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Children Of The Precursors
By Light-Eco-Sage
Rated: PG-13 for language, violence, lots of character death, and romance (JK, OCOC)
Summery: The final chapter of my mega-series. Things seem to have settled down for the young Mar family, but fate has other ideas as Jak’s children discover their ultimate destines.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything except for the original ideas that I’ve put in. And I definitely own Jak’s children and any other OC’s.
LES: Sadly, this is the last planned story in this universe that I’ve elaborated on. And, to think, it all started out with a single idea, which evolved into ‘Back To You’. And then the story intensified in ‘War Of The Champions’. Jak and Keira’s relationship was put to the test in ‘The Deepest Wounds’. Jak learned about his past and his future in ‘November Born’. And, if all goes to plan, this will be a rather large story also. It might even be as long as Back To You or War Of The Champions! We’ll see how things go. Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter I: The Accident
Jak sat quietly next to his wife’s side, feeling somewhat apprehensive. Keira was now in her fourth month of pregnancy, so that anyone who really cared to look would see that she was pregnant. That, or she was putting on weight. They were in the Spargain hospital while the doctors did a ‘standard procedure’ check-up on Keira, presumably to make sure that there was nothing abnormal about their unborn child… nothing wrong.
Jak looked on as the doctors did numerous things that he didn’t understand. He wasn’t a doctor, after all.
I felt its life force this morning. Jak reassured himself. If there was something wrong, I would have been able to feel it, right?
But he wasn’t so sure if his senses to life were fully tuned because Samos, when he came by to see them, kept giving his daughter odd looks like she were on her death-bed. That’s why he had agreed to this in the first place. If Samos sensed something wrong, then there was probably something wrong.
Suddenly, and without warning, the Doctor got up and left the room. Keira glanced briefly at her husband and noticed that he was trembling. “Jak? What’s wrong?” She asked.
“What if they find something?” Jak asked. “What if they find something wrong with our baby?”
“There’s nothing wrong.” Keira said reassuringly. “This is just a check-up… standard procedure.”
“You’d be surprised how quickly standard procedure can turn into a non-standard nightmare.” Jak said.
The Doctor walked back into the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Mar?”
“Yes?” They both sat in a more attentive position.
“I’m afraid I’ve got a complicated message to deliver.” The doctor said.
“Is something wrong?” Jak and Keira asked together.
“Oh, nothing ‘wrong’, per say. It’s just a complication.” The doctor assured them.
“Okay…” Jak said slowly. “Is this complication serious?”
“Depends on how excited you are to be parents.” The doctor said. “If you can’t wait, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Other than that, your wife is perfectly healthy, Commander… just a normal four-month pregnant woman.”
“Doctor…” Keira began, her hands resting on her slightly swollen abdomen. “What is this complication?”
In response, the doctor held up a file. “As standard for these tests, we ran a test to get an early estimate as to the gender of your baby, but… things seemed slightly confusing.”
“What do you mean ‘confusing’?” Jak asked.
“We got both male and female readings.” The doctor said.
Jak and Keira stared. “Are you telling me you can’t figure out if my first born is a boy or a girl?” Jak demanded.
“Doctor, there can’t be a person who is genetically both sexes.” Keira reasoned.
“Exactly. It only points to one explanation… that you are pregnant with twins! A boy and a girl, to be exact!” The doctor said cheerfully.
If you don’t understand something about their childhood in Sandover, you won’t understand their initial reaction to this news. With Keira’s father being the Sage of Green Eco, he had attended many births. But there was one time when it was different, and that was the incident that came to mind now. They both remembered Samos’ agitation, the father’s fear and despair. They heard Samos say one word… “Twins.” They were so young that the word had no meaning for them, but it had a dreadful meaning to everyone else. The laboring mother cried out, not in pain, but in pure despair. The next thing they remembered, the woman was dead, as were the children she carried.
They listened in as Samos explained the situation to the distraught father. “Twins are not very common, but they have happened before. We… we just don’t have the knowledge needed to allow a she-elf to survive the delivery. I’m afraid giving birth to twins is a hopeless cause…”
The fear of the word stayed with them, almost sub-consciously, even after they learned what it meant: that instead of one baby, there were two. Anyone who grew up in Pre-Haven time came to fear the word ‘twins’ almost as much as they feared the word ‘death’.
