Ratchet and Clank: The Starlight of Solana

by Blackdrag-rose

Commando: Tabora

Before Angela had told them anything about what was going on, and why she wanted to blow up her boss' experiment so badly, she took the four of them to a nearby building that would protect them all against the weather of Siberius. Starlight would have summoned a barrier to protect them, but figured it was better to let Angela do what she wanted before they started jumping to conclusions. Though both she and Sunset were impressed by the updates that had been made to the shelter, which they assumed was because Angela had been preparing for this day for a long time and wanted someplace safe so that she could watch the fireworks when she launched the missile and got rid of the experiment.

Once the five of them had entered the building, and Starlight levitated the experiment into the cage that Angela had been keeping it in the entire time, Angela closed the door and sealed it tight to prevent the cold air from getting inside. The moment the door was sealed Angela pulled off her cape and tossed it onto a chair near the door, though it was clear that she was still frustrated by her complete failure to secure the real experiment. She sat in a chair that sat around a table, to which Ratchet and the others joined her, as they were eager to hear what she had to tell them about the experiment.

"Oh where to begin with this mess?" Angela said, sighing as she tapped a button on the table and brought up a picture of the experiment, choosing to leave the creature in its cage for the moment, "Experiment 13, or the experiment as Mr. Fizzwidget called it, is a creature that had been genetically modified to be the perfect pet for anyone in the Bogon Galaxy. I was supposed to be working out the defects that the experiment had, so it could be prepared for the market, and I would have perfected it if the timeline hadn't been pushed forward on me. One of its major defects is that it, well... eats its handlers or anyone in the immediate area."

"So... the experiment is a killer..." Clank commented, not believing that they had been hired to recuse something that could potentially destroy an entire settlement all by itself, or an entire planet if it had been cloned, "Now I can see why you wanted to get rid of it."

"I thought that if I could get rid of the real one that I might push the timeline back and give me enough time to fix everything that was wrong with it," Angela explained, looking back at the clone that was resting in the cage, "Now it seems that I'm going to have to go to Plan B; get enough resources, weapons, and gadgets, along with a keycard of mine, so that we can launch an attack on the Megacorp Headquarters and get to the actual experiment."

"Seriously? That's your backup plan?" Starlight asked, causing Angela to turn back to them and nod her head, "Look, I know that two of us could easily destroy the headquarters with our magic alone, but there has to be more to your plan than just gathering resources and attacking Megacorp."

"I've also been working on a device that could fix the experiment, but its not complete," Angela admitted, pressing another button and revealing a device that had three small suction cup like things attached to it, "This is the Helix-o-Morph, a device I believe that can fix the real experiment... when I manage to complete it. I left it at my own residence, so I'll need to head there and see what needs to be done to fix it... though we're going to have to give the clone back to Mr. Fizzwidget."

Sunset didn't like where this was going, because Angela was talking about them taking on the entirety of what Megacorp could throw at them so she could fix something that was dangerous to everyone in the Bogon Galaxy. Starlight was right in thinking that the two of them could, with their magic, destroy the headquarters on their own, but that was something that she didn't want to consider. She was also sure that her potent magical powers could do the job, but if she unleashed a fully powered Gekishin on the building, or any world for that matter, she knew that the result would be a massive disaster.

She could also tell that Ratchet might actually be agreeing with the plan, though after a few seconds he made a comment that told her that he was being smart about this whole situation.

"We'll deliver the clone back to Mr. Fizzwidget and see what we can learn from him," Ratchet said, getting onto his feet and walking over to the small cage that they were keeping the clone in, which only looked him in curiosity for a few seconds, "Who knows, maybe there's someone else pulling the strings behind this madness and he's unaware of what's going on."

Angela sighed again, but this time she made no move to stop them from taking the clone from the cage and leaving the building so they could return to their ship. As they left the building she did tell them that she would tell them if she found anything that they might be able to use or get some information out of, which only told Sunset that Angela thought that they didn't fully believe her at the moment.

"Ratchet, wait a second," Angela said, stepping outside the building and grabbing onto his wrist, before she slipped him a small plastic looking material, "Just slip that into your headset when you get the chance... my numbers on it so I can contact you when I have some more information."

