Kneeling to the Sword

by Gatekat

Knights of Light. Dai Atlas/Axe. When General Dai Atlas and his SIC decide to retire from Nova Prime's army, they know it could cost them dearly and plan accordingly.

12. Walkabout

Fandom: Transformers G1
Author: gatekat, ultrarodimus on LJ
Pairing: Axe/Dai Atlas
Rating: NC-17
Codes: Slash, Historical Setting, Knights of Light, Sticky, Spark, Death
Summary:
Disclaimer: The authors are only playing with their own twisted muses. Transformers belong to Hasbro. Fandom-side, check the inspirations page (gatekat-fics .livejournal 290 .html). We draw from a ton of amazing stories and authors you should read.

Kneeling to the Sword 12: Walkabout
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Axe and Dai Atlas walked through the corridors of the Citadel toward the office of the Sovereign, wondering what Vanguard wanted to see them about. All they had been told was that he wished to see them in private, without giving away any other details. The pair had been speculating among themselves, finally drifting into silence as they approached the office of the Circle's leader.

It opened at their approach, effectively ushering them into a room that as always struck them as a political statement; it was shaped, painted and inlaid to match the crossguard and gem of a Great Sword with the water-blue gem of Dreamer is the Dream. All the furniture and features were either transparent or added to the illusion of being inside the gem.

"Dai Atlas, Axe," Vanguard greeted them in the traditional order by rank and time in rank. "Have you considered going on a walkabout?"

Axe cycled his optics several times. "Can't say that I have, since it really wasn't an option before the death of Nova Prime. Once we found out that we wouldn't have to go out and risk being caught, I pretty much put it out of my mind."

"It would benefit you to consider it now," the Sovereign said simply. "I will not order you to leave, not with the extent of your existence out there. I will, however, request that you go on a walkabout as every other Knight has done. Experience the parts of our society that you may not have had contact with before. Be sure that you are here because it is the best place for you, rather than because it is all you know."

The black and gold Knight looked over at his mate. "We were sparked warriors and in the military almost all our lives. There's probably quite a bit of normal non-military life that we know nothing about. It's definitely something to consider."

Dai Atlas nodded, still rather stunned by the concept of leaving. Across the bond Axe felt the growing unease in his mate, twined with the determination not to allow that to rule him.

"Yes, there is much of Cybertron we have not experienced," Dai Atlas agreed thoughtfully, his wings twitching in agitation. "Much of society even I have not known."

"As a concession to the age of your bond, I will not ask you to walk separately, as long as I have both your word that you will not use each other as an excuse not to interact with the people around you."

"Given," Dai Atlas nodded.

"I also give my word." Axe mirrored his mate's nod. One hand eased over to rest lightly against Dai Atlas'. He was uneasy about it as well; it had been more than six centuries since he and Dai Atlas had left the Citadel, and the first time they had dared to fly after learning they were free of Nova Prime, they had been shot out of the sky.

"There are a few additional rules that your Daoshi did not drill into you as it was not going to matter for some time, if at all," Vanguard spoke even as he offered them a small smile and a databurst. "You will each be given twenty three orns worth of rations, a field repair kit and three hundred credits in whatever form you wish to have it in. How you survive at least one hundred and sixty six vorns is largely up to you. Understand that we are unlikely to know if you get into trouble in time to help you. If you break any laws you are expected to face the punishment for it under local law if they charge you."

Axe frowned thoughtfully, glancing at his mate. "And no contact with the Citadel until we return, I am assuming... We'll figure something out." The black Knight shifted his weight absently, his processor poring over the information.

"No," Vanguard nodded. "Contact with Skjöldur beyond a casual nod as you pass should also be avoided. Though given her inclination towards not talking, that shouldn't be much of an issue."

Axe chewed on that for a moment, then turned his attention to his mate. ~What do you think?~

~Given the stated purpose of the walkabout, all the rules make sense,~ Dai Atlas mulled it over. ~I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but we should go.~

~Think you can survive without cuddles from our jetling for that long?~ the black and gold mech teased, returning his attention to Vanguard. "We will go, then."

~I will, he may not,~ Dai Atlas snickered back even as he nodded in agreement with his mate.

"Good. Make your preparations and decide how you would like your credits. Aurora will provide what you need. I will call a grand counsel in three orns to announce your walkabout." There was no missing the Seeker's pleasure that they were following tradition without it being demanded of them.

"We'll be ready," Dai Atlas promised.

Axe chuckled through the bond. ~I'll miss him while we're gone, that I know for sure.~ Cycling his optics to refocus them, Axe nodded in agreement and followed his mate out.

~We'll just have to make due,~ Dai Atlas leaned against his mate's shoulder as they returned to their quarters. ~Have you decided what you want your credits as?~

~Still pondering what form would be the most useful,~ Axe replied, his processor still working on that. ~Have you decided?~

~Fifty credits and the rest in energon,~ he said simply. ~There is nowhere on Cybertron that you can't use energon as currency, and the stuff we get here is unique enough to fetch a good price in trade. Or we can drink it.~

~Point,~ Axe agreed. ~That sounds reasonable." He paused for a moment. ~Have you given any thought to where we should head first, after we leave the Citadel?~

A deep huff escaped the big mech. ~Iacon, and the Prime. I want to find out if his pardon was a trap for deserters. If he's a good mech, then we won't need to be paranoid for the walkabout. If he's setting a trap, we can bolt back here if we escape again.~

Axe hummed low in his vocalizer. ~If it is a trap, getting out will be more difficult this time. We no longer have weapons integrated into our alt modes. I do hope this new Prime is a good mech. I'd rather spend the walkabout learning new things and picking up some new skills, not looking over my shoulder all the time.~

~And he'll likely have learned from our last escape,~ Dai Atlas said grimly, the bond making it clear that he had no expectation of managing to escape a second time. ~I would know we are free, or extinguish removing an evil mech from the functioning.~

Agreement flowed along the bond. ~While I would prefer to get out with my spark, I too would fight to the end to prevent others from being trapped.~

Across the much weaker bonds with their Great Swords there was the hum of harmonic agreement and reminder that nothing could stop them if fully charged.

~And there is them,~ Dai Atlas agreed. ~It may be a last ditch risk, but if even half of the records are true, if we know we will extinguish they will ensure none within our reach escape with their sparks.~

Axe reached back to brush his fingers over the heavy hilt of the Great Sword he carried. ~I had forgotten... No Knight has used a Great Sword in battle in a very long time.~ He sent a thread of apology to Sentry of Balance for having forgotten that about the Great Swords.

~It goes against what they stand for now; to only kill when there is no other choice,~ Dai Atlas mused. ~Those first few generations were quite different from the Knights of now.~

~That is true.~ Axe coded open the door to their quarters, stepping inside. Black armor ruffled. ~Preparations... and telling our sparkling that we're going on walkabout...~

~Assuming he doesn't find out from others first. I can't imagine this spreading any slower than news of Shogun's bonding,~ Dai Atlas chuckled a bit as he went to their supply cabinet and began to select what they'd bring, paying careful attention to the allowed and forbidden lists both in technicality and spirit.

~The whole Citadel knew that Shogun had finally bonded to Stormcloud within a half breem of it actually happening, long before they ever came out to announce it themselves.~ Axe snorted. ~I'm expecting Wing to pop in and pounce on us as soon as he's finished putting Dagger through his paces for the orn.~ The black mech joined his mate, sorting through their supplies. ~Assuming this goes well, are we going to stay out more than the minimum?~

Dai Atlas paused, thoughtful, as he ran that through tactical processors as well as his emotional protocols. ~I think I would stay until we are ready to return.~

The black and gold mech hummed his agreement. ~As long as it goes well. I think it will be very interesting to learn new things and have new experiences.~

~Agreed,~ Dai Atlas hummed, a flicker of excitement in his field. ~Something new that isn't about the next best way to kill.~

A soft knock on their door announced a mecha that didn't have the codes. Axe looked up from his sorting, sending the remote unlocking code for the door. One optic rim lifted slightly upon seeing who walked in, then Axe inclined his helm in a polite greeting. "Thorn."

"Word is you're going on a walkabout," the resident history junky said, the ruby gem of Shield of the Sky glittering over his helm.

"We are, now that it should be safe enough for us to be outside the Citadel." Axe glanced at Dai Atlas briefly. "We were sparked military... There is a lot we don't know about other lifestyles, and this is as good a time as any to learn. I think it will be very interesting."

"I hope that the bulk of the population won't recognize me," Dai Atlas added. "It hasn't been long enough for those of rank or military to have forgotten, but we might manage to be treated like normal mecha in some cities. It will be interesting ... It's been ages since my rank didn't affect those around me."

Axe chuckled. "It's good to hope, but I wouldn't count on going completely unrecognized. You know as well as I do how quickly news spreads. The gossip vine runs faster than even a teleporting courier mecha. And we were in the news quite a bit, both as military and after we left."

Dai Atlas snorted. "I know. Some cities, like Praxus and Kaon, don't care much about the news. Even if it's just a few times, it would be a pleasant change."

"Yet most like to be recognized," Thorn cocked his helm.

"Most haven't been in the limelight for three Primes," Dai Atlas pointed out. "I was a top General because I'm good at the function, not because I desired it."

"It would be very nice to go unrecognized, I have to admit. I was only a second-in-command, so I wasn't in the spotlight quite as much as the love of my existence here was, but enough that anyone with a quick processor would be able to recognize me." Axe shrugged.

"Then I wish you the best at being unrecognized," Thorn inclined his helm, then allowed a mischievous look to cross his features. "I'm off to tell Wing, and see how long he can focus."

The black and gold triple changer grinned wickedly. "Ten creds says he won't be able to focus for long." Dark plating ruffled slightly as Axe shifted. "You and Atl are going to have fun with him while we're gone," Axe observed with a chuckle. "Poor jetling will be cuddle-deprived very quickly."

Dai Atlas could only laugh. "Fortunately you'll have plenty of help if you want it. I think most of the Citadel enjoys his company."

"Definitely," Thorn winked at the pair. "We'll be the ones deprived when he finally finds the mate he's always going on about. Have fun, and pack carefully. It's a long time to be on your own out there."

Dai Atlas nodded as the black jet slipped out to torment his friend. ~It's been longer than I care to remember since either of us has been on our own in any sense of the term.~

~Considering how well-trained Wing has you when it comes to cuddling, I will laugh my aft plating off if you start showing signs of jet-cuddle deprivation,~ Axe teased. ~And yes, it has been. I'm not entirely sure I can accurately recall the last time I was completely on my own.~

~If I start picking up random mecha in my recharge, feel free. Just make sure you get captures of their expressions for me,~ Dai Atlas smirked. ~I'm sure there would be priceless ones.~

Axe laughed out loud. ~Image captures, vid captures, and teasing until the orn we go offline.~ He leaned over to sneak a kiss, then went back to sorting and packing.

They had finished packing, set much of their quarters to rights for a long time empty and indulged in each other until their paint was well-traded before sinking into their prized hot oil pool by the time Wing had broken and given up on the orn and flown to their balcony.

The white jet trotted across the main room, poking his helm in to make sure they weren't in the middle of something before walking over. "Thorn says you two are going on walkabout."

"Yes," Dai Atlas nodded as he motioned the younger mech over in welcome. "Vanguard requested we consider doing so, and we have."

Wing settled on the rim of the pool, tilting his helm at them. "It will certainly be an interesting experience for you... And it should be safe enough now."

"That is the expectation," Dai Atlas agreed. "It will be interesting for us to experience a world where we are not part of an organization or supported by it. Neither of us has existed on our own like that, other than the flight between Iacon and here."

"And there would be a lot for you to learn about life outside of the military." Wing nodded. He was quiet for a moment, slender white wings fluttering uneasily behind him.

"We'll be fine," Axe assured him. "The Prime couldn't get rid of us. A little walkabout won't either."

"The first time you left the Citadel, for a skydance, I saw you shot out of the sky," Wing pointed out. "I'm allowed to be nervous."

Axe reached out to grab a white leg, pulling the startled jet into the pool. "We will be fine, Wing."

"Yes, and you are allowed to miss us," Dai Atlas pulled Wing to his lap and stroked his back. "We will be fine. We will come back."

Wing leaned against Dai Atlas' frame. "I am most definitely going to miss you," the small jet murmured.

"We'll miss you too," Axe murmured, adding his fingers to his mate's on Wing's back. "But you're safe here. Those raiders will never manage an assault like the last one again."

"Not in the next couple hundred vorns at least," Dai Atlas added.

The small jet chuckled. "I doubt any of the surviving raiders will want to come anywhere near the Citadel. Not after what happened the last time." Gold optics briefly met red and Dai Atlas smiled weakly.

