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Silicon Orpheus
"The Beast Wars are over, Optimus. You-- lose."
A flash of indescribable light and agony, and it was over. A Spark
rocketed into Transwarp Space, heading for a dimension that had no fixed
location. Heading home.
There was no transition. One moment, Optimus Primal had been listening
to Megatron's laughter, and the next he was here, standing in a shaded
alcove of what appeared to be a large ballroom. Out on the floor, 'bots
were laughing and dancing, as the strains of music floated over everything.
"It's the Grand Ballroom in Iacon," Primal realized. Politics had never
been one of his favorite pastimes, but as a starship captain, he'd had
to play it on more than one occasion. The Grand Ballroom, situated in the
heart of the Maximal capital, had been the site of a hundred political
parties, where alliances came and went like the wind. But- what was he
doing here? Just a second ago, he'd been facing certain death in a pod
above a planet in an unknown sector of space. How could he possibly have--
His thoughts broke of as the answer hit him like a ton of bricks.
"This is the Matrix," he murmured. "Not exactly what I would have expected."
"Optimus Primal!" At the sound of a voice behind him, Optimus whirled.
His optics widened as he saw who was behind him.
"Skybolt?" At the sight of his mentor and sponsor to Maximal Star Command,
Primal instantly snapped into a salute. Behind him, the green and red 'bot
laughed.
"None of that, Optimus. We're off duty here, of all places, surely."
Green optics sparkled as Skybolt grabbed Optimus's forearms in greeting.
For his part, Optimus was dealing with a rush of emotions. It had been
several stellar cycles since the mission that had resulted in Captain Skybolt's
death, but the memories were still quite fresh in Optimus' mind. The older
'bot had been like a father to him. Seeing his younger friend's state,
Skybolt's smile softened a little.
"I know. A bit of a shock, isn't it? I was hoping not to see you here
for quite some time, Optimus."
Optimus smiled wryly. "Wasn't my idea, I'm afraid."
Skybolt clapped him on the back. "You'll have to tell me all about
it, but not yet. Since you're here, I think there's someone you should
meet."
"Skybolt!" Optimus groaned. "The LAST thing I want to do right now
is hobnob with a bunch of members of the Maximal Senate. Worrying about
my career is sort of a moot point."
"Optimus, trust me on this. When have I ever steered you wrong? On
second thought, don't answer that." Taking Optimus' arm, Skybolt led him
through the crowd to where three bots were standing around talking. Two
of them were older, Optimus guessed, their designs hinting at high-ranking
jobs in the legislature. It was the third that caught his attention, however.
The slender femme listening to the senators hold forth actually had a Beast
Mode, indicating that she'd been off-planet at one point or another. From
her "kibble" and color scheme, Optimus guessed that her alternate mode
was probably a penguin. The expression of concealed boredom on her face
was so familiar that Optimus had to hold back a sympathetic laugh.
One of the senators, a tall, thin, black and green bot, looked up as
Optimus and Skybolt approached. "Ah, Captain Skybolt. So good to see you
again. And this is?"
"Captain Optimus Primal, of the Starship Axalon," Skybolt replied.
"Optimus, this is Senator Jetblade, and over there is Senator Mirage."
Mirage, Optimus guessed, had a black panther alternate mode. Interesting.
Mirage waved at the femme on his right. "And this, Captain Primal,
is Miss Polaris. I believe she's one of the facilitators for the Grand
Ballroom."
Primal took the hand Polaris offered him, and raised it to his lips.
"Charmed," he drawled. A flash of amusement in her red optics answered
his action.
"Optimus Primal? You wrote that databurst on the Iaconian Siege, during
the Great War, didn't you? Very interesting look at the Autobot/Decepticon
power struggle."
Optimus raised an eyebrow. "You read that? I thought the only people
who read that were Skybolt and my best friend Rhinox."
Polaris smiled. "I've always had an interest in history, and somewhat...
unusual tastes."
"Henry IV?" Primal asked. After all, at this point, no one was going
to arrest him for possession of contraband data.
Polaris' grin widened, ignoring the shock on the faces of the two senators.
"I prefer Richard III," she replied. "Although I've always found most of
the histories a bit dry."
That started Optimus laughing. Extending a hand, he tilted his head
towards the dance floor. "Miss Polaris, would you do me the honor of a
dance?"
"Captain Primal, I would be honored." She took his hand and allowed
him to lead her onto the floor.
Polaris was an excellent dancer, of course. She was a hostess, one of
those femmes whose job was to coordinate functions and be certain everyone
was taken care of while the movers and shakers dealt with more "important
matters." Of more interest to Optimus, however, was the fact that she was
extremely well read, and had definite opinions on a number of subjects.
It had taken him several dances to convince to share them, but once he
had, it was like breaking open a dam.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Polaris said suddenly, in the middle of a discussion
of the memoirs of Optimus Prime. "I've been running off at the mouth again,
haven't I?"
"Not particularly, no. And it certainly doesn't bother me. It's been
ages since I had a really good discussion on literature. My crew doesn't
generally tend towards reading. Besides, I like hearing what you have to
say."
A half-smile crossed the penguin-bot's face. "That's a first." Her
tone didn't actually contain bitterness, just resignation. "Most of the
people around me are only interested in a pretty face. They couldn't care
less what I think- or if I do at all."
"That's their loss, then," Primal replied, swinging her easily through
the paces of a waltz. Polaris laughed.
