'Cause you don't know what you've got
Oh you don't know what you've got
No you don't know what you've got
It's your battle to be fought
No you don't know what you've got
'Til it's gone
-Until It's Gone
~Linkin Park
Jazz slunk silently into the officer's meeting room, optics flicking to sweep the room from behind his visor. His processor automatically began assessing his surroundings as it always did. Possible entry and exit points, who was in the room and where, the temperature, the barometric pressure, the slight tension running from mech to femme.
"Where's Prowl?" Ironhide questioned.
"Not attending," Jazz replied softly, taking his seat by Prime as Second in Command, but rolling back a bit so he could see everyone in the room.
The younger officers looked to each other with bewilderment, Prowl never didn't attend a meeting. Even some of the older officers exchanged subtle glances lightly glazed with surprise, but Sevatia kept her gaze focused on Jazz. That was when he noticed Smokescreen's usual spot went unoccupied as well. However, while the Praxian psychologist was known to skip meetings on rare occasion due to something sudden coming up, Prowl could very well be on his deathbed and still attend a meeting.
"Then we shall begin," Prime sounded tired, looking physically vorns older than he should have, his optics locking on the table before him.
Sevatia's optics flicked to her mate before resting on Jazz again. Jazz blinked slowly behind his visor in acknowledgement, a sign that he knew she would pick up. Prime wasn't handling the loss of Praxus well either.
Not that anyone would blame him.
The spy pulled a small red crystal out of his hip compartment and toyed with it. This was going to be a long meeting for both of them.
"I guess I'll start," all optics turned on Ratchet, "I would like to put the two Praxians who aren't current residents in my med bay on temporary medical leave for a while."
"I'm not sure we can afford to do that, Ratchet. Our soldiers need Smokescreen now more than ever and you know just as well as I do that the Decepticons will start more raids and pillages soon. We need Prowl to coordinate our defenses so we're not caught off guard," Kup argued reasonably.
The Prime managed to both stiffen and deflate minutely in the same nearly imperceptible movement, choosing not to intervene in the brewing argument. Light clicks of shifting plating signaled an uneasiness added to the tension from many of the other officers. A quick sweep of his optics told the saboteur that the expectations of their Prime to mediate the situation were being denied by the mech himself by the glances thrown between their CMO, senior guard and Prime. Jazz sent a ping to his leader in an attempt to communicate, but his small prod was ignored. Although his neutral expression did not change, the saboteur shifted the red crystal in his fingers a bit to redirect his focus away from his budding concern. It was highly unusual for the Prime to be this rattled after a major loss such as Praxus, however, this was a highly unusual situation.
Even though Jazz was surprised the Decepticons hadn't already tried something akin to that particular genocide, the attack on Praxus was a shock even to him. None of the intelligence gathered by his own department had pointed towards this attack, meaning it was either very meticulously hidden or Megatron had conceived the idea on a whim and decided to put it into action. From what Jazz knew went on behind the enemy lines, he could easily see Megatron justifying the savage mass murder as a power play to bring some to his cause by the assertion of dominance. However, as many did bow to the Decepticon insignia painted in Praxian energon, there were several other indecisive city-states that fled in droves to Autobot protection. In his own way, Megatron had worked both for and against himself, unknowingly leaving Prime shaken for reasons even Jazz couldn't deduce. Granted, most of his processor was focused on worry for Prowl, whom was in recharge for the moment while he attended the meeting.
"And what about the good psychologist needing his own treatment? Or Prowl being so shaken over the fall of his home and the two near death scares we've had from his brother, he can't even draw a straight line, never mind draw up plans," Ratchet's voice raised a bit in his frustration, making Jazz focus on the heating discussion again.
Sevatia made a small movement to catch the medic's attention and her optics flashed when their gazes met, quelling her brother, "I will take over Smokescreen's position until Ratchet deems his mental state stable and fit enough to ease him back into taking patients. I will also take over Prowl's duties if I must in order to keep us current."
Jazz watched the practically visible shift in authority as attention shifted from Prime to Sevatia, seeing as how it was quite clear the former had no intentions to control the situation while the latter had just expressed her own. The saboteur likewise flicked his optics to the dark aqua femme, curious as to how this suggestion would end.
Sevatia had every bit the commanding presence her mate did, and while this fact sometimes put them at odds, more often than not is served to make them closer as a bonded pair. Along with their undying compassion, their potent leadership inspired both awe and healthy fear when combined together in battle and in downtime. There were slight differences in the power they each harboured, Optimus' being a source of strength to all that radiated off him constantly and Sevatia's often being dampened purposefully so she could teach or speak to her comrades with ease. However, if Sevatia decided she was going to utilize that beneficial undertone, she was going to do so to it's full extent, making her own stubborn brother hesitate and rethink things.
"No Sevatia. I don't even know how Prowl does his job without offlining, especially with his glitch. You can't possibly take over both jobs at the same time," Ratchet said, slight worry in his voice, "I'll assign Paradox to help you with Smokescreen's usual duties, but I will not allow you to take over the Third in Command post as well."
Jazz frowned so slightly only the corners of his mouth were tugged downward and to most it was almost as if he hadn't moved at all. Sevatia herself noticed and narrowed her optics marginally at him. His optics swept around again before resting back on her and he picked up on a deeper vent rushing in and out of her billows as she came to the same conclusion he had.
