Author's note:

It's a good job I decided to make our heroes visit to Notak another two part piece, because I honestly don't think I would have been able to squeeze everything into one chapter; even with drastic cuts. That said, I'm fairly pleased with how this turned out for what is essentially a chapter dedicated to tying up loose ends, and managed to cover everything necessary before the inevitable confrontation with the thief. Not much else to say, so let's get on with the story, shall we?

Review replies:

starrat - Rest assured romance and fluffiness are on the way, just not for another few chapters yet. Thanks again.

DarkEnigma95 - Good to hear, and yeah, they're definitely going to need all the firepower they can get considering the future air and space battles I've got in mind for both Ratchet and Ellen. You honestly think my stories are that good? I am both humbled and elated to hear you've enjoyed them that much, especially since there are far better authors out there than me. Thank you once again, and hope you like the new chapter.

Firestar5277 - Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Believe or not, that opening sequence was actually canon for the most part; although for some reason it was cut down for the HD collection release, not sure why… Now you mention it, the scene is kind of similar to the opening of A Crack In Time, which I'm fairly certain is the one you mean. If I didn't know any better, or was exceptionally paranoid, I'd swear that Starbucks was part of global domination conspiracy of some sort; possibly to force everyone to drink overpriced coffee. Seriously, there must be at least one outlet for every few thousand people in the western world and beyond. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your extended family, and that you didn't get stuck in the inevitable mayhem of the following Black Friday. Take care, hope to hear from you again soon.

Destiny W - I know, right? Starbucks are literally everywhere! Hell, there's 549 stores in the UK alone, and rising each year. Here's hoping you enjoy this chapter as well.

Lightsaviour2759 - It just seemed like the best way to allow Ratchet and Ellen to get the upgrades they need without being constrained by videogame mechanics, like grinding for resources. That said, you have hit the nail on the head with regards to the desert planet (Tabora); especially since the heroes predicament leaves plenty of opportunity for fluff and furthering Ratchet and Ellen's relationship. Thanks again.

ReginaDC21 - Say no more; I understand mood swings all too well, and the run up to Christmas probably doesn't help in slightest, in a work sense or otherwise. Still, I'm glad to have been able to cheer you up and hope you're feeing better now. Considering how ingrained corporate sponsorship is in every facet of industry these days, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if, when mankind reaches out into the stars and makes their first permanent settlement on another world, Starbucks were among the first to set up shop. Hell, if there really is other life out there and they're anything like us, they've probably already got their own version.

Ratchet's view reflects ingrained societal stereotypes considering the fact that his only 'real' experience with girls is his time spent with Ellen. Though admittedly such stereotypes do have to start somewhere, and I'm pretty much the same as you when it comes to my favourite media in any form. You're welcome for the spell check, though now I think about it I'm pretty sure I've spelt it differently throughout my stories… Might have to go back and fix that at some point. As always, take care, the both of you, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Sonachugirl - Everybody seems to like the Starbucks reference if the reviews for the last chapter are anything to go by, much to my continual surprise. Though considering Megacorp owns pretty much everything in the Bogon galaxy, maybe the local equivalent should be Megabucks instead? Glad you enjoyed the chapter overall, and yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to having some time off from this story and spending some quality time with my family over Christmas.

As much as I love writing, it's surprising how physically and mentally draining it can be making sure each new chapter comes out on time every fortnight, so a break is definitely in order. Considering the amount of time, effort, and excellent usage of colour that went into your Folklore piece you've got every reason to be proud; I like the new additions as well. Thanks again!

Tempest Fugit - Hey again, and glad you liked the chapter. Though your idea for The Omega sounds fun, I already have the rest of the story mapped out and don't have any room for including anymore OCs other than the occasional mini boss idea; and I'm probably going to have to start declining any more entries sooner than not if only because I now have more material than I know what to do with. Incidentally, the Plumber - in fanon at least - kind of fits the mould already as an extra-dimensional quasi-omnipotent being who is seemingly everywhere and making sure the universe keeps running in the background.

Have to agree with you in regards to chain stores taking over; convenient though they may be, that doesn't excuse the distinct drop in quality compared to independents or small scale outlets. As for Starbucks possibly having an extraterrestrial origin, who knows? It would certainly tie into an idea I had planned for this series should I reach the Future Saga… A very Merry Christmas to you in advance, and hope you like the new chapter.

The White Guardian - Yep, Starbucks; Starbucks everywhere. They might need that warp drive yet though later on in the story; I'm sure Slim would be happy to buy it up and sell it on to the trio on your behalf. Somehow, I can't see Ellen being too pleased about being stuck in a confined space with those piranha-shark things again after the whole debacle with Qwark's fortress way back, nor Ratchet for that matter. The Raritanium and Platinum Bolt cache is a bit of a plot convenience, but necessary since I honestly can't justify sticking to game logic and having them spending a chapter grinding for resources when they're supposed to be racing to recover the Protopet. It just means they'll get upgrades in a few short stages rather than small increments as in the game.

