[R]

Chapter Two

[R]

Zurkie's Gastropub and Battleplex, Scarstu Debris Field, Polaris Galaxy, Rivet's Dimension

Built on the asteroid remains of a planet long destroyed by the Nefarious Empire, Zurkie's was run by its namesake, an elite synthoid weapon that had sworn off violence after taking part in the destruction of Scarstu. In the Gastropub itself, Zurkie had long spent his days handing out food and drinks to his literally and figuratively refueling patrons, who were only allowed to fight in the Battleplex for money and fame, while his feminine counterpart, Miss Zurkon, operated weapon vendors throughout the galaxy to increase the couple's chances for their son, Zurkon, Jr, to eventually attend a prestigious university in the Bogon Galaxy, assuming the young, hyperactive announcer of the Battleplex himself decided to stay close to home out of love for the violence he witnessed and commentated on a daily basis.

Even so, the Zurkon Family, while succeeding to collect a varied clientele of outlaws as much as those who would be considered "orderly citizens" in a different time and place, had nonetheless become valued allies of the Resistance to the Nefarious Empire, even if operating on a quid pro quo arrangement. So long as they paid for their services, Resistance fighters could count on Zurkie and his close-knit family business to supply information as well as a frequent meeting place at Zurkie's itself.

In fact, a full week after Rivet and Glitch's surprise first meeting with Ratchet, the Lombax and IT Bot were hanging out with two of their fellow Resistance members to share whatever info they were all able to acquire, followed by Rivet telling them of their aforementioned contact with another dimension.

"Let me get this straight, dudette," the helmeted Novalian in a black and orange jumpsuit with a green-haired goatee that matched his skin color, known only as the Phantom, remarked while he and his fellow Solana native in the orange jumpsuit emblemed with a "Q" in the form of a lightning bolted atom on his chest, Carl Lepton Quantum, listened to Rivet's story in the seats opposite of her, "That rarer form of Blizon I recommended to you, gave you and Glitch the means to reach a Lombax living in the Solana Galaxy of a separate universe?"

"Not to call you girls liars," Quantum informed with an apologetic, yet visibly unsure, smile toward Rivet and the device next to her projecting Glitch's hologram, "but that sounds like quite the tall tale. And I've had my fair share of those from Solana to here."

As Glitch's holographic face made an annoyed expression at the two grown men's disbelief, Rivet spoke for both the former's behalf as well as her own, "I'm telling you guys, it definitely happened, and the both of us actually experimented with the equipment a bit to keep in touch with Ratchet just as he plans on taking his means mobile."

At Rivet's words, Glitch then had her projector replace her own image with a double viewed camera showing Ratchet's side of a prior conversation on the left side with Rivet and Glitch's on the right, prompting the female Lombax to show a smug smirk toward the now believing Phantom and Quantum.

"Huh, looks like a good kid," Phantom commented before adding in concern towards, "but his shirtless look didn't get you any weird ideas, right, Rivet?"

Immediately, Glitch's expression changed to one of embarrassment as Rivet sputtered, "What?! No! Nothing weird happened at all, Phantom," but both of her male comrades' worried looks eventually got her to exhale as she confessed, "It was just a onetime thought, and Glitch was able to talk me out of it." Shrugging, she then added, "In both his defense and mine, Ratchet's so low on bolts on his Veldin that he can't even get his own pair of shoes, let alone a shirt, anymore than the both of us met any other Lombaxes before we met each other."

Quantum then decided to ask, "Wait, this fellow Lombax of yours is an orphan whose never known his own kind, just like you?"

Seeing where Quantum was coming from, Rivet replied, "I know, right? It's like Ratchet's supposed to be me in his dimension, or at least, his dimension's answer to me, but we don't look or act much alike, and to top it off, his upbringing is way different from mine." Showing a more downtrodden look for her fellow Lombax, she added, "I had the Morts looking after me for as long as I can remember, and I've been learning as much about my people as I can, but Ratchet's never had a family, or even friends at all his whole life."

Trading a sympathetic glance with Quantum, Phantom then asked, "Well, what is his life like? If I remember Veldin right, it's a bit of a boring place in Solana, but if he has a way to get your calls and maybe call you back, then he should have some Bolts or whatever to move off-world, if he wanted."

"Actually, so far, he's only answered our calls rather than made his own," Rivet explained. "Probably because he doesn't have a Phase Quartz of his own, or something like that. However, he did mess around with his computer just like Glitch and I did with mine, and we've been communicating through telescreens mostly. But to answer your question, Phantom, Ratchet's the kind of adventurer who wants to build his own spaceship to fly under his own rules."

