance you might be being a bit hasty-"

"While your wisdom is valuable, creature, you will offer it only when requested or you will be added to the food stock!" the man snapped. Pecker immediately fell silent. "Now answer me boy-"

"Dad, stop!" Shining shouted out, climbing out of the water, his clothing and gear in a pile in the corner of the room.

The man turned angrily towards Shining. "What did you call me-"

"Dad, it's me, Ar-Mar!" Shining proclaimed. "Ar-Mar who shines! I protected Mar, just like I promised!"

"You talk nonsense!" the man countered. "Just a few years ago, Ar-Mar was-"

"How many talking unicorns do you know that are white with blue eyes and mane with a shield on their butt?" Daxter shouted. He blinked. "Wait, you're Damas? Exiled king of Haven?"

"That is I," Damas replied, but his voice was less certain. "But-"

"Precursor Rift Ring Time Travel bootstrap paradoxes!" Pecker blurted out before covering his mouth. "Sorry my liege, but they're my friends and I used to translate for a seer, please don't kill and eat me I taste terrible AWWWWK!"

Damas stared at Pecker for a time. "That...actually answers all of my questions..." He turned, staring into Jak's eyes, before finally setting him down gently. "...Mar? My son? Is...is it truly you?"

Jak managed a smile as he steadied himself. "I...I found you, Dad-oomph!"

Jak was cut off as Damas pulled him and Shining into a tight hug. "My sons," he murmured softly. "I...I thought I'd never see either of you ever again...I didn't even know if either of you survived..." His eyes were closed tight as he held them close. "My sons..."

Managing to smile, Jak and Shining returned the embrace, feeling a hole that had been in their hearts for so long starting to fill.

After a time, Damas pulled back to look at them. "Look at how much you both have grown..." he marveled. "Young warriors both if I'm not mistaken."

Jak chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that."

"We certainly can hold our own in a fight," Shining agreed.

"Good!" Damas proclaimed. "You will do well in the arena then."

"Arena?" Daxter asked, confused.

"Yes," Damas confirmed. "All who are brought out of the desert to Spargus compete in the arena, to prove their strength and ability to survive. Only the victors remain. All others are tossed back into the desert as dead weight."

"What?" Daxter demanded, shocked and more than a little appalled.

"Makes sense," Shining admitted. "With how hard resources are to come by out here, you probably can't waste any on anyone who can't contribute."

"You've learned well," Damas complimented. "I hope you both will perform well. Even if you are my sons, I cannot show you any favoritism."

"Wouldn't want you to, anyway," Jak agreed. "If I'm going to earn the respect of the entire city so they'll hear me out when I suggest uniting with Haven City to fight any new threats against the whole world, and then put you back on a united throne over the whole Wasteland, I'm going to need to work from the bottom up and show just how strong I truly am."

Damas stared at Jak for a time, then chuckled. "Yes...you're my son alright. Not sure how you'll manage to influence Haven from out here, though."

"Well, it'll be easier if you can convince Sig to carry messages from us to our agents in the city," Shining Armor suggested. "He's one of yours, right?"

Damas laughed aloud. "You two are a good team!" he proclaimed. "So, agents in the city, huh? Anyone I know?"

Jak couldn't help but grin. "Baron Praxus," he replied mildly.

"You're joking," Damas countered bluntly.

Jak simply smirked smugly.

Damas stared at him, then crossed his hands under his chin. "You have an hour more of recuperation time before you start training for the arena. In that time, you're going to give me the whole story."

Jak chuckled as he lay back in the water. "Well, it starts out in Sandover Village...I'm not sure how long ago...when Daxter fell into a pool of Dark Eco and transformed into an Ottsel..."

Spargus: The Strong Survive

By the end of the hour, Jak, Shining, and Daxter had filled Damas in on the pertinent details regarding their time in Sandover and Haven, as well as pertinent names and faces of people inside Haven who were on their side, as well as the real reason behind Praxus' betrayal. Damas had taken it well.

"This is the most unbelievable story I've ever heard," Damas concluded at the end of it. "About the only reason I'm even lending it any sort of credence is because one of you is an adorable critter capable of feats that defy the laws of physics, and one of you is a talking unicorn. If I'm already believing two impossible things as fact, I might as well accept the third."

Jak managed a smile as he pushed himself out of the waters he'd been resting in. "So now it's...training?" he asked.

"Well, it would be," Damas began. "But from the sound of it, training's the last thing you three need. Let's get you three ready for the arena."

"Oh joy," Daxter groaned. "Back into combat we go."

"Cheer up, Daxter!" Shining suggested. "This time you get to fight with us!"

"What in that is supposed to cheer me up?" Daxter demanded, throwing his hands up in the air. "How is that different from when you guys used me as a slingshot-"

A small burst of Light Eco erupted from Daxter's paw to slam into a nearby wall, disintegrating a chunk of the stone and blasting more, leaving a crater disproportionate to the size of the blast. Jak, Shining, Damas, and Pecker all stared, their gaze moving from the hole in the wall to the smoke coming off Daxter's paw.

"...ooh! Paw blasting!" Daxter marveled. "Me likey!"

The Arena of Death was much as the trio expected from such a name. A vast number of platforms were suspended in midair on stone columns anchored in a pit of lava. The platforms were connected to each other by bridges, ladders, ramps, and the frequent gap just small enough to be cleared by a running leap.

The first trial the trio underwent in the Arena involved racing across the deadly obstacle course collecting glowing dots of light that had been scattered across. Since it was the three of them, there was even a time limit. Even so, it didn't prove a challenge to any of them.

Once the trial was completed, the next challenge involved actual opponents on a rearranged arena. Damas provided Jak and Shining with Scatter Guns to use for the fight to 'test their abilities'. The platform they fought on was placed directly above the lava, and raised and lowered regularly while hostile foes leapt out from blocks in all four directions.

Jak watched the East and North sections with his gun, while Shining focused on West and North. Daxter focused on South, his paw blasts more than enough to send each attacker flying off into the lava. When the platform lowered, the three would leap away from the lava onto one of the four boxes that stuck out of the lava when the platform lowered, somehow undamaged. Between the three of them, all 14 enemies were taken down in a relatively short time.

As they were lifted on a platform up to before Damas' throne, Jak clutched his head, feeling something resonating strongly with the Dark Eco inside of him. Shining shuddered, feeling it as well but to a lesser degree, since his Dark Eco wasn't fully manifest. Noticing this, Damas signaled someone on a distant platform to back away, and the sensation passed.

"Your bravery has earned you three your first Battle Amulet," Damas proclaimed. "If you are victorious in two more arena fights, you will earn your citizenship to Spargus."

"Then bring 'em on already!" Daxter proclaimed eagerly, accidentally discharging another Eco blast. "Whoops! No more paw blasting!"

"Patience, young warriors," Damas replied. "Time enough to face the arena again when you've done more for the city. Here!" He tossed Jak a small device. "This is a gate pass to allow free passage in and out of the city. But beware, there is no true refuge outside the walls." He then gestured to two blaster mods sitting on a raised table on the trio's platform. "Your prizes for victory."

"And where's mine?" Daxter demanded angrily. "I fought in there, too!"

"You lack a gun," Damas pointed out logically.

"...fair point," Daxter grumbled. "Still don't like getting nothing..."

Rolling his eyes, Jak led the way out of the arena. On the way out, they encountered a rather hefty older man dressed in the same armor style as Damas. "Those were some sweet moves in the arena, boys," he muttered as they approached. "But you wouldn't have done so well alone, now would ya?"

"I didn't even show a fraction of my abilities," Jak countered.

"I'd have done better with a sword," Shining muttered.

"Any idea how I stop paw blasting?" Daxter asked worriedly, his front paws clenched together.

"Heh, not bad," the man chuckled. "You got spunk. You three from the Big Smoke?"

"...the what?" Shining asked, confused.

The man rolled his eyes. "Haven," he spat.

"...who wants to know?" Jak asked defiantly.

"The guy who runs this place, that's who!" the man proclaimed angrily.

"But we already explained everything to Damas," Shining responded, still confused.

"Not the King. I'm the Quartermaster! I'm in charge of our supplies." Rolling his eyes, the man patted his chest. "Name's Kleiver. You lot don't seem too on the ball, but stick with me, and I'll take care of ya. Got a job for ya right now, actually." He gently tugged on the reigns of a black lizard like creature with a saddle on its back. "Ride my leaper lizard here and catch a few of those little buggers that have been raiding me storerooms. Snag me 6 of them puppies, and I'll let ya drive one o' my racing vehicles...that is, if Damas ever lets ya leave the city."

"I think we can handle that," Jak agreed readily.

"Umm...he did see Damas give us a gate pass, right?" Shining whispered to Daxter, who shrugged.

Spargus: Dark Inside

The leaper lizard was rather easy for Jak to ride, even with Shining sitting in front of him in the saddle. Not only could it jump high and run fast, it had small wings that allowed it to hover at the peak of its jump for a short distance. While hunting the kangarats Kleiver had sent them after proved difficult as they were hard to spot and track, it did give them a chance to see the whole city.

Unlike Haven, Spargus was built almost entirely of stone, and the houses were spread further apart even when they were blocked together. Many houses were also raised above the sandy ground, likely for extra ventilation during the heat of the day. Between that, large windows, and the expanse of sky visible above, Spargus felt a great deal like Sandover to the trio. The people were also a lot tougher looking than those in Haven, male and female, even more reminiscent of the time in the past when everyone worked for every mouthful.

"So...I'm not the only one feeling seriously nostalgic here, right?" Daxter asked as the leaper lizard snatched and swallowed the first kangarat. "I mean, add a few bridges between houses and water instead of sand, and this place is Sandover all over again."

"Know what you mean," Jak agreed. "It feels like...coming home."

"I actually like the change to sand," Shining commented. "There's a lot more room for me to run in, so I'll have an easier time keeping up with you two."

"I mean, even the fashion is like home!" Daxter proclaimed, gesturing to some of the women walking by, their wardrobe plainly chosen to minimize heat retention while maximizing defensive parameters. "It's just so...relaxing and refreshing, ya know?"

Neither Jak nor Shining had anything to say in response to this, so they remained silent. The silence continued as they hunted down the other kangarats. As they caught the last one, they saw a large metal construct that appeared to have somehow embedded itself into the ground. Several people in what looked like ceremonial clothes of some sort were gathered around the device, performing some sort of ritual.

"Well these guys are different," Daxter muttered. "What do ya think they're up to?"

"We could ask," Jak suggested, dismounting the leaper lizard and approaching.

"The arena shows all, Dark One," the monk spoke in a reedy voice as Jak got close. "Hate haunts your eyes, writhing in the darkness within."

"Yeah," Jak allowed. "I'm handling it."

"It will destroy you," the monk warned. "Just as these Precursors destroyed themselves." She - presumably, since the male monks weren't wearing shirts - stated, gesturing to the construct.

"That...doesn't look Precursor," Shining muttered.

"These artifacts are an abomination," she continued. "One fell on the great volcano. We sent an expedition to the mountain, but my monks never returned."

"If we're ever in the area, we'll see if we can find them and bring them - or word of their fate - back to you," Jak offered readily.

The monk turned to stare at him. "...it seems the Arena does not reveal all as I thought," she murmured. "Your rage and hate is great...but it is balanced inside of you. You are its master, not its slave. Perhaps...the remaking of the world can indeed be postponed."

"...how?" Jak asked. "What is this?" He gestured to the device.

Dark Eco energy leapt from his hand to the construct, and an interface port extended. Drawn to it, he focused his energy into the device, slowly but steadily disabling its security program. The monk tried to disturb him, but Shining held her back. When he finished, the device reconfigured itself, presenting an Eco Crystal.

"Don't touch it!" the monk warned. "Dark Eco!"

Undeterred, Jak removed the Dark Eco Crystal, undeterred by its energies as his body freely accepted them.

"Impressed now, aren't ya?" Daxter teased the monk. "Go ahead, give him his props."

"Those are solid Eco Crystals," the monk murmured, amazed. "It has been passed down through time that they power the greatest of Precursor technologies." She paused, seeing the interface screen had returned, now displaying text of some sort. "Strange...it speaks an ancient dialect. The earliest Precursor forms. Something about...reclaiming this unfinished world..."

"Those look like coordinates," Jak murmured. "Like on the Time Ring..."

"It is picking up a very powerful signal..." the monk murmured worriedly.

Shining's eyes widened as he felt a tingle along his horn. "Everyone get back!" he shouted, quickly backing away.

The construct leapt into the air, slowly seeming to swim upward before it exploded.

The monk turned to glare at Jak. "Darkness cannot save us from darkness, hero. You had best keep your distance from our efforts, for all our sakes."

"Hey!" Daxter complained. "We've got more than just darkness!" Another burst of Light Eco erupted from his palms. "Well, assuming I can learn to control it any time soon."

The monk stared at Daxter for a time. "Uncontrolled, the powers of our creators are more dangerous than those of our destroyers." Saying no more, she left with the other monks.

Jak, Shining, and Daxter glanced at each other. "Any idea what that was about?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"No clue," Jak countered.

"Me neither," Shining agreed.

After a time, Jak shrugged his shoulders and headed for the Leaper Lizard. "Let's go see Kleiver about that ride he promised us," he offered.

Daxter and Shining quickly joined him as they raced for the city exit.

At the exit, they found Kleiver watching over several sand buggies of various size. "Well, if it isn't the newbies," he greeted them blandly.

"Nice rides," Jak muttered, glancing over them.

"You like what you see?" Kleiver asked. "We use these babies to make runs into the deep desert to retrieve Precursor artifacts. Tough wheels for tough work."

Shining whistled appreciatively. "Impressive."

"So which do we get to ride?" Daxter asked eagerly.

"Those are for the big boys," Kleiver sneered disparagingly. "You can use that one." He gestured to a much smaller vehicle, little more than a seat with wheels, an engine, and an empty frame.

"What a runt!" Daxter complained.

"Seems to fit you," Kleiver taunted.

"Never mind," Jak told Daxter before he could get too riled up. "It's all we need."

"You seem confident," Kleiver murmured wickedly. "Care to wager on a race? Ya win, I'll let ya keep that vehicle for as long as you live."

"We, uh, don't have anything to wager," Shining pointed out.

"I'd say that rodent of yours is a bit bony," Kleiver pointed out, "but skinned and buttered he'd-"

Before Kleiver could finish talking, he found himself embedded in the inside of the city's outside wall, a severe pain in his sternum his only clue that he'd been hit. Dark Jak then slammed into him, glowing blue and red as his claws stopped millimeters from Kleiver's eyes.

"So much as look at Daxter or Shining in a way I don't like again," Jak growled out, "and I'll hang you from the battlements by your own intestines!"

"Jak!" Shining called out worriedly. "Remember what the monk said about controlling your anger!"

"I haven't gutted him yet!" Jak countered.

"Y-you wouldn't dare!" Kleiver barked out, struggling and failing to extract himself from the wall. "Damas would cast you out-"

"I wouldn't bet on that," Jak growled back. "After all...if I can kill you so easily, that means I'm strong and you're weak, doesn't it? And the rule of Spargus...strength and survival is everything." Jak leaned in close. "And what does it say about your survival instincts if you cross me like that again, when you know what I'll do to you?"

Kleiver swallowed nervously, seeing no mercy or hesitation in the black pools that were Dark Jak's eyes.

"I'm glad we understand each other," Jak agreed, hopping down and yanking Kleiver from the wall before tossing him aside. Reverting to normal, he walked over to continue checking out the buggy.

Spargus: Dark Under Control

As the trio entered the city, they found Seem waiting for them alongside a Leaper Lizard. "Damas delivered my message?" they asked calmly.

"Yeah," Jak confirmed. "He told us about you, and what your order does."

"Good," Seem agreed. "That Dark Eco Crystal in your possession is dangerous. I would prefer that it not fall into the wrong hands."

"Pretty sure it's safe with us," Daxter pointed out, rubbing his bracers, only to accidentally release another burst of Light Eco. "Why do these things keep going off when I don't want them to?"

"I understand that's a problem with many young males," Seem chided. "I personally think it's a lack of discipline."

"Hey!" Daxter snapped back angrily as Shining burst into chuckles.

"I still feel he's right," Jak added.

"Perhaps the crystal is safe in your hands," Seem allowed. "But are you safe with it in your hands? With the darkness inside you, the crystal may make your other form harder to control."

"Maybe," Jak allowed. "But I wouldn't feel right about letting it out of my sight, either."

"I believe I have a solution," Seem offered. "Race my monks on Leaper Lizards. I will wager a Light Eco Crystal against your Dark one. If you win, the Light Crystal in your possession will balance the influence of the Dark. If you lose, I will have both under control. Either way, the problem is solved, and skill determines the outcome."

Shining smirked widely. "Get ready to lose that Crystal, Seem. No one beats my brother in a race."

"We shall see," Seem replied.

The race course proved to be running from ring of light to ring of light throughout Spargus, a style of racing Jak was quite familiar with. Given the practice he'd had earlier in controlling a Leaper Lizard, he had no problems in easily keeping up with the three racing monks at first, and then pulling ahead of them towards the end of the race.

Seem seemed moderately impressed. "Not bad, hero. The crystal is yours." They handed over a Light Eco crystal, pulsing with its energies. "The two types combine to form great energies."

"So put them together if we want to blow something up," Shining noted, getting a giggle from Daxter.

"This is no game!" Seem snapped angrily.

Shining glanced to the side, momentarily certain he'd spotted a pink head of hair laughing about something. The sensation passed quickly.(1)

"Be careful with those crystals," Seem chided. "And when you die, see to it they come back to us."

"Don't count on us dying," Jak commented firmly.

"Why such a grim outlook, anyway?" Daxter demanded.

"Because of that!" Seem proclaimed, pointing into the sky where a bright pink star could be seen, nearly as large as the sun from their perspective. "The Day Star approaches, and every day it grows brighter! This planet's final trial is coming."

Shining nodded. "So we should-"

"If you say 'blow up the Day Star', you will regret it," Seem snapped.

"They know us too well!" Daxter whispered conspiratorially to Shining.

After resting for a time, the group wandered around Spargus until eventually finding their way back to the buggies. Kleiver was waiting for them there. "You guys looking for a bit of action?" he asked, somewhat cordially.

"What makes you say that?" Jak asked curiously.

"Word on the street is you lot like blowing things up," Kleiver replied.

"Can't deny that," Shining confirmed.

"The scope shows a group of Metalheads moving through the desert not too far from here," Kleiver explained.

"Give us a buggy with guns, and we'll bring you their heads!" Daxter replied readily.

"Nah, no value in their heads," Kleiver countered. "Just their skull gems, but you can keep those. Say...you three ever seen a Wasteland Metalhead?"

Jak scratched his chin. "...can't say we have."

"Why?" Daxter demanded intensely.

"Oh, no reason," Kleiver replied, amusement dripping in his voice. "Go get 'em heroes."

The buggy Kleiver provided was lower to the ground than the previous one, with two machine guns mounted on the front. Following the scope, the trio were able to track down the Metalhead group in question...and quickly saw the source of Kleiver's amusement.

"That thing's huge!" Daxter gasped out as the Metalhead came into sight, looking like a giant two-legged turtle with a huge cannon on its back, shooting at them with Dark Eco even as they swerved into sight and racing quickly across the desert sands.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Jak growled. "Shining, you've got the guns. Daxter, back it up with your Light Eco. I'll drive!"

The battle with just the first of the four Metalheads on the scope proved nearly too much for the trio. Despite their best efforts, the beast could take a lot of damage, and quite a few times a blast would land near or the Metalhead would ram into the buggy, sending it flying. Thankfully, the buggy had excellent suspension and could take a lot of damage, so these few impacts were more frustrating than frightening at first. Daxter's Light Eco blasts proved more useful at shooting the Metalhead's own shots out of the air, especially when multiple targets converged on them unexpectedly.

After a great deal of effort, the first Metalhead finally went down for the count. "One down..." Jak muttered, relieved.

"Three more to go," Shining replied, indicating the scope.

Daxter groaned, putting his face in his hands. "We better get something worth it for all this..."

When the last Metalhead went down, a Dark Eco Crystal and a strange device the trio didn't recognize fell from its back. Jak retrieved the crystal before moving to examine the device. Before any of them could approach, the device shifted, projecting a holographic silhouette of a face that was somewhat familiar, and a voice that was as well, though they couldn't identify it.

"Metalhead Commander, report!" the face shouted. "What's happening? If you lost that cargo and are still alive, I'll kill you myself! I want every Dark Eco Crystal you can find! Time is short! Did you hear me?"

Jak slowly approached the device, and the face turned towards him. "Wait! Not you!" it proclaimed before screaming in frustration.

Jak quickly brought his foot down on the device to make it stop working, before picking it up and stowing it in his bag. "We need to find some way of getting this to Keira," Jak muttered.

"Maybe Dad can get Sig to deliver it?" Shining offered.

"We can always ask," Daxter agreed as the group hopped back into the buggy, heading for Spargus.

(1) For those who haven't played the game, when Seem says the above line to Jak and Daxter, they both glance at the player with expressions somewhere between confused and amused.

Spargus: Second Trial

Upon their return to Spargus, the trio made their way to Damas' throne room, the raised chamber at the top of a tower where they'd first been revived after being found in the desert. Damas seemed pleased to see them as they arrived. "Your timing is impeccable," he greeted warmly. "It is time for you to face your second trial in the arena, to see if you may earn your second Battle Amulet. You will need to face a great many challenges...and with equipment presently unfamiliar to you." Grabbing something beside his throne, he tossed two Wave Concusser modifications, one each for Jak and Shining. These were additional attachments for the Scatter Gun mods of the Morph Gun, causing a shockwave to be unleashed along the ground when fired, as well as a charge option to create a bigger blast. "Good luck to you all."

"Before we go," Jak began, pulling out the damaged communications device, "do you think-"

"Leave it with me," Damas replied quickly. "I'll see to it that it reaches those who can properly investigate it."

Nodding, Jak handed it over before turning to lead the way back to the elevator.

"I'm liking the feel of this gun already," Shining murmured as he tilted it back and forth, getting a feel for the weight of it in his magic.

"I still wish I could get upgrades," Daxter grumbled.

"Your Light Eco blasts are stronger than any of our guns," Jak countered, "and you don't run out of ammo."

"Psh!" Daxter countered. "Like you both ever do anyway with how frequently hostiles drop it!"

The arena was now configured with four large square platforms resting just over the lava. Once the trio had made their way to the platforms, scores of gladiators leapt onto the field, charging the trio with swords. Between the new gun mods and Daxter's blasts, the waves of troops proved no threat. The only real danger nearly caught the trio unawares as the large square platform they were on began to lower into the lava as an alarm began to sound, sending them scurrying to the next one.

As the waves of troops finally came to a halt, platforms arose for the group to return to the top of the arena, where Damas waited them. Pecker also sat there, but said nothing as he obviously felt Damas' disapproving gaze upon him.

"You three have done very well," Damas praised. "Here is your Second Battle Amulet, and a new Weapon Mod for each of you."

Nodding, Jak took the Battle Amulet, along with the Beam Reflexor mod for the Blaster, which the pair decided to investigate later.

"One more Arena win, and you will be true Wastelanders!" Damas proclaimed firmly.

On their way out of the arena, the trio received a message over their communications array that Damas had a job for them, working with Kleiver, and to meet him at the exit of the city.

"Seriously?" Daxter complained. "We have to work with that guy? He tried to eat me!"

"And I nearly ate him in return," Jak countered. "He knows not to mess with us."

"'Accidents' are likely a lot easier to arrange out in the desert," Shining pointed out worriedly. "I wouldn't put it past him to try something..."

"That goes both ways, bro," Jak reminded him. "If he does try something, we won't hold back when it comes to making a point. And he knows I won't." He flexed his hands, his claws starting to come out.

Daxter swallowed worriedly. "I'm beginning to think Seem might have a point," he murmured. "Holding two Dark Eco crystals and only one Light looks to be making you...a bit more, shall we say, vicious? Can we make finding a second Light Eco crystal a priority? Or some other way to balance your Darkness with Light?"

"I second that motion," Shining agreed readily.

Jak paused in thought. "...yeah, let's keep our eyes open."

Once at the vehicle lot, they found Kleiver waiting for them. "We got a job ta do," Kleiver grunted. "You think you can handle yourself?"

"Depends on the job," Jak replied. "Hopefully it doesn't involve your hygiene."

Kleiver gritted his teeth and clutched his weapon tightly. "We're gathering up some wild leaper lizards," he growled out. "We just need to guide them into a transport."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Jak joked. "I'm good with animals." He winced as that brought him a sucker punch from a paw around his ear and a hoof to his knee.

Driving out to where the Leaper Lizards roamed proved more problematic than the actual task, as roving brigands attacked their lightly armored and armed buggy. Once actually at the old ruin, however, the brigands peeled off. The three lizards were racing about, plainly enjoying themselves. Jak watched them carefully. "Now...how best to handle this?" he murmured.

"Someone needs to get onto their backs and steer them to the pen so they can be picked up," Shining muttered.

"But that would mean leaping out of a racing buggy onto a wild animal, desperately trying to achieve some control of them and take them to a place they don't want to go!" Daxter pointed out. "Which of us is going to be crazy enough to try that?"

"Not it!" Jak spoke up quickly.

"Not it!" Shining added almost simultaneously.

"Not-" Daxter paused, realizing he was late. "...you guys suck!"

Spargus: Reach the Sky

After a great deal of careful work, Daxter eventually managed to steer three of the Leaper Lizards into the pen, where they calmed down and remained. "You get the next ones, Shining," he grumbled.

"I have to admit," Kleiver admitted as he approached, "you three have got some talent. Have another one o' me vehicles. You've earned it."

The new vehicle appeared to have highly reinforced suspension and large back wheels. Shining wondered what the design could possibly be for.

"Damn straight!" Daxter insisted. "Any chance of a foot rub?"

Kleiver growled at Daxter, only to back away from Jak's glare. Sneering, he turned and left.

With Kleiver gone, the trio examined the new vehicle. "It's apparently called the Dune Hopper," Shining muttered, examining the nameplate stuck to the side.

"There's some different controls in here," Daxter murmured, looking at a strange lever that looked like it needed to be pulled.

"Then let's hop in and try it out," Jak suggested, climbing into the driver's seat. Daxter scampered up to his shoulder, while Shining strapped himself in in the passenger seat. Reaching out, Jak pulled the lever back, and the buggy crouched low to the ground. "Well, that's not much to write home about," he muttered, releasing the lever.

The lever snapped back, and the buggy bounced high into the air.

"Whoa!" Daxter screamed out as he fell back down to Jak's shoulder, taking a firmer grip. "Super jump!"

"Hey!" Shining called out, pointing to the buggy's built in map. "Looks like there's some tech left up here."

"Let's go check it out!" Jak suggested, gunning the engine before anyone could suggest otherwise.

While the Dune Hopper wasn't as heavily armored as the other buggy had been, it was equipped with two grenade launchers, which proved much more effective at keeping roving brigands at bay. Between that and some carefully timed super jumps, Jak was able to drive the buggy out past the shore by leaping from rocky outcrop to outcrop before driving up a mountain. When they reached the end of the trail the buggy could follow, the trio leapt out and progressed between the columns blocking the path. They soon entered a very large structure that went up the entirety of the inside of the mountain, the architecture very reminiscent of Precursor design.

Looking around, Jak saw only one way to progress, climbing up numerous shaky looking platforms and swing poles. "This is...going to be a problem..."

"Not really," Shining replied. "I can teleport straight to you as long as I can see you." Reaching into his saddlebags, he pulled out a powerful pair of electronic binoculars. "Found these in the Dune Hopper's glove box."

Jak grinned widely. "That works." Turning, he began making his way up the inside of the tower.

Shining carefully tracked Jak's progress upwards, waiting until he reached the very top before teleporting to his side. "So what's up here?" he asked, looking around. He paused as he stared out over the desert. "...other than an amazing view..." he breathed in awe.

"Looks like a glider," Jak pointed out, walking up to the device Shining hadn't noticed, little more than handlebars and a small platform attached to large wings. "Looks like the stuff Seem and their monks use."

"Well, Seem did say they lost an expedition of monks on the volcano," Daxter muttered. "I'm guessing that one." He pointed out into the distance, where a smoking mountain was barely visible. "Key word lost."

"Come on, Dax," Jak teased. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Daxter stared at Jak for a time, then hopped to Shining's shoulder. "Good luck, Jak!" he offered, waving. "I'll ride Shining to meet you there, assuming you don't crash!"

"That's the spirit!" Jak agreed jovially as he boarded the glider, pushing it off to glide towards the volcano.

Daxter gulped. "He's...he's going to be okay, right Shining?" he asked worriedly.

"I wouldn't put it past him to sprout wings if the glider starts to crash," Shining replied. "But I'm tracking him."

"Is he doing okay?" Daxter gulped, gnawing on his claws in terror.

"So far he's hit every single accelerator ring," Shining muttered. "Looks like quite the awesome ride. Wish I could have joined him on it..."

"Can...can I see?" Daxter requested.

Shining happily handed up the binoculars. "Just give 'em back to me in time to teleport."

Daxter watched carefully. "...huh. There are updrafts, too. Looks like Jak's going to be okay after all."

After a time, Daxter quickly handed the binoculars back. Getting a quick lock on Jak's position as he dove into the volcano, Shining teleported, landing in Jak's arms as he came in for a landing on a wooden crossbeam. "Nice timing," Jak complimented as he let the glider crash against the wall, smashing to bits.

"Nice flying," Shining replied.

"Well, there went our way out," Daxter grumbled, staring at the shattered glider.

Shrugging, Jak hopped down to the ground below. "We'll just find - or make - a new one."

"The volcano is surrounded by water," Daxter pointed out.

"We can swim," Shining countered.

"And if something in the water tries to eat us?" Daxter screeched out.

"I'll bite first," Jak joked, smirking.

Sighing, Daxter rolled his eyes. "Fine!" he relented, throwing his paws into the air in resignation. "Lead the way into almost certain doom with all the care of taking a stroll on Geyser Rock!"

"You say that like there's anything new about that," Shining commented dryly.

"One of us has to be sensible!" Daxter complained.

"Why?" Jak asked. "What's the fun in that?"

Daxter thought about that for a time, then shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. Let's just go and see what happens."

The available path inside the volcano was pure stone, leading deeper into it with the occasional steam geyser catching them off guard. The path lowered and raised alternatively with the natural shaping of the jutting rocks, occasionally guarded by scorpion shaped Metalheads that went down from a single strike of boot, hoof, Light Eco blast, or any of their weapons. As Shining discovered, the new modification for the Blaster slightly decreased striking power and accuracy, but caused the shot to bounce off walls or enemy targets to hit others.

Before long, they reached a rocky path high above a pool of magma, only to spot a nearby Leaper Lizard dashing off. Unlike others they'd seen, this one was pale and had a red saddle on its back. The trio immediately pursued it as it retreated. Larger Metalheads leapt out of the ground to attack, but went down quickly to the group's concentrated fire.

Once the Lizard was cornered, Jak managed to calm it down enough to mount, letting Shining and Daxter mount alongside him. He then turned the mount to continue exploring the volcano, making their way carefully over the magma via hovering to tiny platforms. When the lizard could go no further, they dismounted, climbing a ladder to another path, where they reached what appeared to be a dead end.

Spotting some mesh he could make his way across up above, Daxter leapt from Jak's shoulder to a dead tree. "Wait here," he instructed. "I'll be back."

He carefully made his way across the mesh, dodging plumes of magma, before leaping to rocky platforms. Timing his advance to dodge pouring lava and blast Metalheads, he made his way to a massive stone pillar. He leaned against it as he calculated the best way to push it over to make a path for Jak and Shining...and the pillar fell over on its own.

Jak and Shining quickly joined him. "Nice one, Dax," Jak praised.

"Ah, it was nothing," Daxter replied, taking his place on Jak's shoulder again. "Hope you don't mind if I ride for a while."

"Go right ahead," Jak agreed readily. "I get the feeling this is going to take a while..."

Spargus: Beneath the Earth

Jak and Shining made their way deeper into the volcano over the pits of magma, taking the path Daxter had opened for them. Other Metalheads got in the way, including a new dragonfly-shaped one that fired blasts of Dark Eco at them from midair, and took several Blaster shots to take down. The next obstacle they came across was a steam vent next to a high cliff, too high to climb. Thinking quickly, Jak and Shining pushed a stone disc from nearby onto the steam vent, turning it into a rising platform for the group.

The higher level was much further from the magma, but also had much narrower platforms, making it much more important that the trio move carefully. This became especially significant when part of one platform collapsed as Jak gripped it to pull himself up, leading to him leaping quickly onto the remaining part of the platform. "...maybe you should just teleport to me at each platform from now on," Jak suggested to Shining. "That was a little too close."

"Not a bad idea," Shining muttered, glancing down towards the magma far below.

Not far beyond, Daxter had to take action again, as the stone disc they needed for a steam vent was just out of reach. To get there, Daxter climbed up a narrow pipe, falling out the other end in a pipe slide, carefully maneuvering his way down as best he could, leaping from section to section while being careful not to fall out. Once at the end, he made his way carefully up a few platforms and springy cloths to propel himself higher, fighting past a few wild creatures as he went. Reaching the stone disc, Daxter struggled mightily to push it from the high platform, only to be unable to push it down. He briefly considered blasting it off with his Light Eco, but discarded the idea as too likely to break it.

After a time, he leapt onto the end of the disc, bouncing up and down on it. "Just shift already you stupid piece of s-"

The disc tumbled out from under him, nearly flattening him as he hit the ground just before it.

"...somehow I don't think you were going to stay 'stone'," Shining teased.

"Shut up," Daxter grumbled, returning to Jak's shoulder.

"Now I'm the peace keeper?" Jak grumbled, pushing the stone disc onto the steam vent.

At the next higher level were several steam vents, one already covered and two others constantly releasing steam. After fighting a few Metalheads, they were able to cover up the vents with some nearby stone discs and ascend higher. At the highest point, Jak had to cross a river of magma on the occasionally appearing stone platforms to climb a ladder to what was readily recognizable as more Dark Precursor relics. Shining quickly teleported to his side.

Strange metal tendrils writhed around, digging in and out of the ground as they pulsed almost organically. A stone statue of a monk held a dark purple artifact of some sort, an expression of absolute terror on its face.

"...something tells me I shouldn't touch that," Daxter muttered.

Shining approached the artifact, carefully slipping it out of the stony skeletal hands that gripped it. As he held it in his magical aura, it flared with dark purple light.

"Shining!" Jak called out worriedly, rushing forward to grab it.

The energy flared over them both, and they briefly vanished, only to reappear as the artifact shattered.

"The heck was that?" Daxter demanded, scared out of his wits.

"Some kind of...invisibility power," Jak explained. "Derived from Dark Eco..."

"Not one I'll be using anytime soon..." Shining gulped, turning to evacuate his last meal into the lava. "...ugh...Dark Eco still doesn't agree with me or my magic..."

"We need to find a way to stabilize that inside you soon," Jak muttered worriedly, resting his hand on Shining's back.

"Yeah," Daxter agreed. "I miss your super shields of perfect protection. It was a lot safer at this size when you could do that."

Shining chuckled a little, then turned to stare at the 'statue'. "I...guess we can tell Seem what happened to their monks..." he muttered, not really liking accepting that the statue had once been a person.

"For now, let's focus on finding a way out of here," Daxter countered.

"Looks like the platforms down there go somewhere," Jak stated, pointing.

"Well...only one way to find out," Shining allowed.

The platforms led them to outside the volcano, letting them make their way down around the outside and through non-magma filled passageways. This eventually led the way back to where they came into the volcano by the crashed glider...but nearby was a Dark lantern that reacted to Jak and Shining's new invisibility energy, letting them make their way past a watching eye and into a portal.

The portal let them back out in the Temple structure they'd taken the glider from, but near the base. "Huh," Jak muttered. "That was easy."

"Except that the way out is blocked," Daxter muttered.

Seeing another Dark Lantern and Watching Eye, Shining groaned. "Ugh...more invisibility..."

Picking Shining up, Jak carried him through that hurdle, setting him down once he was calmer. They then made their way down a long set of stairs, fighting some spiders that attacked.

"...huh," Jak muttered as they fought. "The last time I saw creatures like these was in the Tomb of Mar..."

"...think there's a connection?" Daxter asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Whoa! What's that?"

Right before them, Dark Eco poured down the center of the room in a waterfall, puddling into a basin set in the center of the floor that never seemed to fill. "That's...disturbing," Shining muttered, stepping carefully away.

Deciding to ignore that for the moment, the trio moved into the next room, where several drone turrets were surrounding a central platform. When Jak started to approach, the drones turned towards him, so he backed away. Moving around the room, they found another Dark Lantern. Using the invisibility, Jak moved to the central platform, slamming it into the ground to lower the level. As the turrets still hadn't reacted to his presence, he charged up the Wave Concussor as much as he could before releasing a giant blast, taking out all the turrets at once.

A new path opened. Shining led the way, clearing out a swarm of spiders with his guns. The path led to an area filled with more Watching Eyes and poles to swing from. Jak set Daxter on Shining's back. "Wait here, you two," he instructed.

Using a Dark Lantern, Jak engaged his invisibility, making his way through the strange obstacle course, one Dark Lantern and Watching Eye set of poles at a time, as the poles became electrified if the Eyes spotted him. Once he'd disabled the last Eye by passing it, a direct path opened up for Shining and Daxter.

Down one last path and past another wave of spiders, Jak, Shining, and Daxter found themselves before a massive Precursor statue. However, in the distance, they saw Count Veger yelling at Seem. They ducked behind a pillar to listen.

"I want no excuses!" Veger snapped. "You told me this could be done. Now make it so!"

"But we have so little time!" Seem countered. "The Day Star approaches! You know what it brings!"

"Unfortunate, yes," Veger agreed. "We will deal with it as soon as I have full access to the catacombs. Just continue your work, and I'll deal with those idiots in Haven. I promise, you will meet your makers."

"They have already chosen a representative," Seem growled. "Darkness and Light inside of him. It will take too long to turn their attention to another!"

"You'd best hope it doesn't," Veger sniped back, "unless you think you can actually count on that foolish boy and his pets!" With that, Veger swept out, Seem soon following.

"Why are the catacombs so important?" Jak muttered.

"Umm...that platform is glowing," Daxter pointed out, gesturing to the raised platform near them before the statue that was in the center of the massive cathedral they were now in.

As they stepped onto the platform, the statue's eyes opened, light shining from within. "Greetings great warriors!" the statue proclaimed, its voice echoing and sounding somewhat distorted. "Your return brings us great hope. This planet's future is at a critical juncture. The Dark Ones have found your world again, and fate hangs in the balance where the past and future collide. You will need all the power you can muster...but the Darkness inside two of you is out of balance. Allow us to restore that balance...and grant unto you both the Power of the Light!"

As Jak and Shining stared into the glowing eyes, beams of pure Light Eco infused them both. As it passed, Jak could feel Light alongside the Darkness inside him, feeling far better than he had since the experiments. His old Eco powers also felt more stable.

Shining blinked as he felt the Light wrap around the Darkness, balancing deep in the core of his being...and his magic became unchained by the Dark Corruption, restoring it to its full capacity, strengthened by the long suppression. His eyes flared, and a shield erupted from his horn, surrounding the entire catacomb chamber.

"...whoa..." was all Daxter could say.

Spargus: Light Inside

Once Jak and Shining finished adapting to the Light Eco inside them, the powers that granted them, and the return of Shining's magic, Shining glanced around the chamber. "...say...there seem to be two other platforms in this chamber facing one of the faces of this statue." He grinned widely up at Jak. "Bet I can teleport us to them now."

"It won't do you any good," the statue replied bluntly. "We aren't giving you the powers unless you find the other entrances and clear the connected trials, in that order."

"Hey!" Daxter complained. "What happened to the approach of the end of the world? Isn't that kind of urgent?"

"It was the hunger for power without discipline that created this danger," the statue intoned. "No dice, shorty."

"And what about me?" Daxter continued. "How come I always get the short end of the stick when it comes to quest rewards?" He quickly held up a paw. "Please don't pun."

"Your powers will awaken as they grow strong enough, or you are exposed to the powers of your fellow warriors," the statue replied.

"Fair enough," Jak allowed, ignoring Daxter's grumbling. "We should get back to Spargus. Dad needs to know about this."

"Bet Seem would find it interesting, too," Shining agreed.

"Weren't they working with Veeger there?" Daxter pointed out, shrugging off his disappointment for the moment.

"Why should we care?" Jak asked pointedly.

"He...did get us kicked out of Haven," Shining reminded him.

"Yeah," Jak confirmed. "Who do you think arranged for him to get the information to do that? Oh, hey, another portal!" He quickly hopped through.

Shining and Daxter exchanged frustrated glances. "I'm not the only one who misses when he wasn't good at the whole spy game, right?" Daxter asked.

"I miss when he read us in on his plans beforehand," Shining grumbled as the pair leapt after Jak.

The portal brought them back to the exit portal in the base of the above-ground portion of the tower structure, the way back out once more open. Making their way back out, the trio got back in the Dune Hopper and headed back for Spargus.

Once in Spargus, the trio made their way quickly to Damas' tower chamber, and the oasis it contained. Upon arriving, Damas was speaking into a functioning PA system. "Attention people of Spargus!" he proclaimed loudly. "A large storm is heading our way! Prepare the city!" Noticing the trio arrive, Damas nodded. "Jak, Shining, Daxter, I'm sure you have news regarding your latest endeavor, but it will have to wait. Four Wastelanders who went out into the desert have not yet reported in. I need you three to go find them. Do whatever it takes to bring them back!"

"Alright," Jak agreed as they turned back for the elevator. "I'll just give you the super short version until we get back." Tapping the Light Eco inside of him, he triggered the transformation, his body gaining a blue tint as his eyes went solid white. He gave Damas just enough time to take it in before shifting back "We'll talk more after the storm!"

Damas sat back on his throne as he watched the trio go. "By the Precursors..." he muttered.

"In all likelihood," Pecker offered from his perch. "Those three have a habit of getting help from them."

"And the casual way he drops earth shaking news?" Damas inquired.

Pecker shrugged. "I assume it's - AWK! - part of his charm."

Arriving at the vehicles, Shining raced over to their first buggy, the Sand Shark. "We need to go fast," he stated firmly. "The quicker we finish, the quicker we get back. I'll take the Sand Shark. Jak, you and Daxter take the Dune Hopper."

"Are you sure?" Jak asked worriedly.

"Yeah!" Daxter added. "You just got access to your magic back. You sure you're good to go solo?"

"With my magic back, I can suplex a desert Metalhead," Shining countered. "But if you need to use your other forms, Jak, you might need a Light boost from Daxter."

"Huh," Daxter muttered. "Never thought about using my palm blasts as a battery for you two. Not sure how I should feel about the idea..."

"There's no time to argue!" Shining insisted.

"Alright," Jak relented. "Stay safe."

"Will do!" Shining promised. "You too!"

The two teams split the four signals between them, speeding off to track them down. Once they'd made it to one of the stranded Wastelanders, they immediately drove them back to the transport. While Shining's seemed startled at his appearance, they were too desperate to make it back in one piece to question a unicorn driving a dune buggy while hurling a Raider buggy into the ocean via magic.

Jak, unfortunately, did not have as much luck. Trying to get around faster, he combined a turbo boost with the Dune Hopper's high jump in order to clear vast swaths of desert in a single bound, he wound up overshooting his first Wastelander by a wide margin, to the point Shining had already brought back his second by the time he reached the transport. "Together for the last one?" Shining asked.

"Watch my back!" Jak agreed, turning to seek the last signal.

They raced to the last signal as fast as they could, but by the time they got there, the last Wastelander was already dead...and from all the signs, had been since before they left Spargus. The only clue was a Dark Eco Crystal he clutched in his hand. Jak took the crystal as Shining levitated the body into the Sand Shark.

As they turned to go, a Dark Precursor construct rose up, surrounded by a Dark Eco barrier. The main body floated inside the barrier, while tendrils with lasers hung down to attack.

"Huddle!" Jak insisted, bringing the three of them in tight. The trio watched, waiting for an opportunity as they stayed inside the radius the lasers could shoot at, staying out of the line of fire. After a time, the construct dropped its barrier and tried to crush them beneath it. As soon as it did, Shining seized it in its magic, holding it in place as all three opened fire with their weapons and Daxter's Light blasts.

As they fired, Daxter suddenly had an idea. "Jak! Pull out the Wave Concussor and charge it up!"

Confused, Jak pulled the weapon out and started charging. "What now?" he asked.

Daxter leapt to Jak's shoulders and focused his energies into the weapon. "Shining! Get it in position!"

Grinning, Shining brought the construct down as Jak leapt up. The charged Red and Light Eco energy blasted into the construct, causing it to erupt in a dark purple cloud.

"Nice thinking, Daxter!" Jak praised.

Daxter shrugged. "Can't let you have all the brains!"

"Let's get back to the city!" Shining insisted.

The trio quickly climbed back into their buggies and raced for the city, stopping just long enough to drop the dead Wastelander off with the transport so they'd know all four were accounted for.

Spargus: Gladiators

Once back in the city, Jak, Daxter, and Shining made their way towards Damas' tower, only for Pecker to tell them he wasn't presently available to speak. "He said something about meeting with one of his agents and for me to mind my own business!" Pecker complained. "I know he's King here and all, but does he have to-AWK!- be so rude?"

"Did he leave you any messages for us?" Jak demanded.

"Apparently, Kleiver has a task for you at the city's ocean side," Pecker replied. "He didn't say anything else."

"An ocean?" Daxter asked, shocked. "Huh, this place really is like Sandover..." He sighed. "Great, now I'm homesick."

"Let's go see what the fat bastard wants," Shining grumbled.

By the time the trio found Kleiver, it had already gotten dark. He seemed to find this amusing. "Ain't it time for you ankle-biters' naps?" he joked.

"Two of us could make that literal without bending far," Shining growled.

"And we will if you don't take us seriously," Daxter added angrily. "But we'll aim for something other than your ankles!"

As Kleiver blanched, Jak rolled his eyes. "Just what are we here for?"

Kleiver gestured over his shoulder at a large artillery placement atop a jutting rock spire. "That gun turret used to be the only thing protecting us from the desert," he explained. "I used to be tall poppy on that baby. King Damas wants to see if you can beat my score."

"Can do," Jak replied readily, cricking his knuckles. Turning, he climbed the spire to the turret.

Shining and Daxter watched from below as Jak quickly shot every disk launched out of the sky, spinning accurately to catch each one as it came up out of the water. Once he'd broken the high score, he came down. Grumbling, Kleiver handed over the trophy, a Light Eco Crystal.

"King Damas has a special challenger for your third Battle Challenge," he mentioned as he turned to go. "You should probably get up there."

Nodding, Jak led the way up to the arena.

Once in the arena, they found a Vulcan Fury modifier for their Morph Guns waiting for them. Once they had them equipped, Damas began his announcement. "This next round is a fight to the death! Perform admirably, and you will be true citizens of Spargus! Fail, and only the desert awaits you."

The trio readily made their way down below to the arena itself, which was now a metal walkway surrounding a 2x2 square grid of lava. As before, waves of troops leapt out to attack them, and the three friends fought back with their various weapon skills. Every so often, an alarm would sound, and the walkway would start to lower into the lava, and the three made their way to platforms in the corners that rose up with the alarm, allowing them to escape the lava and rearm.

At one point, Jak had taken more damage than he had expected he would, and discovered the nature of his first Light Eco power, which allowed him to burn the Light Eco in his body to convert it to Green Eco, restoring his energy and accelerating his healing.

As the thirtieth opponent fell, the trio made their way around a corner to find their last one. However, the identity of their opponent startled them. "Sig?" Jak gasped out in shock.

"Jak?" Sig proclaimed, just as stunned. "Daxter? Shining?" His voice became more pleased as he rattled off names.

"SIG!" Daxter shouted happily, looking ready to hug him.

"Well, you three are looking sorrier than ever," Sig greeted warmly.

"...so now we're supposed to try and kill each other?" Jak asked.

"Yup, that's the rule," Sig replied.

Jak looked down the barrel of his gun at Sig. "...I think I have a way around that," he murmured. "Follow my lead." With that, he returned his Morph Gun to his back. When Sig mimicked with his customized Peacemaker lance, Jak lunged, knocking Sig to the metal walkway.

Grinning, Sig leapt to his feet, closing for hand to hand combat. Up above, Damas stared in confusion. "Why did they put their weapons away?" he asked, confused.

"My guess?" Pecker replied. "Because they respect each other too much as friends and warriors to let it end with bullets."

"Perhaps," Damas admitted as he watched the two trade blows with fists and feet. As he watched, however, it quickly became plain where the advantage lay. While Sig was an old campaigner and skilled with any number of weapons, battle with Metalheads and other desert threats rarely, if ever, devolved to hand to hand. As tough as he was, in close quarters he was a brawler at best. Jak, however, had learned hand to hand combat as a primary fighting skill against Lurkers and the like in Sandover, and guns were a late addition he'd adapted to. Even with the Eco weapon tech available now, Jak was clearly more at home with fists, feet, and blades than guns...and he had far more staying power than Sig, even not counting the Light Eco boosting it.

Before long, Jak had Sig knocked on his back and leapt. Pinning the older warrior to the walkway, Jak drew his hand back, the Dark claws coming out...and froze. As Sig waited for the death blow, Jak looked up at Damas.

Damas stared down at him. "What is he doing now?" he wondered.

Pecker looked down, analyzing the situation. "...he has won, that is a given," Pecker explained. "Whether or not he kills Sig, the victory is plain. However, Sig is still a valuable agent...and Jak's friend. He is waiting on you, as both his King and his father, to make a decision. Does Sig live or die?"

Damas let the words sink in, rubbing his chin. As King, he did have final say in these matters, and there had been times where he'd ended arena matches without death for various reasons in the past. With such an absolute victory, there was no reason Damas couldn't show Sig mercy, telling Jak that Sig's contributions were still too valuable to lose. Or he could stick to the rules of the arena...and teach Jak that the sacrifice of friends was worthy of survival.

Coming to his feet, Damas came to his decision. Holding out his clenched fist, as King and as a father...he raised his thumb upward.

Jak sighed in relief as he put his claws away, pulling Sig to his feet. Sig shook his head in wonder. "Scared me half to death there, Jak. Glad you knew what you were doing." He paused as he noticed just how relieved Jak looked. "You...did know what you were doing, right?"

Jak shrugged.

Sig stared, swallowing convulsively. "...remind me to never play cards with you. Your poker face is scary good."

Spargus: Agents

At Damas' insistence, Jak, Daxter, Shining, and Sig were all brought to his tower room. "While I did approve you sparing him, Jak," he began, "unfortunately, you did not complete the challenge...and as a result, have failed to earn your third battle medallion."

Jak nodded in understanding. "I thought that might be the case," he admitted, noticing Sig glancing back and forth between them in confusion. "I accept the consequences."

Nodding, Damas turned to Sig. "But you! I'm disappointed in your showing in the arena. I expected better of you. Your time in Haven City has made you soft! However, your years of service as our spy have earned you a chance at redemption."

Sig nodded in understanding, surprised that Jak showed no reaction to his being outed as Damas' spy. "By your command," he agreed formally.

"There is a nest of Metalpedes not too far from here," Damas explained. "They have been harassing our artifact carriers for some time. I want you to drive into the nest and take out all the creatures you find inside." He glanced briefly at Jak, who nodded. "My sons will accompany you, to make sure you don't screw it up," Damas concluded.

"Wait, sons?" Sig gasped out, stunned.

"We'll explain later," Shining informed him.

"I'd wish you luck," Damas finished, "but luck won't help you. You've got all the help you need." He smirked towards Shining and Daxter. "Now get moving!"

Once out of the city in the Gila Stomper - a massive buggy with a separate gun turret that Sig sat in - Sig started to ask questions. "Okay, how can you be Damas' kids?" he demanded as Jak drove towards the Metalpede nest. "I mean, his son couldn't be more than seven by now-"

"Precursor time travel bootstrap paradox," Daxter explained. "We used a rift ring to send Jak and Shining's younger selves back in time to Sandover Village eons ago, so they could come back to the present with me in tow to stop the Metalhead Leader and send themselves back in time...since we needed two Jaks, one who was strong enough to clear the trials and beat the Leader, and one who was still pure enough to unlock the Precursor Stone and release the Precursor inside."

Sig was silent for a time. "Uh...can I just say 'crazy voodoo hyper-tech mumbo jumbo' and leave it at that?"

"Sure thing, Sig," Jak replied. "It's about time you were read in on this anyway. I would have read you in back in Haven, but having us exiled was the only way to get in contact with Dad without putting Haven and Spargus at war."

As Jak pulled up before the Metalpede nest - which was sealed off with what looked like Metalhead eggs - Sig shook his head, lifting his Peacemaker. "And here I thought I was good at this spy game..." he mumbled, shaking his head as he took aim. "You arranged your own exile so you could meet King Damas away from watchful eyes? Who do you have in your pocket, Veger?"

"Nope," Jak replied as Sig took the shot, blasting the nest open. "Praxus."

"Ashelin?" Sig asked in confusion as he took his seat.

"Her father," Shining corrected.

Sig lost his balance, falling into his seat. "You have the Baron in your pocket, and you're playing with this spy game?"

"I have to if I want to unite Spargus and Haven with Dad as King," Jak replied as he drove into the nest.

Sig shook his head, grabbing hold of the gun controls as he opened fire on the small creatures that crawled out of the ground to attack. "Okay, I think I'd rather be in the 'not need to know' group. I don't think I can take much more of that."

"Alright," Jak replied, driving deeper into the nest and letting Sig target the glowing egg capsules. "We'll just take care of the big picture, and leave the smaller missions for you."

"That's what I'm good at," Sig confirmed. "But why did Damas think we didn't need luck-"

At that moment, Shining telekinetically ripped one of the egg canisters from its moorings, hurling it at another to destroy both.

"...better question," Sig corrected. "Why did you need me along for this?"

"Your scintillating conversation?" Daxter suggested teasingly.

"I'll take it," Sig allowed.

Working quickly, it wasn't long before all the egg canisters were destroyed, and the whole nest filled with a glowing green gas. "Let's get out of here!" Sig called out, covering his mouth to keep from breathing in too much.

"Way ahead of you!" Jak confirmed, gunning the engine to get out.

Once back at Spargus, Jak, Shining, and Daxter parted ways from Sig. As they did, their communicator beeped. "Jak, it's Ashelin," the familiar voice alerted him in a transmitted message. "I'm glad you're still alive. I see Damas still keeps tabs on his old beacons."

"You never read her in on the plan, did you?" Shining asked teasingly.

"Think I should have?" Jak asked curiously.

"Listen, I've got to see you immediately," the message continued. "By the time you get this, I'll have landed by the oasis, but I won't be able to stay long. Please, come find us."

"Us?" all three asked in unison, stunned. Deciding it bore investigating, all three hopped into the Sand Shark, deciding to keep a lower profile for this.

Jak took the shortest route possible to the oasis, blasting anything that got in their way and using the generated turbo energy to get there even faster. When they arrived at the oasis...two familiar figures awaited them.

"Keira?" Jak gasped in shock, leaping out of the sand buggy and running to her. The two embraced, holding each other close.

Leaning against their vehicle, Ashelin smirked as she watched this. "When she heard I was coming out to meet you all, she threatened to hotwire my engine to explode if I left her behind."

Shining chuckled, noticing that at this point the two lovers were oblivious to the world around them. "It's good to see you," he told Ashelin. "How are things going in Haven?"

"Not so good," Ashelin replied. "Veger's trying to seize command from my father, and popular support is swaying. If things keep going like this, he might be able to take control. And in the meantime, the soldiers aren't able to fight as well with divided authority. I'm glad Damas saved you from the desert, but-"

"Things have gotten bigger than that," Shining interrupted. "The literal end of the world is coming, and we need to stop it. The Precursors are involved-"

His words were interrupted as several brigand vehicles drove in, the drivers leaping out with blades and guns. Shining and Daxter quickly took defensive positions, trying to protect Keira. Unfortunately, the brigands seemed to be gunning specifically for her.

Jak could feel his rage building as he stared out at the brigands, Keira held close. If he left her side, they'd have a clear shot at her, and he could tell by how she was shaking that she didn't have any weapons with her. His Dark, rage driven powers weren't fast enough to protect her, and his Light powers weren't strong enough...and he didn't have time to chug ammo for a boost.

Deep in his mind, something clicked as he remembered how the different colors of Eco could combine...and he tried something desperate.

Jak seemed to vanish in thin air. Keira started to shout out to him, only for a silver blur to rip past the brigands. One found himself split down the middle, exploding into raw eco. Another found his own blade shoved through his gut as he was tossed away. The rest were smacked around like pinballs, the same silver blur smashing them about and into their vehicles, making them explode. Reinforcments arrived for the brigands, but a flash of silver light sent each buggy flying into nearby rocks, exploding into bits. Before long, they stopped coming.

Jak reappeared beside the Sand Shark, looking drained and a little confused.

"Jak!" Keira called out, racing to his side and checking up on him. "W...what was that? What did you do?" As she put her hands on his shoulders, she gasped. "Jak, your Eco's completely spent!"

Jak managed a smile. "I...guess it worked..." He slumped to the side, passed out.

Spargus: Shadows

Jak groaned as he slowly awoke, his body surrounded by water as energy flowed through his head. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he found himself staring up at Damas. "Nnng...hey Dad..." he mumbled, not fully awake.

The energy flowing through his head shifted. "Dad?" Seem asked, their voice surprised.

"I trust you will be keeping that to yourself?" Damas demanded, his voice stern as he gripped his weapon tight.

"This young man has done what the Precursors proclaimed impossible," Seem replied. "He wielded Light and Dark Eco combined, without losing himself to Dark Corruption...and lived. As far as I am concerned, the only one who claims the loyalty of my Order more than he is the Precursors themselves."

Damas stared at Seem for a time. "Very well," he replied at last, kneeling down beside Jak. "How are you holding up, son?"

"My whole body feels like an abscessed tooth," Jak groaned out. "...except for my teeth, oddly enough. They feel great. Even the one that was missing..." He shifted his tongue around in his mouth. "...which is back somehow..."

"The six colors of Eco are the power of creation," Seem explained. "Light and Dark are not meant to be combined, not without the other four colors to balance them."

"Speaking of, you were completely out of ammo when Shining and Daxter brought you back in," Damas explained. "The shells were all there, but they were empty."

"That would explain it," Seem replied. "And why your life energy is so low. You burned out your own Green Eco and the Eco in your ammunition to stabilize wielding your Light and Dark Eco together. Until you learn to better control your new Eco abilities, however, I suggest you keep such transformations to a minimum." Seem finally pulled their hands away, letting Jak sit up. "It doesn't do much good for all the signs to be there for a savior if they get themselves killed before saving the world."

"Right," Jak agreed, pushing himself out of the water. "I'll be more careful...what about Keira?"

"She's just fine," Damas told him. "Daxter said that she went back with Ashelin to Haven after using her Green Eco Powers alongside Daxter's Light Eco to replenish you somewhat. Once they realized something of what you did, they knew they needed someone who knew about Dark and Light Eco to help you...which meant Seem."

"Don't make a habit of needing my help, though," Seem snapped. "You're only the best option until you break. We don't have time to put you back together every time."

"I...guess it's time to visit the Precursor statue again, then," Jak mused slowly sitting up. "The Precursors spoke to me from there, and gave Shining and I access to Light Eco. Maybe they'll be able to help me with this."

"Shining and Daxter are waiting for you below," Damas replied. As Jak started to go, however, he seized his son's arm. "But before you go, I want your word that you won't use your Eco Powers for anything but solving puzzles until you've met with the Precursors and they've helped you handle this new twist to your abilities."

Jak stared up at his father, then nodded. "Okay, Dad," he replied firmly, returning the arm grip. "I have no intention of coming back in pieces."

"Good!" Damas insisted firmly. "I only have two sons, and only one of them looks to be giving me grandkids anytime soon."

Groaning, Jak buried his face in his hands. "Shoulda seen that coming..." he muttered, turning to leave even as Damas laughed.

At the bottom of the elevator out of Damas' tower, Shining and Daxter greeted Jak warmly. Both quickly embraced him, followed by firmly ordering, "Don't do that again!"

Jak managed to laugh it off, returning the embrace. "Alright guys," he said softly. "Let's go get the Dune Hopper so the Precursors can give me a check up. I think I've worried everyone enough as is."

