Child of Azimuth
Chapter 2- Trials of fatherhood
Grim hummed a tuneless melody as he went over what he needed to get for his garage, so far, nothing too extravagant was needed, and his reserves of more expensive materials were still there, intact and away from his two charges.
Finishing the list, Grim looked to the door that led to the boy's room. It has already been over four years since he agreed to take in Ratchet and Hammer, and those years have already given him experiences he never thought he would ever have experienced.
The first months were the hardest ones by far, as both kids were very vocal when they needed something, even when he was working with very delicate machinery or dealing with particularly stingy customers.
I almost lost several customers thanks to those two.
Luckily, that was over after a few months, or maybe, he had finally gotten the hang of being a guardian. Yes, guardian, he did NOT want to be called a father, not at all.
Over the course of the following years, Ratchet and Hammer grew up more and more, and while both had the same length at first, Hammer was quickly getting taller than Ratchet, as evidenced by the height chart located in the wall adjacent to their door, which signaled that Hammer was taller than Ratchet by about six centimeters.
Ratchet is not happy about that at all.
Alongside height, they had also developed more traits that classified them as Lombax to those that knew, starting with the stripes, which had made themselves apparent by their second birthday, followed by the ears growing a bit more.
Grim sighed, reminding himself that both kids had also grown to be very creative in the ways they could sneak and steal his tools.
It used to be pretty simple, put his toolbox on a high place and watch as the two of them pouted and screamed.
Now that both were getting taller, and smarter, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide his toolbox from them, especially with Hammer's quickly increasing height and Ratchet's surprisingly creative brain.
That is something both of them are different in.
It was true, Ratchet was becoming the mental powerhouse of the two, coming up with the bulk of the ideas on how to take his toolbox. Which alongside his louder personality compensated his shorter height.
Hammer meanwhile, was quieter, more polite and incredibly gentle, which made him far easier to deal with than Ratchet, but sometimes, Hammer could also be incredibly mischievous and far too eager to dismantle stuff.
BEEEEEE–CRASH!!!
Like right now.
"Boys!" Grim called, approaching the room "Did you tinker with my alarm clock again?"
Grim could hear a high-pitched 'eep' from inside as Hammer opened the door. "It was an accident! We swear pops!" The white Lombax insisted, panic visible in his eyes.
Grim peeked through the door to find Ratchet in the middle of the floor, with a mess of parts by his feet that could only be the remains of his alarm clock.
"Ratchet, Hammer" Grim called as he made his way inside the room "This is the third alarm clock you bust out"
Hammer looked down guiltily, ears down and tail between his legs. "It was Ratchet's idea this time…" the boy muttered, followed by an almost silent apology.
Ratchet looked at Grim sheepishly "Y-yeah, you see, we were curious as to how these things work again, a-and we wanted to see if we could improve it ourselves"
Already? I didn't expect the need to tinker to come this early! But might as well use this as an opportunity to teach them this lesson.
Sighing, Grim picked them up and sat with them on the nearby chair "Boys, that thing worked just fine, you didn't need to improve it in any way, shape or form"
Ratchet immediately looked at him with a defiant look "But pops! That thing could definitely be better than it was! Adjustable ringing volume and multiple set up alarms included!"
Grim patted Ratchet in the head after he finished "Ratchet, as it was, that clock worked fine, it didn't need any of those improvements, sure, it could've been better, but there's the issue of practicality, which that clock was already."
Ratchet looked sad that his idea of making Grim's alarm clock better was rejected, but the kid seemed to just accept it if his guilty look was anything to go by
"I'm sorry, pops…"
Grim hugged him with one arm "No harm done Ratchet, just keep that in mind"
I hope this sticks.
"Uh… pops?" Hammer called, speaking at last "What are we?"
"You're a pair of troublesome kids, that's what you are!" he answered, putting a hand on Hammer's back.
"Not that, pops, I meant… What are me and Ratchet? None of your clients look like us" Hammer insisted, looking at him with an expectant look.
Oh crap, first the tinkering and now this?! These kids are far smarter than I gave them credit for!
Grim closed his eyes and inhaled, steeling himself for this, he knew this conversation was coming sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to come this soon.
"Lombaxes, both you and Ratchet belong to a species called Lombaxes" he said, preparing himself for the questions that should come from that statement.
"What are Lombaxes then? How do you know we are of said species? Why are we with you instead of them? What do they-" Ratchet and Hammer started, firing question after question at him, all in rapid succession.
What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Boys, one at a time, I'll answer one at a time" Grim insisted as he prepared himself for the rapid-fire questions. This was going to take a while.
It has been over seven years since he picked Ratchet and Hammer, and though they were no longer trying to steal his tools or making life a living hell during the night, those two were as problematic as ever.
