Chapter 11: Vacation to Hell

Polaris Galaxy: Apogee Space Station

It had been three days since Ratchet and Clank left the Kryantixx Galaxy. They made it back to the Apogee Space Station without delay and were now hard at work finishing up Talwyn's last commissioned work. Clank was able to increase the efficiency by 30% and Ratchet designed a more ergonomic look and feel for the thermo-powered tools. They were currently eating lunch and letting their minds unwind from all of the serious thinking going on that morning.

Clank noticed, however, that Ratchet had been staring out one of the windows at the endless space. The lombax who was usually practically flinging food at Clank with the speed at which he inhaled it was letting it sit on his plate barely touched. Clank cleared his 'throat' before scooting closer to his friend.

"Is everything okay Ratchet?" he asked carefully. Ratchet sighed and turned to his metallic friend.

"Oh yeah, just thinking about Talwyn," he replied. "I tried to tell her how I feel, but I chickened out again…" he said scratching the back of his head. "But I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. I've felt it since we've left really." the lombax confessed.

"Is this perhaps part of your misguided idea that males are supposed to protect females? And now that Miss Apogee is off on her own you worry for her safe return?" Clank asked, thinking back to one of their prior conversations.

Ratchet chuckled and rubbed Clank's metal head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just getting all mopey for no reason." He took a couple of bites of his sandwich before continuing "Just, why can't I make myself tell her how I feel?"

"Well, why are you unable to tell her Ratchet? You seem to have no problem telling me." Clank mused quizzically.

Ratchet paused, asking himself the same. "I, guess…I'm just afraid, Clank." The lombax quietly answered.

"Do you think Miss Apogee would be angry with you for simply stating a feeling?" Clank asked.

"I mean, I guess that is a possibility if she doesn't feel the same way, but it's not what I mean," Ratchet answered. He took a deep sigh before continuing. "For whatever reason, the closer I get to someone, the worse off they are."

"You are referring to Alister Azimuth?" Clank prompted, starting to better understand his friend's fears.

"Well yeah, him, and Cronk, and Zephyr, and even you, buddy! You were missing for two years!" Ratchet continued, reminding Clank of what was arguably the worst two years of his life. "I'm afraid that if I get closer to Tal…that it'll cause something bad to happen to her. Like I'm cursed or something." He finished, his ears drooping low. "I'd rather not tell her anything if it means that she'll be safe."

"Once again, you are under the false impression that Miss Apogee's safety is solely up to you." The small robot reminded his friend. "I understand that you care for your friends, including me, but you cannot blame yourself for things that are out of your control, Ratchet. There are infinite probabilities on what may happen to Miss Apogee, to any of us. Would it not be better to tell her how you feel while you still have the opportunity?" Clank finished

"Maybe you're right, buddy." Ratchet relented. At the very least, he had to decide if his feelings were more important than his fear. If he couldn't tell her how he felt, then he needed to let it, and her, go. He finished the rest of his sandwich, knowing that such decisions would have to wait for later.

"Come on, let's get those schematics to the client and then we can relax for the rest of the week. I just got Broken Fist Rampage 3 for the Game System." he finished with a sparkle in his eye that only hours of violent gaming brought. With that said, the duo returned to the main work area to add the final touches to the equipment that Talwyn had designed.

Krayantixx Galaxy

Planet Evukar

It had been just a few days since her friends had left for home, but in that short amount of time Talwyn was able to learn so much from Erus. Whether it be her father or a particular topic on astrological history, she was definitely glad that she took this opportunity. Despite his age and eccentricity, Erus was great company and she often found herself staying up until late at night talking with him. The generators that Ratchet and Clank installed were still performing exceptionally. Talwyn noticed that this must have caused Erus to calm down a bit, as he seemed more relaxed since then. The young Markazian could relate, knowing of several experiments she had had in the past that were particularly fragile.

"So, Erus, when will this experiment of yours be finished?" Talwyn asked, oh so curious of her father's previous work.

