The small ship landed on Barora, Aurora Section B, and the camouflage went up so they wouldn't be spotted as a precautionary measure. Once it was up, the doors opened and Rilena looked around before nodding, turning to the others. "Alright, everyone keep bags with you at all times and, if you can, avoid the creatures." They nodded. "Qwark, you and Cora will head to Sector Seven-B." He nodded as Cora got her gun ready. "Brax, you and Leon will head to Sector Five-B." Brax nodded as Leon grinned, the two worked well together.
"Ratchet, you'll be with me, we'll be in Sector Nine-B." She said to him and he nodded, grabbing his blaster. "Elaris, keep contact through the com-glove." Rilena said as she held her right arm up, a glove that had a small screen and what seemed like a voice output button. Looking around, Ratchet noticed that Qwark, Cora, Brax and Leon had one. "We're getting one made for you dad." RJ said, grabbing his father's attention. Ratchet smiled and nodded, seeing RJ and Ragar had a small device in their hands, Riley was holding a black glove as Clink was curled into a ball by her side. "RJ, you and Ragar stay with Riley, Elaris and the ship. If you notice something, don't hesitate to call us through the com-glove as well." Rilena then turned toward Riley.
"If the ship slowly starts losing power, tell Clink to head to the dashboard to convert power into the system." Riley nodded with a mock-salute, making Rilena smile. Ratchet, himself, smiled as well; this was the woman he knew, the woman he fell in-love with all those years ago. It seemed Rilena never lost her attitude as a Commander. She just knew when to be a leader and when to be a mom, able to switch between the two effectively and seamlessly. "Be careful everyone." Elaris said to them and they nodded before Rilena, Ratchet, Leon, Brax, Qwark and Cora left the ship, heading to the sector's needed.
Section B was split into nine different parts as it was the biggest plate on the planet taken from Aurora. It was also where the majority of crystals were. The other plates had crystals but not as many and sometimes they were so small they had no value or effect. However, Section B was a very dangerous plate, more animals were on that plate and even the Blarg, whenever they did come to the planet, tended to land on either Section B Aurora or on the plate right next to it. Rilena lifted her right arm, keeping her combustor in her left hand as she pulled up a holographic screen on her glove.
Ratchet came over, watching red dots move about and Rilena frowned, looking to their right. "What's wrong?" Ratchet asked as Rilena lowered her arm, turning the holographic screen off. "We're right next to Batalia Section A, Sector Seven-A. There are dozens of red dots there, a ton of Blarg have landed." Rilena explained, looking contemplative. "Maybe we should check it out," She looked at him again, "see what they're doing." He stated and she thought a bit, before nodding. "Good idea, make sure they're not going to get close." She said as Clank looked over from Ratchet's shoulder. "I would be inclined to agree. We best make haste." He said and the two nodded, heading toward the right, away from where they were walking.
As they neared, they dropped to their knees and scooted to the edge. The edge they were on was turned upward, giving them cover but allowing them to see what was going on. Clank got off Ratchet's back and looked over the edge as well, seeing several Blarg walking around. They were on a piece that was more like a wasteland than the lush Batalia they remembered. A metal building was behind two Blarg that were guarding the entrance and was guarded from a cliff behind the building and sides of the building.
A bridge crossed over a small pit of lava, which shouldn't be there, allowing Blarg to have access to the building. "That shouldn't be there." Rilena said softly, grabbing Ratchet's attention, yet he didn't look away from the Blarg. "What do you mean?" He asked, eyes fixed on the Blarg. Some looked different with metal parts on their body or wide eyes, some even had a purplish-tint to their body. Were those the Blarg that took the drug? "The building and lava. Ever since they mixed the two planets, the entire ecosystem changed, as did the nature of the planets. Batalia used to be lush and have snow, Aurora was a forest and always dark at night with glowing flora and fauna. With the combining of the two planets, and the constant natural disasters that Aurora had, combined with the calmness of Batalia…" She trailed off and shook her head.
