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Shockwave Tower - Briefing Room 3

"Is that so."

Dirge's optic flashed for but a nano-sec as Deathscream responded to his question. He was unimpressed by the solid wing sword, thinking a seeker should not brandish a blade when entering a gun fight, but then his confidence was at least a plus. He'ld have to be confident to use one of his only means of retreat as a primary weapon.

Before Dirge could say anymore Ramjet interjected. While he wasn't sure what his squad leader would say next, he didn't want it upset the meeting.

"You heard him, Dirge! If Deathscreamer says he's up to hearing that creepy tune of yours then he's ok with me. I personally hate it but hey it's worth the look on those Autobots."

The maroon mech continued to hide behind his own bravado. Thrust wanted to protest the use of Dirge's fear tactics; the sound would resonate in his sensors for days. I can't say 'not use it' or risk looking worse than the rookie. Either way Rapture's firm reply, to Dirge's relief, made it a mute point.

Ramjet liked the way Rapture answered Dunehopper. It wasn't every mission a high ranked officer offered to immediately reward a successful mission. The conehead considered following her to say as much but thought better of it. I wonder if she can hold her energon.

The red winged warrior even got a kick out of Deathscream's reply to Dirge too. The rookie has bearings alright; he better not loose them on the field or that sword if he wants to make it back.

After Rapture dismissed the seeker strike teams to prep, Ramjet thought it best to check his standard seeker armaments of laser rifles and cluster bombs. He didn't give anymore thought on the events in the briefing room as now his logic circuits only register two functions: blasting Autobots and fueling up on energon; and his processor was still buzzing from overcharge.

As Ramjet walked past the Energon station toward the armory he heard Deathscream's confident declarations.

Dirge being too meticulous not to have prepped prior to the briefing headed to the main hanger with Thrust in tow.

(ooc: I'm not home during the weekend, so I'll first be able to post sunday evening (CET) or sometime monday. Have a nice weekend)

Shockwave's Tower ~ 'Arena'

"Hmpf" was the only thing that came from Thrall's mouth. He was not much up for debating combat-styles in the middle of an arena-fight. The action in front of him gave him sporadic nostalgic daydreams of a time only a few present had witnessed. He missed the old days before the war, where the only warriors were those in the pits fighting for not only their lives, but for glory and pride.

Bane had been prepared for some sort of counter-attack. He let Blackguard's spiked shield go through his defenses, only to hit the air as the Corrupticon showed the Sweep why he had never lost a fight before. With a reverse sumersault, the Black Death would gain both momentum as well as a chance to disarm or disrupt Blackguard. Even if it didn't succeeded in the latter he would have gained a precious astrosecond.

Landing on his feets, he drew his other sword and went into a defensive stature, awaiting Blackguard's next move. One mistake and the Black Death would take advantage of it and end the battle in the most painful way.

Polyhex outskirts

Skyjack took a moment to decide what he was to do now that he aad arrived in Ployhex. First, I should talk to my new CO, he thought. He booted up his Comlink and called Shockwave, using the same encryption the coordinator had used to reach him. <<I have arrived Lord Shockwave. I recieved your message and the attachment. Also, I bring news from Kaon. Requsting further assignment.>>

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Swindle was a little surprised to find Onslaught standing behind him, but covered it up with a pleasant smile and a salute.
"It's very nice to know I warrant such attention from my commanding officer sir. But there's no trouble here, Shockwave runs a tight ship."

Blackguard's follow-through stab hit air as Bane somersaulted off his sheild. He was dismayed that he had once again been handed the next move by Bane, the paradigm shift in his style wasn't really something he could get over. His only option was to somehow shift the environment from where Bane's comfort spot was as well.
"Remember what was agreed, Bane. Anything goes."
Every Decepticon warrior was constructed not only to the highest grade of fortification and strength, but given an inbuilt flight system, so even a land-based warrior could fly to and from battle. So as Blackguard took off and began a series of sweeping blows from above Bane's head, he knew the gladiator could follow him easily. But could he fight as effectively in the air, where the arena was 3-dimensional, and the Sweep had the better mobility from his jets?

