The Morts are a mild-mannered race of creatures that appear in Rift Apart, residing in Rivet's dimension. They work on planet Sargasso in the Gelatonium factories that once belonged to the Kerchu and are longtime allies of Rivet. It is not known if they also exist in Ratchet's dimension as they are only seen in Rivet's. Their origins or homeworld are unknown.
History[]
Pre-Rift Apart[]
After the Kerchu were wiped out by Emperor Nefarious for misspelling his name on their tax returns, the Morts took over their jobs in maintaining their Gelatonium factories. As a child living on Sargasso, Rivet began working for the Morts, making delivery runs for their factories and through this came to grow a familial-like bond with them after many years. At some point years ago, a young Pterafoid Flyer that had fallen out of their nest was adopted by the Morts and raised by them. They named her Trudi and the creature developed a close relationship with both the Morts and Rivet. After joining the Resistance against the Emperor and his Empire, Rivet continued to use her foster home world of Sargasso as her home base of operations. Even though the Morts are officially neutral in the galactic conflict, they have been harbouring Rivet's status as a highly wanted fugitive for years and assist her with her equipment for missions.
Rift Apart[]
The Goons interrogating the Morts at their Gelatonium factory for the location of their bounty.
After her mission to steal an Infobot in Nefarious City for the Resistance, Rivet escapes with it and abducts Clank, bringing them both with her back to Sargasso. Upon arriving the Morts make a distress call to Rivet that they are under attack from the Goons-4-Less, who have crossed into Rivet's dimension looking for their bounty targets; Ratchet and Clank. The Goons threaten the Morts, demanding to know where to find a Lombax, however they are confronted by Rivet and attack her for information on where to find Ratchet. Rivet hurries to the Morts' factory on a Speetle to save them, by following their helperbot named Maynard and defeats the Goon's forces that had taken her friends hostage. After taking Clank to her base, a Seekerpede scanning the planet for the missing Infobot breaks inside and mistakenly abducts Clank instead. Rivet chases it and after a fierce battle, the Seekerpede is left heavily damaged and the Nefarious Trooper pilot destroyed. Back at the factory, Clank is able to repair a dimensional anomaly that some Morts were trapped inside and Rivet reunites with a female Mort, whom she is particularly good friends with. Rivet gives the Mort a part she had acquired from the Space Pirates at Zurkie's earlier needed to fix a ship to leave the planet.
Rivet meets up with the Mort and Trudi at the Gelatonium factory.
Rivet then travels back to Zurkie's for a signal booster to help Clank's damaged communicator contact Ratchet. At Zurkie's several Morts are seen at the ship refuelling depot, conversing with eachother and inside Zurkie's Gastropub as patrons, drinking, spectating the Battleplex fights and riding the mechanical Plains Beast, bucking machine. Upon leaving, Rivet gets a message from a male Mort to come back to Sargasso for an optional mission to help Trudi with a problem she has. Rivet has known this particular Mort ever since she was a kid and worked many delivery runs for him to save up enough money to buy her own residence. Trudi needs to eat fruit known as Zurpstones, she is too weak however to get them herself and the Mort requests Rivet to help collect some for her to eat. After collecting thirty zurpstones the Mort rewards Rivet with Ranger tactical pants and that she can ride on Trudi to fly around Sargasso quickly. After forty-five, Trudi obtains a fireball shooting ability and with all sixty he will give Rivet a Spybot. After this the Mort informs Rivet that the reason for Trudi's large appetite is she is pregnant, which overjoys Rivet, to which she plans to throw a huge baby shower.
Morts piloting the repaired Seekerpede to defend Sargasso from the Emperor's invasion.
