Starscream onlined the next morning, feeling better, but still sore and weak. Silverstorm was already awake and was sitting at the desk playing a 2D platformer game on the computer. He perked his wings when he saw Starscream was online.
"Hey, got you energon." He smiled holding up a glass.
Starscream managed to sit up and take the glass. He slowly drank it, not saying anything. He looked up when another Seeker stood in the doorway.
"Hey!" The new Seeker waved, his coloration blue and silver. "I'm Ricochet. I recharge on this berth." He pointed to the other bunk in the room. "Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself last night, you were already recharging when I got back."
Starscream didn't say anything, focusing on his energon. Ricochet shrugged.
"I know, you're tired and scared. Take your time."
"He's going to get his new wings and arm in a bit." Silverstorm spoke. "Finish your energon and I'll take you back to the vet for that."
"Rain is harassing Offroad again. I saw her dive bomb at him." Ricochet chuckled.
"Was he doing anything?"
"Nah, not yet at least." He shrugged, then turned to Starscream. "Offroad is the enforcer, the aft who beats us if he thinks we aren't working hard enough. Rain hates him and attacks him all the time. If Offroad ever is trying to flog you just run to Rain and she'll protect you."
"If you can find her." Silverstorm added. "She is never in the same spot. Her living quarters is actually inside the mansion. That balcony on the left side on the third floor, that's her room. She is either going to be there or frag knows where else. She doesn't have a collar on so she might be in the property line, or past it."
"Why doesn't she have a collar?" Starscream finally spoke.
"She's special to the masters." Ricochet explained. "She's like the reason they are rich. Rain is an ex-racer. She is a champion of theirs and won the family a slag ton of Shanix. They bred her a bunch and now like almost all the race Seekers are descendants of hers. The race Seekers here. I'm sure some outside of the ranch but, yeah, most here are related to her in some manner."
"She's really old, too." Silverstorm turned to Starscream, turning his game off. "Like, ancient old. Like, thousands of vorns old. Like, she saw this place get built, old. That's why we call her grandcarrier because she's so old."
"But she's also very protective of us."
"She's scary as frag but she won't hurt you. If you ever need to talk to someone about anything or need someone to keep a secret go to her."
Starscream slowly nodded. "How many are there of us here?"
"Of us grunts? Oh, um… I think… Forty-three? Yeah, in this barn like forty-three." Ricochet said. "But if you're talking the racers that's a lot… I think there's like… Four hundred dams and their sparklings… Those are the Seekers used for breeding. They're in the stables by the horse barn. And as for race Seekers who are actually racing… I think there's a hundred of those. Then the retired ones like Rain there's maybe… Twenty…?"
"Plus, the mounts which there's forty-two of them. And the interface Seeker. So, um, if I can add… That's like… Um…."
"Five hundred…" Ricochet thought for a moment. "Six hundred and six Seekers here on the ranch… Give or take because I don't know the exact number of all the Racers."
"Six hundred!" Silverstorm gave a dismissive wave. "About six hundred Seekers all here! And Master Opulentus has talked about buying more grunts. So, if he does… We'll see then!"
"Yeah, a lot of the racers and too few of us to do everything, but… Master does employ other masters."
"Anyway, if you're ready, Starscream, I'll take you to the vet so he can finish up whatever he needs to. Then you can stay here resting for the rest of the orbital cycle."
Starscream nodded, finishing his energon and then leaving with Silverstorm. They hopped on the same vehicle from yesterday and drove all the way to the vet building. Starscream paused to watch the race Seekers beginning their morning workouts, the massive creatures so graceful and proud.
"You'll get plenty of time to watch them later." Silverstorm pulled Starscream inside.
"Ready for your operation?" The speedster asked as he gestured to the medical berth.
Starscream swallowed, trembling. Silverstorm gave him a hug.
"You'll be fine. He had to operate on me, too. I'll stay here the whole time. I promise."
Starscream nodded, then lied on the berth. The speedster messed with Starscream's arm some, attaching wires to it, then he reached for the back of Starscream's helm. That's when everything went black.
Starscream onlined, feeling so groggy and sore. He rubbed over his faceplates, noticing a brand new servo. He concentrated, feeling wings on his back that weren't bent or sore. He slowly sat up, looking down at his nearly repaired body.
"Easy, there." The speedster said. "You're going to feel weird for a while as the drugs wear off. I want you to rest the rest of the orbital cycle. You are to not work for the next three orbital cycles. Take your medicine, recharge, and relax. Opulentus has been informed of this, so no work is expected of you until the fourth orbital cycle."
"I'll keep an optic on him, don't worry, doc." Silverstorm nodded, helping Starscream stand. "Let's get you back."
Starscream followed him out, noticing the sun was beginning to set. He had been out for most of the orbital cycle. They drove back to the barn and Silverstorm helped him to his room. Starscream soon fell back into recharge on his berth, too exhausted to do anything more.
He onlined the next orbital cycle, still tired, but he had the energy to at least go downstairs. Silverstorm wasn't there, but the femme with the newborn Seekerlet was.
"Morning, Starscream." She greeted. "I'm Nebula, and this one is Aura." She gestured to her sparkling. "I keep order around our barn so if you need anything just ask me. Everyone is working right now so it's just us and the sparklings."
Starscream sat on the couch next to her. "H-how old?" He perked his wings.
"She was born a decacycle ago." Nebula smiled, holding her sparkling close. "But already is taking over the place."
"She's adorable."
"Thank you." She paused. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay… Just tired."
"Well, you're going to take things slow until you're better. Don't leave the barn for the next three orbital cycles. I don't trust the others to not drag you into something…"
"Drag me into something?"
"Some of the mechs get into all sorts of slag. You're best here away from them until you can actually fly properly."
Starscream didn't press further. He didn't want to do any adventures so soon, anyway. It was the constant adventures of his previous young master that almost got him killed…
He stayed on the couch watching TV with her and the two Seekerlets who soon came into the room. The femmeling was Celestial and the mechling was Sweepback. They mostly just watched TV or played with their toys, didn't interact much with him.
He fell into recharge on the couch a few times before he decided to simply go to his room and recharge. His body was too exhausted from all the self healing to do much. He onlined a few times when he heard Silverstorm and Ricochet come back, but he just fell back into recharge.
He spent the next two orbital cycles like this, a lot of recharging, watching TV, eating sheet metal, and drinking his energon with his medicine. He was feeling himself grow stronger each orbital cycle, and his injuries becoming less prominent. He felt so much better by the time the fourth orbital cycle arrived.
"Okay, I'm going to show you around and how to do some simple tasks." Silverstorm spoke as he took Starscream downstairs to the energon room. "First off is we check the work schedule. Every morning when you come down for energon double check your schedule just to make sure it hasn't changed." He pointed to a board on a wall in the energon room. "See how it's divided into sections with a picture on each section? You got a picture of the mansion, one of the horse barn, one for the breeding barn, one for the race stables, and we have the energon generator here, and this one of just the garden is for yardwork.
"There is a magnet with a picture of each of us and these magnets, as you can see, are placed under one of the buildings or the yard on this board. So, here is Ricochet's picture, and it's under the race stables. That means Ricochet is working at the race stables today. So, he needs to go there after eating his energon and then he will be told his instructions by a master. If it's under the horse barn or the breeding barn, it's pretty much the same thing. Same with the generator. Nothing changes for those places. The horses and breeders, you just fuel them, clean their stalls, and check on them to make sure they're in good health. The generator you don't have to worry about it. The same guys work there for like the past couple of vorns. They won't let anyone else do it. Takes a lot of training.
"You will either be taking care of the masters' pets, the breeders, or the racers. The yard work is usually handled by the same people, same with the housework. We're the ones who get shifted around from the breeders, racers, or horses.
"Anyway, the person in charge of this schedule is Nebula. When a master wants us somewhere else, they tell her and she changes the schedule. Always talk to her if you need to change your schedule. I asked her to put me on horse duty so I can teach you, so that's why my picture is now under the horse barn. She is also in charge of our barn here. She makes sure everyone cleans up after themselves and will order you to clean something if needed. Like, if it's your turn to clean dishes or sweep she will tell you. We rotate to keep our barn clean.
"So, Nebula is your boss, but of course the masters are above her so listen to them always, but also listen to Nebula. Got it?"
Starscream nodded.
