I honestly don't know what this is, it was sitting in my computer for a while and I thought maybe I'd give you guys a sorta teaser or something. I briefly read through this and added some things but...this is one of my earlier writings, so it may not be any good in the first place. If you readers want more, please let me know! Your reviews are greatly appreciated and I really want to know if you guys enjoyed this. ( maybe I'd continue this old piece of trash? ) and not leave it at as teaser?

Anyways, enjoy.

A small Lombax stood readily in the bloody battlefield. Bodies of his enemies laying by his feet, their blood on his body, and on his wrench. His green eyes were downcast and red with fatigue. His shoulders slumped and the long ears of his race were down against his head.

Not again...

He'd done it again. All of it. He murdered them all without hesitation, and for what? To live? To win? No, he just did it all because he was told to. The Lombax sunk to his knees, dropping his wrench in the process. He kneeled upon the lifeless bodies, regretting every thing he has ever done, and every thing he ever was in this horrible, terrible game that was called life. He felt his eyes brim with tears but...they never came. It was no use, why cry when the battle was over?

Even if the battle of the mind was still raging?

He rubbed his eyes hard, wiping away all the tears and the grime, only for it to be replaced by the blood on his own hands. Their blood...on his hands...

He looked down at his gloved hands, ripping the articles of clothing away with such force it threatend to rip the glove in two. His hands themselves were clean, sensitive due to the constant friction from the gloves. His claws, when drawn, were brittle and tiny. Weak. As his commander said. So very weak...

He looked up then, face morphing into pure horror. Bodies littered the ground like they were old children's toys. Lifeless, blood seeping out of their bodies steadily. They were bested by a teen of no more than 18. It was a bit laughable the darker side of his mind replied as he spiraled more into his self pity. Why was he so freaking selfish?

He killed them because HE wanted to live. Selfish. ...

He hit the ground with anger, cracking the cold dirt beneath like it was nothing. Why?

He felt the first lone tear drip down his muzzle. Why was he the one crying?

A second tear joined the first, then another, and another. They wet the ground with his own inner turmoil and he weakly hit the ground over and over.

It was over in an instant.

"Wake up!"

He took a deep breath, bolting up in his bed, startled. He looked over to whoever disturbed his (horrible) sleep. His eyes met with those of his enraged commander, he felt his heart sink. Here we go again...

"You-You! Good for nothing space rat! You over slept again!" His commander, Tachyon, screeched. "Need I remind you that I can kill you at any moment? You have one job, rat, one job. And that is to serve me."

The Cragmite inched closer with every word, burning hatred in his eyes as his claws scraped against his metal throne noisily. "Get up before I change my mind!" A leg of his throne kicked the makeshift bed carelessly, making the Lombax jump a bit, clutching his arms with his hands in a death grip. He sighed momentarily, noting how thin his arms have gotten and how weak he was feeling. He'd have to take care of himself better. That is, if he found the will to.

It's hard...

He always wondered why Tachyon spared him all those years ago. He knew the story, he knew everything except why, and when asked, the Cragmite would just reply that he was just another pawn in order to get to the Lombaxes when the time comes. Honestly, to him, it didn't make sense. Why keep someone around when they seemed to be the bane of your existance?

Any alternative to this life would be better anyways.

He hopped off his bed quickly, dressing himself in his standerd attire, which consisted of black boots, dark jeans (with a hole he made himself for his tail) and a burgundy colored t-shirt under his brown leather harness. He grabbed his signature Omniwrench and headed out to door into the long corridors of the base.

This so called "base" was located on Fastoon itself, the abandoned and obliterated city of the Lombaxes, who have moved on long ago. Or, as his Comander says : ran away like the cowards they are. He didn't really believe it himself, but then again, the Lombaxes abandoned him here. That could never be forgiven!

The base was construsted by Tachyon's growing army of drophyds and a few space pirates. It was located west of the destroyed city in the side of a mountain with only two entrances, the top (which was more like a trap, the more the Lombax thought about it) and the bottom, both surrounded my numerous guards. He walked silently through the dim halls, passing guards along the way that didn't even acknowledge the short, petite Lombax.

