Hello to you all once again, and I hope that you day and week have been okay thus far.
I am not really sure how well I managed to pull this chapter off, as I can't help but feel as though I've screwed up the romance once again…not to mention I fear that I might be going to fast…
Also, several of you have expressed concerns for Damas, and I want to lay those to rest. Do not worry, the Sand King is going to live in this version, and shall not die as long as I am writing the story. Also, I thin I answered everyone's question who left me an e-mail address or a reply link, but if I have missed you, please let me know, and if you have a question, please leave me an e-mail address so I can respond, thank you (bows)
I also want to thank all of you who took the time to review, as I know there are probably better things that you could be doing with your time, and for all of you who read but did not review, I sincerely hope that you have found this tale to be worth your time.
Once again, special thanks goes out to animedragongirl for proofreading this work and spotting a few train wrecking sentences that I missed. She also thought up the title which means "angel rise" when translated.
Lawyers: if you haven't figured this out by now, head back to college and get a real job, I do not own anything save that I have created.
That said, here is the next chapter.
&
Mitsukai Koushin
Though the interior of the room was dark, his alien eyes were still able to observe every detail of the beautiful elven female that lay in his arms, sleeping peacefully and undisturbed by the problems of the waking world. A smile came over him as he gently ran a hand through Keira's aqua hair, his soul feeling more at peace than it had in a very long time as he held his wife close. He leaned in a little closer, and placed a kiss upon her head, inhaling her scent while he was at it.
When they had arrived back at his place, she had told him and Daxter of the situation in Haven, and even as he thought back to what she had said, he felt anger rise inside of him at the thought of so many who had been sent to their deaths by a man who obviously didn't have a clue what he was doing.
However, his anger had been nothing compared to the righteous fury that Kage had felt at learning of that grim news. Indeed, the Dark Eco demon nearly manifested himself, so great was anger boiling in his blood.
Then he had learned of her own ordeal, complete with a demonstration, and after he and Daxter had managed to put their eyes back into their sockets and get over the shock of witnessing her transform, they had tried several experimental procedures to determine if she truly was what they were thought she was. Some, Jak had been more than a little reluctant to perform (such as seeing if her blood was now infused with Light Eco) but his soul mate had been adamant.
Upon confirming their little hypothesis, Daxter had promptly made a wisecrack about opposites attracting, and then decided that it would perhaps be best if he took his leave, as he was fairly certain that after being away from each other for so long, the two elves would want some time to themselves. He said he was heading off to bug the leaper lizards, and that he'd be back later, and had headed out, leaving the two soul mates alone.
That had been last nigh; now morning was fast approaching, a faint shade of violet becoming visible through the one window of the house they were in. He had awoken early, and, doing his best to ignore Daxter's snoring, let his thoughts drift back to Keira. The aqua haired elf was one of a kind and he knew it, and thanked his lucky stars that she'd been willing to put up with him for so long. She was smart, and had put that knowledge to use to make everything that had happened thus far possible. She was brave, facing down danger no matter what form it took.
She was also a very understanding individual, and it was that that the dark elf was the most grateful for. She had seen the demon that had shared his mind and soul, and she had not recoiled from it, as most no doubt would have under similar circumstances. Not to mention there was also the fact that, fearing what Praxis and Errol might have done had they figured out her relationship to the largest thorn in their side, he'd done his best to drive her away from him when they'd met up after two years of being separated from each other.
Shifting forward slightly, he planted a gentle kiss upon her forehead, sending her a silent thank you for all that she had done for him.
It was about fifteen minutes later when Keira herself had started to wake up. It was hardly surprising, as someone of her industrious nature would normally be an early riser.
"Morning, Jak." She said softly, a smile gracing her features as her green eyes gazed upon him.
The two shared another kiss, and then got up and got themselves dressed, in a hurry to do so before Daxter could arise and make some comment about their activities the previous night. They then woke the ottsel, and began to try and formulate the best plan of action for dealing with Haven City's problems. They had little doubt that Count Veger and company would still try and enforce their 'exiled upon pain of death' decree if Jak were to return. However, having learned exactly how dire the situation was in his home town, and knowing that it was his responsibility as the descendent of Mar to set things right, the dark elf vowed that if the arrogant noble tried to stick his oversized nose into the situation this time, that he would lay him up in the hospital for a nice long time.
However, something happened that changed their plans.
Jak had just finished donning most of his ancestor's armor when a high pitched beeping sound echoed through the room that he, Keira, and Daxter were in.
"Jak, did you forget to turn off your alarm clock or something?" the ottsel asked, looking around for the source of the noise.
The Ascended Channeler said nothing, but his sensitive hearing helped him locate what was making the racket: his helmet. Curious, he walked towards the piece of headgear, and slipped it on. There was a hissing sound as the armor sealed itself, and he quickly turned on the HUD as the beeping noise continued. As the ever familiar displays blinked and flashed, he noticed something he hadn't seen before, a blinking dot of light off on the far right corner of the main visor. Unsure of what to make of the strange beacon, the dark elf looked at it, and blinked a couple of times.
Much to his surprise, another screen appeared in the upper corner of his visor, showing a black armored being that he knew quite well.
"Tarath?" he exclaimed, very much confused over this turn of events, which was to say nothing of the other two present who had no idea what was going on inside of the helmet.
"My apologies if I have awakened you this early, Jak," the Reaver said with a bow, and Jak noticed that there was activity occurring behind the black armored Ancient, "it occurred to me that I forgot to mention the exact capabilities of the comm. system built into your HUD, but I feel the need is rather pressing."
"What's wrong?" the dark elf asked, noting that there was a note of frustration present within the Praetor's voice.
