Title: The Prime
Genre: Action/Drama, Friendship/Romance
Rating: T for mild transformer swearing, some violence, and crude language
Short Summary:
When a young mech destined to be the next Prime is exiled by his evil uncle, he must learn what it means to become a great leader.
Chapter Eighteen
The moment those words came out, Elita One was off the mech, moving back as she stared at him, stunned. She watched as he pushed himself up, staring back at her in shock.
Nonetheless, everyone had stopped moving and was watching in surprise and unease. Though, even Prowl looked shocked at what Optimus had called the femme.
Slowly, Optimus pushed himself to his feet, facing the femme. "Ariel, is that...is that you?" He asked still stunned.
Elita One narrowed her optics at the mech, frowning. She didn't know him, though there was something familiar about him. His optics. She knew those optics but from where? "Who are you? How do you know my youngling name?" She demanded.
Optimus' vents caught and he looked directly at Prowl, who stood stunned still. He could not believe it. It was her! It was Ariel!
"Optimus, who is this? Do you know her?" Jazz asked as he stood over Bumblebee.
Optimus glanced over at him before looking back at the femme. He let out a long heavy sigh, shaking his head. "From a long time ago." He simply said.
Again, Elita One narrowed her optics, frowning. Then she looked at Prowl, still stunned. "Pr-Prowl? Is...is that you?" She asked surprised.
Prowl stepped back still in unease before he looked back at Optimus, trying to figure out what to say. But then his helm started smoking before there was pop and he went down.
"Yep. I'd say that's him. There is only one mech I know that does that, due to his earlier injuries to his helm." Ratchet huffed, before slowly moving over. He stopped when the twins growled threats and raised his hands. "It is all right. I am a medic. In fact, I was once his medic."
"Ratchet?" Optimus asked, stunned again.
Ratchet looked right at him, optics narrowed but then they lit up. He looked stunned but a wide smile spread out on his face. "Well, I'll be a fool. I knew that aftpipe was lying! I just knew it! I knew that you had to be alive somewhere! I could feel it in my tanks!" He said happily. "You look so much like your father, Orion Pax."
There was a series of gasps as the news hit the femmes. Elita One actually stared at the large mech, who looked back at her with a wince. "Or-Orion?" She asked weakly.
Optimus dipped his down a little before his battle mask slid to the side and he smiled faintly. "Hi, Ariel. Yeah, it's me." He said just as weakly. He looked rather embarrassed with himself after all of this. He knew what this had to have been doing to his once best friend after all of these vorns.
There was a stunned pause before Elita One's face lit up and she lunged forward, throwing her arms around the mech. "Orion! Oh, my Primus! It is you!" She cried happily.
Many jaws fell in shock as everyone watched the two once friends fell to the ground embracing each other. Jazz, however, was grinning as he slid his cannons away. "Well, this is interesting."
"Hey, Optimus, if you're going to interface, do it more privately." Ironhide chuckled.
Immediately the two downed Cybertronians scampered to their feet, burning with embarrassment.
"Nice, Ironhide. Really tactful." Jazz reprimanded his friend, who shrugged innocently.
"Okay, now I am confused. What is going on here?! Who are these femmes and the old mech?" Sideswipe asked.
"And who is Orion Pax?" Sunstreaker asked just as confused.
There was an awkward pause before there came a loud bang and Starscream screeched. He had been so surprised by everything that the femme he had pinned down took advantage of it and kicked him off.
"Get on me again, and I will rip something off!" Slipstream snapped as she stood up. She was glaring daggers at him, which she turned on to the twins when they started giggling.
"Eep!" Sideswipe and Sunstreaker yelped as they ducked behind Ironhide, who had finally put away his cannon, much to the pouting of the powder blue femme's disappointment. It didn't help when Starscream turned a very deadly glare onto them, making them cringe lower. They knew that look all too well.
"What the frag is going on here?! Who is this, Elita? And why is there a Seeker here?! Who is he?!" Slipstream demanded motioning to Starscream.
"That is what I should be asking, wench! I was aware that I was the last surviving Seeker! So how are you even here?!" Starscream demanded as he stood up.
Optimus sighed as he shook his head and looked at his aerial friend. "Starscream, calm down. I am sure we can figure things out..."
Slipstream jumped, her red optics widening as she looked at Starscream. "Starscream!? As in Silverbolt's youngest son?!" She yelped.
Starscream looked grumpily at her, folding his arms. "Yeah, so what?" He asked moodily.
"But we...we thought you were dead. Your...your brothers thinks you are dead!" Slipstream yelped with wide optics.
