Ep1 - Arma's quarters - 'The Distraction' - Closed

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After securing Reflector's assistance and a slot in Ratbat's schedule (Primus, illegal break-outs should not require paperwork...) for the liberation of Barricade from the brig, Fairwinds had snagged a ration and scuttled back through the vents halfway across the ship. Her next Decepticon was one of The hardcore loyalists, up there with Dreadwing in her spark-deep committment to Lord Megatron.

She was also incredibly powerful and, by all accounts, deeply torqued off by Starscream's flouncing about the throne. Exactly what Fairwinds needed.

Stopping at the vent-grate with a shakey exhale, Fairwinds made a note to find somewhere safe to collapse into recharge after this before peering through the grill. Arma wasn't directly beneath her, but close enough that even a cursory scan would highlight the cassette's presence.

Fairwinds pinged the warrior-femme a greeting with sub-glyphs of -secrecy/subtefuge-, then slid her beak through one of the spaces in the grill cover. "Arma? I need to talk to you. It's about Lord Megatron, and Lieutenant Barricade... Mostly Barricade. Okay, totally about Barricade but it leads to stuff about Lord Megatron."

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She just stood there, unmoving like a statue, her arm was leaning on desk in front of her window. Small holoprojector was humming quietly in front of her, as her optics were locked into reflection of Megatron's character, hovering just above the projector. She had no idea how long she had already stood there, staring his figure. She had been thinking, and wondering, where had her leader gone, and why. Her processor just couldn't proceed with Screamer's explanation about Prime, it just didn't make any sense. Arma just knew, that their so called leader, was involved into this mess, one way or another. She would just need a good reason, to attack him. Or... sooner or later there wouldn't be need for even reason, she would just do it.

Her stare was broken, only when she heard the greeting, but not seeing anybody, understanding the reason very soon. Arma had no need to ask Fairwind's reasons to talk to her, as unusual as it might've been. Things were leading more and more to Barricade, but right now, anything about Barricade, meant it had something to do with Lord Megatron. Arma slid her hand over the holoprojector, shutting it down, and returning it into it's hatch in her right leg. Arma stepped closer to the door, placing her hand on it's control panel, locking the door, making sure no-one would come inside without her permission.

After that, she stepped in the middle of her room, facing up the grill, where she had located Fairwinds. "Now, speak."

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Fairwinds took the gravelly command as an invitation to come in, lifting the grill away with one foot before dropping into the spartan room. She hovered with her pedes angled forward and open, waiting for Arma to offer a perch on one mighty arm.

Settling her wings to her body, the cassette took in the newest dents and impressive weld-work from the Autobot assault. Clearly Arma had thrown herself right into the thick of it, brawling and scrapping with the kind of devout ferocity that Megatron had always prized in her. Certainly it was likely that she'd be agreeable to throwing her mass around again to serve their lord.

"Starscream's lying: Lord Megatron's alive," Fairwinds began, foregrounding the most significant news that would doubtless settle some of the sharp prickles of agitation rolling through Arma's field. "And Ravage and I are pretty sure where he is. We think he's glitching from a helm-shot, and that's why he hasn't come back on his own yet."

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As minicon lifted the grill away, Arma offered her arm for her to perch. The new dents and weldings were only partly from the autobot assault, biggest ones were the ones given her by her master, not too long ago. That was just something that woul stay between them, forever. It was something only she had been able to offer him, and survive. Of course, she had brawled her part in autobot assault also, but the damages she had gained, had been quite minor, and were tend by knockout in no-time. But it was definitedly true, whenever it was fighting for her Lord, she was always ready to throw in her body, and spark.

Arma listened emotionless, but her field still flickerd some, as she heard that Starscream was lying, not that she didn't knew it already. As Fairwinds told her, that Ravage and her were pretty sure about Lord Megatron's whereabouts, and about he's been helm shot. She had no need to guess who had it been, and her field flared again. "So, what does this have to do with Barricade, or with me?" For more like confirment, than anything else, she knew very well that why they needed Barricade, and guessed quite well her part also, but just wanted confirmation for it.

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Fairwinds weaved across her pedes on Arma's gauntlet, tired and emotionally strung out. The femme's stoney field didn't help. Megatron's field was a physical presence in its power and unseen force, but his was one she felt warmly enveloped by and safe within, protected and part of. Arma's felt like if she got upset and had it in her helm to squish the cassette between thumb and finger, she would.

"Barricade needs busting out to bring Lord Megatron back - if he's glitching and where we think he is, then we need someone with smarts as well as strength to fetch him out."

Fairwinds went over the explanation after saying it, quite satisfied with its plausibility given that she couldn't use the words 'bonded', 'aligned' or anything related to the real reason it had to be Barricade. Both their sparks were fragged from the trauma and prolonged distance over the last few weeks. Proximity would go a long way to stabilising both of them.

And yeah, their best infiltrator was also, professionally, their best bet for bringing their commander and chief out of the DMZ when Neutrals and Autobots might want to keep him there. Indefinitely.

