[ti]Ep 3.5[/ti]Mending Fences (Cintra, closed for now)

[Starkrieger]

Week 1  - Day 2 - Early AM

Starting point: Mess hall

---

Recharge had been lighter than usual.

In the early morning in Blackridge, mecha had begun to stir, but they remained few. It granted space for a Seeker to proceed alone. Though on the shorter side for the variations of his model, he was built sturdy, solid. The simple black and white that dominated his frame balanced a humility against the proud angle of his wings, and the way his chassis was held high… despite the day’s circumstance.

The dim, fluorescent glow that lined the halls flickered faintly, subtle enough that many might not notice, but that fluctuation that could cause eye strain or headache in sensitive organics, was obvious to his optics. The absent thought of how odd it was, that on a planet blessed with such a powerful star, the native species hadn’t had success with designing better indoor lighting, passed through his processor. A drop in a sea of great turmoil.

There was, perhaps, one blessing, that greater sea served as a distraction, enough that, combined with his quickened pace, the sharp ‘clomp’ of the Seeker’s pedes were untroubled, despite the walls being ready to close in at any moment. His thoughts were the same as those that had interrupted his recharge, when even sensors had found no reason to rouse him. He needed to get back out there. He needed to look for his medic, but flying solo, his options for patrol were vastly limited.

Sometimes, or rather, in some locations, he was better off serving primarily as muscle or backup, while more versatile models, both in frame and processor took point. Clever, and quick thinking though he might be, Krieg was well aware that he was very much an ‘in the box’ thinker (albeit a box that was distinctly his). He was looking for inspiration, and as luck would have it, he found her. There was no missing the vibrant pink of his previous nemesis.

Diverting into the mess hall, the Seeker’s approach slowed. Regardless of his intentions, and the fact that in his mind, she had claimed her ‘pound of mesh’, that didn’t change that they had not ended on the best of terms. Regardless of which way Cintra faced, whether she would see him immediately, or if he'd be required to move into her field of vision, the Seeker elected to make an approach before her. It wasn’t what he wanted, approaching a potential threat from behind was always preferable, but he would garner no favors coming to her as an enemy.

“Just the figure of grace I was looking for. “ The words were flattering, but his tone was neither coy, nor vindictive. He wasn’t attempting to gain her favor with those words, nor to insult the vibrant femme. It was merely an opening, an indication that his intention was to try to play nice.

[Cintra]

Cintra was an active soul. She liked to be occupied with some sort of task or objective and wanted to have a sense of value, though couldn't really offer a lot of skills, a combination that made it so that she was often bored and antsy around Blackridge. Nothing seemed to move fast on this planet, there ample amounts of empty silence where things were figured out, supplies gathered, or who knows what else that was above her capabilities. On the previous world where she and Flux were stationed, they KNEW where the Autobot territory was, just as they knew where their own lay. Squabbles at the front lines, trying to overtake when any opportunity was seen... Tension and activity were the norm, not... this...

She didn't even have Flux to bounce off of and try to come up with any ideas. While he was quite forgetful, a trait that made many see him as dumb, in reality, he wasn't truly lacking and often could make excuses or throw out ideas on something they could do. Whether useful or not, or even just something to pass the time, anything was better than the nothing that was happening in the now. There was one major issue, however, and that was the fact that the lumbering mech was still sleeping.

This poor state of events ended with the pink femme in the mess hall, sitting among Vehicons and Eradicons who were getting their rations at either the start or end of their particular assignment. She had her own, though she didn't appear to be very interested, the cube half empty, tilted up so that it was balanced on one of its bottom edges as her broad hand was capped over the top to keep it mostly steady. She was starting to transition her grip so that it was supported by only her fingertips, though she stopped when she realized the new arrival was actually approaching her rather than the straight path to where they could get their fuel.

Flicking a glance over, Cintra anticipated a soldier who was about to walk along and meet up with another that they recognized on her other side, perhaps to talk or catch up on things before the shift change, only to see someone that she very much recognized.

With a plunk, the tilted angle of her cube was put back down flat on its bottom with some force behind it, causing the blue within to splash around, though thankfully not out onto the table.

"What do you want."

