Haven: Isolation, part 1
As she fell out of the Rift, Keira found herself falling towards a huge junkyard just outside a massive walled city. She didn't know where she was, what was going on, where everyone else was, or why she saw what looked like an Eco battle in the distance, but at the moment her biggest concern was landing safely. Thankfully, she always carried her tools on her, and a few pieces of the Rift Rider were falling with her. Grabbing them, she cobbled them together with a spare Power Cell she had on her and managed to craft a powerful electromagnet that could be directed via the Blue Eco charge. Aiming quickly, she managed to grab a discarded board with wheels on it and magnetized a good portion of the junk below her into a ramp. Getting the board under her feet, she landed wheels first, using the magnet to lower the slope of the ramp towards the ground, turning it into a loop as she ran out of air to slow down in. Skating around the loop a few times, she waited for her momentum to bleed off before leveling her landing platform.
"Whoa..." she gasped out as she staggered off the board. "That was...a little too close. Pretty sweet landing, though, right guys?" She turned to where she'd expected Jak and Shining to have landed safely, only to see no one there. "Guys?" she called out worriedly. "Jak? Shining? Daxter?" She spun around. "Dad, where are..." Her voice trailed off as she realized Samos wasn't there either. "W...where is everyone?" she whimpered.
Glancing around in the junkyard, she decided she'd have to search for them, and her soft shoes weren't suited to doing it on foot over the hard ground. She'd need to cobble together something to ride on. She was rather amazed to discover her own A-Grav Zoomer tech inside a massive vehicle that had been left for scrap...mostly because whoever had installed it plainly didn't know what they were doing. "What the heck were they thinking with all these extra couplings?" she demanded in frustration, quickly gutting the massive tank as she scavenged the parts and couplings she needed for something much smaller and faster. "Well, the parts are in good order, but the A-Grav generator is burnt out. Just needs a new Power Cell, though it's no wonder it burned out when they overloaded it so much. Seat's pretty comfy, so if I just strap it right on..."
The resulting Zoomer was the barest bones of a working model, just seat, control, engine, and intake-exhaust valves for the air coolant system. "That should do it," she muttered as she brushed dirt and grease from her hands. "I'm not as good a rider as Jak...but I should be able to handle this."
Hopping on, she took off into the city. The vehicle had another device she'd scavenged that, with power running through it, broadcast some sort of ID codes. This caused the shield around the city to open to let her in, and she began zooming around the city streets, calling out for her companions...and unintentionally terrifying the citizenry.
Unfortunately, she was so focused on the search that she flew right into a trap the Crimson Guard set for her. While the A-Grav engine could have handled lifting higher even with half a dozen guards clinging to the net, 20 was asking for a burn out.
The unit leader pointed his weapon at her. "You are under arrest for flying an unlicensed A-Grav vehicle in city limits, flying an A-Grav vehicle without a license, and use of stolen Eco-Shield ID codes. Surrender peacefully, and we'll take you in in one piece."
Knowing she was beaten, Keira deactivated the engine and held up her hands in surrender. She was then frogmarched up to the palace once she was restrained.
After a time in a somewhat comfortable cell, she was walked to the stadium, where two men awaited her. The older man she'd later learn was Baron Praxus, ruler of the city. The younger who had been riding the Zoomer around the track she would learn was Erol, Praxus' second in command.
As she was brought in, Erol hopped off the Zoomer. "It's incredible, Baron," he said breathlessly. "It runs ten times better than anything we've got in the military, and easily 15 times as fast when pushed. Wherever this came from, we need to know." As he turned and caught sight of Keira, his expression turned lascivious as his eyes traced her figure. "And just where did a pretty thing like you get such a ride, hmm?" He reached out as if to stroke her cheek.
Before his hand could touch her, she lunged forward, nearly catching the outstretched finger in her teeth. "You keep your hands off me! And gimme back my zoomer! I need it to find my friends!"
Erol snarled at her. "I'll teach you some respect!" he growled, reaching for a weapon at his hip.
"Stand down, Erol!" Praxus barked out firmly, his eyes boring into his younger companion until he backed off. He then turned back to Keira. "You'll forgive my companion's brashness, I'm certain. He's young and impulsive, much like you." Dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand, he walked over to the Zoomer. "You call this yours...where did you get it?"
