The Energon Pub

Brig

As Magnus explained what all he had missed, Optimus couldn’t help but feel a mixture of pride and guilt, the latter of which overshadowing the prior. One the one hand he couldn’t be more happy that in his absence the Autobots managed to carry out their operations with relative success to further prevent a complete Decepticon takeover of the system. But on the other, despite having disappeared for what felt like eons to him. Then to have these... “episodes”, where he supposedly turned violent. It was haunting to say the least.

“Thank you, Magnus.” Optimus said in a somber tone, trying his best to stay positive given his current situation. “You’ve all shown great initiative during my absence.” The red and blue mech rose to his full height and looked about his cell, debating whether he should remain here until he felt he was back to his normal self despite Ratchet’s okay. Perhaps it was better to try and slowly get back into the swing of things, get caught up personally rather than continue to feel like a prisoner among his comrades. His blue optics turned towards his brother. “Ultra Magnus, you have done an admirable job continuing to protect this system and I do not wish to undermine your current status of command. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to return to service amongst my fellow Autobots, but not as their commander. At least, until I feel I am properly myself once more.”

”Optimus, maybe I should go to Red Alert’s meeting, too. He didn’t mention me specifically, but I’m sure I could help out and keep everyone safe... Just as long as long as you’ll be okay, of course.”

Optimus couldn’t help but to smile proudly behind his mouthplate as Smokescreen shared his concern. Their care for Prime’s wellbeing helped let Optimus know that no matter what came over him that they were willing to lend an actuator. Optimus then set his blue actuators gently on Smokescreen’s shoulder.

“Heh, I’ll be okay, my friend. And I’m sure Red Alert wouldn’t mind you joining them. The more he’s got informed, the more I’m sure we can help him out.”

[Observation Deck]

When did I get here?

It was a question Alpha did not know how to answer. He recalled himself sitting at the mess hall with a few friends, and suddenly, he was on the observation deck. Maybe the engex was getting to his processors, but he couldn’t really tell. He usually didn’t take much of the strong stuff anyway. Couldn’t handle it. Maybe something happened today.

He didn’t realise that his face was glued halfway into the observation window. How was he losing track of things so quickly? He really couldn’t tell how and when he got into this position. Pushing himself back for a second, he tried to count the number of stars in his direct vision. Through his visor, he calculated somewhere between… how many? He couldn’t remember. It seemed like more were appearing every second, and some disappearing momentarily. The stars kept moving in and out of view. His head was spinning too much to begin counting again.

The blue planet towards the left, with its bright, radiant blue surface. “Wow,” he said, out loud to no one in particular. It looked… beautiful, honestly. More alive than Cybertron. Something pure, relatively untouched in the grand scheme of things. Sure, he’d read up about it having a dominant species that had developed technology far beyond anything else on the planet, but they couldn’t have affected the planet much, could they?

It seemed like a blue marble to him from the observation deck. If only Cybertron looked as alive as this. The cold feeling of dread invited itself into his systems. His optics glowed with a wistful light.

The next thing he knew, he was on a seat. What’s going on. The thoughts in his mind could not even finish themselves as questions, and he found himself being stuck with fragmented sentences which he couldn’t finish, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate. Man, this feels weird, I don’t know if I should-

His mind became a blank void. His optics stared blankly into the void in front of him. The lights in the void flickered. His eyes flickered back.

[Brig]

Prime’s iconic faceplate indicated many things. It was a symbol amongst Autobots of courage. Leadership. Fearlessness. But at this very moment in time, it was hiding several other, different kinds of emotions. Pride. Guilt. Mostly guilt, and a bit of disappointment, perhaps with a bit of regret mixed in somewhere. Magnus knew that the recap had given Prime a lot to deal with. The words that followed only solidified his conjecture.

Optimus Prime wrote:“Ultra Magnus, you have done an admirable job continuing to protect this system and I do not wish to undermine your current status of command. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to return to service amongst my fellow Autobots, but not as their commander. At least, until I feel I am properly myself once more.”

Magnus could simply nod and feel humbled by Prime’s words. “Of course, Optimus. You do not need to ask me for my permission, but rather it should be me who asks you. However, I will do as you say and continue with this role until you consider yourself fit once again.”

Magnus checked the console near the Brig’s doors, quickly reading some logs. He turned back to Prime, saying, “It might be best for us to return to the bridge. Matters could be discussed more thoroughly there, and you can observe the happenings for yourself there. But, I will not force you, and if you require some time at the medical bay, you are completely free to do so.”

Brig

Optimus Prime wrote:“Heh, I’ll be okay, my friend. And I’m sure Red Alert wouldn’t mind you joining them. The more he’s got informed, the more I’m sure we can help him out.”

Smokescreen smiled and nodded to his long time friend and Autobot leader. After everything that had happened recently, it would be hard to leave Optimus, but the rallybot knew that he would ultimately be okay. He seemed fine now with no signs of a relapse. Still, everyone needed to be on guard and Prime’s words to Magnus before he had responded to Smokey showed that Optimus was being careful, too.

“Well, it’ll be weird having you amongst us and not be our leader,” Smokescreen said to Optimus Prime, placing another reassuring hand on his leader’s shoulder. “But, whatever you feel is right is okay by me.” Magnus then agreed and suggested that they head to the bridge as long as Optimus did not require a stay in the med bay. It seemed that now was as good a time as any for Smokey to finally take his leave before he missed Red Alert's meeting entirely.

“I guess that’s my cue,” the diversion expert interjected, removing his hand from Prime’s shoulder plate. “Take it easy, old friend. If you need me, I’ll be at Red’s security meeting.” And with that said, Smokescreen turned and exited the Brig, sparing one last glance over his shoulder at Optimus before disappearing from sight.

Private Meeting Room

Less than a breem later, Smokescreen arrived at the door to the meeting room. The rallybot quickly realized that he had to enter numerous codes and identification in order to simply gain entrance to this little party. The red and blue mech should’ve expected no less from a ‘Bot as paranoid as Red Alert.

Finally, after the seventh security code was accepted, the door slid open. “About time,” Smokey muttered under his breath as he entered the private room. There were already several mechs present including Ratchet, Bumblebee, Rook, Anomaly and a few others. They were all seated before the security director who was situated at the front of the room. “Sorry if I’m late, Red. I had to make sure Optimus would be okay before I came here. And I do realize I was not mentioned in your earlier communique, but Prime said that you wouldn't mind if I joined your little pow-wow. The more the merrier, right? Heh.”

Smokescreen then took a quick seat next to Bumblebee and Ratchet. “Hey fellas, did I miss anything important?”

[Private Meeting Room]

The room was quickly filling up with mechs of various sizes and shapes, and something was tugging at Red Alert deep inside. No, he couldn’t just wait around. Someone was probably coming up with plans already. Several mechs, on various sides of the table, were quietly discussing some things on their own, and as much as it tempted the Security Director to eavesdrop on what they were talking about, he had to keep himself in check for a little while. Just this little while.

