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“Knight master, what can I do for you?” Stent was on duty at the time, with CMO Fixit on call if he required any assistance. This orn was supposed to be a quiet one, which simply meant checking stock and taking care of training injuries. So Stent was surprised to see Dai Atlas walk in, not sporting any training injuries, but instead wearing a slight grimacing frown and a hand over his abdominal section.
“Medic Stent,” Axe nodded verily, stepping out behind his mate, “do you have a spare moment?”
Stent turned his attention to Axe for a moment as he replied, “Of course. Tell me what appears to be the issue.” Both Dai and Axe. This was an odd situation but fortunately it seemed that Axe was here in support and not in need of medical care.
He gestured the pair to a free clean medical berth, certain that this was a medical matter.
“Uh well,” Axe looked distinctly uncomfortable and uncharacteristically sheepish.
“I need you to confirm a carrying,” Dai Atlas rumbled over his mate, face plates wearing a pinched look.
“Ah… do either of you have inhibitors?” Stent was not sure he had seen any mention of one in their records, “And do you want me to check both of you?” It was unlikely for both of a mated pair to carry at the same time, but not unheard of. Stent hurried to collect the needed scanner.
“We do, but…” Axe fluttered, there really wasn’t any other word for how he seemed to step from ped to ped and at the same time tried to ‘hover’ over his larger mate.
“I fear I said that wrong. I need you to confirm that I am carrying because my systems are telling me I have gone into emergence,” Dai Atlas spoke over his mate again, looking distinctly put out about the whole thing, “it is of course ridiculous.”
“...oh. Axe I need you to collect several thermal blankets, the softest ones. Dai, please lay back and tell me what percentage are the reports telling you? I will need medical port access.” Stent put the now unneeded scanner down again turning back to the triple changers. All Knights had basic medical training so he knew Axe would know where to find the blankets. Stent did his best to remain calm, but one's systems did not glitch like that, if one got a report of emergence then it was happening.
“I am certain there is some sort of flaw,” Dai Atlas said, though the way he rubbed at his plating said something entirely different, “it is only at seven percent and… I cannot possibly be in emergence.”
Axe did as the medic ordered though he was flummoxed and worried. He had no clue how it could have happened, what with both of them having implants but he had never heard of any systemic flaw that would fake emergence. And either way he was worried!
“If it is a flaw then it would be very serious as it would be new to medical science,” Stent replied, plugging Dai Atlas into the berth’s diagnostics.
“When was the last time either of you had your inhibitors checked?” He asked, scrolling through the initial pages, taking note of fuel intake and spark output level, both flagged as somewhat higher than normal, but not significant enough to warrant a medical check, at least not by their normal fluctuations.
And there it was, the report, just as Dai had said.
“I assume it was checked the last time I had a full physical,” Dai Atlas said, “I do not make a habit to have it checked separately.”
“Same,” Axe said, bringing over a stack of thermal blankets, “Dai, please lie down properly, even if it is a mistake your frame might actually act as if it is readying for emergence.”
“Hmm, it is not on either of your records that I have seen. Have you noticed an increase in fuel consumption? Especially metals,” Stent made a note to have both their inhibitors checked and possibly replaced after this. He could see the reports but also why it was missed, “I think it will be quite small compared to the both of you, which is actually quite common.” Mech of Dai Atlas or Axe’s sizes were relatively rare.
“Not really,” Axe was back to fluttering nervously, “what do you mean small?”
“I have not noticed anything,” Dai Atlas spoke, a hint of annoyance in his tone, and that more than anything told Axe that something was off. His mate was usually completely in control when not in private.
“About average civilian size, there is a lot of leeway with readings and final adult size. But they won’t become as big as either of you. Axe could you find out the dense mineral wafers? Dai, you are on the low side of normal for many metals and this will allow the little one to absorb as much as they can before disconnection begins,” Stent was continuing to poke through the readings, giving a small sound of triumph when he found Dai’s systems readings for the new spark.
“Here we go,” Stent put the readings on a screen where the bonded couple could see them.
The medic might have spoken to deaf audios for once the readings were up on a screen for the pair to read, they were both literal lumps of metal. Staring as if their world had just collapsed.
