Terrorpin's head snapped up from his daydream, semi alert to his surroundings. His vision focused slowly and his internals whirred and groaned in protest as he began to move about. He realized then that he was still on the bridge of his new ship...and he had just zoned out then and there. A brief look around told him that no one had noticed. It was indeed odd that even Charmacon had left the stowaway "spy" unattended for any amount of time at all without locking him up first. Was this mission they were on truly that important?
Another look around told him No. The pilot was lazing around and letting the automated navigation do the work for him, the crab (whom he recognized as a former subordinate of Moltor's) had just stalked off toward where the commander had retreated, and the others were doing their own thing, though Charmacon was nowhere in sight. He was most likely off obsessing over Starscream. Idiot...
Terrorpin needed answers. And since the second-in-command was ignorant, that meant the other crew members were as well. So the only way to get a clue was to talk to the big Kahuna himself. He slowly raised himself up and started after the crab.
Terrorpin found Klaw-hammer soon enough, but, seeing that he was already conversing with the commander, he opted to keep his distance from where the massive crustacean stood in the doorway. Sneaking wasn't a strong point of Terrorpin's, but his hearing was excellent. He was picking up every word with little effort. He snorted silently to himself. Warriors.. kill, maim, destroy, blast, slag... He swore that was all they thought about. Well, that and interfacing. But this conversation was already starting out boring.. a complaining crab and a FELINE Predacon (of course there was also the bear he caught a glimpse of earlier... He figured someone at the Pit had gotten a hold of some bad energon) that were just bantering on. He sighed and stepped back away from the direction of the babbling Cons.
There had to be something to do around here... He now admitted that the crab was right about the boredom, though. And there was definately an urge to maim and or slag something soon, but he wasn't a warrior. He supposed that meant he should either ask around for combat lessons of some sort or seriously reconsider his position.
At the moment, though, he was in the mood for neither. Instead, he'd just harrass the locals...
Aspis had returned the ship after his fulfilling game of blackjack, and he walked to his room with a spring in his step. Messing around on the computer for a few cycles, he felt the ship take off...and, contemplating going to the bridge, he suddenly...caught a whiff of something. Not too strong but...labratory chemicals? The acrid smell of a strong preservative was the most prevelant one. Walking around quietly, he searched for the source. Then he saw something. Someone. Just off in the distance, looking into the bridge. Sneaking around, and badly, too. He walked up quietly and put his dart launcher into the small of the intruder's back...which was more of a shell. A turtle? No time to contemplate. "You've got about five nanos to tell me what the slag you're doing here."
The turtle Predacon's visor widened in surprise. Not only was it because he had been startled again, but also because the voice didn't belong to that freaking lizard, much less one of the two conversing Preds he had just eavesdropped on.
He doubted anything on board the ship so small as what was currently pressed against the lower plates of his shell were capable of piercing it at all, and decided not to turn around to face the Predacon behind him.
"I was merely adjusting to and exploring to my new surroundings. Sitting there like a hog-tied Quintesson with an itch on his... er... whatever-they-have, was getting rather boring. And what of you, my dear Mr. Bond?"
Aspis pokes him sharply, hoping something would be felt through the shell. "Wrong answer. Are you going to tell me who you are, or am I going to have fun with a stowaway?"
Terrorpin's shoulders slumped in exasperation and shook his head.
"I've BEEN through this already.. Just ask Charmacon. I've been caught, detained, and made his personal 'lieutentant' already by the Big Kahuna himself, sheesh.." he said, turning defiantly to face the serpent Predacon. "Now would you mind maybe explaining who you are? If I'm going to be on this bucket of bolts for an extended period of time, I might as well learn names."
Aspis stared at the turtle for a second, then holstered his dart launcher. "Then I hope you don't mind accompanying me to the bridge? Just to make sure." He flashed what tried to be a winning smile but failed miserably. "I'm Aspis." Then he grabbed the turtle's arm, not roughly, and maneuvered him toward the nearby bridge. "You are?"
"Name's Terrorpin. And last time I checked, my legs were fully functional." he said, breaking the snake's hold. He mosied out onto the bridge and waited with his arms crossed for Aspis. "Now then, other than proving that I'm an already-discovered stowaway, what are we doing here?"
Aspis felt a snarl building up. This...TURTLE was really pissing him off. Then he controlled it. It passed in a moment. Rage never did anyone any good. "I'm checking to make sure everyone know's about you, but I guess I don't need to any more. So..." he wheedled, "why don't you tell me why you're on our ship? Call me CRAZY, but I don't tend to blindly trust turtles who have a bad temper and smell like..." He sniffs. "What's that, natron? A preservative? Hm."
"That natron is just one of my chemicals in my personal "chemistry set" inside my shell. And as for my purpose on this ship? Simple. I wanted off Kull Tan.. y'know? Exploration and such. But now that my plans of using your ship as a transport vessel are gone, I suppose I'm along for the ride." the turtle answered, offering an amiable handshake.
Terrorpin was glad his face was able to hold minimal expression. While he was outwardly trying to release the situational tension, he was inwardly angry at himself for having gotten to this point. Nothing about this escapade was going his way. At his current rate, he'd have the whole Pred crew after him in the form of an angry mob. A smile formed beneath his faceplate as he dreamed up a scene of himself being chased by the ship's crew while crazy banjo music played and a few shot at him with primitive projectile weapons. His warped imagination was all he ever needed in life..
Aspis shook his head. There had been no shortage of weirdos at the Academy, but this guy was looking stranger than ever. He ignored the hand proferred him and gestured toward the bridge. "Come on, I want to verify your story." He waited until the turtle started moving, then followed.
Terrorpin shook his head and slowly walked in the direction that the snake, Ass piss or whatever had gestured toward. He knew the only thing accepted as the truth about him was that he was a secret selling spy.
His lies earlier on had cost him dearly. Charmacon had hatched a lie that dealt a substantial blow to the concept of being trusted by anyone. 'I hope that freaking lizard's having fun with this...' he thought sourly.
