The Energon Pub

Medical Bay

Thundercracker wrote:“Watch. He's going demand special attention for him and his buddy."

Thundercracker’s words woke Skywarp out of his powered-down cycle as he waited for his damaged wing to be fixed. The teleporter’s optics flickered to life as he took note of his surroundings and the Combaticon duo that was causing trouble for Hook. The good doctor took control of the situation and quickly put Vortex and Blast Off in their respective places.

Thundercracker wrote:"Smart doc. Neither Vortex or Blast Off are going to let that go, though."

“Heh, yeah, he sure told them off, didn’t he, ’Cracker?” Skywarp responded as he did a quick inspection of his damaged wing before looking over at his blue friend. “Think we should say something like how long until we’re looked out? Or do you think that would be pushing it considering how the Combats are acting?”

It wasn’t long before other mechs in the room began complaining and arguing with one another. A panicked Amethyst was shouting about his injuries. Bonecrusher was yelling at the Combaticons. Long Haul then yelled at Bonecrusher. It was enough to make any sane Decepticon go mad. Skywarp simply ignored them, leaning back against the wall that was situated directly behind the bench he and Thundercracker were sitting on. “Sigh. If this keeps up I’m going to need a nice shot of high grade.”

Skywarp then noticed that Thrust and Misfire had arrived and began conversing with Amethyst. The light violet seeker seemed to have calmed down from before and was now asking questions about any updates. Blast Off mentioned something about Onslaught storming off in a huff, but not much else. “I’m sure everything’s okay, Amethyst,” the resident prankster interjected. “The klaxons from earlier have gone away. So, that’s a good sign.”

The teleporter then glanced over at the Constructicon Commander. “By the way, Scrapper, ‘Cracker and I could use some fixin’. Just minor stuff when you have the chance."

Corridors

“I wouldn’t bother.” Blitzwing suggested, interjecting himself into the beasties conversation after overhearing Weirdwolf’s suggestion. “Place is crowded enough as is.”

”Whatever Blitz.” Skullcruncher shrugged at the triplechanger’s comment before leaning his back against the wall and crossing his arms, addressing Weirdwolf, ”Though he has a point Wolfie. As if someone who has no business going in would have the guts to go there right now anyway. Not with all that firepower already stuffed in there.”

“At ease, the alarms are no longer relevant.” He issued rather monotonously, “There have been certain... developments while we were away. You’re free to move about the ship once more but keep your comms open.”

”What do you mean at ease?” Brawl rumbled, his question going to deaf audio receptors as Onslaught stormed off.

”Sheesh. I’d prefer to know something sometimes,” he rumbled to no one particular and headed after Onslaught, as curious as anyone else about all the ruckus going on.

Medical Bay

Smokescreen85 wrote:
Skywarp then noticed that Thrust and Misfire had arrived and began conversing with Amethyst. The light violet seeker seemed to have calmed down from before and was now asking questions about any updates. Blast Off mentioned something about Onslaught storming off in a huff, but not much else. “I’m sure everything’s okay, Amethyst,” the resident prankster interjected. “The klaxons from earlier have gone away. So, that’s a good sign.”

Thrust turned at hearing the familiar voice. How did I miss them? He shook off the question, blamed it on the cacophony of the medical bay, and smiled. “Welcome back, brothers. I see you didn’t avoid confrontation, either. Good to know I remain is such splendid and well decorated company.”

He debated whether he should inform them of Megatron’s return or not. Given the chaos that had ensued, doing so was probably not the smartest thing to do. So, he waved a hand dismissively, turned so he could address his Seeker brothers, and said, “While you were battling for the glory of the Decepticon Empire, Lord Megatron returned. Though not under the most prestigious of circumstances.”

“Doomshot, right? You don’t need to strangle one of our own to find out what’s happened. Predacons aren’t ones to provoke.”

Doomshot turned his optics towards Aegis with no motion in his neck whatsoever. What he said was rational. No need to cause more controversy or violence within the faction than there already was. At that, he released his hold on Divebomb.

Doomshot's optics stared down intently at Divebomb, but he didn't intend to strangle the Predacon anyway. No, he wasn't an idiot. His goal was to inflict fear and respect. Not to kill a fellow faction member.

"You're lucky," said Doomshot simply.

Divebomb rubbed his hand against his neck after being released from Doomshot's "death" grip.

"And.. You're lucky Razorclaw didn't see what you did," said Divebomb in response.

Doomshot looked down, and he stared for a few seconds. Then, said lowly but in a deep tone, "I'll determine my luck after I find out whose side the kitty cat is on, bird."

At that, Doomshot turned his head towards Aegis, and nodded in an approving manner. Hmm, not one to usurp authority, but strong-willed, and with intent. I'll observe Aegis more. I need to know how well of a team player he is..