Before Ratchet could say anything Angela went back inside the building and closed the door behind her, though Sunset was able to catch what she assumed was a blush before the door closed. Ratchet sighed and slipped the chip into his headset, allowing the number to be integrated into his system before they bothered to call Mr. Fizzwidget. It was clear that Ratchet had no idea what was even going on at the moment, or if he did he wasn't showing that he was following what was happening, but Sunset would keep notes for him anyway. Sunset had the feeling that she knew what Angela actually was, but she didn't want to say anything to Ratchet or Starlight before she confirmed her suspicions.

They quickly made their way back to their ship, where Ratchet pulled out the experiment and activated the communicator that would allow them to speak with Mr. Fizzwidget. Their employer seemed impressed that they managed to track down the 'Thief' and recover the 'experiment', which told them that the old man had no idea who had taken the experiment. When Ratchet inquired about where they would meet Mr. Fizzwidget they received a video about how Megacorp turned a planet with rain forests into a massive desert, which was where he told them that he would gladly meet them.

Ratchet waited until the message was over, and the communicator was turned off, before he tapped the side of his headset and tested the number that he had been given.

"This is Angela Cross," Angela said, before noticing that it was Ratchet that was calling her, "What is it Ratchet?"

"Just wanted to tell you that we're meeting Mr. Fizzwidget on Planet Tabora," Ratchet replied, while his sisters got the ship started so they could leave the world, "just in case you happened to discover anything else after we left and wanted to know where to find us."

"Thanks Ratchet," Angela said, a hint of happiness in her voice, "I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything useful."

Ratchet hung up and hopped in the ship, setting the coordinates for Planet Tabora and setting off for their next destination, though he had to wonder if their quest was over or not.

---

They happened to arrive a full hour before Mr. Fizzwidget was supposed to arrive, so Starlight and Sunset walked around the immediate area of where they landed and looked at what was around them. Starlight noticed that there were some strange creatures wandering around the desert, but they didn't come close to where they were standing so she didn't feel the need to pull her weapons out. Starlight also noticed that the planet was pretty much dead from all the years that Megacorp had spent digging for all of the precious minerals that they had seen in the video. She had done some research on their way to Tabora, trying to figure out what they could have been looking for besides everything that they had already extracted.

Despite her searching she had no solid clues as to what Megacorp had been looking for, which made her wonder if Angela might know something about all of this.

Sunset, on the other hand, noticed a small ship appear on her radar, as she had been keeping an eye out for Mr. Fizzwidget, but she smiled as she noticed that the ship was actually the one that Angela had used. She and Starlight had been sent a file containing the identification number of the ship that Angela used, so they would know when she either was coming to tell them something or join them in a fight. She spotted Angela setting the ship down near the abandoned settlement, in an area that was below the actual settlement, so while Starlight looked around for useful information, and Ratchet waited for Mr. Fizzwidget, she moved to a elevator and rode down to where Angela was landing.

When she reached the bottom of the area she spotted Angela climbing out of her ship, though she was curious as to what their newest friend might have to tell them.

"You find something out already?" Sunset asked, wondering what Angela could have figured out in the couple of hours since they had departed from Siberius.

"No, I just remembered that I had forgotten to tell you about something that will prove what I was talking about," Angela replied, looking around for someone and quickly found that they were the only two in the immediate area, "So, where's the rest of the group?"

"Ratchet and Starlight are waiting for Mr. Fizzwidget to arrive," Sunset said, wondering if this was the best time she could be bringing something she had observed into the open, "Angela, do you have a crush on Ratchet?"

Angela definitely faltered the moment she asked the question, as if she hadn't realized that she had acted differently towards Ratchet in the short time she had known him. It merely confirmed what Sunset had suspected on the last planet, that there was something more than the whole Thief vs Hero thing going on at the moment.

"I... I don't know what you are talking about," Angela replied, gulping to clear her throat for a moment, "I mean... he's clearly already spoken for..."

"I'm his sister." Sunset deadpanned, not believing that she found someone else, in another galaxy no less, that thought that she and Ratchet were boyfriend and girlfriend, "And, as his sister, I can tell you that he's definitely not seeing anyone at the moment. So I'll ask you again; do you have a crush on my brother?"

"...yes..." Angela weakly replied, confirming that there was something between her and Ratchet that would need to be expanded upon in the future, "...he doesn't know, does he?"

"He doesn't know that you have a crush on him." Sunset said, noticing that a light smile had appeared on Angela's face for a moment, "Though that makes we want to ask the question; why are you hiding the fact that your a lombax?"

