Keira opened her eyes slowly. She was buried underneath her blankets with her book lying close by her arm, and still wearing her clothes from the day before. Pulling the bed sheets off herself, she rubbed her eyes sleepily and saw that the curtains in her bedroom were still undrawn, letting in the morning light just like yesterday. Today, however, the streets outside were empty and the city was ominously quiet... almost as if it were in a state of mourning.
She picked up the discarded book, placed it on the bedside table, and then sat up. Her memories from the uncertain day before slowly returned to her, and she realised that she still knew nothing of clarity concerning the city's most recent events. There was a snatch of something in her mind, something that made her think she understood it all, but eventually she dismissed it as the residue of an unremembered dream. In reality, she had evidently failed to stay awake long enough last night to see her father return home with an explanation for what was really happening. But was he here now?
She climbed out of bed, put on her dressing gown, and then left her bedroom to look for him.
The house was silent.
"Daddy?" she called softly from the top of the stairs, not knowing if she would get an answer or not.
Had her father already departed for Freedom HQ again? Would she have to spend another long and lonely day waiting for him to return?
No. He appeared at the bottom of the stairs a few seconds after she had called, emerging from his plant room, and looking morose. Even from one floor above him, she could see the emotion in his eyes, amplified by his spectacles, and could tell that something was deeply troubling him. She had seen that look before, but it was a long time ago, or so it felt. It was the day when Jak had been banished to the Wasteland.
"Daddy... what's happened?" she asked, fearfully and hesitantly. She sensed bad news.
Samos drew a long breath before answering. "Come down, Keira," he said, beckoning her gently. "I need to speak with you."
She did as she was bidden, but her heart felt heavier with every step she took down. Samos motioned into the front room, gesturing for her to sit on one of the couches. Keira did, but she hardly felt its softness.
Once she was seated, her father joined her at her side. "I will tell you everything that happened yesterday, Keira," he began difficultly, "But be warned, you will find some of it shocking."
Keira listened in absolute silence.
"Early yesterday morning, our bombing fleet returned, and I was summoned to Freedom HQ to see them. But they numbered only thirteen cruisers, and just one bomber that was badly damaged. It turns out they were all that remained of our squadron."
Keira took a sharp intake of breath and her heart jumped. So Azyma's recollection yesterday had been accurate. But she said nothing as her father continued, waiting in tense silence for his next words.
"I went to see them in the hangar. The pilots were exhausted and shaken, and they told a dramatic story. They spoke of how they encountered an enemy defence force over the ocean, one that had flown out to pre-emptively intercept them. A mighty battle ensued, during which many crafts both of ours and theirs were destroyed. Our squadron lost more than half of its numbers before it had ever reached its target."
Keira's eyes widened as she took in the facts, imagining the faraway battle with vivid clarity. Her intelligent mind started to piece it all together and predict the rest of the story... but its ending was one that she prayed would not be true.
"Though they were able to hold them off and eventually defeat their attackers," Samos continued, "By the time all of the enemy jets were destroyed and the way was clear, our squadron was no longer strong enough to carry out its mission. They had no other option but to abort and turn back home."
He paused, and Keira held her breath, hoping that he would not say what she was dreading. Samos looked his daughter deep in the eyes and held her hand, speaking slowly and regretfully.
"Keira... the survivors also said... that Jak's cruiser... was among those that did not make it back."
Keira's face went very pale, her skin froze over, and for a long moment she saw and heard nothing. It was as she feared. Then she returned to reality as the terrible understanding crashed down upon her with force. Jak was lost. She flung herself around her father in a tight embrace, unable to hold back her sobbing tears that flowed freely. Samos held her too, but could do little to alleviate her pain. He shed a tear of his own as well, for he had raised Jak ever since he was a small child back at Sandover Village. He had been like a father to him, and likewise, Jak had become like a son to himself.
For a long time they sat on that couch, locked together in a mournful embrace, unwilling to ever let go. But they had to, for Samos had yet more to say.
