Author's Notes: A fair warning, the latter part of this chapter gets dark. Also, this is a chapter mostly focusing on Thrust. Future chapters will focus on the other two, but for some reason both of the scenes I wanted to work on involved Thrust. I've been working on this chapter off and on for a little over a month. Every time I would work on it though something would interrupt me, so that's why it took so long to finish and post. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Meritocracy :)
Chapter 4
Autobot Prisoners
Over the course of several orns the gulag fell into a routine once again. Thrust and Dirge still weren't liked by the other troops, but at least they were largely ignored. Dirge had several duties to perform in the camp including torturer, medic, guard, cleaning inspector, and prisoner retrieval. Thrust was left with the task of guarding the prison workforce since that was one of the only jobs he didn't screw up on a regular basis. He was happy with that, because he loved the sense of power.
Thrust had become somewhat of a bully to the prisoners under his care. At first he tried just standing around and letting the laborers do their jobs, but he quickly found that they would stop to rest more often and quotas wouldn't be filled if he gave them any slack.
After the first orn Thrust became meaner and more demanding. He would shoot at the pedes of those he felt were being lazy, and he would yell every few breems for them to work faster and harder. No matter how many minerals were mined, no matter how many loads were carried, and no matter how much ore was processed, it never seemed to be enough for the Decepticons.
On this particular orn it was very cold, and the sky was dark with fog. Seekers were grounded since there was an acid rain watch in effect, but the prisoners were still led out for work just like every other orn.
Ramjet had told Thrust that the quotas weren't being met yet again, and that they had to get the prisoners to work faster. Thrust was under a lot of stress. If the quota wasn't met then he would get in trouble with Ramjet, and Ramjet would get in trouble with high command, and could possibly even lose his position as commander of the gulag. If Ramjet wasn't commander, then the Conehead trine was slagged. It was up to Thrust to keep their tailpipes in one piece by driving the prisoners to the brink of malfunction.
Thrust looked out at the quarry they were assigned to, and saw with satisfaction that the prisoners were working hard. He smiled and was about to let his processor wander when he noticed a minibot fall to the ground and not get back up! Thrust ran over to the minibot, but a femme prisoner had gotten to him first. When Thrust looked at the prisoner, an Autobot, he saw that the fragger wasn't even unconscious! He was just lying there when they had work to do!
"Get up, you lazy glitch!" Thrust yelled as he kicked at the minibot, "Get back to work!"
"Stop it!" The femme challenged him, "He's exhausted, and if he doesn't get recharge soon he'll offline!"
"You watch your tone femme, or you'll find yourself in Dirge's tender care," Thrust threatened the aggressive Autobot femme.
"No…" The minibot rasped, "Not worth it, Arcee. I'll get up…"
"Shh, it's okay Gears. I've got this," Arcee assured her weary teammate, "Why can't you Decepticons ever be happy with what you've got? We're already slaves here, but that isn't enough. You humiliate us, beat us, and starve us until we don't know which way is up! Well, I've had enough of you, seeker! Let us rest and we might be able to get more work done."
"You dare speak to your taskmaster that way!?" Thrust bellowed angrily as he aimed one of his missile launchers at the femme's helm.
The other prisoners watched to see would happen. Arcee's wrists were shackled just like everyone else's, and she was unarmed. Thrust, meanwhile, was armed to the teeth and really angry at the Autobot prisoners. It looked like the standoff was going to last for a while, but Thrust made the mistake of looking at Arcee's optics instead of her hands…
Arcee clamped her fists together and used them as a blunt instrument to smash into Thrust's helm! He fell, and she ripped away his arm cannons and tore at his wings! While she was busy doing that, the other prisoners took it as their cue to make a break for it, so they started escaping en masse!
Arcee picked up Gears and left; leaving Thrust battered on the ground and barely conscious. She was out of the compound with her friend before Thrust could even come to his senses enough to know what happened.
/Ramjet.../ Thrust comm'ed his leader, /We have a prison break in section Alpha Delta Four. Request...Retrieval forces./
Thrust was barely hanging onto consciousness, and his helm and wings really hurt. He really regretted that they had no formally trained medic. He wondered if he would be shipped to a bigger unit for repairs, have to endure being worked on by the inexperienced Dirge, or simply be left to suffer as punishment for letting the prisoners escape. He knew he deserved to be forgotten, but he really, really wanted to be repaired.
He felt a servo push down on his helm to stop the energon flow, and sighed in relief that someone was tending to him. He couldn't figure out who it was though. This servo was much smaller than most of his comrades possessed. The force applied to the injury wasn't very strong either. Finally curiosity got the better of him, and Thrust blearily onlined his optics to see who was helping him.
She was a yellow and orange femme; an orbital saucer if he guessed correctly. She was one of his prisoners as indicated by the red Autobot sigil plastered on her chassis and the blue optics looking down at him with an odd combination of concern for him and fear of him.