Cintra had absolutely no clue why this mech would be talking to her given they had a particularly nasty first interaction. His audacity to flirt with someone he barely knew, someone who was most assuredly TAKEN, did not settle right with her for more than a couple of reasons. She had made the status of Flux clear and had made it doubly clear she wasn't one to mess with, so she felt he probably wasn’t about to pick a fight... or maybe he was? She didn't really know what to make of his statement as she didn't even really know him at all and the tones were neutral enough.

While Starkrieger hid his emotions well, Cintra definitely did not, incapable of masking much of anything, which made it so that it was more than apparent that she was wary, confused, and looking for some sort of catch already.

[Starkrieger]

It was almost too bad his presence was noticed.

The methodical way she had been shifting her grip on the cube suggested that Cintra was attempting to get it to balance on its edge, distributing the weight of the energon so that it could ‘defy gravity’. It would have been interesting to see if she succeeded. Alas, what started as a pause in her plans, turned into the femme abandoning it entirely. He didn’t miss the correlation, it being when recognition flashed in her optics. Well, it was to be expected.

The clank of the cube’s bottom hitting the table didn’t cause so much as a slight twitch, the Seeker prepared for it the moment her servos had moved. It marked the start of a short span of time in which Krieg needed to make a decision. There was much at play that dictated his approach with another. That Cintra was not just a small, femme model, but also one he had wronged in a most egregious (though unintentional) fashion complicated things. While the catalyst for him engaging was a serious one, he didn't feel justified in trying to manipulate her. Besides, the importance of his current mission didn't necessarily negate that of the bigger picture. Their 'relationship' was tenuous, not a good position should they find themselves reliant upon each other.

Despite the way she forced out the ‘you’, in a perhaps suspicious tone, he favored her with a subtle smile. If his derma tugged stiffly with the awkwardness that had his wings twitch back, it was brief, smoothing naturally as he tipped his chin up, willing himself to channel his typical confidence. He had faced war after all, what was one small femme? In any case, her confusion did seem to suggest she wasn’t defaulting to anger.

“Honestly?” He could present himself in so many ways, none any less valid and each with the potential to be viewed as manipulation. It might have made for a fun game, if not for the seriousness of the situation, both regarding Knock Out, and that between the two of them. In the end, he decided it was better to try to be transparent.

“I’m here to enlist your help. Rather forward of me I know, given our … previous encounter.” Though his smile widened, keen optics were watching her, looking for signs she was about to explode, not because he considered her to be especially volatile. He recognized the ‘nerve’ he was showing. His best hope was that acknowledging it would prevent her from taking offense. Apologies weren't exactly his forte. “If you don’t mind, I would rather not tower over you “ A single claw from his right servo lightly tapped the table at the seat across from her, hopefully clarifying the request he was making. He wouldn’t presume to sit with her. 

[Cintra]

When Starkrieger offered the faintest of smiles, Cintra's jaw pressed forward, a suspicious narrowing of the eyes offered in turn as she was already trying to think ten steps ahead of what compelled him to dare speak to her. Given the fact he had barely said anything at all, it was understandably a futile ambition, there simply far too many variables that were far too vast, to the point that she was held captive to time, waiting for him to get to the point. Thankfully he got part way there rather swiftly, declaring that he needed her help which was... interesting. She didn't know what sort of thing she could even do that he would require, though in the end, did it matter too much?

If it was something for the Decepticons she would certainly assist. Every time. She was as loyal as one could be to a fault, her idealistic views blinding her to the reality that circled them all like sharks. If one of their leaders wanted her to work alongside some rancid individual she normally hated? It was what it was... though she would still offer a snap or snide remark if able as long as their goals were met.

If it was something for this Seeker? Well... if she deemed him worthy of her assistance then it could keep her occupied.

Yes or no, help or not, the chat alone was a distraction in its own way, and she did appreciate it as much since she was so incredibly bored constantly. In contrast, what she didn't appreciate was him pointing out the fact that he was towering over her, which, while it may have been intended to be taken as a request to be polite and sit down, she thought it a commentary that he was above her. Cintra knew well she was a smaller individual, but she wasn't something to be looked down upon because of it in more ways than physical, and as such she was speaking before she could throttle herself.

"Why? You think I am intimidated because I am small?"

