"So, you feeling good about this?" Kaden asks Ratchet, standing before him in the hallway leading to the Council's meeting room.
Ratchet exhales a breath. "I'm a little nervous, if I'm telling the truth." He replies, mustering a small smile.
Kaden chuckles. "Just relax, Ratchet, like I said, you'll be fine. This whole thing is pretty much just a formality that we need to get out of the way before we can officially call you a Keeper." He assures him. "We're gonna walk in there, I make my case for why you should be a Keeper, I vouch for you as a fellow Keeper, and everyone's going to vote 'yes', because why wouldn't they? And after a little oath, bam. You're officially a brand-new Keeper of the Dimensionator." He states with a smile and a nod.
"And besides, we have attended formal celebrations to receive high honors numerous times before in the past." Clank adds from beside Ratchet, raising a finger. "I do not believe this would be any different, Ratchet. Do not worry."
Ratchet glances up to Kaden, then to Clank over his shoulder, but then sighs. "I mean, yeah, I know you're both right, but… I don't know." He says, shaking his head with a shrug as he crosses his arms. "I know how important being a Keeper is to you and the rest of the Lombaxes, and all that responsibility that comes with it, and I'm just nervous that I'll… I don't know, mess it up somehow and let everyone down."
But as he hangs his head slightly, he suddenly feels Kaden rest a hand on his shoulder, and looks up to see him returning a wide grin.
"That just tells me that you are more than ready, Ratchet." He says resolutely. "The fact that you're worried about holding up the responsibility that comes with being a Keeper shows that you understand perfectly well how important this position is, which is good to see. And, don't worry, because I know that's how I felt when I was first considered to be a Keeper, after all." He says with a small chuckle.
But then, he takes his other hand, ands grips onto Ratchet's other shoulder, looking into his eyes with a firm yet comforting look.
"But, as for if you think you'll have what it takes to rise up to the task, I have absolutely zero doubts, Ratchet." He states decisively. "You've got the skills, you're learning the know-how, but most importantly, you've got the heart. You've spent your whole life fighting to protect other people and keeping them safe, whether it be from a random thug or a tyrannical maniac like Tachyon, and that is exactly what the job of a Keeper stands for. The only difference between you being a hero and you being a Keeper is that you just so happen to have to take care of a shiny gadget along the way so that you won't let anyone accidentally blow up the multiverse. But like I said, you've already been doing that in the other dimension, so all we're doing now is properly recognizing you and your accomplishments."
He then grips onto his shoulders to pull him into a hug. "You've got this, Ratchet, and don't let you convince yourself otherwise. I know you'll make me proud, because you already have. Alright?"
Ratchet, initially surprised by the unexpected hug, smiles warmly as he then begins to return it. "Yeah. You're right." He says contentedly. "I can do this."
"That's what I like to hear." Kaden replies with a smile as they break from the hug, giving Ratchet one more reassuring nod before thumbing to the door to the meeting room next to them. "I'd say it's about time we actually got going on your meeting, then, huh?"
Ratchet gives a firm nod and a smile. "Let's go."
Kaden gives one more nod as he, Ratchet, and Clank walk down the hall, and upon reaching the doors, opens them to find the rest of the Council in their seats, conversing amongst themselves, but with many of them beginning to quiet down as they walk into the room, albeit with Clank walking over to Julie and Mags in the audience while Ratchet and Kaden walk over to the podium.
"You're late." Harold grumpily speaks up above everyone else. "We were supposed to start three minutes ago."
"Good morning to you, too, Harold." Kaden returns flatly. "Sorry for wasting your precious time, but I'm sure we can get over it somehow, don't you worry."
And as Harold scoffs with an indignant roll of his eyes, Kaden mans the podium, clearing his throat for a moment before raising his hand to quell down any lingering conversations taking place.
"Is everyone present?" He begins. "Speak now if that is not the case."
No one says anything, and after a few seconds, he gives a nod as he lowers his hand back down once more.
