The Wanderer: Return From Exile

Deep in the distant cosmos, beyond the reach of even the most advanced human technology, she waited. A hot breeze was blowing on a barren planet void of life, sending small dustdevils swirling across the desolate landscape as the wind hissed quietly through her armor.

Moving with stunning grace for a creature her size, she paced silently across the dead earth before pausing and sitting down, her tail curling around her huge paws as her cobalt blue optics dimmed slightly in thought. The wind increased suddenly, howling across the desert as small rocks pinged off her thick bronze armor. She barely took notice, merely digging her massive black claws into the dirt beneath her paws for a slightly better grip until the wind calmed once more.

Raising a huge forepaw, she lightly scratched at an itch on her muzzle, her lethal claws gleaming dully under a forsaken, dying sun before she lowered her paw to the ground again.

I wonder…how many millennia has it been since I was sent away… She wondered, turning her brilliant cobalt blue optics up to stare at a blood-red sky.

How long has it been since I was forced to turn my back on them all? Getting back to her feet in a single, effortless movement, she began walking again, the endless line of huge pawprints behind her slowly being wiped away by the desert wind, leaving no evidence that anything had ever walked there.

How long have I been a wanderer? Her head was fully raised, and she held herself with absolute confidence and pride despite the fact that there was no one around to judge her now.

How long have I been alone, without even a friend to return to, or a place to call home? Her optics stayed trained on the sky, ever watchful, always searching as memories of the 'Bots she used to know flowed through her processor like a never-ending story.

How long have I been forsaken? Sinking deep into memories of dear friends and better days, she kept walking, until a ping in her processor made her pause with one paw still in midair.

And what would this be? She wondered, lowering her paw as her optics dimmed slightly while she identified what had caused the ping.

A communication burst? From where? Cybertron has been gone since long before this planet was even formed… Wondering to herself, she accepted the transmission, astonishment curling through her spark as she heard a voice that was both achingly familiar and easily recognizable.

Optimus Prime… She listened intently for the next thirty or so seconds, waiting for the transmission to end before she slowly sat down, thinking very, very hard.

Was I even meant to receive this message, or was it just an open burst meant to reach any 'Bot left online in the farthest reaches of space? Shaking her head slightly, knowing she didn't have those answers, she got back to her feet, pausing for just a moment to raise her optics to the sky once more.

No matter. If Optimus sent that message with no set recipients, then it must mean he needs every 'Bot he can get. I must go there…to Earth. I must. Dropping into a crouch, she tensed all the cables in her frame until they creaked, they were so tight, then launched herself into the air and transformed.

She blasted off with enough force to leave a small crater in the surface of the planet, and as she howled through the atmosphere and into space, she opened a channel and sent out a broadcast of her own.

::Message received and acknowledged, Optimus Prime. I am on my way.::

A Few Days Later…

It was early. Early enough that the sun had not yet risen and the sky was still dark. The peace and silence of the morning was something that Will Lennox had always loved, even moreso during his time in the military.

Standing on the front porch of his house, overlooking the base that the United States military shared and jointly operated with Optimus Prime and his Autobots, Will took in a deep breath, closing his hazel eyes and sighing in content as the cool air filled his lungs.

Not very often that I can find the time to just sit and enjoy the day, even in the mornings, he thought as he opened his eyes, scanning the dark streets out of habit before a slight movement off to one side caught his attention.

Turning his head slightly, he looked over, unable to keep a slight smirk from crossing his rugged face as Autobot Sideswipe, in bi-ped mode, quietly poked his head over a bush a couple houses down before moving almost silently across the street to duck down behind a car.

Amazing that a metal robot over twenty feet tall can move that quietly, Will thought before a soft hiss reached his ears. Returning his eyes to the front, he watched as the black GMC Topkick parked in his driveway dropped down on its axles slightly, as if it had seen Sideswipe sneaking around as well.

"You see him, Ironhide?" Will spoke softly, knowing from bitter experience just how good Cybertronian hearing was as the Topkick huffed slightly before responding.

"Of course, Will. He thinks he's a sneaky slagger but I've been doing this a few more millennia than he has." Ironhide responded just as softly, both the mech and the human knowing that Sideswipe hadn't heard them. Will chuckled softly, still watching Sideswipe's approach from the corner of one eye before he spoke again.

"Don't hit him too hard, 'Hide. I don't think the rest of the neighborhood is awake yet." Sensing that Sideswipe had just come into hearing range, Will fell silent as the Topkick stilled as well, raising his eyes to the sky as the silver mech approached with a huge grin slapped on his face plates.

Will couldn't help but turn his gaze to the mech, barely able to suppress a grin himself as Sideswipe looked at him and put a metal finger to his mouth plate in an exaggerated request that the human stay quiet. He nodded, watching with amusement glinting in his hazel eyes as Sideswipe inched closer and closer to Ironhide, unable to fathom what the mech had planned for his guardian before the black mech sprang into action.

Ironhide could transform astonishingly fast for a mech his size, and before Sideswipe could process what was happening, the black mech had already whipped out and charged his massive cannons. The silver mech found himself staring down the barrels of both of Ironhide's cannons, his blue optics so wide that Will nearly fell down laughing as the other mech rumbled at him.

"And what brings you to this part of the base at such an early hour, Sideswipe? I would swear that your quarters are in the main berthing area with the majority of the other Autobots." Ironhide's deep voice seemed to shock the silver mech back to his senses. Backing up swiftly, Sideswipe almost tripped over a car and fell flat on his aft before dropping down into his alternate mode and racing away.

