"Skyla?" As the grey Lombax slowly came to; pain, ever the enthusiast, was the first to greet her. She felt her body start to reboot like a computer, as if her systems were gradually coming back online.

"Skyla?" Someone was calling her name. Latching onto the voice she used it to pull herself completely from the depths of unconsciousness and into the world of the living. Her eyes fluttered slightly and then opened, but quickly closed as light glared harshly back at her.

"Sky?" That voice, she knew that voice...she tried to answer but all that came out was a low moan. A shadow moved over her and the light didn't seem as intense so Skyla risked opening her eyes. Everything was blurred, but there was a definite form hanging above her and she blinked as it swam into focus.

"Am I dead?" Skyla mumbled, feeling incredibly faint. The face she knew so well changed from an expression of worry to a relieved, gentle smile.

"No, you're alive, little one," murmured the voice. Skyla blinked again, fully registering the figure in front of her.

"Maia?" she whispered, hardly daring to believe this could be real.

"Yes, it's me, Sky," the Cazar answered. The Lombax simply looked at her friend for a moment, drinking her in. She was real flesh and blood, her soft eyes sparkling as they gazed down at her. Maia was alive. A wave of happy emotions flooded Skyla's heart. Maia was alive! But how was that possible? She'd seen the pod explode, hadn't she? So how...?

"I got the nanotech..." came another voice, but then it stopped. Skyla turned her head slightly towards the new voice, but she could only make out a silhouette as the light blinded her once again. She tried to get up to get a better view but Maia pushed her down gently.

"No, don't move. You're badly injured and have lost a lot of blood," she told her. As if to back up this statement Skyla's shoulder throbbed acutely and nausea swept over her. Her whole body felt battered and bruised and she could feel herself bleeding from many nicks and cuts. Her ribs ached badly and it hurt to breathe deeply so she tried to keep her breathing shallow. It was then she noticed that there was a strange scent in the air that she couldn't place, but it smelled a little acidic, like a gas of some sort.

The silhouetted figure knelt by her, next to Maia, and Skyla got a clear view of them.

It looked young, but older than her, probably mid-twenties by the looks of things, and male. He had sandy gold fur with dark caramel stripes on his arms and on his ears that were long and pointed, angled backward against the skull. He wore the clothing of a mechanic and looked as if he was someone who was out and about a lot. He had sturdy looking combat boots, blue trousers and a peach top made of a tough looking material with some sort of harness strapped over them. He had no visible hair as his head was covered by a piloting cap which hung around his face unclipped. His hands were covered by long, dark brown work gloves but he had 5 clear digits. His nose was brown and slightly T-shaped, and he had a slightly wide face with a mouth that looked like it was used to smiling. And his eyes...they were the most magnificent shade of green, alive with life and overhung by two dark eyebrows that seemed to frame his features perfectly.

All of this, Skyla took in within a second, but it took her a moment longer for her mind to reach the blindingly obvious conclusion.

He was a Lombax. A real, live, male member of her own 'extinct' species.

Skyla blinked.

The Lombax blinked.

Skyla glanced at Maia and then back at the Lombax. She frowned ever so slightly in confusion,

"I...don't understand," she told her Cazar friend in a small voice that made her seem like a child. Maia shifted,

"Skyla, this is Ratchet...he's a Lombax," she said simply and slowly. The sandy Lombax smiled,

"Hey," he said somewhat awkwardly. Skyla stared at him. Her mind had gone numb at Maia's statement, even if she'd already some to that conclusion.

"But how...?" she began but a sudden bolt of pain shot through her chest and she gasped lightly.

"Ratchet, she is still losing blood. You must administer the nanotech immediately." This new voice came from her right and she looked over to see the small robot standing next to her, his metallic form glinting in the sunlight.

"Oh, yeah," the sandy Lombax held up a water pouch that glowed a light neon blue colour. He removed the lid and held it out to her. Skyla glanced at Maia who gave her a small nod of encouragement, so she let the Lombax put the spout to her lips and she felt his other hand slip under her head, supporting it. She began to drink.

