Fandom: Transformers G1
Author: gatekat, ultrarodimus on LJ
Pairing: Axe/Dai Atlas/Titanus, Wing/Tradewinds, Starspark/Sirenis
Rating: PG-13
Codes: Slash, Historical Setting, Knights of Light, Violence
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.
The cyber-kitten: (gorechick .deviantart art/Kitty-Jazz-90551785)
Kneeling to the Sword 21: Growing up and Promotions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starspark was giggling loudly, her attention firmly held by her current watcher, Dart. The small cycleformer had been picked to watch her because of his ability to keep her out of mischief at least part of the time, though sometimes he was more inclined to help her in whatever mischief she was into. When Wing and Firefly joined in, the Citadel shivered at what the four might get up to.
A flash of blue caught the attention of both, the little femme squealing happily as she recognized her carrier appearing out of thin air. The big teleporter had resumed his job as a courier about two vorns after Starspark had separated. He worked shorter orns than he had before, spending as much time as he could with his creation while still earning a good income.
This orn, Titanus was clearly carrying something in his arms, though the smaller mecha couldn't tell what. It was smaller than her, metallic in parts while fluffy black or white elsewhere. Bright points of blue appeared over Titanus' arm when it squirmed.
Starspark caught Dart's comprehension of what they were looking at and got even more excited. "What did carrier bring?" she demanded with a squeal.
The teleporter knelt down, showing her a small mechanimal. "Cybercat kitten. Cute, isn't he?"
"Yes cute!" she squealed again and rushed forward with bright optics.
"Where did you get that?" Dart asked curiously.
"I was picking up a shipment from a warehouse, and the shipment mewed at me. No one claimed the kitten, and it was quite a friendly little critter. So I decided to bring it home with me." Titanus set the small creature down on the floor in front of Starspark. "Be careful not to hurt it, Star."
She nearly froze at the caution and nodded seriously. She knelt to all fours to get closer to the ball of black and white metal fluff. Its helm and left shoulder were black, most of the body and face were white but all four pedes and the end of its long, slender tail were black. Bright blue optics watched her curiously as huge black ears flicked at her.
"What is its designation?" she asked as she approached the creature curiously.
"It doesn't have a designation yet," her carrier replied, settling down on the floor. "You can pick it up and pet it, but no pulling of ears or tail, and no squeezing."
"I think you made her orn." Dart grinned up at the much bigger mech.
"I understand carrier," she promised and crawled a bit closer to reach out for the kitten. "Soft!" she squealed again in surprise when she ran her hand down its back. "Good noise?" she asked nervously when the creature began to purr.
"Very good noise," Titanus agreed. "Just like your brother Wing when his wings are petted. It likes being petted."
"Cool," she grinned and petted the kitten again as she worked out how to read its field.
::Dart, what is going on?:: Dai Atlas commed.
::Tai brought a cybercat kitten back. It's the most adorable thing,:: Dart tried not to coo over the comm. ::Her first pet.::
::Kitten?:: Wing's voice broke in with a trilling squeal of excitement.
::Incoming Wing,:: Axe laughed hard over what had become a family comm line. ::You know he's wanted a pet since he met Lunar and Solar.::
Titanus shook his helm, amused. ::No pulling ears or tails, Wing. Unless you want claw marks in your finish.:: He brought out a few cybercat toys he'd picked up before returning to the Citadel, having made a quick stop at a store in Iacon.
::And broken audials,:: Axe added with a snicker. ::Get captures.::
Oblivious to the chatter, Starspark had to picked up the purring ball of fluff and cradled it against her chest.
Titanus' smiled, watching the small femme cuddling the kitten. The kitten was clearly enjoying the attention, rubbing its head against her chin and purring loudly. ::I'll take plenty of pictures, Axe,:: he replied, hearing the sound of Wing's engines approaching.
"Cute little purr-ball," Starspark cooed as she locked her joints so she didn't squeeze her new pet. "So soft."
"He didn't have a home or anyone to feed him, so I brought him home with me. And it looks like he really likes you." Titanus' optics glowed softly as he watched the kitten rub its head against her chin and neck.
Wing trotted in, wings twitching. Bright gold optics settled on the ball of fur in his sister's arms. "Aw, that is cute."
