Continuation of the previous chapter…

A/N: A couple of announcements. There are a couple of new Kacey fics by some of her fans. Also some new pics drawn by her fans. Please check out the links on my profile. Thank you all for the fics and pics they're all so wonderful!

Also, for this fic, for Blurr, I'm using the Armada version. His persona just fits in better with Hot Rod and the other Axalon mechs.

Kaitana

If one set aside the fact that we'd just landed on an alien planet, standing there as I watched mechs, femmes, and younglings alike all disembarking I felt as if we'd arrived in a great city on Cybertron. I found myself anxious to get a tour of this Autobot City. The mechanisms here to greet us were certainly going out of their way to make us feel at home. Something some of us had never had the luxury to feel.

Of course these mechanisms all appeared so different from what Cybertronians normally looked like. They were…colorful. Bright reds, yellows, blues. Even our Prime had bold colors of red with blue. There was no mistaking that it was our Prime who stood tall and for all to see. He definitely had a presence. I could feel it. I could see it in his optics.

"That must be her," Arcee murmured into my ear.

"Hmm," I responded, keeping my optics busy with making sure family units remained together. The younglings had been so excited about getting off the ship and creators and caretakers alike have been trying to keep track of them. I couldn't blame them. We'd lived on the Axalon for so long. "I'm sorry, Arcee what was that again?"

"The femme beside our Prime. That must be the femme Jerik talks about. She looks a lot like Prime."

"I would agree she is probably Prime's first born. There is a strong resemblance. But what have I told you about Jerik and his stories. Kaceystar is a femme, a proven warrior, but I doubt she is the savior Jerik is making her out to be."

"I was just saying. You know I don't listen to that ancient mech. But there are many others that do."

"I know," I frowned. "Many mechanisms will not give up hope that Cybertron is lost. Hence they cling to ridiculous notions of a savior returning them home. I suppose it's only natural but it is also dangerous and unhealthy. Our true home is gone. We have a new one and must make the best of it."

"And we will. We believe in you otherwise we wouldn't have chosen you as our voice."

"Are you two scoping the mechs without us?" Sol asked as she and her sister joined Arcee and me. "I do hope you've picked a couple out for Luna and myself."

"We were just talking about Prime's daughter," I said, refraining from rolling my optics.

"Oh yes, we saw her," Luna smirked. "She's lovely. I wouldn't mind having some fun with her. What do you say, Sol, we've had a few femmes in our berth but none as beautiful as this Kaceystar. If that is in fact her."

"Regardless, she'd be worth getting into our berth with," Sol added.

"Primus!" I exclaimed. "You are both incorrigible!"

"Of course we are," Sol grinned.

"Oh my, he's a handsome one!" Luna whispered and instantly her and Sol started sizing up a mech as he approached.

He was a tall mech. Almost as tall as Optimus Prime. Definitely handsome. Very handsome.

'Pull your head out of your aft Kaitana. You just got out of a relationship. No time for one now with so much work to do,' I chided myself.

"Excuse me, would one of you know where I can find Kaitana," his deep voice rumbled and my spark fluttered.

"She's right here," Sol grinned shoving me forward in a not so gracious manner. Her sister giggled beside her.

The mech blushed slightly obviously not used to femmes staring at him like he was a prized possession.

"Sol, Lune," I started using that tone with them.

"Oh alright, we'll be on our way," Luna huffed. "But not until I get his name."

"My name's Orion," he smiled politely and shook Luna's hand and then Sol's as they introduced themselves.

"Nice meeting you Orion!" Luna waved.

"Hope to see you around cute stuff," Sol smirked, winking at him, making him blush.

"I must apologize, Orion. They are…"

"Lively," he finished, making me laugh. "It's quite alright."

"Orion…so you're Optimus Prime's son?" Arcee asked getting his attention.

"Yes…yes I am," he replied suddenly looking a bit dazed. But he quickly recovered and smiled. "I'm his first born son. And you are?"

"Arcee," she smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you," he smiled warmly gently taking her hand in his.

Arcee blushed and I rolled my optics. Oh Primus. I've seen that look in a mech's optics before. Love at first sight. How quaint!

"Arcee," I hissed when she started flirting with him.

"Oh shh," she countered.

