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Sunken Treasure

Chapter Summary

Rivet and Kit arrive on the apparently safe Halua III and begin their investigation.

It doesn't take long before the female Lombax finds herself going for an unplanned

swim...

"You've been pretty quiet, Kit… Everything all right?"

"Hm? Oh, yes Rivet, I am fine. I have just been thinking."

"Thinking? About what?"

"…About Ratchet and Clank, that is all."

"Oh… Yeah…"

The Lombax fell into a thoughtful silence.

She and the former warbot had departed from the Phoenix some thirty minutes prior; they had talked for a while upon the outset of their journey – about their dimension, wondering how things were faring with Nefarious and his forces eliminated, and the new Galactic Authorities established, verbally abusing Qwark and his arrogance, joking lightheartedly over Derek's and Locke's frequent banter, then bringing the topic to weapons. While not looking to get into a fight, Rivet was excited for a possible chance to actually use her new Skull Crusher in combat.

The change in subject to weapons only lasted a short while though, as Kit gradually became more and more silent and thoughtful, gazing out of the cockpit and watching the lights of the thousands of stars flickering passed.

Hearing the diminutive bot voice her thoughts, though lacking in detail, nevertheless brought her counterpart and his robotic partner back to the forefront of the Lombax's mind, bringing with them yet again that sense of anxiety she had felt forty minutes prior when she had found out where the two boys were going, as well as that… strange, other feeling that she had never felt before, and which made her feel a confused mixture of warmth and excitement, but increased worry and uncertainty as she thought of the danger the two might be in.

"…They'll be all right though Kit, don't worry… After all, just… Look at everything they've been through! The stories they shared… Some of it's almost too crazy to believe. If they could get through DreadZone, take down Nefarious a thousand and one times, stop the Blarg from destroying planets when Ratchet was only frickin' fifteen, beat Tachyon the first time he tried to take over, send the Nethers back to the Netherverse, survive getting launched-"

"Rivet?"

"Huh?"

Kit had cut Rivet off suddenly, looking at Lombax, her blue, fluorescent eyes full of concern, and her head cocked to one side.

"Are you… worried too?"

"What? Me, worried? Not a chance! Like I said, they'll be all right… They will..."

Rivet forced herself to relax her grip on the yoke of their ship as she spoke; she had been squeezing it so hard her good arm had started to lose feeling in her fingers, and the synthetic nerves in her bionic arm, though she had them set to minimal feeling as always, still felt rather tingly from the pressure.

"Speaking of Ratchet… he has been rather… odd lately, has he not?"

"Whaddaya mean?" Rivet asked sharply, making Kit turn to look at her again, surprised.

"I only meant his behavior has been different… He has seemed less like his self when he and I met; he has been stuttering, staring blankly into space… Have you not noticed?"

Rivet digested these observations for a moment. Yeah, if she was honest, he had been acting a little differently as of late; starting a few weeks before they fully liberated her dimension. He also seemed, Rivet thought, clumsier, than he used to be also.

"And the Skull Crusher… You remember how expensive it was. I am not complaining of course, but what do you think came over Ratchet to make such a purchase?"

Rivet felt the heat rise a little in her face. Yes, it was expensive… and he had spent all of it, just for her. The thought made her stomach leap as much as it made her feel rather flustered. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before.

"I-I dunno… Maybe he thought that… Well, it's like he said that night! He said 'I thought you'd like-'"

She broke off.

"(He had been thinking of me… and what he thought- no, knew I would like…)"

She suddenly remembered how nervous he had seemed, remembered the slight flush in his face, the way his voice had cracked so adorably… Wait, no what was that she had just thought?! She couldn't do this, especially right when they were about to start a mission! Besides, Ratchet already… he already had a…

"Are you feeling well, Rivet?"

"Huh?!" the Lombax said quickly. Her face was now definitely turning pink.

She shook her head once to clear it.

"Yeah, I'm good! Just… Worried, that's all!" she said hastily.

"But…" Kit said, "…I thought you said you were not worried?"

"Oh!" Rivet said, thinking fast.

"Not about Ratchet and Clank, just about… how much sand I'm gonna have to get outta my arm after this! Seriously, I hate that stuff."

Looking immensely puzzled, Kit fell again into another thoughtful silence. It didn't last long however, for seconds later, their ship emerged from the flashing swirling lights of stars, slowing drastically as they exited warp speed, bringing to sight their first glimpse of Halua III – a bright, clear-blue planet dotted with green islands and mountains, with seldom a cloud covering its surface.

Rivet took them down, following the coordinates Phantom had sent to their ship, which lead them one of the larger islands.

Unsure what exactly they were looking for, Rivet chose a clearing on the outskirts of what appeared to be a fishing village and parked the ship.

