The Court of Azimuth was just as Kaden remembered it, staring at the large building and planetary statue that stood in front of it as Aphelion lowered down onto the ground.

But it still filled him with disquiet as he looks upon it, recalling that day that he walked into there for what he thought would be the last time, facing down Tachyon himself to protect everyone. How he was beaten within an inch of his life, and lying there on the floor as he accepted his fate, ready to see his wife again, having accomplished his job of hiding both his son and the Dimensionator. He never thought he'd ever be able to see this place alive once again one day, and to do so now was… well… he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it except for a general melancholy.

But he is jostled out of his thoughts as he feels them land, a small walk away from the statue in the center of the courtyard.

"Well, here we are." Ratchet announces plainly. "He's right next to that statue. I'll wait here."

Kaden turns back to face him with some confusion, seeing a gloomy look on his face. "Are you sure? I don't mind it if you're with me, you know."

He simply shakes his head. "No. It's… It's still tough for me to be here after everything. I… I'm not really ready to see him again right now. Sorry." He apologizes with a small shrug.

Kaden frowns slightly, hurt by the pain that he could see on his face, and he leans over to give him a side-hug.

"Don't be. I understand." He says quietly. "You can stay in here while I'm gone. And when I get back, we'll get going back home, alright?"

Ratchet smiles a little as he returns the hug himself. "Alright. Thanks, dad."

"No problem."

And with that, Kaden lets go of him, mustering up one more smile to reassure him before he opens the cockpit, letting the canopy slide open with a hiss before he climbs out, and sets foot on the ground that he once walked all those years ago.

He takes in a breath, and finds that it smells exactly the same is it does on the other Fastoon. He was thankful for that at least, as he remembered all too vividly the aroma of things burning, with ash floating in the air, and the occasional whiff of death from the wounds on the bodies laying across the roads, be it Lombax or Drophyd. At least that's one of the few things that's improved here ever since Tachyon's attack, along with the fact that he's finally dead now.

He starts walking towards the statue, and looking around slightly at the broken buildings, remembering how this place was ground zero in the evacuation, with the Praetorian Guard protecting this place with all they had against the furious siege the Drophyds laid upon them, trying to kill as many Lombaxes as they could.

But more than that, he remembered some of the happy times he's spent here, most often with Alister, them patrolling together around this place, joking about and having conversations, most often being them wondering why they were even patrolling here in the first place since it's in the heart of the city, where nothing bad ever happens. It was always mind-numbingly boring to be stationed right here, and they both dreaded it whenever they got told it's their duty of the day. But at the very least, they were always thankful that they were assigned here together, so that they could at least be able to entertain each other as they counted down the hours left before they could finally be freed and have some real fun.

He gives a wistful sigh, thinking of those times that have since been long gone, and returns his attention back to the path ahead of them, and finds himself finally approaching the statue, and stops for a moment to look back up at it. It was supposed to be a sculpture of their solar system, and apparently, a testament to Lombaxes' courageousness and bravery, that they weren't afraid to go out into the stars and fight for the greater good, just as they did in the Great War. He and Alister always nitpicked the statue on their patrol, though, thinking about how cheesy that whole message was, and how they thought it'd be much cooler if they put in a little more effort in building it so that it could actually have all those miniature planets rotate around to mimic an orbit.

But as he reaches the statue, he pauses in those thoughts, as he finds himself standing before a mound, marked with a piece of scrap metal, not unlike the one he made for Marie all those years ago:

General Alister Azimuth

A heroic Lombax who only wanted what was best for his people

Rest in Peace

Kaden couldn't help but notice how the Lombax script it was written in was very crude, as if it took effort to remember the symbols, and perhaps a little too much attention paid in making sure they were as accurate as possible. Ratchet must've only been just then learning how to properly read and write in their language, and it pained him to learn that one of his first real uses in utilizing it was to create a grave for his would-be uncle.

Kaden thought that he would have felt more depressed in actually seeing his best friend's grave for the first time. Unlike Marie or any other victim from Tachyon's attack, Alister never got a memorial in the other dimension. The only way he was talked about nowadays were in curses or as a traitor in newly-made history books, blamed as to being the cause of their people's suffering and why they had to leave their ancestral home. But even if he never got anything like memorial, it didn't stop Kaden from mourning him over the last twenty years.

