Soaring over the colony in his ex-military ship, Ryker begins to feel a sense of ambivalence seeing the giant city from this perspective. He marvels at the manifold engineering achievements that sprawl below in every direction, but can’t help feeling a stony detachment from all of it.

The colony is bigger than he remembers. If it weren’t for the faint lights revealing the outer edges of the city on the horizon, the dark sky would blend seamlessly with the city’s boundless monolithic structures. He hasn’t seen real light in months.

Once the dwellings beneath him become sparse, Ryker knows he’s close. He scouts for Jak’s hut in the distance. Realizing he’s unable to recall the last time he made the journey to see his friend, he feels a tinge of guilt for how their lives have transpired. His mind is still racing. How could this be real? Is he still integrated into AlterCast? 

He lands the cruiser as a silhouette of an anxious Jak appears from the hut. Jak hasn’t heard from Ryker in a long time. A message out of the blue has him concerned. As Ryker approaches, Jak views him more clearly. Each time he sees his ex-comrade there is more and more technology attached to him; all manner of cables and blinking diodes that barely give the impression of a man. Coats of hardened metal fortify the increasingly withering figure concealed beneath them. Fastened to his head is a large helmet with an almost-opaque visor, preventing Jak from discerning half of his face. Jak can just make out the whites of his eyes. There’s not much left of the man he once knew. 

The two men embrace; a wealth of history and shared memories binding them together.

“I need to show you…” Ryker trails off, his voice wavering very slightly.

Jak is troubled. Something isn’t right.

They proceed inside the hut and Jak pours them each a drink as they sit. Ryker skips the small talk. He braces himself, and begins to project the broadcast message onto a monitor opposite them.

For a second the figure on the screen in front of Jak completely takes a hold of him. It’s almost as if he leaves his body for a moment, feeling completely suspended in time. It’s her. His daughter still resembles the adolescent girl that lives in his mind’s eye, although there is a softness present in her eyes that is different.

Jak is frozen. He fights back the sensations swelling inside of him, his rational brain taking over to shield him from his pain.

“How… How is this possible? We watched her die. Eleven years ago.”

Following the fatal accident they scanned for traces of Taith around the mining belt, finding nothing. The chances of surviving something like that are near zero. But the figure on the broadcast isn’t a hallucination: it’s his daughter. She’s alive. 

After a long moment of silence, Jak overcomes his shock.

“Where… where is the broadcast coming from?”

“Ōmikam,” Ryker replies without hesitation.

Jak’s eyes widen further and a wave of confusion stirs inside him.

“Ōmikam? But there’s nothing out there…?” he tails off, head spinning and mind ablaze, “except the Ardor...”

“Exactly. It doesn’t make sense.” Ryker says, before adding, “But that’s the source. I’m positive.”

Little is known of Ōmikam and the ancient beings. The desert planet is largely devoid of resources due to its proximity to the sun; perceived as worthless and unprofitable by mankind. Neither Jak nor Ryker know of anyone who has been to Ōmikam.

“Is there more to the message? Is that it?!”

None of this makes sense.

“I wish there was more. It’s a miracle I picked this up. It was so long ago that I don’t even remember programming the interface to scan for her voice signature.”

Ryker replays the message, plunging Jak back into his disoriented thoughts. Taith’s chest adorns a talisman fastened around her neck. The necklace exhibits a curious circular symbol that Jak doesn’t recognize. The words leaving Taith’s mouth barely penetrate Jak’s consciousness as he gapes at her on the monitor. Her demeanor is so serene it feels almost ethereal. He sinks into his feelings, tumbling through memories of his past life.

Slowly he begins to digest the revelation. No matter how bleak his outlook, there has always been a flicker of belief that she may still be out there; a small part of him clinging onto the impossible. He starts to feel something different that is difficult to identify at first. He hasn't felt this emotion in a long time. Hope.

“I have to find her.” Jak asserts, immediately formulating a plan in his head. His old ship had been dismantled for parts after the accident. He would need to find a new one. Jak looks up to his friend.

“Ryker… I have to find Taith. This is a big ask, but can I take your ship?”

Ryker is caught off guard, and has to think for a second.

“I’m sorry Jak, but the ship is modified only to be piloted by me…”

Jak’s heart sinks. Without this ship he has no chance of reaching the source of Taith’s message. There’s no-one else he can ask. 

Ryker hesitates; he wants to help his friend but he is afraid. Afraid to leave the city and the comfort of AlterCast for too long. It’s been years since he ventured further than the colony’s outskirts. Ryker sees the distressed and despondent look on his friend’s face, which stirs something up inside of him. 

“I’ll come with you. Let’s take my ship.”

Jak reacts silently, but with a look that shows his extreme gratitude. They let the quiet moment of connection linger before erupting into a plan of action.

*****

The pair prepare the final supplies and perform last-minute system checks on the ship. Sitting in the vessel’s cockpit they brace themselves for the journey ahead. Ryker engages the ship's main engine and a deep roar signals the start of the ship’s ascension.