Author's note:

Good news, everyone! I'm actually back on schedule this week and finally moving the story forward once again, albeit with a much shorter than usual chapter. My original intention to cover Gorn in a single chapter not quite working out, thanks to an escalating slew of content and far too many compromises. So instead I'll be splitting it in half once again; giving me more time to properly expand upon the concluding part in a much more interesting way than I had originally intended. Enjoy!

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.

- 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 35:

Gorn A-hunting

Thugs-4-Less Fleet Rendezvous Point, Gorn

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.085 Galactic calendar

3:37pm local time

With the press of a button on Ratchet's part, static briefly filled the central console's screen on both Star Explorers before quickly clearing up a few moments later; revealing a dull and darkened corridor that reminded Ellen of those on Drek's fleet back during their first adventure together, albeit from a very low angle. The reason for which becoming clear as a patrolling thug passed by out of the camera's view, before Angela entered the frame from below with a wary look in her eye and speaking in tense, hushed tones. "Harding, if you're getting this, then make sure you pass it on to the others. I managed to hitch a ride with the Thugs-4-Less Fleet heading towards the inner systems, and it looks like I was right."

Continuing to check in both directions all the while with paranoid vigilance, Angela suddenly clammed up with short intake of breath and quickly ducked back down out of view as a heavily armed and clearly bored-looking squad trooped by and out of sight. The lombax tentatively poking her head back up several long seconds later before sighing in relief and addressing the camera once more. "This ship just returned from a nearby Megacorp distribution centre, and I think I've found the answer to-"

Eyes wide and with a silent curse on her lips at something off screen, Angela rapidly made herself scarce once again, and with small wonder considering Logan himself came into view shortly thereafter with a pair of escorting guards trailing just behind. Or at least that is until her sinuses picked the worst possible time to play up, right after the three of them had just passed by her position. "Ah... ahh... Ah-choo!"

"Hey! Who's there?" Logan demanded as he whirled around to face the source, the two troopers alongside him snapping up their rifles and sweeping across the corridor for any potential threats.

...

"...Meow?"

The merc leader's features softened immediately and his subordinates exchanged a questioning glance as he stepped towards the camera while stooping down to get a better look. "Aww, a kitty- Hey, wait a minute..."

Logan's eyes narrowed, a faint growl escaping his lips a moment before a muscular arm lashed out and yanked Angela out of her hiding spot with a startled gasp. "You?! What're you doin' here?" His reptilian gaze then roved past the lombax's struggling form, and upon noticing the camera over her shoulder, stared directly down the lens with a predatory grin. "Ah-ha-ha! Sendin' a message to ya little pals, huh? Well say goodbye, losers, 'cos she ain't coming back!"

"Get your damn hands off me!" Angela snarled as the two thugs grabbed her by the arms and yanked her upright, thrashing in their grip all the while and looking like she was attempting to bite one of them just before being dragged out of view off screen.

"Toss her in the brig and have a security team sweep for anymore stowaways. I'll deal with the lombax once we get back to headquarters," Logan yelled after them before turning his attention back towards the camera with a smirk. The feed cutting off and fading to black moments later, just as it had the last three times they had reviewed the recorded footage.

"And you're definitely sure this is where she was transmitting from?" Ratchet asked once again as the video ended, his Star Explorer's central console returning to its default screen.

There had been a fair bit of arguing once they had seen the recorded message for the first time, not least of which was on the subject of why exactly Cash wasn't there to help protect his employer in the first place. Although that soon went out the window once he had explained why Angela had insisted on them splitting up in spite of his better judgement; the information they had dug up suggesting that Thugs-4-Less knew the location of Megacorp's main Protopet production facility, and were in fact contracted to provide escort for the company's transport ships on their way to and from the local distribution centres.

It was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss, and with Ratchet, Clank, and Ellen still out of contact for reasons unknown to them at the time, the decision was made to smuggle themselves onboard one of the ships as they made their supply runs in order to find out just where exactly they were heading. Which, upon learning there were in fact multiple convoys mobilising simultaneously, meant splitting up in order to increase their chances of success, much to Cash's chagrin. His own investigation turning into little more than a dead end and leaving him all too far away in order to help by the time Angela's signal reached him from the next star cluster; leaving the cazar to track her down on his own over the following days until contact could be re-established.