Corridors

Fangry‘s feet echoed softly through the empty corridor. The tracker passed along in his monstrous wolf-like beast of a alt mode, his nose flickered in the air hoping to catch wind of something of interest to do here. Moments ago he had left the lounge in a fit of boredom, but not before he had shot the barkeeper drone over alongside his stacks of clean cups and glasses with a powerful gust of wind from his compression cannon. A wicked smile crept at the edge’s of his maw and his bestial tongue lapped at the edge of his lips as he could recall the various curses the barkeep has shouted his way during his exit. ”You bastard!” Echoed in his audio receptors as he chuckled to himself.

Suddenly, a noise caught his attention. Up ahead in the adjacent corridor, Fangry could make out the sound of something walking along through the ship. A faint growling and the pitter-patter of padded feet raised his curiosity. Could it have been Weirdwolf, perhaps? No... Despite the other mutt’s strange way of speaking, he rarely displayed growling like this. He was too soft, at least until he was provoked. Fangry slowed his approach, his emerald green optics flickering lightly in the shadows of the corridor. No, this mech had a peculiar scent about them... Smelled like death, and anguish. Fangry’s maw flashed an array of razor-sharp teeth as he instinctively let out a predatory snarl. This was some new prey!

He leapt from his ambush, the bat-like wings of his monster mode outstretched to help him glide into the corridor with both speed and stability. His claws were stretched out and his jaw hinged open, showing off an impressive display of all his teeth.

“Fresh meat!!” Fangry roared towards Technikiller, simultaneously firing his compressed air cannon towards the feline in hopes of staggering her next move.

Corridors

The white liger had been stalking the halls in search of prey, someone to fight to quench her thirst for violence for the time being. However, she was unaware that someone else was doing the same as her. It only became noticeable when he came into close vicinity, setting off her internal radar. Her own fangs bared, ready for the fight, she crouched as instinctively and swung around to face him as the winged lupine form flew at her, shooting off a strong gust of compressed air towards her.

She opened her maw wide and shot off her own ranged weapon to meet his in mid air between the two, a wide spread of rapid-fire scattershot bullets. However, her body was flung back due to the wind and she slammed into the wall behind her. Her bullets began to hit the ceiling, putting many holes in it. Technikiller roared furiously as she righted herself. She then engaged her boosters and slammed forward, aiming to ram into him and smash him into the nearest wall while slashing at his left shoulder with her right set of claws. She was feeling it....the heat of battle! A rush of chaotic lust, the closest thing she had to happiness.

"THANKS FOR COMING!", She roared with deathly delight.

Corridors

Warwolf recoiled slightly in his spot as the olden knight had explained what all the commotion was about. Megatron was back, and he seemed to have... Rampaged? What could he mean by that? And worse, why would he have done such a thing? Did Megatron not recognize his own faction?

So that explained why she bolted in a hurry... Heh heh heh...

The lupine interrogator did what he could to ignore his other half’s statement, instead trying to keep his focus on the situation at hand. Looked like that bruiser was bullying Divebomb. He does know the Predacons are a close pack, right? No way they’ll let this slide.

Oh yessss, Megatron has returned and she kicked you to the side for the better mech...

Shut up.

Like she did before...

Shut. Up.

Like she alwaysss doesss

“SHUT UP!!” Warwolf howled, not realizing he wasn’t speaking to himself in his head. One hand gripped against the side of his helm while his other latched out and torn at the closest wall. He staggered back a couple of steps to try and regain his composure while his optics flickered rapidly.

Corridors - Elsewhere

”THANKS FOR COMING”

My this thing had a vocalizer on her. Sure Fangry had let out a roar himself, but her screeching could probably be heard all the way on the bridge. His opening attack managed to buy him enough time to ready himself for her counter-attack. The she-beast charged at him, but Fangry was able to absorb the most of her impact with his clawed feet burrowing into the deck. Despite his efforts, he was still pushed back some with Technikiller managing to was do a number on his left arm.

Snarling from the discomfort, Fangry lifted the feline as high as his could and slammed her into the deck beneath his feet. He staggered a step back and felt the metal around his monster-mode arm was scratched and tattered. The tracker shifted into his robot mode while he had the chance.

“Come on, glitch,” he said spitting a wad of lubricant to the deck floor, “Fight like a Decepticon, not some animal!”

Med Bay

"Thanks doc....I can't wait to fly again. Next time, some Autobots are gonna be barbecue."

"I don't doubt you, heh," Scrapper said good-naturedly as he finished replacing the final part on the damaged Seeker's frame. Fortunately the maintenance oversight had not affected any of Amethyst's more critical systems--the Seeker could very well have incinerated himself. "There. Good as new."

Scrapper stepped back, but he didn't have long to admire his handiwork. There were pressing demands for all of their attention.

“Would you go see Vortex next? He’ll be a quick fix, I’m sure,” Blast-Off asked. His tone was much more agreeable than it had been with Hook. He and the Surgical Engineer exchanged nods as the Combaticon continued. “Something is going on. Onslaught went off rather perturbed. Scrapper, do you know?”

"In this case, I actually do happen to know...Megatron has returned. In fiery fashion it would seem, though I believe High Command has the matter in hand now," Scrapper said as he motioned for Vortex to come over. "What's your malfunction? Turn around. Is it-ah, I see it. Seems simple enough. What did this?"