The door opened, and she was immediately hit with a warm breeze and the smell of oceans mingled with grass and overgrown flowers.

She hopped from the ship onto the grass below and Kit leapt onto the harness that wrapped around Rivet's back.

The sound of waves rushed gently back and forth in the distance, the breeze whispered as it passed through the tall grass and the palm trees, and the endless cawing of distant seagulls.

"So, any idea what Talwyn's got us looking for?" Rivet asked, starting to walk in the direction of a smoke trail rising to the sky.

"No clue… But you have the right idea; I imagine that smoke trail will lead us to the village. We can ask the locals if they have seen anything odd once we get there."

"Ah. Yeah, well y'know, I got good gut feelings about this sorta stuff." The Lombax replied. She had in fact not been going toward the smoke trail because she wanted to speak to locals, but was rather heading that way because something smelled good as its enticing aroma was wafted toward them on the warm summer breeze.

They passed into the cooling shade of the trees. The trek through the small overgrown jungle-y area was uneventful, save for when Rivet's tail got caught in the brush.

"Again?" asked Kit.

"Look I can't help it, 'kay?" Rivet replied, finally getting loose enough to yank her tail free.

"You cannot help it? And why might that be?" asked Kit, skeptically.

"Because the fur on my tail is thick, in case ya hadn't noticed."

"Have you considered a trim, perchance?"

"W-what?! No way!"

"Are you incapable of using a trimmer?"

"No, of course I can, that's kinda a stupid question …Especially as how you've seen me use one before."

"So, you can help it then."

"I… well, okay sure whatever! But I'm not doing it."

"And why not?"

"B-because I… I like my tail the way it is, thank you!"

"The leader of the Resistance, the strong and stoic Rivet, savior of the dimensions, is concerned about how her tail looks?"

"I… Yes!"

Rivet blushed a little as she said it, grateful that Kit was on her back and couldn't see her face at the moment.

"…I mean, c'mon, even a fighter like me's gotta take care of herself sometimes!"

But this wasn't the main reason… No, the main reason was because Rivet had once accidentally overheard Ratchet talking with Clank about the Lombaxes during their attempts to liberate her dimension – a conversation in which the female had distinctly heard Ratchet comment on how he doubted any Lombax they would meet would have a tail as bushy and pretty as Rivet's… A compliment that, as much as it gave the female a crazy impulse to smack the male, also made her feel pleasurably flustered at the same time. She had taken extra time to groom her tail every shower since…

They finally emerged from the trees and stepped once more into the sunlight. The village was small and made up of several small bamboo and thatch houses. Several racks lay near the houses, mostly of spears and fishing rods, though here and there was a cutlass or two, probably to fend off wildlife. There were a number of piers and docks with crates scattered about, and several fishing boats. There was indeed a fire crackling on the sand of the nearby beach, and a handful of locals were grouped around it, roasting caught puffoids.

The locals looked up as the Lombax and bot approached. They got to their feet and hurried up to greet them.

"Aye, welcome, welcome outsiders, to Halua III!" said one of the locals, a tall, slightly greenish-colored humanoid alien male dressed in a rather simple and rugged get-up of a plain and slightly dirty, torn-sleeves shirt, shorts, and a straw hat with a wide brim. He had a rather thick accent.

"Please, stay a while. Our dwellings be humble and wee on the less-excitin' edge o' the waves fer travelers, but the cookin' be excellent and our beds warm and soft."

"Can't argue with that smell! It's safe to assume they're good and cooked right?"

"Aye, striped, furry lass! Good and crispy on the inside and out, as all puffoids should be!"

"I think I will be sick." Kit said.

"Oh, c'mon Kit! Have you ever tried grilled puffoid?" The locals looked around to see who Rivet was talking to.

"By Zoni's eyes!" said another of the locals, "A yeller talkin' whatchamadoodle made of raritanium!"

"Robot." Kit said.

"Aye, that be right! A Robert!"

"…Yes, that is me – Robert." Kit said, "Anyway, we came here on official business."

"'Zat so? Been a winter's number of moons since last we saw any officiaries on this planet!"

"Yes, that is why we are here, actually." Kit continued, "We thought this planet was drained of all its raritanium, but we heard that a lot of ships have been coming and going here recently. Have any of you noticed anything like that?"

The straw-hat local fell into silence, thinking hard. He wasn't the only one; the other four locals looked just as confused, looking from one another and whispering.

"Mmmm… Nay, miss Robert, me apologies. Perchance they have been visiting some other area of Halua III? The best fishin' spots be on Taleke Island about thirty-three hundred and twenty paces north, nine-hundred and sixty-two breaststrokes northeast, and a further two-thousand five hundred and ninety-seven paces west." The local said.

