Transformers
Chapter 4
Thundercracker walked into the control room where Starscream was working. The lead Seeker had been working nonstop to get their main computers back up. The rest of his science team were either captured by the Autobots or died in the crash. So he was alone in his endeavor.
It took him a few megacycles but he managed to get it running again. Megatron didn’t allow Starscream a moment’s rest and pushed him to find a source of energon, which was the reason for Thundercracker’s visit.
“I brought you some energon cakes,” he said as he approached Starscream.
“Put them over there,” Starscream pointed to a nearby table.
“Any luck?”
Looking over his shoulder at his longtime friend, Starscream answered. “We are stuck on an organic ball of dirt with limited resources and we have to use them to make enough energon to get us home. This is a nightmare. I have some ideas to use the underwater currents to create energy but that will take too long for Megatron’s liking.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Thundercracker attempted to sooth. He could see the strain on Starscream’s face. “You should recharge. Have some energon.”
With a heavy sigh, Starscream walked over and grabbed a cake. “Megatron will probably want us to scout this world ourselves as opposed to remaining hidden under water.”
“I agree,” Thundercracker nodded. Megatron wasn’t the type to sit idly by. He would want to go out into the world and take what he needed. Of course he wouldn’t be reckless with it. Thundercracker suspected that they would have to alter their alt forms and avatars to fit into this world. It wouldn’t be the first time they had had to do it. There were plenty of organic planets out in the vast universe. Megatron had even destroyed a few. “I wonder if he will leave this planet in one piece.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t even know yet,” Starscream replied.
Almost as if he was summoned by the fact that they were talking about him, Megatron entered the room. “Starscream, What do you have to report?” He looked at the energon cake in Starscream’s hand. “And it better be good.”
“We will be able to create energon from this planet’s resources,” Starscream answered. “The water currents will generate some energy and I have located a pocket of what the indigenous people on this planet call oil. After looking at the chemical composition of the oil I have come to the conclusion that it will be possible to make energon from it as well. There are other pockets of the oil on this world that the indigenous people are unable or unwilling to get to. It will take some time but we should be able to stockpile enough energon to get us off the spinning rock.”
“Good,” Megatron smiled. “Is there anything else you would like to report?”
“Not at this time,” Starscream answered.
Nodding Megatron turned to leave but stopped and looked at Starscream. “I can’t help but feel that you are forgetting something.”
“I can’t think of anything,” Starscream replied.
“You did it again,” Megatron turned and walked towards Starscream. “Now I wonder if it is intentional or if you are really that stupid. Maybe a little bit of both, hmm?”
Starscream glanced at Thundercracker, searching for a clue. Shaking his head Starscream looked at Megatron. “I don’t know.”
“You are forgetting the proper way to address me,” Megatron growled.
Tilting his head to the side, Starscream’s confusion spilled out into his words. “I will remember to properly address you from now on…, Megatron.”
Megatron shook his head. “Still not quite right.”
Starscream crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, for someone who touts equality for all you sure have put yourself up on a pedestal.”
Without warning Megatron struck, backhanding Starscream across the face and sending him to the floor. “Do you need another lesson?” Megatron growled.
“No, Lord Megatron,” Starscream answered, keeping his head down and his arm raised, defensively while the other one covered his spark.
A satisfied smirk spread across Megatron’s face. Without another word he turned and left. Thundercracker waited a few nanokliks before moving over to help Starscream stand. “Why, Starscream? Why must you always antagonize him?”
Starscream shook his head, “I don’t know.”
…..
Bumblebee walked in to find Mirage sitting at Teletran One, going through images of humans. “What are you doing?” Bumblebee asked.
Mirage sighed and without looking up answered, “Selecting my avatar. Wheeljack designed them all to be so… plain. I need mine to be unique, special, like me.”
“They are plain for a reason, Mirage,” Bumblebee said. “We can’t stand out in a crowd, we need to blend in and be inconspicuous. Your flamboyance will have to be put on hold for a while.”
Mirage turned his head to look at Bumblebee, “Your words hurt.”
Bumblebee chuckled, “You’ll survive.”
Cliffjumper entered the room and held up a jeweled necklace, “How does this look? Do you think the humans will like it?”
They needed supplies to continue repairs and had discovered that they could purchase all that they needed if they sold the gold and gems that they had. They were fortunate that they had a few on hand and that the humans valued them so highly. They just needed to make them into items that they could sell without raising suspicion.
“It’s very nice,” Bumblebee said as he considered the necklace. “Who would have guesses that Gears was such a talented artist? Hopefully, once we sell what we have we will have enough to buy what we need. How many more do you have to make?”
“Gears has plans for two more necklaces and three rings,” Cliffjumper answered.
“Good,” Bumblebee nodded. “We will need to break up into teams and sell them at different locations.”
