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Kolkular - Command Center

Shrapnel frowned as Soundwave introduced them to Megatron. That wasn’t exactly how he wanted to meet with the Decepticon Leader, but he would just have to roll with it. He quickly went down on one knee. “Might Lord Megatron, tron. We are honored by your granting of our request for an audience, audience.”

Megatron stared down at the diminutive Insecticons. Their new appearances from the alt modes adopted on that alien world made them even more bizarre looking than before. They had always been something of outcasts even among the Decepticons. Their penchant for torture, mind games and assassinations made it difficult for most other Decepticons to trust them. Still, they did have value. Their skills were unique and now their experience on an alien world made them even more valuable. He wasn’t about to tell them this though.

“Where is Venom?”

Shrapnel had already been working on a reason for his absence and an excuse for why they had attacked the Sweeps. He might as well roll them all into one and throw his former commander under the proverbial bus. “He has been removed as our commander, Lord Megatron, tron. He failed to tell us about your newest trops, troops, the Sweeps, Sweeps. We saw them attacking fellow Decepticons and came to their aid, aid. We did not know it was a training exercise, cise. After Lord Scorponok informed us of the truth he left the punishment to Venom, Venom. We decided that it should be Venom who should be punished, punished and removed him from leadership, leadership.”

The Decepticon supreme commander listened silently as Shrapnel explained what had happened. He didn’t really believe the Insecticon, but he wasn’t particularly interested in the internal squabbling of the group either. It was enough that they obeyed and didn’t cause any further trouble. “I take it you are in command now Shrapnel?”

“Yes Lord Megatron, tron.”

“Then know that any further transgressions by your group will result in a personal punishment for you, and no excuses or explanations will save you from it. Understood?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Good. Soundwave, do you have the information I requested?”

*

Scorponok’s Lab

“I have no orders for you Octopunch. Your time is your own, for now. Report any problems with the new technology to me immediately. Dismissed.”

Scorponok turned his gaze down at Bomb-Burst. “You assume much Bomb-Burst. I do not give this technology lightly nor were you specially selected for any other reason than your compatibility with it according to my research. Your energon thirst problem was not part of the compatibility test, but it should possibly have an interesting result on the process.”

The Decepticon general turned back to his control console. It was true that he hadn’t intended to cure Bomb-burst of his problems, but he found it likely that the Pretender process would do something about it. The shells seemed to form, in part, around the consciousness of the person they were made from. So far they seemed to mold into a form acceptable to their controller and occasionally granting additional benefits well suited to the controller. It hadn’t been and intended part of the process and it was one he was eager to continue monitoring. This Decepticon would likely have an interesting shell.

He opened one of the modified chambers from his console. “It is called the Pretender process. You will be coated in a techno-organic shell. It will bond directly with your nervous system and cerebral circuits, allowing you to operate it fully whether you are inside it or not. It also functions as a limited CR chamber while you are in it. Step inside the chamber and the process will begin.

Kolkular – Scorponok's Lab

Octopunch salutes Scorponok. "Understood, sir." He was a bit disappointed, but but it couldn't be helped sometimes.

It was probably a good thing Bomb-Burst and Scorponok couldn't see anything under that armored diving helmet of Octopunch's shell aside from the light glinting of rows of hideous teeth. They might wanna rip the optics out of their cranial units. Oh yes, Octopunch's shell is ugly and he doesn't care.

With that he Octopunch exits the lab carrying his trident with the other weapons holstered.

Kolkular – The Corridors

It was a sad sad day when the cantina closed. He knew of others, but none were in within a cycle's travel, meaning he'd probably be AWOL if needed. Yeah he wanted that like he wanted to be dismantled. It wasn't like he was drinking up the energon of the empire, just the oil. Still, it was closed, and probably for a reason.

Speaking to no one in particular "Hard light simulator, or maybe the Medical bay to see who's busted, and who's repaired?" he spoke in a musing to himself tone. Yeah he might wanna show off his new plates, so to speak. But really, he wants to bash the bejeezus outta some Autobots. Or go deep sea diving.

