Chapter Five:

Return to Haven

The Sand Shark sped over the top of a dune. At the speed it was currently going it flew many feet in the air before slamming back down in to the soft sand. The harsh wind whipped sand into their faces and the sky was dark from the sand storm that was approaching. The storm was just starting now, but it wouldn't be long before it picked up enough momentum to flip the Sand Shark, leaving them stranded in the desert without protection from the deadly winds when they picked up sand.

Jak used a turbo to speed up, while avoiding the shots fired from a following marauder. Erin sat in the passenger seat, clutching to the Precursor artifacts they had managed to collect before the storms started up again.

Ahead of them in the dusty horizon they could see Spargus City's signal fire high atop an unseen tower. Without navigation systems in the buggies, it was the only way of finding one's way back to the city to seek refuge from the deadly desert storms.

The winds were all ready starting to pick up speed. The sand that blasted the Sand Shark also whipped at any uncovered skin, leaving red welts and a stinging sensation.

The haze in the distance slowly parted, revealing the gates to Spargus. Jak used another turbo to speed past another marauder who was attempting to cut them off. He managed to slam into their back tire, turning them dangerously at an angle as the turbo boost kept firing fuel. Jak slammed on the breaks as they shot towards the outer defensive wall of the city, instead of through the opening gates. Their momentum continued to drag them forward as the sands slowed them down.

When they came to a stop, Jak reversed the Sand Shark and aimed for the incoming marauders. The terrible thing about this dune buggy was that you had to be head-on with your enemy to fire, dangerous when going at high speeds, especially when an enemy is heading directly for you.

Four marauders were speeding toward them as Jak opened fire. Once the first two exploded he pressed the gas a little to aim for the remaining two. The last one exploded not far in front of their bumper. Jak didn't have time to celebrate. He threw the Shark into reverse, spun around, and sped through the large, open doors to the Spargus City garage.

The large protective doors slid close, cutting out the outside world. Thought the deafening sound of the wind had been cut down to a low roar, it still could easily be heard over the purr of the Sand Shark's engine. Jak pulled the Shark into its rightful parking spot and turned it off.

Jak pulled off his goggles and turned to Erin, "Are you all right?"

Erin pulled of her protective goggles as well, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jak could easily see that her face was red and raw from the wind and sand. He felt guilty because if they had left the last artifact they had found they could have made it back to the safety of the city long before the storm had worsened. He had decided that they had had enough time to retrieve it before getting caught in the storm. He would have been right, if the damned marauders hadn't caught sight of them.

Jak slid his hand over hers, "Next time we will get back long before the storms pick up speed."

Even her hand was wind burnt, but she still squeezed his hand back, ignoring the small pains.

After a moment, they pulled their hands away. Erin pushed the remaining artifacts they had collected in the sack and climbed out of the now silent buggy. Jak followed suit and met her on her side of the vehicle.

"You shouldn't be so careless, if you had been any later you both could have been lost in the storm," the King approached with his usual tone. He didn't wait for the typical answer from the youth of "we can handle ourselves" and continued his thoughts. Erin handed him the bag and he quickly assessed the haul they had brought them. "You had a nice run in the desert," he gave them one of his hidden compliments. He pulled out an item that was different from the rest. He recognized the craftsmanship, it was just like the chest armor he had saved away for his lost son.

He glanced up at Jak and tossed the armor at him. He caught it easily.

"That armor, it is very rare, indeed. It's the very armor Mar once wore in his battles for this planet, long ago. Keep it for yourself. Trust me, you'll need it."

Jak nodded his thanks.

Damas turned his attention to Erin. "Here is another blaster mod for your assistance, it is much appreciated." He handed her a yellow cylinder, the mod for the Beam Reflexor.

Erin slid the cylinder into her morph-gun and watched at the gun took it's new form. The gun grew longer and two prongs added around the barrel, refining the shot and allowing it to bounce off of walls. "Thanks, Damas."

Damas gave a wave of his had that said that she needn't thank him.

