Chapter 9: Connections

Ratchet stared at the blank holovid screen. So much possibility, so much emotion and so much pain, compressed down to a short newsreel. He looked over to Clank and his eyes were moist. He wiped them with his gloved hand. Without saying anything, he put his hand on Clank's shoulder and just stood for a moment. Then, in a whisper, he said, "Thanks, Clank."

Clank looked up at the lombax and smiled. "You should put that holovid into your manifestor," Clank recommended. "The equipment on Aphelion is compatible with this media. I am certain that you may wish to view it again. And I am also certain that Talwyn and Al may wish to as well."

Ratchet smiled. "Good idea." He carefully put the media back in the case, and tucked the holovid and the portable projector into his manifestor. "Just in case there's a compatibility problem..." Ratchet explained, justifying the theft. Sighing softly, he picked up his hacker again and went back to work on the display panel. Within a few seconds, Ratchet broke the authorization and was able to access the pad. While most of the icons were in lombax, he did see a few that he recognized. "Check this out, Clank! Doc must love his 'research'; he's got a whole collection of games on here!" He clicked on one of the icons and was soon lost in the action.

Clank watched him for a while, but eventually became distracted. He could still hear the playback from the BetaTex in the other room, and he was following along the entire session. His memory had recorded all of the events from the recording, and it was as though he was watching Ratchet relive the entire ordeal again. Clank looked over to the lombax, lost in the game he was playing. He was comforted that Ratchet retained no memory of that session, and that he could not detect the audio playback. Clank went to stand next to where Ratchet was sitting and watched him play the vidgame.

Eventually, Clank heard Ratchet's repeated whisper of "nothing", and finally his own voice. Looking up to Ratchet, he explained, "The BetaTex recording is almost over. It is time to return to the others."

"You can hear it in here?" Ratchet said looking up surprised. "Wow, your sensors are sharp. I can't hear a thing. What does it sound like?" "You do not want to know," Clank replied softly. "Get ready. As soon as the recording completes, I will lead you to the others."

Clank led Ratchet down the hall and they stood outside the closed door of the workroom. From this proximity, Ratchet was barely able to distinguish his own voice, wishing Clank good night. After that, silence. Not a single sound came from behind the closed door. They waited a full minute in the eerie stillness, and then Clank knocked heavily on the door. When no one came, he pushed it open.

Regional Minister Petrov Neutrino was retrieving the crystal from the chamber, and his back was towards the door. He already had the padded case prepared and placed the cube into it. His ears were drooping low and his tail sagged.

Doctor Sherman Tesseract stood to the side of the Prime Minister. His right hand rested on top of Reg's shoulder in a gesture very similar to Ratchet's moments earlier, both seeking comfort and offering it at the same time. Doc's jade eyes stared blankly at the empty vision monitor. Clank recalled the last image that was displayed there from the recording session - Ratchet's outstretched hand reaching towards the portal to New Fastoon.

Prime Minister Reginald Solstice was sitting up in the BetaTex. The straps had already been undone and he had been released from the electronic grip of the machine. His head was bowed, his ears were low and his tail hung limply over the side of the chair. His gloved hands hid his face as his head slowly shook as though sobbing. His bare muscular arms, left exposed by the vest, trembled. The other two lombaxes in the room had merely had to watch from the perspective of the monitors - Reg Solstice had lived through it, all of it, in a very compressed time.

Ratchet looked at the scene with some dismay. He felt very uncomfortable, as though he had walked in on a funeral. Looking down at Clank, he gave the robot a puzzled, questioning look. Clank blinked up at him and shook his head, once, firmly.

Subtlety was not Ratchet's strong point. He cleared his throat and asked in an overly loud voice, "Did we come at a bad time?" The words reverberated in the room. All three lombaxes stiffened and looked at Ratchet and Clank standing in the doorway. The Prime Minister moved first, slowly edging his way unsteadily out of the BetaTex chair. When he was on his feet and seemed stable, he walked, shaking, over towards Petrov.

Ratchet didn't see it coming. Petrov warned him that Reg was fast, but Ratchet could never have imagined exactly how fast... One instant, Reg was walking over towards Petrov. A walloper appeared on his right hand, Reg's fist punched the lombax full in the stomach, Petrov doubled over and the walloper vanished; all in one fluid motion that lasted no more than a tenth of a second. As Petrov fell to his knees, the air knocked out of his lungs, Reg stood over him saying in a shaking voice, "If you EVER do that kind of thing again, I will personally remove your tail and hang it as a decoration from my sled. Do you understand me?" His left hand absently massaged his scarred ear. "Yes, Reg," Petrov gasped. Satisfied, Solstice nodded, reached out his hand and helped the larger lombax up from the floor.

