Ch. 7
No matter the hour, Iacon was always alive with activity. Even without the threat of a Decepticon attack, there was always something to be done, something to be learned, something to be created within Cybertron's capitol city, even if what needed to be done was as mundane as an oil change. Every Autobot, from civilian to soldier, kept themselves informed of the current events in Iacon and all were aware of the incredible discovery Optimus Prime's team had made that day. As such, all of The Great Dome was abuzz with conversation regarding said events.
"So we really found life in another galaxy?"
"Wouldn't be the first time."
"Yes, but I heard this species is even more primitive."
"I dunno; from what I heard, they at least managed intergalactic travel."
"Barely."
"Oh, Prime, is it true that we found a new species?" a passing Autobot clerk asked as he spotted Optimus striding down the hall with Miara still cradled in his palm.
"More like we made contact with a new species," Optimus answered. "And as of yet, we don't know much about them other than their basic physiology. Hopefully, we can learn more about the human race in the near future."
"The human race?" another Autobot asked, his hands full of data pads. "Is that what they're called?"
"Yes."
"Are they as cute as Miara?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but then again, I am rather biased regarding that matter." Optimus smiled and stroked the top of his Teron offspring's head. Miara giggled and wagged her tail, adding,
"The humans in our Med Bay are nice; they're just a little sacred and I think they're missing their home."
"Considering all that they've been through, I don't blame them," Optimus agreed. "We will do what we can for them, but I hope we will have the chance to show our guests a bit of Iacon's splendor before sending them home. It will go a long way toward establishing goodwill with their planet."
"Is that the plan for the future, Prime?" the first Autobot asked.
"It is a plan and quite frankly, the more allies we can find, the better." Optimus's tone grew grim. "I just hope we don't end up leading the Decepticons to Earth. From the looks of it, human technology is not nearly advanced enough to repel them."
"Maybe they have other kinds of weapons we don't know about," Miara said. "Or even other ways to defend themselves."
"I hope so, Little Sandstorm, but I would rather not risk it. If Megatron learns about Earth, he may well decide it is worth conquering."
"We'd stop him, wouldn't we?" the data clerk asked.
"We would certainly intervene, but our war is not Earth's war. They should not have to pay the price of our mistakes and I will not let them suffer for our sake. Thankfully, the Decepticons seem to have their own affairs to attend to and haven't noticed our use of the space bridge. With luck, we can keep knowledge of the humans' arrival from them. In the meantime," Optimus glanced down at the two Autobots before him, "anything to report?"
"No, sir."
"No data hacks noted and no unauthorized space bridge access."
"Good. Are you off duty? If so, go and get some recharge."
"Thanks, Prime. I think we're going to head down to Maccadam's Old Oil House first."
"Enjoy it, my friends."
Optimus and Miara watched as the two Autobots headed off, their faces bright with the anticipation of relaxing after a long day's work. Miara tilted her head in thought as the two Autobots rounded a corner and were lost to sight.
"Do you think humans have a place like Maccadam's?" she asked as Optimus started walking in the opposite direction of the departing Autobots.
"I imagine they do. All living beings need a way to relax and enjoy themselves; I certainly hope our friends have a way of doing so."
"Me too." Miara nestled closer to Optimus's chest. "Could I help show them around Iacon?"
"Of course, Miara. I can think of no one better to serve as our guests' guide once they're able to leave Med Bay. You can show them around our base to start with; I will serve as transport so that we may both give the humans a broader tour of Iacon. Provided, of course, it is safe to do so."
Miara nodded. "I haven't smelled or felt any Decepticon presence since Megatron's last attack. Starscream and Thundercracker are probably still recovering after stealing the unstable conductors too."
"No doubt." Optimus sighed and shook his head. "Starscream and Thundercracker were lucky they were still able to fly, but I'm not surprised they haven't been spotted these past few solar cycles. If Megatron was willing to employ the use of unstable conductors..."
"Maybe he wasn't," Miara said. "Maybe it was Starscream's idea. He knows what unstable energon conductors can do, but probably thought he could handle it."
"That's a possibility, Little Sandstorm, and to be honest, it's the more preferable theory. Starscream isn't unintelligent, but between his own impulsive nature and his desire to usurp Megatron, he would probably be foolish enough to use unstable materials in whatever it was he was planning. But speaking of Megatron," Optimus's optics narrowed, "if he is willing to employ the use of unstable materials, that tells me he's looking to cause as much harm as possible in the shortest amount of time. It was only good fortune that the conductors were more unstable than even we realized, but Megatron will see this as only a minor setback. We'll need to be extra vigilant in the coming cycles."
"I know." Miara nuzzled against Optimus's chest as the two reached Optimus's room. "And we will be."
The living quarters of the Autobots were simple, but cozy enough and the private room of the Prime was no different, if a little bigger. Stepping inside his room, Optimus took a moment to gaze around the well-lit space he and Miara shared and enjoy the sense of relief that came at the end of a long day. As always, the room was clean and gleaming with Optimus's private computer humming softly against the far wall and his recharge berth ready and waiting for him. But Optimus had a few more tasks to complete before he could recharge and chief amongst them was caring for his sparkling.
Setting Miara down on a table by his computer, Optimus fetched the small basin he kept in the washroom and filled it with water. Carrying it back out into the main room, the Autobot leader tapped a button on the side of the basin and the water immediately began to heat. Soon, the top of the water was steaming and Optimus added enough of the specially manufactured soap Ratchet had synthesized to produce a small layer of bubbles atop the clear surface.
"Alright, in you go, Miara."
