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Koraja - The Capital Dome

So far, Scorponok had let his troops to play, however Artemis' attack had sparked his warrior spirit enough for him to find out if there was a fight to be had here. It was unlikely, no sane Autobot would stay and fight one the most feared Decepticons in existance. His intelligence network had revealed long ago that there were no Autobots on this world that could post a threat to him, still - a fight was a fight.

"Snapdragon. Shrapnel. Keep company to Skyhammer until our main force and Bombshell arrives." The gargantuan Decepticon general commanded and activated the thrusters in his feet, rising high above the capital dome.

Making oneself such an easy target wasn't tactically wise but Scorponok couldn't care less. On Cybertron there had been only chosen few Transformers that could challenge him. Here on Nebulos, he was practically a demigod. And from his current vantage point he was easily able to do a sensor sweep that very quickly found him the target he had been searching for - Artemis.

A storage compartment on his thigh slid open and revealed a small red spear. As the huge Decepticon grabbed hold of it with his claw, the spear began crackling with energy and its size shifted to fit its enormous wielder. Pulling his massive arm back, Scorponok threw the spear towards Artemis' position with enough force for the weapon to penetrate a mountain. Despite there being good deal of miles between him and the Autobot, Artemis had better move fast unless he was ready to meet his maker.

Orbit--Bridge of the Semper Tyrannis

The bridge was suddenly filled with a malevolent odor as the doors opened. Stumbling in was a hulking brute covered in dirt and muck. Bits of grime and dust flaked off of him with every movement and a trail of dirty footprints left behind him.

"I knew there was an attack. No one ever tells me nuthin'. Why was I left out of the fun?" Horri-Bull complained to Reflector as he looked around. As usual no one wanted to get near him well enough to tell him what was going on, nor was his radio working due to it being gunked up from being in his presence. "Yo Reflector, you think the boss'd mind if I crashed the party?" He asked, hoping the trio would willingly be rid of him.

Koraja

Rad was doing his bets to weave his way through the escaping Nebulan traffic as they poured out of the capital that had suddenly been invaded by lifeforms that none of them could have imagined actually existed. There had been a couple of close calls, but he was more or less in the clear now, heading for the sigma point that he had let Lionizer know would be their rendezvous point.

>>"Rad, have you and Lionizer....have you made your escape from those two ruffians yet?"<< came Highbrow's transmission.

>>"Almost...,"<< Rad said, not wanting to give anything to the Decepticons when he pulled this off. Rad pulled off the beaten path. Roughly a kilometer or so ahead, he could see Lionizer sitting, waiting patiently. Nice, Rad thought.

>>"...clear!"<< Rad shouted, and in the next instant, both he and Lionizer bounced away from Koraja entirely.
___

Orbit - Bridge of the Pestilence

Bombshell's optics narrowed, almost unnoticeably.

"Ah yes. Of course. I would not think of keeping our High Commander waiting any longer than is necessary. I'm sure he will, eh, have something very fitting for our unique talents.

When Bombshell chuckled, it was a dry, almost gasping sound as he turned and left the main area of the bridge so that he could head planetside, which was exactly what he had been wanting in the first place.
___

Orbit--Bridge of the Semper Tyrannis

The three composite units of Reflector turned to face the newly-arrived Horribull in sequence, starting with Viewfinder, and followed quickly by Spectro and Spyglass. There was a clearly-defined reason why Decepticons such as he had been confined largely to service in other areas of the massive warship. The offensive readings that were now crossing Reflector's olfactory sensors were a primary reason why.

"An oversight, we're sure," Reflector said. "Find Skullgrin and take him with you. Your unique abilities should serve the High Commander well in this instance."

The composite units returned their focus to the various screens that had held their attention previously.

"And quickly," Reflector added, as an afterthought.

“ANOMALOUS OBJECT DETECTED,” the ship’s bridge computer reported once again. Another series of heavy blaster fire erupted from the Tyrannis' forward array. Simultaneously, Reflector was now coordinating the other Decepticon space resources to bring the full wrath of the Second Expansion Fleet down upon the Nebulan orbital technology and the Autobots' obvious corruption of their systems.

Orbit - Bridge of the Pestilence

While the other Insecticons schemed their schemes against the delectable little world below and each other, Kickback simply observed the alien globe from the Pestilence's bridge observation deck, manual actuators folded behind his back. The sight of it, ringed, mottled, and shining like a beacon in the midst of the crushing black void around it, stirred his voracious appetite as much as it did any of his peers. Kickback, however, was rarely one to let anyone know what was really going on within his cerebral circuitry, even those to whom he was arguably closest.

