The Energon Pub

Hangar

Flamewar rounded the corner to see the doors of the hangar had been blasted open. As she stepped over the bodies of vehicons that had ceased to function, the black operative caught sight of the Valkastan warlord crumple into the floor and fire off one last laser at Razorclaw who managed to avoid the worst of the damage, his shoulder cannon exploding in a magnificent fireball of destruction. It seemed as though things were being settled at least.

She took stock for herself of the occupants of the hangar. Other than the Predacons and Thunderwing, she could see Starscream, Soundwave and the Combaticons present as well as a severely damaged Motormaster. This was appalling. None of these mechanoids were fit for combat with the Autobots should the situation require that. Except maybe Starscream. It was just like him to go into this the victim and come out untouched. He seemed to have a talent for avoiding punishment. The black and crimson femme turned her attention back to Razorclaw as he began to speak.

“My fellow Decepticons, Thunderwing is beaten! Shockwave is beaten! I am now the Supreme Commander of the Decepticon Empire! The throne is mine! This squabbling and infighting has gone on long enough! It will end NOW! The Autobots are our enemies, not each other! Am I clearly understood? If not, then my supporters and I will help to clarify the situation for you."

Flamewar considered the Predacon commander's words for a moment. Very direct. But necessary, it seemed. Then, very slowly and deliberately, she clapped three times in mock applause to capture Razorclaw's attention.

"Well spoken, Lord Razorclaw," Flamewar said, placing a certain emphasis on the word 'lord', "And very apt. Perhaps you'd care to accompany me to the bridge and attend to said enemy instead of continuing to squabble until there's not a single combat ready Decepticon left on this ship?" Flamewar paused for a moment, having allowed a little venom to slip into her words. She continued in a flat tone, "We've just been hailed by an Autobot vessel."

Finished, Flamewar crossed her arms over her chestplate and awaited the new supreme commander's response.

Hangar- Observation Deck

I have made a grave miscalculation.

Misfire contemplated his options. He'd left Flamewar to watch the rest of the fight, only to see Razorclaw put down Thunderwing less than a breem later. And now Flamewar and her entourage were shmoozing the victorious Predacon Commander, quickly swearing their allegiance and undoubtedly eyeing the promotions to follow over their defeated comrades.

Misfire could only look on, wondering if he should've stuck with Flamewar longer. But instead he'd looked to find someone who actually wanted leadership of the Decepticons, and had rushed as quickly as he could to Starscream.

The Seeker Commander was still watching with his entourage. Misfire kept expecting him to act, to strike while Razorclaw was wounded. Surely Starscream would seize an opportunity... that was what Starscream did.

Yet now... now, Misfire had two options. He could throw his support behind Flamewar and Razorclaw, and be late to the party and hope there'd be no stigma attached, or he could roll the dice and side with Starscream, and cheer on the egomaniac to victory.

Side with the victorious Predacon, who undeniably deserved to lead, following that endurance match, or swear fealty to an opportunist who only cared about himself.

He had to decide fast... if he didn't pick a side, he'd be a bystander in the conflict, and either end up ferrying more transports around or punished by the new leader for not backing the right side.

It was tough to summon any courage when he was by himself. He didn't know any of the other soldiers in the vicinity... besides maybe Flamewar. But their relationship started when he walked out on her mid-speech. Misfire doubted the femme would forget that slight.

He glanced between Starscream and Razorclaw.

"Razorclaw is powerful, but weakened..." Misfire finally managed to say. "Air Commander Starscream will be leader of the Decepticons in mere moments."

He gambled again. And waited for fate to play its hand.

Thanatos - Bridge

Shadowing walked into the Bridge. He had a serious expression on his face as his thoughts weighed what might be happening out there.

"Do we have any sort of confirmation as to where that signal is coming from?" He asked sternly although he suspected the answer. He moved to the console that Shockwave would frequently and accessed it.

The Hanger

Vortex slouched up against the wall on top of a heap of rubble that had come down from a shattered bulkhead brace. His cyclone gun resting lightly against his left shoulder. A soft bounce up against his armor gave only a hinted tap as the cacophony of hell within the stadium sized confines of the shuttle hanger began to subside. To his right an unobstructed view of the rent and worn victor in the challenge for power stood, behind him Onslaught and Motormaster preparing to defend their new commander.

The interrogator's gaze slowly drifted to the damaged Starscream and the few who were lacking enough processing power that backed his own claim for the throne. It was pretty clear that Screamer was in far better shape than Razorclaw, and an opportunity was ever present for him to land a fatal blow and claim the throne for himself. Vortex knew far better than most that not even Starscream was so dishonorable. Besides to do so not only invited the wrath of the Combaticons but also the divided Stunticons and their ferocious commander.

Add to that, what good was the throne if no one was willing to follow your command? Vortex knew the philosophical question was one that daunted every leader under Megatron's thumb for Vorns. Just because Megatron said that someone was in charge, that did not mean very much while in the field... and more often than not, it lead to a few rear guard carbon marks on aft plates.

Quietly Vortex transmitted an all clear signal to Onslaught, with a hint of disapproval that he had missed the bulk of the action. He knew well enough his efforts in Main Engineering were vital to the security of this operation. If Shockwave or any other would be challenger had managed to gain computer access, the entire lot of them could have been bounced into the nearest brig or worse. He added a simple report of his progress in unlocking the computer core, but it would take someone more skilled in that department than he was.

Once satisfied the transmission was sent, under the cover of a waft of smoldering soot that fell from the deck above, Vortex rolled down from the mound of debris and into the hall. He slung his weapon over his shoulder and pulled the straps close to minimize the sounds and damages attained from the weapon's movement.

He carefully made his way, unobstructed to one of the downed turbo lifts, the base of which still smoking where the car had crashed when the interrogator had cut the power to that particular section. "Up or down?" He spoke to the vacuum of loneliness, his teammates still embroiled elsewhere on the ship. He transformed into his copter form and ascended the turbo lift shaft towards the highest point of the ship, the bridge.

The Bridge

The double doors on the far side of the bridge, to the right of a pair of angled spires, split apart with a shred of rending metal and hiss of escaping hydraulic pressure. A few moments ticked down as a pair of hands finally protruded through the narrow slit. They pulled in opposite directions, nearly tearing the doors from their rails and back into the recesses where they would remain secured until a repair team could restore power to that particular lift.

"It does look like I was not the only one who missed out on the bulk of the activities." Vortex emerged through a sliver of smoke and stood in front of the main projection terminal. "Swindle, do me the honor of activating code 31-41 Omicron. That should restore more than emergency controls to your specific terminal."

He glanced at the others with a half hearted smirk. "Won't help the rest of you, so don't even try. Code is energy specific until further notice."

The interrogator turned back to Swindle and then to the Triple Changer that had been on the planet below only breems ago. "I trust you have something more substantial to draw my attention to rather than securing a barely contested heart of a starship."

Knockout’s Lab

Nightraven broke her gaze from the mechanic and carefully turned her head just enough to look at Skaywarp. And once she was comfortable she gave the prankster a small pained smile. She didn’t like the fact that Knockout had put his slimy hands on her frame, but the little powder puff knew what he was doing.

