Pete, better known by his nickname "Rusty Pete", is a minor antagonist in Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty (as well as the game's narrator), with cameos in A Crack in Time and Rift Apart. He is a space pirate and the first mate of Captain Slag's crew.
Pete was the right hand man of Slag, often appearing alongside his captain singing off-key pirate melodies or exchanging banter with him. Under Slag, he fought Ratchet and Clank when they came to the Polaris Galaxy, before warming to them after Slag's defeat. Pete remained ultimately loyal to Slag, first bringing him back using the late Captain Darkwater's body, and then going on to host a space radio show, Pirate Radio, with him. Pete later became a successful restaurateur, with establishments specializing in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Following Slag's retirement, Pete became the new captain of the space pirates.
In Rivet's dimension, an alternate counterpart of Pete, Pierre Le Fer, exists with his own space pirate crew.
History[]
Before Tools of Destruction[]
Rusty Pete was a space pirate of Captain Darkwater's crew, created by Percival Tachyon to scavenge materials to build his Imperial Army, and later abandoned on Praxus VII when he was finished.[1] Pete received GPS to help navigate the seas as a Hanukkah gift from his mother.[2] During annual holiday parties, Pete was given wedgies by a fellow crewmate named Fred, a pirate later killed in Slag's mutiny.[3]
Pete participated in Slag's mutiny against Darkwater at Morrow Caverns, and helped him hide Darkwater's ship somewhere in its caves, but as he was "sauced" at the time, did not remember where, and woke up three days later wearing an evening gown and spooning a kerchu.[4] When Slag killed Darkwater and became the new captain, Pete became the new first mate.
Tools of Destruction[]
Ratchet and Clank first encountered Pete in the Voron Asteroid Belt during "Battle the Space Pirates", in which he gave orders to the pirates.[5] Later, during "Find the Treasure Room", Pete encountered them on Ardolis, when he and Slag discovered Ratchet stealing the lombax artifact. After Slag commanded Pete to skewer Talwyn Apogee when she distracted them, Pete accidentally skewerd Slag's cannon balls.[6] Thereafter, Pete accompanied Slag again at the Rakar Star Cluster while chasing after Ratchet in "Evade the Pirate Fleet"; Pete demanded they return the lombax artifact, but noted that if they no longer had it, they could supply grog as a substitute.
When Ratchet tracked the Dimensionator to Kerchu City, Jasindu, Slag's fleet caught up to him at the Verdigris Black Hole on the way in "Escape from Slag's Clutches". Pete lamented that the pirates had not finished building a pub as Ratchet destroyed Pegasus Outpost, but nonetheless focused on traveling to Jasindu to reach it first.[7] At Kerchu City, after Ratchet and Clank defeated the kerchu guardian and obtained the device, Pete held Clank and threatened to murder him if Ratchet did not give it up, at which point Slag took it and traveled to the Ublik Passage.[8]
In "Defeat Captain Slag", Ratchet fought Slag, Slag demanding Pete help fight him, only for Pete to defer Slag's request to the "appropriate department" and send other pirates. When Slag's body was destroyed, he told Pete about the beauty of his near-death experience; Pete mourned his captain, before then acknowledging Ratchet as the new captain, naming him the "Dread Pirate Ratchet".[9] At the Apogee Space Station, Pete attempted to teach Captain Qwark to speak like a pirate.[10]
Quest for Booty[]
Rusty Pete encountered Ratchet and Talwyn in the Azorean Sea on Merdegraw, where he held onto Slag's head. In "Fight the Pirates", after the battle, Pete wore Slag's head to pretend to be Slag, and ordered the pirates to send them to Hoolefar Island instead of Morrow Caverns, helping them find the Obsidian Eye.[11] After catching a signal from him, in "Meet Rusty Pete at the beach", Pete met them there and offered to take them to Morrow Caverns by boat to find the Fulcrum Star needed to power the Obsidian Eye. He brought with him Slag's head, naming it "Slag on a Stick", now with his memory banks rerouted to his vocal processor, so he could guide them through.[12]
In "Find the body of Captain Darkwater", Pete led Ratchet to Darkwater's body, but betrated him, placing Slag's head inside Darkwater, reanimating both of them in a union that shared the same body due to Darkwater's curse. Pete tossed Ratchet the Combuster and Fusion Grenade to show there were "no hard feelings", but helped Slag and Darkwater and their crew of undead pirates.[3]
In "Recover the Fulcrum Star", Ratchet later defeated Slag and Darkwater in their fleet at the Azorean Sea. When Slag's head fell into the sea, Pete dived in to save it, and took hold of Slag's head, holding a crate. Pete narrated the game's events from a book, Slag interrupting at times. After finishing his story, Slag scolded Pete telling him that he had not wanted to hear the story the first time, demanding Pete row.[13]
A Crack in Time[]
Pete hosted Pirate Radio with Slag's head. The two broadcast advertisements, played songs, took requests, and reminisced about their days as space pirates.[14]
Pete at some point founded "Rusty Pete's School of Piracy", which was advertised on space radio, with Slag being one of the school's teachers. Its curriculum allowed students to major in grog brewing, pillaging, mast and bilge maintenance, revenge killing, and knot tying.[15] Pete also appeared in Slag's advertisement for a charity for "Decapitated Villains" paying respects to villains such as Osiris the Malevolent, Flint Vorselon, and himself.[16]
