A/N: Like I said, the sequel to ShadowStrike Rising will not be up right away. I'm just taking some me time to sort the story together. This one-shot is meant to introduce Ironhide and Chromia to the mix. I imagine Chromia is the complete opposite of her sister in terms of personality, being more bubbly. Ironhide is more like his trigger happy movie counterpart. Any advice on their personalities would be greatly appreciated.
ShadowStrike: Arrival
As night fell over the Autobot base, its occupants, human and Cybertronian alike, decided to retire, but most were too excited about the impending arrival of Autobots Ironhide and Chromia. Miko wouldn't stop bouncing off the walls with excitement and questions. She wanted to know how they got their names, what they were like before the War, and how many 'Cons they bashed. Ratchet toyed with the idea of sedating the girl, but he knew Optimus would disapprove and the last the medic wanted to ruin the Prime's good mood. Indeed, it had been many mega-cycles since he'd ever seen Optimus so happy.
Arcee chose to remain in the human body given to her by the Thirteen as she joined Jack in his room with Sunny, smiling as he cradled the young girl. She, too, was happier than she'd been in a long time due to the matter of hours it would be before she saw her sister; Chromia. She hadn't seen her since the Great Exodus from Cybertron, mere cycles after the passing of the oldest of the three sisters; Elita-One. She was always the wisest of them while Chromia was the most bubbly and Arcee herself was the most brooding. She had also been the sparkmate of Optimus Prime.
She had once been known as Ariel before being reformatted to serve in the War. She had previously been an archivist for the Iacon Data Center, where she met Orion Pax. It wasn't long before she and Pax started spending all of their free time together. When she first introduced him to her sisters, Arcee didn't think much of the data clerk except that he was rather awkward. Little did she know he would come to be the 'Bot she highly respected.
Even after his transformation into a Prime, part of him still remained in love with Ariel, who was now Elita-One. They remained together throughout the War, Elita becoming one of the Autobots fiercest warriors. She and her sisters, along with several other femmes, caused all sorts of trouble for the 'Cons until Arcee's reassignment to Delta. And the rest was history; Airachnid murdered Tailgate, and not long after that, Elita sacrificed herself to the others as prepared to leave Cybertron. Her death hit both Arcee and Chromia extremely hard.
The femme wondered how her sister dealt with Elita's passing all these mega-cycles. From the readings, only she and Ironhide were coming to Earth other Autobots' fates remained unknown. But it was fine all the same; it would be nice to have some more fire power on their side. Especially now that Iacon relics were coming into play. She turned to Jack, who had just set Sunny down into bed.
Several thoughts went through her mind at once as she watched him, taking in all he'd been through in the past six months. It finally seemed like fate decided to stop messing with him and let him have a happier ending. Hours ago, the two of them entered territory beyond partnership, something that had been threatening to happen for a while now. Both knew what this meant; they would have to come to terms with the demands a relationship came with. They would also have to deal with the others when they found out, not wanting to tell them right away.
She could already hear Miko and Bulkhead giving them grief about all sorts of crude subjects while June lectured her son on the issue of "protection" (humans were disgusting creatures). Raf and Sunny would likely leave them alone while 'Bee would give his two cents on the matter. Ratchet would likely go on a tirade about why a relationship between them was wrong while Mizuki gave him not too subtle signals. She could imagine Optimus being alright with them being together. She could also hear Chromia teasing her while she didn't even want to think about Ironhide's reaction.
All she knew about the Autobot was what she had seen on the battlefield and what Chromia told her. She walked up from behind and wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, kissing his cheek, "You're a good sire."
"Sire?"
"A Cybertronian counterpart to a father," she explained. "In a bonded relationship, there's sire and a carrier, or mother. If we were bonded, those would be our roles and Sunny would be our sparkling."
"What stopping us from bonding," he asked half-heartedly, knowing there had to be a reason she didn't bring it up.
