I'm not reposting all the warnings. If you didn't read them in Pt. 1, then on your head be it.

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Pt. 9

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It was probably the last thing they'd expected, an Autobot asking that. Coming from one of the Aerialbots? Maybe that could be filed as a flyer glitch. Wanna-be Vosians looking for a promotion. Coming from Jazz, Head of Autobot Special Operations, Third-in-Command under Optimus Prime, a mech whose only claim to flight was getting hit so hard his feet left the ground - it probably sounded like a cosmic joke.

Okay, so they weren't laughing. But their faces sure were funny.

'Will not laugh at the big scary warbuilds. Will. Not. Laugh!'

Jazz found it even funnier that both Seekers immediately looked over his head at the Aerialbots as if looking for confirmation. Was it a flyer thing? Did their distrust of grounders run so deep that every statement had to be verified by somebody with a pair of wings?

*"Is he serious?"*

*"Tell me he's not being serious."*

Silverbolt gave them his most somber I Am Not Hannibal Smith Stop Calling Me That look, which only made the other Autobots all agree that he definitely was Hannibal Smith, and forwarded the slightly-wild comm. bursts to Jazz even as he replied. *"Jazz? Rarely. What did he say this time?"*

That calmed the two Seekers down from reflexive hysteria, but their wings were still outflung with shock. From behind them, Skywarp caught on to their sudden tension and turned, frowning. "*He said - ah, it's not important."*

*"No! It's not."*

*"Really."*

"*But…"*

"*How long has he been the Prime's Third?"*

The barest twist of a cynical smile showed under the floodlights set up around the makeshift arena. *"From what I hear? Too long."* Silverbolt made it sound like whatever he'd heard, he'd heard a lot. His smile took on a hint of puzzlement. *"Why?"*

Thundercracker and Acid Rain automatically looked down, optics popping wide and slightly wild around the edges again, and Silverbolt zeroed in on Jazz. Puzzlement went straight through disbelief with the power of a lead brick of Get-A-Clue to the head. "Jazz, what's going on?"

Jazz gave Thundercracker his widest visor, betrayal in Autobot blue, and didn't look back at Silverbolt. And he wasn't squirming like a guilty mech caught with his hand in the energon goodie packet. Nope, not squirming at all. SpecOps mechs didn't squirm. It was an unwritten rule or something. "Nothin'."

Silverbolt led a team of chronic troublemakers notorious for not only having their hands in the packet, but licking it clean after they finished stealing all the goodies inside. His optics narrowed, and the sound of a bomb counting down toward comprehension ticked almost audibly. Blue optics never changed as the mind behind them rolled the Get-A-Clue Brick over and over to pick out the incriminating details. He turned slowly to look down in to the arena. Starscream was still talking, always the center of attention and rank and wasn't there something about a courtship? Right, courtship negotiations. Rank and negotiations. Decepticons asking about Jazz's rank, and Starscream negotiating.

The Aerialbot commander didn't make a single aggressive move. He didn't, yet when he turned to fasten his optics on Jazz, Fireflight and Air Raid actually took a few steps back from their team leader. "Jazz."

Thundercracker and Acid Storm were busy not looking at Jazz, embarrassment having temporarily overwritten their urgent Need To Know. They were Decepticons. They knew all about that one stupid loudmouth who spilled a mech's plan to just the wrong person. Well, label them Stupid Loudmouths.

"Oops," the dark blue Seeker muttered quietly.

"Yeah, uh, oops," the vivid green Seeker mumbled. "Guess you hadn't, uh, yeah."

The small Autobot standing in front of them peeked over his shoulder-tire, 90% jovial Jazzmeister and 10% dead mech walking. "Yeah, Silverbolt?"

"May I speak with you a moment?" There were reasons Slingshot got away with being an aft on a regular basis, and one of those reasons was the fact that every Autobot had seen that expression on Silverbolt's face at one time or another: 'You can run, you little miscreant, but you cannot hide. Not from me.' Slingshot and Air Raid got a lot of pity passes just because the rest of the Autobots knew that the Aerialbots had to merge eventually. Payback could be ceded to someone who knew how to dole it out best.

"I'm kinda talking with them at the moment…" Jazz smiled sickly and jerked his thumb at Thundercracker and Acid Storm.

