Downshift
Disclaimer: This is fanfiction and I don't own the rights to any Transformers characters or storylines found within. Author's Note: Loosely based on Transformers Cybertron and Energon characters.
Sequel to Vertical Shift.
Wandering
To say that Cally had completely planned for them to leave Cybertron from the beginning would have been a lie. Sure she had collected hundreds of useful items during her travels and while she was trading, but she really only had the cave she stored them in as a base. This was not a place where the girls could live comfortably however. Personally, when Hound had been injured by one of their kidnappers, Cally had initially wanted to threaten Tansaren's Ambassador into backing off. She was willing to resort to violence if she had to, but this plan was derailed when a lovesick Char had convinced Ceci and Cassy that they should leave instead. It was true that with them gone, their pursuers would no longer attack the Cybertronians, but it wasn't what Cally would have chosen to do first because after all this time, she'd grown to consider her guardians as part of her family.
In the beginning after they left Cybertron, the girls travelled where Cally took them. It was a novelty for them to see other planets when they had only known two before, but eventually the novelty wore off and the girls started to want something a bit more permanent. In order to reach more places Cally discretely cashed in a large chunk of her remaining cache to get a ship. It was painted a dark blue in color and they nicknamed it Shadow. It wasn't a very big ship. It was barely bigger than a typical shuttle, but it had enough rooms to house them all with a few spare rooms for storage. The girls were relieved at having something that didn't require them to rough it out in the elements even if they did have a tent. Cally flew it sparingly finding that teleporting it saved on fuel and time. They stayed onboard traveling like this for many years exploring new places that even Cally had never seen before.
Riffa Spaceport
The girls had stopped at Riffa for a few supplies and fuel. They had been here before and it was known as one of the safer spaceports. This was because the inhabitants of Riffa were all armed despite the peace on the planet. Any visitor that started to cause problems would most likely be intercepted by the surrounding folks and brought down before anything large scale could occur.
Char was walking in the middle of the group when she caught sight of a Cybertronian. She could only see his back, but he had a familiar green color and a familiar slope to his shoulders. Hope and longing flowed through her and she quickly strained to see if it was who she thought it was, but quickly realized that he wasn't the mech that she had known when he turned. She vented air in frustration. She had quickly realized that all those romantic stories she'd devoured long ago weren't true. Sure it had been mostly her decision to leave Cybertron, but she had always secretly hoped that her mech would come looking for her or that they'd suddenly meet up someday. Nothing like that had happened in the last thirty-two years and it was likely to never happen. Fairytale endings didn't exist and the odds of them coincidently meeting out here was astronomical.
Onboard Shadow
Char walked onto the flight deck. Cally was sitting at the controls plotting out their next destination and seeing how long it would take to get there. Char sunk down in the co-pilots seat with a sigh and Cally glanced her way.
"You've had something on your mind for awhile," said Cally looking back at her map. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm sorry," said Char crossing her arms over her chest.
"For what?" asked Cally. She couldn't recall Char doing anything recently that would have made her mad.
"For making us leave Cybertron all those years ago," said Char. "I realized long ago that it was a completely selfish thing to decide on my own."
"To be fair Char," said Cally. "While it wouldn't have been my first course of action, it would have been my second. When I was scavenging before I came to Cybertron, my reaction to someone that wanted to cause me harm was to flee. If I saw a fight, I'd teleport away. If I was kidnapped, I'd teleport away. You get the idea, but when Hound was hurt, my first reaction was to fight to stay even if I ended up doing something really bad to someone. So you choosing to leave also saved me from becoming something close to a monster. I'm sure our guardians would never have forgiven me."
"Knowing them," said Char cracking a smile. "They probably would forgive you even if you didn't want them to. I highly doubt all of their records are as pristine as they pretended them to be." She sighed. "They definitely hid stuff from us and I can't believe how naïve we were back then."
"Char, why bring this up now?" asked Cally curiously. "Something must have triggered this nostalgia."
Char lowered her head. "I saw a Cybertronian at the last stop that had the same coloring as Hound and for one moment I even thought it was him. All those old feelings of mine flooded back. Hound was always dear to Cassy, Ceci and myself because he was the first Cybertronian we had ever met, but my feelings for him aren't familial love. I had hoped with distance and time, I'd start to forget what I thought was only an initial crush, but when I thought I saw him, I realized I still want him so bad it hurts."
Cally came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "It's been thirty-two years since we left Cybertron," said Cally. "We agreed that we'd wait forty years before we visited them again, but if you'd like, I can at the very least contact the twins and see how everyone is doing."
"Please do that," said Char raising her head. "I'd love to have any news on Hound that you can get."
The door to the flight deck suddenly opened and Cassy and Ceci joined them.
"What's up?" asked Cally turning around.
"Are we interrupting something?" asked Cassy looking between Char and Cally.
"No, we were just being nostalgic," said Cally dismissively.
"Well, Ceci and I were talking," said Cassy. "Living on this ship is great and the traveling has been amazing."
"But," said Cally knowing where she was headed.
"We would kind of like to have a place to settle down," said Cassy. "A place we can return to after our trips that isn't the ship. A home if you will."
Cally returned to her seat. "You know that would be difficult especially trying to blend in with the natives on a planet somewhere. There aren't that many places that we wouldn't stand out. If we made a planet our permanent home, the government there would also have control over us if they found out about our abilities. The stress of constantly being on guard would probably sour the idea of living there."
"What if there were no natives?" asked Ceci. "We don't have a home world. Sure we were born on Earth, but we're not human. Cybertron was our home for a while, but we can't live there without starting up this mess all over again. There has got to be a place that no one inhabits."
"Not Ristalia," said Cally quickly.
"Nothing in Solva territory," agreed Cassy.
Cally tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair as she searched her memories for anything that might work. She turned to her sisters thoughtfully. "I know of one place," said Cally. "Nothing lives there and no one owns it. It would require a lot of specialized work, but I think we could make it work."
"Let's check it out," said Ceci excitedly.
The Lonely Moon
"You have got to be kidding me," said Cassy looking at the screen stunned. In front of her was a small moon probably a fourth the size of Earth's moon. "This is what you want to us to live on? A barren piece of space rock."
"No, I'm not expecting anyone to live on it," said Cally angling the ship to approach a hole in the side of the moon. Turning on all the front lights she flew into the interior watching the smooth walls of the tunnel finally give way to complete darkness inside. Cally flipped every light on the outside of the ship on. "Welcome to the middle of this moon," she said. "The very core of the this moon has been completely cored out by Abouluto worms."
"What are they?" asked Ceci warily.
"They are giant worms with crystal teeth and acidic skin," said Char reading the description she'd pulled up on the display. "There is nothing they cannot burrow their way through."
Cassy looked worried, but Cally just laughed.
"They no longer inhabit this moon," she said. "They either moved out or died off. Regardless, what they left is what you might be looking for. The outside of this moon is made of very hard mineralized compressed rock so even an asteroid hit won't phase it. Under several hundred layers of the rock, the center is completely hollow. I mapped it the last time I was here. There are five tunnels to the center. Two will accommodate a being of our size while the third is large enough to accommodate a Cybertronian. The other two are big enough to fly ships twice our size into the interior."
"This wasn't quite what I had in mind," said Cassy. "I was thinking more along the lines of a small house on an uninhabited planet somewhere near civilization."
"I know," said Cally. "But that is a very hard thing to find especially one with no claim on it."
"What exactly do you envision?" asked Ceci. "You wouldn't have brought us here for no reason."
"First of all, this moon is in the middle of nowhere and it doesn't orbit anything other than this asteroid field so there is no claim on it," explained Cally. "It's small enough for me to move it easily just like I do with the ship. It would take work, but we could build in the interior. The three being sized tunnels could be used for arriving people or supplies. We might even be able to use the tunnels as lodging as well. One of the larger tunnels could be used as an elevator to take and return supplies to and from the surface. If we use the one tunnel I have in mind, we could build a small spaceport on the surface that would keep visitors away from the interior. The second tunnel would be used to dock our ships and would contain a work bay."
"Geez," said Ceci. "You've really put a lot of thought into this."
"You were the one that said we didn't have a home world," said Cally. "This is an opportunity to have one. Of course if you'd prefer just having a house somewhere, we can look elsewhere, but I can't guarantee that we won't be forced to leave it someday. This place at least is defensible."
"Oh, I see," said Ceci suddenly. "You actually mean a home world."
"I do," said Cally.
"What am I missing?" asked Cassy in confusion.
"There are inhabited asteroids and moons smaller than this that classify as home planets," said Ceci. "If we took this one over, we could name it, name our species and be the rulers of it. It would literally be our new home world. We could even register it in the Galactic Alliance," she said excitedly. "I could actually be the ambassador for this planet."
"How would that help us?" asked Char puzzled.
"Once we join the Galactic Alliance, we can file complaints against the other worlds and have our problems mediated," said Ceci. "No other planet or people could attack us or try to poach our talent otherwise the Galactic Alliance would be forced to intervene. The ambassadors from the other planets might try to negotiate with us, but considering they know little of our history, we can refuse every one of their requests."
"That means we could visit Cybertron without having to worry about their safety, right?" said Char.
"Exactly," said Ceci enthusiastically. "This is great!"
"While it sounds great, how would we build it?" asked Cassy. "We don't have the materials or the skills to put this together."
"All we need are the designs," said Cally. "I can get the materials easily. The Junk planet has so much we could use once it's stripped down into its basic components. As for the work, I'll simply have to hire beings. I still have plenty of credits. When those run out, I'll sell the rest of my cache and go back to work. I'm willing to do it if you want to give this a try."
"The responsibility shouldn't have to rest on you alone," said Cassy putting her hands on her hips. "We can work too."
"You will be," said Cally. "You'll be supervising the workers while I'm gone."
"I'm game," said Char. "I'll do anything to return to Hound."
"This will take a long time," warned Cally. "It's not a quick fix."
"I don't care," said Char. "Someday is better than never and the sooner we get started the sooner we finish."
"What are we going to name it?" asked Cassy. "Something complicated like Allatreghunfresa to confuse any visitors or something simple like Lo.
"Cally, you said earlier that nothing can phase the outside and you can teleport it," said Char. "So how about Phasor."
"I like it," said Ceci. "It is a moon and moons have phases."
"Sure why not," said Cassy.
"Welcome to Planet Phasor," said Cally.
Phasor
After they named the planet, they decided to name their species and they settled on Shimmers. Cassy thought it up based on the sparkly patches that they developed when they got injured.
Phasor had a thin atmosphere so they knew they would need an atmosphere generator if others who required it visited. They would need two if they built the trading spaceport on the surface. Cally could temporarily flush the system with atmosphere from other planets, but it wasn't feasible for a long-term plan. The gravity was light on the outside of the planet, but greater in the interior. It was still light enough that they needed to adjust it in the small city that they planned to build in the core of the planet so two gravity generators would be required as well.
Cally had already been to the Junk planet repeatedly teleporting broken ships and old metal buildings to a work site they set up in one of the bigger tunnels. Now all they needed were workers to help them build.
Onboard Shadow
Cally was the only one awake on the ship when the call reached her. The translation software identified it as a distress call. They were currently out in a deserted area of space that most beings avoided just because there wasn't much there. It wasn't hard to track the source of the call and as she got closer, she could visually see a large ship that had crashed on an asteroid. Cally tried to hail them, but there was no response. Cally quickly woke her sisters so they could take over the controls of the ship and ventured outside to explore the wrecked ship. The ship was huge. The only thing bigger would have been a warship or a Cybertronian ship. Cally cautiously entered the ship through a breach in the hull and accessed the closest working terminal. The computer told her that there was still life on this ship. Nearly seventy-two life signs were detected in total and they were contained in the rear section of the ship. External communication minus the repeating distress call was disabled so Cally tried the internal communication systems and got through.
"This is the ship Shadow passing through," she said. "We've received your distress call. What is your situation?"
"About time," said a feminine voice. "We thought we'd be stuck here forever."
Another deep voice butted in. "This is the Captain of the ship Terrain. We have a total of seventy-two survivors, but the engines are not repairable and we're stranded. Can you offer aid? Is your ship large enough?"
"I'm sending an envoy to you," said Cally. "While our ship cannot hold that many nor can we tow you, we can transport you with a spacebridge. Please decide on a destination and prepare for departure."
Cally made her way further into the ship until she found the inhabitants. The Captain, a tall blue organic that reminded Cally of Dina, met her.
"Can you send us to the spaceport on Hiyren?" he asked.
Cally nodded her head allowing the translation device to speak for her. "It would be best if you gather whatever you need and have groups meet in the largest open space you have."
The Captain gathered the people onboard. They quickly gathered in a common room with their personal items. Cally counted them before she sent each group to make sure she got them all. The Captain and the crew swept the ship for stragglers and the last seven came to the room.
