Prime Blood Skycracker: Chapter 4 (Widowed Commander Skywarp, what will her command be like?)

A lone Seeker streaks by Iacon. Right in the middle of the game with the Autobot youngsters, a parachute is dropped. The Seeker turns shooting straight up and into space with a unique spiral twist and a loop. Instantly, Ultra Magnus rushes towards the object floating down, afraid it is a bomb. It lands lightly in his hands. Pushing the parachute away, Ultra Magnus is shocked at the purple pod carefully hand crafted. Written across the pod cover is a simple message:

Save our child. Raise it in peace. Name him Thunderwarp. Tell him he is a gift of love and peace.

All Ultra Magnus can see across the sky is the contrails where one Seeker had been but looks like two trails. He looks back to the pod and sees a coupling ring with a turquoise carved Decepticon marking. From the scratches and chips, he knows the ring had been worn in battle. He figures this was a commitment band and this is their child. Reverently he takes it to Prime, "Sir, I think this is a Decepticon sparkling. They gave it to us to raise."

Prime looks at the writing and breathes softly, "By the All Spark. There is hope. Magnus, take the pod to Wroughtiron. He will care for it. Tell Skyfire, it's time. Go. Whatever you do, don't drop it."

Ultra Magnus shakes his head, "You don't think it is a bomb?"

Prime shakes his head smiling, "No. I got a message earlier asking clearance for a message drop. This must have been it. Go."

0~~~~~~~~~~~~0

With the delivery made and prayers that her child will be raised in safe hands, Skywarp returns to her duty and promise. It will be hard to battle the guardians of her child, but she also knows, no matter what happens, the 'Cons are going to loose this war maybe she can save as many of her people as possible before that day comes.

She barely makes it back by the end of the third day.

Commander Skywarp strides confidently into the command post and bows a knee to Galvatron. He narrows his gaze at her near a whisper, "Cutting it a little close, aren't you Skywarp?"

She smiles and lifts her head, "But held up my end of the deal. Will you?" He wonders what she means with a curious glare. She says nothing.

Instead he stands up and taps her shoulder to stand beside him. She rises as he begins his speech, "Alright you lackeys, we have had too many Seekers die recently. If you want to stick around, I suggest you follow Skywarp's instructions. He will be your Commander now. We have a mission in two days. Skywarp has that amount of time to whip you into shape." He turns to her and points a finger, "I want positive results."

She smiles, "Understood, sir." He steps back giving her the floor. She stands right in front of these fellow Seekers. Just a few days ago she was no different than them under another's command. But now, this is her team. And she wants no more death in stupidity. She takes a deep breath and rips off her shoulder panels. Everyone gasps. Then she rips off her hip armor. It clearly shows her feminine smooth curved hips with sleek and shiny purple armor, "The time for facades is over, gentlemen. I'm tired of playing around." She turns her back to face Galvatron. As she rips off her chest armor and then her helmet, her gaze asks him if he will support her. He tips his head to her saying he will, but not sure this is a wise way to do it. As she lifts her helmet completely off the beads tumble down the back of her neck. She has added a lone string of royal blue beads. Thrust gasps, he knows the beads. And then as she reaches for her swords, the last remaining male panel comes off her back and falls crashing to the floor. The Seekers see it first and collectively gasp.

"By the All Spark!"

"Oh slag."

"Holy scrap!"

"I knew it all along," Thrust smirks.

When she turns to face Thrust's retort, Galvatron sees what they did. A stunningly beautiful tattoo is painted and engraved across her back. It's a royal blue-black thunder cloud curled in just the slightest hint of a broken heart with a clearly broken red lightning bolt coming out at right angles. A thunder cloud cracked. Galvatron has to admit, this new Skywarp is, well… warped. But looks much stronger, not the weeping 'Con he saw three days ago.

Now she has both swords drawn, "Yes boys, I have been among you from the beginning. Right on down to our counsel babysitting days. Yes, it was me who bested you in flight tactics. Yes it was me that saved your afterburners back on Holston when you hit the wrong base."

Some of them can't stop staring at her drop dead gorgeous figure. Large curved bust now encased in a contoured armor in vibrant purple and deep black streaks. The sleekest and trimmest armor hug her hips and thighs as she shifts her weight to a feminine stance on pointed healed boots. She can distract them with just her stride. A stride she has been aching to strut but had to keep confined to a male stance. Now she is truly free to be herself. Who she was always meant to be.

But she instantly brings their gaze back to her face with a strike of both swords near their own crotches. "And yes, it was me that brought that smile to Thundercracker's lips at night." She crosses the swords and stabs them into the floor directly in front of her. Leaning one arm across both hilts, seductively, inches a finger from the other hand daring someone to come closer, "Who thinks they will take his place as my berthmate?"

Cocky Thrust makes a move. He finds the tip of his toe shot off in one step. She cocks a head over her shoulder to Galvatron, blowing the exhaust fumes from her wrist mounted weapon, "He can still fight with one less toe," making it clear, everyone in her command will be able to fight when required. Galvatron smirks encouraging her to go on.

