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Medbay

It took Hot Spot a moment to remember the paranoid security chief wanting to hold his own meeting about fleet wide matters. It made sense during the high command meeting with everything that had gone on in recent cycles.

"Ah yes, I remember Red Alert mentioning something about overhauling our security measures. I hope he didn't get too carried away. It does make me feel good that both Prime and Magnus is taking an interest in this project Jetfire has going on. Sometimes there is so much going on the highest levels of command can't get to everything. It looks like are going to have your hands full. I hope the minor field repairs Groove did with my supervision was adequate."

Hot Spot looked around the medbay and glad to see it working but at same time noticing the age of the equipment. He wondered if some of it was as old as Kup or Ironhide.

"If you need anything I will be on the bridge. I need to file my report with Ultra Magnus and review what had happen on my ship in the past several cycles."

Private Meeting Room

Trailbreaker continued listening to the others, looking for a way he could contribute to make up for his previous oversights. It was the least he could do since his leaving his station would hurt more than his remaining, or so he hoped.

As Red Alert explained his plans, Trailbreaker’s interest was piqued and he leaned forward.

Red Alert wrote:“That is one of the p-points of interest that I thought to be useful to have a mock operation in. A location known as Kashmir by the local humans, it’s faced… a lot of conflict, according to the database. There are some humans that apparently do not take part in the conflict, but are affected by it. I think it w-would be useful to be accustomed to humans, if we take into account the Decepticons’ presence here on Sol-3. If they take this planet down as well, we’re going to be facing a seriously large toll… and we can’t afford to have that!”

Kashmir, is it? As much as helping to rebuild a base and help initiate their defenses from the ground up appealed to him, something about being around the humans and integrating into their society appealed to him. Maybe it had to do with Red Alert saying some weren’t part of the conflict. Knowing how they could stand by without choosing a side interested him, as it would be what he sought to do. Whatever the reason, something in his spark told him this was the place to go.

Nodding, he motioned to Red Alert and said, “Hey, Red, put me down for Kashmir.”

Though this was going to be anything but a rest cycle, he found himself looking forward to it as such. Gotta get this… uncertainty out of my system fast. Can’t have another lapse. He glanced around at the other Autobots gathered with a slightly guilty expression on his faceplate.

Private Meeting Room

Red Alert’s briefings had been quite well planned, at least in Anomaly’s opinion. Though he wasn’t much of a strategist or a planner, one of the things that the security director said caught his audio receptors.

“The proposed changes and improvements so far won’t be enough. We need to bring ourselves to the same technological level as the Decepticons, if not better. Although we have a gestalt of our own in the works, we can’t afford to simply rely on that, as well as our powerhouses, like Omega Supreme. We need to have all scientists and engineers developing innovations as well.”

“I, uh, would be happy to aid in the development of such technology. If I could get access to some of the files, uh, that would certainly be nice.”

The mention of the three mission locations also piqued Anomaly’s interest. “If I could, uh, be allowed to put my two shanix in, that outpost in Africa could be used for testing of all of these larger-scale projects, especially the gestalts and the phase-sixers,” he said, reading the data on the region, “It is a remote location without many lifeforms nearby, so it is quite suitable for such conditions. I would like to, uh, join the team for Africa, if that is alright.”

Medbay

"Time to return home, Groove."

“Gotcha, Hot Spot.” Groove walked with his right arm over Pipes’ body. As they were led into the medbay by Ratchet and his assistants, Groove gave a quick nod and salute. Hot Spot debriefed them on the happenings, and said he was about to depart soon enough. “Hot Spot, I’ll call you as soon as I’m done helping out here.”

He turned to Ratchet. “Anything I can help you out with? I replaced the drive pulley on the inside here. It’s not the prettiest, but it did the job. I think there’s still about 3400 cc of Energon that he still needs for the essentials.”

[Corridors from Docking Point]

Blades didn’t say a whole lot. To be honest, he was kind of itching for a brawl. He hoped so badly that there was somewhere he could go and knock someone’s faceplate clean off their helmet.

But alas, he had nothing of real importance to do. Yet, he hoped. He figured he’d just hang out with Groove in the medbay until whatever funky business there was to be done was over with. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, and turned to look over at Starfire.

“Hey,” he said, coarsely, “What in the pit were y’all supposed to be doing anyway?”

[Private Meeting Room]

The mechs in the room seemed to be all up for what was going on. In a way, it actually calmed Red Alert’s paranoia a little bit, with the discussion of ideas. With Kup being absent, it was a little bit harder to coordinate, but they could figure some things out eventually.

Jazz wrote:“I’ll take anyone willing, chief. But I’ll be happy to help however I can.”

Rook chimed in as well. “I’ll be ready for any case too. Just let me know which way to go.”

The security director put a digit on his chin, and ultimately decided that it would be most beneficial to assign them roles based on their specialities and alternate mode. A bit of a functionalist way to do things, but he feared that there might be additional suspicions otherwise.

“J-jazz’s alternate mode is the most suitable for Detroit, so he’s in charge of operation. Smokescreen and Overclock, I appreciate that you have volunteered. You will also be on his team. Any other takers?” He looked over to Bumblebee, who seemed to have nodded in agreement. “And Bumblebee. T-that works for now.” He noted some things down on the holopad in front of him. Primus, this is honestly a bit overwhelming.