Scourge's Ready Room, Kolkular

Scourge nodded approvingly as his sweeps bowed to him. "Up until the arrival of the Insecticons, it seems that our training scenario had gone well. All 3 of your targets had been intercepted and nullified, with only the reinforcement attack to concern you. So overall, that exercise was a success. The Sweeps are capable of beating superior numbers of targets. This was known, now it is proven.
"However, the incident with the Insecticons gives us a new problem: Our reputation. That you were outnumbered and taken by surprise is meaningless: In the eyes of others, 2 groups of Decepticons clashed, and one proved superior. The Insecticons came off the best in that encounter, and they will waste no time in capitalising on this. We must move quickly if the Sweeps are not to be sidelined."
The Master of Hounds turned to a map of Cybertron and pointed. "To this end, I will send units of the sentient Sweeps out of our forward bases, where they will put themselves fully at the disposal of the base commanders, show the lesser troops the power of the Sweeps, and of course act as my eyes and ears, giving me full details on the happenings in our empire. With our superior speed, we will be able to reinforce each other in a matter of breems, so we will maintain our full combat capacity while operating over a much wider area. Thus the Insecticons obsolesence will be shown.
"Discord, you and our Scraplet will be deployed to Tagan, to manage the Sweep drones there. The latest report is that Thunderwing commands there. I am sure that fop will appreciate an "offering" from me. Turmoil, you will meet up with Reforge and Blackguard in Polyhex. Reforge may have gleaned more insight into your condition. Beware of the Seekers, their wounded pride may give them ideas.
"That is my will. Do you have any questions or suggestions?" He looked at Discord as he said this final part. He was curious how his new XO would take to being away from him, and in command of a small army of attack drones.

Kolkular - Corridors

Carnage grabbed Venom away from Rage. She knew her siste wouldn't do it right. She was too careless, and didn't know enough about a mech's anatomy. If Venom wasn't lying, and he really was afraid, then right now mech fluid was flowing through his circulation system faster, and the distribution tubes would put the contents under greater pressure. Therefore, any breach to the tubes, no matter how small, would cause the fluid to gush out of Venom like a geyser, and he would bleed to death in a few moments. She took the exiled leader and threw him across the hall.

Venom got up on all fours, his fear turned to humiliation. He considered himself lucky that only the Sweeps were here to see this. He felt an object strike him on the back of his head. He looked at it only to see that Carnage had returned his gun, albiet rather painfully.He picked himself up. Time for Plan B...

Kolkular ~ Medbay

Scraplet sat in the CR chamber quietly contemplating this recent turn of events. He was not surprised the Scourge had reacted this way. In fact, he would have thought something was amiss had he reacted otherwise. Scourge was a leader to be respected. Like himself, he was principled -- however twisted those principles may be. The way he felt about Scourge, he supposed, could be called affectionate. Although, affection wasn't something that Scraplet could truly feel.

What truly concerned him now was correcting the abberant thoughts that had gotten him into this predicament. Scourge was right that his insistance on Sweep solidarity was a pathetically weak sentiment. The truth of Sweep dominance should be obvious for anyone to see. The Hunt should work well together simply because they work for a common goal, not by some imposed strucure of order. Certainly, the Sweeps had some unique character quirks and forcing them by some superficial means of order would only cause resentment among his brothers and sisters. Surely they already looked down on this Scraplet for his previous conduct. This thought sickened him.

The best thing to do at this point would be to keep a low profile. He would have to be even more wary than ever of the image that he projected. It was more important than ever that he serve to the best of his ability. He would be the ideal soldier despite his physical defficiencies compared to his bretheren. Fight smarter, not harder would have to become his mantra. Not for his own sake, but for the sake of the Hunt. The needs of the collective supercede the needs of the individual. If it meant sacrificing himself for the good of all Sweeps to come, he would do it. This Scraplet lives to serve the Hunt, his Master, and above all God-Emperor Megatron.