I instantly prayed that Springer didn't see this. Even though Arcee broke up with him again, I know deep down she does love him.

A yelp behind me caught my attention and I turned.

"Oh slag," I muttered, seeing a very irate Springer stomping his way towards us. "Excuse me a moment."

Against my better judgment I rushed and stood in Springer's path. If looks could kill Orion would be a dead mech ten times over right now.

"Move Kaitana," he growled, when I purposely blocked him each time he tried to get around me.

"I cannot. Not when I know you're about to cripple an innocent mech during a bout of jealously."

"He has no right touching her!"

"He shook her hand," I countered. "And he has just as much right. You and Arcee are no longer together."

"I don't like the way he's looking at her," he grumbled.

"I admit he was rather…taken by her," I frowned, feeling my spark ache for some odd reason. "But that doesn't give you an excuse for beating the slag out of him. Besides, I don't think our Prime would appreciate having his son attacked in front of him or even at all."

"Prime's son?"

"Yes, that's Orion, the Cybertronian delegate on Earth."

"Neutral?"

"Seems so. I didn't see an Autobot Insignia and from our correspondences, he always referred to himself as a representative for all Cybertronians."

Springer frowned, his anger had all but vanished and was replaced with such sadness. I sympathized with him. I understood spark ache having experienced it a couple of times.

"Springer…"

"I'm sorry to be a bother. I'll let you get back to your duties," he sighed and then left quickly.

"Hot Rod," I hailed over his comm. frequency.

"We're supposed to keep our comlinks quiet."

"I know, but I felt this was important. Keep your optics on Springer."

"What'd the aft do now? I told him to leave Arcee alone."

"Well…he saw a mech shaking her hand…"

"Frag…say no more. I'll track him down. Thanks, Kaitana!"

Knowing Hot Rod would take care of Springer, I turned and headed back to Orion and Arcee.

Once again I found myself staring at him. He was very handsome, had a warm inviting smile. From our few correspondences I could tell he was quite intelligent. And from his mannerisms he was not some aft of a mech. He had manners, knew how to treat a femme. I doubt he'd ever intentionally harm a mechanism unless it was in self defense. Even then he'd probably do it in a nice way!

"Primus! Get a grip," I growled quietly, chastising myself. "He's barely a quarter of my age for pits sake!"

Besides, he wasn't interested in me. Orion obviously had optics for Arcee. And she was flirting with him giving him every sign that she was interested in him. Still, he demonstrated that he had a processor in his cranium and gave me his full attention when I returned to their side.

"Are you ready, Kaitana?"

I blanked for a moment.

"Oh right, you're to take me to the civilian sector," I smiled politely.

"Correct, I thought it important for you to be there to help everyone settle in. We have crews already there to assist with the families and such."

"Thank you, it's very much appreciated."

"You're welcome. Now, shall we? The first transport is ready and waiting for us. Arcee, will you be joining us?"

"No," she blushed. "I will be taking Kaitana's place here."

"Very well, I shall see you tomorrow afternoon for some energon," he smiled kindly, bowing his head slightly.

"Until tomorrow, Orion," she grinned.

"A date?" I mouthed at her just as Orion walked ahead

Typical youth, Arcee just shrugged her shoulders, giggling. Honestly, the femme needs to make up her mind and just settle with Springer. Still, I'm not her caretaker. She's free to be with any mech or femme she chooses. I just hope she chooses wisely.

"Kaitana?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm coming," I replied, lengthening my stride to catch up with Orion.

Ever the gentlemech, Orion held my hand, helping me onto the transport. He talked nonstop describing what went into building Autobot City and was always quick to point out any impressive architectural structures the thought I might recognize.

It was hard to take it all in.

I found myself lulled by his deep voice, hypnotized by his gracious smile, and taken by his gentle facial features. He was incredibly intelligent, he knew how to treat a femme, had patience to even deal with younglings who were asking him questions, and to me he was very handsome.

I felt a twinge of jealousy, wishing that it was myself who had a date with him tomorrow instead of my friend.

Optimus

So far so good. All was going according to plan. The Autobots were moving efficiently along and ahead of schedule according to Prowl. From what I could see here everything was going well with the civilians. I even managed to get a glimpse of Orion and a lovely femme. He was obviously taken with her and according to Kacey he already had a date with her.

