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Mixed Signals
Chapter Summary
The Phoenix has picked up two interesting signals - one from a tropical planet drained of its Raritanium by Tachyon, the other an imperial outpost that is apparently more than what it seems...
Deciding the signals are worth looking into, Command splits the Lombaxes and sends them in different directions, marking the first they'll be apart from each other since defeating Nefarious.
How will they handle the news? And is there an underlying reason for their separation...?
"—I'm tellin' ya Clank, if that moron tells me off one more time for not wearing that stupid getup, I'm gonna-"
"Ratchet, please calm down; Talwyn has already made it clear nobody has to wear those ridiculous costumes."
Seven days had passed since Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark had escaped the Imperial Gladiator Tournaments on Achilles Minor. The Lombax and robot had just left the cafeteria where Qwark had been ranting over the fact that neither Ratchet, Rivet, Skidd, nor Phantom were in their new 'Qrushing Quartet' uniforms he had made for them… again. He had also taken full credit for the escape from the imperial-controlled planet and for 'fighting off hundreds upon hundreds of foes to rescue Ratchet and Clank' before they made it out by the skin of their teeth.
"Yeah, well if that's only the half of it.", Ratchet resumed angrily - "Last thing that narcissistic prick needed is another ego boost; she's gone n' made Qwark head strategist! Really? Qwark, of ALL people, head strategist? What's got into her?!"
Clank looked surprised at the coldness in Ratchet's voice. He teetered on the verge of asking if something other than Qwark was bothering him, but decided to put his stock in it merely being the Kerwanian's annoying behavior. After all, Clank did not particularly like the idea of Qwark being head strategist either.
"To be fair, Ratchet, it was not only Talwyn who made that call; it was Locke and Derek who were so insistent at the idea after hearing his story that-"
"Pushed her into it." Ratchet interrupted.
"Yyyes… But you must not be so harsh on her; I believe she is beginning to think of Locke and Derek as… replacements to fill the void that the loss of Cronk and Zephyr left in her."
Ratchet felt a slight jab of remorse for his recent anger toward the Markazian as Clank said this. If this were true, maybe she would finally move beyond losing the two she had once looked up to as friends and father figures and would become less cold and shrewd… But on the other hand, she shouldn't let these feelings for the two warbots hinder her judgement.
"All right, yeah, maybe so… But these two aren't Cronk and Zephyr, who knew better than to trust Qwark with jobs as important as this; How many lives is that lunatic gonna endanger before they realize that?"
"Well…" Clank said thoughtfully, "…as foolish as he is, it cannot be denied that his plans, however disastrous, have… always been successful in the end. I mean, I do not recall us ever failing a mission he laid out for us."
"You're forgetting the time we got strapped to an asteroid and were launched into deep space."
"…While true, we did not, strictly speaking, fail the mission. We did accomplish our goal before being strapped to said asteroid, did we not? And we lived to reminisce on the occasion as we are doing now."
"Barely…" Ratchet muttered, rolling his eyes, "We were attacked by a legion of Argorians an hour later."
"That was my idea, if you will recall, so that we could save Gimlick Valley from Commander Argos and get off planet Morklon."
Ratchet snickered suddenly, his look of frustration vanishing in an instant.
"What?" said Clank, confused.
"I'd almost forgot about that. I'm gonna have to start watchin' myself; I've been a bad influence on ya."
The bot cocked his head in confusion.
But as he opened his mouth to speak, Talwyn's voice came over the intercom.
"Attention – All team leaders are to report to Briefing Room A on Level two, repeat; all team leaders report to Briefing Room A on level two."
Ratchet and Clank looked at one another, eyes wide and, in Ratchet's case, ears perked up.
"What'cha suppose is going on? It's been a few days since we heard any news, hasn't it?" Ratchet asked, tossing Clank onto the harness that wrapped from his chest to his back.
"I do not know, but – and I will probably regret saying this - I am rather eager to find out."
Five minutes later, Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, Kit, Skidd, and a few others of varying species were seated at a curved table, their eyes on Talwyn, Locke, Derek, Phantom, and Qwark, who were standing in the center of the room around a large console from which was projected a holomap of the Phyrgos Galaxy, to which they had jumped at Phantom's suggestion, once Clank had informed him of their confrontation with Valen on Achilles Minor.
