NOTES:
If you want a better-formated version of this story,
some of the chapters of which will contain pictures and illustrations of certain scenes,
head over to Archive of Our Own!
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For That Which Sparkles
Chapter Summary
With the situation now dire and Tachyon so powerful, things have become desperate. Ratchet and Rivet are told that the pirates from Halua III have recovered a Hologuise, which, if they can steal it, will help the Alliance in learning how to exploit Tachyon's one weakness.
Ratchet and Rivet are sent to recover it, but during their mission, Rivet comes to learn of something ELSE the pirates have come to possess... Something that will go a long way in aiding the Alliance.
This wasn't part of their mission, but is it worth the risk?
The next day began rather uneventful. Clank woke at the sound of the morning alarm as usual and roused the still-snoozing Lombax from sleep, jerking him from a rather pleasant fantasy in which he and Rivet had been quite alone, talking together atop the garage in which he had grown up on Veldin beneath a canopy of stars.
Ratchet hid his disappointment however and showered like usual, meeting Clank before they set out to begin their morning.
"I don't suppose Talwyn told you or Kit much more than she told us?" Ratchet asked, pulling on his leather gloves. "About the mission, I mean." He added, as Clank continued to look at him.
Clank shook his head.
"No, she did not; She just said that there was an important mission today for you, and that you would need my assistance."
"Hmmm… Well, she said she'd tell us everything this morning, so we oughtta find out soon."
They stepped outside and Ratchet pressed a finger to the buzzer above the number pad beside Rivet's and Kit's door. There was no response however, and Ratchet tried again.
"Strange…" said Ratchet, looking curiously at the door. "Kit's usually here by now to let us in." "Perhaps they have already gone to breakfast?" Clank suggested.
Ratchet's ears drooped a little. He had hoped to see Rivet first thing this morning, to ask her for a private word… He really wanted to tell her before they set out on their mission today, while things
were still relatively calm, and before they were both being shot at… He didn't know why, but he had the sneaking suspicion it would be very difficult to try and confess your undying love for someone in the midst of a firefight.
Ratchet squinted at the door, as though trying to see through the large slab of metal.
"…Don't see 'em in there, do ya pal?"
Clank looked rather taken aback.
"Ratchet, I take no issue scanning through walls to find hostiles, but do you not think it would be a bit odd and perhaps even rude to spy on the girls in the privacy of their room?"
Ratchet blushed.
"W-what?! Clank, buddy, I didn't mean it like that! It's just… I was thinking maybe you could check if… y'know, they'd already left! I don't wanna see Rivet like… like…" his voice died as his mind suddenly flooded with images of the female Lombax getting dressed.
"Like what, exactly?"
"…Just a quick peak?"
"Ratchet."
"Ow, hey! Knock it off! I was kidding!"
"Indeed… And here I was thinking your sense of humor had evolved from when you were sixteen."
"Oh c'mon pal-" Ratchet said as they began ascending the stairs. "think of it this way: if someone ever tries to impersonate me, ask 'em to tell you a joke! That'll give 'em away instantly!"
"…That is not a bad idea, Ratchet; I will both know it is an imposter and I will be clutching my chassis from their excellent sense of humor!"
"Yeah, right." Said Ratchet, rolling his eyes, and privately taking an internal sigh of relief that Clank really had thought he was joking.
However, they had barely reached the cafeteria doors when they swung outward from within, and out came Rivet, Kit, and Talwyn.
"Ah, there you two are!" said Talwyn brightly. "Just got these two right before they got in line. No time I'm afraid, we've packed you something to eat for the fly ahead. Come on, we gotta get this mission started." And she strode right passed Ratchet and Clank, away from the cafeteria doors, and through which was wafting the enticing scent of buttered toast, bacon, sausage, and eggs.
Ratchet looked inquisitively at Rivet, who shrugged, and they turned and followed after the Markazian.
"Lucky you both showed up!" said Rivet. "Talwyn was just saying we'd have to knock your door down to get you outta bed! You must be a pretty heavy sleeper, huh hotshot?" she asked, smiling, and Ratchet's stomach gave a pleasurable leap.
"Yes, very." Clank answered. "Ratchet once needed to be up early for a meeting with the city authorities on Corson V about three years ago; he slept through all ten alarms, as well as the
hammering on our door from angry neighbors. It wasn't until I activated his stunderwe-"
"Yyyeah, that was a rough morning!" Ratchet interrupted, cutting clank off before he could go into detail of Ratchet's surprise awakening… and which marked the last time he ever used his custom-made 'stunderwear'. That was something he could live without Rivet knowing.
Rivet snickered but didn't press the subject as they approached the briefing room door.
As expected, Locke, Derek, and Qwark were there, but so was Zedderek, rather to the male
Lombax's surprise. Ratchet had not seen the Tharpod since the day he himself had gone to rescue
Clank from Tachyon and Valen on Cheunor. What could he be doing here?
"Ah, you found 'em madam, excellent!" said Locke.
Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, and Kit all took seats and waited for their captains to begin their briefing.
"As Madam Apogee's doubtless told the lot of ya-", began Locke, "- we don't normally start on our dessert while the second course is still runnin' down our throats."
Rivet looked at Kit, confused.
"He means we do not normally start a new mission so soon after finishing another one." She whispered, and Rivet's ears flicked back up in understanding.
"But this-" added Derek, "is a special case. Madam?"
"Right, thanks you two." Said Talwyn, bringing up the map of the Quantos Galaxy and zooming in on the Kintobor Nebula.
"Last night Skidd and Phantom intercepted a transmission by pirates for their captain – Styggs. They've built their own hologuise and are intending to use it for… Well, you can guess; they're pirates, after all. Anyway, they've had it delivered to Captain Styggs, who is currently anchored at the Kintobor Nebula. We've decided we need it more than they do."
Ratchet saw, out of the corner of his eyes, Rivet straightening up a little, looking suddenly much more alert.
"We need you guys to fly to Styggs' fleet, sneak onto his flagship, and steal that hologuise. Rivet, Phantom tells me you've got a little experience in… 'borrowing' without asking from cruel dictators, is that accurate?"
"More than a little, hah!" she said, looking rather smug. "Half the Resistance's resources in my dimension wouldn't've been there if it weren't for me!"
"Excellent, that's all we needed to hear."
Ratchet however was feeling suddenly anxious. It sounded as thought Talwyn was thinking of separating them again. However, he chose to ignore this unpleasant thought for now as the question he had from the night before rose to the forefront of his mind.
