It had been a long day, running from planet to planet like they had; Aphelion didn't want to mention it, just yet, but she was definitely beginning to run low on fuel…

She couldn't complain right now, though, she had both of her boys back after all. Sure, she hadn't been part of the little adventuring party for a grand amount of time, but she fancied herself to be an important component of the group dynamic now. Those two wouldn't actually get anywhere without her, now would they? Well…most of the time, anyway.

It had certainly been a shock, waking up on Fastoon to a sight she thought would be lost to her forever… Aphelion had certainly grown fond of the duo during the time she'd spent helping them from place to place… But that had changed far too soon for her liking…

The generally pleasant- though decidedly chaotic- atmosphere that she associated with Ratchet and Clank had disappeared, right along with the robot. During those years that they'd spent looking for him, however, Aphelion had really gotten to know Ratchet as himself, and not just one half of the galaxy-saving pair. When she looked back at it, it wasn't that surprising that they'd become good friends.

Over the course of their search, when things were looking down and the lombax was growing depressed, she would relay anecdotes from Fastoon and spin tales she'd learned from the culture. It didn't always do the trick, but sometimes it helped remind Ratchet that he still had a friend nearby, ready to lend a…wing. In return, on days where they could spare the time, he'd tell stories about past adventures or describe- sometimes in stunning (or frightening, depending on what it was) detail- ideas for future inventions or recount past devices he'd created.

Certainly, Aphelion was guilty of coddling the lombax on occasion, but- at the time being- he was the only one that she had. Besides…he'd been through the ringer on more than one occasion, he needed someone to look out for him, in more ways than just making sure that he didn't do something off the charts on the "unconventional" meter.

Oh, she'd been thrilled to see Clank again! It was a shame that he'd been so worried, though, despite the fact that she understood where the worry spawned from. This feeling of elation had only made the wait at Nefarious's space station all the more nerve-wracking, when nobody contacted her for hours on end. Sure, it wasn't uncommon for missions to take quite some time, but that had been ridiculous!

And at that time, another ship had docked: an old, refurbished ship, antiquated by at least ten years. It had looked ridiculous; all decoration and over-the-top fire-power, sorely lacking in defense… and there those two were again. How in the three hells of Bogon, she didn't know. She'd wanted to ask, of course, but there was definitely a mission still on-going; Aphelion could tell simply from looking at the way that Ratchet carried himself.

It was times like that when she wished to IRIS that she were an android! What could have happened to cause the collapse of the space station? And, more importantly, why were her self-appointed charges hanging from the wing of another ship?! It was far too long- though in reality, she realized, it was more akin to five decacrons- before she was able to sit the pair down and ask them. Even then, they were on their way to the Great Clock… on the path to seeing history being rewritten.

She couldn't believe it, even when she witnessed it. That other lombax had seemed so kind; he'd acted as a mentor, whether or not it had been needed… and he'd killed one of those under her protection! And then…then he hadn't. One moment the strike hit home, the next it soared overhead, mostly harmless. What, she had wanted to demand, was going on?

But yet again…it was all over almost as soon as it had begun. Aphelion had been approached not long after the grisly scene, guaranteed that almost everyone- and everything- was okay. She'd been informed, by an almost toneless explanation, that Ratchet was going to help fix up the Great Clock…and then they'd be on their way once more. Without Clank.

Oh! She'd wanted so badly to sooth her charge! She'd yearned to tell him that it was alright, and that they'd see Clank again! But…something stopped her. Even now she did not know what that was, but something kept her from offering words of- possibly false- encouragement. Aphelion would have liked to think that it was her better judgment, but it was impossible to say.

Things had turned out alright, in the end, though. She'd been hesitant to seal her cockpit, even when instructed to do so; and she'd slowed to a crawl when she took sight of the little mech, running like he was fleeing from a pack of ameboids towards them.

What a relief it had been, to be assured that everything was going to be okay. That promise had not been made verbally, no, as some liked to say, actions did speak louder than words, after all. What had reassured her was the borderline-maniacal grin that Ratchet sported, his tight grip on the navigation control…and more than anything else, the impossibly relaxed position that Clank adopted in the face of such potential danger.

Everything was going to go back to normal… their version of normal, that was.