Chap 16

Flight Call

Finally holding the little one again felt like a rush to his senses. Thundercracker steadied himself with a tight breath as the sensations flowed through his processor like an unstoppable tidal wave. Protocols clicked into place seamlessly in his subsystems, each without his manual authorization. Temperature monitoring, threat assessments, sparkling status updates; each one flooded his HUD with information faster than he could dismiss them. A flurry of visual obstructions clouded his vision and he struggled to clear it so he could actually look at the Seekerling through the barrage of programs surging to life.

The little one wept and wept on his palm, each drop of wetness sending shocks of relief and sadness through their intermingling EM fields. This crying was necessary; somewhere within him, he knew that instinctively. All the stress that had been building up over the last few cycles must have been threatening to spill over, and the relief they were currently feeling must have caused it to overflow. Thinking about what Barricade must have had put them through made his blaster warm in suppressed rage. There's no way he would have been an acceptable guardian for the little Seeker. But this crying was good, this was healthy, and he was so fragging proud of them for getting away and finding their way to him.

How awful must it have been for the Seekerlet to be so desperate as to fly as their only means of escape? The scenarios flooded his processor with worse and worse outcomes, but he ignored them in favour of the living being that was currently digging their talons into his dense plating.

But fly they did, and his wings fluttered with pride. A natural, they said. How perfectly apt. He fumed at the concept that it was due to Barricade's kidnapping and subsequent escape that the youngling had to transform for the first time under such dire circumstances, but a part of him was overjoyed that he got to witness their first flight in person while his brothers were still stuck back on the ship. He was going to hold this over their helms for aeons. All those in-person moments that he had been kept from while he was stuck in the cargo hold, but this was the moment that he could brag right in their faces.

Their first flight! And they flew right to him.

It was hard to suppress the pride that welled up in his spark chamber as the little one continued to weep. They flew to him, to return to them. The bond between them was still new and untested, but Primus be damned if it wasn't already strong.

Thundercracker felt the warmth of the little one's body heat seep into his neck cables, the tiny trembles and hiccups ebbing and flowing like waves, one moment coherent enough to speak, the next worked up into another flurry of tears. The breaks in sobs were filled with watery smiles and wet glances, and Thundercracker committed each one to memory. These were sights viewed by his own optics, not seen through the lens of his brothers through a live video feed. Each of these emotions and sensations belonged to him alone, and while he knew he'd share this moment with his brothers later, in this klik the world consisted of only the two of them. Cybertron and the mission be damned. This is what mattered.

He looked down on them between their sobs, taking time to run his digits over their helm and take in their appearance for the first time since that battle all those weeks ago.

Their small helm was bent forward, pressed into the delicate cables that lined his neck. It might be his imagination but…was it a different shade of silver than the rest of their body? The helm surrounding their faceplate seemed darker than he remembered seeing from the last video feed. Comparing the two, he found that he was correct; their helm was a few shades darker than the silvery hue of their surrounding plating. Another new colour! Perhaps even still in the process of changing.

They were dusty, covered in a thin layer of Cybertron's soil. Their armour had lost that shine that Starscream had worked so hard for during their bath time (that was a memory that Thundercracker had replayed on repeat during his time in cargo), and he noticed with a surge of anger that parts of their finish even looked chipped and damaged in places. A particularly angry scrape painted the side of their wing, potentially caused by a bad fall onto rocks or something worse. Thundercracker tried not to think about it.

His sensors told him that their injuries were mostly superficial, but older than he expected. Shouldn't their nanites have repaired this much by now? But a closer inspection at the finer components of their anatomy revealed that their energy levels were dangerously low, and sinking fast. The wracking sobs may be healthy for a youngling's processor, but Thundercracker hissed at the idea that the Seekerlet had been pushed to their limits this hard again, especially after he had promised himself that they'd never feel so vulnerable again.