"Then this meeting of the Council for Advanced Lombax Research may begin." He declares. "We are gathered here today to elect a new Keeper of the Dimensionator, now that there are two such devices currently in use now, and to ensure their responsible use, it only makes sense to have a second Keeper join me in our shared duty to protect them, the Lombaxes, and the rest of the multiverse as a whole. It does not need to be said that such an extremely important task should not be taken lightly, and that there must be someone who has what it takes to uphold those responsibilities to their best potential. And that someone, I believe, is my son, Ratchet." He announces, gesturing his arm over to him, flashing him a proud smile that Ratchet is sure to return.
Still wearing a smile, Kaden turns back to the rest of the Council, where there are some whispers and mutterings amongst themselves, but he pays it no mind, thankfully hearing nothing negative among their discussions.
"I believe that there is no better person suited to the job than him, evidenced by a great many factors." He continues. "But the greatest one of all, as we have previously witnessed for ourselves, is the fact that he was willing to put himself and his life on the line to battle that genocidal psychopath, Tachyon. Despite the fact that he was a teenager, depite the fact that he knew Tachyon was the cause of his people's grief, and despite the reality that he might not have even won, he walked into the Court of Azimuth and wrenched the Dimensionator out of that dirty Cragmite's hands so that he would never be able to use it to usher in an era of chaos and misery to both Lombaxes, and the rest of the universe."
Even more mutterings among the Council, but all in general agreement and praise, with many of them nodding their heads, encouraging Kaden, but also Ratchet as well, especially as he looks over to Mags, Julie, and Clank sitting in the front row to their left, where he sees all of them give him a thumbs up and a smile, with Julie being the most enthusiastic out of all of them to none of his surprise.
"But that is but only one example that demonstrates his capability to uphold the massive duty of Keeper." Kaden resumes, prompting Ratchet to focus his attention back onto him. "For years now, he has made a reputation for himself as a hero, travelling across galaxies to do what must be done in order to stop numerous threats, including a deranged leader that sought to blow up and tear apart planets for his own gain, a mad scientist that attempted to transform his entire galaxy into robots, and a sadistic businessman that kidnapped heroes to fight to the death in a televised blood sport, to name but a few. Many times has Ratchet risked his life to uphold his duty as a protector of the people, and that many times has he succeeded in his task, and he has made the universe a safer place with his accomplishments.
"I believe without a doubt that he possesses the qualities of a great Keeper. He has the skills to fight an enemy, should the need arise, which it has for him many times before. He has the strength and courage to make difficult decisions for the greater good, such as refusing to reunite with his people for the sake of the safety of his galaxy and friends. But most of all, he has the heart and the intrinsic drive to protect as many people as he can, which I believe is arguably the single most important trait that any Keeper can possibly hope to have."
And as Ratchet stands there with a smile, filled with happiness at his father's praises towards him, Kaden then raises his hand.
"Now, I understand that even despite these great accomplishments, there might be some doubts and reservations as to electing him as a Keeper." He follows up. "For starters, the obvious fact that he has never lived with our people, and how some of you may consider him a Lombax by blood alone, as he is unknowing of our society and its customs, our history and our struggles.
"But to those of you with such doubts, I argue that would only make him more qualified." He states firmly, returning his hand to gripping the podium. "Living in another dimension by himself, fighting across many different galaxies, meeting all kinds of people and experiencing their cultures means that he holds a far more objective viewpoint of what should be right and wrong, and to allow him to perfectly understand that by protecting the multiverse, he is protecting all of the other species and peoples living across the universe, and not just his fellow Lombaxes. Someone who has grown up sheltered in our admittedly very private culture could never hope to attain such experiences, or fully understand that the repercussions of their actions affect others far outside of our own society, not like Ratchet does." He finishes with a nod.
"And to those of you who would argue that I am doing this out of sheer nepotism, I find that to be a laughable statement. Am I proud that it is my son who has accomplished all these great and noble deeds across several galaxies? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. But does him being my son detract from those deeds, or his will, or his ability to uphold the mighty task of Keeper of the Dimensionator? No. No it does not." He says with a shake of his head. "And even if you argue otherwise, then I challenge you to find someone else who you would think is better suited to the task solely based on the needless criteria that they aren't of my flesh and blood. And I do mean challenge, because I believe you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more worthy of the title than Ratchet here." He says as he looks over to him, reaching out to grip his shoulder with a warm smile.
