Prompt Reply, full set
TITLE: Rip Van Winkle
CHARACTER: Skyfire, Starscream
SERIES: Generation 1
RATING: K+
Warnings: Pre War
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
Word COUNT: 468
Prompt #1 Time Travel
Skyfire soared through the skies of planet 43955. "Peaceful," he transmitted to his companion.
Starscream, flying circles around his slower companion, snorted. "Peaceful - just like four hundred seventy three planets before it."
"Forty-four of those had detectable energon in the crust."
"Of Microscopic amount! Not enough to support a colony of any kind or even pay for itself if a mining crew is sent out."
Skyfire listened as Starscream ranted about the four hundred twenty-nine 'peaceful' promising planets that had no economic value. No metals, no minerals, no energon - at least, not in concentrations that could be detected from the surface. Too many planetoids on their slow exploration of The Cybertron Empire's outermost reaches were dead worlds.
Skyfire noticed the atmospheric change first. The atmosphere, gently supporting him, the sun's rays warming his upper armor, began to press in, and the air grew chilly, leaching heat. "Starscream," He interrupted, angling for the stratosphere.
"What?" Starscream broke off his lazy flight. "You can't be done already."
In an astonishingly quick time, the air currents had changed from pleasant to oppressive. It was almost like trying to escape a gas giant’s thick, clogging, lower levels. "Sudden change of plans," Skyfire grated out, sending more fuel to his engines, he powered through massive eddies.
Faster, more nimble and lighter-weight Starscream had no troubles dodging the short-lived whirlwinds that battered at Skyfire. "I'll lead the way," Starscream surged ahead, powerful beacon on, helping Skyfire distinguish up from down.
It worked, until the electrical surges in the clouds of dihydrogen monoxide flashed and scrambled the signal traces. Tossed about like a piece of debris, Skyfire found enough energy for one last transmission. "GO! I'll catch up later!"
The large shuttle crashed, not know if his friend got the transmission or not. Skyfire's last thoughts as stasis lock claimed him, were about the temperature.
It was cold. He was cold. The stasis lock disengaged briefly and he tried shifting. No movement was possible. He slipped back into stasis.
Many, many times that cycle repeated. So, when the time came and he found the entangling ice cut away, he almost lapsed into stasis again, before the movement registered.
"Starscream?" He whispered, vocals raspy from disuse. "I told you I'd catch up - not for you to wait." He shivered as the cold rocks disappeared.
Skyfire expected his long-time friend to say "You Ninny - I brought back a rescue part." or something along those lines. When Starscream did not engage in the playful banter that had kept the two of them sane for so long, he had to ask, "How long?"
Starscream refused to meet Skyfire's optics. "Everything's changed. Nothing you knew exists."
No amount of persistent arguing or asking got Starscream to tell him how long he spent trapped under the ice.
TITLE: Avenge!
CHARACTER: Starscream
RATING: K+
T-SERIES: Generation 1 (Any)
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
WORD COUNT: 1666
SUMMARY: One mech can make the difference between a city's survival and a city's destruction
PROMPT #2 NaNoWriMo Challenge: write a one-shot with exactly 1666 words!
Conflicts between Autobots and Decepticons had grown so common, they weren't worth commenting on - least, not by the majority of Cybertrons who only wanted to remain neutral.
Oh sure, those who had family in either army (The government Council insisted only the AUTOBOTS were an army, while the Decepticions were a bunch of illegally armed rabble-rousers), kept an optic and audio out for lists of confirmed dead, praying to primus that they didn't recognize any designations.
Not all cities were so lucky. While the largest city-states could ignore the war, paying no attention to the battles, except when the fighting disrupted their lives, smaller cities had no such luxury. They didn't have the backing of the Senate or the power of the gladiators to cover-up any skirmishes.
Vos's inhabitants had to take part in the war. Vos was a conquered city, controlled by the Decepticons, overrun when the Autobot Council refused to send reinforcements to the 'hotly-disputed territory'. Vos's sister city, Praxis, remained safe and secure from any intrusion.
Or so it was widely believed.
Starscream, ranked lower than the Seeker conscripts, knew how ground-pounders worked and lived. He had arrived home after Megatron took over Kaon, creating a system that rivaled the old tradition rankings of the Senate. Kaon, the spark of Decepticion control, had already spread its influence to several neighboring cities and forcefully taken over those the Autobot Council had decided to abandon to its fate.
Starscream had been allowed to land, but could not take off - not before swearing allegiance to the new Supreme Leader. Tired and exhausted from his flight from the doomed space exploration, Starscream had not realized the significance of the changes in safe-flight approaches as he glide towards Vos, his old home.