"Alright, then, eat your energon and then we will start your training."
Starscream did so, eating his energon before following Silverstorm over to the horse barn. Starscream lowered his wings, nervous about the equinoids and zap ponies, never seeing them up close before.
"Very simple to take care of them." Silverstorm explained. "We keep their stalls clean and give them energon twice every orbital cycle. They only get put in the stalls if the weather is bad, but otherwise are allowed to come in and out as they please. Here, these are the buckets they eat from. They get cleaned after every feeding. You can toss them around in the front and then fill them with energon. They will come and eat from whichever one they want."
Starscream started to grab the large buckets when he noticed a cybercat watching him. "Um, what about that?" He pointed.
"Oh, the cybercats and cyberdogs are taken care of by the house Seekers. They have their energon and all their other stuff inside the house. They sometimes come out here to hang out. You can say hi, though."
Starscream hesitated, but reached over and stroked the cat's helm. The cybercat purred his little engine, enjoying being petted. Starscream smiled, fluttering his wings. He liked this small being.
"They sometimes come to our barn." Silverstorm added, grabbing more buckets. "Come on, we need to finish fueling the equinoids."
Starscream reluctantly left the cat to help Silverstorm. They placed the buckets outside the barn and filled them all with energon. The equinoids and zap ponies all trotted over and began to drink from the buckets. Starscream petted one, his wings fluttering as he smiled.
Silverstorm then took him back to the barn and handed him a rake and other cleaning tools. Starscream went to work cleaning out stalls, use to this from stellar cycles of caring for the mounts. Occasionally one of the equinoids, zap ponies, a cyberdog, or cybercat would walk over to see who the new Seeker was, and Starscream soaked up the chance to pet them and get some attention. He enjoyed all of them, and was able to forget, for a time, all his anxiety, fear, stress, and sadness.
"Hey, I'm Hailstorm." Another Seeker introduced himself when he walked into the barn.
"Starscream." Starscream replied softly, in the midst of cuddling with a cyberdog.
"It's great to have you here." Hailstorm grinned. "I'm in charge of the horse barn and the animals. If you see any of them looking sick or anything, tell me. If you have any questions about them, just ask. I know all of them. I've been caring for them for over eight vorns."
Starscream nodded. "Okay. What's his designation?" He gave the cyberdog he held a tighter hug.
"That's Diesel. He is master Knock Out's dog."
"Who is master Knock Out?" He perked his wings.
"Knock Out is the youngest son of Master Opulentus. He spends a lot of time with the animals so you will meet him soon enough."
Starscream bit his lower lip plate, his wings drooping.
"Knock Out is great." Silverstorm piped up, noticing Starscream becoming anxious. "He's really nice. He gives us treats, he knows all of us by designation, and he stands up for us. You'll like him."
"Master Knock Out is very kind to us." Hailstorm added. "You don't have to be scared of him."
"Be scared of Grit." Silverstorm grunted. "He's the other son of Opulentus. Guy is a total jerk."
"Be careful of what you say about the masters. Offroad might be listening in…" Hailstorm flicked his wings, then turned back to Starscream. "Don't get too distracted. Make sure you finish cleaning the barn and the energon bowls."
Starscream nodded, giving Diesel one more hug before standing back up. He resumed cleaning, still getting distracted by the animals, for another joor before he heard a new vocalizer. His wings perked, looking out of the stall he was currently cleaning. His spark began to race faster when he saw a young speedster walking in, about the same age as Rocket. Starscream felt himself trembling, remembering how Rocket beat him, forced him to fly so hard, the painful bit, and that horrible crash. Coolant filled his optics, his neck cables tightening, and wings rattling against his back.
"Hey, there. I know, I was gone so long!" The adolescent speedster smiled as he petted an equinoid. "Alright, alright, here you guys go." The speedster started to unsubspaced energon goodies and give them to the equinoids and zap ponies as they gathered around. He was smiling, petting them all and calling them all by designation as he gave them their treats. He barely managed to get away from them long enough to go to Silverstorm.
"Hey, what are you doing here? You usually are with the race Seekers." The speedster said as he handed Silverstorm goodies.
Silverstorm fluttered his wings. "Thank you, sir. And I'm teaching the newbie." He pointed at Starscream.
The speedster looked over. "Oh, yeah, sire mentioned he brought home another." He walked over to Starscream who was still trembling. "Hey, it's okay. You don't need to be scared. Look, I have yummies for you." He then handed Starscream energon goodies. "What's your designation?"
Starscream opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. More coolant began to leak down his cheekplates, his whole body shaking with fear.
"He's Starscream." Silverstorm spoke up. "He was pretty banged up when he got here."
"Yeah, sire said." The speedster very gently patted Starscream on the top of the helm. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Knock Out. It's nice meeting you, Starscream. You want more goodies? Here, take more." He unsubspaced more and handed them to the scared being. "You're safe here, I promise. We never shoot Seekers or beat you. And if anyone tries to do that, I'll stop them. I'll see you around. Good job, by the way. The barn is looking great." He smiled, giving Starscream one more pat before walking away. "Come on, Deisel! Let's go see what Grit is up to!"
Starscream watched him leave, his spark beginning to calm down some. He looked at the goodies he held, confused by this. A young speedster was… nice to him.
"See?" Silverstorm smirked. "Told you he's nice. You don't have to be scared, Starscream. No one here will hurt you."
Starscream spent the next few orbital cycles working in the horse barn with Silverstorm and Hailstorm. He loved being with all the animals and the work was simple. He wasn't exhausted after every orbital cycle and had energy leftover to hang out with the other Seekers. They watched movies, they played their simple games on their computers, they had board game competitions, and he got to sit on the roof and watch the stars. It was so peaceful at the ranch during the evenings and night. He could hear wildlife and even catch some animals sneaking around the property. No more locked in a barn unable to see what was happening outside, now he could actually go out and explore the weird sounds he heard.
All the other Seekers were so friendly, explaining things to him, telling him stories, and making sure he was never alone or scared. None of them were mean, none tried to betray him, none of them were ever aggressive towards him. They were all so nice, and like a family, protective and loving towards each other.
And indeed, the cybercats and cyberdogs did frequently come into their barn and hung out with them. One cybercat even started to recharge in berth with Starscream, something that made him extremely happy. He loved snuggling with that cat.
"Silverstorm," Nebula spoke as he came down the stairs with Starscream. "Opulentus wants you to show Starscream how to work with the racers. I changed your schedule."
"Oh, already? Sure, he's ready?" Silverstorm perked his wings.
"He's ready. Ask Grit what he wants done when you get there."
"Yes, ma'am!" Silverstorm nodded before turning to Starscream. "Get ready for crazy slag!" He smirked.
Starscream swallowed, not sure if he wanted to experience "crazy slag."
They ate their energon then flew over to the race stables, Starscream was very nervous about flying as he had never flown without someone on him or otherwise controlling him. But he managed the short flight with Silverstorm helping him.
Once they got to the stables Silverstorm led him inside. Many of the stalls had a Seeker inside of them, the massive race Seekers screeching, hissing, and flicking their wings upon seeing them. Starscream swallowed, his wings drooping.
Silverstorm took him to the back where many grounders and other Seekers were already working. Starscream followed his friend to a young Speedster who was talking to a truck.
"Master Grit!" Silverstorm stopped beside him. "I have the new Seeker here. Nebula said I needed to ask you what you wanted us to do."
Grit eyed Starscream for a moment before speaking. "I need you to show him how to do hot walks and cool baths. Just focus on that for today."
"Yes, sir!" Silverstorm nodded before grabbing Starscream's servo and leading him away. "Okay, hot walks and cool baths are super simple. Before they are raced or trained, and after they come off the track, we make the race Seekers do a hot walk. It helps get their systems ready for a workout, and to calm down after a workout. When they come off the track, they also get cooling baths which is just spraying them with cold water. They come off really hot and need to be cooled off to avoid overheating."
He took Starscream to a carousal like structure. "Ok, so, we tie them to this, one to each of these points, and then we click the button here. It will then rotate making them have to walk. That's a hot walk. We can walk them ourselves, but this way is faster and safer for us. They sometimes come off the tracks really… amped up. The outriders bring the race Seekers to the stable servos, who will then bring them to us. Usually, the racers get their anger out on the outriders, but sometimes they are still amped up when they reach us."
