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Motormaster’s Office – Bridge

This is lunacy! They’re lunatics! This whole cockamamie plane is lunacy! Why on Cybertron did I agree to this madness?!

The same thing rolled over and over in Starscream’s mind as he stood by listening and watching each of the other Decepticons as they went through the motions of working together for the greater good of the entirety of the Decepticon Empire…Megatron’s Empire. Gah! The mere thought of the Slagmaker nearly had the Seeker Commander double over and purge what little energon that still remained in his tanks.

With his mouth shut and his vocalizer on mute, the silver and red flier cringed slightly as the stasis cuffs floated through the air and were caught deftly by the encased Warlord. Just what he needed a very testy Thunderwing eagerly waiting to bind his hands. This would turn out pleasant.

The sound of Thunderwing’s voice made Starscream grumble in protest but he still moved over to stand in front of the mech with his hands held out in front of him. It was the request that he place his hands behind his back that nearly sent the Air Commander reeling. He had already agreed to be the bait did he really have to suffer through another indignity?

“You must be delusional if you think I would simply be escorted and then dumped into the lap of a mortal enemy with my hands bound behind my back!”

He stared up into the Warlord’s optics for a moment and waited. And for what? If I refuse to comply they’ll simply take me down and force them on. ~Sigh~ I suppose I should go along with it…in the long run I will be the beneficiary and they will be inevitably ground beneath my boot. Yes, Starscream, follow along and after all is said and done you will be the one to reap the rewards.

Starscream let out a low and tired moan before he rolled his head and turned around so that his back was now facing the hulking form of Thunderwing. The reasoning behind the cuffs’ placement fell on deaf audials while the flier fantasized about what his new regime would be like. The tightening of the cuffs dashed his fantasy as he cast an angry glare over his shoulder and past his wing to look Thunderwing directly in the optics.

“Careful you fool!”

Stasis cuffs finally in place and all additional members of the boarding party called, the group of officers journeyed out from the office past the Predacons stationed on the bridge and exited out into the corridor beyond…their destination was only several decks away. They would arrive in the bounce chamber in just breems…after which the Air Commander’s life would be in the hands of several mechs who only wished to see his spark snuffed out permanently.

I will have this work in my favor. None of them will live to see my coronation! Every. Last. One. Mark my words.

Bounce Chamber

Nightraven had barely made it out of the room when Hellion called back to her about being bored in their shared room while she got to head out on what might have been assumed to be an exciting mission. The door had closed shut before she could throw a retort at her orange sibling, which was probably for the best.

She made good time…the last thing she wanted was to arrive late and irritate the Air Commander. As it was she was still having a difficult time trying to figure out just why she would be called. She wasn’t a warrior…she was a simple scout who worked reconnaissance.

She let the confusion slip as she stopped at the door to the chamber and watched as it slowly slid apart revealing the still empty room. A wave of relief washed over her as she slipped through the doors and made her way to the pad. She was the first to arrive…unless she was here to meet with Starscream alone. The smile that had its way to her face turned down as the through of being alone with the Commander ran through her processor.

Nightraven shook her head trying to rid the uncomfortable thought from her mind. She took another quick look around before her optics settled back on the doors.

“At least I got here early.”

Just as she turned her head to take another glancing sweep of the area the door slid open revealing the white and blue form of Breakdown. The scout took a tentative step over the threshold and entered the room slowly. He had yet to set his optics on the room’s lone occupant as he was too engrossed in looking for potential threats such as Motormaster.

The femme Seeker watched the paranoid Stunticon sweep his optics over his immediate area before he finally looked up and spotted her poised directly next to the control panel. Nightraven narrowed her optics as their eyes met with Breakdown refusing to back down.

“I remember you. You…you were in the re…repair bay.”

She didn’t respond at first instead she just stared. She could tell the act was making the scout uncomfortable but she wanted to remain on guard.

“Maybe. I usually visit repair bays. Was that visit a problem?”

The terse line that his lips formed began to curl at their sides as he stalked in further to the chamber. His movements caused Nightraven to step back in order to keep as much distance between her and the Stunticon as possible.

“Oh no. Not at all. In…in fact I was quit happy to see you. Me and my brothers in fact.”

Nightraven nodded slightly and took another step back just in case.

“I think you mean “quite” not “quit”.”