For the millionth time that cycle, Thundercracker wanted to shoot Barricade with his Sonic Boom until nothing but a smoking crater remained. But the youngling's well being took precedence over his petty revenge, and he needed to get them some fuel and fast. They must have noticed his sudden change in demeanour, their sobs were on an ebb and they looked up at him curiously.

Bright green optics surrounded by their characteristic black mask met Thundercracker's red optics, and he surveyed the rest of his charge and committed the sight to memory.

Alert finials, sitting high on their helm connected to their newly darkened head piece, swivel up and down showcasing the Seekerlet's curiosity, a far better sight than the pinned back fear response he's become too accustomed to seeing on this Seekerling. Huge optics sit on their tiny faceplate, intake slightly open but still downturn with their current flare of heavy emotion.

The rest of their body was newspark silver, that same colourless sheen that all younglings have before they grow into their colours. Besides the black mask, they were still young, too young to fully comprehend the meaning of colours and how they generate. Once a youngling felt safe and understood enough to explore aspects of their personality, the colours would appear and perhaps a name could even be derived. (A part of him wished that the young one would adopt aspects of his own colouring, despite knowing that he had spent the least amount of time with the youngling between his brothers.) Besides, colouring was never based on family ties, it was a purely personal affair. Even taking a look at his brother's colourings, they all looked completely different from one another despite being clutch-mates.

Their silver pauldrons were miniscule in comparison to his own, slender and gossamer thin. They were so delicate at this size, and though Thundercracker knew that they were created different from the Seekerlets he had known before the war, he knew that this level of thin plating was unacceptable, especially considering the danger they found themselves in at every turn.

Tiny pedes were folded under their body, barely registering as a weight in his single servo. Seekers and Seekerlets were always light to support their aerodynamic abilities, but he questioned if they were truly meant to be this light. With their thin plating and even smaller size, Thundercracker half suspected that they would float away with a strong gust of wind should the opportunity ever arise. Their wings were fluttering constantly, almost in the same tempo as his own, showcasing their excitement and joy.

Small talons tapped the tip of his chin, and Thundercracker mutely realised that he hadn't said anything to address their curious look, only stopped and stared. The taps got his attention, and he cleared his processor of the influx of information and noticed that their sobs had ceased, now instead looking up at him with drying optics.

"I really wanted to meet you." The sparkling's voice was light like a bell. "But I feel like we already know each other. Is that weird?"

Shaking his helm of his immediate thoughts, he focused all his energy on engaging with the little one. He even chuckled a little. "No, it's not strange. I've watched you since you came to be with my trine."

Their brow furrowed adorably. "But…how's that possible? And why were you dead for so long?" Questions bubbled out in a rush. "Were you really dead or just faking it? Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have blabbed." Intake downturn, their expression suddenly turned dour.

Thundercracker couldn't stop his servo from grazing their cheek with the tip of his digit. "I know you wouldn't, but we couldn't risk your safety. It was for the betterment of the mission that I remained covert, much to my displeasure. But frag that, nothing will keep me away anymore."

They smiled at him and Thundercracker felt his spark turn molten. Their field pulsed with pure happiness at his statement and he had to force himself to remain online. That optimal frequency could be bottled and used for warfare, it was damn powerful.

"Who said you had to do that?" The Seekerling really wasn't going to let this go. He felt briefly sorry for his trine leader who he was about to throw under the proverbial bus.

"Starscream is the one with the final say, as I'm sure you're aware. I was unable to move from my position due to his order." He fought back a smile at the chaos he knew he was about to unleash. The satisfaction burned warm in his tanks.

The Seekerlet scowled just like their trine leader, and Thundercracker knew they would begin plotting some sort of vengeance as soon as they had enough energy to do so.

"It's not fair! You could have told me." Their voice got quiet. "You should have told me. You could have trusted me."

He lifted them to his nose ridge and pressed the tip of their helm to make gentle contact. Thundercracker could feel them press into the metal there, desperate for any kind of prolonged contact. "Oh little wing, I will never leave you again. It was not our intention to hurt you."