“No. You’re right. Orbitoclast,” Nightraven cringed just at the thought of the depraved lunatic surgeon. “I’d rather be tossed head first into a smelting pool than be one of her patients.” The femme shivered visibly.

Nightraven quieted down while Skywarp turned his full attention back on to the impromptu doctor.

A smile plastered on his face, Knockout watched both Seekers get cozy with one another. That smile faded; however, when he spotted Skywarp begin to move toward his direction. The rag he’d been using to tidy up his tools with slipped from his hand and dropped to the floor in a pool at his feet.

Optics over-bright with surprise Knockout began to back away from the pissed off Seeker. He stopped only when his back pressed flush to the wall directly behind him. He flattened his palms against the wall and raised his chin up high. If he was going to be struck than at least his face would be spared.

A series of praises were offered to Primus when he realized that Skywarp had only poked an actuator into his chestplate. Of course he’d need to check that out after this crazed flyboy had finally retreated. Knockout took a deep breath looking from his chest and up to the purple and black Seeker. His mouth dropped open but it closed quickly before he could say anything that might draw the ire of Skywarp. Instead the crimson and gold mechanic flashed the Seeker a feigned uninterested smirk and shrugged. “Whatever you say, mein Freund. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

Hanger

“NO!” Blackwind’s unbelieving cry rang out through the hanger as she watched Thunderwing finally fall to Razorclaw. The femme kept her optics glued to the downed Warlord hoping that, somehow, he’d rise back up and put the detestable Predacon in his place. But there was no movement from the carapace encased scientist.

Blackwind finally attempted to move forward but she was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder and by a Null Ray muzzle pressed into her back. Starscream. She’d nearly forgotten the little sleaze was behind her. She sneered as she took a look over her shoulder at the smirking Seeker Commander.

“Not a wise choice, my dear.” Starscream’s snide voice echoed in her audio drawing out a low dangerous growl from the femme. “Let me go, Starscream, or…” “Or what? You’ll beat me within a microinch of my life? Please. You’re hardly in any position to be threatening me.” The Air Commander mocked. The hand on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly.

Blackwind tore her optics from Thunderwing to cast a hateful gaze at the mech poised behind her. Starscream, for his part, simply smirked that trademark smirk of his. It turned Blackwind’s tanks. “I may not be in the position right now, but things can change,” she growled deep in her throat.

Starscream frowned and shoved the muzzle of his Null Ray sharply into her back forcing her to move deeper into the hanger.

Vehicons lay in ruins while others remained on high alert. Amongst the chaos stood the followers of Razorclaw and Shockwave. Blackwind’s optics fell once again over to the motionless Thunderwing. He may’ve been down but that hardly meant he was out. All that he needed was time.

All I needed is time. Starscream thought. He paid close attention to the new “leader” of the Decepticon forces. A sneer formed on his face as he guided Blackwind further.

“Grating isn’t it?” Blackwind said after a few moments. She kept her tone low so as not to draw any attention to her and her guide. “The place you coveted for so long taken from you by a beast.” The Aerial Coordinator chuckled lightly.

Her goading forced Starscream to poke her in the back with his weapons. “Razorclaw will fall. They all will.” The Air Commander was sure to keep his claims between him and Blackwind. He took a long hard look at the Predacon. “They all will fall and when they do I shall be the one to put right what they did wrong.” He smiled broadly.

“And just how do you plan on accomplishing that? You haven’t a competent soldier under your command with the processor to do your bidding.” Blackwind gestured to the ‘Cons present within the hanger, “Such a motley crew at your disposal. Quite inspiring, Starscream. Truly it is.”

A growl followed Blackwind’s disparaging statement. The evil glitch had a way of getting under his plating. “I may not have the backing of many of these fools, and that includes some of these gearstick Seekers,” Starscream focused in on Nightweaver whose loss to Tantrum did not go unnoticed. Such a disappointment to the ranks that one was. If time permitted, and the fool came out of stasis, he’d have to have a nice “discussion” with the sorry excuse for a Seeker. “But that matters not. They’ll follow me.”

Blackwind let out a low chuckle. Still delusional even when faced with a losing opportunity. “I must agree with you on one aspect of that claim, Starscream. The Seekers directly under your command, well their actions speak for themselves. Primus be praised I take my orders from Megatron himself.”

A smile caused the corners of Blackwind’s lips to curl. How could this egotistical buffoon possibly believe he could lead an entire army of Decepticons. “You’ll fail. Just as you have always failed. By the grace of Primus and the curse of the Unmaker, you’ll wind up living through the mess you’ll inevitably cause.” A hard crack from the Null Ray’s barrel sent the Aerial Coordinator stumbling forward and toward Thunderwing’s stasis locked form. “Go, glitch! Care for your disabled Master!”

Blackwind said nothing. Instead she took the opportunity to check over the Warlord. She had to get him to the repair bay.

Once Blackwind was out of his hair Starscream refocused his attention on Razorclaw who was now addressing his “subjects”. The silver Seeker snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Starscream glared daggers at the Predacon as it seemed he was being singled out but not in word. He lifted his chin and gave no indication that he agreed or even disagreed with any of Razorclaw’s statements. For now he’d bide his time.

The Bridge

Shadowing slammed his fists on the console as Vortex spoke. He was at his limit with all of this. He turned around and began to walk towards Vortex. The walk was controlled, professional but filled with menace.

"Listen to me, interrogator, and listen well for I will not repeat myself." He said in a cold, stern voice. "There is an Autobot ship out there which means that your limits to the system have stopped being a ploy for advantage in this power struggle and have become a handcuff which will limit our ability to defend ourselves should a battle begin."

Shadowing's optics narrowed, all of his frustration and anger he felt that the situation in general now focused on the Combaticon.

"Restore all functions now or all of us, including your Combaticons, will pay the price. Especially you."

Hangar

>>"Predacons, to me, NOW! Onslaught, what is the status of you and your team? Be ready to aid in taking down any additional challengers on my command. Keep an especially close optic on both Blackwind and Starscream,"<< Razorclaw had transmitted.

>>”We still function. My team has secured all key areas of the ship. It is yours to command once more,”<< Onslaught transmitted the simple reply back to the Predacon Commander, no, the Decepticon leader now, knowing full well that the Thanatos had been made the personal war machine of the Predacon unit soon after its completion under the direction of Shockwave. He and Brawl had moved out of their previous position and made their way to Razorclaw’s vicinity as others made their support for Razorclaw’s declaration known. Onslaught and his team more than functioned. They, particularly he and Brawl, had endured some direct and collateral damage, but nothing near the level of what Razorclaw and many others had endured. The Combaticons would be combat ready all over again if the need suddenly arose. Blast-off was close by. And both he and Brawl had been keeping a close eye on the situation evolving around them just in case it was. Swindle had secured the bridge. Vortex engineering. Though they were not fully secure yet. In truth, they would likely never be. Now that leadership of the Decepticons had been attained, it would have to be defended. Perhaps ceaselessly. And thus the strategies and counterstrategies were already forming in Onslaught’s processors about how they would indeed defend their hill. Not just now, but in the orns and vorns to come.

