Author's Note: Thanks once more to Pivot for being my beta. We love ya!

Draange: Interesting? Interesting is good, right? I could use a little more review then that.

Olafur: I think I kinda know what you mean. This isn't gonna be like a major battle or something, but its not one-on-one either. Less of the fic just beginning and more of being midway, unless this thing runs away from me again.

TrueBornChaos: I'm sure they're all going to have a laugh over this later, but right now they're focusing on not becoming dead.

SaphireStars: Gotta break the stereotypes. Big and silent doesn't mean mentally retarded

Sweetfires: I think someone once said, "Everybody wants to be leader, but no one wants to lead".

Master Solo: You might; Thrust isn't too hot on being down to earth.

Indigo-ink: I've developed a theory. The higher in the Decepticon hierarchy you are, the cheesier your lines are.

Owlman114: Uh, wow. Thanks. I like making the characters realistic, especially the bad guys. Nobody's perfectly evil for no reason, the Decepticons are just fighting in the way they've been trained to. And I was kind of thinking about soldiers in Vietnam or something like that, sneaking around in the jungle.

Attack

"Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave."

Thrust could hear a soft chanting coming from Tidal Wave as the battleship pulled a last-minute tree branch over his head and crouched lower on the ridge above a shallow ravine. He chucked a rock at Tidal Wave and the noise stopped.

"Why are you doing that?"

Tidal Wave shrugged and the branch fell off again. "Don't know. Makes me feel…strong."

All right. Perhaps not the most orthodox of battle cries, but whatever worked. Thrust also ducked back down, scanning the other side of the ravine and making sure everyone was in place.

"Save it for the fighting. Right now I need you to be quiet."

"Yes, sir."

Sir. No one had ever called him that before. Suddenly Thrust's situation came crashing down on him. This was no tactical simulation. He was directing an actual battle, one in which actual lives, including his own, could be lost.

It felt surprisingly good. More than that, it felt right.

Maybe he was built for this after all.

The sound of distant crashes and yelling intermingled with weapons fire became gradually louder. "They're coming, get ready," Thrust whispered, more to himself then anyone else.

He had sent the fastest Decepticons ahead to make a false raid on the Autobots' encampment. They'd taken a few small but essential items and run off, tricking some of the Autobots into following them. Obviously, a good number would stay back with the ships and supplies, but Thrust had factored this into the plan.

:Thrust, we're almost at your position:

"Good. Keep to the plan, we're ready for you."

As the "raiding party" came crashing through the woods into the ravine, the hidden Decepticons opened fire on the pursuing Autobots. Trapped in the crossfire between more Decepticons than they had expected, the Autobots tried to turn and run. They were met with the sight of Tidal Wave exploding from out of the trees and blocking their escape on one side, and Terminus doing the same on the other.

Thrust was finally allowed to relieve some of his pent-up tension as they mowed down the Autobots like targets at a firing range. It was barely three minutes before all but one Autobot were dead, and that one injured. Thrust had specifically instructed that the last Autobot to enter the ravine be left alive, so that he might betray his faction.

A message on the com came through from Crackle, who was playing lookout at the edge of the treeline.

:Th' c'min', Th'ust:

Perfect. You could always count on Autobots to come to the aid of their friends. The survivor had been left to call for help, and lure more Autobots away from the ships. Terminus turned the cringing leftover into scrap metal and Thrust gave the signal to move out.

The Decepticons on Thrust's side of the ravine scrambled down one side and climbed up the other to join their fellows. The other Autobots would be coming down this way, but would be prepared for another Decepticon ambush at the ravine. However, they would find neither ambush nor Decepticons when they got there.

Thrust led the Decepticons in a large curve, going around the Autobot forces. He could hear them crashing around, searching for their foes as the Decepticons crept away along their predetermined course. With their limited timetable, the Decepticons had not had anytime to practice the maneuver. They were trusting Thrust, and Thrust was trusting a combination of what he'd seen earlier and his own instincts.

They met up with Crackle back at the treeline. The walking sensor array reported in his brutally mutilated version of Common Cybertronian that there were now only fifteen Autobots left with the ships. Thrust nodded and looked around at the gathered troops, tense and waiting for their next move.

"Is everyone here?"

There were nods of assent and Thrust turned to Gridcrash. "You know what you have to do?"

"Yes."

An Autobot ship—in fact, any proper ship—had security codes built in to ensure that not just any old mech could come and take it for a joyride. You had to have the proper codes and clearance, and then you could take it for a joyride.

That was where Gridcrash came in. There was no Autobot system outside of the ultra-high security ones at Autobot City that Gridcrash couldn't get into, as far as anyone knew. He had already earned legendary status back at the Academy for hacking into the computers that controlled the training program, turning the Autobot holograms into crosses between certain unpopular instructors and large slugs. If anyone among them could hijack an Autobot ship, he could, and would probably manage to look cool while doing it.

Thrust held up three fingers, then two, then one. He paused for one moment, then pointed straight out.

"Go."

The horde burst from the trees, destroying anything and anyone in their path as they charged for the closest Autobot ship. Thrust stuck close to Tidal Wave and tried not to get shot. Ground combat wasn't his specialty. Weapons flashed and people shouted, and Thrust just hoped everyone would stay focused enough to remember they had a goal. Tidal Wave kept moving and Thrust kept shooting until they, along with the other Decepticons, reached the ship and piled inside. The first Decepticon in killed the single Autobot sitting at the controls and pushed his corpse aside. Gridcrash sat down and within five seconds the welcome hum of engines was heard.

"Get us out of here!" Thrust yelled as the cargo doors shut behind the last Decepticon.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Gridcrash replied cheerfully as the ship lifted off and shot off towards the east, in the direction of Cascade Point. Behind them, the Autobots frantically scrambled into the three remaining ships to give chase. Gridcrash pushed the ship faster as several Decepticons manned the guns.

Thrust opened a channel to the Cascade Point base. The gray Decepticon who appeared on the screen seemed about to snap at them, but started at seeing Decepticons broadcasting from an Autobot source.

Thrust wasted no time. "We've taken an Autobot ship and are being pursued. Grant us safe passage—"

"Who are you?"

Thrust's fingers twitched in annoyance. They did not have time for this.

"We're the remnants of Cloudcrest's unit. Look, I'll explain later."

Another Decepticon appeared on the screen, possibly a superior officer. He also scowled, and leaned forward toward the screen.

"That's impossible," the new mech said. "That unit was wiped out."

"We're approaching the base, they'd better make up their minds soon," Gridcrash interjected.

Thrust let some of his edginess leak into his voice. "Let us through or we'll be wiped out anyway!"

For the agonizingly long span of almost a minute, the other Decepticon considered as the ship shuddered from being fired upon.

"All right," he said finally. "But this had better not be a trick; we'll have guards waiting for you on the landing pad."

As the commandeered ship zoomed over Cascade Point, the base's auto-guns swerved to focus on its pursuers. The Autobots turned back as quickly as they could, but their ships were made for cargo, not maneuverability, and two were easily destroyed.

A group of Decepticons from the base took off after the third as Thrust's ship touched down on the landing pad. The hatch opened to a view of dozens of Decepticons, all pointing weapons and suspicious expressions at their ragtag group.

It was, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing Thrust had seen all day.

Don't go away, 'kay? I was planning on making this only three chapters, but it seemed more efficient to split it up into four. Read and review, more stuff coming soon.