Ratchet and Sasha: Locked and Loaded
Chapter 1: Behind The Hero
All seemed to be peaceful with the Solana Galaxy; a year had passed since the defeat of Chairman Drek and thanks to the combined efforts of everyone who had been saved from having their homes destroyed, the damages that had been caused had been fully repaired and things had returned to normal. Or at least, as normal as things could get with the galaxy. Among the many faces who had collaborated with assisting in damage control and helping those who had lost their home planets during Drek's attacks find new homes were the Galactic Rangers and those who assisted on the Starship Phoenix, known as the pride of the Galactic Fleet, led by the captain of the starship, Sasha Phyronix.
At the moment, the captain in question had made herself comfortable within the spare quarters in between the VR deck and the Trophy Room that had been prepared on the ship for others to rest after a long day of work. Sasha was a young female Cazar, a humanoid race with features that were identical to those of a Lombax, including fur and a tail. She had dark brown fur and shining sapphire blue eyes and she was dressed in a suit which was dark purple on the sleeves, the waist areas and the front of her legs and light purple at the front and back of her legs, complete with golden highlights, a pair of black gloves and black boots and a small golden crown on her head to signify her role as the captain of the starship. Sasha let out a quiet sigh as she had her boots rested next to the couch she was sitting on, taking in the quiet time she had since it seemed that she was the only one inside for the time being.
"Ah… it feels nice to have a break from work every once in a while. I do take a lot of pride in making sure everything's running smoothly on the Phoenix, but sometimes it feels great to take some time off from that and enjoy some time to myself." With a content smile crossing her face, Sasha lifted her head up to look at the TV screen since it appeared to be switched off at the moment. "I wonder if there's anything good to watch right now." Figuring it best to find out for herself, Sasha reached over to grab the remote which was rested on the table in front of her and pressed the button to turn it on. After a few seconds passed, the screen lit up with the image of a starry-filled background with a triangle shaped icon that was light green around the sides, bright yellow in the centre and a silhouette of Qwark appearing inside the icon, with a reporter's voice becoming heard over the speakers.
"Welcome back to Behind The Hero."
Sasha showed an expression of surprise upon seeing that the show was starting. "Oh, Behind The Hero's on. This should be an interesting watch." She then reached down to place the remote on the couch just next to her before turning her attention back to the screen, waiting to see who was going to be interviewed this time. She was given her answer when the icon zoomed forward and faded to reveal the interior of a small garage apparently located in Veldin, with two small dark brown lounge chairs set up for the pair that were sitting together on each lounge chair, one of which was a Lombax and the other being a small defect warbot.
"Tonight's heroes are the duo who recently restored peace and order to our galaxy: Ratchet and Clank."
Sasha felt her eyes go wide in surprise at the sight of the duo on the screen; she had heard the news that there was a small duo roaming around the galaxy and throwing a wrench into Drek's plan, but she certainly didn't expect it to be this unlikely pair. "Those are the two I've heard so much about? I'll be honest, they certainly look like an odd match." She then lowered her glance to think it over for a few moments before turning her attention back to the screen with a knowing smile coming to her face. "But if they were able to stop Drek, I'm guessing that means they made a great team." Sure enough, she picked the right time to focus back on the TV screen as the interviewer was now addressing the two in question.
"So, gentlemen, tell us about your latest incredible adventures."
Ratchet was the first of the two to address the interviewer, clearly relaxing in his chair while he did so. "Well, as you can imagine, we've been busy. After Drek's defeat, there were parades, press conferences, fancy dress balls…" While he spoke, Ratchet raised his hands to above the sides of his head and held two fingers up before moving them in an antler's position while talking about the fancy dress balls, clearly illustrating the fanciness aspect of the events.
Sasha couldn't help letting out a giggle while she watched Ratchet with a matching smile of amusement during his little gesture. 'He certainly has a good sense of humour to make light of those events. I've never been a big fan of them, personally.' It wasn't as if Sasha didn't enjoy those kinds of events; after all, she did always like to become familiar with new faces and get accustomed with them, and she did always enjoy what the events had to offer. But it was always the extravagance of said events that seemed to throw her off.
"And the wiener roast at Al's." Clank added, turning his head to Ratchet so he could bring up what else they had been doing in the year following their adventure to stop Drek.
"Oh yeah, that." Ratchet replied, before turning his attention back to the camera so he could continue addressing the interviewer. "And then things started to slow down a bit." While Clank nodded in agreement with them, neither of them seemed to notice that a small female pink robot with short dark brown hair and cyan coloured eyes was slowly poking her head out from behind Clank's chair before retreating so that neither of the two would spot her.
