Fandom: Transformers G1
Pairing: Jazz/Whiplash/Moonlit
Rating: PG-13
Codes: Slash, Het
Summary


Wanderer's Home arc 3 pt 08: Intel's Dance


Whiplash came to awareness slowly, a small part of his processor noting the unusual behavior and trying to place the cause from the short list that didn't include significant damage or sedatives; two things his boot-up systems check had informed him were not affecting him.

"Hay babe," a throaty, seductive and oh-so-familiar rumble came from the pleasant warmth on one side of his gradually on-lining body.

"Jazz," his voice sounded staticky, raw ... Ratchet had likely sedated him, but he'd recharged long after it had worn off. That other warmth was no doubt Moonlit, though it could be Mirage is she'd returned to Cybertron already.

Why would his vocalizer be that damaged? He couldn't remember screaming, much less for any length of time. If he hadn't during the actual breaking of the bond, why would he later?

"Yeah it's me, babe," Jazz's voice was soothing to audio receptors that seemed to be as damaged as his vocalizer. "Ya did what we all knew ya'd do. Ya held it tagether until the mission was over and all were safe."

"And you were alone," Moonlit added, her tone less approving.

"But yur with kin now," Jazz continued, his touch along Whiplash's arms and helm light, gentle, and completely platonic for once. "Just Moon and me, in mah quarters. Ya know it's safe ta talk about anything here."

"As safe as anywhere," Whiplash murmured, his vocalizer still objecting to use with random bursts of static.

"Ya don't have to talk out loud if ya don't want to," Jazz offered. "Just relax."

Whiplash nodded slightly and buried his face against Jazz's shoulder as he began to tremble against his own will. The pain was down to an ache in his spark, but the loneliness was suddenly crushing and he clutched at Jazz, the body facing his, with frantic strength.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jazz crooned, rubbing his side while Moonlit mirrored his actions, pressing against Whiplash's back. ~You're not really alone, I promise.~"

~I know,~ he responded before he thought about it. ~How long?~

~You've been out for two days,~ Moonlit responded while Jazz focused on providing physical and emotional support. ~Ultra Magnus has returned Cybertron. I have a few days until the next energon run, then I need to return.~

~Ratchet and Arcweld are pulling medical rank,~ Jazz picked up. ~You're staying on the Ark until they feel you're ready to return to duty.~

~Then Prime, Ultra Magnus, you and Moonlit will decide my fate,~ he murmured, unable to hide all the nervousness he had at that prospect.

~Magnus is still pretty pissed, mostly that no one noticed,~ Moonlit admitted to him. ~Prime is focused on the fact that he agreed no repercussions would come of what happened.~

~We just intend to see you recover and back in action,~ Jazz embraced him tightly, physically and mentally, and opened himself up to show his mentor just how determined he was.

Whiplash didn't respond with any coherent words, or even a thought either of his students could pick up, but the hard pull he made to drag Jazz much deeper into his mind was crystal clear.

Jazz followed, careful to make sure it was only searching for company. This was deeper than they usually went, but that was something Arcweld had told them was likely. It was a pale substitute for the missing bond, though it was deeply intimate for an unbonded pair.

~'Lash, we can't blame ya for tryin' to make it out alive,~ he pointed out gently, soothing his mentor more with his energy than the words. It took effort to not freak out a little at how clingy Whiplash was, even knowing he was surviving a broken bond.

~You're the one who taught us that there's nothing wrong with anything you have to do to survive another day,~ Moonlit added firmly. ~We all know how many times we've each committed treason in the name of survival, and as you said so many times, the Autobots still come out ahead.~

~I know,~ Whiplash murmured, snuggling into Jazz's mind and welcoming Moonlit's embrace. ~I never imagined it could hurt this much. I was barely aware of it most of the time.~

~Etri? It sounds like that's SOP for those guys. There was one in the Decepticon base too... it wouldn't have changed anything, if you hadn't agreed,~ Jazz offered again, keeping any trace of judgment out of what he exposed to his mentor... though to be honest, there wasn't much there. Everybody was more ticked off at those who'd been around the situation than those who'd been in it.

~It would have changed one thing,~ Whiplash corrected him quietly, only mildly conflicted about the fact. ~It would have waited a few more breems and there would have been no bond to break.~ He stilled as that reality sank in, really sank in, and he shuddered. ~Even knowing this would come of it, I don't think I would have changed my choice. It knows so much though. She knows so much.~

Thoughts of Cybertron and the Autobots' darkest secrets flickered between them, but what really frightened Whiplash, deep in the relative security of his inner mind, was how many secrets of the few he held dear to him he'd given up in the process. The chilling knowledge that Etri, or it's mistress, could destroy everything he cared about more than his duty.

~Do you really think it'd do that?~ Jazz asked him quietly. ~Lyzen might, but Etri?~

~It, no,~ he murmured, pressing close within the shared mindspace as he welcomed the enveloping embrace of the two closest to him. ~Her ... if she saw reason to. Etri told me a lot in those two metacycles it was courting me and left me with more. She's at least as ruthless as I am and far older. Mitrix may have reformatted and reprogrammed the Tezita into their modern form, but the Si'Mir has been a single individual since the time of Singer, maybe even longer, and her control over the future of the race is so solid.~

~How?~ Jazz asked, unable to keep his interest from suddenly being jerked to that topic. ~That's not possible, from what we know about them.~

~I don't know,~ Whiplash admitted. ~It told me that Mother would change her looks and name and had many bodies. The how of it I do not know, only that it is a great secret. I think Etri told me as repayment for what it'd learn from me. It won't do as much damage as what it knows could do to us, but I gathered it's a major piece of blackmail material.~

~It is,~ Jazz agreed. ~Do you want me to explain how, or leave that for another time?~

Whiplash felt himself relax a bit, both at the warm strength of his top Lieutenants and the knowledge that they did have something on the Si'Mir now.

~I'd like to know,~ he murmured and began to return the caresses he received.

~The Tezita usually only last a ganon or so - the Toe'Emirc change over so often because their bodies burn out,~ Jazz explained, letting Moonlit focus on anything more than simply being close to Whiplash and making sure he knew they were both there for him. ~'Lyzen' should have been dead about ten of them ago, from the sound of things. It's very, very bizarre at least, and something she shouldn't want to have get out. What I don't understand is why none of the other Toe'Emirc recognize it.~

~So she's figured out how to be effectively immortal and hasn't told anyone,~ Whiplash chuckled. ~Yes, that's definitely something that can be used against her. Have you had much contact with her yet?~

~Not yet, but soon,~ Jazz confirmed. ~After you're doing better, and Etri's howling is at a tolerable level, I think. It also suggests, given what we know, that there are some other issues at play - definitely good blackmail material, though I'd rather not put it to use unless we have to.~

~At the very least we need to understand the full extent of what we're blackmailing her with,~ Moonlit spoke up. ~Whether we're threatening her, personally, or something that could bring down her world. This could go either way, as I see it right now.~

~Agreed,"~ Whiplash murmured, his energy reserves spent.

~Rest, Lash,~ Jazz murmured and wrapped him in a warm, protective blanket of his mind. ~Nothing is going south yet. Maybe not for a long time. We'll be ready when it does. Not like last time.~

~We can never let that happen again,~ Whiplash growled with more strength than he should have had. ~We can never let a Prime make that mistake again.~

~We won't,~ Jazz and Moonlit promised in unison with all the strength they had.