The King turned his back on the two and headed out of the garage, his people would need the Precursor artifacts they now had in their hands, he hadn't a second to loose.

The giant form of Kleiver skulked out of the shadows where he had been leaning on the larger buggy, the Gila Stomper. "Well, if the ankle-biters don't keep multiplying, we may very well have a war on our hands."

Jak gave a harsh glare in Kleiver's direction, as he was looking hard down at Erin. Jak had hated the man the instant he had met him, and it was obvious the feelings were mutual.

"The name is Kleiver, and you are…?" He drawled down at Erin.

"Erin," she answered shortly, not liking the man's tone.

"Allow me to offer the same healthy advice I gave your boyfriend, stay out of my way and you won't get hurt," the giant of a man, and not just height, snarled at her.

Jak about stepped forward and made Kleiver eat his words, but Erin stopped him as Kleiver walked away. "Just let him think he's intimidating," Erin answered Jak's questioning gaze.

If Jak didn't like Kleiver before, now he absolutely loathed him.

"Have a plan for getting back to Haven City?" Erin asked trying to get Jak's thoughts off of killing Kleiver.

After a moment Jak, calmed down, even thought Jak knew Erin was distracting him on purpose. "I think we should take one of the dune buggies some night and go," Jak stated quietly so no one would overhear them.

"I think we should just ask Damas," Erin answered, obviously not liking the thought of sneaking away in the dark.

"What?" Jak asked, "He's not just going to let us drive away, he knows I'm Krimson Guard and is holding a grudge."

"Well I think you should give him more credit," Erin started. "If you explained to him the situation in Haven, I'm sure he would understand."

Jak knew it was a shot, he felt he needed to get back to the city. His thoughts had been lingering on who had shot him out of the sky out in the Wasteland. Whoever it was could have larger plans than just killing him, the city could be in danger.

"I don't think he will listen," Jak commented lamely.

"He's not a ruthless person like Praxis was," Erin started, "he genuinely cares for his people and their well being."

Jak had to admire her attitude. He also had to admit she had a point. Damas always had his hands in business trying to make Spargus better for its citizens. He didn't just order someone to find a solution, he always was an active part of finding the solution. Damas was definitely much different from the Baron, who ruled by fear. Damas ruled because he was smart and strong, he hadn't stolen the throne from the rightful king, like Praxis had.

Though Jak highly doubted Erin's plan was going to convince Damas, but it was better than loosing the sand kings trust, who he had come to respect over the last few weeks.

They crossed to the other side of the city to the palace, Jak just hoped the King was in a good mood.

Damas sat on his throne, looking down at the two who had come before him, assess the information they had imparted to him. The information they spoke also lined up with that of Sig's, his trusted spy who had been working in Haven for several years.

Until Sig had returned, finally, from Haven, Damas hadn't fully believed Jak's story about the downfall of 'Baron' Praxis. What Sig report supported Jak's word. Praxis was dead, and as Sig told it, by Jak's own hands.

Definitely a resourceful young man.

Sig also reported that Praxis' daughter, Ashelin, had taken command of the city. What little information Sig had on her was that she was a 'chill pepper,' but information about her looks didn't explain to Damas if she was a capable ruler who didn't rely of force, like her father had.

"What proof do you offer that this 'Ashelin' is any better of a ruler than her father was?"

Jak and Erin exchanged looks. "Well, we don't have any proof…" Erin let her words trail off.

"So," Damas started, "you expect me to take your word for it and allow you to exit our hidden city to return to the home of my enemy?"

Jak and Erin exchanged looks, again, and kept silent. Things weren't going as they had hoped.

Damas leaned back in his throne, thinking deeply about their offer. His monks had been warning him nonstop about the bright star approaching in the sky. It was so bright now that it could be seen during the day, and ominous feeling. If an alliance formed between their two cities they perhaps could better find a way to combat the approaching enemy, but his people were bitter and distrustful of the people residing in Haven…

Jak and Erin waited quietly, offering no more arguments. They doubted he would accept their request to reenter Haven City.

