~In Love and War~
:: Chapter Four ::
Warheart
The Autobot's introduced themselves formally, far too much so for Warheart's liking. They seemed uptight, like their circuitry was tied up in knots inside. Warheart crossed her arms over her chest and listened as they introduced themselves. There was Ratchet, the medic, and Wheeljack, the scientist. On top of them was Bumblebee, the youth scout; who Lilitron seemed interested in, and then there was a few others who Warheart caught. Shrugging, Andromeda introduced them.
"...and this is my weapons specialist and reconassaince agent, Warheart." she gestured with her hand to the rose and white femme-bot. She gave Warheart a small smile, which Warheart returned. She failed to notice everyone around her was quiet. All besides one.
"Femme's aren't supposed to be in reconassaince," he muttered. "Or weapondry."
Warheart spun around, matching the voice to the mech. 'Oh really? We'll just see about that'. She stepped between to Autobots, who parted hastily and pointed a finger at him. "You."
"Yea? You gotta problem, femme?"
She sneered at the midnight black mech with cannons on his arms and shoulders. "You got somethin' to say ta me? You say it to my face!" her growl was deep, menacing, and true.
"Warheart!" Andromeda chastised.
Warheart looked over her shoulder. "What?" she barked. "It's true! If there's one thing I can't stand it's a mech who dares to talk about me behind my back," she whipped around and faced the mech again. "I don't know who you think you are, but you say another word about my position and you talk through a slit in your throat, got it?"
He said nothing, only chuckled.
"Mech-chauvinist pig," she growled.
He raised an optic-ridge. Everyone around him burst out laughing. Everyone besides the two superior officers. Warheart spun on her servo and pushed by everyone, heading towards the building. The laughter around the tarmac quieted when she slammed a round into her wrist-cannon.
'That'll show 'em,'
Andromeda Axellis
After a few more introductions, the group split apart. Optimus instructed the femme's to follow him, where he would introduce them to the other members of the team. While they walked, Optimus updated her on the recent activities on base over the past seven years.
'So apparently they've made alliances with humans', she told herself. 'Interesting. Surprises me they aren't locked up in some laboratory for research.' She focused her audio-receptors on his account of what happened in Cairo, Egypt. Her attention perked.
"The Fallen?" she asked, cutting him off from his sentance. Optimus looked up and nodded slowly. "You actually killed him?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes. The Fallen is forever gone from our war. The Decepticons still have not recovered from his offlining."
Andromeda couldn't believe it. Optimus Prime had defeated the Fallen, the mech who had killed her father! An emotion ran through her far greater than relief, and more than admiration. It felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her back and thrown into the deepest part of space. Andromeda bent her head and closed her optics, releasing a deep sigh. Such a mighty presence of peace rested within her now. She wanted to cry, wanted to dance, wanted to scream.
For years she had promised herself she would find the Fallen and kill him, just as he had killed her father. She relished the fact that she had never been able to find him. Revenge coursed through her veins and had locked itself in her spark and in her processor. Now, realizing that her lifecylce goal had already been accomplished, that revenge was set free inside her. A sharp pain ran through her spark, and she faught to control it. It began to rapidly pulsate inside of her, and all her levels rose a few notches, yet no emergecny warnings flashes. Andromeda's knee-joints buckled below her. She surged foreword, gasping for breath. Her spark seemed to tighten inside of her.
A strong hand grabbed her forearm and stabled her. Andromeda looked up to see that it was her commander, Optimus. His optics glowed with concern, and she looked down. He dropped to one knee to help her stand.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, pressing her fingers to her chest. "I'm f-fine." she commented. Images of her father flashed before her optics, of him smiling and holding her on her first birthday. An overwhelming emotion ran through her, and then a small voice made itself known in her processor.
"Remember who you are, Andromeda...you are an Axellis..."
'No,' she told herself as Optimus and her comrades helped her to her servos. 'I will never accept who I am. Not after his death...'
NEST human sector, twenty minutes later
It was buzzing with activity, as were most bases. Monitors beeped and radar clicked, humans everywhere were chattering feriously and endlessly. Some walked quick, others slow, while yet others ran full-bore down the steps. Most were at massive computer equiptment, furiously working. Andromeda looked around the sector with wide-optics, as did her team. She'd never seen a human before, and here were hundreds!