This on top of what I felt a short while ago from Leo. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him until I asked. He claimed he met the femme Primus meant him to bond with. I almost laughed at my youngest son because he was still so naïve in the way of femmes, I could only teach them so much. But I could feel the conviction over our bond.

I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised. Leo is so much like me. And I cannot be hypocritical when I myself had very little experience with femmes when first met Elita. Apparently Orion was more like me that I thought too.

I smiled wide. Mech pride swelled in my spark. I couldn't help it. Both sons were growing up before my very optics. They were daring to plunge into the world of femmes and pleasures. Yup, my mechs were most definitely growing up and taking after me!

"I'm never going to interface."

Kacey's voice interrupted my thoughts. I got the distinct impression that she was happy for her brothers but she was also just a little…jealous?

"What was that?" I questioned, refocusing on the civilians emerging from the Axalon, while gently exploring Kacey's emotions over our bond without her knowing.

"Nothing," Kacey sighed, giving me a small smile.

Yes, she was partly jealous for her brothers. A very tiny part of her. She was genuinely happy for them. But I sensed she was also frustrated. It has not escaped my noticed that the past year was a significant year for a femme, the year a femme was of the age to be courted and wooed. Something Kacey admitted she'd been looking forward to and I meant what I said that she was too eager for love.

Primus blessed! The year had gone by without incident. I'd be lying if I wasn't happy about that. For me it meant another year I could call her my Kacey. It was another year we were close as father and daughter. I know will lose my daughter to a mech once one is brave enough to court her and fall in love with her and her fall in love with him.

It was something Kacey was anxious for and I was not. But in the end it doesn't matter how I felt, all that matters was my daughter's happiness even if that happiness was in the arms of another mech. As a father I know I cannot stop the inevitable. I can only hope she finds the happiness she deserves.

"You can always talk to me, Kacey."

"I know, father. I just don't feel like talking right now."

I gave her a long concerned look.

"I'm fine, father."

Before I could respond, Kacey suddenly dashed off. Magnus and Jetfire were at my side in an instant, keeping their optics focused on Kacey as well, waiting for my orders. I relaxed when I saw about a dozen small younglings getting a little too rambunctious for their caretakers. Of course, my daughter was all too happy to lend a hand, literally scooping up a stray upset youngling.

"She's a natural with the little ones," Jetfire commented, relaxing in his stance.

"That she is," I smiled proudly, watching as Kacey carried one of the younglings that were crying.

I couldn't hear what she said but the little femme suddenly giggled wildly and was obviously in better spirits. And the other younglings were all too happy to listen to my daughter as they organized themselves better. To make sure, Kacey escorted them all and helped each one of them onto a transport.

I felt a sense of satisfaction over my bond with Kacey. Much preferred to the anxiousness she'd been feeling for a better part of the day since the Axalon arrived and the sadness and frustration I felt just moments ago.

"Do you want me to retrieve her, Optimus?" Magnus asked when Kacey hurried back and started helping others as they exited the Axalon.

"No. I've got my optics on her," I replied.

"Best to let her keep doing what she's doing," Jetfire said, narrowing his optics. "She'd get suspicious if we stopped her."

"You're going to have to tell her sooner or later," Magnus pointed out.

"I'm well aware of how intelligent my daughter is. However, when I chose to tell her is my decision not yours. For now, return to your post, Magnus. Jetfire, stay by my side and keep your optics open."

For an hour I watched and greeted any civilians brave enough to come near me. Some looked up at me in awe as if I was Primus himself. Jetfire was quick to point out that many of them had never seen a Prime before. Upon hearing this, I followed my daughter's example and did what I could to help.

I got an audio full from Prowl, Jazz, and Ironhide for doing so. Still, these people needed to see what kind of Prime I was instead of only going by my reputation. To placate them, I had Jetfire help as well since many of the civilians were friendly with him and he with them.

A couple of femmes fainted, which Jetfire joked about over a private comlink with me. Several mechs were left speechless when Jetfire introduced me to them. But once they realized I was just a mech they warmed up to me. I even blessed several sparklings which was always something the Primes in the past had done. It made me realized that it was time to take up some of the old traditions again.

I vowed to speak with Alpha Trion later. I needed a refresher in what all the responsibilities of a Prime entailed.

