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Bridge

The trek through the numerous, intertwining corridors of the Thanatos had been expectedly uneventful. The bridge itself would be a different matter altogether. Shockwave was already beginning to calculate percentages regarding possible outcomes of the interactions that were likely to take place aboard the bridge. Starscream's hearing would be another matter altogether. Nevertheless, Shockwave was confidant that the respective pieces would fall in to place.

As the bridge doors slid open and allowed Shockwave and his small coterie entry, the cycloptic strategist took note of every Decepticon present before proceeding further. Certain faces were expected, others had clearly undergone recent reactivation in to service. With Starscream having been attended to, it was now Thunderwing that was of pre-eminent concern. His actions aboard the Thanatos previously had earned the Valckastan warlord a considerable degree of trust, inasmuch as such things were ever allotted to anyone, but rumors regarding the warlord's ambitions, his delays with providing the real details of his new technology and Blackwind's open defiance--and apparent deference to the warlord himself--had shifted Shockwave's internal calculations by a significant margin. Now it was time to see just how far their courses had strayed from one another.

"Decepticon Thunderwing," Shockwave began, his flat affect currently indicating which mechanoid on the bridge currently held his attention, "interrogative--all operations on Earth proceed as expected?"

Shockwave's optical direction shifted just slightly, noting Soundwave'ss positioning and calculating the likelihood that the communications officer had likely already completed the imperator's earlier request. That would resolve's Starscream's fate. The time would soon come to resolve Thunderwing's as well and remind him of the most logical path forward, regardless of whether Shockwave revealed Blackwind's current fate during the course of their interaction here or the warlord eventually discovered it on his own, as he inevitably would.

Recalculation in progress....

Query: prolong? Result: 73.045865% likelihood of unsatisfactory resolution. Query: initiate? Result: 46.0673% likelihood of unsatisfactory resolution.

Shockwave returned his gaze towards Thunderwing and raised his arm cannon, channeling power to it.

"Declarative: Your delays regarding the provision of information regarding your new technology were unacceptable. Solution: Blackwind has been subdued and is undergoing more thorough examination. She is currently unharmed and fully-capable of being brought back online. Whether that will remain a reality is unknown at this time," Shockwave started, beginning with the official reasons regarding why he had taken the actions that he had; however, both he and Thunderwing knew there was more to it than that. "Additionally, her perceptions of my imperatorship were not well-hidden. Nor was her growing loyalty towards you--notably increasing only in Megatron's absence. That was also a factor. I must have assurances of your loyalty. Hers will logically follow yours. Until such time as the Decepticon command structure has been solidified, I will not permit her reactivation. Those driven by science will hold a place of prominence under my leadership, but I can not risk all that has been accomplished up to this point and will take all necessary steps to preserve it. Do you find this to be acceptable...?"

Shockwave had intentionally avoided asking whether Thunderwing found the terms to be "ideal". Few scenarios ever were. Simple acceptability would be satisfactory. The question was more for Shockwave's benefit, as Thunderwing's response would immediately have an effect on the current strategic percentages that were being run in the purple mech's substantial processors.

"...or not?"

Thunderwing's new technology was likely powerful, if impure in its apparent integration of techno-organic materials. If Thunderwing's response was unsatisfactory and utilization of Shockwave's own stores of ultra-energon became necessary, it would be a valuable test to see how well the shell could withstand such an onslaught. If it could, Shockwave would surely need to re-evaluate the efficacy of both the pretender technology and the new energon derivative.

The Brig

The scowl that was etched on Starscream’s face grew even deeper as he glared deep into Skywarp’s optics. If this was who Shockwave appointed his successor than the one eyed freak was more desperate than he had originally thought. Although, with the prankster running things on behalf of Shockwave...everything Starscream had worked for thus far could still come crumbling down before he even set foot outside of the cell. He needed Skywarp to do exactly as he wanted…and it seemed that he would get his wish as the purple and black seeker had very quickly accepted his terms.

Starscream’s features softened, but only partially, as he slowly stepped back and away from the bars. His posture straightened and he took on a more dignified stance…well, as dignified as one could get locked inside of a cell with ones hands bound behind their back.

The former Air Commander let out a low hiss and gently shook his head as he took in both Seekers standing just beyond his reach.

“Good.”