Or well, not collapsed, more like expanded. Shock yes, lots and lots of it too, but not unhappiness, not fear, not anger. Awe, joy, confusion, love, happiness a plenty. All of it in a way that clearly spoke of how this was a welcome surprise. And then they both turned their attention inwards, towards the being they had apparently made but not noticed. It was of course a rather awkward time to get to know each other, but it was inevitable really, that they would reach out deliberately as they must have unconsciously all this time…
Stent relaxed as the positive emotions washed over him from the pair and they practically froze optics locked onto the readings. Good. He went to get the mineral wafers himself, though as far as he could see the newspark’s readings were good.
Stent placed a wafer in one of Dai’s hands with the rest in easy reach, “Chew on these, let me know if your systems want anything else.”
“...” Dai mechanically did as told, though he didn’t pay any obvious attention to the medic. Probably it was only long ago learned lessons that had him obey at all. At his side Axe didn’t even twitch a bit of plating, as Stent wasn’t considered a threat he just kept his focus on his mate and the little one who, now they were aware of him, cheerfully reflected their love back to them.
Stent busied himself, sending off messages, rescheduling meetings, giving both Dai and Axe the rest of the orn to themselves. He also let CMO Fix It know and scheduled a time for both Dai and Axe to have their inhibitors checked and possibly replaced.
The progress was slow but steady, with Stent checking every so often. He was glad that it was like this, that Axe had stopped his useless hovering around.
Neither mech really came back to reality until Dai Atlas hissed in sudden immediate discomfort. It was nothing bad, it was simply that emergence had begun for real and his abdominal plating was splitting open to allow for the evacuation of their… unexpected addition.
Axe finally moved, carefully touching the hot plating on either side of the line.
“Do we need to remove armor?”
“You can, it won’t hurt, but it is not generally needed,” Stent replied, immediately bringing over a special polish to be rubbed into the little ones plating after he was cleaned up.
“Does anything feel caught or stuck?” He knew it should not, they made sure everyone kept up with their maintenance.
“It’s unpleasant but nothing seems to be wrong,” Dai Atlas said, voice uncharacteristically raw, though with awe this time and not annoyance.
“He… it, he? Is excited,” Axe added, just as awed.
“Good, it should not be long now. He will be a ball when he comes out, use a blanket to clean him off and use the softest one to rub this into his plating.” Stent was fairly certain the little one was a mech, considering the readings, but he could not tell more than that. He handed a tub of a mineral rich protective wax to Axe.
“I do not understand how this could have happened,” Dai Atlas said, hands up to hover over his slowly splitting plating, confusion surfacing and disappearing in his awe saturated field like a fishoid leaping from a lake.
“Somehow our implants stopped working?” Axe asked of no one in particular, not really interested in getting an answer at this point in time.
“It will be looked into, I have taken the liberty to schedule you both a check on your implants in a couple orns time,” Stent explained, making a note to look into it, there was something, a detail niggling at him, but he had more important matters right now.
“That will be fine,” Axe said distractedly, feeling the different blankets he’d collected earlier with rather single processored intent.
Dai Atlas chuckled, the sound raspy and edged with discomfort. It only mattered in a future perspective after all, they had Created already and that was it. Besides, Axe and the little one were much more important right now and required most, if not all, of his attention.
“Once the last connector is free you can gently reach in and scoop the little one out,” Stent informed the pair, smiling a little wryly, he understood very well that this was not a planned creation after all.
Stent checked his supplies that he had gathered earlier, ready to check both carrier and creation, he was not worried though, all appeared to be well within normal parameters.
It seemed so strange to witness his larger mate in this state, but Axe hardly had the processor power left to concern himself with strangeness. Especially when said mech grunted something indistinguishable and reached inside himself to bring out a bright, wet ball of metal. Axe took it with reverence and carefully cleaned it as Dai cleaned off his hand and gave it over willingly to fetch the polish and cloth to finish with. They could have been alone in the room for all they paid attention to anything but their Creation.
Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible Stent slipped in, checking where the little one had been connected, checking for any leaks or damage. Finding none he stepped back, letting the pair do as instructed and look after their little one. He would ask to be allowed to scan it in a little once they had calmed and Dai’s chassis closed itself again.
It was a very tranquil if odd moment in time. One neither of them had seen coming, but now that it was here it was also one neither of them would have been without. For those knowing nothing of their species they were holding a small oval sphere and cooing over it like it was alive. Of course it was alive and they were simply waiting for it, him, to be ready to face the world and all the new sensations and impressions that any sparkling had to deal with.
