Ep. 1 - Wastelands [Sarita McCoy]

[Deleted]

Chironex finally eased the clench of his dental plates when he realized the Sanctuary won’t keep moving any more. The impact was hard and even though he was already certain it was unavoidable some ten clicks above the ground level, landing with the power out in an uncontrollable ship wasn’t really something you could prepare for very well. He had his share of bad landings in life and he has learned how to reduce the damage done to both his ship and its cargo, but this time he felt the Sanctuary has made her last flight.

'Scrap.'

Despite the bad landing, Chironex found himself in surprisingly good condition. He sat up in the wreckage of his pilot seat and routinely checked his systems, slowly moving every servo and every articulation point to make sure they functioned properly. He didn’t worry about the ship blowing up – as an experienced traveller he engaged the emergency fuel draining protocol far before the crash. The old bot took his time before carefully making his way out of the ruins of the Sanctuary.

The scenery in front of him made his spark sink. Sanctuary, his ship, his home, his one stable point in an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable universe, was now only a little more than a pile of twisted metal and broken tubing and Chironex sadly found out he was wondering whether he will be able to salvage at least some technology rather than figuring out a way to fix it. There probably wouldn’t really be a chance to do so, even if the Sanctuary was in better shape. There was nothing but miles and miles of rust coloured grass plains in his sight with almost no landmarks as far as his damaged optics could see, with no signs of civilization close by.

‘Great. I’m stuck on a backwater planet with no ship or means to get away.’

He almost dropped his favourite I’m getting too old for this line, but then he remembered standing there and pitying himself won’t get him anywhere. He started searching through the wreckage, salvaging a small box of rations, medical kit and the black box and he thanked Primus his weapon cache was left almost intact. Before setting off for the first of many scouting journeys around the crash site, he laid his hand upon the beaten metallic nose of his fallen spaceship and sadly smiled.

‘I’ll be back for you. I promise.’

[Deleted]

//ooc// For reference purposes, this thread is set before Quiet Nights and The Red Wastes.

The sky above swirled with stars, the milky way a long, cloudy stretch that ran like a hiking trail. The moon was but a silvery orb that hung; its white light cast long shadows on the ground, interrupted by the glow on oncoming headlights. Sarita smiled quietly to herself, sitting on the hood of her car and sipping at a still-warm coffee. Somewhere in the distance, a lonesome coyote howled.

It wasn't often that she stayed out past dark. Now that Haven was her home, getting back by sunset was a new habit; she didn't want to worry Layby, and was tired of worrying about dangers after sundown. With Haven, she could call for a bridge and be home in an instant, where a soft bed, warm food and good friends were waiting for her. A place to come home to, and where she was appreciated and loved — for years, Sarita had gone without that support. It was something she could cling onto, something that gave her purpose and direction —

The busker abruptly looked up, the whistle and glow of something big hurtling her way. At first, she thought it was a meteorite, and continued to do so as it came towards Earth. The trajectory abruptly shifted downwards, and Sarita's heart skipped; the thing was coming at her.

A giant space rock was about to smash her, the car and the day's groceries into smithereens.

"OH SH — "

Jumping off the hood of the car, Sarita dropped her coffee and frantically tried to get the door open. When the "meteorite" came screaming over her head, she yelped and ducked, huddling against the side of her Sedan. Mere moments later, there was a thunderous BOOM and the acrid smell of burning metal, inky smoke lifting into the sky as a great cloud. The girl huddled a few moments more, and then very, very slowly, she lifted her head above the edge of the hood.

[Deleted]

Chironex sullenly observed the yellow-gray nothingness in front of him. Apart from occasional hills, elevations and rock formations, the place seemed empty and abandoned, as if time itself stopped on the Primus forgotten planet. He saw some of the organic life already – the sturdy shrubs, basking reptiles, a predatory bird flying over his head, but none of that helped him very much.