"Will they attack?"
"They might bite, claw at you, kick… I've never seen them like, go full on attack mode, but they are definitely not gentle." He got close to Starscream and lowered his vocalizer. "They are bred to be super aggressive. It makes them better at racing. They also don't speak. They have their own language, because the masters don't want them to be able to talk back. They are… Very different from other Seekers. I don't know if they even should be classified as Seekers. You'll see." He stepped back and spoke in his normal vocalizer. "Here, let's get the hoses ready."
Starscream swallowed, his wings low, not liking the sound of any of this. He walked over and helped Silverstorm untangle hoses and get the space ready for when the Seekers would arrive.
"Ah, our first one." Silverstorm said suddenly.
Starscream looked up and saw an amber and reddish-brown colored race Seeker approaching, being led by two grunt Seekers on either side of him. The race Seeker, like all of them, was huge, slender, powerful, and fierce looking. But this one was somehow more magnificent.
This race Seeker carried himself with such arrogance and superiority, his head held high, optics glistening brightly, his gait filled with confidence. His exhales were loud and fast, fresh off the track from his workout, and his body was so hot that steam was visible. The sunlight glistened off his well polished body, reflecting rainbows through the steam being emitted.
His servos were manacled before him, but his perfectly kept claws made it hard to notice. He chewed on a bit, the bridle a bright yellow, but despite the mouth lubricant dripping down the corners of his mouth it somehow made him even more attractive.
He was stopped by the hoses and the other two Seekers quickly tied him to a metal circle on either side of him that protruded from fence posts. The race Seeker snorted, his massive, blade-like wings flicking, the power of his engine and thrusters vibrating through the ground and up Starscream's legs.
This wasn't a Seeker, this was a celestial being filled with such grace, beauty, and raw, unadulterated power.
Starscream stood there, frozen, his optics wide and jaw hanging open. He was both in shock at the magnificence of this beast, and feeling unworthy of being in his presence.
"Hey, you doing alright?" Silverstorm nudged Starscream.
Starscream was shaken out of the trance, his wings quickly perking as he turned to Silverstorm. "Um, y-yeah, I just…. Um…"
Silverstorm chuckled. "It's okay. I know, they're pretty cool. Here." He handed him a hose. "Spray him down all over."
Starscream swallowed, nervously approaching the incredible creature. He held up the hose and began to spray him down, the water hissing as much of it instantly turned to steam. The race Seeker snorted, chewing on the bit, but enjoying the cooling sensation. Starscream startled when he suddenly let out a loud shriek, the power of it reverberating through his smaller frame.
"They do that." Silverstorm grunted, hosing down the other side of the race Seeker. "Just ignore it."
Starscream nodded, continuing to hose the race Seeker down. The race Seeker eyed Starscream, noticing he was new. He stomped a ped down, his engine grumbling louder.
"Okay, want to get him tied to the hot walker?" Silverstorm asked as he turned off the water to his hose.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Starscream nodded, going to turn off his hose.
Starscream started to untie the race Seeker when he turned back to Silverstorm. "Does he have a designation?"
"Yeah, this one is Shamelessly Rich. The race Seekers have weird designations. We call him Rich for short. He's like… Really important to Master Opulentus. He's one of his champions so like… Treat him very carefully."
"Champion?"
"Yeah, he wins a lot of races, and everyone breeds their race Seekers with him. So many people come over wanting Rich to stud."
"He breeds with a lot of Seekers?"
"Yeah, a LOT. Master makes a lot of Shanix off it." He turned to Shamelessly Rich. "You live a good life, don't you?"
Shamelessly Rich snorted, his wings flicking.
"Wait until you help with the breeding. It's crazy. This guy is… He goes wild." Silverstorm giggled.
Starscream bit his lower lip plate, not sure if he wanted to see what that meant.
"Okay, hold onto him tight. Keep one servo holding the rein as high as you can reach. If he pulls keep your hold. Do not let him get control."
"Okay…" Starscream nodded, doing as he said, becoming more and more nervous.
"Okay, let's walk. Come on, big guy." He clicked his glossa as he stepped forward.
Shamelessly Rich snorted, flicking his wings, his claws grasping at nothing. He stepped forward, paused, then walked along with the two grunt Seekers. Starscream had to walk a little faster than normal to keep up with the massive race Seeker, while also making sure his peds didn't get stepped on. They led Shamelessly Rich to the hot walker, then Silverstorm attached a metal clip to the bridle ring.
"See, this goes right here. Now, tie the reins to this hook above so he's now attached to it at three points. This chain down here, we attach it to the manacles. So, now he can't grab us or lash out with his claws." Silverstorm showed Starscream. "Once that's all done, we can start the hot walker and leave him to it for a breem."
"Just click the button?" Starscream pointed at it.
"Yes, go ahead and press it."
Starscream did so and the carousal device began to move. Shamelessly Rich snorted and stomped a ped before beginning to walk in the endless circle.
"See!? Simple as that." Silverstorm smiled. "Now, we just keep doing it with all the other racers who come over."
"Do we take them off it?" Starscream inquired, watching Shamelessly Rich still.
"Yeah, or another stable servo will. After they cool off, they are taken back to their stalls. If Grit wants us to do that we will. But it's still the morning workouts so no one will be going to their stalls quite yet."
Starscream startled when another sonic boom sounded above them. He saw a race Seeker speed by above on the highest track.
"You'll get use to them." Silverstorm shrugged. "That's why the race stables are all the way out here. The sonic booms would damage the house and the other barns. Also, it makes the equinoids very unhappy. The stables actually have this energy field thing that protects it from the sonic booms. That's why there's so many more solar panels over here compared to what's on the other barns and the mansion. The tower thingies that holds up the tracks, and the energy fields for the tracks also need a lot of power and shields. And this is just the practice stuff! Wait until you go to a real racetrack. It's crazy."
"Sounds like a lot of things are crazy…"
"Yeah, because they are. Everything about this racing thing is crazy. The racers themselves are like… I mean, you see them. They are extremely different from us regular Seekers. And the masters breed them all carefully, and like they have to pay to breed them. And the racing has like strict rules and all this slag. And there's like… Needles that we can't tell anyone about."
"Needles?"
"Yeah, the racers get needles poked into them before races. I don't know what it's supposed to do but I've been told it 'enhances' them or like it hides pain or something. When they get those needles they can be extra aggressive. So be careful."
Starscream swallowed. "They don't poke us with needles, right?"
"No, never. Just the race Seekers." His wings perked. "Another one is coming. Let's get the hoses!"
Starscream walked over and grabbed the hose, watching as a blue race Seeker was brought over. This one was a femme, and she, just like Shamelessly Rich, was emitting steam as she intook loudly and rapidly.
"What's her designation?" Starscream asked.
"Um, who is this again?" Silverstorm asked one of the Seekers leading the femme over.
"This is Free The Kitten." The Seeker apprised, tethering her to the fence. "She is the daughter of Could Be a Rumor. I think she's… 12 and 4."
Silverstorm turned to Starscream. "So, the 12 and 4 means her wins and losses. So, the wins come first. She has won 12 of her starts and lost 4. Starts is what they mean by her starting a race. So, she's been in twelve plus four…. Um…." He counted on his servos. "Sixteen races! Yeah, and she's won twelve of them so that's most of her starts!"
"So, that means she's a champion?" Starscream perked his wings.
"Um, I guess so. She is new so hasn't raced as many as like Shamelessly Rich has."
"Shamelessly Rich has not lost a race." The one Seeker said. "He is also the son of two other champions, Discreet Affair, who is the dam, or carrier. And the sire is Show No Mercy. Both of them are here. And both of them are related to My Rainbow Sundae."
"My Rainbow Sundae is Rain's full designation." Silverstorm informed Starscream. "We just call her Rain for short."
"Both his creators are related….?" Starscream's optics widened and shuttered a couple of times.
"All of them are related." The second Seeker who led Free The Kitten over grunted. "They breed like thousands of these guys every couple of stellar cycles and use only like two thousand studs. Maybe three thousand, but basically every stud is having hundreds of sparklings. And then they all breed with each other and yeah…"
"That's why they don't live as long." The first Seeker said. "They have a lot of health issues once they start to age."
"Why would the masters breed them to be sick? It sounds like it is a waste." Starscream gave them a puzzled look.
