Author's Notes: I'm starting to get used to being late for updates, but this one just hurts. 2018? I waited almost four years to update this story? Why? "Meritocracy" is one of my favorite G1 minor character studies! I should not have neglected this story for so long. I think at the time I was distracted by other franchises, and I just never got back to this one. Well, here I am now, getting back to it. Hopefully this will be the jumpstart "Meritocracy" needs to get going again, because this story deserves to be completed. Thank you to those who have clicked on this to read it again (or for the first time) :)
Chapter 8
Transfers Part II
Darkmount was an impressive structure on the outside, but the Coneheads weren't prepared for how ancient and cold it felt on the inside. The halls were large enough for a guardian robot to freely walk along (if such things existed anymore), and the color scheme was a mixture of purples, greys, and blacks. Thrust shivered as he followed his trine along the corridors, more out of fear than due to the cold. He really hoped the higher-ups liked them. He wondered if they would meet Starscream in person. That would be cool.
Ramjet kept his face plate fixed in a well practiced scowl. He wanted to look like a mech that commanded authority so that no one would question the rightfulness of their being positioned as members of Megatron's elite team. For the good of his trine brothers, he had to make an imposing first impression.
When they made it to the planning room where they were supposed to meet for their assignment, they were stopped by a large triple changer that was guarding the door. Ramjet recognized him immediately.
"Blitzwing! How are you, sir?" Ramjet greeted him in a louder voice than intended.
"You can cram that sir stuff," Blitzwing replied in a surprisingly jovial tone, "I heard you got picked to join the main team for the secret mission. I did too, but right now I have to guard the door to make sure no filthy Autobots try to sneak in. So for the moment, we're equals."
"Really?" Thrust asked in unsuppressed excitement, "Does that mean we can hang out? And tell scary stories around the mess hall? And make fun of grunts together?"
"No," Blitzwing replied flatly to the overly enthusiastic Conehead, "I've already got someone to hang out with. Besides, Decepticons don't make friends. It's a dangerous thing around here. Megatron expects everyone to pay attention and put their mission first. Fail that, and you're as good as dead."
"Thanks for the warning sir- uh, I mean, Blitzwing," Ramjet stammered; feeling weird about using his former commander's real designation, "Where do we go now?"
"Shockwave's in there talking with Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave," Blitzwing informed him, "You go to Shockwave for your evaluation. Once you've passed to the old cyclop's satisfaction, then you can join the crew aboard the Nemesis."
"The Nemesis? Sounds impressive," Thrust commented.
"It is," Blitzwing replied, "The Nemesis is the largest interplanetary spaceship in the fleet. The Constructicons just completed it, and Megatron is going to lead the team on a mission to find energon and defeat Optimus Prime once and for all."
"All at once?" Dirge asked skeptically, "That seems like a rather ambitious goal. Besides, we haven't found new energon producing planets in deca-vorns. That's why so many starve even as we speak."
"I admit there's a chance for failure," Blitzwing shrugged, "But it's better to follow Megatron to potential victory than it is to stay here and do nothing while we wait for our long painful end. Trust me when I say this mission is desperate. You three need to be at the top of your game. Are you sure you don't want to back out? There's still time."
"Never!" Ramjet proclaimed, "I don't care if we have to smash every Autobot in Prime's inner circle and rip the energon from their cold offline servos! We're gonna make Cybertron proud! Megatron needs competent loyal soldiers, and that's what we're gonna be! Right guys?"
"Right!" Thrust cheered.
"Right," Dirge replied less enthusiastically.
"Alright then, let us through, sir!" Ramjet ordered, but then sheepishly corrected himself by saying, "I mean, let us through, Blitzwing…"
Blitzwing facepalmed at Ramjet's overly eager idiocy. It seemed like the white and grey jet had been hanging around Thrust for too long. He nonetheless stepped aside and allowed the three newest recruits to pass.
The trine walked into the control room to see Megatron speaking with a large purple Tarnian with no faceplate and a blue and white Polyhexian tape deck. They were all a little disappointed that Starscream wasn't there. Of course Blitzwing's intel was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. All they saw was Shockwave and the one Blitzwing had called Soundwave. None of them were familiar with Soundwave, but that hardly mattered. All that mattered was getting their test over with and introducing themselves to their glorious leader, Megatron.