"So, I don't disagree that we need this hologuise-" he began, "but you said last night it's important we find out when Tachyon puts the Vixteron Staff away. Why? How's that gonna help us? He's the only one who has the plans for 'em; he can just build a new one, can't he?"
"That might be, Lombax-" answered Zedderek rather suddenly. "But without that staff you got zero
chance of takin' him out."
"But-" said Clank, "I was told he had a device called the Lifehold Crystal… He will continue to live, so long as it remains charged with bio-energy, is that not correct? The Staff could be used to take one of his lifespans away, but he surely has hundreds of-"
"You're missin' the crucial detail, Shiny-" interrupted Zedderek, shaking his head. "I never got around to tell your friends thanks to that maniac Fongoid runnin' off with ya, and then you-" he said, pointing at Ratchet. "-running off an' getting' your chest ripped open and nearly destroying one of our last hopes of winning this war! No, the only way to destroy a Lifehold Crystal is with the Vixteron Staff itself. Not the blasts of energy it emits, but with the pointed base, which is itself of the same material that the Crystal is made of. It's the only known thing in the universe that can shatter it."
A rather stunned pause followed this pronouncement. If the Lombaxes truly had developed this dangerous piece of technology, they couldn't have come up with a more difficult and violent-sounding way of getting rid of it. It sounded as though if the Staff wound up lost, nobody would be able to destroy the Lifehold Crystal.
"(Kinda some messed up thinking if you ask me…)" Ratchet thought to himself.
"And that-" said Zedderek, "is why Tachyon is never seen without it. I bet the fool even sleeps with the thing. But still, he's gotta put it down at some point. You have got to find out when that time is, take it, and finish him!"
"…Right-" said Talwyn after a short pause. "So now you guys know how serious this is. We need that hologuise! We can disguise someone as one of his bodyguards or assistants; get close and learn his habits better than even he does!"
"Exactly!" said Qwark, stepping into the light at last, and making Talwyn jump hastily aside to avoid being bowled over.
"I think that's enough tarradiddles about crystals and other-thingamajigs for now; it's time you heard the important stuff, like my ingenious, MASTERFUL plan to recovering that hologuise!"
Talwyn rolled her eyes but held her peace and allowed Captain Qwark to continue.
"The plan is relatively simple this time – so simple in fact that even a sidekick could do it! The hologuise is being held in a weapons storage room aboard Styggs' heavily guarded flagship. Our two furry heroes will need to enter the vessel via the rear service hatch, which is conveniently just the right size for a scrawny, muscle-less creature to fit through!"
Ratchet half-opened his mouth on the verge of protesting. Rivet had muscles – very well-defined muscles in her left arm in fact! …And he wasn't too bad looking himself when it came to his physical build! But then he snapped himself out of it and passed off his odd opening and closing of his mouth as a fake yawn, which Qwark, so busy in reveling in his own 'genius', did not notice.
"Once through the cramped interiors that are far too small for one with such MASSIVE guns like myself, you will need to make your way passed the pirates who will doubtless be stationed in the lower levels to keep watch. Never fear, for they will be mere child's play for you now that you're both armed with my knowledge! You will then come to a large, open area with a steep drop that is curiously out of place on the inside of a spaceship. A drawbridge will take you on a direct route to the main interior of the flagship. From here you will need to split up, as the draw bridge is timed and must be activated from a security station. Once through, you can both search the ship
somewhat freely, while avoiding raising the alarm and stealthily taking out any hostiles you meet. Once you have found the hologuise, return it to the Phoenix using these beauties -"
Qwark held up two gold rings, which sparkled in the spotlight.
Ratchet stared at the two pieces of jewelry in Qwark's hand. Sure, they were pretty, but the Lombax could see nothing spectacular about them from here.
Kit broke the silence.
"Um… Qwark… What exactly do these rings… do?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Qwark said, dramatically. "These are the latest inventions from the Geek Squad downstairs! Some sort of 'worm hole' technology they call Defabrication Transmitters that will teleport anything you feed into it directly to the Phoenix!"
"That is… rather ingenious, actually." Clank said
"Thank you Clank!" said Qwark proudly, as though he had been the one to design these remarkable pieces of technology.
"Right, so that's that! Get aboard this pirate ship, steal the hologuise, send it here using the Defabrication Transmitters, and get out – at ANY COST! …Any questions?"
The two Lombaxes and their robot companions exchanged a look. The plan sounded… good enough, but all four had registered a rather significant detail was lacking.
"Yeah -" said Ratchet. "What're Clank and Kit doing on this job?"
"Oh, that's the easy part! Absolutely nothing!" Qwark responded cheerfully.
"W-what?!"
Both Lombaxes' raised voices chorused together through the silent room as they jumped to their feet, both shocked and outraged. Clank and Kit not join them on a mission this dangerous?! Had Qwark finally lost what little of his mind was left?!
"Qwark, what do you mean by this?! I cannot stay here whilst Ratchet flies into such danger!" said Clank indignantly.
"I quite agree!" said Kit, sounding just as shocked and disbelieving as her counterpart. "This mission is too serious and risky for just two; Ratchet and Rivet need us!"
"That's right!" Rivet said, with such honest sincerity that Kit actually turned to look up at her. While Rivet hadn't pretended she didn't need or want Kit's help as she once had back at Zordoom Prison during the dimensional cataclysm, the female Lombax nevertheless had never admitted she needed Kit's assistance. She seemed to realize what she had said and the tone in which she had said it, for her face turned slightly pink and her tail flicked rapidly behind her.
"That's… That's to say, Kit's always had good advice! She can tell where hostiles are attacking from! These last few battles've been a lot easier knowing where the enemies are before they launch themselves at me all at once!" she said, slightly defensively.
"And… Clank!" Ratchet said, trying to come to her aid. "I haven't been on a mission without Clank in… well, since the cataclysm! And before that-"
"It's… a necessity, Ratchet." Talwyn said, suddenly. He turned to look at her, his ears drooping in his disbelief. 'A necessity'?! How? Why?!
"The Halua III pirates are the type who don't take any chances. With the number of machine-based space pirates out there, they've got every corner of each ship secured by a type of radar that picks up on mechanical life forms instantly when they get within a five mile radius. Clank and Kit would get you both found before you could get close enough to start your mission."
Ratchet and rivet stared at her. Of course they did… There just had to be some bizzarro caveat to this simple 'get in and out' mission.