"Because inbreeding them makes them faster. And speed wins races. They die they just breed more." The Seeker shrugged. "I don't understand why the masters do what they do. I just do as I'm told."
Starscream swallowed. He looked up at Free The Kitten, the femme panting hard, mouth lubricant dripping down her chin, the bit too tight in her mouth, and her wrists chained together. He wasn't sure if he actually was in a better place. It felt like he was just now the one helping hurt other Seekers.
"Here, hose her down. I'll get the other side." Silverstorm handed him the hose.
Starscream nodded before doing so.
He continued hosing down race Seekers and tying them to the hot walkers for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. He was startled by the constant sonic booms but was slowly getting use to them. Evening was coming, and they were taking race Seekers back to their stalls.
"Okay, hold the rein tightly, and now walk with him." Silverstorm instructed.
Starscream nodded, holding the rein of the race Seeker they were taking back inside. "What's his designation?'
"Thingamajigger."
"Okay… Come here, Thingamajigger." Starscream coached him, trying to be careful not to get his ped stepped on.
They carefully led him inside, following other race Seekers who were being led away. They had to go to the second level as Thingamajigger's stall wasn't on the first level. They led him to his stall and walked him in.
"Remove the bridle first." Silverstorm showed him how to do so. "I hate this part." He made a face as he took the mouth lubricant covered bit out of Thingamajigger's mouth. "It's so nasty! But once you get that off, you can remove the manacles. Just press these two buttons at the same time, and they pop right off. Now, we leave him in the stall." He walked out with Starscream. "Close the door, lock it, and place the bridle and manacles here on the door. Tada! Now, we can check the energon… See his bowl? It's full. All the pipes on the ceiling there, they are filled with energon. So, the race Seekers in this stable, and the ones in the breeding barn, they have in all of their stalls a… level thingy they can pull to fill their own bowls with energon. We don't have to manually fuel them like we do with the equinoids.
"We also don't have to clean up after them the same. See, they have their own waste disposals in all of their stalls."
"They also have their own berths." Starscream noted the berths in every stall. There were also toys such as large balls and other things similar to what the mounts had in their barn back at Master and Mistress' farm. "No windows?"
"No windows. They get out a lot for training so… They probably don't mind."
"Is the breeding barn the same?"
"Pretty much the same. But they do have windows."
"Why don't these guys have windows?"
"I have no idea. Maybe they tried to escape?" He shrugged. "We need to help get the rest back in. I can show you around later."
Starscream followed, looking inside every stall they passed, amazed by every single race Seeker within. All of them were so huge, graceful, and terrifying. He wanted to learn more about them the more he spent time with them.
He helped bring a few more inside before Silverstorm took him back to their barn. He ate some energon and hung out with the other Seekers, but couldn't stop thinking about the race Seekers. They were so incredible just standing there, he couldn't imagine what it would be like seeing them racing. He had seen it on TV before, but that was nothing to being in person.
Maybe this place wasn't so bad. It wasn't as nice as Vertex's simple house and having Chandelle, but… It was a million times better than the farm, or the factory. And he had been here for a while and hadn't even been threatened with a beating! That was the best part.
He was excited for what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning Starscream onlined early with Silverstorm. They ate their energon then went straight to the race stables. Other Seekers were arriving to work as well as Grit and some other grounders.
"We are going to do some breezes for the younger racers, and I want to do some stamina workouts for the older racers." Grit instructed as he looked at a datapad. "Silverstorm, you have the new guy… Show him how to tack. I'll have you guys start with Shamelessly Rich. He bit me yesterday, so he gets to get his aft beaten first this morning." He grunted. "He's getting a full workout."
"Yes, sir!" Silverstorm nodded before grabbing Starscream and leading him away as Grit continued giving orders to the other Seekers and grounders. "Tacking isn't hard at all."
"I used to tack the mounts at my previous masters' place. I know how to bridle and saddle Seekers." Starscream apprised, feeling a little confident.
"Awesome. There are probably a few things different about tacking a race Seeker so I'll show you that." He stopped outside Shamelessly Rich's stall. "Okay, you wanna bridle him?"
"Sure." Starscream grabbed the bridle that was on a hook beside the stall door. He paused as some other gear was there that he had never seen before. "What's this?"
"Oh, those are blinders, and that's the glossa tie. I'll show you how to put them on."
Starscream grabbed everything, opened the stall door, and walked in. Shamelessly Rich hissed, his wings flicking as he stepped back into a corner. His optics were narrowed, and his engine growled ominously. Starscream hesitated, his wings drooping.
"Don't be scared." Silverstorm encouraged him on. "I'm right here."
Starscream bit his lip plate, but approached the absolutely massive beast. He was trembling as he got closer, hoping he wouldn't be mauled to death by this stunning, graceful, and deadly creature. He reached up, but Shamelessly Rich's head was just too high.
"I always stand on the berth to reach them." Silverstorm informed.
Starscream nodded, then climbed onto the berth. He then very carefully reached for Shamelessly Rich's face. The race Seeker snarled, his denta far sharper and larger than what Warpaint and his breed had. That made Starscream stop, not sure if he could do this. He was terrified of this creature, and those sharp claws and denta that could easily rip him apart.
"Starscream?"
"I-I don't know if I can do this." Starscream swallowed, his trembling becoming more visible.
Shamelessly Rich noticed, his wings perking.
"Here, I'm coming." Silverstorm then climbed onto the berth and stood beside Starscream. "It's okay, don't get worked up." He gently spoke when coolant pooled in Starscream's optics. "I know, they are big and scary, but you got this." He took the bridle from Starscream's shaking servos. "Here, look."
Silverstorm reached over and pinched Shamelessly Rich's mouth open. The race Seeker snarled, but otherwise didn't do much else. Silverstorm pushed the bit inside, a snaffle bit connected to a metal circle, and then buckled the bridle on. He wrapped part of the bridle around Shamelessly Rich's neck, buckling it, ensuring the Seeker couldn't remove it. Then, he took the blinders.
"These attach to the bridle. See this part?" He pointed at a strap on the bridle. "That holds the blinder. Just attach it like this, and that's one done. We do the other, and there you go. He can now only see what's directly in front of him. So don't make any sudden movements into his field of vision."
"Why does he wear those…?"
"Some of the racers spook easily, or get easily distracted. The blinders make them less likely to see something that might scare them or prevent them from obeying the masters." He took the glossa tie from Starscream. "This is worn by most of them. So, what you do with this is you first gotta grab their glossa." He then forced open Shamelessly Rich's mouth and pulled the race Seeker's glossa out, ignoring the growl and whine the massive creature emitted. "Wrap the band around the glossa twice, make it tight but not too tight. You can let the glossa back in the mouth. Wrap the band around the jaw, now wrap it around both the jaw and glossa, and now tie off under the chin. Make it tight."
Shamelessly Rich whined loudly, trying to pull his head away but Silverstorm grabbed the bridle and kept it in place. Starscream swallowed, winging his servos. He didn't like how obviously uncomfortable Shamelessly Rich was.
"W-why do they need that..?" Starscream asked softly.
"So, they use their glossa to try and lessen the pressure from the bit, and their glossa also can block the airway in their mouth. Because the masters need complete control over them, and they cannot risk any intake being blocked due to how hot they get racing, it's best to tie the glossa down."
"… Does it hurt?"
"Probably. If you tie it too tightly. I try not to. Some people, mostly the masters, can tie them so tight that energon circulation is cut off from the glossa. Or they cut into the glossa."
Starscream bit his lip plate, his spark dropping some. These poor race Seekers…
"Okay, now we can take him to the practice track."
"Sh-shouldn't he be saddled?"
"The saddles are at the track."
"Hosed down?"
"No, they are only hosed after a workout or race." Silverstorm hopped off the berth. "Grab the other rein."
Starscream hopped down and did so. The two of them escorted Shamelessly Rich out of his stall and out of the stables. The massive creature perked his wings once outside, looking around for anything interesting. Starscream carefully walked beside him, making sure his peds weren't stepped on by the giant. He could feel the power of this beast reverberating through the rein he held. If he felt this much strength from just the mouth he couldn't imagine how strong those arms or thrusters were.