“My fellow Decepticons, Thunderwing is beaten! Shockwave is beaten! I am now the Supreme Commander of the Decepticon Empire! The throne is mine! This squabbling and infighting has gone on long enough! It will end NOW! The Autobots are our enemies, not each other! Am I clearly understood? If not, then my supporters and I will help to clarify the situation for you."

And there it was, the stake that truly solidified the end to this particular conflict. A new one would begin to boil, perhaps even as those words had left Razorclaw’s vocalizers, but at least progress had been made. A step towards stability, however small it might seem. Onslaught would do his part to ensure that said step was as large as possible.

And yet, standing here, Onslaught was no fool. He knew, just as any Decepticon in a similar position might, that he had a golden opportunity. His unit still functioned—very well actually. If he wanted, he could take this opportunity and finish the damage that others had done to the Predacon and secure his own place upon the throne. He would be lying to himself if he said the temptation did not cross his mind in this moment. But it did. And, fortunately, it vanished just as quickly as it entered his mind. Thunderwing had presented him with an opportunity to shift his loyalties. Shockwave would have as well, Onslaught had no doubt. Starscream likely would in the future if he thought there was any chance that such an attempt might bear fruit. But just as before, Onslaught was no opportunist; even now, when such opportunity could yield their highest rewards, loyalty mattered. Temptation was not weakness. Giving in to it was. This was the culminating victory of a strategy that he and Razorclaw had been working on since they first suspected Shockwave of treason back on Cybertron. Onslaught would not see it tarnished.

The Combaticon Commander solidified his grip on his weapon, the barrel of which was focused squarely in Starscream’s direction but could just as easily be maneuvered to pick off any number of other potential contenders within range.

“At long last, we did what we set out to do. At last we can right this wayward ship,” Onslaught said quietly, so quietly that few outside of Onslaught’s immediate vicinity would pick it up. His vocalizers then returned to their standard levels. “What of the challengers, and the various loyalists? To the med bay? Or to the brig?”

Onslaught’s gaze then shifted slightly, looking at Razorclaw himself through his periphery.

“You have more than earned some time in a CR chamber yourself, my lord. Perhaps..."

Onslaught's words trailed off, however, as another spoke. The voice belonged to someone familiar. Familiar to Onslaught at least, if not to many others. What she was doing here, though, he did not know.

"Well spoken, Lord Razorclaw. And very apt. Perhaps you'd care to accompany me to the bridge and attend to said enemy instead of continuing to squabble until there's not a single combat ready Decepticon left on this ship? We've just been hailed by an Autobot vessel."

An Autobot vessel? Onslaught's optics narrowed slightly. He could not help but wonder if such a hail was the result of the interaction he had with Ultra Magnus and his team of Autobots down on Earth. He could not quite decide if this was either the best or worst possible moment for the Autobots to make such an attempt. Only time would tell. And it was now Razorclaw's decision to make how best to proceed in that regard. Just as with everything else. Heavy lies the crown...

Hangar- Observation Deck

Well now I don't know what to believe, Misfire mused, watching the spectacle unfolding below him. Evidently Starscream wasn't going to pull any underhanded tricks to seize the mantle of leadership.

Misfire had always had horrible luck, but the number of contrivances coupled with his poor decisions had all compounded together. He'd probably pissed off just about everybody now in a position of power.

Maybe if I just sit here quietly and bring the munitions in they'll just ignore me.

No, that wouldn't work. Supplies would be even more crucial now that the Decepticons had half-slagged their army. An interceptor like himself could always find work, even in the direst of situations.

But that also meant doing more of the job he hated. Doing the same old thing, again and again.

Well, it was better than being scrap on the hangar floor.

Misfire glanced at the cargo freighter in orbit around the Thanatos. Well, at least he had a peace offering, and he was the only one with the access codes. With Shockwave and Soundwave still incapacitated, there wasn't anyone who could crack it, either.

Still, it was a card he had to play fast.

Misfire shoved the hapless Vehicon at the hangar station controls out of the way and got on the intercom. "Uh, hey, guys? Not to kill the mood or anything, but if Supreme Commander Razorclaw will give me permission, we can bring in some supplies and tech..."

And once again Misfire missed his mark. He had spoken out of turn, without the permission of his superior officer. He just couldn't help himself.

But, with something to offer... something to trade... maybe he wouldn't be scrap just yet...

Med Bay

There were a multitude of sounds, as there always were, the hums of the ships systems, the chatter of various Decepticons, the sound of footfalls, joints bending, swiveling. This was background noise that was always present, but there were also unique noises in this place. He could hear the sparking of circuits, the quiet roar of a micro-torch, the buzzing of a sensor probe, the throbbing of an external energon pump. It was enough to tell him that he was in the med bay and inside a CR chamber.

With a hiss the chamber opened and a restored Soundwave stepped out. A quick scan of the room revealed the various minions he had deployed earlier in a rough defensive line around the chamber. Frenzy and Rumble flanked the chamber while Ravage stood in front of it. Ratbat hung from a light fixture on the ceiling, a smug look on his face. He surmised that they had dragged him here after he fell in battle. The CR chamber had taken care of his fairly minor injuries and they had apparently all been ignored off in the corner. As always it was his preference to not be noticed unless he desired it, and this was most definitely one of those circumstances.

Soundwave reached out further with his sensors, opening himself up fully. He could hear the color of the other Decepticons emotions. They were chaotic, a rainbow of confusion, anger and fear. It had the taste and smell of rotting organic matter and he found it highly unpleasant. Is this what they were to be reduced to now, a confused, violent mob? Was there anything he could do to change that situation?

The communications expert closed off the extraneous sensory input, bringing him back to the here and now. He couldn’t afford to get lost in his senses now. While he now knew the pulse of the room, he needed the details of the situation. Starscream had resorted to his typical cowardly tactics in defeating him, but the result of the larger battle in the hangar was still unknown to him. Soundwave was typically the main fount of information in any given situation, he disliked being in the dark in the current situation.

As if reading his mind Ravage turned and addressed him. “We were able to drag you here shortly after your fight ended.” He avoided any direct mention of Soundwave’s defeat. “Once we got you into the chamber we stood guard. Only other thing we’ve seen here is when they brought the Cyclops in.” The Decepticon gestured with his head toward where Shockwave was being attended to.

Soundwave gazed at where the other Decepticon lay, scanning him with his various built in sensors. Typically Shockwave was able to deflect most of his attempts to get a clear scan of him with his sophisticated equipment. The fact that he was able to get various readings on him spoke to the extent of his injuries. It was obvious that the other Decepticon had not won his battle.

“It was a mistake to back Shockwave.”

Ravage tilted is head to the side. “Probably. We all make mistakes though, and we still don’t know who came out on top. When we left it looked like it was turning into a messy melee. I think Laserbeak stayed to watch, probably cowering in the corner somewhere.”

A signal to Laserbeak confirmed Ravage’s words. He had observed and recorded the events that Soundwave had missed while fighting Starscream and recovering from that battle. Shockwave had fallen to Razorclaw, followed shortly thereafter by Thunderwing. Razorclaw was now proclaiming himself the new Decepticon leader and gathering up his base of power.