"Oh soon, soon. The technology and theories tested are well within the physical bounds of our dimension. It's just that no one has attempted such a task before what with how long it takes." he replied while sipping a cup of tea.

"I take it you know a lot of people who'd like to steal it since you've basically holed up in your old home." Talwyn mused. Erus nodded and set his cup down on the table.

"Yes, unfortunately. And they're most of my old, er, colleagues too. Only wanting the results and not willing to do the hard work for it." he seemed to focus on something in the distance, as if he were thinking of someone who wasn't there. "It's a shame that some people cannot see that their greed only prohibits progress."

Talwyn took another sip of her own tea, nodding. "Yeah, several years back we faced a man named Artemis Zogg who wanted to create a perfect world. But by doing so, he ended up becoming a terror for the people he enslaved. It seems that, unfortunately, the path to peace includes the temptation of power. And...well, many fail." Talwyn finished, thinking back to all the villains she and Ratchet had faced. Some were just plain bad folk, like Nefarious or Emperor Tachyon. But the rest all seemed to have started out with humble wants. Erus replied with a solemn face.

"Hmmm, yes. Such things were the cause of the civil disrupt of this planet. The main race occupying this planet are called the Agani, and I am one of them. For as long as we can remember, they had lived and governed themselves in separate tribes. Each kept out of the way of their neighbors and besides a few skirmishes, peace was had by most. But then some tribe leaders wanted to combine their tribes, make one nation of Agani. Couldn't they see that we were already a nation? But symbolism means nothing to those who crave power, and so tribes were grouping together in a most volatile notion. Many disputes and even war broke out." Erus set his tea down on the table and leaned closer. "I feel that you should know this, Talwyn, as this was the world that your father was born into. And despite that fact he still became a brilliant mind."

"I had no idea..." Talwyn said, fidgeting with her cup of tea, somehow feeling that there was much more to this story. Erus got up and looked out through a small opening of one of the curtains in the room.

"In order to distract the Agani from each other, the leaders decided to target the Marukar, a much smaller race that almost always kept to themselves. With enough lies and propaganda, the Marukar were seen as mysterious and dangerous. People like your father and I knew better, but many others didn't. They had never attacked before, but what if they did? How would they do it? Would we be prepared? As a result, we opened genocide on them. Almost all of them died before famine and lack of morale made the Agani overthrow the current leaders and re-establish the Tribes." Erus sighed. "Even today there are those who wish to re-establish the Agani Nation. Fools. All of them." Especially with the prophecy looming... the aging alien seemed to drift off in thought, though Talwyn's face lit up as she came to a realization.

"Wait, Erus, I think I know why my father went to Polaris to research the Lombaxes!" Erus narrowed his eyes when she said this, concerned that he had told her too much. Talwyn continued, "The Lombaxes had developed a device that supposedly eliminated their own enemies, who were trying to wipe out the whole galaxy! But it turned out that the device simply moved the warring aliens to another dimension!" the young alien stood up, gears turning in her head, "My father must have discovered this in his research and gone to Polaris to look for it, to help the Marukar!" she finished. Erus' eyes snapped open and he spun around to face Talwyn. Grabbing hold of her with all four of his arms, he shouted several questions in quick succession.

"What? He found it!? The Lombax secret? Where is it now!?" Talwyn winced slightly as his spindly fingers dug into her skin. Erus noticed the twinge of pain on his guest's face, and quickly released his grip. His uncharacteristic outburst subsided, he returned to his usual calm manner as he repeated, "Was the device ever found?" Erus was all too aware of the Lombax research Max had uncovered in his search for something to help the Marukar. For a long while, Erus helped fund the expeditions. That is until the death of his wife. Since that day, Erus' desires had twisted from ones of redemption, to revenge.

"Well…eventually, yes. My friend Ratchet and I found it to save the galaxy from a different madman." Talwyn answered as she rubbed her arm, not sure of what to think about Erus' outburst. It seemed that he had already known about it but hadn't mentioned it until now. "It was damaged afterwards though."

