Kneeling to the Sword 25: Seeking a Home
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Millennia had passed since the civil war had begun on Cybertron, since Titanium had said goodbye to his family before they fled the planet. The big triple changer had seen his planet and his people torn apart by war, had seen many planets stripped for resources to fuel the fighting. Cybertron's population was a bare fraction of what it had once been, the planet almost devoid of energy, its ecosystem ravaged, most of the mecha-animal populations completely destroyed. The once-mighty Cybertronian empire had fallen, its central world a barren husk, and still the war raged with no real end in sight.

Titanium had been fighting for a very long time, under many Primes, but never like this. He was sick of it, fed up with the pointless slaughter. He'd walked off a battlefield, ignoring the orders of his commander, his younger mate following. When the Prime and SIC had asked where he thought he was going, the ancient triple changer had informed them that he was retiring from the war and leaving Cybertron, never to return. His mate GoldenRod had added that where his mate went, he would follow.

Orns later, after the threats and arguing had died down with Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus admitting defeat, there was a crowd of muttering Autobots watching as the purple and silver giant and the smaller golden mech prepared to board Titanium's ship, a massive, old-style cargo shuttle refitted and designated Stellar Wind. The ship was stocked with supplies for a long journey, collected over a very long time and not something anyone watching knew about. The ancient warrior made no hints about where he was going, only that he would never be seen again.

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Five orns in and they still hadn't left Cybertron's system, or its gravity well for that matter. The Stellar Wind kept criss-crossing the space, much to the increasing irritation of Ultra Magnus.

"Still in orbit, I see," the cultured tones of Mirage reached Titanium as he plotted yet another orbit.

Titanium looked up from his console. "Yes, we are... There's something, or rather, someone, I need to find." His single remaining optic swept over the screen, then went out of focus as his attention turned inward, as if listening to something only he could hear.

"I hope you find him soon," he murmured uneasily, offering the giant a cube of energon. "Before someone notices I'm AWOL, or finds my resignation papers."

The bigger mech accepted the cube. "Thank you. And I'm hoping so, too. I can almost hear Magnus' fuming from up here."

"He's not the one to worry about," Mirage said simply. "Jazz will make sure this ship is blown out of the sky to avoid my escape. We're just lucky that I don't need to check in very often."

The big triple changer rumbled softly. "Hopefully I'll find Sheer and we'll be long gone before anyone notices."

"Agreed," Mirage nodded and settled back to wait. He'd heard of spark bonds being used this way, but he'd never actually witnessed it.

Titanium took a drink from the cube, turning back to the sensors. He'd found chunks of wreckage and debris, but so far he had yet to find any mecha. The bond he shared with Sheerwing insisted that the younger mech was here; Titanium just had to find him.

Joors past, then half an orn.

"Titanium, I believe that is a frame ... and it's not gray," Mirage suddenly spoke up.

A red optic immediately focused on the screen. "You're right. That is a frame, and it's still alive." Maneuvering the huge ship closer, the ancient triple changer headed for the hatch, flying out to collect the drifting mecha. GoldenRod was waiting by the hatch when the larger mech reentered the ship, peering curiously at the stasis-locked mecha.

"Let's get him to the medbay," GoldenRod told his mate, his features grim. "How in the Pit he lasted this long, I'll never know."

"Sheer tenacity is my only guess." Titanium shifted the mech in his arms, walking toward the medical bay. "No Great Sword... He's a civilian."

"Pretty well armored though," GoldenRod hummed as the burned and battered frame was set on smaller medberth and began the prep work to recover him. "Maybe former military? Let's hope he's not one of the Cons."

"He's Kaonite, from the look of him." Titanium looked the mech over, then his remaining optic widened. "I know this mech. This is Kaleidoscope, Sheerwing's lover. He was an armorer and weapon-smith at the Citadel."

GoldenRod looked startled. "You're sure? That's a lot of char to see through."

The big triple changer nodded, reaching out to trace the lines of the mech's armor. "I'm sure. His armor is pretty distinctive, and not just because of how heavy it is. All that plating must have been what saved him when the ship he was on exploded."

"Which means the heavier of the Knights might have made it, but the civilians probably didn't," GoldenRod sighed. "We're going to be here a long time, aren't we?"

