Alright, I'm back! I'm on a trip to Germany though, so that's why this chapter is a bit late, I spent yesterday en route. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the next chapter of Epilogue 2... right after I have replied to the reviews.
Zeta warrior 16: "I don't mind that the chapter is late as long as it's not a year late. Also I can't wait to find out how you're gonna bring in my oc.
Great job"
Well, your OC is going to make a spectacular entry, that's for sure! Thank you, and enjoy!
john walaszek 1: "Now we have a demolition-happy robot on the Great Fox. The team is expanding as we speak, Star Fox, Star Falco, Ratchet and the Lombaxs...and then there's the others that joined the team. Who would want to tangle with this group? (That was a stupid question)"
Well... Black Hole in a nutshell: a psychopatic maniac with no respect for anything and anyone, who lives only for death and destruction. And the worst part is that he has incredible powers. So even for an entire army of heroes the chances of victory are slim.
Destiny W: "I loved this chapter. I can't wait to read more. :)"
Thank you! And wait no more, the next chapter is here!
Max Chronicle: "Well, some more recruitment. Yeah, I do like Bob, no wait, Ann-Marie. (I really like blowing stuff up.)
"You can stop trying to make sense of what I'm saying, not even I can make sense of what I'm saying. And what I just said was surprisingly sane..." Classic LOL.
Anyway, the team is growing by the second, and to be frank, I really don't see how Black Hole is going to be able to take them down. (But, heck, it'll be fun to see how close he gets.)
Also, I like the idea for the next chapter...Funny Feels.
Plus, just checked out the Deviantart artwork...beeping shiz. Simply shiz-worthy.
Max out.
"TACOS!""
Heh, well, if there's anyone crazy, it'd be Bob. And don't forget, this is Black Hole we're talking about, basically an evil version of Hypernova. And I've changed the content of the chapter a bit, the 'feels' part has been reduced. Nevertheless, some good feels moments. Anyhow, enjoy!
Jadzia Kira Dax: "I love this so far and Bob Dynamite is pretty hilarious! And I agree, there's no sound like 'kaboom'!... Well, except for music...
P. S. 'Don't push it'! That was perfect! Photon is so adorable and I love the way he interacts with Simon, it's so cute! :)"
Can't agree with you more, nothing beats music. Sorry, Bob... Anyhow, moving on, you find Bob hilarious already? Well, he's only just beginning... Anyhow, enjoy!
P.S. Photon says thank you!
Heather: "As usual, fabulous and hilarious chapter! I can totally imagine Photon batting Simon's nose with his paw! And Bob Dynamite is pretty hilarious as well!
P. S. OC is portrayed to perfection!
P. S. S. I'll watch for videos
I forgot to add that I love Zenit's personality as well!
P. S. I meant to say I'd be watching for those 'funny moments montage' things, not videos. Sorry about that."
Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.
P.S. I'm glad I got her personality correct. She isn't in this chapter though, I'm afraid, but expect her to appear again next chapter.
P.S.S. Unfortunately my PS4 seems to love messing up the videos I record. So far I only have two working videos out of the 15GB of data I recorded, and sadly, the clip I wanted to show most is among the lost data. Needless to say I'll figure something out, but it's going to take much more time than I initially thought. Therefore I'll leave a note in a chapter when I've uploaded the video at last. Thank you for your patience, and I'm sorry for having to make you wait a bit longer. Although one of the two clips that I do have working properly is one in which the final boss fight crashes spectacularly. Speaking of crashes, I've notified Insomniac about various bugs in the game, from the aforementioned issue in the boss fight to non-solid platforms on Pokitaru that make the O2 mask unobtainable, or an invisible wall on Kalebo III that shouldn't be there and makes one of the gold bolts unobtainable. Thankfully the non-solid platforms on Pokitaru fixed themselves upon respawn (although I find it annoying that I had to kill Ratchet in order to continue) and thankfully the insta-kill wall vanishes after completing the main quest, although it never should've appeared in the first place, but that aside.