In point of fact, he wasn’t genuinely close to anyone. He could bear the company of the other Insecticons, and it could be argued he felt a certain, rudimentary affinity for Bombshell and Shrapnel, owing to their long association. But even they weren’t privy to Kickback’s deepest secrets or true goals, though he suspected they understood his methods well enough not to trust him entirely. In the end, however, he was out for himself, first and foremost. And whether it was the fruition of a plot he’d been cultivating for centuries or simple amusement, he would manipulate everyone around him without so much as a twinge of remorse to see his ends achieved.

Venom suspected, of course. But Venom suspected everyone of something, whether he had reasonable grounds to do so or not. Still, the paranoid “master” of the Swarm had his uses, and it wasn’t terribly difficult to goad or flatter him into whatever happened to be required from one cycle to the next.

What none of the other Insecticons had yet realized was the true breadth of Kickback’s capacity for deceit. He had served as the optical and auditory sensors of Decepticon Intelligence within the Swarm for vorns, though he harbored no more loyalty toward that organization than he did the paranoid Venom. The key difference, of course, was that his fellow spies and saboteurs were far more willing to make use of his particular skills, rather than attempting to keep him at arm’s length out of a sense of distrust so acute as to border upon hysteria.

It was an exciting line to walk, in his estimation. He never betrayed the full scope of the Insecticons’ internal maneuverings and operations to the Service, naturally, and they knew it. But he was far too valuable an asset for them to hold that against him, since no other agent among their ranks had any hope of getting this close to the heart of the Swarm. One of Kickback’s favorite pastimes was using his access to the Intelligence network to learn privileged secrets and advance his own position—and sometimes, by extension, that of the other Insecticons.

He had a feeling that they would all find their experiences on Nebulos richly rewarding. Even Venom, provided he did nothing spectacularly foolish.

“With your indulgence, Venom,” said Kickback suddenly, turning toward the leader of the Insecticons with a deferential nod of his cranial unit, “I would ask to accompany our nest-mates to the surface. I believe my talents could be put to far better use amongst the organics than here in space tending to the clones.”

In Route to Koraja

The look on Skyhammer’s face when he contacted the Autobot was positively priceless; he almost felt pity for his counterpart…..almost. Black Shadow’s sleek jet aircraft form streaked across the bright Nebulos skies as he made his way to the capitol city where Scorponok was already engaged.

It took very little time before the Infiltration Commander entered the air space over Koraja. He quickly reduced his speed and lowered in altitude. Once his scanners zeroed in on the High Commander, Black Shadow transformed to his robot mode and finally landed next to Scorponok. The imposing form of the black and red Decepticon was overshadowed by the High Commander’s own impressive structure.

Black Shadow offered Scorponok a crisp salute before he addressed his commanding officer.

“High Commander Scorponok, how may I be of service?”

A cruel grin formed on the Decepticon’s faceplate as he focused his gaze past the gaping hole in the capitol building and settled on the impaled form of Skyhammer. Such a delightful sight to behold.

Orbit--Bridge of the Semper Tyrannis

Horri-Bull groans at their answer. "Not him...I'd be better off talking to a tree stump. At least then I'd except the lack of brains." Horri-Bull however wasn't about to argue. "Fine but I'm not playing babysitter to that nut job. Good luck with the...whatever it is you three are doing." He says to Reflector before plodding off.

Small talk didn't come easy for Horri-Bull. No one stayed around long enough for it. He felt kinda down when he realized Reflector was better at it. But that was thoughts for another time. He had to find his...partner and go on a kill spree. Leaving, he began to walk the corridors heading to find Skullgrin.

Koraja

Highbrow was now in range for retrieval but his guilt held him back. He wanted to still help but knew he could not, not alone and injured. It was the most painful thing he could do at this point, more painful than his wounds. "I...I will be back." He promised, speaking in a low tone as he prepared to leave. "CLEAR!!" He yells as he warps back to the ship.

Koraja--The Vault

“This way, my Peer,” the attendant stated as he ushered Galen and several other members of the Council of Peers towards the main entrance of the Vault, where Duros had already been sent to begin the preliminary preparations of the Nebulan resistance.

The young Nebulan Peer who had ascended to lead the World Watchers primarily due to his exceeding skill in the realm of trial combat was actually somewhat taken aback, now that the real thing was now engulfing the Nebulan capital. How had things come to this so quickly? Was this species so unreasonable? How far did the influence of this ‘Megatron’ extend. And how much greater was he than this massive Scorponok that was now seeking to conquer in his name? Lastly, though perhaps most importantly, why Nebulos?

