Chapter Nine: First Impressions

Starfall's footsteps tapped a lively, two-step beat to each of Optimus's measured strides. The hollow click of his thrusters against the polished floor of the hallway sounded somehow ominous to Starfall's audios as his and Optimus's pede-falls echoed away into the distance of the empty corridors. It reminded him of walking through the hallways of the hatchling facility late in the evening when most of the workers had left for the day. It reminded him of loneliness and the absence of any hope of someday escaping it. After his encounter with Senators Scion and Klaxon in the transformation lot, Starfall did not feel as optimistic about the day as he did earlier that morning at home. Nothing so far was turning out quite as he'd expected or hoped. Things were just so much more… complicated in the outside world. It was only now that Starfall realized how sheltered he'd been in the hatchling facility and then in his father's domicile. The world, he was beginning to realize, was not as nice as his stories had made him believe.

The exchange between his father and the two senators still baffled him. If Optimus didn't like them why didn't he just tell them so? And why did Scion make Starfall feel so uneasy? He'd done nothing threatening or mean to him - expect that one comment about his make which his father had stood up for him for quickly enough. There was just something about the senator that put Starfall on edge. He couldn't explain it. When he and Optimus had been walking away, the look Scion had stared after them with had made Starfall immediately think of a turbo fox. It reminded him of the first time he'd ever seen a turbo fox. It had been an illustration in one of his stories. In the picture the turbo fox had been gazing out towards the reader from behind a gnarled mess of wires - its optics glowing with cunningness and intelligence.

Starfall tried to remind himself he had no reason to let Scion or anyone else get to him. He had nothing to worry about as long as Optimus was there. His father was a Prime. No one disrespected him. When Optimus had stood up for him against Senator Scion Starfall's spark had swelled with a love so desperate and intense it felt like his spark would burst right out through his chest plate. No one had ever stood up for him like that before. If only Optimus could stay with him a little longer. As much as he would have enjoyed that Starfall knew Optimus's time with him was limited now. Starfall wasn't a newspark anymore. He was old enough to do things on his own, including going to school without having someone to hold his hand. His father couldn't accompany him to class or trail behind him the rest of his academic life. Starfall knew this and accepted it. None of the other sparklings needed their creators, so neither did he. But that didn't mean Starfall had to enjoy the situation. Ever since Optimus found him in the hatchling facility, the Matrix-bearer had become Starfall's rock and shield, his guiding light, his best friend and protector, his everything. Unconsciously, Starfall edged closer to Optimus. He wanted to savor what time he still had with Optimus before they were forced to separate company.

Optimus responded to Starfall's closeness by resting a reassuring hand on top of his helm.

Optimus and Starfall encountered surprisingly very few people in the hallways. Starfall did a quick calculation and figured there was still a good thirty klicks before classes were scheduled to start. The majority of students probably wouldn't start trickling in for another fifteen or twenty klicks. Starfall was glad. Those bots he and his father did encounter in the hallway - a few older sparklings and several adults, most likely teachers - all reacted the same way those in the transformation lot had. The sparklings mostly stared at Optimus, completely in awe of the red and blue semi. Apparently even school-age sparklings knew who the Matrix-bearer was. The adults, however, seemed more intrigued by Starfall. They all gave Optimus respectful nods and murmured greetings, but their optics always returned to the miniature seeker trailing by Optimus's side as if they were drawn to Starfall by magnets. The stares were not necessarily malicious or unfriendly, but they were scrutinizing. Starfall did his best not to squirm under their undressing gaze.

Optimus navigated the halls of the academy with exceptional ease. Starfall had accompanied Optimus through those same halls the day they went for Starfall to take his test but he remembered little about which way they'd gone. He'd still been too awestruck by the sheer size and grandeur of the institution to pay much attention to where they were going. All the hallways looked the same to Starfall - an institutionalized sterile while interspersed with doors all labeled with numerical glyphs.

"Here we are," Optimus announced as they turned a corner.

Starfall was relieved to finally recognize someplace. The academy's main office stood at the far end of the hall. Instead of solid walls, the office was separated from the hallway by a bank of plated glass. Through the glass Starfall counted at least half a dozen adults milling around behind a long counter. They seemed to be chatting amongst themselves while sipping at small cubes of heated oil.

"It would appear Catalyst has arranged a small welcome party for you, Star," Optimus cheerfully observed.

