“It’s not enough just to
Stand outside the fire.”
Standing Outside the Fire – Garth Brooks
 

 Razorsharp leaned back against the dirty wall, letting it hold her up.  “Remember to be still,” she instructed.  “At this distance, if you move suddenly, you may get shot before I know what I'm doing.”

 “Cheerful thought,” Raven offered, leaning against the wall as well.  “Are you going to let me know when I can move again?”

 “And not go home covered in glory all for myself?”  Razor's smile was typically Decepticon.

 “You'd be covered in something, that's for sure.”  The Autobot sighed and crossed her arms.  “Wake me when you're done.”

 “Rodimus Prime is rubbing off on you,” Razorsharp muttered sourly.

 “Donut I know it?  Now lets get on with this so I can go home and get rubbed on some more.”

 “Degenerate.”

 Raven let her last comment pass unanswered, and Razorsharp thanked Primus silently.  Stilling her form, she shut down her optics and channeled all available power to her audio circuits, picking out soft sounds from an impossible distance, mixed in a jumble with other, closer, sounds.  She filtered out the drum of her own fuel pump by habit, then filtered out Raven's as well, calming more of the static.  Another sound distracted her attention; something fast and repetitive she couldn't identify.  She stretched out her hand, trying to get a fix on the direction of the strange noise.

 Razorsharp equalized her sensors, then brought her optics up to see where the sound was originating.  Her palm hovered just in front of Raven's abdomen.

 The cool violet optics regarded her.  “Getting a bit personal, aren't we?”

 Razor stared at her.  “You're — What do you think you're doing?  You're endangering the mission and the life-”

 “Lives,” Raven interrupted.

 “Whatever.  The lives of your progeny.  What are you thinking of?”

 “I'm thinking that I have an assignment to finish, and Optimus Prime didn't give me a choice, and I'm scared out of my processor, but I have to finish it.  Then I'm going to give him the mother of all guilt trips.”

 Razorsharp sighed.  “Does Rodimus Prime know about this?”

 Raven shook her head.  “No.  There wasn't time before we left for me to contact him.  Optimus is still punishing me for taking Sirius and Destiny to Rueter V.  He keeps sending Rodimus on messenger-boy trips to Earth, and insisting there is no need for me to go.”

 “You're chasing around Charr with his heirs and he doesn't know?”  Razorsharp was incredulous.

 “About the sparks?  Of course he knows.  But I was supposed to stay on Cybertron.  Rodimus and I were going to talk to Optimus about it when he got back.”  She looked around their bleak surroundings.  “Looks like I'm going to have to put that off.  Hess going to be disappointed when he gets back.”

 “Why?”

 “Oh, nothing.  Just more of that degenerate stuff.”  She pushed off from the wall.  “Let's get this over with.”

 The pair crept through the nearly abandoned base, clinging to shadows and working to avoid the grit that crunched under a careless foot.  Near the occupied areas, Raven pulled Razorsharp into a dark alcove with a soft tug at the elbow.

 Razor cast a quick look at their surroundings, then glanced back to Raven in time to see her unlatching the catches on her breastplate.

 “This is hardly the time to consider fraternizing,” she hissed to the Autobot, “and despite any lurid tales you might have heard, I have no interest --”

 “Shut up,” Raven hissed back.  “And turn around.  Did you think I was going to go marching into an audience with Cyclonus or Galvatron with an Autobot symbol plastered to my head?  Just how many kinds of stupid do you think I am today?”

 Razorsharp wheeled about, facing the empty corridor.  “Well, how was I to know?  I don't often get hauled into niches only to find bots disrobing.  Are you planning on parading around naked, then?”

 “I brought some other armor, and my old helmet.  It was unmarked, but it's better than this one.  Here.  Hold this a minute.”

 Razor felt the cold metal connect with her hand and grasped it instinctively.  “It's heavy,” she remarked, hefting it with consideration.

