"I am so done with this," Moonracer pushed her chair away from the desk, stretching. "I can't read one more piece of hate mail or one more stupid question about what we're going to do now."
Elita looked up from the reply she was typing.
"I did not sign up to be fragging customer service," Moonracer said.
"Customer service gets paid," Chromia added from her post leaning in the doorway. She hadn't even turned her computer on this on-cycle.
"Yeah," Moonracer said. "They should be paying us for this."
Elita frowned and went back to work, finishing her response and sending it.
"It's too early in the orn to be doing this anyway," Moonracer said. "My processor's not even all the way online yet. We should do something else for a few joors."
"But this is important," Elita said.
Moonracer raised an optic ridge at her.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Chromia said. "I'm stuck here because my bondmate is involved. But the two of you can leave if you want."
Elita opened the next message, but had a hard time focusing on the words.
"Hey, Ellie," Chromia said.
"Yes?" Elita said quietly. "I know you're both bored. You can go take an orn off if you want. That's perfectly fine."
"No," Chromia said. "This is getting ridiculous."
"Really," Moonracer said. "You're normally a workaholic, but this is getting—"
"The cause needs us more than ever," Elita took her fingers off of the keys and closed her fists. "And maybe both of you would like to abandon it for personal reasons, but I will not."
Silence fell and Elita felt terrible for snapping at them.
"Personal reasons?" Chromia said, pushing away from the wall and navigating through the room full of desks. Mirage had given them a second floor of his tower, and they had filled it with computers and offices and living spaces for various mecha from Autobot.
"I'm sorry," Elita said. "I didn't mean—"
"Look," Chromia said. "You can make up slag about doing this for the Autobot cause until your voice box falls to pieces, but don't try and accuse us of making decisions based on personal reasons."
Elita didn't know how to respond to that without getting angry and defensive.
It still hurt.
The physical ache in her spark had faded, but she still felt like there was a gaping hole inside of her. She could never forget it. One moment he had been there. She could feel him over the bond—his spark, his emotions, his presence. And the next moment he had been gone. She would do anything to go back to that moment, or any moment before.
They hadn't even had one vorn together.
But she couldn't let herself be bitter. Cybertron needed a Prime, and she didn't dare put her own needs before those of the entire planet.
"Look," Moonracer said. "I think we've all reached our limit. You too, Ellie. Let's all take an orn off or something."
Elita shook her helm.
She didn't want to take an orn off.
"Why?" Chromia said, standing right in front of Elita's desk. "Mecha's questions can wait. Elita, look at me."
Elita didn't want to.
Chromia didn't understand—no one understood.
"Hey!" Chromia grabbed Elita's shoulder.
"Leave me alone," Elita finally looked up.
"Talk to us," Chromia said. "Stop—"
"Stop what?" Elita said. "I know. I know you want me to get over Orion and move on... But you don't get it. First and foremost, I am helping because I believe in the cause—I believe in making the changes that need to be made in society. I believe that—"
"That Orion can fix everything?" Chromia said. "Ellie, this is the biggest mess on the face of the planet. The smart thing to do is leave. Orion obviously isn't going to be able to fix anything. He's not the mech you think he is."
"How can you say that?" Elita demanded, staring up at her sister. "He's more amazing than any of us knew. He was chosen to become the Prime."
"Yeah. He gave you up to become the Prime. I know he means well, but that's not enough, and I hate watching you suffer every orn. Moonracer and I can feel it through the sibling bond every time you see him."
Elita gripped the table. "There's nothing anyone can do about that."
"Elita."
"He did not mean to hurt me, and he still cares about me."
"So?"
"So I'm not giving up. Maybe I can't have a bond with him, but that doesn't mean we don't love each other."
"When was the last time he actually talked to you?" Chromia demanded.
Elita looked down.
Four orns. It had been four orns and three joors since she'd had any sort of conversation with him outside of meetings.
"That's what I thought."
"He's busy," Elita said.
"I know," Chromia said.
"And so am I."
Chromia looked like she wanted to keep talking, but then Elita received a message on her comm. from Prowl calling an unofficial meeting.
"Did you get that?" Moonracer asked.
"Yeah," Chromia said.
Elita nodded, grateful for the excuse to end the conversation, but still feeling frustrated with her sisters, and the whole situation.
They filed out of the room and headed up to the floor above. Prowl, Ratchet, Red Alert, and Perceptor were already waiting in the meeting room when they got there. Just the core members of Autobot, except for Orion and Ironhide.
