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Starship Phoenix Main Landing Bay, En-route to Daxx
Ratchet and Clank walked past several Galatic Rangers as they headed to the transport to the bridge.
"It feels so good to be walking down here like this again" Ratchet thought as he waved to a few of the Rangers that stopped and stood at attetion. Ratchet and Clank stepped into the Transport behind a few other Galatic Rangers. As Ratchet stood looking at the Rangers he noticed some marks on one of the shoulders.
"Why does that Ranger remind me of someone he thought?" Ratchet noticed a number stamped onto his shoulder.
"CR4?" Ratchet asked. The Ranger with the marks on his shoulders turned around.
"Yes Si- SARGE" The Ranger walked back towards them. He reached out and shook his hand. "Sarge I thought you were dead"
"I was, sorta" Ratchet thought. "Nah just not around" CR4 Chuckled.
"See your still wearing that armor we got you a while back." Ratchet looked down at his Aegis armor with its various nicks and marks from where a round didn't get deflected right.
"Yeah, Served me well." Clank hopped off Ratchets back
"Excuse me CR4 but you sound diffrent from the last time we saw each other." CR4 looked embaressed.
"Oh. yeah. That. After our last encounter I fought my own programming and went looking for some" CR4 stopped and faked a cough "Under the table enhancments to my programming. No more running away from shadows for this Ranger" he said slapping his arm cannon on his chest. Ratchet nodded
"Glad to hear it, I assume you're heading to the Bridge for a briefing?" CR4 nodded as the transport docked at the other side. "Well then, let's go" Ratchet said walking off the Transport and onto the Bridge.
Ratchet stopped as he entered the Bridge. "What the?" He asked as he looked around the room.
"Ratchet sup man" Skidd said from the other side of the room as Ratchet entered. The rest of the Q-Force turned around at Skidds call. Ratchet walked towards the overlook.
"What are you all doing here?" he asked. Qwark said
"Well we decided to come back and give you a hand here on the phoenix" Ratchet looked over at Al
"When did you all get here?"
"Shortly after Sasha went into the DreadZone Wreckage looking for your cure" Al spoke up.
"give me a hand huh?" Ratchet rubbed his chin "Nah I won't question it" outloud he said
"Well it's great to see you all but don't we have a meeting" While pointing at Sasha and CR4 and the other Rangers in the corner. Sasha came foreward upon seeing Ratchet point.
"My Co-Commander does have a point, We have a meeting that we need to have done before we reach Daxx" Ratchet looked at Sasha as the Q-Force and the Rangers moved down to the Command Pit, and said in a whisper
"Daxx?" She nodded "We found out that some of the Noid's have taken over Nefariouses old facility there" Ratchet looked puzzeled.
"How'd they make it past Security" He asked "I went in fully armed and armored and nearly left in a body bag. Security is really tough there." Sasha nodded as she remebered how worried she had been about that mission and how she kept those feelings hidden.
"Just like now" She thought "Keep it together girl" She contiued "However the Noids did it, what matters is that they have. Now Noids are not the smartest creatures out there. So we need to get in there and clean them out before they do something stupid."
Ratchet and the Q-Force nodded, Sasha looked at Ratchet "Anything you wish to add Commander Ratchet?" Ratchet walked foreward replaceing Sasha on the over look. He instantly got nerveous
"Man I never was good at talking to crowds" "Well...Um....Like I said Daxx Faciltiy is heavely guarded...So...Uh....Be prepared" Ratchet backed away from the overlook as quickly as he could.
Sasha was stiffiling a giggle behind him. She moved foreward to the overlook again. "That's it, You all know what you're supposed to be doing, Get to it" Sasha turned around and walked off the bridge. Ratchet stood around for a moment trying to think what he should be doing before Clank reminded him
"We should check the Starfighter, It may have taken a beating in the DreadZone wreckage." Ratchet started to nod
"Wait, What? My ships HERE?" "Yes Sasha had it brought up." Oh...kay" Ratchet walked off the bridge.
He got on the Transport thoughts of maybe running a few loops around the Phoenix to warm up passing through his head. He didn't notice Sasha get on the Transport after him. At least he didn't, Till she walked up behind him and gave him a hug. Ratchet jumped "AH" as he turned around and saw who it was he smiled and returned the gesture.
"Glad to see you can handle the pressure of Command Ratchet" she said giggling "Yeah yeah" he rolled his eyes as he nuzzled against her, content to just stand there and be with her. The moment was stopped when they felt the transport dock. They parted ways at the hallway to the their rooms. Ratchet heading to his Starfighter and Sasha to her room. Ratchet was working on his starfighter when CR4 came up behind him.
"Hey Sarge" he called Ratchet looked up from his starfighter cockpit.
"Hey CR4" he said as he jumped out
"Just found out that you'll be leading my squad on the Daxx attack" He said as he walked up to Ratchet
"Sweet I get to see this new programming in action" Ratchet went back to working on his starfighter as CR4 walked off to find his squad. Ratchet was just finishing his preperations when he heard the alert that the Phoenix would be dropping out of it's warp. Ratchet braced himself against his starfighter as he felt the slight bump that signled they had dropped out. Suddenly he was flung to the floor of the deck by a much harder jerk. As he hit the floor Ratchet heard the Phoenix PA
"WARNING ENEMY FIGHTERS ARE ATTACKING HULL BREACH IN SECTOR 4 WARNING ENEMY FIGHTERS ARE ATTA-" the PA system droned out as Ratchet picked himself up off the floor and hopped into his Fighter.
"Allright Clank let's do this" Ratchet said as he closed the canopy and activated his thrusters. He spun the fighter around blasting out of the hanger bay towards the enemy.