Continuing, Fairwinds flicked her helm at Arma. "And we need you to make that possible. I've got a time slot when Starscream's gonna be out of the way, the kit to get Barricade out, but no way to move the guards. I was hoping you would be willing to help our Lord Megatron by causing a distraction. A big one. It's dangerous, but 'm running out of mecha I can really trust that have the power to help."

Big optics. Longwave thrown deep and shivering with love and fear. "Please, Arma?"

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Arma listened her explanation with care, letting her receptors pick and register every single little detail. Arma was able to spot, that Fairwinds was avoiding using some words, which Arma understood very well. Partly she wanted to tell that there was no need to hide things from her, as she knew about the bond between the two, but, she would let it be just between her and Lord Megatron, the less knew about alignment between Barricade and Megatron, the better.

The way Fairwinds told the reason she had came to Arma, gained her trust. Not that she had suspected too much about her, she was on the same line with her, when it came to their leader. They wanted her to cause the distraction, a big one, as Fairwinds described. Arma was just disappointed, that Fairwinds told she had time slot when Starscream was out of their way, but understood that it was better that way. Her field flickered a bit, before returning to it's normal emotionless state, as she heard word dangerous. Ridiculous, she just thought, as it would be more dangerous for the rest of the Nemesis, than for her.

After those last words, Arma remained silent for an moment, keeping her deep red optics in Fairwind's. "It's been quite a long time since someone has asked me that way..." She vented slowly. "Give me the time slot, and tell me how long do you need. But, after you've gotten him out, comm me, and give me the coordinates where you're gonna bridge. There's no way i could stay on this ship after chaos like that. Hiding's not my best aspect, and i simply can't hide from Starscream..." Arma faced away for an second. "And i just can't sit here, thinking about our Lord's condition, i want to help him."

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"Thirty-five breems and forty-six kliks from now, only gonna need five kliks. Anything more is a safety net. And we're gonna 'bridge here." Fairwinds sent co-ordinates set ten miles from the entrance to the DMZ - within the 'no-kill' area the Neutrals had negotiated but with enough space that they could regroup before they actually made contact.

Side-scuttling up Arma's gauntlet, forearm and enormous shoulder mount, Fairwinds came to press her helm into the side of the femme's solid jaw with an assuring chirr. "'m sure Lord Megatron'll be really pleased to have you there, Arma. Then he can come back, and clear up all the slag that's been doing on."

Hopping back so that she could meet Arma's optics again, Fairwinds straightened with a heavy ex-vent. "I'd better go. After I ping you, contact Soundwave for the 'bridge out if the Eradicon on-duty doesn't respond. Should be one of Steve's guys, but can't guarantee it. Soundwave's behind us, though, so we're covered. And this'll work."

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Arma remained silent, feeling Fairwinds pressing her helm against her jaw, chirrin assurely, her processor registering the time slot, and the coordinates Fairwinds gave to her. Yes, Lord Megatron would be back, after already too long time... everything would be just like it used to be, and Starscream would pay for everything. And Arma, like she believed Fairwinds also, would stand behind him, whatever it takes.

As Fairwinds hopped back, facing her optics, she kept listening what she wanted to say. She told her to contact Soundwave for the Bridge, if Eradicons were not responding. She also told, that Soundwave was behind them, and that they would be covered. Not that she had ever doubted this, but hearing this from someone else, who wanted to help their Lord, made her field calm and confident, as she vented slowly. "I've never doubted Soundwave's loyalty, and we will make this work." Arma stepped closer to the wall, rising her arm at the vent's level. "Go, and don't get caught. If you do, then i'll have no other choice but to tear this whole ship apart to get us down, and i don't want to do that."

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With a digitised chirp of assent, Fairwinds leapt up and twisted fluidly in the air to mag-clamp her talons to the ceiling beside the vent. She hung her helm down, looking to Arma with a pleased smile. "Me neither. Lord Megatron likes his ship, and he wouldn't be happy coming home to it all busted up." She saluted with the tip of one wing. "I'll stay super secret and stealthy in the vents, and comm. you after you do your thing."

Scuttling with wings tucked tight and tail held out long and thin behind her, Fairwinds climbed up through the vent and replaced the grill with one pede. Finally, she pressed an optic to the grate. "See you at the DMZ, Arma - and thanks!"

Then she was gone.

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She dropped her arm, as Fairwinds had gotten into the vent, keeping her optics there, letting minicon finish her sentences. As she lifted the grill back to it's place, Arma turned her back to the vent, facing the wall with huge window. As she heard Fairwinds thanking her, she remained silent, but felt like relieved.

She calculated the time she had spent talking with Fairwinds, and set up timer in her processor, till the moment of wreacking the havoc would come. Until that, first she thought she should prepare for the mission, as well as she could, but in the other hand... perhaps she should try to relax, this once. "Activate holo-decorations..." With that order, hidden holoprojectors reflected many projections of Lord Megatron into her room, many ones were from his time as gladiator, but some of them were later ones. She stepped in front of the window, which was now acting as huge monitor, now repeating some of Lord Megatron's greatest maches, which she had recorded at the cybertron's golden age.

She kept watching, silently, unmoving. He would soon be finally back...