The Energon Pub

Armory

Divebomb quickly entered the armory, almost running into Blackstar as the seeker exited the room. Ignoring the black and gold mech, the flying Predacon gathered up whatever extra ammo he could find and placed it into a storage container he found lying nearby. There wasn’t much one could take since the munitions were running low and in serious need of a restock. Great. These ‘cons don’t have slag for us to use. I don’t even know why I’m wasting my time here, Divebomb thought to himself, a bit agitated. He then grabbed a few pulse rifles from a shelf and threw them into the container, as well. Seeing nothing else worth taking, Divebomb picked up the storage container in his arms and quickly exited the armory, heading for the orbital bounce pad.

Hangar Bay – Orbital Bounce Pad

Entering the hangar, Divebomb immediately made his way over to the bounce pad where Shockwave and Blackwind were standing. There appeared to be a great deal of tension between the two mechs as they exchanged spiteful looks and comments. The Predacon said nothing to them as he placed the container down and patiently waited for the others to arrive.

Hangar Bay – Orbital Bounce Pad

Tantrum came stomping into the Hangar Bay. He’d topped off all of his fuel tanks and had even snagged an extra reserve tank that he was now lugging around with him. Other than fighting and smashing things hauling fuel was something his team counted on him for, and he didn’t want to let them down.

He walked over to the bounce pad. The Predacon glanced over at the others gathered there. He recognized the other Predacons and Shockwave, but the femme was new to him. He looked her over for a few seconds. She wasn’t much, another obnoxious seeker and not worth a slag in a real fight. Tantrum grunted and too up a spot next to Divebomb, still lugging the extra fuel tank.

Hanger bay – Orbital Bounce Pad

Razorclaw made his way form the training facility to the hanger bay after the rest of his team. Before he got there he stopped by the Medical Bay and charged back up in a CR chamber. He then made his way to the hanger bay. As he entered he noticed two of his team already there, but he got angry when he didn’t see Rampage and Headstrong. He knew Rampage was probably held up in living quarters watching the humans inane television broadcasts, however Headstrong was another story; he was just too stupid to realize the order was given.

Razorclaw made his way to Shockwave and offered him an apology for the tardiness of his two remaining team members.

“Sir, I apologize for the rest of my team. I can assure you they will be punished for their tardiness.”

At the same time he was making nice with the cycloptic mech he also opened a link with Rampage and Headstrong.

>>”You two better have a good explanation for not being in the hanger bay. Now get here POST HASTE!”<<

Command Center

Darkride performed his demeaning task with as much enthusiasm as he had for his own work. He finished wiping up the rest of the blood and stood before Megatron. With another extravagant bow Darkride retreated from the room without turning his back on the Supreme Leader. He smiled broadly as the doors closed in front of him. He then made his way back to his sanctuary. On the way he opened a link with Blackstar. So the seeker wouldn’t blow a gasket trying to come up with suitable candidates for the facsimile process, Darkride offered him his choices.

>>”Blackstar, this is Darkride. I have suitable humans already in mind for the facsimile process. Come down to….my interrogation chamber and I will give you the details on a data pad. It will also be a good opportunity to get to know one another, since… after all…we will be working with each other for the foreseeable future.“<<

Interrogation Chamber

Darkride smiled broadly as he meandered around his studio. He placed his hands longingly on his tools of trade. A surge of energy ran through him as he reminisced on all the pain, agony and screams he elicited from his guests. Not being able to hold back, he gripped his cat of nine tails and moved to his private chamber. The sound of whipping and maniacal laughter could be heard on the lower levels of the base.

CR Chamber

Darkride wrote:>>”Blackstar, this is Darkride. I have suitable humans already in mind for the facsimile process. Come down to….my interrogation chamber and I will give you the details on a data pad. It will also be a good opportunity to get to know one another, since… after all…we will be working with each other for the foreseeable future.“<<

>>Be there right away.<<

Stopping the search program, Blackstar pull up Darkrides file. In standard Decepticon fashion most detail are classified or omitted, but two things are obvious: Darkride loves his job, and has a flair for dramatics. Finished his recharging and running diagnostics on all systems, Blackstar heads to the interrogation chamber. Only prisoners and disobedient Decepticons are normally sent to the chamber, this was a rare occasion indeed.

Hangar Bay

Rampage walked into the hangar an astro second after Razorclaw. It was obvious that he had been taking his time to check up on his weapons, as well as packing extra supplies that he might need for the mission to Cybertron. He didn't say anything, he just walked over to where the other Predacons were assembled to wait in silence with them.

