The Energon Pub

Semper Tyrannis – Hanger/Corridors
Following being processed, Slog waited in the corridor for the rest of his team. His processor was busier than normal as he weighed the possible reasons for their being rushed through, and he could come to only one conclusion: they were about to be deployed.

The prospect of them hunting down their tormentor ignited a spark in him he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Joy.

Joy at the prospect of reforming Jhaixus into his own work of art. But more than that, it was a chance for the Monstercons to prove themselves as more than an experiment. It was their chance to prove themselves capable of helping to bring down a powerful foe.

Perhaps, we shall finally become the art forms we were intended.

He smiled at the thought as it was a final resolution to his previous line of thought. Now, they just had to get their orders and…

He nearly smacked his head for not thinking of contacting their superiors already. He should’ve realized it when they’d been sent to the front of the line, but he’d been too absorbed in his thoughts to recognize the opportunity.

Just one more thing to learn, he thought as he opened a communications with Cyclonus.

>>Slog reporting, Cyclonus. We’ll be enroute to the CR Chamber shortly. What are your orders, sir?”<<

There, that sounded official enough, though he was certain his inexperience came through. He silently crossed any transistors he could as he waited for a response as another thought came to him. Is Cyclonus in command here?

The last thing he wanted was to create another “mindless monster” stigma towards he and his team.

He’d expected to be contacted as had happened previously, but that was when he wasn’t considered the Monstercon’s leader. Yet another first.

CR Chamber Room

The Seacon's foul smell polluted the room from the very instant he entered it. Skalor could hear a few mechs nearby suddenly belch out sounds of disgust - blegh! - and threw him nasty glances. Skalor didn't care, it was the other mechs' problem that their sensors were too weak to handle his scent.

Skalor finished with his CR Chamber business. The smelly fish stepped out of the pod, covered in a new flesh coating. To some mechs, this was even worse - some couldn't handle the repugnant qualities of organic layers, but Skalor, as always, didn't particularly care. It smelled just fine to him, all nice and dandy. He walked over to the rest of his Seacon mates, Seawing, Tentakil and it looked like Octopunch had also joined the mix. "Hey hey hey! How's it goin'? Ready to go?"

LV-117 Surface

In a flash of white, Fortress Maximus found himself summarily deposited on the surface of the planet LV-117. Cyclonus' parting words from their brief conversation aboard the Tyrannis, while Maximus had still been confined to his cell, rang clearly in his mind.

"...you know it's their only chance."

Cyclonus' choice of words had been carefully selected. He had not said "your". They both knew that Maximus' primary concern was not for his own well-being. It was for that of the Autobots under his command. Here, in this most desperate of circumstances, he had been offered a chance for his men to not be used as bargaining chips or be subjected to continuing experimentation. They had a chance to go out doing what the majority of them wanted to go out doing: fighting.

He, of course, was the first to be bounced down. He had insisted on it. He had been alloted some sort of rudimentary, organic covering. He hadn't known why--at first--but now the reasoning was all too clear.

All around him, the planet seemed to be roiling under a colossal thunderstorm. To one direction, he could see ocean waves churning. In every other? The unmistakable visuals of an organic world that was undergoing the process of being mechaformed. Dark black and gray steel stretched out for as far as the optic could scan. Ahead? A mountainous structure that appeared to be constructed of that very same steel. Apart from the ocean, Maximus might have thought he was back on Cybertron. The raw, undeveloped corners of Cybertron, anyway. What in Primus name was Jhiaxus intention with all of this?

Lightning crisscrossed the dense, cloud-covered skies as the acidic rain pelted down on the Autobot General. Apart from the environment itself, there were no obvious traps. if there were, he hoped his bouncing down would have triggered them. It seemed they were going to have to dig deeper.

>>"Alright, Reflector. If you're getting any of this, send my men down,"<< Maximus transmitted.
___

The Autobot General didn't need to wait very long for an answer. The next white flash was one of the Technobots. Lightspeed. He had been discussing the whereabouts of Scattershot one moment. Then given the barest of barebones briefings by Fortress Maximus, a brief and weird cyber-organic armor treatment and bam...here he was.

As he looked to the much larger Autobot, all he could think to do was offer the senior commander a salute.

"Sir," Lightspeed said, as Maximus waved him over to a metallic outcropping, out of the deluge of acidic rain that was pouring down on them.

