pbChapter 3/b

p"Okay, then. This meeting is now over." Optimus said as he stood up and looked at his teammates. They all smiled and nodded. "So, What do you guys want to do before we leave?"

p"I want to look at the new computers they have just brought in. I won't get to see them until we get back." Dionico stated as he looked at the computers in the ship.

p"I want ta go ta a nice bar. Ya know, da ones with da lights, da dance floors, da strip-"

p"Dipper!" Dipper was knocked out of dreamland by Optimus's voice. "Wha-at?"

pOptimus pointed to Starchaser, who looked annoyed; "Do you only think of femms, Dipper?"

p"Well...yeah. What's it ta ya?"

p"Nothing," Starchaser answered with a shrugged, "Just stating the obvious."

p"Oh yeah, well...for a second I thought you were out your league, but you 'obvious' proved me wrong."

pStarchaser grinned, ready for a challenge, "Okay, small fry. Bet you like betting. Try this...If I can beat you at a card game. ANY card game."

p"Oh, yeah?" Dipper laughed, "Any card game, eh? What I get if I win?"

p"If you win...what ever you choose."

p"Whatever I want?" Dipper looked at Optimus; "Can we replace him?

p"Optimus cocked his eyebrow, "No."

p"Okay, then. Ah!" Dipper turned to Starchaser. "If I win, you have to clean my quarters for the rest of the trip."

p'Chaser grinned. "Okay then, and if I win, you have to stop making jokes about my age, got that?"

p"Oh, man...I knew sometin' was up...Okay, kiddo. It's a deal." Dipper rubbed his hands together, "Gin Rummy. Ever played?"

p"A couple," Starchaser didn't grin; he didn't want to give away his secret. "Okay, lets do it!"

p~o~o~o~

pAbout 60 cycles later, they were still at it. Dipper was winning, and Starchaser looked tired. Dipper noticed it. "What's da matter, kiddo? Past your bed time?"

p"Shut up, it's your turn. Now move." Starchaser rubbed the back of his head. Dipper picked up a card, "Woo ho! Boy am I lucky!"

p"Now, mine turn." Starchaser picked up and 8 of spades he looked down at his cards. He had two left, and smiled. He placed down the 8 with the other 8's and but back his queen. "Gin Rummy."

p"What?! Oh man! How did yous do dat! I had you beat!" Dipper looked at Starchaser and then back to his cards, "Man, oh man. Now I can't make fun of him! What a bunch of slag!"

p"I'm just good at it, I guess." Starchaser yawned and stretched, closing his eyes. "But you seem to know this game well. Do you gamble at it often?"

p"Hey, for your information, I don't. I usually use poker. And another thing-" Dipper was about to finish his statement when Optimus stopped him. The bigger put one finger over his mouth, and with the other he pointed to Starchaser, who was softly sleeping.

pDipper chuckled softly, so to not wake him up. "He fell asleep? It was only one card game." he whispered.

p"He had a hard day. I'll take him to my place until tomorrow. I don't want him spending his first night out of the orphanage in a lonely ship." With that, Optimus picked up the young bot and brought him home. When Optimus and a sleeping Starchaser left the ship, Dionico and Dipper laughed. "Boy, he he. I sure hope he don't fall asleep after EVERY lecture. I don't want to be the one to carry him to his room."

pDionico laughed with him. "Well, good night, Dipper. See you tomorrow."

p"Night, big buddy. Just hope sleepin' beauty wakes up before we leave. I don't want a sleeping pilot flying us anywhere!"

p"Stop teasing him, Dipper. You made bet not to."

p"Yeah, yeah, yeah...Well all I gotta say is..." Dipper's voice fades out as they go down the shaft to Cybertron.

p~o~o~o~

pi*Ding dong*

p"I'll get it!" Starchaser screamed as he ran to the door. But he ran into Starhopper on the way there.

