Ep 2 - 'Fallout' - Closed

[Deleted]

<<OOC: Set Day Week 1, Day 1, with Starscream and Soundwave.>>

Megatron had ordered an immediate command meeting before he'd gotten off the berth.

He'd woken to a pounding helm, stiff joints and a recharging cassette sprawled across his chassis and into his neck just minutes before. Processing the events of his medical leave had been a disconcerting experience now that his mind was fully intact again, and his mental review ended with a start when he reached what 'he'd' instructed her to do the night before.

Fairwinds did not stir when she was unceremoniously dumped on a metal-mesh 'beanbag' in her cupboard, her carrier refueling whilst re-reading her conversation with Fortress Maximus. As soon as the energon cube was empty, Megatron left for the the upper decks. Specifically, his office adjacent to the bridge.

It was rare that he called Starscream and Soundwave to meet away from the control room. The Eradicons who worked the consoles in the lower level were loyal and knew when to keep their visors down and feign deafness. However, at times genuine partitioning of information was called for, and a technically unsanctioned exchange of intelligence with an Autobot was definitely one of those times. Fairwinds may have been acting under his instructions, which had come about from lengthy consideration and planning, but the Decepticon Commander had been medically relieved at the time.

Starscream was going to have a field day.

However, as Soundwave would be the first to attest, once information was released it was nigh impossible to get back. They would have now have to deal with the fallout of the exchange.

Megatron, fittingly, arrived first. He remained standing behind the desk and took in the wall monitor, which relayed the same screens as were displayed on the bridge. He trusted that his Second and Third in Command would not keep him waiting long.

[Deleted]

Remarkably - and against his better judgment - Starscream was the next to arrive.

He entered cautiously, picking his steps like a stork. His wings were folded back and down in a gesture of supplication, his hands laced together at the small of his back. Megatron loomed tall behind his desk and his optics went to him first, warily. Then he glanced around the rest of the office, both guarded and curious.

No Soundwave yet. How... remarkable.

His gaze flitted back to the warlord. Though physically Megatron looked just as he always did a different air hung about him like a miasma - something dark and brooding and powerful, something that had been missing during his mental convalescence. There was no doubt in Starscream's mind that 'Megatronus' was gone, yet another another victim to fall silently along the wayside of the war.

A shame. Megatronus had been depressingly ignorant of his strength and influence, and yet at the same time...

Starscream shook the nostalgic memory from his head with a touch of irritation and drew himself to his full height.

"Lord Megatron," he said. He assumed his customary position to the left of the desk and bowed before settling in to wait for the Communications Officer.

[Deleted]

When Soundwave received the summons, he'd been in one of the secondary science labs. He didn't need the privacy of the location; his status and presence would have guaranteed him that even if he'd been standing in the middle of the warship's bridge - it usually did.

No, the problem was that this particularly station was hiccuping when he tried to slave it into larger projects. He'd come to check for hardware problems, because repeated diagnoses had not found software issues.

The blank helm tilted aside when his liege's message came by, and he was moving at once. Finally, finally; he'd been waiting for such a summons ever since Knock Out had taken Megatron off the active duty roster, illogical as that had been. Not that the... enforced vacation had been bad for the warlord. Soundwave had, in fact, been thoroughly surprised by the extent of healthful interaction he'd observed, even when he'd not been supposed to be observing those interactions.

He was moving at once in response to the command, his mind reaching into the ship's systems and looking for cameras and sensors. If it had been only him that Lord Megatron had summoned, Soundwave would have made utter haste to obey. But this was a command meeting, which meant one more party was involved.

He wished to give Starscream a few moments alone with their Lord, if only because the 2IC never seemed to fail to use such time to shoot himself in the back, and he was far more tractable when he was at his most paranoid. He did not delay, however; when he stepped into Megatron's office, he nodded with brief courtesy at Starscream before lifting his arm to his chest and giving Megatron a formal salute.

He did not waste time asking if his liege were well; if he were not, the meeting would not have been called. He did not need to even be in Megatron's presence to have an answer for that basic question, and so he merely stood at ease, shifting so that he was partially a part of the office's shadows.

[Deleted]

Megatron acknowledged them both with a glance. He did not waste time informing them that he had resumed command, or make any remarks as to the present state of his ship and crew. His officers had performed well, and he had not been truly absent to need catching up on things now. He had, against the grain of his personality matrix, been engaging in conversation with the crew in addition to reading the daily reports.

Soundwave, particularly, had been meticulous in ensuring that his Lord was kept apprised of the happenings in and around the Nemesis. Starscream, though still communicative, had summarised rather a lot.