The Decepticion medics realized the significance of Starscream's deep-space surveys, and traded enough fuel to keep the new-arrival alive, for the space-maps held in his processor. The need to feed, overrode common sense, and Starscream gave the maps away for a pittance - had he known how strapped the Decepticions were for untapped resources, he might have held out longer for complete repairs, instead of just receiving enough medical care to keep him from falling into stasis.
Thus, Starscream became the latest conscript - abit, one who hadn't survived the bombing of Vos, or vorns of scrabbling for any available energon the soldiers wasted on those who could not fight and further the Decepticion cause against the oppressive enemies.
Yet, as with all conquered cities and their inhabitations, he had to earn recognition before gaining any rank. That was fine with Starscream - he had no love lost for the Autobots, not after they refused to send help to rescue Skyfire. Even before that final dismissal of a 'winged hysterical' menace's concerns, Starscream had started wondering if earning recognition through Iacon's Science Acadamy was worth it.
Before the final flight, Starscream brushed aside his worries because he was so close to getting the acknowledgement he sought. Starscream reasoned he could handle one more nightmarish semester, if it meant he graduated with honors - the First Seeker to attend the full course load, and the first to graduate.
The deep-space exploration had been reserved for the top students and the most promising pioneers - this all the students knew. Every study-course had their own project that only the best could participate in, and Starscream refused to settle for his second choice: paid medical intern under the top instructors.
That began the first conflict between Autobots and outsiders - always, there had been minor scuffles between those who could afford to send their offspring to the best academies, and those who were resigned to the public, free options. Starscream, refused to accept the same role most fliers preferred.
It had been a long journey - from Vos to Iaon, infighting between the students, sabotaged projects, from an outsider with wings, to a tolerated student who could do amazing tricks in mid-air, from a wide-eyed Seeker wanting to learn everything, to a weary-optic Seeker who just wanted to avenge his dead.
The Decepticons gave him the opportunity to avenge the dead.
It had been suggested that the same-fly over that so devastated Vos, be used against Praxis. Starscream disagreed. The plan had been to soften the target, by sending living bombs into the secure centers and destroying the shield generators that way. Starscream scoffed. "Ground-pounders aren't that stupid. They have redundancies. Being better fueled, and a tourist trap, Praxis has the option to use the auxiliary generators if the primaries fail."
Every suggestion spoken, Starscream had an example at how it could fail spectacularly. Maybe it was his contrariness that meant he'd been given the suicide task.
Leaving Vos, Starscream did not look back. He spared no glance to the sides, where starving younglings begged for just one cube, one rust-stick. He had optics only for the goal: to turn Praxis into the same wasteland his home had become.
The Decepticon officers referred to the task as a suicide mission. Starscream privately thought otherwise: he had vorns of experience in Iacon, alongside mobs of ground-bound mechs. He had watched the students and learned from their failed attempts to avoid the Enforcers. High Grade was as valuable as energon stimulants and medical grade - the same locks and security measures that stopped most of the trade of illicit fuel on campus, were used everywhere ground-bound mechs ruled.
Skyfire had been the first to pick a lock and the first to get away with much-needed fuel that other students would trade their old research papers and quizzes or favors. Skyfire only broke into the office once. That once, had been enough for Starscream to pick up the trick and he continued the late-night visits just to keep himself and Skyfire fueled, and prepared for any surprise tests.
Those memories, painful as they were, allowed Starscream to avoid the patrols as he walked, not flew, from Vos to Praxis. Praxis and the other cities were on the lookout for mechs on the run. Every mech escaping Decepticon controlled territory claimed they were only seeking amnesty. Most of those fleeing had been seen and rounded up long before they got close to the city.
That's why the officers referred to the current mission as a suicide task: the enforcers and soldiers were on the lookout for weapons, explosive devices, and tools clearly of Decpeticon origin. Mechs caught carrying one, were assumed to be enemies of the state and taken away for interrogation. Most of these prisoners were never seen again.
Ground-pounders had not spent vorns of their youngling hood flying over the road, soaring between the cities, mentally cataloging old relay stations, and current watchdog outposts. Seekers had. Most of them had limited interest in the world outside their own culture, content in living where fliers and winged mechs were the norm.
Their ignorance to the outside world, still hampered them, even as they scrambled to adapt to the Lord Protectorate's new rule. Starscream's time at Iacon gave him a servo up, and he refused to remain a nameless foot-soldier for the rest of his existence.
Starscream's progress was being watched and his every step analyzed.