Semper Tyrannis – Hangar

Over a hundred Decepticons stood within the hangar bay of Scorponok’s flagship – the Semper Tyrannis. All gathered around the space bridge portal in orderly formations formed behind various high ranking officers like Hun-Gurr, Snaptrap, Hardshell, Apeface, Snapdragon, Banzai-Tron and Bludgeon. Each one covered in synthesized flesh coating, brandishing their weapons and staring at the huge view screens around the hangar that were broadcasting video feed directly from Fortress Maximus. All waiting for the word from the command to advance.

Above them on a command platform stood their giant of a commander and his first officer. Solemnly engaged in somekind of a discussion. Likely over tactics. Demolishor couldn’t hear. Instead he waited for the word to advance within the column of soldiers formed behind the broad back of the notorious leader of the Terrorcons – Hun-Grrr.

Most of the troops assigned to Hun-Gar’s command were giving the Terrorcon and his namesakes a wide berth. Demolishor among the rest. The Terrorcons were unstable, ravenous and their terrifying reputation sent a shiver through the spinal column of even a hardened war veteran like Demolishor. Yet, he knew Hun-Gurr was a capable, accomplished commander when he put his focus on the matter at hand and this seemed to be one of those exceedingly rare moments. He had followed him into a battle enough times to put his trust on the monster, despite of his short comings. Better him as ally than as an enemy.

The chilling silence in the column afraid of the Terrorcons was still rather unnerving. Then again, people formed behind the Seacon leader Snaptrap weren’t being talkative either while the Horrorcon Apeface seemed to be cranking a joke after another to keep his column’s moods up. This wait before action was always the worst part of any mission for Demolishor. He could only hope something would happen soon enough.

”Bludgeon, Insecticons, advance!” Scorponok’s commanding voice boomed across the hangar as the space bridge portal flashed into life. Hun-Gurr didn’t make a move. It wasn’t their time to go forth yet. The first ones to follow the Autobots in were Bludgeon’s stealth unit, sent in to scout the surroundings of Jhiaxus’ base while the Autobots worked as a bait. Demolishor tried to peer through the portal. Far, far away in the event horizon he could make out an outline of metallic tree trunks, gleaming from the light released by an occasional lightning bolt. The planet really looked as unhospitable as their briefing had made it out to be.

Yeah, he was in no hurry to go forth.

Semper Tyrannus: Hangar

Bludgeon and his crew had arrived just in time for everyone to be gathered up to move out. A slight frown danced across Bomb Burst face plate. Sometimes he wondered if Bludgeon's walking from deck to deck was akin to pacing...but much more forceful with an appearance of purpose. He wouldn't put it past the Electric Warrior...

---

Nightbird was turning to look for Skullgrin just as Bludgeon spoke...


"Where is Skullgrin?" He asked emotionlessly.

--

"I don't know." Nightbird answered. "Bomb Burst had called for him twice." Her optics raised to look up at the Vampire.

---

"No one listens to me." Bomb Burst said half joking. "Iguanus ignored me earlier.. now the Skullhead..."


--

"Iguanus is here?" Bludgeon asked.

---

"Physically, yes, somewhere aboard. But 'here' is subjective with him lately." The vampire answered with a slight noise resembling a sigh.

Cryhavok wrote:”Bludgeon, Insecticons, advance!” Scorponok’s commanding voice boomed across the hangar as the space bridge portal flashed into life.

And suddenly... They were deploying. Fortunately all of Bludgeon's squad were always at the ready. None ever needed time to prepare, they preferred it that way.


The bright light of the Space Bridge as it fired to life caused Bomb Burst to recoil very slightly, he switched off his optics.

--

"Go Bomb Burst." Bludgeon said to he who was the quietest of them all.

--

Almost before Bludgeon had finished his command, Bomb Burst transformed into his hoverjet alt form, tilting the fans in his wings slightly, the assassin burst in near silent motion, shooting into the space bridge portal, banking slightly as the turbulent engeries surrounded him.

He ticked on every sensor he had to collect up all information as he sped through, and a barrage of information slammed into him as he appeared on the other side of the portal.

He was expecting organic... His sensors read metal.

His radar was picking up no noticeable hostiles, however, as he weaved through some trees to broaden his surveillance. He suddenly went from full speed to hovering. No energy readings, so no powered up hidden weapon emplacements that he could detect.

>>"Clear."<< He radioed back the simple message to Bludgeon and the Insecticons as he kicked his fans back into forward motion and slowly returned a few kliks from where he had exited the portal.

