NOTE: A song will appear in this chapter. Here is what it is timed to (Lucjo -Gibberish) Please play it along on YouTube!
In a craze for school, the Predacons dropped construction activities for a few days. They squeezed more CSL lessons from Dominus Ambus in the evenings, then stayed up late into the night practicing. But one morning while waiting in a predetermined spot for their school ground bridge, a group of Vehicons passed by with strikingly different members among them. Half the size, a lighter shade of purple, and with double-banded orange eyes, they surprised Predaking's brethren.
"Wow! Did you all get matching surgeries?" Darksteel cried.
The group of Vehicons halted and the smaller Vehicons tilted their heads.
"No, Darksteel," Predaking replied. "I recognize this class of Vehicon. They worked in energon mines…"
A prick of guilt stabbed his spark as he recalled chasing Wheeljack through a mine with such small Vehicons. Wheeljack had triggered an explosion, and until now, Predaking had forgotten that many Vehicons must have lost their lives in it.
"We are miner Vehicons," one of them confirmed.
"So you are a whole other type!" Ripclaw exclaimed.
"How many of you are there?" Skylynx asked.
The small Vehicons glanced at each other.
"There were hundreds of us," one finally answered. "The Autobots just came on the Nemesis and took us back from Earth."
"Wow, construction is going to go a lot faster, huh?" Darksteel replied. "Ah… I would love to work with you new bots! Maybe missing a solar cycle of school wouldn't hurt."
"But we would miss too much," Skylynx argued.
"Come with us," Predaking said.
"Aw but we can just make it up later!" Darksteel protested. "Come on, we can study the CSL at home. I just want to get out and move, take a break from studying all the time!"
Predaking was about to push him to join them, but Ripclaw interrupted, "Well, do whatever you like then. We'll see you at home."
When Darksteel grinned, Predaking did not have the spirit to command him. The ground bridge opened, leaving the Predacons to say their goodbyes. Darksteel stayed behind while Predaking, Skylynx, and Ripclaw headed to class with their escort of Dinobot guards.
At the very least, their guards didn't press as close as before. While Dominus Ambus missed Darksteel, the day carried on with a lesson on Cybertronian anatomy and health, a review of basic astronomy, and the assembling of streetlights outside the school. For their bonus lesson, Dominus Ambus taught them more on the nature of fire, another interest to the Predacons.
Afterward, the Predacons waited for Darksteel at their large maroon manor. He came late, with another big grin on his face, and proclaimed, "Sorry! I convinced one of those miner Vehicons to get a colour change!"
They studied and reviewed more Cybertronian Sign Language in their beast forms. When the next morning came however, Darksteel was hesitant about joining them for school.
"I just want another break," he said. "But I'm learning a lot from the Vehicons too! The ones who had been on the ship anyway. Those little bots didn't get to browse the Internet down in the caves."
"What does that word mean?" Ripclaw asked.
"I don't know, it's some Earth word. But we have something called the 'DataNet' here. It's the same idea. It's a collection of pictures, videos, all that, but made by aliens. The Vehicons showed me this video with soft little creatures that stand on two legs like us. Couldn't understand them, but they were funny."
So, Darksteel missed another day, and then another. He finally tagged along for one school day, then disappeared for a few more. But he was always bursting with excitement each time they saw him, and they would all share what they had learned either way. As they spoke, they would also show the sign in CSL for whichever word they knew.
"So the Vehicons said they don't know CSL, but they've seen Starscream use it with Seekers in the past," Darksteel said. "That means if we see Starscream again, we can totally threaten him in Sign."
"Did you… encounter a police officer?" Predaking asked him.
"Ahahaha, yeah. How did I forget to tell you? I signed at Prowl…" Darksteel made a movement with his fingers to mime an explosion and flicked his fingers for flying shards. [GET FRAGGED.]
"How did that go?" Ripclaw chuckled.
"He looked furious, but he was with that chatty Autobot—what's his name, Bluestreak? That one laughed really hard and asked who taught me that. So Prowl didn't say anything. Oh, and then I saw Whirl today and told him [GET FRAGGED] too. He also laughed but then said he knows how to make bombs and he knows where we live. So don't do anything to his kid."
The Predacons returned to the Vehicon Clubhouse to catch up with the troopers. And after their health class in school, Predaking was more conscious of how unhealthy Maccadam's oil was. The better habit was refuelling on energon here instead.
At a table beside the Predacons, one Vehicon pulled out a small rectangular device from his chest space. He powered on a screen and read something.
"Is that a tiny book?" Ripclaw asked.
The Vehicon looked up. "No, it's a phone. Some Autobot is selling them based on popular Earth technology. You use it to communicate by text with others."
"Is it private?" Predaking asked.
"Said to be, but I doubt that," the Vehicon said. "Still, it's nice to have. I can message Altero from right here since I got his number."
"That's pretty cool!" Darksteel smiled. "Can I message him too?"
"Let's not bother him," the Vehicon warned. "He's busy."
"Doing what?"
"Building up his domain, inspiring others."
Predaking raised his brows. "Domain?"
The Vehicon with the "phone" replied, "A place for Vehicons and Decepticons to thrive on an Autobot-ruled planet."
"Like a Decepticon-only space?" Ripclaw asked.
"Yes."
"But we're allowed in, right?" Darksteel pleaded.
"Of course," the Vehicon said. The others around nodded.
"Whew…" Darksteel sighed.
Suddenly, Lucian the copper jet Vehicon stepped onto a table between the speakers. In his hand, he grasped a rod with a round black ball on the end of it. Conversations quieted, allowing him to call out, "Pardon me, would you please allow me to sing a song I have prepared?"
All the Vehicons nodded or answered encouragingly. Lucian used a square device to change the music playing from the speakers to something slow with hard beats. His fingers danced nervously around the rod in his hand as he raised it close to his face. But the Vehicons bobbing their heads in tune to the music calmed him. Lucian began to hum, then he breathed out melodiously:
"Faaaallen Troooooper…
Faaaallen Troooooper…
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands noooow.
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands nooooooow.
We're the ones who roam these streets.
Here with the moons, under the sun.
Living ghosts we're unperceived,
Like the bodies 'neath your feet.
Your absence of guilt while haunted by sins,
Ring unseen hands 'round your neck.
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands noooow.
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands nooooooow.
Now you see, scream: where're you from?
Still faces say just the past.
Whether now comes dark or light,
Our fallen shall share with you.
It's time you know what they know, after all,
You blissfully had them learn.
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands noooow.
Faaaallen Troooooper… And the one who stands nooooooow."
Once the song had reached its end, all the Vehicons in the room cheered.
"What a voice!" Darksteel crowed.
"A fine representation of vengeful fantasy," Predaking remarked. "I can relate to this."