Chapter Text
There are many, wondrous galaxies, inhabited by many stars and planets yet unknown to the very advanced beings that are the Cybertronians. Thousands of mechs and femmes are still attempting to study, explain and understand the wonder that is the universe. Yet, for each new conquest, victory and discovery, millions of secrets and unanswered questions still remain. A vast, beautiful mystery.
And it is of this fascination that a young mech dreamed of this fateful night.
His name is Orion Pax. A young, very promising mech, dubbed as the perfect student by most of his entourage. Kind, compassionate, a great listener and advisor, loves to help out, good grades and great looks; he really has it all. Rumours even state that the famous war hero Ratchet is one of his very good acquaintances. However, that’s all most bots really see him as.
In fact, no one, save for a few, seem to know who the real Orion Pax is. No one knows his interests, hobbies, or even if he has any true friends. His perfect image exceeds above all else for the sake of pleasing the public. It was a facade preserved by the crushing pressure given to him every single orn .
But that wasn’t what Orion Pax was thinking of tonight, for he was carefully studying and appreciating the breath-taking view of the universe he was currently dreaming about. He wasn’t dreaming like this often - he normally liked to spend most of his nights reading data-pads about the various mysteries surrounding Cybertron, but this one exception made him relish this moment of peace.
“If only every dream could be as beautiful as this one”, Orion mumbled to himself, “then I wouldn’t have to worry about failures and deceptions every time I recharge.”
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sudden appearance of a white, blinding light. The brightness made him cover his optics with his servos, blocking most of it from his view. Before he could understand what had caused it, a voice startled him.
“Raise your helm high, Optimus.”
The voice was both gentle and commanding. Was it talking to him? His name was Orion, not Optimus … He reasoned that both designations were similar, so he decided to satisfy his curiosity instead.
Without fear, Orion raised his optics to its source, seeing a giant figure of a vaguely old-looking cybertronian bathed in a sea of light; the unclear image made it difficult to understand what its shape was like. The figure was so imposing that he almost hesitated to ask who, or what, it was.
“My name is Primus,” the silhouette stated, “ Life-Giver of the original Guardians of Cybertron , Creator of Cybertron.” Primus let the information sink in before adding, “I came to you to deliver a message. You are the reincarnation of one of the Guardians”.
“The legendary Guardians? As in, the Autobot Guardians who supposedly protected Cybertron during the Great War?”, curiously asked Orion. Primus nodded .
“Yes; a new Great War is coming. You shall become one with the spark of a legendary Guardian . Find your comrades and fight for the freedom of all cybertronians. With their help, you shall also find the Energon Crystal and the next Prime, protecting them with your life. Soon, one of these spirits will come to you.”
The Energon Crystal? A new Prime? War? What was this “Primus” talking about? Was he actually predicting his future? Orion did not want to believe any of the stranger’s sayings - but his spark was telling him otherwise. He wanted to believe that all of this was true, but it all seemed so improbable and, dare he say, as supernatural as some old cybertronian legends he read about in various data-pads. Despite his desires for it to be real, he highly doubted it. It was only a dream after all… right?
As if he sensed his doubt, Primus responded, “Do not fret, my child. Your destiny will soon be revealed to you.” But before Orion could ask any questions, the mech yelled , “May you vanquish Cybertron from evil and protect the Energon Crystal!”
“No, Wait! I still have so many questions! Why do you call me Optimus? What are these “Autobots” and this “Prime” you speak of?What is the Energon Crystal and why is it so important?”
“Seek the Energon Crystal…!” was the only reply the bewildered mech got.
The light became brighter and brighter, until Orion’s vision faded to white.
Orion bolted awake, his systems overheating and his fans working up like they were gasping for air. A data-pad about the legends of the Autobot Guardians fell next to his berth; he had fallen into recharge while reading the first chapter about the supposed origins of the guardians themselves. “Primus, that was a weird dream!” Orion panted. “hopefully that will not happen again. I’ll have to watch out about reading this data-pad before I recharge.”
