And team member number five!


Chapter Four - The Scout

"All aboard!"

The whistle blew, but the small mecha standing near the middle of the platform didn't move.

Mecha rushed about, hurrying to get on the long, nonsentient transport before it left the station. Or to say their goodbyes.

The lone femmeling stood motionless, staring into nothingness.

"Take care, Skyshadow," the femme murmured, leaning down to hug her one last time.

"I will, Carrier," muttered the youngling, resisting the urge to roll her optics.

"Your Sire will be waiting at the Vos station for your arrival," continued her carrier, brushing off her daughter's shoulders.

Skyshadow endured her carrier's fussing and simply nodded her helm.

"Be a good femmeling on the transport and remember what I told you."

"Yes, Carrier."

"And please do not run off anywhere. You have been to Vos before this way but it is still dangerous when you are on your own."

"Yes, Carrier."

Since Skyshadow's sire lived in Vos for part of the time, being a member of the Armada, she would sometimes go to stay with him for a few orns.

He insisted on their daughter visiting Vos. She needed to meet and make friends with other fliers her own age.

There weren't any in their home city state of Kalis.

Why her sire couldn't just fly her with him when he left home, Skyshadow didn't know.

It wasn't as if she'd miss much at school. Besides, her brother could always give her the notes.

Cause he never came with her to Vos.

Seekers did not approve of those they called groundpounders. In their optics, if you didn't have wings, you were beneath them.

And their carrier would never allow her son to experiment that rejection if she could help it.

So, Sky always made the journey alone.

Tuning out what her Carrier was saying, Skyshadow turned her attention to the awaiting transport.

The station was busy that orn, and it was no wonder her carrier was almost frantic. She hated putting her on the transport by herself to begin with, let alone if there was so many mecha.

Skyshadow furrowed her brow. It wasn't like she was going to get lost.

She'd done this enough times.

"And do not forget your manners, dear. Seekers are an uppity bunch, and it won't do for you to make a bad impression of yourself," Carnation continued.

"Carrier," Skyshadow murmured, twitching her wingtips. "The transport will be leaving soon."

The femme paused and looked away from her daughter.

Indeed, it was almost time.

Turning her attention back to her youngest, Carnation placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Take care, Sweetspark. And behave yourself," she said, a sad smile on her faceplate.

Skyshadow nodded, staring hopefully at her carrier's faceplate.

Hoping for a happy smile.

A proud smile.

But of course, it was only a sad one.

The only kind she ever got.

"I will, Carrier. Goodbye."

Quickly picking up her bag, Skyshadow walked away.

"All aboard!" came the call, alerting the passengers to hurry.

"Skyshadow," Carnation said softly.

Hopefully, the ten-vorn-old paused, turning back to her carrier.

The femme held out her hand.

"You are forgetting something."

Wordlessly, Skyshadow returned and took the ticket from her outstretched hand.

She boarded without another word, finding an empty seat next to a window.

Meeting her carrier's gaze, she waved.

The femme returned the gesture.

Skyshadow made herself look at her until the transport left the station.

Another whistle blew, jerking Skyshadow from her thoughts.

She watched as more mecha, all current or wannabe Autobot soldiers, hurried and crowded onto the transport.

But she still didn't move.

Skyshadow had never liked these transports much. As soon as she'd gotten her alt mode, she had begged her creators to let her fly herself to Vos and back.

Her sire may have given in. Her carrier had said absolutely not.

And so, even with wings that could carry her quicker than the transport could across its path on the ground, she was stuck.

Even as the last call whistle was blown, mecha still surrounded the half-seekerling standing on the platform.

Many well wishers and loved ones waved and called out to the Autobots leaving Kalis for elsewhere.

But there was no femme standing beside Skyshadow this time.

The red and black thirteen-vorn-old lowered her helm.

Her carrier never would stand beside her anywhere ever again.

Her hands curled into fists at her side.

She, her carrier's least favourite youngling, had been the only family member to observe.

To watch as her carrier was laid into her grave. To listen as the mech spoke about her before the congregated group of weeping mecha started to toss shovelfuls of dirt and metal gravel into the hole.

To cry herself to recharge that offcycle, alone.

Her brother was stationed too far away to attend the funeral. Same with her sire, who had the rank of Captain, and could not come because he had responsibilities that he was unable to ignore.

Both had wanted to. Neither was able to.

And her long-lost brother, the one that was presumed offline vorns before she and her brother were created, obviously was unable to be there.

Not even their carrier's favourite could be there.

Skyshadow had to face it alone. She was the only one who could be there.

Now, she stood on the platform at Kalis' transport station, watching as the nonsentient machine roared away down the tracks.

Mecha around, some weeping, began to drift away.

Skyshadow looked away from the tunnel that the transport had disappeared into. Turning her gaze to the item clenched in her hand, she uncurled her digits.

The ticket her carrier had bought her for when she was leaving Kalis to join the Autobot army.

The journey she hadn't even come to see her off.

Skyshadow hadn't told her carrier, but she hadn't used the ticket.

She'd flown to Iacon. By herself.

And she had not used it now.

Taking one last look at the now near empty station, she turned to leave.

Dropping the ticket on the platform floor.

It landed with a soft clink that sounded a lot more deafening and final in Skyshadow's spark.

She would not be returning to this station, she felt.

Just like her carrier would not be returning.

Stepping quickly up the stairs, dodging mecha as they all made their way to the street above, Skyshadow left.

Taking a deep vent of the open air, she glanced upwards.

This part of Kalis, the more populated part, had more lights than where she lived.

"Used to live," she reminded herself internally.

She could usually see the stars in the offcycle sky from the ground there. Not here.

Not that it mattered. She'd be up there shortly anyways.

Deciding she didn't care about the rules about no flying in this area, Skyshadow leaped upwards.

Transforming and causing cries of annoyance or outrage below, she jetted upwards in a spiral, heading for the opening between the skyscrapers.

Once in open air, she directed herself East.

She'd received orders to join a group in Altihex.

Currently, she didn't really care where the Autobots sent her.

Just as long as she could maybe keep her processor occupied.

And as long as she'd get a reason to get to bash some Decepticon helms.

They'd deserve it for what they did to both of her home city-states. She knew others felt the same way.

The Decepticons would pay for what they had done to Vos.

And they'd pay for crossing over to Kalis.

Skyshadow would make them pay for offlining her carrier.


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