This was nearly spat out with a bristle before her thoughts caught up to her and she leaned back with an exhale, trying to relax and not fling off the handle. She had to not burn bridges entirely, and while this one with the mech was a little charred, he was still part of their team and it wasn't in good form to start forest fires that could take out others around them. Flux wouldn't be too thrilled with that, and after the ashes settled, she certainly wouldn't be either. With this in mind, Cintra flicked her hand forward to indicate the empty point where Starkrieger could sit almost dismissively, before her arms loosely folded below her chest, one of her triangular fingers tapping upon her forearm idly.

"It must be something others won't humor if you are coming to me."

Desperation. Or, it could be something her particular skills would make possible, though only time would tell, orange optics locked upon the mech.

[Starkrieger]

Explosive little missile that she was, Starkrieger wasn’t entirely surprised by her anger. In fact, he understood it to a point. While to the small femme… and many standard civilian models, he might seem impressive, to Seekers graded as heavy-hitters, and the proper military grounders, his stature was nothing to brag about. Even the Air Commander was marginally taller than he was, and that was when the officer hadn't negated his natural forward angle, to completely straighten to his full potential height. Krieg rarely noticed it himself, but there were those that tested him.

Her ‘outburst’ was met with the lift of a single optic ridge. Aside from that, the Seeker didn’t immediately react, merely watching her go through her process before she indicated that he was permitted to join her. Taking the offered seat, he decided that, emotionally charged though she had been, she warranted a response.

“To answer your question, given the circumstances, it would be rude to you, and awkward for me. “ He left it at that, additional considerations unsaid. The crossing of her arms, with the tapping that followed was noted, impatience perhaps, or she may have been trying to figure him out. A fair reaction, after all, she didn't know he wasn't a vengeful, sadistic sort... Well, at least not usually. Despite her momentary aggression and subsequent mistrust, the angle of his wings widened, dipping lower, more at ease, seated across from her.

“Not really, at least I would hope not… “ His derma pressed in a straight line, perhaps not having considered that some mecha might be indifferent to the loss of their Chief Medical Officer’. Surely not many? Less medics was bad news for them all. ”I’ve been on patrol looking for signs of our CMO… or for opportunities to pressure the Bots or MECH, since one of them is responsible for his absence.” There could be no other reasonable explanation. In his mind, unhinged as plenty of Cons were, none would trick Soundwave into overlooking the use of the bridge, and the chances of a neutral having access to one (or alternative means to drag him away) seemed unlikely. Had it been a mere accident, they would have found him.

“But, as you can imagine. I’m limited in where I can go, and …while we fliers are better able to spot large disturbances to the landscape from the air, on the ground, I’m not as perceptive. I also I lack your… “ He paused for a moment to gesture vaguely at her frame, specifically the color scheme she had chosen, and somehow had managed to balance to not be as obnoxious they should be. “... obvious creativity, to consider possibilities beyond my experiences.” As a servo settled on the table a single claw tapped gently against its surface, though this click of the talon was softer, not meant to gain her attention, as the previous had. 

“You also have some additional talents that may come in handy..” There it was, most of his cards on the table. Those that remained obscured were either irrelevant or remained vague for brevity’s sake. It left only one question. Would she continue to humor him?

[Cintra]

Knock Out missing was a concern, that was for sure. A medic was a medic no matter how it could be spun, and while they had a replacement that could fill the space, if something were to happen to him as well, they would be in a lot of trouble. At least with two, they could work on one another should an injury or long-term maintenance be required. Then again, they could probably work on themselves, who knows... certainly not Cintra that was a fact. Those topics were beyond her ability to even consider much further, at least not without being directly questioned about them. As such, she remained quiet to listen to everything that had to be said, still trying to figure things out ahead of what words were even offered.

"...obvious creativity, to consider possibilities beyond my experiences."

When this was declared with a gesture, Cintra's eyebrow flicked up some, trying to guess what he meant by that. She could tell that it had something to do with her creative color choices, or so... that is what she translated it as. Most individuals in the Decepticon ranks seemed to fold towards darker colors, black with purple or red accents, perhaps a navy gray here or there that added 'variety' as if that dull color could even be called that. She tried to encourage others to express themselves, but these words were seldom taken seriously. Flux himself even folded into such a drab thing, though at least he was matte to change things up, and could be used as a sort of chalkboard because of it to add a variety of patterns if she had a bored moment.