He had always assumed that Tachyon caught up to him at one point or another, and was likely dead only about a year or two after the Exodus, tops. And unlike Marie, whose death took him well over a decade to properly grieve and accept, Alister's took him much shorter, only a few years at most. It was easy to accept him as dead and gone when everyone else around him practically celebrated his death as retribution for letting that Cragmite commit his genocide, and back then in the beginning, Kaden would be lying if he didn't at least somewhat agree in that sentiment, knowing that if Alister hadn't done what he did, he'd be living out a normal life with his wife and son.

But he'd also be lying if he said he didn't miss him, even after everything. As he said to him the last time they saw each other, he may have committed the most destructive mistake in all of Lombax history, but it didn't change the fact that they were still childhood friends and brothers-in-arms. Nearly all of his good memories of him were tainted after everything that happened, but he still had good memories nonetheless. Sneaking off planet with his dad's trillium harvester to enter the Agorians' tournament, all the playful teasing and banting they exchanged in the Academy, and all of their training they endured together in the Praetorian Guard. Happy memories that not even Tachyon's genocide could kill, despite everything.

But now, to think that the Lombax in those memories that he's spent so much of his early life with was now lying here, dead, just before his feet.

He gives a deep sigh as he crosses his arms, staring at the grave.

"Hey, Alister." He speaks. "It's been a while. A lot's happened over the last twenty years, since we last saw each other. For me, and you, by the sound of it.

"Everyone else is doing fine in the other dimension, just so you know. Not everyone has completely recovered from what happened, but we're all healing. And, unsurprisingly, they still hate your guts for what you did. And to tell you the truth… I can't exactly say I'm an exception to that." He says firmly, scowling.

"I admit that I was glad you were dead after I woke up over there. It was because of your decision that let Tachyon have all the power he needed to wreak havoc, making me watch Marie die in my arms, making me abandon my son in another galaxy, and almost causing me to die after fighting that Cragmite myself. There were many nights where I happily relived that memory of beating you on the ground outside my home, right after watching the life fade from the eyes of the love of my life. Every punch, every kick, every swear. I enjoyed every cathartic second of it." He states decisively, glaring at the headstone bearing his name.

"And you know what? I honestly felt just as angry at you as I did back then after what Ratchet told me about what you did. About how you tried to murder him by your own hand. My son. My child that I let you hold in your arms, whose life I told you so many times held more meaning to me than even my own. He was supposed to be your nephew, Alister, and you tried to kill him after you decided to be the stubborn bastard you always were, refusing to listen to him when he said you couldn't use that stupid Clock to undo what you did. And you had the gall to tell him that I'd be ashamed of him for trying to stop you from destroying the universe, scarring him with the notion that I would never love him for doing the right thing that had to be done. I was disgusted to hear that, and absolutely furious. It made me wish that I did kill you back then, instead of letting you walk away, just so that you could never hurt him like that." He seethes angrily, pointing at the grave with an expression of pure despise.

However, he realizes just how heated he was getting, and how harshly he was breathing, and how he was on the verge of outright yelling at this mound of dirt before him. So, he takes a moment, and closes his eyes, taking deep breaths and practicing his soothing exercise that he's mastered down to a science after twenty years of failed appeals to the Council.

And a minute later, he opens his eyes once more, his face relaxed back to neutrality instead of fury, and he looks back onto the grave once more, exhaling one more breath.

"But… even then… I understand why you did what you did. For both what you did at the Great Clock and listening to Tachyon." He says more calmly, making sure not to let his anger get the best of him again. "Ever since you were a kid, Alister, you always wanted to follow in your family's footsteps, and become a General in the Praetorians so that you could protect your people as best you can. And when Tachyon came to us with promises about ensuring a safe future for both Lombaxes and the rest of the galaxy, then I shouldn't have been surprised that you took that offer in the end. And when you adamantly refused to listen to my skepticism, I suppose that made you a better man than me for being able to look past the fact that he was a Cragmite and put your trust in him anyway. You were wrong to do that in the end, obviously, but there's another world where I would be the one apologizing as Tachyon helps us just as he promised, all because you judged him on his character and promises and not his species.

"But we don't live in that other world. We live in a world that was destroyed because you trusted him, and apparently, you've been living in that world for the last two decades, just like me. And as much as we all hate you for what you did, I don't doubt that you hated yourself even more. I've had to live with my own guilt for abandoning my son and being unable to save him for all these years, but I can't fathom what it must feel like to hold the deaths of thousands of Lombaxes and their suffering on your shoulders alone, including mine and Marie's." He continues with a small sigh, crossing his arms once more.