Soundwave knew in his spark that only Megatron could lead the Decepticons. Only he had the combination of intellect, strength, charisma and the vision to lead the faction. At best any other Decepticon would be a placeholder, someone capable of keeping the faction together and functioning until Megatron returned, and Soundwave had no doubt that he would. Megatron had always returned, even from dire circumstances such as these.

Shockwave had seemed the most logical and capable candidate to hold the Decepticons together. His power and intellect would have been enough to keep others in line, at least for a while. The Decepticon’s cold nature and lack of charisma would likely have resulted in some sort of revolt from the more hot tempered, impatient and emotional Decepticons. Starscream wouldn’t have been able to keep the Decepticons together for any length of time. Thunderwing was too much of an unknown factor to rely on one way or the other.

Now Razorclaw had assumed leadership after a series of battles. He naturally had the support of his team and apparently that of Onslaught and most of his team. It was a strong powerbase to build from, but would it be enough to hold on to leadership for any length of time? Razorclaw did possess some charisma that would likely appeal to the pure warriors among the Decepticons but had the potential to alienate others. He certainly possessed some power and fighting ability, but Soundwave doubted it would be a match for someone along the likes of Scorponok. That particular Decepticon might have though twice about attacking Shockwave but would have much fewer doubts when it came to Razorclaw. The support of Predacons and Combaticons would help, but relying on assistance from others would only cause him to lose respect among other Decepticons. At best a Razorclaw leadership would be precarious.

For now Soundwave would have to resume his work behind the scenes in holding the empire together and ensuring his own livelihood in it. Razorclaw had not terminated either Shockwave or Thunderwing despite the opportunities to do both. It was likely that he would not feel the need to do so with Soundwave, particularly if he put his loyalty to the Decepticons ahead of the loyalty to any particular leader.

The Decepticon turned and, using a cable from his arm, plugged into a nearby computer console. He needed to reassert his control over the vessel to continue his functions as efficiently as possible. Soundwave soon found out that bridge functions had been seized by an outside party. A program had been introduced into the ship’s computer that had cracked through his security blocks. The work did not seem like the type of thing Razorclaw would have ordered or been able to perform. Either way it would be better for him personally to have control over the systems. He launched a counterattack against the new program, gradually breaking it down and isolating it, retaking control of system after system. He noted the arrival of new Decepticons from outside the ship, including a Decepticon freighter, interesting developments that would have to be dealt with in time.

His attention was drawn more to a recently received communication from the Autobots, addressed to the Decepticons. He immediately launched an attempt to trace the signal, only to find it bouncing from the numerous satellites in orbit around Earth. It was not surprising, considering the ridiculous syntax used in the message it must have originated from Blaster. The Autobot wielded communications and sound like the idiot savage he is, a child playing with toys while he was an artist sculpting masterful works that couldn’t be duplicated.

Despite the syntax the message must have come from orders higher up in the Autobot chain of command. It had been sitting unanswered for some time. This would give an opportunity for him to fulfill his function and integrate himself into whatever form the new chain of command would take under Razorclaw. Using the satellites Soundwave bounced a signal back into space, ricocheting off of the man-made objects to an extent to make it impossible to trace.

>>”State your business.”<<

*

Bridge

Swindle’s brief, glorious time as soul occupant and controller of the Thanatos came to a crashing halt as various other Decepticons barged into the bridge. First it was Blitzwing who immediately began freaking out. Before he could calm him down Shadowing came in and began trying to investigate the signal. Finally Vortex stormed into the room and began impersonating Onslaught with a bunch of orders, orders that Shadowing seemed to object to. Swindle would have found it all hilarious if he weren’t stuck in the middle of it all.

“Hey, hey, lets all calm down here people. Just because the Autobot’s sent a signal doesn’t mean they know where we are. It’s also clearly above my paygrade to worry about it either. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything with the systems until I hear from my commanding officer. Things seem a bit crazy at the moment and I want to be reassured by the soothing tones from my dear leader Onslaught before I do anything else.” Naturally he was just saying this all to save his own aft. Better to pass the burden on to someone else who could absorb the blame should anything go wrong.

The arms dealer looked down at his command console as an alert went off. Someone was counterattacking his little control program. It didn’t take long to figure out who it was as communications was one of the first systems to go.

“Doesn’t matter now anyway. Soundwave is apparently up and about and reasserting his control. Looks like I can’t help you now.” Swindle raised his hands palm out with a smile of resignation. He looked down at the console again. “Oh, and it looks like he replied to the Autobots too. That’s convenient.”

Hangar

Warwolf followed his mentor into the ship's hangar bay. The sight of his fellow Decepticons continuing to struggle for the Decepticon leadership title was a little sickening to him. Well, part of him anyways.

"Look at all the carnage...We could be apart of it...We could rule the Decepticons!!"

The interrogator ignored the violent thought as he continued to walk behind the Black Operations femme. He took notice to find her approaching the newly appointed Decepticon Leader, Razorclaw. Great, the Predacon and his beasts were going to be running things now. Ironic... One would think a monstrous beast-former like Warwolf would be in full support of the Predacon's rise to the throne, but something about the Lion-former didn't sit right with him like Megatron did.

Flamewar began to "converse" with Razorclaw. Warwolf maintained his distance, knowing Flamewar was highly capable of handling herself in any situation. The interrogator readied two knives from his large assortment of hidden blades, just in the event he and his mentor recieve any sort of retaliation from any of the power-driven warriors who were still fighting for their claim to the throne.

((OOC: More to come later on))

Bridge

Vortex cracked his knuckles over an exposed computer terminal. He began entering a series of long codes, most of which were in Cybertronian Binary. He reorganized several command structures to allow access to the central computer terminal, while creating a secondary and off site remote for the series of EMP discs he had set along the core. He plugged in a few more commands in the communications index and began to release several access points to the bridge.

To be perfectly honest, at least with himself, Vortex knew what he was attempting was nothing spectacular... at least with regards to the reconstruction of various access points. When someone of more considerable skill delved into the feed, his work would be easily out matched and probably put to shame. But even still the effort in creating a non aligned network that was independent of the Thanatos's main computer core before that happened... well even he knew it would take time to track that down, if they even bothered at all. One thing all Combaticons knew how to achieve, outside of victory, was the advantage over any potential opponents.

It would be up to Onslaught to determine who would have access to that independent network and who would have the pleasure of turning the vessel end over end. Of course that was until they disarmed those particular devices and forced him to come up with some other Ace in the Hole. As soon as he severed the final link of his network a set of override commands began to flood the main terminal screen.

"Well, it doth appear that Mister Personality has decided to rejoin the sector of the functional." He let his voice hang low over the cacophony of the bridge. "I doubt that our cowardly Autobot antagonists are going to be too much of a threat at this point Shadowing."

He turned around and gave Swindle an acknowledging nod. Despite the absolute ease that Soundwave had invaded and dissolved most of his attempts at security lockouts, Vortex refused to rise to the bait. Instead he paced back to the command tower and leaned against one of the supporting buttresses. "If I were a betting mech, I'd wager a stack of twenty energon credits this particular communique is going to be fairly entertaining."