Silverstorm took him to the base of one of the support columns for the racetracks. It had a large elevator, which the three of them stepped inside of. Starscream looked down, watching everyone below become smaller and smaller as they went higher and higher. The elevator soon stopped and they stepped out onto the platform for the highest practice track. Grit was already there with other speedsters talking together about something.
"Okay, we need to saddle him." Silverstorm said as they took Shamelessly Rich to a shed like building.
They walked inside, the structure filled with equipment, including a wall covered in saddle like devices. Silverstorm grabbed one and set it on a table. Its base was definitely a saddle of sorts, being in the right shape, possessing a girth, and having electric magnets lining it. But the top of it was different. It was almost a dome shape, very smooth and elongated. The top of it looked like black glass, and the front didn't have handlebars but rather what looked like two metal arms with clasps for servos. On either side of the back was another arm like structure with a larger clasp at the end.
"What's that?" Starscream perked his wings.
"This is the saddle that's used on race seekers." Silverstorm explained.
"But, how can anyone sit on that…?"
"No one does. See, this thing is actually a remote controlled drone. The top here is a camera where the master controlling it can see all around the race Seeker. These two things in the front hold the reins, and the back things here hold the whip. The jockey, the master who controls this drone and thus the race Seeker, has this control thingy and he clicks buttons and like can see what the race Seeker sees. It's actually super cool."
"Why don't the masters ride?"
"Too dangerous. The race Seekers go so fast that anyone riding them would be thrown right off. And if a master is thrown off and falls… They die. Also, when racing the air like slows you down. And so, a bulky master catches a lot of the air, the wind, and slows down the race Seeker. The drone is all smooth and curved so the air like flows over it. I saw a video about it. I'll ask Nebula to show you it too. So, yeah, the race Seekers can go even faster with this on them rather than a master."
"Does it hurt?"
"Well…." Silverstorm looked at all the whips on the wall, far larger and meaner looking than any Starscream had seen before. "Those definitely hurt."
Starscream looked at them, swallowing.
"Here, let's get this on him. It's really light so that it doesn't slow them down."
Silverstorm picked the saddle back up and approached Shamelessly Rich. The race Seeker whined, stepping back quickly, his wings flicking then lowering. Starscream held the reins tightly, but found himself being easily dragged along.
"Hey, you gotta get this on, big guy. Don't want Offroad beating all of us." Silverstorm grunted.
Shamelessly Rich whined louder, backing off more as his wings kept flicking. Starscream tried to pull him back but the race Seeker suddenly shrieked and jumped back, knocking Starscream to the ground. Silverstorm dropped the saddle and ran over, grabbing the reins before Shamelessly Rich could get away.
"What's going on?" Grit snapped as he approached, hearing the commotion.
"Sorry, sir, Shameless is just anxious." Silverstorm said quickly, trying to get the race Seeker back.
Grit rolled his optics, unsubspacing a riding whip. He suddenly lashed it across Shamelessly Rich's aft, eliciting a yelp from the massive jet.
"Stop being a glitch!" Grit shouted, grasping the reins from Silverstorm and yanking them hard. "Come here! Want another one?"
Shamelessly Rich called out, almost a panicky neigh-like sound as he tried backing away from Grit, but only got a couple of more lashes to his thighs for it. Grit managed to yank the Seeker back into the shed, pulling the reins so hard that it painfully pinched Shamelessly Rich's glossa to the point of making him scream. The speedster tied the race Seeker to a tether post before stomping over to Silverstorm.
"You need to better control them!" He shouted, pointing the whip at Silverstorm who had his wings lower and trembling. "If any one of these race Seekers got away that's MILLIONS lost! Why didn't you put manacles on him?!"
"H-he was being c-calm, sir."
"He can still transform and fly away when 'calm!'" He paused. "Turn around."
Silverstorm swallowed, doing so. He yelped as he was given ten hard lashes on his aft by the riding whip, but never jumped or moved away. Coolant leaked from his optics, but he obediently stayed in place and took his punishment.
"Look at me." Grit snapped once he was done. "Don't make this mistake again, understood?"
Silverstorm quickly nodded. "Y-yes sir. Th-thank you, sir."
"I want him in the gate in a breem." He pointed at Shamelessly Rich before walking away.
Silverstorm wiped at his optics before walking over to pick up the saddle he dropped. Starscream swallowed.
"I'm sorry…" He said softly. "I should have taken that. I was the one who lost control of him."
"N-no, I-I should have cuffed him. I messed up." Silverstorm walked over behind Shamelessly Rich, pulling a stepping stool over.
"Is he always like that…?"
"Grit? Sometimes… He doesn't usually punish us unless we really frag up." He stepped onto the stepping stool and held the saddle up to the race Seeker's back. "Here, let me show you how to get this on."
Starscream approached and looked up, watching his friend closely.
"Press this and the magnets activate. Make sure that the saddle is pressed in the right spot. Th-the magnets are super strong." He pressed the button and the saddle instantly connected to Shamelessly Rich's back. The race Seeker snorted, flicking his glossa out to try and relieve it. "Now, we do the safety girth." He hopped down, moved the stepping stool, climbed back up, and connected the girth together over the race Seeker's chest. "Make sure it's tight."
"Okay. Got it." Starscream nodded.
Silverstorm hopped down, untied the race Seeker, and handed Starscream one of the reins. "We now need to get him loaded in the gate. Grab one of the whips."
Starscream swallowed, not wanting to touch one of those. He hesitated before taking one off the wall, feeling his spark pulsating faster now.
They walked out of the shed and towards the track itself. There was another platform just over the track with these small, gated pens along the edge, going the width of the track. They stepped onto the platform and over to another speedster.
The speedster had a weird headset on and was holding a controller in each servo. He took a moment to mess with his equipment and the saddle before nodding at the Seekers. He walked back to the first platform where Grit was.
"What was that?" Starscream perked his wings.
"He was synchronizing his gear with the drone. Wireless connection stuff. Like how a TV remote can command the TV without being attached to it." He looked up at Shamelessly Rich. "Okay, you need to transform now."
Shamelessly Rich snorted, stomping a ped down. He looked at the racetrack, flicked his wings, and took a step back. The smaller Seekers pulled him to keep him in place, but he kept whining and trying to get away. Silverstorm grabbed the whip from Starscream and held it up.
"Transform, Shameless! Don't make me have to use it." Silverstorm snapped, his vocalizer still brittle from his crying, but trying to sound strong.
Shamelessly Rich whined again, tossed his head up, and snorted. Silverstorm prepared his arm to use the whip, but Shamelessly Rich finally capitulated and transformed. Starscream had to take a moment to admire the sleek, thin, incredible jet mode he had. He had seen them on the TV before, but to be present before one…
"Take the reins and put them in the clamps." Silverstorm instructed. "Make it taunt. The clamps lock down tight so don't get your digit caught in them. Good. Now, I tie the loose end along the arm for extra security. This part of the arm then goes over the knot, and now it's never letting go of the reins. Once that's done, do the same with the whip. Put it in the back arm. Usually, the right one. It clamps down, I tie this part to it, and now that's not going anywhere." He then stepped back and pointed up at these two massive claws hanging from the ceiling above them. "Grab the one above you and pull down." They did so. "Clamp it onto his wing."
Starscream did so, the mechanical clamps seemingly coming to life suddenly once they realized they were holding something. Then, they lifted up, picking up Shamelessly Rich. The race Seeker retracted his landing gear as he was carried and placed into one of the gated chutes, still held by the claws. Below him was nothing but the track and a very long way down.
Silverstorm grabbed Starscream's servo and quickly started to pull him away. "We need to get off. The thrusters will burn us."
Starscream looked back when he heard the loudest scream of a jet engine as Shamelessly Rich's engine came to life. The two grunts went over to where Grit and the jockey were, the jockey now seated on a special chair, screens all around him, and the headset now over his optics so he only saw what the drone was seeing. Starscream could see this same view on the floating hologram screens before the jockey.
Grit watched Shamelessly Rich for a moment, standing before a control panel along the railing of the platform. "Ready?"
"I'm ready." The jockey nodded.
Grit pressed a button and instantly the claws dropped Shamelessly Rich. With the loudest roar of an engine, fire shooting out of his thrusters, and the power of a bullet leaving a gun barrel, Shamelessly Rich took off. He passed by them so fast Starscream lost track of him for a moment, his jaw dropping at the sheer, brute power of this Seeker. Almost immediately after leaving the starting gate there was a sonic boom, shaking the platform, and bouncing off the protective energy barrier surrounding the track.