Hangar Bay

"You have a peculiar way to address your superiors seeker." Shockwave merely stated in response to Blackwind's comment that clearly reflected her nervousness. Megatron's personal little spy evidently wasn't that strong mentally after all if simple gaze could cause such a reaction. Such a crack in her defenses certainly opened new possibilities. Still, it had to wait. Making some use of the time wasted in waiting, Shockwave sent out a transmission to one very special Decepticon.

>>"Swindle. This is Shockwave, cease whatever you are doing and make your way to the orbital bounce platform. You are going to Cybertron."<<

While Swindle certainly had his vices, the skills of the munitions expert would become useful on Cybertron. And with the Predacons around, his problematic tendencies would be effectively kept in check.

The Predacons certainly took their time to arrive. But arrive they did, one by one. Each arrival followed by either silence or meaningless apologizes. And not too surprisingly Headstrong was the last one to arrive.

"Asking for forgiveness does not suit you Razorclaw. I expect that this lack of efficiency from your team does not occur again." Shockwave addressed the Predacon leader and stepped on the orbital pounce platform. "I am waiting for one more Decepticon to arrive. When he does, we go."

Aboard The Thanatos

Scanning the various signals emanating from the blue and green planet below, Weirdwolf can't help but be amused at the primitive technology implemented by the humans. Their energy production is horribly inefficient, and methods of communication are pitiful. Finishing final preparations for the crew stationed on Earth, the ship is operating at optimal parameters, all systems are readied for the journey.

Interrogation Chamber

The inner sanctum that Darkride called home remained dark. His maniacal laughter grew quieter with each waning crack of the whip until finally there was nothing but silence. However, nothing seemed serene in the chamber.

From the opposite side of the room a door slid open revealing the shadowy figure of Darkride. He stepped out of the entryway and slowly made his way to a far shelf where he placed his instrument down. He remained quiet and still taking in all that surrounded him. The room had little illumination casting long shadows on the walls and floors.

The interrogator closed his optics and let his other senses take over. The smell of rotting human corpses permeated throughout the entire chamber. The stench was quite possibly too much for an ordinary Transformer to take, but for Darkride the smell was like a delicate French perfume.
He opened his optics and worked his way to some of the experiments he was working on. When he first arrived on this planet he set to work studying their torture methods and their death rituals. He became quiet intrigued by the burial rituals of the ancient Egyptians. So when the opportunity presented itself to remove a human’s organs while he was still alive, Darkride did just that. He reveled in the pain he brought when he removed a human’s brain through its nostrils. To his dismay, however, they never lasted as long as he liked. And so they lay around; the discarded remains of the most intelligent species of this planet rotting and enjoyed.

He came to a halt just at the entrance to the chamber and cocked his head to one side. The corner of his mouth upturned in a cruel smile.

“Come in, Blackstar. I know you’re there.”

Command Center

Satisfied that Shockwave and his crew were now under way back to Cybertron it was time to inform Thunderwing of his decision. While there might be some value in catching the other Decepticon unaware he wanted to contact him while he could still be assure of having private discussion with him. “Soundwave, contact Thunderwing on Cybertron and have it routed into the conference room.”

With the orders given Megatron rose from his command chair and moved towards the conference room. Soundwave while curious at what Megatron wanted to discuss with Thunderwing in private, contacted Cybertron and routed the signal to the conference room. He briefly considered tapping into the communiqué but decided against it. While the odds of him being discovered were remote the repercussions if he were still far outweighed any benefits. A loss of Megatron’s trust would be devastating to him within the Decepticon ranks. He would likely learn what was discussed at some point in the future.

Megatron entered the conference room and sealed the door behind him. He worked the controls connected to the main computer panel in the room. Soundwave had sent Thunderwing updated encryption code keys. Using those codes this transmission would be heavily encoded, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on the conversation. Shortly an image of Thunderwing appeared on the screen.

>>”Lord Megatron, you wished to speak with me again?”<<

“I have dispatched a team lead by Shockwave to Cybertron. He will confirm your findings first hand and begin work on his own project. He will explain in greater detail when he arrives but he is looking to continue experiments he conducted on this world some time ago, possibly fully restoring Cybertron or mechaforming this world into something more useful.”