"Well, it is a shame that he was not able to find it in time to save the Marukar, but I think he would be proud to know that his daughter recovered it in time to prevent something similar happening in your galaxy," Erus responded, trying to gain back some of the young alien's trust with more flattery and stories of her father. His eyes darted towards the clock, noting the time on the wall. "Well then, it is getting late, no? We should both be going to bed soon." Erus said as he turned around. "Why don't we have one last cup of tea, hmmm?"

"I don't know, I'm getting pretty tired." The markazian replied, thinking that now might be a good time to send a message to Ratchet to check up on him. It also wouldn't hurt to talk to him more about her concerns about Erus.

"Just, drink the tea!" Erus said a little too forcefully, which gained a side eye from his guest. "I mean, your father and I used to do this all the time. It's just nice to be able to have company again." Erus finished, using another mention of her father to manipulate the young alien's emotions and common sense.

He walked back over to the table where a still warm pot of tea was waiting. He gestured to the sofa across from him and Talwyn slowly sat down, yawning slightly. Erus had brewed this tea especially for this moment. The pot he used contained two separate chambers. In one, plain herbal tea was found. But in the other, Erus had added a moderate dose of sleeping powder to the liquid. By slightly changing where he placed his thumb when pouring the tea, he was able to ensure that only Talwyn received the drugged liquid. Meanwhile, it also ensured him that she wouldn't be suspicious of the drink, as he would be seemingly drinking from the same pot. Talwyn blew on the steam of her tea, and eyed the liquid. She glanced back at Erus, who took a long sip of his own cup, ending with a contended sigh. Talwyn relented and sipped her tea slowly. It tasted differently than it had before, but she chalked it up to just a slightly different blend.

Talwyn's eyes grew heavy, not just from a long day of conversation, but from the powerful sleeping drug flowing in her system. With another yawn, her body crumpled over to the side as she leaned into the plush cushions of the couch. The cup of tea in her hand slipped out of her grip, falling onto the floor, spilling the last remnants of it. Erus walked over and placed the cup back onto the tray on the coffee table, and placed a blanket over the young alien. He took one of her thin, slender hands in his, and looked at it thoughtfully. Just like Andromeda's…But he shook his head to clear any doubts or regrets from his mind as he slipped a thin silver bracelet onto her wrist.

"I am so very sorry for this, Talwyn. But know that your death will not be in vain." He said softly to his friend's daughter, before leaving the living room to go be with his own. His expression settled into one of cold steely determination as he continued to block his mind from dwelling on any regretful emotions. He had come so far, to falter now would mean so many more wasted lives. As much as he had come to enjoy Talwyn's company, her sacrifice was necessary for his plans. Finally, after all these years, he would have his revenge.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure deftly landed on the planet's surface just a stone's throw away from Erus's home. Thraxx took out his schematic of the home and its security systems that Erus had given him. He then cut outside power supply to deactivate the proximity sensors and then slunk up to the main house. It seemed that a second supply of energy powered the main alarm system, so Thraxx used a hacker to trick one of the alarms on the windows to deactivate it without the whole system going off.

"Heh, heh, too easy" Thraxx said aloud to himself. Normally he would be suspicious of such an easy mark, but his greed for the high payout clouded his senses. However, while he was busy gloating at the ease in which he entered the home, he accidentally set off a silent alarm which in turn started to pull Talwyn out of her slumber.

The markazian had sunk into a deep sleep in which she dreamed of Ratchet. They were both flying through space, each in their own ship. It seemed that each pilot was trying to outdo the other. If one did a spin or roll, the other would up the ante in some form or fashion. Soon, their movements almost seemed timed to one another, as they ebbed and flowed in a sort of choreographed dance through the vast endlessness of space. A large, earnest grin graced Talwyn's face. In this moment she felt something she hadn't for a long time, true happiness.

