Author's note:

Hey everybody, back once again with what would have been the single largest chapter I have ever written at nearly 20,000 words had I not decided to cut in in half. I tried to make things more interesting, one thing led to another, and, well… I think you get the idea. Suffice to say this will be a two part chapter of sorts, with the second half concluding the Maktar Resort part of the story and hopefully not lead to me writing myself into a corner again anytime soon. Not much else to say other than that I hope you enjoy the chapter for what it is and don't find it too long winded.

Oh, and before I forget, Flowerstar's been kind of busy and so is beta reading this chapter at the last minute. If you're reading this then she wasn't able to make it in time, and so I have gone ahead with my final draft version instead. As soon as she is able to get back to me I'll set about correcting any mistakes and re-upload, but if anyone spots anything off in the meantime please let me know. Thank you.

Update 13/7/2015: Flowerstar actually got back to me the other day and I hadn't even realised since I was out all Sunday. I've now made the necessary tweaks to the chapter in terms of spelling and grammar, and hopefully it'll improve the overall quality overall.

Review replies:

vengarl22 - Hi again, and thanks for the timely reminders. I'm glad you approve of Ace as well; he's but one of a numerous pseudo and full fat OCs that I have in mind for this story, and yes, I know Exactly what you mean…

I already had a few ideas for how the ship upgrades would work out, but somehow completely forgot about the Nanotech levelling system altogether. Trying to transfer a game mechanic like that into something plausible in reality is difficult, but I think I may have a solution which I'll be implementing next chapter. Technically, Ellen's 'upgraded' her knife already by discarding the broken Megacorp supplied combat knife for her old Versa Blade courtesy of Ratchet in chapter 3; although I do intend for her to get at least one more improved model later on at some point to match Ratchet. Thanks again, hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Kairi671 - Why thank you, I have tried to follow the game's canon plot as much as possible, though There will be more original content along the way to better reflect Ellen's presence and keep things fresh. Ah, jealous Ratchet is very jealous. The way I see it, his instinctive responses are kind of like a lion or tiger considering how cat-like lombaxes are; prideful, territorial, and more than a little possessive of that which is precious to them. In this case, Ellen is one of the most important people in his life and he has zero intentions of letting anyone else rival him for her affections, even though she has eyes for no one else but him.

Destiny - Glad you liked the chapter, and my decision to include a rival for Ratchet in both senses. Thanks again.

The White Guardian - Typo or not, I'm still stunned by those statistics two weeks on, but thank you for clarifying them either way. Pseudo-OCs and my own original characters are going to be a reoccurring theme throughout this story, with more coming up in the next few chapters and some having a greater overall effect on the story. Since, like you said, a fair number of characters (and creatures in the swamp monster's case) only have small parts to play in the story, I figured it would be interesting to flesh them out a little and give them a bigger role to play.

Though the thief's unmasking won't be for a while yet, I'm definitely looking forward to writing it as well as the 'mastermind's' inevitable unveiling once this story reaches its climax. Until next time, take care, and hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Firestar5277 - Aw, thanks. I thought Ace might be an interesting character to add to the mix once I'd established his character and tailored his personality to rub Ratchet up exactly the wrong way. The female infobot will pop up at several key points in the story just like she does in canon, although I do have a bigger and more active role for her in mind which I don't want to spoil just yet, seeing as it will have an effect on the sequel. Believe me, you'll know when we get there.

Shane Kor - Well I do aim to please! Seriously though, I'm glad you liked the chapter and can only hope you'll enjoy this one as well.

GoldenLombaxGirl - I did look up the comic series and you're right; it's a six issue run and from what I can tell of the synopsis I read up on, it bridges the gap between A Crack In Time and All 4 One. Without being able to read them myself I can only go by the basic overall summary of what happens minus any of the pointed detail; meaning that if I do carry this series on into the Future Saga story arc, then I'll probably end up glossing over the comics or have the characters mention the events in passing rather than cover the whole thing.

zenith88 - Thank you, I honestly don't know why it took me this long to see just how hard the story was becoming to read due to my poor formatting. Ace and the female infobot are just the tip of the iceberg; there's going to be a fair few new characters and familiar faces making an appearance in the chapters to come, though you'll just have to wait and see who I've got in mind.

Sonachugirl - As difficult as they are to write, I must admit that I also have a thing for space (and air) battles. There's just something about the ebb and flow of fighters graceful manoeuvres combined with high speed and plentiful explosions that just never gets old. Probably why I'm such a die hard Ace Combat fan. You're instincts are right about Ace though; he's definitely that type of guy, and won't stop tying to 'put on the charm' just because the object of his affections is already in a relationship.

BulletWitch1985 - I'm glad you liked Ratchet and Ellen's little moment in the elevator, I figured it was about time they got a little time together that didn't involve getting shot at, and a way to reaffirm their relationship as well considering what they're going to be facing in the near future. I still need to continue replaying Going Commando myself to get a feel for the environments and how the story should pan out, hope you enjoy your own run through.

I'm glad to hear you and Regina managed to sort things out with regards to her anime/manga room, though I'm starting to worry for your neighbour's health if he does persist on annoying her further still. Take care, hope to hear from you again soon.

ReginaDC21 - Hey there, It's been a while. Yep, Ace is definitely going to cause trouble in more ways than one by the time this story's done (foreshadowing…) and glad you like the way Ratchet and Ellen's little scene panned out. I hear you with regards to the extra hours, that's actually the same reason why I'm struggling to find enough time to write these days; especially since two of my co-workers quit recently and I've got the joyful task of picking up some of the slack.

As I said in my reply to your sister, I'm happy the misunderstanding with regards to your anime and manga collection has been resolved. Seems like the best solution all round for the time being, and it's always better to be safe than sorry. Hope you like the new chapter, and that things turn out for the best. Take care.

Flowerstar - It's a good thing I checked the reviews for the last chapter just before I went to bed, otherwise I wouldn't have seen yours until the very last moment before posting this morning.

