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!
[ /works/35908834/chapters/89535235]
Celestial Signs
Chapter Summary
Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, and Kit have returned from their missions and all have made full recoveries from the injuries they sustained.
We find the four heroes return to Command to report on their missions, and tell of all they learned and found.
Though the Dimensional Map Rivet and Kit found on Kelith Minor was lost, Kit was nevertheless able to scan and copy it perfectly into her data banks prior to its loss.
What will they find on this Dimensional Map?
"Ahhh, good, you're both here! Get in here, there's lots to discuss!"
Ratchet and Rivet looked up the narrow aisle between the rows of tables and chairs toward the center of the room, in the direction the voice had come from.
Unlike it had been hours and hours ago when they had all received their mission assignments from their captains, the briefing room was almost completely empty.
Locke was leaning against the large console that occupied the large open floorspace, and Derek stood close by, and Zedderek, to Ratchet's mild surprise, sat alone in a corner.
Talwyn was sitting on the edge of one of the many tables, accompanied by Skidd and Phantom, and all three of whom were looking a little the worse for wear. It was clear, as if Talwyn's physical appearance alone had not been enough indication, that not all had gone according to plan as they evacuated the budding rebels throughout the Polaris Galaxy to D2-416.
Qwark however, looked pristine.
The superhero stood to the side, and though he appeared attentive for a change, Ratchet couldn't help but notice Phantom continually glancing over in Qwark's direction and, though they were hidden behind the red visor, undoubtedly rolling his eyes as he made subtle 'Tch' sounds.
"Ratchet!"
"Rivet!"
The two Lombaxes looked around and beamed at the two bots sitting almost completely hidden at a table near the front, and immediately directed their footsteps to chairs beside them.
Ratchet and Rivet sat down beside their robotic companions and turned to face their captains. "Seein' as Captains Qwark an' Apogee joined the efforts of them green-arsed-" "-But no less brave and skilled-"
"-Soldiers on the field of battle earlier today-", began Locke, Derek, then Locke again, "We decided a report from the captains themselves would do well enough."
"And save time for word from you lot!" Derek supplied.
"So, without further delay, will you do the honors, madam?"
"With pleasure, Locke." Talwyn said, and she got to her feet, "I'll keep this short."
"Perfect!" Ratchet heard Derek say in a whisper that nevertheless carried throughout the almost empty conference room, "Episode sixteen of 'The Cazar who Once Knew Me' is doin' a rerun tonight! I missed that one last week!"
Ratchet maintained a determinedly straight face, but Rivet shook beside him with suppressed chuckles while the Markazian's face hardened and she looked around in the direction of the old warbot, who straightened up and fell silent at once.
For a while nobody spoke as Talwyn looked around the room, waiting it seemed to ensure there would be no further interruptions and everyone was paying attention. Then at last she opened her mouth and broke into speech.
It was indeed very quick.
As Ratchet had guessed, things didn't go according to plan… or rather, it mostly hadn't.
Everything had gone smoothly enough, with the modified portalizer allowing the Alliance to tear open massive rifts through which they were able to quickly and easily evacuate millions of people within half an hour.
Thanks to the contributions from Ratchet and Rivet, the upgrades made to the Alliance's Starfighters gave them a significant edge against the unsuspecting Imperials, many of which were all shot down before they could enter any of the endangered planets' atmospheres.
Things had gone well until Talwyn, Phantom, Skidd, and Qwark reached the final planet, by which time the remaining imperial dropships had learned of the Alliance's interference.
One of the carriers had successfully broken through their small yet powerful fleet and deployed its payload of Cherubs and Seraphs onto the planet below while Talwyn, Skidd, Phantom, and Qwark herded everyone to the carrier crafts that would deliver the evacuees through the colossal rift to various safe havens in D2-416.
Fortunately for the four heroes however, Qwark's erratic, panic shooting as he was chased by a lone Cherub that barely came up to his ankle struck a gelatonium fuel line that went underground, the resulting explosion from which split the earth apart and killed all the on-ground monsters, and the force of the blast caused the airborn carrier to become unsteady and crash into another vessel in the cramped airspace, allowing the remaining citizens to evacuate safely.
"Excellent work!" Locke cried, getting to his feet and smacking Talwyn on the back and causing the Markazian to lurch forward, "Great work, all of you! That's fourteen planets and sixty-two grazillion lives saved!"