"I mean, this fight is the perfect reason why there wouldn't be any trouble," Swindle continued, "since stuff like this diffuses any tension. The 'Bots love to beleive we're all so needlessly violent, beating each other to death at the drop of a sprocket, but the truth is, a little harmless scrap like this every decacycle or so and no-one has anything to complain about. Heck, I bet the 'Bots have more discipline problems than we'll ever have."

Shockwave's Tower - Ready Line

It had not taken Dunehopper long at all to prepare for the mission to the Tygus Span. He had the habit of walking around with fully-loaded weapons systems even when not anywhere near the battlefield. While this was perhaps a bad idea given the potential for a malfunction or accidental firing - especially with his temperamental multi-rocket launchers - Dunehopper hadn't blown up himself or any base yet, and so continued the practice. He had topped off with energon prior to the impromptu gladiatorial games, and so needed no refueling.

Noticing he was the first to arrive, he took the appropriate spot on the line and transformed into his heavy yet sleek jet mode. The golden Seeker awaited the others, his combat processor very nearly running overtime with glee as he contemplated the opportunities for mass destruction ahead.



Outskirts

As might be expected, Shockwave's reply to Skyjack's message was brief and to the point.

>>"Report to Drydock Omega."

Four words expressed urgency and the designation of the spy's information and other concerns as secondary to the mission at hand. It was not that Skyjack's information was not something of which Shockwave wished to know. Rather, there were more momentous matters at hand.



Shockwave's Tower - En Route to Drydock Omega

The immense Drydock - second-largest in the Empire, as Motormaster quite correctly recalled - lay not within Shockwave's Tower but some distance away, in the very middle of Polyhex. Once the area had been the center of industry in the relentlessly urbanized city-state, with the Drydock the pulsing main fuel pump of the entire area. Today, ruins covered the Drydock's massive doors, but despite its obliterated appearance, the underground facility beneath the immense armored doors was intact and wholly functional. The detritus obscuring its existence had been a boon, even. The Autobots seemed nearly to have forgotten that Drydock Omega had ever operated. Perhaps they would pay dearly for that mistake in the near future.

Or so Shockwave surmised. He did not hope. Hope was merely a distracting emotion.

Wordlessly leading the other Decepticons through winding corridors into the subterranean levels of the Tower, the military coordinator guided them to a small maglev station that stood behind several security-coded blast doors. Once the others had boarded the single car of the maglev train, the vehicle hissed softly through its tunnels until arriving at the floor level of Drydock Omega. Its doors slid open once more, allowing the passengers to exit into the Drydock's main bay. As they emerged into the kilometers-long underground space, they were met with a truly imposing construct.

"The Thanatos. Placed in deactivated reserve until such time as absolute need or energon surplus warranted reactivation and restoration to front-line status."

Shockwave advanced toward the enormous, menacing purple warship.

"The former has occured."

Shockwave's Tower - Ready Line

Deathscreamer reached the ready line some astroseconds after Dunehopper did.He assumed his position right next to him and transformed into his red paint jet mode,hovering and awaiting the rest of the squadron to arrive.

This is it,he thought with anxiety,his transistors filled with excitement for the confrontation to come.This would be the first time Deathscreamer would combat Autobots since the Decepticon academy.He wondered if the Autobots are as fierce warriors as they were told,if he could manage to beat one today.

It was clear to Deathscreamer's mind that there was no alternative than winning any Autobots he would encounter today.He knew that part of the reason for his assignment to wing two,those seekers that would engage the Autobots as they arrived,was a test for himself to show his battle skills.If he could impress his superior officer,he would be given more responsibilities in time and he would finally become a respected Decepticon warrior instead of the rookie he is now;if he fails though,reassignment to a less important sector would follow or even worse a transfer back to the seeker academy for reprogramming and retraining.That he could not allow.

He had managed to hide his fear of his own inexperience thus far by boastful decelerations but actions talk louder than words.He ought to make good of his boasts - and he intended to do.

I must make a good impression today.I must!,he thought roaring his engines in readiness.

Shockwave's Tower - Ready Line

Thrust, the most eager of the coneheads arrived first in wing one. When were through with Tygus they'll know just what hit them and fear our return.

The maroon warrior targeted both his arm mounted compressed air rifles out toward an unseen horizon. "Like shooting empties in a cylinder for us... or two columns anyway."

