Guardian

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

PG
Bayverse mid-Defiance Issue 2
Prowl/Jazz
some spoilers and a bit of canon tweaking. 

A/N: In Defiance, Prowl and Jazz are sent to inspect the damage to Simfur Temple after the Eshems aliens attack. My one measly contribution for the prowlxjazz  anniversary challenge!  Yes. Once again, I have committed prowl/jazz. It's genfic, though, so...whew!

 

They picked their way through the rubble, after Cliffjumper had waved them through. “Problem number one,” Jazz speculated.  “Minibots for sentries.”

Prowl glanced over his shoulder careful not to extend a hand to help Jazz.  They were in the presence of the Defense Forces.  Intermech relationships were not tolerated in the repressive military branch.  The Security branch was much more open, much more concerned with results and performance than adherence to such archaic notions. “They are…ceremonial, perhaps, but I don’t think anyone would have done a better job, in the circumstances.”  The circumstances, Prowl knew, being that nothing in the security protocols ever even mentioned this possibility:  alien assault on the most holy site on Cybertron.

“Yeah,” Jazz said. “But should have been regular Defense Force troops.”

“They came when requested.”  Lord Protector Megatron had come himself, with reinforcements, when summoned. But they had no protocol, themselves, for combat in a populated civilian zone.  Some of the damage to the Temple, no doubt, was due to their zeal. But a building, even a temple, could be rebuilt.  Lives could not. He realized he had shot down Jazz’s statements, twice.  A bad habit he had.  He needed Jazz’s perspective, needed to have his processing thrown the kinds of perceptual curveballs Jazz always threw.  He hated that he seemed, at times, so negative. “Do you think we should change the guard to Defense Force?”

Jazz tilted his head, considering. “Response would have been faster. Not sure we want to go down that road without risk assessment.  Maybe just upgrade the frame type, or arm them better. Maybe a faster signal to summon Defense Forces.” 

Prowl nodded, wandering around the open floor of the temple’s interior chamber. Jazz was one for options.   He looked down to where two Defense Force troopers were throwing the dead frame of one of the aliens into a grav-sled’s bed. 

Jazz came over.  “They look like us.” 

“Yes,” Prowl said.  “Is that a surprise?”

Jazz shrugged. “Not sure: it seems weird that they look just like us, for some reason.  Be more…easy to fight if they looked different. You know, like had tentacles and stuff.”

“True. It is unsettling to think that someone just like us could attack us.”

Jazz’s mouth twisted to one side. “More like we can’t tell just by looking who’s an enemy.”

Also true, Prowl thought, a little startled. They were Security Forces.  Their mission was different from the Defense Forces, but sometimes…sometimes it seemed that Jazz would have been more at home in the other branch.  And if he and Jazz hadn’t…no. It wasn’t worth thinking about. Jazz had made his choice of his own free will.  Prowl would not project regrets onto him. 

He said nothing—whatever reply he might have said drowned out by the buzz of the grav-sled’s engine. The bed, piled with enemy limbs, pulled away.  He looked up, tracing the contours of the Temple’s interior chamber.  “What do you suppose they were doing?”  They would have to know a great deal of Cybertronian history to recognize the building’s significance, which seemed implausible. Unless Jazz was onto something: that the aliens looked just like them—that the aliens might have infiltrated them for years, gone unnoticed.  His doorwings quivered in tension at the thought. An unnoticed threat. A failure of imagination. A failure of protocol.

They’d done everything right.  They’d followed every rule.  And still this had happened. And still they had been helpless. And worse, they had no idea what might be attacked next.  Because Prowl knew this would not be the only attack.  The aliens hadn’t gotten what they came for. 

Jazz squinted at the hole punched high in the temple’s angled wall. “Seems to me they could have done a lot more damage if they hit one of the support buttresses—brought the whole place down.”

Prowl gave a soft noise of assent. Yes, that was odd. “Unless…they weren’t trying to destroy the place, but get into it.”

Jazz looked over to the massive altar. “The Allspark?” His blue visor glinted. “Didn’t figure you for the spiritual type, Prowl.”  

Prowl bridled.  It wasn’t that, precisely, he didn’t believe in the mystical powers attributed to the Allspark, nor any of this Prime stuff that the archaeologists were bringing in from the nearby excavation. He simply wanted more proof.  Ancients had a tendency to primitive, magical thinking. Omens in clouds, superstitions.  It was part of his heritage, but it wasn’t anything that felt alive or real to him. “My beliefs,” he said, stiffly, “are irrelevant: I did not assault the Temple.”

Jazz backed off, sensing he had offended Prowl. “So,” he said, “You think they might have been after the Allspark itself.”

Prowl nodded. “It’s the only logical explanation.”

“It needs to be moved. It’s not safe here.”  Jazz looked at the altar, ringed by dour-faced Defense Force troopers. 

“Indeed,” Prowl said.  “The issue is, where.”

Jazz nodded, adding softly, almost inaudibly, “And under whose guardianship.” 

Yes. That was the issue.  Protector Megatron had offered, immediately.  And his offer had merit. It would be well-protected against further assault by the aliens.  But also against…anyone else.  Weapons were useful, but one had to consider carefully whose hands they were in. 

“Until the Council has decided,” he said, folding his arms over his chassis, “we shall be the guardians of the Allspark.”

“And if they decide wrong?”  Jazz again, asking, as always, the most inconvenient, the most valuable question. Prowl could sense from the tension in his mouth Jazz’s conflict. He didn’t want to admit he didn’t trust the Defense Forces.  Prowl had less of a problem admitting it, because neutrality was his job.  His concern was the security of Cybertron, not the egos of political animals, or what temporary might came from a weapon. 

“At that point, we shall…reconsider our options.” 

 

Comments

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

Not my usual pairing--there are others who do this pair a lot better! But glad you liked!

[eerian_sadow]

*thumbs up* i like your take on them. and i love how neither of them really trust Megatron or the defense forces; it really says a lot for reasons the war would have started, but it's subtle about it.

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

When I first joined fandom, I honestly didn't see how the heck this pairing worked. Having written it a few (not many!) times, I have to say I am beginning to see how it might really work.

I think they're all on the same page up until now--the safety of Cybertron means the same to everyone: the first real challenge from without, which should have further unified them, ends up tearing them apart.

Glad you liked!

[playswithworms.livejournal.com]

Hooray! I just read Defiance not to long ago, so I know what's going on :D

I like how Prowl recognizes how he benefits from Jazz's "perceptual curveballs," asking the most inconvenient-yet-valuable questions - and his distress at the idea that even though they'd done everything right and followed all the rules, it wasn't enough - a very Prowl-like moment there.

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

Prowl's logic is very powerful, but his weakness is that he lacks Jazz's ability to think outside the box. (Then again, Prowl's strength is that he recognizes that!)

I love Defiance SO MUCH. Glad you liked! ^_^

[mpinsky.livejournal.com]

Because my self-imposed hiatus doesn't really start until midnight, I'm going to review fic because I've totally slacked off! :D

I have this thing for pre-war Cybertron fics, and this definitely takes the cake. There's enough tactical conversation between Prowl and Jazz to make this feel distinctly military without it being stiff or boring. Despite the canon-tweaking, I love the world-building you have done for the Defiance comic and your characterizations give wonderful insight to two rather ignored characters in canon.

Thank you for this totally awesome fic!

[niyazi-a.livejournal.com]

I hope your hiatus goes well for you--the way that brings you happiness, whichever way that turns out!

I thought it was a neat moment to explore, and I'm going through one of my 'canon' phases. Glad you liked!