Silverbolt squatted on the corner of the roof of the Archive building, looking out on Kaon, and brooded even as he listened out for unwanted company. They thought of it as courting. He called it stalking. Lately he spent a lot of what used to be free time hiding, either in the archives, in his room, or on various roofs. He knew he needed to accept some of the courting. He knew he needed to choose while he could.
But he did not want to choose. He wanted a few vorns of freedom. During the war, he looked out for his brothers during a war. Now they stood on the cusp of full adulthood, and he wanted a few vorns free of responsibility for another spark.
Not long after Skydive talked about the breeding programming, Blaster and Soundwave opened up the archives again, both for research and for recreational browsing. All the Aerialbots started visiting as much as possible. Their mentors considered the archives both safe and educational. Skydive read as much history as he could lay servos on. Fireflight watched old holovids. Silverbolt got the sense of the holovids from Fireflight to cover his own actions. As the archives contained most of the recorded entertainment in Kaon, many mechs came to access it, including most of the Autobots. Silverbolt managed connections, gathering gossip and matching that to what observations he could make while in the field.
Rebuilding continued, moving out from the center of Kaon, but mechs started moving out of the barracks and into homes. The supervisors, usually former officers, got theirs first. Soundwave and Blaster, with their symbiotes, moved into their rebuilt home first. Some mechs started small businesses after hours, encouraged by the Prime and Lord Protector. The Constructicons spent quite a bit of their free time renovating a large multi-unit building, and moved in, taking Hoist, Huffer, and Grapple with them. Dirge and his trine worked with them, and then they completed their own home, the Constructicons renovated the building they chose. Dirge and his trine moved out with Powerglide.
As other mechs formed families, the Seekers started watching Silverbolt and Skydive. They showed little interest in Fireflight, since Thundercracker either warned off or beat off anyone who showed an interest in his chosen partner. Soon that interest shifted to Silverbolt, as Starscream showed interest in Skydive. No Seeker was stupid enough to challenge the Air Commander.
At first Silverbolt resented Thundercracker for both taking his place as Fireflight's protector and for staking his claim so early. He urged his brother to push the blue Seeker back and look at his options, only to discover that Fireflight made his own choice. "He's been kind to us," Fireflight told them. "He doesn't mind when I get distracted. I like him a lot." His optics brightened. "I hope I'm a carrier. Think of it, a sparking of my own, like Daniel was Carly and Spike's!" Not even when Blaster died budding did his longing diminish.
The archive buzzed when that happened. "His system tried to both bud and split spark," Hoist told Silverbolt that day in the archives, sounding sad. "He started malfunctioning almost from the start, too." He paused, and looked away. "Losing some of his symbiotes the way Blaster did- I guess his system was trying to replace one." Then he gave a wan smile. "The other two sailed through their carrying and budding." He put a hand on his chassis.
The next time Silverbolt saw him, he carried a sparkling with purple optics. Silverbolt offered to hold the little one while Hoist chose a holovid to watch, since little Boost was in recharge. But the sparkling woke while Hoist hunted, and began to whimper and nuzzle. Silverbolt sent Hoist a worried com, and the carrier hurried back, amusement in his field. He pulled a container from subspace. Silverbolt managed to get the opening into the sparkling's mouth quickly, calming both the sparkling and the youngling down. By this time they gathered something of an audience. Long Haul showed up after Boost started refueling, and simply stood back to watch. By the next morning Silverbolt discovered that half of Kaon shared recordings of him refueling Boost. Somehow that convinced the Seekers that he would make an ideal carrier.
Most of Kaon's mechs made their way to the temple by now. The pattern emerging came clear within a few decaorns. Very few Decepticons received the full programming, carrier and sire both. Most received the siring only. So far, all the Autobots received the full programming. He did not know about the neutrals.
Skydive came back from one of his visits to the Temple and said quietly, "If the mech gets no programming, they're sending them to Iacon." They stood on the roof of the Archive building. Skydive looked around, then resorted to the com anyway. "I overheard the Lord Protector talk about how carriers should leave the sparklings with the sires and go from one sire to another. The Prime heard him." He sent Silverbolt the recording.
"So you want to make the carriers your slaves?" the Prime thundered. Somehow he loomed over the taller mech. Megatron stood his ground.