Around this time he also played a character named Slate McSteel in Captain Qwark's movie, My Blaster Runs Hot. He was the deuteragonist and a hardened district attorney/vigilante who partnered with Qwark to fight crime.[17] Pete's character was playable as player two in the arcade adaptation, My Blaster Runs Hot: The Game.[18]
All 4 One[]
Sometime prior to the events of All 4 One, Pete opened his own restaurant in Luminopolis on planet Igliak, named Rusty Pete's Healthy Hamburger Shack. According to Kip Darling, Pete's vegan-wheatgrass-and-tree-bark burger was a favorite of hipsters everywhere. The shack was destroyed after Dr. Nefarious unleashed a Light Eating Z'Grute, which proceeded to rampage through the city.[19]
Into the Nexus[]
A model of Rusty Pete appears in the pirate section of the Intergalactic Museum of History on planet Igliak in "Find the Dimensionator". Around this time, Slag retired from piracy to pursue a beatboxing career,[20] leaving Rusty Pete as the new captain of the pirates.[21]
Rift Apart[]
As captain of the space pirates, as of Rift Apart, Rusty Pete made a deal with the Galactic government, promising that they would only loot people when "nobody is looking".[21]
In "Navigate the Parade Route", Pete co-hosted the Festival of Heroes in Megalopolis, Corson V, alongside Captain Qwark and Skidd McMarx. Partway through, it was interrupted by Dr. Nefarious and his hired Goons-4-Less.
Characteristics[]
Appearances[]
Rusty Pete has a very slim appearance, being much thinner than Slag. He has a small face with large eyes, long thin arms and very short legs. His spherical shoulders can slide up and down the sides of his body. He did not appear very threatening, though he wields a blade in combat and possessed a double barreled gun.
Personality[]
Rusty Pete is a drunken pirate who sings pirate melodies off-key. Pete frequently hiccups during, before, and after most of his sentences, a possible side-effect of his grog. Pete is boastful, describing himself in his story as a "noble and true corsair, adored by women 'cross the galaxy", a line Slag said made the story a "work of fiction".[2] Pete strictly upheld the pirate code, showing shock when Slag violated it by wasting grog, and abiding by it when Ratchet were to become captain.[9]
In contrast to his captain, Rusty Pete is significantly less aggressive. Aside from holding Clank by the throat,[8] Pete more often commands pirates to fight in his steed, actively refusing to help Slag and sending other pirates instead during Slag's battle with Ratchet (showing a cowardly nature),[9] and even after betraying Ratchet, giving him weapons as a show of "no hard feelings".[3] Pete also put up with frequent verbal abuse from Slag, without responding.[14][13][a] Pete was also at one point a vegetarian.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Rusty Pete was voiced by Wally Wingert.
Pete is an unlockable skin in Tools of Destruction and Full Frontal Assault multiplayer.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ It is possible that Pete's timid nature compared to Slag is part of why he was kept around. Because Slag committed mutiny against Darkwater, it is possible that Slag wanted his own first mate to be weak and unlikely to commit mutiny against him.
Citations[]
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "IRIS Questions and Answers"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Quest for Booty script § "Travel to Morrow Caverns (gameplay)"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Quest for Booty script § "Find the body of Captain Darkwater (gameplay)"
- ↑ Quest for Booty script § "Morrow Caverns"
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "Battle the Space Pirates (gameplay)"
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "Find the Treasure Room"
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "Escape from Slag's Clutches (gameplay)"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tools of Destruction script § "Defeat the Kerchu Guardian (gameplay)"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Tools of Destruction script § "Defeat Captain Slag (gameplay)"
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "I'm Gonna Need More Grog"
- ↑ Quest for Booty script § "Fight the Pirates (gameplay)"
- ↑ Quest for Booty script § "Meet Rusty Pete at the beach (gameplay)"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Quest for Booty script § "Ending"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 A Crack in Time script § "Pirate Radio"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "Rusty Pete's School of Piracy"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "Decapitated Villains"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "My Blaster Runs Hot (Trailer)"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "My Blaster Runs Hot: The Game"
- ↑ All 4 One script § "Chase Down the Z'Grute (gameplay)"
- ↑ Into the Nexus script § "Find the Dimensionator (gameplay)"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Rift Apart menu § "Rusty Pete"
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2007). Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2008). Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2009). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2021). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.