hapter 2: Destination
The empty halls of the small ship seemed eerie; all life seemed to have abandoned the open corridors and instead checked themselves in for the night for a recharge. The soft patters of foot falls through the deserted halls seemed to thunder loudly as Shadowblur walked through the halls, her door wings sagged against her back weary from a long session of monitor duty. It had not been fun- her aft was sore from sitting in that hard and uncomfortable chair. When you're in space you don't have a lot of monitoring to do- it could take weeks or months before you even remotely see another ship or a docking station. Grumbling a series of choice words she took in a breather. All her negative feelings washed away as she stood before the door leading to one of her favorite mech's room. The back of her knuckles tapped against the door just hard enough to make a faint but solid tapping on the door's surface as she tilted her head to hear any sign if perhaps the occupant of the room was inside.
Satisfied when the door suddenly gave a low hiss and began to retreat she stared at the grey mech. His chest plate was flat with white lines coming down them, his broad shoulders and just as thick waist was adorned with red stripes which clashed nicely on his grey body. A smile crept onto her lips as she stared right into a pair of deep sky blue optics.
"You busy Blue?" She asked, her eyes looked behind his shoulder and into his room. A few data pads laid scattered on his berth where he no doubt had been working.
Flashing her a warm smile, he stepped aside and gestured for her to come inside.
"No actually I was just finishing a few data-pads for Prowl. He needs them done before we leave for Earth tomorrow and I was thinking maybe-"
She politely cut him off, knowing full well if allowed, he would continue on and on. "Don't worry I just got off monitor duty, he has us all on double time, he really wants to leave."
He smiled, "I was doing it again, huh?"
Gently pulling on the edge of his lowered doorwings- an affectionate gesture for Praxians she smiled at him. "It's fine."
She did love hearing his voice, she really did and normally wouldn't mind if he wanted to talk until his face plate fell off but not today, today she just wanted to enjoy his company in silence.
Sitting on the edge of his berth, she turned around and picked up one of his discarded tablet's. Raising an optic ridge she glanced up towards Bluestreak.
"I never knew Smokescreen was bonded to someone?"
"Well," he rubbed the back of his head. "He is but he isn't."
She laughed her eyes intent on the screen in front of her "Explain."
"In Praxian we had arranged marriages, the family of the mech would choose a femme and alert the family of the femme and the council would also have to agree that it was a good match." He sat down beside her. "Smokescftreen, well our parental units went through all that for him, and the council, well gave the okay so legally he is married but not physically."
She looked at him quizzically, "go on."no
"He never bonded with the femme because the war finally broke out. But legally it says he is bonded to her."
"That's stupid, why should someone bond to someone if they don't have any feelings for them."
"To ensure the next generations were in a sense perfect, it's always been that way."
She stayed quiet before she looked at him, "I'm part Praxian, if the war hadn't broken out would I have been..." She trailed off knowing that he would know what she meant. His soft nod answered her question.
"You know were not the only ones who do that too, the seekers do it too. If you look up Thundercracker's and Starscream's file they're both legally bonded to some femmes. I believe so is Dirge. Praxians are related to seekers you know." He smirked tugging on her door wing.
"And Prowl?" She asked.
"He got lucky I guess, the council misplaced his documents." Bluestreak shrugged taking the datapad from her hands, "and any ways, you're not supposed to look at that stuff it's confidential."
"Well it won't leave my lip plating." She smiled nudging him playfully. She felt relaxed with his company, he was like another brother in a way- but the same could be said about the rest of the team. She had grown fond of them- down to their oddest traits and to their quirkiest behaviors. The clashing of personalities on this ship would leave any one feeling humbled- it was a little family in a way.
With a heavy sigh she leaned back onto the bed and stared at his ceiling content to be able to enjoy this quiet moment.
"I wonder what's so special about this Earth?" Bluestreak mused out loud his attention centered on a datapad.
"Hmm, well it's probably filled with plants."
"Looking at the information Prowl gave us- it sound a lot like X-terrya."
"The one with the metal eating plants and acid water?"
"Yea that one," Bluestreak smiled at the horrified face she made before she too smiled, he had such a contagious cheeriness sometimes that she couldn't help but smile.
The duo went silent again savoring each others company.
"It'll be nice to see my uncle again," she said out loud causing her companion to look up from the screen at her.
"Yea, maybe Hot Rod will be there or at least the twins."
"The twins?" She fiddled with a piece of broken metal from him berth before playfully flicking it at him.
"Yes the twins, or as Ratchet likes to call them, the pit spawned fraggers." He smiled cheerily, a new glint glowing in his eyes.
"Hmm," she glanced at him skeptically as he put empathizes on the word 'the', "Sounds nice." She replied sarcastically. He frowned at her before looking at his datapad.
"I'm sure you'd like them." He said.
"Maybe." Uninterested in hearing about these twins she patted his knee and sighed. "Imma go, you know how Red gets when he finds out when someone wandering around when everyone is recharging."
He smirked remembering those of so fond moments, his attention was still on the screen and he hadn't noticed she had scooted closer.
"Goodnight Blue," she smiled giving him a short peck on the cheek as she had always done, the kind of that would always send flutters in his tanks and warmth into his spark. She pulled away and pulled on his wings once more before walking out of the room. He stayed still not wanting to move just yet, he could still feel her lips on his cheek plating. A goofy smile spread across his face as his digits softly touched his cheek his content and boyish attitude suddenly dropped away as he frowned and glared at the datapad blaming it for things it had no relation to doing. He sighed no longer interested in doing his assigned work his shoulders sagged down to match his deflated mood. The lights dimmed down automatically leaving him staring at the ceiling. She would never feel that way towards him, Shadowblur looked at everyone here in a brotherly fashion- he by all means was no exception. He growled turning onto his side blocking out all thoughts he dimmed his optics and let himself feel nothing but her still lingering kiss.
