Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Repair Bay

“Yes, it’s true,” Skywarp responded plainly to Hooligan’s inquiry. “Razorclaw beat Starscream, but it was hardly a fair fight as far as I’m concerned. Screamer had no room to maneuver or take flight or do any of the things that would’ve given him the advantage. That Predacon had the edge. If they had been outside, then Screamer would’ve won easily.”

The teleporter turned away from Hooligan as he began discussing something about proxy leaders with Space Case. It was all very boring to the prankster and thus he mostly ignored it. Thankfully, the duo quickly exited the room looking for their compatriot, Skyjack, leaving ‘Warp alone with Thrust, who had come along for the ride after all. The crimson warrior commented on what a tragedy it was to have the Predacon Commander in charge now, but that he was certain Starscream would challenge him again once he woke up fully repaired.

“It’s possible, Thrust,” Skywarp said as he remained near Starscream’s CR chamber. “But I think Screamer will likely wait and bide his time before making any moves to retake the throne. All we can do now is rally behind him. He’s smarter than all of us seekers, you know. That’s why he’s our leader. The Predacons be damned.”

Skywarp then remembered about Nightraven, who had disappeared shortly after the battle for leadership had begun. The teleporter wasn’t surprised that she didn’t hang around to see the outcome as the brutality of what was occurring was something she didn’t seem to agree with. If it had been up to her she would’ve stopped the fight if it weren’t for Hellion pulling her back. Nighty wasn’t the hardcore warrior like her sister, after all. Wanting to let her know where he was, ‘Warp opened a private comm line to the seeker femme:

>>”Nightraven, this is Skywarp. I’m down in the repair bay now. I placed Starscream into a CR chamber as his wounds were pretty serious. He should be fine, though. If you want to join me down here, you’re more than welcome to. Although, I’ll understand if you’re not feeling up to it right now. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what was happening."<<

Storage Room

Drag Strip swallowed hard when Wildrider threatened to tell Motormaster first that it was the former racer who had made a mess of the energon cubes. Even if Drag were to then defend himself from the false accusations, the Stunticon Commander would likely smash him through a wall anyway, leaving the terrorist to laugh even harder. The whispered taunt of being a loser was even worse, causing anger to replace the fear of Motormaster’s rage within the yellow mech.

“C...C...Cheater!” Drag Strip mocked Wildrider as the Stunticon bully exited the storage facility. The former racer glanced back at Breakdown with a frown, not because he was angry with the blue and white scout but because the terrorist had become almost as bad as Motormaster recently with the way he had been treating his own comrades. At least ‘Rider wasn’t as violent. That was one good thing.

“What an aft-hole. You know, Breakdown, he’s gonna get us all in trouble with his antics,” Drag Strip quietly commented as he walked back over to the scattered energon cubes on the floor. The yellow racer began picking them up and placing them neatly next to the initial pile he had created, keeping about four others separate from the rest. Once he was finished, Drag activated a force shield around both stacks of cubes so that the terrorist could not mess with them again without the proper security codes. The former champion then transmitted said codes to Motormaster along with a non-verbal update on their progress.

After that was completed, Drag Strip bent down and picked up the other four cubes in his arms before giving a quick glance back over to Breakdown. “I’m going to take these cubes down to engineering in order to feed energon into the Ultrax as our commander previously ordered. I’ll be back later to help finish up here. In the meantime, try not to let ‘Rider get to you. You need to learn to stand up for yourself, Breaker. Otherwise, he’ll always walk all over you. Just a friendly piece of advice, that’s all.”

With that said, Drag Strip walked out of the storage room with the four cubes in his arms and headed into a nearby turbo lift that would carry him down to the engineering deck. At least this time he didn’t have to crawl through a cramped jeffries tube in order to get there. It was amazing just how much easier it was to get around the ship when you had power restored. Thanks to me, of course, Drag thought as the lift descended towards the lower decks.

Priority-1 transmission from Onslaught to Razorclaw

>>It is good to hear from you under such circumstances, Razorclaw. With this success, our strategy is emboldened further. Scrapper is open to what we discussed. Starscream was a major obstacle. Shockwave is obviously another. And there may yet be others who think they are best fit to carry Megatron's burden. You will have to be on guard, now moreso than ever. You still have my support. It was not given idly.<<

>>"As to the base itself, it holds much potential, but it is still in its formative stages. It is highly vulnerable. My unit and the Constructicons are the only dependable Decepticons present right now. I have no confidence in the loyalties of the others until they make it clear. I will keep you apprised."<<
___

Storage Room

Dead End had scowled at the altercation that had gone on behind him. If he wasn't as full as he was, he might have done something he would regret later. But this energy level just felt so good, nothing short of Optimus Prime walking down their corridor was going to make him waste any of it without extreme cause.

He walked back to the storage room, finding Breakdown.

"Next time he finds himself in the crosshairs of Grimlock, or some other aft-thrashing 'Bot, I'm thinking he might need a little extra push."

With their task here done, Dead End figured it was probably best to find their way to Motormaster again, especially if accusations were going to start flying.

"C'mon."

Bridge

Listening to speeches of any kind had never been one of Motormaster's virtues. That is, if he really had any virtues at all. It wasn't about being impatient. He just didn't care about diplomacy. If he needed something done he either made someone to do it for him or did it himself in case he was surrounded by incompetent morons. Taking this in consideration it was pretty much self explanative that Motormaster felt like Razorclaw could have said what he had to say with fewer words. Then again, the Predacon general was far more intelligent than the Stunticon leader was. Razorclaw hardly ever did or said anything he wasn't certain generating the results he wanted and so - Motormaster forced himself to listen as Razorclaw addressed the Decepticons whose support he was seeking.

After having finished his speech, Razorclaw moved immediately forwards with pressing matters. Matters that involved Motormaster and his troops. And they were hardly orders he'd have preferred. Nevertheless, the large Stunticon understood the necessity of what Razorclaw had ordered him to take care of.

"Yeah sure. I get it. Just don't expect my boys being able to perform marvels. You'll need the the Constructicons for that or at least Starscream's boys." Motormaster replied to Razorclaw with a smirk all too familiar to his underlings forming on his face and knelt down to collect his sword.



Somewhat later...

Storage Room

"You've gotta be kidding me."

The voice was unmistakeable. At the doorway of the storage room, stood the towering form of Motormaster. The scowl on his face told both Breakdown and Dead End who were still in the room the whole story.

