Exhale Then Lunge
If you were in the resistance, you were used to improvising. You also knew that each day might be your last so you better spend your time meaningfully. It was a careful balance of living for each day but planning for the future. The ultimate effect was that Rivet tended to take planned risks. Of course the plans tended to be made once the risk was taken, but they were made. She might've overdone it this time.
Now she was pulling along a shell-shocked Ratchet with their destination being an unknown dimension filled with untold dangers. Of course it was justified, they had already been planning on going to the Lombax dimension and she had been planning on taking her time with Ratchet, but Qwark had ruined that. Thus, she was left with either downplaying Qwark's claims or confirming them. What else was she supposed to do? Act like a shy love-struck teenager and pass on the opportunity to avoid potential embarrassment? That wasn't Rivet's way of doing things.
"Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting that we can't be together because we're the last of our species. I just meant that it was a lot of pressure hanging over our heads."
She rolled her eyes in response. You really know how to make a girl feel wanted, Ratchet.
"Look Ratchet, it doesn't matter if you're interested in me or not. lt changes nothing. It only means that we should stop wasting time and get on with finding the Lombaxes so we can move on with our lives. Either together or separately."
They were making their way by a crowd of other guests who were still listening to Qwark ham it up complete with over-the-top flexing poses.
"Ratchet has always been a faithful sidekick! Though he might never possess the upper body strength necessary to be a true hero; I, Captain Copernicus L. Qwark knew that he had what was necessary to aid a true hero on his journey!"
I'll never complain about Quantum again.
"At a young age Ratchet confided in me his admiration in yours truly! And how his only wish was for me to help secure the survival of his species! Through the use of my scientific godlike physique, I was able to procure a dimensionator to aid the Lombax in- Wait, where are you going!?"
Qwark had spotted Ratchet and Rivet marching out of the large dome-like room heading towards the entryway, their robots in tow. Even someone of Qwark's attention knew that his guests of honor leaving would look bad to the high-bolt crowd that occupied the room. Qwark however, was a creature that knew how to play a crowd, turn defeat into victory, and improvise when necessary.
"Oh, I think our Lombax friends are already setting out to 'save' their species! Be safe kids! And remember, parenthood is a big responsibility!"
He was also quite capable of sticking his own feet in his mouth.
Rivet stopped.
She abscently heard Ratchet groan behind her, she, on the other hand, was actively growling. The heroine liked to think that she was a Lombax of immense patience when it came to coarse jokes directed towards her person, additionally, Qwark's joke didn't even rank on the top twenty of foul-mouthed things people had said about her. Yet, she wanted nothing more than to hit Qwark with a hammer. She was sure that it had nothing to do with Ratchet being there though!
She turned and started walking towards Qwark.
That was until she felt an equal strength pull back against her own. She turned with a growl to whoever had the bright idea of holding back her ire, only to find Ratchet.
"Uh, you okay Rivet?"
She realized that she hadn't released Ratchet's hand. They had been holding hands all this time. They were standing just inside the entrance, with more than a few people giving glances at the pair. Strangely enough, Rivet didn't feel any embarrassment about the hand holding.
"Rivet?"
She looked up from their joined hands and smiled at the other Lombax.
Okay, so maybe I'm a little lovestruck.
"Yeah, I'm just restraining myself from killing Qwark."
"Oh, is that all? Be my guest then."
"Before either of you commit a class I felony, might I inquire why it is that we are leaving?" Clank asked.
Rivet gave a small smile to the bot, "We're heading to the Lombax dimension bolts."
Both Clank and Kit visibly jumped at the news.
"So soon? But you only just disclosed your mutual affections for one another. Doesn't it seem impudent to proceed with such haste?"
"Whoa pal, who said anything about us disclosing mutual affections!?"
You're not winning any points Ratchet.
Clank for his part merely drew his attention towards their joined hands.
"Oh."
"Yes, oh Ratchet." Clank said in a somewhat bemused tone before chuckling in that odd way he always did.
Kit came forward, "I for one would like to upload expressions of congratulations to the both of you!"
Rivet temporarily forgot that she was supposed to pretend to be mad at the little bot and genuinely smiled at her friend.
"Aw, thanks Kit, but we're not really a thing."
"What?" Interjected Clank. "But you are holding hands? Most data points to hand holding being an intimate act shared only between lovers and parents with their children. Oh dear!"
