The Letter
Inside, Torn was waiting. "Well, you took an awfully long time. Did you fail again? Can't you even beat a few metal heads?"
Jak groaned. "Actually I didn't need to. They weren't after the site. Their leader gave me this." He offered Torn the leather tube.
Torn took the tube with a suspicious look. "You saw the metal head leader? And he didn't rip your head off?" He opened the tube cautiously as the door opened and Kor entered. "How was Old Lady Crawley?" He asked.
Kor nodded. "Better, she appreciated the medicine. Jak, you've returned. Was your mission a success?" He put his hand to his aching back as he supported himself on his cane.
Jak nodded. "Yes, I was just telling Torn that the metal head leader gave me this letter for him. He seemed like an okay-kind of guy." He looked up as the Kid came from the bedrooms, rubbing his eyes. "Hey, Sportsfan, did you have a good rest?" When he nodded, Jak picked him up and carried him to the kitchenette.
Kor joined them. "He has a little lunch here." The old man pulled out a plastic bag with a peanut butter sandwich and baby carrots. The boy's crocadog barked and he obligingly gave the mutt a carrot to chew on.
Jak watched the old man take over the feeding while Torn read the letter with dinner plate eyes. "Jak, did you read this?" He asked.
"No, the order was to give it to you. I didn't read it." It was true even if he knew what it should say. He didn't know exactly how Kor worded the letter.
Torn shook his head. "I should call the Shadow. This could be big."
Jak glanced at Kor who eyed the commander. "Big good or big bad?" Jak asked for clarification.
"If this letter is true then big good but if it's a trap… it could go either way." The red-dreaded man grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured a small shot. "The Shadow will be able to tell. I'll be back." He left to go make contact with their leader.
Jak looked at Kor. "I'd say that was a pretty neutral reaction. The truth is, I think they're getting desperate too." He said logically. "Working with the metal heads must be sounding a lot better then letting Praxis own their lives." He looked at the crocadog. "I remember, I used to have a crocadog. When I was little." He reached down and scratched the pup. "One day, he was just gone. It was the same day I arrived in Sandover with my teacher. My parents were dead and he didn't really want me so he asked one of the villagers to call himself my uncle and he took me in. I tried making friends with the other village kids but I couldn't talk and they found me odd. So I was left alone. Until Daxter was busted stealing food from my teacher." He gestured to the orange ottsell.
Daxter laughed. "Yeah and you saved my ass for the first time. And we were glued to each other from then on. Even though Old Grandpa Green tried to keep us apart." He smiled, remembering up to the last two years. "Sandover Village was a great place to grow up."
"To hear you boys tell about it, it makes me think that it might have been… it's hard for me to see any good in it," Kor said morosely. He covered his eyes against the pain of his past.
Jak felt his chest ache for the old man. Not knowing his parents from such a young age was hard enough for him. He couldn't imagine the reverse, a parent losing his children. He felt a strange responsibility for the man.
The little boy looked at his caregiver with concern and hugged him. Kor froze a little at the empathy being shown. He had fully expected Jak to try and destroy his nest. But the young man and his little friend had shown only respect for him and his people. Now the boy was showing him kindness.
"I knew when I met you, boy, you were special. If anyone can pull this off, it's you." He patted the child on his head affectionately.
Jak smiled. "So now it's up to the Shadow. I haven't met him yet so I don't know how he'll take it." He admitted. "I wish my teacher was here. I wish Keira was here. She would understand. Or even the Bird Lady. A bunch of lurkers killed a FlutFlut bird and her egg was left abandoned. She enlisted our help to save it. She would have understood." He looked out the window at the dark and dingy city.
"Who is Keira?" Kor asked Jak. "That is a female name, correct?"
"She's Jak's girlfriend. But we all got separated when the rift rider dumped us here." Daxter nodded.
Jak bit his lip. "I don't think they made it. They would have joined the resistance. They would have been looking for us…"
Daxter gripped his shoulder. "We'll find 'em, Jak. Then we'll go home. I miss home. Haven City is no haven at all. I hate it here." He admitted. "People here are mean and nasty."