Quantum could not restrain a laugh at that. "Almost sounds like my kind of Space Pirate," he then quickly added with a yelp at the skeptical looks his friends were giving him, "Just saying!"

Moving the conversation forward, Phantom asked Rivet, "Ratchet does know that homemade spacecrafts take a lot of work, right? How's it working out for him?"

"He did tell me that he assembled a great deal of parts, and is following instructions from a Gadgetron HelpDesk, I think he called it," Rivet explained before deciding to change the topic with a bright smile, "Anyway, did I already tell you guys that Ratchet's dimension has counterparts of you two?"

Exchanging an interested look with the Novalian on his right, Quantum replied, "First time you mentioned it, Rivet. How do you know they're our counterparts, though?"

At Quantum's question, Glitch's hologram changed to a screen of Ratchet holding posters of a Novalian that looked similar to Phantom, but in a more laidback attire and doing a hoverboard trick, as well as a sophont that looked almost exactly like Quantum, yet with a lighter skin color and a green jumpsuit.

Taking it upon herself to explain, Rivet said, "When I asked Ratchet if there was anything interesting in a galaxy not under the yoke of an evil emperor, he said that he used to spend most of his non-working hours looking up the pro hoverboarder, Skidd McMarx, and his galaxy's top celebrity superhero, Captain Copernicus Leslie Qwark. He doesn't know anyone matching MoyDoy's looks, or Clatchky's, but hey, it's something."

Rubbing his chin in thought at the sight of his counterpart, Phantom ultimately said, "Something tells me that this Skidd guy lacks my undercover expertise, but I can live with him being a celeb doing what he loves best."

Quantum, on the other hand, was even more interested in learning about his own counterpart. "A version of me as a big-time hero? And a captain no less? Please tell me you asked Ratchet more about him, Rivet."

Chuckling at the older sophont's enthusiasm, Rivet said, "According to Ratchet, Captain Qwark took down their dimension's version of Blackstar the Pirate and is even the reason why their Nefarious remains an evil scientist in hiding instead of the universe-wide terror we know him as here."

Letting out a proud laugh, Quantum commented, "Now that's golden."

Rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, Rivet then added, "Of course, Ratchet's view of him has become a bit cynical due to the guy's constant endorsement deals to make himself even richer and more famous."

"Eh, I'm sure Qwark's got his reasons," Quantum opinioned with a mere shrug. "I still would like to meet him, though. There could be so much I can learn from him."

"Speaking of learning," Phantom commented with a smirk, "what are the odds that whatever Ratchet learns about his Nefarious could help us out with the Emperor we know and love to hate?"

Liking her friend's suggestion with Glitch and Quantum expressing their approval as well, Rivet then took out a small device from her person which quickly expanded into a telescreen. Upon playing with the settings a bit, she then activated the screen which soon enough got interdimensional reception in the form of a smiling Ratchet standing in front of a fully assembled homemade ship during a sunny Veldin morning.

"Hey, Rivet," Ratchet greeted with a wave, and looking at the female Lombax's surroundings, commented, "I see you and Glitch brought some friends and are at a fancy place."

Phantom chuckled at Ratchet's words. "Calling Zurkie's "fancy" is a bit tall for a gastropub, brother."

"I heard that," two simultaneous voices exclaimed, which Rivet, and her fellow rebels, recognized as belonging to Zurkie himself and his son, Junior.

Quickly covering Phantom's mouth with his hand, Quantum added, if a bit paniclike, "But it definitely has a homelike atmosphere that just makes us love the place!"

"Ha, I'll take that much," Zurkie replied in good cheer which prompted a toast around the restaurant.

"You forget to mention that it's also awesome," Junior softly complained, prompting a good laugh from Rivet.

"And it's awesome, all in all," she said which prompted a whoop from the young-in-programming waiter. Turning to Ratchet, she then said, "Anyway, Ratchet, these two are Carl Quantum and the Phantom, and we were all just wondering how your ship was coming along. Getting ready to leave Veldin at last?"

Ratchet's expression turned downcast before replying, "I thought I was, but I'm missing a robotic ignitions system."

"A what," Rivet, Quantum, and Phantom all asked in befuddled unison with Glitch herself showing a confused expression of her own.

"You people don't have that kind of thing in your universe," Ratchet asked in surprise at their reaction. Seeing their shrugging responses, he then explained, "It's pretty much an emergency/safety feature installed in certain robots to jumpstart compatible ships for space travel, and even serve as a limited galactic map, provided they have coordinates downloaded in their CPUs."