So, now it is understandable that their first reaction to this news was pure fear and despair. Keira burst out into unrestrained tears and Jak felt fear clog his throat. Finally, after several seconds, Jak was able to speak again. And took this newfound ability to berate the doctor for not showing the proper fear and regret for delivering the dreadful news. “How could you just stand there and tell us this smiling?” Jak demanded.
“What?” The doctor asked, then he paused. “Oh, right, you two grew up in the past, didn’t you? How long ago?”
“Pre-Haven.” Jak answered, confused.
The doctor laughed. “Oh, I’m sorry! I should have explained. I forgot about the ‘Time Travel’ stories. You see, in pre-Haven time, getting pregnant with twins was your basic death sentence, as I’m sure you know judging by your reaction. But times have changed in the last five hundred years. Now we have the technology and the medical skill to allow a she-elf to survive the birth of twins as much as a regular birthing. You do not need to fear death.”
Keira looked hopeful. “So… we can have our babies here… no problem?”
“Well… not here, actually.” The doctor said. “Spargus is still too young. You’ll have to have your children in Haven City.”
“But… this is possible?” Jak asked. “We can have these twins without Keira dying?” Jak asked.
“Of course it’s possible. Haven has successfully delivered more than twins. I believe the current record is four.” Jak and Keira stared at the doctor in shock. Such a number wasn’t even imaginable in Sandover time! “Two sets of identical twins. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Congratulations.” He left.
Jak and Keira both breathed out a sigh of relief and warmly embraced each other. “I was so scared there for a second.” Keira said.
“So was I.” Jak said. “I grew up in Sandover too, and I had the same fear.”
“But they said that this is possible!” Keira said with a smile. “Jak, we’re going to be the parents of twins!”
“I know! It seems unreal!” Jak said. “I couldn’t sense it at all!”
“Don’t worry, Jak, my love, you heard the doctor. Everything’s going to be fine.” The she-elf said. She took Jak’s hands in her own and pressed them to her stomach. “Let’s just be happy right now.”
Jak smiled as he pulled her into a kiss, and then he helped her off the table. “Let’s go home.” He said.
“The hospital.” Jak answered.
“Why?” Daxter asked. “Keira couldn’t possibly go into labor yet. It’s only been four months!”
Keira rolled her eyes. “I haven’t gone into labor, Daxter. It was just a check-up… to make sure everything’s all right.”
“And, was everything all right?” Daxter asked.
Jak looked at Keira for a few seconds, and then looked at his rodent friend. “Dax, don’t freak out when we tell you this, wait for us to explain.” Jak paused. “Keira’s pregnant with twins!”
“WHAT?!?” Daxter demanded loudly, effectively ‘freaking out’. “Are you telling me that I’m going to lose my best friend, my best friend’s wife, and their children at the same time?!?”
“No, Daxter, listen to us!” Jak said. “We know about twins, we grew up in Sandover too! But the doctors say that they have the technology that will allow Keira to give birth to our twins safely.”
“So… everything’s okay?” Daxter asked.
“Everything is perfectly fine.” Jak said. “We’ll have to go to Haven City when it gets close to Keira’s time, but other than that, everything’s fine.”
“So…” Daxter began, clapping his hands. “Now that we know that everything’s okay, are you two excited?”
“Of course we are!” Keira said. “If there’s one thing I’ve always wanted, it is to settle down with the love of my life and start a family.” She smiled lovingly at her husband, who smiled back.
Suddenly, there was a frantic knock on the door, and Jak quickly moved over to open it. It was a Wastelander, and he was gasping, like he had run there. “Commander… Mar?” He asked, between gasps.
“Yes.” Jak said. “Catch your breath.”
The Wastelander nodded his appreciation and took several deep breaths to recover. “You are summoned to the Palace immediately.” He said finally.
“You ran here to tell me that?” Jak asked.
“It’s about Commander Tain, sir.” The Wastelander said.
Jak looked back at his wife. “I’m sorry, Keira, but this sounds serious.” He said. “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.” Keira said softly. “I love you.”
Jak smiled at her briefly. “I love you too.” He said before he left the house. Because it sounded serious, he jumped on a near-by Leaper Lizard and took off for the Palace as fast as the Lizard would go.
“I got a call from Tain.” Sig said. “Selena’s gone into labor.”
