Chapter 71 - Arcee
(WPOV)
Will stood at the top of the catwalk, surveying the men and bots with a small smile. He'd just finished speaking with one of his fellow Majors, the man had passed his condolences on that his unit was having to deal with a civilian girl in their midst. Will had stared at the man on the screen and had promptly broken down, howling with laughter.
"Will!?" the man had asked in shock.
"Art, seriously, before you offer your condolences that we've got Kae, you gotta meet her," Will had hooted. "I swear to the heavens she's god's gift to man."
"Oh so she..." Art had frowned.
"Oh gods no!" Will had immediately protested in shock. "Don't be absurd, she's a boost to morale, absolutely, not like that though. She's like a psychiatrist wrapped in kindness, understanding and diplomacy. Swear to god Art, you show up here and you're going to leave with the certainty that she's your little sister."
Art had stared at him in shock for a moment before the look morphed into one of envy.
"Don't suppose you'd let me borrow her..." he'd started.
"Nope, just because I'm a greedy bastard, man," Will had grinned. "Of course, I'll ask her, but the big man here like as not will insist on accompanying her. Who knows, like you said, it sounds like there's the potential of us being assigned to a new base of operations, we might wind up in the same area."
"Hope so!" Art grinned. "Anyway, duty's calling over here, I'll catch you later."
"Absolutely, nice to see your ugly face again Art, thanks for calling," Will grinned, throwing a salute to the man.
Art saluted and the screen went black.
"That, is so sweet," Mikaela stated behind him. Will jumped about a foot and turned to see her standing in Optimus' hand. The bot was smirking slightly, and just as obviously trying to keep his face as straight as possible.
"You really couldn't help yourself, could you," Will snorted, looking at Optimus.
"Truly, I could not," Optimus rumbled in a mockingly saddened tone, turning around and lightly setting his Kae back on the ground. The sounds of a helicopter coming in that moment had a good number of eyes rolling. More so as Galloway marched into the hanger.
"Director Galloway," Mikaela stated politely, nodding to the man. Which of course had practically every sentient being staring at her. "What can we do for you today?"
Galloway at least had the presence of mind to look at her warily before beginning to speak.
"With respect," he began, obviously feeling insecure. Good. "The President requests that the auto-bot unit split apart and go to different areas of the world to provide surveillance-"
Will watched calmly as Arcee transformed.
"That is an unwise course of action," she stated calmly. Galloway jumped and turned.
"You'll forgive me for not taking the word of a little field marshal-" he began, sneering.
Aaand the shit hit the fan. The hangar exploded.
Ironhide was transformed the next moment, Will honestly expected him to be aiming his cannons at Galloway, instead it was a complete shock to see him holding Ratchet of all bots back.
That was a shock in itself, the medic's weaponry was online, and the ordinarily non-violent medic was snarling in rage.
At the same time Optimus was snarling at Galloway, saying something in Cybertronian, that of course was warning sign number one. If he was pissed off enough that he forgot to speak english, really bad.
Number two, fully half of the present bot's optics were glowing an absolutely furious red. Murder red. Really really bad.
Then something even more shocking: the entire hanger froze as Arcee straightened and barked what seemed to be a single word in Cybertronian. She'd turned and was holding an imperious hand out to Ratchet. Gesturing him to stop.
At least Galloway had the presence of mind to be cowering.
Will surveyed the silence for a moment and chose the only course of action that seemed to be sane at the moment.
"Kae?" he murmured quietly, looking at the girl pleadingly.
"With your permission, Prime?" she stated formally, looking up at him. Optimus glanced down at her and nodded curtly. Mikaela Banes straightened and looked at Galloway imperiously. "I speak in translation of Optimus Prime, Auto-bot commander absolute. You have dared to insult she who designated herself Arcee, born with the knowledge of her forbears. Honorary field-marshal of the Auto-bot military force." Mikaela stated sternly. Her eyes were pure ice. Warning sign number three. It was a bit of a shock to hear that Arcee was an honorary officer though.
