Chapter VI
Tangent: I can see it now:
Rivet: "How is THIS supposed to be an evacuation route!?"
Al: "I did say that it was unconventional."
Klunk: "Why does the base of the elevator start halfway up from the loading platform behind your shop?"
Al: "The contractors followed the official plans provided by the Town Hall. Apparently their architect made an error and nobody bothered correcting it until AFTER it was too late to do anything about it."
Klunk: "And you wonder why I have such a low opinion about squishies."
Al: "The city architect is a robot."
Klunk: "I am feeling conflicted about that revelation."
My Reply: I love, LOVE this dialogue here. It's absolutely hilarious, and very much in-character. I asked Tangent already if I could use this, and they said yes, so- credit goes to Tangent for this awesome dialogue! And thank you so much for reading this story! :3
Additionally, the dialogue (slight spoiler!) towards the end of this chapter (as well as the line of dialogue for the little cameo) where Rivet verbally rips a certain character a new one also came from Tangent. It's been altered slightly, but the majority of said dialogue belongs to them.
WafflesnRamen: D'awww, okay not gonna lie this is starting to really pick up! Loving your action scenes too, quick and snappy as Rivet's hammer.
Klunk is in for a ride down the line...
My Reply: Thanks! I'm always worrying about the action scenes, so I'm happy to know you love them. Hopefully I can continue to make them enjoyable. :3
Rivet stands atop the landing pad above the loading platform behind Al's shop, her eyes flicking from the elevator she and Klunk just took down to the base of said elevator, and then back again.
"How is this supposed to be an evacuation route!?"
"I did say that it was unconventional," Al says, his voice crackling from the tiny speaker on Rivet's glove.
Before the young Lombax can question how he's able to do that in the first place, Klunk then asks, "Why does the base of the elevator start halfway up from the loading platform behind your shop?"
"The contractors followed the official plans provided by the Town Hall," Al explains, his voice crackling slightly. "Apparently their architect made an error and nobody bothered correcting it until after it was too late to do anything about it."
"And you wonder why I have such a low opinion about squishies."
There's a brief pause before Al awkwardly tells him, "The city architect is a robot."
"I am feeling conflicted about that revelation," Klunk mutters, more to himself than anyone else.
"We've got other things to worry about right now," Rivet cuts in, now turning her attention towards the other landing platform situated a ways below. A Blargian dropship had just swooped in above it. "Looks like we've got some company."
She turns off the speaker and mic on her glove, and then she tele-equips her Bomb Glove. The young Lombax hurls one of the spherical explosives at the dropship. It hits the fuel tank, resulting in a massive ball of fire that nearly knocks Rivet off her feet. The blazing remnants of the dropship fall, spiraling down and crashing onto the platform below. Thankfully, the platform itself holds— aside from several thick cracks now running through it.
"Alright. Time to try out these new hoverboots… bolts, I'm gonna need you to use your new heli-pack again too. I'll tell you when!" Rivet takes a few steps back, and then sprints towards the edge of the landing pad. "NOW!" She leaps off, pressing her heels back against the soles of her boots to activate them. The hoverboots click on with a soft hum, and the feline can hear the rhythmic thuwmp-thuwmp of Klunk's propellers.
The power of both the heli-pack and the hoverboots combined allows the duo to descend to the platform below safely.
Once Rivet's feet hit the platform, and both heli-pack and hoverboots are deactivated, the young Lombax sprints towards the elevator ahead. She steps onto it, and almost falls off when it jerks upon starting its ascent.
She steadies herself, heart beating hard against her chest as she waits for the elevator to reach the top.
Upon reaching the top of the tower, Rivet comes face to face with one of those robomutts. In a flash, she's leaping to the side to dodge a lunge from the mechanical canine— the latter tumbles over the edge of the tower to its doom. At the same time, the feline is tele-equipping her new Spiral of Death and pulling down on the trigger. The pale blue circular saw-like blade is catapulted out from the weapon, and slices the closest robomutt clean in half. Two more quickly follow, as does the robo-generator directly behind them.
Like a boomerang, the spiral circles back around and nearly knocks Rivet off her feet when it reattaches itself to the weapon in her hands.