He liked being alone, but not lonely. The space could be a cold, silent place with nothing but jewels of stars, planets and asteroids, but there was always a song on his lips, a new task on his mind and a powerful engine under his feet that assured him there will always be a place for him in the universe. Yet now, when all of that was gone and his paint was getting covered in fine yellow dust, even the blackest depths of the galaxies seemed warm and welcoming compared to the dull, monotonous vastness of this particular desert. Chironex stopped, resting his arms on his hips.

‘Primus, I wish I was back home on Cybertron.’

His thoughts have been coming back to his homeworld more and more often. Recalling the days back in the service of senators always brought a smile to his face, even in times as desperate as these. He remembered the lights, the shining surfaces of buildings, bright optics of its inhabitants as they walked down the streets in the days of Cybertron’s greatest glory and he was standing there, observing it all and he felt proud for being a part of it all, for being a Cybertronian. And then came the days of war...

Chironex quickly shook the thought off his mind. Daydreaming could wait. Cursing the soft soil under his feet which prevented him from using his alt-mode as a mean of transport he finished the first scouting circle and passing once again by the ruins of the Sanctuary he headed towards the deep trough his ship created when it crashed, planning on exploring another section of his surroundings, but he didn’t have to go very far before his attention was captured by an object that definitely didn’t fit into the overall scenery of the wasteland.

‘Is that a...’

A machine. Even with his bad sight it couldn’t be anything else, with its four wheels and the welcoming shine of metal components. His spark suddenly pulsed faster and he speeded up his pace, his hopes renewed. Where there are machines, there is civilization. Where there is civilization, there could be a way out. And maybe, he thought, maybe the machine itself could be the sentient life he was looking for.

[Deleted]

The ground shook. Sarita's head ducked back down and she gripped the rough edges of one tire, heart beating wildly as footsteps came closer. Loud, heavy, clanking and metallic, they sounded like the the steps Layby took, and that was enough to make her peek around the corner. The bright green of a pair of eyes (optics) cut through the night, and everything in Sarita's head screamed, Cybertronian! at the sight.

Which meant that, if there was a lost Cybertronian out here, then she needed to hail a ground bridge to Haven and get him out of sight — fast.

Popping up like a gopher out of a hole, Sarita sharply yelled, "WAIT!" and held her hands up for the mech to stop. "You're too close to the road! The natives here are very flighty — you need to go back! I'll explain in a minute!"

Throwing open the door of her Sedan, the girl frantically search for the bulky, oversized cell phone that was her communicator. Frantically tossing aside her purse and some new clothes (discount sales were a weakness of hers), the girl yanked the clunky device from its hiding place. Poking her head back out (and well aware the mech would probably be wondering what the hell was going on), the woman said, "Autobot, Decepticon or unaligned? I can hail you a bridge to a DMZ, and my boss can bridge you from there if you're meeting up with someone. I, uh, realize this might be a little sudden...."

She fiddled with her communicator, trying to get Layby to pick up, or at least Cleaver.

[Deleted]

A loud shout distracted Chironex from his thoughts of rescue. Behind the object of his interest there was something moving. Coming a little closer he saw an organic calling at him and even though he was used to dealing with them, the ones on his list were usually, well, somewhat bigger. He dropped to one knee and looked at the organic closely with curiosity.

‘My name is Chironex and the war between the Autobots and Decepticons hasn’t been my concern for a long time.’

He sighed. If this person asked him about his alignment, it must have meant the conflict has spread further than he expected. What good was a war waged over the dominance on a long dead planet? What good was spreading it to other planets, too?

‘And no, I am not... meeting anyone here.’

Even though it was probably obvious, Chironex pointed to the crash site with a troubled look.

‘I crashed on this planet purely by chance, I don’t mean to intervene into the Cybertonian business here, but I do need to resupply and disappear as soon as possible.’

He went silent for a moment. Not knowing who exactly the natives of the planet were, he wasn’t sure what was the proper way to talk to them, what was considered acceptable and unacceptable and it made him a little nervous, but there was one thing that every species throughout the galaxy universally wanted, and that was money.

