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Fandom: Transformers IDW AU with a dose of Bayverse and G1
Author: gatekat and ultrarodimus on LJ
Pairing:
Rating: R for Violence
Codes: AU, Slash, Ritualized Violence
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page (gatekat-fics .livejournal. com/290 .html). We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.
Notes: nanoklik = 1/8 second; klik = 496 nanokliks/62 seconds; breem = 8 kliks/8.27 minutes; groon = 9 breem/1.24 hours; joor = 6 groon/7.44 hours; orn = 42 joor/13.02 days; decaorn = 32 orns/1.14 years; metacycle = 8 decaorn/9.22 years; vorn = 9 metacycles/72 decaorn/83 years; century = 96 vorns/7968 years; millennia = 1056 centuries/101,376 vorns/7,944,096 years (7.944 million years)
::text:: comm chatter
~text~ hardline/bond chatter

Hunters from the Light 13: Difficult Choices

Axe sipped his evening energon, content to watch his mate brood in their quarters for the time being. He knew exactly what was bothering the larger triple changer, and it had been tumbling around his processors for vorns as well. For most, this was the most difficult of lesson before their Knighthood trials. It was difficult for all involved.

With Drift, it was even worse than most. They'd adopted every Initiate on some level; their Order was too small not to be closely bound. Not a single Knight was more removed from Dai Atlas than a single generation. They were all either his students, or the student of his student. It had gone no further, and would not for many millennia yet.

But Drift ... volatile, obstinate, the perfect example of all that had been wrong with Cybertron, of all that was not a Knight, was as much their creation as the spark they had called from the Circle of Swords. Contemplating this lesson for him hurt.

The blue mech was pacing restlessly off to one side, wings twitching on his back, echoing his thoughts. He knew what had to be done, but that did not make it any easier. Nor was it any easier to figure out how to go about it.

Before they chose to try and speak to work it now, a comm pinged them both from the control room.

Talon's voice spoke, a trace of excitement in it. ::There is an incoming ship, transponder indicates it's Titanium.::

That got Dai Atlas' attention. The blue mech stopped pacing, helm coming up in surprise. "Titanium? I haven't seen him in a very long time. Not since long before we left Cybertron to settle here."

"I remember him," Axe grinned at his mate. ::Is he requesting an approach, or passing through?::

::Passing through, but I can ping him,:: Talon offered, wanting to see the local version of the mech that had been as close to a friend his cadre had before.

::Ping him.:: This time the flutter of long wings was with anticipation. ::He was a good friend of mine from a long time ago, and a fellow swordsmech. I would like to see him again.::

::He was a good ally to my cadre ... before,:: Talon added, politely saying that the leader wasn't going to be the only Knight who would want time with the ancient swordsmech. ::Pinging him now. Patching through to you.::

Dai Atlas waited patiently for the connection to be made, the vanes on his wingtips twitching. Finally, he heard a familiar voice through the comm.

::This is the Autobot shuttle Stellar Wind, Titanium speaking.:: Curiosity threaded through the voice.

::Nice to hear your voice again, old friend,:: Dai Atlas responded.

There was a moment of astonished silence. ::Dai Atlas? Is that you?::

Axe's low chuckle added to the line. ::Not just Little Blue.::

Dai Atlas made an indignant sound while Titanium laughed. ::Been a long time since I've heard anything from or about either of you. So this is where you two have been holed up all this time?::

::Yes, this is where we've been,:: Dai Atlas replied. ::We would be delighted if you'd drop by. Catch up on old times.::

::I'd be glad to,:: the other swordsmech replied.

::We have so much to catch up on, and we aren't the only ones here eager to see you,:: Axe added.

The blue triple changer transmitted the coordinates. Titanium acknowledged, turning his ship in their direction.

"Two joors," Axe's frame quivered in excitement. "It's been so long."

Dai Atlas's wings were partly flared out, the blue triple changer's earlier internal conflict neatly sidetracked for the moment. He was as eager to see his old friend as his mate was.

"So," Axe stepped up behind him, pressing their frames flush. "Shall we invite Wing and his cadre, or keep him to ourselves for the orn?"

Dai Atlas hummed for a moment. "Let's invite the others. Talon did indicate that the cadre knew Titan from their universe, and they too would like to see him again." He snuck a kiss, purring softly. "We can corner him ourselves later."

Stepping out of his ship, Titanium tilted his helm back to look at the city, letting out a low whistle. It had been a long time since he'd seen anything like it, and it was impressive.

"Wow," his noticeably smaller golden-armored mate murmured, joining him.

"I completely agree," the purple and silver triple changer murmured back, his red optics settling on the group waiting for them, alighting on two familiar shapes. "Axe! Little Blue! Long time no see!"