"Oh." Replied Kit. "I do not suppose you feel like walking and swimming that much, do you Rivet?"

"…Hm? Oh. No, I don't." the Lombax replied. She was looking curiously at the locals. There was something strange about them, or as Derek would have said – 'fishy'.

"Apologies again, outsiders. Before ye go, d'ye wanna bite of puffoid?"

"Actually – " Rivet said, " – I'll be fine for now, I did have a big lunch… Save some for later though, 'kay?"

"Rivet…?" Kit asked silently.

"Aye, sorry to see ya go miss fuzzy-tail, but we understand ye got important, officiary business ye must be about! Do take care and come back when ye can!"

"Rivet, is everything all right?" Kit asked as the pair passed through the village and into the jungle opposite the one they landed in.

"Did'ja have to tell 'em what we were here for?" asked Rivet, a little crossly.

"What…? What do you mean? They do not seem to be imperials, and they are definitely not Heralds."

"Yeah, that might be, but…"

Rivet looked around to make sure nobody was nearby.

"…I don't trust them… Something's strange here. It only took a few seconds to catch it."

"Catch what?" Kit asked as the Lombax leapt over a stream of water, onto a stone, then onto the opposite bank.

"The first thing they said when they saw you – 'raritanium'." "Well, it is true. I am made of raritanium alloy, like all warbots." "Yeah I know… And so do pirates." "You think… the villagers are pirates?" "I'm certain of it -"

They reached a cliff face and Rivet used her swingshot on a palm tree, heaving it down and letting it sling her and Kit up the cliff as the tree swung back to its original position.

" – I've known Pierre and his goons for too long. These guys aren't robots, but I know a pirate when I see one."

Kit fell silent for a bit as they climbed along the cliff, a nearby waterfall growing louder.

"…I was foolish." Kit said finally.

"What? No, don't say that; you were trying to be friendly… and honest."

"…You really think so?"

"Of course; it's… you're just being yourself, Kit. Don't sweat it."

"I… Thank you Rivet… By the way, may I ask where we are going?"

Rivet was walking across a rather rickety suspension bridge which the small bot was quite sure did not meet the Galactic Construction Safety Association's standards.

"Oh! There's a cave behind that waterfall. When I saw the bridge, I figured, 'hey if I was a pirate, I'd keep something in there', y'feel me?"

"I… suppose it is worth a look, yes."

They finished crossing the bridge and walked along a narrow protrusion from the cliff face that lead behind the waterfall, droplets of water spraying onto them and getting stuck on Rivet's fur.

They entered the cave and the Lombax shook her head, her ears flopping wildly as she tried to get the water off. The cave was surprisingly large considering how shallow it sat in the cliff face, and sure enough, various items were stashed away inside of it – a few barrels of food and drink, a number of unmarked crates, some of them open, as well as a simple, wooden bed next to a bedside table with an extinguished lantern.

"Huh… Well check this out… You see what's in those crates, I'll check the table and bed." Said Rivet, and the small yellow bot hopped down, approaching one of the large boxes.

"Only more food in this one… Oh, but this one is full of weapons." Kit added, hopping up and pushing the lid off one of the larger crates, revealing an assortment of swords and guns. "Oh! And so many bolts!" she added, as the third crate was revealed to be full of the universe's currency.

"Definitely pirates…" Rivet said thoughtfully, coming over to help look through the crates when

she ascertained nothing of use or interest was hidden in the mattress or around the bedside table. "But why on earth would Tachyon tolerate pirates? 'No imperial presence' like Talwyn said… Seems strange, doesn't it?"

"Indeed… Maybe we'll find some sort of explanation in here somewhere; judging by the large amounts of weapons and food, I conjecture this is a storage area." Kit said.

"Seems an odd place to store resources though; a pretty far walk from the village in the event of an attack, right? Hold on, what's this…?"

Rivet bent down to pick up a scrunched-up piece of rough parchment paper from the ground she hadn't noticed before.

Kit came over to see as Rivet un-scrunched the roll of paper and held it up flat to read by the light coming in from outside. The message was short and written in a hand that was barely legible.

"…'Look down'…?"

The Lombax felt her stomach drop. She and Kit were standing in the middle of the small cave, where there were no crates.

There was a grinding, clunking sound as the floor gave way, splitting cleanly in two, and causing the Lombax to fall dozens of feet through cool, damp air before –

SPLASSHHHH!

Rivet kicked wildly, pushing herself back up. Her head broke the surface of the water, coughing and sputtering.

"Wh-what the hel-…Wait… Kit? KIT!"

