Kestrel

"If you ever need air support, there's nobody better than him." - Goldfire

Kestrel is an Autobot from the original universe "Antissa 2025". A young and shy, but strong-willed ex-Decepticon MTO, who through some turns of fate, would become the International Security Coalition's top ace pilot and leader of Sabre Squadron under the guise of "Fox Martin". With the advanced prototype fighter jet, *XFA-27,* as his alt-mode and the mystical ability to peer into the future, he's an invaluable asset against the Decepticons' superior air power, able to turn impossible odds in his favor or survive long enough for those who can to arrive.

## Personality and Abilities

Kestrel is best defined by the skies he truly calls home, regarding his nigh-unmatched air-to-air skill, and how his normally shy, anxious and timid personality fades to a more confident, cool-headed, professional demeanor fitting of the archetypical ace pilot. It's hard to tell which is closer to the "true" him, but his old friend/crush/later boyfriend Goldfire seems to feel that confidence suits him better. Regardless, he's incredibly determined, dependable, loyal, and extremely hard to take and keep down.

As for his combat prowess, he fights in the skies with enough grace and skill for it to be likened to a dance, and any bandit who fails to keep up will quickly find a pair of missiles tracking them. He does somewhat falter in grounded combat, particularly at closer ranges, but is doing his best to improve on these issues. He also has a fairly average physical strength and durability, relying on his speed, mobility, and firepower to compensate. Additionally, he's quite tall compared to most other Cybertronians, though not having the mass to give him an imposing presence.

His future sight, however, is a much more complicated thing. Signified by his visor falling dim and dull from its normal vibrant red, he's able to peer into the future with vague, if fairly reliable accuracy. The closer the vision is to the present, the clearer. It is also able to activate in the heat of combat, allowing him to read his opponent's moves before they happen and letting him prepare or "preact" accordingly. It, however, does not make him invincible and a skilled or powerful fighter can still land a few good hits on him even in this state. If blinded, this ability activates into overdrive as he's unable to fully perceive the present to distract him. It also is at its most vivid and accurate in his sleep.

### Weaponry

* Weapon Pylons: Hardpoints mounted under his wings or his arms that allow him to use a combination of certain weaponry. He always carries at least 2 Standard Infrared Guided Missiles at all times.
	+ 4x Additional Standard Missiles: Allows him to fire six missiles at a time without reloading.
	+ Integrated Electronic Warfare System: When activated, he's made invisible to radar for a short time, and his own radar abilities are improved, giving him the ability to strike stealthfully.
	+ 2x Joint Standoff Weapon: Glide missiles that drop cluster bomblets along their flight path, allowing him to carpet bomb ground targets.
* Null Rays: Standard arm-mounted blasters, capable of disrupting electronic pulses of animate and inanimate machinery alike, either fatally or non-fatally. In practice, a typical "stun-or-kill", but still plenty effective and reliable.
* Retractable Swords: Installed as part of his effort to improve close-range combat ability, and as an emergency melee weapon. Two standard energon swords that retract out of his arms.
* Vulcan Gun: A 20mm rotary cannon within his alternate mode's nosecone and its main armament next to missiles, firing at 6,000 rounds per minute.

## Bio

### The Crossing Wars

Long before being pulled into the Nexus, Kestrel was constructed cold, built for an attempted Decepticon invasion of Earth in 2005. However immediately after his activation, the dropship he and his fellow MTO Seekers were to be deployed from was shot down by INSC defenses, killing all except Kestrel. He would be recovered by the INSC and in exchange for his continued life he would work for them as part of an experimental squadron known as "Sabre Squadron". Throughout several skirmishes between the INSC and their main geopolitical rival the Confederacy of Sovereign Territories, he would eventually earn the trust and respect of his squadron and the INSC as a whole, earning his freedom, but choosing to stay with his new faction as a proper member.

20 years later, conflict between the INSC and CST forces would escalate into full-scale shooting war over the space elevator built in the nation of Antissa, and the boundless energy, including the powerful "Solarum" that it made. Likewise, both the Autobots and Decepticons would join the conflict, the Autobots forming an alliance with the INSC and unbeknownst to them Kestrel as well, only learning of his true nature toward the waning days of the conflict. As the war progressed and Shockwave revealed himself as a powerful third party, sparking an Autobot/Decepticon alliance dedicated to his defeat, the now-known-as-Cybertronian Kestrel would fall under his Megatron's command due to technically still being a Decepticon. This didn't change much, as ultimately the armistice would remain in play even after his Shockwave's defeat, effectively bringing the Autobot-Decepticon war to a quiet end, while INSC and CST tensions still continued.