"When we find Sheerwing, he can help with the surviving Knights, since his Great Sword can lead him to others of its kind. But the civilians... I wouldn't hold out hope for many of them surviving." Titanium looked down at Kaleidoscope for a long moment. "Do what you can for him... I'll be up on the bridge." He ran a gentle hand over his mate's shoulder and back, then took his leave, heading back to the command center.

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Sixteen orns later Mirage was a fidgety wreck of nerves, GoldenRod still hadn't recharged, there were nine deactivated frames in the hold and three live ones in the medical bay. Only two of them had seen much work, though. Kaleidoscope had been the focus until Sheerwing had been dragged aboard missing a leg, arm and half his face. Now the bomber-class Knight was repaired enough to be brought out of stasis long enough to help find his surviving fellows.

"He doesn't look all that repaired," Mirage commented dubiously as GoldenRod finalized the settings to bring his most important patient out of stasis.

"He's not," the golden mech shrugged. "We don't have the supplies to fix him completely. He's just repaired enough he can direct us to the other Great Swords."

Titanium's right wing was twitching, shifting back and forth like the sensor wing of a nervous Praxian. The big mech was standing next to the berth Sheerwing occupied, one hand hovering just over badly scorched armor. "Once we have as many of the Great Swords and Knights as we can find, Sheer can give us a direction for his carrier. That's the direction we'll be heading in once we're done here." He tilted his helm toward his golden-armored mate. "The rest of the repairs can be done when we find the new Citadel."

GoldenRod nodded and triggered the boot cycle over the equipment's objections. "I'll have to wake him up every so often to make sure we haven't passed it."

Slowly dark red optics powered up, though there was little awareness behind them yet. It would take longer than usual given the amount of damage Sheerwing's frame still sported.

The big silver and purple triple changer leaned over, brushing his fingertips over blackened armor. "Sheer?"

The damaged vocalizer cycled several times as red optics focused on Titanium. "Titan...sire."

Titanium smiled in relief. "It's good to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were better." He placed his hand on Sheerwing's. "We need your help, Sheer. Talk to your Sword, ask it where the others still floating in space are."

"Hardline," Sheerwing murmured. "I'll give you the map I get."

His sire nodded, lifting an arm and unspooling the cable, plugging into Sheerwing. ~Kal is alive, but not conscious. His heavy Kaonite armor saved his life.~

The sure of gratitude-excitement nearly got Sheerwing to sit up, but a firm hand on his chest kept him flat. "No moving," GoldenRod said firmly. "You shouldn't be out of stasis, but we need that map."

Titanium sent an image of the badly battered Kaleidoscope on the other berth, hooked up to the monitors, his armor burned and seared. ~You and he will require major repair when we find Dai and the others. Show us where the Great Swords are, and once we have them we can go find the rest of our family.~

The battered frame relaxed and Sheerwing turned inward, nudging at Shadows of the Fire until the Great Sword responded. ~I know you aren't happy, but show me where they are. Otherwise they and their bearers will be left to drift forever.~

From the grumbling, the ache and the pain, Shadows of the Fire responded with a frustratingly vague location of its fellows. There was no sense of distance beyond close, far or very far, but it was enough to start with.

~You're looking for a hundred and sixty-two Great Swords and forty-six Knights,~ Sheerwing added weakly.

~Thank you, Sheer. And thank you, Shadows of the Fire. We will do our best to retrieve all of them. For now, you must rest.~ Titanium brushed his hand over Sheerwing's helm, waiting for the younger triple to sink back into stasis before disengaging the cable.

"Did you get what we need?" Mirage asked, his entire being twitchy.

"Shadows of the Fire gave us the locations of the other Great Swords. With that map, we can find them a lot quicker than we would by just blindly flying around. And then we're gone." Titanium nodded.

"Good," Mirage let out a vent of relief. "What can I do to speed things up?"

"Another set of optics on the scanners would be appreciated... Easier to spot frames and swords with more than one mech watching." Titanium inclined his helm slightly, turning it to fix his single optic on the smaller mech.

Mirage inclined his helm easily and turned to head to the control room. "If you can ping me that map, I'll feed it into the nav system."

The bigger mech sent him the databurst. "The sooner we find those swords and the surviving Knights, the sooner we can put Cybertron behind us. Let's get to it."

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The Stellar Wind had left Cybertron behind just over a hundred vorns before, with just over fifty survivors in the medical bay and several sets of spare quarters. In the main hold, a large cargo crate had been hastily overhauled to hold the Great Swords that had been retrieved, the frames of deactivated Knights and civilians carefully stored for the long trip.

