ANH. Imperial Shuttle near Imperial Blockade. Out of the frying pan . . .

[astrotechmech]

Random paces up and down the small "corridor" behind the pilots' chairs. It isn't enough that they're using probably very-much-illegally-bought Imperial codes to sneak past the Imperial blockade led by Nemesis Prime's imposing vessel and onto the forested moon holding the shield generator for Unicron's two bodies using Random's ship-clearing formula. But they're also doing it in a ship that he's fixed before while in Imperial service. Not the one he used to get his formula written, but it was still unnerving to be in a ship whose weak points you're all too familiar with.

Especially if you know where the Imperials need to hit in order to instantly blow it up.

All he needs to complete this nightmare is for his old Imperial CO to pop out of one of the shuttle's compartments.

Comments

[random_xtras]

"Don't lick them either, okay?" Kia gently boots her faithful minion. "They don't like it."

"Hmmmm." Murphy holds up the large, shiny insect thoughtfully, then pitches it aside as he spots something more appealing.

"Don't lick that either." Kia sniffs her new flower and looks around for another.

"Boss, only a nut or a mama tusk cat would lick this." The little black Minicon turns to display a lanky, blinking cub as big as he was.

"Mama..." Jetfire turns his head and blinks himself, then looks around. "Where's his parents? They wouldn't just leave the little guy, but I don't see any trace. Here, gimme." He hunkers down and takes the tiny thing, then holds it absently to his chest plate as it gums hopefully on his thumb.

Kia just gives the fuzzy a little grin, then looks at Random as though sharing a joke before offering him the third flower.

[astrotechmech]

Random still doesn't want to know what Murphy is doing.

Unfortunately, he probably does have to pay attention to what Jetfire is doing.

"Uh, aren't you supposed to leave 'em be?" At least Random thinks he's heard something to that effect for at least one kind of animal. He doesn't really get out of space ports and ships much, okay? "So that the the parents either don't abandon it or view you as a threat?"

Random sees what Kia is offering him and accepts it. Yep, this is a thing that's happening. He shakes his head.

[random_xtras]

"Nah." Jetfire stands up and scans the area, frowning. "His parents ain't here."

"But someone put him here," notes Kia, frowning slightly. "He's too little to have walked. His eyes aren't open all the way yet."

"I wonder what Froggy would think of him." Murphy looks around, then darts over and carefully picks a fourth flower, which is brought back to Kia in triumph.

"Well I don't feel good leavin' him." Jetfire looks down as the cub squeaks, then gently uses the previously gummed on thumb to rub between the little one's ears.

[astrotechmech]

"If you're sure . . ." Random isn't sure. He doesn't like what Kia just said either. And he is glad he doesn't have to find out what "Froggy" would think of the cub, either.

[random_xtras]

"Let's go on." Jetfire looks around again, then steps forward, his free hand starting to pat and try and call Comettor again.

Kia accepts the flower from Murphy and rubs her faithful little minion's head, then looks up at Random and starts to walk too. She sniffs the flower thoughtfully as Murphy runs enthusiastically in a small orbit around she and Random, then reaches into her subspace and pulls out a brightly decorated, but faded book chip which she looks at with the light of sad, fond memory in her pale eyes.

[astrotechmech]

"Right." Random's still not sure, but he'll follow and resume walking along, still holding Kia's other flowers.

Random looks down to make sure he doesn't run into the hyperactive Minicon and notices that Kia's gotten a bookchip out. One of Sneaker's. He thinks he knows why she's looking sad now. Random puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

[random_xtras]

She looks up at his touch, her mouth turning up at the corners as she shows him the chip. "'Tanny the Baby Tusk Cat'. Remember when he read it to me, and Gasket called it dumb and then sat down behind us to listen?"

"Ah whups..." Murphy goes tip over teakettle and bowls into Rollbar.

[astrotechmech]

Random thinks back to their relatively short time together on his old ship with his old crew and nods. "Yes. I don't think he was fooling anybody."

So, that's where she learned about the tusk cats. Had forgotten about that story.

Random starts slightly at the clang from the Minicons and wills himself to calm down.

[random_xtras]

She tilts her head just slightly, looking back at those first hazy memories. "Everyone was so surprised the day after you found me when I let go of you and snuggled against Sneaker. But his smile was so nice, and he FELT good too. You were my mentor, but he felt like Primus."

"Steer-ike!" Rollbar chuckles, then transforms and hauls Murphy up and sets him on his feet before trundling over to examine what he'd tripped over.

[astrotechmech]

Even me, Random thinks, remembering how she initially refused to be by anybody else--until that moment. He reflects on what she said about Sneaker.

[random_xtras]

"Hmmmmm." Rollbar taps on something in the uneven grass, his finger bringing forth a metallic ting. "I know who left the fuzzy. We're being watched."

Jetfire stops and looks that way, then turns his questioning gaze to Kia.

Kia perks, her expression brightening. "I can't feel Minicons. But that staple is a Minicon joke, isn't it?"

[astrotechmech]

Random also stops and looks where Rollbar is looking, moving so he can see said staple. "I . . . wouldn't be surprised. They could certainly trip each other up with it." Which is something they do.

[random_xtras]

"Yeah." Rollbar taps it, then beeps laughter and stands up to stomp it into the ground. "But they're not just for jokes. These are ladder steps."

"Put them into the wall so you can reach a console." Murphy rubs his head and looks around, then waves hopefully. Hi, guys, do you see me wavin'?

Jetfire's looking around too, his expression interested as he absently rubs his chin on the cub, who is gumming his thumb. "Why can't you feel 'em?"

"Primus can't feel their emotions," says Kia, offering her last flower to Random. "He can't even feel Rollbar."

"No. But we've figured out how to work together." The burly little sandy colour mech stoops to examine his handiwork, then laughs some more.

[astrotechmech]

Yeah, Minicons were always using tools for pranks. That makes sense.

Random is initially confused by Kia's comment until he remembers that Minicons are made from Unicron, and thus didn't have the connection to Primus like other bots had. Or something.

He looks at that latest flower and hesitates. If Minicons are around, he's not sure he wants to be holding all of the flowers. One less hand to do things with. Yeah, the Minicons probably wouldn't hurt them, but . . .