"Actually, it is eighty-three billion, five-" began Kit, but-
"Thank you, thank you! You couldn't have done it without me!" Qwark said loudly, cutting Kit off, and Clank glared at the green spandex-clad Kerwanian at his interruption.
"I knew at the end of the day my sharpshooting skills and unrivalled intellect would carry us through! When I saw that gelatonium fuel line, I just knew it was our one chance! After all, since when haven't-"
"Qwark-" Talwyn interrupted, her face set and rubbing her back as she stared up into the Kerwanian's face, obviously frustrated.
Looking more closely at a burn in her arm he had not noticed earlier, Ratchet had a sneaking suspicion that the explosion Qwark caused narrowly missed killing them all. "Hold it in this time, can't you? Just this one time? We got two more mission debriefings to hear tonight!"
"And I have a soap opera to catch!" barked Derek.
Pretending Derek hadn't uttered, Talwyn directed her attention toward the two Lombaxes and the two bots sitting beside them, ignoring Qwark's stupefied look of disappointment and disbelief at being cut off mid-gloat.
"All right… Ratchet-" she began, "-You already said you guys took out Valen and the facility-"
Ratchet heard Rivet make a hastily stifled gasp, but he didn't chance looking at her. His face was feeling warm already just from the soft utterance she made, and he had a feeling his body would only react more dramatically if he turned to see whatever look she was giving him.
"-But what did you find while you were there? Did you an' Clank learn anything?"
'Did they learn anything'? If that wasn't the understated question of the century…
And so, knowing it would take him a while to elaborate fully, Ratchet began explaining everything.
He told them of the lack of security upon their arrival, the eerie and unusual absence of employees, guards, or imperials of any kind, and the state of utter disarray the upper levels were in. He then explained how they learned Valen had been taking his workers that Tachyon was sending him and conducting experiments on them, how the insane scientist unleashed his creations on the entire facility, and how he planned to use the victims of the planets Talwyn and the others had evacuated to create an army to overthrow Tachyon and become ruler of the universe himself.
Rivet watched the male Lombax with unyielding attention and immersion as he told his story, and he sensed her tense up as he reached the part where the Harbinger had reappeared, given chase, and engaged in its final battle with the Lombax, during which he remembered the beast's one weakness.
"-And well… It sorta just… swelled up and… fell apart after that." Ratchet concluded, rather lamely. He felt like his eager audience could do without hearing how the Harbinger had been split into a thousand gory giblets upon passing through the sanitation field.
Derek and Locke began whispering excitedly to each other, and Talwyn, after giving the male Lombax a sweeping, admiring look, turned and joined in.
All else was silent though, until he heard the softest, most subtly audible of sighs behind him.
Unable to resist, Ratchet turned to look around at Rivet.
Taking advantage of all eyes in the room now resting on their captains, Rivet had abandoned all pretense and was gazing at the male Lombax in a way that made Ratchet's cheeks burn red hot, and his heart purr.
Rivet was resting her face in the palm of a hand, her elbow on the table. It would have been impossible to tell by their captains, who stood in the light of the room and were several yards away, but Ratchet on the other hand, sitting a mere eight inches to Rivet's right, saw in perfect detail the slight flush in her cheeks, the small smile curling her lips, the way her eyes were subtly narrowed, and the way those entrancing sapphires danced with the same billowing inferno he had seen in them the night they had become lovers, gazing at Ratchet in borderline worshipful fascination.
Ratchet suddenly became aware he was breathing slowly and deeply, and that his heart was now pumping a gentle, wonderful warmth throughout his entire body, and he felt a sudden, fervent desire for this meeting to end already, and mounting pressure to put the thoughts and desires that were blossoming to life in his mind to action.
There was a quick, sharp pain in Ratchet's back and he made a small yelp of surprise, right as Rivet did the same, and the two Lombaxes spun around in their seats to find the source of the unexpected jabs.
Clank sat on Ratchet's right, his hand changing back into its usual three-fingered state from what resembled a pair of tweezers, while Kit's hand changed back from what resembled a small electrical probe.
"For heaven's sake-", Kit hissed, "-we are in the middle of a meeting!"
"Control yourselves for half an hour, will you? We are in public!" Clank added, and the two Lombaxes, their faces hot now with embarassment, begrudgingly turned back around.
