IX

There are very few places in this universe where Decepticons can congregate openly without unease or suspicion. The space docks at Kaon are one of them. Sparrow and I stroll down the promenade taking in the cool night air, and I feel my earlier tensions melting away. That may be due in part to the spiced lager I am currently nursing. Sparrow, of course, waves me off when I offer her a taste. She is a quiet companion, and great for a heartache. I like that. So we walked in silence, watching the ships come and go.

I let the evening breeze cool my circuits, washing the hopeless fangirl from my face. I open my mouth twice to speak, but think better of it. Sparrow leads the way down to the lower loading docks. She seems familiar with the way as she's probably been here countless times before. I wonder how much she has seen in her years, witnessing generations come and pass only to come again. Which of her dreams did she have shatter, to end up as the intelligence arm off a rogue Decepticon outfit? I will probably never know, but it makes a passing melodrama to divert my time.

My alcohol finished, I look around for something else to eat. The docks are always a great place for traders. Exotic supplies from around the galaxy make their way here. Even at this hour a few merchants have set up shop. A smelly little Nebulon is selling wares out of his own cargo hold. I pay him three credits for spiced energon crisps. Sparrow actually tries one this time but, true to form, I can not discern if she likes it or not. Her face is as expressionless as ever while she leads the way down the flightline. We weave between ships in the midsts of landing and takeoff procedures.

No one pays us any heed. We blend right in with the dock workers and landing crews. And even if we didn't, there is enough foot traffic between the landing pads to not warrant suspicion.

Sparrow pauses beside a door. Docking bay 95. The door is easily three stories high, and the walls another story on top of that. The cold, gray, sweating facade seem to mock me. Designed to protect against ship-mounted firepower, there is no way I am cutting through this. Fortunately, I don't have to. Sparrow palms the control panel, quickly gaining access to the system. It takes only a moment before there is a distinct click and the door shutters open.

Glancing behind me, we quickly slip into the docking bay. Inside is berthed a crippled golden Autobot freighter, and a smaller, personal rumrunner beside it. The freighter is obviously in the middle of repairs, having only limped back to Cybertron before requiring maintenance. The bodywork and repairs are quite evident but have ceased activity for the night.

The smaller green shuttle, however, is wide open, with crates stacked up outside the open bay door. Two smaller mechs sit on the loading ramp, watching us.

"I don't believe this." I walk forward, glancing at Sparrow. "Didn't you say they have a base somewhere?"

Sparrow shrugs.

"We needed some repairs that Polaris couldn't handle. Luckily, I know most of the sleaze buckets in this place and was able to get us a docking bay." Verticon rises to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

I shrug, trying to play it cool. "Came for that thing we left. I heard you guys picked it up."

"Probably. What about it?"

Every scanner in my head is screaming. If Verticon is here, that means Beamer and his friends must be here somewhere too. I am trying to look everywhere at once without being obvious about it. Verticon doesn't seem concerned at all, which means she has firepower hiding somewhere. I think. She just stands there with one hand on her hip and that bossy glare on her face.

There's another cassettacon too, a pink and white Autobot femme trying to hide behind Verticon. She looks downright scared at the arrival of two new Decepticons. I've read the updated files on Beamer's team after our last encounter, and I don't recognize her. She must be a new addition to the roster.

Sparrow, for her part, just looks bored. She's watching me, letting me take the lead on this one. I don't think she'll interfere, no matter what course of action I decide to take.

So it's up to me, huh? Fine.

"I need it."

I try bluffing my way through, but Verticon isn't having any of that. "How is that my problem?"

Incredible. She is a fraction of my size and is calling my bluff. I try not to be intimidated, but the itch from my empty cannon mount makes that harder than it should be.

"Could we buy it off you?" I switch tactics.

"Funny, how do you intend to pay? From what i hear, your boss is dead broke."

"How do you know that?"

Verticon smiles and shrugs. "I may have switched sides, but I've still got friends. I keep an audio receptor to the ground."

I detect movement to my left. Sparrow is snickering, and I can't help but feel it is directed at me. Do these two know one another? The bile rises in my throat and I feel my face become flush as my anger tints my vision. I have bungled this negotiation right from the start. This was Fury's forte, not mine. No wonder I was starving before Blade rescued me.