"Good work showing up here so quickly rooks!" Locke said, his voice strong and sounding official, "You're probably wondering why we called you all here so suddenly… Well we got something new on our hands this time – somethin' we ain't seen before! Somethin'-"
"Could ya cut it with the suspense for once? There's work to do an' you're askin' rhetorical questions and turnin' this meeting into a spectacle!" interrupted Derek.
"I'm putting no shows on, I'm emphasizing the importance of this gathering!"
"You're puttin' a show on ya bloody drama-school dropout!"
"I never went to school ya miserable defective-"
"Who are you callin' a defect, you darn-flippin'-"
"Guys enough!" Talwyn interrupted, "We gotta get through this, it's important, remember?"
"Ah, right ya are, madam."
"Apologies, captain."
"…I'll take it from here…" Talwyn said after a rather stunned silence, though Ratchet could see Rivet shaking in silent laughter across from Clank.
"All right everyone, we picked up two unusual signals from nearby – not distress calls and not encoded messages. Phantom, show us what you and Skidd found."
Phantom stepped forward and inserted a databoard into the console in the center of the room.
The lights dimmed and the holomap of Phyrgos zoomed in on a slice that Phantom had selected. It zoomed in further, right onto a network of asteroids interlinked by passageways and riddled with windows.
"This is the Tekogai Outpost – ", began Phantom, "- Nothing to comment on at first glance, really; 'just another imperial outpost', right? Imposes travelling fares on passersby, dispatches patrols, the usual stuff… Or so we thought. Skidd picked up some ultra-low frequency noise that originated from this location just last night. Lucky we were in the area really, or we wouldn't've picked it up. After spending some time looking through various records and comparing datasheets, noise of that wavelength can only mean one thing."
"Are you proposing Tachyon is either hiding or developing something there?" Kit asked.
"Too right; that sorta noise is only generated by things with high-concentrations of heptagen; usually emitted during chemical reactions such as an explosion… But somethin's obviously not right. The outpost is still standing and patrols are still coming an' going like nothin's wrong. This suggests to me and the Terachnoids that this high-concentration compound has somehow been contained, like a weapon."
Ratchet tilted his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Something about this seemed off; he'd never heard of anything that sounded so powerful that could emit such a frequency and yet still be contained.
"The captain-", Phantom continued, indicating Qwark, but he was shoved aside as Qwark stepped forward at once.
"Thank you for those wise words of wisdom, citizen; I'll take it from here!" Phantom looked both surprised and offended as Qwark began his spiel.
"I have been informed by the geek squad there is a hidden passage to a top-secret series of chambers through an apparent window in the Arts and Crafts chamber of Tekogai Outpost. Now, with a top-secret chamber being a top-secret chamber, there is no way of telling what is inside without witnessing it first-hand. The Outpost is heavily fortified and equipped with state-of-the-art security, meaning any who wish to walk in as questionably welcome guests must first disable said security! RATCHET, CLANK!"
The Lombax and robot jumped as Qwark shouted, pointing dramatically at the pair.
"With the expertise you two have shown in the art of turning off the cameras and lights, I propose YOU TWO investigate Tekogai Outpost! Your mission is simple – sneak into the facility using the large amounts of vibrantly-colored flora scattered about the asteroids to remain unseen, send Clank into the outpost's air ventilation system so he can access the security room and shut down the security, creep along unseen to the Arts and Crafts room, successfully avoid the temptation to sit and make yourself adorable paper dolls, breach the top-secret chambers, find what the emperor is hiding there, and bring it back here!"
There was a brief, half-stunned silence as Ratchet and Clank stared at Qwark.
"I know, I know, it's brilliant, isn't it?" Qwark asked, an annoyingly superior grin on his face.
Ratchet looked around – from Locke and Derek who looked amazed, to Skidd and Phantom, who looked confused, to Rivet and Kit, who were staring at Qwark in disbelief, and to Talwyn, who despite looking rather cross moments before, looked immensely uneasy, and was deliberately not looking at Ratchet.
Ratchet looked down at Clank, raising his eyebrows at him.
"Think he's still got it?" Ratchet asked Clank quietly, referring to their conversation during which Clank had reminded the Lombax that every one of Qwark's plans had resulted ultimately in success of the primary goal.
"…I suppose we shall find out…" Clank muttered back.
Ratchet nodded and stood up, and so did Clank.
"All right then, I guess we'll do it then." He said, resigned.