"Enough to stake my reputation on, mate," Cash returned from his position just off the lombax's wing. "I'm a bloody good tracker if nothing else, and these galahs couldn't hide a needle in a black hole, let alone a whole fleet running along a regular shipping route. Trust me, this is the place."

Meaning the rapidly approaching planet they were closing in on at high speed; a violently turbulent world known as Gorn, whose unforgiving marshlands and sub-tropical jungles made a perfect home for marauding gangs of pirates and wanted criminals looking to lay low. In fact, other than vegetation and insects, the only natural life to exist could only be found amongst the tall mountain peaks which stretched high above the surface. A thick blanket of fog perpetually covering most of the lower terrain and unable to be penetrated by most sensor systems, while rolling thunderstorms rumbled from high above and occasionally lashed out with bolts of lightning; striking unwary ships regardless of allegiance and frying any insufficiently shielded electronics.

Which in turn meant that those who chose to live on the surface for an extended period were forced to do so somewhere between the two extreme weather patterns and construct tall, hanging structures which hugged the mountainsides and anchored themselves deeply. Something that wasn't lost on a morally flexible PMC like Thugs-4-Less, which if Cash's information was anything to go by, had apparently claimed the abandoned remnants of a failed colonisation project as their own and co-opted them into their own design. The end result becoming a clandestine staging point for any and all company operations within this sector of the Bogon galaxy, and apparently the source of Angela's last transmission before going dark.

"Doesn't mean she's still there though," Ellen pointed out not unreasonably from the opposite side of their loose wedge formation, "although it is a good place to start. Assuming we can even gain access to their communications network in the first place, that is. Remember what happened last time?"

Ratchet did unfortunately, and all too well. What should have been a fairly simple smash and grab raid upon a Thugs-4-Less star base rapidly escalating into an all out assault across the station interior itself, followed by everything literally blowing up in their faces mere moments after finally reached their goal. Not an experience any of them would care to repeat anytime soon, or ever for that matter if they could help it. "I'd rather not, babe. Besides, its not like the thugs're hiding another battle station down there or anything, right?"

"Nah, just a small outpost really from what me contacts said," Cash replied with a shake of his head. "It's the ships you want to be worrying about. Rumour has it they've been buying up old hulls and decking 'em out with modern hardware to act as pickets, plus there's no way of knowing just how big a fleet there is on station at any given time. Either way you look at it, it's going to be hard going."

"We are less than five minutes out from our intended insertion point, "Clank interrupted a moment later; coinciding with an alert popping up on the Star Explorer's central console stating much the same. "I strongly recommend checking our weapon systems now while there is still time to do so."

Sure enough, the greyish-blue orb that was Gorn rapidly began to fill their view with each passing moment, and with a distinctly nervous-looking Samus assisting to the best of her abilities, Ellen began to run one last check to make sure her fighter was ready for the inevitable dogfight ahead. "Shields are fully charged, engines running at maximum efficiency, and all control surfaces are working like they're supposed to. How's our weapons looking?"

Um, well, the fusion lasers look like they're okay, and the missile launchers are ready to fire. But I... I'm not sure about this, Ellen..._

"Scared?" the human asked with a soft tone, getting a meek nod in return. "Believe me, you're not alone. But we've got Ratchet, Clank, and now Cash watching our backs once we get down there, and so long as everyone plays their parts, we'll all make it back in one piece. Just you see."

Optics shuttering in surprise, Samus turned her helm to give the redhead an incredulous look. How could she be scared? This was the Ellen Pearce! A mysterious girl rumoured to have come from some lost warrior culture far beyond civilised space, and who had fought fearlessly alongside the equally famous Ratchet and Clank against all odds, before finally defeating the blargian menace and disappearing into the void once more. The very idea that a hero, an embodiment of honour and courage such as her, could actually be afraid was... honestly foreign to her ideals, and Samus mentioned as such in her own nervous, stuttering way.

"Everybody gets scared, Samus, and I'm no different," Ellen replied with a sad smile as she disabled the ship's auto pilot and took control. "Anybody that tells you otherwise is either stupid, crazy, or maybe both, and especially when it comes to combat. It's just something that never truly goes away, and you can either let fear rule your actions or otherwise embrace it as a way to help keep pushing you forward."