Orion had read about the Original Guardians of Cybertron before. It was one of the oldest and most known legends of Cybertron, in which the Autobot Guardians fought for peace and vanquished the evil forces of the Decepticon invaders from their home planet. The millions of years that followed were labelled as the Golden Age of Cybertron, for the planet hadn’t known war since. In fact, the legend had even created a religious cult in which Cybertronians prayed for the Guardian’s protection, as most believed that the planet was at peace because they kept it from evil’s harm. Orion Pax, however, still thought of it as a myth that had yet to be proven, as there was no concrete proof of any guardian’s existence.
The young mech looked at his internal clock; by Primus, he was going to be late for school! He bolted from the bed straight to his mirror, checking himself to make sure he still looked clean.
Orion was overall a good-looking mech; not quite average, but not too flashy either. His rounded chassis made him look very young despite the fact the he was 14 cycles old - and he honestly felt complexed about it. How was he supposed to compare to all the other stronger-looking, fully armored young mech at the Academy if his appearance made him appear like a youngling? At least he had a good taste in paint and polish, shown on his chassis painted blue, red and silver with subtle touches of yellow. Needless to say, Orion wasn’t the kind of mech following painting trends and fads or wearing accessories to woo the other bots, but he still cared about his appearance enough to make a good impression whenever he needed to, just enough make sure that he was clean.
His small room was simple, clean and tidy, with a berth placed right next to a small window, a desk, a mirror attached to the wall and shelves full of data-pads about various legends and myths from Cybertron. His collection was probably the only thing interesting about this space, for the rest of it seemed rather dull and lifeless except for a few decorative objects here and there. Sometimes, a pile of data-pads were spread on the floor right next to his berth, seeing how he read before recharging every orn.
A series of knocks at his berthroom’s door brought the mech out of his short contemplation. “Kid! You’re gonna to be late!” barked someone through the metallic walls.
“I know, Ratchet! I’m coming!”
Ratchet was Orion’s caretaker. Also known as Dr. Ratchet by many, he is one of Cybertron’s best, if not the best medics around, and helped save multiple lives despite his rather bad bedside manners. His broken chevron, his old-looking chassis and orange and white paint similar to that of an ambulance demonstrated how much of a worker the mech was - and still is. From Orion’s understanding, Ratchet was a great friend of his creators, but the young mech can hardly picture a life without the old mech , mainly because he had been with him for far too long to remember anything significant about his early life .
Fixing his audios one last time and grabbing his bag with a few data-pads, including the one about the legendary Autobot Guardians, Orion bolted through the door before Ratchet could add anything else. “Your energon cube is on the counter! Be sure to take it with you!” Ordered the old mech while Orion was running down the stairs, tumbling down and landing on his backside with a loud “ouch!”.
“Kid, are you alright? Clumsiness isn’t really your thing…” inquired the doctor.
“I’m fine, Ratchet! And please stop calling me ‘kid ’ , I’m no youngling … You know I don’t like that nickname.” retorted Orion while getting on his peds.
“Yeah, whatever you say, kid. Just don’t forget your cube. Have a nice day!”
“It’s Orion , Ratchet! I’m off to the Academy! See you this evening!” The mech yelled, bolting outside. Petty arguments like these were common in Orion’s home; most bots though Ratchet was too harsh on him and that he had less than likeable bedside manners while working with his patients , but Orion had learned over time that it was just how the old mech showed that he cared. A little bit of tough love hadn’t harmed a mech before after all! However, there was one thing: Orion had forgotten his energon despite Ratchet’s reminder. And the old mech certainly wasn’t going to bring it to him.
“Kids these days…” though Ratchet out loud when he saw the cube, “They can’t even refuel properly anymore. How many times will I have to tell Orion not to forget his energon?”