Starscream and everyone stared at her surprised. "Thundercracker and Skywarp?! They're alive?!" He finally asked flabbergasted.
"Yeah, and the biggest aftpipes ever! Well, not so much on Thundercracker's part. But Skywarp? Can anyone say pervert?! He wouldn't leave me and Slipstream alone! Stupid afthead interfacing crazy stalker!" Chromia growled, her arms folded across her chassis.
"Okay. You know what? It looks like we have a lot to talk about. So why don't we all take this inside?" Jazz suggested as he motioned towards the sanctuary.
Everyone agreed and began making their way towards the large cliffs that protected the mechs' home. They figured that they needed to get out of view any way.
Once inside, the femmes and Ratchet were amazed by the beauty that was hidden from the outside world. They had never seen anything like this before. The medic even began making scans at everything he saw and was amazed at what he was seeing in his reports. He was excited by how much energon was spilling out of the pool. Jazz even urged the femmes to go ahead and drink some, seeing that they did look quite starved. Ratchet too, actually.
Finally everyone sat down and awaited the explanations.
"So...why are you calling Optimus Orion Pax? Who is that?" Sideswipe began first.
Optimus sighed as he looked away. It was time to let his family know his past. "I am...I was Orion Pax, Sides. It was my youngling name. The name I was sparked with. I was from Iacon." He said quietly.
Elita One smiled as she looked at him, but then frowned. "Orion, why did Megatron say you were dead? What happened that day? What happened to your father, Sentinel Prime?" She asked with a frown.
There was a pause and several optics widened, other than the femmes', Ratchet's, Prowl's and Jazz's. The others looked stunned.
"Whoa! Back up! Sentinel Prime?! Your father was The Prime of Iacon?! So that means you're...!" Ironhide was asking with shock.
"That's right, hot stuff. Orion Pax, your Optimus is the rightful heir of Iacon. He is the rightful Prime of Cybertron." Chromia said grinning at the big black mech.
"Hot...stuff?" Ironhide asked in surprise.
"The Prime? You are the Prime, Optimus?" Starscream asked stunned.
Optimus immediately shook his head with a disgruntled look. "No. Of course not, Starscream." He said stiffly.
Elita One, her femmes and Ratchet frowned at him. "Orion." The pink and silver femme said in a reprimending way.
Optimus shook his head again. "I was going to be The Prime. But now I am not. Megatron is now The Prime, not me." He said pointedly.
"Yeah, and he has done a real bang up job." Arcee said sarcastically. She shook her head as everyone looked at her. "Do you even know what he has done to Iacon since he became Prime, Orion Pax? He has destroyed everything your father and all of the good Primes ever worked for in the past."
Optimus frowned at the news but he shook his head. "The point is, I cannot be The Prime. No one would trust me." He told them.
"Bullslag. You were Sentinel's son. They knew you, Orion. So why wouldn't they trust you?" Ratchet asked frowning.
"Because...I..." Optimus cut himself off.
Everyone was frowning as they tried to piece together what he was trying to say. Prowl had looked away with a sigh, knowing exactly why.
Jazz, however, slowly shook his head. "Optimus, this isn't about your father, is it? About why he is dead, is it?" He asked carefully.
Optimus just looked away, a faraway look on his face.
Elita One shook her head as she stood to face her once best friend. "Tell us, Orion. Why cannot you be The Prime? It is your right. It is in your energon. You are suppose to be The Prime. So..." she was saying.
So Optimus put the hammer down, keeping his optics adverted away from everyone, even as he stood up turning away. "Because I killed my father. That's why." He said before walking away into the trees.
There was a stunned silence as everyone stared after him. No one could find anything to say. They just could not believe that. To think that Optimus had killed someone, nonetheless, his own father, it was unbelievable.
Elita One frowned, still stunned before she was hurrying after Optimus.
Chromia, Arcee and Moonracer stood up quickly and made to follow but Ratchet and Ironhide both stepped in their way to stop them.
"Let them go. They need to be alone to talk." The big black mech stated.
"But...what about the dangers...?" Moonracer was asking.
"Trust us. This place is probably the safest place on Cybertron." Jazz said with a faint smile. "No one but us knows about this place. It is well hidden and no is dumb enough to come close to it. All thanks to our guard metal bug outside."
"What, that scorpion?" Arcee asked, looking over at him.
"Ah, you met our pet scorpion, did'ja? Yeah, Scorponok hates us but he serves his own purpose around here. Which is why we haven't killed him, yet." Jazz said with a grin.
