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Bridge

Razorclaw had been monitoring Starscream’s movements as he made his way from the repair bay to just outside the bridge and thus the Predacon lord was prepared when the doors finally slid apart to reveal the still battered Seeker Commander on the other side. Razorclaw remained motionless even as he caught a glimpse of the scowl on the silver and red mech’s faceplate. That visage revealed his true feelings regardless of the seemingly pleasant manner by which he greeted the lion-former.

“I’m sure you're thrilled to see me again,” Razorclaw responded sarcastically, keeping his optics locked on Starscream as the Air Commander advanced towards him in a non-threatening manner. Even though Starscream was not fully healed yet, he could not be underestimated, not for an astrosecond. Screamer was as cunning as they came and likely wanted revenge for the beating he had endured at the hands of the Predacon lord. The attempt may not come now, but one could never be too careful when dealing with Megatron’s former second in command.

Razorclaw produced a scowl of his own underneath his face shield as Starscream gave his adversary a cocky smile before stating the obvious and moving towards the door of Motormaster’s office. “Your are correct, Starscream. We do have business to discuss,” Razorclaw agreed as he stood from his chair and walked over to where the Seeker Commander now stood. Before entering, the lion-former turned back towards the rest of his squad. “Predacons, remain on the bridge while I have a chat with our compatriot here. Rampage, alert me at once if you detect any signs of trouble from our cycloptic foe.”

Razorclaw then turned back to face Starscream once more, locking optics with his former opponent. “Let’s talk.”

Motormaster’s Office

Razorclaw entered the office of the Stunticon Commander and took a seat behind the desk situated at the far end of the room. He motioned for Starscream to enter and close the door behind him, assuming that the head Seeker would then take a seat opposite his own or perhaps remain standing. The Predacon lord didn’t really care which the aerial warrior chose to do, just as long as he listened to reason.

“Let’s dispense with any more pleasantries and get right down to why we are here, Starscream,” Razorclaw began to speak in a stern, unyielding tone. “We are here to reunite the Decepticons together as they had been under Megatron's rule. The infighting must stop if we are to get back to the real war which is with the Autobots. They are the actual enemy we should be fighting and not each other. The only way to accomplish this is to work together. You and I might not see optic to optic on many things, but we do share a common foe and that is Shockwave!”

Razorclaw leaned forward in his chair as he emphasized his last few words. “Shockwave must be swiftly dealt with before the Autobots decide to mount an attack against us while we’re in the midst of squabbling amongst ourselves. I already have the specialty teams united behind me, but without you and your seekers Shockwave will ultimately win, I fear. He is cold and calculating and has been out of action for as long as the Dinobots have. I’m sure you can agree that he is not fit to lead. We must set aside our differences and do what is necessary for the Empire before it crumbles away into dust.”

The lion-former stopped and sat back again in Motormaster’s chair, allowing his words to the Seeker Commander to sink in. After a few more astroseconds, Razorclaw continued. “Now, I make no pretenses about this precarious situation we find ourselves in, Starscream. I know that you would like nothing more than to battle it out with me again in a rematch, preferably in a setting that is more befitting of your own aerial capabilities. But, I must implore you to set those feelings aside for the time being and help me defeat that one-eyed calculator.”

Razorclaw was about to continue when he was interrupted by a transmission from Thunderwing, who was requesting permission to board the Ultrax in order to talk with no threat of further violence. The Predacon lord was not surprised by his visit as Onslaught had already informed him of the carapace-covered mech’s arrival on Earth. Razorclaw had to be careful here as allowing one as powerful as Thunderwing to join his meeting with Starscream could very well see the two Decepticon fliers teaming up against him. Of course, Razorclaw still had his Predacons to back him up if need be, but that may not be enough especially considering the untested nature of Thunderwing’s weapons and other carapace-enhanced abilities. At the same time, the lion-former could not pass up the chance to possibly convince Thunderwing to join his side and add a very powerful warrior to his growing army.