These kind words towards her could be seen as sucking up, and indeed she knew as much, though she couldn’t help but feel some pride in being an outlier on topics of color, resulting in a faint twitch of the side of her lip to imply a flickered smirk.

One that faltered at his continued words.

"You also have some additional talents that may come in handy..."

Oh. Go figure.

Cintra knew what this meant. While she did have her own strengths and boons, what most seemed to narrow her down to was the bright-colored thing that could climb well and access difficult terrain with far more ease than most due to a 'freaky' appendage that others didn't have. They saw the cabling on her frame, the fact they had blades, and didn't tend to go further than that. While Starkrieger could be different, that is for certain, she was pretty damn confident that he was now just some other mech who saw only surface levels, just as he only saw surface levels of Flux before trying to flirt his way forward.

"Go on..."

This was almost a challenge in a way, daring him to speak more about how her tendrils could be some boon to traverse a ravine or who knows what where a flier couldn't go, at least not without substantial risk of a catastrophic crash resulting in injuries or straight up death. This irritation resulted in said appendage slipping to the side in a sort of irritated flick, though it would be unseen via the Seeker's current position across from her, the only tell being a faint rattle of the blades that were nested beside one another.

[Starkrieger]

While Starkrieger’s goal had not been to flatter, the birth of a smile held promise. Certainly it was better for Cintra to be at ease with him, than the alternative, but then her guard went up. The corner of his derma pulled lightly as well, a hint of subconscious tension at her shift. But what had been the cause? Whether the Seeker would have retracted or apologize for offending her was not a simple matter to assess. If he felt he had done something warranting it, he would, if he didn’t then whatever complaint would be her problem. However, not knowing what he had done was disconcerting, leaving the possibility that he had crossed some line he would rather not hang over his helm.

Clicks passed, during which he mentally replayed his words, matching them with the change in the femme before him, while watching for clues on just what had soured Cintra’s mood further. If he had a cube, he would have broken optic contact to take a drink, as it was? He wasn’t taking rations until later in the day. Instead, he kept her gaze and waited.

Her ‘invitation’ to keep speaking didn’t really help. In another tone, it might have meant she was the type to enjoy hearing praise, and wanted more (or was the type to joke about such things). No, displeasure colored her vocals, daring him to tread further down his path and subsequently pay for it . The rattling of her blades was easily interpreted as a warning, and answered by the minute drawing back of his wings. He would be keeping an optic out for things to escalate.

“I didn’t mean anything… untoward”, he ventured cautiously. Missing the mark entirely, the Seeker decided that perhaps their unfortunate meeting had caused a misunderstanding. He’d thought his tone and framelanguage was clear that he was being genuine... but actions spoke, and Cintra hadn’t seen much of him to build trust after his misstep with Flux.

“Our last… encounter, suggested a few qualities you possess, at least when you’re angry and looking to subdue a mech.” He did tease a little, amused by the fire in her spark. The 'lightening up' was brief, just as quickly cast aside once more. “Qualities that compliment my own, or can assist with my… particular shortcomings in the field.” His vocals remained calm, strong, but his weight shifted. Krieg leaned away, the ends of his wings wavering as did his usually locked on optics. He was being vague, he knew it, and that it would do him no favors, but there were matters he didn’t want to address. His struggles were his own, and if he preferred to avoid their implications, he wouldn’t force himself to confront them to gain favor.

As his optics returned to seek hers, the corner of his derma lifted in a half smirk, playing off the moment of internal struggle. Regardless of her interpretation, he was familiar with what aspects of himself fit his part in their little scene. He was a confident, arrogant soldier, who absolutely ‘would dare’.

“Besides”, the lazy, cool transition matched his smirk. “Even if I did, you’ve already shown you’re more than capable of putting me in my place. So, what's there to worry about?”

[Cintra]

Cintra had expected Starkrieger to go on and express what he needed her to do with her skills in climbing or something else related to her tendrils... as that was all she ever was to others... yet, instead she got more dancing words beating around the bush. He was complimenting her talents, emphasizing some of his own shortcomings and how she could certainly put him in place again... which she more than knew well... and that was about it. She wondered very briefly if he had indeed said something and it was missed in the moment, yet she was trying so very hard to figure everything out from the onset and knew there was no way she would overlook some straightforward idea of just what he wanted.

