Hi! Lilrose here!

Haven't got many reviews lately, but that's fine. I'm really excited about this. I can see why authors on here get hooked to this site. I mean, the opportunity to put your own spin and view on something already made? It's truly wonderful!

This is no where near the end, yet, so be ready for many updates. If I can get around to it. SERIOUSLY, I NEED TO GET BACK TO THESE THINGS!

So, just so everyone remembers:

questions in mind

'memory speech'

'personal thoughts/memories/robot speech'

"normal speech"

"radio communication/robots in common tongue (except Clank)"

It's kind of confusing, right now. I'll probably have to go back and fix it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except my OC, Zanora/Lynxion and her past.

Ratchet glanced toward Alister briefly before rocketing toward the switches. He flipped all the highlighted switches and watched as the hologram power conduit was ionized. He turned off his hoverboots and landed on the ground in time to hear the com crackle to life.

"You did it! Conduit is ionised!" their inside helper exclaimed with glee, "You should be able to slingshot over the plaza and into Pollyx industries."

"Good work, Ratchet."

Ratchet smirked a little at the praise from the General. Ever since he found out about Alister knowing his dad, he just wanted to know more. But everytime he went to ask, that stupid memory would stop him.

Ratchet watched Lynxion as she packed supplies into the storage hull. He was still annoyed with her silence on the subject of the Dimensionator and his father, but maybe if he asked enough...

'You stop that thought right there, cub.'

Ratchet jerked back in surprise, only now realising that Lynxion had stopped and was watching him warily. He righted himself, glaring at her in frustration. She smirked at him knowingly and turned back to her work of filling the storage hull.

'Why won't you tell me anything?' he demanded, though it came off slightly whiney, 'I mean, come on! I understand if it's hard, but even the tiniest detail on the Dimensionator's tester...!'

Lynxion tensed and froze in her work. Ratchet felt the atmosphere turn strained and cursed for mentioning it. He didn't really want to tell her with these episodes she's been having...

He stayed silent as Lynxion turned her torso to face him slightly, her visible eye suspiciously shimmery. He was about to comment before she gave that tiny detail that changed everything.

'He was... a great friend of mine.'

"Ratchet? What's going on? Why aren't you here?" Alister came across the comm-link slightly worried.

Ratchet shook his head to clear it.

'Who knows how Alister would react to that question. I'd better leave it be for a while.' With that, Rachet jumped into the air, and joined Alister at the beginning of the conduit.

Ratchet watched as Alister searched up the location for the Obsidian Eye. He tried not to remember his first encounter with the object, but was finding it increasingly difficult.

They were then interrupted by a familiar face that put Ratchet on edge. Dr. Nefarious cackled on the screen, his words blended together in a mechinised scratching to Ratchet's ears. He heard something about a 'disgraced elder' and idly glanced at Alister, who was looking down. What did he mean by that?

Ratchet mentally added to his ever-growing list of questions and turned toward Nefarious, his 'wise-guy' demeanor making itself known as he stepped forward.

"What is it this time, Nefarious?" Ratchet smirked, tilting his head to the side with an eyebrow raised, "Are you still trying to turn everyone into robots, or is it just good old fashioned galactic domination?"

Nefarious's eyes seemed to narrow as he brought his metallic hands up in a considering gesture, "Part of me wants to let you live long enough to find out. The other part, really wants to kill you. You know, for old time's sake."

He menacingly approached the camera, "Decisions, decisions, decisions."

The screen cut out and Ratchet had enough time for one thought when the alarms went off.

'Drama queen.'

The ringing of the alarms pierced his hearing, and he brought them back while containing a wince. Alister looked around in confusion, trying to determine the threat. He heard explosions coming from outside as the workers ran, Alister pushing through to go through a hole in the floor. Ratchet followed him in, the last words of the computer reaching his ears.

"Warning. VX-99 detected. Evacuate all stations."

Ratchet jumped out of the way, shooting a robot that got too close. The VX-99 was weakening, a blessing that allowed Ratchet to take a quick breather as he thought through what to do.

He scanned the damage, wincing at the collapsed and burning buildings. There might have been citizens in there. Why do they have something like this, anyway? Did they really want this to happen?

He looked up in time to see another wave of bots coming his way. He readied himself, waiting until they got close to him, then charged, swiftly dispatching them. He looked up in time to dodge the VX-99's attack, the resulting shockwave sending his fur on end. That was too damn close!

He kept his guard up, but suddenly felt struck by something. His mind stuttered.

'I knew that cragmite would do this.'

'Kaden!'

'I won't let you have it!'

'RATCHET!'

"RATCHET! LOOK OUT!"

His mind snapping back, adreneline ran through his viens as he threw himself to the side as another building came tumbling down. He righted himself, scanning his surroundings as he registered what was going on.

What.

The Hell.

Was THAT?!

He shook his head, the questions ceasing to bug him.

'I don't have time for this.'

He growled, focussing as he charged back into the fray.

With a sigh, Ratchet followed the General into the temple. He'd been acting jittery the as soon as they landed, and it was starting to make Ratchet nervous. They had avoided the tetramite mounds as much as possible, reaching a cave that was sealed off from the rest of the passageway.

Alister ran his hands over the stone, looking for a weak point. Ratchet halted, just about fed up with the secrecy around him. Alister, Lynxion, Aphelion; they were all hiding something and he was just about up to here with it!

"General!" He called.

Alister didn't respond, a green light filling the cave as he pulled a flare to get a closer look. Ratchet ran furthur in toward him in an attempt to halt him.

"Will you just stop for a second?" He called, "I wanna know what happened."

