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Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Thunderwing listened and considered Onslaught’s words. Energy raids made sense after the loss of the primary base. There would likely have been a considerable loss of fuel and other resources that would have to be replaced. Still, sending out two near simultaneous or, at the very least, back to back raids would have stretched resources thin. There was likely an ulterior motive behind them. Perhaps they were planned as a distraction form the construction taking place here? It made some sense, although two raids seemed a bit extravagant for a distraction. Of course the seeker was not necessarily known for his subtlety.

The Decepticon was a bit surprised to hear that Starscream may still be alive, although likely injured. He would have suspected Razorclaw to have put him down permanently. Certainly the seeker could have uses in the future, particularly in controlling the other seekers. The question was whether that usefulness outweighed the potential trouble he could cause. He would be interested to hear Razorclaw’s reasoning behind his decision, whatever it happened to be.

He looked at Onslaught as they at least came to the true issue at hand. They had both danced around it long enough it seemed. “I contend that your actions on board the ship were rash at the time. An attempted coup, even if fully justified, is not something to be under taken lightly. I was uninformed and unprepared, leading to a default response of protecting the established leadership. If I were to make similar claims against you now and demand your surrender, would your team not come to your defense?”

Thunderwing allowed the question to hang in the water for a moment before continuing. “Situations change, of course, as new information is acquired. I come down here on orders from Shockwave, but I do not represent him. None of this information passed between us has been sent to him. I would make my own decisions for now, and they will be careful and well thought out. The situation is far too precarious to do otherwise, as I’m sure you know. Continued infighting does us no good.”

“I would speak with Razorclaw if you can arrange it. He can pick the location as I have no desire for it to turn into a battle of any sort. I would ask that you relay some urgency to him. Time is of the essence as even Shockwave does not possess infinite patience.”

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

“Sure, sure. I'll fill ya in.” A smirk creased Blitzwing's features. “And let you know just how stupid Ramjet can be. Seriously, you'd be surprised at some of the things he says. Dumbest slag, I swear.”

Assuming Ramjet took the hint in regards to his failed bid for leadership and didn't go for it a second time. Not exactly a given. Who knew how many pieces there would be to collect if he tried again? Though a high number was probable, even certain.

Blitzwing listened to Astrotrain as he commented on Starscream. His comrade was getting into it, really working his vocaliser, until the appearance of three Decepticons stripped him of his speech and he suggested a shift in their wanderings. For a moment Blitzwing wondered what had stopped Astrotrain from talking. Then he saw who had: Thunderwing, Onslaught, and Scrapper.

Their presence did warrant the addition of a new direction in their course. Not only did his superiors wear serious expressions on their faceplates, undoubtedly discussing matters Blitzwing found tedious, but he had nothing of importance to offer to any of them. They could have their little meeting or whatever it was to themselves for all he cared.

Steering away from the trio, Blitzwing said, “Nope. Can't be fragged dealing with them myself. And I don't want to, anyway. Kicking back for a breem sounds all right. Let's do it.”

Korean Shoreline

Darkride offered Long Haul his undivided attention. After all it was he who called this meeting into order. He was also excited to hear just what the Constructicons had up their proverbial sleeves. Just thinking about the information sent a shiver down the interrogator’s spinal structure. It was times like these that he cherished being a Decepticon.

While Long Haul droned on about the smaller mech’s intent to inflict bodily harm, Darkride let a broad, devilish smile work its way onto his face. Listening to the transport was insufferable so he chose to simply wait out his impertinence until Long Haul got the meat of the discussion.

The mech was certainly long winded for a simple Constructicon transport, and that fact could be used as a bit of leverage. After his brazen speech the green mech finally moved on to what Darkride wanted to hear. It’s about bloody time.

The interrogator settled in as he listened closely to everything Long Haul had to say about this Devastator. And when he was finally through with his information dump he had the gall to declare that this new Decepticon member would make all before him tremble. Such a bold statement spoken on behalf of one who was not even present.

The grin on Darkride’s face broadened as he stepped in even closer to the Constructicon. When he spoke it was in a baritone timbre.

“I would gladly welcome your ‘friend’ once he arrives, and when he does I will wantonly request a proper flogging.”