He had to have been speaking vaguely for some point even if it was simply to confuse her.

Maybe he would get in trouble with someone overhearing if he was too direct?

"I don't like this game, what do you want?"

Not one for more 'intelligent' discussions where people try to be sneaky or underhanded with fancy phrases or weird folded-in implications meant to plan beneath a plan, Cintra wanted to just be told what was going on here. Subtle hints could only go so far, and they didn't take her very far at all at this moment. Perhaps it was simply another element of her impatience, not giving enough effort, though she just didn't have the energy to keep listening to him loop in circles, even though it had only been a couple of moments at best.

"Who am I stabbing?"

The Autobots would be the first obvious answer, but how would Starkrieger know where they were? Surely if he had figured such a thing out, that intel would have been passed up the chain to Megatron in an instant, and if it had? Well... they ALL would know as they would get to blend that base up to shrapnel at a moment's notice. While it could be some secret thing that they needed to hide the fact they knew, that didn't explain why the Seeker in front of him would be any more special than any one of them to be singled out, and then why he would approach her after the fact. Then again, he had said it was because of her skills, though he hadn't elaborated on it... unless it truly was just combat things.

Whatever the case, Cintra let out a tsk, clicking her fingertip down once on her forearm that remained crossed.

[Starkrieger]

A gentle frown answered her question, as the Seeker’s wings dropped marginally. It wasn’t that Starkrieger didn’t understand her frustration, but how could he fix it? Optics briefly slipped away, as if the answer existed at some point in the room, specifically, one that didn’t include her.

“It’s not a game. I want your assistance in getting our medic back. “ Plainly stated, if only leaving it at that was an option. A long out vent was followed by a sharper, critical look around the mess hall. As his optic ridges dropped with that focus, he shifted his weight in his seat, drawing closer to the table, and consequently to the femme seated across it.

“Unfortunately, as far as I know we are...How do you grounders put it? Spinning our wheels?” He lowered his vocals instinctively, uneasy. Anyone who had engaged in the search could easily tell as much; it wasn’t really a secret that needed to be kept. Yet, there was that small voice in his head that cautioned him. Some things weren’t meant to be known. Mecha might grow careless, or indifferent, should they hear that the effort was a mere shot in the dark.

“Until we have something to go on, we can only keep trying to find… or force a lead.“ The admission warranted a light scowl. He didn’t like obscure objectives any more than she seemed to. Maybe it was restlessness, or desperation that drove him to keep flying with chances of finding anything were so low. Plus, the Spymaster was on the case. Who better to figure out who had their CMO?... and yet, however minutely he bettered the odds, he felt compelled to do whatever he could to gain that edge for Soundwave… for Knock Out.

“As it is, I haven't picked a location yet. Figured we'd take the sector with the greatest need, or go with your preference, .“ Admitting that fact was a blow against his determination, albeit a temporary struggle. The mere notion he'd give up on his medic made his protoform crawl . It was hardly three Earth days since he'd disappeared. Still, it didn’t fail to hit him, that was how shaky their current tactics were. Their success would boil down to dumb luck.

“I’m not trying to be vague. I'm not sure which skills will be useful, or how. I just have possibilities." A single claw grated the table's surface, a shallow mark effortlessly etched into place. There were too many options, and no way to narrow them down. “I could try to map it all out for you, but he'd probably be rusted over before I finished.” Exaggerated, with a twisted sort of humor, Krieg’s brief smirk was more of a derisive sneer, complimenting the hint of bitterness in him he didn’t want to acknowledge.

He was doing nothing of real value. Their CMO seemed no closer to being found, and every sign, every indication was that he would soon join the endless list of names starting with Solarwind, Void, and Strike… with Lockstep as the most recent addition. Worse, for the first time he was stuck somewhere they couldn’t go blowing things up, or leave paths of destruction to vent frustrations. Orders demanded they stay hidden. His own moral compunctions reminded him, this planet was someone’s homeworld, as Cybertron had been theirs.

Another slow vent released, as Starkrieger became aware that he’d let his field slip. Along the way, he’d transitioned into a darker corner of his mind, charging the air with his aggression, an anger that was ill suited to the discipline drilled into him in his early function. The discipline he believed in, that defined his station.

