Rusty was back in his Lombax form, as he jumped and dodged staff swipes from Ton've. He had his own staff as he clashed and ducked with the male habilite on a platform, with other Habilites watching closely.
Ton've spun his staff and grunted as he lunged towards Rusty. Rusty was able to catch Ton've with one end, and throw him off with it, before kneeling and spinning down at Ton've's knees.
Ton've tripped and prepared to fall hard, before Rusty caught him by the hand with a smile, pulling him back up before his back made impact with the floor.
"Very good…" Ton've nodded with a big smile. "You're quite a fast learner, Mr. Rusty."
"Thank you…" Rusty bowed his head a bit, politely. "These lessons should be quite useful in a future fight with Neross…"
Ton've smiled again, as Rusty put his right hand to Ton've's left as they stood apart from each other, fingers locking in a Habilite gesture of gratitude.
As this was going on, Clank was standing around near Ratchet and Rivet, allowing curious Habilite children to examine him.
"Do not be afraid…" He reassured them. "I mean you no harm."
One little boy gripped his little antenna from behind, causing him to squirm.
"Oh…please….please, don't grab that…" he chuckled as he gently took the boy's hand off.
A little girl looked up at Rusty at the platform, and back at Clank. "Isn't that guy a Shiny too?"
"Why yes, he is…" Clank nodded.
"Then why does he look like those two?" She pointed to Ratchet and Rivet.
"Well, that's because he wants to…" Clank answered. "I think it makes him feel like he fits in."
"But, he shouldn't have to fit in…" The girl spoke, clutching a little wooden toy. "I like him as a shiny."
"You'll get to see him like that again." Clank laughed a little. "We're not going to go away forever…"
"Promise?" The girl asked him.
"I guarantee it…" Clank nodded slowly. The girl was then led away by her mother, as Ratchet walked up to him.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Clank…" The Lombax told him. "We don't know when we're coming back…if ever. This an isolated planet, remember?"
"That's why I promised her…" Clank responded.
"I don't understand…" Ratchet furrowed his brow.
"No one can live in isolation forever, Ratchet…" Clank spoke as he walked with him. "The best way these people can discover the universe is completely on their own. They will need much curiosity…the curiosity that only a child can possess. I have given one child a taste of the outside, and it is my hope that in the future, she, and her friends, will want more…"
"I see…" Ratchet nodded as he walked back to Rivet. "About ready to take off?"
"Engines primed on your ship and mine…" Rivet smiled as she put away her omniwrench. "And Rusty's running as good as ever."
"Good to hear…" Ratchet nodded. "So where to next?"
"Back to Guyvus City." Rivet spoke as she packed up some more things. "We're gonna get some rest, fuel, supplies, and look for a way to get into Neross' base. Now that we've cut off his raritanium supply, and destroyed a couple more of his creations, he might be wide open to an attack."
"Where's his base?" Ratchet followed her with Clank to their ships.
"The planet Sapius." She quickly responded. "The same place where he and my father worked."
Ratchet nodded again, as Chief Anduriu walked towards them, with Qunya at his side.
"I owe you all a great deal…" He spoke with a small smile. "There's no telling what Neross could have done to our world if he had been allowed to continue bullying me into compliance."
"You're not the only one to have that worry…" Rivet told him as she thought of Zinjan. "Believe me…what matters is, your worries are gone, and we're gonna make sure every other world loses theirs."
Qunya then walked up to Ratchet, and kissed him on each cheek, as Rivet watched, amused. Ratchet's eyes went wide.
"May the grace of our gods see you through to a successful quest…" Qunya told him.
"Uhhhh…thanks." Ratchet blushed, and smiled a little.
Rusty walked back to join the group, as Qunya saw him off with the same kisses, and the same wish of good luck. The Android was quite fascinated by this, as walked back to the group.
"An interesting custom…" Rusty simply commented.
Anduriu then gave Ratchet the same gesture of interlocked hands, as the visitors from another world bid the Habilites goodbye, and took off on their ships.
"I wonder how they welcome people back…" Ratchet grinned to himself for just a second as he thought of this, leaving…
Neross walked into the lair of the Biomechanoids, in a section of Sapius that was more like its natural, swamp-like environment. He tromped through the muddy ground, as Toxoid walked up to him from the other direction.
