"Of Sparks and Cons"
Chapter 14
Reaching the docking bay, Dunestar smiled as Renegade came out of the bay, but the look on his faceplate stopped her smile quickly. Something was wrong.
"Rene?" Dunestar asked, sensing more than seeing when Quicksilver moved to the space behind her.
"Dusk is frightened, I'm going to find her," Renegade spoke in a soft tone, but by the thunderous expression Dunestar had a feeling whoever was scaring the tiny femme was in a great deal of trouble.
"All right," Dunestar stepped aside and let him pass them. Looking over to Quicksilver she shrugged and tried to look unconcerned. However, she was anything but.
"Renegade informed me of your presence," an eradicon appeared from the docking bay and stopped before them as he spoke.
"Where can we put these?" Dunestar asked, refocusing. Though she continued to worry about Duskwalker as well.
"In here, follow me," the eradicon lead them into the docking bay. However, instead of going toward Naomi, he lead her to a newly installed door. Entering the door, Dunestar stopped and looked around with her mouth slightly agape. The quarters they entered were spacious and completely new. To the right of the entrance was a computer console, the screen was lit up and glowed a dim purple with the Decepticon insignia centralized. To the left was a storage center, directly across from which was a good sized berth.
"Impressive," Dunestar looked back to the eradicon, her optics moving to two other doors, "Where do those lead?"
The eradicon turned to look and looked back at her, "The right door leads to the berth for Duskwalker, the one in the far wall leads into the common area."
"Common area?" Dunestar set her crate down and passed the eradicon, opening the door. Beyond was a massive space filled with eradicons working on constructing more sets of quarters.
"Yes, each member of this group will have their personal quarters, which open onto a common area for all to use," the eradicon indicated the newly constructed walls. Sparks were flying as a few eradicons focused on a doorway two doors down in the center.
"I…wasn't expecting all of this," Dunestar said, turning back into the quarters she was to share with Renegade. None of his things were present yet, meaning Duskwalker's fear had occurred before he'd gotten a chance to move things around.
"Lord Megatron wanted to be certain you were comfortable," the eradicon intoned calmly.
"That's nice," Dunestar said, uncertain. This did not match with the rumors and descriptions of the Decepticon leader she had heard over the stellar cycles.
"Now, please excuse me, I am needed to assist," the eradicon turned and walked away.
"Dunestar, how is Quick…" Cascade's voice drew her attention as he popped his head in the doorway, his optics focusing on Quicksilver, "Never mind, I'm glad to see you're okay."
With her helm canted to the side, Quicksilver gazed at him curiously, "Why would I not be?"
"Uh," Cascade looked at Dunestar.
"Yellowjacket was looking for you earlier," Dunestar said.
Quicksilver jerked back as though she had been physically struck and shuttered her optics partially.
"How many times has he been around you?" Dunestar asked, her voice going low.
This time the silence was pierced by the sound of the workers, but Dunestar ignored them.
"Silver, I want an answer this time," Dunestar stated, crossing her arms over her chestplate and waiting.
The youngling set her crate aside and sat on it, clasping her hands on her knees, looking at the decking beneath her pedes. Dunestar was starting to get a little aggravated by the silence when Quicksilver spoke up.
"Enough for me to never want to see him again," Quicksilver answered. Her optics were duller than normal and she didn't seem interested in anything but the decking.
"I'll kill him," both Dunestar and Cascade declared at the same time, looking at each other.
Quicksilver looked up at them in open surprise.
"Cascade, what is it?" Dunestar asked as she noticed his gaze turn distant and an expression of grim anger pass over his features.
"Windsplitter's in trouble, I'll be right back,' Cascade responded, shoving away from the door and nearly plowing over eradicons on his way to the doorway into the corridor.
"Oh dear," Dunestar sighed, wondering what the sparklings had gotten themselves into this time. Even Duskwalker had apparently been involved. She'd been wondering where they were, especially after Renegade's sudden exit.
"Is… is he going to be on this ship?" Quicksilver's quiet question caught Dunestar slightly off guard and she turend back to look down at the petite femme.
"I… don't know, Silver," Dunestar stated, moving to take a seat on the crate that she had set down.
"I don't want him around," Quicksilver was playing with her fingers as she spoke, staring at their silver surface hard.
Reaching over and setting her servo on top of Quicksilver's to stop her from fidgeting and to get her attention, Dunestar smiled when the younger femme looked up at her. The fear she saw on the seeker's faceplate made her spark break but it also reminded her of how young she really was.