"According to the declassified alien-auto-bot co-operation act, your government agreed to honour the ranking and titles of the Auto-bots within reason. We the Auto-bots have not made issue of your disrespect, however you will be made known that you have just insulted a well decorated war hero and baroness in her own right. It will also be made known that it is her gracious word, and her word alone which has stayed her consort's hand from tearing you apart limb for limb." Mikaela stated sternly.
"War hero? Baroness?" Galloway squeaked in a terrified tone.
Optimus growled something in Cybertronian again, obviously content to allow Mikaela to continue translating.
"The rightfully honoured Arcee holds the earth equivalent of twelve purple hearts, the Medal of Honour, the Army Distinguished Cross, the Silver Star, the Defence Superior Service Medal, the Gold Lifesaving Medal, along with numerous ribbons and commendations," Mikaela listed off sternly. Holy shit. "Her title of Baroness was awarded by the joint leaders of Cybertron, by your earth standards and our own Cybertronian tradition you have insulted a superior officer, albeit unknowingly, we expect a full apology be made to her."
"I..." Galloway squeaked, he turned to face Arcee. "You have my sincerest apologies, my Lady," he bowed to her. "I request your permission to take my leave."
"Granted," Arcee stated coldly. Galloway didn't need telling twice, Will couldn't remember ever seeing a person scuttle away that quickly. He glanced over to see his men lining up, glancing at him uncertainly along with the techs on the catwalk. Will jerked his head at them and as one, his men scurried down the ladders behind him.
They lined up together, in formation.
"Attention!" Will barked. "Present Arms!" As one, his unit did him proud as they stood and saluted Arcee as the sounds of Galloway's helicopter faded away.
However, Arcee promptly turned to Optimus with a glare that would make even the bravest cower in fear.
"You had to bring that up, didn't you!?" Arcee shouted at him, she spun and faced the soldiers. "Stop it!" she snapped at them. Will turned and nodded to his unit, they relaxed, standing and watching as uncertainly as he.
"Arcee," Mikaela murmured gently, the femme spun to face Kae furiously.
"You all give honour to empty titles!" the femme snapped furiously. "My lands are ravaged and my people-"
"Were given the greatest chance of survival of all Cybertronians, because as Baroness you had the foresight to look at all options." Optimus rumbled sternly.
"But they are still refugees of a home that I should have protected!" Arcee shrieked, giving all appearances of being spitting mad. Mikaela promptly walked forward and wrapped her arms around Arcee.
"Let me go," Arcee commanded sternly.
"No, my sister," Mikaela stated gently. "I will not let you go, anymore than you would in my place."
The hangar sat, absolutely frozen. Arcee sagged onto the floor the next moment, wrapping her arms around Kae and sobbing.
"I am sorry, Arcee, that I could not allow such an insult against you to stand," Optimus rumbled quietly, kneeling beside them as Ratchet strode quickly forward, carefully picking Arcee and Kae up together, rocking them. Will walked forward, feeling as though he were entering the lion's den.
"Ma'am?" he asked softly.
"Don't you dare," Arcee sobbed. "Don't you dare start calling me Ma'am, or Lady, or Baroness. I am Arcee... I am Arcee..." she whimpered.
"Arcee?" Will asked softly. She looked at him. "Is there anything I can do?"
"That we can do?" Jacobs added in counterpart at his shoulder, the grouped soldiers nodding avidly.
"Please, don't treat me any differently than you did," Arcee whispered as Kae gently stroked her face. "I named myself Arcee for a reason."
"D... do..." Chance began hesitantly.
"In Cybertronian translations, Arcee means humble, servant," Optimus rumbled quietly. He reached forward and gently touched Arcee's face. "Forgive me?" he asked pleadingly.
Arcee seemed to make an effort to glare at him before her expression melted into an absolutely, helplessly wry grimace.