It appeared that a sudden shocked realization overcame Clank, "Rivet, did you adopt Ratchet?"
Rivet's jaw should probably be hurting after bouncing off the floor as hard as it did. Honestly though, where did he get that idea? Ratchet for his part had to bite down a snicker as well as carefully disguised any involuntary verbal sounds as coughs.
"Listen pal, that's not how that works, she's about my age."
"Technically, there's nothing within standard galactic law that dictates the age of the adopting guardian other than they being of legal age, a citizen, and not of felony status." Kit supplied, earning herself a nod from Clank.
Kit timidly knocked her hands together before adding, "Though I'm not sure either you or Rivet would qualify under that last prerequisite."
"Correction, they have yet to be convicted in a court of law," Clank countered.
"But if we're holding that the spirit of the law should be observed just as much as the written word then don't you think we should voice our concerns considering some of their more notorious feats?"
"She's not adopting me!"
"Oh good, then I would also like to upload congratulatory expressions to the new couple."
"Look," Rivet interjected before things could go more off the rails than it has. "We haven't decided on anything. We're waiting until we find the rest of the Lombaxes first."
Both Clank's and Kit's heads tilted in as their CPUs whirred: trying to find the logic the Lombaxes appeared to be using.
"But why?" Clank asked.
It was a simple question that both Rivet and Ratchet had the answer for earlier but somehow felt lacking now that they were face to face with their more logical partners. She glanced at Ratchet to see if he had the same hesitation. Judging by the hand that was rubbing the back of his head bald, she would say that yes, he was hesitating.
"We um, ahem, don't want any extra pressure on us while we're trying to figure this out." She stole another glance at Ratchet who seemed, she didn't know what to call it, saddened, disappointed, frustrated?
Kit stirred, "Pardon me Rivet, but I fail to see the logic in this statement. You are both the last of your species in either of your dimensions, you are already under pressure to save your species from extinction. Does it really alleviate any stress by continuing to delay procreation?"
"Yes!" Ratchet involuntarily barked out.
"Okay, now you're just being insulting!" Rivet growled.
"That's not wha- I mean I'd totally…." Ratchet trailed off before he could dig himself any deeper. He glanced at Clank, silently pleading with his eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by Rivet but that didn't stop Clank from 'aiding' his friend all the same.
"Not to worry Rivet, Ratchet has more than once expressed the desirability of your posterior. I have no doubt that he is trying to downplay his attraction to you so as to avoid any awkward exchanges between the two of you."
Sheesh bolts!
Ratchet's mouth opened then closed, then opened again before closing. He repeated this a few more times but no sounds emanated from his mouth. Rivet was at a loss for words as well but she was also partially relieved.
At least I know he doesn't find me unattractive.
"I hadn't considered that, is it common for Lombaxes to downplay their attraction in such a way?"
"Insufficient data. Ratchet and Rivet are the only Lombaxes I know, but both have displayed similar behavior in this regard. Perhaps, it is a biological trait for Lombaxes?"
"That doesn't matter guys! We're heading to the Lombax dimension now and you can find out everything you need to know about Lombaxes then!" Ratchet asserted (begged.)
A gasp cut into the air.
"You're heading to the Lombax dimension!? Without me!? But if the head of the PLPS isn't seen helping you then they'll all say I'm a fraud! And I can kiss my re-election goodbye!"
Rivet suppressed a groan while Ratchet actively voiced his, "You are a fraud Qwark."
"Go away, Qwark," Rivet stated as politely as possible.
The Captain dropped to his knees.
"I can't! Not when one of my best campaign talking points is literally disappearing off the face of the universe! My election will tank!"
Rivet just sighed, "Not our problem."
Qwark's eyes darted to Ratchet and then to Clank, both of whom were keen to ignore the captain's visual pleading. His gaze landed back on Rivet and he assumed a different stance, one that was less pathetic.
"But what if I can make it worth your while?"
"Oh please! You think we're interested in th-"
"I'm listening," interrupted Rivet.
"You let me tag along long enough to be seen by my constituents and I'll finance twenty percent of your trip!"
"One hundred percent."
"Thirty?"
"One hundred."
"Forty?"
"One hundred."
"Uh, sixty?"
"One hundred."
"Well … what about sixty five?"