"You…" Thrust tried to speak, but he was too weak.
"Please don't try to move," The femme requested; still pressing down on his injury, "I wish I knew more about medical care. I don't really know how to help you. Do you have anything we can cover your wound with in your subspace?"
"Stupid…" Thrust croaked, "...Troops...coming. Leave...stupid...Autobot."
"You were able to comm for help?" The femme asked in horror; knowing what the Decepticons would do to her if she stayed there.
"Last...ch-chance," Thrust managed to say; already feeling the blackness of stasis lock about to overcome him.
"I can't leave you like this!" The femme protested, "You'll die if I don't stay here with you. I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know Arcee was going to do that. Please, if she's caught by your forces...don't make her suffer. She was only concerned about the rest of us. She is our unit's commanding officer, and she treats everyone like members of her own family. I owe her my life several times over."
Thrust managed a weak half smile. Her description reminded him of Ramjet. It was strange to compare his trine commander to a pink Autobot femme, but it seemed like a fair comparison. Or maybe the energon loss was starting to get to him.
"What...is your...designation?" Thrust asked as he reached out a hand for her to hold; which she didn't take out of nervousness and distrust.
"Prisma," The titular femme replied as she continued to eye him warily.
"Prisma…" Thrust breathed the name and looked at her with soft yellow optics; truly amazed that this Autobot would risk her own life just to try to save his.
Just then, several pede steps could be heard coming over the clearing. The seekers in the unit couldn't fly due to the fog, so it took longer for reinforcements to arrive. Ramjet was at the forefront, and found himself angry at the sight of his left brother bleeding out and injured with one of those Autobot glitches hovering over him. He would make an example of this one…
Prisma gasped when she saw she was surrounded by Decepticon soldiers, but she didn't move her hands away from the gaping injury. She didn't know what she would do, or what they would do. She had heard horror stories about Decepticons killing their own mechs for incompetence. She hoped she didn't stay behind for nothing. She also hoped her death would be a quick one, since she knew there was no way they would leave her alive after this.
"Thrust, you online?" Ramjet asked gruffly; unwilling to look soft-sparked in front of his troops.
"Ramjet!" Thrust said with more energy than he thought he could muster, "Don't leave me. I need...a medic."
"You'll get one," Ramjet replied curtly, "Powerdown, apply pressure to the wound. Outburst, take this Autobot scrap pile to see Dirge."
Prisma visibly shook at those words. Dirge had already earned a reputation among the prisoners as a stoic yet sadistic torturer. She knew then that she was utterly doomed. She wanted to say something in her defense, but she knew anything that looked like pleading would only serve as entertainment for her merciless captors. She had no recourse, and no way to escape.
"Wait…" Thrust moaned when they lifted him into the cab of Trigger's alt mode, "Don't damage Prisma. She's...our best worker. We need her...now that...escape."
Thrust was lying, of course. He didn't know if Prisma was a good worker or not. Until this very orn he didn't even know she existed. He couldn't ignore her now, though. That beautiful frail little femme had risked a painful death for him. Her bravery and compassion made her a femme of incredible character. More than that though, he wanted to get to know her better.
"We have execute someone for this," Ramjet pointed out to Thrust.
"Not her," Thrust insisted, "Please, Ramjet. Not her. I want her...alive."
Ramjet snorted, but in the end decided to give Thrust what he wanted. He didn't like going easy on their prisoners, and he personally believed Autobots deserved whatever they got from him and his mechs, but Thrust so rarely asked for anything. Besides, until they recaptured their prisoners they really did need as many good workers as they could get.
When Thrust woke up in the emergency ward in Kaon, he found that Dirge was by his side reading a data pad. Thrust asked about the Autobot that stayed by his side, and Dirge informed Thrust that she was back in her outdoor prison pen and ready to go back to work. Thrust was so happy Ramjet decided not to execute her. He knew it was a silly thought, but he found himself attracted to the selfless femme. If only she weren't an Autobot…
Thrust's stay in Kaon lasted for 2 orns. Afterward he returned with his trine brothers back to the land with no designation to resume his duties at the gulag. Thrust was afraid he would lose his job guarding the workers, but to his surprise and relief Ramjet kept him at his current post. Mostly it was so Ramjet didn't have to fill out the paperwork required to move Thrust someplace else, but no matter the reason Thrust was grateful.
The red jet realized though that filling the quotas would be even harder than before. A few new prisoners had been captured since he had been gone, but there still weren't enough mechs and femmes to mine and process all of the ore they needed to be considered efficient. It actually got to the point where Thrust would shoot at some of the rocks so the energon could be collected more easily. Ramjet would hate to hear his brother was helping the prisoners, but they needed that ore.