A feeling of guilt curled up in his chassis, near his spark. For the betterment of the mission and the Seekerling's safety, they had spent the latter of two weeks thinking he was offline. And while Thundercracker could recall a conversation that the little one had discussed with his brothers concerning their feelings of guilt over his 'passing', he was now discovering that those feelings may have not been as abated as they presumed. And if they had spent all that time agonising over his death thinking it was their fault…

Thundercracker couldn't press them any closer, as much as his processor demanded that he try. He wanted to keep them in his cockpit, next to his spark until they were too big to fit there anymore.

"I am sorry to have caused you such distress. I cannot guarantee that I won't make such calls in the future when it comes to your safety."

He had assumed that the Seekerlet would be displeased with his lacklustre response, as he could not promise not to keep such things from them again. But to his surprise the Seekerling smiled up at him, eliciting his confused reaction.

"Yeah?" Their smile grew bigger. "How far in the future?"

Thundercracker, a touch confused, could only respond honestly. "Until you are grown enough to defend yourself, I suppose."

Their small body curled against his faceplate in a coy manner, further adding to his confusion. "And how long will that be?"

"That entirely depends on the resources available, but rest assured that the Command Trine will ensure that you will lack for nothing." This felt oddly like a test to Thundercracker, and his perplexed demeanour only seemed to add to the sparkling's wry questioning. Partially amused, the Seekerling reminded him of Skywarp at this moment, he was at a loss of how to respond outside of answering their questions.

Was the Seekerlet prying in an attempt to gain information concerning whether or not they would be sufficiently cared for in the future? Was that the source of the questioning? Or were they considering other guardians due to their recent struggles? But that did not explain the amused atmosphere the youngling had surrounded themself with. Thundercracker was used to these sorts of odd games from Skywarp, so he proceeded as he usually would and asked outright.

"Why do you ask such questions, little one?"

They rubbed their helm on the underside of his chin like a cybercat. The motion was so adorable he had to limit himself from filling up his memory banks too quickly. "'M just happy that the future you think of has me in it." Their voice was quiet but calm, all of their previous sobbing having made their vocalizer slightly hoarse. Thundercracker felt the words like a stab in the spark. "I don't know what I'd do without you three."

Overcome with emotion, he nuzzled back and let a deep rumble escape his vocalizer. What he felt in this moment for the small creature could not be expressed so simply in words, so he allowed the guttural sound to assist him. The vibration came from deep within his engine, a sound meant to merge with a Sire's EM field to soothe a sparkling. Such reactions were instinctual, Thundercracker having no memory of his own Sire ever releasing such a sound, it had been so long ago, but the Seekerlet seemed to react positively to it. The Guardianship protocol purred in his processor, more and more code clicking into place the longer he held his young charge.

They held each other like that for a while, words unnecessary when sounds and physical touches conveyed the deep emotions better. Thundercracker even began to walk slowly back in the direction he came from, the leaves of the Wastes becoming less claustrophobic around them as they made their way closer to the Crystal City.

No more tears were shed, only happy smiles and soft breathing signifying their contentment. To his relief, they never once asked to be released or placed on the ground, clearly satisfied with where they were. He was thankful since he didn't know if he'd have the capacity to release them, having been kept from the Seekerling for so long that any excuse for prolonged contact rang in his processor like a command. Keep them close, keep them safe, never let them out of your sight.

He felt like he could do anything. Is this what it felt like to be a Creator? Is this how his brothers had felt when in the presence of the youngling? His guardian protocol flared pleasantly under his armour. There were no threats nearby that could harm the Seekerlet, and there were no others to share in the attention he was receiving.

It felt like the warmth of High Grade simmering in his tanks, a deep seated satisfaction. He never wanted it to end.

The next moments were interrupted by a chirrup that escaped the Seekerling's intake instead of the words that he had previously expected. This evidently surprised both him and the youngling. Their brow ridge immediately furrowed, frustrated, but he received a comm notification a mere astrosecond later.

: 'm on low power. I almost forgot. We gotta get help for Barricade.: And then a slew of coordinates were sent along in a file extension.