“Rook, you are a defensive strategist. I… I think you’d be good at thinking of ways to fortify the outpost. You’ll be in charge of the African operation. And again, thank you Anomaly for volunteering. I will… try to allow you access to the necessary files. I’ll just have to talk to Jetfire at some point. W-we will be field testing things such as the gestalts and the phase-sixer tech at the outpost.”

After a brief pause and some data logging on the holopad, he spoke to the rest. “I s-suppose that’ll leave Kup for Kashmir. His alternate mode fits, t-thankfully. Trailbreaker, you’ve also been added to the list.”

He stepped back about a foot. “If you happen to come across any other volunteers, that would be appreciated as well.”

Blaster didn’t take long to reach the conference room, Eject hopefully behind him. He knew the ongoing happenings of the fleet anyhow, thanks to his connectedness, and figured it’d be best to start off with Red Alert and his meeting.

The doors slid open with their usual hum. “Hey guys, hopefully I’m not too late to the party. Can I get the lowdown on this?”

Red Alert almost jumped straight into the ceiling when he saw the charismatic comms officer stride in. Once he recognised the face, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Blaster, you can have the notes so far…” He forwarded the holopad with all of the notes of the meeting so far.

Blaster read through everything rather quickly. “Sounds like you’ve got some solid planning done, Red. I like it!” Red Alert gave a nervous nod. Uh, oh, wait, I could ask Blaster to do some of the work for me… now that he’s here.

He cleared his throat and asked Blaster, “Um, could you please help me contact all of the mechs at the bottom of the holopad? I do need to get some of this information out ASAP for approval.”

Blaster grinned back at him. “Sure can do, chief, just give me a second.”

Within a matter of seconds, Blaster had brought up his own holographic display that allowed him to connect to almost every Autobot frequency in the Sol System. “Alrighty, let’s see… I’ll start with the big guns.”

The first comm was to Ultra Magnus and Prowl. >>”Magnus, Prowl, I’ve caught up with Red Alert and his meeting. Everyone in the meeting seems to be in favour of the plans. I’m attaching a copy of the minutes of this meeting. Since Prime isn’t taking charge right now, can I get you to guys to look through all this? And Prowl, we’re gonna be dealing with some of that Phase Sixer stuff, so once you’re done with Peru, head back up here and rendezvous with the team that’s headed for Africa. Rook’s in charge.”<<

He knew that Jetfire was currently with Magnus, so he sent a comm to both of them. >>”Jetfire, Magnus, we're looking to do field testing of any science projects down in Africa. There's a cool science guy here, name's Anomaly. Could you guys let him into the databases? And also, can we get field testing in Africa approved? It's pretty isolated, so it'll be good for that stuff anyway.”<<

Once he got approval, he could move onto other comms.

[Private Meeting Room]

Ultra Magnus wrote:>>”Approved. I will let Prowl handle the specifics. Comm everyone who needs to be involved. We’re commencing operations immediately.”<<

That was the ticket that Blaster needed. Now he could really begin to cause some havoc. He plastered a grin on his face as he began sending out comms.

First, he needed to let old-timer Kup know what was going on.
>>”Kup, you’re being assigned as a squad leader to go to a region called Kashmir. I’ll forward you the notes from the meeting right now, have a look. Trailbreaker will be joining you, and you can pick up any others you like along the way as well. Just make sure their alt mode will fit - we don’t want any natives to get scared.”<<

Next up, the leaders of the resident Autobot damage squads.
>>”Springer, Grimlock, we need you guys to keep your Wrecker and Dinobot units on immediate standby. We’ll be calling upon you guys as our strike teams in case things start going haywire. Notify your squad members.”<<

And finally, the big announcements. This fleet was getting a makeover. Blaster encrypted every Autobot frequency he could and sent out the biggest message of them all.
>>”Attention, all Autobots. There is a new initiative being taken, and it’s to help strengthen our fleet. Some of you might be confused or scared, but don’t worry - we’ll stick together through this and we’re gonna make it through, alright? For the benefit of our cause, you can take some simple steps and make a big difference.”<<
>>”Be alert and vigilant at all times. Pay as much attention to your surroundings as you can, and encourage your friends to do the same. The more we look out for each other, the stronger we become. Tell your mind that all is well, and stay sharp. Remember - only use encrypted frequencies, and don’t go to places you shouldn’t be at.”<<
>>”Autobots, to reach the goal at the end, we have to first take a small step towards it. And now marks the moment where we all begin to take that step. A step towards a brighter future - and you can be a part of it. For those who are suitable to the following mission requirements [attached file: mission briefs], please report to Hangar Epsilon of the Guardian as soon as you can.”<<
>>”And remember - no matter how much you feel like you’re struggling, there’s always another ‘Bot who’s got your back. This is Blaster, over and out.”<<

Once Blaster was done, he smiled at Red Alert. The security chief mustered up a smile back, impressed at Blaster’s natural way with words. “T-thank you, Blaster.”

“Anytime, chief.”

[Private Meeting Room]

With almost all the necessary preparations set in place, it was time to get going. There was no time to waste - even the slightest bit of slacking could throw everything out the window! But there was one more thing - a comm from Jetfire.