When Thrust would get a free moment he would observe Prisma. Sometimes he would eavesdrop on her conversations. She was the type that loved to talk to other prisoners and trying to bolster their spirits when they were down. She was generous and kind, but contrary to what Thrust had told Ramjet, Prisma was a slow and weak worker. She actually hindered her group more than helped, but it was clear she was trying her best to keep up.
One other thing Thrust learned was that Prisma wasn't alone in her captivity. There was a red saucer-former that had been captured with her named Comet. He was her older brother, and they had been a part of the same brigade. They watched each other's backs, and he seemed to be very protective of her. Thrust wondered if that information might be useful later. He stored it away just in case.
/Hey Thrust, it's Dirge,/ Dirge commed him; taking him from his thoughts about Prisma, /You better get to the main office right now./
/I'll have to herd the prisoners back into their enclosure first,/ Thrust replied; not eager to end the day early with so little ore collected, /Is this important?/
/It is to you,/ Dirge replied vaguely, /Get in here. Ramjet is out in the field, and you should hear this from me first./
Thrust didn't like the tone Dirge was using. He was used to feeling uneasy and worried around Dirge due to his sigma ability going off at random, but Dirge wasn't even in close proximity now. Something was actually wrong this time.
/I'm on my way,/ Thrust replied resolutely as he cut the comm signal, "Alright prison slag! Line up! We're going back early! Yeah, that's right. You lazy fraggers get to rest for once. Enjoy it. Hurry up, you! Come on!"
The prisoners made their way to Thrust and brought back the minerals and energon they managed to collect from the mountain. Some of them grumbled at his tone, while others looked relieved that they would get to recharge soon. Thrust couldn't spare them a thought as he worried about what Dirge might want with him.
"A mission?" Thrust asked incredulously.
"That's right," Dirge nodded, "Our entire squadron is being sent to collect a group of Autobots that have seized Tarn's outer borders and are making their way inland. We will join Commander Blitzwing and his troops on this important assignment. The plan is to overwhelm the Autobots with sheer numbers."
"Understood," Thrust nodded, and looked at Dirge wondering if that was all he had to say.
"Also," Dirge finally added after a moment of awkward silence, "The reason I told you now is to give you time to gather your courage. I know you tend to be a bit cowardly. Well, no matter how intense the battle gets, I must insist that you don't show your fear to any Autobot. I mean it Thrust, you must show only firm resolve and deadly force. If you embarrass Ramjet I don't know if you'll get another chance."
Thrust took a deep intake of air and then quickly nodded to Dirge in reply. Ramjet had been lenient toward Thrust regarding the prison break and the femme Thrust wanted spared, but public humiliation before a superior officer like Blitzwing would be unforgivable. Dirge was right. A lot was riding on their success in this mission.
The two seekers went outside and waited for Ramjet to finish briefing the other soldiers on their positions in the strike. It took half a joor for Ramjet to finally make his way back to them. When Ramjet did finally showed up they transformed together and took off into the night sky in perfect unison like a well oiled machine. Well, three well oiled machines to be more accurate.
It didn't take long after leaving for the Decepticon forces to find the Autobots. The Decepticons fired upon their enemies immediately, and the Autobots responded in kind. It was an all out dogfight, and neither side had a clear advantage. What surprised the Decepticons most was that these Autobots had fliers on their team. Some were just biplanes, but there were a few seekers as well.
Ramjet and Dirge flew in a synchronized pattern and shot at their enemies with precision and power. Thrust, on the other hand, was having trouble keeping up with the group and found himself getting lost. He couldn't see more than a few mechano-meters ahead of himself because there were too many other mechs flying around him and firing hot blinding laser light! If this kept up he would need to land!
He looked around to see if he could find any Autobots to fight, and that was when he saw a black and grey seeker with red Autobot sigils falling fast! He watched to see if the Autobot seeker would fall to pieces on the ground, but at the last second the Autobot transformed and landed without incident. Well, it looked like Thrust would have to take care of this one himself...
Thrust dove down fast and gracefully transformed at the last second. He looked around and saw the injured Autobot limping toward a nearby storage building that had been abandoned some time ago. Thrust ran after the downed mech and readied his missile launchers. His prey would not escape him!
"Freeze, Autobot!" Thrust hollered with all his might.
The Autobot stopped at the threshold of the warehouse and slowly turned to look at Thrust with disbelieving optics. When Thrust saw the face plate of this particular Autobot, he gasped and visibly shook.
It was Turbine! His Uncle Turbine was here and wearing an Autobot sigil! This was the most horrible thing Thrust could imagine. Turbine was Thrust's favorite trine uncle, and the one member of his family that had always loved and supported him unconditionally. Not only that, but Turbine was a useful fighter for the Decepticon cause. How could he betray his people for the Autobots? It didn't add up.