This didn't go unnoticed by Sasha, however, as she let out a giggle of delight at the sight. "Looks like someone has an admirer."
"After that, we, well…" Ratchet lifted his glance to start thinking over what else he and Clank had been up to, and he fell silent for a few moments before Clank managed to continue for him.
"There was the grand opening at Groovy Lube." While Clank spoke, he threw his arms opening in a dancing motion so that it was obvious that Groovy Lube was some kind of disco. Ratchet showed a grateful smile that Clank had covered for him before nodding in agreement.
"Right." He then turned his attention back to the camera so he could continue. "I think that was…" He fell silent for a few seconds so he could recall when that event took place before he spoke again. "Last week."
"Six months ago." Clank immediately corrected. Ratchet felt as though his face would turn red at his friend's blunt correction; with how much time had passed, he felt that he couldn't be blamed for not exactly remembering when certain events had happened. Fortunately, it seemed the slight embarrassment didn't last very long as he continued with what he was going to say.
"We're still pretty busy, but in a more, uh…" Ratchet lifted his head as he was trying to think of how to put it accurately before he turned back to the camera once he had the right words. "Domestic sense."
"Yesterday, I flushed out my radiator core." Clank explained, opening up his chest cabinet to show that it had been completely cleaned out. Ratchet turned his glance to Clank with a smile of amusement before said smile faded to become replaced with an expression of disappointment; somehow, it seemed that things settling down after their adventure had started to take a bit of a toll on him and getting back into things as normal was tougher for him than he expected.
"I guess… nobody needs a hero right now…"
As the interview was coming to a close, Sasha was simply staring at the screen in silence and she lowered her head as she was thinking over what she just heard Ratchet say. "Hmmm… even if having things settle again has been wonderful for all of us, I can understand why he'd think that. After all, the past few days here have been a bit slow. After Drek's attack, it makes sense that it feels like things have become too calm for anyone's liking." She then had a look down at the remote as it was resting on the couch and reached down to pick it up. "Let's have a look at what else is on at the moment."
Before she could start flipping through the channels, however, she was caught off guard as the TV screen suddenly showed an infobot screen and the sound of a ringing alarm came through the speakers, coupled up with the sound of a female computer voice.
'Incoming message from Marcadia.'
"Huh? What could this be?" Figuring she should find out for herself, Sasha pressed one of the buttons on the remote to answer the call and placed the remote down on the small table. She then made herself comfortable on the couch so she was sitting upright and cleared her throat so she could answer professionally. "This is Captain Sasha of the Starship Phoenix. How may I assist you?"
The face she was met with on the screen was someone she didn't expect: it was a large male Cazar with dark brown fur like her and deep blue eyes and he was dressed in a dark blue suit with golden highlights. It was none other than President Phyronix, the Galactic President of the Solana Galaxy and Sasha's father. As soon as he noticed her, a bright smile came to his face. "Hello there, Sasha! I see you're still making sure to handle things professionally on the Phoenix."
Sasha showed an expression of surprise upon seeing his face before giving a nervous smile as she was trying to regain her composure. "Oh! H-hi, Dad. I wasn't expecting to hear from you. Is everything okay over at the palace?"
President Phyronix gave a reassuring smile at Sasha's concern before nodding in confirmation. "Yes, everything's running smoothly over here. I'm calling because there's some news I want to share with you. I'm sure you're probably aware of this, but Gadgetron used to be operational in the Bogon Galaxy years ago before Megacorp became more popular. However, I've learnt that there are still a few facilities that are operational, so I'm hoping to restore connections with Gadgetron in Bogon."
Sasha was silent as she was listening to the explanation before she showed a smile of delight at the news. "That's wonderful news, Dad!" Her smile then became replaced with an expression of concern as there was a thought that had suddenly come to her. "But… who will be watching over the palace while you're there?"
President Phyronix let out a chuckle at her concern before giving a reassuring smile, since he suspected she would start worrying about that. "Don't worry. I've made sure to let everyone over here know and the assistants have said that they'll make sure things are still operating as usual until I get back. And here's also something I'm sure you'd like: I was informed that I could bring an accomplice on my visit and I chose you to come with me!"
Sasha felt her eyes go wide in shock at what she was hearing: she was joining her father on a business trip to another galaxy? "Huh? Wait… really?" President Phyronix gave a nod in confirmation, and Sasha was left in stunned silent for a few moments as she darted her eyes back and forth before looking back up at the screen. "I'd love to join you, Dad, but… I need to make sure things are running smoothly here on the Phoenix. How can I do that if I'm in another galaxy?"