However, neither of them put their opinions in their reports. Those were restricted to conversation (and Soundwave's subsequent filing), and were of more value than the contents of the reports themselves. Starscream was always keen to give his opinion: energetically critical and usually in contradiction with whatever Megatron thought, but always insightful. The occasions when he was reluctant to speak his mind, or downplayed the ongoing advertisement of his wasted intelligence, were equally insightful. It meant the treacherous little wretch was up to something.

Soundwave's insight was quiet and more focused upon contextualising data, extrapolating new meanings and insights through simple juxtaposition and logic. He arranged facts to speak for themselves, and wound up the Air Commander no end in doing so. Megatron, however, appreciated the starkly opposite approaches, and was attentive to both before proceeding to do whatever felt in his gut was the right course of action.

Opinions were just that, informed or not. Command was on his shoulders, and the repercussions came under his name. It was a comfortable weight, however; purposeful and hard earned. He found he'd missed it during the last two weeks.

The less time and energy spent thinking about all that, the better.

Megatron would not raise what Fairwinds had done on his memory-hindered behalf without preparing the ground, first. It was one of Starscream's favoured tactics when it came to softening a blow. The Commander, however, saw the caution now not as manipulating his audience but of contextualising the exchange and its ramifications. They had a choice in how to proceed, and he would assess that, as well as just how bad the data exchange with Fortress Maximus had been, with his commanders' opinions in mind.

"It appears," he began, laying the tips of his claws demonstrably across the display on his desk, "that there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of contact with MECH."

He straightened and regarded them both for a moment, holding the silence and watching for a reaction. Optics narrowing a fraction, Megatron went on, "And we are overdue a discussion on the growing threat that MECH present. What are your views, commanders?"

[Deleted]

Starscream returned the nod from Soundwave.

When Megatron spoke he drew himself up to attention. He was not certain where the warlord intended to take the meeting, which was reason enough for a glimmer of doubt and anxiety, but at least it was starting on what was, for the moment, neutral ground. Intelligence and analysis.

“Indeed, my Lord,” he said. “Though at least we can say that in the preceding weeks they have not attacked us directly. We have not had one Decepticon report a hostile encounter with the humans or return with damage inflicted as a result of them since Roulette and Fairwinds suffered their mishap.”

He paused, the talons of one hand idly rubbing together behind his back.

“While that is, of course, no reason for us to lower our guard, it does present the unfortunate situation where we lack direct observational information on MECH from troops in the field. At best, we have data uploaded from one of our Decepticons on the field, who observed the final momenta of a suspected confrontation between the Autobots and the humans. Indirect, and not a detailed record of what occurred before he arrived on the scene – information of tactical significance that the Autobots may possess in abundance if MECH has turned its attention to them.”

Starscream chucked and said, with withering sarcasm, “In which case I wish them the best of luck.”

[Deleted]

MECH.

Soundwave was unsurprised to see his liege lord turn his attention to something that had escalated from nuisance to credible threat with astonishing speed. Humans, it seemed, needed eradication promptly.

That opinion, however, was nothing new. Mankind had to be got rid of eventually, if only because they would eventually get in the way of planetary resource-harvesting. It could well be that that very same harvesting would be the end of them. Regardless, the slice of population MECH represented was better off handled separately. And swiftly.

He listened motionlessly to Starscream. The only carrying impression was that, as ever, the Air Commander teetered on the edge of underestimating an enemy. Someday, perhaps, Starscream would be cured of that vice. Oh, what a force he would be that day. That day, however, was not come yet.

Soundwave shifted, taking a step forward. Through the dull emptiness of his faceplate flickered a map. Small starbursts flickered through it, though he allowed none of them to remain long, the blinking lines of information attached to every site fading uncertainly. Soundwave was not about to put his suspicions down on a report. They were just that, suspicions, and he was no longer willing to take the field to MECH without solid information. Unfortunately MECH was as keen to hide that information as he was on finding it; the lack of starting points was not helpful, either.

That was, however, as far as he'd agree with the Air Commander. His helm tilted briefly towards Starscream, then shook in a firm negative. Neither the Autobots nor MECH could be trusted to deal with one another permanently, not because they might fail, but because they might succeed, and whichever opponent would be left behind would be all the stronger for it. His faceplate provided the very simple line of thought for his disagreement: an Autobot glyph, leading to the hollow outline of a weapon which was promptly stamped with MECH human lettering, leading to a Decepticon symbol which promptly shattered. It was just as easy to flip the two primary steps on that very simply projection, to the same result.