>>”Permission granted, Lord Thunderwing. You may enter through one of the airlocks. Once inside, please feel free to join me on the bridge in Motormaster’s office where Starscream and I are already discussing the future of the Decepticon Empire.”<<

Cutting his comm link, Razorclaw regarded the Seeker Commander with a curious look. “Well, Starscream, it seems we have a visitor to add to our proceedings. I'm sure you don't mind if Thunderwing joins us, do you?”

Repair Bay

Once Starscream had left with his Predacon escorts, Skywarp let out an angry growl of frustration. His attention was then quickly drawn to Nightraven as she placed a hand on his upper arm. She tried to convince him that it would be a bad idea if he got involved once again. Clearly, Nighty was worried that he would end up getting himself killed in the process, assuring him that the Seeker Commander knew what he was doing.

“I’m sure he does,” the teleporter conceded as he felt the seeker femme’s hand move down to his forearm. “Of course, he didn’t fare too well recently, but he won’t let that happen twice. Screamer’s too smart to fight Razorclaw in such tight quarters again. No, our real leader will wait until he’s out in the open and then he’ll strike!” Skywarp suddenly punched one fist into the palm of his other hand, allowing his emotions to take control for a brief moment. The idea of Starscream’s revenge against the new Predacon “lord” was enough to make any seeker overly excited.

A calmer Skywarp then looked over into Nightraven’s optics. “Don’t worry, I promise not to do anything rash this time. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next. It shouldn’t take too long, I guess.” The prankster then took Nighty’s hand into his own before smiling at her. “So, you wanna kill some time and get a drink with me? I’m sure this rust bucket has a mess hall of some kind. We just have to find it. Ha ha.”

Outside the Ultrax

The thunderous splash in the middle of open water was the only hint of Thundercracker’s decension into the sea and towards the Ultrax. Following orders. That was the one thing that always remained constant with the blue seeker and that was the one thing he couldn‘t help but do when orders came to return to the Ultrax and it‘s location. Starscream was his commander and brother, although why he continued to listen to the arrogant mech was food for thought.

Once under the ocean’s surface, Thundercracker let his sensors stretch out in an effort to locate any potential “surprises”. For several klicks everything seemed to be as it should be. Then he picked up the familiar signature of Thunderwing ahead of him. Curious, Thundercracker slowed his speed and angled away from his comrade to approach the downed ship from the opposite side. The fewer to see him the better, given his actions over the last few cycles.

His decision on taking a wider angle served him well as he picked up a handful of other signatures along the ocean floor. They were easy enough for him to elude and weren't Shockwave's troopers. He never thought his coloring would come in handy anywhere but in the sky. If the mech responsible for his light blue paint still functioned he’d make a note to thank him.

After circling the location a number of times he decided to contact Starscream.

>>Thundercracker to Starscream. Request permission to board Ultrax.<<

Now all he had to do was wait for a response and they could figure out how to deal with Shockwave.

(OOC: Screamer and Nighty tomorrow. I didn't want this post to turn into a monster.)


Outside the Ultrax

The arm load of sensors were secured against his chestplates as the Stunticon terrorist trudged off in the direction that his white and blue teammate should have gone… had he not been spooked by Wildrider’s antics. The mere thought of Breakdown running off with his optics wide in fear and high pitched scream coming from his vocalizer, now that would be music to his audios.

The hike from the air lock to where the scout would have been working hadn’t taken nearly as long as Wildrider expected, which suited the terrorist just fine. After all the sooner he and the others completed this little task the sooner he could get back inside and clean out every one of his transformation seams. The salt in the water was murder on his inner workings.

Upon his arrival Wildrider dumped his burden, save for two and began placing the sensors around the ship. Half a breem into his work Wildrider noticed something approaching and fast. A wide grin formed on his faceplate as he moved closer to the ship so as not to be spotted by whatever, or whoever it was heading his way. Oh, slag, this is gonna be good. His thoughts began to wander to the carnage he could cause with just one well-placed shot.

