[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]I Think It's Just A Little Broken (closed)

[Starscream]

Starscream would continue to pay no mind to the mechanical arm. In a way, the whirs and clicks as it scrabbled around in a failed attempt of completing its task were a welcome - if a little cruel - noise against the otherwise eerie silence.

Well, they were welcome compared to the other noises, anyway. And those? He was trying to ignore as best he could. The ship was settling and every occasional creak and groan were just horrible reminders that he probably shouldn't be down here much longer.

Which was why he dug frantically through the mess. It thankfully didn't take him too long to find the smaller jugs and refillable bottles, and he'd set those to one side on top of the pile as he continued to dig and move aside some of the larger objects as best he could. While he didn't open the bottles to empty the contents, he'd keep them set aside along with the empty ones incase he couldn't find anything else that suited his needs. So far he hadn't found Energon, and with a growl of frustration, he would keep looking.

There had to be some in here. He didn't have time to find the inventory list for this particular room to see if any was even stored here – it wasn't like it'd even help any given the state of everything. He just had to hope he got lucky. After everything he'd been through today? He needed it.

Thankfully he didn't have to look for much longer, and he spotted the all too familiar Energon Cubes buried amongst the chaos. They'd taken the brunt of a lot of the shifting of the ship it seemed, as further rummaging revealed that every cube seemed to be cracked at least somewhere – some worse than others. Another grumble of frustration left him, but at least it was somet-

There was a noise then that cut him off abruptly, a distant rumble that sounded unlike the other noises that he'd been trying to ignore. He knew he had limited time, and had probably been down here for too long as is... But that noise did not bode well at all.

...Yup. Time to go!

He didn't have time to empty out containers and try to salvage leaking Energon, and so would take the fullest cube he could immediately see, and would scramble back up to his pedes. He'd waste absolutely no time – squeezing back through the doorway and began making his way down the corridor. He was being as quick as he could, while being careful enough not to spill any Energon.

This time, he wouldn't give the cleaner drones a second glance, marching past them with purpose. Where he had previously dainty tiptoed through the puddle of coolant, this time he would take large strides through it – not stopping to shake off his pedes, although he would take a few shuffled steps to wipe off what he could without actually stopping.

He'd ignore the mangled Vehicon remains, and would once again tuck his wings as he squeezed through the doorway – still being ever so careful of the cargo in his servos.

So far so good. The occasional rumble and groan of the ship kept him at this hurried pace. He just had to navigate the stairwell and the corridor back to the Medical Bay.

The stairwell. Ah. He wouldn't go quite as fast here; if he wasn't carrying a cracked cube of Energon he wouldn't have cared so much, but he was being cautious with his footing until he was safely at the bottom. Aside from a stray drop or two? He was doing pretty well in keeping the contents of the cube safely inside the cube.

Just the corridor to go – which he would stride quickly with hurried steps, before turning into the Medical Bay.

He'd made it.

[Zercon]

The hike back to the Medical Bay was uneventful, unless you counted maneuvering the steep slopes of the underside of the steps uneventful. Slick panels, smooth patches that made it a chore and a half, the inability to grab onto any hand railings or other aids to gift stability when trying to carry the cracked cube... Other than that dilemma though, it would be an easy hike, and Starscream would find himself to the medical bay once again.

The sounds of the warship creaking seemed to trail in his wake, a low rumble that shuddered out on occasion, creating tiny trembles beneath his peds. One thing that was very apparent however, was the fact that the closer he got back to his goal, the stronger the scent of salt and sea was in the air. It bit and tore through the otherwise filtered environment, creating a potent bite that was hard to ignore. He would not need to meet the source of said scents though, his destination found well before the ocean has encroached where he turned into the Medical Bay.

The spot where Skywarp had been a moment prior was now empty.

There was no signs of a struggle, no signs of a fight. The room remained exactly as it was when the Air Commander had departed, or so it seemed. Tools were still thrown askew; the puddle of medical waste had moderately grown, it was a mess, and it was hard to tell if anything else had been tampered with as cabinets hung open with half their contents hanging out. The most obvious and concerning change was simply the large seeker being gone.

Purple, black, and a few gray scuffs were left on the ground where Skywarp had once been, tracing a trail where Starscream had pulled him some time ago. This trail abruptly stopped though, no new marks leading out towards the door. It seemed as if he had vanished.