He turned on his heel and carefully made his way into the shadows that laced the back of his cell. Obscured by the darkness Starscream settled in on the floor...the only marginally comfortable place he could locate.

From behind Skywarp, Nightraven simply watched the exchange take place between the former Commander and his interim replacement. As expected Starscream was none too happy with the revelation that he had been replaced, if only temporarily, by his own wingmate and subordinate.

Nightraven remained quite as she had no desire to draw Starscream’s ire…not that she was happy he was more focused on Skywarp, she just despised confrontation...even though Starscream was locked behind bars he was still an intimidating mech.

The Seeker’s disappearance into the shadows sent a shiver down the femme’s spinal structure until her focus was drawn toward Skywarp. From the darkness beyond the bars Nightraven turned her attention to the flier that was now facing her. She flashed him a small smile...an attempt at comfort and a reassurance that she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Yeah. I'd prefer not to keep Shockwave waiting.”

The femme took a quick look over her shoulder in hopes that there would be a terminal where they could access the ship's logs but saw nothing except empty cells. She looked back to Skywarp and let out a heavy sigh.

“We’ll need to find a terminal so we can access the rosters and locations of all the squadrons. After that we can…well you can...determine how you’d like to coordinate the units.”

Nightraven took a quick look over Skywarp’s shoulder and into the darkened cell, but when she heard no objections she decided it was safe to continue. She flashed the new Commander a delicate smile and offered him a small nod before she leaned in and whispered to him.

“Don’t worry. You can do this. Just keep Starscream apprised, follow his orders and everything will work out fine…and…I’ll be here to help. Now come on. Let’s get to work.”

The Brig

Skywarp let out a sigh of relief at Starscream’s one-worded response before the former Seeker Commander moved to the back of his cell where the shadows quickly consumed him. The hardest part for the prankster was technically over, but that didn’t mean his job was about to get much easier, far from it. At least Nightraven would be there to guide him through what needed to be done. Never in his wildest imaginations did ‘Warp ever conceive of the notion of being the new Seeker leader, interim or permanent. Regardless, here he was about to take on the single greatest responsibility that a seeker could have. Too bad he wasn’t really up to the task no matter how much Nighty tried to convince him that he could do it.

Listening to Nightraven explain what they needed to do helped ease Skywarp’s anxieties, but only a bit. He’d much rather just listen to someone else’s orders and just follow them like he always had done. Still, perhaps this was a second chance to make the seeker femme proud of him. Although, if history served as any kind of reminder, ‘Warp would likely need a third or even a fourth chance before he got it right.

“A terminal? Right, Nighty, that would help,” Skywarp responded with a smirk before turning away from the darkened cell that contained the one true Seeker Commander and heading for the door. With the object of his affections following close behind, the teleporter exited into the corridor beyond.

Corridors / Data Center

Skywarp had wandered the halls for almost a full breem without an access terminal in sight. He wasn’t very familiar with the layout of the Thanatos, which was why it took him so long to locate something as simple as a computer console. “You’d think there’d be terminals all over the fraggin’ place, but can we find one? Oh, no!” The prankster exclaimed in frustration, glancing over at Nightraven for a moment before returning his optics to the pathway ahead. “This is getting very irritating. How can I possibly lead the Seekers if I can’t even find a stupid terminal so I can organize them?!”

Finally, the annoyed teleporter stumbled upon the doors of the data center, the same facility Razorclaw had just utilized before moving down to the repair bay. Of course, Skywarp had no knowledge of the Predacon leader’s prior activities here, nor did he care even if he did know. “I guess there should be a terminal in here, right? I mean, it is a data center for frag’s sake.”

Stepping towards the door, Skywarp entered his security code and quickly gained access to the data facility within. Glancing around the vast room, the prankster was happy to finally see a plethora of computer stations where he could finally get to work. “So, this is where they keep them all,” the teleporter commented as he looked over at Nightraven again, letting a weak smile escape his otherwise serious visage. “I guess it doesn’t matter which one I use does it?”

Without waiting for a response, Skywarp made his way to the nearest terminal and sat down in the respective chair. Again, he was prompted to enter his clearance codes, which granted him direct access to the Predacon warship’s mainframe. Considering his new rank as interim Seeker Commander, the prankster discovered that he already had access to areas where he normally would have been denied. Scrolling down through all of the numerous logs and files that filled the view screen, ‘Warp quickly became agitated once more as he realized that he had no idea what he was looking for. “Um, Nighty? I’m having trouble finding the right file here. I mean, there should be something that says ‘Seeker Roster’ or something like that, right? Unless, I’m just not seeing it.”