Orion transformed into his truck-like alt-mode as soon as he got outside, throwing his bag on his front seats. He normally preferred to go to the Academy using his peds, which let him read more data-pads as he walked, but he didn’t have the luxury of time this morning.
“Why did I have to wake up late this orn?” the mech told himself, “I could easily have avoided this stressful situation!”. Having time to continue reading his data-pad would also have been nice.
Orion speeded down the road, but not enough to break the speed limit, of course . “Maybe I should stop reading so much before recharging, that way this situation would never happen again!” Unfortunately, he wasn’t very good at following his own advice.
Still worried about the possibility of being late, the young mech continued to roll. As he observed the horizon in search of the Academy’s rooftop, which would immediately reassure him, Orion noticed something strange. It was some kind of flashing light ball falling from the sky, similar to a shooting star or a meteor.
Orion focused his optics on the unidentified flying object for a second. Shooting stars and meteor couldn’t easily be seen in daylight… right? He doubted for a second, when he noticed that the “star” seemed to get closer and closer to him.
Just as he realized that the object was flying towards him, Orion sensed a very short and sudden contact on his bumper. The collision was light however, and didn’t damage him. “Did I just hit something?” he asked out loud, looking around. However, its source was long gone, as if it had never happened. Was it his imagination?
“What’s with my processor constantly seeing bright light sources and imagining things this orn?”, Orion grumbled. “My optics must be playing tricks on me. I definitely should get more recharge. Maybe I wouldn’t be seeing weird things as much.” As he finished his sentence, the Academy’s bell rang.
“I have no time to think about this! I’m already late!“, Orion panicked, sprinting down the road. If he got the speed just right, there was a chance that he was going to barely make it to his first class.
Meanwhile, the tiny, glowing white orb observed the young mech from above. A feminine-looking silhouette could be seen through it if one looked carefully.
“I’ve finally found you, Optimus,” stated to orb before discretely following her charge.
Orion had barely made it to the Academy . Just as he sat to his desk, the first period’s bell had finished ringing. Needless to say, most of his classmates were surprised to see that even the perfect student could arrive on the nick of time.
His morning classes went just fine - they just seemed to go on and on, like they were never going to end. After all, Orion hadn’t refuelled this morning, which made it more difficult for him to concentrate. He thought of drinking his energon during his short breaks multiple times, but decided against it in order to avoid any tank aches.
The realization that he had actually forgotten his fuel at home made him dread his day even more. “This orn keeps getting better and better," Orion sarcastically thought. Now he had to tough out his empty tanks the rest of the day.
Orion reached for his bag, taking the data-pad about the legendary Guardians once again. If he wasn’t going to refuel, he might as well attempt to learn more about what this “Primus” was supposedly talking about in his dreams. He started reading from chapter one again, which was about the origins of the Autobot Guardians.
“ The Legendary Autobot Guardians ,” it stated, “ were cybertronians chosen by Primus during the first Decepticon invasion. Due to Primus’s blessing, they acquired mystical abilities, permitting them to control multiple elements of Cybertron."
Chosen by Primus? So far, this was similar to what Orion had dreamt about during his recharge-cycle. He did tell him that he was chosen as a reincarnation of the guardians, so that much made sense.
“Each Autobot guarded a part of our planet, protecting the civilians and acting as a peace-keeper between them and the Decepticons. Together, they also kept the Prime, their leader and the ruler of Cybertron, from harm. It was also said that the Prime possessed the Energon Crystal, which was a mystical source of enormous power…”
“What are you reading, Orion?”
Startled, the young mech could only close his data-pads as fast as he could and hide it with his servos. “Nothing special, Ariel!” he blurted out . Of course, his friend had to interrupt him just when he was getting to the important part of his reading.
“Orion, are you alright?”, inquired the young femme. “You seem a bit out of it.”
“You took me by surprise. I doubt that you would react any other way if you were in the same situation,” replied Orion defensively . “I also forgot to bring fuel with me, and I am starving, but besides that, I guess I’m fine . Thank you for asking.”