As Scrapper began removing certain outer plates so that he could get to the inner workings of the Combaticon Interrogator's more advanced rotor mechanisms, new voices called for his attention.

“By the way, Scrapper, ‘Cracker and I could use some fixin’. Just minor stuff when you have the chance."

Skywarp. Of the vast legions of Seekers that were spread out across the Decepticon war machine, Skywarp and Thundercracker had been Starscream's favored two for a long time. Both had proven their worth in battle many times over. They definitely necessitated priority attention.

"Of course, gentlemechs. Take those berths there and I'll get to work. Vortex, you see where Mixmaster is working on Long Haul? Go there. They'll pick up where I left off."

Corridors

Technikiller had succeeded in damaging his shoulder with her claws. Next, she had planned to use her own strength to try and overthrow his, and go for a bite around the strange wolf's neck. However, she wouldn't even get to do this, as the winged wolf lifted her and slammed her into the floor, denting it quite a bit.

“Come on, glitch,” he said spitting a wad of lubricant to the deck floor, “Fight like a Decepticon, not some animal!”

, he had spoken, transforming into his robot mode.

The large metallic feline roared again after righting herself. She jumped backwards and transformed, landing again on the ground, now in her own robot mode, a powerfully built, relatively tall fembot. Her deep crimson eyes glared at him with malice, but she was smiling through carnivorous teeth, and she said, "Very well. Come then, DOG!", as she crouched and drew from each hip a long sharp blade that sparked to life with a wash of deadly dark purple energy. She took a defensive stance and waited.

Thanatos- Medbay

Blastoff, one of the Combaticons had come over to the area where Scrapper was working on Amethyst, asking Scrapper to work on his buddy Vortex next. Amethyst said nothing, but he was starting to become a bit irritated at how crowded it was getting. The sooner he could get out of this room, the better. It was at this time though, that Blastoff had turned to Amethyst and his other flying comrades around him, proclaiming,

“Something is going on. Onslaught went off rather perturbed. Scrapper, do you know?”

That was weird. Onslaught perturbed? Amethyst got the goosebumps just at the thought of something like that. If the Combaticon Leader was on edge, something was really going on for sure, but what?

Next, Thundercracker and Skywarp came up to their group, making it even MORE crowded. Amethyst sighed, feeling exasperated after all he’d been through, now feeling smothered by everyone. What’s more, Skywarp said jokingly,

“I’m sure everything’s okay, Amethyst,” the resident prankster interjected. “The klaxons from earlier have gone away. So, that’s a good sign.”

”Well then, that sure is settling!”, Amethyst said with sarcasm towards Skywarp, not feeling any better, and only feeling more unsettled. ’Why had there been alarms?!’, he thought. However whenever they had gone off, Amethyst hadn't been home yet.

’Oh thank you, Primus!’, Amethyst thought to himself though in the next instance, as Scrapper, his most welcomed company told Amethyst,

“There. Good as new."

Amethyst smiled greatly. He didn't feel much pain anymore. All the pain was going away, being replaced with a feeling of wellbeing and strength. He was repaired from his injuries, but more so, he felt indeed new!

”Thank you, Scrapper! I feel amazing!”, said the purple and grey Seeker. And with that, he sat up and swung his legs to one side of the platform to get up. However, he decided to just sit there for another moment as he listened to his comrades talk about what exactly was going on elsewhere on the Thanatos that was such important and exciting news.

After Thrust welcomed back Skywarp and Thundercracker, etc, that's when the coneheaded Seeker drop the bricks and destroy the somewhat peaceful atmosphere here by telling them,

“While you were battling for the glory of the Decepticon Empire, Lord Megatron returned. Though not under the most prestigious of circumstances.”

“What?! Lord Megatron?!”, Amethyst exclaimed, surprised, joyed, and frightened all at once. It Had been quite a while since Razorclaw had been in charge. Where had Lord Megatron been?

Scrapper would also say, confirming this information and solidifying it in Amethyst's processor,

“Megatron has returned. In fiery fashion it would seem, though I believe High Command has the matter in hand now.”

Amethyst did his best to catch his bearings, and he nodded, understanding. It was best left up to High Command. He made a long sigh of relief, and slid himself off the edge of the berth he had laid on. It was time to get out of here. The Doc and his crew had all these other mechs to service, and he was just taking up space unnecessarily.

Walking a normal gait, he walked away from the platform after giving Scrapper his thanks again, and he tapped on Thrust’s shoulder on the way by him, saying in a cheerful manner, “Come on, Thrust. Let’s go have a drink to celebrate. There's a lot to be thankful for.”

He also relayed to Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Misfire,

>>’When you're done, meet us at the bar if you want. You’ll have a cold one waiting for you.’<<

He exited out of the Medbay. In the hallway, he heard loud roaring in the distance and narrowed his optics for a second, but he shrugged. He waited for Thrust, and then they’d be on their merry way.

