All characters except a few lombaxes belong to Insomniac Games. And please don't be angry! This is just based off of my own imagining of what happened before the movie or reboot!

Have I told you about my friend? Clever young lad with a lot of heart and spirit. He was born in the Polaris Galaxy, where we met. Now, he lives over in Solana as one of its protectors. His name is Kaden Gizmin… well, it was Kaden Gizmin. *chuckle* The universe now knows him as "Ratchet".

Oh, you think that's impossible? You think that I'm lying? I can see why, as most of you had either seen the movie or played the game, that Ratchet was an orphan infant raised by the tusk fongoid Grimroth. Well, my readers, that is far from the truth. You must be very confused now. Allow me to explain. It all started almost four years ago…

Orvus didn't normally leave the Great Clock for business, but a temporal abnormality on the planet Fastoon that could only be fixed manually was an issue he needed to mend. The Zoni leader went down to the planet's surface, desert like and yet populated. He chuckled as he watched the lombaxes below going on with their lives. Orvus saw this feline-canine race in all ages, infant kits to seniors. Boy, could lombaxes live a long time, up to 140 years last he counted./span/p

His sense of picking up abnormalities took the Zoni to the Court of Azimuth, the lombax city's courthouse. The courthouse was more used as a lecture hall for new inventions than an actual courthouse, though. He had snuck inside time to time to see what these advanced creatures came up with next. Some worried him and some made him laugh on the inside. These inventors could be so creative and funny, and that was why Orvus liked coming here.

The situation was different this time, however. Orvus seated himself behind a pillar in the main room, a dome shaped chamber that was used as the lecture hall. As usual, the lombax council was seated in their respective seats and observing the young inventor below. Said lombax was one Orvus recognized immediately and he chuckled a bit. He should've guessed that this lombax would get his attention when it came to the space time continuum. This lombax had come here at least 15 times last Orvus counted for a year, and he was pretty young for a future engineer, only maybe 15 in standard years. Other than that, he knew that his name was Kaden.

The lombax was slightly shorter than the rest of his people his age and dressed more like a five star mechanic, if there was such a thing. His fur was a lush yellow, almost gold in the light, with copper brown stripes on his triangular ears, arms and tail. The pilot cap on his head kept the longer strands of fur out of his face. The feline had green eyes that just glowed with confidence and determination. That was the best part about this youngster in Orvus's mind, which made him probably always looking forward to seeing him./span/p

Orvus kept silent as the Council discussed the invention next to Kaden. Apparently, this latest invention was a time bomb glove, capable of slowing or speeding time itself. So that's where the destabilization was coming from. The fact that the mechanic could create such a device astonished him. Orvus had seen this lad grow with each time he came to Fastoon. Maybe one day, he would recruit the lombax to work at the Great Clock.

The Head Councilor spoke after minutes of debate and discussion. Orvus's grin nearly dropped at the older lombax's tone, but he lit up again when the Councilor praised the young genius and it was decided that he would get the job at working at the Solana Galaxy colony on Veldin. The Zoni could see Kaden's beaming face as he politely thanked the council for accepting his application and promising not to disappoint his peers at the colony.

You see, Fastoon had become so advanced that there was a kit boom a few decades back that made the planet close to overpopulated. So after much research and deliberation, the council came to the decision that a small percentage of the population shall colonize on a planet similar to Fastoon in the Solana Galaxy known as Veldin. Only the smartest minds in the survival field and best trained soldiers were sent to the "mud ball" as it was called sometimes. So far, the colonies were successful, some even going out to more planets in Veldin's system. But even now, the council had to decide who would be sent to Solana. Kaden had been aiming to work with minds not of other lombaxes and learn more about other galaxies and so worked hard to get to where he was. Orvus had to say that he was proud of him for reaching such heights for someone so young. He decided to pardon him of disrupting time this one time.

"How did it go, Kaden?" a lombax much older than Kaden with cream white fur and mahogany stripes asked as the inventor descended the stairs to the court. This lombax was dressed in the orange and brown armor of the Lombax Praetorian Guard. Orvus knew this soldier as Alister Azimuth, Four-Bolt Magistrate of the Lombax Praetorian Guard, Elder Councilman for Advanced Lombax Research, and Kaden's godfather. Azimuth couldn't attend the presentation because of that last note.

