I'm back! Happy New Year. May your 2020 be awesome.

The weeks went by in a rush of indecision and eco.

Ashelin's calls tapered off, though she still would call in with a "Jak? Are you there?" every few days.

He hadn't made a decision yet on whether he should go back to Haven. Which, he supposed, was a decision in itself.

He asked Sig, during a mission in the Wasteland, how things were in Haven.

"I was back there a few days ago," Sig told him, revving the engine to get them over a sand dune. Daxter was near the gun in the back, not listening to the two in the front. "Had to check on something for Damas…it's not great, cherry, but you already knew that."

Jak sat back in the seat of the buggy, depressed. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Metal heads have completely taken over the Agricultural district," Sig continued. "Ashelin is afraid a new nest is starting to form. Plus, they found out where all those damned KG robots are from."

"Oh?" Jak felt them take a hard right turn and knew they were avoiding marauders. "Where?"

"The old War Factory," Sig confirmed. "Apparently, someone has been accessing it and making more robots, but no one is sure who it is. Torn wants to send someone up to check it out, but no one is fool enough to do it."

Except Jak. The unspoken words hung in the air, and Jak exhaled. "…Do you think I should go back to help?" he asked quietly.

Sig's mouth thinned. "No."

"…Why not?" Jak pressed, annoyed that Sig didn't seem to want to elaborate.

Sig sighed. "Alright, chili pepper, listen to me. You know I have some strong…not very nice feelings about Haven. I only go back there when Damas needs me to."

"So that means we should just let them all die?" Jak countered.

"You asked my opinion, I'm givin' it!" Sig barked. "I think you have more value to the people of Spargus than to the people of Haven. Even if you have great friends back there, I think you better ask yourself if they hold you in such high esteem."

Jak closed his eyes. "I guess," he mumbled. "But I can't…I can't just leave them on their own. They need me."

"They abandoned you," Sig said bluntly. "Look, Jak, you're a close friend, and I like you, so I'll say this once and only once."

"What?" Jak asked defensively.

"Stop trying to be the hero." Sig shook his head. "Why are you saving a bunch of weaklings who pinned the blame on you and ran you outta town?"

Jak fell quiet. Somehow, hearing Sig say his own thoughts out loud only seemed to make him less decisive. He frowned and Sig glanced over at him.

"Ah, hell," he grumbled. "Look, you should only do what you want to do. I'm just tellin' you, they did you dirty. No one would blame you if you decided to let 'em all rot."

"…" They had reached Spargus, so Jak simply nodded and hopped out of the buggy. Before he headed into the city, Daxter on his shoulder, he added, "Thanks, Sig."

"Anytime, cherry." Sig clapped him on the shoulder. "Anytime."

In the meantime, between missions for Spargus, Jak was still learning light eco techniques from Ionna.

"You're making astounding progress," Ionna complimented. Her eyes followed Jak as he spun the light eco around his hands, the gaseous eco obeying his command easily. "You certainly have outstripped any monk or sage I've seen."

"Really?" Jak brought his hands up and the light eco wound between his individual fingers. "I guess I've always been a quick learner."

"Yeah, it only took him seventeen years to learn how to talk." Daxter snickered from the rock he was lounging on. "One of these days, he might even learn to read."

"Shut up, Dax." Jak absorbed the eco and sat down beside his friend, rubbing his temples. "Whoo. That takes it out of me." His head was pounding and his muscles ached. He didn't feel like he'd ever get to the point that Ionna did, though: making the eco change form, making it split into clusters and pools, making it obey her with a wave of her hand.

"Exhaustion. Rest for a moment." Ionna handed him a canteen, which he gratefully took. She started to extinguish the torches. "It gets easier the more you do it. After all, muscles ache after excercising them, but the pain goes away as we grow stronger."

Jak rubbed his neck, trying to ease the tension. Despite the fact that it was physically draining, he found himself almost...exhilarated by the lessons on light eco. He was getting the hang of moving eco around and manipulating it, though he still wasn't able to make it change forms. "What else is left?"

"Hmm, we're done for today," Ionna replied. "I think we're almost ready to get into the actual powers of light eco next. I don't want to rush your learning, only for you to not have learned at all."

Jak stretched his arms above his head. It was just after midday, but he was already tired. Maybe he'd catch a nap, or meet Sig at his favorite bar. Maybe he'd even just hanging out in the palace, resting in the water like he and Daxter often did. Damas invited them to rest between missions there, almost grateful for the company.

