⇀ ……… J ᴇ ɴ ɴ ɪ ꜰ ᴇ ʀ A s ᴛ ᴏ ɴ ……… ⇁

[G1 Sunstreaker]

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Back to My Form
Jennifer Aston



Chapters
{title link - # of words in story - # of words in relationship blurb}
Expedition - 1001, 72
Flash - 1227, 137
Interference
Drive
Neon

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Expedition
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Oᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 2017
Aɢᴇ 5

It was a quiet morning aboard the USS Champion.

There had been much excitement over the launch of the great carrier. The world had been talking about it for years. It was a major step forward in the name of scientific progression; the first ever fully decked out colony ship was being sent out to new depths of space. Crowds from nearly every country across the globe had turned out just to watch the four rocket boosters ignite. The official list of passengers, handpicked from among millions of candidates, had been released months prior, and as such civilian preparations had begun months prior. The boarding of the massive ship had been, all things considered, relatively swift and painless. Takeoff had been tense, but immensely successful. Routine checks were doubled, tripled; the next scheduled return to Earth wasn't for another decade. Anything left behind stayed behind.

For Ykhar, she didn't have much to leave behind in the first place. She had only her daughter and her small ranch house; her minor possessions were packed merely because they were all she owned. Luckily she didn't have any grounding relationships tying her back to Earth. Sure, there was the occasional friend and any acquaintances, but overall the future looked brighter out in space.

So, cradling her sleepy daughter in one arm and gripping her suitcase in the other, she'd crossed the physical and metaphorical bridge and took up permanent residence aboard the USS Champion.

Ykhar knew Jenny wouldn't remember much of what earth had to offer. She'd remember the house, the grass, the trees, and the sky; she'd remember the few friends she had and the strongest of the memories they'd made together. The rest would fade into a swath of black dotted with stars. Like her, the small pink kit preferred the company of one well known to that of many unknown, and most of their time, on earth or in space, was spent with one another, simply enjoying each others' presence and quiet peacefulness. Ykhar would've loved to take the old wooden rocking chair with her. They'd spent countless hours giggling and napping together on that chair, Ykhar's foot gently rocking them as Jenny's arms tucked closely around her neck, her tiny sleeping face pressed up against Ykhar's creamy chest fur. Unfortunately there was a size and weight limit to what was allowed on board, and furniture wasn't allowed unless it was a certain composition and size, neither of which the chair fell under.

In all honesty Ykhar was surprised her young daughter had even been the slightest bit sleepy during the launch. Normally Jenny was always ready to go, preferring to spend her daylight hours bouncing around in the sunlight and expelling seemingly endless wellsprings of energy. She suspected it was likely due to their late night spent packing and talking. They'd leaned back and forth between making excited predictions about their visit to space and softly reminiscing about their time on Earth, short as it was for Jenny. Either way neither of them had slept much.

As their paws clasped between the two chairs they were strapped firmly into, they'd stared in amazement through their rectangular windows at the vast expanse of black that was biting into the quickly fading blue of earth's atmosphere. The stars, despite still being endless, unfathomable distances of light and time away, seemed that much closer as they continued to ascend and the earth continued to shrink from view.

It had taken several long, wondrous minutes (during which Jenny proclaimed she was starting to get bored, much to Ykhar's chagrin), but eventually the grinding vibrations of the rocket boosters disengaging shook them out of their reveries. Their large orange shapes passed by the window, beginning to shrink at an alarmingly quick rate. It had been mere minutes later that the ship-wide PA system announced that they had officially left all traces of Earth's atmosphere behind and were nearly outside of its gravitational pull.

The settling in process had been strange. They'd been given a pre-assigned housing unit designed for two kalons. Upon leaving the launch room, Ykhar and her now wide-awake daughter were greeted by a kalon in a blue-grey uniform with gold highlights. He handed her a set of keys and a map; he told her their number and then circled their door in red marker. Jenny beamed up at him excitedly, and with a youthful little flourish the kalon presented her with her own key. Ykhar appreciated the fact that it was almost like a hotel room; the single floor reminded her strongly of the ranch house back home. She never really liked stairs anyway.

The one thing that was different was the massive gleaming window directly embedded into the metal wall. The glass was several inches thick, but still clear as crystal. Apparently they'd been lucky enough to get an exterior unit.

The stars were immensely numerous. No matter how many times she saw them, she knew she'd never be tired of them. Best of all, the angle the Champion was slanted at gave them a beautiful view of Earth.