"Speaking of which," Shining replied, reaching into his saddlebags. "Keira and Ashelin brought a couple of things for you." When he lifted his head out of his saddlebags, he levitated over the Jetboard and the Mar Medallion Jak's younger self had given him. "You also dropped this when you fainted."

Jak chuckled as he took both. "I'll be sure to hang onto these this time-"

"And I'm driving!" Daxter insisted.

"How are you going to reach the pedals?" Jak countered.

"...Shining's driving!" Daxter shot back, pouting, making Jak laugh.

The trip to the Precursor Temple proved uneventful, mostly because Shining surrounded the Dune Hopper with a glowing shield that repelled anything that impacted against it. Once there, the trio made their way to the first large room, where Jak had used his abilities and weapons to take out a circle of attack drones. As they entered the chamber, the Mar Medallion began to glow, reacting with a sealed door. When Jak held it before the door, the door opened. "Huh," he muttered. "Think we'll be getting a new power too, bro?"

"Maybe," Shining admitted.

Following the revealed staircase downward, Jak found that the path led to a large room with neck-deep water covering most of the floor, reminiscent of a chamber in Mar's Tomb. Various motes of light were scattered around, marked with the colors of a symbol above the door at the opposite end. "So we have to collect those to open the door," Jak mused. "Shining, can you grab them with your magic?"

Shining focused, attempting to do so, only for his magic to slip right off. "Nope," he replied. "I think they have to be collected physically. Probably set to react to Green Eco or something. You can probably grab them all with the Jetboard. I'll swim across."

"I think I'll take the dry ride," Daxter muttered, hopping to Jak's shoulder.

Chuckling, Jak hopped onto his Jetboard, zipping across the surface of the water. His skills on the board hadn't diminished, and he'd collected all the light motes by the time Shining had finished his swim, and met him at the other end as the door opened. "Too easy," Jak proclaimed smugly.

"Show off," Shining teased, shaking himself dry.

Beyond the door, a short path led to a small room with a Light Eco spring, and beyond that was the statue chamber. As they stepped onto the platform, the voice once more echoed from the statue.

"We meet again, great warriors, but sadly your coming may be too late," the statue intoned. "You will soon meet the seed of our downfall. It approaches quickly, and I fear we no longer have the power to resist. Allow us to give you what power we can, in the hopes that you might accomplish what we could not-" The statue paused, and the eyes glowed as it stared at Jak. "...the fuck did you do?" it demanded, the voice sounding stunned.

Daxter blinked. "...wow. So much for the image of aloof, jaded, all-knowing beings."

Jak blinked. "Umm...I tried to combine the Light and Dark Eco inside me...but it brought out the other four colors..."

"You have unlocked within you the powers of the Shadow of Creation," the statue intoned. "This power is great, but very dangerous, for to use it is to burn all Eco in your possession, including the Green of your very life. You must be cautious in its use. Until that power is more stabilized inside you as your Light becomes equal to your Darkness, allow us to give you some margin of safety." Light flooded into Jak and Shining. "Eco Warriors, we have given you both a new Light power...power over time itself. And for you, young Jak, we have placed a limiter on the Shadow you have created inside you. Unless the need is truly dire, the Shadow will withdraw before your life is fully burned, as you had last time."

Jak staggered against Shining, hand going to his head as he let the Eco power settle inside of him.

Author's Note

For those wondering, in game mechanics, 'Shadow Jak' would work thusly:

To activate, you must have full Light and Dark Eco, full health, and full ammo on Red, Yellow, and Blue weapons.
Once activated, game time stops until you lock onto a target, whether enemy or scenery. Jak then zips to the target. If it's an enemy, he destroys them in a single blow (unless it's a boss, in which case it reduces health by a quarter if the boss is vulnerable, and forces a vulnerable point if they aren't, and he can't do two consecutive strikes to the same boss target). If it's a scenery that he can stand on, he zips to it, no matter how far away. Time moves slowly while he zips around, and stops when he's not moving.
Each time he zips to perform an action, he loses one Green light of Eco (health). He can reverse the transformation at any time, but its forced when he uses up his second to last health unit. When he changes back, Red, Blue, and Yellow ammo will be empty.

...hopefully this is a balanced game breaker, one that can be epic to use but still takes skill if it were an actual game mechanic.

Spargus: Race Against Time

Once Jak had stabilized himself, he tested out his new Light Eco ability, which froze time around him, letting him leap across spinning platforms when - to his perspective - they were frozen. Once across, he let time restart so Shining could teleport over to him. The trio then made their way through the new passage thus revealed, making their way up higher in the temple. As the group continued, they came across more obstacles that required the time freeze for Jak to pass, including rapidly spinning giant fans he had to walk across.

"Where do you think this path is taking us?" Shining asked curiously. "I thought it was going to take us back to the portal, or at least another one to get back to the Dune Hopper and Spargus."

"I thought so too," Jak confirmed. "It's why I went this way. Wonder where it actually leads..."

"Guess we'll find out," Daxter offered as the last passage led to an elevator.

Once all three were on the elevator, it dropped downward, lowering down a long tube. When it reached the bottom, they found themselves in a large hangar, with a single golden vehicle of some sort in the center, blue lights racing along the brown Precursor-alloy walls. As Jak looked around in amazement, he realized why the area looked so familiar. "It looks like the Catacombs from under Haven City..." he marveled.

"Wasn't Veger saying he wanted access to the catacombs?" Shining asked. "Do you think there's a connection?"

"Could be," Daxter admitted, staring down the tunnel. "Where do you think they go?"

At that moment, Pecker flew into the chamber. "There you are!" he gasped out, panting for breath as he landed on the vehicle. "Ahh...I am so squawking happy I found you!" he panted, wiping his forehead with a wing.

"What brings you all the way out here?" Jak asked curiously.

"Onin says we must get back to Haven City," Pecker replied as he caught his breath. "She says the Catacombs are the key to the planet's very survival."

"Then let's go," Jak replied, holding his Mar Medallion out to the vehicle. It hummed to life and lifted into the air at the perfect height for him to hop in. "Everyone ready for a little ride?"

"You sure this goes back to Haven?" Shining asked, hopping in.

"I can feel it," Jak replied, leaping into the driver's seat.

"Then let's go!" Daxter proclaimed, pointing forward.

The air car drove even smoother than any A-Grav Zoomer based on Keira's designs had ever driven, flowing through the air like water racing across the smoothest ice. "Damn...we have got to find a busted one of these for Keira to study," Jak whispered as he turned the wheel, marveling at how responsive the controls were, turning to the slightest twitch of his hands on the wheel. "This is going to spoil me for Zoomers and Buggies."

"Why a busted one?" Shining asked curiously.

"Don't want to risk her taking this one apart and not being able to put it back together perfectly," Jak explained.

"Well, there goes my first idea for how to get a busted one," Daxter joked as Jak spun the vehicle around the transport tube, the Eco guns firing off readily and rapidly to take out mines that lined the path.

Far too soon for Jak's tastes, they reached the end of the course, ending in another hangar just like the one they'd left. Jak made sure to hit the brakes so the vehicle halted without smashing into the wall. "...wanna run the course a few more times for fun?" he offered hopefully.

"Wanna go let Keira know you're still alive?" Daxter and Shining countered together.

"...oh yeah, I did kinda collapse right in front of her and haven't seen her since I recovered," Jak replied thoughtfully. "...think she's worried?"

Daxter, Shining, and Pecker all stared at him, flat eyed.

"...going to go check in with her now!" Jak proclaimed, leaping out of the vehicle.

As he did, an image of a Precursor appeared before them. "You show promise, young ones," it proclaimed, "but your bravery will not protect you from the foes you must soon face. Use this Light power to help you in your quest." As it spoke, Light flooded Jak and Shining. "It was what little we have left to offer."

Shining's eyes widened as he felt the Light Eco naturally align itself with his shield spells, the new power amplifying that magic. "A Light Shield..." he marveled.

"Less talking about new powers, more getting to Keira!" Jak shouted, racing for the exit as the Precursor image vanished.

Rolling his eyes, Shining raced after him, Daxter and Pecker following along behind.

At the opposite end of the single elevator, the group found themselves in an ancient underground structure. "It...looks like some old eco mine," Jak murmured. "When Mar built Haven City, he must have carved out these old caves to get at the eco power."

"Sheesh!" Daxter muttered, stunned. "When did he sleep?"

"I'll go ahead to tell Onin we're back," Pecker spoke up. "I'll also let Keira know to expect you, Jak. Watch your tail feathers, you three. This place is spooky!" With that, he flew off.

Jak braced himself for the journey through the mine. "You both ready?" he asked Daxter and Shining.

"Always," Shining agreed.

"I ain't afraid o' no ghosts!" Daxter confirmed, bouncing back and forth as he wriggled his forepaws in a boxing stance. "Let's go!"

Standing together, the trio began their trek through the mine.

Spargus: Return to Haven

The 'spooky' mine, at first glance, was not as worrisome as it had been made out to be. A few narrow bridges, some Dark Eco infused bats floating around in the air, and a few large lizards seemed to be the only hazards at first, aside from the incredibly deep pits. This was nothing the trio hadn't encountered before, however, and so proved no real challenge for them, especially not with Jak's new Eco powers and Shining's restored magic.

The few Metalheads they encountered were also on the small side, being only momentary distractions as they progressed onward. "You know," Jak mused, "if the rest of this area is as uneventful as this part, it would probably make for good emergency housing. A bit of reinforcement to the bridges, a few cooking fires, a few curtains..."

"Especially if there's only one entrance above and below," Shining mused. "The Precursor Alloy of the hangar line the walls under the stone, so Metalheads will only be able to dig in at a few points, which can be readily guarded or blocked."

"We'll suggest it to the Baron once we're back in the city," Daxter agreed. "For now, less noise please? I don't like the echoes."

Before long, the trio found a small elevator platform to take them up, leading them to another path through two tesla poles, part of an inactive electric gate. "Definitely looks like a good defensible position," Jak murmured as the trio moved through.

A few more bridges, elevators, and activated mechanisms later, the trio reached what looked like an exit to the mine. Nearby, they found a pair of greaves that matched the bracers Damas had given Jak. He didn't hesitate to don them, and they felt as though they were made for him. Beyond the cavern opening, they found more modern construction, similar to what was inside Haven City proper. Throwing a switch resulted in a claw contraption lifting a cart full of explosives onto a set of tracks.

As the trio approached to investigate, the entire platform rose up, lifting them to another level, where the tracks connected to another set of tracks, and bridges that were up. An alarm sounded as the cart prepared to launch.

"We need to lower those bridges before the bomb cart runs the tracks!" Daxter called out, terrified.

"On it!" Jak and Shining confirmed, each of them racing for a different set of bridges.

As they raced back through the mine area to lower the bridges, they found themselves passing familiar areas of the mine. With all bridges down, the cart slammed into a large set of metal double doors, blowing them open.

"Well...I suppose we could have found a more elegant way to open those doors," Shining murmured.

"Not as fun," Jak countered, leading the way through the doors and down another elevator.

Beyond another set of doors, they found themselves in a large chamber filled with massive stone humanoid structures. As they entered, Veger came in the other side. "I'd heard the monks speaking of how you were using the Precursor sub rails," he mused, his cane clutched under his arm. "Interesting, aren't they? The Precursors used them to build the world countless eons ago. The rail system leads-"

"So how long do we have to let him talk before reminding him that he doesn't have any back up down here, and no one would blink twice if we said the Metalheads got him?" Shining asked Jak.

"Two more minutes," Jak replied.

Veger froze. "You...you wouldn't!" he gasped out. "I'm trying to save the world, with the powers the Precursors will bestow-"

"They've been giving them to us, so far," Jak countered. "I don't think they'll find you worthy."

"Do you really think you have the time to frit about as you have been?" Veger demanded. "Do you know what that light in the sky is?"

"I'm guessing it's a interplanetary vehicle of some sort," Jak replied. "And the enemies of the Precursors - probably ones who OD'ed on Dark Eco - are riding back here so they can transform the planet in their own image. At least, that's what the hints the Precursors have been dropping seem to indicate. How accurate am I?"

"And you three are consumed by the stuff!" Veger barked out. "There's no way you abominations will be able to wield the power of the Precursors to save the world in time! That's why I attacked the palace myself to gain quick access to the catacombs!"

Jak frowned. "Okay, guys," he replied, pulling out his Blaster. "Consider this a kill-on-sight order for him."

Staggering back, Veger lifted his cane, and the stone atop it glowed. A stone construct burst open, revealing a Precursor Battle Robot. "Behold! I now command the power of the-" Seeing Shining grab the robot in his magic and lift it upwards, Veger decided that a direct confrontation probably wasn't the best idea, and promptly fled.

Even with the Precursor Robot held in Shining's magic, it was built too durably to tear apart, and all weapons pinged off its armor. At the same time, the robot kept struggling, managing to fire some of its weapons at the trio. "How do we stop this thing?" Shining demanded angrily.

"Hey!" Daxter called out, pointing to above the robot, where three explosive carts were precariously braced.

"Good idea, Dax!" Jak proclaimed before Daxter could continue, shooting one of the carts down to drop it onto the Precursor bot.

"Do I look like a fairy to you?" Daxter snapped, shooting down a second one. "Let me speak full sentences!"

"Can't we just cooperate without shouting?" Shining complained, smashing the robot into the third cart and watching it explode, two pieces breaking off as the rest fell into the pit.

"Looks like you two have got an upgrade," Daxter pointed out as he picked them up. Unsurprising, they were an Arc Wielder adjuster for the Vulcan Fury mode of the Morph Gun.

"Let's get into the city," Jak insisted. "Keira's probably tearing the place apart wondering what's taking so long!"

Beyond the last door, an elevator awaited to take them into the city.

Spargus: Conference of War

The area of the city Jak and the others stepped out of the elevator into showed signs of the intense fighting that had been going on inside the city, an entire highway broken and crumbled into the lower streets and against buildings. "...things have really gone to heck since we've been gone," Jak murmured, staring around.

Turning, Shining shot a minor Metalhead - too small to have a focus crystal - that had been skittering towards them with a bolt of magic from his horn. "And those guys are everywhere," he grumbled.

"We'll just have to be careful, then," Daxter muttered, taking his usual perch on Jak's shoulder as he scanned the surroundings to watch Jak's back.

As they continued through the destroyed section of the city, they came to an energy barrier separating off a more pristine area. Samos and Keira were waiting for them on the other side. "See, Keira?" Samos proclaimed. "I told you I could feel Jak's energy...even if it does feel really different. What did you do?"

"The Precursors reacted much the same way when they saw it," Daxter replied. "Except they cursed about it."

"Are...are you really okay, Jak?" Keira asked worriedly, pressing her hand against the energy barrier as she tried to reach him.

Jak stepped up, putting his own hand against the barrier. He blinked as the barrier parted, a magical glow opening a doorway for him to step through to Keira. "Thanks bro-" he began, only to be cut off as Keira pulled him into a fierce embrace and a fiercer kiss.

Samos watched for a time, then turned away. Jak had just enough time to get into the kiss before Keira pulled back and started to harangue him over his recklessness. "You seem to have recovered from your Dark Eco poisoning," he commented to Shining.

"The Precursors gave Jak and I Light Eco," Shining replied. "It gave Jak new abilities, and restored my old magic." He gestured to Jak. "Keira's worry and the strangeness of his energy is because he combined Light and Dark Eco along with the other colors-"

Samos promptly fainted dead away.

Daxter stared down at the old man. "...huh. Didn't think anything could faze the old man. Guess it really is that big of a deal, Jak."

"As I was saying about recklessness," Keira finished, glowering at Jak as he hid behind his hands.

"Okay! Okay! I'll be more careful!" Jak promised.

Sighing, Keira nodded, accepting his words. "Since Daddy's unconscious, I'll pass on his message. The passages under the palace are of supreme importance. The Metalheads and the KG robots are advancing towards them. We can't hold out forever. Shining, you need to get over here so you and Jak can continue."

"Right," Shining agreed, opening a rift in the field again so he could step through. "Where to?"

"The Naughty Ottsel," Keira replied. "That's the new HQ."

"Lead the way," Jak replied, picking up Samos since the old man still hadn't woken up.

Once at the Naughty Ottsel, Jak found Torn leaning over a holo-projector, looking over the state of the city. "Never thought I'd see you three here again," Torn greeted.

"What'd you do to my bar?" Daxter demanded, mightily offended.

"We needed a second base," Torn replied flatly. He glanced away. "Look...I'm sorry we weren't able to stop Veger from exiling you-"

"I'm not," Jak replied firmly. "The timing was bad, but the plan worked out just fine. Dad's on our side now, too."

Torn stared, slackjawed. "You...you made contact with King Damas? He's still alive?"

"Yup," Shining replied. "Once we've dealt with the Day Star and the Dark Eco corrupted Precursors on board - assuming Jak's guess is accurate - we'll be able to work towards uniting Haven and Spargus and rebuilding the world."

"We just need to get to the catacombs before Veger does," Jak confirmed, laying Samos down on a couch.

Torn shook his head in wonder. "Wow...you plan the long game..." He managed a wide grin. "Up to taking care of a few small tasks in the meantime to keep us intact?"

"It wouldn't feel like Haven if we weren't!" Daxter replied. "Watch out, baddies! The boys are back in town!"

The holo-projector blared an alarm as it displayed a large, four-legged robot walker. "KG Blast Bots!" Torn gasped out. "Several of them, coming this way!"

Grinning, Jak primed his Morph Gun. "Come on Shining, Dax," he proclaimed eagerly. "Time to fix things up on this end."

"Let's work fast!" Shining agreed. "Don't want to take too much time before heading back to Spargus."

"Wait for me!" Daxter called out. He paused as he realized what he was saying. "Wow. I'm as eager as you two to get into battle. When did that happen?"

"Speaking of battle, where's the Baron?" Jak asked curiously. "I thought he'd be on the front lines."

"He is," Torn replied. "He's testing a new battle walker of Keira's design." He shrugged his shoulders uneasily. "Still taking a lot of getting used to, fighting on the same side as him." He braced himself over the holo-projector, dispelling those thoughts. "Still, he's better than Veger."

A Blast Bot slammed onto its back in front of the Naughty Ottsel, a large walker mech landing on it and smashing its control console with a metallic fist. "Keira!" Baron Praxus bellowed from the pilot's seat. "The new mech works wonderfully! I can hurl these robots like rag dolls, and I've yet to encounter any of the feedback issues you were worried about! How soon can you build more of these?"

"Depends on how many viable parts I can salvage from broken bots!" Keira countered.

"When do I get to drive that?" Jak breathed eagerly.

"Once the Baron's worked it enough that I can be sure it won't fry you," Keira replied logically.

"Your Highness?" Praxus barked out, surprised. "It's good to see you well and back! Care to join me on the front lines?"

Jak grinned widely. "Just try and stop me. Even with that mech, I bet we take out more KGs than you."

"Put your creds where your mouth is!" Praxus bellowed, charging back into the fray, the trio of adventurers hot on his heels.

Spargus: Into Enemy Territory

With their new guns in tow, Jak, Shining, and Daxter made their way back to the Naughty Ottsel for a mission update. Once there, Torn quickly called up a holographic map of the city, along with the positions of their forces. "We've got some KG defenses we need eliminated," he growled. "Super range sniper cannons are keeping our men pinned down."

"I don't see them marked on the map," Shining murmured.

"We only know the general area they're probably in based on triangulating the shots," Torn replied. "We'll be able to send you more accurate coordinates once you take out each one." A smirk plastered itself across Torn's face. "You know the routine."

"Yeah!" Daxter complained. "We do all the work, you get all the credit!"

"Since when did we care about credit?" Jak countered smugly.

"I certainly did!" Daxter grumbled as they made their way out.

As in previous times when the trio had multiple targets to go after on a mission, each grabbed their own A-Grav Zoomer to go after their own target. Each cannon was shielded, and guarded by explosive spider bots that tried to come up on them from behind. Surrounding each cannon were several switches that - when triggered - caused the cannon's power source to become unshielded, though pressing a switch caused the cannon to lock onto them. Jak and Daxter handled this by dodging quickly, while Shining used his dome shields to block the laser fire. With their cooperative efforts, the five cannons were soon shut down and destroyed.

Out of habit, the trio returned to the Naughty Ottsel, both for new orders and for a relaxing drink. All three had time to finish the first round before Torn found them with new orders. "Guys, we need to hit the Metal Head hive," he stated firmly. "But the only way to hit it safely is from below, and that means the sewers."

"So?" Jak asked. "It's hardly our first time down there."

"No one's been in those passageways since the war broke out," Torn pointed out worriedly. "No scouts have reported movement down there..."

"You mean no one's ever come back alive with a report?" Shining inquired, only to receive a nod in return. He finished his drink. "Well, does anyone need anything special before we head down there?"

"Pants?" Daxter asked quickly.

"Tess is working on a pair, last I checked," Torn replied quickly.

Daxter thought about that for a time. "I don't know whether to be pleased she's listened to my complaints and is acting to address them, or unnerved that I have no recollection of her taking my measurements."

"Dark, dirty, dangerous?" Jak asked, a grin slowly spreading on his face. "I'm starting to like this war."

"Of course you are..." Daxter grumbled even as Shining grinned ear to ear.

The sewers proved to be as dark and dank as the trio remembered, though far less infested. Much to their surprise, they encountered KG robots patrolling the hall, rather than Metal Heads. "You don't suppose the KGs and the Metalheads are working together somehow?" Shining asked worriedly.

"If Errol's pulling the strings, I wouldn't be surprised," Jak replied. "Just another set of targets to obliterate, in my opinion."

"Another obstacle between us and the Day Star," Daxter grumbled. "I don't wanna know what a Dark Eco transformation is going to do to the planet. Look what it did to me!"

As they progressed, they found that the KG patrols were quite intense, and backed up by electrified security gates they had to get past. Shining paused at the first one and carefully examined it. "Doesn't look like it's connected to anything important, so..." Focusing his magic, he tore the gate out carefully and tossed it aside, clearing the path for them.

Shining continued this pattern to smooth their passage, tearing out the newly installed defenses rather than moving around them, as well as hurling the extracted mechanisms at any attacking KG robots. Past the last of those, they came to a partially flooded part of the sewers...where they came across a completely new type of hostile. At first glance it looked like a purely biological aquatic creature, blue and shaped roughly like an anteater. It was only when they managed to take one down that they saw what they'd thought was a metallic helmet was actually part of its skull - complete with a forehead focusing crystal - that they realized it was a new type of Metalhead.

"Okay, I think that confirms Metalhead and KG cooperation," Daxter stated plainly. "The KG defenses were directed away from this area."

Progress through the partially flooded area at first proved problematic, as the Metalheads attacked whether they were in or out of the water, forcing the trio to pull back repeatedly to defend themselves. After a time, Daxter shook the water from his fur angrily. "This is not working!" he snapped out. "Tell me someone has a better idea!"

"...umm..." Shining began.

"Go on," Jak insisted.

"Well...you can swim pretty well, right Daxter?" Shining suggested.

"Well, yeah," Daxter agreed. "Why?"

"Well..." Shining began. "I could probably put Jak and I in a bubble shield and anchor it to you with a cord of magic that you could tow behind you. The Metalheads would focus on us more than you, and in the bubble Jak could shoot them whether we were in the water or not."

Daxter stared at Shining for a time. "Your brilliant idea is to have me take point? Seriously?"

"Umm...yes?" Shining offered worriedly.

Daxter buried his face in his paws. "If this doesn't work, I'm haunting you forever."

"And if it does?" Jak inquired.

"Then I'll dance the mambo with a drink umbrella back at the Naughty Ottsel!" Daxter insisted.

"Drunk or sober?" Shining countered. "Cause it's nothing new if it's the former-"

"Up your horn!"

"...damn it..." Daxter grumbled as they reached the end of the aquatic section, the plan having worked flawlessly, especially for getting past the KG robots patrolling above the water. "I'm never going to live the dancing down..."

"You can pass on the dancing," Jak offered as Shining stripped the water from Daxter's coat. "Let's keep moving. There's the elevator."

Spargus: Terra-Toxic

As the trio reached the top of the Elevator, they stepped through a door into an area that didn't even look like the city anymore. The walls were bright green, with metal spines running up and down at even intervals. The floor they could walk on was green and grey, a narrow walkway surrounding a wide pit filled with a shimmering green, bubbling acid. Scattered throughout the acid pit were spires, with sparking Dark Eco crystal formations at the top.

"...dude..." Shining gasped out. "This is just freaky..."

"I really don't like the feel of this place," Daxter grumbled, shivering.

"We're here to do something about it," Jak reminded them, hiding how the sight of the place disturbed him in an attempt to be strong for his companions.

As Jak spoke, the comm unit sparked to life. "Jak, this is Ashelin. It's good to know you're alright. You're behind enemy lines now, so watch out. You need to take out a cache of Dark Eco near the south border. We have reports that the Metalheads are using it to create terrible Dark Eco weapons to infect the city."

"Infect?" Shining asked worriedly. "If Errol is commanding the Metalheads for the fallen Precursors on the Day Star, it's beginning to sound like the plan is terraforming, like what the Baron had planned for the Wasteland once the Metalheads were dealt with to make it habitable...but not in a good way."

"Quite possible," Ashelin replied, "which is why we have to stop them at all costs. Good luck, soldiers."

With the comm signal lost, Jak rolled his head on his neck to loosen up. "Shall we get to work?" he asked.

"Yes, let's," Shining agreed, pulling out his weapons. "Something tells me this is going to be a long one."

The trio carefully made their way around the walkway, searching for a way to reach the Dark Eco crystal formations visible in the acid pit. As they moved, gorilla shaped Metalheads raced towards them, using the terrain for camouflage to get close enough to attack physically. The tactic was frustratingly effective, as many got in a few good hits until Shining cast a shield around the trio with his magic, stopping the first assault from the Metalheads and allowing Jak or Daxter to blast them apart.

At one point around the walkway, Jak noticed a thin purple cable of some sort of excretion connecting the walkway to platforms above the acid. "I think I can get across with the Jetboard..." he murmured, staring across.

"Give it a go, then," Shining suggested. "I'll be fine over here for a while, and I'll watch your back."

"And I'll watch his!" Daxter added, hopping from Jak's shoulder to Shining's back.

Nodding, Jak pulled out the board and rode across. On the other side, he found himself right next to the first of the spires with Dark Eco at the top. Managing to clamber up it, he smashed the Dark Eco crystallization, absorbing the stray Dark Eco into his own body before hopping back down.

"Nice one!" Shining called out.

"Thanks!" Jak called back. "There's another cable over here. You follow the walkway, I'll take the cables!"

"On it!" Shining called back.

After crossing the next cable, he found himself at the top of a spire near a strange flower-like object, blowing steam. When Jak approached it, he found himself launched across the acid pit to another platform a good distance away.

"Jak!" Shining called out, racing along the walkway to keep up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Jak called back, shaking himself to get rid of the tension the launch caused. "Just a little shaken up! I'm okay!" He took a look at his new location, finding a new cable leading to the next platform, but with an electrified nodule along the path. "Gonna jump that..." he murmured as he pulled the Jetboard out again.

The pattern of movement continued, with Jak taking the cables and steam flowers from platform to platform, with Shining following closely along the walkway, crushing Metalheads. Whenever Jak came close to falling, Shining would reach out with his magic to stabilize him. When Jak reached a new Dark Eco crystallization, he would smash it. When a steam flower launched Jak a great distance, he'd wait for Shining to catch up to him, using his own guns to provide covering fire for his unicorn brother.

After the third crystallization, the steam flowers launched Jak back to the walkway, allowing him to rejoin Shining as they continued. When they reached new steam flowers along the walkway, Shining would step back and let Jak launch first. If he landed on the walkway on the other side, Shining would follow. If he landed amidst the spires and platforms, Shining would race along the walkway to keep up with him.

After smashing the fourth crystallization, Jak found himself launched to very low platforms near the acid pool. Seeing how close he was to death in the acid, he carefully hopped from one platform to the next, taking time to balance himself on each one and making sure Shining had him in line of sight to catch him if he messed up. Seeing a large steam flower near the last spire, Jak cautiously made his way towards it.

Before jumping onto it, he looked up at Shining. "If this launches me wrong, catch me!" he called out.

"Got it!" Shining called back.

"Can we hurry it up?" Daxter shouted as he blasted another Metalhead. "I'm beginning to feel a little faint. I think I might be running low on Eco."

"You can do that?" Jak exclaimed, surprised and worried.

"I haven't used it so much without rest since I started paw blasting!" Daxter responded. "I think I need time to regenerate!"

"Right!" Jak proclaimed, leaping into the flower. It launched him straight to the last crystallization, and he promptly smashed it. He then hopped down to check on Daxter. "You okay, buddy?"

"I'll live," Daxter replied as he shifted to the ground. "Just...just get that new one that just popped up while I get some air," he added, pointing to a new crystallization that had cropped up when the fifth one had been smashed.

Nodding, Jak raced over and smashed it, only to stagger back as the Dark Eco began to infuse him. He found himself forcefully transformed into Dark Jak, only to charge Dark Eco into his clawed hands. Desperately, he threw it forward, releasing a spiraling blast that smashed a nearby wall down, providing a way for the trio to escape the nest.

"You okay, Jak?" Shining asked worriedly as Jak turned back to normal.

"...yeah," Jak agreed. "Just...had to purge the overload. ...think I know how to do that again. Takes a lot of Dark Eco, but it seems effective." He shook his head and scooped Daxter up to his shoulder. "For now, let's get out of here."

Author's Note

Jak is attempting to learn Dark Strike.
However, Jak can only learn four moves.
Forget a move to learn Dark Strike?

-Yes
-No
->F*ck the rules, Jak's no Pokemon!

You broke the system. Jak learned Dark Strike!

Spargus: Through the Woods

As Jak carefully positioned Daxter on his shoulder so he wouldn't fall, the comm box sparked to life again. "Jak, Samos here! It looks like you're near the entrance to South Haven Forest right now. While you're there, would you please go check out reports of a Dark Eco infestation there? It seems someone's still experimenting with Dark Eco."

"Let me guess," Jak replied. "If we find infected plants, destroy them before the infection spreads?"

"Exactly," Samos confirmed.

"I'm not sure we should with Daxter in this condition," Shining murmured worriedly.

"There are some ancient Precursor Pillars in the forest," Samos offered. "Not only might they be connected to the Catacombs, but you'll likely be able to find sources of Light Eco for Daxter to replenish."

"Best idea we've got," Jak murmured, turning to head towards the forest.

After making their way around the Metalhead Hive and to the forest entrance, Jak carefully led the way in. In the distance, the first of the Dark Eco infected plants was visible, small glowing purple nodules with their roots splayed out around them. As Jak and Shining examined the plant to see what could be done, Keira's voice came through the comms. "Jak, the energy reaction of the Jetboard's flight when energized by Green Eco should disrupt the plants Eco flow, destroying them."

"Thanks, Keira," Jak replied readily, hopping on his Jetboard as Shining transferred Daxter to his back for safety.

As luck had it, there were a few open Green Eco vents scattered around the forest, which Jak was able to use to energize the Jetboard while Shining took pot shots at the various hostile critters that tried to go after Jak on his Jetboard. With the two of them working together, it wasn't long before all the infected plants were destroyed, and by then Daxter had recovered on his own.

"I'm okay!" Daxter called out as the sound of pillars erupting out of the lake echoed through the forest. "What'd I miss?"

"Killed some plants, raised some pillars," Jak replied easily, grinning widely now that Daxter was up and about. "Wanna check 'em out?"

"Like I have a choice?" Daxter teased as the trio made their way to the center pillar, which extended just above the surface of the water.

As they approached, Samos contacted them. "Well done! Those are some of the oldest Precursor Relics in the area. Some of Mar's writings indicated ruins to the west, activated by five artifacts."

"Well, there's five smaller pillars around the central one," Jak pointed out, picking up a piece of shoulder armor that matched the armor he'd found so far that had lifted with the central pillar.

"I'll see what else I can find," Samos replied. "For now, you should get back to the city."

As the group stepped off the central pillar, it rose much higher, far too high for them to reach the top on their own. With nothing more to do there and no way to investigate, they made their way back to Haven.

On the way back to the city, the group received a communication from Torn regarding four charge points that had been located that, when bombed, would drop the KG shields. However, the only one who could properly set the charges was their demolition expert, Jinx...and only if Jak, Shining, and Daxter could protect him on the way to the bomb points and while he set the charges.

The mission proved incredibly easy, as Shining stuck close to Jinx and surrounded them both with his shield spell, while Jak focused on blasting Metalheads and KG robots that got too close. Daxter stayed on Shining's back, using his Light Eco to strengthen and replenish Shining's shield.

With the charge points destroyed, the KG's shield walls exploded, allowing much deeper access into KG territory. As Jinx went off to scrounge, he left Jak and Shining with Needle Lazer upgrades for the Blue Eco side of the Morph Gun.

As the trio were deciding what to do next, Ashelin contacted them. "There's a report of an Eco delivery somewhere in KG territory," she began. "Up for stealing it?"

"Sounds fun," Jak replied eagerly.

"I thought you'd say that," Ashelin groaned. "Just bring it back to the Naughty Ottsel in one piece-"

"Shield spell," Shining reminded her.

After a time, Ashelin chuckled. "Have fun."

Shining's shield spell proved more than up to the task, as the rockets the KG Robots sent after them could not penetrate the shield even with explosive force, though each one did deplete his energy a good bit. Thankfully, the path was long and winding, and Jak was an excellent pilot, allowing them to easily return intact to the Naughty Ottsel.

Once the Eco was loaded, however, a massed assault on the port from KG Robots and Metalheads moved inbound, focused on the Naughty Ottsel. Seeing the approach, Jak grinned. "So who have we got?" he asked Torn.

"Just you three, I'm afraid," Torn replied. "The new exo-suit Keira designed the Baron had some unexpected side effects, and he's still recuperating."

"We can handle this!" Shining proclaimed confidently. "I bet I get more kills than you, Jak."

Jak grinned widely. "You're on!"

"Loser buys the drinks!" Shining announced.

"I'll keep score!" Daxter proclaimed as the trio moved out.

Torn shook his head as he watched them go. "How do they do it?" he murmured wondrously. "They face all this...and they still can joke like that?" He chuckled softly. "It almost makes me believe we can win this..."

Spargus: Challenge Accepted

With the three of them working together, the major assault from Metalheads and KG Robots was readily pushed back, and all attacking hostiles were eradicated. Shining Armor's shield played double duty in protecting civilians and charging enemies, while Daxter's light blasts eventually became backed up by a vehicle mounted Vulcan Fury thanks to one of Torn's soldiers who took a bad hit and needed to be evaced. At the end of the assault, there was only one question.

Who had the most kills?

"I'm telling you, I definitely got the most kills!" Daxter insisted as he hopped into the shooting range once again, eager to see Tess. "All those paw blastings and the Vulcan Fury?"

"No way!" Jak countered. "I definitely took out the most KG bots! Did you see me take out those giant blast bots?"

"Pretty sure my score's highest," Shining insisted. "Saving civilians is bonus points, after all."

"As if!" Daxter countered. "You're the only one with the defensive shields, after all!"

"And I'm supposed to not use them just to get points?" Shining argued hotly.

"Daxter!" Tess squealed, pulling the ottsel into a hug and ending the argument. "My hero!" After snuggling him for a time, she released him, a worried expression on her face. "This city is too dangerous. We need our own little place in the country..." She smiled softly as she began to imagine it. "A little pink house...with a white picket fence...and a fireplace..." Daxter cast a more and more worried glance towards her as she went on. "And a four poster bed for me...and a little Ottsel run on the side of the house for you!" she concluded happily.

Daxter managed to get his emotions under control, apparently deciding she meant well...unless he actually found the suggestion endearing. "Oh, are you worried about me, my little Tessy-poo?" he cooed.

"Of course my itty bitty whisker puss," Tess cooed back, scratching him under the chin.

"Oh gag me..." Shining groaned.

"Get a room, you two," Jak grumbled.

"Need a hug, you guys?" Daxter asked teasingly. "Cause we've got plenty to go around."

Snarling, Shining lunged towards Daxter, proceeding to chase him around the room. Chuckling, Tess got to her feet. "Rumor has it you three are the only hope we've got to reach the catacombs," she commented to Jak.

"As usual," Jak replied.

"Still...you can't get too confident," Tess continued. "I've programmed the gun course to simulate some of the new enemy tactics. Wanna try it out?"

The three adventuresome young men smirked at her. "Like you need to ask?" Shining joked.

With the course finished by both Jak and Shining - with tied scores - Tess smiled as she handed over a new Red Eco mod for their Morph Guns. "Not bad shooting you two," she praised. She then turned to Daxter. "Here's a new boom stick for your sidekicks, baby. Go give 'em hell boys!" She leaned in close to Daxter. "Then come back and I'll scratch you behind your ears."

The new mod, the Plasmite RPG, launched bouncing Red Eco grenades from a rotating, auto-firing barrel. "Looks like it's time to get a new mission to test these out, huh?" Jak asked.

"Sounds like a plan!" Shining agreed.

"We're good here for now," Tess pointed out. "Maybe you should take a transport back out to the other end of your plans?"

"Good idea," Jak replied, heading out.

After stopping long enough for Jak to say goodbye to Keira, the trio caught a ride on the transport back out to the desert. The transport settled down close to the gates of Spargus, but far enough away to not be too readily noticeable. The trio then made their way back into the desert city.

Upon arrival, they found Sig at work on a buggy. He grinned as he caught sight of them. "Another storm is really churning the sand! Scanners show a few new artifact sightings. You three up for some rough riding?"

Jak chuckled as he clambered into the buggy, Shining grabbing his own to double up. "Feels like home," Jak murmured, gunning the engine.

After collecting all the artifacts exposed by the storm, the trio returned to Spargus. One artifact Jak managed to pick up was a Holo-Cube, which Keira informed him via com-link was one of the artifacts needed for the forest pillars. Since things were upsettingly quiet in Spargus, the trio decided to make their way back to Haven to see what else they could dig up.

Torn had a new mission for them, one that was right up their alley. "We've managed to capture a Blast Bot," he explained, "and rigged it with even more explosives, and hooked it up to a remote control. If you can guide it through to the other side of KG territory, we can break the defensive barrier there and catch them between the two sides of our forces, and break the split they've forced on us."

"On it," Jak agreed, taking the controller. Looking in, he began carefully maneuvering the blast bot to its destination. While the defenses were strong, Jak was very skilled with his manipulations of the bot. Before long, he'd steered it to the defensive wall and obliterated it.

"Nice one, Jak!" Torn praised. "I'm gonna get on the horn and start planning the next offensive." Reaching under the bar counter, Torn handed over a Peacemaker each for Jak and Shining. "Why don't you head over and see what you can do on that end?"

Spargus: Running Around

As Jak and the others were about to head out to see what they could do in Haven, they got a call from Sig informing them of a new Eco Crystal he'd located in the Metalhead nest out in the desert. Given that Errol had been trying to collect Eco Crystals, the trio decided it would be a good idea to grab it before he could. Since everything seemed under control in Haven for the moment, they caught a transport out to the desert and a buggy to the cave.

As they arrived, Sig glanced down at them from his vehicle. "There you are. I was beginning to think you chickened out."

"We only just got the message," Shining complained.

"Sent it hours ago," Sig countered.

"Must have been a backlog," Jak allowed. "So what's the news?"

"I spotted an Eco Crystal in this place," Sig explained, pointing into the cavern. "Unfortunately, it's swarming with Metalheads." He smirked confidently. "But we wouldn't want those nasty boys to just move back in here without a welcoming party, right?"

Jak smirked widely, bracing his Morph Gun as he cycled it through the various modes he'd unlocked. "Let's show these creeps how to really jam!" he joked as the three of them hopped into Sig's vehicle.

Daxter took the wheel, while Sig took the primary gun, Jak and Shining leaning out the sides with their guns for added fire. The drive into the nest proved uneventful, until they saw the giant half-centipede, half-sandworm Metalheads that had moved into the nest bursting out of the ground to attack. Despite the size of the target, the concentrated firepower they were unleashing took each one out relatively fast, and the Metalheads were too unwieldy to target the fast moving vehicle, resulting in quick clean take downs.

When the last one went down, a Light Eco Crystal fell out of its collapsing body. Jak grabbed it as they made their way out of the Nest. "Yeah, baby!" Sig cheered as they left. "I love the smell of burnt Metalhead!" He turned to Jak. "This is good practice for when spit hits the fan, and believe me, it's coming."

"Oh, we know," Jak confirmed. "And we're going to be ready for it."

When they returned to Spargus, Jak approached Kleiver. "I need to find some very special Precursor Artifacts," he stated bluntly as he approached. "But I'm running out of time."

Kleiver smirked wickedly, stroking his chin. "Wait a tic...I just traded a very rare artifact indeed, to a nice band of Metalheads-"

Kleiver's smug rant was interrupted as Jak slammed him against the wall. "All the money in the world isn't going to do you any good if the Metalheads get what they want," he snarled out. "If you aren't on the side of humanity surviving this, then as far as I'm concerned, you're already dead and looking for it to happen sooner. If I learn you traded anything to the Metalheads again, I'll see to that personally." With that said, he tossed Kleiver aside. "Come on, Sig! With how smug he was, they can't be far!"

"I'll drive!" Sig confirmed, hopping back into his vehicle. "You shoot!"

The Metalheads proved to be the giant desert versions Jak and the others had first gone after for a Dark Eco Crystal. The auto-cannon on Sig's vehicle proved far more effective at dealing with them then the Sand Shark's guns had been, and each one went down quickly, especially with Shining and Daxter taking potshots at the Dark Eco mortars they launched. To balance that, however, there were a great many more of them to take down.

With the last one down, the Precursor Artifact was left behind. When Jak grabbed it, he received a message from Haven, confirming it was indeed one of the five they needed, a 'Quantum Reflector'...whatever that meant. With it in tow, the group returned to Spargus.

Once in town, Jak, Shining, and Daxter were summoned to speak with Damas. Looking forward to spending time with their father again, Jak and Shining raced for the tower, Daxter racing close behind them to not be left behind.

Once in the tower oasis, Damas looked up at the trio with a grim smile. "Keeping people alive out here, keeping them full of hope...it can be daunting."

Jak took a seat beside his father, staring into the water. "I'd say you've made a good life here," he offered.

Shining nodded agreement as he curled up nearby. "I'd say you've succeeded at keeping everyone alive and hopeful."

Damas stared into the water. "The monks say the world is ending soon," he spoke calmly. "For the longest time, my goal was to see to it that I and my people survived even after the world ended. But you...your goal is to save the world. I had shrugged such ideas off long ago as idealistic nonsense...but seeing how you have conquered everything thrown your way, things that would crush lesser warriors...I find I can believe again. And that, my sons, is why I can't lose you again." Reaching out, he pulled them both into a tight hug. "I am the King of this world's past...but you two are its future! I know that you both will find the hope this world needs, somehow."

"And here I thought we were the world's past!" Daxter joked. "I mean, Sandover's like, hundreds, thousands of years ago...wow, and now I just depressed myself..."

Damas chuckled softly. "That's the wrong way of looking at it, Daxter," he chided. "You remember Sandover fondly, because it meant so much to you. Rather than see this world as what Sandover became when it was lost...see it as what can be forged into the New Sandover, once it is saved!"

Daxter sat up from his place in the water, staring out over Spargus. "...yeah...yeah, I can see it. Once the Metalheads aren't an issue, we could dig a few channels through the desert, divert the rivers to flow through town to the sea...build a few waterwheels to generate Blue Eco to make things run and cool the houses...clean up the water a bit for swimming, build a few boats..." He continued to mumble to himself as he visualized rebuilding what had been lost, no longer bemoaning its absence.

Damas blinked in surprise. "I'm better at that than I thought," he mused, smirking down at his sons. "But it's not just the Metalheads that cause problems. Marauders, those who have defied my rule of the desert and prey on others for their own pleasures and survival, are a constant threat to all we've built here..."

Smiling, Jak got to his feet. "What do you say we do something to thin their numbers?" he offered, grinning ear to ear.

As the trio left, Damas returned to his throne, a wide smile on his face. The foreboding feelings had faded, his fears laid to rest. For the first time in a long time, he had hope for the future.

Spargus: Desert Battles

Jak's decision to take out some of the Marauders turned out to be perfectly timed, as a large group was actively attacking the gates of Spargus as the trio took separate buggies out. The three decided on a very efficient division of tactics. Daxter took the Gila Stomper - the large, heavily armored buggy with the auto-cannon - and parked it right outside the gates, taking hold of the auto-cannon and shooting anything that got too close that wasn't Jak or Shining. Shining took the Dune Hopper, using his magic to better control the wild leaps so he could position himself for ambushes with the grenade launchers. Jak used the Sand Shark, dodging between the activities of the other two in order to take down any they missed.

Luck was with them, as not only did this tactic successfully repel the Marauders, the last vehicle destroyed left behind the Beam Generator, one of the Precursor Artifacts needed for the Forest Pillars. With the taste of sand and victory - but mostly sand - in their mouths, they drove back into the city vehicle dock. As they entered, Seem contacted them.

"The Marauders have attacked one of our artifact digs and stolen a very important item," Seem explained. "We think they may have taken it back to their stronghold."

"So we should retrieve the artifact before blowing the place up?" Jak joked.

"That would be appreciated," Seem growled back.

Chuckling, the trio clambered together into the Dune Hopper to seek out the Marauder Stronghold.

The Marauder stronghold turned out to be on an island in the middle of a protected bay. A few leaps over gaps in the bridge led the trio to the gate...which opened for them.

"Oh, wow," Daxter began, his voice completely deadpan. "There is absolutely no way this can possibly be a trap. We should just drive right into the enemy stronghold when we are so conveniently invited."

"I was thinking the same thing," Jak agreed as he drove in.

"I was being sarcastic!" Daxter screamed out as the gate shut behind them.

As the group hopped out of their vehicle, Marauders began launching fireballs from catapults into the open air center of the fortress where the trio were trapped. At the same time, Marauders on foot came after the trio with blades.

Shining grinned as he drew forth several Eco Blades, passing two to Jak and keeping two for himself. "Let's show them why we're a cut above the rest."

Daxter groaned. "That joke would be less painful if you had blades for me!" he proclaimed angrily, waving his arms, his paws clenched in fists.

With a rather distinct sound, blades of pure Light Eco took shape around Daxter's paws, extending beyond them.

Daxter stared at his new Eco Blades. "...I did not know I could do that..." Noticing it made the Marauders hesitate as well, he grinned widely. "Let's see what I can do with them!"

The trio raced about, carving their way through the attacking Marauders and dodging fireballs, keeping their distance from each other to avoid being an easy target. When the last of the on foot Marauders dropped, the gates opened, and several Marauders drove out in their own buggies, plainly fleeing from the trio. They quickly pursued in the Dune Hopper.

The four vehicles that fled the stronghold were easy to spot, and the trio were able to take them out one at a time as they raced after them. When the fourth was destroyed, another artifact was left behind, the Prism. It also proved to be one of the ones necessary for the Forest Pillars.

Rather than just drive off with it, Jak opened communications with Seem. "Seem, we've recovered the artifact."

"That is a relief," Seem replied. "When can I expect it returned?"

"Actually...could we borrow it for a while?" Jak continued. "It's one of five we need to open the ruins in the Forest south of Haven, to reach the catacombs."

"Hmm...I suspected as much," Seem replied. "How many other artifacts have you acquired for that mission?"

"Three of the five," Jak answered.

"So this one makes four? Very well. Use it wisely."

"Thanks, Seem," Jak replied, cutting off communications and setting course for the transport to Haven, in the hopes Samos might have ideas where to find the final one.

At a suggestion from Keira via comm link, Jak and the others took the artifacts straight to the forest. Once there, a large stone head rose out of the ground at their approach, its eyes shut. Curious, Jak stepped forward and struck a button where the head's nose would have been.

The eyes flew open, glowing blue and sending out a ray of blue light, creating a light ring for Jak to race through.

"Time me!" Jak shouted as he took off on the Jet Board.

Jak pursued the glowing ball of light, following its contrail as it created more light rings. As he passed through the last one, it flew back to the stone head...which promptly exploded.

"Less than 30 seconds," Shining murmured. "Nice!"

"That's...probably significant," Daxter pointed out.

In the distance, one of the pillars could be heard raising up slightly out of the water.

"Let's see if there are others!" Jak insisted.

As Jak suspected, there were four other stone faces scattered about that rose out of the ground to his approach. When he completed each course of light rings, the stone faces exploded, and the pillars rose, each one rising higher than the last one. When the last face exploded and the last pillar rose, they formed a staggered stairwell allowing the trio to climb to the top of the raised central pillar.

As they stood atop each raised pillar, it rose up beneath them to the height of the next one, dropping back down as they all leapt across. Once at the top, they found a contraption that looked a bit like a telescope connected to an orbiting planetoid.

"Approach the Astro-viewer, time warriors," the voice of the Precursors instructed.

As Jak stepped up and looked in, the viewer zoomed in on the Day Star, revealing a surprisingly organic looking ship, covered in tentacles.

"Behold, the seed of our destruction," the Precursor voice elaborated.

Jak pulled back, letting Shining and Daxter each get a look, even as the Precursors continued speaking.

"We Precursors built many worlds across the universe, shaping them with Eco into something good...but we were foolish. The Dark Makers were once Precursors, but their over-exposure to Dark Eco changed them. They began twisting worlds, conquering life and dark ages ensued." Despite the distorting echo of the voice, the pain of the described events came through plain as day. "Now, the Dark Ones have found your world and are coming to claim it for themselves."

"Over our dead bodies," Jak growled.

"That is their plan, yes," the Precursors replied. "There is but one hope left. You will find a planetary defense system hidden deep at the core of the planet." As the voice explained it, a view of the system described appeared. "There is still a chance to save your world. I hope you are more successful than many planets whose fates have already been closed."

As the voice stopped, the trio pulled back. "Looks like we know what we're up against now," Jak murmured. "You guys ready?"

"Save the world from the unstoppable evil Precursors?" Daxter asked. "Yeah, sounds like Tuesday alright."

"Just in the nick of time, huh?" Shining asked with a smirk. "What does that make us?"

Jak chuckled, bracing his Morph Gun on his shoulder. "Big damn heroes..."

Spargus: Factory Attack

The journey to the Power Station began with a trip through the sewers, since the energy shield sealing off the power station could only be deactivated by directly shutting down the main breaker for the systems. The sewer passages were still patrolled by KG robots and blocked by various laser passageways, but the trio found a new way to get past them. Daxter scampered along the walls and ceiling until he was directly above a target, then dropped down as he extended his Light Eco blades around his paws to dig into his target, whether hazard or robot. If he landed successfully, he was able to disable the target completely, generally by dismembering. If he missed, he provided an excellent distraction, allowing Jak and Shining to take out the Robots with their own blades and guns when they turned to look at Daxter.

Everything went fine until, after opening a grate to continue onward, only for the trio to be swept down a long sluice where the water flowed too fast for them to get their footing. All three let out cries of shock as they were washed away, splashing down into a thankfully deep pool at the bottom. Jak landed feet first, sinking deep in. Shining and Daxter, unfortunately, landed rather painfully belly first. Despite the disorienting event, the trio continued on.

Surprisingly, mostly standard organic hostiles awaited them in the remaining portion of the sewers with only a few scattered KG robots, making progress much swifter as the organic enemies were less actively hostile and much less durable than KG bots or Metalheads. The trio carefully made their way up several waterfalls, carefully using water purification systems as platforms as they extended and retracted, cycling through the waterways. It wasn't long beyond that the group reached the breaker, letting them shut it down.

"That was far harder than it had to be," Daxter grumbled.

"Well, what other options were there?" Jak questioned.

"Having Shining rip the barrier out at the roots?" Daxter offered. "Like he did in the mine?"

"Too risky," Shining countered. "Having an open conduit that close might have damaged the systems in the Power Center. After all, anything heading out would pass through those same conduits."

Daxter scratched his chin. "...huh. Hadn't thought of that."

"For now, let's just get out of here," Jak grumbled.

When they reached the Power Station, they found Vin laying back in a chair, a strange device attached to his head, cables running from it to the various consoles scattered around. "Vin?" Jak asked, worried. When Vin didn't respond, he walked forward, reaching out towards the device on Vin's head.

"Don't touch that!" Vin's voice broke in from the consoles all around. "I got the message about the codes you needed, but they were deep buried in the systems, and I couldn't get them through normal means."

"Vin?" Shining gasped out. "W-what's going on?"

"This was an old back-up plan I had in case the Metalheads got me, adapted for our needs now," Vin's voice continued to explain. "Right now, my brain waves have been temporarily converted into Eco Waves and downloaded directly into the Eco Grid. This is letting me find the holes in the security nets more directly, to get the information you need and utilize it. It's...just taking a while. The security is tight, and dangerous. But I've almost..."

The largest screen flashed, and Vin sat up, catching a small object that flew out of the screen. "Got it!" Vin breathed in relief, pulling the device off his head. "Ugh...never going back in there if I can help it..." Shaking his head, he handed over the device that came out of the screen. "Here. This cypher key will open the doors on the War Factory."

"Thanks Vin," Jak replied as he pocketed the cypher key. "While we're here, do you need anything?"

"Nothing easily provided," Vin replied as he went back to the consoles. "Besides, if I actually asked, I'm pretty sure I'd get an earful from someone."

Daxter smirked conspiratorially. "I hear ya. Come on, Jak. Let's stop this war so our buddy Vin can...relax."

Upon returning to HQ, Jak and the others discovered that the data from the Cypher Key had already been used to figure out the unlock codes for the primary KG War Factory. "We need our best people on that raid," Torn pointed out.

"Gee," Daxter replied sarcastically, "I wonder who that could be?"

"The factory might be doing more than just making Death Bots," Samos pointed out worriedly.

"We need to know who's behind it all," Torn insisted. "How so many Death bots are being made...where they're getting the supplies and Eco...something about the whole thing doesn't seem right."

"We'll get the answers before we blow the place to kingdom come," Shining promised. "Now where do we go?"

"Around the back of this building is a garage with a new A-Grav vehicle Keira's been working on," Torn explained. "Think you're up to flying in three dimensions?"

"I can handle it," Jak confirmed. "I can handle anything Keira designs."

"Except her cakes!" Shining joked, ducking as Jak took a swing at him.

Samos chuckled at their antics. "Well, Keira tells us she's installed a few new safety features in this vehicle. Ready to go?"

"Right into the hornet's nest," Jak confirmed, grinning widely. "This is gonna be fun!"

Spargus: Factory Falls

As Jak, Daxter, and Shining took to the sky in the new aerial gunship of Keira's design, they discovered that the codes alone weren't enough to get them into the flying War Factory. While the codes let them pass through the external shields, the defensive weaponry still fired upon them. "Evasive maneuvers!" Daxter called out as the first wave of laser shots passed just under their craft.

"Already on it, Dax!" Jak snapped, jerking the controls and performing an aileron roll out of the way. "Shining, we could use some defense!"

"On it!" Shining shouted back as he charged his magic. "But this size, I can't keep a perfect sphere up constantly, or we won't be able to fire back!"

"Then make it a half-dome on line of sight!" Jak ordered. "Dax, keep an eye out for weapons fire, and keep Shining sweeping the shield around."

"Right!" the two responded immediately, Shining casting the shield out in a wall that he rotated around to block incoming fire, while also moving it aside to let Jak fire the craft's weapons.

Jak carefully maneuvered the aircraft, locating each of the Factory's power points scattered about, which both kept the place afloat and kept them from getting inside. While taking out each individual one would take quite some time, they were grouped together, and Jak was able to target large groups with the Blue Eco bombs Keira had loaded the craft with, one bomb easily taking out as many as four when aimed properly. The larger problem proved to be the Factory's own fighter craft which swooped around it, trying to take the group out of the sky. Even with Daxter and Shining both keeping an eye out, their craft took a few bad hits.

After 32 of the power collection points had been destroyed, the four corner towers of the Factory unwound, revealing both Blue Eco propellers to keep it afloat and heavy turrets aimed to take the group out. The standard cannon fire from their craft didn't seem to inflict any damage on them, however. "Any ideas?" Jak asked worriedly.

"There's that weird crystal thing above the barrel of the heavy cannon," Shining suggested. "Maybe if you hit it with a bomb? Might overload it?"

"Sounds like a plan," Daxter offered. "Not sure why, but it does."

"Good a plan as any." Turning the vehicle carefully, Jak lined it up and fired off the bomb. The discharge of Blue Eco did, as planned, overloaded the tower, causing it to explode. "Nice!"

"Three to go!" Daxter called out.

Three towers later, the defenses of the Factory went down, allowing the trio to land safely and begin the interior assault.

The interior of the Fortress proved even more well fortified than the exterior, the halls patrolled by literal droves of KG Robots, which seemed to be replaced every time the trio turned around. On the other hand, there was a great deal of Eco ammo scattered about for the bots to reload from, which Shining and Jak were more than happy to 'requisition' for their own use.

"Damn, these guys are serious about protecting this place," Daxter panted after a particularly large group, his paw Eco blades somewhat faint from his exhaustion. "Do these guys ever end?"

"That's what we're here for," Jak replied, taking a few breaths of his own as he leaned on his gun. "To stop them from making more."

"Conserve your Eco, Daxter," Shining cautioned as they approached a turbine blocking the path. "Looks like we'll need to rely on you to get into the machinery and open paths for us."

"Damn!" Daxter grumbled, staggering over to a nearby pipe. "When I get back, I'm going to need a lift..."

"Will do, buddy," Jak promised as the ottsel clambered into the pipe.

Once at the other end of the pipe, Daxter went hand over hand from the bottom of a grate, before dropping down to turn off the turbine. He then clambered up to Jak's shoulder. "Lemme know when you need me again," he murmured drowsily as he clung to his perch.

The journey through the Factory continued in much the same way. Jak and Shining would take out any bots that attacked, guarding each other's backs. When they came to a point where Daxter had to crawl around the internals of the Factory, he would do so, making his way through to the next switch before returning to Jak's shoulder, where he conserved his Eco and physical energy. The trio would also carefully maneuver over floating platforms, making sure not to look down into emptiness to see just how far above the city they were...and how far they would fall if they missed a step.

After a few more such obstacle sets, all three managed to get a break when they found a vehicle they could drive across the nearby conveyor belts on for a while. Shining and Daxter gratefully flopped into it to relax as Jak took the wheel, using it to run down the KG bots in their way and smash through fence barriers. At the end of the ride, they found an elevator taking them deeper into the factory, and a path that was unguarded.

"Everybody check for traps!" Daxter warned as they all went on guard. The absence of hostiles was concerning, given how heavy the defenses had been until then. It implied there was something further in that didn't need backup.

As it turned out, they were not mistaken. Inside, Errol awaited them, his body turned almost completely metallic, as though his organic components had been fused with a hyper-charged KG Robot. "I've found some new friends to help me conquer this puny little planet," he growled out, his voice heavily synthesized.

"Yeah," Daxter grunted. "We got that."

"Before long, we will own this puny world!" Errol snarled, his voice glitching as he raged, struggling to get a reaction out of Jak.

"Over our dead bodies," Jak countered, drawing his weapons.

Errol grinned madly. "That's the idea." Leaning forward, he brought a homing rocket launcher to bear, attempting to lock onto the trio.

"How about no?" Shining asked, his horn flaring as he seized Errol and dragged him down from his high perch to their level.

"Grr...fine!" Errol growled. "I'd rather tear you apart with my bare hands, anyway!" Smashing his smaller right fist into his much larger left palm, he lunged in, even as the trio drew their own blades.

Jak and Shining lunged in, their blades clashing against Errol's arms. Unfortunately, his armor was far more durable than the standard KG Death Bot, and they weren't able to cut through. Daxter's Light Eco blades, however, caused some sort of error in Errol's systems, even if they couldn't inflict much physical damage.

"What's the matter?" Errol gloated. "Outclassed?" Bending down, he grabbed hold of Daxter and slammed him into Shining's face, before backhanding the both of them across the room with his larger hand. "Face it, Jak! Your little band of heroes stand no chance against the evolution I have undergone! You will fall to me Jak!" Lunging in, he knocked Jak's blades aside and punched him hard in the face, knocking him against a nearby wall. "But don't worry...I won't kill you yet! I'm going to lock your mind into a robot you can't control, so you can see what I do to this world!" He delivered another punch. "To your friends!" He kneed Jak in the gut. "Your family!" He brought his head down against Jak's nose. "And to Kei-"

To Jak's eyes, the world seemed to slow down. The flow of Eco through the air became visible to his eyes. Wisps of Blue, Yellow, Red, and Green floated through the air, guided by the Light and Dark that anchored them, shaping them to the world. Though he could barely breathe through his broken nose, he took in a deep breath, feeling the Eco flow into him. His wounds healed, his energy levels skyrocketed...and his eyes glowed. As the last punch came towards his face, he faded out, vanishing to sight.

