Disclaimer: I only own Loric Ellebor and the Unseen Destroyer. Ratchet & Clank and all related characters are owned by Insomniac Games.


Chapter 2: A Path Unveiled

Night had befallen Meridian City and the two heroes were sleeping in their personal suite provided by the Defense Force but in different rooms. However, neither of them had sunk into a peaceful slumber.

Ratchet was panting and tossing in his sleep. Every unpleasant experience he had ever lived, the DreadZone, being tormented while having his DNA extracted, his fight against Tachyon, Clank's disappearance, Alister's death, the time he believed Talwyn was gone because of Artemis Zogg, losing Cronk and Zephyr, everything was taking place all over again right before his eyes. Images flashed before the black that failed to keep his sleep peaceful. Panic prevailing over physical tiredness, the years of his heroic deeds reflecting decay instead of triumph, backfiring in the form of invulnerable reminders of emotional traumas. Demons of the past seemed to hunt him and there was no way of driving them away. Not until he could find the strength to open his eyes.

"Only I know your true purpose in this galaxy. Only I know your true name…"

A shadowy figure appeared, looking as if he had escaped a forgotten, menacing part of the Netherverse. He floated closer and closer to him. There was so much darkness around him that no eyes or mouth could be distinguished. He looked as though he was faceless. Maybe he was. "Ratchet…" he whispered the Lombax's name. The whispers became louder, revealing a brutal voice calling him with more intensity. The call became deafening and Ratchet couldn't take it any longer. He had to find the strength to open his eyes. He had to try. A little harder. And harder.

Ratchet woke up with an audible gasp, rapidly moving to a sitting position. He took deep breaths and after some seconds of pure, undisturbed silence he found his heartbeat returning back to its normal pace. He inspected the room with cautious green eyes. Everything was as it should be, even his flight cap and his gloves were on the very table he had last placed them. No danger seemed to lurk in the corners of the dimly lit room with the sole purpose of killing him. With fatigue finally catching up with him, he allowed himself to calm down by laying back on his bed.

"Ratchet…"

It couldn't be. The whispering. The same whispers that haunted his dreams just a moment ago.

"Ratchet…"

He swiftly got out of his bed and grabbed his OmniWrench. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"You're living a lie, Ratchet… You are a lie" the ominous voice replied. Ratchet's grip on his weapon tightened, indicating the uneasiness he felt. "I am truth. I am the death of ignorance. Follow me and you shall be enlightened" the unworldly voice went on, its unsettling presence leading the Lombax into a maze with no escape from where his rationality was at stake.

"The universe looks at you and sees a hero… But do you know what I see? A coward; someone who lost the guts to find his race…"

Ratchet couldn't listen to the voices any longer. How did this happen? Was he suddenly becoming insane for no good reason? He rushed to the balcony as quickly as he could and hoped that the cool air would deliver him his sanity back. He concentrated on the view and his grip on his OmniWrench, letting everything else slip out of his mind.

"I'm here, Ratchet. As long as you crave answers, I will be here. Nothing is over" the voice returned. Ratchet shut his eyes in desperation.

"Stop! Leave me alone!" he shouted as his free hand moved to his forehead. Afterwards, many whispers were heard all at the same time. What they were saying was incoherent and incomprehensible and at this point Ratchet was absolutely certain he was cursed, despite the fact that never in his life did he believe in such things.

"You're a lie, you're a deception. Nameless, without a purpose. Orphaned, alone…" the dark figure's voice echoed loudly above all the whispers. "Condemned. Condemned. Condemned." This word was repeated over and over, first by the brutal voice that had swept away all traces of serenity nights should hold, then by the whispers that quickly formed a flawless choir. Louder and louder. Ratchet didn't dare open his eyes, didn't dare to move. He wanted to shout, to break every single object around him. It was driving him mad and he wanted it to stop.

"Ratchet?" rescue came in the form of a caring voice standing out from the accurst ensemble. The familiar voice snapped him out of his nightmare and all voices disappeared at once. There was silence reigning again and the night turned from terrifying to peaceful. Ratchet opened his eyes hesitantly. No ghosts, no whispers. Everything had vanished. He turned around and saw Clank standing not far away from him. "Are you alright?"

The Lombax could only blink as confusion set in. He listened carefully to make sure nothing was haunting him anymore. Nothing, everything seemed to be back to normal. He finally let out a sigh he didn't even know he was tormented by. "Yeah, I guess."

"The Zoni told me to come here immediately or else something very bad would happen" Clank explained reluctantly. Even after so long he got warnings by the guardians of Time every now and then.