"This is fantastic news!" said Locke, sounding jubilant, "Every known Imperial Carrier transporting Valen's beasts were destroyed during the mission to evacuate the rooks to that other dimension. With Valen gone and with no more Cherubs, Seraphs, or any other monsters on the way, things in this war just took a definite upturn!"
"Excuse me-" said Qwark, sounding a little incredulous, "Let's not forget who gave our two short and scraggly rebels the information they needed to escape the facsimile and return in one piece!"
"Yes, great work Qwark-" Talwyn said, but she immediately walked past the Kerwanian and drew a little closer to the four heroes, "-But we have more to discuss tonight. Rivet, Kit-"
The two girls looked around, up at the Markazian, the Lombax pulling her mind out of the gutter and hitching what she hoped was a relaxed expression onto her face, rather than the adoring and unquestionably lascivious one she had given Ratchet mere seconds before.
"Things obviously didn't go so well for you two on Kelith either." said Talwyn, "But I'm glad you're both all right… What all did you see? What was this treasure Captain Styggs was after?"
"Oh!" Rivet said, her ears flicking up as she remembered. So much had happened since learning of
the treasure the pirates were hunting for, and so much had gone through her mind in the hours since learning about it that she had almost completely forgotten the whole reason she and Kit had gone to that gods-forsaken planet in the first place.
"Oh, right! Well… yeah we did find it, but the pirates were already there when we arrived." And so Rivet explained everything that happened to her and Kit on Kelith Minor.
Ratchet's eyes lingered on his girlfriend as she explained all that had befallen her and Kit during their time on that storm-tossed ocean planet, watching her ears flop subtly as she gestured about, retelling her story with animated enthusiasm. Her soft voice washed over his ears, her speech growing more excited and faster as she began telling of hers and Styggs' battle to the death, and flooding Ratchet's mind with images of her, his strong and courageous Rivet, standing toe-to-toe with the hulking leader of the pirates, before finally defeating him once and for all.
When Rivet finished, Ratchet gave a soft sigh.
"(She's… amazing, isn't she?)"
"(You can say that again…)", Ratchet said silently to himself. "So-" said Locke, "The pirates're done then? Great work, lass!"
"Agreed-" said Derek, "Those scallywags've been a thorn in the side of over two dozen planets for the last thirty-six years! It took some skill to take them and their leader out."
Ratchet blinked and saw Rivet's eyes widen in momentary surprise.
After all the times they referred to her as a 'rook' and how 'green' she was, it was a welcome and long-overdue change to hear them praise her for once.
"And Kit memorizing the Dimensional Map before Styggs' arrival was excellent thinking." Talwyn said, looking over at the half-hidden yellow bot behind the table.
Rivet gave Kit a proud nudge in the side, making the diminutive bot lurch slightly to the side. She rubbed the place where Rivet's elbow had struck her, but she looked pleased with herself nevertheless.
"I had Phantom and Skidd decode the map while you rested-" Talwyn continued, "-So, would one of you like to do the honors?" Talwyn asked, directing her attention to the two Aridians.
"You got it, Tal." Skidd said, sliding off the edge of the table and drawing the small silver, glowing device from a bag.
Talwyn stepped back and the ex-pro hover-boarder inserted a databoard containing the decoded Map into the console as the lights dimmed.
At once, in a burst of blue, a hologram of a map appeared from the console, the hundreds of planets labelled as miniscule dots, each sector clearly outlined and labelled, and the trillions of stars sparkling in a hypnotizing manner within the large, spiral-shaped Polaris Galaxy.
Ratchet stared at the glowing projection before him. Wasn't this a Dimensional Map? Why was it only showing the Polaris Galaxy?
Rivet seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"So, where's the dimensions then? I thought a Dimensional Map would show like… I dunno, Dimensions... This just looks like a Star Map!"
"It's part of the design little dude…-ette.", said Skidd. "There wasn't any other info on that upload Kit sent me."
"He's right-" said Phantom, "Whoever made this map intentionally designed it to show only the Polaris Galaxy. My guess is the maker was either trying to hide or tell us something."
"That makes sense-", said Kit, sounding excited, "It is Lombax in origin; I studied their ruins and history for years on Savali. I would recognize their design anywhere."
Ratchet felt a sudden rush of excitement. Did this… did this mean that-
"Will this lead us to the Lombaxes, then?" Clank asked, sounding just as excited as Ratchet felt, and making Locke, Derek, and Talwyn all stand up a little straighter.