"What the-" Errol demanded, confused, only to get slammed across the room into the opposite wall, his entire body sparking from the dent in his torso. "How is this-"

Errol's head slammed against the wall as something he couldn't see struck him hard in the face, tearing off some of the remaining skin. "I'm only going to say this once," Jak's voice said from nowhere as the next strike ripped his right arm from his body. "Don't...touch...Keira!"

Staring around in fear, Errol fled, clutching his sparking stump as he leapt through a nearby portal. Slowly, Jak reformed in front of Shining and Daxter, his eyes still glowing before he slumped backwards.

"Okay," Daxter murmured, "I don't care what the transformation does to you...Shadow Jak is awesome!"

"You okay, bro?" Shining asked worriedly.

"I'll...live," Jak breathed out, collapsing backwards. "I'm...I'm fine, really," Jak hastened to assure the others. "I just...need to rest..."

"How did you do that?" Daxter demanded. "You were out of ammo!"

"I...I drew in Eco...from the environment..." Jak murmured. "Lots of...tiny wisps...became a torrent..."

"You can do that?" Shining gasped out, stunned.

"...seems that way..." Jak murmured as he slumped over.

At that moment, the entire fortress began to collapse. Desperately, Shining bound Jak and Daxter to his back with his magic. "I hope this takes us someplace safe..." he murmured, racing for the portal and leaping through.

Author's Note

Yes, Jak just unlocked the ability to restore his reserves of Eco while stationary...which I believe is one he gets in Lost Frontier?

Spargus: Darkness Rising

Surprisingly enough, the portal dropped the trio right in the middle of the command center, practically on top of Samos, Ashelin, Onin, and Pecker. "Talk about lucky," Shining mumbled, letting Jak and Daxter off his back. To his surprise, Jak was still holding Errol's detached arm, and a Light Crystal fell out of it when he dropped it. "Convenient," he murmured, adding it to their stash.

"Not as lucky as you think," Samos spoke up. "As soon as the Factory started to explode, Keira and Vin redirected any active portal activity in the area to here, on the off chance that's how you were going to get out in time."

"...can always count on her..." Jak managed to say as he struggled to pull himself up.

Samos promptly pushed Jak back down. "I don't care how small an amount of time we seem to have," he grumbled as he gathered his Green Eco. "Stop pushing yourself this hard! There are ways to handle these things without killing yourself in the process!"

Jak nodded helplessly as Daxter gave the others the report of what happened. Once the discussion concluded, Jak was able to get to his feet. "So...now we need to get to the bottom of the Catacombs," he grumbled as he stabilized himself. "Before Errol manages to awaken the Dark Maker ship."

Onin began waving her hands about, and Pecker translated. "Onin says that we are moving faster than time predicted, and we have more time to work with. The Dark Maker ship is not yet in position to make a move against this world...so we might just make it."

"Which means you can take it easier!" Samos instructed Jak as Ashelin handed Jak and Shining Mass Inverter modifiers for their Peacemakers. "Rely a bit more on your weapons and a bit less on your body, alright? Save your strength!"

"Will do," Jak promised, uncertain if he'd be able to keep it.

As the trio made their way out of the command center, they received an emergency communication. "Jak, please help us!" Seem's voice echoed. "Errol is attacking the monk temple. He wants the secrets we have kept regarding the Dark Makers. Please hurry! If he learns what he seeks, he could undo this world."

As the communication cut, Jak chuckled. "So much for taking it easy. I guess we know where we're going next."

After a relaxing ride out to the desert in a carrier, the trio jumped into the Dune Hopper and made their way to the monk's temple, where they'd gone to reach the Precursor Statue that had granted Jak his previous two Light Jak abilities. As soon as they arrived, new enemies warped in. They were roughly humanoid in shape, covered entirely in green and black armor. Jak and the others immediately prepared for battle, only to discover that the new foes were able to generate shields and hurl Dark Eco projectiles the same way Jak could in his other forms, making them incredibly frustrating to deal with, especially four on three.

By sheer luck, Shining discovered that the enemy shields - unlike Jak's - darkened towards red after taking several hits before shattering, causing the one generating the shield to become momentarily disoriented. With that tidbit, the strategy changed. The trio focused on gathering the enemies into a tight group, at which point Jak and Shining fired their Beam Reflexors into the middle, the shots ricocheting back and forth between the targets until the shields broke. The trio then charged in with their blades while the enemies were disoriented.

The first group went down rapidly from that strategy, though more and more were found as the trio made their way deeper into the temple. Thankfully, Beam Reflexor's efficiency increased dramatically in the narrower passages where the strategy they'd used before weren't viable, making the new foes much easier to take down there, if more frightening when they leapt out without warning.

Partway through, Daxter hesitated in front of a wall panel. "Hmm..." Approaching it, he knocked on it a few times. "Yo, Jak! I think it's hollow behind here! Think you can spare a Dark Blast to knock it down?"

Jak took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "I think so..." he murmured. Focusing, he shifted his body to Dark mode before gathering the energy, then firing off the blast. It shattered the panel and kept going, revealing a new passageway. Jak immediately reverted back to normal. "Samos wasn't kidding..." he muttered, leaning on his gun.

"We'll hold here for a time," Shining insisted firmly, watching Jak worriedly.

After a few minutes, Jak straightened. "Alright. Let's go."

The group continued deeper into the Temple, finding more such passages as they hunted down the groups of new enemies, pausing each time Jak needed to recover from firing off a Dark Blast. Each time, the break was shorter, showing Jak was starting to recover from what he'd put himself through. The Mass Inverter proved useful on occasion, as it altered gravity in the area, causing the enemy troopers to float in the air, unable to fight back.

After a long, hard trek, the trio reached a new platform before the Precursor Statue, this one glowing with energy. "Guess that's another trial we cleared," Jak grumbled, stepping up to the platform.

"You guess correctly, brave one," the statue's voice echoed as Shining stepped up beside him. "Once again, your heroism shall be rewarded. You show progress beyond expectations...but the strain upon your body from your efforts is plain to me. I shall repair the harm you have done to yourself once more, and grant you a new Light Power." Light Eco shot down, infusing both Jak and Shining. "This will help you to reach new places..." As the light faded, Jak found himself in Light form...with wings made of tendrils of Light spreading from his back. "...places only in your dreams."

Jak stared at his wings for a time. "...whoa..."

"You can say that again!" Daxter agreed.

"Whoa..." Shining added, awed.

Unable to resist the urge, Jak spread his wings wide and leapt to the air, exploring the parts of the Temple he couldn't reach before while the overflow of Light Eco from the Statue filled him. Following the path this presented, he found his way to where Seem had been hiding up in the rafters. Shining and Daxter teleported to his side as he approached. Seem, however, did not look entirely happy to see them.

"Errol has learned to connect to the Dark Maker Ship," Seem stated, head hanging as they clutched an artifact. "If he can awaken its terrible cargo, he will unleash horrors beyond our deepest nightmares."

"...I'm sorry," Jak apologized. "We came as soon as we got your communication-"

"It is not your fault," Seem interrupted. "My own arrogance is to blame. I thought we could handle his assault, to better conserve your energies for the coming battles...by the time I sent the communications, he had already gotten what he wanted. Take no blame for yourselves." Seem lifted their head with a soft smile. "Besides, all is not yet lost. I hid the most important artifact from Errol." Seem released the artifact into the air, where it revealed itself to be a Time-Space map, like what had been installed in the vessel that took Jak to and from Sandover so long ago. "You three will save us..." Severely weakened, Seem collapsed backward. When Jak moved to help, they waved him off. "It's alright," Seem insisted. "Take the portal...I will be along in time..."

Nodding, Jak turned, leading Shining and Daxter through the portal.

Spargus: Turn it Back

As Jak and the others made their way out of the Temple, they received a desperate communication from Damas. "Jak, we need you back at Spargus city! The scope's picking up something over the water, and it's not a storm! I think it has something to do with the dark satellites we've been seeing. You're our best gunner, so get back here now!"

"We'll be right there, Dad!" Jak promised as he leapt into the Dune Hopper, Daxter and Shining leaping in after him. After hanging up the communicator, however, he didn't activate the buggy right away. Instead, he gripped the sides, focusing his mind inward.

"Jak?" Daxter asked worriedly. "What are you doing?"

"Something crazy or stupid," Jak replied as he shifted to Light form. "Possibly both."

Grinning widely, Shining put his horn to Jak's side, adding his magical energy. "Let's see what you've got."

Turning on the Dune Hopper, Jak activated a turbo boost, shooting the buggy down the hill until it hit a slight bump just before a break in the path. Just as the buggy hit the bump, he triggered the buggy's jump...and spread his Light Eco Wings. With Shining's magic boosting it, the wings spread wide enough to hold the buggy aloft, gliding with the speed boost across the entire desert at high speed.

"I think it's both!" Daxter screamed out as the buggy slowly lost altitude without losing momentum, crashing front first into the sand floor of the buggy garage at the edge of Spargus, just inside the outer wall and nearly landing on Kleiver.

Hauling himself out of the buggy, Jak glanced over at just how close he came to crushing Kleiver. "So close!" he joked, pulling Shining and Daxter after him into the city.

As the trio entered the city, they found it under attack by the same Dark Eco Troopers that had been attacking the Monk's Temple. "Get to the gun!" Shining shouted out as he and Daxter raced to assist the citizens who were fighting back, each of them armed and ready to fight. "We'll help hold the ground!"

"On it!" Jak called back as he leapt on his Jetboard to get to the gun turret as fast as possible.

"You sure he can handle the gun without us?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"More sure than I am the citizens can handle the Troopers without us," Shining replied, racing into battle with Morph Gun and Eco Blade floating in his aura.

"Valid point," Daxter replied, extending a Light Eco Blade from one paw.

"Only one paw?" Shining asked curiously.

"My Eco abilities seem to come out as I need them," Daxter replied. "And Since Jak can heal himself with Light Eco, I figure maybe I can heal others? Wanna keep a paw available if that's the case."

"Not a bad idea," Shining called back as he took advantage of a Trooper's focus on a warrior of Spargus to split it down the middle from behind. "Let's go!"

Jak reached the turret without problems, racing up the ladder to mount the gun as capsules fell into the water before him. The same capsules then came rising back up out of the water, as heads of massive creatures seemingly made of tendrils of Dark Eco, launching explosive spheres towards the city. Jak kept his attention on the spheres, taking them out first while he watched to see how to take out the assault beasts. A sweeping strafe revealed to him that the 'capsule' heads took no damage from the turret's fire, and close observation showed that the tendrils that supported the creatures' weight were thicker and more substantive than the others. Taking a gamble, he targeted the 'leg' tendrils with the turret. Enough damage caused those tendrils to dissolve, and when all did the capsule creatures would explode.

"Well, now that I know how to destroy these things..." he muttered with a wide grin.

Shining and Daxter raced back and forth through the desert city, finding any locals pinned down by the Troopers and lending aid, keeping casualties down. Daxter's hopeful prediction about his abilities proved accurate, as he found he could indeed heal wounds with his Light Eco, though doing so drastically drained his reserves, leading him to the conclusion that - short of emergencies - it would be better to let nature and medicine do its job. "How do you think Jak's doing?" he called out to Shining.

"I'm hearing plenty of explosions and very few human screams from the direction of the harbor," Shining called back, "so I'm guessing he's doing fine!"

"Here's hoping!" Daxter called back, only to freeze. Something was off. Glancing up, he saw a capsule falling towards Shining. "Watch out!" he yelled out, trying to tackle Shining out of the way, only to barely shift him. "Curse my tiny body-"

In a flash of light, Shining teleported them both out of the way before the capsule crushed them.

"...forgot you could do that," Daxter murmured lamely.

Shining stared up as the creature from inside the capsule rose, towering over the buildings. "So...this is what Jak's dealing with from the turret?" he asked weakly.

At that moment, a barrage of turret fire slammed into the creature's legs, making it explode. "Looks like he's doing quite well after all," Daxter gasped out.

"You get 'em bro!" Shining called out, racing back into the fray.

Jak, Shining, and Daxter all came to floating in the oasis at the top of Damas' tower. "Seems you pushed yourselves a little hard...again," Damas told them teasingly, fierce pride audible in his voice.

"How long were we out?" Jak asked worriedly, sitting up in the water.

"Only an hour," Damas told him. "Not nearly long enough in my opinion, if you three are pushing yourselves hard enough that you collapsed when the battle was over. Sig had to carry you down from the turret, Jak."

"We have to push," Shining replied as he got to his hooves. "If we go fast enough, we can use the planetary defense system to destroy the Dark Maker's ship before it reaches the planet."

"Eh?" Damas asked, not quite following.

"Turns out 'blowing up the Day Star' was the right call after all," Daxter explained as he clambered out of the water, shaking himself off. "No matter how irritated Seem was at the suggestion."

Damas couldn't help but chuckle. "You three have more than proven yourselves in service of Spargus. You have earned this." Holding out his hand, he gave Jak the third and final Battle Amulet. "The three pieces together form a beacon. If you ever need the help of our city, use it to call us, and we will be there."

Smiling, Jak put the three pieces together, hanging the completed Battle Amulet around his neck alongside his Mar Sigil. "I'll remember," he said calmly.

"And to ensure you don't get yourself killed being as reckless as you are..." Damas continued with an impish grin. As Jak rolled his eyes and Shining and Daxter chuckled, Damas handed over a torso armor piece made of Precursor Alloy, matching the bracers and greaves Jak had found. "This is part of the armor our ancestor, Mar, once wore into battle. I feel it only appropriate that you wear his armor into battle, even as you bear his name." He smiled as Jak pulled it on. "I'd been saving it as a gift for you for when you came of age...only for it to happen when I wasn't looking."

Jak smiled warmly. "Thanks Dad."

"Just make sure you and Keira settle down in this time," Damas continued teasingly. "I missed seeing my sons grow up, so you owe me several grandkids to spoil!"

"Dad!" Jak groaned out plaintively as Shining and Daxter burst into laughter.

Spargus: Circle

As Jak and the others left Damas' tower, they received an urgent communication from Samos. "Jak, we have a problem. Readings indicate the Dark Maker ship has raised its shields."

Jak growled under his breath. "Errol must have learned about our plan and warned them," he responded.

"Likely," Samos confirmed. "It may be enough to protect the ship from the Planetary Defense System once we manage to activate it."

"Any ideas how to get around them?" Shining asked curiously.

"Well, dark creatures have taken over Haven Forest," Samos explained, "so I'm guessing the Astro-Viewer might have more secrets to share. Be careful, though."

"Aren't we always?" Daxter asked jokingly. He then quickly added, "Don't answer that."

"We're on our way," Jak confirmed, breaking contact and heading for the transport.

The trip to Haven Forest proved no more difficult than it had ever been. However, the forest itself was a very changed landscape. Large creatures that were half-flora, half-fauna gripped the large rocks and stone walls of the forest, guiding dark energies through the entire area and powering turrets manned by Dark Troopers. The group's normal weapons unfortunately didn't effect the large flowering constructs. "Any ideas?" Jak asked the others.

"Think you could control one of the turrets?" Daxter suggested. "Think it could probably damage them? I mean, the Troopers are being careful not to aim at them..."

"You two gonna keep the Troopers off my back?" Jak clarified.

"You know it!" Shining confirmed.

The tactic proved surprisingly effective, at least until the flowers started spitting out winged Troopers which attacked from the air. Shining and Daxter at first had difficulty dealing with them...until Shining got the idea to throw Daxter at them. The method worked surprisingly well, especially as Daxter proved adept at leaping from one to another to dig in with his Light Blades.

After leaving the first two flowers smoking ruins, the trio made their way to the next turret, where the tactics they'd developed proved just as effective, allowing them to take out three more before they had to regroup, the sheer number of troops attacking them overwhelming them so they had to abandon the turret before it exploded.

"Okay, direct assault isn't going to work here," Shining grumbled. "We need a distraction of some sort so Jak can get to the last turret with enough time to take out the last three flowers. Any ideas?"

Jak and Daxter thought hard, hiding behind their cover while they waited for the Troopers to start searching another part of the forest. "They seem to be focused on the Astro Viewer," Daxter muttered. "If we could get someone up there..." He paused, noticing the way the others were looking at him. Glancing back and forth, he sighed. "Alright. Just not by the tail this time."

Nodding, Jak gripped Daxter around the middle as he gauged distances. "...gonna need some extra power for this..." he muttered, grabbing his Scatter Gun Ammo.

"You pulled Eco in before," Shining murmured. "Why not do it now?"

"It's based on what Eco's in the environment," Jak replied. "This forest only has Green and Dark."

"How do you know that?" Daxter asked as Jak chugged the Red Eco.

"...not sure, but I do," Jak replied as he pulled back and hurled Daxter at the Astro Viewer.

The ottsel let out a loud scream as he flew all the way to the top, immediately drawing all attention of the Dark Troopers. Once they were distracted, Shining teleported Jak to the last turret, allowing him to take out the remaining flowers. This caused the Dark Troopers to collapse and disappear as their power source was cut off. With that done, the platforms once more rose to create the path to the Astro Viewer. Jak and Shining climbed up, smirking as they saw Daxter glowering at them. "Next time, throw Shining!" he insisted. "Or better yet, have him teleport!"

"But you're far noisier than I could ever be!" Shining countered, immediately initiating a mock tussle between the pair.

Jak, meanwhile, placed the artifact they'd gotten from Seem in a waiting slot on the Astro Viewer. The Astro Viewer then shifted, once more locking onto the Dark Maker ship. When Jak peered through this time, however, the device glowed, and Jak flinched, feeling a probe against his mind. "I...I'm being uplinked..." he groaned out.

Daxter and Shining immediately went to his side, trying to support him. "Jak?" Daxter asked worriedly. "You okay, buddy?"

"Everything alright, bro?" Shining asked.

"I'm...I'm uplinked to the ship's systems..." Jak groaned out. "I can...control one of their mechs..."

"So...what's the plan?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"Play to my strengths..." Jak grunted back. "...and...smash everything!"

"You go, bro!" Shining cheered, bracing himself against Jak's legs so Jak could relax his body.

Daxter and Shining both stayed silent, staying close to Jak as he controlled the mech far up on the Dark Maker ship. Every so often, he'd flinch or spasm, and the pair would do what they could to help him. Shining nuzzled against his side, trying to still the shakes. Daxter, meanwhile, poured as much Light Eco into Jak as he dared, wanting to help stabilize his body without disrupting the link to the mech.

A blazing flash of light forced Jak back from the Astro Viewer, and he clutched at his face. "...ow..."

"You okay, Jak?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"Yeah...I'm okay..." Jak rubbed at his eyes, staring up at the sky. "But...I think it worked."

"Good," Shining replied. "Now let's get you back into town so you can rest up a bit."

"I'd take a bet on him getting a chance," Daxter joked, though not in good humor.

Author's Note

This chapter, the two before it, and the one following, are following a certain theme in titles.

I wonder if any of my readers will spot the theme before next chapter.

Spargus: Track

With their work done in Haven Forest, the trio made their way back to Haven HQ, Shining at the controls of their A-Grav vehicle while Jak rested in the passenger seat. Shining set them down so Jak could leap straight into the elevator, before joining him there for a ride up.

As they arrived, Ashelin was in the midst of laying out her plan. "Who knows what Errol's going to do next with that Dark Ship!" she insisted. "We have to take him out."

"And you have a plan to do that?" Jak asked curiously. "Facing him wasn't exactly a walk in the park last time. I still don't know how I do half of this stuff I pull off in the heat of the moment, and I can't repeat it on command."

"Don't worry Jak, my plan doesn't include the new abilities you've demonstrated," Ashelin hastened to reassure him. "I wouldn't risk you that recklessly...even though the plan is risky."

"You say that like it's news," Daxter joked.

"We're kinda used to taking insane risks by now," Shining added playfully. "Though maybe the risks here will only be deranged, if just for variety?"

Jak chuckled at Daxter and Shining's antics. "So what is the plan?" he asked.

"Torn and Jinx will be driving a vehicle filled with explosives into the Metalhead section of the city to blow up the nest," Ashelin explained. "You three will provide cover, and make sure the explosives reach their destination without being blown up before then."

"And Torn and Jinx back safe and sound?" Jak clarified firmly.

Ashelin looked away. "Jak...I know you'll hate hearing this...but their survival is not a priority for this mission, and they both already know it. If it's a choice between completing the mission or keeping them alive-"

"There's a reason there's three of us," Shining interrupted stubbornly. "I'll just ride with them and keep them shielded."

Ashelin sighed. "Alright, if you insist," she relented at last. "Jak, you and Daxter will be in a new gunship right behind them, keeping them covered, along with Sig."

"Oh, good!" Daxter proclaimed. "Maybe Jak will actually have time to recover before we get to the next big mission."

With Shining shielding the explosives craft, the mission was pulled off without a hitch, delivering the explosives straight into the heart of the Metalhead nest and blasting open a path into the tower. As the vehicle came to a halt, Sig pumped his fist. "Oh yeah!" he proclaimed proudly. "They're hurting now!" Grinning eagerly, he tossed Jak a Super Nova modification for the Morph Gun, a Dark Eco powered rocket launcher. Jinx was handing Shining his. "Move and groove, chili peppers!"

"Time to clean house!" Jak purred as he clambered out of the vehicle. "Ready to rock, Dax?"

"Wait...we're going in there?" Daxter gasped out. He glanced around for a bit, then sighed. "Yeesh, who am I kidding? You'd totally get lost without me. Let's go!"

Chuckling, Jak and Shining raced in, Daxter hitching a ride as usual. They paused near the entrance, however, as just inside was a Light Eco vent. "Okay, why is there a Light Eco vent in the Metalhead nest?" Jak asked, confused.

"Knowing our luck, because there will be time-stop puzzles," Shining joked.

The interior of the tower was heavily organic in structure, a blend of twining wood and what looked like Metalhead excretions shaping the walls and pathways, several walls covered with clusters of Metalhead eggs. The only illumination came from small yellow crystals lining the paths and the walls, giving just enough light to see by and no more. The hostiles were a mix of strange blue scorpion-like crawlers that sometimes fused together into larger forms and the flying Troopers the flowers had spat out in the Forest, along with a few non-flying Troopers. The trio kept up a defensive posture, blasting away with their weapons as they slowly climbed up the spiraling tower path.

Jak and Shining quickly discovered the most efficient strategy was to equip the Beam Reflexor and fire rapidly, filling the corridors with bouncing lasers that tore through the enemies. With two weapons going off, the only major obstacle proved to be wide pits Jak had to use his new Light Wings to fly across with Daxter on his shoulder, while Shining teleported across. Occasionally, new paths only opened when all the enemies in the area had been killed, though this didn't prove problematic for the group.

When they reached the very top of the tower, they found Errol waiting, staring into a pulsating purple field. He apparently had managed to get a new arm to replace the one Jak had torn off. "Ah, my little friends have come to see me off," he taunted playfully. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have an appointment with the most powerful beings in the universe."

"Sorry, but my schedules a bit full," Jak teased.

"Same here," Daxter added.

"I can maybe squeeze you in next Tuesday," Shining offered jokingly.

Errol rolled his eyes. "Your taunting is amusing, but I've already awakened the Dark Maker ship. When I come back, I will be wielding the very power of the Precursors! I'll see you soon boys."

"How soon?" Jak asked curiously. "So we know how long we have to 'scurry helplessly' and 'futilely try to stop you'?"

"By sunrise tomorrow, it will be too late for all of you!" Errol proclaimed mockingly, leaping through the portal.

Bending down, Jak took the Dark Eco Crystal from the niche where it was being used to power the portal.

"Well, that's not much time..." Daxter murmured.

"Except that it's sunrise now," Jak murmured. "We've got a whole day. That's more than enough time."

The entire tower began to shake. "We should get out of here!" Shining shouted out.

"Over here!" Sig called through an opening in the side of the tower, where he was riding in an aerial vehicle.

The trio quickly leapt in as the top of the tower exploded as the portal within went haywire, and Sig gave them a lift back to the ground, so they could meet with the others to plan out the final conflict.

Spargus: End Game

Once on the ground, Jak and the others made a beeline for Onin's tent to get more information from Samos and Onin. Once there, Samos' face was grave. "Boys, we're in serious trouble."

"Onin says there are strange forces at work," Pecker translated as Onin shaped strange images in light from her fingertips. "Fate has been twisted by something more powerful than anything she has seen in her many years." He let off a startled squawk. "Something now awake deep in the catacombs."

"Well, we needed to get down there anyway," Jak muttered. "Guess now we know the path's open."

"The best access to the Catacombs is on the Metalhead side of the city," Samos pointed out worriedly. "Despite the damage you've done, it's still dangerous. Be careful."

"We will be," Shining promised.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Daxter joked.

Everyone turned to stare angrily at him.

Daxter blinked for a time. "...I can't believe I just said that..."

"Now I'm even more upset that Onin's sending me with you," Pecker grumbled angrily. Sighing, he took to the air. "You three get to the Catacombs Entrance and take care of business. I'll meet you there once the coast is clear."

When the trio reached the path to the Catacombs, they found the area patrolled by exceptionally large Metalheads, each easily tougher than any enemy they had faced before. In fact, they were much the same types that had guarded the path into the Metalhead nest when they'd gone after Kor. It was plain it would not be an easy trek.

"The only hombres tough and crazy enough to take on these things are the Wastelanders!" Daxter insisted angrily.

Jak paused, blinked...and grinned widely. "You're a genius," he praised, pulling out the completed Battle Amulet. As he pressed it, however, it let out a buzzing sound, a blinking red light...and then nothing.

"...should we go back and have Keira give it a look?" Shining suggested.

"No time," Jak grumbled. "Guess we're on our own for now." Drawing his Morph Gun and switching to the Beam Reflexor, he charged in, Shining beside him.

The path to the Catacombs entrance was wide and open roofed, proving to be easy to maneuver but difficult to take advantage of. The walls were too far apart for the Beam Reflexor to be too effective, and without a roof, the shots frequently escaped upward, forcing Jak to instead rely on other weapons and new strategies to deal with the exceptionally large or agile Metalheads.

Eventually, they settled on a new strategy. Jak would make his way down the middle of the path slowly, shooting at the Metalheads with his Blaster to goad them into charging him. When they did, Shining would hurl Daxter from the side of the path, and Daxter would drive in Light Blades first, plunging through the larger Metalheads. The more agile ones were able to leap back out of the way...generally into the sweep of Jak's Eco Blade. This tactic proved effective in the more open areas, while the Beam Reflexor proved more useful between piles of debris.

Once their strategy was nailed down, the trio was able to move forward, the only obstacles being walls in the debris on narrow paths that Jak had to use Dark Blast to break through and large pits he needed to use his Light Wings to fly over. Thankfully, there were several Dark and Light Eco Vents to recharge his Eco from.

A more concerning obstacle occurred when a perfectly stable seeming platform collapsed under Jak's feet as he landed on it. He nearly fell into a pit without a visible bottom, if not for Shining catching him in his telekinetic aura. "Yikes!" Jak murmured once Shining had him on stable ground. "Did not see that coming. ...any ideas how to get across those?"

"...very carefully?" Daxter suggested.

"I can probably hold the platform stable with my magic while you're on it," Shining offered. "Still might want to leap across quickly."

"Right," Jak agreed, bracing himself.

The tactic worked well, enabling the group to keep going, doing their best to balance caution and speed. After blasting through one last wall, the trio found Pecker waiting for them.

"Where have you been?" he demanded angrily. "I've molted three times already just waiting for you!"

"Not all of us have wings, you know," Daxter replied snidely.

"Onin says we must get through the Palace Ruins," Pecker continued, ignoring the jibe. "But I think-behind you!" With that, he took to the air.

Spinning, Jak, Shining, and Daxter found themselves confronted by two fully operational Dark Satellites, weapons primed and aimed right at them. Shining immediately threw out his shield, and Jak backed him up with his own Light Shield, Daxter pouring his own Light Eco into them both to keep them replenished.

"They're...just going to wait until we run out of juice before blasting us, aren't they?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"...probably," Jak confirmed.

"And...if we try to make a run for it, we won't get far?"

"Nope," Shining confirmed.

Daxter swallowed convulsively. "Then guys...I just want to say...it's been wonderful knowing you both. If I could turn back time and change things...I don't think I would."

"Except maybe getting someone to make you tiny pants?" Jak offered jokingly.

"Yeah...it'd be nice if I died with pants on," Daxter agreed...pulling his paws back and drawing in his Eco.

"Daxter!" Shining gasped out. "What are you-"

"SPARGUS!" Daxter screamed out, hurling himself out of the shield and at the Dark Satellites, Light Blades fully charged as the Satellites turned their weapons towards him. His eyes shut tight as he flew towards what he was certain would be his death.

A huge crashing noise tore through the air. Something large passed over Daxter's head, and he heard the Dark Satellites explode. A large hand caught him out of the air. When he opened his eyes, Damas was smiling down at him. "You called?"

Spargus: Ride Into the Danger Zone

Damas watched carefully as Daxter slowly gathered his wits, taking in what just happened. "...not dead?" he finally asked, his voice barely a whimper.

"No," Damas confirmed, "not dead. But very brave."

Daxter glanced around slowly. "...Jak? Shining?"

"They're alright too," Damas confirmed.

"Oh. ...good." Daxter lifted his gaze to Damas. "...I'm gonna go ahead and faint now..."

"Go ahead," Damas allowed. "You've earned it, little warrior." He hadn't even finished speaking by the time Daxter fell limp in his lap.

"Your timing couldn't be better," Shining managed to say as he clambered into the vehicle, more than a little shaken up.

"I've always known how to make a good entrance," Damas confirmed, reaching over with his free hand to ruffle Shining's mane.

"You're a long way from the desert," Jak joked as he took the seat beside his father in the massive assault buggy. "Didn't I once hear you say a smart warrior never takes his opponent head on?"

Damas grinned widely. "That depends on how hard your skull is," he replied, gesturing to his own prominent dome. "And from all I've seen and heard of your exploits, I can confirm that's something that runs in the family." He set Daxter gently in Jak's lap. "Keep a close eye on your friend. He does our people proud."

Nodding, Jak stuffed Daxter carefully into the chest plate of his armor, nestling him against his shirt for safety. He then took hold of the controls on his side of the buggy. "Let's finish this!"

"Agreed!" Damas confirmed, taking his own controls.

"Shields up!" Shining crowed as he raised a protective dome around the buggy as they gunned the engine.

The assault buggy proved to be very effective through the remainder of the journey. The path was wide and level enough to drive through, the buggy was built sturdy enough that between it and Shining's shield very little could actually damage it, and the heavy cannon on the front could swivel to lock onto the Troopers that warped in, and a few shots could take out any of them. Considering it fired at somewhere upwards of ten rounds per second, very little stayed standing long after being locked onto. On top of that, the vehicle could initiate a turbo boost at any time to smash through any solid obstacles that weapons fire didn't destroy.

The only problem that occurred was when they encountered large shield walls blocking the path, but each time there were shield generators on the near side of the walls that could be destroyed by ramming to drop the shield. This tactic also proved effective for knocking towers over to become bridges, or just running over enemies. The only threat of any concern that occurred was the occasional air drop fire bomb that took a good deal of time to fall, so Jak's eyes on the radar enabled them to evade the projectiles easily.

As they drove, Daxter started to stir, and Jak took his eyes off the controls to let him out from inside the armor...and a fire bomb struck the rear wheel of the buggy under Shining's shield just as Damas made a sharp turn, sending the vehicle flipping end over end. Jak, Shining, and Daxter were blown clear...but Damas landed with the buggy on top of him, the metal frame crushing his waist.

"Dad!" Jak and Shining shouted out together as they rushed to his side, Shining's telekinesis flaring as he threw the vehicle away...only for both of them to gasp.

Part of the buggy's frame had broken when it flipped, and the broken metal spar had pierced straight through Damas' stomach. His body would not move below the crush damage, and the wound wept black blood even as Damas held the wound closed to the best of his ability.

"Dad...I..." Jak began, tears in his eyes.

"It's not your fault, Jak," Damas said quickly. "I was the careless one...but it's alright..." He coughed weakly, pushing himself upright. "I was ready to die for this war...long ago. I am just glad I got a chance...to see the young men my sons have grown into...warriors I can be proud of..."

As he spoke, Daxter pressed his paws into the wound. "Hang on, old timer!" he insisted, his voice quavering in fear despite how firm he tried to make himself sound. "I can heal...I can fix this..." He didn't truly believe it, but he had to try.

"Oh, don't bother," a familiar, oily voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to stare. "Veger!" Jak demanded angrily. "What are you doing here?"

"What else?" Veger countered. "Saving this ungrateful world! Deep below, the power of the Precursors awaits! I will make that power my own, and with it at my command, unleash the planetary defense grid! And don't bother trying to save him, fool," he addressed Daxter. "That color of blood means the liver's been penetrated. Nothing will save him now." He chuckled softly. "Rather fitting for my plans."

"What do you mean?" Daxter demanded even as Jak tried to add his own Light Eco to the healing efforts.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Veger demanded angrily. "It didn't take long for me to see what Jak was up to. With the Baron in his pocket, he could bring Damas back to Haven. He would have been able to unite the two cities...but his affection for his sons blinds him to the truth! When I save this world and bring it to the light, there will be no place for you Dark Eco Freaks in-"

"VEGER!"

That roar of unadulterated rage, fury, and bloodlust caught all attention, as every eye swiveled to the surge of dark power that was its source.

Shining Armor knew how dangerous his anger was. The Precursors had told him the only reason he hadn't undergone a Dark transformation like Jak's was because the Dark Eco had no true funnel of rage to anchor to in his psyche, no true hatred. As long as that remained so, he was in no danger of being truly corrupted by the Dark Power. And with the way his magic functioned, Samos had warned him that such corruption was far more dangerous to him than it had been to Jak. If he became lost to it, there was a very real possibility he would never break free of it and return to himself. The Light Eco inside him helped keep the Dark in check, but his rage was always the channel to unleash it, a channel he kept well dammed.

And now here was Count Veger, gloating over how Damas - Shining's long lost father - was dying, and how that played right into his plans. All the warning, all the fear, all the self control, washed right down a river of fury as the dam in his mind shattered with the force of an explosion, and the Dark Eco erupted inside him.

"VEGER!"

With that frenzied roar, the Dark Eco flooded his body, and the transformation began. He felt himself bulk up somewhat, not too much but certainly noticeable on his normally small frame. His blue and white tail darkened, losing the white and darkening to almost black as both leapt into the air, waving behind him like a nightmarish miasma. His horn twisted, curving upward from his brow, a reddish tint dying it from the tip to halfway down its length. His white coat paled and dimmed to gray. His hooves hardened and sharpened, digging into the ground as he pawed at it. His teeth sharpened, from a full mouth of molars to razor sharp fangs, and his tongue lashed out, forked and snake-like. His pupils narrowed to slits as purple and green smoke poured from the corners. The shield marks upon his flanks cracked down the middle and split as a black crystal sword dripping with blood erupted from each.

The transformation was complete. The Black Knight rode.

"Veger..." he hissed out, turning his attention towards the target of his hunger for blood. Licking his lips eagerly, he lunged.

As Jak and the others watched in disbelief, Veger just barely leapt out of the way as the barely recognizable equine lunged forward, blurring past them. Where his hoof impacted, the ground cracked, split, and cratered with the force of Jak's Dark Strike. Veger was then forced to dive away again as the equine's mouth opened, firing off Dark Blast after Dark Blast in his direction. Desperately, Veger leapt into a nearby vehicle, taking off down a long tunnel.

"Ve~ger...I'm coming for you..." A dark purple shield surrounded The Black Knight as he rose into the air, shooting off down the tunnel after his target.

There would be no mercy.

Spargus: Monsters and Men

The Black Knight grinned widely, showing all his teeth as he pursued his target down the long tunnel, the Dark Corona surrounding him and deflecting weapons fire as Veger desperately shot back at him to try and keep him at bay. Several pillars erupted out the sides of the long tunnel as The Black Knight approached, but they shattered as the Dark Corona slammed into them. Still, they slowed him down somewhat, even if they didn't hurt him, and he didn't want to be slowed down. He didn't want Veger to get away.

Channeling Blue Eco from his reserves through his Darkness, he unleashed a wave of purple lightning bolts ahead of him, crashing through the pillars that had already erupted and damaging the slots of those that hadn't, causing them to explode as the mechanisms activated. Seeing the effectiveness of the Dark Shock, The Black Knight chuckled wickedly. "Nowhere to run, Veger!" he called out as he saw his prey desperately trying to accelerate his vehicle. "Nowhere to hide..."

As Jak and Daxter stared after the transformed equine, Damas pushed himself somewhat upright. "We...have to go after him," he growled out, struggling to make his body move.

"Your wound isn't even healed yet!" Daxter cried out. "We only just have the damage to your liver contained! If you move now, you'll tear it open again-"

"I am already dead!" Damas snapped out. "I freely accept death for the sake of my people and world! I will not lay idly by for a slow death, if choosing a quick one can save my son from himself!"

"Dad, it's just his Dark mode, like mine," Jak told him. "Once he works it out of his system, he'll change back-"

"No he won't!" Damas snapped. "Did your voice change that much when you transformed? Did it turn your nature inside out?" As Jak stared in confusion, Damas continued. "The mark upon his flank...when I first took him in, I asked Onin about it. She couldn't tell me much, but she told me it symbolized his inner nature. She also told me he shared the abilities you inherited to biologically metabolize Eco, and to be especially wary if any attempts to do so altered that mark." He tried to push himself up, but his legs would not move. "Jak, I need you to be my legs."

Nodding, Jak ducked under Damas' shoulder, bracing him and lifting him up, one hand under the opposite shoulder and the other over his wound. Daxter perched on Damas' other shoulder, pouring his Light Eco into Damas to keep him whole as long as possible even as Damas used his staff as a crutch. "But what does that mean?" Jak asked worriedly as they reached the other vehicle.

"It means right now, he isn't your brother, isn't my son," Damas growled out as Jak activated the controls. "And if we don't reach him before he kills Veger, we will lose him to the Dark Eco inside him...forever."

"So...you're saying to get Shining back, we have to save Veger," Daxter clarified as the vehicle shot down the now incredibly smooth tunnel without any obstacles. "Umm...are we sure this Black Knight fellow's really all that bad?"

At that moment, they passed a gruesome sight to one side of the tunnel. Apparently, a Dark Trooper had attempted to get in The Black Knight's way for some reason. Black energy raced across its twisted body, its limbs bent backwards and tied in knots, its skin turned inside out, a loop of its own entrails wrapped around its neck and mouth, stifling its screams of agony as the energy that had twisted it would not let it die...

"Yes," Damas whispered, his face pale from more than blood loss. "Yes we are."

The Black Knight pursued Veger out of the tunnel and into a wide, spherical space filled with endlessly rotating rings tracking the movement of celestial bodies, with a massive Precursor Statue in the center, a floating platform levitating before it...not through the use of Eco, as one might have expected, but because the platform and statue rested at the exact center of the planet's gravitational field, so it had nowhere to fall. This was the center of the planet, the focal point of the worlds natural fields.

All this was lost on The Black Knight as he lunged, pinning Veger to the platform beneath him, his sharp hoof digging deep into Veger's chest. He heard his victim's scream of pain and reveled in it. There was another voice, but The Black Knight heeded it not. "Are you ready to die, Veger?" The Black Knight hissed, ripping his hoof out of Veger's flesh and licking the blood from the tip. "Such a sweet taste...time for more..." He brought his hoof down towards his victim's heart...but a voice stopped him.

"Ar-Mar! Enough!"

The authority in that voice tore through the madness of the Dark Eco racing through his mind. Turning, he saw Jak, Daxter, and Damas approaching him. "...D...Dad...?" Shining gasped out, struggling through the miasma in his own mind and heart. He staggered back from Veger.

"My King, thank you!" Veger began desperately. "If you hadn't arrived when you did, there's no telling what this monster would have-"

His words were forever silenced as Damas' staff struck his skull, smashing it open like a melon against the platform. Jak, Daxter, and Shining all stared, stunned. "Ar-Mar," Damas began firmly, his tone instructing. "If you must kill, do so with a calm heart and a clear mind. Never allow your rage to control you and drive you to such things...or it will destroy you."

Shining shivered and nodded as he stared at Veger's dead body, his own shape slowly reverting to normal.

"Well done, warriors," the voice of the statue intoned. "You have saved one of your own from falling down the path of the Dark Makers, and arrived with plenty of time to save this world. Now, place the Eco Sphere in the receptacle."

Nodding, Jak pulled out the Sphere - resembling a giant Power Cell, and composed of all the Eco Crystals they'd collected - into the waiting receptacle. It immediately began to spin, and two large devices began to energize.

"It will take some time for the weapon to fully charge, but we have time enough in hand," the voice continued. An image of glowing light in the shape of the Precursor who had come out of the Stone appeared before them. "You have proven your worth, warriors. A place awaits you amongst us, if you so desire." A beam of light shot down, illuminating a place upon the platform.

Jak stared up at it for a time...and Damas collapsed to his side. "Dad!" Jak called out, terrified. Shining rushed to his side as well.

"Look!" Daxter called out to the statue. "I'm sure this 'place amongst you' is some great honor or what not, but as you can see, Jak and Shining have a lot to do out here still! If you really want to reward them, maybe you could fix their Dad? I can only do so much for a liver puncture and broken spine on trial and error, you know!"

The image hesitated. "There is something we can do for him," the voice replied. "But...all of you must understand what it is, and what it means. We have time enough to explain."

The image vanished. The front of the statue slowly opened, and a chamber filled with light was slowly revealed. Inside...were five ottsels in white robes, three facing the group and two keeping their eyes on the controls within the chamber. Of the three facing, the middle one was larger than the others and somewhat chubby. The one to the left was rail thin, and wearing a strange cap on its head that covered its eyes. The one to the right was much smaller, and somehow dainty. All three had the same coloration as Daxter, though the two at the controls were pale gray and dark purple in coloration and refused to look at the group.

The chubby one held a device up to his mouth. "We have much," he began, the device distorting his voice into that of the statue. He then lowered it. "To explain to you," he continued, his voice gentler and older, reminiscent of when Samos dressed up as the Solstice Saint to deliver gifts around Sandover.

Damas, Jak, Shining, and Daxter all stared, struggling to wrap their minds around what they were seeing, their jaws hanging open in total stupefaction. Damas was the first to find his voice. "...what the fuck?" he demanded angrily.

"As I said," the chubby ottsel repeated, "we have much to explain..."

Author's Note

For those wondering, this bit about Shining's Dark transformation only applies because he doesn't have proper balance within himself between Dark and Light Eco, since he's activated a Dark Form but not a Light Form. When he eventually unlocks his Light Form, he'll gain full control over his Dark Form. Until then, he risks losing control every time he activates it, and if he kills anyone when he's not in control, he'll be trapped eternally.

Spargus: The Circle of Life

The chubby ottsel gestured his two companions back to the machinery for the moment as he floated forward. "My name..." He paused, lifting his head as he thought back. "Huh. It has been a long time for me. Language has changed several times. I don't think it can be pronounced properly in your language. For now, call me Elder."

"Alright, Elder," Damas began, clutching his belly as Daxter continued to work at keeping him alive. "You're...a Precursor."

"That is technically correct, yes," Elder admitted. "It's not what we call our race, but it is the term your people refer to us by."

"But what about the energy being that came out of the Precursor Stone?" Shining demanded. "I mean, you were using an image like that to talk to us just a minute ago-"

"Also a Precursor," Elder interrupted. "The one who came out of the stone, I mean. We use the image because...well, it's our job to keep the universe running as smooth as possible. How much cooperation would we get from other races if we used our real faces?"

"Yeah, I getcha," Daxter agreed. "But what does that make me? Am I Precursor too? Is that what falling into Dark Eco does to you?"

"Not quite," Elder corrected. "You see, you were already a Precursor - technically speaking - before you ever fell into the Dark Eco. As is Damas. And Jak. And Samos. And Keira." He looked with some distaste at the nearby corpse. "And as much as I hate to admit it, so was Veger." He glanced towards Shining. "...and possibly you, but I'm not certain. Not from this planet's cycle, though, that's for sure."

"...what?" Jak asked, completely confused.

Elder chuckled softly. "It seems my explanation is confusing you more than enlightening you. Very well." Raising his paws, he began conjuring images in the air to illustrate his points. "Let us begin with the Precursor Spirit, the energy being you saw leave the Precursor Stone. This is, after all, the stage most commonly associated with the term Precursor. They are beings of pure living Eco, no longer bound by physical laws, and capable of...just about anything. However, too much use of their abilities weakens their cohesion, and can result in their dissolution. As such, they mostly observe, travelling through time and space at will to learn all they can. When they grow weary of such travels, they summon those of our kind to construct - or reconstruct, as the case may be - a planet to become their resting place. Often, several Precursor Spirits will choose the same world to rest in."

An image of a planet took shape, with multiple Spirits sinking into the land itself. "When they do so, their energy infuses the planet, becoming the planet's Eco Field. Now, Precursor Spirits - like any lifeform - have Eco affinities, an Element they're most strongly possessing of. If a Green Spirit infuses a world, life will grow there." The image zoomed in, showing life developing, Human, Lurker, and other. "This life can come in all shapes and forms, since the Geen Eco in the field encourages all sorts of unusual results."

The image focused further, now showing a recognizable settlement...Sandover. "When life reaches a certain point, the people gain the ability to tap the Eco Fields, whether through technology or biology. As the development continues, those people with strong affinities for specific colors of Eco will gain the ability to biologically metabolize the Eco they're aligned to in great quantities. You call these individuals Sages. In Sandover, there were nine such individuals. Samos and Keira aligned with Green Eco, though Keira's abilities have not yet awakened. One other sage each for Blue, Red, and Yellow...and Gol and Maia aligned to Dark Eco." Elder smiled widely. "And Daxter, aligned with Light Eco, though where was none in the environment for him to respond to, so it went unnoticed."

"Wait!" Daxter interrupted, stunned. "I was a Sage?" When Elder nodded, Daxter chuckled. "Can't wait to see old Samos' face when I tell him that!"

"You said nine Sages," Jak pointed out. "But you only mentioned eight."

"Isn't it obvious, Jak?" Elder countered. "You were the ninth...and a very rare one at that. Only the line of Mar has ever produced Prism Sages, those with affinities for all colors of Eco." He chuckled softly. "Prism Sages are always discovering new ways for Eco to be used. I really shouldn't have been surprised that you were able to create your Shadow form...a full expression of your Prism nature. Mar himself was always finding new and unique ways to wield his own abilities...though he never combined Dark and Light Eco. Instead, he combined other Colors with them." He shook his head ruefully. "I still remember his Light-Blue form. Got airsick every time he dragged me through the air at Mach 2..."

"You knew Mar?" Damas gasped out, stunned. "Personally?"

Elder chuckled. "Oh yes. Jak is more like Mar than you knew." He gestured to Daxter. "When Mar worked to save this world, I sat upon his shoulder." He smirked at Daxter. "He was rather bony, too. But I digress. You are probably wondering about this form?" He gestured to Daxter and the himself.

Jak nodded. "Y-yeah," he confirmed. "I guess we are."

Elder smiled, this time causing his Eco images to show Daxter as he was when he was human. "When a Sage reaches a certain threshold of Eco Power - or experiences some other event to trigger it - their physical body can no longer contain it...and they undergo a transformation." In a flash of light, the human image of Daxter became an ottsel. "In this form, physical strength is greatly reduced...but Eco abilities increase dramatically, to the point the body ceases to age past physical maturity. The longer one in this form lives, the greater that power grows...until eventually, even this form cannot contain it. And so..."

A circle of light surrounded the image of Daxter as it curled up tight. "When one of us is ready, we craft a cocoon of crystallized Eco around ourselves, to trigger the transformation from physical matter to pure living Eco..." The image became a Precursor Stone, which then released a Precursor Spirit with Daxter's face. "And thus the cycle is completed, and repeats itself." Elder dispersed the image with a wave of his paw. "Any questions?"

Jak, Daxter, and Damas exchanged glances, plainly dazed at the amount of information dumped on them. Shining was the one who spoke up. "I have two," he explained. "First, what did you mean about me?"

"Well, the life that develops on the worlds we craft isn't always human," Elder explained. "And given there was a great deal of time-space warping in your arrival in Haven City, it's entirely possible you come from a world we haven't constructed yet."

Shining stared at him for a time. "...moving on before my brain breaks...what does that have to do with you helping Dad?"

"As I said, we can't do anything for him in his current state," Elder explained. "But we can, shall we say, accelerate him along the cycle?"

"Wait!" Daxter called out. "You're saying you're going to turn him into one of you-I mean us-I mean, you're going to make him fuzzy?"

"It's not so bad," one of the dark colored ottsels spoke up, her voice very familiar. "Takes some adjusting to, but you grow used to it quickly. And when the transformation is controlled, the new abilities come in much more smoothly."

Jak stared, his jaw hanging. "M...Maia?"

"In the furry flesh," Maia Acheron replied. "Gol and I made many mistakes with our research. The world's current state is as much our mess as the work of the Metalheads."

"The Precursors gave us a chance to fix things," the other dark ottsel spoke up, his voice recognizable even if the odd echo it had contained when last heard was absent. "We agreed without hesitation."

"Well, Damas?" Elder asked. "Is this acceptable to you?"

Damas coughed as he gathered his thoughts. "Well...I'll live to see my grandchildren...and great-grandchildren...even if I won't have knees big enough to bounce them on."

"I shall teach you to levitate them," Elder promised as he raised his paws. "If you are ready, brace yourself."

Damas steeled himself, and six beams of light shone down into him, infusing him gently with all six colors of Eco. Before long, his entire body began to glow, too bright to see clearly. When the light faded, he had changed.

As expected, he was now an ottsel. However, his coloring was quite different from Daxter's, or that of the other ottsels. His coat was a mix of red and yellow, with tufts of blue and green on the backs of all four paws, and matching spines along the top of his tail. His fur gradiated from very dark near the root to very pale near the tips, as did the spines. His eyes were still narrow, his steely gaze taking in his new form. He still wore the steel ring around one ear, and his armor and staff had shrunk with him, shaping around his smaller frame and sizing to fit. The edges of the staff now had crystallized Eco of all colors at each end, focus points for his new Eco abilities.

"This...will take some getting used to," he mumbled as he got to his hind paws, balancing with his tail. "Though at least I'm not bleeding to death or crippled anymore..."

"We will help you adjust," Elder promised. "For now, however, more urgent matters have arisen. Our scanners indicate Errol is making more progress than projected in regard to the Dark Ship's cargo. The only way to prevent him from waking the cargo..." He turned to Jak, Daxter, and Shining. "...is to send you three there and stop him yourselves. We can send you there from here."

Light blazed from the air near the platform, a portal open for the heroes. Jak shook his head to clear it. "We'll think about all this once Errol's stopped," Jak stated firmly. "For now, we've got a world to save."

"That I can wrap my head around!" Daxter proclaimed, clambering up to Jak's shoulder.

"Ready when you are, bro!" Shining added, stepping up to his side.

"Do try and get out before we fire the weapon," Elder called out. "We won't have any way to warn you when we're about to."

Jak grinned. "We'll manage."

With that, he turned and ran to the edge of the platform, leaping into the light, Shining at his side.

"Good luck, my sons," Damas whispered as he watched them go.

Spargus: Into the Dark

As Jak, Daxter, and Shining warped into the Dark Maker's ship, they were immediately under attack from more Dark Troopers, which they were quickly able to dispatch. "Alright, which way are we heading?" Jak demanded, looking around.

"I'd suggest following the only available path until we get to something we can blow up, then cutting and running," Daxter suggested, pointing to the door that opened as all the enemies fell.

"Works for me!" Shining agreed, racing ahead along the path through the dark ship.

The trio raced ahead, crossing a narrow rotating path over a deep pit into the rest of the ship, shooting down the flying Troopers that tried to attack them. A quick slide down a frozen hall led them to a wider area they had to make their way around the outside of, dealing with more foes as they went. Another door opened as they dispatched the last of them.

"So...why would anyone design security doors to only open after a large number of their troops dies?" Shining inquired as they raced through.

"We'll ask Elder about it when we get back," Jak suggested, racing ahead. "For now, we're on the clock, and we don't know how long we've got!"

Through the door, they found a Light Eco vent which allowed Jak to charge up to spread his energy wings to glide over a wide pit. "That's the real stumper, anyway," Daxter pointed out as Shining teleported them to Jak's side. "Light Eco, here?"

"Probably something to do with balancing the energies," Jak muttered.

Before long, the group found their way to an elevator that carried them deep into the spacecraft. At the other end, they found the cargo of the Dark Ship, a whole host of massive Dark Walkers that looked like supped up versions of the Dark Satellites, only even more heavily armed and armored, and each easily the size of a building.

"If these nasty things ever wake up, the planet's finished," Daxter murmured worriedly.

"Then let's give them an extra lullaby," Shining offered.

Waiting for them, however, was Errol, who seemed to have no intention of letting them succeed. "All of these Dark Makers at my command!" he proclaimed. "Just think what I could do!"

"I am thinking," Jak proclaimed. "That's why we're stopping you, here and now!"

"Oh?" Errol called out with a laugh. "And just how do you expect to do that?"

At that moment, a lance of energy cut through the Dark Ship, causing it to start to crumble.

"That ought to do it," Shining muttered, starting to lose his footing.

"Shining, can you teleport us back to the surface?" Jak demanded.

Shining stretched with his magic, then shook his head. "At most, I can get myself and Daxter. But I'm not-"

Grabbing Daxter, Jak shoved him onto Shining's back. "Go! I have a plan!"

Staring into his brother's eyes, Shining finally nodded and warped away.

Errol laughed as he merged with the one Dark Maker he'd managed to activate. "Oh? A plan to stop this power?"

"Yes," Jak agreed, his eyes going distant. "Tell me...do you have any idea how much Dark Eco there is in the very air of this ship?" He began to take a deep breath.

"What does that have to do with-"

Errol was cut off as Jak shifted into Dark Jak and leapt at the Dark Maker...expanding as he did so.

As Shining and Daxter arrived in Spargus, they stared upward at the exploding ship. "Do...do you think Jak's plan worked?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"We...we can only hope-" Shining cut himself off as he saw two burning streaks shooting down into the desert. "Look!"

Seeing the two streaks of fire impact way out in the desert with matching explosions of light, Daxter rushed to a nearby buggy. "Come on! One of those might have been Jak!"

"And the other might be Errol," Shining growled as he leapt in, using his magic to wield the controls. Much to the pair's surprise, they found the charge of their buggy was just the lead as the entire amassed force of Spargus' citizenry was driving out behind them, armed to the teeth and ready to battle.

However, none were ready for what they saw when they reached the crash site.

The Dark Maker stood taller than either Spargus or Haven, easily as tall as a mountain, and resembled a twisted camel made of black metal and sparking dark energy. Errol was linked into the cockpit, fusing himself with the behemoth as he faced down his foe.

Dark Jak slowly stood up from the desert, standing as tall as the Dark Maker as he stared Errol down. "Let's dance!" he growled out, his voice echoing over the desert like thunder.

"You think you have greater mastery of the darkness than I-"

Errol's voice was cut off as Dark Jak's clenched fist slammed into the cockpit of the Dark Maker with the force of a speeding train. "You talk too much!" he growled out, following the punch up with another that twisted the Maker's long neck back around, before delivering a firm kick straight to the central body, knocking the mechanical monstrosity backwards, crashing against a mountain. As it staggered upright, it launched numerous Dark Eco explosives...which Dark Jak caught in his massive hands and drained of their energy before dropping as empty husks of Precursor Metal.

"What...what are you?" Errol gasped out as the Dark Maker got upright again, firing off a barrage of lasers that cut into Dark Jak's flesh...only for the wounds to heal almost as soon as they took shape.

"I am a Son of Damas..." Dark Jak growled out. "The blood of Precursors burns in my veins...and by the will of the Ancients and the strength of my peoples...this world will live!" On the last word, he leapt into the air...coming down atop the Dark Maker in a gigantic Dark Strike, crushing the machine beneath him and reducing it to so much scrap.

At the last minute Errol broke free of the cockpit and shot out into the air, hovering on his jetpack. "I will make you pay for this-" His eyes popped open as his words cut off, staring at the silver arm through his chest...as for the first time, with the Dark Giant fading away, Shadow Jak was witnessed.

His entire body had turned silver, reshaping slightly to be somewhat streamlined. His outfit was replaced with a glowing silver bodysuit that fit his frame like a second skin, but bearing all the durability of Precursor Metal. His eyes blazed white...and a crimson scarf wrapped around his face just under his eyes, billowing out behind him in the dead still air like a banner.

Shadow Jak stared into Errol's eyes. "You turned your back on life to embrace the Darkness...and to Darkness you are condemned." Ripping his arm from Errol's chest, he spun, his arm held out like a blade.

Errol's lifeless body and head fell towards the ground separate from each other, spinning in the air.

Shadow Jak floated in his position for a time...and then the power left him, and he fell limp towards the ground. As he slipped into unconsciousness, a gentle telekinetic aura caught him, slowing his fall.

Interlude: Recovery

Jak awoke slowly, his senses gradually returning bit by bit. The first thing he became aware of was a sensation of floating, and a light in his eyes. He groaned softly, blinking as he glanced back and forth without moving his head, which was too painful to do. His eyes caught sight of a blurry figure, small, fuzzy, and orangeish. "D...Dax...?"

A familiar chuckle emanated from the figure. "Not quite, son, though he'll be nearly as happy as I am to hear your voice again."

Jak's vision began to clear, and he saw the other colors of his father's fuzzy form, and his staff. "D-dad?" he gasped out. He tried to move, but his muscles refused to respond.

"Don't," Damas chided quickly. "You're in no condition to move yet." He scampered a bit closer, to the edge of the pool of water Jak floated in, letting Jak see that he was back in Damas' tower in Spargus...though he didn't remember the pool having a faint green glow. "Well, I see you pushed yourself to your body's limits...again, from what I hear. When are you going to learn to pace yourself and get some rest?"

"When it isn't...the difference between salvation and death..." Jak groaned out.

Damas shook his head as he laughed ruefully. "Yes, you're my son alright. As if I had any reason to doubt before." He looked back into Jak's eyes. "It's good to know you did wake up, though. We weren't entirely sure you would."

"How long...was I out?" Jak managed to ask.

"A whole week," Damas explained. "It was touch and go for a while at the beginning. It took all the healing power Elder, Daxter, myself, Samos, and Keira could bring to bear just to keep your body and soul together."

"Keira?" Jak asked, confused.

"She has the Green Sage's gift too, after all," Damas explained. "Samos and Elder had to guide her through it, but she had a good amount of power to spare. You don't have to worry about her, though. She's doing just fine."

Jak smiled as he relaxed back into the water, trying to gather his thoughts. "...the world...?"

"Safe, thanks to you," Damas confirmed. "When Errol was destroyed, all the Metalheads and KG robots all dropped at the same time. From the looks of things, when he took control of them with the help of the Dark Makers, he installed a control code to make himself indispensable, and they all shut down with his death."

"So...peace?" Jak managed to get out.

"Yes," Damas confirmed. He glanced out a window in the direction of Jak's feet. "If you can, lift your head and look.

Managing to focus his energy somewhat, Jak lifted his head and stared out into the desert...and gasped. In the distance, Haven construction engines could be seen working on something in the desert, with Spargus' buggies parked alongside. "Is...that...?"

"Haven engineers and Spargus Wastelanders," Damas explained. "Working under Daxter and Shining's direction and using purified Metalhead exoskeleton...to construct an aqueduct to bring fresh water into the desert...and into Spargus. Soon, the sandy roads will be replaced by rivers flowing into the sea, and life will return to the desert. As Daxter said, this city will become the new Sandover..."

Jak smiled as he let his head sink back. "That's...nice..." he managed, still struggling with the words. "...purified?"

"Elder taught us how," Damas explained. "Metalhead exoskeleton is incredibly durable, but more easily reshaped than Precursor metal. Once purified of any Dark Eco taint, it's a very useful resource."

"The world...rebuilds..." Jak murmured as he relaxed into the water.

"Thanks to your efforts, son," Damas praised.

"Not mine..." Jak countered. "Everyone..."

