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[ Antlers, the Megatron now with a crown and wings, has been stomping the halls. He lost sight of the brat again, shame. Its a big ship, he won't be too hard on himself for losing track of Hot Shot and with him some details on his Starscream.

Pitiful brats. He'll have to - Oh! Megatron pauses, spotting the little one down a hall after a very Rodimus looking frame. Tch. If its their Rodimus they might have a problem.

But looking over the corner its some much slimmer form. He will stay there and wait till the little one retreats after gushing to a hero. Megatron can't help but laugh silently. He leaves, but will track Rodimus out once more. ]

Busy day, you must be a fresh batch of arrivals. [ He says first chance he manages to Catch Rodimus alone. ]

Are you finding everything well enough? [ He says like he offers to be a guide. ]

[ Rodimus has been, what feels like, all over the ship by this point. He followed the map when he felt it necessary, avoided the staff only areas, and now was tracking down a room to stay in. Or was, anyway, until a taller mech came up to him. He blinked, looking up. ]

Yep, new arrival. Been walkin' around, getting my bearings.

[ Rodimus narrows his optics just a little, canting his helm as he looked at Antlers. This mech gave off Overlord vibes, which was not something Rodimus was very... pleased with, but he'd give him the benefit of the doubt for right now. ]

I think I've been finding everything. Hard to tell though, big ship. [ He offers him a smile, though it wasn't quite a sincere expression. In Rodimus' defense, it had been a long day. ]

Wonderful! [ Megatron states and clasps his hands together. ] It can be difficult to navigate anything here on your own. Hate to see new comers lose their way.

[He chuckles briefly. ]

I would of approached you sooner but I had seen little Hot Shot speaking with you and assumed he was acting as your guide. He can be so scattered though, I wanted to make sure you didn't get incorrect directions.

I am Antlers, I've been a resident here for a good what was it? Earth year. A pleasure.

[ Rodimus perks up a little at the mention of Hot Shot, his smile growing more sincere. ] Ah, you know Hot Shot. He's a good kid. Nah, nah, he wasn't scattered at all. Talkative, but that's a good thing.

[ Rodimus' spoiler tips low and he settles his hands on his hips. ] I'm Rodimus. Pleasure to meet you, Antlers. [ He offers him a hand to shake. ]

Rodimus, like the legends. [ He smiles and gently takes that hand offered, shaking slowly. ]

Well no wonder he took a shine to speak with you. The lad has much he wants to live up to. Of course I won't boost tales of you to yourself.

I wouldn't want to trip wires. Or overwhelm you. Its simply, that poor dear mech has suffered so much in his short life. Its good for him to see someone like you as a beacon of hope.

[ He can only hope this line of words work. Its been so long since he's played nice like this. Wheeljack was easier... but this is clearly someone with at least some self worth but an easy string to pull. ]

[ Legends?? There had never been any legends about him as far as he was aware. Rodimus shakes his hand and then pulls it back with a confused narrowing of his optics. ]

Don't know what legends you've heard, but I'm pretty sure they're not about me.

[ He crosses his arms loosely across his chest. He is, admittedly, very flattered to be told someone looked up to him already. It's clear in the high tilt of his spoiler. ]

Well, I'm always happy to talk with him. He seems sweet. A little stressed, but who isn't these days, yeah?

Oh, Rodimus. They name you in person. Well perhaps a version of you, you know how cross dimensional travel can be. [ He holds the hand to his face and laughs. He wants to crush the pretty little head of his but that can wait till later.

He has important seeds to sow. ]

Please do, it would mean a lot to him. He has trouble trusting others, but you share a name with a hero... so perhaps you can ease the wary soul.

His commander is rather neglectful of his health and safety. I don't wish to speak ill of the Optimus but. Hot Shot unfortunately has suffered much in the Autobot army.

[ Hm. He certainly did know how cross dimensional travel could be. An absolute nightmare that resulted in more helm aches than anything was worth, nine times out of ten. ]

Well, I don't want to string him along thinking that I am some hero from his home. I've got my own history, I don't want to take on someone else's too.

[ Rodimus tilted his helm, regarding Antlers carefully. Despite his first instincts, his guard was starting to come down. He'd worked with more intimidating mechs who were evil, and Antlers had done nothing to warrant setting off those red flags. Yet. So he let his spoiler relax and heaved a sigh. ]

Look, I'll be the first to agree with anyone that Optimus can be a pain in the aft. But he's always been good to the Autobots, at least from where I'm from. I find it a little hard to believe that he'd be neglectful of someone he named Second in Command.

