I do not in any way shape or form own any of the rights to the transformers-dam wish I did!
Warning: this is my first time playing around with the transformers characters, while I loved the cartoon, I am not full up to date on all of the lore, so if you see a mistake please feel free to correct me!
Please Read and Rate, the more Ratings, the more I find an excuse to procrastinate on the homework and work on this! Hugs all!! Enjoy!
For the first time Tara wondered if this was such a good idea. She trusted the four machines that she had rescued in space, but had it been smart to promise that she would try life on the planet that they were heading to? Too late now that she stood next to them in a dark field waiting for the rest of their kind to come and find them. She glanced warily at the machine next to her, he was kind and willing to listen to her when she had needed someone to cry to about the loss of her family. Her plant had been a profitable Mecca in the distant stars, had been one of the leaders in technology, and had been the only home she had ever known. Then the Decepticons had attacked several years ago. In a sacrificial act to save as many lives as they could, Tera's mother and father-the queen and king-had drawn the focus of the Decepticons attack and lost their lives. Tera along with several others had made the mad dash to reach the star ships, and several of them had made it past the Decepticons that were in orbit. But Tera had never heard from them again.
That had been several light years ago, Tera had been alone until she responded to a faint distress call from an unknown origin. With trepidation she answered the summons, and found the four Autobots that she now stood beside. They had been dangerously low on energy, and didn't have any means to protect or propel themselves along in space, they were dead in the water-so to speak. The reason that Tera's home world had been targeted by the Decepiticons was that her kind didn't give off waist products like most carbon based life forms. Their waste product was energy that was easily stored in crystals until it could be used. The only problem was that in the rush to get off planet the only crystal that Tera had been able to take with her was the one that she always wore around her neck-the one her father had given to her on her last birthday. It was full. It was against her kind to be violent, or cruel so Tera had not been able to cast away the extra energy into space where it had the potential to do damage-she believed to firmly in the laws of matter, the one in particular about everything having an equal and opposite reaction.
So when she came across the four robots in desperate need for energy she had welcomed them on her ship. She saved their lives by giving them energy, and they saved hers by taking the energy that she had been storing in herself-at great personal risk-and most importantly she wasn't alone anymore. When the Autobots told her of their destination, she had agreed to take them there, and even to join them-though now she wished she had said she would think about it.
The planet they had chosen to travel to was cold, well it was dark, so Tera hoped that it would be warmer when the planet rotated and got some warmth from the nearby sun. The three sisters-Arcee, Moonracer, and Chromia-and Sideswipe stood next to her, surveying the land around them.
"I hope I put in the correct coordinates for the landing." Tera's voice fell in to the silence. She could practically feel the excitement radiating off of the four transformers, they were here to meet up with old friends and allies. She had never felt more out of place.
Chromia shifted to face Tera, and gave her a smile, "from what we have heard of this planet you will like it to."
"Everything except that fact that the Decepitcons are here." Tera said under her breath. Sideswipe shot her a look and she smiled innocently at the taller bot. Truly Tara had felt bad for Sideswipe on the journey to earth, he had been the most cramped on the space ship. The triplets, being about the same height as Tera, had been able to explore the ship, while Sideswipe had been mainly confined to the cargo bay. But Tera had made sure that she spent as much time with him as possible so he wouldn't feel left out. While the triplets were entertaining with their acrobatic antics about the ship, it was comforting for Tera so go listen to Sideswipe tell stories of life on his home planet.
Light began to shine on the crest of the rise before them, Tera raised a hand to shield her sensitive eyes, and frowned. There were several land vehicles approaching, and in them were bipeds not unlike herself. She couldn't make out much more then the shape with the light approaching them, and Tera was suddenly terrified. It was foolish of her to assume that the natural inhabitants of this planet would look as she did, yes they were also carbon based according to the Autobots, but there were so many different variations! Ducking as fast as she could Tera hid behind Sideswipe who cast her a questioning glance, but said nothing when she waved her hand at him. She allowed herself a split second to be grateful that her ship was already on its way to an orbit-and didn't need to be explained, before the panic set in fully. Who was to say that these bipeds would accept her?
