//------------------------------// // R/C: Gaspar // Story: Ratchet and Clank: The Starlight of Solana // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// The ride to Planet Gaspar was mostly in silence; as Starlight was focused on the weapon holo-plans that she had already started, Sunset was working out a theory on what her bracelet was capable of doing, Clank was focused on making sure they reached their destination, and Ratchet was focused on actually flying. Despite what Clank was doing he was also reviewing a map of the area that they were supposed to be landing in when they reached Gaspar, studying it so they could have a better idea of what to do when they arrived. From what he could tell there were only two paths for them to take; one that lead in the direction of what appeared to be a compound of sorts, while the second appeared to be some platforms out in the lava that had some bombers out there. When they finally arrived at their destination they gathered around the weapon vendor, where each of them bought their own Walloper, a fist weapon that fit over their right hands and was three times as powerful at the strikes they could do with their main weapon. While they looked at their new weapons Clank determined that it was a proper time to decide who was being assigned to which task, though he had a feeling which one he and Ratchet would get. "We have two paths to choose from," Clank commented, watching his companions test out their new weapons for a few minutes, "The one in front of us will take us to that compound, where I'm assuming that we'll find a Pilot's Helmet or two somewhere inside. The other path is out into the lava area, where my scans indicated that there's a few bombers fueling up for whatever planet Chairman Drek plans on attacking next." "Then Sunset and I will take out the bombers before they can depart for Batalia," Starlight said, causing her brother and the robot to turn to her for a moment, "What? We stopped the bombers before they could finish their job, so it makes sense that Chairman Drek would send some more of them to finish the assault. This time we'll make sure that all of them are taken care of and that none of them escape this planet." "I don't know if I should feel sorry for whoever chooses to fight the two of you," Ratchet commented, as he knew the destructive power that his sisters could pack when they were together, "so I guess this time I won't worry about the two of you. Go out there and show the Blarg that they can't always get what they want... without consequences that is." Starlight seemed eager to get underway, she she engaged her magic before Sunset could say anything and starting moving down towards the platform that was the closest to the landing pad. Sunset sighed before followed after her sister, as she didn't want to have to resort to using her hoverboard when the steps her sister made unraveled themselves once she was done stepping on them. Once the two of them were on their way Ratchet scooped up Clank and attached him to his back once more, before making sure that his weapons were fully stocked on ammo. When he was sure that his weapons were ready, and that it was actually just him and Clank, he got on the elevator pad and slowly traveled down to the area that would take him to the helmets that they had come to retrieve. When he reached the end of the elevator's short path he found a dispenser launching small spheres that turned into the same mechanical mutts he had seen back on Kerwan, though there was also a gunman standing behind a turret that took aim on him the moment he stepped off the stand. Once he reached the area that the enemies were running around on he pulled the Walloper out and charged forward, punching one of the mutts so hard that it shattered into pieces upon impact. The others came at him immediately, to which he used his new weapon to clear the immediate area around the turret of enemies, making sure to dodge the gunman's attacks before planting his fist in the soldiers chest. Once the enemies had been taken care of, and he was sure that there weren't anymore around him, he leapt into the turret and turned it on the massive iron door that was standing in his path. In a matter of seconds the door was broken into pieces under the amount of shots that Ratchet put into it, allowing him to move forward until something else decided to get in his way. "Are you sure that its safe to leave your sisters alone?" Clank asked, watching Ratchet waste his enemies while thinking about something completely different. "For the last time Clank, I'm positive that they can handle themselves," Ratchet replied, collecting the bolts that were scattered around him, while mentally sighing at the fact that the robot on his back seemed to enjoy asking the same question over and over, "besides, Starlight has the RYNO at her beck and call. So unless Chairman Drek is actually here, on this planet and at this exact station, then I am positive that there is nothing that the two of them cannot handle." When he stepped into the next area he found a couple of circular robots that were just floating