"There, the mech I was warning you about…Jerik," Jetfire said in a low voice, directing my gaze to an elderly mech who looked just as old, if not older than Alpha Trion. "Those six around him are like his disciples, he most loyal followers. The mech at his side is Windcharger. He's almost always with Jerik, does anything the old fragger tells him."

"Jerik's the one who speaks of this prophecy regarding Kacey?"

Jetfire nodded.

Instinctively my spark pulsed in fear when Kacey moved closer to where Jerik was descending. It took all my resolve to resist the urge to run and protect her. I even noticed how Jetfire's wings twitched as if he wanted nothing to do but run over and grab Kacey as well.

Then quite suddenly Jerik stumbled down the last couple of steps of the ramp. His followers were quick, but Kacey was quicker to catch hold of him and prevent him from falling to the deck. I moved my arm, blocking Jetfire before he dashed over. My logic center overriding a father's fear.

"No. If you rush over now, Kacey's curiosity will be peaked and she's far too intelligent. She won't ask why and will instead try to get answers for herself. Besides, I highly doubt they would harm her. No mech or femme would dare harm my daughter while I'm standing a mere twenty yards from her. Besides, if she's to be Prime one day it makes sense that they'd protect her, not harm her."

"Still, Jerik could say something to Kacey," Jetfire argued quietly in earnest, standing before me. "That alone could hurt her. I don't want to see anything happen to her."

As I was about to counter, I felt a flash of fear from Kacey and quickly looked over Jetfire's shoulder. Jerik's followers had dropped to their knees before Kacey.

"Go, be discrete and try not to arouse Kacey's suspicions," I ordered my cousin, watching as Kacey was trying to get the mechs to rise to their feet. "Magnus, come in."

"I'm watching them," he responded. "A team is on standby if necessary. I've also alerted Prowl and Jazz to the situation. They're talking with Kup now."

"Thank you my friend."

Apprehension tugged at my spark even as Jetfire arrived. I could only stand back, wait, and hope for the best.

Jerik

Having knowledge of something to come does not mean I'm prepared for it. I've learned long ago to not be anxious and not be expectant of what I've seen come to pass but simply allow it to happen and bear witness without judgment. And so while I was patiently awaiting the moment I would meet young Kaceystar I was surprised that'd I'd meet her so soon.

She was stunningly beautiful. Her optics had an intensity about them that I'd rarely seen that drew me in. Her posture denoted strength and pride. It was with little wonder than my closets subjects dropped to their knees before her. I would have too if she wasn't holding me up so strongly.

Again, to my surprise she appeared startled and uncertain. This dear child has no idea of her lineage or of the destiny Primus had in store for her.

"Please, rise up. I'm no one important enough. I'm just an Autobot. My father doesn't even like it when mechanisms kneel before him."

"No, my dear femme, you are so much more than you realize," I smiled warmly, extending my hand to touch her shoulder.

Again, I saw uncertainty in her optics as she shied away from my touch.

"You should tell her, Jerik," Windcharger said.

"Tell me what?" she asked, obvious confusion on her faceplates.

"That they're honored to meet Prime's first born! Isn't that right, Jerik? Although, I admit she is one lovely femme that would bring any mech to their knees."

The large white armored mech Jetfire was smiling like he always did but I could see the intense warning in his optics. A quick glance towards my Prime and I could see the worried look of a father. It was easy to deduce that Prime sent Jetfire here to retrieve Kaceystar.

"But of course, Jetfire," I smiled deciding now was not the time to reveal everything to this young femme.

Jetfire gave me a hard look even though he was still smiling.

Most definitely a warning to back off. I was fine with that. In due time the young femme would be told of her future. After all, I had infinite patience. I could wait for the moment to come.

"Kacey, Optimus would like you to return to his side," Jetfire said, his features softening when he faced her.

"May I say one thing before she goes?"

Jetfire hesitated, glancing at the young femme before he reluctantly nodded.

"My name is Jerik young Kaceystar. And I must say you are a bright light of hope for an ancient mech like myself. A lovelier femme than I could have imagined. It is a pleasure and an honor to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," she smiled back, accepting my hand. "But please remind your friends, I do not deserve them bowing at my feet. I'm not a God. I'm a femme doing what I can for the Autobots and Cybertronians, which at this point in my life is fighting Decepticons. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my father."

