Annnd the final member arrives! Reposting because of an error that needed to be fixed.


Chapter Six - The Seeker

After being granted entrance into the Autobot base, Cloudbreaker glanced around.

Several mecha killed about near the front gate, including two guards.

"You said you were here as per Captain Scatterstrike's request?" one of the guards asked.

The sky-blue and black seeker nodded his helm once. "Yes, that's correct. Do you know where I might find him?"

"Well," shrugged the guard. "I think he's currently in a meeting with the rest of the officers. You could find a teammate and wait with them. The rest have been here long enough to show you around."

"Oh. I suppose that would be fine," Cloudbreaker said. "Do you know where they would be? I confess, I do not know any of their designations."

The two guards momentarily exchanged a glance, slight smirks crossing their faceplates.

"Just follow your audios," snickered the second guard, gesturing with a digit. "Your best bet is down the hall and then turn to the second left. After that, you will probably be able to find him fine."

Cloudbreaker twitched his large wings, tilting his helm in confusion. "Uhh, okay?"

The first guard added, "One of your teammates probably holds record for the loudest 'bot here. If you find a noisy fourteen-vorn-old frontliner, you've found your squad's room. Or their territory."

The young seeker, guessing he was not about to get any clearer directions, decided to try out the ones he'd been given.

Striding quickly down the hall, he took the second left as directed. As he travelled further into the base, he came across more and more mecha.

Mecha that gave him either curious or untrusting looks.

Cloudbreaker's shoulders and wings sagged as he tried to make himself less conspicuous.

Which was hard to do when you were not only taller than the average mech, but the only seeker present.

Which was also likely why he was getting all the looks he was.

Not many seekers had joined the Autobots. The ones that had survived the fall of Vos had mostly joined the Decepticons, believing when Megatron told them the Autobots were responsible for the destruction.

The young seeker didn't buy that.

He didn't know how, but he was certain that the Decepticons were involved.

But the Decepticon seekers had already caused a lot of problems for the Autobots. Leaving Cloudbreaker with a bad reputation as well.

With most Autobots anyways.

Whoever this Scatterstrike fellow was, the twenty-one-vorn-old was appreciative of him asking for him.

"Now. To find him," Cloudbreaker muttered under his breath, scanning the corridor.

Remembering what the guards had said, he stopped and listened for a few kliks.

Soon enough, his keen audios picked up the sound of someone yelling.

Cloudbreaker followed the sound, which lead him to what seemed to be an energon hall.

He found himself heading towards one of the tables near the back, where a group of three mecha sat. There was one femmeling and two mechlings, one who was enthusiastically, and loudly, telling a story.

No wonder he'd been able to hear him from down the hall.

Internally, Cloudbreaker wondered how long it would take for him to lose his hearing. Apparently, according to how the guards had talked, it seemed this was a normal thing.

As the young seeker approached, the red and black femmeling glanced up to meet his gaze. He paused for an astroklik, realizing that she was a fellow seeker.

Although, she didn't quite look like most seekers.

She had the slim physique of most femme seekers, and the large wings on her back. However, she was more petite then most and her wings were shaped a bit different.

But then, he was different too. Most seekers were tall and lanky, built for speed and agility. Though still quite quick and acrobatic in the sky as well, Cloudbreaker was more bulkier, built more for strength.

Large blue optics narrowed in his direction for an astroklik before the femmeling turned to her two companions.

"Bolt. Shut up for a klik."

The orange and red mechling, the one who'd been talking, stopped mid sentence. He glanced at the femmeling, then when she tilted her helm, both mechlings looked in Cloudbreaker's direction.

All three just sort of blinked at him for several astrokliks.

And he just kind of blinked right back.

Finally, the bright green and blue mechling stood, outstretching a hand.

"You must be our last team member."

"Oooh, are you the mecha Captain Scatterstrike was telling us about?" the talkative mechling asked, optics wide as he also stood up.

Cloudbreaker nodded, shaking the other mechling's outstretched hand. "I suppose I must be. I am Cloudbreaker."

"My designation is Jolt," replied the quieter mechling with a small smile. He then gestured to the other two present.