"Only you'll be shooting Autobots who shoot back. Even when assigned out of there squad, the Intruders have all the fun!" Thrust said to Dunehopper and Deathscreamer before transforming to his modified Tetra jet alt.
_____

Ramjet finished loading his ordinance and swaggered in soon after finding Dirge. Not even the familiar wine of Dirge's fear engine who steal the joy of combat from the redwinged warrior.

"eh, I'm goin, I'm goin. Just turn off your freaky show tune before she gets here."

The white coneheaded soldier was already anxious to drop his bombs at the span; much as his pain processing was faulty, after long exposure to Dirge, so was his sense of fear.

Still, if anything, the use of Dirge's tactical weapon on himself lead Ramjet to question the amount of respect he gets within his own squadron. The answer could be forth coming on this mission.
_____

Dirge had choice words for his subordinant Ramjet while in the corridor. The blue coneheaded soldier didn't get his position as squadron leader by being too cautious but by crushing the resolve of even the strongest foes. Control is what enables Dirge to command; and fear was his favored instrument. Along the corridor

"You might wish to hurry Ramjet. Mustn't have the sub commander waiting for us. If the second column does not fall, it will reflect on Rapture as much as us.If we are not made her escape decoy. Our team must be ever vigilante."

Without permission to use his fear engine in the field, he had to exert it over someone else, anyone else. Of all the Decepticons who could adjust to vorns of even more morose mandates, it would be this hardheaded seeker. At least I still have Thrust.

Satisfied with his handy work, the fear engine's whine downed to a subtle hum then mute. Following some time of extended brooding at the door he walked in and transformed. The squad leader optimized his tactical logic circuits and awaited Raptures arrival.

OOC: I just am posting to apologize for being so 'silent'. I stopped getting notifications and due to me being in exams i never decently noticed. I hope i haven't held up anyone?

Skys above Polyhex

<<Affirative. On my way,>> Skyjack replied. He swooped down, knowing he was close to the drydock.

Drydock omega

Skyjack flew down to the dock as he joined up withthe group, he recognized the Stunticons. That little group of psychos must mean it's important. He also recognized the imposing form of Shockwave. Transforming, he walked forward and saluted the military coordinator. "Sorry I'm late, sir, I had to finish cleaning up after the Insecticon's mess. What do you- oh." The Thanatos stopped the espionage unit dead in his tracks. The mere sight of the vast warship was enough to impress anyone. For once in his life, Skyjack was speechless. Quickly, he averted his eyes from the battleship, almost as if in fear. He turned away to Shockwave. "So," He asked, "where are we taking this flying mini-armegeddon?"

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Bane had to admit that his foe wasn't as easy as he had thought, but that wouldn't change anything except making the battle a bit longer than anticipated.

With Blackguard attacking him from the air, Bane had to quickly analyzing the situation. The Sweep was appearently faster than him in the air, but he was also reliant on his boosters to maintain that advantage. Though it wasn't as easy as on the ground, Bane managed to keep the Sweep's blade from his frame by a combination of dodge, parry and by simply avoiding contact whenever the opportunity occured. For a younger warrior all this might have caused stress and ultimately make him do a mistake, but Bane had a confidence that could rival Megatron's and ofcourse the necessary experience and physical qualifications to withstand it. While it may be difficult, he had to try damage the fuel-tanks or the boosters themselves to even it out. With a series of fast slicing attacks whenever Blackguard was attacking, Bane tried his luck. It was just a matter of time before the Sweep was hit and time was on Bane's side at the moment.

OOC: You haven't really held us up Darth Vegeta. In fact, your opponent seems to have gone AWOL. I'd contact the mods about it, perhaps.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Blackguard and Banes blades danced in midair, as the two warriors clashed in their three-dimensional duel. Bane's counterattacks were met by Blackguards shield and blade, but several blows turned and met the rest of him. A scrape along his forearm cut off one of his spikes. A secondary fuel line was nicked, sending a few meaningless yet highly significant drops of black fuel to the floor. It was obvious that Bane still had the edge.
Still I can't find an opening. Time to think outside the box a little more.
Engaging his boosters, Blackguard backflipped in midair and transformed to hover-skiff mode. Then, his enlarged engines roaring in protest, he blasted forward, his reinforced body becoming a massive spiked battering ram, aimed straight at Bane.