"But…" Ratchet said, looking down at his best friend, who was looking rather disturbed.
"Don't worry Ratchet-" Talwyn continued in a reassuring voice. "We'll have yours and Rivet's nav-units synched with Clank's and Kit's sisterboards before you both leave. They'll be able to watch your every move and they'll be able to offer advice as though they were right there behind you like usual."
Ratchet's nerves eased a little at these words. It wouldn't be the same without his best friend physically at his back like he was used to, but at least they could still keep in contact and receive both warnings and advice from their robotic friends.
Rivet still looked slightly troubled however as she looked down at Kit.
Fifteen minutes later, the two Lombaxes and bots were in the hangar, the latter two preparing to board their starship, which Phantom had modified with a cloaking device he dubbed 'the phantom cloak'.
"Pretty slick, isn't it?" he had asked after demonstrating its effects to the two Lombaxes, and Ratchet had to admit it was fairly impressive as their ship's appearance shifted so that it matched the exact color and texture of the wall behind it, almost rendering it completely invisible.
"I will watch over you and help just the same as though I were there with you Ratchet, I promise." Clank said as Ratchet hopped down from storing his packed breakfast on the ship.
"Thanks pal, I know you will." Said Ratchet, smiling slightly and bumping his fist to Clank's small, metallic one.
"You promise to keep in touch?" Rivet asked Kit.
"Of course, Rivet! It will be just as if I were right behind you like always, I promise." Kit said, looking slightly amused.
"Right… Thanks! I guess I'll… I'll see ya later then!"
Ratchet watched as Rivet stood up and walked his way. She still looked troubled.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be I guess. I've already brought the food Talwyn packed for you aboard."
She nodded wordlessly and climbed the ladder up to the cockpit above, jumping into the pilot's seat, and Ratchet climbed up behind her. Clank and Kit had already had the foresight to prevent another argument by suggesting Rivet pilot on the way there and Ratchet pilot on the way back.
The engine roared to life, and Ratchet looked down to see the two diminutive bots waving up at them.
He waved back, feeling an odd sense of loss.
Despite knowing full well that he'd be able to talk to Clank whenever he wanted on this mission, it still felt… wrong. Wrong not to have Clank physically at his side. The only times he could think of where Clank was not by his side had been occasions when the small silver bot had been in trouble, and even with the knowledge that Clank was safe and sound as he and Rivet blasted forth at warp speed, his brain was conditioned to worry for his best friend.
However, both Ratchet's and Rivet's anxieties at being separated from their best friends quickly faded, with both Lombaxes munching their way steadily through the toast they had missed that morning, reliving the night they had triumphed over emperor Nefarious, recalling with smiles the last few days of their last adventure, where at the end they had finally liberated Rivet's dimension, freeing the inhabitants thereof from the oppression and fear they had lived under for sixteen years. Yes, Ratchet's needless worries about Clank were soon long-gone as he and Rivet talked, joked, and laughed together.
He felt so cheerful to be here with her, having a normal, laid back, enjoyable conversation with the girl he loved so much, talking with her as they hadn't done ever since they returned to his and Clank's dimension and embarked on their latest adventure, that it was almost hard to believe they were heading anywhere that was dangerous. He was having such a good time and was so distracted and cheerful that Ratchet had completely forgotten about confessing his feelings for her… until Rivet brought up the night they met.
"One heck of a way to finally meet another one of your kind, huh?" she asked, with a slight smile.
"Wha? Oh, yeah… Yeah it was…" he said, his heart purring as he recalled with immense ease how her eyes had sparkled in excitement, the way she hand been clutching her hands together in her nerves at meeting another Lombax, and how his stomach had soared as he drank her in, listening to her soft voice…
"…To be honest-" she said after a short pause, "I had… kinda given up hope on meeting anyone else like me."
Ratchet turned back to look at her. She looked suddenly thoughtful and rather somber.
"When I met Bolts, he told me about you, y'know… He said he'd been helping you try to find the other Lombaxes."
Ratchet gave a soft, short laugh.
"Yeah… I'd actually given up myself by that point, but… Well, you know Clank; he wouldn't stop trying 'til he managed it. I didn't even know he was working on the Dimensionator till that day..."
He smiled at her, though in his excited, nervous state he feared his attempt at an affectionate smile looked something more like a grimace.
Rivet didn't seem to think so however, at least, he didn't think she thought so, for she gave a slight chuckle.
"I didn't believe him at first. I thought he was lying; thought I was the last one left… Til I saw you in his memory banks."
Ratchet stared at her. She had… seen him? In Clank's memory banks?
Ratchet's face burned as memories of all the stupid things he had done and said in front of Clank raced through his mind. Clank had watched Ratchet make a fool of himself as he recalled that one video of Courtney Gears, he had heard Ratchet blab about stupid ideas for inventions which, at the time, had seemed like good ideas, he had heard Ratchet ask Sasha Phyronix to marry him over a video game console… He had seen Ratchet in his underwear.
"Y-you… you did?" he asked, half afraid of what he would hear.
"Yeah… it looked like some sorta parade?"
"Oh…"
Ratchet relaxed as he suddenly realized what she was talking about.
"I couldn't believe it-" she continued, "Another Lombax! And then when we… spoke to each other from Zurkie's, it was-" she paused, slightly pink, looking like she was thinking hard of what to say.
"…Pretty cool." Ratchet supplied stupidly, but Rivet seemed ready to accept such an answer.
"Yeah… From that point on I… I was determined to meet you… Not gonna lie, I was kinda more excited for that than I was for saving the dimensions…"
Rivet's ears flopped and she gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
Ratchet stared at her, his heart beating so hard it felt as though it were positively dancing in his chest.
"(She… she wanted to meet me… More than she wanted to save the dimensions…!)"
The knowledge that she, Rivet, the girl he loved so much, had been so eager and excited to meet him made his insides swell in a way that they never had before, not even like they had done on the day seven years ago that Talwyn asked him to be her boyfriend.
"Bolts was a big help of course; Dunno if I coulda done it without him." She added, suddenly.
Ratchet's nervous, embarrassed smile widened.
"That's Clank… he was always determined to help me find another Lombax, even when I thought I wanted to give up… And, well… Looks like he finally managed it, huh?"
"…Yeah, he did…"
She turned to look at him, her beautiful, white-furred face flushed with embarrassed, happy color.
