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The Peaceful Tyranny--Outer Regions--Lounge

The Peaceful Tyranny was an exercise in contradiction. Perhaps the purest example to ever grace the Decepticon empire--from its name all the way down to its function and design. It was a worldsweeper class battleship that could decimate entire battalions if need be. But it also had all the luxuries that an elite Cybertronian of the Golden Age would have come to expect from his position of power. A seeming relic of the gilded age, worthy of the Primes and senators who enjoyed such excesses. And yet able to be called to war in a moment's notice. Such was the dichotomy of the ship and those that functioned within.

And they would have it no other way.

The majestic, gold-trimmed doors slid out of the way, allowing a tall, well-constructed mechanoid access. Tarn, the de facto leader of Megatron's personal cadre of executioners, stepped in to the expansive relaxation room of the Decepticon warship. Energon flowed through this room as readily as steel coursed over the surface of Cybertron. There was no need that would go unmet here. No desire unfulfilled. And there was absolutely no admittance for service mechs or any other type of Decepticon. Unless one carried the brand of being a justice, entry into this particular room carried the pain of death.

It had been a law that was tested before. None lived to tell the tale.

Tarn saw that he was not alone. He had not expected to be. This was often the place where he and the other members of the Decepticon Justice Division came to discuss the List: both who was still on it and what their subsequent strategy would be for dealing with them.

Tarn sat himself down on one of the platinum lounges with his typically characteristic flair for the nonchalant and kicked one leg up over his other knee joint as he stretched both arms behind his head.

"So," he began, looking at Kaon...the maintainer of the infamous List. "Who's next?"

The Peaceful Tyranny--Outer Regions--Lounge

With his beast curled up on one of the platinum lounges beside him and a cube of high-grade energon in one hand, the maintainer of the infamous List was enjoying the spoils of the office he held within the Decepticon ranks. Though truly, his greatest reward was the office itself. Nothing within existence was quite so satisfying. Even as he rested, still the Decepticon Justice Division's communications officer kept a watchful optic - or would had he optics - over his greatest joy and labor: the List.

At his side, the partially domesticated turbofox sparkeater known as the Pet stirred as the gilded doors to the lounge hissed open. The beast had been tense at first, but relaxed and thumped its tail a few times at the Lounge's latest arrival. Kaon knew his bestial companion's antics well enough to know who had arrived without even looking up from his energon.

Taking a long drink from the cube, Kaon set it to the side and stroked the Pet's side as he looked over to their de facto leader Tarn even as the executioner nonchalantly cast his burning crimson gaze over to the living dynamo.

"So," he began, looking at Kaon...the maintainer of the infamous List. "Who's next?"

"Let us see..." Kaon said, trailing off as he remotely interfaced with the list and the ship's communications grid. Their last quarry had already been removed from the List, sent to another more public databank to be broadcasted to the Decepticon fleets. They would know their traitors and what became of them. Of the names remaining on the list, one in particular stood out. Mostly because this one had the most recent reported sighting. It gave them a lead.

"Ah. Megadeath. He was most recently sighted. Last seen in the vicinity of Mumu-Obscura," Kaon replied after a long pause.

The Peaceful Tyranny--Lounge

Underneath his finely-crafted insignia mask, Tarn's optics widened as he saw what Kaon was ingesting.

"Ooh, that looks scrumptious. I want some," he said as he sprung back to his feet. Kaon's Pet began to thump its metallic tail again. Tarn looked down at him. He then knelt in front of the notoriously, partially-tamed sparkeater and put both hands around its head.

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?! Yesh you are. Yeshhhh. Yeshhhhhh. Such a good boy," Tarn cooed, before rising back to his full height and walking over to the energon dispensary and began selecting the concentration of energon that he wanted as well as any mineral additives that he wanted infused into the concoction. After hitting the "generate" command, a few astroseconds later a cube filled with the precise concentration of energon that Tarn had created appeared. He took the cube in hand and walked back toward the group, his other hand completing miniature transformations between a hand and the part of his tank alternate mode that it would normally shift into when undergoing his full transformation sequence. He hadn't done that for a little while. A fair little while. He was starting to itch.

"Megadeath? Wow...really? I have to admit I'm a little shocked. With a name like that, one would think that loyalty to the Decepticon cause would be assured. What exactly did he do in order to earn this dubious distinction?"

Tarn looked to the other justices as he pulled a thin wire from his torso and attached it to the cube where it began to slowly drain.

"Ahhh. Magnificent."

Peaceful Tyranny - Lounge

Helex held an unusally large sized, but not unusual for a mech of his build, energon cube in his left hand as he sat back in a large chair specially designed to accommodate the bulk of the smelter. The crew's pet turbofox brushed up along side his leg as it made its way to Kaon's side and rested in the platinum lounges. He gazed back over to the room's latest arrival, Tarn, the de facto leader of the group.

Tarn began asking them all about who was next one "The List", but Helex knew it was mainly directed to the infamous keeper of said list. Kaon had happily replied to the insignia-masked executioner with a name 'Cons everywhere are well known of...Megadeath.

Helex began pulling up reports from the datapad he had been holding in his smaller chest-mounted second set of arms as Tarn made his way towards the energon dispensary.

"Well take a look at this boss," The smelter began as he finished gulping down a sip of his high-grade energon from its massive container cube, "Says here that he's been running some sorta massive genocide project over on Mumu-Obscura. But apparently he started diving too far into it and began throwing some of his own Decepticons in the mix." Helex leaned back more into his gargantuan-sized chair. "Also says one of own boys, some soldier or something, managed to survive the whole ordeal and escape with his life."

Helex set the datapad onto the table top and slid it over to Tarn's side with his giant right hand. He downed another sip and awaited for his CO to look over the file himself.

The Peaceful Tyranny - Lounge

“Traitor, then,” rumbled Tesarus, speaking for the first time since entering the Lounge almost a cycle ago. He stood with his enormous arms folded over the glinting unutrium blades of the shredder that dominated his chest cavity, impassive and uninvolved—he hadn’t even bothered with a cube of his own, since none of his systems were even close to redlining. “Good.” Hunting cowards and deserters was necessary, but rarely very rewarding; all they did was run away. A traitor to the cause might just be so overcharged on his own feeling of invincibility that he believed he stood a chance against the Justice Division.