Communique from Laserbeak to Soundwave:

>>”Soundwave, this is Laserbeak. Do you read me? I’m currently on Sol-4. Starscream and his seekers crashed here shortly after they left the Thanatos. There is a small group of Autobots here, as well, lead by Ironhide. We need extraction ASAP. Initiating distress beacon now.”<<

Medbay

Chibi Starscream wrote: “What?! Lord Megatron?!”, Amethyst exclaimed, surprised, joyed, and frightened all at once. It Had been quite a while since Razorclaw had been in charge. Where had Lord Megatron been?

Thrust smiled at the look of surprise on his fellow Seeker's faceplate. It wasn't often he was privy to new information as he preferred slagging Autobots instead of concerning himself with the time and fuel wasting efforts of intelligence, but he intended to enjoy the brief moment of power he held over the returning warriors.

“Megatron has returned. In fiery fashion it would seem, though I believe High Command has the matter in hand now.”

Scrapper confirming his statement was reassuring and unerving. It was good to look like the informed one for a change, but would they come to expect this from him?

Stifling a groan, he forced himself to appear confident in the others' optics. Let that glitch Shockwave keep his logic. Busting cranial plating is far more rewarding.

[quote] Walking a normal gait, he walked away from the platform after giving Scrapper his thanks again, and he tapped on Thrust’s shoulder on the way by him, saying in a cheerful manner, “Come on, Thrust. Let’s go have a drink to celebrate. There's a lot to be thankful for.”

Thrust nodded. "There is indeed, warrior." Next time, I don't intend on being left behind. With a nod to Thundercracker and Skywarp, he turned and followed Amethyst out of the medbay and into the corridor.

Corridor

As the medbay door slid shut behind him, Thrust noticed Amethyst had paused. He stopped and listened to the roaring, and sighed. Probably some of the Predacons seeing who has the bigger attachment. Though, it could prove entertaining after being stuck here with little to do.

Placing a hand on Amethyst's shoulder, he said, "Come, warrior. There may be entertainment with our drinks."

Medibay

“Heh, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s a bit battle damaged at the moment," Long Haul had said.

"He's gonna be a little more 'battle-damaged' if he doesn't watch his yap," the interrogator had grunted in reply as he stalked away. As he did, another familiar voice also came into the mix.

"How's it going, gentlemechs? I'm sure you're doing well after all the commotion, yes?"

"Yeh. Just gettin' this rotor patched up sometime soon. What brings you in here? I didn't think you got roped into any of the combat down in fleshie paradise," Vortex joked.

Vortex was grateful when Blast-Off had advocated for his repairs. That was the nature of being a Combaticon. Sometimes they got on each other's last functional circuit, and other times they would do anything to ensure the well being of the others in their unit. Give and take.

The Constructicon boss seemed to agree with Blast-Off's request and came over his way after working on some Seeker or other and finally started seeing to his repairs. It seemed like he barely started anything before Scrapper had decided to pass him off. For who? Seekers? Fraggit.

"Of course, gentlemechs. Take those berths there and I'll get to work. Vortex, you see where Mixmaster is working on Long Haul? Go there. They'll pick up where I left off."

"Aw geez," Vortex grunted unhappily as he walked back over to where Mixmaster and Long Haul were. "Your boss says to fix this."

And with that, Vortex spun around on his heel, jutted his back out and displayed the open workings of the rotor structure.
___

Shockwave's Laboratory

Unsurprisingly, Ratbat's conspicuous return had drawn the attention of some of the others within Soundwave's coterie. In this instance, Ravage, whom Ratbat had seen for the briefest of moments sitting amongst the command types who were, naturally, enthralled by the return of their great leader.

>>”Ratbat, you’re back, are you? You missed a great deal…how was the dirtball?”<<

>>"It would appear I did. I'm accessing the ship's recordings now. How...fascinating. It sounds like the others are unsure as to what caused our mighty Megatron to act that way. It has to be an Autobot plot. They had him the whole time! Using Megatron as a weapon against us? This has Prowl's calling card all over it!"<<

Ratbat paused for a moment as he allowed the other part of Ravage's question to digest.

>>"The dirtball was awful. Dirty air. Dirty ground. Dirty water. Nothing on that planet is clean. I don't know how the fragile little fleshies survive. If there's Ore-13 down there we should strip every last vein of it and nuke the planet into oblivion. We'd be doing the natives a favor, I assure you."<<

Shockwave's Laboratory

“Currently, it seems that this world is in Phase Two of the Infiltration Protocol. Sixshot arrived shortly after myself. During the truce with the Autobots initiated by Razorclaw to fight the Fallen, it became clear during the battle that one of the Seekers knew Sixshot’s shut down code. He was in the process of telling an Autobot the code when I decided to take his execution into my own hands. From there, I can reasonably conclude that Starscream also had the codes and called him to Earth. That and Sixshot confirmed as much. As for the current owner of the codes, Razorclaw would possess them as he was acting commander,” Flamewar began, providing the Slagmaker of Tarn with the update that he had requested.