"You both are now citizens of the city of Spargus," King Damas started. "Rough times lie ahead. Perhaps an alliance would be in the best interests of both cities…"

The King trailed off for a moment, considering the options. "I shall have my scribes write up a treaty, and you both shall now be my official emissaries. You shall deliver the offer of an alliance to the new Baroness. Sig tells me you are familiar with her, are you not?"

Jak nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Very good," Damas answered, "I trust you both can handle the proceedings." They both nodded again.

"All right, it's settled. I shall have Sig ready one of our best dune buggies. I'm afraid our city has no use for the flyers Haven City prides itself on." This was common knowledge because the sands of the desert often caused the engines to malfunction. The only time a person could safely fly one would be when there was no storms, but this far out in the Wasteland it was rare to have more than a few hours without a storm of some sort.

"I will have my people gather everything you will need," the sand king continued.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Damas," Erin's eyes shown her deep gratitude.

The king's usually somber face broke into a light smile. He respected both of the newest citizens of Spargus. Though they were young, yet they had experiences and insight into things like those of the oldest and wisest people. They were definitely a remarkable pair.

"You shall leave first thing in the morning," Damas informed them, "so you both will need your rest. It is a long distance to Haven."

Jak and Erin both nodded to the king and turned to leave the chamber.

"Oh, wait a moment." Damas called their attention back to him. He pulled out a pendent from an inner pocket of his outfit and placed it into Jak's hand.

"This is the official seal of my family's lineage, perhaps Baroness Ashelin will not toss aside traditions, such as her father did."

Jak looked down in the palm of his hand. The small medallion stared back at him, causing him shock. The two different parts of the pendant circled each other in an eternal dance. The Seal of the House of Mar glinted in his palm, and he couldn't think of anything to say or do.

King Damas didn't notice Jak's reaction to the Seal, his attention was captured by Sig, who had reported to him when he was summoned.

Erin also recognized the Seal, it had been constantly around the neck of the young boy she had sworn to protect for the Underground, which Jak revealed to be himself when he was younger. Erin had been shocked when Jak told her the young boy had been him, but then she realized how similar they had looked. She believed him completely.

Now Jak had the shock of standing face to face with his own father.

The problem was that Jak, in real time, would only be four or five years old, not a full grown man. If he said anything, he would look like the sun had fried his brain. Erin felt Jak's pain as he stared down at the Seal in his hand. He was in a painful situation that he couldn't solve. He no doubt longed to know about his father for as long as he remembered, but now that he knew who his father was, he had to remain painfully silent or thought to be crazy. A young boy could not grow into a man in a matter of five years.

Erin grasped Jak's other hand, trying to offer some comfort as his emotions went in all different directions. He squeezed back, hard, trying to make sense of what he had just inadvertently learned.

Damas hadn't seen the shock on Jak's face, and Erin thought it better to leave it that way. She prodded Jak around and led him down the stone pathway back to the lift that would take them back to ground level. Jak's movements seemed sluggish, but he could walk.

When their weight entered the elevator, it triggered it into motion, bringing them slowly to the ground floor. Jak collapsed against the wooded frame, bringing Erin with him. He gathered her in his arms, holding her to him. His breathing turned ragged as his emotions tore at him.

Erin held him back trying to comfort him, but she didn't know how helpful she was being to Jak. She couldn't think of anything to say, so they both just stood there in silence as the elevator descended.

Jak took in several deep breaths, trying to sort through his thoughts.

Damas was the rightful king of Haven City, it had been the Baron who betrayed him and banished him. It couldn't have been more than five years ago, but he had managed to survive and build a city for the rest of the outcasts. He had helped build the entire city out of nothing. He was a strong and affective leader.

When Jak was younger he had dreamed about meeting his parents some day, yet at the same time he wasn't sure he wanted too. What if he had visions in his mind of what his parents were like, and when he really did meet them he was disappointed? It would have been crushing to find his father had been a drunk or something worse…

Jak took in another deep breath, the shock was wearing off fast. Jak decided that there were many worse men out there to have as a father.

