Log Title: Forgemates Characters: Elita One Dust Devil Ratchet Location: Iacon Observatory Date:2018 TP:Non-TP Summary: Elita One finally gets something off her processor. As logged by Elita One
The giant Observatory sees much less use than it used to. Naturally though, academics like Perceptor and Stargazer are constantly taking advantage of the relative freedom, puttering around on hover platforms. Elita One sits here, recovering from her repairs, and thumbing a datapad. A flicker came over her comms system, causing part of her crown to light up. << Elita One here. >> A cool, and perhaps just slightly sinister voice comes through, << Elita, I have your report here. >>
She shifts, and taps her datapad, bringing up a visual holoplate of the speaker, Ratchet. In his standard dour look, he lays it out without any regard for discretion. "Fully operational, as you expected...despite my desire to keep you under observation...." He grumbles softly, "You got lucky again, the blast missed your Time Stopper. I feel I am still well within my right to remind you that we don't know what would happen if your quote 'special ability' unquote got blasted in half."
Elita One remains a bit impassive to the reminder, they've had this problem before. "Ratchet...we've gone over all of this. I understand your care and concern, I truly do...you've done more for the Autobots than everyone save Optimus himself perhaps...but I can't risk an amputation. We have to trust in the forging that Alpha Trion made, and that any consequences suffered will be wholly my own."
Ratchet frowns, which is standard for him. "Stop making a martyr out of yourself, Pink. We've already improved on his technology once, we might be able to ensure any temporal containment issues are localized...as you said."
E1's queenly mask falters after a moment, then manages a gentle nod. "Ratchet.........you're right of course." A weak smile on her faceplate quickly fades, "Schedule me another diagnostic at your leisure." Ratchet's look of concern lessens, "Of course." He hesitates for a moment, then adds "I appreciate you trusting me on this. We'll do everything we can."
The screen blinks out. Ah Ratchet, never a finer surgeon, but such a poor slabside manner.
Dust Devil has been leaning against the doorway. A smirk on his face while Ratchet berates Elita. He waits until the conversation is over before he approaches. "He's right you know. Shockwave's cannon combined with whatever that weird thing you have...might not be the best combo. Of course, someone totally neglected to include instruction manuals. I could ask if he has one. But I doubt he'd give me a straight answer. People think he was cryptic before. Vector Sigma makes it so much worse." He moves closer and looks her over, "Ya look a lot better than ya did though. Ratchet and them do some great work. When he's not about to strangle ya fer not obeyin his orders."
If Elita had had any compunctions over being eavesdropped on, she didn't show it. As Dust Devil makes his entrance, another mech, one with large optics, timidly approaches Elita One, "Ah...pardon...are you done with that datapad?" She demurely gestures towards it, "All yours, Eavesdrop." The small mech scurries away with the datapad, actually climbing up a wall with it.
With him out of sight, Elita shifts in her seat to regard Dust Devil, ever the pinnacle of poise and courtesy. "Dust Devil. Did you come to check up on me as well?" She gestures to another seat nearby, and remains silent for a moment, "There's no instruction manual because its more instinctive than anything. Much the same with the Matrix as I am told. And as for Ratchet." Elita demures away for a moment, thinking over her words, "He keeps me humble, which is sometimes a hard task, I believe."
Dust Devil grins and finds a seat on a nearby empty berth, "Kinda like my forcefield. Sometimes it works on instinct, sometimes I can modify it ta suit what we need. And other times it snaps back in my face to remind me not to be an idiot. But they both have their uses." He sighs and stretches out. "I actually need to have my forcefield checked out again. Most mechs, I can take the hit and its no big deal. But Shockwave...." He shudders, "That EMP energy he uses totally messes with the circuits. Not that I minded tossin it up ta protect you. But I've had the worse processor aches off and on since then. Ah well. Better that then explainin ta Optimus why yer not pink anymore."
Elita One responds dryly, "They'd have to come up with a new nickname for me then." Her eyes search Dust Devil for several moments, and then she changes the subject for a moment as she picks up another datapad at the table. "I had a lot of time here in the library during the Shutdown...back when it was just the Female Autobots and Shockwave." She looks aside to Dusty, "spent years reading and rereading everything we could find...so much so that we all knew them by processor. It was just as well and good that we did, because on more than one occasion, we lost entire caches of literature. We ended up rewriting everything that we could muster, anything that we had trouble with...Alpha Trion would be consulted."
She shifts back to Dust Devil, and her posture changes, "And you know how he'd go on. All presence and riddles. He once spoke for a half-sweep at length, when we were trying to remember a Decepticon Maestro from the Second Age....Vococent." Again Elita One pauses, as if something was on her mind. "He deserved better....Alpha, that is."
Dust Devil nods. "He isn't unhappy. That's what I have to keep tellin myself.And its not like he didn't separate from Vector before....or will. Stupid time loops. All I can do is try and keep helping the restoration of Cybertron. When I took Typhoon down to see Alpha Trion and Vector Sigma, ya shoulda seen their faces. I'm thanksful that I can get him ta respond ta me, though its not as much fun anymore. At least before the Centurions went after me. Now I can get them to stand down. Totally not as entertaining. I'm glad that we had him as long as we did. I'm wonderin though if we can't see about tryin ta restore the libraries. Get a hold of everyone who might have information and start getting it downloaded to a main hub and also to some safes so we don't lose what is left. And maybe we can recover some of what was lost."
