AHN 'verse. Tatooine. Scavenger

[random_xtras]

"W... wait, you knew my creator?" Hot Shot winces as something Random's doing to his damaged internal components causes him to twitch, his movement making a soft scratching sound on the worn woven rug that he's laying on on the otherwise bare cave floor.

"I knew the mech who asked Primus for you," counters the massive sand-coloured stranger called Scavenger, not looking up from where he was using a torch to work a bend out of one of the younger mech's struts.

"Well, isn't that the same thing? Ow! Random, do you gotta poke there that many times?"

"No." Scavenger shakes his head and easily bends the metal in his hands back to shape. "Creators are the people who build your shell. Yours came off the assembly line."

"Way to make a guy feel unspecial," grumbles Hot Shot, but then notices that Kia is pouting at him for griping at Random and offers her a grin. "What was his name, Scavenger? What happened to him?"

"Optimus Prime. And he's dead. Nemesis Prime killed him a long long time ago." Scavenger offers the repaired strut to Random, his yellow optics calm but shadowed.

Comments

[astrotechmech]

Random looked very much like he wanted to bolt. It was all he could do to keep his hands steady. Hewasnotamedic,hewasnotamedic,hewasnotamedic.

Yes! That's the stinkin' place where it's stinkin' broken! Stop. Moving!

He twitches slightly when he notices the strut, but he takes it from Scavenger and puts it next to him until he's ready to put it back in.

[random_xtras]

"You need a hand with that, Random?" There's mockery in Scavenger's voice and expression.

"Hey!" Kia looks around from watching the repair session, her usually gentle expression transformed to an unhappy frown. "Be nice."

The old hermit looks at her with clear surprise, but then bows his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Kia. Random, I apologize."

Hot Shot is too busy screwing his face up with pain to comment on the exchange.

[astrotechmech]

Random flinches again, thankfully when he wasn't elbow deep in Hot Shot's innards.

Outside, he is still twitchy. Inside, however, If you think you do this any better, THEN BY ALL MEANS COME OVER HERE AND DO IT!

Then Kia spoke. She was standing up for him. That was both reassuring while it also reminded him that he had only been doing the same for her a few days ago.

Random murmurs something in reply but is too busy getting back to trying not to kill Hot Shot to really do much more to acknowledge the apology.

[random_xtras]

"So... will you tell me about him?" Hot Shot looks up at Scavenger hopefully.

"He was very brave and very just. And he's now very dead." The old mech shrugs and turns to walk deeper into the cave, where he's greeted by a chorus of beeping and whistling.

"What?" Hot Shot's mouth falls open with surprise.

"Minicons!" says Kia, her optics wide.

[astrotechmech]

"They're here too? . . . The universe is smaller than I thought," Random says, shaking his head.

[random_xtras]

"I thought they were all with the Imperial forces," says Hot Shot, trying to prop himself up on one elbow despite having his internals open for everyone to see.

"Uh uh," says Kia innocently. "We had some on the ship."

[astrotechmech]

Random jumps, hastily pulling his hands out of Hot Shot's internals. "Don't. Move!" Sheesh, can't you see I'm having enough trouble without you moving?!?

"No, some tried to escape . . . With mixed results," Random explains, once Hot Shot is settled back on the tarp . . . rug . . . thing.

[random_xtras]

"Wow." The yellow mech is distracted from wanting to learn about his origins by wanting to learn about the little people. "Can they really do what the stories say they can do? Oof, Kia, I'm not going to move anymore."

"No," says the little femme from where she's now sitting firmly on his shoulder. "You aren't."

Then she offers Random a tool.

[astrotechmech]

Random accepts the tool, giving her a little grateful smile before using it to begin finishing up the repairs.

"Yes, though many choose not to when they can help it."

[random_xtras]

Kia's answering smile is shy and sweet, and then she goes serious as she looks down at Hot Shot.

Hot Shot, for his part, is frowning at Random. "What do you mean?"

[astrotechmech]

"They can pack quite a punch when they're linked up with a larger mech. Too much of one. And the Empire doesn't let them decide if--or how--they want to use their power or not."