Speaking of which, I loved the whole customisation dynamic for the Star Explorer between the two games as well; though I do wish that there were more perhaps a few more different ships to choose from, and that there was actual space/air combat in Up Your Arsenal. My personal favourite set up was either the Dark Nebula or Drek's Black Heart paint schemes with heavy ordinance wings and the standard nose. As for how Ratchet and Ellen will choose to upgrade their own ships, you'll just have to read on to find out; though I wholeheartedly agree that in their case survivability is a far more pressing concern than making sure their rides looks good.

BulletWitch1985 - Almost, almost missed your review from this update had I not decided to double check just before posting first thing this morning. Good job I did since I'd hate to miss anyone out, accidentally or not. There's certainly going to be tension and more than a few sparks once Ellen and Sasha finally meet, especially with the redhead seeing the good captain as something of a potential rival for Ratchet's affections. Also, Nefarious is going to be so much fun to write, and I can hardly wait to get to Up Your Arsenal myself so I can do so.

Tell Regina not to worry about any potential spelling mistakes or grammar; trust me, I've done a whole lot worse in my prior stories (though I am slowly starting to fix them) and with hell week' and all it sounds like she's had than enough to worry about as is. Definitely looking forward to reading your crossover once your joint account is up and running and hope to be among your first reviewers. Using sketches in favour of written notes isn't wrong in the slightest; after all, everyone processes and uses information in different ways and you should use the method that best works for you. Think of it as storyboarding, like they do in movie pre-production, to visualise how a sequence or particular scene should go. If I could actually draw half decently I'd probably do the same, or at least doodle a few references to supplement my written notes.

As always, take care, both of you, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

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.

Things are heating up for our heroes as they strive to reunite and uncover the thief's reason for visiting Notak. Will the answers be what they were looking for, or something far worse? Find out in Chapter 16.

- 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.

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

"Speech"

Chapter 16:

In Pursuit

Canal City, Notak

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.082 Galactic calendar

5:44pm local time

Explosions seemed to be the order of the day as Ratchet rolled to one side in order to evade another salvo of micro missiles bracketing his position, springing up without pause and frying another gaggle of chicken bots with his Tesla Claw before running back into the fray. The mercs were certainly a lot more cautious now that they had lost both their air support and a good number of their reinforcements; the lombax ploughing through both in short order while using the maze of various cargo and shipping containers to his advantage in order to whittle them down. Which was why most of the remaining Thugs-4-Less employees were now holed up outside the dock's tallest structure and surrounding warehouses; saturating the area with explosives and drones in an attempt to flush him out while shooting at anything that so much as moved.

It certainly didn't help when his Wrist Com's chiming ringtone indicated an incoming call just as he was about to flank their main strongpoint, the sound drawing every gun behind the barricade towards the now frozen commando along with a bitten off curse. "Oh crap..."

A torrent of fire chewed through the stack of crates he had been stood in front of within seconds, Ratchet having dove behind a nearby shipping container and grimacing as he tried to answer the call while both bullets and missiles repeatedly struck his cover mere feet away from where he stood. Ellen's voice filtered through a few seconds later, though she seemed to be struggling with something if the various grunts that punctuated her words were anything to go by.

"All done over here, fuzz ball. No sign of what the thief was doing here, but I managed to find something that'll help us in the long run."

Jamming the cavernous barrel of his grenade launcher around his cover, Ratchet lobbed a Mini-Nuke in the merc's general direction before retreating back around the shipping container; uppercutting an unfortunate thug trying to flank his position via Omniwrench and circling around to attack the strongpoint from another angle. "Babe, this... probably isn't a good time to be giving me the low down. Though I wouldn't say 'no' to some help right about now."

"Thugs-4-Less have deployed additional forces to further impede our progress," Clank supplied from his position on the lombax's back. "It would be logical to assume that there is something within the immediate vicinity that the thief does not wish for us to discover; perhaps the reason for his visit to Notak and hurried departure."

"We can work that out later," Ratchet cut back in before taking down a brute squad with a trio of Seeker Gun missiles. "Just as soon as I've finished dealing with these guys."

"I'm on my way right now, where are you?" Ellen responded over the sound of her Star Explorer's engines spooling up before being cut off, presumably by the canopy locking into place.

The golden-furred commando detonated one of the volatile chemical storage tanks that seemed to be prevalent around the area with a burst from his light machine gun; incinerating a fresh batch of drones and giving him enough of a distraction to take out their handlers while Clank relayed their position. "The upper docks region close to the off shore chemical plant. I am transmitting the location to you now."

There was a brief pause from the human before a distant whine of overtaxed turbines began to grow louder in the dull evening sky. "Thanks Clank, I'll be there in a minute. You guys might want to find some cover though..."

Taking a hint, Ratchet made best speed away from the mercenaries general location as a Bogon blue Star Explorer broke cloud cover and screamed into a power dive overhead; strafing the massed thugs with laser cannon fire and blowing apart their strongpoint with a pair of dumb-fired missiles before pulling up and hovering over the rooftop of a nearby warehouse. The lombax was already moving through the resulting smoke and debris from his partner's attack run as the surviving thugs concentrated fire on her retreating ship; something they would come to regret for the rest of their short lives as he launched his last Mini-Nuke at the greatest concentration before going to town with a maelstrom of blades from his Multi-Star. With Ellen's supporting fire from up high thrown into the mix as well the end result was never really in any doubt, and the docks fell silent once more save for the sound of the ocean tide below.