Thunderwing paused for a moment, taking in what Megatron had said. He couldn’t help but be startled at the mention of Shockwave. Even at the time that Cybertron had been evacuated the infamous Decepticon had been missing for a very long time. Apparently he had been off world doing something in secret, at least secret to him. Perhaps it had been some sort of clandestine mission that had been kept off of official records, or, perhaps, Shockwave, like himself, had taken up a mission on his own prerogative. If he had seen the eventual collapse of Cybertron he wouldn’t be surprised if the other Decepticon had determined that as well. Either way he was apparently back in the good graces of high command.

>>”Of course Lord Megatron, I will prepare for their arrival.”<<

Megatron had not missed the brief flash of surprised that had crossed Thunderwing’s face. The other Decepticon had been isolated on Cybertron for far too long. He would learn to control those emotions again soon enough. The reaction had been expected though. He was probably trying to figure out where Shockwave had been, thinking about how their situations were similar. Perhaps it would lure him into some false sense of security that his own position back with the Decepticons was safe. He would be able to use that.

“I am also sending along the seeker Blackwind. She will serve as a liaison between the Cybertron group and me. She will make reports at regular intervals on your activities and progress there. I want you to assist Shockwave with his work and learn as much about it as you can. He has not told me everything and I want to know why he is hiding. I’ll expect reports from you when you discover anything.”

Ah, so that is how things were working, Thunderwing thought to himself. Well if it assisted him in getting back in Megatron’s good graces then he would comply. Of course it also meant that someone was likely spying on him in return, possibly Shockwave himself, or a member of this crew. Blackwind was a likely candidate, whoever that one was. She must have some pull in the ranks to be acting as such a key liaison.

>>”I will learn whatever I can Lord Megatron. I will make sure that you are informed of any details that Shockwave neglects.”<<

“Excellent. Shockwave is departing from this world now. Be prepared for his imminent arrival. Megatron out.” Thunderwing bowed on the viewscreen before it faded back to black. With that last bit of work completed it was time to turn back to matters on this world and acquiring the energy needed for Shockwave’s work. The Decepticon leader turned back to the door and walked back into the command center, resuming his place in the command chair.

Training Room

Even as Swindle pulled the trigger on his gyro-gun, he knew it was a mistake. Not a mistake in a Decepticon sense, shooting your opponents when they weren't ready for it was on the first page of the manual. It was more that this whole exercise was a contest, a duel of sorts, and in those affairs even the most underhand of Decepticons would get attached to their arbitrary rules, like not using ranged weapons even if they're just for stunning opponents. In a roomful of proud warriors like these, breaking these 'rules' would be as bad as shooting innocents in front of an Autobot.

Shockwave wrote:>>"Swindle. This is Shockwave, cease whatever you are doing and make your way to the orbital bounce platform. You are going to Cybertron."<<

Uh....oh wow, talk about timing.

"I don't have time for your antics, Runabout! I've got orders!" Swindle picked himself up and half-ran for the door, transforming to vehicle mode and trying desperately to remember the quickest way to the orbital bounce platform from here.

OOC: I'm giving the people in the training room fair chance to react to Swindle actions, but I don't want to hold the game up either, so I'll post Swindle getting onto the Thanatis tomorrow unless someone explicitly interferes with him.

Hangar Bay

Swindle drove into the Hangar Bay and transformed in front of Shockwave into a perfect salute. "I sincerely apologise for any delay I may have caused, Commander Shockwave. I was held up in training by several soldiers intent on making me part of their recreation. I will endeavour to make up the time through efficiency in all tasks that you see fit to assign to me."

I remember Shockwave from way back when, one of those Absolute Logic types. Talk of efficiency and working to order should get me on his good side.

Hangar Bay

Shockwave's emotionless gaze fell upon Swindle as the munitions expert finally arrived to the hangar bay and tried to explain himself. Instead of confronting the smaller Decepticon, Shockwave turned his back on Swindle and stepped on the orbital bounce platform, turning to face Razorclaw. Within the ranks of the Decepticons, such a gesture was deemed to be extremely dangerous, a way to welcome someone to take a shot. It spoke of extreme confidence in one's own abilities, arrogance and disrespect. It could be used as a tool to strengthen one's image through giving an impression of invincibility. It would both help to convince the Predacons that his power was to be respected while making it clear for Swindle that Shockwave did not consider him a threat to himself.

"Yes... yes you will." Shockwave responded to Swindle and gave Razorclaw a slight nod of approval. "Call the bounce to Thanatos."