The former warbot was nowhere to be seen. But right as the Lombax was about to dive back under the surface, harsh laughter reached her ears. She looked up to see the four locals from earlier gazing down into the hole she had just fallen through, laughing at her, and one of them holding a curiously-shaped device that Rivet could only assume was some form of handheld raritanium-isolating Mag-Booster, for she registered, as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, that Kit was held fast to it, unable to move an inch.

"Har, har! Perhaps that'll learn ye to snoop around a pirate captain's private quarters!" "Rivet! Are you okay?!"

Kit's voice called down, echoing off the walls to the Lombax, who was looking around frantically for somewhere to pull up. The walls were smooth stone, no place she could latch onto, and the hole too deep for her swingshot to reach out of.

"So'd'ye like me little note?! Rolled it in when we saw ye were turned the other way! Yer a fool fer droppin' yer guard fuzzball, but ye sure made grabbin' yer raritanium microwave a lot easier, so thank ye kindly!"

Furious, Rivet drew her Burst Pistol and fired at the pirate that taunted her. Quite aside from the taunting, she was enraged that the gold-toothed prick would call Kit something so offensive!

The pirate barely dodged to the side in time, causing bits of dust and rubble to burst from the point of impact, which glowed momentarily bright gold from heat before fading to black.

"We got us a live'un, gents! Lessee how much fight the runt's got inn'er after a bout with the sharkigators! Have fun, Lombax!"

"Rivet!"

With a grinding rumbling sound, the stone trap door pulled back up into place, sealing Rivet inside and blocking Kit's worried shouts.

Rivet swore loudly, punching the rock wall with her robotic fist and putting a small dent in the rock face in her anger. She looked around in the darkness, activating a flashlight on her goggles, which she put on.

"Sharkigators… Then there must be a way out of this place…"

She looked into the dark, rippling water she was floating in. Little though she wanted to, she didn't have much choice – she had to rescue Kit.

Donning her O2 mask, she dove beneath the surface and into the dark waters.

The caves below were much larger than the cave above. The trap she had fallen into opened into a large, open room with rough stone walls, stalagmites and stalactites, and plenty of rippling seaweed and other underwater plantlife which waved slowly one way then the next in the gentle ebb of the water.

Rivet swam lower, trying to get her bearings and decide where to go next. There were three passages ahead, and Rivet chose one at random. It was narrow and there was little plantlife within. After a surprisingly short trip down it, Rivet was met with a dead end. Frustrated, she spun about and swam back the way she had come.

But as she approached the mouth of the passage she had just entered, a skeletal body floated up suddenly from below, making the Lombax throw herself backward in shock and sending bubbles everywhere from the speed.

She cautiously approached the mouth of the cave again, looking down. Something had caused the corpse to float up – had loosened it from whatever it had been held under.

Her heart thudding a little faster than usual, she chose a second passage, again at random.

She swam forth through the gloom, the low, dull rush of the water in hear ears strained for any sound that indicated approaching marine life. The way forward was blocked with fragile looking stalagmites. Perhaps this was the way out?

Rivet drew her hammer and, hard as she could beneath the waves, swung it at the mineral formations, which crumbled at once and momentarily obscuring her vision with bubbles and dust.

It cleared, and the Lombax resumed her journey through the cave.

Again, a dead end.

"(C'mon, c'mon! There's got to be a way out…)"

But as she turned, something caught her eye - something that reflected, dully, the glow of her flashlight.

She turned back and swam forward to investigate.

The skeleton of a dead Lombax was there, its boney hand still clutching something that was almost completely covered in algae, but which had an inch that was still clean that reflected the light.

"(What's a Lombax doing here…?)"

She hesitated. What could it be that this Lombax, even in death, continued to hold so tightly?

Her curiosity got the better of her.

Holding her breath despite the O2 mask and feeling rather repulsed, she stretched her arms out and began working the stiff fingers free of the strange object.

"(Ughhhh… Sorry…!)" she said, her teeth gritted as with a muffled snap the joints cracked and opened, freeing the treasure Rivet was so curious to take.

She wiped the algae off its surface. It was a rather curious sphere-like object with runic markings all around it. It was small enough that Rivet could almost completely cover it by closing her hand. A single, narrow track was etched all the way around, running along the center. With the algae gone, Rivet could see a dim, purplish light running through the track.

She shrugged and stored it away before turning to try the final passage.

Her heart stopped. A sharkigator was swimming up the passage, its narrow, orange eyes glowing in the darkness.

It had spotted her and rushed forward with frightening speed, its jaws opening wide, two rows of razor-sharp teeth exposed.

Rivet kicked off from the wall as the beast approached, dodging to the side just in time. The beast smashed into the stone wall above the skeletal Lombax, sending a dull rumble through the waters.