[ Antlers nods. Then his face purses in concern. ]

You didn't know? Oh, no forgive me. Of course you couldn't know, you've just arrived. [ He puts a hand up to his own face and that tittering look side to side like he's seeking to see if the room is empty. ]

I shouldn't... Rodimus, I have no reason to trust you. You're right you're your own person and not a hero from our home.. but...

The Optimus from our home... he stole Hot Shot. [ The liar says. With saddened optics and calculated fear. ]

[ Rodimus' spoiler flickered in discomfort. That didn't... sound... That didn't sound right. But then, Hot Rod had seemed a little stressed about Optimus. And even then, could he say in good consciousness that his Optimus hadn't, in essence, stolen mechs from the other side? Drift not withstanding because Drift chose it. Well surely they had all chosen to-- This was giving him a helm ache. ]

Stole how?

[ He pinched at the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the ache. ] Why don't you... can you walk me through this? I'm not sure I'm following. Optimus Prime stole a mech, named them his Second in Command, and mistreated them? What?

It all starts with a fire. [Megatron spiels. Shock and awe, just like a war zone. ]

Hot Shot was preforming routine scouting, him and another young build. It was just training, but the Autobots didn't know that all they saw was a pair of soldiers alone in the field.

I understand these things happen, but it never should of. They attacked and supposedly left the young ones for dead in the field. Little Wheeljack went for help.

Hot Shot was alone crushed under fire and debris. Oh the way Wheeljack described it... I wish I had gotten there sooner with him. But by the time we returned, Optimus had swept in his 'rescue.' [ Antlers frowns in a way he's practiced from watching Optimus' sorrow. The way he turns his optics into such pain.]

The young builds were my pr- my responsibility. But Optimus claims himself a savior. I guess in some ways he can be but well I'll never forgive him.

Edited 2023-03-09 04:39 (UTC)

[Rodimus crossed his arms more firmly, listening to the story that Antler's wove for him. He wasn't... He hated how the details made sense. Optimus, any Optimus, would see an attack like that as wrong and try to make up for it. Saving Hot Shot would have been the right move to make, and taking him back to their base to receive medical attention is something he would have done. Rodimus would have done much the same.]

Still sounds farfetched but... I could see it. Might talk to Hot Shot about it though. Hearing it from his side would help me get the whole picture, you know?

[He caught on the name 'Wheeljack'. He'd already known there was another version of him, another Optimus, supposedly another Megatron. Wheeljack would make sense too. But that did make it sound like Wheeljack was the same age as Hot Shot and he was young.]

You must've been pretty up there for a Megatron to trust you with kids.

[ got him, hook line, now to reel him in. He nods solemnly, hiding the trickle of his lips trying to curve into a grin.

His hands fold together, meekly make him seem like a caregiver who only wants back what was stolen.]

I only want what's best for my soldiers. Do be gentle with the young one, he's so much more fragile then he lets on. If I could just see him, briefly. Explain we never abandoned him.

He's scared of me, thinks I hate him. [ He then flicks his wrist to the side. ]

I mean to say he's scared to see me.

You don't need to believe me, after all I'm the closest to Megatron back there... I understand completely.

["Scared of me" is what he said. Slips of the tongue like that weren't often lies, not when the recovery was that smooth. Rodimus hadn't gotten this far in life by being dumb. Lucky, yes, but not dumb. But still, he kept his expression the same, popping a hip out as he adjusted his stance.]

No worries, Antlers. I'll be gentle with him. I'll see if maybe he wants to talk to you, but I'm not gonna push anyone to do something they don't want.

[Closest to Megatron, huh? The wording was sus. Rodimus had some recon to do about Antlers. He definitely didn't trust him.]

Thank you so dearly, Rodimus. I'm in your debt. If there is anything I could do for you.

[ He smiles politely and bows. Cursing his words silently in his mind. He is so sure he covered his tracks with his corrections. Rodimus in his time line was no fool, but this one at least stood a chance of being some form of idiot.

After all, that stance says so much.

He hopes that he can keep the ruse up a little longer. Maybe Rodimus will be foolish enough to allow him close enough to Hot Shot to shake intel out of him about Starscream. ]

I'll leave you be. Thank you for hearing an old mech out.

Yeah, not a problem. You have a good rest of your day, Antlers. I'll see you 'round.

[Hopefully that wouldn't be too often though. At least not until Rodimus could do some background checks on this "Antlers". And also talk to Hot Shot first because the whole thing was super suspicious.