Interrogation Chamber

As the door to the chamber opens, Blackstar notices the stark contrast between the well lit almost sterile looking hall way and this dark room filled with all manner of tools and devices. Its seems the walls were even designed to fool any radar sensors, making you know and see only what Darkride wants you too. The grisly smell of rotted flesh fills the air, small puddles of fluids dot the ground. Blackstar wasn't afraid, but almost impressed at the effort put into the spectacle. After a quick glance around Blackstar finally comments.

"Nice shop. Very... imposing would be the word. Dim lights, radar dampening walls, really went all out on this place." Blackstar comments to the grinning Darkride.

"Anyway who are these targets and where do I find them?" Blackstar inquires, eager to get down to business.

Darkride definitely deserved his creepy reputation, and he did weird out Blackstar a little but Blackstar played it cool. This was just another mission, nothing to get worked up about. The more he looked around the room the more implements he noticed. Scalpels, spark extractors, soldering irons and various tools that Blackstar didn't know what they were for. Blackstar wasn't comfortable not knowing his surroundings, he preferred to have the upper hand.

Hanger – Bay Orbital Bounce Pad

Razorclaw listened to Swindle’s brown nosing and almost jumped on the diminutive mech in order to prove a point. The Predacon Commander looked to Shockwave as the larger mech nodded and gave his command. Razorclaw moved to the control console and inputted the commands to bounce to the waiting warship. Once done Razorclaw initiated the bounce and in seconds the group was on board the Thanatos.

Interrogation Chamber

Darkride’s smirk remained as Blackstar commented on his abode. He did so enjoy when the common rabble visited. The demented Con moved closer to his new friend. As he made his way over he kept his crimson optics locked on Blackstar’s. He slid a datapad off the nearby shelf without removing his gaze and held it out. Now that he mad it into the light the vital fluids dripping from his back could be seen pooling on the floor around his feet. The datapad itself also smeared in spent energon from his hands.

After licking his lips Darkride finally addressed the Seeker.

“The datapad contains the locations of the three humans I wish for you to capture. They are all of military rank in various armed forces. Their services have been declared by their superiors as……classified, and so they will be off the human….how shall I put it….radar for the foreseeable future.”

Once Darkride handed over the pad he turned and made his way to the experiments he had in progress. He placed his hand on one of his makeshift canopic jars and observed the mummification progress of the organ within. Satisfied he replaced the lid and spoke once more.

“I must urge that you treat my subjects with the upmost respect. They are to come to me unharmed.”

He turned to face Blackstar, the smirk from before gone, a deadly serious expression replacing it.
Darkride moved in as close as possible without touching the Seeker, his optics icy cold.

“Unharmed.”

Making himself clear to Blackstar, Darkride stepped back, an evil grin replacing his cold expression as he did so. He turned and raised his hands into the air.

“My chamber is the place where the magic happens, not in your hands.”

Keeping his back to the Seeker Darkride lowered his hands and move to the shelf with his favorite torture devices. He slid is whip off the shelf and moved to the door of his personal chamber.

“You may go now. I have some…..business to attend to.”

That said the interrogator disappeared into his quarters.

Training Facilities

The stalemate of a training exercise between Thundercracker and Skywarp had been going on non stop for breems now, effectively burning a good deal of the artificial energon from the blue seeker's fuel system. While he had spotted couple of flaws in Skywarp's attacks that he had not abused or indicated of noticing just in case he'd need to stop 'Warp from doing something stupid in the future, he did not feel that the exercise had really done anything to improve his chances against the Autobots. It was time to put an end to it.

"You know 'Warp. I've had enough this. This slaggin' excuse for energon burns so fast that we can't even go at it for more than couple of breems." Thundercracker said as he pulled away from his friend and lowered his staff. "I think it is time we paid Starscream a visit. I'd rather do some scouting than loiter around in this rock. Just gotta get some fuel first."

Training Room

As the Decepticons tangled with each other in the Training Room, a silent, blue-and-black figure lurked nearby, calmly observing Skywarp and Thundercracker as they fought. Dirge had to admit, his fellow Seekers were good. Exceptional, even. Dirge doesn't really rate his chances one-on-one with any of them in a fair fight.

Of course, being Decepticons, each of them had their own bag of tricks. Skywarp had teleportation. Thundercracker had sonic booms. Dirge... Dirge relied on his fear-inducing aura. It had been an internal skill unique to himself, being able to cause someone to experience their worst imaginable fears. Something Dirge delighted in.

The Seeker briefly considered using his fear aura on his fellow Decepticons, but decided against it.