Repair Bay

While receiving the repairs and recharge that he needed, Razorclaw found time to weigh his options. Unfortunately, there was no clear opportunity to strike with the knowledge that Shockwave and his minions were now powered up on ultra energon. The new ore would make them far stronger and more resilient than the Predacon lord or his group of Decepticon rebels. They needed to gain access to the ultra energon and power up, as well, if the lion-former had any hopes of eliminating Shockwave from the equation successful. How to do so with Soundwave and his cassettes constantly watching was the real question. The monotone mech still needed to be dealt with in some way, perhaps with a distraction or by more violent means if there was no other choice.

Another unknown factor was how Thunderwing’s carapace technology would hold up against the new energon. Could the Warlord’s outer shell stand up to the raw power? If it could then perhaps he was the key to usurping Shockwave from the throne. Of course, Thunderwing could also possibly take the leadership mantle for himself, which would leave the lion-former in the position of either accepting the scientist as the new supreme commander or facing another time-wasting battle with an opponent that would not be nearly as easy to beat as Starscream was. As Motormaster had previously said, the strongest should lead and that very well could be the Warlord in this case.

It was all almost enough to make Razorclaw’s cranium overload and explode. In the past he only had to worry about his unit while Megatron dealt with everything else regarding the war effort. Now, the Predacon Commander was trying to make decisions for all Decepticons. Even if he managed to somehow overcome the obstacles to the throne here in the Sol System, once word finally got out to the rest of the Empire that the slagmaker was dead, there would be others vying for the role of Supreme Leader. Mechs like Scorponok would surely come or even one of the Phase Sixers. They were all very powerful Decepticons in their own right and would present an immense challenge to the Predacon lord’s reign.

Perhaps I’m better served as a unit commander and not the overall leader, Razorclaw finally allowed his processor to consider. It was something he hated to admit, even internally, but how would he maintain control over those who were far stronger than he was? He had gotten himself into this situation mostly because neither Starscream nor Shockwave were worthy successors and the lion-former refused to follow them. Thus, the Predacon Commander was forced into taking the throne for himself, a move that he was now having second thoughts about. Of course, he couldn’t very well give up, not with Shockwave still in control. Razorclaw had to persevere and be patient for the right moment to make his move and deal with the consequences of those actions at the appropriate time. Until then there was still work to be done.

Once the medical appendages were finished with the last of the repairs, Razorclaw on-lined his optics again and got up off of the automated berth. The Predacon lord then ran a standard diagnostic which quickly ascertained that all of his systems were now operating at 100% with his fuel cells fully charged. Disconnecting the energon line from an access port on his right side, the lion-former wasted no further time in exiting the repair bay. His destination was the barracks where he hoped to find the rest of the Predacons so that he could brief them on the information he had already gathered from the data center. They needed to be updated on the situation regarding the ultra energon and why patience was the key to victory.

Barracks

Rampage's extra supplies were in the exact same places that he had left them originally. It was good to know that the cyclops hadn't gutted and reorganized their ship from the inside out just yet. It would probably happen sooner rather than later, though, if they couldn't manage to get him inside one of those holding cells that the mouthy Seeker was currently inhabiting.

"I bet a Seeker makes the first move. They're too antsy. They'll slip. Shockwave'll respond and then it'll be on," Rampage said, looking over at Tantrum as the larger, fueler loaded up with his own additional supplies. More than Rampage could carry, for sure.

Not that he couldn't understand what they were going through. He was pretty antsy too. He had fully expected weapons fire to be discharging all over this ship by now. Razorclaw knew best, though. Rampage trusted in that for too long a time to begin doubting him now. That kept him in check. The Seekers would have no such check on their own wilder tendencies with Starscream being indisposed--even if it was only for appearances.

"Whoever. Whatever," Tantrum grunted, slamming his storage unit shut. "I just hope one of Shockwave's little gearheads gets in my way."
___

Brig

Motormaster had decided not to take his leave of the brig, much to Dead End's continued dismay. Of all the places to be milling around on this ship, Dead End was hardly keen on lingering in the brig. After all, once this was all over, this was where he was likely going to end up. And that was one of the better scenarios playing out in his mind.