"Good," Prowl said, once the door had closed behind the femmes. "We're all here now."
"What is this about?" Red Alert demanded. "Why are we having a meeting behind Optimus's back?"
"We are not." Prowl said. "Optimus would have been here, but he has already been summoned by the Council."
"What is he going to tell them?" Perceptor asked. "We can't raise an army for them."
"We have to," Prowl said. "If we don't, then the Council will try to raise an army on their own and Megatron will come and wage war on them."
"Wait, we are going to raise an army?" Moonracer said. "Why is that any better than letting them raise one? Won't Megatron attack us then?"
"Hold on," Chromia crossed her arms. "You're saying that Prime went to tell the Council that we're going to give in to their demands?"
"No," Prowl said, doorwings twitching. "If you'd let me finish, maybe we can stop wasting time with questions I am going to answer."
Chromia narrowed her optics but didn't say anything.
"The Council wants to use our influence to raise an army," Prowl said. "But that's not what we're going to do." His doorwings twitched again. He looked… almost nervous. "We're going to raise an army, but we're going to raise the army for us. The Autobots will not belong to the Council. Optimus will be the overall commander of the army, and we will administrate and run everything ourselves, so that the Council can't use us."
Silence fell.
"We're going to what?" Red Alert demanded.
"Forgive me for my doubts," Perceptor said. "But how can we run an army? None of us have any military experience."
"Well, that's what we have to discuss while Orion is negotiating with the Council," Prowl said.
"Negotiating?" Chromia said.
"We will still need their support. Obviously, even Mirage's fortune can't fund an entire army. That is not the point. The point is, we need to come up with lists of mecha who could fill certain roles in the command structure. We need mecha who have military or enforcement experience, communications experts, negotiators."
Elita looked down. She couldn't really envision Orion leading an army. She wished she could talk to him about it, instead of Prowl.
"No," Moonracer said. "This is crazy. You're slagging crazy. We probably can't raise an army much less lead one."
"Well, no one's asking you specifically to do it," Prowl said. "Thank Primus."
Moonracer snapped back at him, and Chromia joined the argument. Red Alert added his voice and Ratchet spoke up too. Elita watched sorrowfully as the conversation got more heated.
Perceptor glanced at her and she could see his distress as well.
She wished Orion were here. He would know what to say to them.
No.
This had gone far enough.
She was sick of everyone fighting. She had to get their attention, but she didn't feel like shouting. She looked around the room, and then remembered that Ironhide had given her a present the other orn.
She pulled the handgun out of subspace, energized it, set it to low power, and then shot up at the ceiling, shuttering her optics as she squeezed the trigger.
The plasma blast wasn't deafeningly loud, but it cut through the noise. Someone—probably Red Alert—screamed, and then all fell silent. Elita un-shuttered her optics to see everyone staring at her.
"Thank you." She kept the gun pointed at the ceiling. "I have something to say."
She met Chromia's optics and then Prowl's.
"Our Prime has made a decision about how he would like us to proceed," she subspaced her gun again. "And I don't understand it, but I'm going to support him in it. Even if you don't share the same sentiment, arguing with each other isn't going to accomplish anything. So we might as well start talking about becoming an army."
"Thank you, Elita," Prowl said.
Elita nodded.
"Now—"
"Excuse me?" Chromia cut Prowl off. "Elita is talking here, not you."
Prowl glared at her, but then sighed and looked to Elita. "Go ahead."
Everyone was staring at her again. Her intention had just been to stop the arguing, not take over the meeting, but when she glanced at Chromia, her sister nodded.
"Um… ok. Prowl, I'm sure you have a list of resources that we're going to need and positions we'll need to fill for an army. Can you read it to us? Afterward we'll brainstorm."
Prowl nodded and pulled a datapad from subspace.
Orion stood before the Council, feeling terrified but surprisingly in control. For the first time in decaorns, he knew what he was going to say.
"Well," Halogen said. "I assume you have considered our orders and are fully ready to comply with us."
"I have considered your request, yes," Orion said.
Halogen leaned forward with a disapproving frown, looming over Orion. "Do not attempt to play games with us, mechling. Surely you can't be considering defying us. This world cannot afford that."
"I understand," Orion said. "But I will not be your puppet. If you want me to raise an army, it will not be your army. It will be my army."
The Council Hall fell silent. Orion glanced at Alpha Trion and thought he saw the mech smile.