"These are our human allies," Optimus began. "There are many more around the base, but this is were most of the action happens."
'There's...there's so many," Andromeda commented.
Prime nodded. "There is."
"They are not at all what I expected," Phoenix said behind them. "They're...small."
Optimus laughed. 'Such beautiful laughter,' she pulled herself from her thoughts. "Yes, they are. You'll get used of their size in time. But they really are interesting creatures."
'More than interesting,' she told herself. "Who is the leader of this sector? Do they really take their orders from you?"
He nodded. "Yes, they do, as demented as it seems," he began walking again. "They're very cooperative. Many are nicer than others, but they are quite the species. We still have much to learn from them."
Andromeda nodded while looking around the base. This hangar was not as large as the others, big enough for Autobots and humans to interact. Strangely in the middle of the room was a raised platform, one large enough to reach Optimus' chest. 'So they can speak eye-to-optic,' she told herself. 'Clever. A very unique system.'
The height of the building was about 60 feet, or maybe larger. She guessed the perimeter was a 700 square feet, and the area was about the same. The walls were made out of metal, a shining gray and silver mixture which was bright in the iridescent lighting overhead. Parked periodically were HUM-V's and Jeeps, which she identified as military vehicles. To the left of the sector was a room walled off for security, guarded by security panels and soldiers, and on the door read 'Human Arms Room'. Weapondry. They'd also passed a mess hall and the sleeping quarters for the humans. Overall the base was huge, and it would take Andromeda days to figure it out, but it was satisfactory. The Autobots apparently enjoyed it.
"There's someone who you'd probably want to meet," Optimus interupted her thoughts. "He is the head of the human operations. He mostly correspondes with me," he gestured to the platform. "Come. Introductions are in order."
As they walked, their massive footsteps echoed off the wall. Every human in the room turned to look at them, all eyes in the room focusing on the newcomers and the commander. Andromeda felt as if the entire universe were looking at her, or worse: her coronation day at the Council. Hundreds of optics had locked on her then, and here it felt twice as deadly.
"I suppose you have an explanation?" the man on the platform asked with a smile, leaning against the railing. Andromeda studied him. He was small, of course, with dark brown hair and tanned skin, with small hairs on his cheeks. Brown optics and a nice smile, for a human. He was quite interesting.
"Of course, Major," Optimus replied. "I told you I would handle their arrival myself. These femme's will be staying with us, until further notice."
"Back-up?"
Optimus shook his helm. "No. Just soldiers."
"Alrighty then," the man nodded and then looked at the femme's. "Welcome to NEST. I'm Will Lennox, most people around here call me Major. Or Lennox."
"It's good to meet you, Major," Lilitron vocalized behind them. "I am Lilitron."
He nodded. "Nice to meet you too," he smiled. "Do you three have names or do I have to guess?"
"I am Andromeda Axellis," Andromeda replied instantly.
Lennox looked to Warheart, who was busy inspecting her ion blaster. "You remind me of someone I know personally," he chuckled. "Weapons specialist, am I right?"
"Yea. And if you mean that glitch Ironhide, you must have a blown fuse," she remarked. "I am nothing like that, that..." she silenced at Andromeda's firm stare. Lennox just chuckled. "Warheart. My name is Warheart," she corrected.
"Warheart. Very nice."
She nodded. Phoenix stepped to the plate. "I am Phoenix, the medical officer. And out of these three sparklings, the most responsible."
"Oh really?" Lennox laughed. He looked up to Optimus. "You got your hands full, Prime. Good luck."
"Good thing they are big hands," Lilitron added. Andromeda gave her a surprised look. Lilitron shrugged and rolled her optics. "It's a fact, sheesh!"
"I apologize," Andromeda said quickly. "She's a youth."
"Almost 20 stellar-cycles, thank you, Andie!" she called over her shoulder.
Andromeda sighed and smiled. "Still a youth, if you ask me."
Outside the human sector
"I'm afraid we're short on quarters," Optimus began. "Between the four of you two quarters will hopefully be enough."