"And when you found out about the Great Clock, and the possibility of making sure none of that ever happened, I shouldn't be surprised that you latched onto it and made it your life's goal. And when you focus on something like that for decades, it only makes sense that you'd lash out when someone tries to yank it out of your hands at the last second. Even though I hate that lashing out meant you trying to kill my son—your nephew… I still understand it."

He gives a deep sigh, hanging his head down. "And, even after all of that, it doesn't change the fact that I've had the last twenty years to think about what you did, looking at every possible angle, and every hypothetical. About what we've been through together. And, the fact of the matter is… I forgive you, Alister. Despite everything you did, despite what I said to you the last time we saw each other… I forgive you." He says quietly.

"In the end, you were just trying to do what was best for all Lombaxes, just like what you always wanted to do. The way you tried to go about it with both Tachyon and the Great Clock were the wrong ways to do it, but that was just you making a mistake like we all do. The only difference is that your mistakes had bigger consequences than any of ours. And blame you as much as we all want to… you weren't the one who sent all those Drophyds to slaughter our people. You weren't the one who dropped the bomb that sealed Marie's fate. You aren't the one who left me bleeding and broken on the floor after I tried to avenge our people. It's ultimately Tachyon who's to blame for everything, and you were just an unwitting accomplice to that, and you had to pay the price just like the rest of us."

He pauses for a moment as he reflects on his own his words, wearing an expression of slight melancholy as he continues to stare at the name written on the headstone, and the 'General' right before it. An honorable title that they both fought like hell to attain, making Praetorian history, and yet, it was all ultimately for nothing, as he would now be permanently remembered as a disgrace of their people, forever labeled as a traitor in the many years to come.

"So… I want to say that I'm sorry for saying all of those things to you back then. For blaming you, and beating you, and saying that I never wanted to ever see you again. I'm sorry that you had to live with that as your last memory of me after all these years, and I wish I could gone back to say something different." He states regretfully. "But… I can't. Just like how you couldn't change your decision about Tachyon. So… this is the next best thing I can do, apologizing to you right here." He says, gesturing out an arm before him.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry, and that I miss the good times that we had together, and that I wish you were standing right here with me just as much as I wish Marie was here, too. But since I know it's pointless to wish for all of that… I just want you to promise me that you'll be waiting there with Marie to greet me when I finally move on to whatever life comes after this one, so that we can all finally be together again and put this all past us. Can you do that for me?"

He gets no response from the grave, nor even from the wind, instead being greeted with an eerie silence. But that doesn't stop him from giving a small smile and nod anyway.

"Alright, then." He says contentedly. "It was nice talking to you again, Alister. I'm looking forward to finally seeing you again, whenever that may be. May you rest in peace."

And after stepping forward to rest his hand on the headstone for a few seconds, Kaden steps backs, and turns around as he begins to walk back to Aphelion, Ratchet and Clank watching him from the cockpit.

In only a few seconds, he reaches the ship, where Ratchet opens the canopy, prompting Kaden to climb into the ship before sitting back down in the passenger seat, looking over to Ratchet with a blissful smile.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Ratchet." He says gladly, reaching over to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I needed this."

Ratchet returns a small smile of his own. "No problem, dad." He replies, resting his hand over his father's. "So… does that mean you're ready to leave Fastoon, then?"

"I am." He responds, retracting his hand as he leans back into his seat with a sigh. "Let's go home. It's been a long day."

"Sure thing." Ratchet replies, turning on Aphelion while he looks over his shoulder into the backseat. "You mind whipping up some dinner for us when we get back to Veldin, pal?"

"I would be delighted to." Clank replies happily with a nod. "Although I must admit I feel somewhat anxious to have my cooking skills be judged by your father."

"Hey, don't worry about it, judging by those pancakes you made the other day, I'd say you're a damn good cook." Kaden returns as Aphelion's thrusters ignite, making them begin to hover off the ground. "And, judging by his pancakes, I guarantee that whatever Ratchet makes wouldn't be even half as good as your dinner." He says amusedly, thumbing over to him.

"Hey, I can cook, I'll have you know!" Ratchet argues, pointing at him. "I can make Megacorp Megameals just fine without any help!"

"Well, I stand corrected, then." Kaden replies with a roll of his eyes. "I guess you've got some stiff competition then, Clank. You might not even have to make dinner tonight." He says with a grin.

"I would agree with that if not for the fact that Ratchet nearly burned down the kitchen the last time he tried making a Megameal for himself." He states pointedly with a chuckle.

And as Ratchet groans in embarrassment, Aphelion blasts off into the sky and into space, headed towards Veldin, all the while Clank and Kaden share a hearty laugh at his expense.