"You'll only getting partial truth about me from the others." He looked toward the bridge, and spotted Paradox lounging in the pilot's seat. "But if it makes you happy, snakey, we'll go get the story from Pair'a Socks or whatever his name is. 'Least he's a member of the 'I Hate Charmacon' club too."
"Did did did I hear someone mention hating Charmacon?" Paradox swivled around in his seat. "Oh it's you, the stowaway." Paradox smiled. "...And snake boy. Ah, my troubles started with you. If IF IF you hadn't tried to sneak in to the complex, well, I might have not gotten in this mess." Then Paradox thought for a while, "But if you really think about it, Charmacon started all this." Paradox got up and started to vent, "You know, I could have easily been second-in-command! My piloting abilities are unquestioned!" Then Paradox realized they weren't there to listen to him complain. "What what what do you want anyway?" he asked.
Aspis listened...or rather, PRETENDED to listen to Paradox, smiling and nodding in all the right places. When he asked his question, Aspis merely replied, "Oh, nothing. Just making sure you all already knew he was on the ship." He turned to the turtle. "So...why did you want to jump on ship with US?" He smiled ruefully, knowing that there were plenty of better ships to go on, and better things to do with his time.
"Isn't it obvious? He wants a mission with bite, with a certain amount a excitement, and plenty of of of oppurtunity to get slagged and beaten. All without even meeting the Maximals!" Paradox rubbed his neck in the place where Stormclaw had at him.
Terrorpin chuckled quietly. It was good to see someone who didn't treat everything like an overly dramatic Soap Opera... whatever that was. And then it finally hit him.
Maximals.
The only Maximals he had been in contact with in stellar cycles were Silverquick and his only-mentioned crew. Meeting his fellow scientist was one of his more bright moments aboard the floating pirate station. In the short time he had talked with him, Terrorpin had gained a good deal of respect for the aquatic Cybertron. He chuckled once again at the irony of a thought echoing in the back of his mind. If push came to shove, aiding Silverquick and his allies would be far more worthy an idea than slagging them because of factional prejudices or mission orders not even given to him. And these were Predacon thoughts?
Terrorpin cleared his throat and glanced at the insectoid Cybertron. "Oh yes, plenty o' fun there.. Heheh... Actually, it was purely random. I had no preference in the ship that was to take me off that idiot haven. I had just as good of a chance boarding the Maximal ship you mentioned as I did this one."
And he turned his attention to the snake. "Are you quite done, Mr. Conspiracy Theorist?"
Nightfall watched them, shaking her head. Men.
Paradox then remembered. Nightfall, the blade. In all his complaining, he forgot the computer had finished. "Hey Hey Hey, Nightfall. Blade was done a while ago." Paradox neared her and extended the blade. He smiled as he waved it around. "Hey, the computer did a fine job if you ask me. And..." Paradox got out an old pipe he picked up from the station a while ago. Paradox it up in the air, and slashed at it. After almost hovering in the air, the pipe twirled onto the ground, in two different places, cleanly cut in the middle. "...very very very sharp." Paradox retracted the blade and offered it to her. "Oh well, it's nice to know that pipe came in handy."
Nightfall smiled at the bug, accepting the blade. "Thanks. Nice to know there's one bot here I can rely on..." She leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, then returned to her station.
Paradox returned to his station quite calmly. Chuckling as he made his way past Aspis and Terrorpin. "Of course course course this mission does have it's good pionts." Paradox sat down and lost all structural support. His hand sunk into his cheek, as slight wash fluid leaked from his mouth. Paradox wiped it away and stared at the stars through the view screen. Paradox counted the stars and thought, She loves me, She loves me not, or I'm just a tool for her impending treachery, and I'm going to get betrayed by her and slagged by Stormclaw because of it. Ah, but I don't care! She loves me, she loves me not not not. Doh I'm doing it again, repeating myself in my thoughts! I hate it when that happens. Ow, my head aches, I must be thinking too much...
The snake's scathing retort to Terrorpin's "Mr. Conspiracy Theory" remark was cut short when the energon blade pulled out of its hilt. The incandescent blue light still flared as an after-image in Aspis' mind. An energon blade? Why would Nightfall need one? They were used often enough, but Nightfall didn't seem like the kind of bot who would be so deadset on killing someone to risk death herself. So...why? It made no sense. Something very strange was going on.
He blinked his optics once or twice, in a seeming daze. Then he shook his head, clearing a few errant thoughts, and shakily said, "Um. I'll be back in...my quarters. Call me if you need me..." He started for the door...then stopped. He was going to check the computer logs for something explanatory, but then...he thought, this is his crew. He needed to get a little social with them SOME time for whatever they were doing to succeed. He walked over to Nightfall. "Hey... I've been kind of out of the loop recently, but... What's the blade for?"
She looked over. "The subcommander and I managed to corner one of the Maxies. The traitor on their ship that helped us wasn't any normal Maxie. It's a Decepticon. Starscream. I did some reasearch; he's supposed to be immortal or invunerable... The blade's for him, if we have to face him." She offered it to him to look over. "I gave the commander the plans, too. I wouldn't suggest carrying one around all the time, the energon radiation, even with the shielding, can interfere with your systems...."
If Aspis had anything in his mouth, he would have spit it out. "Starscream?!" The name was infamous, the legendary traitor to the Decepticons. "How...WHY would they have Starscream on board?"
Nightfall shrugged. "The Maxie didn't know. In fact he only found out right before they arrived here who it was... Maybe Starscream has something to do with their mission, or they're ferrying him someplace one their way... Seems their mission isn't as simple as we thought..."
Aspis thought a second. "Maybe our mission, too. Look, I'll be back..." He turns and begins to walk toward the door. "I'm going to check the ship's data banks on history, see if I can figure anything out about Starscream that might tell us what's going on, or at least give us a hint as to why the Maximals have him."
Nightfall nodded. "Good luck...." She knew she knew the mission, and so did the Commander, but she wasn't going to go telling anyone about it, that was his job... "They're going to someplace called Cerebros station... Maybe that will help you."
