[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Coming On Watch (Open)

[Optimus Prime]

The ever so subtle lightening of tone from Prowl was welcomed, Jazz bringing with him a casual edge that took some of the formal bite out of the situation with oh so little effort put into it. It was good to move away from such ridged structures a small amount, to allow Prowl to try to find some kind of footing on the idea that Omega was not hard military in formation before he moved to new tasks. Compromise had to be made, a middle ground found. While Jazz threw his own weights onto the scales along the informal side, Skirmisher tossed a couple on the side of order, keeping things in line.

Optimus' helm turned to watch as Skirmisher introduced himself with sharp formality and a rather descriptive approach. He could have just said his name and role here, however he elaborated beyond it in a way that Optimus would bet Prowl likely appreciated. It was a great counter to Jazz, and because of this the Prime shifted back somewhat into a more observational role, intent to see how things played out between the two enforcers.

Two familiar faces of Optimus and Jazz, and one new one with promise in the form of Skirmisher. A mech not as unhinged as others around the outpost, friendly if not a bit reserved in some ways. While his initial silent approach seemed odd at first, once addressed however things were falling into line as far as Optimus was concerned. These thoughts were broken into a moment later however when Jazz spoke further.

Cyan optics flicked over to the other mech, his brow crooking ever so slightly in the most subtle of motions.

Jazz stick to protocols? Yeah... Optimus agreed that would be a rather detached weird day, wondering what damage had befallen the other mech and what had gone wrong to tweak him into line. If countless years of war and battles couldn’t snap him on a straight path, then nothing would other than some kind of mental augmentation of some kind. Optimus would more likely believe the excuse of 'possession' before he would accept Jazz had seen the light and chose to play nice with rules...

"You are aware Red Alert would go over every camera you touch when concluded."

An even tone, but was as close to 'humor' as the Prime often took. A flatness of words that no matter how skilled Jazz was, no matter how over qualified he may be for a role when it came to assisting on such things, Optimus felt with confidence that Red would have a twitch until he could go around and double check nothing had gone out of line. If not with the cameras, then with something in its vicinity being bumped and messed with. Helping him was... a chore upon a chore, and it was admirable Jazz would even make an attempt.

[Prowl]

“Praxian huh? Good. Sounds like we’ll need you then, Skirmisher.”

A former riot cop. And a flyer who understands the value of order and discipline it seems. Excellent. This Skirmisher will become an excellent asset. Maybe he could be used to help forge those that don’t fall in line into decent soldiers. Because no matter how one cut it, that is what they needed. Soldiers.

Prowl then turned from addressing the Rotary towards Jazz again, giving him a nod.

“Best not to keep Red Alert waiting then. At least he understands the purpose of order.”

Red Alert. The mech was more paranoid than Prowl, but that is most likely what made the security chief excel at his job. That and a willingness to do what was necessary to achieve absolute victory. A trait that served the two of them well. Prowl also found this trait in a few other individuals from time to time, Jazz being one of those beings.

It's why he allowed the black ops expert to get as close as he was to himself. Only those who understood were allowed to take a peak, to fully comprehend him. Prowl then turned towards Optimus Prime, looking up at the commander.

“Sir, I assume I’ll be needed an appropriate alternate mode. If you don’t mind, I would like to get that out of the way so I can begin assistance to you immediately. Any recommendations, sir?”

Maybe this planet had some sort of law enforcement?

[Skirmisher]

"Aye, Sir," Skirmisher said.

The addition of another Enforcer to the Garrison had brought with it more than a few possibilities, the least of which had been putting Red Alert's paranoia to rest although considering what he'd heard and had observed of the actions of that particular Mech the Praxian had highly doubted the paranoia would have ceased with the addition of another Enforcer. Skirmisher hadn't exactly worked with Prowl, but what he'd heard of the other Enforcer had been promising. If half the things he'd heard pertaining to the other Enforcer had been true, Skirmisher could have looked forward to having had someone else in the Outpost to have shared his tendency towards Order.

Though he'd had to come to terms with the Garrison being made up of those that hadn't held his particular tendency for Order, he had to admit the Garrison and its members had been unique. The members of the Garrison had reflected different aspects of the spectrum, different hobbies and more importantly a dream to see both Cybertron liberated and to protect the inhabitants of this planet.

[Jazz]

“Eh, that’s fine. I wouldn’t expect anythin’ less from Red. Figure that if I can at least help keep him outta the places where he can’t get to as easily I can, that saves any one of us tryin’ to unstick a Security Chief from a very compromisin’ situation.”