Dirge, however, couldn't stop staring at Soundwave. Blue and white frame, tape deck, dignified stance...this mech reminded him so much of his grandsire. Dirge didn't want memories of his family plaguing him in the middle of orientation, but he didn't know what he could do about it. He'd just have to focus on Megatron and not look at the eerily silent Polyhexian.
Megatron noticed the trine enter the room, and while his relaxed stance didn't seem to waver there was a sudden alertness to his red optics that froze the Coneheads in place. They dared not approach the slagmaker when he looked at them with that aggressive warrior's gaze.
"And who might you three be?" Megatron growled, though the easy smirk never left his faceplate.
"I'm Ramjet, and this is Dirge and Thrust," Ramjet replied; pleased with himself for keeping his composure, "We're the trine you ordered from the gulag."
"Ah, excellent," Megatron nodded approvingly, "You will do nicely. I need as many mechs as I can get for this most important mission."
"Yes sir, that's us sir!" Ramjet replied with more enthusiasm than he intended, but dared not fumble to try to take it back.
"Good. Blitzwing will show you to your quarters," Megatron instructed them, "The ship will not be ready to depart for another three deca-orns, so that should give you time to get to know the crew. If you survive then you will serve as my secondary trine. Of course if Starscream finally gets on my last logic circuit, you may be in for a sudden promotion."
Megatron laughed at his own joke, but Ramjet had a feeling Megatron would make good on that threat if anyone displeased him. Ramjet didn't know much about Starscream beyond rumors, but many said the seeker was trying to overthrow their mighty leader. To Ramjet that seemed ridiculous, but then again if a mech managed to hold the coveted position of SIC, then that level of power probably did something to their processor.
That night each Conehead recharged in their own room. It felt weird, since trines generally slept in the same room, and the Coneheads had done it that way since they joined. They could still feel each other through their spark bond, but it wasn't the same as being able to physically see each other and talk to each other.
Ramjet had the hardest time recharging of the three. He had been alone for so long in his life, so he was surprised at just how dependent he had become on the company of his brothers. He tossed and turned on his berth. His wings felt like they would crumple from the force of shifting around so often. He huffed as he laid flat on his back, and he stared up at the purple ceiling trying to think boring thoughts to make himself recharge already.
/Ramjet,/ Thrust interrupted the others over the comm, /I can't sleep./
/Yeah, me neither,/ Ramjet admitted; too tired to deliver a biting remark, /This room is bigger than the one we all shared at the prison camp. It's practically luxurious, yet something still feels off./
/Do I have to be involved in this conversation?/ Dirge grumbled from his end, /I was almost in heavy recharge./
/Then get off the line, slagger!/ Ramjet snapped.
/Don't blame me. Thrust was the one who called both of us,/ Dirge pointed out.
/I'm sorry. I just miss you guys,/ Thrust whined, /It feels like I'm being watched, but there's no one here./
/You probably are,/ Dirge drolly replied, /Megatron has employed a Polyhexian carrier host. They aren't as powerful as tanks or as fast as seekers, but they make incredible spies. I wouldn't be surprised if that Soundwave guy has recordings of everything everyone in Darkmount does. He could probably make a lot of blackmail money that way./
/Stop creeping me out, Dirge!/ Thrust yelled, /I already can't sleep!/
Ramjet smiled to himself while listening to his brothers argue. It was almost like they were there in the room, even if their voices were filtered through the comm system. Ramjet could've almost slept like that, but then he heard a noise that sounded like someone yelling just outside his quarters. It was hard to decipher since he could also hear his brothers shouting at each other, so he muted his end of the comm line and listened carefully to see if he could make out anything of the fight in the hall.
It was hard to tell what was being said, and the voice sounded surprisingly high-pitched for Decepticon barracks. Decepticons generally didn't use femmes for combat unless they had a sigma ability, so why would Megatron have one within his inner circle?