The smaller purple mech stepped back one pace locked optics with the ‘Con across from him, and brought his hand up to stroke his chin. His free hand gently rubbed the opposite arms elbow. A moment passed before he finally tore his gaze from Long Haul’s visor. Darkride then began to pace. It wasn’t due to aggravation or anxiety, no, in fact he was ecstatic, almost jubilant…but from his manic, almost erratic behavior not many could tell.

“You are good, Long Haul, I must commend you. You’re very difficult to read, but there are other ways to determine just what the truth really is.”

Darkride stopped his pacing directly in front of Long Haul. That familiar cruel smile worked its way right back onto the demented mech’s face.

“I can read you just by the way you carry yourself. Those slight jerks and pulls that move through your frame…you know, the ones you cannot help…the ones you do not even notice.”

His voice lowered and as he spoke a noticeable growl could be heard.

“You are nothing but a drone…not only to the whole of the faction but to your own teammates. Your termination would mean nothing to them. You. Are. Replaceable. But with your loss…Devastator would not take that kindly…your words.”

Darkride backed off almost completely, his optics still locked on Long Haul. He flashed the transport a toothy grin.

“Six of you and Devastator. Thank you Long Haul, you have given me exactly what I asked for.”

He slowly turned around and began to make his way to the workstation he and Oil Slick had been working at earlier, but he stopped suddenly to look over his shoulder.

“Oh and Long Haul, do not worry your lovely removable head. I am more than capable of keeping secrets…even yours.”

His peace said, Darkride turned his attention back to the small workstation and proceeded onward.

Korean Shoreline

Long Haul watched and listened as Darkride reacted to everything he had told him. Apparently, the interrogator believed that Devastator was a separate being, one that was currently on its way. This was a good thing as the true nature of the gestalt remained a secret. At least, that’s what the Constructicon hoped. The torturer did point out how difficult it was to read him, but then quickly followed that up with mentioning his ability to tell when someone was lying by the way they carried themselves and made certain motions without even noticing. Long Haul wasn’t sure what to think, but it still seemed that the interrogator had bought his half-truth.

Of course, the whole situation was not exactly ideal as the transporter would rather Darkride not know the name of Devastator at all. Unfortunately, Long Haul’s big mouth had let the cyber-cat out of the bag so to speak and thus it was all unavoidable. Maybe next time the heavy loader would be more careful when mentioning the combiner, or perhaps he should just not say anything at all and leave the thinking to others.

Darkride’s assertion that Long Haul was a mere drone who was replaceable was nothing the green transport had not heard before. Did it bother him? Sure. Did he want to pound the smaller ‘Con into the sand? Naturally. However, that would serve no purpose but to arose suspicion at this time. Ultimately, when Devastator became a reality, they would all see his true importance to not only his Constructicon brethren but to the whole of the Empire, as well.

The interrogator then promised that Long Haul’s secret would be safe with him and not to worry. “Whatever,” the heavy lifter muttered under his breath as Darkride returned his attention to a small workstation. The transporter then turned and headed back into the sea where the salt water could do more damage to his already saturated joints.

Onslaught stood silently, considering the whole of Thunderwing’s words. To what degree there was a game being played here and to what degree there was honest analysis coming forward, the Combaticon did not know. Regardless, it seemed like Thunderwing would not be calling upon Shockwave to bring the wrath of the Thanatos down on all of them at any point in the immediate future, so he could work with that.

The comparison between the warlord’s actions and the response his own unit might have if they were presented with similar circumstances had not escaped him. The Valckastan had not chosen to linger on that point for very long however, and Onslaught saw no point in contesting it. Brawl’s private transmission to him was only too indicative of what would happen if Thunderwing took such a step. Whatever the outcome might prove to be, Onslaught was certainly not going to risk his men. They hadn’t yet reached a point where their sacrifice would be worth it. Would they? Maybe. But Onslaught would ensure that if they went down, it would be for a cause—not simply furthering someone’s political whims. Even his own, whatever unorthodox path they were taking.