Then another Councilmech, Senator Ratbat, snorted. "Your army?" he said. "With you at the helm, I suppose? And your generals, and your captains, and strategists, and your credit?"
Orion didn't say anything.
"Optimus Prime," Halogen said. "Do you truly believe you are qualified to lead an army?"
"No, your honor," Orion said. "But…" how to put it. "I am not saying we wouldn't be working together on this. Only a few of my mecha know how to fight, though many of them do have leadership skills. This would require us to cooperate, and I would surely accept the help of your Elite Guard and others with military experience. But in the end, the army would answer to me, not to you."
"And how are we supposed to believe you will not turn this army against us once the conflict is over?" Another Councilmech asked.
Orion shook his helm. "You of this Council, for the most part, are traitors to the mecha of Cybertron. I cannot promise to support you in your offices. But surely you can see that's not what the fight is about. Your power is hanging by an energon line as it is, and I cannot promise to preserve it. But I will give you my word of honor as a Prime that if you cooperate with me I will remove all charges against you at the end of the conflict and allow you to live."
He let them think about that for an astrosecond, and then added. "You know it is a better deal than Megatron would offer you." And much better than they deserved. He met Halogen's optics calmly.
"Leave us," Halogen said. "We need to discuss this."
Orion nodded and left the room. He could wait.
He wasn't sure how long they were going to be so he sat in the waiting room, allowing his processor to wander. He knew Prowl was, even now, working on finding mecha from Autobot who could fill the necessary roles. If the Council refused to work with him on this, then he would refuse to raise an army. He wasn't sure what he would do if the Council decided to arrest him. He knew Red Alert was ready to evacuate everyone from Mirage's tower if that became necessary, but he worried about all the other mecha in Iacon and around the world.
If the Council got rid of him, then there would be no counterpoint to Megatron's rallying cry, and many more mecha would join him.
Orion was waiting nearly a joor before a mech came to tell him the Council was ready to give him their decision. When he entered, he saw he was not alone. Another mech stood with him on the Council floor—tall and imposing, with high shoulders and similar colors to Orion. He stood like a statue and wouldn't meet Orion's gaze.
"After some deliberation," Halogen said, "We have decided that we will humor you for now. One condition, though. You have insisted that you are to lead your army. However, if we are to truly cooperate, we must have mecha in its hierarchy as well. This is Ultra Magnus, High Commander of the Elite Guard. He is loyal to us, but he will be very useful to you so long as you don't make an attempt to use your army against anyone besides the Decepticons. He will be your second in command."
Of course. A countermove.
They couldn't possibly expect him to agree to that. Orion couldn't so willingly accept a stranger—a probable spy—into a position so influential.
But at the same time, they hadn't tried to sneak one of the Councilmechs in, just a guard—someone who might actually be able to help. Orion looked into the faceplates of the Councilmechs. Some seemed hopeful. Others, Ratbat included, looked resentful. Halogen's expression was unreadable. And when Orion looked at Alpha Trion, his former mentor nodded slightly.
Very well then.
"For now," Orion said. "I will accept that arrangement."
Halogen nodded. "Then you may leave. We will call on you next orn to report to us."
Orion nodded, and turned to leave. The other mech, Ultra Magnus, followed him silently. There was something uncomfortably stiff and unfriendly about him.
This was not going to go over well.
They walked out of the Council Hall. Ironhide froze when he saw the mech following Orion.
"Ironhide," Orion said. "This is Ultra…"
"Magnus," Ironhide finished. "I know. What is he doing here?"
Ultra Magnus shot Ironhide a stern glare.
"He's… coming back to base with us."
Ironhide looked very uneasy about that. "Why?"
Orion opened his lip plates, then closed them again. He turned to Magnus expectantly. They shouldn't be talking about the mech like he wasn't there.
"I have been appointed by the Council as second in command of the Autobot army." Ultra Magnus said.
"Oh," Ironhide looked even more unhappy. "But, Orion, we can't…"
"That is not his designation, traitor," Magnus said.
Ironhide glared.
It already wasn't going over well.
"It's not ideal," Orion said. "I understand that, but the Council didn't argue with me about being in charge of the army."
"No, they didn't, they just appointed one of their own mecha to be in charge instead. They might as well have—"
"Not here!" Orion snapped, realizing they were attracting attention. "We will discuss this later." He led the way to their transport—which Red Alert had insisted on hiring after they'd been attacked the orn before.
The three of them climbed into the transport. There was a cold, uncomfortable silence all the way back to base.