President Phyronix didn't to be as fazed by this as she was as he raised a hand in assurance. "Don't worry. I'm sure someone on the Phoenix can take charge of things while you're gone, and I figured it would be nice for you to enjoy a break from everything that's been going on for you and the rest of the team. I've arranged for us to have our own apartment in Megapolis so you'll have a place to stay while we're there. I'll mostly be busy with business, so that means you'll get the chance to see more of Bogon for yourself! That sounds like it would be great, wouldn't it?"
Sasha lowered her glance in uncertainty as she was taking some time to think it over. Staying in another galaxy did sound like it would be a great chance for her to shake things up for herself, but at the same time, she didn't feel comfortable with leaving the Phoenix for a long amount of time. 'It does seem like it would be a nice change from being here as long as I have, especially after Drek's attack…' After a few seconds of silence passed on her end, Sasha looked back up at the screen before nodding in agreement. "All right. I'd love to come with you. It does sound like it would be exciting."
President Phyronix's smile immediately grew in delight at Sasha's acceptance. "That's wonderful! I'll be on my way to pick you up shortly, so that should give you ample time to get your things ready and inform everyone on board about where you're going. I'll see you soon."
Sasha nodded in agreement. "Got it. See you then, Dad!" With this, the screen turned off as the message had finished and Sasha got up on her feet to retrieve her boots so she could put them on, and she let out a quiet sigh as she did so. "Well, that was something I didn't expect to happen. But if Dad's certain about what he's doing, I'm sure it should be something to look forward to." Once she was certain her boots were on, she nodded in confirmation as she was aware of what she needed to do. "I better head to the bridge and let everyone know of what's going on." With this in mind, she began to make her way out of the quarters and into the open hallway so she could head to the access dome.
Meanwhile, in the distant Bogon Galaxy, it seemed that Sasha wasn't the only one to have plans for heading there, as in the main office of Megacorp Headquarters, a humanoid alien with glasses, white hair and wearing a deep blue suit along with a red bow tie and a Megacorp badge pinned on the side had been watching the interview on an infobot screen: it was Mr. Fizzwidget, the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Megacorp. Upon seeing Ratchet on the screen, a bright smile came to his face and he pressed a red button that was on his desk to inform the receptionist. "Miss Bluebottom, I've found our man!"
A mere few seconds later, Ratchet and Clank were simply relaxing in their chairs following their interviews, but the next thing they knew, they suddenly found themselves transported along with their chairs into an unfamiliar room and they were greeted by a hologram of Mr. Fizzwidget waiting for them. "Welcome!"
"What the…?!" Ratchet gasped, looking around in bewilderment as he was trying to make sense of what had just happened. Clank seemed to be just as confused as the Lombax since he was trying to figure out what was going on, and the two turned their attention to the hologram as Mr. Fizzwidget continued.
"I'm Abercrombie Fizzwidget, founder of the Megacorp Company in the Bogon Galaxy."
"Bogon?" Ratchet quietly asked as he and Clank turned their heads to each other in puzzlement.
"I believe that is the galaxy we are in right now." Clank replied. Ratchet slowly nodded in agreement since that seemed to make sense to him. The two then turned their attention back to the hologram as Mr. Fizzwidget showed an apologetic expression, having just noticed that the two were trying to wrap their heads around what had just happened and how they even got here in the first place without so much as a warning.
"I'm sorry to incapacitate you, but our entire galaxy is in a very precocious situation. I must humbly request your sustenance on a mission of dire urgitude, a mission of superfluous peril, a mission of unequizzical imperitude!" While Mr. Fizzwidget spoke, Ratchet felt a smile of immense excitement grow on his face as he was listening to every word that was being said, while Clank was simply left feeling more than a little at a loss of words. Once Mr. Fizzwidget had finished, Clank was the first to speak, having been able to make little sense of what he had just heard.
"Did that make any sense?" Clank worriedly asked, turning to Ratchet as he was wondering if he had understood any of that. Fortunately, it seemed that Ratchet had successfully figured out the basics of what Mr. Fizzwidget was trying to say.
"So… you need me to go on a dangerous mission in another galaxy." Ratchet commented; even if he wasn't a genius with words he didn't understand, there was no doubt that was exactly what he was hearing. It seemed that his guess was correct as Mr. Fizzwidget gave a bright smile before nodding in confirmation.