Her eyes were sparkling again, and Ratchet gazed into them with unbridled longing and affection. Her eyes continued to sparkle, rippling with warm affection, and he could have sworn he was growing lost in them.
They sat in silence, their eyes locked, both admiring the creature sitting beside them as though nothing in the universe mattered anymore… And as far as Ratchet was concerned, nothing else did right now.
"(Now, Ratchet… Tell her now…)"
He didn't resist the voice in his head. He wanted to tell her… needed to tell her.
He opened his mouth.
The console gave a loud beep and both of them jumped.
Rivet leaned forward to read the message on the display.
"We're… We're ten seconds away from our docking point." She said, and she looked rather flustered. "Exiting warp speed now..."
"Oh! …Yeah! Right…" Ratchet replied, feeling suddenly depressed.
The swirling, flashing lights of the planets and stars faded and became clear as the ship slowed to nearly a full stop, bringing into view the distant, yet vast formation of colorful space clouds, which from their position vaguely resembled archaic robots that Ratchet could have sworn he saw in the few pages he skimmed through from the Archives. Closer at hand however was the large number of crudely-designed metallic spaceships, anchored to the few, motionless asteroids that hung suspended against the star spangled heavens. Chief among them was a particularly large vessel with a motionless black flag on which was painted a stylized skull, superimposed over two curved blades – Captain Styggs' flagship.
"Ratchet, do you read me?" said Clank's voice, and the Lombax felt his somber mood lighten ever so slightly.
"Loud and clear buddy. We're approaching Styggs' fleet."
"Rivet, are you there?" asked Kit's voice, and Rivet's ears flicked up at once, suddenly looking much more cheerful.
"I'm here Kit. I see the service hatch Qwark mentioned; bringing us in to dock now."
"Excellent." Kit replied. "Remember, keep the thrusters on low. Phantom's cloaking device will get you passed the patrolling sentry bots, but no matter how shabby their radars might be, they will still be able to pick your signal up if the ship generates too much energy."
"Don't worry, I got this!"
Slowly but surely they drifted toward the large ship, Ratchet's eyes fixing on one of the large sentry ships that was drifting serenely passed. It certainly seemed that its radar was shabby, as Kit said, for it paid them no mind they hovered closer and closer to the service hatch.
Finally, there was a very soft bump as their ship collided with the large pirate vessel, and Rivet activated the ship's gravity tether, docking them in place.
"Nice!" Ratchet said enthusiastically.
"Yes, well done Rivet." Said Kit, and Rivet looked rather pleased with herself at the job she had just done.
"…C'mon Bolts, aren't'cha gonna say something?" Rivet asked, in a lighthearted, joking tone.
"Yes, yes, very well done indeed. It seems you were right back on Sargasso – sometimes you do not crash!"
Rivet blushed a little and Ratchet raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"Something I should know about… hotshot?" he asked, teasingly, and Rivet gave him a half defensive, half playful shove. Rivet, after all, was always teasing him about all the stories she had heard in which Ratchet and Clank had made 'emergency' landings.
"It wasn't my fault, all right? It was the Seekerp-"
"Guys, let us save the blame-game, the pushing, and the shoving for later; you both are in enemy territory right now, remember?" Clank said, interrupting Rivet's self-defense.
"Oh, right." They chorused, and Ratchet felt the heat in his face threatening to rise again.
"Ratchet, do you still have the Defabrication Transmitters?" Kit asked.
"The whats?"
"The rings, Ratchet-" said Clank. "You did not forget the rings did you?"
"OH!" Ratchet said, suddenly remembering. "No, I have 'em! We'll put 'em on once we get inside."
"Very good. We will be monitoring your status as you both proceed. Be careful."
They donned their O2 masks for the short spell they would be in the vacuum of space, and opened the cockpit, silencing all noise as through someone had just covered their furry ears with a large pillow.
They both used their hoverboots to direct themselves up to the service hatch, and with Ratchet's Omniwrench, they made their way inside easily.
The door shut, throwing them into shadow.
The room pressurized again and they took off their masks.
"Right… Now the transmitters." Ratchet said, sliding one onto his finger and passing the other to Rivet.
He had taken the first few steps up the passage when there was a tinkling of something small and metallic falling to the floor, followed by a quiet curse behind him.
Ratchet turned to look at Rivet, who had crouched down to pick up the Defabrication Transmitter.
"'Sup?" he asked.
"Stupid thing… Qwark didn't say they were made of fool's gold! It's the only substance my… other hand has ever had trouble holding onto. Something about it doesn't like my synthetic fingerprints…" she said, looking slightly abashed.
Nevertheless, she picked it up in her left hand and slid it onto her metal finger… or rather, she tried to slide it onto her metal finger, but the rectangular-shaped appendage would not fit through the circular ring of fake gold and she dropped it again.
Rivet growled and tried to pick it back up with her metal hand to put it on one of her left fingers, but just as she had said, the little gold ring slipped out from between her metal fingers like a bar of wet soap.
She blushed.
"…Gimme a hand?" she muttered, not looking at him.
"Excuse me?"
Rivet didn't respond, but gestured at the ring.
"Y-you… you want me to-"
"A hand… please?"
Ratchet's face burned scarlet, and he was glad that the room was dark.
"…S-sure…"
He bent down and, trembling slightly, feeling his heart throwing itself around his chest in a mixture of panic and delight, he took her left fist in his hand, focusing all his efforts on keeping steady.
Rivet had averted her face, her ears drooped, and he could feel the heat emanating from her like energy.
"R-Rivet… finger?"
She relaxed her hand and, feeling like he might pass out, he slid the ring onto her third finger.
They both let go and stepped away from each other very quickly, their faces averted.
"…Thanks…" she said after an awkward pause.
"A-anytime…" he said, his voice cracking again, and he cursed himself inwardly. Did it have to crack now?
"Well… Anyway… Let's get this over with." He said, shaking his head and continuing up the passage leading through the room filled with silent generators and other electrical devices, Rivet close behind him, apparently glad to leave the awkward moment between them back in the dark.
"Clank-", Ratchet whispered as they climbed a set of stairs and emerged into a room full of barrels. "We're in a… a wine-cellar of some kind; we just got outta the service passage. Where next?"
"There is a door on the far side of the room. Head there. There are no hostiles in here."
The two Lombaxes negotiated their way through the maze of barrels, all of which were marked with different names for alcoholic beverages.