The smile that started to form broadened further as Breakdown finally reached the console where Nightraven had taken refuge behind. The white and blue was set to reach out and grab her by the wrist when the door slid open giving access to Skywarp. The black and purple Seeker pressed into the room only to stop as the door opened up once more granting access to the Officers. Razorclaw led the entourage followed closely by Starscream with Thunderwing and Motormaster flaking him on either side.

Nightraven had to double take as she watched the Air Commander being led in with his hands cuffed behind his back. The femme’s mouth dropped slightly in an attempt to send a query in the direction to the Air Commander but the sound of the door opening had her turn slightly to see just who had arrived this time. As if there weren’t enough of them already Dead End meandered into the chamber and took up a place against the nearest wall waiting patiently for an explanation as to why he had been called away from less important things.

(OOC: Characters were moved ahead in order to speed up the storyline.)

Bounce Chamber

Skywarp traversed the corridors of the Stunticon frigate as quickly as his legs would carry him. It would have been nice to simply teleport down to the bounce chamber, but considering how cluttered the ship was, he didn’t want to risk teleporting into anything that was sitting out in the open where it didn’t belong. No need to become trapped within an inanimate object right before a new deployment, whatever the mission would be.

As the doors parted in front of him, Skywarp entered the bounce chamber and quickly spotted Nightraven standing behind a console across the room with the Stunticon Breakdown nearby. He smiled at the seeker femme and began walking towards her when he heard the doors behind him open again, revealing an entourage of high-level mechs, including the new Predacon “lord”, Thunderwing, Motormaster and a stasis-cuffed Starscream. The sight of the Seeker Commander shackled sent a shiver down the prankster’s back plates, but he remained silent as to not draw the ire of Razorclaw or any of the others. Dead End then meandered into the room along with the rest of the Predacons.

A increasingly confused and worried Skywarp quickly made his way to Nightraven’s side. “I can’t believe it. Screamer’s in stasis cuffs! This must be a mistake! What the slag is going on here?!” The teleporter exclaimed in a whisper. However, before she could respond to him, the new “leader” of the Decepticons took to the center of the room and began to address everyone present.

Razorclaw stood in the middle of the gathered ‘Cons and gazed around the chamber, looking each one directly in the optics before moving on to the mission briefing. “Some of you may be wondering why we’re all here. Others, like Skywarp and Nightraven, are likely wondering why Starscream is in stasis cuffs. The answer to both of those queries is simple. We are returning to the Thanatos with the intent of defeating Shockwave and his followers and retaking the warship as the same time. In order to do so, we must bring the Seeker Commander to Shockwave as a prisoner. It is a ruse. That walking calculator still believes that I and my Predacons are loyal to him. It will be his undoing. Once we are on board, everyone is to act like we are loyal to Shockwave. While Starscream is being interrogated, I will attempt to awaken as many vehicons from stasis as possible. When I give the signal, we will retake the bridge first as the vehicons secure the rest of the warship. This plan is not set in metal and must be fluid in order to maintain the guise of loyalty to the cycloptic mech until the time is right to make our move. Is that clearly understood?”

The Predacon lord glanced around the room once again before continuing on with the briefing. “If there are no questions, I will now contact Soundwave and request permission to bounce up to the Thanatos. Everyone be ready for any eventuality.” Razorclaw finished speaking and moved over to the console where the two seekers were standing nearby. Skywarp immediately moved out of the way, grabbing a hold of Nightraven’s forearm and gently pulling her along with him. The lion-former punched in a few keys and made a secured link with the Thanatos:

>>”Soundwave, this is Razorclaw. I am contacting you from the crashed Stunticon frigate, Ultrax. My Predacons and I have succeeded in our mission to subdue Starscream and currently have the Seeker Commander in our custody. We request permission to bounce aboard the Thanatos at the earliest convenience in order to deliver our prize to Shockwave. I am sending you our coordinates now. Be advised, we also have several additional ‘Cons that are joining us to declare their alliance to the Military Operations Commander. We await your response.”<<

Standing not far away with Nightraven by his side, Skywarp watched and listened as the Predacon “lord” contacted the Decepticon communications specialist in orbit. The only thing he hated more than the lion-former posing as leader was that monotone mech with the personality of an empty energon cube. Still, the plan that Razorclaw had previously laid out seemed on the surface to be a viable one, but could the Predacons be trusted not to betray the seekers and their commander to Shockwave? It was a question that caused the teleporter to cast a concerned gaze over at Starscream, hoping for some kind of gesture or response from the true leader of the Decepticons.