"If not for you, there wouldn't be a world left to rebuild," Damas countered. "And the forces that gathered and made that possible...you led them. You brought them together."

Jak sighed, unwilling - and somewhat unable - to argue. "...brigands?"

"With Haven and Spargus forces working together, and no Metalheads or KG robots in the way, there's more than enough force to capture and contain the brigands," Damas explained. "Your other mission objective is a success. Haven and Spargus are allies...again, because of you."

"Not just me..."

"Actually, in this case it is," Damas countered. "When you came down in that giant form alongside that Dark Terraformer, it wasn't just the Wastelanders of Spargus that rushed to the site and bore witness to the battle...and your proclamation during it. Haven's forces also arrived...and when Shining caught you as you fell, people from both cities rushed to help you, and they nearly fought over whose leader you were until Daxter reminded them you spoke of the will of your peoples, plural."

"But...you..." Jak began.

"Yes, I know, your goal was to put me on the throne of the united cities," Damas agreed. "But seriously, do you really think you could get them to follow this?" He gestured to his ottsel body. "There's a reason Elder and the others work through Oracle statues and holograms. How much attention would the average human pay those 'ancient mystics' if they knew they were really fuzzy rodents?"

"But..."

"What can I say, son?" Damas joked. "You did your job just a little too well." Seeing the growing panicked look on Jak's face, Damas chuckled. "Don't worry, son," he hastened to assure him. "We're in no rush to put you on the throne. The Wastelanders of Spargus still accept me, even like this...and the people of Haven, thanks to your work, accept Baron Praxis. Until you're ready to take the throne - and the world doesn't need you to run around as a hero anymore - I guess I'll just have a shoulder to ride on." Noticing Jak's surprised look, Damas grinned. "We've been talking again. With the Dark Eco purged from his mind, he is his old self again, and our friendship is returning. He's even softened the outsides of the shoulder pads of his armor to give me more comfortable seats when the time comes."

Jak groaned softly. "...Daxter will want..."

"He's already drawing up designs," Damas teased.

Jak sighed as his senses returned further...and he felt something warm pressed against him. Glancing to the side, his eyes widened. "K-Keira?"

"Shh," Damas whispered. "She hasn't been sleeping well, putting everything she had in trying to bring you around. Let her sleep awhile longer."

Swallowing convulsively, Jak glanced down at himself through the glowing green water, and his face paled. "I...I'm naked."

"According to Elder, it was the best way to maximize Eco absorption to keep you stable," Damas explained.

Jak's eyes took in something else, and his face flushed. "...she's naked..."

"Elder's advice again," Damas replied, grinning wickedly. "In her untrained state, being naked in the water was the easiest way for her to release her Eco stores for you to absorb." Noticing Jak's embarrassment, he chuckled. "I have to say, I've seen my share of naked ladies in my time - your mother far from the least among them - and I must say, Jak...you are one lucky dog to have snagged her."

"She's...holding me rather tight..."

"That was all her," Damas teased wickedly. "She was afraid if she let go of you as she slept beside you, she'd lose her grip on your life force and you'd fade. That's why her arms - and legs - are wrapped so tightly around you, much to Samos' disquiet."

Jak's face flushed even brighter. "I...I can't move enough to pull out..." His eyes popped open. "Didn't mean that the way it sounded..."

"I didn't think you did, Jak," Damas teased. "Either way, that sounds like a personal problem...and I'll leave you to your recovery." Turning with a wicked grin, Damas left a recovering Jak alone in the water with the girl who loved him, both of them naked, and her likely to wake up at any moment and demonstrate to a Jak who couldn't move enough to stop her just how overjoyed she was that he was finally awake.

Damas really wanted grandchildren already.

Interlude: Changes

From atop the repaired Precursor Glider that Keira had scrounged up after exploring the depths of the planet, Jak could see the entire Wasteland, from Spargus to Haven and everywhere between. Already, he could see the changes being made, and they filled him with hope for the future.

In Haven, the damage the Metalheads had done to the Forest and the parts of the city nearest it were already being repaired, the acid pits converted to lakes with healthy plant life spawning all around. While Keira had yet to master her new Eco powers, their unlocking had increased her understanding of Eco flows, and she'd started constructing machines specifically to influence the flow of Eco inside the planet, in order to reverse the damage the war had done. Staring down at the grass and flowers actively spreading around Haven's walls, Jak couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered the look on Elder's face when he'd seen Keira flip a switch and turn a warped, twisted former hive into a massive fruit-bearing tree. It had been nearly as priceless as the look on Samos' face.

In Spargus, the aqueducts had been completed, and water flowed through the city, making it sparkle like a jewel in the desert from above. Plant and animal life had gravitated to the paths of the aqueducts, drawn by the moisture to grow and slowly spread out, painting the brown desert green bit by bit. Boats had been built to both traverse the rivers of the city and patrol the sea it was built up against. The past seemed to be coming back, restoring the land to its former glory.

Jak tilted in his flight, turning to overlook the parts of the desert that wasn't habitable before. The former Metalhead Nest was now an outpost and future mine, digging down for a source of metals and other things, and a way to dig upward through the mountain for another village once enough space was made. Seeing life thriving filled Jak with hope for the future.

The Wasteland brigands had all been rounded up, and their former fortress was now a guard outpost, where patrols left to guard the desert dwellers from any still hostile wildlife as the land slowly came to life. The Monks' Temple was being repaired and restored, the damage from Errol's assault erased.

Having finished his observations of the desert, Jak turned back towards Spargus. Although the new council that ruled over the two cities was run from Haven - simply because the computers they had there cut down on the sheer bulk of paperwork - Jak still felt more at home in Spargus. He shuttled back and forth between the cities when he had to, but despite being the heir to the throne of Haven, Spargus was the place he called home.

Setting down just off the coast, Jak leapt to the shore and began to make his way through the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with the long staff he now carried to help him walk around until such time as he was fully recovered. Damas had made it for him, and it reacted to his returning Eco powers, allowing him to propel himself much greater distances than a pole vault would normally allow. Doing so was now part of his recovery, getting his muscles back into condition after pushing himself past his limits again.

Back at Damas' tower, Jak saw Daxter and Tess sitting together up on the roof. Daxter had undergone special training with Elder and the other ottsels to gain more total control over his abilities and allow them to unlock more naturally. As such, he was now garbed in an initiate's robe...and a pair of blue shorts with a tail hole. Tess was now also an ottsel, somehow. Nobody would explain to Jak how it happened, only that it had something to do with Tess being exceptionally welcoming of Daxter after his first training session with Elder, and an unexpected Eco surge. Honestly, Jak was glad they weren't saying anymore, since he was pretty certain he didn't want to know.

Inside the tower itself, Keira and Shining were poring over plans to start expanding the revitalization of the Wasteland, especially how best to bring an end to the sandstorms so that plant life could be spread far wider. The basic idea involved the application of Blue Eco via windmills, but the exact details and proper positioning of such things would likely take several years. Keira was determined to find a way to make it happen faster. While nothing had happened between her and Jak when she'd awoken to find him awake after his week long slumber, it had made her all the more determined to help Jak discharge any outstanding responsibilities to the world so that they could safely wed and start building their personal future. Jak was forced to admit, coming into the tower from behind Keira and seeing her so full of life and fire as she bent over the table of calculations, that he was growing more impatient for that time by the day himself.

When he was spotted, Jak became the target of a pair of running embraces, one far more affectionate than the other, not that he minded. As he thought about everything that had happened, he realized that the past adventures had taken their toll...but at the same time, he was still ready for more. It wasn't enough to just save Haven and Spargus. He saved the whole world from the Dark Makers...but there were other threats, and more of the world to be seen, and probably saved at that.

But as he lay back with one arm around Keira, he noticed Shining staring out the window at the night sky, glancing from one star to another, lost in thought...and realized that, when all else was said and done in this world, there was one more adventure that would await them all. When the world was stable and safe...he would go to Elder, and find out what Precursor tech could do as far as finding where Shining Armor came from...finding his home.

XCR: The Departure

It had been a year since the defeat of the Dark Makers. Elder and the other ottsels had gone back to their base of operations deep within the planet to investigate Shining's origins at Jak's request. Haven and Spargus continued to expand their control over the ever growing Oasis that the Wasteland was swiftly becoming. Other cities on the continent had taken notice of the slowly changing area, and some had tried to take action towards claiming the resources made available. The former Wastelanders, however, were quite possessive of their new paradise amongst the sands, and were loath to allow anyone to take any part of it from them. They had made that point quite firmly, and such assaults had ceased...allowing the forces of both cities to start expanding their influence into the rest of the still settled lands.

A new sport had arisen amongst the cities with the end of non-human attacks on civilization: Combat Racing. Similar to Zoomer Racing, this sport involved racing vehicles around pre-defined tracks, and was a competition that occurred in Kras City, the closest of the still standing cities to Haven and Spargus, and a wretched hive of scum and villainy. As Combat Racing also had a rather high fatality rate - due to very few rules regarding what racers weren't allowed to do to get ahead on the track - none of those in Haven or Spargus had any interest in participating.

These matters were all of little interest to Jak, Shining, and Daxter as they continued to push themselves to be at their peak, as well as to keep pushing their peak higher and higher. However, an unexpected message from out of the recent past brought the matters to their attention in an unexpected way, leading to them to meeting up with Ashelin, Samos, Keira, Torn, and Sig to discuss something most unexpected.

"So you all got these invitations, too?" Keira asked as they gathered. "To Kras City, to hear the reading of Krew's will?"

"Yup," Jak confirmed, leaning back in his chair. "To be honest, if you hadn't received one too, Keira, I'd have just tossed it. I don't want anything from that fat bastard."

"I don't know," Shining muttered. "While I agree about your assessment of his character and not wanting anything from him, he was an arms dealer. Do you really want to risk anything he left in that will falling into the hands of potential enemies? Especially enemies we don't know?"

"While that's a good point," Sig replied, "I don't like that they came to all of us like this. Krew was never that straight forward. I smell a trap of some sort. I mean, this is everyone here with any sort of connection to him. That's the sort of thing that makes me suspicious."

"Agreed," Samos confirmed. "At the same time...the safety of the whole Oasis could be at stake. We can't just ignore it."

"But we can't walk in blind, either," Ashelin insisted. "We need to be careful."

"Perhaps not all of us should go?" Torn suggested. "If it's a trap to take us out, they won't spring it unless we're all inside, since they won't get another chance to catch us off guard."

"I'll stay behind," Sig insisted. "Until Jak takes the throne, I'm Damas' primary enforcer in Spargus. I have to keep things in line."

Jak sighed. "Sounds like that covers everything." He stared up at the ceiling. "So much for relaxing..."

"Not quite everything," Daxter spoke up, dropping a bag of tiny white capsules on the table between them. "Everyone going in take some of these with you. Put one in anything you eat or drink while we're there."

"What are they?" Shining asked curiously, levitating a few of them to himself.

"Pure Light Eco capsules," Daxter explained. "Elder taught me how to make them. When dropped in food or drink, they'll burst and instantly purify them of any known harmful elements, including most poisons. The only exception is if the taint is actual Dark Eco, in which case you'd need to funnel in an equal amount."

"Nice, Dax!" Jak praised, grabbing a handful. "You're getting really good at controlling your powers."

"We probably shouldn't say anything about this, though," Samos pointed out as he, like everyone else, took their own handful of capsules. "After all, if they know they can't poison us, they might try something more direct."

"We could handle that if it comes," Jak countered, though there wasn't much vitriol in his words.

"No, but this could be an opportunity," Ashelin pointed out. "Kras City is the focus of criminal activity on the continent. While we're there, we might be able to learn who is in charge of the various gangs, and neutralize the entire network if we play our cards right."

"Though from what we've been able to determine," Torn added, "most of the attention of anyone in Kras City is on the Combat Racing Championships."

"So it sounds like it's all going to be on me again," Jak groaned out. "After all, I'm the best racer we've got."

"Not without your top flight mechanic, you're not!" Keira sniped, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.

"Don't I know it," Jak chuckled. He sighed sadly. "Not really looking forward that much to getting back into the action..."

"Look on the bright side," Samos offered. "If you pull this off, the world's one step closer to being peaceful and safe. One more responsibility seen to."

Jak and Keira glanced at each other, then glanced away blushing, resulting in laughter all around the table.

XCR: The Racing

While the garage may indeed have been the best money could buy as promised, the customizability of the racing buggy proved to be disappointingly limited. Once everything was set up, everyone underwent a training course to familiarize them with the buggy's unique controls and Eco functionality. This came most naturally for Jak and Shining, who were used to using multiple colors of Eco at a time, as well as the Dark Eco that was used to supercharge weapons.

When it came time to the races itself, the group made a tacit agreement to avoid friendly fire if at all possible, as they'd be forced to race against each other at times. A particular sports announcer showed up before the race to lay down some 'rules', implying he had a bit more power in the games than he let on.

Jak claimed the victory in the first race relatively easily, mostly by ignoring the scanners in the car that told him when he was being targeted and relying entirely on his ability to sense Eco in his environment to avoid weapons fire. This was immediately followed by what was, apparently, supposed to be a sensational interview.

"You saw it here, folks!" the blonde man proclaimed into his camera. "At least those of you who didn't die yawning or switch to the brand channel. An unknown driver wins his first big race! ...in lackluster fashion." He then turned to Jak. "So, tell us what happened out there? Were you scared?"

Deciding to add to the 'sensationalist' aspect, Jak reached up and crushed the microphone in his bare hand with a bit of stored Red Eco. "Get that camera out of my face before I shove it somewhere you'll have to censor for the sake of the children watching at home," he growled out dangerously.

That ended the interview.

"Are you...certain that was the best way to handle that?" Rayn asked him once the group returned to the mobile garage. "The promoters aren't exactly those you want to cross in this sport."

"If they want to try anything with me, let them come," Jak offered with a shrug. "I'm not afraid of what humans can pull on me."

"Well, they are in a certain position of power over us," Keira reminded him, subtly bringing up the fact that as far as anyone knew, they still needed that antidote.

"I'm here to race, not to pander," Jak countered bluntly, though smiling at her to take the sting out of it.

"For not wanting to, you're doing a pretty good job," Rayn pointed out as she checked some data. "You're currently the most popular new racer in the sport, and more than half of those polled wished he'd tried to continue the interview just to see if you actually would do that with the camera."

Jak chuckled softly. "So I've given myself an early reputation of...what? 'Badass mo-fo'? Is that how you'd put it, Dax?"

"Sure seems that way," Daxter joked teasingly. "Hope you can keep it up!"

"So, be as disagreeable as I can on camera, and treat anyone in this sport that's not on our team or helping us like dirt?" Jak clarified. "Yeah, I think I can handle that."

"Might want to do something about how you behave around Keira, then," Shining offered. "If you two start getting lovey-dovey where anyone might see, not only does it risk destroying that rep, but someone might try kidnapping her to make you throw a race."

Keira snorted disdainfully. "I'd like to see them try!"

"I wouldn't," Jak growled, his eyes glowing white briefly.

"Me neither," Shining added. "We need Jak to race, so we can't go and have Jak conking out for a week because he went Shadow Jak to save you again."

"I'm not some damsel in distress!" Keira insisted. "I can take care of myself! I'm as tough as any of you!"

"That may be, but you're also incredibly important to our efforts here," Samos pointed out. "You're the only one of us who can fix any and all systems that might get damaged in the race cars. If something happens to you, we're all screwed."

"Then nothing will happen to her," Jak insisted, clenching his fists hard enough to crush the armrests of his chair.

"I know you're protective, Jak, but you can't be everywhere at once," Ashelin cautioned. "We're just suggesting you maybe change your behavior with Keira in public so she doesn't become a target."

"And how, exactly, should I do that?" Jak asked curiously.

"Well, you could start by not getting all touchy-feely-clingy like you two do half the day!" Daxter complained. "Seriously! I mean, just because you two aren't having sex yet is no reason to practically do everything but in public!"

Jak rubbed his chin with one hand while his other arm - almost subconsciously - wrapped around Keira to rub her arm while holding her close to him. "Hmm...no, I don't think I could manage that," he offered, his voice completely neutral.

"...is he joking?" Rayn asked curiously.

"No," Ashelin grumbled ruefully.

"Then be rougher about it," Torn suggested.

"Excuse me?" Samos demanded angrily.

"Be rougher," Torn repeated. "You're giving the reputation of being a total hard ass, so act it with her, too. Instead of a caress of her arm, give her a slap on her rear. Things like that. And Keira can pretend to be offended by it."

Jak's eyes popped open wide, and he tugged nervously at his collar. "I...dunno if I could do that," he admitted worriedly. "It sounds kind of-"

"Kinky," Keira offered playfully, smirking as nearly everyone's jaws dropped. "I think I could get into the roleplay-"

Samos promptly slapped his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening!" he screamed out. "LALALALALALALA!"

XCR: The Competition

The new approach to take attention away from those that might otherwise become targets proved effective if awkward. While Jak had problems at first taking the actions, Keira responded wonderfully with offense and disdain in public...and overwhelming encouragement in private. The rest of the group decided most firmly to not think about it.

Other races went much the same as the first had gone, with the group cooperating to win. Admittedly, not all the races were the standard 'clear the course first' that Jak and the crew were used to. There were also the 'Death Races', which were also based on racers' scores, as determined by the number of other cars they scrapped. Jak had been nervous about such a race at first, until he learned that the cars were constructed such that - short of catastrophic systems failure (which happened with distressing frequency) - the driver could be recovered and the car rebuilt even after being totaled. The Death Races also proved easy for Jak and Shining, as they weren't above spot-shielding against incoming weaponry.

The event that caused greatest concern early on was the qualifying race in the Deathdrome. Since only those racers who performed to an exacting standard passed such courses, to move on to the Grand Prix. As Jak prepared his racer for the event, the reporter from before approached again. "Oh no," Daxter groaned as he saw him. "Here comes ol' tin grin himself."

"You newbies are finally going to see what I've been talking about all along," the sharply dressed reporter spoke up as he approached. "What makes this the most watched sport in the world!"

"The fact that it's the only one televised?" Jak responded jokingly, earning himself a glare from the reporter.

The reporter continued his speech to the cameras, but Jak ignored it, focusing instead on being ready for the race itself. The group already had a strategy in place. Since Jak was the best racer, it was their intention to once again race as a unit to ensure Jak had the best possible results to guarantee his progress. Listening to a blowhard reporter prattle wasn't on the checklist of things to do.

With their strategy practiced and laid out, the group was able to continue to overcome each racing challenge as it approached, claiming the top four slots in each race they competed in as a group repeatedly. After one particular race, however, Jak had an opportunity to meet up with the one who had ordered the attack on him when he'd entered the city. Towards the end of maintaining the image he was building and the end goals of their presence here, he approached the meeting rather aggressively.

As he approached the blue-haired man dressed in red, he strutted in smugly. "Next time you and your thugs want to pick a fight," he challenged, "bring more backup. That last scuffle was barely a warm up."

"Ah," the man greeted as he hid his surprise. "Your reputation proceeds you, Jak. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Razor, maybe you've heard of me?"

"Can't say I have," Jak responded gruffly. "But then again, I rarely pay attention to first level bully boys."

Razor's jaw pulled back briefly into a snarl, but he quickly schooled his features. "I work for Meezo. Eventually, everyone does."

That's one name to keep an eye out for, Jak thought to himself, mentally cataloging the first name of the massive criminal empire they were here to take down. "Is that name supposed to mean something to me?" he asked aloud.

"You're showing my boys up on the track out there, you know," Razor murmured softly. "You should stop, before I have to put my goggles on and show you how its done. You wouldn't live long enough to see me cross the finish line."

Jak blinked softly. "I'm sorry...were you trying to be intimidating there? Because I'm just not seeing it. You sound like a noble complaining because the professional soldier deigned to get dirt on his nice, clean floors...when he's holding a blood stained sword." Jak lunged in, stopping millimeters from Razor's face as he pulled his sword out of its sheath, pouring his own Eco into the blade. "My sword has plenty of blood on it. One more won't make a difference. If you have a problem with what I do on the track, then meet me out there. Otherwise, run back to Mama Meezo so he can change your diaper for you."

Razor stepped back quickly, having not expected a direct physical confrontation. "Now now, Jak, there's no need for that. We'll race soon enough. But in the meantime-"

"Watch your back?" Daxter asked tauntingly as he used his Eco paw-blade to cut the back of Razor's jacket to ribbons. "Yeah, that's my job."

Razor visibly jumped, but quickly regained his composure. "Hmph! Such cooperation is not in the spirit of this sport," he snapped waspishly.

"We don't care," Shining spoke up from behind him, his horn sparking. "We've done things our own way from day one, and we see no reason to change that just because a bunch of people we already don't like get into a tizzy over it."

"You will make a great many enemies with that attitude," Razor pointed out, attempting to regain his polished, urbane attitude.

"We've had a lot of enemies over the years," Jak commented dryly, polishing the blade of his sword. "Some of them even managed to be intimidating for a few hours. I don't have high hopes for this bunch." He grinned widely. "But if you and yours want to pick a fight with me and mine, then by all means..." His eyes glowed with his Eco as the sword flared. "Entertain me."

Razor staggered back, then promptly fled.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Jak burst into laughter. "Okay, acting like a stone-cold badass is gonna be fun!"

XCR: The Report

The further races continued to breeze by for the group, their team strategy blasting them past the competition. After each race, however, a new development revealed itself, giving them new information to act on or catalog as the situation demanded.

Early on, they learned that Pecker had been added to the annoying reporter's show as 'color commentary'. The group gave this development the attention they felt it deserved. However, he did mention on his first appearance that he had discovered a connection between the Championship Race and high level criminal elements, and his intention to report his findings as he discovered them on the show.

"Well, that's a clever way of feeding us information," Shining muttered, plainly impressed. "And to top it off, no one can accuse him of being on our side."

"You mean we actually have to sit around as a group watching that show now?" Daxter complained. "Lame!"

"We don't all have to," Samos pointed out. "We can assign one of us the job of gathering and summarizing Pecker's televised reports for us to review later."

Daxter grinned widely. "That's a great idea! I was thinking-"

"As the only non-race personnel amongst us whose eyesight is still 20-20, I nominate you Daxter," Samos interrupted with a wicked grin.

"What?" Daxter demanded angrily. "But I-"

"Seconded," Jak spoke up quickly, hiding his smirk.

"Thirded," Shining added, not bothering to hide his.

"All in favor?" Ashelin asked quickly.

"Aye!" Torn added as everyone but Daxter raised their hands.

Daxter slumped to the ground, glowering at everyone as he looked up at the TV. "Hate you all..." he grumbled halfheartedly. He blinked as he noticed the reporter - who, according to the screen, was named Blitz - reacting angrily both to Pecker's intentions and a smack to his shoulder dislodging his hair. "Huh. I think the reporter might be a bad guy."

"Oh, I hope so," Jak murmured softly, once more polishing his Eco Blade.

"Jak, I think you might be enjoying the violence a little too much," Samos observed worriedly. "Are you certain your Eco is completely balanced?"

"I'm fine, Samos," Jak responded easily, waving off the concern. "Just getting into character as a battle hardened hard ass."

Samos sighed worriedly. "Just...don't let it get too natural, alright?"

"Don't worry, Dad," Keira promised. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Both eyes, in fact," Ashelin joked, making Keira hurl a seat cushion at her in response.

After another race, Jak was getting a drink at a nearby pub to relax and unwind when Blitz approached him. "Hey there Jak!" he greeted, still on camera as he approached. "Getting some local color?"

Jak, for his part, did his best to ignore him.

"You certainly need it," Blitz teased, leaning in close. "You're positively pale on screen."

Jak frowned. "Do you want your colonoscopy televised?" he growled as he grabbed the floating camera.

"Whoa there, buddy!" Blitz hastened to say, pulling back. "I just wanted to let you and your group know you can earn cool gadgets by performing odd jobs for the Commission and others."

"Oh?" Jak inquired softly releasing the camera. "What sort of jobs and gadgets?"

"Good stuff!" Blitz assured him. "For instance, some dirt forming robots that went berserk in the Cras dirt stadium. They need to be destroyed before somebody gets hurt. Hunt them all down, and you'll be rewarded."

"And I take it the rewards for this sort of task will help me progress further in the rankings?" Jak clarified. "Upgrades for the cars and the like?"

"You and your team, yes," Blitz confirmed. "But be-"

Jak grabbed the camera again. "That's all I need to know. You're done here."

Blitz had the sense to rapidly make his exit. Jak held onto the camera until its servos were straining as it tried to catch up to Blitz, then released, watching with smug satisfaction as it flew forward so fast it clocked the reporter in the back of the head.

As Jak prepared for the next race, Rayn approached him. "Jak, you're getting great points for the season, but I heard a nasty rumor that someone's throwing big money around, hiring top mercenary drivers to race."

"Good," Jak replied before she could continue. "The ones out to see us dead wind up bankrupt, and we actually get a challenge."

Rayn stared at him. "Are...are you really that overconfident?" she asked, stunned.

"It's not overconfidence if it's warranted," Jak responded readily. "I've fought giant Precursor Robots, Metalheads, and went hand-to-hand with a Dark Terraformer the size of a mountain, and you expect me to be afraid of a few mercenaries?"

"The mercenaries being hired are likely aware of your reputation, Jak," Rayn pointed out warningly. "They're probably aware of and prepared for your...unique capabilities."

"Good!" Jak crowed out. "The challenge excites me!" He paused, considering adding a few words to seem even more badass, but the only ones he could think of just seemed silly. Besides, Keira would get upset if he got shirtless in front of another girl.

As Rayn hesitated, Ashelin spoke up from where she was working. "I've heard these new drivers are getting bonuses for kills, and probably wouldn't think twice about cheating to win."

"Are you trying to scare me, Ashelin?" Jak asked quietly.

"No," Ashelin countered. "Just making sure you don't hold back when you deal with them."

Jak smirked. "No chance of that, Ashelin. I race to win."

"So I see," Razor began as he approached, a well built robot behind him. "By the way, have you met Meezo's newest racer? This is-"

"An interesting challenge," Jak purred, strutting up to the bot. "I look forward to meeting you on the track."

The robot responded in distorted language, but the way it strutted up to Jak showed he was plainly just as excited by the idea of the challenge.

Ashelin groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Men."

XCR: The Plans

As it turned out, the robotic racer known as UR-86 proved to be quite impressive on the track, as well as quite ruthless. However, he was a true lone wolf on the track, and the group's team tactics proved more than he could handle, and Jak and the others were able to escape any serious damage as a result. His primary racing strategy was to hang back and blast his way to the front, causing as much damage as possible. Unfortunately for him, even when he targeted a member of Jak's team that lacked the Red Defensive weaponry, another member would swoop in to their assist, whether with their own defensive weaponry or by carefully shooting missiles or grenades out of the sky with machine guns.

This cooperative strategy allowed the group to clear the next qualifying race with ease, with Jak once more coming in first as planned. It wasn't long after this that the group once more gathered around to hear what Daxter had to report from Blitz and Pecker's news reports, to see if any of the information was useful. Unfortunately, the only thing Blitz had reported on was the approaching Grand Prix.

Of greater interest to the group was Jak's report. "I got a private communication from Sig," he spoke up. "Seems things on his end are going well."

"What do you mean?" Rayn asked curiously.

"Let's just say, we didn't come into this blind or trusting," Jak explained. "We had a couple contingency plans in mind. Sig wanted to let me know that...Plan B was ready to go anytime, and that Vin had almost finished preparing Plan C, and it was fully viable."

"And...what are those plans?" Rayn prompted.

"It's not important," Jak replied easily, waving it off. "Right now, you need to focus on keeping track of everything race related." He gave her a firm look. "Our lives depend on it, after all."

"Yes...quite," Rayn replied, turning to leave to attend to that.

"So...what are Plans B and C again?" Daxter asked quietly once she was gone.

"Plan B involves taking this city by force," Jak explained. "Of course, that is incredibly costly in terms of resources. I'm hoping that whoever Plan A is placed against is more reasonable, or at least can be brought to be reasonable out of fear of Plan C being implemented."

"And...Plan C?" Shining asked worriedly.

"I asked Vin to look into repurposing the laser weapon Mar built to penetrate the Metalhead Nest," Jak explained. "Turns out, all it really needed was to be moved...and despite no longer having a live Precursor inside, the Precursor Stone still has plenty of power." He took a slow sip of his drink. "That, and breaking into the Nest was done on the 'low' setting. Vin's calculating the necessary angles, just in case."

Ashelin's eyes went wide and her face went pale as she put together what Jak was saying. "And I thought my Father was dangerous when he was under the influence of the Metalheads," she murmured softly. "Are you really gonna...?"

"Damas and your father both taught me that the power of a ruler is based entirely on a threat," Jak explained simply. "We pretend to be civilized, cooperate under rules we agree on...but boil it down, and civilization is based entirely in someone in power saying, 'Do it my way, or else.' Most people consider the 'or else' bad enough that said threat doesn't have to be carried out very often, but it always has to be there. If it isn't, there's nothing there maintaining order, and anarchy eventually awaits, because someone else is willing to carry out their own 'or else'." He leaned back, an unhappy expression on his face. "This is especially true if you're attempting to unite many disparate cities into a single unified country for the good of a planet. The threat has to be worse than anyone else's, because the primary motivation for cooperation is self-preservation, that we function better together than apart."

He took another small sip of his drink. "And if power is always going to be based in a threat, and the biggest threat brings the most to obedience...then I'm going to make damn sure I have the biggest threat around, so those I'm supposed to protect are never in danger because I'm afraid to pull the bloody trigger."

Daxter shuddered violently. "Jak...have you talked about this with Keira?" he asked softly, hoping there was still something to prevent what they were talking about.

"No, I haven't," Jak replied. "With luck, Plan A will work, Plan C will never be carried out, and I'll never have to think about it again. If that's the case, she doesn't need it preying on her conscience that it even exists."

"If not..." Shining began worriedly.

"Then I'll probably lose her forever," Jak confirmed sorrowfully. "And I'll hate myself for that for the rest of my life. But that's what it means to be a King. Doing what needs to be done, even when you hate it, and even when the consequences are soul-crushing. And that's why I never wanted the job." His face hardened, looking for a moment as fierce as it had when he'd first escaped the Dark Soldier program. "But it's my job now...and I won't flinch from it. Haven, Spargus...they need me to be strong. So that's what I'm going to be...even if it kills me."

XCR: Advancement

Before long, the first Grand Prix event came around, a series of races right in a row, where the total score at the end of the races was what determined the outcome, and only the winner was added to the list of racers that had a chance at the Championship Race. Jak and his crew were confident of their victory, even if they were facing off against RU-86 again. And as they expected, their cooperative tactics proved successful once again, especially as the first two were circuit races where their tactics excelled, and the last a simple race to the finish down a steep hill where they were able to stretch out across the track and stop anyone from getting ahead of them.

When they returned, they found Daxter laughing his tail off. "What's so funny?" Shining asked curiously.

"I was..." Daxter struggled through his laughter. "I was..."

"Breathe, Dax," Jak told him calmly, patting him on the back.

Daxter got himself under control. "I was watching Pecker's report, like I'm supposed to," Daxter explained. "After Blitz said his bit about the race, and ominously suggesting he needed to keep an eye on you, Jak, Pecker made a comment about someone manipulating the race for some big underground bet...and Blitz blew up on him, cussing him out so much that they had to cut the signal to give the beeper a break!" He burst into laughter again.

Samos stroked his chin. "Hmm...did it look like he was angry about Pecker showing him up?" he asked curiously.

"Definitely not," Daxter countered. "He didn't get angry about Pecker having a scoop. He got angry about what the scoop was. He was pissed!"

"Your theory about Blitz' involvement seems to be gaining more ground," Jak murmured softly. "Guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him.

Later, a new broadcast covered the details of the first qualifier event for the next Grand Prix. Though the actual details of the change weren't covered well, it did lead to a rather interesting discussion between Blitz and Pecker regarding perception of Jak's abilities, ending in Pecker flipping Blitz off for being an ass.

The new event involved racing around an open field and collecting Precursor Artifacts that appeared. The race ran five minutes, or until one racer collected 25 artifacts. Jak found an unusual advantage in this race as his training had resulted in him being able to sense the energies of Precursor Artifacts, so he was able to steer his racer to where the Artifacts would appear even before they did. Between that and the team's cooperative racing - with everyone else guarding artifacts that Jak was going for from other racers until Jak arrived to collect it - the race was in the bag as Jak grabbed his 25th artifact with a full minute left.

The next was a solo timed race to the finish, with pickups along the track that could stop the timer for a few seconds. In order to clear the challenge, Jak had to cross the finish line before his timer run out. Though he fully expected his car to explode if he failed, he did not fail, so he didn't find out.

Another new solo course Jak had to face involved racing around a track while smashing into incredibly weak cars that came down the track the other way towards him, which exploded when hit. Each one was worth a different amount of points, and his goal was to build up a high enough score in a short period of time along the twisting, winding course. The only major obstacle was the red cars, which damaged Jak's racer if he hit them. Through careful driving at high speeds, Jak was able to come through with a gold medal.

The big point that brought attention as they continued through their races was that Blitz had begun actively preventing Pecker from saying anything on the news broadcasts, as though trying to prevent him from giving his investigative reports. This especially became clear when Jak was on the show for an 'interview', alongside Razor. Once Jak saw he wouldn't be learning anything new, he decided to mostly ignore things, since he was pretty certain he could predict whatever Razor or Blitz would say.

Eventually, Jak became the focus of Blitz' attention. "Tell me Jak, how does it feel to know either you or Razor will be dead by season's end?"

Before Blitz could continue, Jak responded. "That it's a good thing I didn't bother getting to know Razor well enough to care about his upcoming funeral," he spat out curtly.

"Oh ho!" Blitz crowed as Razor growled. "Looks like the new guy's got some balls on him! Razor, what do you have to say to that?"

"I look forward to seeing you on the track, before I put you six feet under!" Razor growled out. "I will see you destroyed...personally!"

Jak chuckled softly. "Well well, Razor, I'm impressed. It seems that behind all that cigarette smoke and haughtiness, there might be an actual racer after all."

Razor stepped forward threateningly. "And behind all that insufferable smarm is a dead man!" he snarled angrily.

Before Razor could react, Jak's hand was around his throat, claws digging into flesh as Jak's eyes briefly shifted as he channeled his Dark Eco into them. "Razor, you couldn't fathom the number of dead men behind me..." he hissed out, glaring into Razor's eyes as he gleefully watched the arrogance drain away to be replaced by fear. "One more won't make much difference to me..."

"Whoa now!" Blitz spoke up, getting between them and separating them as Jak returned to normal. "Let's save that for the track!"

Author's Note

Scene at the end inspired by this comment.

XCR: The Ferocity

After the live broadcast confrontation between Jak and Razor, excitement over the 'rivalry' was at a fever pitch, and ratings for the show were apparently at an all time high. This didn't interest Jak at all, as he was only trying to race while gathering information. Though Pecker had managed to inform them that 'Meezo' apparently had more of an involvement in the race than it first appeared, with something of a large bet involved.

Jak continued to make his way through the challenges, with each successive race gaining him more prestige in the competition as he cleared challenge after challenge. Even the second Grand Prix event proved no true challenge for the group as their cooperative efforts continued to bring them victories. A new strategy they developed for the wider tracks was to get an early lead, not pull too far ahead, and grab every Eco pickup on the track between them so other racers could neither repair, catch up, or blast them.

After coming in first in that Grand Prix, Blitz once again brought Jak up for an interview. "And here's the lucky winner, ladies and gentlemen! Well deserved," Blitz continued condescendingly. "Well deserved indeed. You're showing promise out there, old boy. What's your secret?"

"If I said, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?" Jak responded somewhat playfully.

"Oh ho!" Blitz responded eagerly, plainly intrigued. "Come now, surely you can give the viewers at home a hint?"

Jak smirked. "Let's just say there's a reason there's no man alive who knows," he replied ominously.

"Love it!" Blitz shouted out with a laugh. "You certainly know how to keep our viewers at home at the edge of their seats! Tell me, you just beat one of the top racers in a bid to qualify for the Grand Championship Race! Your point totals are impressive, and your whole team has made certain no one off it is anywhere close. What makes you think people won't kill you all for this?"

"I don't," Jak replied bluntly. He then grinned, showing slightly sharpened teeth. "In fact, I'm looking forward to them trying."

Blitz clapped slowly, plainly impressed. "Well, you've made the people cheer, and that's good for business! Very good indeed. Until next time!"

As Jak walked away from the interview, Shining spoke up. "So...what is the reason no man alive knows the secret?" he asked curiously.

"Because Keira developed the technique back in Sandover," Jak replied with a smirk, making all nearby team members laugh.

"Glad to hear you so amused," Blitz spoke up as he approached, now in an 'off the air' persona. "But I'd be careful if I were you. I hear Meezo had a pretty sizable bet on this race...and lost."

"Hope he was watching, then," Jak replied readily.

"I'm sure he was," Blitz answered before walking off.

Jak watched him walk off curiously. "Anyone else think there's some connection between him and this mysterious Meezo?" he asked quietly.

"No better place to hide than in plain sight," Ashelin confirmed.

"Nothing definitive, but it's a theory," Shining agreed.

"Still hope we get to waste him," Daxter spoke up. "I really want to wipe that smug smirk off his face."

Despite the group's speculation, no hard evidence one way or the other was forthcoming as of yet, leaving them with nothing to do but to keep racing and get ready for the next Grand Prix.

The only thing of interest that came out was when Rayn was able to find Krew's decoder for his will, revealing even more information, including his journal. She played it for Jak as soon as he arrived after getting her message.

"Meezo and I both want the same things and we'll stop at nothing to get them," the holographic image of Krew mused as Jak watched. "So I rolled the dice and made this bet with Meezo to avoid a costly gang war between us. The winner of the next Kras City Grand Championship Race will win the other's dirty business."

Jak noticed Rayn gasping in seeming shock at this, and he did his best to smother his own grin. This seemed to be playing right into his plans, almost too perfectly.

"All I have to do is field a better racing team than him, win the big race, and Meezo and his nasty clan will slink off to whatever hole they crawled out of, eh?" the hologram continued, before freezing.

"That explains a great deal," Jak murmured softly.

"My father made a wager with the Meezo crime family?" Rayn murmured in shock. "He's been linked with some of the worst crime in Kras City. I'm sure he's paying top dollar to field the best racers to beat us."

"So we're up against the world's nastiest crime boss with the best mercenary racers money can buy," Jak spoke up calmly. He then leaned in close to Rayn. "And you're still playing the fool."

"I don't-" she began, startled.

"I know the polite non-drink of a political banquet when I see it," Jak whispered in her ear, instantly silencing her. "I have just one question. If Meezo loses, will he keep his end of the bargain?"

"...he'll have to," Rayn murmured, not even moving her lips as she spoke. "If he doesn't, no one will believe anything he promises in the future. It'll be the end of him, and his whole clan, in organized crime."

"So if we win, all the organized crime on the continent will be handed over to you as Krew's heir," Jak clarified.

"Precisely," Rayn murmured back, her eyes hard. "Why do you ask?" Her hand inched towards her hip, where Jak saw the outline of an Eco Dagger carefully concealed.

Without warning, Jak pulled back. "It's been wonderful speaking with such a lovely young lady," Jak spoke up, as though their discussion had been, if not innocent, at least not of the earth shaking importance it had been. "We'll talk again once we have the cup in hand."

Rayn watched him carefully as he left, before once more smoothing her expression to pretend nothing of importance had occurred.

XCR: The Enemies

Jak pretended that his momentary confrontation with Rayn had never happened, and Rayn did likewise, letting the team dynamic return to seeming normal. The only change that occurred was that Rayn could often be seen watching Jak carefully, trying to take his measure. This, unfortunately, was once caught on camera, leading to Blitz doing a report about Jak being something of a ladies' man, and implications of a 'love triangle' or rivalry within the team. This wasn't helped by the fact that both Keira and Ashelin's chosen outfits for while working on the team showed a good amount of skin.

Much to Jak's frustration and confusion, Keira capitalized on this by actively engaging in 'rivalry' behavior with Rayn anytime someone was watching, to the amusement of Daxter and Shining. The crowning moment, in their opinion, was the actual cat fight Keira and Rayn got into - on live TV - when Keira 'caught' Rayn looking at Jak a little too closely, leaving Jak completely uncertain what to do or how to handle things.

After that particular interview, Jak managed to get some alone time with Keira to ask about it. "Why did you do that?" he asked bluntly.

"A few reasons," Keira replied simply. "First, the more 'sensational' we are, the safer we are in our victories from Meezo's retaliation. The more popular we are, the more money we bring into the racing scene by racing...and the more it'll lose if we get taken out off the track. If everyone wants to see what happens next with us, Meezo will have to confine his attempts to eliminate us to the track, and we've already shown we can handle anything they try there."

"That could easily backfire," Jak grumbled. "Meezo could easily set up an 'off-track event' that leads to a racing challenge to force us to lose. He's certainly not above that."

"True, but that we can guard against," Keira explained. "My second reason was to test Rayn's close combat skills."

"...why?" Jak asked, confused.

"To see just how much of a threat she'll be when we eventually end up on opposite sides," Keira explained. "I wanted to find out if she was the sort who could easily get her own hands dirty...and unfortunately, she is." She rubbed her thigh, wincing. "She landed quite a few blows."

Without even seeming to think about it, Jak shifted position so he could massage the pain out from her thigh. "And what's the third reason?" he asked as he worked, smiling as she sighed in relief.

"Because I didn't like how she was looking at you," Keira replied simply. "You're mine, and I wanted to make sure she knew that."

He chuckled softly at that. All things considered, he was glad she thought that way about him, if terrified he might lose it someday. "Yes, dear," he replied playfully.

"Remind me to yell at you when this is all over for having Vin work on the superweapon instead of me though," she murmured softly.

He flinched at that, then sighed ruefully. She knew him a little too well. "Yes, dear," he responded, his voice much more resigned now.

Nearby, Daxter chuckled at his discomfiture before making whipping sound effects.

Smirking, Jak and Keira both immediately responded, "Kinky."

"TMI!" Daxter screamed, running from the room. "TMI!"

While Jak was confident that all they had to do was win the races in order to get Meezo to meet his obligations and transfer control of all criminal enterprises to Rayn, he also knew Meezo was likely to be the only one who was so honorable. His underlings - especially Razor - were likely to play by their own rules at every opportunity.

Still, as Jak competed in race after race, he found the things he'd proclaimed while acting the bad ass proved to be true. He did relish the challenge this presented. He was eager to face off against people who were actively trying to kill him, both on and off the track. He felt his blood race every time he took the track against the other teams, even the few times their team tactics proved ineffective and one racer got close enough to actually hurt him. He'd found it exciting.

Even on the new event designed for team driving - a wide open space where Power Cells appeared one at a time throughout the arena, with the goal being getting it back to the team's base - Jak found himself focusing less on the objective and more on the combat. Chasing down an enemy driver and forcing them into a crash, or taking them out with a missile...it excited him.

He wanted to attribute this combat fever to the Dark Eco inside of him, but he knew better. Not only did the Light Eco inside balance the Dark so it didn't influence his behavior anymore, his enjoyment of such challenge predated his Dark Eco infusion. Even back in Sandover, he'd always been eager for the next thrill, the next crazy stunt...the next Lurker attack.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was forced to face facts. He'd always loved to push himself to his limits, and nowhere could he do that more readily than in combat. He was a battle junkie.

Still, the realization brought its own relief. With the world as it was, it was no bad thing to enjoy something that would likely always be a large part of his life. Even with how they were working to restore the world, it was still a battle just to survive. Still, it wasn't good to let it control him.

One thing at a time, though. First, he'd finish up in Kras City. Then, he'd ask Elder and Damas for advice on how to keep such urges in check. Maybe it was something that ran in the family.

XCR: The Mystery

As the group prepared for competition in the next Grand Prix, they were surprised as Blitz came in to deliver live on camera a recorded message from Meezo himself. Jak and Rayn both paid close attention, while the others stuck close to listen.

"Greetings fellow race lovers," the distorted voice spoke from the shadowed silhouette on the screen. "Your perseverence this season has been...surprising. But Krew has sent you on a fool's errand. I'm prepared to forgive and forget, and spare each of your lives if you walk away now."

Jak rolled his eyes as the message reached that part. "So much for the intimidating crime lord," he mumbled under his breath. "He doesn't know the first thing about this. He might as well have just proclaimed that he's afraid we'll actually win, and the consequences thereof." He noticed Blitz' eyes hardening as he spoke, and smirked.

"Well, you certainly are brave!" Blitz managed to get out. He started to say more, but Jak stepped between him and the camera.

"If you're listening, Meezo," he began, standing side-on to the camera as he spoke so one eye was on Blitz, "your days are numbered. We're coming for you, and you don't have enough to stop us."

As Blitz left the area, Rayn spoke up. "So...am I the only one who thinks the silhouette of Meezo looked like a bald Blitz?"

"And Blitz does wear a toupee..." Daxter pointed out thoughtfully.

"Might be a coincidence," Jak murmured. "But Blitz is definitely in Meezo's pocket, at the very least..."

Despite Razor's best efforts, the team cooperative efforts continued to pull through even the direst circumstances, allowing Jak to come in first in the race while Razor was left coming in fifth. Jak was rather unsurprised that this resulted in yet another TV interview from Blitz. "And here he is, ladies and gentlemen!" Blitz began as he approached. "The man who beat - nay, humiliated! - the mighty Razor! How does it feel to still be breathing?"

"Disappointing," Jak replied bluntly, once more getting in character as a real hardass. "With all he'd been talked up, I expected better of him...and this sport in general."

"Well, we'll see what we can do to liven things up for you, shall we?" Blitz offered. "But it seems like you've got the Championship locked down! You're the rising star!" He then smirked somewhat wickedly. "Of course...every star falls."

"Then I suggest you watch where you stand when it comes time for me to land," Jak replied grimly.

With only one Grand Prix remaining to clear, the group knew that attempts to destroy them would drastically increase. As such, they went to work ensuring their base of operations was well protected and their vehicles were as strong as they could be made. At the same time, Jak and Shining both practiced their Eco abilities, determining carefully how best to use them in the races.

A minor error in one race revealed to Jak that someone had attempted to sabotage his kart's weapons systems, but wasn't aware that Keira had given every system in every kart triple redundancy, just in case something went wrong. After the race, Keira examined the device used to sabotage the racer, and determined it was the same type that - according to records - had killed Blitz' father on the track. However, given their suspicions regarding Blitz, they decided not to do anything about it as of yet.

A more difficult discussion arose, however, when Rayn uncovered certain information that she felt compelled to confront Jak about. She found him resting atop their mobile base. "Jak, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"I'm certain," Jak replied easily.

"Is it true that you killed my father?" she asked bluntly.

Jak nodded. "Yes, it's true," he replied readily. "Were you expecting an apology?"

Rayn's eyes narrowed. "You don't regret it in the slightest, do you?" she demanded angrily.

"Krew was so consumed with his greed that he dealt with anyone who would pay him," Jak told her flatly. "He was willing to sacrifice an entire city for his own profit, even if it meant dooming all of humanity in the process. Yes, I killed him. I dealt with him as I've dealt with any threat to those who look to me for safety and a future, and who had no heart left. I have no more regret from killing him than from killing Kor, the leader of the Metalheads...or Errol, who allied with the Dark Makers." Standing up, he walked away. "As I'll deal with anyone else who threatens those I care for, and prove they will not change their ways. As I intend to deal with Meezo if he does not keep his word when we win."

"What kind of monster are you?" Rayn demanded angrily.

"The kind this world needs," Jak replied. "The kind it made me to be. Besides, you know the type of person Krew really was better than I do, don't you?" He noticed Rayn flinch back. "Thought so. You're cut from the same cloth...but you care. That's more than he ever did. I'll be counting on that when the time comes."

"What are you talking about?" Rayn queried cautiously.

"You'll see when this is over, and you have control of Meezo's business," Jak answered simply, "one way or another. After all, finding out who was in control of the underground crime rings is exactly why we came here in the first place."

XCR: The Finale

After their conversation, Rayn started to avoid Jak, though Jak himself couldn't put his finger on why. This wasn't because he didn't have a clue why she might avoid him, far from it. It was because he could think of far too many reasons why she might be avoiding him now, each of them equally valid, and each requiring a completely different approach to correct if that was what was needed, and some that shouldn't be corrected if they were the case. As such, all Jak could do was let her avoid him.

Besides, he had more than enough to focus on as it was, what with more races coming up and another Grand Prix to prepare for. The only point of interest that arose was when Pecker reported to the group that he'd heard from Blitz that Meezo was bringing in a surprise driver for the final race.

"So do you think this is where we finally find out what Meezo's really like?" Daxter asked Shining once the news arrived.

"Either that or Blitz," Shining countered. "I'm still pretty suspicious of him."

"Pecker mentioned Blitz talking about an Uncle," Keira pointed out. "But there's no mention of one in official records. It could be that Uncle...is Meezo."

"You think a crime lord would arrange offing his own brother?" Shining asked in surprise, having heard the theory that Meezo had arranged the death of Blitz' father.

"Would you believe it of Krew?" Daxter asked pointedly. Shining did not have a response for that.

"The Grand Prix's coming up," Jak stated bluntly as he entered the conversation. "None of this actually matters here. What matters is winning, so we can do what we came here to do."

The others nodded, frowning. Though it was true, none of them really liked hearing it...anymore than Jak liked saying it.

After watching Blitz' news report on the final race - and the official announcement of the 'mystery late entrant' for Meezo's team - the group became somewhat surprised when Krew's datapad once more displayed his holographic image with more to say. "So it's the final race, eh?" he observed thoughtfully. "It all comes down to this. I just hope I didn't miscalculate the poison's potency!" He seemed to find that highly amusing, though no one else did. "Win quickly, and save yourselves! I want that trophy!" With that, the hologram vanished.

"Is everyone ready?" Jak asked, glancing around at everyone.

"I'm racing too this time!" Keira insisted.

"But-" Jak and Samos both began.

"Whoever Meezo's mystery racer is, he'll be gunning for you specifically Jak," Keira interrupted firmly. "I've already done everything I can with the karts to keep you safe, and this is it! I know more about the karts than anyone...I won't sit idly by on the sidelines hoping you come back safe! Not again!"

Samos sighed ruefully, shaking his head in exasperation. "Just like her mother..." he grumbled under his breath.

Jak stared at Keira for a time...then smiled. "Make sure you keep up," he offered warmly.

"That's my line," Keira teased back.

The Grand Prix seemed to be normal...except for that fact that Blitz was not doing the announcement for it. Instead, Pecker did his commentary alone. Suspicion grew even as the team once more resumed their normal cooperative tactics. The tactics proved just as effective in the last three races of the final Grand Prix as it had everywhere else in the competition, though the 'mystery racer' got more and more aggressive as the races continued.

As Keira had expected, the mystery racer was gunning specifically for Jak...but she'd anticipated that and added something special to her racer and Jak's in anticipation of it. Whenever the mystery racer got too close - or managed to fire off a Supernova weapon that was homing in on Jak's racer - she swerved in while calling out, "Bump and grind!"

When their racers slammed against each other, it activated the electrical field between them, which both drew weapons fire and temporarily fried the systems of any racer that drove through it. Of course, this also greatly drained their own racers and slowed them down, so as soon as the threat was passed, Jak would swerve in to shut off the field with a cry of, "Wham, bam, thank you Ma'am!" For some reason, this always set Daxter to laughing hysterically.

Before long, the final race was completed...and Jak came in firmly in first. Rayn then brought over the capsule of antidotes for the poison. "It's all over now," she told them as she walked up. "This entire thing was a plan by my father specifically to flush Meezo out so he could be eliminated...but as you put together, Meezo is none other than our mystery racer here, G.T. Blitz."

Blitz - or Meezo, whatever he chose to call himself - stomped up, determinedly proclaiming his intentions to never hand over control of the city, and other things that Jak and his group didn't really listen to. However, it quickly became plain that it was important information when Pecker brought the cameras near and pointed out it had all been broadcast live. In a rage, Meezo grabbed the capsule with the antidotes and drove off with them.

"He's getting away!" Rayn called out.

Jak, however, calmly opened a suitcase Keira handed him, lifting out a rocket launcher. "So, he dies, you have control of everything?" he asked as he took aim.

"Yes, but the antidotes!" Rayn pointed out. "I don't have more!"

"Then it's a good thing we won't need them," Jak murmured calmly as he rested his hand on the launcher. Feeding it his own Eco, he activated the six Eco charges - one of each color - inside before pulling the trigger. The rocket shot out, speeding straight for Meezo's racer. A blinding white explosion erased racer and driver from the track.

He then turned calmly to Rayn, who seemed completely stunned. "It's time for that talk," he stated bluntly.

XCR: The Agreement

Jak sat calmly across the table from Rayn as they stared each other. Each of them drank from drinks they'd brought themselves, and no refreshments of any other sort were laid out. The room itself was small, quiet, and illuminated only by a single lamp hanging above, with only a single door to one side of the room. The table itself was incredibly plain, as were the chairs each of them were seated in. All in all, it was a very serious room.

They continued to stare at each other, measuring the other, waiting for the other to initiate the discussion. Both had maneuvered around others socially or otherwise many times, and knew all their own strategies. Eventually, it was Rayn who broke the silence, her impatience stronger as her new obligations hung heavy on her mind. "You said we needed to talk?" she demanded coolly.

"So you're now in control of all crime here in Kras City, and the City itself," Jak stated firmly. "Which, in turn, means you control all criminal enterprises on the continent."

Rayn nodded in confirmation, not wanting to actually voice something like that. "Though it does leave me wondering why it's your business," she observed calmly, not actually voicing a question as of yet. "You don't seem the type to get involved in that side of things."

"Normally I'm not," Jak admitted readily. "I'd much rather leave that side of things to those who know it far better, and can be trusted to handle things professionally...and circumspectly." He locked his eyes on Rayn's. "Of course, that's the point of this conversation, after all."

Rayn frowned as she began to piece together what Jak wasn't quite saying. "This is recruitment, then?" she asked harshly, doing her best to marshal her irritation at Jak's presumptions.

"In a manner of speaking," Jak offered pleasantly. He turned his gaze to the ceiling. "The founder of Haven City built a massive laser cannon," he spoke up, seemingly changing the subject. "Its initial purpose was to break open the Metalhead nest so they could be decimated, freeing the continent from their plague. Of course, being who he was, he overdesigned, and the lowest setting was enough to penetrate the nest." Jak smiled idly. "From what I've been told by those who know...the highest setting could wipe a city off the map with a single shot." He turned his innocent smile back towards Rayn. "Isn't that interesting?"

Rayn frowned, her hand going to her hip almost idly. "Yes, I must say it is interesting. And what might lead to it being used?"

"Well, of course such a thing wouldn't be used casually," Jak clarified. "It would, of course, be a weapon of last resort...but it is a possibility. It would, of course, be better if such things could be resolved in other manners."

"I'm certain," Rayn replied firmly. "From the sound of it, you are quite familiar with how those decisions would be made."

"That would be a logical presumption, yes," Jak admitted. "Now, are we going to discuss things like reasonable people? I don't think the six Yellow Eco shots of your micro-Blaster would even make the shields you know I can generate flicker, and I know for a fact that's the only weapon you keep on your person."

Rayn let her hand ease away from her hip. "Of course, I'd have no reason to use it on a friend," she offered readily, though wondering how he knew she had no other weapons on her, and even knew the nature of the weapon. "Tell me, Jak, just who are you, anyway?"

Jak smiled softly. "Speaking in specifics now, are we? Very well. I am Mar, son of Damas, heir to the thrones of Haven and Spargus."

Rayn watched him carefully. "Two cities under your banner already?" she asked coldly. "Are you looking to add a third?"

"I'm looking to unite the continent," Jak replied readily. "At least, for now. And of course, you see why it interests me that you pretty much run Kras City now."

Rayn frowned. "You think I'll help you stamp out my entire enterprise?" she demanded harshly.

Jak waved his hand dismissively. "You're making assumptions. I don't want to shut you down, not at all. All that would do is scatter the criminal element and leave it in someone else's control, or several someones. Far more efficient to leave you in control...if you're willing to cooperate."

Rayn's frown changed from irritated to confused. "I'm listening..." she encouraged, wanting to hear more now.

"Crime, as it is, is a disruptive element to a well ordered kingdom," Jak explained. "It's the job of a leader to minimize disruptive elements in their domain, so as to encourage a thriving community. There are two ways to do that, either elimination or reorganization. As I've already explained, eliminating crime is an exercise in futility." He chuckled softly. "No, I want to reorganize things so that instead, crime contributes to society. What would be the point of trying to stamp out thieves and assassins? There will always be more, and you never know when I might need one."

Rayn stroked her chin thoughtfully. "What exactly are you offering here?" she asked calmly.

"Legitimacy," Jak clarified. "You continue your shadow rule of Kras City, and keep me in the loop of events of significance there. Kras City becomes part of the developing continental alliance, and we work together to unite the continent." He lifted his hands. Before Rayn's very eyes, one took on a pale blue cast as it glowed with white light, while the other expanded and grew claws as it turned darker. "I, more than anyone, understand the necessity of balancing the light with the shadows, after all. Since crime is inevitable, let it be organized, and let that organization work towards the same goals as all others: stability."

Rayn stared at him for a time, then chuckled softly. "Your legacy says you're a King...but you're sounding more like a Patrician."

Jak smiled. "I imagine if I were better read, I'd find that highly amusing. I'll ask Shining if he can explain it to me later. So what's your answer?"

Rayn smiled softly. "Cooperation goes both ways," she countered. "Suppose I do have my 'Rogue Court' working for you. What does my 'Court' get out of it?"

Jak interlaced his fingers together. "At first, smoother operations as they have less difficulty working around the existing system, as that system adapts to incorporate them. Over time? Eventually, they'll be as much a part of polite society as any respected Guild, and without having to actually behave respectably." He chuckled softly. "I know I hate having to."

Rayn couldn't stop her chuckle from escaping. "My earlier joke is all the more appropriate," she admitted before extending her hand. "I think we have a deal."

Smiling, Jak accepted the handshake. "A pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to future good relations." Standing, he turned to go.

"Tell me something, Your Majesty," she called after him. "Does the incipient King have a Queen in mind?"

Jak smirked back over his shoulder. "A claim there has already been staked...and she doesn't like sharing."

Rayn sighed, knowing exactly who he spoke of. "More's the pity," she joked teasingly. She watched speculatively as he left with a laugh. "More's the pity..."

Prelude to Journey

Samos paced back and forth in front of the meditation chamber he and Elder had prepared for Keira. With how advanced her Eco abilities were becoming, it was time for her to take her Spirit Quest, to fully manifest her nature as a Green Sage. The revelation that Jak and Daxter were both also Sages had raised the question of sending them on Spirit Quests, but Elder suggested that technically the events since their arrival in this time was far harsher and more testing of their true natures and abilities than any Spirit Quest could ever be. Samos had not been happy initially about accepting Daxter as a fully realized Sage, but Daxter had - surprisingly - addressed the role with an appropriate degree of maturity. Whatever respect that had gained him with Samos had been erased when he'd promptly 'celebrated' with Tess in a manner most unbecoming of a Sage. (Samos would staunchly deny any resemblance Daxter's behavior with Tess had to his own behavior with Keira's mother while she'd been alive.)

However, the state of the world at present left no question as to what the nature of Keira's Spirit Quest would have to be...and it was something that filled Samos with dread. "Are you certain of this, Elder?" he asked anew, despite this being the third time they were having this discussion.

"I am afraid so," Elder replied. "Gol and Maia have confirmed it with their own studies. The planet's Eco appears to be running out, and Dark Eco is acting up. It appears we are on the verge of a planetary collapse."

"What could have caused this?" Samos demanded worriedly.

"There is no way to tell from here," Elder explained. "The only way to figure out what has gone wrong would be investigation of the Eco Core, a device meant to regulate the Eco flows of this world."

"Shouldn't such an artifact be near to the center of the planet, and well protected?" Samos demanded.

"It would normally," Elder admitted, "but...we believe that its protections may have come undone by the Brink."

"And that leads me to yet another question," Samos continued. "What, exactly, is the Brink?"

Sighing, Elder once more conjured the image of the planet. "Most Precursor designed worlds take this spherical shape," Elder explained. "It's most efficient regarding both Eco flow and the balance of other natural forces. However, this world was built...in some haste, due to the ravages of the Dark Makers. The Prism Ghost who infused this world hoped his descendants that took shape in the life of this world would be able to find a way to combat the Dark Makers, and thus save all worlds. Since it was a refuge, he had to make do with what materials we were able to bring with us, and discreetly gather from the area. The end result..."