“Ahem,” he cleared his vocaliser, drawing attention from everyone present in the room. “I think we should get going.”

His vocaliser was shaky, but loud enough to project what he wanted to say. “As I’m sure you all know, we are here to talk about some… “issues” with security around the fleet. With the recent escape of Megatron from his confines, i-it would be in our favour to heighten our security measures.”

“T-those of you who were chosen to attend this meeting were picked based on your credentials. Bumblebee, Pinpoint and Overclock are all experts at stealth and covert ops. Knowing how…” Red Alert’s voice trailed off. He was a bit afraid of admitting why they were there, to be honest, because any one of them could use those very skills to turn against him. Oh please, please, please… “Knowing how a spy would operate in an infiltration situation can provide us with useful intel.”

“Trailbreaker and Rook are both defense specialists. Y-your skills and knowledge will be of great use to the fleet. Jazz, Kup and Ratchet, you, uh, should be well aware of why you are here. The rest of you, I believe you are here to be informed.”

Red Alert tapped some things on a nearby holopad, causing the screen to load blueprints and various security measures.

“Uh, first order of business is to restrict areas for lower-ranking Autobots and for those who are not… “qualified” to enter an area. So, Anomaly here would be allowed access to the labs, but some others might not.”

“Secondly, all communications are to be encrypted and secured. No stray comms should EVER happen. Who knows if Soundwave gets his hands on one of them? He could triangulate our location and… and… and then the entire Decepticon fleet will annihilate us!”

Rook chuckled a little bit.

“Thirdly, we need to g-gather and install more security equipment, like scanners, cameras and microphones. Everything to record each moment at every corner of the ship!”

Overclock raised his voice to inquire, cutting Red Alert off, “Would it not be a better idea to limit the additional equipment to just the critical locations? Potential blind spots and choke points would be a good place to start.”

Rook interjected some of his own ideas, “I quite agree. And besides, we wouldn’t necessarily need audios for everything. We can just secure the perimeter.”

Red Alert’s mental processors were about to go nuts. Surely, these mechs wanted to hinder the security so that they could plot and scheme their plans without him knowing. There had to be a conspiracy!

“Uh… I-I’ll get back to you on that.”

Meeting Room

"Bee," Ratchet said, greeting the fellow Autobot agreeably. "Optimus is....well, I know full well he's not fine, since I haven't yet figured out what prompted that rampage of his. But, for all intents and purposes, he seems fine right now. We just have to be on guard, because I haven't yet found anything I can do to keep what he did from happening again. As to this meeting...?"

Ratchet looked to Red Alert then back to Bumblebee.

"...your guess is as good as mine. But I could be doing a dozen other things beside sit idly, so if we're not going to get started soon, let's reschedule and try again some other time, hm?"

Bumblebee frowned and looked down at his reflection in the gloss of the polished table they were all sitting around. He was really worried about Optimus Prime. He hoped that he wouldn't have another outburst. He almost killed a few Autobots and definately made a mess of the ship. He just had to try and keep positive though. It was good Ratchet was so honest. Also, he agreed with Ratchet about this meeting. It needed to start. He could be down at the brig or doing something else.

"Yah, let's begin the meeting, shall we?", he asked towards Red Alert. The yellow minibot then noticed Trailbreaker looked really uncomfortable. Was he still worried about Optimus too, or was it something to do with the security?

"Trailbreaker, bud, you with us?", he asked the truck mech.

Just then, another had joined them as the doors opened and in came Smokescreen. Bumblebee looked his way, smiling slightly. The sight of the red, white and blue rally racer being here meant that things must have been going well in the Brig. Smokescreen seemed at peace by the looks of him. He spoke to Red Alert, confirming Bumblebee's educated guess, and he proceeded to join the rest of the Bots at the table, addressing Bee and Ratchet,

“Hey fellas, did I miss anything important?”

"No, not yet, Smokey. It's great that you could come though.", Bumblebee said.

“Ahem,” he cleared his vocaliser, drawing attention from everyone present in the room. “I think we should get going.”

It was Red Alert. Bumblebee turned back towards the red and white painted security officer and nodded in agreement, listening intently.

“As I’m sure you all know, we are here to talk about some… “issues” with security around the fleet. With the recent escape of Megatron from his confines, i-it would be in our favour to heighten our security measures.”

“T-those of you who were chosen to attend this meeting were picked based on your credentials. Bumblebee, Pinpoint and Overclock are all experts at stealth and covert ops. Knowing how…” Red Alert’s voice trailed off. He was a bit afraid of admitting why they were there, to be honest, because any one of them could use those very skills to turn against him. Oh please, please, please… “Knowing how a spy would operate in an infiltration situation can provide us with useful intel.”

Bumblebee could tell Red Alert was nervous, especially when he had paused his speech. It made sense. Bee and those others who worked in Covert Ops could help by pointing out flaws in the system. How exactly it would be played out was up to the man with the plan as they say, so Bee would keep quiet for now and focused on the rest of the briefing. Once the holographic image of the ship's map appeared, Bee looked at it, as did the others, and Red Alert continued explaining.

“Uh, first order of business is to restrict areas for lower-ranking Autobots and for those who are not… “qualified” to enter an area. So, Anomaly here would be allowed access to the labs, but some others might not.”

“Secondly, all communications are to be encrypted and secured. No stray comms should EVER happen. Who knows if Soundwave gets his hands on one of them? He could triangulate our location and… and… and then the entire Decepticon fleet will annihilate us!”

Everything made sense. However, poor Red was known at times to panic, and this was one of them.If they kept up with the encryotions and changed them often, a communications breach would be difficult for the enemy to attain. Rook started laughing, but Bumblebee knew better to laugh. He kept himself in check and would wait for Red to finish, and then Bee would address some things.

“Thirdly, we need to g-gather and install more security equipment, like scanners, cameras and microphones. Everything to record each moment at every corner of the ship!”

'Oh no....he's taking things to the extreme again.', Bumblebee thought, sighing. Everyone needed a little bit of privacy, after all. Continuing to listen, Overclock and Rook made some valid points, in which Bumblebee nodded in agreement. Too much extra security equipment, and too much surveillance overall, would make EVERYONE uncomfortable. They nust had to install the equipment where it was best needed at.

“Uh… I-I’ll get back to you on that.”

Since Red now paused, Bee cleared his own vocalizer and addressed the security officer,

"You need to try to calm down, Red. All of us here are friends and we all want our ship to be safe. After all, it's basically our home too. Now...I agree with you on some points. Monitoring certain channels should always be important. Encryption should also be used on all public channels in and out of the ship, and to make sure our messages stay safe, I think the codes need to be changed up once every few cycles. Private channels though, shouldn't be a problem. Also, as far as surveilance and audio recording equipment go, I agree with Rook and Overclock. In addition, too much surveillance and audio equipment would make everyone feel uncomfortable. Everyone needs their own personal space you know? That being said, I don't mind volunteering to help you set up equipment where it's necessary.", said Bee. He then sighed, hopind Red would calm down. Together they would get this all straight and the Guardian would be more secure in no time.

