[ti]Ep 3[/ti] This Blue Marble [Open]

[Deleted]

[Episode 3 | Week 3 | Day 5]

Starfall had never seen a Groundbridge before. But this was seemingly a time of many firsts for the femme - the wonders of space were even more majestic than she had imagined, even if the circumstances that had led to seeing them for the first time hadn't been even remotely as glamorous. Shot down and left to drift through space, forced into stasis lock to maintain energon, only to awaken years later to find that she was the sole survivor of her crew and that organics were tearing her vessel apart. She'd repelled them and made sure they didn't get away with much, sure, but to know that the rest of the crew had been killed tore at her spark, even if she had barely known any of them. When Kamal came to her rescue, Starfall took whatever she could manage from her vessel, then scuttled it to keep it out of the hands of the scavengers she knew were bound to return.

On the other hand, traveling with Kamal had been a pleasure. While Starfall had enjoyed his company, the sight of so many stars and planets was what really captivated her. Part of her had almost wanted to ask if she could stay, see the stars and other worlds, pick up other Autobots and get them to safety, but she knew that was not her path. If there was a fight, if innocents were in danger, she would be there. Always. And from what she knew, Earth was where the fight was. Having made her goodbyes after her codes were cleared, Starfall looked into the swirling vortex as it spewed out iridescent light towards her, and took her first steps into the unknown.

A giddy rush swept over the femme as she walked through the bridge. Part of it was owed to the excitement inherent to her first time entering a Groundridge, but her anticipation of stepping foot on her first alien planet far outweighed that. Truthfully, she had very little idea what Earth was like, only having it seen it out the cockpit window as they approached. And even then, Starfall had to do everything in her power to keep her cool in front of Kamal, and not embarass herself as she became a babbling mess. And right now? She was doing the exact same thing. As Starfall took her first steps out of the Groundbridge and onto the solid ground of Omega Outpost, her face grew wide with wonder.

Standing tall as she exited the groundbridge, Starfall's emerging figure began to take shape. Tall, not as much as Optimus Prime, but not too far off either. Her body was fairly bulky, with a passing resemblance to a human bodybuilder, clad with yellow and gunmetal plates that evoked the appearance of a knight. Taking a few more steps, the femme stopped to gaze around the room. Her purple optics were glowing brightly, an indicator of her state of pure elation that she couldn't mask - not that she was trying to anymore. Unlike her earlier interaction with Kamal, Starfall was so enamoured with the sight of Omega Outpost that as her gaze shifted about the place, she didn't even notice the Groundbridge collapse back into nothingness, nor did she notice any bot that might've been stood in the room.

"Wow." Starfall mumbled, already in love with her new home.

[Bumblebee]

Slowly lowering his servo from his helm, Bumblebee finished his brief conversation with Kamal as the familiar illumination of the Ground Bridge wove some color into the normally drab room of the Control Room. He found himself wishing that he could talk to the ferryman for a little longer, sometimes - always fascinated with where he’d been and the things he’d seen, he knew the mech would have some amazing stories to tell. Of course, though, it was probably a lonely life. Up there all alone, though it did provide opportunities like this where he got to meet new Autobots before they came to Earth.

Quite often he found himself wanting to visit the ferryman, if only to just… hang out for a little bit. To talk more than just the boring official verbiage needed when transporting someone new. Maybe even Raf could go up there, too, he wondered - though he wasn’t sure exactly how that would work.

Ah well, things to ponder for later, as for now he had someone new to meet! He’d checked out the identification codes that’d been sent, and everything had been proper and correct - now it was just a case of them arriving here in one piece, which given the sight of the Ground Bridge? Would be any second now.

Turning on his heel, he swiveled to look at the swirling vortex itself, and it didn’t take him long to spot the figure moving within. He wondered what her thought process was in these moments, going somewhere like Kamal’s to… well, here. Omega One wasn’t exactly exciting to look at, though it was home.

He stood up a little straighter as the newcomer made her way into the room itself, the room plunging into its mundanity as the bridge closed behind her.