 “I know.  Perceptor is putting something new together for me, but it's on hold for a while.  No point in getting it all perfect then having to retrofit everything.”  Razorsharp heard the audible click of another helmet locking into place.  “You can hand it back now.  I'm just going to subspace everything until we get home.”  She laughed softly at Razor's awkward backward pass.  “You can look.  I'm decent, I promise.”

 Razorsharp turned around, eyeing her replacement armor.  “It's too tight,” she noted.

 “Don't I know it.  But it was the best we could do to find matching spare parts.”  She shifted uncomfortably, partly in reaction to the tight armor, and partly to the amount she had sub-spaced.  “Too much stuff, not enough room,” she muttered.

 “Can you complete the mission?”

 “Do I have a choice?  Optimus wants this data badly enough to come down very hard on me about it.  ‘No excuses’ were his words.”  She drew a dark cloak over her shoulders.  “Might as well get on with it.  None of this is going to get any better.”
 

 Razor could hear Raven muttering as she downloaded the terminal's files.  “Hurry up," she murmured.  “I think we are about to attract attention.”

 “Just … about … done,” Raven murmured, removing her hand from the console.  “May I assist you?” she heard Cyclonus ask, and turned to face him.

 “Decepticon Raven,” he greeted her, a note of surprise in his voice.  “I did not expect to see you again.  You have been well?”

 “Tolerable, Cyclonus.  And yourself?”

 “The same.  But I must ask.  What information were you accessing on the terminal?”

 “My companion and I need a moment of the Great One's time.  I was just wondering if his schedule today would permit an audience.”

 “I do not believe he will see you, Lady Raven, but if you wish to wait and-”

 Cyclonus was cut off as the huge double doors behind him opened and the violet form of Galvatron stormed out.

 “Gather my troops, Cyclonus.  We go to reclaim Cybertron!  I will personally wring the scrawny neck of Rodimus Prime with my bare hands.”  He stopped short on spying the femmes, then approached them slowly.  “Do I not know you?  Both of you?”  He reached out and tilted Razorsharp’s chin up, and Raven could see the tension in her jaw.

 “I do not believe so,” Razor gritted out.  “We have not met.”

 “No.  We have not.”  Abruptly, he let her head drop.  “But you,” he continued, turning to Raven, “you I know.”

 Raven let her optics drop a little.  “We met briefly, Lord.  I brought you the information on Megatron’s mate.”

 Galvatron’s chuckle was distinctly unpleasant.  “Oh, no.  I don't think so, Little Bird.  You don't look dead to me...yet.”  His fist lashed out and wrapped itself around her throat, lifting her from the floor.  “You gave your word, my duplicitous love, and you will honor it, for the few breem you have left.”

 She thrashed and squirmed in his iron grip.  “You ... were ... dead,” she gasped.  “The ... oath ... was ... void.”

 “I am not dead, my little pleasurebot.  Merely reformed.”

 “I ... was ... dead.”

 “And you will be again.  The symmetry is irresistible.”  With that he tossed her across the room, where she crashed into the wall, then slid to the floor in a heap.

 Galvatron stalked from the room without a backward glance.

 Razor waited until Cyclonus followed him, then raced over to where Raven lay huddled on the steel floor.

 “Do we need to warn Optimus about Galvatron?”  Her voice was edgy, betraying her nervous state.

 “Not really,” Raven groaned as Razorsharp hauled her to a sitting position.  “Cyclonus will convince him that the plan needs some modification.”  She wrapped her arms across her abdomen and curled over them, drawing her knees up as well.  “That was certainly not fun,” she muttered.

 “Are you all right?”

 Raven set her jaw and pushed herself to her feet along the wall.  “I don't know, and this isn’t the place to find out.  Let's get out of here and deal with it on Cybertron.”

 “That may be the wisest thing you have said today.”
 
 

 Sirius stood guard outside the infirmary.  Though no one had assigned him to it, he still felt a keen need to do something, anything, that would help.  His lady mother had been short with him when her ship had landed, sharp even, roughly directing him to do something useful that kept him out of the way.  She then had escorted the hunched-over Raven to infirmary, sparing her eldest not so much as a backward glance.