Brig

“I will. Thank you, my friend.” Optimus replied warm heartedly as the rally-bot took his exit. A part of him wanted to follow after and join in on the security meeting, but deep down he knew given recent events our bad that might set off their residential security officer. The red and blue Autobot let out a deep sigh. He needed to focus on recovery, not the previous events.

”It might be best for us to return to the bridge. Matters could be discussed more thoroughly there, and you can observe the happenings for yourself there. But, I will not force you, and if you require some time at the medical bay, you are completely free to do so.”

Optimus was relieved when Ultra Magnus accepted his request. It was reassuring to hear he and everyone had Prime’s well being in mind before his role as their commander. He knew he’d need to return to that role in due time, but he needed to get over these violent episodes.

“Ultra Magnus, you— You mentioned the Aerialbots were... messing with Gestalt technology? I trust Jetfire and the others on the team but I’d like to check in on their progress. Such a process has been a long regarded myth and if they managed to make it a reality... Well, we should go check to make sure Silverbolt and the other Aerialbots are okay at least.”

Leading himself out of the brig, Optimus made his way to the bounce chamber.


((OOC: Optimus has moved to the Ark-22 thread))

Private Meeting Room

Trailbreaker had allowed his processor to wander. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stop focusing on his own failures. The ship, and fleet in general, had the best security procedures and equipment they had. It often came down to the personnel to ensure everything worked.

But what if the personnel are the problem? he thought, ready to assume one hundred percent of the fault Red Alert was about to hand out.

Bumblebee wrote:"Trailbreaker, bud, you with us?"

“Hmm?” Trailbreaker’s optics shifted from an imaginary spot on the far wall to the small yellow ‘Bot. Smiling, he tried to act normal and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good, Bee. Thanks for asking.” But am I? really?

He glanced toward Red Alert, wondering when the mech was going to get the show started. The quicker, the better, I say.

Out of all the mechs here, Trailbreaker thought he understood Red Alert’s paranoia the best. It was a design flaw that served defensive personnel well.

When Red Alert started, Trailbreaker listened to the mech’s stilted speech and felt sympathy for him. If there was a mech that deserved a drink more than him, it was Red Alert.

He flinched when Megatron’s escape came up, and didn’t know if he felt relieved or ashamed that he hadn’t been called out for not doing more as Red Alert continued.

Red Alert wrote:“Uh, first order of business is to restrict areas for lower-ranking Autobots and for those who are not… “qualified” to enter an area. So, Anomaly here would be allowed access to the labs, but some others might not.”

Trailbreaker nodded along. Okay, good point.

Red Alert wrote:“Secondly, all communications are to be encrypted and secured. No stray comms should EVER happen. Who knows if Soundwave gets his hands on one of them? He could triangulate our location and… and… and then the entire Decepticon fleet will annihilate us!”

All? Seems a bit excessive, but understandable. He glanced at Rook, and was surprised to find himself smiling along. Red is at his best today.

Red Alert wrote:“Thirdly, we need to g-gather and install more security equipment, like scanners, cameras and microphones. Everything to record each moment at every corner of the ship!”

Okay, Red. Gettin’ a little overboard here. Trailbreaker raised his hand to get Red Alert’s attention and offer a gentler opinion than what crossed his processor — he wasn’t interested in making another look foolish, and disrespecting another Autobot was something one just didn’t do — but Overclock beat him to it.

Overclock wrote: “Would it not be a better idea to limit the additional equipment to just the critical locations? Potential blind spots and choke points would be a good place to start.”

It started a mini feeding frenzy.

Rook wrote:“I quite agree. And besides, we wouldn’t necessarily need audios for everything. We can just secure the perimeter.”

Okay, enough is enough.

Red Alert wrote: “Uh… I-I’ll get back to you on that.”

Trailbreaker raised his hand, and spoke before any of the others could continue bombarding Red Alert with their insights.

“Red, if I may. You’ve made some great points, and while I agree with Rook and Overclock to an extent, I’ve found it often comes down to how our personnel operate. I accept my ‘fair share’ of the blame for what happened, and I’m curious what other changes you think would work best.”

There, he said it. His greatest fears and concerns were out in the open. Let them come at him with whatever punishment they saw fit. At least, the pressure’s off of Red now, he thought.

Private Meeting Room

Before Ratchet could say anything to the newly-arrived Smokescreen, Red Alert seemed to take Ratchet's earlier cue and get the meeting to order. The Chief Medical Officer sat back in his chair, fingers steepled firmly under chin as he listened to Red Alert lay out his proposal. He didn't exactly speak with the calming influence of Optimus Prime but his proposal seemed well laid-out.

As the others started to speak out, Ratchet formulated his own opinion and once the opportunity came he decided to add it.

"I'm for it. All of it. I don't know how we can capture a mech like Megatron and have him magically escape, but we did. That can't happen again. To say nothing of the fact that Optimus may not seem like it now--but until I figure out what slag caused that turn of his, he's a threat. We shouldn't treat him like he's a threat, but we shouldn't be ignorant of it, either. Now, I've installed a killswitch that may save us if it happens again...but it could very well override it just as easily. Whatever technology did that to Optimus is uncharted waters as far as I know. Trust me when I say that issue has all of my attention right now, so if you just needed my two cents for how to proceed here...well...there it is. Do what you need to."

[Priority Transmission to the Guardian]

Blaster wrote:>>”Trion to Guardian, this is Blaster speaking. We will be docking soon at starboard, please engage standard docking procedures. We’ve got some injured mechs that we’re gonna transfer over, so have some medics and hoverberths ready to go, alright? Over and out.”<<

Private Meeting Room

Before anyone could address Ratchet's contribution, a priority transmission came through to the senior officers via Blaster. Injured mechs meant Ratchet was on duty. He delegated only in the most dire of circumstances, and this little meeting did not qualify by a long shot.

>>This is Ratchet. I read you, Blaster. How injured are we talking about? I'm en route, I just want to have an idea of what I'm dealing with."<<

With that transmission sent, Ratchet got up from the table.

"Well gentlemechs. Duty calls. You know where to find me if I can be of any further assistance," the chief medical officer said as a way of dismissing himself. He gave Red Alert and the others a nod before heading out of the room.

Private Meeting Room

Bumblebee wrote:“No, not yet, Smokey. It's great that you could come though."

“Ah, good. Glad to hear I’m not late,” Smokescreen replied, smiling at Bumblebee before turning his attention to Red Alert who had just cleared his vocalizer. “Sounds like the meeting’s about to begin.” The diversion expert was not wrong.