“And I am sorry for that. Now, what were you reading about this time? Was it interesting?” She smiled.
Ariel was one of Orion’s only friend, if not his best friend. In fact, she was probably the only other bot he knew that was actually interested about ancient cybertronian myths and legends, and they often discussed and shared theories together along with talking about other various topics.
The young femme also looked quite beautiful with her yellow, black and aqua chassis, a cute ponytail-like helm and a well-cared for skirt armour. She had a few secret admirers, though she had never shown any interest in any of them.
“Hey, Ariel, Orion! What are you talking about?”, asked Sentinel, walking towards the duo.
“We were talking about the legend of the Autobot Guardians,” replied Ariel, “You know, the one that induced a religious cult?”
“This kind of stuff again? Sounds boring...”
Sentinel, another one of Orion’s friends, if you could call him that, was one bot that was quite difficult to tolerate if you didn’t know him well. The mech’s honesty, confidence and lack of delicacy were so high that it was difficult not to take him for a complete jerk; in fact, most other bots preferred avoiding having to argue with the mech. His large blue chassis, along with his huge chin and constant sceptical look didn’t help him either.
Sentinel was also definitely not someone interested in Ancient Cybertron. After all, what was the point of knowing what was in the past when there was the present?
“It’s not boring, Sentinel”, retorted Orion, “It’s part of our culture, and we should learn more about it to understand our history.”
Ariel didn’t add anything. As much as she liked to discuss about Ancient Cybertron legends with Orion, she knew that him and Sentinel often argued about the importance of history versus the present time, and that by the end of it, neither mech would actually change their opinion. However, for the little care that Sentinel showed for history, he was very knowledgeable about actuality. If you wanted to know what was going on right now, he was the bot you needed to have a chat with.
“But that’s all in the past,” argued Sentinel, “We should focus on the present. Learning more about ancient history and culture won’t stop things like crimes from happening. Hey, speaking of that , have you heard about the recent crystal store robberies? There’s a lot of those lately.”
“I’ve also heard about it. It’s quite alarming”, added Ariel.
“Fortunately, someone caught all the robbers. The police stated that it was a mysterious bot named Rodimus.”
That caught Orion’s attention. A mysterious bot with a designation similar to ’Optimus’ , the name Primus called him by? Maybe both of them were linked! "Who’s that ‘Rodimus’ ?", he curiously asked.
"You don’t know about him? Oh, right. You wouldn’t know because you’re always buried in those old datapads, ” retorted Sentinel. “Most of what I’ve heard are only rumours, but they all state that he is a famous champion of justice in some kind of strange, sparkly armour. Some bots even say that he’s a special detective from police headquarters and that he has some weird abilities. There are some articles about him, if you ever want to read other things .”
“Someone like that showed up? Do you know what any of his ‘abilities’ are like?”, asked Orion. Perhaps these were the mystical powers his data-pad about the guardians was talking about.
“I don’t know what they are, and I honestly don’t care about some rumoured ‘special abilities’. I’ve heard a little about a weird bow and flashes of light, but I’ll have to see them with my own optics to be convinced that any of these really exist,”, continued Sentinel. “Anyway, not counting these crystal robberies, weird crimes keep happening these days! You really should stop reading these old data-pads sometimes and stay on top of the news. Then maybe you wouldn’t be spacing out so much.”
“Thank you, Sentinel…” That bot really was a jerk sometimes.
“No problem, Orion!” Sentinel beamed, oblivious, and turned his attention to the femme, remembering something “Say, Ariel, aren’t your creators running a crystal garden? You should be more careful. Who knows what these thieves will target next?”
“Yes. Fortunately, our crystal garden wasn’t robbed yet. We’ve improved our security systems in order to catch any intruders.”, responded Ariel. "Actually, we’ve had special sales on some newly budded crystals! You can come take a look at them after classes are dismissed if you’d like.”