Phase Two. Given the short amount of time they had spent on this planet, that was an expected progression. It was good to see they had not simply surged forward in the ensuing chaos surrounding his presumed "death".

Certain questions immediately leapt into Megatron's mind, but a private transmission from the black operative answered several of them.

>>”In actuality, Shockwave currently possesses the codes. Soundwave and I were to also have knowledge of them. I had made an alliance with him and Soundwave. We three would possess the actual codes and also act as advisors to Razorclaw, ensuring that the Decepticons would not fall to ruin.”<<

That was the Decepticon High Command structure operating fully how he expected it to. Currents and undercurrents of outward actions and ulterior motives.

“Do you require more of an explanation, my lord?” Flamewar finished aloud.

"No. That will suffice," Megatron said, waving off any further details. All he needed was a snapshot of the current state of affairs on this planet so that he could assess their best path forward.

"We need to begin making direct human contacts. Use the facsimiles as you see fit. There will be a number of these flesh creatures who will be sympathetic to our presence here for their own selfish reasons. Manipulate them. There are still untold caches of Ore-13 on this world and I want them stripped bare before I cyberform what's left."

“Flamewar is correct, my lord,” Razorclaw finally spoke, keeping his optics fixated on Megatron. “Starscream was in possession of Sixshot’s shutdown code as apparently was another seeker. Although, it is unknown if that seeker knew the full code or only part of it. Regardless, he has been dealt with and the code was subsequently changed in order to remove Starscream from the equation. As for my own knowledge of the new code, I had not yet received it when your arrival in the hangar forced me to bypass Shockwave’s lab and head there, instead, my lord.”

“And I would also just like to add that when I was summoned here I did not know initially that it was Starscream calling me,” Sixshot interjected into the conversation, taking one step forward. “I was under the assumption that the communique I had received was from you, Lord Megatron. Once I arrived here I learned that Starscream was, in fact, the source of the message and he eventually established his control over me by utilizing my killswitch. I had no choice but to submit to him.”

Starscream. A recurrent presence in all of their reports, and yet conspicuous by his absence. Though there were more significant matters to address, this glaring reality could not be overlooked.

"To hear you all tell it, Starscream has played quite an integral role in my absence. I would expect no less. And yet I do not count him amongst your number. Why is this?" Megatron said, looking from one lieutenant to the next. "Razorclaw? You say he was 'dealt with'. How so?"

Shockwave’s Laboratory

Megatron wrote:"To hear you all tell it, Starscream has played quite an integral role in my absence. I would expect no less. And yet I do not count him amongst your number. Why is this? Razorclaw? You say he was 'dealt with'. How so?”

Immediately, Razorclaw realized that he had not been clear when he said that a seeker had been dealt with. It was a mistake that he would quickly remedy. “My apologies, Lord Megatron. I should have been more clear when I spoke before. When I said ‘he had been dealt with’ I was not referring to Starscream. I was referring to the other seeker that had knowledge of Sixshot’s code during the battle with the Fallen and who was then terminated by Flamewar. I was simply confirming what Flamewar had already stated. Again, my apologies.”

The Predacon Commander paused for a brief moment before continuing. “As for what happened to Starscream, he left the Thanatos on a small shuttle craft some time ago with two of his seekers in tow for parts unknown. He was hellbent on leaving, and I was eager to rid myself of him so I allowed it. I did, however, order Laserbeak to secretly stow away in order to keep a close watch on him and report back the Seeker Commander's activities. Thus far, we have heard nothing from Laserbeak nor do we know the shuttle's current whereabouts.”

“And I’m sure Starscream would’ve tried to force me to go along had I not been stewing in a CR chamber after my encounter with the Fallen,” Sixshot interjected. “Personally, I’m surprised the cowardly seeker didn’t wait for me to emerge, but I guess he really really wanted off this ship. His loss. Not that I’m complaining. I’m happy to be rid of him, as well.”

Med Bay

Thrust wrote:“Welcome back, brothers. I see you didn’t avoid confrontation, either. Good to know I remain is such splendid and well decorated company. While you were battling for the glory of the Decepticon Empire, Lord Megatron returned. Though not under the most prestigious of circumstances.”

“No kidding!” Skywarp exclaimed with a look of shock on his faceplate. “You hear that, ’Cracker? Megatron’s back! Praise Primus, Razorclaw’s not going to be in charge any more!” Scrapper then confirmed the news which made the teleporter get up and do a little celebratory dance. “Don’t mind me, guys, I’m just happy! Too bad Screamer’s not here for this. Although, he still wouldn’t be the leader so I’m not sure how happy he’d really be. Heh.”

Scrapper wrote:"Of course, gentlemechs. Take those berths there and I'll get to work."

Scrapper’s words shook Skywarp out of his personal celebration long enough to see where the Constructicon Commander was pointing. “Oh, sure thing, Scrapper. No problem. Come on, ’Cracker, we gotta move over here.” The resident prankster then approached one of the berths in question and swiftly sat down on it where he patiently waited for his wing to be fixed.