There weren’t many things that could bring a smile to the faceplate of the grim Tesarus, but a defiant opponent—one that though he might actually survive their judgment—was one of them.

Moved to some small interest by this development, he stepped away from the wall and moved closer to Kaon, with a perfunctory but not insincere pat for the Pet as he passed. Helex had provided the broad overview, but their communications officer was the mech to fill in the blanks. Tesarus liked to be well-acquainted with the Decepticons who would soon be coming to know the excruciating embrace of his tooth-lined core. It made the experience more interesting; without the little, intimate details, it wasn’t much different than disposing of waste metal, in Tesarus’ optics.

The Peaceful Tyranny – Lounge

With a light clank Vos placed his datapad down on the table beside him. He casually lifted his leg from his knee and switched them out. The promise of new quarry was much more interesting than trying to understand the language that nearly all Cybertronians now spoke.

He had been working with Tarn and the others for quite some time with the vocabulary yet he had only been able to pick up on a few words. It was frustrating, but he was determined to do his best.

Vos’ attention swept from each member of the DJD until he ultimately focused on Kaon. It was he who kept “The List” and it was he who would reveal their next mark. This was always the exciting part.

Megadeath. This was a very interesting turn of events. <<From eradicating all native life on a planet to massacring your own ranks and file. Bold yet wasteful.>> Vos responded to Helex’s revelations knowing full well that only Tarn would understand what he said. He then placed both feet on the floor and leaned forward, an elbow resting on each knee.

<<I’m excited to meet him. When can we leave?>> Vos cast his gaze in Tarn’s direction. A glint in his crimson optics.

Lounge

Tarn listened with interest as Helex reviewed the specifics of what exactly had managed to get the infamous Megadeath onto the equally infamous “List”. As he held out one arm, a small, platinum rectangle emerged and Tarn set his partially drained cube atop it as he brought up a holoscreen with a wave of his other. A rotating image of the rather vile looking Decepticon tyrant appeared shortly thereafter. The prospect of a massacre just sounded wasteful all around. But now that he had taken to massacring his own, it was unsurprising in the slightest that he had earned his highly uncoveted position. Tesarus and Vos, in their own unique way, seemed to confirm their agreement with his placement on the List.

“That would indeed do it,” Tarn mused, rubbing his chin structure idly as he studied the imagery and design of the mechanoid before him. Then he picked up on Vos' familiar usage of the Old Cybertronian. Familiar to him, at least. He continued to ponder possibilities for a moment before addressing Vos' particular statements. “I wonder if we might be able to get a hold of that survivor. I would like to have a word with him. In any event, I see no reason for delay. Vos sounds rather keen to get underway. I take it there are no objections from any of the rest of you?”

Tarn let the prospect of what exactly having “words” with that lone survivor might entail. Each of the justices had what any sentient being might recognize as a special gift. Tarn, for his part, had a rather unique way with speech. When he applied it anyway. It was one of the reasons he had become so accustomed to hearing himself talk. In fact, only Starscream arguably rivaled Tarn’s enjoyment of the sound of his own voice. Starscream had his reasons. Tarn most certainly had his.

“He goes way back," Tarn continued, drawing on his own extensive knowledge of Cybertronian history and especially its dramatis personæ. "Well before the war broke out. Though he was a much different mech before. Truly, I don’t think I’ve encountered a more genocidal Decepticon evolve out of nowhere in such a short span of time. What purpose Megatron saw in him, I don’t fully understand, what with his early proposals of regional sterilization. He throws ‘peace through tyranny’ into the smelter and installs ‘peace through extinction’ instead. Isolated, his damage is minimal. But if these actions of his begin to spread, they do indeed present a real threat to our efforts. What would there be to govern if an individual like this managed to take the reigns of command? Or, equally, if he were to convince Megatron of the viability of this madness?”

Tarn continued to ruminate on those possibilities for a few moments while he brought up additional classified information from Decepticon intelligence archives.

“Let’s see…standard laser arrays, missile launchers, two concussion cannons and…ahhhhh, what have we here? A nuclear core. Like our cycloptic friend back in the Terran region. We’ll need to be mindful of that.”

Tarn’s head quirked slightly to one side.

“Speaking of, strange how that connection from the Thanatos cut out the way it did, hm?”

Lounge

Leaning forward and resting his chin on top of his clasped actuators, Kaon listened to the proceedings as Helex reviewed the specifics of the infamous Megadeath's transgression. The Pet, at his side, noticed his shift in position and wiggled his body about to plant all four paws firmly beneath him once more. The partially tame sparkeater leaped down from the couch and stretched luxuriously before trotting over to a spherical object lying on the floor. The turbofox began to gnaw on it, its drool lubricating the long-since extinguished spark.

The DJD's communcations officer took another sip of his high-grade energon and turned his cranial unit toward Vos as the primal linguist spoke. Kaon understood only bits and pieces of what Vos had said, owing only to the amount of time they had spent in close proximity. Kaon swiveled his head back about to look at Tarn as their leader's melodious tones sounded once more.

“I wonder if we might be able to get a hold of that survivor. I would like to have a word with him. In any event, I see no reason for delay. Vos sounds rather keen to get underway. I take it there are no objections from any of the rest of you?"

Kaon tilted his head slightly to the side as he consider what 'a word' could possibly mean. One could never quite tell with Tarn. The electrocutioner's musing were interrupted as Tarn continued to speak, this time to examine their quarry's personal history, possible threats, and armaments. Viable concerns all. A nuclear core like that of the cycloptic scientist...A very credible threat to any one of them should it go critical. It was best removed with...the DJD's own special brand of tender love and caring.

“Speaking of, strange how that connection from the Thanatos cut out the way it did, hm?"

"Indeed, Tarn...Starscream looked as though he were about to say something...telling right before it cut out. It strikes me as too convenient to be coincidental."

The Pet glanced over to Kaon as his master spoke, then noting it was not directed toward him, rose and picked up his 'toy', trotting over to Vos's side. The partially domesticated turbofox dropped the dead spark onto the floor and looked up at Vos expectantly. After a moment's pause, the Pet nudged Vos's actuator to capture his attention, his tail swishing back and forth lazily.

Lounge

"I think sum'ins up over there." Helex stated after taking a massive gulp from his energon cube in regards to Tarn and Kaon's inquiry of the Thanatos communication being disrupted. "Either Soundwave has grown lazy in his time on that ship or Starscream is up to his usual tricks over there."