At least Motormaster's attention was not on them, but rather other Decepticon warriors whom they had not seen in some time. Of particular note was Darkwing and Dreadwind. He was sure that was going to be an inspiring little interaction for their thuggish commander. Those two could bring him down, and that was saying something. Of course, they probably thought the same thing about him. If they thought about him at all. Which they probably didn't.

By the time they were done talking, they'd all be ready to sever their sparks.

"I'm hungry," Dead End whispered, closing the distance between himself and Breakdown some.

Now it seemed that not only would he go down in a fiery blaze of nothing, he'd be starving while he did it.

Corridors / Data Center

Nightraven had followed Skywarp out of the brig but remained relatively quiet…as was her nature. However she was sure to keep close to the fledgling Commander so he was sure to perceive her continued presence. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him about being abandoned.

His query pertaining to the possibility of finding at least one terminal within the data center brought the femme out of her own thoughts. She stepped up beside him and offered a slight nod.

He then accessed the room and was surprised to find that even on board the Thanatos his security clearance was accepted, but just as he probably surmised Shockwave…or even Soundwave, had probably provided the security system with his clearances. The same could probably be said about the terminals.

Nightraven stopped beside the nervous and no doubt apprehensive Skywarp and with him took a long look at the available computers. And as the black and purple Seeker had determined there was no precise terminal that had to be used.

“No. You can use any one of them.”

Before she was even finished answering his question, though, he was already moving deeper into the room but stopped at the nearest station and sat down. He looked uncertain of just what to do next so with a small smile and a gentle shake of her head, Nightraven made her way to his side.

He gained access rather swiftly and went to work running through what he could find…even if the information he came across had nothing to do with what he was looking for. She absorbed what she could before she looked down at the clearly aggravated mech. After a moment Nightraven leaned down over him and began to narrow down the search parameters to just that of the Seekers within the Decepticon ranks. It was a considerable list but nothing that was impossible to organize.

From her position, leaning over in front of him, Nightraven looked over her outstretched arm and gave him a reassuring smile…at least she hoped he took it as that.

“There. Just stay focused. You can do this.”

Brig

This was not part of the plan…replacing him with that idiot was not something that he had foreseen, and by the look on his wingmate’s faceplate it wasn’t foreseen by him either. Idiot. Starscreem sat quietly against the back wall of his tight cell and shook his head. Such a tragedy being here and not perched high upon Megatron’s vacant throne. An error that would soon be rectified.

Now, if he only knew what that cretin Razorclaw was doing to advance their little coup. What an annoyance…to be detained and not even kept held abreast of just how their plans were advancing. If he didn’t know any better Starscreem would think that his collaborator was working against him and their best interests.

“Cross me and I will be sure you never make it off this ship alive. That you can be sure of.” The internal vocalized thought was spoken in a hushed tone.
____

Breakdown made absolutely certain that he remained out of sight of his Commander even after Motormaster regarded him. There was no need to draw the bulky mech’s attention back to himself…after all Motormaster found it much more amusing to address Darkwing…no reason to break that blossoming bond. Nosiree.

His watchful gaze was broken off from the spectacle in front of when as Dead End approached him. The warrior’s statement was one that Breakdown could certainly agree with, but to fulfill that need they’d have to figure out a way to get away from their deranged Commander. Of course with Motormaster focused on Darkwing perhaps now was as good a time as any.

“Maybe we could, I don’t know, sneak away and find the commissary? But I’m not doin’ it unless you do it too.”

Bridge

Soundwave received the signal from Shockwave with some surprise. He had assumed that the cold and logical Decepticon would move swiftly to correct what was possibly one of Megatron’s few mistakes and remove Starscream from the picture entirely. Leaving him alive, even if imprisoned, left the opportunity for him to escape and make another play for leadership. While there might be something said for a formal proceeding and execution to legitimize his leadership Soundwave would have been happy with simply shooting the seeker in the head and being done with it. Of course that might foment some sort of rebellion among the other seekers but without Starscream they were nothing more then flying drones in his opinion, stupid and expendable. They could be brought to heel easily enough.