there, but he readied his Walloper and slammed it into the first one that he approached, forcing the robot to explode. As the first one fell the remainder of the group zeroed in on him and closed themselves, though as they started to glow Ratchet determined that they were definitely bomb type robots. He slammed his weapon into them before they could get close to the level of charge required for them to explode, clearing the area around him so he could move forward. He found two more gunman, several more bomb robots, and another dispenser waiting for him around the corner, though he also found another massive door that looked like it needed to be broken apart by a turret. He immediately set to work clearing the area around the first iron door, only so that he could fall back for a moment and determine a proper plan of attack this time. He took stock of his current weapons and pulled out his Glove of Doom, to which a smile crossed his face as he started palming three spheres that were full of robotic minions for him to call on. Once he had a basic plan, a terrible one he had to admit, he approached the second door and threw the spheres forward, to which the minions emerged from their nests and charged towards the enemies. He watched as the little robots decimated the enemies that stood before the door, allowing him to weave through the destruction that his minions were causing and reach the turret that would get him into the compound. Once he had commandeered the turret he turned it on the second iron door, to which he blasted the door down and waited a few seconds to be sure that there weren't any enemies that came charging out. When he was sure that there weren't any enemies coming out of the opened door he climbed out of the turret and returned to the door, to which he entered the compound and prepared another few spheres of his minions. He rode another elevator up to the top floor of the compound, to which he found the next set of enemies that were waiting for him and loosed the minions he had been preparing. As he made his way through the complex, and his minions ruined the enemies closest to him, he pulled out his Devastator and took out the enemies that stayed near the back of the pack. It was actually quite enjoyable to take care of his enemies without having to worry about his sisters getting hurt, though, as he told Clank, that worry was quickly becoming nonexistent these days. He came to a room filled with tanks, though as he stepped into the hallway he found several more gunman waiting for him, to which he summoned the last of the robotic minions that his glove had. He had to resort to using his Bomb Glove on other enemies as he used the last missiles of his Devastator, but when he reached another turret he turned it on whoever was left. After a few moments, and busting another iron door down, he walked outside and took out the last few gunman that were standing guard, before he was definitely certain that he had finished off the rest of the enemies in the area. "I'm glad that's over," Ratchet said, picking up the only Pilot's Helmet that was laying on the ground, though while he did so Clank popped off his back, "its a shame that this is the only one of these that Drek's scientists left behind..." "Correction," Clank interrupted, beckoning to a crate that happened to have two more helmets inside it, "Chairman Drek's scientists happened to leave three of them behind... though I'm surprised that they left three perfectly intact helmets behind." Before either of them could say anything else, though in the same instant that Ratchet picked up the other two helmets after putting his own on, the two of them felt the compound shake for a moment. Clank, having read the scans of the planet before they landed, had already determined that the nearby volcanoes were dormant, no doubt due to Chairman Drek's tampering, but when the compound shook again he knew something was wrong. He pulled up his scans again and searched for what was causing the shaking, though after a few seconds his readings were telling him that the center of the tremor was out in the lava field... where Starlight and Sunset were at the moment. Though before Clank could say anything to Ratchet his worst fears were realized as the nearest volcano became active, spewing lava out and causing the levels to rise all around them as more volcanoes started to wake. "Ratchet, we must get back to the ship," Clank stated, leaping onto Ratchet's almost immediately. "Way ahead of you pal," Ratchet replied, heading down the path that would take him back to the ship, though he hoped that his sisters were already on their way back to the ship as well. ----------------------------------- Sunset and Starlight had been fighting their way through the small amount of enemies that stood guard over the bombers, as the first platform they came to had three of the robotic mutts. They had used their new Wallopers to clear the way, though Starlight used her magic to levitate the broken pieces of the robots and threw them into the fuel lines of the bombers. The chain reaction caused the ships to explode, allowing them