p"No, little one. I'll get it. You just go into the living room and wait for me there, got it?"

p"Yes, sir!" Starchaser knew it was no use into arguing with 'The General' so he walked into the living room. When he got there, somewhere in his mind says to hide, so he thought it was a game his mind thought up of. So he hide under the couch, which was just able to hide him and thought, 'He'll never find me in here...' He heard Starhopper open the door and start to say, "Hello..." when a blast went off and he heard someone shout in pain, then fall to the floor. Then, someone else walked into the house. Starchaser realized when the new comer entered the living room that this was no game. Starchaser started to tremble and shake. But his mind said, 'Stay calm, 'Chase, say CALM!' So he buried his face in his hands to muffle his hard breathing. He curled up closer to himself as much as he could and waited. It was cycles later, when the intruder left, but for the child bot, it seemed like 100. When he was sure it was safe, he got out of his cramped position and crawled to the hall was, he didn't trust his feet to work because they were shaking so hard. When he got to the main hallway he looked over to the door, and there, in a crumpled heap, was Starhopper. Mec fluid pouring out of the wound the stranger had made. Starchaser eyes couldn't stop from looking over the bot's injury. From the angle of the shot, it had hit his spark, Starchaser already knew he was dead.

p"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"/i

pStarchaser bolted awake. He sat up and looked around the room. It wasn't his bedroom in 'The Generals' house, or the orphanage's, and no way it was his quarters on the ship. "Where am I?"

p"You're in my house." Starchaser nearly jumped out of his skin! When he turned, he saw Optimus Primal sitting on a chair. "I was wondering when you'd get up."

p"What? How...how'd I get here?" Starchaser looked around the room again. He looked out a window and saw it was already day. 'Why did I have that dream again? It's been so long...'

p"I brought you here. You fell asleep after the card game. I didn't want to leave you on the ship by yourself, so I took you to my space. I was up hours ago. Do you sleep late all the time?"

p"Well...no. When I was little yeah, but since I've been with 'The General'..." Starchaser shook his head. "No, I usually wake up early."

pOptimus frowned a little; "Do...you want to talk about him?"

pStarchaser was confused for a second then knew what he was saying, "There's nothing to tell. He was...shot at home. There's nothing else to say."

p"Were you there, or somewhere else?" Optimus looked surprised that he let his curiosity get the better of him, "Sorry, Starchaser...I didn't mean to pry-"

p"No. You...don't have to be sorry, I should always answer a higher officer when I'm asked." Starchaser sighed. "I was in the living room when it happened. I heard he got shot and hid." He lowered his head, "So much for being a soldier like he wanted to be, huh?"

p"You think it was your fault?" Optimus asked in surprised.

p"I didn't tell you everything yet." Starchaser sighed, "I heard the door bell first. I almost opened the door, but Starhopper got there before me. He told me to go into the living room and wait there." He looked up at Optimus. "When I got there, I decided to play a game of 'Hide and Seek'"

p"You hid before he opened the door?"

pStarchaser nodded. Optimus saw what he was getting at, "That was years ago, Starchaser. You were still a child. You didn't know better. You can't blame yourself for something you can not control." Optimus sighed, then added, "At least, he did something right before he died."

p"Yeah, what was that?"

p"He saved you, didn't he? He stopped you from opening that door. If he didn't, you'd be dead; he might have been killed, too. He was saving you without really knowing he did. Don't you see?" Starchaser thought for a moment, then smiled.

p"I think your right. He died so I can fly a space ship...Your going to have to remind me when I die, I have to thank him." Starchaser got up from bed a stretched.

pOptimus laughed. "I think I would die before you will." He smiled at the young bot.

p"Well, then...You'll just have to give him the message for me!" Optimus laughed again. Then looked at the clock.

p"It's time to go. Ready?"

pStarchaser nodded, "You bet, Big Bot!" With one last laugh, they were off.

pChapter 2
brChapter 4