"Now you mention it, I bet it does." Said Phantom, simply, "It's pretty clever if you think about it; to someone hunting them down, it appears glitched; Dimensional Maps're supposed to show a chart of every known dimension in the universe as spheres of light. But this one's only showing the Polaris Galaxy, so if you're tryin' to hunt down a race of people hiding in another dimension, this map's no good."
"Unless-" said Kit, sliding out of her chair and approaching the large hologram, her blue fluorescent optics narrowed as they focused on something Ratchet could not see, "-they left a hint… These constellations in the Cerullean Sector… When viewed from here-", Kit said, looking at a grouping of stars from where she stood, "-they appear normal, yet incorrectly oriented… when viewed from here however-" Kit moved beneath the map and looked up, "-They appear as lines, all stretching from… this point here." Kit pointed up at a small speck of light in one of Polaris' outer tendrils, and Talwyn zoomed closer to examine it. "But this does not seem consistent with my databanks… I have never seen a star cluster like this before." Kit finished.
"…I have." Talwyn said, sounding slightly breathless as she approached Kit's side, "Years ago."
She looked at the cluster of stars more closely, her eyes narrowed, and slowly spinning the projection of the map in place to see it from other angles.
It looked remarkably unremarkable to Ratchet… It was just a simple bundle of flame and gasses as far as he was concerned; he had seen several in his hundreds of journeys across the universe. What made this one so different?
"Fake." Talwyn said, suddenly.
"Wait, what?" chorused the two Lombaxes.
'Fake'? What did she mean 'fake', it was a star cluster! How could a star cluster be fake?
"Fake? I knew it!" Qwark said suddenly, "Just look at it! So clustered! So sparkly! Why the only time I saw something THAT clustered and sparkly was the time that jerk Clarence gave me a solid rock of fool's gold back in middle school!"
"Yeah, this star cluster doesn't exist" Talwyn said, ignoring Qwark, "I can tell by the way they move together… It's well simulated, but not without flaws. I studied celestial bodies at Apogee Station… Not a whole lot to do when you're stuck in a heavily fortified research station for twenty years…" she said, a definite note of mingled frustration and melancholy in her voice, and Ratchet
wondered whether she was thinking of Cronk and Zephyr again.
But after a momentary pause, Talwyn shook her head and continued.
"Anyway… no, this star cluster is fake, and it's hiding something, but I can't see past it. Kit, Clank, think you two can patch in and clear it up?"
"Leave it to us." Clank said, and he hopped down and hurried to Kit's side as she hooked into the console.
Everyone watched as the two bots worked, filled with anticipation and excitement that contrasted starkly with the dullness of the two bots silently hacking into the Dimensional Map, which flickered subtly as Clank and Kit did whatever it was they were doing to remove the cluster of fake stars.
"Ah, there we are-" Clank said after about a minute of total silence, "Yes, it was very well done indeed."
"And yet surprisingly simple." Kit added proudly, and the two bots chuckled together as the Dimensional Map warped and distorted an effect that was accompanied by a buzzing sound, before it flickered back into full, sharp detail, the fake star cluster dissipating to reveal the smallest of specks in the ocean of stellar bodies.
"Great work, pal!" Ratchet said as Clank resumed his seat. Clank smiled, and bumped fists with the Lombax beside him.
"Yeah, good job, Kit." Rivet added, and Kit braced so that she did not get knocked face-first into the edge of the table as Rivet smacked her on the back.
All eyes were on Talwyn again as she observed the small speck and zoomed in closer to see it. "By Morts' margaritas-" said Derek, and Rivet barely suppressed a snicker, "-is that… a planet?"
"It is-", replied Talwyn as she observed the small rock more closely, "A 'Taleba V' in fact… which appears…" Talwyn consulted a PDA affixed to her wrist, "…to be the smallest and most isolated planet in the galaxy. No population, terrain is rough, and conditions are harsh, but the air is at least breathable…"
Ratchet and Clank both looked at one another, the Lombax raising an eyebrow curiously.
"Ever heard of Taleba V before, buddy?" Ratchet asked.
"No… My databanks hold no records of such a place. I conjecture knowledge of the planet was hidden to keep whatever is hidden there a secret."
Ratchet's ears twitched, and he could sense Rivet looking around him from behind to look at Clank as well.