"Renegade, Cascade, and I will not let him get near you, sweetspark. I'm certain that even Megatron would be loathe to allow him near you," Dunestar reassured her. She'd never met the Decepticon leader and had very little interest in meeting him, but she knew that he saw the sparklings as an opportunity and would most likely protect them fiercely.
"They won't?" Quicksilver didn't seem to quite believe her.
"You know Cascade, right?" Dunestar asked.
A nod was her response. It would do for these questions.
"Now, take him and multiply him by about a hundred and you'll get Rene," Dunestar grinned at the strange look from Quicksilver.
"Huh?" Quicksilver asked, her mood lifting slightly.
"Rene is a good mech, Silver. He's raised and cared for Duskwalker on his own all this time. Has she ever acted as though he were a bad mech?" Dunestar asked, still smiling.
"No… but he's her creator," Quicksilver started, only to have Dunestar looked at her pointedly, "I'm not stupid, I know not everyone's creator is like mine."
"He'll treat you the same way he treats Duskwalker," Dunestar stated firmly, "Or he'll have to answer to me." A tiny, almost invisible smile greeted these words.
"Now, come on, let's get these shoved into that storage unit. We've still got your stuff to collect," Dunestar ushered her up and lifted the crate she had been sitting on. Quicksilver shoved the one Dunestar had been sitting on over and both were quickly placed into the closet.
"Ready?" Dunestar asked, leading the way out via the docking bay. She didn't want to get into the eradicons' way as they worked on the residence.
As they neared the entrance to the ship, they heard what sounded like an explosion. Standing near the top of the ramp were two massive figures. One was clearly Renegade, the other Cascade. Dunestar and Quicksilver approached them and stopped when Megatron walked in. His gaze took in Quicksilver and stopped momentarily on Dunestar before he turned his attention to Renegade.
Before anyone could speak, a cry that sounded like strangled version of the term 'daddy' was released and Dunestar watched as Duskwalker launched herself at her creator. The little femme had every faith in the universe that Renegade would catch her without fail.
"I'm sorry, I won't ever leave again without permission," Duskwalker was promising and Dunestar could see her trying her hardest to get into the compartment in Renegade's armor.
"Hush, little one," Renegade shushed her as Megatron handed Windsplitter - a little calmer than Duskwalker, but not by much, over to Cascade.
"It would seem that your charges left the ship and ran into trouble. They were lucky," Megatron's voice sent chills down Dunestar's backstrut and she watched as both Renegade and Cascade stiffened.
"Yes, they were, Lord Megatron," Renegade agreed easily enough.
"I expect that all the sparklings have learned why they should not leave the safety of the warship without adult supervision," Megatron continued, turning as Dreadwing approached. He handed Dunestar the recharging Wildcharger.
"I am sure they have, your lordship," Renegade stated as he looked down at Duskwalker.
"And if they have not, we will ensure they learn the error of their ways," Cascade's tone was colder and more controlled than Renegade's. He was clearly not pleased with finding Windsplitter outside of her designated area.
"I am sure you will," Megatron stated with a slight cant of his head before turning to gaze at Dunestar once more, "I take it that she is with one of you."
It was a statement not a question and Dunestar moved closer to Renegade. Quicksilver followed her and remained slightly behind them both.
"Very well," Megatron seemed to accept her presence easily and when she felt Renegade's servo go to her shoulder armor, she had a feeling it was far too easily.
Without another word, the big mech walked away, Dreadwing joining him. They began to speak in low tones and Dunestar turned toward Renegade, a question forming on her lips. Renegade shook his head and looked down at Duskwalker.
"I want to know the story later, but for now, I need to take Silver to collect her things," Dunestar stated, running a soothing servo down Duskwalker's backstrut as the femling cried her little spark out.
"Very well, we will see you later. Quicksilver, use caution, Yellowjacket is hanging around the colony," Renegade warned, stepping around them. Cascade offered them a grim smile, taking Wildcharger from Dunestar's arms and following Renegade silently.
"What will he do to them?" Quicksilver's question was nearly lost in the sound of the mechs' footfalls.
"Most likely make them do extra chores or place them on restriction, whatever happened was bad," Dunestar said distractedly before looking over at Quicksilver with a soft smile, "Don't worry, they'll be fine. No harm done."