Everyone (excluding Ratchet, Angela, Fox, ROB, Bob, Simon and Photon) was in the canteen, eating their dinner (taco's, thanks to Falco's... 'improvements' to the menu). Suddenly, a metal boot kicked open the door, and a familiar green-orange warbot came jumping in, wearing a large sombrero. "HEEE-YAW!"
Five people choked on their food in surprise. "The fuck?!" Falco managed to stammer. Bob danced into the room. "TACO'S! WOOO!"
Simon came in after him, shaking his head. Photon was sitting on Simon's shoulders, per usual. "Bob, for a new teammate you seem surprisingly eager to scare the living daylights out of the rest of the team."
"The heck?! He is our new teammate?!" Falco cried out. "That maniac?"
"Falco, respect your allies please. The last thing we need is a war among ourselves."
"But he's insane! You can't possibly have let him join us!"
Bob suddenly stopped dancing and sneaked over to Falco. "Hey birdie, you'd better stop insulting me, or you'll wake up one day with a nuclear warhead shoved up your behind. Clear?"
Falco got up. "Are you threatening me?"
"Depends on if you're stupid enough to continue. Judging by what I've seen, I'd say you're more than stupid enough."
"Says who, you lunatic?!"
"Falco, if I'd want to kill myself all I'd have to do is drop down from your ego to your IQ. Nobody will survive that fall."
"ENOUGH, YOU TWO!" Simon suddenly roared. "WE'VE GOT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE ON OUR SHOULDERS HERE! COUNTLESS PEOPLE ARE DEPENDING ON US! GET SERIOUS!"
"Yeah, Bob, get serious." Falco said with a shrug as he took another bite of his taco. Bob stayed silent. "No more talk? 'Kay then." Falco said. But then Falco went silent himself. He slowly turned red before he suddenly dropped his taco and ran towards the sink. Bob needed quite a lot of processor power to not burst into laughter as he hid a bottle of super hot sauce behind his back.
"There's something that bothers me." Katt suddenly said. "We're growing in numbers pretty quickly, but even the eight of us, you and those two Lombaxes plus Fox and team Star Falco, were more than capable of dealing with the 'corruption'. But now there is absolutely no chance for the darkness. I wonder how... whatever our enemy was named will respond to this."
Simon frowned. "Good point. Let's hope he's stupid enough to not notice that."
Angela came walking in. "Simon?"
"Yes?"
"Could you come with me for a sec?"
"Certainly." Simon said. He let Photon step down from his shoulders. "Photon, you keep an eye out here, no more arguments please."
The cat nodded solemnly. "Alright then." Simon said as he walked after Angela. To his surprise, Angela led him to a hallway in the back of Engineering, which was completely deserted at this hour. "Angela, where are we going?"
"Nowhere, I just wanted to ask you something in private." Angela said, stopping.
"Well, ask all you want."
"Well, I... you brought Ratchet's parents back, but... And I, too, would like to..."
"You wonder why I haven't brought back your parents even though I knew you wanted your parents back just as much as Ratchet wanted his parents back?"
"Well... yes. Did I do something wrong?"
Simon sighed, and leaned against the wall. "No. I did."
"Huh?"
"I did something wrong. I should have told you earlier."
"Tell me what earlier?"
"Your mother, she... well... remember how I found you after you had seen her dying in front of you?"
"Uh... I wasn't really paying that much attention to myself to be honest, I was more focused on her."
"I understand, but do you remember what I said?"
"Uh... you said that..."
"Although the ones we love may not be around us physically, someone you truly love will never ever leave your side. And nothing can change that. That's what I said."
"I remember, but why do you bring that up? I don't see the relevance."
"Well... your mother... before I continue, what I'm about to say is entirely true. Of course, it's up to you to jump to your own conclusions, as long as you know that what I am about to say is-"
"Just get to it, dammit! This is my mother we're talking about!" Angela said, losing her patience.
"Right, right. Sorry. Anyhow, your mother, she's not dead. Never was."
"What?!"
"I managed to save her, but... I was too late. She's alive, but she's in coma."
