Longest chapter ever. Sorry for all the errors and such...
I'm asleep.
VI.
Orion Pax considered himself a patient mech, but his tolerance dropped exponentially when someone interrupted him while he was working. His colleagues, as well as friends and family knew him well enough to know that he liked to finish things first before shifting his attention to other matters - and anyway, his brother and sparkmate had their own jobs that had them occupied for most of the solar cycles. So, who could now be–
"Orion! Meet me at the Observatory in two breems!"
Alpha Trion.
Orion took a deep vent. "I'm working, could it wait?"
"No."
It was that simple. If Alpha Trion called, Orion told himself, it must have had a good reason behind it.
The Hall of Records was quiet that cycle, a monotone thrum of information through the computers. Perfect to work, and Orion already made plans for the rest of the cycle since it seemed his sparkmate finally had some time of her own as well in the afternoon. During the past decacycle they only met in the evenings and already had to part early in the mornings. Though now these plans were at risk - who knew what the ancient mech was up to?
Orion transformed the moment he stepped onto the road and made his way towards the Observatory of Iacon, still wondering what could be so important for his mentor to call him away, what couldn't have waited until at least his shift ended - and why at the Observatory? Sure, Orion liked to go there with his sparkmate and friends, he could spend joors gazing at the various constellations, and Alpha Trion hadn't come to the Hall the past solar cycle like he always did. Something big must have happened, but Orion truly had no idea what.
"It took you a long time, son." that was Alpha Trion's first sentence to him when the younger archivist finally arrived and transformed by the Observatory's entrance.
Orion rolled his optics, "As I said, I was working, and you know my shifts. So, what is it?"
A rare, excited smile crossed the ancient mech's lips that Orion couldn't decide whether to find it refreshing or scary, "Follow me."
The data clerk thought it better to avoid any more questions and just do as Alpha Trion said - he knew from experience that his questions would most likely be left unanswered, his mentor always liked to show him things rather than tell about them and encouraged him to come to the solutions on his own, to form his own opinions. While it wasn't a bad thing in itself, Orion sometimes found it downright frustrating; even more when the old 'bot just told him to be patient, that everything would be revealed in due time...
That had to be the most annoying thing in the world, and Orion had a wild guess he was about to have another of those experiences.
He felt his suspicions were starting to be proven right when Alpha Trion took a sharp turn before they could have reached the main hall and entered an elevator. That was when Orion couldn't keep himself from asking anymore, "Could you at least tell me where we're going?"
He expected an answer like "You'll never get anywhere with impatience" or "You'll see soon enough", and he wasn't far from the truth when Alpha Trion replied,
"I found something I want to show you." and with that, he pushed the button of the basement level. Orion was truly surprised by that, he had never been below stairs in the main building of the Observatory. There were significantly fewer robots, just one or two, walking past and the corridor Alpha Trion started leading him on was as colourless as Orion imagined. But now he had little interest in the place itself.
They finally arrived. It was an enormous chamber and was almost filled up whole by the huge spaceship that resided in it. Their steps echoed as the two mechs walked into the chamber, dwarfed by the old-looking machine. Orion could tell it must have been painted golden at the prime of its function, and he could also tell the vehicle was not an actual transformer; it was missing several key features that would have made it one.
"Impressive." Orion commented once they walked to the front of the ship.
"A Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor." Alpha Trion answered his unasked question, "It is called the Ark."
"And why is a spaceship so important that you had to drag me away from work? How did you get it down here at all?"
"Don't be so impatient, son. Everything has a reason and meaning." the ancient archivist chuckled, and Orion could detect a certain fondness in those deep blue optics as they roamed over the ship, "I travelled in it, too."
"It's that old?!"
Alpha Trion rolled his optics and Orion couldn't help a small laugh, "Alright, I'm sorry. But really, why is it important? Is it functional at all?"
"Not at this time." the answer caused the younger mech to frown, and he couldn't help follow his mentor's gaze as it floated to the closest case; the sight of a familiar databook greeted him there and his expression immediately turned serious. Orion didn't know why, back when he had just started his studies in the academy, Alpha Trion chose him as one of his students and had been his friend ever since, but he knew he should feel honoured the ancient mech trusted him enough to share his secrets with him. And while he trusted his mentor in return, sometimes he still simply couldn't understand how these primely mechanisms worked.
"Something's written about it in the Covenant?" Orion asked quietly.