"I'll tell you later," she answered. "Let's let Sunny sleep and go talk in the command center. I can guarantee you that the others are there too." Nodding, Jack made sure Sunny was comfortable before they departed for the command center. As Arcee predicted, they were met by the sound of Miko's incessant questions about the impeding new comers to Earth. Optimus and Ratchet monitored their progress as they journeyed closer and closer to Earth. "I hope they'll stay!" Miko chirped. "Maybe they can get their own humans!"
"I think there are enough humans in our inner circle," Ratchet commented.
"Come on, doc bot! You know you like us!" Miko giggled. "It took you nearly getting eaten by scraplets to admit it."
"I can only imagine what it would take for him to admit he was wrong about something," Arcee quipped.
"The end of the world," Jack suggested.
"We went through that and he still didn't admit it," she replied. "I think it's time for me to get 'changed'." Making sure no one was looking, she gave Jack a quick kiss before departing to her quarters. The young man joined Miko on the plateau.
"Where's Raf?"
"Sleeping in 'Bee's room. He's really beat."
"After all that happened, I can't blame him," he said. "That whole business with Sunny being kidnapped and the world nearly ending, again, had to have shaken us all up."
"Not me," she grinned cheekily. "If you bit the dust, I knew Bulkhead could take it to Ol' Shred-head."
"Sure," he rolled his eyes. "Cause Bulkhead is such a master of ninjutsu and in tune with the spiritual side of things." Miko glared at the ninja before returning her attention to the monitors. Arcee came back, now in her Cybertronian body as the monitors pinged.
"Ironhide and Chromia have just entered Earth's atmosphere and should be landing shortly," Ratchet announced. An excited silence fell over the room as they all waited. Another ping caught their attention, earning a scowl from Ratchet, "Decepticons."
ShadowStrike: Arrival
A small ship had just gotten past Earth's atmosphere and was looking for a place to land when several alien jets intercepted it. Thanks to the ever present watch and hearing of Soundwave, the Decepticons picked up the transmission. Under Megatron's orders, the Vehicons were in pursuit of the ship, hoping to shoot it down and destroy the Autobots inside. There were only two, so it shouldn't be that hard to exterminate them. The Autobots often had to rely on numbers due to their lack thereof.
As the ship evaded each of their attacks, blue and gold fighter jet descended from the skies above, launching its missiles at it. Dodging one, the other found its way into the ships rear, knocking out a thruster. Losing altitude fast, the ship descended to the ground below, maneuvering itself so it wouldn't crash in the trees. Finding an open clearing, ship crashed into the ground, dragging along the grass as it came to a stop. The fighter transformed and landed, taking the form of the Decepticon SIC, Dreadwing.
"Commander Dreadwing," one of the troopers called as they landed beside him.
"Check the cockpit for survivors," he ordered. Nodding the Vehicon whipped out his blaster and neared the vessel. As he opened it, he was met with a blast to the chest, off-lining him. Stepping out of the cockpit were two Autobots; a mech and a femme. Dreadwing grabbed his blaster and readied himself for a battle.
The mech was large and red, two cannons on his forearms while several heavy weapons were attached to his back. The femme was purple and resembled the femme, Arcee, save for the lack of dorsal wings in favor of two kali-sticks on her back. The mech narrowed his optics before speaking, "You feelin' lucky punks?"
"By order of Lord Megatron," Dreadwing replied, ignoring the threatening tone the mech was using. "I command you to surrender or be destroyed."
"And you would be?" the femme placed her hands on her hips.
"I am 1st Lieutenant to Megatron, Dreadwing," he answered.
"I thought that was Shockwave," she turned to the mech.
"No, you're thinking of Starscream," he replied.
"Are you sure?"
"I should know since I punched him in the face once."
"You've punched a lot of bots in the face," she frowned, turning to Dreadwing. "Hey, who was the last guy before you?" Dreadwing, for his part, looked dumbfounded. These two were outnumbered and outmatched and they were talking like nothing was wrong. Either they were very brave or extremely stupid. Regaining his composure, he and the troopers opened fire.
Dodging, the femme yelled, "I was just asking a question!" The 'Cons continued to fire as the mech charged his cannons and returned the favor. He blasted three of the Vehicons before managing to get close to a fourth and punch him in the face. Dreadwing charged at him and attacked, punching the mech in his chest and then his face. He answered with a few punches of his own while the femme dealt with the other Vehicons.
