Hello everyone! Apologies for the late update, but like I said before I have been undergoing some very significant life changes. The most significant is, I'm a family man now! So I'm sure most if not all of you understand why I've been delayed in posting here. I still intend to finish this story, just not sure when I will finish it, after all life is unpredictable, and family always comes first. None the less, to my loyal fans I give you the next chapter, hopefully it will give you enough action for a good while, enjoy!


Ch15: Missile Music

The group of heroes made their way back to the Naughty Ottsel. With their first defense of the port successful, they were eager to find a way through to Freedom HQ. However, the issue of Cynder's leg still remained. "So the KG got a shot at you huh?" said Torn observing the leg, "Hate to say it, but their aim is improving, let me get the medical kit."

"Actually that won't be necessary Torn," replied Cynder, causing him and the others to raise an eyebrow. She turned around to reach into the satchel she had wrapped around her torso. She unzipped and reached in the large pocket and out of it pulled the mystic gem. Everyone was in awe and surprise at the sight of it.

"Woah," said Calidan, "shiny"

"I remember that gem," said Jak.

"You brought another with you?" said Spyro, "Good call."

"Dont thank me, thank Cyril," said Cynder, "You could use an energy boost yourself, so together?"

"Always," Spyro said smiling, and he reached out his paw to touch the gem with her. As soon as they did, the gem shone a little brighter, illuminating the bar in an ethereal glow. The blast mark on Cynders leg faded away, leaving nothing but shiny black scales once again. They each felt their strength returning to them, enough for both of them to feel like they could take on an army. After a moment, the glow subsided and the gem returned to its normal hue.

"Feeling better?" asked Jak.

Cynder immediately flexed her leg, proving that it had healed completely, "Much"

"That...was awesome!" exclaimed Calidan, "how did you guys do that?"

"These gems are what dragons derive our energy and strength from," explained Spyro, "they've been passed down as far back as the dragon race goes, so whenever we need to heal or replenish our energy, they grant it to us."

"Similar to how eco enriches our world," Jak concluded.

"Very good Jak," said Cynder, "you remember."

"Simple comparison," he said.

"Guess this means we won't have to use any of our medical equipment on you guys," said Torn.

"Hopefully not," said Cynder, "but thank you anyway Torn, I appreciate the gesture."

Least we can do" he said. "After all you and Spyro have done much for us."

"Ahem!" Sparx said clearing his throat, "Forgetting someone?"

"You too bug," Torn said dryly.

"Hey! Don't tell me you forgot my name already?! Huff!" Sparx steamed as he buzzed away fuming.

"uh, sorry?" said Torn.

"Don't worry about him, his ego needs to be deflated every now and then," assured Spyro.

"That aside," said Jak, "Do you have some sort of battle plan Torn? Because I'm sure those robots were only the first of many."

"HQ and I have been throwing ideas back and forth, though now that you guys are here, it's a whole new game, let's contact them now," Torn finished as he walked up to the communicator in the center of the bar, with the others following right behind him. They all knew they were at a crossroads. Though they knew they had capabilities on their side, they needed an effective plan to eliminate the KG defense that blocked the way to Freedom HQ. Torn had said earlier some armaments were at their disposal. All that was required now was a strategy to use them properly.

"Ashelin," Torn spoke through the communicator, "Ashelin, this is Torn, Jak's back in the city."

Almost immediately, a holographic vision of Ashelin's head popped up from the communicator, "Jak? Welcome back soldier."

"Thanks, couldn't stay away forever," he said.

"They aren't the only ones," Torn continued, "Spyro and his posse are back too."

"Spyro? Cynder?" Ashelin exclaimed in greater surprise, "never thought I would see you again, none the less welcome back, I'm sorry for the status of the city, not what you were hoping I'm sure."

"Don't worry, were used to it," Cynder replied.

"Regardless, it's good to be back Ashelin, and we'll help out any way we can," said Spyro.

"Thanks, though I should inform you that the situation is more dire then before."

"I've already told them Ashelin," said Jak. "But they've already shown they are not intimidated."

"They are not the only ones," Calidan informed silently.

"Stay cool," said Jak, "you're still on probation."

"Our best option everyone is a united effort," said Ashelin. "Once we've rallied our forces together...bzzz… we….bzzz" To everyone's surprise, Ashelin's image was becoming distorted and fading in and out.