Wildrider pulled his scattershot gun and took aim at the blurry form that was still steadily approaching.

“I got ya now ya grease stain!”

Wildrider leveled his weapon and took aim at….

“Holy slag!”

Unsure of how to handle the new situation, the terrorist opened a comm. line with Motormaster, but he kept his gun trained on his target.

>>”Yo boss! I got my optics and weapon trained on….you’re not gonna believe this…Thunderwing! You want me to take him out?”<<

-----

Breakdown not only physically relaxed but he also mentally relaxed. He knew Drag Strip was no Dead End, who possibly was the only mech who had no hidden agenda toward him, but sticking with the yellow racer was sure to keep him just slightly saner than he had been.

“Th…thanks Drag. I really appreciate it. I mean I k..kinda hope Rider gets his aft handed to him, but it hasn’t happened so far.”

Drag Strip’s warning concerning protecting the paranoid mech from the likes of Wildrider did not fall on deaf audios. Instead Breakdown simply looked down and stared at his hands.

“S’okay. I…uh don’t expect anyone to do that.”

Breakdown gave his comrade a slight nod answering Drag Strip’s query about where he left his pile of sensors. A cringe caused Breakdown to shiver. The thought of going back and possibly coming across Wildrider…No! If I see that worthless fragger I’m gonna stand up to him. I’ll show him he can’t intimidate me! Not anymore!

The walk back to the sensor pile was a quick one, but when they got there Wildrider was already picking at the pile. Breakdown watched from a position just behind and off to the side of his yellow teammate. The white and blue mech took a quick look at Drag Strip and then turned his attention to where the terrorist was.

“Um..m..maybe you should get ‘em. I don’t wanna have to deal with him and possibly wind up destroying the sensors. Cause you know that’s how it’ll turn out with that sick piece of slag.”

When the scout looked back to where the terrorist was he noticed that Wildrider was already stalking off. That sight brought a wide grin to his face and calmed his demeanor.

“Actually, I think I can take this one.”

That said Breakdown moved past Drag Strip and stopped at the remainder of the sensors where he scooped up an armful.

(OOC: Okay so it's two days late. Just be happy I got it done!)


Bridge

“Oh, but of course I am, Predacon.”

Starscream eyed Razorclaw as the Predacon Commander offered the Air Commander his sarcastic response. It was to be expected after what had transpired not so long ago. Starscream flashed Razorclaw a cocky grin as he took in the mechs present on the bridge. Nothing changed. The lion-former still surrounded himself with his entire team. Compensating? Perhaps.

Starscream moved past Razorclaw and stopped just outside the door to what might have been Motormaster’s office. The Seeker Commander waited patiently as the Predacon ordered his men to alert him to whatever Shockwave might be up to.

With a nod Starscream followed the other mech into the room and watched as the orange and black mech took a seat behind the desk. Starscream gave a small sneer as he simply crossed his arms over his chest. There was no need to sit before ones foe. Remain on your feet and be sure to look down on those inferior to you.

The silver and red Seeker nodded in agreement that they dispense with any formalities and proceed with why they were not where they were. Giving the Predacon the benefit of the doubt the Seeker listened quietly to everything the warrior had to say without so much as a word.

The idea of removing Shockwave was something he had long considered, but to do so he needed power…something he was never capable of acquiring. At least not in the abundance he required. It was at that point Starscream raised a hand and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. It seemed simple enough. Band together…he with his Seekers and Razorclaw with his specialty teams and eliminate their common foe. And once Shockwave was dealt with Starscream and his Seekers could follow up by eliminating Razorclaw and his Predacons. Win, win, no? It was certainly something to consider.

Starscream let out a contemplative sigh as he strolled to one of the windows spanning the wall to the right of the desk. He propped his arm on the wall next to the window and casually leaned in, his free hand coming to rest on his hip. He remained silent as he simply watched the few marine life swim lazily just outside the sunken ship.