Sheerwing and Kaleidoscope were being rebuilt as best GoldenRod could manage with the parts Titanium was locating, though they would still require extensive rebuilding when the group finally found the other Knights. At least they were able to remain conscious for more than a breem or two, and GoldenRod was working on getting them mobile. Most of their charred armor had been pried off, their frames too weak to support the extra weight.

Titanium walked into the ship's rec room, pausing to look around. Spotting Mirage, the big triple changer detoured to grab a cube, then made his way over to the blue and white mech. "Mirage."

"Titanium," the noble's rich voice responded softly, far more politely than any noble would have addressed the soldier before the war.

The bigger mech settled into a chair, stretching out his legs and regarding the noble for a moment. "You've calmed down considerably since we left Cybertron's system... At least now you're not acting like a petro-rabbit in a cyber-wolf den. Why were you so desperate to leave Cybertron?"

"How well do you know Meister's reputation?" Mirage answered with a question, how voice low and quiet. "Or Jazz's for that matter, when he's being my boss and not the morale officer."

"Quite well, actually. I've known mecha like him many times before." Titanium tilted his helm, taking a sip from his cube. His brilliant red optic watched Mirage steadily.

"Then you know what betraying a mech like him means," Mirage murmured. "I was Ops, his SIC. You don't retire from a position like that. Not under a mecha like him. If he caught me, I'd be lucky if all I lost was my spark."

Titanium nodded knowingly. "Ahh yes, that I understand. You wanted out, and he wouldn't let you out." He took another sip, lifting a gold-streaked optic rim over the purple plate covering the ruin of his right optic. "How did you know I would be going far enough away that he wouldn't catch you? You seemed to have a very good idea of what I intended."

A small, knowing smile slid across Mirage's features briefly. "As I said, I was SIC in Ops and their best spy. There is very little I do not know about anyone of value in the war and most of the others. You, for instance, and your student who now leads the Knights of Light. Or he did when they left Cybertron with more than thirty thousand mecha on twelve ships. Nine of which escaped the system. I knew you sired a creation with him long before you admitted to it when Sheerwing was brought on board. I know just how many very expensive packages you sent via a very expensive teleporting courier over the vorns. Sparkling items. Gifts for adults. I know where you liked to disappear to before those ships left. I knew you'd be joining them when you left. They have what Cybertron was. I want that civilization back. True, I have no idea where we're going, but I know just how far it must be to have not been found yet, and I know, roughly, what we will find when we get there."

Titanium's optic ridges had risen higher with every word, almost vanishing under the edge of his helmet. "Impressive. Yes, Dai Atlas was my student, my family, and yes, I promised him that I would find him when I had enough of war. Though I'm glad that no one else found out about Sheer... If the military before the war had found out that I'd sired a sparkling with Dai Atlas, they'd've stopped at nothing to get their hands on him." Long wings twitched, hiking up higher at that thought before relaxing. "What do you expect to find at the end of our journey? What will you do?"

"Given the number of civilians and some most unusual stories of who was courted for that journey, I expect to find a Cybertronian city," Mirage said simply. "As for what I will do ... I have many skills from my duties if none of my extended kin will take me in. My eventual goal is to regain something similar to the existence I had before the war. Every city has its rich elite."

"It will take a lot of work for you to get that status... Dai was very firm about taking those who were willing to work, and work hard, for a better life away from the war," the old mech pointed out. "It very likely won't be anything like the life you had before."

"One does not survive Jazz if one is not willing to work hard, or get one's hands dirty," Mirage pointed out, his manner stiffening in a reminder that the rank he had just walked away from had been earned in spite of his origins, not because of them. "I survived the war on the front lines, the only one of my kind to do so," golden optics flashed brightly. "Yet another new set of social rules is not going to stop me from rebuilding my existence. This time into the one I want."

Titanium inclined his helm in acknowledgement. "I will vouch for you when we arrive, and for Spin." He glanced over toward the small amber-and-green mech deep in recharge on a couch, curled up on a pillow made for much larger mechs. "It may take some time before you or he will be completely accepted."

"I was still not completely accepted among the Autobots," Mirage shrugged with an elegant roll of his shoulder. "I will survive the effort to prove myself again."