The bulky blue smelter relaxed a little more in his chair and gazed up at the light fixture inside the lounge. "Remind again, is that conniving seeker anywhere on that list of yours, Kaon? Spawn of a glitch has taken more shots at Megatron's position that I can't count all the times on all of my actuators."

Looking back over at his crew members and finishing off his energon cube, Helex allowed a small smirk to brake across the side of his faceplating. "Oh what I'd give to throw that traitorous excuse for scrap metal into my furnace... Listen to him scream for Megatron's forgiveness."

Lounge

<< “Clearly our friend, Megadeath has an inane need to prove he is the one with the sizable ball-bearings.”>> Vos chuckled. An eerie sound coming from the masked scientist. His quiet laughter quickly ended before he added, << “He will have a very unwelcome surprise when he loses them.”>>

Vos leaned back into his chair one leg now crossed over the other.

He listened only partially while Tarn ran through the arsenal that happened to be at their next target’s disposal. None of it was of any consequence, well most of it any way. The nuclear core would be something to consider.

“Speaking of, strange how that connection from the Thanatos cut out the way it did, hm?"

That question did not go unnoticed by the slim ‘Con. It was rather odd that they would lose contact so quickly. << “I would not put it past Starscream to have something to do with it. He is not above lying and cheating to get anything and everything he desires. In that respect he seems to be the perfect Decepticon. ”>>

Vos quieted as Kaon chimed in. The Seeker Commander was never above treachery in order to keep his spark alight. The whole of Megatron’s army knew that.

At that moment he felt a slight nudge to his resting actuator. Vos looked down knowing full well that it was The Pet who was trying to gain his attention.

More than happy to oblige, Vos stretched his actuator down and gave the sparkeater a good scratch behind the ear. He pulled away only to point to The Pet’s play thing. << “Such a good boy. Bring me your toy.”>> Whether or not the creature knew what he said didn’t matter. The Pet knew the hand gesture.

He kept his optics on Kaon’s companion as he listened to the others in the lounge.

"Remind again, is that conniving seeker anywhere on that list of yours, Kaon? Spawn of a glitch has taken more shots at Megatron's position that I can't count all the times on all of my actuators."

For a brief moment the scientist looked toward Helex and then turned to Tarn. << “Perhaps it’s because the conniving Seeker has found a way to manipulate our list.”>> He shrugged and then turned his attention back to the silver beast. << “It certainly would not surprise me in the least.”>>

Looking back to the hulking furnace Vos nodded. He could definitely relate to the other’s sentiment concerning Starscream. In fact most Decepticons within the ranks would feel the same way. Unfortunately their grousing concerning why the Seeker was not one of their potential targets was getting them nowhere.

<< “Perhaps we should leave this subject for another time. Right now we do have a wayward Decepticon that is on the List.”>> Vos’ optics brightened at the thought of finding their current prey. << “Megadeath is expecting us. And I cannot wait to meet him.”>>

Lounge

Tarn smiled underneath his faceplate. With the formalities of agreeing that Megadeath would indeed be their next target effectively out of the way, he had mentioned the unusual transmission occurrence as a mostly rhetorical exercise: he had given the matter some thought since its initial occurrence, but he was exceedingly curious to hear the thoughts of his fellow justices. There were few things in existence that he enjoyed more than these casual discussions within the private confines of their lounge. It was a chance for not only himself to ruminate audibly about the state of the universe, the war, the latest transformation cog to turn up missing—literally no subject was off limits and indeed the divisioners had discussed many in their tenure—but he legitimately enjoyed taking in the additional insights of his colleagues. Only the pure satisfaction of snuffing out the spark of another Decepticon traitor surpassed these moments.

“All very valid points, my friends. Definitely a matter worthy of further investigation. Another time, though, as Vos said. That sector is Megatron’s personal front of the war and I’m more than inclined to allow our dear leader due deference in handling matters there as he sees fit, however unexplainable some actions may seem to those of us not directly involved in that particular theater."

He looked to the faces of the other justices for a moment before speaking again. Vos’ enthusiasm was quite contagious. The other justices likely picked up on it as well. Even if they could not understand his words, they likely sensed the same urgency that Tarn himself was detecting in Vos' speech. There was no reason to delay any further.

Tarn finished the contents of his energon container, his levels reading more than satisfactorily as he rose from his chair and contacted the bridge.

“We have a new destination—Mumu-Obscura. Alter our course accordingly if you would, please,” Tarn spoke pleasantly, unnecessary though it was. The automatons stationed on the bridge would obey unquestioningly. Tarn proceeded to exit the lounge, noting the almost imperceptible shift in the ship’s trajectory as he did so. They were on their way.

Megadeath. Mmm.

This would prove to be a most interesting case.

Lounge

The Pet's tail thumped happily on the floor as Vos scratched him behind his ear. Then the DJD's resident sadist pointed down at the Pet's favorite toy. Excited by this, the Pet hopped to all fours and bounced down in a playful stance. Seeing that Vos was not going to pick up the spark himself, the Pet impatiently bounced forward and snapped it up in his jaws, depositing it next to Vos's hand. Bounding away about a meter, the Pet waited with hardly contained excitement as he stood frozen, all limbs gone still with anticipation.

"Remind again, is that conniving seeker anywhere on that list of yours, Kaon? Spawn of a glitch has taken more shots at Megatron's position that I can't count all the times on all of my actuators."

Kaon did not immediately answer, but turned to look at Vos as he spoke. The communications officer noted that the Pet, who had left his side earlier, was now attempting to play with Vos. Silly beast it could be. Tearing out sparks one astrosecond and nudging his hand for attention the next. Ah, but he loved the little beast all the more for it.

“All very valid points, my friends. Definitely a matter worthy of further investigation. Another time, though, as Vos said. That sector is Megatron’s personal front of the war and I’m more than inclined to allow our dear leader due deference in handling matters there as he sees fit, however unexplainable some actions may seem to those of us not directly involved in that particular theater."

"I am content to leave the situation in Megatron's capable hands as Tarn suggests, Helex," Kaon stated nodding in agreement with Tarn, finishing his cube of high grade energon. Though it was a good question...still, Starscream was indeed not on the infamous list - yet - as it seemed that Megatron still had some use for that treacherous scum. The moment that failed to be the case however...well. Kaon would simply leave it at that for now.

