Coalescence

“I’m not picking up anything on scanners. I don’t think they sent anyone after us.” The
red robot enlarged the holographic scope displaying the quadrant of space around the
ship.
“Good. That means we got away clean.” Landfall crossed his arms.
The robot with rotor blades protruding from his back rebutted, “Not necessarily, I
mean they could have let us go.”
“Spinaway, you always were a cynic. We’re just that good. I’m telling you.”
“Maybe not! I’m picking up two pings closing in.” Quakebreak reported, “Wait…
They’re in front of us?”
The blue and red robot at the center of the command deck ordered, “Direct all scanners
towards the bow, let’s find out what’s out there.”
“Doing it. They have Cybertronian signals, but whatever they are, they’re a lot smaller
than a ship.” Quakebreak’s fingers flashed across the board in front of him. “They’re
Cybertronian.”
“You already said that.”
“No, I mean they’re Cybertronian…They’re two individual Transformers!”
Heatwave leaned forward. “What are they doing all the way out here?”
“We could ask them that rather than sit here guessing.” Landfall snarked.
“Hrnn. Bring them in.” Heatwave stood. “Spinaway and Landfall, let’s go meet our
guests when they land.”
The shuttle bay was two decks down by powerlift. It was sizeable for this class ship as
it doubled as the main cargo hold, and it also permanently housed its own shuttle with
all the extra storage space built in for that. Heatwave entered first with his two cohorts
flanking close behind. The two lone voyagers had already landed; one was a large – by
organic standards; it was only a third the size of the other robots – yellow, black, and
orange vespoid alternate mode and the other a blue, purple, and yellow aerodynamic
fighter jet.
“Want to show us your faces?” Heatwave called across the hangar. “Maybe share your
names?”
The wasp converted first. His robot mode was strangely organic and his segmented
eyes gleamed an unusual emerald. “Of course, my dear new acquaintances. Introduc-
81