Chapter 29: Unspoken
The Nemesis and the Ark floated, weightless, surrounded by a cold sea of darkness. The Decepticon warship was barely distinguishable from its surroundings, its matte black finish blending into the void. The only hints that gave away its shape were the dark purple details that glowed softly from various seams along its hull. The Autobot vessel, in contrast, was a small gold nugget in a sea of stars, the polished metal reflecting easily the smallest source of light.
Both faction leaders had agreed to meet in a neutral area of space, so that they could reach an agreement about which ship would visit which coordinates first. After that was done, the two vessels were aligned and linked with a passageway.
The moment of the mech exchange had arrived.
The Ark's crew would consist of Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ratchet, Blaster and his three symbionts, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Silverbolt, Air Raid, Drift and Bumblebee, with the Decepticon additions of Onslaught, Thundercracker, Swindle, Dead End and Barricade. Alpha Trion and Chaindrive were going to travel with them too, because the first one wanted to know more about the Autobot Leader, and the second one wanted to meet as many people as he could.
The Nemesis' crew would consist of Megatron, Soundwave and his symbionts, Shockwave, Starscream, Skywarp, Blitzwing, Knock Out, Breakdown, Motormaster and Brawl, with the Autobot additions of Ironhide, Breakaway, Mirage, Jazz and Blurr. Eleonor was travelling with them too.
"I strongly disapprove of your volunteering for the exchange." Prowl said, trying to mask his concern behind his formal demeanour.
"Ya know they need me, Prowler." The sleek silver mech replied, stepping closer, deliberately invading the other mech's personal space, a gesture he only did in private. "Those 'Cons don't know how ta be subtle, and Ah can be a great asset in dat aspect." He added, dimming half his visor in his version of a wink. Jazz could be a very good-natured mech, with a great sense of humour and a seemingly careless aura, but in combat he was an expert in sabotage and special ops, and he definitely knew how to defend himself. A true one mech army.
Prowl knew all of this, and even his simulated scenarios told him that it was the logical thing to do in order to improve the mission's chance of success, but for the first time, his spark was in blatant disagreement with his processors.
The black and white mech shuttered his optics for a brief moment, vents cycling slowly, wing-doors dropping almost imperceptibly. There were so many things he wanted to say, but the words kept getting stuck in his vocalizer and refused to come out.
"Just don't do anything reckless... And come back safely." He finally said, resting one servo on Jazz's shoulder.
"Da first thing ya know Ah can't promise... but ya can be sure of da second one." Jazz replied, mimicking Prowl's gesture and resting a servo on the other mech's shoulder, holding his glance for a long minute, unspoken emotions flowing in between them.
Onslaught stared sternly at his teammate, expression unreadable behind his mask and visor. Brawl had stopped him on his way to the passageway that linked the two vessels.
"You said you came to keep an optic on me and my 'easy trigger' tendencies and now you are leaving with those softy Autobots." Brawl snorted indignantly, leaning on a wall.
"Those Autobots, as you so accurately have put it, are a bunch of softies. They could really use some heavy firepower like mine, with earth-air capabilities." Onslaught explained, his visor brightening almost imperceptibly with a glint of irritation. "And I trust that you will behave properly under Lord Megatron's threat of kicking out of the ship any mech who jeopardizes this mission."
"Hmpf. I've always worked better under promises of reward than under threats." Brawl said, sulking.
Onslaught was silent for a brief moment before replying, his expression still unreadable behind his mask and visor, but with a smirk in his tone.
"We shall see..." And he turned to leave.
Brawl grinned, and turned to walk in the opposite direction, the unspoken promise enough for him.
Quietly leaning against a wall, faceplates set in a grim expression, a white figure observed the group of Autobots walking towards the entrance of the passageway linking the two ships. Though he was not trying to hide himself, he was standing in the least conspicuous place he could find, trying not to stand out too much.
"Having second thoughts about all this?" A voice spoke from beside him, startling the white mech out of his thoughts.
