Ratchet and Clank: The Starlight of Solana

by Blackdrag-rose

Arsenal: Zeldrin Starport

Angela stared at the Codex fragment that Courtney Gears had acquired, sifting through all the information that the piece contained while slowly coming to terms with what the former star had told her. The fragment contained the entirety of everything the people of Old Earth referred to as 'Star Wars', though everything meant all of the books that were on the subject and the various movies that had apparently been made to show what the stories were referring to. There was so much for her to learn about this mysterious, and previously unknown, culture that the people of Old Earth worshiped, which fascinated her to no end. She even found a section of the fragment that was dedicated to both the 'Jedi Order' and the 'Sith Lords', which revealed even more to her than she could have hoped for.

It was times like this that Angela was glad to have made the decision to step out of the shadows and join Ratchet in his adventures, because they had at least three fragments of the legendary Codex; as she had found two in the Bogon Galaxy before she had met the others. Her fragments had merely contained a section on music, which explained her strange ringtones whenever she was called, and an ever growing list of spells, which is how she assumed that Sunset and Starlight had first learned some of their more powerful spells. The Spell Fragment, as Angela called it, had been linked to a server that distributed the knowledge it contained throughout the universe, which was how Ratchet's sisters had been able to learn what they did.

Still, even with three fragments of the Codex found it wasn't enough, as there were likely almost a hundred more of them just waiting to be found, so that their information could be shared with the rest of the universe.

"Like, destroy all squishies! Dude!" a robotic voice said, causing her to snap herself out of her thoughts and stare at the robotic version of Skid, who acted the same way before he had been turned into a robot.

She felt bad for Skid, she really did, because all he was trying to do was save the Solana Galaxy from Nefarious, whose Biobliterator appeared to change organic life into robots. She was still surprised that the mad doctor had been able to perfect a method to perform such a change, but she was confident that Starlight would eventually find a way to reverse the transformation. If Starlight could figure out how to stop Searing, and somehow transform Sunset into a pony like herself, then Angela was sure that she would be able to help Skid in the future... once they were done with Nefarious.

Still, hearing her robotic friend constantly speaking of 'destroying all squishies' was getting old real fast, which made her moan as she turned the volume down on the cell that Skid was standing in.

"How is the research going?" Ratchet asked, stepping into the room that Angela was sitting in, to which his girlfriend turned around to face him for a moment.

"Not too bad actually," Angela admitted, tapping the Codex fragment for a moment, "There's so much information stored on this one piece than either of the two that I found in the Bogon Galaxy... and I can't help but study everything that it contains."

"I'm sure that my sisters would agree with you," Ratchet commented, letting out a chuckle as he stared at the fragment, "We should be at the Phoenix in a few hours, so you'll be able to get some research done before we arrive... and then see what Qwark's next insane plan is."

"Sadly, that will likely involve him asking Sunset to destroy something."Angela said, letting out a sigh as the thought crossed her mind, which she was sure Ratchet was also thinking about, "To be completely honest I'm still surprised that Nefarious even wanted to continue this war of his, especially after what Searing did at Kavu Island. If I had been in Nefarious' shoes, and had seen that destruction like he had, I would have called the entire war off, paid for any and all damages that I had caused, and submit myself to prison."

"Nefarious doesn't understand what Sunset is capable of doing when she's overtaken by Searing's power," Ratchet said, though he could imagine what would happen if Nefarious was forced to face Searing in a one on one battle, "All I can hope for is that Qwark doesn't ask Sunset to do anything stupid... otherwise there's no telling what my sister will do to that man."

Angela nodded her head to that statement, because she was well aware of what Sunset could do to a person when she was consumed by the demonic power that was trapped inside of her. She just hoped that Qwark wasn't a fool the next time they saw each other... otherwise she was sure that someone was going to end up with a broken arm.

---

When the Hyperion entered the space around the Phoenix, and the group crossed over to the other ship, Ratchet noticed something odd almost immediately; the ship that had Qwark's logo on it was nowhere to be seen. It made them all wonder if one of the other members of the Q Force had been sent out on a mission, which was highly unlikely considering who they were thinking about, before they decided that Qwark must be up to something. Ratchet was fine with Qwark not being in the immediate area, because it meant that Sunset could finally have a breather and not have to worry about the foolish captain asking her to blow something up.

He also noticed that the four Rangers that Sunset had outfitted, the four that resembled a cross between a dragon and a Galactic Ranger, were busy training the next batch of Rangers that would be joining them soon. He guessed that he and his family might not be needed to lead any assaults against Nefarious' forces anytime soon, considering how much damage even one of the four modified Rangers could cause on their own. When they reached the bridge, however, they noticed that Sasha was pacing as if something was bothering her, which Ratchet assumed that there was something on her mind.