"Ashelin?" asked Cynder confused.

"Commander Torn, what's going on?" asked Calidan. Torn was analyzing the controls for a deduction.

"I don't get it!" said Torn, "someone is jamming the signal, but this is a classified frequency! No one outside the FL knows about it, so nothing on this planet can penetrate it!"

A new image began to form, slowly fading in and out. It appeared to be another head of an Elorin inhabitant, but it appeared disfigured even with the interference. Calidan being the odd one out, didn't recognize him, although everyone else did.

Calidan asked, "Who is that?"

"It can't be!" exclaimed Spyro, whom shared his shock with Cynder and Sparx. Jak angrily recognized the head as well, and with a wide eyed Daxter on his shoulder he growled out, "Errol!"

"I LIVE! Surprise! Hahahaha" Errol cackled drawing anger and annoyance from his old enemies.

"Well well, the gangs all here Eh? Jak, Spyro, so lovely to see you again, I had hoped to meet you again in person actually, ah well, something to look forward to."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but last I remember you were nothing but dust!" said Cynder.

"You can't be alive!" added Spyro.

"I assure you I am!" Errol retorted, "What's wrong? Old foes don't come back from the dead on your planet? Haha, well get used to it, my return is the least of the surprises in store for you, though I'll leave that honor to my new friend, he cant wait to see you."

"New friend? Who are you talking about?" asked Spyro.

"All in good time, and don't think I've forgotten about you Jak, we have a score to settle."

"As far as I'm concerned, were done," Jak angrily retorted, "your already dead, and if I have to shove you back in your hole, then so be it!"

"Don't think it will be so easy this time eco freak, my enhancements have made me stronger than any being on this planet, the metalheads despite their thick hides have their biological weakness, but me, I'm pure metal."

"Then well melt you down and recycle you!" replied Daxter.

"Yeah! Count on it tin head!" added Sparx.

"You insignificant worms," he growled, "I'll have all your hides soon enough." His image vanished, leaving the party stunned and dismal. None of them could believe that Errol was back, and apparently he was not alone.

"So who was the freakshow?" asked Calidan.

"Errol," growled Jak, "an old enemy, he used to run the KG, but then he died after an attempt to kill me, leaving Torn the new commander.

"Now he's back running them again, swell," added Torn.

"There's more," said Jak, "I encountered him out in the wasteland on another communicator, one held by metalheads."

"What?!" Torn exclaimed.

"Are you telling me this nutcase is in charge of both these robots, and metalheads?!" followed Calidan, "Last I heard the metalheads operated under their own hive."

"Your informations out of date mack," said Daxter, "we squashed the metalhead leader a year ago."

"He's right," added Spyro, "the first time we came here we helped Jak destroy him, before he could consume both of our worlds."

"Seriously?" Calidan was astonished. "With what we've been up against I knew you guys were tough, but destroying the metalhead leader? You guys have won my respect."

"Quiet a minute guys!" said Torn working with the controls, while at the same time an image was forming again. "I've reestablished the link to HQ again."

"Can anyone hear me?" said Samos's familiar voice, "Jak are you there?"

"Right here Samos," Jak replied to his mentor.

"We lost your signal momentarily, somehow Errol managed to overlap it, we will have to try a new frequency later."

"Already noted," said Torn.

"More importantly, we must unite our forces or we are through! You've got to reach us Jak." Samos's image was then replaced with Ashelin.

"We need you to break through and link up with us before it's too late, the KG robots are growing stronger, that floating war factory of theirs is spitting out more robots every day."

"Assaulting the KG front is our only option, with a strong systematic approach we should be able to break through their defenses and get back to HQ," said Torn.

"That's where your armaments come in, right?" asked Cal.

"We've got an eco charged missile powerful enough to blow away an entire KG tank, it should do the trick, at least on the barrier adjacent to the port."

"Missiles," Daxter perked up, "Now that's music to my ears"

Torn continued, "However, before we launch it, we have to eliminate some KG defenses, otherwise it will be shot down before it gets through."

"What kind of defenses?" asked Jak.

"Sniper cannons mounted by the barrier are blocking any attempts for us to place a homing beacon for the missile, they need to be taken out, along with any battalions guarding them if this plan can succeed," Torn explained.

"Why do I get a feeling that's where we come in?" asked Daxter.

"Because were good at what we do," added Sparx, "Right?"