Aspis stopped in his tracks. Almost to himself, he muttered quickly, wildly, "Cerebros Station? Maximal Cerebros Station... Cerebros...Maximal...Station." He paused. "No, that can't be right." He suddenly jumped a little, his optics widening, and without further ado, he jogged off.
—DW, KH, BB, CB
No longer shaken, but now fully aware, and prepared, General Aximus—Jax, as he typically allowed, not being one for fancy titles—paced down a line of ten trained Cerebros Fortress guards. "All right," he began, calling for their attention. "As ya may know, we have a bit of royalty on the station. Know about that office they save in the top level JUST in case?" He pointed upward. Then, he nodded. "Yeah." Trying to be subtle, Jax pointed to a camera hanging above the arched exit. "So don't...say anything." He paced back a little. "Just to fill you in on what's going on..."
"General."
The tenor voice sliced over Jax's radio. The jackal general blinked a moment. "Yes. Sir?"
"Your presence is required."
The radio connection closed.
"Just like that," Jaxtrin muttered. He looked up the line, to spot a guard with some rank and holding. "Barricade, you wanna explain to the grunts about our guests? Watch the screen." He pointed to a console on the wall behind him, posed underneath a great curved window that peered out into the serene darkness of space. "Red good, purple bad, you know the drill."
"Yes sir." replied Barricade. Walking out of line, he strode to the front. "Alright, listen up troops. Aside from our aforementioned royalty, we're gonna have more company real soon. Seems like we're being sent a crew of fellow Maxies with a new gift." The soldiers started talking to each other. "For the scientists, not us, so shut your voice boxes!" Sparing a brief look at the radar, he saw nothing coming in yet. Maybe this time, something remotely exciting will happen. One of the other soldier's raised hands interrupted his thoughts. "What is it, Skyram?"
The buffalo-harrier fuzor spoke up." Just what would this gift be, lieutenant?"
"Apparently, they have some big-shot researcher who's gonna be setting up residence here for a while. And no, I have no idea who in the Inferno that could be so it won't be any use asking." He let his words sink into the crowd before a sudden bleep went off at the radar station. "Well, looks like that researcher is looking forward to his new home. Let's get going." They left the room quickly, so quickly that Barricade didn't notice the purple blip that just entered the screen as they left.
—AF, Guy Duke
Klaw-hammer had just exited Commander Stormclaw's room when Aspis jogged by.
"Hey, snake-guy, where's the fire?" Klaw-hammer laughed to himself. Aspis paid him no mind, as he was busy, so Klaw-hammer kept on walking.
Muttering the words over in his head, making sure he got it right. Cerebros...Maximals Station. Maximal, Station Fortress... Lost in thought, he almost forgot to open the door to his quarters. His hand shot out to keep his nose from smashing into the door. His hand smarted a little bit from the sudden halt, but he barely noticed as he opened the door.
Cerebros Maximus. Maximus Station. No, Fortress. He knocked on his computer console a few times. "Wake up, I need to ask you a few questions."
It was an old fashioned flat display, not holographic, which made it seem antiquated. All it had was a few basic accessories and one special modification, while still keeping some decent capabilities.
What do you want? the display read.
Aspis smiled. An intelligent operating system. It was something he always had fun with. It made simple informations searches that much more interesting.
Was that banging noise you? I hope you aren't running into doors for fun.
"Hah, very funny. Look, I'm laughing, really I am."
So? State your business, or let me finish my game of "Count the Atoms in the Room."
Aspis shook his head, chuckling a little. "Okay, look. I need to you check any available databases for information on two subjects: the Decepticon 'Starscream' and the Autobot 'Cerebros Fortress Maximus'. Flash or something when you've got something useful."
Ah, silly snake. the display read in response. I got information while we were talking. You forget, I can multitask.
"Ah, excellent." He paused a few nanos, waiting for the words to come across the screen. "Well? Spit it out?"
You forgot to say please. The screen turned yellow: her color when she thought she was saying something funny.
Aspis fumed for a second. "Please?" he said dryly.
You don't really mean that, do you? Eh, no matter. Information on subject Starscream is this. His most notable feature is his immortal spark.
"Yeah, I know about that."
Right, whatever. Let's see...he was an commander under the original Megatron in the Great War. Oh, he betrayed him on various occasions until they thought they killed him. He came back to help the Autobots later, then...oh, now this is interesting.
When the words paused, Aspis asked, "What?"
He came back in the Beast Wars, temporarily taking over the body of one of the Predacons before being ejected back into space. Oh, wait, something else! Oh, this is a hilarious file! Some speculate he had a "relationship" with Megatron.
Aspis looked down and fumed silently. The killing strike was coming in next.
Think you could finally get to first base with someone?
"Oh, shut UP!" It was a constant point of contention between them. She thought that "relationships" were the funniest things imaginable, especially with the shut-in she had for an operator. "Look, just keep going. Anything else going on with Starscream?"
The screen flared yellow a few times to simulate laughter. Nope, nothing that interesting.
Aspis nodded, calming a little more. "All right, what about Maximus?"
Ancient Roman General, planet Earth. Was stripped of his title and—
"Look, you KNOW what Maximus I'm talking about?"
She seemed to be having fun with him today. Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there. Full name Spike Cerebros Fortress Maximus, usually just Maximus, or Fort-Max. Great Autobot General, and...ooh, this is just the day for interesting things, isn't it? It seems he was large enough to transform into an entire city. Or, Fortress, even.
Aspis' jaw dropped. "An entire CITY? No WAY! How is that POSSIBLE?!"
I would guess he was really really big? The screen was yellow again.
"No time to make jokes, Lucy. Keep going."
Aww...there's always time for jokes. She caught the quickening pace in his breath and decided to switch tack. All right. Other things. Commanded a great fleet...Ah, here's something. He disappeared about five-hundred years ago on a planet named 'Nebulos.'
Aspis smacked his forehead. "THAT'S where I heard the name before! One of the Autobots that disappeared in the Great War." He did a double take. "Wait, did you say Nebulos?"
Yes. And according to extrapolations with starcharts and course maps...there is a 98.3% chance that that is where we are going.