However, his answering Lord Megatron's question did not answer Soundwave's own: why had it been asked to begin with? It was entirely possible that his liege Lord was determined to launch an offensive against MECH and merely wanted a sense of what sort of enthusiasm would follow him to battle, but the 3IC did not think it was that simple. No, he rather thought he just didn't have enough information to answer his own, private curiosity. Yet.

[Deleted]

Some of the coordinates that Soundwave had flashed matched to those Fairwinds had supplied, and Megatron was satisfied to see the understated mech demonstrate absolute disagreement with Starscream's sneering dismissive. One the initial surprise had passed (assuming that he'd be able to tell if the other were surprised), then the communications was likely to align fully to his thoughts. Already Soundwave had determined that MECH could not be left to the Autobots any more than they could be ignored.

Megatron had been anticipating Starscream's reaction, to some degree. It was an integral part of the Seeker's personality that he looked down upon every other lifeform in the universe with a disdainful sneer until it warranted his grudging respect.

Interestingly, the Air Commander had raised the point of the Autobot's superior intelligence. Where they had been underestimating MECH from the start, the Autobots had had a human interest since they had made their presence known so many months ago. Intelligence gathering on board the Nemesis was generally far more effective than Optimus could achieve in his primitive base, but they had an in with the natives and the human military.

After MECH had managed to put the Decepticon commander out of commission for two weeks, however, it seemed prudent that they begin taking the value of that potential intelligence more seriously.

The Decepticon warlord arranged his hands behind his back and moved around the desk, coming to stand with his commanders. "The protocol for dealing with the humans is to overlook them, and not to draw attention to ourselves so that we may operate undisturbed," he uttered, looking between the smaller mechs. His mouth pulled into a severe, wry line. "I feel it is time to revise that policy."

A beat passed, unconsciously measured as one who is used to making speeches manages their words. "MECH's weapons and tactics are improving at a rate indicative of direct study of our anatomy as well as tactics. They are not aligned with the human military, nor are they discerning of faction."

Megatron thought of the notations in the reports from Breakdown, Roulette and Fairwinds that MECH did not see them as living, and refused to acknowledge them as sentient. It would likely be impossible to strike a deal with them, even if that were an avenue he were open to exploring.

No. They needed to be destroyed, and thus fully sought out and excavated from their burrows. They needed Autobot intelligence for that. Cooperation of the kind Fairwinds had engaged in at La Madre, which had seen MECH agents flushed out and intelligence gained with no injuries sustained. More facts and leads like what his cassette had gained from Fortress Maximus.

He cleared Fairwinds' recent activity from his mind for the moment, lest Soundwave catch sign of it. Her part in this meeting would come up soon enough. For now, Megatron's voice shifted into that of absolute fact.

"MECH is an enemy and a threat to Cybertronians, not just the Decepticons. And they need to be dealt with on that basis."

[Deleted]

Starscream clasped his chin between two talons in an attitude of thought.

“It seems to me, Master, that we have two initial options available to us, in regards for how we deal with MECH,” he said. He raised one talon. “One: we don’t. We have superior mobility in the form of the Nemesis, which allows us to pick our theatre of operation from around the globe. In attempting to chase us over vast distances, should that prove MECH's response, they will not only spread themselves thin, but stretch themselves beyond the range of reliable communications. Their isolated pursuit forces will thus prove easy targets. And if the bulk of their militia choose to attack the Autobots, who are a more stationary target...”

He smiled thinly. “I’m sure losses will be suffered by either side, thus weakening two of our enemies in one blow. A weakened, limping MECH would be easier to track, to bleed dry of stolen data – and finally, to crush.”

He accentuated the words with a closed fist, his wings pinned back.

A moment later Starscream returned his hands behind his back. In a mild tone he said, “But there is another option to consider. We could aggressively take the fight to MECH head on – but currently we lack the intelligence to reliably assault all of their strongholds at once for a decisive victory. And in a war of attrition, they regrettably have the upper hand given their in–depth knowledge of this foreign mudball. We need to compile more in–depth information about the tactics, armament, and operations of the creeping vermin before we attempt a full–out assault. And for that, well...”

His regarded Megatron warily, as if unsure of the warlord’s temperament. “It could, er... potentially be gleaned from the Autobots, my Lord, by violence or by cunning.”

[Deleted]

Soundwave was watching Megatron. He listened, of course, he always did: beyond his liege's ability to weave words into a driving force was the 3IC's experience that Megatron hardly ever spoke without knowing exactly why every word ought to be said, as well as how and when and to whom it was said.