Andromeda looked up to her commander, who was leading the way towards the quarters. Warheart and Phoenix stood in front of her, Andromeda alongside Lilitron, taking up the rear. "That's fine."
They walked through two different hangars, where some of the mechs were practicing martial artistry or where others were discussing in conversation. Andromeda spotted Bumblebee in the medical bay, where the mech medic Ratchet was busy running what looked like tests. Phoenix didn't stop watching until they past it. Finally they came to the hangar where the walls were littered with doors. Optimus showed them to two doors alongside each other, and stopped.
"These will be your quarters. How you divide them between you is your decision. We rise at dawn and retire after our shifts, which you will be informed of at a later date."
Warheart narrowed her optics. "You expect us to sleep among mechs? Yea, I feel safe,"
"I have no doubts you can handle yourself," Optimus added. "My mechs are not exactly barbarians."
"Yet," Warheart muttered.
"That's enough, Warheart," Andromeda cautioned. "These will be fine. Thank you."
Optimus nodded. "I will leave you to decide. If you need anything, do not hesitate to comm."
"Sure thing, commander,"
With a nod, Optimus left them.
Andromeda divided the rooms between them. Lilitron and Warheart would be taking the room to the right, while Phoenix and Andromeda shared the one on the left. Entering their assigned rooms, the femme's inspected their quarters.
It was simple enough. More like a cell if you thought about it, but good enough. Both femme's chose respectable bunks and seated themselves. Andromeda sorted through the details of the day while Phoenix busied herself with looking up repair checks. Andromeda closed her optics and thought a minute.
'Father, I am so sorry that I was not able to avenge your offlining,' she told her memory. 'But I promise I will fight for what you stood for...'
Ping ::Prime to Axellis, do you copy?:: Optimus
::Read you loud and clear:: Andromeda
Ping. ::I'm sending you a schedule of daily activities. I also forgot to mention that you have free realm of the base, if used properly. I'm sure you understand what I mean:: Optimus
::Acknowledged. Thank you for the reminder::Andromeda
Ping. ::Not a problem. Prime out:: Optimus
The link dropped. A few seconds later, Andromeda received the transmission.
INCOMING TRANSMISSION-SUPREME AUTOBOT COMMANDER OPTIMUS PRIME
Andromed accepted the transmission and read through it. It described their activities and duties, times of refueling and recharge, and everything else imaginable. The shooting range was open most of the time as was the martial arts room, and there was even a gymnasium. How long had it been since she'd been in one of those? Far too long to count. After sending the transmission to her team-mates, Andromeda watched Phoenix head for the door.
"Where are you off too, medic?" she taunted.
Phoenix turned around. "I've decided to offer my services to the chief medical officer Ratchet. Perhaps he could use some assistance with all these bots to tend to. Does that sound...too eager?"
"For what?" Andromeda smiled, swinging her legs over the berth. "A relationship?"
Phoenix wrinkled her metallic brow-plates. "No. A job. Some of us don't actually make it a goal to spark-bond with our superiors," she teased. "I've seen how you've been oggling the Prime."
"Me? Are you glitched?"
Phoenix laughed. "Deny it all you want, Andie, but your feminine central system has been sending off some pretty high-charged frequencies," she winked. "No one blames you. Prime's handsome, there's no over-looking that about him."
"You're glitched, medic," Andromeda laughed. "The last thing I want is a relationship. With a Prime no less. I'm sure I'm the last thing on his processor anyway."
Optimus Prime
Why oh why was he thinking this way?
She was one femme! One! There were thousands of femme's in the galaxy, and the one who had to come and work for him just had to be stunning, amazing and a royal? What was wrong with this planet?
Optimus had never been one for love at first sight, but this was ridiculous. He did not love her. He had experienced love once before, and this was not it. Love took time, patience, and usually involved two bots, not just one. Pacing in front of desk, Optimus told himself she was just one femme and that he was just overreacting because of a time gap. It would pass in a few solar clicks, wouldn't it? Yes, it had to. He couldn't live like this! Her image had to get out of his processor.
Or he would glitch.
May you be given more and more of God's kindness, peace and love.
~ Jude 1:2