Everyone was waiting for him in the main room to see what the Council had said, and to hear what was going to happen. Orion dreaded what he knew would be an orn full of arguing and difficulties.
"All right," Ironhide said. "Here's the way this is going to work. Prime's going to tell you all what's happening, then the core members of Autobot will go into another room and discuss it further. That's Orion, myself, Perceptor, Ratchet, my bonded, and her sisters.
"And me," Mirage said from the corner. "This is my home."
"And me!" Red Alert said. "And Prowl!"
"Shut up and let Orion talk!" Ironhide said. "I'm fed up with all of you."
The room fell quiet.
"Good news, everyone," Orion said. "The Council has decided to work with us and we will be leading the Autobot army without their direct supervision."
There was a decently loud cheer.
"And this is Ultra Magnus. He's the head of the Elite Guard."
No cheer this time.
Orion braced himself. "He is going to be assisting us… um… as second in command of the army."
Orion counted the silence. One astrosecond. Two…
"What!" Red Alert said.
"No!"
"Surely they can't be serious."
"Everyone…" Orion said quietly.
"The Council can't make demands like that."
"We can't have one of their mecha in charge."
"This is an obvious trap."
Orion looked to Ironhide for help, but the mech only shrugged.
"Okay," Orion said. "Calm down. Calm down!"
The chatter died to an angry muttering.
"I have already agreed to this for now." Orion said. "Now stop! I said for now. I am aware of the situation and the threats to our position." He took in a deep vent and sighed it out. "I apologize for how difficult things have been over the past few decaorns and I apologize for how fast things are changing and I apologize for having misjudged Megatronus so badly. But we're still Autobot, and our organization has the same goals it did before. We just have to learn to go about things differently. I know that's hard, but we're going to have to take some chances. I told the Council that I'll lead the army, but it doesn't need to be me. If you don't trust me, which I would completely understand, then find someone you can trust and we'll put them in charge of this, but it has to happen. Megatronus already has an army, and I hate to say it, but our words may not be enough to stop him."
Silence again. Then Perceptor spoke up. "I don't think we have to look for anyone else. We trust you, Orion."
Murmurs of agreement swept the room.
Orion nodded. "Thank you. That means a lot. I will not take that trust lightly."
"All right," Prowl said. "Moving on. We should reconvene in the conference hall."
Orion nodded, and he and the small, specified group made their way to a smaller room. Ultra Magnus followed them, as did Master Yoketron.
Yoketron? Where had he come from? Orion hadn't seen him or talked to him since the orn before.
Once they were all in the room, Red Alert spoke up. "What are those two doing here?"
"They can stay," Orion said.
"Before we discuss anything else," Prowl said. "We have made a list of candidates for each position that is necessary in an army. I have put it on your desk and I ask you to look through it. If you want, we can also go through it in this meeting."
"That's not important right now," Red Alert said. "The first thing we need to talk about is him!" he pointed at Ultra Magnus. "He can't be in here. He's obviously a spy."
"Please be—" Orion started, but Chromia cut him off.
"I thought you said you weren't going to bend to the Council's will. Why are you making compromises?"
"Could we all calm down?" Perceptor asked. "And let him explain himself?"
"And who is that?" Chromia pointed to Master Yoketron, who was standing by the door, looking serene.
"I was wondering the same," Prowl said.
"Master Yoketron?" Ratchet stared at him.
"Yes," Yoketron nodded. "I am sorry. I haven't been introduced to all of you yet. Alpha Trion has asked me to teach the Prime how to defend himself. I will be taking some of his time for that in the future."
"Why do you get to sit in on meetings?" Red Alert demanded.
"I am observing."
"Observing what?" Red Alert asked.
"Thank you for asking," Yoketron said. "Permit me to be somewhat bold." He crossed his arms. "So far, I have observed youngling-like bickering and selfishness from nearly all of you. You will never learn to be an effective leadership unit if you do not have respect for each other and speak in turns."
The room was quiet.
"Thank you," Master Yoketron nodded. "That was all I had to say."
Red Alert made as if to reply, but then shut his lip plates, looking embarrassed.
Orion took in a deep vent, silently thanking the circuit-su master with all of his spark. "I am sorry for acting rashly. I should have told the Council we would think about this and discus it before I agreed to it. But for now, Ultra Magnus is my second in command. Uh… if we could, I'd like to know your thoughts on that matter and any objections you might have. But please let's take turns and refrain from arguing."