Thundercracker blinked, confused. The coordinates were a ways off from their location, but in the opposite direction. He pried further.

:Barricade…? What? Is he at these coordinates?: He felt his blaster hum with anticipation. Maybe he'd get a chance at revenge this very cycle.

The Seekerling gripped his chin with their tiny talons, nodding. Their optics were becoming glazed with the signs of an imminent power down. : He got hurt on the way back. We've gotta help him. He's all alone out there.:

Thundercracker frowned, the malleable metal of his faceplate cutting his previous good mood. This wasn't what he expected. But he didn't have time to dwell further before the little one cut into his thoughts.

:You gotta promise to help him. He was taking me back!: They blinked slowly, as if every shutter took more effort than the last. : He was doing the right thing!:

Their grip on his chin lessened, and each blink lasted a little longer. They didn't have much time left before a power down, and Primus be damned if Thundercracker wouldn't do anything to make them feel better.

:I'll make sure we retrieve him.: He nodded sagely down at his small charge, saddened that their time together had once again been so short. But the sparkling's critical state remained a top priority; they needed Emberstone charged liquid and they needed it now. Whatever state Barricade was in, it would have to wait until their return to the Ark II.

He moved to tuck the small body closer to his cockpit in his chassis, a small sleepy smile flickering across their expression, before he deposited them inside. The padding of his cockpit would no doubt be a safer place to recharge, and it would ensure his servos were free in the event of any threat. Transforming effortlessly, he took to the skies back from whence he came. Sending a pulse of pride and satisfaction through his trine bond, he was met with answering pulses of relief and gratitude. From this distance emotion was all that could be conveyed, and once he got back into comm range he would give his brothers a more detailed explanation. But for now, he soared through the skies of Cybertron in the direction of the ship, salvation, and family.

Skywarp settled onto the berth in their room and tried not to look at the nest of blankets on the floor. His legs ached, but nothing hurt worse than the feeling in his spark.

Being chosen by the Seekerling had been one of the best feelings in the world. Losing them felt like he'd rather tear out his own spark.

Skywarp knew Starscream felt the same, only their leader was better at concealing how he felt. Starscream had been in and out of the control room with Optimus for a few cycles now, no doubt attempting to talk his way out of the situation. It evidently hadn't been going well, but Skywarp trusted his commander to talk his way out of anything. If there was anything Starscream was good at, it was finding useful avenues that other Cybertronians wouldn't have anticipated.

He knew that Starscream had been beating himself up over the loss of the Seekerling, accrediting their loss to his own fault. This much was evident through their trine bond, Starscream was unsuccessful at containing his own self loathing to just his own channel, and the rest of the trine knew it was pointless to try and stop him.

A depressed Starscream was a desperate Starscream, and a desperate Starscream was crafty. So while it made the bond uncomfortable, it was a necessary part of the progression. Besides, it wasn't as if Skywarp could hide his own discomfort about the situation from his brothers either.

Thundercracker's entrance and subsequent departure heralded an immediate berthroom arrest' for the two remaining members of the Command Trine. They were confined to their quarters and interrogated separately until it was decided that Skywarp's medical care should be given priority over his interrogation. Ratchet had reluctantly repaired most of the damage to his knee joints, but Barricade's aim had been true. They would heal, but his nanites were working overtime to get the job done. The pain was consistent and itchy, but it would go away within a few cycles with adequate berth rest.

Most surprisingly, the Autobot that had volunteered for guard duty had been Elita-1. Upon their arrival on Cybertron, her task of guarding Barricade and subsequently the Emberstone were complete, so she handed over the relic in question to the Engineering team and posted herself right outside the Seeker's berth room door. Whenever any of her fellow Autobots were nearby, she was silent and serious, nodding curtly and taking her task very seriously.

When they were out of hearing however, she liked to ask questions concerning the Seekerling.