"Humor me you lazy slaggers. I see less than half of what we brought here. Felt like you had deserved time to slack off did you?"

Bridge

Rampage's circuits were already churning with predatory instincts waiting to be unleashed. Razorclaw had taken command. The Ultrax was effectively theirs. Next they would get their own ship back and give the walking calculator a lesson in what real strength meant in the Decepticon ranks.

"We bounce back on board the Thanatos. Plow through anything that gets in our way," Tantrum said. "Right, Headstrong?"

Rampage, meanwhile, was glancing over the information that Razorclaw had accessed via the Ultrax mainframe. So, there was a new Earth base in the works after all. They definitely needed that. If the Combaticons were pulling their weight in this alliance, they would have it taken care of already.

"Yeah, heh. Maybe," Rampage said, not exactly sure how they were going to get their ship back, but fully ready to support whatever Razorclaw's plans were. He then began examining the circuit boards and operations panels on the station in front of him, looking for areas where the ship's ops systems had sustained damaged and could be repaired remotely. He was no Constructicon...and this was not the Thanatos, but the Predacon warrior was confidant that he could at least be a little useful in making this Stunticon clunker spaceworthy again.

Bridge

Razorclaw simply nodded as Motormaster informed him not to expect miracles from his team. In all honesty, it was that very reason the Predacon had given the Stunticons a task as simple as placing sensors around the perimeter of the ship as well as on the ocean's surface. If need be, Razorclaw’s own Predacons could make the eventual link up once all systems were restored to full operating status. As for getting the seekers’ assistance, that may be easier said than done until ‘Claw had a chance to speak with Starscream once the Air Commander had emerged from his repair cycle.

Once Motormaster had exited the bridge, Razorclaw received the return transmission from Onslaught, apprising him of the situation at the base site. It was as expected. The structure was not completed enough to make it their base of operations yet. Therefore, the Ultrax would have to suffice for the time being. As for the loyalties of those at and around the site, Razorclaw had the support of the Combaticons and Constructicons for sure, but the others were still a question mark. It was quite possible ‘Claw would lose some to Shockwave in the wake of yet another change in leadership. It was regrettable and only served to reinforce the importance of maintaining good relations with the seekers on board the Ultrax.

Razorclaw then opened a highly-encrypted comm line back to the Combaticon Commander:

>>”Commander Onslaught, it is good to hear that things are progressing well at the base site. We have indeed achieved a great victory here, but as you indicated there is still much to be done. We must all be carefully now, yourself included. I am sure you will do your best to sway those hold outs that our way is better than the ‘illogical’ alternative of Shockwave’s rule. Here, the uncertainty lies with the seekers and their fallen commander. It is my intention to bring Starscream and his brood into the fold. It may be a contentious and dangerous partnership, but it is one that is necessary in order to achieve our goals. On another note, what is the status of the Obliteration? Is it still in orbit under Combaticon control? We may need it in the coming orns if we are to eventually retake the Thanatos and reunite all Decepticons under one banner.”<<

Once his message was sent, Razorclaw turned his attention to more pressing matters. “Divebomb, a word,” he said, ushering the Predacon flier to approach him. “Go down to the repair bay. When Starscream emerges from his CR chamber, bring him to me. Avoid a confrontation with any seekers that you encounter. If Screamer is less than willing to accompany you back here, then let me know immediately. Is that understood?”

“Clearly, Lord Razorclaw,” Divebomb responded with a respectful salute.

“Then go,” Razorclaw said stoically before watching his aerial subordinate leave the bridge. He had picked Divebomb for this task for a specific reason. He was a flier and had a better chance at relating to the seekers on at least that level, even if his alt mode was one of an Earth creature instead of a jet. This was not to mention that Divebomb operated best when he was away from the other Predacons.

With that out of the way, Razorclaw turned his attention to the rest of his team, who were talking amongst themselves about storming the Thanatos and retaking their ship from the walking calculator that was currently in control of it. The predatory Decepticon leader smirked under his faceplate before addressing his Predacons. “The ship will be ours again, my friends. It may take some time, however. We have much to accomplish here first. Shockwave has the advantage of being in control of the most powerful warship in the Sol System. Attacking him directly is not going to work, not without a more powerful ship at our disposal.

“As for bouncing onto the Thanatos, that may work, but we would need someone on the inside to help us maintain an element of surprise. Not to mention that there are untold number of cryogenically frozen ‘Cons on board. It is quite likely that some of them have already been thawed out, which means Shockwave’s supporters may have grown considerably since we left. It would be unwise to attack them, even from within, without knowing who we are up against. We just have to be patient. As was the case when I took the leadership from Starscream, we just have to wait for the right moment to strike.”

Engineering Deck - Generator Room

Drag Strip walked into the generator room once again with four energon cubes clutched in his arms. It felt like he had just been down here not that long ago, restoring power to the ship when no one else had thought to do so. Of course, that simply showed that he was the best on board with the greatest knowledge of what needed to get done and when. No one else would ever give him his due credit, but at least he, himself, understood his overall worth.

Placing the cubes down on the floor in front of the generator, the former racer took one and connected it to the main energon coupling, siphoning the sweet purple fluid directly into the ship’s power core. He then repeated the process three more times until all of the cubes were dry and the core was re-energized to the maximum levels allowed. Now, maybe we can get some actual repairs done on this rust bucket of a ship, Drag Strip thought as he discarded the empty cubes and left the room, heading back to the upper decks.

Hangar Bay

Less than a breem later, Drag Strip emerged from a jeffries tube near the hangar and immediately made his way there to continue transporting the remaining energon cubes down to storage. Entering the room, the yellow mech noticed Wildrider lurking nearby, but decided to ignore him and focus on finally finishing the task at hand. Knowing that the terrorist would be of little to no help, Drag opted to grab two hover carts and began filling them with energon cubes. He worked quickly, not wanted to risk incurring the wrath of Motormaster who would surely be down eventually to gauge their progress.

I don’t care if the others slack off, just as long as I do above and beyond my fair share, Drag Strip thought as he finished filling the pair of carts in front of him. They were as packed as he could get them without the risk of spilling them all over the floor. The former racer then began pushing one hover cart with his right arm as he pulled the other behind him with his left.

