Skipjack

NOTE: Though based on the B-2 Spirit, Skipjack is rather small in stature. The design was downscaled from a full sized bomber to a simple reconnaissance bot for undercover missions, since there was no need to be carrying ordnance when merely gathering intel on the enemy. 

Backstory:

Skipjack was part of a Decepticon stealth tech program which focused on infiltration for info rather than direct attacks. They were never designed for combat but were extremely good at their job. Being a smaller design, their alt mode was capable of doing ground reconnaissance for active battles or finding strategic locations to capture in the next wave of assaults. Every member of the stealth task force would return to a facility that was heavily guarded, as they were indispensable assets that needed to be kept secret. 

Unfortunately the base was later discovered by Autobots and due to the nature of the mission, the Wreckers were sent in to storm the place. The intention was destruction beyond all repair, as it is what the group is designed to do, but upon clearing the grounds of opposition, even they realized what was there was worth taking back to base. Skipjack and a handful of other transformers were taken prisoner and escorted to a holding facility for research, interrogation, and medical care. But packing very little ordinance of their own, Skipjack was primarily undefended during the assault and sustained grievous injuries. 

In an effort to save them, they were placed in stasis and monitored extensively, but it wasn’t for several cycles until Skipjack would wake again. When questioned, they remembered very little of who they were or what purpose they served in the larger war. The Autobots are not one to turn down someone in need and so tried their best to elaborate on the history up to now, but to no avail. It seemed like the injury was a fresh start for Skipjack, and rather than rejoin the Decepticons or ally with the Autobots, they chose to remain neutral and gather intel from both sides to try and rediscover themself.

——

Skipjack couldn’t quite place why they were drawn to the Wreckers out of everyone. Maybe it was because they had faced some of the nastiest parts of the war, maybe it was because they were so much bigger and stronger than Skipjack. Being around them was a unique mix of dangerous thrill and comforting protection. Of course the Wreckers were wary of Skipjack at first, several of them knowing full well the origins of the little bot and almost flat out refusing to talk around them. What if the whole amnesia thing was a ploy to get vital information? What if they were still reporting to the Decepticons? This meant most of Skipjack’s interaction began with flying after the Wreckers to watch them in combat secretly from the sidelines. 

Obviously excursions like this put Skipjack in the same kind of danger that nearly got them killed before. It was Kup who discovered them in the heat of battle, simultaneously reprimanded and applauded Skipjack’s curiosity, and protected them until it was time to escort them back to base. Being the hardass that he is, Kup leaned heavily towards punishing Skipjack, but eventually relented to the agreement that if he shared war stories, Skipjack wouldn’t try to end up in one anymore. Between missions and during late nights of taking in probably a little more high grade than he should, Kup recounted his epic battles through the years. Some were well known by his comrades, who would often times sit in on the conversation and throw in bits and pieces he might have over glorified, which always resulted in Kup backhanding his subordinates and continuing his version of the story. It was all true, even with the adventurous fluff he added, and Skipjack grew to admire Kup at a personal level. 

Kup would never let on that he enjoyed the company of one so far removed from the war. He knew their past and though he hadn’t revealed the darker aspects of his own, he didn’t care. That innocent admiration in Skipjack’s optics, the way their helm fins lifted in excitement at the climax of every story, the quivering of their wings as they sat on the edge of their seat whenever he would pause dramatically - it all made him feel like a young hot shot of a hero again. He hadn’t felt like that in a long time. And the company of other mechs was different. Even though the Wreckers engaged in playful sport for a show of strength, Kup was too old and unagreeable for such activities most of the time. And when he did interact with them after hours, there was still the unspoken hierarchy between them of rank. With Skipjack, it wasn’t his status that caused admiration, just his accomplishments.

——

Kup of course had been through more scrap than most other Wreckers and once the triumphant war stories ran out he knew it was time to elaborate on the darker ones. One night he faced that darkness with a great amount of high grade and solitude and Skipjack found him alone. He told them the reason for having the cygar always with him and the terrible things he had done but had no recollection of, save for the carnage and details he heard from others. It was an accident that he let slip the reason he felt so inclined to take Skipjack under his wing- or rather they had taken him under their wing without realizing it. Skipjack didn’t know whether to be strong or to cave to the sense of loss they’d felt when first coming out of stasis, so they broke the unspoken barrier between the two of them and climbed into Kup’s lap to just cradle his helm against their neck. The rest of the evening was silence, Kup puffing on his cygar with an arm around Skipjack’s waist, occasionally sipping his high grade until they both parted ways. 

From that point on, mostly in secret now, their meetings continued and they grew closer. That night is what changed everything between the two of them and though Skipjack was ill equipped to save their own circuits should it come to that, they swore to protect the old mech with their entire spark. It is the closest they will ever come to taking sides