He didn’t quite catch her mumble, though would give a cheery wave.

--Hey! Welcome to Omega One, I’m Bumblebee, but you can call me Bee!-- he chirped.

[Deleted]

Gathering herself as she continued to gaze around the control room, Starfall reigned in her emotions, though her optics still burned bright with excitement. She was still in awe at the sight of the outpost, which despite its relative mundanity, remained Starfall’s first alien world. Indeed, even elements of the mountain into which Omega was carved were new to her, and thus the femme was taking it all on board as best she could manage.

Out of the corner of her eye, Starfall took notice of a yellow figure, which came into focus as it began to wave at her. Another Cybertronian! Feeling embarrassed for a moment that she had almost missed Bumblebee completely, Starfall shelved said feelings along with her awe and began to approach the other Autobot. While Bumblebee had begun to stand up straight, Starfall’s own posture grew more relaxed, her shoulders sagging in a subconscious attempt to appear more friendly, and tower over the scout just a little less.

For a moment, Starfall was confused as Bumblebee beeped at her - it had been some time since she had met a Cybertronian speaking in basic. Some used it out of necessity due to vocal damages, others as a choice - not dissimilar to linguistic purists - and she wondered onto which side of that divide Bumblebee fell. Regardless, Starfall’s basic was a little rusty, and as Bumblebee spoke, it took her a few moments to truly grasp what he was saying, though from the tone of his beeps and the wave he’d given her, the femme could tell straight away that he was upbeat.

"Pleased to meet you Bee. I’m Starfall, but everyone calls me Star."” She replied cheerfully, speaking in a way that one might when conversing with an old friend, not long since seen. Starfall paused for a second as she looked over the scout stood before her, taking in his appearance as she thought of a way to break the ice. "You have excellent taste in colour schemes." The femme continued with a more playful tone, almost like an audible smirk, referring to their shared palettes as she gestured to Bumblebee with her hand to further illustrate her point. Though Starfall had ostensibly chosen yellow armour to draw attention away from her allies and on to herself, it helped some that it was also her favourite colour. Yellow didn’t seem to be particularly common among other Cybertronians, perhaps for the same reasons she favoured it, and so Starfall was always pleased to meet another yellow bot.

Smiling, she outstretched her large hand, offering a handshake to the scout.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee wondered what the femme’s first thoughts were when arriving at Omega One. Would she find the place boring? It wasn’t exactly awash with any sort of color - heck, they were the brightest things in here by a long shot! Nor was there anything of any real excitement around - there were the monitors attached to the control panel, a small raised platform with a tiny couch and a small TV - but other than that? The room was minimal at best.

She didn’t look too annoyed - not that he could really tell from her helm, but her posture wasn’t one of someone who didn’t want to be here. If anything? She looked relaxed and so he would mimic her somewhat, loosening his shoulders as she made her way closer.

The moment of… well, he wouldn’t call it hesitation but the momentary pause when he spoke was not lost on him. Basic wasn’t exactly heard a lot these days, and he knew and understood that it was probably unexpected. As such, he wasn’t offended at all - though found himself relieved when she understood him.

--Nice to meet you too, Star!--

At the comment about his color scheme, he would glance down at himself as if double-checking just what color he actually was, before peering across at her and bobbing his helm.

--Hey, likewise! Thanks!-- he beepily chuckled, taking her servo in his and giving it a quick shake before easing his arm back to his side. 

--So ah, Omega One!-- he turned to gesture broadly at the… whole lotta nothing, before turning back to look up at her.

--I suppose I need to tell you the whole formal rules thing, huh?--

[Deleted]

Withdrawing her hand back to her side after shaking Bumblebee’s own, Starfall looked down at the scout as he turned and gestured out at the rest of the control room. She recognised a lot of the technology as Cybertronian, though there was also a lot that she didn’t. It seemed more primitive, particularly the TV, and for a brief moment the femme couldn’t help but wonder if all alien worlds were like this. Bland and sparse, with technology that barely held a candle to their own. But that hardly seemed likely - perhaps Earth was primitive by Cybertronian standards, but she reasoned that even then it must have it’s hidden gems. From afar, this blue marble had shone far more excellently than where she was now, and as the thought of exploration washed over her once more, excitement rose throughout her frame even as she fought to keep it down. She couldn’t wait to get out of the base and see what Earth had to offer for herself.

