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Chapter Three
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The Interdimensional Archives of Urfdah Mesa, Planet Savali, Polaris Galaxy, Rivet's Dimension
Arriving on Savali shortly after her rest stop at Zurkie's, where she gave Glitch back to Phantom since she was taking a quick break from Resistance work to look up her missing race and their dimensional knowledge, Rivet found herself to be right in describing the planet as a wilderness of its own. Featuring more sand than plant life, Savali, specifically Urfdah Mesa where the Snivelakian Monks resided, was a place of temples and mountains, and the Monks themselves, while genuinely nice, were more worshipful of Lombaxes than she expected.
On the bright side, however, Rivet had been given Lombax hoverboots, a tour of the Interdimensional Archives, and had even earned a set of armor designed by a Lombax for wasteland foraging in exchange for unlocking devices called lorbs that clued her and the Monks to why the Archives had a map of all dimensions in existence and why the Lombaxes were gone in not just her dimension or Ratchet's, but in all but one. It was on the twelfth and last lorb that she and the Monks' leader named Gary, had been listening to while the Archives itself holographically depicted both the Dimensional Map and the blueprints to a device called the Dimensionator that was built for interdimensional travel.
"This is my final recording," the youthful yet tired voice from the lorb began to say. "If you're listening to this, that means you didn't make it to the new dimension with us, and I'm so sorry. We're trying hard to get everyone now, but our race is scattered across so many dimensions, it's," the regretful tone was quickly replaced with resolve as Rivet then heard him say, "This is not farewell. I left a copy of my Dimensional Map in the Archives, and I marked down where we're all going. I wish I could have left you a Dimensionator too, but, heh, I'm only one Lombax. I hope you find your way back to us, and if you do, please look me up. The name's Mags, and I'd love to hear your story."
Rivet showed a small smile as the recording ended. While she did not receive an answer to why she and Ratchet were left behind in their native dimensions, or what kind of threat would have compelled all Lombaxes to find sanctuary in a secret dimension, the female rebel was happy that there was at least one guy who would have loved to save all of his species, if he could.
Hearing the sound of a clearing throat, Rivet turned to Gary, who like all his fellow Savali-born Snivelakians, was red-eyed with very light, pink skin, had more rounded teeth compared to anything more jagged as a result of not eating meat, and wore a purple leaf headdress in addition to a yellow shawl, but was distinct from his brethren by the left shoulder guard, necklace, and headwear put together from the parts of a Nefarious Trooper. The officially titled Prophet seemed sad at hearing the recording and looked at Rivet apologetically as he said, "I'm sorry that we gave you such disheartening news, Sister Rivet. I don't think any of us expected that something unknown would threaten all Lombaxes throughout the Multiverse."
Rivet placed her arm on Gary's shoulder guard reassuringly as she replied, "Hey, don't sweat it, Gary. It's like Mags said, I will see them for real someday." Catching a glimpse at the nearby holograms, she then added with a smirk, "In fact, with a Dimensionator of my own, I can hop right in sooner."
Seeing what Rivet had in mind, though, Gary felt the need to inform her, "I hate to tell you this, Rivet, but the only thing in our universe that can build a Dimensionator would have to be the Rubion Forge."
Rivet's eager expression shifted to dismay when she turned to Gary to ask, "As in the Emperor's fancy, experimental forge at one of the most heavily guarded stations in his empire?"
Gary nodded with a frown before adding, "And to answer your next two questions, while my Brothers and I could potentially open a rift that could take you to your people, it would require a lot of work that would be taxing on our brains to say the least. Lastly, while I would be interested if you could use the coordinates Mags left to contact the Lombax sanctuary as you have had with your counterpart Ratchet, depending on the nature of whatever it was that terrified them all to hide themselves and assuming it's still active, you could potentially lead it to where your people are in seclusion, endangering them all."
Rivet was downcast hearing the news, but she then had a thought that sounded extremely good to her. "What if I send the data I've picked up here to Ratchet," she asked Gary before explaining further, "That way, he can easily communicate with me without waiting for me to call him first and he can figure out how to build a Dimensionator of his own on his turf."
