"We are rapidly running out of time."
Seem had called a meeting of her monks, some of Spargus' high-ranking citizens (including Sig, obviously), Jak and Daxter, and Veger. Kleiver, as the owner of the garage, which doubled as the city gates, was one of the aforementioned citizens and as such was in attendance. However, he was busy sulking in the corner.
"I have finished translating the scroll Daxter retrieved from the Marauder base," the monk continued, "and I have learned that what the Marauders are planning is more terrible than we anticipated. They are planning to perform a ritual to give them all the powers of the Precursors!"
Most of the people present gasped in horror. Daxter was speechless and Jak was starting to sweat. Even Kleiver had forgotten about his sulking and gave Seem his undivided attention. Veger clenched and unclenched his hands nervously. If the scroll warranted this kind of a meeting, then the rest couldn't be good.
"There were a few notes written in the margins of the scroll that were particularly disconcerting. One of them confirmed our fears: they know the secret of the Precursors."
"Spargus was supposed to be the only human settlement on the planet to know that the Precursors are really ottsels, and all the citizens have been sworn to secrecy. How could the Marauders have found out?" one of the men in attendance asked.
"That brings us to one of the other disconcerting notes I deciphered. Though it did not give a name, or even a description, it confirmed that there is a traitor among us," Seem continued.
Panic surged through the room. Though no one showed any outward signs of dread, everyone felt it. Everyone waited silently for Seem to continue, hoping for some good news.
"To perform this ritual, they need to construct a ring out of certain artifacts. Once this has been done, they must place the corpse of a Precursor in the center. An incantation is recited, and the Precursor's energy is drained and transferred into those nearest the circle. The energy can only be split into three even portions. If there are any more humans present, they will not get the full benefit. In addition, the Precursor must be freshly killed."
Veger gulped. If they had been willing to kill him and Daxter, then they must have been ready to perform the ritual!
"The ring will be destroyed once the ritual is complete. Therefore, repeat rituals call for more artifacts. As of right now, I believe they are ready to perform the ritual twice. If just one of them gets even a sliver of Precursor power, it could spell doom for us all. We must protect Daxter and Veger at all costs!"
"Or, we could nip this in the bud and kill them right now!" someone yelled. Several others voiced their agreement. Daxter and Veger looked at each other nervously. They knew Jak would protect Daxter with his life, but would he extend that same protection to Veger?
"No way!" Sig said, getting to his feet. Everyone immediately quieted down and turned their gaze from the young monk to him. "Veger and Daxter are both legal citizens of Spargus. And besides, do you think the Precursors would turn a blind eye to the murder of two of their own? There's no doubt that their punishment would exceed anything I could deal out."
Quiet muttering signaled their assent, and Seem once again had the floor. "It's time we went on the offensive. We must get into the Marauders' stronghold and steal the artifacts back."
"A raid? Sweet!"
"No way, stealth is the better option!"
"Stealth is for sissies. I say we go in, guns blazing!"
As everyone argued over the best approach, Seem and Sig tried to calm everyone down. Big arguments led to big fights, which led to big problems. Veger was one of the few people who stayed in his seat amidst the chaos, for fear he'd get stepped on. However, getting stepped on was going to be the least of his worries in a moment.
Across the room, Daxter was sitting on Jak's shoulder as he tried to break up a fight. He happened to turn his head to the right at the exact moment that one of the men at the meeting slipped outside… with a moving sack in his hand. Daxter suddenly noticed that Veger was nowhere to be found and put two and two together.
"Oh, no!" Daxter leaped from Jak's shoulder and squeezed through the crowd. He burst through the doors to the hallway and looked around anxiously. He spotted the man heading down the stairs and ran after him. "Hey!"
The Wastelander glanced over his shoulder before taking off. Daxter slid down the railing and hit the ground running. He had almost reached the elevator when it began its descent. "Damn it!" the ottsel cursed. That was the only way down!
On the ground, the Wastelander left the elevator, feeling smug. Suddenly a small mammal tackled him from behind and latched onto his head.
"You can't get rid of me that easily!" Daxter, who'd hidden on the top of the elevator, said.
Angrily, the Wastelander grabbed Daxter and threw him into a wall with all of his strength. Daxter's head hit the stone and he blacked out immediately.