"What about your ship?" asked Cally.
"It's a total loss," said the Captain. "It was insured so it will be replaced. Feel free to use what you can."
Cally teleported the rest to Hiyren and could only wonder how surprised the current patrons of the spaceport were going to be when they saw seventy-two people appear from nowhere. She then went to the computers to see if there was anything salvageable on the ship. She smiled as she hit the jackpot. There were two gravity stabilizers though one was slightly damaged and four atmospheric generators in good condition. She had gotten lucky that there were organics on this ship. She teleported her prizes back to Phasor right next to the rest of the supplies she'd already gathered.
Onboard Shadow
Cally had just teleported the ship to another location when an explosion occurred not far from the ship. Debris streaked across the space in front of the ship. Hot metal fragments flared brightly before rapidly cooling in the cold vacuum of space. A little ways off one ship seemed to be attacking another. It was space pirates. The scraped up exterior of the attacking ship gave it away. Since pirates simply took over other ships when theirs was no longer functional, they never paid any heed to the outside look of their ship. The ship that was being attacked exploded again and two escape pods ejected from the ship using the explosion as cover. Cally teleported them away with her own ship. She quickly contacted them and transferred the organics in one of the pods to the planet they requested. Luckily for them she knew of a place on the planet close to a hospital since she was aware that they were injured. The inhabitants of the other pod requested to meet with them so she teleported them to her work bay on Phasor since they weren't organic.
The two beings that emerged from the pod were Omnicons. They were at least twice the size of a mini-con, but nowhere as near as large as a regular Cybertronian. They still towered over the girls however. The girls had heard about Omnicons on Cybertron, but had never met one before.
"I'm Strongarm," said the yellow and black Omnicon.
"My designation is Signal Flare," said the blue, red and green Omnicon.
Cally introduced herself and her sisters after they left the ship to meet them.
"Where are we exactly?" asked Signal Flare looking around the work bay.
"Planet Phasor," said Ceci. "Or it will be as soon as we finish building it. We've claimed this moon as a home world, but it still needs a lot of work."
"What happened to our shipmates?" asked Strongarm.
"I sent them to Pelonia," said Cally. "They had injuries and needed immediate care. Would you like to join them there?"
"No," said Strongarm. "As long as they reached safety, it's fine. I thank you for that and I know you're telling the truth by your EM field."
Ceci laughed. "It's been so long since we've been around a Cybertronian. I almost forgot about our EM fields."
"You've been to Cybertron?" asked Signal Flare.
"We lived there for awhile," said Cassy.
"So what are you building here?" asked Strongarm curiously.
Char pulled up the schematics on her data pad and showed them to him. Signal Flare peered over Strongarm's shoulder.
"You need more defenses," said Strongarm pointing out several flaws in the schematics. "While this planet does provide some natural defenses that you're obviously utilizing, there are additional defenses that need to be put in place."
"Your city design is impressive," said Signal Flare. "But you need to add additional supports."
The girls glanced at each other. "Would you mind helping us with the designs?" asked Cassy. "None of us exactly majored in engineering."
"Sure," said Strongarm.
"Absolutely," said Signal Flare.
"You did save us from those pirates," said Strongarm. "It was likely they would have shot our escape pods out of the sky so we owe you one."
"We'll even help you build the base structure," said Signal Flare.
"We can easily get whatever supplies are needed for the project," said Cally. "But I also need to find workers. Do you have any suggestions?"
Signal Flare quickly listed groups that could help on Char's data pad. He even split it up by construction stage so they weren't all needed at one time.
"So what do you need?" asked Cally looking at them. "Unfortunately, I've got the work bay constructed and not much else so you'll be roughing it for a little while, but I can certainly get you any supplies you need personally."
"We're low on energon," admitted Strongarm. "Other than that we mostly have the tools for the job and those we don't have, we can create."
"Do you want some high grade with the regular energon?" asked Cally.
"That would be good," said Signal Flare. "There are several projects that work better if I use high grade. It gives off higher heat when it's burned."
"I figured you'd drink it," said Cally. "But it's yours to do with as you want. I'll be back. Girls show them where we're keeping the supplies."
Cally disappeared right in front of them and Ceci explained about their abilities while she led them to the pile of broken ships and buildings they'd collected.
"This is useful," said Strongarm looking around.
"Whoa," said Signal Flare looking at the parts graveyard they'd already collected. "This will definitely do as a start."
Gopjirt Spaceport Bar
"It's been a long time mechs," said Cally pulling back her hood enough so they could see her eyes. The two mechs at the bar looked over. The twins immediately recognized her and were definitely surprised to see her.
"We promised the others that we'd keep an optic out for you while we traveled," said Sideswipe. "This is the first time we've seen you since you left. What about the others?"
"They're doing fine," said Cally.
"As much as I'm sure you enjoy our company," said Sunstreaker sipping on his high grade. "You came looking for us for a reason."
"Guilty as charged. I'd like to hear news of Cybertron," said Cally. "But I'm also looking for an energon supplier."
"What for?" asked Sideswipe curiously.
"I've recently taken two Omnicons under my care temporarily and the place we're staying doesn't have any energon not even raw," said Cally.
"What are they doing with you?" asked Sunstreaker suspiciously.
"I saved them from pirates and they owe me a favor," she replied. "They're helping me build something."
"And that would be?" asked Sideswipe.
"It's a secret, but I promise to show you when I'm done," she winked.
Suddenly Cally caught sight of Sideways making his way to the bar. The twins stiffened immediately becoming tense, but Sideways merely stopped by her side briefly.
"I haven't seen you lately," he said.
"I've been gone on business, but I'm back now and look who I bumped into," she said nodding her head toward the twins. "Lucky me."
Sideways scoffed in disgust.
"They haven't been convinced yet, but give a mech enough high grade and who knows what might happen," said Cally dropping her voice several octaves. "What about you? Do you want a drink?"
"I've got business to attend to," said Sideways hastily as he quickly headed for the door.
"What did that slagger want?" asked Sunstreaker snarling.
"Information as always," said Cally smiling behind her mask. "He didn't get what he wanted though. So about that energon."
Phasor
Strongarm was good at setting defenses and easily redesigned the schematics for a better defense system for the planet while Signal Flare like to create and build things from the basics to the whole. So far together they had the base structure of what would become the internal city set up. Cally was all over the place. She recruited many of the groups that Signal Flare had suggested. She also popped in unexpectedly on many beings that owed her a favor in order to get the things she needed. She hired crews for different projects and brought them over one group at a time. Despite offering to drop the Omnicons off somewhere of their choosing, they preferred to keep working which meant she now paid them as well. She considered their earlier debt paid in full. The Omnicons apparently had a great love for creating things and wanted to see the project complete. It didn't hurt that Cally also supplied them with an unending supply of energon as well as some interesting minerals and crystals that they incorporated into their own pet projects.
Planet Delazis
It was an intense three years of constant construction, but finally things slowed down enough and the girls agreed to leave for a few days to relax. They went to Delazis because Cally knew where the hot springs on the planet was located. The heat would be beneficial to them since they were usually in the cold of space or Phasor. While their suits and the ship had a heating element, it was never completely warm. The heat of the hot springs was relaxing for even their inorganic composition. They offered to bring the Omnicons, but they declined saying that they'd prefer to stay and continue working.
They were in the largest of the pools on top of an overgrown plateau when they heard movement. The girls turned quickly to see a human on a hover board. The steam blocked them partially from view and the sight of them had stopped the human in his tracks. Cally immediately teleported them all to a runoff pool below the main pool. It was more hidden in the cliff side. They were undressed, but she didn't hide out of modesty, but for safety.
The human was pretty loud though and they heard his exclamation as he yelled to another. "Dian, I saw water nymphs," he cried.
"Rute, what are you talking about?" came the reply.
A feminine voice laughed. "I don't see anything," she said. "You've been reading too many mythology books."
"Edge, I swear they were there," said Rute. "I was on my way up here when I saw girls playing in the water. They had long dark hair and they disappeared when I saw them."
"Sure Rute," said Dian in a placating tone. "But we aren't here to make friends so let's just search for the crystals, okay?"
"You don't believe me," said an indignant Rute.
"I'm only staying on task," said Dian. "Let's go. We don't have a lot of time and we can't get sidetracked.
"Agreed," said another very familiar voice.
All the girls immediately looked over to where the foliage parted slightly. They heard the sound of a hovercraft and watched it go by with a human looking male and a pale blue skinned female clutching his waist behind him. The sound of a hover board followed them closely as Rute followed in their wake. He was definitely a younger human possibly related to the one on the hovercraft based on his features. Then they heard the sound of heavier footsteps and the disturbance of foliage as a larger being brushed past the growth surrounding him. They felt him before they saw him.
Red Alert felt his EM field recognize four others and it stopped him short. The tall foliage covered plateau on his left contained a hot spring on top and the runoff flowed like a waterfall over the edge filling a smaller concealed pool within the cliff side. He examined the vines hanging over the opening and gently moved them aside. There he was greeted with the sight of seven recognizable silver eyes and one green.
"It's been a long time, Red Alert," said Cally softly.
All the girls were without apparel. Their long smooth pale torsos were now marked here and there with glittery patches. It was no longer only Cally that showed past injuries. He couldn't help but wonder how they been injured. Cally's hair had grown out to her waist just like the others and they didn't appear to have aged since he had last seen them. He immediately ran a scan on them. Ratchet would want the data.
"How are you and how are the others?" asked Char splashing to the edge in her haste. Cassy reached out a hand to steady her so she didn't fall.
"I am fully functional," said Red Alert. "As are all your former guardians."
Char sighed deeply in relief.
"We're working on something right now," said Ceci excitedly. "We may be able to come visit soon when we're finished."
"The twins mentioned something regarding that the last time they were on Cybertron," said Red Alert. "I would love to stay and talk with you, but I'm on a mission and I have others to look after."
"What are you looking for?" asked Cally curiously.
Red Alert described the crystals and Cally gave him precise instructions to where they could be found. He looked at them in regret.
"We'll see you again," promised Cally. "Till then."
Red Alert called Dian through the com-link on his hovercraft and relayed the directions from Cally.
The girls returned to their ship, dried off and got dressed.
"Did you see the children he was with?" said Cassy pouting. "I think we've been replaced."
"They've always cared for the children at the outpost," said Cally. "Though only one of the group appeared to be a child. There's no need to get jealous. We're no longer children and we haven't been seen in a long time so of course they'd move on."
"Do you think Hound has forgotten me?" asked Char worriedly.
"Of course not," said Ceci quickly. "We haven't been gone that long."
"I don't recall them taking us to other planets," said Cassy frowning.
"We were children and they were big on protecting us," repeated Cally. "As I just pointed out, two out of the three were grown for their species and it wasn't as if mother would have given them permission to take us off world."
"That's true," said Ceci. "When mother was there, we were never really let out of the outpost except that one time."
"I still think it's suspicious," said Cassy. Part of her distrust naturally came from the appearance of the girl. She reminded her too much of the woman that had stolen their father and caused the divorce.
"We'll find out for sure when we go back," said Cally dismissively.
Phasor
Different crews worked on individual sections of the interior overseen by both the girls and the Omnicons. That meant that no crew ever got to see the entirety of the structure. Though the Omnicons had finally decided to return to Cybertron, they wanted to see this project finished first. They thought they owed it to their gracious and generous hosts. There was nothing Cally couldn't procure either from salvage or trade and this delighted the Omnicons because they could both create their own side projects in their downtime.
Eventually, Phasor was complete. The internal city rotated with the planets gravity and included an internal dome in the center with a large garden much bigger than the one at the outpost. Rings of rooms surrounded the sphere. The upper ones were for occupants while the more active workrooms and storage areas were lower. The large tunnel above was blocked with an elevator shaft that opened into a secured room in the new spaceport on top. While they didn't offer much for sale other than what Cally scavenged, they did offer mechanical skills and a place to rest if repairs were needed. There was a comprehensive security system that allowed for transactions to be monitored closely discouraging the illegal kind. One of the smaller tunnels had collapsed during more risky work and while no one was hurt, it was sealed with hardening foam and closed off completely. The second tunnel had a ladder and lights along its length that provided an in and out for smaller beings. There was a cap on the surface that could only be opened through a complex password or energy signature. This was also the same fate of the transformer-sized tunnel. The largest tunnel had a sophisticated docking bay and workstation for ships though it was also being utilized for other projects.
During the project, they had picked up the occasional straggler that they had rescued from space. A few chose to remain with their permission and were given an available job. A couple of the workers in the construction crews that were brought in stayed as well. They wanted to remain as mechanics and maintenance personnel. The girls had already set down very basic rules for the inhabitants and if they were broken, the individual would be teleported off the planet. Cassy became good at moderating between the inhabitants that lived there and while they didn't have a ruler if there was a question about what to do it was referred to the command staff, which included them and a handful of carefully chosen residents. By the time the project was completely finished, thirty-two beings lived there.