Jetfire wrote:>>Red Alert, it is still a bit early to try a physical test run for the Aerialbots. We won't move down to the surface until I feel safe with the Aerialbots and all who will be around. Once the time is right, we will find a suitable location for the testing but I do appreciate the suggestion. As for this Anomaly mech, I would suggest for him to work on the ore 13 project Perceptor and Wheeljack been involved in. <<

>>”I, I get what you mean, Jetfire, but we can’t have another incident happen, even if it is just non-physical simulations. W-we don’t want another… “Optimus” to happen. And have you had a look at the location? It’s p-perfectly fine! There’s not much wind, it’s isolated and uh, it’s going to be our primary field testing location for all future projects - the harsh environment would allow us to improve on projects more than ever. I’m also going to be letting Wheeljack and Perceptor know about this kind of stuff. With Wheeljack’s track record, that Ore-13 stuff might just blow a gigantic hole in the hull of this ship!”<<

Red Alert opened up another comm to the Antarctic expedition team.
>>”H-hey guys, there's been a lot of things happening while you two were away. I'm attaching the notes from the security meeting, and I've highlighted the things that are relevant to you. B-basically, we're going to be doing most of our big science projects, like the combiner, in a remote outpost in Africa. I was hoping that you guys could maybe head straight there after you are done, a-and meet up with the team that's going to be helping put things together."<<

Now that everything was done, the security director looked around at everyone. “Um, I think that’s all there is to it, guys. Everyone’s… dismissed.”

Blaster gave him a thumbs up, and on his way out said, “Good job Red, that was a solid trunkload of planning!” With that, he made his way onto the bridge.

Scrap, I hope I didn’t mess anything up!

[Observation Deck]

The ship-wide message from Blaster had pulled Alpha Bravo out of the daze he was in. He looked at some of the mission briefs that had been transmitted, and one immediately caught his eye. He was eligible to go to some place on Earth by the name of… Kashmir?

Reading some of the files on that region made him remember their own species. Fighting over control of a piece of land, and a conflict that has lasted rather long for the native species’ lifespans. They’re just like us, he thought. We’ve also fought over one thing for so long.

And from what he understood, the mission involved… trying to make sure that those who don’t want to get involved stay uninvolved, with the extension being that they try and calm the situation down. Alpha put a hand on the top of his helmet, unsure of how to feel. What if they don’t stop?

No. That kind of mindset wasn’t affordable in this world. He was an Autobot - and every Autobot knew that life needs a chance at freedom. If this helped them get that chance, then so be it.

Alpha got up firmly, taking one last look out at the blue marble through the observation deck’s windows. With a blink of the optics, he was off, headed towards Hangar Epsilon.

[Bridge]

Magnus wasted no time bouncing over back to the Guardian, and immediately headed for the bridge. As he took his spot in the command seat, Hot Spot and Blaster both showed up simultaneously. “Thank you both for arriving. Let’s get started, shall we?” Magnus waved his hand over the holographic displays in front of him. “Blaster, I want you to keep us connected with the entire fleet. Live updates of all our troops, please.”

The comms officer took his seat at the necessary station and watched various data and comm systems buzz to life. “Gotcha chief! Live interfaces should be loading up right about now…”

The central screen in the bridge immediately began flickering with all sorts of system updates and messages - data logs of Autobots entering and leaving certain locations, bounce chamber activities and all other sorts of various, mundane things.

“Excellent. Hot Spot, shall we begin?” Magnus’s question was a rhetorical one - he didn’t waste another klik. “Blaster, display the level plans of the Guardian and Ark-22, please.”

Blaster’s fingers were moving at the same pace as Magnus’s words. He was already done bringing up the blueprints. “There they are, chief,” he said calmly as the screen populated with blueprints.

“Thank you. Now, Hot Spot, I am well aware of your… dissatisfaction with the state of your ship. As part of the new procedures, I will see to it that we have work done on your ship as well. These are the areas of your ship that are in need of renovation,” Magnus said as he selected some things on a holographic display by his side. Various sections of the blueprints were highlighted. “In addition to that, the Ark could also use some additional strengthening. We have most of the resources that we need to construct and go ahead with such an undertaking - however, it is an issue of workforce. Many of our best builders are currently planetside at Peru, which does leave us understaffed. It would be in your best interest to communicate with Grapple with regards to when the builders could be recalled to begin renovations.”

Blaster spun around in his chair to look at the Protectobot Commander. “Hey, Hot Spot, do you want me to get Autobot City on the line right now?”

Private Meeting Room

{OOC Continued from the Trion.)

Eject did indeed follow Blaster to the meeting, though he did so more out of accident than not.

He’d even missed Blaster turn down a corridor from time to time as he found what humans called the Super Bowl. It was the granddaddy of all sporting events, and he didn’t want to miss any of it. He was sure it would be historic. Out of all the games he’d watched that season, these two were the best, and he didn’t want to miss a second of it.

He’d been absently humming this years network sports theme while enjoying the defensive struggle that was ongoing.

Nope. Nothing would interrupt this game—

As soon as they stepped into the meeting room, Eject lost his connection to the game and he jumped up and down a couple of times out of frustration. {i]SCRAP! Why does this always happened to me? The defensive game of the century…[/i]

His thoughts trailed off as he spied the other occupants in the room. “Whoa,” he said, “Talk about a defensive gameplan.”

Not wanting to interfere, Eject was about to back out of the room, but a stern look from Blaster helped change his mind.

Scrap, I’m missing the big game. Why can’t I be on the injured unable to play list?