And if Megatron had acknowledged MECH as a threat to their race, not just to their faction, it meant he was already weighting the Autobot part in this debacle.

Soundwave gave away nothing of his thoughts; as Megatron stopped speaking and Starscream picked up the thread of the conversation, the empty faceplate pivoted slightly to follow the Air Commander.

Though he'd never admit it (out loud), Soundwave did acknowledge Starscream as a mech of occasional brilliance. The problem was that too often the 2IC led with his ego, not with his processor. Humility, Soundwave guessed, was something one had to find at the bottom of a pit, bleeding and broken and fighting for your life. How Megatron's efforts still failed to provide Starscream with that much-needed insight was beyond the 3IC.

Case in point, while Starscream's suggestion to let MECH and the Autobots could be considered sound strategy on the short-term, Soundwave felt that on the long run it would be catastrophic: if the Autobots won, every weapon and bit of development MECH had brought to bear against their race would be in their hands, to be used against the Decepticon ranks - worse still, to be given to their human allies, arming them on a level that might bring them to the battlefield as the equals of any Vehicon, or worse.

If MECH, won, they'd have at least two dozen Autobot prisoners, or carcasses, to perfect their weaponry on. Not the 'Nemesis', not distance, not one thing would bridge that gap unless they left Earth behind entirely, and while Soundwave was still not certain why their liege wanted them on orbit around the measly little dustball, as long as his will bound them there, there they would remain.

It would not hurt, however, to make the 2IC feel supported every now and again. Even if, Soundwave suspected, they were merely making an offer of the thought already in Megatron's mind. He lifted one hand and gestured towards Starscream, nodding briefly. On his faceplate appeared both the Autobot and the Decepticon symbols, and threads of binary, senseless data flowed from one to the other and back. An exchange of data seemed to him the best option, and the most likely - if nothing else, they all knew the Autobots would never pass up a chance of filling up their audios with their peaceful drivel without getting shot at.

One could only hope it would at least be useful drivel.

[Deleted]

Starscream was following the seeded trail. Soundwave appeared as though he'd already walked it, returned and was waiting for the Seeker to catch up.

"The Autobots are neither fond nor tolerant of MECH, having also experienced their capabilities first-hand," Megatron said, adhering to only the vague facts contained in Fairwinds' report. Fortress Maximus had been as careful as she not to reveal such specifics as names, and he would not wish to speculate to his command team.

Megatron did not add the inescapable fact that the Decepticons had suffered a significantly higher number of attacks. Initially it had seemed suspicious, suggesting an alliance between MECH and the Autbots - or at least the human military that they worked with. Now he saw that it was simple statistics and MECH's opportunistic nature. The Decepticons had more personnel and ran more patrols. Of course they would see MECH's hand more often.

"No subterfuge or force is required to glean information when the enemy is shared, and MECH is undoubtedly a mutual threat," Megatron went on, faceplates drawn serious and dark. The iron conviction in his presence was inescapable, as magnetic now as it had been on Cybertron. Where the Prime wore his leadership like a burden, Megatron drew unending strength from the rightness of his role.

"Optimus Prime is an longtime advocate of cooperation. It will take very little to convince him to share intelligence for the sake of confronting this threat."

Of this, Megatron was absolutely certain. Much as Fairwinds had operated on orders she should not have obeyed, her meeting with Fortress Maximus had provided clear evidence that even a skeptical and (by all accounts) psychopathic Autobot was willing to cooperate and share information about MECH. It was the logical thing to do. In Optimus's mind, it would likely be the right thing to do.

Millennia spent as friends, brothers, enemies and military leaders had give Megatron plenty of opportunity to learn the multiple facets of Optimus's mind. It placed them in an intolerable number of stalemates, and -as he was intimately known in turn- saw his plans foiled over and over again. Optimus would seek a peaceful resolution to the MECH problem as the right solution: a human solution.

"His intentions for MECH will, undoubtedly, be more peaceable than my own," Megatron added, something ominous passing his field. "But we shan't trouble him with that. He will cooperate, particularly if he believes he might hold any sway over the final outcome."

[Deleted]

"Let him believe that we will allow him to dictate how MECH shall be dealt with?" said Starscream.

He sounded skeptical. He leaned his weight onto one hip and crossed his arms over his chest, one hand lifted to scratch his chin.

"Surely, my Lord, he will never trust us to honour any mutual agreement that the Autobots and Decepticons might come to regarding MECH," he said. "Particularly given how our, ah... prior encounters with the humans under the Autobots' sorry blanket of protection have played out in the past."