"How much of this shit do these guys drink?" Ratchet whispered incredulously, and Rivet tried not to chuckle as she remembered asking Kit these exact same words.
"Enough to turn 'em into living firebombs, I can tell ya that much…" Rivet answered as she and Ratchet were both forced to climb over a stack of barrels blocking a narrow passage. "And after the eighty or so shots I had of Morts' Limeade… the more disgusted and amazed I am that they can stomach it all."
They reached the door Clank had told them of.
"Wait-" said Kit's voice, and both Lombaxes froze, huddled down on either side of the loose door.
"There are two pirates playing cards in there. You might be able to sneak behind the crates of food without drawing attention."
"But if you're spotted-" Clank added, "-take them out quietly. There are dozens if not hundreds of pirates aboard that ship; I project a thirty-three point one percent chance of survival from open conflict."
"Beats a zero percent chance." Ratchet shrugged, and Rivet covered her mouth to muffle her snicker as Clank sighed.
"Yes, a fine observation…" Clank commented.
"Just… be careful, okay you two?" said Kit, seriously.
Ratchet pushed the metal-hinged door open and peeked around the corner. Sure enough both pirates were deeply immersed in a game of cards and neither noticed as a pair of short, long-eared furballs ran hunch-backed into the room and behind the large crates stacked against the wall.
Ratchet dashed across the narrow opening between two crates over to the next one, and Rivet waited a moment before taking her chance.
"WHAT DO YE MEAN, 'GO FISH' YE LYIN' NO GOOD CHEATERRR?!"
One of the pirates had stood up without warning, narrowly avoiding upending the table they had lying atop a box.
"There be no eights left! Hand 'em over lest I be forced to get scrubby!" "Ye got all me eights already! Shall I SHOW ye mine hand?! I think NOT!"
The first pirate flipped the table over and the second kicked the box he had been sitting on at the first pirate, who dodged and ran over to the place where Ratchet and Rivet were hidden behind the two crates.
Rivet grabbed the mop that was propped against her crate and handed it to the groping hand of the pirate, who gave a triumphant battle cry and launched himself at his opponent, who threw a bucket at him which landed on his head, blocking his line of sight as the tangle of string and rope got stuck on the other pirate's face, temporarily blinding him.
Taking advantage of the two pirates' distraction, Ratchet and Rivet dashed across the room and up the stairs. The two pirates would never know they were there.
After receiving a quick 'OK' from Clank and Kit, they dashed through the door at the top of the stairs and found themselves in a long hallway.
"Masterful work." Both bots chorused.
"Heh… what more can we say?" asked Ratchet, rather smugly.
They dashed up the corridor and through a branching passage that led to a small room with a large set of doors straight ahead and a smaller door on their left that led upstairs.
"You have reached the point where you will need to separate." Said Clank. "The stairs to your left lead to the control room where one of you can lower the drawbridge to the main rooms of the ship. From there, whoever stays behind will need direction from one of us so you may reunite."
"Gotcha…" Ratchet said. "Okay, so I was thinking I'd take the drawbridge; It can't be that far from there to-"
"Wait a sec-", interrupted Rivet, "It should be me that takes the drawbridge; I've more experience in stealing things from hostiles, remember? Talwyn gave me that job!"
Ratchet looked at her incredulously.
"I didn't know she specifically gave you that job! Sounded to me like she was just throwing out a suggestion based on what she knows of your past!"
"Well you should pay closer attention then! She was clearly saying I'm the best one for this task!"
"Oh yeah?" Ratchet said, his ears flaring up. "And I guess that makes me a bit of a liability on this mission, is that what I'm hearing?!"
"Don't pull that card with me Ratchet, you know that's not what-!"
"Enough, you two!" Kit said suddenly, cutting across the male Lombax and bringing their argument to a stop. "You are both necessary for this mission to be a success, no one is a liability, and you both need each other if you want to get out of there alive!"
"Kit is correct, you both need to stop this incessant arguing like children over who's turn it is to play the hero!"
"That's not what-" both Lombaxes chorused, but Clank continued speaking, cutting them short.
"Need we remind you the importance of the task at-hand? You must work together to find that hologuise and get off that ship!"
"('Work together'…)" Ratchet thought. He was being stupid and hard-headed again. He and Rivet always got into such petty arguments over the smallest details… which they almost always did whenever situations arose where they would need to take on different responsibilities during missions. It was the part of him that loved her and wanted to keep her safe and his stubbornness, a trait which she shared with him, that did it - always brought them to butting heads whenever things got dangerous and they were forced to split up. But he knew Clank was right; knew that Kit was right. They couldn't stand here and argue.
Ratchet and Rivet both relaxed.
"Sorry 'bout that." Ratchet said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah… Same here." Rivet added, rubbing her arm.
"It is quite all right… Now, one of you take the control room, and the other wait here. There are two guards upstairs overlooking the large chasm and the raised bridge. They will not notice you behind them."
The two Lombaxes looked at each other. Ratchet had to make up his mind now. Little though he wanted to, he made for the stairs, leaving the female Lombax behind. "Wait here, I'll radio when it's all clear."
He hunched down as he reached the door in which was a circular window. He was so short however that this wasn't strictly necessary, as not even the top of his ears were visible through the
porthole in the door that was elevated some seven feet off the ground for the tall pirates.
He pushed the door open and peaked inside. Sure enough, both pirates were sitting in chairs side by side overlooking the large, empty room below.
Ratchet crept up behind them, the Lightning Rod in his hand.
He waited till he was right behind them, then fired two bolts directly into the back of their skulls.
Their bodies seized up at once, sparking and crackling, but neither pirate made a sound as they slid out of their chairs, dead, to the floor.
"All clear Riv. Come on through, but don't go too far; bridge isn't down yet."
Ratchet watched as the large doors below swung slowly outward, pushed from behind by the female Lombax who looked much, much smaller from up here in the vast emptiness below.
"There is a large green button on the console-" said Clank. "It will lower the bridge for twenty seconds."
Ratchet pressed the green button as Clank had described, and there was a loud buzzer that went off in the room below.
Rivet jumped at the sound and drew a Burst Pistol in response, but soon realized it was not alarm, but was rather the warning sound emitted whenever the draw bridge was being lowered.
The large, thick slab of metal sank down, connected by chains that clunked and rattled, then thudded as it fell level with the platform on which Rivet stood.
"Nice work. Little warning next time though, 'kay hotshot?" she asked as she began dashing across the bridge.