Once again real life becomes the bane of an author and beta, but its perfectly understandable considering how hectic things are likely to be for you right now. Congratulations to your sister on her graduation by the way, though I'm sorry to hear your holiday plans have been nixed. Still, at least there's still plenty to see and do around the UK and I'm sure another opportunity will arise sooner than not.

I figured that since lombaxes are essentially sentient bipedal cats then it would make sense that at least some of their instincts and behaviour would be similar to the domestic and wild breeds of Earth, hence the purring and hints of territorial aggression. It'll be a few chapters yet, but the reunion with Clank is coming; along with the revelation of the thief's identity and the mech battle on Dobbo's moon, for which I have a few interesting ideas stewing in my head.

Although I could just use private messaging to reply to reviews, which would certainly cut down on the number of pages in each chapter plus allow me to do so as they come in rather than all in one go, I've long since decided to do things the old fashioned way. To me, every review is important; whether it be pages in length or but a scant few words, someone has taken the time to give feedback and as an author I feel the least I can do is reply.

Since not all reviewers have accounts or are able to log in at a given point, the only way I can make sure everyone's concerns are addressed is to continue posting the replies in the chapter itself. Admittedly this only works for small numbers of reviews and highly unsuitable for those authors that get literally hundreds of reviews per chapter, but for now it just feels like a more personal way to connect with my readership.

Good to hear you're getting some inspiration for a new potential story, it might pay to jot anything relevant down while it's still fresh in your mind with whatever medium you prefer. I tend to use the note pad app on my phone, seeing as inspiration tends to strike when I'm at work and it makes organising fragments for future reference that much easier. Glad to be of help for what little advice I could dispense, here's hoping your writer's block lifts soon.

Unfortunately I missed a majority of E3, though I would have to agree in part with regard to your stance on reboots and remakes; especially the Spyro series which I haven't touched since Year of the Dragon due to the increasingly bewildering changes culminating in Skylanders. Can it even be considered a Spyro game anymore?

On the flipside, Capcom has shown exactly how it should be done with their Resident Evil remake originally for Gamecube and now updated for PS3/4 and Xbox 360/One; bringing things up to date without screwing up the core mechanics that made people love the game in the first place. Super Mario Maker certainly sounds interesting though.

Like you said, opportunities should be seized while they are still available instead of letting them slip through metaphorical fingers; especially since you'll never know if they'll ever be available again. It's nice to hear you have such a strong connection to your BFF, and doing something special to mark the first decade of your close friendship sounds like a great idea to me; may it continue to grow and prosper for many years to come. Take care.

I'm always trying to improve as a writer, so please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, flamers are not.

If you enjoy this story, please feel free to check out the other stories on my account should you wish.

The chips are down and the cards are against them. Will our heroes survive the trials to come? Find out in Chapter 6.

- RevenantReaper337

Disclaimer:

Ratchet & Clank, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Insomniac Games. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me. Cover art belongs to Nekolover3 and is used with her kind permission. Beta read by Flowerstar.

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

"Speech"

Chapter 6:

Roll of the Dice

Maktar Resort, Maktar Nebula

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.081 Galactic calendar

1:33pm GST

If someone had found a way to condense the Las Vegas strip into a single massive structure and launch it into space, then it would probably look a lot like Megacorp's massive flagship gambling Mecca among the stars. With the vast nebula of lights adorning every surface and strobe-like beacons reaching out to the void beyond, the vast space station was easily visible to the naked eye against the black backdrop of space even from a good fifty miles away. As their Star Explorers began to close the distance, Ratchet and Ellen could clearly pick out the large conical ice cream cone-like structure that dominated one side of the resort that was more than likely the arena hosting the Galactic Gladiators event; a sprawling network of platforms and vaguely spherical modules clustered along the station's length making up the casino, restaurants and stately ballroom that the resort was increasingly famous for.

"Think they could have made it any brighter?"

Ellen failed to suppress a snort of mirth at the lombax's quip as they throttled back and prepared their ships to touch down on a raised landing bay midway up the station. "Somehow, I don't think 'subtle' was in the architect's vocabulary, fuzz ball."

If anything, their destined landing zone was as decadent as the interior of the station was likely to be; constructed from thick-sheeted translucent green glass with a solid steel path running around the curved rectangular perimeter and adorned with an absurd number of lamps, spotlights, and floating advertising hoardings. Unlike their previous experiences with the exposed exteriors of deep space facilities, there was however no need for the pair to use their helmet's built-in breathing apparatus since the entire resort boasted both its own artificial atmosphere and simulated gravity that covered the entire facility inside and out.

Vaulting over the side of her cockpit once it had depressurised, Ellen couldn't help but marvel at such an incredible feat of engineering; to be able to stand among the stars and bask in their light without having to worry about protective gear in order to survive or accidentally floating away. An involuntary shudder ran up her spine at that thought, memories of their desperate struggle on the exterior of Drek's flagship and the bombardment that almost left her tumbling through space coming to the fore until a gloved hand grasped her arm in a gentle yet firm grip.

"Ellen, you okay? You seem kinda off."

The human shook her head to dislodge the events of the past in favour of concentrating on the present, and more specifically the worried-looking lombax stood beside her with concern evident in his expressive emerald eyes. "I'm fine, fuzz ball. Just some bad memories is all."

She gave Ratchet a weak smile, moving to inspect the Megacorp-branded vendor near the top of the ramp linking their platform with the main causeway just below, leaving a concerned lombax to catch up with his own weapon in hand and a thoughtful expression etched on to his face. Thanks to some... acquisitions from the Oozla outlet, the pair now had a moderate amount of bolts between them and were looking to expand their arsenal considering what they might be facing in the near future. Though the stock in question was fairly limited, two particular weapons stood out to the fledgling commandos.

