A week passed before Veger felt comfortable leaving the house again. Well, that was only partially true. He didn't want to leave the house, but he was due to have his stitches removed, so he had to go to the monastery. Graham had made good on his promise, and now that Veger had a weapon with which to defend himself, he didn't fear for his life quite so much. He even walked down to the monastery without Kleiver as an escort. But he still felt uneasy, and clung to his gun for comfort.

Seem greeted him cordially when he arrived. Their relationship had recovered somewhat, though they still did not spend much time together. It was still too awkward, as Seem did not believe that Veger had truly come to regret his actions. And until he came to truly regret his actions, he could not atone for them. And until he could atone for them, Seem could not forgive him. But, out of a mutual desire to reconcile, they remained civil.

As Seem carefully cut and removed the stitches, Veger tried to make conversation by telling her about the Marauders' latest attack.

"Yes, everyone has been talking about it," Seem said. "In fact, a town meeting is going to be held tonight to discuss what to do. Did Kleiver not tell you?"

"No. I think he has finally accepted that I don't really care... uh..." Veger noticed the dirty look Seem was giving him and quickly backpedaled. "What I mean is, how Spargus handles its affairs are different from the way Haven does, and as an outsider, I can't understand it."

"It may not be as different as you think," Seem said. She dabbed at where the stitches had been with a bit of antiseptic. "If you would only open your eyes to the ways in which Spargus and Haven are similar, perhaps you would be able to open your heart to its people."

"If I could find any similarities..." Veger murmured. He winced as Seem added a bit of extra pressure to his wounds as she finished with the antiseptic. "And why are you trying to tell me to look for similarities, anyway? You verbally ripped me a new one for trying to compare Spargus and Haven."

Seem shook her head as she bandaged him up. "You are being difficult. You realize that, do you not?"

"You're avoiding the question."

Seem tightened the bandage, making the ottsel wince again, before she finished. "I am only trying to help you. Your narrow-mindedness has cost you much already. Do not allow it to persist. It will only create difficulties in making your home here."

"But I don't want to make a home here!" Veger snapped.

"Then what do you want?" Seem asked simply.

"I... I want..." Veger sighed. "I want things to be the way they were. I want to return to Haven. I want to be human again. I want to continue my studies." Veger looked down at himself sadly. "I want to forget the truth about the Precursors..."

"Things can never be as they were," Seem said.

"Don't you think I know that?" Veger snarled. "Don't you know that I spend almost all my time trying to think of how to reclaim bits and pieces of my old life, only to fail time and again to come up with a solution?"

"And that is your problem. You refuse to let go of the past. You refuse to focus on the present. So long as you pretend that your current situation is but a roadblock in your plans for the future, you will never be able to move forward. You are still in denial. You are still angry and depressed. You are still lost in 'what ifs' and consumed with trying to change your reality. You must accept what has happened."

"But I can't! I can't accept it! To accept it is to... is to accept defeat!"

"You mean, to accept that you were wrong." Seem peered into Veger's eyes. "I will ask you again. What do you want? Forget your past, forget your plans. Think about the here and now, and tell me what you want."

"I... I don't know," Veger admitted.

"Then I suggest you stop thinking about how to reclaim your old life and start thinking about how to build a new one," Seem said. "Now, I have much to do, so if you will excuse me..."

As Veger walked home, he thought about what Seem said. "Open your heart... Things can never be as they were... Let go of the past... Accept that you were wrong... you were wrong... wrong..."

Veger scowled. I was not wrong to try to save the world. I was not wrong to dedicate my life to the path of light. I was not wrong to throw Jak out of Haven. I. Was. Not. Wrong. And I will find a way to prove it.

That night, Veger was amongst the citizens of Spargus as they packed the House in order to weigh in on the Marauder issue. He sat in the front row amongst the other friends and family of the aldermen. The minutes ticked by as more and more people came in. Finally, Sig entered and took his spot at the head of the room. He didn't even try to ask for quiet, instead pulling out his gun and firing once into the air.

Everyone in the room immediately hushed. Sig re-holstered his gun and cleared his throat. "Alright, we all know why we're here, right? Need to figure out what to do about the Marauders."

"What we need to do," Volta said, "is show them exactly what we're made of. An all-out assault on their fortress. One they'll never recover from."

The citizens began to talk amongst themselves. Most of them seemed to agree that taking the offensive was the best solution. A few shouted out suggestions for how to go about crippling the Marauders. As Veger watched this, the wheels in his mind began turning.

"Make 'em pay fer what they've done to Spargus," Kleiver agreed. "I say we wipe 'em off the map."

The crowd was rowdier now. Many of them cheered at the thought of utterly destroying their enemies, and now at least half the room had joined in with giving "helpful" suggestions for action. Burn down the fortress. Poison their water. Unleash the full force of Spargus's military might.

"Absolutely not!" Seem objected. "They are not Metal Heads, they are human. We cannot, in good conscience, destroy their society. We must-"

"You're a coward and a fool, Seem!"

That silenced the crowd almost as effectively as a gunshot. Seem commanded great respect for her wisdom and for her position as the leader of the monks. If there was one alderman (or rather, alderwoman) who was never flat-out insulted like that, especially in a public forum, it was her. All eyes went to the one responsible, who was now standing on his seat to be seen over the crowd.

Veger hadn't expected to command such attention so easily, but he didn't let it bother him. He had years of experience as a politician. If there was one thing he could handle, it was public speaking, and he had special mastery in the field of public speaking when emotions were highly charged. It was easier to manipulate people that way.

