Ch. 19

"Good morning!"

Bud, who was just coming out of sleep, jolted fully awake at the sound of Miara's voice. The little Teron bounded over to the edge of Bud's mat and sat down cross-legged next to him.

"Good morning yourself." Bud managed a weary grin as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Lenny groaned.

"Here or on Earth?" Chad asked as he stretched his arms above his head.

"Does it matter? Wherever we are, it's early."

"Yes and you get to go home today!" Miara beamed. "Optimus already left to go check on the repairs of the front gates so I will be your guard and guide for now!"

"Uh-huh." Lenny stared at the Teron. "And how exactly are you going to guard us from a Decepticon when you're half our size, Miara?"

"Come on, Lenny."

"It's okay." Miara didn't look the least bit offended. "I wouldn't be able to do much against a Decepticon anyway. I mean that I'll be on guard in case the Decepticons try to approach Iacon while I'm with you. I'd alert Optimus and escort you back here if that were to happen."

"Then we're in good hands!" Chad returned Miara's grin. "Before we do anything, any chance of breakfast?"

"Oh yes; I brought these to you." Miara gestured to three silver cans sitting next to her. "Ratchet said they're from your ship; are these what you would eat for your morning meals?"

"That one is!" Lenny reached over and grabbed one of the cans, a spoon dangling from a short chain on the tab. "Corned beef and hash is my favorite!" The hungry astronaut popped the tab on the top of the can, releasing the rich odor of beef and potatoes before seizing his spoon and eating with gusto.

"It smells pretty good."

"Yeah, corned beef is pretty tasty, but is that ham and eggs?" Chad looked over at one of the two remaining cans.

"I'm not sure. Is that what it says in your language?"

"Sure is." Chad accepted the can from the Teron. "Sorry, Bud, looks like you're getting stew."

"Not the first time I've eaten beef stew for breakfast." Bud popped open the can and dug in. "Ahhh, memories of home."

"Oooh, that smells good too." Miara's nose twitched at the scent. "Is beef stew not really eaten in the mornings, then?"

"Stew is usually eaten in the middle or the end of the day, especially in cold weather. But sometimes my mother would serve leftover beef stew for breakfast when it was really cold and I knew I would be outside all day. It's good reliable energy and it keeps you warm." Bud chuckled. "Army-issued stew isn't as good as my mother's homemade stew, but it'll do when you're hungry."

"Will your mother make you stew when you get home?"

"Oh yes. I'm due for a visit home anyway and no doubt President Gilligrass will want to make sure we get a chance to see our families after everything that's happened."

"That's good. You must miss them."

"Yeah, it'll be good to take a break. But wow, are we gonna have stories to tell."

"I'll say." Chad chased down the last of his ham and eggs with a draught of water. "My sisters are going to want to know all about you, Miara. Once they hear you and the other Autobots will be helping out at the Space Hotel, they'll be rushing to make reservations just to meet you."

"I'd love to meet them too, along with all of your families."

"You sure? The minute most humans see you, you're going to be subject to being petted and fussed over like a prized pet."

"Oh well..." Miara looked a tad uncomfortable. "I promise I'm no pet."

"Of course you're not," Bud assured her. "Lenny just means people will find you cute. I'm sure they won't actually do anything to treat you like you were an animal."

"Oh, okay." Miara looked relieved. "Sometimes the Decepticons call me 'Prime's pet' when they see me. They don't really consider me an Autobot."

"Sounds like the Decepticons have been eating sour grapes."

"Hmmmm?" Miara tilted her head in confusion.

"It's an expression," Bud explained. "It means blaming failure on outside circumstances rather on yourself. The Decepticons can't sneak past you, so they have to convince themselves they didn't actually get outwitted by an Autobot."

"Really?" Miara brightened at the idea. "But how does eating sour grapes- whatever they are- cause that mindset?"

"It's from a story," Bud explained. "Actually, it's one of a series of stories called Aesop's Fables meant to highlight morality and wisdom. Humans got a lot of popular sayings from those tales."

"And I swear I must have heard all of them from my parents when I was growing up," Lenny sighed as he set aside his empty can.

"Cheer up, Lenny; by this time next week, you could be listening to your mother saying them all over again!"

Lenny rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile from stealing over his face as he stood up. "So, what now? When do we go back to Earth?"

"Once Optimus confirms it's safe. Until then, I can show you a little more around the Great Dome."