"Ya think somethin's hidden there huh? Whaddaya think could be hidden on an isolated planet this far out in the galaxy?"
"That remains to be seen… But if this Map is indeed Lombax-made, I believe it is worth investigating. What do you think, Ratch?"
"What do I think? Well, sure, we could check it out, but…"
"But what?" Kit asked. "This planet was hidden for a reason, Ratchet! Why should we not go and investigate?"
"Well - ", continued Ratchet, "Look, I know what you're thinking, and I'd love to agree with you, but think about it… If that Map really is a hint leading to the Lombaxes, then why the heck would they point to a small, hostile planet?"
"Yeah-", said Rivet, leaning forward so she could see around Ratchet to look at Clank more clearly, "The Lombaxes're being hunted down and from everything we've heard, it sounds like there's barely any of us left. A small, rough place like this Taleba V doesn't sound like the kinda place I'd choose for a hideout. Sure, it's isolated, but without civilization, any sort of activity would be picked up on from sectors away by imperial sonars. Trust me, I know. And besides, if that weren't enough, the bad terrain and conditions don't sound like an ideal place for a near-extinct race to thrive in."
"Well-articulated. However-" Clank continued, "-Judging by what Captain Styggs said in the transmission intercepted by Skidd and Phantom earlier today, he and his pirates knew or at least suspected what this Map contained… And he said that it would lead Tachyon to what he has been hunting for. The pirate did not explicitly say 'Lombaxes', but still, we must not rule out this possibility."
Talwyn was staring unblinkingly at Clank, then Ratchet felt the Markazian's eyes dart onto himself, onto Rivet, then finally Kit, before she gestured to Locke and Derek.
Looking slightly surprised, the two warbots joined Talwyn's side before all three of them put their heads closer together in a huddle, joined quickly after by Qwark, and making Talwyn take half a step closer to Derek.
Ratchet sat in thoughtful silence, digesting these arguments.
He wasn't sure what to think about it… Everything everyone had said made sense in its own way. It would be reasonable for the Lombaxes to make this small, hidden planet their safe haven, and the fact that the celestial bodies in the Map had been rearranged to both hide and reveal its secret to them in such an interesting and cleverly-devised manner were quite suggestive…
And yet his own doubts and the hesitancies expressed by Rivet, and which were continuing to hover around on the surface of his mind, lingered. It would be insane to hide there, borderline suicidal, even. Hadn't everyone Ratchet ever met told him how wise and cunning the Lombaxes were? They had been the most-renowned engineers in the universe for millennia, and even now, over a score of years after they fled to preserve themselves when Tachyon began his genocidal assault, people were still using their inventions, and remained in awe of their accomplishments. Quite apart from their engineering feats, the Lombaxes had been the ones that lead the resistance against the First Cragmite Empire, proving to be the first ever known race capable of standing against their might, before soundly defeated them with the Dimensionator… Could this same race really do something as risky as set up base on this forgotten, hostile planet?
"Okay then-", Talwyn said, and there was resolve and purpose in her voice that Ratchet knew well, and he sat up straight in his seat, his ears perked up in attention. "Skidd, Phantom, come with me. Zedderek, you too." She added, and the Tharpod, whom Ratchet had nearly completely forgotten about, got to his feet and followed the two Aridians after the Markazian, looking rather surprised.
"You once harbored a passion for history and studied the Lombaxes right? I want you to dig up anything you can find in the archives we recovered from the Neptune Research Facility." Talwyn continued, walking past the two Lombaxes and bots, all four of whom turned in their seats to watch
her. "Skidd, you and Phantom get Starship HG-06 set up with another cam-o-matic cloaking field generator. And you four-", Talwyn said, pausing in the doorway as Skidd, Phantom, and Zedderek passed into the hall beyond, "- You all need to gear up and-"
"Hold on, what?" the two Lombaxes chorused, their ears flaring as they jumped to their feet, looks of stunned incredulity mirrored on both their faces.