"Hello there, Ratchet. Does Commander Tachyon aquire your assistance once more?"

All except Clank...

Clank once belonged to one of the space pirates that came and went as they pleased. The pirate at the time said he would do anything to get the freaking "toaster" off his hands once and for all, Ratchet, shyly offered to do just that. Blast, Ratchet himself didn't even have a name at that point (besides Rat or Nusance) but Clank...Clank gave that to him even though he was a robot that has yet to understand emotions and even organics. It was the first time Ratchet ever had anyone to care about or to have anyone even care about him. He smiled at the thought,

"Yeah same as always, Pal."

Tachyon himself wasn't too keen about Ratchet taking the small, pathetic robot in, but decided to use it to his advantage in many ways. For instance, Tachyon could make Ratchet do anything if that little piece of scrap metal was threatend to be harmed in any way. However, he mainly used Clank for fast calculations and intel on ideas. Ratchet was just thankful that his commander didn't take Clank apart to begin with anyways.

"I see. I better not accompany you then, Commander Tachyon is not very happy when I join you on your endevors." Clank blinked his green optics slowly, focusing on his Lombax friend.

Clank always worries...

"Please, do take care of yourself, Ratchet." And then he continued on in the opposite direction, a soft clanking noise accompanied by his steps. Ratchet just shook his head in bewilderment. He was going to be late at this rate...

With a sigh, he continued on to the main observation room, which was located on the top floor of the base. He took the flights of poorly built stairs upwards, making sure to quicken his pace so the commander wouldn't be furious with him.

When was he not furious?

He finally made it to the observation room, Tacyon himself in the center of the room analyzing papers and papers of calculations and theories,

mumbling to himself like the psychotic Cragmite he was. He chuckled darkly, and it sent shivers down the Lombaxes spine and he became cold as ice. It already seemed like Tachyon wouldn't be as tolerable today as he was the previous couple days. He could only hope that Tachyon wouldn't take whatever anger he had out on him. He approached the Cragmite cautiously, hoping that he wouldn't startle the Commander into a rage fit or something.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you." He turned his metal throne around to face the young Lombax, chuckling at how frightened the pitiful kid seemed already. However, he had to give credit to the poor thing, his green eyes bore into his own without showing any fear, even though the rest of his body screamed for him to run from the danger.

All the better for when I kill him in front of the keeper himself.

The Cragmite straightend himself in his throne, fixing the crown above his head and lifting up his scepter, papers forgotton as they fluttered carelessly down to the floor. Ratchet winced as Tachyon began speaking in his shrill voice,

"For years, I've been waiting to track down your mistake of a race, and lo and behold, I have finally found the key to do just that!" He picked Ratchet up by the back of his harness with one of the thrones claws (much to to Lombax's dismay) and turned them around.

No...

There it was, sitting highly on top of pedestal that seemed to be made just for it. The Dimensionator, or, what's left of it. While one half was still intact, the other side seemed to be falling apart, pieces of it littered around carlessly. However, there was no denying...Tachyon had the Dimensionator and all the pieces. He just needed to assemble it and then BOOM! Right to the Lombaxes!

No...No...anything but that. Even though they abandoned him with this demon of a Cragmite...he was tired of seeing death.

Ratchet gulped nervously. Now, it was only a matter of time before Tachyon starts his search for Lombax heads, his thirst for blood relentless. Tachyon continued, bringing Ratchet closer to his face,

"Your idiotic race will finally be taken care of-" he dropped the teen with no mercy, smiling at the small cry of pain that emitted from the Lombax "-and you will help me." He glared down at Ratchet, eyes burning with hatred and malice "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your little friend now, would we? No, you wouldn't sacrifice him for those who abandoned you to me so long ago." He chuckled darkly.

"Or even better-" Tachyon reached down into the pit of his throne, picking up and revealing the thing of Ratchet's nightmares. The controller, as he liked to call it. It consisted og numerous colored bottons, all for many different reasons. A red button to cancel, blue for Tachyon to pick a setting of his chossing, and finally, a big purple button in the center of the remote which was capable to control Ratchet without hesitation.

Ratchet rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly, remembering the exact moment Tachyon inserted this "chip" that he used to control him, to get Ratchet to do his bidding.