Satisfied that he had worked out his feelings, he continued to sit quietly in the CR chamber. Now that he had relieved the tension weighing heavily on him, he allowed himself to let his mind wander where it may. He dreamt of drinking the energon of his foes. He dreamt of enlsaving Autobots to be tortured. He dreamt of waving the banner of the Decepticons. He dreamt of the Hunt. He dreamt of Discord.

This last dream shocked back into consciousness. He was unsure what the meaning of that last dream was. Of all his dreams this one troubled him. He did not wish any ill will toward his sister. In fact, he would help her in any way he could in her new position. Surely, he could offer insight into Scourge's personality because of his unique interactions with Master. He would do this gladly for her as he would with any of his bretheren. What then made him think of her? He would think on this further as he waited out the repair cycle.

As the CR chamber opened with a hiss upon completing Scraplet's repairs, he had yet to come to any conclusions about the meaning of his dream about Discord. He stepped back into the light of the med-bay and gave a mighty stretch. Further contemplation would have to wait, first he had to report to Scourge. And face the Hunt as Scraplet for the first time. He would do so with the same confidence he always did, putting his shame behind him.


Kolkular ~ Scourge's Ready Room

Scraplet arrived as Venom being removed from the premises. He entered and saluted Scourge and the Hunt with a fist across his chest.

"Glory to God-Emperor Megatron! This Scraplet is fully repaired and ready to return to active duty my Master."

Scorponok's Lab

"My apologies commander, I was being too arrogant. If it is fitting I volunteer to be punished for my insolence."

Bomb-burst bowed to Scorponok, the massive Decepticon commander turned away from him. He felt a bit insulted, but those were feelings best left...contained.

"So you're saying that this will adapt to my personality and function? I will be honored to go through the process."

He stepped into the chamber and braced himself for the procedure. Suddenly the synthetic substance surrounded his form, taking at first a generic bipedal form. This did not last long, for the neural interfacers suddenly kicked in. His mind was merging with the shell, a painful experience he wished noone had to go through. And with that the shell took form. A hideous creature emerged, with sharp fangs, long claws, and a new thirst for energy.

This thirst was different, he no longer wanted to steal the resouces for his survival, but to extract the very energy from his victims.

He stalked out of the Pretender chamber, his eyes wild with hunger.

"My thirst has grown, but so have I!" screeched the new monster.

Kolkular – The Briefing room

Rage turned to Carnage with a snarl when her Insecticon chew-toy had been snatched away. "In the future I recommend you do not get in the way of my anger, Sister." her voice carried that eerie doubled effect. With that simple warning, she goes to Scourge's side lacking any orders.

Speaking of orders, Discord salutes Scourge dutifully. "I have no suggestions, Lord Scourge. I shall carry your will to Tagan Heights with Scraplet as you command!" She spoke in a snappy tone, then immediately set about following the orders. As she turns to find Macabre she finds him. "We are to report to Tagan Heights immediately to oversee the drone squadrons. Come." she says in a purely business tone not even waiting for Macabre to reply before she head for the Hangar bay. Duty calls, and she cannot resist.

Kolkular - the Hangar bay

She arrives promptly, then transforms utilizing her altmode's high speed to bullet towards Tagan.

Kolkular ~ The Briefing Room

"As you command Discord, this Scraplet will obey."

Macabre bowed acquiescently to Scourge, then turned swiftly to keep up with Discord who seemed to be in a hurry to leave. He sympathized with her current position. Assuming a new rank under a leader like Scourge was no easy task. She would undoubtedly perform her duty well, concentrating on following her orders to letter. It was very similar to the time when Macabre had been promoted to XO of the Hunt. He had been extremly wary of not making any mistakes. But, that seemed a lifetime ago now despite happening mere cycles ago.