Soundwave, Megatron's second-in-command, knew this stranger, would be a potential threat - if he survived and managed to bring Praxis to its knees. Soundwave also knew the Seeker could be a great asset - if he could recognize the authority a mere Gladiator Champion demanded.
Either way, while this newest soldier lived, he could be both an inspiration and a teaching aid for the ranks of conscripted mechs who only wanted to survive. Thus, Soundwave had Laserbeak and Buzzsaw overshadow Starscream, tracking and following for future reference.
Starscream, in turn, noticed the flying cassettes. He recognized them as two of the six cassettes belonging to the one mech Megatron asked questions of and listened to. All other officers, their advice might be acknowledged, but more likely, ignored. Starscream didn't like his privacy being a thing of the past, but he understood that his life was no longer his to live.
Praxis was in sight. It was close. Time to show those ground-pounders who was superior.
Starscream deliberetly stepped into view. For a moment, nothing happened - the soldiers guarding the gates, protecting the civilians from marauding bands of robbers, thieves, and pirates posing as Decepticon rebels, did not react to the sight of a lone single mech appearing out of nowhere.
Then, the army responded. They surrounded Starscream and searched him for any unauthorized equipment. For this, and only this, Starscream realized his untreated wounds would work in his favor - being so low on energon, having long-term damage, would mean he could bypass part of the quarantine all strangers and unauthorized visitors had to submit to.
"I have knowledge of Decepticion troop movement" Starscream told the first officer he saw. He ignored the unranked foot soldiers - they were nothing. They had no skills, and were a threat only in great number.
The officer, acknowledged Starscream's offer - a runaway soldier they could use. After making sure he wasn't booby-trapped. For that, a medic was brought in.
"Starscream?" Medic Surgeon asked. "Where's Skyfire?"
"Skyfire's dead." Starscream cursed mentally. A medic from Iacon - one he respected. "Lost to a planet that eats its inhabitants." Starscream shuddered theatrically. "I almost didn't get away in time - the only saving grace is that the metal-eating creatures can't survive in a vacuum."
"Not Scraplets then?" Surgeon asked. "Did your survey take you to any failed colonies?"
"No, not scraplets. I wouldn't have gotten away if it had been that unstoppable plague. And no, we didn't locate any colonial outposts - alive, abandoned, or destroyed."
Surgeon fixed Starscream up, repairing all the damage he found. Starscream waited until he was healed, then, when Surgeon's back was turned, activated the Electro-Magnetic Pulse bomb that destroyed all of Praxis long ranged sensors. It was time for the invasion to begin.
TITLE: Options
CHARCTER: Sunstreaker
RATING: K
T-VERSE: Any/All (g1)
WORD COUNT: 100
SUMMARY: A brand new start needs a brand new beginning
PROMPT #3 write a drabble focused on the color BLUE
Critical optics looked at the available paints:
Sienna, Navy Blue, Deep Royal, Sepia, Indigo, Cerulean, slate, Azul, light blue ... The list went on and on. Many of the colors were eliminated at once.
Such as Orange and all its shades. He associated that particular color as a form of verdigris, no better than rust.
Nitpicking and careful selection of the acceptable color spectrum left his options with a much-reduced list.
Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Deep Navy, Cerulean, Indigo, and tawny yellow were all that remained after the others were eliminated for various reasons.
Sunstreaker chose. His armor would stand out.
TITLE: Fun Learning
CHARACTER: Sam Witiwky
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
RATING: K
T-VERSE: Alternate Universe
WORD COUNT: 504
SUMMARY: When there's no power, and all modern forms of research and entertainment are unavailable, old school field trips work out almost as well now as they did when our parents were students.
PROMPT #4 SETTING: A cold Starry Night
Samuel Witwicky, "Spike" to his online friends, had anticipated a long night of gaming, when the lights turned off.
"Dad! The power's off," Samuel yelled as he searched for candles and matches by feel and memory. "Dad?" Samuel found a lighter and a stub of a candle. The wick lit easily enough, but it would burn out shortly.
"Down here", came the faint voice.
Samuel followed his dad's voice and found him in the basement. "Dad, the power's out," he complained.
Using a flashlight for light, his dad continued rummaging around the stacks of camping supplies. "Were you going to waste the whole night on the X-box?"
"Dad! It's not an X-box."
"Nintendo system, instead of studying for the upcoming test or working on your research project?"
"Not a Nintendo system either."
"Okay, PlayStation then. Let's see, what topic did you choose for your semester paper again?"
"DAD!" Samuel whined. "The test is next week, and I already know the material.
