Disclaimer: I only own Updraft, Tailspin and Nosedive. Everything else belongs to their respective creators.
AN: This takes place after ROTF, so Skyshadow is roughly 15 or so in human years, so he's equivilent is that of a three-month-old, but a lot smarter. His memories have faded since he had no 'brain' to transfer them from, only soul imprints that give him vague impressions. Similarly, magic doesn't translate completely into an entirely different, non-biological entity from an entirely different planet way over thats way, so it has had to improvise. Yes, the magic world will exist, but, after Harry died with the last of the Horcruxes, Neville, in an act of bravery, finished the snake off.
2: I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.
Duke of Wellington
Updraft was really very intelligent.
Skywarp was kind-of...not.
The green and red Seeker admitted that he had always coveted the warp-drive that Skywarp had, so when he unexpectedly went into a gestation cycle (despite the fact that it was supposed to have been offline), his processors immediately bumped the teleporter to the top of the potential mates list, followed by Airbender (a weaker teleporter who could only go a third the distance Skywarp could) and Spacetwister (whom Updraft really could not stand). Updraft was lucky enough that the Command Trine was passing through the outpost at the time and the teleporter got overenergized.
Words could not describe how Updraft wanted his Seeklet to have the warp-drive. He had just hoped his intelligence countermanded Skywarp's in the Seeklet.
And it did. Thank Primus.
He was very careful not to let on that he was carrying, and when the time came to give birth, he volunteered to take Nosedive's patrol in a low danger area.
Then his world came crashing down as the small, weak Spark flickered out as the little one detached.
Updraft had screamed as the Carrier-bond snapped, his Spark helplessly groping for the Little One.
Then something had responded.
It was ancient and somehow felt like Carrier-Yet-Not. It shimmered with power and reached out to grab the flailing bond, dragging it deeper into Not-Space.
Then the bond was attached to a powerfully familiar Newspark.
The Seeklet began moving in Updraft's servos.
Skyshadow would be a dangerous and powerful and attractive mech when grown; fast and furious and a mind as sharp as a blade of wind, but never would he be as large as either Skywarp or Updraft.
He just hadn't gotten enough energon or minerals while in the Velha Chamber.
The little black and green Seeklet was, by appearances, a good mesh of his Creators. Updraft was delighted when he had found the beginnings of a warp-drive, though the sheer flexability of the little one's wings were something he hadn't seen since he, himself, was a Seeklet being introduced to Winglord Stormsworder a very long time ago.
Still, devoted Carrier or no, Updraft found his Little One to be almost frighteningly intelligent. He learnt things on his first or second try and he knew when to be quiet and when he could warble and babble at his parent.
He had initially been worried the Seeklet would make noise when he was in the vent chamber, but the Seeklet was very well behaved, especially given who his Co-Creator was.
Updraft had nearly stalled when, during an Autobot attack while they were being transferred, the false armour that hid the Velha Chamber was torn off.
The surprised Autobot had barely had time to realise what the oddly-shaped formation on the Seeker was before Seeker Core Programming had caused Updraft's Trinemates to literally tear the grounder limb from limb, stamping on the Spark casing and drop-kicking the head through the battlefield.
Nosedive and Tailspin had pretty much won that skirmish single-handedly.
It was around then that Updraft suspected that Lt Commander Soundwave figured it out.
Updraft had felt nothing for the logical, unemotional Communications Officer, so when the mech began sending the Casseticon Ravage with a container of Sparkling Grade energon and fine metal shavings every decaorn, Updraft was equal parts surprised and terrified until the larger 'Con had called him into his communications room to see if there was anything the Seeklet needed.
Soundwave had assured Updraft that only himself and Ravage were aware of Skyshadow and if he needed repairs, Updraft could bring him to Soundwave.
That had been one of the most plate-raising conversations of his life.
Updraft's Trinemates, however, had been very unamused that he had hidden the cute little winglet from even them, but had accepted his reasoning. They didn't like it, but they understood.
At the start of the war, Megatron had made it a law that no Sparkling could be onlined or birthed until they had won. Any Sparkling found would result in the offlining of both the Carrier and the Sparkling. Skyshadow's existence was putting them both in danger should a grounder find out...
And grounders did not like Seekers.
Which was why Soundwave knowing was scaring the Pit out of the Trine.
But Starscream and the Command Trine would protect them, would keep the Seeklet a secret, because no one would protect a Seeker but another Seeker, and Seeklets were precious. Seekers were too violent, too strong, too wild, too built for fighting to be accepted by any other model but Sparked Warriors. And Sparked Warriors were too violent to be particularly trusted or liked by other grounders anyway.
Problem was, most of the Sparked Warriors had followed Prime and offlined in the first few vorns of war.
Nosedive had once been Sparkbound to a Sparked Warrior who had followed Prime(If anybot knew who, they weren't saying), and Sparked a Trine of Seeklets to him. Updraft never asked what happened to them. Still, the Trineleader had been invaluable with looking after and properly teaching the Sparkling, a solid, knowledgeable rock for Updraft to turn to.
Tailspin had thrown himself into renewed training so he could properly protect the little winglet, surprising the few other Seekers with his tenacity and focused determination. Already having a strong, aggressive character, his skills rocketed up to match his personality, becoming a rare free-response unit, supplementing his combat skills with medical knowledge, communications skills, sabotage and other random but useful bits and bobs of information and upgrades.
The senior Seeker on base, a crotchety old jet called Sideswiper (not to be confused with the Autobot frontliner Sideswipe (though there were rumours that the Autobot was the great-grandsparkling of the old jet)), had reamed the younger mech up one side and down the other for not applying himself to his fight training earlier in the war.
