Princess Lights: I was so happy for the long weekend. I can finish the latest chapter of CUTE AIN'T EASY GURL MMMMHMMM; sleep and work on assignments. :)

zombiesluvme: I mostly want to sleep. –A-

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Tailgate sat on a chair.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't such a big deal, but the deal became slightly more proportionate when you had five gigantic mechs sitting around you, looking at you as if they expected something amazing to suddenly happen.

"So, um..."

Tarn patiently folded his arms together, while the other four members leaned in further towards the minibot, their optics (sockets too I suppose) slightly wide. The Pet sat at Kaon's feet, looking longingly at the darkened hallways, most likely aching to go running down the tunnel and pounce on cyber-mice.

Tailgate swung his legs, more nervous than anything right now.

"What's, ah, a Decepticon? And Autobot for that matter."

All DJD members nodded slowly with approval at Tailgate's question.

Tarn cleared his throat to begin the speech he had rehearsed and delivered to recruit many innocent and wide visored mechs like Tailgate to the Decepticon cause, the only difference this time was the intensity of which he wanted convert the minibot.

"My dear Tailgate. As I know it, both sides wanted to change- They just disagreed over the nature, scale and purpose."

Tailgate raised a single finger to his facemask. "Both sides... The Autobots and Decepticons right?"

Tarn nodded. "One side rose up against a corrupt Senate and sought to emancipate the people."

The leader's optics narrowed behind his mask, his vocals shook with indignation as he spoke out his next words. "The other side, while superficially opposed to the ruling elite, were terrified of revolution. They wanted an orderly transition from one system of the government to another-Provided that they remained in control of course."

Tarn saw that Tailgate was paying attention, the minibot's visor wide. Absorbing Tarn's every word. The leader smiled internally.

"One side swept across the planet, liberating province after province. The inhabitants were expected to help their liberators overthrow the old order."

Tarn spread his arms in expression. "The other side saw this as an act of coercion and vowed to kill the uprising. The Senate fell- But the war continued.

Tarn lowered his arms, and looked off away from Tailgate. His optics lidded in depression and sadness. Kaon muffled a laugh that Tailgate fortunately didn't hear.

"The Autobots and the Decepticons. I wonder Tailgate... If you'd been there at the time-If you'd heard the call to arms and watched the Recruitment Rallies and seen the training camps and the Branding Ceremony's... If you'd been there at the time..."

Tarn looked directly at Tailgate.

"...On which side would you have fought?"

There was a long reverential silence at the table that every mech respected. Tailgate scooted off his chair and walked over to Tarn. Putting a hand onto the part of Tarn's leg that the minibot could reach, he lifted his huge blue visor at Tarn.

"I'm really sorry that the... Decepticons had to go through something like that. But it's comforting to know that there will always be devoted followers like you and your friends."

On a normal basis, this was the sort of comment that would find itself nodded at, and then forgotten, but...

Coming from Tailgate, combined with his now glittering visor and the sincerity of it...

Vos coughed loudly into his arm, and that broke the spell paralyzing the room.

Tarn shook his head. "Ah, yes. That. Erm, thank you for your honesty and sympathy Tailgate. And now- Um-"

Kaon interrupted before his boss started sounding like a normal Cybertronian. "We are here today to fulfil three objectives. To answer your questions in regards to the war and all that you have missed. The second would be to inform you of what we do as a whole division."

Tarn nodded, addressing the rest of his division. "Alright now. We need to inform our friend Tailgate here about what we as the... DJD do; as a professional occupation."

The slightly warm atmosphere plummeted down to freezing cold. Unaware of the change, Tailgate bounced forward on his pedes. "That's right! You never bothered to tell me what you guys do exactly!"

Tarn abruptly stood up, starting to get swept away in his own speech.

"We are the Decepticon Justice Division. Each of us named after the first five cities taken by our glorious leader Megatron. We hunt down those that have dared to sully the name of the Decepticons. Neither traitor nor coward is capable of escaping us."

Tailgate's visor was wide. "Hunt down?"

Tesarus gleefully filled Tailgate in. "We execute them."

Tailgate's visor fritzed, a tiny squeak of panic escaping his facemask. "So anyone who drops out of the Decepticons is labelled as a traitor?"

Tarn chuckled. "Anyone who has frustrated the idea and ideologies of Megatron is a traitor."

Tailgate looked down in thought. "You, you guys are essentially the executors in the Decepticon force. But..."

Tarn waited for Tailgate's answer, casually reading his fusion cannon behind the minibot's back. It depended on what crossed the minibot's vocalizer next that would either make him a worthy candidate for a Decepticon or...another target.

"...But, this is a war, and I can't really judge, since I haven't been awake this whole time..." Tailgate dropped his helm, twiddling his thumbs rapidly, "... as long as it's for a good cause right?"

Tailgate glanced up at Tarn sharply, the tiniest bit insecurity shining through his determined gaze. "I'm totally with you guys! These guys should be proud to have been part of the Decepticons! Let's go kick some ungrateful aft!"

Tarn froze, stunned by Tailgate's answer. Vos calmly stood up and picked up Tailgate. He smushed the minibot's face against his.

"Mate with me. Now."