His thoughts began to wander and before he even realized it Razorclaw was announcing that they were to have company in the immediate future. Starscream removed his arm from the wall and from his hip and flashed Razorclaw a quizzical expression. But before he could even inquire as to who it was, the orange and black mech revealed a name he had never expected.

Starscream let out a low growl and narrowed his optics.

“Thunderwing. Now there is a mech who cannot be trusted. He has been outside of this war for far too long. But of course hearing him out would provide us enough insight on just who he has decided to follow. I suggest precautions be taken.”

Starscream perked slightly when his internal comm. line was pinged. His blue teammate was requesting permission to come back aboard. He would welcome Thundercracker if only he could respond to the Seeker’s request. As it stood he was no longer in command and there for he was obligated to request clearance on Thundercracker’s behalf.

“It would seem that one of my Seekers is requesting permission to board. What say you call off your Stunticon goons and give my brother clearance?”

Repair Bay

Nightraven gave Skywarp a small nod thankful that he was not going to do anything rash…at least not now. She only hoped it would be never. She was relieved when he finally conceded to her request sending a sense of ease through her frame.

“Starscream will need to tread carefully for the foreseeable future. But I’ve no doubt he’ll accomplish whatever he puts him to.”

The femme Seeker pulled her hand away from Skywarp’s forearm as the flier punched one hand into the palm of his other. She took a slight step back hoping that the one gesture was the end of his expressive tendencies.

Thankfully the black and purple Seeker calmed down rather quickly and resumed his easy going demeanor. Nightraven let out a small sigh and offered Skywarp a warm smile. She gave him a nod of approval at his declaration that he would not pursue any kind of rash actions.

“Good. Because you’re the only one of us we can use as an escape route.”

Nightraven’s smile broadened as she placed her hand back onto Skywarp’s forearm. Her attention remained on the flier as he took her hand in his and suggested they take a trek to the mess hall. Considering the day they all had been trough, and since she hadn’t refueled for too long, a visit to the mess hall sounded like the perfect escape.

“Of course. But I thought you said you knew every part of this ship?”

Nightraven let out a chuckle as she looked too her escort, her smile brightening.

Motormaster’s Office - Bridge

Razorclaw eyed the Seeker Commander carefully as he watched Starscream move over to the nearby portal and gaze out at the murky waters beyond. The silver and red mech seemed to be contemplating the Predacon lord’s proposal to join forces, but had given no answer as of yet. It was to be expected, of course, as Starscream would not simply agree too quickly to any alliance without first considering what was in it for him and his seeker brood. Still, Razorclaw could tell that the Air Commander was scheming even now as he appeared relaxed and complacent with the current situation.

Starscream’s demeanor changed quickly at the mention of Thunderwing’s impending arrival, warning that the carapace-laced mech had been out of the war for far too long and could not be trusted. “Heh, no more than I can trust you, Starscream,” Razorclaw countered. “However, you are still correct in that we must be cautious and determine where his loyalties currently lie. On Cybertron, those loyalties seemed to be with Shockwave as he prevented Commander Onslaught and myself from subduing the logic-driven mech at that point in time. Of course, things may have changed since then as Thunderwing now claims to want no further violence between us. In retrospect, I think the scientist’s actions on our homeworld were more driven by the feeling of being excluded from our plans than any allegiance he has to Shockwave. But, we shall soon determine if that’s the case or not.”

Tapping his clawed actuators on top of the desk, Razorclaw then considered Starscream’s request to allow one of his brethren permission to enter the Ultrax. “Of course. I should probably alert the Stunticons of Thunderwing’s presence, as well.” Opening his comm line, the Predacon lord sent a message to the Stunticon Commander:

>>”Motormaster, we have a pair of visitors on approach. Tell your squad to stand down and grant them entrance to the frigate.”<<

Razorclaw then cut his comm link and returned his attention to Starscream. “You may alert you brother that he can enter the ship without the threat of violence. Now, have you come up with an answer to my proposal yet, or are you still considering your options?”