"Of that I have no doubt." Titanium finished off his cube, setting the empty container aside. "But why did you not bring your mate?"

"My..." Mirage suddenly laughed before his mood went dark. "My mate was extinguished on the shuttle with Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide and the others. I have been without one for a very long time."

An optic ridge lifted. "What of Hound?"

"A convenient cover for us both," Mirage shook his helm. "It was critical that no one discover I was bonded to Prowl, and he was a fellow Ops agent looking to avoid any personal entanglements. It worked well for us."

"And fooled everyone, I suspect." Titanium murmured as he rolled this information over in his processor a few times before storing it as irrelevant. "I know Dai wanted to bring mecha from all walks of life so as to create a self-sustaining, independent city far from the war. I haven't been in contact with him since shortly before he and the Circle of Light left Cybertron. I know my family is waiting there... Dai Atlas and Axe, Wing, Titanus and his daughter Starspark. I'm completely expecting to be pounced on and hugged until my armor creaks." The old mech chuckled softly. "Beyond that, I'm not sure what to expect. But it will be far better than what we left behind."

"It would be difficult for it not to be," Mirage agreed. "Short of it being a Decepticon city."

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Sheerwing shivered at the sensation of the light blanket caressing his protoform. While it had been fairly well repaired and he was able to walk around, being without his armor was still terrifying on a fundamental level. The strong protoform arms of his lover, his mate, drove the fear away. With a smile he leaned down and kissed Kaleidoscope softly.

The shorter mech stirred against him, tilting his helm up to return the kiss. Kaleidoscope was almost completely disarmored, the charring that had covered his armor showing on his protoform here and there, where GoldenRod had yet to repair it. Bare wing panels shifted under the blanket.

"I'm glad to be able to hold you again," the Kaonite murmured. "Even more than finally being off that medical berth. I'd thought I'd never get the chance again."

"I never expected to boot up again either, when I realized the engines were exploding," Sheerwing shivered at the memory. "So many lost..."

"We have our thick armor to thank for our survival," his mate murmured. "Thick plating and sheer tenacity." A shiver ran through his frame and he pressed closer to Sheerwing, wincing a little as dull aches ran through his sensor net. "Too many lost. I am very, very glad to not be among the deactivated... I was terrified that I would be, seeing that wall of plasma and fire coming at me."

"I only saw the warnings," Sheerwing murmured. "The bridge was all sirens and flashing red warnings. Then I felt the heat. Then nothing."

"I was on my way up to the bridge," Kaleidoscope admitted. "I could feel the ship shaking, then fire and searing heat, and agonizing pain. Then... blackness, until I woke up in the medical bay with GoldenRod leaning over me. I thought I was deactivated and looking at someone gone before me, but the aching in my frame convinced me otherwise. I hurt too much to be deactivated." He ran one palm over Sheerwing's protoform, being careful of the bright, careful welds were damaged struts had been repaired or replaced.

"I wish you would have made it," Sheerwing admitted with a sigh, pressing into the touch that was ever so much more intimate than any touch they'd shared before other than their sparks. "I would have liked to hold you as my ship was lost."

"I wish so, too. Then Titan might have found us still clinging to each other, all but welded together by the heat." The smaller flier traced a weld line lightly. "I can just imagine the greetings we'll get from your carrier when we reach him."

"So can I," Sheerwing murmured, long, too-slender looking fingers playing along Kaleidoscope's welds and protoform lines. "What about greeting him as bonded mates?"

Kaleidoscope's optics widened, his helm coming up to stare at Sheerwing for a long moment. Then shock melted into stunned agreement, the Kaonite's field licking out to wrap around his lover's. "I like the sound of that, very much."

"Good," Sheerwing purred, leaning down to kiss him soundly. "Because I like the sound of it too. It's amazing how clear some things become when you're sure you're about to expire." His glossa licked out to caress protoform lips. "Maybe even have a creation to introduce too."

"Not sure I'll be ready for a creation before we arrive," the usually blue and black flier replied. "But still, a very tempting thought. Might give him a CPU glitch." A mischievous grin flitted over Kaleidoscope's features.

"I'm sure bonded will do just fine," Sheerwing grinned and kissed him.

Kaleidoscope returned the kiss, working his fingers gently into Sheerwing's protoform. "Sounds very good to me."