Red Alert wrote:“I think we should get going. As I’m sure you all know, we are here to talk about some… ‘issues’ with security around the fleet. With the recent escape of Megatron from his confines, i-it would be in our favour to heighten our security measures. T-those of you who were chosen to attend this meeting were picked based on your credentials. Bumblebee, Pinpoint and Overclock are all experts at stealth and covert ops. Knowing how…Knowing how a spy would operate in an infiltration situation can provide us with useful intel.

“Trailbreaker and Rook are both defense specialists. Y-your skills and knowledge will be of great use to the fleet. Jazz, Kup and Ratchet, you, uh, should be well aware of why you are here. The rest of you, I believe you are here to be informed.

“Uh, first order of business is to restrict areas for lower-ranking Autobots and for those who are not… “qualified” to enter an area. So, Anomaly here would be allowed access to the labs, but some others might not.

“Secondly, all communications are to be encrypted and secured. No stray comms should EVER happen. Who knows if Soundwave gets his hands on one of them? He could triangulate our location and… and… and then the entire Decepticon fleet will annihilate us!

“Thirdly, we need to g-gather and install more security equipment, like scanners, cameras and microphones. Everything to record each moment at every corner of the ship!”

Overclock and Rook then interjected their own ideas to which the increasingly paranoid security expert responded, “Uh…I-I’ll get back to you on that.”

Then others started to chime in with their own two energon chips. Bumblebee wanted Red Alert to calm down before he stated his ideas. Trailbreaker was next to offer his opinion, but it was Ratchet that was the most blunt, basically agreeing with everything the paranoid ‘Bot had suggested. The CMO then received a private comm and was called away on medical business.

Once Ratchet had left the room, Smokescreen decided it was his turn to speak up.

“Well, I’m with Ratchet on this, guys,” the rallybot started to say, standing from his seat. “I was there when Optimus wasn’t himself and tried to kill anyone that got in his way. Now, I don’t think he’s a threat at present. He’s seems like he’s back to his old self. However, there’s definitely something else at play here that seems to have also affected Megatron. I doubt their reappearance was a mere accident or coincidence. So, while I share some of your concerns regarding taking things too far, in my opinion we need to go that far to ensure the safety of the crew. I mean, Hot Rod was recently possessed by the Fallen and almost killed all of us. Then, Prime and Megatron were taken over by something where Optimus attacked us and the slagmaker escaped. Who’s to say that whatever this is we’re dealing with won’t try and take any of us over, too? This isn’t a normal enemy. This is something…different, and until we know all of the facts we really can't take any chances.”

Smokescreen looked around at everyone present, remaining quiet for a few astroseconds in order to let what he just said sink in. The rallybot then looked back at Red Alert. “My expertise is diversionary tactics. One thing I didn't hear you mention was cyber security. Even with appropriate firewalls installed, our ships' computer systems can still be vulnerable to attack. Maybe a program could be uploaded that would essentially divert a hacker's attention away from the more important systems. It would make them think they've already infiltrated those systems when in reality they're only looking at the diversion program, which, of course, would contain nothing but false data. Just an idea, but one that could benefit us in case of a cyber incursion."

With those final words spoken, the red and blue racer sat back down and waited for Red Alert’s response or anyone else’s for that matter.

[Private Meeting Room]

Bumblebee wrote:"You need to try to calm down, Red. All of us here are friends and we all want our ship to be safe. After all, it's basically our home too. […] In addition, too much surveillance and audio equipment would make everyone feel uncomfortable. Everyone needs their own personal space you know? That being said, I don't mind volunteering to help you set up equipment where it's necessary."

In a way, Red Alert felt like Bumblebee was right. He did need to put a little restraint. But what if…?

No, he’d need to hold himself a little more professionally for now. “A-apologies, gentlemechs, I think I might’ve gotten a little carried away there…” he said, his voice getting quieter. “As for… the camera and audio feeds, I suppose we could limit it to the important zones… although what shouldn’t be covered might be a bit ambiguous, and I don’t want to leave anything potentially important unsecured.” He cleared his throat, regaining the volume in his voice. “Ultimately, we would need to install equipment that is beneficial in both the short and the long term.”

Trailbreaker wrote:“Red, if I may. You’ve made some great points, and while I agree with Rook and Overclock to an extent, I’ve found it often comes down to how our personnel operate. I accept my ‘fair share’ of the blame for what happened, and I’m curious what other changes you think would work best.”

Rook interjected to respond to Trailbreaker. “That’s also a bit true. As much as the technology and upgrades would help, we need a bit of change in our behaviour and culture around here as well. Being a closely-knit fleet would definitely do much to boost our morale, especially in difficult times such as this.”

Red Alert gave it a bit of a think, and nodded his head. “Ye-yeah, I think that would be useful. Although, where could we start? W-we’re definitely not trying the Decepticon approach to remaining alert…”

Rook had an idea, and immediately responded, “Perhaps we could set up certain “mock” operations, in standard squad sizes, of about 4-6 per unit. I used to take part in trials like these with a few others several metacycles ago, and it does help to bring mechs together as part of one army.”

Overclock sat silently, brooding about the fact that he may have to work with mechs outside his comfort zone.

The security officer put a digit on his chin, and turned back to Rook. “That is actually similar to something that I, uh, wanted to propose eventually, but I’ll get back to that later.”

Smokescreen wrote:One thing I didn't hear you mention was cyber security. Even with appropriate firewalls installed, our ships' computer systems can still be vulnerable to attack. Maybe a program could be uploaded that would essentially divert a hacker's attention away from the more important systems. It would make them think they've already infiltrated those systems when in reality they're only looking at the diversion program, which, of course, would contain nothing but false data.

Scrap, I forgot to mention all the digital plans! “Uh, yes, Smokescreen. That is a sound idea, and something similar is part of the plans, although your idea… sounds reasonable. I w-will talk to Prowl and Blaster about the implementation of such a programme. We already have high-security encryptions planned for our comm-lines, and this would, uh, definitely strengthen our technological sector.”

Ratchet wrote:"I'm for it. All of it. I don't know how we can capture a mech like Megatron and have him magically escape, but we did. That can't happen again. To say nothing of the fact that Optimus may not seem like it now--but until I figure out what slag caused that turn of his, he's a threat. We shouldn't treat him like he's a threat, but we shouldn't be ignorant of it, either. Now, I've installed a killswitch that may save us if it happens again...but it could very well override it just as easily. Whatever technology did that to Optimus is uncharted waters as far as I know. Trust me when I say that issue has all of my attention right now, so if you just needed my two cents for how to proceed here...well...there it is. Do what you need to."

“Ratchet, you’re definitely top gun for our medicals here, so uh, I’m hoping you’ve got Optimus covered as much as possible. In the event that an… incident… like that one before occurs again, w-we need to have a first response team at the scene immediately.” Ratchet, unfortunately, had to leave early. “T-thank you for attending, Ratchet. Your input was v-valuable.”