~Rest, Lash,~ Moonlit insisted, adding her mind to the layers protecting her mentor from the world and the pain in his own spark. ~Unbonded does not mean alone.~

~Never alone,~ Jazz whispered in agreement as Whiplash began to drift off again. ~You've never been alone and never will be.~


Two days later Jazz was sitting in the corner of the rec room, drinking his evening energon and watching the activity.

There was the usual stuff; the twins playing video games, Hound and Mirage trying to look like they were not together, Gears complaining about something no one paid attention to, Bumblebee trying to cheer up Bluestreak, Smokescreen talking in a hushed voice as he took beats on something. Even Starscream's presence close to Skyfire was becoming normal. From the look he'd gotten in passing of the pad they were debating quietly over, he suspected the pair wouldn't be white and red much longer.

Then there was the unusual stuff; two of the three Tezita civilians were deep in a quiet debate of some kind with Whippoorwill, Windsong, Noitefel and Prowl of all mechs ... though Jazz was quick to amend that he shouldn't be surprised to see Prowl anywhere Noitefel was. The two tacticians were definitely courting in his opinion, though Primus only knew if they realized it yet.

"Most likely," a deep voice said from one side before Thundercracker sat down at the table with his own energon.

Jazz looked at him quizzically. Thundercracker's presence was almost as weird as Starscream ... scratch that, it was weirder, because Thundercracker knew exactly what he'd done in the last nine ganon and wasn't the least bit concerned about it. Starscream was still more than a bit edgy around anyone but Skyfire, Prime and Ezara and seriously freaked about what his name was now linked to.

"Noitefel and Prowl are aware they are a couple," the Seeker elaborated. "Even if they haven't made the public announcement yet."

"You hardly know either of them," Jazz pointed out evenly, even though he was shocked the infamously grounder-hating Seeker would even notice two ground-bound mechs that much. Yet here Thundercracker was, discussing two ground-bound mechs being lovers with a third ground-bound mech as if was the most normal conversation to have in the Ark's rec room. It was almost enough to cause Jazz's logic center to crash. "How would you know?"

Thundercracker chuckled softly and took a sip of energon. He wasn't quite convinced he liked the flavor of the Autobot formula, but he very much enjoyed teasing the Autobot saboteur now that he wouldn't get slagged for it. "I know plenty about Prowl, and wings. He's only marginally more emotional than Soundwave. Anytime someone like that does not break the hand groping his wings, they're at least lovers. We both know it's quite a liberty for anyone else to take."

"And with what I know about both of them - just where were you that you saw something like that?" Jazz asked him appraisingly. Depending on the answer, and how accurate it was, this could prove interesting. He did have a point ... door-wings weren't much less sensitive than Seeker-wings ... and Prowl was definitely very protective of his.

"Ten thousand feet, out on patrol," Thundercracker smirked. "They never saw me, but I got good a show."

"About how long ago was this?" Jazz asked him with mild curiosity as he relaxed. While he was on patrol as a Decepticon - that wasn't so big a deal, really. No doubt the tacticians would be seriously annoyed at being caught, but from a security standpoint it was expected. Now if Thundercracker had been able to catch the two of them around the Ark, without being noticed ... well, especially with Lyzen around, he'd have to have a word with them both about putting a tighter leash on him.

Granted, it was unlikely they would put a tighter leash on him unless he turned violent without provocation. The small nanite snake that lived on the Seeker was a visible reminder to all, including Thundercracker himself, of whom he answered to now. It was highly unlikely that he did anything that Lyzen didn't know about almost instantly.

"Mmm, maybe a quartex ago," he shrugged. "After I decided to defect, but well before the opportunity came up."

"About what I'd thought," he nodded slightly. "Y'might consider trying to get into the pool with Whippoorwill. 'Course, wings aren't as big a deal for Prowl as they are for you Seekers."

"I don't expect they are," Thundercracker agreed. "I've never done anything with a grounder's doors other than rip them off. The screaming and system shutdowns afterwards are intense, though."

"Careful about what you talk about around here," Jazz observed, noticing the scowls the overheard statement earned from a few people. "Might be true, but there's a lot of folks here who'd love an excuse to take a few previous experiences out on you."

A low click from the serpent coiled around his shoulder vent stopped the reply. Thundercracker gave a low huff and shrugged, his gaze drawn to Starscream and Skyfire. "He barely screeches anymore," he murmured instead, his mind going a completely different direction in a sparkbeat.

"Hmm?" Jazz asked, looking over to follow his attention. "When he talks, you mean?"

"Not even Megatron could shut him up before," Thundercracker chuckled a bit and sipped his energon. "Not for long at least. I'd forgotten how cute he is when he's sane."

"Certainly easier to put up with," Jazz acknowledged. "With what the Forge does though, it's easy to see how he got so twisted up inside."

The Seeker cocked his head slightly and looked down at him, his expression a mixture of amusement and a derisive sneer. "You really believe the Forge is the source of all evil? I was beginning to think you were smarter than that. Everything he became was already there. The Forge just brings it to the fore. Your Prime probably wouldn't change at all. Now Prowl," he lifted his lip in an almost appreciative sneer as his gaze worked down the mech's solid frame. "He'd be downright frightening afterwards. A right proper Con. But you'd still recognize everything there."

"And I'd thought that you were smart enough to recognize the difference between thinking something was the source of all evil and recognizing that it could seriously screw up somebody's circuits," Jazz snorted. "You're right, it could seriously frag up Prowl. Same way it did Shockwave. Just like it could me," Jazz said with a half-smile in his voice, leaving the prospect for Thundercracker to consider.

A low chuckle greeted the statement and a flash of red optics that nearly went dark enough to show desire. "You and your mentor," Thundercracker nearly purred. "I don't think either of you need it to know exactly what you'd become though," he leaned back and drank more of his cube, his optics lingering on the Porsche. "From everything I've heard of him, maybe he's already been there. No matter what Megatron says, he hasn't always controlled it, and not everyone to claim the upgrades has become a Con. He thinks he knows who everyone is, but he's not that good, and neither's Shockwave. Screamer there knew how to bypass the system, and I'm sure he shared, either to spite Megatron or save his wings."

"And did he ever share with you?" Jazz asked him, with the same sort of teasing tone. "Or did your trine not trust you enough for that?"

"He showed me once when we on guard duty early on," he huffed with a shrug. "I didn't exactly pay attention to the braggart. It wasn't something I needed to know and I like my wings intact."

"Fair enough," Jazz shrugged slightly. "If you know how to access it though, it'd be worth something... assuming the intel paid off. Not like you've got any reason to be loyal to Megatron anymore."

"I never was," Thundercracker shrugged. "I can't imagine what you have to offer that I'd want."

"Y'd be amazed what I have access to," Jazz grinned. "Especially with Blaster in the mix." He made a short, coded broadcast, then processed a data card, passing it over. "A pity that the rebellion started just before Vos' last theater season, isn't it?"

The statement earned him a look that was hard to interpret, but apparently was enough to make Starscream look their way and pay attention.

