Starflower wandered through the vast blackness that surrounded Cybertron. She was not far from
Iakon, home of the autobots. After her crazy ordeal with the decepticons, she actually craved a place with
the autobots.
Stopping short of the main entrance to Iakon, Starflower was a bit reluctant to go inside. What would the
autobots say when they saw the decepticon logo on her shoulders, her optics, red like them? Then she
recalled Thundercracker and his stupid noisey recharging platform, Rumble and Frenzy being one with
Soundwave, though they swore they were not homo's.
"It's just as well." Starflower whispered harshly to herself. "The gay population wouldn't want them in their
midst anyway!"
She remembered the horrors of Blitzwing and his never-ending grinding of gears, Starscream's ill-fated
attempt to blind her, because he couldn't recharge without a zillion lights on. She frowned, shivering with
dread.
Lifting a hand, she pounded hard on the door to the entrance to Iakon and then waited nervously.
The door creaked open and Ironhide poked his head out.
"Can I help you?" he asked, raking his optics over her.
"I would like to join the autobots." she said simply.
"What can you do to contribute to the group?" he asked before letting her enter. "We can't just let anybody
join."
"I've been in decepticon headquarters." she said, hopeful. "Maybe I can let you in on some of their secrets."
"Like war plans?" Ironhide pressed. "Or Megatron's next plan for world domination?"
"Well...no." Starflower admitted. "But I do have alot of juicey gossip about most of them."
"Gossip?" Iron hide said, his optics wide with interest. "Why didn't you say so? Come on in."
Starflower breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ironhide inside.
The inside of Iakon was nothing short of glorious, but with a warm, friendly feeling...not cold like Dark Mount.
Ironhide lead Starflower into the main meeting room. The crowded group of autobots stopped to see who
was among their midst, Optimus Prime in the front.
"Optimus, this is Starflower." he introduced. "She wants to join the autobots and she has information about the
deceptigoons."
"Information on Megatron's next move?" Optimus asked, looking down at Starflower.
"Better than that." Starflower said quickly. "Dirty laundry."
"Ooooooooohhh." the crowd of autobots cooed in unison.
"Wonderful!" Optimus praised. "Let's hear it."
All the autobots gathered around Starflower.
"Thundercracker gets off on a recharge platform that hums and flashes colors just like a fullsize vibrator."
Starflower blurted out, anxious to get back at the decepticons that humiliated her.
"What's a vibrator?" Optimus asked, curious.
Starflower cringed, remembering that this was a differant planet and a differant culture. Did she really want to
explain the use of a vibrator and what most humans used them for?
"Nevermind." she said. "But he gets off on the colors and that noisey crap his recharge platform lets off."
"Wow. How do you know this?" Bumblebee asked, stepping aside to see.
"Because I had to recharge with him first and what a nightmare that was!" Starflower answered.
"Recharge with him?" Elita one chimed, hands clutched to her throat. "You poor girl!"
"No kidding." she said. "I had to put up with his noise for the whole first half of the night."
"And then?" Wheeljack asked, encouraging her to continue.
"This guy named Soundwave, he had little robots that claimed to enter him." she said.
"You mean, go inside him?" asked Cliffjumper.
"No." Starflower corrected, shaking her head. "I said that too, but they claim they enter him. They say going
into him makes them gay."
"What's the differance?" Iron hide asked, cocking his head to one side.
"That's what I say!" Starflower piped, glad to know she was not the only one that felt this way.
"But Rumble and Frenzy are gay." Optimus added.
"That's what Starscream said, but apparently they beg to differ." Starflower added. "And they pound on the
floors all night and that hen-pecked Soundwave just lays there and says nothing to them."
"I think he's their bitch." Ironhide said, causing the group to burst out laughing.
"Starscream has to have all his lights on to recharge." Starflower said, laughing. "He uses like a million watts.
My body almost burst into flames because of him."
"Why does he need so many lights?" Windcharger yelled from the back of the room.
"I don't know. I think it's because he's afraid of the dark." Starflower said tauntingly, still feeling the burning
sensation left in her optics.
"What a wimp!" Ironhide added.
"But he wasn't even close to the worse!" Starflower said, hugging herself as she paced the room.
"Who was the worse?" Bumblebee asked, everyone else nodding in unison.