That was also before he took note that there was something on the screen that was about Zeldrin, which meant that she must have found something about the starship that Nefarious told Clank about.

"Its about time that you guys returned," Sasha commented, turning to face them as they entered the bridge, "We finally found Nefarious' starship, the Leviathan, at the Zeldrin Starport, but the moment we found it Qwark ran off with the monkey... so I suspect that he's already on his way there."

"Great, and in the process he's likely tipped off Nefarious to the fact that we've discovered its location," Sunset said, letting out a sigh as she looked at the screen, "Though, judging by the look on your face when we entered, I take it there was something else that you discovered... something that Qwark doesn't know about."

"There's a second Leviathan sitting in the middle of the space between the Starport and the planet of Zeldrin," Sasha told them, bringing up the image she was referring to, revealing that there was a second ship near where Qwark was heading, "Nefarious fully believes that Sunset is going to appear and destroy one of them, which is why he's gone and set up a decoy before your arrival... and Qwark has no idea that there's a second ship."

"Which means we can trick him into agreeing not to ask Sunset to destroy anything ever again," Ratchet said, his eyes lighting up for a moment, "Come on, we had better catch up with him... before he does something stupid."

"I'm going to sit this planet out and study the Codex fragment," Angela said, causing Ratchet to raise an eyebrow for a moment, but he knew that it was something she was interested in and didn't even bother to try and talk her into joining them, "I should be done by the time you guys return from the Starport."

Ratchet nodded and departed from the bridge with his sisters, leaving Angela standing beside Sasha and the rest of the Q Force, who became interested in Angela the moment she mentioned the Codex.

"You found a fragment of the infamous Codex?" Al asked, as if he couldn't believe what Angela had told them, while his eyes betrayed his interest in the subject.

"Yes, and it holds the entire lore on something called 'Star Wars'," Angela replied, holding the fragment up for a moment, "So, who wants to see what the fragment has in store? I'm thinking of a movie night of sorts."

The moment she mentioned seeing what the fragment had in store for them, and the various movies that were stored on it, the group burst into action and started gathering everything. She had told Ratchet that she would be studying the fragment, and that part was try, but she was more interested in seeing what the various movies she had spotted could tell them. She was sure that Ratchet and his sisters could handle whatever madness that Qwark would ask of them, which allowed her to smile as she slipped the fragment into a holding cell and started up one of the various movies.

---

Ratchet and his sisters arrived at the Starport a few hours after departing from the Phoenix, where Clank informed them that the second Leviathan was where Sasha had spotted it. From what they could determine the first Leviathan was empty of people, machines, and pretty much everything else, essentially making it a shell of a ship. It was basically a trap for them, not doubt set up to explode the moment someone like Qwark stepped foot on it, but at the moment they knew that the trap didn't matter to much. The moment they landed in the Starport, and climbed out of their ship, they immediately spotted the ship that Qwark used when he traveled from planet to planet and wasn't using the Phoenix.

Qwark and his monkey were already there, apparently ending an argument before they could even approach, so whatever they were talking about was lost on them.

"Its about time you arrived," Qwark said, waving a hand towards them as they approached him, though they all knew who he was really talking to, "So, Nefarious is aboard the Leviathan and is likely expecting our arrival... but I think its time we put an end to this game. What price do I have pay in order to get you to destroy the Starship?"

"All I ask is that you stop asking me to destroy everything." Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her face for a moment, though it was clear that Qwark had no idea why she was doing so, "I get rid of the Leviathan and you stop asking me to use Searing's powers. That's all."

Ratchet, Starlight, Clank, and the monkey watched the two of them for a few minutes, wondering if Qwark was even going to agree to something like that, but Ratchet knew that the man would eventually take it. The offer was just too tempting, as every time Qwark asked Sunset to use her power she told him off, but this time she was offering no resistance and was actually offering her powers to him. He even noticed that Sunset was preparing for her attack before Qwark even agreed to the terms, as there was an aura that started to wrap around her. That was before Qwark let out a sigh, which told them all that he had made a decision regarding the offer that Sunset was presenting him with.

'I... agree to your terms," Qwark said in defeat, as if he wanted to use her powers in the future, but knew that this was the best chance to get rid of Nefarious in an instant before he could flee, "I'll let you do your thing."

Sunset smiled as she approached the airlock that the Leviathan would normally be docking at, which was currently open at the moment, and leapt into a position that allowed her to get the best view of the empty starship. She pointed her right hoof at the starship and let the magic gather around it, forming a sphere of energy that would get rid her target in a matter of seconds. She waited a few moments, allowing the power to gather, before releasing her magic, loosing a beam of magic that roared through space and collided with the side of the ship. Sunset then watched as the entire starship was consumed by her attack, the explosions tearing it to pieces and scattering the pieces between the Starport and the planet below them.