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Dai Atlas' comm pinged with an incoming message from the control center of the Citadel. ::Dai Atlas, we're detecting a ship approaching. From the sensor image, it looks Cybertronian.::

::Lower the city and keep a sensor on it,:: he ordered quickly. ::If it's just passing by we'll let it be.::

Moments later, another ping reached the blue Knight's comm, this one older and very familiar, a ping he hadn't thought he'd receive again despite promises to the contrary.

::Mentor?:: he opened the channel, in enough shock that he froze in the sparring ring.

::Hello again,:: Titanium replied. ::That's my ship you're probably detecting on your sensors. I'm here to keep a promise I made to you before all Pit broke loose on Cybertron.::

Axe tilted his helm, looking at his mate oddly. "Dai?"

::Control, cancel the decent. That's a friendly coming in. Titanium.:: He reported before looking at his mate. "He's back," came out barely more than a stunned whisper. ::Have you picked up the city yet?:: he asked his mentor.

::Titanium's coming?:: The mech on duty audibly perked up. The ancient triple changer was remembered fondly by all of the remaining Knights.

::Yes,:: Dai smiled at the reaction.

::Just coming into sensor range,:: was the response after a moment. ::I have passengers on board, three of them, and I vouch for all of them. I wouldn't allow anyone who might be dangerous to come.::

::Very well,:: Dai Atlas responded. ::Anyone I know of?::

::No one you've met before. And one of them is my own mate.:: There was a huge grin audible in the words, and silver-and-purple armor was probably fluffed up even though Dai Atlas couldn't see it.

::Your mate?:: Dai Atlas perked up, saying it out loud for Axe's benefit. ::How'd you ever find us?::

::Same way you told me to.:: Mischief could be heard in the words. ::I followed the bond. There were a few detours, but that couldn't be avoided.::

Axe's optics gleamed. "Titan's got himself a mate?"

Dai Atlas didn't hear him as every cable in his frame went taut. ::HOW?::

::I followed the creator bond,:: Titanium repeated.

::To what?:: Dai Atlas roared in pain. ::He deactivated with his ship over Cybertron.::

::Dai, Sheerwing inherited military-grade armor from you and Axe, and sheer bloody-minded tenacity from you and me. If anyone could survive that explosion, he could. Sheerwing is very much functional, though he was badly injured and still needs major repairs. You'll see him when we land. Just don't pounce on him... His armor was pretty mangled when we retrieved him, and we had no means of replacing it.:: There was a moment of silence. ::He led us here.::

Dai Atlas fell silent, trembling as he dared nudge the spot in his spark that had so long been painfully silent. ~Sheer?~

~Carrier!~ came the reply. ~I'm back... I came home.~

~How ... why didn't you prod me earlier?~ he tried to keep the hurt out of the joy, but couldn't.

Sheepishness echoed back. ~I'm sorry, carrier. I didn't think to. The bond had been dormant for so long, and I've been in repairs since Titan found me.~ The feeling of a wince trickled through.

~How are you though, other than needing repairs?~ he asked quietly, his entire frame trembling as he tried to absorb the news.

~Aside from the physical, I'm fine. Better than fine. Kaleidoscope also survived the explosion, because of his heavy Kaonite armor, and he's my bondmate now.~ There was pride in Sheerwing's thoughts.

~Dai!~ Axe grabbed his mate's arm, looking up into stunned red optics. ~What's going on? Dai!~

~Sheerwing ... he's on the ship. Bonded to Kal,~ he stammered on the bond with his mate, leaning into the contact. ~He's alive. They're alive. All this time, in stasis, drifting with the ship.~

Axe wrapped his arms tightly around Dai Atlas' frame, supporting the larger mech. Happiness flooded along their bond. ~Sheer... He's alive...~

::And not just Sheerwing,:: Titanium chose that moment to add. ::There are forty-seven surviving Knights on board, all but Sheer in deep stasis and needing major rebuilds. In many cases the damage is so bad it's almost physically impossible to tell who they are, but all of them carry Great Swords. We also found three other surviving civilians besides Kal, but most of the civilians were far too lightly armored to survive the destruction of their ships, much less millennia drifting in space. We're also bringing one hundred and sixty-two Great Swords retrieved from space, and as many of the deactivated as we could find.::

::Thank you,:: Dai Atlas whispered, unable to find any better words to express his gratitude at all that had been returned to him. ::Thank you.::

::You are most welcome,:: Titanium murmured back.