For a moment Dunestar thought Quicksilver would say something else, but then the femme simply looked away and moved toward the exit. Following her shortly after, Dunestar watched her as she walked down the ramp. She kept an equal distance between herself and the two eradicons standing guard at the end of the ramp. Neither of the mechs even looked at her, but still, Dunestar had the sense that Quicksilver would have darted away had they turned toward her.
'This is going to be a long journey to Altera, if we don't get her to settle down,' Dunestar sighed as she continued to follow Quicksilver to the youngling's residence.
"This place has seen far better days," Dunestar started. She didn't want to pick on Quicksilver, but the residence the youngling rented was little better than a shack.
"I know," Quicksilver agreed, tapping in her code. The lock did not disengage so she inputted it again. By the third try, the youngling was clearly getting disgruntled. At the fifth try, she slapped her servo against the panel and it lit up as though she had hit it with an energy pulse.
"Maybe you got a couple of numbers mixed up?" Dunestar suggested, trying to hide her joy at seeing something besides moody disinterest coming from Quicksilver.
"No," Quicksilver stated firmly as she pried the cover off and started to fiddle with the lock's innards. Dunestar watched in stunned fascination as Quicksilver quickly broke into her own residence.
"Where, may I ask, did you pick up that skill?" Dunestar asked, trying to keep the fact that she found it impressive out of her tone.
"I learned out of necessity," Quicksilver stated, entering the residence and stepping through the small foyer.
Dunestar followed her, stopping within the entrance to the little living area. Her mouth was agape at the sight before her. Dangling from the ceiling and reflecting the natural rays of the sun's light were billions upon billions of tiny beads, all strung together. Each one was clearly individually servo-crafted. The walls were adorned with holo images of the planet's landscape, many of which included the local population as well. Masks carved of the wood taken from the scraggly trees hung from secured posts, painted to look like creatures from the Chartah's mythologies. There were even servo-woven blankets thrown over the seating areas. Quicksilver did not seem to notice Dunestar's staring. Instead she had made her way into the rear of the tiny residence, most likely where the recharge chamber was located, and collected a crate.
"Silver… where did you ever get all of this?" Dunestar asked in awe.
The femling looked around in open surprise at Dunestar's question, "From the Chartah." Her response made Dunestar think she should have added on, 'who else' at the end, but she stayed quiet and simply continued to stare at the beauty of the refracted sunlight on the dim beige walls.
Quicksilver settled herself on the floor and began to pack her things. She seemed focused on her task as she looked over data chips and data pads so Dunestar began to explore. Never had Quicksilver invited her to the residence. And Dunestar had never asked to visit. Now she wished she had. The youngling must have had stories to go with each and every bead, mask, and blanket.
"This is amazing," Dunestar spoke quietly as she entered the recharge chamber. There were fewer Chartah artifacts in there.
Mostly it seemed to be crammed with reading materials, maps, and other items that seemed almost out of place in the youngling' s home. Still, there was an image being emitted from a tiny holo-emitter lying on a shelf. It was of a much younger Quicksilver, grinning audio to audio, as she sat in the arms of a blue Decepticon femme. There was a large servo on the femme's shoulder, but no other sign of the mech half of Quicksilver's creators. Had her mother been kinder than her father? Dunestar didn't have an answer to that question. Getting Quicksilver to talk about her creators was like trying to pull teeth from a Chartah.
"Dune… I'm ready," Quicksilver was standing in the doorway, looking about with a sad expression.
Dunestar tilted her head in surprise and curiosity. Surely the youngling hadn't collected all of her belongings already. Looking beyond the pale blue and silver helm, Dunestar could still see the beads adorning the ceiling.
"Little one, don't you want to take your decorations to decorate your new home?" Dunestar asked, "And what about everything in here?"
"I…" Quicksilver started only to stop and look away.
"Yes?" Dunestar asked, looking back at the image.
"I don't want… to get into trouble," Quicksilver stated. She sounded so sure of herself that Dunestar looked back at her.
"Why would you ever think you'd get into trouble for decorating?" Dunestar asked.
"…I've never been allowed to, before I rented this place," Quicksilver shrugged as she spoke.
"Never been allowed to? Silver, I can promise you that no one is going to say a word to you about decorating your new recharge compartment. We will all be making our spaces our own, you are no different," Dunestar stated, moving past her and looking for a way to pull the beads down without damaging the fragile balls.