And they simply stand there together at the podium, smiling at one another with love and pride brimming in their shared gaze. But after a few moments, and after a small pat of his shoulder, Kaden retracts his hand and focuses back onto the Council.
"So, it is with great pleasure that, as both a Councilman and current Keeper of the Dimensionator, I officially nominate and vouch for Ratchet to be named Keeper as well. Are there any objections?"
Although he was confident and certain of the outcome of this meeting, Kaden can't help but find himself unconsciously holding his breath, all too used to being roaringly denied after his twenty years of appeals to attempt to rescue his son from the other dimension.
But as the ensuing silence from his audience steadily grows from mere moments to entire seconds, Kaden exhales with great relief and happiness, and nods, accepting the Council's answer.
"Well then, without further ado, I formally call a vote." He then raises his hand. "All in favor of electing Ratchet to become a new Keeper of the Dimensionator, and accepting all the responsibility and duties wherein?"
And one by one, every hand in the room begins to rise, especially Mags' and Julie's, the latter of whom was eagerly waving it as if she was begging a teacher to call on her for the correct answer to a question. It made Kaden chuckle and roll his eyes, but he also can't help but notice Clank sitting among them, raising his own hand as well, and although he couldn't officially count his vote as a non-Councilmember, it warmed his heart to see how supportive he was of his son.
But regardless, his vote ultimately didn't matter, as after only a few seconds, Kaden and Ratchet are greeted with the sight of a resounding unanimous vote. And with a smile and a nod, Kaden lowers his hand, as does the rest of the Council. Except for Julie, of course, who had to be quietly ushered by Mags to settle down and lower her hand and quiet waving it around like a moron, to which she stuck her tongue out at him as she begrudgingly followed his orders.
"Then it is decided." Kaden confirms. "So now, that just leaves us with one more step."
He then turns away from the podium to face Ratchet, all the while wearing a beaming, proud grin as he raises his hand once more out beside him. "You ready?" He quietly asks him.
Ratchet's eyes widen for a moment as he quickly realizes what is happening, and stands a little straighter as he too raises his arm out to the side with a smile and a nod. "Yep!"
"Alright, then." Kaden replies before he clears his throat, speaking up louder as he adopts a more professional expression.
"As Keeper of the Dimensionator, do you, Ratchet, swear to do whatever it takes to protect the Dimensionator and the very fabric of the multiverse itself, including laying down your life, if need be?"
Ratchet gives an eager nod. "I do."
"And as Keeper of the Dimensionator, do you, Ratchet, swear to responsibly use the Dimensionator, fully understanding the dangers of its misuse and potential to cause great harm should it ever happen, and to do everything in your power to prevent such calamities from ever happening?"
"I do."
"And as Keeper of the Dimensionator, do you, Ratchet, swear to dedicate yourself to the protection of all those who stand to be threatened should said calamities ever occur despite your best efforts, and to do everything in your power to ensure their safety and wellbeing?"
"I do."
Kaden then nods, and relaxes his firm look of resolution to make way for a wide grin. "Then, it is with great honor that I, Kaden, declare you, Ratchet, an official Keeper of the Dimensionator!"
And as he finishes his declaration, the Council's meeting room is drowned in applause as Kaden drops his arm to step up to Ratchet and take him into a tight embrace, smiling as Ratchet returns it just as tightly as well.
"Good job, Ratchet. I'm proud of you." He says to him, his quiet words heard even above the Council's cheering.
Ratchet smiles. "Thanks, dad, but… I haven't done anything yet, though."
He huffs a small laugh through his nose. "That's not true. You just accepted one of the most important positions in Lombax society without a moment's hesitation, and I know you mean it when you swore to accept all of the duties that come with it." He says as he squeezes him a little tighter "And for that, I am incredibly proud of you, Ratchet. I know you'll do great."
Ratchet somehow manages to grow his smile even larger as he hugs him tighter as well. "Thanks, dad. I won't let you down." He says contentedly.
