[ti]Ep 2[/ti]War Stories (Closed)

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The tank thundered towards him.

Without slowing, it transformed. The transition from tracks to a two-legged gait was a seamless one. The big blue and grey mech did not break stride as the rest of his armour clamped around his shoulders and legs, the gun barrel telescoping down his back. A startled exclamation rose from the soldiers, but he ignored it along with the stares. With grim purpose he strode forward amid a cloud of dust, his red optics fixed upon Smokescreen.

He stopped in front of the young Autobot and frowned down at him. The sun peered down from over the top of his dark helm.

"I recognise you," he rumbled. "I read over your file shortly after you arrived. Smokescreen, originally of the Elite Guard, recently crashed on Earth. Inexperienced, but well-trained and reputedly capable. What are you doing here?"

Maximus lifted his gaze and warily eyed the road up to the test range. "And are you alone?"

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Having a tankformer bear down upon you could be one of the most terrifying sights to behold. It was also, usually, was the last thing a mech saw before going their merry way to the Well.

Most battle-hardened mecha would have regarded Fort Max's approach with something akin to alarm, at the very least. Smokescreen, on the other hand, hadn't ever seen a tankformer on the battlefield. His reaction?

So. Fragging. Awesome.

And then the big mech spoke and Smokescreen was surprised that to learn that Fort Max recognized him on sight, surprised and elated. Aw yeah, even a war hero like Maximus knew of him. And-

'Well trained and reputedly capable.'

Suh-weet!

Now, he only had to live up to those expectations. Nooooo problem. Don't mess up and look like an idiot in front of the big guy. Okay, he could do this.

Now-

Wait, did he really want to tell Fort Max he was here because hey, his recent ordeals were wearing on him? Nah, no way. What could he say that was close enough to the truth, so he wouldn't be caught in a outright lie, but sounded impressive? Or hey, didn't even have to sound impressive, but just didn't make it sound like Smokescreen wasn't handling the stress of being a soldier well.

"Me? I'm here burning rubber mostly," Smokescreen said confidently. He flicked his doors, emphasizing the wheels attached there. "New alt-mode, new wheels. Haven't exactly had the opportunity to see how well everything handles together and out here I can try out maneuvers without attracting attention from the locals near the Omega base."

The young Autobot followed Fort Max's gaze to the dirt track, a little perplexed when the big mech asked him if he was alone. "As far as I'm aware of, yes," he answered wryly. "No one else was scheduled to come with me."

Smokescreen paused. "You're Fortress Maximus, aren't you?" he said, giving a respectful nod. "Command told me you were stationed here." -And told me to leave you alone- "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

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Maximus winced.

"That's me," he said.

His manner was curt, but not hostile. He eyed the dirt road one last time before turning his undivided attention onto Smokescreen. The red optics fixed down upon him steadily.

"Good to see you here on Earth, Smokescreen," he said gruffly. "They need more soldiers like you back at the base, bots who can hold a gun and shoot straight, fight a war at range, withstand damage in a skirmish and adjust their tactics accordingly. I've got nothing against specialists, but unfortunately their limited and Cybertronian-specific tools and skillsets don't always apply well to a planet as foreign, organic, and reduced in scale as this one. In my experience, soldiers do better in this kind of field."

His tone was neutral and matter of fact. He nodded to the young Autobot.

"If you can take a few hits and adapt to the unexpected, using whatever you have on hand, you'll do well here," he said. "That's my insight to you. I could be wrong. I have been before. So take it or leave it as you will. I won't be offended."

There was no bitterness as he said it. There was no trace of patronization in his voice, of an officer speaking down to a recruit. Maximus spoke with gravity. He folded his arms over his chest and rubbed a hand over his jaw as he studied Smokescreen.

"How are the manoeuvres going?" he said. "Gotten used to the new alt mode yet?"

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Smokescreen caught the wince but wasn't unsure what had caused it. He didn't get an opportunity to ponder over it because the big mech continued to talk on. The young Autobot's manner grew sombre and he straightened up to give Fort Max his full attention. There was a weight to the former warden's tone and bearing that spoke of centuries spent on the battlefield and at war. The Bots back at base didn't really have that feel, except for Optimus maybe.