"Keira," he said, holding his daughter by the shoulders, "Listen to me. As terrible as this may seem, we cannot give up hope. Jak has survived much greater disasters than this, and I am sure he's still alive somewhere. And Daxter too. I have already spoken to the plants on this matter, and they have not yet accepted their demise. The Freedom League has listed them as missing, not dead, and they're preparing a search and rescue team right now. We will find them."
These words gave Keira a faint spark of hope, and she finally withdrew, rubbing at her damp eyes. "Is there anything else?" she asked in between faltering sobs.
"Yes..." said Samos. "Torn and Ashelin also did not make it back."
Keira's heart jumped again, nearly as painfully as it had the first time. Though she was nowhere near as close to Ashelin or Torn as she was with Jak — in fact, she had hardly ever spoken to either of them, and did not consider themselves friends — it was still a great shock to hear that they had suffered the same fate.
"This means the city is without experienced, appointed leaders," Samos went on, "So I have accepted a position of command in the city council until they are found."
"Oh," said Keira with emptiness.
To her, this meant even more time alone. With her father having to be constantly at work still, her only companions would be Tess and Azyma. She would have to go and see them again; she promised to let them know anything as soon as she found out. But right now she was in no condition to pay them a visit.
For the rest of the morning, Keira stayed at home with her father, trying to recover from the crushing news. It was difficult, painful and slow, but she knew that she needed to be strong and keep her hopes up. What her father had said about Jak was correct; he was a resilient man who had been through many hardships, and if there was anyone who could make it back from the depths of uncertainty, it would be him. After all, he had done it before, back when the city had exiled him to the Wasteland. They had all thought him lost then, but after weeks of no contact, he quietly returned to the city without warning or fanfare to carry on the fight. If he could do it once, then perhaps he could do it again. Keira seized at this possibility like a lifeline, taking any hope she could find that would prevent her from drowning in her own despair.
At last, in the afternoon, she finally felt ready to visit The Naughty Ottsel. She set off by herself, but noticed as she walked through the sad streets that she was not alone in her grief. The news had already been made public, and she passed several tearful families gathered together, all mourning someone who had not returned from the battle. This made Keira realise that Tess and Azyma would most likely already know as well... but she still had to see them.
When she entered the pub, it was like walking into an entirely different building; no spark of any liveliness or good cheer was to be felt, all evaporated by the news on this dark day. The few patrons who were there were huddled together in quiet groups, speaking in reserved and respectful tones. Azyma was at the bar counter alone, looking solemn, but she noticed Keira the moment she entered, and waved her over.
"I heard the news, Keira," she said gently. "I'm really sorry. I know you were close to Jak and Daxter." She sounded almost as mournful about this as Keira herself felt.
"It's OK, Azyma," said Keira bravely, with a small sniff. "But thank you. Where's Tess?"
"She's in the back room, thinking things out. You might want to go speak with her."
Keira nodded. Azyma let her around the table, and Keira knocked on the door leading into the back room and entered, announcing herself. "Tess? It's Keira."
The back room, Tess's living quarters, was a spacious converted office. Tess was sitting on the bed by the wall. She looked up at Keira, and it was clear that she was still very upset about losing Daxter. Her eyes shone with pools of tears, and Keira stepped over and they embraced tightly. She felt tears forming in her eyes again too, but tried to hold them back so as not to worsen the already low morale in the room. But it was impossible. It was a long, sad silence, broken only by their barely subdued sobs.
"We've got to keep it together," Keira managed to say, some time later, "And we've got to keep up hope. My father's going to do everything he can to find them."
Tess still found it hard to speak, but with Keira's company and reassurance, she was soon able to give her first smile of the day. Just a momentary twitch of the lips, but it was a smile all the same.
"Thank you for coming by, Keira," she said with fragility. "I think I'll be OK. Oh, I just hope they find Daxie. And Jak too, of course."
Keira smiled humbly. "I'll let you know as soon as there's any more news. If you need anything, just call me, and I'll be here."
"I will. Thanks, Keira."
They hugged again, and they both knew that they were truly in this together now, connected closely as one by their shared loss. But as long as they supported one another through this uncertain tragedy, they knew that everything would somehow work out alright. Jak and Daxter would be found, and they would make it home to be with them again.