Befitting his highly mobile style of combat, Ratchet choose the comparatively inexpensive Chopper; a primarily gun metal grey boxy wrist-mounted device that slung laser sharp throwing stars at the flick of a wrist that could home in on and strike multiple opponents before losing power. Ellen on the other hand, wanting something with more punch when forced into close quarters, choose the Blitz Gun; a wide-bored pump action shotgun with a cavernous square muzzle that spat heavy buckshot capable of discouraging or blowing away even the most determined of enemies. Or at least those stupid enough to get into close quarters.

With their new weapons safely stored away and their collective bank balance significantly poorer, the two got their first hint of the thief's presence once they reached the hub at the bottom of the slope; a hulking lizard-like alien similar to those the two had seen in the surveillance footage of the Oozla outlet dashing out from behind some carelessly stacked crates wielding a large tubular weapon half his size that was quickly pointed their way.

Despite having the same solid red eyes prehensile tail, and spiny fins running down his back, the Thugs-4-Less brute was clearly much better armed and armoured than his smaller comrades. In addition to the seemingly uniform black cargo pants the PMC seemed to favour, a sleeveless gun metal grey chest plate with up-armoured pauldrons protected the merc's vitals; fingerless gloves adorning his hands while a Quick Select hung off his belt amid numerous pouches and a bandolier stretched across his broad chest bristled with... Were those missiles?

"Scatter!"

The two commandos dove aside in opposite directions as the cold blooded merc lowered the barrel of his launcher with a vicious grin and depressed the trigger; a trio of thumps proceeding an identical number of semi-homing micro missiles screaming in their general direction and detonating with enough force to crack the glass platform where they had been scant seconds before. Rolling to his feet in a single fluid motion, Ratchet quickly brought his Lancer to bear on the thug before he could even think about getting off a second volley; the brute's armour standing up to the withering automatic fire for a few long moments before the superheated rounds finally punched through. Ellen lowered her Spitfire and rose from the kneeling position she had taken just before her lombax partner had taken down the thug, joining his side in a few shot strides as the pair inspected the recently ventilated corpse.

"He was just lying there in wait... How the hell did anyone know we were coming? Even we didn't know until a few hours ago!"

Ratchet simply shook his head as he bent down to search the body for anything incriminating. "No idea. The same way they knew to ambush us out in the nebula, I guess."

Ellen bit her lip in thought, crouching down on the ex-merc's other side while bringing up a hacking programme on her Wrist Com and attempting to data mine the thug's own device. "Almost sounds like someone's leaking information from the inside, but who? And why?"

The lombax gave a grunting sigh as he stood back up. "Dunno babe, but we're sure as hell not finding out from this guy."

Scowling with annoyance at finding not a trace of anything useful on the surprisingly well encrypted merc's Wrist Com aside from a few hundred bolts; she too rose and took a brief look around their surroundings. "Yeah, I guess so. Question is, where do we go from here?"

There was little doubt that the thief had already been here thanks to the two ambushes, but as to the why and where neither could fathom without some investigation of the resort. The main causeway actually split off in three separate directions; a direct bridge to the arena which was currently down for some reason, a circuitous route to their left which seemed to head towards the main casino, and what looked like storage sheds and employee facilities to the right. It was the latter route they were following right now, jogging along the spotlight-festooned walkway with their eyes peeled and weapons ready for any more mercenaries waiting to pounce. Approaching a bend near to the first of the circular hanger-like structures that were normally off limits to the public, a strange noise caused Ellen to pause; shushing her lombax partner as she strained her hearing once more.

Galoink...

It sounded much like a strange combination of tolling bells and wind chimes mixed together into a single rolling tone; almost musical in a way yet with no real rhythm behind the constantly pitching tone. "What the hell was that?"

Ratchet didn't answer his human companion immediately, instead perking up his ears as the peculiar sounds began to increase in frequency and tempo; as if it were rapidly getting closer. "I don't know... But I think we're about to find out."

Equipping his newly acquired Chopper, the lombax stood ready in a tensed half-crouch while Ellen pointed her Spitfire down range at the increasing crescendo of noise. Their caution was soon justified as a horde of three foot tall vaguely avian drones with snapping jaws and a single glowing blue optic came careening from behind some shipping crates; charging towards them like some messed up hybrid spawn of an overgrown gadgebot and a glockenspiel.

Thankfully the walkway was a mostly open environment, and so as the Megacorp branded chicken bots swarmed towards them, the two commandos were able to unload a ridiculous volume of fire at the rapidly approaching machines. Ellen's bullet hose of a weapon shredded their thin armour like tinfoil without even giving them a chance to get close; scattering broken bodies across the deck even as throwing stars from Ratchet's Chopper ricocheted between the drones and the nearby light fixtures with deadly effect.

In less than ten seconds the way was clear; both human and lombax stepping through the carnage and finally arriving at the first storage hanger without further incident. The entrance was blocked by the same type of column adorned with glowing orange targets as the ones they had encountered in the tech demo area back on Oozla; though a brief application of Ellen's new Tractor Beam soon cleared the way and allowed the pair to slip inside with weapons raised.

The interior was surprisingly clear of both shipped materials and potential ambushers; the only other occupant being a tall yet stout robot with a wiry frame comprised mainly of corrugated tubing and a head shaped like a pair of binoculars wandering around with a data slate in hand. Seeing that the door on the far side of the room was locked tight with a sensor pad of some sort set into the floor just before it, the pair decided to see if the mechanical custodian could help them gain access.

"Hey pal; you know how to get this door open?" Ratchet's request apparently fell on deaf audio receptors since the inspector bot - as their HUDs had helpfully tagged the machine - continued to pace around in the same juddering motion it had previously without any sign of recognition; acting more like a pre-programmed drone than a true robot.

"Megacorp security, we need emergency access to the rest of this facility."