"Oh..." Angela said. She sat down on the floor and just stared at the wall, trying to process what she had just heard. Her mother was alive? All this time?
"But what about my father?" Angela asked.
"Well... I've tried to track him down, but so far my efforts were fruitless. I'm still looking for him, and when I find him, I swear to you right now, I'll violate every law of both nature and physics if necessary to bring him back."
Angela suddenly got up and hugged him. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you for not forgetting me."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought that you had forgotten me."
"Of course I wouldn't forget you, silly!"
"I should have known. And I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"There is one last question bothering me."
"What is it?"
"How can it be that you still look exactly as you did when we first met, on Grelbin that fateful evening, remember? Is your race immortal or something?"
"No, my race ages, just like nearly every other race. In fact, Lombaxes live three times as long as most Humans, Lombaxes live up to approximately three hundred years."
"But I'm not even past fifty!"
"That means you still have a very, very long life ahead of you. But I haven't answered your question, have I?"
"No."
"Well, I... 'immortalized' myself. I altered my body in many ways, for instance even if you'd cut off my limbs they'd grow back in time, just give me a few months. I've made my immune system perfect: my body repairs itself so efficiently that I live forever."
"But why would you want to live forever?"
"Simple, it's my duty. It's my duty to look over not only this universe, but every universe that is, was, or ever will be, for eternity."
"Your duty?"
"I made it my duty."
"But why would you do that, build your entire life around one goal? Because the way you describe your life, it all seems so pointless. Wake up, defend the universe, go back to sleep, day in day out for eternity."
"Perhaps my life is pointless, yes, I've considered my life pointless many times. But then I remember what I'm doing it for: I sacrifice myself so that everyone, and I mean everyone, no matter where or when, can live out their lives. Isn't that a noble goal?"
"But... that's impossible."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is. If you want everyone to have a happy life, you will never achieve your goal. Because 'everyone' includes you. It's not fair that you should have to suffer for everybody else."
"Perhaps it's not fair, but it's who I am. I carry that burden out of love for everybody else."
"Simon, get over to the bridge, there's something you need to see!" Fox' voice came through Simon's watch. Angela frowned. "Could he just hear our entire conversation?"
"No. That was a message."
"Alright. Well, you go see what's up, I'm going back to Ratchet. I'll have to make sure he stays out of trouble for the time being."
"Alright, good luck with that."
Simon made his way to the bridge. Fox wasn't there. "Fox, come in. I'm at the bridge, where are you?" Simon sent Fox through his SmartWatch.
"Out here, don't you see my Arwing?"
"No, I think I missed that one. Nevertheless, what's the problem? Is yet another planet under attack?"
"No, but something just as unsettling. ROB detected a body hovering around not too far from the Great Fox, I'm currently en route to pick him or her up. According to the bioscan, it is a Lombax."
"A Lombax? Why would there be a Lombax drifting through space?"
"I dunno, but I just found her. And yeah, I did just confirm their gender. Female."
Fox flew closer. "Hey, can you hear me!"
The woman did not respond, or even move for that matter. "Simon, she's unconscious!"
"Grab her with your ship's tractor beam and get over here, and fast!" Simon said as he ran towards the medical bay at full speed where he found Elisabeth eating a tuna sandwich as she watched the news. "Beth, we've got an unconscious Lombax coming in!"
Elisabeth jumped up and prepared a bed immediately. "How bad?"
"Drifting in space unconscious, I'd say pretty bad."
"Drifting in space!? Oh my god! Get that Lombax over here, fast!"
"It's a she, in case you were wondering. Fox is bringing her in as we speak." Simon said as he ran out the door and to the hangar. He met Fox halfway, who was running to the medical bay, the unconscious Lombax in his arms. He laid her down on the bed, and Elisabeth wasted no time in analyzing the situation.
The Lombax had white fur and long white hair. She was wearing a pilot's suit similar to the one Ratchet owned, although her pilot's suit was purple. She was wearing a helmet with a golden visor, but although her armour protected her from the vacuum of space, Simon noticed what was wrong straight away.