"I know you won't—"
They are cut off as they suddenly hear a small explosion, causing several to yell out in surprise, and making Ratchet and Kaden break from their hug, startled, the latter of which instinctually pulling out a blaster from his Arsenal as they scan the room for the source.
But it only took a moment however, as they see a large cloud of vividly-colored confetti beginning to slowly flutter down in front of Julie as she holds up a large cannon in both her hands over her head, wearing an elated grin as Mags appears to be recovering from an acute heart attack right beside her, right alongside Clank next to him.
"WOO!" She hollers excitedly. "THAT'S MY NEPHEW!"
"Goddammit, Julie! I told you not to bring that stupid confetti cannon!" Mags loudly scolds her as Ratchet and Kaden breathe a sigh of relief along with the rest of the Council, while Ratchet holsters his gun back into his Arsenal.
"And why the hell wouldn't I?! This is the perfect occasion for it!" She argues indignantly, demanifesting the cannon in question back into her own Arsenal as she crosses her arms.
"Because, as we have told you many, many times before, weapons aren't allowed inside the meeting room, Julie!" A Councilwoman retorts.
"But it's not a weapon!" She corrects her.
"Actually, it is, because I recall you mentioning that its design was funded under your budget in the Weapons Division, and that'd only be allowed if it was classified as such." Another Councilman adds. "Unless, of course, you lied on your financial report just so you can waste the Center's resources to build something as frivolous as a confetti cannon?"
Julie quiets for a moment as Mags facepalms, shaking his head before she raises a finger. "Did I say it wasn't a weapon? Because that was wrong, it actually totally is a weapon, it even has 'cannon' in its name!"
"Who's even going to clean up all of this confetti anyway, huh?" A Councilman argues as he brushes some off of his shoulder, caught in the blast of the showering debris. "And why'd you use the really tiny ones, too? I've got things to do after this!"
"Yeah, and not to mention that we still need to reprimand you for breaking the 'no weapons' rule again Julie!" Another Councilwoman adds.
But as Julie goes to open her mouth to retort, Harold speaks up instead, cutting her off.
"I have an idea; I call for an impromptu vote." He then raises his hand. "All in favor of making Julie's punishment for violating the meeting room's 'no weapons allowed' rule by making her stay behind to clean up all of her confetti mess?"
"Wait, what?!" She cries out in surprise.
Once again, every hand in the room goes up in a unanimous vote, including Ratchet and Kaden, making Julie look between them and Mags in disbelief, who is also raising his hand, staring right at her with a huge, smug grin.
"Wha—"
"Then it is decided. I believe there is a broom in the closet out in the hall, Julie, I recommend you utilize it." Harold tells her as he lowers his hand before looking back to Kaden. "So, is our business here concluded, then?"
Kaden chuckles with a nod. "Unless anyone wishes to raise another matter, then yes, this meeting is adjourned." He announces.
"Hey, I want to raise a matter!" Julie calls out, raising her hand as everyone gets up from their seats. "I want to voice an appeal to rescind that stupid punishment just now!"
"Oh, my apologies." Kaden says innocently. "All in favor in denying Julie's appeal?" He announces to the rest of the Council.
Once again, every hand raises as everyone begins making their way down the amphitheater's rows, making Julie scoff indignantly as she crosses her arms with a pout.
Kaden shrugs. "Then it is decided. Now this meeting is adjourned. Sorry, Julie." He tells her with a smile.
"Screw you guys!" She argues as both he and Ratchet laugh while the rest of the Council steadily begins to funnel out the doors.
"I told you that you shouldn't have brought that thing." Mags tells her with a smug grin.
Julie flashes him a scowl, and a few seconds later, whips out a Smartass Silencer before pointing it right at him, making his eyes widen. But before she can pull the trigger, he hurriedly reaches out to grab its barrel with a triumphant smile.
"Ah-ha! Not this—OW!" He cries out as he stiffens up as if he was tazed, Julie letting him hang onto the barrel for a few seconds longer before she yanks it out of his tightened grip with a laugh.
"Ow, what the hell was that, Julie?!" He demands, retracting his hand as he looks at it in confusion.