"As long as we have the Proudstar and the Ferrotaxis...we'll never lose our history." She says the words absently, then nearly interrupts herself. "Dust Devil." Elita shifts forward a bit further. "...........Dust Devil, you...and I...and Optimus." (And possibly Ultra Magnus) Her hands clasp together, "We all come from the same forge. Do you harbor any...resentment towards we who were built before?"
Dust Devil looks at Elita, optic ridges furrowed slightly. "I...I'm not sure how ta answer that. Alpha Trion kept me sheltered from the worst of the war. My time with the Old guy was spent learning and discoverin things fer myself. I think he was lonely...I don't know. Maybe he wanted ta see if it was possible fer someone ta be untainted by the war. Either way, the only way I can describe my early life is sheltered. You guys were fightin a war. I..I disobeyed Alpha trion and snuck out in a bit of boredom. Of course I didn't realize that his distraction was due to the heightened activity of the cons. That that was why we had ta move bases again. I shouldn't have disobeyed. And when I tried ta return, the way was collapsed. When I finally got back to the base, he was gone. Of course I didn't know where you guys were and the communication equipment at the base was damaged. I got ta learn about the war the hard way. I fell in with some scroungers who fer some reason didn't just offline me and make use of my parts. I learned about anger and resentment then, but it wasn't directed at anyone precisely. Finally they 'banished' me to Earth. There I got ta learn what happened to Alpha Trion. I...I was bitter and angry and I still feel bad fer what I put the autobots on Earth through. I treated the Aerialbots like they were the cause of Alpha Trion's death."
He rubs at his face and looks up again. "Instead I should have treated them like the brothers that they were. Alpha gave his life to bring them to life. I know I may be a complete aft at times. But its taken me a long time to come to terms with how I felt. And then ta get Alpha Trion back only ta loose him again. Wow....that was hard." Finally he sits up straight and looks at Elita, "As to yer question, I didn't know I had a reason to resent either of you. I enjoy the friendship I've finally found and now appreciate how many times Optimus let me get out of trouble free when I shoulda been brigged. But further than that, I'm not sure how ta answer."
She sits there and listens, which is a pretty rare trait even among the eons old. "Everything has happened so fast for you. What you knew of life was stripped away unceremoniously, and what you saw next was something completely different than what you had even suspected existed..." She nods softly, "A great deal of us...at the start, were introduced in a similar manner."
Somewhere in the library, an old data file plays...of the newly forged Decepticons gunning down a pair of Cybertronians, Ariel and Dio.
"We were introduced to pain, deception, control, loss, and tyranny within mere moments. And those are the moments that, even now, we struggle with. How mechs can be so brutal, so controlling. We remember that time beforehand." She gestures forwards towards Dust Devil, "YOU remember those times beforehand, even if they were different. That fire burns bright, Dust Devil...." She chagrins a bit and calms herself, "But that's not why I was asking. You were not built as...powerful as we are. You're not part of the 'Best First' class, with us, Ultra Magnus, and Apex Priori and the others...Some mechs look their entire lives at how they were formatted, without realizing exactly how special they are to begin with.... While you may not be Best First, we are forgemates, and I want to ensure that you're doing as best as we can manage. Do you understand?"
Dust Devil grins, "I might not be outta the best first series. But I was introduced ta this world from this perspective. I'm not strongest. But I've survived. I've taken what I've been given, what's been thrown at me and I've used it to the best of my abilities. I've made friendships that still benefit the autobots, I've learned to be brave when things were at their worse. If I...If I had gone straight to being one of you, I would not be able to relate to those less than me. And maybe that was the point. My friendships with the humans, junkions....learnin ta look past my emotions at times and see the truth fer what it is. Those are all important lessons that I would have never received if my life had been different. Pain is a great teacher and motivator. And so is forgiveness. My experiences forge me into the mech I will be." He taps his head, "And I have seen some of what COULD be. If I continue to work hard and strive to be the best...to strive and be like you and Optimus Prime. And in the end, I hope I will be ready to weather the Stormfront that will come. And in that day that I will make you, Optimus and Alpha Trion proud of my choices." His optics shine brightly for a moment before dimming again, "But until that day..I will enjoy my life one day at a time. And I will strive ta keep all of yas on yer toes so ta speak..."
Elita One contains her amusement at Dust Devil's passion, "Oh come now." She waves a hand dismissively, "We *are* proud of your choices. We all have those moments when we falter, but getting back up is the choice most needed. Someday we will all need to burn bright, Dust Devil. Yours is a time yet to come."
A chirping sound intones from her arm. Absently, she clicks it, shutting the alarm off. "I suppose duty calls. I was supposed to be debriefing Intrigue a half a decacycle ago. Ah well...." She stands and pushes in her chair, "Such are the perils. That said, if I can wrangle the time, I would like to see Alpha again. Perhaps Optimus too should join us. I feel..." She drums her fingers on the chair's back, as if lost in thought, "That someday we will all need to return to our roots." With that, Elita gives a nod, as the chirping sound starts up again. "Primus' patience....Another time, Dust Devil..." And she hurries along her way...