Answers escaped him. Galen could only hope that time would provide them—if they survived, as a species. If he had anything to say about it, they would. As the massive, pearl-white doors slid out of the way, a familiar sight greeted him: numerous sublevels of aerial and ground vehicles. Row after row of bladed, combustion or kinetic weaponry that had evolved over the planet’s history before eventually being relegated to antiquity. So much of what was in this facility had not been touched in generations, or longer. What had been used was used strictly for training scenarios. Recreations of battles long since past. The Vault was bustling with activity now, though. As protocol dictated, all active members of the World Watchers were present, tending to various aspects of organizing the planet’s response. Galen was impressed, seeing how quickly and efficiently they all took to their tasks, now that this was no longer just an exercise or re-creation.

“I will join our fellow natives on the field,” Galen said, his face becoming more determined as he thought about the carnage that had already been wrought in the capital dome.

“Is that wise, my Peer?” another attendant asked.

“No. No, it is not, but history did not put me where I am so that I might watch from the wings while our world burns.”

At that, the attendant had no further rebuttal.

Orbit – Bridge of the Rancor

The Revenant-class destroyer Rancor had maintained its position relative to the Semper Tyrannis throughout the opening stages of the attack upon Nebulos. Its captain, a bulky purple and gray Decepticon named Death-Grip, was practically vibrating with enthusiasm to join the ground troops planetside and actively participate in grinding whatever paltry resistance the native life-forms and Autobots attempted to muster. He had his orders, however, and was hardly about to leave a warship of the Empire--even a small one--without a commander simply to slake his lust for combat. Particularly not while he was serving under a leader with Scorponok’s reputation. So instead he just stood upon the Rancor’s bridge, watching the flagship obliterate unarmed satellites and wistfully imagining what might have been.

“Tedious, isn’t it?” came a voice from somewhere just over Death-Grip’s left shoulder. Just barely keeping himself from starting, he turned to face the gleaming amber optics of his ship’s least-welcome piece of baggage.

“What is it, Banzai-tron?” Usually, the spy was a lot less subtle in his comings and goings. But then there were the times like this one when he just seemed to appear like an unwanted sensor glitch. Death-Grip was sure he did it on purpose, just to remind the rest of the crew of who and what he was. The fact that none of them—Death-Grip included—could say for sure whether he was actually part of the Rancor’s personnel complement or nothing more than a passenger left him relatively immune to punishment.

That, and the fact that Banzai-tron could probably dismantle any six other Decepticons on board without straining a servo. His record for lethality was almost as bad as the High Commander’s. Even so, he didn’t need to take such obvious pleasure in scaring the lubricant out of an officer in the Empire’s Second Expansion Fleet. “I’m on-duty; I don’t have time to chat,” he added impatiently. Or to play your slagging cloak-and-dagger games.

Banzai-tron, for his part, fairly radiated indolent disinterest. “Don’t worry, Death-Grip. I won’t take up an astrosecond more of your time than necessary. I only stopped by to inform you of my imminent departure from your magnificent vessel. And to say good-bye, of course.”

“I—what?”

“As exciting as it is floating around in circles here in space, I’d hardly be fulfilling my function as an intelligence officer if I didn’t observe the Empire’s glorious campaign firsthand, would I?”

“I don’t—“ Death-Grip continued to sputter, before gathering himself up and folding his arms over his massive chest. “The High Commander hasn’t authorized the deployment of troops from the Rancor. Neither has Cyclonus, or anyone else within the fleet’s upper command structure.”

The other mech’s amusement was fairly palpable, washing like acid over Death-Grip’s tactile sensor net. “I’m sure they will have no objection.” Banzai-tron’s tone turned deadly serious with a suddenness that took the commander off-guard. “The purpose of the Intelligence Service is to gather information, both inside and outside of the Empire. Only a mechanoid with something to hide would object to my performing that duty, active battlezone or no.” His optics flashed. “I wasn’t making a request, Death-Grip. I was only informing you of my intentions out of courtesy. Enjoy your stay in orbit.”

As Banzai-tron turned and took his leave of the bridge—presumably for the transit deck—Death-Grip found himself relaxing mechanisms he hadn’t even realized he’d tensed. At least now the Pit-spawned martial artist was someone else’s problem.

Creator help them.

Corridors of the Semper Tyrannis

Skullgrin stands patiently before the viewport, watching the potshots from the ships gun pick off the satellites of the plan. Effective strategy, slowly dismantling the organics infrastructure in front of them, removing their sensors and communications, rendering them powerless to resist. A slow, methodical destruction of their ability to fight, leaving only the meagre Autobot prescence to be worth mentioning. A perfect strategy.

[NO! I should be down there, burning the organics, crushing their crude huts, laying waste to their pathetic civilisation, and trashing Autobots all the while!! Get me down there!! Shoot me out of a cannon if you have to!!]