to move onto the next platform where they found four more of the robotic mutts waiting for them. Sunset was glad that they had their Swingshots, as they used the targets that sprung up after certain bombers were destroyed and moved through the lava field. One bomber got unlucky as Starlight, in a fit of boredom, activated her magic and summoned a cluster of dark crystals that skewered the bomber, to which Sunset was amazed by the amount of leftover magic that the cluster gave off. "What are you doing?" Starlight asked, as she stopped when Sunset wanted to touch the crystal for a moment, though she watched as the excess magic bent around and was absorbed into her bracelet, "Wait... how long have you been able to do that?" "What? You mean absorbing your leftover magic?" Sunset commented, watching the magic finished entering her bracelet, "To be honest this is fairly new for me... as in this only started showing up after Umbris..." "I wonder if this means that you can absorb my magic and use it as your own," Starlight said, focusing her magic for a moment and summoning a light blue sphere, "Let's see if you can absorb this and use it as your own." Sunset sighed for a moment and wished that she had kept this a secret much longer than she actually had, but now that her sister knew of her bracelet's strange ability it wasn't worth arguing about. She held her hand out to the sphere and waited for a few seconds, to which the sphere moved towards her bracelet until it surrounded her right hand completely. She could tell that some of the power was being pulled into the bracelet, but for some reason some of it remained around her hand, to which she stared at it for a moment as she wondered what to do with it. "So... what do I do now?" Sunset asked, as she had no idea what to do with the magic around her hand and knew that her sister had a better idea on what to do. That was before Starlight grabbed one of the robotic mutts from the next small platform and levitated it over to where they were standing, holding it before Sunset while making sure the it was dangling above the lava. "Strike him and let's see what your capable of," Starlight encouraged, eager to see if her sister could replicate magic after absorbing what was leftover from her own magic. Sunset sighed and approached the poor robotic mutt, as she knew that it hadn't been designed to go through this, but considering that Chairman Drek had it created to hurt people didn't do much to help her. She stopped in front of the mutt and prepared herself, bringing her arm back for a moment before letting out the breath that she had been holding the entire time. Once she released her breath she swung her arm and let it draw close to the mutt, but then it stopped a few inches before the mutt and then the magic happened. Sunset watched as the air around her fist cracked under the pressure of the magic, as if the bracelet was aiding them in their test, before the poor robotic mutt was crushed under the pressure. Sunset thought that it was over once the mutt was destroyed, but then, as she lowered her arm, she felt the ground shake for a moment before the volcano closest to them became active once more. Her eyes widened as she realized that her bracelet had added the leftover magic she had absorbed on Batalia to the test, increasing the power of whatever spell Starlight had created. Once the level of the lava started to rise, and the ground continued to shake, Sunset turned to her sister and got her moving backwards so they could return to the ship. "What did we do!?" Starlight shouted, worried that they might have set off a chain reaction that activated the dormant volcanoes around the entire compound. "I don't know!" Sunset shouted back, using the Swingshot targets, and occasionally Starlight's magical steps, to get over the lava field, "We'll discuss it when we're back in the ship!" When they reached the area they had landed on to start their journey down their chosen path Starlight threw up a set of stairs for them to run up, though as they reached the top Sunset turned around and watched as the lava continued to rise. She glanced at the compound their brother had journeyed towards, though before she could make any observations Ratchet finished riding his elevator to where they were standing. He nodded to them and tossed two helmets towards them, to which Sunset and Starlight each caught one as they followed their brother to the ship as he threw Clank inside so they could get the ship started. The ground shook again, this time more violently than the last time, but instead of wasting time looking around the three of them climbed into the ship after Clank. "Set the coordinates for Planet Orxon," Ratchet said, making sure that they were all in the ship before closing the hatch, "I don't know what Drek did to this planet, but it seems that we set off some sort of trap he set for us. I should have known that three Pilot's Helmets were too much to ask for without something terrible happening." Sunset decided not to say that it was actually her and Starlight's fault for what was happening, though as the ship got into the air and flew over the compound she watched as the structure tilted for a moment before the lava started devouring it. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, staring at the helmet she had been given and wondering if the venture to this planet had actually been worth what was currently happening to it. ----------------------------------- Unbeknownst to the four of them they were still being watched by someone, though this time Chairman Drek had chosen to remain in his office while he went over the plans his scientists had given him. He had seen the 'heroes' visit Batalia and lay waste to his forces, to which he had immediately sent out a command to have some additional bombers gather at his compound on Gaspar, so they could launch another assault on the planet while the annoyances were no longer there. His scientists knew about the heroes and the fact that they were disrupting his plans, but his head scientist had come up with the plan to develop two world ending devices at the same time. The purpose of there being two, he had been told, was simple; one was the decoy that they would allow the heroes to destroy, giving them enough time to position the real one so they could obliterate the planet that was in the orbit of his perfect planet. He hated to admit it, and he planned on not telling the head scientist this, but the plan on building a decoy so he could actually get away with moving the real weapon into position was something that he couldn't pass up. The PlanetBuster Maximus, the decoy, was designed to have a massive payload, something that Drek had insisted on including to make sure that the threat it presented was too irresistible for the heroes to pass up. "Sir," a voice said, causing him to look up at the door to his office for a moment, where he found one of the scientists standing there, "I've got some bad news... its about our compound on Planet Gaspar." "Please don't tell me that those 'heroes' raided my compound and made off with some of my property again," Drek growled, as he was already annoyed that they had taken several of his gadgets to use against him, such as the portable Hydrodisplacer they stole from his Research Station. "I'm afraid that this is worse than them making off with a Pilot's Helmet," the scientist said, approaching the desk for a moment as he opened something on his tablet, before placing it on the desk and showing him the video, "Here, I'll let the video do all the talking." Drek watched as the video zeroed in on the compound, showing him that everything was in order and that the soldiers he had assigned to the compound were doing their jobs. Everything seemed just fine and appeared to be progressing in the same order that happened every other day, only there was something different after a few minutes. A ship landed on the landing pad, to which he growled and ground his teeth for a moment when he spotted the 'heroes' climb out of the ship, to which they activated the vendor and bought new weapons. He watched as they separated into two separate groups, the Lombax and his robot heading towards the compound while the Cazar and unicorn traveled into the lava field. He watched in annoyance as the Lombax slaughtered his soldiers, broke down the iron gates that were supposed to protect his compound, and walked into the compound as if he owned the place. Minutes later the pair walked out the other side of the compound, where he watched them pick up three Pilot's Helmets and deposit one of them on the Lombax's head. Then the compound seemed to shake, catching the pair off guard while they sought out the cause of the shaking, to which the video zoomed in on the area that the other pair had traveled down. From what Drek could determine, as whatever had taken the video had missed what had caused the shaking to occur, either the Cazar or the unicorn was responsible for the volcanoes suddenly becoming active once more and destroying the entirety of the compound. The 'heroes' had survived the deterioration of the area around the compound, which annoyed him to no end, but he was more annoyed that they were still taking his property with the intent on using it against him. He pulled out the Infobot he had created for the decoy weapon, one that would get the heroes off of his back for a few days at most, and he passed it over to the scientist without a word. The scientist collected the tablet and the Infobot, knowing that he was going back to Orxon and place it somewhere hard for the four heroes to find. When the door closed behind the scientist, and he was sure that he was alone, Drek pressed a button on his desk and locked the door, before pressing another one to make sure that no one would be able to hear what was coming next. He gripped the desk for a moment before his knuckles turned white, though he grunted as he literally tore the desk out of the floor and tossed it into the wall to his right. "I'm going to kill those insolent children," Drek loudly said, crushing his fist into his other hand for a moment, recalling a battle suit that he was in the process of creating, "and I know exactly how to do it as well."