"Coming up on the insertion point now," Cash's voice interrupted over their still open radio link. "Looks like the storm front's starting to act up, so our window's gonna be tight. Follow me in and make sure your shields are operating at full spec once we hit the atmosphere. Last thing we want is a lightning strike frying your ship's systems in a place like this."

So saying, Cash rolled his blocky tank of a ship over into a dive towards the planet surface below at near full thrust, with Ratchet following suit shortly thereafter. Ellen turning towards the still nervously fidgeting form of her new friend and laying a reassuring hand on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Are you ready for this?"

Clutching the tightened straps of her harness with both servos, Samus hesitated for but a moment before slowly nodding in resignation. Putting on a brave face in spite of the churning pit of uncertainty deep within her chassis. I... I guess so..._

"Alright then... Here we go."

Winging the Star Explorer over into an inverted half loop, Ellen was soon punching through the atmosphere with heat glaring off her shields and soon catching up to her companions in short order. Rolling thunder and jagged lightning greeting the three ships as they finally cleared the upper cloud cover, before pitching into a swooping dive upon the rapidly growing specks of vessels loitering far below as they cruised amongst a cluster of mountain peaks and vertically hanging structures.

The plan, such as it was, called for them to assault the stationed fleet and inflict as much damage as possible on their initial pass before the thugs could muster an effective response. Hopefully sowing enough chaos and confusion to have free reign for at least a little while and eliminating some of the larger ships at anchor, while giving both Clank and Samus a chance to infiltrate their communications network remotely and search for valuable intel. It probably would have worked too, were it not for a series of anti-air emplacements opening up on them almost immediately from hidden positions within the repurposed colony buildings; forcing them to break off their run and scatter as a multitude of waiting fighter patrols fell upon them like a pack of starving wolves.

"Pissin' hell!" Cash swore aloud as he wrenched his flying brick of a ship into a hard left turn with a pair of interceptors hot on his tail and laser bolts singing past the canopy. "Reckon we stirred up a real hornet's nest here!"

"No shit!" Ellen yelled back over the alarms blaring inside her cockpit. Samus holding on for dear life all the while as their shields continued to take hits, before corkscrewing into a dive and just barely managing to lose the missile on their tail. "They must've been expecting us somehow. Why else would there be so many fighters in the air? "

"Yeah, and this kind of crap is getting old fast," Ratchet growled in frustration as a quartet of fighters tried to box him in with harried bursts of fire; making him an easier target for the much larger and heavily armed vessel swinging around to unleash its main gun off his port side. A hastily locked missile soon putting paid to that idea as one of their number overshot him and had its wing blown cleanly off, allowing the lombax to dive out of the way as a wide lance of crimson energy tore through the air he had previously been occupying. "Keep hitting 'em and try to get some breathing room. We need to start thinning out these fighters before we can open up a path to the big ones."

So saying, he angled back towards the larger vessel which had been targeting him; a converted Kowloon-class freighter according to Clank's seemingly bottomless well of knowledge, which now served as a makeshift warship of sorts and was presently manoeuvring to bring its anti-air batteries to bear. Something Ratchet was hoping to avoid given that the quad heavy laser turrets he could see rotating towards him were easily capable of tearing through his shields in a matter of seconds. The other fighters continuing to harass him as he jinked and weaved his way into weapons range, getting closer all the while and taking potshots at any hostile ships that happened to pass through his gunsights.

Now that he was better able to see it on approach, the Kowloon-class vessel heavily resembled a horizontally flying archetypal rocket of sorts. A large cluster of engines towards the rear supporting an elongated, almost cylindrical body with additional armour plating bolted across its length, and which in turn was topped by a flattish and vaguely ovaloid nose section that housed the bridge itself. But it was perhaps the truly massive trapezoid-shaped container bolted underneath the main hull which garnered the most attention; easily double the Kowloon's height and just as long, with multiple turrets dotting its surface, an open hanger bay towards the rear from which a fresh pair of fighters emerged, and a truly massive anti-ship laser cannon partially recessed within the bow.

The very same weapon, in fact, that had already attempted to erase him from existence a matter of seconds ago, and which was charging to fire once again even now. But unfortunately for the crew, Ratchet had already reached striking distance and didn't hesitate in letting loose a spread of torpedoes from his Star Explorer's wingtip based launchers before breaking away from the inevitable wall of defensive fire. The pursuing fighters following doggedly behind as he rolled over into a dive towards the fog bank below, while the unguided weapons continued unerringly on their predicted intercept course.