Once more Jazz was reminded of just how much Seekers used body language and subsonic sounds to communicate, and most of it was done without conscious thought on their part. It was one more factor of their lives that he was only starting to grasp the full extent of now that he lived with a couple of them. It was well-known they did it, and most Autobots knew at least the basics of wing posturing from inference, but it was every bit as complex as door-winger body language and far more expressive. How many battlefield signals had they missed over the ganon over that lack of knowledge?

Starscream's back strut went rigid and his wing tips climbed quickly, quivering ever so slightly. His bright white optics locked on Thundercracker. Even Skyfire seemed to be reacting to whatever signals the blue Seeker was putting off, though not nearly as strongly as his bonded.

By half way through the datacard Thundercracker's intakes hitched and he was almost shaking in his effort not to break down. Memories of home and belonging and knowing his place came rushing back, threatening to crash his processor worse than when he'd realized his only choice to keep his honor as a Seeker was to support Megatron and a cause he didn't really believe in.

"Dreamer of the Storm's Heart," Thundercracker's voice was barely above a whisper, his optics no longer focused on anything for a long moment. "HOW?" he finally looked at Jazz with incredulous disbelief. "It was only performed once."

"Before the war, Blaster worked for Iacon's broadcasting network," Jazz told him easily. "He had his contacts, and before everything went to the Pit he made sure he got everything he thought was worthwhile off the data servers. He's got the full recordings by Vos' Heritage Network for all those and more, though it'd take him a while to get the recording prepared in full quality. So - I take it you're interested?"

A mute nod was all Thundercracker could manage as his processor churned. A grounder had saved Vos' heritage, his heritage. A grounder had done what no Seeker had managed. Where did that leave him?

Half way across the room, Starscream settled and turned back to his conversation with Skyfire, but other Autobots had grown interested in the uncharacteristic reaction Thundercracker was displaying.

"Information on how to get into the Forge - the best you can give me - for Dream. If it checks out, you can have another one from the list," Jazz offered. "If you toss in your access codes and schematics to the Nemesis, I'll toss in a couple of the others. What else do you think you have that I'd be interested in?"

Thundercracker bit his lower derma without realizing it and stared at the list, his processors churning even as he began to speak. "I know every base and outpost location on Earth and Cybertron, their schematics, command personnel, normal crew numbers and general purpose."

"I'll want to check out the intel before the full trade, but that sounds fair to me," Jazz agreed. "You prepare your intel, I'll have Blaster prepare the recordings, we'll have Prime keep the recordings while I check your intel to my satisfaction? You know he'll keep his word."

"Yes, he does," Thundercracker nodded slightly and finished his cube. "Five recordings for minor outposts, fifteen for major facilities. The full seasons from four five-zero-two zero-eight-five through ninety-five for Decepticon Headquarters on Cybertron with access codes."

Jazz was sure the Seeker was less sure about Jazz keeping his implied word that he'd tell Prime the truth, but that was always true when first courting an intel source. The only way to beat that was to prove himself - which he knew he'd have to do from the start.

"Sounds like a deal to me," Jazz nodded slightly, sending the message to Blaster to prep a set of discs and a full inventory list. "Let me know when you're ready, I'll go explain the situation to Prime."

Thundercracker nodded his acceptance and watched the Autobot leave, his thoughts still in turmoil.

For his part, Jazz was more than a little chuffed that he'd managed to turn a random conversation the Seeker had started into such an Intel coupe. Not even he'd expected to pull off this kind of deal so quickly. He pinged Teletraan-1 for Prime's location and headed for his office.

"Come in," Optimus said to the buzzer. "Hello Jazz," he smiled warmly, even though his battle mask hid it.

"Hi - I need to talk with you about a trade," Jazz grinned openly as he stepped in and let the door close behind him. He took quiet note that Crashcourse was in deed the one on duty. "It's almost a shame that Thundercracker defected, honestly. If I'd known he was this easy to work with, who knows where we'd be now."

That raised an optic ridge in curiosity even as he motioned for Jazz to sit. "Even if he still had Starscream and Skywarp, and quite probably Megatron watching him for it?"

"As desperate as he seems to be right now? I'd say so," Jazz said after a few moments to consider. "He's going to be preparing a data packet for us that could give Magnus and Moonlit a much easier time on Cybertron, as well as helping us here. All it's going to cost us is a copy of a good chunk of Blaster's collection of plays out of Vos."

The delight made Optimus' optics glitter. "He's hungry for home, for the culture he left behind," he rumbled in approval and nodded. "How did this conversation come up?"

"A round-a-bout way that started with him sitting next to me and commenting on Prowl and Noitefel being a couple, moved onto Starscream, the Forge ... where I offered to make it worth his while if he could give good intel on it's location and how to access it. I wasn't really expecting him to bite, but he dared me."

Optimus laughed at that. "Which you have never been able to resist."

"You know me too well," he chuckled a bit. "I expected there'd be something in Blaster's collection that would get his attention. I really didn't expect all I got. Not just the Forge, but locations, schematics, command staff, crew and purpose for almost every Con facility on Earth and Cybertron. That includes Decepticon Headquarters on Cybertron and the Nemesis here on Earth, with access codes."

"Impressive," Optimus couldn't help but be surprised. He was very aware of how valuable that intel would be, even if some of it was no doubt out of date. Thundercracker was long-standing member of the Decepticon's commanding trine, even if he wasn't a known command officer. His intel would have been very good at the time he got it.

"Now that I have access to Cybertron again, imagine what he might give up from something tangible. Say the high-grade formula from his tower. Sides can even make a sample." Jazz was getting positively elated at the prospect of mining the Seeker's memory banks with such simple bribes.

"Just don't get him too attached," Optimus wished he didn't have to give the warning. "He's not a Con anymore, he's Vistra. Lyzen and Ezara will both take exception to you fully recruiting one of their prize members."

"He's not worth as much to me as a full recruit," Jazz pointed out. "If he's with the Vistra, he presents a good casual contact with them, especially given the importance they're placing on him. Of course, if Ezara's not careful, they might end up driving him away, but that's a different issue."

"Ezara is no longer the one who handles that," Optimus said even as he nodded. "Lyzen handles all planned breedings and has made it very clear to me that she understands, even to the parts she doesn't agree with. Thundercracker ... all the former Con Seekers except Skywarp are hers."

"And no one is willing to cross her," Jazz nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder how much Thundercracker knows about her plans for him."

"You have far more access to them both than I do," Optimus smiled slightly. "But whatever he knows, I expect it's enough to make him believe he's all but immune to Autobot retaliation for his vocalizer."

"It shows," Jazz admitted. "He made a crack out there that could've started a fight if he'd been louder about it, or Prowl and I hadn't been around. Fortunately, it didn't."

"So far he's been that lucky," he said quietly. "Though I rather doubt it luck. He is smart, and I can't imagine Decepticon infighting isn't a skill he's mastered. Given what they're like in public, on the battlefield, their rec room must be positively venomous. But you came here to talk to me about the trade. That isn't exactly normal MO for you."

"I have to convince 'im that he can trust us - me in particular," Jazz pointed out. "Especially since I need him to turn at least part of it over before I pay him for it, so I can check it out. So I'll need you to hang onto the payment for him, and promise him to deliver it if and when the intel checks out. Y'have a reputation for being honest - I have a reputation for being Intel," he chuckled.

