ANH'verse. Dagobah. Swamp sitting.

[random_xtras]

"Thundercracker, my arm's startin' to really scream at me here. How much longer do I haveta balance on it? And I think my processors' gettin' scrambled from being upside down so long." Hot Shot's voice isn't complaining, but it is shaking slightly from strain as the young mech struggles to stay upright while resting his entire weight on one hand. "Um... and I think I'm sinking. Weren't we going to get the X-Wing out of the swamp today?"

"Awwww, y'all think y'ur actually doin' somethin' hard, son?" The old Seeker chortles in his mad way, but doesn't look up from playing with his pet snake.

"Um... well, I did," says Hot Shot uncertainly, then yelps as two Minicons go tearing past. "Hey! Where's Jetstorm? You guys better not have been fishing again! ACK! What?"

Thundercracker cackles as his snake crawls curiously around Hot Shot's torso. "Alraht now, son. Let's see ya get that bird outta the swamp. With the Force."

Hot Shot stares at his teacher's legs, then switches his optics off with a groan.

Comments

[random_xtras]

"Guys, stop climbing all over me. I have to learn this, and I'm not gonna fail!" comes Hot Shot's voice, the lightness that it was holding earlier now given way to frustrated and slightly sullen determination. "Sonar, leave Billy alone, or he's gonna try and eat you again. I mean it! Honestly, if we didn't need you guys I'd just let him keep you."

Minicon laughter is the young mech's only response, but then it falls silent after a series of surprised squeaks.

"Whal wouldja lookit that," says Thundercracker softly in the silence that follows.

[astrotechmech]

Random distractedly sits himself up and pushes down on the tree roots to make his way to his feet. He is just about there when the squeaks pull him out of his reverie and he falls back down again into the mud, looking at the cause of the squeaks, flabbergasted. Whoa.

[random_xtras]

The X-Wing floats a few feet away from Hot Shot, in the space between him and Random, dripping water and mud from its injured chassis but otherwise showing no more movement than if it were sitting up on a repair gantry in a hanger somewhere civilized. Thundercracker is looking at it, a curious expression in his slightly faded optics as his mouth curls in a very slight and enigmatic smile.

[astrotechmech]

Random's optics shoot to scan all over the X-Wing's chassis, clearly not believing that the X-Wing is really standing in front of him, as if it had never crashed in the first place.

Well, beside the water and the mud.

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot uses his free hand to rub his optics, then looks again.

"Heh..."

[astrotechmech]

In his mind, he vaguely thinks that he should get up, but he is far too shocked to do so.

And he is slowly realizing what this means . . .