"Well, I think it's pretty obvious that they've only sent him here to spy on us," Red Alert said. "And I'm sure that they also have plans to maneuver him into a position where he's in charge, either by offlining you or manipulating you."
Orion nodded. "That is a valid concern."
"A concern?" Red Alert said. "This is your life we're talking about! And that…" He pointed to Magnus, "is an assassin!"
Ultra Magnus shot Red Alert a cold stare.
"No," Ironhide said. "He's not an assassin. I'm sure of that." He looked like he wanted to say more, but perhaps not in front of Magnus. "But he is loyal to the Council."
"Also," Chromia said. "As I said earlier, I thought we weren't going to be pandering to the Council's demands."
"We have to make some agreements with them," Orion said. "They are corrupt. But we have to work with them or Iacon will be divided and vulnerable to attack. We can't let our pride or personal dislike of the Council put the whole city—even the whole planet—in danger."
Chromia narrowed her optics, then sighed. "I don't know why you always have to be right about everything."
"Are there any other concerns?"
"Yes," Prowl said. "As second in command, what exactly would his responsibilities be?"
That one, Orion had no idea how to answer.
"We have no experience with his strengths or abilities," Prowl said.
"All right," Orion turned to Magnus. "Ultra Magnus, would you mind introducing yourself and suggesting what you think your function in your position ought to be?"
Ultra Magnus seemed to consider for a few astroseconds. "I am Ultra Magnus," he said. "High Commander of the Elite Guard, and charged with the responsibility of keeping the Council safe. I presume my responsibility will be to advise in matters of military organization and leadership, and also to speak in behalf of the Prime when he is not present."
Silence fell.
"So if Orion's not around, we would have to do what you said?" Moonracer crossed her arms.
"Unless it contradicted his orders," Magnus said. "That is the function of a second in command. And I insist that you address me as 'sir.'"
Moonracer glared at him.
"Surely you can see that's not reasonable," Red Alert spoke again. "He'll undermine your authority, Orion."
Orion sighed. "We can't know that for sure. But we do need advice. Ironhide, you know this mech better than the rest of us. Will he keep his word?"
"To pit and back," Ironhide said.
Orion turned to Magnus again. "Will you give your word that you'll honor my authority and my orders while you stand in the position you hold?"
Ultra Magnus hesitated, then nodded. "So far as your orders are not threatening to the welfare or safety of the Council, you have my word."
"Thank you," Orion said, then looked around the room. "That's good enough for me, and for now I would ask that you accept it as well. Are there any more concerns?"
Silence. Orion could see that they were still uneasy about this. He was uneasy too. They would need to have an even more exclusive meeting later, with just him and a few others.
"I still object," Red Alert said.
"Red Alert, what do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. I just object."
"Well," Prowl said, "Until you think of a solution to the problem, you should keep your lip plates shut. Can we move on?"
The rest of the meeting featured a large amount of arguing. They discussed how to start their campaign, how to recruit, and who should hold what position. Some of them didn't want Red Alert to be head of security and some of them wanted to kick Prowl out and Mirage kept insisting they needed to find another base to use, but they couldn't agree on where. By the end of the meeting, they had only made about half of the necessary decisions, and Orion's processor felt like it was going to explode.
They all got up to leave, but Master Yoketron shot Orion a quick comm. asking him to stay, and to keep Prowl behind as well.
Orion commed Prowl, and the three of them hung back as the others left. Ironhide glanced back at Orion, but Orion waved him off, and in a few astroseconds, they were alone in the conference room. The door shut.
"What is it?" Prowl asked. Orion looked to Yoketron.
"There are a few things I would like to talk about," Yoketron said. "First, Optimus Prime, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time training with me. Now, I know that you don't have that time at the moment, but you can make time."
"How?"
"You will stop trying to do everything yourself."
"Am I needed in this conversation?" Prowl asked.
Yoketron nodded. "Yes. Patience, mechling. Prime, it is obvious to me that if you want to succeed, you cannot continue to work as you've been working. As you so wisely said earlier this orn, things are changing. So must you."
Orion looked down. "I don't…" He didn't know how to do this. He had a responsibility to keep things running smoothly. "I don't know how to rearrange things to give me more time."
"It is good for you to admit that," Yoketron said. "You are humble. You are also young. You don't have all the answers."
"But I am in charge."
"Yes. And it is good for you to keep that in your processor as well. The Autobots are not a committee. As a Prime, and especially as the leader of your future army, you are the authority. You make the decisions."