"Klunk?" Rivet pipes up, staring down at the deadly device in her hands with wide-eyed awe written all over her features.
"Yes?"
"I think this is my new favourite weapon," Rivet declares, smirking as she gently pats the hunk of metal with one hand. "Let's get dangerous!"
"I… do not like the sound of that," Klunk remarks.
Rivet dashes to the side, returning fire with one of her Dual Raptors as the Blargian soldier standing atop the crate sitting on the train's transport platform fires mini-missile after mini-missile at her. She manages to land a hit, and the soldier tumbles over the edge, clutching their chest.
"Grav-Train D is about to depart," a computerised voice emanating from the speakers installed all throughout the train station announces. "Next destination: The Hall of Heroes."
"Well, now we know which train to take," Rivet remarks, grappling onto the crate where the Blarg trooper had been just a moment earlier with the help of her Swingshot and a Versa-Target. As soon as her feet hit the giant metal crate, the train jerks— its engines sputtering as it starts up, before settling into a reverberating hum.
Rivet grapples her way onto a stack of crates on the next platform ahead, and clambers her way to the other side. She spies another Blarg trooper ahead, standing atop a stack of pipes whose clamps could be deactivated via the big green button in front of the young feline.
It's just begging to be pressed.
Rivet tele-equips her FissionMallet, and raises it to strike when she hears a voice crackling over the walkie-talkie attached to the soldier's belt. She pauses, listening as the voice says, "Chairman Drek wants that payload delivered to the Hall of Heroes pronto! Make sure it gets there, or someone will be paying a little visit to the airlock."
"This train must be carrying a bomb," Klunk mutters to Rivet, keeping his voice low. "If it reaches the Hall of Heroes…"
"That won't happen." Rivet slams her Mallet into the switch, and the clamps holding the pipes in place deactivate. The hollowed-out, cylindrical pieces of metal roll off the platform, taking the now-screaming Blargian trooper with them. "Not on our watch!"
She sprints, leaping from one platform to the next, and switching back to her Dual Raptors when she spots a soldier up ahead, guarding what looks like… a bolt crank? She tries not to think too hard on why someone would just stick a bolt crank there, and instead focuses on dodging the mini-missiles being shot at her. The Lombax quickly brings down the Blargian soldier, and leaps onto the platform next to the body.
After a quick inspection, it quickly becomes apparent that there is no way to get to the next platform— the train car ahead makes doing that impossible. There's gotta be a way… c'mon, think! How? How…? As she switches back to her Mallet, Rivet turns her gaze onto the bolt crank, studying it with a flight frown. Normally, OmniWrenches are needed to turn one of these, but maybe…
Rivet settles her Mallet on the top of the bolt, and the end of the weapon's head slides over the top of the bolt smoothly.
The feline starts pushing, putting all of her strength into getting the thing to move. At first, it doesn't budge, but after a second, it starts turning slowly. As Rivet continues to push, the bolt turns faster. "Yes! It's working!" And then the bolt stops. "Huh?" The bolt then sinks into its base, and the young Lombax catches the sound of gears moving.
"Rivet? I think you should turn around," Klunk pipes up.
Rivet turns around, and spies a Versa-Target now hovering beside the train car. "Aha! I see it!" A brief pause. "Geez, whoever designed this thing… really had no idea what the heck they were doing."
As she tele-equips her Swingshot, Klunk replies, "Agreed. I… am not sure I want to know who designed this train in the first place…"
Rivet barely manages to hold back a snort.
A final push, and the bolt sinks into its base. Rivet takes a step back, watching as the platform carrying the bomb detaches from the rest of the train, quickly shrinking as the distance grows. And then the explosive bursts into a massive ball of flames, sending bits of shrapnel flying harmlessly through the air.
"Whoa," Rivet mutters. "If we'd gotten here even a few seconds later…"
The train's locomotive starts to slow, and it pulls to a stop next to what appears to be the drop-off point. The feline hops off, boots hitting the sidewalk with a soft thunk. She's taken aback by all the warbots swarming the Hall of Heroes. If anyone showed up for the Ranger tryouts earlier that day, they're gone now.