Turning to his right, he discovered the Autobot medic standing next to him. The white mech shook his helm slowly in silent reply. He wasn't one to speak unless necessary.
"You know, you can still go with them." Ratchet's voice softened slightly.
Another slow shake of the white helm, this time, accompanied by a small frown. The medic sighed softly through his vents.
"I can only imagine what it must be like for you to be here, considering your... past." The medic shifted imperceptibly closer. "Why did you volunteer to come? You could have remained on Earth if you wanted to." Ratchet insisted.
The white mech hesitated for a moment, his optics dimming briefly with the shadow of doubt, weighing if speaking his mind would solve anything, but he finally declined the idea and remained in silence, glaring at some distant point. Ratchet sighed again, knowing that he wasn't going to get anything from the other mech. Then again, he had a slight idea of what was affecting him.
"Listen, you don't have to prove anything,-"
"You don't know what it is like... to be me." The white mech finally spoke, a little harshly, cutting off the medic, his voice deep but smooth, with a slight Japanese accent due to his usual outpost on Earth. "For every sin I have made, I must pay double. For every life I have extinguished, I must save two." He said quietly. "This, is my final chance of redemption, Ratchet." He whispered, locking his optics onto the medic.
Ratchet held the other mech's gaze for a long moment. He could understand his point of view, although he didn't share it.
"Stop punishing yourself so hard, Drift. It will only bring you suffering." He finally said, before walking away in his Leader's direction.
Starscream and Silverbolt stood in front of each other, optics locked, stances tense, wings stiff behind their backs, flaps twitching ever so slightly. They both were very protective of their brothers, so this exchange was especially hard for them.
Thundercracker and Breakaway, in contrast, seemed much more relaxed on their spots next to their respective team leaders. The seeker sported a calm and collected expression, while the aerialbot was almost bouncing in excitement.
The remaining fliers, also had different demeanors. Skywarp was looking back and forth between their leaders, unsure of what to do. Air Raid was blatantly glaring daggers at Starscream, his hatred for the Decepticon Air Commander difficult to ignore.
It was Starscream who finally broke the long silence, his voice solemn as he recalled an ancient oath he had made thousands of years ago. Words that were never pronounced in vain and weighed even heavier in his spark than the Decepticon oath.
"Against the storms and through the winds, no matter the weather,
no matter if the daylight shines or the night lasts forever,
I will protect my trine.
The ground might fade and the empires might fall,
kings will follow one another like twilight to dawn,
but I will protect my trine,
because I am their leader, and we stay together.
For as long as there is sky, trines are forever."
Silverbolt's optics brightened in surprise, recognizing the words and the hidden message that the Decepticon Air Commander had wanted to transmit with them. From now on, Starscream was going to take the old oath literally. He was no longer going to make any distinction between seekers and aerialbots. He was going to treat Breakaway like his own trine-mate, and he expected Silverbolt to do the same.
"You know, all these years and the words haven't changed in the slightest. I made the same exact oath." The leader of the aerialbots smiled very faintly, never breaking optic contact with Starscream. "Breakaway, go with Starscream and obey his command as you follow mine. Make him proud."
Breakaway nodded with resolve, and moved to be at the seeker's side.
"I'll take care of him as I do my own brothers." Starscream said reassuringly, before addressing his trine-mate. "Thundercracker, your patience and integrity are far above those of any other mech I've met. Go with Silverbolt, and make him proud."
Thundercracker nodded solemnly, and strode leisurely towards the aerialbot.
Optimus and Megatron observed quietly the exchange of mechs, some of them were happier than others, but no one was complaining.
"I hope the tension eases a bit in the next few days." The Autobot Leader said, discreetly glancing at Ironhide, who was standing next to Shockwave.
"It will." Megatron replied, his optics scanning the moving mechs. "You said Mirage was coming with us too?"
"Yes. I think you will find his cloaking skills very useful." Optimus nodded.
"And where is he now?"