His father stepped away from the wall, looked at his son. "What about your research project?"
"Star constellations." Samuel crossed his arms. "I can research that astronomy stuff later."
"No, you will get some hands-on-knowledge tonight."
"Tonight? The power's out! I can't get any sources without the internet."
His dad grabbed two sleeping bags from the small pile of stuff he'd pulled out of the cubby-holes lining the basement wall. "I said, hands-on. As in pictures of the night you take, not copyrighted images from The Hubble Telescope or NASA website"
"But it's cold out there!" Protested Samuel as he caught the stuff sack tossed his way.
His dad blew out the candle before the tiny flame could melt a hole in the stuff-sack. "We'll be warm enough in these sleeping bags - weather forecast expects the temperature to not drop below the mid-forties."
Samuel grumbled at the time lost. He preferred his original plans of beating "The War For Cybertron" or, at least, getting that much closer to finishing.
The Witiwikies, when they camped out, eschewed the non-existing lawn instead, rolled out foam pads on the patio roof and slept under the stars.
Samuel griped at having to carry his sleeping bag and sleeping pad up the ladder during the dark, with only a flashlight to shine the way. Once on the flat section of the roof, Samuel looked up and most of his complaints were forgotten. "Whoa!"
"Impressive, isn't it?" His dad sat next to Samuel and pointed out clusters normally unseen inside city limits. "Those three make up Orion's Belt. Over there, that is the Big Dipper. And from here, you can see Leo"
Neither father nor son noticed as a cool breeze rustled the leaves and branches on the neighbor's trees. They did notice when the clouds began rolling in, the tick coverage obscuring the stars. "Time for bed."
Samuel went "Already?" Only because he hadn't noticed how quickly time flew. "Thanks dad," He whispered before falling asleep.
"You’re welcome, Sam," his dad replied, snug in his own cocoon.
TITLE: Lost Mementos
CHARACTERS: Soundwave, Shockwave
RATING: K+
T-VERSE: G1
WORD COUNT: 238
SUMMARY: Maybe Wheeljack's not the one to blame for all the explosions in his laboratory.
PROMPT #5 SCENARIO: Someone steels the wrong thing
"What's this?" Wheeljack looked at the freshly deposited item on his desk, but did not touch it.
"Special delivery," The soldier who brought the unknown object stated.
"Ah, I didn't request any supplies."
"Jazz would like it analyzed."
"Jazz, right." Wheeljack sighed. He wished the Special Ops mech would find a permanent courier, instead of using neophytes from the troops. "Do I want to know where it originated?"
"No, sir." The femme stated and left.
Back On the Nemesis:
::I will kill whoever took my bed of neptunium:: Ravage vowed.
Soundwave gave no indication he heard or saw the murderous mood his feline cassette was displaying. The other cassettes were doing their best to be as unobtrusive as possible until the depleted blanket of neptunium had been found and restored.
"Soundwave, Discovered, no Decepticions took part in disappearance."
Ravage snarled and hissed. :: The AUTOBOTS have it? Why would they take my blanket?::
"Unknown." Further discussion was put on hold by a recent arrival to the bridge.
Shockwave strolled by Soundave, ignoring the irate cassette underfoot. He stoped in front of Megatron. "My Liege, the weapon prototype is ready for testing."
"Excellent Shockwave." Megatron acknowledged. "It has been quite some time since a prototype has been ready on time. Autobot saboteurs have made it a successful habit to make off with critical parts."
Starscream, frothing at the mouth, wisely remained silent.
"I do appreciate a competent weapons manufacture."
TITLE: Parts of a Whole
CHARACTERS: Autobot Ensamble
RATING: K+
SERIES: Any/All
WORD COUNT: 144
SUMMARY: One soldier is not the army - but the army is composed of soldiers
PROMPT #6 MOVING OUT
Sentinel Prime ended with "Let's Move out!” and the assembled troops scattered.
Smokescreen dodged individuals and groups rushing too and fro as he planted time-delayed smoke bombs and unarmed explosives. He would charge the motion-activated explosives later.
Sidesdwipe rushed ahead, keen on keeping the major access points clear of Decepticon troops as the bulk of the Autobot forces abandoned their current - compromised - base of operations.
Springer and the Wreckers left via a previously unused backdoor. They would attack a nearby Decepticon outpost as a diversion.
Swooop, Snarl, Slag, Sludge and Grimlock were held in reserve, ready to be sent to the front, as part of the crew delaying the enemies, or available in transporting equipment and supplies as needed.
Not one of the Autobots questioned their orders or their role in denying the rebellion any pertinent information or food and medicinal supplies.