But theres no outward indication of the mad thoughts going through Skullgrins processor. He simply stands watching, his expression one of approval, seemingly content at the mechanical precision of the operation so far.

Then, an odor reaches the Siege Warriors olfactory sensors, one so ripe and wretched that he recognises it before he even turns around. "Ah, Horri-Bull, getting anxious, I'd expect. No doubt you've already begged to be deployed first to the planet, and command has ordered that I accompany you to ensure everything stays within the parameters of the operation." [We will burn and defile!! Nothing left but noxious sludge!!] The grey and purple warrior sighs. "I suppose I'll put up with it once more, though I doubt even the odor of the organic matter of the planet will hide your unique fragrance." Skullgrins expression is one of annoyance and bemusement at the other warrior, but theres something, a gleam in his optics, that shows his eagerness for battle outstrips even that of Horri-bull.

Koraja - First Repository of Wisdom

Less than a mile from the Capital Dome, the Decepticon known as Wingspan bounced planetside just beyond the perimeter of a compound of elegant steel and glass towers. It was much closer to the actual fighting than the data processor normally cared to be, but, if Black Shadow’s information on the layout of Koraja was accurate, then this was precisely where he wanted to be. Beyond the low, largely ceremonial walls which surrounded the Nebulan complex was the primary communications hub and data archive for the entire district. It was a trove of intelligence which, when properly analyzed and disseminated, would hasten the subjugation and plundering of this sad little ball of muck. And just might offer up a few useful tid-bits that could be adapted or improved upon for the Empire’s use.

If Wingspan had possessed salivary glands, he would have positively drooled at the thought of it. Not just the chance to play a part in the conquest of Nebulos, but at all of the new data that was soon to be his. Data never before beheld by the optics of any other Decepticon.

Still, he couldn’t revel in his sense of anticipation indefinitely. The battle between Scorponok and the Autobots—if one could accurately call it such, given the vast disparity in power—could potentially reach that part of the city. If the facility were leveled, then none of the precious knowledge it contained would be of any use to anybody. Wingspan would have placed himself in harm’s way for nothing.

Casually swatting aside a tiny, green-skinned flesh-being that had emerged from within, Wingspan kicked down the gates before him with as much effort as he might expend to crumple a sheet of aluminum. Soon everything this pathetic species had ever learned—ever thought—would be his for the taking.

Orbit - Bridge of the Pestilence

While Venom suspected that Kickback knew that he knew, Venom had not revealed that he knew of Kickback's position in the the Decepticon Intelligence network. He knew far more than he let others know, in fact he was an operative in the said network himself - his association being a closely guarded secret from the Intelligence network's field agents. It was better to let Kickback think he was keeping an optic on Venom rather than knowing that Venom was there to keep an optic on the Insecticons as a whole. Still, as the silver tongued backstabber approached him, Venom wanted to squirm in disgust.

"Yes, you may join Bombshell. Your talents are wasted on board when we shall unleash the Swarm. And if we let Bombshell work on his own, the question is not whether he will get carried away with his experiments - it is when." Venom replied to Kickback's request, his mask and honed body language making it certain that his motives were next to impossible to read. It was his only defense against Bombshell and Kickback psychologically. They knew he was paranoid of them and others alike, and it was the only slip the master of the Swarm was willing to give them. Unfortunately, controlling these two required far more effort than he really could afford to spare. So if they wanted to get to the surface, he was not going to stop them.

"Chop Shop! Create a transwarp gateway!"
______________________________________

Above Koraja - The Pestilence

An enormous, menacing shadow was cast over the capital city of Nebulos as the over mile long Decepticon warship, the Pestilence - appeared through an artificial wormhole above Scorponok and the city. If the mere sight of a Revenant-class destroyer was not demoralizing enough for the Nebulans, what would follow surely was.

Numerous small hatches on the belly of the destroyer slid open, revealing racks loaded full of capsules. The terrified inhabitants of Koraja were likely expecting bombs, what they got - was nightmare stuff. Hundreds of capsules were shot at the city below, only for them to open upon impact with anything solid they hit, with each revealing thousands of tiny mechanical insects that quickly went to work. Tailored to fit whatever task that was required from them, the Swarm's mission this time was to seek out and inject every Nebulan with paralyzing neurotoxins that would leave them easy targets for larger Decepticons to collect and equip with control collars.

As the swarm engulfed the city below him, and the dust cloud from his attack against Artemis still hid whether or not he had hit his target, Scorponok addressed Black Shadow who had appeared next to him a while ago. "As you can see, the Swarm has been deployed. Take your men and start setting up concentration camps for the paralyzed organics. I trust you have enough control collars prepared to start converting them to become a part of our war effort as workforce?"