"Indubitably!" He then gestured to show Ratchet and Clank an infobot screen so he could continue with his explanation, with the two turning their attention to the screen in question. "A few days ago, this top secret biological Experiment…" The screen showed a picture of what appeared to be a small round creature with blue fur, big black eyes, a small pink antenna on its head and large dark blue two-toed feet. "…was stolen from our testing lavatory by this dupliterous criminal mastermind." The screen then changed to show the image of a mysterious masked figure complete with a hooded cloak tied around his shoulders. Ratchet and Clank showed matching expressions of alarm at the sight of the figure in question who was responsible for the theft, and then they looked back at Mr. Fizzwidget to hear the rest of what he had to say. "And I need you to get the Experiment back!"
Fortunately, it seemed that there was no need to wait for an answer as Ratchet immediately gave his reply. "We'll do it!"
"We will?" Clank simply asked, turning to Ratchet in bafflement as he was still feeling more than a little lost about all of this. Ratchet looked over at the small robot before nodding in agreement.
"Why not both of us? It sounds like a great chance to go another adventure and explore a completely new galaxy. Who knows what we'll find!" Ratchet eagerly replied, clearly looking excited for this. The two then turned their attention back to Mr. Fizzwidget as it seemed he still had more to say.
"Crank, I have precipitated your recalcitrance and have made special improvisations for you." He then gestured to the screen to show a picture of the Megacrop building, to which Ratchet and Clank had a look at the screen to find out Mr. Fizzwidget had in mind for Clank. "We are prepared to give you a job as the head accountant for Megacorp…" The next picture to appear on the screen was the image of the interior for one of the apartments down in Megapolis. "Plus a penthouse suite in lovely Megapolis…" The screen then showed an image of a female robot standing in front of a message table. "And our state of the art robotic masseuse!"
The last part seemed to seal the deal for Clank as his head begin to rise from its usual place along with the red dot on his antenna beginning to flash brightly, a sight that Ratchet couldn't restrain himself from laughing at. With no hesitance on his end, Clank turned to the hologram and gave a thumbs up with a big smile. "Deal!"
Since he now had things under control, Mr. Fizzwidget turned his attention to Ratchet since they had a lot of work to do get him ready for the mission at hand. "As for you, Ratchet, I'll need you in superiatory shape. While in transit to the Bogon Galaxy, you will undergo heavy training and conditioning including martial arts, heavy weaponry, survival skills, stealth, macramé, ballroom dance and origami!" As the screen showed appropriate images for each component of the training, Ratchet felt a confident smile come to his face; this was the chance for him to start doing things the way he should have from the beginning, and there was no way he planned on refusing to take it. He was in a new galaxy and that meant making a new start for himself.
"Oh, I'm so ready for it. Bring it on!"
Back on the Starship Phoenix, Sasha was standing in the hallway as she was waiting for her father to arrive and she had a brown bag in her hands since she had made sure to pack a few things she was certain she needed to have with her during her stay. After about a few moments of waiting, Sasha could see that the door to allow ships to enter the Phoenix had opened so that a purple limo could come inside. Once it had parked inside the clear space, one of the doors opened upwards to allow President Phyronix to step out, to which Sasha showed a smile of excitement before running over to greet him. "Hi there, Dad!"
President Phyronix gave a bright smile once he saw Sasha coming over to him and he waved to her as she stepped towards him. "Hello there, Sasha. I see you're ready to go for our trip?"
Sasha nodded in confirmation, since she felt she was ready. "That's right. I've got a few things to bring with me while we're staying there and I've also made sure to let the Galactic Rangers know that I'll be away for a while, so they're taking charge of the Phoenix in my absence."
President Phyronix's smile immediately grew in delight upon hearing that Sasha had made sure everything was under control while she was gone. "That's great to hear! I've just arranged for one of our pilots to bring us to Bogon so we'll be there in no time at all. Shall we be on our way?"
Sasha gave a nod in agreement at this idea. "We shall."
Without a moment to spare, the two made their way inside the limo and Sasha reached over to close her door. Once the two had taken their seats, the limo began to start up and zoomed off outside. As Sasha was taking a look at the surroundings outside, she turned her head to her father as there was something she wanted to ask. "Just one question: how are we getting to Bogon? It is a completely different galaxy and that kind of distance is quite far from us."
President Phyronix simply showed a reassuring smile as he didn't feel as worried about that as she was. "I already figured that. That's why I made this ship comes with a gravimetric warp-drive, so we'll be in the Bogon Galaxy in no time at all!"
Sasha showed an expression of amazement at the fact that they were already prepared for this kind of trip, and then she turned her attention to keep watching the multitude of stars from outside her window. 'I hope this trip will end up being worth it…'
Little did she realise how right she would end up being…