Disclaimers:
I do not own any of the ideas, locations, or characters that appear in the Ratchet and Clank series, these belong to their respective owners.
The item/term Manifestor belongs to Stephen Stryker, I am using it with his permission.
All other characters, races, and locations not appearing in the Ratchet and Clank series are my own. While I probably won't care if you use them, it would be nice if you did ask.
Chapter 10: The Last Lombax
Blackness. It surrounded him, enveloping him like water…no tar would be better. Water you could swim through. Tar, it clung to you. It never let you get up, not with a fight. Fight. He had just been in a fight. Where had he been fighting? Oh yah, Clank's apartment…
CLANK!
Ratchet forced the tar away from his eyes. They cracked open, revealing a very white room. He couldn't make out much, it was all very blurry.
Beeping. There was beeping in the background, and it was increasing. Where was Clank?
"No good…waking up….heart-rate rising."
"Not possible…put a War Grok…sleep."
It was hard to hear what the people were saying. It was like they were a world away. Where was Clank?
"Clank? Where…where are you?"
"Ratchet, you need to calm down. You are going to die if you don't relax."
That wasn't Clank. Where was he? "Where is Clank?"
"His heart is going to explode at this rate."
"Ratchet, my friend, you need to calm down."
That voice, "Clank? I was worried."
The tar was coming back. "Heart rate falling. He's going out."
"Don't leave me Clank."
"I will never leave you Ratchet."
The tar claimed him again.
There. The tar was weak there. He pushed forward with all his might. Slowly, unwilling, the substance parted before him. The shell grew thinner, and then it burst open.
Ratchet blinked, and blinked again. Light flooded into his eyes. Pupils struggled to adjust. A white room greeted him. No, it was a room. Walls don't ripple. It was a tent. And outside he could hear the wind howling. So he wasn't on the Clock anymore.
Where was Clank? He sat up. "Ratchet?"
The Lombax turned his head. He noticed he was in his mechanic suite instead of his armor. Clank was standing at a tent flap. "Hey body. How long was I out?"
Green eyes met emerald. Despite being mechanical, the green eyes showed much sorrow and worry. "Over a week. Ten days. Ratchet, you were injured horribly. And for some reason, your body wasn't accepting nano-tech. Somehow, your immune system was destroying the bots before they could help. I had never seen anything like that…"
Ratchet knew his friend was upset about something else. "So how did you fix me up?"
The robot shook his small head. "Well…Ratchet, you are on Fastoon. We…we had to make a deal with the Lombaxes. They were the only ones who might have known what was wrong with you, and how to deal with Lombax physiology. And we couldn't fix you up the normal way. So…so I made a deal."
The robot seemed unable to continue. Ratchet stood up slowly. "And what was the deal?"
"They would heal you up, if you were to stand trial for treason once the current war ended." There. He had said it.
Ratchet tensed up slightly. Slowly the muscles relaxed. Yes, that was what needed be done. "I see. I guess we will have something else to look forward to. I guess we will deal with it when it happens."
The robot had been looking down in shame. He jerked up. "You aren't mad?"
Ratchet chuckled slightly. "How can I be? I would have done the same thing in your position. And we have been through worse. I mean, if it goes to Hell, I can just break out. You never agreed to me doing anything outside the trial."
Clank smiled. "You are right. And there is not a chance that they will be able to contain you." He walked to his friend. "But I am afraid that is not the only news that I have. And like most news these days, it is bad."
Ratchet sighed again, and spotted his stuff in a corner. He began to done his power armor. "What went wrong?"
"It was Argon. He sent a screen showing Max being tortured. It broke Talwyn. She went after him with Cronk and Zephyr. To be captured herself. And now she is be tortured as well in the capital city. And by none other than Lucy."
Anger once again boiled in Ratchet. "Damn him. He is going down."
"Ratchet, he knows you are coming. And this time, he will know what you are bringing to the fight."
"I'll think of something." The two walked out of the tent, to see a city of them. They were in that courtyard, where he had repaired Aphelion. The towering monument stuck out above the miniature city. Lombaxes walked about, going through their tasks. The ever-present wind continued to howls.
Upon emergence many of the Lombaxes around stopped their tasks and looked at the two. They were barraged with many looks, ranging from sad to hatred. Ratchet felt like he was under attack. "Which way is Aphelion?"
"She is by the graves, Ratchet."
He nodded. It figured. Clank hopped onto his back. The duo walked through the city. They were talk to anyone and unapproachable. Silence followed them. It made Ratchet pull out the wrench and hold it in his hand. The weapon provided a comforting weight in his hands.
There she was. Resting on her red wings was Merc and Green. The two acknowledged Ratchet with nods. And waiting for him was another Lombax.
"Elder Karak." The venom was not hidden.