With little option but to do his duty, Eject opened a new recording for Blaster to access if need be and connected to the larger mech. Back to the minors I go.

Encrypted Comm from Prowl to Blaster:

>>”Understood, Blaster. I will be done here soon and then I will bounce up and join the Africa team to oversee the Phase Sixer project. Everything else from the meeting looks to be in order. As long as Magnus is okay with it, I am, as well. Prowl out.”<<

Encrypted Comm from Grimlock to Blaster:

>>”We no standby! We take fight to ‘Cons! And you can tell that to higher-ups! Grimlock out!”<<

[Mess Hall]

“ANOTHER ROUND FOR ALL THE ‘BOTS!”

Warpath’s fist raised a canister of engex as he cheered on after Blaster’s motivational message. Other occupants of the mess hall joined in with the celebratory cry. It seemed like a jolly good place to be right now - the Autobots were in their fighting spirit. Sure, they were weary and tired from all the constant fighting they did that never seemed to end, but they were going to get up and make one last stand now. At least, that was what was happening in Warpath’s imagination. But the voices of the other mechs in the mess hall begged to differ.

The red tank turned to Arbalest, shifting his thick armour plating as he did. “Aye, so whadya say we go wreck some house with this, eh? This mudball could use some more BADOOM, you know what I’m sayin’?”

Medbay

Blades wrote:“What in the pit were y’all supposed to be doing anyway?”

The question was to Starfire, not Groove, but he answered it anyway. “Oh, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think something strange happened with one of the bounce chambers and those three got teleported to Sol-4… somehow. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. So for now, I’m here to help look over Pipes.”

It was true, though. Groove was no rocket scientist, but even that kind of malfunction seemed… odd. He continued working with the medical equipment to the best of his ability, because Pipes was in critical and he needed to be out of that condition. Starfire would hopefully be able to survive on her own for now.

Corridors to Hangar Epsilon

Although the meeting was dismissed, Anomaly couldn’t help but shake off the exciting yet simultaneously nerve-wracking feeling that he was going to be taking part in something of this magnitude. He turned to Overclock beside him, and asked him, “Do you, uh, think we’re going to make it through? Would this…” He paused. “Would this be the beginning of the end, as they say it?”

The hangar was approaching up ahead. This would be the place where they were divided into their teams, and to be completely truthful, Anomaly was determined to prove his metal out there. He was going to be a useful mech in this army.

Mess Hall

The fleetwide message had been quite the motivational boost for some, especially Warpath. He seemed to be thoroughly celebrating this moment, and Arbalest raised his glass of energon to join him. He was curious to know what this mission was about, and his friend here seemed pretty excited to go for it.

Warpath wrote:“Aye, so whadya say we go wreck some house with this, eh? This mudball could use some more BADOOM, you know what I’m sayin’?”

“Well, I don’t see why not,” Arbalest said with a smile, “Let’s try it out. It’ll be a good first experience for me down there.”

He stood up and gestured his arm towards the doors of the mess hall. “After you, Warpath.”

Hangar Epsilon

After Kup had bounced back up to the Guardian, he headed directly for Hangar Epsilon as Blaster's communique had directed.

Arriving, he could see that he wasn't alone.

"Looks like a big party's headin' out. Do we get cake first?"

Private Meeting Room

Red Alert wrote:“J-jazz’s alternate mode is the most suitable for Detroit, so he’s in charge of operation. Smokescreen and Overclock, I appreciate that you have volunteered. You will also be on his team. Any other takers?”

Smokescreen smiled at Red Alert and gave him a respectful nod. “No problem, bud,” he said as the paranoid security director looked for other volunteers for Detroit. Bumblebee silently nodded and Red acknowledged him. The rallybot look over at the yellow minibot. “Glad to have you along little buddy,” Smokey said with a gentle pat on the scout’s shoulder plate.

The diversion expert then returned his attention back to Red Alert and the remainder of the meeting. After a short while, everything seemed to be in order. Blaster arrived and got caught up before sending out a message to every Autobot on or around Sol-3. Things were changing fast, hopefully for the better.

Once all was done, Red Alert dismissed everyone. Smokescreen got up from his seat and started towards the door, turning once again to look at Bumblebee. “Come on, ‘Bee, let’s get to the hangar. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to get off this ship and stretch my pistons in Detroit.” With a smile on his visage, Smokey headed out of the meeting room, assuming that Bumblebee was close behind him.

Bounce Chamber / Corridors

Prowl materialized on the bounce pad and quickly shook off the standard after effects of the trip. Once he was steady on his feet, the military strategist headed out and down towards the Epsilon Hangar. Along the way, he opened an encrypted comm line to both Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus:

>>”Commanders, this is Prowl reporting back from the Autobot City Site. I’ve fully debriefed both Springer and, more importantly, Omega Supreme. I’m sending you both the notes of those briefings now. In short, Scorponok and his fleet have attacked Garrus-9. According to Omega, it is likely a total loss and he does not recommend a rescue attempt. Omega was able to secure and escape with Aequitas, which he has in one of his storage banks. I have seen Aequitas for myself and it is in good condition. This explains why Scourge and his Sweeps were chasing after Omega Supreme on the outer edges of the Sol System. I have also been informed that the Phase Sixer, Overlord, is now in Scorponok’s possession. Although, he is severely damaged. It is highly probable that Scorponok will try again to find Omega and retrieve Aequitas. When that happens, we will have TWO Phase Sixers to deal with. This makes creating our own STAG more important than ever. I am currently heading to the Epsilon hangar onboard the Guardian to join the African mission where I hope that our own Phase Sixer project can begin in earnest. I will update you both when I have something to report. Prowl out.”<<

After cutting his comm line, Prowl entered a turbo lift and descended to the hangar level of the frigate.

