Chapter 2: Introductions
The first thing Rodimus told her about was that their race was a lot larger than they appeared. Thanks to a thing called "mass displacement" they were able to condense their size to that of a more "reasonable" height for planets that didn't accommodate larger species. When the group reached the "Rodpod", the human was shocked at the size difference as they returned to their normal height. They towered over her, not just by a couple feet, but by over 15ft to 25ft. It made her a bit nervous. If everyone on the ship was that size, couldn't she be accidently stepped on? Seeing her nervousness, Drift assured her that nothing bad was going to happen, and while Ratchet was going to say something contradictory to Drift's statement, he quickly cut the red and white mech off before anything could be said.
The human was perched on Rodimus's shoulder as the Rodpod took off.
"I still think Daniel is a good name!" Rodimus said. "I was friends with a Daniel."
"Daniel is a traditional male name." Ratchet said. "And it doesn't fit her at all."
"I thought you didn't care, Ratchet." Rodimus said with a smirk.
"I don't." Ratchet replied, shortly.
"It sounds like you do!" The Captain teased.
"How about... Rin Hikari?" Drift suggested. "Hikari is a traditional Japanese name that means light. Rin means companion."
"Light Companion?" Ratchet raised an eye ridge.
"Well, that's what she is now, isn't it?" Drift said. The human thought about it.
"Rin Hikari..." She looked up. "I like it!"
"Rin..." Rodimus smiled. "Not as good as Daniel, but it'll work." The human chuckled slightly. In less than 30 kliks, her life had turned around. From being trapped in a cage with no identity to traveling into space with new friends and a name of her own. Rin Hikari. A companion to the light.
×××
Rin sat on the huge berth as Ratchet looked at the readings on the screen in front of him. They didn't entirely make sense to him. While her base genetic code was similar to that of a human, it was still different. It was as if someone had manually went in and changed her DNA. To what extent, Ratchet didn't know.
He looked down at Rin who, once again, was fidgeting. She looked exhausted. She had recharged a little on the way back to the Lost Light. Ratchet ex-vented, causing Rin to look up. They had purchased some human safe food, but it wouldn't last long. How long did Rodimus expect to keep her? He suddenly paused. The human wasn't dying. He had been so caught up in the fact that a human was even found in that solar sector, that he didn't think about how it was possible. A normal human would have been dead as soon as one stepped foot on that planet, let alone the Lost Light. The temperature and lack of oxygen would have... should have killed her. However, she appeared perfectly fine.
Rin blinked up at the medic.
"I-Is something wrong?" She asked.
"How are you not dead?" Rin was a little taken aback by the question.
"I... sorry?"
"A normal human would have died without the proper equipment for space travel. However you are just fine."
"I'm not... sure." She said. "You had said that I'm not a normal human, so perhaps-"
"Your lungs... they're functional. It doesn't make any sense! When a Cybertronian ex-vents it's the release of built up airflow. However, you are intaking nothing and yet your body appears to breathe." Rin's head was beginning to spin as he rambled on. She hoped he didn't expect her to answer the questions. The medibay door opened and Drift walked in.
"Any new updates, Ratchet?" He asked.
"Only more damn questions." Ratchet grumbled. Drift glanced at Rin.
"Rodimus is wanting to introduce her to the crew, already." The comment earned Drift another ex-vent. Ratchet thought it was a bad idea, but he knew Rodimus wouldn't listen to his opinion.
"Fine, but bring her back afterwards. I'm not done." Drift held out his servo to her, allowing Rin to step onto it.
"How many bots are on this ship?" Rin asked as Drift walked down the long hall.
"Over 200." He said. "But don't worry, most of them are nice or keep to themselves. The ones you should keep an optic out for are Whirl, and Cyclonus."
"Why?"
"Whirl is an unpredictable time bomb, you never know when he's going to do something crazy, and he usually drags Cyclonus into his messes." He stepped into a large room where bots were all gathered. Drift walked up to stand beside Rodimus who stood on a balcony overlooking the crowd.
"Thank you for taking the time to gather here." Rodimus said as the crowd hushed. From a gap on Drift's digits, she could see everyone staring up at them.
"While we were visiting Jujikung, we came across a discovery. A discovery that is now a part of our journey." Rodimus paused for dramatic effect. "Behold... your new crewmate!" Rin froze up as Drift opened his servos, revealing her to the crowd. There was absolute silence. Ratchet and Ultra Magnus had warned her that some of the bots discriminated against organics and would have a negative reaction towards her, but she hadn't expected no reaction at all. A full klik passed before there was any response.
"A human?!" As if it was a signal, the crowd erupted into chatter. Rin could see Rodimus's optic twitch.
"Alright, maybe not the best way to introduce you..." Rodimus said as questions started to arise.
"Where is it gonna stay?"
"How is it going to get around?"
"Isn't it dangerous to have something so small running loose on a big ship?"
"How much trouble will I be in if I killed it?"
"Will it even be able to survive?"
Rodimus raised up a servo, trying to quiet the barrage of inquiries.
"She's currently staying in the medibay with Ratchet. If anything happens to her, you'll have to answer to me, understand?"
Rin looked down at the many bots, clutching Drift's digits. It was overwhelming. The chatter had quieted a little but Rin could still make out a few snippets of conversation.
"How did a human-?"
"What will it-?"
"-kill it."
"Uhm... hi!" Rin's voice carried surprisingly well over the sea of voices. Silence fell once again. "I'm Rin Hikari..." Rin didn't know what else to say. She fidgeted before looking at Rodimus who gave her a thumbs up. Rin smiled slightly.
"It's nice to meet you." She finally said. "I hope to get to know all of you."
×××
After Rin was returned to the Medibay, Ultra Magnus turned to Rodimus.
"I do not think that introducing her was a good idea." He said. "Having her around is also a liability and a danger."
"She'll be fine!" Rodimus promise. "Trust me."
"That's the problem." Ultra Magnus said. "I can't."
"I found her a guide to help her get around."
"Who?"
×××
Rin sat in the medibay, kicking her legs as she sat on the edge of the berth.
"Captain Rodimus said that he found someone who could help me meet everyone." Rin said, looking up at Ratchet. "Do you know who it could be?"
"I do not. I'm just hoping it's not..." The medibay doors opened with a hiss of the hydraulics. A short red and white bot came in with a huge grin on their face.
"Hey! It's nice to meet you, the name's Swerve!"
Weekly Power Status
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