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Rolling hills, mountains and valleys, lined fresh with green grass and white snow. When the sun beats down upon the mountainsides, the lush valleys glow with a unique radiance. Breezes and cool winds from the mountaintops breathe life and add a refreshing presence to the region. Some records say that this region, closely surrounded by several mountain ranges, is the epitome of paradise on Earth, for its fields of blossoming flowers, clear rivers and natural landscapes hold an ascended level of beauty. Standing in the midst of such a place would impart one with a lasting, pleasant impression of bliss, calmness and peace.

This region, this beautiful area with some of Earth’s finest qualities, is known as Kashmir.

The tranquillity wasn’t going to last. For more than half a century in human years, the region has been in constant conflict. A conflict for control. A conflict over beliefs. A conflict for power and dominance, between two nations, two kinds of people, and two kinds of ideologies. Disagreements that spiralled into arguments. Arguments that devolved into wars. Much blood has been split in this region over where lines need to be drawn. Bullets have been scattered all across, outlining pictures of morbidity. Standing in the midst of such a place would impart one with a traumatic impression of terror, grief and pain.

This region, this ravaged area with some of Earth’s worst conflicts, is known as Kashmir.

Amidst the conflicts in the valleys is a small village, mysterious, unmapped and reclusive. Caught between the disputed borders, the inhabitants of the village seem to have come across an unknown substance - blue, crystalline and potent. It is only a matter of time before the Energon is discovered by others outside of the village...

Hanger Epsilon/Descending Shuttle

Kup wrote:"Old timer? Pfeh. Didn't you come off the assembly line right behind me, Breaker boy?"

Trailbreaker’s faceplate split into a wide grin and laugh shook his chasis. “That may be so, but ’behind you” is the operative phrase there, Kup. Besides, where would these oil squirts be without us to show them the ropes, eh?”

Trailbreaker’s sullen mood had started to shift. It was hard not to with so many ‘Bots excited and anxious to do something proactive for a change. And, he had to admit, it was contagious. Few things surprised him anymore, but a cosmic shift in his own thought process was something to record for the ages. A change of scenery may be just what the doc would order.

He took to scanning the hanger again for other not-so familiar faces when he noticed Alpha Bravo nod his way. Giving him a thumbs up, Trailbreaker nodded back.

Kup wrote:"Alright, everybody, you heard Prowl. Let's get these birds some wings. We got ourselves a planet to keep outta the Decepticons greay claws."

Here we go, he thought, falling in line behind Alpha Bravo as they entered the shuttle.



Trailbreaker braced himself against the usual vibration when shuttles lifted off. He tried not to smile too wide when a couple of mechs stumbled, but he failed. Catching their optics, he thought it’d be wise to help them focus on something else.

“Thing’s a lot sturdier than back in the old days. The walls are thicker and harder to punch through,” he said to no one in particular as he tapped the shuttle’d inner wall. The corner of his mouth turned upwards in a mischievous grin.

Shuttle--Crew Cabin

“That may be so, but ’behind you” is the operative phrase there, Kup. Besides, where would these oil squirts be without us to show them the ropes, eh?”

"Ain't that the truth," Kup grinned as he had headed back to the crew cabin with a datapad in hand so he could begin looking over this part of the world and see what exactly had caught Red Alert's interest.

The shuttle flight had been fairly quiet, apart from Kup and Trailbreaker's occasional ribs to each other or one of the other younger members of the squad that had been assigned. Mostly, Kup sat quiet--a rare form for him--as his optics perused various documents and took in live broadcasts from and about the region where they were headed. He was amazed by the beauty, and equally amazed by how quick these humans were to wreck it just for their personal grudges.

"Ain't no different from us," Kup grumbled out loud, his glowing cygar moving from one side of his vocalizer to the other. "Not a lick."

[Skies above Kashmir Valley]

The shuttle ride was fairly quiet, with Trailbreaker and Kup occasionally breaking the continuous pattern of hums and vibrations. Alpha, in the pilot’s seat, took in the approaching surface of the planet. From space, the marble was beautiful as it was, but diving through the clouds and seeing the lush valleys from above was a sight of its own. Kup had mentioned something about the humans being no different from them, and it brought down Alpha’s mood a little bit.