"Fifty if Magnus ends up telling Captain Persona to jump off the Sonic Canyon Walls." He curved his left lip in a sneer as he folded his arms over his chest plate. "You in Shadowing? Or are you scared that an Autobot patrol will come blow us out of the solar system?"

Med Bay

It appeared as though Battletrap had missed Flywheels's question concerning the leadership struggle. That was okay; hardly an issue when soon enough the fighting would reach its conclusion and its victor announced on a public level for all to know. Besides, had Flywheels persuaded Battletrap to tag along with him to watch the spectacle, it was anybody's guess as to how that would have turned out.

Considering the lack of luck he owned – being a Duocon offered a prime example of this – and Shockwave's current state – even though a full recovery was expected of him – Flywheels didn't want to tempt fate, to court disaster. While a competent warrior, if Decepticons like Shockwave were coming off second best in leadership struggles, then there was no guarantee Flywheels would have emerged unscathed or even with only minor injuries.

But his lack of luck wouldn't have stopped there. Oh, no. It simply would've been warming up. Flexing its muscles, as it were.

A–

It's amusing, brother. You label me negative at every opportunity, yet these thoughts you dwell on are stained black with your negativity.

Flywheels scowled, his features creasing in annoyance. “I'll never understand how the Pit you're able to read my central processor.”

Of course you won't. I've attempted to disclose this information to you on several occasions, but to no avail. You, brother, are too much of an idiot to comprehend my explanations.

“Yeah? Well, if I'm so dumb, then why did Shockwave give me the robotic mode and not you? Answer me that, smart-aft.”

The complexities of the Duocon process. Apart from its creator, whose knowledge on such technology was unrivalled, only Flywheels and Battletrap, to a limited degree, understood what they were. To illuminate your average Decepticon on the Duocon process, however, was a feat deserving of a bounty of awards, commendations and applause.

Which was why Flywheels avoided the topic altogether, and strove to conceal his true identity under the guise of a “normal Decepticon”.

Not easy when the majority of his comrades already suspected him of being one of the two surviving experiments Shockwave had confirmed to be his pair of Duocons. Gossip, the lovely thing that it was, had a way of mingling with everyone in a very speedy fashion.

Scarab's silence made Flywheels grin. It suggested that he had no retort to fire back, that he'd surrendered and accepted his defeat in their little verbal scuffle. Good, good. Scarab needed to learn to shut it more often.

Satisfied with his brother's lull, Flywheels took another peek in Shockwave's direction before boredom turned it away and sent it to those still occupying the med bay. A few had left, going to destinations unknown to the Duocon, but the two Stunticons and Orbitoclast – “the Deranged Witch” – had remained where they were.

Then Flywheels saw him.

“B.T.,” he whispered, leaning in close to his team-mate. “Hey, Battletrap. Look. Over there.” He pointed to the unmistakeable form of Soundwave, seemingly busying himself at some computer console on the other side of the med bay.

The sight of the communications officer dissolved his system of nerve receptors into a pulpy mess, as if an alloy-eating acid had been poured over it. Being in his presence, Soundwave had always managed to infect Flywheels with anxiety owing to a reputation that required no justification to augment it.

Feeling apprehensive, Flywheels had to wonder: why was he here? He never even noticed Soundwave coming in, so had he also been involved in the leadership struggle, collected a bunch of wounds for all his trouble, and arrived at a time when Flywheels was still resting in a CR chamber? Or at least something like that?

Having only recently stepped out of that CR chamber, Flywheels had no clue. But maybe Battletrap did.

Communication from the Ark 22: Priority Signal Frequency Alpha

Ultra Magnus's voice boomed through the ship wide audio receivers."My business, Soundwave, is of grave importance. I require connection with whoever has claimed lordship over your military. As well as Onslaught for verification."

Medical bay

The medical bay was bustling with new arrivals comings and goings Crueljaw stoically stayed at his station as Shockwave’s unofficial security. Crueljaw heard Blitzwing yelling but he ignored him simply folding his arms across his chest. He was content to stay with the boss until he was up and calculating once again Crueljaw’s head turned as he saw the Duocon’s chattering to each other

“So who do you think is gonna lead us?"

Crueljaw finally decided to interject in the conversation directing it at Flywheels

“it doesn’t matter who leads us to us it’ll be the same we do as we are told”

Medical Bay

Battletrap was startled a little by Crueljaw's voice. He then looked over to where Flywheels was pointing and noted the chief communication officer coming out of his own CR Chamber. It took a little bit but finally remembered where Soundwave's loyalties laid. Ultimately they were and very likely always will be with Megatron. However, Battletrap remembered something about Soundwave throwing in his lot with Shockwave for whatever the reason.

"Yes, I see Soundwave. I believe he is with us for now. I didn't know he was in a CR chamber. Good to see him out and one piece. He has his loyal Cassetcons like Shockwave has us Duocons. I agree with Crueljaw about leader. Only thought is how long leader will last. Most would agree Megatron true leader. Others are only temporary for now. Shockwave would have been good permanent leader though. He would need strong second for personality. Hopefully in next few orns he will be standing back up."

Med Bay

Flywheels had been concentrating so hard on Battletrap and Soundwave – the former for an answer and the latter purely because of who he was – that he failed to realise Crueljaw was standing near him. And not just standing near him. Talking to Flywheels, too. Responding to a question that had been harassing him for some time now.

Puzzlement wrought across his facial-plate, Flywheels looked at Crueljaw, as though the Decepticon had spoken in a language dominated by high-pitched squeals and inane laughter. He didn't hear what it was he had said. Not a single word. How embarrassing.

Astroseconds passed. No reply issued from his vocaliser.

He said it doesn't matter who leads us, that it'll be the same, and we'll still do as we're told.

What a save by Scarab, an unlikely hero made even more unlikely by the aid he bequeathed to Flywheels. Not that the Duocon was complaining. Scarab had helped out, for reasons he couldn't yet grasp, and... And...

Well.

That really was unusual, like incredibly unusual. Utterly foreign to their relationship was any kind of fluidity, of harmony that most brothers shared and enjoyed.

Then again, once Flywheels reminded himself of the Duocon process and how unnatural it was, it almost made sense to him, in his own way.

“Yeah, that's right,” he said to Crueljaw, attempting to recover his composure. “Nothing will change, will it? No, probably not. It'll still be the same old stuff but just with a new leader running the show.”

Imbecile.

Flywheels felt as though he owed it to Scarab for rescuing him back there. But not anymore. His brother could go to the Pit and stay there for all he cared.

Battletrap then told Flywheels about Soundwave. He listened, nodding several times during his comrade's dialogue, particularly at the part when it was indicated that Soundwave had thrown his lot in with Shockwave.

“Let's hope Shockwave gets back on his feet soon. But I gotta worry about what'll happen to him if he challenges the new leader.” He gestured to his creator, still lying on an operating table. “The first round wasn't exactly kind to him, and I can't see the second round deciding to show him any mercy, either.”

Bridge

Shadowing frowned and continued his stare towards Vortex.

"I am more interested in how you knew that Ultra Magnus would be the one communicating when it was not him in the original message."