For now, Kaon's thoughts and focus when toward their new target. Megadeath. The cycle began again. It gave him chills every time. Vos's own enthusiasm only served to expedite matters further. Kaon leaned forward resting his elbow servos on his knees and lacing his actuators together just so. The electric chair watched with anticipation as Tarn rose and ordered the automatons on the bridge to change course for Mumu-Obscura.

Megadeath.

A few small sparks ran up Kaon's tesla coils in anticipation. They were on their way. Too restless to remain seated in the lounge, Kaon thought he might proceed to the bridge. Yes. At least there he would have some process to see as the stars whipped past them in little streaks of multicolored light.

Rising, the maintainer of the list strolled out of the Lounge in the wake of their suave commander. Plus, on the bridge, he'd be spared from Tesarus's looming presence and the impatience that oozed out of his every orifice. Tesarus didn't need to speak when his body language made it perfectly clear exactly what he had to say. Kaon's thoughts returned to Megadeath.

Megadeath.

He couldn't wait.

Bridge

Detecting the approach of the justices, a series of security scans engaged. At this point it was little more than a formality, as it was a rare occurrence indeed for any sentient mech besides a member of the Division itself to be in this area of the ship, but Tarn appreciated it all the same. When he was within little more than a couple meters from the doors, the scans finished their work and the doors slid out of the way, revealing the bridge itself: a multi-tiered arrangement of sleek, black metallic floors, silvery surfaces and fluorescent purple trim. It was a Decepticon vessel, and particularly a Decepticon command station, through and through.

The bridge was quiet, as it always was. Only the soft hums of various high-capacity technologies broke the erstwhile silence. And now the footfalls of Tarn as he descended a small set of steps onto the middlemost tier where a series of five, custom-designed chairs had been designed. Standard Decepticon equipment did not apply when it came to this vessel. Its primary users were all of various sizes and capabilities. Every aspect of the inner-workings of the ship had needed to be designed to cater to their unique function in the empire. And so it had been.

Taking his place in the centermost structure, a large representation of a Decepticon insignia that had the appearance of a solid piece of dark purple steel that had been forged into a chair, Tarn stared quietly at the vastness of space stretching out endlessly within the massive windows. He then looked down at his hands. One sat perfectly still on the leftmost armrest while the other seemed to twitch almost involuntarily. Whether it was due to the fact that he was greatly anticipating the hunt of another Decepticon who thought they could deviate from Megatron's grand ideals or the fact that he had not undergone a full transformation sequence in far too long, he neither knew nor cared. The result was still the same, and he would scratch that particular itch soon enough. And soon enough his thirst for justice would also be quenched. It was only ever temporary, but what wasn't in this universe?

"Mumu-Obscura," Tarn said evenly, and a holoprojection of all known Decepticon intelligence regarding the planet appeared in front of him. Tarn was never the type to be taken unaware in any circumstance. The hunt of Megadeath would not be his first.

Bridge

The doors to the bridge of the Peaceful Tyranny opened with a soft hiss after they had finished scanning the communications officer to verify his identity. Not that many other cybertronians transformed into electric chairs. It made him...particularly suited to his current occupation, but it alone was not the singular reason that he had been chosen to become one of the elite justices.

Stepping across the threshold, Kaon stared forward as the doors hissed shut behind him. Five custom-designed chairs stood before him, the center-most one occupied by its master. Kaon approached the right-side and took up the much smaller chair to Tarn's right. It was fashioned from dark purple steel as Tarn's was, but had veins of electricity tracing its lines, glowing a faint purple as electricity sparked through the narrow grooves. The rest of the chair was specifically designed to match Kaon's form and be slightly reminiscent of his own alternate mode. Kaon found it especially comfortable.

Settling down in his chair, Kaon stared out into the inky expanse, speckled by the white streaks of stars as they zoomed past. Their quarry awaited them. Clasping his hands together and resting his chin on top of them, Kaon leaned forward eagerly, willing them to arrive more swiftly.

Kaon cast a sidelong glance at Tarn, noting the very slight twitch of one of the larger mech's actuators. Mm. His gaze soon turned to the holographic projection of Mumu-Obscura before Tarn. He examined it wordlessly before turning his head to look up at Tarn.

"If Megadeath is throwing his own men into a massive genocide project...he would likely need some enforcers to subdue any resistance. He may not be our only target on this hunt. Don't you think, Tarn?" asked Kaon with an uncertain smile.

"If so, it might be a good time to think about restocking our transformation cog supply. Never hurts to have a few spares around," Kaon added with a deliberate look at Tarn's still twitching hand. Kaon fell silent for a moment before a stray thought struck him. "What kind do you imagine he is? Cold constructed or forged, I mean."

Bridge

Vos had risen soon after Kaon and Tarn and began to make his way out of the lounge and headed toward the Peaceful Tyranny’s bridge. At his side was the Pet.

Along their intended route Vos had kept his pace slow and even making it easier for the four legged beast to keep on his heel. The scientist was not the sparkeater’s master but he was part of the Pet’s pack.

As the two members of the crew approached the bridge the ship’s security systems performed its intended function, just as it had done so with Tarn and Kaon, by scanning both approaching mechanoids. Once they were recognized as being part of the crew they were granted admittance. The doors sliding open just before Vos and the Pet arrived.

Tarn was already seated while Kaon had just taken up his position just to the leader of the DJD’s right-side. Vos noticed the slight twitch of Tarn’s actuators. A tell-tale sign that the mech was in need of a fix. Their reserve of transformation cogs were low so finding a new supply would be paramount.

From his place just in the threshold Vos moved to stand beside Kaon’s chair. The living dynamo’s suggestion to utilize Megadeath’s would be enforcers as a resource was quite sound. It was also not above them either.

From his hip Vos produced a datapad – it seemed he always had one handy nowadays – and went to work looking through its contents. When he finally found what he was looking for he tapped Kaon with its edge. “He issss craaaaazy,” Vos spoke in broken Neocybex. “but n…not stuuuuupid.” It was just about all he could muster in that span of time. From that point he looked to Tarn. >> “He is unpredictable but I do not believe he will be expecting us. He will be too engrossed in his own affairs to even consider that he has made it onto The List.”<<

Vos looked back at Kaon as he handed the datapad over to the other mech. He pointed to the screen and then looked up at Kaon. “Coooold.” Was all he said before moving away to his own chair.