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Wing was all but dancing with excited nerves, getting odd looks from his mate. The white jet's attention was on the massive Cybertronian ship coming in for a landing on the outskirts of the city, along with the attention of everyone else. Nearly the entire population of the Citadel had gathered, ready to welcome home their lost brethren and bring those requiring repair off the ship. Redline, upon hearing the scale of the task awaiting him, had grumbled about the sheer amount of work but immediately began gathering supplies and anyone with medical training to assist.

Sand blew in all directions as the Stellar Wind set down, the massive engines powering down, metal creaking in protest as the landing struts took the weight of the hull. There was a pause as everyone waited for the sand to settle, then the main hatch opened.

As per protocol, Titanium was the first to step out as both commander of the vessel and as the only one anyone knew. At least the only one who had his full armor. The grins and cheering calls from many Knights greeted him warmly, but it was the white bolt that nearly knocked him on his aft that was his first real welcome.

Titanium looked slightly different than he had the last time the Knights had seen him, no doubt due to changes of alt mode during his time as an Autobot. Some things, like the golden pseudo-hair that hung down his back and the swordhilts rising over his shoulders, hadn't changed. The greatest visible difference was the plate of purple metal, matching the rest of his armor, that had been bolted over his right optic.

The big mech laughed out loud, grabbing the edge of the hatch frame to keep from being knocked over. "Hello to you, too, Wing!" He nuzzled the white jet, hand coming up to rub between slender white wings. "I missed you."

"Is my brother really on board? Who's your mate? Are you really here to stay?" Wing trilled as a white grounder bearing a Great Sword stalked up. ~Relax, will you. He's my creator's mentor, that's all.~ "That's Drift, my mate."

"He's really on board, and he'll be out shortly," Titanium confirmed. "Yes, as I promised before you left Cybertron, when I myself was done with war, I would come to stay." Getting his balance back, he shifted so that Wing could see the bright golden mech who had appeared out of the ship, standing chest-high to the big triple changer. "This is my bonded mate, GoldenRod."

GoldenRod inclined his helm and tilted his spoiler in greeting, looking at the white jet with curious interest. "So you're Wing? I've heard a great deal about you. It's good to finally meet you."

Titanium turned his helm to fix his single optic on Drift. "Congratulations on finding your mate, Wing. Greetings, Drift. I am Titanium, Wing's uncle, I guess you could say."

"I've heard entirely too much about you," the grounder grunted, then grinned. "Including some wild stories about mopping the floor with our dear Sovereign."

"He'll do that soon enough," Dai Atlas grunted before he stepped up to clasp his mentor's shoulder, then leaned forward to rest their forehelms together. "It's good to have you back. And to come bearing such gifts," he raised his helm to look further into the ship, looking for his creation.

Titanium grinned at Drift. "I'll be proving those stories once everyone's over the shock." He wrapped his free arm around Dai Atlas' shoulders, humming softly. "It's good to be back, to see you again. And when have you ever known me to come to the Citadel empty-handed?"

"Never," Dai Atlas admitted, a shiver passing down his frame as he welcomed his oldest friend.

There was movement behind the elder triple changer, and Titanium sidestepped to clear the hatch as Sheerwing emerged. The younger mech's frame was wrapped in fabric to keep the sand at bay, emphasizing that he had almost no armor on his protoform, only his hands and helm free. His face and helm plating showed signs of the terrible damage he'd suffered, as well as the repair work that had been done to get him on his pedes. Deep red optics lifted to meet Dai Atlas'. "Carrier."

"Sheerwing," Dai Atlas murmured, shifting his full attention to his middle creation. Out of respect for Sheerwing's well known aversion to familiar contact and his state of repairs, Dai Atlas only touched forehelms with him. "It is good to have you back. You and the others will be repaired and introduced to what we've built."

"But for now, I have work to do," Redline's voice cut through the greetings. "Walking wounded, follow me. Titanium, show my aides where those in stasis are. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

A second fabric-draped frame appeared, grinning irrepressibly up at Dai Atlas. "It's good to see you again, Dai. And it'll be even better to have armor again."

"I am sure," Dai Atlas smiled at his creation's mate. "It will be good to have your skills available once more."

Titanium nodded, shifting Wing up onto his shoulder while pinging a command to the ship's computer. The cargo hatches opened, ramps lowering, granting access to the other Knights. "Bay One is regular cargo, which can go into the stores of city or Citadel, for later use. Bay Two contains the frames of the deactivated, as well as all the Great Swords we managed to retrieve." Long wings ruffled as something brushed against his shin. "Oh, right. Dai!"

"This would be one of the passengers you are vouching for," Dai Atlas looked down at the movement. "Who would you be?"

"Dai, these are Mirage and Spindrift. They would like to petition for residency." Titanium indicated each, the small amber-and-green mech standing next to him, and the blue and white mech who had just emerged from the ship.

"A noble?" Dai Atlas' optic ridge rose. "House of Swift Sky, if I'm any judge."

"Mirage," he sang his full, formal designation as it was before the war. "Yes, though I understand that matters little here."

"We have no nobility here, no ruling class," Dai Atlas said firmly. "You will work as we all do."

"I have long become accustomed to hard work, Sovereign," Mirage inclined his helm respectfully in submission.

"Good," he grunted. "Thorn!" his voice rose to carry through the crowd, drawing the tall black Knight forward. "Mirage will be in your custody until Titanium is settled. Mirage," he focused down at the light blue and white mech. "I expect you to remain visible at all times until you are a citizen of New Crystal City."

"Understood and accepted," Mirage inclined his helm once more.

"Spindrift," Dai Atlas focused on his other unbonded newcomer. "You will stay with Dart for the next few orns."

The silver-opticked mech nodded, looking to the Knight in question. "I will, sir."

"Spin's a unique Cybertronian; the Autobot medics and scientists had all sorts of fits over him." Titanium nudged Spindrift, the unexpected movement causing the startled mech to break into his separate components for a moment, then reform, looking sheepish.

An impatient sound from Redline made the big triple changer grin, leading the medical team into the ship, to the deck where the other survivors had been placed. The three civilians were in the medical bay, along with as many of the Knights as would fit. The others had been secured in the empty passenger quarters. Their frames were blackened and burned, twisted into odd and awkward positions, armor fused into solid masses by the heat of the explosion. Some parts had been cut free to give access to the internal systems, so that monitoring equipment could be attached.

It was as ugly as anyone there had seen.

"What a mess," Dai Atlas shook his helm. "But for now, you," he fixed his optics on his mentor and grabbed his arm. "We have much catching up to do."

"Have fun." GoldenRod looked over at them, winking one bright blue optic before turning back to his conversation with Redline, comparing notes and exchanging data.

The elder triple changer chuckled. "A great deal of catching up," he agreed, reaching up to scratch between Wing's wings as he allowed Dai Atlas to tug him out of the ship. Once outside, he quickly dislodged the white jet from his shoulder, putting the small mech down next to Drift.

"I don't think you want to be between them as they catch up," Drift smirked at his mate.

"No he doesn't," Dai Atlas smirked over his shoulder at the mech he was still not on good terms with. His focus turned to his mentor. "I think you'll like it here, once you get used to the utter lack of use for our primary function."

"Nothing wrong with not having to fight. It'll be a relief, actually." Titanium stepped around behind Dai Atlas, settling on the blue mech's right side, so he could actually see the other mech. "I've seen entirely too much fighting."

"When Redline is done with the critical injuries, he'll see to your optic," Dai Atlas leaned against his mentor. "If you've had it long enough to have a patch, it'll save for a few more vorns."

"My self-repair's already cut off and rerouted all the feeds. It's an old wound... Happened a century or so after you left. Not much left to repair, and I just never bothered." Titanium wrapped an arm around Dai Atlas' shoulders, tilting his helm to take in the view as they walked. "What you've built here is incredible."

"Thank you. It took a lot of work by a lot of mecha," he smiled slightly, his manner relaxing in Titanium's presence in a way few got to witness. "I expect Redline can still fix your optic, if you want him to. Such things weren't always beyond our medicine. We saved all of it, and we've advanced it."

"I'll consider it, once all the surviving Knights are back on their pedes and fully repaired." The elder nodded in response to a friendly greeting, tilting his helm to take in the gleaming city towers. "It's been a long time now since I've been in an intact Cybertronian city. Cybertron is in ruins, almost all of the cities leveled. The planet is dying. I couldn't stay there anymore."

"We both knew it was going to happen," Dai Atlas sighed and pulled away to lift off for his balcony. "Cybertron couldn't sustain itself the way the Golden Age was running."

"Only too true." Titanium shook himself, armor fluffing and resettling. "I'd rather not think about it. I'm far more interested in catching up with you... I've missed you and the others."

When their pedes touched down Dai Atlas grabbed his mentor and claimed a fierce kiss. "I missed you more than I could stand. You have no idea how hard it's been coming to terms with Wing's choice of mates. I needed your ability to make me see reason."

Purring softly, the older mech returned the kiss, running one palm over blue armor, refamiliarizing himself with the planes and angles. "It's never easy when a creation takes a mate the creators don't approve of. But he bears a Great Sword, which I have been told can't happen if the mech is not worthy to bear one."

Dai Atlas sighed in a mixture of pleasure, relief and agreement before tugging his mentor towards the berth room. "That was when I could finally look him in the optic and not want to crush him."

"Which Wing is no doubt glad for." Titanium followed the tug, his hand sliding up Dai Atlas' shoulder to brush lightly against the back of his neck and helm. "Drift is a Knight, and he bears a Great Sword. Wing will be a good influence on him, help to smooth out the rough edges. He'll settle down with time."

"He'll settle down as well as I have, at best," Dai Atlas huffed even as he leaned into the touch. "But he is a Knight, and I can not deny the truth of that. Even if I still don't like him." With an easy swivel he relaxed back on the berth and drew Titanium down on top of him. Strong white hands ran along slightly altered but intimately familiar armor. "I have missed you desperately."

"He'll grow on you. Eventually." Titanium grinned at his former student, armor flaring out, allowing white fingers to slip underneath. "I've missed you, too, more than you could know." Leaning down to nip and nuzzle at the blue mech's neck and jawline, murmuring a sentence in ancient Cybertronian.

Dai Atlas shuddered at the touch and whispered words, the promise they contained. Without even thinking a matching oath, of loyalty and devotion that went beyond bonded mates, escaped Dai Atlas' vocalizer. His entire frame relaxed into eager, willing submission as he arched up, scraping their frames together. Touches became more eager as Dai Atlas unlocked his black chest plates, the heaviest armor on his powerful frame, to expose the pulsing red star that sustained him.

Titanium's cockpit split and folded back, complex armor plates pulling aside, white light leaking through. The silver and purple mech leaned in for a deep, thorough kiss, shifting his weight slightly to free one hand, running fingers and palm over a long white and blue wing. His spark casing irised open, releasing sparkling threads of white, reaching out to stroke over Dai Atlas' spark chamber.

The blue giant nearly keened at the first touch, his chamber spiraling open in an effort to avoid having its prisoner break out. Red tendrils exploded outward to wrap the white orb in ribbons of energy and pulling it forward. Their coronas laced together, the merge progressing so fast it was more pain than pleasure. Yet Dai Atlas could not find himself to object. He needed the merge far more than he needed it to feel good.

Long purple-and-gold-streaked wings flared wide, shivering from the tips down, a moan escaping the older mech. White threads and ribbons spun out to wrap around the red spark, the two merging into a single orb of gleaming pink, merged as deeply as they could get without forming a bond between them. Emotions flowed freely back and forth, expressing just how much the two mechs had missed each other, and just how overwhelmingly glad they were to see each other again.

Dai Atlas keened and thrust his chest upward. From top to bottom his memory cores opened, reveling in this contact with the mech who had always been the cornerstone of his existence. Despite how pleasurable and passionate their merges often were, this time it was about catching up and reassuring their sparks that this was indeed the one they had longed to have close once more.

Titanium's memory cores opened in response, memories flowing between them, so closely entwined it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. The older triple changer radiated amusement as his own mate used the opportunity to send a quick comment to Axe through Titanium and Dai Atlas' merged sparks, getting a laugh from the black and gold Knight.

~Missed you. So glad you are here,~ Dai Atlas whispered across the merge before it drove him fully into overload.

~Missed you so much,~ Titanium murmured in response. ~Glad to be here. Nowhere else I would rather be.~

Then overload crashed over him, his single optic flaring white, energy snapping over his frame. For a long klik his frame locked up as excess charge cascaded through his systems. Once his joints unlocked, his spark chamber and chestplates once again closed, he eased himself down onto the berth next to his former student, leaning his helm against Dai Atlas' shoulder. His last thought before settling into a light recharge was that he had at last come home.