"No, not after what I did, I do not expect so. My song is not something to risk experiencing twice," he murmured, a large finger stroked Wing's backstrut. "Nor are the Knights of Light when pressured to fight."

Wing nodded his agreement, resting his helm against Dai Atlas' chestplate. After a long moment, he tilted his helm to look up. "Think you'll be able to adjust to not having a purring ball of jet recharging on top of you?" he wondered, clearly remembered having been fetched from his own berth on several occasions.

"If not, my dear mate has promised captures and vids of it," Dai Atlas chuckled, a deep rumble of mirth. "I'm sure you'll hear all about it when we get back."

"And you, try not to interfere with your friend's love lives too much," Axe teased back.

Wing gave the black mech a look of purest innocence. "Who, me? Surely not me!" Mischief glittered in sun-gold optics as the jet grinned brightly. "I look forward to hearing all about your travels when you return."

"Yes you, little flitter-glitch," Axe laughed. "I expect all the stories of your adventures while we're gone too. With many pictures, especially of your new Initiate growing up."

The little jet laughed. "I'll try not to cause too much chaos, but I make no guarantees." He leaned over to press against Axe's plating, purring softly. "I will miss you very much while you are away, creators."

"As we will miss you, Wing," Dai Atlas spoke the designation with great affection and the modifiers that gave no doubt of his claim on the white jet.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

It had been well over six hundred vorns since the pair had fled Iacon. Seeing it again, Axe couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his frame from nosecone to tailfins, his wings shifting closer to his fuselage before spreading back out to their full span. He couldn't help the case of nerves he'd developed since seeing Iacon come into view on the horizon, easing a little closer to Dai Atlas.

~It will be over soon, either way,~ his mate promised. ~By midmorning tomorrow we will know how this new Prime stands.~

~Hopefully it will end favorably,~ Axe replied. He eyed the city as they passed over the outskirts, heading toward the city center. ~Having gotten used to the much smaller population of the Citadel, the city is... very slightly daunting.~

A rumble of amusement came from Dai Atlas. ~I never thought you would feel like that. Though at least we won't have to pay for a place to stay here. Titanium has an apartment in Iacon, and a couple other cities.~

The black mech flicked his wings in a shrug. ~Surprised me, too.~ Axe rumbled softly. ~And he gave us an open invitation to stay at his place as long as we need to.~ He sideslipped to dodge a much smaller airframe, responding to a shouted curse with a rude wing-flick.

~Some things never change,~ Dai Atlas chuckled at the traffic and pinged Iacon's central database for directions to the address Titanium had given him so long ago.

~Including couriers thinking they always have the right of way,~ Axe grumbled.

Titanium's apartment was in one of the towers near the heart of the city. The older mech had plenty of credits and no reason not to use them. Like the majority of places that catered to flying mechs, there was a balcony. The apartment was of a decent size, with two berthrooms, a washrack, and a kitchen area as well as the main living space. Best of all, it was designed with Dai Atlas' frame size in mind.

"We'll have to thank him if we ever cross paths again," Dai Atlas said as he began to relax slightly in the familiar feel of the place, even if he hadn't been there before. "It will be nice to have a good berth these first orns."

Axe leaned on the balcony rail, looking over the city. "It will, indeed." Walking inside, he settled onto the couch, reaching out to brush his fingers against the vanes on the tip of one of Dai Atlas' wings as the larger mech came within reach. He got a low hum and flare of desire for his efforts, as well as drawing his mate to sit next to him. The kiss was warm, full of affection and desire that never went away.

"Energon, then test out the berth?" Dai Atlas suggested with a rumble.

"Sounds good," Axe purred, returning the kiss. The thick padding on the couch shifted under him as he sidled closer to his mate. He fished out an energon cube, taking a long sip, then lifted it to his mate's lips to feed him, just to feel the shiver that always ran through Dai Atlas' frame at the move.

Feeling that shiver drew a purr from the black and gold mech. Axe leaned forward to playfully lick a stray drop of energon from Dai Atlas' lips, savoring the taste and the heated kiss that quickly followed.

For Dai Atlas at least, the energon was quickly forgotten and his mate pressed down to lay on the couch.

Axe responded with a chuckle as he sank back, the padding shifting to comfortably support his frame. He ran his hands over Dai Atlas' back, taking a moment to put the energon cube down on the floor where it wouldn't be knocked over by accident. Dark fingers found a wing base, sliding into the seams that opened willingly to his touch.

~Primus, I love you Axe,~ Dai Atlas moaned, his glossa delving into his mate's mouth as his spike cover slid open.

~I love you more than words can express,~ Axe murmured in response, his glossa flirting with his mate's as one gold-trimmed leg curled over Dai Atlas' hip, the black mech's valve cover eagerly sliding open.

In a dance that was old to them before most mecha in existence had been sparked, Dai Atlas slid into his mate, smooth and deep, before drawing back and giving his entire frame over to the pleasure that was his bonded.

Axe's other leg curled over a dark hip, ankles hooking together. He moaned into the kiss, sliding one hand under Strength of Conviction's blade to touch the sensitive metal underneath. His other hand slid up to knead the back of Dai Atlas' neck, sneaking under the rim of the blue mech's helmet to entice a cry from his mate.

Huge white hands gripped Axe's shoulders as the thrusts sped up. Their bond flared opened and the physical bliss poured through, yet it was the emotional content that truly got Dai Atlas off. After such a long existence, pure physical pleasure held nothing to the pleasure with one he cared for.

The black Knight clung to his mate's frame, nipping at his jaw and cheek armor, working his way down to Dai Atlas' throat. The fingers of one hand continued to stroke under the rim of the heavy blue helmet, seeking out all of the really sensitive spots he'd found over the vorns. Love and devotion flowed along the bond between the two mechs as the charge built, powered by the firing of tightly packed sensor nodes in spike and valve.

Dai Atlas tipped his helm to the side, giving both fingers and mouth more access. A tiny part of him thought this was going too quickly, but he ignored it as the first whips of energy began to dance across his frame and leap to Axe's plating.

~I never want another after you,~ Dai Atlas moaned across the bond, more sensations than words.

~Nor I, after you,~ Axe agreed, taking advantage of the better access to sneak his fingers into a seam between blue metal and the cabling of Dai Atlas' neck. His glossa probed between the cables and tubes of his mate's throat, pausing to nibble delicately at a control line. The fingers of his other hand worked into a wing joint, stroking over the hydraulics and the wiring.

It was all Dai Atlas could take. With a bellowed roar his frame went stiff and his hips drove against Axe's, the only movement a twitching grind as energy and charged transfluid erupted into Axe's valve. Axe threw back his helm, howling out his own overload. Belatedly he hoped the apartment had been soundproofed, then mentally shrugged and dismissed the thought. His valve calipers clamped down on Dai Atlas' spike, milking out every last drop of transfluid. Charge crackled over black plating, dancing and arcing between armor points.

That moment of absolute vulnerability heightened the sensation for both mechs, who would always be military in their base coding.

"Love you," Dai Atlas managed to moan, his frame and voice trembling as he slowly began to unlock, his armor flared to vent heat.

Axe vented heavily under him, lifting a hand to run his palm over Dai Atlas' helm, tracing the edge of a golden crest. "Love you, too," he murmured, fluffing his armor. Unhooking his ankles, he lowered his legs, one dangling off the couch. That made the hard spike still deep inside him rub against his valve in entirely new ways. A mewling moan and shiver came from it and prompted Dai Atlas to roll his hips.

"More?" Dai Atlas rumbled into a nipping kiss to Axe's throat.

Axe tilted his helm to nip at the center crest of his mate's helm, rolling his hips into Dai Atlas'. "Oh yes," he purred in response.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Axe kept his expression neutral, optics and sensors on the mecha escorting the two Knights toward the Prime's office. He hadn't missed the flare of recognition that had gone through their escort when they saw just who they were escorting, nor did Axe miss the occasional glances flicking toward the long, gleaming blades Dai Atlas and Axe wore on their backs. Clamping down on his nerves, the black and gold triple changer did his best to keep from fidgeting, trying to mimic his mate's calmness.

~It will be worth it, no matter how this ends,~ Dai Atlas caressed his spark.

~It's still more than a little nerve-wracking.~ Outwardly, Axe's expression didn't change. ~Let's get this over with.~

~We will,~ Dai Atlas promised as they entered the waiting room for the Prime's office and passed through it to the office.

It had changed little in the vorns this new mech had been in residence. Yet the greatest difference was in the feel of the place with that new mech at its center. Sentinel Prime was a golden and orange mech, far different from the black and deep purple of his predecessor.

"Dai Atlas, Axe," the new Prime spoke as he stood. "Welcome. I am pleased you chose to speak to me."

"Sentinel Prime." Axe and Dai Atlas inclined their helms slightly in unison, regarding the new Prime. He didn't look anything like Nova Prime had, and at first glance had none of the madness that had driven his predecessor. Though it still remained to be seen whether or not that was true.

"I understand that my predecessor refused to accept your buyout and declared you both deserters," Sentinel Prime spoke smoothly. "I would hear why you chose to leave the military."

"We had had enough of the fighting, the fuelshed, the genocides against alien races," Dai Atlas answered. "Both myself and my mate had seen far too much of war. We no longer wanted any part of it."

"Have you kept up on politics since I became Prime?" he asked, motioning the pair to one of the few additions to the office: a seating area for intimate talking.

"The place where we ended up is isolated and has almost no contact with the outside. What news we get is brought back by those who go out to spend time in the outside world before returning, and it is always vorns out of date by the time it reaches us. We did not learn of Nova Prime's death until more than sixteen vorns after it happened." Warily, Dai Atlas settled into a chair, his Great Sword shifting against his back. Axe settled on the edge of another chair, the tip of his Great Sword almost touching the floor.

Sentinel Prime accepted that with a slight nod. "Energon?"

Politeness dictated that they should accept, even if eons of wariness insisted otherwise.

"Please," Dai Atlas decided for them.

A sleek blue and purple femme appeared shortly with a single large carafe and three cubes on a tray that she set down on as small table. All three cubes were poured in clear sight of the ancient warriors. Dai Atlas was offered the first choice of cubes on the tray, then Axe had his choice, with the Prime taking the one they left.

It went against protocols of the highest in rank being served first, but the understanding look the Prime offered them spoke of experience trying to make peace with old warriors his predecessor had alienated. So did the fact that the Prime drank first. He took more than a sip, too. Assurances to mecha who had good reason to fear poison that there was none.

"I have reversed many of my predecessor's policies. In the beginning, he may have had good intentions, but by the end he was truly insane, consumed by power and his own nature. We are no longer an expanding empire. Those worlds that he did not conquer I have pulled troops from. The military will be a defensive force under my rule."

The tense set of Dai Atlas' wings, visible only to his mate or another flier, began to relax, long wings settling back into their usual positions. Axe shifted slightly, relaxing ever so slightly himself.

"That is good to hear," Dai Atlas noted, taking a sip from his cube. "However, we will not be returning to the military. We have a new place, a new life."

"Then I regret that he cost me your service," Sentinel Prime said easily, even if he did nothing to hide the honest disappointment. "I am well aware of how much you have seen, and how many Primes you have seen fall to their weaknesses." He paused at the tension that flashed through both his guests. "I know you have experienced many that are not spoken of," he tapped his chest where the Matrix of Leadership resided. "Even if they have been scrubbed from the databases and memory cores of most, nothing can remove them from Matrix of Leadership that every Prime is bonded to. I am also well aware of the few who remember them all."

"We have seen too much," Dai Atlas agreed, his wings lowering back into place. "The military is no longer our place, and we will never return to it."

"What about as an adviser?" Sentinel Prime asked with another sip of the fine high grade.

"No," the blue-armored former general shook his helm. One large hand lifted to brush absently against the heavy swordhilt showing over one shoulder. "We are Knights of Light now."

There was a lengthy pause as the young Prime searched for what that meant. Gradually he nodded. "I see. There is nothing I can offer to change your processors?"

"There is nothing you can offer us." It was Axe who responded this time. "We have everything we could need or want."

"Very well," Sentinel Prime inclined his helm. "I wish you a long and peaceful existence. Your wisdom will be missed."

Dai Atlas inclined his helm in response. "Thank you."

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

"That went far better than I hoped," Axe admitted as they set down on Titanium's balcony.

"It did," Dai Atlas agreed, his wings flaring and settling. "He is far more than disappointed, but I believe him that we are free."

Axe nodded slowly as he walked inside. "At least we won't have to be watching over our shoulders while we're away from the Citadel. Very preferable to the alternative."

"Agreed," he rumbled before catching his mate by the shoulders and pulled him in for a hard, hungry kiss. "So what else do you want to do to explore civilian society while we are in Iacon?"