He had returned to his arrival coordinates so fast that one might doubt his ability to scout the area accurately. But despite his speed, he had thoroughly surveyed the area.

--

At Bomb Burst's message, Bludgeon nodded. >>"Skullgrin, as soon as you are able, join us.<< He radioed to Skullgrin before looking to Nightbird and the Insecticons. "Proceed." He ordered and transformed into his tank alt mode.

---

Without a word Nightbird transformed as well, racing into the space bridge in her sleek sports car mode. Bludgeon was right behind her, as much as he could... He was considerably slower than she.

Semper Tyrannis – CR Chamber/Hanger

The CR chambers had always been something Cutthroat had accepted as necessary to speed recovery following a confrontation. Despite that, they were a necessary evil he could live without.

It was bad enough for one to put themselves under the tender mercy of the Constructicons or some other mech for repairs, but to have to remain immobile and trapped with one’s thoughts was infuriating.

Normally, he would’ve forgotten Hun-Grrr ordering the others to attack him by now. It was their way of maintaining discipline. He could accept that. He could even accept going without a snack for the sake of readying for another battle. But to do so without something to occupy his simple programming was maddening.

It was well known that others went offline while in the CR chambers to conserve their power and sanity, but that was because they were fools. They didn’t understand what it meant to be a predator, to have to be on guard against any wishing to remove them from the energon chain.

No, he’d kept his systems active enough that any disturbance, including a vibration in the fluid surrounding him, wouldn’t go unnoticed and he’d instantly be active.

He was the true predator, and the day he would be taken unawares was the day his spark deserved to go cold.

A low growl escaped his vocalize and reverberated through the fluid engulfing him. It was a sound of anticipation as he felt his damaged circuits being repaired and his wounds closed. Energon also flowed into him, refueling and returning him to full strength. Soon, he would be ready to fight and hunt once more, and any who got in his way, whether they be Autobot, Decepticon, or other would learn their mistake.

His elation was short lived as he took note of the organic covering being applied to him. His instinctual reaction was to pull way, to toss the covering off before it could fully bond with his metallic skin, but he didn’t. He surprised himself at being more curious to the why. Not that it mattered to him, so long as it didn’t hinder his ability to fight. If it did, he’d rip it off himself.

Though he hadn’t paid much attention to Hun-Grrr’s orders, for the CR chambers to be a priority meant they were being sent out. The possibilities quickly overwhelmed his processor and he lost himself in his thoughts until the chamber signaled his repairs were completed.

His optics immediately flared to life, though he doubted any would notice through the organic covering he saw reflected back on the chamber’s glass front.

As the door hissed open, he stepped out and examined his new “skin.” So, I’m a fleshy, now. Wonder how the others taste.



Once in the hanger, Cutthroat joined his fellow Terrorcons, standing just off to Hun-Grrr’s right and a little behind. He stood just behind Hun-Grrr as he fought against his disappointment at having to wait for their orders to be given. After all the waiting he’d had to endure, he felt cheated at not being immediately sent into the field by Scorponok.

It was politics, he’d once heard a mech say. Every leader needed to stand before their army to give a grand speech or instructions or whatever helped their energon flow.

Just point me in the direction already, Skorponok. No need for theat… theatr… whatever this is.

At least he could enjoy the look some of their Decepticon brethren gave the Terrorcons. It warmed his spark to see so much fear, especially from those considering themselves their allies.

Semper Tyrannis – Hangers

Slog remained stoic as he awaited their orders to head to the planet below. From what he’d seen, it was as odd and intriguing as any he’d ever set optics on. But then, Cyclonus’ briefings had always been thorough, even if the two saw things a little differently.

Especially for this mission.

The last thing he’d ever expected was to feel excited about going into battle, but then he’d never dreamed of a chance to go after Jhiaxus.

Slog fought against rolling his eyes at their tormentor’s name once again crossing his processor. He didn’t like being so obsessed with something, even if there was a rational explanation for it.

He glanced side to side, taking in his team. Bristleback, Birdrain, Wildfly, Icepick, and Scowl all stood at the ready. Each as capable as any within the Decepticon ranks, and each with as much incentive as he had to see this mission succeed. He was proud of them. They had grown a lot since being experimented on, each finding their own way.

With some help, of course. His optics rested on Umbra for a moment. I wonder if Jhiaxus ever thought of someone like her being the key? Knowing him, probably not. Such things like emotion probably don’t register in his processor.