The image of the perfect globe changed. An entire section of the globe was now missing, like a massive puzzle piece had been plucked away. Instead, floating islands of stone dotted the empty void in that location. "The Brink is how we refer to the part of the world we weren't able to finish. With how Keira has been able to work with the planet elsewhere, we had been thinking of going to finish it now, if Eco allowed. However...the Eco Core could possibly be accessed through that gap. If something has happened to it..."

Samos nodded in understanding. "I see why that is a concern...but why must Keira be the one to go investigate it?"

"Because the Eco Core is equal parts spiritual artifact and machine," Elder explained. "Even I don't have a full understanding of its workings. The Precursor Spirit who infused this world crafted it. And a Spirit Quest is the awakening of a Sage's full potential. In the moment of awakening, they will be able to accomplish things that would normally be impossible for them. Her moment of awakening must be finding and repairing the Eco Core so that the world's Eco is stabilized. Her Eco abilities and machine fascination is the only ability combination that would allow this. In this moment, she is far more important to the world's survival than Jak ever was."

"And in an odd way, without her even Jak would never have come to be as he is," Samos admitted. "So I can see why she has to do this. But...I don't like sending her off alone. The Brink is dangerous."

"Yes," Elder agreed. "If Eco is destabilizing, it will be most unstable at the Brink, and anyone who is still alive there is likely to be desperate for any stable source of Eco they can use. Any Eco she brings with her is likely to become a target, and if they learn she is a not yet awakened Sage..."

Samos shuddered. "Definitely don't want that to happen. I just wish there was some way I could keep her safe!" He sighed, shaking his head. "But a Sage has to take their Spirit Quest alone. I can't go with her to safeguard her, or she won't find herself..."

Elder rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Not entirely," he mused. "As I recall, a Sage in training is to take their quest 'under the protection of the Precursors', correct?"

"Well, yes, but that's more meant as a state of mind rather than a physical thing," Samos explained. "Though I'd feel safe if you went with her, it would violate the rules of the Spirit Quest, with how powerful you are."

"And beyond that, I'm fully trained," Elder confirmed. "But if a Precursor whose training was incomplete were to go with her...and a Sage whose Spirit Quest was incomplete and covered the same matters from a different direction..."

"Well, both of those would be acceptable," Samos admitted. "But what do you have in mind?"

"If we assume Jak's Spirit Quest was 'saving the world', then it is not yet complete so long as this matter is unresolved, correct?" Elder offered. "Would that not mean his Quest would take him to the Brink as well? With Daxter and Shining accompanying him, as they always have been?"

Samos' face slowly split into a wide grin. "And if both their Quests are heading in the same direction...there's nothing in the rules against two Sages in training Questing together."

"I thought you might see it that way," Elder agreed, smiling as well. "I'm certain the continent can spare them both for a time."

Brink: The Final Frontier

Jak carefully held the controls of the latest ship Keira had designed. Based off the A-Grav Zoomers, it was larger and sleeker, designed to be able to fly great distances at high speed and altitude, a fully sealed cockpit protecting the passengers. It was even a four seater, though only three seats were currently occupied. Jak sat in the pilot's seat, Keira in the copilot's seat, and Daxter in the back seat. Keira had chosen a more durable and conservative outfit for this trip, a dark blue flight jacket and purple pants, goggles hanging around her neck when she wasn't actively flying or tinkering. The vehicle had been designed to handle the Eco storms Elder had warned them surrounded the Brink, so they could make it through without danger. However, the storms had proven stronger than expected due to the planetary Eco instability, rattling ship and passengers as they went through the clouds.

"That was close," Jak murmured worriedly as they broke through the latest batch of clouds.

"We need to find somewhere to set down now!" Keira insisted. "The storm's going to get worse before it gets better, and I don't think the shields can take much more." She quickly checked the map as she held her controls, just in case Jak needed to risk putting his own energy into the shields to keep them intact. "Looks like we should be near the Brink. The Edge of the World should be almost right below us, hopefully."

In the back seat, Daxter did his best not to throw up. "Why couldn't we have brought Shining?" he asked desperately. "He could have kept us shielded through the whole storm, and we wouldn't be weaving and flipping and tilting all over the place, and I wouldn't be on the verge of..." He clutched his mouth again. "Shoulda stayed home..."

"Shining didn't have a Quest related reason to come," Jak responded. "Only so many technicalities-"

At that moment, the ship rocked as three other fliers came too close. "Eco Pirates!" Keira called out, pointing them out.

Jak growled under his breath. Eco Pirates hunted the Frontier for travelers, preying on the helpless. "If they think we're helpless," Jak growled out, "they've got another thing coming." Reaching up, he began to pop open the canopy so he could fight outside the ship.

"Be careful, Jak!" Keira warned. "With the amount of Dark Eco in the air, it could be dangerous for you to change form! Elder said attempts might kill you!"

"I've got him covered!" Daxter called out as he threw a lever on his seat, making it slide back in the flier to rise up with the back gun. He quickly tracked the Pirate fliers, ready to shoot at need.

As Daxter shot down the fliers, however, a larger craft came out of the storm clouds, launching magnetic grapples that latched onto the small ship. Two of the pirates rode the ropes down even as Jak got to his feet on the ship.

"Terribly sorry for the inconvenience," one of the Pirates spoke up in an urbane, cultured voice. "Please allow us to relieve you of your Eco."

"Alright," Jak allowed as his eyes flashed blue. "Have some!"

Before the pirate could react, Jak blurred forward, slammed his fist into his foes gut, delivered an elbow strike to the back of his head that sent him flying across the flier into his compatriot, and drawn his Eco Blade. Sending red Eco along the blade, he quickly severed one of the grapples. "You can leave now in one piece, or fall into the Brink in pieces," Jak growled out dangerously.

The Pirate chuckled as he got to his feet. "I don't think I'll be leaving empty handed," he taunted. "Not when there's such a beautiful treasure here." He gestured playfully towards Keira.

Rage flashed in Jak's eyes, and Dark Eco raced up his blade as he charged forward, slashing out both pirates even as pain raced along his sword arm. "You keep away from her!" he snarled out, barely missing both Pirates as they leapt for grapples. Unfortunately, the Dark Eco extended beyond the blade, and grazed one of the fuel tanks, creating a massive Eco leak. "...oops..."

With the leaking Eco, the storms around them grew worse, making the Pirates withdraw, and forcing Keira to find an island to make an emergency landing on. Unfortunately, as they went down below the clouds, they saw the cascading waterfall that marked the Edge of The World...the Brink.

Keira desperately tried to steer the ship to a safe landing, and just barely managed on a spur of landing sticking up over the brink, large enough to hopefully explore and find resources on, but small enough to evade the notice of the pirates. Unfortunately, the landing was a bit bumpy.

"Ow!" a familiar voice barked out from the storage compartment, where Keira kept tools and materials to make repairs with. "Can't a guy take a nap in peace?"

Jak started in surprise, then leapt to the compartment and threw it open. "Shining?" he gasped out in surprise, staring down at his slightly dazed unicorn brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking a nap so I could make sure I was here to see you off since I couldn't come with," Shining groaned as he clambered out of the compartment. He paused as he glanced around, taking in the surroundings. "Uh...where is here?"

"The Brink," Jak explained.

"What?" Shining demanded, mightily offended. "You guys left without waiting to say goodbye to me?"

"We were on a schedule!" Jak replied firmly. "Time was of the essence. When no one could find you for farewells, I thought you were avoiding us because saying goodbye would be too painful when you weren't allowed to come with us!"

"You really think I wouldn't say goodbye when the fate of the world was at stake?" Shining snapped back. "Don't you see me nice!"

Keira, for her part, groaned. "So much for the Spirit Quest," she grumbled. "He wasn't cleared to come with us..."

"Actually, I think we just hit on another technicality," Daxter spoke up. "We can accept the help of any skilled adventurer we come across by chance, and since we didn't intend to bring him nor him intend to come, this counts as a chance meeting."

"Don't you think that's stretching things a bit?" Keira asked, though her voice was warm and happy.

"No more than letting me be here under the guise of 'going with the grace of the Precursors'," Daxter teased back.

"Wait..." Shining spoke up, interrupting his argument with Jak. "You mean...I get to go along with you after all?"

"Well, we certainly can't turn around and take you back," Keira pointed out, grinning ear to ear.

Shining pumped his hoof in the air with a whoop. "Yes! Gaming the system again! Up high, bro!"

"Down low, you mean?" Jak joked back as he bent over to bump clenched fist with raised hoof.

"Now let's see what we can do about fixing the ship," Keira spoke up, climbing out to get to work.

Brink: These Are the Voyages

Once things were settled, the group began investigating their craft to see what repairs were needed. Eventually, Jak spoke up. "Well, aside from a few dents and that gash in the engine, we're still sky worthy."

"If we can find more Geen Eco fuel," Keira pointed out harshly. "And if I can repair the power cells your stunt damaged." This time her glare was quite fierce and pointed straight at Jak, who flinched back visibly.

"Whoa!" Shining spoke up, rearing back. "What brought this on? Don't you think you're being a little hard-"

"You mean the fact that I'm stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere with Jak, and the three things keeping it from being a perfect fantasy moment is your presence, Daxter's presence, and the fact that the world's coming to an end?" Keira interrupted waspishly. "Yeah, can't imagine why that isn't frustrating at all!" Seeing her hands clenching around one of her tools hard enough to bend the metal, she did her best to relax. "Sorry about that...things have gotten just a bit...tense..."

Daxter hopped swiftly to Shining's back. "Translation," he whispered softly, "her change of wardrobe has nothing to do with the colder environment."

"Huh?" Shining asked, now even more confused.

"Why don't we look around here see if we can find some Green Eco?" Jak suggested quickly. "There isn't enough Eco right in this spot to attract creatures of any sort, so you should be perfectly fine to work unguarded, and this way you won't have as many distractions."

"That sounds like a good idea..." Keira offered, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against the cold metal of the craft, taking a few deep breaths. "There's a fighting staff I put together in the boot, based off Damas' preferred weapon. It's made of Precursor Metal and even can use gun mods if you find them. Might help tip the balance if you find any more pirates."

Nodding, Jak pulled out the red and brown weapon, taking in the curved blade edges at the end and feeling how in tune it was with his natural Eco flows. "Thanks," he stated warmly before quickly leading the way into the available wilderness. Shining and Daxter followed swiftly behind him.

"So...is anyone going to explain to me what that was about?" Shining asked worriedly.

"Keira's body is getting very vocal about being ready for children," Daxter explained. "As such, it's much more stressful for her mind to tell it 'no', especially since her Green Eco has already started reacting to the proximity of Jak's six colors, even when they aren't even touching. Part of taking this Spirit Quest for her is finding a better way to control that."

"Oh..." Shining murmured, eyes wide in nervousness. "So...is that why Samos suggested I nap in the boot to be sure I was on time to say goodbye? Did he want to sneak me along as an extra chaperone?"

"Distinct possibility," Jak murmured, suppressing a chuckle. "Boy, even when he doesn't know what's going to happen, he's clever with setting things up."

The land they began to explore was rather small, the unusually configured island stretching more up and down than north, south, east, or west. Water flowed endlessly in the river, descending off the side into the abyss that was the Brink, a seemingly bottomless pit in which nothing could be seen but white fog. The only animal life found on the island were Dark Eco mutants, resembling oversized red armadillos with spiked backs. A single blow from Jak caused their bodies to break into Dark Eco.

Plantlife proved limited to grass and gnarled, twisted, fruitless trees. The island itself proved to not be the one continuous piece it had appeared at first glance, with several rocky outcrops the group was forced to leap across to. Thankfully, Shining Armor's magic made much of the progress far easier than it could have been otherwise. Eventually, they found a large green crystal growing out of the rocks.

"This looks like the Eco Crystals we gathered when dealing with the Dark Makers," Shining murmured softly as they examined it. "But...we only ever encountered Light and Dark Crystals. I didn't know Green Eco could crystallize."

Jak lifted up the crystal, feeling the power inside of it. "Well, Keira said we needed Green Eco. This ought to be enough."

"Then let's get back to the ship," Daxter insisted, glancing around worriedly. "This place gives me the creeps..."

As they made their way back to the crash site, two of the Dark Eco mutants knocked a boulder over onto a bridge they needed to cross, breaking it. When the mutants leapt down, Daxter let off a blast of Light Eco, only to let out a scream of pain as he clutched at that arm.

"Daxter!" Jak and shining both shouted out worriedly as they turned to look at him.

"I'm okay!" Daxter gasped out, rubbing the arm. "Think...I'm seeing what Elder was warning us about this place. Think I'm gonna try and find a way to not do that in the future..."

"Ride," Shining instructed, levitating Daxter onto his back. Clearing the broken bridge, the trio then made their way across it and back to the ship.

While Shining took Daxter to the side to tend to him, Jak brought the crystal to Keira. "Look at this," he offered, handing it over. "It's full of Green Eco...and it's warm. Green Eco's not supposed to behave like this..."

"This is...very unusual..." Keira mused as she carefully cradled the crystal in her hands. After a time, she gasped in shock. "This...this is impossible!"

"What's it doing, exactly?" Jak asked curiously. "It felt...strange."

"I can't be sure, but it seems to be acting like the Eco Converters I reverse engineered back in Sandover," Keira mused. "The ones I made so Shining could use his magic to double jump? It's converting...something into Green Eco, but the Eco isn't behaving properly."

"Felt like it was sucking Dark Eco right out of the air," Jak pointed out. "Any chance we could use it for the ship?"

"I think so. If I hook it into the fuel relays, add a power condenser and a few loop circuits to stabilize..." Keira popped open the engine compartment and began tinkering. "If it works...we should be able to run the ship on the Dark Eco in the air all around us!"

"Wait..." Daxter began. "Does that mean the same process could convert Dark Eco into other colors?"

"With the right tools and research, yes," Keira confirmed. "Of course, the proof is in the pudding...or in this case, the tinkering." Leaning in, she started working on interfacing the Green Prism into the ship's innards.

Brink: Of the Ecoship Armor

Before long, Keira had the Crystal fully installed. "Well, time to try it out," she murmured softly, clambering back into the ship.

"Cross your fingers everyone," Jak instructed as he started up the engines.

Shining and Daxter stared at him. Daxter lifted his paw, showing how his fuzzy digits did not bend that way. Shining lifted a hoof, showing his total absence of digits.

"Right, my bad," Jak apologized, startling a giggle out of Keira.

As the engine purred to life, Keira let out a whoop. "We did it!" she proclaimed happily. "We can fly forever now! And if this works, then...the theoretical applications..."

"Will have to wait," Shining spoke up, pointing into the sky.

Almost directly above the group was a large white craft the size of the old palace in Haven. Numerous pirate craft were flying around the vessel, attacking it. "Looks like our swashbuckling 'friends' are at it again," Jak grunted as he activated the controls.

"We need to help that airship!" Keira insisted.

"Where do you think I'm going?" Jak demanded as their craft lifted into the air. "Buckle up, everyone!"

"We have safety harnesses?" Shining gasped out eagerly, glancing around.

"Uh, no," Daxter countered. "He was being metaphorical." Shining's face promptly fell.

After a quick run through of their Hellcat's systems, they got close enough to the larger craft to pick up a comm signal. "This is the ACS Behemoth," an authoritative voice began. "We have come under attack by Sky Pirates. Is anyone there?"

"Time to test the guns," Jak murmured softly as he locked onto the nearest pirate craft, even as Daxter shifted to control the guns at the back of the craft.

While the pirates were good fliers, Jak proved to be superior, especially with Shining using spot shields to block enemy shots. As each enemy ship was destroyed, the built in collectors on the bottom of the group's craft gathered the scrap metal that survived intact for use in later repairs and upgrades. The system had been designed because they hadn't thought there would be anywhere to buy resources. Before long, the attacking pirate craft were all destroyed. Once they were all destroyed, the larger craft - presumably, the Behemoth - opened its docking bay for them. Jak gratefully accepted the invitation.

As soon as their ship landed, a somewhat older man with grayish skin and dusty green hair approached. He was wearing a purple jacket over a red shirt and brown pants, and carried a cane topped with a gold sphere. "Impressive flying, friends," he greeted warmly, his voice identifying him as the one who'd sent out the distress call. "I am Duke Skyheed, leader of the Aeropan people and protector of the Sacred Eco."

"Heavy title," Shining murmured under his breath. Something about the gray tone to the man's skin was off putting. The only ones he'd ever seen with that coloration had been Gol and Maia...and himself when he'd been the Black Knight, or Jak as Dark Jak. Those four had one thing in common, Dark Eco. He didn't want to jump to judgments, but the way he was vague about what Eco he spoke of there put Shining's back up.

"I'm Keira," Keira introduced herself. "This is Jak, Daxter, and Shining Armor." She gestured to each of them in turn, and Shining pasted a polite smile on his face. After all, a Prince couldn't really insult a Duke for no reason.

"A mixed crew," Duke Skyheed observed pleasantly. "With impressive skills. Tell me, who was flying out there when you drove off those dreadful vagabonds?"

"That'd be me," Jak bragged. "I'm the best pilot in the world." As he preened, Keira put her hand to her face and shook her head.

"After seeing you in action, I can well believe that," Duke Skyheed offered warmly. "You have my thanks, all of you."

"Why were they attacking you, anyway?" Daxter asked curiously. "I mean, this seems like a pretty big ship for such a small group of Pirates to try and take down."

"Ever since we began looking for the Eco Core, the pirates have increased their attacks on us," the Duke explained. "I'm surprised to find anyone flying out here solo, with how aggressive they are."

"You're...searching for the Eco Core?" Keira asked cautiously.

"Yes," the Duke confirmed. "With the Eco situation out here, it is the only hope to save our people in the long term." He glanced speculatively at the group. "A pilot of your skills would be invaluable to our efforts, and I'm certain by looking at your group that I've seen but the tip of the iceberg as far as what you can all do."

"We'll...consider it," Jak offered calmly, his eyes oddly flat and empty of emotion. "We've had a rough flight, and this wasn't our first encounter with the Pirates."

"Well, while you think it over, do make yourselves comfortable," the Duke offered warmly. "The enemies of the Sky Pirates are most certainly our allies." He paused as he started to walk away. "I notice your ship has taken a great deal of damage. It's a testament to the skills of your mechanic that it can still fly at all, let alone as well as you can make it, Jak."

"Thanks for the compliment," Keira answered warmly. "I do what I can with what I've got."

The Duke chuckled warmly. "Brains, beauty, and humility? I envy the man you left waiting for you at home."

"I didn't wait," Jak spoke up intensely, putting his arm possessively around Keira's shoulders. It took all her self control not to punch him in the gut.

The Duke, for his part, laughed openly. "Ah, the exuberance of the young!" he gushed joyfully. "Please, allow me to escort you all to our Grand City Aeropa, where you can get repairs before you continue your quest." He then glanced slyly at the pair out of the corner of his eye. "It will take some small amount of time to get there, but I'll happily make a private suite available to you two in the meantime if you so desire." As this statement set them both to blushing, he laughed again as he went about his business.

Shining found himself conflicted. On the one hoof, he had his almost instinctive discomfort and suspicion about this Duke. On the other, he couldn't help but like him, especially when he was so skilled at embarrassing Jak and Keira. On the third hoof, he also noticed that he wasn't the only one who seemed suspicious. Nobody'd mentioned their own quest for the Eco Core, and Daxter had discreetly removed the symbols on his robe that marked his Eco abilities, as well as slipping fabric covers over his amplifier bracers to hide their nature.

On the fourth hoof, this wasn't Shining's quest. It was Jak and Keira's, and he wasn't even supposed to be here. Settling himself, he decided to keep his suspicions to himself unless asked, and simply assist in the quest. After all, Jak didn't have all that leadership and politics training for nothing.

Brink: Its Ongoing Mission

It wasn't long before the Behemoth reached the city, and the group's Hellcat cruiser was left in the dock. Keira took one look at the map of the city they were given and turned to Jak. "I'm going to head over to the Danger Course," she explained. "It looks like there should be enough room for me to bring out my abilities without drawing attention...and I might just be able to use the Dark Eco you've gathered from the mutants you've fought to do the same for you."

"We'll meet you there once we've looked around," Jak promised. "Just keep your eyes out."

"Will do," she promised, then turned and headed for the Course.

"Well, new city," Daxter commented dryly as he stretched out on Jak's shoulder. "We should probably take in all the sights before we're enemies of the state."

"You noticed it too, then?" Jak asked calmly.

"Are we talking about Skyheed's grey skin?" Shining asked worriedly. "I mean, the only ones who had that before..."

"I could feel the Dark Eco inside him," Jak insisted quietly. "And I'm feeling it in everyone we pass. Minuscule amounts, nowhere near enough to cause any changes...but someone was doing Dark Eco experiments here, and there was a good deal of fallout."

"Think that's why that Pirate guy reacted so negatively to you?" Daxter suggested. "Think there's some sort of political thing going on?"

"When is there not?" Jak groaned out. "Why do you think we didn't tell Skyheed about our quest?"

Shining sighed in relief. "Glad we're all on the same page."

"Yup," Jak confirmed. "Pretend we know nothing, let the obvious villain send us exactly where we need to go when he thinks we're working for him, then fixing the real problems once we have all the information."

"Think we'll save Skyheed like you did the Baron?" Daxter suggested jokingly.

"If he's useful," Jak offered coldly. "Honestly, that Pirate might make a better leader, but I don't intend to hasten any social revolution unless necessary."

"So are either of you worried about the fact that we're talking about all this while we walk down a populated street?" Daxter mentioned thoughtfully. "I mean, this is plainly seditious talk...but no one seems to be noticing."

"Sound shield," Shining explained, gesturing to his glowing horn. "Nice bit of privacy in public. Developed it recently."

"Did you know about this, Ja-wait, don't answer." Daxter shook his head in frustration. "But from now on, read me in on these things, alright? We're a team, aren't we? And I'm pretty sure as a Light Precursor Sage in training that I can manage more effectively with information than in ignorance."

"We'll talk about that later," Jak replied as they approached Keira, who seemed amused as Shining dropped his sound shield.

"So we have a plan, then?" she asked cautiously.

"Yup," Jak confirmed. "Should be simple enough. Same as when we arrived in Haven."

Keira chuckled. "Well, as long as we're on the same page. By the way, I studied the conversion functions of the crystal we installed in the ship...and I think I can use it to unlock new abilities for you."

"Really?" Jak asked eagerly.

"Yeah. Given enough Dark Eco, I should be able to use the conversion effect to turn it into one of the four Natural Colors and infuse it into you." Keira pulled out a tablet and began writing out the formulas she was discussing. "If I infuse you with a large enough sample of Eco of a specific color, it should enhance the metabolization of your internal reserves, and activate new abilities." She glanced up at Jak nervously. "Do...do you want to give it a try?"

Jak nodded. "I trust you Keira, let's do it."

Swallowing convulsively, Keira focused her energy as she drew the Dark Eco out of Jak's body, putting it into the converter device she'd constructed. Pumping her own Eco into it, she was able to convert the Dark Eco into Yellow, then infused the energy back into Jak. Jak's body briefly flared yellow, and the Eco launched out of his fist. "It worked," she gasped out, her voice somewhere between relief and excitement. "I managed to reactivate one of your abilities from back in Sandover. With you generating your own Eco now, I should be able to bring others back, too."

"Sweet," Jak proclaimed with a wide grin, feeling the enhanced Eco energies settle in his system.

"Any chance you could do the same for me?" Shining asked curiously.

"I'm...not sure," Keira muttered, once more going over formulas. "Your magic functions differently from Eco, and it's only through your magic that you're able to metabolize Eco at all. I'll have to look over a few things..."

"Actually, I think I might have an idea," Daxter spoke up. "Shining seemed to develop a lot of abilities alongside Jak. So maybe if Jak focused on that ability and synchronized his Eco Aura with Shining's magic, it would transfer over?"

"It's worth a shot," Jak mused, holding his hand out to Shining as his body began to glow Yellow again.

Stepping up, Shining pressed the back of his neck into Jak's grip. His eyes began to glow yellow...and after a few moments, a yellow fireball launched from his horn. "Whoa..." he stammered out.

"That...wasn't Eco," Keira pointed out as she watched the ball of flames fly before dissipating. "I...think that was pure magical energy."

"From the sounds of it, magic and Eco can follow the same formulas to work," Daxter offered. "I think until we know more, we should just leave it at that."

"My horn feels fuzzy," Shining grumbled, pawing at his head for a time.

Brink: To Explore Strange New Cities

Keira decided to remain where she was for the time to avoid drawing attention to her Eco abilities. Jak, Shining, and Daxter decided to look around see what they could do as far as getting more information about what was going on. As they did, their communication box sparked to life.

"Well Jak," Duke Skyheed's voice came through loud and clear, "what do you think of our magnificent city? When you're done sightseeing, come meet with me at the Eco Seeker Sanctum."

Keira perked up as she heard that. "That sounds like it could be important," she murmured. "I think we'd better go take a look."

"Looks like Duke Skyheed sent us a map," Jak commented as the comm box displayed a map of their surroundings, their present location, and a glowing green dot at one edge of the map to show the direction to go to reach the Sanctum.

"Useful," Shining murmured as the group made their way to the Sanctum to see what Duke Skyheed wanted to talk about.

Outside the large building, Duke Skyheed was waiting for the group alongside another individual who shared the same pale grey skin tone, and dressed in dark purple and a red scarf. The Duke greeted them warmly. "Welcome back. I trust your stay with us has been enlightening?"

Jak decided to prevaricate a bit. "We're still a few answers short," he admitted cautiously.

The other man, who wore a medallion Jak recognized as the rank of Chancellor, chuckled. "And I have questions for you as well."

"May we know who's asking?" Shining interrupted quickly.

The man bridled a bit, but a cautionary gaze from the Duke quelled his ire. "Forgive my rudeness. I am Chancellor Ruskin. When such potent individuals arrive on the Brink at 'just the nick of time' without apparent reason, I get...suspicious."

"Fair enough," Jak admitted. "Your question?"

"What are you all doing out here on the Brink?" Ruskin specified.

The group exchanged glances, and then Keira spoke up. "We're looking for a new source of Eco, in order to save the world," she explained. "Same as you Duke, if I interpreted your earlier words correctly?"

The Duke chuckled indulgently. "Quite right you are. A noble quest for such youngsters. Perhaps we can assist each other." He gestured peremptorily to the Chancellor, who held out a box like bronze colored device with curved corners and nodules sticking out from the curves, circular indents on all six sides. "It is called the Eco Seeker," he explained, "and is said to point to any major Eco source. We'd hoped it would help us find the Eco Core, but we have yet to discover how to make it work."

"Let me try," Jak offered. "I have...certain abilities."

"I am well aware, Your Majesty," the Duke responded, catching the group off guard. "Even out here on the Brink we hear stories, and those of your group have already become the stuff of legends." He paused. "Tell me, is it true that your mastery of Dark Eco is such that you were able to expand to the size of a mountain to do battle with a giant Dark Maker machine?"

"I wouldn't call it mastery," Jak admitted warily, "but yes, that did happen." This was the first time anyone had confronted Jak with an event from his past like this, and he wasn't certain how to handle it.

Skyheed smiled, shaking his head in awe. "The power of Eco is beyond human comprehension, and yet we dare to try and control its flow in the world. Such is the hubris of man, though, is it not?"

"That's why such things are her job," Shining joked, gesturing to Keira.

Skyheed burst into laughter at the jest. "Chancellor, let us see if the King of the Living Desert can unlock our artifact's secrets."

Jak flushed a bit at the title, but took the Eco Seeker as it was handed to him. As he took it in both hands, Eco of all colors surrounded it in a field resembling electricity, dragging in all directions at his aura. The others watched in amazement as he tensed himself, struggling to make sense of the sensations he was getting from it. Finally, he pulled one hand away. "Too much darkness everywhere..." he finally managed to say, gasping for breath as he leaned against Keira. "I can't get a clear signal..."

"Perhaps you could let me study it?" Keira offered. "You see, I'm-"

"Oh, your reputation proceeds you as well, Keira Hagai," the Duke interrupted. "I would be happy to let you study it...with one condition. While the abilities of your group are legend, I will need to see proof of the legend. We have seen that your piloting skills are as great as ever, but what of hand to hand?"

Jak smiled as he stretched, already recovered from what the Eco Seeker had done to him. "In other words, you want to see us in combat. If you've got the course ready, then we're ready to dazzle you."

"Then go and face the Danger Course," Chancellor Ruskin instructed. "If you manage to beat it, then the Seeker will be yours for a week. It is back where Sage-in-Training Hagai boosted your abilities, Your Majesty."

The group tensed at the casual dropping of titles, but made their way back to the course carefully and confidently. "I don't like this," Shining muttered. "They know more about us than we know about them. We're at a major disadvantage."

"Like it's ever been any different since the day I got fuzzy?" Daxter countered teasingly.

"Normally, at least one of us has enough info to have a viable plan going, even if we don't have all the information," Keira pointed out.

"For the first time...we're flying blind," Jak concluded.

Brink: To Take On New Eco Forms

It wasn't long before the group reached the 'danger course', and Jak, Shining, and Daxter stepped up to face it. "Well, are you guys ready?" Jak asked softly.

"I doubt it's all that different from the arena in Spargus, or the training grounds in Haven," Shining pointed out.

"Then again, these guys know our rep, and think we won't make it," Daxter countered. "We shouldn't be too overconfident here. There's no telling what will happen."

"Then we'll just have to be careful," Jak concluded. "It's hardly the first time we've done something like this."

"True," Daxter agreed. "If there's one thing we're good at, it's arbitrary platforming challenges mixed with heavy gun play." The trio chuckled together at the little joke.

"Good luck!" Keira called out hopefully.

As they stepped into the Danger Course, they found it was to all appearances an obstacle course akin to others they'd faced, much as they'd expected. Just inside was a Blaster mod that Jak was able to equip to his staff, with a base ammo count of 60. "This should be useful," he murmured softly.

"You keep the guns this time," Shining murmured. "I have an easier time with my magic in this environment, so it's better to rely on that than weapons for me."

"And until I figure out how to use my Light abilities without pain like last time, I'm better off staying on your shoulder," Daxter added.

Stepping into the next room, the first few chambers proved identical to the shooting range in Haven, with cutouts of pirates and civilians sliding along tracks to be shot at, pirate cutouts giving points and civilian ones deducting them. Jak made his way through swiftly and skillfully, easily clearing the required number of points to pass that part of the challenge. Only the final chamber in that sequence proved to contain a new challenge, as there were two turrets at the opposite end of the room firing at the group, with several wall segments they could hide behind as they made their way to the opposite side. Only when they got close enough did the turrets stopped firing.

The next part of the challenge involved riding across conveyor belts while shooting at targets. Some targets blinked white, awarding points when they were hit. Others turned green and became platforms, allowing the group to move further along. "Hope the entire course won't be just shooting," Shining muttered. "It'd be nice to actually get to do something..."

The final segment proved to be much like the first, though leading through a simulated city rather than a metal corridor. It also included a much larger turret that fired rapidly on the group in intervals, forcing them to duck behind cover before leaping out to take down more cutouts.

With that final segment complete, the course was over, and the group made their way back to the Sanctum. Along the way, however, Daxter wound up falling into a deep hole with a surprised scream, due to not looking where he was going. "Ugh..." he grumbled, rubbing his head as he stood up. "And here I thought I was here to keep them out of trouble..." His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings.

It appeared he was in a mine of some sort, and dark purple Eco Crystals - plainly crystallized Dark Eco, but not the Dark Crystals they'd gathered from the Wasteland while in Spargus - sprang out of the dirt all around him. "Jak?" he called out worriedly. "Shining? Keira? Can...can you hear me?" Unfortunately, there was no response. "Damn...need to find my way back..."

Seeing a door nearby, he pushed it open. "After all," he mumbled, talking to himself so that bit of civilized sound could give him comfort, "doors mean men, which means buildings. Buildings mean entrances..." He froze as he heard liquid gurgling in a nearby pipe. "What the...?" Turning, he looked inside.

Before his very eyes, neon purple liquid erupted out of the pipe, soaking him completely. He could feel it trying to fill his body, trying to consume him, corrupt him, twist him. He heard its tantalizing whispers of power, of control, the mad whispers of the Dark Makers...

"No!" Daxter roared out as he pushed back, drawing on all he could of the Light Eco inside him, heedless of the pain. "I am not like them! I am not a Dark Maker! I...am...a Sage!"

The Light Eco exploded from inside him, and the Dark Eco flowing over him erupted in a coruscating rainbow as it burst into Green, Red, Blue, and Yellow Eco, dispersing into the air. When the light faded, Daxter stood changed.

His orange fur with red highlights was now white with blue highlights. His robes had vanished, as his entire body was now more stretched and streamlined. His eyes glowed a solid blue, and he could feel his Light Eco flowing through his body freely, more freely than it ever had since he had discovered the abilities, more freely than under Elder's training. His ears twitched, but they weren't ears anymore. They seemed to be...antennae, of some sort. He also did not appear to have a mouth.

"Well that's going to be inconvenient," he thought, only to hear his thought echo in the air around him. "Whoa...am I telepathic now or something? That's pretty impressive..." Looking at his arm, he tried to tap his light powers. The Blade, the Blast, and the Heal Force all came easily, and he found he could conjure spare blades and blasts into the air around him, waiting for him to command them. "Okay, this is pretty sweet." Glancing down, he noticed neither feet nor tail touched the ground. "Am I...floating?"

It was at that moment he felt the extra muscle contractions on his back. His antennae twitched, and he suddenly had an image of his back in his mind even without turning to look. Once he got over having 'magic eyes' in the back of his head, he took in the pristine white wings, the feathers full and soft...and flesh.

"...this is new..." Daxter concluded, more than a little overwhelmed. "...find the others now, figure this out later. Keira can probably figure this out. Hmm...it feels like my energy's starting to drop...why am I drawn to the Dark Eco crystal formations?"

Flapping over, he instinctively sent a burst of Light Eco into a Dark Eco crystal formation. The crystal formation burst, purifying into the four Nature Colors of Eco before combining into Light to be absorbed into him.

"...okay, still don't know what this is...but I love it!" His eyes narrowed in eagerness and he shot down the pipe, deciding to follow it to find a way out.

The liquid Dark Eco he passed over proved even easier to purify and absorb than the crystals, though at a much lower rate of return. At the other end of the pipe, Daxter found himself in what looked like a sewer, with Dark Eco mutants - lizard and spider based - running rampant. "Out of the way!" he broadcast as he palm blasted his way through both them and the doors sealing off the sections of sewer.

As he continued, he found his way to what was plainly an abandoned Dark Eco research facility. Rather than continuing to fight his way through, he took to the air, flying higher and out of range of the mutants racing through the halls. Eventually, he found his way to an elevator, taking him back up into the city. On the way there, he ran out of energy, and shifted back to his normal form.

"Ugh...what a rush..." he murmured as he rolled out of the elevator as it reached the surface...right into Jak's hands.

"You okay buddy?" Jak asked worriedly.

"Jak...I've got a lot to tell you..." Daxter mumbled. "But...out of the city...gotta keep some aces...up our sleeves..."

Author's Note

This was the point in the game where Daxter first unlocks Dark Daxter...but it didn't really fit with the expanded lore I'd created. So instead, I took things the other way. Behold Light Daxter.

Hope it meets expectations.

Brink: And Save Civilizations

The trio joined back up with Keira as they made their way back up to meet with the Duke and the Chancellor. The Duke seemed quite pleased with the result of the Danger Course. "You have proven yourselves most admirably," he intoned warmly. "I suppose I should have expected no less of the blood of Mar." His voice then became more firm. "Our ancestors warned us of Dark Eco, and of how dangerous it is. Perhaps with this, you four may find the more fair Light Eco." He took the Eco Seeker from the Chancellor and gently tossed it to Keira, who caught and cradled the artifact gently.

Daxter - having fully recovered from his stint in the sewers - was about to speak up when the wall behind the Duke and Chancellor exploded inward.

"My Duke!" the Chancellor called out worriedly. "Sky Pirates!"

Before the group could react, the pirate Jak had confronted on their own vessel before the crash swung down, grabbing the Eco Seeker out of Keira's hands and knocking Daxter off his perch on Jak's shoulder before anyone could react. "Hey!" Keira yelled out, racing after him, Shining hot on her heels.

As he landed in the hole in the wall, he gave the group a smile and a mocking bow. "Thank you all for your kind assistance," he offered before leaping to a craft hovering outside. Keira leapt after him, only to get dragged into the cockpit before it closed on her.

"KEIRA!" Jak bellowed out angrily, his body writhing as he started to lose control of his anger, and his internal Eco.

"Get the Hellcat!" Daxter yelled out, racing forward. "I'll keep track of them!" I hope, he added silently.

"How?" Shining called out as Daxter leapt out the hole. "You don't have-"

Before their very eyes, Daxter flashed, turned into Light Daxter, then seemed to vanish in mid air, only an invisible trail of Light Eco that Jak could sense showing his passage as he pursued the Pirate craft.

"That's...new," Jak murmured, stunned.

"What happened?" the Duke asked, having not seen anything after the explosion.

"Talk later!" Shining yelled back, dragging Jak to their Hellcat.

It wasn't long before they caught up to the Pirate craft. The Pirate opened communications as soon as they caught up. "I would love to stay and chat, but I got what I came for-"

"You let Keira go right now," Jak growled back, interrupting the Pirate's attempt at being cordial, "or I will hunt you down, rip out your spinal cord, and use it to perform a colonoscopy on you!"

The other end was silent for a time, and then Keira's voice could barely be heard saying, "Told you so," just before the communication link was cut. A brief flash of light could be seen on the back of the Pirate craft, showing that Daxter had made contact.

"Sounds like Keira might actually have a plan," Shining offered.

"Hope one of us does," Jak murmured as he watched the Pirate craft fly into a tunnel through a floating island that was half filled with lava. He quickly steered to follow, dodging blazing boulders that popped out of the lava every so often. Several Pirate drones flew up behind the craft, trying to shoot Jak's ship down, but between the guns Shining shot and Daxter adding an invisible blast of Light Eco every so often, they didn't last long enough to get off a single shot.

The tunnel quickly proved to be an artificial construction, rather than a natural formation as Jak had first suspected, as several metal pillars stuck out of the walls as support, and metal rings held the tunnel's shape every so often, dipping into the lava. However, given how little effect the lava had on the metal, he began to consider the possibility that it was Precursor metal. With how the planet had been restructured by Elder's people, the exact line of natural and artificial as far as their work was hard to draw.

After a time, they pursued the Pirate craft into another tunnel, this one with active machinery that tried to close metal doors in front of them to cut off their pursuit. A thorough application of turbo boost and careful maneuvering allowed them to keep up, and Daxter began subtly disabling some of the Pirate craft's systems to keep it from getting too far ahead, as well as swiping a few bits of tech for their own Hellcat.

Before long, it looked like they had the Pirate cornered against a waterfall...but before they could get close enough to board, a wave of other pirate craft came out of the waterfall in silence. Shots took out the engines, forcing the pair to crash land on yet another island. As Jak exited the craft, he let out a frenzied roar, Dark Eco starting to spark over his body as he could feel himself starting to change, and pain lanced through his body.

"Jak!" Shining called out worriedly, rushing to his side.

Jak! Daxter's voice cut through Jak's mind. It's okay. I'm still with the ship. I'll keep track of Keira.

"But..." Jak began, starting to calm down as the Dark Eco faded.

Don't worry, Jak. They won't even see me if I don't want them to. Didn't know I could turn invisible like this, but it's damn useful. I won't let anything happen to Keira. Now that I've got a better handle on what I can do like this, I'll make them regret kidnapping her. I'll keep her safe till you catch up.

As the Eco faded completely, Jak slumped back against the craft. "O...okay Daxter..."

Shiny, keep that bro of yours in check, okay? I'm not gonna be there to do it for him for a while, so that's your job till I get back to yo... The voice faded.

"Guess we're out of range," Shining murmured. "Come on, Jak, let's go."

Nodding, Jak got to his feet. "They're going to pay for this..."

Brink: To Boldly Go

Jak and Shining began to explore the new island they'd crashed on carefully, not wanting to stumble into anything by accident. Shining took point and moved slowly, controlling his pace so that he wasn't moving so fast they'd come across danger before they were ready, but not so slow that Jak would start to get impatient. As he led the way, he took in the details of the island.

It seemed to be both rockier and more alive than the last one, with larger rock formations and wider spread plant life, even if it was only moss, short grass, and large mushrooms. The discovery of a gate blocking their path with a mechanism to raise it caused a bit of concern. "I get the feeling we aren't alone here," Shining murmured softly.

"Whoever might be here, they better be able to get us back in the air," Jak growled softly.

Behind the gate, a Red Eco mod for the staff gave Jak access to a Scatter Gun mode, once again with far less ammo than Jak was used to. Still, it proved both useful and comforting, and the waterfall they climbed past proved relaxing as well. Shortly past the waterfall, however, was a Precursor Statue about Jak's size shaped like an Oracle statue with glowing blue eyes. As Jak and Shining approached, the eyes flared, blasting them both with concentrated Red Eco that their bodies struggled to absorb.

"W...what was that?" Jak demanded as he struggled through the sensations coursing through his body.

"Feels...like a new spell," Shining spoke up. "Or...Eco technique...or something..." Focusing his mind, he shaped Red Eco at the tip of his horn, shaping it into a large sphere. As he relaxed, the sphere floated away from him before eventually dissipating.

"That's...disappointing," Jak grumbled softly. "Seems all it did for me was suppress the Dark Eco inside me a bit more-"

"Hang on!" Shining interrupted. Focusing again, he once more shaped the sphere. Instead of relaxing, however, he nudged it forward, then tensed. He felt a surge of Eco leap from him to the sphere, and it exploded violently.

Jak's eyes popped open as he stared at the blast zone, then grinned widely. "Jak likes," he purred, shaping a charge of his own in his hand.

Further up the path, the pair encountered large boulders that looked somewhat fragile. Throwing the charge, Jak grinned as he watched the blast reduce the boulders to dust and shrapnel. Behind the boulders, orange machines could be seen cutting down trees, but they turned around to pursue Jak and Shining as they approached. The brothers quickly moved to defend themselves, discovering that the automatons' armor was rather durable. The new ability - which Jak decided to call Eco Amplifier - proved quite effective against them when they were able to use it accurately. Unfortunately, attacks from the automatons broke their concentration, causing any orbs generated to dissipate, so they shifted tactics to work together, with one of them unleashing the explosion while the other guarded them.

After dealing with the orange robots, the pair paused to catch their breath. "This is a lot harder than it used to be," Jak panted breathlessly.

"That's because...we used to have more than enough weaponry...to blast our way through," Shining gasped out, shaking sweat out of his mane, wriggling like a dog. "But all we've got now...is your staff, and our abilities."

"And even those are limited," Jak grumbled, shaking himself off as well. "Let's keep going. It's not like we're going to find bigger, even harder to kill robots around the corner, right?"

Two turns later, they found blue armored robotic walkers armed with Red Eco laser turrets, which promptly turned to charge the pair.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Shining grumbled irritably.

"Can't you just toss them aside?" Jak demanded irritably as they dove for cover. "You just got a Red Eco amplification, and that's power. Can't you put that to your telekinesis and throw them off the island?"

Shining blinked at his brother for a time. "...shut up," he finally grumbled before doing just that.

With the path once more clear and a more direct method of dealing with troublesome armored robots determined, they continued forward, using Shining's shield to protect them as robots tried to dump cut trees onto them as they followed a narrow path. At the end of the narrow passage, a strange platform - like the top of the Totem that had given them the Eco Amplifier - stuck up slightly out of the ground. "So...what's this?" Shining asked curiously, poking it with a hoof. Rainbow colored light suddenly flared out of it, and Shining leapt back. "Yikes!"

"You okay, Shining?" Jak asked worriedly.

"Y...yeah," Shining replied. "It felt...weird. I feel refreshed."

"Refreshed?" Curiously, Jak stepped onto the platform, feeling his Eco reserves replenished almost instantly. "Wow! It's like an Eco Vent, but...whoa."

"Jak?" Shining asked worriedly.

"It refilled all my Eco reserves," Jak explained. "It's...calming."

"Definitely going to keep an eye out for these, then," Shining murmured. "For now...let's keep going."

Eventually, they made it past the last of the automated robots, finding their last obstacle to be a force field...with the fuse box controlling it on the near side. "...okay," Shining murmured as the pair combined physical strength and magic power to rip the fuse box out, "either these defenses are badly designed, or are designed deliberately to test someone passing through here."

"Given our adventures, either is possible," Jak replied readily as he led the way past the now deactivated force field.

Behind the force field, a large house resting atop a tree awaited them. Near the top of the spiral staircase, a crazy seeming old man wearing complex looking goggles stuck his head out with a cackle, his long beard dangling past his bald scalp as he hung upside down. "You two don't startle easily, do you?" the man asked when the brothers barely flinched when he popped out right in front of them.

"We've seen a lot," Shining grunted.

"Indeed," the old man agreed. "You've both been touched by the darkness, haven't you?" When neither of them responded, he continued. "I know Dark Eco when I see it."

"And...you are?" Jak asked cautiously.

The old man stroked his beard for a moment. "Good question! I know a lot, but I don't know that!"

"Okay...what are you doing out here?" Shining inquired.

"Wow! Two for two!" the old man praised. "Don't know that either!"

"...know about the robots?" Jak continued calmly.

"...a bit," the old man admitted. "I made them to help me, but they turned against me."

"If you built them, then can you fix our ship?" Shining asked eagerly.

"Already saw the damage," the old man countered insistently. "The fusion rods are shot to Shiloh. Without a little juice...well, you're stuck here with me!"

"And...do you know where we can get that 'juice'?" Jak inquired.

"Well...there's one Velonium Power Pod on this island," the old man explained. "It's your funeral if you want to go after it-"

"His fiance was kidnapped by the Sky Pirates," Shining interrupted.

Jak blushed brightly. "We're not-"

"Only because you haven't proposed yet," Shining refuted.

"...it's on my Uber-bot 888, the biggest, nastiest bot on the island," the old man explained. Noticing the eyes still on him, he pointed. "That way."

Brink: Where No Pony

Following the old man's directions, the pair made their way to a set of wooden doors with signs showing a large robot crushing a tiny human on the path to them. "Guessing that's supposed to be the Uber-bot," Shining murmured as he stared at the sign.

"Probably," Jak murmured as he turned the wheel to open the next door. Seeing several broken robots behind it, he began to move more slowly. "I'm thinking this isn't going to be easy."

"I'm thinking you're right," Shining agreed.

On the way, they encountered another Tiki-like Precursor Idol, which imbued the pair with Green Eco. Shining shivered as he felt the new ability inside him. "What's wrong?" Jak asked worriedly. "Isn't a new power a good thing?"

"...it makes crystal structures grow," Shining explained as he finished mentally examining the 'spell' form. "For some reason, it speaks to the Dark Eco inside me."

Seeing some green crystals in the ground, Jak used the Eco Construct ability to raise a crystalline platform out of the ground to let them clear the short cliff blocking their path. "Not feeling anything like that for me," he offered comfortingly.

"Might be because you already activated the Light Eco inside you," Shining observed. "Or it might be something different about how my energy interacts with Eco. Either way...I think I'll let you build the crystals..."

"Fair enough," Jak agreed, leading the way ahead.

Atop the cliff, they came across a group of the orange tree-cutting robots which were still active. Thankfully, the tactics they'd developed from before continued to prove very effective, allowing them to get past without injury. Beyond that, Jak found that he could create a temporary green crystal pillar at any time to knock an enemy off kilter. It was only at natural formations where the created crystal platforms remained intact.

It was after they'd finished dealing with the group that the Uber-Bot arrived. It was easily four times as tall as Jak standing upright, with bright yellow armor plates, glowing pylons on its shoulders, and chainsaw blades for hands. Its head glowed bright blue, and it leapt around with surprising agility.

"This is going to be difficult," Jak grumbled as he tried to get a bead on the leaping robot. Seeing the shockwave created when it slammed its full weight down on the ground, he leapt over it, Shining Armor at his side.

"Give it two targets!" Shining suggested, racing to the opposite side of the stone plateau they were on.

As Shining ran, the bot began launching saw blades at him, though they didn't fly an intercept course. With its focus on Shining, Jak channeled Red Eco into his staff, raced up, launched an Eco Amplifier sphere, and slammed it into the bots back. It staggered, knocked out of its assault on Shining, and spun to strike at Jak with its larger sawblade, only to be stopped as that arm was seized in Shining's magic, giving Jak time to roll back out of range.

While the assault hadn't slowed the robot down at all, it had managed to break off an entire armor plate, exposing the circuitry underneath to assault. Seeing this, Shining got an idea. "Jak!" he shouted out. "It turns to focus on whoever damaged it last as part of defensive tactics! Shoot the unarmored back!"

"Got it!" Jak called out, tossing his staff at Shining as the Uber-Bot pursued him. Shining caught it in his magic, activated the Blaster mod, and opened fire at the bot's unprotected back. When it started to turn towards him, he threw the staff back to Jak.

Eventually, enough damage was done to cause all the armor plates to fall off, and the Uber-Bot changed tactics, charging the pair with a spinning attack. Jak was able to counter this with an Eco Construct, catching the Uber-Bot in place so the pair could hit it with as much impact damage as possible. When it broke free, its blades shattered, and the light from its face and pylons turned red. It rounded on Shining and unleashed a powerful laser.

In desperation, Shining conjured a shield to protect himself...but the Eco Construct ability mingled with the shield, creating a flat plane instead of a sphere, which reflected the laser back at the Uber-Bot, causing it to fall apart, leaving the Velonium Power Pod behind.

"Is it damaged?" Jak asked worriedly as they approached it.

"Doesn't look like it," Shining muttered, taking a few deep breaths.

"You okay?" Jak asked immediately, worried at Shining's exhaustion.

"I'll be fine," Shining assured him quickly. "Let's get back in the air."

Making their way back, they found the old man had already retrieved their Hellcat and patched it up in a hangar just off his treehouse. Since he showed no interest in their activities beyond recharging their engine with the pod, the pair headed off into the sky in pursuit of the pirates.

Seeing what looked like a pirate ship from the ocean floating in the sky, they immediately pursued it, determining it was the Pirate base, especially as it launched fighters bearing the pirate colors. Unfortunately for the pirates, Jak proved to be a far better pilot than they were, especially with Shining channeling his magic into the craft's shields. Jak focused his attention on the massive ship's lower propellers to slow it down, before then targeting the main thrusters. With the ship immobile, he then targeted the guns.

Once the guns and engines were destroyed, the enemy fighters pulled back, and a hanger opened. Jak took the silent invitation and flew in.

Once inside, the pirates kept their distance as Jak and Shining stomped through, following a tug they both felt in their Light Eco, assuming it was Daxter guiding them to Keira. One rather large pirate got in their way as they approached the bridge.

"Well, look what we got here-"

"One side!" Jak growled out angrily. Red Eco flooded into his hands. Grabbing the large pirate, he chucked him over his shoulder, slamming him bodily into several large crates of food. Stomping up to the bridge, he saw the pirate who'd snatched Keira - presumably the Captain - standing at a control console with Keira behind him. Jak immediately began stomping towards him, rage in his eyes.

"Jak, don't!" Keira called out, getting between him and the pirate as Shining prevented the others from interfering. "Pheonix isn't the bad guy here!"

"I'm not the bad guy?" the Captain - Pheonix, presumably - growled angrily. "What about this monster-"

"I suggest you be silent before you show just how foolish you truly are," Daxter's voice suddenly echoed as he revealed himself, still in his Light Form. "After all, even you must be aware of the Sages."

The sight of Daxter, glowing with Light Eco, caused several of the gathered pirates to fall back in shock and awe. A crash echoed as something fell through a window.

Keira's palm met her face as she growled in anger. She rounded on the pirate nearest the broken window. "You had one job!" she snapped out. "Hang onto the Eco Seeker until we can properly activate and use it! How do you mess up that badly?"

Letting his anger and Eco subside, Jak chuckled. "Okay, you're calling the shots here then, Keira."

"As usual," Shining joked.

"Of course," Pheonix snapped angrily. "The Sages are respected and obeyed, as is proper! What does that have to do with-"

Jak channeled Eco of all six colors out of his body and into his staff, making it glow with the six colors brightly. "Get the picture?"

Keira couldn't help but giggle at Pheonix' suddenly stricken expression.

Brink: Has Gone Before

Word spread quickly through the pirate ship that Jak - the one they'd thought was just another Dark Eco abomination - was in fact the Prism Sage of legend, master of Planetary Eco. Before the repairs to the Corsair - the Pirate flagship - were complete, Jak was already regretting this.

Keira finally tracked him down in his hiding place inside the Hellcat cockpit. "...seriously, Jak?" she demanded grumpily. "You're hiding from them?"

"I don't like being hero worshiped, Keira," Jak grumbled as he stared out at her. "Especially when I don't deserve it."

"Don't deserve..." Keira shook her head in frustration. "Jak, you've all but singlehandedly saved the world three times now, plus what we did in that Grand Prix nonsense."

"Didn't do any of those alone," Jak pointed out, more than a little petulantly.

"And none of it could have happened without you, Jak," Keira countered irritably. "You're a hero many times over. If anyone deserves hero worship, it's you."

"And if this were about any of that, I could handle it," Jak agreed. "I wouldn't like it, but I could handle it. But that's not what this is about. They're all but falling on their faces and genuflecting every time I go by just because I'm a Prism Sage, and they think that means I can just wave my hand and fix everything! It's hard enough trying to figure out how to save the world without the burden of all that expectation..."

Keira let the tension inside her go. "Jak..."

"I don't want to do this anymore..." Jak whispered softly. "Once we've fixed the Eco Core and the world's stable...I wanna go straight to finding where Shining came from. I desperately need a vacation somewhere no one has any expectations of me. ...I miss Sandover..."

Carefully, Keira clambered into the Hellcat and wrapped her arms comfortingly around Jak. He sank into her embrace gratefully, and she gently stroked his back, pretending not to see the tears - a mix of fear and pain - that he tried to hide in his eyes. With all the amazing things he'd done, it was easy to forget he'd only been 15 when the adventure in Sandover had happened, and it had only been four years since for his experience...even if it had been eight for her. And those two years being experimented on hadn't done his psyche any favors.

With all this in mind, Keira decided to try and give him some comfort, to help him pull himself together. "We'll see what we can do about that, okay?" she offered softly. "If I know my father, he's probably working with Elder on finding a way to get to Shining's world right now on the assumption that we'll save the day." She winced internally as she realized what she'd just said.

"And more pressure..." Jak murmured softly. Before Keira could say anything, he shook his head. "Still...I can't go collapsing now. Just...don't tell the pirates where I'm hiding?"

"You realize Shining has this entire hanger blocked off with his shield so no one but Daxter and I can get this close to you, right?" Keira offered comfortingly.

Jak chuckled softly. "That's my bro..."

"So why don't we see what new abilities I can unlock for the pair of you before you head down to find where the Eco Seeker fell?" Keira suggested. "Ought to be useful, right?"

Jak smiled and nodded agreement, glad for anything relaxing.

As it turned out, the Eco Seeker had fallen onto the same island Jak and Shining had crashed on while pursuing Phoenix, though not in an area they'd explored before. Still, this meant that there was already an existing Harrier dock for them to land in, so they weren't forced to improvise a landing.

Once back in the area of the treehouse, they followed a sign they hadn't before, which had a depiction of a volcano on it. After passing through a few gates, it quickly became apparent the sign was no exaggeration, as the adventuring trio found themselves inside a rocky cavern with lava floes passing between various platforms. However, they quickly discovered that some platforms were simply too far to reach normally.

"So, what now?" Jak asked. "Can you teleport across, Shining?"

"Probably shouldn't," Shining observed. "Eco's not entirely stable here. I'd rather not risk something going wrong. Daxter, can you go Light mode and carry us up?"

"Physical strength is the one attribute that transformation doesn't amplify," Daxter countered irritably. "Why not just see what ability that Precursor Totem over there is going to give you? If it's anything like the way you've gained abilities in previous adventures, it's probably exactly what you need."

Jak chuckled softly. "It does seem to be that way, doesn't it?"

Jak and Shining stepped up to the totem, and were instantly infused with arcs of Yellow Eco. The Eco flowed through their bodies and then focused into their legs (all four in Shining's case) and Jak's arms. Deciding to test out the new ability, Jak started focusing the energy...only to find himself propelled high into the air. "Whoa!" he shouted out, trying to push energy down to slow his fall, only to find streams of Yellow Eco shooting out of his palms like rocket boosters, allowing him to descend to the ground at a more reasonable rate.

"Nice!" Shining proclaimed as he examined the whole process with his magic. Noticing pockets of Yellow Eco gas scattered around, Shining placed himself under one and utilized the Eco Rocket Jump. As he was slowing his fall, the jets from all four hooves caught the cloud, resulting in Shining being propelled even higher.

Jak, for his part, grinned widely. "Oh...I'm going to enjoy this power!"

Shining and Daxter exchanged a grin, glad to see Jak a bit happier now.

Brink: Through Fire and Flames

The remainder of the volcano proved to be more of what they'd already encountered, and was dealt with in a rather straightforward manner. The only hostiles they encountered were the spiked armadillos they'd encountered before and small red robots equipped with drills. Both were easily destroyed.

The major danger was the lava level, which continued to rise behind them as they climbed up, indicating the volcano was pushing its way towards an eruption. "We'd better get bookin' before we get cookin'!" Daxter warned the first time the lava rose towards them.

Near the top of the volcano, the Eco Seeker sat plainly visible, relatively easy to retrieve. "Now we just have to get out of here before we're roasted!" Shining announced. "Any ideas?"

"Keep climbing!" Jak barked out.

At one last Yellow Eco vent, the group was able to launch themselves out of the main lava tubes and back to the entrance of the volcano. "That was too close," Jak breathed in relief, taking in gulps of sulfur and soot free air.

"Let's get back to the Galleon," Shining suggested. "Maybe Keira can tell us what to do with it now."

As they took off in their Hellcat, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up. "So, where are we going, sonny?"

"Yeagh!" Daxter gasped out, spinning and backing away from the old man in the back seat. "Who are you? Where'd you come from?"

"He helped fix us up last time we were here," Shining explained. "What're you doing here?"

The old man cackled to himself. "I've been on that island longer than I'd care to remember. You boys are my ticket off!"

"Fair enough," Jak allowed before anyone could respond. "Just keep quiet unless you know something."

"I can do that!" the old man allowed as Jak steered back to the Galleon.

Once they met up with Keira aboard the ship, they introduced the old man to Phoenix. "This guy fixed up our ship after you crashed us," Jak explained, his voice neutral. "He seemed to want off the island. Figured he'd be helpful."

Phoenix stared at the figure cautiously, a frown on his face. "Do you know who you are, old man?" he asked carefully.

"Nope!" the old man responded readily before looking around. "This your ship?" He started futzing with his odd goggles, causing different lenses to pop out and shift position. "Nice gearing. Good coupling on the steering motivator." He shrugged his shoulders. "So where's this little device that everyone thinks can save the world?"

Jak, Keira, Shining, and Daxter all exchanged sharp glances. As far as they knew, no one had mentioned the Eco Seeker to the old man before this. However, Keira decided to show the device to him.

The man examined it carefully, seeming very interested. "Well well well...very nice manufacturing indeed. Good tolerance. Top notch." He turned it over in his hands for a time. "Can't help you," he concluded dismissively, tossing it aside. Shining seized it in his magic before it could fall too far, letting Keira catch it easily.

"But you said-" Jak began.

"I know what I said!" the old man snapped out angrily. "But I know trouble when I see it. The kind of trouble I've been trying to avoid."

"You remember something?" Keira asked, keeping her voice gentle to hide her curiosity, not wanting to upset him further.

The old man looked upward, seeming to sink into his mind. "Maybe...yes...I don't know." He shook his head ruefully. "I can see huge warehouses filled with Eco, vast and dark..." His voice faded, becoming softer, almost afraid. "...stacked as high as the eyes could see..."

Glances were exchanged all around. Jak was pretty sure he knew exactly what that meant. Warehouses of Dark Eco, huh? Sounds like Haven when Praxis was corrupted... Glancing towards Keira, he jerked his head gently towards the old man.

Nodding, she stepped forward, holding the Eco Seeker out carefully. "Please sir...we need to find a new source of Eco to help put the world back in balance. I know you can do this..." She gently placed the Eco Seeker in his hands.