Starfall did his best not to balk and try to hide behind his father's legs. He felt the optics of all the adults swing towards them as Optimus opened the glass-plated door of the office and held it open for Starfall. Starfall reluctantly edged inside, hyperaware of all the stares directed towards him. For the second time that morning he was glad Optimus had helped even out his wax job. Despite his impeccable appearance his wings twitched self-consciously behind him under their gaze.

"Hello," Optimus greeted as he and Starfall stepped up to the counter.

The assembled group gave an enthusiastic chorus of greetings. A subdued shine of awe gleamed in all their optics as they beheld their Matrix-bearer. Behind the group of bots, from a hallway branching off the main office, appeared Catalyst. It was almost freaky, Starfall thought, how quickly he'd appeared. It was almost as if he'd been waiting around the corner of the hall for them just so he could show up at moment as if by chance. The administrator's facial plates were strained by a beaming smile. Starfall was struck by the sudden thought of how fake it looked - sugary and put-on.

I wonder if he practices smiling every morning in the mirror, he absentmindedly wondered.

"Optimus Prime, welcome, welcome," Catalyst greeted, coming around the side of the counter to meet them.

"Administrator Catalyst," Optimus nodded.

"I hope you do not mind that I called some of the academy's teachers and staff together to greet you. So many of them were eager to meet you after they heard about your son's enrollment here."

Optimus's voice carried the polished tone of politeness Starfall had noticed his father always adopted whenever he went out in public and had to interact with strangers. "Starfall and I are honored by the welcome. Do you do this for all your new students?"

The administrator's smile didn't falter. "Not in general. But then again, it is not everyday that the sparkling of a Prime attends our institution. I can't tell you how honored, not just me, but my entire staff, is by your decision to enroll Starfall here in District 11's academy. I can assure you the son of a Prime could find no better institution to attend in all of Iacon."

Optimus politely inclined his helm in agreement.

Catalyst smiled and motioned to the bots standing at attention behind the counter. "These are several of the teachers that will be overseeing the majority of Starfall's education for the first few vorns. As I mentioned to you before, our academy's student population is broken into three main age groups: sparklings, younglings and pre-upgrades. Starfall will have opportunities to interact with youth of all different ages, but for the most part he will attend classes with other sparklings his same age.

"This is Doubletime," Catalyst gestured to the bot nearest him - a tall, chrome plated mech. "He is in charge of all the younger students' mathematics courses."

Doubletime nodded to Starfall. "Hello-Starfall-I-look-forward-to-seeing-you-in-class-first-period-I-hope-you're-familiar-with-non-linear-quadratic-equasions-because-we'll-be-jumping-right-into-those-and-then-next-deca-cycle-we'll-be-moving-on-to-algebraic-functions-in-universal-base-ten-with-a-small-look-at-corellative-coefficient-functions-with-factorial-logarithms."

It took Starfall a moment to piece out just what Doubletime had said it was fired at him so rapidly. As Doubletime's named implied, he did not seem like a mech who was ever in short supply of words or the speed in which he delivered them. And he was to be his mathematics instructor?

Starfall's panic must have shown on his facial plates.

"Don't worry," Catalyst reassured. "Your test scores showed you should have no trouble at all keeping up in Doubletime's class."

Starfall wasn't so sure he shared the administrator's confidence.

Catalyst pointed to a white and blue-trimmed femme beside Doubletime. "This is Cascade. She will be your instructor for classical Cybertronian literature and glyphs."

The next in line was a younger looking silver mech. "This is Electro-cut. He'll be your computer science instructor.

"This is Backslide," Catalyst gestured to an older mech with a hard, chiseled, intellectual look to him. "He's in charge of all the history classes taught here." Backslide's stern expression reminded Starfall of Ironhide. Backslide looked like a mech who knew a lot about history and who most likely had been there to see a lot of it actually happen. Starfall took note to try to not get on this mech's bad side. He looked like he might have once been the field commander of a battalion in some long-ago war and who still liked to run his classroom like one today.

"And, finally, this is Firelight," Catalyst gestured to the last bot - a confident looking femme with black and purple plating. "She is the assistant administrator of the academy. She oversees everything that I, myself, cannot. Between the two of us, we run one of the best academies in all of Cybertron."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Firelight said to Optimus. She held her hand out to Optimus across the counter. As they shook, Optimus inclined his helm to her.

"The pleasure is all mine."

Firelight offered Starfall a crisp smile. "Welcome to District 11's academy, Starfall."

"Thank you, ma'am," Starfall replied. His father had begun teaching him the polite ways to address others, especially those older than him.