Aspis' head was reeling again. Nebulos...where an Autobot had disappeared after the Great War. Their destination. Something strange was DEFINITELY going on. But now that he had an inkling of what, it left far to many "why"s open. Still, he needed to get to the bridge and report this.
Mind telling me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?
Aspis didn't notice these words, and forgot to turn Lucy off as he left for the bridge.
—KH
"The Headmasters, I believe, were one of the experimental developments in the Great War, the first real attempt to integrate organic into our mechanical bodies." Snarler spoke up about this quite suddenly, after a thought. Though the subject seemed to be off-topic, he continued. "Not long after the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, landed on Earth, a group of Autobots were led by that general: that, Fortress Maximus. These Autobots left to go to a planet called Nebulos. Some time while they were there, the changeover from regular Autobot to Headmaster was made. Eventually, some Decepticons went through the process, too, in an attempt to catch up."
"Binary bonding... it's a process where two separate beings are linked not just in body but in mind as well. The Nebulons were able to also alter their bodies so that they were able to transform...into the heads of these robots. The Binary Bonding process was also able to be expanded. Some Autobots gave up their guns which were reengineered and combined with the Nebulons: these were known as Targetmasters. There may be others who became Powermasters, Transformers whose engine was replaced by a Nebulon. I heard once that maybe even Optimus Prime... And, then, there were Chestmasters, or... I don't...really know," he eventually had to summarize. "It all gets muddled about that time."
"Doesn't it?" Kitfox responded. "Well. Your historical knowledge is FRIGHTENINGLY impressive. I honestly thought that the Predacons kept a better reign on all of you." Kitfox paced away from the console slightly. "That's probably MORE than your comrades needed to know. But let me ask this." He addressed all gathered. "Why would ANYONE BOTHER undergoing this? To become part Nebulan... or part HUMAN." Starscream practically spit out that last word.
The Transmetal chihuahua grinned broadly as Snarler got praised by Kitfox, though the explanation made his head ache even more. Autobots and Headmasters and Deceptithings...words jumped about his brain with no real meaning. Unsurprisingly, at Kitfox's question he stared ahead blankly.
"To get away from yer voice?" he joked lamely as no one volunteered anything. The recent explanation of events and his general tiredness had drained much malice from Velocity's system.
Kitfox looked a bit insulted for a moment, but before he could snap out a no-doubt charming comeback, the communications console sprang to life.
"Maximal Cerebros Fortress hailing Maximal Vessel Renegade," said a business-like male voice.
Silverquick reached over and terminated Kitfox's computer activities, then moved over to his command chair. He tabbed the commlink, and responded to the Station's hail. "Cerebros Station, this is Renegade, LCDR Silverquick commanding. Nice to see you left a light on for us; we are ready to dock at your signal." While waiting for a reply from the Station, Silverquick opened a ship-wide channel.
"All hands prepare for docking maneuvers," he said briskly. "All personnel to your stations."
"Ugh" Jynx said from the door opening, "How come everytime I get outta that R chamber thing, there's some kinda incoming official mumbo jumbo going on?" "That's it, I'm gonna take a nap!"
"Hey compadre, don't be runnin' off to siesta just yet," Velocity said loudly to get Jynx's attention, and he didn't bother to hide his annoyance. He'd been doing Jynx's job while the cat was in the R-Chamber, and without even doing the slightest bit of work or trying to understand anything the cat wanted to leave. If anything, Velocity reasoned, /he/ should be the one to take a nap, but duty dicated otherwise.
"Don't worry buddy, I ain't goin' nowhere!" Jynx replied, "I had jus' about enough shut eye for a couple of Mega Cycles, I'm looking for sum' action!" Actually, napping in a corner didn't seem like thát bad an idea, but hey, the little chihuahua bot seemed fed up with the scans. Mebbe some 'bench duties' would stop him from gettin' hurt again... "Wonder what happened to those preds... Don't think we heard the last of them..."
With that, the dogbot walked to the station he and Jynx shared and sat down in a chair, his grumbles increasing in volume and annoyance as he flicked buttons and switches to get the proper readings.
"Already?! We haven't even dealt with the Predacon ship!" Viracide ran over to the scanner consel. But Viracide knew little how to operate it. He saw arrows on the keyboard and hoped they would zoom it out. He got lucky, it showed the recently discovered Predacon ship following them. "Ya, what do we do? We let them follow us?!"
—DT, AF
Klaw-hammer came onto the bridge and clapped a claw on Terrorpin's shoulder.
"So, Dr. Mad-turtle. What ya doing now?"
Terrorpin nearly collapsed under the weighted hand and held back several urges within him to shout obscenities, both from pain and surprise. He staggered forward and barely kept his disporportioned weight from toppling over. He turned around slowly, and gazed into the amiable visage of the crustacean warrior from Kull Tan.
Despite himself, the TMII turtle hunched over and rubbed his hands gleefully. "I am plotting to revive Unicron, give the commander a wedgie, give Charmacon a porn virus, hijack this ship and take it to a resort planet in a far galaxy... oh, and reanimate the monster in the cargo bay as well..." he said, then cackled madly.
—KCS, DW
Krunch made his way to the cramped Engineering section of the Renegade and activated the computer console there. He accessed the file that he had been working on regarding his modifications to combine his newly purchased Quasar Cannoin with his Plasma Cannon. It was quite a simple task to download the info into the replicator in order to configure the new housing, remove the inner workings of both weapons and reinstall them in the new shell.
When that was completed the sergeant moved to the much larger cargo bay to test his work. The rifle shaped weapon had a double-barreled shape to it. After taking a couple of practice shots with the new toy, the soldier went to the next step.
"KRUNCH, BEAST MODE!" cried out the Maximal with great relish. The soldier converted to his dino-mode, a huge green and brown heavily armored Anklyosaurus. His Missile Launcher remained perched in the middle of his back while the new weapon could still be fired from his tail. After checking that his tail still had enough area of movement, the sargeant moved to the final stage of testing.