[random_xtras]

Confusions shows in the young mechs blue optics. "But... aren't they just droids? I mean, that's what the vids say. That they were built to help the Imperial troopers in tough situations and that kind of thing."

[astrotechmech]

Random pauses in his work to look at Hot Shot in the face with an optic ridge arched.

"Were those Imperial vids?" he asks dryly. "The half of those that aren't propaganda are downright lies."

[random_xtras]

"Well of course you'd say that, wearing that badge." Hot Shot frowns uncertainly.

"I say it too," says Scavenger quietly. "The Minicons are people just like you and I."

[astrotechmech]

Random glances at his recently cleaned off Rebel symbol before returning back to his work to complete the finishing touches.

"Ah, yes. Because I only wear it as a fashion statement," he replies sarcastically.

Within the next few moments, Random starts shutting Hot Shot's panels close . . .

[random_xtras]

"No. I just mean you'd have to say it...." Hot Shot looks up at Scavenger uncertainly.

"It's not a matter of serving the badge, kid. You wear the badge to show what you believe," says the old mech as he goes to settle onto his skidplate by the door and look around the hanging that covers it.

"Oh... right. I... knew that." Hot Shot looks embarrassed, but then perks. "What badge do you wear, Scavenger? Are you a Rebel?"

"No." Scavenger doesn't look around. "I don't wear either badge."

[astrotechmech]

"Yeah, nobody's forcing me to say nothin'," he agrees with Scavenger. Unless they're torturing me on a table . . . and I hope that day never comes.

He finishes closing the panels, and then rises to his feet, stretching his legs out after having them inactive for so long.

[random_xtras]

"Oh...." Hot Shot looks at Scavenger's back, looking a little brain broken, then turns his attention back to Random as Kia jumps off him and hugs the repair mech. "So why did you decide to be a Rebel? It doesn't seem like the pay's very good."

"That joke wasn't funny," observes Kia softly, not moving from where she has her face hidden against her mentor's side.

[astrotechmech]

Random unconsciously falls into what has so recently become a routine: hugging Kia and rubbing either her arm or back. He feels kinda empty when she's not right there at his side, and it's not clear if he really knows why he feels empty until she's back yet.

The combination of the emptiness and his fear of performing "medical" procedures in general did nothing to really make the situation any better. His attempts at relieving the stress by engaging in the conversation was only a partial success, considering how he had to stop work to make a comment and then plunge back into the repairs again while all the while worrying about not messing up.

Needless to say, he is glad he finished those blasted repairs and that he can have Kia close to him.

Random gave Hot Shot a look that said he too was not amused with the joke. "The pay's actually pretty good until an Imperial ship comes and starts chasing down the ship you're assigned to! . . . I had friends, my own opinions, some say in what was happening and how things were done . . . And the Rebellion is much more tolerant about mistakes."

[random_xtras]

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright." Hot Shot looks unhappy as he sits up, but then pauses. "What do you mean?"

Kia, meanwhile, lets out a tiny sad sound as she thinks of the friends she got to meet back aboard the ship.

[astrotechmech]

Having enough standing for one moment, Random moves to move the temporarily conjoined 'bots to have a seat on the floor since that's where everyone else is. "About what?"

"Shhh, Kia," he soothes softly and pulls her closer to him.

[random_xtras]

"That last part you said." Hot Shot watches as Kia snuggles against the astrotech with her head on his legs, his optics showing his curiosity.

[astrotechmech]

Random is distracted with his rubbing for a few moments before answers. "I think it's pretty straight forward: You mess up--either through something being fixed wrong because they won't listen to you, you don't perform up to their high and mighty ignorant standards, etc.--and then something terrible happens to you. . . . No mercy usually."

[random_xtras]

"How do you know that's not just Rebel propaganda?" Hot Shot frowns, though there's no anger in the expression.

Kia, meanwhile, has stopped crying and is fading toward sleep.

[astrotechmech]

"Because there are stories . . . and from fairly reliable sources."

Sleep is better than being sad . . . as long as one's troubles don't come along for the ride.