But the dream didn't last for long, as the cockpit of her ship was bathed in a red glow as warning bells rang out. All of a sudden, she and Ratchet were surrounded by a cacophony of explosions as unknown craft targeted them with their weapons. Her ship rumbled and shook. Talwyn focused on maintaining control, her hands gripping the yoke so tightly her knuckles ached. But then a flash of light streaked across her view towards Ratchet's ship, followed by a large explosion just a split second later. A direct hit. Talwyn's body suddenly felt heavy and her voice far away as she watched Aphelion spin away into the nothingness. Noooooo! She tried to scream out, but her mouth wouldn't move. She tried to accelerate, to catch up to her friend, but her arms and legs wouldn't follow her commands. A great numbness washed over Talwyn as the warning lights of Lady Wraith flashed endlessly.

"Warning…Warning…Intruder Alert…Intruder Alert" Talwyn's ship announced. No, not the ship. She thought as her eyes fluttered open and she sat straight up. Her mind still felt groggy, as if a thick sludge was dampening her thoughts. She registered that she was still in the library, but didn't see Erus anywhere. She slowly got up, almost tumbling over once or twice, as the warning alarms rang in her head. That's when she saw him.

The figure was tall and stocky, and appeared to be some sort of shadow. No, that's not right. She thought as she tried to force her brain to wake up, to think clearly. The figure lunged towards Talwyn, who managed to sidestep out of the way just in time, though she swayed as she struggled to keep her balance during such a sudden change of momentum. She instinctively reached down towards her belt for her pistol, only to realize that it wasn't there. Gotta improvise. She thought as she grabbed a small heavy statuette from one of the bookcases and tossed it towards her attacker.

Thraxx easily dodged the flying projectile and pulled out his pistol. He set the power level to stun, as he knew that his client wanted the young alien alive. And shot several volleys towards her. Talwyn managed to dodge each one. I thought the old guy said she'd be out already Thraxx silently cursed to himself. Though while Talwyn was awake, he could tell that she certainly wasn't fully alert or responsive. It was only a matter of time before she slipped up. Thraxx sent out several more shots, though none meeting their mark. Talwyn leapt over the couch, and flipped the coffee table to use it as a bit of cover.

Thraxx lobbed a smoke bomb up and over the makeshift barricade, where it exploded. The duo were now encased in a thick cloud of smoke. Talwyn coughed and sputtered, running from her hiding spot to find respite from the thick smoke clawing at her throat. The sudden movement attracted Thraxx's attention, and he pursued the markazian once more. He sent off another round of stun shots, though none met their mark and created deep scorch marks in the surrounding walls. Thraxx knew that he had to end this soon before his target fully regained their wits, or found a weapon.

Thraxx advanced, taking a swing at the markazian. His punch landed true, causing her to stumble backward as her head rang out in pain. She tried to land a few strikes of her own, but her body was just too slow to respond to her thoughts. Any hits that did land did so with just a fraction of her usual strength. Thraxx pulled out a taser and connected it to Talwyn's side, sending a shockwave throughout her whole body.

"R-r-ratchet" Talwyn almost whispered as she succumbed to sleep once more.

"Huh, figured she'd be older." The thief mused. Nonetheless, a job was a job and so he hoisted the young markazian over his shoulder, and back out the window he came. The trip to the backwater abandoned planet that Maa'jer wanted to meet him at would take a least a day and a half to get there in his ship. But Thraxx figured that at least he'd have his bolts to count on the way there.

Polaris Galaxy

Apogee Space Station

Meanwhile, Ratchet had fallen asleep on the couch, Flarg Chips and empty Fizzy Pop surrounding him. Broken Fist Rampage 3 took a lot out of him and so he was deep in dreamland chasing a giant sandwich when he thought he heard something.

"Ratchet..." the mystery voice said. But...it wasn't a mystery, it sounded almost like Talwyn's voice. Wait...that IS Talwyn's voice! he thought as he awoke with a start. At first, he spun around, confused that he couldn't see her. He had heard her, clear as day, and yet she wasn't here. After seeing the mess of junk food at his feet, Ratchet marked up the weird occurrence up to too much sugar...though he couldn't quite shake the weird feeling he was getting.