Flying and fighting in atmosphere was a completely different experience from that found in the airless environment of space; gravity and air resistance being but two factors in contributing towards the much greater difficulty in achieving both overall speed and mobility. A minor inconvenience for small fighter craft perhaps, but a much greater issue when it came to converted interstellar freighters with all the agility and turning proficiency of a bus. The Kowloon-class simply unable to turn quickly enough as a surviving pair of the dumb-fired torpedoes passed through its defensive screen of blazing turrets and struck home in spectacular fashion.

Ellen could see it clear as day from where she was duking it out with a pair of fighters amongst the vertically inclined former colony buildings. Each torpedo's contained anti-matter warheads detonating on contact with the converted warship's unshielded hull and consuming large swathes with frightening ease, including many of the portside defensive turrets and hopefully the main gun too. Nowhere near enough damage to actually destroy the thing outright perhaps, but it did manage to cut the Kowloon's available firepower virtually in half and leave it wide open to further attack once Cash and herself were able to deal with their respective fighter swarms.

To that end, a burst of laser fire clipped the wing of one unfortunate merc she was chasing as he strayed too close to a rocky crag jutting up from the mists below and sent him veering into it with no way to recover. The mangled wreckage flying over her canopy as she swooped beneath it and accidentally careening into one of her pursuers, destroying them both in a fiery detonation of unused ordinance and giving Ellen a chance to nail another with a missile shot as the pilot attempted to attack her head on. Leaving but one fighter still glued on to her tail as she inverted into a dive and streaked back the way she came at full afterburner while hugging the terrain, a torrent of green energy following in her wake until the attacking ship suddenly exploded in midair.

The reason quickly became clear as Cash's blocky vessel lazily rolled over her canopy in a corkscrewing spiral, a Thugs-4-Less interceptor following suit a spit second later with all guns blazing in an attempt to get a bead on him. So fixated on his target was the merc that he failed to notice Ellen entirely as he screamed past overhead, making him an easy mark once she angled back up behind him and firing once the growling tone in her helmet signalled a positive missile lock.

"You alright, Cash?"

"No worries here, mate," the quasi Aussie merc reassured with a dismissive wave and toothy grin that was clearly visible as his now pockmarked and scorched ship pulled alongside Ellen's Star Explorer. "Now, how's about we lend your bloke a hand and finish off that big one? Reckon the rest'll be on us soon enough, and the last thing we want to do is get bogged down fighting 'em all at once."

On that they could both agree. The pair soon leaving the maze of former colonial structures and craggy peaks behind as they vectored north towards where Ratchet was still embroiled in a snarling dogfight of his own; the damaged Kowloon-class he had previously engaged attempting to limp away with fresh holes streaming burning debris from its side. But before they could get close enough to deal with that, there was still a large contingent of enemy fighters between them and the lombax, and with even more likely to be launching from the other large vessels present with each passing minute. All of which would make for a seriously gruelling fight unless they could find some way to help even the odds, and thankfully Cash had a solution of sorts to hand.

The belly of his craft split apart to reveal the internal weapons bay from which a pair of bulbous missiles streaked forth on twin plumes of smoke, the outer casing peeling away as they homed in on the nearest snarling mass of fighters and releasing a quartet of smaller missiles apiece from their respective parent containers, much to their targets sudden surprise. Six mangled masses of burning metal fell from the sky and another merc was forced to eject thanks to his engines being filled with exploding shrapnel, while Ellen managed to bag the last one with a long range missile shot of her own before breaking away from each other and the inevitable counterattack.

But even with the remaining fighters whirling around to meet them with guns blazing and even more radar contacts inbound, the damage inflicted from Cash's missile swarm had sufficiently thinned out their numbers enough for Ratchet to seize the initiative once more. Raking an interceptor with laser fire as it streaked past his nose in the ever tightening furball he was locked in and finishing it off, before making best speed towards the escaping Kowloon-class vessel and targeting its exposed rear with his as yet untested Electro-Mine launcher once in range.