"Yes, I can see how that could be an issue," Optimus nodded his understanding and smiled to himself. "Of course I am willing. Hopefully he will trust you soon enough to delver them yourself."

"I hope so too," Jazz agreed. "Thanks, Optimus - I'll let you get back to work for now then," he offered, backing up to the door. "Unless there's something you'd like to talk about?"

"No," he shook his head. "You are quite aware of the primary complaint I hear about you, and I know you are working on it."

"Of course," Jazz nodded slightly, grateful that their mutual CO saw his efforts as sufficient. "Unfortunately, it's not exactly easy to come up with a review process for 'need to know.' Prowl will probably never be happy with it, in the end."

"Unfortunately you are likely correct, though a good faith effort and a few vorn will sooth his outrage," Optimus offered him a reassuring look. "It is working, and Noitefel's insights are helping you as well. It seems he has spent much of his existence working both sides of that particular balancing act, caught between keeping the Prime informed and keeping him safe. Now, unless you want to let the Si'Mir botnap you, you may wish to make yourself scarce," he teased. "She is looking for you, it seems."

"It's probably going to be safer to just go and see what she wants," Jazz chuckled. "Thanks for helping with Thundercracker," he added as he left, only to loiter in the hall for Lyzen to appear.

"Thank you for waiting," her voice was cheerful, though forced, but he didn't doubt the words.

"Best to deal with it now," Jazz shrugged slightly and turned to walk with her towards the Ark's entrance. "What is it y'need to talk about?"

"What we've been putting off since I got here," she allowed her displeasure to filter into her tone. "All the unpleasant parts of setting up an allied Intel network. Primarily who our deep cover agents are."

"Agreed," he admitted. "I thought you might have wanted to talk about my conversation with Thundercracker. Come on, I have a private area we can talk in," he told her, leading the way down a corridor.

There was a brief pause, then a chuckle. "No, you are quite welcome to bribe him for Con intel. Maybe it'll settle his vocalizer a bit to have a reason to play nice, other than me."

"I know it's bad form to actively recruit your new members, but I figured it was safe as long as it was for 'Con intel." Jazz chuckled, leading her to a private conference room, hitting a button along the table as he took a seat. "Teletraan-1 is recording right now, but without Prime's authorization it won't make the logs available," Jazz explained.

Lyzen nodded and settled down on the far side of the table from the door, the spot that gave her the best command of the room and it's access, but was also careful not to put her back to the air ducts.

"Since I've already given you more than most of Lydrom's commanding officers know, how about you start?" she suggested.

"Right," Jazz nodded slightly. "Do you have any names that you retrieved from Etri yet, or is he still recovering?" He asked her respectfully.

"Tetris is going by Flytrap. Killshot and Sandtrap are both yours. The Neutrals Quicksilver and Vagrant are as well," she said and accepted the glass of fine high-grade he poured her from a subspace stash. "I'm still shuffling through data for who's still active, who are just covers names, but those are full time undercover I'm reasonably sure of."

"I'm still catching up after being offline for four ganon and suddenly being promoted," Jazz pointed out. "Particularly on the Cybertron end of things. I'm not going to mention the known KIA's, so I'm also aware of Deadvolt and Kilowatt; they're 'Cons who we managed to get to convert. As for additional deep-cover mechs, I don't have any on Earth yet, or we'd have gotten Prime and Ezara back a lot faster."

"I'm sure," she inclined her head. "I control six Decepticons directly, through four agents. Starshine's trine is controlled by Meki. Graveripper was taken over by Shie. Nightside was taken by Purn. Aquarius considered herself independent, but she still wore the Con insignia. Kem got her."

"They're all dead, after your agent leaves them?" He asked her seriously. "Or can't you be sure?"

"I've confirmed that they all followed procedure. The Cybertronian sparks are long gone from those frames," she said firmly. "They are all going to be subtly helping the Autobot cause, though not at the cost of their cover until the main assault. If Ezara takes over, they will remain with their current frames to assist integration efforts."

"Of course," Jazz nodded slightly. "One of them who helped us find Ezara, Prime, the Guards, and I?" He guessed. "Never did get its name."

"No, that wasn't the same class of agent," she shook her head and took a sip of the high grade. "That was a Monitor, not an Infiltrator. Monitors integrate themselves into facilities to monitor and record what is going on, only acting when called on to with the proper codes. Most are not that independent, but given the mission, I sent the most intelligent ones with my Infiltrators. It acted to assist the Toe'Emirc, but I'm still mildly surprised at how active it was, even for her."

"So am I, in that case - I'd actually thought it was one of your agents, leaving its body behind in recharge for a while," Jazz admitted. "Is it that they're not capable of it, or that they're not programmed for it?"

Lyzen leaned back, thinking that over for a slow sip of energon and rolled it around her mouth to indulge in the new flavor.

"A mixture of very little programming for independent or even reactionary thought and a general lack of intelligence to do anything with the information they acquire. They exist on the border between very advanced tool and very primitive sentience. The reason they qualify as the latter is because the oldest and most advanced of them do have some independence, which you saw in action with the one assigned to Nemesis."

"Interesting. Are they something you build, or do they breed like most Tezita?" He asked her.

"A little bit of both," she chuckled. "Has Ezara shown you a spider?"

After a moment Jazz nodded. "A couple times. She uses them as scouts and spies. The same as the snake that lives on Thundercracker?"

"Yes, something like that," she smiled faintly. "Her spiders and my snake are best described as drones. They have neither spark nor any capability for intelligence, though they do carry enough coding to not require attention at all times. A Monitor is the step above a drone and below an Infiltrator. They do not have a spark of their own, at least not until they are extremely old, but they can be given somewhat complex orders and left to do it for extended periods."

"A technology you'd be willing to share?" He asked her curiously. "It'd be helpful for us. We could probably develop it ourselves, but a head start would be good to have."

"Given the technology that has to precede it, I'm not very keen to," she told him honestly. "They are based on nanite tech after all, and a nanite body for the one with a spark. It would create a very ... significant ... change to your nature to use it, including a distinct possibility it will reduce your lifespan closer to ours."

"What sort of differences are there, between the lifespans for military and civvie?" He asked her, looking at the main difference they were talking about. "From what Ezara said, it sounded more like a fundamental issue with the Tezitan spark - something about absorbing more power making it burn out."

"That is a conversation better had between Mitrix, Singer and Ratchet," she laughed easily and lightly and toasted him with her glass. "But I'll give you the basics. A civilian frame is stable for about half a ganon and can last five with careful maintenance, though few manage that. From the reports I have they are very similar to your design, though not nearly as advanced in most aspects. They fail for the same reasons yours do.

"A military frame is good for a ganon and a half, average. While nanites can reproduce indefinitely, they also become flawed over time, and the more powerful the spark they are attached to, the faster that happens. One as strong as Ezara is unlikely to last a ganon, while many of the weaker beasts and non-coms can last two if nothing happens to them. Drones and other not-quite-people are linked to the one who spawned them."

Jazz nodded, processing that. "What's the longest anyone lived?" he asked curiously.

"Mmm," she hummed as she thought about that. "I believed Corsa is, or at least she's very close to it. She celebrated surviving her fourth ganon not long ago."

"Does she have any idea how she did it?" Jazz asked her curiously. "I doubt it's just a weak spark, given who she is."

