Foreword:
Blackjack! XP Yupperz, it's chapter 21! And I managed to finish it in less than a quarter of a year. *feels proud*
So, recently I broke down and bought the Ratchet & Clank comic series after years of telling myself that it wouldn't be any good... and I was blown away. O.O I was seriously impressed! I mean, I got it late at night and told myself, "Well, it's too late to read the whole thing, so I guess I'll just read the first chapter to see what it's like... and next thing I knew, there I was camped out in the bathroom at midnight trying not to laugh too loud 'cause didn't want to wake my family and have to admit to them that I was staying up late secretly marathoning Ratchet & Clank. XP Anyway, suffice it to say, I loved the comic, despite a few historical details it revealed that once again clashed with my canon. DX It also made me a much stronger Ratchet-Talwyn shipper than I already was, which is ironic considering I read it just after writing this particular chapter. ^-^
Oh, and I've also re-posted all the previous chapters to include some minor changes. Mostly just typo-level stuff. Probably the only thing anyone would notice is a nod at ACiT that I slipped into the end of chapter 12 (my little sister's idea).
"Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."
— Psalms 8:2
« ... »
Pretzel-legged on the floor, Kaden took a deep, measured breath. He held up two tiny, almost identical metal doodads, balancing them each between two fingers of the same hand. "All right," he muttered, "one of these is a part of the exhaust valve that regulates internal pressure, and one is a clamp that holds the outer shell together."
With his free hand he grabbed a small machine that was on the floor in front of him and pointed to a tiny opening. "Now, which one goes here?"
His son, sitting on the floor in front of him, made a happy noise and reached out for the one on the left. Kaden pulled it away and harmlessly bonked him on the head with it, and he frowned at his father in childish confusion.
"Wrong," Kaden stated, waving the part in front of his face. "If you put this in there, you could blow up this whole ship and we'd all go bye-bye."
The baby reached out once more to grab at the part, and Kaden let him have it, knowing it was no threat all by itself. He sighed in frustration and jokingly muttered, "Honestly, don't you think you should be getting this by now? You're pushing three months, after all."
His son ignored him completely and began sucking on the metal bauble. Kaden smiled and affectionately mussed the fur on top of his head.
"I still don't see why you're making a terra thruster for your gyro-cycle," Aphelion commented.
"I still don't see why you had my gyro-cycle in your glove compartment," Kaden retorted.
"You put it there last year," the ship argued. "I already told you that!"
Kaden chuckled softly, despite his wilted ears. "I'm adding the terra thruster," he explained, "because illegal modifications make things more valuable."
"Why should that matter anymore?"
Kaden looked morosely down at the playing baby, and bit his lip. Hearing the familiar mild affection and steadfast loyalty in Aphelion's mechanical voice, he felt a pang of guilt deep within his tired heart. He had a plan to insure the future of his son, and his elaborate scheme to secure the Dimensionator had been in the works these past eleven weeks... Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his 'little girl.' As much as he thought of Aphelion as his daughter, she simply could not take the place of his real child. Even the accursed Dimensionator outranked his dear ship in terms of importance. And alas, though he racked his frazzled mind until tears of frustration pooled in his bloodshot eyes, these wretched weeks had revealed no possible way to protect his precious creation. In some sense of the word, at the very least, she would inevitably be lost.
"Hey, Aphelion?" he muttered again, ignoring her question. "Did I ever tell you why I started calling you 'Feel?'"
"I always assumed it was because that word is phonetically part of my name."
"That's part of the reason, but there was a double meaning to it that I didn't notice for a while."
"Oh?" the ship sounded genuinely interested.
"I designed you to be the first ship ever to think," he explained, "But it wasn't until the day before my wedding that I realized you had achieved something else I'd never even considered: you became the first ship ever to feel."
He stopped a moment, waiting to hear what Aphelion would have to say, but to his surprise she remained decidedly silent.
"On that day you didn't really know what to say to me," he went on, "but you said something anyway. You actually cared about what I was feeling enough to want to comfort me... and that showed me you were feeling, too."
