by MacabreDerek » Sat Sep 17, 2016 10:44 pm
Peruvian Valley – Near Mine Entrance
“Why don’t you tell me your story and all? I mean, since you asked me.” Swerve asked, trying to pass the time while they waited on Perceptor and any of the other higher-ups to come check out the deposit of strange energon.
Sidetrack gave it a moment to think. What should you really tell this uppity bot, that wasn't going to cause even more headaches? It's always different for each individual. And ofcourse, it goes into the tried-and-true ending of 'Why didn't you tell me?!'.
Oh joy...
"Guess you're gonna want the long version. Use to be a miner, stuck in quarry digging something out of the ground, or sometimes just setting up demolition. Controlled blasting in particular, making fault-lines and such. Spent alot of time under... Well, you get the idea." Sidetrack gave it a moment of thought, the senate, the uprising, the end of it with some really nasty work.
"Use to be big into poetry. I know, I don't look it, but that was kind of the thing, whatever time you had to yourself, you made the best of it. Rockdust in your heatsinks cycle after cycle will do that. Did a fair amount of reading, but there was one piece... Well, it changed my outlook on things. Figured I do what good I could, given the position I was in."
"And then the fighting broke out. Was never much of a fighter, but I'd be damned if I just sit on the sidelines, letting someone else decide what was best for me. Had to pick a side, so I did. No one wants to remember that part, too harsh, grinds the gears the wrong way. So I went from a miner into, well, this..."
A wide jesture towards the heavens gave Sidetrack a little perspective. Somewhere out there in the stars would be more fighting, and if they were lucky, it was over something worth while. That thought weighed heavily upon him.
With exaspirated speech, he continued. "Still, there are some of us who choose to try and see the good in things. Still read poetry from time to time, though nothing near as gripping anymore. I think it's because everyone's gotten a little scared. Tried my hand at writing, being inspired and all, but it really didn't click. Would have been a nice change of pace."
"It also keeps my mind off other things. Lost a lot of good friends and crew over it. Good Cybertronians the lot of 'em. Sparks preserved in the Matrix, if ya believe in that kind of thing. Came to a conclusion then."
"When you build a new foundation, ya gotta remove the old one. Seems we did that a million years or more ago. It's time to start building again. Something that is really worth while, something that you can look at and take pride in. Problem was it wasn't the direction everyone else was going. Didn't jell well with me on one of those deep circuit levels."
"Lost a lot over this conflict, so much so I sometimes wonder what it was all for. They won't know it, being scrapped and tossed like trash. And the sad part is, now I am here, hoping that this is all amounting to something, because right now, universe is going right into the disposal, and no one really seems to give an ounce of nickle."
"So yeah, tossed aside an old life for an ideal, and now I am doing it again. Play to the rules, don't rock the shuttle, go back to where I started. Cycle will go on and on and not give a single ounce of concern. Just back to drilling. The universe has a sick sense of humour, ever notice that?"
"So now I am here, drilling for you, by order, stuck back what I was doing and wondering which of you is gonna try and scrap me next. Startin' to make me wax nostalgic."