The elevator stopped and Erin looked up into his eyes, "Are you going to be all right?"

Jak gave Erin another squeeze, trying to ease her worry. "Yeah, it was just a rather big shock."

After a few more minutes they stepped out of the elevator and into the streets of Spargus. Jak slipped his hand into hers, glad that she was here with him. If she hadn't been there he could have made a big fool of himself, or worse, gotten thrown in a dungeon because the king thought he was crazy.

They walked down the narrow street to Jak's small hut. The storms had passed for now, so the streets were full of people preparing for the next. Jak and Erin walked slowly, side by side, unnoticed by the hustling of the people in the street.

The sky was getting dark, and Jak knew they both should be resting for the long trip tomorrow. They walked into the small shack and Jak sat on the couch. Erin walked over and sat next to him. "Are you going to tell him?"

Jak sighed, part of his mind wondered if she knew how comforting her presence was to him. "He'd think I was crazy."

"If you explained everything about the time travel and where you've been, he might believe you…" Erin commented, but knew how farfetched it sounded.

Jak sighed again, "No, I know who my father is now, and that's enough."

Erin squeezed his hand, "If you're sure."

"You can take the bed," Jak started, changing the subject quickly. "I'll sleep on the couch. We're both going to need our rest."

Erin stifled a yawn when Jak mentioned sleeping, she hadn't realized how tired she was until that moment. They both had been busy all day.

Erin wasn't sure if Jak was really going to sleep, he probably would stay up thinking for a while. He obviously needed to be alone for a while. "Good night."

"Good night.," Jak answered, then kissed her sweetly.

Erin disapeared into the next room, leaving Jak alone with his thoughts.

It was only a few hours after sunrise, but the heat of the desert was already stifling. The dune buggy that Damas had given them to reach Haven was just like the Sand Shark, but the sides had been replaced with nicer parts, looking much more presentable. It made them look less like marauders, which they needed or they would be shot at for approaching the city's walls.

Jak accelerated slightly, pushing them over yet another dune. They had been driving since before the sun rose in the east. They should be close to Haven City's outer gates within the hour.

They hadn't run into any marauders this close to the city, the Krimson Guard no doubt still had their patrols going out into the Wasteland.

"There she is!" Sig commented from the passengers seat, holding binoculars to his eyes. The King had announced that Sig would be accompanying them on the trip early that morning. Jak didn't mind though, and neither did Erin, who was sitting in the cramped back seat.

"About time," Erin grumbled, "I haven't been able to feel my legs for the last ten minutes."

The cramped seat forced Erin to clutch her knees to her chest, as there was hardly any room between her seat and the one in front of her.

Jak picked up speed and pulled out his Krimson Guard issue communicator. "Hello, can anyone hear me? Come in."

The answer was just static and an indecipherable female voice. Jak pressed harder on the accelerator, trying to bring them within range of the radio towers. "Come in, this is Lieutenant Jak reporting. Can anyone hear me?"

"Jak?" A voice asked disbelievingly from the other end. Torn had taken over the link. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, sir. We are approaching the city gates from the west, you should be able to see us coming."

There was a pause on the line as Torn no doubt checked the radar perimeter of the city. "Yep, I see you. We'll rendezvous at the Western Gate. Out." Torn commanded shortly.

The city's walls were growing closer by the second. It didn't take them long to reach them as the sand turned into steady rock beneath their tires. The air cooled as the ocean breeze blew across the edge of the desert. It was almost cold after getting used to the heat of the Wasteland.

They slid to a halt as the reached the gates. They opened up before them, revealing a troop of Krimson Guards, led by Torn. Torn stepped foreword, greeting Jak and Sig, while Erin was still climbing out of the cramped back seat of the buggy.

"Nick to have you back," Torn saluted.

Jak saluted in response. "Nice to be back, sir."

Torn turned his eyes to Sig. He recognized him immediately, who didn't know the muscle behind the once most feared crime lord in Haven City?