Still though, he gave a polite wave of one hand and headed back off to track down a habsuite. Hopefully Antlers wasn't following because Rodimus didn't think he wanted the mech knowing which room he chose. Damn creepy almost Megatrons.]

He knows his is here, flawed beloved Rodimus. Rung slowly rounds the corner following his data pad's map and feels a swelling of fear of an inevitable cycling of introductions.

He prepares dialogue in his head. Adjusting his goggles. Then steps to the door raising his knuckles to lightly but firmly tap the door.

Tap tap.

"Captain Rodimus, are you available? I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion..."

It wil be okay, all that is needed is a little time with him. It will all flow back.

Rodimus hadn't been expecting any guests. No missed calls either. But hey, what the hell, he wasn't doing anything else. Why not entertain someone for a little. So he swung to the door--Captain Rodimus? Someone from the Lost Light then--and opened it with a smile. "Hey there, how can I--"

The words died in his voxcoder, blinking a few times as he stared down at the mech. Something niggled at him in his processor, memory files coming up that rang empty and missing or altered in some way. He cycled a few blinks, narrowing his optics. "I... know you."

"Hello, Captain." Rung says smiling somberly at him. Relief, its something. He'll take anything at this point.

So many reactions to him. His life must still exist in some way. And perhaps his theory is right. Perhaps he will always be there in the back of their minds.

"Yes, you know me." He says with gentle subdued agony.

"It is good to see you again, Rodimus. It's me, Rung."

Rung.

The name strikes a familiar chord in him, alighting memories long buried that he had almost entirely forgotten. A called shot, a bad shot, a recording thumb, matrices from nothing--

"Rung!"

Rodimus leaps forward without thought, wrapping the therapist up in a strut-crushing hug. "Holy shit I can't believe I forgot about you. You're here! You're alive!" The joy is overwhelming. "It's so good to see you in one piece."

Nostalgia, the living embodiment of things loved and passed. Rung holds his arms up stiffening but the warmth that placates his plating is anything of fear, only startled.

Rodimus only needed to hear his name, his voice, he only needed to glance at him. All is not lost and Rung clings to him. With no thoughts of anything but existing in the moment of care and memory.

"Well, I would hope I'm alive. I've been on this ship for some time now, I wish I made the time sooner to come to see you when your name appeared on the registry." Tighter gripped him.

"Bit lost in time is all."

Rodimus held Rung just as tightly, cordoning off the bloom of memories to be picked over later. Seriously, he had no idea how or why he'd forgotten Rung. Probably something to do with the whole... everything that was that. But still, Rung was a friend and he was so glad to see him.

"Hey, no worries, eyebrows," he said, easily stealing the nickname everyone else had used. "Things were out of hand for a while there. I wouldn't have been good company." He still wasn't sure he was good company, but at least Rung was... trustworthy. Someone he didn't have to worry about keeping a guard up around.

"Glad things aren't quite as dire now, gives everyone a chance to breathe, see old friends, heal up a bit."

"It had been hectic, I went to the planet's surface, and gaining an organic form was quite an" He takes a moment to digest his thoughts. "It was quite an experience. I'm glad it's over." Rung takes a moment to weasel out of his arms and hold his hands to keep themselves gently spaced apart.

"It must of been quite an adventure. I'm afraid I don't have much to mind of things, my last memory of the Lost Light was going after Brainstorm." He tilts his head. "I suppose I am quite out of the loop. Only a few of you seem to remember my face, but I'm glad my hunch worked."

Oh whoa. That was quite a ways back in the journey wasn't it.

"Yeesh, space bridge couldn't have picked a worse spot to pull you from," he said. He sighed quietly and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah you are... very out of the loop on everything. No spoilers but it sucked, sucked more, and then we broke physics." A smirk played at the edges of his mouth there and he shrugged. "Typical day on the Lost Light. Circling back to the planet- You were on Mahou?"

He hadn't seen Rung there, but then again, he doubted he'd have recognized him in an organic form. Rodimus had barely recognized himself. "The Witch fights were brutal. Did you... were you part of a team?" He wouldn't be surprised if Rung said no. He always had been quite the pacifist.

Rung had so many questions, they broke physics. Certainly seems like a nightmare of a time but Rodimus is speeding this conversation so fast paralleled to his stunned emotional bliss of being remembered.... he can't find a spot to stop and ask.

"It was a terrible time. I was drawn in, something of an emotional draw. I am afraid I did join a team, since I was given something of an Empathetic power I had assumed perhaps I could.. reason with the witch." He laughs bitterly. "I think I messed up beyond what is reasonable with my own abilities."

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