Houston, we got more IC! *flop* And I do need an icon for this dammit.
Title: Crossing Oceans Dry.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None I can think of..
Pairings: Prowl x Jazz, Optimus x Starscream (We know the drill with these two.) Implied Blaster x Soundwave.
Characters: Prowl, Megatron, Skywarp, Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ironhide, Ratchet and Bluestreak. Mention of Jazz, Chromia, Smokescreen, Starscream and Blaster.
Summary: AU - Partly using Dreamwave's comics as basis. A re imagination of Cybertron's society where the line dividing slaves from nobles is so thin.
Notes: Megatron and Skywarp play match makers.
Skywarp looked down through the glass of the control room of one of the many training rooms available in the Academy, watching Megatron pretty much tear bit by bit every unfortunate trainee that stood against him. Megatron was known as one of the best fighters Cybertron would ever see, and it was easy to see why every time he took on students he tried to pass his particular style on.
Like any member of the ruling family, Megatron was taught to the art of Diffusion, but upon a meeting with a slave by the name of Grimlock Megatron learned a completely different fighting style. The slaves and nobles alike referred to Grimlock's hand to hand combat as 'pit fighting', because it was almost impossible to defeat the towering mech.
Megatron learned from Grimlock, and eventually developed a style of his own, combining what better suited him from both styles, which made it incredibly hard to defeat him, even Sentinel Prime had trouble defeating his own child, and Optimus had yet to score a victory over his older brother.
But Megatron did not wish for his style to remain exclusive to himself, and tried to share his knowledge with the select few mechs that he hand picked to be part of his hand to hand combat class. Skywarp held back a snicker, 'sharing' was hardly the word he'd use to refer to his teachings.
Still, Megatron was certainly one heck of a teacher, and modified the training and his teachings to exploit the capacities of his trainees as much as possible. All of them knew the basic technique, but each one had little differences. The training room was currently occupied just by Megatron and one of his newest trainees, who was far much smaller than the prime's child.
"What's in your processor, boy?" Megatron asked while he twisted the younger mech's arm behind his back at a very painful angle.
"N-Nngh!" Prowl gasped and bit back a cry of pain, trying unsuccessfully to free his very abused arm. "Nothing, sir!" finally, Prowl changed tactics and reached a hand to take hold of Megatron's neck, using it to support himself as he pushed his legs up, twisting his body above Megatron to release his arm from the painful pressure. He used the towering mech's own hand still grasping his wrist to pull him and throw him to the ground.
Megatron grunted and rolled quickly back onto his feet, watching Prowl's arm limp a little, adopting a position to keep the hurt arm out of his reach. "That'll be enough for today." He relaxed his stance, and Prowl reached to hold his battered arm. "Have that arm looked at," he ordered.
"It's nothing, my Lord."
"It'll be nothing when I say so, Prowl. This isn't a suggestion." Sentinel Prime's oldest frowned, folding his arms over his chest.
Prowl's shoulders sagged a little but he nodded. "Yes, sir." he turned around to head to the medical bay.
"Now," Megatron moved to catch up with Prowl, looking down at the young mech. "Care to share what has you so distracted?"
Prowl did not look up to the older noble, fighting back the embarrassment --it was still surprising to him how easily Megatron could make Prowl feel like a sparkling, but Optimus assured him he had that effect on everyone. "I was thinking about my family, sir," Prowl admitted quietly.
"Ah yes, your first permission to receive visitors is coming soon, isn't it? Are all of your relatives coming?"
Prowl shook his head, absently rubbing his hurting arm. "Only my uncles and my brother. My parents have an unexpected compromise to see to on that orn."
"So, just your brother and your uncles?" Megatron's lip components curved in a little, mischievous smile, but Prowl chose to ignore it.
"This time at least. I'm... not sure if only relatives are allowed to visit." Prowl wasn't sure if it was all right for him to invite Jazz to come during his next allowed visit.
The taller silver mech crossed his arms behind his back, his smile turned into a little smirk. "A friend that you'd like to see perhaps?"
The Defensor noble nodded, and while he knew what Megatron was implying, he decided he didn't need to expand further into the nature of his affection towards Jazz, Megatron was a smart mech, it was obvious he figured it already.
"As long as you inform in advance and he goes through all the formalities, it's fine." Megatron stopped at the doors of the medical bay, excusing himself to attend to other duties, leaving Prowl to Hook's tender mercies.
Megatron headed for the office he occupied at the Academy, where Skywarp was already waiting for him.
