Chapter 19: Epilogue
Polaris Galaxy: Meridian City
Ratchet sped through the city, using the mag-train rails as a grindboot course. He was hot on the tail of the latest low-rent villain who had made a power grab at the shady underbelly of the city. But just like all the others, Ratchet knew that he'd soon be enjoying an extended stay in Zartax.
"Ratchet, do you have a visual on Artag?" Talwyn's voice rang through Ratchet's comm.
"Affirmative. Coming up on him in the business district." Ratchet answered as he flipped to another rail just in time to avoid being pancaked by a train. The driver blew his horn, which echoed through the lombax's comm to his captain.
"Are you grinding on the mag-train rails again?" Talwyn's voice asked, a hint of playful annoyance as this was not the first time she had scolded Ratchet for "misusing public transportation", and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I keep telling ya', Tal, fastest way to travel in the city." The lombax quipped back.
"Err, Ratchet, I do believe some of Artag's goons are following us" Clank piped up from his place on Ratchet's back.
"Oh, don't worry pal, we'll lose them eas-aaaaaayyy" Ratchet said before an explosion from one of Argonian's missiles destroyed the tracks ahead, causing the duo to be thrown onto a plaza below. Ratchet picked himself off and readied his blaster for the expected firefight.
"Ratchet! What happened!?" Talwyn's raised voice echoed through his comms. Ratchet was about to answer when he heard a voice behind him.
"Not so fast, Lombax." Artag had a blaster trained squarely on the back of Ratchet's head. The lombax gripped his omniwrench, but didn't make any sudden movements. The villain slowly circled around Ratchet so that he could face the furry hero. "I'm going to blast you into the next millennium." He said with a snaggled grin. Ratchet set his jaw and stared down the Argonian. However, a glint in the distance behind Artag caught his eye. A small smirk graced the lombax's face.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ratchet said in a cocky, self-assured manner.
"An' why not?" Artag asked, his hand tightening around the trigger. Just then a series of plasma blasts rained down from above, causing him to take his eyes off of Ratchet and jump back to avoid the fire. Overhead, Talwyn's ship Lady Wraith cut a sharp turn to face the villain. The shield of the cockpit opened as the ship idled in place, and Talwyn hefted a mag net gun onto her shoulder. She leaned against the backrest with one foot on the dash for support from the expected recoil, while the other rested on the yoke to keep the ship steady. The markazian fired a net at Artag, trapping him in a mesh of energy.
"That's why." Ratchet said, tilting his head towards Talwyn. She landed her ship and jumped out, giving Ratchet a large hug. "Do you always have to make such a grand entrance?" The lombax quipped jokingly.
"I learned from the best" Talwyn answered with a wink, leaning closer to give Ratchet a quick peck on the cheek. Seeing this, the captured Argonian groaned from his tangled position.
"Oh, don' make me barf, I'd rather be tossed into a black hole than wat-!" Ratchet simply shot him with a tesla coil to shut him up, as he gazed into Talwyn's eyes. She gave Ratchet a sweet smile, before turning on her heels to face Artag, her usual commanding stature and voice returning once more.
"Now then, Artag the Destroyer, by order of the PDF, I hereby find you under arrest for galactic crimes against section 3 of the Polaris Charter." More PDF officers had caught up to the duo to haul him away. After delegating further instructions to one of her lieutenants, Talwyn turned to her friends. "Well boys, what do ya say we head home?" Home. Ratchet thought, latching onto that last word. He had many "homes" throughout his life. But for the first time, the home which Talwyn referenced truly felt like a place where he belonged. He and Clank nodded earnestly as they all hopped into Lady Wraith to speed off to home.
Polaris Galaxy: Apogee Space Station
Ratchet yawned and stretched his arms, before resting them once more around Talwyn's body. His girlfriend was curled up next to him, her head resting on his bare chest being that he had his jumpsuit tied around his waist. Talwyn absentmindedly traced the folds of her old bandana that Ratchet still wore around his wrist. Ever since he joined the PDF, Talwyn would give it to him whenever he would go on a mission, and would make him promise her that he would bring it back. It was her way to make sure he would come back. After a while, it just made more sense to wear it all the time. Ratchet kissed the top of her head, breathing in deeply her scent.
These moments had easily become his favorite part of the day. After completing whatever maintenance needed doing around the station, he and Talwyn would often just spend the rest of the afternoon curled up together. It had been almost a year now since Ratchet had finally told her how he felt. Now that he had, he kicked his past self for being so afraid of doing so. Being with Talwyn seemed to be the final piece in a puzzle that he hadn't known he was trying to solve. He and Talwyn had grown stronger together. Now that they didn't have to face their demons alone, they were both finally able to put their past griefs to rest.
He was surprised at first, when Talwyn had asked him to help her make three stiles. One each for Cronk, Zephyr, and Max. Ratchet initially parroted many of Talwyn's old defenses whenever asked about her father. "Well, we don't really know what happened to him, Tal." he originally reasoned. But Talwyn shook her head and looked toward Ratchet. "No, it's time I put him to rest." Soon after, he and Talwyn held a small, informal memorial at the station for just their closest friends and allies. Talwyn's eulogy for her family was beautiful, though Ratchet could sense the obvious pain in her voice. Later, when the guests had left, he stood there with her for a long time, just holding her hand and letting her cry on his shoulder.