"This is Skyshadow and Bolt. I believe Captain Scatterstrike is unavailable temporarily, but you can stay with us for now I presume."

"Nice to meet you all. And thank you, Jolt," Cloudbreaker said, taking the empty chair that was pulled over to the table by Bolt.

He rose an optic ridge as the two mechlings sat back in their own chairs.

"Are you two brothers?"

Bolt turned to look at him, one optic ridge raised. "Nope. Why does everyone ask that?"

Cloudbreaker fidgeted in place, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Well, you see- "

The femmeling spoke up then, rolling her optics. "Same reason I asked likely, Bolt."

"We do have similar names," agreed Jolt, sending his friend a look.

The seeker got the feeling that the trio had had this conversation before.

"Oh. Right," said Bolt. He then turned to Cloudbreaker, a wide grin on his faceplate. "But we might as well be brothers though. We've been best friends as long as we can remember."

"That must be nice to be transferred to the same place," muttered the red and black to herself.

Cloudbreaker arched an optic ridge. "There's something I'm missing here, I think. Oh well, I suppose they may tell me at some point."

"So, where're you from, Cloudbreaker?" Bolt asked brightly.

"Vos was my home city-state. Now I suppose I'm from here," sighed the blue and black seeker quietly.

Jolt and Bolt winced while Skyshadow's faceplate remained almost emotionless.

"I am sorry for your loss, Cloudbreaker," Jolt said, bowing his helm. "We heard what happened. Skyshadow here was also partially from Vos."

The seeker's optics flicked towards the petite femmeling, whom he guessed was around the other two's age. About a two-thirds of his own.

And he had previously thought he was one of the youngest survivors.

She met his optics for a few astrokliks, then glanced away. "If you're wondering about the partial thing that Jolt said, I lived mostly in Kalis."

"I see," Cloudbreaker said, more confused about the subject than he was already. He noted again, that Skyshadow didn't quite look like most of the other seekers he'd known.

"Well, I guess all five of us recruits are here now," Bolt said, changing the subject.

"Five?"

"Yeah. Captain Scatterstrike picked the five of us and sent for us. Now we're all here."

Cloudbreaker twitched his wings. "Forgive me, but there is only four of us here. Is there another member elsewhere in the base?"

Bolt made a face. "You know, you sound like a noblemech, but at the same time, you don't."

"Your speech patterns and words use versus your attitude towards other mecha," supplied Jolt, seeing the poor seeker's confusion.

"That's how seekers talk usually, Bolt," Skyshadow added. "My Sire sometimes talked like that too, but it came and went."

"There is nothing wrong with it of course," Jolt reassured, patting Cloudbreaker on the servo. "Bolt and I are simply unused to it."

"Except for from you," added Bolt. Then, he scratched his helm. "Kinda."

"Anyways," Jolt continued. "Back to your question. We do have five members, not including Captain Scatterstrike. She just... Well, to put it politely, Starfrost likes to be by herself."

"Politely?" snorted Bolt, folding his servos across his chest. "She could take a tip from you then."

Cloudbreaker's attention moved in between the pair as they began to discuss the mecha in question.

"Come on," Skyshadow said, rising from her chair. "I'll show you around."

Leaving the arguing mechlings behind, Cloudbreaker followed the small femmeling out of the energon hall.

"You'll get used to this," Skyshadow said, smirking up at him. "Like Bolt said, they might as well be siblings. They argue like they were anyways."

"I've noticed," Cloudbreaker hummed, sending her a small smile.

Skyshadow was the smallest of the group that he'd met so far, barely reaching his chest in height. However, she apparently walked quickly enough to decently make up for her shorter pedes.

"So, I'm guessing you are the quiet one of the group?" Cloudbreaker inquired once they'd traveled a little way down the corridor.

Skyshadow steered them around a corner before answering.

"You could say that. I'm usually the quiet one wherever I go. Just the way it's always been."

Cloudbreaker hummed his acknowledgment. "How long have you been in the Autobot army? Or, are you in their version of the Armada?"