Quicksilver remained where she was standing, watching Dunestar silently. Dunestar couldn't tell if she believed her or not.
"Remember telling me that you knew that not all creators were like your creator?" Dunestar asked as she finally found the knotted end of the string and began to, carefully, pull it down from the anchor it was attached to.
"Yes," Quicksilver answered.
"Well, why do you think Rene wouldn't let you decorate your space if he allows Duskwalker to make her space her own?" Dunestar asked, reaching up to disentangle the string of beads she had in her servo from the one beneath it.
There was no response from Quicksilver and when Dunestar looked over at the doorway to the recharge chamber, Quicksilver had disappeared. Listening carefully, she smiled as she realized the youngling had gone into the chamber and began to pack her things in there as well.
'Rene, you've got your work cut out for you with that one… I just hope you can pull her out of her shell and keep her in line at the same time because I have a feeling she's going to push every boundary she can to see how you're going to react,' Dunestar thought as she continued to remove the strings of beads, all of which were the size of the tip of her smallest finger, from the ceiling.
By the time Dunestar had placed the last of the bead strings, ever so carefully, into a smaller crate that she could place into the larger one, Quicksilver had emerged from the recharge chamber. The youngling had gingerly removed the masks from the walls and wrapped them into the blanket, massive by Chartah standards, and laid them gently on top of the crate's contents. Each of the holo-emitters also joined the crate from her recharge chamber and she looked up at Dunestar. There was still a great deal of uncertainity in her expression, but she seemed resigned to trust Dunestar's opinion of Renegade. That was a step in the right direction.
"Anything else?" Dunestar asked as she looked about the empty room.
With a thoughtful expression, followed by a quick nod of the head, Quicksilver disappeared into a tiny room off to the side of the recharge chamber and emerged with a box, nearly full of energon cubes.
"Good, we'll need our own supplies, I think… actually, I wonder if Jackknife is willing to give us a servo. I need to collect some of my stock from the store before I servo him the code," Dunestar was talking more to herself than Quicksilver, but the youngling listened intently.
"Jackknife," Dunestar waited for the mech to respond before plowing ahead.
"Yes?" Jackknife sounded as though he'd been in the middle of something.
"Is there any way we can borrow you or one of your assistants? I'm going to be taking the stock I'll need before we go and Silver and I can't handle it all on our own," Dunestar quirked a smile at the way Quicksilver rolled her pale optics. Jackknife was known for dropping everything to assist a 'femme in distress' as the youngling put it.
"I'll come myself, these two can handle the store for that long. See you there," Jackknife's mood had shifted completely and Dunestar chuckled as she signed off of the connection with a quick thanks.
"Let me guess, he's coming?" Quicksilver asked, no sarcasm in her tone.
"Yes, hey you didn't mind his heroism when you came here," Dunestar stated pointedly. The mech had given Quicksilver a job keeping his store tidy while also giving her the room above as a residence until she could afford to pay rent. He'd been the first mech, aside from Reclaimer, that Dunestar had ever seen Quicksilver spend time around without being a nervous wreck.
"That is beside the point," Quicksilver stated, lifting one of her crates and heading for the door. Dunestar followed her with a grin on her faceplate. The youngling could argue all she wanted; Dunestar knew that, secretly, she was pleased to get to see the mech again before they left the planet permenantly.
Renegade was stopped by a heavy servo on his shoulder armor as he carried Duskwalker back to the residence. She had settled down the further he walked and he had been considering how to respond to the sparklings' obvious disregard for the rules. Particularly Wildcharger's part in the escapade. As a result, when he felt the grip, he reacted instinctually and placed his other servo in front of Duskwalker's tiny form to hide her from view. Turning he came faceplate to chestplate with Reclaimer. Issuing a sigh of relief, he lowered his servo and looked up at the tall mech.
"Orders, you and I are accompanying Starscream to the Autobot stronghold," Reclaimer spoke steadily, his optics straying to Duskwalker for a moment before refocusing on Renegade's faceplate, "I hear there was a little adventure taken in the colony."
"Yes, there was… Cascade," Renegade looked to the red and brown mech as he approached, cradling Windsplitter and Wildcharger in his arms. Both had now slipped into recharge.
"I heard… would you like me to take Dusk as well or do you want to deliver her to her new berth?" Cascade asked before looking to Reclaimer, "I take it I wasn't invited."
"Soundwave needs you to assist in the construction of the residence," Reclaimer stated.