"You honor our lair with your presence, master…" Toxoid bowed.
"So, where is this fighter you told me about?" Neross enquired.
"He's right here, master…" He motioned to the fearsome, grey-skinned creature with long claws on his hands, and a third arm on his back, posed over his head like the stinger of a scorpion, as his blood red eyes went with his long face and sharp teeth.
"This is Bankora!" Toxoid spoke proudly. "A bit of a pet project of mine…his third arm contains a corrosive liquid, very similar to my own. Watch him!"
He then commanded Bankora to attack something, as the monster turned and growled. His third arm whipped, and sent a flash of green acid to a metal wall nearby. The liquid soon broke the metal down into mush in mere seconds, as he then sliced it apart with his claws easily.
"Very nice…" Neross calmly nodded his head. "Do you think it will have the same effect on Rusty?"
"Oh yes, sir." Toxoid nodded with enthusiasm. "In fact I shall accompany him in battle to make sure it does just that!"
"Good…" Neross nodded. "On your way, then."
"Sir!" Toxoid bowed once more, and walked out with Bankora, as Decimus walked towards him.
"Reproduction process has begun, sir…" Decimus reported to Neross.
"Excellent…" Neross smiled as he walked off with the Robotic leader. "While Toxoid and his new partner keep our enemies occupied, we shall be free to set my newest experiment in motion…see how much you can speed the process up without risking damage to the cell structure."
"Right away sir." Decimus nodded respectfully as he turned and left.
The modern world of Guyvus City on Zinjan was a welcome sight for Ratchet and Clank, as they once more followed Rivet and Rusty's Mother Loader to a popular port on the far side of town.
"The Plaster Palace?", Ratchet quirked an eyebrow as he read the sign. "What are we are doing in this dive?"
"Oh don't let the name fool you…" Rivet spoke through the comm. "It's actually a nice place. One of the guys there, Jayce, I've known since I was a kid. He just inherited the place from his father, and Rusty and I have always been welcome."
"OK then…I should warn you, I'm not much of a drinker though…" Ratchet responded as he found a landing pad that extended out from the port.
"We'll see…" Rivet giggled a little before cutting her connection, stepping out of the Mother Loader and stretching as Rusty walked out behind her.
Ratchet stepped out of the Aphelion, with Clank at his side, as he walked to one of the windows of the domed port, hoping to get a better look inside.
His examination was suddenly brought to a halt, as something crashed through the window in front of him.
Two male Zins, clearly inebriated, had begun pummeling each other, and the fight had now spilled out onto the docks of the port. One was mounted on the other now, pounding away with his fists.
"Hey!" Ratchet ran over and grabbed the Zin from behind. "Cut it out, right now!"
"You keep outta this!" The skinnier Zin pushed the Lombax away with a good amount of strength, keeping at his fight as his opponent started kneeing him in the stomach.
Rivet and Rusty ran onto the scene, ready to intervene themselves, before another male Zin ran in with a weapon withdrawn. He quickly shot a yellow ray into the head of one of the zins, before zapping the other.
Ratchet watched, confused, as the fighting zins soon stopped fighting, and started to smile as they froze…they each fell limply to the ground, still smiling as they lay on their backs.
The Zin then holstered his weapon, and looked over to Rivet, waving. "Hey!"
"Hi Jayce!" Rivet waved back, before motioning to the newcomers. "I want you to meet a couple of new friends. This is Ratchet and Clank."
"Welcome!" Jayce smiled as he turned to the duo. "Always nice to have new visitors at the Plaster Palace." He then looked to the two males who had been fighting. "Don't let these jokers fool you, this is usually a nice place…I just had the misfortune of having to serve two rival quantoball teams today."
"What did you do to them just now?" Clank asked him.
"Oh this?" Jayce pulled out his weapon once more. "This is the Intoxitron. Anytime you have a drunk causing trouble, you just fire this thing at him, and he'll start having extremely pleasant hallucinations, ones that'll quash any violent feelings…right now, our quantoballers are probably fantasizing about scantily clad girls." He chuckled a bit as he re-holstered the weapon.
"That's…a good weapon for a bartender, all right." Ratchet rubbed the back of his head as he smiled, walking with everyone inside.