In response, the air next to the Autobot Leader seemed to distort, and suddenly, a sleek red mech appeared next to him.
"Al vostro servizio, Signore Megatron." Mirage bowed respectfully and stood at attention.
Megatron raised an optic ridge as he studied the red Autobot.
"Please, mi scusi. I spent a lot of time in an outpost in the Earth country of Italy and picked up the local language. Sometimes I unintentionally mix it with English." Mirage added, with a small apologetic smile.
"That's hardly a problem." Megatron replied dismissively. Identity crisis? Trigger-happy issues? The Chaos-Bringer threatening their existence? A different slang was the least of his problems. "Welcome aboard, but don't sneak up on me." He warned with a cruel grin.
Mirage bowed respectfully again, and moved elegantly towards the Decepticon side. His old enemies still unsettled him, but he could deal with that. And if things got too overwhelming, he could just 'disappear' for a while and pretend he wasn't there.
"Oh, come on, I can't be the only one who is actually happy with the exchange, now, can I?" Swindle said, walking towards the Autobot side, dragging Dead End along with him.
"Easy to say for you." Dead End murmured. "You are expanding your market. The rest of us are going to be cannon fodder."
"Don't be so gloomy. See Barricade over there? He's also happy to come along."
"By the Allspark, a happy Barricade! We are all going to die!" Dead End continued with his train of thought.
Barricade, who was nearby, shot Swindle a glare.
"And what makes you think I'm happy with this nonsense?" The black and white mech growled.
"Well, you certainly don't look happy, but you haven't complained, and Primus knows you are constantly complaining about everything! So, I have deduced that you aren't actually so upset." Swindle replied, optics gleaming bright violet as he studied the black and white mech, who was snarling softly. "So, what's your secret?"
Barricade inwardly cursed the arms dealer and his keen analytical mind. He was about to tell the other mech to go and frag himself when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's cheers interrupted him.
"Welcome aboard, Barricade!" The golden twin grinned.
"We are sorry, we didn't bring any bush for you to ram into them." The silver one added with a smirk.
"Ha, ha." Barricade drawled humorlessly. "Laugh all you want. But I won that race..." Then, he glanced sideways to Bumblebee, who was standing nearby, trying not to look very obvious, but certainly failing. "...And the prize..." He added to himself.
The yellow scout's expressive optics brightened when he looked at the police mech, unspoken affection gleaming in them.
Barricade cursed again. The yellow idiot couldn't keep a poker-face. He could foresee their secret being a short-lived one.
Blurr, for his part, was already in the Decepticon side, appeared to have claimed a spot next to Soundwave, and was covering him with questions and praises.
"By the way, I never had the chance to congratulate you for that absolutely awesome performance at the party! Jazz and Blaster usually challenge each other, but you are on a whole different level! And speaking of levels, how many decks does the Nemesis have? We have a bet running about which ship is actually bigger, oh! And they also say that you can control every security camera in the ship simultaneously, is that true? I bet it is. I'm sure one has to be very talented to be the Decepticon Third in Command for so long. And I'm curious, does Megatron enjoy listening to music? I mean, come on, even Optimus likes several human entertainments, especially sports, I wonder if Megatron has picked a hobby too..."
Soundwave stood stoically paying attention to the blue mech's rant. Not that he could interject a word anyway.
He definitely was a good listener.
"Hiya, fellas." Jazz grinned as he walked until he was standing next to Knock Out, who he had befriended during the party at the Autobot Base, where they had been co-presenters.
"Hi!" The decepticon medic replied with a smirk, waving a servo in the air.
Breakdown nodded politely from his usual spot, behind Knock Out, being his shadow, always ready to shield his partner from any potential danger.
Looking at the Autobot end of the passageway, Breakdown couldn't help but notice two icy blue optics locked intently in his direction. Prowl was looking at him...? No, not at him. At Jazz. He looked at the sleek silver mech next to his medic, and then back to the Autobot police mech.