[Starscream]

The smell of salt didn't go unnoticed. It was hard not to smell it as it seemed the closer he had gotten to the Medical Bay, the stronger and more potent it was. Thankfully it seemed that the final corridor wasn't the source of said smell, and even if it was? It wouldn't matter. He'd gotten what he'd came here for – which was to say, no sign of Megatron, as well as a cube of Energon for Skywarp.

Skywarp. His ticket back to dry land and off the doomed Warship.

He'd step proudly into the Medical Bay, cube in hand. It'd kept most if its contents on his travels here, and while it wasn't a whole lot of fuel? It would serve it's purpose of getting them both out of here.

“You'll never guess what I fou-” He cut off mid sentence as his gaze lingered on the spot that Skywarp had once been, before he quickly panned his gaze across the room as if expecting to see the other Seeker. Everything was normal. Or, normal enough considering the circumstances. At first glance? It seemed nothing had changed since he was last here moments earlier. The Vehicon still lay at one side of the room, tools were still scattered. The puddles of... Whatever that was... Had grown, but that was to be expected. They hadn't gotten to the point that they'd reached Skywarp, so why had he gone? There didn't look to have been a fight or any kind of disturbance.

He should've left a note.

“Skywarp!” He screeched, setting down the cracked cube of Energon on the first stable surface he could see. How had Skywarp gotten out of here? He'd been so badly out of shape getting them even IN here that there was no way he could've simply teleported himself out!

Unless he'd woken up and found something of use in the Medical Bay... But was he resourceful enough to do that? Starscream doubted it. There wasn't, to his knowledge, any Energon cubes just laying around in here and unless Skywarp had managed to synthesize some out of thin air or whatever that puddle of stuff was on the floor? Then there was no way he could've found anything in here to use!

Angrily and with a growl of frustration, he'd lift one servo to the side of his helm.

::Skywarp! Get back here right now! You left me behind!:: There was panic in his voice, then again that was nothing unexpected. He couldn't be blamed for being panicked when he was trapped on a ship that was no doubt flooding!

He'd then pace frantically, being careful of his footing due to the sharp angle of the room. His wings hiked up in alarm as he began working out the best course of action should Skywarp not respond. There probably weren't any escape pods left, and he really, really did not want to find another way out and swim through the ocean once more.

[Deleted]

A moment passed.

Then-

::What?:: the other seeker's mumbled voice sounded aggravated and dazed. ::Little bit busy here…::

There was a grunt and then, distantly and not from over the comms, Starscream would hear the sounds of a muffled bang. It emanated somewhere from the lower levels, whatever had caused it was undoubtedly loud for the noise to have carried so far through the warship.

Another moment came and went. No further noises could be heard, aside from the creaks from the warship and the occasional drip of water. Then Starscream's comm line would ping again.

::Coming:: was all Skywarp said.

It would take a few more minutes then footsteps could be heard approaching the med-bay. But it wasn't just one set, Starscream would be able to hear several. But the sound of those footsteps were distinct enough for anyone involved in this millenia long war, Starscream had undoubtedly heard plenty of Vehicons moving around and would be able to recognise those approaching shuffles.

Six dinged up Vehicons would enter the room, with Skywarp limping in behind them. The foot soldiers looked a little worse for wear, one of them looked was completely undamaged. Between the other five was a collection of scratches and dented plating, a few battered legs, one elbow twisted the wrong way and a cracked visor. But they were functional enough to move without any major difficulty.

"Commander Starscream!" the Vehicons would come to attention immediately at the sight of the Decepticon commander. The one with the broken arm flinched when they attempted to salute.

"We didn't know you were still on board, sir!" Sheepishly, it was the undamaged Vehicon that spoke up. He spoke nervously, shooting Skywarp an uncertain glance. He wrung his hands as he looked between the big seeker and the commanding officer. "I uh. Asked Skywarp to assist in rescuing these troops. He uh didn't mention that he was waiting for you to get back. ...Come to think of it, he hasn't said much at all since I woke him up."

Skywarp's condition had improved marginally since Starscream had last seen him. Or perhaps majorly, considering that he was actually conscious and standing. Someone had applied a much better patch job to his hand and he was no longer leaking energon through the ragged wound. But his gaze kept wandering as he lost focus and he leant against the wall next to the med-bay door for support. It was only out of sheer force of will and obstinance that he was moving about.

At the mention of his name, Skywarp's head lifted somewhat and he gave a grunt of acknowledgement. It was entirely possible he wasn't aware that Starscream was even there. He'd just been following the instructions given to him, not realising or caring who they were from. His mind was a hazy blur caused by pain and energon loss.