Thinking it over, Gary said, "It could be risky, Rivet," he then brightened up in a way that brought a smile to the rebel Lombax's face as well, "but so long as Ratchet keeps both the Dimensionator and the Map from the wrong hands, it's worth a shot, and it even has a chance of succeeding!"
"Yes," Rivet could not help but cheer, and hearing the last part of Gary's speech sentence, she then asked, "What does Ratchet's universe have that could do the job as well as the Rubion Forge?
"A shard of the Surinox Comet!"
"Great," Rivet cheered once more before she blinked in confusion and repeated, "A shard of the Surinox Comet? I don't think I've ever heard of a comet by that name before. Is it exclusive to Ratchet's universe?"
Briefly taken aback, Gary then let out, "Oh, right," he chuckled in embarrassment for a bit before he calmed down well enough to say, "I forgot that the Comet isn't exactly common knowledge. But to answer your question, Rivet, the Surinox Comet is actually transdimensional by nature. For six thousand years, it orbited Ratchet's reality before it moved on to the next dimension on its path, where it repeated itself from there to the next dimension and so on and so forth," shrugging, he then said, "I can't quite tell if it ever orbited our universe, but it sounded cool enough to know about."
"But in Ratchet's dimension, it left a fragment?"
"That's right, which landed on his version of Fastoon, where the native Lombaxes then studied it, and eventually," Gary gestured broadly, "it led to all of this!"
Taking her time to absorb the information, Rivet finally commented, "Huh, you learn something new every waking moment." A moment of silence passed between them until Rivet then said, "Well, I better call Ratchet to let him know what's up before I forget."
Before Rivet could say goodbye to the Prophet and have her interdimensional call on her ship, Gary quickly yet tentatively asked, "Um, would it be alright if I were present for that call, Rivet? I don't mean to intrude on your privacy, but it's not everyday that you meet a Lombax, let alone two while listening to a third's recordings."
"Well," Rivet began to say before ultimately smiling, "okay. You've helped us out greatly, so we owe you," she then allowed Gary to shiver excitably for a moment while she got her telescreen out and ready to call Ratchet.
Almost immediately, Ratchet and the small robot from the last call answered on the other end from what appeared to be the interior of a shop, and Rivet was surprised to see something visibly different about the former, which brought her to say, "You're wearing an orange shirt!"
That exclamation actually brought a laugh out of both of Rivet's contacts while Gary looked confused by her surprise and the reason for it.
"I also got a pair of boots, too," Ratchet said with some smugness in his voice, and in a more relaxed tone of voice, he added, "Yeah, I remembered what you said about needing some more clothes, so as soon as we got to Metropolis on Kerwan, I picked some up for myself. Thankfully, we had, and still have, plenty of Bolts to spend on other things we'll need."
The little robot next to Ratchet began to explain, "On the slight chance our two universes do not share the same form of currency, Rivet," but Rivet quickly interjected with a polite smile.
"Yeah, we've got Bolts, two, little guy," her smile then turned upside down as she continued, "even if they're supposed to be second fiddle compared to the Emperor's Nefarious Dollars," saying the last part with emphasis and a vocal gag that incited more laughter from her friends, including Gary, Rivet was about to ask if Ratchet had picked a different name for his partner than the placeholder she gave when someone off-screen poked his head on the duo's right.
"I'm sorry for accidentally eavesdropping," the new guy began awkwardly and then said, "but did I hear talk of parallel universes and what sounded like an Emperor Nefarious? As in Captain Qwark's archnemesis, Doctor Nefarious?"
Showing a sheepish smile himself, Ratchet turned to Rivet and said, "Oh, yeah, Rivet, this is Al, a Roboshack owner that recently costarred in a commercial with Qwark. He doesn't know where he is right now, but he did upgrade Clank with a Heli-Pack which is cool," turning to Al, he continued to say, "Al, this is my alternate dimensional counterpart, Rivet. We kinda met by accident, and she's been letting me know what her universe is like under the rule of Doctor Nefarious's counterpart," turning back to Rivet, Ratchet added, "No offense."