"I apologize for the delay, I got carried away with the class." Megatron took his seat, looking through the cabinets next to it for something.
"I'd say." Skywarp snickered. "I'm surprised you're taking on Ironhide's nephew, he doesn't strike me as the kind you'd pick for your personal training, but then, neither did Optimus and that mech can land some pretty hard punches, even for his size."
"Oh, he's stronger than he looks, and far more agile than you'd think." Megatron rubbed his chin, brushing a black finger over a nearly imperceptible, diminutive scratch on his jaw. "He got quite creative using his wings earlier on."
"Could have mangled those if you wanted." Skywarp crossed his arms, trying to hide the rising amusement he was getting from watching Megatron unsuccessfully trying to find something among the many shelves and cabinets by his desk.
"Not at that moment, he truly got me there. Next time he won't be so lucky, but I doubt he'll even try it again anytime soon." Megatron sighed exasperatedly and comm-linked with Ultra Magnus. "Greetings, Magnus. Yes, everything is fine. Could you do me a favor, though? Yes. I need you to go to my office and check the fourth drawer of my desk? I believe I left a holographic display with a message on it addressed to Starscream."
After Ultra Magnus confirmed the display was left in his office at the Tower, Megatron instructed his cousin to hand it over to Skywarp and closed their communication. The oldest child of Sentinel Prime turned an apologetic look at the black and purple young mech. "I'm sorry, it would appear I forgot the display at the Tower."
"It's all right, Lord Megatron, I'll just drop by Magnus' office to get it. Though, may I ask why exactly do you need me to deliver this to Starscream?"
"Because it's supposed to be from Optimus." The silver mech smiled, lacing his fingers together.
"Setting them up, Lord Megatron?" the seeker smirked.
A laugh. "Let's call it a little... encouragement."
Skywarp chuckled softly but nodded. "I better be on my way then. Starscream's going to be taking Rumble and Frenzy for some upgrades and I'm pretty sure he's going to be in a very bad mood when he's back."
"Very well. Thank you, Skywarp." Megatron watched the younger mech bow a little and leave the room, able to hear the seeker's particular foot steps, for some reason Skywarp seemed to make a point of letting everyone know he was around by clanking his turbine heels with every step.
With Skywarp dealing with the delivery of Starscream's message, it was time to lure Optimus to the trap. Giving one last look to his schedule and taking some notes of things he had to do upon arrival, Megatron left his office in the Academy towards the Iacon Tower.
--------------------------
"I don't want to go!" Rumble crossed his arms sternly over his chest plate, pulling his mouth into a pout. He hated to be taken to Iacon for upgrades to his frame, as minimal as they could be. More importantly, he hated the looks and commentary from the elitist nobles and their slaves towards him and his twin.
It didn't matter how popular or well respected performers they were, in the eyes of the elite, they were nothing more than Blaster's illegitimate spawns. Even their slaves seemed to share their distaste for the pair of cassette twins' parentage. Rumble wished they didn't have to be taken to that place, but few mechs were qualified and certified to upgrade their particular type, which made it common to come across some elite noble that would make a point to show his or her distaste.
"Upgrades: Necessary," Soundwave said softly, stroking his head gently.
Frenzy remained quiet, sitting next to his twin with a resigned expression. He disliked to be taken for upgrades as well and for the very same reasons Rumble did, but he knew it was futile to fight them. They were still younglings and they still needed regular upgrades, and even after they were fully adults, their type required relatively constant care and maintenance for a few vorns to ensure their proper functionality. Frenzy knew, however, that Rumble would sooner leave his body to the hands of shoddier mechs without certification than stand the attitude of the elite.
In the end, he knew Soundwave was going to have to appeal to Rumble through reminding him neither he or Blaster would want their health jeopardized because of mechs not worth of their title. Besides, Frenzy trusted Starscream would take care of any mechs with a running vocal processor, as he knew the future High Priest had very little patience and even less liking for those mechs.
After he managed to convince Rumble to go to get his upgrades, Soundwave began to clean his quarters, rearranging items here and there until everything was neat and tidy --he liked his quarters orderly and clean when he worked, as he promised Jazz he'd help him to fix something he was working on. Once he was finished, he sat by his small desk, pulling out a data pad Jazz gave him and began to look over the text.
----------------------
Prowl looked around the large hall that looked similar to a very large cafeteria, with ample room to host students and visitors alike. Since this was the first visit, Prowl wasn't allowed to take his family to his quarters, so he had to keep his interaction with them within the hall.
