"This don't bode well, cherry," Sig said. He and Jak were in the throne room of the palace. Jak had just relayed the recent events to Sig, who was none too happy about it. "If they're after artifacts and ottsels, they might know the Precursors' secret."
"But how could they know?" Jak asked. "And what could they be planning?"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Sig replied. "We're gonna have to find out."
"And by that, you mean I have to find out."
"Pretty much."
"I'll go grab Dax and we'll head out," Jak said. He walked into the elevator and waited as it descended. As he waited for the elevator to touch down, he wondered what exactly happened in the Marauder stronghold. When he finally made it back to the hospital, he overheard Daxter and Veger talking.
"…think you should tell Jak," Daxter was saying.
"Why should I? It's not any of his business. Besides, would he even believe me?" Veger replied.
"Well, it might make him hate you less."
"I don't want his pity," Veger said. He sighed, exasperated. "I knew I never should have told you."
Told him what? Jak wondered.
"Hey, if you want me to keep my mouth shut, I will. Precursor's honor."
Veger was silent for a moment. "… Thank you."
Realizing he wasn't going to get any more information by eavesdropping, Jak entered. He walked over to Daxter, who was still standing on a chair next to the bed. The ottsel grinned up at his friend. "I knew you couldn't resist rubbing it in." He climbed onto Jak's shoulder. "Go ahead."
Jak looked at Daxter, then glared down at Veger. Veger returned his glare, though it was more out of annoyance with the situation than out of actual anger. Jak stayed silent, wondering whether he should confront the two of them now, or ask Daxter about it later.
Speaking of whom, the ottsel was getting antsy in the silence. He flicked Jak's ear. "Hey, you gonna say anything or what?"
Jak looked at his little buddy. "We've got more important things to worry about. Sig thinks the Marauders might know the truth about the Precursors…"
Veger sat up abruptly in alarm, ignoring the sharp shooting pain in his chest. "What? How could they… Are you sure?"
"That's what we're going to find out. C'mon, Dax." Jak turned and started to leave the hospital room. Daxter glanced back at the older ottsel. "You'd better not tell," Veger's glare seemed to say.
As Jak and Daxter drove through the Wasteland, Jak was, surprisingly, the first to speak. "What did Veger tell you?"
"Huh?"
"I heard you and Veger talking before I came in. You said you thought he should tell me something." Jak looked at his friend. "Tell me what?"
Daxter looked away, watching the scenery fly by. Finally, he spoke, choosing his words carefully (for once). "It's… It's something really personal that he… shared with me while we were imprisoned. I can't tell what happened to him but…" Daxter paused, deciding what parts he should share. "…what I can tell you is this: Veger used to be best friends with Praxis--"
"What a surprise."
"--and Damas."
"Come again?"
"It happened while Damas was still ruling Haven. Praxis betrayed Veger, but framed Damas for it. I guess Veger did what he did because he wanted revenge." Daxter looked up at Jak. "Kind of like you did."
Jak remained silent, thinking about what he'd just heard. After a while, he asked. "What did Praxis do?"
"I gave my word that I wouldn't tell you. I'm not going to betray Veger's trust. I've already told you more than I think he'd want you to know. All I can say now is that it's really painful for him."
The hero pondered this new information. He knew Praxis was ruthless and had hurt a lot of people, but… he didn't know that manipulative bastard had been able to turn one of his father's closest friends against him. What if Veger had known the truth back then? What would be different? Would Praxis have been brought to justice? Would Damas still be in power? Would Jak have grown up with his father instead of being sent back in time?
"There it is," Daxter said. Inside those walls, the Marauders were scheming, planning something. Inside those walls, one of the Marauders was probably still mesmerized by his shiny new trinket. Daxter had a mini-mission to complete:
Retrieve Veger's locket.