A short time later, Skywarp received a comm from Amethyst, whose repairs were completed:

>>’When you're done, meet us at the bar if you want. You’ll have a cold one waiting for you.’<<

Skywarp nodded in his direction as Amethyst walked out of the med bay. Thrust soon followed. “I could really use a drink right about now,” the teleporter said to Thundercracker. “We should meet those two down at the bar later and celebrate Megatron’s return. What do ya say, buddy?”

Med Bay

It was amusing, to Thundercracker, to watch the Combaticons bicker and argue with their medics. Not feeling completely social, he was relieved as Skywarp took care of the conversing with Thrust and Amethyst.

At last, Scrapper dismissed Vortex (in a way that made Thundercracker laugh at the Combaticon's misfortune) and turned his attention to the Seekers. Within minutes, he and his partner were patched up.

"Thank you, doc. Warp, I hear there's a drink waiting for us, if you're up for it."

Thundercracker rather head to his bunk and do some light research, but after their little battle on the marble below, he felt like a drink too. Something to dull the shock of Megatron's return.

Deck 9 - Corridors

Slipstream wanted to be anywhere on this massive vessel but where she was now. She felt exposed. Open. And seeing her newfound friend Doomshot choke a Predacon did little to calm her nerves, however amusing the sight was.

She wanted, no, needed to speak to Thunderwing. But not here. Slipstream kept herself strategically placed behind Aegis. As he calmed down Doomshot. She gave him a grateful nod, telling Doomshot and the Predacon, "Save your fighting strength, both of yoj. With our leader back, we're going to need it to fight our real enemies."

Not exactly an inspirational speech, but the Seeker was in very little mood to be caught in another brawl.

Corridors - Deck 8

Despite the very much larger bot's reassuring tone, Hazard was still rattled. At least until one of the Battlechargers showed up and called him a Seeker.

Spinning around on his heel, Hazard confronted the split duo of a bot. "Listen here. I am not, nor will I ever be, one of those stuck up, self righteous cannon fodder that our dear Commander Starscream leads. Remember that."

He turned to the walking arsenal, Dreadnaut. "Will you? I've been looking for him forever. He isn't usually like this, disappearing on me. He knows how I get when he's gone."

It didn't occur to Hazard in the least that he was babbling. The small flier turned without a response and ran off.

Deck 9 - Corridors

Nacelle looked over at Aegis, Slipstream, and now Doomshot who just made his presence amongst the group. He stood there and listened to them interact with one another but it did not seem like they were not noticing that he was still there. It did not matter to him since he was thinking about potential aircraft mods that he could possibly develop when he got the chance to do so. After a bit, he looked over at Slipstream after she gave a terrible inspirational speech.

"Nice try on giving a good inspirational speech, Slipstream. I do not know if it really worked but it sounded like you were trying to preach to the choir."

He looked over at Aegis and Doomshot. "Anything else new going on other than Lord Megatron coming back?"

Corridors - Deck 8

Battletrap saw the irritation on the other Con when he was mistaken for a Seeker. Battletrap held no feelings one way or the other towards Seekers nor their commander Starscream except Starscream tried to take the throne during the mess of a fight.

"I think we need to follow the small flier big walking weapon mech."

Without waiting for the walking weapon, Battletrap went after Hazard.

>>Flywheels, I am on deck 8. I helping to find another Con.<<

Re-fueling Bar

Leaving the vast corridors and entering into the bar, Amethyst noted a few other mechs and femmes in here. However, he didn't really know them. He'd seen them around before a few times here and there, sure, but none of them had been anyone he wished to remember the names of. He'd mostly been silent on their walk here, only speaking briefly to Thrust, as his mind was on the state of the bigger situation going on. Megatron was back, which meant Razorclaw would no longer be in Command of them all. It was good to have Megatron back at last, but where had he been, and why did he try to wreck the ship when he came back? There was something amiss.

However, he shook his head. He couldn't think about it all right now. Besides, he was just some lowly Seeker...one in hundreds...maybe thousands. Who cared for his thoughts and opinions on anything? He existed to serve and that was it. His function was to kill things....shoot now and ask questions later. That settling in, the purple and grey seeker let out a huff, and said to Thrust with a terse grin,

"Well then my friend, let's drink to the glorious return of Lord Megatron!!", and he went to the self service bar and poured himself and Thrust two tall units of energon.

"A toast...", he said...handing one glass to his coneheaded comrade, "ALL HAIL MEGATRON!!", he said. After his glass would clash with Thrust's, he downed the glowing liquid and let out a sigh of refreshment, and soon went back for a second one. He wondered if the other guys would come. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Amethyst was longing to please his thirst.

Re-fueling Bar

Thrust had remained largely quiet as they made their way to the bar. Doing so seemed to suit Amethyst, and probably helped the young Seeker’s view of him improve, which was a good thing.

Normally not one to engage other mechs until they proved themselves, he knew what others would say at seeing him with someone besides Dirge or the others. Some would wonder if he’d been demoted since he hadn’t gone into battle and had been relegated to training lower ranking soldiers. But others would learn that Amethyst had proven himself in battle, and that boost in his standing was worth its weight in energon.