"Maybe I should call her, just in case." He thought. But if Ratchet expected an easy explanation from his friend, he was about to be disappointed as he was unable to connect to Talwyn's nav-unit. He tried a few more times, each coming up with no answer. With each unanswered ring, Ratchet's weird feelings grew bigger and bigger.

"I better call Erus." He said, thinking that certainly the aging alien would have noticed that she was gone and was worried as well. "Hello? Erus? This is Ratchet, I'm just calling to ask you..." he paused though, still not entirely trusting of some eccentric guy that they just met. "...you if I could talk with Talwyn? Uhhh, important space station matters and all," he said before leaving the responding address. It would probably take a little bit for an inter-galactic call, but Ratchet still stood by the console, counting off every minute that passed.

Kryantixx Galaxy

Planet Evukar

Erus had just finished reading a bedtime story to his daughter when an incoming message appeared on his console. It was Talwyn's friend checking up on her. Hmmm, this may prove to be a problem. He thought as several scenarios flicked across his mind. But above all, he couldn't risk the friend finding his daughter. Too many dangerous questions, especially with the time coming so close. But not answering would be too suspicious. He'd have to throw the friend's trail, at least for just a little longer.

Polaris Galaxy

Apogee Space Station

After a few anxiety-ridden hours, Ratchet received an incoming call from the Krayantixx Galaxy and answered it immediately. But instead of seeing Talwyn, it was just the old guy. Ratchet noticed that he seemed, off, somehow. As if he was more paranoid than when he and Clank were there.

"Uh, hi, Erus?" Ratchet said to the video call on the console. "I was wondering if I could talk with Talwyn, is she there?" He asked, not wanting to reveal too much.

"Ah, yes, hello Ratchet. I have to say that your work is still running smoothly!" Erus said, pointedly ignoring the question.

"Yeah, you're welcome, but I really need to ask Talwyn about something for the station, I've been trying to call her, but she's not picking up." Ratchet continued, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly in suspicion.

"Oh well that does make sense, she is nose-deep in my study you see, reading all sorts of journals and books that her father wrote. It seems that he hadn't told her much about his life here so she's been very preoccupied with that at the moment, I could pull her away if you'd like…" the old Agani answered, trailing off at the last bit.

"Oh, no, no. That's fine." Ratchet responded, not wanting to disturb Talwyn if she was engrossed in tales of her father's past. "Just let her know that I called…and I'll need an answer soon." Ratchet finished. Hoping that the guise of necessity would ensure that the message would be relayed and not forgotten.

"Of course, of course," Erus replied, waving his hand in a nonchalant manner. "Though that might be hard later, as there is an electric storm forecast for the next…two…days," he casually lied, mentally calculating how much time he'd need. "But I promise you'll get a response then."

"Electric storm? You sure you don't want Clank and me to come back, just to make sure that the new power grid will hold?" Ratchet questioned. Though to be honest he was far more concerned about Talwyn than the generators.

"Oh no, no! That won't be necessary, we have everything we need here. Now I do have to go but we will have to chat later, Ratchet!" Erus quickly replied. Too quickly. Thought Ratchet. But the alien on the other end had ended the call and now the room was dark once more, only the faint glow of the floor lights could be seen. Something's not right.

Ratchet looked down and noticed the glow from his nav unit, giving off a faint green tinge to his fur. Her nav unit, of course! Ratchet mentally smacked himself as he remembered that he could track Talwyn's unit. If she's on the planet, then I'll leave it at that. Ratchet thought.

But the lombax's ears lowered as his heart sank when he saw that Talwyn wasn't on Evukar, but somewhere completely else. Ratchet racked his mind for answers, but only came to one feasible answer: something wasn't right. He ran to Clank and woke his friend from his recharging session.

"Clank! Clank! Wake up, we're going back!" Ratchet said as he started to throw supplies together. Clank looked around confused, it was not like his friend to be so active after such a long gaming session.

"Ratchet, I do not understand, go back where? And why now?" Clank asked in his usual quizzical tone.