"You need to take out those cannons, plant the beacon, and defend it until we can launch, then we will be able to blow our way through."

"How big of an explosion does this...missile...cause?" asked Spyro, since he and his party were still unfamiliar with all the weapons of this world. "Wouldn't we be caught in the blast too?"

"Once you plant the beacon, it will send a signal back to us, allowing you time to clear away from the barrier," said Torn.

"Where is the beacon now?" asked Jak.

"Our weapons specialist has it, she's at the gun course, I'll head over to the missile pad, you guys pick up the beacon and head over to the port exit. Radio in as soon as you make contact, you still have your communicator with you Jak?" said Torn.

"Always," he replied.

"Alright let's move out!" ordered Torn.

"Yes sir!" saluted Sparx, causing everyone to glance at him sweatdropping. Shaking their heads, Jaks group turned and exited the bar. Cynder made sure to put the mystic gem back in her satchel before she followed Spyro out. Once they were back outside, Calidan asked a question...

"Where is this gun course?"

"Toward the port exit," answered Jak. As they were walking toward the gun course along the port walkway, Spyro started a conversation.

"There's still something that's unnerving me about what happened back there," he said.

"What?" asked Jak, "You mean finding out that Errol is alive? Believe me Spyro I'm surprised myself."

"It's not just that, but what he said," answered Spyro. "He said a new friend couldn't wait to meet us, who do you suppose he was referring to?"

"Good question," said Jak, "though Errol was never known for having friends let alone keep them, all he's ever had or wanted are soldiers to do his bidding."

"Maybe a near death experience changes some things," theorized Calidan, "either way, it looks like our best chance of stopping this current war is taking him out."

"I know," said Jak.

"What about the nasty alien ship that's shining in the sky?" asked Sparx pointing to the Day Star above, "bringing a fight that we most certainly will die in?"

"Stop being overdramatic Sparx," retorted Cynder, "yes we all are concerned about that too, but like Torn and Ashelin said we will deal with that once we reunite with the others."

Sparx scoffed and he turned forward again, only for something else high in the sky to catch his eye, "Woah! What's that?"

Everyone turned in toward the direction he pointed, above the ruins of the palace base. To their astonishment, they all saw floating in the air above it a massive floating red colored structure. Spyro and Cynder recognized the color instantly as KG red.

"Jak," said Spyro, "Is that KG?"

"That's the KG war factory, where all the deathbots and blastbots are made before they are sent into the city through their industrial section," explained Jak.

"How can they have a factory floating in the air?" exclaimed Cynder, "Magic?"

"No" said Calidan, "Technology, it does wonders, both good and bad, though I must admit, a floating factory? That's an engineering marvel!" he finished beaming. His enthusiasm however was met by annoyance with the others. Cal's spirits were doused when he saw their faces.

"uh...too bad it's being used for evil though, right?"

"Word of advice," said Jak, "Tread carefully." He then turned to continue walking toward the gun course, with the dragons right behind him. Calidan stood still for a moment before sighing to himself.

"Me and my big mouth." He started following the group again, though feeling a little dejected. They came to another corner of the walkway pass the atrium where the sewer exit was. Once they turned left they all noticed a door built into a part of the inner wall that wasn't damaged. All of them except Calidan remembered the course being located a little further down.

"There?" said Spyro. "Last I remember it was at a different location."

"It was, but look" said Jak turning out toward the pier where everyone saw the wreckage of the former palace support towers, "when the support towers went down, it crushed the old location, no doubt they rebuilt it otherwise Torn wouldn't have sent us here."

"Well let's not keep standing around, let's go, said Daxter. They all approached it, and as soon as they did the door automatically opened for them. Inside was a cube shaped room, with gun racks loaded with weapons along the back and side walls. By the left wall, they saw who the weapon specialist was much to their surprise, and Daxter's delight, who jumped down from Jak's shoulder and ran toward her.

"Daxter!" cheered Tess turning to face him and held out her arms for him to jump into, which he did, "your back! Oh…did that mean old desert burn your itty bitty paws?"

"Oh gag me," Sparx felt like he was gonna hurl.

"Heeeyyy! Tess baby, don't crush the merchandise!" said Daxter jumping down from her arms, "hey, look who we brought back!" he said gesturing toward the dragons.

"Hi Tess!" greeted Cynder.

"Great to see you again," added Spyro.