Drydock Omega

The statement Shockwave had made regarding the ancient battlecruiser didn't go unnoticed by Motormaster despite his usual lack of interest towards the motivations behind the decisions of his superiors. "Restoration of Thanatos' frontline status? What's next? Darksyde and the Nemesis?"

"You and rest of high command have been preaching about saving energon ever since the Great Shutdown ended and now we are getting this energy eel to fly... Not that I wouldn't enjoy weapons of mass destruction any less than Wildrider but... why?" It was always a risk to test the patience of the likes of Shockwave by speaking to them without being told to but Motormaster had not made it a habit to fear anyone. Respect, however was another thing and in his own way Motormaster could respect Shockwave's power. The fact that the military coordinator was more of a walking computer with enough firepower to destroy an Omega Sentinel to Motormaster than a Transformer, mattered little.

With Skyjack making his appearance just after the Stunticon commander had presented his own questions and pretty much repeating them at least gave Shockwave another target to be annoyed with would the cyclops get agitated by the questions presented to him.

Drydock Omega

With a whine of heel-mounted anti-grav engines, Starscream lighted near the group of Decepticons milling in the vicinity of the Thanatos. Everything about the drydock was excessively oversized, understandable when one considered the bulk of the vessel berthed there, and it certainly made getting around a great deal easier. After all, it would have been absurd for the former commander of Megatron's air forces to tottle around on the ground like a common Insecticon.

He offered Shockwave an indolent salute, before his optics turned again to the formerly mothballed battlecruiser. It was of a design philosophy typical to this brutish stage of the Empire's history: mammoth, graceless, and as subtle as a cybertronium brick to the faceplate. But the Seeker would grant that it was not without its uses.

"Yes, Shockwave," he added to the barrage of inquiries that had risen up around the cyclops, while simultaneously ignoring the underlings. "Do tell us what all the uproar is about. Are we finally going to do something with this gigantic eyesore?"

Dead End kept his vocalizer offline, throwing anxious glances Motormaster's way. He wasn't especially curious about their presence at the drydock. Whatever was going on, it was certain to be but the latest miserable episode in a long and unhappy existence.

Shockwave's Tower - Arena

"I hardly think that beating the rivets out of each other is the most productive use of a soldier's time, Swindle," Onslaught remarked with a touch of wry humor. He had little personal interest in the combat presently underway. His preferred battleground was one of the mind, though he was more than capable of staggering physical violence when left with no other alternative. "It's a frivolous expenditure of our limited energy resources."

The Combaticon Commander could not have denied, however, that he'd experienced a momentary temptation to kick his smooth-talking subordinate into the middle of the fighting Decepticons. A few mega-cycles in the CR chamber would certainly keep the clever conmech from getting up to his usual chicanery.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Blackguard hit him hard. There was no way he could have prevented it, not in the air atleast. If it had been on the ground he could've used his speed to avoid bein rammed. With the immense power of his boosters the Sweep managed to damage Bane with one of his frontal spikes. Liquids began sewing out of the wound. It wasn't fatal or overly serious, but it would put him in a major disadvantage against Bludgeon once this little menace had been taken care of.

The Black Death dropped one of his swords, and grabbed by reflex Blackguard's altform by one of the spikes immediately after the attack, one of the frontal spikes still stuck inside Bane with the fluids slowly pouring out on the Sweep's upper frame.

"Now you can't escape your end" Bane's hollow laugher echo'd as he used his other sword and intended to return the favor by pushing it through the midsecion of the Sweep's alt-form with all the strenght he had.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Rampage was watching the combat with an almost delighted interest; he himself hadn't gotten involved more out of a sense of self-preservation than anything else. Still it was absolutely fascinating how the combatants fought each other. He did spare an audio to the goings on around him though and did listen to Onslaught's comment deeming it to not be of his interest he said nothing and continued to watch.

At the sight of Blackguard ramming into Bane; Rampage held back a pleased purr. Knowing all to well that he wasn't watching this fight alone; instead he meerly continued to watch.