“You know I’ll go anywhere with you, Ariel. Are you coming, Orion?”
Orion didn’t have anything better to do after his classes ended, and he really needed to change his mind from all the weird things that were happening to him, so he accepted to invitation without any further thought.
The three classmates went to visit Ariel’s creator’s crystal gardens right after their classes ended. They were having a sale, just like the young femme had stated earlier; bots of all kind had come to get themselves some newly-budded, multicoloured crystals to decorate their house units. Sentinel even sneaked in a few words about how Ariel was as beautiful as the gardens, but as usual, she didn’t seem to pay any attention to him and kept looking at the crystals instead. In the end, Sentinel bought a tiny yellow and turquoise-colored bud. As for Orion, he had considered getting a crystal for himself, as his room was pretty dull, but he didn’t have the pocket credits necessary for it at the moment; he had spent them all on new data-pads to complete his personal library a few orns prior.
After their visit, Orion headed straight home. This weird orn had really worn him out, and he felt like taking a stasis-nap or continuing reading his data-pad about the Legendary Guardians. There were a few light-up screens and holograms on the streets about the mysterious Rodimus and his victories against the crystal robbers, but he didn’t pay them much attention. Right now, he just wanted to go home.
Needless to say, after greeting Ratchet when he finally came back, Orion went straight to his room and continued to attempt reading his data-pad.
“The Energon Crystal was, according to the legend, a source of great , almost limitless power. It is said to be able to destroy and rebuild entire planets or even universes if in the hands of one who is worthy , and thus only reveals itself to a mech of the greatest wisdom, who becomes the next Prime. However, it mysteriously disappeared after the last victory against the Decepticon invaders and wasn’t heard of since. The Energon crystal--”
Before he could finish reading the sentence, he fell into stasis.
Orion was dreaming about the universe again. This time however, instead of dreaming about Primus delivering him a message, he was walking around what looked like a deserted, foggy planet. Once again, he had a beautiful view of the various stars and galaxies surrounding him.
“I’ll never get tired of looking at the universe this way.” He whispered in awe, “It’s relaxing. I feel… safe.”
“And you should. For now, " stated someone behind him. “Soon, the universe won’t be safe anymore. It is up to us, the new Guardians, to protect Cybertron from harm.”
Orion turned around, facing another mech dressed in some weird, orange armour. ”Who are you?”, he asked.
“My name is Rodimus. I was chosen by Primus to be a Guardian, just like you,” the mech smiled. “Look at yourself, and you’ll know what I mean,” he said, pointing at Orion’s spark.
Orion looked at himself. He was wearing some kind of blue and red sparkly armour, composed of a protective pleated skirt with a matching collar, a bow on his neck and back hips and a pair of gloves. A strange, heart-like symbol sat right over his spark casing. The ensemble looked just like the one Rodimus had. If he didn’t know any better, he would also say that he felt taller, flashier and a bit bulkier than usual.
“We share the same destiny,” continued Rodimus. “I’ve been on the move for quite some time, but I can’t wait to finally meet you. I need your help to find the Energon Crystal and to protect our next Prime -- ”
Before Rodimus could finish, Orion’s vision faded to white once again.
“I’ve finally found you, Orion. Or should I say Optimus?”
Orion was hearing things again. He slowly brought his optics online to be greeted with the sight of a tiny light orb similar to the one he saw this morning, sitting near his open window. Actually, if he squinted his optics enough, he could also see some sort of female figure that vaguely seemed to smile.
” What…?” he sleepily asked.
“I said I’ve finally found you ! Primus isn’t exactly good at giving directions,” the figure replied, crossing her peds. “I should have seen it coming. Fortunately, we’re here now, ready to fight the Decepticons!”
“ Fight the Decepticons…?” Orion repeated. Wait, was this weird orb-figure thing actually talking to him? That’s it, he was going back into stasis. He really needed it.