She had begun their first conversation rather abruptly, choosing to speak when Starscream was out of the room, usually when it was his turn for interrogation. Skywarp had been immediately suspicious, but then remembered that the pink femme had been the one to allow the Seekerling to return to their care after the previous fiasco.

The conversation had started tentatively, with both sides cautious. Skywarp wasn't usually the one to be on the side of verbal manipulation, his forte being far more physical in nature. But the longer they spoke, the more both sides realised that they had something to offer.

Namely, file sharing visuals of the Seekerling.

The first person to bring up the subject was actually Skywarp himself. He couldn't resist bragging about the moments that he'd shared with their little wing, and mentioned briefly that it was a pity he had only his brothers to share this perfect visual of the sleeping youngling. Elita's finials had immediately perked up in interest and she demanded to see the image. Unable to contain his glee, Skywarp accidentally became the first Decepticon since the war ended to willingly agree to a file transfer with an Autobot without any political manipulation. Thus began a lengthy and covert exchange of moments they each shared concerning the Seekerling.

Skywarp, of course, had far more to barter with, but eventually he forgot about the exchange entirely and simply enjoyed speaking with Elita-1 about their mutually loved subject. It was the most fun he'd had talking to anyone, save for his brothers, in over four millennia, and it did wonders in distracting him from thinking about more negative outcomes when it came to the sparkling.

In their small pockets of time together over the course of a few cycles, Skywarp found that he actually liked spending time with Elita in this way. She was far from the worst Autobot that he'd ever met, and their mutual affection for the sparkling paved the way for a real and genuine interaction that wasn't at all related to their respective factions.

The look on Elita's faceplate when he had shared that first visual of the sleeping Seekerling had been priceless; she had lit up with adoration, her previously militaristic expression cracked and broken with genuine affection. She cooed before she could stop herself, and upon realising her break in professionalism, coughed softly and asked that he forget he ever saw that.

Elita-1 had shared a few visuals as well, Skywarp's favourite being the one of the Seekerlet looking up with awe and overflowing thankfulness. Initially, this had caused Skywarp to feel a touch of jealousy at the act, that the Seekerlet could look at others like that, not just him and his brothers, but then quickly realised that the fact they could make allies easy was far from a negative outcome. The Seekerlet was choosy about who they associated with, which was a positive, and for whatever reason they considered Elita-1 one of the trustworthy bots. Better than Wheeljack, that was for sure.

Skywarp found that he had begun to look forward to the exchanges. Whenever Starscream was called out of the berthroom for further questioning, (a task that was arduous at best and Starscream revelled in making it as lengthy and annoying as possible), Elita-1 would wait a few moments to ensure that the surrounding area was clear, and then proceed inside the room where Skywarp would be waiting. To be fair, there wasn't much else to do, and this had ensured that the time spent was not time idle.

"You know," Elita-1 started quietly, having just entered through the door. "I think this is the longest time an Autobot and a Decepticon has had a discussion that hasn't led either participant to decide to switch sides."

Skywarp snickered a little. "What can I say, purple is my colour."

She chuffed a bit at his response, and assumed her place on the floor. Skywarp wasn't permitted to walk until his nanites had fully repaired themselves, and without his input, Elita had decided to situate herself on the ground so that they might be on similar levels. While it wasn't necessary, Skywarp was just as deadly prone as he was standing and able to fight, he appreciated the thought. Who would've thought that an Autobot would be so gracious?

They began their discussion the same way they had for the past two cycles.

"Any news?" She pried.

"None so far." Skywarp replied dryly. She knew better than to ask questions about the interrogation, her interest lying within the safety of the sparkling and the return of their errant brother. Trine bonds were a well known thing, though the specifics varied from trine to trine. Elita knew that Thundercracker would contact his brothers first with information concerning the little one before contacting the Autobots, and she relied on her budding connection with Skywarp for the most current information.

They didn't discuss any of the usual topics that Optimus had drilled into them during the Seeker's interrogations, for which Skywarp was grateful. The Prime may not be one to damage a mech when he's already injured, but he had other ways of making the questioning unbearable. He was still a war-frame after all. Skywarp didn't envy his brother who spent more time being questioned than he had.