"You are using my inability to fully retain anger against me," she snapped at him in a passing attempt at irritability.
"Arcee if you were capable of holding a grudge you would be completely justified in maintaining it against me," Optimus rumbled calmly.
"You, are a complete glitch sometimes," Arcee told him flatly. "But you already know that. Come here."
Optimus leaned down until their faces were at an even level. Arcee drew back a fist and froze.
"For Primus sake you idiot, put your battle mask on!" she snapped at him.
"No," Optimus rumbled placidly. "If you wish to hit me, hit my face. A coward hides behind his mask when he knows he has done wrong."
Arcee glared at him for a second and reached forward, flicking him.
"Glitch." she grumbled. Optimus nodded agreeably. Arcee turned and looked at Ratchet. "And as dear as it is that you were going to tear him limb for limb for me, I can fight my own battles."
"I know," Ratchet murmured with a snort, reaching up and rubbing his cheek. Arcee stared at him and promptly burst out laughing.
"So many questions," Will moaned.
Arcee rolled her optics and lightly squirmed out of Ratchet's arms, hugging Kae for a moment before setting her down as well, she strode into the embrace of her sisters.
"Well, that's that." Ratchet snorted, watching the femme for a moment before rising and striding toward the workspace.
(JaPOV)
"Will?" Jacobs murmured.
"Jacobs?" Will asked curiously, looking at the Lieutenant.
"We can safely say that routine has been broken for today, right?" the man asked hopefully.
"Uh, yeah," Will snorted, burying his face into a hand. "At ease you lot, I think we're going to have to take the day after that one."
"Excellent! Hey Ratchet?" Jacobs called out, jogging after him. The bot glanced down at the Lieutenant and snorted.
"Yes. To both." he rumbled, rolling his optics. Jacobs promptly cheered.
"So, back on the topic of reproduction," Jacobs grinned. "Say, theoretically, that Optimus got a sparking on you-"
"The fuck!?" Will demanded. "Here I thought I'd used up my shock quota for the day and you come up with a question like that!?"
"It's a mindbuster at first, yeah," Jacobs grinned at him. "But free time means learning time, and I'm not gonna waste a second of it. Backstory later."
"Done!" Chance grinned, dragging a rolling chair and settling himself down beside him.
"Rather than theory, why don't I simply tell you a story," Ratchet stated calmly, settling down on his bench, "And answer a few more of the questions that are running through your minds at the moment."
"Even better," Jacobs grinned, squirming himself down into his seat in preparation of a good story as soldiers, Will included, ran to grab seats around the old medic.
A good few wound up sitting on Bumblebee, the scout gleefully onlining his holoform among them.
"Just a moment," Ratchet murmured, turning to look at Arcee with narrowed eyes.
She glared at him slightly.
"You're going to tell it no matter what I say, aren't you?" she grumbled.
"I am, the men deserve to know precisely why we almost began a war over you, my beloved," Ratchet nodded cheerfully. She rolled her eyes as Kae gave her a sympathetic look. The Femmes promptly joined the gathering group of bots and soldiers, a few of them gleefully nudging Jacobs. He grinned and turned his undivided attention to Ratchet.
(OPOV)
Optimus gathered his Kae to his spark as she smiled at him, the two of them settling down to listen to the Medic's recollections. Optimus knew the stories already, but it was fascinating to watch the soldiers' and his Kae's reaction to them.
"I told you how we met Arcee, Chromia and Flareup, but I'm about to tell you why that Femme has my abject and undying respect, which she knows already, but she's too modest to really enjoy having people talking about it." Ratchet began calmly.
Faces turned to stare at Arcee for a second as she sat grumpily and turned back to Ratchet, listening intently.
"Arcee spent several vorns as a neutral rogue," Ratchet continued.
"I began as a neutral rogue," Arcee corrected him quietly. "And remained so until I met you, midway through my ninety-first vorn." Ratchet nodded to her respectfully.