Climbing a nearby ladder leading up to the same warehouse roof that she had landed on, Ratchet hauled himself up just in time to see Ellen sending her Star Explorer back to their original landing zone with a few deft taps of her Wrist Com before approaching him with a faint smirk on her face. "You owe me dinner, fuzz ball. That's the second time I've had to pull your furry arse out of the fire."

"Maybe, but you gotta admit it's a butt worth saving," the lombax replied with a feline grin of his own before leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "Although... It's nowhere near as fine as yours."

That got a response out of the human; her cheeks attaining a crimson hue and eyes widening in surprise as they darted between Ratchet's now smirking face and over his shoulder. Before he could question as to why however, a polite cough from directly behind the golden-furred commando reminded him they weren't quite alone.

"When you have quite finished comparing your posteriors," Clank interrupted with a dry tone that had both organics squirming in embarrassment. "Perhaps we might continue on towards the off shore chemical plant. If the thief did patronise the facility then there may be records we can use to ascertain his current destination."

"Uh... right! We better get going then!" Ratchet replied hastily; sheepishly rubbing the back of his head while shooting his still flushed partner an apologetic look. "Ladies first?"

Ellen rolled her eyes with a snort, but turned tail anyway and led the way across the warehouse roof with the lombax following very closely behind. He might not be able to openly flirt with her directly with Clank around, but at least he got a nice view as she gently swayed back and forth with each step as if to provoke him. A short jump across the gap to the next warehouse over via Heli-Pack and Jump Pack respectively found the three in a position that allowed them a much clearer view of the plant's exterior, along with an oddly placed widescreen advertising board that would be next to impossible to view from the ground below. Before Ellen could open her mouth to question as to why anyone would bother to park the hoarding's blank screen flickered into life with an all too familiar face; or rather his beady and very shifty looking eyes against a pitch black backdrop.

"Psst! Got a ship that needs, uh, improvements?" the slippery-voiced arms dealer asked rhetorically as he glanced from side to side. "Worried about getting caught? At Slim Cognito's your secret is safe with us." Stepping back from the screen, Slim remained cast in shadow as a flatscreen monitor to his left lit up with the appropriate images of starship components and add-ons to punctuate his words. "Whether it's weapons, shielding or a new hyperspace module. We'll hook you up; quickly, cheaply, and most importantly, quietly."

The monitor disappeared as Slim stepped forward in front of the camera once more; replaced with a cartoonish logo in the bottom right hand corner of a black silhouetted figure wearing a trench coat and fedora while holding aloft a wrench on a red background, whose only discernable feature was a pair of white, triangular eyes that glared suspiciously. "So next time you're in the market for some, uh, legally ambiguous refashioning, remember the name; Slim Cognito's. The only inspections we pass are yours."

The advertising board's screen faded to black and remained inert once more; a particular gleam lighting up Ratchet's eyes as cupped his chin houghtfully. "Starship mods... Hmm, well, a quick visit to Slim's won't cost us much time." The lombax paused at the cross-armed stare Clank was giving him from a few feet away; a sheepish smile adorning his face as he tentatively raised a finger. "...Or, maybe we should check out that chemical plant first."

Ellen merely chuckled at her fellow commando and partner's exuberance before patting him on the back. "There, there, fuzz ball; we'll get there soon enough. First things first though, lets take a look at what we'll be up against. Considering all the effort the thugs have gone through to stop us getting this far, I seriously doubt they're going to let us walk up and ring the doorbell."

So saying, the human re-equipped her sniper rifle and crouched down at the roof's edge before bringing the scope up to her eye; sweeping across the area while relaying what she saw. "The plant exterior looks clear, so does the bridge..." Skimming over to the shore side, she checked the security booth just before the bridge entrance and continued along the short road towards the main gatehouse. "There's some kind of force field blocking the employee entrance on shore as well, and no one around apart from a handful of security drones. Guess everyone's gone home for the evening."

Ratchet nodded. "Good, won't be any late workers caught up in the crossfire then. Though since we can't get in through the gate, we're gonna have to jump."

Ellen visibly paled as she took in the nigh hundred foot drop from the warehouse roof they stood on to a small dock for private boats below; not to mention the fact they'd have to cross a wide canal funnelling out to sea in the process and deal with any potential threats during the descent. "Do we really have to? I could call my ship back round to-"

"Nuh-uh," the lombax cut her off while grabbing both her hand and attention. "If you're ever gonna get over that fear of heights then you need to face it head on; meaning we gotta do this the fun way."

The redhead snorted in derision. "I'm pretty sure your definition of 'fun' and mine are two very different things, fuzz ball. But... you're right in a way." She sighed wearily while giving him a weary look. "If the last couple of days have taught me anything, then it's that jumping off of tall objects without a parachute is going to be as common a occurrence around here as it was back in Solana. So one way or the other, I'm going to have to get used to it."

"Do not worry Ellen," Clank chimed in with sympathy evident in his optics. "We will be with you every step of the way. Metaphorically speaking."