Jak breathed a sigh of relief. He thought something really bad had happened. “Well, that’s good for him.” He said.
“Jak, Tain has asked me to ask you if you could watch Adam. You know, hospitals are no place for children.”
Jak nodded. “Sure, we’ll keep an eye on Adam. Anything for Tain in a time of need.”
“Okay, then it’s settled. Adam, it’s all right. You can come out now. You know Jak, don’t you?” Sig called around the throne room. The four-year old stood out from behind the rock formation. “Adam, your mommy and daddy are busy right now, so Jak is going to look after you.”
As Adam looked at Jak with those strangely intelligent eyes, the elf could not help but think about the premonition he had two months ago… that he would be the one to kill Adam. After much thinking, Jak had remembered that part of the vision he had. And he wondered if Adam remembered it too. But, as of now, Jak had absolutely no intention of ever harming Adam, and the vision seemed to take place twenty years in the future. So Jak figured that there was little to worry about. Too many things could happen between now and then, things that would drive him further from that destiny… Or closer towards it… Jak thought to himself.
Adam continued to stare at Jak in that way he always had, like he knew things about the elf that he, himself, didn’t. “Hello, Mr. Jak Mar, sir.” Adam said. Tain had obviously taught him not to call him ‘Champion’ all the time.
“Come on, Adam.” Jak said kindly. “Your parents will be done soon.” Jak started to head out, and then paused to let the boy catch up. Adam seemed to be walking unusually slow. Whenever Jak had seen him before, except with his physic gift touched him, Adam was a normal, energetic four-year old. Seeing that the boy wasn’t going to go any faster, the elf easily picked the boy up and walked out of the Palace.
Sig smiled to himself. There was no doubt in his mind that Jak would make a great father in his own way. He and Keira deserved to have children, no matter what the Haveners said. He had given up so much of himself for others (mostly others that hated him). If Jak didn’t deserve the chance to prove himself as a father, no one did.
Jak gave her a look that said ‘hold on one second’, and then he set Adam down. “Adam, go inside. We have an Ottsel. Why don’t you go play with him?” He said with the air that Daxter was a pet. “We’ll be inside in a second.”
“Okay.” Adam said without complaint, he headed off into the house.
Keira looked at her husband. “Jak, what’s going on?” She asked.
“Selena’s gone into labor.” Jak explained. “And Tain asked us to watch Adam. It isn’t a problem, right?”
“No, it’s not a problem. We can baby-sit Adam for them. But…” Keira paused. “Isn’t Selena only eight months?”
“Keira, if they have the technology to allow twins to be born safely, I’m sure being one month early isn’t that big of a deal.” Jak said calmly.
There was a yell from inside the house, and the two elves looked around, and rushed inside. They saw that Adam had Daxter by the tail and was holding him upside-down. “Jak!” Daxter yelled upon the arrival of said elf. “Just what in the world is going on?!?”
“Heh, sorry, Dax.” Jak said. “Adam, you can put him down.” The young boy did as he was told.
“I am not a toy!” Daxter grumbled. He glanced at Adam, who was exploring the house. “Whose kid is this? He kinda looks like you, Jak.” Daxter said, noting the blonde hair. “Don’t tell me this is an illegitimate child.”
“He’s not.” Jak said swiftly. “I don’t have any illegitimate children. This is Tain’s son. I told you about him, didn’t I?”
“Ah, your Commander buddy.” Daxter said. “Sure. But… uh… what is he doing here?”
“We’re baby-sitting him.” Jak said. “And, another thing, Daxter. When there are children in his house, you are a toy. Go on, Adam, play with him.” Jak said with a wicked grin.
“Keep that kid away from me!” Daxter yelled, running away as Adam gave chase with a laugh.
Of course, the four-year old boy wouldn’t go to bed without a fight. And they (‘they’ meaning ‘Jak’) had chased the boy all over the house before they caught him and put him to bed.
“Where does he get all that energy?” Jak asked. “It never stops!”
“I never thought a four-year old had that much energy.” Keira said.
Jak glanced at his wife, then down at her swollen abdomen. His thoughts drifted to the twins that he knew she was carrying. “I think we’re in serious trouble.” He said.
“Let’s just pray they don’t inherit your energy.” Keira said hopefully. “Think about it… two children with your energy!” She gasped in horror at the very thought of it.