He then turned his attention to the Special Ops Director, “So uh, Jazz, I’d like to ask you for a favour, since you’re Special Ops and all.” Red Alert paused, and brought up a holopad with some information on it. “In order to aid with the… unification of our fleet’s troops, I-I was wondering if you could start some training programmes for Autobot soldiers, to prepare them for the kinds of patrols we would need to keep the security. T-there should be plenty of active patrols around the fleet as well as around Autobot City, though I’m sure that I could communicate to Prowl about that in some way. These programmes could very well be integrated into the mock operations that Rook mentioned earlier. In fact, I’ve got a few suitable locations right here…”

As he tapped something on the holopad, a blue, holographic globe representing Sol-3 appeared above the conference table. On it, several red markers began to appear, faintly pulsating. A large green marker appeared on the continent of South America, and a similar, smaller one appeared on the continent of Africa. There was also an orange marker at the very bottom of the globe.

“The coordinates shown in green towards the western half are of Autobot City. That is to be the primary base of operations for us on Sol-3, as I’m sure you all know. The coordinates in green towards the central continent of…” he paused to read the name of the continent, “...Africa show the location of an outpost that was supposed to be built, but was abandoned because of the whole Fallen mess. It would be, uh, in our best interests to have an outpost that is closer to some of the larger continents, especially as the Africa continent is prone to much human conflict.”

He highlighted some of the other markers, notably the orange one. “T-that is currently where Perceptor and Wheeljack’s expedition team is. From the logs that I received, they are looking for a certain resource that might allow better combat capabilities. A resource like this should definitely stay out of Decepticon reach.”

A red marker, somewhere in the middle of the Asian continent began to flash slowly. “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!”

Another red marker lit up. This time, it was north of Autobot City. “That’s Detroit, in North America. We had a team go there as well before, but again, the Fallen and all cut it short. It would definitely be useful to go back and establish presence, considering that it is a major human city, with close access to many human military facilities.”

He turned to Jazz, Kup and Rook. “If, uh, you don’t mind, I’d like to appoint you three as the primary commanders of any such missions. In terms of who will accompany you as part of the unit, well, that I think you can figure out for yourself.”

He tapped his holopad again, replacing the globe with a few statistics and graphs. The graphs in particular had multiple columns, some for current and some for projected. “These are numbers about our, uh, fleet, at the moment. The projected figures are where we should be aiming for, with response rates, resource allocations, etc. Aside from that are our military specifications,” he said, with a sigh, “As you can see, we’re c-comparatively behind the Decepticons. They have a functional gestalt, superior firepower and…” Oh for PRIMUS’S SAKE, not those things! “...Phase sixers.”

“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.”

He took a step back and sighed. Primus, how long have I been talking?! Hopefully they didn’t start making their own plans during that… hopefully it wasn’t too boring… The security chief leaned back. “Any, uh opinions? Questions?”

Private Meeting Room

Rook wrote: “That’s also a bit true. As much as the technology and upgrades would help, we need a bit of change in our behaviour and culture around here as well. Being a closely-knit fleet would definitely do much to boost our morale, especially in difficult times such as this.”

Trailbreaker nodded along, grateful another understood their limitations weren’t simply based on technology. There was a time when technology was a tool, not a way of life. When older, outdated models were replaced by newer, more efficient ones.

Except for me and a few other old timers, he thought with a slight smile. His smile faded as another thought slowly came to him. Guess technology is our replacement after all.

Red Alert wrote: “Ye-yeah, I think that would be useful. Although, where could we start? W-we’re definitely not trying the Decepticon approach to remaining alert…”

This was his chance. The opportunity for him to voice his suggestion that he be retired. All he had to do was speak up again. He’d hinted at retiring a few times in the past, but Prime or one of the others would always talk him out of it.

He pushed those thoughts aside. He was here to help, and he may not be able to maintain a high level physically, his processor was still functioning at peak levels. He intended to offer what he could until he found a better moment to step aside. Doing so now, with so many depending on him, wasn’t the right time. He just hoped he wouldn’t function to regret this.

Rook’s suggestion of holding mock operations made sense. It was the best way to train the younger Autobots for the rigors of what was to come. The question was, who would be in charge of their training? He could think of several ‘Bots that were worthy of the post. Still, he didn’t want to get too caught up in thinking of candidates until Red Alert explained what he intended.

He suddenly regretted having so much energon prior to the meeting. Better not be some unnecessarily complicated technomumbojumbo. I don’t think my processor could handle it.

As he sat and listened to Red Alert’s plans and explanations, Trailbreaker could only think, definitely too much energon. It didn’t keep him from following along, instead, it seemed to enhance his ability to make silent notes of what was needed and where.

Spread too thin. He kept the thought to himself for the moment. He knew his viewpoint would be considered old fashioned, but he didn’t like having their resources spread across a single planet. At least, we’ll be able to respond faster if there’s trouble.

He had just come to a comfortable mental balance between what Red Alert wanted and what they had when the numbers and charts started.

The more he saw, the more Trailbreaker felt he’d made the right decision about not trying to step aside. As limited as he was, his loss would only create more trouble for those sitting in this room and others depending on them. It’d be nice to not be an

Groaning, he shook his head at the discrepancy between the Autobots and Decepticons’ tech levels. [i]I miss the old days.

Red Alert wrote: “Any, uh opinions? Questions?”

Trailbreaker shook his head. “None here, Red. Looks like we’d better get busy laying this out.”

Approaching Docking Corridor

As Ratchet strode through the corridors, picking up a little speed with each step as he accessed a medical command pad, several medibot drones were soon following him. After rounding the second corner, two medical Autotroopers joined the group, pushing a large cart of supplies.

>>We’ve got three ‘bots that we rescued off of Sol-4. One’s knocked out and had their arm taken out, probably lots of Energon loss. One of them’s bruised, but she’s still holding up fine. The last one’s Ironhide. He’s fine, for the most part, but I’d still look at him."<<

Ratchet couldn't help but smirk at Blaster's assessment of Ironhide. The Chief Medical officer was more than familiar with Ironhide's inner workings. He could take a point-blank from Megatron and would still try to wave off medical treatment. Still, it seemed there was only one critical amongst the group. That was better than he had been expecting.

>>"I read you, Blaster. I've got a team in position. We're ready to take on the injured,"<< Ratchet commed back as he and the others approached the bay doors that linked the two ships.

Private Meeting Room

“Hmm?” “Yeah, I’m good, Bee. Thanks for asking.”

Bumblebee looked back to Trailbreaker with a pleasant smile on his face. The small VW Beetle-bot thought to himself, 'Good. Try to stay positive.’ in regards to Trailbreaker. He himself was doing his best to stay positive, as he was focused on the topics presented in the meeting.

Trailbreaker then spoke up to Red Alert as well, saying,

“Red, if I may. You’ve made some great points, and while I agree with Rook and Overclock to an extent, I’ve found it often comes down to how our personnel operate. I accept my ‘fair share’ of the blame for what happened, and I’m curious what other changes you think would work best.”