Ratchet gave her hand a reassuring squeeze along with gentle smile. "Exactly! And besides, you've got that Jump Pack now so you'll be in control all the way down. You ready?"

Getting a reluctant nod in return, the lombax led them both back towards the edge of the rooftop at a run before launching himself off into the abyss with a fear struck Ellen close behind. An involuntary strangled scream lodged in the human's throat along with her stomach; the momentary freefall soon arrested by her Jump Pack's primary thruster kicking into life and allowing a smooth, controlled descent with the assistance of its two lateral-motion thrusters. It... wasn't actually that bad once she had gotten over the initial bowel clenching terror; almost enjoyable really if it weren't for the fact both she and Ratchet were dropping straight on top of a swarm of chicken bots occupying the private dock that were staring up at them eagerly with snapping jaws.

While her partner used Clank's Heli-Pack to manoeuvre into position as the ground neared in order to pick off a few with his Heavy Lancer, Ellen chose to equip her Miniturret Glove and drop a few of the portable sentry guns amongst the robotic skirmishers; clearing a sizable landing zone between them and allowing the pair to hit the ground running. Slinging his wrench at one of the few drones still left standing, the lombax caught it in mid-air without breaking stride; leading them across the now cleared dock and around the security booth before hanging a left onto the main road leading towards the plant itself.

It wasn't until the commandos hit the initial bridgehead that they first encountered anymore signs of mercenary presence in spite of Ellen's prior reconnaissance; another of the floating drone generators that Ratchet had previously encountered revealing itself with a launched spread of glowing orbs that quickly swamped the relatively narrow passage with combat drones. That on its own wouldn't have been too bad; but as soon as the duo had pushed forward onto the bridge span they were forced to seek cover as a high velocity round from an unknown source narrowly avoided taking off a good portion of Ratchet's exposed ear.

"Sniper! Get down!"

Another reverberating crack filled the air, followed by a milk top sized hole being punched in one of the support struts close to where Ellen had bunkered down along with a distinct vapour trail leading back towards the chemical plant on the far side of the bridge. Not wanting to risk putting either her companions or herself in the line of fire unnecessarily, the human tossed the last of her Miniturrets around her cover to assist Ratchet's attempts at keeping the persistent drones at bay. If she was right, then the sniper would probably target her automated sentries to prevent them mowing down anymore of the chicken bots before they could flush the commandos out into the open. All the redhead had to do was wait for him to take the bait and fire again; then she could trace the tell-tale vapour trail back to the shooter's position and-

The closest Miniturret exploded in a shower of sparks, letting a few chicken bots through the cordon and into range of Ratchet's Tesla Claw. Peeking out of cover, Ellen quickly checked for where the shot had come from before the distinct contrail could disperse and ducked back to avoid a follow up shot punching through her helmet. She had the sniper's rough location now though; set up on an awning next to the giant Megacorp sign overlooking the chemical plant's sealed front door with a clear line of sight down the entire length of the bridge. Engaging him in a sniper duel would likely wind up with her being dead before she could even squeeze off the first shot against such an entrenched enemy and her lombax partner didn't have any weapons that could effectively reach out that far.

Fortunately however, the human had another solution; reaching down to her Quick Select and pulling out her Visibomb Gun before poking the business end over the edge of the bridgehead towards the ocean side and pulling the trigger. The TV guided missile streaked out across the bay, staying scant feet above the water as Ellen steered it around in a loop towards the sniper's nest. Pulling up and over the opposite end of the bridge at the last second to avoid potentially getting shot down, the tank-killing warhead came crashing straight down on top of the concealed mercenary's position with enough force to shake the bridge from a good thirty feet away.

Gingerly poking her head out to observe the aftermath, Ellen found that her partner had already taken advantage of her pinpoint strike to storm across the bridge; casting the drones in his path aside with his wrench like so many broken toys before shutting down their generator for good. Huffing with annoyance at his less than cautious advance, the human soon caught up to her lombax counterpart as he examined a still smouldering and contorted body lying before the plant entrance amongst what was left of the marksman's perch; curiosity piqued somewhat at what had to be yet another new class of Thugs-4-Less employee.

Though slightly well done from the missile strike, it was still easy to make out that the sniper shared similar physical characteristics with the regular grunts they had encountered before; albeit more lithe and slender in appearance. He - at least Ellen was pretty sure it was a male - eschewed the bare chest and cargo pants look in favour of urban camo trousers and what looked like a green, sleeveless flak jacket sporting several pouches that were crammed with ammo. A plain red and white baseball cap would have sat upon his head along with a pair of oversized headphones with attached mike had they not been blown off in the explosion; but aside from the clearly broken scoped rifle nearby, it was the item clipped to his belt that grabbed the trio's attention. Especially since the device was all too familiar from their previous adventure in the Solana galaxy.

"Is that a Hologuise?" Ratchet asked aloud. "Where'd he even get one of those? I thought Gadgetron was pretty much gone in this galaxy."

"Although it is aesthetically similar, this device does not appear to have quite the same functionality as Hologuise," Clank mused aloud as he turned the slightly melted gadget over in his servos from where he had alighted next to the body. "Instead of bending light in order to create a fully articulated, four dimensional 'skin' resembling another species, the device seems to camouflage the user as an inanimate object best suited to the environment. With such a short-lived charge however, I believe that it will only remain effective for so long as whomever is under such an effect remains stationary."