‘I can’t pay you, but I can offer my services in exchange for a safe transport off this place, if that would be enough.’

[Deleted]

Sarita jerked back a little when Chironex went down to one knee. He was...big, obviously, and she still was getting used to such tall beings moving around her. That said, Sarita quickly regained her composure, mentally plotting down every word he said as she kept trying to ping back base.

"My cohort might be able to help you," said Sarita, glancing back up at Chironex. It was odd, using Cybertronian terminology as she was, but it sped up communication between her and the stranger. Hopefully she wasn't misusing any words, and that the entire situation was dealt with as swiftly and politely as possible. "We don't have any ships, but we may have parts. I understand your urgency, and I'm attempting to contact the DMZ as fast as I can. Your name is...Chironex, yes?"

She put the communicator down. Grabbing the sides of her skirt, she gave an elegant bow that turned into a fluid curtsy. It was an old-fashioned greeting, but from what she knew, the sort of manners she was showing had been important on Cybertron.

"I am Sarita. I am one of the human natives of this planet, and a supply runner for the DMZ."

She stood back up, and swiftly snatched the communicator off her Sedan's hood.

"Please forgive my manners, the humans around here are very wary and suspicious of large creatures like yourself. Many human governments aren't the stablest, and with all due respect, you would inspire awe and much fear in the population. I assure you though, sir, I am used to Cybertronians and know of your planet."

Sarita wouldn't mention yet that Earth was becoming a refugee world. More and more Cybertronians had been coming back onto the radar — some good, some bad, all to be eyed with suspicion. This especially applied if they weren't neutral, but on the same coin, someone unaligned could easily be a bounty hunter or a criminal. In the woman's mind, at least Cleaver and Layby had come to Earth to seek peace, not drag a brutal civil war off one planet and onto another.

"Do you have a cohort with you, sir?"

[Deleted]

Chironex watched the human (now he knew the natives were called humans) with silent curiosity, but it was the positive kind. If there was one good thing the war brought, he thought, then it was the polite approach of this little creature towards aliens. He smiled a little when Sarita bowed to him and he nodded to her.

‘It’s an honour to meet you, Sarita. I’ve never heard of this... DMZ, but I would truly appreciate any help, though the parts...’

He sighed again and scratched his forehead, turning his sad optics towards the crash site. So far it was just a thought gnawing at his brain module, but somehow he felt that if he said the words, they will indeed become reality. He looked Sarita in the eyes and his voice dropped.

‘The Sanctuary is beyond repairs. It was a solid ship, but this landing was just too much for her.’

He was, however, distracted from his desperate thoughts for a moment. The human mentioned his homeworld. He wondered what she might have heard from the other Cybertronians residing on this planet, what did she know about the history, the culture and the war itself. Everywhere the old bot went, people were asking him ‘How goes the war?’, ‘Is the war over, yet?’, ‘Tell us about the conflict!’, ‘What side are you on, sir?’ and he felt sick that out of the millions of years of Cybertron’s existence nobody was interested in its culture, its art, language or science - that it was always the war they wanted to hear about, the war which he lost faith in so long ago.

The mention of a cohort surprised him, though. Chironex hasn’t had company – as in proper company, not counting the wide range of prisoners that came and went – ever since he left the Decepticon forces and it made him realize just how few social interactions he had with other members of his kind. Of course, he visited bars and he talked, he laughed and sang songs, but maybe the cure to his avoidance of the Cybertronian race, was to be stuck on a world like this one.

‘I travel alone. I always did.’ He smiled, trying to look as friendly as a giant metal killing machine could. ‘But I would certainly appreciate some company.’

[Deleted]

Sarita nodded. "We have accommodations for visitors, but if you need somewhere permanent to stay, you'll need to speak with my superiors. This DMZ — an acronym in my language for 'demilitarized neutral zone' — is still somewhat in a process of transition. It is a safe place for anyone, of any creed, to rest and relax and recharge. It is up and running, but it still needs a bit more work done; you may be asked to help via labour. I cannot say for sure — again, my superiors can give you the full details."