"When a femme does that, we believe that her spark is answering a higher calling. She has carried well over two thousand sparkings to the hatcheries, it truly did not matter-"
"Still doesn't," Arcee added.
"-To her what their parents subscribed to politically, she simply accepted a sparking and carried them to the hatcheries without bias, whether the fathers were brave enough to accompany her or not." Ratchet continued in counterpart to the Femme.
"Whoa..." Jacobs whispered, soldiers turning to look at the femme with brand new respect in their eyes. She rolled her optics at them.
"It is the calling of Femme," she stated patiently.
"Now, we met Arcee when she was making her way toward the outpost I was stationed at, towing Chromia and Flareup's bodies behind her and their sparks almost completely merged in her own chamber. A fully formed spark, apparently, is far more difficult to care for than a new sparking, they can't be maintained in what I suppose you would call a womb."
"Ridiculously difficult," Arcee snorted.
"Sorry," Chromia murmured, grinning at her. Arcee rolled her optics again.
"Now, as it happened," Ratchet continued with a small smile. "My spark-mate, Nova, had taken a couple orn off from his duties to come visit me at my posting. Physically visit me at any rate, we were bonded after all, but it was always quite enjoyable to have your mate standing with you. Well, the two of us got rather excited to see each other again, and Nova forgot his blocker." Ratchet snorted softly. "So there the two of us were, military outpost in the middle of disputed territory, Nova was practically shut down, every last one of his processors devoted to maintaining our sparking and the only femme within seven lightyears was Arcee, who was nursing Chromia and Flareup's terrified sparks."
"No..." Chance whispered in shock.
"But she did not hesitate for an astro-second," Ratchet murmured, looking over at the Femme with an awed expression in his optics. "Arcee simply absorbed our sparking and took flight again with Optimus, Nova, Ironhide and I harrying after her."
Ratchet turned and looked down at the soldiers.
"At first, we followed her believing that she didn't fully understand what was happening, some of the rogues had returned to the area recently without knowing that the war had begun again, and that it was steadily becoming worse. We learned rather quickly that she knew the dangers, lived them on a daily basis with no thought for her own safety, only the safety of those she carried. We were attacked en-route, the same group that had attacked the convoy Chromia and Flareup had been guarding. Optimus, Ironhide and I drove them off, but Arcee took damage."
Ratchet's optics looked back into the past, even as Optimus remembered that day.
"As a medical officer, I believed that I had to make a choice, and so I did. I told Arcee to eject our sparking to preserve herself..." the medic trailed off.
"Did she?" Jacobs choked softly, obviously caught up in the story. Ratchet jumped slightly and looked down at him.
"No," he snorted. "No she did not. Arcee, mortally damaged, carrying two stranger's sparks in her own chamber and a stranger's sparking in her 'womb' spun around and slapped me. And when I say she slapped me, I mean she backhanded me so forcefully it took precisely five minutes and twenty three point eight seconds just to regain control of my vectors. She said-
"It is neither your decision nor my own that determines which sparking shall live or die." Arcee stated sternly, proudly.
"Then she turned around and just kept going." Ratchet finished, looking at her proudly.
Kae, along with most of the soldiers turned to stare at the femme in awe. She rolled her optics at them.
"It is my primary function," she stated in exasperated explanation.
"Arcee is unique in many ways, but above all else it is her programming that sets her apart. Now, I believe that someone changed her programming-"
Arcee promptly snorted in derision.
"No bot has ever changed my programming, and no bot ever shall," she stated imperiously. "You are getting your facts mixed up, beloved."
"Do tell," Ratchet grinned at her.
"What!? Oh... you..." she sputtered indignantly.
"Please?" Jacobs shot at her pleadingly. Arcee looked around at the wide eyed soldiers and sagged in defeat.
"Oh... very well," she grumbled quietly. She paused for a moment and synced her processors.