"Something's written." Alpha Trion nodded, "The future is mutable, Orion, you know that. But we are reaching an event... an era of change. And we might very well need a ship of this calibers to... go, if necessary."
"But why?" Orion frowned, "This ship can take... hundreds of robots by the looks of it. Why would so many have to travel at once? And where? And just... why?"
Alpha Trion rested his optics on the young clerk's face before turning to the deep space interceptor - the Ark again, "What I know is that if we must leave, if we have no other choice, this ship is strong enough to house many, even for long periods out in space. For now, our immediate task is to repair it back to full functioning. I hoped you would help me."
Orion again just stared at the archivist for a long moment and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I... wanted to spend the evening with Elita, and next cycle I wanted to go to Kaon to meet–"
"You can go to Kaon anytime, son."
"I'm also working, like I should now–"
"I'll cover you."
"–and I'm not a mechanic anyway... I can't convince you, can I?"
"Of course you can't."
Orion heaved a great sigh. He had given up long ago to try to understand what lay behind Alpha Trion's every motives - he had proven before that there was a reason to all the things he asked. And Orion could do nothing more than have faith in his words.
Concentration, as Soundwave expected, did not come as easy as last time when he fought with Megatron. The various thoughts from the watching robots all seemed to revolve around him this time. It was a simple hand-to-hand combat, and what surprised Soundwave was that the stadium was almost full. Because of him - they wanted to see the mech who almost defeated the champion. It was clear what they expected from him and Soundwave was determined to make the crowd enjoy the show.
If he had to perform to entertain the people, to earn their credits, he would do it.
With Rumble and Frenzy, Soundwave had learnt not to underestimate the strength of mini-cons - and he was reminded again as he fought one for the first time in the arena. The mini-mech by the designation Brawn certainly lived up to his name. He was even stronger than Soundwave expected - it was different to watch and feel it first hand on his plates, he could feel the other did not hold back as the long-time gladiator collided into him, Soundwave had to brace himself and lock his joints to be able to hold him from pushing him back. Soundwave grunted and pushed forward, his hand ready to catch Brawn's as the other prepared to punch him.
That much was easier - this mech's thoughts were somewhat simpler, directed by only one goal, to defeat him and win. It was easy to read, and even though he was strong, he wasn't always as fast as Megatron in changing his motives. Soundwave had to be careful not to make his ability to predict his opponent's moves too obvious, and that helped focus on the fight, which was, despite all this, proving to be more difficult than he thought.
Over-confidence is a big flaw, Megatron said once during their training sessions. Never underestimate your foe. Be alert. If you have no time to consider, improvise, act on impulse. Let your body move. Sometimes that's the best you can do.
It worked, as Soundwave discovered. He did feel stronger since Megatron volunteered to train him. It was worth the dents and occasional visits to the medical ward with dislocated joints; Soundwave had learnt to tolerate pain more, Megatron helped him give his anger a direction, to turn it into strength. His moves had become more sophisticated as well and he grew more confident in them. He learnt that here, he had to answer pain with pain, attack back without remorse. He had learnt control...
The dual-spark gritted his dentae as he felt a hydraulic crack and break in his arm and he ducked again before Brawn's fist could have struck him in the face. Even though he was wearing his mask, it did not protect from everything - even though he had his telepathy, it did not make him invincible. Soundwave cried out in pain as Brawn, with exceptional speed, grabbed his injured arm and twisted it to his back. The former specialist kicked at the mini-con's legs with all his strenght and managed to make Brawn let go of him and fall to the ground, but it didn't take the other a klick to be back on his pedes and make the next move.
"This the best you can do?!" the mini-mech shouted to him and Soundwave felt rage flare up in him for a moment, curling his digits into fists. Both their ventilation systems were working hard and bursts of cheers kept waving through the spectators of the match whenever they crashed into each other - like now. Soundwave defended and attacked, he span around the throw the mini-mech to the ground, ignoring the surges of pain from his arm and waist where Brawn had managed to kick him, severing quite a few cables, support struts and an energon line that was still steadily leaking energon down Soundwave's plates.
Although he did not have trouble continuing, he knew he couldn't stretch the fight forever. He was starting to tire, but luckily, so was his opponent. He blocked Brawn's punch to his abdomen, but didn't have time to do so when his other fist ran into his face. Soundwave grunted again, the unique taste of processed energon, their lifeblood flooded his oral cavity. The dual-spark narrowed his optics and dived forward, driving his fist straight into the mini-con's chest plates.