"Wow! Hey guys! Long time no see," she greeted.

"We were told we were meeting a weapon specialist, didn't expect to run into you," commented Jak.

"Yup, you're looking at her, right now I'm designing new guns to help out the war effort," said Tess.

"You make guns now?" asked Spyro feeling surprised.

"Yeah, in fact I just finished this new gun," she said turning toward her workbenches, where what appeared to be a blaster model attachment was noticed. This one appeared different than the standard though, because it seemed to sport additional nodes on the top and bottom of the laser barrel and sight. It was called the Beam Reflexor, as Tess was about to illustrate.

"It fires an enhanced multi target yellow eco blaster shot with minimal recoil, capable of piercing armor and thick metal hides, and a high quality shot life while maintaining damage throughout its duration at a high cycle rate of fire," she explained, while drawing stupefied looks from the group.

"Hehe, it's a hobby," Tess finished.

"Sounds like you know your stuff," said Calidan, "nice to know there is someone around here with technical expertise."

"Thanks," she said, "and who are you?"

"Calidan miss, I'm new to the group, and I was hoping I could get my hands on some new armaments, which I hope I've earned by now," he finished glaring at Jak.

"As I've told you already," said Jak staring him down, "you haven't earned it yet, so quit…"

"Oh come on Jak!" Cynder interrupted, "Given everything he's done already, I say he's earned it. So let's cut him a break."

"Besides we'll need all the help we can get," added Spyro.

"Huff," sighed Jak, "Fine, you'll get your new armaments, just don't mishandle them."

"Consider it noted," said Calidan, feeling a sense of pride that he had achieved a small victory. Although it wasn't Jak who was giving him new weapons as Tess spoke up.

"Excuse me boys, I'm in charge of the weapons here," she said. "And I'll decide who gets the armaments."

"You tell em sweetums!" replied Daxter with glee.

"First you'll have to prove your skill in the new gun course," said Tess pointing toward the course entrance.

"Shooting practice? Bring it on," said Calidan reaching to take out his Omega Fire.

"Uh uh," Tess stopped him, "not with your own, with one of those." She pointed to the rack in front of them, where three blasters were positioned ready to go.

"Now you're talking," said Calidan, eyeing the weapons like candy. He walked up to the rack and closely inspected each one. He chose the one at the bottom and holstered it in his arms.

"hmmm, eco powered arsenal with an enhancement box, laser sighting for long range attacks, and modifiable for a range of upgrades, all in all, one sweet toy," he said.

"Bit of a show off isn't he?" Sparx asked Jak.

"You think?" he replied.

"Not bad, but let's see if you can handle it," said Tess. She walked over to the sealed course door, where a panel was embedded in the wall. She pressed two keys, and the door to the course opened.

"Let's see what you got," she told Calidan. He looked back at the group, who all gave encouraging nods. Turning toward the course again, he brought up the blaster into shooting position.

"Let's do this."

Upon entering, the KG robot targets started popping up all over the place. Calidan took aim at every one he could, barely missing any that came. He handled the blaster like a pro, like it was meant for him. From the screen outside, the group kept track of his progress, and most were surprised by his skill, mainly Jak and Tess. Jak had only seen him handle his own gun so far, so seeing him handle another proved that he had infallible weapons skills. Tess was a bit surprised that this stranger handled the blaster with as much accuracy as a trained soldier. The rest of the group were just enjoying the show, hoping that their new recruit would pass with flying colors. He proved them right, as he approached the exit he had racked up 12100 points, enough for a silver record. The door opened, revealing Calidan with a smirk on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Jak snarkingly.

"Why shouldn't I? Didn't you see I broke the record?"

"Silver record, don't get ahead of yourself," said Jak.

"None the less," said Spyro, "you did real well, you're not limited to one weapon."

"A true survivalist knows how to work with what he's got," Calidan replied.

"Well continue to hold you to that," said Jak.

"Since you apparently know what you're doing, you can have the blaster, so long as you protect my little baby with it," said Tess referring to Daxter, much to everyone's chagrin.

"uh...deal," said Calidan dryly.

"As for you Jak," Tess said to him before turning over to the workbench where her new Beam Reflexor module and another small object was located. She picked them both up and tossed the mod to Jak whom caught it.

"I expect you to do the same with that, alright?" Jak nodded in response.