"We are having some problems getting our equipment back up and running after five millennia of downtime." Tarath said, and on cue, there was a loud bang from somewhere behind him, and as the Reaver turned, a shower of sparks came from some area off to the side. "To cut to chase, we have sensed that another Ascended Channeler has awakened."
"Yeah, Keira, I know, she's here with me and Dax." Jak responded, nodding his head over in their direction, noting out of the side view of his HUD screens at their confusion, and he realized that they probably couldn't hear what Tarath was saying.
"That is this first bit of good news I have heard in days." The Precursor stated, and his descendant could feel the relief in his voice as he tipped his head skyward. "I need for you two to head towards the volcano in the center of the Wasteland and get to the research facility there. I'll meet you there, and bring you here, where we can begin training her."
"When do you need us to leave?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head slightly to one side.
"As soon as you can," was the response he got, before the dark armored Ancient bowed before him, and killed the signal.
The screen faded from view, and the Ascended Channeler turned his attention back towards his wife and best friend, who were both looking at him funny.
"That was Tarath," he explained. "Seems the armor has a visual comm. system that he forgot to tell me about."
"Niiiiiiice." Keira remarked, drawing the statement out with a bit of a whistle, whishing she could get some time (once all the excitement had died down) to examine the helmet's inner workings.
"He said he wants to meet you as soon as he can." The dark elf continued, walking out of the room and grabbing a sac, before proceeding to gather up some supplies. "So grab anything that you might need…and then we're out of here."
The other two nodded and got what they needed, before they headed out of the adobe house and off towards the garage. With luck, Kleiver would never even notice what they'd taken until after they'd come back.
The trip across the wasteland took very little time, as Jak and Keira's twin Sidewinders tore across the desert, kicking up sand and dust behind them while they made their way towards the great volcano.
They reached the base of the fiery mountain, and with a pain filled growl, Jak let Kage take over, the orb of darkness manifesting itself around the Ascended Channeler as transformation took place. Very quickly, he instructed Keira to do the same, and the aqua haired elf took a deep breath to try and calm herself, before focusing upon her newfound powers. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, she stood before Kage and Daxter, her entire nature changed.
While Keira had told them of her transformed state, this was the first time that the oni, his host, or their pint sized companion had seen her in such a state, and even the Dark Eco demon found himself amazed by the sight of Jak's soul mate. His slitted eyes widened as he took in the sight of her wings, seemingly so delicate, but quite obviously sturdy if they'd been able to hurl a Hunter Killer into a wall.
She in turned stared at him, noticing now how much more dangerous Kage appeared now that he was clad in the armor of her husband's ancestor, and she briefly entertained the mental image of how Count Veger would react to seeing the Dark Eco demon in this new fashion statement.
After all, Jak had been scary enough from what she had heard, as both he and Daxter had explained in great detail what had happened when they had last seen him, so what terror might Kage be able to inflict upon the arrogant noble?
The oni nodded silently to her, before grabbing hold of Daxter, and carefully cradling the foot and a half tall creature against his chest. Daxter didn't resist or protest, having no wish to test his own strength as they began their flight up towards the cone of the volcano.
Higher and higher they flew, their wings pumping as they left the ground behind. The flaming red peak of the volcano drew ever closer, becoming to them like the maw of a great beast or a dragon. As they drew nearer, they could feel the air around them become hotter and more sulfurous, until breathing once again became somewhat difficult, and the heated air they took in threatened to scorch their lungs. Still they pressed onward, knowing that Tarath would not have asked them to meet him here again unless it was of the utmost importance.
They crested the top of the mountain, and stopped, hovering in piece for a moment or two as Kage attempted to get his bearings.
'There's the tunnel.' Jak said from within his own mind, sticking his finger out in an instinctive gesture of pointing something out, while at the same time noting that it had been left open or some strange reason, and with the lights on to boot.
'I see it.' Kage responded in his usual tone of voice, before turning his attention to Keira.
"Keira," he said, yanking her back to reality, as she had apparently been staring around at the various lava basins and the like, her curious mind no doubt having a field day over what it was observing.
"Down there." The Dark Eco demon told her, pointing out the tunnel and angling himself towards it.
The angelic Channeler quickly took up position behind him, and the two of them made their way over to the other side of the fiery mountain, and both growling slightly in pain when a bit of superheated ash or a spark of fire would hit them.
Fortunately for all parties involved, they were able to cross the distance rather quickly, and they prepared to land.
Kage did so gracefully, his prehensile feet reaching out and grabbing the cliff, his talons digging into the rock. Keira however, having considerably less experience in this particular area of flight, hit the ground too fast, and lacking the Dark Eco demon's talons to assist with traction, would have found herself face first on the ground were it not for the armored hand that grabbed her.
"Flying is easy," the oni explained as she got her balance back, " but it is landing that is the tricky part."
"You seem to do it easily enough." the light aligned Channeler shot back.
"I've had practice." Kage responded with a shrug. "You simply need time to work on it, that is all."
"If you two are done yapping," Daxter remarked, the skin under his fur a little pale from the trip into this hell, "Darth Vader's waiting for us, and if I remember correctly, that little science lab of his has air conditioning. So let's get out of the heat, all right?"
Kage snorted while Keira laughed at the ottsel's antics, but both still had to agree that there was quite a bit of logic behind his reasoning, and so they began to trek down the tunnel.
Once they were a fairly good distance inside, Kage decided it would be best to let his host take back over their mutual shell, and he paused, groaning as his wings and tail entered back into their body, while talons retracted into fingernails and the oni's legs reverted back to more humanoid ones.