Bounce Chamber

The arrival of Skywarp into the Bounce Chamber did not go unnoticed by either Nightraven or Breakdown. Leave it to the teleporter to ruin a perfectly good match up with the femme. The smile that Skywarp threw at the lithe attractive Seeker femme was a tell-tale sign that the fliers were close and advances were probably not the best option at this point.

Breakdown averted his optics from the advancing warrior and took a few steps away pressing his back against the wall. Once there he quietly slid up beside Dead End who still hadn’t made a sound. That suited the scout just fine.

Nightraven let out a relieved sigh once the black and purple Seeker had entered the room…she was more relieved, however when the white and blue Stunticon spotted Skywarp as well and decided to take his leave. The femme’s attention was drawn to the entourage that had eventually followed Skywarp.

The lone femme watched closely as Starscream was led in behind Razorclaw and flanked by Thunderwing and Motormaster. The scene was something she had wished never to see…even though she was unsure of the war seeing the Air Commander being led in bound was just not what she had expected. Nightraven placed a hand over her lower abdomen and the other on her upper chest. She tried intently to quell a low gasp so as not to attract attention to her by, not only the mechs escorting Starscream, but the Air Commander as well.

“I…I. What’s going on? I don’t get it…”

Nightraven had moved closer to Skywarp as the teleporter had finally settled in at her side. Her unbelieving statement and question were whispered to the black and purple Seeker just as his was to her.

At that moment it was Razorclaw…the interim Decepticon Lord…until Starscream reclaimed the position…who briefed the collective. It served to explain the reason for the unusual circumstances that had befallen their Air Commander, but it certainly didn’t explain just why she and Skywarp were needed.

She was curious to know their role in the whole of the plan but she dared not raise the query…especially not to the Predacon Commander. She much preferred to hear the reasoning from Starscream himself. Unfortunately she knew that approaching the silver and red Seeker would not bode well with those who held fliers in contempt.

Nightraven had looked to Skywarp and was prepared to question the teleporter concerning their need to speak with Starscream when she felt her forearm being grabbed by the Seeker warrior as he gently pulled her along with him and away from the console she had sought solace behind when Breakdown had first made his advances. Nightraven had moved along without hesitation if only to be out of the Predacon’s path. She came to a stop pressed against Skywarp’s right side and her optics fixed on Starscream.

As Air Commander of all the fliers within the Decepticon ranks Starscream knew it was his duty to reassure his underlings that the agreed upon plan was a sound one and that it had been discussed in full and was without a doubt foolproof. However, that didn’t mean he needed to let his own men know that if it was required he was more than willing to sacrifice them if it meant that he lived to lead the Decepticons to victory. Their sacrifices would not be in vain of course.

Starscream took a passing glance at the two Seekers he had chosen to accompany him to the Thanatos. One…a warrior he had worked alongside for vorns upon vorns and had molded into a kind of zealot. Skywarp would dive headlong into the Pit if he was ordered to do so. The perfect warrior and follower. The other…she was truly expendable. If need be he could use her as a shield in order to make his escape. The perfect escape plan.

Nightraven caught Starscream’s glance and subsequent slight nod. He opened one of the private channels the fliers were only privy to. He wished to deliver his orders quietly…after all these two were his soldiers.

>>”Alright you two. The orders that Razorclaw has so eloquently provided stand until I decide otherwise. You will accompany us to the Thanatos and when we come face to optic with Shockwave you will immediately request that my life be spared as I am the only one who will be capable of Commanding the Seeker army and the rest of the Decepticon fliers. If I am eliminated the Air Corps will spiral into chaos giving the Autobots a distinct advantage. Do either of you have any questions…and Primus help you if you do.”<<

The black and purple femme took a quick glance in Skywarp’s direction before looking back at the bound flier and gently shook her head. It seemed simple enough and if all they had to do was arrive…explain the reasons to keep Starscream among the living and then sit back and wait…well that was certainly something she could handle.

Nightraven pressed back against Skywarp in order to get his attention. She agreed to go along, but the whole thing seemed too dependent on what Razorclaw and Thunderwing could do while Starscream did all he could to stall Shockwave. To her being in the same room with the disturbingly logical mech was be the bigger gamble. Something just didn’t seem right.

“Is it just me or does this plan seem only dependent on those two leaving Starscream alone with Shockwave? I don’t like this…not at all.”

Her misgivings were offered to Skywarp in as low a tone as possible so as not to be heard from anyone else in the room. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to her uncertainties.

