"AAACK!" Scrounge found herself being tossed into a dark room by two or three rough brutes from the Maximal end. She was blindfolded and tied up in energy bonds so she wouldn't see where she was going per say.
The last thing Moonhunter needed right now was distractions. When he saw two of his men, Jenkins and Gorebash, come in with a familiar Predacon femme, he gave them an exasperated glare. "You couldn't have dealt with her yourself?" he asked from the tactical table of Colony Zeta's primary command center. Across from him sat his co-commander Lightfang. Optimus Unus had disappeared after having a final nervous breakdown. They were on their own, in the middle of a crisis, with no one else to assume command but the chief medical officer and the head of security.
"It's your favorite one though." Jenkins snorted. "Figured you'd want to off her finally. Honestly I don't know why you waited so long in the first place."
"Fuzzbutt?" Scrounge lifted her head some to get her head in the right direction toward him.
"What are you, an idiot?" Moonhunter sneered at Jenkins. Normally he would not be so insulting, but he was stressed to the max and had a shorter fuse than normal. Talk of killing sent that fuse burning to the dynamite within. "I'm not going to start a war with the Predacons just because of a minor annoyance." He was so infuriated that he ignored the very femme that was the subject of the argument.
"Well then what do we do with her? She keeps poking her nose on our turf and making a ruckus and it freaks everyone out around here that we don't do anything about her. Just off her quietly and they wouldn't even notice." Jenkins sneered back.
"He has a point on that last bit." Scrounge managed to wiggle some on the floor.
Moonhunter was on the verge of backhanding Jenkins. "We. do. not. kill. Predacons. Not unless they threaten us or other sentient beings. Otherwise we're no better than they are." He finally looked down at the femme. "Remove the optic dampener, but don't release her bonds. I don't want her breaking or stealing anything. And help her up."
"Better do it, you two," Lightfang piped up, though her voice had a humorous lilt to it. She seemed to be enjoying the show, of all things. Moonhunter appreciated her confidence that he could handle this situation. She certainly had more faith in him than he had in himself.
Jenkins rolled his eyes but obeyed. Scrounge found herself being supported and the dampener removed. "Whoa... your interior decorator sucks wet ball bearings Fuzzy."
"Things got messed up when we crash-landed and why am I even trying to justify this to you?" he sneered. "Why are you being such a bother, Scrounge? Right now we've got more important issues to deal with then the likes of you." He walked over to the command table and shut of the holo-image of Streak before she could get another look at him.
Scrounge however, was a thief. Her sharp optics had taken in every detail of the room within a second and she had seen the image. "Did ya loose one?" She nodded. "We've lost a few too." She had an even tone to her voice. Nothing too harsh or too soft.
"That is none of your business, Predacon," he said, saying the last word like it was a dirty insult. He didn't kill Predacons wantonly, but he didn't like them either.
"Oh I think it is my business when one kills two of my comrades." "Comrades" being a lose term. She didn't get along with her other Predacons… she was the omega female, so to speak. Ever since taking the form of an African wild dog, Scrounge found herself thinking in pack terms. She kicked her foot against his desk to wobble the image projector. "That face is plastered all over our base."
"WHAT?" Moonhunter whirled, walking over to her. He put his hands on her arms, grasping her desperately. "He did what?"
"You heard me Fuzzy... he has killed my comrades. To top it off he got away so everyone is just a bit freaked out right now." She sighed and wrinkled her nose some. Her face had a small canine muzzle rather than a traditional humanoid mouth. "Could you scratch my nose?"
"How do we know she's telling the truth, boss? This could be some Predacon trick." Gorebash asked.
Moonhunter looked into her optics. "I've been dealing with Cons almost my entire life," he answered. "I can tell when one is lying to me." He ignored her request, pressing on. He had bigger concerns than her itch, like a potential war over one rogue. "How is Bane dealing with this?"
"Pfft... that brainless ... we are forming hunting parties and seeking to wipe out the rouge. Not boosting defenses or anything that could actually work. Oh no he gets a team here and there and sends them out..." She shook her head some to get away from his gaze. To her animal instincts she was supposed to bow down to an alpha... but she was not all dog and she chose to mask that feeling. "You have beautiful optics."
Jenkins began smirking in the background.
"Are your wires crossed? Is that why you can't pay attention to anything longer than two astroseconds?" Moonhunter asked in utter frustration. He didn't have time to deal with this right now. "I want you to make your leaders understand that Streak has gone rogue from our forces. He's even killed a few of our men. If they can kill him, do it. Tell them they can even keep his head, but we would like his body." He heard some gasps around them. He knew his tactics would shock some, but he was used to dealing with Predacons. He knew how they thought. Whether or not that was a good thing depended on the situation.
"You think I'm stupid? Or any of them, in that respect? Or were you not listening?" Scrounge growled at him. "They ARE hunting him. You really think they would listen to me? Please. You want the body then barter for it. More then likely there won't be anything left."
Moonhunter lowered his head and raised his eyes up to scowl at her. "I just want your superiors to understand that Streak is no longer one of us. I will not have a war started over his actions. Neither of us wants that… do we?"
"No... but you're not understanding that I have no say in anything that they do. I'm not like you. I'm on the bottom of a pack and if I step out of line I WILL be killed and eaten." She stared at him now, her optics had a tinge of fear in them. Scrounge did not want to die. She may not have a lot to live for, but she certainly did not want to die.
He saw her fear. He knew Predacons killed their own lots of times. That was one of the reasons why he distained them. But to actually see someone lowly enough to live in fear of just that, to put a face it, made it more than just a statistic. He felt a swell of pity for this femme. His voice became softer, gentler, as he said, "All I'm asking is that you deliver a message for me. I'll record it onto a datachip. Tell them you met a Maximal courier outside your borders and they handed it to you. How does that sound?"
"That... that would work." She nodded and that fear eased back into that secret place where she kept it hidden. "But... I'm not stopping where I bury my gems." Scrounge gave a smirk toward Jenkins and Gorebash.
"I'll make a deal with you," Moonhunter said. "If you're willing to deliver messages for us in the future, and if you promise never to venture beyond the point of your stash, you can keep your stupid rocks. We'll drop any datachips you want to deliver in your pile for you to find when you check up on them."
Scrounge fidgeted some then shook her head. "That won't work..." She sighed. "Bane is already leery of my collections... "
He tried to calm her down. "He doesn't have to know about your collection here on Maximal land. Just tell him whatever story he'll swallow about how you come across our messages. And, if your own kind ever turns on you..." Moonhunter hesitated for a second, thinking this over, "we'll grant you amnesty here."
"If I survive. You don't believe that I will though." She gave him a soft smile, a rarity. With a deep sigh Scrounge nodded. "Okay. I will play your game."
"Thank you," Moonhunter said genuinely with a nod. "I don't know if you care or not, but by agreeing to this you may end up saving everyone's lives. I'll be back in a minute with the recording. Gorebash, Jenkins, you two will take her outside when I return and untie her. Then you will escort her to the border." Without waiting for their reply, he turned and began to walk away.
"And, Jenkins. You'll be on latrine-cleaning duty for the next week." He smirked to himself. That would hopefully teach him to be so cavalier about life while under Moonhunter's command.
"What?" Jenkins called out but knew better then to argue.
"You have a cute aft!" Scrounge called to the departing Moonhunter, earning her a disgusted look from Jenkins. "So... can we wait outside? This place is stuffy."