It wasn’t long until a message from Red Alert started playing.

Message from Red Alert wrote:>>”So, uh, in the middle of the conflicts, within a small valley nearby a river channel, is a small village. Human maps won’t show this village, because of its obscurity and remoteness. The location is crucial to both the humans and also us. To the humans, because of its strategic location, and to us because of some… unusually potent readings.

I, uh, suspect that it might be a large vein of Energon. Whatever it is, orbital imagery gave me some, err, insight into the village, and they seem to have uncovered some of it. W-we can’t let it fall into the wrong hands, so we need you to retrieve and secure everything you can.

I had the shuttle equipped in advance with holo-camouflage devices… If you need to blend into the environment, and not let any humans or, Primus forbid, Decepticons see you. I also included a few additional files about the region, some cultural and species data for your holomatter avatars, and coordinates for the village and the closest m-military facilities of both of the nations. Uh, that’s just in case, you know, anything happens... Oh gosh what if something happens…”<<

”Did you get all of that?” he said, turning around to look at the mechs in the back.

So, it was about finding out about the supposed Energon. Alpha engaged cruise control and autopilot temporarily to have a read through the files that he had sent. He thought about what kind of holomatter avatar he should take. Maybe something like this, he said, eyeing a few different holomatter styles. The more he kept reading, the more entranced he became by the humans. He wasn’t aware of how far they had really come. Sure, they may be a bit primitive, but he was quite in awe of it all.

It saddened him a bit to read about them fighting in a similar fashion to Cybertronians. Wars over beliefs, control, power and territory. Beneath his faceplate, he frowned. “I feel bad for the ones who aren’t involved,” he said, “Like the ones we’re going to meet. They haven’t done anything, but they’re still caught in the middle of all this...”

The shuttle broke through the cloud cover, and was going to land in a few more breems. There was still time to prepare, both physically and mentally, for what was ahead. Alpha disengaged the automatic controls and slowed down their descent. Pity filled his optics, yet no one would’ve seen it anyway, because he was looking away from everyone else.

Skies above Kashmir Valley

As Kup prepared himself for the mission ahead by reading up on the local geography, a new transmission from red Alert came through that shed more light on what exactly they were doing in this region of the world.

>>"So, uh, in the middle of the conflicts, within a small valley nearby a river channel, is a small village. Human maps won’t show this village, because of its obscurity and remoteness. The location is crucial to both the humans and also us. To the humans, because of its strategic location, and to us because of some… unusually potent readings."<<

So remote that the humans hadn't mapped it out yet? Wonderful. They were gonna hafta make contact with some local in order to even find the place, unless the readings could be reliably tracked. That would make their job a lot easier.

Kup never counted on anything that would do that.

As to the "unusually potent readings", Red Alert's guess was the same as Kup's: untapped energon.

”Did you get all of that?” Alpha Bravo asked as he looked back into the passenger cabin. Kup nodded.

"Yup. Looks like we gotta clean up one of our own messes before the 'Cons pick up the same energy signatures that Red did."

“I feel bad for the ones who aren’t involved. Like the ones we’re going to meet. They haven’t done anything, but they’re still caught in the middle of all this...”

"Yup. I'm with ya, lad. I ain't got much use for NAILs back home, but things're different on this planet. Lotsa innocents. Hopefully we can keep these outta harm's way."

Kup continued to watch the various screens.

"You seein' anywhere we can stash this thing, just in case the camo glitches? I figure Red'll appreciate the extra effort to maintain cover."

[Skies above Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"Yup. I'm with ya, lad. I ain't got much use for NAILs back home, but things're different on this planet. Lotsa innocents. Hopefully we can keep these outta harm's way."

”I hope so.” Alpha’s vision turned back to the incoming planet. How many of these were as innocent as the ones who weren’t caught in their own war? It had been forever since Alpha had seen another neutral. Were there any still around? Who knew? He didn’t.

Kup wrote:"You seein' anywhere we can stash this thing, just in case the camo glitches? I figure Red'll appreciate the extra effort to maintain cover."

