Child of Azimuth
Chapter 3- Clank! The Adventure Begins!
Ratchet laid down on the roof of the garage, looking down at the not-quite-finished ship both him and Hammer had painstakingly built from scraps.
A ship that could not start without a piece they would never find in Veldin.
"So close… We were so close to finishing it! And the final piece is nowhere to be found here!" he lamented, curling his hands into fists and clenching his fangs.
A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, and Hammer gave him a reassuring smile "I know, Ratchet, it's not fair that two years of efforts and sleepless nights are thrown down the gutter thanks to this"
Ratchet looked down, still not done with his own disappointment "It's not fair at all, Hammer" he said, resisting the urge to cry.
Before he knew it, Hammer hugged him, his thin blue shirt filling his vision. Looking at him, Ratchet saw that Hammer was also looking extremely disheartened by their situation, his ears were down and his eyes were glossy with unshed tears.
Ratchet returned the hug, and both kids let it all out.
B-5429671 felt strange the moment he was created, for one, the first thing he registered was an alarm, screaming about a defect being in the line. With that defect being himself.
Not long after that, he found an infobot that revealed some horrifying facts about the faction he was created to serve.
"Defect located"
Oh no, he was found! He needed to get out of here! Find a hero!
Storing the Infobot on his body, the tiny robot ran as fast as he could to the factory's ship sector, and without hesitation, ran to the nearest unoccupied ship and started the engine.
He immediately set course to Novalis, the planet the Chairman has recently targeted and flew off.
Everything seemed to go smoothly from there, the ship was flying to the destination he had set and he had the evidence to convince a hero to rally against the Chairman.
Now, he just needed to-
The ship immediately shook as another, very similar to his own rammed into it.
They were on him! His non-defective kind had caught up with him! This was really bad now.
The Tiny robot tried desperately to get the ship stabilized as he tried to maneuver through the Assault.
Sadly, it wasn't meant to last, he was derailed, and shot down.
B-5429671 began to enter stasis, and the last thing he saw was a planet that was predominantly a desert.
Hammer sat down at the edge of the garage's roof alongside Ratchet, both looking at their incomplete spaceship.
That thing had taken them countless sleepless nights and scrap foraging in Kyzil, and simply because they lacked a thing that could not be found anywhere in Veldin was a devastating blow.
Ratchet had taken it the hardest, but he had his own set of frustrations over it, but he needed to save those frustrations, for Ratchet's sake.
"Boys!" Grim called from below "I need to get some materials from out of Kyzil! Would you watch the garage for me?"
Hammer looked at Ratchet "It might make us forget this" he quipped, to which Ratchet nodded.
"Of course pops! Coming!" Ratchet bellowed before jumping down and landing far more smoothly than previous times, he himself followed.
Once both of them were down, Grim looked at them "There's no imminent repair work for now, but be alert for if the clients come for their ships, you can also move your ship into the garage if you want"
Both him and Ratchet nodded, understanding his reasoning, but a look at the garage made Hammer wince, there was a lot of oil in the already stained floor.
"We'll be on it once we finish cleaning the floor…" Hammer said sourly, he disliked oil stains on his fur, it was an inevitable outcome from repair work but he absolutely hated cleaning his white fur from the oil stains, didn't help that his coat was thicker than Ratchet's.
"Alright, Ratchet, Hammer, I leave the Garage in your care, and remember! No testing potentially dangerous gadgets anywhere near the ships!" Grim emphasized as he started walking to the Veldinite Taxi.
"Roger that pops!" Ratchet and Hammer both replied, Ratchet even giving a mock salute to his father figure before they entered the garage.
"I'll… I'll get the stain remover" Hammer said as he avoided stepping in the oil, he had already bathed, thank you!
"Got it, I'll bring the ship!" Ratchet said before running off to get it.
"Wait! Ratchet! You have to-" and he was gone.
Oh, this is just great… I'll have Ratchet pay my next shampoo bottle out of his own stash of Bolts if I get stains in my fur!
Hammer sighed, resigning himself to his fate as he went for the stain remover.
It used to be a normal vacuum cleaner a little over a year ago, but after a particularly harsh day that got his fur covered in black stains, he and Ratchet quickly modified it to serve as an oil stain remover.