“I'd get it, if you weren't interested" His vocals had returned to a calmer, at ease range, while his unarmed servo lifted to rotate at the wrist in an absent gesture "even if last time I hadn't... you know. " Better to be vague on that. Cintra had no problem shouting her claim on Flux when she was enraged at him, but that didn't mean she actually wanted the information spreading among the rest of the Cons.

[Cintra]

There was a long pause after Starkrieger stopped speaking, orange optics dancing across his features as if trying to read them while making a valiant attempt to process just what he said. There was so much beating around the bush she felt, implications made about trying to force a lead, without any details on just what this entailed or how they could even start. He seemed to have a list of sectors in mind, enough so to mention one has the greatest need, yet didn't say more about what the need even was. His declaration of not wanting to be vague was frustrating as he had made those hints, making it sound as though he was denying important things while playing coy. Was he making an effort to kindle ideas in her own head? Mentioning clues to see if she could put together a plan in an effort to guess what he was working on?... Or was he flailing around in a way that explained why Flux had gotten as confused as he had?

"You have no idea what you are doing, do you."

Not one to shy away from such confrontation, Cintra dropped this out bluntly with an unamused flare behind it. She needed a straight-to-the-point declaration, not the puffery and fancy leadup of any kind of strategic high society mind game. As such, her lip flicked up, a sort of small sneer returning as she was piecing together the idea that he effectively was crying to her for help with something he had no idea how to tackle.

Oh, she had her own thoughts. Sending a missile into a city would certainly get the Autobot's attention and force their hand, and holding such a city hostage would inspire the release of their medic if they had him, or pressure them to look for MECH to retrieve him as payment for not killing thousands. Then, once they got Knock Out back, they could just nuke the city anyway as an 'eat shit' insult and laugh at their loss. Regretfully, this wasn't something they could do, however, and she recognized as much despite wanting to. It was a clash in this base and the last one she served, the other one requiring no games to dance around some third party, while here they had burdensome 'civilians' to consider.

If the mech before her went rogue with her to do this plan, it would likely result in Megatron's vengeance for ruining their standing on this world, and Cintra wasn't game to risk that.

"Let's say we found this right sector or whatever you are implying. What would you even do? What even is 'right'?"

Cintra's brows furrowed at this before she unfolded her arms, tapping a pointer down on the table a couple of times while she continued to speak.

"If the Autobots have him, then he is at their base, and evidently, we haven’t been able to find their base in years."

HOW!? Was this planet really THAT big? The idea of not being able to narrow down where they were holed away was some unbelievable element, though that was related back to her previous station again, where hiding wasn't even an option.

"Got to offer someone more valuable to them. You volunteering?"

The rather irritated look on Cintra's features transitioned into a smug grin of a sneer at her joke, as it certainly was a joke. There was no way in her opinion that the Seeker would hold as much value as a MEDIC, and it wasn't like the Autobots would be eager to do a trade anyway as whoever would be offered in turn was obviously seen as of less value. Swapping something for trash effectively.

[Starkrieger]

Her optics boring into him was hardly a comfortable feeling, there was an intensity to the small femme that was simply undeniable. Should she have been a combatant, it wouldn’t have made an impact. However, seated before her, attempting to make conversation without annoying her (and failing miserably)? Wings shifted, angling away as his processor disassociated itself from the glare directed at him.

"You have no idea what you are doing, do you?"

He didn’t respond immediately, taking in what else she had to say. There might have been a benefit to her slowing him down, getting him to think about his strategy. If only her critiques didn’t spur on doubts he’d already been cycling repeatedly.

The joke helped ease the growing tension in his frame. A faint smirk was his first response. Subtly his helm angled down, away from Cintra, and what uncomfortable truths radiated off her as obtrusively as her flashy paint job. He hadn’t dismissed the words in his mind, both those the femme spoke aloud, and others which remained unsaid. At least he could, at least, use her levity as a way to push forward.


“That I could. Sadly, his superior finish would make it a poor trade.” A tinge of remorse, interwoven in the serious tones, played his part in the little exchange, a gentle lift in pitch as he continued, as he too, was merely joking . Whether he would offer himself to the Autobots for Knock Out or not was hardly a matter of consideration, as the Bots would never agree to the exchange. More obviously, the mech’s finish was far from what made him valuable, but suggesting it felt right. Their medic surely would have played off of it, if he were present.