”Yup, I think we’ll be fine. I found a nice place in the middle of some of the bigger hills in the area. It should keep our shuttle out of reach. I’ll turn on this new alarm system Red installed - they’ll send us pings on our comms if anything gets near the ship.”

And the descent began. The shuttle rumbled as air resistance dragged upward on the hull. The clouds were approaching… and then they weren’t. The thin, wispy layer of cotton had been broken through. Woah. The geography of this planet was… different, but it looked nice. If the ‘cons were here… well, he didn’t want to imagine how it would end up. It would almost be as bad as the sceneries back home.

Camouflage was engaged. Red Alert had gone a little overboard with all these camouflage filters and sensor encryptions, but it was for the best anyway. After all, if they could get this energon secured here, that might just be another source for fuel.

The shuttle turned upright when it was about 500 meters off the ground. No longer in a nose dive, the bottom thrusters slowly brought the small, round shuttle to the ground. Going down, in what was only a few moments, felt like an eternity. But it wouldn’t take long until they were surrounded by snow-capped hills, fresh grass and dried mud lining the sides. They were finally here. “Welcome to Kashmir,” Alpha said with a bit of enthusiasm.

After doing a quick runthrough of everything, and making sure that it was all good to go, Alpha stood up from the pilot’s seat and turned around. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go!” He almost jumped out of joy. The eagerness showed through, even with his faceplate and visor on, and he wanted to do his very best on this mission.

He softly walked over to the side of the shuttle, kneeling down to touch a fancy piece of machinery. “I think this is it,” he said as he inspected it, “The long range holomatter generator.” He tinkered with it a little, pressing a button to make it hum to life with a low buzz. Looking to Kup and Trailbreaker, he gave a thumbs up, and returned to his seat, offlining his optics…

[Kashmir Valley]

…only in the shuttle. A young human male with tanned skin and dark hair, clean shaven and adamant brown eyes apparated materialised into the grassy valley. He took a step forward, taking a moment to find his footing and gain his balance, then turned over his shoulder. What greeted him was the sight of a beautiful valley, with wispy clouds overhead and a refreshing breeze moving past.

“Welcome to Kashmir,” the human smiled as he waited.

Kashmir Valley

”Yup, I think we’ll be fine. I found a nice place in the middle of some of the bigger hills in the area. It should keep our shuttle out of reach. I’ll turn on this new alarm system Red installed - they’ll send us pings on our comms if anything gets near the ship.”

"Fair warning. It's probably gonna go off even if some of the local wildlife touches it. Leave it to Red to leave no security measure unexplored," Kup said with a grin as he took a fresh drag from his cygar.

"Welcome to Kashmir! Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go!” Alpha said with a level of enthusiasm that would do Hot Rod proud. The two of 'em were probably long-lost spark brothers.

“I think this is it. The long range holomatter generator.”

"Think yer right, kid," Kup said before following suit.
___

A 60+ year old human male with salt and pepper hair--mostly salt--who looked as if he'd spent of his life in combat and was in better shape than a good number of soldiers half his age materialized next to Alpha Bravo's avatar.

"Could get used to a place like this," Kup's avatar said. "Planet really is a wonderland, in some spots."

[Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"Could get used to a place like this. Planet really is a wonderland, in some spots."

”It is really pretty,” Alpha’s avatar responded. He took a step forward in the grass and watched it shift from the weight of his foot. Woah.

With Trailbreaker and Kup likely in tow behind him, Alpha began to take a few more steps. It was like watching a baby learn how to walk for the first time - that was how Alpha’s footsteps appeared to be. He wasn’t used to this whole holomatter business, he’d never had the opportunity to use one. But it didn’t take long, no. He got the hang of it really quickly, and soon he found out that these humans weren’t so different in physiology than them.

It’d be a bit of a journey until they reached where they were supposed to, but it would take them through the various valleys of Kashmir. Who knew, maybe they’d come across something interesting around here. The scenery, for one, was incredibly pleasant. And because of it, the mood was too.

Here's to hoping it would last.

