Chapter Fourteen: Deal

The bulky mustard colored mech leaned against a crate, waiting patiently with arms folded and legs crossed. The crate stood atop others on a pallet, surrounded by like pallets, in a dim lighted warehouse. He could fairly hear the high grade humming about him. He smiled.

The side door to the warehouse's large bay doors opened, letting in a solitary tall red figure, who gave him a wave before walking in, his optics inspecting the load laid out before him. "This isn't my entire order," Sideswipe said, coming up to him. "What gives?"

"This wasn't easy to come by," the yellow said. "Apparently, security is becoming tighter and tighter. I had to shave off a few crates from a shipment here or there. It's all illegal anyway, so I don't think they'll care, but I can't risk anyone noticing what's up."

"Shipments to where?"

"Rich cities, rich bots, who deal with me directly. You know, the kind who has your customers wrapped around their fingers."

Sideswipe frowned. "I can't give my customers partial orders, Swindle. They'll slag off and go to someone else."

"No one else is dealing this much energon," Swindle motioned with his arms about him. "Don't worry, they aren't going to go anywhere else." He spied the datapad in Sideswipe's hand. "Is that another order? Gimme."

"This isn't my usual type of thing, in fact, it never has been, but I've been promised a handsome sum, and I know you know where to find this stuff if anyone does. 'Shave' a bit off here or there, as you say," he gave him the datapad and waited as the he scrolled through the list. "Is this something I can count on you for, or am I to expect another incomplete shipment?"

Swindle gave a grin. "Contraband is easy to smuggle, at least, compared to this kind of stuff."

"You're saying you can't do it?"

"No, I'm not saying that, I'm just saying it's going to be difficult, and besides, this stuff…missiles, blasters…what the pit is a null ray?"

"I don't know. They only want one though."

"This stuff is regulated by the military. Very rarely does it pass through places like this, if ever."

"What if I told you that it was a bunch of 'disgruntled ex-employees' of the military who wanted it?"

"Why can't they get it themselves, if they're the damned military?"

"Ex-employees, Swindle."

"Well…let me think," Swindle made a show of thinking, tapping his helm with a finger. "As far as I know, the military operations in Vos have halted, and energon shipments to there have basically drained to the nitty-gritty. I doubt I could persuade a manufacturer to pass through here to get to there."

"What about Kaon?"

"Even I don't go to Kaon, Sides. I mean I would, but not for smuggling. Not yet, anyway."

"You got someone who would?"

Swindle thought, then grinned, snapping his fingers. "I just might. Take your shipment, and by the time you come back, I just might have a mech who could get you these items."

"Alright," Sideswipe motioned to the door. "You have a tally list, I assume?"

"Yeah, but take off a pallet."

"What? Why?"

"This mech doesn't deal in credits, just barter. Consider it a 'down payment'."

Sideswipe glared, "This bot better not be some loose riveted loser, Swindle."

The yellow mech shrugged, grinning, then laughed as Sideswipe left the way he came. "It's nice doing business with you, Sides!"

……..

An orn and a half later, the warehouse stood empty, save for Swindle, who once again waited patiently, alongside Sideswipe, who waited less patiently. Behind them was the single pallet of crates containing energon on a floating jack. "Relax, Sides. He'll show."

"I only have ten orns…or rather, six now, to get this done."

"You give yourself too little time. Sometimes I think you get bored at what you do, and give yourself impossible time limits because the stress keeps you occupied."

"Well, of course."

The small door opened and a slim white and purple mech sauntered inside. Immediately Sideswipe took a disliking to him; he walked too easily, he smiled too soon. Sideswipe's optics turned to the strange purple symbol on the mech's torso. "Well, hello there, Swindle. I just love how you can read my mind," the mech stopped before them and motioned to the crates. "I'm terribly sorry I couldn't discuss this when you contacted me, but some mechs in Kaon are nasty spies and gossips. Besides, anything to get me out of that sorry excuse for a state is worth it."

"It's no problem, Octane," Swindle replied. "Now, I know my Iaconian friend here is a bit wary when dealing with new people, so I take it you brought proof?"

"If by proof you meant that one worded hint you gave me, yeah, I got it," Octane unpocketed a slim but long black box. He held it up for Sideswipe. "This is some advanced technology. Whoever requested this must've known it was being developed. It wasn't hard to obtain…let's just say it was a 'steal'." Swindle and Octane exchanged grins.

Sideswipe eyed Octane as he took the box. He opened it to reveal what looked like a highly modified blaster, much like the ones Starscream carried. "This is the null ray?"

"And the powerchip rectifier needed to program it," Octane said, pointing to a gleaming chip set into the box. "Without that, it's just another blaster."

"Where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking?" Sideswipe closed the lid and pocketed the box.

"Eh, Kaon is more or less independent of the Prime's and Senate's laws. I mean, some they obey, some they…bend slightly or maybe even squint to make it fit their ways, right? The military is getting a lot of pain right now, I don't know why. I'm not to worried about it, but this mech in Kaon, Megatron, has got it in his processors that he and his buddies are gonna take over Kaon for themselves. If you ask me, he's just a bored idiot who likes to hear his own vocal processors. He's been hoarding this stuff for a while."

"Won't he miss it?"

"No, I don't think he would. If he notices it gone and somehow pinpoints it to me, which I doubt he'll do, he can't do a thing about it because I'm the sole energon supplier for him."

"You seem a bit confident. I hope you're taking the precautions for this. The last thing I need is for anyone outside of this warehouse to learn I am even involved," Sideswipe pointed a finger to Octane, then to Swindle. "Understood?"

"You've got nothing to worry about," Octane waved the idea off. "Just transfer your payment in credits left over from what you're gonna pay Swindle for finder's into energon, and the next time you're here you'll have a complete order for…whoever it is this is going to. Who is it going to, by the way?"

"That's…secret."

"Well, whoever it is, wish him or her the best of luck with his or her arsenal adventures," Octane moved over to the pallet and tugged on the jack.

"When can I expect this?"

"Give me fifteen orns."

"Fifteen? I only have six."

Octane laughed as he tugged the pallet past them. "Please, don't make me laugh. Most of that time will be spent smuggling the stuff from under Megatron's faceplate and smuggling myself in and smuggling myself and the weapons out of Kaon. So…if they come to you wrapped in knock off sparkling toys, don't be surprised. Bay doors, please, Swindle?"

Swindle motioned to the bay doors, opening them by hidden remote. Octane gave a single wave before exiting the warehouse. The bay doors slid shut behind him. Swindle patted Sideswipe's arm. "See? Told you he'd show up."

"My client is not going to be happy with this time frame," Sideswipe glared at him.

"Your client, or you, Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe smirked and made his way to the door. "See you in fifteen orns." The door clanged shut behind the tall mech, leaving Swindle to himself.

"See your credits in fifteen orns," Swindle grinned, rubbing his hands together. "I love my hobbies."