The undamaged Vehicon, CYO-890 had found the unconscious seeker during Starscream's absence. CYO-890 had bound Skywarp's wound and revived him with an energon ration he'd been carrying with him, then had led the seeker down to the storage room where a number of Vehicons had been trapped inside. The door had been damaged during the crash but with Skywarp's assistance, it had been forced open. Even when barely conscious and suffering from severe energon loss, the big seeker had somehow found the strength and enthusiasm to engage in some wanton property damage. That was what Starscream had heard earlier, one of the Nemesis's doors meeting a second demise at the seeker's hands.

[Starscream]

Starscream's pacing would stop a short time later when the reply finally sounded over the comm. So, Skywarp was still alive, well that was good – especially as he was Starscream's current ticket out of the sunken ship. Skywarp gave no clues as to where he'd actually gone, but Starscream would find out in all due time.

While he was indeed thankful to hear the other Seeker, the tone of which he was spoken to made him gawp some, almost in disbelief. Did Skywarp forget who he was speaking to!? He was the Second in- Wait, no! He was the leader of the Decepticons now! His 'mission' to find Megatron had been a failure, and as Megatron hadn't been vocal, nor made his presence known in the time between it'd taken his beloved Soundwave to crash the ship, and now? Well, that meant only one thing.

All the more reason to get off the Nemesis.

::Just hurry up!:: Came the growled reply, and he would continue on with his pacing. He had so much to plan, and so many things to do! The first of which was, of course, getting out of here – he'd wasted enough time, and should never have come back down here to begin with. At least, not so soon after the crash. Some good had probably come from his return to the doomed vessel – although it was too early to start spinning it in his favor.

He didn't like how long he was being kept waiting, and the comm line would open once more – only to abruptly end a half-second later, as there was a muffled bang from somewhere on the lower level. His wings would hike up in alarm and he'd tense up – a noise like that did not bode well, especially when he considered the earlier noises that'd rumbled through the ship.

Another reply came through a moment later, although Starscream would not respond to this one.

The reply was quickly followed by footsteps, the majority of which were easily recognizable as Vehicons. So there were survivors down here after all? Then again that was to be expected – although he couldn't help but wonder where in the ship they had been hiding - as he hadn't seen trace of anyone still living on his little adventure. Still, the more survivors the better – as it meant more hands to start rebuilding the shambles that was the current state of the Decepticon forces.

He'd stand up a little straighter as he was addressed, eyeing the Vehicons in turn.

“I came back,” He waved a servo as he spoke, almost like it wasn't a big deal. “To look for our Lord – and to find Energon for Skywarp.” He'd half gesture to the cube he'd set down, just incase one of the Vehicons wanted to hand it over to Skywarp, who still seemed so very out of it. “I was successful in one of those things, although – regrettably, there seems to be no trace of Megatron.” There was a sorrowful look on his faceplate as he spoke, and his tone was subdued and full of remorse. It could be passed as genuine sadness. Oh, how he'd dreamed of, and rehearsed this moment many a time – off ship, of course, to prevent a certain someone from listening in to his theatrics.

“But, this is no time to grieve or mourn the tragic loss of our beloved leader – the Decepticons are in shambles and we need to focus on regrouping.” His tone solemn, although he had a devious glint in his optic as he straightened up further, puffing out his chest as he spoke. His field and tone changing almost instantly, sounding confident and almost like he wasn't quite as sad as he was letting on. He'd step backward so that he was raised up above the others, due to the angle of the room, and his wings would flare out behind him.

“I, Lord Starscream, shall take command of the Decepticons from this moment forth - and do what Megatron could not.” He'd splay a servo across his chassis proudly. Oh how he'd longed for this day to come. Of course, in his 'rehearsals' he'd been standing atop the felled body of Megatron, surrounded by his newly acquired army who cheered and groveled at his feet. This... Was sadly nothing like how he'd imagined it. The audience was far smaller, and the stage was less than stellar - but he'd still relish the moment, after all, it'd been a long time coming and he'd more than earned it. Plus, he did still have to break the news to the masses – wherever they were. He'd give a more proper speech then.

“First things first, we should get off this ship and locate the others.” He mused, tapping a clawed digit to his chin in thought. He had an inkling where the others would've regrouped, it was just a matter of getting there. Even if they weren't where he thought? It would be a good starting point for him to start over. After seeing the struggle that Skywarp had gone through to get them both here, there was probably no way he'd be able to get them all the way to wherever it was he had in mind - especially with the Vehicons in tow. 