Corridor outside Storage Room

Exiting the hangar, Drag Strip made his way down the corridor towards the storage room, where he immediately caught sight of the very familiar and intimidating form of Motormaster standing in the doorway. Oh, slag, the former champion thought to himself as a feeling of absolute dread suddenly washed over him. Even from the back Drag could tell that the Stunticon Commander was less than pleased with what energon they had been able to secure thus far. The yellow mech knew this was going to happen, but no one chose to listen. Thanks mainly to Wildrider’s antics, they were now all in trouble for the apparent laziness on their parts.

“Commander Motormaster,” Drag Strip said with a gulp as he came to a stop just outside the doorway with his two hover carts full of energon cubes in tow. “I’ve just returned from feeding additional energon into the main power core. The ship is now operating at optimal levels. As for the rest of the cubes, I’m sorry there isn’t more down here. I’m trying to expedite the process as much as possible. If it weren’t for a certain terrorist causing problems we would’ve been done by now, sir.”

Repair Bay

Divebomb walked into the repair facility, such is it was on the Stunticon vessel, and immediately noticed the presence of both Skywarp and Thrust near one of the CR chambers. Ignoring the pair of seekers, the Predacon flier approached the chamber in question and checked the readings on the unit’s control console. As expected, Starscream was the one inside with his repair cycle proceeding accordingly.

“Hey! What the slag do you think you’re doing?!” Skywarp suddenly shouted as he quickly approached Divebomb and shoved him away from the CR chamber’s control panel. “You come to finish the job, huh? Haven’t you Predacons done enough damage?” The teleporter then took a step back and raised his arm-mounted weapons at the eagle-former in a defensive stance.

Divebomb remained calm and simply placed both hands into the air. “Relax, Skywarp. I’m not here to harm your commander. I’m under strict orders to remain here and wait for Starscream’s cycle to complete. Then I’m instructed to bring him back up to the bridge to see Lord Razorclaw. That’s all.”

“Really, is that so?” Skywarp responded as he cautiously lowered his weapons down. Hearing the word “Lord” in front of Razorclaw’s name made the prankster want to gag on his own energon. “Well, if you don’t mind I think I’ll wait here with you.” The teleporter stood his ground against the Predacon flier, not backing away from where he stood.

“Suit yourself,” Divebomb responded with a shrug as he then lowered his own arms down. “Just know that you are are not invited to join Starscream when he goes to see Lord Razorclaw.”

Skywarp did not respond and simply crossed his arms over his chest’s cockpit with an angry scowl plastered on his faceplate. We’ll see about that.

Quarters

Keeping her optics focused on her folded hands in her lap, Nightraven gave her sister the benefit of the doubt as to what she felt the future of the Decepticon Empire would entail. Hellion didn’t believe that the way things had been would be no different from the way things would be, but Nightraven knew otherwise.

The Seekers were a group that was depended on since the beginning of the war, and, of course they had to watch their backs but they were also considered an elite group amongst the elite. Hellion was correct on one point…the Predacons would now have to watch their backs, but it still made her uneasy that whoever Razorclaw had convinced to join him and his new regime would keep the Seekers in line in any way they saw fit. And if that meant beating or torturing them in to submission then his new subordinates would have no qualms with that order.

“Helly, how could you even think that we’ll have it easy for a while. The Predacons are not a lightweight group. They are seasoned warriors and former gladiators. We…and I mean the Seekers…were not meant to have been involved in gladiatorial combat, we were meant to be one with the skies, and the Predacons know that.”

The black and purple femme Seeker stood up from her chair and slid past her sister quickly on her way to the door.

“This development is a travesty.”

The recon specialist stopped in front of the entryway and looked over her shoulder a deep scowl etched on her face.

“I never said he was anything but a friend. Insinuating otherwise…you’re just a… gah!”

Nightraven turned on her heel and stomped back over to her seated sister. She stared down at Hellion, her hands on her hips.

“So maybe I do like him, is that a crime? But I wouldn’t go so far as saying he’s my “boyfriend”, as you eloquently put it! He’s…he’s trying…”

She trailed off when she received the incoming communique form Skywarp. He had taken Starscream to the repair bay and placed the Aerospace Commander in a CR chamber. Nightraven shook her head at the word that Starscream had suffered serious wounds.

“Skywarp took Starscream to the repair bay. I’m going down there to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Before she moved back toward the door, Nightraven raised her hand and slapped the back of Hellion’s cranium.

“It’s probably a good idea you stay here so you don’t wind up embarrassing yourself, or worse, me.”

That said she flashed her sister a slight smile, made her way to the door and finally left the room.

Storage Room

Breakdown had scowled at Wildrider’s back as the terrorist finally dropped off his energon cubes and left the storage room for another trip to the hanger bay. His attention moved from the door to Drag Strip when the former racer mentioned about getting in trouble due to Wildrider’s normal antics. It was all too true, but who was going to put the terrorist in his place. Certainly not him, and Motormaster would just beat the lot of them if they complained. After all, their commander seemed to like the nutcase more than most. It often crossed the scout’s processor that both Wildrider and Motormaster were separated at creation.

“Yeah. He’s gonna be the death of us.”

Breakdown watched as Drag Strip restacked the energon cubes and placed an energy field around both stacks in order to keep them from being disturbed again. The action would certainly disturb Wildrider, but it would not enough to anger him.

The scout’s attention was removed from the now neat piles and back to the yellow racer at the mention of the white and blue mech actually standing up to the terrorist. He was actually afraid of the terrorist; it was more him trying to avoid a confrontation with both Wildrider and Motormaster.

Breakdown watched Drag Strip go, the four cubes in his hands before he also made his way toward the exit. The scout stopped as Dead End moved past him and motioned for him to follow. They still had a small stack of cubes to transport to the storage room. Breakdown could only hope that when he and Dead End arrived back at the hanger bay Wildrider would have already left with said stack.

Breakdown stopped dead in his tracks as the sound of Motormaster’s booming voice filled the room. The scout’s jaw dropped open as he began to step backwards and away from their already angered commander. Not now! Not now! Not Now! Why couldn’t he have shown up after we left? Why couldn’t he have shown up when Wildrider was the only mech in the room?

“Uhh…n…no. We just ha..had a problem with…with…uh…nothing. We were just heading back to the cargo bay to get the rest. Right Dead? S…so everything’s okay.”

Breakdown averted his optics and lowered his shoulders as he attempted to push his cart past the Stunticon Commander and out of the room.