Forcing his attention back to the hanger and Scorponok issuing orders, his optics scanned over the gathered force. All this for one mech. Will it be enough?

He couldn’t help but let some doubt into his thoughts. Nothing was ever as easy as it seemed, and he somehow knew apprehending Jhiaxus would be far more difficult than the worst scenarios they had planned for.

Decepticon Battlecruiser Semper Tyrannis- Brig

Wheelie sat in the farthest corner away from the mechanized corpse as he could. Sitting there alone in his cell, his mind wandered back to the distant past when he wasjust a protoform. He thought of his adipted mother figure and the other Autobots who had left Cybertron looking for a new home. Even back then he wasn't safe. He was never safe. His "mother" had put Wheelie in an escape pod when their ship had been attacked by Decepticons, and he had soon found himself on the primordial planet known as LV-117. There, he'd learned to live through many harsh and hazardous situations in his desire to survive. It wasn't until a long time after that he had found himself rescued, and....he had even at one time been upon this very same ship, losing as a newly recruited Decepticon. Times have changed...but one thing never did, and that was his will to live and seek a better future. It was being found and being made a true Autobot in Fortress Maximus' regiment that had given him true meaning. He vowed to himself that somehow, he would help his friends and allies escape this horrible place. He wasn't sure how yet, but the first chance he'd get, he'd make the most of it. That's what a survivalist did.

Little did he know that a chance was coming up right now. As he had almost fallen asleep to conserve his energy, a Decepticon came to his cell and opened it. Wheelie jumped up suddenly, sensinghe wasn't alone. He looked towards the grey, blue and green mini-con called Reflector. If he remembered correctly he was one of three cons who transformed together into a camera.

"You...annoying small Autobot! Get up and come with me!", Reflector demanded, pointing a rifle at the mini-bot.

"Okay okay, no need to point that at me, no way!", Wheelie said, getting up and exiting his cell. He could attack Reflector and make a run for it...but the inhibitor claw attached to his chassis would make it hard to leave the area quick enough to escape gunfire...that...and it wasn't very smart. Pointblank, Skyfall, and Fort Max had all told Wheelie to behave and not do anything rash. And so, he complied with Reflector's demands.

Reflector lead Wheelie and other captive Bots to a room where an orbital bounce was taking place. Reflector said, "The boss says you know this planet LV-117. You're going to help navigate your fellow Autobots to Jhiaxus' hideout. We want Jhiaxus in custody. Your Commander surely has all the info you need. Now...farewell Autobot.", said Reflector, and Wheelie soon disappeared in a flash of light particles.

LV-117 Planet Surface

Wheelie hated the feeling of the bounce, as most mechs did. Stumbling a bit and gathering his senses, he looked around. He felt like this was LV-117...the terrain layout was correct. However...everything was turning to metal. The planet was being cyberformed. He was both awestricken and terrified, but he would regain composure and run over to meet up with the huge form of his Commander, Fort Max.

"Wheelie, reporting for duty, roger dodger, ready like Freddy.", he said in his normally cheerful voice. He was ready for instructions.

Semper Tyrannus: Hanger

Ion Storm heard what Wheelie said to him while taunting him. He glared and developed a charge in his hands in order to zap the annoying little orange survivor known as Wheelie. But as he was able to zap him, his comm went off. He just grumbled to himself and activated it.

Cascadia wrote:Semper Tyrannus: near the bar

Nova looked over at Acid when he made the comment about calling Stormy to help liven up this place a bit. "I can only try to get a hold of him." He activated his comm to reach Stormy. <"Stormy, come in, it is Nova.">

He immediately heard Nova Storm's voice before he spoke in a very annoyed voice. <"What is it?">

Nova replied back to him. <"We were just seeing if you wanted to lightened up the mood a bit in the refueling bar.">

<"Grrr...you just had to interrupt one of my e-ticket admissions! And..."> He then saw that the annoying rhyming Autobot was gone and he figured he was captured. By seeing this, he was even more annoyed than ever.

<"FINE!!!">

He then left the hanger and headed towards the re-fueling bar.

Semper Tyrannus: Corridors

Cascadia wrote:
<"FINE!!!">

Acid Storm shook his head slightly. "Living up to his nickname." He remarked as they arrived at the bar. "Do you think it might be wise to wait until he gets here before going in, Nova?"