Kor scratched his chin. "It's not so bad. Torn is a good friend to have. And I have met the Shadow. He and I enjoy a cup of coffee from time to time." He stated. "He cares about the welfare of the city. His only flaw is he doesn't like children. When he gets here, Daxter should watch over the Kid."
"I keep meaning to ask, does he have a name?" Daxter asked. "It feels weird calling him Kid all the time."
The old man pointed to the symbol around his neck. "His father named him Mar, after his ancestor. I don't much like the name Mar. All things considered." He explained.
The Kid looked at the symbol sadly. Jak could see his eyes tearing up. He could almost sense what he was thinking. "Then you should give him a name. You said you want him to be yours. Then make him yours. Give him a name."
Kor considered the notion. "Yes, hmmm… in Hora-Quan lore, there was a hero, who valiantly sacrificed his life to vanquish the Precursor Demons who sought to use our gems to conquer the world. I think it is appropriate here. From now on, Boy, you are Kaj and you are my son, I am your father."
Sapphire blue eyes peered up at him. He leaned into the old man, crying. Jak smiled. He didn't know why but this moment felt good. "I think he likes it. How often does he get passed from caregiver to caregiver?"
Kor thought about it. "Starting now, never again. It's no wonder he hasn't found a voice yet. Childhood trauma can be difficult to overcome." He smiled. He had planned to end the boy's miserable existence when he was done but this was better. This child needed him. He could save his people and do right by this child. With this young man's help. "For the first time in three hundred years, there's a warm feeling inside me." He pulled away as the door opened and Torn entered with someone covered with a cloak.
"Jak, it's time that you met the Shadow," Torn said as he gestured to the shorter figure as he dropped his hood.
Both Jak and Daxter froze, staring at the short green man with the white fro tied around a small log. In a nest on the log was a small bird's egg. "So, you're new recruits who keep causing so much trouble for the underground."
Kor shook his head. "This young man and his friend are the two best recruits you've had since Torn." He said matter-of-factly.
Jak shook his head as Daxter stammered. "But… but… it's… no… but you look…"
"Samos?" Jak asked. "Is that you? What happened to you?" Why was his teacher here and why did he look like he was about to make an exercise video?
The green man shot him a look. "Have we met before?" He asked.
"Yes, we've met before! You practically raised me!" Jak shouted. "Don't you remember me? We came through the rift with you. Where's Keira? Isn't she with you?"
The man shook his head in confusion. "I don't know what kind of twigs you've be chewing young man, but I don't know you or your friend beyond what Torn has told me." He shivered. "Besides, I hate teleporting."
Jak frowned and looked down, visibly hurt. "Fine, forget it." He closed his eyes.
"Now, Torn showed me the letter," Samos held up the letter. "It astonished me at how formal it sounded. To Whom it May Concern. It has been brought to my attention that your beloved Baron has been using my people to keep the city of Haven within his iron fist. I do not like being used in such a way. Nor do my many children. It seems that we both stand to benefit by working together. I would like to propose an alliance with the goal of unseating Baron Praxis for good. If you are interested, please send a return message by way of this brave young man. I believe we could make Haven City and the surrounding land a safe place for both of our people. Signed The Great One." He folded up the letter. "Well, he thinks highly of himself."
Jak shook his head as Kor frowned. "I could say that about a few people I know. What do you think? It takes a lot of courage to make the offer."
Samos nodded. "Indeed but…. The problem is if it's a trap… The potential rewards are incredible but the consequences could be disastrous if we misplace our trust." He read and reread the letter.
"Where I'm from, the lurkers were the enemies. Here, they're our friends. We freed lurker slaves and Brutter runs a successful pop up stand in the bazaar," Jak said. "I heard the metal head leader talking with the Baron. If they can talk and negotiate then they can reason. Maybe all they want is the same thing we want. To get the Baron out of power. Have you ever even asked for their side of the story?" He challenged the green eco sage, peering back at Kor subtly, watching his reactions."
Samos scratched his chin while he read the letter through again. "No, we've never asked their side of the story. I suppose it is possible that we've misjudged them… I only wish there was a way to know for sure. Kor, what do you think?"