He could see and hear Brawn's intakes hitch at the sudden strike, he felt panic fill his fellow gladiator's mind - Soundwave moved quickly, he grabbed the mini-mech's shoulder, twisted him around and dragged him to the ground, pushing him down tightly. Brawn cried out in pain and gritted his dentae, clawing at Soundwave to let go of him and attempting to kick him, however, he couldn't pry the dual-spark's digits off his plates, digging into them deep and Soundwave tore at the energon line from the central groove between the chest plates, causing a spurt of fluid to burst onto his plates, he crushed the other into the ground with considerable force.
And at that moment, his fuel pump froze for a klick and his optics widened as he was starting to feel a hot whirl of energy under his hand, the heavy and quickened pulsations of a spark gripped in panic, a faint crack...
Brawn screamed and trashed under his arms, Soundwave bit back a groan as his broken arm was hit again by the mini-con's flailing; he loosened his pressure on the chest plates, breaking himself free from the sensation of the spark through its chamber beneath his digits. He could feel it was the end. The other combatant's fear threatened to overwhelm him, close in on him - he had inflicted enough pain.
"You won! You won!" Brawn cried, a stream of energon trickling down the side of his face as he panted for air, "Get off of me!"
Soundwave took a deep intake, staying in that position for just a bit longer until he made sure the other gladiator was indeed giving up. He looked up at the audience, finding Master Onslaught's form in the crowd in less than a klick. When he saw the owner of the arena nod, he finally loosened his grip and got up. Soundwave's legs shook and now he could feel the damage done to his body, it was harder to get to his pedes than he expected. Now that the rush had passed, his processor had time to focus on the injuries; slight trembling from the energon loss, waves of exhausted weakness, pulses of pain, the hard thuds of his main pump to get energon, coolant and nanites to all the necessary locations.
"Soundwave!" the hoarse voice of the other gladiator called to him and he looked up to meet Brawn's angry optics. The mech was standing but still hunched over holding his chest, he wiped the energon from his face with his other arm, features contorted in pain and fury, "Don't think it's the last time you heard about me! You may be Megatron's favourite, but you can't survive everything! I will fight you again and win next time!"
Anger replaced by tired acceptance and gaining his patience back, Soundwave nodded, "I know. I am looking forward to our next match." with that, he turned around and limped towards the entrance of the stadium. He could feel now the extent of the injury in his waist, the severed cables and injured struts made it a little difficult to walk. It was fortunate his central backstrut was left unharmed, but Soundwave at the moment wished for nothing more than to be able to rest at least a joor, even if he had to spend it in the ward with the medics fussing all around him...
He raised his head, knowing exactly where to look. That familiar fiery red, the vibrant mind and shiny smile looked back at him just as he expected. He saw Blaster among the crowd even before the match began, the mech told him he would be there and Soundwave specifically searched for his signal to see if he kept his promise. They wouldn't have been able to talk, combating gladiators weren't allowed to step out of the arena and converse with the spectators, and anyway, Soundwave needed to head straight to the medical ward - but he nevertheless let his gaze linger on his fellow dual-spark and a small, energon-stained smile graced his lips behind his cracked mask before he could help it.
His creations were waiting for him at the entrance, congratulating him and asking how they could help. One of the medics, Pulse stood there as well and supported Soundwave to the ward, Ravage close by his other side, offering his back to Soundwave if he needed additional help; the twins were chattering about how awesome he was out there while Laserbeak chuckled quietly above them, their bond pulsing with worry and admiration. Soundwave noticed that they, too, had more confidence in him and actually managed to enjoy watching him beat a more experienced gladiator into defeat...
The memory of that moment before Brawn surrendered came back to him. Soundwave had never felt anything like. He had never seen any other sparks apart from his creations' and he'd never been so close to any physically. That energy was so unique, Soundwave couldn't even imagine it would feel like that, a vibrating hotness swirling with the emotions he picked up so clear from the other gladiator. It was still far from what it would really feel like, the protective walls of the chamber blocked it, but just a breem before, he almost crushed that chamber...
He had harmed robots before. Beat them if he had to, but it was never his intention to cause permanent damage. That was the closest he had ever got to kill someone and despite all he had done so far, Soundwave found it questionable if he would be able to extinguish the spark of another.
::Creator::, it was Ravage's voice inside his head that dragged the dual-spark back to reality, ::Megatron wants to talk to you.::
Soundwave just realized they had made it to the medical ward, Pulse helped him sit and lie down on his abdomen. He bit back a groan and retracted his facemask, allowing a drop of energon to roll down his chin.