Repair bay

The repair bay was just two levels down and off one corridor, so it didn’t take long before Nightraven was standing before the doors to the area designated to heal. The femme Seeker stopped before the door’s sensors even picked up on her signature causing it to remain closed. The hesitation was possibly due to fear of just what she might discover on the other side.

Starscream had taken a severe beating from Razorclaw and according to Skywarp; the Seeker commander was in serious condition. She only hoped that it wasn’t as bad as the teleporter had made it out to be. Cycling a deep intake of air Nightraven stepped forward and waited as the doors slid apart.

The room was dark, but there was still enough illumination to see without engaging her night vision. She could hear voices coming from the rear of the facility…the CR chambers were located in direction.

Nightraven furrowed her brow as she cautiously made her way to where she was hearing the voices. As she got closer she finally recognized the vocalizations of both Divebomb and Skywarp.

“What’s Divebomb doing here?”

The query was meant for no one and was spoken in nothing more than a mere whisper. The final part of the conversation came to a surprise to her. The Predacon was ordered to stick around and then escort Starscream back to their new “Lord”. The sound of that prefix only brought a deep frown to her otherwise delicate features.

Not wanting to stand by any longer, Nightraven finally emerged from the shows of the main repair bay.

“And why does your “Lord” wish to see Starscream? Will it be to finish what he started, or will he be threatened to fall under this new, so called, regime?”

Thrust watched as Divebomb entered the scene and claimed that he came under the orders of their new leader. The moment he heard Lord Razorclaw, he nearly gagged at the thought of serving him. Divebomb thinks that with Razorclaw as their new leader, the predacons would boss the seekers around. Not unlikely as long as Starscream is back online, they'll find a way to gain an advantage over the predacon commander. Just as he's about to speak, Nightraven appeared and demanded to know why the predacon commander would want with Starscream. Thrust began to think of numerous scenarios to answer that question and could only think of one that would work.

"Divebomb if your commander thinks he can persuade Starscream into thinking that his rule is for the good of the decepticons then you got another thing coming."

Repair Bay

Divebomb turned at the sound of Nightraven’s vocal processor, demanding to know what exactly the Predacon lord wanted with Starscream. The eagle-former remained stoic in his appearance before giving her his answer. “My dear, if Razorclaw wanted to extinguish Starscream’s spark he could have done so already even with Skywarp’s intrusion back on the bridge,” Divebomb replied with a slight smirk but maintained a calm demeanor in order to avoid upsetting the growing number of seekers in the room. “Our new lord simply wishes to unite the Decepticons together. As I’m sure you agree that a divided empire is a broken empire that cannot succeed in destroying our true enemies, the Autobots. Razorclaw understands the importance of the seekers, your commander included. Without your support, the empire will crumble under the rule of Shockwave. Is that what you want?”

“What we want is to be treated fairly,” Skywarp spoke up, glancing over at Nightraven before returning his gaze to Divebomb. “We seekers aren’t going to lie down and be treated as slaves to a Predacon run regime. We deserve more respect than that.”

“Who said anything about becoming slaves, Skywarp?” Divebomb questioned the teleporter, taking a step back as to not appear too imposing to him or the others. “I can assure you that Razorclaw has no intention of enslaving anyone, except perhaps the Autobots, but that’s something we all want to see. However, in order to make that happen we all need to work together and not against each other.”

The Predacon flier then regarded Thrust who had interjected a comment of his own. The crimson seeker apparently did not believe that Starscream would willingly accept Razorclaw as leader. It was not unexpected that every seeker thus far had been resistant to the idea of a Predacon regime, fearing that they would be treated poorly as a result. It certainly appeared that it would take a great deal of effort in order to win their support. Difficult, but not impossible.

“You might be surprised as to how Starscream reacts, Thrust," Divebomb responded almost knowingly. "If he truly wants to defeat Shockwave and eventually the Autobots, I’m sure your commander will understand the need to be united together. More infighting will get us nowhere.”

“Maybe not,” Skywarp interrupted, drawing Divebomb’s attention back to the teleporter. “But you must also realize that you Predacons are only five mechs and we seekers have far greater numbers than that. What makes you think Razorclaw can keep control once Starscream is back on his feet?”

Divebomb couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle. “Ah, Skywarp, you fail to understand that it’s not just us Predacons that support Razorclaw. The Stunticons, Combaticons and Constructicons are all backing him, as well. So, you see, there are more of us than you realize. Once Starscream is made aware of this fact, he will come to understand that supporting Razorclaw will be in the best interests of not only himself and you seekers but of the Decepticon Empire as a whole.”

Skywarp shuddered slightly at Divebomb’s assertion that the Predacons had the backing of the other three specialty units. Somehow he doubted that all members of those teams were one hundred percent behind Razorclaw as some may have ambitions of their own. However, that still did not bode well for Starscream if he thought that taking back the throne would be easy to accomplish. There were few options available to the seekers besides accepting the new regime for the time being. That didn’t mean it would last forever, but for now it was the reality they would all have to get used to.

Skywarp cast a worried look over at both Nightraven and Thrust before his attention fell back to Divebomb once again. “Well, I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see what happens when Starscream finally awakens, won't we?”

Divebomb grinned. “Yes, Skywarp, we will.”

Repair Bay

In direct contrast to the way she normally would approach a much more powerful opponent, Nightraven stepped up along-side Skywarp as she took in everything the Predacon messenger bot had to say. Divebomb’s calm and, to her, condescending response to her query grated on the femme to no end.

The black and purple femme Seeker took a step toward the Predacon, a deep scowl etched on her soft features.

“Cut the pleasant act, Divebomb. Buttering me up or the others is not going to work no matter how much sweet oil icing you put on it. You know, as well as your Lord, that Starscream was at a disadvantage due to the confinement of the bridge.”

Nightraven took another step forward as she continued on.

“You say that your commander wishes to unite the whole of the Decepticon Empire. The if he truly wished to perform such a feet than why doesn’t he invite all of us along with Starscream?”

The recon specialist cocked her head slightly to the right as she took in the eagle-former’s relaxed demeanor and his response to Thrust.

“And how would you know how Starscream would react. Or do you Predaocns actually have a way to ‘convince’ him to follow your Commander.”

The expression she had etched on her face faltered at the mention of all of the other special teams siding with Razorclaw. She caught Skywarp’s worried look but quickly turned her attention back to Divebomb, that same scowl returned to her features.

