ANH 'verse. Alderaanian space. Something's missing....

[random_xtras]

"You got the coordinates wrong!" says Jetfire to his tiny navigator, only to cringe before the torrent of angry beeping that the little gold and white femme gives him. "Airazor, the kid can understand you! Okay fine! Then where is it?"

"Where indeed?" Scavenger is frowning through the viewscreen, his optics tracking the swarm of asteroids that have taken the place of the planet Alderaan, and then flicking to Kia as she stirs and hugs herself uncertainly.

Comments

[astrotechmech]

"Are you guys trying to say the planet disappeared?! Planets can't just disappear! . . . Are you sure your equipment's working?"

[random_xtras]

Airazor turns and lets rip at the Astrotech vehemently, gesturing to her screens as she invites him to have a look for himself. Then she waves her arms and curses her frustration, earning an impressed look from Murphy, who is sitting at the next console.

"Is this what you were talking about?" murmurs Scavenger, his frown deepening. "A whole planet? How...?"

"The asteroids," says Kia suddenly, her soft voice barely audible over the din of upset Minicon.

[astrotechmech]

"All right, all right!" he says defensively once he's taken a look. "Stop with the cussing already!"

Random turns first to Scavenger, and then moves over to Kia, wrapping his arms around her. "Kia? . . . Yeah, it's strange that they're out there. The charts didn't say anything about them."

[random_xtras]

She turns and hugs him hard, shaking. "Random.... No planet and lots of little rocks. Ohhhh...."

Murphy stops watching Airazor and turns to give Kia a spooked look, then turns back to his console and starts typing rapidly. The typing stops abruptly as he gives vent to a whistle of shock.

[astrotechmech]

A bit unsettled by how frightened she is, he starts rubbing her back. "What are you saying . . . ?"

Then he abruptly stops rubbing her back as some thought hits him. "But that can't happen on its own!"

[random_xtras]

"What could destroy a whole planet?" Scavenger steps forward and frowns through the viewscreen.

"What...." Hot Shot pauses in the doorway, a cube of energon forgotten in his hand.

[astrotechmech]

Random starts rubbing Kia's back again, not only to comfort her but also to help himself relax.

He doesn't seem to notice Hot Shot coming into the room.

[random_xtras]

"Wait a minute, are you tryin' to tell me someone blew the slaggin' planet up?" Jetfire leans over Murphy and looks at his monitors, then stares toward the screen. "...We better get outta here. Fast."

"Too late," says Scavenger as the Falcon bucks slightly under the sudden tow of a tractor beam.

[astrotechmech]

He startles when the Falcon bucks. "Whose tractor beam is that?"

[random_xtras]

"Who cares," says Jetfire, turning and yanking up a panel from the floor. "You 'n the kid, get in here. Murphy, get the others stowed."

[astrotechmech]

He was about to argue that yes, it does matter because one way they're doomed and the other there's just a mere fraction of hope when Jetfire lifted floor panel.

. . .

Okay, so maybe there's a third option.

"Come on, Kia," he says, moving the two of them over to the opening before moving to sit down beside it to get down into it, so he can help Kia down.

[random_xtras]

She follows closely, still shaking as her small hands reach out for him. Around them is a bustle as the black Minicon herds Scavenger and Hot Shot off the bridge and away.

[astrotechmech]

Once he is in the hole he reaches up and transfers her down next to him before he reaches up to replace the panel . . .

[random_xtras]

"Get your fingers outta the way." Jetfire grabs the panel and makes sure it's properly in place, adding before it's fully closed. "And don't move!"

Then there's nothing but darkness and silence and a little femme clinging to her mentor and hiding her face on him.

[astrotechmech]

He promptly does so before moving to sit down beside Kia.

I guess talking's not a smart option either, he thinks to himself once the panel is shut and he has his arms around Kia, rubbing her back briefly and resisting the temptation to rock her back and forth.

[random_xtras]

She continues to shake for some time, but then the darkness and closeness, and her trust in Random overcome her fear of the moving of the ship and the slight jostlings. She doesn't even wake up when heavy feet tread overhead.

[astrotechmech]

As she drifts off, Random once again realizes that he is going to be the one whose going to be worried about what's going on around him, and he finds that he is a bit jealous of her even though he finds that her presence gives him comfort, more than he would have been able to give himself if he were alone.

At the heavy steps, he tenses, trying as hard as he can not to make noise and fearing that the mech above will hear either the beating of his spark, the rumble of his engine or the air moving into his intakes or perhaps all of the above.

[random_xtras]

The steps pause, and something thumps against the panel a few times, followed by silence as the Astrotrooper waits to see if anyone answers.

[astrotechmech]

If it was Jetfire, Hot Shot, or Scavenger, wouldn't they say something first? Or just pull the panel up? . . . Yes.

Random does not answer. Instead he hopes and he prays that the Astrotrooper will leave before he stasis-locks due to lack of cool air.

[random_xtras]

Long clicks of silence, followed by loud and far too obvious footsteps leading away. And then more silence.

[astrotechmech]

He wants to breathe freely again, but something about those footsteps stops him from doing so. Did they trail off gradually or just cut off?

He tries to remember, still not breathing, and hoping the mech still isn't in the room.

[random_xtras]

There's nothing from above, but from a crack in the wall of the hideout comes the glimmer of a Minicon's optics, and then Murphy is waving very carefully before putting a finger to his mouth.

[astrotechmech]

He did not like that silence.

Random's optics flicker over the crack in the wall--luckily not startling or making noise--and he sees Murphy's motions, which just confirms that it's not safe yet.

[random_xtras]

The tiny mech stares upward, his optics intent as he waits for the Troopers to leave.

[astrotechmech]

How long has it been? Hours? Days? Minutes?

He just wants this to end!

. . . How would they know when it's safe again?