"Uncle...Turbine?" Thrust asked tentatively.
"I thought that was you, Thrust," Turbine said with a sad smile, "I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Your body, not so much. I wondered what you'd look like if you looked like Ramjet. I think you pull the look off better than him."
"Forget about my makeover!" Thrust snapped hysterically, "What is going on here? You're a double agent, right? Yeah, I get it now! You're just pretending to be with the Autobots so you can collect information from them to give back to the Decepticons! Well, I'm sure once we get you back to HQ they'd be very happy to learn everything you've learned."
Turbine shook his helm as a melancholy look spread across his face plate.
"No, Thrust," Turbine said softly, "I'm with the Autobots now. I have always supported the cause of freedom and peace. The Decepticons no longer stand for that. We did once, but not anymore. I couldn't continue to support a tyrant that would enslave our world just as the council did. It didn't matter if I would be the oppressor instead of the oppressed. It wasn't worth the price I would have to pay as a seeker. There is no honor in this, my dear nephew. Please try to understand."
"How long have you been doing this?" Thrust asked accusingly.
"Not long," Turbine replied without shame, "Only a few orns. Puff Smoke kicked me out of the trine when he found out. He and your father have already found another to be their right wing. I miss them terribly, I admit, but I know I am doing the right thing."
"No, you're not," Thrust growled, "You've betrayed your family, your home, your frame type, and your faction. You know what the penalty is for treason, Uncle Turbine?"
"I know," Turbine nodded; resigned to his fate, "I would fly from you, but my thruster is broken. Also, I am too low on fuel to go much farther. I have no choice but to surrender to you, Thrust. Do what you must."
Thrust felt his spark flicker in his chest. It was all true. His uncle was a traitor, and he wasn't even sorry about it! He was guilty, and Thrust was the only one around to carry out the sentence. He would have to kill his uncle, or share in his crimes.
Raising a shaky servo, Thrust aimed his weapon at Turbine's spark. He set the power to maximum; determined to make it as quick and painless as possible. He closed his optics, unwilling to look his uncle in the face, and whimpered as he tried to will his gun to fire. A few seconds later, Thrust fell to his knees and began to cry.
He couldn't do it! He couldn't kill his most beloved uncle, no matter how terrible his crimes! Thrust cursed himself for being a weakling and a failure. Turbine tried to limp away while he still had a chance to escape, but his leg gave out from under him, and he fell to the ground; unable to walk.
Thrust's loud cries attracted Ramjet's attention, and he flew down at a sharp angle to see what was wrong with his left brother.
"Thrust! You separated from the group!" Ramjet scolded him, "You trying to get your aft blown off out here!? There's an Autobot right there!" He shouted as he pointed to Turbine.
"I can't do it..." Thrust whimpered softly; barely above a whisper.
"Can't do what?" Ramjet asked curtly.
"He's my right uncle, Ramjet," Thrust explained between sobs, "He betrayed us! He's a traitor and he has to die, but I can't shoot him! I can't!"
Thrust stayed on his knees and held his face plate in his servos to catch the cleaning fluid draining from his optics. He knew he was weak to do such a thing in front of his trine commander, but he couldn't help it. He wanted so badly to be a good Decepticon, but he also loved his uncle very much. Thrust didn't know how to deal with these conflicting emotions, and he hated to imagine what Ramjet must think of him for crying like a sparkling in front of his wing leader and an Autobot.
"Thrust," Ramjet addressed his trine brother with a hard stony voice, "Get up."
Thrust whimpered, but did as he was commanded. He reluctantly faced Ramjet, and awaited orders. He just knew Ramjet was angry with him for sparing his uncle Turbine, and imagined all sorts of painful punishments that awaited him.
"Thrust, I want you to turn around, transform, and fly back to base camp," Ramjet instructed him, "Don't look back. I'll take care of your problem for you."
"What are you gonna do?" Thrust asked fearfully.
"I'm gonna take care of this for you," Ramjet replied sternly; leaving no room for argument, "Don't ask questions, and never speak of this again. Now, go."
Thrust looked back at his injured uncle, who was looking back at them with optics that looked too old and tired to belong to a mech that was only 4,000 vorns old. Thrust had never seen a mech age like that in such a short amount of time. He was sure he knew what Ramjet meant by taking care of the problem, but he was in no position to protest. On some level he was grateful that Ramjet was willing to do the dirty work for him and cover over his failings. With one last look and a deep breath, Thrust turned around, transformed, and flew away.
Ramjet approached Turbine, and with all the ceremony of hauling furniture grabbed Turbine's pede and dragged him into the storage shed. He closed the door behind them, but if anyone had been there the flimsy metal of the door would not have been enough to drown out the sound of a laser rifle firing several rounds into Cybertronian armor. Two mechs went into that shed, but only Ramjet came out.