The other Ascended Channeler saw this, and decided that she would probably be better off back in her normal form as well. By this time, Jak was fully in control again, and it was his turn to watch his soul mate's counter transformation.
The blue white aura faded from around her, and the strange, tendril like wings retracted back into her shoulder region. She also regained her normal complexion, rather than the strange, almost translucent color that her skin had been before, though Jak had noticed the night before that she was paler than usual, and it had worried him quite a bit. However, she had simply shrugged it off, saying that most of the soldiers in the Harbor Sector had the same problem, as just about every waking moment was spent in preparation for the next attacks by either the Death Bots or the Metal Heads, which meant you were always in full battle gear.
This troubled the dark elf all the more, and he was actually beginning to fear for the future of his hometown, something he hadn't done since he and his inner demon had sent Kor on a one way trip to the hereafter.
It reached the point where he had honestly decided that exiled or not, he was heading back as soon as this little meeting with Tarath was over with.
His people needed him.
By this point in time, they had resumed walking, and had reached the end of the tunnel. As before, the strange light elevator was waiting for them, and Keira's eyes bulged outward as she stared at it, the gears of her mind trying to process what she was seeing.
'She's going to have a field day when we get down to the bottom.' Kage remarked with a slight chuckle, a fang revealing smile upon his muzzle.
'You're not kidding.' The dark elf replied mentally, knowing that his wife's analytical mind was no doubt already trying to formulate theories and hypotheses as to how this mysterious transport device might work.
They stepped onto the elevator, with Daxter still being a little cautious just in case the light or whatever it was that held them up abruptly decided that it wanted to go on strike. Jak, meanwhile, walked over to the control panel that was on the elevator, and then pressed the holographic button that read for the armory. There was a whirring sound, and then the elevator began to zoom down into the depths of the facility.
As soon as they arrived at the floor, they saw the object of their search. Praetor Tarath Shien had his back to them, as he was at what appeared to be a computerized work station, his hands flying over a keyboard of some sort while he carried on a conversation with another Precursor that was on a viewing screen above his head.
"You're sure that those Stingers that we located are operational?" the dark armored Ancient inquired to the other, who was clad in a suit of royal blue armor that all three noticed had similar markings on it to the Reaver's.
"Not yet, Tarath," the other Precursor replied, shaking her head, as the voice gave away its gender, "but we're testing a couple of them on in the training track right now, and Sentinel's running diagnostics on some of the more questionable ones. So far, they're holding up, but we haven't tried them on full throttle just yet, and we also haven't tried out the weapon systems."
"Try to hurry up on that Ariki," the Praetor responded in a grave tone of voice, "and tell Lazaric that he needs to step up the recon missions once he's finished training the rawer soldiers today, we need to locate all the vehicles that we can." He paused, and shook his head. "After all, twenty Stingers are not going to help us against the war machine that Kerrog is bringing with him."
"You're preaching to the choir, Tarath." The blue armored warrior responded, crossing her arms over her chest. "After all, I'm the one who has to lead the cavalry into the fight, and I'd feel far better having access to four or five hundred, a real military number, rather than a glorified scouting force." She looked up at him then and did a double take. "I'd better let you go, you're company seems to have arrived."
"I'll see you soon, Ariki." The Reaver responded, before switching off the screen and turning around to face the trio that had come off of the elevator.
"Who was that?" Jak inquired, cocking his head as the dark armored Ancient looked at them.
"Ariki Crystala." He told his descendent, a faint, if unseen smile upon his scarred and mutilated face. "She is a fellow Praetor…actually, the only one left besides myself, and is a Dragoon by nature."
"A what?" Keira inquired, raising an eyebrow at the Reaver.
"A Dragoon is a warrior whose nature aligns them with Blue Eco." The Praetor began to explain, turning around and motioning for them to follow him as he continued. "They are fast and agile soldiers, who compose the light infantry of our ranks, and their incredible reflexes also make them superior pilots. In addition to those skills, they also have a mastery of telekinesis, and I have seen some of them pick up quarter ton objects and throw them with a simple gesture." He then looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto the aqua haired elf of the group. "I do not suppose you truly understand what is happening here, do you?"
"Aside from the fact that something has the Metal Heads all riled up, not really." was the response that he got from her.
"The Hora-quan are mustering because their true masters have called them to battle once again." Tarath told her, before launching into the tale of what exactly was about to happen to Gaia.
"My gods…" was all Keira could say at first, her mind overwhelmed by what she had just learned. "You wiped each other out over this little terraforming deal?"
"Yes." Tarath responded with a bitter chuckle, placing a hand against the visor of his helmet. "Over one single point, my people turned upon each other, and because of that issue, we might have doomed this world."
"There's just one thing that I don't understand." She said, shaking her head and frowning. "If you exiled the Fallen Ones, why haven't they simply stopped and terraformed another world? What's so important about coming back here?"
"I believe that they want vengeance for what we did to them." Was what the dark armored Ancient told her as they entered a circular room. "But there is another reason they are coming back as well, one far more important than that."
"Which would be, Darthy?" Daxter inquired, giving the Precursor a look.
"They have not terraformed any other worlds because they do not know how to." He told them.
The reactions were pretty much the same, a look of baffled confusion upon the faces of all three of the others present, followed by facial expressions one would normally associate with someone wishing to know the details right there and then.
"The research team that had initially been working upon the project split into two different factions upon the failure of the preliminary trial, and we polarized around these two. However, we knew the peril that Gaia was in as long as the technicians, scientists, and engineers who had insisted that we continue with the terraformation project lived, and it was decided that something should be done about them." Tarath said, pausing ominously. "When we received credible intelligence of their whereabouts, an elite strike force was dispatched to deal with the problem." He then flicked his right wrist, bringing his scythe like warp blade into its attack position. "With one swift stroke, we killed them all, and the knowledge that they carried."