"Aww, did I scare you?"
"Scared, hah! Not as badly as you oughtta be. You're in for it when we get back to base." Rivet teased.
"(Oh baby~)" Ratchet thought, imagining himself and Rivet in scenarios the male Lombax had never entertained when he and Talwyn had been in a relationship.
"Good work Ratchet." Said Clank now, pulling Ratchet's mind out of the gutter. "The route from here to the main interior of the ship is not as direct as Rivet's path, but follow my directions and I will have you reunited with her in no time."
"Got it, thanks pal. Be careful out there, Riv."
"You too Ratch; I'll radio when I get the hologuise."
"Oh yeah? Not if I find it first…" Ratchet shot back, grinning as he entered through a door that led him into what looked like a boiler room.
"You think you'll find it first? Not a chance, hotshot! I already got a ten mile lead on ya!" Rivet said, pushing the doors open while the large drawbridge behind her began to raise up once more.
"Heh… Wouldn't be the first time ya had a lead an' I still beat'cha."
"Well then-" Rivet whispered, smirking as she paused at a corner to allow a pair of talking pirates to pass by, "if you're so confident, let's raise the stakes a bit! If I win, I drive back!"
"And if I win?" asked Ratchet, swingshotting from one platform over a thirty foot drop where a group of hot and tired looking pirates were grumbling about their job down below.
Rivet considered for a moment.
"If you win, you get to drive back, and the Skull Crusher is yours for a week!"
Ratchet's interest piqued instantly at these words.
"Oh, you're SO on!" he said enthusiastically, and he quickened his pace as he reached the other side of the room and hurried through into another storage room.
"For heaven's sake you two…" sighed Kit exasperatedly.
"I would advise against this, but …As long as you two remain cautious, find that hologuise, and get off that ship in one piece, then fine, do what you must." Said Clank.
And both Lombaxes continued their mission, though Ratchet could have sworn he heard Clank tell Kit something to the effect of, 'as long as it keeps them from arguing'.
Rivet sped up. She had, after all, no intention of lending Ratchet the Skull Crusher, but even moreso than her desire to keep her favorite rifle, she couldn't lose to him, however her feelings for the male Lombax were! She wouldn't be able to look him in the face for weeks! And Ratchet had an uncanny ability to catch up fast when at a disadvantage.
She passed through a kitchen in which a couple pirates were working, humming tunelessly to themselves as they cooked something that, as little as the female wanted to admit it, smelled good.
She resisted the temptation to sneak a sample as one of the pirates turned away and continued, hunch-backed and ears drooped through the room, keeping close to the counter and walls.
She passed through into a hallway.
"Wait a minute, whuzzat?"
Rivet's tail had only just whipped around the corner as the voice sounded, and her heart skipped a beat.
She spotted a door to her right and dashed inside – into a small room with cleaning supplies.
She spotted a fluffy duster that bore a striking resemblance to her tail and tossed it into the hallway before leaping into the closet and shutting herself in an empty barrel as the sound of the kitchen door reopened.
"What the devil's this doin' here?" said one of the pirates, and Rivet saw, through a small crack in the barrel, a gloved hand lift the duster from the ground.
"Probably ol' Dusty MacGuffin again; bloke loses his cleanin' supplies at least three times a week!"
A pirate appeared in the doorway and tossed the duster carelessly back inside before turning and disappearing into the kitchen once more.
Rivet gave a sigh of relief and climbed out of the barrel to resume her journey through the pirate ship.
Rivet darted around the corner leading to another room in which three pirates were walking away, laughing jovially at some joke one of them had just said. They disappeared through a door and Rivet looked around. The inside of the ship looked very same-y and it was getting difficult for her to keep track of where she had and hadn't been already as she went deeper. There weren't even any maps!
"Hey Kit… Where the heck am I?"
"You are close… the weapons storage is close by, but I will not tell you where."
"What?!"
"That would be cheating, Rivet."
"Cheating?! The heck're you-"
"Your little bargain with Ratchet? Would consulting me not count as cheating?"
Rivet scoffed.
"What? Of course not! This is… It's all apart of… I thought this mission was important!" Rivet blurted out after a moment of confused and indignant spluttering.
"It is." Said Kit, calmly. "But so is abiding by the rules."
"You… You're not serious!"
"Is this the tone of playfulness, my dear Rivet?"
"Ugh, nevermind! I'm this close already, I'll just find it myself!"
Rivet set about searching the floor for the weapons storage room. There were more pirates on this level, which reinforced to her that she was close, though she was also forced to slow down the speed at which she moved to avoid drawing attention.
Finally, about five minutes after she had finished talking with Kit, she found it– the weapons storage room. It was lined with spare ion cannons, shells, cartridges, old-fashioned blasters, swords, and crates full of ammunition. There were also a large array of more modern weapons and gadgets, among which were Warmongers, Ricochets, Suck Cannons, Tesla Gloves, and Enforcers. It seemed like the pirates really were stealing weapons from across the universe… though judging by how they were piled up together in boxes, rather than organized, it looked like they weren't strictly abiding by the imperial decree that said pirates needed to contribute their findings to Tachyon's cause.
Rivet set about searching the room, If Qwark was right, and he usually was about these things (making Rivet cringe at the thought of giving him another ego boost), then the hologuise would be here somewhere.
And there it was.
Sitting atop a shelf near the ceiling was a device that vaguely resembled a holo-vision remote, but with a single red button and two antennae.
Despite being too high for her to reach, even from jumping, Rivet merely directed her swingshot at it like a grappling hook and pulled the hologuise down, which landed safely in her gloved hand.
"Yes! Looks like I'm drivin' back tonight!~ …Now how do I activate this thing…"
Rivet began examining the small fake-gold device that so-resembled a ring on her third finger.
There were no visible buttons and it appeared to be nothing more than a simple article of jewelry.
She tapped it. Nothing happened.
"Uhh… Open sesame?"
It remained motionless and unyielding.
"…Right… Hey Kit, how do I activate this… Defabricator?"
"You found it?!" Kit asked, sounding excited.
"Yeah, I'm ready to send it back, but I dunno how this ring works."
"Oh! We forgot to tell you – just touch the hologuise to the Transmitter; it will send it to us instantly."
"Oh… Simple enough… Thanks."
Rivet raised the hologuise to her ring.
The door opened and two pirates entered the room.
Luckily they were both turned away, answering someone behind them and didn't notice as Rivet threw herself behind a crate in a shadowy corner of the room.