### Entering the Nexus

Several months afterward, Kestrel would find himself in the Nexus and was quickly found by the Decepticon forces who had preceded him and taken aboard the Tidal Wave. While the Decepticons were accepting of a new Seeker in their ranks, especially one that mostly did what he was told without making a point to complain, backstab, or make moves for his own gain, Kestrel quickly realized he simply didn't belong under this "new" Megatron's brutal command. After the Autobots launched an assault on the Tidal Wave to rescue Aligned Optimus Prime, and discovering Goldfire was in the Nexus as well, Kestrel would soon link up with the Autobot forces.

With his visions of the future becoming more frequent and vivid, as well as some disagreements toward Optimus Prime's actions during the early stages of the war, he would start to feel somewhat disillusioned with the Autobots there, confiding with Grimlock about the matter. Taking the young ex-Seeker to Aligned Shockwave's old lab within the ruins of the Rust Tower, the two would be attacked by Shockwave himself, both critically injured and Grimlock taken by the Decepticon scientist so his long-standing experiments may resume. Coming to hours later, Kestrel, still severely damaged, would drag his broken form across the Sea of Rust, returning to the Autobot-co-opted *Nemesis* and sending word that Grimlock had been captured, collapsing soon after.

### Kestrel, Aerialbot

While under Aligned Ratchet's care as his injuries were being treated, Goldfire and the Autobot medic agreed that the Decepticon logo that Kestrel still wore was ill-fitting for someone willing to trudge across the Sea of Rust half-dead to try and save his comrade. Awakening to a blank area where the Decepticon logo once was and Goldfire presenting the Autobot insignia, Kestrel would hesitantly accept, becoming a true Autobot. The mission to save Grimlock unfortunately had to wait, as the Nemesis would come under all-out siege by Decepticon forces. Despite the Autobots' best efforts, defending the ship was ultimately a lost cause, but Kestrel was able to stall out the air assault long enough for the Autobots to make a full retreat, if finally being bested by G1 Skywarp in a mutual defeat, the latter using his teleportation powers to effectively blind Kestrel, but causing his future sight to activate into overdrive, allowing him to repel the Seeker and make his own escape before falling unconscious soon after. Taken to a secluded Energon mine owned by the Wreckers, Kestrel would be treated by Ratchet once again, in time for the rendezvous at the recently unearthed Metroplex.

After taking the time to get settled, and with more Autobots trickling in, the time to execute the mission to rescue Grimlock was finally a go. Providing air support for the Dinobot forces who assaulted the under-defended Decepticon City, Grimlock was successfully rescued, if in far worse shape physically and mentally than the Dinobot leader was last found. Regardless, Kestrel was able to breathe somewhat easy, knowing he hadn't failed his friend and was able to bring him back alive. Earning a much needed respite, and making his relationship with Goldfire official, Kestrel finally felt truly at home within the Autobots, never looking back and never regretting his decision.

With the discovery of human forces, allied and hostile alike, within the likewise recently discovered city of Chicago, Kestrel would be informally self-assigned to the area, assisting any allies who may be in the region. His focus on the area only increased after he learned that not only INSC and Solarum were there, but so was his world's Shockwave, using the city to experiment on the clashing forces within. Hoping to get to the bottom of what exactly Shockwave is planning, and juggling the responsibility of being the ace flyer of two different sides, Kestrel had resolved himself to keep pushing forward, to keep flying and fighting, for better or for worse.

When Trypticon arrived into the Nexus and test fired the orbital Dark Energon gun, Kestrel proposed that Solarum be used to make Sol Energon missiles, powerful nuclear warheads that could damage the gun. Departing with Airstrike, the two Aerialbots engaged the station's defenses and the three Rainmakers. As Trypticon's gun charged and prepared to fire, and Rainmakers closing on his position fast, Kestrel saw a vision into the future... With the risks of what will happen calculated, he looked back at Metroplex, flashed a salute, and fired all three warheads at close range. Miraculously, Kestrel was able to survive the ensuing damages, being blown into the ruins of the Rust Tower with nearly all of his limbs and one of his wings missing, vaporized as a result of the explosion. However, before his spark would fade, he would be found... By Shockwave.

Awakening in Aligned Shockwave's long-abandoned lab, Kestrel would be stabilized by his enigmatic foe. The scientist revealed that he had rescued Kestrel for the sake of collecting more information on him, his ability to see into the future, and how he may influence his experiment in Chicago. Shockwave would explain his motives for doing so, to see if two opposing sides of the same race were able to lay down their arms and prosper. However, Kestrel soon realized that Shockwave's experiments were perpetuating conflict compared to resolving it... And that these results terrified him. Arguing that if Shockwave had any hope or idealism left within his spark, he would actively help rather than harm, Shockwave deemed Kestrel's argument sound, sent out an Autobot distress signal, and left so the young 'bot would be rescued, of which Grimlock soon arrived to do exactly that, bringing back to the damaged, but standing Metroplex for repairs.

## Notes

* His alternate mode originates from *Ace Combat 2,* and early drafts of his backstory were set in Ace Combat's Strangereal universe.