As Tarantulas toured the halls of the Nemesis II he couldn't help but ponder, "Say what you will about Unicron, but I must admit, he knew how to build ships."
His guide, Scourge, agreed, "Yes. He was quite skilled at creating weapons of war. I have him to thank for this body. It almost makes up for him trying to destroy us all." he glanced behind himself to make sure Thrust and Blitzwing were still there. "This concludes the tour. If you'll follow me to the lift, we will go to the bridge to confer with Galvatron."
They entered the elevator, and Thrust made an aside to Blitzwing, "What do you think of this newcomer?"
"He seems... odd" Blitzwing whispered, "Like he's trying to hide something."
Thrust nodded, "And what about Shrapnel? He was damaged, but he was still one of us..."
Tarantulas turned. "You know, I CAN hear you..."
Scourge interupted, "Stop bickering, we're here!" They entered the bridge.
Galvatron approached, and inquired, "So, what do think of our ship?"
"It is... most impressive, mighty Galvatron," Tarantulas said. "Much better than my last ship." He looked over at Thrust and Blitzwing. "However, the help leaves... something to be desired. Aha." Thrust and Blitzwing glowered.
"Well," Galvatron said as he put his arm around Tarantulas. "We're fighting a losing war. And that's where you come in my friend. What can you tell me... about the future?"
In the repair bay, Soundwave came back online. His optics were down, but he was able to hear the Constructicons.
"So, Scavenger, what's the deal with this Tarantulas?" Long Haul asked.
"I ran some scans on him," began Scavenger. "Remember back when Starscream possessed some of our guys?"
Long Haul sighed.
"Okay, bad question." Scavenger said, "Anyway, when Starscream possessed them, their sparks remained intact."
Long Haul said, "I follow you so far. But what does this..."
"You see, a ran the scans on Tarantulas, and..." Scavenger began. "... Shrapnel's spark was completely displaced. He's gone."
"Shrapnel's dead? Slag." was Long Haul's response.
"I know." said Scavenger. "He wasn't the same since that whole Unicron thing, but he was still one of us. A 'con's a 'con."
Soundwave listened, but was unable to respond. The notion of this 'Tarantulas' fascinated him. He begin a mental scan of the ship, pinpointed an unusual prescence that could only be Tarantulas. He read the thoughts the interloper, and was shocked by what he found. Unable to speak or even move, his only hope was that the Constructicons could repair him in time to warn Galvatron.