"To an extent, yes," Lyzen gave him a faint smile. "There has been little documented link between the strength of a spark and the will or maximum skill of the individual. Though you are right, she is not an unusually weak spark, though it is not particularly strong either. There are procedures that can extend life expectancy when used near the end, but most seems to be an ability to keep going. Truth be told, there has been very little interest in exploring or extending lifespan."

"It just seems like a remarkable difference," he said easily. "You have people like Corsa, who've seen four ganon, and then you've got the Toe'Emirc, who's lucky to last a full ganon. Not just because of violent death, but because their bodies simply burn out."

"We're a reproducing species," she ripped with another shrug. "Death is part of that. There have always been those that die young, and those that live a seemingly impossible length in every species."

"Very true," he nodded. "So - back to business. What sort of a role do you see for Tezitan Intelligence on Cybertron?"

"Not much," she said with a tone that spoke of mild unease with the choice. "Ezara has made it quite clear that I'm to keep clear of Autobot territory. Which means a mostly open presence. A handful of agents to smooth over the cultural and command issues and keep tabs on trouble."

"Up until the war's over, though?" He asked her. "There's plenty of territory that isn't Autobot, right now. Or do you only have the Infiltrators so far?"

"They, and a couple Monitors, are all I could send until we were sure of where she'd finally stop. Earth and Cybertron were highly likely, but not enough to invest more than I did. It's been nearly thirteen vorn since I had the access of my rank. When she disappeared most of Lydrom accepted the Polidrin. Only a few of us remained loyal enough to go underground to wait it out. I have a few agents I can pull from nearby systems if need be, but until she wins Lydrom back I have much less to work with than even you do."

"Understood," he nodded slightly. "In that case, is there any chance that your Infiltrators might be able to help me? Like you said, neither of us has many operatives in place, but if you're looking for more than just information it could be helpful. Especially since you're operatives are officially outside my purview and restrictions."

Lyzen considered him thoughtfully for a lingering moment. "I am generally unwilling to blow their cover, but I can certainly pass on some missions your Prime would be unhappy about. I do answer to Ezara, but she is not all that fussy about most things I do."

"And even if you'd told her about them, I'm sure she'd be quite willing," Jazz nodded. "She's got a lot fewer qualms than the Boss Bot, for better or for worse. Means we have to be careful about doing anything more than actual information gathering."

"That is always true," she agreed. "Are you sure you wanted that recorded where your Prime could hear it?"

"He knows it's true already, and it's been recorded more than once," Jazz said, shrugging slightly. "Maybe we should get some air, though?"

Lyzen inclined her head and stood with a smooth grace that generally only came with a relaxed mech. "That sounds like a fine idea. Earth is a lovely world with so much to see and smell."

"Especially around here - you prefer plantlife, or something more like what you're used to?" He asked, leading her outside with nods and friendly greetings to those along the way.

"Mmm, I'd like to experience what makes Earth so different from Lydrom and Cybertron," she decided. "What is special about this world."

"John Day Fossil Beds," Jazz decided, transforming once they were under the open skies. He noted that her form flowed into a very good rendition of a brand new Ferrari Testarossa in brilliant red. "Nice taste," he couldn't help but admire her for a moment.

"Thank you," Lyzen rumbled in appreciation as they rolled out, Jazz in the lead.

::It's the closest of the low-population sites in the area,:: he said as they raced down the dirt road at far above the legal limit for humans. ::Among other things, we can look for the fossilized remains of animals from millions of years ago, and the scenery is lovely for the area. Not very green, but lovely. Also a good place to talk without worrying about anybody picking up on our broadcasts.::

::Always a good thing,:: Lyzen agreed and they fell into the comfortable silence of those who spent much of their lives in silence.

Almost.

It wasn't long before strange sounds came from inside Jazz's main cargo compartment. Lyzen sent a questioning ping. Not so much an outright question but a definite query for information.

::Earth music - old habit,:: he chuckled slightly. ::Good way to get a feel for the locals.::

::If you're wired that way,:: she agreed easily. ::Their intoxicants, games and animals are more towards my processor patterns.::

::Fair enough. You'll find they're completely fixated on intoxicants, particularly liquid ones. They're even known to die from it.::

::That ... I'm not sure I even want to know how to manage that,:: she admitted after trying to wrap her processors around it for some time.

::Yeah, I know. It's the oddest thing, but they do it. They've even given up on how many intoxicant varieties they use, but it's in the thousands, and that's before you start counting particular makers as varieties.::

::Wow. For a species to feel the need to escape that badly...:: Lyzen murmured, still trying to process it.

::That's not the half of it. Most popular ones are depressants they use to excite themselves, and stimulants they use to relax - you figure that one out. I gave up on it.:: he added. ::There are plenty of really good humans, and too many messed up ones.::

::So I'm gathering.::

::On the bright side, most of their games are team and tactics oriented,:: Jazz continued, shifting topics. ::Almost all veiled combat simulations, but that's pretty typical for every species I've met.::

::If not combat, then hunting,:: she agreed readily. ::From animals on up, it's how youth learn survival skills after all. It is nice to know they are a social species, though I did work out as much given their population densities. Have you found out how much of their crowding is by preference and how much is by need?::

::It seems to be mostly by need, though it varies widely. People can often choose to move to somewhere that's less crowded if they want to, and some do. Others crave the sort of busy life that they have in the big cities, or places like Japan. Ironically, the further apart they tend to live, the closer they seem to be, a lot of the time.::

::That is fascinating,:: Lyzen said with genuine interest. ::How do they determine who their warriors are? Are they as aggressive towards each other as their media seems to suggest?::

::Varies from one nation to the next,:: he told her. ::Some of them, military service is universally expected. Others, it's all, or at least mostly, volunteer. There's generally a group that does it at a career level, all of them volunteers with the right skills and abilities. As for the aggression... yes and no. Their media plays up the sensationalism and the rare occasions, but sometimes they can be even worse than it would suggest. As usual, they're at their most dangerous when they're defending concepts, rather than things or people. Some of their most dangerous members are the idealists.::

::Hummm, very different from Lydrom. Not that idealists can't be extremely dangerous, but they've never made that much of an impact worldwide. How well controlled is the general population by their governments?::

::Too well, in most cases,:: Jazz told her. ::Some countries are blatant about it, some are subtle, but there's a very strong apathetic streak in them about their government, most of the time. It's almost universal to not trust your government, but do whatever they say without much more than a little grumbling about it.::

Lyzen rolled that around her processors for some time, dissecting the concept and assessing it on many levels.

::They think like our civilians then. Never content with what they have, but rarely willing to do anything about it,:: she eventually decided. ::The few that are willing to risk to improving their lot tend to do well, at least on Lydrom.::

::It seems to be the universal case... don't know that they do as well here, but that's the way with risking what you have. Sometimes you win the game, sometimes you lose it.::

::Such is life,:: she chuckled knowingly. ::Anything worth having is worth risking for. But then, we've both chosen to be among those who do well.::

::Sometimes to the chagrin of those around us,:: Jazz acknowledged. ::Playing with that line between bending and breaking the rules.::

::So true. I've always been partial to either rewriting the rules, or simply not being caught at anything they care about. Let him chastise you for small things and give no hint that the big things are happening,:: she said with a fond kind of amusement. ::Though I must admit that nothing beats raising your next leader. She thinks more like Intel than an Officer, and Carin found the idea appealing.::

::Just how much influence did you have over her? She seemed pretty well fully-grown before you got at her,:: he pointed out.