His current task was to keep up with Discord and her silver tongue. He easily followed her to the hangar bay and transformed, taking to the sky. Following Discord in silence, he decided it would be prudent to let her initiate conversation so he wouldn't incur her wrath by interrupting her train of thought. Besides, he had yet to resolve the meaning of his dream about his XO. There were many possibilities of the meaning, but none of them were definitive. Perhaps it was a simple manifestation of his frustration over losing his rank and priviliges. After all, it wasn't Discord who had proven herself more capable than him. He had lost the job due to his own arrogance and the femme was the most logical choice for his replacement. As ferocious as she was, she was far more stable than some of his other brothers and sisters.

It truly didn't feel like he begrudged Discord in any way, but he had to admit there were parts of his consciousness that even he didn't understand. Perhaps it would be best to put it out of mind for now. Obviously he wouldn't come to any conclusions by thinking in circles and he didn't want his circular reasoning to affect his performance once they arrived at the heights. He reaffirmed his previous resolve to serve as best he could, satisfied that it was the only reasonable course of action. All his personal vendettas would be erased from his memory banks so he could start fresh.

He was looking forward to this reassignment. The Sweep drones were among his favorite playthings. Often, in his downtime he would spend extended periods down in the Forge sitting with his non-sentient bretheren. He was amused by the juxtaposition of himself and the drones. They were so similar and yet so different. Sometimes he would sit there pretending he was one of them and imagined what it would be like if they all spontaneously became sentient. What would they be like? Would they feel the same sense of family that he did? The contemplation of these questions were a source of endless amusement for him, but he had his doubts that any of the other Sweeps would understand.

(My next post will be in Tagan Heights.)

Kolkular - Briefing room

Turmoil bowed before his master and left for the hangar bay, contemplating his future. He already had high hopes that Reforge would be able to tell him something about his mysterious condition. He'd spent much of his stay in Kolkular searching for answers but had found nothing. As such he was afraid to get his hopes up too high but nevertheless he trusted what Scourge had said.

He was also a little nervous about serving alongside seekers. He was well aware that seekers felt threatened by the Sweeps and he suspected that the insecticon incident might just boost the seekers' confidence enough for them to try something. After all, the fact that the Sweeps succeeded in the training exercise would likely be a mere footnote when news of the incident became public knowledge.

At last Turmoil reached the hangar bay and took off towards Polyhex, wondering where this new assignment would take him.

Kolkular - Command Center

"Affirmative, Megatron."

Soundwave turned and activated a large holoprojector. In the center of the Command Center an image of a slowly rotating gray planet flashed into existence. The laconic Decepticon had prepared two potential choices for Megatron, and this was the first.

"Planet designation GH133 Centauri. Barren, lifeless, class three. It orbits a small dying star approximately nineteen-point-seven light years from Cybertron. Its molten core generates exceptionally high levels of heat, unusual for planets of similar rocky composition. If harnessed, the heat energy could be used for large-scale energon production."

Soundwave paused, and a stream of figures and ratios slid across the projection.

"Potential difficulty: environmental conditions. GH133 Centauri possesses surface gravity approximately seven times that of Cybertron and similarly high surface pressure. A thin atmosphere admits dangerous levels of cosmic radiation. Special equipment would be required for operations on the planet."

The projection blinked out of existence, only to be replaced by another. This second planet was green and blue. Soundwave spoke once more.

"Planet designation: BW778. Location: approximately eleven-point-two light years distant. It is a class five planet, similar to AC488. It possess primitive, non-sentient, carbon-based life in abundance, but none capable of threatening a Transformer. Geothermal energy resources are in vast abundance due to a network of highly active volcanoes ringing the planet. Gravity and pressure: similar to Cybertron. No significant radiation hazard."

Soundwave had already made the choice, but had offered Megatron two choices in order to give the illusion of the Emperor's command in the matter. This was not to suggest that Soundwave was truly the one in charge. Quite the contrary; his loyalty and deference to Megatron were without question. Rather, Soundwave frequently constructed such situations in which Megatron appeared to be making the decision, when really the power to decide had already been delegated to Soundwave.

Delegating any kind of responsibility was a delicate operation for a tyrant ruling a military empire. If at any time it appeared that the tyrant was not the one setting the course, morale and loyalty of the rank and file could be compromised. For this reason, Soundwave created such illusions. It allowed him to do his utmost for the Cause and utilize his unique abilities without supplanting Megatron's supremacy and stature, and allowed Megatron to pass certain highly important tasks to Soundwave without compromising his position in the optics of his troops. There was much the rank and file did not know about the way Megatron and Soundwave functioned. Some things: best left a mystery to the masses.

"Selection, Megatron?"

Kolkular ~ Scourge's Ready Room

Carnage ignored Rage returned to her master."What do you request of me?" She asks.Please be an assassination, please, please, please... She considered the irony of her thoughts, due to the fact that she had just humiliated an assassin herself.

Kolkular - Medical Bay

Venom approached the person in charge of the medical bay. He didn't waste time in flashing his credentials. He loved the perk of leading a special operations unit. after a while, lower-ranked soldiers stopped questioning you and just obeyed. I wonder how long it'll be before word of my overthrow gets around... He knew if people found out about his disposal, he would lose all his respect and authority. He adressed the manager of the bay. "Release Aftershock, Rancid and Swiftscreech from the CR chamber ASAP, have them prepped and ready, and send them to these coordinates." He gave the location of an empty storage depot, number J-117, just outside Kolkular. "Tell them it's a matter of Imperial security and that they will be breifed further upon arrival." With that he flew away to the depot.

Kolkular - Medical Bay

Among the many CR tanks, one makes a few beeps and opens with a hiss. The door slowly raises, gradually revealing the newly repared form of Aftershock.

Aftershock stepped out of the CR tank and looked around. He wondered how long he had been in repairs. He doubted that he had been in CR for very long. Not much appeared to have changed. But then, the rarely frequented medical bay always gave one that impression.

A medical bot approached him. He did not recognize it as being the one he gave his weapons to. The bot gave him Venom's message and the coordinates of the storage depot. To say he was surprised would be an understatement.
He didn't expect an assignment like this right out of CR. Then again, he reasoned, my skills surely could not be ignored after my demonstration of them in the canyons.
Despite having been beaten in the canyons twice, Aftershock was still as arrogant as ever and felt that he had done an amazing job. So naturally he was excited by the new assignment, despite having not been prepared for it.

Another bot came over and returned his weapons in perfect working order again. Once he was rearmed he headed out towards the hangar bay.

Kolkular – The Briefing room

Well, Carnage made a gigantic mistake in simply ignoring Rage.
Wordlessly, soundlessly, and in less than an astrosecond's time Rage's fist sought to make violent contact with Carnage's face looking to punch her lights out. This may constitute as a sucker punch with Carnage 'ignoring' Rage, but slag if Rage cared. No one treated her badly! Discord knew this, and maybe Scourge, and if the other Sweeps needed to learn this lesson, then so be it!

The thrown punch is made with an expert's grace mixed with savage ferocity and with the power of one of the strongest sweeps, and all on a simple impulse. No hesitation, no remorse, simply pure instinct with no thought in the matter to slow her down.

"NO ONE TREATS ME THAT WAY!" Rage snarls out smart enough to assault first, then talk.

Still, Carnage would have some luck. Rage didn't use her super heated talons to try and scar up the femme's face.

Kolkular - Scourge's Ready Room

Scourge watched as his Hunt left on their new objectives. Some might have thought this set of assignment was almost a reward for their weakness against the Insecticons, but Scourge had satisfied his desire for punishment on the former Macabre, and in any case, he would be watching them all carefully, to make sure they were performing their tasks. And if they faltered in this...
Scourge considered his next move. Other than dealing with that blasted Insecticon, nothing presented itself but what Scourge began on his own initiative; so much the better. The Sweeps had to be seen to be working at their peak here more than anywhere else in the Empire, so Scourge would have to follow through on his own orders. The remaining Sweeps in Kaon were still more than sufficient to mount an operation, so what better to do than attend the will of that highest of all Decepticons?
"Rage, Carnage, we shall...What are you doing? RAGE, STAND DOWN!!!"

Kolkular - Scourge's Ready Room

Carnage considered herself lucky. Rage's yell had given her warning, and she moved forward to dodge the blow. The punch mrely grazed and knocked her forward, leaving a mild stinging sensation. She turned to face her sister. A million fantasies of her disembowling, decapitaiting, or just plain blowing her sister to bits ran through Carnage's mind. Hmmmm... maybe- no, too messy, and besides, there's a witness. Carnage instead merely turned to face sher sister. "Just because I did not respond dind't mean I ignored you. we both knew you had much more in store for him than you were allowed to carry out with." She turned to face her master again. "You were saying?"

Storage depot J-117

As venom set foot in the empty depot, he considered the renovations to his new base of operations. First, he'd need his tools. He radioed the Forge and asked that they bring him his axe, and the contents of his lab. He loved the improvement. His old lab was small and cramped, the size of a closet. His new one would be much, much, larger!

Kolkular Hangar bay

Aftershock arrived in the hangar bay. He checked to see where the storage depot was. One good thing to come from the battle in the canyons and his subsequent stay in cr was that his navigation systems were repaired. He had needed that. He found the depot, transformed, and to it without incident.

Storage depot J-117

Aftershock transformed and landed, sort of. As always, his feet were still hovering inches from the floor.

He looked around for whoever had summoned him. He had expected to see a highly ranked general waiting for him, but all he found was... an Insecticon!

His shotgun was drawn so fast it amazed even himself.

Kolkular – The Briefing room

(OOC: Rage didn't yell before or during her punch, rather after, but 'll let it slide this time. The idea of Rage's sucker punch was to illustrate that Carnage was ignoring Rage.)

Rage clenched her fists standing down as best she could only bothered by Scourge's order. Rage knows full well about Carnage's reputation as a scientist of death, and it didn't bother her one bit, even though Carnage was ignorant of Rage's reputation. She knew that while Carnage is extremely deadly, by the time her sword cut through her thick armor, Carnage would probably be spare parts or Discord.

"Dear Carnage, I did not indicate you ignored me, so you've basically admitted that you have ignored me by assuming that was why I was mad! On top of that you have already spoken volumes indicating that you thought nothing of what I said with your body language alone." Rage chuckles darkly. That's all it took. One wrong move, one wrong look, something spoken wrong or not spoken at all. Rage is as volatile as anything could be. For those aware of her nature, it's no small wonder it took some programming for her not to lash out at the XO, and CO, or that Discord's honeyed words tended to give her some power over Rage.

"Know this, sister. Learn it well. I will not be ignored, or disrespected. I'm sure every Sweep is aware of this by now, and they all would expect the same. After all, my sibling, we are a unit, and if we are not good to each other, then what hope in unity do we have to ensure that we are the fighting force above other fighting forces?" Her last statement sounded like Discord's wisdom was rubbing off on her... or that she simply sought an excuse for her anger. Either way, it might just make sense as she spoke in a confident manner adding to her credibility.

Her eyes narrow at Carnage. "Sister, do not let arrogance, and rank blind you. To do so will make you weak, and we do not tolerate weakness. That love tap was simply the punctuation to the moral behind all this."

As Rage spoke, venting her anger, and calming down a bit, her tone became more civil. "By the way, sister.. remember my function. It's not a matter of choice that I am called Rage, nor is it a matter of choice that I have a berserk mode. Above all, you aren't exempt from my anger, or my Berserk mode." It sounded more like a friendly warning, and a fact, than a threat even though Rage is still boiling inside seeing Carnage so eager to write off her sister again.

With that, she turned to salute Scourge though she keeps her sensors open. They have been on full since she were put in charge of guarding the door and the hallway before that, and she simply forgot to deactivate her sensors. "I do regret that teaching Carnage took your time, and I await your word, Scourge."

(OOC: OK, thanks, I just wanted Carnage to prepare for it, since if she was hit harder it would lead to some violent infighting, which I was trying to avoid.)

Kolkular – The Briefing room

Carnage took in Rage's remarks half-heartedly, to show that her further instructions were useless. She had thought hers ister was smart enough not to go insane in front of Scourge, but now she had her doubts. She waited for her master. She found her thoughts drifting back to Venom. To sa she hated him would bea lie, but to say she liked him was also a lie. The truth would be that she respected his work. She devoted her self to the dispersl of death, and since Venom had dedicated his life to researching poison, she felt that that made them collegues. Of course, she still couldn't stand him as a person, though.

Storage depot J-117

Venom walked towards Aftershock. Truth betold, he was mildly scared himself. He raised his hands, to show that he was unarmed. "You may relax. Much has happened since we last met, and I am no longer one of the insecticons. In fact, I am now quite possibly their greatest enemy."

Kolkular - Command Center

Megatron tapped in a command on his throne and the image of planet BW778 enlarged. “This one will do Soundwave, but mark the other world for future use. Once the Empire begins to expand worlds such as that will be needed for raw materials.” The Decepticon commander examined the data on the planet before addressing the Insecticons again.

“This world is much like the one you just left, save for the lack of a civilization on it. An infiltration mission may prove more worthwhile in the long run, but outright colonization and conquering will bring more immediate results. A boost of energon and offworld raw materials will spell a final end to this war for the Autobots. With your current alternate modes you should be well suited for functioning on an organic based world such as this. Your ability to convert organic matter to energy directly will maintain you on this alien world”

“You will take a shuttle to this world and begin a general survey of it. Identify energy sources we can exploit. Locate and appropriate site for us to use for a permanent base on the planet. You will also maintain regular contact with us. You and your team are on a short leash, Shrapnel. Your long absence on that other organic world, your incident with my newest warriors, should you make any sort of repeat performance of either of those you will find yourself quite expendable.” The Decepticon commander’s eyes flashed as he spoke the last part. “Failure to report in will result in severe punishment. Is that understood?”

“Yes Lord Megatron, tron.”

“Good. Do not fail me. A shuttle will be ready for you shortly. Get your equipment and depart as soon as possible.”

“As you command Lord Megatron, tron.” The Insecticon bowed and saluted before quietly leading his team out of the Command Center.

*

Kolkular – Scorponok's Lab

Scorponok noted with interest the adaptations the shell had made with Bomb-burst. It did not cure the Decepticon of his particular excessive energon thirst, but it did account for it. With the shells abilities it looked like he could drain energon directly from another Transformer through puncturing his main energy lines and physically drawing the energon out of him.

He looked over at the newly created Pretender. “You will limit your energon feeding on Autobots. Among Decepticons you can ingest energon the standard way. I will not tolerate any assaults on fellow Decepticons, understood?”

*

Message from Forge to Venom

>>”Request denied. You do not have the authority to seize that equipment or order its transfer.”<<

Storage depot J-117

Aftershock put down his weapon... slowly. He didn't trust Venom, but he could not bring himself to fire seeing that Venom had no weapons. This surprised him. He'd never had a problem shooting helpless, even crippled(by himself) foes who had done him far less harm, but for some reason it just didn't seem right this time.

"Why have you called me here, and what do you mean you may be 'their greatest enemy?'"

Aftershock was suspicious, but curious.