Bridge

Following in the wake of the other justices, Helex entered the quiet bridge of the Peaceful Tyranny. He shrugged his way through the already massive doorframe, his unusual bulk still too massive to accommodate a proper entrance. He thought that being given a custom starship to travel alongside his fellow DJD members would come with door frames large enough to let him easily pass through them, but it was clear that wasn't the case.

The Decepticon smelter took his seat in his custom-fitted chair which sat on the far left side of the line of chairs. He brought his gargantuan sized arms up behind his processor and locked his digits inbetween them after picking up his personal data-pad from the control panel in front of him with his smaller forward facing arms. He he leaned back in his chair, he began scrolling through the data that flashed on his screen.

"500 shanix says he'll be able to recognize the Tyranny when it enters 'Obscura's atmosphere." The bulky blue Decepticon stated in response to Vos's prediction as he pulled up a digital game of Sabbac on his datapad, "I mean most who don't get our messages beforehand can easily pick out our ship in a line up."

Helex shifted his attention to the projection of their next traget's location. Mumu-Obscura... He had only heard of the name in passing, but never ventured out to explore the territory himself. He took in what he could from the information being displayed in front of their defacto-leader before returning to his Sabbac game.

"Still, Like Vos said, the element of surprise is in our hands. I can't wait to see the look on his face when we drop by for a visit."

Bridge

The other justices had steadily joined him on the bridge as he fully expected they would. When it was time for their attention to zero in on their next target, each of them focused their mind in their own unique ways. But that focus did come each time, and no traitor to the Decepticon cause had yet found a way to escape them.

"If Megadeath is throwing his own men into a massive genocide project...he would likely need some enforcers to subdue any resistance. He may not be our only target on this hunt. Don't you think, Tarn? If so, it might be a good time to think about restocking our transformation cog supply. Never hurts to have a few spares around. What kind do you imagine he is? Cold constructed or forged, I mean."

Tarn nodded solemnly. The thought that Megadeath had been able to convince others in his employ to fully turn against Megatron's ideals of their own recognizance was troubling to him. Towards Peace and several other of Megatron's early philosophical musings were built upon stronger foundations than most. The Cybertronian known as "Tarn", after the Slagmaker's own city-state of origin, could not understand why certain individuals seemed so willing to turn their back on them. After all, without the revolution, where would so many of them be? Slaving away in the mines. Killing themselves in the gladiator pits. Fulfilling a worthless function that had been assigned to them by the caste systems. The Senate. Unable to forge any kind of greater destiny than what they had been given at their forging. Or, as Kaon had so subtly referenced, their cold construction.

Tarn gave Kaon a sideways look as he referenced their need to acquire additional transformation cogs. So concerned that one. He supposed it was a concern that was returned in kind so he was not especially surprised by it. Time and the unique nature of their function had bound them all together in formidable ways. Tarn knew of their limited supply better than any of them, as he relied upon continuous access to a well-functioning one. The one in his body now? he could feel it grinding more with overuse each time he transformed. It was painful, but it was still better than the alternative. Had he been forged a monoformer, he would have killed himself early on. His destiny was to change.

"He will, indeed, not be alone. His reputation is too great. Weak minds will have found their way under his influence. And yet, he will be our only target. We will assess the guilt of any who have fallen under his thrall when we are finished with him. They may be fully complicit in his betrayal and worthy of a spot on the List. But we must remain open to the possibility that they have been deluded and misinformed of his true actions."

It was then that Vos added his voice to the conversation, speaking at first in a broken form of Neocybex. Underneath his mask, Tarn smiled. He enjoyed seeing Vos occasionally branch out of the tongue that was most comfortable to him. They all needed to take a lesson from him in that regard, in their own way.

“He issss craaaaazy, but n…not stuuuuupid."

"Exactly right. There are several of questionable sanity in our ranks, but they manage to follow the path of tyrant's peace. This one....he has strayed too far. Justice will not come easy for him, but it will come nonetheless," Tarn said, looking over at his fellow justice as he elaborated further in the Old Cybertronian.

>> “He is unpredictable but I do not believe he will be expecting us. He will be too engrossed in his own affairs to even consider that he has made it onto The List."<<

"Too right, my friend. I fully expect he will have no idea as to the purpose behind our arrival and the extent to which he has deviated from Megatron's ideal. We will need to make that clear, not only to him but to any who are associating with him. That way his poor example of service will be less likely to be repeated."

And as to Kaon's last question, Vos appeared to have an answer to that as well.

“Coooold."

"I would find it hard to believe that our beloved home could forge that monstrosity of its own will. But...surely he was not always as he is now, hm?"

Tarn did not have the answer, but it was fun to speculate. And in this instance, Vos might well be privy to such knowledge.

"Unless he was constructed that way, as Vos said," Tarn added after a few moments of thoughtful consideration. "A pity he did not keep his desires in line with his abilities."

"500 shanix says he'll be able to recognize the Tyranny when it enters 'Obscura's atmosphere. I mean most who don't get our messages beforehand can easily pick out our ship in a line up."

"A fool's bet," Tarn said good-naturedly, smirking under his purple steel mask. The Peaceful Tyranny was one of the most recognizable in the Decepticon fleet, by reputation if not by direct engagement. "And that is why we will rely upon Megadeath's own delusions at first, as Vos so eloquently put it. I'm sure he is fully convinced of his loyalty to Megatron, even now as he engages in this horrorshow. We will enlighten him, if nothing else."

As the discussion evolved, and the Decepticon ship traveled the spaceways, Tarn--like the other four--engaged his mind and prepared for what was to come, taking in all the information he could about their intended target, said target's location and any other relevant information they could pull from the extensive Decepticon intelligence files.

When at last they did in fact arrive at the atmospheric boundaries of Mumu-Obscura and the current imagery of the planet displayed itself on the massive viewscreen in front of them, Tarn steepled his fingers underneath his chin.

All of the current intelligence had suggested that Mumu-Obscura was an outlying but otherwise habitable world. Its population was removed from the goings on of the universe around them and its landscape common and largely uninteresting.

Now, the entire planet had taken on the appearance of some burnt-out factory. It was Kalis reborn, or some other similarly ravaged area of Cybertron. What had done this?

Tarn slowly rose to his feet, as if the new position would give him a better look at the widespread, planetary destruction that had been underway.

"We shall need to inform Decepticon intelligence that their files on this world are in dire need of an update," Tarn said, as calmly as he could manage. What a waste. "Engage the landing sequence, if you please."