Shockwave's tower – Ready Line

Finally alone ghost refueled and loaded his weapons. He was sure rapture would make good use of his skills but the invisible seeker was still perturbed at her. Ghost was not one to let things go so lightly. He didn't care if she was climbing the Decepticon ladder of power. She was a damn femme, and she hadn't even started out as a seeker to begin with. He slammed his weapons into place and marched into the ready line.

Ghost was aware that is dead advisor had not returned yet and he simply assumed the ghost Mech was still following Rapture. The spy snorted he would never understand the concept of bondmates. What was the point, sure there were some lookers among the femmes such as Rapture herself and that silver prototype of Thunderwing's design but beyond that the reason behind it all was lost upon Ghost.

The specialized spy gave a casual glance to the others assembled in the ready. He would probably get his usual assignment of hit and run or play the living camera again. He stood closer to the Coneheads than to Dunehopper and Deathscreamer.

“Wonderful” .. he mumbled


Drydock Omega

Breakdown Shuddered as he entered the Drydock with the rest of his team. The mission did not excite him nor did the prospect of flying in the large craft appeal to him. There were too many surveillance systems aboard that ship. His paranoia was getting the better of him and it caused the Stunticon to remain mute. His optics trained on Motormaster as he spoke to Shockwave.




Blitzwing entered the drydock with all the bravo that was customary to the triplechanger. His red optics taking inventory on all the mechs present. And interesting selection no doubt. He wondered what had made Shockwave choose who he chose.... certainly it was not based on any thread of emotion or favoritism. Blitz couldn't picture Shockwave liking anybody enough to even use the word.




Polyhex Southernteir

Skywarp continued his course setting still finding nothing. Though he did notice the passing of an unmarked Decepticon ship (not knowing it was Megatron's ship) it was not a priority. He would report it when he returned.

>>Hey Thundercracker You find anything worth reporting yet? I think Cyclonus is just wasting energon by making us do this slag. I cant see any Autobots trying anything now. It's quiet and they would stick out like a rust spot.<<

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Elated at the success of his attack, Blackguard attempted to transform and press home the advantage, but once again Bane proved himself more resilient than the Sweep had expected. His wing-shield was only just unwrapping from around his arm when the gladiator's blade sheared through it and into his arm, almost punching into his body.
Blackguard would have gritted his teeth against the pain if his face had fully transformed, but with one half his body nailed to the other, he was now stuck in mid-transformation, pretty much the most vunerable position a transformer could be in.
He needed to get out of this situation quickly, and regroup. Do not Despair of Pain. Pain is Fuel. Blackguard sent impluses to his legs, to transform seperately from the rest of his body. His right leg attempted to unravel from where it was stuck in Bane's chest and iron grip, while his left aimed a kick at the gladiators face.

Swindle pumped his fist at the clash of Bane and Blackguard. Bane falling meant his bet on Bludgeon was looking much better, and Blackguard getting so badly hurt meant he would likley fall before Battletrap. Swindle looked like he would be taking home some chips. He continued his conversation with Onslaught, trying not to look too engrossed in the fight. "Ugh, well, I know Energon's a little tight these cycles, but it'd be much worse if we were running the Hardlight Simulators all the time, or letting everyone stay in the Commisary all the time drinking high-grade. The odd fight isn't the optimum solution, but it works and overall, running the CR for a few breems is far from the worst way to use up Energon."

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

The kick came a bit unexpected. Bane wouldn't have guessed this Sweep was more endurable than he appeared to be. The Black Death's scientific curiousity took an overhand for a brief astrosecond. He really wanted to rip Blackguard apart to see how he was designed... and if he would suffer at the process, then even better.

The kick hit Bane's head and he lost his grip on the spike, but swiftly grabbed the other end of his sword. If the Sweep wanted to escape his own demise, he had to sacrifice his arm as the weight of Black Death would sear the sword through the limp, seperating half of the arm from the rest. To force the Sweep down on the ground as well as inflicting pain, if not also damage, he intended to kick his opponent with his knee until subdued.

"You can't escape the epitome of death, Sweep" the Corrupticon's optics glowing even more fiercely than before.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Blackguard's vision began to swirl through the pain, but he managed to remain operational, and despite all his systems telling him not to, he managed to convince them to finish his transformation.