The strange silence continued. Ratchet fidgeted slightly, feeling a bit self conscious. After all, it had been his brain that they were watching. "Do you believe that the recording will be of benefit to your people, Prime Minister?" Clank asked. Solstice looked at Clank and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I'll tell 'em; but if I have my way, no one else will ever see that crystal..." Shaking his head, Solstice gathered himself, walked to where Ratchet and Clank stood in the doorway, sank down on his knee again, looked up at Ratchet, offered his hand and in his best professional voice began, "On behalf of the gov - aw, screw it!" He reached out and grabbed both Ratchet and Clank in a bear hug. Ratchet was caught completely off guard and was extremely embarrassed; squirming against the extraordinarily tight grip. "Uh, hi... Does... that mean you believe us?" Solstice merely squeezed tighter, until Ratchet was struggling for air as Petrov had been earlier. Clank added, "Prime Minister, do you think your people will return to Fastoon?" Solstice released the pair and climbed to his feet. "I hope so. And please, call me Reg."

Petrov finally recovered his breath. "That's why I called you so early. That's why I overrode Spiff. I knew what was at stake. I knew you'd want to see it yourself, no matter how painful it was." Reg looked over to Petrov, "I thought you were just yankin' my tail. You're right, of course. I just need a minute - that was... extreme..."

Petrov stowed the crystal into his manifestor.

"So, where do we go from here?" Doc asked in a quiet voice, his eyes on Ratchet and Clank.

Reg stood and thought for a few minutes. Then he addressed them all. "Okay. Here's what we do. I'll go to the council meeting. Spiff called an emergency session to have Petrov removed from his regional command."

"A special meeting for lil ol' me?" Petrov broke in. "I'm honored!"

Reg slowly grinned. "Don't be. You know the price if they remove you. But, in a way, I hope they'll take the bait. That'll just give us more leverage. I'll go to the meeting and relate what I've learned. The council will do whatever they want anyway.

"Petrov, I want you to start working on a Plan B. I hope the council will listen to reason, or at least that they won't do something stupid. But I've played the game too long to expect that. I also want you to grab the prototype and bring it back here. It deserves a place of honor in the Azimuth Museum." Petrov nodded. "Done." A teleporter appeared in the middle of the room. Petrov walked over to it, but did not step on it immediately. He grabbed his tail and held it in front of his body tightly, then walked onto the pad. "It's not that I don't trust you, Reg..." he began. The scanner arms shot up, and he was gone.

"Doc, do you have any information about Azimuth and the Keeper? Anything might help."

"I have that old holovid..."

Ratchet answered, "If you're thinking about the Compendium vid, Clank found it while we were in your office. We watched it earlier. If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it."

Doc answered, "Be my guest, I can always get another copy. I'm not aware of any further information, but I'll do a search. And I'm sure you have other questions..."

Reg nodded. "Done then. I'll keep a field around this house at all times. It'll take the entire council to override me." He grabbed his tail and secured it behind his back. Ratchet couldn't help it. "Minis-, uh, Reg?" Reg turned to face Ratchet, a curious look in his face. "I ride a rocket sled, among a lot of other toys. That snap's the best idea I've seen in a while. So simple, yet so effective. I've already burned my tuft a few times on thruster exhaust." Reg smiled. "Actually, it was Chuck's idea. Petrov's dad. He was always full of practical ideas like that." He closed his eyes for a second. "My ride's here. I've already let the council know I'll be attending, so they're expecting me."

"Good luck, Reg," Clank said.

"Thanks. I'll need it." Reg turned and strode from the room. As he opened the exterior door, the field around the house dropped for the fraction of a second it took him to step over the threshold, and then it returned.

Doc turned to Ratchet and Clank. "I hate to disappoint you Ratchet, but there were no inquiries or leads generated by the newsreel. I'm afraid I don't have any more information about your identity." Ratchet's ears drooped slightly, but Ratchet tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. "That's okay. I know more than I did when I got here. And I think I'm flying my father's old ship. That's something." The doctor smiled at Ratchet, and turned to Clank. He gave Clank a strange, searching look. Clank responded, "I was present when the recording was made, so I am fully aware of its contents. Do not be concerned. We will follow up on any leads as the opportunity presents itself." Ratchet looked at Clank a little suspiciously, "What'd'y mean?" Clank looked back and replied, "One thing at a time, Ratchet. First we must complete our business here." Ratchet nodded. "Fair enough..."

"So, Doc," he said, "What's the deal with Petrov and Reg? Are they related or something?"

Doc's eyes took on a slightly misty look. "No. But they might as well be. The Solstice and the Neutrino families've been close for generations; all the way back to the Great War. Reg and Petrov've known each other since they were born. They've been friends since they could walk. Well, in their case, run.

"I actually tutored the pair for a while. They're so different, and yet alike in a lotta ways. Reg was always the impulsive one; an adequate student but with flashes of insight and brilliance that bordered on genius. Petrov was more of a steady, solid sort; consistently great, but never spectacular. But they both were extremely bright and loved adventure. They also had the same somewhat skewed sense of humor and a natural gift for mayhem. Either one was a danger on their own; put the two of 'em together and you had a natural disaster on your hands."

"Why would Reg threaten to cut off Petrov's tail?" Clank inquired. "It seems unusual given their attachment to each other."