Remembering how these monsters were borderline invincible in the water, she threw herself up the passage. The Lombax swam, her arms and legs working fiercely and glancing back over her shoulder every two seconds. The sharkigator would not take long to recover. She used her swingshot to latch onto the mouth of the passage as it came into sight and used it to catapult herself out and into the final passage. She seemed to fly through the dark waters, her heart pounding, the water behind her pitch black, the way ahead of her unknown. She heard another dull rumble through the water, and rolled over as the sharkigator lunged again, missing by feet, and pelting into the darkness ahead.

She spun around and began swimming back the way she had come. There was a stalagmite that connected to the ceiling a little way back and which had a short path beside it. She could use her swingshot to catapult herself forward again if she could just lure the sharkigator back and put some distance between them.

She stopped abruptly with a muffled, fearful curse through her O2 mask. A second sharkigator was swimming toward her from the mouth of the passage. She was caught between the two monsters, her heart thudding madly.

She threw herself downward as both sea beasts lunged.

They seemed to realize what had happened just in time; or at least one of them did, and it tried to veer off course, but was grazed by the other sharkigator's fangs, filling the black waters with a cloud of green blood.

Both beasts began fighting each other, causing a storm of bubbles and rolling rumbles to course through the cave. Rivet used their distraction to her advantage and threw herself back down the passage, praying that the two monsters were sufficiently angered enough at one another to keep them distracted long enough for her to lose them.

The passage twisted and turned, dipping further down before climbing back up, and Rivet looking back every few feet.

At long last she saw light ahead and her arms and feet flashed with renewed vigor.

A sharkigator flew out of a narrow passage ahead, its body scratched and bloody – the survivor of the two beasts' inner fighting.

Feeling as though she was having a heart attack, Rivet instinctively brought up her hammer, smashing the beast's underside.

It appeared to barely faze the monster, but the attack had nonetheless cleared the path for Rivet. She resumed her rapid, frantic swimming, the beast hot on her tail. The passage turned up and Rivet barely dodged another lunge from the creature, which smashed yet again into the rock wall.

Up and up she climbed through the water, the light growing brighter, the sharkigator below her opening its jaws wide, wide enough to swallow her whole.

Her head broke the surface and she leapt out of the water, sending droplets flying everywhere.

The sharkigator too flew out, and Rivet took her chance.

She threw herself at the beast, leaping over the water and knocking the creature hard onto the rock ground of the cave, stunning it. She gripped both its jaws in either hand and with loud, sickening CRACK and a roar of mingled exertion, fear, and rage from the Lombax, she tore its jaws clean apart.

The sharkigator gave a final twitch and became limp, blood pouring from its mouth where its jaws had been ripped out.

Rivet was panting hard, water still pouring from her clothes and fur and dripping onto the stone floor. She collapsed, her heart pounding madly, her breasts heaving, and her arms and legs sore.

After a moment or two she sat back up, gazing at the sharkigator. Really, killing the beast wasn't exactly necessary since they were powerless on land… but at least if anyone else fell into that stupid trap they'd have two less sharkigators to worry about…

Rivet drew out the strange spherical object again, looking at it curiously. What could it be? Maybe Kit would know.

"…KIT!"

Rivet jumped to her feet, stowing the sphere away again. She had to find Kit, and fast!

She dashed from the cave and into the jungle, the rumble of the waterfall a little more distant than last she had been outside.

"Kit! Kit where are you?! Are you all right?!" Rivet said desperately, touching the communicator in her chest harness.

"Rivet! You are alive!"

The sound of Kit's voice was music to Rivet's ears. She couldn't say that though, Kit would never let the topic rest otherwise.

"Wha? 'Course I am, it'll take more than a couple sharkigators to finish me off! Where are you?!" said Rivet, sliding down a slope and running back in the general direction of the fishing village.

"A crate on a pier on the opposite side of the island from the fishing village! I am sending my coordinates to your nav-unit!"

Rivet skidded to a halt and spun around, running the opposite direction as her nav-unit bleeped and she was supplied with an exact destination.

"The pirates have a more… pirate-y sort of place set up over here. They are taking supplies aboard their ships! I think they mean to depart soon!"

Rivet sprinted across a suspension bridge that spanned across a gorge.

"That's not happenin' til I get there! Just hold on Kit I'm close!"

Rivet slowed down as she approached a cliff. Looking down, she saw indeed a more, as Kit said, 'Pirate-y place'. There was a much large pier, several rundown houses, weapon racks and cannons, crates and cages, several taverns, and several barrels of what Rivet could only assume was grog.

"SO what's the word on the Lombax and'er subatomic talkin' oven?"