Who threw him under the bus without the slightest hesitation. "No, that's alright!" Thundercracker spread his hands, indicating that, no no, the conversation could wait!

"I wanted a chance to say hello to Fireflight again," Acid Storm said smoothly, "so if you'll excuse me for just one moment." He half-bowed, using the courtesy to slither around Jazz. Thundercracker copied the motion around the other side, leaving the black-and-white Autobot standing alone in the middle of the platform as the two Decepticons strode eagerly toward Air Raid and Fireflight. The saboteur looked oddly undersized and abandoned in their wake.

Not that they cared. Decepticons, after all. Acid Storm glowed with an abundance of charisma as he homed in on, "Fireflight! Good to see you again."

Silverbolt passed the two Seekers halfway, walking forward. He stopped beside Jazz, body language so stiff it was almost hostile. *"Yes?"*

*"Yes, quite. Nice job."* Jazz turned so they stood shoulder to, um, arm. Silverbolt was taller than him, after all. They stood observing the arena, obviously engaged in a Serious Conversation over internal comm. lines. So serious. They couldn't possibly be shamelessly eavesdropping on Thundercracker and Acid Storm trying to politely chat up Air Raid and Fireflight. The two Autobot officers were far too busy with more important matters. Who had time to spy on Acid Storm's semi-successful attempt at edging closer to Fireflight? *"So, how does Agent Lynch know Murdock?"*

Silverbolt's expression was so severe plastic surgeons on Earth would frame it to scare their clients into signing on the dotted line. Whatever Jazz had just said was obviously displeasing. *"He's still weaseling out of telling me. They do look cozy together, don't they?"* Fireflight was, in fact, retreating one coy step at a time from Acid Storm, keeping Air Raid between them even as he giggled at whatever the Rainmaker was telling him.

Well, the flightiest Aerialbot probably wanted to look coy, but his attempt at flirting was betrayed by the adorably shy look on his face. Acid Storm seemed enchanted. He inched after the smaller flyer, endlessly pursuing him round and round the other Aerialbot. As he talked with Air Raid, Thundercracker kept 'accidentally' getting in Fireflight's way. It was almost enough to let the acid-green Seeker get a hand on the pretty little red stabilizers held tantalizingly out of reach, and the near-misses flustered Fireflight to no end. Fireflight flustered was a common sight among the Autobots, but Acid Storm was watching him with every evidence of delight.

Jazz shrugged carelessly, looking away from Silverbolt as if he didn't give a slag what the Aerialbot commander said. *"Aw, it's sweet. It reminds me of th' time we got Ravage to chase a laser pointer."*

An aborted gesture with one hand, and Silverbolt shot a suspicious look over at the group of four as if they could hear the two officers' comm. conversation. Thundercracker's optics snapped back to Air Raid. Who, Thundercracker? Watching two Autobot officers like Laserbeak on a spying mission? Surely not.

Silverbolt eyed the blue Seeker, distrustful, but his voice over internal comm. held remembered laughter. *"He really just didn't know what to think of it, did he? Every time he started to get an override in place, that little red dot kept zipping around just out of reach, and he'd lose it again."*

*"Ravage is hard-wired to chase. Heh. It was good, wasn't it? Four kliks of watching the gears turn in his head, trying to figure out how t' stop long enough to kill us."*

*"Instinct is strong, as they say on Earth."*

*"Programming imperative, as we say on Cybertron."* Just at the edge of peripheral vision, Acid Storm pursued Fireflight in another circuit. The Rainmaker had a small smile of amusement on his face, and the Aerialbot's shy expression was changing to a silly grin. Jazz puffed air through his vents, snorting hot air like he'd just been told something ludicrous. *"Betcha my hubcaps Acid Storm is an ex-instructor from the War Academy."*

*"We need to separate them ASAP."* Silverbolt's head snapped around, and while he didn't glare at his superior officer, there was some definite disapproval going on. Skywarp was watching them closely from the other side of the platform, his rotary acquaintance forgotten. *"I don't like the idea of any of my team getting singled out like that, especially by someone with instructor experience. Look how Fireflight began imitating Ironhide, for Primus' sake. It took us weeks to convince him he couldn't pull off the accent."* The disapproval deepened. This was Serious Stuff being discussed here. Look at them discuss it so seriously. *"He's getting paired with Skydive from now on, and Skydive isn't going to let him out of his sight."*