Kolkular - Scourge's Ready Room

Scourge grit his teeth at the spat between his two femme subordinates. Thankfully Rage had calmed down when he'd ordered her, or at least stopped punching people. But it had shown very plainly why he couldn't afford to yet either of these two out of his sight for very long.
"As I was saying, and I do not appreicate interruption, we will now go to Megatron, give a report on your training exercise and the incident with the Insecticons, and see what tasks the Emperor of Destruction wishes us to perform. I would advice you both to do nothing but bow respectfully in the presences of Megatron, or I may have to personally admonish you to save you from his ire."
With this, Scourge left his ready room, with his Sweeps in his wake.

Kolkular - Corridors

Banzai-Tron casually sauntered towards the Command Centre, not in a particular rush anymore. He'd shown himself what his new body could do, and to show up too soon after the Insecticons would look suspicious. Besides, the scenery wasn't too bad, if you went in for the Impenetrable Fortress look. The stress lines in the Durasteel walls made interesting patterns to Banzai-Trons eyes.
Scourge and Banzai-Tron rounded the corner at around the same time, but both had sharp enough sensors that there was no danger of them bumping into each other. Still, Banzai-Tron had to step back to avoid the Sweep leader from brushing past him. The Crystalocution master looked at Scourge oddly, then followed after him.
"So...you're one of those 'Sweeps', am I right?"
"Queit soldier, I am on my way to meet Megatron."
"What a coincidence, I'm heading to see Soundwave! Could you mention me to him before you head in? That'd be a big help."
Scourge paused and looked at the unfamiliar Decepticon, seemingly ignorant in his bravado yet only coming up to Scourges shoulder, then grunted and keyed his radio.
>>Soundwave, is Emperor Megatron occupied? I wish to speak with him about the Sweeps. Oh, and there's someone here wishing to see you.<<
"Banzai-Tron. Intelligence Agent #3592."
"Don't use my radio!!"
"Apologies, just thought it'd save time."

Scorponok's lab

"Of course commander, but I fear my primary morality curcuits may have been damaged in the transition. If my hunger goes unaacounted for, things may become...difficult."

He bowed to Scorponok with gratitude. He had been given a new chance to survive, to hunt and to serve.

"What shall you have me do Scorponok?"

Bomb-burst was now willing to do anything for his commander and now he had the power to do so.

Kolkular – Following Scourge

Rage simply nodded to Scourge, then follows him loyally understanding her commander's word. Provided nothing provoked her, she could remain quiet, and blend into the background as well as any other. Still, she has no choice. If something makes her mad, then it's only a matter of time before the last domino falls, and she goes on a rampage.

She pays little attention to Banzai-tron, mostly making sure she stays out of his way, having no grievance against him, and managing to stay relatively calm.

She'd continue to follow Scourge eager to see what will come of his audience with Megatron.

Kolkular- Wherever Scourge is

Carnage shrugged off Banzai-tron's arrival. She didn't regard him with much importance. Of course, she was stil keeping an eye on him. one false move and she would turn his one head into two.

Depot J-117

Venom adressed Aftershock. "You see, the skirmish at the Sonic Canyons was a simple test gone bad. My unit was behaving nicely, so I decided to test their obedience. I was to leave them unsupervised, and then observe what happened. Of course, you know what happened next. when I tryied to reassert myself as leader, they turned, and, led by Shrapnel, put me into a state of exile and made him the new leader. But Shrapnel is smart. He knows he has to get rid of me quickly before I can get him back. I must admit, he acted quicker than expected. As of now, I've lost all authority in the empire. Of course, I still must have revenge. That's where you come in. I'm gathering everyone with a bone to pick with the Insecticons and preparing to wage war on them. The rewards will be great. If we win, then we will become legends among the empire. We will have defeated wha t was the most powerful SpecOps team ever! This depot will be our base. Since may authority's been revoked, I can't refurbish it, but that's the least of my concerns. Right now, I need allies. If you wish to help, then do this: go to Kolkular and search for the other Decepticons in the sonic canyons, Swiftscreech and Rancid.