Taking the kali-sticks from behind her back, she twirled them in her hands before attacking. Dodging the Vehicons attacks with nimble ease, she managed to get behind one and electrocute him in the head. The Vehicons continued to fire as she dodged them, charging the sticks together. Slamming their tips together, she sent out a shockwave that electrocuted the remaining Vehicons. With them dealt with, she turned her attention to Dreadwing and the mech.
They continued to throw powerful punches at each other, but Dreadwing seemed to be taking the most damage. The Autobot mech continued to throw punch after punch, knocking off small pieces of metal. With a powerful knee to the gut, he punched Dreadwing into a tree, knocking down the plantlife. As the Seeker recovered, he wiped off the energon bleeding from his mouth and readied himself for another fight. As he charged, he was met with a another knee to the gut and an elbow to the back.
As he lay there, the mech scoffed, "Punkass Decepticon."
"That was easier than I thought it would be," the femme quipped as a portal opened, revealing the other Autobots. They drew out their weapons before their optics landed on the sight before them. The femme waved at them, "How's it humming, guys!"
"Ironhide, Chromia," Optimus stepped forward. "Are either of you in need of medical assistance?" He looked down at the struggling form of Dreadwing and his question was answered.
"Do we look like we need medical assistance, sir?" she smiled at Arcee. "Hey there, sis!" The blue femme smiled and ran towards her sister, scooping her up in a hug.
"I've missed you Chromia," she squealed happily.
"Me too," she replied. "There's so much I gotta tell you. You'd never believed what's happened while we were roaming through space." As they two sisters chatted, Optimus walked over to Ironhide, looking down at Dreadwing.
"Are you okay, old friend?" he asked.
"Fine," he replied. "Just wondering when a real fight's gonna find its way to me." He looked down and the scowling Seeker, "So Starscream bit the dust."
Optimus shook his head, "No, he has chosen to split from the Decepticons and become a neutral party in the War, an enemy to both sides, but he had provided us with vital intel at times."
"But not without a price?" he raised an optic ridge.
"He may be a beneficial ally, but he only seeks to further his own goals," the Prime replied as he and Ironhide went back to the portal. Dreadwing struggled to his feet.
"W-Wait!" he ordered.
"You up for another round?" Ironhide turned to face him, only to find Optimus' hand on his shoulder. Nodding, he and the other Autobots entered the ground-bridge. Walking through the energy tunnel, Chromia marveled at the wonder. They entered base, where they were met by the others. "Ratchet!" Ironhide laughed, "How's it humming."
The medic cringed, but remembered that Ironhide knew nothing of the synthetic energon incident, "Fine."
"Still such a talker," Chromia smiled before noticing the humans. "And who do we have here?"
"Ironhide, Chromia, these are our allies. The inhabitants of this planet; they have proven to be invaluable assets during our battles here." He walked the two Autobots to the humans, "This is Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, Rafael Esquivel, Agents Fowler and McCloud, and Jack's mother, June Darby. There is another human, but she is resting at this time."
Chromia looked at Jack and smiled, "So you're my sister's boyfriend." A hushed silence fell over the base as everyone's eyes and optics widened. It was so quiet, one could hear the rustling of Jasper if they listened hard enough. Realizing this, Chromia, looked confused, "What?"
ShadowStrike: Arrival
Aboard the Nemesis, Dreadwing sat in med bay, shame emanating from him as Knock Out worked on him. The Seeker had called for medevac after struggling, and failing, to move. He had been escorted to med bay while Soundwave delivered his report to Megatron. He knew it would be a matter of moments before his Lord and Master walked through the doors and berated him for his failure. And he would take it because he deserved it, as did all who failed to serve Lord Megatron's will.
He'd heard rumor about the Autobot known as Ironhide, but never paid much attention to them as they were often exaggerated. But some of them proved to be true as Dreadwing replayed his fist fight with the mech. While he was certain he caused his fair share of pain to the mech, Dreadwing received twice the amount. One of the reasons Ironhide was named so was because he could take some of the hardest blows. And the femme was no pushover either.