*"Good. Although his version of Ironhide's drawl was about forty different kinds of cute."* The smaller Autobot's head came around, meeting the Aerialbot officer's stern gaze with a glare of his own. The fact that he was laughing over internal comm. didn't touch that glare. It was the sort of glare authority figures used to bludgeon subordinates into line, and it looked particularly dangerous coming from Jazz. *"I thought Ironhide was never gonna stop doting on him. Now, when I give the word, you three go for broke back to the base. Don't wait for me. I got work to do, here."*

Ah, and that was genuine worry making Silverbolt drop his optics. Not all of that worry came from Acid Storm abruptly reversing and coming around Thundercracker's wide wings to surprise Fireflight on the other side. Fireflight jumped, startled, and didn't retreat fast enough to avoid the gentle pinch of fingers on his stabilizer. Acid Storm smiled and slowly reeled him in. There was token resistance at best.

Silverbolt's worried look deepened for every step closer together those two got. *"Yes, sir. We're ready. Blaster's got a line to Air Raid, so any moment now, Thundercracker's going to get around to asking about your - "*

"Fragging figures," Air Raid growled, suddenly an irate barrier to his gestaltmate's flirting. Fireflight seemed confused, hopping back as Air Raid shouldered he and Acid Storm apart, but the other Aerialbot focused on Jazz. The Special Operations operative coolly turned his head to look back at him, and Air Raid definitely was glaring. The lead brick of Get-A-Clue had landed. "What's the matter, Jazz? Sleeping your way to the top not working with the Autobots?" The flyer's smile was just plain vicious, his normal fun-seeking transmuted to instant rage. "Or is Starscream just a better fuck than Prime?"

"Air Raid! That was out of line!" Silverbolt barked.

"You really wanna go this route with me, Air Raid?" Jazz said, and where Silverbolt had gone for volume, Jazz's voice went quiet. Yet the whip-crack in his words was all the clearer for his low voice. "Right here, right now? You think you're that much of a hotshot?"

The Aerialbot's shoulders hunched, upper body tensed forward as if he'd like nothing more than to start a fight. "Why bother? You'd probably get your newest fling to take me out instead of doing it yourself." Silverbolt's furious hiss was ignored, and Air Raid purposely toed a line most mechs were too wise to cross. "You SpecOps mechs are all the same. You can't take anybody in a real fight, so you resort to trickery!"

Jazz didn't bother turning to confront him, choosing to simply meet his angry optics with a chilly stare. Thundercracker got out of the way in two quick steps, face a picture of surprise - but intent red optics flicked back and forth between the two Autobots in a way that watched too closely for total innocence. Acid Storm retreated more reluctantly. He looked slightly mystified by the crude Earth terminology, but he clearly got the gist of Air Raid's angry tirade. His optics lingered on Fireflight as the last Aerialbot helplessly looked between the other Autobots in complete bewilderment.

Air Raid's lip peeled up in preparation to speak again, and Silverbolt took a huge step forward, hand slashing through the air. "Enough! Air Raid, you will stand down, or you will be grounded for the next twenty orns!"

The two Aerialbots faced off, and Air Raid's glare tried to burn through Silverbolt's head. The Aerialbot commander was no happier, but his scowl darkened every second Air Raid didn't back off. His wings had fixed-placement on his rootmode, incapable of raising or lowering to intimidate other mechs like many flight models, but that didn't keep Air Raid from glancing down at them. Maybe Jazz wasn't in-tune enough with winged mechs to know what the riled flyer saw in Silverbolt's rigidly-clamped flaps, but there was a quick blink of the optics, an even tinier flick of a tongue. Fast, there and gone again from Air Raid's face, but a close observer could catch it.

Air Raid's aggressive stance eased down, just a tad.

Jazz was impressed despite himself. From the sidelong look exchanged between Thundercracker and Acid Storm, he wasn't the only one. Silverbolt seemingly reserved bark was apparently no measure of his bite. The Aerialbots hadn't always been happy with Silverbolt's leadership, but…huh. That was kind of odd, now that he thought about it. None of the Autobots had ever really pried into why the combiner team suddenly swung into line behind Prime's appointed leader. There had been infighting for the first couple of months, even after that weird time-traveling incident, but then they'd just…settled down. He'd have to ask a few questions about that later.