[random_xtras]

"The storm's over." Scavenger calmly cuts across their conversation, causing Kia to twitch slightly.

[astrotechmech]

"Thank. Goodness."

[random_xtras]

"I wouldn't try going out now, though. The Krayte dragons come out at night."

[astrotechmech]

"The what?" Random stops rubbing Kia, looking a bit worried. ". . . Wait, I don't want to know."

[random_xtras]

"There's a big one around here." Hot Shot's voice is hushed. "I've seen its tracks, and what's left of its meals."

"She's big enough to swallow a bantha whole." Scanvenger doesn't turn away from the door.

"Yeah... so what's left of her lunch is a Sand Person trying to make warp speed." The young mech leans against the wall he's hunkered near, his expression showing that he's spooked by the thought.

[astrotechmech]

Were they trying to scare the heck outta him?!?!

If so, it was working!

As could be seen by his wide-opticked look.

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot looks about the same as Random does right now, but Scavenger is calm as he speaks again.

"Don't worry. She's just attracted to Primus' presence. Which means she'll guard me and Kia to the death."

Hot Shot blinks. "Huh?"

[astrotechmech]

Fear just as quickly turns into confusion on Random's part as well. "Uh, what?" And why just you two?

[random_xtras]

"Have you ever heard of the jedi?" asks Scavenger, still gazing out into the night.

"The servants of Primus. Yeah, there're a lot of old stories about 'em," says Hot Shot, still blinking. "Why?"

[astrotechmech]

Random's hand starts rubbing Kia's back again in an unconscious effort to "deal" with the confusion.

"Wait . . . Are you saying . . .?"

[random_xtras]

"And Primus has always taken an interest in newsparks."

"New...." Hot Shot turns his optics toward Kia, then flicks them up to Random's face. "No slagging way...."

[astrotechmech]

A Jedi. Between finding Kia, meeting Scavenger, and hearing this last tidbit from him, Random now has had more acknowledgment of the presence of Primus then he has noticed in the past. He feels bad that he did not fully recognize it sooner and without the recent help.

"Yes, she is a newspark. A young one. She is probably not older than a few months old . . . according a one of the medics back on the ship . . ."

[random_xtras]

"But... there hasn't been a newspark in hundreds of vorns. And the Jedi all left a long time ago." Hot Shot's optics blink as he tries to process this information. "How did you get to Cybertron to ask for her? That's the Imperial capital."

[astrotechmech]

Random watches the hand rubbing Kia's back distractedly. "No . . . We--I found her. She was floating in some debris near the ship . . ."

[random_xtras]

"Times are changing." Scavenger's calm voice breaks across their conversation. "And we have work to do in the morning. You better shut down for the night."

Hot Shot pauses with his mouth open, but then blinks and slowly moves off the rug. "Here... Kia can have the bed."

[astrotechmech]

Scavenger's voice takes him out of his 'trance.' He had so much to think about . . .

". . . Thanks." Random moves to shift her over to the rug . . .

[random_xtras]

Kia doesn't whimper, but her small arms splay out slightly, and then seek to cling as she makes small snuggling motions. As ever, she is hard to part from Random while she's in sleep mode.

Hot Shot watches, and then comments softly, "D'aww. That's kinda cute."

[astrotechmech]

Random's face flushes in a variety of emotions including but not limited to embarrassment at Hot Shot's comment. "She was always a bit clingy when it came to me."

He makes it sound like he's known her longer than he actually has.

[random_xtras]

"I wonder if that's how we all start out? I can't remember back when I was that old."

"Sleep," orders Scavenger quietly.

Hot Shot jumps, then sighs and settles down with his back to the wall across from Random and Kia. "Sleep. Right. Good night!"

[astrotechmech]

"No clue."

Random jumps at Scavenger's request as well. Then he settles down next to Kia since she seemed to have a problem with him leaving. He doesn't think he will fall into recharge right away now that he has been better about recharging, so he merely shuts off his optics and tries to relax . . .

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot is soon snoring softly and evenly, and Kia nestles close to Random, her own intakes steady and content as silence falls over the cave.