"To be honest…" the yellow lombax started, pretending to be downcast. Orvus smiled and chucked. Then, Kaden was exploding with joy. "I got it, Al! I'm finally going to Veldin!"

"Ha! I knew you'd make it! Those other councilors couldn't keep denying your genius forever!" The adult slapped his back, but Kaden quickly recovered. "So when ya heading out?"

"In two days on the Polaris-Solana shuttle to Metropolis, Kerwan. Then, it's a short ship ride to Veldin."

"So soon?"

"They said they needed the mechanics. So if I could start right away, I'd be guaranteed more time there."

"You always were a tinker type of lombax, and a bit trigger happy." Kaden gave Alister a deadpan look as the older feline laughed.

"Very funny, Alister. They are allowing me to take a combustor for defense. Space pirates are rare in that galaxy, but you never know."

"Of course, of course."

"Kaden Maetro Gizmin!" a female voice shouted. The two froze in horror and their fur stood on end. A beautiful lombax woman with sparkling blue eyes, harvest gold fur with a braid, and wearing a sky blue sundress and white sandals. Despite her beauty though, she looked scary with her face in a glare. The two males cautiously turned to meet the woman and they smiled nervously.

"Heh heh, hey mom," Kaden said, hiding his grenade glove behind him. "Wh-what brings you to the court?"

"You, that's what brings me! I thought I told you that you are not to be showing the council any of your experiments or inventions! And yet, there I was about ten minutes ago getting a call from the secretary that my son is heading to another galaxy in two days! You distinctly disobeyed me and your grandmother about this matter!" From where he was watching, Orvus chuckled.

"N-now Lyoko, Kaden simply wants to help lombax kind continue to thrive," Alister tried to defend his godson. "And sadly, his expertise and mind would go to waste here on Fastoon. Besides, the colonies in Solana are in need of mechanical specialists and Kaden is perfect for the job."

"I don't care if you are on the council, Alister! You should be more in mind that your godson will be put in eminent danger!"

"I'm bringing a combustor, mom! The worst on Veldin are those weak toads that you can knock out just by kicking 'em! Trust me, I did my research. Ask dad."

"Research or not, you are not going to Solana until your 20s! Plus, all this holing yourself in the garage and your room has kept you single for years! Think what holing yourself away from here will do to you!" Alister smirked at the shorter lombax and the teenager groaned as his ears fell.

"Mom, not this again. I've said it a million times, I'm just not connecting at all with any girls my age. At least those here."

"Well, at least give that Artemis gal a chance! You know she's all over you!"

"This is not a discussion to be done outside the courthouse, mom! Besides, Artemis is nice, but I don't see her as a potential girlfriend! Sorry, but that's the truth!" Lyoko sighed at her stubborn son. In her mind, he was too much like his father when they were Kaden's age. The Zoni remembered that well.

Crow Boltan Gizmin in his youth was always looking forward to getting into danger and adventures as far as Orvus knew. He was a daredevil on crazy levels, always doing dangerous stunts on hoverboards and hoverboots. It always surprised him and Lyoko how he never broke his neck or an ear. Crow was also very rebellious and did things the way he wanted to and at his own pace. But just like Kaden, he wasn't doing this routine solely for fun. Crow had been training himself to be brave and confident in life threatening situations. That was how he made it into the Praetorian Guard as Alister Azimuth's right hand man and best friend, the Four-Bolt Magistrate not much older than he was. So when Kaden was born, he named him that name for "companion". That's why he was born in the first place.

"Very well. We'll finish this talk with your father present at home." She gave the two males a small smile. "Alister, you're free to join us for dinner. It is Roasted Leviathan Tail tonight." Orvus always found it interesting that lombaxes actually eat parts of vicious creatures. Basilisk Leviathan was becoming the rage on Fastoon.

"I would love to join. You always roast the tails just right, Lyoko. Besides, I don't feel like ordering takeout tonight."

Please R&R!