“... but, you aren’t wrong. ” In the span of a short pause he considered how forthcoming he would like to be. Not exactly in the mood for deep conversation, it was difficult to miss that she seemed even less inclined. “I’m no visionary, to come up with a strategy, not without more to go on, not while we have to keep ourselves hidden from the organics.” Wings shifted uneasily, as he was aware that it wasn’t that simple. There were ethical considerations as well, but he didn’t see the use in overcomplicating things. “... The chances of finding Autobots, or any lead is abysmal, but they’re still better than if we’re idling in base.” It wasn’t as though Command didn’t have the means to reach him, if there were developments. Still… long shots and lack of success could weigh heavily on mecha. It was hardly surprising that many would avoid such tasks.

[Cintra]

"-not while we have to keep ourselves hidden from the organics."

"Can we just agree with how dumb it is we can't just eliminate humans?"

The things hadn't even evolved to the point they could leave their own world! Trapped on the little sphere, struggling with what menial technological advancements they had... Was boiling down their entire species to levels considered worthless an act of foolishness? Of course. Just because they couldn't cross stars and did not yet know that there were countless species of sentient life didn't mean they couldn't fabricate weaponry. Whether made by the most advanced of civilizations, or wallowing organics rooting around blindly, a bomb was a bomb and it could wipe a target clear off the realm of the living, especially if shrapnel was loaded in to pair with the raw combustive force.

"That'd open up so many doors instead of us all hiding."

A snorted scoff followed this, her jaw pressing forward in absolute dismay. After this worthless complaint since her opinions would change nothing, she placed her elbow down atop the table with a clunk, pointing two fingers out at Starkrieger with a sort of mocking wiggle as she spoke more.

"Starscream sent Flux and I out scouting, and we found jack shit."

Was that what he was saying? That he would point at an area, offer a shrug, and tell her to look around because he couldn't? How useless was that? Then again, she would do it if it was needed, not above such a chore, however, she thought he had something more in mind when he approached her to begin with. Wouldn't a Vehicon be more compliant and wouldn’t be glaring daggers through his skull?

"He does think they are in... I don't remember... some region range thing..."

Her scowl instantly stopped a second as she bit her lip scrabbling for what the word was.

"Zone coordinate... th-thing..."

Oh man. Cintra didn't know if that was bad or not that she couldn't piece together the words that were needed, but she honestly didn’t remember. It was a word or set of words she would likely recognize if she heard it, but all she could really recall was the map that he had pulled up, prompting her to guess where she would go look next if she had to choose. She felt like she had proposed a smart idea, though it wasn't as though she got results of any meaningful kind. She did learn more about the planet, but that was about it truly.

"You should ask him so you don't flop around in the wrong quadrant?"

An actual bit of advice and a dash of an idea thrown out there. Starscream could likely help point them in the right direction, even if it was simply showing the same map again and letting them figure it out.

With this, her arm that had been partly raised would rest down horizontally along the table, her pointer finger tapping down twice in inner thought now that she fully accepted the fact Starkrieger was useless and she would need to meet him halfway with a plan, if not come up with her own now.

[Starkrieger]

“That it would… As I understand it, the Autobots beat us to contact with the humans. It’s certainly a disadvantage if they have the support of a human government.” The door she had mentioned certainly had greater potential than simply being able to strut about in the open. Whether they would have used the humans to pressure the enemy into keeping their servos out of the Decepticon cookie jar was debatable. It would have depended on what goals command prioritized, and what methods they would favor to achieve those goals.

However, that was hardly here nor there. The absent comment was made, while Starkrieger’s gaze had ceased focusing properly on the femme before him. If she noticed it would depend on her perception of his tells, hidden though his optics' focus usually was, the subtlest turn of his helm, angling faceplates slightly to her left signifying the shift of his attention. He was still listening, every word passing through his audials as his mind divided, diving into various matters.

The struggle of her words to precisely identify what the Air Commander had said wasn’t held against her. Articulation, or a lack of it, wasn’t always an indication of one’s intelligence. She recognized the importance of those words, and remembered them well enough to get the point across. No harm was done.