Aphelion remained silent for a short moment before she spoke. "Why do I get the feeling you're telling me this for a sad reason?"
Kaden couldn't help but chuckle at her perceptiveness. "I just want you to know what your name means... That's all."
For what seemed like a long time, the only sound was Kaden's clueless baby playing on the floor.
At long last Aphelion announced, "Approaching destination."
Kaden leaned forward and gazed out into space. Sure enough, there it was. The final stop on his long quest to secure the Dimensionator: Apogee Space Station.
With a worried sigh he opened a channel and hailed the station. "This is the Keeper of the Dimensionator. Requesting permission to dock."
"Kaden?" Max exclaimed as though the Lombax were a ghost.
"Long time no see, Max," Kaden greeted, sounding terribly somber despite himself.
« ... »
The inner doors of the docking bay slid open, and to Kaden's surprise he was met by two armed robots standing guard.
"And just who in blue blazes are you?" one of them grumbled distrustfully, waving a blaster in Kaden's face.
The other one, a bit taller than his partner, cupped his hand over one side of his mouth and whispered (much too loudly for it to do any good), "I don't like the looks of this one, Zeph. He smells like trouble."
"W-W-Well, which is it?" the short one snapped back at his friend, seeming to forget all about Kaden. "Does he look like trouble or does he smell like trouble?"
"Oh, you know what I mean, wise guy!"
"And come to think of it, why are you using a smelling analogy, ya' rusty old fool! You know durn well you can't smell!"
"Enough, you two! I invited him."
Kaden and the robots' attention was called down the hall, where the familiar figure of Max Apogee was rushing toward them.
The husky Markazian heaved a vexed sigh when he stopped, then rolled his eyes and proceeded with the introductions. "This is Kaden, a very important friend. Kaden, these are my warbots, Cronk and Zephyr."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Zephyr greeted.
"Likewise," muttered Cronk.
Kaden suppressed a laugh, then cleared his throat and said, "Pleasure's all mine."
"Why don't you jokers go to the security wing and monitor for incoming vessels, since his slipped past you so easily," Max suggested.
"Mr. Apogee, that seemed rather uncalled-for," said Zephyr.
Cronk brashly added, "In my day young folks had a little more respect for their elders!"
"In your day young folks were still rubbing sticks together to start fires," Max retorted. "Just get out of here, would you?"
The two warbots gave each other a funny look, then grudgingly took their leave.
Max heaved an annoyed sigh, then turned and looked over at his guest in wide-eyed wonder, especially when he noticed the baby Kaden was holding.
Kaden became serious and said with downcast eyes, "I'm sorry for endangering you like this..."
"N-Not at all," Max muttered, nervous and awkward as always. After a pause, Max gingerly asked, "So... how are you holding up?"
Kaden shrugged. "Could be worse, I guess. I could be dead..."
Max didn't know how to respond to that, and there was an awkward pause before he ushered Kaden into his magnificent home.
As they made their way down corridors and across several spacious rooms Kaden couldn't help but be taken in by the unusual beauty of the place. In addition to the elevators, windows, and computer panels characteristic of a space station, there were also homey touches sparsely decorating the place, like throw rugs, framed family pictures, and flowers. Kaden took particular notice of the flowers. They seemed to be everywhere, and no two were alike. He wondered how the Apogees managed to obtain such a wild assortment of fresh fauna out here in the middle of space.
He got his answer a few minutes later when they reached the inner sanctum. It was a gigantic terrarium filled with all manner of plant life—the Apogees' own private bio-sphere.
"You can put the baby over here."
Max indicated a soft rug bordering one of the walls. Kaden gratefully set his son down, then flattened his palms against the glass window and gazed at the miniature jungle inside with his mouth hanging open. "I never knew you had something like this in your space station!"
"Oh, the garden?" Max mumbled like it was no big deal. "That was my wife's pet project. She was raised on Quantos. Said the only way she'd leave nature to live with me in outer space was if she could bring nature with her."
Max smiled a bit at this recollection, then trailed off and turned away, but not before Kaden caught a glimpse of the sad look on his face.