Starfall gave the room a quick cursory glance, briefly looking around for anyone else. It seemed like it was just the two of them, and for a moment the femme considered shirking protocol to save the two of them some time. Ultimately deciding against it however, she gave Bumblebee a nod, though couldn’t help but let slip a small sigh. “I suppose so.” Even if she might’ve gotten away with it, Starfall felt it was best to try and start off on the right foot with her superiors, especially now that she fell directly under the command of Optimus Prime. The femme had a history of disregard for protocol, but unlike the other mavericks among the Autobot ranks, her rule-breaking wasn’t born from a lack of respect or even opposition to those in charge. She placed her own personal code above the importance of her orders, and even though the former often aligned with the Autobot doctrine, had a tendency to create “friction” when she disobeyed protocol in pursuit of what Starfall felt was the right thing to do. Broken rules and write-ups were just collateral damage.

“Before you do though...” The femme’s gaze returned to Bumblebee, staring down at him. Her voice held a hint of mischievousness, and as she lingered on what her next words would be, one might even mistake her tone for nefariousness - playful or not. But as she began to speak her next sentence, it became clear that her intent was nothing of the sort. A wide smile formed on her face, her purple optics glowing with glee, almost as though the bulbs were about to blow. “Could you tell me what this planet is like? What it's inhabitants are like?" Starfall asked, her voice barely containing her otherwise visible excitement as her tone danced along the fine edge between inquisitive and feverish.

[Bumblebee]

The sigh was not lost on Bumblebee, and he gave a sympathetic nod in return. He understood it completely, rules were boring - though absolutely (and unfortunately) necessary. Things were so very different here compared to Cybertron. Not just in Omega One, but Earth in general, and while there were a lot of things that were kind of the same? It was a weird adjustment period for some.

He could at least make it fun, he figured. He’d met enough new arrivals that he’d perfected the art of getting across all the boring rules and regulations without turning it into a mindless drone that took forever.

Though her next words made him pause, tilting his helm. Not a particularly odd request, given this was a new planet and all - though he hoped it wasn’t a way to distract him from what needed to be done officially.

--Earth? Well, sure!-- he chirped.

Where to even start, though?

--Earth is… well, it’s pretty great. I’m sure you saw it from a distance, it looks kinda like a little marble, uh- those are human things that are made of glass, with all kindsa swirls of color!--

A beepy laugh escaped him, before he continued.

--Anyway uh, we’re in a country called America, or the United States - though there are multiple countries! Though the state we’re in is Nevada, close to a little town called Jasper. We’re hidden from the humans here- uh, the inhabitants- of course, taking on Earthly altmodes to blend in should we ever need to leave the base. The humans themselves are…--

Amazing? Unique? Stronger than they look? Adaptable?

--Well, they’re pretty great too.-- another bob of his helm, his beeps genuine. --There are some here at Omega that you’ll get to meet, I’m sure. Three children - uh, younger ones - then some adults. I am the guardian for Rafael, one of the children. He’s amazing.--

Shifting his weight, he would sidestep to give Star a better look at the couch, hoping that it would help her give some frame of reference to just how little humans were.

--They normally stay on the catwalks or in designated areas here at base, just so they don’t get underfoot. Keep an optic out for Miko though, she has a knack for breaking the rules!--

His servos moved as he spoke, Earth and its people was clearly a subject he enjoyed talking about, even if he was rambling a little.

--Though, speaking of rules. There are some humans here who know of our existence who want to do us harm. Bad with the good, y’know? Uh, they’re called MECH. They’re dangerous.-- a gentle whir sounded as his optics narrowed into a frown, only to perk up again moments later.

