134Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, only my OC. The song for this chapter is Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye. I'll explain it at the end. :)
Klik= Cybertronian time equal to 1.2 Earth minutes
Breem= Cybertronian minute (8.3 Earth minutes)
Solar Cycle= Cybertronian time when sun makes its round across the sky
Quartex= Cybertronian time equal to an Earth month
Orbital Cycle= Cybertronian year
.:Blah.:. = Comm. Link
Blah. = Thoughts
Prowl, SIC of the Autobots, was having a bad solar cycle.
The Twin Terrors had put off another prank, resulting in them in the brig and more paperwork for him to do. An unexpected load of data pads had come in for him to look over. And on top of it all, a faint signal was coming from one of Cybertron's moons, meaning a ship had crashed on it.
.:Who authorized permission for a ship to fly past the first moon in the past quartex?:. Prowl snapped over the open comm. link. A breem later, Optimus Prime replied.
.:No one, as far as I'm aware, Prowl. In fact...:. Optimus trailed off, and Prowl could tell that Prime was accessing a data pad to look up the needed info. .:No bot has had permission to fly past the first moon all orbital cycle, Autobot-Wise.:. -Optimus Prime
.:Thanks, Prime. Prowl out.:. -Prowl
Turning off the link, Prowl looked for data as to who was letting off the distress signal. He knew it wouldn't be a decepticon ship, because they wouldn't have sent the distress signal to an Autobot base. And it wasn't an incoming ship. Prowl had checked those courses first thing.
This is why no one is allowed past the first moon unauthorized, Prowl thought grimly. The gravitational field pulls you in and no bot knows it. The only other option for a recent crash was a ship who wouldn't have logged where they were going. This was ruled out, seeing as the Cybertron Elite guard would fire on any ship who hadn't, in case it was a decepticon ship.
So that left the possibility that the ship had crashed over an orbital cycle ago. Prowl went back to Teletraan I and tapped on the signal. Waves of data rolled across the screen. The codes of the signal were not up to regulation. The codes also looked like they had been made before the war had started, as they lacked an Autobot, decepticon, or even neutral status in the programming.
Why has this signal not come up before? Prowl wondered. He backed out of the signal's coding and went to a map of the first moon. A blinking red dot with a line of Cybertronian glyphs next to it indicated where the ship had crashed. It was right over a section that was always snowy. The first moon was the only one of the two moons and Cybertron to have an atmosphere that sustained weather. Therefore, it was the only one that could have snow, which Prowl knew, could mask signals very well.
That means it could very well be a crash from before the war.
Keeping logs of your course and location had started right after the war, so that would further explain the crash.
.:Prowl to Prime.:. Prowl said, opening up a private comm. link.
.:Prime here.:. -Optimus Prime
.:The signal from the crash on the first moon was being blocked by the snow. But I have reason to believe that the crash pre-dates the war's first days.:. -Prowl
Optimus was silent for a moment, then replied .:Explain.:. -Optimus Prime
Rather than repeating his findings, Prowl sent him a data burst, and he could tell Prime was studying them.
A breem later, Optimus spoke again. .:Come to the Meeting Room. I'm calling a conference to possibly send a rescue team.:. -Optimus Prime
Optimus withdrew without waiting for a reply. Prowl looked at the data pads on his desk, knowing he spent too much time on the signal and he was behind. But orders were orders, and he dragged himself to the Meeting Room.
Sitting around the table was Optimus, Jazz, Ironhide, Perceptor, and Kup. Ultra Magnus arrived after Prowl took his seat.
"What is this about, Prime?" asked Ultra Magnus, rather annoyed. Anybot could tell he'd been working on other matters before he had come.
Optimus glanced at Prowl before he started talking. "Earlier this solar cycle, a signal was detected from the first moon. After going over this signal several times, Prowl and I have reason to believe that this crash happened before the war ever started." Silence reigned for an astro-second before everybot started talking, trying to be heard over everybot else.
"What? Why had we not heard of this before?"
"Is it a friendly?"
"Are we gonna send a rescue squad?"
"SILENCE!" Optimus finally roared, making everybot present mute their mouthplates and turn their optics on him. "Thank you. Yes, seeing as how this ship left before the war, they are lacking a faction in this fight, and we will rescue them before the decepticons can."
"Those slagging 'cons probably can't wait to get their greasy servos on another bot," Ironhide muttered, earning several agreeing nods from the other bots around the table.