Cascade frowned at the cold tone in his voice and looked at Renegade. Returning the look Renegade shook his head. He didn't know what was going on in the younger mech's processor either.
"Got it," Cascade stated.
"I will meet you outside the ship once I have placed Duskwalker on her berth," Renegade stated in dismissal. He had a feeling he was going to have to show Reclaimer that he was the superior in their working relationship. If the mech didn't want anything to do with Quicksilver any longer, so be it, but he wasn't going to allow him to walk all over himself or Cascade.
"Very well," Reclaimer accepted. For a moment, Renegade got the sense that the tall mech wanted to ask something else, but changed his mind and walked away.
"He's acting strange," Cascade stated, watching him go.
"He's trying to distance himself… not a wise choice," Renegade responded as he turned and led the way to the former cargo hold.
"Silver's going to be upset," Cascade said offhand, "How do you want me to deal with the three miscreants if you're not back before they wake?"
"Windsplitter's your domain, friend," Renegade grinned down at Cascade who returned the smile.
"I was kind of hoping you'd deal with her too… oh well, can't get one past you," Cascade laughed. There was little joy in the laugh.
"Just keep them in their berths until I get back, then we all can discuss it and decide," Renegade spoke easily. Still he was thinking about the mess the three had gotten themselves into and the thought of losing any of them sent cold chills through his spark.
Cascade agreed and they walked in silence the rest of the way back to the cargo hold.
"What a mess," Cascade sounded as though he'd like to strangle one of the bots working on the residence as they entered. There were discarded metal pieces all over the place, bolts and other small pieces of hardware lay on the floor, scattered by careless pedes.
"Hm, no sign of Dunestar or Quicksilver," Renegade said as he looked about his quarters. Turning, he tapped the panel beside the door into Duskwalker's compartment and looked around. Two berths were set into the left wall, high off the ground like perches. A computer console was being pieced together on the right wall, the second already complete. In the center was a small table, close to the decking, so that smaller forms could use it easily.
"Probably went to collect more things," Cascade answered as he entered the space as well, "This is going nicely… though I'd have expected both consoles to be done by now."
"It's going to be left undone for a while yet," Renegade stated as he placed Duskwalker onto her berth and watched as she curled into a tighter ball. He would be sure to pay attention to her emotions while away. He could call Cascade if he sensed anything more by way of fear.
"Agreed," Cascade nodded. Renegade followed him from the compartment and across the debris-littered decking of the common area to the compartment that would be Windsplitter's from now on.
Entering it, he noticed it had a similar design to Duskwalker's compartment, though the berth was of normal design and everything, except the computer console, was in place. Cascade placed both sparklings on the berth and turned toward him.
"Keep an optic on Dusk, that was a lot of stress for her," Renegade sighed, wishing he could stay in the residence and care for her.
"Don't worry, I'll treat her like my own," Cascade offered a grim smile.
"I know you will… just don' t go letting her wander off," Renegade smirked, though he felt a sharp pang of regret. He'd already missed the three of them sneaking off, though Duskwalker hadn't started out with that intention. As always, her sense of keeping others safe had been her downfall.
"I'm going to put tracking devices in those two and Silver," Cascade suddenly said, completely serious, "The same way you did Dusk. Hopefully that will keep them from wandering off and getting into too much trouble… or at least make it so we can find them easier next time."
"I'll assist you," Renegade said with a firm nod.
"You'd better get going or you're going to be hearing from Reclaimer," Cascade jested, smirking at the look that Renegade gave him.
"That bot is going to need to learn some manners if I'm to work with him on a regular basis," Renegade said as he turned to leave.
"Good luck," Cascade called out as he left Windsplitter's compartment and entered the common area once more.
Renegade made his way around the eradicons that were working and ducked his head into Duskwalker's compartment. She was still in recharge, curled into a ball so tight that he doubted he would be able to pry her apart. Sighing slightly he stepped away and made his way out of the residence, as they had come to start calling the redesigned cargo hold, and headed for the exit. He met no one along the way and was grateful for small favors.
Both Reclaimer and Starscream were waiting on him at the bottom of the ramp.
"I trust the little idarlings/i are safely tucked into their berths," Starscream sneered as Renegade made his way to their sides.
"They're all three in recharge," Renegade stated, "What is the mission?"
"To go to the Autobot stronghold and collect any information we can find," Starscream responded, "I trust that both of you know something about the cavern network that runs beneath that mountain range."