 So Sirius stood.  Perceptor appeared a moment or two after the femmes had entered, brusquely telling the young mech to keep himself and any other bots out until he gave different orders.  Snatching on the suggestion, Sirius posted himself as sole guard, defending, in his own mind, at least, his mother and Raven from any attack.

 Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, putting Sirius to the test.  He watched with a certain amount of trepidation as Rodimus Prime stalked toward him, cape flapping and optics burning cold blue flame.

 “You better not be planning on keeping me out,” he advised Sirius as he approached.

 Sirius had heard all the stories, but now he was facing the reality.  This was the Rodimus Prime who had sent Galvatron into retreat during the battle with Unicron, the Rodimus Prime who had faced down Sharkticons, Quintessons and Decepticons before even coming into his own.  And Sirius was determined to stand his ground.

 “Perceptor has ordered me to allow no one entry, Rodimus Prime.  And the Lady Razorsharp said-”

 Rodimus cut him off.  “Look, Kid, I don't care what Perceptor said.  And if I hear one more round right now of ‘Razorsharp says’ I'm going to start putting holes in something.  So get out of the way before you get hurt.”

Sirius weighed the possibilities for a long moment.  Rodimus Prime was older, stronger and faster, and there was a certain cold insanity in those eyes, something Sirius didn't want to calculate wrong.  Finally he stepped aside.

 “Good choice,” Rodimus gritted, striding past.  Just before he reached the door, he turned back.  “Hey, Kid.  I appreciate you watching out for her.  But it's my job right now.  You understand?”

 “I understand, Rodimus Prime.”

 The door slid shut on its runners, and Sirius resumed his position.
 

 Rodimus quietly approached the berth Raven occupied, casting quick glances around the room, but seeing no one.  He could hear Razorsharp and Perceptor talking in hushed tone, probably in an office.

 Raven lay quietly in her berth, and he watched a moment as the electronic monitors traced out her life signs, and the erratic squiggles that Perceptor had pointed out before Rodimus’s trip to Earth, representing his heirs, the sparks of awareness that Raven guarded.

 Rodimus dragged over a stool and settled onto it, picking up one of Raven's lax hands, careful to avoid dislodging the sensor over her finger.  He sandwiched it between his own, a bit disturbed by its coolness and slackness as he cradled it.  He sighed softly.  “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

 “Trouble, of course.”

 Rodimus looked toward the voice, seeing Razorsharp in another doorway.  “I take it you were in on the latest stunt, then?”  His voice was light, but there was coiled tension in his frame, waiting to break out.

 “She did what she had to do.”

 “What she had to do was wait here for me to get back, not chase across the galaxy with you.  Why do you two always seems to end up with your fat in the fire?”

 “I'm not fat,” a voice below him murmured.

 He looked down to see Raven optics half-illuminated.  “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.  Welcome to the party.”

 The edge of her mouth quirked up in a smile.  “Can I just send regrets and go back to bed?”

 “Don't think it's going to work this time.  How are you feeling?”

 Her answer was succinct.  “Better.”

 “Better than what?  Dead?  What were you doing this time?”

 “It's complicated, as usual.”  She managed to sit up and swing her legs over the edge of the berth.  “I need to get to the lab before it gets much later.”  She would have stood up, but he restrained her.

 “No.  Not yet.  Not until Perceptor gives you a green light.”

 They were interrupted by Sirius’s voice on the intercom.  “Optimus Prime is here.  He needs to speak with Raven.”

 Perceptor appeared, opening the door.  “May as well.  No one else is staying out.”

 Raven managed to make it to her feet as Optimus approached.  “Were you and Razorsharp successful, Lieutenant?”

 “We were, sir.  I have the data from the main computers on Charr,” she informed him.

 “Then why don't I have that data where I can use it?  You were supposed to get it to me immediately on your return.”