"Prowl!" The cheerful call was without mistake coming from Bluestreak, and Prowl smiled a little, standing up and watching his brother rush towards him, his uncles Ironhide and Ratchet right behind at a more sedated pace.
"Quiet it down, Blue, yer gonna disturb the other visitors." Ironhide laughed softly, catching up to his nephew as they approached the table appointed for them and Prowl. "Hey there, how's it going so far?" Ironhide asked as Prowl stood up and pulled the younger mech into a tight hug.
"Hello, uncle Ironhide." Prowl's smile grew a bit more and he returned the embrace as best as he could, given the height difference. Bluestreak was quick to wrap his brother into another tight hug, quickly beginning to interrogate the other mech about everything he could, from how he was doing, to what his dorm looked like.
Prowl chuckled and hugged his brother, managing to calm the younger mech enough to exchange another embrace with Ratchet, inviting them to sit down so they could begin to talk.
"We've missed you a lot back at home," Bluestreak said a little sadly, but still looking cheerful and happy to see his brother.
"I've missed you all as well. How are mother and father doing?"
"Same old with those two. But Chromia was raggin' somethin' fierce about not being able to come for the visit." Ironhide shared the colorful language Chromia addressed at her mate, her business partners and whoever was minimally involved in the trip that forbade her from visiting her oldest, much to Prowl's mild embarrassment and great amusement.
"Dad was so flustered, he tried to convince her to stay, but she said she wouldn't come without him." Bluestreak laughed softly, remembering Smokescreen's face after Chromia's tirade. "She's probably giving an audioful to whoever's involved right now. They miss you very much."
"Jazz misses you very much as well, and he wished he could have come to visit." Ratchet pulled a couple of items out of subspace, he remembered with annoyance the tight security regarding what the visitors could bring into the facilities, and what kind of gifts were allowed. It was even more annoying because he knew the almost prison-like security was all his father's doing. "We brought you a couple of things we thought you'd like, and Jazz sent you something as well."
Prowl accepted the offered gifts, looking through the items carefully, reading material, some energon goodies, a couple of videos to watch when the time allowed it, whatever it was Jazz sent him was sealed. He put the presents aside carefully and focused back on chatting with his family for joors, listening to Bluestreak talk about everything he was doing, his relationship with Sunstreaker, and so on. He missed his family, but their visit only served to make him determined to work harder on his training to make his family proud, and most importantly, to be back with them and with Jazz.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None I can think of..
Pairings: Prowl x Jazz, Optimus x Starscream (We know the drill with these two.) Implied Blaster x Soundwave.
Characters: Prowl, Megatron, Skywarp, Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ironhide, Ratchet and Bluestreak. Mention of Jazz, Chromia, Smokescreen, Starscream and Blaster.
Summary: AU - Partly using Dreamwave's comics as basis. A re imagination of Cybertron's society where the line dividing slaves from nobles is so thin.
Notes: Megatron and Skywarp play match makers.
Skywarp looked down through the glass of the control room of one of the many training rooms available in the Academy, watching Megatron pretty much tear bit by bit every unfortunate trainee that stood against him. Megatron was known as one of the best fighters Cybertron would ever see, and it was easy to see why every time he took on students he tried to pass his particular style on.
Like any member of the ruling family, Megatron was taught to the art of Diffusion, but upon a meeting with a slave by the name of Grimlock Megatron learned a completely different fighting style. The slaves and nobles alike referred to Grimlock's hand to hand combat as 'pit fighting', because it was almost impossible to defeat the towering mech.
Megatron learned from Grimlock, and eventually developed a style of his own, combining what better suited him from both styles, which made it incredibly hard to defeat him, even Sentinel Prime had trouble defeating his own child, and Optimus had yet to score a victory over his older brother.
But Megatron did not wish for his style to remain exclusive to himself, and tried to share his knowledge with the select few mechs that he hand picked to be part of his hand to hand combat class. Skywarp held back a snicker, 'sharing' was hardly the word he'd use to refer to his teachings.
Still, Megatron was certainly one heck of a teacher, and modified the training and his teachings to exploit the capacities of his trainees as much as possible. All of them knew the basic technique, but each one had little differences. The training room was currently occupied just by Megatron and one of his newest trainees, who was far much smaller than the prime's child.
"What's in your processor, boy?" Megatron asked while he twisted the younger mech's arm behind his back at a very painful angle.
"N-Nngh!" Prowl gasped and bit back a cry of pain, trying unsuccessfully to free his very abused arm. "Nothing, sir!" finally, Prowl changed tactics and reached a hand to take hold of Megatron's neck, using it to support himself as he pushed his legs up, twisting his body above Megatron to release his arm from the painful pressure. He used the towering mech's own hand still grasping his wrist to pull him and throw him to the ground.