~We've only ever been in the upper levels of the city,~ Axe pointed out through their bond, returning the kiss with equal ferocity. ~We've never been in the lower levels, the smaller market districts. Perhaps we could do some exploring down there?~

~Yes,~ Dai Atlas agreed with a throaty rumble. ~Perhaps pick up an orn job or two while we wander. It would be good to have a few more credits.~

~Sounds good. And yes, it would be good to have extra credits. You never know when we might need them.~ Axe wrapped his arms around his mate's larger frame, tugging Dai Atlas toward the berthroom they'd settled into. He could feel it in the bond, the desires his mate rarely gave in to. Right now, however, Dai Atlas needed Axe to take control, to take him in every sense.

The black mech purred into the kiss, urging Dai Atlas toward their berthroom. Not breaking the kiss, he managed to get himself and his mate into their room, backing the larger mech over to the soft, comfortable berth. Dai Atlas willingly submitted to the direction, lying back as soon as the back of his knees touched the berth and drawing Axe down with him, on top of him.

The warmth of his mate's frame over his felt so good.

Axe settled over the larger mech, between his blue-plated mate's legs. Nipping at Dai Atlas' lower lip, the black mech let his hands trail over his mate's frame. Dark fingertips stroked along seams, here and there dipping in to brush over the circuitry underneath. One hand slid over Dai Atlas' hip, reaching down to teasingly trace the edge of his valve cover. It snapped open with a burst of desire-ohPrimusyes across the bond.

Dai Atlas gasped and rolled his hips upward, pressing into the touch he felt too rarely.

"You want me in here?" Axe purred, tracing his fingers over the edges of the platelets, feeling lubricants oozing out onto his fingers. His spike was pressing against its cover, demanding release.

"Yes," Dai Atlas' entire frame reacted arched and pressed into the touch, even more lubricant oozing into his valve as he reached for Axe's shoulders, trying to pull him for a kiss.

The black mech allowed it, his free hand reaching around Dai Atlas side to run along the red leading edge of a folded wing, tugging at the appendage until folded wings spread open. The index finger of his other hand slowly pressed through the platelets into Dai Atlas' valve, finding and stroking over a sensor node.

His mate nearly keened, his entire frame shaking at the attention, the bond alive with intense desire and memories of how good it felt to have Axe fill him.

Axe's spike cover popped open, his spike promptly pressurizing out of its housing. The black mech slowly withdrew his finger, lifting his hand and making a show of licking the lubricant off while brushing the tip of his spike against the platelets. A shiver ran up and down his backstrut at the contact while Dai Atlas' optics flared brightly.

"Tease," Dai Atlas gasped as another tremor of desire crashed through him.

"You know you love it," Axe crooned. Bracing himself, stroking one palm over the expanse of a spread wing, the black mech pressed his spike through the platelets, hilting himself with one smooth motion.

"Yessss!" Dai Atlas moaned, the calipers of his valve rippling along the welcome intrusion, squeezing and stroking flexible lining along hard, hot spike. His hands came up to stroke Axe's chest as his hips rolled into the thrust and ground against Axe's.

Axe echoed the moan, his plating rattling softly as his frame trembled. He held still for a moment, then began to move, thrusting into his mate's valve. The black mech shifted his hips to adjust the angle, setting a hard, fast pace that Dai Atlas matched and encouraged with loud moan.

~Love you,~ Dai Atlas cried out as the charge quickly build in his circuits. As much as he enjoyed pounding into Axe, it felt so very good the other way around.

Axe pressed his palm against the plane of one wide wing, over one of the sensors. His engine roared, vibrating through his frame, setting off the sensors all through Dai Atlas' wing. Leaning down, Axe nipped and licked at his mate's throat and jaw, nuzzling against his cheek armor. ~Love you so very much,~ he purred in response.

~Spark, please,~ Dai Atlas trembled, his entire frame driving into each touch, each thrust and spike of pleasure. His chest plates unlocked and began to spread, desperate to share the overload in that most intimate of ways.

Black and gold chestplates immediately parted, blue light gleaming out, glittering off Axe's gold trim and Dai Atlas' blue plating. Axe's spark chamber was already opening, threads of energy reaching out as his spark reached for its other half. Red tendrils reached for blue, dancing along the lengths of lightning before twining tightly into rich purple cords that bound their sparks together and dragged each orb closer.

Axe moaned deeply, pressing his chest against Dai Atlas', his hips faltering in their steady pace as spark contact took precedence over physical stimulation. Blue optics dimmed as the black mech turned his attention to the merge of sparks, burying his face against his mate's neck, armor standing on end to vent the building heat. Powerful arms wrapped around him, holding him as their frames went on autopilot.

It was all about the pure glory of merging their very life forces now. Emotions, pleasure, thoughts ... it all slipped from one to the other smoothly. Dai Atlas' need for his mate and the stability, the refuge, Axe was for him from his gift and all it had brought him.

Axe's love and devotion flowed through the bond, wrapping around Dai Atlas's spark. A soft cry escaped unnoticed from the sheer intensity of the joining, blue optics flicking off entirely. Their sparks were making still amends to each other for the pain that had ended their mating flight not a decaorn before.

Passion matched pain. Love soothed hurt. Uncountable millennia made even Axe's great lifespan seem short.

Slowly, slowly, the memory of that pain ebbed away, swamped by love and passion. There would be no pain this time.

The charge built and built between them, finally crashing over them in a storm of light and heat and energy, sizzling along their circuits and dancing over their plating. Their cries went unheard, unheeded by their frames as the bliss obliterated any thought, leaving them pleasantly sated and content not to move a thing for several joors.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Axe and Dai Atlas had never been into the lower levels of a Cybertronian city before. This was the first time they had ever ventured down that far, and the feeling it gave Axe at least could be regarded as a form of culture shock. Dai Atlas, sparked to be a command officer, was in no better shape. Yes, they had both seen what was thought was all there was to be seen as a military mecha, but three long strides into this underworld of their homeworld, the place of the forgotten, and they realized just how critical that 'military' was to the description of their knowledge.

This place was as alien to them as any world they had conquered for the empire.

Black plating pulled tighter to Axe's frame as he stared at the cramped streets, the filth accumulating unchecked along the rust-edged walls. The mecha there weren't in much better shape, their finish pitted and scarred, rust showing on battered armor, paint dull and dirty. Narrow, wary optics regarded these two intruders into their world, taking in their polished frames and the long blades they carried.

~I had no idea anything like this existed on Cybertron,~ Axe finally said, glancing at his mate.

~I had no idea it had ever been permitted to develop,~ Dai Atlas stopped a shudder from becoming physical. ~No wonder there have been rumblings of rebellion if this exists under the Prime's very pedes.~

The black mech shifted uncomfortably. ~And I would bet this isn't even the worst of it. There are lower levels, and they are likely to be far worse. How could this ever been allowed to get this bad?~

A haunted look crossed Dai Atlas' optics as he glanced at his mate. ~A Prime focused on expanding, rather than caring for what he had. More than one Prime corrupted by politics and the power they wielded.~ His optics dimmed in shame. ~Mecha of power and influence that could never be bothered to look past what was outside their windows.~

Axe's dark hand curled around Dai Atlas' white. Blue optics met dulled red. ~A situation like this will not be easy to reverse, especially considering how long these conditions must have existed. If any of the mecha in power can even be bothered to try.~

~I doubt any of them know~ Dai Atlas settled his wings and looked around once more. ~Or wish to know. I'm not even sure where to start explaining, much less what to do about it.~

~I doubt most of them care,~ Axe replied. ~There are many, many ranking mecha who only care about their own power, and don't give a turbo-rat's aft about those they consider beneath their notice.~

Black armor remained tight against Axe's frame. Some of the looks they were getting made him wary, though the resident mecha seemed disinclined to challenge strangers the size and obvious fighting type of Dai Atlas and Axe.

~I ... am not inclined to explore further this orn,~ Dai Atlas remained physically still, but his processors were already trying to retreat. He could do nothing for these mecha at the moment. He no longer had the authority to order anything and never had the financial means to tackle something this big. If he was going to become involved, he would need time to think, to plan, and quite possibly decide just how much he was willing to give up to help.

Axe's hand tightened on his mate's. ~Then let's go back to the apartment. I'm not in much better shape than you are right now. Let's get out of here.~ His turbines revved up to full power, ready to lift off when his mate did. They made short work of the twisting path back to open sky, where Dai Atlas suddenly powered his engines to full and roared into the upper atmosphere without a thought to his mate.

Axe followed, though at a slightly slower pace. He'd seen this before, and knew that his mate needed to get things out of his system. The black mech trailed Dai Atlas across the sky, watching as other fliers darted out of the way of the fast moving giant. He watched as one Aerial all but chassis-tackled his companion to get him out of the way, then helped him to settle on his wings again.

It was three joors and some, and a loop around the smaller moon and back, before Dai Atlas ruffled his wings and armor and settled into a more civilized flight path towards the apartment.

Once the larger mech had calmed down somewhat, Axe settled back into place next to Dai Atlas, radiating calm through the bond. He gently brushed the tip of his wing against the blue mech's. ~Got it out of your system now, love?~

~Enough of it to think at least,~ he half muttered. ~I wonder how much our service is really worth.~

If Axe had been in mech form he would have reached out to grasp his mate's armor. ~I'm not sure how much can be done. Those areas are very well entrenched by now. What we saw was bad enough, and this is the capitol. Other cities will be worse. Correcting the situation would take resources most of the ranking mecha will not want to provide.~

Dai Atlas wavered in the air. ~So we go back to the Citadel and pretend we saw nothing?~

~I didn't say that,~ Axe replied. ~I'm just not sure what can be done. The nobles and the wealthy mecha have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. There will be lot of resistance.~ He flicked wings and plating in the alt-mode version of a helpless shrug.

~There always will be,~ Dai Atlas agreed, transforming as he came in for a landing. ~Change is never welcomed by those in charge. I conquered a thousand worlds for Cybertron, half the known universe, exterminated hundreds of races, yet the people exist like that...~

Axe landed beside his mate, stepping closer to lean against blue armor and quickly found himself embraced tightly as Dai Atlas tried not to shake. ~It's is a very difficult thing to take in, that our own people could be so neglected. I just don't see any way to change things without an immense amount of resistance and delays.~ Helpless frustration accompanied the words.

~Surely it is worth the effort, though?~ Dai Atlas looked at his mate, honestly uncertain if it was their battle to fight.

~There have probably been mecha trying to help since those areas first developed, yet very little, if anything, has changed.~ Axe rested his helm against Dai Atlas' shoulder. He shared his mate's frustration and distress; he just couldn't see any way to improve the situation. There were too many mecha intent on preserving the status quo, many of them in very powerful positions.

Dai Atlas' chin rested on Axe's helm as they found a smooth, calming balance in each other, physically and emotionally. ~And when the people revolt?~

Axe let out a huge sigh. ~I just don't know, Dai. As much as I hate to admit it, that might be the only way to change things. I just don't know.~

~I see three paths we can take with this,~ the General was back in full force. ~We can put full effort into fixing it. We can do our time out here and return to the Citadel to ignore it. We can kindle the revolt that is brewing.~

Axe huffed. ~I would much rather not be associated with a revolt. We spent more than enough time branded as criminals by Nova Prime. Primus only knows what might happen if we did start a revolt. Sentinel knows we are Knights; linking us with a revolt could bring the Citadel and the other Knights, and our precious jetling, under fire. On the other hand, we are just two mecha, and the scale of the problem would probably swallow our best efforts without even a burp.~ He looked up, his optics dark and troubled.

~Our jetling...~ Dai Atlas shuddered at the thought of putting Wing in any more danger than Primus required. ~Return to the Citadel, and prepare it for the coming revolt.~

Axe nodded. ~As best we can.~

~We will protect him,~ Dai Atlas growled, full of determination. ~We won't lose another.~

Agreement swirled through the bond. ~We will keep him safe.~ The black mech tugged his mate into the apartment, closing the balcony doors after them. He'd noted the beginnings of an ion storm while they had been flying.

It was enough to settle Dai Atlas' processors. Right or wrong, the good of his own overruled the good of the many. Wide wings flicked, then settled. ~Pool?~

Axe nodded, his plating loosening. Taking his mate's hand, he tugged Dai Atlas toward the washrack and the large hot oil pool it contained. With Titanium being old when Dai Atlas had been sparked, all three shared a love of the hot oil pool and the soothing pleasure it brought. Sensors told them that it was nearly up to temperature when they entered the room, a space kept warmer than most of the apartment whenever someone was in residence.

With a backward step into a smooth, oil-supported freefall, Dai Atlas tugged his mate in with him until they were standing up do Axe's chin in simmering oil.