Helex grabbed Vos by the back of the neck and deposited him back within his seat. "Now, what are we going to do with you, Tailgate?"

Tailgate puffed himself up, his little servos clenched into fists with anticipation. "Alright, um! What do you want me to do?"

Kaon tapped his chin in thought. "You can help the rest of us self-repair and clean any... messes that might splatter onto this ship."

Tailgate deflated the tiniest bit. "That's it? No sword fighting, or gun shooting or-"

Kaon held up a hand, the corners of his lip plates twitching. "Your primary task aboard this ship will be to help us in any way you can. We in turn will reward you by teaching you useful skills and continue to provide your needs and more."

Tailgate's visor started sparkling again. "Skills? Like, shooting a gun, and being a hero?"

Tesarus laughed. "You can be a hero by helping us self-repair!"

Tarn raised a hand to his mask's mouth slit in thought. "Hold on now, before we get ahead of ourselves- Where should Tailgate's quarters be located? We cannot simply have him recharge in the medical bay."

Vos leaped across the table and wrapped Tailgate in a metal-denting hug, with half of his body still hanging on the table.

"Join me in berth minibot." Vos whispered in Tailgate's audio sensors.

"Uh-Um that-"

"I'll pick you apart and switch your arms in the middle of the night and then put your T-Cog on display."

Tesarus used his extra arm to pick Vos up and throw the scientist back within his respectable seat. Again. "Do you see the sadistic piece of slag we gotta put up with? If you can become our temporary stand-in medic, I'll go on my knees and kiss your pedes if I have to."

Helex snapped his fingers, with all four arms. "Wait. Isn't there a habsuite between me and Tesarus' room?"

Tarn nodded with approval. "That's the ideal location Helex. Why don't you tell Tailgate about how our habsuite's work aboard the Peaceful Tyranny?

Kaon watched the entire interaction, his smile drooping the slightest bit from confusion. Helex and Tesarus' rooms were considered to be the ones furthest away from the rest of the group's. If Tailgate was to be a helper, wasn't it more ideal for his room to be located within the center of the Peaceful Tyranny?

Kaon decided to use the private comm that Tarn gave him some time ago. It was easier if he simply used his radio to speak confidentially with Tarn.

"Sir? The room between Helex and Tesarus is not the only habsuite available. There are more located closer to the rest of us."

Tarn looked at the sight of Helex with his top two arms folded and the smaller arms waving and pointing exaggerating his points. He never looked away as he answered Kaon.

"Ah, but Kaon. Think carefully. Who is furthest away from Tailgate if he resides in that habsuite?"

"That would be me. The surveillance and data network aboard the ship- Huh. You've pulled yet another fast one boss."

Tarn rested his face on his servo, the disturbing glint coming into his eye once more. "I don't think I need to exaggerate how important it is to keep certain information files out of sight and out of reach. Lock all the information about us away with your failsafes. Edit certain historical files as well. Let's pretend the Uprising, the Exodus, the Remote Age, the Cataclysm, and the Surge, never happened."

Kaon gave a small smile. "It will be done sir."

Tarn nodded and cut the comm short, addressing the rest of his division. "Alright now. Anyone above minibot height needs to stay at this table and discuss the subject of Black Shadow. Everyone below and at that height needs to go to recharge."

Tailgate threw his hands in the air. "Oh c'mon- That's a dirty, rotten trick! I wanna stay and-EPP!"

Tailgate was interrupted by Kaon picking him up and throwing the minibot over his shoulder. As Kaon walked down the hall, he called over his shoulder.

"Tell me the details later! I need to put the panic button with legs back into his habsuite."

The Pet followed the two, delighted by the wiggling mass over his master's shoulder. Tailgate squirmed in Kaon's grasp.

The communications officer made a small detour, opening a storage closet and grabbing a handful of cleaning supplies, then continued walking to the fore-mentioned habsuite. Upon arrival, Kaon literally threw Tailgate onto the berth located by the window.

The minibot hit the berth with a painful clunk and looked up to Kaon in disbelief. Kaon smiled gently, as he promptly threw the cleaning supplies into Tailgate's face.

"Use these to clean up your room, then recharge. You're going to have a full day tomorrow." He turned to go, but paused. "And the habsuite password is 12-0-15. Have a nice recharge!"

The door was closed and locked. Tailgate was stunned into silence, and he stared about his room in a trance.

First, the positives.

The berth had a foam pad and was comfortable to lie upon. Ohhh. He was right beside the window as well! But then again...

The floor was dusty and grimy. The desktop beside the berth had all sorts of junk stacked on top. Tailgate suspected that if either Helex or Tesarus were too lazy to throw away their scrap, they simply threw it within this room instead.

But there was no time to think about that now. Tailgate grabbed the gloves, and the jug of cleaning solvent, and the sponges, glaring at the mess.

It would be no match for a fearsome rookie Decepticon!

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Princess Lights: Holy jumping Rewind on top of Chromedome, when the last half was deleted, I felt my feelings shrivel and crinkle.

zombiesluvme: Twas a terrible experience. WE MUST BACK UP EVERYTHING.

Princess Lights: *Hugs Zombie and cries womanly tears into her shoulder*