"Do you really think that diplomacy is the answer here?" Veger continued his speech. "The Marauders have done nothing to show that they deserve such consideration. Last week's unprovoked attack was just the latest in a string of aggression. They tried to strike down unarmed children. Can you really hope to reason with such a society?"

"Remember the last diplomat we sent?" a monk in the back of the room called out. "They ate him!"

Seem looked shocked that one of her own monks would speak out against her like that. Sig also seemed to have no idea how to respond. The rest of the aldermen, though, seemed to be in agreement with Veger. The crowd began to grow restless again. Before they could get too loud, however, Veger jumped down and began to walk back and forth at the front of the room as he spoke.

"Since Damas's passing, the Marauders have decided that Spargus is weak." Sig bristled at the unspoken implication that he was an unfit leader. "They have tried to destroy it. And we have stood by and let them get away with it!" The crowd was getting angry now. Excellent. "Spargus is a city of warriors. And it is time for the Marauders to be reminded of that."

Veger stopped his pacing in the center of the room and looked out at those assembled. "They have effectively declared war on Spargus, and it is time they learned what that means for them. Complete surrender... or complete annihilation."

A great cheer rose up from the crowd, and from many of the aldermen. There was no convincing them otherwise now. Spargus would go to war with the Marauders. Veger smirked. He was in his element. It felt good to be doing what he did best. Playing unruly crowds like violins. It was like he was home again.

Sig and Seem exchanged looks. Seem wanted Sig to use his power as the king to put a stop to it before it got out of hand. But Sig, as much as he hated to admit it, felt that Veger had made some legitimate points. Once the room had settled a bit, Sig stood up to speak.

"Well, I guess we're in agreement. Starting tomorrow, we will begin preparations for war. They'll never know what hit 'em."

The crowd cheered again. Seem slumped in defeat. She managed to catch Veger's eye as he retook his seat. He smirked at her and she clenched her fists. That rat was going to get a piece of her mind. After the meeting, she followed him out of the building and onto the street.

"Veger!"

The ottsel looked at her, a smile as fake as his loyalty to Spargus plastered on his face. "Oh, good evening, Seem. Productive meeting, wouldn't you say?"

Seem was so angry, she nearly went back on her vows of nonviolence and punted the smug little rat across the street. Instead, she glared at him ferociously. "Are you proud of yourself? Of your ability to incite violence and hatred?"

Veger shrugged. "It has never failed me before."

Seem inhaled sharply. "Have you no shame? You have convinced a city to commit genocide and condemned many of its people to die in battle!"

"For a city of warriors, there is no greater glory," Veger replied. "As for the genocide thing, it's either them or us, Seem. I have not lived here long and even I can see that. Even your monks can see that. Why can't you?"

"More killing is not the answer," Seem said.

"But that is the way of the animal kingdom, is it not?"

Seem's lip began to quiver. How had he become like this? How had he turned into such a cruel, manipulative man? And how had she not seen him for what he was sooner? "You were partially right. I was a fool. A fool to believe that you were anything more than a contemptible, evil monster."

"I am only following your advice," Veger said. "You said I should try to build a new life here, and that is precisely what I'm doing. However, I'm not one to stand by and follow orders. I'm much better suited for giving them out."

"Sig should have thrown you out of the city when he had the chance!" Seem shouted. She turned on her heel and marched back into the House. Maybe she could still convince her countrymen to search for a peaceful solution.

Veger watched her go and shook his head. Well, he didn't need her as an ally anymore, anyway. If things kept going the way they were, he would have the rest of the city behind him. And the majority of the city supporting him was better than a single measly monk. Even if that monk was an alderwoman... and had saved his life...

She betrayed me, Veger reminded himself. If she'd had her way, I would be dead by now, food for the desert beasts. The ottsel headed home. If he was to help lead Spargus to victory, he would need a good night's sleep.

The next several days were some of the busiest in Spargus's history. It was no longer a city; it was an army base, and its people were soldiers. All normal business stopped and focus as put on preparing to fight. Armor was made and guns were repaired. Kleiver spent all his time in the garage getting his buggies into tip-top shape. He was so busy, he could not go to the meetings to plan strategy with the aldermen, and sent Veger in his stead.

Veger, of course, had volunteered for the job as soon as he planted the suggestion in Kleiver's head ("It's too bad we can't help strategize. I've had a bit of experience with taking command in wartime..."). Sig, however, knew a thing or two about strategy and they often butted heads over the proper course to take. Volta's only contributions were demands that they forget about strategy and just blow the place to kingdom come. Petra, Quaifer and Galvani were not strategists and would often end up just voting on whether to follow Sig or Veger in certain scenarios. Seem was absent from the meetings entirely.

Finally, the day arrived when it was decided that it was time to strike. Wastelanders piled into the transports that would take them to the Marauder fortress. Sig and the other aldermen chose one of Kleiver's buggies to ride into battle. Outside the city gate, the Wastelanders said goodbye to the loved ones they were leaving behind, those too young or infirm to join the battle.

Kleiver adjusted his armor for the umpteenth time that day. He looked at his sidekick. "Ya ready, ratface?"

"Wh... I'm going with you?" Veger asked.

"Of course. No Wastelander would be caught dead hanging back when there's a battle to win." Sig smirked at the ottsel. "That would be cowardly."

Veger groaned quietly, but without further complaint, climbed into the seat next to Kleiver. From his place at the front of the formation, Sig stood on the seat of his car.

"Alright, chili peppers! Let's show 'em that no one messes with Spargus!"

The crowd cheered and the vehicles screamed across the desert. Veger looked back at those who were staying behind, the children who desperately wanted to join their parents and the monks who were entrusted with their care.

Amongst them was Seem. As she watched them go, she prayed for their safe return. Everyone's safe return.