Later when Emperor Nefarious acquires the newly built Dimensionator, he decides to fight Rivet on her home grounds and invades Sargasso with his armies to destroy it. Rivet arrives with Kit and saves the Morts from the invading Troopers. The Morts reveal to Rivet that they have fixed the Seekerpede she fought earlier and have restored it to working order, however it is partially stuck inside a dimensional anomaly. Kit is able to fix the anomally, freeing the Seekerpede and allowing the Morts piloting it to provide Rivet with assistance in stopping the Emperor's Battle Cruisers. Whilst Rivet is destroying a Cruiser, a Mort informs her that they have locked onto Kit's signal and have sent Trudi to help fly them over the area, the remaining Cruisers then begin using their Destruct-o Beams to break through the planet's crust and destroy it's core. The Morts use the Seekerpede to distract the Mothership, to allow Rivet the opportunity to destroy the Cruisers with Trudi before they can blow up the planet. After the Emperor orders the Cruisers to put up their shields, the Morts inform Rivet they have constructed bombs out of their Gelatonium stashes that can help her break through the shields and take out the ships. Eventually though, the Seekerpede is shot down by the Emperor's forces whilst providing a distraction, but Rivet is successful in flying Trudi to use the bombs in stopping the Cruisers from destroying the planet. The Morts then welcome Rivet and Kit back and celebrate their victory.
Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit having a picnic with the Morts on Sargasso after the events of Rift Apart.
When Rivet travels to Zordoom Prison to break Ratchet, Clank, Kit and her Resistance friends out, several Morts are seen inside the processing centre and in cells. Rivet recognizes a male Mort with his cellmates and he admits they got caught a couple of days ago for breaking curfew. They are eventually freed along with all the other prisoners. A Mort is later seen in Megalopolis along with the newly allied Goons-4-Less members celebrating the defeat of Emperor Nefarious and the reparation of the dimensions. In the ending credits of Rift Apart, Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit are seen having a picnic on Sargasso together with the Morts.
Characteristics[]
Behavior and Society[]
Finalized Mort art.
The Morts are an exceedingly friendly and productive race of short mammal-like creatures. They have a rather close-knit and sociable sense of community, throwing parties and making entertainment for each other. They host weekly Saturday Night Swamp Socials and one such Mort had previously made Kazoos for everyone at the outpost. Similar to Rivet, the Morts have also adopted Sargasso as their homes and have grown a great love for the planet, so much so they are willing to fight against the Emperor's forces for it's survival. Their penchant for being cordial makes them terrible at lying, as noted by Rivet. Even when the Goons-4-Less had taken them hostage and were threatening to shoot them, a Mort helped a Goon with his counting difficulties. Although they are not able bodied fighters they are very loyal to their allies and will use whatever technical capabilities they can muster to help them, even in battles. They have a distinct like for lemonade, which they brew and consume considerable amounts of, with them also supplying to Rivet, as much as she wants. They have also been developing a new recipe for limeade.
Mort anatomy.
All of their race physically look extremely similar to each other, even between males and females, with them not possessing individual names and instead referring to everyone of their race by the name Mort. The only immediate notable distinction between male and female Morts seem to be their voices. Regardless of all this, they are still able to differentiate each other, an ability Rivet has developed as well after her many years of sharing customs with them. They all speak with thick Minnesota sounding accents.
A particular Mort that goes by the name Big Mort, is referred to multiple times by other Morts but does not appear themselves. Rivet and Trudi had previously snuck into one of Big Morts game nights and Trudi seems to frequently heckle them at the Mort's Saturday Night Swamp Socials. At Zurkie's, Big Mort had been trying to enter the Battleplex multiple times and a week before the events of Rift Apart had shaved off all their fur so they would not be recognized; although this led to them catching a cold and being bedridden since.
Engineering abilities[]
Mort concept art.
The Morts are also rather skilled engineers, maintaining the Kerchu's old Gelatonium factories and helping Rivet build her equipment, with her providing them needed parts from Space Pirates and her connections in the Resistance. They were able to repair the Seekerpede Rivet had almost destroyed and restored it back to full working order for use in defending the planet. They also created powerful bombs out of their Gelatonium stashes that can destabilize protective energy shields. They rival the Kerchu themselves in terms of productiveness, however they are a simple race and seem to lack the ambitious drive to create their own megastructures. They seem resigned to their roles as maintenance workers and enjoying the simpler aspects of life.