Stent spent the quiet time writing up instructions, the little one would take a few orn to unfurl and in that time they should gently polish it with the provided wax up to four times an orn, other than that, they should spend as much time as they could with the little one in either of their fields, or both when possible.
Once Dai’s chassis had closed, Stent approached with a contactless scanner.
“If you would allow me to take some scans of your little one? You are almost right to go.”
“Go?” Axe looked up, the word almost sounding as a panicked squeak, “but we haven’t prepared anything, we haven’t done… Primus! Are your knives still on the table, Dai?”
Dai Atlas looked at the medic with wide optics, looking not unlike an organic prey creature in the cone of a head light.
“And he is not going to unfurl for at least two full orn, plenty of time to tidy up,” Stent remarked nonplussed at the panic. “He might try rolling a little before then though.”
Axe spluttered but Dai Atlas at least seemed to calm a little at that reassurance.
“What about fueling?” the larger triplechanger asked, not sounding calm as such but neither sounding about to keel over from panic. Unlike his mate.
“He has all the energon he will need for the next two orn, if he takes longer to unfurl than that, bring him here, we have a chamber he can go in then. The wax will provide the metals and minerals he will need, as well as keeping his plating smooth, which makes unfurling easy. Ah.. he won’t be able to magnetize until he is a couple groon. After he unfurls he will be able to feed from energon processed by either of your systems. The information is all in this pad,” Stent decided that now was the time to hand over the data pad.
Axe nearly launched at the pad, grabbing it with both hands and staring blankly at it for a moment.
“This has all the information we need?” he managed, looking intently at it, even though it wasn’t actually online at the moment.
“Axe,” Dai Atlas said gently, “Axe, calm down. I am certain that Medic Stent wouldn’t send us home if he thought we couldn’t handle it. Is that not true, Medic?”
“I do need to scan him first, but the first orn are the calmest, I am certain you will both do fine,” Stent went for his best reassuring tone. “The scan is to start his records and initial baselines.” it was for more than that, but Stent did not want to add any worry to the pair.
“Of course, right,” Axe muttered, still looking at the offline datapad with vaguely panicked optic.
“Yes, you may scan him,” Dai Atlas said, “and I am sorry for the reaction… we, this was not expected.”
That was putting it mildly.
“Even those who know they are expecting don’t always react well, at least you both are letting me do my job. Also others have been through this, you will have all the help you could need and more if you simply ask for it,” Even with the allowance Stent made sure to telegraph his movements as he carefully settled the little one on a clean blanket and started scanning.
Axe was luckily mostly fixated on the datapad, off as it was, and Dai made sure not to nudge him while their unexpected newly arrived was scanned. If he knew his mate, and he did, Axe was going to go into a frenzy of protectiveness as soon as his equilibrium reinstated itself. It was far better to have the necessary things done before that happened and he would have to have a will fight with him every time something needed doing.
He knew his own current ‘clear sight’ came from shock too. And for neither of them did it mean they weren’t happy, Primus! He was thrilled, in a slightly guilty way, and felt like he was overflowing with love and tenderness just looking at the small, slightly ovoid, ball of metal under the medic’s scanner.
Stent carefully packed the little one into a special box, which a helpful minicon provided.
“There, perfectly healthy, excellent weight and density and a strong spark. And this pad is a progress report for his first groon. This will help us pick up if there are any potential issues much earlier and with far less stress. Just ensure you fill it out the first time you notice any new activity,” Stent handed back the little one, in the clear sided box along with the datapad. “When you are ready you are free to go.”
“I think we had better leave now,” Dai Atlas gave his mate a look and huffed when the other finally turned on the datapad, “yes, we must or things might get very confusing, even ugly.”
Axe would ‘wake up’ soon enough and the only solution was simple. Standing a little shakily the bigger triple changer gently took the pad from his mate and instead gave him the clear box. The smaller mech froze again, giving him a brief panicked look but letting him lead him out with an arm around his shoulders. He nodded to the medic, but left it at that.
Stent returned the nod, letting Dai manage his mate. He had done what he could for them. He hummed merrily to himself as he input the data from the scanner, he truly did enjoy having little ones around.