Hangar Epsilon

Less than a breem later, Smokescreen entered the hangar and saw that quite a large gathering of mechs had assembled. The rallybot immediately noticed Kup standing nearby, asking if they were going to get cake before they headed out.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Smokescreen remarked with a chuckle. “How you doing, Kup? I hear you’re going to be in charge of the Kashmir operation. Good luck. I’m headed to Detroit with Jazz, Overclock and Bumblebee. Should be interesting.”

The doors to the hangar bay then opened again, revealing the form of Prowl, himself, as he entered the large chamber. The black and white looked around the room to see numerous Autobots milling about talking to one another. “What do we have here, a party?” Prowl asked in a raised voice so everyone could hear him. “You’re all supposed to be getting ready to depart on your respective missions. I suggest you find your shuttles and get onboard so we can all depart ASAP!”

Prowl paused for a moment as he glanced around looking for one mech in particular. “Where’s Rook? I understand he’s supposed to be heading up the African mission. I would like to speak with him.”

A short distance away, Smokescreen leaned in close to Kup and spoke to him in a low voice. “Wow, the ol’ prick-bot sounds more ‘pleasant’ than usual. Glad I’m not going on his mission. Heh.”

((OOC: Just going to nudge things along. If you were in the meeting room, please assume that you are at the hangar now for the sake of convenience.))

[Private Meeting Room]

Most of the bots in the meeting had cleared themselves and left for the Hangar, much to Red Alert’s gladness. However, there was one mech who hadn’t left his seat yet - Rook. Red Alert’s inner circuits started to feel like they were being scalded by boiling oil. Why hasn’t he left yet? Wha- does he have something to say about being in charge?!?!

Rook simply looked up and gave the security director a gentle smile. “I just wanted to ask a few questions in advance about some of the projects that I’m supposed to overlook down there.”

Red Alert stifled a sigh of relief, because thankfully Rook wasn’t aiming those large wrist-mounted cannons at him or anything.

“Although I’ve read about the reports from the Aerialbot gestalt program, which I do think would be necessary if we were to be going up against the likes of… Devastator, I do have some questions about this “phase sixer” project that Prowl initially spoke of.”

The security director rubbed his palms quietly. “Wh-what kind of questions?”

“I have knowledge of Sixshot’s prowess and have heard myths and rumours about some of the others. Do we have enough data to try and construct one of our own in a similar fashion to the gestalt data?”

Red Alert nodded. “Y-yes, Prowl has all the data regarding it. I tried to narrow down some candidates based on their medical records and… so far, I haven’t had much luck.”

“Not a single suitable candidate? Surely there must be at least one Autobot who would be able to work with this process.” Rook’s blue eyes were inquisitive underneath his helmet. The large wheels that built the sides of his torso shifted slightly as he crossed his arms.

“Well, there was one… but I’m not sure if he’s really… you know, suitable.”

Rook raised a hand to his chin, staring down the barrel of his cannon. It helped to think when he was being muzzled, by himself too. Danger added to the heat of the moment. “One is enough. Call him to the hangar. I’ll discuss this with Prowl.”

After another few brief exchanges of words, both mechs had left the room. Rook smiled with the thought that he was now in possession of some valuable information.

[En route to Hangar Epsilon]

Anomaly wrote:“Do you, uh, think we’re going to make it through? Would this… Would this be the beginning of the end, as they say it?”

Overclock thought hard about what Anomaly had just said. His stern face didn’t shift while he was thinking, because he could take care of mental processes without shifting his visage. The tires on his back slowly rotated upon their axles, adding an almost tranquil aspect to a chaotic world. He then turned to his fellow mech, green and white.

“I am inclined to agree. There are problems that remain unremoved, therefore they need to be taken care of first. However, yes, I believe that this would be beginning of the end, or so it’s said.” Throughout his response, Overclock maintained his professionalism, almost as if he was delivering a serious presentation of some kind. The doors to the hangar were just up ahead. Once he stepped through, no more insecurity was allowed to show. This would be it.

[Bridge]

Prowl wrote:>>”Understood, Blaster. I will be done here soon and then I will bounce up and join the Africa team to oversee the Phase Sixer project. Everything else from the meeting looks to be in order. As long as Magnus is okay with it, I am, as well. Prowl out.”<<

Blaster acknowledged the comm, his digits moving extremely quickly to log everything that Prowl had said. He gave Magnus a thumbs up as the city commander proceeded to oversee some of the happenings on the ship.

Grimlock wrote:>>”We no standby! We take fight to ‘Cons! And you can tell that to higher-ups! Grimlock out!”<<

”And of course,” the comms officer noted, “Grimlock is taking the Trion away from the fleet. Anything we’re gonna do about them, chief?”

Magnus stifled a sigh, drummed his digits on his chair, and then responded. “Tell Red Alert to keep a squad of soldiers on standby just in case the Dinobots end up landing themselves in a pit deeper than they can climb out of. Grimlock has already made his perspective of me clear, so countermeasures are the way to go.”