Rivet ducks behind one of the oversized metal vases littering the area, and peers around the side, watching the warbots as her thoughts leap into overdrive. "There's no way we'll be able to take them all out here on the ground," the young Lombax whispers to Klunk. "I'd run out of ammo long before I could wipe out even half of them." She turns her gaze onto the rest of the courtyard, her eyes searching for anything that could help. And then she spots it. A Class G Starjumper. A smirk spreads across her muzzle. "Hey, Klunk… you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Seeing as I am facing the opposite direction and cannot see what you see, I sincerely doubt it," Klunk mutters.
Rivet casts one last glance towards the warbots before focusing her eyes on the Starjumper once more. She takes a deep breath, and makes a break for it— sprinting across the edge of the courtyard as fast as her legs can carry her.
She scurries behind the inert ship, peering over its wing to glance at the carnage still ensuing in the courtyard. Good, they didn't see me. She presses one of the buttons on her glove, bringing up a holographic display. "If I can just get the cockpit open, we can swipe this Starjumper and blast those warbots into the next galaxy! I just need to find…"
"Should I be worried…?"
"Nahh, I'd do it all the time as a kid— find a decent hoverbike, override the security lockout, and take her out for a spin…" Rivet smiles a little at the memory. "Veldin isn't that great of a place to grow up, but when I'd… er, borrow one of those bikes and just ride it through the canyons… I could… pretend. That things were different." A green checkmark appears on the holographic screen in front of her, and there's a hiss as the Starjumper's cockpit opens. "Yes! I got it open!"
Rivet leaps into the waiting pilot's seat, grabbing Klunk off her back at the same time and setting him into the seat beside her.
"Ahem… I believe that we agreed that from now on I would fly."
"No time to argue right now!" Rivet presses a button the dashboard, closing up the cockpit and starting the ship's engines. She steers the ship up and away from the courtyard. Once she's high enough, the feline performs a quick U-turn, swooping down low and pressing her thumbs down on the buttons for the Pulse Cannons, razing several warbots into piles of half-melted scrap.
An all-too familiar voice crackles over the Starjumper's comm, declaring indignantly, "Hey! This is our turf, pal!"
"What a great way to say thanks for coming to your aid," Rivet grumbles sarcastically, clenching the ship's steering so tight her fingers start to hurt. Of course, Captain Qwark couldn't be bothered to show the least bit of gratitude…
"Even if we are able to clear out all the warbots here in the courtyard," Klunk speaks up, "we still need to do something about the Class E Blargian Dreadship— otherwise, they will send reinforcements."
"What're we supposed to do?" After blowing away the rest of the warbots, Rivet waves a hand towards the Dreadship and adds, "I don't think even this Starjumper can put a dent in that thing!"
"Wait… is that my Starjumper you're flying?!"
Rivet slams her finger on the mute button.
"Actually…" Klunk taps his chin in thought. "Perhaps it can."
"Were you even listening to me, bolts?" Rivet whips her head towards Klunk, eyebrows furrowed. He meets her gaze with a deadpan expression. "I literally just said—" And then the gears click. "Ooohh…" A smirk spreads across her muzzle. "I think I get it now. We'll have to time it just right though, otherwise… well, there probably won't be much left of us for a funeral."
"Indeed." Klunk shuffles closer to the dashboard and keeps one hand hovering over a big, blue plastic button. "When you give me the word, I will press this button to engage the ejector seats. And make sure to aim for the Dreadship's fuel tank."
"Got it!" Rivet whips the ship around, steering it towards the Dreadship. The distance between the two vessels shrinks exponentially. "Three… two… one! Hit it!"
Rivet grabs Klunk's other hand just as he presses the button. The next thing the Lombax knows, she and the little warbot are flung through the air a ways, before slowing down and only speeding up at they begin their descent. Rivet swings Klunk around, and their magnetic mounts click together. At the same time Klunk engages his heli-pack, Rivet kicks on her hoverboots, and their freefall quickly slows to a gentle glide back towards the courtyard of the Hall of Heroes.