"Isn't it?" Starspark grinned up at him, her purple optics glowing brightly before she lowered her face to nuzzle the kitten. "What should we call it?"
The kitten mewed, optics dimming as it rubbed its cheek against hers, little wire whiskers rasping softly against her cheekplate. Soft fur tickled her cheek.
"That's entirely up to you," Wing replied, reaching out to rub behind a large black ear. "It's your kitten, not our kitten."
Purple optics blinked, glancing at her carrier.
Titanus nodded. "He's all yours, sweetspark." He gently ran a fingertip over the little wing on the side of her helm.
"I think I'll call him White Stripe," she decided, nuzzling the little creature, both of the youths purring now.
A small paw lifted to gently pat at Starspark's nose, White Stripe sniffing at her cheek and helmet. Fur brushed against armor as the kitten shifted in her arms.
"That's a nice designation." Wing scratched under the kitten's chin, his smile widening as blue optics dimmed almost off, White Stripe leaning into his hand.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Sirenis laughed, his field playful as Starspark fussed over his finish. They were in his apartment in Cyber City, preparing to visit her home, a place he still only knew as 'her home'. As a teleporter she was able to keep that secret better than most, much to the frustration of the entertainment press and her legions of fans.
"Are you sure you aren't planning to introduce me as your lover?" he continued to grin while she made sure his silver, black and blue finish was flawless.
"Wasn't planning on it," she teased back, giving him one last critical once-over. "Never hurts to look good, though." She ran critical purple optics over his frame, picking up a rag to buff out a spot only she could see before nodding in satisfaction.
"They do know I'm coming?" he smiled and stepped close so she could grip him for the jump.
"They do," she confirmed, wrapping her arms around him. The femme grinned at him, her purple optics flaring as she teleported. A brilliant flash of blue-purple light blocked out the world, then there was an instant of nothingness before a second flash of light. Then they were somewhere else entirely.
Despite having done it a handful of times before, he still found it disorienting. As his optic feed settled he took in the central room of an apartment designed for absolute giants, then he found those giants. Five of them.
Five? Creators, two brothers, and ?
"Titan! You're back!" The femme detached from Sirenis, trotting over to hug the big purple and silver mech, the oldest of the gathering.
"I'm back," the giant agreed, returning the hug. "It's good to see you again."
"It is." Starspark held onto him for a long moment before letting go and turning back to her fellow professional singer and sometimes lover. "Sirenis, this is my family. My carrier, Titanus, my sire, Dai Atlas, my creator, Axe, my uncle Titanium, and my brothers Sheerwing and Wing." She pointed to each in turn, pointing out one Sirenis hadn't noticed, a relatively small white mech on Dai Atlas' shoulder. The only one besides Starspark in the family to be normal sized.
"Hello all," Sirenis smiled at the group that made him feel very small. "You didn't tell me Dai and Axe were your creators," he focused on her.
Starspark tilted her helm. "I wasn't aware you knew them." She looked up at the pair curiously.
"Do we?" Dai Atlas stood to approach the singer, trying to place the face or voice.
"Yap," Sirenis chirped with a grin that seemed just a touch out of place.
"Chipper?" Dai Atlas paused, his wings flicking in surprise.
"Yap," Sirenis grinned up at him. "It's not common knowledge though."
"It's been a long time," Axe added, grinning at the small mech. "How have you been doing?"
"Chipper?" Starspark echoed, looking at Sirenis. "That certainly suits you."
"Thanks, and quite well," Sirenis relaxed and hopped up onto the back of a couch. "We crossed paths when we were exploring Cybertron," he explained to Starspark. "I still own them my spark, and a lot of credits."
"The credits we're not worried about, particularly," Axe put in, getting up to retrieve two smaller cubes, one jet-grade and one grounder-grade.
"I can pay it back now, though," Sirenis insisted. "As you might know from Starspark, a top ranked performer earns a very good income. I just never knew where to find you. Not even Prowl could find you."
"Which was the point," Axe replied as he handed Sirenis the grounder-grade energon. "Not even Nova Prime could find us here. We were able to live in peace, completely off the grid, until well after his death."
"I've heard quite a bit about you," Titanus commented, shifting a wing. "It's nice to finally get a chance to meet you."