“If I were your master I wouldn’t count on every single Seeker falling in line behind Starscream. We may be many but what it really comes down to is survival. I can assure you even if Starscream is forced or decides to fall under Razorclaw’s regime he won’t have the backing of each and every Seeker in the Empire.”

After saying her peace Nightraven turned to Skywarp, the scowl melted from her face as she placed her hand on the teleporter’s arm and ran it gently down until her hand met his. Without another word the femme moved to the CR chamber encasing the unconscious form of Starscreem and let out a heavy sigh.

Bridge

Tantrum didn't like the idea of being patient. Not when there were still things in their way. Headstorng would appreciate that. Smashing things and getting them out of the Predacons' way was what they did best. Even so, he kept his cool. Seeing Razorclaw's victory over Starscream was still carrying some residual mood enhancement. He wasn't sure how long it would last, but he would deal with that reality when it changed.

Rampage, on the other hand, was more than riding high on Razorclaw's victory. He'd follow that mech in to the Pit right now if his alpha ordered it. The Predacons had just established their dominance, and they would now deal with anyone who questioned it.

Razorclaw was obviously focused on getting his next step together. Rampage knew that storming the Thanatos wouldn't be as easy as Tantrum wanted to make it sound, but he would do it without question if that's what they needed to do.

"Any word from Onslaught, lord?" Rampage said, easily adjusting to Razorclaw's new title.

Rampage then set to work adjusting the navigational systems--one casualty of the ship's recent, harrowing actions.

"Forget Onslaught!" Tantrum butt in. "How d'we know Starscream isn't going to barge right back in here with every Seeker in this sector once he's fixed? "
___

Storage Room

"Y-Yeah, not s-slacking at all," Dead End said, almost involuntarily stuttering in the face of any sort of accusatory tone from their brutish commander. "Everything in there? T-That's all Wildrider's mess."

Normally, Dead End didn't care one way or the other how any of his teammates acted. They had coexisted for this long, for whatever sane reason. But it seemed to Dead End like he was trying a little too hard to fill Motormaster's shoes and act like a complete glitch when the road terror wasn't around. So...a little reminder that he was just another insane Stunticon like the rest of them wouldn't hurt. Well, unless it came from Motormaster himself. Then it might.

Following Breakdown's lead, Dead End's optics subtly shifted to the floor as he pulled his own cart behind him with one hand, edging carefully around Motormaster..

Please don't hit me while I'm not looking. Please don't....

OoC: I think Yoda would say: "For the wait, sorry I am."

Ten Forward

Waspinator couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Skyjack really asking him to be part of his unit of Cyberjets? Or was there an exterior motive?

His optics narrowed (Which was a feat in itself, considering their size) as he got up from his chair. He crossed his arms as he looked up and down Skyjack, making no secret of sizing the Cyberjet up.

"What Unit?" Waspinator said, still suspicious of the one who sneaked up behind him.

He holstered his weapon with a soft click, fingers twitching in the progress.

*****

Corridors

Ramjet strode briskly across the floor with purposeful demeanor becoming of a high ranking individual. He opened his quarters with a quick and accurate punch of a keypad on the door. He walked in and was suddenly taken aback by the lack of the presence of Slipstream. She was going to be a tough nut to crack. Ramjet made a mental note to do some research on Slipstream later and see if she could really be trusted.

Her reasons of not being there were shown when she commed back an angry communication. She didn't understand what he meant. Perhaps he could have made himself a bit clearer?

Ramjet rubbed his forehead with a sigh before opening a comm link back to her.

>>Slipstream, you misunderstand. The reason of my needs of your teleportation is there is simply no other option that I see. I can't take a shuttle, for one the Stunticons were in the hangar. Not to mention that it would be missing, and seeing that I would also be MIA it would be obvious that I was the one who took it. I can't exit through the Air-Locks because the Air-Locks would show signs of my departure, and Astrotrain is not here and is not part of our New Order. I do not mean to make you a transport, but I do require assistance from the person I trust.<< Ramjet said before addressing her other part to her message, >>Again, you misunderstand. There is this human strategy game called chess. It is a, from what I have heard, Military Strategy Game where all the pieces on a board are the soldiers of war. The lesser value of pieces are required to defend the higher pieces, and usually, die in battle. We need them for sheer bodies to throw at the other side, if it comes to it. We need our pawns. And we cannot afford to be picky in choosing them.<<

He walked over to his couch and flopped down upon it's cushioned surface. It wasn't as pleasant as a throne, or as hard as a prison chair, but it was comfortable and it would do in his wait for Slipstream to come.

(OOC: No probs Sideways)

Ten Forward

"It's nothing official yet, but...given the fact that Razorclaw overthrew Starscream, it means there will be a schism between Boss Kitty and the Seekers given Starscream's likely motion to not take this loss lying down. He'll need flies he can trust outside of Divebomb. That's where we come in." Skyjack explains to Waspinator. "We can fill that void for him, and we can stick it to the others. It could be the chance to cast off the Seekers as the elite force. Show them what the Insecticons and the Cybrjets can do."

Storage Room

"Really? That's it?" Motormaster smirked as Drag Strip, Breakdown and Dead End tried to make their case.

For a moment it seemed like both Breakdown and Dead End were going to slip past their towering commander with their hover carts. That was until Motormaster's massive arms moved in front of his underlings chests to block their way out of the storage room.

"Do you really think what ticks me off?" The large Stunticon asked with deceptively calm tone,"I know you are speaking the truth."

That calmness turned very quickly and very violently into action Motormaster was famous of. With little effort, the notorious Decepticon who claimed to be the King of the roads slammed Breakdown and Dead End hard into each other. Their backs connecting with a loud clang - followed by the back of their heads colliding with each other painfully.

"You strutless cowards let Wildrider do this to you half of the time I am not present!" Motormaster boomed with a disgusted look on his face. "You do realize that it is just a matter of time and place when he blows you all up for laughs because you lack the courage to stand against him?!"

It was rather ironic coming from Motormaster but there was one big difference between the two Stunticons. Motormaster could back up his threats and behavior. Wildrider? Not as much. Particularly if the others would gang up on him.

"Even you Drag Strip." Motormaster growled, his back still turned away from the yellow racer. "You claim to be the best. I see nothing but whiny piece of scrap metal who is afraid of losing to that sorry piece of slag."

Turning towards Drag Strip, the thuggish leader of the Stunticon unit kicked Drag Strip's hover cart at the racer, pinning him between the cart and corridor wall.