And Breakdown recognized the look in Prowl's optics. It was the same look that he himself had when looking at Knock Out from where he couldn't protect him, worried and stressed because he couldn't be near his partner to keep him from harm's way. The blue and grey mech understood at that moment what he had in common with the Autobot Second in Command: they both had someone special in their lives.
Prowl was letting Jazz travel aboard a former enemy ship with a crew composed mainly of former enemies, something that even Breakdown would have never agreed to. The huge blue and grey mech felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the Autobot strategist.
While Jazz and Knock Out chatted animatedly, Breakdown moved discreetly until his shadow was looming over both smaller mechs in a protective gesture. Prowl's glance shifted from Jazz to meet his golden optics, first with concern, and then with surprise when he understood the meaning behind the Decepticon's gesture.
He understood his worry, and he was going to do anything in his power to keep both mechs from harm.
Prowl's stance relaxed the slightest, silent gratitude gleaming in his optics as Breakdown nodded with resolve.
Eleonor was politely standing out of the way, accompanied by Ravage and Frenzy. She had been quietly observing the exchange of mechs, and the fliers' display had caught her attention.
"This seems to have been especially difficult for Starscream and Silverbolt." She mused aloud.
"Fliers are... kind of special." Frenzy offered. "Maybe it's because of all the extra sensors they have, or the flight instincts, or the great processor capacity they dedicate to complex trajectory vectors... but they tend to have strong personalities, and sometimes even some... issues. That's why they traditionally bond in trines, to help balance each other." He explained. "The members of a trine are especially close. It's more like a family rather than a team. Starscream and Silverbolt, particularly, are very possessive and protective about their brothers. That's why this is so difficult for them. Trines are supposed to be together." Frenzy crossed his tiny arms. "Starscream takes this to the point of refusing to obey Megatron if his orders are in conflict with the well-being of his trine-mates."
The young woman listened intently to Frenzy's explanations. There were many Cybertronian social customs unknown to her yet, but little by little, she was starting to unveil the mysteries that surrounded the powerful alien race.
Eleonor was also sure that this quest to search for the fragments of the legendary Star Saber will unveil many more secrets and mysteries.
"Eleonor." The gentle and wise voice of the Librarian pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up at the old Prime, Chaindrive standing next to him. "We are travelling with Optimus too. I wish to know more about the youngest Prime."
"Too bad. You gave good advice." Frenzy regretted, shaking his little helm. "Can't you learn about him from the history records?"
"The history records are useful and important, but they can't hold all the complexity that is a mech. First-hand experience is always invaluable." Alpha Trion explained. "If I'd had to make do with only what the records said about Megatron, I would have missed a lot of things. A lot of good things in fact."
"Ancient and wise, but still eager to learn more." Eleonor smiled at the old mech. "You are an example to us all."
"It's never late to learn new things. It makes me feel younger." The Librarian returned a gentle smile.
"And Chaindrive, stop worrying. Everything will get better. You'll see." She said reassuringly, turning to address the other mech.
"I'm sure I will feel better as soon as we find the rest of my brothers." He smiled weakly. "In any case, it has been a pleasure to meet you. I hope we see each other again soon."
"You can be sure of that too." She winked. "And I will have a lot of questions about how a combiner-team works. My curiosity knows no bounds."
Chaindrive laughed heartily. Certainly, it was never too late or too soon to learn new things.
A while later, once the crew members had been properly divided, the passageway linking the Ark and the Nemesis was retracted, leaving the two spaceships drifting in opposite directions. They needed to put a security distance between them before warping to their respective destinations.
Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave and Ironhide were at the main bridge when the communications terminal pinged with an incoming transmission. Soundwave accepted it, and wirelessly patched it through the biggest monitor. The image of Optimus Prime appeared in the video feed.
"Good luck, Megatron." He said, his face-plates set in a resolved expression, his deep voice deadly serious.