"So we're looking at a knock-off Hologuise that works like basic stealth camo when you're stood still?" Ellen summarised. "Shame it's broken, I wouldn't have minded having one of those for myself."

"Probably could have if you hadn't, y'know, dropped a missile on 'em," the lombax member of their team quipped with a dry smirk adorning his face at her answering scowl; knowing he'd got one over the human in their friendly, if constant, verbal spar. "C'mon, let's see if we can't find a way inside."

The chemical plant's main entrance was barred by heavily armoured blast door painted in the customary Megacorp blue colour scheme, with the company's logo outlined in silver steel. They also happened to be firmly locked for the night, and since nobody was answering the nearby intercom it looked like they would have to let themselves in instead. Pulling down the emergency release switch on the opposite side of the door from the intercom revealed a bolt crank that Ratchet and Ellen worked in tandem to turn; the heavy slab of metal grinding up into the top of the door frame with a final resounding thump and allowing them access to the interior.

A short flight of stairs led down to a an even shorter corridor with a high ceiling and a clearly unpowered open sided lift platform at the end; one that proved no obstacle for Ratchet as he bounced from wall to wall in order to reach the top while Ellen opted to use her Grapple Gun. Neither had quite expected the chicken bots waiting for them right at the edge of the elevator shaft, with the lombax almost losing his grip on his ledge as one lunged forth to snap at him were it not for his cat-like reflexes and his red-headed partner dropping it with her hand cannon. He quickly returned the favour once he'd hauled himself up, turning the second drone into scrap metal and helping to catch his fellow commando as she dropped down from where she was dangling from the ceiling a good eight feet above.

Once they had caught their bearings and took the time to reload their weapons, the team continued forth down a utilitarian looking corridor decorated with numerous vents and large, industrial pipes until it opened up onto a wide and expansive factory floor. This was the actual chemical plant itself; a truly massive chamber partitioned off by walls, mesh fencing, and numerous vats of assorted chemicals that seemed to ebb and flow with an artificial tide. With no obvious signs of an office or such from which they could potentially gather information, Ratchet and Ellen opted to drop down from their elevated perch and investigate the place the old fashioned way; cleaving through another pair of security drones patrolling the crate-strewn lowered platform they had landed on before realising their only way forward was blocked by a smooth and entirely unclimbable wall.

Upon finding that there were neither sufficient crates to form temporary stairs, nor was Ellen's Grapple Gun able to find purchase, the two commandos realised their best bet would be to somehow cross the vast pool of blue tinged chemicals bordering their platform in order to reach what looked like a small scale hydroponics plant on the far side. Even though their suits were supposedly insulated against toxic environments, neither particularly wanted to test them by swimming through a vat of what might be an acidic compound for all they knew. Thankfully however, they had another option; Ellen's mind clicking into place as she skimmed through her Quick Select before pulling out her sorely underused Thermenator and filled the pool with thermal pellets that quickly turned it into a ice rink.

Skating across, the pair soon managed to pull themselves up on the far side with a bolt crank concealed between a series of industrial water pumps; working together in order to turn it and revealing a narrow, segmented bridge that soon rolled into place. Carefully crossing over to the other side, the two commandos found themselves atop the wall they previously couldn't scale along with a small yet entirely frozen over pool blocking their path. Clearly this was connected somehow to the larger pool below and full of the same potentially hazardous chemicals, a fact confirmed when Ellen used her Thermenator once again to change it back to its liquid state. But with no other way around they would simply have to chance it and hope their suits would be able to protect them from exposure.

Sealing their helmets and making sure the oxygen supply was working sufficiently, Ratchet and Ellen exchanged one last look before taking a deep breath and plunging into the liquid abyss; the deep blue chemical soup flowing over them like molten treacle and making every movement feel sluggish and unresponsive. The lombax reached out for his partner and grabbed her hand, pulling her tightly against him as Clank converted into his Hydropack mode and propelled them through the darkened depths. Passing through a short tunnel and out into a much wider vat on the far side, the pair soon broke the surface and managed to swim to the edge of the vast tank with their mutual friend's continued assistance before hauling themselves out while panting as if they had just run a marathon.

Whatever was in that toxic crap seemed to suck all the stamina out of anyone who came into contact with it; making them feel lethargic and drained to the point that they would be physically unable to move. Suffice to say the two commandos didn't feel like repeating the experience again anytime soon, and intended to avoid swimming in anything that wasn't water as much as possible for the foreseeable future. Upon dropping down onto the gantry running away from the vat they had just dragged themselves out of, the duo quickly dealt with the token security drones present before realising with a collective groan that they would have to cross yet another chemical pool parallel to where they stood in order to progress further into the plant.