"Something's wrong, Clank. You won't believe what happened."

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

After a sleepless night caused by this unprecedented experience, Ratchet decided to get himself distracted by doing what he knew best. No, he didn't start blowing stuff up. After thinking this through and deciding that it was nothing to worry about and that it would never happen again, he began upgrading Aphelion's thrusters. It was a plan he had come up with some time ago and he had also prepared several blueprints in order to begin modifying the starship.

However, Clank didn't see the matter so superficially. Every time he tried to have a serious discussion with Ratchet about what had occurred, his friend would insist that it was only due to his negligence of allowing himself a break. But Clank doubted it. The Zoni wouldn't have appeared for something so trivial. And even if it was because of sustained exhaustion, the fact that Ratchet had heard voices had yet to be justified. Nobody was called by seemingly invisible creatures when extremely weary, let alone by people of their past. In the end, Clank's arguments were indisputable which only led Ratchet to end the conversation with an angry remark. The robot even feared that saving galaxies began to have its toll on Ratchet. He assumed that perhaps such stressful and intense experiences were posing a threat to his mental stability, a possibility which only resulted in utter denial as the mere thought of it saddened Clank to the point of having his circuitry overheated by irregular activities of his CPU.

"I can't wait to get her for a flight after I'm done. Sevenfold maximum speed! How awesome is that, pal?" Clank was transported away from his harmful stream of thoughts when Ratchet spoke enthusiastically from under his ship. His friend was standing a few feet away, observing the ship with a rather thoughtful expression. His worried look was justified by Aphelion's report.

"After thorough calculations and examination of previous flight data I can ascertain you that with seven times enhanced speed combined with your clumsy piloting, the probability of crashing is 89.6%" the ship declared.

"This is ridiculous" Ratchet protested while working. "My piloting is not clumsy."

"I second that."

"Thanks, Clank."

"I meant Aphelion's statement" Clank clarified and then giggled.

Then the Lombax spoke again while a perpetual sound of tightening some components with the OmniWrench was heard. "Aw come on. With the new modifications it will take only half an episode of 'Trick Out My Dropship' to go from one edge of Polaris to another."

All of a sudden, Clank made out a figure that was a good distance away from them. He narrowed his optic lids to observe the unknown creature better. After some seconds, it became clear that the person was coming towards them. He found it odd since he had never seen him or any other creature of this race before. The man had a strange complexion. It was the palest shade of violet, similar to the colour lilac. His ears were pointy and resembled the ears of an elven creature as the Earthlings would say. His eyes were ocean-blue and he held a white sceptre which had the height of himself, a bright sapphire crystal decorating the top.

He finally approached Clank's spot and stopped on his tracks. He made a noise of clearing his throat before speaking as his long, brown hair fell on his shoulders. "I am here to talk to Kaden's son. The time has come."

"What the- Ouch!" Ratchet began but ended up hitting his head due to his surprise and his instinctive impulse of trying to stand up. He finally managed to step away from Aphelion and face the mysterious man with a hand holding his sore head. Oil covered parts of his fur and his Pilot Suit.

"Finally, it is time! I found you at last. You are the Son of the Stars. My brotherhood will be honoured to accept you and guide you to the ultimate battle against all darkness" the stranger said in a determined tone, his voice holding signs of success for he was feeling rewarded for having found the one he had been searching for.

The heroic duo stared at the man with wide eyes and their silence brought about an awkward atmosphere. In fact, the stranger now began feeling embarrassed. He closed his eyes in indignation but opened them as soon as the uncomfortable quietness was disturbed… by intense laughter.

Both him and Clank looked at Ratchet who was laughing uncontrollably and holding his stomach with one gloved hand. He was able to speak after her calmed down. "You almost got me" he said pointing at the man. "Seriously I freaked out, well done. Qwark sent you to prank me, didn't he?" he added joyfully.

The man frowned his eyes, confusion present in them. "I don't understand. Who is Qwark?" he raised his hands in bewilderment. "Master Orion sent me."

"Yeah, right. Is he still mad because I scared him while he was taking a shower?" Ratchet wondered and instantly chuckled at the memory but his friend seemed to be more attentive to the stranger's words.

"I believe you misunderstand, Ratchet. This man appears to be talking seriously" Clank claimed.

"Seriously? Son of the Stars? Battle against "all darkness"?" Ratchet mocked making air quotations. "This sounds like a cheesy holo-film." He then turned his attention on the man. "Look I don't know who you are but if you're telling the truth, I'm not your guy" he casually remarked in a tone slightly more irritated than intended.