Blackguard, Bane and Blackguard's left forearm thumped to the ground. Blackguard had managed to keep his feet but fell to his knees. The actual slicing of his arm had shorted out the pain sensors in the limb, so the pain was bearable even if the shock was making him delirious. Mumbling "Pain is fuel, hatred is my sword", Blackguards Heat Laser pulsed out, melting the end of the stump and stopping the flow of vital fluids. Blackguard got weakly to his feet, his shield sliding over the mangled arm and his sword in a guard position. His eyes struggled to focus through the pain and other feedback. This was not going well for him, yet still he found the inner strength to stand.

OOC: i'm finalizing the fight between Bludgeon and Battletrap with permission of Cryhavoc. I'm remaining vague out of respect for the other player's character.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Bludgeon had allowed his adversary to lash out at him while analyzing his movements and techniques. The Decepticon had potential that was for sure, he even managed to perform several surprising moves but Bludgeon's experience and training had let little in doubt regarding the outcome. Finally he had had enough of this, certain that he had made no mistakes in his analysis... and struck. His blade hit high, low and then he kicked. Before his foe could recover, he unleashed a flurry of blows with his blade. The Master of Metalikato hit key spots in his foe's body and the Decepticon fell. He had not slain his foe, only crippled and disabled him. Killing the young warrior would be a waste and the Decepticon Empire could use warriors like him.
Bludgeon turned, his vizored gaze took in Blackguard and Bane. He could strike at Bane now... which he would do in real war but this was an arenabattle and besides... Blackguard would not take kindly to backstabbing like that. Besides... there was much for him to study still... .
The aerial warrior was courageous and determined that was for sure but Bane as expected was a crude and relentless engine of destruction. The sleek polished moves of Blackguard were simply not enough. As the battle continued Bludgeon studied Bane, looking for flaws and weaknesses. Bane would be a worthy challenge... .

Shockwave's Tower - Main Hangar

With all her own preparations completed before the briefing, the midnight femme had taken the time to go on system hiatus. She'd been online since last mega-cycle planning this operation, getting it approved, and dealing with the other minutia that Starscream had sent her way. She wanted to be rested and sharp for this.


Rapture strode up to the ready line, only fifty astroseconds before her announced launch time. Walking the line in front of the assembled tetrajets, she looked the strike team over. There were no grandiose speeches forthcoming, merely a simple, approving nod.

"Seekers. We are go for launch. Good Hunting."

At T-minus 17 astroseconds, the femme transformed, rocketing out of the hangar bay. The sleek interceptor swiftly gained altitude, leveling off at 30 kilometers. She had keep her speed down; most of her brethren topped out around her supercruise velocity.

>>"Form on my wing,"<< Rapture transmitted to the strike force. >>"We'll keep high and fast until we hit the border, then drop to subsonic and come in under their radar."<< Switching to a secure channel, she contacted Ghost alone.

>>"Ghost, Once we drop below radar to make our final approach, I want you to break formation and reconnoiter the target zone. I want to know if they have anti-aircraft batteries set up. Intel is too spotty for my liking. Once the enemy arrives, do what you do best. Evade detection, hit them hard. And often."<<

The Strike force cut a swath through the clear Polyhex sky.

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

Cyclonus continued to watch as the combatants fought in the makeshift arena. Bludgeon displayed an impressive amount of skill in his fight. He watched and learned his opponents move before striking quickly and efficiently to take him down without killing him. The Decepticon had lived up to his reputation in close combat. The battle between Bane and Blackguard was of much less interest. Bane seemed to rely on his strength and toughness over skill. It made that battle sloppy on his end. Blackguard was giving everything he had but was clearly outmatched.

The battle then reached a point where the outcome was quite clear. Blackguard had put up a valiant fight but was no down one hand. He wasn’t going to stand there and allow the Sweep to be torn apart further for the amusement of other Decepticons. Valuable soldiers of the empire should not be wasted in such a way.

“Enough! Blackguard, report to the repair bay. The match is not to the death. Bane and Bludgeon can continue to fight each other if they wish, but I’m not going to have Decepticons killing each other just for the sake of entertainment.”