Blaster was already on it. He’d tasted some of Grimlock’s leadership just a while ago, and even he knew the kind of disdain the Dinobots held for things of this sort. He chuckled, turned to Eject in the seat next to him, and said, “Hey, little fella, I’ll let you get to your games soon, but do you think you could help me out a little here? Just parse these logs over here, and then you can go back to whatever you were doing.”

He tapped open a comm to the security director. >>”Red Alert, this is Blaster. The Dinobots have mobilised themselves and the Trion. Magnus wants you to see if you can keep some of the volunteers around as part of a standby team. Keep them ready to orbital bounce if something happens. Blaster out.”<<

Prowl wrote:>>”…Prowl reporting back… fully debriefed both Springer and, more importantly, Omega Supreme… Scorponok and his fleet have attacked Garrus-9… likely a total loss… does not recommend a rescue attempt… Omega was able to secure and escape with Aequitas… seen Aequitas for myself… in good condition… explains why Scourge… chasing after Omega Supreme… Phase Sixer, Overlord, is now in Scorponok’s possession. Although, he is severely damaged… highly probable that Scorponok will try again to find Omega and retrieve Aequitas… TWO Phase Sixers… creating our own STAG more important than ever… join the African mission where I hope that our own Phase Sixer project can begin in earnest…”<<

So, Garrus-9 is lost.

Prowl had one more comm to send, and this one was sent directly to Ultra Magnus. This was definitely the most important of them all. It was a lot of information to take in at once, but he was supposed to be in charge until Optimus decided he was fit to lead again, so this was going to have to become a usual occurrence. The message was also sent to Optimus, and Magnus trusted that Optimus would eventually make his way to Omega after talking to Ironhide.

Prowl was right. Scorponok was not going to stop. He knew Scorponok all too well, and he knew that the Decepticon warlord was not going to let up on something like the Aequitas. Omega Supreme’s message had provided so much more additional purpose and weight to everything that they were going to do right now. It was crucial that they do this right and do it for the sake of preventing further suffering at Decepticon hands.

“Gentlemechs,” he said, addressing Hot Spot and Blaster both, “It seems we have more on our hands than initially expected. Hot Spot, once this is over and I head to the surface to converse with Omega Supreme, I would like you to take command aboard the Guardian. I have already made the necessary arrangements for your ship to be retrofitted and polished. Blaster, likewise, I need you to be in charge of being my optics and audios.”

A brief pause. Then, “We are not letting Megatron gain the upper hand this time. The sooner we get these plans to completion, the better we will be prepared to stand against Scorponok. Not if, but when it happens, the Autobots need to have at least even ground against them.”

[Hangar Epsilon]

The hangar was bustling with activity, and it was certainly going to be a large undertaking, but the prospect excited Alpha. He was ready to go onto one of these missions. It had been a while since he’d done anything much, but he was really happy to be here now. If there weren’t so many people around here, he might have squealed from joy.

Kup wrote:"Looks like a big party's headin' out. Do we get cake first?"

Red Alert had just entered, with Rook in tow, and he caught Kup’s comment just then and there. “Cake? What? I was not i-informed of this!” It took Red Alert a second to realise that Kup had simply meant it as a figure of speech instead of being serious about enjoying some human delicacy.

Several optics went to Red Alert as he cleared his vocaliser and spoke loudly. “Ah, alright everyone. That shuttle there is headed to Detroit, and Jazz is in charge of it, so if you’re going there, board the shuttle please, just do it. If you’re going to Kashmir, you will be in the second shuttle there, led by Kup. The team to Africa will be on the side over there, and Rook is in charge. If you were not assigned a mission, just check in with me first, and I’ll… yeah, I’ll take care of it.” Fraggit! The security director was getting ruffled, and he hadn’t even done much.

A young white, orange and blue helicopter mech approached him first. Phew, at least it isn’t someone big and buff. Yet. No, wait, agh! Slag! Alpha looked at Red Alert from behind his visor and faceplate, and asked, “Could I join the mission to… Kashmir?”

Red Alert sighed, and typed something on his datapad. “Y-your identification?”

“Alpha Bravo, air support.” Alpha was pretty excited to finally be going on a mission. He didn’t know what it was going to be like, but the place looked like it was going to be dangerous and a bit of a thriller.

The security director entered his credentials, and selected his profile. He’s… an interesting one. Yeah. I’ll just leave him at that. “O-okay, just go stand over there next to Kup.”

He did as he was told, and waved at Kup, happy to see him again. He remembered a little while back, when he’d met Kup in the Ark when Megatron had escaped, and how he’d been one of the first people he’d seen since he woke up. “Hello again, sir!”

Red Alert went over to the Kashmir group to inform them of some specifics. “M-make sure you all have your holomatter avatars adjusted to the local population. You will need them. There is a small town that is in the d-disputed territory of the two human nations, India and Pakistan. Both nations are the strongest in their region and have…” Ack! I almost forgot to mention this earlier! “...Nuclear capabilities. T-the tensions have been increasing over one part of the region in particular, and it is… crucial that you diffuse the situation before it escalates into a full blown nuclear war! And, and then everyone would perish!”

Alpha Bravo almost chuckled under his faceplate at the last part, because of the security director’s excessive hyperboles, but he did his best to maintain composure so that he wouldn’t get into trouble.