If the timing coincided with the week of the A-Team marathon, Sideswipe was never going to let anyone forget it.

Jazz suddenly cracked a smile. Air Raid's optics jerked to his face, and the impulsive Aerialbot snarled like an enraged beast. "If I ever had to take you out," the black-and-white officer promised, words so silky they nearly didn't register as sinister, "it'd be in a real fight, and you'd see me coming." The blue of his visor softened, and his head slowly tilted to the side as that sank in. To look at him, an observer might think him just the most darling little mischief-maker in the Autobots, now wasn't he? "And with an attitude like that, can you really blame me for…exploring my options?" His helm nodded a tiny motion toward the arena floor. "I could put in a word for you, y'know."

Silverbolt spun on his heel, disapproval written large across his face. Behind him, Air Raid made an inarticulate sound of anger so great it couldn't get through his vocalizer any other way, and Fireflight gasped, big blue optics injured as he apparently began to catch on.

This time, the three Decepticons closely watching the byplay couldn't help but react. "The frag you will," Thundercracker said, turbines angrily growling.

"As if Starscream would listen to you?" Acid Storm scoffed, but Jazz took careful note of the fact that he didn't look quite as certain as he sounded.

Skywarp invaded Jazz's personal space bubble from behind without so much as acknowledging the two Autobot flyers attempting to stab him to death with their optics. Powerful jet engines were beginning to start up all around the small platform, and Jazz alone seemed at ease as Skywarp rested his elbows on the smallest Autobot's shoulders. "What are you guys talking about over here?" the purple-and-black Seeker asked, ready to get involved no matter what they wanted. Jazz tipped his helm up to look at the Decepticon Elite's most notorious meddling prankster - who smugly folded his hands over the Autobot's forehelm and rested his chin on his hands. After a moment's hesitation, the helm slid under his hands as the Autobot decided to let him be and returned to looking forward. Skywarp blinked innocently at the four flyers in front of them. "Looks interesting."

"Jazz's given up waiting for one of you to take out Prowl and moved on to teaming up with your faction's back-stabbing creep," Air Raid sneered before Silverbolt could stop him.

"He wouldn't do that!" Fireflight protested, interrupting Silverbolt starting in on the other Aerialbot. Big blue optics, beginning to hurt, beginning to get it, turned to Jazz. "…would you?"

There was an extremely awkward pause.

Like, really awkward.

Acid Storm looked down and to the side, resetting his vocalizer uncomfortably. Thundercracker was staring at Jazz as if he'd never seen the Autobot officer before. Silverbolt was advancing on Air Raid, one baleful step on a time, and Air Raid was shuffling back while looking at everything but his commander. And Fireflight. Because nobody, not even big mean Decepticon Seekers, wanted to be the one to puncture Fireflight's childlike belief in everyone's good intentions.

Well, not every big mean Seeker. Skywarp probably would have said something, but his jaw had dropped with a tunk right onto Jazz's helm. That was a weird sensation even disregarding the Decepticon proximity alerts screaming through the saboteur's head. Everything in Jazz demanded he drop and roll out of the unpredictable slagger's reach, but this was all working out so perfectly he was reluctant to change anyone's focus.

Ever-so-slowly, the purple-and-black Seeker used the hands on Jazz's helm to tip the Autobot's head back again. Skywarp tilted his own head in order to meet the blue visor. "What?"

Jazz pouted, playful expression failing to cover sharp annoyance at how pear-shaped everything had gone. "I asked a simple question. Suddenly, everyone's overreacting all over the place."

Thundercracker and Air Raid had identical expressions. It'd have been hilarious if they were a little less ready to lunge for Jazz's throat. "Overreacting - ?!"

Skywarp glanced at them, then back to Jazz, expression half-curious and half-dreading. "Okay, I'll bite." Acid Storm looked alarmed, head whipping around. "What'd you ask?"

"I asked," the Rainmaker relaxed when no biting seemed forthcoming, which meant Acid Storm really hadn't been around Skywarp or Jazz long enough to know better, "if the terms for a social contract are flexible enough t' sign me on as executive officer to the Vosian Emirate."