In addition to that Shockwave was calling in the notorious Justice Division. While Soundwave had no particularly problem with the Division personally, few Decepticons could match his track record of loyalty, he did consider them to be a rather unstable and unpredictable element to be adding to the mix. Their slavish obedience to their ‘List’ and penchant for gruesome torture and executions meant that getting a quick response from them was unlikely. In addition he was uncertain as to how they would react to the news of Megatron’s death.

Still he was as ever obedient and sent the request out on their specific channel. He had just finished the message when Shockwave arrived on the bridge with a few other gathered Decepticons. No doubt he was here to confront Thunderwing who had arrived only moments earlier. He offered a nod to the commander to indicate the message had been sent as he observed the confrontation unfolding in front of him.

*

Brig

Clutch looked over as Motormaster asked him a question. He still didn’t like the Stunticon leader or his team, the way he was feeling now he almost considered just challenging him to a fight. This new fuel had him really going. Fortunately he still remembered that he was a ranking officer. He had always done his best to remain obedient to superiors.

“Not much to do around here. You can always get a recharged though, not sure what your ship has left in the way of fuel so you might want to take advantage while you are up here.”

The bulky Con turned to follow Shockwave as he left the room.

*

Darkwing was partially hunched down from the weight Motormaster was placing on him. This is why he hated being around psychos, that tendency to do something crazy and psychotic. He nodded emphatically after Clutch spoke up.

“Yeah, fuel here ain’t too bad. Get some while the gettings good I always say, right Dreadwind.”

The other flier glared at Darkwing in annoyance. He had been happy enough being ignored by Motormaster in general and now he was getting dragged into the conversation. “Uh, yeah, that’s right. Never know when it will be your last recharge and you wouldn’t want to go out there on empty.”

*

Bridge

Clutch silently followed Shockwave on to the bridge. Once he was in the room he did a brief glance around. It was mostly crewed by vehicons now, with Soundwave at some sort of sciencey communication station he assumed. Thunderwing was also standing in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for them. Everything seemed fairly normal and boring until Shockwave leveled his gun at the other Decepticon.

He was certainly caught off guard. Clutch had assumed with Starscream locked up that would be the end of any infighting. Certainly even when Megatron was alive this sort of thing happened but it was fairly rare. To have so much of it going on now in his absence was quite probably a bad sign. Still, if it gave him an opportunity to throw down and fight it out he wouldn’t turn it down.

*

Thunderwing had arrived on the bridge to be greeted by silence from Soundwave and the drones manning the room. He wasn’t particularly surprised as he assumed Shockwave’s dealing with Starscream would take some time, assuming Razorclaw didn’t spring some sort of trap on him. He found this highly unlikely as he assumed the Predacon would need his direct assistance in taking out Shockwave.

As he expected Shockwave arrived on the bridge with his personal entourage which gave Thunderwing pause. He glanced over at the various Decepticons. From what he could tell they were serving as some sort of bodyguards. Their appearance here on the bridge was not a promising one. At least it didn’t appear that Razorclaw had made some sort of attempt and failed as he saw no battle damage on them. It was possible Shockwave was merely being overly cautious.

The Decepticon nodded at Shockwave’s question. “From what I observed things are moving along quite well. Scrapper was too busy for me to consult with directly but the base is taking shape quite nicely. I assume it will be done in short order. Razorclaw should be able to tell you more about the Stunticon vessel’s state but I don’t think it will be operation anytime…”

His voice trailed off as he picked up the energy spike coming from Shockwave. He watched as he leveled his gun arm at him. In response he activated his own weapon systems, powering them up but not activating or aiming them at Shockwave, yet. Thunderwing’s optics narrowed and he bared the row of razor sharp fangs that lined his mouth as he looked back at Shockwave and his minions. He considered simply lashing out at the other Decepticon. If he could close the distance to him fast enough he could negate the effectiveness of his main weapon at the same time utilizing some of his own weaponry. Unfortunately the fact that he had brought considerable back up made the odds of his success quite unfavorable. He would have to take a different tact.

In an angry tone Thunderwing replied to him. “Loyalty? Loyalty cannot be earned from the barrel of a cannon, no matter how powerful said weapon is. Loyalty is earned through actions and respect. You are quite powerful Shockwave, and intelligent. You could quite possibly take the reigns of leadership of the Decepticons. As of yet, however, you have failed to do so.”

