Battlemask

Chapter 1

    Fuchsia Prime’s armor shook violently from the cold, her armor rattling before drawing closer in order to keep the heat from her protoform close. It was one of the many things she was not used to on this planet, which in this case it was the rapidly changing weather. One moment it would be sunny and warm, the next, at least in her area, it could be cold and bearing down snow from above. This inclimate weather was the most common, always relentless in its goal of getting under her armor. While she was now almost used to the colder weather, she could never truly become comfortable with it.
    This was a stark contrast from her home planet of cybertron. There, the weather was normally calm. The only thing that changed was the few times there was acid rain. Something that every cybertronian feared to their core. The acid melted through most armors like butter - only the heaviest of armors could withstand it. While Fuchsia’s armor was that strong, the fear of that rain was still instilled within her. The first few times it rained on this planet, she had cowered in  fear at the sight of the slightest rain and snow. Now it was a part of normality. But this didn't mean she had to like it.
    Using some of the fire that lived within her - it came from her half-predacon ancestry - she warmed herself up some. The snow that had landed on her armor turned to a fine mist that wafted around her. She was glad that none of it could stop her optics from seeing. It took all she had to not blow some fire from her maw, in fear of catching the nearby castle-like monastery on fire.
    “You are going to catch a cold.” said one of the monks below.
    “I am not human like you. It takes more than some cold water to slow me down.” Fuchsia said with confidence, but when she looked down at the comparatively small monk, she could still see the concern on his face.
    He was one of the younger monks. He had dark brown hair and bright blue, intelligent eyes. He, like the other monks, wore simple brown clothing. He had muscle in his arms from the many baking sprees he went on for the town below. It raised money for necessities while bringing smiles for the children who tasted his homemade pretzels. Even Fuchsia had helped a couple of times. He claimed, and was proven right, that the act of baking could calm one's nerves. Or they could bring one anger if they didn't have the patience to work the dough.
    “Brother Gunter, no need to look so concerned. You have nothing to fear about my wellbeing.”
    “”And yet I do, Fuchsia Prime.” Brother Gunter replied in suit of what was supposed to be comforting words, “you are sad again. You need to be among your own kind.”
    Fuchsia Prime was rendered speechless. Often she had forgotten that he had been raised with her around the monetary. For 18 long years she had stayed by their side, helping them rebuild the castle into their monastery, and providing shelter when needed. And in return they had helped her in more ways than one. Fuchsia often forgot how long that time was for a human, and how short it was for a cybertronian such as herself.
    “My kind is not here.” she stated curtly, turning her head away as not to look at him.
    “But they are. I was in town the other day, and I heard tales of robotic creatures in another state. And of strange…” he thought for a moment, “meteors that were not supposed to be there.”
    “Perhaps you are right. But I do not believe that they would accept me.”
    “And if they do? You need to step up and go see them. If they do not accept you, then you can come back here. But if they do.” Brother Gunter warned, “you are to stay there. With them.”
    “But I will miss you.”
    “No buts about it! Fuchsia you need to go be with them!”
    Fuchsia was shocked, many times she and Brother Gunter had their bouts in which he would ask her to be with her own kind, and she would retort with why she shouldn’t. Yet, with this new news, the boy was adamant and didn't look as if he would give up easily. His bright blue eyes never wavered from her optics.
    She sighed, perhaps he was right. She would soon need energon even more than she already did. For the past year she had felt the pains of not having energon. She was more tired, and the energon starvation didn't allow her to fly for as long. There were even times when the energon left her optics and she was left without sight for a while The best she could do was to let out a distress signal away from the monastery. And hopefully the right faction would hear her plees.
    So, maybe, he was right.
    She sighed again, kneeling down to be closer to eyes level, “Perhaps you are right, Brother Gunter. But what will you do without me here.”
    “We will manage, sister. But you must go. Please.”
    “Alright, brother Gunter. But as I said, I will miss you.”
    “And that is alright, sister. You will always be welcome in our halls. But you must go. Leave now. I will let the others know what has happened.” Brother Gunter began making a showing motion with his hands, she needed to go now.
    Fuchsia noded, looking down at him once more before walking over to the cliff. She would fly a while before landing and walking the rest of the way. She waved, just as she did when she first arrived, and then dove off the side of the building. Snapping out her wings before she hit the ground, and rising to the air. This was the last time she would see the monastery that had been her home. At least, not for a long time.
*****
    She lay on the ground, body aching for the need of energon. Having flown several hundred miles into the forest did not help. Nor did it help that she had been without energon for several human years. She had made due with human fuel after a while, but it wasn't the same. Her body needed energon. It craved it. She needed it soon, or she would fall into a stasis lock. And with the possibility of Decepticons discovering her help beacon, she couldn't sleep yet. Not until she knew she was safe.