This was made evident the moment he heard Ratchet's boots stomping through the floor, Hammer's steps not far behind. "-can't believe it, we never did anything to them! Just why?" Ratchet grumbled irritation clear in his voice, Hammer meanwhile was grunting.
Grim knew Ratchet and Hammer disliked going to school in Kyzil, it was one of the few things even the normally calm white Lombax was loud about, but today seemed to be especially bad for them
What even happened today?
He heard the distinct sound of a door slamming shut, then one of the boys –likely Ratchet– kicked it, creating a metallic bang that echoed through the garage.
"I better check what the heck happened to them today" he mumbled as he paused his work and put his tools back in the box.
As he neared the door, he heard a sound he was all too familiar with, having heard it countless times in the past.
Sobs, pretty heavy ones too.
And for once, it wasn't Ratchet who was crying, Ratchet wore his emotions on his sleeve and thus, was the one more likely to cry given the chance.
Hammer however, was a different story, he was more patient and did not cry often, but when he did, it was usually a sign that something didn't go well, at all.
Boys…
Grim opened the door of the boy's room, and was greeted with the sight of Hammer crying on Ratchet's shoulder while he hugged him a bit awkwardly considering the height difference between the two, which seems to grow each year.
Ratchet looked at him in mild surprise, before replacing it with a fierce look, as if he was preparing himself to defend Hammer. "Hey pops, do you need anything?"
"I need to check on you two" Grim replied, inviting himself in "And I need to know what happened back there"
It's got to be something nasty if it made Hammer cry.
Ratchet seemed very reluctant to speak about it, as evidenced by his eyes drifting away from his and his ears dropping. At least until Hammer murmured a "I-it's okay, R-Ratchet… he de-deserves to… know"
Grim sat down in a rocking chair that his brother, Felton, had sent him to deal with the kids. It was also one of the few things neither Lombax tried to modify, possibly because it calms them to be rocked there by him.
Felton is better with kids, but I was the one to end up with these. Still, I wonder what happened at the school.
Hammer let go of Ratchet and sat down, head down, tail on his lap and ears dropped, Ratchet moved to look at Grim straight in the eye.
"Pops, you remember about the issue regarding our species?" Ratchet started, sounding bitter.
Grim didn't like where this was going, but nodded, he knew that Ratchet and Hammer were not being treated nicely by their classmates or other kids their age.
This is going somewhere I don't like…
"You remember that we are often mistaken for Cazar? Well, today, Hammer and I were in the school library, trying to find out more about mechanics when a group of idiots came and started calling us liars, it was bad, and then Hammer…"
Ratchet's hands turned into fists, fangs showing up in a barely concealed snarl as he recalled the event.
Grim looked at Hammer's bag, and then immediately realized what had happened, the bag was almost completely covered in some sort of neon green paint, it was still wet and whatever was inside was probably not spared from the paint.
"No need to speak anymore Ratchet, I think I understand what happened now" Grim declared moving towards them before giving them both a hug. "I'll see what I can do about it, but I'll not allow this to go on any longer"
Hammer sniffed and put his arms over Grim's neck, hugging him back, Ratchet also returned the hug, finally letting his tears fall.
What happens with these kids here on Veldin is bound to be hard, but the adult insisted it wasn't safe for them out there.
Grim pondered a bit before letting these kids get rid of their bottled up sadness and frustration. Like any guardian worth their life should.
"Ratchet! Hammer! Get down here! Felton will arrive here any time now!" Grim called for his two charges, who had climbed to the roof of the garage.
"Coming pops!" Ratchet called before he sprinted and jumped down the garage, landing like a typical holofilm hero, except for the audible crack that made his eyes bulge out in pain.
"I told you not to do that Ratchet!" Hammer called, coming down via a makeshift staircase made out of metal boxes.
"Shut. Up. Hammer…" Ratchet squeaked, trying to move with little success.
"Ratchet, that was a dangerous maneuver! You could've been hurt worse than that!" Grim called, helping Ratchet move.
"At least it looked awesome…" Ratchet said, smiling through the pain.
"Awesomely stupid you mean" Hammer replied, shaking his head. "Ratchet, you need special equipment before even attempting to make those moves, had you jumped from a higher place, you would have gotten broken legs and an absolute chewing by not only me and pops, but also Uncle Felton"
"Thanks for the encouragement… Hammer…" Ratchet said, before Grim did something that resulted in a series of cracks and pops across Ratchet's body, diminishing the pain and allowing him to move.
"There we go kid, now, go inside, get dressed and don't do anything foolish! You hear me?" Grim admonished, pointing at his garage.
"I know pops, I know…" Ratchet muttered, stretching a bit before entering the Garage, followed soon after by Hammer and Grim himself.