Jazz knew that Red would have rather do it himself, but when he offered to help out the red and white mech hadn’t told him no. So far their little work together had been going rather well so he just kept doing the same, even if it took multiple times to get it to Red’s perfection standards. There was a mutual respect level there between the two. They all had what they were skilled in, as well as the things they shouldn’t even bother with. Those things were best left to the ones who either could do them or learn how to. It made things move like a well oiled machine, even if they did have some at base who hadn’t really found their niches yet. “‘Sides. I don’t mind. He wouldn’t lemme come within ten yards of his stuff if he didn’t have at least some faith in me bein’ able to do it to his standards. Don’t forget that these ARE the servos of a very skilled saboteur.”

Prowl did have another situation to deal with, and that was finding an alt mode that was reflective of his position. While Earth didn’t have ‘Enforcers’ as they did on Cybertron, they did have ‘Law Enforcement’, which probably could prove to be what he was looking for. Jazz looked from Prowl to Optimus. “I could take Prowl out when I go to check the security cameras on my next patrol tonight. It’ll be dark so we won’t be seen and we can just sit on one of the overlooks and monitor the main highway for somethin’ that suits him. He may be fond of the State or Local enforcement vehicles.”

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus' gaze flicked back to Prowl who seemed to swiftly dismiss Jazz. Ever prompt, ever aggressive to get things done... He didn't know why he expected any different really. The Prime simply shed off the subtle prodding to 'get back to work' just as he was rather certain Jazz would as well. There was no need to rush in such a way here with these matters. Because of this, his attention shifted back to Jazz, his weight subtly easing to his other leg to settle into the new position.

"Saboteur is rather contradictory within the subject of repairs."

Another drab statement, another masked bit of humor... It didn't matter there was the fact that for one to be skilled in properly disabling or bugging something they would also know how to put it back. That said, as drab as his attempts were, Jazz's comment on Red Alert getting stuck somewhere caused Optimus to let out a low sort of smothered sigh, not one to want to go through that mech getting himself somehow wedged somewhere. Thankfully, the topic shifted to Alt-Modes.

"That would be ideal. Ensure patterns match local jurisdictions."

Much easier to deal with than a Police cruiser going by that’s decals were sourced from Minnesota. That would rather remove some of the 'in disguise' attempt and make more questions than answers. Whatever the case, if they needed to go on a mission elsewhere in the states, it would bring back said issue. Attempts needing to be made to be just vague enough to hopefully not draw unwanted eyes.

"Should this not be preferred, our liaison Agent Fowler may acquire one on your behalf."

Some Alt-Modes were trickier than others to obtain, namely flyers. Most Jets and helicopters weren't things you traditionally saw, and should you witness one it tended to be commercial passenger systems, or small rotary craft or gliders for recreational use. On rare occasions something more viable would show up, but it was a fleeting moment picked out from countless hours on watch. Agent Fowler became a necessity at that point, to assist some of the Autobots here, such as Skirmisher himself due to his uncommon form. For Prowl, both methods could be used, though Optimus believed the first was best for them.

"However, with the first option you may also observe the Natives."

While they'd not be close enough to pick up on smaller details... or so Optimus GREATLY hoped... Prowl may be able to see the general flow of traffic, and some of the variety that lay out there. Architecture, some native plants, and just... get a feel how things were in areas they frequented.

"I would recommend it."

[Prowl]

Did Prime just tell a joke?

Well that was why he was the Matrix bearer after all. Despite his formal demeanor he was always able to inspire bots and interact with them, making them feel at ease. That was something Prowl was never good at. But since he wasn’t the one in command, he figured it wasn’t an essential skill for him.

Prime’s next words about jurisdiction caused him to quirk an eyebrow behind his visor. So apparently human enforcers do not have a unified command structure. How…disappointing. Humanity apparently did not have a centralized government.

Jazz’s plan did make sense though, go out when it’s dark and select a vehicle form.

“I would also like to meet and discuss a few things with this Agent Fowler if it’s okay with you Prime.”

If they were going to be allies with the native life forms, Prowl was going to have to discuss things with their “liaison” regarding coordinating strategies. It also might give him an idea into human psyche which could be useful later on.

This was a challenge he hadn’t faced in millennia. It should be enlightening.