Cybertron Optimus' Office
Optimus was in his office reviewing several electronic documents on his data pad, when his door chimed.
"Come in," he called.
The mech that walked in was barely half his size. He'd seen him before once or twice, but had never actively spoken with him. The Omnicons tended to associate mostly with their own group and were constantly involved in one project of another many of those underground.
"Signal Flare," said Optimus inclining his head.
"Optimus sir," said Signal Flare. "Strongarm and I are back on Cybertron and I've come to deliver the official copies of Phasor's request for admission into the Galactic Alliance."
Optimus took the papers carefully from Signal Flare and scanned them. While electronic communications were used for most things, something as important as a request letter was usually in metallic or paper form. "What exactly do you have to do with Phasor?" asked Optimus looking up.
"The rulers of Phasor rescued Strongarm and I from pirates several years ago," he explained. "We wanted to return the favor so we asked if they needed help with anything. They needed construction help and I believe we got more out of it than they did, as they were very generous hosts. Since the project is now complete, we've come back to Cybertron and I said I would deliver their request papers."
An Ambassador Cecelia had signed the papers and Optimus nearly dropped them in surprise. Was this a coincidence? He had only known one person who went by that name. She had included an invitation for him to visit the planet as well to make sure their claim was legitimate. She would arrive in three days to receive his answer.
"What did these rulers look like?" asked Optimus curiously.
Signal Flare projected a snapshot of what could only have been one of his femmes. She had two silver eyes so it wasn't Cally though.
"Thank you," said Optimus smiling. "I'll await their arrival."
Optimus' Office -3 Days Later
Optimus was finishing up some work when he was interrupted by a voice.
"Hello Optimus," said Ceci drawing his attention. "Sorry for the abrupt interruption."
His optics immediately latched onto the two smaller forms that had suddenly appeared in his office.
"It's been a long time," said Ceci. Her long dark hair was loose and she wore a deep purple spacesuit minus the helmet. A silver half moon was embroidered on the collar.
Cally was standing next to her wearing the same suit with the addition of a purple hood. Apparently she still clung to her old habits even when she didn't need to.
Optimus stood and moved around his desk quickly sweeping his femmes into his arms. "I am glad to see you once again," he rumbled. "Are Char and Cassy all right?"
"They're fine," said Ceci laughing. "You'll see them soon."
Cally made a sound like she was clearing her throat.
"We absolutely love seeing you," said Ceci. "But we are here in an official capacity. You received our application for the Galactic Alliance, right?"
"I did," said Optimus placing them reluctantly back on the ground. "So you've been building a home world all this time you were away."
"No, actually that was more of a recent development," Ceci admitted. "We traveled a lot when we first left and it wasn't that long ago that Cally found us the place we now call Phasor. Strongarm and Signal Flare helped us a lot and we procured workers and supplies to finish the designs we'd made. Our adopted home world is finally complete and we wish to register it. Of course, I'm aware that I need at least one visiting Ambassador's approval so that is why I came to you."
"If you agree," said Cally. "We can take you there whenever your schedule permits. Phasor isn't complicated and it's the size of a small moon. It has a small spaceport, an interior city and a large ship bay."
"We have thirty-two beings currently inhabiting the planet and room for plenty more," said Ceci. "Cassy is wonderful at mediating any problems between them."
"Where did they come from?" asked Optimus curiously.
"Some of them we saved from being stranded in space or from pirates," said Cally. "Some were simply lost and needed a place to go. We provided them with a function and a place to stay. A few came from the construction crews that helped us build. They liked the appeal of having a place they could stay and work instead of traveling. Most of them brought their families with so we have a number of children there as well."
The door to Optimus' office opened and Jetfire walked in.
"Long time no see kiddos," said Jetfire nodding to them.
"I hardly think we still qualify as kids," said Ceci with her hands on her hips. "But it is good to see you again."
Jetfire chuckled. "You'll always be kids to me. So are we off?" said Jetfire looking to Optimus.
"If Phasor's Ambassadors are ready," replied Optimus.
Cally teleported their helmets to them and they quickly placed them on. Then she teleported all four of them to the spaceport on Phasor.
Phasor
Cally didn't remain with them as she had other responsibilities so Ceci began the tour. "Welcome to Phasor. This is Phasor's spaceport," said Ceci gesturing. "Strongarm set up quite the security system for us here so that we can keep an eye on things without having the Galactic Guard stationed here. Ship docking is located over there and the market is this way. We don't carry too much except for repair supplies and the occasional item that Cally comes across. A few of our residents break down and strip broken ships and anything Cally finds on the Junk planet that might be useful. That's where they get most of their parts." She led them to a set of large doors and used her signature and the code to let them inside. The room inside was a lift and it took them downward. Ceci removed her helmet and teleported it somewhere. Once the lift stopped, Ceci led the way outside into a cavernous room full of domes. There was atmosphere in this room and several beings sat and played nearby.
"A garden," said Optimus looking around in awe.
"We always loved the gardens on Cybertron," said a voice behind him. "So we built one here as well."
Optimus turned to see what could only be Char. She looked identical to Ceci and was no longer wearing her characteristic ribbons. Optimus immediately scooped her up and held her against his chassis. Char snuggled into him her EM field happy and bright.
"I missed you," she said softly. She turned slightly to see Jetfire. "I missed you as well Jetfire."
"Glad to see you doing well," said Jetfire gently stroking her back.
Optimus continued to carry Char as they walked through the gardens with Ceci leading.
"The garden is the center of everything," said Ceci gesturing around her. "There are rings of rooms that surround the garden in layers. The upper layers are rooms for the residents and the lower layers house storage and workrooms. I've only got one more place to show you," she said.
Optimus put Char down reluctantly and Cally appeared again. She transported them all minus Char down to the ship bay. Several ships including Shadow sat anchored in the tunnel.
"The work bays span most of this tunnel and the ships are kept here," said Ceci. "That blue one over there belongs to us."
"What about security?" asked Jetfire.
"The elevator you came down on was the freight elevator," said Cally. "There is a smaller one, but both are password and signature locked. They can be deactivated if they detect an intruder. We have three separate control centers to monitor this system. The city itself is surrounded by the planet's mineralized hardened surface. It would take some serious firepower to put more than a dent in the surface and there's a sensor grid on the outside surface of the entire planet so we can monitor for unannounced arrivals. There are two tunnels that the inhabitants can used to escape on foot and those are secured on both ends. There is one tunnel that is unusable and has been completely blocked with hardening foam. At the end of the tunnel we're currently in there are four sets of doors and the spaces between them have been reinforced with a combination of Seran cement and hardening foam in order to protect the city. A side pocket hallway has been created for the workers to enter and exit from here, but that has similar security to our elevators. Strongarm helped us out when we designed the defenses. He's very good at what he does."
Jetfire nodded his head in agreement. "Strongarm helped develop most of the defenses on certain bases off of Cybertron. He's a talented mech," he said.
Cally teleported them back to a large meeting room.
"So what do you think?" asked Ceci. "Do we qualify as a home world?"
"I believe that is the case," said Optimus. "You've certainly met all the criteria. It's surprising to see how much you've accomplished here. When I heard from Signal Flare, I didn't realize that it would be so involved. I will make my recommendation to the Alliance that you be admitted."
"Now that business is concluded," said Cally looking behind her. Char and Cassy suddenly appeared there. "I believe Cassy would like to say hello as well."
The four girls talked with Jetfire and Optimus about what they'd missed since they'd been gone and what they'd been up to. Cally returned Jetfire to Cybertron soon after, but Optimus chose to remain for a while longer.
"Incidentally Phasor contains the initials of all our guardians," said Ceci from where she sat next to Optimus. "If you double the S that is. We didn't intend for it, but we thought it was a cute coincidence."
Optimus chuckled.
"I'm going to be the ambassador stationed here," said Ceci. "I'll travel as needed, but this is my new home now. I've been teaching Char how to be an ambassador as well."
"I'd like to become the ambassador stationed at Cybertron's outpost with your permission of course," said Char softly.
"As soon as Phasor is approved, I will let you know," said Optimus. "What of you two?" he asked looking at Cassy and Cally.
"I've been running this place lately," said Cassy proudly. "I wanted to work with many people back when I was younger and now I do. Most people say they find me approachable and I'm not a pushover when it comes to the rules. Though they haven't broken any so far. We only instituted rules that if broken would result in expulsion as they would be that serious. All other disputes the council and I mediate. There aren't many residents yet so problems have been few and far between."
"I have a planet to support," said Cally. "I'll continue to supply this planet with what it needs until it no longer needs me. I'm also its last line of defense. I can move and teleport Phasor elsewhere if needed."
After awhile, everyone but Ceci excused themselves and left. As much as they wanted to stay, there were things that needed to be done.
"Optimus," said Ceci seriously. "Can a Cybertronian marry or bond with another being?"
Optimus blinked his optics and paused obviously taken by surprise at the question. "There have been a few instances where a mech has formed an attachment to another being that was not Cybertronian. I believe in those cases it was an organic and they parted ways due to tragedy or before the lifespan of the organic ended."
"The reason I'm asking is because Char is infatuated with Hound even after all this time and it's romantic love not familial love like we share with you according to her," explained Ceci. "I told her that she would have to explain her feelings to him directly and she understands that, but I wanted to know if there was a precedent or if I should just tell her to give up."
"Ratchet would be better at explaining," said Optimus. He knew that Char had always been the most sensitive of the girls so a more delicate response was probably needed. That and he wasn't sure himself. "Please direct her to him, but considering you are not organic, your lifespan has been calculated to be extremely lengthy and you have an EM field, I don't think this is cause for alarm. We don't have ceremonies like other cultures, but a bonded pair is generally recognized by their signatures and I know that Hound is not bonded."
"I understand. I'll have her speak with Ratchet then," said Ceci.
Ghovin
Cally had returned to this planet for crystals that were readily used in certain laser apparatus for their reflective nature and durability. She had finished harvesting the crystals and turned just in time to see a crashing ship heading for her. She teleported away out of the flight path and watched as it skidded on the ground until it crashed into the green sand dunes scattering larger rocks in its path. When the ship came to a stop, some of the crew evacuated as the others fought the small fires. Cally approached cautiously and asked a being that was only a foot shorter than her if they required assistance.
The male turned and introduced himself as Kalo. The ship was his and they had been sideswiped by a comet so they needed to go somewhere for repairs.
Cally had a sinking feeling she knew who this man was. He looked a lot like Brava and he had her mother's eyes. "Is your mother named Adrianna?" asked Cally. "And your father Brava?"
"Yes, do I know you?" he asked suspiciously.
"I'm your half sister Calandra," said Cally. "One of them."
"Oh yes, I remember mother mentioning I had four half sisters and one half brother," he said.
"Elan, your half brother, died in an attack by pirates many years ago, but I can take you to meet your other sisters if you'd like. We have a repair bay that could fix your ship. It will be free of charge," said Cally.
"I hardly need charity," said Kalo sniffing. "I certainly have enough credits to fix this thing," he said looking disdainfully at his ship. "I should have taken one of the other bigger ships, but they were being repainted."
"Consider it a gift from your sisters than," said Cally. "No strings attached."
"Very well," said Kalo. "I'll accept if you insist."
Cally could barely control the urge to roll her eyes. He had obviously been born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. She couldn't bring herself to resent him for it because it was Brava's fault that their mother had been confined to the mansion on Sypan not his.
After the fires were out, Cally warned the crew to be ready and transported everyone and the ship in one go to the work bay on Phasor. She claimed she'd used a personal micro spacebridge when they questioned her. Some of the crew remained to help the mechanics while she escorted the rest into temporary rooms. She then led Kalo to the garden in order for him to meet his sisters.
"Why is one of your eyes green?" he asked Cally looking at the other identical girls.
"I was shot in the eye with a blaster," said Cally. "It's still usable, but the color changed. Allow me to introduce you to Cecilia, Charissa and Cascadia."
"Where are we exactly?" asked Kalo looking around curiously.
"This is the garden on Phasor," said Ceci. "They are currently finishing the paperwork for Phasor's admittance into the Galactic Alliance."
"Who rules here?" he asked.
"We do," said Cassy putting her hands on her hips. "It was a small moon, but we built the civilization that exists here now and soon we'll be recognized as our own planet."
"Impressive," said Kalo tonelessly.
The girls weren't sure if they should take that as a compliment or not.
"What happened to mother?" asked Char. "Is she still on Sypan?"
"As soon as I was grown, mother left Sypan for good," said Kalo. "Father was often away doing business so she became involved with a supplier. He had his own ship and once I was grown, she filed for divorce and left with him."
The girls exchanged a knowing look.
"You don't look surprised," said Kalo.