::Fully grown, yes, but with no education - she couldn't even read or write - and we took her into a completely new society.:: Lyzen explained. ::She was completely dependant on us, on me, to explain everything, to provide everything, for those first few wraa. I'm the closest thing she's ever had to a caretaker.::

::How did you get her to acclimate to that society? She'd grown up in an entirely different world, it seems,:: Jazz pointed out. ::From the slums to the Towers is a pretty big leap, even with tutors.::

::It is,:: Lyzen acknowledged. ::Her path was more along the lines of the slums to the arena to Prime, though. Her arena background is what I used. She was accustomed to the idea of ritualized combat, rank and order. It taught her the principle that if she followed the rules, she'd be rewarded. I simply built on that foundation. Do remember, every wraa I brought arena warriors into the military. They typically began with low rank and worked up, but the socialization and education process is much the same. Her rank may have been unusual, but nothing else was.::

::Is that sort of split usual in a Toe'Emirc? Able to handle the military, but no real idea how to deal with civilian nobility?::

::Yes,:: she answered easily. ::They are the military leader. We really have very little to do with civilians outside of the resource centers where we hand out necessities to the needy. We don't have nobles though, civilian or military. Some civvies are successful and wealthy, a few manage to pass the skills on to their young, but there is nothing like the nobility of Cybertron or Earth among us.::

::Meritocracy among your civilians then? Not that it isn't among the military, it just seems a very different type of merit that determines rank,:: he added before he could offend.

::An accurate description, at least as I understand it. To be honest, and I've been at this a long time, the arenas are the only part of the civilian world that I can make much sense of. They are strange creatures, those that don't have the spark for conquest, which is most of them. The fighters find their way to the arenas and my attention. The intellectuals find their way to the universities and business, where most of the E'on candidates come from. Once I heard Lydrom described as a self-sorting caste system. It seems right, most of the time.::

::You've just described every system that isn't a formal one,:: Jazz chuckled. ::How often do the Civvies end up causing you trouble? Or are the only enemies of the Tezitan military themselves?::

She chuckled and relaxed. ::Civvies have never caused trouble. We learned our lessons from the Lydrom before they destroyed themselves. The core tenant of the government's purpose is to ensure that those who want to fight have someone to fight, those that crave knowledge are educated and no one goes hungry or lives in pain if they come to us. The system is far from perfect, Ezara is proof of that, but the civvies are told to come for energy and repairs often enough that there is not enough desperation to support a revolt.::

::I'm sorry, but I have to count the military revolts too, though I know they're not part of the question I asked you,:: Jazz told her. ::Cybertron's always had enough enemies on the outside to keep the warriors happy enough, at least until Megatron and the 'Cons started turning up. And Megatron wouldn't have been satisfied if we had been in the middle of a major war, that's part of the problem with megalomania.::

::We've never had an outsider come close,:: she admitted. ::If there is a battle, it is against other Tezita. It's always military against military, and always tightly controlled once Delta Six unified us. Our wars seem to be little like the wars we have encountered on other worlds. I consider it because we fight for a different reason than most.::

::What sort of outsiders do you have in your galaxy, if you don't mind talking about it?:: He asked her. ::Ezara never brought any up.::

::We're the only space-capable group we have found so far,:: she said as they passed into John Day and transformed to walk casually through the rocky terrain. "And the only technology-based one."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "So, now that we're alone - back to business? How often have you had to work with honest idealists in the past?"

Lyzen groaned. "Just often enough to eliminate them before they gain any real power. Toe'Emirc on a mission are hard enough to control. Real idealists are a bane and blight on the universe."

"Depends on how far they carry the idealism," Jazz pointed out. "Prime's one of them. Honor, nobility - all those 'hero' traits are there, and sincerely held. When the war started, I'd have chalked it up to inexperience, but with everything that's happened he's only become more dedicated, it seems."

"So I gathered from Ezara. I understand that most find those traits admirable, but for me, they are nothing but grief. They have been nothing but grief for you." she said, her sensors fully open and sweeping their surroundings.

It would have been invasive if directed at a target, but as a sweep Jazz let it passed. He couldn't really blame her for being on high alert.

"Professionally, yes," he admitted. "But there's more to it than just that. You're right; things would be a lot easier if I didn't have to go through channels that I know are closed. But at the same time, there's something to be said for working for a higher cause that's not just lip service. Intel is still trying to figure out how to handle it, but it's a nice problem to have."

Lyzen cocked her head at him, picking up on language she would not have chosen. "I can't say I've worked for lip service," she said the unusual phrase cautiously. "Toe'Emirc are not prone to behaving differently than they believe. Their nature is what brought them rank. It gives little reason to hide what they are doing."

"You also haven't have the same type of wars to deal with," Jazz offered. "How many of your civil wars have actually been fought over fundamental differences, rather than just because battle is the purpose of the people fighting it?"

"Mmm, I'd say five, possibly six, of the twenty-three," she decided after a moment to think. "At least at the level between Autobots and Decepticons. They still played out within the rules however. It's part of my purpose to see to it that no one that would actually do more than that survives long enough to do so."

"We don't have rules like that on Cybertron, at least not beyond the rules of war and what you do or don't do. We don't have a system like yours," he tried to explain. "Not enough warrior-sparks to really arrange for it, either. Practically every war fought on Cybertron has, to some extent, had popular support behind it, ranging from the Rebellion to the empire building under Nova Prime. The civilians get out of the way of wars on Lydrom, but on Cybertron they're the people who have to fight them, to some extent. It makes leaders who can convince people that a war is justifiable or necessary vital to a war effort. And it makes leaders like Optimus, who actually believe what they're saying, even more important."

"I do understand," she told him, her gaze somewhere not quite in the physical realm. "I wasn't alive at the time, but I do have memories from those who fought under Delta Six, those who unified Lydrom under a single ruler and law. We remember those kinds wars when the Lydrom people ruled, and what it cost them." Her gaze returned and focused on Jazz. "They destroyed themselves with such leaders and ways, nearly destroyed their world and us. Right or wrong, moral or not, we have all chosen to never allow it to happen again. Each Si'Mir, each Toe'Emirc, has given their nod to the policy and the population has agreed, for they do not hide them from us. It is not a law we are interested in imposing on your kind."

Jazz nodded, only somewhat reassured by her words, but willing to let it go for now. It wasn't like he had a reason not to trust her as an ally. Ezara certainly believed Lyzen was going to help, not hurt, them.

"So just how tight a leash does Prime have you on?" she asked when he didn't speak up for a moment.

"That's actually where I was heading at first," Jazz admitted with a low chuckle. "Regardless of who's in charge, we have to go through proper channels for any actions that would be deemed illegal normally. There's a little leeway there - I've already cleared with Prime that as long as somebody knows that we're 'out,' Intel can conduct surveillance, try getting into 'Con facilities, sabotage 'Con projects, recruiting, that sort of thing. Assassinations and particularly rough interrogations are where things get more complicated. Whiplash actually probably had an easier time of it - Magnus has a much harder Spark, for better or for worse. Ultimately, for me, it boils down to 'don't do it unless I'm damn sure I won't be caught.'"