There was a groan from the blue mech in question. "I distinctly remember telling you to stop calling me that!"

There were snickers from several mecha, but the brightest grin came from a small, elegant white jet of Ankmorian design and the Crystal City Rotor's airfoil tines that were literally vibrating. They all remained politely back, waiting for their elders, but it was blindingly obvious that it was a tenuous control at best.

"As if we ever listen," Axe snickered, his optics landing on the bright golden form next to Titan's hip. "Who's your companion?"

Titanium snorted. "Atlas, we've fought together, mocked our commanding officers behind their backs together, cheerfully pranked each other, and I've retrieved your overcharged aft from all the weird places you managed to get stuck. By this point I'm allowed to give you a stupid nickname and use it until the orn I finally go offline." He walked down the boarding ramp of the shuttle, curious ruby optics turning toward the rest of the group. "Now, who are all these mecha?"

The gold mech stepped forward, looking at the black mech with bright curiosity. "I am GoldenRod, Titanium's bonded mate." He tilted his helm. "You must be Axe. I've heard about you."

"Good things, I hope," the black triple changer grinned at him. "You're a cute one."

"These mecha are a long story," Dai Atlas admitted. "The short version is that in another universe this city fell along with most of its inhabitants and the Knights of Light that protected it. These are the survivors, and it seems that the version of you in their universe was a friend. One of very, very few they claim. They all have, or had, a version here."

"The good and the embarrassing, though more of the latter was directed at Dai Atlas," GoldenRod replied. "Being around someone who knew Atlas personally makes for a wealth of embarrassing stories."

Titanium tilted his head slightly to one side. "This promises to be a very interesting tale." He turned his attention to the group. "You seem to know me, but in this universe I don't know you. At least not yet."

Wing stepped forward. "Since your message, my creators and I have exchanged many stories. It seems that you have much in common with the mech we knew, including Goldie," Wing smiled at the glittering mech not much taller than he was. "I am Wing, second youngest creation of Dai Atlas and Axe." He took great care in pronouncing each designation, making it clear he was speaking of his origins, not the mecha standing with him.

The silver and purple triple changer nodded, making note of the designations. "It is good to meet you, Wing." Titanium smiled. "So Atlas has been telling you stories about us, has he? We'll have to return the favor, and see how badly we can embarrass him in the process. I was there during his hotheaded phase."

Dai Atlas groaned at the thought. Titanium ignored him, extending his arm to Wing for a warrior's embrace.

The sleek jet accepted the offer, closing around the giant's forearm with the ease of long experience with much larger frames and a warm smile.

"My cadre are Tetris and Klinge, Talon, Marwir, Silk, Flashfire and Kimark."

Titanium clasped forearms with each as they were introduced, inclining his helm to Klinge as she chittered at him in greeting. Purple-marked wings settled into a more relaxed position on his back, framing the hilts of the twin swords he carried. "I see that it won't be just with Axe and Atlas that I'll have some catching up to do. This promises to be a most interesting conversation."

"Definitely," Wing's grin brightened. "I know where my creators stash the good high-grade. Care to share a cube while we trade stories?"

Titanium's grin matched Wing's, and GoldenRod's was even brighter. "Just don't let Blue there have too much. I don't feel like trying to pry his helm crests out of another wall right now."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you," Dai Atlas grumped.

"That's my job now," Axe piped up helpfully, reaching over to tweak one of the crests playfully as the younger Knights snickered. "My mate."

Titanium laughed. "Good luck, Axe... I remember quite well what a handful he was back then." He flicked his wings lazily, looking up at the heights of the city again.

"So have you pulled Titanium out of any odd places?" Wing asked both GoldenRod and Dai Atlas, trying to even the field just a bit as the large group headed off to the leader's quarters.

"He's a lazy drunk," GoldenRod replied with a chuckle. "Just oozes right off the chair. Getting him off the floor is the interesting part. As I understand it, back then he was the 'designated Atlas-catcher'."

"Thankfully, at least three quarters of the time he'd forget he had wings," Titanium added. "Made him easier to wrangle."

Dai Atlas gave both mechs a dirty look. "I wasn't the one who managed to crash-land right into a tank of used drive coolant," he shot back.

Silk made a face at that, but Marwir smirked. "Was he out of it enough to think it was a tank of high-grade?"

Dai Atlas chortled. "Hardly. He was fresh out of repairs. The painkillers and anesthetics always made him really, really loopy. Couldn't even fly straight."

GoldenRod laughed out loud. "And that hasn't changed at all. I've just learned to make sure his turbines are disabled before he wakes up."