"I don't know how much information mother gave you about her past, but Brava was her third husband and he pretty much kidnapped her," said Cassy.
"Her first husband was human and he died," said Ceci. "That was Elan's father. Her second husband was our father and he was killed when the Solva invaded, but they were already divorced at the time."
"When mother became pregnant with you, she was working at the outpost on Cybertron. Brava took her to Sypan and abandoned us on Cybertron," said Cassy. "We were upset about it at first, but we've gotten over it. Your father is a criminal anyway."
"My father is business man," said Kalo. "Sometimes in business you deal with gray areas in order to prosper."
"Most people call that the underground," said Cally. "The majority of exchanges there are illegal. It's not like we don't know that. You can keep your opinion of your father, but to us he was the being that took our mother from us."
"He also stole a whole bag of gems from us," pointed out Char. "But you are not your father so we won't hold that against you."
Kalo shrugged as if their blame wouldn't have affected him anyway. "So is there a trade port on this rock?"
"Yes, we have a spaceport," said Char. "The market is small and skills are more marketable here than items. We are located in a rather remote part of space."
"With my father's connections," said Kalo proudly. "We could make your spaceport extremely lucrative. The remote location would actually give beings the privacy to conduct more sensitive transactions. This is an offer you shouldn't refuse. I have a contact named Sideways that could help immensely."
"This is an offer that has just been refused," said Ceci. "Cally will escort you to your room and then to your ship when it's repaired. We'll even spacebridge you out, but you shouldn't return here. It was nice to meet you, but you are too close to what your father is and we want no part in it."
Cally teleported Kalo to his room. "A word of advice," she said. "I've dealt with Sideways myself. Watch your back. Your father's reputation will only protect you for so long and I've seen Sideways shoot his allies in the back before. I'll see you as soon as your ship is repaired."
Char and Cassy kept a watchful eye on Kalo and his crew while they were here. Once the ship was repaired, Cally brought them back to the ship and teleported them closer to their original destination. All the girls were relieved that he was gone. It was sad, but unless he was as sneaky as Brava, the girls didn't think Kalo would survive for long.
"Mother's at it again," said Char in disbelief. "The Cybertronians never mentioned her so she didn't come look for us when she left. Instead, she ran off with another fellow. We might soon have more half siblings out there that we don't know about."
"She's ridiculously fertile," said Cassy. "Do you think she passed that trait on to us?"
"I think our biology is a little different," said Ceci. "But you never know. Ratchet didn't exactly give us a guide to reproduction while we were on Cybertron and we are a unique species."
"Well if you do find someone to breed with," said Cally. "Please ask them who their mother was first. We don't want any accidental pairings with a sibling."
Cybertron Med Bay
Ceci had gotten permission for Char to visit Ratchet in the med bay on Cybertron. He was surprised to see her, as Optimus hadn't alerted him to her arrival. After the pleasantries of reunion, she got down to why she was there.
"Can a Cybertronian be together with a non-Cybertronian like myself for example?" she asked.
Ratchet had not been expecting a question like that so he paused for a moment. "For a Cybertronian to form a bond they need two things," said Ratchet. "A spark and an EM field. You have an EM field, but no spark so you're missing half the requirement."
"So no good, huh," said Char dejectedly.
"Well that's debatable," said Ratchet. "You've no spark or heart. Your systems operate on atomic sized reactions. It is possible that what you have in place of a spark is simply spread throughout your being instead of concentrated like a Cybertronians. You'd simply have to see if it works. Experimenting might be the only way to determine if that is possible. Who is the lucky mech?"
"Hound," said Char ducking her head shyly.
"Hound, you're needed in the med bay immediately," said Ratchet over the private comm. "It's about Char." Ratchet laid a hand on her shoulder. "I've commed Hound and asked him to come here."
"You what!" said Char in surprise. "Ratchet, I haven't even told him yet."
"Oh," said Ratchet. "Looks like you'll have your chance."
Hound burst through the doors shortly after to see Char sitting on the end of a berth talking to Ratchet. He quickly rushed over pulling her into his embrace. It had been a long time since he had last seen her despite the others telling him that she was going to visit soon and now she was in the med bay for who knows what.
"What's wrong with her Ratchet?" he asked in concern.
"Nothing," said Ratchet backing up to give them room. He had scanned her automatically when she first walked into the room. "She just came to visit as she had some questions. I'll be in my office if you need me." Ratchet disappeared into his office and shut the door.
Hound looked down at Char overjoyed that she was once again in his arms. "I missed you," he said stroking her hair. He could feel a mixture of joy and embarrassment flood through her field.
"You've no idea how much I've missed you," said Char. "There wasn't a day I didn't think about you."
"I heard you'll be stationed at the outpost as the ambassador, but I'd rather you came and lived back with us like you used to," said Hound.
"Things change," said Char sighing. "I'll be ambassador for Phasor so that won't be possible. You haven't been attacked since we left, right?"
"No, any injuries I received after you left were under different circumstances," said Hound. "The kidnappers stopped coming here when you left."
"I'm glad," said Char in relief. "I need to tell you something."
Hound put her back on the edge of the berth so he could see her face fighting the urge to keep her cradled in his arms.
"I love you Hound," said Char.
"I love you too," said Hound immediately.
"Hound, I don't mean familial love," said Char seriously. "I'm romantically in love with you."
Hound reeled back in surprise.
"I've been romantically in love with you ever since that incident in our home garden where I ran away from you," said Char. "I was so confused at the time. I don't expect anything, but you needed to know."
Hound was unsure of how to respond. He adored all the girls and Char had always been his favorite, but right now his emotions were a tangled mess. He felt joy at her return and a possessiveness that made him want to hold and protect her. He also felt surprise and confusion.
Char could feel the jumble of emotions his EM field had become. Normally the mechs could control theirs, but Hound was too surprised to conceal his. Char blanched trying to stop the feeling of rejection from permeating her own field. She now knew that he hadn't had any idea about her feelings and that he probably wouldn't ever look at her like she looked at him. Char released a quiet sigh. At the very least, she had finally gotten it off her chest. While the load felt a little lighter, it appeared she wasn't going to get her happy ending.
Hound felt the rejection and slight sadness in her EM field and regret swamped his own. He hadn't meant to make her feel like that. In actuality it hadn't been a complete surprise. All those years ago he was the one in here asking Ratchet about the girl's mating cycle. Ratchet had told him back then that it was entirely possible that they were old enough to be looking for a mate. It was the lack of mates of their own species that was the problem though it had never seemed to affect their mother. Char had been around Jetfire and Scattershot because of her work as a technician so he'd had a sneaking suspicion that she was in love with one of them. They had claimed they'd noticed no change in her behavior at the time though.
"I'm going to head back now," said Char starting to slide off the berth. "I'll see you around okay."
"Wait," said Hound pushing her back up. "I'm sorry for not replying, but I was surprised. To be honest back then I had thought you were in love with either Jetfire or Scattershot since those were the only two you worked with and you didn't take to the other guardians like that. While I was trying to figure out your intentions, I overlooked myself though I should have seen it with how much time you spent in the gardens with me."
"I do love the gardens," said Char. "I just loved them more because you were with me."
"Charissa, I wish to officially start courting you," said Hound. "I'll ask Optimus for permission. If you agree, that is."
Char stared at him in surprise. There was no pity in his EM field only overwhelming love. "Of course, I would love to." Maybe there was a chance for her happy ending after all.
Hound moved to embrace her and her EM field quickly lost the surprise and flooded with excitement, love and repressed desire. Hound's spark pulsed as he pulled her tight against his chassis. He quickly got lost in the enormity of the feelings she was sending as he pulled her closer. The feelings never stopped. They simply got stronger as they swelled. The love and desire she was sending him sent overwhelming pleasure through his spark and the sensation trickled down his frame. He couldn't control the intensity coming from her and he overloaded.
The emotions in Hound's field and the proximity to his spark sent pleasant tingles through Char's body. All those repressed emotions and desires swelled to the surface and she released them willingly. She'd never felt so good before as his spark and field responded to her. A sudden wave of what could only be called ecstasy swept through her and then Hound went over backwards onto the floor. Char slid from his chest to kneel beside him. "Ratchet!" she called in alarm.
Ratchet stepped out of his office and came over running an immediate scan. He chuckled. "He'll be fine," said Ratchet. "He overloaded and he's in recharge." He glanced over at the confused femme. "He reached a point of ultimate pleasure. I take it the confession went well and though I did say you should experiment, I didn't mean in here." He could feel embarrassment flood her field and he chuckled again.
"It wasn't something that was exactly planned," said Char sheepishly. "It just sort of happened."
"Well at least now you know he's compatible so that should put your mind at ease. So much for him doing the proper thing and asking Optimus first, but I won't tell," said Ratchet moving Hound onto one the berths. "You can stay here with him until he comes online. Just please restrain yourself any further until you reach your own room."
"Of course," said Char.
Cybertron Optimus' Office
"I'd like permission to court Charissa," said Hound formally. "I will take sole responsibility for her safety while she is on Cybertron."
"I'd like to request permission as well," said Char. "I am acting as one of Phasor's ambassadors, but I can quit that position if there will be complications involving our affiliation."
"I give my permission and there are no complications," said Optimus. "However I must request that for your continued safety when your work is finished for the day, that you return back to the your old home on Cybertron instead of staying at the outpost. Hound you may renovate it to suit your new needs."
"Thank you," they chorused.
Char was beyond happy and she couldn't contain it. All her sisters could feel it through the bond and they occasionally sent teasing sentiments to her over it.
Cybertron Meeting Room
Phasor had finally been admitted to the Galactic Alliance and Ceci was there as the main ambassador for Phasor. Char was attending this meeting as well and would act as the backup ambassador when Ceci wasn't there. They wore the purple spacesuits that identified their home world and left their hair long and untied in order to look as identical as possible. This had mistakenly given the other ambassadors the impression that the inhabitants on Phasor all looked the same. There was no longer a need for a disguise and thankfully Ambassador Ji didn't seem to recognize her. It annoyed Ceci that he was still there and he hadn't been replaced, but she had to pretend to be neutral so that he wouldn't recognize her. Since they were such a tiny planet, they tended to be overlooked in the power play moves the larger planets were trying to negotiate, but that suited her just fine. She made her opinion known on the issues that she felt were important and let the other ambassadors deal with the rest. After the meeting was over, Char teleported herself to her new home on Cybertron. She was getting quite good at teleporting short distances and she wanted to get there quickly because she knew that Hound was waiting. Ceci ambled into the old control room after learning that Scattershot still used it occasionally. Since her return to Cybertron, she had only seen him once to greet him along with everyone else so she wanted to catch up with him. Scattershot above all her other guardians with the exception of Hound had always listened to her when she had a bad day. He would always quickly offer a solution to whatever problem she had. He was now her only confidant now that Hound was obviously busy with Char. Besides Scattershot had always had a way about him that she found endearing. She only hoped that their relationship wouldn't change too much now that she represented another planet.
"Hey," she called as she entered the room and caught sight of him. "I can't believe you're still using this control room."
"Things have changed since you left," said Scattershot barely looking her way.
Ceci stopped short. "Am I still allowed in here?" she asked in apprehension. "Optimus neglected to say if our access was revoked now that we represent Phasor."
Scattershot looked over quickly. "Of course you're allowed in here," he reassured her. "Even if you represent Phasor, you work for yourself and not the government of another planet, so there is no reason to ban you from here or anywhere else on Cybertron."
Ceci sighed in relief and walked closer to him. Char's altered seat had been removed long ago so he reached down and snagged her pulling her into his lap. Ceci automatically cuddled into him.
"I tend to use this control room when something confidential needs to be done," he said stroking her hair. "But sometimes it's just nice to use in order to have peace and quiet. The latest batch of organic techs can get pretty noisy. I have to wonder if they're really doing their job seriously."
"So you're avoiding people now," said Ceci chuckling. "I thought that was more my thing."
"Still is. I thought you'd be leaving straight away after your meeting," said Scattershot. "Even as an aide you never stuck around to chat with the ambassadors."
"Nothing pleasant every came with associating with them outside of official business as I'm sure you remember. I stayed only because I wanted to see you," said Ceci looking up at his visor. "I didn't really have a chance to talk with you the last time I came."
"Ambassador Ji isn't causing you problems again, is he?" asked Scattershot frowning.
"No, my planet is too small to draw his attention and he hasn't recognized me yet," she replied. "Hopefully, he never will."
"If he does, come to me and I'll take care of him," said Scattershot seriously. "I'm not above manipulating a little data to get rid of him. I promise that I'd get faster results than Optimus' diplomatic methods."
Ceci laughed. "As much as I would love that, it's not required right now. While I appreciate the sentiments, you don't have to be so protective over me now either. I've gotten just as good as Char at teleporting myself short distances."