I smiled, watching the young femme hurry back to her father's side. It was wonderful to see the love and devotion in her optics that she had for her father. I could tell immediately the bond between them was strong. I knew in my spark that if one was lost to the other they'd be devastated.

It pained my spark that one day Kacey would lose her father and we'd lose our Prime. I didn't like it but destiny was inevitable. No one could stop Primus' will.

"If you so much has harm her or her father I will personally see that you rot in the brig," Jetfire growled down at me.

"I swear to you I mean no harm to the child or her family. I would never wish that upon them. But you cannot stop what will come to pass anymore than I can. She has a right to know her future."

"She has a right to live her life! So stay away from her," he ordered harshly and then turned on his heel and marched away.

"Stay your ground Windcharger," I snapped when he made a move to follow Jetfire.

"He had no right to talk to you that way!"

"Windcharger, I am an ancient mech. I've heard and been called many things. Words do not harm me. Nor am I afraid of threats from honorable mechs."

"But the prophecy…the femme…"

"The prophecy will come to pass when Primus wills it. Patience young one. Patience."

Windcharger nodded but I could still see the anger in his optics. I sighed tiredly. I'll talk to him later. I needed rest right now.

"Let's get to the transport so I can settle in and rest," I told them. "There is much work to be done."

Hot Rod

Figures. I couldn't find Springer anywhere and he was ignoring my hails. It was like the fragger vanished!

I frowned. I knew he was upset about Arcee shaking another mech's hand. But frag, I didn't think Springer would pull a vanishing act over it. Even when she dumped him those couple of times he was upset but never hid from me just from Arcee.

Makes me glad I'm single! I mean I love the femmes as much as the next mech but sometimes they're more trouble than they're worth! Unless I meet the femme, then she'd be worth it.

"Frag, where is he?" I muttered, looking one way and then the other.

Of course it might be easier if the hallways were less crowded. We'd all been anxious to finally get our own quarters! But this was ridiculous! Well maybe not so ridiculous as I was actually looking forward to finding my own quarters and getting settled in just like anyone else.

"Maybe I should and then go look for Springer," I mumbled to myself, convincing myself of a new plan of action.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry," a mech exclaimed when he accidentally bumped my arm as he moved past me.

"No harm done, not much room in this hallway anyways," I smiled kindly to the mech.

"It's good to finally have the hallways filled! It's been so quiet around here waiting for you guys to arrive! My name's Silverbolt."

"Hot Rod," I replied shaking his hand. "Silverbolt…oh, you're the arielbots' oldest brother."

"Yes," he beamed proudly. "My brothers weren't too much of a bother were they?"

"Nah, typical youths. Fireflight talked about you often. I think he missed you a lot."

"Flight and I were always close. He was still a youngling when our parents were killed and it was up to me to raise him. I'd promised him we'd always be together. It broke my spark when we got separated and I got captured by the 'Cons."

"Honestly, he doesn't hold it against you," I smiled patting him on the shoulder. "In fact…"

"SILVER!"

"See what I mean," I pointed out, as Fireflight weaved his way through the crowd towards us.

"Hey Raid! It's Silver!" Slingshot shouted, trailing close behind Fireflight.

Silverbolt laughed softly and was so happy tears filled his optics. He embraced Fireflight first, holding the young mech tight, murmuring words of brotherly affection in Cybertronian.

"Slingshot, Skydive, Air Raid…Primus…I missed you guys so much!" he wept trying to hug all four of his brothers at the same time.

"Did you meet my brother?" Fireflight asked me excitedly.

"Yes, I did. Take care of him."

"I will," he grinned wide and then went back into the group hug.

I left the brothers to their reunion and searched for my quarters. I hadn't anticipated how spark wrenching this would be for me seeing so many of my friends being reunited with family or loved ones. It hurt because I didn't have anyone. I had no family of my own since I was ten when I saw my father get killed.

I quickly shook my head, not wanting to remember that day.

No sense dwelling on the past. Besides, the Autobots were my family now.

"Wow," I gasped when I entered my quarters.

I was expecting a single room. This was more like a small suite. Main living room, berthroom, and my own washracks! And I don't have a roommate or two!