Rivet ducked behind a rock. Some 10 feet below the cliff was a lookout post and two pirates.

"The fluffy one be takin' a swim with the fishies now; the raritanium thermos be ours!"

"Aye… But wouldn't it have been best to save the cat alive and interrogate'er fer whereabouts o' the map?"

"Eh?"

"The map that long-eared miscreant stole from Styggs' underpants drawer two winters ago!"

"Ahhh… Maybe so, maybe not. She be the first of'er kind I've seen since that double-crossin' rat went fer a swim hisself; I'd nearly forgotten about it, to tell th' truth."

Both pirates fell silent. Rivet was thinking hard – were they talking about the dead Lombax she had seen in those caves?

"But ANYWAY - ", resumed one of the pirates, " – it no longer matters; with the talkin' lunchbox we shall be able to track it down in no time! We now know the rat left it somewhere on this planet… and after we find it, we kin melt down the talkin' toaster fer all them valuable components. It be made of solid raritanium! How long's been since we seen-"

But the pirate was silenced as Rivet crushed his skull with her hammer, breaking his neck. She had leapt down from her hiding spot above at last, furious at what she had just heard.

The other pirate had only time to utter an exclamation of shock before Rivet used the cord of her swingshot to constrict his air passages and jerked hard, forcing the pirate toward her and into her bionic fist which struck the pirate in the face with such force he was thrown back against the wall, his nose, back, and jaw broken, and several less-than-clean teeth falling to the ground.

With both lookouts dead, Rivet scoped out the pirate base below.

"Kit, got any hints as to which crate you're in? I see about a hundred down there!"

"It is small, and I am detecting two pirate life signals on either side of me. Where are you? Do you have a plan?"

POW!

"Rivet, what was that?!" Kit asked, shocked, as a distant blast rent the air and there was a thud of a body outside the crate, followed swiftly by a shout of surprise and anger.

"Holy MOTHER this thing hits hard!"

Rivet leapt down from the cliff and slid down a slope, stowing the Skull Crusher away as she went.

"How in the bloody-?! Yer s'pposed to be fish food right now!" yelled a pirate out of sight.

Rivet sprinted toward the pier, registering the large number of pirates that emerged from the run-down houses, the tavern, and the ships. Unfazed, she continued toward her goal – a small box beside which stood a lone pirate, the headless corpse of another on the ground close by.

The pirate drew a pistol and fired, but the Lombax slid beneath the shot as she approached, springing back up and launching forward with a mighty swing of her hammer, cracking the pirate's ribs and launching him several feet away, where he lay motionless.

Rivet tore the lid off the crate, its wood and nails splintering as her bionic hand pulled hard. Sensing an approaching pirate behind her, Rivet spun around, using the lid of the crate as a shield to block the vicious stab from her attacker. The blade got stuck in the wood, and Rivet heaved, sending the pirate over her head and crashing flat on his back, completely winded.

"By Blackwater's bullocks! The runt be strong lads, watch'erselves!" another pirate yelled, and a number of the approaching sea-faring marauders faltered, wary of getting too close to Rivet.

As the pirates retreated to a weapons rack to fetch more firearms, Rivet turned to her robot companion.

"C'mon Kit, we're done here!"

Kit sprung out of the box and onto Rivet's back.

"Agreed! We must return to the ship at once, I learned important information from the pirates and why they are gathering here!"

"Way ahead of ya! I found something in the caves these jerks dropped me into that I want you to take a look at when we escape!"

A volley of gunshots rent the air. Rivet ducked behind cover as blast after blast from the attackers rained down upon them, peppering the boxes around them, breaking a wooden stand as its legs were struck, causing several barrels to fall to the ground and crash open, sending a stream of grog all over the cobble stone and wood. Rivet returned fire as the pirates paused to reload, taking several out, and hitting more stands around them, causing more barrels to fall to the ground and burst, releasing torrents of amber-colored liquid into the area.

"Swingshot onto that lift over there!" Kit called over the continuous blasts of Combusters and old-fashioned blaster rifles.

Rivet and Kit soared upwards and onto a higher level of the pirate town, landing on more cobbled-stone.

There was a loud CRUNCH as a large barrel next to them fell to the ground only a few feet away and crashed open, sending yet more grog around the heroes' surroundings and spraying Rivet in the foul-smelling beverage.

"How much of this shit do these jerks drink?!" Rivet demanded angrily, coughing and sputtering, wiping it from her face and shaking it off her arms.

Kit however had an idea.

"Rivet, I am detecting high volumes of alcohol in these barrels. Break as many as you can, retreat to a safe distance, then toss a Fusion Grenade!"

Rivet did as Kit suggested. Rather than focusing solely on the pirates, she now directed most of her shots at the stands that supported the barrels around the area, dodging further attacks now from both below and above.