"It changed everything. More than half the planet now is a wasteland but I've never seen the lava before." Ratchet frowned as well, turning to look at her and rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, we'll fix this. We'll stop Drek." He said softly and she smiled, nodding. "I know we will." She said softly, before turning her attention back to the Blarg. The two Blarg straightened as they all heard air being released and the door opened...and Rilena gasped, eyes going wide upon seeing who exited. A male Leopardis exited the building, wearing a black suit with armor that was painted red in color with the Drek Industries Insignia painted on the chestplate.
His eyes were brown like Drek's, his hair was pitchblack and pulled into a thin, low-ponytail and his fur was the same color as Rilena's. The spot's were a dark gray-blue as well yet his entire body color, spots as well, all had a purple tint to them. Despite the way he held himself, he didn't seem like a bad kid, he looked to be about ten years old but the way he held himself signaled he acted older than his age. 'Guess you have to act older when living with someone like Drek.' Ratchet though, before he turned his head to his wife, seeing her wide eyes.
"Rilena?" He questioned in concern...that must be her son that Drek forced her to conceive from him. "That's Derek." She said sadly, blue eyes holding sorrow. "Mine and Drek's son." Her voice held fondness for the boy, as well as sympathy...she hadn't wanted to fail in saving him from Drek. "Lord Derek," One of the Blarg regarded the boy, making him turn toward the Blarg, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Speak before I make you." Derek snapped out, looking away in what seemed annoyance when the Blarg hesitated. Rilena flinched at the hard tone Derek had...it was obvious she hadn't wanted him to turn out this way.
"Lord Drek will be arriving in two day's time. He asks that you await him here and remain safe sir." The Blarg said in a rush, saluting the boy. Derek turned toward him and frowned, before scoffing and turning around, grabbing a gun. It looked like some kind of plasma shotgun. "I'm just going for a stroll. Don't follow me if you value your life." He snapped at the Blarg who stumbled back and then the boy was walking off, Ratchet and Rilena could barely make out him saying something about 'stupid Blarg' and 'drugs' before the boy was out of sight.
He had come onto the plate they were on.
"We need to go, grab our crystals and leave." Rilena said before Ratchet looked at her confused. "Wait, couldn't we save the kid now? He came onto the plate we're on." Rilena tensed and sighed, turning to him with sorrowful eyes. "Ratchet, he's not the boy I remember. I don't think he'd come with us willingly...he seems loyal to Drek. Besides, the Blarg won't listen. Look." He turned around and saw two Blarg sneakingly follow Derek and sighed sadly.
Looks like they wouldn't be able to save him today.
"If the Blarg weren't so insistent on following him, then I'd try and get him to come to me and the Rebels...but I don't know if that'll work." She said sadly, he sighed sadly at that...she wanted Derek back...but she wasn't going to risk all of them being spotted. It was one thing if she was alone...but they had a whole group waiting for them; she wasn't going to risk all of them getting caught. "Let's go...we have crystals we need to get." Rilena said softly and Ratchet nodded, following his wife as Clank got on his back. Another day they would save Derek.
**(Few Minutes Later, Barora: Aurora Section B)**
Brown eyes turned soft as he knelt down, placing the bag down beside a gathering of crystals and looked around, good...no Blarg followed him. He noticed the two that did follow him and purposefully walked into a Desert Walker's den simply to get them killed. Afterward, he took a quick detour into a dead forest and came upon Aurora Section B. He knew about the crystals, studied them and everything, as well as the notes his mother had when she was with him and Drek for those few months after he was born. He held no ill-will toward his mother, he knew she tried to save him but he stayed behind, willingly letting his father hide him. At just a few months old, his father had experimented on him in order to make Derek smarter and it worked.
Derek was smarter than most kids, even smarter than some adults! He even outsmarted his own dad...he just didn't have the means of overthrowing his father and stopping the assault on the galaxy. He stayed behind in order to find a way of stopping his father and giving the Rebels an advantage when fighting. He had already found ways to wirelessly sabotage their own Blargian ships, make the guns jam and even the 'accidental' self combustion on a Blargian battlesuit. He was still surprised everyone passed it off as something with the drug having an effect on the Blargian's internal body temperature while within the battlesuit.
Well, if they wanted to think that, then so be it. Less he's suspected, the better.
