...and this comes when I should be studying for my Latin quiz. Joy of joys.
Seekers have four stages of development, although most Cybertronians aren't aware of this fact:
Stage 1: the sparkling stage, which is very much like that of other Cybertronians, although seeker sparklings are incapable of flight and need to rely on their creators to feed their need for the sky.
Stage 2: the youngling stage; seekers are still incapable of flight but begin learning to activate flight protocols for when they reach maturity. Creators still take them on short flights to keep the sky-hunger at bay.
Stage 3: the proto-adult stage; seeker remain flightless but are equipped with jet packs or similar modifications to learn how to use their flight protocols safely. Creators often accompany their creations, as at this stage a seeker is approximately 3/4 of their full height.
Stage 4: the mature adult stage; just prior to maturity proto-adult seekers slip into a modified stasis, during which their bodies incorporate the surrounding metals to finish forming their winged frame and activate the various sensors necessary for the flight protocols to activate in full.
The Decepticon seekers are at the mature stage of development, but suspect that there are a few proto-adult seekers hidden unknowingly amongst the Autobots and begin casually patrolling the skies around the Ark (and sending Red Alert into panic attacks in spite of them not attacking). Their efforts prove to be valid when nearly every minibot on the Ark's crew abruptly slips into stasis for no apparent reason.
Needless to say, there are a hell of a lot of questions and a bit of annoyance that Starscream and his trine are the ones with the answers.
Ahh, crack, why do you torment me when I need to study?!