Bumblebee remained quite, though he gave a nod. He too wanted to hear what others had to say. He was certain though, that by the end of this meeting they would have a solid plan of action. He was just hoping that it'd be fair for everyone and not imposing on personal privacy.

Next to speak up was the chief medical officer,

"I'm for it. All of it. I don't know how we can capture a mech like Megatron and have him magically escape, but we did. That can't happen again. To say nothing of the fact that Optimus may not seem like it now--but until I figure out what slag caused that turn of his, he's a threat. We shouldn't treat him like he's a threat, but we shouldn't be ignorant of it, either. Now, I've installed a killswitch that may save us if it happens again...but it could very well override it just as easily. Whatever technology did that to Optimus is uncharted waters as far as I know. Trust me when I say that issue has all of my attention right now, so if you just needed my two cents for how to proceed here...well...there it is. Do what you need to."

Bumblebee's expression became a bit troubled. He understood what Ratchet was saying and agreed that there needed to be a great level of caution, but a killswitch? Was that really necessary? It was then that he thought of the scene back in the medical ward. Jazz laying there in pieces, energon everywhere, and Optimus looming over Bumblebee with his axe. It was like...a nightmare. A bad dream. However, it really did happen. So….maybe it was necessary. The yellow minibot's optics fell to the reflective surface of the table and he stared at himself for a minute, while listening to the others speak.

Then, came the transmission from Blaster on the Trion. They'd be docking now on the starboard side of the Guardian and they'd be transporting over injured mechs. That message having been received, it came to no surprise that the crotchety old surgeon got up to remove himself from this meeting. His expertise were needed elsewhere.

Bumblebee watched the white and red mech leave, and soon his attention was averted by the resumption of the meeting. The red, white, and blue rallybot Smokescreen was next to add his wisdom to the matter, saying,

“Well, I’m with Ratchet on this, guys,” the rallybot started to say, standing from his seat. “I was there when Optimus wasn’t himself and tried to kill anyone that got in his way. Now, I don’t think he’s a threat at present. He’s seems like he’s back to his old self. However, there’s definitely something else at play here that seems to have also affected Megatron. I doubt their reappearance was a mere accident or coincidence. So, while I share some of your concerns regarding taking things too far, in my opinion we need to go that far to ensure the safety of the crew. I mean, Hot Rod was recently possessed by the Fallen and almost killed all of us. Then, Prime and Megatron were taken over by something where Optimus attacked us and the slagmaker escaped. Who’s to say that whatever this is we’re dealing with won’t try and take any of us over, too? This isn’t a normal enemy. This is something…different, and until we know all of the facts we really can't take any chances.”

Bumblebee sighed. It was true. This was something serious and something they didn't understand. Ratchet had said it wasn't a virus. Nothing was even detectable, and who was to say it couldn't happen again? He hated the idea of Optimus having a killswitch though. Though...what if it didn't matter? If it could affect Prime and Megatron and Hot Rod, then it could affect any of them anytime or anywhere. What was it? He stared blankly, trying to make sense of it, but it was something that almost seemed ethereal. Maybe it was the Fallen, though? Maybe with the Fallen gone, it wouldn't happen again, right?

Bumblebee then spoke up about his theory and concerns, “Maybe it was the influence of the Fallen's spark. Is that far fetched? Maybe with the Fallen gone now, it won't happen again. However...as much as I hate it, the logical choice is to have extra security precautions. However, that doesn't really make it one-hundred percent right. We have to have respect for one another too, especially Optimus, so we can't treat him like a convict or someone who's dangerous, and we have to be mindful of each other's rights to privacy. So, I guess my vote goes with the popular vote. Whatever you guys choose is best, but I'm not gonna go around here being paranoid of what “might happen”. I'll react to things as they do happen.”, said Bee, and that's how he felt about it.

“My expertise is diversionary tactics. One thing I didn't hear you mention was cyber security. Even with appropriate firewalls installed, our ships' computer systems can still be vulnerable to attack. Maybe a program could be uploaded that would essentially divert a hacker's attention away from the more important systems. It would make them think they've already infiltrated those systems when in reality they're only looking at the diversion program, which, of course, would contain nothing but false data. Just an idea, but one that could benefit us in case of a cyber incursion."

There...something that Bumblebee could fully agree on! He spoke up more enthusiastically about this, saying to Smokescreen, “I totally agree with you on that, Smokey! Our cyber security should have extra layers of protection. I like that.”

Red Alert then spoke up again, the head of Security and the one who ordered this meeting. He had a lot to say, but at least now he sounded less hysterical and more logical. Bee liked that Red Alert had realized he was being too paranoid. He guessed that whatever decision was made on the security of their ships, it would be made. He'd stand by the decision, confident it'd be in everyone's best interest.

When Red Alert and the others moved forward about security operations on Earth and places of interest, Bee became more interested. It'd been a while since he had gotten out on the field and he was eager to get some dirt in his wheels.

“Whenever you need me to go to Earth, just let me know. I'll do my best!”, he said.

Docking Corridor from Trion to Guardian

It’s nothin’ but a routine transfer. Done them more times than Megatron’s got lives, Ironhide thought as he focused on the airlock between the two ships. Then why am Ah shakin’ like a new recruit?

The truth was, he knew why. He just wasn’t used to his nerves getting the better of him. Had he not been listening to his and the others’ footsteps and the hum of Pipe’s anti-grav gurney, he would’ve bet a month’s rations that he was dead and entering Primus’ judgement center.

Not that he believed in that. Not really. Though it never ceased to amaze him what thoughts crossed his processor when he had too much time to think. Usually, it was simply ammunition supply numbers or security tactics for guarding Optimus’ aft. This time, he would’ve paid handsomely to be they type of mech that didn’t care.

But what could he do?

Accept it and move on, like Ah always tell the others.

He came to a stop as a mech activated the air lock’s mechanism and the door slid open and he spied the medical team… and Ratchet.

Leakin’ lubricant. Better get this over with. Hope he forgot his dissection equipment. Nodding at the CMO, he said, “Been awhile, Ratchet. We’re pretty beat up, but Ah know you’ll patch ‘em right up.” He paused, needing an answer, but also knowing what torment the answer would bring. “How’s Optimus?”

He was surprised at how strong and even his voice sounded, given the circumstances. He thought of the practice of ripping off bandages fast to avoid prolonged pain, and wished this would be so easy.

Docking Corridor

Ratchet tapped one foot semi-impatiently as the various locks and stabilizers between the two ships finished their work and the doors finally slid open, revealing the incoming Autobots.

“Been awhile, Ratchet. We’re pretty beat up, but Ah know you’ll patch ‘em right up.”

Ratchet looked incredulous.

"'Been awhile'. You've been AWOL for Stanix knows how long and you say 'been awhile'? Pfeh," Ratchet said as he gave a cursory look over Ironhide and Starfire. As Blaster had said, there was only one with serious injuries, but the Chief Medical Officer needed to make his own diagnosis. Filing a medical report that relied on the observations of the Communications Director, no matter how skilled they were in their own arena, obviously wouldn't cut it.