She gave up on trying to get the communicator to work. She was sure Layby would have heard her trying to ping him repeatedly; for now, she had to get Chironex out of sight. Looking over towards where The Sanctuary had crashed, Sarita said, "I can explain more when we're out of sight. Do you have materials with which to put some of the fire out? There's no doubt people will be coming to investigate, and soon. Your presence in the area needs to be kept under wraps; what is your...erm...other form, sir? Do you need something to, ah...take the shape of?"

Cybertronian transformation was still a fuzzy subject to her. She wasn't quite sure of all the particulars, especially how they could pick a vehicular form with just a glance. Sarita couldn't remember if Layby had explained the process to her or not.

[Deleted]

'I’ll speak to your superiors, but as I said - I do not intend to stay long. I understand disguise is an important matter to you and in such case I’d need an alt-mode resembling a heavy locomotive. I’d appreciate military design, but it’s not a necessity.’

Taking her uncertainty when asking about his alt-mode as a sign of her not being sure if it was polite to ask, he pointed one of his long fingers at Sarita and stared at her with an important look in his green optics.

'One more thing. You should never be afraid to ask a Cybertronian about their alt-mode. There has been an era of oppression for bots with alt-modes that were considered inferior and it eventually led to the war as we know it, but no bot needs to be ashamed of how he was forged.’

Chironex frowned as he spoke. Alt-modes were a touchy subject for some bots, but he remembered his partners from Praxian militia, bots who turned into microscopes and memory sticks and he would trust every single one of them with his life, even though they were later marked as members of a low, disposable caste. Some didn’t understand why would a bot of his standing choose to follow Megatronus, when he had all he could want, but there were only two things in the universe that Chironex cared about and that was Cybertron and his personal honour.

He spilled energon side by side with the lowliest of the low for so long he couldn’t remember, he stood firmly behind his belief and he longed, terribly longed to end the conflict once and for all. When Cybertron died, part of him died with it.

Without saying another word, he walked towards the Sanctuary’s crash site and started putting out the fires that didn’t die out on their own.

The human knows nothing. She works with Cybertronians but she still has so much to learn.

[Deleted]

Sarita was caught off-guard by the pointed finger, and she jumped a little when it was directed at her. When he spoke of how asking about an "alt-mode" wasn't rude, she nodded, quickly regaining her composure. "I shall remember that, sir," she said politely, popping open the driver's side of her Sedan. The newcomer was headed towards where he had crashed, and Sarita intended to meet him there.

When she finally pulled up to the smoking ship, she flinched. Whatever it had looked like in its prime, it was now a black, mangled, hulking shell. Fire was already dying down, and Chironex was seeing to putting out the rest of the blazes. She couldn't help but pick up on the twinge of sadness in his voice, the heaviness in his stride; the destruction of the ship was bothering him. It was probably his last connection to his home planet, and she couldn't help but be reminded of Sheila. There was an awful lot of smoke, and if there was spilt energon or other chemicals, it could be incredibly dangerous for a human to be around. Yet, he had spoken so fondly of The Sanctuary, even if it was a few brief words....

So, the human figured, she would go out and help Chironex with his ship. He had proven of decent character so far, and would warn her if she was about to step in something unpleasant. That wasn't too far-fetched to assume, right?

Opening her trunk via a button on her keys, the woman got out, hurrying towards the rear of her vehicle. Taking a small extinguisher from inside Sheila, the woman patted a light on her car, slamming down the trunk and running towards Chironex afterwards. While he worked on one side, she aimed for the other; a powdery white cloud spewed from the end of a nozzle. Aimed at the base of the flames, a couple of smaller fires winked out like candles, Sarita's eyes scanning for anything she could help with. After that, she would see if she could get Layby on the comm again.