"Raymond Alenko." Barred teeth pointed at Ratchet. "I here you are going out to a war. You better come back for your trail, Traitor."
Fur bristled. "First off, my name is Ratchet. Raymond Alenko is dead. Secondly, I am no traitor. Third, am I to understand that you won't provide the Tri-Galaxies with needed support?"
A short bark of laughter tore itself from her throat. "Help you, Traitor? This is not our war. And we aren't ready for any fight."
Neither Lombax noticed the crowd of Lombaxes gathering around. Clank did, but didn't say anything.
"Not your fight? And I suppose Argon kidnapping your kits and handing them to Tachyon, who he rescued from another dimension I might add, was a friendly gesture?"
They were sizing each other up.
"That wouldn't have happened if your weren't at war with them. Everything that happened there was due to you. The Cragmites wouldn't have been there if you had done your duty. The kits wouldn't have been kidnapped if it weren't for your war. The second destruction of the Lombax Confederation is completely your fault!"
"So you won't fight? You'll just roll over and present your belly if Argon shows up?"
"If that is what it takes to protect our race, than I will do it in a heartbeat. We have suffered enough as it is."
This was the breaking point for Ratchet. "You have suffered enough? You know NOTHING about suffering. Do you see those graves?" A wrench pointed at the three small stones. "Those belong to three Lombaxes. One is for Kaden Alenko, my father. He gave me up when I was still an infant to a corrupt orphanage in a different galaxy to keep me safe, and then he died trying to assassinate Tachyon. When the orphanage burned down I was forced to live on the streets of Veldin. I had to fight and steal my food and share it with my crew. With Icarus's crew. They were my second family.
They all died years ago. I was the only one to get out and start anew. They all died in prison during a riot. And thus I lost my second family. And for three years I slaved away on building a ship to escape that world, only to meet Clank. And upon meeting him I got plunged into more wars than I like to think about. In the span of 3 years I fought in two wars, defeated a monster that was threating to destroy the Bogon Galaxy, was kidnapped, cloned, and sent into a drug induced hellhole, and survived and escaped a gladiatorial show where the only way out was supposed be in a body bag."
He then pointed towards the middle bag.
"I met Angela Cross during the Protopet Incident. She was disguised and kidnapped the original protopet while hiring thugs to cause trouble so she could deal with it. In the end she was doing the right thing, and because of my misunderstanding, the damn thing went on a rampage, almost destroying several worlds before we brought it under control. She may have caused damage, but she was trying to do the right thing. She was captured and killed by Tachyon."
The wrench pointed at the final grave.
"And there lies the only body I have been able to recover. There lies Elder Alister Azimuth. There lies my mentor, and the only other Lombax I have ever known.
A little over five years ago Tachyon raided Kerwan looking for me. During the attack I escaped and hijacked an imperial cruiser which led to this galaxy. It was here that I learned that there were no more Lombaxes, that Tachyon was a Cragmite, that I was alone. It was then that I learned of something called the Lombax Secret. That it was a 'weapon capable of destroying all the Cragmites'. Except it wasn't. It was the Dimensionator. And just as I find it, it is stolen from me. And the thief accidently delivers it to Tachyon. And what does he do? He shows me what happened to my people. He shows how you ran. How you fled. And he offered me a choice. I could leave, and join you in exile. Or I could stay, and die.
I could have left then, I could have said 'screw it. I'm done helping the universe. I'm done saving lives. I'm done fighting an I am going home.' But I didn't. I stayed and I fought to free Polaris and protect my friends. And we fought, and I won, and exiled him. But the dimensionator was destroyed. And there was no way to reach my race.
So I began my search for answers. And along the way, I run into Azimuth. He was also searching for a way to bring you back, and for a way to fix his mistake. All he wanted to do was make it all right. And he thought he knew of the perfect machine to do such: The Great Clock. Get it, and we could turn back time, and make it all right. It was supposed to work, but along the way, I discovered the truth about the Clock. It was built to maintain time, not to travel it. And when I confronted him with this truth, he did not want to hear it.
He called me the same thing you are. He called me a traitor, and tried to kill me with his wrench. This wrench. He ran to the central chamber, and pulled the lever. The clock lurched as it tried to complain. We dueled there in the central chamber as the universe crumbled around us. Time itself could not be maintained. I defeated him, and attempted to fix the machine. Attempted to make it stop. I wasn't strong enough…
He finally realized that what he had done could doom the universe. Was doing the universe. So he took my place and pulled it back, killing himself. All he left was his wrench, his pocket watch, my father's boots and cryo-mine glove. But the universe was safe.
After that, I swore there would be no more deaths. No more fighting. And for two years I lived happily as a simple mechanic on Veldin. But the universe would not let me simply hang up my wrench and stop fighting. Then Artemis Zogg had to go on his spree of planet-napping to create his own galaxy and play god. I had to fight and defeat him.