"Wow!" I laughed, dropping my bag on the berth. "I even have a window!"

However, before I could check out the view I heard my quarter's door open and a familiar tread march in.

"Mech, you are fragging hard to find when you start sulking around! Where the frag have you been?"

"I was in my quarters…officers section. I just needed to be alone," Springer replied taking a seat in the nearest chair. Wow, I have furniture too! "I take it you heard?"

"Kaitana told me a mech shook Arcee's hand. Nothing more. She was worried about you. So am I."

"Well at least he's a good mech, a diplomat which means he's smart. Plus he's one of Prime's sons. So at least I know Arcee will be treated well."

"But it doesn't stop the pain in your spark," I said, now understanding why he disappeared. Frankly, it wasn't like Springer to give up.

Springer nodded, staring at his hands resting on his knees.

"Who's to say she won't get bored with him? He doesn't sound like her type," I joked, trying to get a rise out of him.

I frowned as he only seemed to be getting more depressed by the moment. As much as I loved Arcee as a friend I was and would always be loyal to Springer. He rescued me, saved my life, and took me under his wing. We're good friends, like brothers which was why I never pursued Arcee as a lover. She belonged to him.

Also, Springer understood my wild side during battle and was always there to keep his optics on my back. Plus, he never lectured me the way Kup did. I mean Kup's an awesome mech for an old timer. He has a sense of humor…sort of. He knows when to turn his head and allow me to get into mischief. But Springer seemed to understand better where my anger was coming from whenever we battled. He taught me how to use it to my advantage in a fight.

I sighed. I couldn't allow him to wallow around like this.

"Listen, I'll talk to Arcee and find out about what she's doing with this mech. What's his name?"

"Orion. Prime's first born son," he answered, still staring at his hands.

"I'll talk with her about Orion. Meanwhile you need to pull your head out of your aft!"

Springer snapped his head up and glared at me.

"You're acting like a love sick mechano-puppy! That's not the Springer I know, the Springer I go into battle with. I know I told you to back off and give Arcee some room. But you can still be in her daily life. Just be there as a friend. Don't talk about the past, don't try to pursue her. Be yourself around her. Be mechly, you know she loves it when you show off. You never know, maybe she'll finally see the light."

"Maybe that's how I could win her spark?"

"Possibly. I'm not saying for certain though. I mean…"

Suddenly my door opened up and let Blurr, Inferno, and Blaster in along with a mech I didn't recognized.

"Don't you mechs knock?" I asked chuckling knowing they wouldn't because on the Axalon privacy was extremely rare.

"Ya want us to go back?" Blaster smirked.

"Nah, what is it?"

"This here is Nitro, Ironhide's son," Blaster said. "This is Hot Rod and the sulking one is Springer."

Springer growled getting to his feet.

"Just teasin' ya mech. Chill out."

"Chill out?" Springer asked, raising an optic ridge.

"It's Earth slang! I love it," Blaster grinned excitedly. "I'm getting together with my cousin Jazz later and he's gonna teach me more."

"The point Blaster," I reminded, knowing he could talk on and on if he got sidetracked.

"Right anyway, we were talking. Nitro was filling us on the low down around here and the subject came up about who's the fastest bot. Nitro here seems to think he knows a bot that could out race Blurr."

I laughed. We all did, even Springer. It was too funny. No bot was faster than Blurr! Not even me and I was fragging fast!

"There isn't a bot, 'Con, Neutral, or Autobot that can out race Blurr," I commented.

"You got that right," Blurr added. "No mechanism can catch me on the ground. I've even out-driven fliers! No bot can catch me."

"Oh, I don't know. Blaze is fast," Nitro smirked. "I doubt you'd even be able to keep up."

"Whoa, hang on a sec. Did you just challenge my mech?" I asked, standing right up in Nitro's face. "I don't see this Blaze fellow…"

"Femme. Blaze is a femme," Nitro corrected and I raised an optic ridge. That was…intriguing. A fast femme! "She's on duty. That's why she's not here. Good thing too. She'd rip your aft apart for suggesting she was a mech."

"Oh really?" I smiled. "Sounds like my kind of femme."

I could swear Nitro's smirk just got a little bigger.

"Well, I could arrange a meeting," he suggested. "We could settle this and see who's faster. Blaze or Blurr."