"But yes, we'll get you all patched up. But what in blazes were you doing on...what was it? Sol-4? Did I read the mission logs right? That's where the Dinobots picked you up?"

Ratchet motioned for the medibots to begin their cursory repair work while he approached the anti-grav gurney. Pipes certainly looked like he got the raw end of this deal. Still, Ratchet was confident that it was nothing he couldn't fix. He motioned for one of the medibots to take over maneuvering of the gurney as it hovered along.

“How’s Optimus?” Ironhide asked. Ratchet almost fired back with "If you'd been here, you'd know wouldn't you?" but the relief he felt at seeing them all back functional served to override his sharp demeanor, at least for the moment.

"For the moment-fine," Ratchet said as he began soldering together some severed servo wires in Pipes' chest cavity. "I still have no idea what made him do what he did, but what can we do? Take the most inspirational Autobot of our generation and lock him up indefinitely as a precaution? We're hard-pressed for options at the moment. We're making do. In the meantime, I think he's checking on the Aerialbots, at present."

Docking Corridor

Ironhide inwardly winced at seeing Ratchet’s expression. This is gonna hurt.

Ratchet wrote:"'Been awhile'. You've been AWOL for Stanix knows how long and you say 'been awhile'? Pfeh,"

Ironhide opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Ratchet’s expression hadn’t softened changed his mind. There was a time to fight, a time to flee, and a time to get a whuppin’, and Ironhide knew which this was.

Ratchet wrote:"But yes, we'll get you all patched up. But what in blazes were you doing on...what was it? Sol-4? Did I read the mission logs right? That's where the Dinobots picked you up?"

“Well,” Ironhide began, testing the energon before he jumped in. When Ratchet didn’t turn on him, he continued, “We were heaadin’ to Earth to, uh, get the lay of the land, I guess.” He winced at his choice of words. “Things were slow here, and Ah thought it would be a good idea. Stretch our legs and all.” Oh, how he wished he was better with his words. “There was a malfunction or somthin’, and we ended up on Sol-4 with Starscream and his cohorts.”

As a medibot approached him, Ironhide brushed him aside, directing him to his fellow injured instead. “Ah’m fine; just a few bumps.”

Turning hisattention back to Ratchet, he concluded, “Anyway, that’s all Ah know. Not the best of reasons, I know.”

He watched Ratchet work, grateful he was available to help Pipes. Ah deserver to work on a garbage scow for this.

Ratchet wrote:"For the moment-fine,"

Ironhide couldn’t help the smile that spread across his faceplate. “Good ole Optimus. Ah knew nothin’ could keep him down,” he muttered.

His expression shifted and he felt the weight of his guilt fall on his shoulder struts as Ratchet continued.

Ratchet wrote:"I still have no idea what made him do what he did, but what can we do? Take the most inspirational Autobot of our generation and lock him up indefinitely as a precaution? We're hard-pressed for options at the moment. We're making do. In the meantime, I think he's checking on the Aerialbots, at present."

“And Ah didn’t help.” The words were out before Ironhide could stop them, but he didn’t really want to. Even if his idea had been a short excursion, it didn’t excuse himself from his responsibilities. Forcing his self-pity aside, he said, “Ah know Ah don’t deserve it, but Ah’d like to speak with him when we’re done here. Some things need to be handled ‘Bot to ‘Bot, if he has a minute and you don’t mind. It won't take long.”

Private Meeting Room

Jazz sat attentively as Red Alert ran through his proposals to bolster security. Given the recent state of things, something had to be done. Optimus was a friend and all, but they had to be ready in the event something like that happened again, whether it be from Prime himself or one of the various advantages the ‘Cons has over them in the system. Jazz rubbed at his chest plate where he remained not even a few hours ago Prime had put a couple holes through his chassis, the pain still resonating despite Ratchet pulling out another miracle save.

So uh, Jazz, I’d like to ask you for a favour, since you’re Special Ops and all. In order to aid with the… unification of our fleet’s troops, I-I was wondering if you could start some training programmes for Autobot soldiers, to prepare them for the kinds of patrols we would need to keep the security. T-there should be plenty of active patrols around the fleet as well as around Autobot City, though I’m sure that I could communicate to Prowl about that in some way. These programmes could very well be integrated into the mock operations that Rook mentioned earlier. In fact, I’ve got a few suitable locations right here…”

The holoprojector switched on and highlighted the areas of importance Red Alert saw fit, one such location being Detroit where the special ops director had been stationed for a short while before the whole mess with the Fallen went down. Jazz has always wanted to go back, and luckily for him it looks like he would get his wish, even if it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for a revisit.

”If, uh, you don’t mind, I’d like to appoint you three as the primary commanders of any such missions. In terms of who will accompany you as part of the unit, well, that I think you can figure out for yourself.”

“I’ll take anyone willing, chief.” The operative spoke up, slightly adjusting himself in his seat, “But I’ll be happy to help however I can.”

Corridors en route to Medibay

“Well, we were heaadin’ to Earth to, uh, get the lay of the land, I guess. Things were slow here, and Ah thought it would be a good idea. Stretch our legs and all. There was a malfunction or somthin’, and we ended up on Sol-4 with Starscream and his cohorts.”

A malfunction in your logic circuits... Ratchet thought, but didn't express it out loud. He looked up briefly at Ironihde before returning to his work on Pipes. He was going to beat himself up plenty over what had happened. He didn't need any help from Ratchet.

“Anyway, that’s all Ah know. Not the best of reasons, I know. Good ole Optimus. Ah knew nothin’ could keep him down,” Ironhide continued.

"Yes, well, hopefully this whole ordeal serves as the last lesson you'll ever need in finding out how important you are around here. As for Optimus...I certainly hope so. It's what I intend to get back to once I've stabilized Pipes."

“And Ah didn’t help. Ah know Ah don’t deserve it, but Ah’d like to speak with him when we’re done here. Some things need to be handled ‘Bot to ‘Bot, if he has a minute and you don’t mind. It won't take long.”

There it was. Ironhide's conscience was going to take a pounding for a good, long while. Best to keep him away from Prowl, who would only make matters worse. Ironhide, thankfully, had as good an idea as any to help avoid that very thing.

"I think that would do you both a fair amount of good," Ratchet said, giving Ironhide one last look-over to ensure he wasn't covering some critical injury. From the looks of it, just surface abrasions. Minor scuffs that could easily be taken care of as he went about his normal duties. "You have my clearance. Now is the least pre-occupied I've seen him in many a vorn. They're all over on the 22."

Corridors en-route to Medbay

Ironhide was certain whoever had started the myth about honesty making one feel better needed their cranial until examined with a large, heavy, blunt object.

Like the one Ah need upside my head, he thought as he watched Ratchet examine Pipes.