"No," Thundercracker said, not giving anyone else a chance to comment. "They're not. Social contracts are social only, and after I'm doing speaking with Starscream, your contact with each other is going to be limited to you being an Autobot frag-toy and nothing else." His face was forbidding, expression set and hard as fresh-cut stone. "Take it or leave it."

"I don't recall your input being part of the bargain," Jazz said back, and Skywarp's hands had ended up on his shoulders, restraining him. The blue Seeker was the larger mech, but somehow, the waves of threat radiating off the small Autobot made him the more dangerous one. "I'm no one's frag-toy. And y'know what? I don't believe you. I think a social contract is broad enough to cover government office, even if it's just off the record." His smile looked like a knife aimed at Thundercracker's vital linkages. Skywarp's hands tightened, but the teleporter leaned as far back as his arms allowed. He looked like he was trying to hold onto a live grenade while staying out of the blast zone. "Not that it matters. Since we haven't set a single term, I might just ask for a business contract instead. Who knows? If Starscream's wants some decent lovin' after being stuck with you for so long…"

Acid Storm had grabbed Thundercracker by one wingtip, a fierce look of concentration drilling into the side of the blue Seeker's helm as he tried talking him down via internal comm., but Thundercracker was having none of it. He surged forward against the grip on his wing, face twisting into a snarl. "You dare say that to me - "

"Both of you," a commanding voice cracked over them, and suddenly Silverbolt was standing between the Seeker and saboteur, "calm down before I call in reinforcements!" Fireflight stepped up, covering his back and trying to glare at Thundercracker even as Air Raid took position on Silverbolt's other side and glared quite effectively at Jazz. Air Raid looked pissed. Silverbolt looked one step from calling Optimus Prime directly.

Fireflight just reminded anyone who saw him of a petro-rabbit trying to look bigger and more imposing as a ridiculously overpowered predator threatened it. He probably did more to diffuse the situation than a drawn weapon could have. Thundercracker's hands snapped into shaking fists, but the Seeker pointedly avoided looking at him. He glared at Silverbolt instead, who met his optics with all the authority of a combiner team leader. Acid Storm blinked, breaking his fixed gaze at Thundercracker in order to glance at the intervening Aerialbots, and his face sort of melted into of helpless expression of 'D'awww, lookit the baby jet!'

Fireflight noticed and all but fuffed and spat, turbines sputtering fire angrily. It was like a kitten facing off against a full-grown tiger; 'I am a brave Autobot, and you should fear me!'

Oh yeah, definitely an ex-instructor. Acid Storm had never fought the Aerialbots, being that he'd headed the Decepticon Armada on Cybertron, and the youngest flyers in the Decepticon ranks had to be almost as old as the war at this point. Jazz had watched the Aerialbots hit all the right buttons for certain Autobots with past instructor experience back on Earth. That kind of sappy 'Primus, I've missed this' look was hard to cover. Even for hardened Decepticon officers, apparently.

Jazz shook his shoulder-tires free of Skywarp's ginger hold and set his hands on his hips. Deliberately catching Thundercracker's optics over Silverbolt's shoulder, he lifted his chin cockily and forced a tiny amount of fuel through the combustion chamber of his engine. The Seeker's more powerful engine ripped the air, a junkyard dog's warning growl, but rust skittered across the ground around Jazz a second later as the exhaust system in his feet loudly backfired . Everyone jumped, startled. In the small cupola of the wrecked building they stood on, the loud pop was magnified into a gunshot.

The Autobot officer didn't even lower himself to sneer as everyone, rattled, tried to regain their composure. He turned his back on Thundercracker, contempt sufficiently expressed, and strode to the opposite end of the platform as if the Seeker weren't worth acknowledging any longer. Once he reached the edge, he folded his arms across his hood and refused to turn back around. The stragglers in the makeshift arena tiers were occasionally looking toward the platform, wondering what was going on, but Starscream's group on the arena floor remained the center of attention.

The vulnerable small of his back itched. His windshield was reinforced armor-grade glass, but it didn't feel like enough when his back was turned on three Decepticons. Three Aerialbots, too, but threat assessment was highly charged at the moment and didn't give good odds of them winning if it came to a fight. Behind him, a voice raised and, just as sudden, cut off mid-word. Someone was attempting to be reasonable. Somebody else was grumbling. There were turbines scraping the rusty ground, and stomping sounds from somebody trying to get attention.

