A brief break from the team member list to let the others get to know each other a bit..
Thanks for reading!
Chapter Five - Critic
Scatterstrike sighed. He placed the datapad he'd been reading back on the desk and rubbed his faceplate. He could hear the members of his new team arguing amongst themselves.
Again.
The warrior wasn't quite sure what to do.
He'd selected his team mostly by their skills. Who would have known that he picked such a bad combination in terms of personality?
To top it all off, he still was waiting for one more to arrive.
Rising to his pedes, the large flier trudged out of the office he was borrowing. As soon as his last soldier arrived, he would finish training his team and leave on their first mission.
If he could prevent them from strangling each other in the meantime.
Reaching the room his squad was using while they stayed at the base, his audios could hear the arguing young mecha clearly. Scatterstrike opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him.
Only one mecha noticed his presence. She looked down from her perch on the beam above where she'd been watching and occasionally participating in the argument.
Scatterstrike shook his helm. At least Skyshadow wasn't punching anyone this time.
The petite aqua and silver coloured femme was toe-to-toe with the midsized bright orange and red mechling. Despite being younger, the young mech was several feet taller and almost thrice Starfrost's size.
Both Autobots were yelling at each other, casting insults back and forth. Who knew what else. They were both trying to out yell the other, so it was hard to make out what was being said.
"Out yelling Bolt. Now that's something that remains to be done yet," Scatterstrike thought to himself as he approached.
The fourth one, the quiet spoken mechling, was attempting to persuade his friend to stop fighting.
Bolt was either ignoring or not hearing Jolt.
Skyshadow swung down from the beam. The red and black half-seeker moved herself in between Bolt and Starfrost. With a smirk, the petite flier shoved the mecha on either side of her.
Bolt didn't move, but Starfrost, who was about three feet shorter than Skyshadow, fell to the floor.
The orange and red mechling burst out laughing while Starfrost sputtered in anger on the ground. Jolt looked on with dismay.
"Alright," Scatterstrike said gruffly. He walked up to the group and stared down at each youngling in turn. "Who started this nonsense again?"
All four Autobot younglings were silent. After a few kliks, three pointed at the fourth one.
Starfrost crossed her servos, still sitting on the floor. She tilted her helm upwards. "It's not my fault Bolt is an overgrown sparkling who has the temper of a Decepticon gladiator."
"Shut up!" growled Bolt, taking a step towards her.
Jolt caught hold of his arm, stopping him. "Bolt, it's not worth it."
"Just because she's a stuck-up noble doesn't mean she gets to do and say what she wants!"
"I agree," Skyshadow said flatly, optics narrowed.
Scatterstrike held up a hand before another argument could begin. "Enough. You four are all old enough to ignore petty insults. Starfrost, as the oldest and adult, you especially should know better than this nonsense. Bolt is right, you don't get to have your way here. Like I've told you before, maybe that was how it was in Iacon, but here, you're under me. You'll do what you're told or face consequences."
The aqua and silver femme scowled but nodded her helm. "Yes, sir."
"As for the rest of you," Scatterstrike continued, eyeing the rest. "Standing up for yourselves is fine, but there's a certain point in which you walk away. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," came the chorus of replies.
"Good. I have work to do. I'd better not hear another peep from you four this orn."
Scatterstrike walked away without another word and went back to his office.
The remaining four stared each other down.
Starfrost got gracefully to her pedes, brushing herself off. "That move was awful sneaky and crude, Skyshadow," she sniffed, lifting her chin as she glared at the other femmeling.
"I have no remorse," snapped Skyshadow lowly. "If you can't handle someone not much bigger than you, I'd hate to see what happens when you are placed on the field." With that, she walked away, heading to her corner of the room.
"Ugh, peasants. Think they know everything when they know absolutely nothing." Starfrost rolled her optics. Spying the two mechlings watching her, she snapped, "What're you two clowns looking at? Go find someone to repaint you, I'm sick of seeing those bright colours."
"Oh, why don't you pluck your optics out. Then you won't have to bother looking at us," ground out Bolt as he was pulled away by Jolt.
Starfrost gasped. "You will take that back!"
"Nope." Bolt sat down in his and Jolt's shared corner of the room across from Skyshadow.
The noble growled before turning on her heel and heading to her own corner. Helm held high, she resisted looking back as she knew someone had their glossa stuck out at her.
"Miserable peasants. How am I supposed to get along with them? They're all pathetic sparklings," she thought.
She watched out of the corner of her optic as Skyshadow snuck along the wall to join the mechlings. They welcomed her happily and the three began talking amongst themselves.
Starfrost felt a sudden pang of sadness and guilt. Why was it so easy for them? Apparently Jolt and Bolt had known each other since they were sparklings and were the best of friends. Skyshadow was quiet, but Bolt had almost immediately befriended her when she arrived. Jolt had also.
None of them had done that for Starfrost, even though she'd arrived at this base first.
It must be her.
Starfrost sighed. These mecha were so different then the ones she was accustomed to socializing with. Everyone in the Iacon towers was polite and at least pretended to like each other. She'd never associated herself with the lower-class citizens in the area. Her sire had, but that was only for business.
These mecha were, well, commoners with almost no manners. They were somehow even able to bring out the worst in her, managing to make her forget her own manners.
She was pretty sure it was mainly Bolt.
The two of them had totally different opinions and views. They also just really rubbed each other the wrong way. He drove her insane, she made him mad. Jolt would try to calm Bolt down, Skyshadow simply rolled her optics and walked away most of the time.
How was she supposed to work with this team?
She could request a transfer. That would take time and reasons. Scatterstrike would likely not listen to her. He'd had enough of her it seemed.
Starfrost straightened. She would just have to work through it. Maybe she could try a little harder to get along. Her friends she'd had at home seemed to like her; it wasn't that she was a miserable femme. She needed to make at least one friend here.
She just hoped that it wasn't too late. Bolt seemed to hate her, Jolt and Skyshadow seemed to just dislike her.
"Better start now," she thought, rising to her pedes.