"There are several other instructors Starfall will have over his first few academic cycles here," Catalyst explained, "but they were unable to come to meet you this morning in person because of previous arrangements."

"That is perfectly alright," Optimus said. He swept his optics around to encompass the group of assembled teachers. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I am sure Starfall will learn a great deal from all of you."

Catalyst gave Optimus a charming smile. "It is almost time for class to start. We still have some paperwork to finish for Starfall's enrollment which we can finish in my private office. Firelight, would you be so kind as to accompany Starfall to his classroom?"

"Of course," the assistant administrator nodded.

Catalyst explained to Optimus, "Starfall has been assigned to classroom Alpha 4. He will stay with the same group of sparklings for most of his first few vorns here. All classes are taught in the same room with only a few exceptions. If there is ever a class that the students leave their homeroom to attend, Starfall can just follow his classmates there and back until he gets a feel for the layout of the school himself. We are already part way into the first quarter of this academic cycle, but I don't think Starfall will have any problems jumping right in and picking up where the other students are."

Firelight came around the side of the counter and offered Starfall a professional smile. "I'll show you to your classroom."

Starfall hesitated. This was it. This was where he and Optimus parted ways. He couldn't rely on his father's presence anymore after he left the office with Firelight. He'd be completely on his own then. The queasy knot in the bottom of his fuel tank tightened.

Optimus seemed to sense Starfall's nervousness and stooped down on one knee in front of him. Starfall could tell his father was smiling at him encouragingly behind his mask by the crinkle of protomatter at the corners of his optics. "Have a good day, Star. I will be here to pick you up later today after you get out of class."

"Promise?" Starfall murmured.

"Promise," Optimus nodded. He laid a reassuring hand on Starfall's shoulder before slowly standing up again.

"Shall we?" Firelight said, gesturing Starfall to her.

"Yea," Starfall nodded. "Bye, dad," he called over his shoulder as he followed Firelight to the door.

"I will see you later," Optimus smiled at him behind his mask.

"Shall we, sir?" Starfall overheard Catalyst say as he graciously swept his hand towards the hallway he'd appeared through earlier. "My office is just around the corner here. May I offer you some coolant or oil? One of the teachers just put on a fresh pot to brew."

"No thank you," Optimus replied. "I am fine."

Anything else Optimus might have said was lost to Starfall by the door of the office closing behind him and Firelight. Starfall forced himself not to look back. He reminded himself he wasn't a newspark anymore and didn't need anyone to hold his hand. He was old enough to do things on his own. He'd done so for as long as he could remember in the hatchling facility. Now was no different than then.

But then why did he want to run back to Optimus's side and not leave it again?

The halls were more crowded than before. Sparklings of all different ages moved around Firelight and Starfall like fish in a stream. Most of the older ones seemed to heading for the lifts to take them to the higher floors of the building, while the younger ones ran to classrooms on the first floor or stood in small groups along the length of the hallway, laughing and fooling around. Firelight led Starfall through the confusion as if she did it everyday - which Starfall belatedly realized she probably did.

"Genesis! No running in the halls!" Firelight yelled as a youngling streaked past her and Starfall in a blur of green. Starfall didn't know if Genesis actually heard Firelight or not before he was swallowed by the press of other bodies. Starfall walked closer behind Firelight. If he got separated from her he didn't know if he'd be able to find his way back to the office again.

Luckily, he and Firelight didn't have to go much further. Without warning they were standing in front of a door marked with the Cybertronian glyphs for Alpha 4.

"This is your classroom," Firelight explained. "I do not believe you have any classes today that require you to leave it to go to any other rooms."

"How many classes do I have today?"

"Five, I believe. I do not know which, though. Your schedule for the orn can be found on your computer terminal's main screen. If you have any problems accessing it, ask one of the other students. They will be able to show you."

Starfall mutely nodded.

"I'll introduce you to the class. There are still several minutes before your first class is to begin. You can use that time to get to know your fellow classmates." Firelight motioned the door open and stepped through. Starfall had to muster his courage to follow her inside. He tried to remind himself that there was no reason to be afraid. This was what he'd been looking forward to ever since Optimus told him he was going to be enrolled in an academy.

Firelight confidently strode to the front of the classroom with Starfall timidly trailing after her. "Attention class!" she called over the din of high-pitched voices all talking at once. "Quiet down now!" The hush that fell over the classroom was instantaneous. It was obvious Firelight was respected by the students - probably with an accompanying note of fear as well. From what little Starfall had seen of the assistant administrator thus far, she was not a femme to be trifled with. Her authority was unquestioned.