Skywarp thought he was going crazy when the sparkling was taken out of comm range. For the better part of a cycle, neither he nor Starscream could convey the deep seated ache that grew within their spark chamber the more the distance grew between them and the sparkling. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, echoing through each end of the trine bond. Skywarp knew that the Guardianship protocol was powerful, but this–

This was unbearable.

To have had the Seekerling close and protected, only to have them snatched from his very servos a klik later; Skywarp had barely registered the pain in his legs, the all-encompassing fire that consumed his processor overwrote all his other senses. The moment the sparkling left his hold he would do anything to get them back.

But the lack of cooperation of his joints made him fall and he was unable to go after them.

Starscream had made the executive decision to stay behind with him, equally unable to leave his injured trinemate as he was to let the sparkling be taken again. Skywarp was never more thankful of his blue brother's no-nonsense attitude than when he'd revealed himself and took off after the Seekerlet in the same instant.

Sure that meant more for Starscream to pick up after, but so long as the youngling was returned unharmed Skywarp would want for nothing else.

Elita-1 must have noticed his less than stellar mood, for she commented on it without a trace of amusement in her tone.

"Think he'll find them?"

Skywarp scowled. "TC may not be the best tracker, but no one's lived on Cybertron for millenia. Not exactly a whole lot of fresh tracks around besides Barricade's." He spat the name like tainted Energon.

Elita hummed in response, clearly lost in her own thoughts. She took a moment before speaking again.

"Why do you think they chose you anyway? It can't be because you're all Seekers. They barely even knew what a Seeker was in the first place." He had mentioned during one of their previous conversations the fact that the Seekerlet had told the brothers of their human origin, and he had witnessed Elita breathe a sigh of relief. She admitted that she knew as well, and that at this point the entire crew was privy to that information. She had revealed that prior to the Seekerlet's solo escapade exploring the ship, no one other than Optimus and Ratchet had known the truth. They were all under the impression that the Emberstone had created a youngling from prior existing code, not using a human child as a template.

Skywarp shrugged. "I've always accepted things as they come to me. I always felt that they were meant to be with us, and that was how they felt as well." He fiddled with his digits idly, the tips catching on the various scratches from many battles. On the very tips there were a few almost imperceptible nicks from the Seekerling's tiny talons. He'd do anything to hold them again.

The pink Autobot nodded in response. "Like a gift from Primus." Skywarp fought the urge to groan at her.

"Kinda. But not as religious as that. Moreso, like Seekers as a whole, have been having a bad time for a while now, and this is how our luck turns around. The first sparkling in over four million years and they're a Seeker; what're the odds of that?" He grinned softly, not meeting her optics.

"Like they've definitely got their own personality. But I've shown you how they scowl, right? A perfect mirror of Starscream's; and they didn't even know him then!" He thrusted out his arms in emphasis. "And I swear they keep doing these little things that remind me of TC, even though they've barely had any time together. It's like they were meant to be ours." His tone took on a soft edge. "I hope TC finds them soon."

While his spark felt like a hollow void, though these discussions did well in easing the pain. He'd never say it out loud, but he was thankful for the distraction that Elita lended in these moments.

"Honestly I think they chose us to get away from you Autobots, but I like to think that's just how it started." He shot a piercing glare at his jailer who sat on the floor near the berth room door. "You all messed that up real good before we even got there."

Skywarp made it very clear that, whether human or not, the fact that a Seekerling had been exposed to conditions that resulted in flight sickness was unforgivable. Iit wasn't by her order that resulted in that fact, but Skywarp and the Command Trine still held every Autobot responsible. All it would have taken was one question to their leader's orders and that horrible illness could have been avoided.

(Deep down he also knew that without the negative experience that had resulted under the Autobot's care, they may have never chosen to seek him and his brother out. But Skywarp was assured in his belief that they would have found each other sooner or later.)