The Seeker might not have heard of Chromia, but if she was anything like her sister, Arcee, then she would a force to be reckoned with on in battle. As Dreadwing pondered these thoughts, the med bay doors slid open to reveal Megatron, leader of the Decepticon army. Dreadwing straightened himself as much as he could as he prepared for the verbal (and possibly physical) beating his was about to receive. Megatron walked up to the Seeker, "Resting comfortably Dreadwing?"
"I am fine, Lord Megatron," he answered. "Ready to serve your will at moment's notice, without hesitation."
"A rare quality," the mech rasped, "Yet you lie in the medical bay thanks to an encounter with Ironhide. How would explain this?"
"There is no excuse for my failure, my Lord," he bowed his head shamefully. "You had given me orders to either capture or eradicate the two Autobots and I failed in both endeavors. As your 1st Lieutenant, I will gladly accept any punishment you deem fitting."
Megatron chuckled, "Rise Dreadwing, it is a lucky day for you. I did not expect you to succeed in your mission, though it would have been preferable. I merely wanted to keep the Autobots busy while I worked on retrieving something from orbit."
"And what is it, if I may ask?"
"A femme who will prove to be a valuable asset in both the Autobots destruction and Starscream's inevitable capture," Megatron smiled darkly.
ShadowStrike: Arrival
In the past six months of their respective emotional turmoils, both Jack and Arcee could agree that they paled in comparison to what was happening at this moment. In separate rooms in separate parts of the base, the two partners were being interrogated by their "family" on the issue of their new found relationship. They had Chromia to thank for their current predicament while she and Ironhide waited in the command center. Of course, it wasn't really her fault; as she and Ironhide neared the planet, her sibling bond with Arcee informed her of what had happened recently, such as Cliffjumper's passing and Jack's path down the road of the ninja. And, of course, their recent decision to go beyond partnership and delve into a relationship.
As soon as everyone regained composure, it was like the Pits of Kaon broke loose. Ratchet was irate at the thought of a human and Cybertronain in a relationship, ignoring Mizuki's newfound foul mood. Miko burst out laughing, making several crude jokes as Bulkhead let out a loud chuckle of his own. Bumblebee and Raf looked confused, but found it funny nonetheless. Finally, both Optimus and June decided this was a matter better discussed in private, the 'Bots talking to Arcee while the humans spoke with Jack.
Suffice to say, neither conversation was enjoyable; Jack had to listen to Miko crack every joke that came into her head. Crude remarks about him "riding" Arcee and giving him advice when it came time to "wash" her. The girl was just begging to be hit, but Jack kept a cool head, for the most part. June was giving her son another "talk" about intimate subjects. Thank the Lord that he couldn't get Arcee pregnant, even in her human body or else it might be worse.
Arcee wasn't fairing any better as Ratchet shouted at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking, being in a relationship with Jack. She noted the humans' disgusting habits and the fact that Jack was a teenage boy, having apparently been reading several subjects on the matter. Bulkhead and Bumblebee were going on about how many things would go wrong during their personal time. Optimus remained quiet, allowing his men to let it out of their systems before asking her if she was sure about this. Her confirmation mixed with the determination in her optics was all the leader needed to see and here.
Finally emerging from their respective rooms, the Autobots and humans reunited in the command center, the Wrecker and the young Japanese girl chatting it up like a storm. Arcee and Jack sat together as Optimus and June spoke with them about their relationship. Meanwhile, Sunny emerged from her room and sat by Raf, "What's going on?"
"Jack and Arcee are dating," he replied.
"Oh," she said. "So?"
"It's kind of a big deal," he chuckled.
"Doesn't seem like that big a deal," she said.
ShadowStrike: Arrival
A/N: Sorry if this didn't focus on Ironhide and Chromia as much as it should have. I might do another one-shot before delving into the full story. Again, if you have suggestions on Ironhide and Chromia's personalities, please feel free to comment.