In spite of not being designed for direct offence, the area denial weapon's widely arcing tendrils of electricity proved surprisingly effective once introduced to the converted carrier's unarmoured and much more vulnerable engines. Overloading the more sensitive internal systems and causing the already listing ship to nose over as its sole method of staying airborne in atmosphere began to splutter out, before a solitary missile delivered the coup de grace and gravity suddenly reasserted itself with a vengeance. Sending several hundred tons of burning dead weight plummeting towards the planet surface below and detonating spectacularly on impact as the volatile drive core went up with enough force to be felt half a continent away.

"One down, plenty to go," Ratchet mused aloud as he pulled a U-turn and punched the throttle. Pushing the triple boost engines to their limits as he raced back into the fight while keeping an eye on the radar for anymore surprises. "Hey, Clank, any idea where those other carriers are?"

"I detect two more large contacts incoming from the south west quadrant of the abandoned colony complex, along with what appear to be a significant number of fighters," the lombax's robotic companion informed him. "In addition, there appears to be another on a direct intercept course for both Ellen and Mr Harding. Estimated time to visual range sixty-three seconds."

"Tryin' to split and flank us, huh?" Ratchet grinned as loosed off a pair of Electro-Mines before diving into the ongoing furball with guns blazing; denying a small portion of the airspace above and sending a pair of fighters that tried to latch on to his rear spinning out of control with fried avionics. "Alright then, let's even the odds and get one on its own. We still need to get you and Samus close enough to hack their network, and we're not doing that in the middle of a dogfight."

In spite of having already taken a fair number of losses and their local orbital defence batteries unable to engage targets such a comparatively low altitude, Thugs-4-Less still had a significant advantage in numbers and were putting up one hell of a mean fight. Their pilots not giving an inch and constantly harassing the three allied ships every step of the way, pulling increasingly desperate manoeuvres in order to stay in one piece and buy a little more time for the big guns to arrive with overwhelming firepower.

But with the sheer numbers occupying such a small section of airspace, a midair collision was almost inevitable given how tightly packed together the ships were, even without the constant barrage of missiles and laser fire permeating seemingly every other inch of sky. The two commandos and their cazar wingman forced to constantly jink and weave just to stay alive as they blazed away at the surrounding masses, with accidental friendly fire helping to thin out the merc fighters further still as the fight went on. Although given the target rich environment extremely close proximity, it was actually harder not to hit something in such a whirling melee.

Ellen Kept the trigger held down as she barrel-rolled away from an exploding fighter and walked laser fire over another that had the misfortune of straying into her sights. Bolts of superheated energy slamming mercilessly into the craft's single exhaust and causing it to drop out of the sky with an accompanying plume of black smoke, while a pair of hastily locked on missiles turned two more into so much shrapnel. A staccato of rapid hits drained her shields further still, and Ellen wrenched her Star Explorer into a spiralling dive while a rigid Samus held on for dear life; wondering not for the first time about the redhead's piloting skills and just what exactly she had gotten herself into.

Cash on the other hand was having far more problems given the less than manoeuvrable nature of his brick-like ship, namely that it was more geared towards high speed passes and not at all suited to a turning dogfight. Nevertheless he persevered, and while the already patched and pitted hull now sported a fresh litany of scars to go with the old, the cazar was confident that the old girl would hold together a little longer. The dwindling number of hostile ships shooting at him a testament to the fact they were starting to turn the tide, and thus allowing him to directly target the solitary Kowloon-class carriers which had just arrived to help support its much smaller comrades.

The launch bay beneath his craft parted once more, and even though one of his engines took a direct hit, Cash quickly managed to compensate for the sudden jolt and let loose the sole PB-30 Gatecrasher he kept in reserve for just such an occasion. The precision guided bomb arcing across the short distance between them in a matter of seconds, and proving just as effective at punching through the ship's hull as the one he had used previously to make an explosive entrance back on Xhilius XII. Blowing a gaping hole through the upper most section of the ship's spine and exposing the decks within, while apparently causing some structural damage in the process given how it seemed to visibly buckle under pressure.

Even with an exceptionally well placed shot like that however, an oversized breaching charge still wasn't enough to destroy the ship outright, and had little effect on the gunnery crews as they reoriented the Kowloon's anti-air emplacements for maximum effect. The half dozen or so merc fighters still engaged in the furball immediately breaking off along with those already who had already done so due to battle damage and scattering in all directions as the air was suddenly filled with a lethal barrage of heavy laser fire.