After a moment of listening, the screaming soon turned to screaming and the clanking sound of metal on metal; most likely a beating. What seemed weird though was the high voiced Decepticon seemed to be the aggressor. Ramjet unmuted his comm to find Thrust and Dirge were now arguing over who was funnier.
/Hey guys, I gotta switch off,/ Ramjet announced, /Someone's fighting outside the hall where I am, and I'm gonna go check it out./
/Call us if you need backup,/ Dirge offered.
/Yeah, fine, whatever,/ Ramjet quickly promised before hanging up.
With the comm turned off, Ramjet got off his berth and snuck over to his door. Sneaking wasn't really Ramjet's style, but he didn't want to join the fight until he knew who the opponents were. If some lowlife was scrapping a femme it might be worth Ramjet's time to save her from a horrible fate. If the femme was the attacker however Ramjet wasn't getting involved. It wasn't that he didn't care about mechs, it was just that he didn't want to risk losing to a femme his first orn on the job.
Ramjet then opened the door to his quarters and peeked out; less than subtle because of his ridiculous cone-shaped helm. What he saw…startled him, to say the least.
It was Starscream. The greatest air commander in the Decepticon fleet and closest competitor for Megatron's throne. He was standing there in all his red silver and blue glory, and his voice...was the one screaming. Ramjet couldn't help but snicker a little. Starscream had this impressive reputation, yet he sounded like a girl. A whiny screechy girl.
There were two other seekers there with helms just like Starscream's. This was likely his trine, Ramjet reasoned. The purple and black seeker seemed nervous and apologetic one moment and almost smirking the next. The blue and silver seeker was serious, solemn, and somewhat penitent. Both had dents on their frames.
"Why do I even put up with you two!?" Starscream shouted, still in the middle of a tirade, "One job! It was just one job, and you couldn't even do that!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Skywarp snapped defensively, "I tripped, and it broke. You should know better than to give me stuff. I'm clumsy." He said this last part with a helpless shrug.
"You're a teleporter, you nincompoop!" Starscream shrieked irately, "You didn't have to run with the thing, you imbecile!"
"The device wouldn't have worked anyway," Thundercracker interjected, "Your plan requires a power source, something even Megatron and Shockwave have pointed out to you. Skywarp might have saved you from-"
"We will have a power source!" Starscream snapped; unwilling to hear out his trine mate, "We just have to wait for the Autobots to find it. Then, once they do, we will swoop in and take it from them. That weapon could have made me the new leader of the Decepticons. I don't know why I thought I could trust either of you with this plan. I'm going to recharge. Don't disturb me."
With those words Starscream stormed off in a huff, and Ramjet dared to venture out of his room; more curious than concerned. He had always wanted to meet the elite trine, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know Thundercracker and Skywarp.
"Well TC, guess this means I get to take the night off," Skywarp said easily, previous argument seemingly forgotten, "See ya!"
With that Skywarp disappeared in a flash of purple light. Thundercracker just sighed and started walking away, right past Ramjet. Ramjet wanted to say something, wanted to introduce himself to such a key player in Megatron's inner circle, but his processor wasn't fast enough to think of something clever. So, standing in place like a fool, he let Thundercracker walk away.
/Guys…/ Ramjet comm'ed his brothers, /I just saw the elite trine!/
/Really?/ Thrust asked excitedly, /I heard they're really tall and strong. Did they look tall?/
/About our height, more or less,/ Ramjet replied, /That's not the good part though. Starscream sounds like a femme./
/How do you mean?/ Dirge asked curiously.
/I mean his voice is high-pitched and shrieky,/ Ramjet snickered, /He sounds like some old glitch or something. Hah!/
/No way! That can't be right!/ Thrust argued, /Starscream is the second most powerful Decepticon in the galaxy. There's no way that's true./
/Sure as I'm standing here, he sounds like a glitch,/ Ramjet insisted, /Also Skywarp teleported in front of me. It was slagging awesome!/
/That's great,/ Dirge replied dryly, /Can I go back to recharge now?/
/Fine, but you'll see what I mean,/ Ramjet huffed, /The elite trine is definitely not what I expected. I think we could replace them in no time./