"Forgive me for the omission, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Loric. Loric Ellebor. And I am being honest. You have to listen to me" Loric insisted with a warm and kind look on his face. "Is there a place where we can talk?"

Ratchet shut his eyes in confusion and sighed. After a couple of seconds his emerald eyes were open again, focused on Loric. However before he could say anything, Clank spoke.

"Excuse me, sir. But you mentioned the name Kaden. Did you know him?" Ratchet's ears perked up in immense interest.

"I didn't. But the leader of my brotherhood did" Loric replied.

"You mean Master Orion?" the robot went on.

"Exactly. But I can say no more here, there are prying eyes everywhere. We must go somewhere safer, where no greed can reach us" Loric told them with concern. Ratchet raised one eyebrow, finding the way Loric spoke rather bizarre.

"Let me finish with my ship and then we can talk" he proposed.

"I shall take a walk then. The rays of another sun should be a refreshing change. I'll come back later" Loric suggested and in an elegant manner he turned around and took slow steps away from the robot and the Lombax.

"And I thought Vorselon was dramatic" Ratchet noted half-smiling.

"This is serious, Ratchet. We just found a lead to your father, and possibly the Lombaxes" Clank said in a sober tone. Soon, Ratchet became troubled as well.

"You're right. But… I… I'm not sure about this. Maybe this is not a good idea" he brought forth his opposition bitterly. Kaden, Alister and the Lombaxes in general were a delicate subject to him. He needed closure. He thought this was over. Why was the past appearing right before him again? He didn't need to scratch old wounds. He didn't need to dwell in the past. Clank, Talwyn and saving the Universe were all that mattered right now. And it was more than enough. Why couldn't he find a way out of all this?

"This will always be your decision. But before you choose, I advise you to explore all options. It is the only way to follow the path you truly wish for" his loyal friend consulted.

"Thanks, pal" Ratchet said with a smile indicating relief. "Okay. Let's get this done with."

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

Loric Ellebor wandered around the huge city known as Meridian City, feeling enchanted but at the same time finding it too busy and quick-paced for his taste. After all, so many years had passed him by, offering him the wisdom to find virtue in strangers and defeat misleading consuls such as hate and vengeance. Now he wished for a more serene and tranquil life to spend the rest of his remaining years. Of course, only after all darkness had been vanquished.

After letting all new landscapes be imprinted onto his mind so he could cherish them through memories, he returned back to the spot where he had found the friendly robot and the headstrong Lombax, always known to him through his Master as the Son of the Stars. Ratchet hadn't managed to upgrade Aphelion's thrusters as it would take at least three hours and Loric was waiting. Plus Clank had told him that in case they were obliged to leave Igliak, it would be preferable not to end up beneath metal debris. So he had no choice but to reluctantly comply.

The two organics and the robot were back in the suite, sitting across a table with Ratchet being opposite of Loric and Clank between the two of them.

"So this Orion" Ratchet began, "he has information about my father?"

"I reckon they met at one point. But I don't know any more details. I wasn't present when Kaden found our brotherhood" Loric explained.

"Your brotherhood?" Ratchet wondered with a questioning look.

"We are a race called the Grey Mages" Loric enlightened him.

"I do not mean to offend you" Clank interfered, "but the Grey Mages are not among the species I am aware of, nor have I ever heard of you."

Loric smiled and raised a hand reassuringly. "No offense taken, erm…"

"His name is Clank" Ratchet declared, knowing what was keeping Loric from going on. Clank smiled, although due to the fact that he was a robot it wasn't truly visible.

"Nice to meet you, Clank. Well we have secluded ourselves in a remote galaxy. I think even the Zoni don't know it exists." Clank felt the urge to talk to Loric about the mysterious little creatures, share his knowledge with him and tell him that the great Orvus was his father. However, he knew Ratchet longed for answers so he didn't find it right to attract Loric's attention. Additionally, he wasn't even certain if he could be trusted.

"So you'll take us to Orion?" Ratchet inquired.

Loric laughed slightly. Ratchet couldn't tell if he was feeling amused or nervous. "Did you really think it would be that easy, Son of Kaden?"

"Hey, stop referring to me with titles. My name's Ratchet" he snapped in apparent indignation. Such anger wasn't intended to be directed to the stranger but something about those unusual titles made him feel threatened. As though his identity was at stake by information that forced him to re-evaluate who he is.

Loric sat back on his chair, moving away from Ratchet's angry face. He heard the Lombax ask one more question in a calmer tone this time. "Where is this galaxy?"

"I can't answer that either. Questions lead us to nowhere so let me explain" Loric recommended.