"I'm sorry Pops, Ratchet has recently gotten the idea of becoming a hero, like Captain Qwark on the holovision, which as you saw… uh…" Hammer pointed at the roof and made a motion to represent the leap Ratchet had taken.
"I get it Hammer, I get it, but you aren't exactly innocent yourself, remember the 'Blaster' you made a few months back?" Grim replied.
Hammer stopped dead in his tracks before Ratchet piped in with a bright "I do! The 'blaster' that ended up burning a hole in the wing of that one spaceship belonging to an old Tharpod!"
"It was an accident! How was I supposed to know it needed extra calibration?" Hammer defended himself while Grim chuckled.
"Calibration, an actual handle and a not very sensitive trigger, plus materials actually meant to be used on weapons, plus a less volatile ammo-" Grim listed before the white Lombax kid gave him a death glare that looked surprisingly intimidating, helped a bit by his red eyes.
"I get it pops! I just wanted to try and make a weapon!" Hammer insisted, eyes closed, teeth clenched and hands curled into fists.
"Without my permission mind you, there's a reason you aren't allowed materials or tools at the moment, unless you work alongside Ratchet under my watch." Grim emphasized, looking at Hammer dead in the eye. "Got that, kid?"
"Yes, pops, I get it" Hammer replied, sighing and deflating a bit.
"Good to hear, now, go and get ready as well, and make sure Ratchet looks presentable at the very least, alright?" Grim said, pointing at the part of the garage that held their room.
"Will do!" Hammer replied, running there.
Grim chuckled before looking at a framed picture on the wall, it showed him in the middle, smiling tiredly with one Lombax kid on either side of him. Ratchet on his right, grinning like a buffoon while dressed in orange clothing, which seemed to be his favorite color. Hammer was on his right, smiling softly at the camera, wearing reds and blues.
There were other pictures too, one for each birthday the boys celebrated since their arrival, starting with one showing him in a very sleep deprived state, cradling Ratchet and Hammer shortly after he was entrusted with them.
Today was the Lombaxes' tenth birthday , and with it came a new picture, but this one was also accompanied with a surprise Felton had laid for the kids.
It's hard to believe it has been 10 years already, Zoni, I feel old.
Sighing, Grim looked at his hand, it was nearing the point were Ratchet and Hammer would be ready to learn the finer workings of Ship Repair, under his tutelage.
Knowing those kids, it'll be only a matter of time before they attempt to build one from scraps once they know the insides.
Grim felt odd the moment that thought crossed his brain, almost like fear, but not for himself. Rather, he felt scared for the boys.
He read that this came with the territory of being a father, but why would he even think of those two as his sons? They were under his protection! He was not a father!
He wasn't…
Who am I kidding? I grew too fond of the boys, it's normal for me to feel like this…
Shaking his head, Grim went to his quarters to dress for the occasion and possibly get his mind out of that line of thought.
"Now remember boys, ships come in all states of neglect, disrepair and just plain bad driving, you have to be careful when assessing what needs repairs and what needs to be left alone! And no unnecessary touch-ups Ratchet!" Grim explained as he taught the boys the ins and outs of spaceship repair and mechanics to his now 13 year old charges.
"Yes, Grim, I get it, less is more and practicality is key; you've said that a billion times by now" Ratchet said, assessing the front of the ship while Hammer checked below.
"Finally learnt your lesson after that incident with the Cazar?" Hammer piped from below the ship, checking the inner parts with care.
Ratchet's hand hit the ship with a resounding clank "You still on that? How was I supposed to know that the ship was not in a state to receive turbo boosts?"
"Ratchet, he said that the turbo boosts would've been nice… had you used smaller ones to compensate for the ship, you're lucky the Cazar was nice and allowed you to repair it properly again, because otherwise you could have definitely ruined the garage's reputation" Grim remarked, checking a ship himself.
"First, that was over a year ago, Two, I repaired the ship properly by the next day by myself and Three, I learnt my lesson, can we please move on? I don't wanna duel on that incident anymore" Ratchet said, forehead on ship and right hand up with the number represented with his fingers.
"I would say no, but Mr. Micron will come for his ship in the next few days, and we need to repair his ship" Hammer remarked, reaching over for a tool "Ratchet, I found an issue here that needs attention, would you get me the screwdriver?"
"Sure, Hammer" Ratchet said, reaching for said tool "I needed to get a tool anyway"
"Thanks dude" Hammer said after getting the tool.
"No problem Hammer" Ratchet replied, grabbing a wrench.
"It definitely seems you've finally learnt your lessons, and it took you almost two years boys" Grim commented, noting that the steering mechanism of his ship was busted.
Darn people can't seem to give a damn for their ships nowadays, I've received some not even a year on the market busted to hell and back.