He listened carefully to Fort Max had to say, filling the information away for future reference. The big mech had been here a while, and he was stationed out at Black Rock with allied human forces. If anything, Smokescreen reckoned, Fortress Maximus was the Autobot with the best idea of what humans were capable off, in the military sort of sense. And also, you know, experienced war veteran. The tankformer was rolling in experience. Uh, not in the literal sense. Anyway, the advice Fort Max was giving out was probably the best he was going to get.

Smokescreen gave another respectful nod. "Thank you," he said, trying to return Max's solemn bearing so the big mech knew he was being taken seriously. "I, uh, appreciate it. This sure wasn't what I trained for, so every little bit of advice helps."

The moment that Max changed topics to alt-modes though, Smokescreen's formal manner pretty much vanished, especially given the topic at hand. Alt-modes…

"Well, I've learned I'm not fast enough to catch an airplane that's taking off," he said with good humour. "It's a good alt-mode, fast enough for my tastes. On tarmac that is," Smokescreen shot the rugged desert terrain a rueful look. "'m not sure I even wanna know how it goes offroad. But, that's one of the things I'll definitely be putting through its paces first. Nice flat ground is a scarce commodity on this planet, from what I understand."

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Maximus turned his gaze to the desert as well.

"Very rare," he said.

He studied the test range, where repeated bombardment and the criss-crossing tracks of numerous heavy vehicles had torn the baked flats into a cratered surface. Much of the scrub vegetation had been blasted into stalks or bare limbs. A craggy mountain range was visible in the distance, blue with atmosphere.

Maximus scratched his jaw idly. Much of the desert wore itself on his paint in a coat of pale dust. Dirt clung to the tank tracks on his back, and had ground itself into the scratches and scars on his battle frame. Evidently he had spent a little time out on the range himself.

He glanced back at Smokescreen.

"Tell you what," said Maximus. "I'm not doing anything at the moment that can't be put off until later. Care to go out into the test range and pit your alternate mode against some rough terrain? If you can drive offroad out there, you'll be fine in the rest of Nevada and the Midwest."

He pointed to the desert with his thumb.

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Smokescreen blinked at the unexpected offer. Did he want to do some off-road training with the big mech himself? Frag yes. Then his gaze moved over the rugged terrain. It would be fiiiiine, right? It couldn't be that hard to learn. Yes? Never mind it had been a really long time since he'd been able to use his alt-mode aaaand, he wasn't going there.

But-

He swept his gaze back up the ridge. "Yep, I'm definitely up to it," Smokescreen replied warmly. He cocked his head at the rest of the M1A1s. "Will it be alright? I thought they were in the middle of a training exercise. The soldiers by the gates told me to keep clear and I'm not entirely sure about the finer details on how the whole Autobot-human alliance works."

The young Autobot's shoulders settled back and one door flicked. He was slightly uncomfortable that the lines of authority were a bit blurred. Fowler had told him not to interfere with Black Rock's operations. And while Smokescreen had already failed in the staying away for Fort Max thing, he figured that was okay because Fort Max had initiated it and it was between the two Autobots. The human stuff however, he was a bit leery of mucking around with.

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Maximus waved it aside.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I'll handle it."

He turned back towards the line of tanks and whistled. A handful of the nearest soldiers looked around in surprise.

"We’re heading out into the north-east side of the range," said Maximus. There was little need to shout; his deep voice carried. "You guys going to keep firing on a rough heading of three-four-zero?"

"Yessir, most likely," said one man. "Until thirteen hundred anyway. I don't think we'll be veering much past three-six-zero, given the winds. If you stay north-east there should be no conflict."

Maximus gave him a thumbs-up before turning back to Smokescreen.

"There we go," he said. "We'll keep out of their way, maybe take a detour east up towards the North Jackson Mountains. That should wear a little rubber off your tires."

He transformed. The tank hit the ground on both sets of treads and rocked in place. Its big engine roared to life.

"I'd say 'follow me', but you could likely outpace me in first gear," said the tank. It sounded amused as it spun in place on one track, pointing its turret to the open desert. "So just follow me onto the range. If you want to cut loose after that, cut loose. Just be sure to aim north-east, like the Sergeant said."

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Well that was a lot easier than Smokescreen was expecting. Curious, he'd observed the interaction between Fort Max and the soldiers and the easy respect the humans had for the big tank former. Then again, Smokescreen couldn't imagine giving Fort Max anything less. The mech had a heavy presence that pretty much asked for it.