"I don't think he'd ever really do it," Tesseract replied. "At least, not really... Probably... But then, you never know... After the mishap where he lost his ear..."

Ratchet broke in, startled, "Reg lost an ear? I saw the scar, but I thought it was just from a blade of some sort."

Tesseract smiled back. "Thank you. That was actually some of my best work. His left ear is actually an implant with organic elements. You'd never know looking at him, and the programming responds directly to his nerve signals just like his right ear. But, yes, it's artificial. The scar was an artistic touch; his choice, not mine. I think he thinks it 'looks cool'.

"The two of 'em were just kits, I'd guess about four years old. They were roughhousing as always, and they were really too young to understand how a teleporter worked. Petrov grabbed Reg's ear and yanked when Reg jumped onto the pad. It was outside the scanning arms, and, well, didn't transport with Reg. Obviously they're both fine, but even now Reg is a bit teleporter phobic. Anyway, they've been inseparable most of their lives.

"Petrov's father was Prime Minister during the Drophyd War, and he was the one that brokered the deal with Tachyon." Doc sighed and his ears drooped slightly. "Both Petrov and Reg were in the Lombax Defense Ministry at the time. But their talents went in different directions. Petrov was a natural leader, eventually becoming a general. He was one of the first through the rift and got things stable on this side. Reg was a mechanic and into electronics; he was an adventurer working a number of intelligence missions, gathering information and causing havoc for the drophyds.

"After the war, Petrov 'retired' to avoid the council. Well, sorta... You've gotta understand the nature of lombaxes and our government." He smiled at Clank, his ears perking back up. "In case you hadn't noticed, lombaxes tend to be individualistic, loyal, a smidgen chaotic and prone to curiosity and adventure to the point of recklessness."

Clank chuckled and nodded, "I have experienced this erratic behavior to a greater or lesser extent in most organic species, but in lombaxes most notably." He looked up at Ratchet. The lombax looked mildly put out. Clank met Ratchet's eyes, grinned and concluded, "Some individuals more than others." Ratchet grinned slightly and flicked at the antenna on Clank's head with his finger.

"Exactly. Government's not our thing. So, we're pretty much on our own, with the exception of a council to set the general framework. Their goals are to act as a central voice for the lombaxes, to prevent us from wiping ourselves out accidentally and to deal with the day to day administrivia of New Fastoon. The council's composed of nine members; usually retired generals, adventurers and administrators. The members aren't there by choice - they're drafted from the ranks of their professions based on ability and required to serve. Right now, there're eight members with one vacancy. Petrov's that vacancy. As a combat general, he has level seven authorization and should be on the council right now. Somehow he hid his records from 'em. Minister Gaiden is the junior-most member, but all level six or seven clearance holders are supposed to be on the council."

Clank had a thought. "Would Petrov's identity be hidden from the council if he took a lesser job, starting over with a completely new, but lower, security rating? For example, as a regional defense minister, Ratchet and I witnessed him perform official acts, but always with a level three clearance."

Tesseract blinked. "Brilliant! Yes, that would work. He'd have two classifications, one low enough to avoid detection and his old one to fall back on, if he needed it later. He could remain hidden in the new role as long as he never used the higher clearance - that would set off maroon flags everywhere. Of course, it would need to be set up initially and the override approved by someone even higher..." His voice trailed off and an amused gleam filled his eyes. "Of course... Reg... That's just their style..."

Tesseract's amused expression grew into an intensely proud (and somewhat smug) look. "Service on the council isn't voluntary. There've been a few that've tried to dodge before. Petrov is the first I've ever heard of that got away with it for more than a few months. Someday, he may be remembered more for that alone than anything he accomplished in his career as a general... or on the council...

"So how's Reg fit into all this?" Ratchet asked. "How'd he get to be Prime Minister, if this council controls everything. Spiff hate's his guts."

Tesseract's tail twitched and his smug grin grew even wider. "Lombax nature. Basically, both the council and the general populace knew that such a stable system was inherently boring; alien to lombax nature. So they elected a Prime Minister. In wartime, the PM has a significant role; he or she's in charge of military coordination and is the central executive. But in peacetime, the PM is a wildcard, a spoiler; a single lombax acting as he sees fit for the benefit and amusement of the lombax nation. The Prime Minister's security level is set higher than any council member, so it takes unanimous vote to override him. Basically, Reg's job is, quite literally, to stir things up and keep things interesting..."

Clank stood aghast. "That is the most illogical, bizarre..."

Ratchet interrupted, beaming, "...Brilliant thing I've ever heard!"

"Exactly. Lombax nature. It makes perfect sense, if you're a lombax. Anyway, Reg's been serving as Prime Minister four terms now, and he's got a strong following. As for Minister Gaiden..." Tesseract smiled faded slightly. "Well... he's more the administrative type. He's unusually young to be on the council, but he's an absolutely brilliant legal advisor and accountant." Ratchet made a sour face. "Exactly," Tesseract concluded.