Chapter 1

Crash

"I feel the black reaching out

I hear its song without a doubt

I still hear and I still see

That you can't take the sky from me."

-'The Ballad of Serenity' by Sonny Rhodes and Joss Whedon

It was a relatively normal day on the Lost Light.

Ratchet and First Aid were holed up in the Medbay, no doubt making sure all their patients were in top working order.

Whirl and Perceptor were shooting down targets in the firing range, bickering over who the best shot was.

Ultra Magnus was making calls from his office, demanding that all the necessary reports were in and properly written and punctuated.

Rung was talking to Skids over energon sweets and tea, with Skids making a few badly disguised innuendos, which still made the psychiatrist smile a little.

Nightbeat and Nautica were debating over a story they had read and the possible philosophical implications, as well as what all the characters intended to do.

Swerve was serving drinks at his bar, music blaring and everyone talking loudly and cheerfully. A large chunk of the crew were in here; Rodimus, Chromedome, Brainstorm, Getaway, Cyclonus…

And Tailgate.

The white minibot sat in one corner of the bar, sipping his engex through a curly straw (which Swerve had bought en masse) and keeping an optic out at everyone else in the bar. He had already seen Getaway try and do his odd 'bomp' ritual with Rodimus and Brainstorm being scolded for bringing his briefcase, but that wasn't what he was entirely interested in.

It was Cyclonus he was keeping an optic out for.

It still flustered the small mech to think about how they were Conjunx Endura, even if it had only been for two months. No one had expected it to happen and even Tailgate was still unsure of how it happened. But he couldn't be happier nonetheless.

"Tailgate."

He looked up and saw the purple mech approaching, a cube of engex in his hand.

He smiled. "Hey Cyclonus!" He greeted, his hands starting to shake with nervous energy. "What's going on?"

Cyclonus grunted as he sat down in front of Tailgate. "Not much of any value or interest." He said simply, his voice still holding that unique yet sullen bite. "Earlier, Whirl was prying into our relationship when he has no business to."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Tailgate said, his visor lighting up a little brighter. "I think we could be a bit more open about this. What was he asking?" He took a sip of his drink.

"He asked, and I quote; 'So, have you fragged Tailgate into the berth yet?'"

Tailgate spat out his drink.

The purple mech's lip plates twitched into an almost unperceivable smirk, pulling a cloth from his subspace and wiping up the mess made. "There you go."

The minibot coughed a few times before trying to speak again. "Okay… point taken." He said, patting his chest. "Okay, I see what the issue was there."

The two started a conversation, even if it was mainly Tailgate talking and Cyclonus listening, sipping their drinks and simply letting the ruckus of the bar around them fade out, just the two of them sharing this beautiful calm and bizarre serenity between them.

KZZT!

'Attention Autobots, Decepticons and Neutrals. This is Megatron speaking.'

The music and chatter stopped as the announcement continued.

'We will soon be approaching the Aurelia Thirteen system, which is infamous for radiation storms and asteroid fields. I thereby order all Lost Light crew members to return to their quarters immediately and remain until we are safely out of the sector. However, the following bots, must meet at the deck; Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Perceptor, Nautica and Ratchet. That is all.'

The room suddenly filled with noise as bots starting to leave the bar.

"Alright guys! Get back to your rooms and we'll open up tomorrow!" Swerved called out, ushering out the bots present. "So, swig back what you got and get going, unless we incur the joy of bucket head Megatron!"

Cyclonus grunted and stood up, Tailgate following in his stead. "Cyclonus?" The minibot asked. "What's going on exactly?"

The larger mech didn't say anything, instead just starting to leave the bar. That was one of the most annoying things about Cyclonus, but Tailgate could (Just about) put up with it. Still didn't exactly excuse not answering his question.

The minibot sighed and instead followed Cyclonus, swimming through the crowded pack of bots leaving the bar. He just made it to the purple mech and, without even asking, took hold of his hand.

"Tailgate." The seeker finally said. "What are you doing?"

"Don't want to get crushed." Tailgate murmured, looking to his Conjunx.