"Good luck, Optimus. We'll keep in contact." The Decepticon Leader nodded in acknowledgement and cut the connection. Then, he turned to look through the bridge's windows at the Ark. The rest of the mechs with him did the same. The Autobot ship moved away until it was a small golden speck on the horizon, and was suddenly engulfed by arcs of white-blue light that increased in brightness and intensity until they climaxed into a blinding flash of searing white light.
After that, the Ark was gone.
"Soundwave, ready the Nemesis for the quantum jump." Megatron said, turning to address his soldiers, his ruby optics bright in anticipation.
[Several joors later.]
The Nemesis was currently in orbit around the frozen planet. Despite the importance of the mission, Starscream had insisted that they proceeded with caution. It would do no good to lose themselves in a storm due to rushing things.
Megatron, of course, had not objected to that. Harsh and impatient as he could sometimes be, logic still reigned in his processors, and he knew (perhaps better than anyone) the weak points of his own race. Barriers and enemies, he could deal with. Energon-freezing temperatures, not quite so much. That, and the unpredictable atmospheric conditions of the planet, could send the mission up the creek in the shutter of an optic.
"Well, this is what the probe's data has revealed about the planet." Shockwave spoke, as he lit a holographic projection in the middle of the table of the conference room. "Along with some live-feed of the atmospheric phenomena."
Starscream glared at the hologram. It was almost completely white, with some darker areas of indigo here and there along the equatorial zones. The seeker's frown deepened when he caught sight of the whirling anticyclones and squalls that inhabited the atmosphere. Definitely not a good omen.
"Have the scanners picked up something related to the Star Saber or another one of Chaindrive's partners?" Ironhide asked, directly to the point.
"I'm afraid not." The cyclops mech replied, resentfulness evident in his tone, considering it a failure of his task. "The almost ever-present storms jam the signals and make them unreliable at long distances."
"Can't we just send in some seekers to do the job?" Brawl suggested, clearly without giving his words a second thought.
"No seeker is going down to that frozen wasteland without a specific target." Starscream snapped suddenly from his quiet contemplation, armor-plates bristling in anger, his voice laced with a threatening hiss. "If you want to get your aft frozen in a foolish world-wide search you are free to go. But I, for my part, need to narrow the area."
Brawl shrank slightly at the Second in Command's sudden surge of rage. He should definitely think twice before speaking.
"Then, what do you suggest?" Megatron intervened calmly, derailing the seeker's anger. He was the only mech that could hope to do so without having an arm bitten off.
Starscream was silent for a moment, every optic focused on him, until he spoke.
"Look for Skyfire."
Another long silence.
"Who?" Jazz finally broke the awkward silence, his visor flickering in his version of a blink.
"A scientist who got lost here many vorns ago." Starscream said, keeping any emotion from his tone. "He was looking for a strange signal he had picked up on this planet, but he got caught in a hail storm."
"How is it dat ya know these things?" Jazz asked, helm tilted.
"Oh, please." The seeker's tone was bordering on exasperation. "Common knowledge in the scientific community. Now, can we, please, continue?" The Autobot Third didn't seem to be fully satisfied with that answer, but he relented. "I have the coordinates of the approximated area of his crash."
"You are not suggesting to go and retrieve that ice cube, are you?" Ironhide raised an optic ridge.
"Right now, that's our best asset." Starscream said dismissively, as he typed the coordinates in the terminal to display them on the hologram. "There is a 95 per cent chance that Skyfire was looking for the same thing we are looking for." He explained. "In that case, his scanners were either more advanced, or purposely tuned to that signal. That's why we cannot dismiss his rescue. If he is alive, he can be of help."
The holographic projection zoomed in on a mountainous region on the northern hemisphere of the globe.
"Well then." Breakaway piped in, eager to prove himself. "When are we going?" His wings flickered. Next to him, Skywarp seemed equally anxious to go, engines humming in anticipation.
"Not we." Starscream corrected them. "I am doing the search alone. You two are the back-up plan in case something goes wrong." The two fliers seemed discontent, but quieted down. They knew better than to disobey the Air Commander.