He heard footsteps and got up, turning toward the large rock in front of him and jumping on top of it before activating the camouflage. Not a single Blarg knew he had camouflage with his suit and he'd prefer to keep it that way. He looked over the edge of the rock and his eyes widened as he saw his mother walk into the area with...who was that Lombax? That wasn't Leon, this Lombax had no metal and different colors, and he knew that wasn't Ratchet Junior, this guy was too tall and looked older!
"Alright Ratchet, this is the area where we find most of our crystals." Wait...as in the Ratchet that was suspected to be dead?! It looked like him...and he even had Clank with him. Rilena had told him all about Ratchet and Clank! Was it possible they haven't been dead? Eh, he'd find out later. Seeing how they hadn't noticed the bag yet he looked around and saw a small pebble beside him on the boulder he was on. Derek slowly reached out and flicked it, letting it hit the rocky ground below him. It made a sound as it hit the crystals, the yellow crystals sparking angrily, and Rilena with Ratchet swung their combuster's toward the sound.
However, they merely saw the crystals sparking...and then they noticed the bag. "What the…" Rilena slowly walked forward, gun still at the ready before she noticed the bag. She frowned and knelt down, before noticing the pebble that had a scorch mark from the crystals. Rilena looked up and Derek held his breath, hoping she didn't notice but it seemed she didn't as she frowned, not seeing anyone before looking at the bag again. "Ratchet, come over here." The Lombax walked over. "What is it?" He asked, kneeling beside her and she turned toward him. "Clank, think you can grab the bag. We'll check it after I grab the crystals." She said and Clank nodded, getting off Ratchet's back.
Derek watched as Clank extended his arm to grab the bag, getting zapped by the crystals yet it didn't seem to affect him before he successfully pulled the bag over. Rilena pulled out a rubber bag, a hammer and pike before releasing the crystals from their rocky hold. Once that was done, she turned toward Ratchet who was now opening the bag, having waited for her to finish. Once she was kneeling in front of him before the bag, they looked inside and she cocked her head to the side, even as Ratchet raised a brow. "Notes?" He questioned as Rilena pulled them out, flicking through them.
"They're written in code." She muttered however the coding looked familiar, making her hum. "I might be able to decode them, the coding looks familiar." She commented, before looking in the bag again. She pulled out a piece of metal and her jaw dropped. This was the metal that came from the Blargian battlesuits! If she identified this with the researchers, they could find a way to penetrate the suits without a barrage of bullets to try and simply get through their armor and thus using up their supplies!
They could also find out what the armor is made of and the result would be figuring out where they are getting their materials, sabotage their supplies and even grab some of the material for themselves! She looked at the notes again, the handwriting also looked familiar yet she merely shook her head...it couldn't be...could it? She put the piece of metal back as well as the notes, closed the bag and stood up. "Alright, we got the crystals we need so now-!" She jumped as her com-glove beeped. "What the…" She pulled up the holographic image of Elaris. "Rilena, we need you back, ASAP!" Elaris said in panic and Rilena felt her blood run cold. "Elaris, what's going on?" Rilena asked as her and Ratchet nodded and they ran off.
Once he heard their voices fade, Derek lowered his camouflage and sighed, jumping down from the rock and smiling. Good, his mother took the bag. He was a bit worried about what made her worried, that Elaris woman sounded like she needed her but he guessed she'd be fine. She has her husband with her after all. He dusted himself off and headed off, whistling to himself as he felt pride in the fact that he's helped his mother, even a little bit. He specifically used the coding she taught him for when he wanted to keep stuff private so she'd be able to decode it. He knew they'd be alright.
**(Barora, Aurora Section B, Ship Sight)**
Rilena glared at her three kids, blue eyes burning in rage as they hunkered their heads in shame, eyes filling with tears but knowing it was their own fault. "There have been many times you kids get in trouble, MANY times." She hissed out, feeling a vein throb and Ratchet backed up with Clank and Leon, they've seen how bad it is when Rilena's temper reaches its peak. "But of all things for you kids to try and do. Of. All. THINGS!" She snapped and they yelped, ducking their heads at her tone.