CHARACTER: Skyfire, Starscream
SERIES: Generation 1
RATING: K+
Warnings: Pre War
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
Word COUNT: 468
Prompt #1 Time Travel
Skyfire soared through the skies of planet 43955. "Peaceful," he transmitted to his companion.
Starscream, flying circles around his slower companion, snorted. "Peaceful - just like four hundred seventy three planets before it."
"Forty-four of those had detectable energon in the crust."
"Of Microscopic amount! Not enough to support a colony of any kind or even pay for itself if a mining crew is sent out."
Skyfire listened as Starscream ranted about the four hundred twenty-nine 'peaceful' promising planets that had no economic value. No metals, no minerals, no energon - at least, not in concentrations that could be detected from the surface. Too many planetoids on their slow exploration of The Cybertron Empire's outermost reaches were dead worlds.
Skyfire noticed the atmospheric change first. The atmosphere, gently supporting him, the sun's rays warming his upper armor, began to press in, and the air grew chilly, leaching heat. "Starscream," He interrupted, angling for the stratosphere.
"What?" Starscream broke off his lazy flight. "You can't be done already."
In an astonishingly quick time, the air currents had changed from pleasant to oppressive. It was almost like trying to escape a gas giant’s thick, clogging, lower levels. "Sudden change of plans," Skyfire grated out, sending more fuel to his engines, he powered through massive eddies.
Faster, more nimble and lighter-weight Starscream had no troubles dodging the short-lived whirlwinds that battered at Skyfire. "I'll lead the way," Starscream surged ahead, powerful beacon on, helping Skyfire distinguish up from down.
It worked, until the electrical surges in the clouds of dihydrogen monoxide flashed and scrambled the signal traces. Tossed about like a piece of debris, Skyfire found enough energy for one last transmission. "GO! I'll catch up later!"
The large shuttle crashed, not know if his friend got the transmission or not. Skyfire's last thoughts as stasis lock claimed him, were about the temperature.
It was cold. He was cold. The stasis lock disengaged briefly and he tried shifting. No movement was possible. He slipped back into stasis.
Many, many times that cycle repeated. So, when the time came and he found the entangling ice cut away, he almost lapsed into stasis again, before the movement registered.
"Starscream?" He whispered, vocals raspy from disuse. "I told you I'd catch up - not for you to wait." He shivered as the cold rocks disappeared.
Skyfire expected his long-time friend to say "You Ninny - I brought back a rescue part." or something along those lines. When Starscream did not engage in the playful banter that had kept the two of them sane for so long, he had to ask, "How long?"
Starscream refused to meet Skyfire's optics. "Everything's changed. Nothing you knew exists."
No amount of persistent arguing or asking got Starscream to tell him how long he spent trapped under the ice.
TITLE: Avenge!
CHARACTER: Starscream
RATING: K+
T-SERIES: Generation 1 (Any)
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
WORD COUNT: 1666
SUMMARY: One mech can make the difference between a city's survival and a city's destruction
PROMPT #2 NaNoWriMo Challenge: write a one-shot with exactly 1666 words!
Conflicts between Autobots and Decepticons had grown so common, they weren't worth commenting on - least, not by the majority of Cybertrons who only wanted to remain neutral.
Oh sure, those who had family in either army (The government Council insisted only the AUTOBOTS were an army, while the Decepticions were a bunch of illegally armed rabble-rousers), kept an optic and audio out for lists of confirmed dead, praying to primus that they didn't recognize any designations.
Not all cities were so lucky. While the largest city-states could ignore the war, paying no attention to the battles, except when the fighting disrupted their lives, smaller cities had no such luxury. They didn't have the backing of the Senate or the power of the gladiators to cover-up any skirmishes.
Vos's inhabitants had to take part in the war. Vos was a conquered city, controlled by the Decepticons, overrun when the Autobot Council refused to send reinforcements to the 'hotly-disputed territory'. Vos's sister city, Praxis, remained safe and secure from any intrusion.
Or so it was widely believed.
Starscream, ranked lower than the Seeker conscripts, knew how ground-pounders worked and lived. He had arrived home after Megatron took over Kaon, creating a system that rivaled the old tradition rankings of the Senate. Kaon, the spark of Decepticion control, had already spread its influence to several neighboring cities and forcefully taken over those the Autobot Council had decided to abandon to its fate.
Starscream had been allowed to land, but could not take off - not before swearing allegiance to the new Supreme Leader. Tired and exhausted from his flight from the doomed space exploration, Starscream had not realized the significance of the changes in safe-flight approaches as he glide towards Vos, his old home.