The old man stared up at her. "You are the prettiest face I've seen in some time," he breathed softly, his facial muscles showing he was blinking under his goggles. He sighed, shaking his head. "This is nothing but trouble..." He smiled up at her. "But for you, my dear, I'll do my best."

As everyone stood back, he began explaining. "See, this whole device has a self fusing, locking mechanism, so not everyone can use - or misuse - the device." He began fiddling with the nodes. "If you just time the locking clock and reverse the polarity...presto!" As he said this, he twisted the device upside down and it popped open, revealing a glowing clockwork mechanism that immediately began to tick away. It functioned slowly, and displayed coordinates faintly in code.

"Not much power left in it," Jak murmured, kneeling to get a better look at it.

"Looks like it's pointing to a new energy fuel cell," Keira mused.

"So that means we go retrieve it to recharge the artifact?" Shining clarified. When that got nods, he sighed. "Great. Back to fetch-questing."

"It's pointing directly over the Brink," Phoenix warned. "Dangerous, to say the least."

"Hardly the worst danger we've ever been in," Daxter spoke up. "Besides, if we don't, we all die when the Eco storms spread beyond the Brink."

Phoenix sighed. "Agreed." He turned to one of his men. "Klaus, set course for the coordinates, with a detour at Far Drop so we can resupply."

As the pirates went about their business and the old man staggered into a corner to relax, Keira walked up to Jak. "You know what he is?" she whispered softly.

"Dark Sage," Jak confirmed. "And from the sound of it, he was involved in experiments like what I went through back in Haven. Probably has something to do with why he lost his memory...and probably has something to do with Duke Skyheed, or his Chancellor."

"Should we tell him?" Daxter offered worriedly.

"No," Shining interrupted firmly. "He's in a very fragile state right now. Expose him to too much too fast, his mind might collapse. If he's going to reclaim himself...he needs to do it himself."

They looked over at the old man sadly as he curled up in a corner, bits of machinery all around him as he settled down for a nap.

Brink: Da Boo Dee Da Boo Dai

The bar brawl proved exceptionally therapeutic for Jak, letting him vent a lot of built up stress and strain in a situation where his life wasn't actually in danger and nothing serious hung on the outcome, where it genuinely didn't matter if he won or lost. While he did win, the effect was so obvious that Barter stated flat out that he'd arrange for future such brawls any time Jak stopped by needing it, and even offer prizes for the winners. Jak was rather grateful for the offer, and made a mental note to avail himself of it if time permitted and he felt the need. It was amazing how much better he felt just from smashing a chair over someone's head.

With the supplies in hand, the group returned to the ship to head to wherever the coordinates indicated. However, due to a shortage of Light Eco within the Eco Seeker, they were forced to change course elsewhere to an abandoned research rig of the Aeropans, in the hopes some Light Eco could be found there in liquid or solid form, as infusion in energy state from Daxter was ruled out due to the excess of Dark Eco in the environment.

As Jak flew the Hellcat towards the rig once the Ship came to a halt, Keira had something to say over the comm, having left to examine the rig before them. "It's fascinating," she murmured. "There's an excavation here that goes deep into the planet. I wonder if-Yikes!" The communication cut off in static.

"Keira!" Jak yelled out, gunning the engines to get to the rig.

Once inside, Shining and Daxter had to physically restrain Jak as he started to charge forward, signs of change flowing over his body as he struggled. "Easy there, Jak!" Daxter warned. "You don't want to change and explode or anything!"

"But...Keira!" Jak called out worriedly.

"She's bound to be fine!" Shining snapped back. "She probably just-"

"Jak, you there?" Keira called through the comms. "Sorry about before. I accidentally triggered the controls to an elevator, and it dropped down the shaft faster than I expected before shutting off. It caught me off guard and I dropped my communicator...which fell a good way after me. Took me a bit to repair it."

Jak managed to relax, breathing a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that," he gasped out. "I thought you'd...never mind. Where are you? We'll come get you."

"I'm not sure where, exactly, and my own path back has been blocked off," Keira countered. "But if we keep going deeper, we should meet up somewhere near the bottom, right?"

"Hopefully," Shining spoke up, deciding to cut off Jak's worries. "Keep the comm open, okay? Don't want Jak going nutso cause he's worried about you."

"Hey!" Jak complained. "I do not go nutso!"

Keira giggled softly. "Whatever you say guys. I'm going to see what I can find."

As Jak and the others made their way in, the facility echoed with the sounds of their steps. The corridors were wide, high, and vaulted, consoles lining the walls when the path was solid, equipment when they were forced to leap across suspended containers over the few deep pits.

Before long, they reached a wide, round chamber with a large button in the center of the floor, a sealed gate at the opposite end, and a Precursor Totem off to the side. "That button's wired to the gate," Daxter mused softly as he approached it, "but...it's not Aeropan tech. It's definitely Precursor." Despite revelations, the term 'Precursor' was still used to refer to the things built by those who'd constructed the world. It was just more comfortable that way.

"New Totem," Jak pointed out as he approached it.

"New power," Shining agreed.

Blue Eco surged out of the Totem, through Shining, through Jak, and then swirled between the two of them. When it passed, Shining put his hoof to his horn. "That was...tingly," he mused softly.

"G-guys!" Daxter called out from his place on the button in the center of the room. "Company!"

Two large monkey-mutants - similar to those they'd faced at Far Drop, but showing more crystalline formations on their bodies - burst out of vents to charge at the group. Before the others could react, light flared around Jak...and all three of them were on the other side of the open door, the door closing behind them, sealing the creatures in.

"Did...did you just teleport us?" Shining asked in confusion.

"I...I think so," Jak answered carefully, feeling the shape of the new power inside him. "I...I don't think that's how the technique originally worked, but...it interacted with your natural teleportation ability, and..." He shrugged. "Now...not sure how it works."

"We'll figure it out," Daxter promised. "Though...I wanna try something." He stepped back a bit. "It seemed to trigger in response to danger..." Without warning, he scooped up a sharp pointed chunk of masonry and hurled it at Jak's face.

Just before it hit, Jak vanished, appearing behind Daxter and clutching him around the neck. Jak quickly dropped his friend. "What just happened?"

Shining's eyes lit up. "Jak, the new ability must have interacted with the Time Freeze power of your Light Form and my teleportation spell to create a combat fast-warp skill, letting you warp out of the way of an incoming strike as long as you have enough Blue Eco stored to do so! Like what you do in your Shadow form!"

Daxter coughed a few times as he rubbed his neck. "That's awesome! Do it again! Only with less throat grabbing this time!"

Chuckling, Jak focused on the new ability and looked up at a point nearby, before warping the three of them there.

Author's Note

One particular reader bugged me about making the Eco Teleport power a bit more effective than it was in the game...where it was basically a puzzle solving power with no applications beyond that.

Took me a bit to figure out a good way to improve the ability, and how to explain the differentials.

Brink: Darker Yet Darker

As the trio went deeper into the facility, they came across a lab-like setting with extra-large specimen capsules. While this in and of itself would have provided no more than a distraction on the way to reunite with Keira normally, the contents of said capsules brought the group screeching to a halt. Inside each capsule was one of the Dark Eco monkey mutants, breathing but appearing in some sort of suspended animation. Dark Eco crystals grew out of their bodies, along with various metal chunks sticking out of them.

"What...what is this?" Jak wondered, feeling sick to his stomach at the sight.

"I...I don't know," Daxter responded, looking more green than orange or light-blue. "This place..."

"I think I do," Shining whispered, looking nearly as unwell as the others. When they turned towards him, he swallowed convulsively. "R...remember how aware of things going on back on the continent Duke Skyheed was?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah," Jak confirmed. "Was a little unnerving that he knew so much about us."

"Would you say it's logical he was just as informed about events there before our arrival?" Shining continued. "Such as the Metalhead scourge, and how Praxus intended to have Haven battle it? And the successes and failures thereof?"

"You mean...the Dark Warrior project?" Daxter asked carefully. "The one that woke up Jak's Dark Eco powers and stuck Dark Eco inside you?"

"Yeah," Shining confirmed.

"But there weren't any Metalheads out here on the Brink," Jak pointed out firmly. "There wasn't anything for them to hunt here."

"And if Praxus' project had succeeded in overcoming the Metalheads, what would he do with the Dark Warriors after that?" Shining asked carefully.

"What are you saying, Shining?" Daxter demanded insistently.

"I...I think this is the beginning of Aeropolis' own Dark Warrior project," Shining clarified. "Intended to develop a weapon for war with Haven."

Silence reigned in the room, broken only by the low, slow breathing of the creatures. Finally, Jak spoke up. "Offensive or defensive, you think?" he asked carefully.

"The place is abandoned," Shining speculated, "so either defensive...or they moved the research somewhere more readily accessible."

"Didn't you say the crazy old man from the island was the Dark Sage?" Daxter asked, recalling that important detail. "Do you think maybe this is the 'bad business' he wanted to stay far away from from now on?"

"That's...a distinct possibility," Jak concluded worriedly. "We'd better find Keira and get out of here fast...before we discover this isn't the worst of what's hidden here."

Shivering, all three quickly followed that directive. As they continued, they found bones across some of the floors, and not all the capsuled mutants were content to remain comatose as they passed. Each time one burst free, the group dispatched it quickly with concentrated fire before moving on.

It wasn't long before they came across what they'd feared to see, a table exactly like the one that had been used to infuse Jak with Dark Eco, when he'd first awakened his Dark Form. Jak stared at the table in silence for a time, silently seething. Seeing his rage starting to build, Shining and Daxter quickly grabbed hold of him and tried to drag him forward, desperate to get him to Keira as soon as possible.

"I'm okay," Jak told them, breaking free. "I...I need to face this." Turning, he walked back to the table. Taking a calming breath, he stared at it for a time, now looking at it with dispassionate eyes, a calm expression, and an almost clinical gaze. He let his eyes trail up to the equipment above the table, the tech that actually did the Dark Eco infusion. After a time, he turned and walked silently onward.

A few quick Eco Amplified Teleports - which they'd discovered allowed Jak to take the entire group to anywhere he could get a clear, detailed line of sight on - took the group past further obstacles, leading them to a large circular room where a large spider mutant descended a strand of webbing to attack them. It didn't last long, making it almost a relief to the trio that it wasn't alone. More followed, but continued to go down as easily.

Not long after that, the trio found their way to a large chamber filled with computers. Off to one side, Keira was working away feverishly at a console. She turned as they approached. "There you are!" she called out warmly. "I'm pretty sure this is the main control room. If I can get-" Her words cut off with a gasp as Jak wordlessly stepped up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "J-Jak?" she stammered, stunned.

"The trip was rough on him," Daxter offered softly.

"We found evidence...this place was part of an Aeropan Dark Warrior project," Shining added. "Complete with...injection table."

Nodding, Keira wrapped her arms around Jak, feeling him shaking against her. "It's alright," she whispered soothingly. "I'm here. It's okay." She didn't say anything else. Any more wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, she could tell that what Jak needed now was silent comfort. Remembering something she'd discovered - quite accidentally - that helped calm him down when he got agitated, she leaned in and kissed the tip of his ear.

Slowly, Jak managed to gain control of himself. "I'm sorry..." he managed to say softly, stepping back.

Keira quickly caught his wrists to keep him from pulling completely away. "You don't need to be," she offered warmly. "I'm here for you, whenever you need me."

"No, I mean...I'm sorry I interrupted you," Jak corrected, smiling sheepishly.

Keira couldn't stop herself from bursting into giggles, lightly bopping him on the top of the head with her closed fist. Once she saw his smile turn into a soft chuckle, she continued what she'd been saying before, as though the previous scene had never occurred. "If what I've learned from these diagrams is accurate, if I can get this pump working again, we're in business."

At that moment, an alarm started to go off, and spider mutants rose up on a platform on the opposite side of the room from where the group was standing.

Shining and Daxter quickly took a defensive stance between the creatures and Keira, but Jak stepped forward. "I think...I want to try something," he whispered.

"What?" Keira asked worriedly.

Jak closed his eyes, taking a few calming breaths. When his eyes opened, they were black voids, filled with his Dark Eco. "Facing my fears," he growled out, lifting his staff. Pointing it towards the mutants, it became surrounded by the dark purple glow of Dark Eco, and he slipped into what he considered his 'Sage State' and willed the creatures to back off.

The creatures stared at Jak for a time, their eyes glittering...and withdrew.

An audible clang was Daxter's lower jaw cartoonishly hitting the floor. Shining slowly tipped over to land on his side, completely poleaxed. Keira's hands went to her mouth. "Jak...did...did you just...?"

"Faced my fear," Jak responded slowly, the Dark leaving his eyes and staff. "The Darkness is a part of me. For a long time, it was just a tool, a weapon...something I used but loathed. Now...I've accepted it." He took in a deep breath, then let it slowly out. Turning, he smiled at Keira...and to her immense relief, for the first time since Sandover the smile filled his eyes. "So let's get that pump working, shall we-"

His attempt at keeping things casual were cut off by Keira's rather enthusiastic celebration of the healing he'd undergone.

Author's Note

New (non-canon) Eco Abilities:
Eco Amplified Teleport - the Eco Teleport ability has been amplified. It can now allow Jak to teleport the group to anywhere within sight (on screen), with Eco consumption proportionate to distance traveled in this way.

Dark Command - a Dark Eco ability usable in base or Dark forms. Can allow Jak to command a specific group of Dark Eco Mutants to take one action (withdraw, attack, stand down, guard). This ability can only influence groups of the same type of mutant. It can be upgraded to influence larger groups, stronger mutants, or to more commands (only 'withdraw' is available to begin with). Each usage consumes the entire gauge for the ability initially, independent of collected Dark Eco or Dark Eco utilized for transformations when available. This, too, can be upgraded to consume less. Is only effective on Dark Eco mutants who lack self-awareness.

Brink: Coming Into One's Own

Once Keira and Jak disentangled themselves from each other and got control of themselves, Keira went back to the control panel. "A-alright," she stammered as she brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear, much to Shining's amusement. "I think I've got this. All we need is to give this panel a little juice..."

Jak stepped forward, staring at the panel. Without saying anything, he extended his hand towards it. Energy leapt out of his hand and into the panel, turning the red display to green.

"Bingo!" Daxter proclaimed as he shifted to under a faucet that extended from the console, holding up a container to catch the drop of liquid Light Eco that came out, encapsulating it before it could become corrupted by the environment.

"You did it," Jak praised Keira softly.

Keira smiled up at him as she took the capsule. "No...we did it."

"And now we need to get back to the ship," Shining offered. "Time's still running short, after all."

Jak let Keira head to her lab aboard ship ahead of the rest of the group as he took stock of himself. Accepting the darkness inside him had been a spur of the moment decision, even if it had been reached by logic...but having made the decision, everything seemed different now. The world was so much sharper, and he could see the Eco that floated about in the air around him, pouring off even those individuals who weren't Sages. He wanted to adjust to the world as he went, now that things were so different.

One major difference occurred as he stepped out of the hangar. Some of the pirates took one look at him and immediately fell flat on their faces, as though they'd found themselves suddenly in the presence of a god. Confused, he'd glanced in a nearby reflective surface...and saw why.

His staff now glimmered in the very metal with all colors, flowing into it from his hands, and his hair waved in the air over his head, Eco pouring off of it in all six colors he'd mastered. His eyes seemed to glow from within, and his entire body seemed...larger than it actually was. Blinking for a bit, he was able to return to normal vision where he couldn't see the Eco in the air, and most of the changes vanished...but the sense of something beyond what he could see was still there. Thinking back, he remembered those in Sandover had reacted much as these Pirates had to Samos whenever he was actively tapping his Sage powers, though not to that extreme. Was this what it meant...to be a fully realized Sage? A fully realized Prism Sage, at that?

Finally, he made his way up to Keira's lab, deciding to wait and ask Samos about that when they got back to Spargus. It wouldn't do to have another breakdown from thinking too much about things. He just had to get past this for now, and deal with it when he had time and leisure to do so.

Once at the lab, Keira held out another Mod for the staff. "I found something...disturbing in the lab while I was exploring," Keira explained. "It's...it's a Corrupted Green Eco gun."

"Corrupted?" Jak asked worriedly.

"How do you make a gun using Green Eco?" Daxter demanded in shock. "It's life force!"

"It's because pure Green Eco is incredibly hard to come by out here at the Brink, with how much Dark Eco is in the environment," Keira explained. "That's why Healing packs are few and far between. But tainted Green Eco...that's easy to get." She held out the Lobber mod. "That's how these work. Charges of Corrupted Green Eco...that leech the motive energy out of those exposed to it - whatever color of Eco they're running on - in an explosive blast."

Shining shuddered at the very thought. "That sounds...dirty..."

"It sounds like the ideal weapon mod to use alongside the Eco Constructs," Jak mused, taking the mod and attaching it. "First build a tower of green crystal...then blast it to turn it into a shrapnel bomb."

Keira nodded, looking up at Jak. "You're...you're better, Jak," she whispered softly, her voice throbbing. "I haven't seen you so at ease since before we left Sandover..."

"I'm not entirely better," Jak corrected. "The...issues that caused my breakdown...those don't magically go away just because I wave my staff and accept the Dark inside me. But...I can face them now, rather than keeping them bottled up inside until they consume me. It's a step in the right direction...but still only a step."

Keira smiled softly. "It's...it's still nice..." Reaching out, she touched his face. "To see this smile again. I thought...I might never see it again. The man you've grown into is wonderful and amazing...but it's good to see the happy boy I first fell in love with is still in there."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a time, only to be caught off guard as Daxter cleared his throat. "Lovely as it is to see you lovebirds getting along," he teased as Shining made playful smooching sounds, "perhaps it would be good to save that for after we save the world?"

"G-good point," Keira stammered, idly fixing her hair again. "So...maybe we should see what new abilities I can bring out in you?"

"Actually...I want to try something with that," Jak spoke up. "As you said, there's a lot of Dark Eco in the environment..." He held out his hands, them glowing with six colors of Eco.

Keira stretched her hands out, a Green Glow filling them as they interlaced their hands.

Daxter turned his gaze away as the entire room flared with light...but he could feel Darkness being drawn right out of the air, swirling as it filled the room and changed before becoming absorbed.

After a time, the light faded. Keira looked flushed. "W...wow..." she stammered out. "T-that was..."

Jak nodded softly. "D-did it work?"

Keira carefully examined Jak and Shining's aura. "...barring abilities Precursor Totems haven't granted you both yet...your abilities have been upgraded to their fullest potential."

"...wow..." Shining's words expressed everyone's reactions to the events that had just unfolded.

Jak didn't know whether to find it distressing or satisfying that Phoenix fell into his chair the moment he caught sight of Jak. Still, it meant he didn't say anything as Keira installed the encapsulated Light Eco into the Eco Seeker. As it unfolded, it projected an arrow pointing in three different directions. "So what does it mean?" Jak asked softly, knowing Keira was the machine expert.

"It's missing three parts," Keira deduced. "And it's telling us where to find them. Two of them seem to be near Far Drop...but one's close by and in the other direction..." Turning, she smiled at Jak. "So where to first?"

Brink: Pieces of Fate

Jak decided to go after the closer part for the Eco Seeker that was further along the Brink, at a facility Phoenix identified as Outpost Epsilon. From the outside, the structure seemed old and abandoned, built into a stone mountain on an island just outside a man made wall to keep the water in for use by humans, to keep it from spilling over the Brink. As they approached closer, the 'abandoned' appearance was quickly lost, as fighters - whose was unknown at this distance - flew up to attack Jak's ship and the Pirate flagship. Thankfully, there was an open hanger door, allowing Jak to land immediately rather than trying to fight his way through. Keira and the as yet unidentified Dark Eco Sage arrived shortly after them on a separate ship, but at Jak's direction held back while his group took point. "Let's see if we've got the right place," Jak murmured as he led the way to a massive door.

Shining and Daxter followed close at his heels, at his side as the door opened to reveal a path through a wilting, almost dead forest. Not far along the path was another Precursor Totem. "I'm guessing it is," Shining mused. "We don't find those on wrong turns."

"I'd ask how the Precursors knew where to put all this stuff..." Daxter began irritably. "But...Time Rings. Causality doesn't really mean jack anymore."

"Nope," Shining teased back. "Instead it means Jak!"

"You mean you think some further future Jak comes back in time to build this world, and knew where he'd find the powers, and thus knew where to place them?" Daxter demanded in shock.

"It could happen," Shining pointed out. "Heck, maybe Jak will evolve into a Precursor Spirit late in life, and he's the spirit that gets housed here."

"Please stop talking," Jak whimpered softly. "I don't want this discussion to make sense."

Chuckling, the group approached the Totem, and it promptly filled Jak and Shining with a mix of Green and Yellow Eco, unlocking the Eco Shield ability. They quickly discovered that while it was similar to the Shield ability Jak had in his Light Form - and Shining's own magical shield - it could be generated while moving and inflict damage on enemies that made contact with it as well as deflect incoming attacks. Jak could also sense other things the shield could do, but he'd need Keira's help unlocking those skills.

Another door blocked their path, but it was sealed tight. Jak tried forcing the doors, but even with his enhanced abilities he wasn't able to break through.

"I bet I can crack the security system-" Keira began, carrying a device over to the keypad.

Jak caught her off guard as he held her back. "There's a lot of Blue Eco in that panel," he warned. "A lot more than it needs just to run."

"Sounds like some sort of electronic countermeasure," Keira murmured softly. "I could have gotten a nasty shock. Thanks."

As they were talking, the old Sage walked up to the keypad and silently input a code, causing the display to glow green and the doors to slide open. He then walked straight in, as though in a trance.

"I get the feeling we aren't going to like what we see in here," Shining murmured softly. In silent agreement, the group followed the old man in.

Unfortunately, other security systems triggered, once more separating Jak, Shining, and Daxter from Keira and the old man. Keira was able to send some map details of an alternate path through which the two groups could meet up deeper in the facility. Jak, meanwhile, began calmly and methodically tearing the control systems for the security systems out of the walls to bypass them.

After disabling the first security shield, the group was confronted by a pool of Dark Eco. "That's going to be tough to cross-" Daxter began.

Jak waved his staff, and the pool parted, leaving a path of dry packed dirt across the gap.

"Or...not?" Shining asked, tilting his head.

"Apparently, Dark Control works on pure Eco as well," Jak explained, leading them across and using the same technique to tame a pair of Dark Eco wolf/porcupine mutants that started to lunge, but instead turned to lead the way inside.

As the facility seemed to be all but filled with pools of Dark Eco, the new use for Dark Control proved most useful, especially as the two mutants called their pack to them to assist in taking down the robots guarding the facility, ripping them limb from limb to clear Jak's path. Other guard bots attempted to fire on the group from a distance, but Jak spun his staff to deflect the blasts right back at them, rendering them easy prey for the patrolling pack. One robot managed to get close enough to Jak to grapple with him, only to find its motive force draining right out of its grip into Jak's body.

Seeing all this, Daxter whistled appreciatively. "Damn, Jak! You're unstoppable!"

"Not really," Jak countered. "It's only the Dark Eco in everything making this so easy. But we can think on that later. Right now, we need to get to Keira."

As they explored, they were forced to blast their way through a couple walls in order to get where they were going, and there were a great many guards blocking the paths. However, with every wolf/porcupine mutant they encountered immediately turning on the other hostiles at Jak's Dark Command, very few obstacles lasted long. As they continued to fight through, however, something caught Daxter's attention about the 'robots'.

"Jak...don't these 'robots' seem kind of...organic?" he asked carefully.

"They do seem that way," Jak agreed, "but I tried Dark Control on them...and there was no mind to connect with. What could cause that?"

"Well, they're super strong, ill tempered, long fingernailed..." Daxter shuddered to himself. "Sound familiar?"

Jak and Shining both shuddered as well. "Yeah...it does," Shining agreed. "All too familiar."

"But they're too far gone," Jak mused. "There's nothing we can do for them...but end them."

It was a morose trio that caught up at long last to Keira and the old man. Keira had a Precursor device in her hand. "We got it Jak," she greeted, warmly but sorrowfully. "But..." She turned to the old man.

"It's all my fault, Jak," the old man offered sadly. "The memories of this place are flooding back..."

"You're the Dark Eco Sage," Jak offered calmly. "And you created this project..."

"Yes," the old man confirmed. "The Dark Eco Warriors. I thought...thought the plentiful, corruptive energy here on the Brink could be used to protect people, to make us stronger...keep us safe...but all it does is destroy, turn people into monsters. I tried to build robots to take this facility back by force, to undo my mistake. But I've failed..."

"And who commissioned the project?" Jak asked calmly.

"That would be me," Phoenix offered sadly as he entered the chamber. "For Aeropolis."

"I wondered why you were so familiar with an Aeropan facility," Jak mused. "Go on."

"I was once commander of the Aeropan Air Forces," Phoenix explained. "I was put in charge of a secret weapons program to make a new class of warrior. We were fighting a terrible war, and we were losing..."

"And you thought this was a way to win?" Jak asked calmly.

"No!" Phoenix snapped out. "When I learned what they were doing - turning humans into monsters - I tried to stop the project, but Duke Skyheed wouldn't hear of it. So I did the only thing I could think of...I kidnapped the program's chief scientist." He turned to the Sage. "Sorry old boy, but you took a bad bump on the noggin in the scuffle. I marooned you on that island to hide your work from Skyheed."

"If you stopped it, why did we see the signs of Dark Eco corruption in every Aeropan in Aeropolis?" Shining asked firmly.

"Because I didn't stop it!" Phoenix growled. "Skyheed just kept the research going, and now every Aeropan is infected with Dark Eco..."

"It's not too late to fix things," the Dark Sage spoke up. "Have you seen what Jak is? He is the Prism Sage, the Eco Master...and he has fully awakened to his true nature! I came back here, unafraid...because I could see and feel it in him when he returned with the Light Eco for the Seeker. If we can get him to the Eco Core...we can save everyone!"

"W...what do you mean?" Keira asked, startled.

"The Eco Core guides and controls all Eco on the planet!" the Dark Sage explained eagerly. "Dark Eco is a natural part of the planet's energies, but one that can only be truly controlled by a fully awakened Prism Sage. But the damage of the war with the Metalheads and others has weakened and corrupted it, as has the incomplete nature of the planet itself. If a Green Sage can reenergize the Core to let it complete and repair the planet, Jak can link directly with the Core...and safely extract Dark Eco from every living thing on the planet, reversing the damage and restoring the purity of life! And then Light and Dark Eco can be put back where both belong...in balance within the Core itself!"

"I'm not sure putting that kind of pressure on Jak's such a good idea..." Shining began worriedly, remembering how Jak had felt with all the pirates looking at him like he would fix everything.

"That's...wonderful!" Jak suddenly crowed out happily.

"Jak?" Keira gasped out in surprise as he turned, grabbed her by her arms, and spun her around in the air.

"Don't you get it?" he laughed out gaily. "All this time, I've just been a warrior. All I could do was stop the evil before it did more damage. Help people control themselves before they could go too far down the wrong path. But the scars of battle that had already happened, the damage I had to do to stop it...nothing could fix that. But now?" He suddenly pulled Keira into a deep kiss before pulling back, his eyes alight with joy and hope, glowing with power and emotion. "I can fix it! I can finally save people! Everyone called me a hero before, but since Sandover I've never felt like one...and now I can be again!"

Daxter chuckled as Jak and Keira continued to cavort as the Dark Sage watched happily. He then burst into laughter as he saw the look on Phoenix' face.

Brink: Challenge Accepted

On the way back out of the facility, the group received a distress call from the Pirate Flagship, as they were under attack. It didn't take long for the group to get back to their fighters and take to the sky. There, they received confirmation of the nature of the attack, some sort of automated defense system. As Jak's craft approached the flagship, large turrets rose out of the walls that surrounded the man-made lake below, targeting the flagship. As the engines were down, it was unable to escape, leaving it to Jak to take down the turrets before they could power up enough to destroy the flagship.

After doing enough damage to the turrets before they could take the flagship out, they withdrew...and Keira informed them she was detecting a gigantic guided missile. Unable to damage it with weapons, Daxter deployed to sabotage the missile, eventually managing to take control of it and guide it into the tower that had launched it. The pattern repeated with each turret tower, until all three had been destroyed with their own missiles. With the towers destroyed, Jak once more docked with the Pirate Flagship, setting course back for Far Drop.

Far Drop seemed unchanged from their last visit, save that there were more people wandering around with the mutants being gone. The Eco Seeker scan indicated that the missing part was in the settlement, but nowhere more specific than that. To get the information, Jak, Shining, and Daxter went to speak with Barter to see if he knew anything. As they approached, he greeted them warmly.

"So glad you back, Jak!" he called out happily. "Strange things afoot." He gestured to a female pirate - a rather shapely green-eyed redhead - drinking at a nearby table, a spherical Precursor artifact in a glass sphere under her hand. Noticing Jak and the others locking eyes on the artifact, Barter grinned. "You like? That Precursor Rune Sphere. She good fighter, but me think you can...'persuade' her to give it up."

"If I tried that, Keira would kill me," Jak joked teasingly.

"That not what I meant," Barter prevaricated. "Negotiate, maybe?"

Jak rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose I could try..." Turning, he walked up to the pirate girl's table, and she turned to give him a look. "I think you have something I need," he stated bluntly as he leaned on his staff, the gun mods hidden away inside.

"Oh. Not much for small talk are you?" she asked, her voice a seductive purr with a strong Cockney accent, as she crossed her arms over her chest, turning to look him right in the eye.

"Not really," Jak responded bluntly. "My lady wouldn't be happy with rumors of me flirting with other women."

The pirate girl chuckled wickedly. "Oh...the jealous, suspicious type?" she asked teasingly.

"No, she just has friends who love teasing her with that sort of gossip," Jak stated flatly, startling a chuckle from her. "Let's cut to the chase. The Precursor Artifact. How much?"

"Money doesn't really interest me," the lady purred cheekily. "But I might wager it on a fight..."

Jak raised an eyebrow. "And what would you be wanting to see as your prize?"

She smirked, leaning on her elbows. "How about that little orange critter to make a fur coat?"

Both Shining and Daxter tensed up, remembering how Jak reacted last time someone had asked him to wager Daxter, ready to fight their way out if Jak reacted similarly. Jak, however, merely tensed his fist around his staff as a glow came to his eyes, slipping into his Sage State as he saw a certain amount of Blue Eco focused in her body. "I suggest you reconsider your requested wager," Jak warned calmly...though everyone in the bar backed away to the edges of the large chamber as they heard his voice echo with power.

The lady pirate...smirked. Resting her hands on her gun and sword, she stood up as Eco flowed out of her body and into her weapons as her eyes lit up, blue behind the green. "Well now...this is certainly interesting. And, unfortunately, against the rules. Guess I can't be fighting you-"

"Then how about me?" Shining asked, stepping up. "Maybe I have something you're interested in wagering for?"

The girl looked down at Shining, and her grin widened. "That certainly is an interesting proposition. I must say, I've heard many legends of unicorns. If even half of them are true, I could use you on my crew."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "And just how many crew members do you have?"

"Once I win your service, two," the girl replied firmly. "Have to rebuild after losing everyone to Skyheed's monsters."

"Funny, we have a grievance with the Duke ourselves," Shining responded softly. "So how about this? You win, I join your crew. I win...you join ours, with that artifact playing a part in fixing what Skyheed's arrogance broke, and putting him in his place."

The girl smirked. "Ya drive a hard bargain. I accept. What name and titles do you have?"

Smiling, Shining got into a combat stance. "My name is Ar-Mar who Shines, Shining Armor to my friends. Son of King Damas of Haven and Spargus. Off Worlder, Eco Magi. What of your name and titles?"

Smirking, the girl took her own fighting stance, blade in one hand while her other rested on the gun at her hip. "I'm called Malicious Megara, Captain to my crew, Meg to my friends, 'Oh god please don't kill me!' to my enemies. As for titles..." Blue Eco danced along the edge of her blade, pouring out of her flesh. "The only one that needs concern ya...is Blue Sage."(1)

(1) In the game, the 'Saucy Pirate' is unnamed and only a one off boss fight, but her movements and abilities are compared to Eco Reflexes in the wiki. And by now I'm sure you all know my passion for expansive world building.

Brink: Duel of Sages

Shining and Megara stared each other down across the bar, their swords drawn and guns at the ready. They started by slowly circling each other around the bar, keeping tables and chairs between them as each waited for an opportunity to strike. The tension in the room weighed heavily, seeming to press in on everyone watching.

Megara made the first move, her body briefly flaring blue before she dashed across the room at Shining, almost too fast to see.

Eco Reflexes, Jak thought to himself just as Shining did the same, their blades clashing in a shower of sparks as they blurred around each other, their Eco enhanced weapons clashing repeatedly in blazes of blue and red. Eventually, their movements slowed back to normal speed, and Megara seemed to fold in on herself before lashing out with a sweeping kick.

Shining leapt over the kick, flipping backwards as a summoned chunk of green crystal flew across the room, only to be deflected by a shot from Megara's pistol...a shot that punched right through the crystal in a flash of blue to fly right at Shining, only to dissolve against a shield of green infused pink light. Drawing his own weapons, Shining opened fire, only for Megara to dodge around each blast, reacting to them before they left the barrel it seemed.

As Megara rolled to her feet, she threw her empty hand forward, and Blue Eco in the form of electricity lashed forward towards Shining, to be caught on his sword before being sent back in a wave. Megara let the wave hit her, reabsorbing the Blue Eco before charging in for another flurry of sword blows.

As the clash continued, the pair lunged back and forth over tables, across chairs, and at times straight up walls before leaping off them to land back in the middle of the room to smash their blades together again. The only sounds in the entire bar were the rapport of weapons, the sparking of blade on blade, and heavy falls of boot and hoof...and the occasional collapsing wooden chair.

After a time, the blades locked in the center of the room, and Megara glared at Shining over the blades. "How are you able to do all this?" she demanded angrily. "Are you a Sage?"

"No," Shining replied firmly, his horn glowing brightly. "I'm something different." His eyes blazed with light.

"Aagh!" Megara called out, falling back and covering her eyes against the glare. Before she could react further, she felt her whole body seized by an unknown force and flung across the room, slamming into walls, ceiling, and tables before slamming back into the floor. As she groaned in pain and her eyes cleared, she found her own blade - and that of her opponent - crossed against her throat.

"Yield," Shining growled deep in his throat.

Megara stared up at him for a time, then sighed. "I yield," she offered calmly.

Shining nodded as he stepped back. "Good. Now...can you walk me back to my brother? I'm still a bit light-blind from flaring my eyes earlier. Did not know I could do that."

Shaking her head, Megara got to her feet, putting her hand on Shining's head as she walked him back over to Jak. "Looks like your little friend knows what he's doing," she offered as she handed over the Coordinate Sphere. "Meg."

"Jak," Jak responded, accepting both artifact and handshake. "And yes, my brother has surprised many in that way."

"Your bro, huh?" Meg mused idly. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean."

Jak raised his eyebrow. "There's something you aren't saying."

"And I'm the only one?" Meg countered, hands on her hips as Shining's sight returned to normal. "Let's just say 'getting my own back' against Skyheed both is and isn't my main goal here. There's only so much I know about being a sage."

"Same boat there," Jak offered. "My Spirit Quest hasn't ended yet, and this trip is supposed to be Keira's."

"So that Keira girl you mentioned is a Sage?" Meg asked curiously. "The Green one, any chance?"

"Yeah..." Jak began suspiciously. "How did you know?"

Meg shrugged her shoulders. "Call it woman's intuition."

"Is it because the 'your own' you're trying to get back are your 'sisters', the Red and Yellow Sages?" Shining asked penetratingly.

"Oh! Oh!" Daxter piped up hopefully. "And before Skyheed took your ship out and kidnapped them, the three of you led an all female pirate crew?"

Meg blinked at them both, then sighed and put her hand to her face. "So much for maintaining any air of mystery. Yeah, that's basically it." Since they were out of the bar and noticed all three staring at her, she sighed and continued to speak. "Ven, Art and I grew up together. We weren't sisters by blood...but the ones who raised us found us all, and knew us to be Sages. They took care of us, taught us to tap our powers and control them, and to rely on each other. They only passed down two rules of Sages before they let us out on our own as teenagers. First was that Sages never used their powers against each other. Second was to always put planet before country." As Shining lifted his hoof to raise a question, Meg interpreted it early. "Short for Venutia and Artemis."

She turned her gaze towards Daxter. "Honestly, I'd have never turned you into a fur coat. I just wanted to take you cause you remind me of them. They were more grey and dark purple than orange, so I'd probably have dyed you-"

"Once we've dealt with Skyheed and rescued your sisters, how would you like to see them again?" Jak asked calmly. "Pretty sure I know where to find them."

Meg blinked, stunned. "That...that would be nice..."

With new Sage and crewmate in tow, the group made their way back to the ship.

Brink: Beyond the Horizon

Once the group returned one strong, Shining floated the Coordinate Sphere over to Keira to install in the Eco Seeker. She did, however, give Meg an odd look and Jak a firm one, which made Meg chuckle. Shining decided to smooth things over fast before somebody said something wrong. "Keira, this is Megara, the Blue Sage. Meg, this is Keira, the Green Sage."

Meg's eyes widened. "Well, looks like I found myself another sister, then."

"Skyheed has her 'sisters', the Yellow and Red Sages," Jak explained quickly when Keira showed confusion.

"Looks like we have yet another reason to take him down, then," Keira mused, installing the Coordinate Sphere in the Eco Seeker. It then projected the arrow again, pointing solidly in a single direction.

Phoenix frowned as he tracked the line of sight. "It's pointing back to the research rig," he murmured softly.

"We must have missed something while we were there, then," Jak concluded. "Was there anything in that area we didn't explore?"

Phoenix blinked. "Well, the rig was built over strange formations, but nothing could penetrate what was below the surface-"

"Precursors!" Keira concluded firmly. "It must have been one of their facilities from long ago, back when they were building the planet. That's got to be where the artifact we're missing is. We have to go back and dig deeper."

"We should be cautious," Phoenix warned. "If the Aeropans detect our return..."

"Then we head to the point in the smaller fliers, with this ship keeping a safe distance," Jak concluded firmly.

The smaller ship flew out over a massive vortex in the water. The signal came from the bottom. "This is going to be tricky," Jak murmured as he glanced down. "One wrong turn, and we could crash into the edge and the ship would get torn apart."

"Then we just need to make sure we don't turn wrong," Shining muttered firmly.

"We've got some repair patches if we take bad damage," Daxter offered hopefully. "That's a bit of a safety margin, right?"

"We'll just have to find out," Jak stated as he took the ship into the vortex.

The inside of the vortex was a narrow green tunnel, barely large enough for a single ship to fly down. Before long, the dark green faded to pale green, with debris floating in the passage which now felt more like a wormhole than a whirlpool. As they flew, faint outlines of ships flew alongside, shooting at them.

"Just when we thought we'd seen everything," Daxter moaned out. "Ghost pirates."

"I hope we never see anything like that again," Shining grumbled as they blasted their way past both the ghost ships and floating mines scattered along the tunnel in the water.

Finally, near the bottom of the vortex, a large stone wall could be seen with a spherical Precursor Artifact glowing in the center. Making a sweeping flight, Jak steered the craft right up to the wall while Shining seized the sphere in his magic. They then turned and flew right back out of the vortex, having a much clearer path to the surface.

As they arrived, however, the Behemoth pulled into view and opened fire, using Dark Eco weapons to turn the floating wreckage above the vortex into bombs. Jak struggled to take each out before they could reach the Pirate Flagship, but they just kept coming.

Shining frowned as he watched this happen...and then an idea came to him. "Jak, do you think you can fly near one of these wrecked fighters?" he asked. "I...have a crazy idea."

"What sort of crazy idea?" Jak asked worriedly.

"The sort that might involve you pulling me back from the brink of madness," Shining explained. "I think my magic might be able to keep me from exploding if I tap Dark Eco...but I'll be counting on your Dark Command to reign me in."

Nodding, Jak steered close to one of the wrecked fighters. "I've got your back, bro."

Smiling, Shining teleported to the wrecked fighter, landing amongst its Dark Eco charged bulk. With a roar, he drew the energy into himself, and once more changed into Black Knight. As his eyes glowed, every wreck in the area started to glow. Dark Eco crystals took shape around the broken wrecks, restoring their original shape as they turned on the Behemoth, swirling around the larger vessel like gnats, shooting at power nacelle and weapon systems alike. Each of the crafts roared with the howls of ghosts as shadows lashed from the crystal constructs, striking the enemy fighters from the sky.

Jak could only stare in amazement as one of the construct fighters led a deliberate suicide charge into the Behemoth's hanger, self destructing to wreck the facility so the large ship could dispatch no more fighters. "Wow...what the heck is this?"

"Looks like Shining found a new power for Black Knight," Daxter murmured as he watched the armada that had been constructed of the corpses of ships. "I'm gonna call it Army of Darkness."

"Certainly fits," Jak mused as the Behemoth desperately deployed a new weapon, drone ships equipped with Eco Lasers, only for the construct ships to slam into the drones and break them...and then Dark Eco Crystals took shape on the drones, causing them to turn on the Behemoth. As the ones in charge of that ship saw they were badly - impossibly - outgunned now, they turned to flee. As the construct ships pursued, Jak realized what Shining had meant. Flying close to the ship he'd left him on, he reached out with Dark Command. "...Ar-Mar..."

Just barely, he felt the connection, and then the response. "...J...Jak...?"

As Jak focused on the link, the Army of Darkness slowly collapsed, and Shining - once more back in his normal form - teleported onto their ship. He promptly turned, stuck his head out the window, and vomited into the vortex below, blood, Green Eco, and Dark Eco mixed with the bile. "N...Not doing that again any time soon..."

"I should hope not," Jak agreed. "That was...terrifying..." Turning, he flew back towards the Pirate ship.

Author's Note

New Dark Eco/Magic ability:

Army of Darkness: Unleashing the true power of Dark Eco and Magic, Shining - as Black Knight - uses Dark Eco Crystals to repair broken ships, robots, or even broken corpses and raise them as soldiers. A combination of Dark Eco, Eco Construct, and necromancy. Requires a great deal of broken/dead to be used effectively, as the constructed soldiers will be far less creative in combat than living ones.

Brink: The Core

With the Behemoth in full retreat, Jak, Shining, and Daxter were able to board the Pirate Flagship without incident, delivering the last piece of the Eco Seeker to Keira to install. Once installed, however, it continued to point straight to the research rig. "Looks like we know where we're going," Jak mused softly. "Those Precursor structures we talked about earlier probably house the Eco Core."

"Then that's where we're going," Phoenix stated firmly. "We'll have to leave the ship behind though-"

"You stay on board," Jak stated firmly. "Keira, Meg, Daxter, the old man, Shining and I will go. No one else."

"But-"

"If we're right, the Eco Core is below," Jak interrupted intensely. "Anyone less than a Sage could easily be overwhelmed by the energies of the Core." He glanced away. "Besides...if what I'm planning works out, it could be really dangerous to even be close to us when we set it in motion."

"How...dangerous, exactly?" Phoenix asked carefully.

"Dangerous enough you might want to take your ship all the way back to Far Drop once we launch," the old man suggested as he shifted idly. "Of course, that might not be in safe range, either. Moving to outside the storms surrounding The Brink would probably be best."

"But if we pull back that far, you'll be sitting ducks for Duke Skyheed!" Phoenix insisted.

"He'll certainly think so," Jak mused softly, a wide grin on his face.

"I know that look," Keira groaned softly. "You're about to try something insanely stupid that's either going to save the world or get us all killed, or possibly both."

"Really?" Meg asked surprised. "That look says all that?"

"Yeah," Keira confirmed. "That's his 'hero' look..."

"Say, we never got your name," Shining spoke up to the old man. "It doesn't really feel right to keep referring to you by title or description."

The old man grinned. "There are some who call me...Tym(1)."

The two smaller ships that took off were piloted by Jak and Keira. Jak had Shining and Daxter riding with him, while Keira had Meg and Tym. As soon as they cleared the pirate ship, it pulled away as directed. The research rig was in sight, but now heavily shielded. "So what now?" Jak asked curiously.

"I recognize the shield design," Meg offered. "The generators have to be outside, and there will be repair and defense drones posted nearby."

"I'll focus on the drones and defending craft," Jak spoke up quickly. "Keira, you up to taking out the generators?"

"On it!" Keira responded warmly, setting course.

The operation went off smoothly, with Jak covering Keira as she took down the generators at Meg's direction, and both ships were able to land safely in the hangar bay. With the Eco Seeker complete, the elevator activated to take the group straight down to the Precursor structures. As they descended, a massive purplish-grey geode was visible in the distance. "Is that...?" Jak asked in awe.

"The Eco Core," Keira confirmed. She glanced around nervously. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jak."

Jak smiled warmly. "Trust me."

As the elevator reached the bottom of the shaft, Shining glanced over at a control console. "So...it this where it's manipulated to balance the planetary Eco flows?" he asked curiously.

"Looks like it," Keira agreed.

"But it looks long dead," Meg pointed out. "How are you gonna wake it up?"

"Just need a little charge," Keira purred, smiling at Jak.

Stepping up, Jak channeled Eco energy into the console, illuminating it as it displayed the status of the Core. At the same time, the Core itself burst to life, illuminating the entire chamber. "So what's it look like?" Jak managed to say as he braced himself against the shakes.

Keira carefully examined the readout as the brace holding the Core in place slowly lifted it to eye level. "It looks like the crystal we're seeing in front of us is just a massive processing center for the Eco, letting it flow in and out in all colors to be broken down, recreated, and directed. The actual work is done by a prism in the center...but the prism is out of alignment, resulting in a massive energy buildup. Looks like a steady degradation of positioning caused by the orbital wobble of the planet due to the massive hole in the crust we refer to as The Brink. I can realign the Prism and bring the Core back online, but it'll just need to be done again in a couple thousand years. It's not like we can just fix The Brink."

"And it would be foolish to try."

The entire group spun at the sound of Skyheed's voice. He stood there with a smug grin, two women to either side, nearly identical to each other - and Meg and Keira, at second glance - save for coloration and garb. The one on the left had yellow hair and red eyes, while the one on the right had blue hair and yellow eyes. Each of them were wearing white, tight fitting military style outfits and circlets charged with Dark Eco. Their eyes were blank, the whites tinged purple.

"Venutia! Artemis!" Meg gasped out in pained shock. "What have you done to them, monster?!"

"Funny you should call me that," Skyheed taunted. "Considering your compa-" His eyes suddenly widened, and he clutched at his head.

Jak stared at Skyheed, his eyes hard as his staff glowed. "You know...I always try to give anyone I encounter the benefit of the doubt. Dark Eco experiments, a Dark Warrior program...I wanted to believe it was because you thought it was the only chance to protect your country, that you thought Praxis and Haven were a threat to you. But this close to the Core...I can see into your mind and heart as easily as I see the Eco flows. Whatever you set out to do at the beginning...now you crave the power of Darkness, and you don't care what it will do to the world to achieve it." He gestured to the girls beside Skyheed. "That you would enslave the Sages - and sought to enslave the others-" A jerk of his staff caused Skyheed's hands to yank two more circlets from his pockets, making Meg and Keira gasp in shock. "I'm here to save everyone...but you can't be saved. You've taken too much Dark into yourself. There is no Green left. Return to the planet, and see what awaits you."

With another jerk of the staff, Skyheed collapsed to the ground, a flood of Dark Eco erupting out of his body to fly into the Eco Core. The circlets on the girls near him fell apart, and they collapsed to the ground.

"Art! Ven!" Meg rushed to her sisters' sides, pulling them close.

Tym stared at Jak in shock. "How...?"

"You said it yourself," Jak explained. "Down here, I can draw the Dark Eco out of every living thing on the planet to restore the balance. Once Meg's sisters are able to control themselves and their abilities, and Keira's realigned the Prism, we can begin..."

(1) Believe it or not, that's canon from the end of the game.

Brink: A Whole New World

All seemed peaceful in the world. Day turned towards night. Storms gathered and dispersed. Eco flows began to stabilize as life spread along the land. The light of the moon was blotted out by a giant meteor entering the atmosphere.

...it was a testament to the capacity of the human mind to become lost in minutia that it took several minutes for the majority of the population of the Brink to look up and see the massive rock slowly descending in a ball of incandescent flame. However, once someone did spot it, worldwide panic began to ensue.

The storms of the Brink parted and wrapped around the meteor as it descended into the gap in the world. Those who knew the physics paled, as an impact there on that scale could shatter the planet from the inside out. And then the meteor stopped.

A bright pink energy field surrounded the meteor as it stalled, and the storms seemed to grasp it, extinguishing the flames as Eco in all colors shot up out of the center of the Brink, slamming into the meteor and reshaping it. As the energy flared, a blaze of dark purple light erupted over the entire globe, flowing out of living beings, structures, and landscape before being drawn down into the Brink, the Dark Eco of the entire planet being reabsorbed as the light show continued.

Then the entire Brink blazed with the coruscating white of Light Eco, and the meteor descended, plugging the gap and fusing onto the planet. The waters poured in, covering the new crust as the world became a whole spheroid, and the ocean smoothed over as the waves embraced the new land.

Phoenix stared from the deck of his ship at the massive change that had been made to the fundamental nature of the world. "...it's over, right?" he asked hopefully.

A glowing figure of light appeared in the air above the former gap in the planet, energy of six colors giving its shape as it stepped out of a rift in space and time to stare down at what had been wrought. It then descended, phasing through water and land with equal alacrity.

"...is that a yes?"

Jak felt himself stirring slowly as he returned to consciousness. His entire body ached like an abscessed tooth - again - and his head pounded like Daxter on the drums. He could vaguely hear voices talking, and struggled to focus on them in an attempt to pull himself back to awareness.

"...did what?" a somewhat familiar voice he didn't quite recognize demanded, an ethereal echo adding weight to it.

"You heard me the first time," another voice spoke up. This one Jak managed to recognize as Elder. "He saw the problem in our construction we never got around to fixing, and fixed it."

"Does he have any idea the sort of energy levels that entailed?" the other voice demanded. "He's lucky it didn't kill him before he was finished, and then backlash to tear the entire planet apart."

"Well, he has always been an all-or-nothing sort," Elder agreed with an amused lilt in his voice. "It runs in the family."

"Really?" the echoing voice asked in a chiding tone. "Are you really suggesting I was ever this bad?"

"Is this the same Mar who thought it was a good idea to slam his hand into a Wasteland Metalhead's brain, shift to a Dark-Red form, and use the energies of the transformation to turn the Metalhead into a skyscraper sized improvised bazooka to drive back Kor?"

...that actually sounds pretty awesome... Jak managed to think to himself, still struggling to grip reality around him.

"...well it worked, didn't it?" Mar - as the Precursor Spirit voice was now identified - complained stubbornly.

"So did this," Elder pointed out logically. "As I said, it runs in the family to pull crazy, all-or-nothing gambles. It just also happens to run in the family for them to pull through when it really counts. The only reason he seems so much more insane than you is because the scale of the conflicts he's been involved in mean that his gambles are on an equally enhanced scale."

"Even one of my blood should not have been able to handle this much as a Sage," Mar marveled. "How did he manage it without dying or entering the cocoon?"

...so I'm still human? Jak thought to himself. That's a relief...hope everyone else is okay...

"He didn't do it alone," Daxter spoke up, his thought voice showing he was in his Light form.

"...that is new," Elder and Mar said together.

"Damn, and I was hoping one of you could tell me what the heck that was about," Daxter complained as he could be heard shifting back to normal. "Well, whatever. Guess just like everything else, we'll be figuring it out on our own."

"...you said he didn't do it alone?" Mar asked carefully.

"Yeah," Daxter confirmed. "Keira, Meg, Ven, Art, Tym and I helped him channel and balance the Eco, and Shining helped him control the meteor." There was the sound of shuffling feet. "Keira's breathing, that's good. So are Meg, Ven, and Art. Shining...yowch! Geeze, I was just checking if you were breathing, no need to bite!" There was silence for a time. "...Tym..."

"His heart wasn't strong enough to take the strain, nor his body suffused in his Color enough to metamorphose to our state," Elder offered sorrowfully.

"It's...okay, little fella," Tym gasped out softly, his breath ragged. "I saw...the world...whole. I...I fixed my mistake..." A few pained coughs echoed. "I wouldn't want...to live forever. Someone else...can take...my place...and learn..."

...Tym... Jak thought softly as he felt his mental grip on his surroundings slipping.

"Rest in peace, Dark Sage," Mar spoke softly. "You have done your ancestors, your people, your world...proud. And you rest too, blood of my blood. You have achieved all you were destined to, and more. The remainder of your life is yours to command, to go where you will. Now sleep, recover..."

Jak felt the power in that voice as his mind started to drift.

"And try to be a bit more careful from now on!" Daxter snapped out. "Just because I turn white is no reason you should be trying to turn me grey! I swear, trying to keep you from killing yourself is an almost Sisyphitic challenge. Can you avoid throwing yourself heedlessly into danger for like...five minutes? Oh geeze, Keira's in the same cloth and of course I'm gonna be the go to babysitter when you two finally have a kid. I need a drink or five..."

Daxter's litany of complaints lulled Jak into a restful sleep, his mind fading back into the dark, waiting until his body was once more whole.

Return to Eden

Two ships flew back from the land once known as the Brink, heading for the land once known as the Wasteland. One ship held three sisters, eager to reunite with two they thought of as their parents. The other carried two brothers and two friends, knit as close as family. Both had traveled a great distance already, but what they saw as they approached made all gasp in shock.

Before, the oceans had been sluggish as they girted the land, barely splashing as they shifted around the stony shores. Now, waves crashed against stone outcrops, white froth gliding up sandy beaches that came to a halt in verdant grasslands, painting the continent green as far as the eye could see as what had once been isolated oases were now spraying fountains, the water shooting into the sky like the Eco flowing out of the vents. What had once been barely survivable and a brutal taskmaster to those who thrived there was now a blooming paradise.

"Did...did we really do all that?" Shining gasped out, shocked.

"I...I knew stabilizing the planet and reactivating the Eco Vents would have an effect..." Keira managed to say. "But this? It's...it's phenomenal-"

"Look!" Jak called out, pointing straight ahead. A massive tree rose out of the forest behind Haven city, tall enough to be visible from the edge of the continent, its branches protectively shading acres as blossoms bedecked its boughs.

"...some homecoming, huh?" Daxter managed to say. "It...it really does look like Sandover came back, doesn't it? The area around Samos' old hut is even a flooded inlet with rocky islands again!"

"We did it, Jak," Keira spoke up warmly, turning shining eyes and a wide smile to him. "We saved the world."

"Yeah..." Jak murmured softly, wrapping an arm around her. "Let's...let's go see everyone..."

The two ships parted as they crossed the continent. The sisters steered their ship into the tunnels to the Planetary Defense System, where their 'parents' - Gol and Maia - still worked away to correct their past mistakes. Their reunion would happen in its own time. Jak landed his own ship just outside Spargus. "Everyone will be waiting for us in there," he confirmed to himself. He turned to the others worriedly. "I think you three should go on ahead. Give everyone some idea of what all has happened." He smiled at Keira. "This was your Spirit Journey, after all."

Keira smirked softly. "You want time to brace yourself for how people will see you differently now?" At Jak's nod, Keira leaned in and kissed him. "You just wait here until you're ready then. But no running off, alright?"

"Promise," Jak confirmed, sitting back as the trio made their way into the city.

Samos was the first to greet those who returned. "Keira, there you are," he greeted warmly as she entered the city. "Look at you! A full Sage at last. I'm so proud of you." He pulled her into a warm embrace, then stepped back to turn to the others. "And from the look of you, Shining, you're learning a bit more control of the darkness inside you...but your journey isn't quite yet complete."

"No, not yet," Shining admitted. "There's somewhere I still need to go."

"Not alone, you won't," Daxter stated firmly. "We'll go with yo-whoammph!"

Daxter's interrupted speech was due to Tess having tackled him to the ground, her short limbs wrapped tight around him as she locked limbs with him, her tail wrapping around his intimately. "Oh my snukki-wukkikins, how I missed you!"

Daxter chuckled, returning the embrace. "Heh. Missed you too, sweet cheeks. But I also miss breathing!" Tess merely giggled and tightened her embrace.

"Hmph," Samos grumbled under his breath as he stared at Daxter. "Seems you've really come into your own as well. Can't say I'm surprised or happy."

"Oh, go suck a lemon old man!" Daxter groused back.

Samos rolled his eyes. "But where's Jak? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Yes," Damas agreed as he raced up onto Shining's back. "I am eager to be reunited with both my sons."

"Jak's...changed a bit," Keira explained softly. "He...completed his journey as well. It...changed how some people saw him. He wants to get ready for what it will mean amongst those he knows well, and who know him well."

"Really?" Samos asked grumpily. "After everything that's happened to him, now he's worried about how we'll see him? Seriously, when is that boy going to grow up-" His voice came to a choked halt as Jak stepped through the city gates.

Jak was once more in his Sage Mode, but it was even more prominent than before. In the disturbed Eco flows of the Brink, The shape of Jak's power as a Sage was at best an afterimage that all were aware of and those with Eco Affinity could glimpse. But here, where the Eco now flowed freely and life flourished, his body underwent one last metamorphosis. His muscles were more plainly defined as the power left his chest bare. Bands of the six colors ran along his arms as his staff blazed with light. Markings in the six colors shaped a pattern of wisdom and strength, and his hair now ran back from his head to halfway down his back, waving in the air as it shimmered like an aurora from white to black, red to blue, yellow to green, and back again. Every plant in his vicinity turned towards him as he walked as though he himself were the life-giving sun.

"...I'd say he did," Damas spoke up, his voice bursting with pride.

"That he did," Samos muttered as he joined those gathered in bowing. But it wasn't a bow to a god, or to one who held the power of the world in their hands. It was the bow Jak had earned, the bow they had already awarded to him, to a role he was now truly ready for.

A bow to a king.

Return to Elsewhere

Jak lay back on a large lily pad, floating in the main waterway of Spargus as the sun shone down on him, most of his body exposed to the light as he felt his skin absorb it, only for it to be converted within him into Eco, only a pair of shorts as a concession to modesty. He hadn't been surprised that the way people treated him had changed with the awakening of his full power. Of course, his expectations had been that everyone would be treating him as some sort of quasi-divine being, the way the Pirates had been. Instead, all that happened was everyone treating him as the King, apparently having decided that he was now ready to take on the role. Everyone - even his closest friends and comrades in arms - was now addressing him as 'Your Majesty' and greeting him with a polite bow. This was especially rough in Haven as the exquisite formality of royalty came into play there, making it impossible to just head down to the bar for a drink, or even get some alone time with Keira outside the palace (which was finally being rebuilt, teach Jak to make the ostentation of royalty the lowest priority far below everything that was for the well being of the people).

It was much better in Spargus. Here, formality had never caught on due to how much effort was required to eke out a living in the Wasteland. A nod and a greeting of 'Majesty' was as formal as it ever got, and those habits hadn't faded. While everyone was respectful, most of the citizenry called him by name...well, one of his names. Some insisted on calling him Mar. Even so, a simple request to not be disturbed - wherever he was - was enough to get him left alone to relax and enjoy himself.

Of course, he wasn't completely alone. A splash in the otherwise still twist of the river reminded him of his current company. Keira slipped out of the water and onto the large lily pad he lay on, curling up beside him. The lily pad remained where it was without tipping because he willed it to, making it an ideal place to sunbathe. Jak felt his cheeks heat as she curled up to him, knowing it had nothing to do with body heat or the sun. The awakening of his abilities came with an enhanced awareness of his surroundings, making him all too aware of the relatively skimpy swimwear that Keira was wearing to enjoy sun and water, and just how little there was between their bodies just now.

"Feeling rested, Your Majesty?" she asked teasingly, being the only one to address him that way with such affectionate teasing...and as such, was oddly the only one he was truly comfortable having call him by title.

"Yeah," Jak agreed warmly, putting an arm around her without thinking. "Still not sure if I need to be a Majesty, though."

"The people need a King, Jak," Keira pointed out, snuggling against him, smirking as she saw his cheeks redden. "You know that."

"Do they?" Jak asked as he stared up at the sun. "The cities more or less run themselves, the return of worldwide Eco has eliminated just about every possibility of conflict, and the scale of the event means that every known city on the globe is scrambling to ally itself with Oasis." Oasis was the name given to the joined kingdom of Haven, Spargus, and Kras...which had been more appropriate before the restoration of the world had turned the Wasteland Desert into some of the most fertile land on the planet. "The Baron and Dad are overseeing treaty negotiations, and they lead the council which oversees any disputes between individuals or cities. What, exactly, do the people need me to do?"