Shamelessly Rich flew down the track at such incredible speed Starscream couldn't even see him anymore. He looked at the screens, watching them as the race Seeker entered the first turn. The jockey squeezed the controller in his left servo, pressing a button as he did so. His right thumb then hit a button on the top of the other controller.
"That's the whip." Silverstorm whispered to Starscream, pointing to that top button. "Every time he presses it the drone whips the race Seeker."
Starscream swallowed.
Shamelessly Rich was now visible on the backstretch, flying so fast Starscream was having trouble keeping his optics moving fast enough to keep up. He bit his lip plate when he saw the jockey pressing the whip button twice in a row. Shamelessly Rich entered the third turn, then the fourth, coming back their way. Starscream saw him coming, then he was long past them, flying under the starting gate which was above the track. It took a moment before the deafening roar of the thrusters and engine engulfed their audio receptors, the wind suddenly crashing into them as well. Starscream startled when the delayed sound of a whip striking metal also came to his audio receptors.
"Two more laps." Grit grunted, his arms crossed. "Save him for the final."
"Got it." The jockey nodded.
Shamelessly Rich circled the track once again, passing them by with such raw power, shaking the platform from his flying alone. When he entered the backstretch the jockey began to hit the whip button more. Then, the final stretch he kept pressing it over and over again without pause. Starscream felt his fuel tank twisting.
Shamelessly Rich flew by them again, the repeated sound of the whip striking his body coming moments later. The jockey squeezed both controllers, and Shamelessly Rich began to slow down. It took him another lap around the track to finally come down to a speed that he could land. The jockey directed him to fly over the platform and land just behind them.
The race Seeker stayed put as Starscream and Silverstorm grabbed the reins, the drone releasing them at the command of the jockey. Silverstorm removed the saddle and Shamelessly Rich then transformed, his intakes rapid and loud, his glossa hanging out as he panted, leaning over some from how exhausted he was. Starscream saw Warpaint again, exhausted and abused after being forced to fly so hard and fast. He looked down and saw dents on Shamelessly Rich's thigh. The race Seeker was drooling mouth lubricants, his cooling fans loudly whirring.
Another Seeker, who was on the platform, walked over with a bucket of energon. Shamelessly Rich took it and desperately chugged it, energon spilling out the corners of his mouth due to the bit and glossa tie. He snorted and gasped, splattering energon everywhere, energon now mixed with mouth lubricant foaming and dripping out of his mouth.
"Over Mach 5." Grit said so casually as he looked at a datapad. "That's a good run. Okay, take him down for his hot walk."
"Come on." Silverstorm clicked his glossa as he led Shamelessly Rich away.
Starscream followed, holding his rein loosely. They went to the elevator and descended. Shamelessly Rich kept panting hard, trying to cool off, his glossa still hanging out of his mouth. They led him to the same spot Starscream worked at yesterday and tied him to the posts. Another Seeker began to hose down the race Seeker, who visibly began to relax. He bit at the water as his face was sprayed, removing the energon and mouth lubricant.
Starscream wrung his servos, his wings low.
"You alright?" Silverstorm asked him.
"I… I didn't realize they were hurt so much…" He said softly.
"I know… But they still have it better than many other Seekers. The masters can't beat them almost to death or anything. They need them to make them rich."
That didn't comfort Starscream at all. He didn't like that they were being hit, period. Or that their glossas were tied, or that they were scared to even go on the track. Why must the masters hurt all of them?
Starscream and Silverstorm spent the rest of the orbital cycle tacking race Seekers, taking them to the track, loading them into the gate, watching them race around at top speed as they were whipped, then took them to their hot walks. They finished up by helping everyone else take all the race Seekers back to their stalls, making sure they had energon, and locking them in.
Starscream returned to the Seeker barn, not wanting to stay out like some of the other Seekers were doing. He was tired and upset and needed some energon and rest.
He walked into the barn, wings perking when he saw Hailstorm and Nebula holding each other and kissing one another on the lip plates. His wings perked, only ever seeing this kissing thing in movies before.
"Oh, Starscream, you're back." Nebular smiled at him, releasing the Seeker mech. "Sorry, my mate and I thought everyone else were staying out."
Starscream kept his wings low. "I don't know what they're doing. I wanted to go to recharge."
Nebula perked her wings. "Don't know what they're doing? They didn't say?"
Starscream shook his head.
"I didn't talk to you about it. Here, come sit down." She gestured to the couch.
"I'll go check on the sparklings." Hailstorm said, giving them space before walking up the stairs.
Starscream walked over and sat on the couch. Nebula sat beside him.
"So, some more rules of the ranch and the barn." She started. "The masters allow us to interface each other and pick mates. Hailstorm and I have been mates for a few vorns now. When we wanted to have a sparkling we needed to get permission from the masters, first. If you get a mate here, you need to do the same. That way they remove the clamps from your gestation tank so you can get sparked.
"The other rule is we don't interface here in the barn at all. Not everyone wants to hear it. Some of the Seekers here were used for interface and so it's traumatic for them. We also have the sparklings. If and when you decide to interface someone there's many places to do it that's not here. A popular location is the practice track after dark. That's probably where everyone else is right now…" She rolled her optics.
Starscream was silent a moment before speaking. "Clamps…?"
"Yes, the clamps to stop the nanites from entering your gestation tank."
"What's that?"
She cocked her helm to the side. "Sweetie, how much do you know about interface?"
He wrung his servos. "Um… My carrier and former master would interface…."
"What did your carrier tell you?"
"She said that masters interface Seekers to feel nice, and Seekers interface each other to breed. And that masters cannot breed with Seekers."
"She told you that?"
He nodded.
"That's a common myth told to Seekers to control us. Make us seem… different I suppose. No, my sparkling, a master can have a sparkling with a Seeker."
Starscream's optics widened. "R-really?"
"Yes. We aren't that different from the masters. They can breed with us just as we can breed with them. Why you think their spikes fit our valves so well?"
"…. Valve?"
She faintly smiled at him as she patted his thigh. "We are going to have a long talk, sweetie." She got up and walked over to one of the bookshelves. She looked through the datapads, looking for one with the right cover before walking over. She sat back beside him and onlined it. "We might not be able to read, but I already know what these words say." She smiled at him.
Starscream looked down at the screen, it soon showing anatomical images of reproductive organs and genitalia on Seekers and grounders. He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable as it reminded him of what he saw being done to Chandelle.
Nebula took his servo in hers. "It's alright. All of this is natural. See this? This is the spike. It's on all mechs, whether a Seeker, speedster, equinoid, cybercat, any of them. And this goes inside of the femmes, or other mechs who possess a valve."
Starscream listened to her explain about the genitalia, how someone becomes sparked, a spark bond, how protoforms develop and grow, the birthing process, nursing, and what interface feels like. She also talked to him about consent and what to do if another Seeker tried to force himself onto him. But, she reminded him that should a master want to breed him, or interface with him, he has to go through with it unless the grounder wasn't his master. Only Opulentus could authorize his Seekers being bred or interfaced. If someone tried to interface a Seeker they are to ask Opulentus if it's allowed. He would stop anything that wasn't.
Starscream nodded and asked his questions throughout until he believed he fully understood all of this. Nebula got up and returned the datapad to the bookcase, leaving Starscream pondering on the couch.
"Nebula?"
"Yes, sweetie?" She perked her wings as she looked back at him.
"If a master can have a sparkling with a Seeker… How do you know it's true? What if my carrier is right?"
Nebula walked over to him, and lifted his chin up. "Because I've seen it with my own optics. Have you met Nacreous?"
"No…"
"Talk to him. His carrier is a Seeker… And his sire is his carrier's master. Nacreous works in the house with Stardust." She held her servo out for Starscream, and he gingerly took it. "Come, let's get you some cake and then you need to rest."
Starscream got a slice of cake and went to his room with it. He sat on his berth, thinking about everything he had learned. He had learned about interface, how Seekerlets are born, the abuse the poor race Seekers went through… Why did Vertex love racing so much when they were so mean to the Seekers?
But, they were masters and he and the other Seekers were just slaves… Things were this way for a reason. He didn't understand why, but… Seekers weren't smart. That's what the masters always said, anyway. But, they also said Seekers and masters can't breed, and that seems to be a lie. How many lies have the masters told?