"You're quite a charmer, Optimus Primal. I'm sure you have ladies falling
at your feet when you're home."
"Not usually, no." He was quiet for a moment as the music died away.
"Usually I've been too caught up in my job to pay attention."
"Never a woman who could compete with the ship, huh?"
"Exploration ships are safer-- they're less likely to hurt you if things
go wrong." Taking her hand, he led her off the dance floor and out onto
one of the balconies that overlooked the city below.
Polaris was silent for a moment, letting the cool night breeze blow
across her face. "You miss your crew, don't you?"
"Very much. We've been through a lot together. I can't help but wonder
what they're doing, how they're dealing with Megatron and his schemes..."
He trailed off, staring up at the stars above him. "I don't regret what
I did, but I wish I hadn't left them. It sounds a little egotistical, but...
I'm worried about how they'll get along without me." He shot her a glance.
"How about you?"
"Not much to leave behind, actually. The Grand Ballroom will be short-handed
for a while, that's all. Well, and there's Lupus..."
"Boyfriend?" Optimus was surprised at how disconcerting that idea was.
"Sort of. More just- because. He's a rising star in Maximal politics-
was part of the force that dealt with the riots on Cera V. He needed someone
to play hostess, and someone to smile for the holographers and look good
on his arm. He's not a bad man, and I think he does care about me. We're
friends."
"You deserve better than that out of a relationship. Friendship is
fine, but in pair-bonding, you should never settle for someone who doesn't
love you. In the end, you'll both regret it."
She sighed. "I suppose it's a moot point, now. We've moved on."
A rustling behind them caused both Maximals to turn. Just in front
of the doorway stood two 'bots, one male, one female. Both were black and
silver, and Optimus could find no discernable faction symbols on either.
In fact, he couldn't even identify their alternate modes. Were they bats?
Or maybe cats? He couldn't see either of them clearly enough to tell.
"We've come to ask you to dance," the male said, his silver optics
locked on Polaris. His voice was low and pleasant, but something about
it made her move a little closer to Optimus, who put his arm around her
shoulders almost unconsciously.
"No, I don't think so," he replied carefully. "Not just yet."
"But you must," the female chimed in. Her voice was a slightly higher
version of her counterpart's, and now Optimus was getting chills. "You
both have so much to do before you leave the dance."
Polaris cocked her head. "What... are you talking about?" she asked
slowly.
"You'll see. And don't worry about being separated," the male told
her. "A few spins around the dance floor, and you'll be together again
before you know it." Extending his hand, he suddenly was holding something
that hadn't been there before- a white rose. Not one of the crystalline
reproductions so popular on Cybertron- a true rose. Polaris took a step
forward despite herself, then stopped, looking back at Optimus. He nodded
at her, smiling slightly. Gathering herself, Polaris reached out and took
the rose, letting out a small noise as it flushed red in her hand. Inhaling
the flower's fragrance, Polaris allowed the black 'bot to lead her out
onto the dance floor.
Now Primal was alone with the femme, who was watching him with unreadable
silver eyes. "Poor Optimus," she remarked, almost to herself. "Still no
peace for you, I'm afraid."
He gave her a lopsided smile. "So what else is new?" That earned him
a laugh.
"True enough. Be strong of heart, Optimus Primal. Dark days loom ahead
and there is much for you to do. Have faith, and remember that even in
the darkest hour, there is light." A white rose appeared in her hand, and
gingerly, Optimus took it. Ever so slowly, the pale petals flushed with
color until the rose became a vibrant red. Reaching out a hand, the femme
beckoned.
"Come, Optimus. Everyone is waiting for a new dance to begin." Taking
her hand, Optimus let himself be led back into the crowd.
As the music started up again, Optimus spun his partner into a waltz.
Over along one wall, Optimus could see Skybolt watching him intently. Catching
his gaze, the older 'bot smiled and waved just a little. Optimus nodded,
but his attention had already moved on. Craning his neck, he scanned the
room, searching for some sign of Polaris. A light touch on his arm brought
his gaze back to the femme in front of him.
"Don't look back, Optimus," she told him, with a slight shake of her
head. "Remember Orpheus. You wouldn't want to lose your Eurydice, would
you?" Then the room began spinning, and everything went black.
"Optimus?" Rhinox entered the room cautiously. Optimus had been very
quiet since ordering Rattrap to vacate his quarters, which wasn't surprising.
Dying had that effect on people. But Rhinox could tell that there was something
on his friend's mind, and hopefully talking about it might help.
Optimus was standing at the window of his ready room, gazing out across
the landscape. For a moment, he didn't respond, and Rhinox thought he hadn't
heard. Then, quietly, "I can't remember."
"What?"
"The Matrix. I know something happened there, something important.
I feel like there's... a piece of me that I'd always been missing, and
I found it there... but now it's gone again, and I can't remember what
it was."
"That seems to be common for near-death experiences. I guess some things
are just too much for us to handle." Rhinox was silent for a moment. "Optimus--
are you all right?"
That got him a tired smile. "I will be, old friend. Just as soon as
I have time to... process all this. Right now, all I really know is-- it's
good to be back."
"And it's good to have you here." With that, Rhinox slipped out of
the room as silently as he had come, leaving Optimus to stare at the stars,
with half-remembered laughter echoing in his ears.
The End
Though I am old with wandering
In hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone
And kiss her lips, and take her hands,
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pick 'til time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
- from "Song of the Wandering Aengus," W. B. Yeats.