"Once a guardian always a guardian," said Scattershot. "I really want to know what you did while you were gone though. Were you safe out there on your own? Red Alert said he saw healed injuries."
Ceci realized that Red Alert must have noticed when he saw them naked in the hot springs. Naturally he would have informed the other guardians. "We were with Cally so yes we were safe," said Ceci reassuringly. "There isn't a situation out there that she can't get us out of. I'm not going to lie and say we never got injured, but it wasn't anything significant. It was mostly the result of clumsiness or unexpected falls. We are adults and we went on some adventures so a few injuries were to be expected, but we're all here and whole now. You can see for yourself."
"Not all of you," said Scattershot.
"Cassy and Cally will be here to visit again before you know it," said Ceci comfortingly. "Oh," she said in sudden realization and a wave of jealously swept through her field. She managed to suppress it quickly. "Which one is it?" she asked bluntly.
"Which one is what?" asked Scattershot in confusion.
"I thought your concern over them was a little excessive for a guardian after all this time. So I thought that maybe one of my sisters had caught your eye," explained Ceci in resignation. "Everyone knows that Hound and Char are together and I promise I won't tell whoever it is until you talk to her first. We don't share everything over the bond."
"No, it's not what you think," said Scattershot quickly.
"Oh no," said Ceci gasping. "It wasn't Char, was it? She's always been most people's favorite. I'm so sorry. That's heartbreaking." Ceci turned to hug his middle as far as she could reach. Her EM field was completely withdrawn despite her sympathetic words. It was obvious she was shutting him out.
Scattershot pried her off of him in exasperation. He sat her onto the edge of the control panel so she was level with his visor. "I love all of your sisters."
"That's going to be a problem," said Ceci practically. "Char is already taken."
Scattershot shook his head. "I love all your sisters, but I am not romantically in love with any of your sisters," he said. "Understand?"
"Okay," said Ceci in disbelief. "I'll believe you even though you were acting like a jealous mate a minute ago."
"That's because I'm in love with you," said Scattershot.
It took Ceci a minute to register what he said. "With me," she said as the smile grew on her face.
"With you," repeated Scattershot.
A swell of pleasant emotions burst into her EM field and Scattershot mingled his with hers.
"Since when?" asked Ceci excitedly.
"Since before you left," said Scattershot. "I never called any of your sisters my girl except you. I wish to court you Cecilia if you'll have me."
"Of course I will," said Ceci immediately. "When do you get off work?"
"How about now," said Scattershot looking to the door as Jetfire walked in.
"I'm here to relieve you," he said to Scattershot. "Optimus is waiting for you two."
Phasor
Cally was outside flying Shadow around the planet investigating a group of sensors on the outside that had suddenly died. While something as mundane as a meteor strike could have disconnected them, she wanted to make sure. She didn't like having holes in her security net. As she flew by, she spotted a small black ship on the ground near the sensors. She hailed the ship, but got no answer. She flew around a nearby asteroid with the intention of landing next to the ship when Shadow was rammed into the asteroid as another black ship collided with it. The black ship on the ground took off and started firing its blasters at her. Crashed on the asteroid, Shadow was too disabled to resume flight and Cally couldn't do anything but teleport out as her ship blew up. She teleported to the surface of Phasor a distance away. The ship that had rammed her hovered over Shadow's wreckage for a moment before joining the other black ship that had returned to the ground. Suddenly something emerged from the ship and Cally used the zoom function on her helmet to get a better view. She froze. It was a sight Cally wished that she'd never have to see again. It was the Solva. They looked as they always had, but the second ship had Solva soldiers that were at least three times the normal size. Cally couldn't help but leak horror and a feeling of panic over the bond. They were being attacked.
Cassy nearly fell out of her chair in the control room as the feelings Cally had sent over the bond reached her. She straightened and started barking orders. "Sound the alarms! Close all the safety doors! Warn those at the spaceport! We are under attack by the Solva!" she yelled.
"Are you sure?" asked one of the technicians. "There is nothing on the sensors."
"I don't need sensors to tell me that," said Cassy. "Do you want to take the chance that you're wrong?"
"No ma'am," he said. "Alarms are on and doors are closing."
Cally appeared in the control room the next moment. "There are two ships and I counted fourteen Solva, but they're different this time. Six of them are three times the size of the normal ones."
"Great," said Cassy sarcastically. "We have to fight sentient spiders that are nearly as tall as us. Maybe we'll get lucky and they're just passing through."
"They could have landed at the spaceport if that was the case," said Cally. "Instead they're trying to reach the core of our planet by breaking into the escape tunnel from the surface. They've already attacked and destroyed Shadow. I don't think they're here for peaceful reasons."
"Aw, I liked that ship," said Cassy. "I thought they were stuck in their own galaxy. Did they run out of room already?"
"Maybe they decided to continue their invasion, but decided that expanding in the more remote areas first using stealth instead would be a better strategy and unfortunately we're their next target," said Cally. "If I block up the tunnels with hardening foam, I'll end up blocking our escape routes. So there isn't much else I can do other than go into that tunnel myself. I'll teleport past the doors so you don't have to open them, but I need you to cut the lights permanently or I'm as good as dead. Once they get close enough, I'll teleport them back to Ristalia. I only counted fourteen of them so I can probably handle it. I need you to get a message to Cybertron quickly and report this in case things go south. Stay strong Cassy."
Cassy didn't get a chance to reply before Cally disappeared. She told the technicians to cut the lights in the emergency tunnel and sent a message to her sisters on Cybertron through the bond.
Cybertron
The negative feelings flowing over the bond from both Cassy and Cally pulled Char out of deep sleep. She was lying on top of Hound securely nestled in his arms, but her jerking awake caused him to online as well. His blue optics lit up the darkness.
"What's wrong Char?" he asked.
"It's Cassy and Cally," said Char sliding off of him and the berth to the floor. "Something is wrong. Something is happening," she said agitated. She began pacing the floor restlessly.
Hound picked her up without a word. "Let's head to the control center."
As much as Ceci thought she'd prefer elegant language and long courtships, she had to admit that falling into Scattershot's berth immediately after getting courtship permission from Optimus was the only place she'd rather be. After the overwhelming waves of pleasure that he'd made her feel, she didn't want to return to Phasor if it meant leaving his side. She wanted to remain with him here for all eternity. She knew she'd have to convince the others because someone had to act as ambassador for Phasor, but that was a dilemma she would face in the morning. She didn't make it to morning though when she jerked awake with a cry. Scattershot had come online immediately at her cry and he cradled her protectively scanning for danger.
"It's not me," said Ceci. "It's Cassy and Cally. They're under attack."
Scattershot rolled to his feet bringing Ceci with him. "We're going to the control center."
Phasor
Cally had never been so scared in her life. While she'd been in hairy situations before, it had never been like this. She felt like she had trapped herself in a small dark room with the worst creatures out there. She had teleported half way down the tunnel and was sitting waiting in the dark for something to come get her. It was a universal child's nightmare. She was deeply regretting making Phasor her home world at the moment. She had done it to solve so many other problems, but now she was being forced to defend it. Stealth she could do and sneak attacks, but she had neither the equipment nor the training to go up against seasoned warriors. If this gambit wasn't successful, she was sure they would be pulling her corpse out of the tunnel if there was one left to recover. She hoped the effects on her sisters wouldn't be too bad if she died. There was an explosion at the other end of the tunnel and Cally covered her ears as the sound reverberated. The Solva had gotten in. It was a waiting game now.
Cybertron Main Control Room
"What's the status on Phasor," said Optimus entering the room.
Hound and Scattershot were already at the controls with the girls sitting in their laps.
"Phasor has reported that they're being attacked by the Solva," said Jetfire. "They've reported that fourteen Solva were spotted, but that six are three times the size of a normal Solva."
"Are those actually Solva then?" asked Hound.
"The main guards that surround the queen are said to be imposing," said Optimus. "I didn't realize that they were physically bigger, but it makes sense. I don't know of any other sentient species that looks like them so it's likely they are Solva."
"Why would the queen's guards be out there?" asked Red Alert. "Could one of the queens be there as well? If she was there, they'd most likely be defending and not attacking. What's their purpose?"
"Well they aren't friendly," said Jetfire. "It's unlikely they figured out the association between the girls and the encounters in the past battles so maybe they're trying to take more territory one remote planet at a time. That part of space is very remote, but it isn't too far from the Selvin galaxy."
"What's the closest spacebridge to there?" asked Wing Saber. "So we can get out there and engage."
"Negative," said Jetfire. "Phasor is too remote. It would take too long to reach it."
"We need Cally to bring the planet here so we can assist," said Optimus. "Scattershot, Red Alert, find a space she can bring it to near us that won't interfere with our moons. The last thing we need is a collision. Ceci, Char, get ahold of your sisters and ask them to bring Phasor here when we tell them to. You two will probably need to be relocated to that position once we identify it so Cally can more easily teleport it to the desired location.
Scattershot typed away at the terminal and Red Alert joined him in the calculations.
"There is a small problem sir," said Ceci from where she sat on Scattershot's lap. "Cally isn't currently responding. She's shut us out in order to concentrate. Cassy says Cally made them cut the lights and then teleported into the tunnel. She intends to teleport the attackers to Ristalia once they get in range."
"She's doing what?" blurted out Hot Shot.
Optimus vented. "That's highly dangerous. Do you think you can convince her not to?"
"We can try," said Char from where Hound still held her. "Hurry with the calculations so she has a choice in the matter."
Phasor
The smaller Solva came first. She could tell by the sound their multiple legs made in the tunnel. She'd never been particularly afraid of bugs, but the sound of their spider-like legs tapping in the tunnel was creepy as it echoed around her. The bigger ones followed in behind and Cally started to shake slightly.
Cassy was panicking in the control room. Everyone in the ship bays had evacuated to the safety of the city and those in the spaceport were locked behind secure doors, but two more sensor pockets had suddenly gone dark on the planet. This could only mean that more Solva were coming. Cameras in the spaceport had picked up another Solva ship docking there as well. If they didn't get help soon, they were so dead. Cassy sent her grim update to all of her sisters and even Cally received it this time. Cassy took the chance to relay the plan of moving Phasor while she had Cally's attention and Cally acknowledged her.
Cybertron
"We've got it," said Scattershot. Wing Saber took Ceci from him much to his dismay and headed to the door. He headed out as well after mentally preparing himself for battle.
Jetfire took Char from Hound. "She'll be fine," he said over the private comm. He dashed out the door after the others while Hound remained at the controls.
Optimus sent out a message to all available mechs to be ready for the appearance of Phasor, which would be crawling with invading Solva. He then went to join the others outside. The organic side of the base went into lockdown when the alarms were triggered while Jetfire and Wing Saber got into place with Char and Ceci. As soon as they were ready, they both called for Cally.
Phasor
They sounded like they were nearly on her when she got the call so Cally teleported further down the tunnel to buy her some time. She shifted Phasor easily to the place between her two sisters. The slight change in gravity cause the moon to quake for a moment. Then the Solva were on her. Cally teleported the first three to Ristalia immediately, but the fourth seemed to catch on and randomly fired into the dark. Her hand burned as a shot grazed her, but she managed to avoid the other shots. While they didn't hit their intended target, the light from the blasts probably revealed her position so Cally teleported behind them and sent the three around her to Ristalia.
Cybertron
When Phasor suddenly appeared, it was obvious that this was no attack by a few small Solva scout ships. It was most definitely an invasion even if they weren't using warships. More than a dozen small black ships covered the planet. Char and Ceci immediately teleported themselves back to the control center at Optimus' command. Hound still sat at the controls. He held them both protectively while activating Cybertron's defenses and opening fire on the ships on Phasor. Cassy had informed them that all the inhabitants were safely locked inside so they could fire at will. Wing Saber and Jetfire engaged any of the ships they could see shooting down any Solva soldiers that fired at them as they flew by. They were joined by Sideswipe and Sunstreaker who first engaged them with their ship and then landed on Phasor and took them on in hand to hand combat.
"They already destroyed one ship of ours," said Sunstreaker.
"It's time for some payback," said Sideswipe pulling out his blades. "Did these things get bigger?" asked Sideswipe dispatching one of the larger ones.
"The bigger they are the harder they fall," retorted Sunstreaker.
Red Alert, Scattershot and Hot Shot shifted to their battle modes and took down the Solva invading the spaceport before moving onto the ship bay.
Optimus concentrated on the Solva that were trying to breach the second tunnel. He knew that the first tunnel was already breached and that he couldn't fire down it without possibly hitting Cally. He soon found himself with backup that included a whole platoon of Omnicons.
"Can't let them destroy all our hard work," said Strongarm leading the charge.