"It would serve you all well to remember that I have eyes and audio receptors everywhere. You will never escape me." Motormaster added, his optics burning maliciously. But it was that sadistic smile all too familiar to the other Stunticons that made his minions shiver. That smile that told the tale that they'd never escape him. That same smile that erased all the hope of them ever beating their abusive superior.

"Now get back to work! I will deal with Wildrider."

Storage Room

Standing behind his cart, Breakdown cringed in fear as the Stunticon commander’s baritone vocalizations reverberated throughout the entire storage room. The sound was deafening, but the scout was so frightened he was frozen in place.

The white and blue mech turned his gaze up to Motormaster as the hulking mech asked his rhetorical questions. Breakdown was actually going to try and answer them when he caught his tongue. If he even opened his mouth Motormaster would see it as insubordination and then the beatings would never cease.

Breakdown’s optics widened as the large black mech grabbed him and Dead End and slammed both teammates’ backs into one another. They crashed back to back painfully first that was quickly followed up quickly by the backs of their heads. The scout bit back a pained cry as he fell unceremoniously to the floor in a heap. At the initial impact Breakdown’s optics offlined and remained that way.

At their commander’s admonishment on how they all handled Wildrider and his antics, Breakdown simply lowered his head further to the floor. As much as he hated to admit it, Motormaster was right. There were three of them. Together they could have taught Wildrider a lesson, but instead it was them receiving a lesson…a very painful lesson.

Breakdown breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Motormaster turn his ire on Drag Strip. The sound of a loud clang and grinding helped to bring Breakdown’s optics online. He had to see just what kind of punishment the yellow racer was being put through.

With those freshly onlined optics Breakdown caught sight of that all too familiar fiery glint in Motormaster’s optics causing him to cringe and melt away as far as he could.

Hanger Bay

After the others had left the hanger with their carts full of energon cubes, Wildrider had decided to take up a position on top of a pile of crates. His back was against the wall, his arms behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles. He had been in this position for quite a while, but now it seemed as though he should get up and continue with his work…that being loading his cart and terrorizing his teammates.

Wildrider leaned up from the wall and got in a good stretch before he stood up and jumped off the pile of crates. He landed with a loud clang and a low grunt.

“Might as well get this slag finished up. Heh. I’ll have to see if the others are leakin’ lubricants by now. HAHAHA!”

It only took him half a breem to pile the energon cubes onto his cart and once it was full to capacity, Wildrider grabbed a hold of the cart’s handle and pulled it back with him toward the door. Unfortunately while doing his work he failed to hear the door to the hanger open.

Once he had gained enough momentum the cart moved with greater ease and he backed to the door. He was stopped just in the doorway by some kind obstruction.

“What the slag is it now? You fragged up slagheads,I swear to Primus if this is some kind of stupid joke I’ll…”

With a fierce growl Wildrider turned around and came face to chestplate with Motormaster. The terrorist’s optics widened in fear and he slowly backed away and into the cart.

“Motormaster.”

"Well let us see what Starscream have to say about that Divebomb."

Thrust went over to the wall and leaned against it as he waits for his commander to get fixed up by the CR chamber. Divebomb was extremely confident that Starscream would accept Razorclaw's offer, but he knew the commander would never do such a thing. Instead he would challenge Razorclaw to a rematch, but this time in a more open space to give the seeker commander the advantage. If Starscream does accept his offer and the seekers get betrayed then Divebomb would be the first to feel Thrust's lasers. And that was a promise seeing as how the predacon flier was cocky since his leader took control.

Storage Room

Drag Strip smiled slightly as he watched Motormaster smash both Breakdown and Dead End together like human rag dolls for not standing up to Wildrider. For the briefest of moments, the yellow Stunticon thought he would be spared the ire of his commander, but that was not the case, of course. Drag’s smirk disappeared quickly once Motormaster began accusing him of being a whiner that was afraid of losing to the terrorist. The former racer did not agree with this assessment, but he was in no position to argue with his belligerent leader.

Things then became violent for Drag Strip, as well, with Motormaster turning towards him and kicking the front hover cart directly at him. Drag let go of the rear cart he was pulling and attempted to brace himself against the forward one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to dull the blow any as the cart slammed into him and pinned his back up against the wall. The yellow mech was then forced to listen to the latest threat from Motormaster that none of them would ever escape him. They were his forever or until they off-lined, whichever came first.

We’ll see about that, Drag Strip thought, knowing better than to ever utter words such as that aloud. The idea of leaving the Stunticons had crossed the former racer’s processor more than once as he had long since forgotten the reason he originally agreed to join this motley crew. Was it fame or fortune, who knew at this point? All Drag could say was that he now felt trapped with comrades that he considered to be lesser mechs than himself and a violent commander that would never let him leave in one piece. It was truly a no way out scenario. Some day....maybe.

Once Motormaster had ordered them all to get back to work and moved down the corridor towards the hangar, Drag Strip pushed the cart out and away from his aching frame. At least he could take comfort in knowing that Wildrider would get what’s coming to him and probably a lot worse than the rest of them had received. This thankfully had been one of the lesser punishments from the Stunticon Commander considering that none of them ended up in stasis. It was a very small victory, but the former champion would take it.

Moving the two hover carts into the storage room, Drag Strip regarded both Breakdown and Dead End with an unsympathetic look before continuing onward towards the back of the chamber. There he began unloading the energon cubes, piling them up neatly near the other stacks that were still protected by a force shield. At one point, Drag turned to look back at his two comrades who were still loitering about nearby. “I warned you guys that Wildrider would get us in trouble, and I was right. Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”

Repair Bay

Divebomb said nothing, allowing Nightraven to have her little temper tantrum like a newly created protoform. He considered responding to her questions, but what good would it do? No answer he gave would calm her and would likely only make things worse. However, the femme did actually make a good point regarding the seekers. It was quite possible that not all of them would simply fall in line under Razorclaw’s rule even if Starscream ultimately agreed to support him. It was something to keep in mind, but the eagle-former was certain that the Predacon lord had already considered this possibility and would take the appropriate action if necessary.