"KRUNCH, TANK MODE!" cried out the soldier. The Anklyosaurus shuttered slightly as its legs retracted and were replaced with heavy treads. The head also retracted into the front of the tank, while the tail shifted up and over to the top, converting into the tank's turret which held the two combined weapons. A few minutes of manuevering confirmed that everything was working properly.
"KRUNCH, MAXIMIZE!" yelled the Maximal, as he returned to his robot form.
Let's just hope this holds up against the 'Cons! thought Krunch, as he made his way back to the bridge.
—JA
Through the halls, Aspis talked to himself while he walked, trying to get it to make sense in his head so it didn't sound like he was ranting madly to the crew.
Okay, so there's this big flying city, see... NO! Not that, doesn't work. An ancient Autobot who could destroy us by just looking is standing in our way. No, that sounds too DEFEATIST! On and on it went...maybe it sounded stupid because it really didn't make much sense anyways?
Finally, he stepped onto the bridge. He didn't have what he was going to say worked out yet, but...no time like the present, eh? "All right, everyone, I've got a few announcements. I've just found out...well, a few interesting things about Starscream, and a few about what we're going to."
He paused for dramatic effect. "First of all, Starscream's a notorious traitor. But that's really not the important part." He cleared his throat. "What we're likely going to meet, Cerebros Fortress Maximus, is...an ancient Autobot general who is the size of a...of an entire city."
Klaw-hammer had just taken a break from heckling Terrorpin about this monster in the cargo bay when Aspis came in. He listened quietly as the announcement was made.
"WHAT?!? HO-LEE SLAG! An Autobot the size of a city? I thought *I* was a big guy..." Klaw-hammer falls silent after this statement as the enormity of it begins to sink in.
Nightfall looked up. "Slag... But wait, do you think he's still an Autobot? I mean, maybe they turned him into a city, and made him a Maxie... I mean, if I'm running a planet, I don't want a giant Autobot around that might find out I'm one of his old enemies..."
Aspis hesitated. "Uh...I don't think he's a Maximal. The planet that we're going to lost, or maybe BROKE OFF contact with Cybertron before the end of the Great War. Meaning, he probably can't be a Maximal."
"I guess... But why send someone there?" Nightfall asked. "'Oh, by the way, Shockwave rules Cybertron...' It doesn't make sense..."
Aspis shrugged. "Most of this is guesswork to me. Maybe they want to put communications back up? Maybe there's a great power there lost in time?" He wiggled his fingers mystically. "I really have no clue. Like I said, guesswork."
"Speculation is pointless," rumbled Alpengeist from the shadows at the back of the bridge. "We have a mission, and we will succeed. It's that simple."
As Alpengeist spoke, everyone on the bridge shared the same thought: Where in the Pit did he come from, and how long had he been back there?!?
—KH, KCS, CB, LB
A metal tiger lay perfectly still before a large window. Thousands of stars lit its sleek body in an eerie light, casting a long shadow onto the floor. Moments passed.
Curse Predacon Command! How dare they treat me like this! Sending me on a mission like this, with a crew of miscreants. Lord Serascar must not have realized the nature of this assignment. He would never waste one of his most loyal agents...
On top of all this, they took from me my one advantage—our invisibility! They betrayed our presence! As I have always claimed, one cannot really on the tools of others. The 'Whisper' is a fine ship, I doubt it not. But without its cloak we look like idiots if we continue our pursuit!
The tiger's optics narrowed. Stars blurred passed. Stormclaw concentrated on the ship's hum, and relaxed. For a moment, he considered giving up this mission and returning to the Predacon Trading Post to team up with Commander Moltor. Together, they would bring back honour to the Predacons! They would show what conquest was all about! Then he relaxed once more. That would mean treason. He had given his Lord his word, and he knew he would not break it, no matter the cost. In some strange manner, contrary to his nature to stay on top of things, he felt as ease in this elegant logic. He had vowed loyalty. And thus would adhere to it. My only hope is to reach our destination within soon. My crew is getting more restless by the cycle. With incredible control, and in a nerve-wracking slowness, Stormclaw began his transformation to robot mode. Panels moved, plates rotated, joints twisted, virtually without a sound. Finally, the Predacon Commander stood upright, optics flashing, then narrowing. He clenched his fists.
"Computer, inform me of the estimated time of arrival at the Maximal Fortress."
"Arrival in two-point-six megacycles," responded the calm female computer.
Stormclaw thought for a moment, motionless as a statue, then spoke once more. "Nightfall, report to my quarters." Then, he actived the lights in his chamber, and all traces of private atmosphere were instantly gone.
A few moments later the female Predacon arrived, door chiming to announce her presence. At his acknowledgement, the door slid open and the femme strode in. "Commander. How may I be of service?"
"Simply put, I want your views on our current situation. I respect you as a particularly skilled Predacon, Nightfall, and I am being sincere when I say that I would greatly appreciate your opinion. The Maximals are now fully aware of our presence, they have a dangerous Decepticon traitor in their midst, plus we have yet to unravel the exact nature of our destination—or rather, what we shall find there."
Stormclaw paused, and waited for Nightfall to give answers to this first volley of questions.
She nodded, considering for a moment. "Aspis has said something of an Autobot known as Fortress Maximus having somethign to do with the Maximal mission... If I recall what he said, this Fortress Maximus was part of an Autobot, and later Decepticon, contact with a planet called Nebulos... Perhaps this planet is their objective, as there may still be Autobots and Decepticons there, as well as resources, since there would have been little conflict over a useless world... I can run a search of our records for the location of this world... If we can find it, we should be able to beat them there and be waiting."
"Make it so. I want to know everything about this mission... Predacon Command may think me a fool for diving head first into this scenario without full understanding of matters. It ends here."
Stormclaw walked past Nightfall, through several corridors, in a rapid pace. Within a few moments, he arrived on the bridge. Without further ado he demanded, "Aspis, disengage our cloak completely. Then open a hailing frequency to the Maximal ship. Now."
The black and red Predacon stood fierce and proud, waiting for the main viewscreen to activate, a sinister look on his optics.
Terrorpin's widened in surprise. What was this crazy gearhead doing?