The Decepticion medics realized the significance of Starscream's deep-space surveys, and traded enough fuel to keep the new-arrival alive, for the space-maps held in his processor. The need to feed, overrode common sense, and Starscream gave the maps away for a pittance - had he known how strapped the Decepticions were for untapped resources, he might have held out longer for complete repairs, instead of just receiving enough medical care to keep him from falling into stasis.
Thus, Starscream became the latest conscript - abit, one who hadn't survived the bombing of Vos, or vorns of scrabbling for any available energon the soldiers wasted on those who could not fight and further the Decepticion cause against the oppressive enemies.
Yet, as with all conquered cities and their inhabitations, he had to earn recognition before gaining any rank. That was fine with Starscream - he had no love lost for the Autobots, not after they refused to send help to rescue Skyfire. Even before that final dismissal of a 'winged hysterical' menace's concerns, Starscream had started wondering if earning recognition through Iacon's Science Acadamy was worth it.
Before the final flight, Starscream brushed aside his worries because he was so close to getting the acknowledgement he sought. Starscream reasoned he could handle one more nightmarish semester, if it meant he graduated with honors - the First Seeker to attend the full course load, and the first to graduate.
The deep-space exploration had been reserved for the top students and the most promising pioneers - this all the students knew. Every study-course had their own project that only the best could participate in, and Starscream refused to settle for his second choice: paid medical intern under the top instructors.
That began the first conflict between Autobots and outsiders - always, there had been minor scuffles between those who could afford to send their offspring to the best academies, and those who were resigned to the public, free options. Starscream, refused to accept the same role most fliers preferred.
It had been a long journey - from Vos to Iaon, infighting between the students, sabotaged projects, from an outsider with wings, to a tolerated student who could do amazing tricks in mid-air, from a wide-eyed Seeker wanting to learn everything, to a weary-optic Seeker who just wanted to avenge his dead.
The Decepticons gave him the opportunity to avenge the dead.
It had been suggested that the same-fly over that so devastated Vos, be used against Praxis. Starscream disagreed. The plan had been to soften the target, by sending living bombs into the secure centers and destroying the shield generators that way. Starscream scoffed. "Ground-pounders aren't that stupid. They have redundancies. Being better fueled, and a tourist trap, Praxis has the option to use the auxiliary generators if the primaries fail."
Every suggestion spoken, Starscream had an example at how it could fail spectacularly. Maybe it was his contrariness that meant he'd been given the suicide task.
Leaving Vos, Starscream did not look back. He spared no glance to the sides, where starving younglings begged for just one cube, one rust-stick. He had optics only for the goal: to turn Praxis into the same wasteland his home had become.
The Decepticon officers referred to the task as a suicide mission. Starscream privately thought otherwise: he had vorns of experience in Iacon, alongside mobs of ground-bound mechs. He had watched the students and learned from their failed attempts to avoid the Enforcers. High Grade was as valuable as energon stimulants and medical grade - the same locks and security measures that stopped most of the trade of illicit fuel on campus, were used everywhere ground-bound mechs ruled.
Skyfire had been the first to pick a lock and the first to get away with much-needed fuel that other students would trade their old research papers and quizzes or favors. Skyfire only broke into the office once. That once, had been enough for Starscream to pick up the trick and he continued the late-night visits just to keep himself and Skyfire fueled, and prepared for any surprise tests.
Those memories, painful as they were, allowed Starscream to avoid the patrols as he walked, not flew, from Vos to Praxis. Praxis and the other cities were on the lookout for mechs on the run. Every mech escaping Decepticon controlled territory claimed they were only seeking amnesty. Most of those fleeing had been seen and rounded up long before they got close to the city.
That's why the officers referred to the current mission as a suicide task: the enforcers and soldiers were on the lookout for weapons, explosive devices, and tools clearly of Decpeticon origin. Mechs caught carrying one, were assumed to be enemies of the state and taken away for interrogation. Most of these prisoners were never seen again.
Ground-pounders had not spent vorns of their youngling hood flying over the road, soaring between the cities, mentally cataloging old relay stations, and current watchdog outposts. Seekers had. Most of them had limited interest in the world outside their own culture, content in living where fliers and winged mechs were the norm.
Their ignorance to the outside world, still hampered them, even as they scrambled to adapt to the Lord Protectorate's new rule. Starscream's time at Iacon gave him a servo up, and he refused to remain a nameless foot-soldier for the rest of his existence.
Starscream's progress was being watched and his every step analyzed.