"Evukar. Talwyn's not there, and that Erus guy just lied to my face about it. He said she was in the library or something, but her nav unit is registering thousands of kilocubits away. Something's not right." Ratchet explained as he hauled a case containing some of his most deadly weapons towards the hangar. "Why did I ever offer to leave her there with that weirdo?" Ratchet asked himself more so than Clank. Ratchet stopped just short of the door and turned to his metal friend "Weeeell? Are you coming or not Clank? I don't have...time. For. This." He said as he tried to push the case past a small rise in the floor. Clank shook his head in defeat, knowing that there was no way he'd be able to dissuade his friend from blasting off.

"Of course, Ratchet. I will come, though I am sure that everything is alright. Tracing her location from so far away could simply just be faulty." Clank said as he jumped up into Aphelion. Ratchet soon joined him and sped off to the other galaxy at most likely illegal speeds. He really, really, wanted to believe Clank on this, as he had in the past. But he just knew something was not right...

Kryantixx Galaxy, Planet Shreii

Thraxx landed his ship once more at the rendezvous site which Maa'jer had instructed him to. Talwyn was still asleep from the shock she received, though her captor had taken the time to restrain her arms and legs just in case. Thraxx hefted her onto his shoulder and walked once more into the abandoned town. In just a few minutes, Maa'jer's ship landed and the two were once again completing a deal.

"Well, one mystery girl for you, and I believe that will be 20 million bolts for me, eh?" Thraxx asked his client. Maa'jer looked at the low-life snidely before procuring a needle from one of his large sleeves and took a blood sample from the young Markazian and having his nav unit analyze it. The prick seemed to wake up Talwyn, though she was still weak and groggy from both the drugged tea and the taser.

"Blood sample match completed. Specimen contains Marukar DNA." Maa'jer's nav-unit proclaimed. The elegant villain put away his tools and started to lift up the girl. His almost refusal to acknowledge Thraxx wasn't sitting well with the thug.

"See? Got the girl, no tricks. I'll just take my money and-" Thraxx started but was cut short by a pistol to his face. At this time Talwyn's eyes were starting to open and adjust to her surroundings which she quickly surmised were not Erus's home.

"The only reward you will be receiving is your life. In my new world, low lives like yourself will only be given a quick end. Take this gift and leave this galaxy and forget all about whatever sum of money that I shouldn't owe you as I am of the great race of Agani." Maa'jer stated snidely. Talwyn didn't say anything but looked on with a mix of fear and hatred for both parties. Thraxx thought about arguing with Maa'jer, but even he knew not to argue with someone who already had their sights set on you.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't be expecting anyone else to do your dirty work you pompous crook." Thraxx retaliated as he turned to go in his ship. The next thing that he heard was a sharp crack, and before he had any time to turn his head, he had been disintegrated. At this point, Talwyn was futilely thrashing against her restraints if only to get away from this madman that just shot a man while his back was turned.

"Let me go! Let me go! Where is Erus!? What is going on!? Let! Me! Go!" Talwyn kept repeating as if after 20 or so times Maa'jer will just comply. He roughly dragged her to a standing position and then started to drag her to his ship.

"Shut up you! If you weren't essential to my plan, I would have already killed you. Now we're going on a little trip. And if you cause me any trouble, you'll be spending the rest of it in a coma." Maa'jer threatened as he pushed Talwyn into the cargo bay. "Soon your disgusting race will be gone and have no more hope when I turn the tables on their stupid prophecy. The Agani will rule elite once and for all!"

"Wait, race? What race? What have the Markazians ever done to you?" Talwyn demanded from her captor. Maa'jer merely chuckled.

"Ah my dear, I'm talking about the blood of the Marukar that flows through your veins. You can thank your father Erus for being such a traitor." Maa'jer said as he slammed the door shut. Soon Talwyn felt the familiar sense of weightlessness upon leaving a planet's atmosphere. "What in the world is going on here?" she thought as questions buzzed through her mind. But she knew she couldn't focus on what she didn't know, only on what she did. And she knew that she had to get away from this madman as soon as possible.