[Original RPG] End of the Line: Battlefronts (Other) Cont'd

[Elcor]

"You have brought me almost to exact location", - Kickback answered to Defensor, looking down from barge the gestalt had been carrying. "See the hole in the ground? That is an excavation site, and there they are, hidden from outside world.

I'll go first and tell them of the truce so they won't attack you."

With these words Insecticon sprung nimbly down from the barge, transforming as he went. Floating down the chute, he spotted two immobile bodies of his teammates beside the collapsed entrance to what was once a Decepticon spaceship. Evidently, rust and decay had destroyed it completely.

I'm tempted to simply leave them here and be forever free from their bickerings and foolishness. But then - whom I'd command? Clones make unsatisfying minions...

Landing on the floor, he transformed and extracted his remains of energon from subspace. They amounted to less than quarter of a cube... But it had to suffice to bring his teammates back online.

He divided the energon in two exact halves and gently fed it into the mouths of Bombshell and Shrapnel. The effect was instantaneous - two Insecticons, revitalized, sprung to their feet.

"Energon-energon! Did you brought-brought it to us-us?" - Shrapnel screached, falling back to his usual speach pattern.

I've almost forgot this... And now I'm not sure whether it is better or worse than his previous screeching... - Kickback thought.

"No, I didn't", - he answered. - "The Autobots did... And we're be working for them now... for a while, at least", - he added with a smirk.

"He-he... Good. Autobots make perfect play-puppets", - Bombshell suggested, his cerebro-shell muzzle twitching already.

"No! No puppets, no clones until I say so! I am in command, and if I say so the Autobots will destroy yoã all! So, you obey me -understood?" - Kickback shouted, worried that his "comrades" could compromise the entire idea of truce. "Gigatron now allied with the Autobots, so we'd have nobody to flee to! And we're leaving Earth!"

"Why in Pit's name?" - Bombshell asked. - "There's so much to be gained here..."

"And much more to be gained on Cybertron. We could make an army of insect drones on all metal and energy there!"

"And Quints-quints would slay-slay us. No good-good", - Shrapnel interrupted.

"Let Autobots and Decepticons together take care of that. We shall wait and join whoever wins, as we always do", - and, listening to no more arguments, Kickback ushered his teammates up the chute.

After a while, they emerged before the bulk of Defensor.

"Here. I've brought them to you, as I've promised, and they won't attack. Now you should bring us all to whoever commands you, so we could accept our reward", - and Kickback hopped back on the barge, followed by Bombshell and Shrapnel.

[verytired]

Cosmos had followed Defensor and Kickback to Peru, and landed as the Insecticons emerged from their hole. He chuckled at Kickbacks comment.
"Payment? You're lucky you're not in the Brig, truce or not!" He guffawed.

[Elcor]

"You are wrong here", - Kickback replied to Cosmos self-confidently.

"It was proved that I had no hostile intentions against Autobot cause; now I perform a favor to them and expect to receive a payment which is due. This is the base of civilised relationship; you, on the other hand, are acting now against the direct commands of your superiors and probably could compromise the entire idea of truce. I am sure that your leader would not be pleased to know of this...", - and he took a step back nevertheless, ready to hide behind Bombshell or Shrapnel if enraged Autobot decides to attack.

Meanwhile, Bombshell was evaluating the possibilities which arose before him.

Could the gestalt be manipulated as one creature, I wonder? I've never tried my cerebro-control on such targets... Ohh, so tempting... what a pity I haven't enough energon to hold the cerebro-shell control for more then half a breem...

Shrapnel, near him, was entranced. His acute sensors had sensed the fluids of raw energon, emanating from two containers which were the barge's cargo. If he could, he would drool right now over them... Of course, it never crossed his mind to speak aloud of his find, so Bombshell was the only one oblivious of standing near the virtual treasure trove.

[Brave Maximus]

Skyfall Omega had long since left Medbay and wandered up to the landing pad on the Starboard side of Metroplex. As the massive City-bot flew across the sky, the big Autobot leaned back and enjoyed the sensation of the wind rushing past him. For a moment, he forgot everything and was a young Micromaster flying the skies above the Ark with no worries on his mind.
****************************

Medbay

Starlight, Ark and Nemesis continued their work on Rosdos' Neuro micro-circutry.

[Scout]

Peru

"I will return you to where you will get what you deserve." Defensor replied coldly to the Insecticons as he prepared to take off. "Cosmos, we are returning now to Metroplex. Join us. We must return immediately."

[Elcor]

Onboard the barge, which rested in Defensor's hands, a conflict between Insecticons brewed.