“Do you think the villagers will mind us? What do we say when we meet them?”

Skies above Kashmir Valley

When Red Alert’s message came through, Trailbreaker sighed at hearing, “in the middle of the conflicts,” and shook his head. Some things never changed. No matter the planet or species, war was a fact of life.

And it’s my job to make it safe. It was an odd way to look at it, but given the countless cycles he’d spent implementing and training new defensive procedure and recruits, it was the best way to describe it. As long as I don’t miss something important like last time, he thought as the rest of Red’s information packet transferred to his processor for further study.

Alpha Bravo wrote: ”Did you get all of that?”

“Yeah, it,” Trailbreaker said, not liking how quickly his thoughts drifted to his perceived failures. Gotta make this one count.

He vaguely listened to Kup and Alpha Bravo’s exchange, spending what time he had to go over Red’s information packet and pick an avatar that would suit him and the world outside.

It was a more difficult decision than he’d expected. Who would’ve thought I’d be picky? Chuckling to himself as the shuttle descended, he said, “Hold on ‘Bots, this is where the fun stuff happened.” He was only partially kidding, but one never knew.

Kashmir Valley

Once they were on the ground, Trailbreaker braced for any last minute glitches that could happen. He knew the maintenance crew had the shuttle in top operating order, and that Red had planned for every contingency, but things just had a way of happening.

Maybe I’m just getting old. They say the logic circuits are the first to go and I’m starting to sound like Red, he thought, then pushed it aside. The law of averages had to be on their side this time.

Here goes nothing, he thought at seeing Alpha and Kup switch to their avatars. Selecting his, he materialized outside the shuttle next to them.

He took a moment to study himself. Not too bad, a little bulky, but that’s my style, he thought smiling as his avatar was a middle-aged man with black hair and and a gray sprinkled black beard. He admired his pudgy midsection. “So that’s where the humans keep their armor,” he mumbled, pleased with his selection.

Kup wrote: "Could get used to a place like this. Planet really is a wonderland, in some spots."

Alpha Bravo wrote: ”It is really pretty.”

Trailbreaker nodded. “It surpasses Cybertron’s in many ways. A real jewel.”

Trailbreaker fell into step with his companions, allowing himself to absorb the beauty of their surroundings while gauging the shelter the mountains around them provided. “Given Earth-based weapons, looks like we’ll be well protected here. I can see why the humans don’t come here very often. To inaccessible,” he said, thinking outloud.

Alpha Bravo wrote: “Do you think the villagers will mind us? What do we say when we meet them?”

Trailbreaker didn’t know why, but he chuckled and said, “How about, ‘Can we interest you in the lore of Primus?’ It’s a solid ice breaker.”

Kashmir Valley

“Do you think the villagers will mind us? What do we say when we meet them?” Alpha Bravo said, via his avatar.

"Mind?" Kup asked, looking down at his technology-generated disguise. "Why'd they mind? We look accurate, don't we?"

As for AB's second question, Trailbreaker had an answer that made even the hard-nosed Kup chuckle a little.

“How about, ‘Can we interest you in the lore of Primus?’ It’s a solid ice breaker.”

"Heh, yeah. That'll throw a nice little monkeywrench into Prowl and Red Alert's precious secrecy protocols. That said...we probably do look a little outta place. Maybe one'a the natives that's run across the ore will recognize that and come to us."

[Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"Mind? Why'd they mind? We look accurate, don't we?"

”I suppose. I dunno, just a thought that popped into my mind,” Alpha responded. He wasn’t sure why, but maybe it was just the fact that perhaps they wouldn’t recognise them as part of their own. To be fair, Alpha hadn’t exactly been on the planet either, so he didn’t know what the locals thought. Maybe they think in tribes, and anyone who looks similar is one of theirs. Maybe. He could only hope for the best in this scenario.

Trailbreaker wrote:“How about, ‘Can we interest you in the lore of Primus?’ It’s a solid ice breaker.”

Oh how he was glad that Trailbreaker had decided to inject some humour into the conversation. That was definitely a nice change of pace from whatever train of thought was going through his processors, and his avatar giggled a little bit. “Right, they’ll be sure to give us a warm welcome after that!”

