A gloved hand scooped up the can of cold frog soup and brought a spoonful up to his mouth. "Uuugh..." Ratchet's face contorted to mild displeasure as he swallowed. He never liked this brand of soup though that might be in part due to his lack of a microwave. With the little amount of bolts he usually saved up, he had to be careful in what he spent his money on. Having a functioning microwave would be great...but then he wouldn't be able to purchase food for the next few weeks or so. A sigh parted from his lips as he downed another spoonful. Eyes glanced out towards the window to see the dark night sky. He had woken up in the middle of the night and just simply couldn't go back to sleep. His mind had been too occupied thinking of how to approach the Rangers come tomorrow. He'd have to get there pretty early before the crowds did. Otherwise he might not get the chance to provide his services and more importantly secure himself that sponsorship.
The idea to go out and watch the stars came to him as he quite enjoyed doing that whenever he couldn't sleep. There were many nights were Ratchet would just venture up to the top of his little shop and observe the stars. Sometimes he would see a distant planet and wonder to himself what his life would've been like if he crash-landed there instead. Ears drooped slightly as he got up from his chair and started to climb up the ladder. Opening up the hatch to the top of his garage, Ratchet took his usual spot towards the edge and looked up. A small content smile started to form as he witnessed the glimmering stars that littered the solana system. It was all so beautiful. Hands rested behind his head as Ratchet simply watched the stars and planets. Not a sound disturbed him in the cold desert around him. It was almost enough to lullaby him to sleep. Well, it would've been had his eyes not spotted something burning.
Thick brown brows furrowed as he focused more of his attention on the strange event. What was that? It looked like a comet! It was definitely close too considering how brightly it was burning despite being all the way up in the sky. Wait a second...chunks were coming off of it too. Was it an asteroid that was now crash-landing? Ears perked up at the thought. Asteroids had raritanium in them! Oh man, if that were the case then Ratchet might have just gotten the jackpot! He could sell that ore for a hefty mint! The mechanic shielded his eyes as the burning object made contact with the desert. His ears rung from the noise it had produced and when he looked back he could see the smoke off in the distance. That wasn't too far away from his garage! More or less a fifteen minute run! Ratchet scrambled to his feet and slid down the ladder. Oh boy, oh boy! What a time to watch the stars! He's gotta make it over there before anyone else does. He quickly snatched up his omniwrench and rushed out the door, not even bothering to lock it.
XJ0461's eyes slowly opened as he recollected himself. A quick look over himself told him he had survived the impact. The escape pod though...not so much. It was more or less a pile of burning metal. The little robot gripped at the side and pulled himself out only to tumble down onto the desert rocks. A yelp parted from him as the impact ruptured his already broken left arm and it slid a distance away. He was about to clamber over and reach for it but the noise of coming footsteps made the robot froze. Who could that be? It could be a native inhabitant of the planet coming to see what was happening...or it could be a blargian officer having tracked his location. Chairman Drek would no doubt send out someone to either capture or destroy him. Not wanting to take that chance XJ0461 quickly ran the other way and kept himself behind a decently sized rock. The robot closed his eyes and hoped he'd be able to get himself out of this mess if it truly was a blargian officer here to collect him.
"Woah..." Ratchet's eyes widened at the sight of the damaged pod. He was a little disappointed that it wasn't an asteroid, which meant no raritanium, but now his mind was focusing on something else. If an escape pod landed here then that means someone else had to be around. Maybe they were hurt? Or maybe...no no, stay positive Ratchet. But what if it was a dangerous criminal? Fingers gripped around his omniwrench as he thought to himself for a moment. He'd feel terrible if he just turned around and left without checking to see if someone needed genuine help. The mechanic took a deep breath before calling out.
"Hey! Is anyone out there? Are you hurt?"
XJ0461 slowly opened his eyes and carefully tried to turn his head around to peek out and see. That wasn't something a blargian officer would say if they knew what their mission was. It gave the robot hope that this truly was just a native inhabitant of the planet. Green eyes widened as he managed to get a look at the individual in question. It appeared to a feline-like being! It looks as though he weilds a wrench so perhaps he is some sort of engineer! The bot looked down towards his broken socket. Perhaps he could fix it for him? He had to try. Carefully does the robot emerge from his hiding spot and stand so the mechanic can see him. Ratchet's eyes widen at the sight of the small but damaged grey robot as he gives a small wave.