She prepared once again to send the hologuise off to the Phoenix, but paused as the two pirates' conversation reached her ears, and her attention and interest was immediately hooked.
"Two rare, high-value treasures in one day! Seems the fates be smilin' upon us at last, eh?" "Not so loud!"
"What ails ye? It be a day of good fortune for us lad, show some spirit! We haven't had such luck in years now!"
"Those who boast of their successes to the heavens must take heed lest they rain hell upon ye!" "Not that rubbish again… 'Tis but a superstition!"
"Not real hell, fool! It be a saying to caution the wise from boasting of their treasures, else someone may hear and-"
"Oh of course, the walls be listenin', I forgot! Well hearken to me, ye walls! Cap'n Styggs hath recovered a hologuise as well as a Tectronic Receptacle that holds secrets the emperor himself will pay trillions of bolts for! Ease up laddy, 'tis but a superstition I tell ye!"
Rivet's ears twitched. Another Tectronic Receptacle huh? And this one was apparently worth 'trillions of bolts' to the emperor… This could be really, really invaluable to the Alliance…
A voice suddenly barked over the intercom, making Rivet jump.
"All mates report to the mess hall at once! Cap'n's orders! We've been boarded! Grab a gun, grab a sword, cancel yer plans for evenin' yoga practice! The situation be dire!"
Rivet heard the pirates speaking again.
"What whuzzat about superstition?"
"Silence ye lousy mystic! Take this sword and let's hurry to the grub hall!"
And both pirates tore out of the room.
Rivet stood up quickly and directed the hologuise's antennae at one of the retreating pirate's backs.
With a soft humming sound during which the hologuise vibrated slightly in Rivet's hand, her metal arm was replaced by an organic one, she grew several feet, and her clothing suddenly resembled that of a rather dirty sea-farer.
"Ratchet-" she began, noting her voice was still the same despite appearing now as a pirate. "Come in, Ratchet!"
"Rivet?! Oh thank the gods you're all right!"
"What? 'Course I am! Listen – I found the hologuise and-"
There was the sound of something crashing over Rivet's communicator.
"Ratchet, what was that?!"
"Uhhh… So one of the pirates may or may not have seen me taking a sample of some of their food in the kitchen and-"
"You did WHAT?!"
"It smelled so good! That toast earlier just… didn't quite hit all the right spots, y'know?!"
Rivet couldn't believe her ears. He'd given them away just for a bite of steak?!
She decided to ignore this, despite her anger and incredulity. There were more important things at hand to discuss.
"Ratchet, I heard two pirates talking about Captain Styggs – he's found another Tectronic Receptacle, and by the sounds of it this one's huge! I'm going after 'em to find-"
"Hold on, stop right there!" Ratchet said, cutting Rivet short. "No way in hell Riv! The pirates know we're aboard now and there's not a chance you'll get anywhere near Styggs with the state of-"
"I got the hologuise-" Rivet interrupted, "-and I've disguised myself as a pirate. I'm getting that Receptacle; we need what's on there!"
"You WHAT?!" Ratchet shouted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was suicide again! Styggs was undoubtedly surrounded by pirates; it'd be impossible for her to get anywhere near him, much less steal an item of such high value without raising attention!
"I got this under control Ratchet, just get back to the ship and prep it for launch! Screw the bet, you can pilot!"
"Rivet I'm not-" Ratchet began, but Rivet shut the communicator off. She had to move fast and she needed to concentrate, not listen to more complaining and words of caution - not from Ratchet, and not from Clank or Kit, who she knew would protest at her change of plans.
She tore off after the pirates that had left earlier, modifying her appearance slightly as she ran so that she wouldn't appear as an exact clone of the pirate she was impersonating.
More pirates began filing into the halls, and she fell into step among them, trying to act as natural as she could despite her increased stature and trying to avoid gagging as the smell of grog grew stronger.
Finally they stepped into the mess hall, in which seventy or so pirates were already gathered.
She took a seat at the end of a table and scanned the room, trying to find their captain, who could easily be any one of them.
The doors across the room banged open, and a large, round, muscular pirate walked in and silence fell.
He had a short scrubby black beard that obscured the scars littering his face, little or no neck, his right forearm had been severed and the skin merged smoothly into a type of attachment that resembled a five-barreled minigun. His left arm was completely synthetic, much like Rivet's right arm, and he walked on two large mechanical legs that ended in black rubber boots.
Captain Styggs walked through the silent crowd, all of whose heads turned to look at him as he passed.
He wheeled about as he approached Rivet, and she saw it. Dangling from his belt by a small chain was the Receptacle, shiny and reflective, covered in runic markings, and with that thin, purple line of light moving slowly about the center.
"Gentlemen!" said Styggs in his harsh voice. "After months of work, of schemin' an' PLUNDERIN'… We have the hologuise! But even better still, we found a Tectronic Receptacle for which the emperor shall pay us generously! But there be a problem… As ye are aware, there be an intruder aboard our ship!"
The pirates remained silent, though Rivet noticed several glance sideways at one another from the corners of their eyes.
All the while Styggs spoke, he paced about the room, and Rivet was waiting, tensed in her seat, for the pirate captain to pass by.
"This intruder… I ask meself… 'how could such a vermin board me ship without any of me loyal crew knowing? Have they grown careless?' Or perhaps…" he drew a long, heavy looking saber with the sound of scraping metal and observed his own reflection. "…perhaps there be mutiny?"
The pirates now looked rather nervous and began whispering amongst themselves. Could someone among them really be so foolish?
Styggs passed directly by Rivet and she took her chance.
Quick as a flash while the other pirates were exchanging nervous discourse and Styggs was turned
away, Rivet used a small pocket laser to cut the chain on Styggs' belt and the Receptacle fell silently into her hand, which she tapped to her ring under the table.
There was a tiny 'blip' and the Receptacle vanished.
"(Now just to get back to Ratchet…)" Rivet thought quietly. How could she excuse herself and not give herself away immediately?
"No…" said Styggs as he paused in the center of the room. "No, me crew ain't careless, and there be no mutinous among them… After all who would dare mutiny against Cap'n Styggs, scourge of the galaxies, slayer of the leviathans of Acturis Minor, and master of the Tenebris Asteroid Ring?"
He coughed hard as he began to chuckle, but regathered himself.
"No, it be not me crew… it be the intruder! They be cunning and wise… But also so very foolish… What say you, Lombax?"