“I'm going to get us out of here, in the meantime - grab whatever supplies you can carry, we will be leaving shortly-” He'd wave a servo to the disheveled Medical Bay, hoping the Vehicons would take some initiative and grab things of actual use. Where they were going did have supplies, that much was true – but having extra wouldn't hurt.

“-And Skywarp? Take that Energon cube – you need it.” He hadn't gone to all that trouble for it to go to waste, after all.

With that order spoken, he'd lift one servo to the side of his helm as he began pacing once more – making a silent request over the comm to whoever was on the other end.

[Deleted]

The Vehicons did their best to stand at attention as Commander Starscream spoke. Some found it easier than the others. The one with a twisted elbow slouched to hold its arm at a position that caused the trooper the least discomfort. A few had unsteady legs but they stood up straight as much as possible. But they were calm for the most part - they had had hours to acquaint themselves with the fact that the Nemesis had crashed and was trapped under the sea. Had Starscream encountered them much earlier, undoubtedly the troops would have been more panicky.

They perked up when Starscream informed them that he had returned to look for Megatron. Hope blossomed briefly before common sense warred at their mind. Megatron meant stability, he'd have a plan, a next course of action. But also, he'd be furious with what had befallen his warship and none of the Vehicons wanted to be caught by his wrath.

Only - Starscream had found no sign of Megatron. This caused a murmur of consternation with the Vehicons. A few flinched and that peace they had found, trapped in a storage room for hours upon end, began to fray. Megatron was gone? No, it couldn't be! But even Starsceam looked grieved and surely if their lord and master was on-board, he'd have been found. Or at least heard something -anything- over the comms.

But there been nothing but radio silence from the warlord.

Uncertain glances were exchanged between the Vehicons, the situation for the Decepticons were dire. CYO-890 would step forward and taken the energon cube Starscream held out, shuffling back to Skywarp. He was about to pass it to the big seeker when the next words caught his attention.

“I, Lord Starscream, shall take command of the Decepticons from this moment forth - and do what Megatron could not.”

Before the troops could get too upset and demoralized, Commander Starscream had stepped up confidently to take charge. On another day, they might have been skeptical or suspicious. But it had been a long, terrifying, tiring day for these soldiers and all they wanted was a shred of normality and stability. Someone taking up the mantle of leadership and would give out orders? Yes, thank you.

Even though that person was Starscream, the overwhelming sentiment in the room was that of relief.

"Hail Commander Starscream -sir!" one particularly comforted Vehicon exulted, thrusting his arm up in the air with excitement.

The others followed suit, with lesser degrees of enthusiasm but no less genuine. Skywarp, on the other servo, had not really been following the conversation. Nonetheless, something was happening, he could tell, and he tilted his helm towards Starscream in what could be imagined as a show of respect. When one was a soldier and had stood through many commemorative speeches that one had little interest in, well, it was easy to develop a sense for these things and know when was the right time to start clapping or cheering.

The Vehicons settled down as Starsceam divulged his first set of orders as newly minted and self appointed Decepticon leader. Getting off the Nemesis sounded like a fantastic idea to all. They cheered up immediately at the thought of not being stuck underwater. How they were actually going to do it was a different matter - and one not up to them. Starscream would figure a way out, not them. That's what leaders did, the Vehicons just had to follow his lead.

At his direction to grab supplies, five of the Vehicons would bustle off eagerly. They'd pick up scattered medical supplies and whatever undamaged equipment they could find. Even NME-243 joined in, this was the one with the damaged arm.

CYO-890 hesitated a moment, then reached out, grabbing hold of Skywarp's undamaged hand to keep it steady before he deposited the energon cube there. It would undo all of Starscream's hard work if Skywarp dropped the cube because he wasn't aware what had been given to him. Under the Vehicon's watchful gaze and supervision, the big seeker refuelled on the cube.

When that was done, he joined his fellow Vehicons in their assigned task, leaving Skywarp to lean against the wall. It would take a few minutes for the energon to circulate through the seeker's systems and bolster his energy level. His optics would brighten as he slowly became more alert of the world. 

[Starscream]

Starscream could only grin as the Vehicons began to speak up, pushing out his chassis as he stood proud and tall. All hail Starscream indeed. This was a taste of things to come for him he hoped – and he could get used to this again for sure – as last time he was in charge? It had ended a lot sooner than he'd of liked, and long before he'd gotten to do anything fun. Finally, he would get the recognition that he so rightly deserved.