Repair Bay

Skywarp felt a slight sense of pride as Nightraven called him their only escape route while placing her hand back on his forearm. That pride devolved a bit into a feeling of embarrassment when Nighty reminded him that he was supposed to know every part of the frigate. She said those words in a non serious manner with a chuckle and smile on her faceplate. But the fact still remained that ‘Warp didn’t really know every area of the frigate as his had previously claimed.

“Okay, I know almost every part,” Skywarp admitted as his prior boasting had now come back to haunt him. “I know the parts that matter.” The teleporter sighed before turning towards a nearby terminal and pulling up the frigate’s schematics. “There it is, one level down.” The prankster then looked back at Nighty. “Now, I know every part. Heh. Let’s go.”

Corridor

With her hand still on his forearm, Skywarp led Nightraven out of the repair bay and into the corridor beyond. He walked up to the closest turbo lift and pushed the button to open the doors. When nothing happened, ‘Warp pushed the button again with the same results as before. “Must be broken. What a dump,” the teleporter muttered as he cast a glance at the seeker femme by his side. “I guess we’re climbing down.”

Skywarp then made his way over to one of the jeffries tubes located at the end of the corridor. Opening the hatchway, ‘Warp motioned for Nightraven to enter and climb down the ladder to the next deck beneath them. “Ladies first.”

Outside the Ultrax

“Well, I’m pretty sure Motormaster already handed his aft to him,” Drag Strip responded to Breakdown, who was hoping that Wildrider would get what was coming to him some day. “I don’t think it’s had any lasting affect on him. Once a terrorist, always a terrorist. All you can do, Breaky, is show him that you’re not his personal wrecking toy. Then he’ll likely back off, at least for a while, anyway.”

With Wildrider stalking off with some of the paranoid mech’s sensors, it appeared as though Breakdown wasn’t going to have to face his nemesis just yet. It was only a matter of time, however, before the inevitable happened. “You’re one lucky slagger, you know that, Breaky?” Drag Strip asked rhetorically as his blue and white comrade picked up an armful of sensors once the terrorist was gone. “I guess I’ll grab the rest. Tell you what, we’ll head off towards the back of the frigate in the exact opposite direction that ‘Rider trudged off to. That way you can work on mustering up the courage to face him later. Sound like a decent plan?”

Scooping up the rest of the sensors, Drag Strip walked through the deep muck that surrounded their crashed vessel, heading for the stern section. Once he got there, the former racer began placing the sensors in a grid-like pattern and motioned for Breakdown to follow suit. It was then that Wildrider could be heard off in the distance shouting about something. Sound traveled better through water, but unfortunately the terrorist was still too far away for the yellow Stunticon to make out exactly what he was saying. It didn’t matter as there were more important things to worry about. “Just ignore him, Breakdown. He probably dropped a sensor on his foot. Heh.”

Near the Airlock

Wildrider's transmission truly surprised Motormaster. While he had been waiting for news from his team of looneys, the news he had been expecting would have merely been about them getting their work done. The fact that Wildrider was reporting that Thunderwing was approaching their vessel was something else. Motormaster didn't know Thunderwing all too well. From reputation mostly. Scientist and somekind of statesman. Same was likely true for Thunderwing's feelings about Motormaster and his Stunticons. However, Motormaster had had a series of run-ins with Valckastan police forces before the war and given that Thunderwing had been the sole command figure of the said city-state, for whatever reason Motormaster couldn't tell - nonetheless he did hold Thunderwing responsible for his trouble.

>>"What? Thunderwing? The same Thunderwing who ruined Swindle's smuggling operation in Valckasta and put you Drag, Detour and Hyperdrive behind the bars until I busted your sorry afts out with Blackjack, Dead End and Roadhugger? I thought the slagger was dead."<<

So Thunderwing was alive after all despite of disappearing from the Decepticon command grid for tens of thousands of years? And now with Megatron gone, this arrogant holier than thou Nova Prime wannabe had decided to return? And likely to demand leadership of the Decepticons just like Shockwave, Starscream and Razorclaw. This indeed opened new opportunities. For both vengeance and well... well as if that was going to happen. Wildrider could perhaps be tricked to take a shot at Thunderwing but the likely hood of the terrorist being successful was next to nothing. Eh, not a biggie, Wildrider would get yet another chance to learn from his mistakes and Motormaster - he'd get his kicks from Wildrider being punished by yet another powerful Decepticon.