[Skirmisher]

The reality the Garrison had started to increase in numbers had been a good omen, if he'd humored himself as being superstitious. Superstition held little sway or influence in the Enforcer Caste, but what had passed as normal or within standard operating procedure on Cybertron hadn't exactly passed on Earth. There were more than a few similarities he'd started to notice between the current Garrison under Optimus Prime's Command and the previous Garrison that had been deployed to Earth to seed it with Energon in the first place, with at least a few of those similarities ranging from how at least several of the Garrison members had been on friendly terms with each other to how necessity had required the Prime's Garrison to have kept a low profile within an old Missile Silo converted for their use with the purpose to avoid detection from the local Life-Forms. The matters of facing their own Kind over dwindling resources to laying low to avoid bringing devastation to the Local Life-Forms hadn't changed even over the Millennia, and he had an all too real concern those wouldn't change even if they did win.

Opting to listen to the friendly banter between Optimus Prime, Jazz and Prowl, Skirmisher had remained silent. This Reunion between the three hadn't been his to impose on or to interrupt, and he'd understood what Vault had been approached by other Towerlings he'd formerly been acquainted with before his transfer to the Enforcer Caste. The three Mechs had been friends for eons as far as the cosmos had been concerned, with those bonds forged either before the conflagration that had consumed their Planet or during it. The only option left had been to remain silent out of respect as Reigning Prime, the Faction's Chief Intelligence Officer -- among the less colorful euphemisms -- and the Faction's Chief Strategist caught up on more than a few things.

[Jazz]

     Jazz didn’t reply to Optimus’s counter statement since he figured he knew what he meant by it and just chuckled some at the response instead. He busied himself with watching the exchange between Prowl and their Prime, reminded of the days before it really did all go to hell in a handbasket.

     Their Security Chief had already been kept waiting for longer than he probably should have by now, but once he explained to him that he was greeting Prowl he’d probably be forgiven. Not that Red needed the explanation, as he had more than likely been watching on the camera feeds what was going on and knew what had kept the saboteur, but he still felt the need to tell him. While it may have been an annoying thing to most or something others would just bypass, he felt that maybe Red wouldn’t feel like such a paranoid freak if he was told what he already knew as if Jazz had no idea he was being spied upon.

     “Right! So Prowl, just comm me when you’re interested in headin’ out and I’ll rendezvous with ya at that time. We’ll get ya somethin’ hot that ya won’t mind cruisin’round in. For now I gotta get back with Red before he starts to think I’ve given up and completely abandoned him.”

     He didn’t wait for the dismissal, since he figured that Optimus would already be aware that when it came to Red Alert, it was always a pressing matter and was grounds for a different way of handling things. With a slight salute that barely cleared his temple region, he turned and jogged out of the room and back to the corridor where he had been originally traveling before he’d taken the detour.

[Optimus Prime]

"I would also like to meet and discuss a few things with this Agent Fowler if it’s okay with you Prime."

"I expected nothing less."

Ideally Prowl would get along well with Fowler, and no overt clashes were to occur. There were too many variables to make a reliable guess however, yet Optimus wished to believe it would work out well with their clean cut and straight to the point approaches. It would be a headache and a half to try to dismantle some sort of confrontation between them should things go wrong, it a scenario that could go volatile with their strong personalities.

Shifting from this train of thought, Optimus watched as Jazz departed to try to find Red Alert, gaze peering from the corner of his vision until the other mech disappeared down the corridor. He did not find fault in the hasty retreat, this encounter not formal in the strict term, even though it was before a soldier within the Autobots rather than only the three individuals that had known one another for countless years. This was not severely out of the norm though, and the Prime moved on to focus on the duo who remained.

"In the meantime, should you wish to find accommodations I do believe Skirmisher is more than qualified to lead you to a vacant room."

A simple offer, Optimus then looking at Skirmisher curiously.

"Unless you have a different directive to attend to?"

This was not spoken sarcastically; Optimus was NOT challenging Skirmisher on the validity of any other task he may have been in the middle of. For all he knew, the mech was waiting to use the Control Room terminal for something before he realized there was a new arrival and hung back to not disturb them. Should he not be occupied however, a guide to the living quarters, one who was a fellow enforcer, could help bridge a gap between old teams and the new one here on Earth. Should he be occupied however, Optimus would be more than capable to accomplish the task on his own.

[Prowl]

“Understood Jazz.”

The saboteur was probably the best candidate to assist with this mission due to his apparent length of time on Earth, and his clandestine operations experience should help with Prime’s directive of not being seen by the native species.

Knowing Red Alert though, the debriefing might end up taking a while, and while Prowl was interested in getting squared away as soon as possible, he understood that accurate and thorough debriefing was essential after every mission. No matter how small or insignificant the mission.

"In the meantime, should you wish to find accommodations I do believe Skirmisher is more than qualified to lead you to a vacant room."