Finally it seemed to be over. Finally I thought I could rest in peace. There was nothing left to do. You were trapped firmly on the other side. There was no way to make another dimensionator, the Surinox Comet was destroyed. So for three years I just rested and repaired ships.
And then a month ago the Lycans invade. And now the entire Tri-Galaxy is under attack, it citizens becoming slaves. And in the midst of all this chaos and war, I am placed in charge of the remaining forces. In order to give us a chance in Hell I'm forced to work with former enemies. So I defeat Slag again and make sure he dies this time, becoming pirate captain and leader. I recruit General Glahm and the Agorians. And I launch a counterattack that's supposed to hit the Lycan homeworld.
And then I make a discovery that rocks me to the core. The Lycans are not from this dimension. And in my hands is a perfect copy of the dimensionator. And I am offered a choice: Attack the capital world and end this war, or go through the portal and save you.
And now I am here on my homeworld, amid the ruins of the city I was born with. It is filled with Lombaxes, something I have been working for five years. I have fought, bled, and killed to get this to happen.
And what do I find? A bunch of Lombaxes who won't fight, but will charge me with treason. Treason. And my every action was to bring you back.
Do you know what the people of this Galaxy think of you? They think you are protectors, that you will always be there to help and defend. That you would somehow return and defeat Percival Tachyon, and free Polaris. Even after twenty years they still awaited your return, and thought I heralded it.
And now I'm on the wreck of a world. Buried here are three Lombaxes. Two I fought with, two tried to kill me. One abandoned me. And I have discovered the truth.
The truth is that they are far more worthy than any of you. The truth is that they were the last of the Lombaxes, not you. The truth is that the Lombaxes are dead, replaced with these pathetic shells who greatest source of bravery is to call themselves Lombaxes.
The protectors are gone. I am the last Lombax. And as such I shall do what any Lombax would do. I will fight and I will protect the Galaxy. And maybe I will die. And if I do, so do the Lombaxes.
And now I know I should never have rescued. I would have had more fighters, and this war would be over. How many lives did I sacrifice to get you back? I don't know, but it is too many. How many friends were tortured? How many more are going to die in the next assault?
You aren't worth it. Tachyon was right about you. Cowards, the lot of you. You had a duty to this Galaxy at the very least to deal with Tachyon. Instead you crawled into your self-imposed exile and hoped nothing would happen. Not once did you try to return, when you almost certainly had the ability to do so.
So frankly, if the Lycans come after you, you are on your own. I can't waste resources protecting a world that won't fight. So now I am going to take to the skies, and prepare for the next fight. I am going to end this war. And when I do, I'll come back for your damned trial. Because I'm a Lombax, and I don't run from my fights."
Ratchet seemed exhausted to Clank. He had never seen the Lombax do anything like that. Clank knew that this must be tearing Ratchet apart. He had spent so long looking for his family…his people.
Ratchet turned to board Aphelion. Behind him, Karak snapped. "NO ONE CALLS ME A COWARD!"
She charged forward, wrench held like a spear to impale Ratchet. He saw her coming through her shadow. He stored his wrench in the manifestor. Then he deftly swung around with his hands, grabbing the wrench. He flipped her over, wrenching the wrench from her hands. In one smooth movement he put one end of the dual wrench to her neck, pinning her to the ground. It took less than three seconds.
"Coward." He pushed harder against her neck, ignoring the red lombax's struggle to get free. "You aren't worthy of this wrench, of that uniform. You are no protector." With that, he flung the wrench away.
As he boarded Aphelion, Karak, began to rise, spitting dust out of her mouth. "Who do you think you are? Do you think you are a fucking Blood Rager?"
Ratchet finished settling in. "Lady, I don't give a shit about what a Blood Rager is. I have a war to fight. And when I'm done, I'll be coming back for your damn trial."
With that the cockpit closed, and the ship rose into the air and took off.
Pain. Searing pain. It wasn't everywhere but it was painful. The flame ran up her piece of hair, slowly burning towards her scalp. Finally, mercifully, it ends as it reaches the crown of her head. The flame goes out, the strand of charred hair falling to the ground. She finally is able to stop screaming.
"Did that hurt, Tali, you don't mind if I call you Tali, right? I got the idea from what you threatened to do to my sister. I find this much more effective? Don't you?" The mock sympathy rolled off the bound captive.
"Go…Fuck…Yourself." Talwyn managed to spit out in gasps.
"That's not the correct answer. You know you are just making this harder on yourself. All you need to do is give me some information on Ratchet and his men, and then the torture ends. Just one morsel of information."
"Up yours."
Lucy sighed. The blood stains were clear on her shirt. Every time she tortured Talwyn, she always wore the shirt. Probably to make her worried.