“I can,” Onslaught said, producing a small datapad and entering a set of coordinates based on Razorclaw’s last identified location. Given what he had been told of the Ultrax’s status, it was unlikely to change any time soon. He handed it to the warlord. “Razorclaw has already informed me of his desire to meet with you. He said nothing of an alternative location, so I would recommend you travel to the Ultrax directly. It is—for the time being—our only semi-functional base of operations on this planet. You can attempt to contact him directly if you choose. He will be expecting your arrival either way. We’ve been using the highest encryption protocols available to us. I am unsure whether or not we have successfully avoided Soundwave’s gaze. The fact that this structure still stands would suggest that we have, but I take nothing for granted.”

Having addressed the warlord directly, Onslaught took a moment to respond to Brawl’s comm. Tempting though it might have been, there was no real strategic impetus to take such action right now.

>>”I’m only too aware. We can’t risk it yet. Too much potential loss if we lose. Minimal reward if we win. No. Let the warlord conduct his business. Razorclaw understands our interests. If Thunderwing has broken away from Shockwave, it only weakens both of their positions that much more. So much the better for us.”<<

Bottom if the Yellow Sea

Bonecrusher trudged along, grumbling to himself after at the sand getting packed into his joints. It was annoying, the constant grinding in his ankles, the irritation of getting paint scratched and the imperfection of sand itself. Sand was mushy and unstable. It was a wonder that they were building a base on top of it. As the human parable states about the two builders: The one with the house on stone doesn't sink when the ones around him, who have their houses on sand, sink. A solid foundation is wise to have...

Eh. Scrapper will think of something. Bonecrusher thought while shaking his joints out.

His attention was brought to Scavenger, who asked if the supplies they were carrying were all of them.

"Yeah. Looks like-" Bonecrusher was cut off by the sudden outburst by Long-Haul, who was exclaiming about leaving something behind.

"Looks like we -- by that I mean he -- left somethin'." Bonecrusher stated with a tad bit of irritation.

Bonecrusher shrugged; it wasn't odd for the Transport to drop something, but he felt like Long-Haul was nervous.

Dome Structure

With Swindle apparently lost in his own thoughts, Mixmaster had returned to the confines of the done itself and finalized the cleanout process. It was a large, empty space, but at least it would be something to work with in these oppressive, submerged environs.

>>"Dryout process done done done!"<< Mixmaster gleefully transmitted to the others in his unit. "A workspace we can actually use. Long overdue. Far, far too long," he continued on, though now talking only to himself as he continued to trek around the dome, fine-tuning structural integrity where he could.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Thunderwing nodded as he took the pad from Onslaught. “I would keep your transmission tight and targeted between this sight and Razorclaw’s. Soundwave may eventually be able to crack into them but that will certainly delay it. The fact that you are underwater likely helps as well.” He studied the pad for a moment. Apparently the Ultrax had made some sort of landing in water, as they had suspected. Its location was not overly far from his current one either. That was also probably why Soundwave had not intercepted their transmissions yet. It would be a quick journey there for him.

He handed the pad back to Onslaught. “I thank you Onslaught, for having a cool head in these tense times. Less rational minds in your place may very well have led us all into a brutal civil war. While we are still on the brink of one we have at least delayed its arrival, time enough for us to figure out a way to bring things to a peaceful conclusion.” He placed his hand on the Combaticon’s shoulder. “I will see to it that your actions will be commending officially, under whoever we may end up serving under.”

Thunderwing lowered his arm. “My regards to your team and to Scrapper and his unit, talking with Razorclaw is of more importance right now. Please inform him of my imminent and peaceful arrival. I have no desire to be shot down upon my arrival. Continue your work here as it is valuable to the cause, no matter who is leading it.”

With any luck some of those words would stay with Onslaught. Thunderwing did indeed mean them. He respected the Combaticon leader. If he were to make a claim for leadership he would want mechs like him on his side, professional, efficient and loyal. Those were the type of Decepticons he wanted, ones he could talk strategy with without egos and betrayal getting in the way.

Unfortunately not all Decepticons were like that. Few were really. On the Ultrax he would likely have to take a different approach to appeal to some of its crew. Razorclaw had staked his claim to leadership with force. Thunderwing was prepared to do so as well, although it would be an option of last resort. Already this breaking into factions was hurting them. He doubted that the Autobots would resort to such brutish methods to determine leadership. It was an unfortunate drawback to Megatron’s vision, the strongest should rule. Before Megatron had unquestioningly been the strongest. Now, now everyone wanted to find out if they were the strongest, little realizing that what they did weakened them all.