Rivet's head jerked around and Ratchet turned to look at her, surprised. However as he faced the female Lombax she merely rolled head on her shoulders and rubbed her neck, her eyes closed. Was it real, or was she pretending? Had she just turned her head to look at him, her eyes full of concern and worry for his safety before she registered he had noticed? Or was it his love-struck state for her making him think these things?
"SPLENDID!" Qwark cried, "Back to you, faithful sidekick Apogee, continue with the other news!"
Phantom went to sit down, scoffing over Qwark and his attitude as he took his seat, and Talwyn
rolled her eyes.
"Yes… Thank you captain. Anyway, the other 'news' as Qwark says is less urgent but no less suspicious."
She inserted a second databoard into the console in the center of the room, and the galactic map zoomed out before rotating and homing in onto another planet in the Secturis Sector.
"Halua III - ", began Talwyn, "- a tropical planet known for its raritanium deposits… well, at least until Tachyon took over, that is."
"And home to some'a the best fishing in the galaxy!" Derek added.
"…That too, I guess. But the thing that's caught our attention is that civilian activity there is picking back up. To make things more peculiar, the planet isn't occupied by imperial forces, not since its raritanium supply was exhausted."
"It's all a might fishy if y'ask me!" said Derek.
"…Right." The Markazian said, rolling her eyes at the terrible joke, "Now there's no resorts on this planet either, and from what Locke's said the emperor hates fishing, so there's not much reason to go there anymore."
"Unless of course ya wanna risk angerin' the emperor when he finds out ya went fishing!" Locke said.
"So-", Talwyn continued, "- so, we want to send someone out there to check it out; see what's going on this apparently empty, tropical planet… After some… discussions, we've decided this will be a good job for Rivet and Kit."
"Huh?" said Rivet, looking both surprised and slightly incredulous.
Ratchet stared at Talwyn. He wasn't the only one; Kit, Clank, and Phantom looked at her too, evidently surprised. This seemed an odd choice, given how experienced the Lombax was in the area of infiltration and stealth from her many years as a Resistance Rebel. Ratchet wasn't complaining, of course; he would certainly have objected if he had been chosen to visit Halua III, spending time in the sun and exploring the beaches, caves, and jungles thereof, while Rivet was off at Tekogai Outpost dodging unknowable dangers or worse-still, meeting the ruler of the Cragmites himself. But still, he would have thought that Talwyn might have sent them on at least one of these two missions together; after all, the two Lombaxes turned out to be quite the team with their robot companions at their backs… literally. And not only that, but it would give the two Lombaxes a chance to grow closer together, maybe even, during the calm after the storm, find a moment to reflect on their accomplishments, perhaps even touch her hand as they flew on autopilot back to the Phoenix.
This final thought sent a shiver through Ratchet, though not an unpleasant shiver; no, it was more like… like an 'electric charge', was the best he could describe it to himself right now. He also felt rather embarrassed, despite nobody looking at him or able to hear his thoughts. Really? The idea of touching her hand did this to him? He was getting softer and weaker by the day… Though a part of him really couldn't care less that these emotions he felt for her were slowly but surely melting him from the inside; no, he very much enjoyed how it felt.
"(Wait…)", he thought, "(…what if… that's precisely why Tal didn't-)" "Talwyn, I don't like this idea."
Ratchet thudded back into the present; Rivet had just spoken directly to the Markazian, her eyebrows raised, her ears perked, and a look of utter confusion on her face.
"I'm not saying Ratchet and Clank can't handle it, but… I spent years doing that sorta stuff! Besides, I'd've thought Qwark here would be the one who'd take the kinda mission I've been given… And also, sand gets stuck in my arm!" she said, raising the yellow, bionic arm and flexing it. "…Takes forever to get that crap out."
She was looking intently at Talwyn, her face averted from Ratchet so he couldn't see her expression.
"Sorry Rivet, this is what we all agreed on; I know you and Kit'll do a great job, as much as I know Ratchet and Clank will. Now come on, we gotta get moving. Skidd, Phantom, send those coordinates to starfighters B-63 and S-71. Qwark, get back to Command with Lock and Derek; I'll be with you all soon. Ratchet, could I have a quick word?"
Ratchet, who had gotten to his feet like everyone else, paused.
"Wha? Oh! Uhhh… Sure?"
Clank headed off with Rivet and Kit, glancing back at the Lombax and Markazian before the door shut behind them.
Ratchet turned to face her. They were once again alone. Despite how the two of them had gone seven years without ever having any sort of privacy together, the thing now seemed to be happening rather a lot.