Slipstream frowned before looking at Starscream, who was looking pretty faraway, himself. She reached over and nudged his side, forcing him to look at her. "Can I speak to you alone?" She asked him quietly.
Starscream frowned but nodded. He had his own questions to ask her. So with a quick glance at everyone else, he and Slipstream slipped away before they even noticed that they even went missing.
"Orion, wait!" Elita One called after her old friend, pushing past the trees to catch up.
Optimus kept walking until she grabbed his arm and tugged him to a stop. He turned to her with a defeated sigh. "It is now just Optimus, Ariel. I am not the Orion Pax you once knew." He said quietly.
Elita One shook her head with a frown but shrugged anyway. "Optimus, then. And it's Elita One now. What did you mean back there? What did you mean you killed your father? I don't understand." She asked him.
"And you wouldn't, Elita One." Optimus said as he lightly pulled away but continued to face her.
"Make me understand, Optimus. Please. We were best friends and we never could keep secrets from each other. So just tell me." Elita One said almost pleadingly.
Optimus looked away but then sighed in defeat. "It was an accident. I didn't mean...I didn't mean for it to happen. It was those gladiators, Barricade, Soundwave, and Shockwave. They attacked us...they ki..." he stopped himself not wanting Elita One to know just yet of what happened to her father. "They were trying to kill Prowl and me. Megatron tried to save us but he was hurt. And then my father came to save us. He...fell from the cliff after stopping the cart...and he..." he cut himself off with a sigh.
Elita One was frowning deeply at the information. There was something that he wasn't saying she wanted to know what. She even opened her mouth to ask but she was cut off.
Optimus didn't want to explain any more. He just wanted to forget. He noted the question in her optics and knew what she was about to ask so he quickly changed the subject. "You look good, Elita One." He then vented in embarrassment, cursing himself. "I mean...you...uh...you look different." He said stumbling over his words frantically.
Gaping at him for a moment in surprise, Elita One knew why he was changing the subject. And in a way, it made her smile faintly. "You don't look so bad yourself, Optimus. You have really grown up quite handsomely." She said feeling herself heating up a little.
Smiling back at her, Optimus couldn't help but shake his head. He then jerked his head for her to follow him, leading her back to the pool of energon, away from the shelter. "You...you look quite..." he then coughed nervously, even as she smirked slyly at him. "You look...well..."
"I look what?" Elita One asked slyly.
Wincing, Optimus looked away, feeling completely stupid. He knew he was being foolish. He couldn't even find the words.
Instead, the tall mech spotted a large pinkish white flower and smiled. He reached down and carefully plucked it before holding it out to Elita One, who was surprised for a moment. But then she smiled back and too it, feeling her spark fluttering at the gesture. She inhaled the beautiful scent emitting from the organic plant, enjoying it before she stood up on her tippy toes and tapped Optimus' cheek with a quick kiss.
For a moment Optimus was surprised before his optics softened. He then offered his hand to her, though somewhat nervously.
But nonetheless, Elita One smiled gently at him and took his offered hand. She nearly pressed her side against his as they began to walk around the sanctuary, enjoying the quite romantic night with each other.
"So...can I see your cannons again, hot stuff?" Chromia asked once all of the questions had finally been answered.
Prowl had started to explain what Optimus hadn't and it stunned everyone. Ratchet was asking a bunch of questions and was answered very carefully.
Eventually, Chromia got bored and moved over to the secluded area where the big black mech was sitting, enjoying his cup of energon. He only looked up in surprise when Chromia, once again, called him hot stuff.
"Now, I know you ain't talk about me." Ironhide said, optic ridge raised at her.
Chromia frowned, her own raised before she folded her arms. She shifted her weight, looking quite confused. "Well, of course I am! Who else would I be talking about?" She asked skeptically.
Ironhide stared at her as if she was crazy. "Uh...the twins, maybe. Or Jazz or Prowl or even Bumblebee. But surely not me. Unless your optics are blurred, you cannot surely be calling me that." He said skeptically.
"Okay. Let me get something straight with you, big guy. The twins, yeah. They are hot. So is Jazz and Prowl. But good looks are so over rated. I don't go for the good looking ones. The kid, Bumblebee is way too young for me and I don't do the whole sparkcougar thing." Chromia said sourly before smirking. "Besides, you are quite the looker. And your cannons are big! I am so attracted to mechs with big guns! And anyone who says otherwise can talk to my fist!" She added with punching a fist into her other hand.
Ironhide gave a light chuckle, even though he was heating up. "Uh...thanks. Never been told that before. But you do realize I am a good deal older than you by ten vorns, right?" He asked, still raising his optic ridge at her.