The moment after she asked her question was followed by a silence from Angela, as if she had been smacked across the face after discovering that Ratchet was actually single. That made Sunset assume that there was something else that Angela wasn't telling her, but she knew that she had already taken on too and might freak Angela out.

"...how... how did you know?" Angela asked, her voice shaky for a moment, which definitely clued Sunset in on the fact that something was different this time.

"Angela, I grew up along side Ratchet for the last thirteen years," Sunset replied, letting a sigh escape her lips as she heard her radar go off, which made her check the readings and find that another ship had arrived, "Hold on, Ratchet's going to want to know that Mr. Fizzwidget's here."

Ratchet and Starlight were glad that their employer had finally arrived, because they were both starting to wonder if he had forgotten about the experiment that they had just recovered. Ratchet kept them on the line the entire time, giving Angela time to decompress from what Sunset had told her not moments ago and regain her composure. The pair of them then heard the crushing sound of a large ship crushing a much smaller ship, which Sunset knew meant that the ship they had been given had been smashed to pieces. They waited a moment, listening to Mr. Fizzwidget's excuse about there being something on the landing pad and then saying it was insured, before they heard the sound of ejector seats going off.

"You guys okay?" Sunset asked, waiting for a few seconds before she heard the sound of Ratchet's feet and Starlight's hooves touching what she assumed was a pile of sand.

"He just ejected us from the ship!" Ratchet replied, though it was clear that he was annoyed, "We landed in a underground cave that appears to connect to the settlement you were exploring... so we'll move through it and catch up to you as quick as we can. I have the feeling that we'll be down here for some time."

Sunset sighed and closed the communicator, through after that she asked Angela a few questions to pass the time so she could get to know her, and the situation, a bit better. One of the things that she was curious about was the selection of music that Angela had, to which she discovered that she had found a strange piece of metal that contained it and a few other songs from Old Earth. Her personal theory, one that was largely supported by other scientists she spoke to, was that the people of Old Earth managed to launch something that she referred to as the 'Codex'. It was supposed to be a large device that contained the majority of the stories that Sunset had been researching when she first discovering her powers, but those were from the fragments that the people of Solana and Bogon were able to collect.

From what they could determine the Codex was far from complete, as there was too much history that was missing from their archives for it to be complete. Angela's fragment was one of the few musical ones that had been recovered, though she was unable to figure out who had created the music or what purpose it served.

"One of my goals in life is to find the fragments of the Codex and reassemble it, so everyone can finally uncover what lead up to its creation," Angela admitted, to which Sunset nodded her understanding, before she opened her tablet and started tipping something in, "Have you heard what happened to Old Earth, before the people evacuated?"

"I actually haven't heard what happened to the planet," Sunset told her new friend, because she had thought that the planet had merely been abandoned, but by the way Angela spoke it made her wonder if something else had happened.

Angela turned the tablet around and showed her a hologram of the planet that had been called Old Earth, though Sunset was surprised to find that the moon had been split into two fragments. She waited a few minutes, wondering what Angela was trying to show her, before the surface of the planet cracked as if its core had become unstable. It was like a cataclysm was happening across the entire planet, tearing all of the various civilizations to pieces under the intensity of the of the core's unstable nature. Then, without much warning, the planet exploded, to which it and its moon were reduced to mere piles of rubble that floated in the space the planet used to inhabit.

"Scientists have no idea if the people of Old Earth tore their planet apart or if the world turned on them," Angela said with a sigh, powering down the tablet as she looked up at the sky, "It sort of reminds me of what Megacorp did to this planet when they arrived; they terraformed this entire area and began digging all the holes you've no doubt already seen. I inquired as to what Mr. Fizzwidget was searching for once upon a time, though the answer I got was that he was searching for one of the fabled 'Raritanium Cores'. He wanted one of them, why I'll never know, but he never found it and used the resources to grow the company into what it is today."

Sunset wondered what had lead Mr. Fizzwidget to assume that one of the Raritanium Cores had been buried on this planet, because it had been reported that all six of them had been together at one point before being separated across the vastness of space. She would have mentioned that she actually had one of them, but decided not to considering the fact that it was back in Solana at the moment and that there was no way for her to get it.

"Mind if I ask you something... that's not related to whether Ratchet's available or not..." Angela said, causing Sunset to turn back to her for a moment.