"Hit the deck!"

Putting words to action, Ratchet yanked the control column into a hard right turn and just barely managed to roll away in time as a green mass of superheated energy depleted his shields just from proximity alone. Punching the throttle and diving beneath the converted freighter bearing down on them with Ellen following suit off his port wing, while Cash's much less mobile ship split off in the opposite direction and tanked a few good hits that would have torn their Star Explorers to pieces. There had to be a weak point somewhere they could exploit, and Ratchet doubted the still orbiting Thugs-4-Less fighters would give them a free run at the engines as he did with the last one, meaning that it was time to get creative once again.

If there was one flaw the Kowloon-class had in terms of combat performance, then it had to be a distinct lack of close in defensive weapons; relying on its fighter escorts to deal with anything that got too close for its primary armaments. But since said fighters and interceptors had largely been whittled down to much more manageable numbers, it was simplicity itself to stay within the much larger ship's engagement envelope and prevent it from firing back. The two Star Explorers hugging the hull as they looped around to the rear and gunning down one enterprising fighter that strayed too close, before unleashing a spread of missiles and torpedoes between them directly into the exposed hole on the starboard side that Cash had previously made.

Multiple detonations rocked the once hulking vessel from within, its already damaged spine now thoroughly shattered beyond recognition with flames venting from every gap as the front half began to sag in midair with an audible groan of metal on metal. The Kowloon-class threatening to snap in half at any second as it slowly pitched forward into a nose dive, while the crew desperately abandoned ship with all due haste. A concerned noise escaping Ellen's lips as they circled around back towards Cash, who was presently fending off a half dozen fighters at the same time and neatly cursing them out all the while. "Something's not right here... Small outpost or not, there's nowhere near enough defences, and those carrier ships are going down way too easily."

Um... maybe it's because they're just rushed conversions and not true warships?_ Samus suggested. I mean, it doesn't look like the thugs even bothered with shields or armour, so maybe all their money went into its weapons instead?_

"Maybe..." Ellen trailed off before shaking her head. "Doesn't matter, we'll figure it out later. Meantime, we need to finish off the rest and start searching for where they took Angela."

The little infobot nodded in return as they reached Cash's position and banked right into yet another dogfight, mechanical digits flying over the central console's display in a flurry of activity. Alright, I'll try to gain access to their communications network while they're busy. I'm nowhere near as good as Clank is at this kind of stuff, but maybe we'll get lucky._

Not to mention that it helped divert her processor from what was going on outside the cockpit as she was thrown around in her harness; Ratchet having joined in the fight and giving Cash the breathing room he needed to start taking out one of his attackers with some well placed cannon shots in turn. The half dozen hostile ships quickly succumbing one after another under their combined assault before the last one finally went down in flames, leaving them low on ammo and the skies clear save for the constantly dreary weather. Or at least that is until the final two carriers made their presence known with a freshly launched wave of interceptors and an all out barrage from their main guns.

The thugs had to get smart sometime, and the captains of these particular Kowloon-class vessels were working very closely together in combining their power; forming interlocking fields of fire that could quite easily blanket the sky, while their fighter contingent hung back to defend their vulnerable rear from being flanked. A damn good strategy all round for a situation like this, and something that would make most attacking warships think twice before attempting to strike. But then again, most warships couldn't boast the sheer speed and agility of small strike craft like the Star Explorer, and fewer still would have access to the expensive but deadly anti-ship missile known as the Sledgehammer, such as the one Ellen was currently letting loose from her ship's internal launch bay.

The last of two she had purchased from Slim Cognito some time back on the off chance they might need some seriously heavy firepower, Ellen watched as the largest, heaviest piece of ordinance she had ever launched streaked away at a steady pace and angled towards the nearest big ship with multiple fins constantly correcting its course. The Kowloons realising what was coming and trying their damnedest to shoot it down, only to be foiled by a combined torpedo and swarmer missile spam threatening to overwhelm their defensive umbrella, courtesy of Ratchet and Cash. Many being destroyed long before they got in range, but ultimately ensuring the Sledgehammer survived long enough to deliver its armour-piercing, high yield payload directly on target.