Red Alert then went over to the Detroit group. Overclock was standing there, next to the others, and his face was stern and unmoving. It honestly freaked Red Alert out a little bit, but he needed brief them before anything else. “Uh, yeah, s-so the Detroit mission will just be a continuation of what happened before with the previous team. The aim is to s-secure the storage facility permanently, to serve as an alternate resource cache for the Autobots. It should be… mostly simple.” Hopefully. Please don’t mess anything up!

Overclock nodded. “Understood,” he said, looking to Jazz, “Ready to depart when necessary.”

Once Red Alert had taken care of his briefings, he received a comm from Antarctica.

Wheeljack wrote:>>”This is Wheeljack. I read you Red Alert. There’s been a lot of things happening down here, too. Not sure what we’re dealing with yet, but we’re going to be a while longer than initially anticipated. Just tell the team to go ahead without us. We’ll contact you and the higher-ups once we have more information down here. Wheeljack out.”<<

The Antarctica team was busy with things? What kinds of things? Weren’t they just there to mine Ore-13? What if they were scheming to do something else? Ack! Not now! He informed Rook that the Antarctica team would be there later.

Blaster wrote:>>”Red Alert, this is Blaster. The Dinobots have mobilised themselves and the Trion. Magnus wants you to see if you can keep some of the volunteers around as part of a standby team. Keep them ready to orbital bounce if something happens. Blaster out.”<<

>>”O-okay then, roger that Blaster, I guess. I’ll try looking for some… suitable mechs. Red Alert out.”<<

Luckily, he didn’t have to look around much.

Arbalest wrote:“Well, I don’t see why not. Let’s try it out. It’ll be a good first experience for me down there.”

“Alright!” It didn’t take long for Warpath to get moving, and he had took his buddy Arbalest straight down to the hangar. There were a number of mechs gathered into the hangar, all somewhat headed towards one of the various shuttles that had been readied. The question was, which one were they going to be going to? Warpath turned to Red Alert, who seemed to be the one in control of things around here. “Is there s’pposed to be some kinda sign-up ‘round here? Or do we just hop on any of ‘em?”

“Ah, a-actually, there will be no need for you two. You two have been… chosen, for… a special combat unit. It’s been a bit of a last minute preparation, but we do need capable fighters to take care of a certain problem in case something comes up.” He paused for a moment, hastily looked left and right, and in an almost desperate tone, softly added, “The Dinobots have gone off and they might be doing something really, really dangerous!”

Warpath nodded and chuckled. “Aye, I’d be definitely down for that. Whadya say, Arbsy?”

On the other side was Rook, who saw and acknowledged Prowl’s presence, knowing that he would be coming along with him. Rook had several Autotroopers behind him, some carrying supplies and a few others carrying construction drones. All of them would be helpful in refurbishing the outpost.

Prowl wrote:“Where’s Rook? I understand he’s supposed to be heading up the African mission. I would like to speak with him.”

“Right here, sir.” Rook raised his arm for a quick salute before lowering it. “Good to see you again, sir. I was informed you will be joining us to oversee the progress, is that right?” The question itself was rhetorical, since he knew that Prowl was here for only that purpose anyway, but formalities were not something that Rook was going to take shortcuts on.

“Red Alert let me in on this phase-sixer project, and it seems we have a suitable candidate. I am not well experienced with things of scientific nature, but he shares some of the characteristics as Sixshot, namely the ability to take on multiple alternate modes. Red described him to me as being a bit… turbulent, to keep things simple, but I’m sure we can iron out whatever issues are present later on.”

With that being said, the defense strategist turned his head to see a newcomer enter the hangar. His chassis was red, teal and gray, adorned with a yellow visage and a well-built frame. There was hesitation in his optics, and his first steps in were those taken in confusion. He gave a half-hearted salute to Prowl, and trudged over, dragging his feet across the floor.

Rook looked up and smiled at the triple changer new arrival. “This,” he said, turning to Prowl, “is Quickswitch.”

Hanger Epsilon

After arriving at the hanger, Trailbreaker had decided it would be easier to find his fearless leader for Kashmir, so he spent several kliks scanning the room for Kup.

He paused at seeing Bumblebee and nodded his way. Though he was one of the smallest Autobots, no one ever doubted his toughness. If more of us had a pump like his… The thought trailed off as Trailbreaker continued his search.

Since the meeting, he’d had a chance to think things over and reevaluate himself. He’d long thought of himself as a weak link, a walking energon abuser that only got in the way. The fact others disagreed had done little to change his outlook. For him, time to think was a bad thing, and he wondered if chooshing Kashmir was wise since they’d mainly be blending in. Of course, that also meant he’d use less fuel that the others needed.

Groaning to himself, he continued his way through the throng of ‘Bots, nodding and smiling as he came across familiar faces and wishing them luck. The atmosphere was filled with an abundance of excitement. Most were looking forward to their assignments, having grown bored with life aboard the Guardian. He didn’t blame them. There was something about a mission he’d never been able to quantify, even with his self-doubts.

As he moved through the gathered mechs, he felt his spirits lifting bit by bit, and he started to look at this as a chance to reinvent himself, to prove to himself he was needed. After all, serving under the command of an old timer like Kup would definitely help his perspective. Or so he hoped.

After making his rounds, Trailbreaker was about to message the old timer when the hanger doors opened and who should appear?