"Her suit isn't generating a magnetic field!"
"So?" Fox asked.
"So, she has been exposed to dangerous levels of solar radiation! We need to act quickly, or she's done for!"
Elisabeth got to work immediately, but she instructed Fox to leave, since Fox had no medical knowledge, and thus he would only end up getting in the way, no matter how much he wanted to help.
For what seemed like hours Simon handed Elisabeth everything she asked for, but his heart froze when Elisabeth suddenly got up. "There's nothing I can do. It's too late. I'm sorry."
Simon's eyes filled with determination. "No, it's never too late."
Simon raised his right arm, and a reddish mist shot out of the palm of his right hand. It swirled down to the dying Lombax before disappearing as it touched her face. "What in the world..." Elisabeth whispered, watching the spectacle.
"I'm giving her my life energy."
"You are giving her what now?"
"My life energy. She'll live, but I'll feel quite sick for a few days. But if that's what it takes to save a life, then so be it."
Suddenly, Simon collapsed with a groan. Elisabeth was quick to catch him. "You have to stop!"
"I can't, just a tiny... bit... more..."
"No, you're dying yourself!"
"Nonsense!"
"Look at yourself! You can't even stand anymore!"
"I don't need to stand!"
Suddenly, the Lombax woke up. Her eyes shot open and she sat up straight with a loud gasp.
"Nailed it." Simon groaned before he lost consciousness. The white-furred Lombax stared at him. "What just happened?"
Fox carefully carried Simon to his room and carefully tucked him in. He then searched for Photon, and informed the cat of his best friend's fate. Photon ran to Simon's room immediately, and the second he reached the slumbering Human, he refused to leave his side. "You really are a loyal friend, Photon. I respect that. I only hope you don't end up getting sick yourself if you don't eat."
Photon nodded.
Ratchet yawned. "What time is it?"
"Ten P.M, ergo time to hit the hay." Angela replied as she turned off the TV at the far side of their bed. She snuggled up to Ratchet. "How are you feeling now?"
"Fine. Tired, but I'm okay."
Angela smiled. "You know, I can't wait to start a life together."
"Well, I can wait."
"What do you mean?"
"I just... I'm afraid that we're going too fast, you know?"
"I don't see the problem, I love you, and you love me... right?"
"Of course I love you! I'm just a bit afraid of taking the next steps too fast. I'd rather take it nice and easy. Of course I can't wait to start living together, but I'm just too afraid that we'll end up breaking what we have now."
Angela laughed and kissed him. "You know, that you don't want to wait but are willing to wait so you don't lose me shows that you're ready."
"You think?"
"Ratchet, we'll make it. No matter what could happen between us, I love you, and I can't live without you anymore. Do you think I won't be careful?"
Ratchet sighed. "You know?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
Angela smiled. "Goodnight, Ratchet."
Ratchet gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Angela."
They fell asleep in each other's arms.
"Good morning, Angela." Ratchet said as he saw her eyes open. Angela yawned. "Good morning."
"Have you slept well?"
"Yes! No nightmares, thank goodness. It bothers me though, the nightmares are absent and no planet has been attacked in a while, it is as if Black Hole is building up energy for something. And whatever it is, it can't be good. Anyhow, yes, I've slept well, how about you?"
"Couldn't have slept better. After all, you were with me."
Angela laughed and hugged him.
"You know what?" Ratchet said.
"What is it?"
"When this is over, I wanna go on a vacation together. Some time off."
"That'd be wonderful."
"Any requests for breakfast?" Ratchet asked as he attempted to get back up, but he was quickly pushed back down. "Let me. You need to rest."
"I've had enough rest."
"Well, in that case..." Angela began as she moved closer to him. "How about we make breakfast together?"
"Excellent idea." Ratchet said as he got up. Angela walked into the bathroom and while she changed her clothing, Ratchet grabbed a pan and some bacon. When Angela was done, the bacon was ready, and after eating, it was Ratchet's turn to change his clothing, so when he walked into the bathroom, Angela began to make two sandwiches.