Lyzen flicked her chin up in thoughtful understanding. "Not that different from the unofficial rules we operate under. It may not forbidden, but some Toe'Emirc are less than pleased with some activities. It keeps the peace when they simply do not find out what they don't like to know is happening. Which does lead in nicely to how I can make your life a little less frustrating under Prime's orders."

"Exactly," Jazz chuckled lowly. "After all, it's only natural that you or Ezara might hear about targets that I wish something could be done about beyond what Prime would authorize. If you chose to do something about them... well, that's hardly under my control, is it? Of course, the compensation would have to be more clearly untraced."

"Of course," she nearly purred. "Besides, it is my understanding that the Decepticons are notoriously violent to their own. I'm sure some level of casualties are simply expected within the ranks from internal issues. I hope you won't be too disappointed to know that Megatron, Soundwave and pretty much every Seeker are not targets I can eliminate. Though I can make their lives difficult."

"I knew Megatron wouldn't be," he nodded slightly. "Ezara needs to fight him to take the 'Cons over. Soundwave... I assume he's for the breeding program?"

Lyzen nodded. "At least until I'm sure his personality defects are too severe for it. A 'path that strong and stable is too valuable to discard without considerable effort. I won't protect any of them in battle, but I won't take them out myself either."

"That's one Hell of a definition of 'stable' you have there," he chuckled grimly. "I assume Whiplash's data files had information on what he's done?"

"Yes, I'm quite familiar with his hobbies from Whiplash," she gave him an all-too-knowing look of amusement. "Sadistic and psychopathic has little to do with stable. I can work with sadistic and psychopathic. The ability to maintain a solid sense of self while constantly listening and feeling everyone around you is something that cannot be trained into or out of a 'path. Whether for breeding or simply study to understand why he can remain himself, I want him alive for a long time."

"This is only based on what I've read about him, and limited interactions, but my guess is that his sense of self-identity was probably pretty thoroughly shot from the get-go," Jazz offered. "If there's no 'yourself' to remain, you don't have to worry about losing it. Consider his linguistics."

"I know the arguments," she assured him. "I have to be ready to explain why the prize specimen in generations is dead to Se'drin when he arrives if I do end up putting Soundwave down. Right now I'm hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. At this point I'm not even positive we can reproduce, even if it seems likely. Just because the new spark forms does not mean it will survive, or be useful. There is a possibility even with two military Tezita of a youngling failing to mature."

"Especially when one parent is a Beast-spark?" He nodded slightly. "What do you think the odds are, for a Tezita/Cybertronian cross? We have absolutely nothing to base the numbers off of."

"Actually Beast-sparks, if they survive their parents, are almost always successful," she said with a fond smile for memories of all the births she'd assisted. "I will know a great deal more when one of them is put into a nanite mass to be born," she began, really thinking about all the odds. "On the conservative side, I'd say yours has a sixty percent chance of taking to a body. If it does, close to ninety percent chance of a healthy adult if there are no detectable issues in the first ten orn. Skywarp's chances are less, if our own natural fliers are anything to go by. They have an unusually high youngling mortality rate, even with the best care."

"How long will it take to have a mass available for them to be born into?" Jazz asked, considering the backup plans that could be developed.

"Technically, we have what is needed," she said with caution in her voice. "I would prefer to wait until the star cruisers have arrived and fully settled in, but I know both sparks will need to be in caretaker hands before the challenge. I'm planning to start with one after the third skimmer arrives. I'll have a dozen warriors, four more command officers and ten of my staff in addition to those already here. Between them there should be someone the youngling will accept."

"We should be able to have a couple of extra bodies available here as well, then," Jazz nodded slightly. "If the Tezita birthing process doesn't work for them, the Cybertronian one might... why would they fail to take to a body, when one is available?" He asked her.

Lyzen paused to think and organize her knowledge. "It is typically because it is too weak to last long, or lacks the intelligence to organize the body. Normally I do not condone extra measures for such sparks, but given its heritage, having a Cybertronian frame available would not be a bad idea. There is still so much we do not know about how our kind differ."

"Also, the instinctive control over a nanite body might not carry through, with the hybrid Spark," Jazz pointed out. "How much of it is a skill, compared to honestly just being an issue of intelligence?"

"It is a skill," she said simply. "Someone has to teach it during the birthing. Either a parent or supervisor."

"How long does the birthing process actually take?" He asked her curiously as they continued to walk through the rocky terrain. "That can't be a particularly easy thing to pick up."

"If everything goes well, as little as half a breem. Most will stop trying after three or four megacycles. Unlike on Cybertron, we do need to take care or we'll overpopulate any world we're on. There is a strong standard of only allowing healthy sparks survive."

"I understand, but I definitely want a body there in case it doesn't work, then," Jazz said, trying to hide his reaction with mixed results. "There's no particular instinctive ability to do it, then?"

"Not that we know of," she flicked her chin left in the negative. "Though it's possible it can be picked up before separation. Some knowledge is passed from mother to newborn in the first few kliks. It also depends on the type of spark. Some types seem to have far more basic survival knowledge pre-loaded. Beasts in particular. They're the only kind that can mature without a caretaker, though the results are almost inevitably a feral, unable to socialize with normal adults."

"Not that likely in this case then - though she did hold onto both sparks longer than she was supposed to, from what I understand," he mused. "Is that likely to cause a problem?"

"It can, though I'm far more concerned about their half-Tezita heritage. The stasis jars should keep them from harm from the prolonged lack of a body. Singer is extremely knowledgeable; she was one of the finest healers Lydrom has produced, before or since. I am hoping Ezara will agree to allow her to oversee the birth. Her experience with unusual births far exceeds my own, though I have assisted more births."

"How does that work? Something unusual going on during her time?" Jazz looked up at her, trying to read her body language as much as her tone.

"No, she was merely an extraordinary healer that lived a long time. Since Mitrix we have gone to great lengths to improve our kind. A side result is that each generation sees fewer stillbirths and unstable sparks," she explained with no small amount of pride. "It has been nearly three hundred wraa since the last one."

"You won't want to talk about that sort of thing to the humans - they've got serious issues with breeding programs like that," Jazz cautioned politely. "But it seems to have worked pretty well for you, if it's improved that far... how often do births happen?"

Lyzen flicked her chin up in understanding. "It depends on projected needs," she began. "There are an average of two hundred thousand natural births - those I have not specifically arranged - and three million planned births a wraa. Before we began to found colonies, it was far less."

"Of course," Jazz nodded slightly. "Need to keep things manageable, after all. How many worlds do you have, so far?"

"We have one, control three and a presence on five," she answered quietly as they edged into a topic she was less conformable discussing. "Space exploration and expansion was Rawlind's passion."

"You weren't so crazy about the idea?" Jazz asked her.

"Not particularly," she admitted. "The further out a unit is, the harder it is to control. At some point the three of us will not be able to handle everything."

"There are ways to expand your system without losing control of it," he offered. "We have some experience with shifting from a tightly controlled system to a larger empire, though we returned to a smaller system before long. Nova Prime's expansionism didn't last long."

"Trusted officers are key to it, I know," Lyzen said, mulling over the statement for a while. "Since I doubt I can stop her, it would be appreciated."