Giving him a quick look, Skyshadow shrugged. "I don't think they really have enough flying Autobots to make anything like the Armada. I'm just a scout. So, obviously, I haven't been in the army too long."

"Ah, that makes sense. I'm simply air support really. I guessed they did not have much of anything since well... You know, most of the seekers joined the Decepticons."

"Yeah," Skyshadow said quietly. "They did."

Cloudbreaker's gaze softened as he suddenly halted. Skyshadow noticed immediately and paused, turning to give him a questioning look.

"You too?" he whispered.

Skyshadow flicked her wings. "What?"

"You have loved ones that joined too, don't you?"

The red and black looked away.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. Sorry that you do too I mean."

"It's okay," Cloudbreaker shrugged, staring at the floor. "If your situation was anything like mine, I'm guessing you couldn't do anything about it either."

A short pause.

"No. Not really."

Skyshadow then straightened her shoulders, looking back up at Cloudbreaker, faceplate now expressionless.

"I'll show you our quarters first, I guess. And you should probably get meeting Starfrost over with too."

Cloudbreaker furrowed his optic ridges. "Okay?"

He followed Skyshadow, wondering what was so bad about the femme.

"I guess Bolt didn't really tell you," Skyshadow said over her shoulder. "Starfrost is the daughter of a Towers mech. She's, well, you know. A Towers mecha."

"Oh," was all Cloudbreaker could muster as a reply.

"That's what."


Starfrost heard a quiet knock before the door slid open. She rolled her optics, not bothering to look up from her datapad.

"Even if some of you have learned to knock first, you still have not figured out how to wait for an answer."

Quiet pedesteps met the noble's audios, then the closing of the door.

"In case, you forget, your highness, it's our room too," Skyshadow said, tone neutral. "We only agreed to knock because you insisted on it."

"Well, where I come from, you knock and wait for an answer before entering an occupied personal room. Therefore, even if we do all share it, we all should knock."

"Well, where the rest of us come from, you don't have to. Oh, this is our newbie. Maybe you should say hello before scaring him off with all your uppity rules."

Starfrost then glanced up, optics wide as she observed that someone had snuck in with Skyshadow.

Or rather, that she had snuck in with him. You never heard her pedesteps. That should have been warning.

The tall, broad seeker lifted a hand in a wave, smiling at the silver and aqua femme from behind Skyshadow, who simply stood with her servos crossed.

"That's Starfrost," she said with a jerk of her helm.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you," the seeker said hesitantly.

Starfrost rolled her optics and sighed. "It is a pleasure. Skyshadow, you are terrible at introductions."

"He's Cloudbreaker. From Vos. Obviously," Skyshadow replied emotionlessly. "You know that."

"Good etiquette dictates that you should be introduced and introduce new mecha regardless of that, Skyshadow," Starfrost said, still not having moved from her seat at her desk.

Cloudbreaker heard Skyshadow scoff, so low he thought he was hearing things.

The young femmeling walked further into the room, heading for the opposite back corner of Starfrost's.

"Good etiquette dictates you should show up where you're supposed to. You missed training. Again."

After seating herself on her berth, Skyshadow directed her attention back at Cloudbreaker.

"Your spot is over there," she said, pointing to the berth shoved in the corner directly to his left. "Sorry, we didn't have room for another desk. But you can use mine."

Cloudbreaker nodded and walked over to sit on his berth. He wasn't sure what to think of this new team member.

Starfrost then stood, walking several steps closer to Skyshadow's corner of the large room.

The young seeker noted that she was even smaller than Skyshadow. But then, two-wheelers apparently were small. Or at least that was what he'd heard.

He didn't know they were this small though.

Starfrost was only half his height.

He figured she was about his age though.

He also figured he knew the reason to the tension and hostility behind the rest's descriptions of her.

She wasn't exactly nice.

But Cloudbreaker had to admit, she was pretty.

Internally, the seeker slapped himself as that thought occurred to him.

The femmes didn't seem to notice as he winced.

"Skyshadow, maybe if these mecha who are training us weren't so stubborn and barbaric in their methods, I would have been there."

Skyshadow smirked at the older femme. "Barbaric? They're just trying to help you, princess."