Titanium reached over to poke at Dai Atlas' shoulder. "Drunken karaoke. You are tone-deaf."

"He picked a good mate then," Wing chirped, actually bouncing slightly on his pedes as they walked, his wings fluttering with delighted amusement. "Axe can keep pitch, but he can't keep a beat if his wings depended on it."

"Oh, I can keep a beat, my little Chirper," Axe grinned as his creation winced at the well-earned nic. "Just not to music."

GoldenRod leaned against his mate for balance, trying not to fall over laughing. "Titan here can't sing, either... He can hum, but not always on-key. Last time we were actually with the main command group, he was banned from trying to sing at all."

Titanium snorted. "The last time we were with the group, Sideswipe 'mysteriously' turned rainbow colors and glowed in the dark for an orn. That's why Prowl avoids calling us in if he can at all avoid it."

Wing lost it, tipping towards Marwir's supporting shoulder when her snickers left her stable. Kimark wasn't so lucky and ended up falling back into Titanium with a roar. "We've met those two. Violence and Chaos personified, those two."

Titanium easily caught Kimark, holding him upright. "Sideswipe was bad enough, with the glow paint, but, seriously, you should have seen Sunstreaker. Pink glitter paint, industrial-strength adhesive, and at least a ton of bright pink feathers. Sunny looked like the universe's crankiest flamingo."

The golden mech preened and every mecha who'd known Sunstreaker lost their composure, drawing more than a bit of attention from passing mecha.

"You ... Sunstreaker ... survived!" Kimark gasped out as he trembled with mirth against Titanium's hand.

GoldenRod's grin was cheerfully evil. "I stayed outside the Ark ... Sunny was too embarrassed to come out after me. I do have some self-preservation instincts."

"If by 'self-preservation instincts' you mean refraining from booby-trapping Prowl's office with firecrackers wrapped in bags of glitter until we were a breem from launch," Titanium retorted. "They went off after we were well enough away that Prowl or Ratchet couldn't come after us. It'll be another century or so before we dare venture anywhere near the command group."

"Prowl will never forget," Wing giggled madly, his optics bright with mirth. "He'll have a brig cell waiting for you no matter how long it takes."

GoldenRod winked cheekily. "He'll have to catch me first."

"Too bad we won't see him try," Marwir chuckled as the group gathered themselves and moved again.

"Are you a roaming hunter?" Silk asked Titanium.

"We're nomads in general," Titanium replied. "Could settle back on Cybertron, just don't want to. I'm too twitchy to stay in one place for long periods of time, and Goldie's the restless type. We don't actively hunt 'Cons, but any who get on our bad side rarely survive the encounter." He twitched one of the swords on his back.

"That's a bit different," Wing said a bit more seriously. "The Titan that traveled with us for a time was as set on hunting as we were."

"Might have had something to do with how badly Goldie got mangled not long before," Marwir added. "Or maybe he's a bit different. Not all of us had the exact same history before our city fell, though most of it has been close."

The blond triple changer hummed. "That would set me off. So far we've managed to avoid any bad injuries. Goldie and I share a deep spark bond. Having him badly injured or killed would set me on a blood trail." He tilted his helm, looking at the members of the cadre. "What happened to him?"

"As I understand it, Devastator and Menasor used him to play some kind of throw and hit game," Talon said, his voice level and factual.

Both mechs growled. Titanium bared his dental plate briefly, for an instant looking like the killing machine he could be if badly provoked before forcing himself to calm down. GoldenRod muttered something about stocking anti-gestalt shells for his rifle.

"What caused my counterpart to part ways with you?" Titanium asked after a moment.

"He calmed down," Talon said easily. "Enough time with your bonded repaired and you were no longer driven to hunt the way we still were."

"Our hurt ... ran much deeper," Wing said quietly, his wings snapping in tight to his frame. Even with Drift back, his creators alive and with him and the city standing once more, so much hurt held in for so long was not dimming quickly.

"Both gestalts were fragged too," Kimark added.

The silver and purple mech laid a gentle hand on Wing's shoulder. "Give it time. Pain I know, all too well. It can take a very long time to dull." Hearing Kimark's comment, he snorted. "Not surprising. I might prefer to use swords, but I do carry other weapons and I do know how to use them."

GoldenRod bounced slightly, looking up at the city. "It's been a long time since I've seen a city like this, in one piece and untouched," he commented, changing the subject.

"Preserving what was left of Cybertron's culture, the good parts, was the reason we came," Dai Atlas smiled at the reaction to his legacy. "To do whatever we had to so the endless wars our kind indulge in never touch this place. To ensure there will be something of value Cybertronians leave the universe."