Was Talwyn serious? Okay, so yeah Ratchet could admit they would need to check Taleba V out at some point soon, and he desperately wanted to find the Lombaxes now that they had a possible hint to their true whereabouts, but now?! He and Rivet were tired! they were hungry! And there was also…
"(Well…)", Ratchet thought, feeling warmth threaten his face and his ears as he remembered the other things he and Rivet had planned on once they returned to her room…
"I'm sorry guys-", Talwyn said quickly, raising a hand to halt any incoming arguments, "But we HAVE to check this out now. Think! Even if it's not the Lombaxes-", Talwyn said, sounding unconvinced at the negative possibility, "-odds are it's still something that'd be better off in our hands than Tachyon's! What if it's a clue to the whereabouts of the Hammer? Styggs recognized whatever that Map concealed was of immense value to him, and what else could Tachyon be after? He's got the Dimensionator, he's got the Cragmites back, and for the time being he thinks that you, Ratchet, are dead. All that's left for him is the rest of the universe, and what better, more efficient way to assume control of everything at once than to acquire a weapon capable of eradicating entire galaxies-worth of people?!"
Ratchet opened his mouth, but sense and reason came crashing back into place as the realization and impact of what could be at stake from these words, and the feeble excuses and half-formulated arguments died in his throat.
Ratchet relaxed, his ears drooping back to their stationary height as his shoulders fell, and he gave a ratifying sigh before turning to Rivet.
The female Lombax looked how he felt – frustrated, disappointed, and defeated, yet still with an inkling of defiance simmering in the recesses of her eyes, and Ratchet could tell she wanted to argue, much like he had.
Rivet's eyes moved from Talwyn onto himself, and the look of disappointment redoubled, making the male Lombax's stomach drop along with his ears.
For a short while they merely looked at one another in silence, but Ratchet quickly found himself wishing she had shouted at him instead. The lack of any sort of reaction and her upset yet surprisingly soft gaze in response to Ratchet's acceptance of this sudden, new assignment when they already had plans was worse than the time she shouted at him on Veracros for accidentally smashing their one functioning signal booster.
Her ears had drooped lower than his, and the sparkle in her eyes was dimmer than it usually was, but with a blink and a soft sigh of her own, Rivet gave the tiniest of nods and she looked back over to Talwyn.
"…All right." Rivet said simply, and her ears flipped back up to their regular height, the disappointment in her eyes vanishing.
"Thank you…" the Markazian said, and she stepped aside and opened the door. "Take whatever makes sense to you both. I don't expect trouble, but these days, you can never be too careful. I'll
meet you guys in the hangar in twenty minutes; I need a word with Locke and Derek."
And on that final note, Talwyn turned around and returned to the two warbots' sides, with Qwark still standing close by, looking incredulously stunned at finding himself given no role in the upcoming mission.
Silently, Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, and Kit walked down the short flight of stairs, down the narrow hall, and halted before one of the sets of elevator doors to carry them back down to their dorms.
Ratchet felt slightly uncomfortable, standing beside the cross-armed female, and neither Clank nor Kit were saying anything.
He stole occasional glances at her as they descended through the floors of the Phoenix, trying to find out just what exactly she was thinking, though he gleaned very little from his stealthy observations.
Rivet had assumed a stoic, expressionless façade, making it hard for him to determine what was going through her mind without seeing directly into her eyes, which, attempting to do only through subtle, sidelong glances, was impossible.
"Well…" Rivet said unexpectedly, and Ratchet hastily suppressed a small start of surprise, "… Guess we're off on another mission, huh hotshot?"
"Huh-?! Oh… Yeah! Yeah, sure looks like it, heh…"
Ratchet turned his head, looking over across Clank into Rivet's face.
She had turned toward him now, and though he chuckled nervously in his response, Rivet wore a small, half-smile.
Another brief silence followed, during which both Lombaxes averted their eyes slightly, feeling a little embarrassed as they waited awkwardly for the other to speak.
"…Part of me sorta wishes this coulda waited…" Rivet said, finally breaking the silence as the elevator reached level two.
Kit glanced up into Rivet's face, looking slightly surprised.
"But Rivet-", the diminutive, yellow bot began, "A potential link to the Lombaxes' whereabouts has been discovered. Such an opportunity can not be put on stand-by! We need their assistance to-"
"I know, I know!" Rivet interrupted as a soft *ding*sounded and the doors opened, "I know this can't wait! That's why I didn't argue with Talwyn… They're our only shot against the Cragmites now… But still-" Rivet persisted as they turned through a sliding door and entered a long hallway, "-Doesn't change the fact that we just got back from two separate missions and the only 'break' we had was lyin' unconscious in a hospital bed after getting my frickin' side slashed open an' takin' a shower!"
Clank leaned forward to look around the male Lombax so as to stare at Rivet.
