Disclaimers:
Welcome to my fourth major (multi chapter) fanfic. If you have been following the series thus far, grab yourself a cold beverage from the chiller, sit back, relax, and refresh your memory about the ground rules...
a) Ratchet, Clank, their entire universe and everything in it are copyright and trademark by Sony, Insomniac Games, etc. Rue, a.k.a. Wombat Rue, is the creation of Brady Canfield. Both are used without permission in this story. I highly recommend that you check out Wombat Rue! I wanted to use him in a cameo crossover because he is such an interesting (and potentially fun) character and to give a bit of exposure to a great self-published comic. For more information, go to www (dot) wombat (dash) rue (dot) com.
b) Special thanks to ITMan496 for keeping me interested in this fic even after all this time, and for his spectacular ship modeling skills - itman496 (dot) deviantart (dot) com.
c) The term "manifestor" was coined by Hatoshi (a.k.a. Stephen Stryker). I have used the term, and the general concept behind the technology with his permission. See my previous disclaimers for how my use evolved / branched out into different areas.
d) Any other characters, constructs, devices, mythologies, social conventions, foods, medical or engineering implements that are in this story that are not the property of Sony, Insomniac Games, Brady Publishing, etc. are my own constructs. Personally, I can't see why anyone would ever want to reuse them, but some folks have. If you do, you should ask first: it's polite, and as long as the characters stay at least somewhat in character, it's usually okay with me.
e) This story is based on the rest of my Leonid Stories (Recommended reading order: Homecoming, Relativity, Instincts, Registration, Bait, Mortality, Override, Friends, Terms, Diplomacy). I wrote the first draft of the text between 12 August 2011 and 12 May 2012. Yes, it took a while. The story had been sitting dormant for months as other things got in the way and as my attention drifted. I did my traditional proof reads and embellishment edits, but as everyone knows, not even the pros catch every typo.
f) This story takes place approximately two months after the end of Terms, almost (but not quite) three years after the end of Tools of Destruction. The canon plotline from IG and mine diverged after that. I make no apologies for this, nor will I adjust the stories to try to resynchronize them. But you might need to review Homecoming for how I perceive the Zoni throughout this fic, and Clank's previous interaction with them.
g) I am not a professional writer, and I do not claim to be able to write either well or coherently. It is merely a minor amusement, a side story to while away the time...
h) All other standard disclaimers from my previous stories apply. As always I reserve the right to edit or tweak the text as I see fit, to improve or correct it, or to delete it at any time for any reason. So, for your entertainment...
i) Enjoy!