Titanium smiled over at his old friend. "So this is why you dropped off the face of Cybertron. Can't say I didn't miss your help in terrorizing the rookie Cons on the battlefield or helping whip new 'Bots into shape, but this is incredible."

"There were orns we missed the action too, but this ... we didn't have to contemplate sending our creations to their end the vorn they came of age," Axe hummed softly, the memories of loosing their Wing entirely too sharp.

"Too many lost. I couldn't do it any more," Dai Atlas confirmed.

The blond nodded, reaching up to pull off his helmet, tucking it under one arm and running armored fingers through blond pseudo-hair. "There are days I feel like I just want to curl up in a corner somewhere and stay there. But I can't. I want this war to end, so it'll be safe for sparklings and younglings again."

Dai Atlas turned deep red optics on his old friend as they entered the tower that housed the senior Knights. "Until the next war, and there is always a next war."

Red optics met red optics. "Fighting seems to be core programming now. Why, I'm not entirely sure. But I don't like it."

"We were brought on line with it as our core programming," Axe told him. "It can be broken, at least enough to no longer drive you."

"My bet's on most Cybertronians not wanting to," the blond grumbled, wings tensing and small huffs escaping from the smokestacks on his arms. "So many enjoy the fighting."

"The cycle feeds itself. To survive, you must have warriors. So you call for sparks that enjoy it. Only instead of protecting the civilians, they are the survivors, and they call for more of their own, not knowing any other way," Dai Atlas sighed, his wings quivering in a sadness of an ancient truth. "The first few hundred vorns after leaving Cybertron were brutal ones as we weeded out those types from the original contingent."

Titanium leaned over a couple of the smaller mechs to rest a hand on Dai Atlas' shoulder. "That couldn't have been easy, for anyone."

"It never is," Dai Atlas leaned fractionally into the touch, and into Axe as his mate pressed against his back. "But it was worth it, for what we've built here."

"I don't suppose you've crossed paths with Drift?" Axe asked, using the designation of the mech before meeting with Wing's cadre.

"He is, to my knowledge, the only bearer of a Great Sword that has left the city," Dai Atlas added. "Quite distinctive."

"Heard of him, but we've never actually met," Titanium replied, accepting the topic change. "He's got quite a reputation. Had our paths crossed, there probably would have been some sparring involved. Swordsmechs are fairly rare. Most 'modern' Cybertronians see swords and blade weapons as outdated, which annoys me immensely."

"Most modern Cybertronians do not have the time to learn how to use them," Dai Atlas suggested. "Blasters are far quicker to learn when you might have to defend yourself the orn you come on line."

"Blasters are messy and loud," Titanium snorted. "Sure, I carry guns myself, but I rarely use them. There's no art to them."

"I use a rifle because I have absolutely no aptitude for bladework," GoldenRod interjected. "Titan tried teaching me, and after a while he pretty much forbade me from ever using anything longer than an energy dagger. Otherwise I might cut off my own limb by accident."

Several snickers passed through the younger mecha as they paused outside the door of the top-floor apartment and Dai Atlas palmed it open.

"Good thing you have a skilled defender then," Kimark chuckled.

GoldenRod laughed. "I fight with him." He pulled out his rifle briefly, just to show that he did have a weapon, then stashed it back in subspace. "Titan's the close-quarters warrior. I pick off anyone who tries to sneak up on him or tries to shoot him. It works for us."

Titanium flicked his wings. "His aim's better than mine was that one time you and I were on the battlefield, Atlas."

The blue mech snorted. "You shot me in the aft."

"It wasn't on purpose!"

"This I have to hear!" Wing cheered as everyone found a place to settle, and the pairings among his cadre became more clear as they snuggled.

Titanium settled into a chair, setting his helmet down on a table. GoldenRod scooted over, pulling out what looked like a pen and running the tip of it over his mate's faceplate, around his right optic and down his cheek. The blond didn't seem to notice. "Was a fairly nasty skirmish. Atlas himself was actually using a gun himself at that point. Being an officer he was in the front lines, while I'd been assigned to sharpshooting, covering the head honchos. I took a shot, and just as I pulled the trigger, my target ducked. The energy beam ricocheted. Klik later I heard him yowling." He waved a hand at Dai Atlas. "The ricochet got him square in the skidplate. Oops."

"That was either the luckiest or unluckest shot in history," Marwir snickered from her place in Tetris' arms.

"What's your mate up to?" Wing asked, his natural curiosity finally on the mend.

"It certainly provided a lot of material for at least a vorn's worth of teasing," Titanium agreed.

GoldenRod tilted his helm, regarding his "work", then pulled out a small blue LED, shining it on the side of Titanium's face. Immediately a complex, almost tribal pattern flared into view, running from Titanium's hairline over his right optic down his cheek to his jaw.