--Though you’ll hear about them more when I tell you the rules! But uh, yeah, humans for the most part? Fascinating! Even if they don’t know of us, it’s nice to kinda just watch them sometimes. Their mannerisms, the little things they do - little acts of kindness like helping each other for no reason, or picking up trash even though they don’t have to. We can learn a lot from them.--

He could keep going. And going. And probably going - though made a point of pausing his beeps just to let Starfall take in all the information that’d been given, as rambly as it was.

[Deleted]

Feeling relieved as Bumblebee obliged her request with enthusiasm, Starfall listened intently to what the scout had to say. She had no idea what a marble was, but given his description and the comparison to the Earth itself, the femme quickly put two and two together. Her attention never wavered as he spoke, even as he began to get into the more detailed information such as the concept of countries, states and towns. Some of it she could easily relate to her own knowledge from Cybertron, such as the idea of states, though what a country was may have been just a little lost on her - something to research later.

Humans. So that’s what the inhabitants were called. An interesting name for sure. Wouldn’t Earthians make more sense? Like how Cybertronians came from Cybertron? She supposed all things weren’t so simple. All Star could hope for was that their vehicles were nice, if she had to take one of them on as a disguise. Starfall was attached to her current alternate form, a Cybertronian truck that while sleek, was probably best described as a fist on six wheels - fitting for the femme’s personality and physicality. Primus forbid she had to give that up for anything as technologically primitive as the TV in Omega Outpost.

As Starfall’s mind wandered along that train of thought, she also wondered what these humans even looked like. Her cursory understanding was that they were tiny organics, but it didn’t stretch far beyond that. These children? What did they look like? Glancing at the couch she was able to better gauge their height, but that didn’t answer many of her questions. Again, something to research later. In the meantime, Star would just have to do her best not to step on any of them. Especially this “Miko”.

Even as Starfall had allowed her mind to meander away from the main task at hand, it hadn’t meant her attention had wavered all that much. She was still laboriously trying to commit everything Bumblebee had said to memory, not wanting to waste any knowledge about this world. Not until she could see it for herself, at least. Though that would require finding a new alt-mode and well… she still hadn’t quite made peace with that yet. Unless of course something caught her eye. Starfall noticed Bumblebee’s momentary frown as he mentioned MECH, and her own fists clenched in response. It was true then, that evil could be found anywhere. And if such was the case, then it was her job to stamp it out.

“I see.” Starfall answered as Bumblebee paused, speaking in a manner that was more calm and refined than her usual character. “Thank you.” she chirped, before her vision trailed away to the outskirts of the room. With a sigh, she looked back at the scout. “I suppose this is the boring part now?”

[Bumblebee]

There was a gentle whir of Bee’s optics as he kept an eye on Starfall’s reaction to what’d been effectively word vomit. Of course what he’d said was useful but he probably could’ve been a bit more direct with what he’d said - tending to ramble when he was excited, he couldn’t help it!

Luckily she didn’t seem annoyed or even offput, though the fact she didn’t have any questions struck him as a little odd. Then again, maybe he’d done a good enough job at getting things across to the point it wasn’t needed.

Or she was just being polite. Either way, he would nod, one servo moving to rub at the back of his neck.

--Aaah, yeah - unfortunately!--

Boring part indeed, though thankfully it wasn’t too bad. He tried to keep things fairly chill, short and to the point - stressing the importance of things without going into every single tiny detail.

--I’ll start with the obvious ones. You need to find an altmode that fits in here on Earth before you can go driving around, luckily the humans have a huuuuge variety of vehicles, so you’ll find something to suit your needs I’m sure! Agent Fowler who’s the liaison for the military will be able to help you out there.--

Okay so much for not going into every little detail.

--As I mentioned earlier, there are a group of humans who aren’t nice and will try to hurt us. For a while there we did have a buddy system where you couldn’t go out alone, as they tend to pick off folks who are by themselves,-- he frowned, before continuing.