As Thrust grumbles, he steps back. "Who is next?" she encourages someone to try. No one moves. She straightens up, "Good, and that is exactly as far as it will go." She holds up her hand showing it bound with a piece of Thundercracker's armor. She wasn't just Thundercracker's lover, she was his mate. Then she conceals it with a glove. Conversation about her personal relationship: CLOSED.

She grabs her swords and with a graceful twirl and twist reminiscent of Starscream, she shoves them back into place as her wings, "Just as none of you have a prayer of taking Thunder's place with me, there is no way I can lead like him. Or Starscream. That has been agreed upon." She looks over her shoulder to Galvatron. He simply nods once. This makes it clear to everyone, he knew exactly who and what she was all along. He supports her completely.

She turns back to her team, "Fine. Now that everyone knows where I stand, training can begin. Right now. Thrust! you are too cocky and spend to much time praising yourself. You make me sick! Tighten up your formation. Ransack!, are you afraid to use your sword, or do you just not know how? Get the stupid thing out of the sheath and into the enemy. Your fist is a weak weapon compared to a blaster. Sunstorm!, where can I begin? Sure you are faster than light. But what good does it do when you aren't anywhere near the fight? Hello, you want to know why I didn't ever ask you to cover me? You were never there."

"More likely you were too busy caressing Thundercracker's afterburner," Sunstorm mutters. Clearly he doesn't want her in charge.

Before his sentence is finished, Skywarp's ankle dagger is imbedded in his helmet. She grabs Thrust by the throat and shoves him directly in front of Sunstorm. "This is where you should have been on that last mission. Thrust, you missed the target. Sunstorm, you weren't at his side to assist with anything he missed. The array shot me! My wing man pushed me out of the way and took the blast you missed. Oh how I wish your own incompetence had taken one or all of you out instead of one of the best commanders we had."

She removes her dagger from his head. She sticks her hand out behind her back, "Stasis cuff." Soundwave tosses it to her. Without even turning around, it lands perfectly in her hand. "Did you see that? Accurate aim! I didn't have to fret about his ability. I can count on Soundwave to deliver what he promises and back me up."

Soundwave says nothing, but internally he is also shocked by her confidence in him. She has also just silently admitted that the Decepticon's own internal spy knew who she was all along. That is the final strike of fear in all of them. Soundwave backs her up as well.

Skywarp clamps one cuff on Sunstorm and the other on Thrust. "This is what it means to be a partner. You are bound together. You depend on each other. Wherever you turn, you are sure to have your back covered. You have enough confidence and skill to protect yourself and your partner. Your partner shouldn't have to cover you. You should cover your partner. Let them do their job and you assist. The reward in getting the job done successfully is all the praise you should ever need."

With that she holds a hand over her head. In an instant, another cuff is flung through the air and lands in her palm, perfectly. Smiling at the second point of support, she reaches out and cuffs Ramrod to Ransack. "You two are clones. You should be working better together. Jeeze that is sad!" She paces back and forth for a moment letting them fret about this new commander.

Thrust finally coughs and speaks, "But you and Thunder were lovers. Certainly you aren't-"

She whirls around, "You are so stupid!" She turns to Galvatron and sees the smile on his face. He is pleased with her command. She dips her head to him in respect. Then her smile turns to a smirk. She turns back to her crew and takes a military stance with her hands locked behind her back, "Question! If anyone can accurately identify when Thunder took me as his mate and when you saw a change in our tactics, I will release your bind." They all look at each other wondering who has the answer. "Until then, you remain bound to your partner until the next mission. Any questions?"

Ramrod tries to come across as respectful as possible, "Sir, Lord Galvatron, do you know?"

Galvatron also locks his hands behind his back and dips his head in respect to Skywarp, "I know when I found out about them, but I have no idea when they bound their commitment. And I never saw a deviation in their performance. Hence my decision." He turns back to the team, "I suggest you protect your leader. I am tired of the incompetence and replacing my leaders who keep protecting your sorry tails. I am beginning to loose confidence in my Seekers. The Elite Air Guard? Ha! How ever did you protect the counsel? By Primus you are a sorry lot." With that he turns his back on them and leaves the room. Skywarp frowns, he is absolutely right. And now it's up to her to turn this squadron back into a team.

Offended, she whips around, "You heard him. We are pathetic. Like Primus will I save any of your sorry cans! Move out to the range!" The groups shrugs and tugs with each other heading out the door.

Skywarp turns to Soundwave and dips her head in respect to him. In return respect, he does the same. She heads out after her sorry team.

Soundwave finds himself watching the striking purple female figure exit the room. A shutter goes through his body. It was a bad time right now to be a spy. He knows exactly how she moves against her lover. Thundercracker was a very lucky 'Con. He had Skywarp's spark, and by the looks of it, no one else would ever be able to take his place. Just at that time, Rumble comes to his side, "Sir? We have finished placing the devices in Skywarp's new quarters as you requested." An actual wave of guilt waves through Soundwave's core. "Any thing else?" Already being a 'Con of few words, he can find nothing else to say. He can't even shake his head. Rumble tries again, "Sir, are you alright?"

Soundwave knows he better answer, "Of course. Go. The external sensors in sector eight are fizzling out again. Fix it." Rumble just nods and sees to his work.

Soundwave rubs his helm feeling a processor ache coming on. And a spark ache.