"What will you do once they get back?" She prompted, her first time speaking in a while.

He tucked his twittering digits away and reclined with them behind his helm, adopting a languished position. "Depends on your boss, I'd wager. Prime isn't going to let us leave with the little one, and their only refuelling source is in your possession." Though reclining, his expression was sour. "We won't let them reach critical levels again, and we promised that we'd provide the best for them. But we don't exactly have the resources to do so." Skywarp surprised himself by being so open, but when it came to the Seekerlet he tended to run his intake off a little too much. Still, he couldn't stop himself.

"Starscream'll probably think of something, but I'll tell you what I do know." Elita leaned in incrementally with the shift in tone of his voice. "No matter what happens to us, we're going to fraggin' torch Barricade for stealing what doesn't belong to him."

She growled in agreement, placing a servo over her opposite weapons panel as if to try and convince it to remain sealed. "We are in agreement in that regard."

An angry companionable silence filled the air between them, both surely imagining what they'd do to Barricade once they found him. If anything happened to the Seekerlet, Skywarp would have his spark for it.

The rest of their session was spent as usual, sharing video feeds of the sparkling and cooing over their tiny stature. There's no way the Seekerlet would allow such a display in their presence, but Skywarp was glad he had someone new he could share it with. By nature, he and his brothers were the competitive sort, which was fun but was especially so when it came to the sparkling. This time with Elita was different; she didn't seek to one-up any of his adorable accomplishments that he had the skill to film, instead relishing in the fact this was being shared with her at all. The scant few files she shared with him were not competed over for bragging rights (even though Skywarp knew he would win if it was, no question), and were instead shared in confidence and mutual affection for the little one.

She hadn't any time alone with the Seekerling outside of her brief stint when they were exploring, and she seemed a bit depressed at the thought. The scant time they'd had together was sure to be the only one unless the youngling said otherwise.

If said youngling ever returned.

Skywarp shook himself of the negative thoughts. He trusted his brothers implicitly, and he knew that TC wouldn't stop until he returned with their small charge. Elita-1 was showing that she could prove to be a safe ally for the youngling, and if her conversations with Skywarp were a ruse somehow, he had nothing but respect for her. She would've made a terrifying Decepticon had things been different.

He didn't trust her fully, but he had a budding respect for her character. She'd proved that she trusted the sparkling to choose for themself, and wouldn't get in the way of their choice. Which was more than he could say for the rest of the Autobots.

The mood aboard the Ark II could be sensed even from the confined to quarters order that was imposed upon them. Said mood was depressed, the frantic anxious feeling faded a mere cycle after Barricade had taken off with the sparkling. Even from his confined space in the berth room, Skywarp could see that the rest of the crew was restless, throwing themself into whatever duty they could to distract their thoughts.

Ratchet had been the first one to volunteer to go after Barricade and Thundercracker once Optimus had ordered Elita to stay put. The leader of the Autobots had imposed the same rule upon Ratchet, thinking it foolish to send his only medical officer out on a retrieval mission when a Seeker was already on the job. Ratchet had blustered and attempted to argue with Optimus, but the Prime had stayed firm. All Autobots were forbidden to leave the ship unless on specific tasks that dictated otherwise. They were a small crew and each member was vital for their primary mission, Optimus had said.

Skywarp wanted to shoot him then. But he also knew that by the same reasoning, Starscream wouldn't have left him either, alone and vulnerable in his downed state. So any rage that he felt was doubled at the fact that the situation meant that he was useless too.

Suddenly a flare of excitement coursed through his trine bond, coming from Thundercracker's end. Elita-1 noticed his optics widening and rushed to her pedes.

"Did he find them?" Her voice was quick and breathless.

A smile sprang to Skywarp's face, followed by overwhelming emotion seeping through the bond. Relief, joy, pride; all heavy with affection rushed his senses in a sweep. Thundercracker must've found them!