The Decepticon relaxed his tone and posture as he continued. “I recall your disappearance from Cybertron all that time ago. While I have been removed from the war for sometime your absence has been even longer. Now since your return you have reportedly worked with the Autobots and had your leadership challenged twice. While these matters were resolved the fact still remains that your leadership has been continually challenged and called into question. Even now you and I both know that their will be other challengers in the Empire to be the heir to Megatron, and they will not be the sniveling weakling that Starscream was.”

“I would have presented my technology immediately to Lord Megatron. It was, and still is, my gift to the empire, an edge to help crush the Autobots once and for all. I will give it freely to whoever becomes the new ruler of the Decepticons but from what I have observed that decision hasn’t been made final yet. Would your claim to leadership be considered legitimate if it was gained with my technology, or would that only spur on competitors, claiming it was won only because of new weaponry? Would it start an internal arms race among the Decepticons? A splintering of the empire into miniature kingdoms?”

“I would not presume to speak for Lord Megatron, but I have to imagine he would want his heir to take control the same way he did, with his own wits, strength, and raw power. You do have that potential Shockwave, you and I both know it. I suggest you not cheapen it by threatening me and taking hostages. Such things might earn obedience, but true loyalty is not gained in such ways.”

Bridge

Shockwave absorbed the entirety of Thunderwing's response, analyzing the minutiae and running it against the litany of acceptable response calculations he had made within his own processors. There were certain elements of the warlord's response that Shockwave would have taken the opportunity to debate, if a debate was what they were having. For the time being, Shockwave was only determining whether or not he would test his new energy source on another potential rival. At the end of Thunderwing's speech, he had determined that the odds of successfully maintaining the warlord's allegiances were comfortably within the 65th percentile.

He would likely shore up that questionable percentage, along with a number of other questionable loyalties, once Starscream's threat to his command had been put to rest. Indeed, the Seeker had been a glitch in his wiring eve since his return to this solar system. But that been accounted for. He was just as much of a problem for Megatron. Shockwave was hardly so foolish to as to think he would be less of one for him. So long as Starscream continued to function, he would be a threat to any leader, as the Seeker had long seen himself as the only one suitable to hold ultimate sway over the Decepticon empire.

It was fortunate, then, that he had such a prime opportunity to take care of the rogue Seeker and his treacherous proclivities now.

"Declarative: a satisfactory response," Shockwave stated, lowering his arm cannon as he proceeded further on to the bridge, approaching the command chair. As he did so, he saw that the ship had logged an incoming response from Soundwave's earlier transmission. Shockwave seated himself in the chair and transferred it to the primary bridge viewscreen. "Points of contention remain, but all possess a statistical probability of achieving resolution. One, in particular, I intend to address now."

Shockwave turned to face the screen directly as it lit up and revealed what appeared to be a Decepticon symbol. It was not a typical symbol, however. It was battle-worn. More importantly, it was immediately easy to determine that it was not a simple badge as most Decepticons wore, but rather an integral part of a cranial structure. The figure--a mechanoid who now went by the name of Tarn, a member of the Decepticon Justice Division stepped back, allowing all on the bridge a better view. Behind him, a massive, hulk of a mech stalked behind him as fires raged. It looked as if Tarn was standing in the center of the Pit itself.

>>"Excellent, Kaon. That will do nicely. I can see them all. Ahhhh...Shockwave. When we received the hearing request from Soundwave, I had hoped to speak with someone a little less monotone. It appears I will be disappointed in that regard. Pity. So......this pertains to Starscream, yes?"<<

"Affirmative," Shockwave responded evenly.

>>"Annnnnnd, hm, you are certifying that his actions reach the level of high crimes and misdemeanors against the integrity of the Decepticon empire and are, thus, worthy of our collective consideration?"<<

"Affirmative."

>>"My...this conversation is already everything I was expecting it would be,"<< Tarn said, sighing. >>"And why does this request not come from Megatron himself?"<<

"Declarative: Megatron is currently indisposed and unable to deal with the matter directly. It has been delegated to me," Shockwave said, choosing his words very carefully, lest he be held in some future contempt himself. He made certain to speak the truth, even if it was only true from a certain point of view. On the viewscreen, Tarn cocked his head slightly, as if he too were analyzing the validity of Shockwave's words. In all likelihood, he was.