"We have too few!" he roared back. "We need more. We have the energon and the materials to build, but not enough of our people, Prime! How can we rebuild without enough servos to do the work?"
This time the volume of the Prime voice dropped, but became more intense. "And if you are the carrier, my Lord Protector, will you do the same? Will you carry and bud a sparkling for one mech after another?" Megatron flinched back as though burned. The Prime's voice saddened. "Do you forget your past so quickly, Megatron? How they used the great strength you possessed, and that of others to do their work, or to entertain them, only to toss you aside when that usefulness ended? The war started when ones who governed Cybertron stopped seeing others as people and started seeing them only as objects to be used."
Megatron vented. "I want to see this world renewed," he said, sounding subdued. "Primus gave me that directive."
"With me to guide you, Primus help me." At that Megatron huffed and both of the laughed just a little, breaking the tension. "The mechs on this world are as much a part of the renewal as the buildings, Lord Protector," the Prime reminded him, becoming serious again. "We need to protect the carriers, and their offspring, not use them. We must think of those who come after us." He walked over to his Lord Protector and laid a servo on his shoulder, and a hand on his own chassis.
An invention of Wheeljack and Perceptor- a means to get energon from sunlight in space- triggered all the chaos that lead to Cybertron's renewal. That new source of energon enabled the Autobots to build the New Ark, leading Shockwave to think they had a new weapon. Desperate to respond, he delved into files long buried, ignoring the danger warnings on them. That response led to the release of the Fallen, and the disappearance of the Prime. When all the Decepticons left Earth, the Autobots decided to leave as well, daring to hope they could find peace in the new ship, and if rumor was true, a new base.
Then the disaster happened. He still remembered his own wild grief, thinking Slingshot and Air Raid deactivated with Skyfire and the Autobot command in that explosion. But he felt his brothers again, and dared to hope. Sometimes, when he strained, Silverbolt could still sense his distant brothers. He figured that if they were still alive, some of the others must be, and he hoped with all his spark that they were safe on a base somewhere.
Here on Cybertron, that invention fueled the rebuilding. Kaon's center thrived now, with expansions into the old suburbs. The less stable neutrals and the former fighters unable to settle into civilian life worked on Iacon under Obsidian and Strika. The more stable neutrals came to Kaon, joining the work crews that spread out into the city. They swelled the working ranks enough to split into first and second shifts.
Silverbolt researched the databanks on the customs regarding younglings, discovering somewhat to his disappointment that in both Seeker and most grounder cultures, younglings remained with their families or guardians until they reached adult status or were accepted into certain acadamies. He finally chased down the criteria for a youngling to claim adulthood, looking for ammunition to get him out of the Seeker barracks and in with the other Autobots. While he looked, he overheard a private conversation. He left the archives that day with his emotions as turbulent as an Earth thunderstorm. All but three of the Autobots lived with Decepticon partners now- Fireflight, Silverbolt, and Skydive, still considered younglings.
Silverbolt wanted sparklings, but he didn't want them now. He wanted to be independent for just a few vorns, before he settled on a partner. For all his life he shouldered the burden of leadership of his gestalt. Now Fireflight leaned on Thundercracker. That left two unattached Autobots.
As the shifts settled out, Silverbolt and Skydive worked more and more on datawork, relaying smaller loads from one storage area to another. Fireflight worked consistently with Thundercracker. Starscream used the other brothers as aides, alternating between the two for a time before settling on Skydive.
In less than a vorn, the younglings became adults. While Seekers wanted him to make a choice before that data arrived, Silverbolt decided that his best chance of stalling lay in playing the courting rivals against each other . Mechs had to present proof of support before being presented for reprogramming. Until he accepted a partner or a trine, the Temple would not even see him.
Satisfied with his decision, he vented and flew off the roof, heading back to the main Seeker hanger. He got about halfway there before several mechs joined a flight pattern around him, and the courting began.
The night before they became adults, Skydive came to see Silverbolt late in the evening. "Come to the Temple with me," he asked.
"I thought you were going with Starscream tomorrow," Silverbolt said. Skydive's field twisted with emotion. He knew his brother visited the Temple frequently in the last vorn, but never chose to confide in him.