He looked up, feeling, as he so often did lately, uncomfortable in her presence; unhelped of course by the fact that the Lombax still hadn't told her they were through, made worse again by his desire to not hurt her feelings.
They stood there, the two of them in silence. Ratchet could feel his heartrate quickening as his nerves mounted. Talwyn was gazing at him, her dark blue eyes taking in his face, her expression abnormally blank; she appeared to be thinking about something, and the Lombax still wasn't entirely unconvinced that Markazians could read minds as a bead of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Was there… s-something you wanted, Tal?" the Lombax said, breaking the silence at last.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, Talwyn's stoicism broke. Her eyes were suddenly full of remorse.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"S-sorry…? What?" repeated Ratchet. Talwyn's voice was unusually brittle.
"I… I didn't want to send you on this mission… I thought about Rivet and Kit of course, but they… You… It was a hard choice. I'm not happy about it. Thought maybe we could get somebody else, but… There isn't anyone else as skilled or experienced. I argued with myself, argued with Locke and Derek and Qwark, but… you're the only one who can do it - You and Clank… You can do it."
Ratchet stared at her. She had… argued with herself about this? What did she mean? And What, what was going on with her? A second ago she had been staring at him so piercingly he had felt as though he were having his skull X-rayed, the next she actually had a tear in her eye and was talking about having internal struggles.
"Please Ratchet… I'm begging you… Please, be careful."
And Talwyn left the room. No hug, no slap in the face; just walked away without a backward glance, leaving the Lombax frozen on the spot, his mind reeling, and his ears drooped in despair for Talwyn and her emotions.
"Ratchet, there you are. What did Talwyn want? ...Ratch, are… what is wrong?"
The Lombax had just walked up to Clank as he helped go over last-minute checks of the B-63 starfighter, his ears still drooped and his mind still going over Tal's last words to him.
"…Oh… Yeah, I'm fine pal, thanks… Just… somethin's up with Tal… She's… not right."
A look of concern came over the bot's face. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a poke from behind.
"Oh, greetings, Kit. What are you doing over here?"
Ratchet spun around, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Rivet was standing in front of him, right beside Kit.
"So… First mission we haven't had together in a while… You two hotshots gonna be all right without us?" asked Rivet.
There was a shadow of a smug grin on her face, but Ratchet, who so regularly paid attention to the way her eyes sparkled, saw something beyond the playfully snarky question. Was it anxiety? He had never seen it in her eyes before; the days when she had been audibly and noticeably worried had long-since passed – ever since they had defeated Emperor Nefarious. Could it be possible she was concerned for his well-being, knowing where it was that he was going? She had after all voiced her opposition to the arrangements that had been given them back in their briefing.
"I think we will be fine, but your concern is appreciated; after all Ratchet has me to protect him." Clank answered.
Rivet and Kit chuckled.
"True; dunno how you'd get by without Bolts at your side, right hotshot?"
"Oh ahhh… yeah! We'll get by just fine so long as Clank's there with me, hehe… You'll take care of Rivet for us, won'tcha Kit?"
"But of course; My weapons system may not be functional, but I can still guide and protect her… And boss her around when she gets on my nerves."
"Oh ya will, huh?" Rivet asked, giving Kit a playful nudge, and the former warbot giggled.
Ratchet watched the two of them, reminded again of how close they had become since they fought together to bring Nefarious down, and through all of the fights against hostile forces the two had been through together in the battles since. The sight of them together, messing around as he and Clank so often did, almost like sisters, warmed his heart almost as much as Rivet's smile. It was hard – very hard – looking at them now, to remember the time when Rivet had once feared and disdained her when she had found out Kit was the one that had severed her arm.
"Fighters B-63 and S-71, you are clear for takeoff. All personel, please stand clear. Repeat – fighters B-63 and S-71, you are clear for takeoff. All personel, please stand clear."
The voice of a female Vullard was echoing through the hangar as the doors began to open slowly, the grav-field barely visible as a translucent, shimmering blur, like a thin fog on an early morning on Corson V.
The two Lombaxes looked at each other, the moment of relaxation gone, popped like a bubble on the tip of a needle. Both were suddenly tense.
"Clank… Do take care, will you? And watch after Ratchet." Kit said, sounding suddenly a little worried.
Clank stared at her for a moment, his head tilted slightly.
"I shall. Thank you, Kit. And please - do take care of Rivet."