That did seem to be a logical use of time while he was waiting. Prowl nodded to Prime in agreement.

“I’ll avail myself of that option, sir.”

He turned towards Skirmisher expectantly. With this time, he could also begin formatting those promised strategies for Prime. Prowl had a lot of time to make up for not being present.

[Skirmisher]

"Aye, Sir," Skirmisher said. "My Duty Shift at the Monitoring Station has concluded, and Red Alert should be receiving his Report on the Cycle's Findings shortly. I transmitted on an encoded frequency to his own PaDD and I have a hard copy I plan on giving him shortly. I wouldn't mind giving Prowl a Tour, and in showing him his Quarters,"

He hadn't for a nano-klik thought Optimus Prime had challenged him or had been sarcastic towards his free time, and even if he hadn't asked the Riot Officer would have volunteered to have given Prowl a Tour. Though the Outpost hadn't been massive by Cybertronian scale, the conditions hadn't been cramped despite the corridors having witnessed heavy traffic at times.

Crossing the deck of the Control Room to stand near the mouth of the corridor leading to the Quarters carved from the surrounding rock, Skirmisher waited to see what Prowl's next move may have been. He hadn't wanted to interrupt or to bring to a close the other Enforcer's First Impression of the Outpost or in any discussions or conversations he might have had with larger blue and red mech. The reality that Jazz had managed to slip back out of the Control Room into some other area of the Outpost hadn't exactly bothered him since the Intelligence Officer's methods may have been unorthodox he hadn't been one to have complained about the results. He'd heard the term Saboteur used to describe Jazz' purpose, but in the Praxian's opinion the role of Intelligence Officer seemed less of a wild card.

On seeing the other Enforcer turning towards him, Skirmisher headed down the corridor leading to the Quartered Decks. It hadn't taken long for him to have learned his way around, but the touch of the local humans had been hard to miss as well with the US Military having designed and carved the Silo out of the bare rock in the hopes that in doing so would have shielded the Silo and those personnel operating within from nuclear fall-out, but as had come to pass he'd read that the supposed Cold War that had lasted for nearly fifty years up until the early nineties hadn't escalated into a Hot War. ICBMs hadn't been exchanged, and the feared chance of Mutual Destruction hadn't occurred. It had meant the Silo had been Deactivated, and when Optimus' Team had first arrived the Silo had been given a new purpose. The Remnants of the Silo's original purpose had been evident largely in the Upper Decks with only the old Missile Storage compartments still existing in the lower decks which had left the Lower Decks to have been repurposed to house the Autobots.

Hatches marked only with a small number at first had passed him by leading the other Enforcer while explaining any and all information about the various compartments his own clearance had allowed. There were smaller Quarters for the smaller members of the Garrison with quite a few already assigned with the Quarters increasing in size steadily from the smallest to the largest Quarters with a few of those currently assigned. He'd shown him the Wash Racks with the Oil Baths and Showers to the Drying Racks as well as a supply of polish adjacent to the Wash Racks.

"Some of the personnel have acquired collections of various items of interest denoting the culture of this world, or other such knicknacks. The Regulations seem to encourage it within reason," Skirmisher explained.

"I currently am unaware if that extends to the Indiginous Personnel including both N.E.S.T., the Civilians and the Children. Most of the time, those Personnel keep to the Catwalks near the Central Dias though sometimes the Children do decide to be curious and stray from that. It's best to keep your optics open for any movement coming from them, since Optimus has made it clear they must remain unharmed. It's why he has prohibited running or even assuming one's Alt-Mode in the Outpost," he continued. His pedes carried him down the corridors with the overhead light fixtures with a few added light fixtures -- mostly in the form of light-strips lined some of the corridor panels being the only source of illumination in the Lower Decks.

"The only things we had to be careful of with my previous Garrison had been tiny quadruped burrowing mammals that had a tendency to chew on the cables," the Praxian smirked. "As far as I'm aware, the humans haven't shown that tendency,"

[Prowl]

“I doubt Optimus Prime would have humored having the indigenious life forms here if that was the case.”

Prowl moved a step behind the large enforcer as they headed down towards the Personal Quarters. So far this Skirmisher was a welcome sight, an Enforcer who still remembered the values of discipline and order. While he didn’t mind independent thought from the rank and file, it was when this independent thought overrode obeying orders it caused problems.

That was when lives were lost. And when people blamed the leadership for it. Fools the lot of them. He did not envy Prime for that burden he had to carry day by day.

Perhaps here he would have a fresh start. Maybe they could end the war here, once and for all.

Maybe, just maybe...

It might work out after all...

((END RP HERE))