His communicator suddenly beeped, yanking him out of his thoughts. He winced as Ashelin's voice floated through.

Jak. Are you there, Jak? Listen...we really need your help. Please answer me. We-

Jak clicked the communicator off abruptly. Ionna didn't even seem to notice as she continued putting out the torches. Daxter gave him a sideways look, but didn't say anything.

"...That was Ashelin Praxis, correct?"

Jak's head shot up. Ionna had finished her task and was staring at him blankly. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, that was her."

"How do you know Ashelin, huh?" Daxter scrambled up onto Jak's shoulder. "Old pals? Frenemies?"

Ionna gave him a small smile and sat down next to them. "I told you. I have quite a few contacts in Haven City. She's one of them."

"Really?" Something suddenly occurred to Jak. "Wait, did you give her a beacon?"

"I did. Just in case she needed some help one day." Ionna crossed her legs and frowned. "How did you know?"

"Because she gave it to me," Jak replied. "That's how Damas found me in the desert."

"Ah. That explains quite a bit," Ionna said. "Then you owe Ashelin Praxis your life."

Jak blinked. "I...I guess you're right," he finally said.

"...What is on your mind, child?" Ionna asked kindly. "You seem preoccupied."

Jak exhaled. "Ashelin wants me to go back to Haven City, to help with the war. I don't know if I should."

Ionna watched his face carefully, but didn't speak. Daxter did, though.

"Ha! She just wants you to clean up her mess!"

Ionna leaned forward slightly. "Jak? Is that what you think, too?"

"..." Jak closed his eyes. "I don't know," he said finally.

Because he knew that Ashelin was his friend. He remembered fighting beside her against Metal Heads, teasing her about her crush on Torn, listening to Daxter hit on her while she rolled her eyes. She had saved his life by giving him that beacon.

But she hadn't defended him. That had hurt the most, he thought, more than being banished. Because the city already thought he was a monster. He didn't need his friends thinking he was one, too. His train of through broke when he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

"Not knowing is alright," Ionna reassured him. "But I would like you to consider something."

"What?" he asked. Ionna stood up and gestured outside, towards Spargus' beacon shining in the sky. "Spargus? What about it?"

"Not the city, but the people in it." She sat back down. "You, child, are about to learn a lesson that everyone in that city has learned the hard way. A lesson forged in sand and blood."

"What lesson?"

"...A lesson about loyalty." She smiled at Jak sadly. "You are a warrior, Jak, one who would never hesitate to leap into danger for those who have earned your loyalty. But I suspect that your loyalty is hard to earn. Am I right?"

"Yeah," Jak admitted. "I have a few...trust issues. Not exactly that kind of guy."

"But you are fiercely loyal to those you care for." She gestured to Daxter, whose ears perked up. "Which is why you are having such trouble deciding. Ashelin has earned your loyalty, but the city itself has not."

Jak stared, stunned. He had never been good with words; that was always Daxter's strong suit. But when she put it like that... "Yeah, that's right."

"So heed my words, child," she continued. "A lesson learned, from all of Spargus at some point in their lives."

Jak leaned forward eagerly, while Daxter's ears cocked to hear her better.

"Do not let your loyalty become slavery." Ionna glanced back out at Spargus. "So many of us were abandoned and betrayed because we put our trust in the wrong person and followed them even as we suffered. Yes, loyalty is an admirable trait. But blind devotion is a pitiable one."

Jak closed his eyes. Yes, he knew exactly what she meant. "...Thanks," he said. "I appreciate it."

Ionna nodded as she gathered her things and headed for the buggy. "You're very welcome, Jak. My perspective and guidance is always available to those who need it."

Daxter leapt onto Jak's shoulder as he stood up and started walking toward the buggy. "When do you want to meet next?" he asked her. She gave him a glimmer of a smile.

"Oh, we're going to give you a chance to rest," she said evenly. "The next steps are...intensive. And besides, I get the feeling that you'll be a bit busy for the foreseeable future." She slid into the driver's seat while Jak hopped into the passenger's side. He cocked an eyebrow at her, but she didn't elaborate.

"...Yeah," he said finally, his eyes flickering to the communicator. "I guess I will be."

"Urgh, I forgot how much the city reeks!"

As the air train pulled away, leaving Jak and Daxter behind at the port, Daxter gagged dramatically. "I mean, whoo! It smells worse than Krew did, and that sayin' something!"