"Who's gonna go on the rescue mission?" asked Jazz.
"That depends on how soon we can deport a ship," Optimus replied. "Perceptor, get the Elite guard on Teletraan One and get permission to send a ship." Said red bot nodded and left the room. "Now we need volunteers for the rescue team."
"I'll go," Jazz said, stepping forward immediately. "The great Jazz-man c'n handle a bit 'a snow."
Prowl shook his helm in exasperation. Somebot needed to keep an optic on Jazz, or he'd screw up the whole mission. "I will go as well," Prowl added. After all, he'd found the signal, hadn't he?
Optimus nodded. "I will have Ironhide and Jolt accompany you two. Meet me at the docking bay in five breems." With that, the leader mech turned and strode out the door. Ultra Magnus and Kup also departed, presumably for the Command Center. Prowl followed them out the door, and he could hear Ironhide and Jazz behind him. He turned left as Magnus and Kup went right.
.:Jolt, this is Prowl. You're needed in the docking bay. Bring your medical kit.:. -Prowl
.:Acknowledged. Who is injured?:. -Jolt
.:No one, yet. We are going to the first moon and may require medical assistance.:. -Prowl.
.:Ah. I'll be there momentarily.:. -Jolt
.:Good. Prowl out.:. -Prowl
Severing the link, Prowl continued leading the way to the docking bay. When the three mechs arrived, no bot else was there yet.
"So who do ya think is on tha' ship?" Jazz inquired, trying to break the silence.
"I don't know, but I hope it's not the 'cons trying to trick us," Prowl replied grimly, always the tactician.
Ironhide fired up his cannons. "Well if it is them, we'll be ready."
Jazz grinned at the black mech's statement and pulled his gun out of subspace. "Ya bet yar undercarriage we'll be ready." Prowl rolled his optics.
A breem later, Jolt arrived, holding four cubes of energon and his medical kit. Seeing Prowl's raised optic ridge, he explained, "Cold weather makes us burn through energon quicker than normal."
Prowl accepted his cube and quickly downed it, knowing Prime would be arriving any second. As if Primus had read the SIC's processor, Optimus rounded the corner at that moment.
"Good, everybot is here," he stated, seeing the four mechs. "The ship is ready for departure. All you have to do is contact us via open comm. link when you are ready to return. And the Elite Guard wants to have anybot brought back, offline or not," he ordered.
Prowl nodded, knowing Optimus had placed him in command of the mission.
"Until all are one," Optimus said, using the Autobot saying.
"Until all are one," the other four responded unanimously. Then Prowl lead the way on board the ship they would be traveling in. It was pretty much an escape pod, but they were very reliable and well armored, so they were used for short-range flying. The one they were using was standard size and could hold five mid-size bots comfortably.
Prowl sat down in the Captain's seat, his doorwings scraping uncomfortably against the back until he spread them apart. "Status," he requested, glancing at the various monitors in front of him.
Ironhide, who had also taken a seat, replied, "Fuel tanks are full."
"Engines in optimal condition," Jolt added, scanning another screen.
"Launch pad is clear," Jazz piped up from by the window.
Prowl nodded, never taking his optics off the monitors. He fired up the two engines. "Launch sequence activated." The noise of the engines overtook them then. Flipping a switch, Prowl noted that the fuel could now reach the engines. He took a hold of the controls system and made the pod take off. The pod quickly gained altitude to clear the buildings that were in front of them.
Iacon quickly became a speck in their rear camera as they left the city behind. The engine noise never faltered or become quieter as Prowl fed the ship more fuel in order to escape Cybertron's gravitational pull. A klik later, the pod was outside of Cybertron's atmosphere and the fuel needed to keep going was drastically decreased. The engine noise was also reduced with the fuel burning.
"That was a cleaner liftoff than last time," Jolt commented.
Jazz snorted. "That's cuz we don't have the twins with us. Thank Primus fo' that." Ironhide chuckled, but didn't say anything.
Two kliks went by and the first moon got closer to the small pod. Then they got to the point where they could see the small mountains and snowy landscape in some detail. One of the largest mountains on the first moon, named Suntier*, had most of its snow blown off one side. Suntier was always covered in snow. Something must have disturbed it, Prowl remarked. But what most caught everybot's optic was a small black and purple ship, slightly smaller than the one they were in, half-buried in the side of Suntier.
"Is that the ship we're lookin' for?" asked Ironhide, looking out the front window at it.