Bounce Chamber

Thrust listened to all of the events taking place as the crimson bot was wondering on where was he going to be. Following the rest of his seekers, it led him to the bounce chamber where commander starscream, Razorclaw and the others are getting ready to board the Thantos. What was going on and why didn't commander starscream send a comm link also? Answers were needed in order for Thrust to comprehend the subject. Thrust gestured towards Starscream as he spoke up to him.

"Commander Starscream, what will I be doing? Or will I be joining you as well?"

Leaving him here on the ship as the only seeker is a bad thing in his opinion. Who knows what can happen as anything can happen in a nano cycle. Thrust awaited to what the seeker commander had to say before continuing further.

----

Divebomb got his weapons ready as he headed out to the bounce chamber with his fellow predacons. It was time to take back the Thantos and have the predacons at the top of the food chain. All that was needed was for Shockwave to accept the bait and allow them onboard. What he does with Starscream is none of his concern as it will be better if they just leave him there. That way once Shockwave is eliminated, Starscream can be eliminated too thus ending a future feud that can divide the decepticons again. Whatever fate awaits the decepticons, it shall happen on the predacons terms.

Bounce Chamber

Skywarp listened carefully as he received the communique from Starscream over the seekers’ shared private channel. Now, his and Nightraven’s role in all this was clear to him. Begging for their true leader’s spark seemed easy enough. Whether it would work was another story entirely. The Air Commander even told them exactly what to do and say and when to begin their pleading with Shockwave. The teleporter liked not having to think about coming up with a plan of his own. Let others like Starscream, who are far more capable, devise such strategies and just let ‘Warp carry them out.

When Starscream was finished issuing his orders, Skywarp kept his optics locked on the red and white seeker as he responded to the true leader of the Decepticons over the same secured comm link:

>>”No questions, Commander Starscream. Your orders will be carried out exactly as you gave them.”<<

With his acknowledgment sent, Skywarp felt Nightraven press gently against him, a clear sign that she was trying to get his attention. He slowly leaned in closer to her so that he may hear the seeker femme’s quiet concerns without having to strain his audio receptors. “I don’t like it either, Nighty,” the prankster replied in a whisper that only she could hear. “But we don’t have a choice. At least with us up there, Starscream will not be alone in all this. We must do whatever we can to help ensure his survival. Our futures depend on it.”

Skywarp then looked over at Thrust, who he had not even noticed in the room before, when the crimson warrior suddenly spoke up and asked Starscream what he should do. Great, that's all we need, a coward that will tuck tail and run away instead of protecting Starscream, the teleporter thought, giving Nightraven another concerned glance. The prankster wanted to respond to the uninvited guest, himself, but decided against such an action. After all, 'Warp was not the Seeker Commander and while he had his own opinion on the matter, he would happily leave the final decision up to Starscream and simply accept the outcome whether he liked it or not.

Bounce Chamber

Most of the things going on in this room were well above Dead End's pay grade. He knew that once Megatron was gone, there would be conflict among his favorites over who would take over. The hows and whens, though, those were definitely lost on the Stunticon. At the end of the cycle, Motormaster told him where to be and that was good enough.

He looked over slightly and saw that Breakdown had sidled up next to him. Where were the other two? Weren't they all going?

Dead End didn't like this. For all the slag the various mechs on the unit gave each other, he had been with them so long that he had become adjusted to the dysfunction. This...whatever this was...was something new. And new, in his experience, also meant ripe for failure.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Dead End whispered.

Who would be surprised?

Message from Soundwave

>>”Message received Razorclaw. Permission to board the Thanatos granted. A security detail will meet you in the bounce chamber upon your arrival.”<<

Bounce Chamber

Once Soundwave’s communique was received, Razorclaw responded with a non-verbal acknowledgement before he returned his attention to the assembled group of mechs in the chamber. “We have been granted permission to board the Thanatos. The game is set and about to begin. Everyone take your positions on the bounce pad,” the Predacon lord commanded as he swiftly entered the coordinates of his former warship into the control panel, setting a countdown before the beam would initiate. Skywarp gave no outward response whatsoever and simply did what he was told, even though it pained him greatly to listen to a filthy Predacon. The teleporter cast another worried expression over to Nightraven as they waited for the enviable.

With everyone ready for departure, the lion-former stepped out from behind the console and joined the rest of the boarding party on the platform. Razorclaw stood at the front of the group with Starscream directly at his right side, arms still securely stasis cuffed behind the seeker’s back. Immediately surrounding the two rivals were the rest of the Predacons and behind them were the remaining mechs of their team. All was in place. Now came the hard part.