Divebomb’s faceplate remained expressionless as Nightraven’s anger-filled tirade eventually subsided before she turned her attention to Skywarp and then to the CR chamber that contained Starscream. Her physical contact with the teleporter, as brief as it was, was quite telling. There were certain feelings between these two, feelings that could possibly be exploited down the line. The Predacon flier would have to be sure to alert Razorclaw of the potential regarding these two seekers. For now, however, he would simply wait until the Air Commander’s repair cycle was completed.
_________

Skywarp’s anger had not gone away any more than Nightraven’s. He understood her position completely, but he expressed it more internally than outwardly as she had just done. His attention was quickly drawn away from Divebomb as Nighty ran her hand down his arm and touched his own before moving on to Starscream’s chamber. He watched as she let out a defeated sigh, a feeling that he couldn’t help but share. However, instead of letting that feeling get to him, the prankster simply glared back over at Divebomb, a disgusted looked clearly etched across his faceplate.

“Your lord thinks he’s going to unite the Decepticons, but he’s mistaken. He’s only going to divide us further,” the teleporter warned before turning away from the eagle-former and moving alongside Nightraven. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. It was a dark time for the seekers and they needed to support each other more now than ever before. “Don’t worry, Nighty, we’ll all be fine. When Starscream finally awakens he’ll know what to do. We just need to trust in him to make the right decision.”

Repair Bay

Nightraven kept her back toward Divebomb as she studied the unconscious form of Starscream suspended in his CR chamber. There was some apprehension in that once the Aerospace Commander was back on his feet he’d collapse under the pressure of Razorclaw and his subordinates…all of them whoever they may be.

The femme let out a heavy sigh as she wrapped her arms around her waist. Her optics remained glued to the CR chamber even when she felt that Skywarp laid his hand on her shoulder. The gesture was an attempt to comfort and it seemed to help.

Nightraven nodded in agreement to Skywarp’s comment.

“I hope so, Skywarp.”

After a long moment of silence Nightraven leaned her head to the right and gently placed it on the teleporter’s shoulder. The gesture he provided previously was reassuring, but to be slightly closer meant even more.

“How much longer on his repair cycle?”

Repair Bay

Skywarp could sense the apprehension in Nightraven's vocalizer as she responded to him before she gently placed her head onto his shoulder plating. He looked over at her and smiled even though her optics remained fixated on Starscream's CR chamber. Seeing an opportunity to further comfort the distraught seeker femme, 'Warp slowly and carefully placed his entire arm around her back and held Nighty close to him. He could almost feel the sadness and despair radiate through her frame as he rubbed her opposite arm. She then asked him how much longer the Air Commander's repair cycle would last.

Without letting go of her, Skywarp leaned towards the control console just enough to see the current readings. "Doesn't look like it will be much longer. A cycle at most, maybe less." The teleporter returned his gaze to Nightraven as he then whispered to her so that no one else in the room could hear him, especially the Predacon flier who was sill mulling about nearby. "You know, Nighty, even if Screamer agrees to work with Razorclaw that doesn't mean he's given up or that it will even last. I'm sure he'll have a plan to regain control, maybe not right away, but at some point once Shockwave is taken care of Starscream will make his move and reclaim the throne. Then the seekers will be on top again. You'll see."

Skywarp hoped he was right in his assumptions. Starscream was notorious for being ruthless and cunning, but underneath he was always a true patriot to the Decepticon cause. Some considered him to be a coward, but that was just a facade to make others underestimate his real abilities. The Seeker Commander sought the same ideals that Megatron had stood for even if the endless war had made many forget why they had originally joined the Decepticons to begin with. Starscream ascending to the throne made the most sense to Skywarp, but he was also biased in that belief. The prankster didn’t believe that Screamer would immediately challenge Razorclaw to a rematch, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be one some day when the time was just right. Until then, ‘Warp would remain loyal to the Air Commander and trust that he would one day reclaim the leadership of the Decepticon Empire from those who were not worthy of the title.

Repair Bay

Nightraven let out a low sigh once her head was resting comfortably on Skywarp’s shoulder. She kept her vigil even as the teleporter gently placed his arm around her back and held her closer to him. It was a welcome sensation, especially after all that had happened. It had seemed that the past few orns were set against the Seekers as a whole, and now their own Commander had felt the blow, literally.

She leaned in closer when the black and purple Seeker gave her arm a gentle rub in an attempt to further comfort her. It was working. Skywarp didn’t hesitate answering her question concerning Starscream’s repair cycle. He leaned slightly to look at the controls without letting his hold on her falter. At his response Nightraven simply sighed. Nodding would have meant she’d have to lift her head off of his shoulder, and right now the closeness was the only thing keeping her placated.

Her optics finally moved from the form of the Seeker Commander suspended in the nurturing nanite rich fluid and up to Skywarp when the other Seeker whispered to her. His words rang true. Starscream was always ready for anything. Even if nothing went right, Starscream was still capable of pulling his aft out of the fire. Skywarp was a staunch believer in his abilities, and it seemed she was as well.

The femme Seeker offered up a forced smile but quickly turned her attention back on the chamber.

“He is rather resourceful. He always has been. Of course you know him much better than any of us on board. The three of you, Thundercracker included, have been together for hundreds, possibly thousands of vorns.”

She let her words linger for a moment before she settled in even closer to Skywarp, her right hand coming to rest on the side of his chest.

“Skywarp? Thank you. You know, for being here.”

Quarters

Hellion patiently sat and listened to Nightraven’s rantings about their current situation. At least she looked like she was listening. Her thoughts were elsewhere, trying to put together the fragments of the battle she had just been repaired from. She was used to the memory problems after a fight, but they were always a bit frustrating. How was she supposed to improve as a warrior if she couldn’t remember what had gone wrong? Of course her berserker state didn’t help matters in that case. She was never one for complicated tactics or anything. Still, it would be nice to know just so she could maybe not fall for the same trick twice.

She shook her head once her sister came stomping over to her. Apparently the ‘boyfriend’ remark had touched a live wire. She struggled to prevent a triumphant smirk from forming on her face. The warrior let her sister blow off some steam until she was finally ready to go visit Starscream and, of course, Skywarp. She left with a smack to the back of her head. “Barely felt that…” Hellion said over her shoulder as Nightraven left the room.

*

Corridors

Slipstream scowled as she got the reply from Ramjet. It looked like she was going to have to dump this dolt sooner then she thought. Apparently his head was just solid metal like everyone joked it was. No cerebral circuitry up there, just one solid head to ram into things.

>>”No, its you who misunderstand Ramjet. I cannot teleport blindly. I need to know exact coordinates or to see or know exactly where I’m going before I teleport. If I don’t have exact information I could teleport literally inside of a wall or something. I’m not about to blindly teleport out of a ship that’s who knows where, spending all sorts of energy, and end up merged with a wall.”<<

Hangar Bay

"Slaghead."