Following the pointing finger, Renegade looked to the mountain peaks that ran behind the Savannah Tribal lands. With a swift nod, he indicated that he had some working knowledge of the area. It seemed Reclaimer did as well as he nodded also.
"Good, I don't feel like being caught in another cave-in," Starscream was looking at Reclaimer as he spoke. Nothing more was said on the matter and the seeker turned from them, transforming midstride and leaving them in a cloud of acrid dust and sand.
"Show off," Reclaimer snorted, transforming as well and driving toward the water that marked the boundary of the colony.
Watching him go, Renegade followed at a more sedate pace, preferring to transform once he was beyond the water.
Quicksilver sat on her crate, her chin propped in the palm of her servo as she watched the street for any sign of Jackknife. She had been set to this duty after nearly breaking three shelves worth of product when she tripped and her wing tip had struck a support. It seemed Dunestar didn't like the idea of losing anymore product than she had to. So she had sent Quicksilver to wait on Jackknife. At least, that was how she had taken it.
'How much more boring can you get?' Quicksilver thought to herself as she spotted a dark spot, wavering in the heat, at the other end of the street.
Waiting for him to get closer, Quicksilver stood and poked her head in the door, "He's coming." Dunestar appeared from the other side of the counter, covered in dust and grime.
"Good, let him know that I'm back here. I've got most of what we'll need packed up," Dunestar called, grinning and reentering the storage area.
There were times that the femme's constant good mood got on Quicksilver's nerves.
"Hey there, Silver," Jackknife's voice made her jump and she spun around, nearly catching him with a wing.
"Jackknife… how… when… but…"Quicksilver stuttered.
The short, stout mech set his hands to his hips and waited her stuttering out as he looked at her with one brow ridge raised. His luminescent mismatched optics narrowed slightly before he released a sigh from his vents.
"I wasn't as far away as you figured, I'm sure," Jackknife smirked as he crossed his arms over his dark chestplate and looked toward the door that she was standing in front of.
"Dune's in the back," Quicksilver recovered and took her seat on top of the crate again.
Jackknife gave her a curious look but said nothing. Instead he entered the shop and called out to Dunestar, "Dune, my friend, where are you in this mess?"
"Haha, funny," Dunestar quipped as she emerged from the back. Quicksilver watched them, wishing she had been that calm upon Jackknife's appearance. But she never knew how to react to anyone, especially mechs.
"So, what did you need help with?" Jackknife asked after greeting Dunestar. He had to look up to see her faceplate, as his helm only reached her chestplate. It was a height difference Quicksilver had always found amusing. He was not that much taller than she was, much the way Knockout, except for the height added by his helmet decorations, was the same height as her.
"I doubt Silver and I can carry all of this to the warship… you wouldn't happen to have the time help us, would you?" Dunestar asked as an engine screamed overhead.
Looking away from the two adults, Quicksilver stood from her crate and looked up, easily spotting Starscream as he flew over the colony in the direction of the mountains. She stepped out into the street to have a clear view of where he was headed. Moments later, another bot in their alt mode appeared, this one coming down the street she was standing in the middle of. Jumping out of the way, she landed flat on her aft as the massive form of Reclaimer pelted past. Watching him, she felt something in her spark that was a mixture of sadness, hurt, and anger. Ever since the battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Reclaimer had barely spoken to her.
"Silver, are you all right?" Dunestar emerged from the store as another form appeared at the end of the street.
"Yes," Quicksilver answered before the femme could get any more worried. She got to her pedes and dusted herself off, watching as Renegade slowly came into view. The big mech stopped when he reached them, his green optics focused on her. Moving back slightly, she shrank under the gaze, certain she was about to get scolded for being stupid enough to stand in middle of the street.
"Are you all right?" Renegade finally spoke, his tone far gentler than she'd been expected.
Nodding, she crossed her arms over her chestplate and looked in the direction Reclaimer had gone.
"Dune, we're performing a mission for Lord Megatron. The sparklings are in the residence with Cascade. We'll return before morning," Renegade looked over Quicksilver's head as he spoke.
"Are they okay?" Dunestar asked and Quicksilver looked up at him. She'd been worried about the three sparklings too.
"Yes, but they're in trouble, Cascade will fill you in," Renegade promised.
"So soon… what were they thinking," Dunestar almost sounded amused.
