After docking the ship and paying for repairs, fuel, and a place to sleep, Jak and Ryker enter the exostation bar, joining the transient haulers and miners of the system. They are exhausted. The bar is dark inside, a gloomy atmosphere made brighter only by hazy fluorescent tubes and rusty light panels. Around them is a rowdy babble of bitter speech and drunken statements. They sit and order two strong drinks, absorbing bits and pieces of the surrounding conversation. A drunk and rugged looking man sitting next to Jak observes the two of them with mild curiosity and amusement. They don’t look like they belong here.

“So what brings you through?”

Ryker eyes the man carefully before replying.

“We’re traveling to Ōmikam.”

The man chuckles to himself, not taking them entirely seriously and clearly entertained by the response.

“Ōmikam eh? Not sure what you’ll find there, except for a bunch of primitives praying to the sun. Sounds like most people are leaving that place anyway, seems to me like you’re headed the wrong way.”

“You mean there are people living there?” Jak asks keenly. Not really listening until this point, suddenly the man has his full attention.

“Only people who have nothing better to do. Not sure what the Ards have to offer except a pile of dusty rocks. Folk that visit there come back spouting all sorts of rubbish across the system… it’s all a pack of lies and deceit.” 

The man tips his head back to finish his drink, before rising from his stool and stumbling out of the bar, continuing to drunkenly ramble to himself. 

The pair are left to absorb the information. Jak doesn’t know what to believe — what if this man is right? Are there really people living on Ōmikam? Is it possible Taith is there too? Why would she be there? How did she survive? The questions spin in his mind until the anxiety overwhelms him. He downs the remainder of his drink and lets the chemicals dull his chaotic thoughts.

They order a second round, and Jak finds a brief moment of peace and levity as he drinks with his old friend. Drunkenly they recount stories of previous missions together. They had met in military training when they were both young men, and had shared a great deal since then. Ryker had practically constituted a second parent to Taith after Jak’s wife had died. Despite the fact the two men seldom see each other nowadays, a wealth of time and experience has fostered a deep and unspoken bond between them.

Ryker adjusts the enzyme metabolism settings on his bodysuit, allowing the effects of the alcohol to wash over him. The pair drift into a hazy comfort. The neon lights swirl increasingly through the night until they fade to black.