"You swallowed it, didn't you?" he heard Pulse's voice above him, but did not look up at the grumbling medic, "I told you all numerous times not to swallow the blood, but do you ever listen to me? Of course not. And then when they get sick they come whining to me... Ah, never mind. I'll mend your struts now, so I'm shutting off your receptors."
Soundwave tried not to squirm as he felt Pulse's hands on his back, attaching a cable to his backstrut and soon Soundwave felt his legs go numb, all sensors shut off from waist down. He sighed a little in relief when the pain vanished there as well and let himself go limp on the berth, turning to his creations.
"What is it about?" he asked quietly, returning his attention to what Ravage just told him.
::He just said it has something to do with the Senate.::, the feline answered him, ::He watched your match but went back to his quarters, he'll be waiting for you there whenever you're ready.::
"...and the mechanisms had also been fine-tuned by our engineers! We have passed the official tests, and otherwise, this achievement is entirely the work of our flyers, and we absolutely don't feel any need to give it up for common usage! It is the result of a scientific project from the Astronomical Division of Vos, a new design, our own construction! You have no right to claim possession over something you didn't move a digit in planning, building and bringing to full function. It has given and will give jobs to many, and that would be lost with your nationalization. If this is executed, it will not only result in a loss of improvement, but will return to a stagnant state we were - or you should - try to avoid. Can't you see how self-contradictory your proposition is?! Way to build an image to the people we live to serve–"
The record of the Seeker froze when Megatron heard the ping from the door of his quarters. He put the datapad of the young senator down and went to open, finding Soundwave on the other side. The telepath was repaired and freshly out of the ward, Megatron could still detect the faint, peculiar smell that came from the welding on Soundwave's frame. The mech stood straight and had both his mask and visor retracted, amber optics looked back at him with unblinking calmness.
"Thank you for coming, Soundwave." Megatron let a satisfied smile to his lipplates and stood aside to let Soundwave in, "I hope you did not leave the ward prematurely."
"I am functional. Flatline allowed me to leave." Soundwave answered. It had taken two joors to get him back to full health and he left as soon as the chief physician gave him the all-clear, "Ravage told me you wanted to talk to me."
"That is right." Megatron walked to his computer and Soundwave followed him, standing by his side, "Are they here with you now?"
"Only Laserbeak. Is it something that involves them as well?"
The older gladiator hummed, "Maybe. Congratulations to your victory today. Brawn can be quite aggressive, and quite strong."
"That I could feel." Soundwave nodded and shifted his attention to the datapad on the console. It was still on and he had a wild guess Megatron had a purpose with it, otherwise he would not have left it open to his sight, but Soundwave did not want to read the grey mech's mind. He wanted him to tell him his intentions himself. He found Megatron had always spoken the truth so far, he had trust in Soundwave and the dual-spark found that he was starting to feel the same about him.
"First things first," Megatron stood before him, optics crimson novae yet composure still and steady, "does your decision still stand? Are you still ready to join in breaking out this rebellion?"
Soundwave met his optics with an intense glow of his own and bowed his head with the tiniest of movement, "You helped me when no one else did. Raised me up from the utter hopelessness. For that, I am eternally grateful to you." a sudden, unusual smirk appeared on his face, "Anyway, I already did plenty of things I didn't want to..."
"I want it to be your own choice." Megatron replied, putting a firm hand on Soundwave's shoulder, "The mech who dared show me what he's capable of controlling our systems and with that, our lives must be able to decide on his own. Not because someone wants you to."
"This... This I want." he took a moment to continue, "However, I have two condition. One... I need a personal computer. I will maintain all your data, but I cannot come to your room all the time. I need access to the system of the arena and the DataNet. I will do all the programming."
Megatron seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded curtly, "We need to talk to Master Onslaught first, but I believe our construction team can make it for you. And the other condition?"
Soundwave took a deep vent. "Never make me choose between your rebellion and my creations. If they don't want it, they will not be forced to do anything."
Surprise flashed through Megatron's features for a moment, "That never even occurred to me. They are equals here and they shall be treated as such. In fact, that is why I ask if they were here. You have mentioned they have a talent in espionage and I wanted to ask them about something... after discussing it with you first. I am curious about your opinion."