Axe let out a deep sigh, flaring his armor to let the hot oil into his circuitry, warmth spreading through his frame. He leaned against Dai Atlas, turning off his optics for a long moment and just enjoying the soothing heat before looking up to meet red optics. ~Any thoughts on where to go from here?~

~We'll need to find piecemeal work to support ourselves, but in the long run I wish to connect with old allies and get enough information to prepare the Citadel for what is coming,~ he murmured, his arms wrapped around his mate, joints and armor loose to take in the swirling liquid heat. ~A lot of mecha should be favorably disposed towards helping me.~

~There should be opportunities in the mid-levels. It might take some poking around, but I'm certain we'll find something.~ Axe nodded. ~The more information, the better. Then, when we return to the Citadel, we can start on getting the others to listen to us.~

~If Vanguard will not listen, we will simply have to ensure that I become Sovereign, soon,~ Dai Atlas kissed him softly. ~But for tonight, we have each other, a wonderful hot oil bath, and the best non-sparked berths credits can buy.~

Axe returned the kiss, purring warmly. ~I think you have the best chance of reaching that rank. But first, you have to make Master rank. Which means taking on an Initiate of your own. But that's in the future.~ The black and gold triple changer wrapped his arms around his mate's frame, stroking his back gently.

~Yes, it is,~ he shivered in anticipation of his mate's mood and slid his hands down Axe's back to draw him into his lap as he sat down on the bench around half the side of the pool. ~I want you at my side, my SIC as you have long been.~

The black mech settled onto Dai Atlas' lap. ~That's where I plan on being,~ he murmured in response, rubbing his cheek against the larger mech's. ~I'll always be at your side, beloved.~

~As I will always be at your side,~ Dai Atlas promised, hugging his mate close and returned the nuzzled affection. ~We will make sure our command is ready for all that comes its way.~

Axe hummed his agreement as he nuzzled against his mate, stroking one long, wide wing. Tucking his helm under Dai Atlas' chin, the black mech purred contentedly.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

~I haven't worked my frame that hard in ages,~ Dai Atlas groaned as he stretched to settled abused cables and plating back in place.

~Neither have I,~ Axe replied, stretching and groaning as something popped in his back. ~It could be worse, though. Somehow.~

"Hay, mah mecha," an entirely too chipper voice called up to them, drawing their attention to the strong but lithe silver mech that barely reached Dai Atlas' knee. "Join us for a drink or two?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind," Axe replied. "The way my back feels right now, I could certainly use a drink." He ruffled black plating to settle it, dislodging a bit of debris that had gotten caught under an armor plate.

"Then come on," the silver mech grinned, all but bouncing on his pedes. "Ah'm Chipper, by the way."

~He reminds me of Wing a little too much,~ Dai Atlas commented silently as he resisted the urge to scoop the minibot up.

"Axe," the black mech replied, chuckling. ~Just without the wiggly little wings and the habit of riding on your shoulders.~

"Dai Atlas," he added, containing his mirth to his bond as they followed Chipper out of the warehouse to join a dozen other orn workers who'd been moving freight in and out of transports with them. ~I think this one would get very used to the ride.~

"But you carry a sword and ... well okay, you do look like you have Primus' weight on your shoulders," Chipper commented as he waved and whistled greetings to others.

"Left my ax home," the black mech chuckled, nodding greetings to the other workers as he and his mate joined them. "Your designation certainly suits you." ~At least you're used to someone riding on your shoulders, so he probably won't get swatted off if he takes it into his helm to try,~ he teased through the bond.

~I'm used to Wing on my shoulder,~ he corrected.

~And Snapjaw, and Dagger, and...~

~All right, all right, I get it,~ Dai Atlas swatted his mate playfully.

"Why are you doing orn work when you have weapons and credits like that?" One of the others asked as the entire group headed for the nearest bar.

"It's something we're required to do by the laws of where we live. After living and working in the outside world for a couple of centuries, we return home and pass on our skills to the next generation." Axe shifted an armor plate, adjusting Sentry of Balance's position on his back ever so slightly. "And we're required to keep our swords with us."

"So yu're look'n ta pick up ah trade?" Chipper perked up at their description. "Where do you live? I never heard of laws like that."

"The middle of nowhere, basically," Axe replied. "And yes, we are looking to pick up one or more trades."

"Preferably ones not related to fighting," Dai Atlas added.

"So you're doing this for?" someone nearly demanded.

"Living credits," Dai Atlas answered smoothly. "They give us a few supplies to get us started, but only enough for a decaorn or so. We're expected to work to live like any other mecha out here."

"Any trades you're keen on?" Chipper asked, now in alt mode to keep up with the much larger mecha.

"We're not sure yet. So we're probably going to be moving around quite a bit, seeing what's available until we find something that appeals to us." Axe shrugged.

"That's the other thing we're supposed to do; travel a lot," Dai Atlas added. "To see as much of Cybertron and what it has to offer as we can."

"So you'll be moving on soon?" Chipper guessed.

"We will be moving on, though I can't exactly say when. First we will be having a look around to see what else is available here." The black mech looked ahead as their destination came into view. It was a simple place, cheap, really. Like nowhere the officers would have even known about, but utterly suited to the wages they were paid for their work.

"You don't seem the kind that does this for a function," Dai Atlas commented to Chipper.

"I don't," the little silver vehicle bounced on his tires. "Like you, it's energon money for a decaorn or two before I move on. I don't have to explore, but I love it dearly. Existence would be so dull without new experiences."

"Some like it dull," a worker grumbled at him.

"Just not me," Chipper shot back with an audible grin.

"I would get bored pretty quickly if there wasn't anything new to experience," Axe noted. "But then, I'm not that used to a dull life. It's still preferable to fighting, though."

The group flowed inside, finding one of the larger tables. Once again, Dai Atlas' size made finding a place to sit awkward, leading to the usual teasing from his mate before everyone settled down. Chipper took much more teasing, as his small size meant he quickly gave up and just sat on the table. In this group, large size was more asset than impedance.

"So you don't know what you want to do, where you're going or when," Chipper grinned at the pair. "You sound like my kind of travelers."

"We're former military. We have a lot to learn about non-military life." Axe lifted one shoulder in a shrug, taking a drink of his energon. It wasn't the best brew around, but it was drinkable and it was cheap.

"If you never need credits fast, look for an arena," someone suggested gruffly. "Pays well, if you survive."

~I didn't realize civilians liked death sport,~ Dai Atlas grumbled silently.

~If memory serves, I think I recall hearing that Titanium was an arena fighter before he went military. Long before our time,~ Axe commented after a moment. ~Something to ask him the next time we cross paths with him.~ He ruffled black armor. "That's a route I would much rather not take. We have seen quite enough of fighting while we were in the military. Fighting other mechs in an arena for entertainment does not appeal to me in the least."

"It's still an option," one of the others pointed out, taking a swig of high-grade.

"If we become that desperate," Dai Atlas agreed simply to avoid an argument that no one could win. ~Yes, but it's still ... disappointing.~

Axe reached over to curl his hand around his mate's. ~It is. I can't fathom why it would be at all popular or even allowed.~ He took another drink, looking around the bar idly.

~Probably the same reason the lower levels are the way they are,~ Dai Atlas sighed across the bond.

"You have a place to recharge?" someone asked.

"Yes, a friend is letting us stay at their place for now," Dai Atlas answered.

"If you need a berth, say something," the mech nodded. "There are places that don't cost much, even on our pay."

~Most likely.~ Axe nodded to the speaker. "We will keep that in mind. It will be good to know when we head to the next city."

"Are you heading for any city in particular, or just picking a direction and seeing where you end up?" another mech wondered.

"Eventually we'd like to see each of the major cities and a few small settlements," Dai Atlas explained. "Central City is next though. I have an old friend there that should be willing to let us stay for a few orns."

"Central City is cool, if seriously regulated in the weirdest way," Chipper spoke up. "It's all data crunchers and news staff."

"Central City sounds like it'll be an interesting spot." Axe picked up his cube, taking a drink.

"Depending on where you're going, sometimes you can see stunt jets practicing over the plains," a mech who had been silent until that point chose to chime in.

"It makes sense," Dai Atlas hummed. "Open skies to work in, less chance of running into someone." ~I wonder if they're the ones who commissioned Wing.~

~There aren't that many stunt jet clans that I've heard of. They very well may be.~ Axe made a mental note to keep an optic open for them while he and Dai Atlas were traveling from one city to another. "That would be something to see. We'll keep an optic open."

~If we look I'm sure we could cross paths with the right clan to talk with,~ Dai Atlas rumbled quietly. "Have you ever seen a performance?"

~And since we're going to be doing a lot of traveling, we will have many opportunities to look,~ Axe agreed.

About half of the group nodded. "Once a vorn or so they come into the city to put on a performance, or they hold it just outside the city. More open space, better to watch them without all of the buildings being in the way."

"Who pays for the performance?" Dai Atlas abruptly asked. "It's not like they can charge admission to watch."

One of the other workers shrugged. "Dunno. Probably the wealthy mecha. All I know is, they start broadcasting notices about the show a few orns in advance. Lets everyone know where and when the show will be taking place."

Dai Atlas nodded and willingly faded into the background of the conversation with his mate while the talk turned to more normal subjects, mostly work prospects over the decaorn.

By the time the Knights returned to their apartment, they'd spent more than they'd intended and consumed more high grade than either wanted, but they were both feeling fuzzily warm and still flying steady.

Considering how much high grade they had consumed, getting back to the apartment without flying into anyone or anything left Axe with a vague feeling of accomplishment. Touching down on the balcony, he stretched from helm to pede, hydraulics and cables complaining throughout his frame. Wincing faintly, he looked over at Dai Atlas. ~Are you still as sore as I am?~

~At least as sore,~ he admitted, opening the door to enter. ~I'm so looking forward to a long oil bath and recharge on that berth. Titan has great taste.~

~If we don't end up recharging in the bath,~ Axe pointed out, following his mate inside. He detoured to the kitchen to grab a couple of regular energon cubes, digging in one of the cupboards for the additives he and Dai Atlas preferred. ~And yes, he does. When we get back to the Citadel, I am saving my credits to outfit our berth the way Titan did his.~

~Very much agreed,~ Dai Atlas' wings quivered at the thought. ~Who knows, maybe one of our trades will earn us enough to save some before we go back. I'm going to miss his taste in berths when we leave.~

~I most certainly hope so, and yes, I'm also going to miss his taste in berths.~ Axe placed the cubes and the additives on the rim of the pool, within reach but not close enough to get knocked into the oil by accident and joined his mate in the simmering liquid with a deep groan.

~At least while we're here, even that job will afford us some savings since we don't have to pay for lodging,~ Dai Atlas turned his optics off and sank fully under the oil. ~I understand that otherwise we'd be scraping by with low grade and a single hard berth between us most orns.~

Axe's groan expressed what he thought about that. ~And that is something I am not looking forward to.~ Flaring out his armor, the black mech followed his mate's example, sinking down to sit on the bottom of the pool, fully submerged in the welcome heat.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Axe hummed absently to himself as he and his mate flew, heading to yet another city. Their leaving the last city had been delayed by an intense storm, which had kept them inside for another orn and a half. After the weather had finally cleared, they had taken off. The pair were several joors out when something caught Axe's optic. Startled out of his thoughts, the black mech turned his sensors toward the gleaming shapes off to one side of their flight path. It took him a moment to realize he was seeing a group of jets, performing intricate maneuvers in the air. ~Dai, look!~

The larger jet turned his sensors more fully on the skydancers some distance away. ~Check them out?~ he queried.

~I think we should take a closer look.~ Axe noted one of the jets pulling off a maneuver he'd only seen once before, when Wing had been showing off over the Citadel. Banking toward the dancing jets, Axe focused his sensors onto them, watching them. He could feel his mate doing the same, and felt when recognition of the move hit Dai Atlas as well.

They both caught the automated warning ping that they were about to enter closed airspace and proceeding was a safety hazard.

~For normal mecha perhaps,~ Dai Atlas snorted as they ignored the ping and proceeded, ready to get out of the way if need be.

As the two larger mechs approached, they got a better look at the skydancers, watching them weave and dart around each other. They were small compact jets with short, slender, curved wings, the same frametype as the jetling Axe and Dai Atlas had adopted.

Both caught the moment when the smaller jets realized they were about to have visitors. Practiced maneuvers became a chaotic swirl of engines and wings as the flock reacted, then descended toward the group of buildings and the expansive landing field that was their home base.

Without a word Dai Atlas angled in for a landing amongst them, initiating his transformation sequence to mech mode to land on his pedes, taking in the gathering around him with sharp red optics.

~I think we have found the right clan,~ Axe noted, landing next to his mate, blue optics narrowed slightly as he scanned the assembled mecha.