 Rodimus rounded on him.  “Cut her some slack, Optimus.  She was injured.  And what’s with sending her to Charr in her condition?  She’s pregnant, for the love of Primus.”

 The Autobot leader looked back and forth between them, his gaze finally settling on the hybrid femme.  “Lieutenant?”

 She offered a half-hearted shrug.  “You said no excuses, Optimus Prime.  And Perceptor assures me that there appears to be no damage from the blow Galvatron gave me.  But he would prefer me to remain in Iacon for the remainder of the term.”

 “Solitary confinement would be ideal,” the scientist chimed in, “but I doubt it would prove conducive to your state of mind.  So remaining at your desk will have to suffice.”

 Optimus counted to ten – in Cybertronian, English, and a number of other languages, waiting for his temper to become manageable.  “All right.  This is how I’d like to do things, then.  Lieutenant, I want you to make that upload as soon as possible.  Once I have that data, you are relieved of off-planet duty until further notice.  However, Governor Barzan of Omicron Rho has expressed interest in making an unofficial visit.  Think you're up to dealing with that?”

 “Assuming Perceptor doesn't limit my activity, I should be able to manage,” Raven assured him.

 “Then I'm assigning you back to Diplomatic Security.”  He looked at Rodimus.  “You're going to take a leave or something if I try sending you off-planet, right?”

 “Wouldn’t you, if you were in my position?”

 “I suppose I would.  See if you can find the surface of your own desk, then.  I’ll take your report in my office right away, Lady Razorsharp, assuming you are free.”

 “At your convenience, Optimus Prime.”

 “Nothing else seems to be,” he grumbled on the way out.
 

 Sirius was in the Archives when Raven found him.

 “So what are you up to Sirius?” she asked, leaning against his study carrel.  She had changed to plain armor, sporting no gauntlets, vambraces or greaves.  It had an almost casual effect.

 “Studying.  I was trying to correlate come of those stories you told us to events listed in the Histories.”

 “How is it going?” she asked.

 “Not very well, I'm afraid.  There are occasional brief references to celebrations and certain matches in the arena.”  A slight smile crossed his face.  “I have yet to find any reports of matched you or my mother fought.”

 Raven chuckled.  “Yes, well, we were something of an oddity.  I know it was a long time before I was taken seriously.  And by the time your mother was fighting, I was in the Armada,”  She glanced over at a lighted window.  “Why aren't you doing this research in the Decepticon Archives?  There’s bound to be more information there.”

 “I think Maman does not like to be reminded of how personal the history is.  She distances herself from it to avoid the pain, I think.”

 “There’s plenty of pain there to go around,” Raven agreed.  “So are you going to keep on playing scholar?” she asked at last.

 “What else is there for me to do?  Very few of your comrades would trust me, I think.”

 “Well, I’ll find something for you to do.  Come with me while I meet with Optimus, then I can have you run some errands for me.  It will get ‘my comrades,’ as you put it, used to dealing you.”

 “Why should I care?” he asked, the picture of youthful Decepticon insolence.

 “Because I said to?” she suggested.  When he appeared unimpressed, she offered him a Decepticon half-smile.  “Because it has to be better than fruitless busywork.  Besides, you might like it.”

 “Being an errand mechlet for an Autobot?  Somehow I doubt that, Lady.”  The Decepticon title was delivered with an ironic sneer.

 Raven gave him a level look.  “You would have been doing the same thing for your father if you were still on Mars.  My brother went to duties with our father everyday until he left for the Arena.  If you prefer to work with your mother, I would understand.  But you need to do something, Sirius.  And I would be honored to work with you.”

 It was a long moment while he looked at her.  Then he stood, pushing aside his studies.  “I would be honored to work with you as well, Lieutenant.”
 

 Sirius leaned against the wall outside Optimus Prime’s office, trying to appear casual, and hoping to avoid drawing too much of Rodimus Prime’s attention.  The Heir to the Matrix leaned against the opposite wall, next to the door.  And Sirius could feel the Autobot’s optics flick over him every few seconds.

