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Korean Peninsula - Storage Cave

Long Haul trudged ashore and made his way across the sandy beach until he found himself on more solid terrain. Moving past Bonecrusher to take the lead, the green transport shrugged his shoulders at his comrade’s comment. “Well, ‘Crusher, I suppose Razorclaw is better than ‘Screamer. I mean, at least ‘Claw is, or was, a unit commander. He’ll likely show us some favoritism since we’re part of another specialty team. Still, I’d prefer we kept Devastator to ourselves, you know.”

Returning his gaze ahead, Long Haul approached the storage cave and quickly entered through the opening they had previously helped to dig out. It seemed like it was only a few cycles ago when they had last been here, and so much had changed in such a short time span. Right now, it didn’t really matter as there was work to be done and the Constructicon transport was not one to keep the boss-con waiting.

Transforming into his Caterpillar 775G Off-highway dump truck mode, Long Haul rolled backwards towards the pile of equipment that was against the side wall of the cavern. “Okay, ‘Crusher, load me up. I should have plenty of room to fit everything left here inside my truck bed. Then we can head back down into the murky depths.”

Encrypted Priorty-1 Transmission from Razorclaw:

>>”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.”<<

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Mixmaster had decided it was wise to not bother Scrapper any further for the time being. It wasn't really necessary anyway. The drainage process was well underway and would be completed soon and it was only too clear that there were other matters on the horizon that would require his full attention.

Even so, Swindle's approach took the Constructicon Chemical Engineer a little by surprise. He was still a little skittish about the Combaticons being here at all and wasn't entirely sure what that meant. But no one had started firing at anyone else yet, so he supposed that was a positive.

"Very very very interesting, heheheh. Not sure how everything's going to go."

At least until Devastator comes. Then I'll be sure, he thought.

"Very specialized, yes. This environment will corrode our equipment quickly unless we take the proper precautions," Mixmaster said. "Long Haul has the spare parts. He's the boss of them, really. Once I can get inside the dry dome, I'll begin to process coatings that can be applied to anything you put together, yeah yeah?"

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Whatever Onslaught and Scrapper were talking about began to get distorted by cacophony of clanking, grinding and generally discord noises and no other than the Combaticons' resident weapon of mass destruction began approaching the two unit commanders. It was remarkable really - even under these conditions, Brawl was able to generate enough noise to not only make himself heard but also impossible to not take notice of.

"Onslaught! I have done what I can with this shoddy sea dirt! Better pray we do not need to actually use those damned trenches!" Brawl boomed and joined the company of Scrapper and Onslaught whether they liked or not. "Sow enough proximity sonic detonators with friend/foe recognation protocols there to cripple an Omega Sentinel though!"

"Gonna get some good bangs if some sodding Autoscrap or meatbag submarine wanders too close, eh?!" The loud Decepticon continued, patting Onslaught's shoulder roughly.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Vortex tucked the hyper spanner underneath one of his arms as he crossed through the protective barriers that separated the underground shelter from the rest of the salt loaded froth that dominated much of the surface. It had been his second time down within the confines of this base, the first time was to acquire the necessary materials to establish a protective screen against local air traffic, sensor jammers, radar shadows and even a couple of smaller anti air craft quads located around the cliff face. His assignment had been to establish a defensible position, and so far he had done what he could to meet that rather mundane challenge.

For now however, he was in need of a quick recharge. Not necessarily low but serving under Onslaught's command for so long had given him reason to always be ready for rapid deployment. The interrogator tossed his confiscated spanner onto an unpacked crate before he discarded the rather clumsily packed construction sash he had been provided. He made a mental note to bring its limitations to the Constructicon Commanders, in a most memorable capacity.

Vortex's comm. systems had picked up the various reports from Blast-off in orbit as well as the spread communique from Thunderwing. Altihex Casinos it most decidedly wasn't, the rocks were still roughly edged along the surface of the passage leading towards the operational hub of the base. Still Vortex was confident that such minor details did not impair the overall efficiency of the structure. He would make due for the time being.