“I don’t feel like I have a lot of energy now.” Jak said truthfully. “And I have a feeling that Adam isn’t at his craziest. He seems… I don’t know… subdued.”
“Do you think something that he senses troubles him?” Keira asked.
“It’s more than possible. It can’t be easy to be aware of stuff that people shouldn’t be aware of.” Jak said. “Just think of the stuff he must see in my mind… all the stuff I’ve been through. It’s not something a child should be aware of.” Jak sighed. “I child shouldn’t know that such evil exists in the world.”
“Well, we’ll have to make sure our children are protected from the evil of the world.” Keira said.
“Nothing will ever happen to our children while I’m around. I promise.” Jak swore.
They both looked at the clock. It had been several hours since they had taken Adam in. “They should be finishing right now, unless she’s having an unusually long labor.” Keira commented.
As if the she-elf had cued it, someone knocked on the door. Jak got up and answered it. “Yes?”
“I have a message from Commander Tain.” The messenger said. “The Commander said: ‘Come to the hospital. They’ll let you in. Don’t bring Adam’.”
Jak glanced at his wife, and then back at the messenger. “Is that all he said?”
“Yessir, that’s all he told me.” The messenger confirmed. He bowed, and then he left.
Jak looked back at his wife. “Come, Keira. It’s back to the hospital.”
Keira nodded and went to find Daxter. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway. “Daxter?”
“Is he asleep?” Daxter asked.
“Most likely.” Keira said. “Jak and I need you to watch Adam. Tain has asked us to go to the hospital.”
“No problem… as long as he stays asleep.” Daxter said.
It seemed that Spargus had a separate waiting room from the maternity ward even though, as far as Jak knew, there were very few pregnant women in Spargus. The room was almost empty, except for Tain. He sat in the far corner of the room, his face in his hands, and seemed absorbed in pure misery.
Jak and Keira walked over slowly. “Tain?” Jak began softly.
The elf didn’t even look up at the couple. “It never occurred to me that this could happen. They always say that the second child comes easier than the first. Adam… he came so easily… I still remember the day he was born….” He trailed off, apparently lost in memories.
“Tain?” Keira asked. “Is Selena all right?”
“Selena is dead.” Tain said. “And so is my son… there was a complication… a deadly one.” Jak and Keira gripped onto each other. Tain could apparently sense their movement. “Your reaction is understandable. You don’t want to believe something like this can happen… but it does happen… it has happened… to me.”
“Tain… I… I don’t know what to say…” Jak said simply.
“You can say one thing.” Tain began. “You can answer one question.” Tain finally looked up at Jak. “You know the Precursors. Why did they make it so we have to die? Selena… my beautiful wife… my son… he didn’t even get a chance at life. Why them? Why did they have to die like that?”
Jak sat down next to the distraught elf. “The Precursors… they have written out all our fates and destinies, and no one less than they can change them. And… to get such a change… you’ve got to pay the ultimate price. Believe me… I’ve paid it, and my children will pay it.
“Selena wasn’t supposed to die! My infant son wasn’t supposed to die! I know it!” Tain growled.
“Tain, no one knows exactly what the Precursors want from them. They never do things without reason.” Jak said.
But his last comment was rather tactless. “So, the Precursors had a reason to kill my family?”
“No! I’m sorry, that was the wrong thing to say…” Jak tried to correct himself, but it was too late.
“No, you said the right thing.” Tain said.
“Tain, your family hasn’t been killed. You still have Adam!” Keira began.
Tain ignored the she-elf and stood up. “I have to find out why the Precursors killed them!” With that, he stormed out.
“How could he possibly find a Precursor?” Keira asked her husband. “They only exist in the…”
“The Spirit World.” Jak finished. “And the only way for a regular mortal to enter is…” Jak trailed off. “Oh shit!” He swore, jumping up.
“Jak? What is it?” Keira asked, surprised by his out-burst.
The elf ran for the door, but paused long enough to answer Keira. “The only way Tain could enter is if he died.” Then he took off.
If Tain took a vehicle, the only way Jak could get there faster was if he flew. With a flash of pure light, he allowed himself to transform into his angelic Light Side. He spread his large feathery wings and took to the air as naturally as a bird.
It didn’t take him long to reach the Metal-Head Nest, and he saw a Spargain vehicle parked outside, empty. Jak folded his wings into a dive and landed easily in front of the Nest. He let his Light Side slip away and he conjured two Dark Blades and rushed into the Nest.