Starscream turned to look at his Leader, searching in his optics for permission to go on with his plan. Megatron was usually content with standing back and letting his soldiers do the brainstorming while he ran possible scenarios in his processors, but of course, he had the last word, and he always put some conditions and restrictions on the plans to enhance the chances of success.
"Do as you plan, but you won't be out for longer than a joor. I also want a status report every three breems, and first you will drop by the med-bay." Megatron said, his tone brooking no argument and gesturing to Knock Out with a flick of his claws.
Starscream nodded with a slight frown and immediately left for the med-bay, the medic and the other two fliers trailing close behind him.
Eleonor's gaze followed them until they exited the room. Something was going on with the seeker. She knew, because she had not seen him smirk even once during the whole meeting. He was worried about something, but what? She didn't have an answer.
Feeling a little helpless and useless, she watched as the rest of the mechs started to leave the room, dismissed by Megatron.
"Is there anything I can do to help in the meanwhile?" She asked timidly, raising her gaze to look at the Decepticon Leader.
He regarded her for a while, optics narrowing in thought. He trusted Starscream's judgement in aerial missions, after all, the Air Commander had the longest experience in those matters. But a little help couldn't hurt.
"Soundwave, provide her with the data collected by the probes." He ordered his Third in Command before turning to address Eleonor. "I admit that we have poor data about atmospheric conditions in planets with water. I trust you to have a little more experience in those matters, knowing your... origin."
Eleonor nodded with resolve. Climate was not her area of expertise, but she had studied something. And definitely, Cybertron had no water, so its inhabitants had little to no experience, so any knowledge she could provide would be of use.
"Are you sure that's safe?"
"Of course!" Knock Out exclaimed, feigning offense, as he held up a container with what he had claimed to be his new and improved formula of antifreeze.
Starscream took the container from the medic's servo and suspiciously eyed the odd-looking blue liquid inside it, making slow swinging motions.
"It's very dense." He observed. "Are you sure it won't clog my lines?"
"It is denser, and it would make your lines run slower, decreasing your engines' performance about twenty percent," Knock Out admitted. "But it will also decrease the freezing point of the energon in your lines from minus thirty degrees Celsius to minus eighty. That planet's average surface temperature is about minus one hundred degrees. The new antifreeze won't make you invulnerable, but it will definitely make you last longer out there."
Starscream ran some numbers in his processors, verifying the medic's calculus.
"I'm also going to apply a protective sealant grease over the welds of your last repair." The red mech continued. "I wouldn't recommend you to stress your frame so much so soon, but I guess you aren't going to listen to me, are you?" He chuckled slightly, and Starscream replied with a non-committal grunt. "So, if you are going to stress your joints anyway, at least I'll make myself sure that you do it with some protection."
"Okay, do it." The trine-leader nodded with resolve, and while Knock Out proceeded to hook an I.V. line into his systems, he turned to address the other two fliers. "You two will stay at the main bridge to be informed of my whereabouts. If I fail to report or send a distress signal, you'll warp to my position and get me out. Skywarp will know my exact location through our trine-bond. Understood?"
Both fliers nodded in unison, and Starscream grimaced as he felt the antifreeze entering his system and mixing with his energon, making it run slower in his lines, dense like tar. It was a very unpleasant feeling, but it would do him good out there.
Eleonor lifted her gaze from her datapad to spare a glance at the small red dot that had just blinked on the holographic projection of the frozen planet. Starscream was still searching and he was alright. She sighed softly before returning to the data collected by the probes.
The planet had a rock-solid surface, and had an significant quantity of water, almost as much as Earth, judging from the scans. However, most of the water was in a solid-state, covering the continents with a perpetual blanket of ice. Only along the equatorial line (the warmest region), endured a belt-shaped area of seas.
Eleonor studied the anticyclones and squalls moving over the surface, finding several similarities with the ones back on Earth. These ones were bigger and more violent, but moved following similar patterns along similar circulation cells and were affected by the Coriolis effect too.