Ratchet wrote:"Yes, well, hopefully this whole ordeal serves as the last lesson you'll ever need in finding out how important you are around here.

Ironhide could only nod and shift his weight slightly, relieving stress on one joint, more out of habit than actual injury. Ah’m getting’ a little old for this. But he knew the real reason. The fact his optics were locked on Pipes told him that much.

Ratchet wrote:As for Optimus...I certainly hope so. It's what I intend to get back to once I've stabilized Pipes."

Pipes, ole buddy, you’re in the better hands than mine, he thought for what had to be the millionth time.

Ratchet wrote: "I think that would do you both a fair amount of good."

Ironhide stood as tall as still as possible for his examination. He thought about brushing the chief medical officer’s efforts aside like he had the others, but decided against it. [/i]Ah’m in enough hot oil. Don’t need to add to it.[/i]

Ratchet wrote:"You have my clearance. Now is the least pre-occupied I've seen him in many a vorn. They're all over on the 22."

“Thanks, Doc, Ah’d best head over,” Ironhide said as he glanced down at Pipes, resting a hand on the least damaged shoulder. Quietly to Pipes, he added, “Ratchet’ll fix you up good as knew. Don’t you worry none.”

With a final pat on Pipe’s shoulder, Ironhide turned and headed down the corridor.

His thoughts wound in circles, increasing in their speed and frequency with each step.

After their time on Mars with a handful of mechs in that vast openness, the Guardian felt almost claustrophobic. ‘Bots of all departments and ranks made their way through the corridors, some nodding at him, others too busy to be bothered. Then there were others that glanced his way only to ignore him completely.

He didn’t have to think hard on why, so he kept moving toward the bounce chamber. They were simply more he had to prove himself to again. It was a growing list, but it was also that simple. Ah can’t rely on Optimus or the others to fix this. It’s my mess, and Ah have to fix it.

He’d already started with Ratchet, but the one he really needed to prove himself to was Optimus. And he had no idea how he was going to start repairing the millenia long trust between them he’d damaged, if not destroy, with a single action.

Ah’d rather face Megatron and the whole Decepticon army than this, he thought, shaking his head as he arrived at the bounce chamber.

Only then did he realize he hadn’t asked Ratchet who was commanding the Guardian or Ark 22. Wonder if Ratchet radioed ahead? Not to mention going through another bounce routine. What were the odds he’d be sent elsewhere a second time?

Knowing his luck, he didn’t want to think of it.

As the door slid open to the bounce chamber, he nodded at the mech at the controls. He was pretty sure it was the same one that had sent him to Mars by accident. There’d be no throwing his weight around this time. Into the reclycler we go… Knowing it was better to be safe than sorry — again — Ironhide said, “About earlier… my apologies. I, uh… I have clearance from Ratchet to go to the 22. You can clear it from him first, if you want.” He waited as the mech did just that.

When the mech turned away from his communication from the CMO, he nodded. “You’re clear. Ready when you are. There shouldn’t be a problem this time, sir.”

Ironhide was grateful to hear that. One problem down, one mountain to climb.

Nodding, he tried to relax, but found himself wondering if he was actually going to the Ark 22 or to this system’s star. As the typical tingling sensation filled him, he had the sudden thought that given what he needed to do, melting in the sun may not be so bad.

Somewhere during the process, he realized he'd never asked for permission to boardthe 22 and hoped Ratchet had already radioed ahead. If not, well, it was just another in a long line of recent mistakes he had to answer for. This was becoming one habit he needed to break.

His optics surged as the Guardian’s bounce room faded.

Corridors to medbay

Hot Spot followed silently as he listened to the exchange between Ironhide and Ratchet. Ironhide was partially to blame but the more details reinforced the need for the ship wide diagnostics. Hot Spot knew Pipes was in very capable hands with Ratchet.

"Ratchet, you mention the gestalt project the Aerialbots are involved in. Do you have any updates from First Aid or Jetfire? I surely hope they fix any bugs before they try it on my team or any other Autobot. There are other needs to be addressed like overhauling our current fleet before we start mixing our army together as if we are one big puzzle."

Corridors to Medibay

“Thanks, Doc, Ah’d best head over,” Ironhide said. Ratchet nodded. Interacting with one another was probably be the best thing for both of them. Prime, Magnus, Prowl, Ironhide, Jazz....they were all continually on the front lines while also shouldering the heavy burdens of command and they needed each other to balance out the others' extremes. They were their own best medicine when they were working together.

"Ratchet, you mention the gestalt project the Aerialbots are involved in. Do you have any updates from First Aid or Jetfire? I surely hope they fix any bugs before they try it on my team or any other Autobot. There are other needs to be addressed like overhauling our current fleet before we start mixing our army together as if we are one big puzzle," Hot Spot spoke as they continued towards the medibay.

"No updates so far, but I trust First Aid's judgment almost as much as I trust my own, so I know they're in good hands. And since that's where both Prime and Magnus are, I'm sure the project is getting a review from as high-up as you can get. As for ships and puzzles and fleets, I just got out of a meeting with Red Alert and they were discussing that very thing."

Arriving at the medibay doors, they slid open at Ratchet's approach and several more medibots and medics-in-training were awaiting his arrival.

"Alright, let's get our friend Pipes here posted up in exam room delta and finish up sealing off these breaks on the energon transfor pumps before we get him to a CR chamber."

Private Meeting Room

Red Alert wrote:“Uh, yes, Smokescreen. That is a sound idea, and something similar is part of the plans, although your idea… sounds reasonable. I w-will talk to Prowl and Blaster about the implementation of such a programme. We already have high-security encryptions planned for our comm-lines, and this would, uh, definitely strengthen our technological sector.”

Smokescreen nodded. “I’m sure Prowl and Blaster won’t have any issues with strengthening our cybersecurity. It’s just as important and everything else.”

Bumblebee wrote:“I totally agree with you on that, Smokey! Our cyber security should have extra layers of protection. I like that.”

The diversion expert turned to look over at the yellow minibot and smiled. “Thanks, Bumblebee. Always to good to have as much support for an idea as possible.” Smokey then returned his attention to Red Alert as he continued on discussing new security programs and operations around the globe. Several areas of importance were mentioned such as Africa, Antarctica, South America and the city of Detroit. Some of those regions were previously visited before the whole Fallen fiasco while others were currently occupied by Autobot forces. The rallybot listened carefully to everything the paranoid security specialist and some of the others were saying.

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

“I’m raring to go, as well,” Smokescreen spoke up again with a whiff of excitement in his tone. He had been stuck on board the Guardian ever since the battle with the Fallen. It would be good to get outside again and help secure different regions of Sol-3 in order to protect it and his fellow Autobots from the Decepticons. “I certainly wouldn’t mind getting back down to Earth again for whatever operations you have in mind, Red. Better than being stuck up here for too long.” Smokey then looked over to where the Security Operations Director was sitting.

“Count me in your group, Jazz,” the rallybot added. “If you’ll have me that is. Heh.”