Chapter 14: Bonds

Location: Sandover - Older Jak and Daxter

When Daxter returned with Maria to the bonfire, Jak looked over to see them approaching their group, he stood up to greet the newcomer. "Dax, who's your friend?" he asked causing the others around the fire to look at the strangely dressed girl.

"This is Maria, she is one the people who found me a few days ago when I got hurt." he explained. "She's the girl that was raised by lurkers." he smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you." she said shaking Jak's outstretched hand.

Jak smiled at her. "I've never met someone raised by lurkers, but I'm happy to meet you." he said. "I've got a few lurker friends, but I don't think they've ever raised one of our kind." he then saw the calm looking Clindra watching from afar. "But if your clan is anything like Clindra, I'd be honored to meet them."

Butt kisser. Jak heard his darker half mutter before going back to sleep.

Maria chuckled. "Honestly I'm shocked by how well you're taking this." she told him. "I was expecting a thug wanting to tell me that it was wrong that I raised by lurkers."

Jak shook his head. "You can't help how you were raised or by who you were raised by. he told her, taking the positive view on this subject. "What you can control is who and what you become." he looked at Daxter. "I've had a few rough years and during that time I've come to the conclusion that I could either become bitter and angry at everything..."

Something I'd like. Dark muttered quietly.

"Or I can put my past to work for me and look for a way to overcome it." he told her. "Same can be said about you." he pointed to Daxter. "He said your family was killed by killer lurkers, but Goldorph took you and others who were orphaned and raised you. You all could've become angry and bitter towards the lurkers and done harm to them, but instead; you are trying to make things work and even going so far as to create alliances with others." he smiled proudly at her. "I'm happy to meet somebody like you."

Maria's eyes widened in shock as she listened to Jak's speech to her and found herself liking this guy. "You're alright Jak." she said with a nod. "I've got a proposition for you and the villagers in the area, if you are willing to listen."

"Come, join us." the blue sage said to her. "We are willing to listen to you young lady. By the way, I'm the blue sage, Jorge" he pointed to the red sage next to him. "This is the red sage from Volcanic Crater."

The old red sage in his red glowing armor chuckled. "I am Atkin." he greeted her with a nod.

The blue sage then pointed to the next sage. "This is the yellow sage from Boggy Swamp that's near Rock Village." he introduced them.

The red sage smiled gleefully. "Nice ta meet ya. I'm Boe. We'll have'ta get ta'gether sometime and have a roast." he said shaking her hand joyfully.

Maria chuckled. "Quite the friends you have here." she c commented as she looked at how diverse these people were.

"Now don't go judging everyone cherry, just because they're a bit different." Sig said quietly next to her as she had taken a seat near him.

Looking up at the dark skinned elf, Maria's eyes widened as she took in the mechanical eye. "I-I..." she stuttered as she tried to understand how he could see with that.

Daxter chuckled. "You'll have ta get Sig ta tell ya the story of his fight with the metal head that caused that eye injury." He said with laughter in his voice.

"Best fight of my life!" Sig laughed.

"Speaking of the metal heads," Mar said gaining their attention. "We can't take anymore of their blitz attacks. We're lucky to have survive the attacks that have occurred." he sighed. "I know I'm a stranger amongst you, but I want to help."

"We have no way to really defend ourselves." the mayor stated.

"Other than our crude weapons, we have nothing." Daniel told the group.

"What you need is an army, protectors and a way to keep the creatures away from here." Mar said, gaining nods from a lot of people.

"Hero Spartacus from our village regained his courage, thanks to Jak and Daxter; he has friends from the wastes in the far north, passed Gol and Maia's citadel." the blue sage commented. "If he's able to get in contact with them, we could drive those monsters from the area." turning to Mar, he continued. "This eco wall that you were talking about sounds to be exactly what we need in the area. If we drive the creatures back and then build that wall, we would be safe from attacks and an invasion."

"One problem, where are you going to get the work force ta build that there wall and who is gonna harvest eco ta keep the wall a going?" Daxter inquired with a frown.

"Goldorph and his clan could do it." Maria said. "If it means they will have a say in this new city that this wall will protect."

"City?" Mar asked before looking around at everyone who began to nod. He suppose there would be one big city built once everything was said and done. Looking at the sages, he saw they were thinking deeply on this proposal. "I think the sages will have to think about this."

"What about channelers?" the mayor inquired. "Surely Jak isn't the only one around."

Jak sighed. "I'm not much of a channeler anymore. I can only use dark eco, though Samos thinks there might be a way to get my other channeling abilities back; he just doesn't know yet." he told the mayor. "Besides, I may be able to kill these creatures easily, but that doesn't mean that others can."

"Actually..." Mar began as Sig threw another branch on the fire causing everybody to flinch. "I'm a channeler." he looked at Jak. "If you teach me how to fight these monster like you do, then I can train others to do the same."

Jak looked at Daxter who shrugged at him. He didn't care, it'd be better than nothing and perhaps Sandover would have a chance this time. "Okay, but who will you teach?" he inquired.