"Hello, sir. I am thankful that you have found me. I need help." The robot started to walk forward while Ratchet himself slid down into the crater to reach him. "I'll say! You're missing an arm!" XJ0461 proceeded to point towards another nearby rock, signaling that's where it had landed. "Yes, however there are much more pressing matters right now. I have vital information about Tenemule's destruction...and what is to come." The robot spoke fearfully as he looked up towards the mechanic. Ratchet furrowed his brows as he moved to pick up the arm and inspect it. "What do you mean?"
XJ0461 opened his chest vent and allowed a few papers to be held up so Ratchet could see them. "Chairman Drek was behind Tenemule's destruction! I do not know why but he is planning to target many other planets." Ratchet cocked his head to the side as a sign of confusion. That name didn't ring any bells for him. "Who's that? I've never heard of him before." The mechanic had approached the smaller robot and started looking over the papers himself.
"He is a blarg in charge of Drek Industries...and my creator. I managed to escape his space station before he could have me terminated." Ratchet grimaced at that. How could someone do something like that? This little guy seemed pretty nice. Then again if you were planning to destroy planets then you'd want to silence anyone who could get the word out. "Please, I must find a way to get this information out. I must warn the rest of the galaxy!" XJO461 begged. Just then, that's when an idea came to Ratchet's mind. A smile formed at the edges of his lips as he bent down to the robot.
"Well, you're just in luck. Tomorrow morning is when the Galactic Rangers arrive on Veldin! They're looking for anyone who can help them figure out what's going on. And you..." Ratchet points to the papers in his hand. "...I think you're just the person they're looking for. I can take you there first thing in the morning! After fixing up that arm of yours, of course." Now that put a smile on XJ0461's face and Ratchet's. This was just what he needed! His ticket to get that sponsorship. Not to mention he'd be helping out a little robot in need.
The papers were placed back into the chest vent as XJ0461 extends his hand towards Ratchet. "Thank you. You can not imagine how much this helps me." The mechanic grinned before shaking the hand gently. "Hey, don't mention it. I'm Ratchet by the way. You got a name?" He asked as he walked alongside the robot and helped him up out of the crater. "I do not have a name. I was called by my serial number which is XJ0461." Ratchet looked onto the little guy before shaking his head. "Nah, that definitely doesn't fit you." Eyes went wide as a thought came to him. "Oh oh, you can totally give yourself a name!" The robot's antenna perked up in response to that. He seemed to ponder the idea as he walked alongside Ratchet. Could he really give himself a name? Well it's not like he was attached to the security bots anymore considering they were all instructed to kill him. Plus a name was a lot easier to remember for organics.
"Hmm. What name should I go with though? There are many possibilites." Ratchet placed his glove hand to his chin as he thought to himself. His green eyes shifted back down to the robot. "What about Kronk?" He asked. "Kronk?" The robot questioned with a tilt of his head. "It was the first thing that came to mind." Ratchet replied with a simple shrug.
"I am not sure. It sounds nice enough but I do not think it fits me." The pair went silent as they brainstormed more names. Dan, Ted, Mike, Tony, and more but none of them stuck. "How about Klunk?" Ratchet asked as they were quickly approaching his garage. Just another three minutes or so. However at hearing the name XJ0461 stopped in his tracks. Ratchet turned his head to see the robot thinking about it. He seemed to like it. "Don't tell me Klunk is about to beat out Dan. I thought that one was a great fit for you!" Ratchet joked.
"Actually...I think I might go for something similar. What about Clank?" The mechanic mused over the name as he looked the robot over. Ratchet slowly but surely gave a nod as he seemed to like it too. "Yeah, yeah that sounds good. Clank feels like a good fit!" The small robot smiled in response. "Clank it is then." Ratchet moved on to open the door to his garage and held it open for him.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Clank."
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Ratchet."
And so the garage door closed. Ratchet would get a little bit of rest before starting to repair Clank's arm. Then come tomorrow, it was off to the rangers!