"None taken, hotshot," Rivet replied before turning to the robot, "Nice new name you got, Clank," and lastly, Al, "I don't know how bad your Nefarious is, but be thankful you don't have mine as your evil, universe-spanning dictator." Remembering that Gary was still there, she then gestured to him as an introduction, "Oh, and guys, this is Gary of the Savali Monks that safekeep the Interdimensional Archives in my universe."
Gary respectfully bowed to the three on the telescreen as he said in greeting, "Namaste, Brothers Ratchet, Clank, and Al."
"Oh, why thank you," Al replied just as Clank returned the bow himself, both apparently overwhelmed by Gary's politeness.
Showing a pleasant enough smile to Gary, Ratchet turned to Rivet to say, "Clank and I were just asking Al, as a keen on detail fan of Qwark, about Doctor Nefarious, and he told us something interesting about his earlier exploits."
"Let me guess, the Amoeboid infestation on Rilgar," Rivet asked rhetorically and once receiving nods from the three, she added, "Yeah, I already know about something similar that happened in my universe a bit before the Resistance in it's current form came to be."
Al showed a confident grin as he made his own question. "In that case, what was your Emperor Nefarious like as an organic," he asked with his arms crossed.
Both Rivet and Gary were stunned at Al's words, but it was the latter who finally commented, "Huh, so the whispered rumors in our universe are widely recognized as truth in another. Nefarious the robotic villain began as a creature of pure biology long ago."
"I'd rather not spoil the Qwark vid-comics," Al began to say and added, "but I will tell you that the Doctor's, let us say, conversion was an accident. Beyond that, I heard my own rumors that after he was driven off from Metropolis by Qwark and went into hiding, he may have grown crazier from literally having Lance and Janice on his mechanical brain in a radio kind of fashion."
"Who are Lance and Janice," Clank asked just as confused as Rivet herself felt.
Ratchet groaned in revulsion before answering, "The so-called stars of one of the most confusing, sappiest, and sadly long-running soaps of all time, pal."
"Ah," Rivet let out in understanding, and then asked, "In that case, playing reruns of that show in your circuitry would be a fate worse than death, right?"
"Very," Ratchet replied grimly.
Deciding to change the topic, Rivet told her fellow Lombax, "Well, moving on, Ratchet, I did learn some things about our people on a multiversal level, but seeing as your Solana still has its problems in the form of Drek, and your top hero is nowhere to be found at the moment, I have to ask this to both you and Clank." Once she had both of their attention, she then said, "Guys, why obsess over one hero, when others might be easier to find? Do you think I've been relying on just five allies in the Resistance over here in my own dimension? Plus the friendly Morts and Monks that have helped me out?"
Al raised a three fingered hand as he told Ratchet and Clank, "Her logic is even sounder than yours was earlier, you guys. Aside from Captain Qwark, this fair city happens to be home to the Brown Ranger, Quaternion X, and Captain Starshield to name three examples of the many heroes our galaxy is home to, or at least, frequented by."
"Is there a catch, though," Clank asked for the sake of argument.
"Well, they might be just as hard to reach out to as Qwark is," Al allowed that much before saying, "but from what I heard, the Government's Galactic Rangers are stretched a bit too thin at the moment. It's not easy when the Blarg pretty much declare war on the entire galaxy."
"Then there may be only one thing for you to do, guys," Rivet was saying to Ratchet and Clank before concluding, "Take the fight to Drek on your own terms."
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Crash site of the Solarship Radical, Outpost X11, Planet Aridia, Solana Galaxy, Ratchet's Dimension
A world of sand and mud that was sparsely populated in outpost compounds, Aridia would not normally be on Ratchet's list of places he wanted to go to, but since the Novalian Plumber's infobot informed him and Clank that Skidd McMarx himself, and his agent, Don Wonderstar, were stranded on that planet, it probably was where they had to go. Since the search for Captain Qwark reached a dead end, anyway, they figured it would not hurt to help Skidd and his agent leave that planet alive, especially if there could potentially be something useful they could find there.