This thing took some testing, but now I barely have to risk my fur getting covered in oil.
Hammer reached for the on button and went on to press it-
A loud BANG resonated through the garage the moment he pressed the button, startling him enough to drop the device that promptly started sucking the oil.
Ratchet quickly ran to the Garage "Hammer! Grab your wrench! Something just crash-landed outside the city! And we have to check it!"
"Whoa! Ratchet! We need to-!" He tried to protest to no avail as Ratchet dragged him to where they stored their battle wrenches, which were a gift from uncle Felton for their 10th birthday.
Ratchet quickly snatched his "Come on! We've got to check it out!" he said urgently while Hammer rubbed his arm.
At least he's no longer sad, that's an improvement.
"Alright, but we can't take too long in case some burglar-" Hammer started as he grabbed his wrench, before getting interrupted by Ratchet.
"Decides to steal the materials, yes I know! Zoni, I think you are a bit too stuffy sometimes Hammer" He said as he grimaced.
"Let's not fight over this and check that thing out then! I guess the stain remover should be fine for now"
Ratchet beamed up and grabbed his arm again "Sure! I'll guide ourselves!" and promptly ran off there dragging Hammer with him.
As they neared the crash site, Ratchet and Hammer both realized that the thing was a ship of Blargian design.
One that was surrounded by six Blargian battle bots.
"It seems we arrived too late Ratchet… there's no way we can get past those bots" Hammer noted as they slowed down.
Ratchet however didn't seem to find that even remotely intimidating "We have our wrenches, and these were designed for battle too!"
"True, but we've got to consider that we haven't -" Ratchet ignored him as he launched himself to the nearest robot, wrench in hand and smashed the head "-fought at all"
Guess I'll have to fight too, alright…
Sighing, Hammer launched himself to one of the bots and started swinging his wrench, and the moment the wrench hit the bot, something clicked on him.
And he started fighting viciously, as if he had fought like this all his life.
One after another, the bots were destroyed in an explosive fashion that just made him smirk, and before he knew it, there were no other robots, his fur was covered in soot and Ratchet looked at him, mouth agape.
"Dude… that was so cool! I didn't know you could fight like that!" Ratchet exclaimed, eyes practically gleaming in admiration.
"Neither did I… I just let my body move on its own and-" The moment Hammer moved his left arm, he felt a sharp pain, making him hiss.
Ratchet quickly approached and checked over "Hammer, dude, looks like your arm has a deep cut, likely the result of one of the explosions" he noted.
Hammer hissed "Do we have any nanotech?"
"Of course! In our room!" Ratchet answered before looking at the crashed ship.
His eyes practically sparkled "Hammer! Look! There's a mini robot there!" he said excitedly, pointing below the ship's cockpit.
The White Lombax followed the finger and there was a robot, much smaller than the ones they just fought and in a state of stasis.
Did they target the little one?
"Hey, Hammer, do you think we should take it to the Garage?" Ratchet asked, reaching out to grab the tiny robot.
"I'd usually say no, but I think we can use it for help around the garage" He answered honestly.
"That's what I thought! Come on! Let's go to-" Ratchet started before grabbing his bad arm.
"MIND MY ARM YOU BUCKETHEAD!" Hammer screamed, and on cue, Ratchet let go.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Ratchet apologized, allowing Hammer to follow at his own pace.
What a day has it been, but I can't help but wonder…
Hammer shook his head, not now, there was a time for everything, but he shouldn't get his hopes up.
B-5429671 slowly reactivated his systems, gathering from it that he did, in fact, survive the crash on the desert planet.
His auditory receptors quickly picked the sound of a Wrench tightening a bolt, a pair of voices and the sound of boots.
"... You criticize me? You're working on our ship! We both know that it won't be able to start!" One of the voices said, getting clearer as his systems re-started.
"I didn't notice there were some loose bolts, Ratchet! Besides, we have nothing to do for now." Another voice replied, slightly deeper than the other.
His optics came back online and the first thing he saw was a floor covered in stains and two pairs of boots in its horizon.