Everyone in that room knew Sevatia would very willingly take over both jobs and work herself until her structure shone through and her frame gave out. And then she would keep going until she offlined without even her mate knowing something was wrong.
"Why don't we just get someone else to fill in for Prowl then?" Blaster suggested.
"Because Prowl has the most brilliant tactical mind I've ever seen. No one we have currently comes even close to him," Kup huffed, sitting back in his chair and slapping the table.
"What 'bout Jyelle?" Chromia asked.
The SIC's optics widened behind his visor and he tensed even as his plating flared minutely at the suggestion. He likewise felt the same sort of vibe he was projecting come off Prime and Sevatia and his fingers paused around his crystal while he searched their reactions. Aside from Sevatia's sharp look at Chromia, neither protested, seeing the sense in the proposal the longer they thought about it. It was one thing for the blue soldier to suggest someone, but it was another to do so with both those someone's creators and her Guardian so high in the chain of command on that base.
Kup apparently had the same train of thought as he glared daggers at her, now making Ironhide shift defensively. Chromia returned his stare calmly, but her optics shone with her challenging defiance. She knew what she was suggesting and had chosen to stand by it.
"She does have a natural affinity for multi-layered analysis, having been trained as a politician and a J.A.G. officer under Alpha Trion. And I know she was being trained by Prowl in her downtime. She is almost hard wired for analytical work and with the usual officers present for tactical planning, I believe she would excel. Plus her training would serve us well in the legal and disciplinary measures Prowl usually handles," Elita-One spoke her observations.
"An' she knows the army well. There ain't a spark on this base with a drop of malice towards her. Her best friends are frontliners, medics, Spec Ops, scouts, an' even gunners. She would be able to help draw up plans with both success an' safety on her mind, puttin' no mech in any more danger than they have to be," Chromia added.
"But does potential and familiarity trump the potential risks of your implications?" Red Alert piped up, "If Jyelle is given the position of Third in Command and Head Tactician, any disciplinary actions, while not suggesting they will be needed, will have to be reverted to someone who ranks beneath her in this temporary reassignment," he glanced at Jazz, "Not to mention the security risks of transferring her here and then back once she is no longer needed to fill in the position. Nor have we fully recovered from Starscream's betrayal and, I do hate saying this, but due to her... close emotional proximity... to Starscream, she is a potential liability."
Jazz tensed further, subtly preparing himself to move as Sevatia bristled, visibly defensive of her sparkling, his own subroutines beginning to stir.
"That was hardly her fault," Sevatia spoke tersely, still trying her best to respect how Red Alert had explained his evaluation.
"But you gotta admit, it's a fair point, Sevatia," Kup jumped in before she could do or say anything she would regret, "Red Alert isn't even touchin' on the family elements and relationships that could create problems. Almost everythin' she does could be compromised with the right circumstances!"
"It's a risk we may have to take," Ironhide argued, "Look, if slag really hits the fans and bad things happen deservein' punishment, that role can fall to you or Elita-One, 'cause the two of you are the next highest rankin' officers that have no familial ties to Jyelle. I think we all know there is a very slim chance of that happening though."
"We can put it in writin' if you want," Chromia backed up her mate.
"Alrigh', alrigh', there's no reason ta clout me over the helm, but that still doesn't account for th' fact that Jyelle's never done tactical b'fore. Even with help we'd all be behind an' strugglin'," Kup pointed out.
"If it would make you feel better, Kup, we could always temporarily reassign Hunter to help. She can at least calculate the percentages of success if not the exact ratios that Prowl can," Sevatia suggested.
Jazz's optics flicked up and his visor flashed as his fingers curled tighter around the shard of crystal in his hand. All movement in his frame stopped, including his vents as he met Sevatia's optics. He knew she was serious just from the tone in her voice, but he had to be sure. Her gaze confirmed his knowledge and told him that helping Jyelle wasn't the only reason to bring Hunter in either. Prowl needed his daughter to be safe.
"They have always worked well together and Hunter does have tactical training along with her Spec. Ops. training. They would make a formidable team if we ensured they shared and split their duties in an efficient manner," Elita mused.
"An' what 'bout Hunter's team? Where will they go an' what happens if we need 'em in th' field?" Kup questioned.
"They will be shifted back into their usual ranks just as they always are when they come in from an assignment. Her team is meant to be assembled on short notice with tweaks in the group. This is nothing that they haven't done before," Sevatia said almost dismissively.
"What do you say, Prime?" Ironhide asked.
Prime sighed, finally flicking his dark blue optics to meet his mate's light sapphire. She placed one of her hands over the back of his, curling her fingers into his palm. Jazz could practically see the conversation they held through their bond and Prime's frame sank slightly, making him look even smaller.
"Call in Jyelle and Hunter's team," he said finally, his optics not once straying from his mate's as his fingers curled gently around hers.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! I had most of the chapter written and then life hit me like a truck with college visits and a teacher doing a stupid thing and it was a while before I had the want to do anything really. Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoy this next chapter where my OC's will start to come into play. Chapters will typically be about this long or slightly under.