Chapter 8
Sunset
"A beautiful end, for a beautiful day." IceOwl said quietly, watching the flames of the sun turn the cirrus clouds into wondrous shades of pink, orange and red.
Falcon nodded, stretching in that feline manner her mother was so well-known for. "Yep, didn't expect a day like this. Fun being surprised!" she slapped Side Swipe's leg, the young Mech grinned, just happy that he had found a Seeker that didn't seem bothered by him following her around.
Jetfire stretched his arms. "Yep, don't think 'ol Thrust even thought of the fact that Raptor might have once built that thing."
"We were just lucky she knew how to reverse its effects, without the proper equipment." Red Alert noted. Watching the two bright Seekers that he and Scavenger had healed – darting playfully with each other in the sky above them.
"Yep, those sloggers are in for a nasty surprise when 'ol Jetfire shows up and kicks their tails again!" the ace bragged.
Raptor sat quietly, waiting for Optimus to get back with Hotshot. She knew the yellow Mech was still carrying so much hostility for her squadron, some warranted, but most not.
Sideswipe laughed a bit. "Hey, I'm kinda happy Raptor didn't have the 'proper equipment'! Aren't you?" In response the silver tipped femme started another wrestling match with him, both of them rolling away from the group as they laughed.
This broke the group out into lighthearted banter, for indeed, they had all rather enjoyed how it had turned out.
"Sounds like someone's having a party without me." Hotshot's voice rang out. They turned to watch as he and Optimus, came striding across the rocky ridge towards them. From the tone of his voice, Hotshot had finally come to accept the whole situation. He looked at Side Swipe chasing Falcon around, the femme obviously encouraging the attentions. "At least some good came out of it!" he laughed. "Side Swipe will finally leave me alone for a while!"
"And Falcon will leave us alone for a while as well." IceOwl noted quietly, causing both groups to break out in laughter at the young pair's expense.
As darkness settled, Raptor and the femmes collected all the driftwood and deadwood from around the small island. Piling it up, IceOwl calmly lit the pile with her with a careful blast from an engine. The Mechs and femmes lounged around the bomb fire, enjoying a rare night of peace and mutual companionship; war stories and theological debates flowing freely in the salt-laden air.
IceOwl sat down next to Raptor. "Maybe we should tell them." she whispered. "The time and mood are right, and they'll eventually find out anyways."
Raptor shrugged, maybe IceOwl was right, and she had protected the secret in order to protect the family. The Decepticons had targeted them anyways, so perhaps there was now no reason to protect the secret.
Honesty
As the flames died to low-burning embers, Raptor began a story. Quickly, all other conversation died, as all the Mechs realized she was actually telling her story. Her story right from the beginning: The terror of a human losing her family, the humor behind a human spark as she learned to fly – to become a Seeker, the decision of conquest, the hard realities of making that decision come to pass, the depression of a human soul losing its humanity, the despair of a soul outliving its perceived lifespan, the desperation of her following Sideways blindly to this dimension, the ultimate betrayal at his hands, her decisions which almost destroyed early Cybertron, causing her hibernation for a millennia… and finally, her awakening at their hands and her oath never to choose sides again.
Silence pervaded the group, as the sheer amount of loss in her life was so evident.
"This explains a lot of your peculiar behavior." Red Alert nodded, thinking about her strange dancing and way of thinking.
"Is this why you built them? So you wouldn't be lonely?" Side Swipe asked, nodding at the 6 young Seekers.
Raptor looked at her daughters; they all knew she was figuring out how to truly explain them. IceOwl nodded to her to tell.
"In a sense I built them, but in a deeper sense they were born. They aren't my creations, they are my daughters." she could see that the Cybertronian Mechs didn't really understand this, though Red Alert was getting a strange look on his face – he knew these Seekers hadn't been animated with Vector Sigma. "It seems that my human spark is able to join with Cybertronian sparks of this dimension, which causes new hybrid sparks to grow within me. When they are ready to separate, they cause me to have the urge to build, to give them chassis in which to live."
Red Alert's optics widened, he knew she'd only bonded with two Mechs here. At the same time several other Autobots were thinking the same thing, all looking at Optimus. Who was in deep thought, also seeing the logical path this was taking.
At this point; IceOwl stood up, nodding to Jaguar and Tigress to also stand. "These are our daughters, Optimus." Raptor informed him.
He stood, regarding them, uncertain how to react since this situation was unheard of on Cybertron. No Mech was ever truly a father or mother, Vector Sigma was! So this was completely beyond his experience.
Breaking the awkward silence, Jetfire jumped up and slapped his bonded's shoulder. "Oh sloggers, sir! Ya ain't goin' to kick my engines for doin' your daughter are ya?"
Blurr stood as well, his keen optics silently regarding IceOwl. "Sir, I'm guilty of that as well."
Hoist threw a log onto the fire, laughing. "Yes sir, guess I'm also guilty. So you'll have to decide which one of us you wanna kick first."
With this, the group started laughing. Knowing Optimus wouldn't touch any of his men.
As the tension broke, the three amber orbed sisters hugged the uncertain Mech. Jaguar taking Jetfire's cue and joking with him that he'd get used to the idea – just don't expect them to say 'sir' every-other-word.
Future
Later, Red Alert followed Raptor down to look for more driftwood. They sat for a while and talked.
"Are your daughters now carrying hybrid sparks as well?" he asked her, his tone serious.
Raptor shrugged "I don't know, they are the First Brood, so there's no telling if there's a maturity period first."
"When will you know?"
She chuckled "When they start showing an insatiable desire to build."
He sighed; these were not the answers that he needed. For if the femmes were all carrying hybrid sparks now, the sires would need to protect them.
She looked steadily at him, knowing what he was thinking. "You won't need to protect us, Red Alert. My experience and the capabilities of the First Brood – will protect our offspring." she looked at him with soft optics. "Inside, I know that you Cybertronians will have to leave, to continue your war. I'm afraid that Sideway's master is far different and more powerful than when I faced him."
"What is this master?" Red Alert asked her.
She shrugged sadly. "He comes in many forms, takes on many names; I do not know what form he is now. All I know is that to defeat him – is to create peace."
"Will you come and fight him with us?" the medic pressed.
She shook her head. "For me to join the fray, would only strengthen him beyond comprehension.. And now I have other worries, I am mother and may soon be a grandmother. These are my priorities now, they make me whole."
"Will you and your daughters ever come to Cybertron?" he asked; worry that he and the other Autobots, may never meet their possible offspring, filling his voice.
She smiled at him, putting her arm across his shoulders. "When the Decepticons and Autobots finally find the want for peace within themselves, we will come. For now, we will stay in the womb of mother Earth and gather our strength and knowledge from her."
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