He remembered when the Cragmite tied him down to the cool, metal examination table. He was only 12 at the time, growing and naïve. He didn't know what the commander was capable of and what he would do to get what he wanted. He remembered how the Cragmite just cut the back of his neck open, right where the head meets the neck, a deep cut. He ignored the cries of the child and got to work, inserting what he needed to in order to have Ratchet at his disposal. He inserted a chip, about 1 inch wide and barely a millimeter thick, it had potential however, the potential to control Ratchet against his will. When he was done, he stitched it and bandaged it messily, he didn't want his pawn to get an infection,

You can't really play with a toy if it's broken anyways...

Ratchet realized at that moment, that he wasn't safe with the Cragmite. In fact, he never was to begin with. He wondered why he never realized the danger before, but then again, he was only a child. A child with no real home, or family to take care of him like he deserved.

However, after all the things he has done, he doesn't believe he deserves it anymore.

Ratchet sighed when Tachyon put the controller down and turned away from him, "I will fix this blasted machine, and I'm counting on that pathetic robot of yours to help me. If you refuse...well, I'll just have to make you do it anyways and you know how much you don't like that..." he exited the room, leaving Ratchet with the Dimensionator. The Lombax listened as the metal throne loudly walked down the hall and away from the observation deck. When the noises finally faded, Ratchet found that he was unable to move. He was in shock, and he was scared. While he didn't look it, he felt it and he couldn't move.

What am I gonna do?

He rubbed his left side, which was still stinging from Tachyon dropping him, and brought his knees up to his chest. He wanted to hide, no, he actually wanted to run. Far away from all his problems, far away from Tachyon, and far away from this life in general. He squezzed himself impossibley tighter, feeling his breaths come out short and choppy. He wasn't going to cry, he wouldn't...He clamped his eyes shut, silently praying that anything, anything would stop Tachyon and save the Lombaxes.

Even though they abandoned me?

He opened his eyes in realisation. That was true. The Lombaxes did abandon him and left him with the Cragmite so why? Why did he want to save them?

I've killed so many...

Years of doing Tachyon's bidding had taken a toll on him. It was all so Tachyon could rule the universe, all so Tacyon could build a suitable army. All so he could kill the Lombaxes for revenge.

And Ratchet didn't want anymore death...

The Lombax was so absorbed with his own inner turmoils that he didn't hear the small clank clank clank of his robot friend approaching. Clank stood infront of his friend, who had his head between his knees, hidden and shaking. He watched sadly as the Lombax's claws threatend to break skin and winced as he saw a small trikle of blood finally make its way down his friends clutched legs. The robot knew that his friend didn't deserve this, no organic did. Ratchet was a child still, a teen maybe, but still deserved to be cared for all the same. Ratchet didn't deserve to be made into a toy or pawn.

He wished he could help him.

Clank looked down at his own 3 "fingered hands". He was a small and weak robot, one that should have been thrown away long ago, a defect. But Ratchet...Ratchet showed him what is was like to want and be wanted, Ratchet showed him what it was like to live. 3 years ago he was in the custody of a lowsy space pirate that could care less about robots and more interested in making a good deal with a possible buyer. He thought it was the end for him then, he was hoping to be bought and used for scrap metal. That is, until he was carelessly put into the arms of the Lombax that had no name at the time. A 15 year old Lombax that held him like he was a precious tresure, a child.

He would realize months later that he was actually the thred that kept Ratchet hanging on the rope to life.

The Lombax fixed any frayed wires and buffed out any dents in his casing the same night he was given to him. Clank was still uncertain about the kid at the time, but once he saw how much care and hopelessness was in the kid's eyes, he allowed himself to trust. To this day, he didn't regret anything,

Only the fact that he couldn't help Ratchet...

He couldn't do anything for the Lombax that helped him so many times before. He couldn't defend or attack, nor could he stop Tachyon from hurting and manipulating his friend more. He could only follow and watch, watch as his friend was hurt time and time again and watch as he slowly deteriorated into the shell he was becoming.

But...he could be there...