So far, it seemed that no storms were going near the area Starscream was scanning, at least in the next ten hours. That was a small relief.
"Tell me if you have problems operating the holographic projection." Shockwave's deep voice distracted her from her current thoughts.
"I was making some weather predictions, thanks to the live-feed of the atmosphere." She replied. The cyclops mech nodded and went to the control terminal.
"You can also hide the 'atmosphere layer' and display a clean projection of the surface." Shockwave explained, operating the controls to illustrate what he was saying. "And zoom in on any area to study it in detail. The scanner's signals are reflected by the ice, so we can't see what's beneath it, but I can show you the surface." Eleonor watched closely.
"Can we see the area Starscream is flying over?" She asked, coming closer to the hologram.
The display zoomed in on the red dot, and now Eleonor could clearly see a bird's-eye view of the area.
"Wait a moment..." She murmured, her eyes narrowing as she recognized familiar patterns across the ice's surface. "Can you zoom out just a little?"
Shockwave zoomed out progressively until Eleonor told him to stop.
"Damn it!" She exclaimed as she confirmed her suspicions, resisting the urge to slap herself. "Why didn't I think of this earlier? I'm stupid!" She muttered grabbing her head in her hands.
"Is something wrong?" Megatron asked, suddenly appearing out of the blue. He had been quietly paying attention to his Lieutenant and the human while he monitored Starscream's status reports.
"Starscream is scanning the wrong area." She said urgently. Megatron raised both optic ridges.
"How is that? He had the coordinates logged." Shockwave questioned.
"I was assuming the frozen areas were covered by a massive ice sheet, but now that I see them clearly, I've discovered that that assumption was wrong." She explained, pointing at the hologram. "Those are not ice sheets. They are glaciers. Mountain glaciers."
"So, what's all the fuss about? Ridiculously big ice masses, what's the difference?" Ironhide intervened. He had also been listening to the conversation going on around him, and decided to approach.
"That mountain glaciers move." Eleonor revealed, her tone filled with a deadly seriousness that didn't suit her. "Skyfire is no longer where he crashed."
"Frag." The Weapons Specialist cursed. "Any idea of where he could be now?"
"Fortunately, yes." She replied. "Glaciers move very slowly, but at a speed that can be measured. I only need to know that speed, how long ago and where Skyfire crashed here to calculate the area where he should be by now."
"Contact Starscream." Megatron ordered Soundwave. If the human was right, then Starscream had been facing mech-killing temperatures for two hours in vain.
Starscream silently cursed the planet's climate for the umpteenth time as he changed his course. He had been zigzagging to maximize the area he could scan in the short time-window he had.
He snarled as he felt the icy winds stinging over his frame. The direction he had just taken was exactly against the predominant winds. On other planets he had visited, like Cybertron or Earth, it would have been a welcomed feeling, stroking his outer armor with weightless caresses, cooling the excess heat and sending pleasant sensations through his flight sensors. Now, however, the icy winds bit at his frame, cutting against his plates like the sharpest blades, seeping through his vents and threatening to freeze him from the inside out.
The worst part was his wings. The fresh welds hurt like the Pit despite the protective sealant grease. At this rate, he would have to go back to the Nemesis sooner than he was expecting.
Well, it could always be worse. The chilling winds were strong, but at least the sky was clear, and there were no signs of storms.
Starscream didn't get too overconfident though. He knew too damn well how atmospheric conditions could change in a matter of breems on that planet. It had only happened once before, but he would never forget that fateful day.
Skyfire had been so thrilled with the strange signal he had picked up. The weather had been worsening, and Starscream should have called retreat earlier.
Just one last sweep, he had relented.
That single mistake had cost him Skyfire.
Starscream cursed again, giving himself a mental shake, trying to push the memories to the back of his processors. That mistake had made him adamant in his decisions since then. He would never again relent in front of a mech under his care. He would never back down, and he would make sure his orders were rigorously followed.