He finished his cake and fell into recharge. He would think more about it tomorrow.
The next orbital cycle was like the previous one. He and Silverstorm worked on taking race Seekers to and from the practice track and putting their gear on them. Most of the Seekers they took out yesterday didn't come out of their stalls, needing a rest orbital cycle after being trained so hard. Starscream felt bad for them, knowing what it was like to be locked up all orbital cycle and only coming out for a short time when the masters wanted to use you. He made sure to say hi to all of the Seekers he handled yesterday.
After working at the track all orbital cycle he returned to the Seeker barn with a few other Seekers, ready to watch TV and relax with the new friends he was making. He didn't know all of them very well, yet, but a few, like Ricochet and Silverstorm, he was getting close to. He just hoped he never had to say goodbye to them…
"Starscream," Nebula called him over. "Master Knock Out requested for you."
Starscream perked his wings. "Requested me?"
"Yes, it means you need to go to the house. Go to the side door, the one closest to us. That's the Seeker entrance. Go inside and tell Stardust or Nacreous that Knock Out requested you. They will tell you where he is. Oh, sweetie, don't be nervous." She said lovingly like a carrier when he swallowed and began to wring his servos. "Knock Out is very kind. And the house is not scary. If you get lost no one will be mad. Just tell them Knock Out sent for you." She gave him a hug. "When you get back I'll get you some more cake. Okay?"
He nodded, still feeling scared.
"Go on. It'll be fine." She gave him a gentle push towards the door.
Starscream bit his lower lip plate before walking out the door. He walked over to the mansion and found the side door. He opened it, intook deeply, and walked inside. His wings perked, seeing that he had entered a massive energon room with so much energon and space to prepare the energon. He looked around before stepping out of it, seeing a huge dining room with the largest table he had ever seen, a chandelier high above, and a ceiling so tall he was positive he could fly around. Everything looked like nothing he had ever seen before. The chairs were golden with bright, red cushions. Huge portraits of speedsters hung on the walls. Not a single speck of dust seemed to exist as everything was spotless, shiny, and so clean he could see his reflection in almost everything.
"What are you doing?"
He spun around, wings lowering when seeing a Seeker femme. "Um, are you… Stardust?"
"I am." She replied. "Why are you here?"
"Kn-nock out requested me." He wrung his servos.
"Ah, I see. He's in his room. Come, I'll show you." She gestured for him to follow.
He did so, walking through the incredible mansion. They went up a back staircase to the second level. The second level was also impressive, with so many hallways and doors. Starscream could see another staircase going to yet another level.
Stardust stopped by a door covered with signs Starscream couldn't read, but they said "KEEP OUT" and "NO OLDER BROTHERS" and "ONLY SEXY GLITCHES PAST THIS POINT." And lots of stickers and glitter.
Stardust knocked on the door. "Master Knock Out! The Seeker you requested is here!"
The door soon opened and Knock Out stood before them. "Thanks, Stardust." He smiled at her. "Starscream, come on in!" He gestured for the Seeker to do so.
Starscream entered, his wings lowering when the door closed behind him. Was he about to be hurt? Was he going to be interfaced? His spark pulsated faster.
"Gosh, you look worse in this light." Knock Out grunted, eyeing Starscream over. "Come over here." He gestured Starscream to follow him through another door. "This is my closet. Sorry for the mess." He said as he stepped into the massive room, smaller than his berthroom but still bigger than the berthroom Vertex had lived in. "They stupidly built the washroom at the back. I know, so lame."
Starscream looked around the closet, seeing a paint station with so many paints on the walls. There was lots of storage bins, cabinets, toys, shelves filled with items, and other things Starscream didn't know. He stepped into the washroom, it also being massive, clean, and incredible.
"Step into the shower. Gotta get the dirt off you first." Knock Out directed as he grabbed the sponges and soap he had on the counter.
Starscream swallowed. "W-why…?"
"Because I can't paint you if you're dirty. Duh."
"Paint me…?"
"Mhmm. What? You think I'm going to allow you to roam the ranch looking like that? You're not the first smelly, dirty, paintless mutt my sire has brought home from the auction. You need to be cleaned, properly painted, and I am doing your claws."
"M-my claws were removed…"
"I know." Knock Out rolled his optics. "Declawing is disgusting. I'm giving you new claws." He paused, noticing how nervous Starscream was. "Look, I've been doing this a lot. It's good practice and I like beautifying others. All the fragged up Seekers sire brings home, and I volunteer at his friend's rescue to paint and fix up the Seekers he gets. Don't fret. You're gonna be gorgeous when I'm done with you." He smiled.
Starscream bit his lower lip plate, not sure what that meant. He stepped into the shower and Knock Out turned the water on. Starscream offlined his optics, feeling the warm water on his tired body. It felt amazing. He hadn't had a proper bath in so long. Just being hosed down or soaking in a somewhat warm makeshift tub. He hadn't showered since when he was owned by Vertex…
Knock Out began to scrub Starscream kinda roughly with a soapy sponge, working hard to remove all the dirt, grime, rust, and other filth from the Seeker's plates. He took a small brush and got inside all the seams and wires, removing so much gunk the water turned black. Starscream could feel himself becoming clean, and it felt amazing. He purred his engine, finally feeling somewhat important.
It was the longest shower he ever had, taking nearly a joor before Knock Out turned off the water and dried the Seeker with towels. He then pressed a button on a small control panel on the wall, and suddenly Starscream was hit by built in blow dryers, blasting him with hot air from all angles. He startled, not expecting it, but it was so warm and dried him of any remaining liquid.
Knock Out then led him back to the closet and pointed at a stool. "Sit."
Starscream did so, his wings lowering. Knock Out then gestured to the wall of paints.
"Pick whatever colors you want to be."
Starscream looked at him, surprised. "I choose?"
"Yes, you choose. If you ever change your mind we can repaint."
Starscream bit his lip plate, not sure what color to be. He liked them all! He looked from the reds, to the blues, to the greens, and then the purples… He debated, then pointed to a blue.
"I like that one." He said softly.
"This one?" Knock Out pointed and Starscream nodded. "Okay, what other color you want?"
"Um… That one." He pointed to a red."
"Okay. You want a third?"
"That?" He pointed to a green.
Knock Out chuckled. "You don't know color theory, do you?"
"What?"
"So, certain colors when together compliment each other. They look nice together. But when with certain other colors they look ugly. Red and blue are great together. But with that green… I don't think so… White, black… They work with these two. You also could do another tone of red or blue. Or, violet. It's the color you get when you mix red and blue together, so it works."
"I want that."
"The violet?"
Starscream nodded.
"Okay, we can do the violet." He grabbed it. "Which do you want to be the primary? That's the color you're mostly of. So, I'm mostly red, that's my primary color. The grey here is my secondary color."
"Red is primary. Um… blue secondary."
"Okay, we can do that. And purple for highlights. I'm setting these aside for now. First, I'm going to fix up some of these dents on you."
Starscream patiently watched as Knock Out used his tools to repair dents on the Seeker, smooth out repaired cuts and tears, and make the Seeker look less beat up. He then put the red paint in a spray gun and started to work on the Seeker. Starscream had never been painted before, and he couldn't stop watching the spray leave a perfect coat of bright paint over his plates. He smiled, a true, genuinely happy smile, his wings fluttering.
"Shhhh, don't move. It might mess up the paint." Knock Out gently chastised.
Starscream then held as still as he possibly could. He refused to move at all, wanting to make sure his paint was perfect!
Knock Out finished putting the layer of red over the Seeker's chest plates, some of his wings, and some parts of his legs and arms. He then began with the blue paint, going over most of the arms, legs, and wings. Lastly, he used the purple to make highlights on the Seeker. He did the top of Starscream's helm, and then put a silver paint over his faceplates.
Starscream watched as Knock Out covered everything in a clear, protective coating, then used a UV light to dry and harden everything. He then waxed and buffed the Seeker all over.
Despite sitting still for so long, only standing so his aft and thighs could be done, it still didn't feel that long to the Seeker. Knock Out then focused on Starscream's face, buffing it, adding optic liner, and whitening the Seeker's denta. He then pulled out a small table, sat on the other side, and set down a tool kit.