Smokescreen folded up into his alt mode. He revved his engine restlessly then stopped, chagrined when Max brought up the speed difference. "Oh yeah," he said sheepishly. Good thing the big guy didn't seem to mind it, some bots could get prickly about their speed. He settled behind the tank, keeping pace even though all he really wanted to do was shoot ahead and throw reason to the wind for a bit.

Just be sure to aim north-east, like the Sergeant said.

"Will do," Smokescreen confirmed. He was quiet for a bit, trailing behind the tank. "So what's it like, working with Fowler's troops?" he asked. He paused for a moment, that question kinda had come outta nowhere so Smokescreen hastily tacked on, "Wash had, uh, mentioned something to me about doing that and I've been considering it."

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Ahead of Smokescreen was a gentle downward slope that led down to the flat, open desert. There the earth was baked into a light dry surface by the sun. It was firm beneath his tires. It all but begged to be raced over.

Further ahead were the craters. Each was as big as his vehicle mode, and just as deep. Luckily the gaps between them were vast, making them easy to steer around for a nimble Autobot.

Already the tank had picked up speed. It settled into an easy pace, powering through a cloud of dust.

"Agent Fowler's troops?" it said. "Not bad. They're well-trained and well-organized. Their tech is low compared to ours, but what they have they use efficiently. I can appreciate that. I'm sure many of the other Autobots back on the base would chafe at the structure, but it's what keeps them alive and functional when they're deployed. Can't think of anything critical to say of their methods so far. If you're used to that kind of military order, you might do well with Agent Fowler yourself."

One of its machine guns rotated in a mechanical shrug. "So, Wash has been after you, eh? He's Diplomatic Corps. I've heard about them. Interested in getting into that kind of work yourself? It'd be a big change after the Elite Guard. Less combat, more - hm. Tactics. Manoeuvring. Subterfuge."

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It was more than tempting to break loose and drive himself ragged, now that they were on the range. But they were in the middle of a conversation right now and Smokescreen wasn't about to leave when Fort Max was giving him useful information.

"From my understanding, it seems like the sort of work that suits our situation on Earth better," Smokescreen replied easily. "Adapt to the unexpected, right? The rules are different here and my Elite Guard training...well, I suspect what I was taught had changed a lot from the original material. But, suffice to say," he added wryly, "My training was meant for a completely different sort of battlefield."

Smokescreen's speed had increased as well, enough that he no longer trailed behind the tank but kept pace beside it.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd be the first Bot up if we had a fight with the Cons but those encounters seem to be kinda few and far between," Smokescreen continued. "And if there's another way I could be helping the Autobot cause in the mean time, then I want to do it, simple as that."

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The tank gave an approving hum over the commline.

"That's a good attitude to have," it said.

It veered slightly to avoid hitting some brush, despite the fact that it could have easily torn it beneath its tracks. It was careful to avoid brushing into Smokescreen, though doubtlessly the young Autobot could have evaded the manoeuvre with ease had he needed to.

"You run into a lot of 'bots who cling to their old roles and pettishly refuse to expand upon their highly specialized and outdated skill sets in order to acclimate to a changing battlefield," said the tank. "Spooks are the worst for this, I find. But the formal Autobot military command structure is gone, and now that we've entered the post-Exodus phase of the war, a lot of the old tactics we had back on Cybertron simply won't work here on Earth. You can't plasma-bomb a Decepticon outpost because the humans might see it. You can't crawl through miles of ventilation shaft to reach a subterranean command centre, because they're now the width of my little finger. Primus."

The tank sounded amused. "So if you're willing to expand upon your training to fit modern, more unorthodox roles in this conflicts, then you're off to a good start. You don't have to follow my advice, but I'd say watch and observe for a while and find out what kind of work is most needed here on Earth. Don't rush into anything. Things are - strange here. I don't think I need to tell you that operational procedures are a lot different here than back home. But if you can keep an open mind and be flexible, you'll figure out your place soon enough."

It paused. "And yeah. If you see a 'Con, then shoot it. That tactic at least hasn't substantially changed."

[Deleted]

Smokescreen let Fortress Maximus's words wash over him. He rolled them around for a bit in his head, thinking over them. The Autobot was quiet for a while, keeping pace with the tank.