What a godforsaken mess.... She really, really hoped she could get Haven on the line before anyone else arrived. In the meantime, she looked up at Chironex and said, "We may have a bit of a walk. I roughly remember where the nearest train station might be, but only faintly. I might have to stop and get some directions, if you don't mind waiting out in the wilderness for a bit."

[Deleted]

There was almost no fire left to put out, but Chironex always checked twice rather than leave a task – no matter how insignificant it was – only half finished. Even if it was just debris now, the Sanctuary served him well for so long he felt the ship would deserve a proper burial among the stars, as if it was a sentient Cybertronian itself, but since he knew that was out of question, he at least honoured it with a song.

Music meant very much to the old bot. He sang when he was homesick and he sang when he was happy and the death of a ship just asked for a decent goodbye that a good song would definitely provide. The deep voice resonated in his chest as he spoke the words in Primal Vernacular, clean, precise tones silently escaped his vocal processor only to disperse into nothingness like the flames he was extinguishing.

Chironex was so immersed in his thoughts he only noticed Sarita when her fire extinguisher started doing the job on the other side of the ship. Immediately, he went silent and his face twisted in a frown of disapproval. This was his job. He wanted to do this alone. Yet there was no sign in Sarita’s behaviour that would indicate she meant to distract him on purpose.

She’s just trying to help, you moron. Appreciate it.

He walked around to her side, observing the last flickers of the flames dying under the whiteness coming from her extinguisher and he smiled again.

‘Thanks, kid.’

She must have been young. He has seen enough organics in his life to at least estimate their age and from the way Sarita looked, talked and moved he dared to guess she was still in the first third of her life. And she was polite, Primus, was she polite! Under other circumstances Chironex would have thought she was scared, but if there was one thing in life he has learned something about, it was fear. What Sarita presented to him was definitely not the thing.

‘I don’t mind the wilderness, not at all,’ he answered her question. ‘Will you walk on your own or do I carry you?’

He froze for a moment, realizing those were not the exact words he wanted to use. After all, she was a free, sentient being and he only ever asked that question when some of his captives were big enough to keep up the pace with him.

Old habits die hard.

[Deleted]

The mech was offering to carry her. Sarita gave a small look of surprise, and she couldn't help but blush. "Oh no sir, I am fine," she said, "but I do very much appreciate your offer. It's rather dark out, and I realize that Cybertronians have a higher spectrum of vision than humans do, but there might be parts of the terrain that could catch you. I would like to scout ahead, to make sure you do not trip — I wouldn't want you to get hurt, sir."

She almost added "or scratch your finish", but that seemed too vain. She was trying to be polite, not kiss up to the mech — Sarita was a dignified woman. Grovelling was a last resort, something you used when your life depended on it, and she didn't feel afraid. Wary, yes, and not ready to jump to conclusions, but not afraid.

Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Layby or Cleaver have a word with me after this. The excitement that had followed the shock of seeing the ship crash was settling like her extinguisher's mist; she had been sudden. Chironex could be leading her along, and all of this could be a trap. And her comm wasn't working —

...Because I'm not holding down the button on it.

She gave a quiet, "Oh," at the realization, pressing down on said button. Holding the cellphone-ish device close, Sarita murmured, "Layby, it's Sarita. I'm going to need a bridge in a few minutes — we have a visitor coming in. He's just trying to find an, um...'alt-mode' right now."

She clicked the comm off, and put it in one pocket. Hopefully, Layby had heard her and would respond soon enough; she'd probably annoyed him with the pinging sound the comm made. For all that she was trying to be helpful, she was still learning the ins and outs of her job.

Looking back at Chironex, she cleared her throat politely and said, "I apologize, sir, my comm-link was being difficult. I have called base and let them know of the current situation. Do you need to grab anything from your ship before we go to the station?"

[Deleted]

Chironex laughed sincerely for a few seconds. The human was worried he could be hurt! He remembered the times when he managed to stop an assassination – with his own head – and they continued taking metal splinters from his poor brain for over a month, but he survived that and thousands of other injuries. Pain was ever a part of his life and he got used to it just as he got used to having a cannon on his shoulder, despite the initial discomfort.