"The junkyard outside," she replied in a surly tone.
"Really?" Praxus asked, intrigued. "You found a fully functional device like this in the junkyard? Why would anyone toss it away?"
"Because they had no idea what they were doing," she countered. "The A-Grav drive had more than five times the necessary couplings to keep the vehicle hovering, the vehicle itself was three times the safe weight limit, and the exhaust manifold was installed backwards. I tore the hunk of junk apart and put it together so it would actually function, after replacing the burnt out Power Cell in the A-Grav generator."
Erol's jaw was hanging. Praxus, however, was grinning. "You seem to know anti-gravity technology like the back of your hand," he murmured. "What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't," Keira replied bluntly.
Both remained silent for a time, and then the Baron chuckled. "Of course. A gentleman should give his own name before asking a lady's. I am Baron Praxus, rule of Haven City. My young companion is Erol, leader of the Crimson Guard, Haven's defensive and police force."
"...Keira," Keira allowed after a time.
"Well, Keira, I have a proposition for you," Praxus continued. "As I'm certain you've noticed, Haven is in a state of war. The Metalheads - a half-machine scourge from the desert beyond the walls - seek our absolute destruction. We must turn every resource at our disposal to our very survival. The Zoomer technology you're able to create...it is leagues beyond what we currently have, and could be one of many things that helps turn the tide of that war. From struggling to survive, we could achieve victory." He smiled softly. "If you will make your expertise available to the Crimson Guard as an independent contractor-"
"A what?"
Praxus chuckled. "It means you do your own work and we pay you for it," he explained. "You don't work for us, but you have a contract to provide us with a certain amount of what you make in exchange for payment."
"Oh," Keira replied, still a little lost.
"If you will do that," Praxus continued, "then not only will I clear you of all current charges against you, but I will also make it a priority assignment for the Crimson Guard to keep an eye out for your friends. You'll be the first to know when we find them." He smiled softly. "Surely that's a more efficient means of finding them then racing around the city blindly shouting for them."
"...and I agreed," Keira concluded. "He made valid points...and it sure beat jail time."
"Understandable," Jak agreed. "So that's how Haven got Zoomers."
"Yeah," Keira confirmed. "Well, after that-" She suddenly cut herself off as a light above her work top began to blink. "Jak, hide!" she hissed.
Confused, Jak dove behind the curtain and under the project that was behind there...which he recognized as an attempt to rebuild the Rift Rider from scratch.
He couldn't see anything beyond his hiding place, but he could hear. And there was one voice he recognized. "Keira, I'm afraid your little present has stopped working again," Baron Praxus said gently as he entered.
"It's alright, Baron," Keira responded warmly. "I did say the power source wasn't perfected, and would need to be replaced every so often."
Silence reigned save for the sound of Keira tinkering. After a time, Praxus spoke again. "I'm always amazed at how gifted you are with machines."
"It's a knack," Keira countered demurely.
The sounds of more tinkering could be heard before Praxus spoke up again. "Keira...your friends have been spotted."
The tinkering sounds stopped. "What? But...but you said-"
"I was mistaken," Praxus admitted. "It is possible. However...it seems your young man has...undergone an unexpected change." Papers could be heard being laid out.
Keira gasped quietly. "But...but that can't...is...is that Dark Eco?"
"You recognize it," Praxus murmured. "Yes, it appears he's been exposed to a great deal of Dark Eco somehow...and he's become a danger to himself and all those around him."
Jak clenched his teeth, barely controlling his rage. Was Praxus really going to try and make himself look innocent of what happened to him? He clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his palms to keep from charging out and tearing Praxus apart.
"I see how he can be dangerous to anyone who attacks him," Keira mused at last. "But...how is he a danger to himself?"
"Dark Eco poisoning is cumulative," Praxus explained. "The more this...'Dark Jak' comes out, the less of Jak as you know him will remain, until eventually...the beast in these photos will be all that's left of him. If we can get him under control so we can learn how this transformation works, we may be able to help him...and then he could help all of us."
"...why tell me all this?" Keira asked at last. "I know you said I'd be the first to know if you found him, but..."
"Because if his feelings for you are even a fraction of yours for him, then you're the key to bringing him around."
"So that's it," Keira almost spat. "You want me to get him to follow me up to the palace so you can lock him up?"
"Don't be absurd," Praxus countered. "I want you to keep him here."