"As Chipper or Sirenis?" he asked curiously.
"As Sirenis," Titanus answered. "You're in the entertainment news a lot, and I have heard quite a few of your songs while out and about, working."
Something soft brushed against Sirenis' leg, revealing the presence of a large black and white cybercat joining him on the back of the couch. Wire whiskers twitched as the creature sniffed at him, tail waving lazily back and forth, then rubbed against his leg plating.
"And you must be White Streak," Sirenis trilled to the mecha-animal before reaching out to pet him. "Any you'd like to hear live tonight?"
"He is indeed," Starspark confirmed, watching as the cybercat leaned into the petting, purring loudly. "Best mouser in the place."
"I'd like to hear any new ones," the biggest of the group replied. "Some of the ones I've heard while out and about I've heard over and over."
"I've heard of you as Chipper," Titanium volunteered, sprawling over a chair. "You stayed in my apartment after Dai and Axe rescued you from the arenas in Kaon."
"Yap," the singer nodded with a grin.
"So how did things turn out with Prowl?" Dai Atlas asked.
"Very well," Sirenis brightened considerably. "Three hundred vorns after that fight we bonded."
"Glad to hear that." Axe grinned at him. "You were in quite a state when you found out he'd already bonded twice, as I recall. Glad to hear things worked out."
White Streak stood up on his hind pedes, sniffing at Sirenis' face. One paw reached up to pat at his nose before the cybercat trotted over to where Dai Atlas sat, climbing up a blue leg onto his lap.
"More pede prints in your finish," Titanus teased, looking over at the blue Knight.
"As if anyone's surprised at this point," he chuckled. "Did you want to meet Prowl's creations while you are here? We trained at least two of them."
"Dagger and Lightwing," Sirenis nodded, a fond smile creeping across his features. "I would love to. It's been a long time since I got to see my creation."
Starspark cycled her optics. "Wait, you're Lord Jazz?"
"Yes," he nodded, his expression much more serious. "That is a secret. Prowl supports my love of this function, but it wouldn't be accepted by much of the nobility. If it became known, Sirenis would have to disappear."
"We'll keep it in the family," Dai Atlas promised with all the authority of a family patriarch.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Dai Atlas walked in silence to the Sovereign's office without a clue as to why he was summoned, and summoned by himself. As far as he knew he'd done nothing to warrant the leader's official attention. His third Initiate had returned to the Citadel without incident more than forty vorns before and while he was looking again, it was too soon for anyone to think he was lacking attention to his duties to the future. After all, Wing still hadn't taken on a third Initiate yet, and Axe hadn't found a fourth.
Even his temperament and reproductive protocols had been well in check, thank Primus and a spark too damaged to carry again.
When he stepped into the office that always reminded him of entering a Great Sword's gem he couldn't stop his wings from flicking in surprise. The Sovereign wasn't alone. There were three other Masters there: Aurora, Marwir and Tornado. All were focused on him and standing in a semi-circle in much the way of a judgment panel would.
"Master Dai Atlas, it has come to our attention that you are making a significant, if unguided effort to put yourself in line to be the next Sovereign." Vanguard spoke evenly after the door closed and locked behind the giant.
A quiver of tension was ruthlessly suppressed as the giant stood ramrod straight, every micrometer of him the military General he once was. "That is correct, Sovereign."
"Why?" Aurora, the next likely one to bear the title demanded coolly.
"Because I am the one best able to lead the Order through the civil war that is coming," he focused on her.
White optics narrowed. "There is more to becoming Sovereign than training Initiates. But you wouldn't have known that, since Wing has no interest in advancing any further, and he himself does not know."
Sharp red optics locked onto white and for a brief moment all for Masters were treated to a view of Dai Atlas that they'd not witnessed before: the General being challenged for his competency. "No more than being a top General in the army is about training recruits, Sovereign." His voice was hard, a pointed reminder that Dai Atlas was anything but new to a command position.
"What makes you think you are best for the position?" Tornado asked. "Why do you want the rank?"
Dai Atlas' optics locked on the yellow pair. "I am the only one here who was a command officer, who has seen war from a position of leadership and won. There are lessons that only experience can teach and I've learned them all when it comes to leading during a conflict. I will protect the Citadel and the Order when what's coming arrives at our gates."