"I believe I win, yet again." Smokescreen's smug voice rang through the room as his arms swooped out to gather the stack of playing chips in the middle of the table. Blaster grumbling flicked a chip at the grey Autobot. Quirking an optic ridge and flashing a coy smile in a manner which only Smokescreen could pull off he held up a thin disk between his digits and with a graceful flick of his wrist more disks spread out between the rest of his digits.
"Best two out of three?" Frowning, Blaster pushed away from the table.
"No." He answered sternly.
"What's the matter? Did losing to me for the zillionth time finally do you in?" Smokescreen cackled delighted to hear the clinking of chips as he threw them into the air above him. "I am the king!" A small smirk appeared on Blaster's face as a chip landed on his shoulder strut.
"That title doesn't suit you, try maybe a fool." Pausing from his laughter, Smokescreen glared at the red bot in front of him.
"I'll show you a fool," he growled ready to lunge at him from across the table.
"Ah ah ah," Blaster teased, "Prowl has a strict no fighting with each other rule. You lay a servo on me and straight to the lower deck you go, my gambling friend." A cheeky smile spread on the music box's face as he watched the other mech make a face.
"I also have a no gambling rule." Prowl said, startling the pair of mech's as they stared at the smaller Praxian before glaring at one another.
"I thought you said Prowl wouldn't leave his office today."
"No, that was your job to make sure he didn't leave his office."
"Prowl is right here." Sarcastically the black and white Praxian quieted them down. "Were reaching our destination and Red-Alert wants all of us in the stasis pods; all of us."
Smokescreen leaned back peering down his nose to the other mechs, "We're not crashing and were not that far away, there's no need to use the stasis pods, Prowl."
Sighing, Prowl checked his battered data-pad briefly before turning on his heel his door wings stiffly raised. "You know how he is, now go, that's an order."
"Optimus! Do you mind telling me why your troops are costing the government so much money in damages?"
Ironhide huffed, his hand gently buffing his large weapon, his dark and pointed head shaking in disgust. The human insec- pardon him- agent Galloway was fuming, his insignificant and puny finger pointed at Optimus, "Don't you have any control over the zoo you supposedly run here. This isn't a day-care, Prime!"
Optimus sighed pinching the bridge of his nose his face eerily calm- but hey he was Optimus Prime, no other explanation was needed.
"Agent Galloway, pardon my troops but we are gracious of your government and how your people has treated us with welcome arms, we mean no disrespect but we sometimes have to take...whatever necessary path to ensure your planet's safety."
Galloway huffed his lips turning into a particularly nasty snarl as he continued to fume. His hand held out a rather used clipboard with a stack of papers on it.
"Just look at those numbers- all the damage your robots cause fighting the Decepticons and don't get me started on how those two," his finger venomously swerved to point to a pair of mechs leaning against the wall snickers on their faces. "Always seem to break every traffic law every created!"
One of the pair snorted, his golden body glistened where ever the sun seemed to peek through the building's windows and touch his recently polished armor. His brother, silver and beautifully glistening as well only smirked as they nonchalantly listened to the ranting man.
"Optimus!" A voice yelled a young man about the age of 30 came trotting in his cheek bones prominent and black hair slicked back. Glancing at Galloway, Optimus crouched down on one knee as the man handed him a small tablet.
"Incoming friendly in the northern hemisphere. Their destined to crash in a few hours. Ratchet already confirmed the energy reading of the ship to be Autobot."
Nodding, Optimus zoomed his optics to see what was written on the paper handed to him. After a moment he asked, "Do we know the designation of the vessel and how many occupants?"
"Yes, Ratchet cleared that too. It's the Excavate, he's unsure how many are on board but he was sure your second in command is on that craft."
"Prowl?"
"He gave me no names just what I already told you, sir."
Galloway huffed angrier than before, "Great just great even more expenses." He turned on his heel and stomped out his knuckles white and his cheeks flushed.
The golden mech growled as his brother rolled his optics at hearing that dreaded name.
"My fun was getting started and now Prowlers coming and he's going to ruin all my plans."
"Sideswipe," Ironhide growled effectively shutting up the silver red front liner. "I believe you have boxes to move and equipment to count."
The two brothers- twins really- just stood there un-moving until Ironhide got up growling at the troublesome duo.
"Well what are you two glitches waiting for, a written invitation? Get to it!" The twins skittered away; a wise choice for both of them. Plopping down the old bot grumbled as Prime let the corner of his mouth twitch before looking back down at the man at his feet.
"Thank you, Eddison. You're dismissed." The prime said kindly as the soldier smiled and saluted before jogging away.
"Ironhide, gather a small troop and report back to me after you're finished. I have an important matter to see at the moment." Ironhide nodded catching on to the unsaid words but rather the implied message his leader was trying to get across.
"He'll be relieved." He said gruffly but underneath his chest tightened a bit in a loving way only a true friend would understand. Optimus nodded once before hearing the fading footsteps of his fellow companion.
"If he remembers." Optimus whispered lowly to himself before sighing and going on his way.
A/N: I'm a terrible person; but you already knew that. Jeez what was the last time I updated either of my stories- oh you know a couple months. But please don't shoot me, at least not yet! I haven't updated because I have been going supreme mega hardcore at school; and I am now a Junior and will graduating my junior year with my advanced diploma J so that's why I haven't been around this site but now that it is summer all that should change.