Soundwave, Megatron's second-in-command, knew this stranger, would be a potential threat - if he survived and managed to bring Praxis to its knees. Soundwave also knew the Seeker could be a great asset - if he could recognize the authority a mere Gladiator Champion demanded.
Either way, while this newest soldier lived, he could be both an inspiration and a teaching aid for the ranks of conscripted mechs who only wanted to survive. Thus, Soundwave had Laserbeak and Buzzsaw overshadow Starscream, tracking and following for future reference.
Starscream, in turn, noticed the flying cassettes. He recognized them as two of the six cassettes belonging to the one mech Megatron asked questions of and listened to. All other officers, their advice might be acknowledged, but more likely, ignored. Starscream didn't like his privacy being a thing of the past, but he understood that his life was no longer his to live.
Praxis was in sight. It was close. Time to show those ground-pounders who was superior.
Starscream deliberetly stepped into view. For a moment, nothing happened - the soldiers guarding the gates, protecting the civilians from marauding bands of robbers, thieves, and pirates posing as Decepticon rebels, did not react to the sight of a lone single mech appearing out of nowhere.
Then, the army responded. They surrounded Starscream and searched him for any unauthorized equipment. For this, and only this, Starscream realized his untreated wounds would work in his favor - being so low on energon, having long-term damage, would mean he could bypass part of the quarantine all strangers and unauthorized visitors had to submit to.
"I have knowledge of Decepticion troop movement" Starscream told the first officer he saw. He ignored the unranked foot soldiers - they were nothing. They had no skills, and were a threat only in great number.
The officer, acknowledged Starscream's offer - a runaway soldier they could use. After making sure he wasn't booby-trapped. For that, a medic was brought in.
"Starscream?" Medic Surgeon asked. "Where's Skyfire?"
"Skyfire's dead." Starscream cursed mentally. A medic from Iacon - one he respected. "Lost to a planet that eats its inhabitants." Starscream shuddered theatrically. "I almost didn't get away in time - the only saving grace is that the metal-eating creatures can't survive in a vacuum."
"Not Scraplets then?" Surgeon asked. "Did your survey take you to any failed colonies?"
"No, not scraplets. I wouldn't have gotten away if it had been that unstoppable plague. And no, we didn't locate any colonial outposts - alive, abandoned, or destroyed."
Surgeon fixed Starscream up, repairing all the damage he found. Starscream waited until he was healed, then, when Surgeon's back was turned, activated the Electro-Magnetic Pulse bomb that destroyed all of Praxis long ranged sensors. It was time for the invasion to begin.
TITLE: Options
CHARCTER: Sunstreaker
RATING: K
T-VERSE: Any/All (g1)
WORD COUNT: 100
SUMMARY: A brand new start needs a brand new beginning
PROMPT #3 write a drabble focused on the color BLUE
Critical optics looked at the available paints:
Sienna, Navy Blue, Deep Royal, Sepia, Indigo, Cerulean, slate, Azul, light blue ... The list went on and on. Many of the colors were eliminated at once.
Such as Orange and all its shades. He associated that particular color as a form of verdigris, no better than rust.
Nitpicking and careful selection of the acceptable color spectrum left his options with a much-reduced list.
Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Deep Navy, Cerulean, Indigo, and tawny yellow were all that remained after the others were eliminated for various reasons.
Sunstreaker chose. His armor would stand out.
TITLE: Fun Learning
CHARACTER: Sam Witiwky
AUTHOR: Rose0mary
RATING: K
T-VERSE: Alternate Universe
WORD COUNT: 504
SUMMARY: When there's no power, and all modern forms of research and entertainment are unavailable, old school field trips work out almost as well now as they did when our parents were students.
PROMPT #4 SETTING: A cold Starry Night
Samuel Witwicky, "Spike" to his online friends, had anticipated a long night of gaming, when the lights turned off.
"Dad! The power's off," Samuel yelled as he searched for candles and matches by feel and memory. "Dad?" Samuel found a lighter and a stub of a candle. The wick lit easily enough, but it would burn out shortly.
"Down here", came the faint voice.
Samuel followed his dad's voice and found him in the basement. "Dad, the power's out," he complained.
Using a flashlight for light, his dad continued rummaging around the stacks of camping supplies. "Were you going to waste the whole night on the X-box?"
"Dad! It's not an X-box."
"Nintendo system, instead of studying for the upcoming test or working on your research project?"
"Not a Nintendo system either."
"Okay, PlayStation then. Let's see, what topic did you choose for your semester paper again?"
"DAD!" Samuel whined. "The test is next week, and I already know the material.
His father stepped away from the wall, looked at his son. "What about your research project?"