Having projected as much authority and sense of urgency into her choice words, Ellen couldn't help but feel annoyed at being as completely blanked as her partner. However, it was the sight of the familiar glowing orange target on the machine's chest that gave her pause; the two commandos exchanging a knowing look before the human stepped forward with her Tractor Beam back in hand and held down the trigger. Snaring the inspector bot was simplicity itself, the flailing machine dropped unceremoniously on to the sensor pad and the secured door sliding open with a positive chime before the impromptu 'key' was released to bound off who knows where while the lombax and human delved deeper into the facility.

What followed was an exercise in Tractor Beam overuse. Ellen 'borrowed' a neutron core from among the various items of dubious legality piled in the cavernous storage hanger beyond to use as an improvised breaching charge; making a run for the sealed exit ahead with the increasingly unstable device trailing in her wake while Ratchet ran interference against the pack of chicken bots in their way.

Micro missiles poured through the breached door courtesy of two more launcher-packing brutes; the lombax leaping over the salvos and straight into the room without breaking stride, unleashing throwing stars in midair while his partner rounded the destroyed frame she had been sheltering behind and unleashed a shotgun blast at the nearest merc. With the thugs no longer a threat, it was simply a matter of grabbing the inspector bot from earlier and launching it up towards another sensor pad securing a locked door on a level above their own in the dome like room via an energy tether repurposed into a makeshift slingshot; a short ladder climb later finding them through the opened portal and into the narrow corridor beyond.

Yet more chicken bots swarmed forth to greet the pair, the confined space favouring the commandos as Ellen's Blitz gun roared and Ratchet's wrench cleaved through any survivors as they pushed through the swarm without pause. The way ahead was blocked by another sealed door, an alternate route to the left revealing another neutron core once they had negotiated an enclosed passageway through row upon row of the station's static discharge conductors via a series of moving platforms before returning and using the IED to clear the way.

With the door blown to pieces by the ad hoc explosive, the two commandos got a good look from their raised vantage point at the expansive half-moon shaped platform just below. A pair of towering columns on the flat side conducted a powerful forcefield between them thanks to a quartet of tethered energy cores floating beside either post; the entire structure protecting an ice white limousine on the opposite side while another energy tether sat in front of the barrier along with a carelessly discarded neutron charge.

"Guess we must be heading in the right direction, huh?"

Glancing in the same direction as the lombax, Ellen groaned aloud at the sight of an angular silver dropship resembling a high-tech toaster supported by overarching wings sporting large engine nacelles auguring into hover over the plaza; Thugs-4-Less brutes teleporting from the belly of the lumbering vessel in a brief burst of blue light and quickly beginning to swamp the area with their numbers.

"Looks that way. Either that or they're auditioning for the Galactic Gladiators event and took a wrong turn."

Ratchet didn't get a chance to reply to his partner's droll comment seeing as the dropship had angled away and the dozen or so thugs all had their missile launchers pointed at the duo's suddenly very exposed position for a few treacherously long heartbeats before simultaneously pulling their collective triggers.

Ellen froze for a split second in wide eyed terror, rapidly regaining her senses as Ratchet grabbed her by the wrist and leapt over the edge of their platform with swarms of micro missiles exploding in their wake. Hitting the ground below heavily, they quickly rolled back to their feet and split apart in opposite directions while drawing their respective weapons even as a second salvo detonated directly between the pair where they had stood but a moment ago.

Continuing to circle the curved edge of the platform while barely evading the veritable artillery barrage sent her way, Ellen was more than glad of her weapon choice as her scatter gun blew away the nearest thug; racking another shell into the chamber even as a second pulled a silver orb off his belt and tossed it her way. The grenade seemed to swell in mid air like an overripe fruit, splitting into three separate pieces which rapidly shifted and expanded into a trio of chicken bots that hit the ground running and forced the human to back pedal while frantically drawing her knife.

Ratchet meanwhile was dancing around the cacophony of explosives sent his way with characteristic lombax grace and a Gravity Bomb in return; wiping out three mercs along with a smattering of deployed drones as he sailed over their heads before switching to his wrench upon landing and ducking under a missile launcher swung at his head. Rising inside his opponent's guard, the furry commando unleashed a devastating uppercut into the thug's jaw followed by a spinning strike to the side of the skull that dropped his opponent like a lead weight. Backflipping away from a missile strike that pulverised the comatose merc's body, Ratchet caught a glimpse of his assailant staggering as a resounding thunderclap echoed around the plaza followed by a second heavy slug punching through the brute's already damaged armour.

The lombax didn't have much chance to thank his partner however as she was already preoccupied with the gaggle of chicken bots snapping at her heels, the smoking hand cannon already being substituted for her Spitfire even as the Versa Blade in her other hand cleaved one of her pursuers in two. Despite their reduced numbers, the remaining Thugs-4-Less employees were putting up one hell of a fight on the battle-scarred platform, a constant deluge of micro missiles and combat drones not giving either commando a hint of respite.

That didn't stop the duo from coordinating their attacks however, and the last few launcher-packing brutes soon found themselves outmatched by the human's constant stream of incendiary rounds and her lombax counterpart's liberal use of high explosives dropping into their midst. Within half a minute it was all over; the now splintered glass plaza festooned by bodies, blood, and scattered machine parts, leaving a thoroughly drained Ellen panting in the centre of the carnage while Ratchet leaned nonchalantly on his wrench beside her.

"Well... That went a lot easier than I expected. C'mon, let's go see what they were protecting."

Getting her breathing back under control, Ellen duly trailed in his wake once it became obvious that their own weapons weren't going to put a dent in the tethered energy cores; the lombax approaching the miraculously still intact energy tether and giving the neutron charge beside it a calculating look. Though her hands worked to aid Ratchet in using the device in conjunction with her Tractor Beam, her mind however was somewhere else entirely. A few years ago, the horrific scene she had just walked away from would have made her sick to the stomach at the sheer brutality and loss of life in such a short period.