 He had met them outside the office and exchanged a few quiet words with Raven, then looked sharply at Sirius, as if assessing.  Finally, he had nodded, kissed the bridge of her nose, then released her for her meeting with Optimus.

 The optics came to rest on him again, holding firm this time and not flickering off.

 “So she asked you to help out,” Rodimus stated, breaking the tense silence.  “Why?”

 “Because I am doing nothing else, perhaps.”  He sighed heavily.  “It is traditional among Decepticons for members of the younger generation to assist their progenitors or friends of the family.  It's a way to explore occupations.”

 The Autobot appeared to consider that for several moments, then nodded, almost to himself.

 “Look, kid -- Sirius,” he backtracked, correcting himself, “I want to talk to you a minute, mech to mech.”  He pushed away from his spot and leaned against the wall next to Sirius.  “I'm a little worried about Raven.  She’s kind of high-strung normally, and this pregnancy isn’t helping that.  Plus twins are pretty rare among Autobots, so Perceptor isn’t really sure if she’s doing okay or not.  And since she wants you to help her with this visit thing, I know she’s thinking about it, too.  So I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye on her, remind her to rest if she gets tired, that kind of thing.  Think you can manage?”

 “Am I to report her activities to you as well, Rodimus Prime?”

 Rodimus shook his head.  “No.  I don't want you to violate her confidence.  Just keep an optic on her, and if you see a chance to do something for her, don't hesitate, okay?  I would really appreciate it.”

 Sirius studied him, doing some evaluating of his own.  “If you had asked me to spy on her, I would have refused you.  But I can do what you have asked with honor.”

 Rodimus offered him a quirky smile.  “Whatever works for you.  I’ve always worried about self-preservation first, though.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Think what would happen to you if Raven even thought you were spying on her.  And it would be considerably worse for me if I had put you into that kind of position.  She’d pull out one of those knives and hand me my....  Well, anyway, it wouldn’t be pleasant.”

 Sirius imagined for a moment the number of things Raven could damage with one of her razor-edged titanium blades.  “Truly,” he acknowledged.

 Rodimus chuckled indulgently.  “You said a mouthful there, Sirius.”

 Before he could continue, the office door opened and Raven emerged, clearly downcast.  She didn't get two steps before Rodimus was beside her, holding her hand.  “Bad meeting?” he asked.

 “It was useless,” she said tonelessly.

 “You had a useless meeting with Optimus Prime?” he clarified.  “That doesn't sound good.”

 “The meeting wasn't useless.  The data Razorsharp and I brought back from Charr was corrupted.  It's useless to Optimus Prime.  And I can’t.... I begged him not to send me again.  It was too dangerous the first time, and if I tried again, I would have no chance of getting out.”  Sirius could see how she leaned against Rodimus for support.  “So I asked him not to assign me to the task again.  Because I swore I would never defy his authority.  I’ve come too close in the past.  I couldn't outright refuse an order.”

 Rodimus wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  “You did the right thing,” he assured her.  “You have enough on your plate, more than enough.  I’d fall apart having to worry about those kids everyday, and you're handling it great.  And putting together this diplomatic thing?  I wouldn’t know where to start.  But I know you and Sirius are going to have that snapping in no time.  Right, Sirius?”  He gave the young mech a pointed look.

 “Indeed.  And I am sure to learn many useful skills from Lieutenant Raven.  But if you would rather begin tomorrow, I will wait.”

 She rallied a bit, pulling back from Rodimus.  “No.  We’re going to start today.  Can you meet me in my office in two breem?  I’d like a private word with Rodimus.”

 Sirius clashed a fist to his breastplate.  “Honor and glory, Lieutenant.”

 “Honor and glory, Sirius.”

 Rodimus watched as the youth’s figure disappeared around a corner.  “’Honor and glory’ still?  You're going to have to break him of that eventually.”

 “It's better than ‘Honor to Deceptica,’” she retorted.
 