Chromia grinned at him, in a rather seductive way. She reached over and lightly ran a finger along his brawny arm. "Well...I also happen to like older mechs. So, who cares?" She asked before she moved closer and planted herself right into Ironhide's lap, making him stiffen in surprise. She just grinned wider as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So, Ironhide, do you think I am pretty?"
Ironhide chuckled nervously as he slowly put a hand on her lower back to steady her. "You are going to be a feisty one, aren't you?" He asked.
"Yup!" Was Chromia's enthusiastic answer.
"So...Arcee and Moonracer, wasn't it?" Sideswipe asked as he slid closer to the light pink one, grinning at them. Even as his twin scooted towards them from the other side.
Arcee and Moonracer both frowned at them, quite annoyed. They picked up on the twins' motives right away. And they were not impressed. "Yes and no. We're totally not interested." Arcee growled before shoving herself up and making her way to sitting next to a chuckling Jazz instead.
The twins pouted before looking hopefully at Moonracer, who glared at them. "Moonracer, right?" Sunstreaker asked hopefully.
Moonracer shook her head before shoving herself out of the sandwich that the twins were making with her. She walked straight up to Ratchet, who blinked in surprise before smiling as he glanced over at the twins. "They bugging you?" He asked.
Moonracer nodded. "Yes." She vented wearily. Then she gave him a rather pointed look before reaching over and placing a hand onto the medic's arm. "Ratchet, I am getting tired of hiding it now. The femmes already know that we are together. They are not stupid, you know. We have to stop hiding it. You are my mate and it's time to stop hiding our feelings for one another. It's like you're embarrassed by our feelings for each other. Can we please stop hiding the fact that we are together now?" She told him, frowning.
Ratchet sighed glancing around at everyone else, noting that no one seemed to even notice their conversation. "I still do not understand why you chose me, Moonracer. I am just too old." He told her.
Smiling faintly, Moonracer reached up and gently touched his face. "I chose you because you are the most caring mech I have ever met, Ratch. You are so gentle with everyone. You can be so stern when you need to be. But your spark is so full of light. I love you for it. I don't care how old you are. It doesn't matter as it is. We can live for a long time anyway. Age for our kind doesn't matter. Our kind can live for thousands of vorns. What does matter is how we feel about each other. How our sparks match each vibration. When I first met you, sweetspark, I knew you were my sparkmate. I felt it in my spark." She then frowned, looking worried. "Did you not feel the same?"
"No, I did." Ratchet said smiling gently at her before he reached up and cupped her face. "I knew and felt the same for you, Moon. I love you too."
Moonracer smiled as she leaned into his touch before she stood up on her tippy toes and pressed her forehead against his. She was only too delighted when he did not pull away but returned the affection. Even as they had an audience.
"Mech! This sucks! We are the best looking mechs and none of the femmes likes us!" Sideswipe groaned as he looked around with a pout. He squealed in horror when he saw Chromia sitting on Ironhide's lap, looking quite comfortable. "Slaggit! Even Ironhide is getting action over there! This is so depressing!"
Snorting, Arcee, having heard his complaints, looked over at him. "You do know that we have more femmes at home, right? I think you might like Flare-Up. She isn't here because she is back in Iacon, protecting Elita One's mother. Plus there is Vibes. I think she might be your type, Sideswipe. You might like her. She loves to sing and dance, but she has a mean kick to her, literately. And there is Override. She loves to race. She is actually the fastest femme we have besides Slipstream. Though, she is a Decepticon but she is a really good femme. There are plenty of single femmes in Iacon." She explained.
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker listened before grinning at each other. They were liking the sound of these femmes she was even listing. They honestly couldn't wait to even meet them.
"Bring on the femmes!" Both cheered at the same time. And many rolled their optics at their antics.
"And that is what happened. We were taken to Megatron. He told us that it was The Prime and the High Cybertronian Council that was responsible." Slipstream explained everything to Starscream.
Taking in everything, the beige Seeker was frowning rather darkly as he listened. He couldn't help but feel a rage burning inside of him for everything. He wasn't too sure who it was aimed at, however.
This Megatron or at Optimus' father and the High Council of Iacon.
"You know, T.C spoke very highly of you." Slipstream added, tearing the other Seeker out of his thoughts. She smiled faintly at him when he looked puzzled. "He and Skywarp. They...I spent a lot of time with them when we were being taught by Cyclonus and Shockwave. They talked about you a lot, actually."
"What...what are they like now?" Starscream asked somewhat nervously.