The approaching vehicles stopped a few feet away, and Tera watched from behind Sideswipe as the bipeds climbed out of the large dark, yellow, and the largest of all-the blue and red vehicle. The bipeds here were shorter then she was, and their skin was pale-not the light blue tint her skin was, her hair was a rich cobalt blue. Tera focused on the leader of the bipeds, and tapped into her crystal reserves, the warm tingling of power flowed through her body, allowing her to change her appearance. She shrank several palm lengths, and altered her skin tone to a pale tan, her hair she shifted to a lighter tan, leaving only her eyes their normal color. Her ears-normally elongated with gentle points, shrank-Tera wondered if her hearing would be affected by that alteration, but couldn't dwell on it.
There was nothing to look in to see if she had gotten the proportions correct, or if she looked all right with the new alterations. It had taken a mere few seconds to transformer appearance from normal to alien. Tera paused for a moment as she thought of that word…alien… that's all she would ever be now, there was no home to return to, no family waiting for her at the end of a long journey. She was an alien, on an foreign planet, hoping to beg hospitality from those who ruled here. She fought back the tears that burned her eyes, and closed her throat, squared her smaller shoulders and stepped from around Sideswipe.
She had missed the transformation of the vehicles into more Autobots-much larger then the ones she was so used to seeing. Granted now everything was larger to her, she frowned, her clothes were different then the bipeds before her, and now they didn't fit well, she would have to look into new clothes-the ones she had on the ship wouldn't fit her new form either. Forcing a smile she couldn't think of such trivial matters, she had to meet a new species.
The largest of the new Autobots regarded her silently for a moment, before directing a question at Sideswipe. "Your new friend is?"
Blessed be Chromia who had cast a fast glance at Tera and come to the correct interpretation, "She saw us land, and we weren't sure of the policy yet for interactions with humans, we thought it be best that she not leave until we were sure it was safe." As thought to prove Tera was safe to be around, Chromia rolled behind the girl, and rested a hand on her now lower shoulder. "She seems safe enough Prime, can she come with us? At least for a little bit, its to late at night for us to send her on her way now."
Optimus regarded the two figures in silence. The human with dark hair frowned. "I am not sure what the protocol is as of yet, NEST hasn't official set up any guidelines." His face was grim, but he extended his hand to Tera. Who stared at it blankly, until Chromia gave her a none to gentle nudge.
"Thank you masters…I am honored to be here." It was a perfectly normal way to show respect on her home world, but evidently it was not normal for here.
The dark haired man exchanged a look with the dark skinned man beside him. "The honor…is all mine." Tera gently placed her small hand in his gloved one, then froze, not sure what to do. "I am Captain Lenox, this is Epps."
Tera nodded, still holding his hand, unsure of what came next in the traditional form of greeting.
Lenox stared at her for a moment longer, "And your name would be?"
Chromia whispered behind her, "the short version" so low that Tera was sure she was the only one to hear it. "Tera Skyhaven." Was all she could get out, her throat threatened to close on the last.
Lenox nodded again, and finally dropped her hand, Tera froze, uncertain again. "If you will follow us we can show you to command, its still just getting set up, so it may be a bit cramped for a little while, but trust us, your help is appreciated."
For the first time Tera was able to appreciate the beauty of the Autobots transforming, on the ship they had been so cramped and contained it had been hard for them all to be in their Autobot form at once and together, now watching them interact with others of their kind Tera was grateful that she hadn't come across larger ones! The sisters and Sideswipe looked odd in their exoskeleton shape next to the others with their bright colors, but still beautiful in an alien way. Tera straddled Moonracer, and held on for the ride. In spite of her original concern, she hadn't landed that far from the NEST base of operations that was being formed. As they rode, Tera tapped the bracelet on her left hand, it had been a gift from her mother when she had finished building her ship. It was a sort of remote tracker that would alert Tera if anything happened to the ship, and it also allowed her to call it to her if she needed it. The jewels on it were an intricate pattern of diamonds, sapphire and tanzanite that hid its true purpose, to anyone that looked at it, it appeared a simple bracelet, to Tera it was her means of escape if she needed it.
As they raced over the silent landscape Tera was grateful that she was not alone in this strange world. She would have to explain to the leader of the Autobots about her energy discharge, and her true origins. But she knew little of the native species of this planet, and was grateful that she would not have to disclose any information to them at the start, she would prefer to get to know them before having to trust them with her true identity. A smile slowly spread across her face when she saw Chromia driving so close to the large black vehicle, she had heard enough from the bot on the trip their about her interest in Ironhide, and was able to connect the dots. She had friends, and she was safe, for the moment that was all she could ask for in the uncertain universe.