"What's on your mind?" Sunset asked, curious as to what Angela would possibly ask her.

"You said that you could use magic, yet you retracted that, oh what do you call it...?" Angela started, but it was clear that she had no idea what terms to use when speaking about magic.

"Spell?" Sunset offered, knowing that it was going to take some time to convince Angela that magic actually existed and that she wasn't messing with her.

"...yeah, spell," Angela said, sighing for a moment before looking at Sunset, "What I want to know is what would have happened if my contact inside Megacorp hadn't called at that moment before you swung your fist at me."

Sunset took a moment to wonder that very question herself, because she had summoned just a lot of power into her attack so she could have ended the fight between them and Angela before it had even started. She knew that the attack would have put Angela out of commission for some time, though the effects of the planet would have been much more devastating. She still remembered Gaspar, where she had used the spell for the first time, and the destruction she had accidentally caused when she had no control over her powers. The sad part was that she had to tell Angela something, though she had to wonder if her answer would be believable... which made her wish that she had a recording of what happened on Gaspar.

Unfortunately, most of Drek's video recordings had been purged shortly after his defeat, so there was no way to show Angela what she had done to the planet.

"I can only describe it in one word; destruction." Sunset replied, flexing her hand and summoning the spell from earlier, before relaxing and sending it away once more, "The spell, according to the people of Old Earth, is called Gekishin..."

"...meaning 'severe earthquake'..." Angela slowly said, now understanding how fortunate she was to have her friend call her when he had, "That's a dangerous power you have."

"I'll have to show you when we're done with our mission," Sunset commented, which was followed by Angela nodding her head, "and don't worry, I'll keep the truth about what you really are a secret until your ready to tell Ratchet. Though one day you'll have to tell me what happened to your tail."

After Angela somewhat agreed to that, even with Sunset promising to keep everything she learned a secret, they then spent the next ten minutes talking about something else; Ratchet. All the small questions that Angela asked merely told Sunset that she was definitely interested in her brother, which had been confirmed earlier while they had been waiting for Mr. Fizzwidget to arrive. Sunset would have found it odd that she was answering Angela's questions, but considering that they were possibly the last two of their kind she decided to be nice and not say anything about it.

When Ratchet and Starlight finally showed up near where the two of them were standing they seemed happy to see them, though it also lead to Angela shutting up almost immediately when she spotted Ratchet. When Ratchet asked what Angela was doing on Tabora he learned that she had forgotten to tell them something back on Siberius, which caught Starlight's interest as well. Sunset noticed a look that basically told her that Ratchet couldn't believe that she hadn't told them that Angela had arrived, but he seemed to cool of so he could see what she had to show them.

What she wanted to show them was the Megacorp Testing Facility, where Sunset assumed they would find some records on what the experiment had done before Angela had attempted to steal it. When the short video ended Angela moved to get into her ship and depart, but before she could do so Ratchet actually asked her if she wanted to tag along when they went to the next planet. Sunset knew that he was merely asking so that they could split up into two teams when they arrived on Dobbo, though she hid her smile when Angela blushed and hurriedly accepted the invitation, before getting into her ship and blasting off before anyone could stop her.

With Angela gone Sunset rejoined her siblings and they returned to the settlement, where she and Starlight got to work reassembling the ship that Mr. Fizzwidget had smashed, accidentally or not. Sunset had the feeling that they were going to learn some ugly truths when they reached Dobbo, but that was an unfortunate side effect of trying to save a galaxy from a threat. She only hoped that nothing from Solana would repeat itself in Bogon... otherwise she was sure that something bad was going to happen.

Comments

[Aria Blitz]

So Angela does have a crush on Ratchet... and she'll be joining the party on the next planet.
Its going to be interesting to see how she and Ratchet act together... when they're along and neither Sunset or Starlight will bother them.

[Sonata Blaze]

This answers some questions and raises some more. At least Angela will be sticking around instead of leaving like in the actual game.

[Vigilant of Stendarr]

This might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship (or something else) between Ratchet and Angela.

[Crescent Glaive]

what, where did this dude disappear?vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ratchet/images/a/a9/New_Ager.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/300?cb=20111005110619

[Aria Blitz]

7463902 Coffee break maybe? Or, in his case, maybe a cup of calming tea before he interacted with guests.

[dvdspires]

It sort of reminds me of what Megacorp did to think planet when they arrived

This.