Corridors of the Semper Tyrannis

Horri-Bull lets out a dissatisfied snort as he hears the flowery talk of his erstwhile partner. As usual he was sounding all big as he talked but his point was made. "Alright, let's go warp down and get this done before we miss out on the action."

Corridors of the Semper Tyrannis

Skullgrin smirks at Horribulls. Can't take a jibe, how humourous. Too thin-plated to be a true Decepticon. [HE FEARS ME!! He'll grovel at my feet, just like the rest!!!] "Very well, lets get going." With this, the siege warrior heads down the corridor, assuming that the other warrior would follow. [I SHOULD CRUSH HIM, for daring to pick at my heels!!]

Orbital Bounce Chamber

The two decepticons entered the Bounce Chamber, and Skullgrin stood on the platform, facing Horri-Bull. "Well, where are we off to? Do they have a place in mind for us, or are we to be placed at random and asked to slaughter indiscriminately?" He grins: He's in two minds about which strategy is best. Just like he is with everything else.

Orbital Bounce Chamber

Horri-Bull smiles. "Well considering it's me being allowed to play I'm assuming we're going in to destroy things with reckless abandon. Only thing is I'd wager the Boss wants Autobots to interrogate so go with my on rule: Leave a bot that looks smart enough to be in the loop while tough enough to survive torture. Kill the rest. Other than that Skully I'd say it's free reign."

Koraja

Apeface had fired a few more shots after the Autobots who had fled the capital, but it was more a matter of releasing his own aggressive tendencies at that point. If someone or something got damaged as well, so much the better.

Tranforming as he walked from his ape mode in to his somewhat more recognizable Cybertronian state, he watched as the Pestilence cast its ominous shadow over the Nebulan capital city. The population of this planet truly had no idea what was in store for it. As the Swarm began to spread outwards, Apeface started to look for Snapdragon. He was curious to find out whether or not his Horrorcon partner had fared any better in terms of finding a release for their almost equally aggressive tendencies.

"Look at the lil' maggots run, heh heh," Apeface chortled, fully embracing this opportunity that Scorponok had given them to run wild.
___

Orbit—Bridge of the Semper Tyrannis

Reflector had said nothing further as the Decepticons had taken their leave of the bridge. Better there than here, particularly in Horribull's case.

Images of the Swarm spreading out across the Nebulan capital found their way to the holoscreens currently being monitored by Reflector, while he continued the business of crippling the planet’s limited orbital technology. On the ship’s primary viewscreen, another satellite was already in the process of going down in flames, even as another Decepticon vessel moved in to another sector and locked on to its own target.

>>”Progress, Scourge?”<< Reflector transmitted, wondering if the tracker had made any headway in to discovering the whereabouts of the Autobot vessel that was the real linchpin in their ability to bounce from one area of the planet to another.

>>”I perform my function, ‘observer’. You do yours. Scourge out,”<< came the curt reply.

The optics on each of the Reflector units flickered momentarily.

“Charming.”

Orbit – Bridge of the Pestilence

“By your leave, then, most gracious Venom.” Unlike so many other Decepticons, there was no hint of irony or mockery in Kickback’s acknowledgement. That apparent sincerity was one of the greatest weapons in his arsenal, and had bent many an alien—and even the odd Autobot, here and there—to his will, in a bondage that may have seemed gentler on the surface, but was every bit as absolute as that of the cruelest warlord in the Empire. That his disarming pleasantness would have no effect on the monomaniacal leader of the Insecticons didn’t matter in the slightest. Lying was just like any other acquired skill: one had to keep in practice if one didn’t want his edge to dull.

Excusing himself from the bridge with one last, beatific smile, he followed the departing Bombshell. Whatever Venom might have thought, Kickback had little intention of looking over his nest-mate’s shoulder the entire time they were on Nebulos. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, he planned to strike out on his own for a bit and take in some of the … local color. Making new “friends” was as great a pleasure, in its way, as dining on the rarest alloys.

When Kickback reached the airlock nearest to the ship’s nerve-center, he wasted little time in opening it. Already, smoke was rising from several parts of Koraja; Scorponok had never been the sort for a subtle entrance. But even in the midst of all the devastation, the fragile green vistas below seemed rife with promise to the scheming Insecticon. Grinning openly at the thought of what was to come, he took a step forward and let gravity do its work. Halfway to the ground, he transformed into his locust mode and descended low to the ground, buzzing along just above the alien streets.

He did hope a few of the natives had some fight in them. Conquest was always so much more satisfying when there was resistance to crush.

Koraja – Near the Capital Dome

A barrage of weapons fire drove Roadbuster out of his cover once more as the building he had been hiding behind was suddenly leveled. The old solider began to walk backwards as he covered the retreat of his comrades, blazing away with every weapon system he had at his disposal. This city was lost, the Decepticons were everywhere and as much as it pained him he knew there was no way he could get to Skyhammer without getting himself capture or killed.

