Airachnid cast a gaze at the Lieutenant Commando. The gears turned in her head as she assessed whether or not his curiosity was genuine. “Alright.” She started after reaching a conclusion. “You want to know? I’ll tell you.”
“For starters, it’s a far cry from here.” She began. “Instead of sand and dust, our entire planet is green and lush with Jungles and Oceans. The Wilderness is dominant and we Eukarians live alongside that wilderness. Our cities are built in accordance with nature. Trees grow out of Gilded buildings and our people populate both. In a word, Eukaris is concordia: Harmony.”
“Sounds beautiful.” Said Scourge.
“It is. Until you go beneath the treeline.” Said Airachnid. “It’s ironic, Eukaris was colonized by those looking to escape discrimination. It was founded by Beasts, for beasts. But segregating ourselves like that gave rise to other forms of prejudice. Those of us unable to assume beast mode are shunned away. Even my hybrid form isn’t good enough for ‘true’ Eukarians.”
Scourge raised a brow. “Says who?” He asked.
The question caught the Eukarian off guard. “The rest of Eukarian society. I just told you.” She said.
“Ok…but do their voices matter?” Asked Scourge.
The Eukarian narrowed her gaze. “Well they’re the majority, so-”
“No, no.” Scourge stopped her. “I didn’t ask if they were louder. I asked if their voices mattered. Hybrid or not, you are every bit a Eukarian as the ones telling you otherwise. Don’t let their labels define who you are. Only you can do that.”
Airachnid turned away from Scourge and let out another laugh. In this one Scourge felt hints of pain. “Oh Scourge…” She began. “If only you knew what life was like as a Eukarian. I’m not sure you’d say that.”
“You’d be surprised.” Said Scourge. “We Combatrons are all too familiar with life under the boot heel of another. It’s why we fight; why I fight. To prove to the Quick that we Slow are just as capable.”
Airachnid sat there in Half-track’s cage, her eyes trailing back to him. “So you’re fighting for acceptance?” She asked.
“Correct.” Answered Scourge.”
“That’s ridiculous.” She said.
The Eukarian again fixed her eyes on the Commando. She figured that ‘Ridiculous’ was perhaps too harsh a word for what she’d meant, so she sought to course correct. “Scourge, your fight is righteous. But seeking acceptance from the ones who are demonizing you is a fool's gambit.”
“Is that so?” Asked Scourge. “If wanting better for yourself and those like you is foolish, then I’ll gladly remain a fool for life.”
“If that was the end of it, then a fool you would be.” The Eukarian scoffed.
Scourge raised a brow. “What are you suggesting?”
Airachnid turned towards Scourge, her full body was facing him now. “You and your fellow warriors, you are risking your lives against gigantic creatures and some sort of opposing force for bots who aren’t even looking your way. If that Worm ate you, do you think they would have cared? Would they remember your name? Does your ‘Delta’ even know that you’re out here fighting on their behalf?”
Scourge kept his eyes locked on Airachnid. He didn’t respond to her question, which was an answer in itself.
The Eukarian rose from the floor of Half Track’s alt mode. “If Velocitron doesn’t know you’re dying for her, then why are you? Why not rise up and demand recognition from your familiars?”
“And how would we do that?” Scourge asked. “Stage a coup? Take power for ourselves?”
“If you feel you need to be that direct, sure.” Airachnid said.
“Is that what you did?” Asked Scourge. “Try to overthrow your government? Is that why you really ended up here?”
Airachnid smirked at the Commando Lieutenant, giving the him a good look at her pointed fangs. She approached his end of the cage taking long, supple strides towards him. “You cannot ask your oppressors for freedom.” She told him. “If you beg a bot for Victory, then it becomes their victory, not yours.”
Thanks to Half-track’s size, the truck bed put Airachnid on higher elevation. This made her stand a full head and a half taller than the Commando Lieutenant. From the ground, Scourge looked past the metal bars of the recruit’s alt-mode and gazed up into Airachnid’s eyes. The Eukarian was bound. She had 4 different sets of stasis cuffs on her and she was confined within the Recruit’s alt-mode. And yet, it somehow felt like Scourge was the one behind bars.
Transformers: Lord of Velocitron, Chapter 7 "Foregone Conclusion" is now available: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77165556/chapters/205600511
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