Chapter two is up! :) And yes, quite a bit is being changed from the game. A lot more is gonna change in the future, too. This chapter isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but it's certainly longer than the previous. No flames please, but constructive criticism is appreciated.
. . .
Ratchet was about to head back the route he came when a dropship landed right in the way. Out of the ship flocked a large group of Blarg soldiers, all fully armed and ready for battle.
"Uh, okay, guess we're not going that way," Ratchet remarked. He dodged the blaster fire and started headed down another path, one that he knew from experience also led back to his garage.
"Hang on. I'll get us back to the garage!" The Lombax bashed a few Horny Toads, still dodging blaster fire from the Blarg, before coming up on a Swingshot target. "Thank Orvus I brought my Swingshot with me…"
"Orvus?" XJ-0461 repeated as Ratchet grappled onto the target and swung to the other side. How could anyone outside the Clock know about Orvus?
"Oh, uh… Orvus is just part of some old legend made centuries ago," Ratchet told him. "I'll tell you more later."
The Lombax landed on the ground, and his ears twitched as he heard a voice say, "Fan out and find him! He couldn't have gotten far!"
Ratchet ran under the arch and spotted a pair of Blarg soldiers. One of them saw him immediately. "You're going down, Lombax!"
The soldiers started shooting at him. Ratchet jumped to the side to avoid the blaster fire. He then charged forth, gripping his wrench tightly. The Lombax leapt towards the nearest Blarg and swung, striking him in the face.
The Blarg fell backwards, knocked out. The other Blarg looked at his fallen companion, then at Ratchet. "You… your father's been looking for you!"
"And he'll never find me," Ratchet growled as he jumped forward and bashed the Blarg's face. After taking him out, Ratchet continued down the path.
"What did he mean?" XJ-0461 asked. "That your father has been looking for you?"
"If you know what's best for you, you won't bring this up again," Ratchet told him. "Got that?"
"I suppose," XJ-0461 replied, puzzled at the Lombax's rather rude response. Ratchet grappled to the other side of a gap with his Swingshot and more Blarg came around the bend.
"Get the Lombax!" one Blargian said.
Ratchet dodged their gun fire and switched to his blaster. With a few blasts and good aim, he quickly took down all the soldiers.
"You seem to have some experience in the battlefield," XJ-0461 remarked, impressed by the Lombax making short work of the Blarg.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Ratchet retorted. He grappled around a bit with his Swingshot before getting to another piece of land. When he landed, a dropship flew over them. Ratchet looked up at it. "Hm… looks like a Model X62 Blarg dropship."
"Yes, you are correct," XJ-0461confirmed. Despite his curiosity about Ratchet's rather unusual knowledge and abilities, he decided not to press the matter further.
Ratchet grappled across another large gap to the other side, where his garage was waiting. There Mr. Micron still sat in his ship, trembling in his shell in terror. The Tharpod watched as a Blarg dropship landed just a few metres from the garage.
"I want a refund!" Mr. Micron screeched at the top of his lungs. Ratchet ignored Mr. Micron and instead ducked as XJ-0461 spoke, "Listen to me carefully, sir. Use your blaster to shoot the dropship's fuel tank. By doing that, the ship will blow up."
"Got it," Ratchet replied, aiming his blaster at the ship's tank and firing. The dropship blew up upon impact.
Ratchet ran up to the Tharpod. "Look buddy, I'm sorry but I gotta leave here. Now. You should do the same while you've got the chance."
Before Mr. Micron could even reply, Ratchet took off into his garage. The Lombax opened up his ship and shoved XJ-0461 in the co-pilot's seat. Then Ratchet hopped into the other seat. He closed up the ship and started the engines.
Within moments, they were off Veldin and headed for Kerwan. XJ-0461 turned to Ratchet, only to see a troubled expression on his face.
"Are you alright, sir…?" XJ-0461 realised that he didn't know the Lombax's name.
"Oh, yeah, I didn't tell you my name," Ratchet spoke. "I'm Ratchet."
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ratchet," XJ-0461 told him.
Ratchet merely nodded in response. Neither of them said a word for a while. Then a beeping sound could be heard throughout the ship. Ratchet looked at an image on the screen installed in the dashboard. "That's strange. I'm picking up something from Novalis."
XJ-0461 looked at the scans as well. "It appears to be some sort of distress signal, but it is being jammed using a Blarg signal dampener."
Suddenly a blast hit their ship from behind. The engines sputtered, then shut down. Ratchet and XJ-0461 looked at each other with wide eyes.
The Ratchet turned his attention back to trying to pilot the ship. "With the engines down, we're gonna have to do an emergency landing. Hang on!"