"First, you must understand our function," Arcee began calmly. "As an individual answering the call of Femme, it is my duty to safely transport a sparking to the hatcheries, where they are placed in their spark-chamber and presented with their bodies."
"That's what 'the hatcheries' are?" Chance whispered.
"The hatcheries are the sacred sanctuaries where our children are housed," Arcee nodded, finally allowing the soldiers to see her true, humble dignity. "And my function, as a Femme answering the call is that of mother, bearer, I carry their lives above my own."
"We all began in the hatcheries," Optimus rumbled quietly. "Myself included."
"No matter our station in life, we all began the same," Ratchet added piously.
"But I did not online in the hatcheries," Arcee stated calmly.
"But..." Jacobs frowned.
"Ailee, my mother, took damage when she was transporting me, I do not know the names of my fathers, they did not follow." Arcee stated with quiet dignity. "She chose her programming, as did I. When her body weakened to the point that she would have to eject me to survive, she fed me the energon of her spark and left her body for the Well. She left me her body and her knowledge, and in her honour did I designate myself Arcee. By the time our body reached her destination of the hatchery I had already taken her spark chamber as my own, as she had instructed me to. So rather than online in a hatchery, I was repaired there. I entered training there, and at a vorn old I returned to the stars and continued my mother's work, answering the call of Femme."
"That... that's..." Jacobs whispered.
"That is my function," Arcee stated solemnly.
"Traditionally, a femme answering the call was not to be bothered. Much like your world's buddhist monks, they who travel are cared for by all." Optimus stated quietly. "Hers is a sacred duty, and as she carries a sparking to the hatchery, Arcee outranks me."
"And so I named myself humble servant, because as many times as they have tried to exalt me, place me upon a pedestal, I am first and foremost Arcee of the Call." Arcee stated with her absolute dignity.
"So rather than eject Alia," Jacobs murmured intently.
"Arcee continued on to the hatchery, feeding not one, but three sparks the energon of her life," Ratchet stated quietly. "It was at that point that Optimus bound himself around her, overriding her programming to sacrifice herself for the sake of the younglings. He maintained them all the way to the hatcheries."
"Arcee is quick to say that I returned her hope," Optimus rumbled softly. "But I do not know if she realizes that upon that day, she redefined me."
Arcee promptly turned to stare at him in shock along with the soldiers.
"Until the day I watched you willingly offer your life to save another, the concept of self-sacrifice was simply that, a concept, a noble sentiment." Optimus rumbled quietly. "I gave you hope, Arcee, so that you would live. But you, you gave me identity. You first fed your life-force to preserve the lives of strangers, diminished yourself to the point that you did not have the strength to inhabit your own body anymore. And when you saw that we could not repair them, split yourself apart to give them bodies."
"You ask why we gladly defer to you," Ratchet continued for him softly. "It is because you are a defining force of our sparks."
The hangar sat in silence for a long moment.
"Moral of the story, by the way," Ironhide rumbled suddenly. "Don't piss Arcee off, I might add that the force she used to slap Ratchet was enough that his face would have been torn off if they'd been planet-side." he smirked at her.
"But we weren't planet-side," Arcee stated loftily.
"What did you look like? Before you split yourself apart?" Jacobs asked curiously.
Ratchet grinned and onlined a full-sized holo of Arcee as she had been.
"Whoaaa..." Chance muttered, looking up at the holo in awe.
"You're so beautiful," Will murmured, looking between the holoform and at Arcee.
"You should see me without the armour," Arcee smirked at him.
"What?" Jacobs asked intently.
"Without my armour, this is not my form," Arcee stated placidly, looking down at her body, Mikaela was giggling.
"Do it!" Kae stated cheerfully. "You've been wanting to anyway."
Arcee laughed and rose, wheeling into the open space and shrugging out of her armour, she stepped out of her wheel struts and stood, proud and naked as she would have on Cybertron. The soldiers stared.