"Things are...faster here on Earth," he said at last. "Every cycle seems to bring up something new for the Omega base to deal with. I don't think I have the luxury of time like I did back on Cybertron."

There was a hint of apology in his tone. But also, firmness. A decision made. He had been watching since he got here. Listening to what other bots were up to, the sort of encounters and problems they were having. It wasn't just the Decepticons out there. MECH was a problem that was getting bigger every cycle. And they were far more tricky to deal with. It would take co-operation with Agent Fowler to deal with them, Smokescreen couldn't really see a way around that.

He might send Wash a message when he got back to the Omega base. Or maybe tomorrow, give him another night to think it over.

[Deleted]

There was an audible growl from the engine of the tank as it picked up speed.

Beneath Smokescreen's tires, the earth was growing rougher. Deep caterpillar ruts pitted the hard dirt, left from other heavy vehicles. They made criss-crossing trails across the range. Now and then a big rock would clang off his undercarriage with a nasty thud. Tall brush littered his path; much of it was crushed and seared black.

The tank shifted gears. Its suspension rode smoothly over the rough ground. The main turret remained fixed upon a point ahead; gyros ensured that it remained perfectly steady even as the hull swayed beneath it.

"Faster is right," it said. "It's not just the planetary day/night cycle. The war feels as if it's reaching a critical point now that it's here on Earth. To my knowledge a lot more has happened since the Ark crashed than in the years that followed the Exodus. Could be because the 'Cons have effectively cornered us here. It's a small planet. With them actively searching for us, greater contact between factions is bound to occur."

Light and noise erupted from the tank as one of its machine guns swivelled around and opened fire. A distant cactus evaporated into mist.

"Anyway, don't let that sense of urgency hurry you into any rash decisions," said the tank calmly. "Decide what you want to do, and do it. But take the time to make a good decision. What was the Elite Guard like?"

[Deleted]

The terrain was getting rougher and more difficult to navigate. Smokescreen was now glad he'd kept himself slow to keep even with the Warden. If he'd run himself roughshod all over the place like he'd first wanted to, he'd probably have spun out by now.

Smokescreen could almost hear the words before Fortress Maximus uttered them. "Don't make rash decisions." That mech had no doubt spoken them with the best intentions.

But underneath it, Smokescreen felt, he could hear the undertones of every older Bot that had ever spoken down on him due to his age. It echoed with the sentiment that he was too young to really know what he wanted to do with himself. It was frustrating to not have his decision respected and taken seriously and it was kinda insulting too. Smokescreen had spent his time since he'd arrived here getting himself up to speed on the situation here on Earth as well as the war in general. And from what he'd observed, this was an area that they could do with more Bot power.

But Fortress Maximus wouldn't have known any of that, about how much Smokescreen had educated himself. No doubt the big mech meant well and had only the best intentions at spark. Smokescreen wanted to speak up and argue, but he remembered how it went. His instructors used to just keep telling him no until he went out, stuck to his guns and proved that he was right. So he bit back his objections and figured that there was no point making a fuss here and now with the warden. The big mech wasn't Smokescreen's commanding officer anyway, he didn't need to prove anything to him.

::The Elite Guard? Hmm:: If it was possible to shrug in alt-mode, Smokescreen would have done it just there and then. ::Autobot boot camp by the time I got there. Not enough instructors to go around and the few we had weren't all that great. By that point in time, all the good ones were out on the front-line. You learnt the basics, if you wanted anything more complicated than how to fire your weapon the right way, then you were out of luck. I read a lot, studied the texts available and then some, because I knew that my classes weren't going to cut it. Got in as much extra training as I could, used to drag my classmates down to the sparing rooms when we had spare time. Used to drive them nuts but it wasn't like we had any other options::

[Deleted]

That earned a round of silence from the tank.

All at once, it braked hard.

Dust swarmed up and enveloped its hull as it lurched, hiding it from sight. By the time the dust cloud had settled again, or blown away with the desert wind, the tank had rocked to a halt. Its engine idled with a low rumble that reverberated through the ground around it. Loose rocks vibrated near its treads.

When the tank spoke again, it was in a slow, odd undertone.

"Out on the front lines," it said. "When… were you sparked?"