"Ergh... I don't think you know—" Aspis cut himself off from a fierce look from his commanding officer. "Fine, fine!" He walked over to the cloaking controls and disengaged it quickly. "Your funeral..." he mumbled.
Nightfall, following the commander with no question, made her way to the computer, starting to bring up a search on Nebulon, checking the local star charts for any reference to that or even "King Four."
"He's gone mad.." Terrorpin found himself half whispering. "Not that that's a bad thing, of course." A part of him was also eager to see his friend Silverquick again. It was ironic indeed that he was now in as much danger, more or less, as the Maximal had alluded to.
Perhaps a Predacon/Maximal alliance wouldn't be a bad idea. The only thing really seperating the two would be factional prejudice. The Predacons could teach the Maximals all the information deprived of them by the government and in turn, the Maximals would assist the badly impovershed Predacon economy. Yes, if the two factions could only swallow their pride and accept each others' help, Cybertron could reach yet another Golden Age of previously unseen prosperity.
Terrorpin mentally dismissed the idea. Dreaming of peace wouldn't make his life any easier. He continued to watch silently as Aspis fingered among the keys of the communication console.
After a brief stint in his quarters, and a turn in the training room, Klaw-hammer wandered toward the bridge.
"Hey, what's the commotion? What's going on?" He looked around in a confused manner. Everybody was running around and messing with computer terminals. Definitely not Klaw-hammer's kind of thing.
Pushing a few buttons, Aspis nodded. Cloak off. Pushing a few more...uh oh. This couldn't be good. "Stormclaw, open a channel to who?" He looked up at his commanding officer. "There's more than one ship out there."
"Of course there are more ships out there on your scanner, Aspis, we are approaching the Maximal Fortress!" the Commander hissed. "I want you to open a frequency to our original prey, the Renegade."
Stormclaw managed to compose himself again. In his mind, he was slashing his swords at Aspis and Paradox. That calmed him down.
—DN, CB, KH, KCS, DW
Krunch converted back to his robot form and returned to the bridge, taking his position at Tactical. Snarler was just about to question Kitfox some more about Cybertron history, but he thought better of it. "Well, it's about time I got back to doing some work," Snarler said to himself, after thinking that he had had a quiet time recently. With that, he took his position at a computer terminal.
Viracide stood around trying to stay out of the way. He didn't really have a station of his own. Maybe he would take a sation that wasn't filled already. Viracide looked; there were none... At least there was a seat for the second in command. Viracide walked over to his seat, but then decided he would keep Kitfox company by the computer terminal, to be sure he didn't try anything funny while everyone else was busy. On his way he peeked over Krunch's shoulder, his eye attracted to a blinking light. "Uhh Krunch, is that good?"
Silverquick noticed a blinking light on his chair's computer board as well, next to the steady light that indicated an open channel to Cerebros Station. A puzzled look crossed his faceplate as he spoke:
"Computer, identify source of new transmission on hailing frequency two."
"Transmission originates from Predacon vessel Whisper," replied the computer.
Watching everything unfold, Krunch frowned as the read-out displayed the firepower of the Predacon ship, Whisper, since it was, not surprisingly, much better than that of the Renegade.
"Those stupid 'Cons are armed to the teeth and we've got a pop-gun for defense!! Our only hope is if they decide to board us and go hand-to-hand!" announces the big Maximal, as he looks to Silverquick.
"Want me to arm the pop-gun??" he asked, with a hint of frustration in his audio.
"I somehow DOUBT they're planning on attacking," Kitfox said authoritatively. "After all, it's their mission, too."
"MUTE IT, you stinkin' slag-pile, or I'll stuff you in the pop-gun for ammo!" cautioned Krunch, waiting for a response from Silverquick.
That must be the Pred ship that's been following us, thought Silverquick, after hearing the computer's response. This should prove interesting...
"Negative, Krunch. Maintain shields but don't arm the weapons. They wouldn't do us much good against that, anyway."
"Shields only, roger that!" replied Krunch. Silverquick eyed the blinking light for a nanoclick as if it might bite him, then he pressed it, responding to the hail."This is the Maximal cruiser Renegade; to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Why don't just I hang a big "Kick Me" sign on the hull? thought the sargeant. He was tired of talk, and he wanted to try out his new weapon.
The viewscreen in the Renegade suddenly came to life. It showed several Predacons on the bridge of the other ship. One of them, clearly the leader, was a black and red Transmetal Cybertron. His features gave away his beast mode, a tiger, and on his back, two swords were visible. As he spoke with a deep and suave voice, his optics burned a fiery yellow.
"Greetings, Maximal ship. I am Stormclaw, Commander on this Predacon mission. We are aware of your goals and destination, and want to consult with you before proceeding."
Kitfox sidled up to look at the screen. So...this was the Predacon crew. He wondered how many of them had been hand-picked, and how many were happenstance. And he wondered which one of them was the agent. But, for once, he waited to see what the Maximal commander would say.
Snarler looked at the viewscreen, and recognized two of them already. The two he had seen at the Outpost who played cards with him. "Well, now I don't feel so bad about taking your money," he said, a bit too loud, so that the both Klaw-hammer and Paradox could hear him. "Sorry, Captain," he quickly said, and returned back to his computer terminal and looked busy by monitoring some boring logs.
Terrorpin gazed up at the monitor and at the Maximal crew. Most notable to him was Silverquick and a smug-looking Transmetal fox. If he was wise, he'd keep his accquaintence with the Maximal dolphin a secret. But, Terrorpin was never one to listen to his inner voice of reason...so...
Instead, he waved goofily and gave an enthusiastic "Howdy, y'all!"
He knew it wasn't going to earn him brownie points with Stormclaw, but that was a risk he was willing to take.
Viracide looked through the screen and observed the odd Predacon greetin. He waved his hand and responded, "Howdy..."
Paradox was about to say something when that weirdo shouted something about "howdy." Paradox narrowed his optics and shook his head. "Oh, that was an impressive impression to to to make." Paradox then realized he'd said that aloud, and he quickly covered his mouth and sunk into his seat.