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new classmate to you. He will be joining Alpha 4's class roster. His name is Starfall. He is the son of Optimus Prime and Consort Ironhide and is new to the academy. I expect you all to treat him as you would have liked to be treated your first day of academy. Are there any questions?"

Starfall estimated there were at least fifteen sparklings in classroom Alpha 4. They sat at long rows of tables that ran from one side of the room all the way to the other. Computer terminals were mounted into the table at regular intervals. He tried not to shrink back under the class's collective gaze. Instead, he forced himself to stand straight with his wings stiffly held out to his sides behind him. He was once again glad for Optimus's assistance polishing himself that morning. He couldn't bare to imagine standing before so many others right now with polish streaks smeared across his plating.

A murmur of feathery whispers rippled through the room at Firelight's announcement - a number of sparklings inclining their heads to the sparkling beside them to exchange furtive words. Although it was difficult to hear exactly what they were saying Starfall thought he heard at least one or two mentions of "wings" being exchanged between his soon-to-be classmates.

A little femme sitting in the front row raised her hand. Although she was still many vorns away from taking on an alt-mode, Starfall was pretty sure she already had the genetic sub-routes to become a two-wheeler of some kind the same way he already had the genetic sub-routes to become a jet.

"Yes, Tripwire?" Firelight called.

"Are your creators really the Prime and Consort?" Tripwire's expression was filled with skepticism.

"Yes," Starfall nodded. His wings fluttered behind him with a surge of pride.

A new ripple of murmurs ran through the classroom.

"But you're a seeker!" a dark blue mechling yelled from somewhere near the back of the room.

"Raise your hand to speak, Downshift," Firelight corrected.

The mechling's hand shot up into the air.

"Yes, Downshift?"

"But you're a seeker!" Downshift once more declared. "How can you be their sparkling? Neither of them have wings."

Starfall shifted self-consciously in place. "I'm adopted," he murmured. His wings unconsciously folded down against his back as though to shield themselves from scrutiny.

"But I thought seekers weren't allowed outside of Vos anymore," Downshift spoke up again. "That's what my sire always said. He said after the war ended all the seekers had to go back to their city. That's why there aren't any bots with wings anymore in cities like Iacon."

"Raise your hand to speak," Firelight sternly reminded him.

"That's not true!" Starfall shot back. "I know another flier. His name's Skyfire. He's a scientist. And I'm not from Vos. I'm right here from Iacon. I came online in sector 12's hatchling facility."

"You still shouldn't be here," Downshift declared. "You should be in Vos with the other fliers. My sire said fliers aren't allowed in places like Iacon anymore."

Starfall opened his mouth to retort - to angrily yell that he had just as much right to be there as any of them - but was cut off by Firelight. "I will not tell you again, Downshift, about speaking out of turn without raising your hand." Her optics swept over the classroom. The furtive whispered all instantly quieted under her authoritative gaze. "Regardless of what some of you might have been told by your creators, there are still fliers in Iacon and other city-states, though not in any great numbers. And, Downshift, just so there isn't any confusion on the issue, Starfall has every right to be here. He is the Prime and Consort's son and will be treated with the same respect any other student in this academy is. Any more talk of Starfall not be allowed here because of what model he is will not be tolerated by me, Administrator Catalyst, or any other teacher in this institution. Am I making myself clear?"

A chorus of murmured assent answered her.

"Good," Firelight said, as though sealing an airlock on the subject. "Starfall, why don't you take that empty terminal near the window?"

Starfall nodded, still too angry and hurt by Downshift's comments to trust himself to speak. His wings vibrated against his back struts with internalized tension. The computer terminal Firelight had directed him towards was halfway down the right-hand side of the room and two seat in. A small, compact-framed mechling sat in the very end seat nearest the window. He sat with his head down and his shoulders hunched as though trying to make himself even smaller than he already was. Miniature wheels framed his shoulders. His plating was dark red with yellow details. He only spared Starfall a wary glance as he took the seat beside him. The seat to Starfall's right was empty, isolating them on the end of the row.

"You still have several minutes before class starts," Firelight addressed the class. "I suggest you take that time to study. I happen to know Instructor Doubletime is planning a quiz for you today."

A collective groan went through the class.

"Keep the talking to a minimum," Firelight warned as she turned to head for the door. "I don't want to see any of you in my office later today for disciplinary actions."