Mar grinned. "We're not the only channelers alive." he told the younger man.

Location - Haven City (the future)

Ashelin typed onto the holographic display of the computer as she tried to connect the dots. Ever since she'd taken over from her father's regime, she'd been trying to re-establish contact with Spargus and create a good relationship with the former King of Haven City, Damas Mar. The task was beginning to get harder with ever step she took. The old criminals of Haven City that had been banished and not killed by her father or Erol had been welcomed into Spargus City and the council and nobles here in Haven believed that it she created an alliance with the city of the wastes that these criminals would re-enter Haven through the alliance; never mind that these people neither cared about Haven nor wanted anything to do with it.

Growling in frustration, she was truly convinced that her computer was conspiring against her with the rest of the council as it wasn't bringing up any files that she knew her father had on it. Tapping a finger on the table she decided to break down and contact somebody better with these things than her. Pulling her comm United out of her back pocket she waited for the person she was calling to pick up. Keira's face appeared. "Yes?" she answered sounding annoyed.

"My computer is acting up." she said to the mechanic who gave her a sigh.

"I'll be up in fifteen." she said before closing the channel to the Govenoress.

Ashelin sighed as she had no choice but to wait. The doors of her office suddenly opened as Torn walked into the room. "Commander, what can I do-" she began but was interrupted by his very annoyed looking facial expression. "What happened?"

"Jinx blew up the old headquarters." he growled. "He said you gave him permission to do so."

"I did not." she told him taking the paper he suddenly thrusted out at her. She read the orders before frowning. "Somebody is conspiring against me." she said. "Where are Jak and Daxter?" she inquired. "I'd like them to take out a nest of metal heads that have decided to nest near the city gates in Haven Forest."

"Don't have a clause. Can't get ahold of them on the comms." he said before grasping her arm. "And what do you mean somebody is conspiring against you?"

She pulled her atm away from his grasp. "My fathers computer suddenly locked up on me after I began finding files on certain council members." she said softly. "I wouldn't doubt that this room is bugged and now these orders that Jinx carried out that have my signature upon them. I never sent that order out!"

Torn usually liked it when Ashelin's blood would begin to boil about something. It meant she'd offer him a spar that usually led to something else, but this was getting his blood to boil in the wrong way. "A spy?"

"Maybe." she said when the doors opened again to reveal Keira.

"What seems to be the problem." she asked the brunette.

"I'm locked out of the system." she told her as she let Keira get into a seat and watched the mechanic work her magic.

Keira ran her hands over the holographic keyboard. A frown appearing upon her face as she typed in several codes that Dr. Vincent had taught her long ago before he died in the attack on the city many months ago. When the display suddenly came up. "Somebody changed all your passwords and rerouted the information to another computer system." she told the Govenoress. "I found the computer. It's a station four at the Freedom League HQ." she began to write a series of numbers down and handed it to Torn. "That's the computer that it was routed to." she told him before standing after writing the new passwords down. "I uploaded a trojan that will attack any forgiven attacker from an outside system." she then looked at Ashelin. "I was wondering, why did you ask people to remove me from my apartment? I've been forced to move into New Haven district." she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I didn't." Ashelin told her. "People have been getting orders from me that I haven't been sending out."

Keira frowned. "It may have something to do with Jak and Daxter being sent somewhere." she said thinking that them vanishing into the past may have something to do with this.

"Where are they?" Ashelin asked in a demanding tone.

Keira shook her head. "I don't know exactly, but Onin May be able to give you more information." she said before turning and leaving the two leaders behind as she went to talk to her father and tell him what she'd just learned. "Somebody was undermining Ashelin's authority.

Location - Gyser Rock (young Jak and Daxter)

The calm blue swirling of the warp gate suddenly was disrupted as first a young teen of sixteen years old popped out of the water like surface with a tiny orange and powder puff yellow creature landing inches from him. "Great!" the familiar voice of Daxter sounded as he found himself annoyed. "Ole Greenie can't help me." he pointed up at his best friend. "You, my brother, this is all your fault!"

Jak rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at Daxter apologetically.

"Don't give me those crocadog eyes!" Daxter yelled at him. "I'm mad at you! I said it was a bad idea!"

Jak waved his hand at Daxter before giving him another look.

"Oh? Don't give me that crap!" he yelled. "How was I suppose ta know?" he narrowed his eyes. "How about the fact that those creepy people appeared out of nowhere? How about when the glowing thingy began making noise? How about-"

Jak rolled his eyes as Daxter began to drone on and on about how this was all his fault. He knew that! He didn't need to be reminded any more that he already was. His friend who was like a brother to him, had been turned into a rat type ferret creature. It was as creepy as it was...cute. He looked around the island that Samos had sent them to train. Well, it was the beginning of an adventure and he could help but feel some excitement at that. Hey, who knows, maybe they'd discover interesting things as they made their way north in search for the Akron siblings.

M-Angel: So I'm hoping to get this story finished by chapter 30, but no promises. Does anybody want to create a channeler character that will be featured in this story? You'll get credit for it!