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Tenebrous>>The Peaceful Tyranny

Both Drill Bit and Gauge had been terrified out of their wits as they and the other maintenance workers were forced to watch the execution of poor Spintrail. Drill Bit was on the verge of screaming, but Gauge kicked the big lug and told him quietly, "Yeh do that we're both as dead as 'im!" Drill Bit, nodded and bit his lip while his teeth chattered. Gauge sighed and shook his head in annoyance. >>At least it's over.<<, Gauge silently messaged Drill Bit.

>>Yeh. At least ther's that.<< the larger mech agreed. The sight of the spilled energon and other fluids, the deathly reek mixed with the burning smell, and the sound of the music being played were all like one giant sign that read, "If you betray your faction, you're next." Neither of the engineers would dream of betraying the empire. Nope. Better leave being pirates to being a fantasy. It would get them deader than a doornail.

When it was time to depart back to the ship, the two of them felt some relief. The sooner they got back to the ship and away from all the DJD as far as they could, the better. Those mechs were like death itself, like the spirits who prepared bodies for the afterlife. Except there wasn't an afterlife. There was only the Decepticon Empire. If anyone said they believed otherwise, they'd be damning themselves here. Gauge helped to keep Drill Bit awake as they followed the others. Hopefully they would be allowed some rest.

The Peaceful Tyranny

The five members of the Decepticon Justice Division silently stalked their way through the corridors of their luxury war vessel as they traveled their path from Turmoil's garrison to the bridge.

Approaching the sealed bridge doors, they paused only long enough for a quick scan to confirm their identities and slide open. Methodically, each one walked to their customized chair and took a seat.

"Flawlessly, I think," Kaon said, looking over at Tarn and answering his unspoken question. Behind the insignia mask he wore, Tarn's optics brightened.

"It did go quite well, did it not? I think the rank-and-file received the message loud and clear. That's, well, that's always the main objective I suppose," Tarn said, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully. "What of that site commander of theirs?"

"What of him?" Helex chuckled. "All weapon. No finesse. Perfect middle manager. Brute instrument of Megatron's will."

"Hmm...some might say the same of us," Tarn mused. "But they'd be wildly mistaken if they said we had no finesse! Horrors! Hahah...ahh, well, lovely. No reason to linger further. Tesarus, give our wayward repair crew a half-breem warning and then engage us onward."

"Where to next?" Kaon queried.

"Where indeed? Hmm. Let's have a look at the List, shall we?"

[The Peaceful Tyranny]

Well, that was definitely not the most fun thing in the world to watch…

Ignition followed the rest of the crowd of engineers back on board. He guessed that break time was probably over and that he’d have to get back to work. He could have used a little bit more of that coolant fluid at some point, or maybe some Energon. He was feeling a bit peckish anyhow.

He couldn’t help but look when the DJD made their way to the ship as well. For some reason, their presence felt… odd. Although it’s usually unnerving or disturbing to be around them, this time it was just… odd. Nothing specific. Wonder what’s up with that?

The Peaceful Tyranny

Tesarus had followed the others with his thoughts remaining on a mission he didn’t feel was quite… accomplished.

Even as the others talked about the impression they had left, he couldn’t help but feel Turmoil had been less than impressed, and a mech like that, unless they were the great Megatron, often proved dangerous.

As he took his seat, his processor remained fixated on the site’s commander, even as the others shared their thoughts.

Helex wrote: "All weapon. No finesse. Perfect middle manager. Brute instrument of Megatron's will."

Tesarus had to admit Helex had a point. They’d crossed many mech with the same temperament. But still…

Tarn wrote:"Hmm...some might say the same of us," Tarn mused. "But they'd be wildly mistaken if they said we had no finesse! Horrors! Hahah...ahh, well, lovely. No reason to linger further. Tesarus, give our wayward repair crew a half-breem warning and then engage us onward."