"Blitzwing!" Starflower piped. "He...Lord, I can't even say it!"
"What? What?" everyone chanted.
"Grinds his gears!" she cried, still cringing at the sound of his metal twisting and squeaking.
"OOOOOH!" Elita one gasped, turning her face away.
"God help the matrix!" Optimus shook his head as he embraced Elita One.
"And you are here to tell the tale." Ironhide said, visibly shuddering.
The autobots gathered in the recharging room, for it was the time of night to replenish. Starflower was sure
she would get a quiet night for recharging here at Iakon.
Stepping in the bedroom, she was taken aback at only one recharging unit.
"Who's recharging platform is this?" she asked.
"It's all of our's." Iron hide explained as Optimus helped Elita one in first.
"You don't have your own?" she asked, thinking about not only did the decepticons have their own recharging
units, but their own rooms as well.
"No, most of my resources are spent on Earth and the fight against global warming." Optimus explained. "So
that only leaves us with one recharging unit, but we take turns."
"Oh, I see." Starflower nodded in understanding.
"But you can go next." Optimus offered. "After Elita one is finished."
"No, that's ok." Starflower said quickly. "I'll wait until everyone else has went. They were here in Iakon before
me."
Starflower waited patiently. She was in awe at how no one was fighting over who went next, but everyone
stood in line and engaged in small talk as they moved in one by one.
Finally it was Starflower's turn. She was ready, the waiting taking alot of her energon. Just as she was about to
climb in, she saw Optimus clutch his chest components and fall to his knees.
"Optimus!" she cried, jumping out and rushing to his side. "What's wrong?"
"I'm...(coughs) low on...energon." he said in a raspy voice.
"You go into the recharging unit next." Starflower offered, helping Ironhide stand him upright again.
"No!" Optimus insisted. "I do not enter that recharging platform until every one of my autobots has had their
turn!"
"But you need it more than I do." Starflower said, frightened.
"No, you must go." he insisted adamantly, motioning her to the recharging platform. "I will wait. I insist."
"Are you sure?" Starflower asked, uncertain.
Starflower started again to climb onto the unit, until she saw Optimus cough uncontrollably and drop onto his
back. Racing back to his side, she cried "Please! I insist that you take my spot!"
Optimus waved her away. "No, I'll be fine. I'll manage somehow. My only happiness is knowing that my autobots
received their fill of the energon, nothing else matters."
"Nothing else?" Starflower asked, sobbing.
"Well, the better of mankind on earth matters to me, but that's another story." he coughed, gasping out.
Starflower stepped back and climbed into the recharging unit. She hoped she could recharge quickly and then
jump out, leaving the rest for Optimus Prime. The feeling of the energon tingled through out Starflower's weary
body, but she couldn't help but turn and see her beloved new leader fighting for energy. She forced herself to
look ahead and stare at the ceiling. It was obvious that Optimus was not going to get on until she was finished.
Looking up, she saw Optimus' reflection in the steel ceiling. He was reeling and gasping. Elita one was holding
his head in her lap. Starflower frowned, feeling just like a selfish decepticon hogging the recharging unit while
Optimus lay there suffering.
Trembling, she jumped down and burst into uncontrollable sobs. "I just can't do it!" she screamed. "I can't do it!"
"That's an ingrate for you." Ironhide murmured, glaring at her. "Optimus gives her the last bit of energon we
have and she throws it in his face."
"Yeah!" Wheeljack added. "She's all please and thankyou, but she'll kick you in the shin when you're not
looking!"
"Please, let's not judge her." Optimus whispered, shaking. "She's a decepticon, she can't help if she's unable to
be thankful for what she's offered."
"I didn't mean to offend anyone." Starflower cried, sniffing. "But I can't recharge while he lays there and suffers."
"I suppose you have to have your own room then, huh?" Bumblebee sneered.
Starflower sobbed, stepping away as the rest of the autobots helped Optimus back onto the recharging unit.
Quietly leaving Iakon, Starflower decided to give the decepticons another try.
"At least if I'm going to be a selfish ingrate, I can do it with team mates I won't feel guilty about." she murmured,
marching off into the black, star filled sky towards Dark Mount.
end...coming soon...another Starflower misadventure!