“ I’m going back into stasis,” he groggily stated before turning away, “I’m having one of those weird dreams again. It’s because of this stupid data-pad…”
“Wait, no! Don’t go back into stasis”, hurried the light ball, jumping and floating down from the window to Orion’s face. “I thought Primus had told you about my arrival! At least I hope that he did. Please tell me that he did! Oh, dear , this is awkward…” she rambled.
Feeling the presence of something poking at his faceplate, Orion semi-onlined his optics once again. The tiny figure, who continued to ramble, was extremely close to him. “Are you even listening? Hey! Listen!” , she insisted, knocking at his forehead.
Realizing that the tiny being was actually real was enough to surprise him and make him bolt awake. The data-pad he was reading before fell to the ground with a loud crack , ruining its screen. It was now impossible to read it properly. “Thank Primus you’re awake!” exclaimed the femme, smiling as if she was oblivious of what had just happened.
“What are you doing?”, the young mech accused while sitting on his berth. “Please, don’t do that ever again… Aw, look at that… My data-pad’s screen is now unusable! I’ll have to get a new one if I want to keep reading it!”
The figure rose to Orion’s optic level. “My name is Solus. I am one of those past Guardian’s spirit Primus told you about. I have been looking for you, Orion Pax. Also, I am sorry about your data-pad, but you won’t need to read it anymore. I’ll explain you everything you need to know about the Guardians.”
Taking a closer look at the creature, Orion realized that it was in fact a small cybertronian femme. Her appearance replicated that of an average-sized femme scaled down to the size of his servo . Her silvery white plating with purple accents was complimented by her royal yellow Guardian armour with blue bows, and a flow of what looked like very small and long tubes replicated some sort of hairstyle on her helm that was constantly floating behind her.
“I’m glad we’ve finally met”, she continued, “I was wondering what I’d do if I never found you . Fortunately, I saw you speeding down the road to go to the Academy this morning! I felt like it was destiny. I knew it was you the moment I saw your paint job.”
Orion found the last remark to be weird, but he dismissed it . Right now, he wanted to know more about what the Autobot guardians actually are and what it meant to be one .
“But before we continue this conversation any further and answer every one of your questions“, Solus continued, “I have a present for you! Here, take this!”
Solus jumped into the air, forming a perfect, graceful somersault. Upon completing her figure, a swirl of light appeared, summoning what could be best described as a shimmery hammer. Before Orion could ask what it was, Solus slammed the hammer near his spark with both servos, creating an intense flash of light. In an instant, a brooch-like object softly landed on Orion’s lap.
Orion gently took the golden, shimmery thing in his servos, bringing it to his optics to examine it. Its shape was similar to that of a heart, but if you inspected it closer, its intricate details looked like they formed a stylized Cybertronian faceplate. The young mech still couldn’t quite define what it was. “What is it? It looks like some sort of jewelry”, he inquired.
“It’s your new Autobot insignia. I’ve made it for you with my forge. It is what will grant you the powers of a Guardian” boasted the tiny femme, puffing her chestplate. “It’s one of my best creations, so I hope you like it!”
Orion wasn’t really into jewelry and decorative fashion, but he had to admit that Solus’s insignia was beautifully made. It wasn’t too flashy either, and actually matched his current paint job quite well, so he wouldn’t have to worry about standing out if he ever had to wear it constantly.
“Orion Pax, you’ve been chosen as a guardian, and it is now time for you to face your destiny”, Solus went on while Orion admired his present. “There are a string of odd crimes being committed on Cybertron, and the police bots won’t be able to solve them. You have a great duty, you know! You have to gather your allies and defeat our enemies. You must also discover our Prime and protect the Crystal that he or she will bear. But I’m sure that Primus had already warned you about that…”
Before she could continue any further, explaining what Orion’s duty would be, she was interrupted by her new protégé. “Solus, your creation started shining!”, he panicked as the jewel kept getting brighter and brighter. “What happened ? Did I do something wrong?”