Slipstream smiled faintly but shrugged. "They come off as complete aftpipes when Megatron or his goons are around. But in truth, they are really sweet. Skywarp is known to getting into trouble for pranks. He kind of...well, those twins of yours remind me of him a little. He had an accident a few vorns ago, which left him a little unstable in the processor but he is a sweet mech. He is totally into femmes. He flirts with me a lot but I don't like him like that. I think of him as a brother, in all honesty."
Starscream smirked shaking his head. "Sky's always been a little nuts. So I highly doubt it was an accident that made him unstable. What about Thundercracker?" He asked tilting his head.
"Thundercracker...well, not a lot of Decepticons like him because he is actually really peaceful. He can be an aftpipe but I think it's all a show for Megatron." Slipstream told him. "All of the Seekers look up to him. He is very protective of all of us. But...he really has missed you. I see it all of the time. He...he didn't take your so called death well at all. Neither did Skywarp. They get down sometimes and it is really hard to talk to them when they are depressed. But...I know if they knew you were alive, they would be so happy." She explained.
Looking away thoughtfully, Starscream narrowed his optics. He definitely had a lot of things to think about. He had thought all of these vorns, his entire family had been dead. But his brothers weren't. They were alive. Just as he was alive and they thought he was dead.
"You know, I always wanted to meet you, after Thundercracker told me about you." Slipstream told him suddenly.
Starscream blinked in surprise and looked right back at her. He didn't really know what to say about that. "Huh? You wanted to meet me? Why?" He asked narrowing one optic at her.
Slipstream shrugged as she folded her servos behind her wings and shuffled one foot. "I don't know. Thundercracker and Skywarp used to talk about you all of the time until some of the other Decepticons told them to get over the idea that you were dead. They didn't like that very much. But they did stop talking about you when even Megatron growled at them to knock it off and stop thinking about some dead mech." She looked away sourly. "He was always a jerk to Thundercracker, even if he made him his Air Commander. He hates T.C but no one will listen to Cyclonus or anyone else. Thundercracker is more of a pacifist than anything else. But he does what he can to protect all of the Seekers under his command. But..." She smiled faintly looking back at Starscream, who was listening quite curiously. "I used to bug him about you. He's told me all about you. And the more that I heard about you the more that I wanted to meet you. But...I just didn't think I would ever get the chance. But now that I finally got to meet you, I have to say. Thundercracker was right."
"About what?" Starscream asked somewhat suspiciously, yet there was a hint of smugness to his tone.
Smiling at him, with another shrug, Slipstream looked him over before meeting his optics again. "You are rather interesting. He said that you looked the most like your father. I've seen Silverbolt in holo images. He was quite a handsome mech. And I do gotta say, you're no slouch yourself." She told him, rather slyly.
Starscream smirked at her before shaking his head. He gave her a look over and shrugged. He didn't see anything wrong with her either. She was quite the looker for a Seeker, herself. In fact, she did seem to have the same grace he remembered of his mother. She was a dark coloring, unlike his mother had been. But it suited her just fine. He had to admit it, but she was quite lovely. And her wings, they were a dark silver color. Not too bad at all.
Then he frowned. He didn't have time to think about the lovely femme at the moment. He would have to save the end of this conversation for some other time. When he dealt with the other problem that was on his mind. "Slipstream, who do you think ordered the destruction of Vos?" He suddenly asked.
Slipstream blinked in surprise at him but slowly got the idea. "Starscream, whatever is in your processor, put it out. Because I do know who did give that order but..." she was saying.
"Who did it?" The Seeker heir asked looking right at her, frowning.
There was a long pause between them. Both pairs of burning red optics looking deep into the others. Slipstream finally sighed and looked away. "We always thought it was the Praxian called Prowl who put the orders in for Praxus. We were told that it was him." She told him.
Starscream stiffened, looking stunned. He didn't believe it. He couldn't. "Prowl? No. It couldn't have..." he was saying.
Slipstream shook her head, looking at him seriously. "It wasn't, Starscream. I know who did it. It was Shockwave, Megatron's Chief Scientist. Megatron knew about it too. He covered it up and put the blame on Prowl and The Prime. But it was all them." She then grimaced, moving closer. "Starscream, I only know that because I went snooping through things I shouldn't have. Our people, your friend's father, The Prime, they were killed because of Megatron and his ridiculous goal of wanting to control everything. I know for a fact, from Megatron's own data life recording that he plotted too many things before he became The Prime. He did it all, Starscream." She said seriously.
Starscream's only reply to that was growl as he looked away. "Then I guess I better get to work to putting things right." He growled.
Slipstream only blinked in confusion.