Sig could easily see Torn's dislike for him in his hard eyes, but he didn't mind. He was used to that sort of thing. The much larger man grasped Torn's smaller one in his hand, "Nice to meet ya."

Torn didn't respond.

Finally Erin broke free of the back seat and moved forward to Jak's side. Torn noticed her and stopped what his next words were going to be.

Jak looked at Erin, he had forgotten that him and Sig had been the only two who knew she was alive.

"Nice to see you again, Torn," Erin smiled and offered her hand to him.

He took it, stunned, "I thought you were…?"

"Obviously not," she answered, "because I'm alive and well."

Torn shook her hand vigorously, "Great to have you back."

Jak knew that he had made Torn feel responsible for Erin's "death." Torn even believed that it was his fault inside. Now Jak felt guilty because Torn hadn't caused Erin's death, she was alive. Well, if Torn hadn't betrayed them in the first place, she wouldn't have got injured and sent back to her own time…

Jak pulled himself out of his thoughts and returned his attention to the situation.

Torn and his troop of Krimson Guard led the three to the Southern HQ so they could discuss how Jak had been marooned in the desert, and so Jak and Erin could learn of any new happenings in the city.

Erin looked around in happy surprise. The reign of terror that Baron Praxis had started was completely gone. Much of the city had been rebuilt and the people were no longer afraid of walking the streets. The city was now clean and well managed, the fear used to keep the populace in line was absent. Erin was happy that the city was now peaceful.

The walk to Southern Head Quarters didn't take long. They entered the new building that was surrounded by many new buildings. Baroness Ashelin had reconstructed the entire area of the city known as the 'slums.'

They entered the large HQ, Torn dismissed the troop of KG's to continue their rounds, and they walked to a briefing room near the other side of the building. Once they had entered, Torn turned to the Wasteland trio.

"Care to explain what happened to the Hellcat you ran off with?" Torn demanded of Jak.

"It was destroyed, sir," Jak answered, the model solider.

Torn shook his head to himself, "Figured it was something along those lines, we couldn't pick up your homing beacon when you didn't return. Now do you care to explain HOW it happened?"

"I was shot out of the sky by some high-tech missiles, but I have no idea who was behind it."

Torn sat down at the conference table, looking at Jak while thinking. "Interesting, inside the city walls within the last three weeks the crime circle has been unusually active. Perhaps the crime ring is behind this, because some of my other commanders have gone missing."

"What could they be planning?" Erin asked.

"We don't know, but we're sure it's something big. The city Guard has been on high alert for the last week. Any people we sent into the crime world as a spy hasn't returned to report in. We are certain that there's a leak within the Krimson Guard, but we have no idea who it could be."

"The crime ring has a new leader?" Jak asked. Krew had been sent to prison after Jak had testified against him. Krew apparently had many enemies, because he died not long after starting his sentence. That, or he died from starvation. A man of his size couldn't sustain himself on a single person portion.

"It seems that another has stepped up to take Krew's place," Torn answered. "Whoever it is has an agenda, and it seems like he's after more than just stolen goods."

The four of them sat in silence for many minutes. "What makes this worse than any other predicament I've come up against is that I'm not sure who I can trust," Torn confided.

Erin just noticed how much older Torn looked when he was tired. This entire situation was making him lose sleep.

"I'd like to join the Krimson Guard," Erin said to Torn. "It would give you one more person you knew you could trust."

Some of the tension on Torn's face melted away. "It would be great to have you aboard. You can sign the papers at the front desk."

"Okay," Torn said, changing the subject, "I have other work to do. Jak, you can take the rest of the day off, but report tomorrow morning. Erin can sign the papers at the desk, but we can bypass training. I've seen what she can do when we all still worked for the Underground. Everyone's waiting outside for you two."

He pointedly ignored Sig.

The three left the briefing room and hadn't taken two steps when Erin was attacked by a tall blonde streak. The woman hugged her, shrieking excitedly.

"Where have you been?!" Her friend Tess demanded, "I've missed you!"

The little orange ottsel hopped from Tess's shoulder to Jak's. "JAK!" He hyped. "Long time no see!"