"She's wastin' the grog! There can be no forgiveness for this, Lombax!"

But Rivet had used her swingshot again, pulling her and Kit back up to the cliff ledge.

She turned back, ducking as a projectile from below soared over her head, and tossed a Fusion Grenade into the pools of amber.

There was a colossal explosion as the grenade struck the ground, igniting the pools of grog into a storm of flame which engulfed the pirates who fell to the ground.

Rivet froze, staring at the burning pirates, whose shrieks of pain seemed to pass clean through her ears, ringing and reverberating through her skull as her mind became suspended in limbo. Her bionic arm seized up which, despite lacking blood and its synthetic nerve settings being on low, she could have sworn she felt it throbbing in pain and with the steadily rising speed at which her heart was beginning to thump. A growing darkness was slowly but surely taking hold of her, constricting her lungs, forcing cold sweat to break out on her forehead, and filling her mind with a familiar, dreaded, cold wave of fear. Why was this happening now?! She hadn't experienced one of these… spells in months! Was it the sight of the pirates that triggered it?

But then she heard Kit's voice through the flame and the darkness, pulling her from her descent into the void.

"Rivet! What is the matter?"

The Lombax shook her head fiercely, the darkness fading and her surroundings coming back into sharp relief around her, as well as knowledge of their predicament. She wrenched her eyes from the flames below.

"I'll be fine! Thanks, Kit!"

Rivet turned and sprinted back into the jungle. She dashed back across the bridge, leapt over a river, scrambled back up the slope. They had not caught all the pirates in their trap; they were bound to catch back up soon. Sure enough they heard renewed shouts far in the distance as their

ship finally came back into sight.

They hopped aboard, Kit taking the co-pilot's seat and Rivet the pilot's.

To their relief, the engine roared to life. Rivet had expected the pirates might have done something to their ship if they found it.

They blasted off, the surface of Halua III shrinking into a mass of mixed green and bright blue, the sky above fading to black, thousands of stars blossoming as they left the atmosphere behind.

Both Lombax and bot gave a sigh of relief.

"That was too close." Kit said.

Right on cue, a harsh voice burst into life over their radio.

"Ahoy there Lombax! This be Captain Styggs! Me boys say they heard ye've taken some valuable property o' mine! It just won't do, lassy! As imperial decree number thirty-six trillion, four-hundred and ninety-one billion, twenty-seven million, fourty-two thousand three-hundred and eighty-one states – 'all weapons, treasure, technology, toys, etcetera are the rightful property o' the Space Pirates of Aleandros Major, provided they make selfless (i.e. mandatory) donations to the expansion of the Cragmite Empire'!"

"You're freakin' kidding me with this, right?! PIRATE imperials?!" Rivet burst out angrily.

"I should ruddy well think not, Lombax!" Styggs' voice answered back, sounding indignant, "Captain Styggs serves no emperor; but the bigwig 'isself lets me raid, pillage, and plunder wherever me eyes desire, an' I say yer a threat to this liberty! I'll be takin' back what's rightfully mine and servin' up fried Lombax tail for dinner this fine eve!"

"Utterly uncivilized, this Captain Styggs!" Kit said, sounding disgusted.

"Yeah, we're so outta here." Said Rivet.

She punched the throttle, preparing to jump to warp speed, but their engine made an ominous sputtering sound and their ship rattled. They continued to fly, but did not jump to warp speed.

"What the-?!"

"Oh right, I fergot to tell ye – me boys did a bit o' tinkerin' with yer ship after ye took off for me hideout earlier, hope ya don't mind!"

"Hostile ships on-approach!" Kit said urgently.

Rivet checked the radar. Sure enough, half a dozen ships flying space pirate flags had appeared and were giving chase.

"Ugghh, it just couldn't be easy, could it?! Think you can repair our warp-drive?" Rivet asked, bringing their weapons system online.

"Yes, I shall have it repaired as soon as I can!"

An urgent beeping sounded from the radar – one of the space ships behind was preparing to fire.

Rivet swerved to the right, watching as a blast of energy zoomed by, making the S-71 shake violently as it passed.

Two smaller vessels appeared ahead, and Rivet opened fire, sending a stream of ion cannon blasts at her targets which exploded into a ball of flame and smoke.

"What manner of-?! Oy, Hacker von Slasherman! I thought ya said ye took their weapons system offline!"

"That was Shots McGee's job, Cap'n!"

"Ye both shall be sittin' out o' happy hour at Telma's this week for this foolishness!"

Rivet accelerated, furthering the distance between them and the pirates, and dodging another shot from behind.

Rivet looked around; despite their speed, the pirates were still closing in as more ships joined the ones already giving chase.