'Yet still the question remains unanswered in its entirety.' Kage muttered, scratching his chin, something that his host readily agreed with.
"But that still doesn't explain why they are coming back here." Jak said, wondering if there was something that the dark armored Ancient had yet to tell them about the situation.
"They are coming back here because we still have the information stored on an easy access computer terminal back in our central base of operations." The Precursor warrior said, leaning back against one of the walls of the room, his shoulders slumped as if he suddenly felt very tired.
"What?" Daxter screeched, his eyes becoming about the size of a dinner plate, before he leapt to the ground, and standing up to his full height, walked over to the Reaver, looking up at him. "Let me get this straight, tall, dark and scary. You mean to tell us that this info that you have, which could be used to destroy this planet, is still around, and on top of that you have it stashed on a computer that any moron in the world can access?" he paused, before hopping up and down. "Are you out of your freaking minds?"
"The information that the files contained were so dangerous that we did not dare to destroy them." Tarath responded, shaking his head, before proceeding to explain what he meant. "Think about it, Daxter, we stumbled across that process entirely by accident, and we nearly destroyed the entire planet with it. Think if you will, what might happen if we did destroy those files, and another race, say the elves, discovered the process…what would happen then?"
"History repeating itself?" Jak said with a somber tone.
"Exactly!" The dark armored Ancient said with a snap of his fingers. "As it is, we have left them to where your kind would easily be able to see them if and when they discovered our archives… along with a very hefty and graphic warning of what would happen if they were to attempt to reconstruct the experiment.
'Rather hard to argue with that logic…' Kage mused to himself.
'Yeah, that's true.' His host concurred.
"If you will follow me," the Precursian warrior said, "there is somewhere we have to be, and I think we have delayed enough."
There was something in his tone, something almost undetectable, that all three of the others noticed, a note of pain, that made them wonder if there might have been a little more to the story than they had been told. However, they remained silent, feeling that they had pressed the Praetor hard enough over the past half an hour or so.
They entered the next room, and to there surprise, within it lay a Precursian warp portal, already activated and waiting to take them to parts unknown.
"Where does that go?" Keira asked, curiosity present in her voice.
"To a military base that we have begun to bring back into service." Tarath told her, crossing over and double checking the coordinates for the transportation device. "I hope you are ready Keira, because you are about to receive a crash course in Precursor battle tactics."
Without another word, he stepped through, and after hesitating for just a second, the trio followed him into the rippling depths of the warp portal.
The feelings and sensations that they felt while passing through it was something else altogether. One moment, they felt as if they were being hurled around inside of a strange vortex, while the very next they felt as if they were plunging down a rollercoaster, their stomachs rising up into their throats. Even time seemed unusual, for when they came tumbling out of the device, they had absolutely no idea how long they had been inside of it.
However, one thing was certain; their landings were less than graceful, and they came down in a heap, groaning and shifting about as they tried to pick themselves back up. As they tried to do so, a pair of hands reached down and helped the two elves up, freeing Daxter at the same time. As the ottsel struggled to pry himself off of the ground, both of his friends looked up to find that Tarath and the Precursor known as Ariki, if the helmet was accurate, helping them to their feet.
"I forgot to warn you that trips through warp portals can be unsettling at times, especially the first few." Tarath muttered, his tone apologetic. "In time, you will get used to it."
"But for right now, we have to get you ready." Ariki said, stepping back away from the trio, and Keira suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was being given a once over by the blue armored warrior.
"I'm still not exactly sure what's going on, though." The aqua haired elf said, scratching her head in puzzlement. "I mean, I know that I'm an Ascended Channeler, but I'm not really sure how…" she trailed off, as she noticed a visible slump come over Tarath, and the Reaver abruptly bowed his head.
"You are an Ascended Channeler by chance," he said, his voice only a hair above a whisper, "and your elemental nature is aligned with that of light due to your ancestry." He paused again, and then looked her straight in the eye. "Though I do not know your immediate background, I will tell you that you are descended from the bloodline of Phoenix Losstar."
That was about as far as he got before Keira's look of disbelief stopped him.
"It was his tomb that I fell into…" she said, before giving a brief synopsis of what had caused her powers to awaken.
"How ironic," Tarath murmured, his voice distance, "that in death, he should provide the means of salvation for one of his descendents." He then chuckled bitterly for a moment. "He truly lived up to his name."
"Were you and him good friends?" she inquired, thinking back to the inscription upon the tomb.
"I…" he began, before he paused, the pain overwhelming him.
"They were adoptive siblings." Ariki said, her tone grave and laced with sorrow.
The elves and ottsel remained silent, but inwardly, they finally felt as though they were beginning to understand why the Reaver always seemed to be so haunted. However, they did not dwell upon that for long, as while there was nothing that they could do for the dead, there were still people living who might be saved by their actions, and saving people was certainly not something that they would be able to do while just standing around.
The two precursors motioned for the trio to follow them, and they proceeded to head deeper into the military complex.
Along the way, they encountered sights that all three knew they would never forget. In one chamber, a massive, circular type track that must have been a mile across in every direction, they saw armored workers scurrying around strange devices, that reminded them a lot of the hover bikes that the Freedom Guard used, but there shape was something else.