Being given his assignment, Tesarus nodded. “At once,” he said, turning to his station to send out the message, but paused. He thought about adding his own thoughts to the conversation, but would they be warranted, given Tarn had already declared their work done? Perhaps there was another way.

Tesarus activated the proper controls, opening a channel to their crew. >>Attention. Report back to the Peaceful Tyranny at once. You have a half-breem from… now.<<

Once he sent the transmission, his hands moved over the control panel, prepared the navigational computer for new coordinates and activated the automated countdown to liftoff.

To him, the truly loyal were already aboard and ready to leave. Why would they not be? They had been in attendance for the trial and execution, and thus they would have seen he and his fellow Justice Division members leave or their ship.

His optics glowed bright red as he glared at the digital readout, trying to will it to move faster. The more time they waited, the more likely he was to leave the Peaceful Tyranny himself and confront Turmoil.

Kaon wrote:"Where to next?"

Tesarus turned his attention to Kaon. Choose quickly, Kaon. My blades have been still for too long

Kaon wrote:"Where indeed? Hmm. Let's have a look at the List, shall we?

“Yes, are we to leave here or remain here and put Turmoil on trial? He shows no fear to us. No fear can lead to revolt.”

The Peaceful Tyranny--Bridge

"Where indeed? Hmm. Let's have a look at the List, shall we?" Tarn mused, prompting Kaon to produce the highly-encrypted datapad that contained their notorious "List".

"Spintrail--adjudicated," Kaon said, making an individual edit to the list.

"Efficiently so," Tarn agreed.

“Yes, are we to leave here or remain here and put Turmoil on trial? He shows no fear to us. No fear can lead to revolt.” Tesarus continued. The other four justices looked up from their consoles. Tesarus' normally laconic nature had given way to some...what? Post-execution sparklust? Tarn was intrigued. As were they all, most likely.

"My my, a curiously bold step, my bladed friend," Tarn said, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other. "But...a lack of fear for who we are and what we do is no crime. Foolish, but not treasonous. And our function is to execute the guilty, not the stupid. If his lack of fear leads to revolt, then we can act upon our charter. That said, kudos to you for a rare moment of gumption. I commend it. As to the List?"

"I think you'll enjoy this next one," Kaon said, the List glowing against the eerily dark background of his optical caverns. As he watched the last of the crew scurry aboard, the ship began its launch sequence.

The Peaceful Tyranny—Bridge

Tarn wrote:"My my, a curiously bold step, my bladed friend," Tarn said, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other.

Tesarus listened patiently, wondering if this was the time Tarn would agree with him. Everything started with fear. Fear kept the masses in line. Fear kept the Autobots from attacking wantonly. Fear would one day determine who ruled the universe. Those that instilled it ruled, those that didn’t fell. It was a simple logic that Tesarus found worked best to his and the Decepticon Justice Division’s benefit.

Tarn wrote: "But...a lack of fear for who we are and what we do is no crime. Foolish, but not treasonous. And our function is to execute the guilty, not the stupid. If his lack of fear leads to revolt, then we can act upon our charter. That said, kudos to you for a rare moment of gumption. I commend it. As to the List?"

Tesarus nodded, appreciating the compliment offered. Though he disagreed, he respected the mech and knew Tarn wouldn’t lead them astray. All he had to do now was wait.

Waiting — the worst affliction in the universe. He didn’t want to look at the countdown to take off as he knew the numbers wouldn’t decrease fast enough for him, now would The Peaceful Tyranny travel fast enough to assuage his boredom.

Kaon wrote: "I think you'll enjoy this next one."

He partially tuned out who their next guilty party would be (One deserving their punnishement, he silently mused), choosing instead to focus on which Decepticons wouldn’t make it back to the ship in time. Surely, that showed a lack of loyalty?

No, just laziness or incompetence, he thought as his chest blades slowly turned as if a stiff breeze moved them.

He was disappointed that everyone had made it back on the ship, though he knew he shouldn’t have been. He saw no reason to bother the others with his feelings on it. Rehashing what they already knew was a waste of time and enegon.