Updraft was very glad they hadn't been angry at him. He already knew Starscream was going to punish him badly for getting Sparked.
The group of seven Decepticon Seekers approached the Nemesis ahead of what other bots could be spared from the outpost without leaving it a skeleton crew.
Nosedive's Trine was well aware that the other Seekers had caught on that something was happening with Updraft, but had known better than to say anything, preferring to fly in a seemingly random, unconcerned formation with the red and green Seeker in the middle.
Sideswiper had been casting increasingly protective glances Updraft's way since they were stationed together at the second outpost, so they assumed the old mech had a very strong idea as to what was going on.
(space)
The red planet was probably originally organic in nature, but the lack of atmosphere that wiped out any life on it was probably attributed to a comet or meteor hitting it and altering the planet's trajectory.
The Nemesis sat in a large crater towards the bottom of the planet, covered in the red dust as camouflage.
As soon as the Seekers flew into the hanger, the Seekers already stationed there took notice of the formation, so it could be expected that every Seeker on the ship would know within a breem that something was up. The Nosedive Trine probably wouldn't even have time to finish reporting for duty and rostering before being summoned by the Air Commander.
Sideswiper hovered in the back of the room rather than leave as soon as he was registered by the computer like he usually did, waiting until the three Trinemates were done and took point, Nosedive moving to walk on the left of Updraft, closer to the Velha Chamber to better protect it, and Tailspin guarding the rear.
It was immediately noticeable, upon entering the hanger, that to number of Seekers 'doing something productive' had almost tripled, fugitively casting glances in the general direction of them. The other three transferred Seekers were already dragged into hurriedly whispered conversations.
Command Trinemember Thundercracker was already standing by the doors that led to the Seekers' living areas, completely separated from the grounders' areas as groups of Seekers generated a flock mentality that left them strongly aware of flock hierarchy and territory.
The impressive blue mech met Sideswiper's optics and glanced at Updraft.
:Starscream wants the four of you in his quarters immediately.:
:Acknowledged.: Sideswiper agreed, already leading the three younger jets towards the door beside the mech.
Thundercracker kept an optic on them, but didn't make to follow as they passed him.
As the four continued down the wide corridor to the Winglord's quarters, Updraft's anxiety was heightened by the excited shifting of Skyshadow in his chassis.
Updraf was so highly strung that his wings flicked in surprise when Sideswiper pressed the buzzer.
:Enter.: Starscream's powerful voice came across the close-range open frequency.
With an almost nervous glance at the highly-strung mechs behind him, Sideswiper opened the door.
(space)
For what it was, Starscream could admit that he had a soft spot for Updraft.
He had known the other Seeker since he was a Sparkling, and could remember the Youngling-Updraft tossing him in the air as he warbled happily. Starscream's Carrier, Nightscream, had been Trinemates with Updraft's Carrier, Shadowflight, so they had practically grown up together.
At one point, Starscream had even thought himself in love with the mech, but that had died quickly when Updraft had introduced the intern scientist Starscream to the shuttle scientist Skyfire.
When Skyfire went missing-presumed-dead, Updraft had been there for him, so when the war started, Starscream assigned the red and green Seeker to low danger areas to keep him as safe as possible.
(He would deny, deny, deny if anybot brought it up with him.)
So when Thundercracker had sent along that the transfer Seekers from the energon mine outpost in Sector 1462V were using an outdated formation used to protect one particular Seeker around Updraft, Starscream felt a stab of fearful worry, quickly buried below the cynical viciousness he had cultured since becoming Winglord.
Lounging in what was, hopefully, a relaxed manner in his chair, Starscream pondered what could have been so important that Updraft be at the centre of the formation.
He didn't notice the odd looks Skywarp was giving him and his oddly twitchy wings.
When the Seekers entered the room, the first thing, Starscream noticed was that Updraft's Trinemates, a big, dependable Seeker called Nosedive and a smaller, faster Seeker called Tailspin, were in a vaguely familiar bodyguard formation around their Trinemate with Wingcaptain Sideswiper at point.
The Wingcaptain was oddly wary, projecting a vague Guardian signal most Decepticons probably wouldn't consciously pick up but would react to anyway. Nosedive gave away nothing but nervous tension while Tailspin hung behind his Trinemates as back-up.
But Updraft, calm, collected, composed Updraft, had pulled into himself, radiating guilt and anxiety and fierce protectiveness.
It was the last that worried the Winglord more than the others.
"Well?" He asked/commanded, voice giving away nothing but bored authority.
Updraft fidgeted, wings shifting uneasily as he glance from Starscream to Skywarp and back again.
They was the sound of shifting gears and-
-that wasn't a-
-he couldn't have-
-is that a-?
-a slate of armour shifted to reveal what was recognisably an active Carry-Stage Velha Chamber , which opened to reveal the small curled up form of a black and green Seeklet with bright red optics.
The little creature scampered onto his Carrier's servo with surprising dexterity, oddly large wings swivelling in a highly flexible manner as he softly chirped at Starscream uncertainly.
"His name is Skyshadow." Updraft murmured.
Staring down at the cute (and strongly familiar) faceplates of the Seeklet, Starscream, oddly, had a strong urge to violently mangle Skywarp, who had already stalled and crashed to the ground behind his chair.
Apparently he wasn't completely over Updraft after all.
MWHAHAHAHAHA! Fear the power of the almighty cliffhanger!
And tell me what you think! ;3