The smaller jets gathered in a crowd to look at their visitors, though they maintained a slight distance. Though they were clearly curious, they kept their expressions neutral and their fields close to their frames. Finally, one of them, a femme of turquoise green with peacock-blue trim and amber optics, stepped forward.

"It is not often we get visitors here," she commented as she approached, followed by a mech of white with green and orange trim. "What is it that brings you to the Dancing Wind Aerobatics clan?"

"We saw you practicing and believe we know one of yours," Dai Atlas said evenly. "Wing shares your frametype."

The femme's expression went from polite curiosity to a scowl. "Wing." The way she said the designation made it a curse. "He is not one of ours."

Axe rumbled low in his throat, black plating starting to fluff ever so slightly in a threat display.

Dai Atlas' scowl matched hers, only backed by the status that had never completely left him. "He was yours, Sundance, Skystorm." He gave designations of the lead pair. "You commissioned him."

"We commissioned a flier for our lead acrobatic team," the femme, Sundance, replied stiffly. "What we got was a creature who would not take direction or obey orders. He is not ours."

"He takes them fine, if you bother to teach him how," Dai Atlas growled. "Something you couldn't do, it seems. He complies to us well enough."

Skystorm's optics narrowed. "Just who are you two?"

"We commissioned him, and he proved useless to us," Sundance snapped. "He had no discipline and kept breaking formation whenever he felt like it."

Axe growled, his plating fluffing. "You discarded him like a piece of scrap just because he didn't fit in with what you wanted him to be." One hand tightened into a fist, metal creaking.

"We have no use for the likes of him," Skystorm flicked a wing dismissively. "That's what you do with those who can't earn their keep, and never will."

"We are his creators now," Dai Atlas rumbled, his wings flaring with a distinct show of pride in the fact. "He has grown into a fine mech."

"One day he'll prove as useless to you as he was to us," Sundance predicted. "He's nothing but a burden, good for nothing. You'll see."

The black Knight showed his dental plates in a snarl. "Wing is a fine young mech, a skilled skydancer, and is ranked Master in his chosen profession. He also has trade skills in architecture and surveying. You merely tried to force him into the role you wanted without even bothering to see if it was what he wanted, and when that failed you just threw him aside like worthless scrap." The words contained enough acid to cause Sundance to flinch away from the much larger mech.

"He is our creation," Dai Atlas added with a snarl. "I raised twenty-eight from the orn they were sparked. I never gave up on one and every single one made me proud."

"All he brought us was disappointment," Skystorm snapped back. "He was a failure. He did not belong here, and we are glad to be rid of him."

Axe's response was a particularly rude phrase in ancient Cybertronian, making the smaller jets bristle at the tone, even though they didn't know what he was saying. "You did not even try to find out what he liked. All you could see was what you wanted, and you didn't give him any choice. You had no right to treat him like that, or to throw him aside the way you did!" The black mech loomed ominously over the smaller mecha, and they cringed under his furious glare.

"He is yours," Sundance backed off a step. "He did not belong here."

"You did not deserve a mech like Wing," Axe hissed. "We are proud to claim him as ours. We won't abandon him the way you did."

"We did not want a mech like Wing," Skystorm pointed out. "I believe you should leave now."

Muttering something unintelligible but clearly rude under his breath, Axe gave the two one last glare before turning his back on them. ~Now I understand why Wing was so overjoyed when we adopted him, and why he avoided us for orns after your final trial. Our poor jetling.~

~He's recovered,~ Dai Atlas said as he powered up for liftoff. ~He'll never have to return to them, or seek approval from their like either.~

~And thank Primus for that.~ Axe took off, rising at an angle that allowed hot exhaust from his engines to blow in the direction of Skystorm and Sundance, sending them back a few steps to get out of the way.

~And that he was so happy when we told him,~ Dai Atlas added as he joined his mate with an intentional show of the power his engines were capable of. ~He is not the only one who is lucky.~

Axe hummed his agreement, revving his engines to put distance between himself and the stunt jet clan. ~We are lucky to have him.~

Behind them, the stunt jets watched them go. Sundance and Skystorm were scowling after the two giants, Sundance rubbing at some very minor heat blistering on her paint from Axe's engine exhaust. The rest of the clan had clumped together and were whispering to each other, glancing at their clan leaders.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Sixty vorns had passed since Dai Atlas and Axe had begun their walkabout, and the pair had arrived in the next city where they would be spending some time, the city of Kaon. Dai Atlas had recalled that their old friend Titanium originally hailed from Kaon, so he had an apartment there, and it had taken some hunting to locate.

Upon locating Titanium's Kaon residence and entering it, Axe had been startled into jumping by the shine of red optics from inside, low to the floor. It had taken him a moment to figure out that the main living area featured a floor covering made from the preserved hide of a fur-and-metal beast with five red optics, three rows of jagged fangs bared in a wicked snarl, and six well-clawed limbs. Battered metal long grayed in death showed on the muzzle, across the shoulders, all six paws, and the hips. Axe had just stared at it for a long moment before deciding to ignore it for the time being.

The pair had spent the rest of the orn flying around the city, following the flight traffic, just looking around. Once night began to settle in, they returned to the apartment.

~From the look of it, this city is one in which to keep a weapon on hand at all times.~ Axe handed his mate an energon cube, picking up another for himself.

~On hand and in sight,~ Dai Atlas agreed as they settled on the couch and Dai Atlas turned on the newsfeed. ~We're already going to be targeted for being outsiders and the quality of our frames.~

The black mech adjusted one of the hip sheaths holding his short swords, leaning against Dai Atlas' side and watching the screen. ~One of those places where we have to be constantly on guard. Joy.~

~At least we have a safe place to recharge,~ Dai Atlas murmured, nuzzling him. ~I would not recharge well if we had to stay in a civvie barracks.~

Axe returned the nuzzle. ~Neither would I. I'd be trying to recharge with a sword in hand. We have a safe, comfortable place to recharge. The security system Titan installed here is impressive.~

~Yes,~ Dai Atlas purred in approval. ~With the same berths and wonderful pool. I get the feeling that we won't be getting much work here.~

~Probably not, from the looks of it. Kaon has a reputation for being a very rough city. Lots of heavy industry, not too many smaller shops. And the infamous arenas I've heard so many rumors about.~ Black plating ruffled briefly. ~I'm looking forward to those berths, that I admit... Those small, hard berths we've been dealing with do absolutely nothing for sore joints.~

~No, though still better than the street,~ Dai Atlas agreed, his wings shuddering slightly in memory of the handful of nights they'd had spent out for one reason or another. ~I really thought nothing was worse than field recharge. At least in the field there were guards you trusted.~

Axe shuddered at the memory. ~Whereas here the only option was to recharge in shifts, to make sure no one tried to sneak up on us. And my frame ached for orns after that.~ He stretched out his legs, one pede toying with the nearest limb of the transorganic floor covering, his gold toe plate poking at the sharp metal claws.

~I'm rather glad that thing isn't alive,~ Dai Atlas chuckled. ~It looks like it would have put up a pit of a fight.~

~Definitely not a beast I would ever want to run afoul of without a high-powered rifle in hand. It certainly makes an impressive trophy, though.~ Axe glanced at the creature's snarling head, with its heavy jaws displaying far too many jagged teeth.

~I wonder how old it is ... or from how far afield.~ Dai Atlas mused. ~It's like nothing I've even heard of.~

The black mech eyed the beast for a long moment. ~My guess, very old. As for the "what" and "from where"... those would be questions for Titan. Though... It sort of reminds me of some of the old myths I remember hearing. About beasts that roamed Cybertron long before our time.~

~Well, he was ancient even when I was young,~ Dai Atlas murmured. ~I've met plenty of things that modern mecha think are myths, even you have. I wouldn't be surprised if he met things that were long gone by my time.~

Axe frowned thoughtfully, searching the depths of his memory for some of those old myths. ~It sort of reminds me of those dusty old stories of techno-organic monsters from before our race began. And yes, that is true. I bet he'd have some very interesting stories to tell if asked about it.~

~Always,~ Dai Atlas snorted. ~One thing Titan was never short on was stories. Many I can even confirm as real. Good stories, most of them.~

~He's certainly had enough time to accumulate stories, and listening to him tell them warded off boredom on many a campaign,~ Axe pointed out. ~He could've been a professional storyteller if he'd wanted to be.~

~Who knows, maybe he will be one orn,~ Dai Atlas smiled and leaned in to kiss his mate. ~I don't know about you, but it's been entirely too long since I indulged in hot oil.~

~Far, far too long,~ Axe agreed, returning the kiss. ~And since our old friend was inclined to spend the credits to have the best hot oil pool available, let's go make use of it.~

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

The next orn found Dai Atlas and Axe in Kaon's mid-levels, walking along the streets, taking in the sights and seeing what the mid-levels of the city were like. They had quickly noticed the large numbers of private security mecha around some of the shops, as well as complex and expensive security systems, which hinted that this was indeed a rough place. Many of the residents eyed the two big mecha warily, but the large blades they carried on their backs, the short swords mounted on their hips, and the glinting ax carried pointedly over Axe's shoulder were keeping them at bay for the moment. Few wanted to tangle with such large, well-armed and confident mecha without good reason.

Axe returned one look with a warning glare, resting one hand absently on the pommel of one of his short swords. Both he and his mate were on edge. Kaon was not a city the black Knight particularly wanted to stay around for very long.

The sound of a familiar voice caught Axe's audials, the black and gold triple changer perking up ever so slightly, scanning the crowd for the source. ~Dai? Does that voice sound familiar to you?~

~Chipper, and trouble,~ he responded immediately, his focus shifting to picking out the small silver mech that had become a casual friend in Iacon. With a skill honed on millions of battlefields it didn't take him long, and he guided his mate's gaze to the spot even as they both picked up their pace to intercept.

~Not that trouble seems very hard to come by in this city...~ Axe's optics fixed on the spot, ignoring the mecha who moved out of his way.

"But I'm not a fighter!" Chipper's voice held an edge of real fear as he tried to pull away from the grip of the much larger dark plated mech that had a hand around his arm.

"That would be your problem," the larger one sneered.

"Might I ask why you are harassing our friend?" Axe rumbled, narrowing his optics at the other mech. The dark mech was larger than average, but not by that much, and Axe towered over him. Dai Atlas' made an even more impressive glower behind him.

"Your friend owes ninety-eight thousand credits to my boss," the dark mech actually explained.

"But I don't!" Chipper cried out in fearful frustration. "I wasn't even in Kaon three orns ago."

Axe lifted an optic rim ever so slightly. "And just how did that happen?"

"Gambling," the dark mech shrugged.

"Gambling?" Axe gave the much smaller silver mech a look.

A bright blue visor looked back up, the expression around it desperate. "You know me. You know I don't bet what I can't afford to loose. I wasn't even in the city when this mech says it happened!"

"We do know you." Axe's optics shifted to the dark mech, narrowing. "Let go of our friend."

"I will if you pay his debt," the dark mech returned the glare. "Someone is going to."

Axe's glare didn't budge from the dark mech. ~We don't have that many credits...~

~Not even a fraction of it,~ Dai Atlas muttered. ~But we can fight.~

Unease swirled through the bond. ~I would rather not go that route, but Chipper is a friend, and we do help our friends.~

~Better for us to fight than him. You know he wasn't kidding about not knowing how to fight,~ Dai Atlas sighed. ~I'd rather fight than gamble for the credits.~ "What are the terms of the fight to pay his debt?"

The dark mech looked startled, but quickly scrambled to comm his boss and relayed what he was told. "Death match against the current champion."

~He can fight a stiff breeze, but that's about all he can fight,~ Axe agreed. His hand tightened on the pommel of his short sword. Against his back Sentry of Balance hummed in growing excitement. "One-on-one, or team match?"

Another pause for a comm exchange. "Team. You can keep any extra credits after his debt is paid."

"Which will be how much?" Dai Atlas asked.

The dark mech cycled his optics with a confused look. "Your winnings are a percentage of the bets."

"Fighting we know. How arena fights work, not so much." Axe's shrug shifted the ax across his back, the blade glinting wickedly.

"You'll learn quick," the dark mech humphed at their ignorance of the city's primary entertainment. "Come on." He turned, never letting go of Chipper's arm. "He'll go when you pay his debt."

Axe rumbled low in his vocalizer, following the other mecha. He was not looking forward to this, but it had to be done.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

The door shut behind them, and the three mechs took in their single cell room that they'd been shown to as their quarters.

"I don't know how I'm going to repay you for this," Chipper watched the pair investigate their tiny domain with a methodical nature that he simply didn't grasp. "I owe you my spark."

Axe leaned against the wall, the gemmed hilt of his Great Sword flaring behind his helm. Drawing his ax, he began to sharpen the blade. "We'll think of something. Eventually."