Phasor
Cally had gotten hit twice in her mad scramble to get rid of the Solva. She didn't see a flash so it was either a blade or a foot. She had promptly sent whatever had caused it to Ristalia, but it caused her to release a cry of pain. She knew her position was compromised so she teleported out onto the planet's surface to see chaos. There were Solva everywhere. She ducked from where she sat on the ground as a Solva blade swung over her head, but it hadn't been aimed at her. The Solva was engaging a Cybertronian. She sent that one packing back to Ristalia and then waved at the first mech she could see. It happened to be Wheeljack.
"You got anything explosive?" she asked him over the com-link. "This tunnel needs to be cleared out."
"Sure thing," said Wheeljack dropping something large down the tunnel. He quickly picked her up and ran a few feet when a bright light flashed from the tunnel and the resulting explosion sent Solva parts flying out. "Are you injured?" asked Wheeljack scanning her quickly.
"Yea," said Cally wincing.
"Teleport to med bay," said Wheeljack. "We've got this covered."
"Okay thanks," responded Cally before disappearing.
Cassy was on the com-link relaying any and all positions of the Solva that the sensors could detect. She had already explained the situation to the people tucked safely inside Phasor, but she knew they were waiting for the all clear. She was waiting for the all clear as well and rather impatiently at that. Why was it taking so long? "The breached tunnel has blown up," said Cassy. "The doors on this side are still holding."
"Yea, sorry that was me," said Wheeljack. "Cally asked me to."
"Where is Cally?" asked Cassy.
"She's in med bay. She was injured," he replied.
"Cassy the spaceport is cleared," said Hot Shot. "I need you to see if you can determine how many are still left in the ship bay. We're headed that way now."
"They haven't breached the doors yet, but I detect seventeen in the ship bay," said Cassy her voice cracking.
"You're doing great," said Hot Shot encouragingly. "Cassy keep it up. We'll get to you soon. You'll be fine. You all will."
Cybertron Med Bay
Ratchet already had several patients when Cally popped in. She ended up on the floor because she couldn't stand anyway. Ratchet had an assistant in with him to help with the volume of injuries coming in. His assistant went to pick her up when Ratchet called to him.
"I've got her First Aid," said Ratchet. "She's a special case and I don't have time to send you her file right now. Place her on the empty berth over there and I'll see to her as soon as I reconnect this."
First Aid laid her gently on the berth and Ratchet took over from there. He practically shredded her spacesuit getting her out of it. She had a puncture wound to her abdomen and a bigger gouge on her leg. They were leaking clear viscous fluid. Whatever had stabbed her had been sharp enough to break through her hardened exterior layer, but at least she didn't have any internal systems to damage there. One of her hands was burned as well, but the sparkly patch of protective minerals and metals had already formed over that. He knew from previous experience that he'd have to weld the breaches closed much like cauterizing a human wound, but that would still cause her trauma despite her outer layer being more insensitive. He quickly made her drink a sedative and made sure she was out before he began.
Phasor
Five long hours later the battle finally wound to an end. The Solva were overmatched and outgunned, but they wouldn't surrender until every last one lay still and unmoving. It took Hot Shot nearly ten minutes to convince Cassy that it was over. She then had the tech release the all-clear alarm and unlock the doors. She knew there would be a massive cleanup, but she was too exhausted to start on that now. Hot Shot made his way inside Phasor and met Cassy in the gardens. She collapsed into his arms so tired she couldn't even cry.
"Can I stay with you tonight?" she asked. "I don't want to be alone."
"Sure," said Hot Shot cradling her gently. She directed him to a spare room meant for Cybertronians and he carried her there.
Cybertron
Ceci stayed with Scattershot in the med bay while he got the small damage he'd received from the battle fixed. They then headed back to his berth after he refueled and she drank some solute.
Hound remained at the command center monitoring for any Solva that had been missed while Char slept soundly in his lap.
Cally woke in the med bay. She still ached slightly in the spots where she'd been injured. She looked under the blanket that was over her. There was a distinctive glittery line where she been stabbed in the torso and the surrounding area was shiny as well. Her leg had a moon shaped glittery area, but at least the wounds were closed now. She heard a noise and looked over to her left to see Sideswipe lying on the next berth.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," she replied. "Are you in here because of the Solva too or did you do something else?"
"Solva," said Sideswipe grinning. "But they got it worse. Our shuttle survived too."
"That's more than I can say about mine," said Cally. She looked to her right to see Signal Flare.
"Solva," he replied before she could ask. "But we protected Phasor. I hate it when my work gets destroyed."
Ratchet walked over when he noticed that she was awake. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Sore," she said.
"That's to be expected," said Ratchet sternly. "Especially after doing something so foolish. Optimus and your guardians are not happy with your actions."
Cally sighed. "When are they ever happy when I do something? It's not like I had any idea there was more than the two ships I initially saw," said Cally. "I was out there to check a non-functioning sensor grid patch when I was blindsided by a second ship. They destroyed my ship and then breached the tunnel. I went in there to teleport them all back to Ristalia. I'm not a fighter Ratchet. What did you expect me to do?"
"I expected you to teleport to safety," said Ratchet.
"And leave the rest of the inhabitants to suffer," said Cally incredulously. "I don't think so. Phasor is my responsibility."
"You could have called for help," said Ratchet.
"I did and Cassy did," said Cally curling up. "That's why Phasor is even here right now. I only knew there were fourteen Solva not the army that suddenly appeared otherwise I would have rethought my strategy. Once I found out there were more, I had to think on my feet. Did you think it was fun waiting in the dark in that tunnel listening to those awful footsteps?"
"Cally," said Ratchet in a concerned voice. He was getting some abnormal readings as he scanned her. She didn't respond and she suddenly slumped over. "Scrap," said Ratchet.
Cybertron Optimus' Office
Cassy had managed to emerge from the room the following day under escort from Hot Shot. She thanked the Cybertronians officially for their help over the vid screen, but declined their aid in cleaning up.
"As soon as Cally returns, she'll teleport the remains of the shuttles and Solva off the planet," said Cassy. "Though the mechanics might want to break down some of those shuttles. They might even have some information left in their computer systems to tell us what they were planning."
Ceci and Char also thanked the Cybertronians on behalf of Phasor formally.
"I'd prefer if you didn't relocate your planet so far away," said Optimus. "If something had happened to Cally, you would have been stuck there with no aid for quite awhile."
"We do have contingency plans for a successful invasion," said Ceci. "We most likely would have been able to get everyone out successfully, but Phasor would have been lost."
"We would need to discuss a new place for the planet with Cally," said Char. "We'd need permission if we ended up in someone else's territory."
"We could always move next to Tansaren," said Ceci mischievously.
"Very funny," said Char. "That is not happening."
"What if you left it where it is currently?" asked Optimus. "I would approve of it and I've already contacted Perceptor to see if it would cause any conflicts with our own moons. That way you would be literally right next door to Cybertron and I wouldn't worry for your safety as much."
"That would allow me to commute easier," said Ceci. "I will have to run it by the others and the council, but I don't think it would be a problem."
"Thank you Optimus," said Char happily rushing over to hug him.
"You are very welcome," he replied. "Though it also benefits me as well."
Cybertron Med Bay
Ratchet came over to check on his patients, but one of them was missing. He sent a comm to Red Alert. "Cally made a break for it," he said. "Have you seen her?"
"I will try and locate her," said Red Alert.
Phasor
The second time Cally woke she immediately teleported back to her room on Phasor and got dressed in an extra spacesuit. She moved slow as her injuries still ached. It was surprising that with burns once the protective barrier formed over them they ceased to ache, but for punctures the ache continued for weeks or months depending on how bad they were. She fully expected to be feeling these for the next month or two.
She teleported to the control room and coordinated with the two cleanup crews that had been formed. The mechanics had already pulled a number of the Solva ships into the bay and they were dismantling them. The others were piling up the bodies so it would be easier for her to teleport them. She teleported the corpses to Ristalia in case the Solva had some sort of burying ritual for the dead. She wasn't heartless enough to dump their bodies into a sun even though she knew she'd get no sympathy in return. She repeatedly ignored her sister's questions about her location. She knew that Ratchet was the one looking for her not her sisters and she needed to keep working to keep her mind off of what had happened.
Phasor Garden
It took seven hours to remove all the corpses and shuttles from the surface. No sign of the Solva's true intentions were found in their crafts so it was put down as a stealth invasion and the other planets in the Alliance were warned. The mechanics intended to spend the next several weeks dismantling their ships for parts. Ceci held a meeting in the garden so that the majority of the inhabitants could attend and there was little resistance to the idea that Phasor should remain here in orbit around Cybertron. Cassy was only too happy to have protection nearby after what had happened. Hot Shot had still not left her side. Cally didn't show up as she was busy, but she sent her agreement through the bond. So Ceci and Char went back to Optimus' office to sign an agreement that would allow their planet to orbit Cybertron.
Phasor
Cleanup was all done except for the dreaded escape tunnel. A section of lights and some sensors needed to be replaced and the remaining body parts from the explosion also needed to be removed. This meant that Cally had to go down there. She sighed. She was being forced to face her fear. All the lights on her suit were on full blast as she made her way inside. She started from the outside entrance teleporting Solva parts to Ristalia and broken parts of the ladder and lights to the ship bay. She was two-thirds of the way down the tunnel when she heard something behind her. She whirled around to see a broken emergency light lying on the ground that she was sure she hadn't missed before. She had a sudden bad feeling and was starting to turn back around when something sharp pierced her in back near her shoulder and stuck out through her chest. It was lucky she didn't have a heart or she'd be dead right now. She instantly teleported further away down the tunnel turning to see a Solva with only three legs remaining shakily aiming a blaster at her. She teleported the blaster from her collection and pulled the trigger. The Solva disappeared in an explosion. She wasn't surprised at the magnitude of the weapon's blast since it was a banned weapon. She teleported closer to make sure the Solva was dead and then continued down the tunnel in a daze. She would do the rest of the cleanup later. She had to make sure there were no more left alive. Her head was starting to feel funny and she found that she couldn't teleport out of the tunnel so she opened the gate to get into the inner city. "Cassy, I need help," said Cally over the bond as she collapsed outside the tunnel door. "There was one more, but I got him." She was able to relay her location before she went unconscious.
Phasor
Red Alert had finally tracked down Cally, but he couldn't join her in the tunnel because he couldn't fit. He thought it was brave of her to go back into the tunnel that she'd obviously been trapped in with the Solva, but she was pushing herself after being injured so soon. He fully intended to bring her back to med bay despite her protests. Cassy had said that she was nearly to the end of the tunnel and she had told her to make sure the internal door was functional so she should be emerging there so he expected to see her soon. What he didn't expect was to see her emerge and collapse. He rushed over to her prone body and scooped her up running an immediate scan.
Cassy appeared the next moment. "She said there was one more, but she took care of it," said Cassy looking up at her sister worriedly.
"She's injured," said Red Alert. "I've already commed Ratchet. Can you take her to med bay?"
"Of course," said Cassy.
Cassy and Cally disappeared a moment later.
Red Alert picked up the blaster Cally had dropped and subspaced it. He shook his head. It was another banned item, but this time he was actually glad that she'd had it. The scan revealed that she'd been stabbed through the back straight out the front. If she had been organic, she would have been offlined. He headed for the elevator. He wanted to be in the med bay when she woke up this time.
After leaving Cally with Ratchet, Cassy teleported back to Phasor's control center where she'd left Hot Shot. The other techs were on break or involved in other tasks associated with the cleanup.
"Everything okay?" asked Hot Shot.
"We missed one," said Cassy bitterly. "There was one more Solva still alive in the tunnel and Cally got hurt again pretty badly. I took her to Ratchet."
"Ratchet will repair her," said Hot Shot comfortingly. "She'll be okay."
"I just feel like we can't win sometimes," said Cassy sinking into her chair. "My life is one big cosmic mess."
"What do you mean?" asked Hot Shot in concern.
"First the divorce and the separation, then mother gets taken, the Solva attack, Elan dies, Esoramik happened and we were finally forced to leave Cybertron. I understood why, but I didn't actually want to leave. Phasor was supposed to be the answer to our problems, but then the Solva attacked again," she said rubbing her fingertips through her scalp in exhaustion. "We can't seem to catch a break. We met our new brother too. Did any of the girls tell you?"
"No, they didn't mention it," he replied.
"That's because he's a pompous aft taking after Brava," said Cassy closing her eyes. "And he told us that mother ran off with one of Brava's suppliers. She didn't even look for us when she left. It must be nice to be able to move on so easily."
"I'm sorry," said Hot Shot.
"It's fine," said Cassy. "Like I said my life is a mess, but someone still needs to take control of Phasor while Cally is healing and the others are occupied. Lucky girls."
"What about you?" asked Hot Shot curiously. "You haven't found anyone special yet?"
"We've been pretty busy building Phasor and its location led for slim pickings. Most of the residents either brought their families here or prefer to stay single," said Cassy suddenly narrowing her eyes. "This isn't going to turn into another interrogation like the time I went out with my co-worker Tim, is it?"