Training Room

Skywarp was tired. He and his friend, Thundercracker, had been sparring for several breems now with neither seeker coming out the victor. It was not a surprise to anyone since both mechs were fast friends and had no intension of hurting each other. They had been ordered to train and since the battle chargers had demolished the control panel, they had no choice but to spar with each other. It was a good workout, but now it had become repetative and boring. Not to mention that the two seekers were running low on energon.

“I hear ya, ‘Cracker,” Skywarp said, lowering his training staff, as well. “This sludge they call energon wouldn’t keep a drone powered up for very long.” Skywarp then considered Thundercracker’s idea of paying Starscream a visit once they recharged. “Good idea. Screamer’s gotta have something better for us to do then just spar constantly.” The teleporter then dropped his staff and headed for the door. As he walked, Skywarp checked his energy levels. “Yeah, I definitely need to refuel, too. My tanks are pretty dry.”

Training Room

Runabout makes his way over to the deactivated body of Runamuck. Swindles sudden departure seems to have left Needlenose looking bored, but Runabout felt obligated to drag his fellow Battlecharger to the repair bay. As Runabout drags off Runamuck he gives a casual 2 fingered salute to Needlenose. Making his way down the hall he shoves Runamuck into an automated repair chamber. Realizing Runamuck is becoming somewhat of a liability, Runabout ponders the future fate of his compatriot, debating whether or not to have him reactivated.

-----------------------------------------

Interrogation Chamber

As Blackstar leaves the chamber, he carefully studies the list of candidates chosen for the project while walking down the hallway. Collecting the 3 humans would definitely be a challenge that played well to a few of his strong suits. For the first target he chose the human located on a aircraft carrier, opting to take the furthest target first. This should prove an interesting mission indeed. Leaving the base and transforming into jet mode, Blackstar takes to the sky and plans his method of assault.

Training Facilities

Thundercracker began to follow Skywarp out of the training facility only to stop just before the entrance.

"Yo doom and gloom! How's your sulking going?" The blue seeker merrily addressed Dirge whom he had spotted slipping into the training facility earlier.

Thundercracker had never really understood what kept Dirge ticking. But he tried to use the opportunities he got to test the seeker's composure. The conehead was an anti-social loner if there ever was one and rather creepy as well in his methodical focus before missions, not to forget the fear inducing sound of his engines. Still, after all the vorns serving alongside Dirge and dozens of other seekers under Starscream's commands had taught Thundercracker much about all of them. Deep inside Dirge was a coward. He hid it well, and TC was pretty sure most of the other seekers had not even noticed it. Starscream couldn't have missed it for sure. But he suspected even Dirge's wing mates, Thrust and Ramjet didn't even have an idea for if they had - every single Decepticon would have heard of it. Yet, it was there, deep under the mask of a stone cold professional.

Command Center

Megatron was reviewing date on Earth as he sat in his command chair. Who would have thought this seemingly insignificant speck of a planet would possibly become the fulcrum upon which the entire war depended on. Upon closer inspection of it though, there were signs of the world’s importance. Even without Shockwave’s knowledge the planet was brimming with energy sources which could be converted into energon substitutes. It possessed a vast but primitive native species that could easily be wiped out, either directly or through more subtle means, or enslaved and put to work. Yes, even if Shockwave’s experiments were for naught this world would make a very valuable addition to the empire.

Soundwave was nearly finished in decoding Shockwave’s various files. Unfortunately he could find no direct evidence of treachery within them. It was likely that the other Decepticon had known his files would be decrypted at some point. They mostly contained raw data and statistics. Certain things could be implied from them, but nothing that could be considered a solid conclusion. Still, he did not trust Shockwave and he could only hope that his mistrust was shared by Megatron.

The Communications officer perked up as he received a signal. He punched commands into his computer console, locating the source and originator of the signal. Once he had it identified he turned to Megatron. “Lord Megatron, incoming transmission from Scrapper aboard cloaked ship arriving in orbit.”

Megatron glanced up from his computer screen. “Patch it through the main screen.” With a quick manipulation of the controls Scrapper’s face appeared on the large main screen.

>>“Hail Lord Megatron! We have arrived as you requested.”<<

Megatron nodded. “Very good Scrapper. I want you and your team to relocate to our base planetside along with the warriors I requested. I want your team to review and double check all of Shockwave’s data. If he is correct then I believe we will have a great need for your talents on this planet.”