Kup wrote:"Looks like a big party's headin' out. Do we get cake first?"

Smiling, Trailbreaker approached him. By the time he reached Kup, a small group had already gathered around the mech. Of course, one of them had to be Prowl, so he slowed his pace.

Prowl wrote:“What do we have here, a party?” Prowl asked in a raised voice so everyone could hear him. “You’re all supposed to be getting ready to depart on your respective missions. I suggest you find your shuttles and get onboard so we can all depart ASAP!”

At least, I have good timing today, Trailbreaker thought as he approached Kup and Smokescreen.

Deciding it would be a bad time to refer to Kup and Kup-cake, Trailbreaker instead reached out and clapped Kup on the shoulder. “Good to see you again, old timer. Still got some fight in you, I see.” He turned his attention to Smokescreen. “Looking good, pal.”

Red Alert wrote: “Cake? What? I was not i-informed of this!”

Trailbreaker turned in surprise at the sudden outburst, then his expression shifted to one of sympathy.

Poor Red. He needs to get his glitches checked out more than I do, he thought as he watched Red Alert realize his mistake and turn his attention to the task at hand and give out ther assignments.

That went better than I expected… Oh scrap. Trailbreaker didn’t like the way Red Alert looked when he came to them.

Red Alert wrote: “M-make sure you all have your holomatter avatars adjusted to the local population. You will need them. There is a small town that is in the d-disputed territory of the two human nations, India and Pakistan. Both nations are the strongest in their region and have…” Ack! I almost forgot to mention this earlier! “...Nuclear capabilities. T-the tensions have been increasing over one part of the region in particular, and it is… crucial that you diffuse the situation before it escalates into a full blown nuclear war! And, and then everyone would perish!”

Nuclear weapons. Great. Just great. I really know how to pick ‘em. Outwardly, Trailbreaker said, “So don’t act like Decepticons or we’ll all glow in the dark. Seems simple enough.”



Bridge

As things went, helping Blaster wasn’t all bad. Sure, it wasn’t like scoring the winning goal in theh Stanely Cup Finals, or catching the Super Bowl’s winning touchdown, but not everyone could be the star.

At least, that’s what Eject kept telling himself as he recorder Blaster’s message for the archives. Come on, already! Kick the ball and score for the Gipper!, he thought as he watched a soccor match. Not quite as intense as the other sports, but the announcers made it worth while.

Blaster wrote: “Hey, little fella, I’ll let you get to your games soon, but do you think you could help me out a little here? Just parse these logs over here, and then you can go back to whatever you were doing.”

“Huh?” Eject said, pulling his attention away from the match just as someone finally scored. “Seriously? Now it’s all heroics? Where was that when the fans were dying? Where was… I… at… Sure thing, Blaster.” Eject smiled behind his face shield as he turned his attention to the files sent his way while keeping a audio receptor out for any more scores. Where’s Rewind when there’s a game on? Some players keep disappearing when it’s crunch time.

Groaning, he started the separation process. Nothing like being stuck in the minors to build character.

Bridge

"I appreciate having my chair back, Ultra Magnus. Grimlock was a little upset to say the least on the rescue mission to Sol-4. We got there a cycle too late as the Cons left and as you know the Dinobots, they hate missing out on a good fight. I'll keep track of the remodel of the Guardian. If you need any of the Protectobots, outside of First Aid, for any mission they are yours. Last I knew, First Aid was still on the gestalt project."

Hangar Epsilon

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it? How you doing, Kup? I hear you’re going to be in charge of the Kashmir operation. Good luck. I’m headed to Detroit with Jazz, Overclock and Bumblebee. Should be interesting.”

"Doin' good, lad," Kup nodded at the Rallybot. They'd seen battle-tested waters more than a time or two together. Some said Smokescreen liked to talk too much, but Kup never really noticed. Maybe because some 'Bots said the same thing about him, heh. Their loss. Some turbo-revvin' punks would never appreciate experience.

It wasn't long after that when Prowl arrived and kicked the little pre-mission socializing out the door and got the missions rolling. Kup headed for the shuttle that Red Alert had indicated. He wasn't sure what his mission was, but the Security Director had forwarded him notes--and he was sure they would be exhaustive, so there was no need to ask for any clarification now.

“Wow, the ol’ prick-bot sounds more ‘pleasant’ than usual. Glad I’m not going on his mission. Heh,” Smokescreen added.

"You an' me both, lad," Kup said as he unlocked a thigh-joint compartment and retrieved one of his freshly-charged cygars. Gotta start a mission off right and all.

“Hello again, sir!” a younger mech said. Kup quickly recognized the voice as belonging to Alpha Bravo. A little green, but coming along nicely.

"Welcome to th' crew, kid," Kup said, his first draw from the cygar sending a wave of protons coursing through his servos.

“Good to see you again, old timer. Still got some fight in you, I see.”

"Old timer? Pfeh. Didn't you come off the assembly line right behind me, Breaker boy?"

Smirking, Kup clapped the side of the shuttle.

"Alright, everybody, you heard Prowl. Let's get these birds some wings. We got ourselves a planet to keep outta the Decepticons greay claws."

Taking another draw from the cygar, Kup turned and boarded the shuttle knowing the others wouldn't be far behind him. It was good to see they weren't just gonna sit on their hands when the Decepticons obviously had serious designs on this planet.