Quicksilver looked back at her and noticed that she was smiling slightly, though Renegade was frowning. He reached out and set a servo on Quicksilver's helm and smiled downa t her gently. She startled and tried to scoot back without making him mad.
"Silver, I'm going to have a chat with Reclaimer to find out what is going on in that fritzing processor of his," Renegade told her, allowing her to move away without a fight.
"Go on, before they get frustrated with the old mech that can't keep up," Dunestar teased, smiling down at Quicksilver.
A deep sigh exited his vents and he shook his head, "Blasted young bots, always in a hurry."
With that, he was walking away, following Reclaimer's cloud of dust. Turning toward Dunestar, Quicksilver noticed that Jackknife had not followed her out of the shop.
"I hope they're careful… we don't even know if all the 'Bots were cleared out or not," Dunestar said quietly, looking down and offering Quicksilver a small smile, "Don't worry, they'll both be fine, I'm sure of it." Quicksilver didn't know if she believed her or not.
"Hey, Silver, Dune, what are you two doing down here?" Searazor's voice made Quicksilver's spark beat a little faster and she spun to see him walking toward her from around the shop.
"Clearing out and getting ready to leave," Dunestar answered easily, "How about you?"
"Moving stuff around… I'm going to hop the next transport out of here," Searazor explained, grinning as Quicksilver jogged up to him and stopped directly in front of him, her hands clasped behind her.
"…Too bad, you were one of the better fits for the colony," Dunestar said, grinning and waving before reentering the shop.
"Now that the 'adult supervision' is gone," Searazor indicated the direction Renegade had gone in, "You want to catch up?"
Searazor was looking better than he had the last time she'd seen him. There were patches over the wounds and his optics were clearer than they had been. But she felt a sense of forboding at going off alone with him.
"I can't… I have to help Dune pack up," Quicksilver said quietly, "but you could help, if you want."
Though he looked disappointed, Searazor shrugged and grinned, "Sure, why not. I've got a while yet before I've got to be ready to go anyway."
A broad smile erupted on her faceplate and Quicksilver took his servo to lead him into the shop.
Dunestar and Jackknife led the way up the ramp, pulling an anti-grav sled behind them loaded with crates, into the cavernous interior of the warship as Quicksilver and Searazor brought up the rear. A shiver of fear passed through Searzor and Quicksilver noticed it, she assumed it was because of what Megatron had done to him and a flare of anger shot through her spark before she quelled it.
"So, this is the Nemesis…" Searazor made a high-pitched sound in his vocodor as he looked around.
Quicksilver nodded.
"You're really going, aren't you," Searazor said in a tone that nearly broke Quicksilver's spark.
"Yeah… Renegade says I have to," Quicksilver sighed, looking up at the adults. Neither of them looked back, they were in their own conversation.
"You could just stay with me and we could run away together, like in those old story vids," Searazor suggested, a mischevious grin on his faceplate.
"And be tracked down by Megatron… or worse… no thanks," Quicksilver smiled, "I don't mind going, but I'm going to miss this place."
"Sadly, so am I and it was never that great to me…" Searazor said, "Except that I got to meet you."
Quicksilver fought the urge to look away. As it was, she felt a trill of something in her spark that she'd never felt before.
"I'm being serious, Silver," Searazor stopped walking and looked at her closely, "I hope you feel the same way about me."
A noise of discomfort escaped her vocodor as she looked away, "I… I will miss you too, Searazor." It was all she knew to say before she sped away, catching up with the adults.
When they reached the residence, Cascade was standing outside, supervising the installation of a new lock panel on the outer wall. He looked over his shoulder and frowned when he spotted the two mechs with them. Quicksilver ducked her head and tried to ignore the fear that ran down her backstrut at the look.
"Watch the looks, buddy, we needed help or did you expect Silver and I to be able to drag all this slag by ourselves?" Dunestar stated and Quicksilver looked up in admiration. If it'd been just her, she would have tried to slip past Cascade and hidden in her compartment.
"Okay, okay," Cascade held up his hands and grinned, "I get it; don't bite my head off… I think the supplies are going to have to go into one of the two corridors that run between the side compartments and the center compartments… I need to put doors up there."
"That works… where do we put Quicksilver's stuff?" Dunestar asked, indicating Quicksilver and Searazor with a servo.
"Center compartment on the back wall," Cascade smiled at the look of surprise, "What? Did you think we were going to make you sleep in the common area? Go on and no funny stuff!" The latter was spoken as Cascade looked at Searazor. Quicksilver watched as Searazor cringed slightly and offered him a small smile.
