Chapter 21 ~ "Lets all go to the ball!"

That night, Scavenger had launched the ship after Prime had his own little fun time. They would arrive at their next destination, which was planet called Exus; it was similar to Earth, only with an abundance of different alien life. It was mainly where the rich settled their plans on. Basically it was the capital planet for entrepreneurs.

VolFogg spent most of the trip teaching the GunMachine twins how to speak. By the time they arrived, both could speak fairly well, though occasionally they lapsed back into their original language, of chirps and whirs and other sounds. They even sounded alike when using words, though GunDober had a faintly purring accent, like a large cat.

Optimus was laying in his recharge berth while Scavenger was piloting the ship. He lay thinking to himself... a female bounty head. Megatron could not be allowed on this one; he's won over by femmes too easily. As he was thinking he let his hand drift down to his open codpiece. He was deep in thought and almost screamed like a femme when Scavenger walked in to tell him they were landing,

Scavenger's optics blinked, then rubbed his face. "Put that thing away, Prime..." he groaned. "We're landing at the docks, and I already have the perfect plan to try and find this femme..."

Prime was covering himself with legs intertwined with each other, he moaned after the old mech left his quarters. "I really need to get better lock on that door..."

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It wasn't long until the Guardian landed in the docks of the major city of Exus, Solsta. It was a LARGE city, highly populated and highly indulged into the stock markets of the universe, however that only meant with the more money the more people who would try to steal it.

VolFogg watched the view screen from his berth as they landed, the twins pressed against his sides. He was getting used to their newfound need to touch, so he no longer jumped when their hands petted his armored back and shoulders. The new planet looked rather interesting, and he sighed slightly as he extricated himself from the mech pile on the berth. "Time to go to work..."

Optimus walked onto deck and did a double take of Sideswipe, sitting on a rather large and soft looking pillow. He looked at Megatron. "You are to stay on the ship with the younglings... I know how you are with femmes."

Megatron glared, wincing. "Fine..." he grumbled. "My ass still hurts anyway..." Sideswipe added on to that statement with a small moan.

RaiRyu had been sitting in front of the small table of the common by Megatron's feet, he looked from his pile of flowers that he was arranging. "Are you sure it's going to be safe out there for you, sir?" FuuRyu blinked down at his twin, having been sitting next to him the whole time while EnRyu and HyoRyu were playing video games on the Holo-screen.

Prime looked down to RaiRyu and smile, "Yes I'm sure kiddo," he smirked, "I'll make sure that these bozos are too."

The three mechs of the ninja team appeared out of nowhere, as was their norm. "We're ready," GunDober announced, looking over at Prime.

"Good," the blue and silver bot nodded the ninja trio.

They had left the ship, the small crew following Scavenger through the city; the older mech was holding a briefcase full of... something. They stopped at a small cafe near the park; Scavenger set the briefcase down on the table where they were sitting at. "All right..." He flicked open the latch of the case. "We all know that this femme targets boys with big money, so..." He pulled out an envelope with fancy lettering written on the front. "We're going to attend a little party."

GunGlue let out a purring sound, tugging lightly on the flowing red scarf he'd managed to find and insisted that VolFogg wear. The taller mech smiled at him, then turned back to Scavenger. "What kind of party, and is there any more information about who we are looking for?"

"We are still not to clear on that; all we know is she will be there. So…" Optimus stood. "We need something a little more..." He looked down at himself, "pleasant looking then what we have on."

Scavenger lifted up a finger at that. "That's why I brought a few things..." He pulled out a few dress-cloaks, armor polish and metallic paint. "This is a 'Black-Tie-Affair' as the humans would say, so we need to look sharp to blend into this sorta crowd." He pulled up the holo-screen on his arm. "The party is tonight around the 8th cycle, we have our own table AND a set of names..."

VolFogg nodded, then looked at himself. "We are more used to blending in and going unnoticed; this is going to be interesting." He absently stroked the edge of the scarf while looking at the holoscreen, shifting so GunDober could see.

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A few hours went by, and the group had arrived at the estate where the banquet was being held at. It was large white building, front yard fountain and all; Scavenger looked up at the building, wearing a dark purple dress cloak and his armor glistening. "Well this is the place..." He led the group inside where a guard plus a greeter stood.

Scavenger handed them the invitation and the greeter's eyes doubled in size. "My goodness! So glad to have you hear sir! We'll get your table ready right away..." He was bowing at the group with every step. Scavenger grinned.

VolFogg smiled to himself, adjusting his dress cloak slightly. A light breeze blew his scarf out behind him. GunDober and GunGlue flanked him, armor gleaming, and the heli-mech's cloak draped so as to avoid the rotor blades on his back, GunDober's to avoid getting snarled in the tires mounted on his legs. They followed Scavenger and Prime, making some effort to make noise. Their silent steps were unnerving to most people.

As they walked, Prime had spotted a certain yellow mech, "Oh no..." He hid behind Scavenger. "You didn't tell me Hot Shot was going to be here!"

Scavenger shifted his optics to the yellow Autobot Commander and smirked. "5 years and the kid still looks the same..." He looked back at Prime, knowing very well why. He sent a text to Prime's message when they were seated at their table, 'You should give it to Hot Shot before we leave this planet... he isn't officially the Commander without it'.

VolFogg looked over at the yellow mech in question, guessing that this mech was someone Optimus had known in his past. He nodded slowly, giving his agreement. "Fortunately, we are new to this universe, so he won't know the twins and I." He looked around the room again, ignoring a few curious looks.

Prime watched Hot Shot closely noticing that Scavenger's statement was indeed correct. The young Autobot Commander was greeting the guests for the funding of the energon project. He narrowed his optics, sighing and followed his crew to their table.