"Electrified barrel, dumbass. You really think I didn't learn to modify it so you can't just yank it out of my hands like last time?" She returns haughtily, crossing her arms with a satisfied smile.
"I… Just… Don't taze me again with that thing." Mags replies in exasperation, staring at the weapon in trepidation as Kaden and Ratchet walk over to them, to which Julie notices, and she quickly holsters it as she rushes out of her seat before wrapping Ratchet into a tight hug.
"Would you look at that, you're an actual Keeper now, Ratchet!" She nearly squeals in delight. "Congratulations!"
"Th-Thanks?" He rasps out. "Can you ease up a bit?"
"Oh, yeah, sure!" She replies, letting go of him as Mags and Clank also join them, walking back from their own seats.
"While I don't think I'm going to try and suffocate you like she did, I'm going to have to agree with her, too." Mags adds with a smile. "Congratulations, Ratchet!"
"Indeed, we are all quite happy for you." Clank affirms with a nod beside him.
Ratchet returns a thankful smile as he looks between all of them. "Thanks, guys. It's… nice to see that you all support me, even though you've only known me for like, a little over a week." He says with a chuckle.
"Hey, of course we support you, if Kaden's a part of our little family, then so are you." Mags assures him. "Especially if you're as fun to hang out with as much as he is, even if you've inherited a bit of his smart mouth, too." He adds amusedly, glancing to Kaden, who rolls his eyes with a smirk.
"You're saying that as if you aren't a smartass every once in a while, too." He remarks.
He shrugs. "Just saying, between the three of us, your 'every once in a while' is a hell of a lot more frequent than either me or Julie's." He responds, thumbing between her and himself.
"Fair enough." He says with a small laugh. "But, anyway, I've gotta say that I appreciate your guys' support, too. It's going to be exciting now that my son's a fellow Keeper just like me." He says warmly, wrapping his arm around Ratchet as they exchange fond looks to each other.
"And we're just as pumped, Kaden!" Julie enthusiastically agrees. "But that just leaves one question: Whose place are we going to for the obvious celebration party we're going to throw?"
"We can go to mine, I just tidied up the place." Mags offers. "I even got a new holovision the other day, too!"
"Wow, you dropped bolts on something other than your ship, Mags?" She asks.
"Hey, not everything's just about Centauri, you know." He argues, crossing his arms. "And we don't have to go to my place if you're just going to be smart with me—"
"Hey, I didn't say that, I totally wanna check out your new holovision!" She quickly corrects him, starting to walk towards the door. "So, let's get going already so that we can get our party on—"
"Whoop-up-up, not so fast, Julie." Kaden says, holding out his arm to stop her. "You've gotta stay here."
"Huh? Why?!" She asks in indignant confusion.
Kaden wordlessly gestures to the floor behind her, absolutely covered with confetti, making her slump her shoulders in dismay.
"Oh." She mutters.
"Yeah. So, if you don't mind us, we'll be going ahead and flying over to Mags' place." Kaden tells her nonchalantly with a smirk, thumbing to the doors behind him.
"We'll probably stop by the store for snacks and stuff first, though, but then we can get the party started." Mags affirms as they all start walking away, leaving Julie scowling as she stands amid her mess. "But don't worry, we'll save you some appetizers if you take too long!"
"Screw you guys!" She calls out while they snicker to themselves.
"Erm, I won't party with them without you there, if it makes you feel better?" Ratchet suggests, looking back at her with a shrug and awkward smile.
"Why, thank you, Ratchet!" She says genuinely to him before frowning once again. "See? Why can't you guys be more like Ratchet and not be such jerks, huh?!"
"Don't worry, I'll teach him to know better." Kaden smugly replies before waving to her. "See you later, Julie! Have fun!" He says as they walk out of the door, making her scoff as she throws up her hands in defeat.
"Jerks." She comments, turning around to look at all the confetti scattered about the ground and in the first few seats in the front row.
And as she spends a good ten seconds with her hands on her hips, taking inventory of everything she has to clean up, she eventually hangs her head with a sigh.
"Dammit, he's right. I really shouldn't have brought that stupid cannon in the first place." She mutters, slumping over to the hall to see if Harold was right about that broom.