>>"Very well, Shockwave. As this petition comes from someone of your standing, we will hear it."<<

From somewhere, well out of view of the transmission cube, a mangled, metallic scream could be heard, before being slowly silenced.

>>"I believe Tesarus is just finishing up. You have, oh, I don't know, about ten breems before we depart for our next destination. We will likely be incommunicado for several orns afterward, unless this situation warrants otherwise. As such, we will commence the hearing in five breems. The Division will hear from the accuser...and the accused, per standard protocol and render our judgement accordingly. Until then."<<

Tarn's image blinked from existence, returning the primary viewscreen to its typical display of outlying space and, currently, the uppermost crest of Sol-3 just above the horizon. Shockwave's optic flickered. With the Justice Division now involved, the cycloptic strategist was confidant that Starscream's treacherous history would be dealt with once and for all. The Division may well authorize him to end Starscream's existence then and there, a perfect message for anyone else still questioning their loyalty. Shockwave's command in this region would be solidified. He would deal with the expansion fleets in due course. They might also decide to enact his execution themselves, as they often did. Indeed, it was one of the Division's primary functions. If they did, Shockwave would have to proceed more cautiously, but he was confidant that matters would proceed as he expected in that scenario as well. All in all, the new imperator was pleased with how matters were falling in to place.

Shockwave brought up a diagram of the ship and selected the primary hangar bay that would serve the upcoming purpose satisfactorily.

"Imperative: Soundwave, have Starscream transferred to the primary hangar bay. Alert all non-essential personnel that they are to bear witness to Starscream's fate, and the ultimate fate of all those who put themselves above the final objective of the Decepticon empire. You will accompany me. Dispatch suitable lieutenants to oversee bridge operations in the intervening period."

Shockwave rose from his seated position and proceeded towards the bridge's exit. His stay here had been brief, but he preferred it that way. What he sought to accomplish by coming here had been accomplished. Now it was time to return to his real work.

"The lingering question of leadership will soon be resolved."

Barracks

Razorclaw entered the barracks to find his unit loitering about, some on recharge berths while others stood and chatted with one another. He had seldom been down here before as the Predacon Commander normally had his own private quarters. However, since Shockwave had taken control of the Thanatos, those quarters now technically belonged to the purple scientist. That would eventually change, however, when the lion-former and his elite team of mechanical beasts took back what was rightfully theirs.

Before addressing the others, Razorclaw turned and made sure that the doors to the barracks were closed and sealed shut with the proper security protocols in place. The Predacon lord wanted to be certain that no one else entered or overheard what he was about to tell his squad. Extreme caution needed to be taken especially with the likes of Soundwave and his cassettes on board. It would be difficult to progress their plans, but not impossible just as long as secured comm lines and encrypted transmissions were kept out of the equation. Such communications would only arouse suspicion while a simple conversation would likely go unnoticed.

“Predacons, gather around and listen closely to what I’m about to say,” Razorclaw ordered, keeping his vocals low as he walked to the center of the chamber to brief his squad on what he now knew regarding the Ore-13. “You are probably all wondering why a move has not yet been made against Shockwave. The answer is simple: the time is not right....yet. You all know me for my endless patience and it is that patience which has now protected us from making a move too soon and thus a fatal error on our part. I have recently accessed the ship’s logs and discovered that Shockwave and the majority of his supporters have all powered up on ultra energon, derived and successfully processed from the Ore-13. The unpredictability of the raw, untested power they now possess makes it impossible for us to strike without first filling our own fuel cells with the new energon. Otherwise, we will likely fail in our mission to secure the throne under Predacon control. Thus, once again, patience is required.”

Razorclaw locked optics with each of his Predacons, making sure they were all taking in what he had just said and understood his words. “I know you are all itching for a fight and you will get it when the time is right. Unfortunately, the ultra energon is under tight security down in the labs and will be very difficult to gain access to. Soundwave will be a major thorn in our sides if he is not dealt with. Hopefully, his attention can be diverted in some fashion to allow us to make our move and power up on the new ore. It is the only way we will stand a chance against the Military Operations Commander and his forces. Until then we bide our time. Is that clearly understood?”