He kept his optics locked on the corridor ahead as he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the next most important thing at the moment: their entrance.

While it was more practiced than his battle tactics, he’d learned early on that how one entered a battle or room often determined the outcome and opinions others held toward him. He’d noticed how everyone quieted and made room when Megatron entered a room, and how the Autobots paused when he joined the battlefield. It was a thing of beauty, and something he hoped to be remembered for. After all, one was remembered for their presentation as well as victories.

Victories meant big entrances, and those were the best remembered. But he didn’t have anything to boast about as he’d missed the fighting, so what to do?

When they reached the entrance, he thought discretion would better serve him, so he allowed Amethyst to enter first. After all, it was his celebration as a successful warrior. Who was Thrust to take that away from him?

As soon as they entered, Amethyst said,

Chibi Starscream wrote:"Well then my friend, let's drink to the glorious return of Lord Megatron!!", and he went to the self service bar and poured himself and Thrust two tall units of energon.

Thrust nodded, offering his own smile. Though his new friend was probably being nice, Thrust believed others would look on him as the young Seeker’s teacher. It was a perceived position of authority he intended to relish, especially after they learned of his heroics.

He survived a battle and a horrific wound. He’s showing promise already.

Chibi Starscream wrote:"A toast...", he said...handing one glass to his coneheaded comrade, "ALL HAIL MEGATRON!!"

“Yes,” Thrust answered, turning so those in the bar could see them and raise their glasses. “To Megatron’s return. ALL HAIL MEGATRON!”

As he downed his energon, he was pleased to see most there did the same, though hesitantly.

Could it be the news hasn’t reached them yet? So much the better.


Turning to Amethyst as the mech made his way to the bar for more drinks, Thrust called out, “Bring all they can spare. Today, we celebrate!”

Being sure to stand as tall as possible for all to see, Thrust calmly found a table near the center of the bar and slowly took a seat.

This will prove a most rewarding evening.

[Medbay]

Vortex wrote:"Yeh. Just gettin' this rotor patched up sometime soon. What brings you in here? I didn't think you got roped into any of the combat down in fleshie paradise."

“I’m merely here to keep myself in excellent condition,” Offroad smirked, “And I see that Mister Sky-High there is still bitter about the situation.” After polishing himself and his armour up, Offroad stepped outside of the medbay, in order to lower the crowd’s population. It was a medbay after all, not a bustling commotion centre.

[Re-fueling Bar]

The extreme-conditions warrior stepped inside and grinned widely. From one crowd to the other. Luckily, this was a better crowd considering half of the mechs here weren’t rotting away under medical equipment.

In the middle of the bar, he caught two seekers making a toast to Megatron’s return. The green-faced warrior quickly made his way to the bar, ordering himself a canister of high-grade nightmare fuel, and went over to the seekers. “All hail Megatron, indeed,” he spoke charmingly.

He allowed himself to take a seat next to them. “I hope I am not interrupting your celebrations, gentlemechs.” He took a sip, looking at them with a bit of a suggestive look.

[Corridors - Deck 8]

Dreadnaut watched as Hazard threw a bit of a fit as the Duocon had mistakenly taken him for a Seeker. He sure didn’t look like one, maybe the Duocon needed some optic upgrades.

Hazard wrote:"Will you? I've been looking for him forever. He isn't usually like this, disappearing on me. He knows how I get when he's gone."

“Yes,” The towering mech nodded. Suddenly, the small flier started to run away. This came as a bit of a surprise to the armoured mech, but he decided to follow him anyway, opening a comm-link to him. >>”Don’t run. If finding brother, be methodical.”<<

After having caught up to him, Dreadnaut gestured towards the elevator that would take them to a different floor deck. He tapped the button for Deck 9, and held the door open for Hazard and the Duocon to enter.

Medibay

The Seekers' repairs were not altogether complicated. Moreover, having just worked on Amethyst, Seeker physiology was freshly on his mind. And he had worked on Skywarp, Thundercracker and their erstwhile commander--absent though he was--plenty of times in the past. Getting them back to their normal selves and on their way was a relatively straightforward process.

With that handled, Scrapper went over to Hook and helped the Surgical Engineer hasten his repairs of Bonecrusher.
___

Shockwave's Laboratory

"My apologies, Lord Megatron. I should have been more clear when I spoke before. When I said ‘he had been dealt with’ I was not referring to Starscream. I was referring to the other seeker that had knowledge of Sixshot’s code during the battle with the Fallen and who was then terminated by Flamewar. I was simply confirming what Flamewar had already stated. Again, my apologies. As for what happened to Starscream, he left the Thanatos on a small shuttle craft some time ago with two of his seekers in tow for parts unknown. He was hellbent on leaving, and I was eager to rid myself of him so I allowed it. I did, however, order Laserbeak to secretly stow away in order to keep a close watch on him and report back the Seeker Commander's activities. Thus far, we have heard nothing from Laserbeak nor do we know the shuttle's current whereabouts.”