Kor's head popped up. "Well… life is the same everywhere. We all only want to live, care for our families, our children and grandchildren, to build up our homes and generally have a purpose in this great world of ours." He scratched his beard. "What it boils down though is a simple question. Are the consequences if it goes wrong worse than if the Baron stays in power? If it goes wrong, our lives will at least end swiftly. The Baron will keep us enslaved for as long as our bodies can hold out." He saw his words had an effect on Torn. "I'm an old man, I won't live much longer anyway I'm sure. But you, Torn. You still have a strong fifty years at least left in you."
Jak nodded. "Sometimes in a sports game, the team has to do something drastic in order to beat the other team. Sometimes you have to pinch hit." He saw everyone looking at him. "Sorry, Errol talked sports a lot while he and the Baron were torturing me and the prison always had the sports game of the day on." He explained. "Why hasn't the Sector Four baseball team canned their first baseman yet? He sucks!"
Daxter shook his head. "I think the game is rigged so the Baron's preferred team can win." He shrugged.
Kor nodded. "Indeed. Only the Sector 2 teams are allowed to win any meaningful game. Errol plays on all of them, and he is the Baron's favorite." Everyone rolled their eyes hard. "He favors Errol even above his own daughter."
Torn put his fingers to his temples, massaging them. "Sports are as much a joke here as anything else. But whatever, I get what Jak's saying. Shadow, maybe we should give this a chance. It could be our only chance."
Samos read the letter again. "Jak, are you able to take a message back to the metal heads. Request a meeting via holo-projector. Kor, I bet you must be getting weary of babysitting the Kid." Samos looked at the boy. "I'd rather he not be anywhere near such negotiations. Just in case, he's too valuable. Vin volunteered to take him for a while."
The old man shook his head. "No, I agree that such meetings are no place for a child. But he has changed hands far too much. It is beginning to affect him." He put his arm protectively around the boy. "And he has a proper name now. Kaj."
Samos groaned. "Ugh, you've named him. That's how you get attached. I understand you have a soft spot for children, Kor, but it's not safe. You know he has a bounty on his head. The Baron will kill anyone he has to. He won't feel bad about killing an old man." He looked at the little boy who clutched Kor's robes. "Maybe when the war is over, if his father hasn't been found, you might adopt him but not yet."
Kor tightened his grip, fighting to keep his true nature from showing. "He is mine. I've already named him. He's staying with me. I don't care what danger I might be in. And know this, Samos, I will not allow you to use this child in this war. He's barely five years old."
The green sage raised his hands in defeat. "Very well, but remember, if we lose him, this city is lost. Jak, give me a few moments to compose a response and you can take it to the metal head leader." He looked back at Kor. "Why don't you accompany him to Vin, then, if you're concerned
for the boy. He must be kept moving. If he's in one place too long, he'll be found."
Jak nodded before Kor could argue. "I'll drive them on my way to deliver the message." He nodded to Kor. If the argument went any further, their plan could be thwarted before it really began. "I like Kaj. It fits him." He turned to Samos. "And Kor's the one who's looked after him the longest. Kor's the one who saved his life. You wouldn't even know this boy existed if not for Kor. And I don't think he needs your permission. You're the leader of the underground, not social services."
Daxter waved his tail at him. "Yeah, Grandpa Green. Talk to the tail."
Samos' mouth clapped shut, flustered at being snapped at by a mere recruit. His place as leader usually got him a lot more respect. "I'll be right back. But you boys are pressing your luck." He stomped out, groaning. "I hate kids!"
Jak shook his head while Torn glared. "You shouldn't talk to him like that. He's the leader and he's done more than Praxis has for this city."
"And, if you're right about who that boy is, then Kor's done more for Haven than the Shadow ever could," Jak stated. "Remember that. It's because he saved that boy that Haven has any chance at all." A few minutes later, Samos returned with the return message.
"Be careful, Jak. If the soldiers capture the Kid, everything we've worked so hard for will be for naught," Samos warned him. "And be careful around the metal head leader. It could easily become deadly if this goes wrong at all."
Jak took the letter. "Don't worry about me or Daxter. We're made of stronger stuff." Both he and Daxter glared at the man and the small ragtag group left.