Cyclonus looked like he was about to protest, only to hum quietly. "Fine." He said simply.

That was enough for Tailgate, leaving him to hold onto the larger mech's hand. They continued the walk back to their quarters, the crowd slowly thinning as the crew went back to their quarters or to the deck.

The two mechs passed by a window, prompting Tailgate to stop for a moment and let go of Cyclonus' hand. He walked over and looked outside.

"Wow…" He gasped. "It's… beautiful…"

The system they were approaching was filled with a symphony of colours; pink, green, red, purple, yellow and blue all blending into one glorious nebula. He could see stars glimmering in the distance and luminescent asteroids floating peacefully. Tailgate had never seen something as beautiful as this before in his entire life. The light reflected through the colours and almost seemed to create more shimmering shades that he had never even thought of in all of his short, yet eventful life. If anything, the sight soothed his spark and his processor.

It seemed so majestic, but if what Megatron said was true, then it could have been just as dangerous.

"Cyclonus, this is an amazing view, isn't it? I don't think I'll ever be able to see something like this ever again." He said, still looking out of the window. "But… I know you've seen something like this before sometime, Cy… clonus?"

The minibot turned to find that the hallway was empty.

The only sound that responded were the distant closing of doors, no doubt from everyone going back to their quarters.

No Cyclonus in sight.

"Oh." Tailgate said simply, looking out the window one last time before making a move. He started to walk away, heading back to his shared quarters.

Then again, it was partially his fault, since he could have just as easily asked Cyclonus to wait for him, but he just HAD to stay behind and look at where they were… Oh well, he could talk to him about it later.

The walk was uneventful as everyone had disappeared and the engines were the only noise made, whirring in time with the minibot's steps. He turned left and continued, the directions to his shared quarters ingrained into his processor.

Almost there…

Tailgate was just a few steps away from their hab suite, poised to enter the door code that was the only obstacle between him and Cyclonus…

The lights turned red.

The minibot panicked, pressing at the padlock over and over, only to receive a loud buzz and 'ACCESS DENIED' to flash before him. The alarms sounded, the noise piercing the air.

'Attention Crew! A powerful radiation storm is coming this way, so we have no choice but to lock down all hab suites until further notice.'

Oh no.

No no no no…

Tailgate slammed his fists against the door. "Cyclonus! Let me in!" He cried out, hitting the door harder. "Please Cyclonus! Let me in, LET ME IN!"

"Tailgate!" a muffled reply came, the door budging slightly, but not opening it. "The door's locked, you fool!"

"I don't CARE!" The minibot cried out. "CYCLONUS, HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP M-!"

Tailgate cried out as the ship lurched suddenly, his head smacking against the door. His hand flew to his forehelm, only for him to be tossed aside again as the ship was rocked. Before he could gain a foothold, his whole world tipped, forcing him to tumble down the hallway.

Tailgate grabbed hold of one of the doors he slid by and tried to haul himself up off the floor, crying out as he was tossed to and fro but held on as tight as he could. "Cyclonus!" He cried out, trying to get back to his quarters and hopefully be able to ride out this storm and, maybe if luck was willing, get back into his quarters.

No.

Tailgate looked to his right, his sense of time freezing for a moment when it registered.

A vibrant cloud of red was racing towards him, crackling with energy and not slowing down for even a moment. The minibot cried out and ran away from it, forcing his legs to go faster, faster, faster… He needed to get away no matter what! That cloud could hurt him terribly. Run faster! Run, RUN!

Futile.

Tailgate screamed as something slammed into his back, propelling him forward and smashing him into the wall. Errors popped up in his HUD, warning him of haywire circuitry and the dents in his helm and chest. He slid to the floor like a broken doll, trying to see through the gaggle of static that blurred his vision. The screaming of the alarms and the rumbling of the storm outside dulled to a vague rumble, and a new sound barely registered and a violet blob came closer.

"Cy-cy-cy-cy-Clonus-s-s-s…" Tailgate whimpered as his vision faded to black. "H-H-Help… m-m-m-m-m-m-me…"

TBC