Starscream made a face as he thought of the children. The noisy, vile little children. That Starscream himself had tried to kill. Several times over, come to think of it.

"It seems prudent to suspect that Optimus Prime will be suspicious of us no matter what we tell him - or don't tell him - during a formal exchange of information," he mused. He tapped his mouth with one talon. "The Prime may be pitifully soft-hearted where the humans are concerned, but he isn't a fool. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage? Let his Autobots deal with MECH in exchange for vital concessions in favour of the Decepticons?"

[Deleted]

Soundwave considered the two mechs before him, both confronted with a tremendous problem: to reach out to the Autobots after having tried to annihilate them for so long.

Megatron had done some thinking, likely some private research of his own. For a mech Soundwave had tried to keep under observation, his liege was obnoxiously good at hiding his activities sometimes. At least it had not gotten him offlined. Nonetheless, something had provoked this meeting and conversation, which Soundwave could only guess meant Megatron had already run his mind through the first contact problem.

His lord's problem, Soundwave thought, was that this was not combat, and Megatron had never been looking for a diplomatic solution when this whole blood-letting debacle had been started. Diplomacy was all well and good when used for deception; when used for rallying troops or making a point to a valuable (if unwilling) asset, then his liege was the very epitome of debonair and diplomatic. But when you actually had to not-shoot blood-sworn enemies for long periods of time... he didn't trust his lord. That short fuse was legendary for a reason.

Starscream, on the other hand, was defaulting to conniving. That was unsurprising. It seemed a drive of the Seeker to try and foist any work to be done on others, as if the lack of hands-on activity were a badge of honor. The company he kept ought to have taught him otherwise, and yet it hadn't; Soundwave wasn't sure where that was rooted in Starscream's psyche - the mech was supremely capable when he did apply himself, he just... liked to delegate as a show?

The thing was, none of it mattered.

Soundwave lifted a hand lightly. A brief sound bite played out, a short line of peaks and valleys going through his faceplate: the Prime, with any one of the many recordings Soundwave had on file for him.

It does not matter.

.

The same hand made a throw-away gesture. To his faceplate returned the two symbols, Autobot and Decepticon; between them he re-established the thin stream speaking one word: MECH. This time he added a pulsing circle around the Autobot symbol, refusing the data stream.

He pointed a talon to Megatron, adding his liege's voice.

"MECH is an enemy and a threat to Cybertronians.

And just like that, the pulsing circle was gone, the stream accepted, the two-way link established. The point was as simple and inescapable as Megatron's equally blunt statement: it didn't matter whether Optimus trusted them; it didn't mater if he suspected treachery from the Decepticons every step of the way. They could tell the Prime and his battered Autobots, to their face, that they would betray them, that they would torture and kill each and every MECH they got their hands on, that they would share information and nothing else, and it would still not change the fact that Megatron had spoken truly.

A talon tapped the two-way exchange, then the spot where a mouth would have been in a normal mech, gesturing forth and waving that hand idly.

In the end, that data was all that mattered, and as long as that one bit remained untarnished (which Soundwave was entirely fine with doing), they could say any fool thing to the Prime and his Autobots. They would still not believe it, and it would still not matter.

His attention turned to Megatron once again, and the 3IC gestured respectfully: what now?

[Deleted]

What now, indeed.

Both commanders were in agreement that cooperating with the Autobots in order to utilize their intelligence and resources was the best course of action. It had taken less time than Megatron had expected, underscoring how significant a concern MECH had become for the Decepticons.

Likely they had been waiting for him to raise the discussion as to what to do about them, rather than being the ones to suggest that a human organisation warranted his attention. Though the catastrophic damage done to the Commander by a single shot from one of their weapons was evidence that needed no further commentary.

Megatron directed himself to Starscream, his posture formal and exuding a natural aura of command and certainty. "Whatever the Autobots think of our intentions, Optimus Prime will inevitably cooperate in a temporary alliance. And make no mistake: our involvement with MECH will be as direct as they have been with us."

A slow, measured glance between both mechs, and finally Megatron elected to divulge the progress already made in this evenue.

"We have already received a small bounty of intelligence through non-aggressive contact with an Autobot," he said, as if this was no exceptional thing. He would deal with his cassette in private, and continue projecting the impression that she was (largely) under control. "Fairwinds recently negotiated a limited exchange of intelligence with Fortress Maximus, unofficially but successfully. You will both receive her report in due course."