Marwir rumbled but didn't directly contradict him.
"You are certain that a war is brewing?" Tornado's optics narrowed.
"Yes," Dai Atlas nodded. "It is waiting only on a leader to focus the storm."
Vanguard inclined his helm ever so slightly. "You do have a point. Several good points. But, are you capable of leading the Order in a time of peace, as well as a time of war?"
"That I would currently have to lean on others for more," the giant acknowledged. "I have done tours on Cybertron as a base sub-commander and several tours as a boot camp instructor."
The current Sovereign regarded the elder mech in silence for a long moment, weighing things in his processor. The next question seemed to come completely out of the blue. "Have you any experience crafting weapons, Dai Atlas?"
The giant paused. "Of the kind you mean, not in a very long time. They fell out of favor with Nova's ascension to Prime. Before that I learned to make all my own weapons, all soldiers did. I favored a mace and spiked shield to swords, however."
"At least you have the skills, even though they're rusty," Tornado noted. "I had to learn from scratch. Though the making of a Great Sword does require some specialized skills you will have to learn."
"If you can learn," Marwir huffed. "Not all who try can."
"If it means the Order survives well, I will master it," Dai Atlas just barely kept his growl in check at the blatant challenge.
"There is far more to joining our rank than merely mastering skills," Aurora finally spoke up. "You will become an Initiate once more, to all of us. Do not expect to have a life for a couple millennia."
A flicker of long, wide blue and white wings, then Dai Atlas nodded. "I understand."
"It does not guarantee you will be the next Sovereign," Aurora reminded him firmly. "Only, if you complete the training, you will be among those who can be considered for it when the current Sovereign steps down."
"I will complete it," he told her just as firmly. "I understand it is not a promise."
"Make certain that this is what you want, since the training will mean that you will not be seeing much of your family until you have completed it," Vanguard cautioned. "If you do successfully complete the training, and succeed in forging a Great Sword, then you will become a part of the Circle of Masters."
"It is what I want, Sovereign," Dai Atlas said with all the certainty of one who had spent centuries pondering the question.
Vanguard inclined his helm. "Then I wish you success."
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Wing landed on the balcony of the quarters Dai Atlas and Axe shared, peeking inside to make sure the black and gold mech was home before trotting inside. "Axe?"
"Hey Wing," Axe grinned over at him from where he was lounging on the couch watching an old vid. "Tradewinds cut you loose?" he teased.
"Yep." The little jet trotted over, climbing into Axe's lap and leaning against warm black plating. He was silent for a moment, then looked up into blue optics. "What's going on with Dai? He has no free time anymore; half the time I don't even see him until late in the evening if at all."
Axe smiled and stroked Wing's back before focusing on his wings. "He's training for the Circle of Masters, so he has a shot at being the next Sovereign. It's like being an Initiate all over again, only it'll last a couple millennia and he has to answer to all four of them."
The white mech blinked up at him. "The Circle of Masters? I've heard of that, though I've never really paid much attention. No reason to, since I have no interest in trying to become Sovereign."
"They're the Senior Masters who have finished all the additional training that a Sovereign needs. The next Sovereign is chosen from among them." Axe said softly as he petting his eldest creation's wings. "There's a lot for him to learn, far more than we ever anticipated. If we have time, I'll be entering the training when he's completed it."
"I'm not surprised that there's a lot to learn." Wing purred at the petting. "The Sovereign is responsible for everyone inside the complex's walls, Knights and dependents. As much administration as anything else, from what I've seen. From watching Vanguard, I got the impression it's more like being a city leader than a military commander. But that would explain why Dai has no free time anymore."
"Yes, there is a lot of administration," Axe agreed. "It's so much more than that. The laws on who can come in, who can stay. The laws on punishment far beyond what a Knight needs to know. The full history of the Order, every Great Sword, the previous Sovereigns, secrets that he can't even tell me. How to forge the weapons of the order." He shook his helm. "I can't imagine how much more work it would be for someone who wasn't all but sparked to be a leader."
Slender wings fluttered under Axe's hands. "Definitely not something for me. My processor doesn't work that way. Besides, I can't see me in a position involving that much responsibility. Until I mature a little more. Which, knowing me, will probably take me until I'm as old as Dai is."