"Oh, tell me about it…" Jayce smiled as he led the group into the well-maintained port's interior, the window already being repaired by small robots. "Back when my dad ran this place, he used to have to keep an old fashioned stun ray under the bar. Gave you a hell of a headache in the morning if you got hit by it."
Rivet led Ratchet to the bar, as Rusty and Clank observed the Zins who were playing all manner of bizarre bar games.
Moments later, Jayce provided both of the Lombaxes with glass bottles.
"Here's your usual…gave your friend one too, on me." Jayce smiled as he stood in front of the two.
"What's your usual?" Ratchet asked Rivet, as he sniffed his bottle a little.
"Alterian Ale…" Rivet smiled as she took a good-sized drink of it. "Ahh…made on the other side of this planet. Good stuff."
Ratchet nodded, as he took a sip from his. He kept it down, but reacted to it quite strongly.
"Oh, wow…" He coughed a bit. "That is potent."
"Rivet, mind how much of that you drink this time…" Rusty looked back and reminded her.
"Don't worry, Rusty." Rivet giggled a little. "I know we've got to stay sharp right now."
Jayce smiled a bit as he looked to Rivet. "Where'd you guys come from now?"
"Habilis…" Rivet simply responded.
"No way!" Jayce's jaw dropped. "How the hell did you get in there?"
"Looooong story." Rivet laughed a little as she drank from her bottle of ale.
"Wait a minute…" Jayce thought to himself for a moment. "I've been hearing stories…something about Korthos bullying the Chancellor into giving them ships…taking advantage of the cult down there."
"Well…" Ratchet set down his drink. "I wouldn't really call them a cult. I've seen plenty of worlds like that one where I come from. They're just…suspicious of most outsiders."
"Mmm…" Rivet nodded as she sipped again. "Now that I've seen the place for myself, I have to agree with him."
"Really?" Jayce set his arms on the bar as he listened. "And you actually talked to those people?"
"Yup." Rivet smiled. "I think someday they'll be ready to reach out to the galaxy. Just not right now."
"Well then…" Jayce smiled as he opened his own bottle and held it up. "Here's to the Habilites…and I hope I live long enough to see one come into my bar someday."
"Here, Here!" Rivet smiled as she and Ratchet held up their own bottles, toasting with him before sipping all at once.
A few moments later, another male Zin walked up to the bar.
"Hey buddy, is that your ship out there?" He spoke to Ratchet as he pointed towards the Aphelion.
"Yeah…" Ratchet nodded.
"Someone's out there trashing it!" The Zin informed him.
"What?" Ratchet got up quickly, and bolted towards the exit, nearly knocking over another bar patron.
Clank quickly ran off to join the Lombax, as he discovered Bankora smashing away at the Aphelion, with Toxoid watching him from behind.
"Hey!" Ratchet shouted, pulling out his Dynamo of Doom weapon. "That's a rare piece of equipment, you son of a cragmite!"
Bankora turned and growled at the two, before whipping his third arm, and sending a big glob of acid their way. Clank pushed Ratchet down as it sailed over his head, and hit one of the port's walls instead.
Rusty and Rivet soon ran out to join the others, as Ratchet fired off a dynamo on his stomach. It rolled towards Bankora, and made direct contact…but aside from making him shake a little, it didn't seem to do much.
"I remembered I hadn't paid you both back for the job you did on my dome…" Toxoid spoke as he tapped the repaired glass dome over his head. "I figured that now was as good a time as any."
"Combat form!" Rusty immediately ran towards the two as he shouted, his android body revealing itself once more, as Ratchet backed him up, pulling out his constructo shotgun now.
Bankora was there to meet Rusty, swiping at him with a claw. Rusty ducked and rolled behind him, as he then jumped up and kicked him right in the back. Bankora stumbled a bit as Rusty landed, but soon turned and whipped his third arm towards the android, wrapping it around his feet.
Rusty grunted and tried to grab the third arm, but Bankora was able to lift him with it, and slam him into the ground. Rivet immediately ran over and shot him in the chest with her Zin pistol, as Ratchet hit him hard in the face with a shotgun blast.
This made Bankora growl in pain, as he then dropped Rusty, swinging his third arm at the two lombaxes now. Rusty got up quickly as the creature did this, and tried to come in with a hard punch, before he had his arms grabbed from behind by Toxoid.