"It has ta be," Jazz remarked. "Tha' ship was buried under the snow fo' a while. No wonde' the signa' was dampened."
Their pod got close enough to the first moon that the fuel had to be put through again to slow down the ship enough that they wouldn't crash. Gravity overtook the pod and thwarted the engine's intentions. Their decent rapidly increased. Prowl sent the engines into reverse, slowing them slightly.
"Full reverse," he ordered calmly. Jolt tapped on the monitor he was by and the engine's whine increased in volume. The pod slowed long enough for Prowl to navigate them safely onto the ground at the base of Suntier. Upon touching the ground, the engine noise dwindled down and died. Prowl got to his pedes and shuffled toward the door, everybot else hot on his heels.
The door hissed and eased itself to the ground, allowing them out. The Autobot SIC lead the way up the uneven side of Suntier, pulling a gun out of subspace just in case.
Suntier was not very tall compared to some of the structures on Cybertron, but it was steep enough to have the group cycling air harder than they normally did. The others had followed Prowl's lead and pulled out weapons, or in Ironhide's case, onlined his cannons. Prowl paused at the ships door, which had been blown off its hinges. Shrapnel and fragments of metal lie everywhere. The black-and-white tactician had to stop and push the mangled door and a few loose wires away to get inside. He cautiously aimed his gun ahead of him at all the shadows as he proceeded to take a few paces inside.
Whatever cargo the pod had been carrying was spread all over the ship. Crates had fallen and dried energon stained the floor in places.
"There's no bot here," Ironhide announced, having checked the small nooks and crannies that could hide a small-size bot. Prowl scanned the area of the small ship, seeking any signatures. Not finding anybot, he stowed his gun away. Jolt stepped over a few jumbled objects and ran his servo over the mangled computers. Prowl watched him flip the power switch. The systems onlined weakly, showing error messages. He was genuinely surprised that it still functioned, but he didn't show it.
"I've never seen error messages like this before," Jolt muttered, not taking his optics off the screen. Ironhide stomped over to him, studying the monitor intently. Prowl took a moment to study the ship's interior. Faded navy blue walls were on either side of the entrance. He found out they blocked off a small berth room and storage room when he quickly checked them out.
*FLASHBACK*
A young Prowl stood by his best femme-friend as they took in the sight before their optics. Her creators had gotten her her very own mini-pod, It was a deep purple with black on the outside. He watched as she never took her optics off the gift as she exclaimed, "Thank you Danni and Opi! It's the best present ever!" Prowl grinned, sharing her excitement.
"Go on, check out the inside," her Opi urged. She didn't have to be told twice. She raced inside, Prowl hot on her pedes. Inside was a navy blue, matching her armor, which was navy and silver. There was a berth room, a storage room, and a control room. Everything was in pristine condition and high tech for the time.
"This is great!" she squealed.
"You have to take me for a test drive!" Prowl almost yelled, excited. "Congrats for getting your adult frame!"
She turned to him, her optics shining. "Thanks! I'm only a few days younger than you, Prowl. It's too bad you didn't get a mini-pod, though. They're, like, the hottest thing right now."
*END FLASHBACK*
Prowl staggered, the memory hitting him without warning. Jolt looked at him, concerned, but Prowl waved him off. He shook his helm, trying to clear his processor. That memory had been from before the war, back when he'd just received his adult frame. Wondering what had caused the flashback, the SIC looked around. Then it hit him; this ship looked exactly like the one his friend had gotten. He quickly marched outside and glanced at the identification number on the ship's side. PI-234-9S.
Returning to the memory, Prowl realized that the number on his friend's ship had been the same. PI-234-9S. His spark sunk as he figured out that this meant his friend had obviously crashed when she had fled Cybertron before the war had started.
So Silvermoon has been here for four million orbital cycles?
*Suntier (Sun-tie-er) Tier: A row or level of a structure, typically one of a series of rows placed one above the other. I named it this 'cause in the story it lookes like it has tiers and the snow reflects the sunlight very well and stays lit up for long periods of time.
Author's Note: I have no idea how many moons Cybertron has, or if they have names, so I just made that part up. But I think I read somewhere that there's two moons, so I don't know.
The song for this chapter is Sombody That I Used To Know because it says things like "But you didn't have to cut me off". Prowl thought she had, when she was really in stasis lock. Just get rid of the romance part and you have the perfect song for this chapter.