Nightfall eyed the maximal crew, moving over to lean down and whisper to Stormclaw. "The dark cat was Charmacon's...contact. And the fox is Starscream."
"I wonder if HE's there..." Jynx thought. But he didn't have to guess.... Somehow he knew the chameleon Predacon wasn't on the bridge. He saw visions of a strange plane-like Decepticon... was that... Starscream? But Starscream was standing right next to him, in the form of Kitfox.... Suddenly, an anxiety attack came over Jynx. What was going on? As soon as he saw the female Predacon, he snapped out of it. She wás pretty, especially for a Con... Not that that ever bothered him back in the Zone. Cons, Maxies, nobodies... we were all trash in the Zone. But what did they want?
Snarler now plucked up the courage to look away from his monitor and look at the main screen. One of the Predacons appeared to be acting rather strangly and had gotten the attention of all the crew. But Snarler noticed the femme-bot lean over and talk to the leader.
Velocity ever so slowly got to his feet and moved towards the viewscreen with all the animation of a deadbot. Staring over at the Predacons on the ship, he dully took in their forms, what their beast modes seemed to be, and how large they probably were in person. His little brain slowly churned out facts and probabilities as his green optics worked, though they did linger almost with relief on Nightfall, someone who didn't look big or (too) tough. The Transmetal gave a ghost of a nod, and then turned back towards his station, though he gave a quick glance backwards as if he expected a knife in his back. Instead of going to the scanning station he turned down a hallway and fled, a panicked "eeeeeeeeEEEEEEE!" following him as he ran.
Muting the sound so that the Predacons couldn't hear him, Snarler turned to the commander. "Sir, I would suggest we agree to meet them on the station. For one reason we are at peace with the Predacons, so ignoring them would be rude and a sure sign that we are hiding something. And for another thing, we cannot allow them on the ship. They might gain knowledge of our mission or sabotage it."
"As you are aware of our goals and destination, Commander," said Silverquick, speaking up, "I must confess you have us at a slight disadvantage, for information here is more scarce than Great War-era energon." Silverquick smiled. "Well, an exaggeration, perhaps. But I would be interested in consulting with you, as it may prove mutually beneficial."
"Excellent," Stormclaw replied. "Since we are in close proximity to the Maximal Fortress, I propose that we hold our current positions. We both know Cybertron Command is paving the way for a new era in which both races live together in harmony... but out here, the Maximals can not be trusted to be so amiable. I want to invite you to come aboard the Whisper... Silverquick," Stormclaw added, proving that he knew more than could be expected. "You and two of your selected crew members."
The Predacon Commander lifted his chin slightly, and waited patiently for an answer. The ball was in their court now.
Krunch just shook his head. It was against all his programming and training to consort with the enemy, but here they were, doing just that. Then he heard the offer to discuss things further onboard their vessel. The sergeant made an attempt at a whisper and spoke to Silverquick.
"Go to their ship? Bad idea if you ask me!" cautioned the soldier.
"Remember, we are at peace!" said Snarler, emphasising the statement towards Krunch. "However, might I suggest, if you do go aboard, to leave Crunchy here behind. We don't want to risk annoying them, and that does appear to be his speciality."
Krunch narrowed his optics at the equally annoying Snarler. How such a peace-pipe ever got a dino beast mode was beyond the sergeant. It just didn't make sense, but nothing made sense anymore.
Stormclaw's optics squinted. Silverquick's team is composed of imcompetant fools as well. I pity him. Now, respond to my suggestion, Maximal...
Not caring if the Preds saw a little dissension among the ranks, Krunch countered with his own remark to Snarler.
"Remind me to slag you later! I'm just being cautious! There's nothing to stop them from snuffing our sparks out here if they want!!"
"You know you must learn to control that temper of yours," Snarler joked, laughing off Krunch's comment. "I thought we'd seen the last of Grimlock and his pea-sized brain style of Dinobot years ago." Snarler sighed under his breath and chuckled a little as he imagined the type of conversation that the two of them would probably have together.
Self-righteous peace-pipe! He'll get his when the time comes! thought Krunch. Although he could have easily let this exchange escalate into a full-blown brawl, the sergeant knew that the mission had priority over pride and egos. However, when this mission ended, so would Snarler's insults.
Krunch was about to speak to Silverquick, who was doing his best to hold the dinobots apart, when Kitfox interrupted him, stepping forward, between the two large, arguing dinosaurs. "I," he said, and in that one, stressed word, made certain that his voice carried, "would be HONORED to represent the Maximals on a visit to your vessel. And I find it fascinating that a Predacon lord would offer such a peacable, MAXIMAL approach." He smiled as he met the gaze of the commander across the com-link. "However, we are a megacycle from dock, and I am scheduled to speak with the Mangaboss upon our arrival. As you can imagine, he's fanatical about punctuality. But let me know if there are any questions, or a message, you would like to pass on?"
"Are you going to let this skid-plate call the shots? I thought he was supposed to be in the brig??" Krunch demanded of Silverquick.
"Starscream..." the Predacon Commander determined. "Though you have the reputation of the most devious backstabber who ever lived, I must say the honor is all mine in this meeting. As I understand it, you have served under the mighty Megatron himself..." Stormclaw paused here for a moment, to see what effect this name would have upon the other. "It is a shame you are in such a hurry for your appointment with the Magnaboss. I would have enjoyed speaking to you in particular, Lord Starscream.
"Now, I will offer you my patience one more time, Maximals... I am inviting you for a conversation on my ship. If you do not respond to it, we shall depart here. Surely you do not think we shall approach that traitors' Fortress any closer?"
At last, it was the word "traitor," not "Megatron," that caused the fox's ears to twitch. Surely this commander was loyal to the Alliance...? And, thus, indirectly, the Magnaboss himself...?
"Commander Stormclaw," said Silverquick, "please forgive me for not responding immediately, as I was carefully considering my reply. Obviously, I could make a counter-offer for you to come here for our discussion, and it would probably lead to posturing, and factional arguments, and in the end nothing would be accomplished. I would be pleased and honored to meet you on your vessel; however, I have some obligations to fulfill before that can happen."