Hot Shot rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Besides, I know how I am," said Cassy. "I like being social, but I've had people tell me I'm loud, bossy and opinionated. You sort of have to be when you mediate other's problems, but I guess that does scare off any potential suitors." She sighed. "It doesn't help that we're the only four of our species." She paused in reflection. "I'm sorry you have to listen to me complain and thank you for staying with me. Running the control room during the invasion fried my nerves. I'm surprised I managed to stay in control during it."
"It was a scary situation," said Hot Shot reaching down to stroke her hair gently. "You didn't freeze this time though and you did a good job. I was reassured to hear your voice over the comm because then I knew that you were safe and for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great mate."
"You're probably the only one that would say that," said Cassy dejectedly.
"Does it matter if anyone else says it?" asked Hot Shot locking optics with her.
Cassy looked away as embarrassment flooded her EM field.
"You have no idea how much I had to restrain myself when we slept together the other night," said Hot Shot. "Between my protective protocols activating and your proximity to my spark. I was definitely tempted to confess to you right there, but I also knew that you were recovering from the stress of the invasion. Regardless of what happened that day, I was not about to let you go. Now that I know you're unattached I'm putting myself forward as a suitor."
Cassy gaped up at him.
Suddenly the door to the control room opened and two of the techs returned from break.
Cassy sprung to her feet and headed for the door. "Come on, Hot Shot. I'm off shift," she called walking out the door. She stuck her head back in quickly and smirked. "And my answer is yes."
Hot Shot quickly followed her out.
Cybertron Med Bay
Cally felt something touch her torso and it pulled her from her sleep. Her eyes opened in slits adjusting to the bright light in the med bay. Ratchet was bent over her examining her bare chest. Cally went to say something, but a wave of pain wracked her body and a sharp keen ripped from her throat instead. It startled Ratchet into backing up. Her body started shaking and she couldn't stop it. She was suddenly picked up and she could tell by the familiar EM field that it was Optimus.
"I need to get this solute into her," said Ratchet passing him a flask. "She's in pain and it contains a pain reliever."
Optimus cradled her against his chassis carefully trying not to aggravate her new injuries. He tilted her so she could drink easily almost as if she were a newborn. Cally's limbs weren't co-operating so Optimus slowly fed her the solute while Ratchet looked on. The pain reliever in the solute took effect shortly after and her trembling stopped. Optimus pushed calm and affection down through his EM field.
"I'm sorry Ratchet," said Cally softly.
"Sorry for what?" asked Ratchet raising an eye ridge.
"For ending up in your med bay twice in one week," said Cally. "You'd think I was trying to break Wheeljack's record."
"If you can joke like that," retorted Ratchet. "The pain relievers must have kicked in. In case you want to know you suffered a through and through stab wound on the upper left side of your torso."
"I sort of figured that out when I saw a Solva's leg sticking out of my chest," said Cally. "I had assumed that Wheeljack's explosive had cleared the tunnel completely. I was mistaken and even though the Solva was wounded, he had the presence of mind to cause a distraction and take me from behind."
"You shot the Solva with this," stated Red Alert dangling the blaster not far from her.
Cally blinked. She hadn't realized he was in the room. "He had a blaster and I was unarmed. My teleporting ability was becoming spotty because of the pain so I needed a weapon. It did the job. I doubt the Solva would have survived if I had sent him to Ristalia anyway. He was badly injured."
"I am not condemning you for defending yourself, but this weapon has been banned," said Red Alert. "How did you come by it?"
"Thanks for always trying to keep me honest Red, but I haven't done anything shady lately," said Cally. "It was part of my original cache. It was the part that I didn't leave here when we originally left. Did you think I gave you everything I had? I like to think that I simply removed it from circulation."
"I am confiscating this," said Red Alert. "I will provide you with other weapons that are not illegal and the training to use them."
Ratchet, Optimus and Cally all stared at him like he'd grown another head.
"Did he receive injuries during the battle with the Solva?" asked Cally in concern.
"Nothing but a few scratches," said Ratchet running a scan on Red Alert.
"I am fine," protested Red Alert. "She is no longer a child and if someone cannot be there to offer her protection than she needs to know how to properly protect herself. These risks she's been taking are unacceptable."
"I agree with that," said Optimus stroking her hair. "I'll leave that to you then."
"Yes sir," said Red Alert.
Phasor
Ceci and Scattershot were in the control room on Phasor. Scattershot could simultaneously monitor both planets at the same time from here so when Ceci needed to be here, he would come with.
Ceci got a comm from one of the inhabitants that worked the spaceport. "You've got a visitor by the name of Adrianna requesting to meet you."
Ceci sat stunned for a moment her thoughts in turmoil. She didn't move for so long that Scattershot asked if she was all right.
"I'm fine," said Ceci. "Send her and her party to meeting room 1 please," she said over the comm. Then she contacted her sisters over the bond.
Meeting Room 1
Cassy, Ceci, Char and Cally appeared in the meeting room as they waited for their mother to arrive. Red Alert was there as well since he was holding Cally who was still restricted to the med bay. Ratchet wouldn't have let her go otherwise. He was also there to report the situation back to Optimus.
When their mother walked in, she was carrying a small child in her arms. Behind her walked a man about a foot shorter than her. He was obviously organic at least partially.
"Hello mother," the girls chorused.
"Hello girls," said Adrianna. "It's been a long time. I'd like to introduce you to Hughgen, my husband, and this is your half sister Nasi." She paused. "I suppose you have questions."
"We happened to run into Kalo," said Ceci slipping into diplomatic mode. She'd already shut off most of her emotions because she knew it wasn't completely her mother's fault. "So we were made aware of the situation."
"That saves me time I suppose," said their mother looking down.
"So what brings you here?" asked Cassy trying to avoid a lull in the conversation. She could feel how withdrawn Ceci was over the bond and Char was just plain angry.
"Well naturally Brava didn't take well to the divorce," she said. "He loves Kalo very much, but his infatuation with me tempered once I joined his collection so to speak. He's been causing Hughgen problems that have caused him to lose the supplier connections he once had. Kalo has tried to convince me to return to Sypan as well, but I'm finally happy for once so I wanted to find you again and settle close by."
"That's fine," said Cally surprising her sisters. "If you intend to work on Cybertron again, you'll have to apply with them, but you're welcome on Phasor. We can provide you with a place to stay and a position for both Hughgen and yourself if you'd like to work as well. We already have children here so Nasi won't be alone. We made a deal with the Cybertronians to appropriate their learning system now that we're next door. There's no catch and no restrictions other than following Phasor's basic laws. However there are two things you should be aware of if you chose to live here. The four of us have the ability to teleport." Cally teleported a data pad to her hand and then let it disappear. Adrianna and Hughgen looked on in surprise. "This can be for something small or for something as large as this planet that we are currently on. If you choose to stay here anytime you leave, you must be aware that you could be targeted for being our mother. There are entities out there that would use you against us. Of course, you'll be completely protected while on Phasor to the best of our abilities," said Cally.
"I understand," said Adrianna exchanging a glance with Hughgen. "We'd like to accept your offer."
"Also, I have the unfortunate duty to tell you that Elan perished a year after we first located you on Sypan in a pirate attack," said Cally. "I apologize that this news did not reach you till now. I am sorry for your loss."
Familiar blue tears streaked down their mother's face.
There was a sudden knock on the door and a resident entered.
"This is Khaun," said Cally. "He'll take you to get settled and see where you fit in. Take your time and do check out the garden. It is one of Phasor's best features."
After mother and her family left, the other girls turned on Cally over the bond.
"How could you allow her to live here when she abandoned us?" asked Char angrily over the bond.
"While I wouldn't have rejected her," said Ceci. "It will be uncomfortable running into her every now and then."
"Frankly, I don't care one way or the other," said Cassy. "It just seems that we've come full circle."
"You all had her for two more years than I did," said Cally calmly. "Even from the beginning what did we try to do?" When none of them answered, she continued. "We tried to make her happy even if we had to protect her or withhold the truth from her. You need to get it through your heads that Brava wasn't her fault. The Cybertronians cared for us and Optimus promised her himself so she knew we were covered. Kalo was a defenseless baby at the time not the pompous aft he is now. She did what any good mother would do. She stayed and protected him. She says she's happy now and maybe she is. It's our job as rulers of this planet to protect and watch over our inhabitants. If she has a chance to be happy here, then let her. If you choose to let her be, that's fine and if you want to reconnect or speak with her on the past, that's also fine as long as you aren't causing her deliberate pain. If you're unsure of your feelings, then when you meet her again have your other half at your side. That's your happiness, isn't it?"
Embarrassment and a feeling of chagrin flared over the EM fields of the all the girls but Cally and Red Alert could only wonder what Cally had said to them. The girls quickly teleported away and Cally looked up at Red Alert. "Back to the med bay?"
"Back to the med bay," he replied.
Cybertron Med Bay Office
Ratchet and Optimus sat in Ratchet's office after Red Alert went with Cally to meet her mother.
"You don't seem worried about this development," said Ratchet.
"They've chosen to let their mother stay," said Optimus. "I would have expected nothing less. They loved their mother very much."
"She left them though and didn't return until now," said Ratchet. "I expected them to be angry or at least reluctant."
"It was a complicated situation and it took Cally far longer than her sisters in the beginning, but eventually she gave me her trust as well when I became their Guardian," said Optimus. "I pity their mother that she couldn't feel the pure love and trust that emanated from her girls. Even when she was gone, they still loved their mother and I didn't replace her instead I filled the spot they held for their sire. It was empty Ratchet. There were no feelings for him even from Cally who had been with him all that time."
"I have to wonder what type of sire they had," said Ratchet.
"As do I," agreed Optimus. "From what I've observed of other species, offspring tend to need the affection and attention of their creators. The girls obviously had this with Adrianna, but she went through turmoil during the divorce and the girls were highly sensitive to her feelings. This is when they started concealing their own problems in order to relieve their mother's burden. The relationship reversed at this point the girls becoming the caregivers instead of their mother. They tried doing this with me as well."
"I don't recall that," said Ratchet.
"It wasn't so obvious," said Optimus. "That's why I kept the other guardians assigned to them. It was for more than just protection. The girls were highly sensitive to my moods and when they noticed that I was tired or busy with my duties as the ambassador, they would try to hide their problems from me and instead go to the other guardians. I engineered it this way so that I would know what was going on even if they didn't confide in me."
"Clever," said Ratchet. "Though I don't think it was within your estimation that they'd become the mates of their former guardians."
"No, that was surprising," said Optimus. "I do not begrudge my soldiers however. They have earned any happiness they can get now that the war with the Decepticons is over."
"And the girls will be far safer with Cybertronians than some other species," added Ratchet.
Cybertron Med Bay
"That was kind of you," said Red Alert gazing down at Cally where she lay once again on the berth in the med bay.
"I never wished for anything for her other than her happiness," said Cally. "Having my sisters accept her will cause less drama and her presence doesn't bother me, but maybe I've just become numb to it like so many other things."
"That is not healthy Cally," said Red Alert in concern.
"While you're probably right, we don't have time to think on insignificant things," said Cally. "The Solva are making a move again. Do you think the Alliance will be willing to go to war? I won't allow my sisters to fight, but I can think of a dozen or so creative uses of my ability to wipe out hordes of Solva if it comes to it."
"You are still restricted to med bay," said Red Alert sternly. "And you will be doing no such thing even if you weren't."
"Weren't you the one that was supposed to teach me to use weapons," said Cally raising an eyebrow.
"For defensive purposes only," said Red Alert. "Do not think for a moment that I will allow you out on the front lines."
"I already have been," protested Cally. "Sure I wasn't that effective, but I've seen battle before."
"For all your risky maneuvers and misguided attempts," said Red Alert emotionlessly. "You do not know war."
Cally suddenly became quiet as her protests died in her throat. He was right she realized. Her experiences as such as they were could never equal his. She had always thought of herself as a pivotal player in the defense and protection of the planet, but maybe she was simply a pawn that could quickly be sacrificed for the greater good.
"Stay here," said Red Alert commandingly as he stood and walked out of the med bay. Optimus quickly exited Ratchet's office and followed him out.
Cybertron Control Room
"Status," said Optimus as he entered the control room.
"Long range sensors have detected two near simultaneous supernovas in the Selvin galaxy," said Jetfire. "Perceptor estimates that 92% of the planets within the system have been destroyed by the resulting blasts."
"Do you think that they knew this was going to happen?" asked Red Alert. "It could be the reason the Solva invaded Phasor."
"Perhaps," said Optimus. "Though if that was the case, they should have known about it well in advance. The Solva species despite their aggression were an advanced species. It would have made more sense for them to evacuate earlier or try to conquer a galaxy that wasn't currently in danger."