One purple-marked wing flicked in a shrug. "He's not only good at turning Lambos different colors. You'll find patterns like that all over me, depending on what color light you use."

"Very cool," Kimark rumbled, utterly fascinated. "The arts took a hard hit in this war."

GoldenRod gave him a shy smile, shining the blue light over his mate's armor. Other designs in blue light ink flared against silver and purple armor. "I've always had some talent for drawing. Titan doesn't mind being used as a drawing pad, thankfully."

"Have you ever done carving?" Kimark asked, shifting to show a small strait-line spiral design on his spaulder. It was barely visible, being only a couple shades lighter than his dark maroon finish.

GoldenRod leaned over to look, absently handing Wing a red LED and waving toward an amused Titanium, who obligingly stood to show off the red-light ink artwork on his armor. "I haven't, but I know a medic who can do incredible etchings with his laser scalpels."

"You're here," the former gladiator pointed out. "I'm not leaving again."

Blue optics brightened. "Is that an offer to show me how it's done?"

"I know how," Kimark agreed.

"As do I," Silk added softly.

"But I have no artistic talent," Kimark shrugged. "I can only go over what's been drawn for me."

"I do, but not what he likes," she indicated the delicate, almost organic patterns of her own paint. "Carving is not that difficult with the right tools. Keeping it from healing over is the trick. The nanite paste isn't hard to come by now," he made a motion towards the city.

GoldenRod tilted his helm, looking at Silk's patterns. "I think it would be an interesting skill to acquire... Make some of that more visible." He indicated Titanium, who was shining different-colored lights over himself to reveal stylized animal designs, tribal patterns, and abstract markings on his armor. Axe was poking at some of the patterns while Dai Atlas merely watched, talking to the purple and silver triple changer.

"Perhaps we can make a deal," Kimark suggested. "I'll teach you how to carve and make it heal right. You draw designs on me, that I want."

"And under the light, so you can see what I'm drawing." GoldenRod offered a hand. "Deal."

Joors later, all of Wing's cadre except for Wing had drifted off, whether to duties or recharge, and the mood turned abruptly serious.

"I have a favor to ask, for one of my Knights-in-training," Dai Atlas broached an uneasy subject for him.

Titanium lifted an optic rim over one ruby optic. An audial panel shifted slightly under blond hair. "What favor?"

GoldenRod looked up from where he was drawing intricate swirls on Wing's armor in the blue light ink, curious.

"As the final lesson before Knighthood, an Initiate must inflict a penance of pain on a Knight. To prove they know how, and when to stop," Dai Atlas kept the explanation brief. "I believe Drift is ready, but the crimes that warrant such a punishment are few and the penance must be earned by the one who suffers it. Wing has agreed to suffer the penance for his mate's training. Yet there is very little that can believably cause him to commit violence."

"We'd like you to provoke a fight with Wing," Axe added.

The blond triple changer blinked. "You'd like one of us to pick a fight."

GoldenRod finished the design he was working on, putting away his ink stylus. "One trigger I can think of would be raw, green-eyed jealousy. Something involving Drift, I would think." he pondered for a moment. "It's doable. And both of us can handle ourselves in a brawl. Titan can handle it if blades get involved."

"They will," Wing looked at them seriously. "That's one of the reasons we've had such trouble with this. The few who could hope to pull this off know exactly how possessive I am of Drift, and they know Drift just isn't interested ... and wouldn't respond even if he was. If I fight, he will too, and he can't know this is set up. You'll have to take damage, serious enough for medical attention, or the penance will be too light."

Both nodded. "We're not afraid of getting hurt. This must be done, one way or another." Titanium placed one hand on the table. "We're in."

The golden-armored mech leaned forward. "Of the two of us, I'm the more playful, the flirt, so that part of it will be mine. Titan can step into 'defend' me when the fight breaks out."

"Thank you," Wing covered Titanium's hand with his much smaller one.

"Yes, thank you," Dai Atlas added his had, as did Axe. "Drift is as much our creation as Wing, for all he'll never understand it."

GoldenRod placed his hand on theirs, and then Titanium added his other hand to the top. The purple and silver triple's red optics glowed softly. "So what's the plan?"

"I'll take Drift to a club in the city, somewhere that he won't be surprised to see a lot of strangers, even in a city that has only gotten a dozen new residents since its founding. I'll excuse myself to get energon for us. That'll be your cue to come up." Wing focused on GoldenRod. "Be touchy, but not so much that he punches you. He is protective of his personal space."

The gold mech nodded. "I can do that."

Titanium tilted his head. "I'll keep back at first, when things start to heat up I'll step in."