The liquid tasted strange, with an almost metal taint as well as a small buzz as it slid down her throat. It felt like drinking live plasma. She gulped down several mouthfuls more.

Without warning, there was a sudden boiling pain that seared her from the inside. It felt like her stomach had been filled with an acid that was eating away at her insides. She choked on her mouthful and the sandy Lombax quickly withdrew as she spat it out. But the searing pain remained and she struggled not to scream, her body curling up and jerking in the throes of agony. It was like wild animals were clawing apart her innards and she felt herself become slightly delirious with pain. Rolling away from Maia she threw up onto the ground, the small robot jumping away just in time to avoid the stream of nanotech that poured from her mouth. But it came out a different colour, as where it had been neon blue it was now a dull grey.

"What's wrong?" she heard Maia cry over the sound of her retching.

"I don't know, it's not supposed to do that!" the sandy Lombax exclaimed, his voice filled with shocked concern. Skyla continued to heave until her stomach was completely empty and the searing pain had died down considerably. She gulped in oxygen and collapsed onto her back, gritting her teeth as the impact jarred her body.

"Sky, are you alright?" Maia asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"Never better," Skyla croaked with a weak smile. Her head was swimming once again and the figures above her swam in and out of focus.

"Clank, why isn't the nanotech working?" the other Lombax asked the robot. There was a brief pause, then,

"She has a chip in her arm that is preventing the nanotech from healing by expelling a chemical which dissolves the outer shell of the nanites, ridding them of their medicinal capabilities. It is also a long range homing device, though a little crude it would be traceable across a galaxy."

"Why would she have something like that in her arm?" the Lombax asked with an inquisitive frown.

"The Collector," Maia said in a low voice and had Skyla been able to, she would have nodded in agreement. She should have guessed Ban would implant her with such a device...no wonder they'd found her so easily on Eudora. But at the moment, she was too tired to be angry and wanted to sleep. She closed her eyes.

"No, Sky, eyes open," Maia's voice interrupted her and she blinked slowly, dutifully opening her eyes.

"Then how are we supposed to heal her? We don't have any other medicine except bandages, but they won't help her internal injuries," the Lombax wondered aloud.

"There is nothing we can do while that device is in her arm," the robot explained.

"Then we have to get it out," the Lombax announced stubbornly.

"I do not think that is possible."

"What?" Maia and the Lombax cried at the same time. Skyla frowned, what did the robot mean?

"It has been in her arm for a long time. So long, in fact, that it has become embedded in her muscle. If you remove it without proper surgical equipment, then she may lose the use of her arm and die from blood loss if the chemical does not leave her system in time for the nanotech to work. I am sorry, Ratchet," the robot added, and he sounded so genuine that Skyla believed he meant it.

"There has to be another way," the Lombax muttered, "she'll die if we don't get some nanotech in her soon." Skyla wanted to tell them she wasn't going to die, but part of her...didn't quite believe that. She knew she'd suffered worse than a stab wound before, but combined with a broken wrist, badly bruised ribs and an altogether battered body...even she could only stand so much. Death might not be imminent, but it wasn't far off if she didn't get some form of medication in her. Her eyes flicked to the sky above them. They'd crashed, definitely, but where?

"Perhaps the Swamp Jaggas could help?" offered the robot.

"We'd never find them in time...and they don't take kindly to outsiders," the sandy Lombax replied bitterly. Skyla made to close her eyes again, the need to sleep settling over her like a blanket. All this talk was making her sleepy, and rest seemed an effective way of avoiding the pain that plagued her...

"Sky!" Maia's voice made her jump and her eyes shot open in alarm. The Cazar hung over her again,

"Don't close your eyes, Sky...you might not open them again," she finished in a small voice. The grey Lombax looked at her friend and saw the fear in her eyes. Maia was right, if she fell asleep now...she might not wake up. Forcing herself to full consciousness, she glanced at the other Lombax.

"Take it out," she said to him. His eyes widened,

"What? No! You'll die!"