Bridge

"He will, indeed, not be alone. His reputation is too great. Weak minds will have found their way under his influence. And yet, he will be our only target. We will assess the guilt of any who have fallen under his thrall when we are finished with him. They may be fully complicit in his betrayal and worthy of a spot on the List. But we must remain open to the possibility that they have been deluded and misinformed of his true actions."

Kaon nodded. As with any that they encountered, those not on the list must be given a fair chance to acquit themselves. As the careful maintainer of the List, he would not allow any room for error. Those on the List must be unquestionably guilty. After all, if they went about killing the loyal, what kind of message would that send? Such was the way of these things.

A new voice entered the conversation with the arrival of Vos and the Pet. Kaon smiled at Vos as he spoke in his broken Neocybex. Kaon most certainly appreciated the effort by their resident sadist and scientist. He had ought to get Tarn to teach him a little of the primal vernacular. It never hurt to expand one's linguistic skills. Especially so, in Kaon's case, being the communications officer for the DJD as well as the maintainer of the infamous List.

“He issss craaaaazy, but n…not stuuuuupid."

Kaon listened attentively to Tarn's response as well as Vos's further elaboration in the old language. Sadly, most of it was lost on Kaon. Shame. However, it did appear that Vos had an answer regarding the question that he had posed to Tarn. Cold constructed. Kaon did his best to suppress a sigh. Another of his own fallen to depravity.

"I would find it hard to believe that our beloved home could forge that monstrosity of its own will. But...surely he was not always as he is now, hm?"

Kaon felt a slight sting in his spark at Tarn's words. He did his best to conceal his disquiet, however. There was no need to make a spectacle of the matter. The communications officer did shift uncomfortably in his seat, however. Noting his master's change in mood, the Pet nuzzled Kaon's actuator. Turning his attention to the little beast, the electrocutioner patted the sparkeater on his head before looking back to Tarn.

"Unless he was constructed that way, as Vos said," Tarn added after a few moments of thoughtful consideration. "A pity he did not keep his desires in line with his abilities."

"Indeed," Kaon concurred with a barely perceptible edge to his voice. Thankfully, Helex changed the subject. Kaon's smile returned as Helex tried to make his bet with anyone that would take it. He shook his head. The Peaceful Tyranny had to be one of the most unique ships in the Decepticon armada, aside from the Nemesis itself.

As their vessel finally approached the orbit of Mumu-Obscura, Kaon noted that Tarn rose with surprising haste. The communications officer followed suit only to have a sight most strange greet his optics. None of the intelligence reports had noted anything quite like this. This...destruction...Was Megadeath responsible for this?

"We shall need to inform Decepticon intelligence that their files on this world are in dire need of an update," Tarn said, as calmly as he could manage. "Engage the landing sequence, if you please."

Kaon moved to personally handle the landing procedures. Taking the controls from the nearest drone, the communications officer took the helm under his practiced hand. The Peaceful Tyranny descended into Mumu-Obscura's upper atmosphere, the scene of destruction growing all the more clear as they drew nearer to the ground.

"Shall I hail Megadeath so that you may inform him and his followers of our coming, Tarn?"

Bridge

Through his periphery, he could see that something he had said had disquieted Kaon on some level. He reviewed some of his chosen words in his head but could not immediately identify what it might have been. They had discussed Megadeath, Mumu-Obscura....ahh. Forging and cold construction. A sensitive issue for Kaon from time to time, Tarn well knew. He would explore the point further as soon as he had the opportunity.

With the landing sequence engaged, Tarn rested his hands on the barrier separating the Justice Division's command chairs from the lower levels of the bridge, if for no other reason than to try and quiet the ticking in his hand for a time.

"Shall I hail Megadeath so that you may inform him and his followers of our coming, Tarn?"

Tarn considered their alternatives for a moment before nodding in the affirmative. Their vessel was nigh-unmistakable. As were their identities. There would be little use in subterfuge or obfuscation. The best they could hope for was to make their execution as localized as possible and avoid as much collateral damage as was feasible.

"Please do."

With a wave of his hand, a holoscreen appeared and Tarn divided the primary viewscreen into an image of their descent towards the now chaotic and barren surface of Mumu-Obscura and the screen space that would soon be occupied by their intended target.

"Let us see what kind of welcome we are given by this madmech," Tarn mused as the expansive fortress-camp that Megadeath had built for himself on this planet started to appear in the distance through the rust-colored clouds.

Mumu-Obscura - Sub-Laboratory 13

bah-leep!
...
bah-leep!

The hail lit up a small terminal in Sub-Lab 13, its orange glow splashing against the enormous translucent canister that filled that wall of the lab. In the canister, a pulsating red energy wave coiled and danced around itself, and blue and green screens on the opposite side of the enormous container displayed a nigh-constant stream of correlated data on the energy levels, field stability, and radiation output of Megadeath's glorious experiment. The nearest wall across held larger monitors, clearer two-dimensional screens than the smaller read-outs connected directly to the experiment. On them dozens of different exposure tests played out, cycling through thousands of cached video files. One monitor displayed a Vehicon hastily trying to rip out with its bare fingers any systems and components it could find in its chest cavity. The image dissolved into footage of a male Quartaxian smashing it's rocky silicon-based form into the side of its containment room over and over and over again until it had managed to reduce itself to rubble. The monitor clicked over to a vibrant green female Nibarian shrieking as her eyes pulsated a vibrant red, and nearly pulled her own appendages off to escape the bonds holding her to an examination table. Each of the dozens of screens played similar sequences with no sound, the horrors lighting up the otherwise dim room. Often he worked with the screens unmuted, enjoying the sounds of the recordings as he busied himself.

But not right now, oh no. Megadeath was far too busy to listen to music.

bah-leep!
...
bah-leep!

Megadeath sighed as he pulled himself from the energyweaver equipment he was using to find a more stable frequency for his Experiment. He knew the sound too well; the insistent alarm of things going on outside his lab that required his attention. He swore a little. He'd reduced the planet's surface to glinting wastelands of carbon, and yet he seemed to still get no peace while he worked. It would've been funny had it been less annoying.

A Hail? Surely there were others that could've dealt with this. To be sure, he was happy at the prospect of more subjects coming to him for once, rather than having to track them down, but not at the expense of increasing his darling Experiment's viability.