"You're on!" Blurr said, with Inferno and Blaster backing him up.

"The Axalon Autobots versus the Earth Autobots," Blaster grinned, rubbing his hands together. "It's been a long time since we've had some good betting going on!"

"Smokescreen's handling that aspect," Nitro said.

"No way, we want one of our mechs," Springer jumped in to my surprise.

"It's cool Springer. I know Smokey," Blaster chimed in. "He's an honest mech but one fragging good gambler. Odds are if you're placing a bet you place the same one as him and you'll win the majority of the time."

"That's fine," I said, patting Springer on the shoulder. "What time?"

"Seven am, base time," Nitro answered.

"Why so early?" Inferno asked.

"They'll both be fresh and she and I start our shifts at nine," he smiled, moving over to the console on the wall. After he pressed a button a map of Autobot City popped up and then zoomed in to a particular location. "Meet here…the launch deck. There's a ramp from there that leads to the track. The track goes all the way around Autobot City. I suggest you study it well. Blaze can drive it blind."

"No problem," I replied confidently even though I saw uncertainty in Blurr's optics. "One more thing before you leave. If Blurr wins, this Blaze gets to go out on a date with me."

Springer, Inferno, and Blaster groaned, covering their optics.

"That's Roddy, always thinking with his interface equipment," Inferno joked, patting me on the helm and making everyone laugh.

"Primus Hot Rod, you haven't even met her. She could be as ugly as a drone!" Springer laughed.

"I figured I didn't have anything to lose!" I countered.

"He doesn't. Blaze is very attractive. I'd go after her myself if I wasn't already engaged to be bonded," Nitro explained.

"If she's so attractive why is she still single?" Inferno asked.

"Well, don't mention this to her as she'll get rather peeved but she was a late bloomer. So no mech even contemplating asking her out yet."

"Oh…what's that mean?" Blurr asked, looking confused as he turned away from the map.

"It means her interface systems just came online recently," Springer answered.

"She's our age and she loves history and going fast…but you didn't hear that from me," Nitro winked. "So, tomorrow then?"

"You got a bet, my mech," I grinned, shaking his hand. "We'll be there."

"See you then and oh…welcome to Earth."

As soon as Nitro left, we huddled around Blurr who was studying the map.

"So what do you think?" I asked.

"It's a long track but doable. I'll have to conserve energy for the end of the race. At least, I assume it will only be one lap. I'm fast but I don't have endurance like you do Hot Rod or Springer. This area here will give me problems. A lot of sharp turns. I don't do well when I have to turn like that."

"You'll be fine. Put the word out. Axalon's reputation is on the line."

"Already doing that as we speak," Blaster grinned. "I sending all the Axalon Autobots and a few of our neutral friends a text. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get settle into my quarters on the officers' deck! You are looking at the Communications Commander."

"Congratulations!" I said, noticing that Springer didn't look surprised and then it dawned on me. "Wait, Springer did you get a promotion too?"

"Yeah. There will be an official announcement at the assembly morning after tomorrow. So you don't have to call me Sir until then," he smirked.

"Right we all get assigned to our Earth Autobot for orientation," I remarked. "I take it the officers…"

"Have to do it as well," he remarked, giving me that look like I'd better do the orientation or else. "Jazz will be conducting the officer's orientation. It's mandatory. Your attendance will be recorded. Any bot not attending will have one chance to make it up before disciplinary action is taken. I suspect you'll do it."

"Pfft, you don't know me so well then," I snorted.

"Yeah I do," he countered. "Because if you don't attend orientation you'll be prolonging you opportunities to fight the 'Cons."

My mouth dropped open.

"I thought so," he chuckled. "See you mechs later."

"I don't know. It's been a while. Do you remember how to fight, Roddy?" Inferno teased.

"You aft!" I exclaimed, and then chased after him as he ran out into the hallway.

In all honesty, that's the kind of mechs we were on the Axalon. We took things seriously. We protected our own. We knew how to have fun. Things are going to be interesting here in Autobot City. I curious to see how we all get along.

And I'm definitely curious about the femmes, including this Blaze. I'm a mech that can't resist a pretty face.

Up Next: The race! Kacey makes quite the impression on Hot Rod. Can she resist his charm?