"I missed you, too, Dax" Jak laughed at the ottsel's offended look.

Erin hugged Tess excitedly. They had become good friends when they still worked for the Underground. "I missed you too!"

When Tess finally pulled away, that's when Erin noticed the green haired mechanic standing there as well. Erin suddenly felt guilty. When they had last seen each other, Erin had assured Keira that there was nothing between her and Jak. Erin had had feelings for Jak, but she said there wasn't anything because she thought that there couldn't be. Now things had changed, but did Keira still have her own feelings for Jak? Would Keira hate Erin?

Keira just stood there for a moment, and Erin was sure she could feel the tension in the air grow considerably.

Suddenly Keira moved forward and threw her arms around Jak. "I'm glad you're all right!"

Erin was suddenly aware of the dark voice in her head, and that it wanted to take Keira out of the picture. Erin shook her head and the dark voice receded, but the jealousy didn't, at least not fully.

Erin must have been glaring daggers at Keira, because she pulled away from Jak rather quickly. She walked up to Erin and hugged her as well. "I'm glad you're all right, Erin."

Erin had to bite down her shock. She was sure that Keira would try and take Jak back, but Keira had hugged her, like as in an unspoken treaty. Perhaps she had read Keira wrong. Or perhaps she had put her moves on Jak over the year Erin had been gone and Jak has shown no interest. Whichever it was, Erin felt guilty, again, for thinking her friend would be so devious.

"Come on everybody," Daxter declared, "lets go out and celebrate!"

Everyone agreed instantly, except Keira. "Sorry, but I still have work to do on one of the Hellcats."

"We'd like you to come," Erin stated.

"Sorry, but I still have a lot of work to do."

After several minutes, no one could convince Keira to come, so they left without her, reluctantly.

Keira walked to the back part of the building, which was totally devoted to the maintenance of the Hellcats and zoomers. It was almost like her own personal garage. No one would bother her this time in the day, so she picked it as her spot to think. She also liked to work on machines while she thought.

Keira grabbed her tools and quickly flipped up the hood of a KG zoomer that had been brought in for repairs. Keira worked fast and without conscious thought. She was thinking about other things.

It wasn't long before her thoughts were broken by footsteps walking into her haven. Keira rolled her eyes and groaned quietly, so much for peace and quiet.

"Is something wrong?" Keira was amazed to see that it was Torn who had asked. Usually he was indifferent to the emotions of the people around him.

"No, I'm fine," she answered shortly.

"Really?" He asked, "Because the last time I saw you working so violently you had just heard that Jak had gone missing."

Keira didn't answer to his sarcasm.

"Are you still wounded over Jak?"

Keira spun towards him, eyes blazing. "How is this any of your business?!"

She grabbed her tools, stomped over to her tool bench, and slammed them on the shiny surface. "Why don't you just leave me alone? I have work to do."

"Why can't you open your eyes?" Torn's voice wasn't harsh, it was almost pleading.

Pleading wasn't something the hard-headed commander of the Krimson Guard did. Keira turned to her commander with a quizzical look in her eyes. "What is it to you?"

"I've watched you over the last year going after a man who doesn't want you…"

Keira turned her back, her pride wounded.

Torn gently grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. He had needed to say this for some time. "…But you cannot see what is right in front of you."

"And what would that be?" Keira asked, angered.

Keira was taken completely by surprise when her commander brushed her lips with a tender kiss.

"There are other fish in the sea," he answered softly.

Torn quickly spun on his heals and marched out of the garage, leaving a stunned and thoughtful Keira to her ponderings.

Author's Notes: YAY! A start of another romance? HM? OOO and it's chapter celebration time! Chapter 20 brings me over the one hundred thousand word mark! (happy dance) YAY! Never thought I'd make it when I first started my story and no one was reading it... but here I am, and if three people review, it will give me 50 reviews as well, so review so I can have a review happy dance! LOL! (Sorry, it's late, I'm being stupid, and I need to work tomorrow, so don't mind me, LOL)