"Huh," Quantum finally let out as he and his friends processed that new bit of information before saying, "Probably best that we keep such an idea away from the Emperor. Otherwise, he'll make an even larger killing than he already does."

"Literally," Ratchet asked in genuine concern at how evil Emperor Nefarious could be.

"I mean that he'll make more money for himself," Quantum explained. "Which is saying a lot since he hoards one hundred percent from every proceed made in his empire."

"I don't know what you meant by that, and even I'd be worried for my financial and social future if I lived in your dimension," the male Lombax commented.

"Interesting," an unknown robotic voice announced from behind Ratchet that startled the Lombax with a yell.

"Hey, kid, who is that," Phantom asked, with his friends no less curious themselves.

Standing back up, Ratchet then angled the telescreen view from his side to show the four rebels a small, grey-colored robot with green eyes waving innocently at them. "I found this little guy in a minifighter that crashed near my place a little while ago," the male Lombax explained before adding, "But he wasn't online until now."

"I apologize for surprising you, sir," the robot said to Ratchet politely before turning to the telescreen with fascination, "I am most curious about your means of interdimensional communication, but that will have to wait." Turning back to Ratchet, he then explained, "I was on my way to Novalis to find a hero who could save the known galaxy which was when the robot forces of Drek Industries shot me down to this planet."

"Drek Industries," Rivet asked in confusion mixed with recognition. "That's a Blarg company, right? You've got them in your universe, too?"

The robot, however, responded with, "Dimensional similarities aside, Miss, the company's leader has dire plan for the Solana Galaxy," he then opened his chest compartment to reveal an infobot as he added, "See for yourselves."

With the infobot showing the transmission of a short, black-haired, and bright-blue-eyed Blarg in a business suit that looked affable yet even the watchers from another dimension could tell he was anything but that, the Blarg began saying, "Hello, citizens of-," the greeting, however, was quickly replaced with the photo image of a pristine planet subtitled Novalis, which spurred Ratchet to share a deadpanned look with the similarly unimpressed Resistance members before the video resumed. "My race, the Blarg, have a small problem that I can't help but feel partly responsible for. Our planet, Orxon, has become so polluted, overpopulated, and poisonous, that we are no longer able to dwell here. But I, Chairman Alonzo Drek, inheritor of my father's company and all-around leader of my people, have a solution!"

"Why am I not surprised," Quantum mumbled sarcastically, finding the Chairman to be just as sleazy as the Blarg business magnate that he and his comrades knew by reputation at least in their own dimension.

Meanwhile, Drek's video continued as the illustration of an artificial planet was briefly shown. "We are constructing a pristine, new world using only the choicest planetary components available," Drek continued to say before adding, "So, what does this mean to you, you might ask?" Blueprints of a giant crane-like device were then shown tearing apart a planet as Drek explained, "Using highly sophisticated technology, which you couldn't possibly understand, we will be extracting a large portion of your planet and adding it to our new one."

Phantom had been drinking at that exact moment, but hearing Drek's words about an alternative version of his race's homeworld caused him to spit his drink out and exclaim, "What?!"

Unaffected by his own words, Drek added, "Unfortunately, this change in mass will cause your planet to spin out of control and drift into the sun where it will explode into a flaming ball of gas, but, of course, sacrifices must be made. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Cut," someone off-screen declared, prompting Drek's once pleasant expression to change into one of rage as he ranted.

"And if you don't like it, you can take your whiny, sniveling, snot-nosed populations, form a line behind me and kiss my Blargian-," Drek then turned to someone apparently gesturing to him out of the camera view confused. "We're still on? Well, turn it off, you complete idiot!"

The screen then faded to black, giving all six a chance to process what they had witnessed.

Phantom, balling his fists in anger, was the first to comment with, "It may not be my Solana, including my Novalis, but if I could cross dimensional barriers, I'd give that little corporate scumbag a piece of my mind!"

"Settle down, Phantom," Quantum advised with a supportive hand on the Novalian's shoulder, even as his voice gave away his own dislike for Drek and his plan. Still, he showed a solid grin to Ratchet as he asked, "This looks like a job for Captain Qwark, right?"

Scratching the back of his head, Ratchet answered unsurely, "Well, yeah, but I don't how to get in touch with him, especially since my ship can't get off the ground without a robotic ignitions system."

Rivet, though, had a thought and turned to the robot next to Ratchet saying, "Bolts, do you have that kind of installment?"