Ironhide deactivated his cannons before flipping them back into subspace as Will laughed quietly, still mindful of his sleeping neighbors as his guardian's ice blue optics landed on him for a moment before the mech dropped back into his alternate mode as well. The soldier was about to raise his eyes back to the sky when he sensed a sudden tension emanating from Ironhide.

"Ironhide? Something wrong?" Will asked, watching the mech curiously as he shifted back and forth on his tires uneasily for several seconds before the driver's side door suddenly shot open.

"Come along, Will. We need to go see Optimus." The black mech rumbled as the human came down the stairs and hopped into the cab. The door shut softly and the seatbelt came across Will's chest and buckled before Ironhide backed out of the driveway and drove quickly down the street.

"What's up, 'Hide? Optimus never calls this early unless it's an emergency." Will said, staring at the dash expectantly as the mech hopped a curb and went offroad through an open field to reach the part of the base where the Autobots conducted the majority of their operations.

"Optimus didn't call, Will. I just received a transmission that needs to be brought to his attention immediately." His guardian stated, his voice echoing from the speakers in the cab as they hit pavement again, rolling up to the berthing hangar before Ironhide rolled to a stop to let Will hop out. Once the human was clear, the black mech transformed in a swirl of alloys and moving parts, his ice blue optics glowing brightly in the predawn darkness as he stepped forward and opened the door. Will followed behind the mech, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting inside that revealed an astonishing sight that few humans had ever seen.

All of the mechs and femmes on base that didn't have a sparkmate were situated in one main berthing area, each of them sprawled out on tall metal berths in bi-ped mode as they recharged peacefully. Ironhide silently made his way between berths, Will following quickly, before reaching a door in the back of the room and opening it. Both went through, ending up in a long, well-lit corridor with doors on both sides. The mechs and femmes in this area had sparkmates or were high ranking Autobots, therefore affording them their own quarters away from the rest of the 'Bots.

Moving without pause, Ironhide made his way down the corridor before stopping at a door and rapping his knuckles against it. Will stopped a few feet away as Ironhide knelt down and picked him up before rising back to his full height as the door hissed open.

Even after years of knowing this 'Bot, Will still felt the air leave his chest in awe at the sight of the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Towering over Ironhide by several feet, there was no 'Bot living that was more impressive than Optimus. His optics were slightly dimmed from being roused from recharge, but on seeing the serious look on Ironhide's face plates, Optimus waved him inside, taking note of Will's presence as he greeted them both.

"Ironhide, Will. What brings you here at this hour? Has something happened?" Prime asked, waving Ironhide towards a massive Autobot sized couch in the middle of the main area before he faced them both head on. Ironhide chose to stay on his feet, facing his leader before he replied.

"Prime, you may want to check your message queue. There was a transmission that came in about ten minutes ago that requires your immediate attention." The black mech said, both him and Will waiting quietly as Optimus's optics dimmed again and he looked up the message Ironhide had mentioned.

As Optimus continued with his search, Will looked up at Ironhide, asking a question that the mech still hadn't really answered for him.

"Ironhide, what is going on?" Twitching slightly, the mech focused his optics on his human charge, but before he could answer, a quiet intake of air from Optimus drew both of their attention.

Seeing the look on his leader's face, Ironhide's optics darkened slightly before he took a step closer to Optimus and spoke again.

"Is she not still forbidden from associating with us, Optimus? Or has something changed since she was sent away all those millennia ago?" The black mech asked, confusing Will even further as Optimus vented sharply before replying.

"Honestly Ironhide, I had no idea she was still online. She just disappeared after the order came down from the council. I remember that the Decepticons were searching for her rather vigorously after the war broke out…we were as well. With her rather…unique skills, she would make a great ally for either side. But the 'Cons never found her, nor did we…I just assumed she was either out of reach or entirely beyond redemption. I see now that my assumptions were wrong…" His voice trailed away as a thoughtful light filled his dark blue optics. Ironhide stiffened, and Will felt it, before he spoke again.

"Optimus…surely you aren't considering allowing her to return. We have sparklings here now, and the humans as well. She would be a danger to them all." Optimus looked at Ironhide so sharply that the black mech stepped back before the red and blue mech spoke again.

"That was a very long time ago, Ironhide. As it stands, the grounds on which she was exiled were shaky at best, and she was only sent away in a vain attempt to keep war from breaking out. Remember, I was on the council that sent her away. I voted against her exile. What happened was beyond her control, as we later found out. One of the very first Decepticons, Shockwave, as it happens, had managed to upload a virus into her processor that made her lose control of herself, but she came back to her senses before causing too much harm. It was only because of which mech she killed that she was exiled." When Optimus stopped speaking, Will could tell that Ironhide hadn't known most of the story of whatever femme it was they were talking about.

"Still, Optimus…if she lost control once, even for something that was Decepticon interference, isn't it possible that she'll lose herself again, if she hasn't already?" Ironhide put forth cautiously. He and Will both watched the expressions that crossed through Optimus's optics before the massive mech spoke again, his tone echoing with a finality that made Ironhide's shoulders drop.

"I have already given her clearance to come here once she reaches Earth, Ironhide. I guess we shall see."

She had made good time on her journey. She was perhaps one human day from reaching the planet called Earth when another ping hit her processor. Noting that the message was from Optimus Prime, she accepted it, unable to ignore the joy that flowed through her spark when she heard the contents.

::Transmission received. You are clear to land upon arrival. Welcome home, Warrior Star.::