'Con Physicals: Starfighter

[Starfighter]

"I didn't want a fuss and neither did Shockwave. We didn't call in anyone but the resident medics to handle it and they didn't know anything about it." Another flinch, but this time Starfighter's getting a slight surge of confidence. Maybe Hook wants to keep him around for a while to study him.

"We've been replacing the laser core casing's plating regularly, that seems to be most of what it needs." That and keeping out of active combat and hiding during his seizures. "I'll give you the readings but they vary depending on the severity. The little ones don't do much of note."

He pulls out his datapad and begins flicking through...it's buried deep and under a ton of passcodes, but he's got the research notes of the medics who poked through him the first time.

[Hook]

"If that was what your problem needed, you wouldn't have to keep replacing the lasercore plating. That is simply a stop-gap," Hook chides.

The Constructicon plucks the datapad out of Starfighter's hands and examines the data. Interesting, but not particularly useful in isolating the specific problem.

"How does this problem limit your effectiveness? What causes the higher readings?"

[Starfighter]

"We're not sure, sir. It just happens." Starfighter shrinks down into his own shoulders ever so slightly, wishing he knew what Hook was thinking. "It really doesn't limit my effectiveness very much and I've been getting better at keeping my head during battles. Barely noticeable."

[Hook]

Starfighter is perhaps the least helpful Seeker in danger of randomly dying that Hook has ever met.

Far be it from the Constructicon, however, to contradict someone who has been living with a malfunctioning laser-core. If the jet is content to live with death a breeze away, then Hook has more important things to do.

"I will take more scans of you later. Lie still while I open your wings."

[Starfighter]

"Yes...sir?" Starfighter turns back to him in confusion, doing as told and looking up at Hook with wide optics. Hook is almost acting like he doesn't care, and why would he continue with scanning the rest of his body when he's already found the critical flaw?

"Are you going to tell Commander Starscream, sir?" he asks quietly, fingers curling inward against his palms.

[Hook]

"Why would you possibly think that Starscream would care?"

[Starfighter]

"I...ah..." Starfighter stares up at him, absolutely boggling at Hook's indifference to his condition. He was expecting accusations of weakness, experimentation, anything but Hook not actually giving a flip.

"No reason, I suppose..."

[Hook]

If someone brought up the subjects of weakness and experimentation, Hook would be highly annoyed. No one is going to put his only medically-trained engineer out of commission. The Constructicon needs some sort of buffer between himself and the imbeciles on base.

"Should it ever actually become relevant, I will inform him. However, I cannot imagine it becoming relevant unless I know the extent of what will cause a siezure."

Once he has the coverings of Starfighter's wings removed, the Constructicon steps away to take scans of that area.

[Starfighter]

"Yessir!" And Starfighter smiles ever so slightly, his laser core warmed (metaphorically, this time) by Hook's touching apathy. He stays still, looking up at the ceiling and thinking he might actually get to die in battle after all.

[Hook]

Scans complete, Hook goes about re-attaching Starfighter's armor. When that is done, he steps back and dusts his hands off. "Get."

[Starfighter]

Again the polite 'yessir', again the quickness of obedient motion. Starfighter pauses for a bare moment before turning to leave, giving Hook a bare half of a salute. "Thank you, sir," he says, seeming quite honest and grateful.

And then he scarpers.

[Hook]

Hook cleans and disinfects the tools he used on Starfighter, puts them away in his toolbox, and puts his toolbox away in subspace. Then he sits in front of the console and brings up Skystrike and Duskwing's scans alongside Starfighter's.

"Clearly, blue is some secret Seeker color-code for defective," he mutters.