Once he knew Highbrow and Rad were both safe he transformed and drove at top speed towards the safe zone so he could bounce.

"Roadbuster clear! Get me the frag out of here!" He bellowed and seconds later he was bounced back to base with the others.

Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

Rad and Lionizer materialized within the confines of the orbital bounce chamber within the command bunker. Rad looked around, taking a moment to adjust himself to the majorly-sudden shift in sensory information: it wasn’t more than a few astroseconds ago that he was being pounded, shot at from every direction, surrounded by fleeing Nebulans and closed in on by nothing short of a veritable army of Decepticons. All of that was gone now, in an instant. It always took a moment for him to adjust in such circumstances. Lionizer, for his part, seemed to be none the worse for wear. He sat on his haunches, looking up at his partner.

Rad took a couple of weak steps towards the nearest wall before sliding down it and resting his cranial unit between his actuators. How could so much go so wrong so fast? He had just begun to trust Skyhammer as something more than a brash knowitall and instead view him as a capable commander on this mission, and now this? What hope had they now?

Sensing something was obviously off, Lionizer laid down beside Rad as the Autobot looked up. The others better have made it and be right behind him.

Orbital Bounce Chamber

[YES YES YES!! FREE REIGN!! I'LL BURN MY WAY ACROSS THIS MUDBALL!! NONE CAN STAND BEFORE ME!! I WILL BE THE END OF NEBULOS, THE BRINGER OF ITS APOCALYPSE!!!]

"...A terribly inefficient strategy, and hardly worth my time. But it is still better than remaining here, idle, and I might be able to salvage the situation somehow. Very well, punch in the coordinates and send us on our way, Horri-Bull." The Siege Warrior stand patiently on the transport bad, dissapproval on one side of his face, the whisper of a malicious grin on the other.

Orbital Bounce Chamber

Horri-bull snickers, black vapor coming out of his mouth as he does. "Be sure you tell whoever cleans this station you told me to touch the console." He says as his filth covered fingers punch in the code, leaving smudges as he enters it. "Now it's time to play." He says as the device sends them down to the thick of the battlefield.

Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

"Rad? Roadbuster? Where's commander Skyhammer?" Comcast, the communications specialist of the local Autobot counter infiltration cell asked as the two Autobots appeared back in to the base along with several others.

"Our intergalactic communications are still being blocked and the Decepticons have destroyed half of the Nebulan satellites. It is only matter of time before they will be able to pinpoint the location of our starcruiser if we keep utilizing the orbital bounces." He added before anyone had a chance to answer. "We have to think of another way of travel soon unless you are planning to steal one of the Decepticons ships. Uh sorry if I am babbling... this is just so... unreal."

OOC – sorry for the delay here. Rough few weeks in RL.

Skies above Koraja

Athena intently watched Cyclonus’ aerial antics as he swerved and darted around the buildings near Capital Square to avoid her missile. It seemed to her that he was grandstanding just a bit, seeking not only to avoid, but to impress. It was something she would have expected from a seeker, but not from a thoroughgoing professional like Cyclonus. It made her wonder what he was up to, whether he was just showing off, or if he was trying to cow her before he ever fired a shot. She had little time to ponder though as he pulled up from his last maneuver and fired off a pair of missiles at her.

Split-second decisions were part and parcel of air combat, and Athena faced one now. Her best option for avoiding the missile fire from below was to just kick in her afterburners and get out of range. Missiles were fast, but they had a lot of altitude and distance to make up, she could simply outrun them – stay ahead until they ran out of gas, or she could stay and provide cover. She quickly scanned the battlefield, and saw her teammates bouncing out, so her decision was an easy one after all. She kicked in her thrusters and ran. By the time the missiles reached her altitude, she was miles away and still accelerating. They dropped from the sky, their fuel exhausted, long before she slowed.

Once she was sure she was clear, Athena activated her beacon, and bounced back to the Autobot base.

200 miles southeast of Koraja

>>”Hey Artemis, I think someone fired at you.”<<

Artemis clicked on his comm. at the sound of Vulcan’s voice, scanned his immediate vicinity, and came up blank. >>”Are you sure? I’m not picking up anything close-by.”<<

>>”I didn’t say it was close,”<< Vulcan replied with a laugh, >>”I said someone fired at you.”<<

Artemis was truly confused at this point, and confusion, just ticked him off. >>What exactly is that supposed to mean?”<< he demanded.