"Things get overlooked in war," said Jetfire. "Training and battle strategy supersede everything else."
"Have any of the Alliance members reported any Solva sightings?" asked Optimus.
"No, everything has been relatively quiet," said Jetfire. "Wing Saber is running recon near Phasor's former location as well as checking out a few remote places. So far he hasn't reported any Solva."
"They could simply be in hiding," said Red Alert.
"If they are," said Jetfire. "There's probably not many of them left."
"We are not trying to eradicate a species by hunting them down," said Optimus sternly. "We are simply seeing if they have successfully invaded other places."
"So far it doesn't seem like it," said Jetfire. "It's likely the majority were offlined which means that it will take them centuries to mobilize again."
Cybertron Meeting Hall
A representative from nearly every planet in the Galactic Alliance had gathered here by vid screen if not in person. Both Ceci and Char were both in attendance as well. Char was relaying the news to Cally in the med bay. She wanted to stay in the loop ever since she'd learned that the Selvin galaxy had collapsed.
Optimus had just finished relaying all the information his mechs had managed to gather about the current state of the Solva. Several of the Alliance members reported seeing a lone Solva ship or two, but those reports were few and far between. It appeared that the Solva species had indeed been decimated.
"Solva aside," said the Tansaren Ambassador glaring at Phasor's Ambassadors. "We demand to know how Phasor was moved. We detected no spacebridge around the planet so it must have been moved the way Tansaren was all those years ago."
Cally suddenly appeared out of nowhere sitting on the table in front of her sisters and Optimus tried to contain a vent. Her long hair hung over the right side of her face blocking her silver eye from view. She had done it purposely because she wanted them to think that she had green eyes so they could easily distinguish her from her sisters. "Greetings," said Cally. "I'm also one of Phasor's rulers. My natural teleportation ability is what moved my planet here not some device. It was also what moved Tansaren all those years ago despite the damage it did to my health. You're welcome by the way."
The Tansaren Ambassador began to sputter.
"I'll make myself very clear," said Cally. "This ability to move planets is mine alone and is not characteristic of the inhabitants of Phasor. While I used my ability to save worlds from the Solva, I will not be using it to involve myself with your wars or domestic issues regardless of the incentive. Those that choose to harm the citizens of Phasor will find themselves promptly teleported into a remote part of space or the nearest star depending on my mood. Also, all of Phasor's rulers and ambassadors currently have a mate so please contain your unwanted advances." With that Cally disappeared leaving the room in silence.
Optimus quickly broke the silence effectively ending the meeting.
Phasor Garden
Adrianna sat in the garden watching Nasi play with some of the other children. She really liked it on Phasor. She once again had a job as a pediatric medic and she felt like she had a purpose again. While she didn't meet with them often, it seemed liked her quadruplets had forgiven her for her absence. They were cordial enough to her husband and they seemed to dote on Nasi. She was surprised however when she found out that three of them were courting Cybertronians. She often saw Char and Hound together in the garden. Hound had volunteered to help maintain the garden here on Phasor as well as the ones on Cybertron. She had covertly asked Char how their relationship worked. Despite Char towering over her, Hound was still at least twice her size. Char had laughed and launched into an explanation about EM fields and sparks. While the logistics were a bit confusing for her, she was glad that her girls had found someone to love.
Cybertron Med Bay
The ache in her body had lessoned a great deal, but Cally was still in the med bay. She was allowed to leave to attend to business on Phasor, but she was under strict orders to return when she was finished. She was still experiencing nightmares from the tunnel incident and that made what sleep she got fitful. Optimus had visited every now and then, but the frequency of the visits became further and further apart now that he'd returned to his normal routine. Cally couldn't begrudge him. She was an adult not a child that needed to be constantly coddled, but she did miss the company. Her sisters were busy with their jobs and new mates leaving little time for them to interact with her outside of normal business. They were still connected by the bond so they spoke often, but Cally was starting to feel like this was a repeat of the situation when she was out scavenging. What caused her the most pain was the fact that Red Alert had not been to see her since he'd left the med bay that day. She knew he'd been angry, but she hadn't expected him to avoid her. It made her feel even more isolated. The one time she'd inquired about him she'd been told that he was busy. She knew that she had done this to herself. She had finally alienated the only mech that she felt completely safe with. She felt safe with Optimus as well, but he was like a caring sire that couldn't always be with her. Red Alert was different. He'd been so attentive with her every time she was injured and now that he was gone, she was feeling his absence most distinctly.
Ratchet ran a scan over Cally as she moved in her sleep and vented. There was nothing he could do about her night terrors. Ratchet commed Optimus.
"Yes Ratchet," said Optimus.
"Cally's EM field is unreadable again," said Ratchet. "It's similar to when she first arrived on Cybertron. I know the night terrors are causing her sleep to be disrupted, but she's completely internalizing her emotions again, which isn't healthy. Did she tell you if anything was bothering her the last time you spoke?"
"No, she seemed fine," said Optimus. "But compared to her sisters, she's always been able to hide her true feelings easily."
"I'm worried," said Ratchet. "I'll keep you updated."
Cally was so tired of the recurring nightmares or maybe she was just simply tired. Going into that tunnel had been the worse choice she'd made in her life. All she wanted was to forget the memory, but that wasn't going to happen so she didn't push them away instead she made herself numb to them. It wasn't that hard to do. She'd had plenty of practice in her life. It was just one more awful situation joining the others. She relaxed as the feeling of numbness spread through her whole body as it pulled her deeper and deeper into sleep.
Phasor
Char was in the garden when she noticed it. She wanted to ask Cally about getting a crystal from one of the places they'd travelled to, but she couldn't remember the name of the planet. She reached for Cally over the bond, but encountered a block. It wasn't really a block like when she or her sisters blocked their emotions from the others. The bond was still obviously there, but there was nothing coming from it. No awareness, no emotions, no nothing. Char touched the other bonds finding them there and whole.
Hound saw Char stiffen. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly.
"Something is wrong with Cally," said Char looking up fearfully. "The bond is still there, but at the end it's like there's nothing there."
Hound quickly commed Ratchet. "He says she's sleeping," he said.
"No she isn't," said Char shaking her head. "There is still an awareness there when they sleep. There's nothing there right now but an empty space."
Cybertron Med Bay
At Hound's question, Ratchet went over to where Cally lay and scanned her. She was asleep, but not just asleep it was as if she was in stasis. Ratchet swore. He gently prodded her limbs, but there was no response to the outside sensory data. Ratchet was bewildered. Sure the girls shared more similarities to Cybertronians than organics, but their systems were still vastly different. Cally was nearly healed and despite her erratic sleeping patterns, she was recovering. Why her body had suddenly put itself into stasis after all this time was perplexing.
Cybertron Control Room 3 Weeks Later
Red Alert walked into the control room after debriefing his mission with Jetfire and Optimus. Scattershot sat at the controls nodding to him in acknowledgement when he walked in. "How was the mission?" asked Scattershot.
"It mostly confirmed our suspicions about the Solva," said Red Alert over the com-link. "Very little survived in the Selvin galaxy. It will take a long time for the remaining Solva to rebuild their civilization. Optimus wants to keep this information under wraps though. There may be species out there that prefer to see them extinct and Optimus won't condone genocide."
"Of course," said Scattershot.
"So how are the girls?" asked Red Alert.
"They're as well as can be expected," said Scattershot. "Ceci's been more clingy lately, but that's to be expected considering the circumstances."
"What do you mean?" asked Red Alert in confusion.
"Not long after you left Cally went into stasis," said Scattershot. "She's been unresponsive since then. Ceci says the bond is still there, but that it's empty. Ratchet hasn't been able to figure out what's wrong with her yet."
Red Alert turned immediately and headed to the med bay.
Cybertron Med Bay
The doors to the med bay opened and Red Alert walked in. Ratchet saw him, but didn't bother coming over. He knew why he was there. Red Alert scanned the room and located Cally on the farthest berth. She lay still almost lifeless, but he could still detect base life signals even if they seemed to have slowed. It hurt him to see her in this condition and he gently ran his fingers through her hair. The last time she'd been like this was after she'd moved Tansaren. She'd only been out for a few days though. He sent a request to Ratchet over the com-link and Ratchet sent him her medical file. According to the file, she'd been repressing her EM field before falling into stasis. Red Alert knew that even though her sisters couldn't detect her that her field wasn't missing, but was most likely compressed so tightly within that it couldn't be detected. It might be what was interfering with the bond. Red Alert sent his theory to Ratchet.
"You could be right," replied Ratchet. "She'd been under a lot of stress, but how do you propose we wake her."
Red Alert was at a loss for a moment. Cally had woken up on her own last time. He gave the issue some consideration before moving to stand over her. He needed to break into that protective layer that she had wrapped so tightly around herself. At first he pressed his EM field into her sending love and comfort, but the field didn't budge. She was either too withdrawn or closed off to receive it. So he tried a different tactic and sent impatience and a hint of anger instead. Still she didn't respond and his spark ached. Cally was infuriatingly independent at times and not everything she did was predictable, but everything she did was to try and help others. She was the protector of the group. The one that made the hard decisions and the one that acted to protect others at the cost of her own wellbeing. His protective instincts flared at that thought. When he had first seen the girls at Delazis, he had finally realized how much he'd missed them. Caring for the organics on the base had been a temporary stopgap to those feelings, but those feelings of possessiveness had flared back when he saw them. They had been without their spacesuits in the hot springs, which allowed him to visually scan the new wounds that covered their bodies. His particular attention had been drawn to Cally her green eye making her forever recognizable from her sisters. He and the others had grown to need the girls and he'd grown to need Cally. He'd be overjoyed if she simply remained with him, but he'd be beyond euphoric if she wanted more. He sent his EM field again filled with all the need and desire he felt. At first nothing happened and Red Alert thought he had failed again, but then there was movement. Cally curled her fist and turned her head in her sleep. He sent another wave through her and she turned onto her side toward him. She didn't wake, but she was clearly no longer in stasis.
"What did you do?" asked Ratchet coming over.
Red Alert attempted to explain.
Cally woke slowly. Something was calling her. It was something familiar. Something she hadn't felt in awhile though. Her semi-conscious mind finally identified it as the EM field belonging to Red Alert. He had come back and he was near her. It was hard to fight off the lull of the void of sleep, but she finally managed to open her eyes. She was lying on her side and she could see him sitting next to her berth. "Red," she said in a barely audible voice. Her voice didn't seem to be working correctly.
Red Alert immediately picked her up and brought a flask to her lips. Solute flowed into her mouth and she drank hungrily. "You've been asleep for over three weeks," said Red Alert as he watched her finish the solute.
"I'm sorry," said Cally softly as she relaxed against him. "I didn't mean to make you so angry. Please don't avoid me any longer." Red Alert's visor flashed and Cally flinched.
"I did leave abruptly, but I'm sorry that you thought this way," he said. "Cally, I'm not angry and I wasn't ignoring you. I've only just returned from a mission."
Cally was silent wondering if she'd overthought his reaction. She certainly had enough time alone while he was gone to get the wrong idea. "I'm sorry," she said. "I must have misunderstood. You were mad and then you left and never came back. They told me you were busy so I thought you were ignoring me. I know you've been forced into handling me before and I thought you'd be relieved to finally be free of me."
"I have never been forced into anything regarding you," said Red Alert. "I'm here because I want to be with you."
Cally started to keen and Red Alert held her close to his spark. He pushed love and calm through his EM field, but Cally merely keened harder releasing all the hurt and anxiety she had been keeping.
"I love you, my spark," said Red Alert. "And I will never let you go."
The desire and need that slowly burned through his EM field left Cally in no doubt about the type of love he was feeling toward her. Her keening stopped abruptly and she curled closer to his spark. Devotion and adoration, the feelings he had first detected long before she left Cybertron, flooded through her field.
"I have always loved you," said Cally tracing random designs on his armor. "And I can promise you that I always will."
Red Alert knew this promise was important because of Cally's past where she witnessed her mother's rapidly changing affections. He also knew that Cally had never broken a promise before and his spark pulsed with love.
Cybertron Med Bay 2 Days Later
Cally was getting released from the med bay today though she would stay under Red Alert's constant supervision. Cally had no problem with that. She wanted to spend as much time with her beloved as she could. The door to the med bay opened and Red Alert entered.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Cally went to answer when the doors to the med bay opened again and Hound came in carrying Char. Hound gently placed her on the nearest berth and Ratchet walked over.
"What's wrong?" asked Ratchet running an automatic scan on Char.
"She's been lethargic," said Hound. "Her responses are slow and she's been easily distracted lately."
"Is she sick?" asked Cally from her berth. It was very rare that they got ill. It could happen though.
"No, she's not," said Ratchet examining the scan. "She's carrying."
Hound promptly glitched.