He reached forward, hesitantly, Laying his metal hand on top of his friend's knee. He couldn't stand to see Ratchet like this, and while a robot couldn't really feel emotions, he felt some sort of empty sadness deep within his processors. He watched silently as Ratchet stopped shaking, looking up at the defect with tear filled eyes. Clank smiled sadly, waiting for Ratchet to tell him what just transpired in the room not long ago. It seemed like eternity before Ratchet calmed down enough to speak,

"The Dimensionator, Clank, he has it. And he is going to kill the Lombaxes with it." A pause, "He wants to use you to help him, even me as well." His voice dropped to a whisper, Clank, even with his sensitive hearing hand to lean forward to hear his friend "Clank...I-I don't think I could kill any more-" a dry sob, yet he refused to let tears fall "I-I can't do it, Clank. What should I do?"

For once, Clank didn't know how to answer the Lombax. On one hand, they could reject helping Tachyon in his endevors, which would lead to certain death for the both of them. On the other, they could go through with it and Ratchet breaks himself up even more about murdering innocent people, possibly...hurting himself in the process, something he knew the Lombax did occasionaly (unfortunately). Whatever they choose, it would most certainly end up in bloodshed. Clank was at a loss, and once again, couldn't help his friend through this no matter how hard he tried.

"I am not sure-" he began, "-however, I am sure that no matter what, everything will end up fine."

How easy it was, for a robot to lie.

Ratchet must've noticed the little cover up and sighed quietly. He knew himself that nothing would be fine in reality. In reality, there would only be pain and suffering for all those involved. Which is why he wished that everything could just end, no suffering, no pain for anyone. He just wished that Tachyon never even lived in the first place...

He got up from his spot on the floor, Clank's hand still on his knee letting him know that he was there, and that they were in this together. He watched as Clank blinked up at him curiously.

This may be crazy but...

"Clank, there may be a way to save the Lombaxes-" he turned his back to his friend, he didn't want to see his reaction. "-I have an idea, I-I just want to know that with whatever I decide...you'll accept it? Right?" He perked his ears up, waiting for a responce, anything from the small robot.

Please..please Clank...

Clank was curious to say the least, did he really think that he would reject an idea he had? But then his systems froze...no, anything but that!

"Certainly, however, may I ask what this idea consists of?"

Ratchet hesitated for a momment, "The best way to get rid of the problem, is to get rid of the source."

Eliminate the pawn before the target, simple...

Clank realized the implications immediatly, shaking his metal head defiantly, "I disagree with your idea." Is all he said, he watched as Ratchet lowered his head down, glaring at the floor as if his intension was to burn a hole into it. He clenched his fists into tight balls, claws thratening to cut into his palms,

He doesn't have to know.

"Then, what should we do?"

Clank looked at his friend sadly, he couldn't come up with any valid solutions, or any safe ones. It was easier to comply with Tachyon than fight against him. It was the safest way...

"I...am uncertain. It may be safer to comply, Ratchet."

The blood from Ratchet's palm dripped to the floor as his claws cut into the thin flesh.

This will only end in a tragedy.

Old notes that I wrote along with this story long ago (if I was going to post it) to myself, so when I say "you" I was adressing myself.

- "Commander" is used for Tachyon since I wasn't to keen on using the word "Master" and the like. Yes, Ratchet is almost like a "slave" in this story but the word didn't seem to fit. Then again, I am not comfortable using it.

- You are not good at angst :)

- Stilted storyline(?) What even is this?!

- Don't post this

And that is what I left my future self to. Obviously, my writing hasn't changed in the slightest :) then again, it was hard for me to even post this because I was so...unconfident about it. It ain't perfect and it is nowhere near good so, it was a struggle BUT I had a sudden burst of confidence and I might regret it later OH WELL! Also, as you must've noticed, Kaden, his wife, and Alister are in this story (or at least the future of this story). And may be similar to my other story involving them. This story was basically written when I just got into RaC and I may have had little knowledge at the time, which then caused me to abandon this story in my computer in the first place. However, my RaC days have been revived, and I thought I'd share it. I don't know if this story is similar to any others, but I haven't read any like this with this plot line at least.

Anyways, I apoligize for any errors the past me made, and if you liked this let me know if you want to see more, it would be nice to pick up this story again and write!