"Once we are done here, I recommend leaving Kaon quickly," Dai Atlas added as he sat down on the hard berth to polish his short swords. "Once they see us fight there will be an incentive to find a reason to keep us here."

Chipper nodded. "Sticking around is not on my list of good ideas."

"The fewer reasons they find, the better." Axe tested the edge of the ax blade. "We have no intention of being trapped in the arenas." ~Great Swords in subspace for this, love.~ Leaning his ax against the wall, he drew one of his short swords to check the blade.

~No matter how they complain,~ he agreed, moving on to his second short sword. ~It's going to be a long three nights until the fight.~

~A very long three nights,~ Axe agreed. ~My frame is going to be aching from this. After this is over, I think I'm going to spend two orns in Titan's hot oil pool.~ His plating ruffled as he began running a whetstone along the edge of his short sword.

~Agreed,~ Dai Atlas groaned at the thought. ~I think we're bringing Chipper with us, lest he be used to get us back here. I just hope that this turns out to be worth the grief.~

"Guys?" Chipper said uneasily as he looked between them, sure he was missing a lot. "Can I do anything to make this easier?"

Dai Atlas glanced at his mate. ~Trust him to stand guard so we can recharge?~

~He's coming with us, then.~ Blue optics evaluated the small silver mech. ~If anything happens to us, he'll probably be killed in the arena. I think we can trust him to stand guard.~

"Until we're out of here, you can guard us when we recharge, so we are well rested when we fight," Dai Atlas told him.

"No problem," Chipper agreed readily. "I can scream for help with the best of them," he tried to lighten the mood.

Axe snorted. "I see you haven't lost that sense of humor." The black mech settled next to his mate, stretching out his legs as he sheathed his swords again.

"Sometimes it's all you have," Chipper smiled. "Humor, hope and willingness to work can be all you have, but it's always enough to see one through the orn."

"You remind us very much of our sparkling," Axe noted after a moment, leaning absently against Dai Atlas' shoulder. "He has a very similar attitude."

"Sparkling?" Chipper cycled his optic band before grinning. "I didn't think military builds could kindle. Congratulations."

"We can't," Dai Atlas shook his helm. "We're built with inhibiters inherent in our design. We adopted him as an adult, not that you'd know it if it wasn't for his skill with swords and skydancing."

"But he's ours as surely as if we had kindled or commissioned him." Axe fluffed black armor slightly, settling it as his mate slid an arm around him and tugged him close.

"You have something very much worth returning to," Chipper smiled softly at the obvious affection that existed between the ancient warriors and long-time mates. He sat down with his back against the wall and a good view of the entrance the guards came through. "I hope one orn I'll find a mate that cares like you two do."

"You'll find someone, eventually," Axe replied. He leaned his helm against a blue-armored shoulder. "And yes, we do."

"That's what I hope for, and part of why I travel," Chipper smiled as they settled in for recharge, frames and fields meshing together in the way only extreme familiarity allowed. "One orn I'll bond and settle down."

Axe smiled over at the smaller mech, letting his optics dim. "Quick word of advice... Stay out of reach. Our sparkling also got us very used to cuddling, and you're close to his size, so Dai might try to scoop you up in his recharge." He grinned at the response to that he got from his mate, settling down and resting his helm against his mate's as Chipper struggled to contain his giggles.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

The great arena of Kaon was packed. The roar of thousands of mecha talking and yelling to each other could be clearly heard even in the preparation areas, where the combatants underwent their final preparations for the fight.

Axe ran through a warm-up, his short swords slicing the air in a complex pattern. His battle ax rested on his back, crossed over the channel where his Great Sword usually resided. At the moment Sentry of Balance was stored in the ebony Knight's subspace. The blade had not been happy about it, but it had understood, so had refrained from complaining too loudly. Dai Atlas, on the other hand, had gotten more of an audialful from his Strength of Conviction.

For the three orns before the fight, mecha had been coming around to look at the ancient warriors. There had been many murmurs of amazement at the size and probable skill of two seasoned military mecha. Axe had no doubt the hype had been spreading, and that the arena would be packed to the bursting point with spectators, and more importantly, gamblers.

The more the crowd bet, no matter on who, the winner received a cut. A pittance of one at only 3%, but it hadn't taken Chipper long to run some basic numbers based on the capacity of the arena and point out that even if only 50% of the spectators made an average bet of 14 credits, they would come away in the clear and them some. Given betting on the arena fights was the leisure activity in Kaon, they'd likely come away with far more than what Chipper needed, even after paying a good medic to put them back together.

They'd gotten a look at some of their potential opponents, the high-ranking gladiators, and while they agreed that they could take any two of them, they also agreed it was not going to be easy.

Especially if it was Megatron and Lugnut on the other side.

The two ancient mechs had been carefully prepping for the match for the last three orns. Chipper kept watch while they recharged, so the pair were as rested as they could be. Their weapons had been carefully sharpened to a razor edge. They were as ready as they could be.

Axe was not looking forward to this at all. Arena fighting was not a route he would have preferred to take, but Chipper was a friend, and they did help their friends. Ruffling and resettling his armor, Axe waited for the arena doors to open.

Both he and Dai Atlas remained still for a moment, taking in the large field before them, empty and open, but surrounded by stands with cheering, jeering mecha. There was room enough to fly, but not to fly away or engage in complex aerial battles.

~Not again,~ Dai Atlas groaned over the bond as they stepped forward to judge their opponents. ~Lugnut's mine.~

~Holding a bit of a grudge, lover of mine?~ Axe let agreement slip through the bond, turning a narrow-opticked gaze on his own opponent, a giant brass grounder with a tank alt. His grip shifted on the handle of his battle ax, the blade glinting wickedly as he shifted it.

~After what he did to you, to us?~ Dai Atlas hissed, his wings flaring in a blatant statement of intent towards the giant green flier. The recognition and intent was returned by Lugnut as the announcer finished riling the crowd and then called for the match to begin.

~Definitely holding a grudge. Not that I blame you. He's all yours.~ Axe advanced on his opponent, optics narrow as he searched for weaknesses.

Lugnut snarled, recognizing the blue giant facing him. "Lugnut smash!"

Like Lugnut, Crusher seemed to be of simple processor, designed for straight forward tactics where overwhelming size, strength and armor won the orn. "Axe will break," the tank rumbled and stalked forward.

"Not likely," the black Knight growled, ax at the ready. He paced forward, optics flicking over his opponent's frame, seeking exploitable weaknesses. Suiting the mech's alt, there really didn't seem to be much. Heavy armor was everywhere, even the weak points of the neck and joints were double reinforced and given heavy flanges for protection.

Crusher lifted the heavy gun on his arm and took aim at Axe's chest.

Axe responded with an interesting profanity, darting forward and out of the way of the blast that nearly grazed his shoulder. As a Knight of Light he carried no ranged weapons and nothing that qualified as an energy weapon. Though heavily armored himself with his second alt being a tank, he preferred closer combat.

With a savage grin Crusher met his charge with one of his own, a heavy energon mace forming from his right hand.

Sparks flew and energy flared as mace and ax collided, the two big mechs testing their strength against each other. Axe's blue optics narrowed as he glared at his opponent, dental plates bared and gritted. After a klik or two, Axe shoved hard against Crusher, twisting his ax free and bringing the razor-sharp blade up in a wicked slash. It cracked hard against advanced military-grade armor, leaving a shallow gash but nothing more across Crusher's collar strut.

In retaliation Crusher slammed his mace down hard against Axe's shoulder.

Axe snarled, taking a single step back. Optics narrow, he brought his ax up into a ready position, circling around his enemy. He watched how his opponent moved, waiting for an opportunity. Crusher was shorter than Axe, but heavier and slower without Axe's half-aerial nature.

His tactics were also far simpler, if well suited to the heavy armored mech. He simply closed again and swung the heavy mace.

The black and gold mech darted out of the way, bringing the ax down into a shoulder joint. Yanking the blade free as quickly as possible, Axe locked onto a seam between armor plates, striking at it. Cut circuits near the surface sparked and sputtered before battle-centric self-repair systems shut down power to those wires. Yet as fast as Axe moved, Crusher was faster with a swing and the heavy spiked mace came crashing into Axe's helm with enough force to snap it to one side.

Axe's optic feed skitzed for a moment. Moving on autopilot, he got out of the way, ax snapping up to block another blow. Twisting his wrist, Axe slid the blade down along the handle of the mace, aiming for its wielder's arm. If he was lucky, he'd damage the system that created the solid-energy weapon. He felt his ax impact the wrist and knock it away, but not the crunch of critical damage.

Crusher snarled at the damage and pulled a long blade from his subspace to give him better close quarters damage capacity.

Narrow blue optics glittered. Axe decided to subspace his ax for the moment, drawing his short swords. Light glittered along the razor cutting edge and beaded on the tip. The ebony triple changer settled into a guard stance briefly, swords up and ready. He caught a glimpse of his mate, heavily dented and scorched, wrestling with Lugnut before Crusher struck at him again with a blow to the helm.

The black mech ducked, bringing up one sword to deflect the mace while striking at the tank mech's arm, hoping to disable the energy mace. Keeping one optic on the blade in Crusher's other hand, Axe moved in to slash at a hip joint, driving the tip of his blade through the seam.

The brass tank snarled in pain and outrage as one leg momentarily went out from under him, but had the combat instincts to use the good one to launch himself backwards, away from Axe, and bring his main gun to bear.

Axe sprang forward, keeping in close. His swords were a blur of edged steel, slashing across every inch of Crusher's armor they could reach. Energon seeped through some of the deep cuts before Crusher managed to kick the Knight away enough to get to his pedes once more.

A series of powerful cannon blasts kept Axe moving until one caught him on the left side of the chest, punching through his thick armor to lodge deep inside him.

The Knight hissed in pain, optics flaring. Pushing the pain aside, he lunged forward, sheathing one sword and grasping the other with both hands, bringing the blade down hard on the barrel of that gun. It sliced in two smoothly, right along with the arm under it, sending both clattering to the ground.

Crusher retaliated with his good arm and the wicked long dagger, slamming it tip-first into Axe's side.

The triple changer snarled in pain, twisting away from the stab. The movement caused the wound to open further, spilling energon over black armor. Axe pulled his other blade from its sheath, aiming one at Crusher's good arm while slashing the other at the brass tank's neck cables.

Crusher reflexively tipped his helm to one side, closing up the small gap between helmet armor and protective neck flange, but he couldn't completely get his left arm clear. The razor sharp blade cut into armor, drawing energon, but nothing more. He twisted that arm, taking more damage in exchange for the opportunity to slash the cables of Axe's wrist.

Energon dripped from the wound, spattering the arena floor. Axe snarled, tightening his grip on the sword hilt to compensate for the weakening. Closing in, he struck at Crusher's arm again, stabbing his other sword into a seam along the side of the tank's chest.

With a screech of pain the bronze tank went down, the light in his optics cutting out as his frame stilled in stasis, but not deactivation.

Axe eyed his fallen opponent for a moment, then brought his ax from subspace, using the tip of the blade to nudge Crusher's helm slightly to the side. Lifting the weapon, he brought it down in one powerful blow, severing Crusher's helm to the roar of the crowd.

Stepping away from the decapitated frame as it began to go gray, he turned toward his mate and Lugnut. His mate was a mess, but so was his opponent. Energon was everywhere, flowing from many cuts to Lugnut's frame, while Dai Atlas sported dents, crushed armor and scorch marks.

Subspacing his ax in favor of his swords, Axe roared and charged in to join his mate. His first stroke left a deep gash across Lugnut's back. The green mech bellowed in rage, swatting at him and taking his optic off Dai Atlas for a moment.

It was all the opportunity Dai Atlas needed to drive a short sword through Lugnut's chest and into his spark chamber.

Lugnut let out one last bellow of pain, his optic going dark. Axe skittered out of the way as the green hulk collapsed, almost pulling the sword from Dai Atlas' hand. Green plating was already graying.

Axe circled around the graying frame to stand at his mate's side. His expression was impassive, hiding the pain he was feeling from his injuries. ~It's over.~

~Yes,~ Dai Atlas looked around the arena crowd for the first time. He could pick out some mecha he knew, though none that surprised him. Megatron was with a group of other high-ranked gladiators, all watching avidly, all expecting to face the pair at some point soon.

The crowd had gone wild.

Axe shifted. ~Our win. Let's collect our winnings, see about getting repaired, grab Chipper, and get our wings out of here. I'm going to spend the next two orns in the hot oil pool.~ He eyed the crowd, glancing warily at the other gladiators.

~Agreed,~ Dai Atlas leaned against his mate in a subtle show of warrior-affection before they turned to the entrance they had come from. It opened for them, admitting them to the dimmer space of the arena underworld.