Sitting back in his chair, Tesarus chose to focus on his boredom, to allow it to fester and grow for the next traitor that crossed his path. Maybe this one will put up a fight, he thought with a quiet chuckle.

The Peaceful Tyranny

Drill Bit walked with heavy steps into the ship along with the rest of the ship's maintenance crew. He was starting to feel a lot better and was walking with more stability in his step. Gauge sat on his right shoulder, supported by one of his larger brother's hands. Up here, he could see everyone else. The small Decepticon watched just as Ignition, as the DJD walked in and went straight for the bridge, he guessed. The small mech noticed Ignition and called out to him, "Hey thar, fellow worker. Yee thinkin' bout what them DJD are thinkin' too? Prolly bout who ther gonna be hangin' next.", he said. Drill Bit then chimed in with his deeper, raspier vocalizer, "Yeh, but I reckon they be satisfied fer now. I hope. So...errr friend, what's yer name?", Drill Bit inquired. They both looked at the other mech that also happened to be orange and black. Though, this one had a darker orange paint than the brothers.

[Tenebrous - Docks]

The double-headed dragon looked up as the ship started to depart with all of its inhabitants. Doublecross turned his left head towards the other two, whereas the right head swore softly. It looked like it was going to be a long cycle.

The right head said, “Ugh, can’t we just go mess up Turmoil and his cronies? I’m sure we can take care of them, right? I really just want out right now.”

The left head shook itself in disagreement. “Absolutely not. Were you idling around when the DJD were present? The number of Decepticons in the reserves here vastly outnumber us.”

The right head groaned and turned to Grotusque and Repugnus. “You guys got any smart ideas? That ship’s gone, and we didn’t hitch a ride on it, so something else is gonna have to do.”

[Tenebrous--Docks]

"Wasted opportunity," Repugnus sneered. "Would've liked to have found one of those DJD'ers in a back hallway and show 'em something to really be afraid of. Of course, from what I hear, they pretty much do our job for us. Probably better to keep them in the universe. We can focus our attention on the likes of Starscream n' Shockwave and...this goon."

He pointed at the ever-expanding Decepticon fortress.
___

"Well, we either hitch another ride on somethin' or we start throwing some bolts into these guys' gears," Grotusque said. "I don't really care which we do. I could go for some downtime in Styx over standing around."

[The Peaceful Tyranny - Corridors]

Gauge wrote:"Hey thar, fellow worker. Yee thinkin' bout what them DJD are thinkin' too? Prolly bout who ther gonna be hangin' next.”

Ignition found himself caught with surprise as some other maintenance workers started chatting him up. “Oh, yeah. They’re probably looking for the next one. Spooky stuff, I think, but hey, as long as I’m getting my shanix’s worth, I don’t really mind… But I could go for some more coolant fluid right now.”

Drill Bit wrote:"Yeh, but I reckon they be satisfied fer now. I hope. So...errr friend, what's yer name?”

”Am Ignition, how about you guys?” The engineer chimed back with a smile. It was nice to have friendly coworkers in a time when friendlies were hard to come by.

[Fort Tenebrous]

Yeesh.

That was certainly some display by the Decepticon Justice Division. He wasn’t so sure why this was necessary or what the point was in trying to make it super fancy, but they seemed like an obnoxious bunch anyway. A lethal obnoxious bunch. Whatever.

Seeing that his fellow gangster wasn’t around, and it was mainly just Turmoil and his fellow higher-ups, Blue Bacchus decided to take a gander at his surroundings. Mostly just cons getting to work on the extraction efforts. Nothing too interesting.

Honestly, it would’ve been a bit nicer if the infiltration thing didn’t go completely off the rails, but maybe… just maybe he could do something about the fleshies in Koraja. Maybe that’d get Shadow’s attention. Just maybe. He could probably try and get them to do some work for the Cons.