"Hopefully never," Axe chuckled softly. "Innocence at your age is a precious gift. You're mature enough to do your duty and even train an Initiate well. You're far more valuable to everyone as the mecha who smiles and teases. There are plenty of leaders."
Wing trilled. "I could probably stand to do a little more maturing." He rested his helm against Axe's chest, rubbing his cheek armor against the dark chestplate. "You're not the only one who thinks I'm just fine as I am, though."
"Tradewinds likes his little purring cuddle-bot, mmm?" the giant teased, though it was a real question. "Just how serious is it with him?"
"He is very serious about courting me, and I am very, very interested," Wing replied. "And yes, he likes me as I am."
"Any reservations?" Axe asked gently.
The jet shook his helm. "No, no reservations. He's really a very sweet mech."
Axe hummed. "Then I should be planning for a bonding ceremony the next time Titan is planetside." He ruffled Wing's wings, his field warm with excitement.
Wing turned up the volume on his purr. "I'm not sure if we're ready for that yet. But I will let you know. I'm well aware that if I don't, Dai will come to find out himself."
"He wants you, you don't find any fault with him ... why the uncertainty?" Axe prodded gently. "I can feel that you're the one who isn't ready."
"I'm not sure," Wing admitted. "I just... don't feel ready to bond just yet."
"Then don't," Axe said firmly. "If he's the right one, you'll know. Dai Atlas and I courted for a long time before he convinced me to bond."
The smaller mech hummed softly. "I admit I'm more than a bit jealous of what you have with Dai. I want something like that, some orn. But I'm not ready yet."
"It takes a lot of work," he cautioned. "Not just to build the relationship, but to keep it. Communication, give and take, it's work every orn to keep it good."
"I will keep that firmly in mind." Wing nodded. Shifting position slightly, he rested his helm against Axe's chest, turned off his optics, and gave himself over to the petting.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Axe made his way back to the quarters he shared with Dai Atlas, having just finished a sparring session with one of the other Master Knights, a big white mech by the designation Lightstrike. The white mech was a challenging opponent any orn. Entering his quarters, Axe was surprised to find them empty. Wing had made a habit of spending the evenings with him, which helped distract him from the fact that Dai Atlas was absent. He must be enjoying Tradewinds' attentions. Sheerwing was gone too, though that wasn't unusual. His middle creation preferred to spend time with his lover. His youngest was performing in Vos.
It was going to be a lonely evening until he was tired enough for recharge, or his mate finally finished and stumbled in.
The black and gold mech headed for the washracks, taking his time getting the sparring paint off his armor. Once the last fleck of yellow was gone, he stood under the spray for a good breem, just letting the solvent run over his plating. When he finally moved again, emerging from the shower, he dried himself, then made his way back out into the main room.
He grabbed a bookfile almost at random and flopped down on the smaller of the couches in the living room to read. He'd barely gotten through the first screen when there was a polite knock from the open balcony.
Axe looked up, turning toward the balcony. "Come in." His optic ridge quirked up when he saw Tradewinds' distinctive frame come into view.
"Do you have a few kliks to talk, Axe?" the shuttle asked politely.
"I'd expected you to be with Wing." Axe set the bookfile aside, sitting up on the couch. "Yes, I do have a few kliks." He waved the white shuttle toward a chair.
"Thank you," Tradewinds inclined his helm and sat where indicated. "I was wondering if Wing talks to you any, about me."
"He does talk to me, and to Dai," Axe confirmed. He snorted softly. "If he doesn't, Dai would go looking for answers. Wing confides in us, as well."
The white shuttle nodded, his wings relaxing somewhat. "Would you tell me if I have not done something for him?"
Axe cycled his optics. "I'm not aware of anything you haven't done for him. He is very much taken with you."
White wings flicked in confusion, but Tradewinds nodded, an almost defeated look crossing his features briefly. "I ... see. It seems I have much to learn of how to read him," he murmured. Soft, hurting blue optics briefly flicked up to meet Axe's. "I would ask if I have done anything wrong, but he is not good at hiding that." He smiled slightly. "He's such a sweet spark. He really does like me?"