A moment later, the left most Kowloon-class simply ceased to be; the warhead burrowing deeply inside the ship's interior via the main gun's housing and detonating with enough force to quite literally blow the entire ship in half. Massive chunks of burning debris both raining down upon the fog covered jungle far below and accidentally taking out a pair of interceptors that happened to be flying too close in the process, while several smaller pieces slammed into the hull of its nearby sister ship and jolted it to one side while preparing to fire the next shot from its main battery. The overwhelmingly powerful beam instead scything through a good portion of the occupied colony structures, draining their shields through close proximity once again and leaving damn little behind.

"We need to get in close before it fires again!" Ratchet yelled over their open radio link as he took the lead, bobbing and weaving through the hail of anti-air fire being sent his way before being forced to break off his assault in order to evade an interceptor's missile. "Cash, you got anything left that'll help slow it down?"

"Sorry, mate, I'm all out of tricks for this one," the cazar merc replied while opening his throttle in preparation for a high speed attack run; blazing past a pair of interceptors without stopping and making a direct beeline for their carrier. "We're gonna have to do this the hard way, starting with those heavy laser turrets."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Ellen muttered to herself before latching on to the nearest fighter and shredding its wings to pieces with concentrated bursts of laser fire. "Samus, Clank, have either of you managed to find anything yet?"

"Not yet, I am afraid," Clank returned absently while Samus merely shook her head in agreement. "A majority of Thugs-4-Less communications traffic in this area is centred upon our incursion, making it difficult to discern any useful information without first sifting through the most recent material."

"Keep trying, you two. We'll see if we can't buy you some time to work."

Cutting himself off with gritted teeth and both hands wrenching the controls back into a nigh vertical climb, Ratchet largely ignored the interceptor taking potshots at his tail in favour of lining up on his intended target. Waiting until the last minute, he released a trio of Electro-Mines at one of the larger anti-air batteries adorning the Kowloon's port side, before just barely nosing up into a quarter loop and away from the ship's hull in time to see his pursuer get caught up in the ensuing storm of artificial chain lightning. The dead ship corkscrewing away out of sight towards the fog banks below, while a follow up torpedo ensured that the guns were permanently kept out of action as he came around on his next attack run.

The other emplacements soon began to follow suit as Ratchet and Cash continued to strip the Kowloon's defences bare on both sides with nigh impunity, being far too close by now for a majority of the defences to effectively target them. Ellen meanwhile elected to hang back and continue providing top cover, seeing as she was down to only her guns by now. The flow of fighters and Interceptors having been reduced to a mere handful, which she could easily take on individually rather than be swarmed and keep them off the boys while they went to work.

Though that isn't to say that things went entirely their way for the battle's duration, of course. Quite the opposite actually, given that the Thugs-4-Less crewmen were starting to grow ever more desperate by the minute and it showed in their hasty tactics. What little anti-air weaponry they had remaining frantically blanketing the sky with laser fire in their effort to remain airborne; momentarily forcing the attackers to back off lest they slam directly into the bulky vessel's hull as it swung hard to port and brought the fully charged main gun to bear. Cash just barely managing to escape its cavernous path of destruction with some slagged hull plating and control surfaces thanks to the suddenly superheated local air.

But with the sheer amount of damage already inflicted and no back up coming anytime soon, the ship was fast going the same way as the rest of the converted carriers that had already met their end. The captain ordering every last piece of ordinance to fire regardless of cost or suitability and pushing the engines well past their limits in one last desperate attempt to run the attackers down, only to be thwarted by an entirely unexpected source. A fast paced blur striking the already damaged vessel directly in the rear before detonating in a spectacular fashion, the bridge similarly engulfed shortly thereafter as a second high speed missile struck home and effectively crippled the Kowloon in one fell stroke.

From there it soon began to slowly keel over as gravity reasserted itself, the remaining crew hastily abandoning ship via escape pods that were clearly visible from where the three ships left standing were orbiting after having regrouped. Ellen being the first to ask the question they were all thinking at that given moment in one shape or form. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't look at me," Cash shrugged as he watched the last Kowloon-class go down. "Looked like some kind of anti-ship missile, but nothing like anything I've ever seen."