Hangar

Razorclaw. Razorclaw was the victor who would lay claim to the empty throne. A false king to some. Certainly a lesser king than his predecessor. Weirdwolf had caught the end of the final trial that the Predacon lord had faced against the Valkastan Warlord. The lupine tracker cast his gaze about the room after Thunderwing had fallen, looking to see if another challenger would rise. However, Motormaster spoke to declare his allegiance to the new supreme commander. Many Decepticons nodded their heads in agreement, his comrade Skullcruncher included. Weirdwolf joined the chorus of nods, satisfied with Razorclaw's performance.

"Seems it has that the battle has come to end," Weirdwolf said to Skullcruncher, "Unless the stars scream their protest, but they seem silent for the moment."

Before his comrade had this chance to answer, a new arrival stepped into the hangar. It was the same femme from the medical bay. She did seem...like he had seen her before, but Weirdwolf could not place her. Perhaps Skullcruncher might know. The black and crimson femme addressed Razorclaw, bringing word of an Autobot vessel.

"And so thickens the plot," Weirdwolf muttered, wondering why the Autobots would attempt to make contact with them. "What business do Autobots have with Decepticons?" He thought aloud.

Hangar

Blast-Off let out a sigh of relief once Thunderwing had finally been defeated and Lord Razorclaw had stood victorious over all challengers. The space warrior was even more relieved when it appeared that neither Blackwind nor Starscream would step up next to fight the Predacon Commander for the throne. Razorclaw had bested both Shockwave and Thunderwing, the latter of which he had a considerable amount of help from his supporters, but the lion-former was now clearly battered and low on energon. He would not likely win or even survive another contest.

Fortunately, there were no more challengers as most in the hangar pledged their allegiance to Razorclaw or simply remained silent on the matter. Blast-Off did the same, bowing to the new Supreme Commander of the Decepticons. Onslaught had moved in to speak with the Predacon lord shortly after a femme called Flamewar had entered the chamber. It seemed that many now wanted an audience with Razorclaw, even the Autobots, who were hailing them.

Curious, the space warrior thought as he cautiously approached Onslaught and took up a position next to the Combaticon Commander. Blast-Off remained silent, sparing a quick glance up at his unit leader before turning his attention back over to the wounded Razorclaw, who was now surrounded by his Predacons to prevent any further attacks. So many decisions to make and so little time to make them.
_________

Razorclaw was the victor in both contests, but it came at a price. His body was battered and worn down, the ultra energon in his fuel cells was dangerously low at only 13%. He knew that he could not withstand another assault, but the lion-former showed few signs that he could not continue if another had stepped forward to challenge him again. As it were, his Predacons, as well as the Combaticons, had done well to aid him in his win over Thunderwing but even they were not in the best of shape. Headstrong, especially, was in dire need of repairs after his own run-in with the Warlord. The rest of his team were in better condition, rallying around him as Divebomb circled overhead.

The Predacon lord waited for Starscream to make his move or even Blackwind to avenge the beating her new master had taken. Fortunately, neither of them made a motion against him. Although, the two seekers’ private conversation had not gone unnoticed. Instead, Razorclaw heard Motormaster bellow out his allegiance to him as many other Deceptions in the hangar followed suit. Some remained silent, of course, but it was no matter. If they were not challenging him further than they had simply accepted what had transpired here whether they liked it or not. They really had no choice in the matter at this point.

It was the mock clapping from the femme known as Flamewar that drew Razorclaw’s attention from the rest of the ‘Cons in the room. The Predacon lord knew of her as one of Megatron’s black operatives, holding a variety of dark secrets that most within the Empire would rather no one find out about. Of course, it was her job to discover private information and she was very good at it. She was also very loyal to the slagmaker, so his untimely demise must have come as a shock to her once she had arrived on board the Thanatos. Hence the mock applause that clearly showed her distain for the lion-former and his claim on the throne. Her follow up comments only served to further emphasize her distain as she dared suggest to him what he should do next. The revelation of an Autobot hail was the only worth while information the black operative had provided.

“Flamewar,” Razorclaw said as he turned to face her. “I will accompany no one. I am in charge now and it would be a good idea for you to grow accustomed to that reality and adjust your tone accordingly. The Autobots will be dealt with in short order. I hope I have made myself clear, my dear?”

The Predacon lord then turned his gaze over to Onslaught as the Combaticon Commander gave a status update on both his own unit as well as the Thanatos, itself. “Excellent, Commander. The warship is ours again as it should be. As for the challengers and Shockwave’s loyalists, have them taken down to the repair bay. They will serve the Empire once more under my leadership. They will learn their place or they will cease to function permanently next time. As for myself, there is a personal CR chamber in the captain’s quarters adjacent to the bridge. I will rest there for a short time in order to regain my strength. Meanwhile, I want you find out what the Autobots want. I’m sure Soundwave has already intercepted the transmission and is taking the proper precautions to ensure that the Thanatos will remain undetected.”

Razorclaw’s orders were interrupted by the sound of Ultra Magnus’ voice coming in over the loud speakers throughout the vessel. The lion-former never took his optics off Onslaught. “Apparently, our enemy is impatient. Make contact with Magnus and advise him that I have taken control here. My CR stay will be a short one, but it is unavoidable considering the circumstances. Do not allow the Autobots to learn of the infighting that has been going on here. It would only serve to make us appear weak and vulnerable. Understood? I will meet you on the bridge within one cycle, Commander.”

The Predacon lord then looked to his unit before gazing upwards. “Divebomb, take Headstrong down to the med bay and see to it that he receives the repairs he requires.” Razorclaw’s attention shifted back to Tantrum and Rampage. “You two come with me.”

With his orders given, the Supreme Leader of the Decepticons moved past the others and towards the damaged doorway of the hangar before quickly exiting into the corridor beyond. There was much to do and little time to remain idle.

Captain’s Quarters

Razorclaw entered the captain’s quarters through a private entrance near the bridge before making his way across the room to the lone CR chamber situated in a far corner. The Predacon lord swiftly typed in a shortened repair cycle that would fix all of the worst damage but leave the minor stuff for the lion-former’s own internal systems to heal. Thus he would not be out of the loop for long in regards to the Autobots. He didn’t like having to essentially hide in a CR unit when so much was going on, but the severity of his wounds and the low power levels forced him to seek medical attention sooner rather than later.

The Predacon Commander looked back at Tantrum and Rampage, whom he assumed had followed him into the captain’s quarters. “Stand guard outside the door. I won’t be long. Let no one in. Understood?” Razorclaw did not wait for a response, turning around as the CR chamber door opened with a hiss. He then stepped inside and leaned back against the berth while the door slid shut again and the basic repair cycle began.

Knockout’s Lab

With the annoyance of Knockout seemingly dealt with, Skywarp was able to turn his undivided attention to the recuperating Nightraven. Her prior words about being thrown into a smelting pool still lingered within his processor. “Well, Nighty, I’d rather you not get smelted either,” the teleporter said with a slight chuckle as he held onto one of her hands in a show of support. If Thundercracker had been there, he’d probably give the resident prankster a good ribbing over his relationship with the seeker femme. It was somewhat out of character for ‘Warp, but then again he’d never been shown any kind of affection like this before from a femme. Usually, he just received disgusted looks or was outright ignored. Nighty had actually given him a chance regardless of his well known reputation.