Axe blinked at Tradewinds' reaction. "He does. He truly likes you, very much. When he talks about you he gets a look that is very close to 'smitten'. Why do you ask?"
"I don't get to see that look," he said softly. "He seems to look at me the same way he looks at Thorn, Atl and his other regular lovers. I never expected him to be just mine; he's not that kind of mecha and I knew that before I started courting him. I did hope I might be a bit more than just another warm berth for him."
"You mean a great deal to him," Axe told him. "I've heard his other lovers playfully complaining about how much time he spends with you. Wing does love you, very much."
A small, relieved smile crossed Tradewinds' features as he stood. "Thank you. I will learn to be content with what this is, then."
"You are welcome." Axe nodded to him, watching as the shuttle left before returning to his reading with new things to turn over in his processors.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
Dai Atlas sank to his knees before the crystal forge, beyond exhausted. Drained to the point he was shaking, his control over his frame limited to the primary servos and muscle cables. He'd fought in battle for ten orns without a break and hadn't been this drained.
Yet at the same time he was elated. Though his optic feed had dimmed to nearly nothing, he knew to his spark that the first and most difficult stage of forging a new Great Sword was complete and it had worked. Strength of Conviction hummed in pleasure and approval; it was all the confirmation he needed of his success.
He'd never realized before that the Sovereign's office wasn't a replica of a complete Great Sword. It was only the crystal. A crystal that was shaped by sound and power to run the full core of each weapon. Up the hilt, across the guard and down the blade. It was beautiful in its perfection and soon the bulk of the work would be covered by decorative metal. A crystal that could have been the spark chamber of a mecha was now the focal crystal for a new Great Sword.
The large blue Knight was being carefully watched. The Sovereign was watching with a critical optic from a distance, as much to make sure Dai Atlas didn't collapse from exhaustion as to monitor his progress. Vanguard clearly remembered the first time he had forged a Great Sword and how completely drained he had been afterward. But, in the end, it had been worth it. He could see in every line of Dai Atlas' frame that the giant felt the same. He understood the lesson already.
A private smile curved the Seeker's lip plates before he pinged Axe. ::Please come to the forge and collect your mate. It is time for him to rest.::
::On my way,:: the black and gold Knight replied.
A klik later, the doors of the forge opened to admit Axe. Nodding to Vanguard, Axe walked over to where Dai Atlas knelt, taking a firm hold of his mate's frame.
"Come on, Dai," he murmured in the larger mech's audial. "Time to rest."
The larger triple changer grunted softly as he struggled to his pedes, more than willing to follow where his mate led him. He leaned heavily on Axe, needing the support as badly as he needed recharge.
"Try to get him to refuel," Vanguard told Axe quietly as the pair stumbled out.
"He'll refuel if I have to stick a funnel in him and pour the energon in that way," Axe grunted in response, wrapping one arm around his mate's midsection and helping Dai Atlas from the forge. "Considering how exhausted he is right now, I might just have to."
The Sovereign inclined his helm in understanding and watched the couple leave before his smile returned. It was a look neither Axe nor Dai Atlas saw as they made their way to their quarters. Sheerwing appeared half way there to support his carrier's other side, taking much of the weight off Axe.
Axe nodded a greeting to Sheerwing, shifting his grip to let his sparkling find a better grip. "Let's get him to the berth... He needs to refuel, but he's probably going to pass out before someone even brings the energon."
Wing was waiting for them, a large energon cube already in his hands. Gold optics flitted from Axe to Dai Atlas, the small jet shifting from pede to pede.
"He'll be fine," Axe assured him as they worked to get Dai Atlas onto the berth. "He just needs lots of recharge, energon and some cuddling."
"Not dead yet," Dai Atlas mumbled, reaching rather blindly for the energon he could feel but not see.
"You look it," Wing informed him, walking over and holding out the cube. "I'm not sure I've ever really seen you this exhausted." The white mech waited for Dai Atlas to settle, then climbed onto the berth, sliding onto his creator's torso.
"Haven't been," he mumbled, accepting Axe's assistance in holding the cube to his lips so he could let it flow down his intake in a single river of liquid energy. Soon red optics brightened slightly and the tremors stopped. With a low, relieved sigh Dai Atlas relaxed against his mate. "The worst is over. The rest is decorative work. Long and fiddly, but nothing I can't lay down and come back to."