"Certainly you do not object to a nice relaxing bath after sustaining such injuries and becoming coated in grime?" he asked the scowling female.
"That's not what she was gettin' at, pal." Ratchet answered, rolling his eyes.
"Really? It sounded to me as if Rivet were complaining about taking a shower. After all, it would make sense, after the, shall we say, 'incident' last week in the kitchen pantry; it rather seemed as though she enjoyed the mess, if what you were doing in there are to be believed." Clank said, shrugging.
"We were checking the stock, Clank!" Ratchet growled, his face burning in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"The frickin' power went out Bolts, THAT'S why there was yeast all over the place! I told'ja, the power went out and I knocked it off the shelf! That's why it was dark!" Rivet added, her cheeks also flushing.
"And yet the flick of a switch restored power at once." Kit added, slyly.
"Indeed. You are quite the electrician, Kit."
Both Lombaxes sputtered indignantly, each trying and failing to find some excuse, any excuse, while the two bots chuckled together.
The heat was strong in Ratchet's face now as the memory of that afternoon's events flew back to him.
The two Lombaxes had not had time nor opportunity for intimacy for eight days, after spending three months free to express their affection for one another openly and whenever they wanted. This had been by far the most difficult change to adapt to upon returning to the Phoenix, and Ratchet remembered the restless nights during which he felt distinctly cold and lonely without the soft, warm body of his Rivet lying on top of him, her flowery scent filling his nostrils, and her soft breathing rolling smoothly across his large ears.
Desperate after nights of dwelling on their soulmate and having had barely an hour to spend together with how busy they had been since their return, the two Lombaxes had snuck into the kitchen and locked themselves in the pantry.
They had no intention of doing anything promiscuous, not in the food pantry of all places, but this room was large and could be locked, and was the perfect place to hide and just enjoy some light intimacy together after over a week of being forcibly separated.
Ratchet had dimmed the lights, to Rivet's initial confusion, before entwining himself with her, and her confused queries had ended as she closed her eyes, squeezing him close with those powerful arms, her scent filling his lungs, her taste on his lips, and all else fading into oblivion.
But then there was a click and the lights returned to full brightness, and the two Lombaxes had sprung apart, Rivet crashing into a shelf and knocking a large container to the floor, which shattered, and filled the aisle with bread yeast, and both Lombaxes shouting, without preamble-
"'There is plenty more where that came from.' " Clank and Kit chorused, before both bots burst into fits of giggles.
Rivet's usually-white face was scarlet, her eyes wide, and the tips of her ears flushed, and judging by how hot he felt, Ratchet would be surprised if he looked any different.
Ratchet was not ashamed of the time he and Rivet spent together, no far from it, however embarrassing it was to be caught so frequently as they tried to keep their vulnerable, sensitive sides hidden from the public. But the relentless teasing from Clank and Kit did nothing to alleviate the Lombaxes' worries of how the galactic citizens would react when they inevitably found out just
how emotionally and passionately attached to each other he and Rivet were.
"'Plenty more' all right… You can say that again-" Rivet said suddenly, and Ratchet looked at her, surprised out of his embarrassed silence. "-I thought we'd have the night to ourselves once that meeting was over… But here we go on a mission."
Rivet looked around at Ratchet, and he felt his confusion mounting as he saw a smirk crossing her still-blushing face.
But even more confused, though appreciative, he became when he felt her metal fingers close over his hand, and she stopped him in his tracks.
"We had plans y'know-", Rivet said, looking down at the two diminutive bots as they all stopped where they stood, "-Jus' the two of us… Ain't that right hotshot?"
Ratchet stared at her. Rivet's face was still burning, and she still wore that odd smirk.
She raised an eyebrow, and he suddenly noticed the way her beautifully sparkling blue eyes darted once in the direction of their two synthetic friends before they focused back on his bright green emeralds.
"…Yeah… Yeah!" Ratchet said, catching on, "We did… But looks like plans changed, didn't they?"
"Mhmm." Rivet hummed softly, and she pressed Ratchet against the wall, making the male Lombax's heart leap in a rush of excitement.
"…What are you two doing?" Kit asked, sounding thoroughly confused.
Ratchet and Rivet ignored her.
"Still-", Rivet said, her smirk progressing to a full, mischievous grin, "-As busy as we are, I think we can still squeeze our plans in 'fore the night's up… whadda you think, Ratch?~"
"Oh, I think we can, Riv~"
Rivet giggled and nuzzled into Ratchet's neck, pressing her body against his.