As it were, the blue flier was not there and thus Skywarp had nothing to worry about. Instead, he remained by Nightraven’s side for a few breems before the silence in the lab was broken by the sound of Ultra Magnus’ vocals echoing throughout the ship-wide comm system. It seemed that he wanted to speak with whomever was in charge of the Decepticons now and it sounded urgent. Skywarp appeared a bit perplexed before his optics settled back on Nighty again. “Well, that’s certainly unexpected. I wonder what’s got the Auto-slags so riled up that they would risk contacting us directly. Surely, Soundwave would be able to figure out where their location is. Must be something pretty bad or maybe it’s a trick to get us to reveal our position. I guess it doesn’t much matter if everyone’s still fighting down in the hangar. Can’t really talk to whomever’s in charge if that hasn’t been figured out yet, huh?”

Hangar

Rampage's optics had quietly and carefully moved from one mech to another within the hangar as Razorclaw had spoken, both to the wider group and then more directly to those around him. He was waiting. He had seen enough of this planet's television to know that this would be someone's last, prime opportunity to strike before Razorclaw himself had a chance to get back to his peak combat condition. Though Razorclaw's condition was not the best and Rampage could see it, there were no others in this room whose conditions' were, and they would have quite the fight ahead of them if the Decepticon throne was what they desired.

At last though, it seemed as if Razorclaw's victory, now not only over one but two of Megatron's pre-eminent lieutenants, had cemented itself in place and Razorclaw could turn his attention to leading them rather than fighting them. Rampage didn't much care either way. The battle had left him damaged, but it satisfied an inner sparklust just as effectively as ripping through an Autobot.

When Razorclaw had ordered he and Tantrum to follow, Rampage did not hesitate, if only to give one last parting glance to those in the room...just to make sure.
___

Bridge

Following Razorclaw to the edge of his new, and yet his old, captain's quarters, Rampage could see the old familiar layout of the Predacons' command area of this ship. Shockwave had clearly done some tinkering in the time since he had assumed direct control of the ship, but it still carried characteristic resonance of Predacon influence over the vorns.

“Stand guard outside the door. I won’t be long. Let no one in. Understood?" Razorclaw had commanded. Rampage looked over to Tantrum and nodded as the doors to the captain's quarters closed in front of them. They then turned and faced the remaining occupants of the bridge.

"Heh, I'd like to see someone try."

Tantrum just snorted.

"Mm."
___

Hangar

Onslaught had been waiting with ever increasing anxiousness regarding what first steps Razorclaw would take, especially with an Autobot communique now waiting to be addressed. Said communique, and the fact that he was no longer fighting for his life, served to remind the Combaticon Commander of exactly why the Autobots were likely to attempt communication of any sort. And it was a matter that needed to be brought to Razorclaw's attention immediately--if privately. It would be up to their new leader to decide how best to proceed.

"Understood, it will be done," Onslaught said dutifully as Razorclaw laid out the specifics of what he wanted done in the short term. Even as he left, Onslaught used the opportunity to establish a direct communication with the Predacon.

>>With other matters being dealt with, I need to bring you up to speed on a critical situation. While on the Terran surface and engaged in combat with a group of Autobots, my team and I became aware of......of what appears, by all counts, to be the return of the ancient Cybertronian known as the Fallen. He has corrupted two of our operatives, along with two of the Autobots'. As irrational as that all sounds, the fact that I witnessed this mech with my own optics is the only reason I feel compelled to bring this matter to your attention now. I was able to come to a temporary cessation in hostilities with the commanding officer of the Autobots on the ground, Ultra Magnus. We made an agreement to investigate the matter further and establish contact once one group or the other came up with something of relevance. We, of course, have been understandably distracted. I have every confidence that is the reason for Ultra Magnus' communique now. It is their belief that the Fallen intends to eradicate all Cybertronian life, perhaps even those whom he has corrupted. As you commanded, I will engage with Magnus and see what new information has been learned since last he and I spoke. My guess is they have not been dealing with the same challenges over the loss of their leader as we have.<<

Onslaught knew that such a message was a considerable information dump to lay upon the head of their new leader, but there had been no earlier time to do so. Since the moment Onslaught had stepped foot on this ship, their priority had been to secure Razorclaw's leadership of the Decepticons and the battle had already been well underway. Now, at least, they could give some due attention to the matter of their potential extinction rather than their implosion.

"Brawl, Blast-Off, see that Razorclaw's orders are carried out and that the wounded are transferred and repaired. Motormaster is of particular importance. Ensure that no further hostilities erupt within the bay. Those not facing critical injuries are to return to the barracks and remain on standby. We stand on the edge of a new age, gentlemen. But we're not out of the woods yet. I will be on the bridge."

With a final nod to those in his own specialized unit, Onslaught exited the hangar, his destination being the same as Razorclaw's before him.
___

Arriving on the bridge, Onslaught took the briefest of moments to survey the occupants of the bridge, giving a quick but specific glance to the members of his own unit, Swindle and Vortex, before taking a place beside the captain's chair. As Razorclaw had suggested, Soundwave's presence indicated that all the particulars of secure communications would be in place and ready. All that was needed was to get down to business.

>>"This is Combaticon Commander Onslaught, speaking on behalf of Decepticon leader Razorclaw. I trust that this communication means that there has been some development on your end in the matter we discovered on the Terran surface?"<<

Thanatos--Hangar

"Well isn't that just great." Brawl muttered in response of having received his new orders. Clean up. Slagging hell, how did he always end up doing the clean up? As if Blast-Off was going to help anyhow. The snob wouldn't touch anything that was going to get his hands dirty. Ghn. That wasn't really fair thought, Blast-Off carried his duty like any other Combaticon even if he was hesitant getting his hands dirty. Stupid Blast-Off, why the slag he had gotten this sudden feeling of needing to be fair towards him anyhow? Or any of these other slaggers lying around, weeping about the injuries. Slag, he wanted to punch someone's face in just to get some silence. Silence that he'd break with something noisy because he couldn't stand it any better than the current sound scape. Ugh. Some things were just impossible.

"Alright you slagging walking wrecks!" Brawl bellowed like a proper drill instructor, firing a couple of shots from his electron-gun at the roof of the hangar to make sure he caught everyone's attention. "You heard the boss! And even if you didn't you hear it from me!"

"If you can limp, drag your sorry aft into the med bay! If you are in a condition to offer help, you will carry those that cannot help themselves!" Brawl continued his barking while offering his shoulder for Motormaster to lean on. Not that the big rig would normally even accept any help. To Brawl's surprise though, Motormaster did shift some of his weight on him. The Stunticon had to be hurt worse than he was willing to let on.

"And if you still feel need to cause trouble, try me! But don't slaggin' start begging for Primus to safe your sorry tailpipe when I am shoving a grenade into your throat!" Brawl finished his moment in command and headed towards the exit with Motormaster still leaning heavy on him.