[LV-117 Surface]

Skyfall arrived in the standard flash of white light as most bounces do. Adjusting his optics from the disorientation, he looked down to see his fellow friend Wheelie, and to the side was the Warden of what used to be Garrus-9, Fortress Maximus.

He looked around. Oceans... liquid? The solid surface looked like it was cyberformed, and the atmosphere... well, today the weather wasn't so good. The planet looked like it was out to kill them.

Skyfall stuck close to the others. He'd wanted adventure, but at this point, he was reconsidering his situation. He didn't want to die, oh no, that would be terrible! But maybe he could do something heroic to prove his worth...







This was a terrible mess, wasn't it?

[Semper Tyrannis - Hangar]

Tentakil readied himself as his optics scanned across line after line, squad after squad, regiment after regiment. Guns in hand, his grip was tight, as it always was, and he was waiting for orders to let the Seacons go down onto the planet to start the hunt.

In another part of the hangar, Wildfly was stood behind Slog. He could see the expression in his leader's face. "Hey, Slog, you alright?" The avian Monstercon was ready to go, but there was an air of uneasiness around. He couldn't quite tell what was the case.

Semper Tyrannus: Hangar

Seawing walked out of his CR chamber to find the goo on his body again. He wasn't overly fond of it but if it was to serve a purpose than he would deal with it. He received the message to assemble in the hangar bay. It didn't take long for the bay to fill up. He found the Butcher standing in front along with the other group commanders. It seemed old Scorponok wasn't pulling any punches with his revenge. Seawing bet most of the Cons shared the same desire to see the loony scientist on a metal pole strung out from being ripped by Scorponok's claws. There are some other water based mechs in this bunch of Seacons. Many he recognized and maybe one or two he had seen only briefly. This will be a fun hunt with hopes the scientist has surprises for them. Seawing then listen to the usual required speech the higher ups like Scorponok believes needed to be said. After the speech the portal open and the lead scouts, Bludgeon's group, headed out.

"It looks like time to get our revenge on the scientist. I'm hoping he puts up a fight in whatever minor way he can. I wonder what sort of torture Lord Scorponok will do to him before the scientist meets his final doom."



After a bright light, Nosecone was next to the other Autobots. It seemed the time in the brig was going to be short lived. Thing is, if what he understood, this was more of a death sentence for being an advanced guard for the Cons assault on the scientist home.

"So what now, Fortress Maximus? Do we have any idea where to go or is this walk until we get slagged?"

Semper Tyrannis – CR Chamber Rows / Hangar

Rippersnapper awoke as his CR cycle came to a halt. The fluid within the chamber drained and the door slid open with a loud hiss. The former actor stepped out and immediately wanted to purge his tanks at the sight of himself covered with synthetic flesh. At least he couldn’t smell it anymore and thus his rage was kept under wraps. Ripper then noticed that Hun-Grrr and many of the others had already exited their CR chambers and made their way to the hangar. Rippersnapper transformed and quickly did the same.

Entering the hangar bay, the shark beast fell in line behind his master and the other Terrorcons. Rippersnapper watched as Lord Scorponok ordered Bludgeon’s unit, along with the Insecticons, to advance. They soon disappeared through the space bridge as the rest waited patiently for orders to follow suit.

The land shark was very uncomfortable in his new organic skin, fidgeting slightly as he attempted to adjust to the disgusting coating that surrounded him like a gross cocoon. It was just like he had remembered it the last time they had gone down to LV-117. Rippersnapper had hoped he would never have to endure this again, but here they were once more ready to dive cranium first into the icky muck of that planet. With any luck, this new mission would be over and done with quickly so the former actor could wash himself off of this awful flesh covering.

Semper Tyrannis - Hangar

Octopunch stood among the likes of his fellow oceanic Decepticons. Tentakil’s earlier inquiry with the scavenger did not go unnoticed, however before he could answer the explosives expert everyone had been assembled to ready in the hangar bay.

“Feels like old times, eh? Heh heh heh.” Octopunch commented to Tentakil, giving his fellow cephalopodicon a nudge with his elbow. “Ah, takes me back.”

”So Octopunch, by the looks of your organic goo, I'm betting you are joining us in our aquatic adventure. Will you be operating independent or did Snaptrap pull a few wires and get you to rejoin us for this mission?"

“Seawing! Ahaha, looks like I’m teaming with you scaly lot once again. I know how you missed my company, you ol’ flappy scabbard! Heheh.” Skalor then joined the group as the teams began to form up, Nautilator following in shortly after. “Ready as ever. Been itching for some action after bein’ freed from that Autobot hold.”