 The list of tasks Raven had given him had been long.  And though none of the elements had been difficult, they had required speaking to a number of different Autobots while maintaining a certain amount of respect and dignity.  He had been polite and straightforward, though he’d had to grip his temper with both hands at times and smile while mentally reciting every obscenity he could recall.

 “Did you ever stop to think about why we’re here?”

 Destiny looked up from her reading at her brother’s abrupt question.  “How do you mean ‘here,’ Sirius?  ‘Here’ as in Iacon, or ‘here’ as in existing at all?  Because I know the answer to the former, and I never considered the latter.”

 “Why we exist.  What is our purpose?  What is my purpose?”

 “To gain honor and glory?  I don't know, Sirius.  Why do you ask?”

 “I’ve been looking around me,” he began.  “Watching, listening, remembering.  I see such purpose in the Autobots now.  Raven went out on that mission to Charr when she shouldn’t have left Iacon.  Rodimus risks mockery and derision to be with her, and yet he is devoted to her care and protection.  I even sense it in out mother, in the way she works to change attitudes among those here while waiting for the day the Decepticons are restored to Cybertron.  I feel like I am the only one sitting on my hands doing nothing.”

 “Maman does not serve the Autobots, Sirius.  How can you suggest such a thing?”

 “Maman does what is necessary to accomplish her goals, and I think her goals are the same as Optimus Prime’s and Rodimus’s.  To see the Decepticons restored to Cybertron with some kind of peace agreement.  I want to find some way to help.  I don't want to sit and  watch everyone else live while we merely survive.”

 “What are you going to do, Sirius?  Take the oath and follow orders like a good little Autobot?  Wouldn’t that make Maman proud?  Her best beloved eldest a turncoat.”  Sarcasm dripped from Destiny’s voice.

 “Don't be absurd.  I’ll never go that far.  But look around you, Destiny.  The Decepticons are not what they were in Maman and Raven's stories.  They will never be that force again.  But they do not deserve to hang around the fringe of the galaxy and beg for scraps.  They deserve better.”

 “We, brother,” she reminded him.  “Unless you have already turned to the Autobots in your soul, you are still one of us.”

 “Do you starve on some frozen asteroid, Destiny?  You may think yourself one of the noble few, but take a good look around.  We have shelter, energon and protection.  We could have purpose if we only wanted to do something.”

 Destiny shut off her data pad and set it on the low table near her chair.  “Very well, brother.  What do we want to do?”  Her smile was bright and insincere.

 “I don't know yet.  But when I do, when I have a plan, will you help me?”

 Destiny stood, every bit as graceful as her mother, and collected her data pad.  “Sirius, I sincerely hope you are playing some elaborate jest on me.  Otherwise, I would be tempted to believe you were going insane.”  She swept through the door to her room and it slid closed silently behind her.
 

 Sirius moved through the halls of Iacon, hoping the care he took to be quiet and remain unseen was enough.  It had occurred to him as he set out on this mission that he had never truly needed to be silent before.  That nothing he had done had ever been this REAL.  And now he was sneaking out of the Autobot stronghold on what could be his most glorious mission ever.  Or he could be sneaking to his own death.

 He felt a brief stab of guilt as he passed Raven's office.  She had worked him hard in recent weeks, and there had been challenges in the assignment she gave him, helping to arrange the imminent visit of the Rhodian head of state.  But he reminded himself firmly that everything was in readiness, and the only missing element the Governor himself, due to arrive in a handful of days.  There was nothing to do but wait and le those with assigned tasks complete them.

 The hanger was before him within a few more minutes and he was almost free.  Then, disaster struck.

 A figure in the darkness confronted him, sky-blue optics glowing.  “Going somewhere, kid?”

 Sirius paused in his tracks at the voice.  There was no way he would be allowed to leave now.  And no point in lying.  “I was going to the Decepticons,” he admitted.