However, Ellen's brief time in Solana had changed her more than she cared to admit. Certainly she had come a long way from the frightened girl staring into the dying eyes of a blarg on some obscure rooftop on Kerwan. Three days of virtually nonstop combat on planet after planet had hardened her resolve and skewed her inhibitions towards meting out violence to the extent that she could casually take life without a second thought; her personal body count probably somewhere in the triple figures by now. As much as she had come to enjoy fighting alongside the lombax she loved, the notion of becoming so desensitised to killing was quite frankly starting to worry her.

Blinking away her broodiness, Ellen shifted her focus to the here and now. Using the energy tether as a makeshift catapult with more than a little trial and error, the two commandos soon managed to disable the four generators thanks to the suspiciously large number of volatile neutron charges scattered around in various crates. Seriously, who left these things lying around? With the barrier down, Ellen moved to check the parked limousine for any clues to why the vehicle was under such tight security while her partner covered the area with his Lancer.

"Think I've got something."

Ratchet chanced a peek inside the limo's interior where the human was currently going through the automated vehicle's navigation computer. "Apparently this limo is used for VIP transport around the resort, meaning unrestricted access to all areas. Most of the drop off points are pretty obvious; casino, hotel, arena, you get the idea. All except this one."

The lombax hummed in thought as he eyed the coordinates displayed on screen that would put the destination somewhere in a geosynchronous orbit of the resort about three miles out. "What're the odds that's where they're hiding the jamming array Mr Fizzwidget told us about?"

Ellen nodded in agreement as she continued to skim through the flight logs. "My thoughts exactly. The thugs must have been using this limo to ferry troops back and forth right under the resort staff's noses, and according to this they're only running a skeleton crew up there right now."

Ratchet grinned appreciatively. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get up there and take it out!"

The human held up a hand in forestalment with a slightly saddened smile on her face. "Hold your horses, fuzz ball. Much as I'd love to, the thief might still be here and we've got the rest of the resort to cover."

Though he might have been a little crestfallen at the idea of separating from her so soon after being reunited, deep down Ratchet knew that she was right. The thief always seemed to be one step ahead of them thus far, and Ellen had already proven more than capable of looking after herself both back in Solana and more recently. "So... Split up?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... for now... But I call dibs on the jammer."

The lombax bristled with faux indignation. "Hey! No fair!"

Ellen's musical laugh at his behaviour bled away the tension in the air, her sparkling ice blue eyes regarding him fondly at the resumption of the traded banter she had missed for so long. "Sorry fuzz ball, but you'll be better off down here since you can cover ground a lot faster than me." She couldn't help a chuckle at his answering exaggerated groan, a hint of teasing entering her voice as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Tell you what; the next time we find an artificial moon in need of exploding, I promise you'll be first in line."

"Aw, thanks babe."

Ellen was slightly surprised when the lombax pulled her into a hug, but didn't fail to respond in kind; her arms snaking around his mid-section and simply enjoying the brief moment of intimacy while it lasted. "Ellen... Be careful up there. You get into anything you can't handle, call me and I'll be there."

The human merely brushed his lips with her own before pulling back with a twinkle in her eye. "Same goes for you, fuzz ball. See you in a bit."

With that said, she gave him one last smile at the look on his face before turning away and letting the limo doors close with a pressurised hiss; the luxury transport shortly pulling away from the station and disappearing into the inky depths of space. Watching until she was out of sight, Ratchet shook his head with a worried sigh before re-equipping his Lancer and beginning his short trek back to the junction near to their parked ships.

Thankfully, the limo's departure had caused a hard light bridge to spring up in its stead; making a handy shortcut back to the causeway that the lombax promptly exploited and was soon beside the vendor once more topping up his ammo reserves. It was as he prepared to continue down the causeway's left most route however that one of the items on sale caught his eye.

"'Heavy Lancer upgrade kit', huh?"

Aside from the use of universal nanoclips, Megacorp weapons had one other fundamental difference from their Gadgetron counterparts; the ability to upgrade into bigger and better guns once their internal CPU's had gathered enough combat data. Once he had purchased the kit, all the lombax had to do was slot the single use nano-fabricator into a maintenance port on the side of the Lancer's barrel; the released nanite colony using the stored data to break down and reconfigure the assault rifle within seconds as the entire assembly crackled with electricity.

Once the impromptu lightshow had died down, Ratchet found himself left with a much larger light machine gun that required both hands to heft; the thick set main body sporting an external cooling system slung underneath to go with the protruding heavy-barrel and extended clip capacity. "Nice! Let's see what this thing can do..."

Setting off at a light jog down the ramp past a row of slot machines and advertising hoarding with his new toy in hand, the appearance of two more mercenaries soon gave the lombax an opportunity to put the Heavy Lancer through its paces. While one lay down a suppressive stream of mini missiles, his partner tossed out a few silver orbs that quickly spawned a half dozen chicken bots that promptly charged the fleet footed commando before joining in with his own launcher.

Ratchet jumped over the first salvo to reach him with typical feline grace; barely missing the second set of semi-homing high explosives as he flipped to one side in midair and held down the trigger on his new LMG. Though the upgraded Lancer didn't seem to have quite the same kick as before, the vastly superior rate of fire more than made up for it; three of the sprinting drones ripped to shreds before the lombax could even touch the ground and the remainder following suit shortly thereafter once he'd smashed them aside with his wrench. Another round of missiles came screaming across the walkway, Ratchet managing to spoof their rudimentary guidance systems with a last second pirouetting front flip that left them detonating fruitlessly in the still sprinting lombax's wake as he bought his Heavy Lancer to bear once more.

With both thugs accounted for, Ratchet hurried past their now ventilated corpses and weaved around a pair of spotlights to make for the resort's transport hub tower only to pause as yet another merc descended on a small lift with his weapon already spouting explosive rain from above. Dashing forwards, the furry commando ducked into a roll as the incoming missiles detonated in his wake; springing to his feet and using the momentum to hurl his wrench straight at the brute's face with a resounding crunch just as he stepped off the elevator. Snarling in agonised rage as he staggered backwards while clutching his wound, the Thugs-4-Less employee was easy prey for the follow up flurry of strikes once the lombax had recovered his weapon and was lying in an unconscious bloody heap on the floor while his target rode the lift platform back up the tower.