"That's the idea," Wing nodded. "If you aren't very fast, he'll loose a hand."

Titanium chuckled. "I'm fast."

"Move slower and you won't have to give me an opening to damage you," Wing pointed out. "It'll be over quick, but Knights can't arrive to break it up until I've done enough damage to warrant the penance Drift must inflict."

The big mech nodded slowly, digesting that. "You'll have to work to get through my armor; it's pretty thick. There are some energon lines close to the surface here and here." He indicated several areas on his torso. "Minor lines, but they tend to bleed like crazy when breached."

"Protect yourself from Drift, give me an opening," Wing requested. "We can spar before recharge if you'd like. It will give you a sense of how skilled I am, what level of opening I'll need."

"Drift will be told of this arrangement after the penance are complete," Dai Atlas added. "He will know you are a friend when you see him after this."

Titanium flicked a wing toward Wing. "Some sparring would be helpful, to gauge each other's skill level." He inclined his head to Dai Atlas. "It helps that Drift has never seen us before, so he won't know what to make of us."

"He should assume that you are just a couple residents of the city. It may be small, but he has spent very little of his time exploring the areas outside the Citadel."

"As if he ever had the time to," Wing snorted playfully. "He's barely had enough energy to play after his training most days."

GoldenRod laughed at that. Titanium grinned. Then he tapped the Autobot insignia on his chestplate. "Should we hide these, then?"

Wing considered them, and nodded. "Likely for the best. He may have removed his own insignia when he became an Initiate, but he still views them as allies of a sort. I believe he is much less likely to try and stop me if he does not realize your alliance."

GoldenRod nodded. "I can paint over mine later, temporarily, and after the sparring I'll replace that pane of Titan's cockpit with a blank piece."

"Thank you," Wing smiled warmly at the pair. "What can I offer for your help and pain?"

Titanium's smile was warm. "Just being able to catch up with old friends, in a place where we can relax and be visitors for the first time in a very, very long time, is enough for us."

GoldenRod nodded his agreement.

Wing inclined his helm in a formal thanks and acceptance.

"Redline, our chief medic, will see to your damage, if you wish," Dai Atlas offered. "It is the least we can do, given you are taking the damage as a favor to us."

The blond nodded. "That would be acceptable, thank you. And I would like a chance to spar with you, Atlas, before we leave the city."

"Any time you come by I will make time for a good sparring match or two," Dai Atlas promised. "I have entirely too few opponents here sometimes."

"Up for testing your dog fighting skills while you're here too?" Axe asked with a grin. "We have plenty of young, impressionable fliers who would benefit from the experience."

The purple and silver mech laughed. "Sure, it'd be fun to engage in some playful dog fighting with your fliers. As long as you get your wings in the air now and then, too. And try not to crash into anything."

"I haven't in ages," the back mech huffed in good humor to his mate and creation's snickering.

Titanium grinned. "That's good. Don't want a repeat of the incident with the metal cables."

"Oh good grief," the smallest triple changer groaned for real. "That was my first solo flight!"

"Didn't make it any less funny," Titanium replied, optics sparkling with amusement.

"Do tell," Wing purred, enjoying getting new stories of his creator's youth immensely.

Titanium took a sip of his energon, a potent vintage of Vosian high grade from long before what was being called 'The Great War'. "He'd been warned not to fly that way... There was a labyrinth of metal cables strung between the buildings to catch enemy fliers. Fortunately, Axe is too big a jet to be brought down that way, unfortunately, he was also too big to dodge. Could hear the yelling from several blocks away. He'd gotten so badly tangled in the cables we had to cut him down and take him to the medics to get the cables off."

Wing's optics glittered brightly as he laughed. "Oh my. That puts my early flying mishaps to shame!"

The silver and purple mech chuckled. "Atlas here somehow managed to get wedged in the window of an abandoned skyscraper, after being caught by surprise and dodging by reflex."

"You got yourself stranded on a rooftop," the blue mech retorted. "Stuck in alt mode and on your back!"

Wing choked on his laughter. "How did that happen?"

"Titan's flight mode is larger than mine, which is why he persists in calling me 'Little Blue'," Dai Atlas replied, relishing the opportunity to embarrass Titanium. "A powerful updraft caught him as he flew between the buildings, flipped him up and over. The impact knocked his transformation cog out of place, so he couldn't transform, and there was no way he could roll over in jet mode."

"Unlike designs like mine," Wing snickered, knowing he was setting up to get a couple stories of his mishaps told. "Worst I ever did was fly into a sand dune at full speed first time I snuck out."