>>”Scorponok tried to throw something at you.”<<

>>”From 200 miles away?!?”<<

>>”Yeah, a strait-up non-powered ballistic. He missed by about a hundred miles. The only thing he hit was the ground.”<<

Artemis burst out laughing as he replied, >>”That doesn’t even make any sense.”<<

>>”Yeah, I know, but Decepticons… who can figure ‘em. Anyway, are you ready to bounce out of there?”<<

>>”Yeah, it doesn’t look like I’m going to see any action out here anyway.”<<

>>”Okay, bounce beam incoming.”<<

Artemis transformed, and moments later vanished in a beam of silvery light.


Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

Vulcan’s fingers flew across the control board as he brought Autobot after Autobot safely onto the bounce platform. He was still laughing from his exchange with Artemis when Rad and Lionizer appeared on the pad, followed closely by Highbrow, then Roadbuster, Athena and finally Artemis. The chamber was crowded to with all the ‘bots returning from the battlefield, and only made more so when Comcast joined them all.

Vulcan wiped the smile from his face as the seriousness of the situation was forced back to the forefront by Comcast’s statements. He was already considering a way around the communications blackout should that be necessary, and he thought he could adapt the bounce technology to work through the Nebulan power grid given a bit of time, but neither of those things were ready workable technology yet, and for once the engineer managed to keep his mouth shut about what he thought he could do. He was sure the others weren’t in the mood to hear about it, or the time it would take to implement. When they heard that Spartan planned on abandoning the base that would be debate enough.

As if Vulcan’s thoughts had summoned him, Spartan appeared at the door to the bounce chamber. The massive red and black Autobot looked as cool and collected as ever, as if the situation they were in, the overwhelming Decepticon forces they were facing, and the battle they had just been in didn’t bother him at all.

“Before the recriminations regarding my tactics even start, let me be perfectly clear: I don’t care to hear them. My decisions are made for maximum gain at minimum risk to my troops. Skyhammer’s carelessness led us to this situation, and we’ll have to do whatever is necessary to extract ourselves from it.”

Spartan paused only briefly to look at the gathered Autobots, but he didn’t give any of them a chance to respond before he pressed forward. “It will only be a matter of time before Skyhammer is broken and the Decepticons have the location of this base. My team was prepared for this contingency, and has set up a secondary base of operations in the mountain range north of here. Equipment and facilities are in place, and we have been moving supplies from this base overland using robotic trucks designed to resemble their Nebulan counterparts since the Decepticons first arrived in system. The process is nearly complete. We need to finish emptying this facility, clear our database, and be on our way before the Decepticons arrive.”

Koraja—The Vault

“My Peer, you must see this!” a young Nebulan World Watcher shouted as he practically ran towards Galen and other members of the World Watchers who were overseeing the disbursement of the Vault’s relic weaponry. The young Nebulan handed Galen a small, translucent globe. The device was connected to other similar structures across Nebulos. This one happened to be looking out over the Nebulan capital.

Galen looked more closely. It seemed the metal men had been joined by another sub sect of their kind, similar to the burrowers and multi-legged builders that were native to their own planet. Even now, they were spreading across Koraja. As he held to globe at one angle or another, he could see different viewpoints of the Korajan landscape. Galen watched in obvious dismay as one Nebulan after another found themselves overwhelmed by the creatures.

“The men and women are armed. I move that we take the battle to them, now. Take back our capital,” Peer Sorgen said.

Galen nodded. He wanted to do much the same thing. But he also knew that it would be foolish to attempt something so brazen so quickly.

“I hear you, Sorgen. And I agree. We must move cautiously though, lest our newfound enemies obliterate us completely. We must discover what, if anything, remains of our resources within the Arvassian range. I highly doubt the metal men knew what they were hitting when that was their first target, but we shall see.”

“But we should…!”

“Yes, Peer, I understand. And we will,” Galen said, resting a hand on Sorgen’s shoulder before heading off to oversee the exodus from Koraja. “When the time is right.”
___

Koraja—Skies

When Cyclonus suddenly recognized that the Autobot aerial signal had disappeared, he was disappointed. He had hoped for a more interesting engagement, but the signs of Decepticon conquest were everywhere. The sudden retreat indicated to Cyclonus that the Autobot likely had not understood the lengths to which he had gone to avoid meaningless collateral damage on the Nebulans’ part and to simply keep the battle between himself and his opponent. Unfortunate, but no matter. It was obvious that High Commander Scorponok’s plans were in full swing.

Even as Cyclonus circled back on the capital and headed for the dome, numerous other Decepticon aerial had steadily begun to fill the skies over the capital, Seeker and Sweep alike. With the Insecticons performing their respective labors and assorted Decepticons from the armada above responding to his orders accordingly, Cyclonus zeroed in on Scorponok’s location.