"This is how I look," Arcee stated smugly, standing bipedal, thin and delicate with her etchings riding proudly along her frame.
"And yet you're still taller than me," Mikaela added cheerfully, squirming out of Optimus' hand and jogging over to Arcee to catch her in a hug.
"Give it time, dear sister," Arcee giggled, gracefully kneeling down to wrap her arms around Mikaela. "I have no doubt that the power of your spark will demand a body strong enough to suit it."
Optimus watched with true amusement as Ratchet stared at Arcee, choking slightly.
"What's with him?" Jacobs shot the question at Ironhide, pointing to Ratchet.
"Nothin.' just bin a long time since he's seen a bot out of their armour, used to be a time that it was a faux pas to walk about in your armour everywhere you went," Ironhide snorted. "He ain't offended, he's strugglin' not to just pick Arcee up and interface the pit out of her."
"Isn't that kind of cruel then?" Jacobs asked innocently.
"Absolutely not, if I were being cruel I would do this," Arcee purred, shooting a wicked, sultry glance at Ratchet. The bot's processors promptly popped, Ironhide was moving the next second, making sure his old friend didn't fall over and crush someone as the femmes all laughed gleefully.
"What!?" Will asked incredulously, staring at the still-comatose medic.
"Oh, Arcee just blew his mind," Mikaela stated cheerfully. "He'll be fine in a couple of minutes or so."
"Definitely or so," Flareup added with a snort.
"A trick which we will be teaching you," Chromia added with a broad smirk, she shrugged out of her armour the next second and stood, shooting that same, wicked glance at Ironhide. Optimus was on his feet the next second, carefully balancing his senior officers.
"Watch out of the way, will you?" He rumbled with a low grunt, nodding to the soldiers. They scrambled out of the way and Optimus casually laid them down where they were. "That is cruel," he rumbled at the femmes, desperately trying to sound stern, and knowing he was failing miserably. It was all he could do to not laugh.
"You have to be cruel to be kind," Chromia stated piously before every female in the hangar promptly fell to laughing uproariously.
Optimus gave into the urge and rolled his optics at them.
"Before you even think of shooting that same glance at me, my Kae," he rumbled with a snort, "Please remember that I have a long way to fall down."
"I'll wait until you're in your truck form, how's that?" she gasped, laughing harder.
"Aaww! But it's so much fun watching Prime fall down!" Flare protested through her own laughter. "It's not like it hurts him!"
"Except now he knows it's coming, and it is coming," Chromia added wickedly.
"You're going to let them get away with that?" Will called up with a broad grin.
"I am proud to admit my fondness for picking my battles," Optimus told the Major in a mockingly airy tone. "I know these femmes, it is a battle already lost. I shall simply have to content myself with teasing my senior medical officer, and my weapons master that it is taking them so long to sync their processors."
"Not if you plan on waking up with your servos facing the right way around," Ratchet grumbled, shaking himself as he lightly tapped on Ironhide's helm. The weapons master rapidly used the input to sync himself properly.
"Now you sink to threatening your Prime?" Optimus rumbled in a mockingly offended tone. "Besides, I have no doubt my Kae would protect me." he added, smiling down at his femme as she giggled.
She walked toward him and casually settled herself into the hand he offered automatically, he did love having her on his shoulder.
"To the ends of the universe," she murmured into his auditory receptors the second she was in her spot, gently touching his cheek.
"So cute," Ironhide snorted. "C'mon niece, we're going for some target practice, gotta make sure you don't lose your fighting edge with all o' this sappy talk." he held a hand out and she laughingly rose on Optimus' shoulder, lightly kissing his jaw before jumping into the Weapons Master's hand. Optimus couldn't help but smile as they went. A thought occurred to him.
::. Arcee, Chromia, can I prevail upon you to replace your armour?.:: he sent smugly to their private channel. They glanced at him and grinned, armour flying onto protoforms as the soldiers stared at them.