The Decepticon offered a nod to Onslaught before stepping back from him. The wings on his back flipped out and the engines activated. He quickly began to rise from the depths of the murky water before finally breaking the surface. Thunderwing hovered for a moment before transforming. His sleek alternate mode would rapidly take him to the Ultrax’s location. He would likely spend more time going down to its depth then traveling towards its location on the globe. With a burst of power from his engines he rocketed off.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

"Thunderwing will have to wait. This base is not going to build itself." Well not yet anyhow... Scrapper had replied to Onslaught before moving away from the Combaticon commander and the soon to arrive long gone scientist Thunderwing - whom Shockwave apparently had brought with him from Cybertron. From there he had headed directly to the construction site, stopping only to send a short transmission to the two triplechangers he had noticed loitering about.

>>"Astrotrain and Blitzwing, may I suggest that you two help with the construction effort of a new water proof base rather sit around wasting our precious few energy resources for nothing? Long Haul could use your strength."<<

Of course, it had been a mere suggestion. While Scrapper technically outranked the two, he had delusions about them actually taking orders from him without a powerful patron like Megatron having told them to follow the Constructicon's lead. Perhaps it would be different with Devastator, yet there was no counting on it. Nevertheless, they would build this base with or without the triplechangers or any other Decepticons. Still, Scrapper was not about to turn helping hands away if they were to be offered for him.

Finally arriving to the dome they had created earlier, the acting unit leader of the Constructicons was pleasently surprised to find all the water pumped out of the construct by Mixmaster and a phase manipulator having been installed into it by Hook. The device allowed the Decepticons move straight through the dome's walls without having to build an airlock. Yet it was trigged to keep organic creatures and the water away.

Looking around him, Scrapper could see the materials raided by Baneblade's unit having been already brought into the dome. That was at least something. Yet, it was not enough, not by a longshot. The very size of transformers required large structures and large structures required massive amounts of building materials. The mobile base Starscream had ordered could not be created with the little they had. For that they would have to raid far more materials and time was a luxury they lacked. However by combining natural elements and their know-how, the Constructicons could create an immobile base of operations in no time. And that would allow them to focus on Devastator.

"Excellent work my friends." Scrapper congratulated the other Constructicons and motioned them to gather around a makeshift planning table one of them, probably Hook, had set up. "The materials we were provided might be enough to build one of those aircraft carriers the fleshling navies have patrolling the seas but it is not enough for us to create a mobile underwater fortress given our position has possibly been compromised. We need to priorize our efforts."

"We will dig into the bedrock here and create a network of tunnels that will function as our base of operations and reinforce it with what we have. Hook and I have created a design that can allows this facility to be later turned into a mobile fortress provided we have access to iron, aluminum and other metals the construction will require. While I understand that none of us likes to work with stone and concrete - we are not in a position to do otherwise." Scrapper continued his explanation and turned to see whether there was any other Decepticons but the Constructicons around, "Particularly if we are to finish the upgrade #D037."

"Now, let's get back to work gentlemechs."

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Sitting around, taking a load off, and allowing his full tank of energy to slowly digest and ripple its way through his systems sounded like too good a deal to pass up. He was glad Blitzwing had thrown the idea out there, as Astrotrain wasn't much inclined to do otherwise.

It never failed, though. Once you started to get really relaxed, something always came along to disrupt it. This time it was chatter from the little leader of the Constructicons. Apparently the big meeting, whatever it was, hadn't taken all that long and they were worthy of direct attention again. Granted, A-train hadn't really wanted it. But here it was, coming their way again. Joy.

"Ugh," Astrotrain groaned, rising to his full height again and looking over at Blitzwing, trying to gauge his reaction. Scrapper was hardly the most intimidating Decepticon, regardless of his rank. Even so, Astrotrain had heard stories, rumors mostly, of things that Scrapper had built out of people who crossed him over the vorns. So while he wasn't exactly inclined to scrape and bow for him like he would with some other, more powerful, Decepticons, he wasn't all too eager to get his name counted on some mysterious enemies list, either.

Besides, he had nothing better to do.

"Guess we better help. Tired of standing around in this," Astrotrain said, indicating the water all around them. "Which one's Long Haul? Slagging greenies all look the same to me."