Dai Atlas raised an optic rim. "And it took how long to get the sand out of you? I seem to recall that you've flown into a few things while the city was still underground. Or have you forgotten that one time I had to pry you off of a stalactite not long after you started flying."

"The sand was way worse," Wing countered. "That stalactite just hurt. The sand was in my joints for a decaorn before Redline took pity on me and did the full fix. Or was it you that got tired of hearing me whimper in recharge and cut the punishment short?"

"Something like that." Dai Atlas snorted. "You ran into a stalactite, then ended up clinging to it for dear life. I had to go up and pry you off the thing." He regarded his creation with amusement. "And then there was that time you found that desert insect that crawled under your armor. You were running around for a good groon after that, trying to get it out."

Titanium chortled.

GoldenRod swatted him. "You somehow managed to get a bat into your chest cavity once."

Wing's expression went from the wince of remembered discomfort and youthful panic to the snickering wince of sympathetic amusement. "Surely Goldie has some fun events too."

The gold mech pouted. Titanium laughed, reaching over to tweak his mate's spoiler. "Goldie's a groundframe, obviously... First time we were on Earth, when he was still getting used to tires, he took a corner too fast and went right off the road. Landed in a tree. Took joors to get all the leaves and twigs, and a live raccoon, out of his circuitry."

Wing, the only one who knew anything of Earth, laughed heartily. "At least he was still easy to find, I'm sure. Hard to miss that finish, even in a tree."

"A furry, four-legged mammal, about this big," Titanium explained to Dai Atlas and Axe, holding two fingers apart to approximate the size of the large adult raccoon. "And yes, Goldie's quite difficult to miss. Normally. When he wants to go unnoticed, he's actually quite hard to catch."

"That raccoon tickled like you wouldn't believe," GoldenRod added.

Wing raised an optic ridge. "How does that finish go unnoticed?"

"You would be surprised," Titanium replied with a chuckle. "Goldie is much sneakier than you'd think, and he has raised going unnoticed to an art form. How did you think he manages to prank the Lambo twins?"

GoldenRod looked at everyone innocently while they regarded him critically.

"Point taken, but you didn't answer," Wing pointed out.

"Because I honestly have no idea how he manages it." Titanium spread his hands helplessly. "I just know it works."

"Attitude can be everything," Dai Atlas commented knowingly. "It cam let a rookie walk in and start giving orders to officers, an ops mech walk in the front door and right up to their target, then out again ... or a flashy as the pit mech be overlooked. About right?" he smiled at GoldenRod.

"About right," GoldenRod agreed, grinning at the bigger mech. "Works better than stealth sometimes. And drives Red Alert right up the wall."

"You gave that mech more fritzes than the Lambos did, I swear." Titanium shook his head.

"I'm going to guess that's a security mecha," Axe guessed.

"Chief of security, I think," Wing said, a vague recollection of the designation from Drift's stories. "Drift mentioned him, but not much. Don't think they had much contact."

"Security director," Titanium confirmed. "Normally found in the security hub, watching the camera feeds. He's got a paranoia glitch. The Lambos have made it a mission to torment him. Red Alert fritzes about Goldie just because he's a mech with an occasionally literally blinding paint job who can get around without being noticed by anything but the cameras."

"That would do it," Wing chuckled, shaking his helm. "How did the two of you meet?" he asked with honest curiosity.

"I ran into him, literally," GoldenRod replied casually. "Was forced to land on a planet and look for supplies; I didn't have enough on board to make it to the next port. He'd been chased to the same planet by a pack of Quints, already damaged, and his ship was falling apart. The crash managed to throw off the Quints. I was scouting when I rounded a boulder and literally hit him right in the shins."

Titanium snorted. "Sent me aft over helm, that I remember. Hitting the ground didn't help in my already damaged state. Next thing I remember was waking up on his ship with him trying to put me back together. We just kind of stuck together after that."

"Quints?" Dai Atlas focused on an apparent threat he knew nothing of.

Titanium rumbled. "Quintessons. They enslaved us, long before our time. When our race began. The first war on Cybertron was when the newly-sparked Cybertronians threw off the Quints. These days, most have forgotten about them, but they haven't forgotten about us."

"What do these Quints look like?" Dai Atlas rumbled.

"Five-faced floating eggs with tentacles, usually." Titanium projected a holo image through his optic lenses. "Their soldiers are nearly mindless things called sharkticons. Mean jaws, but not very bright. The Quints ran afoul of the 'Cons early on and got their slimy afts kicked, so they're better at keeping their distance now than they were when Goldie and I met."

"So the Cons actually did something good for Cybertronians?" Wing snorted, his wings twitching in agitation as too many memories filtered up. He wasn't even aware how dark his field turned, much less that it was nearly instant.