"It's a somewhat longer conversation than we really want to have here," he chuckled. "But yes, trusted officers are key. Basically, the easiest approach is to take your top system, and then duplicate it on a smaller scale."

Lyzen flicked her chin up, her attention distant for a moment. "Do you have any undercover agents on Earth?" she changed the subject.

"Not the way you're thinking of, I'm sure," Jazz admitted. "We don't blend in with humans well, and most of the ones we're familiar with are very touchy to try and recruit. There's also the sheer lack of mechs. But I can usually get Mirage or Blaster in somewhere important if I need to know about something we can't find through other methods. Soundwave may have some mechs in various places, but undercover operatives aren't really his method - they're too independent."

"From what I have gathered, he prefers the more simple spying methods; perching his cassettes somewhere to listen in on things," she said as she knelt to slide a finger on the ground. "Amazing," her voice was very low now, likely only meant for herself. "From the Autobot point of view, for morale, what would be the most important targets to take back, or to have remain intact?"

"Nothing on Earth," Jazz told her as they began walking again. "And there's a delicate balance between doing things ourselves, and having the Tezita help. However, if the two of us can work together at softening up targets to be conquered by a combined force - as many of them before the main Tezita force arrives as possible - that would be ideal. From there, Iacon and Kaon are the most important, in that order. Altihex next, from a strategic standpoint. Really, there's no named city that isn't important for one or the other it's just a question of how important. Polyhex would cut off 'Con communications, and give us back control of the satellite networks. Kalis gives us new recruits and a major morale boost, as well as cutting off 'Con energon supplies. Tyrest gives us orbital control, and would keep Megatron from trying anything stupid with the magnetic dampeners... order of importance would depend entirely on what they did in response. But Iacon and Kaon are indisputably the most important."

"The Autobot and Decepticon political centers?" she asked to be sure she'd interpreted the information correctly.

"Close; planetary capitol, in the case of Iacon, and first Decepticon city and home to the Forge, in Kaon's case," Jazz explained. "It's a kind of subtle difference, but important because the 'Cons are using Iacon as their capitol as well, at least for the time being. They're also the two most heavily defended strongholds, which is why I'm hoping Thundercracker's codes to the Forge still work. How much do you know about Cybertronian cities, from Whiplash?"

"I should have access to everything he knew up to the moment of separation. It will take time to integrate the information to my databases, and longer to correlate it into a useful form," she explained. "Think about downloading the full contents of Soundwave's memory banks, and add a language barrier on top of it. Having and understanding are not quite the same thing."

"It might not have been something he looked into actively either," Jazz mused with a nod of understanding. Thirteen million years of information would be a massive processor ache at the best of times. "Cybertronian cities, the cores of them at least, are actually alive and sentient. It's part of what makes Kaon such a frightening prospect - a city-sized Decepticon that has access to use the Forge on itself at will. Primus knows what it's built into itself by now."

Lyzen's form began to melt into a less distinct biped, simplifying its demands as her processors went into shock, then scrambled to confirm what he'd just said. A full form shudder rippled across her before she pulled herself together and corrected her form.

It reminded Jazz more than slightly of Ezara's first encounters with the larger Cybertronian frames. The difference was that Ezara remained cowed on some level, even when she fought back, and he could already see Lyzen working out how to neutralize the size advantage.

"How much resistance will there be to sending one of my agents in to take Kaon over, rather like what happened to Whiplash?" she asked, most of her attention still on pulling information from external sources and assessing options. "Even with the cruisers' complement I don't particularly like the casualty count I'm coming up with."

"It won't be easy," Jazz agreed. "And selling the idea to Prime without at least one attempt to take the city 'properly' will be hard. That's assuming you propose the idea as being something like what happened with 'Lash - if you sell it as an assassination, he'll never agree. He'd rather leave Kaon as a quarantine zone than do that, I guarantee it. Which is an option for us - the cities can transform, but they usually can't transform into anything very mobile."

Lyzen hummed thoughtfully. "How is he likely to react if he found out after the fact that one of my agents decided the city was a good host?"

"He would be very frustrated, especially if he knew that the decision was made after your arrival, but likely couldn't do anything. There's another factor that needs to be considered too - how quickly do they take over a host?"

"If it is done properly," she stressed the point. "Only long enough to extinguish the target's spark and integrate into its memory banks. For someone like you, perhaps a few nanokliks to work out where your spark is and get there. For someone like myself, upwards of half a klik as our spark is much more difficult to catch all of."

"My concern would be that Kaon might be able to overcome the Infiltrator," Jazz pointed out. "Not dead, or willing."

"Only if it's alive," she pointed out. "I wouldn't send an Infiltrator in to take it alive without a much better understanding of how strong its will is. Nothing we have encountered has ever been able to resist an Infiltrator, but I don't risk them lightly."

"I was more worried about counter-attacks - but it is a good tactic. You'll have to be careful about it though, however you go about it."

"Any intel you can give me on it would help that choice," she smiled slightly at him. "Knowing where the spark and primary memory banks are would be the most help, but anything about it is useful."

"I'll see what I can dig up," Jazz agreed. "Even if all it could do is short out the primary defenses when we try to take the city it would be a Primus-sent miracle ... or Lydrom-sent in this case," he added with a crooked grin.

"I'ent'ae sent," Lyzen offered with a warm, almost playful smile. "The world-goddess of Lydrom. The All-Mother. The Keeper of Sparks. The Guardian of Beasts. The Caller of War. She is our Mother, as Primus is your Creator. The only divinity from the past we still embrace."

"I didn't know you really had gods at all," he mused. "Do you have any records that She was there at first?" He asked her curiously.

Lyzen stilled, rolled the question around her processors for a bit, formulating the most accurate answer she could for something that was beyond ancient event to her.

"The Lydrom people knew of Her from when they were little more than beasts themselves, according to their histories. She was given many names over countless generations and places, with I'ent'ae being the one used by the group who built Delta Six. She has never objected to it that we can tell, and she has objected to things from time to time," the powerful Tezita shuddered faintly. "So we take Her silence as acceptance. She is where new sparks come from, almost every one of them a Beast and many uncontrollable for generations."

She gave him a slight, apologetic smile for the rambling. "So yes, She was there long before we were. At least I expect She will be there long after the Tezita are gone."

"Fascinating," Jazz nodded slightly. "Humans have a much shakier grasp on whether or not their deities actually exist, though it's a bad topic to bring up most of the time. The more they have to take on faith, the more rabid they are about it, with pretty much any subject."

"Humph," she almost laughed with a flick of her chin. "Noted. I would not have thought such a short-lived race would bother with anything that could not be proven," she paused and considered him. "Though I suspect the same could be said of the Tezita from your perspective."

"To some extent," he chuckled. "Though they live a long time for creatures on this world. When death is such a common part of your existence though, you want answers for what happens afterwards... that, and it's a convenient means of ensuring your political power."

Lyzen cocked her head, working the statement around her processors for longer than either of them expected as she began to pull of data from her agents on Earth.

"I can't say that make much sense to me, but it's obviously true to them," she eventually decided. "Who on Cybertron do you want to see live, and die?"

"I'll start with the easy ones - I don't want casualties in the neutrals if it can be helped. Bad for PR. As for the 'Cons... this'll take a while," he chuckled, settling in to give her the lengthy list of targets and information he had on them.