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way, Miara."
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The sky outside the windows of the Great Dome was losing its slate grey tone and taking on a bluish tint as Miara led the three astronauts down the main hall. No other Autobots passed by them, but looking out, Bud could see a good many Cybertronians hard at work loading supplies into vehicles which promptly sped away in various directions. Meanwhile, empty transporters were changing into robots and conversing with each other with no more effort than it would take to slip off a jacket. Metal footsteps and hushed voices sounded from behind several of the shut doors lining the hall and Bud was also certain he heard the sound of whirring gears and sparking circuits.

"More weapons are being made and repaired," Miara clarified as she led them past a particularly large metal door. From inside, a muffled boom was heard followed by a barely audible voice muttering,

"Slag."

"What was that?" Lenny jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"Wheeljack's lab. He's an amazing mechanic and inventor, but it takes him a while to get an idea just right," Miara answered as the sound of another bang followed the group's progress. "At least this time he didn't blow himself up. The last thing Ratchet needs right now is to have to put Wheeljack back together again."

"That happens often, I presume?" Bud snorted with laughter.

"Unfortunately. But Wheeljack doesn't mind too much execept when he has to wait for repairs and he really wants to try out a new idea."

"Maybe we should send Wheeljack a copy of Humpty Dumpty," Lenny muttered.

"What's that? Another story like the sour grapes?" Miara asked.

"Uh, never mind; doesn't really fit him anyway. So, what are you showing us, Miara?" Chad sped up to walk next to the little Teron.

"Right this way." Miara led the humans down a hallway branching off to the left and then down a ramp that led to a large door. The door slid open with a draft of warm dry air and Bud followed Miara out of the building and onto ground that was just as metallic as that of the Great Dome. However, the metal walkway only extended a short way as Bud found himself looking at what appeared to be a massive sandbox.

Is this the Cybertron version of a playground or do Autobots just really like building sandcastles? Bud tried to picture any of the massive robots he'd met sitting down to make a sandcastle and just couldn't. Besides, while the sandbox was easily the size of the Olympic swimming pool in the Space Hotel, it was still too small for any of the Cybertronians to do much with. The shiny metal boarder keeping the sand penned was as tall as Bud's chest and he guessed there was enough of the clean white gravel for a human to fully submerge in.

"You... you have a sand pit?" Lenny stared out at the particles softly stirring under the hint of a morning breeze.

"Optimus had it made for me."

"Why?"

Miara flashed the group a large grin before clambering up and over the wall of the pit. Before the very eyes of the three humans, the Teron took a flying leap and dove headfirst right into the sand. However, instead of coming to a quick and very dusty stop, the little Teron vanished under the sand and was lost to sight.

"Is she... is she swimming in the sand?" Lenny stared out at where Miara had been only a moment earlier.

"I think she is. Wait, look!" Chad pointed as some of the sand a good distance away shifted harder than normally under the wind. A cloud of dust raised up in the air and the sand rippled and shimmered as a form sped toward where the three were standing. A second later and Miara popped out of the sand, spun around in midair and dove back into the sand with all the grace of an Olympic swimmer.

"Holy cow!"

"That's amazing!"

"Now I see why Optimus and the others call her Little Sandstorm."

"No kidding." Bud grinned and clapped his hands before calling out,

"Can you hear us, Miara?"

"I can!"

The three astronauts started as Miara's head popped up from the sand right by the edge of the boarder where they stood. The Teron grinned, laying back on the white sand as though she were floating on a still pond.

"None can beat a Teron in the sand!"

"Clearly. I thought you'd swum off."

"I know. I fool a lot of Decepticons by doing that."

"How? I thought your planet was made of metal."

"Mostly. There are some parts of Cybertron that have an abundance of rock, dirt, and sand and that's where I have the advantage. Cybertronians can't track organic creatures like they can each other, so if the Decepticons are anywhere with enough sand for me to hide in, I can sneak up on them and hear what they're planning with them none the wiser."

"And they haven't caught on yet?"

"No, they have," Miara admitted. "Megatron knows there's always a chance I can hear or sense the Decepticons if they get too close to Iacon or if they're in a part of Cybertron where I can hide."

"Like when you know Laserbeak was spying on us yesterday."

"Exactly." Miara gestured at her ears. "Being able to both hear and sense vibrations when I'm in the sand, there's very little that the Decepticons can hide from me, although they try."

