Title: Data on Orion Pax

Fandom: Transformers Prime

Summary: Nothing but the facts on Orion Pax. Pre-Series.

A/N: My idea of TFP!Orion, perhaps a different look, more gray. Inspired by the fic "Harmonic Progression" by lyricality on the livejournal tf2007fun community, I highly recommend checking that fic out. Hope you enjoy, please remember to read and review, feedback is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Transformers Prime.

thirty-six to forty-nine

36. One of the advantages Orion deeply enjoyed of the higher caste was their increased maneuverability, though it was unheard of for anyone of their rank going all the way down to the gladitorial Kaon, but down he went. And "unheard of" it would remain, Orion saw no point in advertising where he was off to on one of his rest days (of which he enjoyed a greater number of, another perk for the higher castes). Even from the dockyard, Orion had imagined Kaon would've always been such a foreign place—but it actually reminded the current archivist deeply of his first, lowborn home. There was an ache, a hunger within Orion—to his displeasure, he realized that he did miss the dockyard, even just a little bit. He welcomed Kaon all the more.

37. Though Orion welcomed it, Kaon's denizens regarded him closely. It was then Orion remembered what he looked like—impecabbly clean, he felt as if he kept himself cleaner than most in the Iacon Records given his still very deep, rather frantic anxiety about anyone realizing where he came from. He did look high caste, sticking out in Kaon. But Orion noticed their eyes shift into more puzzlement when they continued to watch his walk, undetered by the dirt he was accumulating. Still, Orion knew he more closely matched their expectations of high caste when he quietly, politely watched from the crowds.

38. If Orion remembered the dockyard's own brand of etiquette correctly, offering to buy Megatronus a drink would hopefully transfer over well enough in Kaon. Like others, the gladiator regarded him closely, but with Orion standing still in front of him, Megatronus favored him with a long, calculating look up and down.

"I know just the place." Megatronus smirked.

"Of course." Orion smiled, demure.

39. Megatronus took him to the most extravagant, expensive tavern in Kaon, and Orion easily paid. They silently waited for their order, brief introductions already made. Orion could not launch into everything he wanted to say to Megatronus, even he could not articulate it all. As Orion started to wonder what he was really doing here, Megatronus watched him closely, eyes alert, though he had started to lean back and lounge in his booth, stretched out, one pede grazing Orion's own. Orion leaned back as well, looking away. This tavern was unlike anything at the dockyard or the higher level bars, a strange mix of them both, of a size and nature roughly in between the two. Orion watched another table play a game, one he'd only seen at his dockyard, never in Iacon. He frowned at one of the player's particularly lousy hands.

"Do you play?"

Orion turned back to Megatronus. The gladiator's brow was furrowed, though his optics were focused on the game at the other table.

The current archivist debated his answer for a second, then nodded. He did not want to spill his entire life history to the warrior, but he would admit to that, at least.

When their drinks arrived, the waiter had to follow them to the other table, where Megatronus had dragged Orion over to join the game.

40. Orion had not played this game in the longest time, and was thoroughly enjoying himself—something, he realized with a jolt, he hadn't felt for a while either. Pleasure, yes, but pure and utter joy? It felt intoxicatingly new. The game eventually narrowed down to Orion and Megatronus. Orion's first game with Megatronus ended in a draw, but it would not be the last. At least one gambler walked away richer, having betted on their tie.

41. "Where does a librarian learn to play like that?" Megatronus asked, amusement clear on his face.

Orion sighed, grudgingly admitting, "The dockyard offers more of an education than one would think."

"Though not that vocabulary, I'd wager."

"You'd be surprised. Dockyard clerks are rather well informed."

42. Orion Pax did not put much stock in the Primes, it had been ages since Cybertron had one after the loss of the Matrix of Leadership—something he didn't really believe in, or the Key to Vector Sigma. Orion had learned that many myths did have a basis in reality, but he found the Primes, the Matrix, the Key and Vector Sigma did not have much going for them. So many conflicting myths, and very few factual records. The existence of the Thirteen Primes were likely, even their Matrix as an artifact symbolizing their leadership. But he saw little use in such things now so dated, other than some entertaiment value, but their influence on governmental policy was surely long gone.