A small movement to her left drew Ykhar from her reverie. She shifted her gaze to her left as Jenny settled quietly beside her, two-toned eyes glued to the dotted view before them.

"Did you finish unpacking?"

A pink ear flicked in her direction, and Jenny's head swiveled towards her. "Yes, mama. I put Benny on my bed. Do they have different colored sheets in space? I want pink sheets."

"Yes, honey, I think they do. We'll have to check it out sometime after we learn the layout of this place."

Quietly, they turned their gazes back to the window. The blue planet continued to rotate, its path silent and swift. An unfathomable distance away, a wooden rocking chair sat still and unused in a white ranch house.

Jenny tipped against her mother, watching the stars twinkle and the earth float. Ykhar's brown tail swept closer to her own.

Together, they sat.







Jenny adores her mother. She listens without question and obeys without complaint. It's rare that Ykhar leaves the presence of her young daughter, and it's even rarer that Jenny makes any effort to leave her mother's sight. Of course, as she gets older, she's only becoming more curious; sooner or later, Ykhar knows, parenting won't be as smooth as it has been. For now they are inseparable, sharing that unbreakable mother-daughter bond.

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Flash
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Fᴇʙʀᴜᴀʀʏ 2021
Aɢᴇ 9

For all their previous concerns, the opening of the Space-Faring Aerobatics Display had gone smoothly. Construction had been completed weeks ago, and after all the mandatory inspections and approvals, and the grand opening was heralded by stately figureheads of society, ranging anywhere fro politicians to actors to governmental figures. Civilians flocked to the show eagerly, their eyes turned upwards to scan for any sign of the pilots perhaps performing practice runs before the opening act. The perfectly level glass globe was remarkable, even in regards to the current levels of technology, and as the seats continued to fill, Jenny couldn't help but babble excitedly from the high-mounted platform they walked along.

"...cause if you look over there you can see some of the support beams holding it together, I mean really it's so cool how do they keep it afloat perfectly level I mean I guess it wouldn't really matter because we're in space and in space all you need is artificial gravity and a slow flight path to follow so that we don't start drifting and get totally lost but I mean they're keeping it perfectly level so that the earth stays in the same spot relative to the audience the whole time which creates this really cool sense of realism and--"

"Jenny!" Ykhar interrupted. "Slow down, honey, take a breath."

The pink kit bounced from one side of the metal pathway to the other, skipping lightly on her feet as she looked up excitedly at the informational panels lining the tall walls. "But mom there's so much cool stuff to see and read about like just look at this apparently the very first pilot to volunteer for this volunteered way back in--"

A brown paw covered her mouth gently. "Yes, Jenny. I've been reading the panels too. It's all very interesting, I admit, but we need to get to our seats before someone else finds our spot."

The blue and pink eyes of her daughter lit up, and Ykhar removed her paw cautiously as Jenny bounded back off in the direction they were headed. A small curved across her face as she resumed her steady gait forward, ever vigilant of her energetic daughter's antics. Despite her trust in the young kit and the glass panels that barred them from the edge, she knew the drop down to the crowds below was much too high for her to rely on structure alone.

"Just be careful, honey," she called somewhat anxiously after the chattering kit. A pink ear flicked back towards her in acknowledgement, and Ykhar bit down on a giggle as she picked up her pace in an attempt to catch up.

A few more minutes of walking took them to their planned seats. The nook-turned-enclosed-balcony wasn't terribly large, but it was sheltered by the metal ceiling, and a wide array of thick glass allowed them a spectacular view of both the arena and the space surrounding them. It was oddly quiet compared to the relative din of the crowds below, and Ykhar found herself appreciating this as Jenny bounced excitedly against the window.

In that moment there was a crackle over the PA system, and the whispers of noise from below quieted considerably. From her perch on the window ledge, Jenny became completely still but for the faintest quivering of ears and whiskers. Eager tension hung thick in the air as mother and daughter listened together with baited breath.

Welcome all to the very first annual Space-Faring Aerobatics Display!

A thrumming roar rose from the crowds below. Ykhar flattened her ears against the onslaught as Jenny's tiny voice screamed along with them.

Before we begin the show, we'd like to thank the engineers, architects, workers, and many more aboard the U.S.S. Champion for laboring so long and hard over this immense project. Please give them a round of applause!