Walking in this diminutive form was slower than he had anticipated, but it gave him more time to admire the rolling hills and snow-capped valleys they were winding through. With every twist and turn there just seemed to be more and more of these wonders of nature, and to Alpha, it felt like this was a good freshening moment.

Kup wrote:"That said...we probably do look a little outta place. Maybe one'a the natives that's run across the ore will recognize that and come to us."

”Maybe. I think we’re almost there now…” he said, checking his internal coordinates, “Yup, just right around this next bend…”

The narrow, lush valleys opened up and gave way to the sights of several tiny constructs scattered across a large open field. These looked to be some kind of primitive shelters, made of hardened mud and straw, likely the residences of the locals. But what struck Alpha Bravo the most was the sheer amount of tranquility in this region. Everything was so calm, quaint, and undisturbed, it almost made Alpha forget the gritty realities of war. This was so much of what he wanted back on Cybertron. So much. The greenery and the vegetation, the town outlined by the hills, the freshness of the air. Sure, this was another of Sol-3’s features, but the feeling it gave felt so close and familiar.

A group of five tiny Earthlings ran past not too far away from the three Autobots. They were much smaller in size than they were, and they seemed to be playing around, laughing with glee and running after each other. One came close to Alpha’s avatar, and slowed in his tracks, looking up to the holomatter’s face. Pausing with an inquisitive look, the tiny Earthling asked something in a very high pitched voice. Alpha’s translator took a moment to decipher the meaning.

“Hello! Why are you standing there? You should come with us!”

Alpha perked his head up, giving a sideways, curious glance to his two comrades. Should we? He didn’t say anything, but his look spelled that out.

Kashmir Valley

Kup nodded as Alpha Bravo confirmed that they were almost where they needed to be...wherever that was. He had no reason to argue at this point.

It wasn't long before they encountered some native protoforms playing in the street. For a moment, Kup was taken back to the old days on Iacon where you might run across a few young Cybertronians doing something very similar. Another world. Another time.

“Hello! Why are you standing there? You should come with us!”

Well, if that wasn't a sign...

Alpha Bravo looked to he and Trailbreaker for some guidance.

"Don't see why not," Kup said as he followed.

Kashmir Valley

Trailbreaker matched Kup and Alpha Bravo’s pace as she studied the area. It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful worlds could be when untouched by war.

Still, it wasn’t something he or the others had started. They were here to protect the humans as much as themselves. If not, why bother with our avatars?

The thought had merit, but he couldn’t worry about that now. Being sidetracked while on a mission was the best way to be blown to Primus knew where, or have their covers blown once the humans realized they were holograms and not actual people.

This plan has so many holes in it, Metroplex could fly through it, he thought, but made sure to keep it to himself. It was his nature to think of the worst possible scenarios. A defensive specialist that didn’t see carnage at every corner wasn’t worth his weight in energy—

Earthling wrote: “Hello! Why are you standing there? You should come with us!”

Oh, for the love of… Trailbreaker’s thought trialed off as he cursed himself for not noticing the human first. Can’t keep messing up like this. If that’d been a Decepticon…

At least, he seems friendly, he thought.

Kup wrote: "Don't see why not."

Trailbreaker shook his head and forced out a chuckle. “Just keep that ‘Bah weep grana stuff under wraps, kid. Doubt they know there’s life out there,” he said in a low voice to Alpha Bravo while smiling. “No need to make them think we’re stranger than we already are.”

[Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"Don't see why not."

Trailbreaker wrote:“Just keep that ‘Bah weep grana stuff under wraps, kid. Doubt they know there’s life out there. No need to make them think we’re stranger than we already are.”

It really was a bit of a wonder, this isolated earthling settlement. Alpha’s avatar nodded in agreement and stifled a laugh at Trailbreaker’s words, but couldn’t resist giving him a smile. “Oh, of course. Wouldn’t dream about it.”