Raising his head, B-5429671 sighted two creatures covered in fur, one with a slightly golden color with dark orange stripes on the ears. The other had fur that was white with red stripes on the ears.
He tried to scan them, in order to get a feel of what they were, but it turned out futile, they closely resembled cazars, but they had noticeable differences regarding build, ear length and possibly total overall height.
This was getting nowhere.
"I know the customers already came for their ships, and that it's nearing closing hours, with no pending repairs, miraculously" The gold with orange creature said, gesturing to the big, empty space around them. "But you really need to work on this project? We could be working on a new one!"
"I'm only trying to set these bolts, not work on it completely" the white and red creature retorted.
What was that creature working on exactly? He didn't exactly focus on it until now.
It seemed to be a mid-sized ship, big enough for the two of them and a bit more, it seemed to not have a factory-level build quality, so, maybe custom built?
"Interesting" B-5429671 noted out loud, catching the attention of the two creatures, who proceeded to look at him in surprise.
"Huh, so you reactivated yourself, neat! " The yellow and orange creature said. "But enough of that, what is interesting?"
"The ship, my database has no recollections of a ship built like that" he stated, getting up and starting to approach the ship.
"Thanks? We built it ourselves, with the help of these wrenches" The white and red creature replied, seemingly not sure what to do.
"You seem to be handy with them, indeed, might I ask, does it work?" B-5429671 asked in genuine curiosity.
The creatures deflated "No, it's almost done, but we lack a crucial piece for it to function" the white and red one said.
"A Robotic Ignition System" he said.
"Yes, that's what we need but-"
"I, sirs, just happen to be equipped with the latest model of Robotic Ignition Systems" He quickly told them.
If it was ever possible to see eyes sparkle, then these two creatures would have their eyes made of diamonds.
"Will you help us get this ship working?" The yellow and orange creature asked enthusiastically.
"I can, if you can also help me" B-5429671 replied "Are you familiar with Drek Industries?"
The White and Red creature, hummed "Blargian Tech Industry, that's all I know"
"Same, I don't know anything past that," the other said.
"The galaxy is at risk!" he laid out urgently "He plans to destroy Solana!"
"Excuse me!? How!?" The yellow and orange creature exclaimed while the other just blinked in surprise.
"Just look at this infobot! It will tell you everything you need to know!" B-5429671 said, letting the infobot out.
The two creatures looked in rapt attention as the infobot showed them everything, their eyes growing wider the longer it played, and by the end of it, both looked like they just saw something unspeakable.
"I need your help in finding a hero that can take care of this!" B-5429671 said.
"Hammer! This is a work for Captain Qwark!" The yellow and orange creature said, looking at his partner.
"Maybe? But Ratchet, he's a resident of Kerwan last I checked, And the infobot said that Novalis is next" The white and red one—Named 'Hammer'— replied.
"Then we must help them! Get the ship out! I'll close the garage and pick our Bolt stashes!" Ratchet exclaimed, running to a door and disappearing inside.
"Oh, Ratchet, always in a thirst for adventure, but, eh, who am I to call him out?" Hammer said, before he started to move the ship out of the place, which he now noticed, was a garage.
He had gotten help, and they apparently knew of a hero, but first "Sir, who is Captain Qwark?"
Ratchet quickly packed up his and Hammer's stuff onto their respective Storage Packs, this was just amazing!
Earlier today, he felt devastated at the prospect that their biggest project yet was going to remain unusable thanks to the lack of a crucial component. Only for said component to literally fall from the sky in the form of a ship crash and a little robot.
I can't believe it! I can't believe this is happening!
He grinned as he put his stash of Bolts on the SPs, both him and Hammer had accumulated 15,000 Bolts each over the five years they helped Pops on the garage.
Pops is gonna be so happy when-Wait… pops doesn't know about this, and he definitely wouldn't approve of this.
Ratchet looked at a little framed picture on the nightstand, it showed their little family smiling at the camera, he was wearing his favorite orange and blue get-up alongside his ever-present flight cap, Hammer had no headgear, but he had a red and blue get-up that showcased greater detail while Grim was in his typical orange working gear, only much cleaner.