He would never again lose a mech.
::Starscream, this is Megatron. Do you copy?:: The stern voice of the Decepticon Leader pulled Starscream from his dark spiral of thoughts.
::Affirmative.:: Came the succinct reply.
::Your pet here says that you are looking for Skyfire in the wrong place. That the ice mass you are flying over moves.::
Starscream systems stalled for a moment and he gained altitude.
Frag and Pit.
It was true.
From a higher point of view, he realized he had been scanning a wide expanse between two colossal mountain ranges. And the ice mass in between them looked suspiciously like molten metal flowing from a blast furnace, with parallel furrows along its surface, following the slope along the valley.
::Slag. It's true.:: Starscream growled over the comm. link.
::Do you have any means to measure its speed?::
::Yes, I have several small laser-theodolites. I'll set them in different points and I'll go back to the Nemesis while they take the measurements.:: The seeker replied, already knowing what he had to do to calculate the new approximated area where Skyfire should be. ::Starscream over and out.::
The transmission cut with a short burst of static, leaving the main bridge in a contemplative silence.
Eleonor sighed, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. She tried very hard not to, but it was inherent to her. She always worried despite her intents to sound reassuring. How hypocritical. Mentally slapping herself, she decided to push her concerns aside. Picking up her datapad, she brought up the probe's meteorologic feed, and decided to continue monitoring something useful.
Something made a loud tapping sound next to her, and she turned to see a large clawed servo. Following the arm it was attached to, Eleonor found herself looking at the Decepticon Leader. She stiffened in reflex and waited for him to speak.
But Megatron didn't say anything. He just studied her for a moment before giving her a look of approval. Of course, the stern mech was not about to praise a lowly human in front of his high officers and some Autobots, but that look had been enough to make his message known.
Good job.
Eleonor bowed her head respectfully, and continued with her datapad after Megatron had walked away to speak with Soundwave.
A red warning popped in Starscream's HUD as he was setting the last theodolite. He checked the time. It had barely taken five Earthen hours to make his systems ping in alarm, urgently reporting the first signs of frostbite despite Knock Out's new antifreeze formula.
He hastily finished calibrating the instrument, his servos slow and clumsy due to the ice stuck between the joints. He had set a total of six theodolites facing each other, in pairs. Each pair had one member placed near the mountain side, on the bare rock, and the other one on the glacier. That way he would be able to measure the increase in the distance separating them. The process, however, would take some hours, because the ice mass moved very slowly.
Shakily staggering backwards to put some distance between himself and the finely calibrated instruments, so that he didn't misalign them in the take-off, Starscream started his thrusters.
Or tried to. His engines had cooled down, and were unable to start again under the intense cold.
Frag and Pit, one more time.
::Skywarp...:: He contacted his trine-mate, his tone carrying tiredness even through the comm. link. ::How about giving your dear trine-leader a lift?:: He tried to sound casual, but there was an evident edge of concern in his voice.
[A/N]: Well, I thought the first part of this chapter was going to be a little boring, but I think that it came out quite nice. I like how the interactions between the characters came out. It also served to introduce some of the new mechs that are going to be part of the crew. I also summarized things a bit, deciding to discard the narration of the Autobots leaving Earth, as it was unnecessary to the story. And look at that! Eleonor being scientific and useful again! Woman, it has been long without any of that! And poor Starscream always pushing himself too hard. He needs a vacation in my opinion. Oh, and how was my poor attempt at poetry with the trine oath? I totally came up with that. Maybe it was too corny?
Secondly, I have noticed a worrying increase in the occurrence of 'Guest reviews'. I don't know if it is because those people really don't have an account, or because they are too lazy to log in, but it makes me very sad not been able to formally and personally reply to them with a PM. So, please, if you want me to reply, take a moment to log in :D
On a second thought, what if they actually don't like me replying to them with a PM? Oh, no! I am an annoyance! T_T
PD: Thanks to Angelcakes19 for beta-reading this!