43. For all of Megatronus' insistence on Orion's naivete, the archivist was still surprised that the gladiator held some belief in the Primes and their artifacts. Though in retrospect, the name he took on probably should've been his first clue. Still, Orion continued to believe that name choice was more to do with the ferocity and infamy of the myth of Megatronus Prime. Megatronus paid particular attention to the myth of the Ordeal, explaining that the Matrix of Leadership was hidden in such a way that to look for it meant certain death. To survive the search, one had to succeed, and thus earn Primehood. It all felt rather black-and-white to Orion.

44. After a playful exchange on declaring their intention to duel should their goals ever conflict, Megatronus more seriously offered Orion defense training. More like 'insisted.' Fortunately for all, Orion eagerly accepted. The first thing Megatronus had done was simply order Orion to come at him with everything he had. Orion did, trying to remember the fights he'd gotten into for extra Energon rations back at the dockyard, fights in its tavern that had gotten out of hand and fights he had to sometimes break up as a third level dockmaster. He knew he'd grown rusty since then. Megatronus dodged each of his strikes, then caught his last punch and using the archivist's own momentum, threw him into a wall. Orion was in awe.

"Better than I expected," Megatronus conceded. "The dockyard not all one big happy family, I take it?"

"There were squabbles," was Orion's clipped response.

45. Orion started taking Megatronus up to look for patterns in the stars. The first time, Megatronus was baffled. But he seemed to get into it, eventually.

"There, see? A gladiator losing his arm." Megatronus chuckled.

Orion tried, but could not, though he knew how subjective it all was. How many times had he seen docking equipment in the sky when he'd been a sparkling?

Megatronus laughed again. "I've never done this before."

The awed pleasure in the gladiator's voice made something inexplicably warm within Orion's chassis. Still he murmured softly, "My guardian and I used to do it all the time, back at the docks." Orion's brow furrowed, and he quietly asked Megatronus, "Did you have a guardian, or did you have your procreator and progenitor?"

"I had them, yes, but not for long."

"Accident?" Orion murmured, a tired bitter edge still softening his voice somehow.

"Accident," Megatronus confirmed. "Same with yours?"

"Yes, but I did not pass into another guardian's custody. I assume you did? You said your creators were not with you long."

"I was assigned to one of the older miners after their death."

The conversation faded away as a shooting star flew across the sky, effectively distracting them.

"That was the trail of a missile."

Orion laughed. "Of course."

46. Orion met Soundwave when he was a small slip of a sparkling. Megatronus had explained to him that he was one of the Taken—sparklings ripped off the streets of the lower levels and forced into the gladitorial ranks. Different from those born into the gladiator caste, and Megatronus' own unique situation. Orion had watched Soundwave win against all the other gladiator sparklings, and be 'rewarded' with a bout against Megatronus. Soundwave had put up a good fight, but eventually Megatron had to end it. Orion joined the former miner in the infirmary, observing Megatronus watch over Soundwave's recovery.

"I've been allowed to train him personally," Megatronus said in a tone Orion could not decipher.

47. After a while, Megatronus had Orion demonstrate some combat and defense techniques to Soundwave. The gladiator said it would not only train the sparkling but Orion as well, reinforcing lessons for both of them. Orion soon found that Megatronus was correct again as he practice sparred with the child.

48. Orion began to teach Soundwave other things.

"Question: What is that?"

Soundwave was a very quiet, shy sparkling, rarely speaking. Orion treasured the few words he said, the quirks to his rarely used speech.

"It is a game for you. I will show you how to play."

Orion gave Soundwave the data pad, and showed him the security protocol simulation, and how to hack it. The sparkling brightened when the example was cracked and a sonata from the Iacon Archives' music department played as the prize.

When Orion watched Soundwave tackle a hacking exercise on his own, he was pleased to find how quickly he took to it.

"This has practical purposes too."

The sparkling tilted his head to Orion, curious.

"The secuirty in the arena, for example, can be hacked. But you must be very careful and skilled, should you try it."

Soundwave nodded his head, silently promising Orion.

49. For a time, though Megatronus had tried to hide it, he had been wary of Orion; he could've been a spy for the upper levels. Orion steadily worked to dispel him of the notion, while knowing he could stand to benefit greatly by doing such a thing. He could attract favorable attention from the higher ranks, even the Inquisitors and the Elite Guard, even the Council, perhaps. And yet the action was wholly unthinkable; and Orion realized there were some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed.