But not wanting to be one to show his pain, Starscream took in a deep breath and turned away from the door. His optics scanned the area around to check that no one had seen him shot down. Stepping down the stairs, he exhaled the breath he held as he headed off into the village to find Predaking.
Hearing the seeker's steps leave the porch, Orion walked around to another side of the house to peek out through the window to see Starscream leaving. Finally safe, Orion sighed in relief but snorted at his attentions.
"Uh, can you imagine. Me the wife of that boring, spoiled..." Orion pushed away from the window.
He turned to look at the contents of his and his father's humble home in hopes of something in here could calm his nerves but he was so wound tight he couldn't process correctly.
"Uh! Madame Starscream, can't you just see it." Orion sung sarcastically, walking to his book shelf to gather couple of his favorite books and stuff them almost roughly into his satchel.
"Madame Starscream, his little wife ugh." In disgust he jerked away from the shelf and walked stiffly to the door and opened.
"No sir, not me. I gurentee it. I want so much more then this provincial life." He grabbed the door knob and opened it but before he could step out he stopped when he found the headmaster and three war built mechs standing behind him.
"Headmaster?" Orion gasped at the unsuspected and sudden visit but instead of greeting the young mech the head mech scolded at him.
"We have been searching for you Orion." The headmaster of the village growled before looking over his shoulder at the three mechs behind him before looking back.
Orion's spark sunk fearfully, but instead of going back inside for safety, he stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him, closing it off to protect it from being entered and maybe destroyed.
"Searching...searching for me? For what sir?" Orion innocently asked as he eyed the larger mechs.
"You know why Orion. I cannot allow you trying to teach our younglings to read go unpunished." Harshly the headmaster grabbed Orion by the arm and pulled him down the porch as he marched him to the town square.
"Ow, sir you are hurting me!" Orion cried and tried to pry the right servo from his arm as it's fingers dented and dug into his arm.
But the headmaster did not listen. He only kept his horribly tight grip on the other mech's arm the entire time they walked. Purposely he would yank on the book loving mech and snicker when noises of pain filled his audios.
Orion tried looking around to process where in Primus these buffoons were yanking him off to. His arm was hurting from this rash and cruel tug that he was surprised wasn't just punishment in itself. Orion wanted to protest as badly as a predacon wanted to howl but he was shot dead quiet when he saw his most beloved bookstore overly crowded.
Headmaster threw the mech out in front of him and sneered. "This shall be a permanent lesson for you and all your book loving kids," he hollered with his fist balled in the air.
When the signal was high, all the mechs standing around the store started to dump crates of oil and polluted water. Then femmes and mechs started exiting the small building with arm fulls of books. Orion gasped from fear and started yelling, "No, no you can't do this! Not the book keepers books!"
"These are of no use to us." The elderly femme that had caught Orion along with the headmaster hissed as she threw books from the stores door way into the pile.
"No please." Orion cried pleadingly.
"Orion!" A concerned voice yelled and the young mech looked out to see Prowl running over to him. The poor mech looked roughed up and desperately frowned upon.
"Prowl, oh Primus what have they done to you?" Orion whimpered as he watched his only close friend come to his side and wrap his arms around him.
"I...I tried to fight them but they over powered me." Prowl answered sadly, feeling guilty for not being able to save all the stories he's worked so hard to make.
Orion gasped and looked at Prowl in guilt that he was brought into this mess before he gazed sorrowfully at the growing pile of books. Soon he couldn't look any longer as the books were continued to be treated horribaly and abused as if they were rodents.
"Prowl, I'm so sorry," Orion whispered in a small sob that carried on inside his own aching spark. He was such a fool.
"It- it's alright, Orion," Prowl patted the other mech's arm while trying to calm himself down as well. "I got this... I," he froze when he saw a horrible sight right before his fear splattered optics.
"Oh this all my fault," Orion whispered sadly to himself. He clung onto the book keeper, feeling the fear of hatred and anger overwhelming him.
The mechs all around them had made a big pile of books right in front of the door and were just moments away from kicking them into the oil. Orion gasped when he saw the headmaster come walking up with a lit torch in his servo and a ghastly glare on his face. Orion tried pleading that this madness come to an end but he was overcome by much louder demands. All this hurt and pain washed with guilt soiled his insides like dirty dish water. Cringing, Orion ducked his head when the mechs got behind the books.
"Stop this unnecessary tragedy at once!" a commander's voice easily bomed through the space.
Silence now surrounded the chaos and madness. All that could be heard were the heavy steps of one of the towns larges mechs coming forward, standing tall and his helm held high as his body language demanded respect. Once he passed the gathered crowd and now stood before Orion and Prowl who both gasped when they saw who had stopped the mob.
Ultra Magnus. The commander who lead his troops to victory and fought along side them. The only battle injury he suffered was the loss of his servos but that was replaced by the field medic. The new servo looks poorly put together but Ultra Magnus kept it even when he returned, a reminder.
"Headmaster," Ultra Magnus greeted unnervingly, "To what do I owe this needed visit from?"
The headmaster dropped his torch from intimidation and stood more innocently. "Ultra Magnus, sir, it is an honor to see you. I- we were just ugh..."