"Trying to run off and find Derek just because you hear he's here and hoping you don't get caught, find him, bring him here and merely hoping he'll join us is probably the most stupid, iditoic and downright suicidal thing you kids have ever thought of!" She snapped at them. Riley about started crying but even she knew it was stupid to go off and try to help her brother's. It was only because Clink saw her leaving the ship that Elaris was alerted and contacted Rilena and Ratchet. Thank god Leon and Brax had returned, otherwise Ragar and RJ would've successfully run off.
Rilena took a deep breath to reel her anger in as she rubbed her temples, trying to calm down...it wasn't often they tested her temper like this. "B-but…" Her eyes snapped open as RJ began speaking, "we know how much you want him away from Drek. We also want our brother as well, mom." He said softly, knowing it might be a mistake. A crack was heard as Rilena grabbed a crystal and crushed it, shocking them all but it was the only way she prevented herself from lashing out. The kids deserved discipline but she wasn't going to smack them as she had seen some other parents do when a kid back talks to them.
"I know you want your brother, I want Derek with us as well...but until we get more information on what he's doing, how he's doing and who he's loyal to, we are not, I repeat, NOT," All three kids jumped, "charging headfirst into what could be a suicide mission!" Rilena stated firmly, eyes harsh. She crossed her arms and thought for a bit, before growling; she had to. "You three are grounded for trying to pull this stunt." Their eyes widened. "What?!" "But mom!" "Why?!" They all complained only to get a sharp glare and they paled as they went silent.
Their mother spoke once more. "Because if you had succeeded I see a few things that could've happened. One, you three get captured by either the Blarg or Derek himself; we have no idea who he's loyal to!" Rilena snapped and they yelped at her sharp tone once more. "Two, you all could've been killed! Three, you could've been captured and forced to work for Drek himself!" They felt guilt at seeing their mother unravel like this. Looking at her eyes, there was nothing but anger, fear and sadness in them. "Until I am convinced that you all start acting a bit more mature, or at least come to me with any ideas you get, you're grounded. Stop running off on your own!" She growled once more and pointed to the ship.
"Now get on the ship and buckle down. You're going to your rooms once we get home." Rilena muttered and they lowered their heads, stepping onto the ship. Elaris sighed and got on as well, she was going to keep an eye on them until everyone got back. "You sure you weren't too harsh?" Brax asked which made Rilena sigh. "This isn't the first time they've tried to run off in a way they think that 'helps' me." She muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "However, them attempting to go after Derek and thinking it'll be an easy time and they can simply bring him back, no problems?" She questioned with a raised brow to Brax, who shrugged.
"I do apologize but it's the stupidest idea they've come up with yet." Rilena snapped out. Brax held his hands up in defeat and boarded the ship as well, even as Leon walked over. "I'll talk to the kids again and explain that it's a time of war and we must be careful." Leon offered. Rilena shook her head. "No, that's my job-" Ratchet interrupted her. "And mine." He said, grabbing their attention. "They are our kids," Ratchet said to Rilena, making her give a small smile, "they need to know that they can't just do whatever they want. If they have a suggestion or idea, they need to talk it over with us first." He stated firmly.
Leon smiled as Rilena nodded. "Alright, I'll leave everything to you all." He boarded the ship as well, even as Rilena leaned against Ratchet's chest, he wrapped his arms around her. "Without you here, I think I would've been harsher with the kids." She muttered against his chest and he chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "You're far more tolerant than you think Rilena." Ratchet said softly, making her turn her head to look up at him and smile, nuzzling his chin. "Only you think that." She muttered and he chuckled once more. "Come on, Qwark and Cora will be here soon." He said and led her onto the ship. They'd figure out how to get the kids to understand.
Chapter 5 is up and we finally get our first official look at Derek everyone...as well as seeing how reckless the twins are, as well as Mommy!Rilena being the mother and leader she is. I know it might generally be harsh...but ask yourself this. You live in a time of war and you have a pair of twins that thought everything would be fine to go out and do a suicide mission? They have NO information on Derek...would you be fine with that? Besides, all she did was give them a tongue lashing and ground them, though Ratchet will also be giving the kids a tongue lashing as well. RJ and Ragar are fifteen, going on sixteen and Riley is five going on six; they all should know better.
Well, hope ya'll are still enjoying the story. ^^