He picked up the datapad and as he moved it, the picture flashed back online. Megatron gave it to Soundwave and the latter narrowed his optics slightly seeing the tri-colour Seeker standing head held high and Soundwave could almost hear the outrageous tone that his otherwise fine, aristocratic features still held displayed all over his face on the frozen image.
"I assume you recognize this mech." Megatron spoke and Soundwave tore his gaze from the picture of the Senate chamber.
"Senator Starscream of Vos." he answered calmly, "How did you get this recording? If anything, these are not public. Even I couldn't watch a full session at the InfoCore."
Megatron smirked at that note, "I have... reliable sources. What do you think of him?"
"I do not know him." Soundwave gave the datapad back, "And I'm not a psychologist."
"No. You're even better... a telepath. There must be some... traits by which you can tell what kind of mech he might be. And I'm sure you have seen him in other media as well."
Soundwave starred at his fellow gladiator for a long moment, but fought the urge to enter his mind. He had a wild guess what Megatron could be waiting for and he wanted to see if he was right, "You mentioned a "reliable source" and I'm sure this robot does not provide you only with this kind of recordings alone, but also the character of this mech. If you have a robot within the Senate, you don't need Senator Starscream for information." he stopped for a moment, studying Megatron's face and signals for confirmation, "Vos, despite being more open to the public in recent stellar cycles, is still quite isolated. It is ruled by their queen and has a military of its own. A population of flyers, strong soldiers and renowned scientists with their own exploration teams... and the Senate still hasn't succeeded in getting the city state fully under their control thanks to their senator. That means you want to recruit him... in hope his flyers will stand by your side in your rebellion."
A quiet chuckle resonated through Megatron's plates and he looked back at the datapad, "You know me so well already. Yes, they are... a force to be reckoned with. They would mean a great advantage in a battle. You were also right that my... friend at the Senate did provide me with information regarding the senators, Starscream mainly. You know they also received my samizdats? Well, after a while, they refused to even read them, but Senator Starscream is still showing interest. Apart from technical things, he is one of the few who is still more open to listen... he dares speak up against the other senators, even Sentinel himself, if he doesn't agree with something."
Megatron stopped for just a klick, eying the picture of the Seeker with a look Soundwave at first couldn't place anywhere, "He is young, impulsive..."
"Passionate?" Soundwave asked, head cocked to the side. Megatron raised his optics back to him, optical ridges raised in mild surprise before he laughed softly.
"Well... it seems so. I want to know your opinion."
Soundwave let his gaze hover to the datapad and extended a hand to it, "You have summed it up well. We would be much stronger with them by our side. If Senator Starscream is like you said, he knows how to manipulate events to his liking and would be willing to at least give your proposition a chance. He would help the people... even if only to be their hero. And look," Soundwave pointed to the seat next to Starscream where Senator Proteus of Stanix sat with a sour expression Soundwave was quite familiar with, Sigil of Perihex on his other side looked none the less pleased, "how the other senators watch him. As if Starscream was a thorn in their side. If that's true, he is a danger to their perfect order within this rule, and if anything suspicious would be revealed about him, they wouldn't hesitate to get rid of him."
"What are you saying?"
"That if you recruit him, but he wants to turn against you, you can threaten him to expose his favouring a rebellion against his fellow ruling class. You would have evidence... it would be the end of him."
Megatron did not say anything at first. He just stared at Soundwave without moving an inch until he finally hummed, raising a hand to brush his chin and he let out a short, amused chuckle, "I see deception is not as foreign to you as I first thought. Impressive. That means you agree?"
"I may, but the others need to agree, too. After all, if the senator and his flyers join us, it will mean a drastic change in our lives. And... you haven't told me what my creations' role in all this would be."
"I wanted to ask them for a... mission, we can say. I know they are good at sneaking into places only mini-cons can. I would like one of them to deliver my message to the senator."
Silence fell between them as Soundwave ran the words through his processor. He calculated the possibilities of such a mission, what would happen if his creation gets caught... if that happened. Soundwave was famous and infamous for his hacking skills, to get in places only a very few could. He knew he would have no problem breaking into a security system, but one so complex...
Rumble and Frenzy were the more adventurous of them, but it did not mean the dual-spark didn't like challenges.
"If you are in constant contact with your friend at the Senate, I am sure you could get your message to the senator through him." Soundwave finally stated quietly, "Yet you want my creation to get into the Grand Imperium for you. It is a test, isn't it?"
"If you and your creations are willing to take it."