--But that’s been relaxed a little as long as you make a point of checking in. Obviously if you’re assigned to somewhere that’s had MECH activity, or you’re just worried in general? You’ll probably want to bring someone with you, but just never let your guard down, okay?--

He didn’t want to go into it too much just what MECH were capable of, but the fact his tone had shifted into one that was slightly more serious hopefully portrayed the importance.

--On that note, we can’t uh, actually harm MECH. Or, kill them, anyway. That’s one of Optimus’ rules. Though, if you have to pick between them and yourself? Sometimes there’s no choice.--

A beepy hum of thought escaped him then, before he turned briefly to the monitors. Squared digits typing something, before the screen shifted - displaying several rather mundane looking green vehicles. He could talk about MECH all day, probably, but that wouldn’t help if she didn’t know what she was looking for when outside of Omega One. 

--They tend to drive around in cars like these, so just keep an eye out!--

[Deleted]

Being polite was at least one way to describe Starfall’s reaction to Bee’s over-explanation, though it was more accurate to say that for the most part she was still digesting a lot of what he’d told her. The femme was fortunate then, that the scout’s explanation of the rules was a lot less complicated. Again she listened to what Bee had to say, though this time she did so with far less effort. Rules, though important, were boring, and he’d already been over the need to obtain an alternate mode for disguise. Though, as it was a prerequisite to being able to go outside and explore, Starfall made a mental note to make such her first priority. Even if she didn’t really want to.

Bee had touched on MECH earlier too, but given just how much he was hammering home the point, Starfall was beginning to pick up on how truly dangerous they were. She wondered just what they’d done to Autobots to stir up such concern, and if they’d done anything specifically to Bumblebee given how he’d reiterated the point. It was then that she thought, if they were such a threat, why had Optimus made harming them off limits? Was it simply because they were human? If the Decepticons weren’t Cybertronian, would the Prime have then ordered that they not be harmed either? It simply didn’t sit right with the femme. She looked at the display as Bumblebee brought up the images of their vehicles, but her mind was burning with such questions and thoughts that she wasn’t really paying much attention.

“No choice. Right.” Starfall replied, and though doing her best to be polite, it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. As a Marauder, the code of beliefs she followed dictated that the wicked should be shown no mercy, something that applied to all life. And that was a code she followed strictly. “Be honest with me Bee, this MECH… what have they done to us that is worthy of such fear? And why does Optimus protect them?” Starfall asked. Her demeanour had quickly changed from excited moments before to more dour. The question was direct, perhaps even a little too direct, but it wasn’t something she was just going to let go. She couldn’t let it go.

[Bumblebee]

Starfall’s reaction had Bumblebee a little worried. As much as he hated talking about MECH, it unfortunately needed to be done just so newcomers were aware of the danger - and while he had refrained from going into any real detail, the question that followed meant that he should probably be a bit more open.

Leaving the images of the green vehicles up on the monitor, he would avert his gaze a moment - looking down at the floor while he mulled over what to even say.

--Uh, well. Torture. They strip us for parts.-- he started, finally - glancing back up to look at her.

--It’s not just us Autobots either, the Decepticons have lost some to their hands. For us, though, we’ve lost a few. Ratchet was their latest victim- he’s uh, he’s not dead. But they took him and he came back with his memory wiped. He doesn’t know who he is, who anyone is. It was only by sheer luck that we found him in time.--

Gently shaking his helm, he would vent out a sigh.

--They’re brutal. Dangerous. We helped rescue a Decepticon and they had removed one of his optics, and were in the process of taking him apart - had his chassis open and everything. That’s the thing, they’re fast, if you get taken and nobody knows? Then you’re gone. That’s it. They’re smart, working in groups. You wouldn’t think so, given humans aren’t really huge or much to look at, but they are scary.--

Squared digits would curl into fists at his sides.