Shockwave was not stupid by any means and would have the proper security measures in place for Starscream’s impending arrival. Soundwave already indicated as much in his transmission. Everything had to be taken into account before any move could be made against the cycloptic scientist and his followers. Otherwise, their plan to usurp Shockwave would come crashing down around them. If that did happen, however, at least Razorclaw had the option of using Starscream as a possible scapegoat and place the majority of the blame on him. It was something the Predacon lord hoped he would not have to resort to as he would rather not have to follow the one-eyed 'Con ever again. Of course, survival of himself and his unit was paramount over being executed.

As the countdown reached its end, a brilliant white light enveloped the room before flashing away along with the entirety of the boarding party.

(OOC: With Ember's permission, I'm moving everyone to the Thanatos, which is where my next post will be.)

Repair Bay

With no one around in the room did that infernal beep even make a sound? Maybe. But only for the medical drones that were manning the location. Finally the steady beep died down and the door cracked letting the built up steam escape. And once the CR chamber had depressurized the device’s door slide open the rest of the way.

“The slag hit me?”

Wildrider stepped out of the chamber his legs only slightly wobbly. Thanks be to Primus Motormaster wasn’t present to see him nearly make a fool of himself by falling flat on his aft…or worse falling flat on his face. Now that would be something he’d never live down.

The terrorist let out a quiet chuckle as he took hold of a nearby table and shuffled over to the far wall…the one directly next to the exit. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed anything important…like someone getting slagged. Now that would have been a tragedy…the missing out…of course.

“With any luck good ‘ol MM will be the one offlined.”

The smile he was sporting quickly faded and was replaced by a deep sullen frown. Now that was wish he and his Stunticon brothers would never see come to pass. If only. If only.
Slowly, and carefully, Wildrider took his leave of the repair bay and workded his way toward the barracks where he was sure he’d find the others.

Barracks

On his way the crimson mech’s balance returned and he finally stabilized his gait. It was a good thing too as he was now standing before the group’s living quarters. Why he had to share was a mystery as there were a few separate quarters to be had, but those few went to the officers and those two irritating femmes. Well, one irritating femme and her deranged sister. It was a shame those two didn’t have separate rooms he would have loved to pay that Hellion a nice visit. The other one could go suck on a sparkplug for all he cared.

That single thought drew out a delightful giggle. Now that would be funny.

Wildrider let out another boisterous guffaw as he then entered the barracks and spotted only Drag Strip. His laughter quickly subsided as he scanned the area for Dead End and Breakdown but neither of the mechs was in sight. With a shrug Wildrider moved fully into the area and flopped down on his berth…which just happened to be directly across from Drag Strip.

“Well, well, well. And how’re we doing?”

He leaned back until he was resting his upper body up on his elbows. The terrorist then took a good long look at the former racer and smiled.

“Hey Draggy, where‘re your lady friends? I noticed they seem to be…um…well, missing. They find out you were cheatin’ on 'em?! HAHAHA!”

Barracks

Drag Strip had finally found what he had been longing for - peace and quiet. Lying on his berth in recharge with his optics off-lined, the former racer was alone to relax with nothing more than his own thoughts to keep him company. Times like these were hard to come by, especially while under the tyranny of Motormaster. Thankfully, the violent Stunticon Commander had seen fit to call only on Dead End and Breakdown for some kind of mission, leaving the yellow mech, who was great at everything, by himself in the barracks that he was forced to share with his brethren. Unfortunately, it would not last. It never did.

Breaking the peace and serenity of Drag Strip’s surroundings, Wildrider entered the large room and made an immediate beeline for a berth that was situated directly across from where Drag was resting. The terrorist wasted no time in starting up a conversation with the former racing champion, asking him how his was doing before quickly following that up with a few verbal jabs regarding his missing lady friends. The yellow mech tried to ignore his mentally unstable comrade and pretend as though he was still alone with no one around to bother him. Alas, that was easier said than done.

“They’re around. Not that it’s any of your concern,” Drag Strip replied as he on-lined his optics and cast a glare over at Wildrider. “And I’m fine, thank you for asking. By the way, how’d that attack on good ol’ Thunderaft go? I hope you gave him a real thrashing. Heh.” The former racer’s query and subsequent statement was loaded with sarcasm as he already knew the general outcome of the terrorist’s encounter with the Warlord. Drag just wanted to hear the humiliating details directly from the cyber-rat’s mouth.