Both Autobots eyed the small jet with curiosity and some wariness, GoldenRod actually leaning away from Wing. Dai Atlas regarded his creation, once again reminded of what this white jet had suffered.

"As shocking as it is, they did, kind of," Titanium rumbled.

It was Axe that reached out for Wing, a gentle hand on his shoulder and one finger rubbing a soothing pattern on one wing until Wing murmured wordlessly and began to relax, his field settling.

"A few vorns here have not been long enough to heal from the losses at the hands of the Decepticons," Axe explained quietly.

Titanium rested both elbows on the table, regarding Wing. "I can understand that. It will take centuries or millennia for that kind of pain to dull." He tilted his head slightly. "With my red optics and wings, I am often mistaken for a Decepticon, by the 'Cons themselves as often as by fellow Autobots and other races. Makes 'Cons easier to kill sometimes. But, with the resemblance, are you sure that you want to spar with me before we set this plan of ours in motion?"

Wing's optics cycled in surprise. "I trusted you with my cadre for over a century. In case you haven't noticed, red optics aren't exactly a Con marking to Knights," he motioned to Dai Atlas.

"Not in this universe, no," Titanium agreed, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "But red optics mean 'Con to most of the universe. You and your cadre have suffered terrible losses at the hands of the 'Cons. So I'd rather be sure."

Wing shook his helm, sure of this at least. "You feel like the same Titan. I'm good."

Tensed wings relaxed, settling lower on Titanium's back, framing his swords. "Had to make sure. It's one of the reasons Goldie and I are nomadic."

"Too much prejustice against the optics?" Wing said sadly. "That's one thing we don't have here. Even my cadre may have ... issues ... but optics aren't among them."

"No one had really made the association when we left, and we've done our best to have very limited outside contact since," Dai Atlas added.

"With a few very rare exceptions, mostly myself and Hot Spot, almost all Autobots have blue optics, and all Decepticons have red optics. Also, I'm a triple changer, one of the biggest. The majority of big triples went 'Con... Blitzwing, Astrotrain, Octane, Flattop, Roadblock, Snapdragon, Trypticon and a dozen others. The few 'Bot triples are questionably 'Bot in personality. So everyone watches me warily." Titanium shrugged. "I chose to wander the outer ranges of space to avoid most contact with my own kind because of it. Goldie chose to stay with me rather than leaving after I was repaired."

Wing cocked his helm. "So you haven't been a nomad long, relatively speaking."

Titanium shook his head. "Nope. I left Cybertron sometime after the current war broke out, well after Atlas vanished. I'm older than he is. Only a small fraction of my life has been spent constantly on the move."

"You will always be welcome here, if you choose to settle once more," Dai Atlas offered his old friend.

Titanium smiled at the other mech. "I'll probably take you up on that in the future. Am really getting fed up with all the fuelshed."

GoldenRod put his empty energon cube down, looking at Wing. "It's getting pretty late. Were you two planning on sparring a bit tonight, or are we going to wait another orn?"

"We can in the morning, if you wish," the small jet smiled easily. "I'm sure Drift is more than ready for me to return to our quarters."

"One of us will warn you if he's headed your way. Wouldn't want him to see either of you before we're ready for it," Axe winked an optic.

Titanium nodded. "That will be fine. And yes, don't want Drift so us too soon." He nodded at Axe. "Have to clean my swords properly while I'm at it."

Dai Atlas stood, signaling the others to as well. He offered a warrior's shake to Titanium. "Would you like guest quarters, or to recharge in your ship?"

Titanium rose to his feet, clasping the other old warrior's forearm. "Guest quarters, please," he replied after a questioning look at Goldie.

"It's nice to get out of the ship for a while," the gold mech added. He tilted his helm at Dai Atlas. "Ya know, I'm pretty sure one of the older rifles he's got in his collection used to belong to you."

The blond looked a little sheepish at that.

"He is welcome to it," Dai Atlas smiled as Axe slipped away to their berth room. "I have not used anything but swords since I was accepted to train in Metallikato."

Axe reappeared and offered a small but beautifully crafted box to Titanium. "Something for your swords."

"Thank you." Titanium accepted it with an incline of his helm. He smiled at Dai Atlas. "It hasn't been fired probably since the last time you used it. I keep it clean and charged, but I've never used it myself."

"Have a good evening," Wing smiled at the couple. "I'll see you when Drift is training to finish arrangements for tonight."

Titanium nodded to him. "We'll be waiting for you."

GoldenRod flicked his spoiler as Wing slipped from the room, eager to be with his mate for the last time before true violence tested their relationship. "I'll lock down the ship and then meet Titan at our assigned quarters."