They were larger and looked to be more heavily armored than the ones that were used by elven forces, and their basic shape was different as well. While the bikes used by the elves might have been cylindrical and used a pair of small jet thrusters to propel itself through the air at speeds approaching a maximum of about one hundred and twenty miles per hour, these ones had twin thrusters that took up almost the entire back of the bike, and four large tail fins, protruding from both the sides and the upper portion of the back region, no doubt assisted with high speed maneuverings. The front end of the vehicle was also more angular than the ones in Haven, having an almost trapezoidal front end that sloped down to a sharp point. There was what appeared to be an armored windshield at the top as well, upon which symbols glowed and flashed. They also noticed what was underneath the front end: a pair of rather nasty looking blaster type weapons, and mounted upon the sides of the back were a pair of what appeared to be some kind of missile.
Even as they watched, one of the Dragoons made what appeared to be a final tweak to one of the Stingers, and then leapt onto the seat. The soldier pressed a few buttons, and Jak, Daxter, and Keira watched as the thrusters on the end began to glow a deep blue violet color.
"Initiating full spectrum evaluation test." the soldier said, the voice revealing it to be male.
A high pitched whining noise came from the Stinger, and in the blink of an eye, the hover bike shot off down the larger circular track that it was on. The trio's eyes bulged as they saw the bike zoom around the track, appearing to be little more than a blur. They also noticed that this vehicle was apparently incapable of flight, as it was only about a foot or two off of the ground at any particular time.
It blasted out of sight, but they noticed that there were cameras recording the progress of the Stinger and keeping it in view for those who were observing it.
Abruptly, pillars shot up in front of the bike, and the trio of outsiders feared a crash, but the pilot, with reflexes they had only seen in the case of a certain Ascended Channeler, expertly maneuvered out of the way, weaving in and out between the columns, and by some means they did not yet know at the time, leaping over a few that shot out in a horizontal manner.
The pilot's trip through that particular obstacle course lasted no more than six seconds, and he then entered a curve that led out to a straightaway. This time, what appeared to be targets popped up in front of the driver, and the Precursian soldier grabbed what appeared to be triggers set into the handlebars of the Stinger.
Flashes of yellow came from underneath the bike, as the Eco bolts streaked towards the targets, ripping them apart when they connected. However, the pilot didn't manage a perfect score, as he missed a pair of them. But what happened after that caused three sets of jaws, and a forth belonging to a certain Dark Eco demon, to all but unhinge themselves. As the pilot streaked towards the last two targets, he reached back, pulling a large, double bladed staff off of his back, before shifting the bike over towards the closest one. He started to spin the weapon in his right hand, before slamming it into the first target, shredding it as he passed. Then, with a single, flawlessly smooth maneuver, he readjusted his grip upon the weapon, to where he held it with his right hand closer to one of the blades, similar to how one would grip a lance. With a battle roar, he reached out and ran the last one through, actually taking it along for the ride for a few seconds, before he ripped it off of his weapon by swinging it out in a wide arc.
'Well, I'm impressed.' Kage muttered in a tone of awe in his voice as the pilot brought his craft back to the starting line.
'You're not the only one.' was the response that he got from his host.
"Were those the Stingers that you were talking about?" Keira inquired, and not surprisingly, there was a tone of longing in her voice, as if she would love nothing more than to rush down to that track and begin to examine the inner workings and secrets of those machines.
"Yes." Ariki told them as they resumed their little trek. "They are used by the Dragoons as scouting or fast attack craft. In battle we often use them as a cavalry force, and they can tear through most infantry soldiers, as even the best warrior is hard pressed to doge something flying at you at five hundred miles per hour." She then paused and added in a slightly more somber tone of voice. "However, as we discovered during the Kinslayer War, as we refer to that dark period of our history, they are vulnerable to attacks from aerial units such as Reavers and Templars."
After that, they fell silent for a time, until they passed another large chamber, this one containing various different Precursor soldiers arranged at even intervals. Some were Dragoons, others wore red, yellow, green, and white armor, while a few obsidian colored Reavers could be seen. All appeared to be running through some sort of combat drill, as orders were being barked out by other warriors standing in front of them. What surprised the trio the most though was the fact that their hair for the most part wasn't dreadlocked like the two Praetors or their instructors, and for those few who did have their hair bound like that, they noticed that it was considerably shorter in length.
"The newest additions to our ranks." Tarath said, a bitter tone to his voice before looking down to Jak and Daxter. "These are the older children that survived the Kinslayer War and the Hora-quan attacks, ranging between twelve to fifteen years of age."
If the dark armored Ancient had announced that he was planning to activate a thermonuclear device, he could not have caused more surprise amongst the outsiders.
"Mind running that by us again, Vader?" Daxter exclaimed, his voice nearly a screech.
"I know what you are thinking, and we do not like it any more than you do," Ariki said, her tone full of quiet anger, "but our veterans are less than two thousand strong, and would never be able to stand up to the enemy."
"But to send children out to fight?" Keira said, a look of absolute shock upon her face. "How do you justify that?"
"Because if we do not, we will never triumph this battle." Tarath said, his fists clenched in rage at the thought of what had to be done. "And if we lose this conflict, Gaia, and countless others worlds will pay the price." He paused then, and lowered his head to face the ground. "After all, we have placed the world in this jeopardy, and it is only fitting that we take the responsibility for protecting her from this threat. We owe this planet a debt, a debt that we will have to repay with blood."
With that, he fell silent, before turning and walking further down the corridor.
'Dark times are coming,' Kage muttered to himself, despair in his voice, 'whatever the outcome, this war will have no winners.'
Jak said nothing, but he silently agreed with his alter ego as he looked back upon the parade ground, where the Precursian children still trained themselves for the inevitable time when they would charge onto the field of battle, and he shook his head at the thought of beings so young, so full of potential, lying in pools of their own blood.