Kaden's heart throbbed for his friend, for he instantly understood the emotion he was hiding.
After a few moments' silence Max sniffled loudly and looked at Kaden once more. "She... was on a Lombax transport vessel during the first attack. Everyone on board was..."
He trailed off again, and again Kaden remained silent until Max found the composure to go on. "My daughter doesn't know yet... and I don't know how I'm gonna tell her..."
"Max..." Kaden spoke at last, "for what it's worth, I know how you feel."
Max suddenly looked surprised. "What do you mean? Didn't your wife get evacuated along with—?"
Biting his lip, Kaden lowered his gaze and shook his head.
"Oh, Kaden..." Max mumbled in disbelief.
"We can't afford to grieve right now, Max," Kaden said, composing himself as best he could. "We have to be strong for our kids' sakes."
A rude pattering of small feet announced someone's approach, and Kaden looked over his shoulder to see a small Markazian girl standing a short ways down the corridor.
"Speak of the Devil..." Max muttered under his breath.
"Who's that, Daddy?" the child demanded, pointing a suspicious finger at Kaden.
"He's a friend of mine, Talwyn," Max answered his daughter.
Kaden smiled and waved at the spirited little girl. "Hello, Talwyn."
"Hi," the child said, shoving a rebellious lock of brown hair out of her face and under a red headband. Satisfied with her father's explanation, she lost interest in Kaden and wandered over to the corner, where his little bundle of joy was wrapping himself up in the rug.
Kaden turned to Max and whispered, as though they could be overheard, "You understand, this meeting can never have happened."
"Of course," Max replied. "I'll be sure to wipe the whole day from my warbots' memory banks—if they don't forget on their own, that is—and Talwyn has no concept of time yet, so even if she remembers you were here, she wouldn't know if it was before or after the tragedy."
Silence ensued, and this time it was little Talwyn who broke it by exclaiming, "Daddy, this baby has big ears!"
"Yes, dear, that's because he's a Lombax..." Max answered her.
"Max," Kaden said suddenly, "I have a favor to ask... It's very—unfair—to you and your daughter... Trust me, I wouldn't be asking if I could think of any other option."
Max looked worried for a moment, but nonetheless said, "I'll help however I can."
His daughter cut in once more, "And he has a tail like mine, only different."
"Because he's a Lombax, sweetheart." Max sighed in exasperation. "You were saying?"
Kaden continued, "I want you to—"
"Aww! He's fluffy!" Talwyn interrupted once more.
"Talwyn! For pity's sake, he's a Lombax!" Max yelled.
Kaden smiled and made his way over to the two youngsters. Little Talwyn was playing with Junior's ears while the annoyed infant made protesting noises and wrenched his head around in an effort to shake her. Kaden knelt close beside them, calling Talwyn's attention to himself.
"Talwyn, I bet the baby would love to see the rest of your beautiful space station. Would you mind showing him around?"
"Okay," the girl agreed.
"You trust her with him?" Max murmured, concerned.
"He'll be fine. He survived having Tachyon as his babysitter; I think he can handle a few minutes with your daughter."
"I suppose..."
Max didn't sound convinced. He kept a cautious eye on his daughter, and not a second later he snapped at her, "Young lady, don't even think about dragging him by his tail!"
"All right..." Talwyn moaned. She let go of the child's tail and gathered him up around the waist. She was barely big enough to lift him off the floor, and his legs practically dragged along as she carried him away, saying, "Come on, baby. I'm gonna show you my new jetpack."
Once the kids were gone Kaden returned to Max and took a deep breath. "I want you to take the Dimensionator."
Max blinked in leu of a gasp. No reaction. As though he hadn't heard. Finally he muttered, "Are you serious?"
"I have a plan," Kaden explained. "I made sure every angle was covered..." He pulled loose the bag hanging around his shoulder and reached inside to take out a pyramid-shaped gizmo covered in symbols. "This is a 'Lombax Artifact.' Something perfectly normal for an explorer and collector such yourself to be in possession of, yes?"