Arriving at the top, Ratchet cautiously stepped off the elevator only to pause at the sight of yet another thug stood scant feet away with his back turned and already turning around at the sound of the returning lift platform.

"Hey Steve, back alread-"

The brute's words died on his lips as his crimson eyes caught sight of the lombax, fanged snout already shouting a warning as he swung his launcher around in an attempt to flatten the much shorter commando. Bursting into action, Ratchet easily cleared the cumbersome strike with a vertical pounce before bringing his wrench down overhead to crack the merc's skull with a follow up for good measure. With the element of surprise lost however, Ratchet was forced to leap away from the confined area beside the elevator once the downed thug's squad mates opened fire and take the fight out into the open; the two sides trading throwing stars and micro missiles while a cluster of drones swarmed through the middle.

The lombax's ricocheting projectiles cut through the first few drones to reach him, pinging off of advertising boards to sow more chaos and give him the breathing space he needed to deal with the much more threatening missile launching thugs at the opposite end of the platform. These brutes seemed a lot smarter than the ones he and Ellen had encountered before however, turning the strobe-like spotlights they were currently hunkered behind on the furry commando and leaving him hissing at the temporary blindness as his helmet's visor struggled to compensate. Knowing he'd be dead if he didn't do something quick, Ratchet used one arm to shield his face while his chopper flung more throwing stars in the general direction of his foes; his sensitive hearing the only warning he could rely on to avoid the inevitable missile storm sent his way.

Thankfully luck was on his side this time; the tinkling of shattered glass and snarled curses indicating at least partial success as Ratchet's visor finally polarised enough to see one of the spotlights shattered, soon to be followed by the second now he could actually see where he was aiming. Still determined to bring him down, the two remaining mercs continued to pepper the lombax with micro missiles along with the odd grenade only to find he was more than done with messing around. Swinging his wrench like a baseball bat as another thrown explosive sailed towards him, Ratchet returned it to a very surprised sender who promptly ducked under the midair detonation only to find the short-statured commando charging forth with his Heavy Lancer set to full auto; spraying the pair indiscriminately with enough lead to start a pencil factory.

With the last mercenaries no longer a threat, Ratchet breathed a sigh of relief before making his way to the end of the platform and hailing a transport from the automated terminal there. A minute or so later a sleek silver shuttle descended gracefully to hover just alongside the tower, its side door opening to admit the lombax before taking off again once he had input his destination. With Ellen taking care of the jamming array, the only places left unaccounted in their search of the resort thus far was the casino complex and the arena itself; the latter something he definitely wanted to check out before leaving if only to see if Chainblade was all he was cracked up to be. As he took the opportunity to reload his weapons on the brief flight however, his brow furrowed as he recalled Ellen's words just before they parted; a seemingly random thought bugging him more than he cared to admit at its odd familiarity.

"What the heck is a horse anyway?"

Thugs-4-Less Jamming Array, Maktar Nebula

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.081 Galactic calendar

1:57pm GST

Ellen couldn't help but feel a gradually building sense of gnawing unease as the lumbering repurposed limousine gradually approached the last recorded coordinates in its navigation computer; especially since this would be the first time since they had reunited that she would be running solo without Ratchet backing her up. Certainly the two had gone their separate ways before in order to get the job done, but at least then they could actually communicate with each other. The human couldn't help but scowl as she minutely retuned the frequency on her Wrist Com's open communication line, her frustration growing by the minute when all she received was a static hiss that grew with intensity each passing second the limo got closer to her destination.

'Damn it, looks like I really am on my own... Still, if the jamming is getting stronger then the array must be pretty close by.'

And then she saw it.

Almost indistinguishable through the tinted windows against the black backdrop of space was a spherical construct of clearly artificial design; a sextet of strobe-like beacons atop an identical number of towers at opposing points on the surface lighting the way in addition to revealing a small number of patrolling fighters orbiting the array. Thankfully none challenged the presence of the borrowed limousine, and so as her transport drew closer Ellen instead turned her attention to what little she could see from above before making it to the drop off point.

The jamming array seemed more like a repurposed meteor rather than a solely mechanical platform, especially seeing as the surface was comprised almost entirely of cratered rock. That said there were clearly excavated areas lined with metal plating sporting exhaust vents dotted over the surface at various points; Thick cables snaking like arteries between the numerous towers comprised of skeletal struts and whatever was powering the construct no doubt hidden from sight deep below.

Checking her now sealed helmet's air supply, Ellen took one last breath on instinct once the limousine touched down and pushed the door open before alighting on the surface with her Spitfire sweeping the immediate area. There seemed to be a surprisingly strong gravitational pull for such a small planetoid, something clearly artificial in nature considering each step felt light and airy like some great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, yet prevented her from jumping more than a few feet higher than she normally could. Hopefully that would prevent a repeat of what happened with Drek's fleet almost a year ago. Suppressing a shudder at the unwarranted memory, Ellen didn't have to go more than a few steps from the landing zone to encounter something else familiar from her time in the Solana galaxy being guarded by a small group of chicken bots.

'A bolt crank, huh? Good job Ratchet managed to hold on to my versa Blade, otherwise it'd take forever to turn the damn thing.'

With a thick power cable leading up to one of those beacon lit towers directly ahead it didn't take a genius to figure out that the crank did something important, especially since the mechanised security detail in attendance were currently surging forth to prevent her from reaching it. The human's Blitz Gun boomed twice in succession; the airless environment dampening the sound almost entirely as the deadly buckshot pulped the charging drones save for one that was soon bisected by a heated Versa Blade slash.