Scrapper would have smiled if he possessed a mouth. It would be a relief to get out of the ship. With all of the seekers they were transporting it was like a mad house. He felt like he could barely fit into the ship with all of the massive egos and strange quirks these seekers had, and he was used to working with the likes of Hook so that was saying something. >>“As you command Lord Megatron. We will transport down immediately.”<<

Megatron looked over at Starscream. “Starscream, I have arranged for additional seekers to bolster the crew on this planet. Use them and the Decepticons on this base to form a team to strike this target.” The Decepticon leader punched in commands his chair controls and brought up a satellite picture of the American continents on the screen. The map quickly zoomed in on the Gulf of Mexico and specifically on an oil rig in the middle of it. “This is your target, a native drill and fossil fuel storage facility. We must replenish the reserves of fuel Shockwave needed for his trip to Cybertron. This target is isolated and unguarded. Surrounded by water it will present some difficult for human or Autobot rescuers to arrive. Collect as much of the fuel as you can and destroy the structure. If any Autobots do arrive, deal with them, but the fuel procurement is your top priority. Understood?”

Just Outside the Decepticon Base

A large beam lanced down from the sky and struck the ground. As the beam slowly withdrew back up into the sky a gathering of Decepticons formed on the spot it had struck. The group fully materialized as the light vanished back up into the sky from the spacecraft it had been beamed down from.

Hellion threw her arms out wide, stretching joints and servos that had been cooped up far too long. The trip to this world had been terribly long and terribly boring. Seekers weren’t meant to be cooped up that long, especially her. She’d had to be held back more than once from throttling a comrade for the most minor irritations. That wasn’t terribly unusual for her really, but under normal circumstances she could be turned loose against some Autobots or the environment or something. Onboard a spacecraft it was usually unwise to start punching holes in the wall. It didn’t help that the Constructicons were on the ship either. They might be good at building things but they were definitely no fun.

The femme floated up into the air, enjoying the ability to fly on her own again. She looked down at Nightraven and smiled. “Finally we’re off that stupid ship. We’re free to fly and fight again. All that’s missing are some Autobot craniums to smash in.” She pounded her right fist into the palm of her left hand to emphasize her point. She landed on the ground in front of her sister, a smirk still in place on her face. “I’m sure we’ll get plenty of action on this planet, or I will at least. You’ll probably be too busy sneaking around.” Hellion chuckled lightly so her sister knew she was simply chiding her. She walked up to Nightraven and whispered at her. “I heard Thundercracker is here too.” She nudged the other seeker with her elbow, a bemused look on her face.

*

Firebat smiled as he materialized on the planet. He had made sure to study the planet on the trip over since he wasn’t allowed to start any fires onboard the ship, at least not major ones. Asking him to stop lighting fires was like asking his fuel pump to stop pumping. It would be the death of him. He had only been able to make small offerings to the flames though, but now he was going to make much greater ones. This world had an oxygen rich atmosphere, perfect for the flames to breathe. It was seemingly covered with flammable materials, at least where there wasn’t water. The flames would feast on this world, Firebat would make sure of that!

The seeker wouldn’t just sacrifice objects to the flames though. No, this planet was covered with life, nice, flammable, organic life. He imagined that the humans would burn quite nicely, along with all of the vegetation on the world. There would be Autobots too of course. They didn’t burn as well as other things did but there was a great sense of satisfaction from their sacrifice. They were powerful and strong and were always trying to stop the flames. They all deserved to burn! It was the only way they could atone for their sins of stopping the flames. Yes, there would be many sacrifices on this world.

*

Scrapper let out a long sigh as they arrived on Earth. He would gladly hand over all of the Seekers to Megatron or Starscream or anyone. Being in charge of a group of them had only confirmed what he had always suspected of them. They were nothing more than a bunch of psychopathic egomaniacs with all sorts of mental issues. Really, you could see that just by looking at their leader. If ever there was an egomaniac among the Decepticons, it was Starscream.

The Constructicon leader waved back at his team. “Come on, let’s get inside the base and make ourselves at home. The base labs are ours and we already have work to do.” The Constructicons marched into the base as its massive doors slid open for them.

Just Outside the Decepticon Base

Nightraven appeared with the rest of her Seeker brethren and the Constructicons. She was relieved that she was finally off of that ship. She was not a fan of closed spaces and being in a ship for so long made her claustrophobic. Once out in the open she stretched her arm servos and looked around. This planet was big, and green. She would have to find the time to do some research on it in order to better understand her new home.

She let out a low sigh as watched her sister rise into the air. A slight smile made its way to her face as Hellion pounded her fist into her open hand. Hellion could be so difficult, but never to Nightraven. She could always depend on Hellion, and vice versa. She cocked a brow at Hellion when she spoke of sneaking around.