*

Shockwave's Tower - Drydock Omega

Darkwing and Dreadwind were only slightly mollified to see that they would be traveling aboard the battlecruiser Thanatos. While the ship boasted impressive defenses and armament, those same features also meant in drew more enemy fire than most other vessels. Ultimately it would succumb to a vast barrage of fire that would be focused on it. The only question now was whether it be from Autobot ships or from some alien ship from wherever they were taking it.

The two fliers weren’t much comforted by their companions or commander for the journey. Shockwave saw everything as numbers and equations. He wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice them if necessary. Starscream was more of a gloryhound than a commander and would ultimately leave them or let them die to save his own hide or reputation. Motormaster was well known for pounding his own Stunticons, let alone other Decepticons. The fact that his team was made up of a bunch of psychopathic maniacs didn’t help either. The odds of them getting killed by their own teammates were fairly high as well. As always, it would be a race to see how they would ultimately die, by alien, by Autobot or by Decepticon.

Drydock Omega - The Thanatos

As the other Decepticons began to ask questions, Shockwave simply held up his hand hand to silence them. He had larger concerns than the inquiries of his subordinates. Continuing toward the capital ship, he transmitted command codes to its mostly dormant main computer system. BEGIN REACTIVATION. AUTHORIZATION: SHOCKWAVE-223455615-SIGMA.

A resonant bass hum began to fill the Drydock. Within the Thanatos, massive fusion reactors flared to life once more, energon flowing through huge cables that reached down through the Drydock's floor into vast reserve tanks. In other times, Shockwave would have considered the use of so much energon for a single task exorbidant, inexcusable even, but this was no ordinary time.

The military coordinator transmitted additional commands to the warship. Its computers came back online after millenia of inactivity, and began downloading data from the Tower's systems in order to update and recalibrate. A large door far down on the ship's hull hissed open to reveal an access lift, and Shockwave strode into its large car. It was large enough to accommodate the entire group of Decepticons, and it was clear that Shockwave intended that they follow him. As the doors hissed closed behind them and the car began to rise into the huge craft's main hull, Shockwave finally spoke.

"Infiltration protocol is being initiated. Target: class thirteen planet AC488. Infiltration unit: all present in this access lift."

The access lift stopped, and its doors opened to reveal the Thanatos' Main Bridge. Shockwave walked into the dome-shaped chamber and took a seat in the command chair at the center of it. A dataline snaked out of his right arm and plugged into a console near the chair, and he began interfacing with the ship's systems.

"Stations," he commanded. "Time is a commodity not to be wasted."



Polyhex Airspace - En route to the Tygus Span

>>"Roger that," Dunehopper acknowledged Rapture's commands as he climbed alongside her. He was capable of achieving three and a half times the speed of sound in level flight, just like most of his brother and sister Seekers, but high-altitude flight was not his preferred task. He was built for low-level incursion, and no Seeker was better at coming in at high speed under enemy radar.

Oh well, we'll be at the Span soon enough...and then it's Dunehopper's time to shine!

Polyhex Airspace - En route to the Tygus Span

>>"Roger,Sub-commander!"<< said Deathscreamer and maneuvered to the right while gradually climbing up until he reached the intended height,besides his comrades.He then assumed battle formation and kept the speed steady to an appropriate level.

I will earn her attention today...Or be scrapped trying!

Shockwave's Tower - 'Arena'

"Well, dang". Whether it was the violence of the last few moves of the fight, or the fact he'd just lost his bet, but Swindle finally fell silent, and gave Reforge his 5 chips with a regretful look on his face.

It took Blackguard a few astroseconds to realise what Cyclonus was saying, but he realised the wisdom in the Air Commander's words. Bane had walked much further along the Decepticon path than the Sweep had, so there was little he could do here but learn from what had occured.
Blackguard powered down his blade, retracted his shield, and nodded his appreciation at Bane. He then bent to pick up his arm, then as an afterthought, tucked the forearm under his shoulder and grabbed ahold of the unconscious form of Battletrap. Dragging the Duocon after him, the Sweep walked into the crowd, watching to make sure Bane didn't go for the kill regardless of orders.
"Reforge...Let me know...how the rest of the fight turns out..." Blackguard walked towards the door, his steps a little unsteady, Battletrap scraping along behind him.