Megatron grunted and rolled quickly back onto his feet, watching Prowl's arm limp a little, adopting a position to keep the hurt arm out of his reach. "That'll be enough for today." He relaxed his stance, and Prowl reached to hold his battered arm. "Have that arm looked at," he ordered.
"It's nothing, my Lord."
"It'll be nothing when I say so, Prowl. This isn't a suggestion." Sentinel Prime's oldest frowned, folding his arms over his chest.
Prowl's shoulders sagged a little but he nodded. "Yes, sir." he turned around to head to the medical bay.
"Now," Megatron moved to catch up with Prowl, looking down at the young mech. "Care to share what has you so distracted?"
Prowl did not look up to the older noble, fighting back the embarrassment --it was still surprising to him how easily Megatron could make Prowl feel like a sparkling, but Optimus assured him he had that effect on everyone. "I was thinking about my family, sir," Prowl admitted quietly.
"Ah yes, your first permission to receive visitors is coming soon, isn't it? Are all of your relatives coming?"
Prowl shook his head, absently rubbing his hurting arm. "Only my uncles and my brother. My parents have an unexpected compromise to see to on that orn."
"So, just your brother and your uncles?" Megatron's lip components curved in a little, mischievous smile, but Prowl chose to ignore it.
"This time at least. I'm... not sure if only relatives are allowed to visit." Prowl wasn't sure if it was all right for him to invite Jazz to come during his next allowed visit.
The taller silver mech crossed his arms behind his back, his smile turned into a little smirk. "A friend that you'd like to see perhaps?"
The Defensor noble nodded, and while he knew what Megatron was implying, he decided he didn't need to expand further into the nature of his affection towards Jazz, Megatron was a smart mech, it was obvious he figured it already.
"As long as you inform in advance and he goes through all the formalities, it's fine." Megatron stopped at the doors of the medical bay, excusing himself to attend to other duties, leaving Prowl to Hook's tender mercies.
Megatron headed for the office he occupied at the Academy, where Skywarp was already waiting for him.
"I apologize for the delay, I got carried away with the class." Megatron took his seat, looking through the cabinets next to it for something.
"I'd say." Skywarp snickered. "I'm surprised you're taking on Ironhide's nephew, he doesn't strike me as the kind you'd pick for your personal training, but then, neither did Optimus and that mech can land some pretty hard punches, even for his size."
"Oh, he's stronger than he looks, and far more agile than you'd think." Megatron rubbed his chin, brushing a black finger over a nearly imperceptible, diminutive scratch on his jaw. "He got quite creative using his wings earlier on."
"Could have mangled those if you wanted." Skywarp crossed his arms, trying to hide the rising amusement he was getting from watching Megatron unsuccessfully trying to find something among the many shelves and cabinets by his desk.
"Not at that moment, he truly got me there. Next time he won't be so lucky, but I doubt he'll even try it again anytime soon." Megatron sighed exasperatedly and comm-linked with Ultra Magnus. "Greetings, Magnus. Yes, everything is fine. Could you do me a favor, though? Yes. I need you to go to my office and check the fourth drawer of my desk? I believe I left a holographic display with a message on it addressed to Starscream."
After Ultra Magnus confirmed the display was left in his office at the Tower, Megatron instructed his cousin to hand it over to Skywarp and closed their communication. The oldest child of Sentinel Prime turned an apologetic look at the black and purple young mech. "I'm sorry, it would appear I forgot the display at the Tower."
"It's all right, Lord Megatron, I'll just drop by Magnus' office to get it. Though, may I ask why exactly do you need me to deliver this to Starscream?"
"Because it's supposed to be from Optimus." The silver mech smiled, lacing his fingers together.
"Setting them up, Lord Megatron?" the seeker smirked.
A laugh. "Let's call it a little... encouragement."
Skywarp chuckled softly but nodded. "I better be on my way then. Starscream's going to be taking Rumble and Frenzy for some upgrades and I'm pretty sure he's going to be in a very bad mood when he's back."
"Very well. Thank you, Skywarp." Megatron watched the younger mech bow a little and leave the room, able to hear the seeker's particular foot steps, for some reason Skywarp seemed to make a point of letting everyone know he was around by clanking his turbine heels with every step.
With Skywarp dealing with the delivery of Starscream's message, it was time to lure Optimus to the trap. Giving one last look to his schedule and taking some notes of things he had to do upon arrival, Megatron left his office in the Academy towards the Iacon Tower.