Slowly he approached a small conclave of gathered Cybertronians, prominent among them Onslaught. Not wanting to take center stage to be brought up to speed, Vortex decided to take a place near a stack of crates and listen in. Visible yet unseen, basic techniques of any good interrogator.

Storage Cave

Bonecrusher spun his shoulder joints. It was good to get out of the water. He felt some sand grind in his joints, he would have to wash himself off later. Or the repair drones in a CR Chamber might do the trick...

Bonecrusher tromped into the cave where Long Haul was waiting on him. Bonecrusher grabbed two arm-fulls of supplies and set them inside his comrade's truck bed. He knelt back down to pick up more and placed them inside the dump truck as well.

He repeated this until all of the supplies were inside of Long Haul's truck bed.

"I just hope no one turns this whole slaggin' thing into another civil war!" Bonecrusher's harsh voice said, he was by no means smart, but he wasn't blind.

War among the empire would cause it to self destruct, making the Autobots win the war.

"Lets go head back to the dark depths of joint damage." Bonecrusher made his loathe clear in his voice as he trudged his way through the deepening water, Long Haul hopefully following behind him.

Storage Cave

Long Haul felt the weight of the supplies increase as Bonecrusher placed them into his truck bed one armful at a time. It was nothing the green transporter couldn’t handle even in his less advanced Earthen alt mode, which had more than enough room to accommodate all of the equipment that needed to be carried down to the sea floor. It was the same task Long Haul had performed on countless occasions on countless worlds, including Cybertron, itself. It was his job to move materials, weapons, tools and whatever else was required from point A to point B. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but it was a necessary one and the Constructicon transport understood its importance.

“Unfortunately, I don’t see either side backing down, ’Crusher,” Long Haul responded to his comrade’s fears of an all-out Decepticon civil war. “Neither Shockwave nor Razorclaw will give up their claim to the throne, and I’m sure Starscream will still be a factor in some way. He may be down right now, but knowing him he’s definitely not out. All we can do is hope that Devastator can be finished quickly in order to put an end to the infighting before it’s too late. Then we can assume control of the Empire and rule it, ourselves.”

Long Haul made sure that his comment regarding the gestalt had been spoken in a whispered tone so that only Bonecrusher could hear him. The last thing they needed was for someone within audio range eavesdropping on their private conversation. Initiating a water-tight force shield over the stored equipment, the green Caterpillar 775G dump truck rolled out of the now empty cave and followed his complaining comrade back onto the beach before entering the Yellow Sea once more. “I hear ya, ‘Crusher! I can’t wait to finally get a nice oil bath and clean out my servos of this corrosive sludge.”

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Onslaught had left Scrapper to his thoughts. The Constructicon Commander likely required a few moments to think while the political winds blew at practically gale force around them.

>>"I am en route now. Wherever his loyalties lie, history suggests that a warlord of Valckasta will not be swayed easily. Nevertheless, I will see where his head his."<<

Brawl's arrival was a welcome one, as was his report. A quick survey of the terrain showed that, indeed, they were going to be hard-pressed to do anything of consequence with this kind of terrain. Even so, design possibilities and possible weapons stations were already beginning to filter in to the Combaticon Commander's mind, given the Constructicons' preliminary design.

"Well done. Let's hope that Autobots are indeed their first intended targets," Onslaught said, opening up a channel to the other Combaticons. In the current climate, it was far too likely that these weapons would first be used against their own Decepticon brethren--in service to someone else's political aspirations. >>"Team--on me. Warlord Thunderwing has requested a meeting, and I have no desire to keep him waiting."<<

Granted, Thunderwing had only requested a meeting with he and Scrapper, and ordinarily Onslaught would have complied with the request without thinking twice. But these were uncertain times, and this meeting could simply be an opportunity for Shockwave to eliminate two rivals. Or it could be Thunderwing's opportunity to do the very same. After all, if the situation were reversed, Onslaught might have taken the very same step. Either way, he couldn't take that chance.

(OOC: Sorry for the wait.)

Entering the Yellow Sea

“Good question.”