The tiny earthlings began running deeper into the village settlement in the midst of this lush valley, and Alpha followed. The crunch of grass underneath the holomatter’s feet was a strange sound, but oddly relaxing. Unusual terrain for a Cybertronian, but Alpha didn’t doubt that Kup and Trailbreaker’s alt modes could easily drive on something like this.

There was something about the earthlings’ laughter that reminded Alpha of stories he was told about newly-smithed protoforms. A certain kind of innocence in their expressions. Uncorrupted, one could say. Alpha envied them and their settlement, untouched by war. It was a memory he never had, being cold constructed in the war. If he could redo his formative cycles, he would make it something like this.

The arrival of newcomers and the laughter of children attracted looks from those on the outsides of their shelters. Some leaned in close to each other, their vocalisers moving yet hardly any sound being let out. Everyone looked similar to the small earthlings, but larger and with sterner faces. Some looked similar in some aspects to the holomatters of the three Autobots. Simple outer armour, dusky hues and this ‘hair’ thing that was on everybody’s heads. It was still strange to Alpha, but he acknowledged it all with a blank face.

Alpha didn’t stop to let his translator pick up on the subtle conversations of people, instead choosing to follow the tiny earthlings instead. He followed them through the dozens and dozens of small buildings, until they arrived at perhaps the largest structure in the vicinity. It looked to be at least three or four times larger than everything else, and was central in location. Maybe it’s important.

The tiny earthlings all disappeared inside of it, and there was a succinct silence that followed right after. Alpha fell back in line with his two compatriots and gave them looks of question. Before he could voice any of those questions, a slightly elderly earthling, looking to be in a similar vein to Trailbreaker. He looked intently at all three, and in a deep, gravelly voice said, “Yes? What brings you all here?”

[Kashmir Valley]

“Just keep that ‘Bah weep grana stuff under wraps, kid. Doubt they know there’s life out there. No need to make them think we’re stranger than we already are.”

Kup bristled at the idea of anyone callin' him "kid", but he didn't press the issue. Trailbreaker was one of the few who would get a pass.

"Yeh yeh yeah, I only use that one on the 'more enlightened', heh," Kup chuckled as they pressed deeper into what was turning out to be quite a quaint little human settlement. Definitely off the grid, compared to some of the other vids he'd seen.

When Kup thought about why he fought to protect this planet, human settlements like this were one of the big reasons. He'd hate to see these people touched by their war. He wanted to keep it as far from them as possible.

“Yes? What brings you all here?” one of the human elders said after the group had been thoroughly looked over--at varying distances--by the locals.

"You could call us, eh, 'world travelers'. Scientists. We heard some interestin' gossip about some stuff that was found by the people in your area. We thought we'd come to check and see if the rumors were true."

Kashmir Valley

Alpha Bravo wrote: “Oh, of course. Wouldn’t dream about it.”

Trailbreaker smiled despite himself. He liked Alpha Bravo. The kid had a kind of style that reminded him of some of his younger compatriots. It was nice to observe something other than defensive parameters for a change.

Kup wrote: "Yeh yeh yeah, I only use that one on the 'more enlightened', heh.”

“Spoken like a true old timer, Kup,” Trailbreaker said, his smile growing.

Shifting his focus, as their new acquaintance led them to his village, town, or whatever the humans called it. They had so many terms for their habitations he thought it best not to voice his questions about that and how many people were there and so on out of fear of alienate their new contacts.

Sometimes, it was better to let others do the talking, he thought, knowing his time would be better spent watching for any possible problem areas.

Surrounded my mountains, meaning they had given up the high ground already, was a logistical nightmare, but the beauty and tranquility almost made up for it. Until someone drops a cluster bomb on us.

It was almost too peaceful, even if they were the center of attention.

When the human spoke to them, Trailbreaker gave him a quick onceover. He didn’t look dangerous, but he did seem anxious about something. must be a scrounger. We should’ve brought an engineer or someone that could relate.

Kup wrote: "You could call us, eh, 'world travelers'. Scientists. We heard some interestin' gossip about some stuff that was found by the people in your area. We thought we'd come to check and see if the rumors were true."

Scientists? Us? Not bad, old timer. This should be interesting if they expect us to prove it. Maybe Bah weep whatever wasn’t a bad idea? he thought, watching for any aggressive reaction that’d come in response.

[Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"You could call us, eh, 'world travelers'. Scientists. We heard some interestin' gossip about some stuff that was found by the people in your area. We thought we'd come to check and see if the rumors were true."

”Travellers, eh? You seem to know our language quite well. And, ah… yes, we have had some strange rocks being found lately. I am sure you are talking about these?” The older human waved to inside of his hut, pointing at something, when another, younger human brought out a small clay urn of some kind. The older man held it out and opened the jar, exposing the faint blueish-purple glow of tiny, cracked crystals inside.

“We do not know what purpose they serve, but you say you know much about the world. Maybe you can help us find a use for these.”

Alpha Bravo’s holomatter leaned a little bit closer to the urn, looking in to find what the cracked crystals were. These were definitely familiar. In the native tongue, he responded, “Oh, these definitely look familiar to us. Let’s just have a closer look to see if it’s really what I think it is.” He picked one up and held it in front of his face, but close enough for Kup and Trailbreaker to see. Switching his tongue back to Cybertronian, to be able to communicate more privately, Alpha held the small crystals in his hand, initiating his long-range scanner.

“This is definitely energon,” he began, “But this seems far too fresh. Something seems off about these crystals.”

As he spoke, the elder added from behind, “The children found them in the hills to the west. I would be careful going there, though. A bit slippery there.”

The young holomatter male nodded in acknowledgement. ”Do you think it’s worth checking out now?”

Kashmir Valley

”Travellers, eh? You seem to know our language quite well. And, ah… yes, we have had some strange rocks being found lately. I am sure you are talking about these?”

Well, this was provin' to be more productive than Kup had guessed it'd be. As the younger human stepped forward with a clay container of some kind and opened it for them to see, Kup stepped forward to get a better look. The glow was all too familiar.

“We do not know what purpose they serve, but you say you know much about the world. Maybe you can help us find a use for these," the elder human said.

Alpha Bravo's avatar was just as eager to get a closer look as Kup was.

“Oh, these definitely look familiar to us. Let’s just have a closer look to see if it’s really what I think it is.”

"Yeh. I think these are exactly what we came here for. Not that we'd think to just take 'em from you, but perhaps your people might be interested in, I dunno, selling 'em? We have, uh, pretty exhaustive resources in that department."

“This is definitely energon. But this seems far too fresh. Something seems off about these crystals,” AB continued, now speaking to Trailbreaker in their native Cybertronian. He could only imagine how that sounded to these people.

”Do you think it’s worth checking out now?” Alpha Bravo asked.

"Without a doubt, kid," Kup said, before switching to Cybertronian. "And we gotta get word back to command. If the 'Cons somehow follow the same trail we did to get here, they'll wipe this village out tryin' t'find the ore and the energon."

[Kashmir Valley]

Kup wrote:"And we gotta get word back to command. If the 'Cons somehow follow the same trail we did to get here, they'll wipe this village out tryin' t'find the ore and the energon."

Agreed. Maybe once we’re outside of their view, we can disengage our holomatters to send the comms up. But we need to find the source first. Alpha Bravo’s avatar clutched the small shards of high-potency Energon in his hand, looking towards the village elder and the others who had gathered around.

“We thank you for your kindness,” Alpha said, giving a warm smile to the elder. The smile was returned, and one of the other humans nearby pointed over to the hills in a particular direction. “If you go behind that second hill there, you will find the three dead trees. Look at the ground where it shines.”

Nodding with gratitude and acknowledgement, Alpha’s avatar turned to Kup and Trailbreaker’s. ”I think we should move quickly,” he said softly, taking steps in the direction pointed out to him.

Kashmir Valley

”I think we should move quickly,” Alpha said.

"No arguments from me," Kup's avatar said before jogging back and hopping into his truck alt mode.

His engine took a little longer to turn over than he would like, but he started up and revved it a couple of times.

"Time for a tune up when I see the doc again, heh," Kup muttered to himself as he sped off to where the village elder had told them to go. Past the first hill and then on past the second to where three very much dead or dying trees stuck out like a busted energon transfuser amidst the otherwise pristine landscape.