"*Ahem*" said a sudden voice, "We are still here, you know." Said Kit.
"There is no time for this!" Clank said, sounding somewhere between stern and confused, "We must gather supplies from our rooms and return to the hangar."
"You said to 'control yourselves for half an hour', pal-", Ratchet sighed, "Time's up…"
"I can't wait another minute…" Rivet sighed back.
"And besides, you both seem eager for more footage to tease us with…", added Ratchet.
"So why refuse?~" Rivet finished, and she and Ratchet both grinned as they bumped their noses together, gazing into their lover's eyes, burning with desire.
"Enough of this!" Clank said loudly, "If it is the teasing you wish to stop, then kindly cease your actions and focus on our current task!"
"Oh, I am focusing, buddy~" Ratchet said, employing a very convincing note of lasciviousness in
his voice, and gripping Rivet's hips firmly for good measure.
Rivet gave a soft, sharp intake of breath and bit onto her lip.
"We are in public!" Kit said loudly, "Whatever you two have planned, we cannot allow it! Quite apart from the embarrassment you will cause, think of what Talwyn or Locke or-"
"Easy, guys." Rivet said, grinning amusedly and turning to look back at the two bots as she and her boyfriend simultaneously released one another.
"Did'ja really think we were gonna do it here? Now?" Ratchet asked, looking down at the still half-stunned diminutive bots.
"We're not that desperate." Rivet added with a chuckle. "Now c'mon, let's get back to our rooms and gear up."
They had been walking for a few seconds, before they heard the soft metallic clanks of their two robotic friends hurrying to catch up.
"Is this what we are going to have to suffer with from henceforth?" Clank asked the two Lombaxes as he fell into step at Ratchet's side.
"Well-", Ratchet said, smirking, "Ask yourself – 'Do I wanna risk making Ratchet and Rivet do something I'll regret by reminding them constantly of all they times they've tried to find some privacy?'"
Clank answered immediately.
"I do not think footage of Lombax courting or mating habits are a necessity in my memory banks, thank you."
Ratchet and Rivet both chuckled.
"Well, in that case-" said Rivet as they descended the stairs down to their rooms, "Ease off the jokes and stop interrupting us all the time an' Ratch n' me'll never do that in front'a you guys again."
"Jokingly, at least." Ratchet added, and Clank and Kit scowled up at him through their optics before. walking forward to enter the passcodes for their respective dorms.
Ratchet started after Clank, already set on what he would bring with him to Taleba V, but before he could go more than two paces, Rivet's metal hand grabbed into his arm once more, and held him back again.
He paused, and was at the point of turning around to see what Rivet wanted when she suddenly pressed herself against him from behind and began whispering into his ear, sending goosebumps erupting up his arms.
"When we get back-", she hissed, "Grab me like that again. Your reward just got a hell of a lot better~"
The heat skyrocketed in Ratchet's face and his stomach gave a bounding leap of pleasure as Rivet traced a finger down his neck and over his chest, and he felt his body reacting instinctively to her touch.
But before he had finished enjoying the sensation, Rivet had stepped away, though not before giving his burning face a playful bap from her bushy tail.
"But later." she said, and Ratchet was rather surprised, though pleased, to see her eyes alight with adventure once more. "Let's go an' see what's on Taleba V, Ratch!"
And she turned and followed after Kit, disappearing around the corner to their room as she went to gather weapons and supplies.
Ratchet stood motionless for several moments, watching after where the female Lombax had vanished from sight, and feeling a stupid smile curling his lips as he touched the place on his right cheek where her tail had brushed him.
"Ratchet, what are you doing?"
The Lombax jumped, wrenching his eyes off the doorway through which his girlfriend had vanished.
They fell on Clank, who was looking out from around the corner of his and Ratchet's dorm with a suspicious look in his fluorescent green optics.
"I have finished ninety-seven-point-three percent of my preparations-", he said, "Do please hurry! We must return to the hangar in eight minutes!"
"S-sorry pal!" Ratchet said hastily, and giving a small shake of the head to clear it, making his ears flop, "I'm comin'!"
And, still watched by Clank, Ratchet hurried forward, trying to focus again on what preparations he had decided to make, and not what awaited him when he and Rivet returned from their mission later that evening.