[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Starlight Sonata [Jetfire and Sundance]
Aug 6, 2021 23:09:27 GMT -5
Post by Jetfire on Aug 6, 2021 23:09:27 GMT -5
Jetfire formulated a response to Suni's comment about the Autobot's current direction rather quickly, but he'd correctly sensed that she still had more to say. Best to hold onto it for now, then. For her follow-up remark, he was able to probe that small space between her words. It was a small pause, a search for the correct term. He felt that whatever her first choice of words had been, it might not have fit her tone appropriately. Jetfire was more than able to answer it without much thought, however. That time had long since passed, and he was already comfortable with his answer.
"A lot of reasons, though I'll try summarize them for you." Mentally cracking his knuckles and freeing up tension in his neck, Jetfire prepared himself to get down to it. Wasn't all that often that a near-complete stranger asked him to openly and honestly critique their leader. At least he wasn't a Decepticon. "Most of the original Autobots were just the leftovers of the security forces, the military, the police; the same people who were gladly beating us to death in service of the senate, not that long before."
He certainly felt like a Decepticon in that moment, though.
"To a lot of us, us being the Decepticons and the revolutionaries, Optimus was just a symbol of senate-sponsored division; another Prime handpicked to step on the little fella for the sake of the status quo. Another Sentinel." His ire peaked at having to again name the fallen Prime. "Plenty of hardline Decepticons felt Megatron should've been given the position that day, but I've always disagreed." On that note of disagreement, Jetfire fell silent in contemplation. Serious contemplation.
"Personally, I've never been all that keen on the idea of having a Prime." Sentences that would get you shot a few cycles ago. "Having that much power vested into a single being is never in the interests of the people they rule over. So, for me to leave the Decepticons, and to serve Optimus? I felt like the biggest hypocrite on Cybertron..." There was a But coming, but for the space that lingered in the air afterward, Jetfire once again collected his thoughts. He came to realize that it had been a very, very long time since he'd spoken as openly as he did now. His time away seemingly had done him some good, after all.
"I wasn't happy about having to trust this person with not only my life, but with the lives of my friends and allies as well. A title alone does not correlate to one's ability to lead others, much less a lifetime's experience as an archivist." Subtly, at the edge of perception, Sundance would've been able to detect the hint of a leer in the corner of Jetfire's lips. Evidently an old and deep-seeded criticism. "But over time, he proved me right." With a twist in phrasing, Jetfire paused before elaborating. "Optimus had to make mistakes and learn, just like the rest of us, how to do what he did; to lead others, and to hold their hopes in his hands," he said. "And he made mistakes. But unlike the rest of us, he had everyone watching him while he stumbled, and he had to have everyone watching while he tried to learn."
Jetfire found himself leaning over to his right side, propping his chin up with his elbow against his leg. "I've never envied him, in what he's had to do, also counting what he still has yet to do. But I follow him because I trust him, not because he's a Prime. I have faith that regardless of whatever happens, Optimus has the strength of character to grow from it." The Seeker gave a shrug. "And if my faith is misplaced, then a decent kick in the aft ought to get things moving in the right direction."
He let out a metaphorical breath, a shift of air from his vents, after having concluded what felt like his second speech of the night. Very fortunate that he'd had all that public speaking experience from before the war; he hoped it showed. Jetfire shook his head. He was both distant and quiet for what seemed like a long time after that.
"But before, when you mentioned you thought we might not make it to the end..." he began, already firing up speech number three. "I would be lying if I said I haven't thought the same. Perhaps I still do. But, the only way I can know for certain, about whether or not this war ends up being worth fighting, or even surviving, is to do my utmost to make it to that end, whatever it may be..."
"Giving up, especially now, is not something I can countenance for myself."
"A lot of reasons, though I'll try summarize them for you." Mentally cracking his knuckles and freeing up tension in his neck, Jetfire prepared himself to get down to it. Wasn't all that often that a near-complete stranger asked him to openly and honestly critique their leader. At least he wasn't a Decepticon. "Most of the original Autobots were just the leftovers of the security forces, the military, the police; the same people who were gladly beating us to death in service of the senate, not that long before."
He certainly felt like a Decepticon in that moment, though.
"To a lot of us, us being the Decepticons and the revolutionaries, Optimus was just a symbol of senate-sponsored division; another Prime handpicked to step on the little fella for the sake of the status quo. Another Sentinel." His ire peaked at having to again name the fallen Prime. "Plenty of hardline Decepticons felt Megatron should've been given the position that day, but I've always disagreed." On that note of disagreement, Jetfire fell silent in contemplation. Serious contemplation.
"Personally, I've never been all that keen on the idea of having a Prime." Sentences that would get you shot a few cycles ago. "Having that much power vested into a single being is never in the interests of the people they rule over. So, for me to leave the Decepticons, and to serve Optimus? I felt like the biggest hypocrite on Cybertron..." There was a But coming, but for the space that lingered in the air afterward, Jetfire once again collected his thoughts. He came to realize that it had been a very, very long time since he'd spoken as openly as he did now. His time away seemingly had done him some good, after all.
"I wasn't happy about having to trust this person with not only my life, but with the lives of my friends and allies as well. A title alone does not correlate to one's ability to lead others, much less a lifetime's experience as an archivist." Subtly, at the edge of perception, Sundance would've been able to detect the hint of a leer in the corner of Jetfire's lips. Evidently an old and deep-seeded criticism. "But over time, he proved me right." With a twist in phrasing, Jetfire paused before elaborating. "Optimus had to make mistakes and learn, just like the rest of us, how to do what he did; to lead others, and to hold their hopes in his hands," he said. "And he made mistakes. But unlike the rest of us, he had everyone watching him while he stumbled, and he had to have everyone watching while he tried to learn."
Jetfire found himself leaning over to his right side, propping his chin up with his elbow against his leg. "I've never envied him, in what he's had to do, also counting what he still has yet to do. But I follow him because I trust him, not because he's a Prime. I have faith that regardless of whatever happens, Optimus has the strength of character to grow from it." The Seeker gave a shrug. "And if my faith is misplaced, then a decent kick in the aft ought to get things moving in the right direction."
He let out a metaphorical breath, a shift of air from his vents, after having concluded what felt like his second speech of the night. Very fortunate that he'd had all that public speaking experience from before the war; he hoped it showed. Jetfire shook his head. He was both distant and quiet for what seemed like a long time after that.
"But before, when you mentioned you thought we might not make it to the end..." he began, already firing up speech number three. "I would be lying if I said I haven't thought the same. Perhaps I still do. But, the only way I can know for certain, about whether or not this war ends up being worth fighting, or even surviving, is to do my utmost to make it to that end, whatever it may be..."
"Giving up, especially now, is not something I can countenance for myself."