The scavenger’s tentacles flickered in anticipation as he watched the Insecticons and Bludgeon’s team depart. Soon their time to embark was to come, and Octopunch was more than eager to see how this new oozy coating handled the rough seas below.

“Are we— We really going down there?” Nautilator sheepishly inquired to the rest of the Seacons present. “I’ve seen storms calmer than that mess...”

-

Snapdragon stood before his column looking down over the planet below, his arms folded over his chest plate while crimson optics watched the swarm of Insecticons leave the hangar like they were some diaclone-cyclone. The protective coating itched and irritated at the Horrorcon interceptor, but worst of all it felt restrictive. Behind his faceplate Snapdragon snarled a bit at the discomfort, but did his best to not let his dissatisfaction with the oozy coating distract himself or his column from focusing at Scorponok’s master plan at hand.

“This skin stuff better be worth it.” Snapdragon commented towards his partner in crime, Apeface. He absent-mindedly scratched at a portion of the skin of his upper arm without unfolding his crossed arms.

Semper Tyrannis – Hangar

Why?

It was a simple question, but one that she’d asked herself at least a hundred thousand times since her talk with Synapse had convinced her to offer her services to the Decepticon cause on LV-117. She didn’t have a fight here. She’d only just been rescued from the Autobot prison and was, with no better words available to her, drafted.

So, she had agreed. What else could she do? Fight Skorponok? Not in this cycle.

At least the planet sounded like her type of place: primitive, dangerous, and easy to lie in wait for unsuspecting prey.

Maybe Cyclonus or one of the others will “fall” into my web. One can hope. The thought did cheer her up slightly, but would that really be in her best interests? Amusing, yes, but unfortunately she’d have to pass on anything like that.

Except for the one they were looking for. Jhiaxus was expected to be captured by one of the specialist teams, but she knew how these missions generally went. Most (like her, she assumed) were the diversion. Their job was to smash through any defenses they found below and deal with any biological life that may present a problem.

She absently rubbed at her temporary skin. As long as it doesn’t interfere… The thought trailed off as she studied those around her. [Lambs to the slaughter. And I’m one of them.[/i]

Stifling a groan, she managed not to roll her optics as she crossed her arms while she waited.

[Semper Tyrannis - Hangar]

Octopotomus wrote:“Feels like old times, eh? Heh heh heh. Ah, takes me back.”

“Heh, yeah, it is reminiscent of the old times, I suppose.” He replied to his fellow tentacle monster.

He looked over in the direction Octopunch was turned to, and gave him a slight nudge with one of his tentacles. “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself just yet, barnacle butt, hehe!” He chuckled as the cephalopodicon shifted in anticipation.

LV-117 Surface

Skyhammer stood apathically in the pouring acidic rain, his optics fixated on his greatest regret, his greatest failure – Fortress Maximus. The hostile environment meant little to him. He had failed the people of Nebulos. He had failed the Autobots and because of him the Decepticons had tipped the balance of power that had kept the warring factions in a stalemate for hundreds if not thousands of vorns. None of this would have happened had he been better prepared. If only he had been more insightful. Had he been able to correctly process and analyze Black Shadow’s machinations on Nebulos, Scorponok’s fleet wouldn’t have been able to make the surprise attack on Nebulos that opened the Decepticon Commander a free access to Garrus-9.

It had hit him hard. The guilt. Hard enough for him to fall to his knees and and conceal his face with his hands.

”I am sorry. I am so sorry… if I just could have seen them coming… if I had been able to send out a warning before the blockade...”

LV-117 - Planetside

There was a flash. One minute, Brainstorm and the other Autobots held captive aboard the ’Tyrannis, now they found themselves with their feet in the mud and the acid rain coming down hard upon their chassis.

“By the lineage of Primes!” Pyro cursed as he could feel the paint practically melting off his armor, “What happened? Where are we?”

“The Pits, hopefully.” Whirl chimed in, picking up his severed arm from the muck. “Acid Rain, barren wasteland, and I’m stuck with you miserable lot... Yeah this is hell alright.”

Brainstorm looked over to his left and saw Fortress Maximus and some of the other Autobot prisoners who were originally aboard the Tyrannis hiding beneath a crude form of cover to shield them from the rain.

“Cmon, we gotta get out of the rain!” Brainstorm instructed as he began to move towards the others.