Amongst the lush greenery of the arboretum, three slender rectangular metal stiles stood. The tallest one, her father's, was set forward from the other two which were for Cronk and Zephyr. The names of their prospective honorees and a few words dignifying them were engraved onto the surface in such a way that maintained the smooth reflectiveness of the metal. Atop each one was a small floating ball of light, Ratchet's handiwork. Using electro-magnetic propulsion, he was able to rig a small glass ball filled with neon gas to softly float above each pillar. The gas inside also reacted to the electric field and would glow faintly, bathing the immediate area in a warm, comforting light. There were many nights where he would find Talwyn sitting across from the shrine in a comfortable silence. He knew how hard it was for her to accept that she had lost all of her family, but it only made him that much prouder of her.
It wasn't long after the service that Talwyn surprised Ratchet with one more stile that she and Clank had made together for Alister. Unlike the ones for her father and Cronk and Zephyr, this one was three sided. Talwyn had it engraved beautifully on each side in Lombax, Galactic Standard, and Markazian, respectively. Ratchet realized that not only did Talwyn want to help him honor Alister, she wanted to help ensure that the Lombaxes wouldn't be forgotten in this dimension. Soon after, the trio traveled to Fastoon to erect it in the Court of Azimuth. The service, if you could call it that, was even smaller and shorter than the one they had done for Talwyn's family. Ratchet knew very little of Alister, and so didn't have much to say about the former general. The trio simply stood in silence with Talwyn and Clank wordlessly supporting Ratchet in his grief.
They would return to Fastoon many times over the coming months, mainly to collect more Lombax artifacts and knowledge."We'll find them, one day" Talwyn had told Ratchet one day as they watched the sun set behind the dusty cliffs of the once homeworld of the Lombaxes. Ratchet had only held her hand and squeezed it to let her know that he had heard her. But as the days and months ticked by, Ratchet became more and more content with the very likely idea that he would never be reunited with his race.
It still pained him at times, but he would remind himself that he wasn't alone anymore like he was when he was younger. He had suffered a great loss, but Talwyn's friendship, and dare he say love, had helped to heal the old wounds in his heart. He took solace in knowing that the Lombaxes were still alive, out there, somewhere. He had even made their existence a bit safer by defeating Tachyon and others that wished to use the dimensionator to harm them. Ratchet figured that these were still great victories, bittersweet as they may seem.
Ratchet was pulled out of his thoughts as Talwyn nuzzled his neck. He closed his eyes and let himself become lost in their rhythmic breathing and the beating of their hearts which synced up as if they were of one being. They were lying on a blanket in what was his favorite addition to the Apogee Space Station. He even ranked it higher than the hoverboot course that, after much pestering, Talwyn did eventually allow him to build. It was a tall platform which was encased in a glass bubble. This allowed someone to have an almost completely un-interrupted 360° view of the endless space surrounding them. The duo often came up here just to stare at the stars and talk. He smiled as he thought of the many astronomy lessons Talwyn would give him here, pointing out various constellations and star clusters, explaining their histories as her father once done for her. The lombax took Talwn's hand which rested on his chest and interlaced his fingers with hers. He felt her mouth curve upward in a smile in response.
As much as Ratchet wanted to let the moment drag on, there was something he needed to tell markazian next to him. And this time I'm not going to take years to find the right words. Ratchet mused.
"Hey Tal?" Ratchet nudged his friend, making sure she hadn't fallen asleep as she often did while being held by him.
"Mmmm, yes Ratchet?" she replied back, her eyes still closed.
"I need to tell you something." Ratchet said softly. Talwyn raised her head, at first a bit concerned at the prompt. But then she saw Ratchet's face smiling at her which calmed her nerves.
"Well, what is it?" She asked tenderly.
"I just want to say that this past year has been amazing, that you're amazing, Tal." Ratchet said, which brought a chuckle from his love.
"Yes, this is known." Talwyn replied jokingly.
"I also wanted to tell you that…I'm here for you, Tal, till the day I die." Ratchet continued. Talwyn's breath hitched in her throat as she realized what he meant by this. "I love you, more than all the stars in the sky." The lombax finished, staring into her large blue eyes as he ran his other hand through her hair. The markazian looked down at their interlaced fingers for a moment before looking back up at Ratchet.
"Well, in that case, I'd have to say I feel the same, Ratchet." Her words bringing a spark of joy in the lombaxes eyes. "I love you too, forever and ever." Ratchet pulled her closer to him as their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss. They had each lost their families, but found a new one in each other. No matter what life would throw at them, they would face it head on together. For the first time in a long time, the young lombax was excited for what the future brought, because now it was one that included Talwyn. They had an entire lifetime to spend together, and he wouldn't want it any other way.