As if a light bulb had popped up over his head, Bacchus grinned, and took a few steps to move towards Turmoil.

“Sir,” he said, straightening himself up, “I know that we’ve been taking out the planet's natural resources, but I had an idea for using another kind of resource as well." Bacchus paused for a moment. Looking up at Turmoil, he continued, "The Nebulans themselves could be a useful resource. I was thinking of going to Koraja and seeing how things are there, and if we'll be able to get anything worthwhile out of the meatlings.”

[Tenebrous - Docks]

Grotusque wrote:"Well, we either hitch another ride on somethin' or we start throwing some bolts into these guys' gears."

”That would be the beginning of a reasonable plan,” the left head chimed in, “It would be beneficial if we could create some kind of distraction and hijack an escape shuttle.”

“Yeah, and if that goes bottoms-up, we can just burn the whole complex or something.” Right head Doublecross clearly had other ideas in mind.

“Hush,” the left head shook in disapproval, “So, thoughts on the plan? These are the docks, we could certainly find something suitable.”

A nuisance. That’s what Blue Bacchus and his like were as far as Turmoil was concerned. Still, the gangster had his uses. As rare as they were outside of combat. Even now, Nebulans were working for the Decepticon Empire. Turmoil had personally seen to it as per Lord High Commander Scorponok’s orders. What possibly Blue Bacchus could have in mind to change current situation more favorable for the Decepticons? Perhaps Turmoil was to give the gangster a chance to at least explain himself before he’d manage to tempt the Decepticon Commander to blast a hole through him out of sheer lack of patience left for Blue Bacchus’ latest get to rich scheme.

”The meatlings are being utilized,” Turmoil gruffed, giving Blue Bacchus a sideways glance, ”Explain yourself.”

[Fortress Tenebrous]

Turmoil wrote:”The meatlings are being utilized. Explain yourself.”

Ah scrap. Blue Bacchus had known that this would’ve been a mostly futile effort. Where’s Shadow when you need him? Spawn of a glitch…

He thought of ways he could respond to this. “Oh, uh, right. Shadow was talking to me a little while back about something he started during infiltration, but he said something about putting existing meatling business under a newer, maybe a different kind of management. I’m not too sure what he wanted out of it, but… I did think of putting some of the existing, outlawed and out-of-business industries into some new output. For example…” and Blue Bacchus began sort of explaining the best he could about how a certain part of the Nebulan local industry could be retrofitted and recycled for benefit to the fortress. He obviously wasn’t very good at explaining this, but some of his ideas did have a little bit of merit.

Tenebrous--Docks

"That would be the beginning of a reasonable plan. It would be beneficial if we could create some kind of distraction and hijack an escape shuttle.”

"Distraction? You boys need a distraction? I'll give you one" Repugnus grunted before transforming and heading down toward the ground level where he could more easily get his hands around the cranial unit of a Decepticon.

If the others had any new "thoughts" about Grotusque's plan, they could share them while he worked.

[Tenebrous - Docks]

Repugnus wrote:"Distraction? You boys need a distraction? I'll give you one."

”Wait-” Before the left head of Doublecross could even say anything, Repugnus had taken off to go shank some fools. Always leave it to the Pug to start trouble.

“Ah, slag it. Let’s go!” The right head flared up, twisting and turning into dragon mode. The left head sighed as Doublecross’s wings stretched out and his cannons primed themselves. “Rock and roll, baby!” With that, the dragon leapt after Repugnus, lifting off with a heavy leap.

Turmoil did listen to Blue Bacchus. He did. But there was nothing the gangster could offer that had peaked his curiosity.

”Inefficient and wasteful.” The Decepticon warlord rumbled, ”And likely to strengthen the natives’ resolve against us even further.”

Turmoil’s optical visor practically bored a hole through Bacchus’ cranium as warlord stared down at the gangster.

”For now the majority of them are cooperating with our efforts. Increasing our efficiency tenfold. We continue by the directives lord Scorponok left to us.”