"All right Kit hold on it's about to get a little bumpy." The Lombax veered off course and into an asteroid field.

"That sounds about par for the course." Kit said, resigned as an asteroid missed their ship by mere feet.

An explosion behind them told Rivet one of the ships had crashed.

"Hoo wee, lads! We got us a bit of a showoff, eh?! Lookit'er go! Dodgin' and weavin' through this mess o' space rock! But how well can our furry friend dodge this?!"

Rivet registered, with moments to spare, a positive storm of ion cannon blasts behind, swirling and spinning through space behind her. She pulled hard on the yoke, sending her and Kit into a barrel roll that caused the attacks to miss. Pulling from the maneuver, she veered sharply down, narrowly dodging an asteroid, and hearing another three explosions behind her.

Rivet punched a button on the console, causing a cluster of space mines to drop from the ship. A series of explosions behind her told the Lombax they had taken out several more ships.

"Warp-drive online! Get us out of this asteroid field and we can jump back to the Phoenix!" Kit shouted.

"On it!"

"Ohoho! Yer smart fer a toaster, lass! We might have'ta keep ya around once we skuttle yer long-eared pipsqueak of a friend so ye can cook our meals!"

"Y'know this guy's really starting to annoy me." Rivet said.

They broke free of the asteroid field and Rivet engaged the warp-drive, sending them forward in an explosion of color and sound, and carrying them away from Halua III, the Secturis Sector, and Captain Styggs.

"Thank gods that's over…" Rivet sighed, putting the S-71 on autopilot and sitting back in her chair.

Kit mimicked the Lombax, relaxing in her chair as they soared through space, back to the Phoenix. "…Rivet, you said earlier you found something you wanted me to look at, right?"

"Hm?... Oh! Yeah! Check this out…"

Rivet drew out the small, strange spherical object she had found in the caves.

Kit examined it closely, her bright blue eyes impressed.

"Fascinating… It appears to be a Tectronic Receptacle."

"Oh cool! …What's that?"

"It is used for storing items of high value. The technology is very advanced and allows for anything to be stored inside by breaking the desired object down into data and storing said data within. You could think of it as if a hologram worked in reverse – rather than the device using data to project the nonexistent object into space, the object taking up space is instead projected into the device as data."

"Uhhh… Right! Well, we best get back and show it to Ratchet and Clank; betcha their minds'll be blown!"

"Actually, should we not first share it with Command? It could contain something incredibly important."

"Oh, we will! Just… figured the guys'd like to see it is all!" Rivet said, turning to hide her face from Kit. She could have sworn she felt the heat beginning to rise.

Half an hour later, the pair were gliding in smoothly to land in the Phoenix's hangar, a crowd of rebels rushing in to check on them.

As Rivet and Kit greeted their welcoming committee and tried politely to leave the crowd, Talwyn, Locke, and Derek approached.

"Y-you're back!" Talwyn said. She sounded immensely relieved, yet as the Lombax met the Markazian's eyes, she thought she saw something in addition to the relief she felt. Rivet couldn'tbe sure exactly, but the idea of it felt... odd and uncomfortable. However, Rivet blinked and what she had thought she saw in Talwyn's eyes had gone. Rivet chose not to acknowledge it.

"Yeah, and we found something pretty interesting! Kit?"

The small bot stepped forward and presented the Tectronic Receptacle.

"By Zoni's eyes! I ain't seen one'a them in… centuries!" said Derek, gazing at the little sphere in awe.

"Sorry I'm late, I had urgent hero business to attend to! …My stars what is THAT little thingamajiggy?!"

Qwark had arrived, still wearing a nightcap, his eyes widening and shoving the two warbots aside to get a closer look at the Receptacle.

"Careful, Qwark! Just let Kit hold onto it for now." Said Talwyn, crossly.

Rivet's ears perked up suddenly. The arrival of Qwark had driven home the absence of two people.

"Wait… Where are Ratchet and Clank…?!"

There was silence. Locke and Derek looked at each other, and exchanged looks with Talwyn,

before looking up to Qwark, who shrugged at the three captains.

"They… They're not… back yet." Talwyn said after a while. Her tension had returned; her face pale, her eyes were wide, and Rivet distinctly registered fear in them. She felt a drop of dread slide into her stomach, chilling her from the inside and spreading to her fingers and toes. Ratchet… not back?

Rivet gazed helplessly at the Markazian. "W-what do you mean…? He's gotta be back! He and Clank! What happened to them?"

Talwyn looked uncomfortable now in addition to worried.

"Rivet, I… I don't-"

"You 'don't know'?! How could you 'not know', you're his girlfriend aren't you?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?!"