Jak wrinkled his nose. The acrid smell of pollution and sewage was stronger than usual, he thought. Or maybe he was just so used to being in the desert that it hit him harder.

It was the second time Jak had been back to Haven City since his banishment. He'd been here before, when he and Daxter had gone through the subrails and knocked out Veger's robot. But it had been awkward, and he'd gone back to Spargus after only a few days of missions from Torn.

He hadn't even said goodbye to anyone.

Now, as he stepped into the Freedom Headquarters, both Torn and Ashelin gave audible sighs of relief.

"Jak, you came home." Ashelin gave him a weak smile that he didn't return.

"I'm just here to do what I need to do and get out," he replied flatly. Her smile vanished. "I heard you were looking for someone to go into the Baron's War Factory?"

Ashelin frowned at him. "I didn't call you back here just for that," she told him. "I wanted to...everyone has been asking about you. Keira and Samos didn't even know you had left until after you were gone."

"Well, they shoulda stopped by to say hi more, then!" Daxter snapped. "We knocked down that stupid barrier, but you never heard anyone stoppin' by to see us!"

Ashelin looked like she wanted to argue, but Torn cut her off. "Whatever. I don't have time to worry about this stupid shit." He folded his arms and gave Jak a solid look. "Jak, I'm glad you're back, for however long you are. We are up a creek without a paddle."

"What's going on?" Jak leaned towards the console in the center of the room. "Sig mentioned that you found out where the KG robots are coming from."

Torn grimaced. "Yeah, well… we're facing a two-pronged attack. Ashelin and I were trying to deal with Metal Heads that are making themselves nice and cozy in the agricultural district. But we noticed something strange."

"The KG robots are protecting the Metal Heads." Ashelin appeared to have put her own feelings aside for now. "I wasn't sure of it until I took Samos there to take a look. The robots practically swarmed us before we got to their nesting spots. We couldn't get more than ten feet in."

Torn brought up a map. "Samos thinks the Metal Heads are attracted to the Haven Forest and the Monk Temple. The Temple still has pipes of eco running through it, so it and the areas around it are rich in all types of eco."

"Of course," Jak breathed. "That's why the area worked for farming. Green eco makes the soil rich."

Ashelin nodded. "Well, the Metal Heads went straight for it. With that much eco around, they can form a new nest right here in the city!" She clenched her fist against the table. "We couldn't let that happen. So we decided to try and track down whoever was controlling the KG robots."

"Don't tell me," Daxter said, leaping onto the console. "It's our good old boy Veger."

"That's what we thought," Torn said, "but why? Why would he want to protect the Metal Heads?"

"'Cause he's crazy?" Daxter wiggled his paws erratically. "Crazy people do ca-razy things!"

"Veger or not," Torn said, shoving Daxter off the console with a thump, "we need to get to the bottom of it. Someone has to go up to the War Factory and shut it down."

"And that someone is us, right?" Daxter rolled his eyes from the floor. "We always gotta clean up their mess, Jak."

"We didn't just call you for that!" Ashelin said defensively. "I called you because...well, Haven City is your home. You don't belong in the desert."

Jak clenched his fist, staring down at his hands. His skin had tanned over the past months of the desert, making a stark contrast between him and Ashelin. "Don't I…?" he mumbled. Daxter flicked his head and he was jolted out of his thoughts. "Sorry. Distracted."

"Stupid is more like it!" Daxter leaned against his head and folded his arms. "Anyway, maybe we don't wanna go do this crap, Tattooed Wonder! Always dealing with your nonsense! No one's even asked how we're doin' in the Wasteland!"

"Look, are you going to do it or nor?" Torn snapped. "Because if you're not, I have to head up there myself."

Daxter's fur bristled. "Yeah? How about you do that! Get off your ass and go—!"

"We'll do it," Jak interrupted. He settled his hand on Daxter's head and rubbed it comfortingly. "But then we're heading back. There's...something else I have to do in the Wasteland."

Ashelin pursed her lips, but Torn just gave him a grim frown. "Hey, I'll take whatever help I can get."

When they were alone, with Jak prepping the Hellcat, Daxter glanced up at him.

"You okay doin' this, buddy?" he asked quietly. Jak restrapped his morph gun. "I mean... we don't have to."

"...Look," Jak said finally, "I don't want anything bad to happen to Haven, even if I stay in Spargus."

"Alright." Daxter jumped into the passenger seat. "Then let's go, partner!"