Starfrost put her hands on her hips and arched an optic ridge. "Really? Then explain why I come back here after training sore?"

"Your frame or your pride?" questioned Skyshadow. "Training is supposed to further what you can do, therefore it can hurt. Especially if you have next to none."

Cloudbreaker's optic ridges rose. "You have no training?"

Turning her helm to glance at him over her shoulder, Starfrost frowned. "It was not needed previously."

"Well, you need it now," Skyshadow said, sending her a look. "Like Scatterstrike said, you won't last long without it."

"Maybe I don't need to be as well trained as he wants me to be. I could be trained in surveillance or something."

"From my understanding, none of this team got a desk job," said Cloudbreaker quietly. "I would advise that you heed their warning."

Starfrost gave him another look over her shoulder, her gold optics cold. "Maybe you should go train. See if your up to par with what they want."

Skyshadow snickered. "He's Vosian. Don't worry, he is."

Cloudbreaker couldn't help but smirk at that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Starfrost.

"Their military was one of the best on Cybertron. Even if a youngling is not going to join the Armada, they are trained in at least some fighting skills. And have you seen Cloudbreaker's servos? I'm pretty sure he works out."

Before either could reply, she got up and walked past Starfrost, heading for the door.

"Back to you, Starfrost. If I can thoroughly wipe the floor with you in less then five kliks, you're doomed. You'll be offline the moment you step into a battlefield."

With that, Skyshadow left, sliding the door closed before Starfrost could reply.

"The nerve of her!" sputtered the noble, stalking back to her own corner.

Holding back a chuckle, Cloudbreaker tilted his helm. "Does she?"

Whirling, Starfrost looked at him, anger in her expression changing to confusion.

"Wipe the floor with you."

"Oh." The young femme looked a way, a little sheepish. "I suppose so, yes."

"That, I have to admit, sounds entertaining to watch. But, she's right, you know."

"You think I do not know that? That I am entirely out of my comfort zone? That I do not belong here and should have stayed in Iacon? That I do not know what I am doing?

"I know I never should have come."

Cloudbreaker looked at her with pity in his cobalt blue optics.

Starfrost settled down and turned away. "I do not know why I am telling you any of this," she muttered miserably.

"Maybe, because you need a friend," the seeker said gently. "I know how you feel."

"How can you?"

"Because I am way out of my element too. I think all of us are."

Starfrost turned back to look at him, expression unreadable.

"And how do you think we are going to fix it?"

Cloudbreaker stood, striding several steps forward and extending a hand.

"I think the rest have already decided," he said soberly. "We're going to do this together. As a team."

Starfrost looked up at him, blinking several times, her brow furrowed.

"Do you wish to join us?"

Tentatively, Starfrost places her small hand in Cloudbreaker's large one and shook it.

"If a Vosian can bring themself to work with others who are not their kind, then perhaps an Iaconian can too," she said slowly.

Cloudbreaker smiled, withdrawing his hand. "All we can do is try."

Suddenly the door burst open, spilling three Autobots into the room.

"Bolt, you moron," growled Skyshadow from the bottom of the pile.

"Sorry," Bolt said apologetically. "I was leaning over you two to hear and my hand slipped!"

"On what?" demanded the femmeling.

"The dumb keypad! I barely touched it!"

"Bolt, now is not the time to argue," complained Jolt. "You revealed our position and now we have been caught."

"And you're crushing us both!" Skyshadow yelled. "Get off!"

Cloudbreaker and Starfrost exchanged a confused look.

"Oh, sorry!" Bolt said, picking himself up off of the pile.

"How is it that the heaviest of the three of landed on top and I landed on the bottom," grumbled Skyshadow as Jolt helped her up.

"He was behind us," remarked Jolt quietly, rubbing his shoulder which had collided with the door frame when he fell.

Skyshadow flicked her wings and then winced. "That's gonna bruise."

"I said I'm sorry!" yelled Bolt.

"We forgive you!" Jolt and Skyshadow yelled back.

"Is this normal?" Cloudbreaker whispered, lowering his helm towards Starfrost.

She crossed her servos. "I honestly have not figured that out yet."