"I have one more proposition to you... a scientist. A mech who would maybe be easier to persuade to join us."
"A scientist? Who would that be?"
"He took Jhiaxus' place at the Tarnian Academy of Mechanical Sciences, a student of his. In his publications, he follows roughly the same concepts Jhiaxus dealt with. It is clear his predecessor had a great influence on him, but the last time I read something from him, it seemed he's beginning to find his own way. His designation is Shockwave."
"What could he provide us?"
"Their main fields are genetical engineering. They could provide us with weapons, transformational modifications, maybe even alt modes better suited for combat. They could provide us with scientific insight into approaching certain situations. Jhiaxus had predicted a rebellion; we are merely fulfilling this prediction, one that Dean Shockwave seems willing to follow as well..."
"SURPRISE!"
Crasher shrieked in shock before she could have stopped herself as the purple figure dropped down from the ceiling in front of her. She jumped up from her berth and just barely managed to keep the datapad in her hands, but she threw it on the berth when he saw the mini-con laughing hunched over in the middle of her room.
"You should've seen your face..." was all Rumble could say before strong hands grabbed his shoulders and shoved him away. The unexpected turn made his expression fall and he stared dumbfounded up at Crasher looming over him with a not-so amused look on her face.
"Care to get your aft up from the ground and explain how in the pit you got into my room?! And Primus, mech, you're actually clean and polished?!"
Rumble stood up quickly and dusted himself off, that annoying grin returned to his faceplate and he pointed up, "Ventilation shaft. And don't get so mad, I jus' came to say hi. I'm goin' out."
That made Crasher's optical ridges lift in surprise, "Out? Where?"
The mini-con opened his subspace and picked out a shiny card that he showed up to the femme gladiator, puffing out his chest, "To the Grand Imperium. I'm gonna meet Vos's senator!"
Crasher let out an amused snort, crossing her arms over her chest. Her anger had evaporated by then and was replaced with a pleasant surprise, "Megatron told me about it, but I never thought it would be you to go there. I still don't get it why the polish was necessary though."
"Blending in with the crowd, perhaps?"
"With the elite scum out there? Well... you sure flaunt like a dynametal duck, just like them."
"Hey!" Rumble frowned and looked down on himself, "...at least I'm a sexy chick."
Crasher rolled her optics and shook her head, taking a step ahead to take a look at the card in Rumble's hand. The cassette gave it to her and she rolled it around, familiarizing with its features.
"It's for the ground bridge nexus, isn't it?" she asked quietly, "And local transport in Iacon."
"Yup. Master Onslaught got it for us."
"I've never been to Iacon." Crasher's tone grew softer and she gave the card back to the mini-mech, "Tell me what it was like when you get back. Just please, come through the door next time."
For a moment, the smile was gone from Rumble's lips and he cocked his head to the side, "I've never been there either. Soundwave downloaded into my processor a map an' everything... hey, why don't ya come with me?"
"No! No." Crasher shook her head and stepped back, "I'm good here. Though I have no idea why Lord Megatron would choose you, I won't question him."
"Why, because I'm the perfect choice." Rumble grinned, but then looked down, "But, really... It would at least be a... an adventure, together. Cause I just... right now I have nothing more to give, just..." he spread out his arms, displaying his glistening frame, "my polished, pristine and immaculate self."
A quiet chuckle rose from Crasher's vocalizer, "Big words for a street punk like you. But I think that'll be quite enough for now. Don't get caught."
Rumble nodded and silence settled between them for a klick. Then, faster than Crasher expected, the mini-mech lurched forward and Crasher's tendons tensed, reflexively readying her for an upcoming attack, but it never came. What she felt was a light brush on her lips, then Rumble leant back and now it was Crasher's turn to stare dumbfounded at the mech showing his whole set of dentae in a wide grin.
"Now what was that for?!"
"I jus' stole a kiss." Rumble shrugged and transformed, a klick later he was gone to where he came from. Crasher stood in the middle of her room, then with a huff went back to her berth and picked up the datapad that had since gone dark. Sure that Rumble was still watching from behind the shaft door, she raised her hand to form an obscene gesture towards its direction. A muffled chuckle confirmed her suspicion and she turned back to the datapad with a shake of her head, silently deciding she needed the distraction by this idiot to raise her spark, just a little bit.
"'kay..." Rumble resisted the urge to bounce on his pedes in excitement at he and Ravage stood at the station. Of the three ground bridges, the one that currently was being coordinated to Iacon was beginning to activate, a small crowd gathered before it.