Data Center

Skywarp sat back in his chair in order to allow Nightraven room to reach down across him and narrow the search parameters that ultimately revealed the correct log file regarding the Seeker Corps. Once again she gave him a reassuring smile along with the promise that he could accomplish the task that was handed to him by Shockwave. For a moment, the teleporter considered that if he just did a bad job to begin with then perhaps the one-eyed ‘Con would simply choose a different interim seeker commander. Although, the purple mech could also see no further use for the prankster and just terminate him on the spot. And, of course, there were Starscream’s orders to do as Shockwave had instructed. If the scientist didn’t kill him for his stupidity then the red and silver flier certainly would.

“Thanks, Nighty,” Skywarp replied, cracking a slight smile from his agitated visage. He began scrolling through the seemingly endless list of seekers, many of whom were stationed elsewhere around the galaxy. “I’m assuming that Shockwave doesn’t want me doing anything with the ones outside of the Sol System since that could raise some suspicions regarding what’s going on around here, right? I mean, none of them knows about Megatron’s demise or Starscream's imprisonment. If I start requesting activity updates from the other squadrons, they may start asking questions that I can't answer. So, for now I guess I’ll just focus on those seekers that are stationed in this sector.”

If Skywarp was wrong and had misinterpreted Shockwave’s orders, he hoped that Nightraven would set him on the right path. Until then, the teleporter began isolating the names of the seekers who were deployed planet side along with those generic fliers that were currently on board the Thanatos. Once the list was generated, it was easy to log the activities of the ship-bound seekers as their movements and duties were already documented in the system. The Earth-bound seekers, however, were another story.

“Well, I’ve got activity reports on the seekers that are up here on the warship, but I have no idea what the ones down on the surface of that mudball are currently doing,” Skywarp said as he glanced over at Nightraven. “Am I going to have to contact them directly or is there another way to find out their assignments? I know that 'Cracker, Hellion and the coneheads were on the Ultrax last time I checked, but others like the Intruders and even Slipstream could be anywhere doing Primus knows what. How in the Pit am I supposed to get them all organized and submit activity reports when I don’t even know where most of them are?”

Brig

"Slag. You guys are as stale as Dead End." Motormaster grunted a reply to what Clutch and the gloomy duo of Darkwing and Dreadwind had to say.

"Fine. Might as well get high on energon. Knowing Razorclaw and Shockwave there will nothing else to do for a while." The large Stunticon said, turning to look at his teammates. To be fair, he wanted to hurt someone bad but he was smart enough to know when to cause trouble and when to lay it down.

"We don't want to overstay our welcome just yet, right boys?" He added, flashing the two other Stunticons' a sinister grin before letting go of Darkwing and heading out of the brig. "Now be good little soldiers a fetch me drink before I change my mind."



Bridge

Yet another disappointing confrontation. A moment earlier it had seemed like Shockwave had been ready to blast a big hole through Thunderwing, but now? The one eyed walking calculator seemed to be happy with Thunderwing's tirade about loyalty and respect. Not that Skullcruncher was going to disagree. Whatever it was worth, Thunderwing was far more inspiring mechanoid than Shockwave. Now, whether he could provide results like Shockwave was left to be seen.

However, Skullcruncher found it odd how even Thunderwing was ready to count Starscream as nothing more than a sniveling coward. The heavy warrior had been a Decepticon long enough to see enough. Sure, the seeker had had his moments which had created such of a deceptive reputation. Starscream had his faults. He was over-ambitious and arrogant but a coward? That was an act. A coward would never challenge Megatron's authority. No, the seeker deserved more credit than that. He hadn't made it to Megatron's inner circle for being a sniveling coward. Starscream was cunning and resourceful and those who failed to see that, often paid with their lives. That being said, Skullcruncher was not going to say anything to protect Starscream's reputation. He really didn't care what Shockwave and Thunderwing thought of seeker - he just felt it was odd for them to dismiss the threat the seeker's continued existence so easily.

Except, Shockwave didn't. The Decepticon Justice Division? Save it for Shockwave to contact the those sadistic psycho killers just for the protocol's sake. As if he couldn't deal with this issue on his own. The further away the DJD was from him, the more relaxed Skullcruncher felt. Not that he had done anything wrong. DJD just happened to have a reputation to come up with reasons to put you on their List as they went on.

This was going to be a pain.