He didn’t need to go far; he ran into Tain several dozen feet in. “Tain, what are you doing?” Jak demanded. “Adam needs you! You are not like me and Keira! You and Selena weren’t Soul-Mates! You can recover from this! You can’t give up, for Adam’s sake!”
Tain growled at Jak. “Don’t you tell me how to react to the loss of my wife and son!”
A loud growl split the air and the two elves looked around. It seemed the Metal-Heads had finally discovered the intrusion. Jak held both his weapons in a readier position, but Tain made no move to defend himself.
“You have to fight for your son’s sake!” Jak growled at him, nervously glancing at the dozens of Metal-Heads that surrounded him.
“I’ll activate my beacon.” Tain said, activate his War Amulet. “By the time help gets here, they’ll be able to save you. Your family still needs you.”
“They’ll save you too!” Jak said, still watching the growling Metal-Heads.
“It will be too late for me by then.” Tain said.
Suddenly, the first Metal-Head attacked and Jak took evasive action that instantly turned into an offensive action. He swiftly but down the first Metal-Head, but fifteen more launched themselves at the elf to replace their one fallen comrade.
The Dark Elf was very powerful as far as elves go, but the Metal-Heads had far superior numbers, and he couldn’t see out of the back of his head. Jak was able to defend himself during the first waves of the attack only by miracle and sheer dumb luck, but he was slowly but surely getting overwhelmed by the Metal-Head’s numbers.
“Tain! Help!” Jak called to his fellow Commander, who still had not moved.
Tain didn’t react to Jak’s plea for aid. And then a smart Metal-Head, seeing that Jak was prey that fought back, and Tain was prey that wouldn’t fight back, leapt at the latter elf. Jak saw the impending crisis and, without thinking about how many lives depended on his survival, he threw himself between the Metal-Head and Tain. The Metal-Head’s claws caught the elf under his ribs, causing pain to shot through his body. The claws instantly curled up, aiming for his heart and barely missing. The Metal-Head tossed the grievously wounded elf aside violently. He hit the ground hard, but barely noticed it considering the pain of his wound.
Jak grit his teeth to stop a cry of pain from escaping. He held his hand against the wound to stop it from bleeding out all over the place. It was healing, but slowly… too slowly. It was a fatal wound, and fatal wounds always took a bit longer to heal than scratches. He looked up in time to see Tain overrun by Metal-Heads. If he didn’t fight back, he wouldn’t survive.
“Tain!” Jak yelled weakly, as his lungs had been punctured in the attack, and he was finding it difficult to make any noise what so ever.
Some of the Metal-Heads looked around, and suddenly a Metal-Head Commander moved closer, appearing on a ledge above him. “Give up, Metal-Bane.” The Commander said. “You are wounded, and struggling will only bring yourself more pain then necessary before we kill you.”
“Stay away!” Jak growled, summoning a single Dark Blade. He couldn’t concentrate enough to summon a second blade.
“Give it up.” The Commander ordered. “You can’t possibly fight us in your condition. We won’t ever have a chance like this again. And Metal-Heads aren’t ones to miss opportunities to kill their enemies. Kill him before he heals!”
The Metal-Heads advanced slowly on the near-helpless elf. Jak slashed at the first Metal-Head and felled him, but his body failed him and his sword dropped from his hand. He was completely helpless in the worst way.
Suddenly, there was an explosion and Jak instinctively hit the dirt. It was the Spargains. Bullets flew over his head and tore through the Metal-Heads easily. After what seemed an age, the attack stopped, and the Metal-Heads were dead.
A Wastelander jumped out of the nearest vehicle and rushed over to where Jak lay and kneeled beside him. “Commander! We need to get you back to Spargus!”
“No!” Jak growled. “Tain first! I’ll be fine.” The Wastelander hesitated. “That’s an order.” Jak hissed.
The Wastelander got up to investigate the other elf, who was lying nearby. Several others were already there. Tain looked a mess, and he wasn’t moving. One of them checked for Tain’s pulse. He looked up at the others and shook his head. Their body language couldn’t have been clearer.
They picked up Tain’s body and bore him to one of the vehicles. As the Warriors passed, Jak spoke his last words to his fellow Commander. “I hope you find the answers you are looking for.”
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