A reverberating BOOM announces the Dreadship's untimely demise, and the debris falling from the sky punctuates it.
Within moments, Rivet's feet hit the ground with a thunk.
Klunk clambers off her back, and Rivet turns to see him watching as the cloud of black smoke that once was the Dreadship begins to clear up. Blarg fighters swarm the skies, making their retreat now that their biggest gun has just been destroyed. The little warbot turns around to meet Rivet's questioning gaze. She offers him a small smile. "Y'know… we make a pretty good team."
Klunk opens his mouth to reply when the duo are suddenly swarmed by reporters.
Rivet doesn't get a chance to wonder where in the heck they all came from, as a microphone gets shoved right in her face. And then the next thing she knows is that an all-too familiar Galactic Ranger clad in green spandex has pushed his way between her and the reporter in front of her.
"All right, everyone," Qwark drawls obnoxiously. "Let's give these heroes some breathing room! I'm happy to field all questions on their behalf."
"Captain Qwark! Juanita Alvaro, HoloVid Nightly."
Who doesn't know who she is? Rivet thinks. Really one of the few sources of entertainment she had growing up on Veldin were the news reports given by Juanita and her former co-worker Dallas (who was often suspected, at least by Juanita, to be wearing a toupee).
"The Blarg have been underground for over fifty years," Juanita goes on, regarding Qwark with an unimpressed glare. It's also common knowledge that she cares very little for the leader of the Galactic Rangers. "Could their return be linked to the destroyed planets?"
"I think that's being a little alarmist, don't you, Juanita?"
The red-headed reporter releases a low growl, squeezing her microphone so hard it cracks. "It's called 'using my brain,' smart guy."
"Captain Qwark!" the green-skinned alien beside Juanita pipes up, casting a fearful glance towards his fellow reporter, before focusing it on the superhero in front of him. "Dallas Wannamaker here. Does that mean you'll be asking these two heroes to join the Rangers?"
"Say what now?" Qwark finally turns around. Rivet stands behind him, her arms crossed over her chest as she glares up at him. "Well, I... I... well... I don't see why not!"
There's a short, ominous silence. And then Rivet chuckles. Those chuckles quickly turn into full-blown laughter. She hunches over slightly, hugging her chest as she continues to laugh at it all. Of course. Of course. Of course. After a moment, the cackling dissolves back into giggles, and then silence.
"You don't see 'why not?'" the young feline asks, incredulity riddling her voice as she looks back up at Qwark with a mocking smile. "Even after you summarily dismissed me as a potential recruit just after I aced your tryout course on Veldin, without even bothering to listen to your own team, who wanted to bring up my scores and record?"
Rivet laughs again before adding, "How about… because you're an attention seeking narcissist who was trying to chew me out for doing heroics on 'your turf'— right before we saved your scrawny butt! I wouldn't join your team now if Dr. Nefarious himself came back from the dead to threaten the galaxy again!"
Shock splashes over Qwark's features. "But…"
Klunk releases a squelching noise, drawing both Rivet's and Qwark's attention to him. "I was on an urgent mission to bring critical information to the Galactic Rangers. But after having observed your… immature— to put it lightly— behaviour, I see now that you are the wrong squishy for the job. Let us go, Rivet. I believe you wanted my assistance in regards to that distress call we found on that infobot…"
"But…"
Rivet smiles gently at Klunk, and then waves for him to follow her. The duo push their way through the now dispersing crowd of reporters, heading for their ship.
Dallas pokes Qwark in the chest with his microphone, bringing the superhero's attention back to him. "So, Captain Qwark… how does it feel to be a dried up has-been in your own city?"
Qwark looks at the camera situated between Dallas and Juanita, and gulps. He opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is another tiny, "But…"
Meanwhile… in another part of the galaxy…
Blood-red, mechanical eyes regard the HV screen with intense interest. Metal fingers interlace, and a chair creaks as its occupant leans back in his chair.
"Well now, I like these two!"
A shame he'll probably have to kill them once he unleashes his grand master plan on the galaxy. Lucky for them, it'll be a while yet…
And who knows? They might even already be dead by then.