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The Pegasi 12 system wasn’t the farthest they’d traveled from Cybertron.
It was a small collection of planets orbiting a white dwarf star at several different angles, making most models of the system appear to be more like a swirling atom than an ordinary star system. The proximity to the star created several worlds ripe with life, perfect for Skyfire’s studies.
While he did enjoy extrastellar geology, that was more Starscream’s field of research. What drew Skyfire to these places for research purposes was Exoplanetary life. There were multiple metallic planets orbiting this star, a phenomena that surprised Skyfire. Typically smaller stars attracted more rock or liquid planets, accompanied by gas giants further out, while larger stars housed more crystalline and metallic planets, with smaller gaseous and volcanic planets further away, orbiting in slow cadence. Starscream was unsure if that was simply the norm of this sector, as his research into this phenomena was only beginning.
Despite the fact that he never voiced his enjoyment of such servos-entrenched research, Starscream always accompanied Skyfire.
Skyfire made frequent trips out to this system, petitioning the academy for funding each time. He always cited the metallic flora and fauna as his primary reason, adding that Cybertron, which orbited its star at such a slow cadence and far distance, could benefit directly from researching the fuel types and creatures there.
However, upon their third trip, Starscream began to realize that Skyfire’s motivations for said trips were not unlike his own motivations for accompanying him.
Neither Skyfire nor Starscream actually enjoyed being present at the academy, as much as they enjoyed learning.
Skyfire was the most curious, inquisitive, excited mech Starscream had ever met, yet in the classroom he was quiet, content to do his work, but let other scientific mecha speak over him, even when Starscream knew Skyfire knew the right answers, and others were wrong.
Such trips were a way to do their research in peace.
Skyfire enjoyed the long flights through space, and the Pegasi 12 system was close enough that it was practically a commuter flight for Skyfire, who was built for long-distance outer space travel. It also meant he didn’t need to stock up too heavily on fuel, and had that much extra space for samples in his cargo hold.
This trip was ordinary at first, and Starscream liked it that way.
Falling into a routine was good. It gave familiarity to such a foreign place. They’d land, set up their base of operations, survey the surrounding area, and map it out over fuel that evening. Skyfire would also usually spend the time beginning his report. Starscream couldn’t help but admire the diligence in Skyfire’s habits and research.
They landed in the late afternoon, when the moons were already high in the sky, reflecting a soft silver light between mountains of blue cobalt, across a sky of pale purple, with fluffy orange clouds (that Skyfire avoided; for all their beauty, he did not enjoy their sulphur content). They found a small outcrop beneath a sheer cliff of cobalt, setting up their supplies, stretching tarps over the stacks, and arranging a recharge slab against the rock wall.
Skyfire flew off to do his surveying, leaving Starscream to finish putting their campsite together. Starscream didn’t mind, he was very much a believer in “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” even if Skyfire was by far, the most competent of his classmates, in Starscream’s opinion.
He expected Skyfire to be gone for several joors, fully surveying and mapping the area, but before the first had fully elapsed, Skyfire returned, wings high, optics bright, frazzled as ever.
“Star, come quick! I need your help, and most urgently!”
“Are we set up too close to a volcanic site? I thought you checked before landing, we’re plenty stable here,” Starscream answered, not looking up from the grid of cubes he was unpacking.
“No, it’s not that! This is far more important!” Skyfire’s field was abuzz with a frantic excitement and worry, enough to pique Starscream’s interest.
Skyfire never struck Starscream as an unnecessary worrier. If anything, the mech was far too calm, even in the most extreme of situations, so seeing the mech so frazzled was new. He sighed, setting aside his work, but Skyfire shoved up beside him, quickly pulling out a tarp to cover up the cubes, and Starscream was in awe of his dexterous his digits were at tying. “What’s the big idea?”
“Come now, Star, we may be gone for several joors!”
“You said it was urgent!”
“It is!”
Starscream rolled his optics.
Still, he let Skyfire secure the rest of their little campsite, before practically scooping Starscream up to fly off in the direction he’d been surveying.
Starscream huffed, pulling himself out of Skyfire’s arms to fly alongside him. This mountain was smaller than the surrounding parts of the range, with lots of small plateau-like cliffs that jutted out of the side where the cobalt cut away naturally. They littered the mountainside, with several outcroppings where other ores traced through it in an array of rootlike lines, splitting apartin geometric patterns that followed the natural breakage of the metal beneath. Skyfire flew up to one at the edge of a sheer cliff, with a small arrangement of something at the top that looked like wiremesh.
Perhaps it wasn’t wiremesh—as there wasn’t any creature in the surrounding areas that specifically wove wiremesh—but as they approached, Starscream could tell it was a nest. Bits of metal were scraped into long ribbons wrapped together in a natural braided pattern, criss-crossing with bits of another softer mineral Starscream didn't recognize. (However, for the record, if one asked him, he did indeed know! He absolutely knew! He just… couldn't name it at the moment.)
Encircled in this oblong construct sat two, smooth eggs, shining in the late afternoon light. The way they refracted the light was almost prismatic, as they appeared blue from some angles, but red from others. Whatever they were, they were beautiful, but Starscream wasn't about to admit that. He'd seen eggs like these before, they belonged to an avian species Skyfire had identified as the digiaviae.
“Digiaviae” was not the official name of the species, if it had one at all, but Skyfire had named them such for their serpentine features, avian heads, and digitigrade wings, which doubled as legs when they scurried along the ground. They were massive creatures that soared across this planet’s skies, and… come to think of it, Starscream hadn’t seen any since they’d landed.
“Eggs? What’s so urgent about eggs? We know what they are, what creature they belong to, you’ve even found nests before. It’s not some big discovery,” Starscream grumbled.