"Here." she said when Ratchet came out of the bathroom. She handed him his sandwich. Ratchet took a bite of it. "It's delicious! What's on it?"
"Bacon, a boiled egg, and salad."
"It's amazing!"
"I know, right?"
"Here he is." Elisabeth said as she opened the door to Simon's room. Simon was awake, and watched as Elisabeth and the white Lombax he had saved earlier walked into the room. "How are you?" Elisabeth asked.
"I'm fine. Just a bit nauseous, but I'm still breathing, and you bet that, soon, I'll be charging back into the battle against evil."
"That's the spirit. I've got someone who'd like to talk to you with me though."
Simon nodded. He turned to the white Lombax. "Ask ahead. Allow me to ask you something though: who are you?"
She smiled. "I'm Sam. And thank you."
"Sam? Odd name for a female, or is it short for-"
"Samantha, yes. My full name is Samantha Lilith Starlight."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Simon, Simon Polaris."
"Well, thank you. I owe you my life."
"Ah, no big deal. Trillions and trillions of people owe me their lives. Almost the entire Lombax race, for instance."
"What do you mean? The Lombax species is nearly extinct..."
"It isn't nearly extinct and never was. You see, ages ago, a vile Cragmite by the name of Percival Tachyon killed over 70% of the entire Lombax population in this universe, the survivors fled to another dimension. Or so he thought. In fact, just before a Lombax would die during the attack, I would freeze time, get the Lombax out of there, and leave a lifeless decoy behind. A decoy that was so realistic, even the DNA was identical. Tachyon thought he had killed many Lombaxes, but he had killed none. I kept the Lombaxes hidden and in coma though, I kept them hidden from Tachyon and I kept them in coma so that they wouldn't have to wait for ages for the right moment, the time to return. And then, not long ago, that time came. The once inhabited and thriving world of Fastoon, the Lombax homeworld, had become a desert wasteland covered in ruins, reminders of the people who once lived there.
And then, one good night, those people returned. A few days earlier I had moved the planet the survivors of the attack had fled to, nowadays it orbits Fastoon as a moon. The surviving Lombaxes on New Fastoon had a perfect view of their old homeworld as it suddenly lit up one night. Buildings rebuilt themselves, and suddenly, in countless flashes of light, every Lombax that was presumed to have been killed during the attack returned. Nowadays Fastoon is no longer covered in ruins, a golden dead desert world, but instead it is a true paradise. It's oceans have returned, and the continents are covered with beauty: from beautiful forests to breathtaking mountains. By far my favorite place is a place I've discovered myself, one that I have named 'Tranquility's Center'.
Tranquility's Center lies on a remote island in the middle of Fastoon's ocean, a roughly circular formation of beautiful mountains with a vast, crystal clear lake in the middle. During the winter, it snows on the mountains, and because it's so cold up there, the snow stays, even during the summer. This snow melts ever so slightly, coming down the mountains in the form of several beautiful waterfalls.
Anyhow, among the once again breathtaking terrain stands Save Haven City, a vast and elegant metropolis, indeed a save haven for the Lombaxes, since only those who mean no harm to the Lombaxes can ever find it, I made sure of that."
"So... the Lombaxes are back?"
"Correct."
"And you were responsible?"
"Yes, although for the survival of the 30% that survived the initial attack, there are a few other people you need to thank."
Samantha sat down on the bed. "Wow, that's... a lot to process."
"That is understandable."
At that moment Photon woke up. The cat shook his head. "Photon, shouldn't you go eat something?" Elisabeth asked. The cat shook it's head.
"Photon can eat, yes, but it's not necessary for him to survive. He can get the energy he needs to live from various sources, such as every type of light: from x-ray to gamma-ray. And since infrared is also a form of light, he can power himself just by being around people. Thank goodness he isn't an introvert, huh, Photon?"
Photon shook his head. "Although Photon doesn't need to eat, it doesn't mean that he can't eat. He especially loves chocolate chip cookies for some reason."