Starscream's behavior was erratic to say the least. Not that he hadn't made foolish strategic choices in the past, but to be absent from the high command picture when Megatron himself had been gone--even if it was only for a short period of time in the overall nigh-immortal lifespan of a Cybertronian--was distinctly unlike him. If he truly felt himself to be the ideal mechanoid to lead the Decepticons, he would never be given a better opportunity than the one he had squandered. It only cemented how ill-fit the Seeker Leader was to command the whole of the empire. Amongst his Seekers, he had no equals. Amongst other commanders? His equals, to say nothing of his betters, were plentiful.

"So be it. Monitor Laserbeak's typical frequencies. Once he's sent word, we'll dispatch a recovery team. I have no interest in allowing Starscream to play his games. His duty is to the empire. If he doesn't return willingly, bring him back in chains."

"Declarative: I can begin the process of integrating the mechaforming technology that was recovered from Cybertron. We will simply need to establish an origin site on Sol-3."

Megatron nodded.

"Do it. But the next priority--for all of you--is to locate and extract that ore. We've not fought this long only to be defeated by extinction. I want every scraplet of energy this planet can produce harvested. But first, I want this....impurity...purged from my processors."

Battletrap wrote:>>Flywheels, I am on deck 8. I helping to find another Con.<<

>>Totally gonna catch up with you! On our way!<<

>>Wait, who?<<

Why does it matter?

Because Boss Bot just went coo-coo. I don't want to be running into another slagging mess.

And we did nothing to help! Which is your fault.

What?! How on Cybertron is that my fault?!

Because I wanted to shoot!

You always want to shoot! It's like a one track mind.

Two.

Come again?

You're one track, I'm another track. We're a two track mind.

Wait, you can actually count? That's ama- Beside the point! What were even arguing over?

I'unno.

Let's just go find Battletrap...

Flywheels ran out of his quarters. His components split off and transformed to vehicular modes. He flew and rolled off towards Deck 8, the jet part pulling ahead.

Once they made it to their destination, they formed up and recombined. Flywheels saw Battletrap up ahead moving towards 9th Deck. With him where two larger bots.

"Hey, dude! Where y'all going?

Deck 9 - Corridors

Nacelle wrote:"Nice try on giving a good inspirational speech, Slipstream. I do not know if it really worked but it sounded like you were trying to preach to the choir."

Slipstream fumed. She wanted to give Nacelle a talking to that he deserved. But logic told her to keep face, so she said nothing as her fellow Seeker moved on from her to the other Decepticons.

The lithe spy decided to take this opportunity to slip out while no one else was paying attention to her.

Deck 8 - Corridors

Hazard was stopped by the voice of the big guy. The small flyer stopped in his tracks and turned around to join Dreadnaut and the Duocon. "Heh. Sorry about that. Looks like I got carried away there."

He stepped in the life when another voice called out. It was the other Duocon. Hazard did not know his name, but he gestured for him to follow. "C'mon. More the merrier."

Biometric Labs

Thunderwing all but glided into the area of the Thanatos that he claimed as his own. Here, the Pretender allowed himself to relax. This was Thunderwing's domain. Here, he was in charge.

He retired to his private laboratory. Thunderwing needed time to think. So much had changed. Megatron was back, directing the affairs of an Empire that could almost had been Thunderwing's. And Thunderwing himself was out of the Slagmaker's good graces.

It was just as well. Thunderwing began to set up for his next round of experiments. It was time to refine the experiments that he'd began so many years ago.

"Lieutenant Commander Thunderwing?"

Thunderwing turned to see an Autotrooper being escorted by two Vehicons. "Prisoner for you Commander. We were informed to bring him to you."

Thunderwing gave them a curt nod. "Yes. Put him over there." He pointed to a chair. "Make sure that he's secured and well fueled."

"Excuse me sir?" The Vehicon asked. Thunderwing's expression grew somber. "You heard me. I want him topped off. Do I make myself clear, soldier?"

"Y-yes sir." The two troopers rushed to tend to their orders.

A commotion got Thunderwing's attention. The door to his lab was thrown open and a small, lavender Seeker femme burst through. She was followed by a lab technician. "I'm so sorry sir. She wouldn't take no for an answer."

Thunderwing waved the tech off and ordered the Vehicons to return to their task. "Slipstream. For what purpose brings you here?"

She crossed her arms. "I saw how you left our glorious leader. What did he do, kick you out? Expel you from his chambers? After all you've done for this Empire?"

"What are you implying?" Thunderwing demanded. Slipstream smiled. "I think you know what I mean."

He crossed his arms. "Out. Now. I've got work to. I don't need you here."

"But-"

Thunderwing slid toward Slipstream until he towered over the Seeker. "I told you to leave. I advise you to do so before I have you turned over to Megatron for treason."

He turned his back to the Seeker and walked away from her, shooing the guards away. He looked down at the Autotrooper and smiled reassuringly. Or rather tried to be reassuring. To the trooper, it came across as frightening.

"No need to be frightened. You just might be the one to save our race."