"Let's go Ratchet."
"Wait! Alright, one hundred percent."
"Glad we worked that out Qwark."
"Yeah, yeah, just try to be discerning about what you need on the trip. Remember, the more expensive items aren't always the best!"
With that last statement, Qwark skulked away.
"You do realize that we're going to regret bringing him along even if it's only for five minutes."
"Speak for yourself, I'm planning on making him regret coming along."
Ratchet only sighed, "Well don't say I didn't warn you."
She smirked at her counterpart, "Noted."
He held her gaze, a smile on his own face. She felt ready for anything. They could take on a whole dimension and win because they were fighting side by side. She owed him more than she could ever say, helping her free her whole dimension from tyranny was more than she could ever repay. For one of the first times in her life, Rivet wasn't worried about the future, there would be none of the emperor's goons, no galaxy that needed saving, just two people discovering their family together. She'd alway been an optimistic hoper, she hoped that the emperor would be defeated, but now she was beginning to consider herself an optimistic believer.
"Kit and I have already compiled a list of supplies and equipment that we estimate are needed for the expedition, paid for by courtesy of one Copernicus L. Qwark. If we are to go to the Lombax dimension then it is imperative to prepare ourselves adequately."
Thanks for the save bolts.
"Right, so supplies, weapons, maybe some better clothes."
"Clothes?" interjected Ratchet.
"Yeah, if I'm going to be meeting the other Lombaxes then I'm going to look my best."
"Huh."
"Huh, what do you mean by huh?"
"Nothing, just didn't think that would be something you were concerned about?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She saw panic set in Ratchet's eyes telling her that he was aware that he messed up somehow.
"I, uh, just uh, think you always look your best so, uh, I just thought …"
"Clothing has been accounted for but we should decide which ship to take." Clank stated with an air of reserve. He knew what was coming after all.
"Mine!" both of the Lombaxes cried out.
"Ratchet," Clank interrupted before the argument could truly begin, "Why don't we borrow a larger ship from Qwark? After all, he did agree to finance the trip."
Ratchet seemed to ponder that for a while, "Well, Qwark does have the Phoenix III up and running. I'm sure he won't mind us using it."
"The Phoenix is in orbit right now. It should have adequate hangar space to hold both of our ships."
A wicked grin appeared on Ratchet's face.
"Hey Qwark!"
Qwark, who had once again repositioned himself as the proverbial and literal center of the party, turned to meet Ratchet with as much faux-enthusiasm as he could muster and pointed to him.
"Yes, faithful sidekick!"
"We just wanted to thank you again for letting us take the Phoenix III! It's really going to help us find the Lombax dimension!"
The crowd, who had borne witness to that entire exchange, now leaped new, better, praise upon the presidential hungry hero. Qwark's entire being was at that moment a paradox. He seemed ready to both rush down and thrash Ratchet for weaponizing the masses against him, and also hug Ratchet for helping him win points with said crowd. Qwark opted to accept the applause.
"Citizens! Soon, Ratchet, Rivet, and I w-"
"Tonight!" Rivet interrupted.
"Tonight!? I mean, Tonight! We will be venturing off to find the home dimension of the Lombax people! That's right! This is our send off! Our last hoorah in this dimension before we faceoff with unknown, nay, unnamed terrors! Keep me in your hearts while I battle to rejoin these dimensional orphans to their rightful home! And remember, I want to do the same for all of you! So keep that in mind when it comes time to cast your vote!"
The crowd was ecstatic. They were witnessing their favorite heroes and icons embark on a once and lifetime quest and they got to see them off. The crowd followed them as they marched out to the landing pad, showering the heroes with praise and well wishes. Rivet would never get used to it but she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention.
They arrived at their ships. As a general principle, Ratchet and Rivet almost never flew together. It didn't always make sense from a practical or economic standpoint, parking was also a pain, but this way they wouldn't have to fight over who got to pilot the ship. Ultimately, neither of them wanted to be left out of the pilot's seat. Taking turns also wasn't ideal because Ratchet abused that system far too much by charting longer courses or even using the dimensionator to disrupt space-time so as to give him additional seat-time. So they always flew separately. It also meant that they always raced each other. Was it childish? Yes. Was it a disturbing waste of resources and time? Also yes. Would Rivet trade it for anything? Hell no.