“Or you can skip all of that and sell them on a place the humans call, ‘online’ at a place called, ‘ebay’,” Mirage chimed in. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper turned to look at him and Mirage shrugged. “What? I’ve been studying up on the humans. It is only right for someone who is a social elite like myself to know the ins and outs of the local scene, no matter how dreadful.”
“I will run that idea by Optimus,” Bumblebee said. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Mirage said, turning his attention back to the images on the computer.
…
“Why was it kept a secret?” Tracks asked Opal.
“What?”
“Why wasn’t it known that the females were the ones who created the sparks?”
They were studying how to find good connections and Tracks was learning more about the inner workings of a bot than he ever wanted to know. But there were still a lot of unanswered questions that were plaguing him.
Opal shrugged, “It wasn’t something that was really a secret, at least it wasn’t in the beginning. It was the whole reason the creator sparks were placed in to female forms, so that we could be identified. Problems started when bots showed favoritism to the sparks that they sired. So we stopped telling them which ones were theirs. In time it was forgotten since we kept the whole process out of the view of the males and never told them when an infant spark was formed. We didn’t see any reason to remind them, until it was too late.”
“Would it really be so harmful to tell the others?” Tracks asked. “If they understood then maybe they will be a little kinder in the way they view us.”
“I know you’re worried, Tracks, but Optimus knows so we have nothing to worry about.”
Tracks looked down at the tablet in his hand and the schematics on the screen reminded him of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. “How come Sunstreaker and Sideswipe call themselves ‘brothers’? Do you think they know?”
Opal shook her head. “They call each other brother because they are rare twin sparks, two sparks that are created with one spark touch. When they are formed they orbit one another within the secondary spark chamber. They are inseparable while in Vector Sigma and are placed in protoforms at the same time. The protoforms then emerge at the same time and the basic instinct that is driven by the spark keeps them together. It became common practice to call such bots ‘brothers’, one of the few things that hadn’t been forgotten.”
“Interesting,” Tracks mumbled, looking back down at the tablet.
“Warning though,” Opal said, causing Tracks to look up. “A spark touch with a twin spark increases your chances of having twin sparks so make sure you have room for two. And remember that even though you can spark touch every time now, doesn’t mean that you should. Make it a rare treat. It takes a toll on us and drains our sparks a little to make a new one. It needs time to regenerate. Do it too often you can weaken your spark to the point that it will no longer be able to support your body and return to the All Spark.”
Tracks nodded, “I understand. Limit the spark touch.” He continued his studies as Opal analyzed some oil samples. He was fascinated to learn that no matter the size of the bot, the sparks were all the same size. The amount of energy that a spark created determined the size of the bot. A weaker spark in a large bot frame would be unable to sustain the life. A stronger spark in a small body would… be like Frenzy, a lot of energy with nowhere to go. For the first time, Tracks felt sorry for Soundwave’s creation.
“What will happen to the infant spark within me?” Tracks asked. “Will I have to make a body for it? I warn you, I have no skill in making bodies.”
“The sparks we create will be placed in to protoforms,” Opal answered. She looked up as Tracks placed his hand over the secondary spark chamber. “It will be alright.” She stood, holding a vile of oil. “I think I found the oil we need to run the spa. Do you want to run it to Prowl for me?”
“Sure,” Tracks placed the tablet on a nearby table. “I need a break.” He took the small container from her and headed out of the room but stopped just outside the door and looked back. “I don’t have a roommate anymore. He died in the crash. Do you want to move into my habitat suite with me? That way it will be just us girls.”
Opal chuckled, “I would like that, thank you.”
…
Out of all his seekers, Starscream only trusted Thundercracker and Skywarp. They had been with him for most of his life, meeting back when they were still protoforms and they had remained loyal to him. Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust were loyal only to Megatron. So when Starscream picked up a faint distress signal coming from the frozen north, he entrusted Thundercracker and Skywarp to go with him to investigate.
It was a familiar signal, one he had not seen since his years in Nova Cronum. He told Megatron that he was going to investigate a potential pocket of the crude oil. One that was impossible for the humans to get to due to the sub-freezing temperatures.
The three seekers had taken on the form of old military jets and had used Soundwave to hack into the communications grid so that they would have the freedom they needed to fly. They used the guise of history enthusiasts who had restored some old army jets. They stayed low, below commercial airspace and followed the instructions of the humans in the air traffic control rooms.
They had nothing to fear from the people of this small, primitive planet but they knew that the Autobots were lying in wait, ready to attack if they stepped out of line. So they stayed inconspicuous and hidden.
It took them nearly an entire rotation of the planet to reach their destination. And when they transformed it was painfully obvious that the cold might prove too much to them as well. “Quickly,” Starscream ordered pointing to the hard ice. “We need to dig him up before we freeze ourselves.”
The three seekers worked to break away a thick lair of ice to reveal the frozen bot underneath. The question was, was he still alive?