Photon immediately turned to Elisabeth and stared at her with puppy dog eyes. Everyone laughed. "He's cute." Samantha said as she petted Photon's head. Photon purred and rubbed his cheek against her arm. "He likes you." Simon said.
Samantha laughed. "Anyhow, thank you for saving my life."
"No problem."
Simon's watch, which was lying on his nightstand, beeped. Simon grabbed the device and stared at the display for a moment. "Oh, no."
"What's the matter?" Samantha and Elisabeth asked in unison.
Simon attempted to get up. "I have to help!"
Elisabeth pushed him back down. "No. You need to rest, and you're going to rest, even if I have to glue you to that bed. Photon, help me, please. You know that he needs some rest."
Photon nodded and lay down on Simon's chest. "Photon, get off me." Simon said. Photon shook his head.
"If I may ask, what's the issue?"
"Not one, but two planets are under attack. You don't understand, I have to help!"
"No." Elisabeth said with a stern glare. "You need to rest. Let us handle this. We're all professionals."
"Can I help?" Sam asked.
"Sure. Do you have a ship? Now that I think of it, what were you doing on that pirate ship anyway?"
"Pirate ship? That was no pirate ship."
"What? Whose ship was that then?" Simon asked.
"It belonged to a bounty hunter named Kursed. It used to be a pirate ship, but she hired the pirates to hunt down every Lombax in the system, hence why I ended up on board. I was leaving Titania behind after refueling when my ship was suddenly being attacked. My ship was destroyed and I was imprisoned on board. Thank goodness some robot blew up the ship's power core, so the laser cage imprisoning me deactivated, so I got out of there. I didn't think that robot had seen me though, but hey, I was the only prisoner on board, the chance of him running into the only prisoner was quite small."
"Well, you got lucky to get out of there alive. You can use my ship if you'd like, do you think you can control a Star Explorer?" Simon said.
"I had a Star Explorer once, I'll be alright. Besides, I've got a small army with me."
"True. Good luck."
"Alright, team! Planets Aquas and Sauria are under attack, Team Alpha is going to Aquas, team Beta is going to Sauria. Team Alpha consists of team Star Falco, Bill and Fay, Slippy and Amanda, Zenit, Hanna and Tiger. Team Beta consists of Peppy and Lucy, me, Ratchet and Angela, Kaden, Alister, Sam, Nebula and Bob. Alright, team, we've got two planets relying on us, let's rock!" Fox said.
"May I blow stuff up?" Bob asked, who was using a jetpack to fly.
"Only bad guys, Bob." Fox said, rolling his eyes.
"Woohoo!" Bob said as he sped off towards Aquas. "Wrong planet, Bob!" Fox warned.
"Whoops!" Bob said as he turned towards Sauria. "Sorry!"
Kaden flew next to his son, piloting a spare Arwing. "Hey, Ratchet."
"Yeah, dad?"
"You know... I've always dreamed of flying together with you."
"Well, let's fly then, dad." Ratchet replied.
"I can't wait." Kaden replied.
Alister came flying over to Ratchet, Kaden and Angela. He called Ratchet on a private line. "Ratchet?"
"Yeah, Alister?"
"Well... I'm sorry about what happened at the clock, and if you don't like the thought of fighting alongside me, I understand."
"General-"
"Just call me Alister, please. You've earned my respect, and thus you've earned the privilege of calling me by my first name. Rules of the Lombax Praetorian Guard, although you never really had to call me 'general'. I would never have minded if you had called me by my first name."
"Alright. Well, Alister, you were confused at the clock. For years you had focused on undoing the mistakes you made. I don't blame you. I blame Tachyon. Gene- erm, I mean Alister, it'd be an honor to fight alongside you again."
Alister sighed. "You don't know how much weight you just lifted off my shoulders. Thank you, Ratchet."
Yikes, Simon's down, and just when Black Hole is stepping up his game. What will happen next? Will they be able to save the planets? Find out in the next chapter of Epilogue 2: Together We Stand.