“I don’t sneak around. I observe, and you should try it. It would keep you out of trouble.”

Nightraven chuckled lightly along with her sister, but grew silent when Hellion moved in close to her and whispered. Her optics grew wide at what she had to say, but she kept her composure. She had known that Thundercracker was stationed on this planet, but she certainly would not let Hellion know she had known. With a surprised look on her face she addressed Hellion.

“He’s here? I had no idea. Heh, what a coincidence.”

Outside Buffalo Wyoming

Soaring high above the vacant land Blackstar locates a lone farm house, a mile long dirt road leads to the front. In the back several acres a man on horseback tends to his ranch. A long fence divides the cattle from the horses, a barn is located to the left of the house.

"This should be the easiest pick up yet" Blackstar mutters to himself.

Circling around, Blackstar approaches on a rapid decent from the back of the farm. As he drops to about 40 feet above ground level the livestock go wild, Horses bucking and running, the cows begin to stampede, knocking down the fence keeping them in. But the human is still on his horse, and rapidly heading for the barn. Slapping the animals rear, the man urges the animal to go faster. Blackstar flies above the structure, but doesn't see the man exit. Transforming into robot mode about 30 feet behind the barn. as he ducks down and peers inside bullet fire hits his leg.

"Your Human weapons are ineffective." Blackstar tells the man.

The man is in his mid 40's with a graying mustache and short hair, and an athletic build. Dropping his assault rifle, the man runs to the back of a pickup truck, reaching in the bed and grabbing a large metal tube. Blackstar reaches in and snatches the man. AS he grabs the mans waist the man points the tube at Blackstar's face.

"Ineffective this!" The man shouts back as he launches a rocket at Blackstar's face.

The explosion disorients Blackstar enough to make him loosen his grasp, the man drops to the ground. His optics readjust as he sees the man drop down a hatch in the corner. Ducking and entering the barn, Blackstar tears at the ground beneath the human sized metal hatch. The foundation is concrete, and thick. Stepping back Blackstar blast the ground with his lasers, blasting chunks out. As he finally breaks open the chamber with-in, there is no sign of the man, but a human sized hole looks to lead out. Blasting at the hole Blackstar is surprised to see a corridor. This human was obviously prepared for something... something big.

Leaping threw the roof, Blackstar races to the sky. Scanning the area for signs of the man, finally locate him about a acre away speeding toward the road in a heavily modified vehicle. Speeding and dropping in front of him Blackstar stops the vehicle with the bottom of his foot before ripping off the roof and grabbing the driver. The man continues to fire a pistol at Blackstar's face but deals no damage. Flicking the pistol out of the mans hand Blackstar places energy shackles on the man and transforms, placing the man in the cockpit and strapping him down. Continuing to struggle for freedom, Blackstar decides not to take chances with this one and speeds up enough to make the man blackout.

"Valiant effort, puny Human." Blackstar congratulates the man, who's body shows a few bruises and scratches, but many scars from past battles.

Returning to the Decepticon base, Blackstar is surprised to see a few different Seekers roaming about. Heading into the corridors he reports back to Darkride.

Interrogation Room

"Here is the final subject, he put up quite a valiant fight for a fleshling. Obviously a..." Blackstar begins, but Darkride wasn't interested in a battle report and his attention was solely on the human.

Darkride is obviously excited about his new project and seems almost like a Con possessed. As the man wakes up and sees Darkride, a stoic look of terror rushes to his face for a brief moment. The man looks like he is prepared to be tortures, and accepts the fact.

"Just kill me you bastards..." the man asserts.

"Is that all?" Blackstar inquires of Darkride.

Command Center

"Of course Mighty Megatron. I shall take our new arrivals and lay claim to this human energy source in the name of the Decepticons."

Starscream saluted the Decepticon leader and then turned smartly on his heal, and departed from the command center. He was quickly making his way through the corridors of the base as fast as he could, leading to the entrance. As he did so he activated the com link to his personal troops.

>>"Thundercracker, Skywarp. I want the two of you to meet me at the entrance of the base. We have some new Seekers on world and we are going to take them in a fuel raid on a human installation."<< He then switched over to a separate frequency. >>"Astrontrain, this is Starscream. Your skills as a warrior are required for a mission, and I believe your cargo capacity could be of use as well.<<

Starscream smiled to himself. He well understood that Astrotain felt he was underutilized as a solider, as his unique alternate modes often resulted in him acting as a living cargo carrier, which was understandable given just how useful he was in that role. Regardless, Starscream knew that if he was to win over more of his fellow Decepticons to his ideals he would have to appeal to them, appear that he cared for how they imagined themselves of being used in this war. Of ten that meant indulging those like Astrotrain by treating them as warriors, and making their most obvious uses out side of combat seem secondary.