The afternoon was starting to grow old by the time Keira returned to her house, and she encountered her father at the front door preparing to leave for Freedom HQ. She took advantage of the moment immediately.
"Daddy, can I come with you today?" she asked, seeking a distraction from the grief, while at the same time thirsty for more information about what was going to happen next, and the possibility of being able to do something about it.
"Of course, Keira," Samos answered, and they set off together.
It did not take them long to reach their destination. The streets were still quiet and the barrier around the courtyard of Freedom HQ was still manned. The guards there recognised Samos and let him pass immediately, but halted Keira from following.
"Let her through!" ordered Samos sharply. "She's my daughter and under my supervision."
"Of course," said the guard, hastily stepping aside. "Forgive me."
Keira recognised his voice; it was the same guard who she had met and spoken to at this barrier yesterday with Tess and Azyma. She could tell that he recognised her as well, and he gave her a quick, courteous nod as she walked by. She returned it.
Keira passed by the large fountain from where she had watched the fleet take flight, and then stepped into the shadow of the immense building, and looked up to its great height. At last she was going to see the inside again, but what would she learn? Continuing through the wide front door, they boarded the first lift and headed straight up, many storeys high, until they emerged into the spacious main control room. The floor here was metal, illuminated by the technological glow of large, wall-sized computer screens. A circular terminal the size of a large table was in the centre of the room, and around it were gathered a group of commanders and other officials, deep in conversation. But they paused and looked up when Samos entered, and immediately they saluted him.
"Ah," said one of the commanders, "Welcome back, sir. We've..."
"Don't call me 'sir'!" snapped Samos, thumping his walking stick on the ground in disapproval. "And don't salute me! I hate being saluted."
"Oh, err, sorry si— I mean Samos," said the commander, hastily dropping his arm. "Anyway, we've just finished building up the search and rescue team. They include some of the finest and most experienced scouts we have, and two survivors from the last battle to guide them."
"But are you sure it is now absolutely safe to proceed?" asked Samos, walking forwards, Keira following in his wake. "Have you found a resolution to the concerns we raised yesterday? We cannot afford to waste any more good men's lives."
One of the other commanders stepped forward, his face cast ominously in the red light of the computer terminal. "I fought in that last battle, Samos. We wiped out all of the enemies that were there, and if they were their last defence like we think they were, I don't think they'll pose much of a threat anymore."
"But you cannot just dismiss such an enemy like that," said Samos, who had now reached the central console. "I am sure that they must have little strength left by now, but we must not be frivolous at a time like this. We did not expect them to launch such a defensive as they did, and who knows what else they may have reserved. We need more information before we act. What have we learned so far?"
One of the scientists stepped forward and pressed a button on the console. A series of holographic charts and data arrays appeared for all to see, hovering in the centre of the display. "As well as the frequency of recent attacks, we've also seen a reduction of their number and destructive efficiency, as far as we've been able to measure. I've found an exponential trend that shows the drop in their forces, excluding that last battle." He traced his finger down a descending line that was flickering on a graph. "I can say with confidence that we should have little to fear from them right now. Besides, our objective is not to engage them again, but to search for our own survivors."
"The only real problem is the distance," said another man beside him. "The site of the battle is hours away, and any search team is going to be out of range for proper communication. It won't be easy if something should go wrong. But it's all we have to work with…"
Keira stood just behind her father on the edge of the group, watching and listening silently as the discussions continued into the logistics of the search effort. She felt very out of place here, as if she were but an uninteresting ornament in the corner with nothing to contribute, unheeded by everyone. It was very different to her past visits, when she could actually be of some help with something, little though it was she could offer. A technical suggestion here and there, a useful piece of knowledge from her reading perhaps. Her mind wandered and once again returned straight to Jak. Without him here, this room felt much emptier and more unwelcoming. Just a bunch of nameless uniforms babbling on another level.
"How are you getting on with that salvaged teleporter technology, by the way?" asked Samos after ten more minutes of intensive talking, and Keira realigned her attention to this point of interest. "We could really use it to improve our search and travel efficiency."