--I don’t know why Optimus wants to protect them. It…-- his beeps trailed off some, before lowering in volume. --It doesn’t make any sense to me why. Because they’re human? They’ve hurt so many of our kind, who knows how many arrived on Earth and got taken before we even knew of their existence.--

Shaking his helm again, a servo would move to rub the back of his neck.

--Just don’t underestimate them. At all. I know it’s not the first thing you want to hear when arriving to a new place, and I’m sorry, but, it’s so important.--

[Deleted]

The threat of MECH wasn’t one that Starfall had taken lightly. Knowing as little of the humans as she did was both a boon and a weakness. The femme lacked knowledge of humanity’s relative fragility, and with how Bumblebee had described MECH, that ignorance enabled her to imagine them as the threat the scout had told of.

-- Torture. They strip us for parts. --

As Bumblebee found the strength to look up at Starfall once more, the femme’s hands balled into fists. His words had evidently struck a chord. Starfall’s mind was thrown back to her awakening, thinking back to the scavengers who had picked apart her crew in stasis. Having been unconscious herself, Starfall had no clue as to whether or not her fellow shipmates had awoken as their bodies were torn apart for circuitry and scrap - if they had felt the pain of being picked apart for salvage or if they had simply passed away without any knowledge of their demise. As much as she hoped for the latter, Bumblebee’s recount of MECH’s actions certainly indicated the former, and it made her sick. For a brief instance, Starfall asked herself if all organics were like this, but she knew better. Everyone had the capacity for evil. Just as everyone had the capacity to be better. Evil was a choice.

Hearing Ratchet’s name among the victims was a shock. She didn’t know him personally, but everyone had heard of Ratchet. To know that MECH could fell even him was a grim forecast indeed. Already Star had heard enough to turn her stomach, but then Bumblebee continued. As brutal as his imagery was, she didn’t feel pity for the Decepticons - in her eyes the wicked deserved their fate. But to know bots could just disappear like that and be torn apart like they’d been dropped in a vat of scraplets, it unsettled Starfall more than she would’ve liked to admit, even more so following her recent experience. All of this begged the question again - why did Optimus protect them?

And as she got her answer, Starfall realized perhaps she had gone too far. Disturbed as she was by Optimus’ ruling, it was wrong of her to take that out on poor Bumblebee, almost interrogating the poor scout on something she knew little about, and something evidently personal for him. She needed to do something to lift Bee’s spirits, and she had just the idea.

The femme reached a hand behind her back, just slowly enough so as not to spook Bumblebee. She was still fresh out the portal and didn’t want to do anything that might arouse suspicion that she was a traitor or a plant or a spy, and making a sudden movement would probably raise some alarm. At her mental command, the hilt of Starfall’s hammer, Supernova, extended to just long enough that she could take hold of it in a single servo, and she pulled it off of her back with a flourish - spinning the weapon in her hand as the shaft extended to it's full length and slammed into the ground.

So much for not making any sudden movements.

“Trust me. I won’t underestimate them.” Starfall said with a smirk on her face, her posture shifting to become more open as she did her best to try and alleviate Bumblebee’s concerns. “I know the kind of things fleshies are capable of - organics picked apart my crew for scrap and tried to do the same to me. I didn’t let those thieves dismantle me for salvage, and I didn’t come all the way here just to let some other fleshies do it instead.” The femme was confident in her words, hoping her conviction would bolster the other bot’s morale. “Is that it for the rules?” she asked playfully, just one more attempt to return the scout to how excitable he’d been when she’d first arrived.

[Bumblebee]

As Bumblebee glanced up, he noticed the clenched fists. A good sign, he figured - she understood the importance of his words and the danger that he was trying to portray. MECH truly were monsters, and as much as he’d rather a newcomer have a moment to relax upon arriving at Omega? They unfortunately weren’t afforded that luxury.

Even though they now resided here on Earth, the war had not stopped. Though - now it was not only their war, because this planet already had a native population, ones that wouldn’t be able to survive should the Decepticons truly go on the offense. While he wasn’t sure how MECH had learned of their kind, they added a new danger to this world. Not only did they have to move undetected when amongst humans, but they had to keep watch for this new enemy who could strike without warning.