"What?"
Jak wasn't entirely sure for a moment if it was himself or Keira that spoke there. It was only when Praxus continued normally that he realized he'd managed to keep his silence.
"As far as we can tell, it's rage that brings this side of him out," Praxus explained. "Rage, and danger. The only way he can be kept under control so the damage he's doing to himself can be countered is if he is somewhere he can be calm and feel safe...and that's somewhere that's yours. We know he's in the city somewhere...and I have connections in the city, so I can arrange to have information spread that will likely lead him here. If he does come, do what you can to calm him down and convince him to stay."
"What then?" Keira asked. "Send Erol around to collect samples or something?"
"Are you asking for trouble?" Praxus barked out with a laugh. "You, Erol, and Jak in the same room? We'd need at least one body bag within the hour. No, I'll send in my daughter to make observations. Any studies and sample collecting will be your own responsibility, and at whatever rate you think best. He'll trust you: that's what we're counting on."
"...and since Ashelin and I are friends since she's been checking up on me the past few years, he'll trust her, too," Keira concluded.
"Precisely," Praxus replied. "Can I count on you?"
Keira was silent for a long time. "I'll think about it. If he comes...I'll decide what to do then." There was the sound of some sort of device whirring, and soft music played. "It's fixed."
"All I can ask," Praxus replied. "...I never get tired of watching the lights play, and hearing the music."
"I'm glad you like it."
After a long time of silence, Keira spoke again. "He's gone. You can come out now, Jak."
Jak extracted himself from his hiding place. "You're on speaking terms with Praxus?" he demanded, doing his best to keep his anger under control.
Keira gently laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. "That's...the second half of this very long story..."
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...Wow, are you making the baron an actual person? With an actual personality beyond being angry and reckless? Who is capable of being a reasonable individual? Makes me wonder if you have plans for him beyond simply being the antagonist.
You have peaked my interest.
6764880
You mean that's something Praxus got wrong in this chapter.
YESSSSS! I KNEW someone had to do it SOMEtime. merry christmas to me!
6764891 BOOOOM, either that's a nice save, or brilliant foresight, either way, good comeback
6764953
The game subtitles in the Playthrough I'm using for research use the other spelling.
But then again, that's hardly the first such case I've encountered on this story. It seems the development team couldn't decide how to spell anyone's names.
I am impressed, you have managed to do something that so many others forget to do, you have managed to make one of the Villians into a proper person, other then a stock Character.
6764880
I don't think what he said was wrong, so much as it is easier to explain the metal-heads as being Half machine then trying to explain that they have Metal-like exoskeletons to someone that might not have the proper frame of reference.
I always hated Praxis for what he did to Jak, though I always understood him. Praxis was likely upset at the way Damas was conducting the war, only there's never been enough details to say. I do know that there was at least one failed attempt on the Metal Head Nest, and that was likely shortly before Praxis' betrayal of Damas. The game never said though.
In any case, I'm of two minds as to how your showing the baron here. On the one hand, it fits the story you're building; on the other hand, you're making me sympathetic to a character that I want no sympathy for. Even though I've always had a little bit.
From struggling to survive, we could achieve victroy
1. Victory.
It's always nice when a genius intellect not only saves you from jail time, but lands you a good job as well.
Hm! Clever!
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
6764891 So... Is Praxus good... Or wht?
6766547
Praxus is a leader in a time of war for survival. No more, no less.
6766585 Cool. I love the non stereotypcal routes you take. It's like you tell people...
Logic. A little something that just might solve problems.
Of all the places to get caught up on... Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Merry Christmas!
Bloody red Baron.
did Keira just make a jukebox ?
...Praxus, you asshole.
8044831 Agreed, however fortune certainly doesn't seem to favor him. He'll get his.
Okay, now I'm just confused. I understand that Keira came out of the rift six years in the past, and Jak and Daxter along with Shining Armor came out 2 years ago. So if Keira was 6 years younger then Jak before, does that make her 2 years younger than him now? How old exactly are both of them before and after the time-travel?
Time travel makes everything more difficult doesn't it?
10355391
Exactly. She's aged 4 years relative to them, six relative to their memory...while they've aged two years from what she remembers (two exceptionally rough years at that). As for how old they are now? ...late teens to young adults, exact numbers unimportant.