"Also, the beacon you came for," she said tossing it to him which he caught in his other hand. It was a small oval shaped gadget with a glowing button in the middle.

"Attach it to the target and press the button, and the signal will do the rest," she explained.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Sparx, "let's go blow something up!"

"Sure, whatever you say Sparx," Cynder said dryly. The group turned toward the exit to leave Tess and the gun course behind. The door opened upon their approach and they set their feet upon the port walkway again. Calidan shouldered his new blaster and everyone followed Jak toward the east side of the port. Upon approaching, they noticed that a large battalion of Freedom League soldiers were there. They continued walking until the caught the attention of one of the soldiers.

"Captain Striker! They are here sir!" The captain was at the head of the battalion, and turned to see them approaching. He walked down toward them to converse.

"Well I see you finally made it, do you have the beacon?" Striker asked.

"Right here," answered Jak holding it up, "so what's the situation?"

"The barrier is protected by sniper cannons on the adjacent walls, and KG battalions are preventing us from getting close enough to take them out, we need you guys to take each of those cannons down and plant the beacon for Commander Torn to launch the missile."

"How are we going to get past the battalions?" asked Calidan.

"Our best option is a full frontal assault, if we mow through their battalions, those cannons will be easy pickings," said Jak.

"Assaulting a whole KG battalion? Even for you Jak I'd say that's way too reckless," argued Calidan.

"Well it will be the perfect chance to test out this new gun," Jak replied, referring to the new Beam Reflexor given to him by Tess.

"That's a pretty big gamble to make on something you haven't even tested yet," said Cynder not feeling as optimistic.

"Normally I would agree," Striker told them, "but Tess's new armaments are one of the primary reasons we have managed to push the KG back so far, so unless she's lost her touch, her newest gun mod may just be the game changer we need. We'll handle the ground forces, while the rest of you get up atop those walls and destroy those cannons."

"Okay then," said Jak, he turned toward Calidan to his right, "Cal your with me on team 1, we'll take out the cannon on the left wall." Calidan replied with a nod, and brought out his new blaster, indicating he was ready for action. Jak then turned toward the dragons to his left. "You guys are the second team, plow through those robots and destroy the one on the right wall."

"Understood," said Spyro. With that, the plan was set in motion, and the Freedom League made their way back toward the port entrance and the location of the KG barricade. The whole squadron of soldiers was lined up right at the ramp which led toward the barricade, Captain Striker was at the forefront. As for Jak and the others, they had stayed on the other side of the bridge that connected the port walkway to the ramp. Once Striker gave the signal, Spyro and Cynder would fly Jak and Cal up the wall to drop them off, before they flew themselves over to the other wall to complete their part of the mission. The soldiers brought out their armaments and prepared for battle, and it was impeccable that they were, because on the other side of the barricade, KG deathbots were rolling toward them. They passed through the barricade since it didn't work on inorganic lifeforms, and uncurled themselves. The Freedom league battalion of 30 realized they were up against an armada of 50 KG roboguards, and a wider variety of aerial KG sentinels were flying right behind them. Seeing what they were up against, and noticing that Jak and his group were ready to go, Striker gave the order…

"FOR HAVEN!"

The squadron charged forward with their guns drawn, firing the first shots that made contact with the deathbots in front. The deathbots immediately started firing back, some shots making contact with some guards, fortunately their armor protected them from the worst of it. With the beginning of the charge, Spyro and Cynder immediately grabbed ahold of Jak and Calidan, and flew up toward the top of the wall. Sparx flew right behind them bringing up the rear. They reached the top and set the two bipedal warriors down. Ahead, they saw their objective, a tall tower with an eco laser attached at the top, mounted to the base via a multiaxis arm giving the weapon great dexterity. In front of it was a swarm of KG spydroids and sentinels standing guard.

"Well, not much a welcoming party," said Calidan.

"I agree," said Jak, "I figured a larger battalion would be guarding them, guess we overestimated their forces. Unless they have something unexpected planned."

"Never the less, hitting them fast before they reveal whatever they have hidden is our best bet," said Calidan.

"Acting rashly hardly ever works out," commented Cynder.

"Hey," he argued, "the more time we spend up here, the more soldiers lives we risk down there, so unless you want to count the bodies, I suggest we get this done now."

"He has a point Cynder," said Spyro. Cynder shrugged, she had already been warned acting rashly is never the best course of action, but with many lives in the balance right now, it may have been their best option.