With the deed done she opened her wings and returned to the others, knowing that it was a matter of time until Nefarious decided whether or not to actually dock at the Starport.

"At last... the war is over," Qwark commented as Sunset returned to them, shaking his head as he prepared to climb into his own ship, "With Nefarious gone his army will scatter to the far corners of the Solana Gal..."

Starship Leviathan is now approaching the Starport, a robotic voice said, causing Qward to turn around and glare at them, as he realized that he had been tricked.

"You destroyed the wrong ship." Qwark stated, though it was clear that he wasn't too happy about Sunset missing the target and destroying something else in the process, "You didn't destroy the Leviathan."

"Oh, but I did," Sunset replied, a smirk appearing on her face as she stared at the captain, "Sasha and Al discovered that there was a second Leviathan in the area, so the ship I destroyed was actually Nefarious' decoy ship. You asked me to destroy the Leviathan, which I did without resistance... but am I to take your lack of appreciation as a sign that you wont honor your side of the agreement?"

Qwark stared at Sunset for a moment, but even the glance she was giving him was apparently enough to make him reconsider even fighting with her. Everyone knew that Qwark feared the demon trapped inside of her, and the power that she could wield when she was pissed off, so it was understandable that he would have buckled under her gaze eventually. Once Qwark admitted defeat he climbed into his ship with the monkey, to which Ratchet and Starlight joined them as Sunset remained behind in the Starport.

"Your not coming?" Clank asked, wondering why Sunset would stay behind when they had Nefarious trapped.

"Not enough room for another pony on that ship," Sunset commented, turning around so she could head back to their own ship, "and, to be honest, I don't want to sit next to Qwark. Just get into the ship, do whatever it is you need to do with Nefarious, and then get out quickly... because I have the feeling that he's likely rigged the ship to blow."

Clank nodded and climbed into the ship as well, to which Sunset watched the ship depart from the Starport and head in the direction of the actual Leviathan, where they would be able to figure out what Nefarious was planning.

Once the group was aboard the ship Qwark led the charge through the interior of the ship, alerting all of the enemies that had been positioned to protect Nefarious and causing them to open fire at the group. With the combination of Starlight's shields and her RY3NO, which she hadn't been able to use much after acquiring it, the first wave of attackers was easily dealt with. It took them some time to fight their way through the host of enemies that were in their path, as well as ride the elevator that would take them to the next level and fight the next wave of attackers.

Ratchet was eager to see what Nefarious was up to, though he was also slightly annoyed that Qwark was doing little more than just firing one shot at a time before ducking under the nearest cover. When they reached the second elevator they took a moment to gather themselves, as they had no idea what the expect when they reached the top of the shaft.

"Come in, gentlemen, we've been expecting you." a voice said as the group entered the bridge of the Leviathan, to which they discovered Lawrence standing there, though that was before he then turned to the captain's chair. "The riff raff have arrived, sir."

"Captain Qwark!" Nefarious said, turning his chair around so he could face the group, "You've put on a bit of weight since last we met. I see that the Goddess of Destruction isn't with you... a pity that is. It would have been funny to see her face when all of you met your end."

Ratchet knew that, if both he and Starlight met their end at the hands of one of their enemies, that Sunset would likely go berserk and lay waste to everything that rested between her and the person who got rid of them. He opened his mouth to make some retort to Nefarious' statement, to tell him that it was unwise to mess with his sister, but before he could do so Nefarious touched a button on his chair and the Leviathan started its self destruct sequence. That was then followed by the two robots teleporting out of the ship, to which Ratchet and Starlight began their trek back to the ship they had used to enter the Leviathan to begin with, while Qwark went to go raid the files that their enemy might have left behind.

When they reached their ship they noticed that there wasn't much time left in the countdown, and the fact that Qwark had yet to return, so Ratchet made the executive decision to launch them before the ship exploded. As they were ejected from the ship he, Starlight, Clank, and the monkey watched as the ship was ripped to pieces, but there were no signs of another ship leaving the wreckage of the Leviathan as the large ship descended towards the planet below. Ratchet was sure that Qwark was dead... though to be honest he was happy that he was finally out of the picture, because that meant that Sunset was free from him at last.

The downside to that was the fact that Searing couldn't kill Qwark anymore... which meant that she was likely going to be furious when they told her and Sunset that Qwark was dead. He only hoped that they could turn that anger on Nefarious, otherwise he was sure that there would be much more destruction in their future.

Comments

[Sonata Blaze]

Oh Searing isn't going to be happy when she hears the news...

[Aria Blitz]

So much for the starport... it kind of got skipped in a manner.
Oh well, guess that means we'll get to see what Nefarious is planning next.