Quicksilver would have to remember to ask Dunestar about that later on. For now, she wanted to see her new recharge compartment. Slipping past Cascade, she made her way to the door and set her finger against the icon that meant open. A sense of awe filled her as she looked in on the sparsely furnished compartment. At the backwall was a berth that would fit her, no matter how big she got, before it was a table, set up for her to work on just about anything at. To her right was a storage closet. She had to go further in to see a computer console with its screen lit up and showing a Decepticon emblem, beside it against the righthand wall. She'd never had her own personal console before. They were expensive and she'd been unable to afford one for her residence. Her creators had never seen a need for her to have her own when she lived with them.
"Wow… this is great," Quicksilver whispered, setting her crate before the door into the storage area and moving to examine the room closer.
"Huh, not bad, considering," Searazor was looking at the high ceiling and following the lines of the space, "Just be careful not to trip over the table when you're getting out of the berth." It was meant as a joke but Quicksilver found it annoying.
"You can set that down there," Quicksilver told him, indicating the crate he was holding. Now she wanted him out so she could actually decorate. She wouldn't do much at first, just to test what Dunestar had said. If Renegade and Cascade didn't seem to mind, then she would make the space her own.
"All right… so, do you need anything else?" Searazor had a hopeful expression on his faceplate and she looked away. She felt bad for wanting him to leave.
"Um… not right now… maybe we should go see if Dune needs some help," Quicksilver suggested, hating having to leave her compartment so soon after discovering it.
"Oh, okay," Searazor shrugged and waited for her, setting his servo on her lower back, between the lowermost wings as they exited the compartment. She noticed his servo rose considerably higher when they spotted Cascade. He had moved inside and was working with an eradicon behind the seating area.
"Perfect timing you two. Searazor, get to the other side of this crate, Silver on the left side," Jackknife ordered, slipping his fingers beneath the edge of the crate he stood beside, "On three... one, two, and three." All four of them grunted.
Quicksilver wondered just what was packed in the crate that would make it so heavy. By the time they set it down on the decking, air was rushing in and out of her vents as though she had been forced to run a very long distance on a very hot day.
"Okay, next time… pack in more than one crate," Searazor suggested, also panting.
"Couldn't, it's all one machine," Dunestar smirked at the twin looks of curiosity.
"Machine?" Quicksilver asked, forgetting how tired she was suddenly.
Dunestar laughed and wagged her finger at her, "Never you mind, little one. Now, let's finish with these crates, then you and I can get settled in and these two can go back to their lives."
Tilting her head to the side, Quicksilver glanced back at the crate but decided to ignore it for the time being, though her curiosity was piqued. Instead of dwelling on it, she began to help unload the anti-grav sled. The sled was empty faster than Quicksilver had expected and she sat down heavily on one of the crates, releasing a sigh from her vents.
Searazor approached her and started to put a servo on her back when Cascade made a sound like a Chartah growling. The sea-toned mech moved his servo to her shoulder instantly and settled on the crate beside her.
"You okay?" Searazor's question drew her attention and she shrugged.
"I think so," Quicksilver offered a small smile.
"Think so is not being okay," Searazor teased.
"Not much I can do about it, besides, I kinda like having them worrying about me," Quicksilver looked down in embarrassment.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about," Searazor reassured her, though he looked sad, "I'm glad you've got someone to look out for you now."
"Thanks," Quicksilver smiled.
"Let's go, I've got a shop to run and you've got watch duty tonight… getting back to as normal as possible," Jackknife stated, pulling on the anti-grav sled as he waved farewell.
"Bye… Jackknife?" Quicksilver stopped him from going further for a moment, "Thanks, for all your help."
"You're welcome, shorty," Jackknife winked with a laugh.
Quicksilver laughed slightly at the dumb joke and waved. With a final squeeze of her shoulder, Searazor left as well, waving over his shoulder. Both Dunestar and Cascade watched them go before turning back to the jobs they had been doing prior to their farewells.
"Dune, can I help?" Quicksilver asked.
"No need, you can go decorate and put your things away, if you'd like," Dunestar smiled kindly.
Feeling as though she should argue, but not wanting to, Quicksilver got to her pedes and entered her compartment. She didn't see the smile that Dunestar exchanged with Cascade as her door closed behind her.