“No, no, not the discovery,” Skyfire answered, taking Starscream by the hand as he hovered closer to the nest. “The caretakers aren’t around! I haven’t seen any sign of them! These eggs typically have at least one parent coiled over them for extended periods of time, they need to be kept at an exact temperature of 164 metajoules!”
“164 metajoules, why does that matter?”
“Isn’t that slightly cooler than the surface temperature of the armor surrounding your thrusters after flight? After all, I am well aware that seeker thrusters are specifically designed to not be too hot, lest you melt every surface you walk on—”
“Yes, yes, I’m aware of the basics of my own physiology,” Starscream interjected. “What exactly are you asking here?”
“I’m saying, in the duration of my surveying, I never saw any of the caretakers return! So, please stay here and keep the nest at the appropriate temperature while I find them?”
Starscream sputtered.
“Wha—why—but! We should not interfere with the ecosystem here!” He protested, wings flaring in indignation. He was NOT about to spend the next few joors sitting on a nest of eggs for some alien flying creatures that—
“We may have interfered with the ecosystem already by landing here! If we scared the caretakers off with the sound of our arrival, it’s our responsibility to undo that!”Skyfire was giving him such a pleading look, pouting at him as he gestured towards the nest, the eggs shining, reflecting the afternoon sun in shifting hues across the nest, as well as Skyfire’s armor.
“No! Absolutely not!”
~☆~
Starscream sat with his stabilizers crossed, keeping the two eggs cradled between them.
Crossing his arms, he leaned against the side of the nest. At least it was large: large enough for Starscream to sit comfortably, and Starscream was grateful that these little creatures usually made nests comfortable for a group of four.
Four digiavidae, or one Starscream, he supposed.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Starscream pulled the eggs close, sighing to himself.
He could never say no to Skyfire!
Why did he care, anyway? These creatures would live and die naturally regardless; he, as a guest on this planet, wasn’t supposed to interfere! Curse Skyfire’s melting spark. That bot would feed Insecticons if they looked pathetic enough! Yet, when the wind blew strong enough to disturb the nest ever so slightly, Starscream pulled the two eggs tightly to his chassis.
Not because he cared, but because Skyfire wanted him to watch over them!
No other reason, none at all.
Not because the concern on Skyfire’s face touched his spark. Definitely not because Skyfire was counting on him to keep these two safe while he searched for the caretakers.
Nope.
He cursed Skyfire’s melting spark.
Still, he kept careful record of the temperature of the air and nest in an attempt to create the perfectly regulated environment for them.
Because Skyfire would be disappointed, or worse, upset if something happened to them!
The sun dipped lower, flirting with the horizon, and Skyfire had still not returned. Starscream probably could just comm him, but he also wanted to save as much power as possible, just in case Skyfire took too long to come back. He refused to slip into recharge out here alone, on some exoplanet, where the only other Cybertronian was out flying around in search of local wildlife.
Regardless, this place was quite peaceful. The wind was warm, and the sky here was stunning. The distant clouds could be turbulent, but from here, they floated through the sky at their own leisure. The sun outlined the edges of each cloud in a pale gold, highlighting the sulphuric cumulus in a soft glow.
He didn’t need to waste the hours away like this, but there was a beauty to it that he knew Skyfire was in awe of every time they visited a new planet. This place was unspoiled, untouched, and wild in its own right. The lingering moments alone here, awaiting Skyfire’s return, he began to understand a bit more about the way Skyfire saw the galaxy. Perhaps not just the galaxy, but life itself. The appreciation of so much more than simply the tasks he had lined up on his HUD.
To Skyfire, even a serene day could be a discovery.
One of the eggs began to shift, and Starscream’s anxiety grew.
He was NOT ready for this! He did NOT sign up for this! No! This creature couldn’t just hatch, he wasn’t going to run the risk of it imprinting upon him!
The sky was beginning to darken, and Starscream noticed the temperature dropping, temporarily flaring his thrusters for a klik, just long enough for them to heat up, and leave the surface at a stable heat level for another joor or two. He couldn’t allow the little ones to get cold.
A few lizardlike creatures scurried by, each no larger than Starscream’s hand. They approached with a cautious air, poking at the edge of the nest, and Starscream bared his fangs and flared his armor at them to spook them away. Just in case these tiny creatures were predators, somehow.
The stars were beginning to poke through the dark veil of the night sky when Skyfire’s silhouette finally emerged from the valley below.
Starscream tried to puff his armor up and look indignant as the shuttle approached, and concealed the relief that washed over his spark when he saw the outlines of three large Digiavidae trailing a ways behind him.
“What took you so long?!” he demanded.
Skyfire chuckled. “Well, I was right. Our landing did spook the caretakers away, and they hid on a ledge, which couldn’t hold their weight, so they fell and were trapped by rubble. I had to dig them out!”
“I see,” Starscream answered flatly. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“A relief?” Skyfire asked, a hint of smugness to his voice as he rose to greet Starscream, who carefully arranged the eggs before leaving the nest.
“A relief that—” Starscream scrambled to cover up his moment of concern. “—that you didn’t take too long! I was starting to think I’d run out of fuel and fall into recharge, losing precious time for our expedition!”
Skyfire smiled as Starscream floated up beside him, and gunned his thrusters, rushing past him in a burst of speed in the direction of their little camp.
Starscream would insist they never speak of this, but Skyfire didn’t need to harp on it. Nothing needed to be said.
For the remainder of their trip, Starscream was a bit less snappy, his voice a bit softer, his optics a little brighter. Skyfire did not comment on it, and instead accepted it. Perhaps Starscream had made a discovery of his own, and Skyfire too, understood him just a tiny bit better.