::You should go.:: Ravage took a step back to let Rumble leave. He would have to wait a little longer for his bridge to Tarn, but at least the guards were finally letting them. It was strange seeing mechanoids travel alone, but Ravage made it clear that he had the intelligence and licence to use the ground bridge nexus - and now they were both ready for the journey. He could feel Rumble's excitement and slight anxiety at the unknown, even though Soundwave provided the both of them with the exact informations, maps and the local transfer lines to their final destinations. He felt the same - and there was also the nervousness about how the mechs they were supposed to meet would react...
::Little brother::, Rumble turned back quickly hearing Ravage's quiet voice in his head, ::take care.::
"I will." and with that, Rumble joined the crowd already going through the swirling light of the ground bridge. Ravage took a deep vent. He knew Soundwave was monitoring their progress from the central computer of the arena, but it was still the biggest and most complex mission they had ever been in. He couldn't help worry for his loudmouthed sibling - but now he told himself to concentrate on his own journey.
The Grand Imperium was... large. And shiny.
Rumble couldn't decide whether he wanted to run inside or away from the colossal building. Many robots, all wearing colourful armors and prideful expressions, came and went on all sides in front of the large gates, none casting a single glance at Rumble. Now he was glad for the polish - Laserbeak's idea - and he willed his joints to move slowly towards the entrance. He opened his comm. link to receive his creator's silent command in his processor, ::Go in.:: And he went in.
Plastering his most confident expression on his face, Rumble strode forward to an elevator among the other, standard-height robots. The sparkling-clean floor reflected off the lights from the high ceiling, warmth and an almost heady smell of wax wrapped around Rumble as he pushed himself through the door of the elevator among the larger frames. The mechs and femmes weren't talking, the silence made the short lift even more uncomfortable. He was starting to understand what the word 'claustrophobia' meant...
The mini-mech breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator door whooshed open at last and he got out of the small space with hurried steps. Rumble cast a glance at the ceiling, knowing that Soundwave was there inside the Imperium's security system, bending data unperceived by those managing security. Rumble knew he had to hurry, after all, no matter how much mastery his creator possessed in breaking into computers, it wouldn't take too long until his presence was discovered in the system.
Rumble could feel his spark pulse a little as fright coursed through his frame when he finally found the office he was looking for. His digits trembled into fists and he took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay, okay..." whispering to himself, he reached up and soon heard a faint ping that signaled to the office's residents his arrival.
He didn't have to wait long. The door opened to reveal a tall, purple and black flyer. Rumble's optics widened unintentionally. He had never met a flyer frame-type, especially not a Seeker before - the mech was beautiful and graceful, there was nothing that stood out wrong on his body. The silvery faceplate carried straight, firm features, but there was something about those red optics that gave his whole face a young, almost mischievous glow. The Seeker frowned upon seeing Rumble and opened his mouth to speak, but Rumble beat him to it.
"Hy!" the mini-con grinned, causing the flyer to lean back in surprise.
"What is it?"
"Designation's Rumble. Who are you?" Rumble cocked his head to the side, remembering that Senator Starscream was supposed to be red and blue and white - this Seeker definitely couldn't be him.
"You don't know who I am?" the Seeker asked back and let out an amused huff, "What do you want?"
"I came to Senator Starscrea–"
"Who is it, Skywarp?" another voice asked, high-pitched and somewhat screechy and Rumble flinched slightly upon hearing that. The purple Seeker, Skywarp turned around and took a step to the side, allowing Rumble view inside the pristine office and another Seeker who stood at a table not far from the door with a tiny frown on his delicate features. Rumble's intakes hitched slightly before he could have stopped them - if Skywarp was beautiful, then this mech was perfect. Paint job brilliant, every curve of his frame just in the right place and right amount, his shapely wings stood straight and proud on his back. His face was a darker colour, optics fires of a flaming star, he couldn't have denied his noble origins. This mech was like a work of art, and Rumble wondered if any genetic engineering had been involved to make him such a fine piece of mechanical biology...
...that horrible voice belonged to this gorgeous flyer?!
"His designation is Rumble." Skywarp answered him, his voice brought Rumble back from his awe, "He wanted to talk to you."
"I have to give you a message..." Rumble took a bold step forward, only for Skywarp to plant a leg firmly in his way.
"Hey, now, don't you dare move an inch until–"
"Chill, Warpy," Rumble looked up at the shocked flyer, "I wanted to talk with the senator."