"This way. We have the top medic in all of Kaon," the arena manager's SIC said and motioned for them to follow.

Axe vented in relief as they passed out of sight of the roaring crowds. Lifting a hand, he rubbed at the impressive dent in the side of his helm, where Crusher's mace had struck. ~That is an experience I never want to repeat. If arenas like this were where Titan came from, I can understand why he would have wanted to get out of them.~

~I think they were worse back then,~ Dai Atlas murmured, willingly following the mech. They both were too damaged to refuse the care. "When do we collect our winnings?"

The purple and blue grounder looked a touch startled, but quickly composed himself. "Once medic Ratchet turns you loose. You know you'll live like Primes if you stay. A show like that is worth top credits."

The obsidian mech grumbled under his breath. "I'll pass on that, thanks..." He leaned on his ax, using it as a walking stick as he followed the grounder toward the medical area.

"I had enough killing in the military," Dai Atlas shook his helm and immediately regretted it as his optical feed swirled and swam briefly. "No more."

"Stop yapping and get your broken afts in here," a deep, irate voice snarled from inside the medical bay.

~Some things never change,~ Dai Atlas chuckled to his mate as they complied.

~Sounds like Hardwing might have some competition in the "cranky medic" department,~ Axe hummed as he walked into the medical bay. Blue optics flicked in the direction the voice had come from, trying to pick out the speaker from the numerous ones moving about. The sense of command and authority centered on a red and white mech with the boxy frame of an ambulance.

Both warriors complied with the imperious motion to get on a berth so the medic, Ratchet, could determine their damages.

Axe groaned softly as he lowered himself onto the medberth, leaning his ax against the side of the berth. The wound on his side let out a fresh spurt of energon, the purplish fluid running over black armor to start forming a small puddle under him. It didn't take long for a different medical mecha to scramble up to patch the obvious damage while Ratchet used far more advanced scanners and knowledge to work out the less obvious issues.

It pretty much added up to a pair of very battered mechs needing repairs. Axe only shrugged one shoulder at the beginnings of the rant and settled in to quietly accept the verbal abuse of being repaired. His mate was doing the same.

Ratchet had them patched up and on their way in less than three joors. It wasn't complete repairs, but it would get them to the next city and a hospital Ratchet recommended on the sly.

Chipper was waiting at the door, under guard, when they emerged and they were escorted to the arena manager's office.

The arena manager gazed at the two giant mechs through narrow optics. "That was quite a show you two put on. Keep performing like that, and you two will be very wealthy mecha."

Axe narrowed his optics. "We don't intend to stay."

"We are done killing," Dai Atlas added firmly, aware of Chipper hiding behind him. "We don't need the credits or the fame."

"A pity. All the top gladiators are looking forward to taking you on, singly or as a team." The manager steepled his fingers, pressing the tips against the nasal of his helm. He regarded the mecha standing in front of his desk. "A very handsome profit was made from this match."

"We're here to collect our winnings, then we are leaving," Axe told him firmly.

"Very well," the manager offered Axe a credit stick. "Keep in mind ... death matches are rare. Most matches are to submission. Good gladiators are too valuable to kill off quickly."

Axe accepted the credit stick, letting out a low whistle as he saw the amount. ~Lover of mine, we won at least three million credits. Even after paying off Chipper's debt, that's a lot of credits. But still, not the way I would have preferred to get them.~ He tucked the credit stick into his subspace.

"Why death matches at all?" Dai Atlas asked. ~Agreed, though it does mean we can focus on learning a trade or two instead of subsistence work.~

"The crowds want fuelshed, so we give them fuelshed. It brings in a lot of credits, a great deal of profit. That's something we can't just ignore." The arena manager shrugged. "And we don't want to."

~And finding slightly better accommodations when we aren't near an old friend who could let us stay with them,~ Axe added. "Those matches are something we want no part of. We will not fight here again."

"You don't need to," the manager tried again. "Your cut is less for a standard match, but as free mecha you can choose the terms of your matches, so long as your opponent agrees."

"We understand," Dai Atlas said firmly, taking on his full natural authority when his mate's more laid back social nature wasn't getting the point across. "We will not fight for credits again. Ever again. Have a good orn," he ended the conversation and turned to leave, scooping up Chipper so they could make full use of their long legs, then flight frames.

Somewhat to Axe's surprise and amusement, after a startled squeak the silver mech went compliantly still and relaxed in Dai Atlas' grip.

Axe followed his mate out of the office and out into the open air, taking flight. "Let's get back to the apartment. And you, Chipper, are staying where we can see you until we're ready to leave the city. We don't want you being used to lure us back in there."

"No problem," Chipper chirped back, clinging onto Dai Atlas, though he displayed no actual fear of flight. "What city is next up?"

~I have no clue, but I know the best trade schools are in Tyger Pax, while the best educational institutes are in Iacon and Praxus,~ Dai Atlas suggested.

~Ratchet did suggest a hospital, to complete our repairs, first. Then, once we figure out what we would prefer to go for, trades or education, that's where we'll head.~ Axe shrugged. ~At this very moment I'm not thinking much farther than a good cube of energon and a long hot oil soak. And you, of course.~

"Either Tyger Pax or Praxus, most likely," Dai Atlas answered Chipper.

The baleful glare of the transorganic floor covering greeted them as they reached the apartment, entering and locking the balcony doors behind them. Axe ignored it, going straight for the energon stores in the kitchen. Chipper gave it a wary look as he was set down.

"It's long deactivated," Dai Atlas chuckled. "The spare berthroom is there," he pointed to one of the doors. "We're staying in the primary one," he pointed to another door. "Though tonight, I expect we'll both be at the bottom of the oil bath."

"Oil bath?" Chipper's entire attention fixated on that word, his expression one of extreme longing.

"Our friend, who owns this place and allows us to use it, is a mech even older than we are, with credits to burn. There is a very nice hot oil pool in the washracks." Axe brought three cubes into the main room with him. Two were jet-grade, the third grounder-grade. "Additives are in the cupboard, if there are any you prefer."

Chipper all but bounced to the cupboard and climbed the wall with a smooth ease of one long used to such things before dropping to the floor with a packet of sweetener in hand.

Dai Atlas gave a welcome sigh at his first sip of energon, mixed with just the right combination of sweet and bitter, before stealing a kiss from Axe and drawing his mate towards the washrack. ~We can drink while we soak. My joints are complaining.~

~That makes two of us.~ Axe downed a swallow of his own cube, willingly following the larger mech. He glanced at Chipper. "The pool is large enough to share. Just don't trip over us, please."

The pool was already warming when they entered the washracks, the scent of the oil an irresistible lure. Setting his cube down on the edge, Axe lowered himself into the hot liquid, letting out a groan at the welcome heat. He barely had time to process that pleasure when he was pulled against his mate and into a hungry kiss.

~I've missed sharing pleasure as well,~ Dai Atlas rumbled, running his hands down Axe's back. ~Missed becoming one spark.~

~I've missed it, too,~ Axe purred, reaching for long white wings, running his palms over the armor under them. Settling himself, he pressed himself against his mate's frame, returning the kiss with equal hunger.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Praxus gleamed on the horizon as the two giant fliers approached, the afternoon light catching on the towers and windows. To the two tired triple changers, it was a very welcome sight.

After a couple of orns hiding in Titanium's Kaon apartment recuperating from the death match in the arena, Dai Atlas and Axe had decided to head for Praxus. The city had some of the finest universities on Cybertron; there was a great deal the two ancient mechs could pick up there. It also had a fine hospital, which could finish repairing the arena damage Ratchet hadn't and their internal repair couldn't.

"There it is," Axe murmured, speaking aloud for the benefit of their passenger. "Now the fun part begins... Finding a place to stay. I'm not aware of Titan having an apartment in this city; are you, Dai?"

"Not that I know of," Dai Atlas admitted. "We have credits for a nice room however."

"I have a friend here who'd be happy to put us up," Chipper chirped, something mischievous in his voice. "He should be home now too. The clade compound is there," he pointed towards the wealthier section of Praxus overlooking the crystal gardens and pinged them the coordinates.

Axe hummed. "Very nice area. You're sure he wouldn't mind?" The black and gold jet banked in that direction, sweeping his sensors over the area.

"Prowl won't mind," Chipper grinned. "There are plenty of guest quarters. The clade is always having folks visit, official and friends."

Unlike most other cities they had visited, the Praxus traffic authority pinged them the moment they entered Praxian airspace, requesting that they download the most current traffic regulations and state their intended destinations. Dai Atlas handled it for both of them, though he shared full real time data with his mate.

Axe accepted the information, looking it over as he followed his mate and their passenger toward the indicated area. "Are the ceilings high enough, is what I would like to know. Dai and myself are not exactly made for small spaces."

"The Prime had just visited the last time I was here, so I think so," Chipper said, less than perfectly confident. "Most ceilings look really tall to me, you know."

~It's kind of nice being in a city that runs like the military was meant to,~ Dai Atlas actually relaxed a bit. ~Ordered, organized, to the point ... it deserves its reputation so far.~

~After the lawlessness of Kaon, I'm just glad to see a well-run city,~ Axe replied. "Considering your size, Chipper, I am not surprised. But we're quite a bit larger than you are, so we have a very different idea of ceiling heights."

"Worth checking, isn't it?" Chipper didn't sound as sure as he had been. "I mean, the worst he can say is that he doesn't have a place big enough for you."

Before the giants could respond, there was a comm ping with the ID of the city's Commander of the Enforcers rather than a designation attached to it.

::Yes, sir?:: Dai Atlas responded immediately.

::What business do you have with my clade?:: a no-nonsense voice demanded.

::A friend directed us here as a potential place to stay while we're in Praxus,:: Axe replied. ::He didn't say anything about Enforcers, though.::

::The Shining Sun is the primary Enforcer clade in Praxus,:: the Commander said stiffly. ::What friend?::

::Chipper,:: Dai Atlas responded with the silver minibot's formal designation, or what he hoped was close enough to it.

::Chipper?:: the Commander sounded confused for a moment, then made a small sound of understanding. ::I see. You may land in the compound. My Second Bonded will see to your needs.::

::Thank you,:: Axe replied. ::We will be landing shortly.:: The black Knight couldn't wait to get on the ground. He and Dai Atlas had been in the air since leaving Kaon, not wanting to stop until they were well away from the city. Both were getting tired, and would need to refuel soon.

"Clue me in?" Chipper asked, aware the conversation was happening.

"We've been given permission to land," Axe replied. "Your friend is an Enforcer?" He banked toward the compound, locking onto a landing site and beginning to descend toward it. "This will be an interesting experience."

"Yap," Chipper grinned. "He's got some rank too, not that he's much on using it. He meeting us?" he was bouncing in Axe's seat.

"I believe he said his Second Bonded would be meeting us," the ebony triple changer replied, then paused at the startled squawk Chipper let out and the flare of shock-anger-hurt that blazed in the normally happy mech's field.

"His what?" Chipper actually snarled before he caught himself.

"His Second Bonded," Axe repeated, part of his attention on landing, the rest on watching his passenger. Black wings shifted ever so slightly.

~That was an interesting reaction,~ Dai Atlas hummed across the bond.

Chipper sputtered and growled before he managed to collect himself and put on a good imitation of his normal self.

The two large mechs descended toward their chosen landing site, dropping below the compound walls. Axe touched down first, landing in alt mode and opening his cockpit to let Chipper out. Once the small mech was out, Axe transformed, drawing himself up to his full height and looking around as his mate landed on his pedes beside him. Once the dust from their landing settled an elegant deep blue Praxian mech with golden highlights and a silver chevron that had a ruby center approached them.

"Welcome to the House of the Shining Sun and Praxus," the mech inclined his helm to them. "I am Deep Sky, Second Bonded of this House."

"I am Axe," the black Knight replied. "This is my bonded mate, Dai Atlas." He inclined his helm in polite reply, then indicated the small silver mech that was doing an admirable job of seeming friendly when he was anything but. "It was he who guided us here. He said we might find a place to stay while we are in this city."

"My Lord Prowl has indicated you are welcome to stay as you wish," Deep Sky said formally. "May I show you to your quarters?"

"Yes, please," Axe answered, reaching over to brush his fingers against his mate's hand. One sensor remained on Chipper, watching the small mech as they all followed Deep Sky to one of the central buildings, then inside the building to realize that the entire thing was designed with larger-than-normal mecha in mind. A lift to the second of three floors opened to a great entry room that gave both triple changers flashbacks to their military quarters. It was high quality and luxurious, yet it was also athletically pleasing to their military sensibilities in efficient and economical design. It was very much the balance of 'good enough for rank' and 'little use for extravagance' that had ruled Dai Atlas' preferences for longer than Axe had been in existence.

"Are these sufficient?" Deep Sky asked politely.