"No you don't!" Toxoid shouted, as he kicked Rusty in the back, making him stumble and fall onto his front. He then shot his own acid from his hollowed fingertips, as Rusty rolled away, getting a little on his back.
"Ah!" Rusty looked over himself, feeling something, as the little bit of acid ate away at much of the covering on the small of his back, exposing a few wires and chips in the process.
Rusty kept himself focused on Toxoid though, as he jumped again, and nailed him with a hard kick to the chest. Toxoid fell back and growled, now extracting the claws from his fingers as he swiped at him with each hand.
Rusty ducked the swipes expertly, and punched him hard in the dome, cracking it. Toxoid bellowed in dismay as this happened once again, falling back for a moment.
Meanwhile, Rivet ran in with her omniwrench, and swung for one of Bankora's claws. Bankora was able to grab the wrench, though, and bend it quite a bit in the grasp of his claw.
Rivet grunted in frustration, and let go, falling back as Ratchet ran to her side.
"Here…try this…" He handed her the groovitron glove.
Rivet looked it over, puzzled, but was quick to react to the lunging form of Bankora, as she jumped back. She then readied the weapon, and threw out what looked like a small disco ball.
Bankora stopped, and gazed at the ball, as it levitated into the air, and began playing dance music with its shiny lights. He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to start dancing.
Toxoid took his attention away from Rusty for a moment, as he looked to see Bankora doing some strange little dance in front of his opponents. He ran over to ask him why he was doing this, before he suddenly felt the need to dance as well.
Ratchet quickly slipped Rivet another glove, as she then slipped into the area of the ball, and started dancing on her own. She wasn't terribly graceful, but she still managed to keep the two creatures interested for the moment, spinning past Bankora, and grabbing his claw.
Bankora happily spun with her at this moment, before she finally rolled away from him. Bankora still felt something in his claw, though, as he looked to see what was in it…
It was a constructo bomb.
BOOM!
Bankora howled out in pain as it went off in his claw, leaving nothing behind but a smoldering, smoking wrist. The effects of the groovitron ball had worn off now, as Toxoid quickly ran over to his partner.
"Blasted renegades!" He shouted as he began to run off with his injured comrade. "You may have been lucky so far, but one day that luck will turn in my favor! Never forget that!"
Rivet watched them run off, before attending to Rusty and his smoking back. "You OK?"
"I'll be fine…" Rusty nodded slowly. "Nothing internal was damaged heavily, it seems."
Rivet nodded back, before walking over to Ratchet. "What just happened with all that dancing, anyway? What was that thing you gave me?"
"Groovitron Glove…" Ratchet grinned. "Compliments of our good friends at Grummelnet."
"Grummelnet, huh?" Rivet giggled as she walked back in with the others. "What other toys do those guys make."
"I'll show you…" Ratchet smiled as he prepared to pull out some of his other gizmos…
Neross walked into his office slowly, gazing upon Decimus, who was now observing the tube in his corner. The android looked up at the Lombax as he entered.
"Well?" Neross had an almost eager look in his eyes.
"Reproduction is complete, sir…" Decimus nodded.
Neross froze at this, and closed his eyes for a moment, smiling.
"At last, my dear…at last we've done it…after years of research and hope, the moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived."
He then looked to Decimus as he opened his eyes. "Open the tube…"
"Yes sir…" Decimus nodded once more, before entering a code on the control panel. Within minutes, the door to the casket-like tube opened gently, steam rising from inside.
"Come, my son…" Neross spoke softly. "Come into this cruel, and unjust galaxy, so that together we may shine the light into its wretched face. Come to me!"
He watched closely, before he finally saw a white furred hand, with a few black stripes, grab onto the door from the inside, reaching out as it slowly pushed the door upwards.
More steam rose from this, as the form of what looked like an adult male Lombax slowly sat up. He had an icy, robotic look on his face, as he then got out onto the smooth floor of the office, taking his first few steps, dressed only in a pair of shorts. He then stood silently, looking straight at Neross.
"My son…" Neross smiled, remembering the name given to his lost newborn, placing a hand on the android's shoulder. "My dear Axel…at last, you live."
"Father…" Axel simply responded, in his deep, but soft voice…