”I am sorry. I am so sorry… if I just could have seen them coming… if I had been able to send out a warning before the blockade...”

Pyro approached Skyhammer with Brainstorm stopping just a few steps ahead to look back. The Optimus-wannabe signaled to continue forward, his armor being able to withstand the rain better than some of the others’.

“Hey, you did what you could,” Pyro tried to assure the commander, the bully ranger tugging at Skyhammer to try and get him to move, “But if you wanna help save more Autobots, we need to get out of this rain.”

Once out of the rain and under the protective cover the others managed to find, Brainstorm examined his armor to see how much damage the acid rain managed to do on him. For what it was worth, it seemed to only melt away some of his paint, but any longer out there and he risked his chassis melting alongside his paint.

“Okay, so... what the hell happened?” Brainstorm inquired with the rest of the former prisoners. “One minute we’re prisoners aboard Scorponok’s ship, the next we’re stuck in a place that’s trying to melt us. Any ideas?”

Semper Tyrannis - Hangar

“Are we— We really going down there?” Nautilator sheepishly inquired to the rest of the Seacons present. “I’ve seen storms calmer than that mess...”

"Hehehe, Nautilator, don't be so sheepish. We'll just roll in and have a little fun, that's all!" The stinker said. Skalor looked around to see that Octopunch was also joining them, conversing with the rest of the Seacons. "Hey hey, Octopunchers, how's it rolling?"

LV-117--Planetside

A small but growing horde of Insecticons began to spill through the opening provided by the spacebridge down to the planet below.

As they did, a number of them began to shriek.

"It burnnnnnnnnsssssss!!!!!"

"Burrrrrrnnnnnnnnnsssssss!!!!"

Even with the protective coating that they had been provided, Bombshell could feel the burning sensation against his own outer layers.

They had emerged right into the middle of some kind of torrential storm and the planet, well, it looked nothing like what he had imagined. This planet was being cyberformed.

"Take cover!" Bombshell hissed through the Insecticons shared internal frequencies and the swarm of them began to angle downwards, land-bound.

LV-117 Surface

Greenish-blue lightning ripped through the skies overhead, followed shortly thereafter by a crack of thunder that could shatter overly-sensitive audio sensors. The acidic rain only seemed to increase with intensity as the ocean waves roiled in the distance.

Maximus was actually glad when the diminutive Cybertronian known as Wheelie made his presence known. He had a familiarity with this world that few others had. It might be helpful. Max hoped it would be, but it was impossible to tell how drastically Jhiaxus had altered this world. The similarities between the world of today and the one Wheelie knew could be frighteningly few. Still, Maximus would take any advantage he could.

"Good to know, Wheelie. Keep an eye out for anything out of place....besides all of this," Max said, indicating the metallic terrain that stretched onward for kilometers in most directions.

”I am sorry. I am so sorry… if I just could have seen them coming… if I had been able to send out a warning before the blockade...” another voice said, breaking through the heavy winds and rain to focus Fortress Maximus' attention. Skyhammer. Maximus' spark sunk. It had been a long time since another's words had resonated so deeply within his spark. Skyhammer's regrets were Maximus' regrets. Who's to say whose transgressions and miscalculations were worse?

As Maximus approached, Pyro was already doing his best to give some reassurance to the outpost commander on Nebulos. He put an oversized hand on the other mech's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, too. To you all. I can think of a dozen chances where I could have made one decision instead of another. But I didn't. When it finally came to it....I....I just just wasn't strong enough to hold Scorponok back."

"...but if you wanna help save more Autobots, we need to get out of this rain.”

Pyro's words to Skyhammer echoed in Max's mind also. Yes. He had no intention for any of them to die in vain. In the back of his mind, he was playing an ever-increasingly slim set of odds that he could at least get them off this world alive. But to do that, they would need to avoid succumbing to this wicked environment.

“Okay, so... what the hell happened? One minute we’re prisoners aboard Scorponok’s ship, the next we’re stuck in a place that’s trying to melt us. Any ideas?”

"It was me," Maximus answered. "It's just one more reason why I, too, had to apologize. Cyclonus offered me the chance for us to go down fighting, not to be traded as prisoners of war but to be bait for Jhiaxus. I took it. It....it may be my last miscalculation, but I took it...because I think we have a better chance to go out on our terms out here than we do rotting away in one of Scorponok's cells."

Thunder cracked overhead again, as if to mock the Autobot's words, and this time it was accompanied by a high-pitched frequency emanating from the black-steel mountain ahead.