Rivet gasped as Styggs turned, a pistol drawn and pointing directly at her.
She dove to the side as Styggs took his shot, leaving a large, burning hole in the wall behind her, exactly where her head had been a second before.
Her disguise flickered and died. The hologuise, though effective, was very sensitive to fast, sudden movements like jumping and diving aside.
"Ye may want to consider taking a dip in grog before impersonatin' a pirate next time!" said Styggs as all the pirates in the room drew their swords. "No pirate worth his bolts would dream usin' such a foul product as shampoo! Now, hand over the hologuise nice an' easy lassy, an' we'll kill ye good an' fast!"
Rivet responded by throwing a shatterbomb into the crowd of pirates and threw herself behind the food bar.
The explosion sent several pirates flying through the air, yelling in pain as they were riddled with frag-shards. Others drew their blasters and opened fire.
"Har har! Yes that's the spirit, lassy! Fight fer yer life!"
Rivet rolled out from behind cover as a pirate appeared overhead – flying through the air and clearly attempting to skewer her from above.
She fired her Enforcer at the airborn marauder, and he was blasted off course in a cloud of blood that sprayed the bar and the walls.
"Ye stand no chance here Lombax, we outnumber ye seventy to one! Ye can't dodge us forever!"
The other pirates were closing in, and though Rivet continued to move, dodging and jumping through the room, she was swiftly running out of ammo.
The doors crashed open again.
"Then let's even the odds a bit, whaddaya say?!"
Rivet's head turned at the sound of that voice.
"Ratchet?!"
The male Lombax deployed a Bombadier and sprayed the room with his Burst Pistol, taking out ten pirates singlehanded before forced to dodge behind an overturned table.
He sprinted over to Rivet who had nearly exhausted all her shots and was forced to pick and choose with more care.
"Ratchet what the fuck are you doing here?!"
"You said it yourself – that Receptacle's important! I'm giving you your chance to send it and that hologuise off!"
But Rivet wasn't fooled; she knew exactly why he had come back – she saw it in his eyes.
"I've already sent the Receptacle off, stop playing the hero will ya?! I'm sending the hologuise off now, just SAVE YOURSELF, KAY?!"
Ratchet's gun clicked; he was out of ammo.
He ducked behind the table again as renewed blasts rent the air and peppered their hiding place.
Rivet touched the hologuise to her Transmitter and it vanished with a small 'blip'.
Ratchet however was determined to save her.
He drew his Cold Snap and stood back up as the volley of blaster fire ceased.
CRUNCH!
Both Lombaxes went immobile at once, frozen absurdly mid-action as they were encased in large blocks of ice. A stray shot, fired by Styggs, had hit Ratchet's Cold Snap and destroyed it, and both Lombaxes' consciousness faded as the blast of freezing air struck them hard in the face.
"Hoo wee, laddy! Y'know how to put a show on fer ol' Cap'n Styggs n' his boys!"
The room filled with raucous laughter as the surviving pirates and their captain approached the two unconscious, frozen Lombaxes.
"Take 'em lads, an' follow me! Gotta admit…" said Styggs as the pirates began pushing Ratchet's and Rivet's blocks of ice after their captain, who stomped out into the corridor. "That was quite the joy-ride! Me heart's not thumped like that in seven winters! But'cher antics cost me several crewmates! Fer this, ye have but one option – blasted out into the void of space!"
They entered a room full of escape pods, and Ratchet and Rivet remained unsensible.
"BUT-" said Styggs as they halted before one of the small, round entryways to an escape pod. "I believe ye owe me a li'l compensation fer stealin' me hologuise! Them's gold rings'll do just fine!"
There was a CRACK as the pirates broke the ice, freeing the two Lombaxes who fell to the ground, still out cold.
The pirates slid the Defabrication Transmitters off their fingers with shouts of delight.
"Right boys! Which planet we sendin' the rats to today?! Actually, screw that! Why settle on order
when we kin make it interestin'?!"
Styggs stomped forward and without even looking at the console, he smashed his large, metal fist down onto a button.
"Destination set, but that was rather painful. Service required before next shuttle deployment." said an automated voice as the console doubled over from the force of Styggs' fist.
"All right boys, set 'em free! Let 'em fly like the birdies!"
Both Ratchet and Rivet were thrown unceremoniously into the escape pod and the pirates slammed the door behind them.
The shuttle began to rumble and hiss, and a countdown appeared on the wall above.
"Have a nice flight, space rats! Do try an' steer clear of any black holes! WAHAHA-*cough* *wheeze* *hack*"
Laughing like a maniac and going into a fit of coughing and wheezing, Captain Styggs was blasted out of sight as the escape shuttle rocketed forth into a whirl of color, throwing both Lombaxes against the wall from the speed of acceleration.
The force of their acceleration roused the two Lombaxes, who jumped to their feet at once.
"FUCK!"
The two Lombaxes swore in unison, punching the wall as they realized what happened.
The speed of their craft suddenly slowed down dramatically, and their anger was diverted at once.
They both spun on the spot and looked outside.
A planet came into sight, growing larger and larger with every second. The console was sounding an alarm and a red light was flashing continually. Their flight pattern was completely unstable, and the landing gears and thrusters were offline.
Scrambling furiously, both Lombaxes took a seat and began trying to restore control. However, everything seemed to be locked up, forcing them to rethink.
Ratchet dove beneath the console, ripped it open and began rewiring as fast as he could.
"A little faster hotshot?! We're ten thousand feet from the ground!"
"I'm trying! Almost got it!"
Nine-thousand feet, eight-thousand feet.
Ratchet winced as a small shower of sparks blew out of the console's wiring.
Six thousand feet, five thousand feet.
Rivet's hands clenched the armrests of her set with crushing force as she watched the green planet below come soaring up to meet them, growing fogged as they tore through the clouds.
Three thousand feet, two thousand feet, one thousand feet.
Another small shower of sparks and a beep. The landing thrusters were back online at last.
Ratchet jumped back up and pummeled the button to engage the landing thrusters.
Their heads banged against the console rather painfully as the speed of their descent fell sharply and both became too dizzy and bewildered to register anything of their surroundings.
The shuttle rattled, the sound of the thrusters and of the wind roaring passed them as they fell through the sky deafening them both.
Ratchet closed his eyes, his teeth gritted, ready for the end to come.
There was a world-shattering, echoing, agonizing crash… And everything was quiet.