>>"Tag and bag him. It is either a slaggin' Autobot or a spy of Shockwave's. Yeah. If it really is Thunderwing and he ends up as an accidental victim of a friendly fire incident... well, accidents happen you know." "<<

>>”Motormaster, we have a pair of visitors on approach. Tell your squad to stand down and grant them entrance to the frigate.”<<

Razorclaw's sudden transmission complicated the Stunticon brute's plans. >>"Visitors Razorclaw? Like who?"

So, now he was given the real data? Well, slag that. He was not going to relay that to Wildrider. The little psycho deserved what he was going to get. The others however, well - they were in a bad enough situation without Decepticons turning against Decepticons. Thus, Motormaster contacted the rest of his Stunticons to update them on Razorclaw's message.

>>"According to Razorclaw we have some visitors approaching. Hold your fire and let them approach the airlock."<<

Repair Bay

Thrust watched as the two seekers attached themselves in romance. How cute in a disgusting way, he really didn't have time to watch this, but there was nothing to do. He watched as Skywarp had told them that he almost knew the ship instead of knowing all of it. Figures he did that to impress Nightraven and boost his self-esteem. Nice attempt and it seemed to have work as they left to go to the corridor. Thrust followed behind them as he didn't want to get left behind.

"Hey wait up for a fellow seeker."

Bridge

Divebomb watched as Starscream and Razorclaw left the room to go discuss their matters in private. Divebomb moved over and sat in Razorclaw chair till he returned as Rampage was put in charge of watching Shockwave's movement. Divebomb let out a small sigh as he began watching the monitors of the ship. Flipping through the screens bored him as he stopped changing screens when he saw the seekers still at the repair bay.

"Looks like the seekers don't know what to do without their precious air commander."

After that sentence, his interest were raised as the seekers left the repair bay to go somewhere. Now where are they going at a time like this? Divebomb continued monitoring their movement with interest to see where they would be going.

"Hey Preds, seems like the seekers are trying to do something."

Approaching the Ultrax

Thunderwing continued to sink in the water, drawing steadily closer to the vessel. He was pleased at the reply he received from Razorclaw. At the very least there was still some bit of respect between the two of them. That was something he could build off at least. The Predacon was powerful and violent, but also cunning and patient. He could possibly reach some sort of accord or alliance with him. Once that was done the rest of his team would fall in behind him.

The others on board the Ultrax would be more problematic. They might be following Razorclaw for now, but even after beating Starscream his position had to be a bit precarious. He would have to find out the mindset of the Seekers was in the aftermath of Starscream’s fall, not to mention having to do with the seeker leader himself. Thunderwing doubted that Starscream’s ambitions had been curbed by his defeat. While some would laugh at his failures, Thunderwing was impressed by how he always recovered to fight again.

The Stunticons were the other group that concerned him. While he wasn’t sure how the Seekers would react, the Stunticons were even more unpredictable. They were, perhaps, the least qualified and professional of all of the Decepticons, which was a considerable statement. While Thunderwing could see they had some usefulness, he had often wondered if the drawbacks of deploying them, mainly the excessive carnage and insanity that came in their wake, was worth the advantages. Individually they could each react differently to his arrival. Collectively though, the Stunticons would follow Motormaster or risk his considerable wrath. He suspected some sort of show of power or strength would be necessary to win over Motormaster or, at the very least, get him to back down.

At last the Decepticon neared the Ultrax. A quick scan revealed the nearest airlock. A quick burst from his thrusters sent him gliding towards it.