"But I might not. If you don't I'll probably die anyway. You have to do it, it's the only way," she murmured. Her words sounded strangely surreal, and she realised that her mind, like her body, was somewhat numb. The idea of dying didn't seem to be such a big deal, now...even considering the events that had just happened, when she should care about living that much more now there was Maia and another Lombax. But she didn't even have the energy to care, and was secretly ashamed. The man looked at her, brow knotted in confusion,

"Clank?" he said, glancing up at the robot.

"If you take the device out, the chemical should purge itself from her system naturally within a few minutes allowing you to administer the nanotech safely," the robot told him, then he looked down at Skyla and spoke to her, "but there is every possibility you could bleed to death before the nanotech can act on your body, a 1 in 3475.1 chance exactly." Skyla studied his expression which was incredibly animated for a robot, and saw the sincerity in his eyes. But at the same time...she didn't want to die. Maia was alive, and what kind of friend would Skyla be if she let herself die just when they'd been reunited...? And when she'd just met another Lombax, too. She didn't even know anything about him! Maybe he wasn't the only one, maybe there were more...? But she'd never find out if she died. She had to care. She had to live. The device had to come out.

"I'll take my chances," she mumbled.

"Skyla, no..." Maia said and the grey Lombax's eyes flicked over to her.

"I won't die, Maia...I promise," she said as brightly as she could. The Cazar's mouth twitched,

"It's too dangerous, Sky," she whispered.

"I've faced worse," the grey Lombax grimaced slightly, then focused on the man, forcing energy into her body, "right...how are we going to do this?"

"You want me to do it?" he asked a little apprehensively.

"I'm not going to ask Maia to do it, she's seen enough of my blood spilt over the years. Your robot friend, his hands look a little too big. And you're...pretty handy with a wrench," she said, remembering the expertise with which he'd dealt with the guards. His mouth curved into a disbelieving smile,

"Yes, but that's a wrench...not an operation tool."

"I'm sure you can adapt," Skyla muttered drily.

"And you seriously want to do this? You could die," he told her seriously.

"Am I getting any stronger?" the grey Lombax mumbled in reply. The other Lombax studied her for a minute before nodded,

"I don't like it, but ok...let's do this." He got up and moved away, and sounds of metal scraping against metal reached Skyla's ears. She frowned and glanced at Maia,

"Where are we?" she asked, but her words came out strangely slurred. Talking had taken its toll and now she felt even more drained and her ribs were groaning as if under some great weight.

"Ssh, don't talk, you need to save your energy," her friend shushed her, "I don't know where we are, we crashed onto a strange planet and the ships lying not far from here. We were lucky, it seems the ground here is pretty soft and none of us were badly injured...except you. I haven't been awake long, but Ratchet's already started repairs. He and Clank know this place, I think." So they'd crashed, as she'd suspected. Skyla wondered, with dry amusement, if she'd ever land normally on another planet rather than smashing onto its surface.

A moment later, the man returned holding a handful of tools, some bandages, and another pouch of nanotech. Skyla blinked sleepily up at him, was it her imagination or did the light seem dimmer? He hesitated,

"I don't know if we should..." he began, but Skyla forced herself awake once again.

"No, no, I'm fine," she claimed, though even she knew how badly she was lying. She wasn't fine, she was dying. The sandy Lombax glanced at the robot,

"Where is it, Clank?" the robot's eyes ran over Skyla's arm before locking onto a section of her right arm.

"Here," he said, just touching a spot around three quarters up her arm, "it is 20 millimetres in length and width exactly." The sandy Lombax moved around and took up a position kneeling by her shoulder. Maia shuffled up so she sat above Skyla, gently lifting the grey Lombaxes head onto her lap. The Cazar smiled down at the Lombax who smiled back somewhat dizzily. They used to do this, back at the facility when they had some free time. They'd sit in the hydroponics chamber, Skyla's head on Maia's lap, and the Cazar would sing for her friend. Those times were some of the happiest in Skyla's life, when she could just stop and listen to Maia's beautiful voice. Those were the days.