"Star constellations." Samuel crossed his arms. "I can research that astronomy stuff later."
"No, you will get some hands-on-knowledge tonight."
"Tonight? The power's out! I can't get any sources without the internet."
His dad grabbed two sleeping bags from the small pile of stuff he'd pulled out of the cubby-holes lining the basement wall. "I said, hands-on. As in pictures of the night you take, not copyrighted images from The Hubble Telescope or NASA website"
"But it's cold out there!" Protested Samuel as he caught the stuff sack tossed his way.
His dad blew out the candle before the tiny flame could melt a hole in the stuff-sack. "We'll be warm enough in these sleeping bags - weather forecast expects the temperature to not drop below the mid-forties."
Samuel grumbled at the time lost. He preferred his original plans of beating "The War For Cybertron" or, at least, getting that much closer to finishing.
The Witiwikies, when they camped out, eschewed the non-existing lawn instead, rolled out foam pads on the patio roof and slept under the stars.
Samuel griped at having to carry his sleeping bag and sleeping pad up the ladder during the dark, with only a flashlight to shine the way. Once on the flat section of the roof, Samuel looked up and most of his complaints were forgotten. "Whoa!"
"Impressive, isn't it?" His dad sat next to Samuel and pointed out clusters normally unseen inside city limits. "Those three make up Orion's Belt. Over there, that is the Big Dipper. And from here, you can see Leo"
Neither father nor son noticed as a cool breeze rustled the leaves and branches on the neighbor's trees. They did notice when the clouds began rolling in, the tick coverage obscuring the stars. "Time for bed."
Samuel went "Already?" Only because he hadn't noticed how quickly time flew. "Thanks dad," He whispered before falling asleep.
"You’re welcome, Sam," his dad replied, snug in his own cocoon.
TITLE: Lost Mementos
CHARACTERS: Soundwave, Shockwave
RATING: K+
T-VERSE: G1
WORD COUNT: 238
SUMMARY: Maybe Wheeljack's not the one to blame for all the explosions in his laboratory.
PROMPT #5 SCENARIO: Someone steels the wrong thing
"What's this?" Wheeljack looked at the freshly deposited item on his desk, but did not touch it.
"Special delivery," The soldier who brought the unknown object stated.
"Ah, I didn't request any supplies."
"Jazz would like it analyzed."
"Jazz, right." Wheeljack sighed. He wished the Special Ops mech would find a permanent courier, instead of using neophytes from the troops. "Do I want to know where it originated?"
"No, sir." The femme stated and left.
Back On the Nemesis:
::I will kill whoever took my bed of neptunium:: Ravage vowed.
Soundwave gave no indication he heard or saw the murderous mood his feline cassette was displaying. The other cassettes were doing their best to be as unobtrusive as possible until the depleted blanket of neptunium had been found and restored.
"Soundwave, Discovered, no Decepticions took part in disappearance."
Ravage snarled and hissed. :: The AUTOBOTS have it? Why would they take my blanket?::
"Unknown." Further discussion was put on hold by a recent arrival to the bridge.
Shockwave strolled by Soundave, ignoring the irate cassette underfoot. He stoped in front of Megatron. "My Liege, the weapon prototype is ready for testing."
"Excellent Shockwave." Megatron acknowledged. "It has been quite some time since a prototype has been ready on time. Autobot saboteurs have made it a successful habit to make off with critical parts."
Starscream, frothing at the mouth, wisely remained silent.
"I do appreciate a competent weapons manufacture."
TITLE: Parts of a Whole
CHARACTERS: Autobot Ensamble
RATING: K+
SERIES: Any/All
WORD COUNT: 144
SUMMARY: One soldier is not the army - but the army is composed of soldiers
PROMPT #6 MOVING OUT
Sentinel Prime ended with "Let's Move out!” and the assembled troops scattered.
Smokescreen dodged individuals and groups rushing too and fro as he planted time-delayed smoke bombs and unarmed explosives. He would charge the motion-activated explosives later.
Sidesdwipe rushed ahead, keen on keeping the major access points clear of Decepticon troops as the bulk of the Autobot forces abandoned their current - compromised - base of operations.
Springer and the Wreckers left via a previously unused backdoor. They would attack a nearby Decepticon outpost as a diversion.
Swooop, Snarl, Slag, Sludge and Grimlock were held in reserve, ready to be sent to the front, as part of the crew delaying the enemies, or available in transporting equipment and supplies as needed.
Not one of the Autobots questioned their orders or their role in denying the rebellion any pertinent information or food and medicinal supplies.