He nodded sharply, and immediately felt Starscream's response over the other end of the bond. The emotions were so vivid and all-encompassing, TC wasn't suppressing a single jot. He was singularly glad he was reclining, for he knew his legs wouldn't be able to support the relief he felt in this moment. His spark, no longer feeling hollow, surged to life within him and pulsed a staccato of renewed energy into his healing body.

A moment later Starscream burst into the room, barely giving Elita-1 a glance.

The brothers nodded at each other knowingly, words unnecessary. They both understood that Thundercracker had found the Seekerling and was probably making his way back right this klik. They would need to prepare a more suitable berthroom for their return; the current berthroom feeling more like a prison than a place to comfortably recharge, not to mention the addition of Thundercracker would make the space a little too tight for optimal comfort.

It was impossible to feel if Barricade was returning as well through the emotional connection of the bond, but Skywarp knew TC would be back in comm range soon enough to give a full report on his retrieval mission.

A thousand hopeful possibilities swarmed his processor as to what they could do once the four of them were together. The trine could take them to Vos and show them their culture's history up close! Or they could continue their flying lessons on one of Cybertron's moons where the lesser gravity could aid in their practice.

But as much as he was hopeful, he knew that they had to find some way to ensure the Seekerlet could refuel safely for the years to come. They may need to refuel less than normal Cybertronians, but in order to raise a proper youngling such matters needed to be taken care of.

Skywarp could see the plans forming behind Starscream's optics, partially hidden by the good news they had just received. Only Thundercracker and Skywarp knew what to look for when Starscream was scheming covertly; the angle of his eyebrow ridge furrowed in a very specific manner that would be imperceptible to any outsider.

As if only now realising she was present, Starscream scowled at their jailer and addressed his brother. "What's she doing in here?" The trine leader was mostly unaware of the companionable file sharing, and Skywarp had decided there wasn't any need to tell him.

The purple brother shrugged conspiratorially. "I dunno, jailin' I guess." He had to stop himself from laughing when Starscream's hackles rose as he knew they would. Skywarp felt lighter than he had in cycles.

Starscream turned and regarded the pink Autobot. "We may be held here against our will, but you will not keep us from the little one once they return." He took a step forward until he was a breath's distance. "I won't hesitate."

Elita regarded Starscream with an expression that Skywarp would describe as venomous. "I have my orders." She stated cooly.

Starscream sneered. "Your orders seemed to work in our favour the last time the Seekerlet was in your possession." He chuckled darkly. "I almost forgot to thank you for that." Elita-1 hissed in lieu of a response.

Skywarp could only bring his digits to his brow ridge in exhaustion. It was well known within the trine channel that Starscream had been immensely jealous of the pink Autobot after the Seekerling had returned singing her praises. Skywarp had no doubt that his leader would have been perfectly satisfied if the youngling never so much as looked at another Autobot again, let alone with such affection. He was fiercely envious of anyone other than his brothers spending time with the young one, and in Skywarp's mind it was for a good reason. Every other Cybertronian had either been confined, kidnapped, or cursed in front of the sparkling since they'd been aware of their existence.

Starscream prided himself in being the most ambitious of the Command trine, but the skill of level-headedness came from Thundercracker. That was not their leader's forte, and his jealousy wasn't doing them any favours in this regard.

Cutting in, he regarded both agitated Cybertronians. "I'm so glad they're coming back! Do you think we need to prepare anything for their arrival?" Skywarp hammed it up to the best of his skill, not even attempting to hide his ruse.

It worked anyhow, and both potential combatants took a step back. The air cleared up immediately from the previously tense atmosphere, and Skywarp could see both their processors running at full speed.

"They may require refuelling, both of them. Ensure that both a basin of Emberstone liquid is ready on the flight deck, as well as a few cases of Energon for Thundercracker." Starscream's raspy voice returned to his commanding tone.

Elita nodded, already heading towards the door. "And perhaps they'll need medical attention." She turned her back to the Seeker brothers."I'll send for Ratchet to be present for their arrival."

Starscream scowled at the medic's name, but didn't argue.

It was going to be very busy very soon.