"Grim? Can I ask you a question?" Ratchet said.
Grim groaned, now what did this kid want? "Yes"
"What was the first ship you've repaired? And how busted was it?" The smaller Lombax asked, twisting something with his wrench.
Oh, that's an easy answer.
"It was a Family Class Orion Star Traveler, pretty popular family ship from about 30 years ago, it was in pretty rough shape too, not as bad as Micron's old carcass you kids are now repairing, but it was pretty bad, one if it's engines was busted, the cockpit had tons of water damage—don't ask me, I don't know why, even today— and the Robotic Ignition System needed a serious overhaul" Grim listed, it was easy to remember that old pile of junk and the absolute nightmare it was to repair, even after almost 30 years.
The mere description of it made Ratchet wince "Sounds like a very difficult work to have as your first"
"Oh, it was, took me a week to have it finished! Now you see why I'm careful on what I let you repair at your age?" Grim said, beginning his repairs.
"Yeah, definitely see that now, Mr. Micron's ship is falling apart in some areas, but in others, the ship is relatively intact, especially in the cockpit and the RIS is working surprisingly well" Hammer commented.
"Which in itself is a Miracle. Micron's ship is a Taurus Sage-Style Trooper, a ship that has been discontinued for over 40 years now" Grim explained.
Ratchet looked absolutely stumped while Hammer seemingly dropped his tool "How is this ship even kept together?"
"The Sage-Style Troopers were known to be surprisingly sturdy despite being commercial ships, but if I remember correctly, Micron bought this when it was new, which means he's had it at least 57 years, which makes this ship's state all the more surprising" Grim told the boys matter of factly.
After that, the boys worked almost in complete silence if it wasn't for Hammer asking for tools, both of them repairing the ship efficiently and in coordination with themselves, which wasn't surprising considering that tinkering and repair works were in the Lombax DNA at this point.
It seems like it was yesterday that these two were running around the garage, trying to steal my tools, now they're a pair of teens helping this old man with his work. This is making me feel old already.
Grim finished the main repairs of his ship and looked at the two Lombax, both of them wrestling with a busted battery that Ratchet caught before he sealed it off, it also made a small notebook fall from his pocket, which Hammer caught before it hit a puddle of oil.
That notebook likely held their notes on how a ship was put together, something they actually pay attention to, while trying to look innocent.
They're not fooling anyone though
Grim had read it after Ratchet dropped it in a rush to get the materials he needed for a repair some months ago, and it detailed their plan to build a ship and see the other planets in Solana, including Pokitaru, where Felton resided.
He wanted to confront them about it, but decided against it when he realized one detail: they needed a Robotic Ignition system, and those things have to be ordered from other planets, there's not a single one of those things in Veldin, let alone Kyzil !
Kill two birds with one stone, they'll be safe and I'll be able to keep my oath to the Lombax that left them with me.
Grim had to give it to both Ratchet and Hammer, the ship they had built was surprisingly solid, if rough around the edges, but impressive for being built out of scraps in a time span of two years.
"It's almost finished! But we… uh… need one more piece" Hammer said while Ratchet tightened some screws.
"And you know what piece it needs?" Grim questioned, looking at them in fake curiosity, he knew what was the piece.
"A Robotic Ignition System" Hammer said as Ratchet finished. "We wondered if you knew where to find one of those"
Grim looked at the boy's expectant eyes, they really wanted to finish this project of theirs. He hated to be a downer for their projects, but he had an oath to keep.
"I'm sorry boys, but those are impossible to find on Veldin, you'd have to order those from planets like Kerwan, and even then, it's not guaranteed they'll arrive soon" Grim told them.
Hammer deflated while Ratchet shot him a desperate look "You have to order one! We'll even pay for it with the Bolts we've saved! Please! We need to see what's outside Veldin!"
Grim could definitely feel the desperation Ratchet felt at this moment, both him and Hammer spent numerous late nights working on their ship and being told to give up when they were so close was the last thing any Lombax would want to hear.
"I'm sorry boys, that's not a possibility at this moment, plus, you're only 15, way too young to even go out and explore the galaxy beyond this planet" Grim said, genuinely sorry for it.
The light on both Ratchet's and Hammer's eyes faded and they deflated "Thanks Pops… we'll just be at our usual spot on the garage's roof"
Grim didn't like seeing Ratchet and Hammer looking defeated, but it was necessary, if the dangers the adult Lombax warned about were still there, then the boys would be in massive trouble the moment they get out of Veldin's atmosphere.
I'm so sorry boys, but this is for your own good.
Going back inside the garage, Grim let out a sigh of relief, Ratchet and Hammer would be safe, the ship will remain there for the foreseeable future and he'll keep his oath.
Nothing would challenge that and nothing could go wrong.
Could it?.