    But she was so hungry. Her tanks grumbled loudly with the want of energon.
    Her optics.
    She couldn't see.
    Again.
    Again she was left without sight.
    What a great time to be blind.
    Fuchsia transformed her right arm into its usual blade. She couldn't see it, but it was dark orange in color, turning a brighter shade when she willed fire into the blade. Melting her foes armor like butter if she got the blade hot enough. Yet, for now, she kept it its dark orange, without any fire. To help her stay in a crouched position. The tip of the blade in the dirt to keep her up.
    Since she couldn’t see, she raised her wings about her head. Dialing up her hearing a little, and using her sensitive wings to sense the world around her in case someone showed up. Her long tail lashed behind her, the tip was slightly uncurled. The barb on the end ready to strike if hostile forces came close. But for now, it was quiet.
    She intently listened to her surroundings. Hoping that it was autobots and not decepticons that had locked onto her signal beacon. Even humans finding her would be more pleasant than the Decepticons. Most likely if she were to be captured by them she would never truly see the light of day again, and be experimented on because of her hybrid nature. She shook her head of these thoughts, she had to focus on the task at hand.
    “So, the Decepticons haven't found the beacon yet?” called out a young voice - an autobot if she was correct.
    “No, but we should keep on the lookout. For both the decepticons and our fellow autobot.” said a deeper, older, and wiser voice.
    Fuchsia kept curled up defensively, drawing her arms closer to her body. Even if they were autobots or neutrals, they could still see her as a threat. It didn't help that her own autobot symbol was faded, and on her back. But there was nothing that she could do for that at the moment. For now, she was stuck at her position - energy draining at a slow but steady pace.
    She growled when she sensed several life forces come close. The autobots had found her.
    “Wow! Who is that?” called the younger voice, echoed by two others.
    “I do not know.” said the elder, whom she sensed that he drew closer.
    Too close.
******
    Optimus wasnt sure what to think about the new Autobot, or at least, he thought that she was an Autobot. When he and his fellow autobots, Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Smokescreen, approached at first, he was sure that it was a decepticon. It was frivolous to judge on her armor pattern and type alone. The armor itself was not as smooth as the other Autobots, and the wings and barbed tail was a surprise. The only information that her armor gave was that she was a femme, abliet, much taller than Arcee, but a femme for sure.
Perhapesa decepticon femme?
He wasn't so sure until he came closer.
Her head snapped up at their voices, and he could see bright, sky blue optics look up at him.
    They were too dim - almost black as she looked up at him, the audio fins on the sides of her head dipping when he answered Smokescreen’s question. The way she acted, guarded, and the way she acted.
    She was blind.
    Optimus was concerned now, not sure how she would react if they got too close. He motioned to the others, a signal to stay behind while he drew even closer. Getting close to the ground as he approached and the femme growled.
Arcee went to say something, but stopped when she saw the look on the Prime’s face. Instead she backed up, giving him and the strange femme some distance.
“Are you alright?” was what Optimus started with.
The femme shook her head, simply asking, “autobots or decepticons?”
“Autobots.”
“Good” she nodded, “I am glad that my beacon wasn’t spotted by Decepticons.”
Optimus paused, wondering how to continue the conversation, “My name is Optimus Prime. I have come with several autobots to your beacon. Who are you?”
“My name is Fuchsia” she said with a pause after announcing her name, she was obviously withholding information. Then she continued, “I have been on this planet for some time now, and until now I did not know that the autobots were here. I have been without energon for quite some time. Do you have any you could spare?”
“Is this the cause-”
“For my lack of eyesight?” Fuchsia interrupted, “Yes. and I can feel myself slipping into a stasis lock as we speak.”
She struggled to stand up, her armor shook as she transformed her right blade into a dark servo. Her wings outspread to help with her current lack of balance. She put out a hand, and Optimus helped her stand. Optimus could tell that she would slip soon, he had to get her to base.
He turned to his fellow autobots, “autobots, we need to get her to th base, NOW!”
    Watching as Arcee asked for a bridge, Optimus found himself looking at the strange Femme. Fuchsia was a strong femme, that he could easily tell. Her faceplate was stoic except for a look of concentration. Both to avoid stasis lock, and to keep track of the bots around her. Audio fins flicking when she heard the sound of the now nearby groundbridge. Hopefully, she would be an asset to the team. And hopefully, Optimus hoped with all his spark, that maybe she wouldn't have to be in this war with the Decepticons for much more.