"And we're not packing that kind of firepower either," Ratchet added with a frown. "So who-"

"I have detected a new radar contact approaching from the south-west quadrant," Clank interrupted; luminous green optics narrowing at the projected display while rattling off the relevant information for everyone's benefit. "Bearing two-nine-zero. Range eighteen miles and closing at high speed..." There was a brief pause before he turned to face his long time friend with a look with a concerned expression that neatly mirrored his own. "Ratchet, the ship appears to be transmitting a valid Megacorp IFF transponder signal; one which we have already encountered before."

"Wait, you don't mean-"

"I see it, coming in from our 10 'o clock." Ellen paused momentarily, eyes squinting at the rapidly growing shape of a small fighter-sized craft that looked awfully familiar. "Wait... Is that Ace? What's he doing here?"

Sure enough, now that it was getting close enough to see properly, the golden yellow-painted starfighter definitely looked like the one used by the older commando. Clearly armed to the teeth and vectoring towards them in an aggressive fashion which left them all feeling a little antsy; especially since the usually loud and brash markazian was being disturbingly quiet for once. Which in turn spurned the question as to just what he was up to, or who he was after...

"Friend of yours?" Cash asked, having already reoriented his ship to face the newcomer head on and keeping his weapons running hot just in case.

"Not exactly..." Ratchet hesitantly trailed off. "I mean, he's helped us before, but... Ace is Megacorp, and we're kinda top of their wanted list right now, remember? Just watch my back while I talk to the guy, okay?"

Switching to an open channel, he was just about to open his mouth when a familiarly cocky tone interrupted with an audible smirk. "Well now, looks like I'm late to the party yet again. Missed the best part too... but that doesn't mean I can't still catch the last dance."

Now what could he be up to, I wonder? Find out next time in which the answers may not necessarily be what they seem… See you then!

Review replies:

GoldenLombaxGirl - Thanks! I always thought Ellen could do with an adorable robot buddy of her own, and this seemed like the best way of going about it from a narrative perspective.

Firestar5277 - You and me both. Much as I enjoy being able to expand upon the story universe and beyond the original level design, its incredibly tedious work and ended up dragging out way longer than I ever dreamed possible. Not something I'm keen on repeating anytime soon, but like you said, at least now I can concentrate upon what's ahead with a fresh perspective.

While it went through several, oftentimes unnecessarily complex iterations in development, the final boss battle was always meant to like it could have come straight from the game in the way it flowed. So I'm glad I got that right, and that you enjoyed how it ultimately played out in spite of the extended delay. Oh, and please, no more puns… It's driving me round the bend! (Grins).

I do love the Plumber though, and only wish he had more screen time throughout the series. Folk dance with a banana though? I'm sure he'd find a way if sufficiently motivated enough, or at least paid for his time anyway. Lord knows he gets up to enough weird stuff in canon; 'sewer crystals' in particular springing to mind. Plus of course we have Samus coming along for the ride now, but just how will she get Clank to notice her as more than an aquaintance?

Light Seeker 001 - Glad you liked it, and if our old friend Stuart Zurgo didn't have a reason to come after them before as in canon, he definitely will now once he receives the Plumber's 'special' package. To be honest, I think Ellen might feel at least a little sympathy for young Nefarious' past issues with Qwark, but wouldn't let it overshadow what he had done since as a major galactic villain; especially during the events of Up Your arsenal. As for your last question, should I ever get that far, I suspect Tachyon might comment as such out of spite, or worse. But then again, who's to say that Ellen isn't the first example of humanity he's come across…?

Plasmatik - There might well be some time in the future, who knows? Interestingly enough though, in canon, Vox Industries steal a number of Megacorp patented weapon blueprints in order to build their own, including a version of the Miniturret Glove for Dreadzone use. So who's to say that they didn't 'borrow' the landstalker design too? I suspect you might be thinking of the level after next though, seeing as Gorn represents the game's last flying level. After that however we have Snivelak and T4L Headquarters, where our heroes are going to need all the heavy firepower they can get just to survive.

Sonachugirl - The Plumber knows all! Hell, he probably knows when the sequel's going to come out before I do, and it hasn't even been written yet. Glad you like the chapter overall and I can only hope you enjoy this one just as much. Thanks again!

SAK-96 - A case of one down, far too many to go. The Buddy brothers are most definitely going to be pissed once they get word of what happened to their dear cousin, and after their last run, likely to be packing a whole lot more firepower when they inevitably come gunning for our heroes. Thanks for reviewing!

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337