LV-117 Surface

The heavy winds and rain were whipping so hard across Pointblank's face that he could barely see. He'd done his best to move into some kind of rudimentary cover with the other Autobots, but this terrain was clearly designed to leave them exposed to the elements.

What was worse, though, was what he was hearing.

Like the others, he wanted answers. One second, they'd been locked up again on Scorponok's ship. The next? Down here on some world Pointblank had never seen before. It looked like it had been organic, but was in the process of losing that status. Just one more question amongst others that were piling up. And the answers? Not at all satisfactory.

"Wait, wait, wait....you're saying our best option is to fight for Scorponok now? For the Decepticons? I don't....what? No. Just, no."

LV-117 Planet Surface

It was one thing to escape Hell after living in it for at least a quarter of your life. It was another to be thrown back into the same Hell as if the escape from it hadn't mattered in the first place. Then, to make matters worse, that Hell had become even more hellish. The acid rain pouring down from above burned and sizzled against the small orange Autobot's chassis. Everyone here was complaining about the weather, weeping over the fall of Garrus 9, or being angry at Fort Max for the deal he'd made with the Decepticons.

Wheelie himself was frowning miserably. Maybe the Cons had offered " a way for them to go down fighting", but as Pointblank stated, Wheelie didn't want to fight for the Cons either. There had to be some kind of hope for survival beyond this current trial.

'If I can get out of here once, I can get us all out of here twice. No reason to keep my head in a vice.', Wheelie thought to himself. Like the others moving forward, he was ducked low to the ground, in an effort to preserve what he could of himself. That wouldn't matter much though for very much longer if they didn't find proper shelter.

Good to know, Wheelie. Keep an eye out for anything out of place....besides all of this," Max said, indicating the metallic terrain that stretched onward for kilometers in most directions.

The youngest of Max's warriors nodded. Looking around, he accessed his memory banks concerning the layout of the world as he had known it and compared it to what he saw now. Ahead of them in the distance was a mountain chain. Those mountains had many interlocking caves, from what he remembered. It was a good shelter, and might even be where the Cons' quarry was stationed. That seemed even more likely as a powerful frequency could be felt emanating from them.

"There, can you feel it through the air? A snare in the atmosphere made with care. Now we won't be stuck in the middle of nowhere!

Follow me if you want to live. The mountain has shelter and hope to give!", Wheelie rhymed. He was a bot who lived by the "no regrets" motto. He ran, taking the lead. This would be so much better if they could transform but nooooo, the stupid Cons had to put inhibitor claws on their backs. As he ran, he made sure not to get too far ahead.

LV-117 (Planetside): Partially Cyberformed Forest

--

As the horde of Insecticons burst into the sky above him and started shrieking, Bomb Burst began a quick vertical descent from the tree canopy, transforming to robot halfway before the ground.

As his feet hit solid ground he disappeared, hidden in the trees, his optic lights turned out so that he was near invisible in dark shadows courtesy of the storms, fearing that the noise of the swarm as they were pelted by the acid rain gave their entrance away (never mind that the space portal might be a big neon sign announcing their arrival).

"Fragging bugs.” He muttered softly.

----

Nightbird exited the space bridge just a split second before the Insecticons did.

She barely had braked when the shrieking began and she barely had time to catch a glimpse of Bomb Burst before he disappeared from sight, in all his innate celerity.

She too left her alt mode for her more agile mode, drawing both her katana and disappeared into the shadows as well.

--

>>>”Birdie, scout north and east, I will take South and west.”<<< Bomb Burst ordered. He needed to know if there was anything the surrounding areas that Jhiaxus may have in terms of sentries or security.

---

Bludgeon, obviously, was the last through the bridge portal, arriving as Bomb Burst ordered recon. As soon as his treads detected soil, he took to his robot form, briefly surveying the area whilst he drew his swords as Bombshell ordered the swarm to get under the cover of the trees. A large splat of acid rain managed to roll off their cover and hit Bludgeon on his shoulder plating.

Slowly and nonchalantly Bludgeon turned his head to see the acid reacting with his paint, though he was unconcerned.

>>>”Bomb Burst and I assumed when Hardshell said ’kin’, he meant only the four of you that had been on the bridge.”<<< He said over the comms, not directed to anyone but directed to everyone at the same time. >>>”Obviously we should not have assumed, Bomb Burst will adapt his plans, give him a moment.”<<<