“A good suggestion. Though, given that he sent the pair of you, I suspect it was because you’re better suited to covert operations.” His vocals softened, idly turning this new information around in his processor. “I, unfortunately, am difficult not to notice.” Was his Lord worried about the Bots crawling further into whatever hole they stuffed themselves in these days? Would striking too close to their suspected holdups cause more problems then they would solve?

As the familiar blue glow of her rations drew his focus, the Seeker’s helm tipped more obviously than its previous deviations. It wouldn’t have been unlikely to assume he was getting lost in thought, focusing on a single grounding stimulus as his mind sought a firm grip on his current line of thinking.

“You know… you’re absolutely right.” He resumed, calm, thoughtful, as subtle shifts around the corners of his derma told of unspoken flashes of thought and emotion he was processing. “We should go with our first instinct. If we can’t find the Autobots, we should ‘motivate’ them to do the right thing.” When had she said that? Had he surmised that she wanted to watch the world burn? Or was he simply crediting her because… well, had it not been for whatever influence the chaotic little femme had he might not have focused on any one option? Regardless, the same single claw tapped on the table once more, slower, gentler…

“We can’t just raze this world however we please, but that doesn’t mean we can’t send them a message. It just… needs to be something big enough to catch their attention, obvious to them and their cohorts, but meaningless to the civilian natives.” Plenty of devastation happened on this planet, how difficult would it really be to hide their ‘message’ in plain sight? After all, wasn’t that the nature of their earth based alt modes?

“You wouldn’t object to a little destruction, would you?”

[Cintra]

"-I suspect it was because you’re better suited to covert operations."

Covert... operations...?

Starkrieger's descriptor seemed to catch Cintra off guard, a form of confusion taking shape as she had never in her life been considered a covert sneaky sort. She was bright colored, with bright... energy... and a psychotic zeal when an opportunity showed itself. As he continued to speak however it quickly became clear that he meant the fact they could both turn into vehicles that COULD drive into populated areas, unlike a jet, yet, it still felt weird to use such a word against either her or Flux. It was something that likely would never happen legitimately unless she got some kind of processor damage that knocked some patience into her.

Perking up slightly as Starkrieger continued to speak, Cintra noted instantly how he was saying she was right without any perceivable mockery. It was something that started to further brace the charred bridge that was between them, making her more open to hear just where he was going next with things, and... well... he was now speaking her language.

"Me?"

A smile crept back across Cintra's features, broad and overly happy that the question had been asked.

"I live for violence."

This was such a surreal statement, as past her would be wholly confused and probably alarmed that she would ever utter such a thing at any point in her existence. Back on Cybertron when serving her role, she was more meek and subdued on the topic of violence. Energetic with her passions! Not at all a boring soul! And able to try to lash out and defend herself if pushed, but not seeking any level of danger or fight. There was a sort of switch that had flipped when the War started to kick off, and she realized that true aggression was not just needed to survive as their world heaved and boiled into a bomb-riddled hellscape, it was something that had to be embraced in order to thrive and lead towards a possible victory. This mindset alone would push a shift; however, it had occurred far easier than was ever expected, betraying that such a mental state was always lurking beneath the surface unknown to even herself.

And thus, this form of Cintra was created, and she never looked back upon it as a bad change. She wanted to win! And reactivity could only do so much when they needed proactive measures.

Such as finding their lost medic.

"So, do we just bomb a store or something?"

On the scale of one to way the hell too far, Cintra promptly jumped to a ten, not at all knowing how to balance out things. As far as she knew, anything destructive or showy enough to catch Autobot eyes, would also be so big that humanity itself would turn and send their own enforcers to try to get the situation under control. Going rogue to fight other Cybertronians was one thing, an act that could get them hurt or scolded, but pissing off a huge number of human authorities could cause a lot of focus to go back at them in a bad way.

Or more, her.

Unless Starkrieger was some secret triple changer, she highly doubted he would be anywhere near enough to the impact point to be involved beyond a 'sucks to be you' reply if everything hit the fan.

"Not like we can just shine some giant beacon into the sky to summon them."

Cintra rolled her optics at this, unknowing that it could... actually be feasible. Some spotlights near where Autobots had been sighted could be noticed, and the only ones who would recognize one of their badges would be one of their own.