TG 'verse. Prime's Iacon base. Past and future.
Chromia stared at the two small forms in the CR tanks, trying to process their appearance and the story that she'd just been told.
A little ways behind her, Panacea watched and hardly dared to cycle air through her intakes as she waited for her aunt's verdict. She was so tense that she jumped violently as Chromia made a small staticy sound. "Well?"
"When're they comin' out?" asked the older femme huskily, her fists clenching as she studied the little mech's face and saw her lost bondmate replicated in miniature.
"Tomorrow or the next day." Panacea relaxed a little. "You can never pinpoint it exactly. That's why there are so many ridges in this floor."
Chromia nodded absently, not really listening. "It alright if I stay here with 'em? It doesn't... seem right ta leave 'em alone."
"Perfectly alright." The CMO felt the rest of the tension leave her. "There's a recharge bench over by the wall that you can bring over if you want to." She put a hand on Chromia's shoulder. "Any idea on names?"
"Won't they know?" The white femme turned her attention back to her unborn daughter, taking in the blend of features in that little golden shell.
"Sometimes. But the CR born sometimes make their creators choose. That's why my last two have such names as they got."
"Good names," said Chromia with a slight smile.
"I guess." Panacea shuttered her optics for a moment with relief as she saw the smile. "It's not like anybody else was using them at the time. That we knew of. But the other Oriana doesn't live here."
"You mean you were serious with that story?" Chromia turned to her with a frown.
"Yup. I've got a sister I never met. And the slagging computer offed himself before I got a chance to get to the bottom of it." Panacea growled with frustration.
Chromia shook her head, marveling as she wondered what Prima would have thought of that. But then her optics went back to her creations.
Panacea gave her a gruff pat on the shoulder. "I've got other things to see to. If you need anything just comm. me."
"Sure, darlin'," said Chromia absently, her mind busy with changes that she'd be making to her quarters to make them fit her new family.
Panacea allowed herself a small smile and turned to go and check on Sunstreaker.
* * *
Rodimus frowned absently as he pored over the maps that Skytrail had just showed to him, his spark pounding with excitement as he realized what a help they were going to be in any possible coming conflict.
"That's the Meredronian home world?" His finger touched a blip carefully labeled 'Meredeth'.
Skytrail nodded from where he was comfortably ensconced in Springer's chair.
"Do you have any idea of their military strength? Social structure? Anything?" The Prime looked at his eldest son hopefully.
The white mech reached into subspace and produced another chip.
Rodimus took it and grabbed the nearest datapad, ejecting Springer's novel and losing his place without a second thought. Chip loaded, he blinked at an image of a huge armored and armed ship, then gave a low whistle as he realized that there were schematics on the image. "How did you pull this off?"
Skytrail just watched in amiable silence.
Rodimus didn't mind. He hadn't actually heard anything from his son since the night Skytrail had arrived. Used to the constant back and forth between his other family members, the silence had disturbed him at first. But now he accepted it as just part of how Skytrail was wired, along with the lone wolf hunter's tendency to vanish for hours and to reappear without explanation. "This... is going to help a lot. Have you got anything else?"
One last chip was un-subspaced and passed, and he scrabbled for another pad to read it with, finally just sticking it right into the computer terminal and then scanning the list of entries to find that it was eyewitness accounts of encounters with Meredronians. "Kid, I think I love you."
Skytrail grinned slightly and leaned back, his optics going toward the sky outside the window.
"Do you mind if I share this with the Galvatronian high command?" Rodimus returned to the datapad bearing the map and then looked at the other two map chips, his optics gleaming.
A headshake answered him, and his grin became wolfish.
"I think we can do this! Primus willing, I think we can do this."
Skytrail's grin mirrored his.
A little ways behind her, Panacea watched and hardly dared to cycle air through her intakes as she waited for her aunt's verdict. She was so tense that she jumped violently as Chromia made a small staticy sound. "Well?"
"When're they comin' out?" asked the older femme huskily, her fists clenching as she studied the little mech's face and saw her lost bondmate replicated in miniature.
"Tomorrow or the next day." Panacea relaxed a little. "You can never pinpoint it exactly. That's why there are so many ridges in this floor."
Chromia nodded absently, not really listening. "It alright if I stay here with 'em? It doesn't... seem right ta leave 'em alone."
"Perfectly alright." The CMO felt the rest of the tension leave her. "There's a recharge bench over by the wall that you can bring over if you want to." She put a hand on Chromia's shoulder. "Any idea on names?"
"Won't they know?" The white femme turned her attention back to her unborn daughter, taking in the blend of features in that little golden shell.
"Sometimes. But the CR born sometimes make their creators choose. That's why my last two have such names as they got."
"Good names," said Chromia with a slight smile.
"I guess." Panacea shuttered her optics for a moment with relief as she saw the smile. "It's not like anybody else was using them at the time. That we knew of. But the other Oriana doesn't live here."
"You mean you were serious with that story?" Chromia turned to her with a frown.
"Yup. I've got a sister I never met. And the slagging computer offed himself before I got a chance to get to the bottom of it." Panacea growled with frustration.
Chromia shook her head, marveling as she wondered what Prima would have thought of that. But then her optics went back to her creations.
Panacea gave her a gruff pat on the shoulder. "I've got other things to see to. If you need anything just comm. me."
"Sure, darlin'," said Chromia absently, her mind busy with changes that she'd be making to her quarters to make them fit her new family.
Panacea allowed herself a small smile and turned to go and check on Sunstreaker.
* * *
Rodimus frowned absently as he pored over the maps that Skytrail had just showed to him, his spark pounding with excitement as he realized what a help they were going to be in any possible coming conflict.
"That's the Meredronian home world?" His finger touched a blip carefully labeled 'Meredeth'.
Skytrail nodded from where he was comfortably ensconced in Springer's chair.
"Do you have any idea of their military strength? Social structure? Anything?" The Prime looked at his eldest son hopefully.
The white mech reached into subspace and produced another chip.
Rodimus took it and grabbed the nearest datapad, ejecting Springer's novel and losing his place without a second thought. Chip loaded, he blinked at an image of a huge armored and armed ship, then gave a low whistle as he realized that there were schematics on the image. "How did you pull this off?"
Skytrail just watched in amiable silence.
Rodimus didn't mind. He hadn't actually heard anything from his son since the night Skytrail had arrived. Used to the constant back and forth between his other family members, the silence had disturbed him at first. But now he accepted it as just part of how Skytrail was wired, along with the lone wolf hunter's tendency to vanish for hours and to reappear without explanation. "This... is going to help a lot. Have you got anything else?"
One last chip was un-subspaced and passed, and he scrabbled for another pad to read it with, finally just sticking it right into the computer terminal and then scanning the list of entries to find that it was eyewitness accounts of encounters with Meredronians. "Kid, I think I love you."
Skytrail grinned slightly and leaned back, his optics going toward the sky outside the window.
"Do you mind if I share this with the Galvatronian high command?" Rodimus returned to the datapad bearing the map and then looked at the other two map chips, his optics gleaming.
A headshake answered him, and his grin became wolfish.
"I think we can do this! Primus willing, I think we can do this."
Skytrail's grin mirrored his.