When they had sat down at their table, Prime went for the highgrade, "I have to admit, Locktread, you have taste." He was poured a glass of a very expensive brand of highgrade energon.

Scavenger winced at the name. "Why did you have to choose THAT name..." he muttered, suddenly aware of their waitress, who was pouring them their high grade. She was a slim, beautiful femme, wearing a waitress armor outfit of red and white, with her blood red synthetic hair braided and hanging over her shoulder. Scavenger eyed her, she was pretty he'll give that; he grinned at the sight of her chest.

VolFogg snorted, looking at his own glass of high grade. The twins looked at theirs, giving soft chirrs to let him know that they had learned from their first encounter with the stuff. They would be careful not to get overenergized. The purple mech nodded, then waited until the waitress had left before lowering his voice carefully. "So... does anyone have an ideas on who we are looking for?"

Optimus sipped on his energon. "It's pay back for walking in on me in my private time."

Scavenger snorted at Prime. "Well, for starters, Vol..." he took a sip at his high grade, "She's slimming, sexy, great at disguises..." The old mech blinked his optics, "She would be undercover as someone of high power in order to get close to her targets..." He narrowed his optics.

He looked up when the waitress came back with their menus. "Care to order anything gentlemen?" Her voice was soft.

VolFogg took the menu, looking it over. The twins looked over his shoulders; debating with each other in soft chitters and whirs. "Hmm..."

Optimus snatched up the menu and began looking through it. He loved food; he was almost drooling over everything his optics came upon. Then he settled on something, "I'll think I'll go with the Energon flip, with the plus oil no coolant... extra on the wax and rust and a Nexus sheen drip. "

The waitress smiled, tapping her note-screen on all the food they ordered; as soon as she left, Scavenger took another sip of his high-grade. "We should be looking out for any femmes that would fit her actions..." He looked at the corner or his optic at all the other tables; people were getting ready for their meals and the great presentation afterwards. He spotted all sorts of femmes, mechs and non-mechs, all dressed in their outfits of polished armor or sparkly polish.

VolFogg took a careful sip of his high-grade, raising an optic rim as he put the glass back down. "Quite strong stuff," he observed, then turned his attention back to the others. His gaze swept over the crowd in the room, making note of each and every other person there.

"I am, you know, how I can have a good time but be paying attention, relax and enjoy it too, you old cock sucker." He snickered at Scavenger. "Besides, VolFogg has training in this, too. We're covered; relax." He tapped on the elder mech's thigh under the table playfully.

Scavenger took his fork and stuck into Prime's hand. Prime held in a yelp with his optics blaring wide and his teeth gritted in a wide grin. Scavenger smirked, then noted that the food was being passed out; this was odd, nothing has happened yet and it was quickly getting to the end of the banquet. Scavenger retrieved his fork from Prime's hand, the bot was grumbling while scooting away a bit.

GunDober let out a soft purring laugh, green optics glittering with amusement. GunGlue grinned around VolFogg's shoulder, and then applied himself to his own food once it was placed in front of him. He ate quickly but neatly; he had had some manners trained into him since the upgrade. VolFogg smiled to himself at Scavenger and Prime's antics, keeping an eye on the rest of the crowd while he ate.

Optimus cradled his injured hand, licking the wound with his glossa. He shot off a dental picker and almost squealed in victory when it met its mark right into Scavenger's codpiece, the sharp object piercing the older mech's interface unit.

Scavenger cringed, pulling the dental picker out and glared at Prime. "You're an idiot..." he growled when Prime snickered. Everyone had finished eating, and the presentation was about to begin when Prime spotted Hot Shot walking onto the stage with JetFire behind him. The lights dimmed, and the spotlight was on the young Autobot Commander as he begun his thanks on everyone participating and such.

Scavenger had looked away from his former charge to a table where a femme sat with a small pipe in her mouth and what looked to be a handbag that was oddly shaped.

VolFogg sighed; pinching the bridge of his nose in a gesture learned from the humans he had once worked with, muttering under his breath. He gave the other two a look that said, "behave", though he cherished no illusions that they would pay the least bit of attention to him. GunDober and GunGlue snickered under their breath, and then looked at him innocently when he transferred that look to them.

Prime's optics narrowed, following Scavenger's gaze and spotting the handbag. He frowned, "No…" he whispered, "Hot Shot couldn't be the target…"

Hot Shot said his final words before hearing the series of applause as he left off the stage with JetFire following him. Prime sighed, he was off the stage but that didn't mean he wasn't a potential target... Scavenger was eying the femme with the pipe, suddenly see her whisper something to her date and head out of the room, taking her handbag with her. The old mech narrowed his optics. "I think we may have her... or at least a suspect..."

VolFogg looked at Prime, pink optics glowing in the dark, giving Prime a look that cautioned him to calm down. It would do no one any good to move too soon. Hearing Scavenger, he looked in the direction the old mech was, watching the indicated femme. "Hmm..."

Scavenger wiped his mouth, keeping his head low as Hot Shot and JetFire passed by. After everything was clear, he got up from the table and went to follow the femme; he had to move quickly so he pretty much power-walked getting ever so closer towards the femme. She had gone into the femmes disposal unit; Scavenger cursed knowing he couldn't go inside without anyone spotting him.

VolFogg watched the old mech, choosing instead to keep an eye on the rest of the crowd. He had long since learned to trust his instincts, and he knew that seldom were things exactly as they seemed. His body was tense; he sensed that something was up.

Prime sat quietly at his seat, waiting for any signs of something suspicious. It became quiet for a moment, and he watched as several unknown yet well-dressed mechs walked onto the stage to give thanks to the young Autobot Commander. Everything seemed fine, until there was a faint sound…

CLICK!

Before the blue and silver bot could do anything, shots were fired at the stage…