"I never said they needed you to do anything," Keira countered, running one hand down his chest, marveling at what his awakening had done to his physique. It had taken what had already been the build of a fighter and warrior, and amplified it into the pinnacle of human capability...and she had a very hard time controlling herself in close proximity to him. "But they do need you on the throne. For now, you're a symbol of Fate and Unity. The Hero, the Legend, the King...that's what they need you to be."

"So they need me to sit on the throne and look pretty?" Jak asked ruefully. He turned his gaze towards Keira, taking in how her own awakening had amplified her development, bringing her into the full flower of her beauty. "If that's the case, maybe I should give you the crown. You're more qualified than I for the latter part of that."

Keira giggled softly. "That's a matter of opinion," she chided gently before rolling onto his chest, looking him in the eye. "But look at it this way. You've done everything you've set out to do - united the world, saved everyone, fulfilled the obligation of your choices and destiny - and don't have anything hanging over your head to get in the way of enjoying yourself." As she completely shifted her body to on top of him, she leaned in and locked lips with him.

Jak returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her, but eventually let it break. "Not quite everything," he corrected sadly. "I...still want to find where Shining came from...and help him go back-"

"I've already taken care of that," Keira pointed out.

"Wait, what?" Jak gasped out, stunned. He started to sit up, but Keira quickly pushed him back down.

"It's still going to take the rest of the day to fully charge," she pointed out. "You can wait that long to bask in my genius, can't you?"

Jak smirked up at her. "To bask in, I suppose." Without warning, he rolled over, leaving her beneath him on the lily pad. "But not to praise it."

Giggles and moans echoed over the water as the lily pad floated sedately against the current to under the nearby pier...and bits of swimwear floated downriver.

Jak, Shining, Daxter, Tess, and Samos stared at the item Keira had constructed. Finally, it was Samos who spoke up. "Is that...a Rift Ring?"

The resemblance to a Precursor Rift Ring was very evident, though it was much smaller than the one that had brought Jak and company forward in time from Sandover. It was at most 15 feet in diameter, and glowed brightly with Eco and Magical energy. "Similar," Keira explained. "Elder showed me the schematics of the Rift Ring, and I used those as a basis...but I made it a little differently. Rather than using a coordinate sphere to aim itself, it utilizes a deep scan of the subject to lock onto a point of origin, using Precursor techniques to scan through all of space-time..." She chuckled softly. "With a few enhancements I came up with to enhance those further."

"I fear for the stability of the universe should she ever become a Spirit," Elder offered worriedly. "I doubt if it could contain all of her ideas."

"Once it's fully charged, which should happen any second now-" Keira's words were interrupted as a device rose up out of the top of the Ring and aimed at Shining, emitting light rays that swept over him for a time. With a loud 'Ding', white light erupted within the ring, creating a thin film of fog which soon shone golden. "It will scan Shining for the point of origin, and lock onto the source...as it has done," Keira concluded. "And the best part is that the smaller size allows for a much more controlled void tunnel, meaning we don't need a Rift Rider to get to the other side. We can just walk through. I call it a Rift Gate."

Shining stared at the Rift Gate in amazement. "Then...just a step through there...and I'll see where I came from?"

Keira nodded. "Well, four steps. Don't want to be half in and half out if the power interrupts."

"How stable, exactly?" Jak asked curiously.

Keira grinned. "Stable enough to be a bridge," she confirmed.

"Then he won't go alone," Jak stated firmly.

Shining's head jerked up, and he glanced back and forth at the open, warm, determined expressions of his friends and family. With a smile of his own, he turned and led the way into the unknown.

Perfect Day, part 1

Shining slowly opened his eyes, feeling like he'd just drunk his weight in booze. At least, that's what he thought that felt like based on what Sig had said about his hangovers. Obviously, Keira's idea of a 'smooth ride' was very different from his own. As his eyes fully opened, however, he found himself blinking in confusion.

He was lying on a rather plush bed, filled with something really soft that made it really comfortable. Even the beds in the Royal Palace in Haven hadn't been this soft, and Sandover and Spargus had used hammocks. The blankets were also especially comfortable. However, far from being comforting, it put him on alert. Leaping out of bed, he quickly did a scan of himself and his surroundings.

Okay...no Eco in the environment, but a lot of the stuff I use for my magic, so this is my world. Plenty of Light and Dark Eco inside me, if I can ever figure out how to tap Light Eco. Bed, dresser, and armor stand...with armor that looks nothing like Precursor work. Purple and gold? Royal colors? Glancing aside, he saw that his Precursor made armor was in an open drawer nearby, somehow. Keeping track of that just in case. Looks like I can hide it under this new stuff. He then began to examine the surroundings.

Let's see...rather spartan in terms of furnishing, despite the luxury of said furnishing. Pictures... He saw a picture of four unicorns, a blue stallion, a grey mare, a purple filly, and himself. All four were smiling. Must be my family. Hope I can find my diary or something to tell me who they are. From the age of myself in that picture, I must have been fully grown when I got sent to Dad...huh. Wonder if I should still think of King Damas as Dad or Night Light...Night Light? Huh, so that's his name. ...figure that part out later. He glanced around at the other pictures. Hmm...lots of me and that little filly. Sister, maybe? The way she seems to be following me around kinda reminds me of how Talwy followed Jak...I meant Keira. Hmm...Talwy...Twiley? That sounds right...oh, someone else with Twiley.

He glanced at the picture of little Twiley and a pink mare with the multi-colored mane and tail, with a horn and wings. Huh. Looks like a sitter or something. At least they're close. Or maybe another sister? Though she wasn't in the family photo... He continued to take in his surroundings. Wow. There are...a lot of pictures of that pink mare. I seriously hope that means she's my girlfriend or something. I'd hate to think I was some creepy stalker- He stumbled across a picture near the bed of himself and said pink mare in a passionate kiss, himself seeming to wave off the camera. Okay, with how happy she looks, pretty sure that means girlfriend.

He raised his eyes towards the ceiling, intending to gather his thoughts...only to catch sight of a picture of said pink mare in a rather risque negligee that somehow made her appearance even more stimulating than all the other images around where she - like nearly every other pony in pictures - was naked. In one corner of the picture was a note in pink. 'Dream of me, Shiney - Cady.'

Okay...apparently Cady is a lot more than just my girlfriend, Shining concluded. Wow. Uh...wow. Well, she's certainly...wow. He dragged his eyes away from the picture on the canopy of the bed to get his thoughts straight. Okay, need to find my journal or something. That ought to tell me something-

At that point, the door slowly creaked open, and the tallest pony he'd ever seen stepped through. She was pure white, with wings and horn, and her mane and tail flowed in the breeze in all the colors of the aurora. She smiled down at him, gilded regalia proclaiming her royal status. "Up already, Captain?" she asked softly. "Given the state of emergency and other events, I'm pleasantly surprised. That bachelor party my niece arranged for you was rather...rowdy." She shot a brief glance upwards, caught sight of the underside of the bed canopy, and chuckled. "Though I see why she felt she had nothing to worry about with those dancers."

Shining thought quickly as he desperately tried to center himself. Okay, apparently she's my fiance, not girlfriend, if I had a bachelor party...which she arranged for me. My fiance is a total freak. ...I like that. Still, gotta get my head in the game. Oh! Party means booze, right? "Umm, I think I might have drunk a bit too much, Your Highness," he spoke up. Highness? Shouldn't I say Majesty? Well, she doesn't seem offended, so roll with it. "I'm still a little addled. What...state of emergency, exactly?"

The regal celestial being before him -

Celestial? Why did I think that? Highness is Princess...Celestia. Oh, that's her name! Glad these memories are coming back like this, but better pay attention.

-pursed her lips in a frown. "I'm not entirely certain, I'm afraid. Princess Cadence went on a diplomatic mission, intending to be back today with plenty of time to prepare for her wedding...but she apparently sent you a message about a threat to the city of Canterlot. Between that and a royal wedding in the works, we felt it best to beef up security to its highest, complete with you casting your aegis all around the city." She glanced out the window. "A very impressive enchantment, since it is maintaining itself despite you having apparently forgotten about it."

Oh, that's why I felt like my shield is up. It is up. An entire city, though? Well, there's a lot more magical energy here... "I'm ready to do my duty, Princess Celestia," he promised fervently. Just as soon as I remember what that is.

"In that case, you'd best get to your post," Celestia observed idly, gesturing to his armor. "You managed to forget to send your sister an invitation to the wedding, so I sent one from my desk. She should be arriving soon."

"Twiley?" Shining gasped in surprise. "Oh, I haven't seen her in so long!" True in more ways than one, he thought to himself.

Celestia chuckled softly. "If I were one of those gossip columnists, I could read so much into how both you and Cadence were more excited before she left about seeing Twilight again than your own upcoming nuptials. As I'm not, I'll simply find it amusing, and advise you make sure my niece doesn't notice." With that and an enigmatic smile, she turned and swept out of the room.

Shining paused, glancing between his Precursor armor and the Captain armor. Better defense but risk awkward explanations I'm not ready for, or stealth? After a time, he donned the Captain armor. Here's hoping Jak's out there somewhere, sees my aegis up, and comes looking for me...not only do I have no idea what I'm doing, I don't want him to miss my wedding.

Perfect Day, part 2

Shining Armor stood at his post in the Castle Courtyard, directing the Guard to their posts in preparation for the big event that was to come. Many of the Guard were a bit confused at the last minute changes he'd made to both assignments and general layout of guard positions, putting veterans at seeming unimportant points and raw recruits at seemingly key positions. This was because his time in Haven had showed him just how effective 'traditional' guard setups were, leaving him to work feverishly to recreate the work Jak had done in coming up with a Guard patrol and detail that had successfully kept them out (the final test before the plan was approved). It was his hope that the new lineup - leaving those with experience and expertise but weighed down by age at command and observation posts, while those with stamina and fire but lacking in wisdom were at combat positions - would prove at least somewhat effective in keeping the city safe.

As he directed them, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. "I have something to say to you, mister!" the lavender unicorn proclaimed as she stomped towards him.

Guards immediately leveled weapons, but Shining waved them off. "Twiley!" he called out eagerly, discarding his helmet as he rushed forward, eager to get to know her all over again. "I've missed you, kid! How was the train ride?" He reached his hoof towards her chin. "I-"

She immediately pulled back angrily. "How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married?" she demanded, glaring at him. "I'm your sister for pony's sake!"

Okay, looks like language is the biggest thing I'll need to get used to, Shining thought to myself. "Well, to be fair, with how busy I've been snapping the Guard into shape to deal with an unknown threat and preparing for the wedding, I haven't even told Mom and Dad in person yet, and they live here in Canterlot. It's not like you were singled out."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better that I learned about this 'from the desk of Princess Celestia'?" Twilight countered back, plainly not willing to give an inch until she got all her anger out. "You could have at least written the invitation yourself!"

"I meant to, Twiley, I really did," Shining promised. Glancing up, he saw his Aegis starting to dim as the energy cycling lost enough juice to show. "But this..." Focusing his mind, he sent his magical energy up into the sphere, charging it once more to full strength. "...takes a lot of my mental focus, and between that and the Guard details, I just couldn't manage to write a good letter. Princess Celestia offered to do it for me, and probably kept it 'official' to avoid spilling any details to anyone not cleared for them, depending on who was around when Spike belched up the letter." He paused mentally as he realized how much he was saying that he hadn't even been aware of before, but he now remembered. Fire breathing fax machine. Keira will have a field day with that. "Besides, she's the only one who can send to you via Spike's dragonfire." Turning, he led Twilight up to a bridge between two towers where they could have some privacy.

Twilight, for her part, lowered her eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it. You've got a really important job, and that has to come first. But still...how could you not tell me about something as important as your wedding?"

"Oh, like we've had so many opportunities for face to face discourse since you moved to Ponyville," Shining teased. "Like when you told me you defeated Nightmare Moon- no wait, I learned that from the official report." He shot her a playful glare, smirking as he did so.

Much to his pleasure, Twilight countered with a blown raspberry. "Har har," she grumbled petulantly. She then sighed sadly. "I guess...we've drifted apart. Are we just...not as important to each other anymore?"

"It's called growing up, Twiley," Shining offered softly. "It happens to the best of us eventually." Though some of the older guards still wonder at times when it's going to be Celestia's turn, he thought ruefully. "And hey, would I be asking you to be my Best Mare if you weren't important to me anymore?"

"You want me to be your Best Mare?" Twilight gasped in shock.

"Well, yeah!" Shining insisted warmly.

"I'd be honored," Twilight spoke warmly, bowing. She happily accepted the embrace Shining offered, but then pushed him away. "I'm still pretty ticked you're marrying somepony I don't even know-"

"You mean your old foalsitter, Princess Cadence?" Shining interrupted with another smirk.

Shining chuckled softly to himself as he watched Twilight wax eloquently about how great Cadence was. He didn't really need to track the exact words, as even as Twilight spoke the memories started to come back. As she danced and cheered, he noticed Cadence herself stepping out onto the bridge...but something was off about her. As Twilight nearly bumped into her, the Princess asked, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," her voice...unpleasantly harsh.

Shining wanted to just shrug it off on wedding stress/jitters, but something about the whole thing bothered him. Looking at her...he felt nothing. He tried to pretend, hoping it was just some sort of disconnect. But the more he saw, the more he was convinced something was off.

And then when she hugged him...he could have sworn he felt Dark Eco inside her. And not a corruption like when it had been forcefully infused into him, but as though it had been embraced like with Errol. As she turned away - he still pretending everything was 'normal' - he stared after her, frowning. Noticing Twilight staring at him, he faked a quick smile before going about his day.

He hoped he was able to put together what was going on sooner rather than later. He really wished he could get Twilight's help...but he didn't know enough about what was going on to take any risks...yet.

Perfect Day, part 3

Shining Armor sat in his office as he went through a bit of last minute paperwork. Perhaps rearranging the guard while protecting the city, planning his wedding, and trying to figure out if his fiance was really his fiance had been a bit ambitious. However, spending so long with Jak had made him just as stubborn as his adoptive brother, and now that he was making the attempt he wasn't about to back down. His concentration was, however, disturbed by a knock at his door. "Come," he said automatically, instinctively making a mental and magical check of his weaponry.

The door opened, and an orange pegasus with a blue mane wearing the gold armor of a guard stepped in, looking nervous. "Umm...I have a message for you, Captain. From...your sister?"

Shining Armor blinked for a bit, momentarily confused. "You're a guard?" he asked bluntly.

"Y-yes sir," the stallion confirmed. "Private Flash Sentry." He quickly saluted. "I'm in training for the First Strike division."

Shining nodded. The First Strike division of the Guard was the only truly offensive branch, meant to work alongside the Wonderbolts to attack an enemy nation should Equestria ever go to war. As such, they didn't get the enchantment on their armor to make them all the same color, since knowing one soldier from another on the front lines was more important than the unified image of the all white and gold Guard that defended the Castle and Princesses. "And...my sister gave you a message for me? Why?"

Flash Sentry shrugged. "She said she knew she could trust me to deliver the message, since I was the only guard she asked who offered an opinion instead of a non-answer."

"An opinion on what?" Shining asked pointedly.

"On if I thought Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was acting weird," Flash explained. "I said that I didn't know her personally, but her behavior did seem off from what I'd heard, though I personally attributed that to the stress of the wedding, and the idea that said wedding might be interrupted by an unknown attack. Apparently, all any other guard would say was that it wasn't their place to say...or that absolutely nothing was wrong and she should stop asking questions."

Shining frowned deeply. That sounded rather ominous, especially with his thought that Cadence might not be Cadence. It could be she wasn't the only pony here who wasn't who they seemed. "And what's the message?" Shining asked curiously.

Flash scratched his head. "Umm...I'm not really sure what it means, but...'Double Trouble, who seeks the Dragon's Lair'?" He seemed especially confused by the contents of his message.

Shining, however, found himself smirking. Those were names of Ogres and Oubliettes campaigns he'd bragged to Twilight about when they were younger. Specifically, the first one was a campaign where there had been two of a particularly important NPC and they had to figure out which was the real one, and the second involved rescuing an NPC - a Princess - from captivity. Twilight was using that to try and ask him what approach should be taken with Cadence if she wasn't who or what she seemed. Shining steepled his hooves as he considered this thoughtfully. Eventually, he came across the perfect way to do it, remembering a particularly effective strategy at throwing off both Game Master and Players, probably effective in this case as well. "Private, find my sister and tell her, 'The Eclessiarc'. She won't need further explanation."

The younger stallion nodded. "Umm...yes sir." He turned to go.

"A moment," Shining Armor spoke up, catching his attention. "You said you felt my fiance isn't being herself?"

"Y-yes sir," Flash responded. "But with all the stress-"

Shining Armor waved the qualifiers off. "Of course, of course. But you can understand why I'd be concerned, right?" Flash nodded in understanding. "But I can't talk to her about it. We're both working as hard as we can because we have to, so the last thing I want to do is add more stress on her from a fight. But at the same time, if the stress gets to her too much, I would like to do something before she ruins her own wedding from overwork. So I need someone to discretely keep an eye on her, and keep track of just how hard this is pushing her. Can you do that for me?"

Flash nodded eagerly. "Of course sir! I won't let you down!" He quickly saluted.

"Report to me in private at regular intervals what you see, soldier," Shining instructed. "And if anything is particularly disquieting, report it as soon as you can get me alone." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wish I could see those instances with my own eyes, hear them with my own ears...but..."

"I can take care of that, sir!" Flash spoke up eagerly. "First Strike unit helms come equipped with recording crystals for scouting missions. With your approval, I can use them here."

Shining grinned. "See to it. Of course, you understand this mission has to be in the strictest of confidences. You report directly to me on this matter, and mention it to no one else." A thought occurred to him. "Oh, one other thing."

Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a picture he'd found in his Precursor armor. It was a picture of Keira, Jak, Samos, Daxter, and Tess. "During your work, there's a chance you might encounter the creatures in this image," he instructed, showing it to Flash briefly. "If you do, tell them 'Ar-Mar shines in the castle'. They'll know what it means." He then put the photo away.

Flash nodded quickly. "Umm...what are they, sir?"

"Late guests," Shining responded cryptically.

Unsure what else to do, Flash saluted. "I won't let you down, sir."

Shining smiled to himself as the Private left. Twilight had picked her messenger well. He made a mental note to keep an eye on that guard, and keep him close. He could be quite useful. Idly, he wondered why Twilight had even approached him.

He's her age, a rather wicked part of his mind pointed out. You never asked Twiley if she had a special somepony...

He resolutely decided not to tell Cadence that speculation...once he was certain he was talking to the real one, anyway.

Perfect Day, part 4

Shining sighed softly as he sat back in his dressing room, getting ready for his...wedding. So far, everything had gone exactly according to the plan he'd worked out with Twilight via Flash Sentry. Pretending that the spells - obviously mind control - that the fake Cadence cast on him were working was easy. Pretending he was oblivious to what was really happening was also easy. And Twilight had played up the irrational, overprotective paranoia perfectly, culminating in chasing the fake Cadence out of the wedding rehearsal in tears while claiming she was evil.

And then Shining had to repudiate her, and leave her behind. Even knowing it was all fake - and knowing she knew - it had hurt to say those words, and to see her react to them. It was necessary, however. Now that she had painted herself that way, it was up to him to finish the picture to set the stage...so the fake Cadence would think she could remove Twilight without anyone noticing. Still, the things he'd said tasted vile on his tongue...

He was certain Twilight could handle herself. Her skill and power with magic were enough to handle just about anything. If the false Cadence tried to kill her, Twilight would fight back, and use that to prove her arguments. If she instead tried to banish her, however, Twilight would let it happen. If the real Cadence lived and was locked up somewhere in Canterlot, there could only be so many such places. If Cadence was being held elsewhere...well, if whoever it was could teleport someone forcefully that far, there'd be no reason not to keep all prisoners there. Either way, it would send Twilight straight to Cadence.

As he felt himself starting to sink into despair from that again, there was a knock at the door. "Come," he stated quickly.

Flash Sentry entered cautiously. "A report for you sir," he brought up morosely.

Shining turned to face the Private. "Go ahead."

"Well...the Princess has been rather...snide to many ponies, but most overlook it," Flash explained. "But...I saw a couple of things that has left me convinced this is not the Princess at all."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "Bold accusation. What sort of things are these?"

"Well, I followed the Princess back into the throne room after everyone else but your sister left," Flash continued. "I stayed just outside the door...and I saw her surround your sister in green flame and send her sinking through the floor. It...it looked like she was sending her to Tartarus or something...or somewhere worse."

"Other unicorns, or the Princesses, would have felt the altered-space warp if that was what happened," Shining pointed out with a smirk. "Though that's certainly interesting. What's the other thing you saw?"

Flash frowned, his eyes going flinty. "...how do I know I can trust you? You seem happy your sister's been kidnapped!"

Shining's grin widened. "Private, off the top of your head, what do you know about the things my sister has been involved in recently?"

Flash tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see...fought Nightmare Moon, wields the Element of Magic, levitated an Ursa Minor several miles while lulling it to sleep, faced down Discord..."

"Things like this are in Twilight's future," Shining stated bluntly. "She can handle herself. Believe me. Now, that other thing?"

Sighing, Flash reached up to a crystal in his helm. "I recorded this from just outside the Princess's dressing room." He tapped the crystal, and 'Cadence's voice echoed softly from it.

"This day is going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small
Everypony will gather 'round
Say I look lovely in my gown
What they don't know is that I have fooled them all!
I could care less about the dress
I won't partake in any cake
Vows, well I'll be lying when I say
That through any kind of weather
I'll want us to be together
The truth is I don't care for him at all
No I do not love the groom
In my heart there is no room
But I still want him to be all mine"

Shining nodded. "Yup, that's evil alright."

"So what do we do?" Flash asked quickly. "We can't let her get away with this, right?"

Shining smiled softly. "So you're in all the way then, are you?"

Flash nodded instantly. "Absolutely. I'm yours to command, Captain!"

Shining grinned widely. "In that case, the first thing you do is go to Princess Celestia, and tell her you have a Code Violet urgent message for her. If she asks where you learned that code, tell her Chimer-Changa. She won't ask any more questions after that, other than the message itself."

Flash closed his eyes as he filed that information away. "Alright. Can...can I ask what those mean?"

Shining chuckled. "Code Violet was implemented after Twilight's entrance exam to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. It means an emergency involving her mental state."

"Why would that be a Guard code?" Flash asked in confusion.

"At the exam, she turned our parents into plants, levitated the proctors into the air, hatched a dragon egg and turned the infant dragon into a giant...and would have released even more if Princess Celestia hadn't stepped in personally to calm her down. It's why Princess Cadence was originally assigned to foalsit her. Princess Celestia felt only an alicorn could reliably contain her magic surges if they were that strong."

"Eeyikes," Flash mumbled thoughtfully. "And...Chimer-Changa?"

"Instituted after Discord's escape," Shining explained. "It means the one who sent the message won't be able to confirm it later for one reason or another, and thus names shouldn't be used."

"And...the message?"

Shining nodded. "Remind her of an 'old tradition' of an extra long wedding speech for when an alicorn gets married," he stated softly, "and that it would look bad if she let Cadence rush her through it."

Flash blinked for a bit, then grinned. "Giving Twilight plenty of time to get back with the real Cadence?" he deduced.

"Precisely." Shining turned to his chest of drawers. "Once you've delivered that message, go back to my quarters. You'll find two oddly configured swords under my pillow. Keep them hidden on you, and be within sight of me the entire time at the wedding. Don't act surprised if I act...oddly."

"Got it, sir!" Flash stated with a salute before turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Shining opened a drawer, pulling out his Precursor Alloy armor. He grinned as he compared it to the rather loose fitted dress uniform he was to be married in, which was sized to him from before his life in Sandover, Haven, and Spargus. He was a lot fitter than he was, leaving plenty of room to hide the armor underneath. He was going to be prepared for anything.

Perfect Day, part 5

Shining stood at the altar as Celestia went through her very long wedding speech. As he had expected, the fake Cadence continued to get more and more antsy and impatient, even going so far as to grind her teeth. Shining, meanwhile, did his best to maintain an expression of abject, mindless obedience, waiting for the opportune moment. As the speech wound down, he wondered what was taking Twilight so long.

Then again, maybe it has to wait for a dramatic moment or something, Shining thought to himself.

"If there are any here who have sound reason why these two should not be wed," Celestia spoke up, "speak now, or forever hold your peace-"

The doors at the end of the hall burst open in violet light.

Dramatic moment it is, Shining thought to himself as everyone - him included - turned towards the door. What he saw there nearly made him lose his focus on maintaining his 'mindwiped' look.

She was a bit dirty, a bit bedraggled, and more than a little out of breath, but just the sight of her - of his Cadence - sent his heart leaping into his throat as his blood raced. The entire world took on a brief white sheen as he stared into her eyes, only just barely keeping himself from breaking cover by running to her side.

"I have an objection!" Cadence proclaimed angrily as she stepped into the hall, Twilight right behind her as she closed the doors with her magic. "That's not me! She's a Changeling! They take the place of ponies you love and feed on your love for them!"

Changeling, huh? Shining thought to himself. So, shapeshifter? ...wow, I really am in love. I don't even find that concept kinky anymore.

As he watched, the false Cadence became surrounded by green fire, her body changing. Her coat turned to black chitin, holes appeared in her lengthened limbs, her mane turned green and stringy, her wings became holed moth wings, and her horn became twisted. Last of all, her eyes turned a bright, glowing green.

She laughed as she revealed herself. "Good guess, Princess," she purred, her voice echoing curiously. "I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. And as their Queen, it is my job to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I ever encountered."

As Chrysalis spoke, she slowly walked towards Cadence. Shining silently followed along behind, acting as though he were under control...though he noticed Flash Sentry slowly moving through the crowd, the Eco Blades strapped to his back, always staying within easy telekinetic reach.

"My fellow Changelings will be able to devour so much of it, that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!" Chrysalis gloated eagerly.

"They'll never get the chance!" Cadence proclaimed angrily. "Shining Armor's protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us!"

That's my cue, Shining thought to himself as he moved into position behind Chrysalis.

Chrysalis chuckled wickedly. "I doubt-"

"You got that right, Cadey!"

Before Chrysalis could react, Shining spun around and kicked Chrysalis right in her plot with both hind hooves, focusing his magic internally into Red Eco for an extra kick. Chrysalis went flying to slam into the closed doors with a satisfying thump. She scrambled to her hooves, wincing and blinking. "What? How? You were completely-"

"Faking being under your spell ever since just after my bachelor party," Shining interrupted. "I admit, I've let the shield weaken a bit..." Drawing on magic and his own life energy to generate Green Eco, he shot an amplified spell up into the dome. If flickered pink and green, blazing with light. "That ought to hold off your army until my backup arrives. As for you..." Reaching over with his mind, he pulled his Eco Blades from their sheath on Flash Sentry's back, levitating them to his sides as he activated their Yellow Eco charges, figuring sword beams would be more useful than air-splitting slashes just now. As he did so, he ripped his dress uniform off, revealing the Precursor alloy armor underneath as he got combat ready. "You have the choice of under arrest, or six feet under."

Chrysalis was staring in disbelief. Twilight was wide eyed in confused excitement. ...Cadence was licking her lips eagerly. "Woof," she purred seductively, shivering in delight.

"Not now, Cadey," Shining chided playfully. "I have a dangerous criminal to apprehend-"

At that moment, a guardspony slammed the doors open, coincidentally smashing Chrysalis between the door and the wall. "Your Highness! Captain!" the guard called out worriedly. "There's a swarm of Changelings attacking the shield dome...and on top of that, the Everfree Forest is...invading!"

Celestia blinked twice. "I...beg your pardon?"

Curiously, Shining moved to the window and looked out. In the distance he saw a massive bipedal forest beast walking towards the mountain, as though an entire forest simply stood up and started to march. He could see green plants, glowing energy, and black thorny vines all intermingled with rainbow-colored light...and the silhouette the forest created was very familiar. I'll have to ask him how he pulled that off, Shining thought to himself. "No worries, soldier," he told the guard. "That's my backup."

From the look on Celestia's face, Shining greatly regretted the fact she wasn't drinking anything. The spittake would have been priceless. "Captain, when this is finished, you have a lot of explaining to do." She gazed out the window as thorny vines lashed out, seizing the Changelings attacking the dome shield and dragging them into the thorny interior of the forest creature.

"I'm sure-" Shining began.

Chrysalis lunged out from behind the door, threw her forelegs around Cadence and Twilight's throats, and shifted those legs into blades. "You're going to call your backup off," she stated bluntly, "and my swarm and I will be leaving...taking these two with us. One false move, and I'll be happy leaving one - or both - behind as corpses!"

Gasps echoed around the hall...and as Shining's vision of the world turned red-tinged green, those gasps became screams. Red light seized the blades Chrysalis' forelegs had become, bending them back against her limbs. Her screams of pain as she was forced off Cadence and Twilight were music to the Black Knight's ears.

He vaguely heard Celestia gasp something that sounded like 'Sombra?', and just as vaguely saw Twilight back away in fear. At the moment, all his focus was on Chrysalis...the one who tried to take away those he held dear. He watched her fear, watched her pain, drank it all in. She would suffer...

Before he struck, he felt something warm pressed against his side. "Shining...this isn't you," Cadence whispered in his ear. "I don't know what's happened to you...but I know you, your heart. You're stronger than this. The stallion I love is strong enough...to not give in to hate. He has too much love in him..."

The Black Knight struggled, trying to push back against the warm feelings...but Shining welcomed them in, embraced them, and as he nuzzled his bride-to-be, he felt the Light within awaken.

All were briefly blinded by the blaze of Light that encompassed everything within the shield. When it faded, any Changeling who had been seeking to do harm to the citizens of Canterlot found themselves locked in their natural forms, all their natural magic - even flight - completely blocked. As the light withdrew to the hall, gasps once more filled the chamber.

The White Knight stood tall, taller than Cadence, almost as tall as Celestia. His body was more stretched out than before, built more like an acrobat than a soldier. Mane and tail flowed in a nonexistent wind like pieces of a blue river, and his eyes glowed solid blue-white. But what drew all attention was his spiraling horn...and the two wings of pure Light energy spread to either side of his body, one gently draping around Cadence and rejuvenating her.

Chrysalis stared at The White Knight, and at the blades pointed at her that glowed with Darkness and Light, and did the only sensible thing she could think of. She raised her hooves over her head. "I surrender."

The White Knight's eyes flared, and Chrysalis vanished, warped to the dungeons. He then relaxed, shifting back into Shining, most of the excess Light Eco shooting up into the dome to give it extra strength. "Thank goodness that's over with," he murmured softly, pulling Cadence closer with his wing.

Slowly and carefully, he turned to confirm what he'd just done visually. Yes, the energy wings of his Light Eco form apparently had remained when he reverted, turning to flesh and feather. Okay...didn't expect that. He noticed that everyone in the hall was bowing. ...probably should have expected that-

While he might not have known what was going on, it apparently made Cadence very happy, as she lunged for him and pressed her lips to his own. He quickly stopped caring what was going on.

"Ahem," Celestia spoke softly, catching their attention. "Perhaps you can save it for after the wedding?" She chuckled at Cadence's petulant expression. "Wedding and coronation, I should say. Cadence, perhaps you should see about arranging the wedding more properly? For now, the Captain-" She stopped herself, turning to Shining with a raised eyebrow. "The Prince still owes me an explanation."

Shining shrugged to himself as shocked murmurs raced through the crowd. "Very well. But be warned, it's a doozy."

"I'll go get the pointy-eared humans!" Twilight's pink friend - Pinkie Pie, he believed - called out, dashing towards the outside of the castle.

Shining blinked a few times, then decided not to question it. Jak and the others did need a guide, after all. Instead, he gave Cadence one last kiss, then followed Celestia to a private room. "Now...you wanted an explanation?" he began.

"Yes," Celestia murmured softly. "If I owe Luna 10,000 bits on that wager of ours, I certainly want to know why."

"Wager?" Shining asked in confusion.

"Later," Celestia demurred, focusing on Shining once more. "Let's begin with a simple question.

"How have you come to access Eco?"

Perfect Day, part 6

Author's Note

This chapter was originally going to jump straight to the "how Celestia knows about Eco" explanation. Then I sat down to type, and the characters decided otherwise for more than 700 words.
I don't know if I should apologize for that or not.

Perfect Day, part 6

Shining felt his entire body tense at that question. He narrowed his eyes at the pony across the desk from him, mantling his wings as he prepared for battle if necessary. "And how do you know of Eco?" he asked coldly, internally checking his magic and Eco reserves.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Really Shining, is this truly appropriate? I asked you first, after all. And it's not like I'm your enemy-"

"Are you?" Shining interrupted. "Shapeshifters already replaced one Equestrian Princess, and the Changelings aren't the first race of shapeshifters I've encountered. So how do I know you aren't one of them, waiting to find another source of Eco to ravage and harvest, and twist to darkness? After all, nothing I know from this world gives any reason someone native to this world would know of Eco."

Celestia sighed softly. "So you encountered a Hor'qwa Lord as well? No wonder you are suspicious..."

"And yet another term I have no reason to think you should know," Shining growled, starting to draw his swords defensively.

Celestia's eyes narrowed dangerously, and her horn glowed. To Shining's stunned shock, Green Eco construct crystals erupted to either side of him, entrapping his swords. "There is no need for that, Shining," she scolded coldly. "An Eco user you may be, and a new alicorn at that, but I know how to use magic to wield Eco techniques, and I have eons more experience than you. Beyond that, I mean you no harm. Now, are you going to behave and get answers, or do I need to show you why - now that I know that you know - just how far out of your league you are?"

Shining's gaze grew flinty. "The only one who gets to talk to me like that is Samos," he growled, gathering his power. With a flick of his head, he shattered the crystal constructs and sent the shards flying at Celestia.

Celestia caught the shards in the golden glow of her magic. "Well, it seems you are quite skilled," she murmured softly as the shards coalesced into a crystal sword that caught the swing of both Shining's Eco Blades before absorbing them. "And a good deal of power. But I know far more tricks than you do. Now, do you want the answer to your question, or would you prefer we clash viciously for no reason and tear up miles of Equestrian countryside in the process?"

Shining frowned as he stared at Celestia. After a time, he lifted a hoof to his chin thoughtfully, tapping away.

Celestia burst into gales of laughter. "Goodness, you have changed, Shining. If you weren't already engaged to my niece, I'd be trying to set you up with my sister now." Her beatific, motherly smile returned, and she sent Shining's swords back over to him. "Sheath your blades, Shining. You won't need them today."

Shining did his best not to pout as he did as instructed. After all, that clash had gotten his blood pumping, and he was eager to see what he was capable of now that he had unlocked a Light Eco form. His eagerness doubled as he realized that meant he should have complete control of his Dark Eco form now. Idly, he wondered if he'd develop a Shadow form like Jak did? He doubted it, as Jak was a Prism Sage...

"If it helps mollify your battle-lust, Cadence would probably be very disappointed in you if you picked a fight with me just before your wedding and coronation," Celestia pointed out dryly. "Especially if said fight caused enough damage to Canterlot that you had to hold the wedding somewhere else." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And since Luna would definitely want to join such a fight once she woke..." Her expression turned wistful. "Then again, it's been a long time since we fought side by side or sparred, and the castle could use some renovation..."

Shining sheathed his blades with a smile. "Maybe we could do an exhibition match later," Shining offered. "After the wedding. After all, one of my guests would want to join in, too. Now, how do you know about Eco?"

Celestia sighed as she sat back, her eyes staring into nothing. "Long ago and yet to come at the end of time, a race of pure energy beings were all that was left of life in the universe. The universe had come to end when it shouldn't have. Something had gone terribly wrong. The energy beings studied all available knowledge, trying to discover what had went wrong, and if it could be fixed. In their studies, they learned to master time, space, and living energy in all its forms.

"They did not discover one sure way to fix the universe. In the end, three factions developed. One felt that the use of planetary energy - which they called Eco - could be used to travel to the past and shape planets such that they could prevent the disaster that ended the universe. You likely know this faction as the Precursors. A second faction had embraced the power of Darkness, and they felt that what should be done was to travel back through the universe's history, harvesting resources from all time periods in reverse order and use that to build a universe that could not be destroyed."

"The Dark Makers," Shining interrupted, having recognized the description.

Celestia nodded confirmation. "The third faction had found a source of energy that the beings of the race hadn't even known existed, the power of quintessence, the only energy besides the beings themselves that still existed at the end of time. They felt that the use of planetary energy was a flawed stratagem, as no matter what was done it would always be a finite resource. Quintessence, however, was not bound by such laws, and was in theory limitless. They felt a world should be built where quintessence could be nurtured, thrive, and then be spread to the entire universe, rendering all worlds immune to the disaster that destroyed the universe." She smiled softly. "When the three factions went their separate ways, that faction made this world, shaped such that quintessence - what we call magic - would grow endlessly. It is why this is the only world in all the cosmos where sun and moon orbit the planet by the will of its inhabitants."

Shining's eyes widened as he took that all in. "Then...what would be this world's equivalent of Sages? Precursors? Precursor Spirits?"

"So somehow you wound up on a Precursor built world long enough to learn all the terms, then?" Celestia concluded. "That would explain why there is so much Eco - Light and Dark - inside of you." She got to her hooves. "As for Sages...well, we call them Sages as well. They're those of any of the equine races whose mastery of their inherent magic puts them orders of magnitude beyond their peers. Your little sister is well on her way to being a unicorn Sage...though long ago the title was decided to be reserved until a pony's fifth decade, to prevent one from going mad with power. As for Precursors..." She flared her wings, lowering her head. "That would be us, alicorns. Those who have the magic of all three races inside us."

Shining's jaw dropped, and then he burst into laughter. "Good lord...Daxter's a Prince too..."

Celestia chuckled softly. "Actually, the 'Prince and Princess' bit is a mistranslation back from the time when the world was becoming civilized. See, the term for an alicorn back then - or any other being from one of the other races to reach this level of magical mastery - was 'Magesti', as 'Magi' was our term for a Sage."

Shining's laughter reduced to a chuckle. "And...the equivalent to Precursor Spirits?" he asked curiously.

Celestia's expression immediately became far less jovial. "Only one being on the world has reached that level. At least...we assume that's what the transformation was, and he thought it would be...or so he told Luna and I before it happened." She slowly walked to the window, glancing down towards the Royal Statuary Garden. "It...did not turn out well for him. It is my hope that someday he will recover enough so we can learn if something went wrong, or how to stabilize the process..."

Shining cleared his throat awkwardly, deciding to change the subject. "Well, I should probably go see what I can do about the wedding-"

"Your efforts would be better put handling all the Changelings who had infiltrated Canterlot that the guards have brought in," Celestia interrupted. "If I know my niece, your sister, and her friends, the wedding will be completely restored and ready to go by sunset, if not before."

"Then I'll leave it in their capable hooves," Shining allowed, getting up and heading for the door. As he opened it, the guards outside immediately bowed to him. He glanced over his shoulder. "How long until they cut that out?" he asked petulantly.

Celestia chuckled softly. "Shining, I have been an alicorn - a Magesti - for millennia. Ponies began bowing to me the moment my ascension completed itself."

Shining nodded. "...and? When do they stop?"

"I'll let you know," she offered with an impish grin, only to burst into giggles at Shining's disgruntled snort.

Perfect Day, part final

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Offending Shadows

The sparring session between the two Princesses, the Prince, and the King ended with no clear winner save the Canterlot construction companies. As such, Celestia and Luna saw Shining Armor and Cadence off on their honeymoon from the train station at the foot of Canter Mountain, rather than the palace...mostly because the palace - among other structures - would need to be rebuilt from the slope up. Admittedly, all four royals looked quite relaxed and pleased with themselves, despite the collateral damage. The nobles were less sanguine about the affair, but no one was really listening to them.

Celestia smiled widely as she handed the itinerary over to Shining Armor while Cadence put their luggage away on the train. "I picked this spot out a few months ago," she explained softly, "and I think it's just perfect for the pair of you. The cabin is up in the far north, well away from normal communication routes to give you complete privacy and solitude, and it's well stocked enough that you shouldn't want for anything." She smiled widely. "Long snowy nights to cuddle in for warmth, peace, solitude, and just a hint of adventure as you battle the elements, and who knows what else."

Shining stared up at Celestia flat eyed. He waited until she was taking a sip of her morning tea before speaking this time. "Alright, how far from the cabin is the forgotten Kingdom, in which direction, how long after our arrival do you expect it to come bursting out of the ice and snow in its dramatic return, and what connection does Cadence have to it?"

A quick shield deflected most of the spray as Celestia lost most of her morning blend failing to maintain her composure. It would take many hours before her nasal passages were the same. Luna and Samos showing no reticence with their amusement did not help. "I will not bother trying to deny your conclusions' validity, brother royal," Luna offered playfully. "But pray tell, why do you assume the connection is to your bride?"

"Because Celestia said she made the arrangements months ago, and she bet against me sprouting wings," Shining answered readily. "Speaking of, why was that something you were even betting on?"

Luna grinned as she leaned in close. "Sister has seen many signs and portents that such a fate awaits your little sister when the time is right. I have confirmed such things with my interactions. Twilight is an ascendant awaiting, and only the proper triggers and conditions needed to unleash that potential. When this was explained to me, I demanded to know why only Twilight was under such close observation for such an event, and not her entire clan." She stood up straight with a wide grin. "It eventually came to a wager, which I won."

Celestia sighed, glad that her humiliation wasn't total in this instance. Luna hadn't mentioned how childish the debate became before the wager was proposed. Those poor maids. Those poor cakes. "The nearest border is approximately half a mile northeast of the cabin," she spoke up, deciding to actually address the questions asked. "Cadence has a blood connection to the royal line of the kingdom, and I expect it to react to her presence, so I have no idea how long after your arrival it will happen. I expect soon after, though."

Shining sighed as he turned to board the train. "I'll be sure to tell Cadence to not bother unpacking, then," he grumbled under his breath.

Shining sighed to himself as he watched the mass of shadows approaching the edge of the Crystal Empire. The place had popped up just as he and Cadence had been settling in at the cabin. In point of fact, the shakes that heralded its return had happened at the exact moment the pair had gotten comfortable enough to come to the conclusion it wouldn't arrive until the next day and decided to start enjoying their honeymoon. Disappointment was tempered by expectation, and Shining had been glad to be so savvy as a result.

The kingdom had been quite beautiful, but it quickly became apparent that it was under a curse of some sort. No one walking about the buildings could remember much about themselves, or about what had been done...and any attempt to press them for information led to them cowering in fear as the curse asserted itself. While not very welcome in terms of learning about the kingdom itself, seeing it happen enough had allowed Shining to triangulate the source of the curse, and he'd sent Cadence to search the palace while he marched to the edge of the kingdom to confront the caster, whom he could sense had powerful dark magic.

As the shadow wave approached, Shining snorted contemptuously. "Is this supposed to scare me?" he asked callously. "A wave of darkness swallowing everything? Parlor tricks." Sending his magic into the air, he created a twist of Blue Eco that turned the arctic wind against the wave of shadows, pushing it back. "Surely you have better."

A head that bore remarkable similarity to his own Black Knight form crested the wave of shadows. "You do not fear the dark, puny creature?" the head hissed, pitching its voice in an attempt to be terrifying.

Shining snorted derisively. "I know the dark well," he responded bluntly. "Well enough, at any rate, to know better than to fear a light show from one who is its puppet, and not its master."

The shadow figure snarled angrily. "What could you, a royal of the Light, possibly know of DARKNESS?!" it demanded angrily.

Sighing, Shining triggered his transformation to Black Knight. While still uncomfortable, one new aspect of it was actually painful. The feathers of his wings fell one by one, rotting away as membrane spread between the bones, turning bird wings to bat. With the pain passed and the transformation complete, the Black Knight stared up at the shadow creature. "More than you would think...Sombra."

Sombra stared in amazement, the wave of shadows collapsing in on itself as he took his physical form. "Wha...how?" he asked, plainly disbelieving.

Black Knight smirked. "That's a long story," he responded. "I'm Ar-Mar, though this form is called Black Knight." He shrugged his shoulders, flexing his wings. "This will take some getting used to."

Sombra took a step forward, stunned. "You achieved apotheosis...when touched by darkness?" he gasped out.

"Well, yeah," Black Knight explained. "But I meant the feathers falling out for this transformation. That actually hurt."

"Bah!" Sombra dismissed. "Not even a flesh wound!"

Black Knight grinned and chuckled. "A sense of humor, huh? Nice." He jerked his head towards the kingdom. "Got some sort of connection to this place? I assume so, if you cursed it."

"I once lived and ruled here," Sombra proclaimed proudly.

"Then you'll know where a bar is. Good." Turning, Black Knight led Sombra into the kingdom. "Think you can lift the curse on the bartender enough so he'll remember how to serve us? If we're going to be swapping stories, we're going to need plenty of booze." Black Knight shuddered slightly. "I'll need a good amount in me just to deal with reliving some of those memories..."

Sombra followed along, curiosity having trumped hostility...for the moment.

Drowning Sorrows

Crystal Light was a crystal pony, and had grown up happy. His Cutie Mark of a glass and spoon showed his talent for mixing drinks, earned when his childhood lemonade stand had been the most successful because he had used more than just crystal lemons in the drinks, creating unique and delicious flavors. As he'd grown into adulthood, the sort of drinks he mixed had changed from fruit and vegetable cocktails to the sort respectable stallions really shouldn't drink but did anyway. He'd even opened up his own establishment to mix drinks of a wide variety of sorts for paying patrons, the adult version of his old lemonade stand.

The happiness this had brought had lasted until Sombra's reign. Then Crystal Light had been offered the choice of mixing drinks specifically for Sombra, or him and his family being down in the crystal mines. He had mixed drinks, never daring to do anything to endanger those he cared about. And then Sombra had been overthrown, and he hadn't even been able to remember that he was a bartender.

And then Sombra had walked in the door of the establishment with somepony who made Sombra look like a child playing dress up on Darkest Night(1), the curse of forgetfulness had been lifted from Crystal Light, and he'd been told to start serving drinks.

Of course, he'd done what he'd always done, mixing drinks while pretending not to listen. Before too long, however, this became trying desperately to not listen, as even the snatches of conversation he heard between drinks as they shared stories that made his skin crawl...

"...so for the next year they had me locked to a table, injecting me with that Dark stuff..." Black Knight explained as he drank. "Just...shootin' me up like I was a dartboard or somethin...course, they didn't really know what they were doing..."

"Yeah, gov'mnt's like that," Sombra slurred, being far more drunk than Black Knight despite having had the same amount of alcohol...likely because alicorn physiology processed alcohol far better than standard equine physiology. "Do what they think best...don' ask quesshuns...all hail the crown!" He chugged back another glass.

"But...that wasn't the worst of it," Black Knight groaned. "Even when they threw me out like garbage cause it seemed it didn't work, that wasn't the worst of it..."

"What wus the worst?" Sombra asked curiously.

"Jak - my bro - found out the guy wasn't right in the head cause o' his own darkness...so he spared him!" Black Knight snapped out. "He...he could forgive and let go...but I couldn't. But he was in charge, I was helpin' him...so I had to stand next to the guy who did all that to me - the guy I hated with a passion...and just pretend like everything was alright!" Black Knight chucked his empty bottle across the room as Crystal Light gave him another. "Just...pretend I didn' relive every moment of that torture every time I looked at him...pretend I forgave him! But...it was for my bro. I...I love mah bro...and he knew what he was doin. It...it was his story. I was...I was just along for the ride...makin' things interestin."

"Harsh..." Sombra offered consolingly, patting Shining on the shoulder with one hoof on the third try. "Kinda like what happened with me..."

"So that...that bloody Heart was killin' me, bit by bit...and she knew!" Sombra wailed, chugging back his next shot. "That royal bitch knew I was Umbrum all along, knew the light o' the Heart was slowly killin' me every year...and she did nothin'! She just...let it happen! I just couldn'a take it. I...I didn't like workin' for the Umbrum, erasing the Fair - oh Hope! Ya loved the Fair, I never wanted ta stop it, I wanted ya ta see it! - but they were right all along! So...so I stoned her...broke her...scattered the pieces..." He sniffled loudly, burying his face in his glass. "The look on her face, Blacky...I'll never forget it! I just...I'd take it all back if I could, but I can't...and there wasn'a other way..."

"There there, bro..." Black Knight offered comfortingly, patting him on the back. "But...ya know the Umbrum were just usin' ya as a weapon, like what the Baron meant fer me and me bro..."

"Well, ah see it now..." Sombra murmured. "Hearin' yer tale, ah see the...what's it called, two lines not meeting..."

"Parallellallellallells?" Black Knight suggested.

"Them's the birds!" Sombra confirmed. "And...it's not like there was another option..."

"Wusn' Rady...Radical...Radiant, that's it, Radiant Hope...wusn' she bein' sent ta study with Celestia?" Black Knight inquired drunkenly.

"...yeah...she was leavin' me..."

"Why not jus' go wit her?" Black Knight suggested. "Ah mean...no Crystal Heart in Canterlot. She sounded smart...bet she'da had a way for you to see the Fair like..." He attempted several times to knock his hooves together to make a snapping sound, only to miss each time. He finally settled for laying his forelegs flat on the bar and bringing his hooves together in a clap. "Like dat!"

Sombra blinked owlishly as the suggestion worked its way through his alcohol addled brain. He then promptly slammed his face against the bar. "Ah'm such an idjit!" he wailed, beginning to blubber endlessly.

"There there, bro...there there..."

(2)"...and that's why we have an evil overlord passed out on our couch," Shining concluded in a whisper as he held an ice pack to his forehead to deal with his first ever hangover. He prayed to the Quintessent Progenitors that it would end soon...or that he'd drop dead, he could go either way just now.

"Well...that's half my question answered," Cadence murmured softly, doing her best to be considerate of her husband and not laugh uproariously at the story so far. She didn't want him to think she was laughing at his misery...even if it did look rather funny. "The...rest of it?"

"Well, as we talked, it turned out he knew where to find Radiant Hope in the present, and he really wanted to make things right with her," Shining continued in a soft whisper. "And, well, I remembered my own attempts at wooing you, and I guess a bit of Daxter rubbed off on me or something, because..."

The knock on her door caught Radiant Hope completely off guard. She didn't think anyone knew she was here, or that she had escaped the curse of forgetfulness. Dozens of nightmare scenarios raced through her mind as she tiptoed to the door before creaking it open. "Y-y-yes?" she asked nervously, trying not to give away her identity. However, when she saw who was at the door, she threw it open in shock. "S-Sombra?"

Sombra grinned at her, his eyes somewhat off center as he staggered back and forth. "H-hit it, bro!" he stammered.

Behind him, a stranger stallion who somewhat resembled Sombra with bat wings threw a switch on a large metal thing with grates. Discordant music rang out from it as the two stallions began bobbing their heads up and down, and Sombra began to sing in a surprisingly rich baritone.

"All I ever wanted
Is to see you smiling"

"Smiling!" the other stallion echoed.

"I know that I love you
Oh baby why don't you see
That all I ever wanted
Is you and me"

Radiant Hope did her best to maintain her composure between the confession, the singing, and the rather obviously drunken attempt at dancing. She managed to keep from reacting visibly until the song reached its conclusion and Sombra fell onto his back in front of her. At that point, she burst into laughter. "Sombra, are...are you drunk?"

"Not drunk!" Sombra insisted defensively. "Corec term...is plastered!"

"Better be, with how much we drank!" the stranger stallion called out.

"Got that right, Blacky!" Sombra confirmed before belching. "'scuse me."

"But why do all this drunk?" Radiant Hope demanded, struggling to make sense of it.

"Never coulda faced you sober," Sombra offered sorrowfully, tears pouring up his forehead from his eyes, since he still hadn't managed to flip himself upright. "Rady...'m so sorry. I just...jus wanted ta see the Fair with ya...just like you always said. But...but it all went wrong. But ah'm gonna make it right! Gonna give back the Heart, gonna put Amore back together - even if she dunna deserve it fer not tellin' me what was makin' me sick - and then I'm...I'm gonna do whatever it takes ta win ya back! Ah...ah can't live without ya in my life, Rady..."

"Hey...thash a difren song!" 'Blacky' called out. "Think I got it on here..."

Tears poured down Radiant Hope's cheeks as she threw herself at the stallion on his back before her. "Sombra...you don't have to do anything to win me back...I'm so sorry I turned my back on you when I did. I...I never should have-"

On instinct, Sombra silenced her with a kiss. Rolling his eyes, 'Blacky' carried the pair in his magic towards the palace. They didn't look like they'd be paying attention to the world around them until at least past morning.

"...and that's why the couch is sticky," Shining concluded, sipping black coffee, glad this beverage lacked the usual crystal sheen of everything else in the kingdom.

"...could have been worse," Cadence admitted. She smiled as she stared at the two star-crossed ponies of ancient times, still wrapped in each other even as they slumbered. As Princess of Love, she couldn't help but be touched at such a sight, and couldn't bring herself to object. Less pleasant thoughts had assailed her, and she was glad they weren't true. "I thought that was because of all the booze not..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it aloud.

"No, that's the carpet. Sorry 'bout that."

(1) Equestria later turned this holiday into Nightmare Night after Nightmare Moon occurred. The only major difference was that it was generic monsters that fillies and colts were dressing up to hide from (they didn't hunt their own) with the candy offering so they wouldn't hunt beyond that day. Originally, Nightmare Moon was simply added to the list of monsters, though within a few centuries the holiday in mainland Equestria had mutated to be all about her.
(2) WIld Balance was right, I had to include this line.

Mending Fences

"And...you're sure they know what they're doing?" Sombra asked carefully as he walked between the two Royal Alicorns to the throne room of Crystal Empire castle. "I mean, I know they're your sisters, but that other one..."

"It's complicated," Shining explained quickly. "But trust me, with a little guidance from Radiant Heart, Twilight and Keira will have something built to track down the fragments of Princess Amore by the time we've retrieved the Crystal Heart. I'll even be sure to put you in a Dark Shield when it's put back so you don't get affected by its energies."

Cadence chuckled softly. "If Keira's as good with technology as you've made out, with how good Twilight is with magic I wouldn't be surprised if they found a way to supercharge such a device to summon all the pieces of Amore here and restore her even before we make it back. Especially with everything Radiant Heart has learned about crystal magic."

"Especially after you provided Twilight with the Royal Library's card catalog," Shining added. "You basically handed her all the knowledge of the entire Crystal Kingdom. She'll find a way." He frowned, tapping his chin. "All things considered, though, it's probably best if we're far away while they're experimenting."

Sombra nodded. "Alright. I suppose I'll have to take your word for it." He bit his lip nervously. "Umm...Radiant will be safe with them, won't she?"

"Absolutely," Cadence confirmed. "She won't come to any harm with them-"

"Physically," Shining corrected. "She might walk about a bit frazzled and with her brains melting out her ears." Seeing Sombra's horrified expression, he quickly corrected, "Metaphorically speaking. Twilight and Keira are probably the only ones alive who can keep up with each other on an intellectual level."

"Oh," Sombra accepted with a sigh of relief as they reached the Throne Room. "Now, I have my own way of reaching the Crystal Heart's hiding place, but it involves transferring through the Shadows of Umbrum. Not only do I not want to do that anymore, Princess Cadence would not survive the transfer, nor would the Heart survive being brought back that way. So we'll need to take the Adventurer's Path."

"Adventurer's Path?" Shining asked curiously, perking up at the name.

"I assumed I'd have some would be heroes charging in to try and get at the heart," Sombra explained. "Rather than having to rebuild the castle every time they came blasting through, I created a path specifically meant to lure them in and eliminate them since it would seem easier - at first - than blasting through hundreds of feet of solid crystal, especially when they didn't know where they were going." He turned to the throne. "The first step requires dark magic." Focusing his power, he shot a blast of dark magic into the crystal directly above the throne, causing it to cast a shadow onto the floor, revealing a stairwell leading down. "There are actually two castles here. This one, and its reflection in the Shadowlands. The Adventurer's Path requires swapping bits of the two castles around to progress safely." He calmly walked down the stairs, Shining and Cadence following.

Cadence grinned as she walked. "Feels a lot like one of those games you used to play with your friends," she whispered to Shining. "The kind Twilight always wanted to hear about."

"Beginning to," Shining admitted with a chuckle. At the bottom of the stairs was a single door built into the wall. When Shining approached it, however, the door swept along the wall of the circular chamber to evade him. Noticing another crystal like the one above the throne surmounting the door, he spoke up. "Shoot the crystal with Dark magic?" he deduced.

"You'd think so," Sombra offered with a chuckle. "However, doing so would lead deeper into the Shadowlands, specifically into the Lands of Fear. Doing so will cause the door to open into a nightmare scenario, forcing whoever stepped through to live out their worst nightmare."

"Then Light magic is what opens the path back to the regular castle?" Cadence deduced.

"Precisely," Sombra confirmed. "Shining, would you? While I was able to create the mechanism, there's a reason I never used it..."

"Of course," Shining agreed, shifting to the form of White Knight before firing a blast of Light magic into the crystal. The door blazed white and opened to a wide crystal pillar with a staircase running around the outside of it in the center of a massive circular chamber.

"And now we climb the stairs?" Cadence asked forlornly, staring up at them in dismay.

"Very carefully," Sombra cautioned. "The stairs are trapped in an irregular pattern, specifically designed to trip up anyone who tries to learn the pattern of traps. If you can't sense the magic of the traps - and they're made of my magic embedded in such a way that you need my magic to sense them - you'd have to check every stair as you go. And some of the traps are designed to be triggered by checking." He grinned widely. "Most of that type are the ones that turn the staircase into a ramp and send a flood of water down from the top, washing you straight to the bottom. And the last step always has a trap that does that whether checked or not."

"How...how many stairs?" Cadence whimpered.

"374,925, and the traps randomly kick in somewhere after the first 500 but before the thousandth," Sombra proclaimed proudly. "The tower's bigger on the inside."

Shining burst into laughter. "Okay, once we've found a way for you to live in the Empire without fearing the light of the Crystal Heart, you have got to GM an O&O session! That is positively wicked!"

"That's still around?" Sombra asked in shock. "Radiant and I used to play that while we were young...especially when I was too sick to go to the Crystal Fair."

"Well, the rules have changed over time," Shining pointed out. "Still, I don't think the basic concepts behind the game have changed all that much."

"Well, why don't you test me as a GM?" Sombra asked with a wide grin. "How would you climb this?"

Shining glanced around, examining the pillar and the stairwell from all angles to find an advantage. "Are the undersides of the stairs trapped?"

"What?" Sombra asked, confused.

"Well, the underside of the stairs kind of looks like a ramp," Shining indicated, pointing straight up. "If you cast a spell to reverse gravity and one to reduce friction, you could slide right up - or down - to the top. Unless you put traps there."

Sombra's jaw dropped. "...well blow me down. You can do that with magic now?"

"I'll take that as a no," Cadence giggled as she worked the gravity spell to send them to the top of the tower. As they slid along, Shining and Sombra continued to discuss Ogres & Oubliettes. She was glad to see Shining had found a 'gaming buddy' in the Crystal Empire. He hadn't had a good session since Spike and Twilight moved to Ponyville...

Tail's End

With the Crystal Heart recovered, the Crystal Empire was restored, with Shining Armor and Cadence on the throne. Keira and Twilight had succeeded in creating the tracking device, and study of how Shining and Jak's Dark and Light sides interacted allowed Twilight to create a choker for Sombra that left him immune to the effects of the Crystal Heart on his physiology. After seeing the Crystal Fair together, Sombra and Radiant Hope had left to seek out the pieces of Princess Amore.

Shining and Cadence ruled together, slowly bringing the country into the modern era. Relations with Equestria were good, and new relations with other countries were slowly building. The lessons Shining had learned watching Jak lead Oasis bore fruit as the return of a kingdom that had been missing for over a thousand years barely even caused a ripple. It was also a simple matter for Keira to use the crystalline structure of the kingdom to design a second Rift Gate to connect to the one back in Oasis, allowing them to pass back and forth between the worlds with ease.

In the rest of the world, things progressed more or less as they were expected to. Twilight - as anticipated - underwent her own apotheosis as she reached the next stage of quitescent evolution, becoming an alicorn herself. Shining did his best not to interfere in her story further than he already had. After all, his story seemed to have found a happy ending.