"It's still slow work, Samos," explained the lead scientist regretfully, "But I think we're starting to understand it a little better. We've done our best to reverse-engineer it, and any day now, my team and I should be ready to start working on our own versions from scratch."
"Alright, good," said Samos. "Continue with your hard work. But we cannot wait until they are ready. Every further hour we waste is precious. Are there any last concerns that we should be aware of?"
Nobody around the table spoke up.
"Fine," said Samos. "Then we must commence the search in the only way we can. Is the team ready?"
"They're in the hangar awaiting the order, Samos," said one of the commanders.
"Good. Tell them to go now then."
The commander pressed a button on the edge of the console, spoke the order, and he received an acknowledgement from the team. Within a minute, a cluster of blinking signals appeared on the monitors, signifying that they had left the hangar and embarked on their hopeful endeavour.
"There they go. May they fly far and discover at least some clues as to our heroes' whereabouts," said the commander virtuously, but then he spoke with some worry.
Keira now approached the computer radar monitor, and watched the blips on the screen move further away as conversation in the room continued without her. So the search and rescue had officially begun, but it felt so insignificant after all this. All the sadness from earlier now gave way to silent indignation. She was angry about losing Jak, and angry that it had taken so long already for the search and rescue team to even set off. Nearly a whole day had been wasted, a day that could make all the difference in his chances of survival or being found. Why had this taken so long? She wanted to say something, to express her frustrations, but she was afraid to speak up.
"This is my daughter Keira, by the way," Samos then said, and Keira looked up quickly at the sound of her name. Suddenly everyone was looking at her now, and it was a little uncomfortable in front of so many unfamiliar faces. But she figured she may as well try and be polite about it, and she stood up straighter, swallowed her negative feelings and gave a half-hearted smile.
"She has helped us here before, and she has great potential," continued her father, "But she is most generously gifted in mechanics and engineering."
The surviving commander standing opposite her leaned in closer over the central terminal, a look of supplicant interest on his face. "Ah, then perhaps she would be interested to help my team and I in the hangar?" he suggested. "We could make use of her skills to help us fix the damaged cruisers that made it back, if she is willing."
Samos looked to his daughter, awaiting her decision, and Keira couldn't find words for a moment. This is it, something inside her said, knocking on the inside of her head for attention, and it lit a little spark of enthusiasm somewhere deeper. This is your chance to get involved. To do something that matters!
"Sure," she said.
"Good, I'll escort you there then," said the commander gladly.
Samos nodded at her approvingly, and Keira made another little smile. She'd got her wish. Was it really that simple? She'd wanted something to do to help take her mind off the situation, to make her feel that she was contributing in some useful way, and her old passion would be just the right medicine. Well, let's get going then.
She and the commander left the room and descended together in the lift. "I'm Vis, by the way," he said on the way down, extending a hand.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Vis," replied Keira, politely shaking his hand in return. Up close, she noticed that he looked very worn out and sleep-deprived, and she guessed he wasn't as old as he looked, but his face was kind and friendly. "Was that last battle really as bad as people say it was?" she asked him.
"Oh boy," said Vis darkly, looking away, and his face changed. "You don't know the half of it. Those jets just swamped us from out of nowhere. Damn those bastards! I lost a lot of good and loyal men out there."
Keira felt sorry for him, but did not really know the best way to try and offer comfort. Vis was a soldier, and he had probably seen and done things that Keira could never even dream of doing herself. She really wanted to ask him about Jak and his actions in the battle, but she did not have the heart even for that. A strange and sombre moment fell between them.
The lift came to a halt and the doors slid open before either of them spoke again, and there before them was the entranceway to the hangar. Vis gestured for Keira to follow as he stepped out, leading down the corridor. To Keira, it was a beautiful place, and she admired everything as she passed through, forgetting her sadness for a moment. Spare Hellcat cruisers and other vehicles were docked in bays along the walls for the full length of the building, which stretched onwards for what seemed like miles. They had to be underground, for the entire hangar looked much bigger than the outside of the HQ Building suggested. Vis led her through until on their left was a gap in the line of aircraft. This opened up into a spacious workshop where all the repair work was happening. Several men were already there, busy working on the cruisers that had made it back, and the room was alive with sparkling activity.