"Warpy?!" he exclaimed, "Who do you think you are, you piece of–"
"Enough!" that voiced screeched again and this time, Senator Starscream came forward to look down upon the mini-con with a stern expression, "Skywarp is right - just who do you think you are?! Unless that message contains anything of great importance that you dare think you can take a step inside my office without my permission, I'll make the enforcers throw you out of the Imperium... maybe even take you to a brig."
Rumble swallowed, deciding this mech was probably the scariest he had ever seen, he spoke in a hushed tone, hoping the familiar code would change the Seekers' mind, "It's from D-16."
Starscream straightened up, his optics widened for only a nanoklick before he got his features under control again. He turned around and walked back to his table with calculated steps, giving Rumble a full view of his back and the fascinating pair of wings before he called to his trine mate over his shoulder, "Let him in, Skywarp."
Rumble smirked as the purple Seeker stepped to the side muttering something under his breath and the mini-mech walked into the spacey office. It had three tables each with a computer and numerous datapads, and at one sat a third, blue and white Seeker. He was no less attractive as the other two, though he couldn't have surpassed the senator's beauty. He seemed calm, handsome features looked more mature than his trine mates'. He now stood up as well and went to stand by Starscream's side and soon all three flyers were looking down at Rumble, six red optics burning into his small ones.
"You know that mech?" Starscream was the first to talk, voice lower and quieter than the first time. Rumble nodded,
"Yeah, he sent me here."
"Specifically to me?"
"He told me to find Senator Starscream and give him his message." Rumble replied, surprised how calm and collected he sounded. The Vosian's optics narrowed down at the mini-mech as if he was trying to get into his very soul.
"What does he want from me?"
Rumble allowed a confident smile to his face and he took a step to one of the computers, "See for yourselves." with that, he transformed and was soon gone in one of the ports of the machine. All three stood shocked at first seeing that, but not a klick later, the screen flashed up with a letter as long as Starscream remembered the samizdats were. He moved closer to take a look, saving every word into his memory banks to review them at a later time if necessary, reading the message with keen interest. It didn't take long for them to run through it and Starscream leant back with an unreadable expression. He heard the sound of transformation and turned his head to see the purple mini-con stand before them with expectant optics.
Starscream raised up his chin, folding his arms across his chest, he stood straight before addressing the cassette again, "And just what made this mech think we would join him just like this? Why would I want to meet and assist such a low-life nobody? How would that benefit me and my flyers?"
Rumble pulled back his EM field before it could have revealed his fright at the question. Of course, it was logical on the senator's part, and he felt incredibly grateful to Soundwave for telling and showing them all they had to expect. Rumble had been fairly good at improvising, and he knew it was a crucial point - it was their chance and he couldn't ruin it.
"You could make a change... isn't that what you want?"
Starscream optics narrowed again, "It is my job as a representative of my people. Why would I need an uneducated entertainment fighter to help me with this?"
Rumble ran his optics along all three faces and spread out his hands in an act of sincerity, "We have tried words... they didn't work. We tried to make it with the tools in our hands, but it wasn't enough. We are the powerhouses of Cybertron, we, the workers, the gladiators, the common mechs and femmes, and you know it. But if we don' even get a chance then a... future for improvement and... peace and evolution won't happen." he said, gathering everything he could use from his memory banks. Soundwave mentioned the senator used to be a scientist, maybe these prospects would convince him...
It seemed he did choose the right words. Starscream's features smoothed out and a smirk formed on his lips, "The powerhouses of Cybertron, you say." he repeated and leant forward a little, "How should I know this mech speaks the truth?"
"He has no reason not to." Rumble shrugged, "He knows you're not as blindfolded as the other senators here. If anyone, you can sum up the situation here. And there's no harm in a meeting. If a "low-life nobody" dares to be a revolutionary, then why not you?"
Starscream couldn't decide whether to be amused at the mech's boldness or his words. Revolutionary - what a big word from such a small mech. Yet it weighed down on him more than he wanted to. The message from the mech who called himself 'D-16', still cautious not to reveal his true designation, was heavy and demanding - and surged a new wave of excitement through Starscream's circuits, something he hadn't felt in a long time. The promise of the unknown, a chance to finally get to know this mech he wanted to see for long now was here. And his words assurance for a change he yearned for.
He just needed to decide if he was ready to take it.
Eeer... yeah.
Good night! ^^