As Blitzwing continued to trail behind Astrotrain, while also gradually being swallowed by the sea, he pondered on the candidates vying for leadership. Which was hard to do with all this water ceaselessly exploring his joints and various crevices in his armour plating like determined treasure hunters seeking valuables located within the shallow areas of his structure. But he still managed to whip up a response, despite his dislike for his new aquatic environment.

He shrugged, unable to decide whose chances were the greatest. “I don't know. But I don't think Shockwave will get far.” The mere mention of his creator's name made him shake his head. “The fraggin' bore. Who would want to follow him? Really, who?”

Blitzwing and Shockwave were as similar as electrons and positrons. Where Blitzwing would immediately jump into battle, keen for a good scrap, Shockwave preferred to observe and analyse it from a stoic perspective, thus composing the most appropriate strategy to oppose and defeat the enemy. Where Blitzwing would rely on his old faithfuls—fists, blaster and scimitar—to get him out of a predicament, Shockwave would depend on cool logic and rationality to break down a problem and devise the most efficient solution.

Thinking. Analysing. Neither were particularly useful to the Triple Changer when engaged in combat. Taking action was what had rewarded him with victory after victory, not waffling on about complex tactics for groons on end.

Drifting away from the potentially awkward topic of Shockwave, Blitzwing asked, “Who do you think looks the goods to take the position?”

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Thunderwing’s feet touched the bottom of the sea, sinking into the muck before finally settling, a cloud of dirt erupting around him from his impact. The Decepticon took a step forward, testing the surface beneath him. The ground would hold him without any substantial hindering of movement it seemed. The water itself slowed him a bit, as it would any being not adapted to maneuvering in it, but it presented no great difficulty. Vision would naturally be somewhat limited by the dark and dirt, but sensors could help compensate for that.

It didn’t take long until the sounds of construction and movement came to his audio receptors. The Constructicons were obviously hard at work, as was to be expected. A cursory examination of the area also revealed some rudimentary defenses had been set up, likely somewhat hastily, another interesting bit of information. Obviously others had been developing their own schemes as he did likewise. Now he would just need to figure out how to work these plans into his own.

The Decepticon approached the form he recognized as belonging to Onslaught. He was easy to pick out among the various Constructicons and Combaticons, his twin guns on his back allowing him to tower over the others. He was approaching him, Brawl at his side. Thunderwing was a bit annoyed at the absence of Scrapper, but assumed that the Constructicon was busy directing his team in their work.

Thunderwing offered a brief nod to the two Combaticons. “Onslaught, Brawl. It seems the Constructicons have accomplished much here already, a testament to their well earned reputation. I will save questions about this project for Scrapper once he is available.” As he spoke he continued to examine the construction site, intrigued by the dome like structure that was up so far. The Constructicons had something very ambitious in mind.

He turned to look at Onslaught directly. “Onslaught, I require a full report on Decepticon dealings on Earth, particularly the events after Megatron’s demise and whatever current activities Starscream’s former faction have gotten up to and what Razorclaw is having them do now.” Thunderwing would allow the question of loyalties continue to slide for now. He wanted to see how much he could learn before being forced to commit or forcing Onslaught to commit. He suspected the Combaticon was with Razorclaw as he had kept too much a secret not to be. Still he respected the Combaticon commander and wanted to hear him tell him in his own words.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Trudging his way toward the bottom of one of this weird planet's bodies of water was unpleasant enough. Having to consider which path in front of them was the most likely to keep them alive and functional? It was exponentially more so.

These were not games for the likes of Astrotrain. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he would not argue that he had fantasized on occasion about leading the Decepticon army across the threshold of victory, destroying the Autobots and ruling the universe. What kind of Decepticon would he be if he didn't have that kind of thought at least once? But he was also smart enough to put it in the back of his mind and leave it in the realm of fantasy where it belonged. History was littered with Decepticons who had attempted to turn such fantasies in to realities and became scrapyard fodder in the process.

Not Astrotrain.

"I heard Ramjet tried to take out Starscream some time back. Heh. He'd be interesting. I bet he'll do something stupid and get himself stasis-ed. Or worse.

"I guess I'm betting on Starscream. Everyone knows he wants it. Megatron was the only thing in his way before, right?"