"Look, Autobot!" I lean into the word, hurling it as an insult. My forward step closes the gap between us and I tower over her.

"What?"

There's movement ahead. Spectrawave, the big, purple Decepticon, is offloading cargo. He politely waves at me, but I know better. He's letting me know that he knows I am here. Given our draw last time, I am not eager to face him again, especially unarmed.

"I need that talisman." I forcibly calm myself.

"And I need a new paint job. What of it?" Verticon glowers at me.

"Can't you just give it to me? Were both Decepticons. This doesn't have to be difficult."

"Do you have any idea what kind of position you're putting me in?" She throws up her hands. "I'm a POW. I'm only walking around free because I'm a medic and a halfway decent surgeon. Some Autobot somewhere was smart enough to realize that is worth something. But freedom comes at a price. I have weekly performance ratings. My reports are written up and sent in to the CDC office. Beamer spends half a megacycle every week just on paperwork. If I fail to meet my qualifications, then the Autobot High Command deems me a threat to society, and my ass goes in the brig.

"And now, I've got two Decepticons I barely know traipsing into a locked hanger that I recommended, demanding that I hand over an artifact they tried to steal, all because we both used to be on the same side if the war.

"Well, I've got news for you sweetheart. The war's over. We lost. I'm not going to stick my neck out for you just for old times sake. Sorry. If it were just me, I'd leave leave with you in a spark pulse. But I've got people depending on me, and I take my marching orders the same as you. I wish things were different, but they're not. So if you want to rumble, let's go. I will take you, anywhere, any time. Otherwise, you can just leave."

We stare at one another for a beat too long. If I were going to attack I should have done it already. The tension visibly dissipates. I can see the strain and fear ease from people's shoulders. The fellow femme hiding behind Verticon stops quivering. I give a questioning look at Sparrow. She's still staring down Verticon.

There is a clunk of the turbolift descending. All eyes turn to the entrance to the upper levels.

"I can tell you this." Offers Verticon quickly. "They're taking everything we loaded from that planet to the Iacon Museum of History and Antiquities. I don't know the transport route, but I do know the convoy will be lightly guarded, if at all."

"That… helps. Thanks."

The lift doors open, and two more bots emerge, hand in hand. I am not concerned about the smaller cassettacon Dialatius, but Cavalier, the female Autobot, looks like she can handle her own. They see us and rush our way. Cavalier is shouting when Spectrawave holds her back with a hand on her chest. The Dialatius rushes over to his inverse twin. It's amazing how much alike he and Verticon appear, even for wave mates.

I quickly run the numbers in my head. Three cassette bots, a larger cassette master and a carbot, versus Sparrow and myself. It would hardly be a scrap, but we also wouldn't come out unscated. And as I look at Verticon, I can see the Decepticon still in her. She'd blow every crate of cargo if it meant stopping us from getting what we want.

I sigh. "Thanks for the tip."

"Any time." Verticon smiles a Decepticon smile.

I turn and leave, Sparrow falling in lockstep. As we exit the hangar, I hear the Cavalier arguing with Verticon and Spectrawave. As their turnkey I'm sure she wasn't supported to leave them unsupervised. No more than they were supposed to have the former comrades over to play. I have no doubt Verticon will come out unscathed in the end.

Sparrow is looking up at me inquisitively. I know what she is thinking. We could have easily taken what we need right then and there. I've gone soft.

"What? Don't look at me like that. I didn't have my cannon. Besides, you heard what she said. We can easily take out the supply convoy. It'll be a much easier target. I know they were right here, but the situation wasn't right." I talk at the empty air, lying to myself as much as my comrade. "Besides, I'm in charge on this one, remember?"

Sparrow, for her part, isn't buying a word of this. She just stares at me with that blank expression and glowing green optics. I just keep on talking but it's not working. She can see right through me.

"I know I know what you are going to say. I'm sorry, alright?"

My words probably have no effect on her, but she turns her head and leads us back through the flight line.

"Just… don't tell Blade, okay?"