. . .
Novalis…
Ratchet pulled XJ-0461 out of the smoking wreckage, then surveyed the damage. "There's no fixing that wreck. And I'm a pretty good rocket mechanic."
"Your vote of confidence is comforting," XJ-0461 replied sarcastically. "Perhaps we could procure a ship from one of the inhabitants."
Ratchet looked up at the sky, where Blarg dropships were floating over the city ominously. Then he looked at the burning buildings not far away. Craters from missiles were strewn about the ground. Blackened, gnarled trees glowed as they burned in a tall inferno. And it all seemed totally deserted.
"If there are any left," Ratchet commented. "C'mon, let's go see if we can get some help."
XJ-0461 hopped onto Ratchet's back. The Lombax first decided to explore the nearest building, which appeared to be some kind of sewer plant. The Lombax looked inside the large structure, frowning. Apparently the grey water came out here, as it was seen spilling down a stone ramp onto the ground outside. Ratchet ran up a large set of rock stairs to a small bridge leading into another room.
There a group of bird-like robots stared at the Lombax, startled by his sudden appearance no doubt. Then they charged at him, ready to attack. Ratchet them with his blaster, somewhat annoyed.
"Stupid robots," Ratchet muttered. He then jumped back and forth between a set of Gravi-Walls. Then he landed on the platform above. "Well, that was easy."
"Indeed," was all XJ-0461 replied.
"What's your problem?" Ratchet asked, sounding irritated.
"Nothing," XJ-0461 told him. "I am just… thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing of importance."
Ratchet let out an annoyed sigh and headed down the corridor into the next room. A pair of Blarg were there, sleeping on the job. One of them held a remote in his hand. Ratchet spied a door ahead. There was a bomb strapped to it.
Ratchet bashed the nearest Blarg in the head. The sound woke up his companion (the one with the remote). "A Lombax!"
The Blarg, after a brief scuffle, was quickly knocked out too. Ratchet swiped the remote and looked at it, then the door. "If the Blarg are trying to get to whatever is behind this door, then it must be important."
"Then let us get to it before they do," XJ-0461 said.
Ratchet backed away from the door and pressed the button on the remote. The door blew open. After the dust cleared, Ratchet walked through the door, blaster and wrench at the ready. A Plumber stood in the corner, holding a Negotiator, coughing and wheezing.
"Ah-ah-ah-choo! Woooowheee! I need to get somethin' done about my sinuses," the Plumber muttered. Then he spotted Ratchet and walked up to him, unequipping his Negotiator. "Hey… have we met before? 'Cause I'm gettin' the ol' touch of déjà vu."
"I don't think so," Ratchet replied.
"Huh." The Plumber frowned, seemingly disappointed. "Guess the ol' think tank can use a good plumbin'. Anyhoo, I've been tryin' to get a distress call to the Galactic Rangers ever since Drek's forces showed up!"
"Is there anything we can do to help you?" XJ-0461 asked.
"Well, you can help by gettin' this infobot in the hands of Captain Qwark. I can't go myself, I'm not that great of a fighter…" the Plumber spoke, sticking his hand in one of his enormous pockets, and pulling out an infobot. "Here, have a looksee."
A screen popped out of the infobot and displayed the image of a very smug looking Chairman Drek. "Oh, hello there. I'm Alonzo Drek, Chairman of Drek Industries. Many of you may be wondering, 'Why are 300 heavily-armed robots marching ominously towards a class-G dreadship?' The answer is simple, friends. Progress!
"Years ago, we were driven underground by pollution that may or may not, but most definitely was, caused by my father's company. Since then, we've shifted focus from robotics… to planet building! Now that our project is nearing completion, we must do everything possible to stay on schedule.
"In this case, it means our friendly army of warbots must vanquish those who would seek to stop us. The good news? They don't even know we're coming! So! Sit back, relax, and take comfort in the knowledge that Drek Industries is working for you!"
Then another voice said, "Drek Industries is not working for you."
The transmission ended there. Ratchet frowned in thought. "Drek must be sending those troops to attack the Rangers! We have to get to Kerwan."
"I'd better get goin' now," the Plumber said. "See you in the next reboot of the reboot!"
Ratchet stared in confusion as the Plumber then charged to an opening in the floor, where a partially open sewer pipe was, and jumped. "Geronimo!" The Plumber slid down the pipe out of sight.
"Did he just slide down a sewer pipe?" Ratchet asked.
"Since I am facing the opposite direction you are," XJ-0461 spoke, "I am afraid I cannot confirm that."