“That’s a good sign! It confirms that you are one of the chosen!”, Solus grinned. This was the moment she had been waiting for! “Now, yell ‘Autobot, transform and roll out!’”, she exclaimed, bringing her servos into the air.
Orion couldn’t do anything but comply. If this was going to be his destiny, he might as well take it head-on. Not to mention that he was also very curious about what the powers of a Guardian would be . “Autobot…” he cautiously started, “… Transform and roll out!”, he finished with confidence, slapping the jewel on his spark chamber.
As if on cue, sparkling ribbons surged from Orion’s chest, gently enveloping his whole form. Orion could feel the energy building inside , as if he was becoming more and more powerful. It wasn’t overwhelming. In fact, it almost felt natural, as if he had known this sensation his whole life. As the ribbons unwrapped, new pieces of colourful armour appeared; a new pair of heeled peds, a blue pleated skirt, two magenta protective bows, a collar and what looked like a pair of gloves completed his attire. The transformation had also made him bulkier, taller and squarer, with broader shoulders and a more pronounced waist and chest. He also felt like his helm and audio-receptors were heavier than before and that something was tickling the inside of his cheek plates. As soon as his first transformation had finished, the young mech ran to his mirror with anticipation .
Orion couldn’t believe his optics. He looked just like a grown mech, and the strange armour that had appeared was the exact same as the one he dreamed about when he met Rodimus. The only thing that remained of his original self was the similar color of his paint job.
Seeing that Orion was completely entranced by his new appearance, Solus felt the need to speak up. “What’s wrong, Optimus? You aren’t saying anything,” she cautiously asked, breaking the silence. Was he going to refuse his role as a Guardian? “Are you okay? Do you not like this new armour?”
There was a long pause before Orion finally spoke up. “Do I have to go out and save Cybertron with this flashy armour on?”
Relieved that this was all the mech was worried about, the femme relaxed, floating into a sitting position right next to him. At least the young mech didn’t seem to dread being a Guardian; if so, she wouldn’t be able to teach him anything. “Yes. As flashy as you think it is, this armour is the only thing that can fully protect you against the Decepticons. If you don’t have it on, you will most likely melt into a pile of scrap the moment you get hit”, she half-joked.
“Really?” gulped Orion. She had just managed to scare him. She’d have to remember that Orion was the kind of bot that understood everything he was told at face value .
“No”, she immediately reassured the mech. “I’m only exaggerating, but the bottom line is that it is the only true protection you have against them.”
“What about being named ‘Optimus’?”
“It’s your Guardian’s name. It’s meant to protect your identity as Orion Pax.”
Before Orion could continue asking questions, he heard a sharp knock at the door.
“Kid, are you alright? I’ve heard loud noises. Have you fallen from your berth again?” he asked. Orion knew that the old mech was only concerned about him, but he sounded more like a general accusing his soldiers than a genuinely concerned bot.
“Who’s that ?”, curiously asked Solus, tilting her helm towards the door. “Can I see him?”
“ Shh, be quiet ! He’ll hear you!” softly ordered Orion, covering Solus with his servos. He had learned a long time ago that Ratchet had perhaps the most sensitive audio receptors he had known of. That particular trait hadn’t faded with age and had been used multiple times against him during his sparklinghood.
“Kid, who are you talking to?” Ratchet grumbled. “You didn’t tell me you had a guest! That’s it, I’m coming in!” he said, reaching for the berthroom’s door.
Orion froze in place while Solus was still attempting to reach the door. If he didn’t act quickly, Ratchet was going to blow his cover ! And the old mech seeing him in a tiny mini skirt, even if it was armour, was the very last thing he wanted!
There were only two options. He either had to let Ratchet know what his new identity and responsibilities were, or create some sort of half-processed excuse to save his aft from certain humiliation.
And he had to pick one, fast.