"Hey Qwark!" Rivet yelled.
Qwark for his part looked browbeaten enough. "What?"
"We'll race you!"
With that, the Lombaxes and their bots dived into their ships. The race began as soon as the cockpits opened. Powerup sequences and flight procedures were all part of the race. If you didn't keep up with your ship maintenance, or you had to run some additional diagnostics, you would lose. Both her and Ratchet would keep their ships in pristine condition and on standby just for this occasion.
Her fingers danced across the flight board, Kit performed all the system checks at lightning speed and confirmed that all systems were green. They blasted off.
She didn't need to look away from her controls to know that Ratchet was matching her, their races had been too close for that to not be the case, but her instruments confirmed that he was mere centimeters away from her port side.
Kit had already plotted a course that led them out of the city's regulated flight zones, and on an upward trajectory to orbit but it appeared that Clank had planned a very similar course. So as was typically the case, this race would be determined by the skills as pilots and mechanics, because of course they modified their ships to help them win the races, why wouldn't they?
Having left Megalopolis airspace, both crafts aimed for the stars and began their ascent. This was the test of engine power and weight. Once they got outside of the planet's gravitational pull, weight would cease to be a factor. That said, they wouldn't actually leave the planet's orbit so that would be a constant presence.
They had already breached the atmosphere and were met with the brilliance of space. They had yet to determine the actual finish line but that was okay. They'd worry about that pesky detail later.
The Phoenix came into view, the gaudy green impossible to miss against the black backdrop of space.
"Rivet, the hangar room can only allow entry to one craft at a time!"
"And it's going to be us Kit!"
Their ships were still side by side, with only millimeters being the metric capable of determining the winner. The ship grew larger and larger in Rivet's view. Neither ship slowed. Then all at once, her ship's power was cut to a fraction. Ratchet blitzed past and came to a jarring halt in the hangar.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry Rivet but I couldn't allow us to crash."
"Oh, come on Kit! We had em! If you had just given me another second then Ratchet would've blinked!"
"In another second we would've become atomically familiar with the hull of the ship."
"Whatever, we'll work on your game of chicken later."
They powered down and departed their ships. As always, Ratchet was a graceful winner.
"Hah! Losers!"
"You only won because Kit overrode my pilot's controls."
"Then that was your mistake, I got a fix around that with Clank years ago."
Clank nodded, "It's true. If you had not stopped then we would've simply collided and there would've been nothing I could have done. Thank you Kit."
"Pff! You have no faith in my pal!"
"Perhaps, but I do have experience with you."
Rivet shook her head at the pair, "Come on, let's get to the bridge."
"You two go, Kit and I must make sure that the supplies were received and properly categorized. Gadgetron always has difficulty categorizing their supply manifest."
Both of the Lombaxes proceeded up to the bridge in comfortable silence, something for which Rivet was thankful for. Part of her was glad that her admission to Ratchet wasn't a source of discomfort; she wanted to stay friends even if that's all they could be, but part of her also wanted Ratchet to be uncomfortable. She didn't want Ratchet to let her admission be forgotten. They would have to decide this sooner or later.
"You know, if we do discover the Lombaxes then I'm going to hold you to your confession."
Ratchet, who was already working on the ship's navicomputer, visibly swallowed.
"Sure Rivet, it'll be a blast."
What is it with you?
"Hey Ratchet"
He looked up from his work.
"I meant it when I said that I like you, I hope you feel the same, but don't spare my feelings if you don't. I don't want to pressure you … overly much."
Ratchet gave her a soft smile before walking up to her and pulling her into a hug.
"I meant what I said Rivet."
She sunk into the embrace, noting how right it felt. This wasn't some corpulent fuzzball like Mort, nor was it some towering alien that was threatening to crush her in its embrace, this was proportional, this was one of her own hugging her, and that was beautiful.
"Sheesh, get a room you two!"
"We had a room, Qwark!" She growled.
"Well, a room other than my bridge. Now, is the course set, sidekick?"
Ratchet gave Qwark a mock salute, "Course laid in Cap."
"Very good! Dimensionator ready female sidekick? OOF!"
She did hit Qwark with her hammer that time.
"Ready whenever you are, boy hero."
"Ugh … right."
Qwark stood to his full height, adopted his pearl white toothy grin, pointed out towards empty space and said, "Engage!"