Silverquick paused to look over to Krunch. "Sergeant, please help Kitfox to his 'personal quarters' until we dock." Turning back to the Predacon Commander on the viewscreen, Silverquick said, "If you will allow me four megacycles to deal with business, I will meet you aboard your vessel at that time. If you feel you can't wait, we can meet on the Station, where I give you my word, for whatever it's worth to you, that you and your crew will not be bothered in any way.
"Though Kitfox does not speak for me or this crew, he is correct in that we are expected at a precise time. Will you wait, or should I arrange docking privileges for you?"
Stormclaw stood motionless, but in his mind, he quickly assessed his options. Silverquick was a meticulous diplomat, and a Maximal one at that. Probably, his word was dependable. Still, the Predacon Commander had no intension of simply delivering his crew to the police force on the Fortress. More and more he wanted to give in to his instincts, and lead Klaw-hammer and Alpengeist in an assault on the station nearby... the Maximals were the ones that had brought this shame upon the Predacons! They would pay for their crimes!
And yet, ironically enough, Stormclaw had to rely on his enemies in this mission, as they would bring him to what this was all about. Stormclaw felt trapped like a prey himself now, and hated every cycle of it. He had but one option left. Bluffing.
"Very well, Silverquick. Make the necessary arrangements. Tell Maximal Security there that we wish to visit their Fortress as well. However, at the first sign of hostility from their side, I will have my men wreak havoc upon them, and pity their sparks for being then and there. Be warned, Maximal. Stormclaw out."
With that, communication between the two ships was closed instantly.
As soon as the screen went blank, Krunch smiled eagerly as he replied to Silverquick.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed, then turning his attention to Kitfox. "Okay, you cheese eatin' surrender monkey!! You heard him!! Back in your cage!!" announced Krunch as he roughly grabbed the small bot by the shoulder.
Viracide blinked his eyes, turned his head, and faced Silverquick. "Commander, we...uh." Viracide then realized he had no advice to give. He thought for a moment and thought of a stratigy. "Well, I can cloak and sneak up on them, and uh, make sure they're not up to something." Then Viracide remembered his advice, "Ya, I'm sure they're up to something." But the commander probably already knew that. Well, he thought, the second in command's job was to give advice and stuff.
—DN, CB, KH, KCS, DW, JA, AF
Kitfox seemed to have no objection to being herded back into the brig. After all, this time, he would not be there for very long. As Krunch locked the force-bars behind him, the Decepticon-turned-Maximal leaned calmly against the interior wall. "You might not like what you'll see out there," Starscream said casually to the dinobot. "The universe has changed a lot since a soldier like you was needed in it last." He stepped up to the bars. "Before the ruler of the Maximals sends me back to my own private INFERNO, I will tell you... and only YOU! the real secret of the King missions. I owe you at LEAST that for all the trouble I've caused you." He raised a brow. "Unless, of course, everything I say is a lie." He leaned against the wall again. "If you won't believe me, I won't bother to say. Your choice."
Krunch thought about it for only a nano-second. The universe didn't look any different, but any secret information that he had would keep him a step ahead of the others. And that alone might keep him from going back into stasis when this was all over.
"What have I got to lose? Those slagging peace-pipes would love to see me put back in cold storage when we get home! But if I know something they don't, they might not be so eager! So go ahead, I'm listening!!" said the sergeant as he got a little closer to the bars.
Kitfox leaned toward him. The electric hum of the force bars would have drowned out any lesser voice in such close quarters, but the air commander's screech still registered clearly in Krunch's aurals. "Alive or dead, the leader of the Headmasters means NOTHING to the Magnaboss. But should the leader of the so-called Powermasters still live on Nebulos, that ship of Predacons has his MURDER on their mind." He stood back from the bars, the sly grin on his face telling Krunch that he would be no less vague than that.
"Murder, hmmm?" said Krunch. "And how do they plan on pulling that off? I mean, Fort Max is beyond huge!!! His spark alone must be bigger than me!"
"And why are you telling me this, besides the fact that you feel sorry for me?" asked the sergeant.
Kitfox sighed. "There you go with Fortress Maximus again. Maybe I TOLD you because I didn't think you'd pay attention." He smiled. "Or perhaps it occured to me that we have a lot in common. We're both...relics, after all."
Krunch leaned closer to the bars. His programming was limited, so he couldn't see past following orders and completing his mission. He was a soldier, plain and simple.
"What could we possibly have in common? And what do you mean by relics? If you really are Starscream, then you're way older than me! What do I have to do with it?" probed Krunch. As far as he was concerned, Kitfox was talking in riddles.
Starscream reached up and out, testing the soldier's proximity by touching his fingertips to Krunch's face through the bars, wondering if he would flinch. "When I look at the faces of each member of this Maximal crew, I know exactly why they were chosen for this mission. Some of them, I chose myself. You were one of the Magnaboss' choices." One of Shockwave's choices, but there was no use confusing the poor soldier any further. "And you, more than any of the others...are being sent to die." Starscream took back his hand, crossed his arms across his chest, and laughed. "So, of course I pity you. I know what it is like to be out of era, to be the person the universe does not want anymore."
"I'm not going to give you any more information. Oh, I LOVE to conspire, but I know your comrades will start to suspect I'm causing trouble. ...Unless of course you plan on guarding me until we dock."
Krunch didn't like head games, mostly because he wasn't good at it. Physical intimidation was more his style. He remembered Kitfox's ability to self repair his hand when the sargeant had crushed it earlier. He knew full well that this 'bot was holding back his powers, so Krunch didn't recoil at the touch to his face. This wasn't a question of masculinity. He wanted to show Kitfox that he wasn't afraid. The soldier backed away from the bars and turned to leave.
"So I was hand picked to die? That's just stellar! Abso-slagging-lutely stellar!! That'll beat going back into cold storage! And I might just surprise the Boss if I come out of this with my spark intact!! Thanks for the tip!" he said as he headed back to the bridge.
—AF, JA