 The figure stepped into a pool of light, revealing the flame-red form of Rodimus Prime.  “Declaring war?  Aren’t you a little young yet to throw away your life?”

 Sirius scoffed.  “I am declaring peace.”
 

 Lady Razorsharp’s quarters normally seemed spacious.  But they did not normally contain eight bots, most of whom were annoyed to be disturbed during their sleep cycles.

 “He admitted to treason,” Kup insisted yet again.  “We should haul his tail to the detention level and lock him up.”

 “Captain, I want to hear the whole story,” Optimus reiterated.  “I assume you have a good reason for chasing after the remains of the Decepticon forces?”

 “I have already told you,” Sirius said.  “I wish to declare peace between the Decepticons and Autobots.”

 “It's an admirable goal, Sirius,” Raven commented from a chaise, “but what makes you think they will hear you out?”

 “I am my father’s heir, and I have attained the Age of Choice.  They are required to submit to my command.”

 “What my son says is true.  He is technically the leader of what was a large force of Decepticons,” Razorsharp added.   She sat in a chair, armored but helmetless, her dark hair falling around her shoulders, and she pushed it back absently.

 “The paperwork for treason is as easy for two as for one, Lady,” Kup said ominously.  “I wouldn’t push my luck if I were you.”

 “Neither my mother nor my brother are subject to your laws of treason, Autobot.  I would not throw such threats around were I in your boots,” Destiny said with a frown.

 “Make that three.  Care to go for four?” he asked snidely with a look at Velocity.  The young femme said nothing, but neither did she quail under the old Autobot’s heated gaze.

 “I’ll make it four if you don't cut them some slack,” Raven offered, struggling to her feet around the bulge of her gestating heirs.  “Neither Razorsharp nor any of her children have taken the Oath of Loyalty, and yet you would incarcerate them for a crime they cannot commit.  If this is to be the new direction of Autobot justice, you should start with me before I do something you will heartily regret.”

 “Don't think you're not on my list, hybrid.  I don't care much who you sleep with,” Kup snapped.

 “The day I turn traitor, I will turn myself willingly over to you for justice.  But until then, stay out of my face, and make no more threats against guests of the Autobot leaders.”  Raven stood toe to toe with the older blue mech, her optics a violet blaze.

 “Can’t you control her?” Kup asked, looking over at Rodimus.

 The Heir to the Matrix leaned quietly in a corner.  “She’s not a tame keevar to come when I call and sit when I snap my fingers.  If you have a problem with her, deal with it yourself.”  His tone was light, but the tightness around his optics and mouth betrayed his irritation.  “And keep your comments about her private life to yourself, Captain.”

 “Let it go, Rodimus,” Optimus Prime instructed, and waited for his heir to nod before he continued.  “Captain, if you can’t be civil, you’ll be excused, and when we have reached some conclusion here, you’ll be informed as to what you are required to do.  If you want to have any part in making the decisions, you should remember that Lieutenant Raven is right.  Lady Razorsharp and her family are our guests, and the will be treated accordingly.”  He waited while the Security Chief mulled it over, then nodded when Kup stepped away and sat on a sofa, as far from Razorsharp and her children as possible.  “Lieutenant, you should probably sit down before you fall down.”  With a nod, Raven lowered herself to the chaise once again.  When she was settled, Rodimus crossed over from his corner and settled on the seat near her legs, obviously putting himself between his mate and the irate Security Chief.

 With some sense of calm restored, Optimus Prime turned back to Sirius.  “What exactly are you planning, Sirius?”

 Sirius regarded him as though he thought the Autobot leader was simple.  “I will take control of the Decepticons, then bring them back to Cybertron.  We will sign whatever kind of peace treaty we can agree on, and all will be well.”

 Rodimus stared at the floor and shook his head, while Kup laughed out load.  “You're a fool, boy, if you believe a fairy-tale like that.  Peace comes from fighting and dying, not signing some agreement.”