Orion felt even worse. "I don't know if I should have that responsibility."
"You should," Yoketron assured him. "However, you should not be the source of all the answers. I think you should start expecting more from your associates. It seems they only question and do not come up with solutions on their own."
"Actually…" Prowl said.
"I asked for your patience," Master Yoketron cut him off, then looked at Orion again. "So I suggest that you make the decisions about who to appoint to what position. Asking for others' opinions is good, but allowing them to argue about their opinions for joors is not productive. I also suggest that you stop traveling personally to the Council Hall. That wastes your time and puts you at risk. Is there anyone you can trust to go in your place and represent you to them?"
Orion looked down, then glanced at Prowl.
"Not him." Yoketron said.
Prowl glared at Yoketron, then deflated. "I can't argue with that."
No, not Prowl. Prowl wouldn't know diplomacy if it hit him in the faceplate.
Not Ironhide, he'd get angry. Perceptor was terrified of the Council, and Orion couldn't ask the professor to speak for him. He also couldn't bear to put Elita in danger, even though he knew she'd be a good spokesperson. She wasn't an option.
Actually, he didn't want to put anyone in danger. "I can't ask someone else to do that," Orion said. "Dealing with the Council is… difficult, and not necessarily safe."
"A valid point," Yoketron said.
"Do you have a suggestion?" Orion asked.
"I do." Yoketron said. "How about Ultra Magnus?"
"Trust him to speak to the Council on Orion's behalf?" Prowl said.
Yoketron nodded.
"I suppose…" Prowl flicked his doorwings. "He'll be reporting back to the Council anyway. And it will get him out of the way for joors at a time. But then we won't have any way of knowing or controlling what agreements he makes with them for us."
"I don't know whether I can trust him," Orion said.
"When you go to the Council, what takes place?" Yoketron asked. "Are you making agreements with each other and resolving concerns, or do they simply make demands?"
Orion frowned. "Well… demands, mostly."
"Then why not let them make their demands through their own representative? Just make it clear to him that he's not allowed to agree to anything without your permission."
Prowl nodded. "That might actually work."
"I apologize for my rudeness, Prowl," Yoketron said. "But I am speaking to the Prime. Optimus?"
"I will think about it," Orion said.
It seemed Prowl was fed up with this. "Why am I here if not to take part in the conversation?" he asked.
Yoketron looked at him.
"What?" Prowl said.
"I am curious about that myself," Orion added.
"Very well," Yoketron said. "The reason I want to talk to you both is to explain what I will be asking of you. Prime, you need to prepare yourself to receive the Matrix of Leadership, but that is not all you must learn. I will also be instructing you in circuit-su, and eventually in other forms of fighting so that you will be able to defend yourself and even fight alongside your soldiers on occasion."
"What does this have to do with me?" Prowl demanded.
"I rarely take only one student at a time," Yoketron said. "Orion needs a sparring partner who is closer to his level, and you, my friend also have a variety of things to learn before you can fulfill your duties."
"I already know how to fight," Prowl said. "And I have training in several diff—"
Master Yoketron moved so quickly Orion could barely follow him. In a moment, Prowl was on the ground.
"Do not presume to tell me what you do or do not need to learn. And do not turn down my generous offer until I have given you at least some training."
Prowl got to his pedes looking very annoyed.
"I could hardly assume you had no training in fighting." Yoketron said. "You were an enforcer after all. But proficiency is not enough. I want to see you both next orn at ten joors. I will only keep you a few joors the first time, but I do expect you to make time to be there."
"But…" Prowl said.
"We'll be there," Orion said.
"There is no time to—"
"We will be there. Prowl?"
"Fine," Prowl said. "Are we done talking?"
"Yes," Yoketron said. "For now. I will send you coordinates and expect to see you next orn. You may go, Prowl." Prowl left and the door closed behind him.
"Thank you," Orion said. "For what you said in the meeting."
Master Yoketron nodded. "You are very welcome, Prime."
"And…" Orion wasn't sure how to ask. Fortunately, Yoketron seemed to read his thoughts.
"Would it make you more comfortable if I were to call you Orion?"
"Yes."
"You will need to get used to the title eventually."
"I don't like it," Orion admitted. "I'm no better than anyone else. And no more important."
"I'm glad you see things that way." Yoketron said. "But the reality is that sometimes we must take on titles we do not feel we deserve, and do our best with them."
Then he turned and left the room.