"I can't wait," he said. "I can't ignore the call any longer. I've been trying, but I can't, and I need a witness. Please, Silverbolt." His engines whined with his internal stress. He led the way to their balcony, leaping into the air. Silverbolt followed, worried about his brother and somewhat relieved for an excuse to be elsewhere before Starscream came to give him another lecture about making a choice for a partner. Silverbolt narrowed his choices down to three by this time. As he hoped, the competition between the rivals eased some of the pressure on him.
So far Silverbolt eliminated every rival that Starscream favored. The more he worked with Starscream, the less he liked the Air commander. In his opinion, the less connection a Seeker trine had with the bossy, screeching mech the better. Skydive never objected to being Starscream's choice; they shared an inclination for the intellectual and Skydive never struggled with the fear of heights that still plagued Silverbolt at times.
They landed at the Temple and a startled guard came out. "Skydive, while you are always welcome, the reprograming won't start until first shift. Air Commander Starscream and Seeker Thundercracker have made the arrangements."
"That's not why I'm here," Skydive said. "I need to see a counselor, with a witness. I can't ignore the call any longer. " His wings moved in his agitation. Understanding flooded the guard's field and he stepped back. Puzzled, Silverbolt followed, hearing the sound of a engine coming in for a landing behind them. Inside, Skydive went to one of the chapels. Silverbolt followed, his spark beginning to twist. Behind him, he heard Starscream arguing with the guard, his distinctive voice rising.
In the chapel stood a priest of Primus in front of a counseling booth, reading a datapad. He stood as the two fliers came in. Unlike the guard, the priest did not look surprised to see Skydive. "You've made your decision?" he asked. Skydive nodded. The priest's optics looked blank for a time as he checked his processor. "While we cannot accept you formally for a few more joors, I can accept your declaration of a vocation."
Skydive turned to Silverbolt. "I tried," he blurted out. "I know it's going to cause a lot of trouble. I hoped- I hoped I could put it off a few vorns and give you time, Silverbolt, I know you wanted to wait, but I can't." Despite his disjointed words, his field began to smooth, into a calm resolution.
"Those who hear the call of Primus must heed it in their own time," the priest said, and finally Silverbolt understood. Then Skydive's optics went over Silverbolt's head and his field flooded with anxiety.
"What is this?" Starscream demanded, pushing off the protesting guard. "Skydive, I already made arrangements. Come home and we'll be back for your appointment when it's time." He stood impatiently, waiting.
Skydive turned to the priest, who moved between the younger flier and the Air Commander with a swiftness that startled Silverbolt. "Air Commander Starscream, Flyer Silverbolt, you are in time to witness a special moment," the priest said. Several others appeared behind Starscream, surrounding him.
"What is this? Skydive, I told you that I have everything arranged!" Starscream turned, trying to shoulder through the priests who surrounded him, but they kept him back.
"Yes, Air Commander," Skydive said. He sounded the way he did just before battle. Which he was, Silverbolt realized. He was fighting for the future he desperately wanted.
"I told you to call me Starscream, when we agreed to partner," the Seeker said, the anger in his field flaring.
"Air Commander, you will please respect the sanctity of the Temple of Primus," someone said sternly. Everyone turned to see the High Priest of the Temple walk in. Even Starscream stepped aside. The Highest moved to the altar. "Skydive, come stand before me," he added, in a kinder tone. "Are you breaking a prior arrangement to come here?"
Skydive moved to face the priest, his wings held high. "No, Highest of Primus. " Starscream hissed. The Highest looked at him, and the Air Commander subsided. "The Air Commander took lack of objection for agreement. He informed me that I would be his partner, and I did not argue, but I never agreed."
The priest held out his wrist, a plug extruding. Skydive held out his own, a port opening. The sound of the plug entering the port clicked loud in the charged silence of the chapel. The connection lasted a few astroseconds before they disengaged. The Highest moved to kneel at the altar. Skydive knelt beside him. Then the priest rose. "He does not lie," he said to the room. Starscream hissed again, but the priests moved up to block him. "He is old enough to make his decision as of this moment." Silverbolt checked his internal chronometer. It was a new orn. As of today, they were no longer younglings.
"Declare yourself," the Highest said, "and Primus will decide." Around him Silverbolt felt the excitement of the other priests rising.
"I have heard the call of Primus in my spark," Skydive said. "I ask to heed the call, and join the ranks of those who serve him."
A hum rang through the room. Silverbolt felt it ring through him. "You are accepted," the Highest said.
Starscream stormed out of the chapel.