Starscream had his servo grabbed and he watched with much fascination as Knock Out shaped out metal and carefully welded it onto each digit of the jet. He continued shaping the metal, smoothing it out, and then sharpened it until Starscream had claws again. He painted over the claws and digits, buffed them, added the protective coat, and paused to compare them to his own.
He checked over the Seeker before making him stand, grabbing his servo, and leading him into the berthroom. There were three large mirrors in the corner, and the speedster placed the Seeker before them.
Starscream gasped, seeing himself for the first time in his new paint. He was stunning. His plates so smooth and shiny, his optics so bright and everything so clean. He was beautiful. And he was an adult. Last time he saw himself in a mirror was the orbital cycle Vertex sold him. He had grown so much.
"Don't mess up the optic liner." Knock Out said gently as he dabbed a cloth over the Seeker's optics to remove the coolant leaking out.
"I-I'm sorry. I just… I-I never thought…"
"It's okay. I understand. Everyone always cries." Knock Out smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Be careful not to chip the paint, alright? It doesn't last forever so when it's time for the new coat and you want different colors just say." He grabbed a bowl of energon goodies from his desk and handed it to Starscream. "Take this. You did very well."
"Th-thank you, master."
"Just Knock Out. 'Master' sounds so cringe… Want your picture taken?"
Starscream nodded.
Knock Out grabbed his camera and posed the Seeker, taking several shots. He then worked at his computer for a bit before he got the pictures printed and handed them to Starscream.
"Keep them. You should remember your first paint job. You'll probably look back at it and hate it." He smirked.
Starscream took the pictures. "Thank you, m-Knock Out."
"Anytime. I'm sure you're tired. Go back to the barn and get some recharge in. I'll catch up with you later."
"Yes, sir." Starscream nodded, subspacing his pictures.
Knock Out opened the door. "Remember the way out?"
"I do. Thanks, Knock Out." He walked out of the room.
"Mhmm." Knock Out smiled before closing the door behind the Seeker.
Starscream started down the hallway, hugging his bowl of energon goodies close. He began to stuff them into his mouth, a little too many at once, and loudly chewed them. It was so good. He missed having these.
He stopped, his wings perking. Before him was a stunning, golden Seeker femme. She was so delicate looking, thin, the complete opposite of a race Seeker or the mounts from the farm. Her entire body emanated pride, beauty, and sass. She had the highest and thinnest stilettos on her peds, her wings weren't that big but very thin. Her face was so narrow, thin, and pronounced with magenta optics. Her claws were long and perfectly kept, and her petite frame didn't have a single cut, dent, or any blemish. She looked more like a deity than anything else. She looked similar to Chandelle, but she was smaller.
She wore a collar around her neck that was nothing like the collars other Seekers wore. This one was a white chain with jewels, and other jewels adorned her frame. Her chest plates, arms, and legs had a white, elaborate design painted on them, with swirls and almost leaflike designs. She looked more like some decorative piece than a real Seeker.
"Did your carrier never teach you manners?" The femme asked in such a sultry, Marylin Monroe type vocalizer.
Starscream forcibly swallowed the energon goodies he had stuffed in his cheeks. He was frozen, taken back by this goddess.
The femme flicked her wings, the jingling of the jewels and chains echoing in the now silent hallway. "You're new. Another lost pup master brings home from the saleyard? How much did you cost?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I think… 135….?" Starscream said slowly.
The femme raised an optical ridge. "Mutts go for anything now."
"Was that an insult…?"
"Just an observation."
Starscream narrowed his optics. "Well, how much did he spend on you?"
"One and a half million."
"Really?"
"Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be mucking out the barn?"
"Knock Out was painting me. See?" He smiled, so proud of his new look. "Why are you here?"
She smirked. "I see my reputation does not reach the newcomers immediately. Maybe they see me as a whore."
"A what?"
"Aw, precious sparkling." She pinched his cheekplates rather harshly as she gave them a little shake. "I'm the masters' pleasure Seeker."
"… Their what?"
"The masters interface me. Opulentus, Grit, their friends, the guests. I ensure the masters have the best night of passion of their boring lives. They are hard on me so that they might be soft on you." She giggled.
The spike joke went over Starscream's helm. "They're mean to you?"
"You are so cute. What is your designation, little grunt?"
"I'm taller than you, and it's Starscream."
"I'm Princess. Diva Princess, but everyone just calls me Princess. You will usually find me sitting on Master Grit's spike."
"Doesn't that hurt him?"
"I love your innocence, little sparkling." She pinched his cheekplates again, much to his chagrin. "I'll see you around, Starscream." She winked at him before walking past him and down the hallway, every step so salacious, her pert aft obviously enlarged, and her hips swaying so seductively.
Starscream stuffed more energon goodies into his mouth, thinking she was weird. He resumed his march back to the barn, never ceasing his snacking. He returned to the barn, went to his room, and shared his goodies with Ricochet and Silverstorm, who were excited about his new paint job.
He went to recharge, not too sure if he would ever see Princess again.
Again, all race Seekers are named after REAL racehorses who DIED on racetracks for human greed. The real Shamelessly Rich was murdered after suffering from his leg being snapped in 3 places, flailing around in agonizing pain, then euthanized without pain medication. The euthanasia drug is PAINFUL as it attacks the heart and stops it from working. This is why when a pet that is actually loved is euthanized the vet gives them TWO shots before the euthanasia drug. The first one puts them to sleep, the second is a super powerful pain killer so they feel nothing, than the final it the euthanasia drug that stops the heart. When a horse or other animal is euthanized without the pain medication it's like a heart attack. It hurts, it causes panic and pain, and they die in more pain.
This is how racehorses are treated.
The tongue ties are real and are used in horse racing and horse dressage (shows/jumps) all over the world. Just as explained in this fic, it prevents them from being able to use their tongue to stop the bit from stabbing the roof of their mouth, or moving the tongue out of the way of being scissored by snaffle bits. This is why you will see racehorses sticking their tongues out, to relieve bit pressure, but also they will be blue. The blue is due to them not getting blood flow thanks to the tongue tie. Tongue ties are either lengths of fabric (like a panty hose) or rubber bands. Yup, rubber bands that are used to restrict blood flow from tails and testicles on other animals are being used to tie down a horse's tongue. All for gambling.
If you love horses fight to end horseracing and horse shows.
Again, just like real horse racing and horse shows, horses used in these greedy, evil industries are left in their stalls and only brought out for racing or exercise. Racehorses spend an average of 23 hours a day in their stalls. This causes madness, as not only being locked up makes you go insane, but when they can come out they still have no control of their own bodies. They are being forced to run being whipped and their mouths destroyed, tied to hot walkers, etc. Not a single moment of their lives is freedom. A zoo animal has more freedom, and they go mad with zoocosis!
The robotic jockey is a real thing. In Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates they used to kidnap children and make them be jockeys on the camels since they were small and light. Children as young as 3 years were being used for this. Organizations threw a fit for the children, but not the tortured camels, so now these countries use robotic jockeys. The robots literally were fitted with arms to beam the camels with whips. Camels are also inbred, raced to death, and shot. Camel racing might not be as popular as horseracing, but they still suffer and die for gambling.
And of course for those who read "A Speedster and His Seeker" you all remember Diesel from that. For those who haven't read that, that's where I first introduced Knock Out's family. Grit, in the G1 universe, was paired with G1 Knock Out. So, that's why I made Grit his biological brother in both fics. They originally were a combiner pack.
Opulentus is the father, and I chose that name as in Latin it means to be abundantly rich. Both fics Knock Out comes from a rich family. And his mother, Pulchra, is the Latin word for gorgeous, hence where Knock Out gets his good looks.
While G1 Grit was not a gross asshole, my friend and I decided to make him one in both fics because not only does it make Knock Out stuck with someone very different from him, but gives Knock Out another conflict. Also, just so we can have another rude, mean character to piss off Knock Out and Starscream.
And, back to the racehorses, they HATE going into the starting gates as they know they will be beaten and die. Horses fight to not go into those. Horses have DIED in the starting gates because they fight so hard they hit their heads and suffer head trauma. At the time I am writing this (11/17/23) an US racehorse died just a week ago from bashing his head in the starting gate, collapsing, and having a seizure. This happens. Jockeys also are hit by panicking horses in the small space and suffer broken bones and head trauma.
Horseracing must be banned.