Although initially offput by Rivet's choice of names for him, the small robot still answered her question, "The latest in fact, Miss," he then turned to Ratchet informing him, "Sir, I have the coordinates to Novalis from the infobot. If you can take me there, I should be able to find a clue to the Captain's whereabouts and warn him of the Blarg offensives."

Humming in thought, Ratchet traded a quick glance with Rivet, who nodded encouragingly, which resulted in him telling the robot with a confident grin, "Sounds like an awesome first adventure, pal. I'm in!"

[R]

Waterworks of the Tobruk Crater, Planet Novalis, Solana Galaxy, Ratchet's Dimension

Making his decision just in time before more Blarg robots arrived in search of the runaway that was now accompanying him, Ratchet, upon disconnecting his interdimensional call with Rivet and her Resistance movement and getting aid from the gray robot to kickstart their traveling, was able to fly his homemade ship from Veldin to Novalis before it eventually fell to pieces in a crash landing on the latter planet. Thankfully, Ratchet and Clank, as the former decided to call his new robotic travel partner instead of the name Rivet gave him, survived and had began exploring Novalis to find at least one infobot with coordinates on one hand and a new ship to take them off the planet on the other.

Their search leading them to the local waterworks, Ratchet and Clank dealt with the invading Blarg robots in their way before finding a local plumber messing with the pipes with his hindquarters in their direction. In spite of the situation, Ratchet could not help but find what he was seeing funny.

"Look, plumber's crack," he snorted to an uncertain Clank.

Unfortunately, the Novalian Plumber turned to their direction angrily as he demanded, "What did you just say?!"

Caught off guard by the Plumber's hostility and figuring that Rivet would disapprove of his behavior too, Ratchet quickly said, "Sorry, pretty stupid thing of me to think about, let alone out loud."

Calming down somewhat, the Plumber said, "Good thing that your long-distance friend taught you some manners in such a short time."

Provoking surprise in both Lombax and robot alike at how it sounded like their new acquaintance knew about Rivet, Ratchet was about to ask the Plumber what he meant before the latter instead asked, "Any reason you boys aren't on one of them escape transports, already?"

"You mean because of the invasion," Clank decided to ask back, seeing that the Plumber would not be forthcoming about his seeming knowledge.

At the Plumber's nodding head, Ratchet was prompted to ask, "Then shouldn't you be evacuating, too?"

"Socioeconomic disparity," the Novalian all but gritted through his teeth.

Clank looked eager to fill in for Ratchet's curiosity. "In other words, you need more Bolts to afford such a way off-planet?"

"Yeah, it's not easy for the working class to wait for Captain Qwark to rescue us," the Plumber admitted with an exhale of breath.

"How about this," Ratchet began to say with a diplomatic enough smile before adding, "if you can tell us where we can find a new ship for ourselves as well as coordinates to anywhere but here, we'll pay you."

"Ha, voice of reason, I like that," the Plumber quipped before saying, "Assuming the confounded Blarg haven't done anything unnatural to Mayor Buckwash, I think he can loan you fellas a ship and maybe coordinates of his own, too." He then showed Ratchet and Clank an infobot from his person before explaining, "This infobot, on the other hand, can lead you to Aridia and show you a video of two weirdos who could use some help as well," the Plumber then whispered, "Just don't tell the Mayor that I called the folks in distress weirdos, though. I think I recognized one of them as his nephew."

"Right," Ratchet replied unsurely before asking, "Would five hundred Bolts be a good price?"

"Looks for me," the Novalian agreed, and after they made their exchange, he then said, "Just be ready for the next time your lady friend, or whatever you call her, shows up at last." The Plumber then ran from the prospective, yet unlikely, heroes straight to the sewer pipe exclaiming, "Geronimo!"

Once the Novalian had left, Clank finally made his mind known. "How could that fellow possibly know about Rivet? And what did he mean by any of it either?"

With Ratchet's own mind blown, though, all he could say in response was, "I'm more surprised that he just slide down a sewer pipe as if he were at a water park. And I've never even been to one before."

The two then decided to take their minds off what they saw and heard by looking into the infobot's contents before they could continue to make their way off Novalis.

[R]

I did not expect to want to update Ratcheted and Riveted so fast, but seeing Glitch in the updated character guide of Rift Apart, and learning what she actually is instead of the Ratchet & Clank version of a Mega Man Battle Network NetNavi, inspired me to keep on writing before the year of 2021 ended. In addition, the praising reviews I got for the first part were nice as well.