Alister growled, and for the first time, his tone turned irritated, "Questions, questions, you ask all these questions! Ask yourself this!"

Alister pivoted from his place on the wall, slightly facing Ratchet as he stared.

"How relevant is the past when it can be changed?"

Ratchet stared, mind clicking as Alister continued to scan the wall. What was this really about to him?

"Your father would have said 'not very'."

Ratchet caught the meaning behind that and leaned back, eyes slitting slightly at the comparison.

"That's him." Ratchet ground out, gesturing away from him, "And you still haven't given me a straight answer!"

"Now, why aren't you with the Lombaxes?"

Alister trembled and spun around, staring straight at him as he exploded.

"BECAUSE I FAILED THEM!"

Ratchet's facial features loosened as Alister's eyes darted to the ground and turned glassy. This... is what he was so reluctant to say? This is what he believed? With all that the General had done while he'd known him, it seemed impossible for him to fail at something. Ratchet's ears drooped and he looked down guiltily.

'No... No, everyone fails at something... I should know.'

He looked up as Alister's legs shook, and he leaned against the stone, sliding down onto the ground. The green light the flare provided highlighted his face as he repeated his statement brokenly.

"I failed them..."

Ratchet's tail twitched as he stood straight, taking slow steps toward the old Lombax. Alister looked up slowly, then buried his face in his hands.

"I made, a mistake."

Alister stood above the work area, watching Tachyon as he instructed the workers what to do. The Cragmite was ambitious, but his inventions were needed for the greater good. Surely, the others could see that?

'You're really letting him do what he wants, Azimuth?'

Alister turned at the voice, and winced at the look on Kaden's face. He felt the speech he had prepared for him fly out the window as his friend stared him down with hard eyes. He cleared his throat and stood straight.

'Now, Kaden, you know as well as I do that we need all the help we can get.' He started, watching Kaden's face, 'Polaris isn't safe for anyone at the moment, and it would take time to get everything under control. We need him.'

Kaden let up slightly, but didn't abandon his cause, 'Listen, Alister. I know that you're trying your hardest for the better of all of us. But Tachyon isn't in it for helping us.'

Alister fell silent, looking at the ground. His ears drooped as he waited for his friend to continue.

He heard Kaden clear his throat, 'But that isn't why I'm here.'

"They took refuge in the court, but your father refused."

He looked up at Kaden's unusual fond tone. Kaden was smiling, a bright shine to his eyes that made Alister a mixture of nervousness and curiosity. Why did he look so happy?

"He would never have left your mother."

Kaden opened his mouth, 'Tell me, old friend...'

"But when he made it back, she..."

'How do you feel on being a Godfather?'

"She was already gone."

Ratchet had no time to think about the information that was thrown at him, but he understood the basics.

Tachyon was responsible for the first extermination on Fastoon, his father refused to hide with everyone else and went back to find his mother, she was probably dead by the time that he got there, Kaden fled, with Ratchet with him, most likely. And he died to save his son.

Lynxion stared back at him, 'What happened on Fastoon wasn't just limited to Tachyon. Even without Tachyon attacking us, Fastoon would've...'

Would've what?

Ratchet stared uneasily at the Obsidion Eye, a reminder of a pirate that he'd rather not be reminded of. He watched Alister as he muttered something and started typing, not really paying attention as a robotic female voice echoed through the room.

"Standby for system uplink."

Heart hammering in his chest, he leaned closer to the Eye, watching as a picture fuzzed into existence. A metallic room, with a single couch, and in a far corner of the room...

A familiar robot stood staring off somewhere.

Ratchet couldn't help it.

"Clank!"

The robot turned, familiar green optics seemingly lighting up when they spotted him.

"Ratchet?" Clank replied, and Ratchet could have leapt for joy as he jogged toward the screen, "How did you find me?"

Ratchet grinned and shook his head playfully, "Are you kidding me? You think I'd leave my best pal out here alone?"

Clank smiled at him, and Ratchet took a second to analyze him. There didn't seem to be any scratches or damage from what he could see, so he wasn't hurt. Thank god.

Clank blinked and tilted his head slightly, "Who is that behind you?"

He squinted, leaning toward the screen slightly, "Is that... a Lombax?"

Ratchet smiled at his disbelieving tone and motioned behind him at his companion, "Yeah, this is General Azimuth. He's been helping me look for you. Just send me your co-ordinates and we'll pick you up."

Ratchet's tail was wagging slightly, but he couldn't care less. He found Clank, he could pick him up, they could go home!

"Signal integrity - thirty-three percent."

The female voice rang out again as the power in the Fulcrum Star sparked, the blue light flickering. Ratchet felt faint warning bells in his head as he looked behind and above him, but it's okay, Clank had time to tell him...

"Ratchet, I need your help. Orvus is in trouble." Ratchet turned back to the Eye as Clank spoke, "You must go to Zanifar and confront Doctor Nefarious."

Ratchet blinked. Who was Orvus?

"Zanifar?" Alister questioned as Ratchet tilted his head to look at him, "Doctor Nefarious hasn't set foot on that rock since his station was completed two years ago."

"Then that is when you must confront him." Ratchet and Alister glanced at each other in confusion as Clank continued, "Head to the Tombli Outpost and look for a time portal."

Clank's expression turned pleading, "Please, save my father."

Ratchet's brain froze for a few seconds, then...

"Your father?!" He exclaimed, leaning forward more as the connection started shorting out, "Clank?! What's going on?!"

The connection died as he cried out once more. There was a violent spark and a sudden loud thump behind them, shocking Alister as he shot around, only to stop with a mutter of 'my god'. When Ratchet turned, he was met with the site of a familiar muttering individual.

"Lynxion?!"