Jazz kept his sensor scans tight and close, pulling them back from setting off anyone's active receptors. Considering the situation, it was a good bet that everyone's battle sensor suites were up and running. He himself was riding the upsweep of energy he got when threat assessment pushed his systems to optimum processing. Jazz loved the sensation; the high not from fighting, but from doing his job. Humans called it an adrenaline rush. Ratchet called it idiocy. Pushing over the limits for the sweet zing of extra energy had killed more than a few SpecOps mechs during the war, but like a junkie addicted to a drug, Jazz kept doing it.

*"Jazz, you got this?"* Blaster said, and the crackling charge of an operation well-done flooded down Jazz's internals at the communication officer's uncertain tone. There'd been a tiny, niggling doubt that he'd fooled anyone, but he was good at this slag.

*"I've got it. Tell the A-Team they're all gettin' new posters for their quarters when this is over,"* Jazz said, and if he sounded a tad giddy, then it was just him getting his fix. Danger and manipulation were his drugs of choice. *"I might even spring for shipping their action figure collections from Earth. They're doin' a bang-up job, my mech. How much of that's you?"*

Blaster chuckled, misgivings gone. Hearing the Jazzmeister at work was all the reassurance he'd needed. *"I'm guiding tonight's Running of the Drama-Llamas, but they're picking their own lines. Barracus's got a nice flair for the dramatic, wouldn't you agree?"*

*"I would. The cussin' was a nice touch. Although Murdock's takin' the cake. He's got Agent Lynch wrapped around his finger like you wouldn't believe."* There was sinking sensation in his tanks when Blaster didn't immediately reply. *"Don't tell me. Please, don't tell me."*

*"I don't want to, but that ain't me. He knows what's going on, but I'm sensing prior complications there."*

*"Aw, scrap."* Oh, Fireflight. *"He wasn't acting, was he.*"

*"You said it."*

*"We're on it,*" Silverbolt broke in, sparing some attention from being the responsible Autobot officer soothing ruffled wings in Jazz's wake. *"Skydive's going to sit on him until we get the full story. And maybe for some time after that, depending on what that story entails."*

The sinking sensation didn't stop. Not another crush. The Aerialbots were just too blasted young for war, and sometimes it showed through. Usually at the worst times. *"You do that. I don't want him alone with Acid Storm from here on out, and when I mean 'alone,' I mean 'less than three other Autobots standing between them at all times'."*

*"Yes sir."*

*"Logging that order as we speak, Jazz."*

There was a loud spike in the conversation behind him as Air Raid and Thundercracker synchronized their railing about "Auto-whores 'face-climbing the ranks!" and set of feet came up behind the short Autobot. He didn't turn, but Skywarp came into view beside him soon enough. The purple-and-black Seeker seemed oddly cautious, edging into place like he wasn't sure Jazz wasn't about to explode in his face.

"For the purpose of ending our Great War," the Decepticon said, saying the unfamiliar words with the look of a wizard trying his first magic spell. 'Alacadabra!'

"For the purpose of ending our Great War," Jazz responded grudgingly.

Skywarp's face brightened; hey, it'd worked! "Sooooo," he drew out, "since we're supposed to be all cooperative and stuff with you Autobints - uh, Autobots, I'm here to answer your questions!" He bounced slightly on his turbines, turning a bit to face the Autobot as he spread his hands. Presenting: the amazing Skywarp, source of all answers. "Ask away!"

Jazz failed to be impressed, if the level look he gave the Seeker was any indication. "You already know my question."

"Right. Um. About that." The not-so-amazing Skywarp let his hands drop back to his sides, tapping his fingers on his thighs like he was incapable of standing still. "Look, it's like this…"

"No more bullshit," the Autobot cut him off.

Skywarp's optics blanked momentarily as he looked that up. "Manure? Why the - oh." He'd obviously flipped past the literal meaning. "No, I'm being serious," he insisted, spreading his hands again as if to demonstrate his seriousness. "Thundercracker's got a bird up his engine intake about it because you really could get that contract. I mean, I don't think you will," he stressed, "'cause Starscream isn't a total space-case, but contract terms can be really flexible depending on who's - I don't like that look. I really don't like that look." Skywarp eyed the look in question. "Stop giving me that look."