‘I may be old, but it would certainly take more than stumbling on a rock to take me down. But go on. If you feel like scouting ahead, I’ll follow. As for my things...’

He looked towards the small pile of stuff that he dragged from out of the Sanctuary after the crash. If Sarita was used to the Cybertronians on this planet, she will probably not be surprised they carry weapons, but his armory would be considered extensive even among the Decepticons and he wasn’t entirely sure she’ll approve. On the other hand, he made his living as a bodyguard, a mercenary, a bounty hunter and it was the only thing he truly excelled at. Leaving his weapons behind would feel foolish.

He stared helplessly at Sarita

‘All I’ve got are my weapons.’ He quickly added: ‘I would understand if there were... arms restrictions in your base, but if it would be possible, I don’t want anyone manipulating mine.’

He started loading the weapons on his wide frame, attaching the spear on the back along with a beautifully decorated sword, after activating and deactivating the energy flail he hooked the weapon to his hip and then re-checked they were all holding in place. The knife and darts were always staying with him, no matter what, so he didn’t even bother showing he had them.

‘I am ready to go when you are.’

[Deleted]

Weapons?

Sarita was about to open her mouth and ask, but quickly stopped her thought process. If Layby wanted the mech to hand over his weapons, Layby could deal with that; Sarita was just a human. A simple, tiny human, who was prone to getting squished under the feet of larger things such as Chironex. She would not acknowledge any of this, instead saying, "Very well," and nodding politely when he was ready to go.

Turning away from Chironex, the woman began to walk through the scrub, scouting ahead as promised.

---

Well, there definitely was a train station nearby, but Sarita's familiarity with the area was lacking. Thus, what was supposed to be a short trip to the nearest station had Sarita looping back around, bringing Chironex to behind a far-off hill. Her face was red with embarrassment, the girl muttering in Spanish to save herself some dignity.

Of course it wouldn't be so cut-and-dry. Of course, in all her impulsiveness to help the newcomer and get him out of sight, she would have overlooked the notable population nearby. The station was lit up, full of moving cars and people; there was no way Chironex was going to sneak towards it. Even worse, Sarita had left her Sedan behind, and using Sheila to loop around might have been easier....

She had to stop and think. Think logically, think rationally and think without excitement or panic, yes. She stopped, ducking down behind the crest of a hill, and was well aware Chironex was probably wondering what the fuck she was doing. Quietly, Sarita said, "...I fear my knowledge of the area's geography was lacklustre. There is no way we are getting near that station, or the rails near it, without attracting serious attention. The alt-mode may have to wait."

Good job there, dumbass. Lead your guest on a wild goose chase. Have you mentioned to yourself yet how Layby is going to skin you alive?

[Deleted]

Chironex silently followed behind, not rushing, which gave him plenty of time to think. He hasn’t even had the opportunity to explore properly the planet that was to be his home for some time and his mind was already filled with questions. As a bounty hunter, he visited dozens of systems and hundreds of planets, all of them different, all of them fascinating, but there were very few that would not involve sentient species mixing, mingling and living together. The humans, apparently, were not yet introduced to the galactic society as a whole and were still blissfully unaware they weren’t alone in the universe.

He slowly continued onwards, until Sarita led him behind a small hill. He sensed the information she was about to give him won’t exactly be one of the positive ones. And he was correct - apparently getting a fitting alt-mode won't be as easy as they initially thought.

‘Do we have to wait, then?’ he asked and lying down on the ground, peeked from behind the hill’s crest towards the shining lights and busy humans. He couldn’t really see all so much – they were in a safe distance and his optics were never the same since the injury, but it satisfied his curiosity enough. These humans knew machines, they designed them, built them, used them and yet, from what Sarita told him, they would probably run away screaming if they heard one talk back to them. He turned to his companion with pure interest in his optics:

‘If there is time, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about this planet? I mean... I don’t even know what it’s called and I do not wish to sound ignorant if I meet another of your kind.’