Kup's avatar hopped out of the cab again and approached the trees. The closer he got, the more the natural greenery dissipated, leaving only the harsh terran "earth". And the ground, well, it did seem to shine. Shine pink.

"I think that elder was on to somethin'..."

Kashmir Valley

Walking away from the village and back into the hills was definitely a pleasant sightseeing experience, but they had matters to attend to. Riding alongside Kup in his truck alt mode, Alpha’s holomatter avatar was looking out of the window with some increased alertness, eager to find whatever it was that was hiding around here. The three dead trees beyond the second hill was the dead giveaway.

Kup wrote:"I think that elder was on to somethin'..."

”I think he was,” Alpha said, stepping out of the cab and getting right up close to where a small portion of the earth was shining a bright pink hue. The holomatter kneeled down and dug away at some of the earth with its tiny human actuators, and sure enough, underneath the dirt was more of the same glowing crystals.

“We should send word back. Maybe they could set up a quiet extraction here. We can’t have a big operation, it’d attract too much attention, and those people in the human village would be in danger.” He stood up again, pondering over the exposed crystals of the raw, naturally forming vein of energon. “Maybe we could store some of the surface level crystals in your alt modes and carry it back to the shuttle, just so that it’s out of immediate radar. But… I’m still a bit worried.”

Tapping into his real body back at the shuttle, the only one who hadn’t left (given the nature of his alternate mode), he decided to open a secured comm up to Red Alert to inform him about the vein. >>”It’s definitely huge from our scanners down here. But we can’t have a full scale operation. Maybe we just get a small, low-level operation going here. It’s a good fuel supply, it’s remote enough for most people to not notice. I don’t know much, though, if we noticed it, then the Cons would also definitely notice it.”<<

There were so many instances where he had thought of the word ‘maybe’. But it was better to start getting to work. He lifted some of the surfaced crystals and put them inside Kup’s truck bed, covering the area with as much dirt as he possibly could.

Kashmir Valley

“We should send word back. Maybe they could set up a quiet extraction here. We can’t have a big operation, it’d attract too much attention, and those people in the human village would be in danger. Maybe we could store some of the surface level crystals in your alt modes and carry it back to the shuttle, just so that it’s out of immediate radar. But… I’m still a bit worried.”

"Good usin' yer brainbox, lad," Kup's avatar said as he knelt down and got to work alongside AB. "Yeh, let's find as much of this stuff as we can, get it loaded up and get it out of here. Maybe it'll stay under the 'Cons radar."

Kup then continued to find whatever stray crystals he could and put them in the back of his alt mode along with a heaping helping of dirt.

"Now I figure it's best we get outta here, kid. We might draw attention just by bein' around. Snoopy human adventurers aside, I'm a little wary of our efforts to stay hidden when someone really wants to find us. And if they do, I'd rather they find me far away from a buncha innocent natives."

Kashmir Valley

Kup wrote:"Now I figure it's best we get outta here, kid. We might draw attention just by bein' around. Snoopy human adventurers aside, I'm a little wary of our efforts to stay hidden when someone really wants to find us. And if they do, I'd rather they find me far away from a buncha innocent natives."

With most of the surface-level material having been taken out of the ground, Alpha nodded at his senior mech. His holomatter avatar entered the cab of the truck once more, looking back at the cargo bed and how heaped it had become with all the dirt-covered energon underneath.

The ride back to the shuttle was one filled with tension, but Alpha had made sure to send a comm message back to Blaster about the findings and requested an extraction team for the remaining energon. With Trailbreaker in tow, the three holomatter avatars inside the two vehicles arrived back at the shuttle, and Alpha helped stash away the dirt-covered energon inside of the minimal storage the shuttle had.

“Alright, I think we’re good to go,” the young mech said, looking at Kup. The shuttle hummed to life, slowly engaging its thrusters, before pointing upwards and rising into the atmosphere.

A stray thought went through Alpha’s mind. Hopefully the natives are okay.


[OOC: This thread is now closed, and will be continued in the Guardian.]