"Well, here we are," Vis said to her, and picking up a spare wrench that happened to be lying nearby, he rattled it against a piece of metal propped against the wall. The ringing metallic sound brough the room into silence, and everyone stopped working to pay attention.
"Alright guys, listen up! This is Keira, Samos's daughter. She's come to help us repair some of the vehicles."
The men looked up from their work and were immediately taken aback by the sight of Keira. Again, she tried to produce a polite smile, feeling rather strange about all this. It was like a spotlight was on her.
"A girl?" said one of the workers in surprise, and the rest all began muttering to each other.
Though Keira couldn't make out their words, she caught a few sneering at what must have been some shared joke. This made her feel challenged. Did they doubt her just because she was a girl? Her leftover negative feelings quickly began to rile up, goading her to retaliate or say something snippy. But Vis stood up for her first.
"Hey, show some respect!" he snapped. "Samos says she's very talented, and I say you should give her a chance." He turned encouragingly to her. "Go on Keira, show 'em what you can do."
Keira glared at the doubtful engineers still sniggering, but here was the chance to prove herself. She strode confidently towards the nearest cruiser that she could see, propped up on an inspection frame.
"I wouldn't bother going anywhere near that one, babe!" called one of the men almost at once. "The engine's all mangled and jammed inside and not even our best guy can get it out. It's had it!"
Keira flatly ignored him and continued regardless, walking all around the vehicle and inspecting every side. It was pretty beat up, she had to admit, and though she didn't show it, she silently questioned whether she really had it in her to fix it completely. She'd worked on a few Hellcats before, but not many, since they were restricted vehicles. But first things first: identify the problem. She crouched down and took a look underneath it.
"Don't hurt yourself, sugar!" jeered another mechanic. "You wouldn't want to scratch a fingernail!"
All of his comrades chuckled, but Keira paid them no attention whatsoever. She had more important things to worry about than her fingernails! But from here, she could see the engine panel, and discovered that the mechanics weren't kidding; it was in really bad shape, and Keira thought it a miracle that its pilot had even managed to fly it back here like this.
Then she stood up again and walked around to the other side, thinking hard. Here she found and analysed a certain plate of metal just behind the cockpit hatch.
"Ooh! I think she's on to something!" mocked an engineer. "Looks like she's found... the fuselage!"
All the men burst into derisive laughter, absolutely relishing Keira's apparent cluelessness. But a sly and confident smile slowly spread across her cheeks. She knew exactly what to do, and now was the time to show it. These mechanics had no idea what she was capable of.
She casually leant against the vehicle, watching them laugh for a moment, and then struck her fist firmly against the plate of metal.
Thump. Clang!
At once, the whole engine dropped cleanly through the underside, hitting the hangar floor. The noise reverberated around the entire workshop, leaving absolute silence. All the mechanics were thunderstruck, staring with their mouths hanging wide open. Then Keira stood up straight, placed both her hands on her hips and cocked one eyebrow, a look of unbeatable smugness on her face that dissolved whatever doubt remained. Someone across the room dropped their wrench, and everybody heard it.
By the doorway, Vis smiled proudly at the scene unfolding. That had been his cruiser, and he knew how badly damaged it was; it had died the moment he landed it in here, and even he thought it was far beyond repair. Keira had definitely proven herself capable, and spectacularly.
"Well, I can see you're right at home here, Keira," he said. "I'll leave you to it. Have fun with the rest of the boys." He gave his men one final look, a silent command to behave themselves, and then he was gone.
The rest of the workers were still in a state of stunned bewilderment, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. They watched as Keira disappeared underneath the cruiser again to commence the repairs, and as she lay on her back fiddling with the machinery, she could not help but smile from ear to ear. All of the sadness and negative feeling from earlier had totally evaporated, replaced with a glowing success and enjoyment.
Man, she felt great right now!