"Tell me swiftly, headmaster," Magnus demanded, not in the mood for nonsense or bickering.
The headmaster scrambled to look around in search for the mech responsible for this whole mess. Once he spotted Orion, he jumped and pointed at him, "That's him, sir! Him right there, that's the mech we wish to punish for the very good of his sanity."
Ultra Magnus looked over at Orion and raised one confused opticbrow at him. "And what has this simple villager done to deserve punishment?" he asked, thinking it crazy for Orion of all mechs to get punishment.
"This insufferable scrap tong was caught trying to teach a child to read," the headmaster answered angrily. "We all figured this would be the best punishment for him... no books, no reading and no cute, little sessions with the kids."
"Headmaster," Ultra Magnus stopped him suddenly with a ridiculous expression, "You are speaking that for merely teaching a child to read you are trying to burn the book keepers books in order of spiting Orion?" He stood straighter and gestured to Prowl, "And I am to expect some sort of signification as to why he would deserve this as well."
The headmaster stuttered and tried to find the words that would-save his rear- explain to the commander why Prowl was at fault here. "Well, uh-he...he encourages him! He encourages Orion to read and so Orion believes it is okay to encourage the younglings when there are more important things to learn." The headmaster stumbled.
But Ultra Magnus did not look convinced but more disgusted. The headmaster believed he may have just won his favore and was about to continue when he was silenced. "That is the most proposterious thing I have ever heard," the taller mech snapped.
"I know sir!" Headmaster exclaimed quickly, "That is why we need to punish-
"Not Orion you fool," Ultra Magnus cut him off with a warning glare. "Punishing a book keeper and a reader for simply trying to teach a child to read is absolutely uncalled for."
The headmaster was left gawking, mouth opening and closing because his loss of opinions. Orion had mindlessly pulled Prowl closer because of the fear he had had about the book accident. He hoped the commander understood what the problem was full sparkedly.
"But- but sir, please reconsider my fate. I... I was only thinking about what was best for the children." Headmaster tried coping.
"Silence, headmaster," Ultra Magnus barked, "You shouldn't complain to me when you already know that it is your own fault."
"Wh...what, but, but sir he...they," The headmaster stuttered and sputtered as he was now accused of being in the wrong.
"Enough!" Ultra Magnus silenced, his servo slicing through the space as if placing the period of his demand right in front of their faces.
Again the headmaster stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a gapping fish for water. The towering mech looked around at the gathered crowd of Kaons folk. "If you all believe reading is a useless talent so be it but someone give me one good reason...one very good reason why children should not be taught how to read if you intend them to be successful in life? I am not suggesting Orion to continue his generosity in teaching your younglings for you out of the goodness of his spark. But some one tell me...why not?" He questioned in demand.
The crowd went silent like a dead flock of birds that had just fallen out of the sky. Some shifted and looked at each other as if the answer was painted on each other's faces. Deadly quietness sprang through the air like poisonous fog from delirious fog monsters. The headmaster went back to standing as innocent as he could make himself seem. Orion had let go of Prowl and now they were both just waiting.
Ultra Magnus looked around one last time before saying, "If no one can tell me a reasonable explanation then you all are dismissed to go on back to your homes and leave these two mechs in particular alone."
Slowly, whispers began to break out through the crowd and all the mechs started to scatter and move away from each other. Therefore dismissing themselves from the scene. Ultra Magnus rubbed his temple as if it were aching and he sighed before addressing the two mechs, "My greatest apologies Orion, Prowl."
Orion looked up at Ultra Magnus still, shocked by the commander defending them like he did. Prowl got to his pedals and bowed in gratitude to him. "Thank you Commander Ultra Mangnus, thank you." He said in great gratitude.
The Commander nodded to the shaken book keeper before looking to Orion. "I truly am sorry, Orion, for the headmaster's unruly behavior," The magnus spoke in a dropped tone he hardly ever used.
"But sir," Orion stood straighter, his servo lifted out to the side in protest, "It was my fault, I should have known better." He stopped talking when the respectful commander lifted his servo.
"Teaching younglings to read is not devastating to our society," Ultra Magnus said in a slightly anger pitched voice, "The headmaster held no right performing the actions he did today."
"But..." Orion tried to argue further but once again he was silenced.
"You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault there are more closed minded bots here then those seeking for change and a better future. They have hustled to accept their similar ways of life but don't let that keep you from doing what you want to do." Ultra Magnus said wisely, reaching out to place a comforting servo on the earlier shaken mech.
Orion smiled up to the commander, happy to see and hear someone who actully encouraged and defeanded what he only wished to do to help. Primus if Ultra Magnus hadn't been sparked to where he refuses to bond with another, Orion would have loved to give the commander a chance.
"Thank you sir," Orion warmly replied.
Ultra Magnus nodded and bent over to pick up a servo full of books and handed them to the book keeper. "I will help you clean... It's the least I can do," he offered in a nice voice.
"Oh but sir, you've already done so much," Prowl tried to protest. Feeling like it was his fault this mess was started, he didn't want the great commander cleansing his mistakes.
Ultra Magnus only replied by picking up more books and handing them to Orion. Prowl sighed and thanked both the mechs' for their generosity.
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