Nova and Clank stay in the museum for hours, with Clank telling their story. He shows the exhibits of key parts of their past as he speaks. With every victory, Nova's face lights up in pride. With every loss, she closes her eyes in quiet reflection. Seeing the people that shaped their previous lives, the heroes and villains whose choices shaped the galaxy, Nova's a bit flattered to be a part of it all. There's a part of her that's also a bit nervous, terrified of the universe eventually knowing about her origins and expecting the same strength from her. The tour ends where it started, in front of Ratchet Apogee's exhibit.
"In the end, time took Ratchet. As much as I miss his company, I am glad that he is at rest after many years of retirement."
"Wow, that's..quite a story. And since then, you've been at the Clock?"
"Yes, I was in good company with Sigmund. He is one of my closest friends, and has done a fine job as Senior Caretaker. On the day you were born, there was a large pulse of Zoni bioenergy on Quantos. I did not think much of it, as Quantos gives off quite a bit of Zoni energy to begin with, and its energy fluxuates at times. Eighteen years later, that pulse showed itself again. The Zoni showed me a vision, one of a ship crashing into Terachnos. They told me 'a ball of fire will change the universe again.' I was unsure what that meant until I saw you."
"A ball of fire will change the universe again? What does that mean?"
"I believe that it is a reference to my past. When I crash landed on Veldin, Ratchet found me, and we became heroes that one could say changed the universe."
"Huh, I guess this time you returned the favor, then."
Clank giggles, and Nova's smile shifts into a chuckle of her own as she realizes the joke. The sound echoes against the walls, dissolving as the laughter dies down.
"I needed that, thanks. Well, let's get started. There's a lot for me to learn, and not much time. Let's go to Veldin first. What better place to start than the beginning?"
"There is no better place than home, especially for training. I have kept Ratchet's old weapons safe, and the open spaces would be a perfect firing range."
"Lead the way, Clank. I'd love to see it."
Nova kneels, turning her back to Clank. He turns himself to connect to the harness, and Nova rises at hearing the click. She walks the two of them to Aphelion, and the cockpit hisses open. Clank disconnects, and Nova climbs in.
"Hello, Aphelion. Clank told me everything, and we'd like to head to Veldin first."
"It's certainly good to see you again, and I hope you're less inclined to crash me than your precursor."
Nova gives a nervous smile, trying not to think about how her first encounter with a ship certainly didn't end well.
"I hope so too, miss Aphelion."
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Nova. I will jump us to Solana, but the trip will take a few hours. I'll place you under cryosleep until we arrive."
"Cryosleep? I can stay awake for a bit longer. I could use the time to practice driving."
As Aphelion rises into the air, Clank looks up at Nova, noticing bags under her eyes. He recalls her yawning towards the end of his stories, fighting to pay attention.
"It is quite late, Nova, and you have been exposed to quite a bit of stress. It would be wise for you to rest. It would not be good for you to fall asleep at the wheel."
"Well, okay. If you two insist. Wake me up if you need me."
Nova reclines in her seat, watching the stars above her fly by. In moments, her breathing settles as she drifts to sleep.
...
Solana Galaxy, Planet Veldin - 29 Days Remaining
Aphelion touches down in front of an old garage at the outskirts of the Kyzil Plateau. Clank gently shakes Nova out of her sleep. Her clothing is ruffled, and her hair bun has loosened with time and sleep. Nova's tired, unfocused eyes meet Clank, and she rubs her face to wake up.
"Nova, we have arrived safely. It is time to wake up and train."
"Hmm? 'kay. Morning."
Nova shifts in her seat, and Aphelion opens the cockpit to the Veldin air. As she groggily picks up her staff and climbs out of her seat, the blast of morning heat immediately forces Nova awake. Clank latches to Nova, and her posture shifts again.
"So, this must be your old home."
"Yes, this is where it all began. If you look in the distance, there is a crater in the ground beyond the fence. That is where I crash landed."
Nova squints through the sunlight, and sure enough, there's the aforementioned crater. Aphelion shuts her top, and the final puff of cold air hits Nova.
"Wow, I'll have to check that out later. For now, I'm gonna head inside. It's way too hot out here."