Jazz only smiled wider, and there was something unpleasantly Decepticon in it. It said better than words that the one who wore it was a crafty mech who, need it remind Skywarp, headed the Special Operations Division of an entire faction. Terms? Flexibility? The Jazzmeister was there, mech. "Im in ur base killin ur d00dz," the saboteur murmured softly around his improbably wide smile, and Skywarp began to look truly alarmed.

Thundercracker just looked disgusted as he came to halt beside his wingmate. Possibly because he could actually hear the Autobot misspelling words into L33t. Except for a few rare exceptions, most of the Elite Decepticons who'd crashed onto Earth had gladly left it behind. It had, unfortunately for them, followed them to Cybertron in the form of an ally planet. With old TV show posters. And temporal language, now that Cybertron had to restructure its time around a sun. And humans, Primus transforming, the slagging humans! Who were turning up everywhere and getting into everything in the way that parasitic species did - except that the Decepticon rank and file were sucking up Earth trivia at an unbelievable rate. The Earth Embassy on Cybertron was less of an ally-presence and more of a ruthless pop culture invasion.

Which meant that the unlucky Elite were never going to be able to delete their Earth-information databases. Meaning, in turn, that Thundercracker would always know exactly how Jazz was misspelling words. Which shouldn't have even been possible, since he was talking, not writing, but this was Jazz. He had mad skillz.

"There is no Decepticon base in Vos, and if there were," Thundercracker gritted out, "it would negate the peace negotiations if you were to kill anyone in it."

"Officially, there's no Decepticon base," Jazz corrected spitefully, "but we all know there just happens to be a large fortified building on the north end of the city with lots of Decepticons standin' guard around it." His smile defied the bounds of his own face as he turned it on the blue Seeker. "And if I killed anyone in it, you'd never know it was me."

"You go too far, Autobot," Thundercracker warned quietly, and the distant rumble of a storm filled his voice. Skywarp was darting jittery looks between them, obviously not happy to be the buffer zone for this conversation.

"For the purpose of ending our Great War," Jazz said, all syrupy sweetness and 'Oo, silly me!'

Thundercracker eyed him skeptically. "…yes."

The Autobot's smile took on a strange cast as he pointedly turned it away from the two Seekers and out over the arena instead. He beamed at the crowd down on the arena floor in an almost…proprietary manner. From the look of him, Thundercracker liked that look even less than Skywarp had liked the devious smile preceding it. "Im in my base," Jazz tasted the words, relishing the way his lips shaped them, "c0mmandin ur d00dz." His chin canted up, surveying all he pwned. "Huh. I like the sound of that."

Thundercracker's optics glowed a furious crimson, and his engines roared to life in a deafening pulse of sound. Skywarp made a belated grab at his wingmate as the blue Seeker kicked into the air, but Thundercracker was already in motion. Purple hands snatched at empty air that resounded with repulsed, revolted hate. Every head in the arena jerked around; a rainbow of optics wide with shock turned up toward the night sky. Thundercracker's wings were a black silhouette against the floodlights.

"Never!" he swore, making an oath and a curse of a single word.

But Jazz stood defiant beneath him, a glittering black-and-white manifestation of the Decepticons' inability to crush the Autobots, and laughed for the sheer unholy joy of it. "Never say never!" he called above the burn of lit turbines, and Thundercracker's silhouette bent its arms, hands fisting. Skywarp looked desperately to Acid Storm for guidance, but the Rainmaker had frozen in disbelief, optics locked on his superior officer. The Aerialbots were a knot of tension, helpless to do anything as the fists rose, shaking visibly.

The air in the arena congealed. The war loomed again, returning on Seeker wings. For an eternity of a moment, just a single spin of a spark, everything came to a head. There was silence.

In the silence, in the quiet of his deadly-calm thoughts, Jazz doubted.

Thunder rocked the arena, shattering the silence and poor-grade glass as specialized flight engines turned sound waves into a sonic weapon, and Thundercracker launched himself forward. "Starscream! I challenge you!"

[* * * * *]

End Pt. 9

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