"If this was a training simulation, you'd all have failed. If it was real life, depending on the situation, you might all be offline."

The gruff voice jerked all five's attention to the doorway, where a tall, broad mech, coloured dark grey and black stood leaning against the doorframe.

He glanced at each in turn, his one blue optic narrowed, mouth turned down in a frown.

Uncrossing his servos, he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"You three," he said, pointing at Bolt, Jolt, and Skyshadow. "Were sloppy in your attempts. There are better ways to gather intelligence than put your audios on doors to listen."

Next, the mech switched his attention to Starfrost. "You had horrible reaction time. Plus, you failed to educate the newbie on the nearby threats."

Bolt laughed nervously, before being hit upside the helm simultaneously by Jolt and Skyshadow.

"And lastly, newbie," the mech turned to Cloudbreaker. "Never trust a new base. Never trust an old one either."

Cloudbreaker nodded. "Yes, Sir."

The mech then drew his helm back with a hearty laugh. "But it's a good thing you're all among friends currently for your sakes."

The team, previously chastised grinned, exchanging looks.

"You must be my last member," the mech said, extending a hand to Cloudbreaker. "I'm Captain Scatterstrike."

"Cloudbreaker," the young mech said with a grin, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you asked for me."

Scatterstrike grinned. "Glad to have you. I'm sure some of these scallywags have shown you around?"

"Somewhat."

"Bolt? I'm surprised that- "

"I'll be right on it!" the frontliner said exuberantly. "He's only seen here and the energon hall and I guess probably at least some of the hallways."

"I'd stay, but unfortunately I got to do some follow up stuff from this meeting," Scatterstrike said apologetically, meeting Cloudbreaker's gaze. "I'll get back to you five as soon as I can."

With that, he was soon gone again.

Cloudbreaker glanced at the rest. "I have to be honest, I thought he was going to get us all in trouble there for a minute. He is sort of intimidating when he wants to be."

"You should have seen him when he had to drag Bolt out of a fight," Starfrost said with a light scoff of amusement, crossing her servos. "He was really scary then."

"Yeah," Bolt agreed, a touch of fear on his faceplate as he remembered. "Me and the mecha I was fighting with thought he was gonna eat us whole."

"The optic patch helps with the intimidation I think," Jolt said thoughtfully. "Though I am certain that is not the reason for it."

"I wonder what happened to it. His other optic I mean," said Bolt.

"None of our business," Starfrost said, waving them off as she sauntered back to her corner.

"Ya know, he reminds me of a pirate somehow."

"He's a pilot," Jolt reminded, optic ridge arched as he looked at his best friend. "That does not mean he is a pirate."

"I didn't say that! But he really does remind me of a pirate."

"It's the optic patch," Skyshadow said with a smirk.

Cloudbreaker snickered. "Does he have a pet cyber bird too?"

Bolt didn't get that Cloudbreaker was joking and a thoughtful expression came over his faceplate. Putting his chin in his hand he answered.

"I dunno. Not that I've seen, maybe he keeps it in his office. Or he used to have one. I'll have to ask him."

"Let's show Cloudbreaker the base," Jolt said quickly before Bolt could think any further about a possible cyberbird being hidden somewhere.

"Yeah! Let's go!" yelled Bolt, grabbing Skyshadow by the wrist and yanking her out the door. Jolt quickly followed, concern on his faceplate as Skyshadow's protests could be loudly heard from down the hallway.

Peering out of the room at the rest with a grin, Cloudbreaker then glanced back over his shoulder. "Coming?"

Starfrost tilted her helm, considering. Then, she nodded. "Alright. I suppose so."

Cloudbreaker grinned again and then walked down the hall, following the sound of Bolt protesting being hit over the helm by Skyshadow.

Starfrost followed, a small smile on her faceplate.

Slowing down to match the small femme's pace, the seeker fell in step with her.

"Despite our differences, I think we'll make a pretty good team," Cloudbreaker thought.


Well, I reposted this cause I wrote that Cloudbreaker was twice the three younger teammate's age.. that's not right... *Face palms* Whoops, anyways..

Thanks for reading!