Keira, meanwhile, had edged closer to Ariki, and with a tap on her shoulder to get her attention whispered something to her.
"What was Phoenix like?" she asked, eager to know more about the warrior that had been her ancestor.
"Phoenix was good soldier and comrade." Tarath spoke up, a note of longing in his voice, and Keira immediately felt a shameful heat creep up her face for trying to keep him out of the conversation. "He wasn't as good at individual combat as I was, but he had a far greater grasp of strategic maneuvers and overall troop command." He paused and shook his head while he continued to walk. "He was cool and in control no matter the situation, and he had a soul that was rather gentle. He also possessed a rare gift that he only discovered around his eighteenth birthday."
"Which was?" the angelic Channeler prompted.
"He was a visionary, a seer." Ariki said, looking down at the girl. "He could see glimpses of the future…of a possible future, rather."
"What happened to him?" Jak inquired, speaking up from the back of the group.
"He fell defending a military installation from Hora-quan attack," the Reaver said. "We were able to save the base, but our reinforcements did not get there in time to save him and his troops, and almost two hundred souls died that day."
With that bit of depressing knowledge, the group fell silent once again as they continued deeper into the compound.
It was about fifteen minutes later when they arrived at their final destination. They came into a room, and the first thing that they noticed was a pair of Ancient warriors standing around what appeared to be yet another suit of armor. It was on a mannequin, and the three outsiders took to giving it a once over.
In many ways, it seemed to be very similar to Mar's Armor, save for a few key differences. First off, the primary color scheme was that of a shinning whitish-argent, similar to the hue of the standard issue armor that Jak had seen back in the armory of the research station, but far brighter and with a greater amount of luster to it than the norm. Also, just as his armor had flashes and highlights of purple upon its Vibrium surface, so too did this one possess such markings in blue. The visor was also the same azure color, and Jak and Kage held little doubt that the interior makeup and systems found within it would be identical to his own. Keira meanwhile, took a few steps towards the magnificent suit, in awe as she stared at it, for even though she didn't have a full grasp of what the suit was capable of doing, she knew that it was quality of a level that she had never seen before, and that this was a masterpiece.
Perfectly on cue, Tarath broke into an explanation of the equipment as he and Ariki dismissed the other two warriors and proceeded to help Keira to remove her Katarn gear and don this new armor.
When they were finished, Jak, Daxter, and Kage all agreed that it did indeed seem appropriate for her to be wearing, and she now looked almost like a twin to the dark elf who was already encased in Precursor made gear, right down to the pulsing veins of blue light that mirrored the violet ones of Mar's Armor and the silvery war braids that came off of the back.
"Looks good on you, Kier." Jak remarked, smiling behind his own helmet as he gazed upon his soul mate.
"We are not done yet." Tarath said, heading over to what appeared to almost be some sort of strange, glass covered tube. "We still need to complete her transformation and unlock the rest of her powers, then there is the matter of training her to use the weapon that was to accompany this armor."
"Wait a minute," the dark elf interrupted, holding out a hand, "just what are you talking about?"
"This right here," Ariki stated, gesturing over to the tube with her thumb, "is a machine that we Precursors use to infuse massive amounts of Eco into our soldiers before sending them into battle. Tweaked slightly, it would be able to infuse an Ascended Channeler with enough of their elementally aligned Eco to unlock the rest of their abilities."
Jak went to make a remark, but Tarath beat him to the punch.
"I realize your concern," he said, extending a hand in a gesture of understanding, "but I assure you that we have been doing this for some time, and we know what we are doing. You soul mate will not even find this process to be uncomfortable."
Reluctantly, the Ascended Channeler allowed for Keira to be led into the machine, and he knew that she was giving him a reassuring smile, even though he could not see her angelic face. He crossed his arms, still not pleased with the idea of such exposure, as the memories of what had happened to himself at the hands of Errol were still very clear in his mind. Nonetheless, both he and his alter ego realized what was at stake, and knew that this would be necessary if they were to have any chance of succeeding in the long run.
However, he was still uneasy as the machine started up, though one would have been hard pressed to tell, as he had long ago learned to control his outward appearance and body language.
"How long is this gong to take?" he inquired, as the machine warmed up and a bright light filled it, forcing his visor to darken to compensate for the abrupt change.
"For a normal warrior, about two minutes." Tarath said, his eyes, real and cybernetic, narrowed behind his own dark helmet. "In this case, I am not entirely sure, but I suggest that you make yourself comfortable just in case it does wind up taking a while."
The dark elf remained silent after that, and far from making himself comfortable, began to pace back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back as he thought of his soul mate, worry, and a tad bit of curiosity filling his mind. He was filed with wonder about what this could mean, with his wife being what she apparently was, and he also couldn't help but ponder about what Veger's reaction to her might be, to say nothing of what her father would think.
Speaking of which, he'd been meaning to have a talk with the old Sage for some time now. There was a great deal of stuff he didn't know about his own people and time, and Samos, having apparently been born and spent a great deal of his life in Haven, might be able to fill him in on everything.
Off in a corner Daxter was filled with a great amount of anxiety as well, as Keira was one of his friends too, one of the few who had spared him in his childhood, one of those who had been kind enough not to torment him in his younger days. He shuddered to think of what might happen if something were to befall her now, besides the fact that Jak would likely go mad with grief. Also, his mind drifted and he thought about what Grandpa Green might be thinking right now, what sort of stress she might be going through, not knowing whether the girl he cherished so dearly was alive or dead.