Landing the courier ship that Skidd's uncle from Novalis had loaned them near the construction site of Outpost X11, Ratchet and Clank were soon enough able to find Skidd in the aptly named Sandshark Valley and help him get back to his wrecked ship, followed by exploring the Outpost itself to find Don Wonderstar and even discover a Gadgetron Trespasser up for grabs. All the while, though, Ratchet could not help but think more on Rivet's words of him and Clank needing to rely themselves to do what had to be done, if they could not find any official heroes at all to fight the Blarg, which felt like a good call to arms, considering the infobot they find on Kerwan had recorded a conversation between the recently retitled Executive Chairman Drek and a robot lieutenant of his that he sent to deforest Eudora.
At the same time, though, Ratchet had spent so long looking after himself first and foremost that he was not sure he had it in him to be a real hero compared to Clank's altruistic concern for others, or how Rivet was probably seen by her Resistance comrades in their dimension. It was a conflicting mess as far as he was concerned, but that did not mean he wanted to turn back. Only that he felt lost in that exact point of time.
"Hey, little dudes," Skidd called out to Ratchet and Clank just before he and Don could take the Radical off Aridia, "I know Don and me weren't exactly victims of the year when you came to help us, so he and I talked, and we'd like to leave you both with some gifts from each of us."
"And by we, Skidd, you mean you," Don's voice was heard from inside the Radical in a complaining tone of voice.
Shaking his head at his agent's words, Skidd then took out a hoverboard and a set of headgear before saying, "Catch, Ratchet," and then throwing them both to the Lombax.
Looking over the hoverboard, Ratchet was shocked as he recognized its type. "A brand new Z3000," he exclaimed. "You can't even get these off the market anymore!"
"And that other item is a Sonic Summoner used to attract Sand Mice," Clank informed Ratchet upon analyzing what else was in the Lombax's arms.
"I'm not one much for given advice," Skidd said to them before admitting, "let alone the good kind. But if there's one thing my Uncle Buckwash always told me is that a dude doesn't have to do big things to be a hero, just the right ones." Showing a profoundly grateful smile, he then said, "As far as I'm concerned, you two bros can do anything when you put your minds to it. If you decide to race at Blackwater City, I'll be watching. Peace out!"
Having said their goodbyes, the two Rilgar-born Novalians then piloted the Radical for take off back to their home planet, leaving Ratchet and Clank to their own devices.
"Mister McMarx sure is a pleasant fellow when you get right down to it," Clank complimented before turning to the silent Lombax, "Do you agree, Ratchet?"
Finally showing a small smile of his own, Ratchet nodded to his smaller friend before saying, "Well, we'd better go, pal. Eudora and the galaxy itself aren't going to save themselves, and I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty confident in my heroic skills right now."
Clank nodded right back with the closest thing for a proud smile he could make. "Now you are talking, Ratchet," he said right back with conviction in his voice.
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I did not initially want to update again even sooner, but the positive responses I got compelled me to do so. I also would like to thank Tangent from SpaceBattles, FanFictionNet, and Archive of Our Own for their insightful ideas, and if anyone would like to writeup a Ratchet & Clank AU that features Clank with a different name like "Bolts", they are more than welcome to do so.
Now, if it is all the same for everyone, I will save the next update for this until I can figure out how to depict Ratchet, Clank, and their story-specific companions on Eudora and the Blarg Tactical Research Station in The General's Charge (featuring Alister Azimuth and a seemingly on the level Captain Qwark), Shielded by the Stars (Captain Starshield), Prog it Up (Vendra and Neftin Prog as well as the Aphelion), and Sargasso From the Get-Go (Talwyn Apogee and the Aphelion once more with Cronk and Zephyr providing support from the Apogee Space Station) in addition to Ratcheted and Riveted, which might happen in January at best. Of course, just like this chapter and the previous two before it, expect a location from Rivet's Dimension to be included in the mix and that is all I will say on that matter.