The two Lombaxes stared at each other for a while. The male was feeling on-edge about what awaited him and Clank at Tekogai Outpost… He couldn't explain it, but… he had an ominous feeling about the upcoming mission. If there really was some sort of weapon that was being developed there – and it sounded as though it must be very powerful – then there was a decent chance that Valen was there too… Or worse.
Unpleasant thoughts were beginning to intrude on the Lombax – thoughts he, in truth, had experienced before, but not for many, many years. A dark uncertainty lay before him. Tachyon was back - more powerful and threatening than he had been when the Lombax had faced him at eighteen. Ratchet was worried, an emotion he didn't normally experience. He suddenly found his mind grappling with an insane idea – Should he confess? Should Ratchet tell Rivet how he feels for her? What if something happened? Would he see her again? …No, he couldn't confess now… What if something did happen, and he left her alone in this universe with that on her mind?
"(Wait, are you real? I know you didn't just entertain that idea. You're not that sorta person Ratchet, what's got into you?)"
"(…You're right, that was stupid... I WILL see her again. I REFUSE to acknowledge any alternative again.)"
"(Now THAT'S the Ratchet I know… But still, the question remains – ya gonna tell her?)"
"(T-tell her? Ahhh… I don't… N-not now…!)"
"(Are you… chicken?)"
"(…Wha…?)"
"(You heard me~ Is the brave inter-galactic hero Ratchet, savior of a hundred galaxies, scared to tell a girl she's pretty?~)"
"(I... You…?! What?! I'll tell her tonight!)"
"(Say again…? I want to write this down.)"
"(Tonight, jerkwad. I'm telling her tonight. When Clank an' I get back!)"
"(Really? Well then, let's get this show on the road shall we? Gotta get back quickly so you can get it on with your lovely lomby~)"
Trying to ignore the final words of the voice that hissed through his mind, Ratchet gave Rivet a
half-smile.
"Guess we'd better get goin' right?"
"Oh... Yeah," Rivet said, "- guess so. Be seein' ya hotshot."
Ratchet nodded and turned, about to climb the ladder into the ship and join Clank.
"And..."
Ratchet turned back. Rivet looked… different. Her eyes were wider, the sparkle therein was dimmer, her ears were, if possible, drooped slightly; they definitely were not at their average height. Furthermore, she was kneading her hands together, and her tail was flicking about behind her; it wasn't the flicking motion of excitement or joy, no… she was… worried? It sure seemed like it...
Ratchet watched her, waiting for the Lombax to say what was on her mind. The silence between them stretched for a while, and Ratchet found it growing more difficult to restrain his eyes from wandering about her beautiful figure as the hangar lights behind her shone. The Lombax just wanted to take her in as much as he could before they separated - wanted to see her as plainly as though she were right in front of him, wherever he went.
"…Be careful, okay Ratchet?"
Ratchet gratefully jerked his mind out of the brushes and back to reality. Rivet was half-smiling now, the twinkle in her eyes back and glittering and appeared, at least to Ratchet, that she had not noticed his eyes beginning to wander, rather to the Lombax's relief.
Ratchet felt a spark of heat in his chest and the nerves he had been experiencing calmed a little as she smiled at him, which combined with the sparkle in her sapphire-colored eyes were like a rejuvenating tonic after a bout with a head cold.
He smiled back.
"Yeah… Yeah. You too, Rivet."
Ratchet hesitated for a moment, then held up his fist.
She stared at it for a second before she exhaled sharply through her nose, as though repressing a laugh. She brought up her bionic fist and bumped her metallic knuckles to his before turning and hurrying off to the S-71 starfighter, Kit looking over the top, clearly wondering where her friend was.
"Is everything all right?" Clank asked as the Lombax strapped in.
Ratchet considered for a moment. He was worried, yes. But he saw Rivet's smile, heard her voice, watched in his mind's eye as he and Clank returned from their dangerous mission – perhaps a little the worse-for-wear, but alive and safe, and... throwing his arms around her…?
Ratchet gave a quick jerk of the head.
"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks buddy… So, ready to fly? Gotta get back in time for dinner! Heard the cafeteria's serving thirteen-topping pizza that some other rebels managed to steal from an imperial grav-train!"
Clank cocked his head, slightly confused at the sudden change of topic, but after a moment the bot chuckled.
"Yes, that would be quite delightful."
Ratchet engaged the engines and, after hovering through the grav-field, punched the throttle, stealing a glance out the window as the S-71 did the same, carrying the two Lombaxes and bots away in an explosion of sound and light.