Rotating the now undefended bolt crank caused the tower to slowly rise higher above the surface and expose the golden glow of the power core recessed underneath to view and the waiting muzzle of the commando's Spitfire. Ellen's decision to err on the side of caution by firing from range appeared to be justified as the core burned red before suddenly detonating in a burst of electrical discharge and burning particles that quickly snuffed out in the airless environment along with a brief string of garbled static on her helmet's communication suite that left her wincing.

'Ow, my frigging ears! Still, that must have done something important since the jamming isn't quite as strong as it was before. A few more transmitters like that and I can get off this rock.'

Dropping into a metal lined trench and vaulting up the other side, Ellen followed another cable to a second beacon tower and dealt with the complement of chicken bots there before pulling a repeat performance on the exposed transmitter and moving on to the next target. The thickly insulated cable snaked across the rocky terrain to end just at the base of an incredibly tall tower comprised of twin tubular constructed struts supporting a wide mesh grilled platform on top, though it was the circular glowing pad with concentric rings and arrowheads at the base that had the human scowling.

"Height and buttons; why, oh why, did it have to be two of my least favourite things rolled into one?" Sighing in resignation, she gingerly stepped on to the pad only to yelp in fear as she was suddenly propelled vertically a good thirty feet straight up; limbs flailing as she reached the apex and began to drop only to land smack dab in the middle of the platform atop the tower.

Galoink...

And of course, there were more killer robots just waiting for her; the walking glockenspiels accompanied by a single MSR that was already revving up its saw arm. With no room to manoeuvre, Ellen immediately drew her Versa Blade and sliced through the first two drones as they leapt at her face; spinning on her heel and driving the point home through the optic of a third coming up behind her followed by deftly booting the fourth over the edge of the platform with the same momentum. Sparks flew from the chainsaw biting into the steel mesh plating inches from her boots, forcing the human to leap back as the MSR swung once again in an attempt to rip her in half while constantly advancing. Running out of space and not wanting to waste any more time fighting the damn machine up close unnecessarily, Ellen drew her shotgun once more just as it lunged forth and promptly reduced the security robot to a mangled mass of parts with but a single pull of the trigger.

There was another beacon just across the way, atop another tall tower flanked by two similar ones bearing circular platforms choked with drones a good twenty feet away from her position. Of course with no ladders, elevators, or otherwise, the only way to get there was via another jump pad which Ellen grudgingly used to catapult herself across with her heart in her mouth and a yell that was part terror, part exhilaration at the sensation of flying through the airless void.

Her Blitz Gun boomed once again upon landing with a roll, shredding through the pair of waiting security robot's cheap armour like tin foil before sweeping towards the other side the beacon platform in search of a way to expose the transmitter hidden beneath. She found the answer in the form of another bolt crank on a separate raised platform close by guarded by even more chicken bots; a jump pad allowing her to vault the imposing gap between and deal with the annoying drones up close before using her magnetised blade to expose turn the crank and expose the third transmitter to a brief burst of automatic fire.

With what she estimated to be half the jamming devices destroyed judging by the dropping signal strength, things began to get tougher for the human as increasing amounts of security flocked to defend the remaining sites. Two more jammers sat on top of beacon lit towers were taken out of commission in a similar fashion as before once she had tracked them down; the musical nature of the defending chicken bots' movement giving away their positions long before Ellen could even see them, though that still meant having to slog through the waddling metal menaces and their chainsaw-wielding backup in droves in order to actually reach her objectives.

The last transmitter however proved to be the most difficult to track down, recessed inside of a gaping crater that gouged out a good quarter of the planetoid's surface and emitted an ominous crimson glow that overshadowed the confusing network of pipes in the depths below. The terrain was completely exposed, and the only way to get to the array smack dab in the centre was a narrow chokepoint comprised of several transparent glass platforms that wobbled dubiously underfoot as Ellen deftly made her way across.

The mixed formation of mechanised security was merely a given by now as she used her scatter gun to carve a path through the clustered drones, before leaping on to the array platform to finish the job and get out of there. However, a pair of MSRs had been waiting in reserve behind the bulk of the beacon to ruin her day, advancing on either side to box in the human with their saw arms buzzing with malicious intent. Barely keeping out of the range of the whirling blades bearing down on her, Ellen ducked low under one swing to shove her Blitz Gun under the offending machine's guard and fired point blank; eviscerating the head and upper torso with the heavy buckshot before racking the next round into the chamber and targeting his partner.

Click.

...

'Ah...'

To be fair, she had been abusing her new boom stick a lot and it did only hold a finite number of rounds as the blinking ammo counter in the corner of her HUD reminded her. With the robot still bearing down on her and no time to reload, Ellen quickly drew her Versa Blade once more and barely managed to deflect the force of the blow aimed at her neck to one side while staggering back; sparks flying as she desperately parried, ducked, and backpedalled in an effort to gain some breathing space to strike back. Her opportunity came when the MSR attempted a broad sweeping uppercut, leaving the torso exposed for the few precious seconds she needed to dodge to one side and thrust her knife up to the hilt under the machine's chin and into the processor inside its armoured helm.

Wrenching her blade out of the now permanently deactivated machine, Ellen was relieved to find it no worse for wear and promptly wiped it off before sheathing it and getting back to her reason for being in the crater. A small separate platform behind the beacon held the bolt crank she sought, along with a few straggling drones who were frankly little more than cannon fodder by now to the red-headed commando; the last transmitter exposed and taken blown apart by her reloaded shotgun scant seconds later.

With a last burst of grating white noise that left the human wincing, the jammer detonated in a shower of electrical discharge and burning wreckage while the signal strength for both her helmet and Wrist Com communication suites skyrocketed. Feeling a sense of satisfaction at a job well done, Ellen began to make her way back over the precarious platforms to the outer rim of the crater when a rumbling sensation from underneath filled her with a foreboding sense of déjà vu.

'That better not be what I think it is...'