 Raven nodded her agreement.  “It is an idealistic plan, Sirius.  You would first have to wrest control from those who hold it now, and convince the common soldiers that peace is a partial victory and not a total defeat.  The war has raged since I was young, as long as your mother has been functioning.  There are eons of hatred to overcome.”

 “My brother has more allies that you think,” Destiny declared.  “Whoever controls my father’s troops owes loyalty to Sirius, and Lady Raven herself has said that Galvatron is nothing more than a raving maniac intent on destroying Rodimus Prime.  It should be easy enough for Sirius to replace him.  His troops must be starved for true leadership.”

 “Don't discount Cyclonus and Scourge.  The Sweeps are fanatically loyal to Scourge, and the others follow Cyclonus.”  Rodimus shook his head.  “They’re the ones you have to convince.  And can we please not mention the lunatic of Charr anymore?”

 “Rodimus Prime is right, my son,” Razorsharp concurred.  “To truly win the Decepticons, you must first gain the loyalty of Cyclonus and Scourge.  And I fear it would be too difficult for you to do alone.  And you have yet to finish the tasks you took on for Raven.  Would you leave those duties unfinished?”

 Sirius’s resolve seemed to fade a little.  “All the preparations are in order.  There remains only a little work to be completed and all will be ready for the Governor’s visit.”

 Behind their mother, Velocity and Destiny exchanged glances and whispers.  “We would offer our assistance,” Destiny said finally.  “Velocity would be honored to assist Lady Raven, and I am more than willing to go with Sirius to add weight to his claim and defend him from any that would oppose his will.”

 A look shot between Razorsharp and Raven at the formality of Destiny’s tone.  “What you are proposing borders on the inappropriate, Destiny.  Siblings do not as a rule share that kind of relationship.”

 “What is she talking about?” Rodimus asked.

 “She is intending to become Sirius’s bheancoran,” Razorsharp explained.  “Destiny, I will not forbid this, but think well what you undertake.  To serve as bheancoran is to dedicate your life to the well-being and safety of the one you serve.  Nothing can come before it, and there can be no doubt in your mind if you are to be successful.”

 Sirius looked at his sister.  “You would do this for me?”

 “You asked if I would help.  Seeing your dedication now, I regret that I didn't offer to help when you first asked.  If you accept, I will be your sworn warrior, answering to none save you.”  She went to her knees before him, offering her blade before any of the other could stop her.

 Sirius accepted the sword and held it for a moment, testing its weight, then handed it back.  “Rise, Lady Destiny, my bheancoran and protector.  Let none seek to separate us, for it will be at their own peril.”
 
 

 Raven stood on the landing pad, watching as the great Rhodian Ship of State descended slowly toward the deck.  Beside her, the diminutive from of Razorsharp’s young daughter stirred restlessly, and Raven spared her a quick glance.  Velocity fairly thrummed with anticipation, and it struck the Autobot femme that the child was young for what she had undertaken.  But Raven was loath to humiliate the young bot by suggesting she wait inside.  Velocity must have sensed Raven's concern, and turned her head to look at her new mentor.  Her ruby optics met Raven's violet ones, and Raven experienced a momentary shock, remembering a moment long ago when she had looked up to another femme with that same blend of pride and desperation to please, thinking only, Please don't let me humiliate myself.  Raven granted the youngster a gentle smile.

 “Are you ready to greet the Governor?” she asked Velocity.

 The young femme nodded.  “Will I have to say anything important?”

 Raven shook her head.  “A simple greeting will suffice.  And if you should find yourself not sure what to say, shyness and noble reserve are often confused.  Saying nothing will lose you nothing.”

 Velocity nodded in understanding.  “Do you think Sirius and Destiny are all right?” she asked after a moment.

 Raven laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  “Your brother does that which is in him to do, and your sister follows in his footsteps.  Win or lose, they have overcome a great challenge already.”  There was a muted thump as the ship settled onto the pad.  “Now, there is work to do here, and we are the ones to do it.  Come.”  She stepped out to greet the Governor, and Velocity followed her into the future.
 

*THE END*

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