Thankfully however this one was already frozen over much like the previous pool had been; a solitary bolt crank sat atop a small island in the middle of the half-full tank, likely used to extend another one of those fold up bridges, and with no obvious way back up. If the plant's layout thus far was anything to go by then they would have to thaw the ice and end up going for another swim through that thick blue gunk in order to find another chamber, something Ellen has zero intention on doing if she could help it. Seriously, how did the plant's workers deal with this kind of crap on a daily basis? To this end, the human bade Ratchet to wait up top while she dropped into the basin with a brief burst from her Jump Pack to cushion the fall; using her Versa Blade to turn the bolt crank and allowing the lombax to cross the predicted bridge once it had unfolded before using her Grapple Gun to climb the far side of the solidified vat and rejoin him.

Things continued much the same way for the next ten minutes; lombax, human, and robot making best use of their respective skills as they continued to the negotiate the plant's interior. The following cluster of pools steadily rose and fell in depth as the chemicals within were constantly filtered in and out via a massive pump system; Ellen freezing them when at the appropriate height to allow safe passage and following Ratchet's lead in ice skating across. The final pairs of linked vats required careful thawing and refreezing since the team had to pass through not only a narrow tunnel linking each set together but also a number of the same shark-sized piranha-like amphibious fish they had previous encountered while running the gauntlet in Qwark's fortress back on Umbris a year ago. Were they some kind of extra security measure, or maybe sucked from the ocean via the plant's filtration system?

Either way was bad, especially since a minor miscalculation meant the ice level in the last vat was too low to reach the emergency ladder mockingly hanging from the tank's edge above. Neither Clank's Heli-Pack nor Ellen's Jump Pack could make the leap without falling short, and the human wasn't confident her Grapple Gun could accommodate all three of them simultaneously; meaning that there was only one other available solution.

"You're gonna have to melt it," Ratchet stated simply with a look of distaste etched on his face. "Let's just hope we can out swim those things. You ready?"

Giving a nod of assent, Ellen blew out a breath before beginning to saturate the frozen vat with a stream of thermal pellets; the lombax quickly grabbing her free hand and pulling her close as they fell into the now fully liquefied chemical solution. As anticipated, the waterline rose rapidly and carried the three companions with it; reaching almost to the top of the massive storage tank and allowing them to pull themselves out long before any of the now released predatory aquatic creatures could react to their presence. It also looked like all their traipsing around the plant's interior and being bathed in God knows what had finally paid off, since they appeared to have found themselves just outside the main control room.

A trio of tiny robots that looked suspiciously like the ones deployed from Ellen's old Agents of Doom Glove were stood conversing in front of a large monitor occupying virtually the entire length of one wall; each sporting a small, red bow tie for some reason in addition to a pair of oversized, square-framed glasses over their soft amber optics. It bought back fond memories for the human of her own little squad of cackling kamikaze attack robots, though these three seemed to be a good deal more intelligent than their explosive packed counterparts. Was their design merely a coincidence, or were they actually walking bombs that head found another line of work? Either way, the human had no intention of giving them a hug anytime soon, even if they did look adorable dressed up like that.

"These robots must be part of the night shift for this facility," Clank mused aloud. "Perhaps they can assist us in obtaining the information we require."

Ellen was about to open her mouth to ask the dinky little machines herself when Ratchet beat her to it; although why he felt the need to draw each word out with deliberate slowness while punctuating them with exaggerated gestures she would never know. Did he honestly think they were stupid or something? "Ex-cuse me, have you seen any masked weirdoes?"

The robot on the far right gave an indignant huff before responding with what a series of beeps and boops strung together into a sentence that was incomprehensible to the average organic mind. Whatever it was certainly sounded more than a little sarcastic to Ellen's ear's though.

"I think I had better do the talking," Clank noted aloud before clearing his vocaliser and querying the three not-Agents of Doom in the same language; the middle one responding thoughtfully with his other two companions excitedly adding their own opinions. The exchange went back and forth for all of ten seconds before the diminutive silver robot turned back to his organic friends in order to relay what had been discussed. "A masked customer picked up an order approximately two hours ago. They recently received a new transmission from him, and they are willing to show it to us. For a... small price."

The left most robot nodded smugly as Clank finished his explanation; small wonder considering the exorbitant fee request pinged to the two commando's Wrist Coms.

"6,000 bolts?!" An aghast Ellen exclaimed as she goggled at the demanded amount. "That's frigging daylight robbery!"

Ratchet couldn't help but agree, but grudgingly went halves with the human before turning his ire on the chittering trio of mini-bots. "Fine, but this information better be worth it."

Rightie, as Ellen had dubbed him, made a sound of approval as he confirmed the money transfer before turning his attention to the large monitor behind him; a small telescopic arm extending from a hatch on top of his helm and plugging into a port on a nearby console. It was fairly obvious they had the right man once the screen flared into life and the message began to play; the ever elusive thief occupying the centre of what looked like some kind of storage room with racks of numerous multi-coloured chemicals in transparent bottles lining either side. For some reason he had the Protopet perched on one arm in the same manner as a falconer might with a trained bird of prey; though judging by its furrowed brow and snarling maw of sharp teeth, the little guy wasn't particularly pleased with its current predicament.