As the femme moved, there was a gentle whir of Bee’s optics as he watched. Her movements were slow, purposeful - and as such, they didn’t spook him, nor arouse any sort of suspicion. A bob of his helm, he seemed impressed by the weapon and the skill she seemed to wield it.

--Glad to hear it!-- he chirped. With a weapon like that, and with how well armored she seemed to be? She’d be a force to be reckoned with against MECH and Decepticons alike - and he was thankful that she was on their side.

His expression would soften at her next words, and he’d gently shift his weight, optics furrowing just slightly.

--I’m sorry to hear about your old crew.-- his beeps were genuine, and he again found himself wishing that after such hardship and horror she could have a moment to breathe. Despite this though, she seemed to have taken his words well, and he was thankful.

The playful question was met with a nod, and a beepy hum of thought.

--Uhhh. Let’s see…-- he’d admittedly gotten a little distracted with the doom and gloom, but in his defense, it was important.

Holding up one servo, he would count on squared digits.

--Get an Earthly altmode. No buddy system when out and about but be smart. Keep an optic out for humans here at base. What else…-- he paused, humming in thought. --Oh!! You’ll uh, you’ll need to check in with Patch, the Medic. She’s the current CMO given what happened to Ratchet, uh- but, a while back there was this virus.--

His beeps tapered off juuuust slightly, and he’d frown again - before he continued.

--It’s sorted now! Not a thing anymore, but, you’ll need uh inoculation against that. Since Earth just likes throwing all kinds of things at us I guess! Plus, well, a general checkup would probably be a good thing!--

[Deleted]

“Thanks.” Starfall replied as Bumblebee offered comfort over her fallen crewmates. Her grip on her hammer tensed, while the femme’s gaze ventured away from the scout, as she was led astray by her thoughts once more. “I barely knew them, we only had hours to become acquainted before the launch, and then after...” Her words were dampened with sorrow, and though she was doing her best not to bring down the mood, Starfall’s tone reflected the guilt she felt. Though there was no way she could have known they would all soon die, Starfall still held herself accountable for not getting to know her crewmates in what little time she did have. For some of them, she didn’t even know their names, and in doing so she recognized that it meant their passing would forever go unknown - and it was her fault. And all of that wasn’t even mentioning the guilt she felt for failing to protect them.

“I should’ve done more.” Star mumbled quietly to herself, seemingly forgetting that she was with company. At times like this, she longed for the solitude of her battlemask, and the emotional ambiguity that it afforded her. At least that way, nobody could see her sorrow.

Now it was Starfall’s turn to snap out of it, and as her gaze meandered back to Bumblebee, she couldn’t help but smile a little as he began to count on his fingers. She relaxed her hold on her hammer, the rest of her posture loosening up once more after having tensed up so suddenly, leaning against Supernova ever so slightly. With each point that the scout recounted Starfall would nod, though she was less than enthused to hear she needed to check in with the medical staff. It wasn’t that she was scared of doctors or needles or anything of the sort, but Star’s messed up internals usually meant whoever was giving the check was in for a big headache, and that she was in for a lot of questions. And on some occasions, some harsh language too.

“Yeah, a general checkup sounds good." The femme answered back cheerfully, trying her hardest not to let the fact that she was already dreading said checkup slip into her voice. "I don’t want to catch any viruses either.” Star also wasn’t looking forward to getting a new alt-mode, but was less worried about it than before, and regardless had nonetheless resolved to get it done as soon as she could so that she could go outside. Though it had already been clearly established that MECH were awful, awful people, Starfall had to admit that the cars that Bumblebee had shown them driving at least looked nice enough to assuage her doubts about the alt-mode she would assume herself.

[Bumblebee]

Talking - or even thinking, sometimes - about teammates that’d been lost was hard, and even though it didn’t seem like Starfall had been around her crew long? That didn’t make their loss any less painful. Every single one of them had been through it, which was why every single one of them understood it.