Half a year after Shining's return to Equestria, Jak and Keira celebrated the birth of their first child, a little girl named Mari. She had Keira's hair, Jak's eyes...and Daxter's penchant for trouble. On top of that, she seemed to already have a large portion of Jak's abilities, and was a real troublemaker. Shining found himself almost afraid of what his own children with Cadence might be like when they arrived.

It was as they were babysitting - in addition to the rest of their duties - that disturbing reports arrived.

"He's drained how many ponies?" Cadence demanded in shock of the nervous guard who carried the report.

"At last estimate, somewhere in excess of a thousand," the guard reported nervously. "Exact numbers are difficult to come by, but no less than five cities in total have been drained completely, and he's still on the move."

"I thought Aunt Celestia had a plan for Tirek should he ever return," Cadence groaned, putting a hoof to her forehead.

"She did," Shining spoke up. "It's why she got Twiley and her friends to reform Discord. He can detect imbalances in the magical field, such as those cause when Tirek drains magic. She planned to sic Discord on him."

"Then why hasn't she?" Cadence demanded worriedly.

Shining glanced at the Rift Gate guiltily. "Kinda our fault there, Cady. He...can't pick up the smaller stuff when the echo from the gate blots it all out."

Cadence sat back on her throne with a sigh. "Well, that's just great. Any more bad news?"

"The alicorn amulet was found in Manehatten when relief crews went to help those who'd had their magic drained," the guard spoke up. "It had been drained as well."

"He can drain magical artifacts now, too?" Cadence gasped in shock.

"Then he'll be heading this way," Shining observed carefully. "The Crystal Heart is an exceptionally powerful magical artifact, linked to everypony in the Empire, including the two of us. If he's able to drain it..."

Cadence shuddered at the thought. "We need to move quickly to beef up our defenses," she observed. "Do you have any ideas, Shining?"

"Actually...I think I might," Shining observed. "But...I'm gonna need you to hold the fort for about an hour." He turned towards the Rift Gate.

"Where are you going, Shining?" Cadence asked nervously as she saw the Black Knight come out.

He shot a sharp toothed grin over his shoulder at her. "To pick up some reinforcements..."

Tirek strode across the frozen landscape, his hooves clearing miles with every step. The magic he'd absorbed thus far had left him huge, large enough to shrug off distance. He wouldn't be able to stay discrete for long, since the Alicorn Amulet had given him far more magic than he'd anticipated...but once he drained the defenseless Crystal Empire, he'd be more than a match for Celestia or Luna, and they'd have no hope against him.

"Watch where you step!" a voice called out to him suddenly from amidst the snowstorm, down near his hooves. "You could hurt yourself!"

Blinking in surprise, Tirek lowered his head to examine the speaker. It was a bat-winged, black-coated alicorn with a red horn. "What manner of joke is this?" he demanded. "There are no alicorn princes!"

"You really need to catch up on current events," the pony said calmly. "There's currently five alicorns in the world just now."

Tirek frowned. Five alicorns could prove to be more than he could handle...though not once he drained the Empire. "That matters not. Nothing will stand in my way of taking what is mine!"

"I do," the pony observed.

"I could crush you without breaking stride-" Tirek began to call out, only for his words to be cut off by heavy mechanical grinding. Before his eyes, giant constructs that resembled black-metal camels - or perhaps giraffes, given the length of the necks - rose from beneath the snow. "W-what are those?"

"Dark Terraformers," the pony explained calmly as he flapped his way into the air. "Tools of the Dark Makers...but I'm putting them to use, teaching you a lesson you desperately need."

"And what's that?" Tirek asked nervously, taking a step back as the monstrosities shivered...and flew apart.

The parts took shape around the pony, shaping a massive mechanical version of it that was easily as large as Tirek. "Picking on someone your own size!" the stallion's voice echoed through the machine. "And for a bad colt like you...the lesson comes with a punishment!"

"Do you expect me to beg for mercy?" Tirek demanded, a hint of nervousness in his voice...a hint that rapidly grew into a flood of terror as a massive energy sword was drawn.

"No, Tirek," the figure hissed. "I expect you to die."

"MOMMY!" Tirek screamed out in fear as the blade flashed.

Daxter sat back, staring up at the new trophy that hung above the bar at the newly redecorated Naughty Ottsel. It was no Metalhead skull, but the horns were pretty impressive. He made a mental note to thank Shining for it...and never ask where he got it from.

Dream Memories

The first thing he became aware of was his scent. The scent of a warrior, a leader, a brave man. Someone to trust. That was the very first thing he ever became aware of...and the one thing he would never forget.

As his eyes opened, he caught sight of a face. Square jawed, finely chiseled, with grey eyes, a flat nose, and long, sharply pointed ears. He was saying something, but it wasn't clear.

Something rose up behind the figure, a creature of metal and flesh and glowing crystal. Screaming in fear, the energy erupted from his horn, and a wall of light rose between the creature and the one standing over him.

The warrior turned as the creature of metal and flesh and crystal slammed against the wall of light. With quick movements, the creature was dispatched. The figure lifted him into his arms, speaking softly. The world swam before his gaze.

A small figure, similar to the man who held him, stared up at him. Thoughts and memories swirled as the world was shrouded in dream fog. This was brother. The man who held him was Father. He didn't know why Father called brother Mar, when he knew he was Jak.

And then Father named him. Ar-Mar, who Shines. A name and a title.

Father's voice spoke clearly in his ears. "Rest well, young warriors." He was speaking to both of them. "Take care of each other, and grow strong together. This world will need your strength..."

The world swirled again in dream fog. Ar-Mar stood with Mar/Jak and their dog, staring up as Father fought a losing battle, and was eventually seized and dragged away. The last thing he did before he vanished was to look at them and mouth a word.

Run.

Mar/Jak was frozen, unable to act. But something inside Ar-Mar knew how to respond to an order. Grabbing Mar/Jak, he slung him over his back and ran for all he was worth. Mar/Jak clung to him, arms around his neck, as their dog raced along behind. Ar-Mar leapt out a window and down. Catching hold of a passing flying machine, he was able to slow enough that they landed safely on rooftops below, their dog behind him. He ran as fast as he could, across the rooftops until they were low enough to leap to the streets below.

Not looking where he was going, he slammed into a green skinned being, who quickly took the three of them into the shadows. "Hide," he instructed firmly.

As any sign of pursuit faded, the figure smiled down at them. "Don't worry...I'll take care of you."

The dream fog swirled again. Ar-Mar stared up at a larger version of himself, who stared down at him in startled recognition. Beside him was a figure that looked like Father but wasn't.

Dream fog swirled, and a massive creature of metal flesh and crystal fell to the new figures, and a glowing crystal opened at Mar/Jak's touch, releasing a spirit.

Another swirl of fog, and Ar-Mar sat in a strange machine, Mar/Jak beside him, the green figure holding them both. "Don't worry," he told them both again. "I'll take care of you. That's a promise."

Ar-Mar stared into the gateway before them, the light within it shining so brightly...

Shining...

"Shining, it's time to wake up," Samos said firmly, shaking the young unicorn awake.

Shining Armor groaned as he sat up, his eyes opening as he took in his caretaker's form. Round body, wrinkled face, thin limbs, high platform wooden shoes, a wooden staff, a long white beard and mustache, unusually shaped glasses, and a log held fast to his head by the last of his white hair. This was Samos, the sage of Green Eco. "Samos..."

"What's kept you asleep?" Samos demanded gruffly. "You're almost always up before Jak."

Shining Armor shook his head. "I...had the dream again," Shining Armor replied. "I...I was in that other place...the man...the monsters...the other unicorn..."

Samos looked over the small figure before him, from the white coat and horn to the mane and tail of stripes in various shades of blue, the pale blue eyes looking up at him in concern. "Shining, you need to stop thinking about it," Samos said firmly. "Sometimes a dream is just a dream."

"But Samos," Shining countered, "you're the one who told me that a dream could be the window to the truth! What truth is my dream trying to tell me?" He got to his hooves and started pacing, the blue shield emblazoned on both sides of his flank glittering in the light, the purple star in the center seeming to fade in and out on occasion, with the three stars above the shield glittering in the light. "Who was that man I keep seeing? What was that creature? Where was that city? And how did I get there? I mean, I'm a freaking unicorn! There's never been one here before in any records, or even mention of the name! Where do I come from? What am-"

"Shining Armor!" Samos snapped, causing the young colt to wilt in on himself slightly. Sighing and shaking his head, Samos rested one hand on the pony's head, just behind his horn. "Shining Armor, you're only five years old. Deciphering dreams is something even sages like myself have difficulty with. You don't have the knowledge or experience to understand whatever your dream might be telling you." He gently stroked his ward's neck. "If the message of the dream is important, it will continue until you are able to decipher its meaning. In the meantime, you are a child. Now is the time to do childish things, like run around and play." He smiled reassuringly. "I understand your brother and your young friend, that Daxter fellow, have discovered something 'awesome'. Perhaps you should join them, just to make sure none of you get hurt."

Shining Armor chuckled. "Alright, Samos. I guess...I'll figure the dream out another time." Racing out of the small house, he called out, "Jak! Daxter! Wait for me!"

Samos sighed as he sat back, little Keira - his infant daughter - stirring restlessly in her crib. "Not yet, Shining," he whispered. "Not yet...it's much too soon. You're not ready. Time enough to learn those secrets when you're older...much older." He gently rocked the crib. "Time enough for heroes and monsters when you're old enough to understand...leave the mysteries till then...and enjoy life." He frowned as troubling memories rose to his mind. "When those mysteries are answered, there will be little enough joy as is..."

Growing Friendship

Shining Armor spent most of his formative years chasing after his older brother, Jak - a human with sharply pointed ears, bright blue eyes, and greenish-yellow hair - in Sandover Village, a small township settled amongst trees and islands. This wasn't a figure of speech, as Jak spent a good amount of time leaping from tree to tree, and Shining wasn't actually able to climb trees, except with the frequent stairs between platforms that filled the village and its connected lands...at least as far as those areas that the citizens were allowed to go to were concerned.

"Come on, Jak!" Shining called out. "You know I can't keep up with you in the trees!"

Jak laughed as he settled against one of the trees trunks, his hand clutching a higher branch. "And I can't keep up with you on the ground," he pointed out. "Now come on! Daxter's waiting for us!"

Rolling his eyes, Shining Armor chased after his brother, doing his best to catch up with him. Near the top of the village, they met up with Daxter, their close friend. He was another pointy eared human with pale blue eyes and red, orange, and yellow hair, and two overlong front teeth that stuck out over his lower lip, yet somehow didn't interfere with his speech. He was actually the same age as Jak and Shining - about 7 now - and had been their friend for as long as any of the trio could remember. He was the one who tended to come up with the crazy ideas for them to try. Jak was the one who talked them all into following through on those crazy ideas. Shining Armor, regrettably, was stuck being the voice of reason, trying to keep the other two from killing themselves being reckless...all the while wanting more than anything to jump right in along with them, which was probably why he rarely argued too strongly.

"You said there was something awesome up here, fire-head?" Shining asked once he'd caught his breath.

"The last time it was 'something awesome', it turned out to be a view into Maia Acheron's bedroom while she was changing," Jak pointed out. "We nearly got scorched when she spotted us, and I still don't understand why that qualified as 'awesome'."

Maia Acheron was one of a small group of people in the area studying different types of Eco, the planetary energy that fueled everything throughout the world, though she and her brother Gol apparently were focusing their studies on Dark Eco, despite Samos' advice to them not to, stating that it was incredibly dangerous, though refusing to explain further. As a result, that advice was ignored. Shining admitted that Maia had an unusual appearance, but he had no idea why Daxter thought peeking in her window while she was changing would be awesome...or why so many of the men of Sandover Village were jealous when they heard.

Daxter shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I thought it was pretty awesome until we were dodging fireballs," he admitted. "Still, I think you'll both like what I've come up with today a bit better." He gestured out over the Village. "Take a look at this!"

Shining and Jak followed the direction of his gaze. To their surprise, the rooftops of the houses below them seemed to continuously slope downwards towards the beach, with somewhat narrow gaps between each roof, with the next roof slightly lower than the previous one before the slope began.

"Doesn't that look like an awesome sledding course?" he asked. "Wonder how strong the roofs are?"

Smirking, Jak walked over to a nearby large, dying tree, yanking off three large segments of bark that were still pretty sturdy, he passed them out. "Let's find out!" he said eagerly.

"Can we at least grab our capes for a makeshift parachute if things go horribly wrong first?" Shining pleaded. When they'd first started 'adventuring' around town, Shining had made them all capes. He didn't know why, but he felt it was appropriate...which was somewhat confusing to Daxter, as the cape was the only clothing Shining normally wore.

"Got 'em right here!" Daxter said happily, pulling them out and passing them out. "But are you sure we should do this, Jak?"

Jak grinned widely. "Last one to the water has to taste test Keira's cooking!" he called out, leaping onto his makeshift board and down the slope.

"Oh hell no!" Daxter and Shining shouted together, remembering the last time Samos' daughter - barely able to walk yet - tried to cook for them. They immediately leapt after Jak.

The trio skated down the rooftops, which just so happened to be sturdy enough to support them, doing flips and tricks as they leapt from one rooftop to the next. For the most part, the three were laughing in exhilaration, enjoying the mini-adventure.

Unfortunately, one rooftop towards the beach was not sturdy enough when all three landed on it at the same time. Crashing through the roof, they just so happened to land in a full bathtub.

"Well, that was a safe landing-" Daxter started to say.

An angry shriek interrupted him. Turning, all three discovered that they had landed in the Acheron house, with Maia in the bath, and Gol nearby.

"Get out!" Maia shouted, hurling another fireball at the fleeing trio.

"Do we have to leave town to get some privacy?!" Gol roared as his fireballs joined Maia's volley.

Jak, Daxter, and Shining all raced away. Jak stopped as they reached the beach, but Daxter and Shining went straight into the water. "Why are you both still running?" he asked, confused.

Daxter and Shining grinned back. "Guess who's last to the water?" Daxter called out.

Jak's face went pale. "Oh hell no..."

Precursor: The Citadel 2

With the Red Sage at work on the barrier, the trio moved further on into the Citadel. All three kept their eyes peeled for anything that might give them an advantage if their theories were right, or any sign that they might be wrong.

Once more, the path was wrought with the color panel bridges and moving platforms, pushing Jak and Shining to their limits to traverse. Careful timing was needed for the full breadth of their jumping ability to carry them the distance. Eco blasts also barred the way on occasion as the energy flared in the midst of the path, only to subside before flaring again.

Daxter proved to be quite helpful, as his new eyes proved exceptionally effective at judging distances. Following his timing, the pair leapt from platform to platform at just the right moments to not fall to their deaths.

After one last series of moving platforms, timed to avoid destructive Eco while carrying Blue Eco to open a door, the trio were able to free the Blue Sage.

The Blue Sage was tall and skinny, with a strange helmet on his head and wearing a monocle. His skin also had a blue tinge. "Good work, fellows!" he proclaimed, his voice quite high pitched. "Old Samos was right about you!"

"How, exactly?" Jak asked, curious.

"Sorry, I'm not supposed to say!" the Blue Sage replied. Turning, he gasped in shock. "Great piles of Precursor metal! That insidious mechanical creation must not be allowed to wreak its terrible havoc!"

"Gee, ya think?" Daxter grumbled.

"I will try to actuate the shield door by eliciting a conduit of energy between myself and the vast portal below!" the sage continued as though he hadn't heard.

"...translation?" Daxter asked Shining.

"He's going to try to open the force field by blasting it with Eco," Shining translated.

"Oh. Why didn't he just say so?"

"I did!" the Blue Sage complained as he started channeling his Blue Eco.

The next path leading into the Citadel proved to involve a great many Blue Eco powered launchers. The key wasn't just getting the full distance of the launch, but landing on the next launcher without falling into the pit around each floating launcher or running out of Blue Eco. On top of that, some of the launchers were moving, making the landings even more difficult to aim.

After all that, the trio finally reached the next door, opening the path to the Yellow Sage, where they were able to release him.

The Yellow Sage was a chubby old man with yellowish skin, a full white beard, and what looked like a large gun in his arms. "Who would have thought I'd live ta see the day when I needed to be rescued by a boy, his pony, and his muskrat!" he proclaimed, his voice similar to the swamp dwellers in accent.

Jak and Shining chuckled at Daxter's expression.

"Ah'm gonna give Gol and Maia a little payback for this embarrassment!" the Yellow Sage proclaimed, aiming the large gun like object - which proved to be an Eco focusing engine - at the force field. "Then we'll see about cooking up some muskrat stew," he mumbled under his breath, making Daxter gulp.

The added Eco resulted in a new set of platforms rising up out of the abyss below. Jak, Daxter, and Shining made their way carefully over to this new path, certain this would lead them to Samos. This included some of the most precise jumping they'd had to do so far, as there were times they had to wait until the platform they were on had almost completely retracted into the wall before they could make the jump to the next one.

The platforms themselves were spaced widely in an upward climb. Once again, Jak had to leap to one, pull himself up, then hang halfway off it to grab Shining as he leapt before struggling to pull them both onto the platform. More than once, all three would have slipped off if not for Daxter clinging to Jak's pants and digging his footclaws into the platform. When that happened, Shining could have sworn he saw Eco anchoring Daxter's feet to the platform. He suspected he was either seeing things or Daxter's fledgling Eco abilities that Gol and Maia had talked about were stronger than any of them had anticipated.

Once at the top, they then had to climb up the central circle of the main device, in the center of the Citadel. While up there, they happened to find the last Scout Fly of the area, getting their hundredth Power Cell. Smashing the last reactor, they released Samos.

He promptly flew up to them. "Good work, you three, and nice teamwork! Perhaps I've been underestimating you all all this time."

"We do what we can!" Daxter preened. "We do what we can."

"Don't let it go to your head," Samos scolded. "My opinion of you isn't that high." As Daxter hung his head and growled, Samos floated back. "I'll combine my Green Eco power with the other three Sages, and together we'll open the shield doors surrounding the Precursor robot."

"Does that mean we can count on you to help us deal with the robot?" Shining asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately not," Samos replied. "The shield generator is a part of the robot. It's going to take all our combined power to keep the shield down long enough for you three to destroy it. Good luck. We're all counting on you!"

With that, Samos dove down to pour his power into the shield along with the other three Sages. The four colors of Eco combined bonded to the Dark Eco shield, causing it to short out.

Seeing that Gol and Maia were heading for the robot as it came active, the trio prepared themselves for battle, seeking an elevator to the top of the citadels.

Haven: Reunion

As the trio returned to town, they got a message from Krew that he had a proposition for them, and to meet him at his bar if they were interested. As Onin did not yet have answers for them regarding the artifacts and Torn hadn't contacted them for anything, the group decided to investigate, as they had nothing better to do.

When the trio arrived, Krew got straight down to business. "Zoomer racing is the biggest sport in the city," he explained. "Has been for the past six years since personal Zoomer technology became widespread as the means of inter-district transportation. Before that, there was only military grade anti-grav, and even that was clunky and rarely used. Erol is the undisputed grand champion. He's crazy...and dangerous on the track." He smirked. "And he's the Baron's right hand man."

"So knocking him off his championship pedestal will take him down a few pegs and burn his temper?" Jak asked. "Making him easier to fight?"

"While you clean up by taking bets regarding the 'underdog'?" Daxter added.

"You're sharp, fellows," Krew replied with a chuckle. "I like that in those who work for me...but make sure you don't cut yourself with your wits. Such wounds have a tendency to...suppurate." He quickly brushed it off. "A client of mine is looking for a fast driver for her racing team. Here's a security pass to get you into the stadium." He tossed the pass to Jak. "Oh, and your racing contract. I acted as your agent, with just a...few trifles for me."

Shining carefully examined the contract. "So...did she include this clause that says the entire contract is subject to her analysis of our first race, at which point she can completely invalidate it for renegotiation directly with the racer?" He gestured to the fifth of twelve pages. "Here in the fifth paragraph?"

Krew snapped his fingers and growled. "That clever vixen..." he grumbled. "She'll only consider you if you can get from here to the stadium in less than three minutes, though. Good luck on that."

Smirking, Jak quickly led the trio out.

Exactly two minutes later, Jak, Shining, and Daxter leapt off the Zoomer they'd rode to the stadium. Entering, Jak looked around for who was interested in hiring them. "Hello?" he called out. "Krew said someone was looking for a race driver?"

"I'm busy right now!" a feminine voice called from the back...a voice that Shining couldn't help but think was strangely familiar. "You must be Krew's new errand boys. Look, I don't mean to be rude - you did get here fast - but I'm not interested in any new drivers just now."

"As long as she's not baking," Shining found himself muttering, though he had no idea why.

The woman apparently hand't heard. "Look, if you really want to race, try taking my prototype jet-board out on the stadium track. Beat the stadium challenge, and maybe I'll consider you for my team."

Smirking, Jak headed for the stadium, Shining and Daxter following.

Shining and Daxter sat back and watched as Jak did all sorts of flips, tricks, and jumps on the jet-board, plainly enjoying himself. "It's just like old times," he muttered to himself as the timer ran out, having racked up a score of 150000 points with his tricks. "Like testing things out for..." His face fell, and he hopped off the jet-board.

Shining frowned as a strange thought occurred to him. "Let's go see what that mechanic thinks about your skills, huh?" he offered.

Nodding, Jak put the jet board back on the rack and followed back, his face down.

As they returned to the garage, the woman behind the curtain whistled. "Wow," she proclaimed, amazed. "I never imagined someone could score that high. I don't have a place on my team for a new racer just now...but you certainly deserve a reward for trying so hard."

Hearing how she mentioned a 'reward' - and seeing the way Jak was practically drooling at the girl's silhouette behind the curtain - Shining's eyes widened. It couldn't be... he thought silently. He decided to test it. "As long as it's not a cake this time!" he called out jokingly.

There was a clatter as the woman stumbled behind the curtain, several tools falling from the shelves. "S-Shiny?" she gasped out in disbelief.

Jak's eyes widened. "...Keira?" he asked, his voice full of desperate hope, and for a brief moment sounding two years younger.

"...Jak?"

Before anyone could react, Keira had stepped out from behind the curtain, but she was different from when they'd last seen her. She was much older than any of them had expected. Instead of looking several years younger than Jak - she had been six years younger, the main reason for Samos original distaste for their relationship - she now looked about his age, maybe a little younger. She also looked more careworn, as though she'd lost hope for a long time...but as she caught sight of Jak, her eyes lit up, and she raced towards him.

Jak could only stare. Before, he'd known she was cute, pretty even. But now...seeing her face light up like that, she was breathtakingly beautiful. He was barely able to raise his arms to embrace her before she slammed bodily into him, her arms wrapped around him as she burst into tears.

"Jak..." she whimpered, clinging to him like a lifeline. "I thought...I thought you were dead..."

"For a while, I thought I was, too," Jak whispered back. "I...I thought I lost you..."

Gesturing with his head, Shining led Daxter out of the room, giving the pair some privacy.

"Where...where have you been all this time?" Keira finally asked, not moving from the embrace.

"Been stuck in the Baron's cells the past two years," Jak murmured back. "Getting pumped full of Dark Eco."

"That's awful..." Keira whispered, idly stroking his back. "But...what about the other four?"

"Huh?" Jak asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Jak...I've been stuck here, with no word from any of you, and no sign of Daddy...for six years..."

Jak was stunned into silence. At long last, he pulled her into a tighter embrace. "...talk to me..."

Haven: Hammer and Shield

As Shining Armor and Daxter were both supremely confident in Jak's ability to win the race, they felt no need to stick around to see its outcome. Instead, they decided to head back to the Underground HQ, to see if they could do anything else towards freeing Haven City...only to find there was nothing that needed to be done. The Baron had greatly diminished his military activity within the city, for some reason.(1) Samos did have a task for them unrelated to the Baron's activities, however.

"There's something I left behind long ago in my hut," he'd explained simply. "It's time to retrieve it...oh, and clean the place up while you're at it!"

Shining wasn't about to refuse, as he was certain he could handle making his way through Dead Town to Samos' old hut with Daxter's help. When he got there, however, he discovered Keira had left him something - probably via Ashelin - to help him get through himself. The large, yellow and gray exosuit was designed to be operated by a human, Keira had included a modification to enable Shining Armor to operate it physically, without relying on his still somewhat limited magic.

Shining found it rather refreshing to crash around in the aptly named Titan Suit. Having been the tiny one his entire life - at least until Daxter's transformation - it was rather enjoyable to be stomping around as a giant and smashing everything he came across. It also included an input jack for his horn, letting him inject a very small amount of his magic into the suit to electrify the exterior to keep Metal Heads from holding on. He made sure to only do it in short bursts, to keep the Dark Eco in his blood from reacting too strongly. The jetpack on the Titan Suit's back made jumping a great deal more fun than it had ever been before.

Shining admitted privately to himself that he wasted a bit of time leaping around like crazy, just for the thrill of it. He didn't see the real harm, as they weren't on that much of a schedule. Besides, he was able to wield his Peacemaker outside the Titan Suit to take down the larger Metalheads with heavy guns before ever getting in their range, making the trek both easier and safer.

Once making it to the hut itself, they found a glowing green seed near the peak of the hut. "Good work, Shining Armor!" Samos proclaimed through the communicator as Shining retrieved the seed. "Oh, and Daxter, I suppose." His voice turned more serious as he began to explain what it was. "Before we came through the rift long ago, I was nurturing that Life Seed from the Great Tree. It seems the Metalheads are...attracted to its power. Take the seed to Onin. She will prepare it for Samos."

"You mean...you?" Daxter asked, confused.

"I think he means the younger him," Shining clarified.

"Exactly!" Samos confirmed. "He needs the seed's power to become...sagely."

"Let me get this straight," Daxter began. "It's fair to say that by bringing your younger self the Life Seed now, we helped you become the sage you are today. We helped you get your powers in the first place! And you never thanked us?"

"I all but raised all three of you," Samos countered.

Daxter hesitated. "...fair enough," he allowed as Shining snickered.

"Now go do it!" Samos ordered. "Jak's going to meet you at Onin's hut. He had...a bit of a problem with Erol while you were gone. Something about refusing to throw the Class 1 race for profit and racing through the city, and now Erol wants to kill him in the final race."

"I look forward to when Keira divests that idiot of his reproductive organs," Shining grumbled as he stored the Seed away.

It didn't take Onin long to properly energize the Life Seed so The Shadow would be able to use it to awaken his powers as a sage. Shining had the foresight to hand the Seed off to Jak and let him bringing in, preventing yet another conflict between Daxter and Pecker. With the energized Life Seed in hand, Jak led the way to Haven Forest to meet up with The Shadow.

They found The Shadow waiting for them in the center of a peaceful glade deep within the forest, at the foot of the largest tree. He looked...peaceful.

"You told us you needed the Life Seed," Jak began, before realizing how weird that sounded. "Uh...sorta, I mean-"

"Just give him the Life Seed," Shining chided teasingly. "If anyone here understands, he does."

"Yes," The Shadow agreed. "As confusing as it is, I do understand what needs to be done." He took hold of the Life Seed. "It will help me speak to the plants-"

At that moment, several Crimson Guardsmen in jetpacks dove in, from the sound of their shouts under orders from Erol rather than the Baron. Shining and Jak both pulled out their weapons. Before The Shadow could say anything, they'd stared shooting the group of Guardsmen out of the sky.

The attacking group wasn't that large(2), and it didn't take long to deal with them. With that done, Samos achieved his Sage abilities unmolested. The plants told him of a grave danger...that had already been averted. He found that oddly peculiar, but Jak merely glanced away with a smirk.

(1) In the game, this would be where you'd have the mission to destroy the Blast Bots...but here, the Baron's now on Jak's side.
(2) Erol doesn't have the same pull the Baron would have here, after all.

Spargus: Treasure Hunt

After taking the buggy out for a spin, the trio pulled back through the gates of Spargus to find Damas waiting for them. "I see the vehicle skills you spoke of were no empty boast," he proclaimed with a wide grin.

"Nothing we spoke of was empty boast," Jak stated quickly as he hopped out of the buggy.

"Including your control of the Dark Eco inside you," Damas chided. "Kleiver tells me you assaulted him completely unprovoked and stole a buggy."

"Now that's a down and dirty lie!" Daxter snapped. "Geez, it's like dealing with Krew all over again!"

"I know it's a lie," Damas interrupted. "I have trusted eyes everywhere. I reminded Kleiver that life gambling is outlawed in Spargus, and that as all three of you are under a bond of life-debt until you have proven yourselves full fledged citizens of Spargus, those rules apply to all three of you." Damas grinned widely. "I felt that also served as the reminder that there is nothing that happens in my city to which I am blind."

Shining chuckled as he imagined Kleiver's face when that happened. "Nice!"

"I do need him to keep the city running smoothly, however," Damas quickly interjected. "So don't go out of your way to pick fights with him."

"Will do," Jak agreed readily.

"To the matter at hand," Damas continued. "There are a number of artifacts to be found in the Wasteland, relics of a bygone age. Fresh storms churn the sands and reveal these relics. As a storm has just passed, I need you to head out into the desert and find as many artifacts as you can before the next storm arrives."

"Understood!" Shining confirmed as the trio leapt back into the vehicle and gunned the engine, preparing to shoot back out through the gate.

"One more thing!" Damas called, a hint of worry slipping into his voice. "If you are caught out in the storms, they will tear the flesh from your very bones."

"Oh, great," Daxter groaned. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"It's alright, Daxter," Jak replied easily. "We just won't get caught."

Damas couldn't help but chuckle as the trio shot out the gate. "...he's mine, alright," he murmured, his voice barely loud enough to reach his own ears, let alone anyone else's.

Jak threw caution to the winds as he drove as fast as the buggy could go, following his radar to collect the artifacts that showed up on his map, refusing to waste a moment. Several other buggies were out, more well armed and equipped than Jak's own, actively hunting him down...but despite their better equipment, Jak was a far better driver, able to almost literally drive circles around them. Between that, Shining's spot shields, and Daxter finding a way to brace himself so he could blast away with his Light Eco, the other drivers proved little to no challenge for the trio working together.

With their combined efforts, the trio were able to retrieve all 12 artifacts exposed and return to the city's gates in just under four minutes, just ahead of the storm.

Damas let out a quiet sigh of relief as the trio leapt out the front of their buggy as they parked. "Good work. That was...close."

"Put these to good use," Jak replied, handing over the artifacts they'd collected.

"I can put these two to use immediately," Damas mentioned, unlocking two of the artifact capsules. "This armor is very rare indeed," he indicated, holding up two wrist bracers. "According to Pecker's information, they're part of the very set Mar himself wore in his battles for this planet, long ago. I think it only appropriate you wear it now, Jak."

Nodding, Jak affixed the bracers to his arms. "They feel like they were made for me."

"Depending on which Mar Pecker's talking about, they might well have been," Shining teased.

"And I think these may well have been made for you, Shining Armor," Damas continued, pulling out four greave-like bracers. "Precursor alloy, reshaped by Dark Eco and cleansed in Red, Blue, and Yellow Eco...shaped to your limbs. No one else will be able to use them, so you'd best put them to good use."

Shining stared in awe as he affixed the interlocking brown plates of metal to his limbs, marveling as they bent with his movements, like a second skin. "...Gol and Maia?" Shining suggested, stunned. "And the other sages? Left behind for me?"

"Can't think of any other explanation," Daxter agreed. "Guess they wanted you to be well equipped when this time came up."

Shining smiled, wiping away a tear as he braced himself for whatever would come.

"By the way, Seem wants to talk to you," Damas explained.

"Who?" Jak asked, confused.

"The leader of the Secret Keepers," Damas continued. "Monks, dedicated to protecting the world from the more dangerous Precursor Relics, especially those crafted by Dark Eco."

"Oh, her!" Daxter proclaimed happily. "...or is it him? It's kind of hard to tell."

"Seem won't care what pronoun you use," Damas explained. "The leader of the Secret Keepers discards all personal identifiers when they achieve the rank. Age, gender, even name. 'Seem' is more a title. It's symbolic of the dedication to the world above the self." He shivered. "Gives me the willies, personally."

"You and me both," Daxter agreed.

"...huh," Shining replied. "That's...different."

"I won't hold it against them," Jak offered, shrugging his shoulders. "I can respect dedication."

"Them?" Damas asked, confused.

"If that much is discarded to become 'Seem', then Seem is supposed to represent every leader of the order, past and future," Jak pointed out. "At least, that's how I interpret it."

"Huh," Damas murmured as the trio made their way into the city to look for Seem. "...not a bad way to think about it."

Spargus: Cleaning Up the Big City

Jak, Shining, Daxter, and the Baron returned to the Naughty Ottsel after dealing with the four remaining Blast Bots they'd gone out to deal with. Jak, Daxter, and the Baron seemed disgruntled, while Shining strutted about with a smirk on his face.

"So who won?" Keira asked impishly.

"Shining 2, the rest of us 1," Jak grumbled. "Smashing one blast bot into another with telekinesis shouldn't count."

"You're just mad because you didn't think of it," Shining teased.

"I can't pick a Blast Bot up and throw it," Jak countered waspishly.

As the debate bounced back and forth, Torn activated the comm link, deciding to send some important information. "Ashelin, it's Torn. Jak's back in the city."

Ashelin's face started to appear holographically over the table, but the signal became interrupted as another one overrode it. A different face appeared, one Jak recognized instantly. "Errol..." he growled deep in his throat.

Errol laughed wickedly as his holo-projected face silhouetted over the table. "I live!" he proclaimed dramatically. "Still fighting for the weak link, eh Jak? Well, I've had a few enhancements since we last met. Even the Metalheads have their biological weaknesses. But me? I'm pure metal now..."

"The Dark Eco tainted Precursors rebuilt you to act as their agent, didn't they?" Keira suggested grumpily.

Errol chuckled. "As brilliant as ever, my dear. I'm really looking forward to our next meeting once I've dealt with these-YOWCH!"

Shining withdrew his horn. "Jak's not the only one protective of Keira," he growled out, lightning sparking off his horn. "She's like a little sister to me. Look at her in a way I don't like, and I'll fry your circuits!"

"How did you manage to shoot me through a communication transmission?" Errol demanded, flabbergasted. "That's impossible!"

"Angry, overprotective, magical unicorn big brother figure," Shining growled out, his horn glowing again. "Care to test that theory?" He lowered it towards the holo-projector.

The signal cut out. "We need to unite the divided forces of the city," Torn stated quickly. "We need to disable the energy shields so we can move freely through the city."

"That could be a problem," the Baron pointed out. "The KG Robots floating factory makes more bots every day. We can hardly take a step outside, let alone mount an assault."

"Sounds like we have to blow something else up," Daxter sighed, stretching. "So, which way are we going about it here?"

"Can't," Keira countered. "The factory keeps moving, and its out of reach of any of our weapons."

"We need to break through the KG's defensive perimeter," Torn spoke up.

"There's a rocket launcher outside," the Baron pointed out. "But we can't get it close enough to the barrier to destroy it, and it doesn't have enough Eco payload to make it the whole way and destroy the barrier."

"Leave it to me!" Daxter insisted. "I'll ride it around the waters outside and pick up some extra Eco." Without waiting for anyone to respond, he raced outside.

"...since when did Daxter become the risk taker?" Keira asked, stunned.

"Huh," Jak mused. "Guess we've all changed more than we realized..."

Daxter's ride on the rocket proved showy but effective, clearing the way into KG territory. Jak started to lead the way in, only for Shining to hold him back. "We're starting to run low on ammo," he pointed out. "We should restock before charging into enemy territory, don't you think?"

"Good point," Jak agreed, seeing how low his own ammo stock had run. "The shooting range is nearby. Think they'll have some to spare?"

"Worth a try," Daxter offered.

When they reached the shooting range, they found Tess tinkering away with something, though she turned aside as the trio came in. "Daxter!" she squealed happily, opening her arms to catch the ottsel as he rushed forward for his own reunion. She cuddled him close, cradling him in her arms. "You're back! Ooo...did that mean old desert burn your itty bitty paws?" she cooed, gently caressing his four pads.

"W-whoa, whoa, Tess baby!" Daxter gasped out, wriggling. "Don't crusha the merchandise." Giggling, Tess set him down. "So how's biz?" he asked after brushing himself off and trying - and failing - to glare down Jak and Shining's amusement.

"I'm designing new guns to help with the war effort!" Tess replied eagerly.

"You make guns now?" Jak asked, stunned.

"Yeah!" Tess replied, turning to heft the weapon she'd been working on. "I just finished this new gun. It sports a multi-port, large bore, gyro-burst launcher with blowback breach assist, using full-jacket Eco depleted, armor piercing slugs, and a continuous kill zone scanner for tight groupings at a high-cycle rate of fire." As she spoke, she'd lifted the weapon - longer than she was tall - to a firing position, grinning ear to ear as she pumped the weapon, priming it for fire. Noticing the stares the three boys were giving her, she shrugged. "It's a hobby."

"...you and Keira must get along real well..." Jak murmured, stunned.

"How'd you know?" Tess asked, surprised.

Daxter only stared, his mouth hanging open slightly. "...so hot..."

Tess blushed brightly and giggled.

"Don't suppose you have one in my size?" Shining asked.

"If you and Jak can handle it!" Tess replied eagerly, jerking her thumb back at the gun course. "Sorry I couldn't make one your size, snookums," she apologized, stroking Daxter's head. "My tools just aren't small enough..."

"No worries, babe," Daxter replied. "I've got my own cannons to keep me safe." He lifted his paws, only for more Eco to blast out of them. "Damn! How do I make that stop?"

"Here!" Tess replied, attaching now bracers around Daxter's paws. "Keira mentioned you were having problems keeping your Eco buildup contained, so I designed some extra batteries so you can store the excess for more powerful blasts. It's the same design as the Wave Concussor, but I'm not sure how well it'll work for your Light Eco."

Daxter admired the new attachments for the bracers, feeling how his focused Eco was funneling into them for storage. "Seems to be working like a charm!" he replied. "Thanks, babe!"

"Silver Medal awarded, Jak," a computerized voice spoke up as Jak stepped out of the course.

"Not bad shooting, Jak," Tess complimented. "...for a guy."

Jak frowned, not really liking the qualifier.

"Now, I want you to protect my little baby with this," Tess instructed, handing over the gun while petting Daxter. She then narrowed her eyes at Jak, her voice taking on a surprising level of menace. "Or else I'll hunt you down and hurt you real bad!" She then returned to her usual bubbly self with a giggle.

"Wow!" Daxter yelped out, grinning ear from ear. "I didn't know you had so much...rawr!"

"Gold Medal awarded, Shining Armor," the computerized voice intoned.

"Wait, what?" Jak demanded, stunned.

"Beam Reflexor," Shining explained as he stepped out of the course. "Boosted a bit, the shots just keep going."

Grumbling, Jak took his Gyro Burster while Tess gave Shining his with a giggle.

Spargus: Holding Haven

With the new information in hand, the trio made their way to the united resistance HQ, in a large building in the central area of Haven. Torn, Ashelin, the Baron, Samos, Keira, and Pecker were waiting for them. "Well, we know what we're up against now," Jak told them all.

"Indeed," Samos confirmed. "A huge Dark Planet Builder bearing down on us all...and in the center of the planet is a defense system we might be able to use to stop it, if we get there in time."

"But we don't know exactly how much time we have left," Daxter observed. "It could be here tomorrow, next week, next year, or before we're even finished talking for all we know!"

"I think we've got about a week or so, tops," Shining offered. "At least a day or two, though."

"What makes you say that?" Keira asked curiously.

"When I zapped Errol through the comm link, I...got a sense of how far away the ship was, and how fast it was going," Shining explained. "It was...hard to wrap my mind around the numbers, but...I'm about 85% certain that I've calculated it as accurately as I can, assuming it hasn't accelerated or decelerated in the meantime."

"It's as good an estimate as we're going to get," the Baron spoke up, "so we'll just have to rely on it. So we've got maybe two days for certain, possibly another five, to get into the Catacombs."

"Also, the large number of Eco Crystals being moved about means someone's trying to awaken vast Precursor Technology," Keira added. "And...my only theory is rather unpleasant."

"Go on," Jak encouraged.

"I...think Errol may be trying to reactivate the tech the Precursors used to originally build the world, in order to have it interface with the Dark World Builder," Keira elaborated. "If he can do that, it'll streamline the re-terraforming process, and we'll be done in the moment the ship enters orbit."

"So we also have to keep an eye out for Metalhead activity, and make certain they don't pull it off, while gathering every Eco Crystal we can find...in addition to trying to get into the Catacombs?" Daxter demanded. "And we need to try and get it all done in two days? Well, at least we won't be rushed."

At that moment, the entire building shook as an alarm went off.

"And while you're at it, helping us stave off assaults," Ashelin mentioned. "Looks like multiple inbound targets."

"Then let's go!" the Baron proclaimed, grabbing a large cannon. "Think you can keep up Jak?"

"I should be asking you that!" Jak countered, bracing his own weapon.

"I guess I'll keep track of the schedule, then," Shining muttered as he raced out with the others.

The engagement was very short lived, as it involved several KG Robot dropships, which Shining dealt with by seizing one in his magic and smashing it into another, repeatedly, until all exploded non-functionally. The Baron, Jak, and Daxter all gave him dirty looks as they took the elevator back to central command, despite the cheers of the soldiers. "What?" Shining asked. "We're on a time limit, remember?"

Despite grumbling, Jak at least agreed with his assessment. "Alright. Just don't burn through your magic too quickly. You don't have a ready way to replenish, after all."

"Right," Shining agreed. "Don't forget, we've also got our work in Spargus to keep in mind."

"Jak, you're the best man we've got to lead the expedition into the Catacombs!" Samos called out as he entered. "Are you ready?"

"Please, please...let us not be too hasty," Veger said in an oily tone as he entered. "Are you sure you want this Dark Eco freak contaminating the hallowed halls of our glorious Precursors?"

"Yes," Keira replied firmly.

"Yes," Ashelin added, only a beat behind her.

"Absolutely," Samos confirmed.

"Without question," the Baron added.

"75% of the city's survivors approve of him over you, Veger," Torn added. "Unless you have something to actually contribute-"

"The Precursor Monks have given me the knowledge to turn on the Planetary Defense Grid," Veger interrupted.

"Oh, so Seem does know how to do that," Jak confirmed. "Good to know. I was afraid I was going to have to figure it out on my own, but they can give me instructions over comms."

"What?" Veger demanded. "You really think he'd-"

"Considering I use the right pronoun, I'm pretty sure Seem would be overjoyed to help me," Jak interrupted. "Beyond that, they've been talking about prophecy regarding me as well."

"You're all washed up, Vegan!" Daxter snapped. "Get out of here!"

"It's Veger, you idiot!" Veger growled out.

"Whatever!"

Baron Praxus stepped up. "Veger, on my authority as Regent of Haven City, I hereby declare Martial Law and dissolve the City Council. You are hereby stripped of your title, command, and all privileges. You are to remove yourself from restricted zones immediately, or you will be found guilty of treason against Haven City and exiled to the desert." He leaned in close. "And I doubt the Wastelanders of Spargus would have any tolerance for you, or find any value in you, either. Now get out!" With that, he turned back to the meeting.

"What?" Veger demanded. "How dare you! I offered you-"

"Ashelin, if he isn't out of here by the count of ten, you have my authorization to terminate him," the Baron spoke up, his tone almost bored.

Ashelin drew her pistol. "One."

Veger quickly fled.

Smiling widely, Ashelin holstered her pistol. "I've been wishing to wipe that smug smirk off his face for weeks."

"Hope you enjoyed your birthday present, then," the Baron replied with a smirk.

Ashelin briefly dimpled at her father, then returned to the task at hand. "We can't repel assaults like that last one forever, even with Shining's magic. We need to take out that floating War Factory. The problem is it's shielded, with gate codes on every access point."

"Vin's been holding fast in the Power Room," the Baron spoke up. "He might have the information available, if someone can give him cover long enough to access the data."

"That's our cue!" Daxter proclaimed as the trio made their way out.

XCR: The Reading

Jak's arrival in Kras City proved to be the only one that caused problems, as he was forced to engage in a bout of what he assumed was Combat Racing in his buggy just to get into the city unmolested, racing around the city while arranging for the buggies trying to attack him to meet explosive, fiery ends. With that done, he was able to catch up with everyone else in the building where the will was to be read.

Once he arrived, everyone found a place in the well appointed dining hall to relax. Jak sat in a comfy chair while Keira sat on the table right beside him, her hand resting on his. Ashelin sat across the narrow table from them, with Torn standing at her side. Daxter and Shining both stood on the table to be at eye level with everyone else. While everyone managed to get comfortable in their own way, impatience soon set in.

"Let's get this over with and blow this burg," Daxter grumbled. "Who called us here, anyway?"

Keira glanced over at Daxter. "Didn't you read the invitation?" she demanded irritably.

"Saw it was about Krew and decided it wasn't worth the time away from training with Elder to read it," he responded immediately.

"More or less the same with me," Jak added.

"That makes three, I guess," Shining offered.

Keira rolled her eyes with a rueful sigh. "Krew's daughter, Rayn."

"Krew had a daughter?" Jak asked, stunned.

"Krew...reproduced?" Daxter gasped out before shuddering all over. "Eeyurgh!"

"How did he manage it?" Shining asked.

"Money is an appeal for some-"

"I don't mean how he got the girl," Shining interrupted Torn. "I mean how did a guy in his physical condition survive keeping it up that long to release? That can't have been good for his arteries..."

"The mother must have been...talented," Ashelin offered teasingly.

"Oh gods!" Jak cried out, rubbing at his eyes. "I did not need that mental image!"

"I can never have sex again!" Daxter squealed out, burying his face in his paws.

Keira glanced over at the ottsel. "...again?" she asked, stunned.

"What?" he countered. "Just because you and Jak are playing it 'safe' doesn't mean Tess and I are doing so. Besides, Elder said the sooner the number of Awakened Precursors increases, the better for the universe."

"...thanks, Dax, that is a much better mental image to have stuck in my head," Jak groaned out, uncertain if he was being sarcastic.

"You're welcome!" Daxter replied happily.

At that moment, the double doors swung open, and a rather voluptuous young woman dressed in a greenish-brown suit entered, carrying a bottle in her arms. Her hair was done up in a tight braided bun held in place with chopsticks, a professional style that hadn't been used much for many years. Her brown eyes were warm and friendly. "Thank you for coming to Kras City," she spoke up, her voice very professional. "It looks like some didn't make it. Ah well." She came to a stop at the head of the table, the jewelry handing from her ears tinkling with the cessation of movement. "I'm Rayn."

"You take after your mother, don't you?" Shining asked curiously.

Rayn sighed softly. "17,312," she muttered under her breath, before resuming her professional stance and voice. "Before Father died, his wishes were simple: to have his will played for his closest associates, and for us to drink to his passing." She filled a glass for everyone from the bottle she'd brought in. "This special vintage he kept for this very occasion, to toast his death."

As everyone grabbed their glasses, they dropped a Light Eco capsule into it with the practiced sleight of hand they'd developed specifically for such a situation, save Shining who held his capsule in his teeth, to drop in just before they drank since there was no way he could hide his capsule in hoof or magic. Once in the wine, the capsules broke open and vanished.

"Here's to...old friends..." Rayn began, "and to Father's untimely death." Everyone calmly took a drink, though Jak kept his eyes on Rayn, something seeming off about the way she drank. "So without further delay, his message to us."

Everyone took their seats as the screen at a hologram of Krew appeared over the table. "Hello nearly friends and mostly enemies," he began. "If you're listening to this message then I must be dead. Oh well. As you all know, I loved racing almost as much as I loved weapons. Alas, I never fulfilled my living dream of winning the biggest race of all, the Kras City Grand Championship. But even in death, I will field the greatest racing team ever assembled, and win the biggest race on the planet! You are the best of the best, and you will race for me."

Those gathered stood up, ready to simply walk out.

"I expect you're all riled up by now," Krew continued, "so let me tell you why you will race, and you will win. If all went as planned, you've just given a touching toast in my honor. Sorry to say, I put poison in that special vintage! Quite unsporting, ehehe."

Shining just happened to be looking at Rayn as that proclamation was made, and noticed her expression of shock came a little too quickly. He tallied that thought away in his mind for later. "Father!" she demanded angrily as she stood up.

"This is where Rayn probably gets upset," Krew continued. "Sorry dear. It's a slow acting poison, or you'd already be dead. You have just enough time to finish this year's racing season. If you race for me and win, my associates will provide you each with an antidote to the poison. Simple, eh?" The image vanished.

All eyes turned to Rayn, who seemed surprised that none of the rest of them were getting upset over this. She hid it well behind her own distress, however. "Why are you all so calm?" she asked, stunned.

"We honestly expected something like this from Krew," Jak replied. "Getting excited about it isn't going to change anything."

"Then why even come?" Rayn demanded in confusion.

"For our own objectives," Ashelin responded simply. Everyone had noticed Daxter's calm smirk at the mention of 'slow-acting poison', and were pretty certain they knew what that meant.

"Well, it's been one minute," Krew continued as his image reappeared, showing he didn't know them as well as he thought, "so I figure by now you're all arguing about how to get out of this mess. My advice is trust no one, win the race, and save yourselves!" The image then vanished.

"Well, looks like we've only got one option," Keira offered blandly as she hopped off the table. "Good thing we've got the world's best racer on our team." She rested her hand on Jak's shoulder with a wide smirk.

"Father bought us the best mobile racing garage money can buy," Rayn spoke up. "And each of you has a racing car waiting." She lowered her gaze. "We're in this together...so let's get to it." With that, she turned to lead the way out of the building.

Ashelin turned to Daxter once she was out of earshot. "I take it that smirk..."

"Capsulized Light Eco is especially effective against slow acting poisons," Daxter replied with a wide grin. "Unless it was Dark Eco based - which my body would have immediately rejected after all my training, making me spit it out the moment it touched my tongue which is why I drank first - it was completely neutralized before we drank."

"Except for Rayn," Keira mumbled worriedly. "His own daughter..."

"She didn't drink," Jak spoke up. "I recognized the way she held the glass to her lips. It's how Damas and the Baron have been teaching me to drink while at a banquet in order to keep my head, letting the liquid touch lips without actually entering the mouth. Unless it's a contact poison - which wouldn't have lasted that long in a bottle of other liquid - she's not poisoned either."

"Then she's in on this somehow," Torn muttered. "Which means we should play along to find out why."

Interlude: Progress

Jak lay back in the new rivers of Spargus, floating on his back in the cold water as he stared up at the night sky, counting the stars. It was his favorite relaxing activity these days, and it helped him to detox from the intense excitement of the Combat Racing circuit. The last thing he wanted was to start actively seeking out some new thrill to excite him.

Training with Damas and Elder was going well, and he'd found several ways to deal with his battle junkie tendencies. Elder had reassured him that it was something that indeed ran in the family rather than a side effect of the use of Dark Eco. Elder had shared many of Mar's own techniques, while Damas shared ones he himself had used.

As much as Jak wanted to bond with his father over this, Damas' preferred method of dealing with a combat addiction was observation of or participation in blood sport, and that seemed counter intuitive to wanting to purge such urges. The last thing Jak wanted was to become so addicted to combat thrills he didn't enjoy anything else. Thankfully, Elder's suggested meditation and relaxation techniques proved to be quite effective.

As he counted the stars, he heard something scampering towards him. He quickly recognized the sound of four hooves, closely followed by the sound of four paws scampering on the sands. At first he thought it was Shining and Daxter, but the sound of a thump following each fourth paw step told him otherwise. "Still haven't figured out how to run with your staff, Dad?" he called out softly. "How come you didn't ask Shining to give you a lift."

"The entire point of this transformation was so that I wouldn't be an elderly, infirm invalid, thank you very much," Damas growled, his tone somewhere between playful and irritated. "The day I can't carry my own weight is the day I take up needlepoint!"

"And what about riding around on the Baron's shoulder?" Shining asked teasingly.

"Payback for him taking my city from me," Damas countered loftily.

Jak chuckled softly as he slowly floated over towards where Shining and Damas had come to the water's edge. "So how are things going over in Kras City?" he asked curiously.

"As far as we can tell, rather well," Damas replied. "We've already received the first few discreet messages from Rayn's organization, and things are going quite smoothly. At Shining's suggestion, it's now the job of her organization to police the criminal elements to ensure they don't exceed certain reasonable limits, so as to keep things under control. Not only does this free up our forces for other areas, it encourages them to set up business in areas where we don't control yet...which opens the doors for us to gain control."

Jak chuckled softly. "That's more or less what I had in mind. Nicely done, Shining."

Shining shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out what you were going for. It also helps that apparently Rayn knows what you're working towards, too. She seems to think it a good idea as well."

Jak lay back in the water again, feeling it flow over his body. "That's good," he murmured softly. "What else? There's more going on out there than just Kras City."

"Elder's been detecting some odd fluctuations in the planet's Eco fields," Damas explained. "Nothing serious yet, but he's keeping an eye on it. He'll let us know if it needs investigation. He does say that in the meantime you should start practicing with your physical colors of Eco, whatever that means."

"Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow," Jak explained. "They draw more from physical aspects for power, while Light and Dark Eco draw from emotional and spiritual states. Thus Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow are physical colors, and Dark and Light are spiritual colors."

"Sounds like Elder thinks this might have something to do with why there's so much Dark Eco in the world these days," Shining offered speculatively. "That's the only reason I can think of why he'd want you used to not using Dark Eco."

"Could be," Jak admitted. "For tonight, though, I'd rather just relax. I doubt I'll be getting much sleep..."

"Why not?" Damas asked surprised. "Insomnia? Is it an Eco imbalance inside of you?"

"No, nothing like that," Jak hastened to assure him. "It's...interpersonal."

Shining chuckled. "Oh? Trouble with Keira?"

"Something like that," he admitted ruefully. "She...found out about Plan C."

Shining winced. "Oh...is...is everything okay? I mean, she's probably-"

"Pissed I didn't let her work on the giant, city-destroying laser," Jak explained, stifling a chuckle.

Damas blinked, stunned. "Well...she is quite the machinist. But I would have thought her awakening nature as a Green Sage would have made her more averse to something that could so easily destroy so much life-"

"She compared it to forest fires," Jak interrupted. "It causes a great deal of destruction, killing many creatures and plants...but the forest grows back stronger for it. If I ever have to fire that laser to destroy a city, it'll kill a lot of people...but the continent will be the better for negating the circumstance that forced it."

"So she's just angry at you for not letting her work on it, then?" Damas asked. "Well, I can see why that would anger her, if that's her attitude. So what punishment is she giving you? She making you sleep on the sofa?" He chuckled knowingly.

"I wish," Jak groaned to himself. "No, she insists we chastely share a bed...while she sleeps in bedroom garb Ashelin and Tess helped her pick out that leaves exactly the right amount to the imagination. And she has a nightstick in bed with her if I lose control in my sleep."

Damas shivered violently. "She is evil."

Brink: Don't Know What to Say the Monkeys Won't Do

It didn't take long for the ship to reach Far Drop, and Jak, Shining, and Daxter decided to explore the town while Phoenix took care of whatever brought them there. To assist them in their exploration - and to acquire new supplies - Jak was provided with a Vulcan Fury mod for his gun staff.

As soon as they stepped off the ship, however, they were confronted by a short, portly, blue-skinned Lurker. "Me Barter!" he greeted immediately. "Big smuggler. Me a top dog in Far Drop."

Jak glanced around, noticing several large creatures, white with green crystals embedded in their flesh, all but engaged in combat. "What are those?"

"Dark Eco mutants," Barter grumbled. "They show up few months ago. Been fighting them big time ever since. I need strong fists to protect me goods. I pay you well."

"Sidequest time," Daxter chuckled under his breath.

"We only really need supplies," Shining pointed out.

"Hmm..." Barter considered. "You keep mutants from breaking Barter shop, Barter give you all supplies you need. Deal?"

"Or maybe not," Daxter mused.

The Dark Eco mutants were relatively easy to track down through the narrow paths of Far Drop, but proved to be incredibly durable. It took a lot of firepower to even take one down, and there were four of them. Thankfully, Shining was fast enough to get to the structures before the attacks began, and used his shield to protect them, leaving Jak and Daxter free to take their time with the mutants to minimize damage taken.

When the four mutants were down, Barter sent them a message. "Hurry! Mutants attacking generator! Use Aeropult!"

The Aeropult turned out to be a catapult that ran on air pressure rather than wire tension. Once enough pressure was built up, the trio hopped on and was launched to the path to the generator, which was a metal walkway with electricity arcing over the platforms. "Green crystal formations," Jak pointed out quickly. "I can probably make platforms-"

Shining quickly surrounded them in a spherical shield.

"Or we can roll," Daxter admitted as they rolled forward, the electricity not hitting them.

Once at the control center for the generator, the electricity arcs were no longer a danger, but the mutants were. Shining quickly tried to project a shield, but the mutants slammed bodily in it, their crystal constructs damaging the shield and forcing Shining to withdraw it. "Dammit..." he growled angrily. "How am I supposed to..." His eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

Conjuring a shield bubble, he proceeded to fill it with charges of Eco Amplifier before sending it rolling towards the mutants. They immediately attacked the shield, and as they breached the barrier, the compressed charges went off, incinerating the mutants while containing the explosion.

"Nice!" Jak praised, giving Shining a thumbs up. He then raced over to a valve and turned it, shutting off a damaged power coupling to stop the arcing electricity.

Behind the electricity was another Precursor Totem. As Jak and Shining approached, it energized them with Blue Eco. "That's four colors," Shining mused. "Guessing that's gonna be all, given the problems with Dark and Light Eco around here."

Staring at the waterwheels before them with very fast moving platforms, Jak narrowed his eyes. "Time to try the new power out." Focusing, he drew out the Blue Eco.

The world around him seemed to slow down. Realizing this ability enhanced his perception and reflexes to make everything move slower to his mind, he rushed forward, leaping across the platforms. Shining wasn't far behind, having used the new Eco Reflexes as well.

Once across, they spotted another monkey-shaped mutant heading towards what looked like a vertically aligned greenhouse-type enclosure, somewhat resembling a hanging planter but on a much larger scale.

"NO!" Barter screamed out in terror. "My cabbages!"

Shining tilted his head. "I feel like that should sound familiar..." he muttered, unsure why. For some reason, it connected somewhere in his mind to a sensation that was...warm and fuzzy.

As it turned out, the cabbages were being devoured by ravenous, floating eel-like mutants. These, thankfully, went down much quicker than the monkey shaped ones. Once the greenhouse was cleared of eels, the group took another aeropult to another part of Far Drop.

Barter's next message proved more concerning, as it was revealed the mutants were attacking an orphanage.

"You guys catch up when you can!" Daxter shouted, shifting to Light Daxter mid sentence and racing ahead.

When he got there, he found five of the monkey mutants attacking the orphanage. He cracked his knuckles. "Alright then...let's dance!"

By the time Jak and Shining caught up, only one mutant remained, and he met them partway back down the path, running in fear of Daxter. "That new form's really upped your combat capabilities!" Jak praised. "Nicely done!"

"Glad you left something for us," Shining joked.

"Still takes a lot out of me," Daxter explained as he shifted back, dropping onto Jak's shoulder. "Especially if there isn't much Eco available in my environment."

"Then take it easy now," Jak told him, leading the way to the next Aeropult.

This landed them near the docks, where even more monkey mutants were attacking the crane. The strategies Jak and Shining had developed so far continued to be effective, especially when they went back to back to keep from getting flanked. Four of the six were on the crane itself, rather than attacking the outside. Jak used an Eco Construct to jostle the crane enough as it swung to knock them off two at a time. With the six down, all that was left was the one black skinned monkey mutant with purple crystals on its back that they'd been pursuing since the beginning.

Once cornered, the Dark Monkey attacked by trying to grapple either Jak or Shining before attempting to crush them in its embrace, smashing them with clenched fists, or by hurling barrels and crates at them. The attack pattern didn't vary much, so the only difficult part of taking it down proved to be just how durable it was. The only change came as it started to weaken, when it added a new attack to its arsenal: leaping into the air and smashing the ground to unleash a Dark Eco shockwave.

Once the monkey was down for the count, the trio made their way back to the tavern to get the supplies. Barter was quite grateful. "You best protection money can buy. Supplies already on ship."

"Thanks for that," Jak replied gratefully.

"Just...one more thing Barter need," Barter began softly.

"Any chance it's a bar brawl?" Shining asked curiously. "Because I'd love to have a fight without the stakes being too high, just to blow off some steam."

Noticing the huge grin on Barter's face, Jak cracked his knuckles. "Time for some fun." Turning, he picked up a chair and threw it in a random direction, ready to vent.