>>”Autobot forces have withdrawn, High Commander. Returning to your location,”<< Cyclonus reported in.
___

Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

Rad was at least in some small way comforted by the fact that most of the other Autobots had bounced their way back to the base. Skyhammer was the sole exception, and that reality weighed on him even more. When Spartan entered and began to speak, Rad listened with quiet resignation. Skyhammer had been the mission commander, but Rad could not deny the guilt he also felt for playing some significant role in his decision to speak with the Nebulans directly and try to prepare them for what their world was about to face.

Would Skyhammer have even gone had it not been for Rad’s urging that something needed to be done to assist the Nebulans preemptively?

At least they were moving. Rad agreed with Spartan’s assessment of the situation almost wholly. The plan had not gone at all like they intended and, if Skyhammer was indeed still functional, the Decepticons would learn the location of this base eventually—even though it was likely to be completely against Skyhammer’s will. If he could do little else for the time being, he could at least assist with that particular effort.

“No arguments from me,” Rad said.

The Autobot pushed himself to his feet and loosened up a couple of severely achy joints. The Horrorcons had certainly done a number on him. It would be nice to have the opportunity to pay them back. For now, though, he had to worry about the survival of his team, and the overall survival of this planet. The odds in both instances were not looking all that great right now.

Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

"And what of...of Skyhammer? When will we attempt a rescue operation?" Highbrow asks, straining to talk as his injuries begin to take their toll. "We can't let him suffer. He is a colleague...a brother at arms in spite of his reck..less...unnn." He falls down on one knee, clutching his chest in pain. "I wasn't...strong enough." As he says that he punches the ground with his other hand in frustration.

Koraja-Near the Capital Dome

As Horri-Bull and Skullgrin warp in they see the Autobots retreat. "Awww scrap. We missed the the chickenbots Skully." He looked mildly disappointed. "It not as fun to kill thee fleshies without them to protest but since we came all this way we should check in with Scorponok and find out where we're needed."

Autobot Command Bunker—The Folassian Forest

Roadbuster was one of the last to materialize back in the bunker, and it took him a few astroseconds to adjust from the bounce. When he finally reoriented himself his optics fell upon the form of Spartan, and they narrowed in rage. The old veteran tried to convince himself the urge to rip him apart was his anger mixing with heat of battle that was still pumping through him having just come directly off the battlefield.

He listened to what this sorry excuse for an Autobot had to say about what he ordered and Roadbuster just could not let it slide.

"You know what Spartan, you can take that Dinobot slag and cram right back up your exhaust port!" The large solider stepped forward, anger clear in his voice as he pushed his way past the others around him so he could loom over the other officer. "I don't give a frag whatever you tell yourself to make your power down cycles easier and justify it to the others, but do not even think for one nano that I will ever accept it!" Roadbuster's voice was raising with each word to the point that his voice was booming in the bunker. He stabbed finger forward into Spartan's chest. "You authorized fire not only on the position of your own men, but on an area thick with civilians. This is inexcusable! Not only did you allow for such and action, but you played right in Scorponok's claws and allowed him to cause even further damage to the surrounding area and its population! We can't afford to loose the confidence of the local population or we are all fraged!."

"And before you go on about the necessity of the situation, don't forget who you are dealing with here. I was a slaggin' Wrecker, I have been through more Phase Six operations then anyone in this room would care to imagine in their darkest nightmares. I was on Varas Centralus when it really got bad and the 'Cons almost routed us, and you know what? We still won that world and we did it without intentionally killing the local population!"

The larger Bot stepped away and collected himself and did his best to keep his anger from overwhelming him again.

"I want you to understand one thing Spartan. The only reason I am not taking over, stripping you of your command and then having you strung up by your own fuel lines is because we need every available 'bot we have at his best so we can have a hope in the Pit to survive this. We also can't afford a leadership dispute. However, when this is all over, and if we are both alive and not Decepticon prisoners I will make sure that you will be taking orders from a garbage drone. As far as I'm concerned your tactics make you no better then the 'Con's and you are unfit to wear that badge, let alone fit to command a tac team."

Roadbuster turned to face the others.

"From here on out no one will fire upon a position occupied by Nebulans intentionally. If and when we find ourselves in urban combat in populated areas check your sights, I am aware we can't prevent every combat related death, but we can do our best not to cause any intentionally. We're Autobots, we're here to protect these people not kill them. Now, if no one else has any words for Spartan I suggest we pack this place up and get the frag out of here. It will only be a matter of time before the 'Con's bomb this place into scrap."

Frag, can't believe I just said all that. I'm soundin' more like Magnus these days. Guess bad 'bots bring that side out of me.

Roadbuster though as he crossed the room and offered to help Highbrow up.

"Let's get you to your feet, you can just lean on me and we can get you out of here."