"Ah, hello, yes- Hey!" the masked man began only to jerk back as the stolen experiment suddenly lunged at him with a snarl; latching on to his other arm like a dog with a chew toy and flailing around with the appendage as it was frantically shook up and down. "No-no-no, not!" The evil-minded fluff ball lost its battle against physics and flew off screen with an accompanying sound of shattered glass a split second later. Huffing indignantly, the thief cleared his throat before addressing the camera once again. "As I was saying, I need to order two more containers of sulphuric acid-" The caped villain was cut off again as a blue blur streaked from the bottom left of the screen and tackled him to the floor out of sight; the sounds of a struggle and something breaking being the only clue that either was there until the thief staggered back upright while brushing himself off. "...oops, ah,, better make that five containers, and, uh, four containers of liquid Nitro- gah!"

The Protopet leapt back into the fray and grabbed him by the arm once more, leaving the masked man backpedaling until he tripped over something out of shot to the accompaniment of more shattered glass. Even if his mask couldn't accurately portray emotion, he definitely looked annoyed and more than a little jumpy as he stumbled back into frame while rubbing his savaged appendage. "...whoops, uh, better add six crates of Nitro Glycerine and-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as the blue ball of doom slammed into the thief's chest, sending back the other way with enough force to topple one of the racks of chemicals entirely with a cacophony of fragmenting glass and small scale explosions.

"Look, just double the last order!" It was a wonder he was able to squeeze out so many words as the blast force sent him flying back across the screen into the tidy rows of phials occupying the shelves on the opposite side; the Protopet soaring across the gap in hot pursuit with a high pitched snarl. A mixture of pained screams, detonations, and pretty much every else that hadn't broken already shattering into tiny pieces rocked filled the room the room for several long seconds before suddenly lapsing into silence. The now thoroughly singed and sullied thief somehow managed to stay upright as he drunkenly wobbled back into frame with the experimental creature now engulfing his armoured head; its eyes and unhinged maw of teeth now coincidentally level with where his own mask covered features would be where, along with muffling his parting words. "...and I need it delivered."

Ellen frowned as the video ended, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she puzzled out the thief's seemingly random order. "That's a lot of chemicals, and some pretty volatile ones too... Just what is he planning on doing with all that?"

Clank simply nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Though particularly hazardous, those compounds form the key components used in either large scale explosive devices and high yield rocket fuel."

"Well whatever this guy's got planned, we to stop it before it's too late," Ratchet emphasised by slamming a fist into his open palm. "Oh, and grab the Protopet too while we're at it. Any idea where that call came from?"

The diminutive silver robot asked his smaller counterparts something in that weird chittering language the machines seemed to favour, his inquisitive tone getting a clipped answer from the middle of the three that had his optics light up in realisation. "Ah, of course. I should have made the connection sooner."

"Well, where is he?" the golden-furred commando stood by his side inquired impatiently.

"Siberius, a planet close to the edge of the galactic rim. Formerly both a Megacorp research centre for advanced aeronautics, and an abandoned interplanetary ballistic missile silo from the corporate wars of the last century that was later repurposed for rocket testing."

"Christ..." Ellen whispered aloud. "You think those missiles might still be there? That he might be trying to launch one?"

"I believe so," Clank replied grimly. "Time is of the essence, we must hurry."

"Well what're we waiting for? Let's go!" Ratchet said no more as he turned tail, striding towards the door on the far side of the control room with Ellen close behind and punching the release button. The lombax did pause on the threshold however as his sensitive ears picked up one of the trio of mini-bots saying something in a droll tone, spinning around to see all three huddled together and snickering at him. "Hey! What? What?"

The latter question was turned toward an amused looking Clank, who gave one of his trademark tittering little laughs before shaking his helm. "Oh, nothing, just some robot humour."

"Uh-huh..."

Anything else Ratchet might have been about to say died on his lips as his red-headed partner placed a hand on his shoulder and shot him a look before moving past him. "Save it for now Fuzz ball, time's a-wasting."

Stepping through the control room doorway found the three standing upon a small balcony on the edge of the plant that overlooked both the bridge leading to the plant and the lit up cityscape just beyond. It was also the perfect place for a summoned air cab to pick them up; the ride back over the bay through a steadily increasing flow of evening airborne traffic entirely uneventful as they set down just next to the Megacorp vendor and lift platform that would take them back up to their parked ships. After restocking their ammo supplies and mounting up in their respective Star Explorers, the two commandos input the coordinates Clank had obtained into their navigation computers; taking off into what was fast becoming driving rain and pushing through the atmosphere back into the inky depths of space once more.

There was no telling what the thief might be up to on Siberius, and since he seemed to be so fond of ambushes, both Ratchet and Ellen intended to be ready for anything he might throw at them upon approaching the planet. To that end, the pair opted to change course and make a quick pit stop in spite of the little silver robot's protest; successfully arguing that it would be better to go into the fight properly equipped to breach any potential defences than get overwhelmed. They could only hope that Slim would be able to deliver as well on starship mods as he did with weapons, and fast as well.