A sharp intake of breath while her eyes widened in horrified realisation was all the warning she got; thunderous detonations rocking the planetoid's core and cracking the surface as the entire construct began to tear itself apart from the inside out. Scrambling up the far side of the crater, Ellen took off at a flat sprint towards where she estimated the borrowed limo to be parked while frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the disintegrating chaos all around.

'Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit!'

The human vaulted over the remains of a tower as it crashed down before her, ducking her head to avoid a warped metal strut whistling by even as her mind raced as frantically as her pumping heart. 'It's not frigging fair! How can the same shit happen to the same girl twice!?'

The similarity to her narrow escape of the self-destructing decommissioned blarg ship back in the Solana galaxy was uncanny, and most certainly not something she ever had any intention of ever reliving. Yet here she was at the centre of another soon-to-be exploding construct and it wasn't even her fault this time!

Probably.

Thankfully the limo was still intact if a little battered from the debris flying around, Ellen struggling to stay upright as everything seemed to start tilting on its side while she kept up a staggering run towards safety. Lunging for the door once she got close, the human ripped it open and practically flung herself inside before punching the few keys required to get the damn transport off the crumbling planetoid and away before the whole thing went supernova. The transport felt achingly slow taking off, its sole passenger bouncing up and down in frantic worry as she cussed the machine out for taking so long while the ground beneath finally gave away to reveal the crimson glow of the rapidly destabilizing fission core buried far below.

"Come on! Come on! Move it you piece of shit!"

After what felt like an age, the space-faring limousine finally broke orbit and began to gain speed as it left the rapidly destabilising jamming array behind. Ellen could see the orbiting fighters break away from the doomed construct through the tinted rear window and breathed a sigh of relief that the pilots were more concerned with saving their own hides than pursuing her unarmed vessel. Settling back in the luxurious padded seating, the human was about to relax on the short journey back when the widescreen holovision mounted on the wall in front of her burst into life with the slightly flummoxed image of Megacorp's CEO looking at something just off screen.

"Hello? Is this thing on?"

Ellen sat up straight with a snort of amusement, the sound drawing Fizzwidget's beaming gaze along with a megawatt smile. "Ah, there you are! Good work with that array my dear; you're proving to be invaluable in this underwear!"

The red-headed commando removed her helmet to run gloved fingers through her slightly dishevelled hair, idly wishing she hadn't passed up the chance of a shower back on Marjorie's Kitchen as she kept eye contact. "I take it the broadcast is coming through properly now?"

The exuberant CEO's grin was more than answer enough. "Indutibly! With the jamming array gone, the Galactic Gladiators event can go ahead as scheduled."

Ellen nodded cordially in response. "Sound's good, but I'm guessing that's not the only reason you called?"

Fizzwidget returned the gesture in kind. "The thief is now under the protection of 'Thugs-4-Less' as you well know, but I may have found a way for you to insinuate their operation."

The human leaned forward on her seat with a contemplative look in her eye, elbows resting on her knees as one hand cupped her chin. "I'm listening."

Her eccentric boss merely spread his hands in a sweeping gesture. "Take a look at this."

The screen faded to black briefly before showing a series of monochrome still images depicting a heavily-tattooed, thick set alien biker wearing an open leather jacket, spiked skull cap, and fingerless gloves; a soft rock track playing in the background beside the accompanying voice over. "The wind in your hair... The sun on your skin... The bugs in your teeth. We are the Desert Riders."

On cue, the image changed to an emblem consisting of an embossed silver hoverbike inside a winged silver circle with hints of a charcoal canyon background before switching to a video clip of the same tattooed biker stood next to his ride; the tusks jutting from his jaw along with the piercing yellow eyes with beady black irises giving him a menacing air that his honest words didn't quite seem to fit. "Before ah became a Desert Rider, ah didn't fit in anywheres. Ah had low self-esteem, bad breath, and... uh-" He leaned in closer to the camera conspiritively with a sheepish look before clearing his throat. "A thing for... ladies undergarments." The blue skinned man chuckled nervously as he drew back. "But these guys understand me. They really do!"

The camera cut away to a second biker of the same species that was taller and thinner; his broad shoulders easily filling his high-necked flame motif leather jacket that went with the chains hanging off the belt around his waist. "Yeah, I'm just here for the bake sales." He paused to belch loudly before seeming to realise something, rummaging in his pockets briefly before coming up with some pieces of crudely stitched together mangled tan leather. "Oh, yeah-yeah, I also make these cute gloves for all the guys."

"So if you've got what it takes, use this temporary membership to enter the most gruelling hoverbike race in the galaxy. Win it, and become one of us." The video cut to a picture of a membership card sporting the Desert Riders logo in one corner and a gurning picture of the first biker before rapidly flickering as the narrator continued to the image of a flame-painted spiked helmet as the narrator continued to speak followed by a final shot of the organisation's emblem one last time. "Desert Riders; the number one leisure choice of Thugs-4-Less."

No sooner had the advertisement finished when Mr Fizzwidget's visage occupied the screen once again with his thumbs hooked into the lapels of his suit. "Desert Riders all use Megacorp bikes, so I just had to pull a few strings."

Ellen leaned back in her seat with a contemplative look on her face. "Sounds like the best lead yet. We'll take a look as soon as we're done investigating the resort."

Megacorp's CEO simply nodded in return. "Contract me as soon as you get more indignation; Fizzwidget out."

Her Wrist Com chimed, and once Ellen had decoded the data packet she saved the listed coordinates before settling back to wait out the remainder of the journey. A chance to get inside information from the thugs would be a boon they couldn't ignore, but hopefully Ratchet might be able to turn up something else to aid their investigation further as well. Assuming he didn't manage to blow up half the resort in the process that is.

Well, there's part one and what I consider to be a majority of the fiddly side mission bits out of the way. Coming up, we have the concluding half of the Maktar Resort level and of course the infamous arena battle, which will be getting my own particular spin.

Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they're posted and/or updated.

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337