A beeping noise interrupted them. "Ah, too bad. I have to go. But don't worry, I will be here same time tomorrow. Or maybe I will get here early. I do love my new job." With that the Lycan left the cell. Immediately the walls shifted, so Talwyn could not stand straight, or lie down straight. She would have to fall asleep curled, half standing. She was used to this now.
It was a great surprise to her when five minutes later the walls shifted again. Was Lucy coming back for another round?
No, it was someone else. "Ah. You."
"Yes, me."
Silence. Then, "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Resist my sister. I hear your screams. I know you are in pain, that you are sleep deprived, that you are being "fed" via IV tubes. So how do you do it? How do you resist the torture? I would have cracked in an hour. At most."
A weak half smile emerged from Talwyn. "Because, Karen, I have things worth fighting and dying for. Something you clearly don't have. So yes your sister causes me great pain. But it would cause me much more to betray those I know and care about."
Karen flinched. There was another bout of silence. "Do you love him?"
Talwyn flinched at this. "I don't know. But that's not the important question here. The question is do you?"
To Talwyn's great surprise, Karen didn't flinch with this question being thrown at her. Talwyn had also expected her to deny it vehemently. Instead, "I don't know. But I do know it will never happen if I did."
Silence. "I am being reassigned. This war is now in endgame. And I am going to fight for my people. But before I went, I had to know. And thank you for telling me." With that the short Lycan left the room.
Cold. It was much colder here than he remembered. And emptier. Although, that old mystic was still there, still mediating. How remarkable. Things changed, and yet they remained the same.
Coming here had been no trouble physically. There had been no Lycan forces at planet Grelbin. But being here, at Angela's home, it tore at his heart. This place…it brought back memories. It was necessary to be here. But that didn't mean it wasn't painful.
Ratchet didn't really remember the conversation he had with Fizzwidget about her death. He remembered that it had been short and painful. And that the old man had been really upset. He had just left everything as it was. He couldn't bring himself to clear out her house. So he held his own funeral for Angela, while Ratchet held his.
The door opened, revealing a dark room. Ratchet flicked on the lights. Good, that still worked at least.
It took ten minutes of searching to find it. And it was Clank who found it. He was holding it, and walked in on Ratchet in a different room.
In his hands was a holo-picture. It was of him and Angela, just after the defeated the Protopet. It was the picture that hit the press and made Ratchet famous in Bogon Galaxy.
A single tear leaked out of those emerald eyes. Ratchet looked onwards. Here were two of the last Lombaxes. He had a crush on her. But he had been too young, and then Veldin had been invaded.
He now regretted going back more than ever. If only he had stayed to explain. If only he had a kept in contact. She may have still been alive. At the very least, he could have known her better. Now he was the only one left.
Those other creatures, they weren't really Lombaxes. They didn't have that fire that cause Alister, Angela, and him to do what was right. The Lombaxes were truly dead. After silently weeping for a few moments, he turned his wet head towards Clank.
There it was. That mask, who knew it could have held someone so beautiful under it? Now it was his turn to wear it. How ironic.
He grabbed the mask without a word, and put it on. The rest of the disguise cloaked his body. "Testing." Yes, the voice pitch was still there.
He walked over to a terminal. A call was made. "Thugs4less. Pay for nine hits, and the tenth is free."
Some things do change, yet stay the same. "I don't want to speak to a lackey. I want to speak to the big boss. He and I have business to discuss."
"Very well."
The screen shifted. Yup, it was still the same idiot running it, though he now had a nasty scar. "What do you want."
"I want all of your thugs under my command. How much will that be?"
The thug chuckled. "Well, you get right to business. But you can't afford me, I'm working with the Lycans. And they pay well."
"Try me."
The thug named a number that was 7 digits long. "I can do better." Ratchet named a nine figure number.
The thug's eyes bulged. "I don't believe you have that much."
"What's your billing number?"
A number was rattled off.
"There you are. One quarter now. The rest upon completion."
"I see you do have that money. Very well, what do you want?"
"You will gather all your men at these coordinates. There you will be placed under the command of General Ratchet. You will work with his forces as they attack the Lycans. We are taking this war straight to their heart."
"You don't think small. But with that amount of money…Ok, we are in."
"Good. In three days, this war will be over." The screen went blank, and Ratchet removed the mask. It was time to leave this dead world. And it was time to end this war.
And in a giant ship, a Lycan sat in his personal quarters. To say the ship was massive would be an understatement. It wasn't as big as a moon, but it was pushing it. Argon was pleased. Everything was ready. It was here that he would destroy Ratchet for the Lycan Empire.
And down below, a flight commander was trying to sleep. The last thing thought by Karen before she fell to a deep slumber was "I shall protect my people, no matter the cost."
And thus the ship that was a terrible weapon waited for Ratchet to make his move.