For that matter, how many other parents might be thinking the same thing? Might be holding on to the hope that maybe, just maybe, their own son or daughter might just be trapped in the Lockdown, that they might still be alive after all. He shuddered at the thought of such things, of not knowing whether a beloved family member was alive or dead.
Tess was still stuck back in the Harbor Sector from his understanding, and his ears drooped as he thought of the possibilities. She and the others could be fighting for their lives this very instant, struggling to hold a vastly superior enemy force at bay, and there was not a thing in the world he could have done to help them, even if he was there.
Once again, he cursed his own inabilities, his own weakness. This sorrow must have had some sort of outward manifestation, for he was aware of a shadow passing overhead, and as he looked up, he beheld Tarath. The Reaver was staring down at him, and he cocked his masked head to one side as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Is something bothering you, Daxter?" the dark armored Ancient inquired.
"Just wishing I could be more like them." He muttered, gesturing to Jak, who was still pacing, and the machine that Keira was inside of.
"What do you mean?" the Praetor inquired, puzzlement in his voice.
"They both have awesome, army of one styled powers, or they are in the process of getting them." He said, leaning back against a wall and rubbing his forehead. "They both get fancy armor and nifty gadgets, and I don't have a thing that I can do to help them out…" he trailed off, bowing his head and staring at the floor.
The next thing he was aware of was the Reaver getting down on one knee and attempting to look him in the eye.
"But you do have something special." Tarath said, an unseen, bittersweet smile upon his face. "You have this." He pointed to the center of the ottsel's chest. "You follow them into the most grave of dangers without any armor, any weapons, or any powers, and that speaks volumes for your courage." He paused, lowering his own gaze. "I see you and Jak and Keira, and I see myself and Phoenix in our younger days…" and Kerrog too, he added silently. "I see a bond of friendship and family that cares not what dangers you may face…and that, Daxter, is a quality that is rare indeed, and is worth more than any vaunted Channeling abilities.
"Really?" the ottsel asked, not sure of the Reaver was pulling his leg or not.
"If there were more people such as yourself in this world," Tarath told him in a quiet tone, "then there might not be such a need for warriors like myself."
Upon hearing this, Daxter fell silent once again, contemplating what the Precursian warrior had told him.
Keira spent almost half an hour in the machine, her body slowly absorbing the concentrated Light Eco that was being pumped into the chamber. When her body had taken in all it could, the machine somehow sensed it and the flow of Eco ceased. The Ascended Channeler stepped out of the chamber, her stride a little unsteady, and she found herself having to grip the side of the machine to keep her balance.
"Are you alright?" Jak inquired, hurrying over to her, worried that something might not be right.
"Just a little woozy," she responded, looking up at him, and he could tell that she had a weary smile upon her face.
"It's understandable, considering what you just took in." Ariki stated. "Just relax for a few minutes, and I'll be right back with the next thing that you need."
With that, the Dragoon left the chamber, heading down a side door at a fairly rapid pace.
"Where's she going?" Keira asked as she sat down in a strange chair that was obviously designed for a creature larger than she was.
"To get your weapon." Was the response that she got from Tarath.
"Her weapon?" Daxter said, his voice incredulous.
"Did you really think that we would provide her with such armor and not give her an offensive device to back it up?" the Reaver inquired, answering the furry creature's question with one of his own. "As Jak carries Kitetsu, so shall his soul mate have a weapon of her own, one that is just as unique and powerful."
Silence fell over the group for a couple of minutes, before Ariki returned, carrying in her arms what was undoubtedly one of the most bizarre and unusual bladed weapons that Jak and the others had ever before seen.
It was about six feet in length, and was comprised primarily of a metal staff that reminded the dark elf of the dual staves that the Dragoons themselves carried. However, rather than having a blade on either end, this weapon possessed only one, though it was half again as large (when one accounted for the difference in weapon size) than the ones on the dual staves. Also, whereas those weapons bore straight blades, the one upon this strange melee instrument was curved, very much like a scimitar, though it did possess an almost claw like protrusion that went out straight for a couple of inches right above the main blade. In addition to that, there were blue glowing runes upon the length of the staff, which identified the weapon in a fashion very similar to Kitetsu. There was also a Light Eco Crystal set into the bottom of the weapon's shaft, glowing brightly like a star.
The blue armored Ancient presented the weapon to Keira, who reverently accepted it, her breath stolen away by the instrument, which was, like the dark katana that her soul mate carried, a work of art.
"I am honored." She said, her voice trembling as she felt the grip of the weapon, and even though she knew little about such melee instruments, she knew instinctively that this weapon was perfectly balanced.
"It is called Masamune," Tarath said, his tone serious, "and it is what you elves would call a naginata."
"Feel's like it was made for me…" Keira murmured.
"In a way, perhaps it was." The Reaver said, in a voice that was so quiet that no others could hear. He then raised the level of his voice to a normal tone. "Ariki will escort you to a holo-cron that we have set up for the training of the Dragoons, as your weapon is very similar in nature to theirs. Afterwards, she will spar with you until you begin to get a further understanding of your powers and those of Masamune's."
With that the group left the chamber, heading for a training room that wasn't too far away.
Meanwhile, far off in the desert, a large vehicle roared over a sand dune, coming down with a thunderous crash when gravity took hold of it again.
Sig, in the driver's seat, breathed a sigh of heartfelt relief when he saw what lay below. Valthos was there, sitting with his back to his Sidewinder, his gunblade in his lap. More importantly, his eyes were open and he himself was alert, as he had shifted his head towards the source of the racket when the Gila Stomper had cleared the dune.