The class stayed quiet only for as long as it took the door to slide close behind her and then the room erupted into the same level of noise it had been when Starfall and Firelight first entered. Starfall tried to ignore the rounds of looks the rest of the class was surrepticiously casting him.

Tentatively, Starfall turned to the quiet sparkling beside him. Now was as good a time as any to put himself on the proverbial wing of the shuttle. "Hi. I'm Starfall. You can call me Star, though, if you like. What's your designation?"

The sparkling timidly raised his helm a few inches and looked up at Starfall from underneath the ridge of his helm. Starfall didn't know why but he thought the sparkling looked frightened, as if it was his first day at the academy as well. His optics were an unusual shade of bluish green Starfall had never seen before.

The sparkling murmured something.

Starfall blinked. "What was that?"

"I said Convoy," the sparkling said a little louder, though not by much. "That is my designation."

Starfall suddenly realized why he hadn't understood Convoy at first. Convoy's speech was heavily slurred by an accent Starfall had never heard before. It made understanding him very difficult. He had to focus all his attention on ciphering out the syllables and vowels to understand what Convoy had said. To Starfall's audios, it had sounded like Convoy said something more along the lines of "Eh syéd Con-vöy. Zat iz my de-zíg-nashun."

A twitter of laughter sounded from the row behind Starfall and Convoy. Convoy hunched down lower in his seat, his head once more tucked down against his chest plate as though trying to hide inside himself. Starfall turned in his seat to find a mechling and femme sitting beside each other. Both their shoulder plates were shaking with restrained laughter. Starfall's optics narrowed. The laughter wasn't friendly or good-natured sounding. It sounded mocking and mean.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, confused.

"Looks like Convoy's finally made a friend," the mechling sing-songed. A number of other sparklings turned to watch and join in on the laughter.

"Come on, Convoy, say something!" a faceless voice called out from the other side of the room. "Your new friend wants to hear what you've got to say."

Starfall looked around him, confused and unexplainably embarrassed as if he was really the focus of his classmate's mocking. "I don't understand…"

The sparkling Firelight had called Downshift spoke up from two rows behind Starfall. "Convoy's from a colony in the Andromeda galaxy. Him and his sire moved to Iacon about a vorn ago, but he still hasn't lost that horrible accent. It's a miracle any of the instructors can understand him."

Starfall glanced back at Convoy. Convoy was hunched so far down in his seat it was a surprise he hadn't slipped completely underneath the table yet. The aura of utter embarrassment and loneliness coming off Convoy made Starfall's spark physically ache. Although he'd never been the subject of such a display of public ridicule himself, Starfall knew how Convoy must feel - to be ostracized and mocked simply for being who he was. Pity for the red-plated mechling swelled Starfall's chest.

"It's alright," he cheerfully tried to consol. "I don't think your accent's that bad."

"Shut up," Convoy spat. Starfall had no problem hearing him that time. The blue-green optics Convoy speared him with blazed with embarrassed fury as though he personally blamed Starfall for his humiliation. The command came out sounding more like "shyat ap" in Convoy's garbled accent. "Do not talk to me anymore. I do not want to talk to you or anyone else." That said, Convoy hunched his shoulder plates tighter around the sides of his helm and sunk even further down in his seat, pointedly turning his head away from Starfall to dissuade anymore attempts at talk.

Starfall stared at Convoy stunned, at a total loss for what to say. Never had he been so harshly brushed off before - not even by the less friendly workers when he'd still lived in the hatchling facility. All he'd wanted to do was be friendly and maybe make a new friend, and all he'd managed to do was antagonize the first sparkling his own age he'd ever had an opportunity to interact with.

Embarrassed guilt rose in the back of Starfall's throat line. Heat warmed the outer plating of his cheeks. He hadn't meant to make Convoy mad at him or make him feel embarrassed. He'd only wanted to be friendly. He hadn't meant to make Convoy the butt of everyone else's joke. That wasn't what he'd intended to do when he'd sat down. Wasn't there anything he could do right?

Slouching down in his seat, his wings folded tight against his back, Starfall sullenly stared at the blank computer screen of the terminal in front of him. This just wasn't turning out to be the kind of day he'd been expecting.

to be continued…

Ok, so no Ironhide/Starfall interaction this chapter. Definitely next chapter, though. Didn't want to make this chapter too long or make anyone wait too long for an update.

If it didn't quite come across in the phonetic script, I kind of imagine Convoy's accent as being reminiscent of Russian or some other Eastern European language. I thought it would give him a nice little quirk.

Thoughts?

Signing out
-LAXgirl