"Get what you deserve-deserve?" - Shrapnel asked Kickback. "I don't like-like how it sounds-sounds... I could use come energon right now-now..."

"What have you put us into again, you self-proclamed genius?" - Bombshell supported Shrapnels accusation, but when he had heard about energon, his mind circuits switched to that thoughts immediately.

"Energon? Where?"

"Right here-here, you dummy! In the box-box!"

"No! Don't touch the containers! We'll get them later!!!" - Kickback insisted, but nobody listened to him.

"Kickback can have-have energon later. Shrapnel want it now-now!"

"Wait! Don't you realise that Defensor will dismember you in a nanobreem?"

"Kickback said we're allies now-now. Kickback see that big Autobot wont harm-harm us", - and Shrapnel moved to the crate, intent to get to its contents. Bombshell, being more cautious, stayed aside and waited, wanting to see what will happen.

[verytired]

Cosmos, briefly silenced by his rage at Kickbacks comments, was ecstatic at the turmoil which now embroiled the trio.
"Looks like you have issues with the truce yourself." he said, flying casually...

[BlueSkids]

Metroplex Bridge

Ultra Magnus was growing impatient by the waiting. He engaged one of his captain chair monitors and checked, for the tenth time, the status of Metroplex's main systems and the locations of his troops.

" Well, Arcee is in the bridge, like Scamper. Slammer is now in the shuttlebays and Six Gun is still in the Med Bay. "

Then Magnus looked at his crono.

" Umph. " He rised from the captain chair and stepped to the comm station. He manned the controls and contacted with Defensor.

" Defensor, here Magnus. What's your status? " he asked.

[Scout]

En Route to Metroplex

"Mission successful Ultra Magnus." Defensor replied as the comm link buzzed.

"We are returning now with the energon, Cosmos and Insecticons. They demand- a reward for their assistance."

For the moment, the gestalt was intent on continuing to fly back toward the citybot, even though individually the members were sending various complaints to Hot Spot about having to put up with the Insecticons.

[Elcor]

"Stop it! Don't touch the containers, or we all get it!" - Kickback screamed and leapt at Shrapnel's back. Shrapnel, caught unprepared, fell to the barge's deck... Soon two Insecticons were rolling and struggling, one intent to get to the precious energon, the other - to stop him no mater the cost, to show he is in control of his team...

Bombshell, meanwhile, was talking with Cosmos, who was flying beside Defensor.

"It's not issues with the truce - it's issues with Shrapnel", - Bombshell said disgustedly. "He's so single-minded that it could seem sometime that he has no mind at all. But - aren't some of the Autobots the same? Dinobots, for instance?"

[verytired]

Cosmos blanched at Bombshells comment. But at the mention of the Dinobots, he paused. the insecticon had a point, and the dinobots weren't alone in that respect.
Eager to end the silence though, Cosmos replied with a question of his own.
"How long do you think this fight will last against the Quintessons?"

[BlueSkids]

Metroplex, Bridge

" Good work, soldier. Magnus out " replied Ultra Magnus to Defensor.

Leaving the comm station an heading back towards the captain chair, Magnus engaged his personal comm-link for a more ' private ' conversation.

" Red Alert, here Magnus. Defensor will return soon with Cosmos and the Insecticons. I know because the truce we can't just jail them in a brig cell, but I hope you'll find a way - under the current circumstances, of course- to keep an optic on them to prevent, huh, setbacks. "

(ooc: Who is gonna play Red now? )

[Scout]

ooc: I will play him temporarily until someone else takes him.

Metroplex
"You can be assured of that Commander." Red Alert replied to Ultra Magnus with a tint of wariness in his voice.

"The truce is for peace only, not an open guest invitation. They can make themselves comfortable in one of our empty shuttle bays where we can make certain they uphold their part of the truce.

--------------------
En Route to Metroplex. (Next post- arrival.)

Defensor looked down at the arguing trio and the massive containers that were the object of the arguement. Hot Spot had had enough. If someone could have heard the various messages going to him and the upcoming reponse, Blades would've been yelling an ecstatic "WOOT!" while the others breathed sighs of relief.

"Touch the energon, and this truce is over before it begins. We will leave you on Earth while everyone else departs. It will be long enough to get to the moon, where we will declare the Decepticons have betrayed their word, and you bugs will have to answer to Gigatron afterwards. He will squash you like the insects you are.

Or - you will wait until we return to Metroplex and then your existance needs will be met."

[Elcor]

"Squash-squash Shrapnel? It's no good-good!" - and the less intelligent Inscecticon ceased his struggles to get to much-wanted containers.

