Before Rift Apart (Complete)

For The Sake of Life

Planet Ardolis, Cerullean Sector, Pirate Base, 1 week later

Phantom was standing in the doorway looking at a sleeping Rivet. She's been under medical sleep since she was found and returned here at the Pirate Base's medical bay. There was still no word on the two men looking over her when she made it to Club Nefarious injured, but alive. It was as if they did not exist, and with the hacking skills of someone like Phantom it was hard to believe how off the grid they were. The more immediate problem was wether or not Rivet would accept the loss of her arm.

Even for pirates, the doctors here were pretty good. But they couldn't save the arm. Phantom asked Rivet be put under medical sleep until he can figure out some way to tell her and break the news. Pierre, while usually the fool of the group made the point that there really is no easy way to tell someone such a thing, especially Rivet. She would either adapt or she wouldn't. Phantom felt uneasy about this notion. Rivet needs to adapt. She has to. Rivet is needed right now more than ever, even if she may not see it yet.

For the last week everyone Rivet knew even in just passing went to her, figuring sitting with her would be of some kind of help. Clatchky, MoyDoy, Phantom and even Pierre all talked about some way to comfort her about her missing arm to her even though she wasn't listening. Pierre had also talked about some new mysterious Captain that took control of the pirates recently. This Captain went by the name of Captain Quantum. Pierre thought the name was stupid, and he swore up and down he had heard Rivet giggle when Pierre said the name.

After the first week was finally over, Phantom took Pierre's advice and chose to have the doctors wake Rivet up. He held a stunner to his hip in case Rivet wasn't in the best of moods. Phantom imagined even with a missing arm that Rivet could probably still kill a room if she chose to. Rivet started to breathe a little louder and blink a little as she started to wake up from the injection she was given. She looked around until she set her eyes on Phantom. He looked at her and she looked back at him and Rivet sat up.

Rivet smiled sleepily as she looked at him, Phantom waved at her. Rivet attempted to wave back but she looked to realize her arm was missing. Phantom half expected a scream or some kind of reaction, but instead Rivet seemed to be at some kind of peace. Even she found it strange, but it was true. She smiled more and went over the edge of the bed. "So... I miss anything?" Rivet asked. Phantom shook his no and went over to make sure she was ok. Once it was established that she was fine, Phantom decided to give Rivet some space and walk out.

She laid down and looked up at the ceiling and smiled to herself with a slight purr. Rivet was already thinking of what she might do next. Getting a new arm would be a good start among other things. Suddenly she got excited. "Oh! I can MAKE one!" She smiled more to herself. Rivet got up and let herself sit there a moment due to how dizzying suddenly getting up was, and then went off to find her personal workshop she built for whenever she had to make the Resistance something useful.

When she got to her shop she was surprised to see everything was exactly as she left it. Rivet was able to get to work right away. Despite her need to recover she would not rest, eat or sleep in any way until the work was done. She had come up with several prototypes, but in the end she finally had a design she was satisfied with. Now she just had to pick a color besides the basic metal. She then remembered what little she could about the robot who had attacked her. Rivet leaned over and grabbed a paint can and started spraying her new arm.

Her new arm would be yellow as a reminder of the robot who took her arm, as well as to remind her she is alive and well, and she's all the better for it. She had made the arm, as well as the connector for it. Now all she needed to do was find someone able to attach the connector without killing her out right. Considering they are all robots, Rivet figured the best ones to ask would be them. Only one was willing and able to do as she had asked, and so it was done that night.

The next day Rivet had been back to work, almost forgetting what had happend it seemed. She drowned herself in the work as she always did. Phantom was unsure of her behavior all things considering, it was an extremely traumatic event to lose her arm like that. "You alright Rivet...?" He asked her. She looked over and smiled. "Sure am! Why wouldn't I be?" He thought about how to bring it up. "Your arm Rivet." She smiled more and waved with her new arm. "Works like a charm. Probably the best thing I ever came up with!"

Phantom was satisfied that she was happy. Rivet seemed genuine, not a single act of deciet, self ot otherwise behind her eyes. "The experience taught me something. I think I always knew it, and you even sorta tried to tell me..." Rivet seemed happy still, but now in thought of her next words. "What did it teach you Rivet?" Phantom asked her. She looked up and smiled. "Life for the sake of life, means nothing." She said. Phantom was confused, maybe even concerned at her wording. But she seems to believe what she said was a good thing.

"Where did you hear that from?" Phantom asked. Rivet finished working on her hammer as she thought for a moment. During her moments when she thought she was going to die, Rivet remembered hearing Layden's voice. He said he was proud of her. He had said something else but at the time she couldn't make it out. She remembered it now. "For someone who fights for others, life for the sake of life, means nothing if we can't uphold ourselves to the standards necessary." Rivet said to Phantom. He still had no idea what it meant, but he let it pass for now.

"What will you do now Rivet?" He asked her, genuinely curious. Rivet thought about it for a few moments and then looked over. "I'll do what I do best. Be in the Resistance, kick robo butt, and maybe stop by that new hideout of ours. What's it called again?" Phantom smiled. "Zurkie's Bar." Rivet nodded. "That's the one. It'll be interesting to check out one of these days. Until then... Got some time?" Phantom gave a nod. Rivet then started talking about some grand adventure they could go on soon, so long as Phantom was willing to go.

Then they set a course to look for new Resistance base locations.