"Would they... would they try and catch you if they knew you were nearby?" Chad asked.

"They can try!" Miara's furry face beamed at the astronaut. "But I can usually fool them."

"Oh yeah? Think you can fool us?" Bud matched the little Teron's grin.

"Mmmmm, probably!"

"Okay." Bud swung himself over the metal wall and onto the sand. "How about this? If my friends and I can find you before Optimus gives us the all-clear, we win. And if you can avoid us, you win."

"What do we win?" Lenny asked as he and Chad joined Bud in the sand pit.

"Bragging rights."

"Fine by me. Besides, this is just a game, right?"

"Sure is, Miara. Ready?"

"Ready! Bet you won't find me!" Laughing, the Teron leapt out of the sand in a neat backflip before vanishing underneath the shifting grains yet again. This time, however, she raised no dust cloud nor did the surface of the sand shift to betray Miara's presence.

"Lenny, you head left. Chad you go right. If you spot her, don't shout; let's try and get each other's attention without giving the game away."

"You know she can hear us, right?" Chad raised an eyebrow at Bud. "And she can probably sense us coming."

"Stay still while you look," Lenny advised. "If you have to take a step, wait for a breeze to shift the sand a bit. It may help."

Bud nodded in deference to Lenny's idea and began scanning the sandpit. While he still didn't see any obvious signs of anyone moving under the surface, Bud was willing to bet Miara had put a good deal of distance between her and the men. An idea came to Bud and he waved to get Lenny's attention.

Run in place. Bud had to mouth the words three times before Lenny grinned and nodded. As best he could, the astronaut began to stamp his feet in the sand while trying not to sink up to his knees. Still, Lenny's movements had the desired effects; sand shifted all around him and, no doubt, sent vibrations through the entire pit that would disguise Bud's movements perfectly. Bud made his way over to the opposite side as quickly as he could, trying his hardest not to stumble as the heavy white grit eagerly swallowed his feet with every step he took.

"Aha!" Bud thrust his hands into a slight depression in the sand at the opposite of the pit. Instead of thick fur, however, his hands simply sank into the sand up to his elbows with no hint that Miara was close by.

"Over here!" Chad practically threw himself into the side of a forming dune, but he too came up with nothing.

"Wait, I think she's here. The sand's moving closer to me!" Lenny stopped in his frantic jogging to dig around his legs, but to no success. "Uh... never mind."

A burs of delighted laughter came from the side of the pit the three astronauts had come from. Miara's head emerged, white grains falling from her fur like tiny diamonds. "Good try, but not quite! But let's call this round 1! Ready for the next one?"

"Oh you just wait!" Bud couldn't stop himself from laughing as he charged back to where Miara was waiting. The Teron giggled again before submerging into the sand once more. This time, Bud stood still, his eyes fixed on where Miara had once been and crouched down like he was ready to catch a ball rolling toward him. Bud tensed, expecting to feel a slight vibration as Miara attempted to swim past him, but the Teron didn't seem to be nearby.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bud saw Lenny swing around and grab into the sand. Sadly, all this got him was a lack of success and a mouthful of grit as Lenny stumbled and faceplanted right into the sand. Chad, meanwhile, was throwing up handfuls of sand as he tried in vain to locate the little Teron to no avail.

"Where'd she go?" Lenny spluttered, wiping at his mouth.

"Right here!" Lenny yelped as Miara popped up right next to him.

"Oh darn, I was trying to intercept you." Bud shook his head. "I should have guessed you'd swim around in an arc."

"Actually, I did swim under you. I wanted to make sure Lenny was okay, though."

"What? I had no idea!"

"I think we may be out of our depth, Bud." Chad gave his friend a rueful grin.

"You're not giving up that easy, are you?"

"Oh-ho, that's how you wanna play?" Chad returned the Teron's grin, his eyes bright with mirth. "Alright then; round 3!"

Round after round was played, but each time, Miara managed to outwit the three astronauts. She had spoken truly when she had said that none could beat a Teron in the sand, but looking back on that day, Bud would have to admit that their game of hide-and-seek was one of the best moments of his career. For a short while, astronauts Shuckworth, Showler, and Shanks weren't lost men on a war-ravaged alien planet of talking robots and an otter-like girl. Instead, Bud, Lenny, Chad, and Miara were a group of friends having fun in a world of their own where no one could hurt them.

But in an instant, that happy world was destroyed.