--------------------------
"I don't want to go!" Rumble crossed his arms sternly over his chest plate, pulling his mouth into a pout. He hated to be taken to Iacon for upgrades to his frame, as minimal as they could be. More importantly, he hated the looks and commentary from the elitist nobles and their slaves towards him and his twin.
It didn't matter how popular or well respected performers they were, in the eyes of the elite, they were nothing more than Blaster's illegitimate spawns. Even their slaves seemed to share their distaste for the pair of cassette twins' parentage. Rumble wished they didn't have to be taken to that place, but few mechs were qualified and certified to upgrade their particular type, which made it common to come across some elite noble that would make a point to show his or her distaste.
"Upgrades: Necessary," Soundwave said softly, stroking his head gently.
Frenzy remained quiet, sitting next to his twin with a resigned expression. He disliked to be taken for upgrades as well and for the very same reasons Rumble did, but he knew it was futile to fight them. They were still younglings and they still needed regular upgrades, and even after they were fully adults, their type required relatively constant care and maintenance for a few vorns to ensure their proper functionality. Frenzy knew, however, that Rumble would sooner leave his body to the hands of shoddier mechs without certification than stand the attitude of the elite.
In the end, he knew Soundwave was going to have to appeal to Rumble through reminding him neither he or Blaster would want their health jeopardized because of mechs not worth of their title. Besides, Frenzy trusted Starscream would take care of any mechs with a running vocal processor, as he knew the future High Priest had very little patience and even less liking for those mechs.
After he managed to convince Rumble to go to get his upgrades, Soundwave began to clean his quarters, rearranging items here and there until everything was neat and tidy --he liked his quarters orderly and clean when he worked, as he promised Jazz he'd help him to fix something he was working on. Once he was finished, he sat by his small desk, pulling out a data pad Jazz gave him and began to look over the text.
----------------------
Prowl looked around the large hall that looked similar to a very large cafeteria, with ample room to host students and visitors alike. Since this was the first visit, Prowl wasn't allowed to take his family to his quarters, so he had to keep his interaction with them within the hall.
"Prowl!" The cheerful call was without mistake coming from Bluestreak, and Prowl smiled a little, standing up and watching his brother rush towards him, his uncles Ironhide and Ratchet right behind at a more sedated pace.
"Quiet it down, Blue, yer gonna disturb the other visitors." Ironhide laughed softly, catching up to his nephew as they approached the table appointed for them and Prowl. "Hey there, how's it going so far?" Ironhide asked as Prowl stood up and pulled the younger mech into a tight hug.
"Hello, uncle Ironhide." Prowl's smile grew a bit more and he returned the embrace as best as he could, given the height difference. Bluestreak was quick to wrap his brother into another tight hug, quickly beginning to interrogate the other mech about everything he could, from how he was doing, to what his dorm looked like.
Prowl chuckled and hugged his brother, managing to calm the younger mech enough to exchange another embrace with Ratchet, inviting them to sit down so they could begin to talk.
"We've missed you a lot back at home," Bluestreak said a little sadly, but still looking cheerful and happy to see his brother.
"I've missed you all as well. How are mother and father doing?"
"Same old with those two. But Chromia was raggin' somethin' fierce about not being able to come for the visit." Ironhide shared the colorful language Chromia addressed at her mate, her business partners and whoever was minimally involved in the trip that forbade her from visiting her oldest, much to Prowl's mild embarrassment and great amusement.
"Dad was so flustered, he tried to convince her to stay, but she said she wouldn't come without him." Bluestreak laughed softly, remembering Smokescreen's face after Chromia's tirade. "She's probably giving an audioful to whoever's involved right now. They miss you very much."
"Jazz misses you very much as well, and he wished he could have come to visit." Ratchet pulled a couple of items out of subspace, he remembered with annoyance the tight security regarding what the visitors could bring into the facilities, and what kind of gifts were allowed. It was even more annoying because he knew the almost prison-like security was all his father's doing. "We brought you a couple of things we thought you'd like, and Jazz sent you something as well."
Prowl accepted the offered gifts, looking through the items carefully, reading material, some energon goodies, a couple of videos to watch when the time allowed it, whatever it was Jazz sent him was sealed. He put the presents aside carefully and focused back on chatting with his family for joors, listening to Bluestreak talk about everything he was doing, his relationship with Sunstreaker, and so on. He missed his family, but their visit only served to make him determined to work harder on his training to make his family proud, and most importantly, to be back with them and with Jazz.