The sandy Lombax selected a small sharp knife frequently used in carving soft metal. It looked clean enough. He got the robot to point out the spot again and set the tip of the point against it. He hesitated again, eyes flicking to Skyla. She nodded once at him as her ribs ached once again. It was getting more and more difficult to breathe as her lungs struggled to obtain the necessary amount of oxygen. As if having second thoughts the man drew back and took off his glove with his teeth, keeping the knife in place. He offered it to her,

"You might want to bite on this...this will get painful." Skyla gratefully bit down on the leathery material. At least now her tongue would be safe. The Lombax hesitated once again, before he began to gently insert knife into her arm. Tears stung Skyla's eyes as blood welled up and she looked up at Maia somewhat desperately,

"Sing to me," she pleaded, though her voice was muffled by the glove. But Maia understood. Opening her mouth, she began to sing.

"Home is behind, the world ahead". Skyla smiled in spite of herself and felt herself calm at the sound. That was her favourite song of Maia's, and the pain in her arm seemed to lessen as the sound became her anaesthetic.

"And there are many paths to tred". The knife nicked muscle and her arm spazzed in reflex, she gulped back a whimper of pain and continued to listen.

"Through shadow, to the edge of night."

"Clank, how deep is it?"

"23 millimetres beneath her skin". The Lombax cursed,

"I'm not a doctor!" he said with an edge of panic in his voice.

"You are a mechanic, Ratchet. In a way, you are a doctor for robots and vessels. Think of this as removing a jammed bolt from Aphelion's engine," the robot said soothingly.

"Right, thanks," the Lombax replied with a tiny hint of sarcasm, but he focused better after that.

"Until the stars are all alight."The blade bit deeper into her muscle and a small noise of pain escaped Skyla as she felt the blood begin to flow in earnest.

"Mist and shadow." Skyla nearly screamed as she felt the metal connect with a vein and pain exploded in her arm. She gulped heavily, blinking back tears, focusing on Maia's face and the Cazar's fingers stroking her hair.

"Cloud and shade."

"I've found it!" exclaimed the Lombax. With his free hand he scooped up a pair of tweezers that he'd last used on Aphelion's warp coil (and since cleaned). He inserted them into the gap he'd made in Skyla's flesh and winced at the blood that was running freely down her arm at an alarmingly fast paced. But he could just about see the glint of something metal amongst the red. He had to wriggle the tweezers a bit, working as fast as he could. He found a grip on the chip and began to pull. A cry of pain escaped Skyla through the glove and he realised that Clank was right when he said it was embedded right into her muscle. He would have to cut it out.

"All shall fade." Thanking the stars for his nimble fingers and years of steady practise tinkering with gizmos, Ratchet began moving the blade around the chip, separating it from the muscle.

Sweat beaded Skyla's brow and he knew his own forehead was damp with perspiration. Finally, the chip was free and he grasped it once again. He levered it out gently until eventually, it was out. He wanted to let out a sigh, but it wasn't over yet. He grabbed the pouch of nanotech but Clank stopped him.

"No, not yet, the chemical is still in her system," he told him. Ratchet looked desperately at the grey Lombax. Blood dripped down her arm in a constant stream and he placed a clump of bandages over the gaping wound in an effort to slow the flow. But the white material was quickly soaked in blood and the red life giving liquid ran from her as steady as ever, trickling through his fingers.

"All shall..." Seconds ticked by but they felt like hours. With every breath he could see the girl growing weaker and weaker as her body slowly began to shut down, finally collapsing under the weight of the hardships it'd been put through.

Eventually, he could stand it no longer and ripped the glove from her mouth, jamming the pouch tip between her lips as gently as he could, praying that he wasn't too late, or too early.

Skyla began to gulp almost instinctively, ingesting as much of the nanotech as she could, a sense of desperation giving her the energy to swallow. But all around her was darkening, the faces of Maia and the sandy Lombax swiftly dimming into silhouetted blurs. She wasn't going to make it.

This was it.

"...fade."