Kickback let out a sigh of relief.

"I am fully aware of this, Defensor. You can rest assured that I'll do anything that is in my powers not to compromise the understanding our factions had reached."

I'm gonna receive so much benefits from such a truce that you wouldn't believe... If that damn fool Shrapnel won't ruin it all with his idiocy, that is, - he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Bombshell was still engaged in small talk with Cosmos:

"Quintessons? I don't know, never seen one of those. I've heard they are weaklings, but they've got a numerous army of... Sharcti-clones or I don't remember how are they called...

Oh - is it true that each Quintesson have a group mind? It's very interesting, I've never had any experience with group minds before... They can be interesting to control, don't you agree?" - he asked slyly, knowing that the remark about mind control would enrage the Autobot, but the truce will stop him from physical responce.

It's so funny to provoke them with innocent remarks when they can't hurt you back... Better than with my cerebro-shells!

[BlueSkids]

Metroplex, Bridge

" Good idea Red ", replied Ultra Magnus to Red Alert. " I'll send Six Gun with you. He can stay in the shuttlebay doors as a guard, or inside watching the Insecticons. Slammer, on the other hand, is already there; the shuttlebays are usually his guard duty. Magnus over. "

---

Metroplex, Med Bay

Six Gun received a message from Magnus an moved towards the shuttlebays to assist Red Alert. The drone nodded to Fastlane as he exited the Med Bay.

[Warit00]

----------Metroplex Medbay---------
"Thank First Aid."Rosdos thank you the medic and walked out from the medbay.

----------Metroplex Manufacturies----------
Rosdos repairing prototype drones that have been damage from previous battle.

[verytired]

Cosmos, as expected, was appaled by the insecticons comments. All he could muster as a reply was;
"Whatever you think would work best against them, decepticon."
He said no more, angry that Bombshell had baited him so well, and that he couldn't think of anything to say.

[Scout]

Returning to Metroplex

Defensor saw the giant citybot's form and began his approach.

Controlling a Quintesson may not be an entirely bad idea. Streetwise's thoughts chimed through as they listened to the banter.

Yes it is. First Aid responded quickly. Tangles the mind sensors and can cause permanent damage, even termination if it gets into the wrong area.
The Quintessons are our enemies. We need to take it to them. Blades answered back. Nah- just drive them off of the planet. I think it can be done. Groove answered.

We'll do what needs to be done when asked of us. Hot Spot's thoughts echoed in the gestalt's mind, settling the matter as they landed on the upper deck.

Red Alert walked out to meet them. Looking up at the Insecticons with a none-too-welcoming expression, he motioned them to the empty bay.
"Right this way."

Internally, he sent a message back to Metroplex and Ultra Magnus.
"Defensor, Cosmos, and the Insecticons have returned. We can depart now for the moon."

[Elcor]

"See you later, cosmo-bot!" - Bombshell waved good-bye (quite ironically) to Cosmos as the trio of Insecticons was led by Red Alert.

Meanwhile, Kickback addressed Red Alert:

"I do beg pardon, but aren't you forgetting something? It was stated as a part of agreement that on bringing my teammates here we'd receive a reward, if they're willing to cooperate. As you can see, there is no hostile actions taken from our side; I expect you to honour your part of the agreement. And, before you'd think of declining, I want to remind that it could be profitable to both sides if we could cooperate.

Considering the objective which, as I believe, now lies before us, I'd say we could be crucial in whatever plans you - or your command - could have. I'd wish to speak about it with you and with whoever is in charge here as soon as possible... provided we receive the reward, of course."

Hearing about the reward, Shrapnel intervened too.

"Shrapnel would like-like a reward! Shrapnel wants energon now-now!.."

[BlueSkids]

Metroplex Command

" At last " thought Ultra Magnus when he received Red Alert's message. He seated himself on the bridge's Captain Chair, and readied himself to bring Metroplex to the Moon.

" Scamper, power the main thrusters and set a course for the Moon. "

" Aye, sir " replied the drone, manning the helm station.

" Arcee, as soon as we exit Earth's atmpsphere, contact with the Steelhaven. I want to know the situation of the ship and Fizzle's team. "

---

Metroplex, shuttle bay

A still scorched Six-Gun met Red Alert and the Insecticons in the empty shuttlebay.

" Greetins director " said Six Gun. " A squad of drones is on their way here to support me in my ... er ... maintenance duty of this bay " informed the drone, clearly nodding towards the Insecticons with a suspicious look on his optics.

---

Metroplex

( ooc: roaring away towards the ' Moon ' thread! Cybertron, here we go! )