As the two approach the building, Clank drops to open the rusty doors. The nearby drawers are filled to the brim with ship blueprints, and next to the workbench is a large toolbox. The high ceilings and empty space of the main room seem to accomodate for starship repairs long since completed. The left wall holds two dusty, oversized wrenches. A circular patch of metal to the right seems too out of place to be flooring, and a large bolt sticks out of the ground in front of it. There's something about it that feels like home.
"Wow, this place is huge. So you two, uh, we I guess, lived here for a long time?"
"Yes, we did. Before he passed, he requested that the garage be locked up. There are many valuable blueprints and weapons here that dishonest people would likely attempt to take. However, those who ever attempted to raid this building were met with disappointment. The walls are reinforced with pure raritanium, and I carry the only remaining key. Ratchet and Talwyn's copies were destroyed at his request when they passed to prevent theft. I am the only one who can duplicate one, and I will certainly do so for you."
"That makes sense, I'm sure that a hero like him would have kept some pretty powerful stuff here. Is that what's under that spot? What opens it?"
She points to the strange contraption, and Clank nods.
"That is correct. The mechanism keeping it locked is called a bolt crank. A turn from an omniwrench will unlock it."
Clank moves toward the larger wrenches, and Nova follows. A small metal arm is extended toward the weapons.
"Would you like to do the honors, Nova?"
Nova follows, placing her staff on the nearby table. Uncertainty coats her voice and body as she reaches for them, but hesitates. She looks back to Clank for guidance.
"Should I? Those things are really important, I don't want to break them or something."
"If you do, I will certainly show you how to repair it. But that is no concern. Those wrenches have certainly been through much worse. I believe that he would want them to be used anyway, and who better to do so than you?"
"Well, okay. If you're sure."
Before moving forward, Nova tilts her head and closes her eyes. In reflective silence, she asks for the blessings of spirits past. With a deep breath, she chooses a wrench. Nova stumbles a bit with the weight of it, holding it firmly with both hands. She gently blows the first layer of dust off of the wrench's head, brushing off a spot with her thumb to show its true crimson color.
Holding it, Nova can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia coming from the weapon, like an attachment of its original owner. A splash of colors: red, white, orange. Anger, regret, and a longing to change the world. Those vibes wash away in an instant, replaced by a different type of mourning, a wish to see what might have been.
Clank watches as she studies the weapon carefully, fascinated by her body language. She seems almost as if she is looking beyond the weapon, her eyes narrowed a bit in sadness. Most puzzling of all is the fact that something about her looks different, and he knows that his ocular sensors aren't malfunctioning. His systems would have warned him. Her eyes are bright green.
"Are you alright, Nova?"
Distracted from whatever she was doing or seeing, Nova's eyes revert back to their original state as she answers Clank.
"Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Just..felt something."
"Were you given a vision?"
"No, not really. More abstract than that. More..vague emotions. Tell me about who used this wrench."
"That is a praetorian omniwrench, originally used by Alister Azimuth, and passed down to Ratchet after his demise at the Great Clock. As I told you in the museum, the General wished to use the Great Clock as a time machine, and nearly succeeded. Ratchet and I stopped him, but the resulting blast of quantum energy from the damaged chamber took his life."
"And you and Ratchet watched it all? That's awful. I hope he's at peace."
"I do as well. He may have..made mistakes in his life, but from what Ratchet told me of their brief time together, he was a good man beneath that madness. Back to the wrench itself, it is an effective melee weapon, also capable of releasing a blast of negatively charged energy from the tip. Try extending the wrench's staff."
Nova grips the handle tightly, tilting the wrench vertically as she searches for a button or some other mechanism to do just that. When she finds it, the force of the motion taps one end to the ground, threatening to knock the antique weapon out of her hands.
After her heart is finished leaping out of its chest, she walks toward the bolt crank. The wrench head automatically stretches, as if it senses the job that must be done, and clicks into place. Nova stops for a moment, preparing herself to start this new chapter of her life. I pray that I use these weapons well, and honor those who used them before me.
Nova twirls around the bolt crank, and as the bolt clicks into place, the circle's edges begin to glow.
"Are you ready?"
Clank offers his hand, and she accepts, leading her to the lift. The two step onto the plate, and the platform drops to the basement.
There's no way that Nova could have prepared herself for what her eyes showed her.