The Teron needed no second bidding. Miara dove into the steaming water and submerged, shuddering with delight at the heat coursing through her body. With practiced flicks of her tail, Miara swam back and forth under the hot soapy water as Optimus busied himself checking through the evening's reports at his computer. After a few minutes, Miara let herself sink to the bottom of her basin, stretching out on her back as the water settled around her. The Teron kept her eyes closed as she felt the minute stirrings of her bath and the brush of bubbles against her fur.
I wonder if humans take baths like this. They have to breathe so often, though, so they can't just lay underwater and enjoy the feeling. Hmmm, perhaps Wheeljack could make something to help humans breathe underwater. That way, they could enjoy a bath like this!
Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Miara poked her head through the water's surface and blinked water out of her eyes. No sooner had her vision cleared than the Teron felt Optimus's gentle hands rubbing a small cloth behind her left ear.
"Optimus, I can do that," Miara said with a laugh.
"I know you can," Optimus answered, a smile evident in his voice. "Just... indulge me tonight, Sandstorm."
"Hmmm?" Miara tilted her head, allowing the Prime to wash behind her right ear. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just relieved it's not you laying in the Med Bay tonight, Miara." Optimus gave the Teron's ear one more affectionate rub. "And hopefully, our new friends won't have to be there long."
"Chad looked like he was in a lot of pain," Miara noted. "Hmmm, heat usually makes me feel better when I'm sore. Do you think that'll help the humans?"
"That's a good idea, Sandstorm. I'll send a note to Ratchet regarding the matter. You relax for a bit longer."
Miara nodded and leaned back in the water, watching Optimus through half-closed eyes. The Prime tapped away at his computer, new words flickering over the screen almost as fast as older ones vanished. At least twice, a report filled the length of the computer screen and Optimus had to take a few minutes to carefully scan the information. But soon enough, the screen went blank and the computer returned to its quiet hum. Satisfied, Optimus stepped into the washroom and the door shut behind him. A moment later, Miara heard the sound of the high-pressure shower go on and could smell both heat and the scent of Autobot cleaning solution. However the Teron also picked up the slight clang of metal lightly touching metal, meaning that Optimus was resting his head against the wall of the room as he stood under the pounding water.
Optimus must be tired too. Hardly surprising, given all that had happened today, but the Teron felt a pang of sympathy run through her on her caretaker's behalf. Optimus tried never to show how weary he was, but Miara knew that even when there was a lull in the battle with the Decepticons, Optimus was always trying to anticipate their next move in the hopes of preventing further damage. And that was on top of his day to day duties as the Prime and current leader of Cybertron which included everything from procuring and managing resources to settling minor disputes between Autobot civilians.
And now he has to delegate with a whole new species and try to keep them safe from the Decepticons. Miara sighed and brushed her claws through the rapidly dissolving bubbles floating atop her bathwater. Worrying as the situation was, it had been a long time before Megatron had realized she was on Cybertron and Miara was an Autobot at that. These humans wouldn't be here forever and with the Decepticons having just suffered a rather humiliating loss not too long ago, there was a good chance they wouldn't discover the humans had been here at all. Still, if Megatron did hear about Earth, that could be a disaster. Decepticons needed energon too and they didn't care who they took it from.
Oh well, one thing at a time. The first order of business was to help her new human friends get well enough so that they could leave Med Bay and be that much closer to getting home!
Miara's stomach growled and the Teron laughed under her breath. Actually, the first order of business was food; she was hungry!
Almost on cue, the door to the washroom opened and Optimus stepped out, followed by a few drafts of steam. The Autobot leader's paint gleamed both from the shower and from a thin coating of buffering wax. Though he was clearly still tired, Miara could see the Prime looked a bit more refreshed than earlier as he made his way over to her.
"All finished?"
"Yes."
"Up you come, then."
Pushing herself onto all fours, Miara gave herself a quick shake before leaping into Optimus's proffered palm. On the same table where she had sat before was a small padded circle with a metal ring suspended over it; Optimus set Miara down on the circle and turned a knob on the ring. Warm air both sucked the water from the Teron's fur and beamed down on her, drying Miara in but a few astroseconds. Miara sat with her tail curled around her, feeling her thick fur fluff up over her body as Optimus emptied out the bathtub and retrieved a small container of clear sand.
"Finish there while I get you your evening meal. I still have a good supply of rockfish from the Aquatron colony."
"The ones with the spiral shells?"
"Your favorite."
Her mouth watering with anticipation, Miara jumped from the heating pad and dove into the sand. The white grit coursed through her fur as easily as the hot water and Miara felt the grains smoothing her thick pelt back into place. Hungry though she was, Miara couldn't resist circling through the sand at least three times as she loved the way the clean granules brushed against her. At the sound of Optimus returning from the storage unit, Miara quickly climbed out of the sand and shook herself once more. Her clean fur now hung sleek and shining against her streamlined body and her skin tingled from both the heat of her bath and the brush of the fine grain. Curling once more on the heated circle, Miara happily accepted the dish of spiral-shelled mollusks Optimus presented her with.
"You eat and enjoy, Little Sandstorm."
"What about you, though?"
"Prowl and Mirage have both requested my aid regarding a few small matters. Best to get them over and done with now. I'll be back shortly and then recharge for both of us."
"Yes, Optimus." Miara nuzzled her head against Optimus's hand and watched him leave the room before applying herself to her food. Her small, but sharp teeth made quick work of the shells and Miara took the time to savor both the taste of the rockfish and the warmth of the heat rays. She had almost finished her meal when Optimus's computer suddenly flickered to life once more.
Miara glanced over at the screen, still nibbling on her last rockfish. To her surprise, no words appeared on the screen, but the Teron was certain she could hear voices slowly coming in clearer and clearer. Strange, they didn't sound familiar, but... wait, were those shapes taking form? They looked like... humans.
Curious, Miara stared at the screen as the image finally revealed who was reaching out to contact the Autobots.