From the look Max gave him, Kaden couldn't tell if he was intrigued or just confused. "Go on," he said.
"If anyone finds out you and I had contact, this is your cover story. I made it a couple years ago as an extra layer of protection for the Dimensionator. It will only open for a Lombax, but even if it falls into the wrong hands and they somehow open it, the 'treasure map' inside is just a wild goose chase that dead-ends on planet Sargasso."
"I see... So if this is ever taken from me by opportunists seeking the Dimensionator, that's my cue to move the device while the enemy is otherwise occupied."
"Exactly."
"But wait..." Max looked worried for a moment of deep consideration. "Won't that mean—?"
Kaden didn't respond, only drooped his ears and gave his friend an apologetic look.
"Tell me honestly, Kaden," Max entreated. "Will I lose my daughter to this machine?"
It took a few seconds for Kaden to answer. "If you're forced to flee with the Dimensionator, you'll have to either risk her safety by bringing her with you... or leave her in the care of your warbots."
Max gasped under his breath, staring at the tiny device in Kaden's hands like it was cursed.
Kaden heaved an understanding sigh and morosely said, "I know what I'm asking you to sacrifice—"
"Oh, do you?" Max snapped, and Kaden was surprised at his sharpness. "Do you really? How could you possibly—?"
"Because I'm giving up my son, too!" Kaden blurted out, his face blazing up in frustrated anger.
Max gasped, shocked silent. Kaden's expression was hard for only a second before it broke with sadness. Eyes trained on the floor, he again paused for a long moment before he could go on, his face wilting with heavy emotion.
"Tachyon won't rest until he kills every Lombax in this galaxy, and he wants me in particular. As long as my son is with me, he's in danger... So his only chance for survival is for me to send him to a different galaxy."
Max took a few seconds to process what Kaden had said. "But... why can't you use the Dimensionator to transport both of you to safety?"
"It's too dangerous. Using it again so soon after such a huge strain on its reflux coils could do anything from break it to—open an unstable portal into a random dimension. It won't be safe to use again for at least two years... I won't be able to hide from Tachyon that long."
Max stared at him in reverential awe, while Kaden wished he felt like he deserved it.
"I've thought about destroying it..." the Lombax explained further. "All things considered, that would probably be the smartest thing to do... But it's not my place. I was charged with protecting it. Besides, it's possible that other Lombaxes have somehow survived Tachyon's scourge. If so, I can't take away the only chance they may ever have of rejoining the rest of our race..."
He looked up and locked eyes with his friend, and entreated pleadingly, "But Max... if you agree to take responsibility for it, that choice is yours. At your discretion, you'll be free to destroy it if you see fit."
Max turned away, slipping a hand over his mouth. Kaden desperately fought the guilty feeling rising up in him. He couldn't afford to second guess himself at this point. He had made his peace and all the wretched cards were laid out on the table. It was up to Max now.
Finally the Markazian turned back to face him wearing an expression of bold determination that Kaden hadn't thought him capable of, and murmured in a shaky voice, "You have my word, it'll be safe. And I won't destroy it unless and until there's no other option."
Kaden almost gasped in surprise, and instead smiled with profound gratitude. He bowed forward slightly—shocking even himself—and said from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you."
« ... »
Kaden and Max were somberly making their way down the empty corridors of the space station to collect Kaden's son, when little Talwyn rushed out of a room and met them, jumping up and down in juvenile excitement.
"Daddy, Daddy! I taught him a trick!"
Max gave his daughter an exasperated look. "Talwyn, he's not your pet."
"Just come see," the child said, refusing to be deterred as she grabbed her father by the hand and pulled him away. "Come on, come on!"
Kaden chuckled at the sight. A big, tall, muscular man like Max being dragged off by a three-year-old girl. He breathed in, and for the moment chose to forget his troubles and be as one of these innocent little ones who knew nothing of grief or fear.
He followed his hosts into the room just in time to see Talwyn run over to the baby and grab him around the stomach. She groaned with effort as she pulled him upright so that his feet touched the ground, and he stiffened his stubby legs.