Skullcruncher merely shrugged in response to Weirdwolf's voiced thoughts. He had no idea what the Autobots were after. How could he? He didn't exactly hold high enough rank to be informed of anything more than what he needed to know by those of superior rank. Razorclaw had answered the other question that Weirdwolf hadn't voiced when he had addressed Flamewar. The puzzled look on the poets face when Flamewar appeared had not gone unnoticed by Skullcruncher.

"How should I know. How about we do as asked for now and worry about Autobots later?" The brutish warrior grunted, grabbing a hold of couple random stasis-locked Decepticons and hurling them over his shoulders as if they were weightless to him.

Hangar

Blast-Off sighed quietly once he received his new orders from Onslaught. Now that the fighting was finally over and done with, it was time to clean up the mess left behind. While the space warrior thought that the job of a janitor was way below his stature, he knew when to shut up and just do as he was told. He also knew when to stay away from Brawl who looked none too pleased to be carrying out the Combaticon Commander’s orders. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to punch someone in the faceplate, but then again Brawl always looked like that. To make himself feel better, the green brute was barking out his own set of 'orders' for lack of a better word. It didn't matter. Blast-Off already knew what to do and he would do it better than anyone else in the hangar.

Moving away from his belligerent comrade, the space warrior found a large hover cart in a far off corner of the chamber. Blast-Off drug the receptacle into the middle of the room and began picking up stasis-locked Decepticons from both sides of the recent conflict and placing them inside. Instead of carrying them one at a time down to the infirmary, Blast-Off would do the smarter and more efficient thing and transport multiple deactivated mechs down there at once. Of course, his ingenuity would likely get overlooked or ignored completely by his fellow Combaticons as usual. But that still didn’t mean he wouldn’t do it.

“If anyone who’s still online but can’t walk or even hobble, you’re more than welcome to hop inside my hover cart here,” Blast-Off offered as he peered around at the injured in his immediate vicinity. “The ride to the repair bay is free of charge!” The space warrior chuckled under his breath at the thought of Swindle being in his position and demanding a transportation fee. Blast-Off shook his head with a smile under his faceshield as he dumped another deactivated ‘Con into the floating container.

MedBay

Battletrap heard the ship wide broadcast of Ultra Magnus. It startled him since last he knew the leadership was still being fought over. The idea of Shockwave trying another shot at the new leader if there was one yet didn't sit well with him. Then he began to see a trickle of severally damaged and deactivated Cons come into the medbay which then turned into a solid stream. He then went up to one of the newly arrived Cons.

"Who won the fight? Who is leader now? Is it over?"

The injured Con looked at Battletrap with annoyance. The Duocons rarely got any respect except from their creator and even then not often.

"It was Razorclaw. The Combaticons and Motormaster backs him. Others like Starscream have decided not to challenge Razorclaw yet. The hangar was a mess of all sorts of fallen or injured Cons like myself."

"Razorclaw? The Predacon beast leader? This will be interesting. Commander Shockwave will need to know."

He then returned to where Flywheel was standing guard.

"Flywheel, Crueljaw, it seems we have leader. Razorclaw won the fight. I not sure if I like it. Can we trust his loyalties? I prefer Shockwave."

Battletrap remains silent and then remembers broadcast.

"How will Razorclaw handle Autobot broadcast? Will we hit now or later?"

Untraceable Transmission: Ark 22 to Thanatos

"Your assumption would be correct. The situation is darker than first anticipated, and those first indications were fairly bleak to begin with." Magnus leaned back and steeled his features. Though it was not a visual transmission, it would be noticed in his delivery.

"This entity, this infection that has taken two of your very own as well as three of our friends, is marching towards a grave event that will determine our own extinction. Of course you were there when the Fallen himself made such a proclamation..." His voice hung briefly. Magnus was not one for beating around the proverbial bush. "Onslaught, I need to speak with Razorclaw and yourself face to face. We must determine the best course of action in order to dissolve this looming doom, regardless of our affiliations or political biases... and I am sure that through some reflection, you have arrived to a similar conclusion."

Bridge

Vortex stifled a smile as he leaned back against a pillar that supported an overhanging bulkhead. A vision of the earth spun silently on its axis on one of the primary view screens, below it the Decepticon royal Crest hung like a badge of earned honor. A vindication of triumph and destiny of conquest that lay before them. For Vortex, it represented access to what he craved most. Information, it was the most vital source of any war effort. Without it countless Decepticons would die in a vain attempt to realize Megatron's ultimate vision.

His arms carefully intertwined across his chest plate as he rested his head. "Maybe if you got out into the thick of things, rather than remaining cloistered in the safety of Cyclops' shadow, you might have learned a few things. Or maybe Shadowing, you purchased a faulty sprunger from Swindle again..." His attempt to conceal a self satisfying smirk failed miserably and it crawled out slowly. He really held nothing personal against the fellow intelligence agent. But there was always a difference in having first hand accounts of events, and those received from second hand sources.

"Looks like I'm out the credits." He flipped his hands in the air. "Still the day is young and there are still a few more hands to be played."

Med Bay

There were really nice-looking femmes on this ship all the sudden that Breakdown hadn't been aware of. First that doctor chick and then the fiery black one. Both easy to look at. The fiery one had left, but Breakdown had noticed that only long enough to look back at his Stunticon partner and the one who was currently preoccupied with working on him.

This was a good assignment. He could get used to this.

The Stunticon could hear the activity within the med bay getting steadily louder. More mechs were arriving. Breakdown had seen this sight before. Sometimes on a small scale, when he and the other Stunts got into a little melee brawl aboard the Ultrax to let off some steam. Or when a bunch of Decepticons would spar in the pits just for the slag of it. Whatever the scenario, there was always that time when everyone would come shuffling off to whatever ramshackle med bay was available to lick their wounds. In this case, the wounds looked pretty severe. Hell, Breakdown had seen battles with Autobots where 'Cons came back with less damage than this. They sure as pitspawn were tearing into each other back in that hangar. Not that Breakdown needed any real reminding--he'd suffered his own damage. But not nearly what Deady had.

"Just slaggin' great," Breakdown grumbled before moving into a protective position behind Orbitoclast. "Hey! Make room! We got serious work going on over here. She needs space! Hey you, yeah you! Next berth over!"
___

Landgrab listened to the gossip and conversations of those returning from the hangar even as he kept a steady set of optics on Shockwave. So, that Predacon one had come out on top, eh? Meh. It wasn't like he cared. The one he'd supported had found himself in critical condition here in the med bay. He supposed he really didn't care who took over after that. Shockwave had brought him back online and....and...it felt like something deeper than that sealed some sort of core loyalty in his spark. But he supposed that was probably just getting used to the Military Operations Commander's straightforward and unemotional style over all these vorns. He would have to--

"REACTOR SECURED. TRANSFERRING TO CRYOGENIC REGENERATION CHAMBER ALPHA-FOUR."

Landgrab perked up as the vocal report was submitted by one of the nearby automated drones and the process of moving the cycloptic Decepticon to the CR chamber that had been set aside for his repair was begun.

"Hey! Reactor secure?! What does that mean? Is he fixed?" Landgrab asked, walking alongside one of the drones. The drone did not respond. They simply carried out their next automated functions and continued with the transfer of the purple Decepticon to what would be his new destination.