"You're not getting back to it until you're fully rested," Axe told his mate firmly. "That way, you can get back to it with a clear processor."
"Stay put," Wing added, parking himself on Dai Atlas' chest and looking up at the bigger mech with wide, shining optics.
"No intention of moving," Dai Atlas smiled at his family before shuttering his optics. He reached to pull Wing flat as his systems shut down and snuggled against his mate without even thinking about it.
"Recharge well, carrier," Sheerwing smiled in amusement at the scene before slipping away to let them rest.
SxSxSxSxSxSxSxSx S===================S SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS
The Circle of Masters had assembled in the Sovereign's office once more. Vanguard at the far right of the semi-circle, with Marwir and Tornado between him and Aurora. All of them were standing silently, optics on the large blue Knight as he brought the Great Sword he had forged before them. They had each taken turns in watching him, the giant's stamina exceeding each of theirs, but also because they all still had other duties while Dai Atlas had few demands on him other than to work on the Great Sword with its clear gem he now held in both hands.
With smooth grace Dai Atlas knelt on one knee before Sovereign Vanguard and lifted the newly forged Great Sword on flat palms, presenting it and offering himself to judgment.
Vanguard took the Sword, inspecting it carefully. His optics took in every detail, fingers brushing lightly over the gem's setting. Once he completed his inspection, he handed the blade to Marwir, turning his attention to Dai Atlas.
"Does the Great Sword have a designation?" he asked, white optics taking in the posture of supplication from one he would soon call a true equal.
"Dei Curatio: Guidance of the Light," Dai Atlas responded, never twitching from his position.
Tornado hummed softly as he accepted the blade from Marwir, inspecting it thoroughly before passing it to Aurora. "Flawless work," the blue and gray flier murmured, looking at Vanguard.
"Flawless," the Sovereign agreed, pausing to regard the mech whose contradictions still gave him processor aches. How anyone could be so completely submissive and yet bear such absolute authority as naturally as his armor was beyond the Seeker. Yet he could not deny that Dai Atlas had not only completed every test set before him, but done so far better than expected. An exceptional student who would be an exceptional leader once more. "And beautifully crafted. You went well beyond the basic design given to you."
"You once said that each blade is as much a reflection of the mecha who forged it as the first to bond to it," Dai Atlas replied quietly, evenly. "This is the best of all I have been."
Aurora nodded and flicked her wings in subtle agreement that Dai Atlas could not see.
"Stand and join your peers, Senior Master Dai Atlas," the Sovereign said with ritual cadence, his voice even despite the pride and warmth in his field. "We welcome you to the Circle of Masters."
"Welcome," Aurora smiled, her wings canted and fluttering lightly in a very pleased greeting as he stood and took in the mecha who had made his existence a living pit for the past millennia and a half. "It is good to have you in our rank."
"You are very welcome among us," Tornado agreed, extending his hand and shaking it firmly. "Congratulations."
Vanguard's field reached out to brush against Dai Atlas', expressing his pride in the older mech. "And now that your torture - erm, training - is complete, you can catch up on all the recharge and jet cuddles we deprived you of." White optics gleamed with amusement.
Dai Atlas chuckled, his field brushing against each of theirs with his amusement, relief and pride in having completed the training. "I'm going to have to learn how to have time off all over again."
"I'm sure Wing will be happy to help you there," Marwir smirked and clapped his arm. "Go enjoy your family and a few orns to recharge."
"Yes, Hardwing will expect you for a full physical before you are back on the regular rotation again," Vanguard chuckled. "For now, go celebrate."
"I intend to," Dai Atlas inclined his helm politely before turning to leave, his wings vibrating with excitement as he reached out to brush against his mate's spark. ~Are you free, love?~
~I just finished for the orn,~ Axe replied. ~And I just found a pile of white on our couch... Looks like Star came back for some family time. She and Wing are curled up in a ball, out cold.~ He sent an image through the bond.
~That is too cute for words ... and means that if you don't wake them, we can have some time to ourselves before we're assaulted,~ he chuckled.
~We can indeed,~ the black and gold Knight purred. He took a few more pictures, both for his own files and for what he called the "family album". ~I'll be waiting for you.~