The hail seemed to bypass the normal channels and was directly beamed through the Command Channel. Odd. He'd never seen a ships communication sent to him directly. One look at the IFF signal, and he understood immediately.

The Peaceful Tyranny

Of course their communications wouldn't be normally routed, and of course the ship of the Justice Division had finally come to Mumu-Obscura. Megadeath had always know that eventually his allegiance of convenience would come to an end. He was almost amused that they had hailed him at all. Hah. Hah. Hah. No, of course they did. The DJD were not known for subtlety and stealth. Megadeath quickly went through all the reasons the Justice Division would arrive in such a backwater system, and only one conclusion seemed correct: to destroy him. Alas, and so close to him being as sure of the Experiment as he ever could've been. As close to a full and total release of his Experiment as he could've hoped. So close to seeing everything he could've possibly hoped for, and Megadeath's death came for him. He rolled his shoulders back and laughed at the divine cosmic humor of it all; when he opened a frequency to the ship, amusement still carried his deep and resonant voice across the connection.

"Ahhhh, the famous and lauded Justice Division! Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong." Megadeath too a moment to laugh again, not even bothering to close the line, "Welcome to Mumu-Obscura. We've recently been through some renovations, so I do hope you will excuse the mess. To what could we possibly owe the arrival of the most esteemed Decepticons from our ranks...?"

'Esteemed Decepticons'. Pah! The oxymoron made Megadeath laugh again before he ended the communication and waited for a response. He wasn't going to escape whatever they had planned. He wasn't stupid enough to think so, and he honestly looked forward to meeting at least one of the Cons he knew for a fact were coming for him. However, every second he could delay was another moment he could prepare their 'welcome', and prepare his darling Experiment for evacuation. He was worried, like any new father, but he had to remind himself that he was just putting the finishing touches on his Experiment now. Surely if he managed to get it away from the DJD and let it grow naturally, somewhere out in the galactic periphery, that it would fulfill its intended purpose...

Bridge

When Megadeath's ghastly visage appeared on the limited amount of viewspace that Tarn had allotted, the Phase Six Decepticon cursed himself for allowing even that much. My but he was ugly. My my my. But more than that, Tarn felt a flash of remembrance for this Cybertronian in particular--this Cybertronian and the role he played in making Tarn the mechanoid that he was today. A small role, granted, in Tarn's estimation, but a role nonetheless. A role that would not be forgotten, regardless of how much they had tampered with his mind.

The empire had taken in all types over the years, many of whom liked to modify or otherwise mutilate themselves for a variety of reasons: under the foolish pretense that they might somehow gain an extra modicum of Megatron's respect, to increase their standing within their own little subgroup or just as a vehicle for expressing their own innate sociopathy. Some liked to modify others just as much as they did themselves. In Megadeath's case, Tarn suspected that all of those reasons and more might well apply. And so long as his twisted vision brought them all one step closer to tyrannical peace, so much the better for all of them. Even Tarn could content himself to overlook past actions if it was for the betterment of their future.

But now ...

"Ahhhh, the famous and lauded Justice Division! Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong. Welcome to Mumu-Obscura. We've recently been through some renovations, so I do hope you will excuse the mess. To what could we possibly owe the arrival of the most esteemed Decepticons from our ranks...?"

Ahhhh....pretense. Sweet, sumptuous pretense. That was the game that Megadeath wanted to start playing. Tarn let out an inner sigh of satisfaction. He could play this game for a while. Things would turn ugly soon enough. Though not, perhaps, as ugly as their current quarry.

"So I see," Tarn responded pleasantly, ignoring the monstrosity's offering of that gibberish universal greeting. "Consider the mess excused. You might well surmise that we've all seen worse."

Tarn's optics narrowed slightly behind the slits of his insignia mask.

"We hate to be a disturbance towards the progress of Megatron's peace, but it might surprise you to know that one amongst your number has had the unfortunate distinction of earning a place on the List."

So he lied about not needing a wee smidge of obfuscation. He was a Decepticon. It just felt so right. Tarn felt the ship shudder as it nestled into its landing spot just outside the industrial complex.

"Under the authority vested in us by Megatron to carry out both summary judgement and execution on Decepticons who have been thusly indicted, we have come to collect."

Mumu-Obscura - Sub-Laboratory 13

"We hate to be a disturbance towards the progress of Megatron's peace, but it might surprise you to know that one amongst your number has had the unfortunate distinction of earning a place on the List. Under the authority vested in us by Megatron to carry out both summary judgement and execution on Decepticons who have been thusly indicted, we have come to collect."

Megadeath honestly had stopped listening to the prattle, more interested in prepping the shunt-tube and evac rocket his darling Experiment would need to exit Mumu-Obscura. He listened enough to catch the important words, at least. Sealant for the tube still in his hand, Megadeath resumed the communication with the DJD Ship, doing his level best to feign both interest and shock.

"My, the List you say! Terrible news, Lord Tarn. Absolutely dreadful. Mmm, yes dreadful...to think someone under my command had the audacity to undermine the noble and righteous Decepticon cause, well...frankly, it's nigh-unthinkable."

The sealant fresh on the shunt tube, Megadeath hastily installed the sustainment circuits in its interior. Megadeath's fast work was still a masterpiece of engineering. He was running out of platitudes, but more time was required. Both to prepare his darling...and a suitable welcome for the DJD members. The enormous yellow teeth of Megadeath's mouthplate snarled and twisted up in the closest thing to a smile it could ever really manage.

"I will of course support you in any way I can, Lord Tarn. However, before you disembark from your ship, would you mind transmitting the IFF Transponder data on all active Cybertronians on your ship? Your business is of the utmost importance, certainly, but we musn't forget ourselves and important security protocols in the heat of duty."

Megadeath ran a diagnostic on the equipment he was putting together to save his darling Experiment while he waited for a response. The IFF Transponders would give him a good idea of who it was he was dealing with and how to...counteract them, if need be. With Tarn, Megadeath was already searching his workstations for hologram-emitters and spare transformation cogs he may have removed from the last...particularly messy batch of subjects. Mmm, the looks the could remember on their faces as the Experiment went fully active gave Megadeath a small sliver of serenity he was thankful for as he scrambled to do three things at once.

Mumu-Obscura

"My, the List you say! Terrible news, Lord Tarn. Absolutely dreadful. Mmm, yes dreadful...to think someone under my command had the audacity to undermine the noble and righteous Decepticon cause, well...frankly, it's nigh-unthinkable."