Motormaster's reference to Wildrider's own words probably went for deaf audio receptor's - for immediately after greeting the terrorist the massive Stunticon began to pour his frustrations on his psychotic underling.

The first hit was a backhand slap that sent Wildrider flying over his energon cart before crashing on the hangar floor. Before the terrorist had a chance to get up, Motormaster had already thrown the energon cart out of his way. This of course had resulted in Wildrider's work going to waste with the energon cubes falling off the cart. The psychotic Stunticon however had little time to worry about it. As Wildrider finally staggered on his feet, Motormaster was already standing next to him. The Stunticon commander's powerful digits quickly grabbed hold of the terrorist's neck and only astroseconds later Wildrider could feel being yanked off the ground and lifted high in the air by just one of Motormaster's powerful arms.

"I hear you have been busy." Motormaster growled and brought Wildrider's face closer to his own scowling visage while his actuators dug deeper into the terrorist's metal skin. "Busy sabotaging the task I gave to you and your worthless brothers!"

"Who the slag you think are?!" Motormaster's deep baritone boomed just before the notorious Decepticon ended up tossing Wildrider into his own toppled over hover cart, "I'll tell you what you are! You are nothing but pathetic little glitch who has forgotten his place! I own you! You and your fragged up brothers! And you will never be free of me."

With his optics burning malevolently, Motormaster nodded towards the mess that had sometime earlier been a pile of energon on Wildrider's hover cart. "Pick them up again. And be quick about it! We have much to do and you're going to do the most of it!"

Priority-1 Transmission from Onslaught to Razorclaw

>>"Understood. And affirmative--the Obliteration is still under my direct command. I have avoided having Blast-Off take any overt action with it, in the hopes that it escapes the attention of the Thanatos. Thus far, it's worked. But it's ready to do whatever needs done. I think.....never mind. Thunderwing's here. Now."<<

Ten Forward

Waspinator rubbed his chin and twitched his mandibles in delight at the proposition Skyjack had spoken to him about. It was interesting. If this could be official, then he could very well be an elite among the Decepticons! He would have better armor, more backup, people would actually care!

"Ehhh... Wazzpinator acczzept!" Waspinator said with a flutter of his wings.

Waspinator felt a smile come across his crooked and "Unique" face. He had much to write to his fellows about.

He could imagine it now, he could even get his own refurbishing in Razorclaw's new starship, people would actually pay him mind! He couldn't wait and for once, he actually understood where Shrapnel was coming from with anticipation.

*****

Quarters

Ramjet snickered at Slipstream's response. Somehow, the fiery personality of Slipstream made her all the more attractive to him.

Ramjet got up from his comfortable sofa and over to his terminal in his quarters. He sat down and plugged his pad up to it. A stream of access codes and terminal locations flooded the screen, to most this looked like gibberish, but Ramjet knew what he was looking for and he knew how to sift through the garbage.

With a bit of working, he found the access code for the terminal that controls the Bounce Platform and the past records of bounces. He sifted through the many files and pulled out the one that had the description of Scrapper's mission to the Korean Peninsula.

He then accessed the GPS system and began to run a location check. While he waited, he brought up the crew manifest and quickly downloaded Slipstream's profile onto it.

He heard a triumphant beep from his terminal: the location was finished triangulating.

He downloaded the two pieces of information and quickly sent the datapacket -- minus the profile, of course -- to Slipstream with a triumphant smirk.

He then walked to the couch again and sat down upon the cushioned surface.

Storage Room

"Yeah. You 'warned' us. A lotta good that did," Dead End scoffed, rubbing the back of his cranial unit. He struggled to get back to his feet, his sensors still glitching slightly after that unplanned beating from Motormaster. Of course, those beatings never really were planned, otherwise Dead End would certainly have made plans to be elsewhere when they happened....

He started to take a step forward as another sensor glitched, causing the Stunticon to pitch forward instead, hitting the wall and grasping one of the ledges to hold himself up.

"Slaggit...," Dead End grunted. "Damn him."

Bridge

“I’ve just received another response from Onslaught,” Razorclaw responded to Rampage’s inquiry about the status of the Combaticon Commander and his unit. “He has things well in hand there at the construction site and the Obliteration is still under his control. While not enough to disable the Thanatos, having the Combaticon vessel at our disposal is better than not having it at all. However, he did just inform me of a slight complication, but not one I haven’t already considered. Thunderwing is on planet and near the construction site. Where his loyalties lie is still unknown, but it is likely he is working for Shockwave considering whom he sided with when I attempted to arrest the cycloptic scientist back on Cybertron. Still, there is a possibility that he could be swayed to our favor.”

Opening another encrypted comm line to the Combaticon Commander, Razorclaw considered carefully what needed to be done:

>>”Understood, Commander Onslaught. Thunderwing presents a glitch in our plans but not one that can’t be overcome one way or another. Speak with him and determine where his loyalties lie. His support may still be with Shockwave or Thunderwing may have aspirations of his own. Either way, we will need to sway him to our side and make him see that the specialty teams are the future of the Decepticon Empire. If he is willing, I would like to speak with him in person. Be careful. As you know, Thunderwing’s power is great but still largely untested, especially in an underwater environment. Regardless, avoid a direct confrontation unless there is no other alternative. Provide me with an update once your meeting with him has concluded.”<<

Once his comm link was severed, Razorclaw turned to regard the abrasive Tantrum with a stoic expression. “Starscream will not do that. He knows the future of the Empire is at stake here. Unity is more important than further infighting. Besides, Divebomb is down in the repair bay as we speak and will bring the Seeker Commander here the moment he steps out of the CR chamber. Screamer won’t have time to rally his brethren to do anything against us.”

Razorclaw smiled at the thought of having Starscream under his command. It was imperative to bring the head Seeker into the fold if only to maintain a united front against Shockwave and his supporters. With Thunderwing now entering the fray, it was even more important to win the Air Commander’s support. Of course, the Predacon lord made no delusions regarding Starscream’s true aspirations. Razorclaw knew that even if Screamer agreed to join him, it would only be a temporary truce. Once Shockwave was unseated from his own position of command, Starscream would likely then turn on the lion-former and attempt to retake the throne for himself.

He can try, Razorclaw thought with a grin spread across his faceplate.