When the Seeker Commander reached the main entrance of the base he was taken slightly by surprise when the large set of doors began to open before he could enter his security code to do just that. However, he quickly recomposed himself and stood just behind the doors threshold, hands on his hips, optics narrowed in an irritated, yet commanding manner. He didn't flinch when the doors fully opened and he was looking into the visor like optics of Scrapper. He didn't think much of the leader of the Constructicons, or the Constructicons for that matter. Although he saw their obvious use, but he disliked their arrogant attitude that they seemed to be better then the front line warriors that carried this war.

"What are you staring at?" Starscream bellowed at Scrapper. "You have been given an important assignment, get your rusting afts in there and get to work and stop dragging your tail hooks in the dirt!"

Although the outburst was unwarranted, Starscream liked to assert his authority when he dealt with those who rarely fell under his command. He didn't bother even waiting for the Constructicons to go past him before he pushed past the six mechs and stepped outside. He stopped in front of the assembled Seekers and looked them over with a dispassionate look on his face as he inspected them with a withering glare.

"Listen up your rust buckets!" He screamed once more. "You are now all under my direct command while on Earth, and before I start putting you all to real work I want to test you on a little exercise. There is a human energy collection facility located in a large body of water south of this location. I am going to lead you all on an operation to secure this facility, extract the energy source they have stored there and then destroy it when we no longer need it. Thundercracker and Skywarp will also accompany us on this mission, and you will follow their orders or face disciplinary actions. Understood?"

Starscream remained standing before the assembled group of seekers as he waited for his two lieutenants to arrive.

Outside Training Room / Corridors

Skywarp entered the hallway expecting to see Thundercracker following close behind him. However, when he turned around, ‘Warp didn’t see his good friend. Instead, the blue seeker was still inside the training facility talking with Dirge, the fear monger. Skywarp let out a sigh. Why’s he talking to scary seeker, anyway? ‘Warp thought to himself, a bit puzzled. I want to recharge, slag it!

Just then, Starscream’s message came over his comm. Another fuel raid? At least it beats hanging around the base all day. I can finally stretch my wings again. The teleporter opened his comm. link to the Seeker Commander:

>>Roger that, Starscream. I just need a quick recharge and I’ll be right there.<<

Skywarp then turned to Thundercracker. “Come on, ‘Cracker! Let’s go! We’re finally getting out of this cramped base!” And with that, Skywarp hurried to the med bay where he plugged himself in for a recharge of fresh energon substitute. Certainly not as good as the real thing but it would have to do. Once the recharge was completed, 'Warp headed for the main entrance.

Main Entrance

Long Haul materialized just outside the entrance to the Decepticon Base along with the other Constructicons and a group of reckless Seekers. He was happy the long journey was finally over and he would actually get to build something. While still onboard the ship, Long Haul has chosen a new earthen alt mode in the form of an off-road dump truck. It was similar to his original Cybertronian form and suited him nicely considering his job as a transport. He’d be able to haul tons of building material for the other Constructicons if need be. He wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it, but he would do his job nevertheless.

Long Haul closely followed Scrapper as the base doors slide open and they stepped inside. Almost immediately, the Constructicons encountered Starscream who quickly began shouting orders. Long Haul remained silent, not wanting to draw the Seeker Commander’s anger towards himself. Once Starscream had pushed passed them, Long Haul turned towards his team leader. "Well, he's a pleasant fellow, isn't he?" Long Haul remarked as he followed Scrapper and the rest of the Constructicons down to the labs where their work could begin.

*********

Skywarp arrived at the base entrance just in time to see the Constructicons enter and receive a brief berating from Starscream. ‘Warp hung back and watched as the Seeker Commander then barked orders at the other new arrivals outside. Once Starscream had finished, Skywarp stepped through the doorway and approached his commanding officer.

“Skywarp reporting for duty, sir!” The teleporter then glanced around at the group of new seekers assembled before them. “So, these are our reinforcements, huh?” Skywarp was none too impressed with this group, but at least they would help fill out the Decepticon ranks and give them a greater edge over the Autobots. 'Warp then looked back to see if Thundercracker had caught up with him.