"Watch this," Talwyn said with pride. She let go of the baby and gave him a nudge on the back. He fell forward on his face and started to cry.
"Talwyn," Max huffed, but as he stepped forward to reprimand his daughter Kaden's hand flew up in front of him, blocking his way.
"Wait," Kaden commanded without taking his eyes off the kids. "Leave her be for a moment..."
Max shot a confused look at Kaden, then nervously turned his attention back to the children.
Talwyn picked the fussing baby up again with a tough-love approach, showing no signs of remorse.
"Don't cry! You can do it. Come on."
She righted him again, but he refused to straighten his legs this time, and for a minute or so it was a battle of wills between two fiercely stubborn opponents.
Max looked over at Kaden with a dubious expression, but Kaden continued to watch the exchange with rapt attention.
At last Talwyn resigned to a more gentle method of persuasion and stroked the baby's ears back a few times, softly muttering. "Please try... You're making me look bad."
The baby stilled and his cries sniffled to a stop. Then Talwyn smiled and lifted him to his feet once more. When she let go he wobbled a bit, but remained standing.
"Go on," Talwyn urged, and the tiny Lombax looked down at his feet and took a slow, measured step.
A gasp caught in Kaden's throat, and he brought a hand to his mouth as tears began flooding his eyes. In an instant he closed half the distance between himself and his child, and he kneeled on the floor, reaching out his arms to him.
"Come on, son" he encouraged. "Come to me."
Show me... Show me that you can make it on your own... that you have what it takes to survive!
One unsteady step after another, the baby gradually made his way towards his father. A few times he almost fell over, and Kaden seized with worry, his whole body tightening.
"Just a few more steps..." You can do it!,
With an arm's length to go the baby lost his balance and tumbled forward—right into his father's waiting embrace. Kaden scooped up the child and wrapped him up so tight that he wriggled in protest.
First Kaden breathed, then he laughed. He pulled away to look over his son, who was standing on his own, and wrapped his hands around his chubby face.
"Way to go, kid. I knew you had it in you."
Kaden looked at Talwyn, who was beaming with accomplishment, and she tilted her head at him when she saw his face.
"You're crying too?" she muttered. "Grown-ups aren't supposed to cry."
Kaden laughed, then wiped his eyes. "You're right."
He scooped up his son and stood to his feet. "Thank you, Talwyn... And I'm sorry... I owe you and your dad more than I could ever repay."
The small girl looked up at him with a confused, innocent face. Clearly she had no idea what he meant.
Author's Notes:
- Kaden's Gyrocycle— Yes, it's the one in Tools of Destruction. I doubted the theory that it could be... that is, until we paid closer attention to the part where you get it and noticed the smuggler says that the Lombax who sold it to him looked like Ratchet. o_0 At that point, it became a must. ^-^ I just wish I'd planned it out better from early on. Then I might've been able to include a scene where Kaden actually uses it. T-T
- Ratchet Meets Talwyn— I think this scene speaks for itself. X) For those who doubt the believability of such a development, keep in mind that Talwyn is just a few years old, so it's not surprising that she would have no memory of this meeting as an adult. And yes, I am implying that Talwyn is several years older than Ratchet, but I really don't think this is all that unbelievable, either.
- Kaden's Plan— Convoluted, I know, but I had to figure out some way for Max to end up with the Dimensionator. I think the canon leans more toward the idea that Max found the device in the Lombax training facility long after the fact and then moved it, but I like my version better. :P Besides, I think it sheds a bit more light on the reason behind Max's disappearance.
- The Apogee Space Station— I know that I described it differently than it looks in the game, but I imagine that the 'homeyness' of it would sort of fade away over time now that Mrs. Apogee isn't around anymore...
- Chapter Title— The word 'apogee' has two meanings: the astronomical meaning, which I'll spare you here, and the general meaning, which is 'highest point' or 'climax.' I thought as a double-meaning, it was appropriate, since this chapter sort of marks the culmination of the plot and in a way signals the climax.