Slim Cognito's Ship Shack, [Location Redacted]

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.082 Galactic calendar

3:57pm GST

In spite of having the approximate location to the shadowy merchant of menace's secret deep space facility, actually finding the damn thing turned out to be a lot harder than the three companions had expected. Upon arriving at the designated the coordinates, it was fairly obvious there was nothing around for countless miles; not so much as a single piece of floating debris occupying the immediate area. It wasn't until Clank began to tinker with the red Star Explorer's sensor suite and temporarily boosted its effective range that they managed to detect a faint signal coming from what turned out to be an exceptionally well camouflaged communications buoy containing an encrypted data package. Deciphering it produced another string of coordinates along with the initials 'SC', leading them on a merry chase past an unnamed fiery red gas giant towards the dark side of a nearby lifeless planetoid, where their intended goal supposedly lay.

Despite the name, Slim's Ship Shack was actually a small space station partially embedded inside a half mile long asteroid that had been dragged into orbit at what must have been a great deal of expense. The exterior was covered in reflective metal panels that better helped it blend into the surrounding darkness of space, along with a good deal of spiked radio antennas sticking out at oblique angles and a singular communications dish seated above the central most, ball-like structure that appeared to be the station's core. A line of holographic chevrons lit up as the two fighters approached to within a few hundred yards of the otherwise blacked out structure, leading up to a portal in the very centre that smoothly slid open in a spiralling pattern to allow them access.

"Guess we were expected, huh?" Ratchet mused aloud. "Let's not keep 'em waiting."

There was only just enough room to squeeze their ships through the opening into the relatively cramped interior; the walls decorated with large rivets and exposed circuitry in a non-linear pattern without reason or rhyme and largely bare of decor, save for the wide based and well lit landing pad taking up most of the floor. Having set down and powered off their engines, the two commandos briefly checked the atmosphere was breathable before popping their canopies and dropping down onto the cold metallic floor with Clank in tow; hesitantly making their way towards a small console set against the far side of the hanger at the end of a railed walkway, where a familiar pair of eyes peered at them from a retracted slat in the wall.

"Well if it ain't two of my new favourite customers. Looking to get some starship modifications?"

"That we are," Ellen responded with a nod. "We saw your advert on Notak and were looking to upgrade our ships before we hit Siberius."

"So long as you've got time and my fee up front, I can make your ship faster, tougher, and deadlier than any other in the galaxy," the shady salesman promised before remotely activating the stand alone console from his end. "Here, take a look at my fine line of quality aftermarket extras."

The digital catalogue was mostly similar to the holographic interfaces used on standard Megacorp vendors, with the only difference being a fully three dimensional representation of a stock Star Explorer occupying the top of the screen that rotated around to show where each item would be installed, along with a whole slew of performance statistics. There was a vast wealth of upgrades on offer as well; from practical and cosmetic, like better shields and wing configurations, to the plain ridiculous such as the self explanatory Nuclear Detonation Device that attached to the craft's belly. With only so much of the Raritanium Ellen had 'liberated' to share between them and the clock still ticking until the thief could enact whatever he was planning, it was obvious that the human and lombax would have to initially restrict themselves to only the essentials upgrades if they wanted to make it in time.

Ratchet elected to go for a hard hitting package as befitting his style; opting for a triple-boost acceleration engine that supplemented the stock engine with two additional nacelles which increased overall thrust by 40%. The standard pulse laser cannons were replaced with heavier-hitting fusion laser cannons, while the recessed auto-lock missile launchers were overhauled to improve both the missile's agility and target acquisition to give the edge in a rolling dogfight. Ellen opted to have much of the same; though where as the lombax choose wing tip mounted torpedo tubes to provide greater firepower against static defences or larger ships, she decided to improve her survivability with an advanced shielding system to provide an additional layer of defence. The only problem with the upgrade process however was that Slim could only work on one ship at a time; and time was a commodity they did not possess in any kind of quantity.

In the end, once they had paid for services rendered with the Raritanium haul Ellen had recovered Notak, it was decided to concentrate on Ratchet's ship since it was the easier of the two to modify; leaving the human's vessel behind to be fixed up while they rushed off to confront the thief on Siberius. Mounting up in the lombax's red-painted Star Explorer once the necessary modifications had been completed, there was a sense of comfortable familiarity as the three strapped themselves in; Clank taking his old spot on the Ellen's lap with her arms wrapped around his torso while Ratchet occupied the pilot's seat, just as they had done so many times before during their first adventure.

Closing her eyes as her partner carefully manoeuvred the fighter out of the confined hanger and back out into space, Ellen gave a contented sigh and decided to catch a little shut eye. Knowing they were one ship down, and the thief was liable to have a veritable army guarding whatever he was doing both on Siberius and in orbit, the redhead wanted to make sure she was as rested and ready as possible for whatever was thrown their way. As sleep finally claimed her, she could only hope that this would finally be the break they were looking for in recovering the Protopet intact; and an end to the thief's plans for good.

Phew, this arc of the story is finally all wrapped up, meaning I can concentrate on what promises to be a explosive finale for this year; the assault on Siberius. This chapter sees the introduction of a new type of enemy in the form of the Thugs-4-Less sniper; a niche role that has been strangely absent in a majority of the games, and one that will force our heroes to stop and think their way through a firefight rather than charge into the fray blindly.

Also, without spoiling things too much, limiting our heroes to only one ship for the time being was a deliberate ploy; the reason for which will become clear in the next few chapters. Most of you will more than likely have already connected the dots as to why, but as for the rest? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337