"Fine, but you two stay sharp and no foolish moves, okay?" she asked them.

"Deal," said Jak.

"Good, because there is a certain someone who needs you too, and I intend to see you both reunited."

Jak smirked, knowing that Cynder was referring to Keira. She wasn't the first one who had warned him about that, not that he needed reminded of course. Getting back to Keira was all that mattered to him, and he wasn't going to let a city wide war get in the way of that, including the madman who was leading the armies in the first place.

"Good luck you guys," said Spyro as he, Cynder and Sparx took flight again for the other wall, over the battle below. Jak and Calidan stood side by side ready to engage. Jak holstered his gun and equipped his new Beam Reflexor. Calidan noticed it immediately.

"Ready to see what that thing can do already huh?" he asked.

"Hey!" replied Daxter, "My Tess knows what she is doing, whatever this baby can do you can assure it turn this whole battlefield into a junkheap!" With that said, Jak took aim and fired his first shot at the closest spydroid, the yellow colored shot flew true and impacted the bot, shattering it to pieces, however to their amazement, it didn't stop there, the shot had rebounded to the next closest spydroid, then the next and eventually ended by blowing a sentinel to smithereens!

"Woah!" exclaimed Calidan, voicing everyone's shock, "explaining it is one thing, but witnessing is another!"

"We've got a winner here," said Jak, "let's see how much more punishment it can dish out!" He charged toward the remaining battalion, with Calidan following his lead with his own blaster. The sentinels flew in to attack, and Jak fired again, his shot destroying two sentinels as it rebounded once. From a distance of a couple yards, Calidan started firing at the spydroids as Jak advanced ahead. Within a few seconds, he had destroyed three of them, his weapon skills continuing to sharpen. However 10 more spydroids were still active and advancing toward them as well as 10 sentinels. Jak halted to fire his Beam Reflexor again, this time he fired three shots simultaneously, watching them all ricocheting through the battalion, reducing it by nearly half. The small victory was short lived however, as the real problem suddenly activated. The sniper cannon came to life, repositioning itself to direct its line of sight toward Jak! Daxter was the first to notice.

"Uh Jak?" he nervously stuttered, pointing toward the cannon. Jak saw what caught his attention and went wide eyed. The cannon charged itself as Jak noticed the glow from its laser barrel.

"JUMP!" yelled Calidan. Not a moment too soon for the laser fired right where Jak was standing a moment ago. Daxter kept a strong grip on Jak's shoulder as he fell to the ground. Jak immediately righted himself and fired at the cannon. Two shots hit the laser and ricocheted into the sky. Though the shots had made solid contact, the laser didn't appear to have any dents! However, it did reposition itself and set its sights on Jak again.

"Its tracking you! We have to draw its fire from different angles!" said Calidan.

"Then cover me! I'm getting in close!" Jak yelled back.

"You got it!" Calidan agreed as Jak then took off toward the right side of the cannon, firing at another spydroid before taking another shot at the laser. It stalled it, but only for a moment.

"This guy is nuts!" exclaimed Calidan, "but hey we both came from the wasteland, so I respect that." He went back to providing the cover Jak asked for, firing at two more sentinels before firing at the cannon. With the two men now firing at it, its targeting system was confused. Though it was capable of eliminating around a dozen hostiles in a matter of minutes, it could not understand how to react when being fired at from multiple directions. That was the main reason why a battalion was originally stationed with it to eliminate anyone who tried to sabotage it. However, it didn't count on this duo.

Jak continued to fire at the laser using his original blaster setting, to better preserve the ammo. Though the laser remained operational, it was starting to show some aesthetic damage. Calidan was mirroring his shots to maintain the confusion. The rest of the spy droids and sentinels converged on Jak as he approached the cannon. He retaliated though by switching to his scatter gun, and with a pull of the trigger, he blew all of them away, leaving only the cannon to deal with. Upon approaching the base, Jak spotted a hatch sealed magnetically. Since Jak wasn't much of a tech-head, he went with a more direct approach. He brought the butt of his gun and slammed it against the hatch, breaking it off. Inside he saw your normal configuration of wires and contact points that didn't make sense to him.

"You wouldn't happen to have a manual would you?" asked Daxter.

"I've got the manual right here," said Jak, pointing his blaster at the compartment.

BOOMM!