He'd more than earned this, and it was about time.

With the demise of Megatron, now nothing could stand in his way! Well, supposed demise of Megatron, at any rate... The Warlord had been strangely silent for... Ah, Starscream hadn't been paying too much attention for once, focused on his own plans as well as the truce and of course, staying one step ahead of Soundwave. How long had it been since he'd even last seen their Warlord? Days? Weeks? Had it been that long? Oh, the missed opportunity to take up the mantle of leadership! He could've been ruling all this time!

Not that leaving it so long was a bad thing all things considered, especially with what'd just happened. Megatron had technically been leading while the events of the previous evening had occurred, and it would be up to Starscream to rise up and take control of the situation and be the hero this day. Megatron had been silent; he had not stepped forward to take control or command – which meant he would not step forward in his own defense when Starscream inevitably blamed him for what'd happened.

Of course, the Nemesis crashing would be a setback in the grand scheme of things. Equipment and supplies had been lost, and he was certain after seeing the state of the supply room earlier that a lot of it would be unsalvageable and of little use. But, Starscream had been nothing but prepared, and wasn't too worried about getting things back on track. They would salvage what they could, and for things they could not? Well, Starscream would find a way.

He wasn't worried at all.

After his brief, silent conversation with whoever it was on the other end had ended, he'd lower his arm and look to Skywarp who seemed to have perked up just slightly.

“Glad to see you back in the land of the living.” He purred some, swooping his arms behind his back as he waited for... Whatever it was that was supposed to happen. “You scared me a moment there, thinking you'd left without me. How do you feel after the Energon I found? Better, I hope?” Idle chatter, filling the quiet and gloomy atmosphere with a not so subtle reminder that he had fetched that Energon that made Skywarp a little better.

Thankfully Starscream, Skywarp and the Vehicons would not be left waiting too long – and after a few long, drawn out minutes that seemed to last forever? A brilliant green and yellow light would erupt at one side of the room. A Ground Bridge. Ah, it was a welcome sight indeed – although only Starscream would know what was on the other end. Wherever it was had to be better than here, and Starscream would waste no time – clambering over the ruins of the Medical Bay, stepping over various suspect puddles, and making his way through the swirling portal without hesitation.

[Deleted]

Skywarp…had been really, really out of it. He'd been aware of noise, conversation and movement nearby but little else. He wasn't in danger, currently, that he knew. Most of his concentration was just on keeping himself upright. Something had been placed in his hand and then someone had guided and helped him refuel.

The fresh energon in his system was a pleasant surprise after existing so long in such a tired, drained and pained state. The seeker's head lifted and he exhaustedly peered around in confusion. The last thing he clearly remembered was attempting to teleport aboard the Nemesis with Starscream. A feat he must have accomplished because he was in the med-bay, which was what he had been aiming for. Only there was a discrepancy between the timestamps of his memories and now.

In any case, Starscream was here, along with several Vehicons that were running about, doing things. Skywarp had a moment of vague worry - was he supposed to be doing something right now?- before Starscream swooped in with something that could be misconstrued as concern, if someone was blind and had never met Starscream before.

Skywarp blinked slowly. The Air Commander's words weren't making much sense to him. Skywarp…had left? And Starscream had gotten him energon? While Skywarp had no idea where he could have possibly gone, the second thing was undeniable, the seeker was currently reaping the benefits of the evidence.

"I -uh, better. Yes," he answered dazedly. After a moment's befuddlement, Skywarp politely added, "Um, thank you sir," because even in his current condition, he could recognize that Starscream had been generous, fetching energon for him. His memory was coming back to him now, the details of the crash and the dire circumstances they were in. Starscream could have easily abandoned him or chosen to not waste the resources on him, the other seeker seemed to have found a bunch of other Vehicons who were in much better shape than Skywarp currently was.

A ground bridge swirled into existence to the side of the room. It was a sign of Skywarp's condition that he hadn't even got that funny feeling inside his head whenever a bridge opened near him. He had no idea where it went and didn't really care. Hopefully, it was someplace nicer than here. Exhaustedly, he'd plod after Starscream, the Vehicons trailing behind them with the assorted supplies they'd gathered up. Once everyone was through, the portal would wink close, leaving the damaged medical bay in darkness.

-FIN-