Crap… I forgot that we also made that ship so that we could take pops out of Veldin too for a while.
Both Ratchet and Hammer wanted to see what was beyond Veldin, but while it was their main drive, Grim had also told them he hadn't left Veldin in over eighteen years, mostly because he didn't want to leave them alone.
Ratchet felt incredibly guilty for a moment, they were going to leave Veldin, without telling Pops.
But maybe it's for the best, Pops would have a Heart Attack at what the tiny robot showed me and Hammer.
With a sigh, Ratchet finished packing the stuff that was needed, extra sets of clothes, his bomb glove, Hammer's homemade pistol, their combined stash of 30,000 Bolts, and six packs of nanotech.
He was confident that this wouldn't take long, that they'll have Qwark informed and Novalis saved before Grim would get too worried.
Still, we haven't really gone missing, and Pops might not show it much, but he cares about me and Hammer, almost as if we were his own kin.
Ratchet spared one last look at the little framed picture as he turned to walk out of the room, and in a split second, decided to put it on his SP.
That done, he closed the rooms door and checked over to see if Hammer had already taken out the ship.
He had, and was now chatting with the robot about something.
Alright, now to close the garage.
Ratchet walked out of the garage and allowed the curtain to close behind him, he then started to walk over to where the ship was, picking up what Hammer was talking about.
"... Admires him so much, sure he saved a lot of people and is ultra popular, but he's extremely melodramatic on the holovision, to the point Pops even thinks of him as a hobo on a nice suit"
The robot hummed, putting his metallic hand on his 'chin'. "It is perhaps an act for the cameras? Based on what you tell me, Holovision shows tend to favor melodramatic acting"
"Wish I knew, honestly" Hammer said, shrugging.
"Hammer! I got everything ready!" Ratchet called as soon as he was near, stretching out his left arm so Hammer could take his own SP.
Both Hammer, and the robot turned to look at him, and Hammer smiled a bit before grabbing his SP "About time, Ratchet"
"Indeed it is about time you came, Mr. Ratchet, we have no time to spare" the robot said walking up to him.
"Eh, just Ratchet is fine, no need for the 'Mr.' stuff buddy" Ratchet answered, feeling a bit embarrassed "Now, let's board up!"
No less than 20 seconds later, all three of them were on the ships cockpit, he was in the pilot seat, while Hammer was the co-pilot, the tiny robot was on the seat behind them, looking even smaller on the large seat that was meant for Grim.
It looks a bit comical from this angle.
Ratchet sighed as he went on to activate the ship's engine, eager to see this masterpiece functioning.
With a small flicker, the engine started and the ship flickered to life.
Sweet Zoni! It's working!
With his eyes sparkling and a triumphant grin, he started to move the ship up the ground.
He looked at Hammer, who looked every bit as eager as he was, they had done it! The ship was a success!
All of this thanks to… thanks to-
Crap! We didn't get to name the robot!
Quickly turning to look at their little companion, Ratchet asked "Hey buddy! You got a name we could call you?"
The robot looked at him curiously "My designation is B-54-"
The tiny robot couldn't finish as Ratchet briefly lost the balance of the ship, causing the robot to fall from the seat with a Clank sound.
Wait, Clank… that's it!
"Keep your mind on the ship's handle you nutjob!" Hammer said, looking at him with one of his intimidating glares.
The robot returned to his seat "As I was saying, my designation is-"
"How about 'Clank'?" Ratchet interrupted "I'd say it fits you nicely"
The robot's neon green optics showed a frown while Hammer shot him an unamused stare "Really Ratchet?" he said.
Ratchet shrugged "It's not like our names are any better, we are named after tools"
Hammer's unamused look only intensified "I know, but, seriously?"
"I don't mind it, it can make things easier for you, and it's certainly better than having you call me by my full serial number designation" The robot answered.
"Clank it is! Alright, time to get out of Veldin and test this baby out!" Ratchet exclaimed, hoping that this was the end of the argument.
Hammer sighed, but did nothing to continue the argument, while the newly named Clank looked between them curiosly.
With high spirits, Ratchet allowed the engine to take off and begin the journey out of Veldin's atmosphere.
Adventure, here we come!