Calidan recoiled a bit from the minor explosion Jak caused by shooting into the control box of the sniper cannon. Minor discharge erupted from the body of the cannon as it shook momentarily. The cannon head fell down with a limp, a sign of permanent shutdown. Satisfied with the sight, Calidan walked up to Jak who had just put his gun down.

"Well, one down," he said.

"One to go," replied Jak.


Flying overhead gave the dragons all the advantage they needed over the battalion. Even the flying sentries were no match for them, all it took was a good hit with their paws or tails to knock them out of the sky, provided they avoided the rest of the gunfire. As for the grounded spydroids, Spyro blew an electric stream that screwed up their systems. The bots were not the problem however, as Cynder found out aggravatingly when the sniper cannon came alive and started targeting her. Fortunately she dodged the first three shots gracefully before hitting the robotic battalion that Spyro had stunned with a poison wheel attack, melting them all. Only the cannon was left, but it was having trouble trying to target two flying attackers at once. Spyro dodged two blasts before firing an Earth blast at the laser head. The blast ripped it off its connecting hinges leaving it useless. Though for good measure Spyro blew a fireball at its base blowing the rest of it away.

"Not bad purple boy," commented Cynder with a grin.

"Right back at you, you showed those robots real well," said Spyro.

"After the shot they took at me, they had it coming," Cynder finished.

"Looks like our two legged friends crushed their cannon as well!" shouted Sparx looking over to the opposite wall, where Jak and Calidan were waving their guns to them. Next to them was the sniper cannon with smoke billowing from its base.

"One thing left to do," said Spyro, "let's go pick them up."

Cynder nodded and then took off after him, with Sparx right behind. They flew over the battle below, where the KG were starting to gain some ground on the Freedom League, even though many from both sides had fallen. They arrived at Jak and Cal's wall suspending right above them.

"I'm thinking the weapons test went well?" asked Cynder looking at the deathbot pieces all around.

"Without a hitch," Daxter replied.

"Now let's get down there, plant this beacon and blow this thing away," said Jak. The dragons nodded and positioned themselves right above them and grasped their shoulders. They lifted them up and started descending down the wall. Both men had their guns at the ready as they touched down. The KG deathbots closest to them turned toward them and opened fire. They all either rolled or jumped out of the way. Jak fired his Beam Reflexor again, shattering three spy droids with one rebounding shot.

"Wow," commented Sparx, voicing his and the dragons shock. Jak continued the onslaught with four more shots, each one of them rebounding off multiple roboguards chipping away at them with each hit. The whole defense battalion watched the show continue until only one was left standing, barely. It seemed to observe the whole squad in pieces at its feet. It turned to retreat, until…

Booommm!

It shattered from the shot, everyone turned to see where it originated from. Calidan just stood there with an aiming blaster, with a smirk on his face. "Missed one," he told Jak, who shook his head, while the others chuckled.

Collecting himself, he ran over to the barricade with Daxter on his shoulder, pulling the beacon out of his bag. Upon reaching one of the barricade pillars, he stuck the beacon to it and pressed the glowing button. As he did, more roboguards could be seen rolling in from the industrial section.

"NOW CAPTAIN!"

He retreated with Daxter, along with the rest of the team following him. As the battalion retreated around him, Captain Striker put his finger to his helm. "Commander Torn, beacon is active."


"Send the package."

Torn heard the whole thing from the other side of the port, where he stood on the far walkway next to another guard who stood over a miniature launch system. The eco charged missile mounted to it was ready to fire.

"Copy that," said Torn, "do you have the signal?"

"The ping just came through sir, were locked on," said the guard.

"Fire"

The guard pulled the main lever, igniting the boosters and releasing the locking clamps. With a miniature rocket blastoff, the missile flew off toward the opposite end of the port.


The battalion had nearly reached the end of the walkway connecting the two districts. Jak and his team were still bringing up the rear, with roboguards still rolling after them. Jak equipped his Arc Wielder and turned around to fire them with another electric stream. It shocked all their systems bringing them out of their balls, and with another swing he overloaded all of them to the point where they exploded.

"Jak! Incoming!" yelled Daxter pointing toward the port. Jak turned and in horror saw the missile closing in, and flying over his head toward the barricade. He could literally feel the sonic boom from the thrusters, but held himself together to shout to the others...

"Get down now!"


See you next chapter!