Ratchet worked on the Dimensionator all through the night, and into the next morning. Talwyn went in when he didn't come to lunch and found him slumped over his workbench, asleep and drooling over a set of strange plans. It was some kind of armor and weapon combo, and it looked powerful. Talwyn gently shook Ratchet, who looked up groggily, and said "Hey."
"Hey."
"What time is it?" He asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "About 1, Nundac time." "Huh, that means it's only eight AM in Metropolis. I'd better start working again." He reached for his power drill, but Talwyn moved away from his hand. "No, you need to get something to eat and a nap." Ratchet looked up, "No, I have to keep going. Clank needs me." "I don't think you understand…"
"NO!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!" Ratchet roared, standing up suddenly. "I WILL find Clank, and I will not rest until I do."
"Okay, your right. I don't understand." Talwyn said angrily "but your no good to Clank dead."
The fire in Ratchet's eyes died, replaced by water as his expression softened. "I'm sorry, Talwyn, but it's just that he's the best friend I have in the universe. We've been through everything together, and he's taught me so much." Ratchet wiped the moisture from his eyes and continued, " When he landed on Veldin, I was bitter, angry, and resentful of everyone. I was just left on Veldin in a basket with my wrench for an old Humanoid couple to raise. Then Clank showed up, he got me off the planet and showed me what a jerk I'd been, and showed me how to be a hero. If it wasn't for him, I would never have gotten off that uncivilized piece of rock. I would never have saved the universe. I would never have met…" He stopped and got a slightly dreamy look in his eye.
Talwyn raised an eyebrow and said "Really? I had you pegged for a loner." "Unfortunately, I kind of am. That's why we broke up."
"Ouch. Well…" She suddenly froze and spun about, both blaster pistols at the ready. "Come out! I know your there!"
A rather lanky robot with huge eyes and a pair of antenna came around the corner and said "Please 'olster the a'tillery miss, I was just comin' to check on the Cap'n" It was Petey, the old pirate. "Come on in Petey." Ratchet said. Petey walked to his captains side and looked down and the Dimensionator and the plans next to is. "You gonna be wantin' to use a Carbox-Raritanium alloy for this part 'ere." Petey said, pointing at the design. "But all in all, it's a noice piece o' work Cap'n." Ratchet looked and said, "Huh, that's pretty good. I didn't realize you were an engineer." Petey chuckled and said "Ol' Cap'n Slag, rest 'is processors, didn't keep me around jus' as a drinkin' buddy. I'm programmed in all fields of engineering, and kept the ships and weapons all runnin'."
Petey suddenly shook his head and said "Good gravy! I remember why I came in 'ere. I wanted to ask when you wanted to officially take control of your fleet officially." Talwyn looked at Ratchet quzzicaly. "Huh?" "Oh, I killed Slag and according to their laws, I'm captain now." "Wow. Impressive. How big's the fleet?" "Oh, a dozen cruisers, all fully loaded, with about fifty small fighters and a dozen troop transports each. Each one, terror of the galaxy." Petey said proudly.
Ratchet thought a minute and said "Petey, I have some business with a few Zoni, and I'll be gone in the meantime. I hereby name you acting captain, and order you to get all those ships in top shape, I want everything spotless, neatly put away, and running like it's brand new understand?" Petey looked as though he might cry, if he had tears. "Thank ye Cap'n! It's an 'onnor! Actin' Cap'n!" He went off, busily congratulating himself.
"That takes care of that." Ratchet said, "Now, where's that lunch?"
They walked into the kitchen, where Talwyn made some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Ratchet bit into his and said "Mmmmm… Reminds me of when I was a kid." "Yeah, me too. My dad wasn't much of a cook." She giggled and said "most of the time, we lived off pre packaged food, but when he did cook, it would be either this, or terrible." "Yeah, my foster parents didn't really know how to cope with a Lombax diets, so when they found out that I liked this they just kept feeding it to me." They ate and talked about their days as younglings, and pretty soon Ratchet's recent exploits came up. "Yeah, so Drex, Qwark and the Protopets, Dr. Nefarious, the recent thing with Tacheon, Vox and the Deadlock collers, plus the incident with Luna makes six times I've saved the galaxy." "Whoa. Makes me feel like and under achiever." "What have you done? I mean, besides your dad and all." "Well, I've found hundreds of Lombax artifacts, about a dozen lost civilizations, and renovated this space station pretty much on my own. It's been fun." Ratchet raised his eyebrow and said "That's not too bad. Your dad would be proud." "Is proud." She corrected as she took another sip of soup.
They sat in silence until Cronk came in with a weird sphere in his hands. "Uhh… Excuse me young 'uns, but this whoosit came crashin' through the window. I thought it was those dern kids again, but this ain't no super ball." He laid it down on the table. Talwyn picked it up first and said "Hmmm… It looks like some kind of… holocron. Lombax origin. But there's no transceiver slot or keypad. How do we unlock it?" "Mind if I take a look?" Ratchet said. Talwyn tossed it to him and the center began to glow. "Huh, I guess I have a knack for this stuff." Talwyn's eye's opened wide and she said "That's it! All Lombax technology is calibrated to respond to an actual Lombax! Like that thing we stole from the pirates!" Any response Ratchet might have made was cut short by a familiar and heavy set figure being projected from the globe. Max Apogee.
"DAD!" Talwyn cried and ran towards the figure, which was thin air. Unfazed, the hologram spoke "Hi Talwyn. Sorry I left like that, but when you find me I can explain everything." He looked off to the side as the image wobbled and said "Dang it Garry! Hold the blasted camera still!" He cleared his throat as the camera steadied and continued, "Sorry about that. I only have a few minutes, so I'll get right to the point. I have just found the one thing in the universe that I never though anyone, even you, would ever find. I can't say what it is, but I know that your friend Ratchet will be interested. You need to take him along, he is… special, and you're gonna need all the help you can get. That's all I can say for now, so hurry before I explode! Talwyn, in case you don't get here, I want you to know I couldn't be prouder of you. Oh, and Ratchet, check the helmet again." The image faded and Ratchet looked into the holocron. "Huh, I wonder what that was all abo… AHHHH!" the holocron began transmitting upwards, right into Ratchet's unsuspecting eyes, blinding him until he pointed it at the wall. It was coordinates for a planet in the Solana Galaxy. "Hmmm…. What planet is that?" Talwyn asked, as she reached for her pocket galactic directory. "Don't bother." Ratchet said. "I'd know the coordinates of that miserable rock heap excuse for a planet anywhere. Veldin. Looks like I'm going home, right after I check the helmet."
Somewhere very far away, Clank was… well, he was flushing his radiator core for the fourth time in the past hour. He always did that when he was bored, well, that and calculating Pi to the last digit, but doing that 10435332.345 times did get a little old. But he felt the Zoni were disturbed by something.
"What is happening? What is the cause of the disturbance?"
Four ZOni appeared and said "Sire, it is of little concern to you. Please wait while we prepare for the Event."
"I order you to tell me."
He couldn't be sure, but it sounded like they all groaned. "An unforeseen disturbance has occurred. It seems your companion has very powerful friends. But in no way will this delay the Event."
He understood why they were so disturbed. The Zoni, apparent masters of time and space, had not foreseen something. If they had been caught off guard, they were vulnerable, and because of that, they could be defeated.
Hmmm… it appears that they may not be immortal, as I once perceived. But what is this Event, and why am I so important?