"It truly is. These fractious subversives can hide where we least expect them."

Tarn's optics glinted behind the purple, steel mask. He was tempted to start tinkering with the modulations in his voice, just to see if it would have any effect when carried and overheard through transmission signals such as this rather than when he was in the direct vicinity of a mech. Surprisingly enough after all these vorns he had never tried. But he supposed that would take some of the satisfaction away from the process as well. No, best to continue doing this via their tried and true methodology.

"I will of course support you in any way I can, Lord Tarn. However, before you disembark from your ship, would you mind transmitting the IFF Transponder data on all active Cybertronians on your ship? Your business is of the utmost importance, certainly, but we mustn't forget ourselves and important security protocols in the heat of duty."

"I am, of course, exceedingly glad to hear of your willingness to cooperate. My report to our Lord Megatron will be sure to note your, erm, contributions to his cause. As to those other formalities and protocols you mentioned, Kaon will send them along. I look forward to resolving this matter face to face."

Tarn turned and signaled for Kaon to cut the signal, which he did instantly, true to form. He then looked to the other members of the Division.

"Let's play."

Mumu-Obscura - Sub-Laboratory 13

Whoever Tarn's Communications Officer was, they didn't send the information...which essentially told Megadeath everything he needed to know. His death was on the landing pad, and it was going to come for him. If he wasn't so busy, Megadeath would've taken a moment to enjoy the pure giddiness welling up in him at the prospect. But ahhh, for more time! The time he wanted to prepare for his guest...the time he NEEDED to secure his little love letter to the living creatures of the universe...

Megadeath could buy himself a few moments, if only that. From the surveillance equipment, he could see the landing pad high above his current position. Keeping his third eye on the surveillance screen while letting his other optics look over the firing solutions for his Experiment's escapecraft, Megadeath wasn't surprised that Steamhammer, the 'leader' of his little cadre was waiting for the Justice Division to disembark along with that powerful little flyer Tornado, who'd come to Mumu-Obscura on detachment from Squadron X for 'Viable Membership Recruitment Scouting'. Pah! Megadeath would've thrown him into the next round of test subjects had he not been worried about the X'ers visibility. Alas, now that the DJD was at his door, he could see that his discretion was for naught...

Flipping the surveillance equipment over to the Lab Access Common Area, Megadeath saw a collection of Cons that were under his command. More importantly, they were the soldiers that knew exactly what Megadeath had been doing in the lower levels, as he'd needed help with the grunt-work on his Experiment. Megadeath flipped on the comm to the group as he finished the programming of the automatic pilot on the escapecraft.

Ripsnorter, Pounder, Backfire, Switchblade, Claw. We have unexpected guests. Very unexpected, very powerful, very upset guests. They will be to you in moments. Please prepare a suitable welcome for them and Steamhammer and Tornado. It would be extremely advantageous to your collective health if the welcome was exceptionally spirited.

Megadeath watched the near-unbridled joy on the faces of the rabble as they prepared for the ambush. He didn't watch for too long though; they were rabble whose slaughter would buy him a little more time, precious time, and he wasn't about to waste the time watching an admittedly fun display of imminent carnage...

Mumu-Obscura - Landing Pad

Steamhammer looked around nervously for what felt like the four-hundredth time, at the mouth of the entrance to the base facing the large landing bay where the Peaceful Tyranny had docked. The Decepticon Justice Division. THE Justice Division. They had landed on his little backwater, and almost certainly for no reason. Someone under Megadeath's command, someone in the Triple Changers' unit, had ended up on The List. The white and purple Decepticon tried to ease his nerves: surely it couldn't have been him. He'd been a supported of Megatron's as far back as the Tarnian Pit Fights. But...would he be judged as well, having apparently allowed DJD-Levels of treason in his ranks? Or had they gone too far under Megadeath's command in neutralizing nearly the entire planets' surface? They were orders from a superior, and Steamhammer had lodged a formal complaint, but...

Were they here to pass judgement on all of them?

It was...a severe thought, but what terrified Steamhammer is that it wasn't far enough outside the realm of possibility for Steamhammer's liking. Not far enough at all.

Still, he was a Decepticon. Hiding components of himself was part of his very nature. He would treat the emissaries of Megatrons' will as good as possible, showing no signs of his apprehension. The Vibratory Shock Hammers built into his gauntlets were folded back and deactivated, and the Blunt Force Rifle he held was power cycled off. Nothing about his posture suggested he was looking for a fight, and he made sure of that. Still, the waiting was getting to him. Steamhammer turned to Tornado, and the 'cattle catcher' that made up the majority of his helmet's mask lit up with fluctuating lines that matched his voice as he spoke:

"Heh. First a rep from Squadron X looking for talent, then the DJD's personal ship? And to think, Mumu-Obscura used to be the quietest posting in the whole Sector..."

Mumu-Obscura-Landing Pad

This was just so off. Tornado had no problems with betrayal, but he had never betrayed the Decepticon cause as far as he knew. And yet here he was, welcoming the Decepticons' traveling judges, juries and executioners. Their ship was impressive. Much better than what he got to tool around in as a part of Squadron X, but that was only natural. The X'ers and the Divisioners carried out some similar tasks, and others that were altogether different. And, ultimately, the Division could stand in judgment of any of them and had the power to back it up. Tornado could not say the same for the team he was apart of, murderous though they were.

"Heh. First a rep from Squadron X looking for talent, then the DJD's personal ship? And to think, Mumu-Obscura used to be the quietest posting in the whole Sector..."

"Heheh, yes. Well, we'd heard rumors of some of the stuff going down on this planet. Apparently we weren't the only ones who have," Tornado said, his optics flitting cautiously from Steamhammer to the massive ship.

He couldn't help but tense up even more as the Peaceful Tyranny began to hiss and a cavernous opening began to appear as a sleek, black walkway extended down to the surface of Mumu-Obscura. Five distinctive silhouettes could be seen approaching in the shadows.

This was it. On the remote chance that they had come for him, he was now astroseconds away from a tortuous death.

Please Primus, not me.

"I, um, biddest thee welcome to, uh, Mumu-Obscura, my lords of justice," Tornado sputtered out.

They were pretty high up in the Decepticon scheme of things. This was surely how you talked to such mechs.