Ratchet stood up from his chair. "I don't want to listen to any of this. I don't want to dig up the past. If it doesn't concern the safety of the Universe, I want no part in it" he spoke with determination, his tail twitching nervously and without a regular pace.

"Ratchet, I believe we should listen to Loric. He showed up right after the night you had this nightmare with the dark figure. That cannot be irrelevant or coincidental" Clank pointed out only to receive a furious look that voicelessly told him he shouldn't have mentioned this.

"A nightmare you say? I suppose you dreamt all of your unpleasant experiences? And then you kept hearing voices, even when awake?" Loric said alerted, his eyes wide open with surprise and worry. The two friends looked at the Grey Mage in utter shock, Ratchet appearing to be more astonished than ever.

"So he has found you. The Unseen Destroyer" Loric stood up, stressed out as well. "I'm afraid you're out of time, Ratchet. You cannot run away anymore. That creature knows who you are and now he will do anything to claim your soul. If you do nothing, unimaginable things will happen. It just makes matters worse to sit here, fearing your past."

"I don't fear my past! I just need closure. I've had enough of this" Ratchet corrected him loudly. Bewilderment brought a heat in his heart. It was pounding fast. No good would come of this. Yet again, this Unseen Destroyer would consume him in the end. Both choices seemed too risky.

"You won't have closure unless you fight the Unseen Destroyer and whatever he's connected to. But to do that, you will need coordinates to locations only Orion knows" Loric explained.

"Then why won't you take me to him?" Ratchet asked, visibly out of patience. Not that it had ever been one of his best traits.

"I can't just show him a Lombax and tell him you're the one he's been looking for. He needs proof!" Loric replied with equal turmoil disclosed by the intensity of his voice. He took a deep breath and sat on the chair again. Now was his opportunity to explain. His tone became calm. "In order to prove to Orion that you are Kaden's son, you will have to retrieve something. Something that even Tachyon didn't destroy when he was ravaging Polaris and every planet beyond it, destroying everything related to the Lombaxes, anything bearing the mark of their civilisation."

Ratchet and Clank were listening to Loric with extreme caution, neither of them daring to speak or even move.

"Kaden's Armor. A gift from Orion himself. I don't know what Kaden did for him to receive such a remarkable gift, a set of armor that's named after him, but I do know Orion gave it to him. And that Kaden hid it before he was confronted by the Cragmite."

Ratchet's green eyes sparkled with excitement and admiration. Could this object be so valuable that even Tachyon hadn't destroyed it? And it bore his father's name? He felt the urge to discover more, something he didn't think he would be feeling after everything that had happened all these years ago.

"You mentioned Ratchet's father hid the armor. Which means even Tachyon could not access it. So how will we do so?" Clank thought aloud logically.

"No, no, no. You don't get it. Tachyon had access to the armor because he had the map that leads to it. But he never destroyed the armor. He just hid the map. Actually he returned it to where it was first spotted. And no one can explain this, no one knows why. Imagine how valuable this armor is, even for a Cragmite" Loric stated with a fist in the air, enthusiasm written all over his face.

"So we've got to find this map" Ratchet concluded, scratching his chin. "Can you tell us where it is?"

Loric sighed and looked at Ratchet in a much serious manner, ocean-blue penetrating two emeralds. "Not unless you're certain."

"Wait, what? You just told us all these things about the armor and now you decide to act like a-" Ratchet shouted but his friend stopped him from going on.

"Ratchet!" Clank called to tame him.

"I will give you a day to think this through. I understand this is too much right now so I cannot take your answer for granted. Not today" Loric spoke wisely.

"But you said I'm out of time" Ratchet reminded him annoyed.

"Time provided for crucial decisions is never time wasted. You need it" Loric explained and stood up. He took some steps to approach the wall where his long sceptre leaned. He grabbed the white piece of wood and looked at the heroes again, who were observing him with curiosity.

Loric said one more thing before departing. "I know you are faced with a tough dilemma. I only hope that you will make the right decision. For the sake of all of us."

Slow footsteps approaching the door was the only thing Ratchet's senses received. Eyes looking at the wall where the enigmatic sceptre once reposed but not seeing, ears perked up but without hearing anything save the footfall. Voices and ghosts filled the room again but this time it wasn't a haunting caused by the Unseen Destroyer. It was his own soul's distress. And this time, his friend calling out his name did not have the power to make them disappear.


A/N: About what 'Trick Out My Dropship' is, in PS: All-Stars Battle Royale it's mentioned as some sort of holo-vid series Ratchet and Clank watch in their leisure time.