Raucous cheering and whistling erupted immediately. Even with her ears still flattened, Ykhar was able to recognize their captain's voice, and she began clapping mildly, a faint smile crossing her lips as she watched her daughter continue to scream and begin bouncing back and forth.

Now, flying for you today is a very special group of kalons. Our Aerospace troops have selected the most elite among them to partake in an elaborately choreographed performance designed to dazzle its audience. During the past several weeks they have perfected their routine, and they're eager to show their stuff. Ladies and gentlemen, I am most proud and honored to present to you...the Shooting Stars!

Almost instantly a flash of light twinkled in the distance beyond the glass paneling of the spherical arena. Jenny began hopping up and down on her hind legs while pointing wildly in a vague direction outside of the window; Ykhar couldn't hear what she was saying over the wild din echoing around the glass chamber, but she could tell by her wide eyes and splitting grin that the Shooting Stars were making their long-awaited debut.

If she hadn't been watching for it, Ykhar likely would've missed the speeding starcraft. The noises of the crowd traveled just fine through the oxygen in the sphere, but out there beyond the perfect seals of the multi-layered metal and glass there was nothing for soundwaves to ride on. There wasn't even a vibration as the shining metal craft shot by; just silence but for the sound of a thousand kalons bellowing in raw, feverish elation.

At first it was just the one craft. As it slowed and began to turn towards them in a sweeping curve, Ykhar could see the glint of more approaching. There looked to be four--six--no, just four. They blended in with the stars so well she could hardly tell if there really were four more.

Within moments they were flashing by in a V formation. They were flashy colors, each one of them shining white with bright yellow and gold streaks of color. As they zipped by Ykhar swallowed the stunned breath she'd been holding in her throat. Despite her previous skepticism, she had to admit she was thoroughly impressed, and they hadn't even done much of anything except fly in a circle and a basic formation.

The show continued for the next half of an hour. Every now and then Jenny would squeal and let out an excited burst of noise, be it chattering about the formations or even just wordless sounds. They watched together as the crowd began to chant, "Shoo-ting Stars! Shoo-ting Stars!"


"Hey mama?"

The crowd was nearly gone. Jenny was still perched on the ledge beneath the window, and Ykhar had long since fallen into a light doze, sitting and leaning against the wall.

A gentle pair of mulberry eyes opened and swiveled to see the pink kit gazing up out the window with a pensive expression. Her tail was draped down over the edge of the skinny platform, the longest hairs brushing lightly against the floor. Quietly, Jenny turned her head and met her mother's gaze, and a wondrous smile bloomed across her face.

"I want to be a Shooting Star."

Jenny resumed watching the outside void. Her paws shifted slightly, and the bright expression remained as she tilted her head.

It was probably for the best, as it was. She didn't need to see the smile fade from her mother's face as the mulberry eyes filled with fear.







Ykhar is scared. After these last few years of living relatively peacefully aboard the Champion, her daughter now has her heart set on entering the most dangerous career available. Jenny is all she has left. She cannot stand the mere idea of losing her. Jenny isn't quite old enough to understand this concern; she doesn't pick up on Ykhar's subtle cues and is oblivious to her anxiety. All she knows is that she wants to do whatever those guys were doing, and she's going to do it better. She loves her mother, and she knows her mother loves her; why wouldn't she support her daughter's dreams? After all, it was their joint decision to take up the offer to live aboard the Champion. Therefore, she's certain that it'll be just as fun to join the Shooting Stars.

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Interference
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Aᴜɢᴜsᴛ 2027
Aɢᴇ 15

Jenny has changed her mind. While she doesn't want to join the Shooting Stars anymore, she's made a decision to join the Aerospace Force. Ykhar is not standing for it. For the past six years she's tightened further and further on what she allows Jenny to do. Jenny is frustrated. All She wants to do is protect their ship, why is that so bad? They part on bad terms the night before Jenny's first mission.

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Drive
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The mission does not go as planned. Nobody is hurt, but now Jenny understands. She rushes back to her mother, who is waiting for her fearfully on the landing platform. A lot of crying and hugging in zoos. There are a lot of apologies and previously unspoken words that clear the air. Their relationship is not perfect; there are a lot of bumps in snags along the way. Oftentimes Ykhar is too overprotective, or Jenny is too Reckless. But what matters most to each other is that they have each other in the first place. The unbreakable bond has returned, and this time, it's not going to leave.

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Neon
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