Axe looked around, inspecting their quarters, and let out a soft hum of approval. Perfectly sized for very large mecha, even mechs of Dai Atlas' height, not too extravagant or too plain. The black mech relaxed, flaring his plating slightly. The ebony Knight nodded an acknowledgement to Deep Sky as thanks.

"Yes," Dai Atlas responded smoothly. "Thank you."

"Lord Prowl would like you to join us at our table for the evening refueling," Deep Sky said smoothly. "Until then, Evening Bronze will see to anything you need," he motioned to a femme with a deep bronze finish before he re-entered the lift to leave.

"How may I serve?" Evening Bronze requested.

Axe turned his attention to the bronze femme. "I personally am interested in a shower." He grimaced at the layer of dust on his armor.

"Of course," she inclined her helm. "The washracks are this way," she motioned the pair to follow. "Would you like assistance, or energon to replenish your tanks from such a long flight?"

"We prefer to clean ourselves," Dai Atlas said firmly but politely, familiar with the delicate line of getting what he wanted while not insulting his host. "Energon would be most welcome. It was a long flight."

Axe inclined his helm slightly, leaving the talking to his mate. He followed the femme toward the washracks, very much looking forward to being clean again. "A very long flight," he agreed, taking in the washracks that were at least as nice as what Titanium had. Multiple showerheads were arranged to soak anyone with any kind of frame. It was open too, allowing plenty of space for both giants and Dai Atlas' wide wings. In a separate space was a deep, large hot oil pool.

"I will return with the energon shortly," she told them before slipping away as Dai Atlas turned the solvent on.

"Thank you," Axe murmured after her, easing under the solvent spray with his mate. A soft groan escaped as the solvent ran over his armor. "That feels so good..."

"It does," Dai Atlas quivered from helm to pedes and wingtip to wingtip. They both simply stood still for a lingering moment, enjoying the warm, cleansing rain coming from all angles. Then Dai Atlas picked up a brush and turned to his mate. "Scrub your back?" he offered.

"Please." Axe turned around, presenting his back for scrubbing. He hummed contentedly for a klik, leaning into the brush, before speaking again. "What did you make of Chipper's reaction when I mentioned the Enforcer's Second Bonded?"

"I'm standing right here," Chipper called up to him. "I was ... surprised. I didn't know he'd bonded once, much less twice."

Blue optics turned in the smaller mech's direction. "That was quite an extreme reaction. Not just surprise."

Chipper looked away, his frame stilling for a moment before he shrugged with a huff. "I was under the impression we were ... close. That we'd bond when I was ready to settle down. Now he's bonded at least twice, and I never even got a note about it."

"That would explain the anger-hurt in your field." Axe regarded the smaller mech steadily for a moment.

"We don't have to stay here," Dai Atlas offered. "We have plenty of credits to work with."

Chipper shook his helm. "I'll be fine. We'll probably have a blow out fight tonight, make up interfacing and I'll get over my wishful thinking. He probably couldn't wait any longer, or they're political, or whatever. It doesn't really matter."

~There are going to be some fireworks in this place tonight, my love,~ Axe commented through the bond. ~I just hope it happens out of audial range.~

~Agreed. Though if not, we'll just have to make enough noise to cover it up,~ Dai Atlas teased, putting more effort into scrubbing his mate back to a glossy black.

Leaning into the brush, he turned his attention back to Chipper. "It obviously meant a lot to you, or you wouldn't have been that hurt by it."

"Our sparks resonate," Chipper shrugged. "I've spent a lot of my existence thinking about what it would be like to finally settle, bond, have sparklings. You know, the usual stuff. I never thought that he might move on while I was away. Or maybe that he didn't have the same plans in the first place."

~Sounds like a plan,~ Axe agreed with a purr that was entirely through the bond. "Maybe he couldn't afford to wait. You won't know until you ask him."

"Which won't be until after dinner, most likely, if he has time," Chipper murmured, no longer entirely sure how welcomed he was. "Did your sparks resonate?" he tried to shift the conversation away from himself and his failed relationship.

Axe shook his helm. "No, our sparks didn't resonate. I got his attention through a different means. There was a lot of high-grade involved." The black Knight grinned. "Neither of us were complaining about the results."

~Definitely not,~ Dai Atlas leaned in to tip Axe's face for a searing kiss. ~I still think resonance is a myth.~

"Maybe it's better that way," Chipper regarded the pair, together many times longer than he'd been functioning, as Axe melted into his mate's attentions. "You had to work for what you have. More honest that way."

~Maybe it is, maybe it isn't,~ Axe replied, purring into the kiss. He leaned back against his mate's frame. "We worked at it for nearly a millennia. Then he performed the most incredible courting dance I ever saw." A black hand slid up to tease a gold helm crest.

"He wasn't accepting anything less," Dai Atlas countered with a shiver at the touch and claimed another kiss before breaking it sharply. ~We do need to get clean if we want to soak before dinner.~

A soft whine of protest escaped Axe, but he nodded in agreement, his thoughts hinting that there would be some fun later that evening. Picking up another brush, he reached around to work on Dai Atlas' back and the span of broad wings.

The larger giant moaned deeply at the attention and willingly held still for it. As always with his mate, the charge began to build with his arousal, though it was light and easily ignored for the gentle pleasure of the touch.

Axe made sure to keep the touches light, not wanting to get his mate too wound up. He paid careful attention to all the places debris tended to build up, feathering the brush bristles into the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of Dai Atlas' armor and kibble. Beyond the pleasure of being clean again, they needed to look good. The Lord of an important House was not to be dismissed.

It took a bit of poking and some awkward maneuvering with the brush to get at the hardest-to-reach areas. Once Axe was satisfied that he'd at least loosened up the debris enough for it to wash out, he nudged Dai Atlas under the spray, watching as the accumulated grime was washed out of where it had been building up. Nodding in satisfaction, he offered his mate the brush, turning to expose his own hard to reach armor plating.

With the same care and meticulous attention to detail, Dai Atlas returned the favor, smiling slightly as his mate groaned at the dual pleasure of stimulation and getting clean.

"Does the shower get you two off or something?" Chipper's voice piped up from the far side of the room where he'd been paddling around the oil bath for more than a breem.

"A combination of getting clean and being with our other half," Axe replied, glancing over at the smaller mech. "When you've been bonded as long as we have, you know exactly what touches work best to get your partner worked up." He shifted slightly to look over his mate's frame. "At least we touched up our paint before leaving Kaon... Once we get this grime off we should be presentable enough."

"I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll be touched up again if we need it," Dai Atlas chuckled as he checked Axe's finish, then tugged his mate towards the pool and the energon waiting for them. "It'll be good to relax again."

"Relaxing sounds like a very good idea," Axe agreed as he stepped into the pool, shooing Chipper out of the way. Groaning softly, he settled into the hot liquid, letting his optics dim.

SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS

Early the next morning Dai Atlas and Axe enjoyed the walk from the House of the Shining Sun to a bench in the famed Crystal Gardens where they had arranged to meet a mecha that promised he could help them decide on a course of study. Tandem had apologized profusely about the lack of height in the office; mecha Dai Atlas' size were just too rare to make building standards to accommodate.

~Hopefully the universities themselves will have higher ceilings.~ Axe leaned against his mate's shoulder, his optics darting about, taking in all he could see of the gardens. He had heard of the Crystal Gardens, everyone had, but never before had he had the chance to actually see them. In his first opinion it deserved everything said of it.

~If not, arrangements will be made. I'm hardly unaccustomed to it being inconvenient,~ he turned his helm to snatch a kiss. ~It's worth it to be able to pick you up and pin you against the wall.~

~Just because you're used to the inconvenience doesn't make it any less aggravating. Nor does it have any effect on the amount of grumbling through the bond when you end up with a crick in your neck or back,~ the black and gold Knight pointed out, returning the kiss.

"Welcome to Praxus," a welcoming voice drew their attention to the white, gray and silver Praxian with two sensor wing panels. "Thank you for agreeing to a different location. I am Tandem."

Axe inclined his helm in polite greeting. "I am Axe, and this is my mate, Dai Atlas." He watched the smaller mech with curious interest as Tandem sat on a bench at a right angle to theirs.

"I understand you are both former officers with long records and a great deal of applied education, but little formal education?" Tandem opened with a smooth smile, offering the edge of his EM field to the pair.

"We were sparked military, and never had any formal education outside the military," Axe replied. "If it had no bearing on leading armies across the galaxy, then we had no reason to learn it. Now that we are out of the military, there is a great deal we don't know." He extended his own field to brush against Tandem's.

"You might find a basic cultural study course worthwhile. It was designed for former military to adjust to the real world. It will include all the major differences as well as the education most mecha receive before their mechling upgrade."

"Sounds like an interesting place to start." Axe hummed softly. Blue optics flicked to his mate, who nodded.

"Is the course Praxus-centric?" Dai Atlas asked.

"To an extent," Tandem said easily. "Are you planning to move elsewhere after you graduate?"

"Yes, so a more general overview would be preferable," Dai Atlas said.

Tandem hummed, tapping rapidly on his transparent datapad. "Would I be correct that you do not intend to go to a city, or even a territory dominated by one?" He flicked a glance at their Great Swords. "I have heard of such weapons, and that they belong to a rather isolationist Order."

"You would be correct." Dai Atlas' expression gave away nothing. "We are not settling in a city or a city-dominated territory."

"Then the diplomatic variant might be of most interest and use for you," he suggested. "It touches on all the major cities and is as unbiased as any university has. As senior command officers, it likely is more in line with your experience."

Both of the large triple changers considered that. Blue optics met red briefly, then Axe nodded. "That does sound more useful to us."

Tandem nodded and rapidly tapped a few more things into his datapad. "As long-time military, I'm sure you have field training in at least a few fields. Are there any skills you are inclined to have as formal education?"

Axe thought for a moment, pondering the options and where his own interests were leading. "Administration," he said finally. "I have yet to narrow it down, though. Also systems tech."

"Sciences, engineering, and programming," Dai Atlas answered, shifting a long wing. "Cooking."

Tandem nodded and smiled warmly. "Any specific fields?"

"Pastries and confections," the larger mech replied.

Axe's optics flicked to his mate, surprised. That wasn't something he'd ever thought about his mate doing, but he understood the blue triple changer's need for a hobby. ~Wing is going to be over the moons when he learns about that skill.~

~Of that I am well aware, love,~ Dai Atlas chuckled.

"Hobby level pasty chef or enough for a solid income?" Tandem asked, tapping rapidly on his pad with no indication that he was the least bit startled by the statement.

"Hobby," Dai Atlas said easily. "Enough to make treats for friends. Axe needs a hobby too ... is there a course that gives you an experience with many options?"

"Of course, if Axe doesn't have any preferences?" he glanced at the black and gold mech.

"I'm leaning more toward art, drawing," Axe replied after a moment of thought. "Though there might be other options I would find appealing."

More tapping. Datastreams flashing by on the pad. "Drawing, and there is an entry level creativity course that covers drawing, painting, engraving, sculpture and holograms. There is also a pastry decoration course, if you want to join your mate in the kitchen."

"I'll give it some thought," Axe replied, nodding slightly. Light glittered along his gold crest. "Those courses sound quite interesting." ~Though getting us in the kitchen together might end up with as much of the decorations on us as on the pastries,~ he commented privately, chuckling.

~And that is a problem for what reason?~ Dai Atlas purred back with a few thought-images. ~Just think of being able to make our own gel.~

~You have a point.~ Black armor fluffed out slightly in response. ~Definitely a course to keep in mind, then.~

~What about dancing?~ Dai Atlas purred across the bond, giving no doubt just what kind of dancing he meant.

Axe's helm spikes twitched. ~Not something I ever really envisioned myself doing, but definitely a possibility.~

~Would you enjoy watching me dance?~ Dai Atlas asked, almost hesitant.

~Of course I would,~ Axe answered, reaching out to take his mate's hand, curling his fingers around Dai Atlas'. ~And I would enjoy dancing for you.~

A small smile crossed the larger giant's lip plates as he leaned over to snatch a lingering kiss and draw his mate closer. Axe sidled closer, leaning against warm blue armor, returning the kiss. He'd almost forgotten the smaller mech sitting with them. Humming contentedly, Axe settled against his larger mate's side.

"Will you try to test out of any courses you may have the experience to pass already?" Tandem asked when he had their attention again.

"That hadn't occurred to me," Axe admitted. He glanced up into red optics.

Dai Atlas shook his large helm. "Perhaps the most technical of courses, but given how our education happened, even if we know enough to test out, we likely don't know important things taught in it that will hamper our progress in later courses. Though that idea might change when we actually know what courses we have to take."

Tandem smiled warmly. "Then all that is left is the entrance exams to place your current knowledge levels and set up your schedule."