Though, that never made these moments any easier. Should Bee have known Starfall for longer, he would’ve offered a hug, a kind word. He could tell she felt guilt, it was evident in her tone and what she said - the sadness, he felt it too, thinking about those that he had lost, both here on Earth and on Cybertron.

Instead, all that was offered was a sympathetic nod, a brief moment of silence. He didn’t want to make things awkward, if only because he wasn’t quite sure what the right words even were. It wasn’t your fault? He didn’t know the circumstances. You couldn’t have known? What if she did?

Later on, if she wanted to talk about it, he would listen - absolutely he would, but no sooner had this sadness appeared did she seem to pull herself out, listening as he recited the rules.

Even though her voice was cheery, that too was something Bee had seen many a time with newcomers. The cheery acceptance, followed by the hesitant steps to the Medical Bay. He didn’t really share that same sentiment - after what’d happened with him at the hands of Megatron? Ratchet had saved his life. Before that, the field medics were a little scary to deal with - high stress situations had them so very on edge to the point that everything was so very routine. But here on Earth? Things were different. Not as scary.

--I know Medical Bays and Medics aren’t for everyone, but… since there aren’t so many of us here at base, it’s- it’s weirdly okay? We all know one another, it’s not rushed or really stressful.-- quiet beeps, as if to try and reassure, unaware that her aversion wasn’t because of fear.

--Patch is really nice, too!--

A gentle shift of his weight, he would hum.

--Once it’s all over and done at least you get to pick your own room!-- maybe that was something to look forward to? Having a space for yourself to unwind was sometimes needed, and even though Omega Base wasn’t a whole lot to look at, it could at least afford the Autobots a space to call their own.

--Or did you want to do that first? Get a feel for the place before checking in with Patch?--

He was talking too much, probably, but it’d been a while since he’d gotten to meet a newcomer before everyone else!

[Deleted]

Like so many who had fought in the war, Starfall had become well practised at closing off her feelings, concealing her guilt to those around her. The Cybertronian Civil War had no shortage of atrocities committed by either side, and the femme was no stranger to enduring or dishing out brutality. Her brief outburst of sorrow was nothing but a slip of the mask, not any kind of instability. Returning to her more chipper and outgoing persona was simply adjusting that mask to sit properly again.

Bumblebee’s attempts to reassure Starfall landed with a greater effect than the scout seemed to intend. The way that he spoke about Patch and how close the Autobots were as a team was a relief, and reminded her of old times, of her old team before she lost them. The Marauders were like a family, even if they didn’t have the word for it. They were a tight knit group, united by their singular belief in a singular vision, and their combined will and desire to see it all through. To know that she could expect the same here with a fresh start on a new world, it made Starfall’s spark sing with warmth.

It was an understatement to say that she was excited to forge new bonds and make new friends - especially if everyone was as nice as Bumblebee, but not that she expected that. There were always bad apples in every group, troublemakers and people only looking out for themselves. And Star didn’t expect Omega Outpost to fall short on that front. Even the last bastion of the Autobot cause, led by Optimus Prime himself, couldn’t be that perfect.

“Don’t worry about me, it’s fine.” Starfall replied, now doing her best to try and reassure the scout that she was okay. She appreciated his concern regarding her apprehension about visiting the medical bay, misplaced as it might be. “I don’t have a problem with medics. They have a problem with me.” The femme continued, smirking cheekily. “My insides are all jumbled up, it’s a patchwork of augmentation and hasty repairs down there. Which means Patch is probably in for a hell of a shock.”

Star was surprised to hear when Bumblebee offered her a room of her own. In the general excitement of her arrival, living quarters wasn’t something she’d paid any sort of mind to. But she supposed it made sense that she would have her own. “I’ll check in with Patch first. It’s not like the rooms are going anywhere.” The femme said with confidence, before pausing suddenly, reminding herself that this was an alien world. A possibly unpredictable alien world. One that perhaps had moving rooms. “...right?”