So his buddy hadn't decided that it was time to check out of this life just yet. That knowledge brought a smile to his face, and he slowed his buggy down as he drew close, leaping out of the driver's seat when his vehicle came to a stop.
"What are you doing here, Sig?" Valthos inquired, his voice the epitome of world weary.
"I could ask you the same thing, Damas." The burly Wastelander responded, shaking his finger in a scolding sort of way. "What the hell were you thinking, challenging Jak like that?"
"Finding a better leader, my old friend." Was the Channeler's reply as he sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"Oh for the love of…" the enforcer groaned, slapping his right hand to his forehead. "Look, are you that eager to die?"
"I want to see my family again, Sig." Damas growled, a surprising amount of venom in his voice. "I want to hold Alicia in my arms again, I want to have Alex riding around on my shoulders like he used to before I sent us straight into hell." The former king of Haven City then began to sob, breaking down and weeping like a child. "I just want to be with them again, Sig, so can't you leave me alone to die in peace?"
"What makes you think they're both dead?" Sig said after a moment of pause.
That one sentence had the desired effect upon the Channeler, and he slowly looked up at Sig.
"What are you saying?" he asked, his breath coming in a short gasp.
Sig paused for a moment, pondering how he might say this. After all, the tale that he was about to tell would seem more along the lines of one of the legendary fables of old rather than actual fact. For a short time, he remained silent as he gathered his thoughts, and then decided that he should go with the straight truth.
The large Wastelander finished his tale, and noted that there was a glare in the eyes of his friend, and he had little doubt as to why.
"Do you take some sort of sadistic…" Damas began, before Sig cut him off.
"I know it sounds crazy, Damas," the armored elf said, shaking his head and holding up his arms, palms facing his friend, "hell, I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, but it's the truth. Jak is your boy."
Flames still burning in his eyes, the former King of Haven City stared into Sig, his eyes reading the soul of his friend. For some time, he did this, until he realized that there was no lie in Sig, that the enforcer was telling him the truth, that the dark elf, the exile from Haven, the boy that he would have had kill him was his own flesh and blood.
Unable to say anything, the Channeler slid down to the ground, leaning back against his Sidewinder once again. He didn't know what to think, and he was torn over this startling revelation. On the one hand, he was overjoyed that his son still lived, that the child he had loved so dearly had not yet departed this mortal coil. On the other, he thought back, remembering the last time that he had seen Alex, just before leaving for the attack on the Metal Head Nest. He remembered the innocence that seemed to glow in the blue eyes of his child, and the angelic smile that always seemed to be upon his face, and of the voice he'd had, laced with merriment and cheerfulness.
Then he thought about Jak, his son now aged more than fifteen years. The once joyous and bright eyes were cold and distant, hardened by battle and death and pain, with cracks in the ice that made them up manifesting themselves only when he spoke of those dear to him. The voice was harsh as well, always coming out as something of a growl.
The child was gone, replaced by a warrior.
However, while he inwardly wept for what Sig had told him had happened to his boy, a part of his mind wondered if this was meant to happen some how, if providence had not intervened and put the child on the harsh road that had transformed him into the soldier that had struck down Kor, a being that even the Precursors themselves had fallen to.
His wind still whirring and trying to process all of the new information hat had just been given to it, he felt a strange sensation stirring from deep within himself. A sob racked his body and tears, from joy or sorrow, he could not tell, began to fall down his face.
Sig, ever the loyal friend, simply sat down next to Damas, and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder, letting the king pour out all of the pent up emotions, sorrows, and self hatred that had consumed him for so long.
Maybe, just maybe, things were going to work out alright.
Night had fallen, and Kleiver was busy taking his turn upon the wall of Spargus.
Things had been a little chaotic of late, and no one really knew what to make of recent events, with Jak refusing to strike down Valthos and all that. For the moment, it left them in a very vulnerable position, no one was sure who was really in charge at the current moment.
He himself was rather confused. He was partially overjoyed that the man that he had come to consider among his friends had been spared, but on the other, something within his Wastelander spirit screamed about the violation of an ages old code.
He sighed and began to rub his temples hoping that this little crisis would pass soon enough.
However, his train of thought was suddenly knocked off the tracks by a strange, pulsing sound that he couldn't ever recall hearing, and a bright flash of light that he had seen out of the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to watch as a beam of yellow energy shot past a hundred or so feet to his right, where it slammed into one of the buildings that was built into the side of the cliff. The beam exploded, leaving a gapping, twenty foot hole where once there was rock and cement.
He stood stock still for a moment, the synapses of his brain trying to put two and two together. Then he snapped into action, and looked back to where the shot had come from. Another yellow glow made it readily easy to identify the source, and he felt his jaw drop in shock as he realized that it was coming from the middle of what appeared to be a small fleet of Marauder vehicles.
Years of dealing with these sort of raids made his next actions automatic, and he rushed over to an alarm button, before slamming his fist onto it, sounding a general quarters type alarm from klaxons built all over the city.
However, as he took a second look out over the enemy forces, ducking instinctively as another one of those yellow energy blasts shot overhead, he realized that this was no mere raiding force…and for the first time in many years, he felt fear for the future of his city and his people.
&
Okay, stopping it there.
Yes…I know I am an evil spawn of a devil, so you can all stop glaring at me. (ducks a Haidoken spell)
Okay, once again, I apologize if the romance was crappy or if I am going to fast, so feel free to nail me on it.
To that end, if you have an idea, advice or constructive criticism, or even feel the need to flame, please don't hesitate to let me know.
Now, I must be off to bed, cause tomorrow's going to be a looooonnnnnggg day. So I bid you all good night, good day, and I hope that you have a great week.