A short but important chapter...
"It won't be long now."
"Good. I'll give the others their orders."
Tired optics watched the monitors a moment longer before turning to look upon the one who addressed him. The tall blue mech's expression was as austere as ever, though he knew his own likely reflected much of the same severity. "Magnus... this will be our only opportunity. If we do not succeed, then we lose the advantage. We need to be ready."
'If we do not succeed, all of their sacrifices will be in vain.'
He didn't say it aloud, but he didn't need to. The thought hung between them, nearly tangible. Ultra Magnus stepped closer to the white and orange bot, servo lifting to rest on his rotator-cup. Ratchet had spent countless solar cycles scouring the live footage to secure this information for them, identifying drone rotations, security gaps, pickup schedules. Planting the devices had been no simple task, and had resulted in the loss of lives. He knew the medic's spark was heavy with that knowledge. "We will succeed. There is no other option."
The Commander's response was brief, but weighted with conviction. Ratchet gave a brief vent, nodding his helm as he turned back to the screens.
The taller of the two turned and strode from the room. They needed to prepare, to be ready to depart at a moment's notice. They would have only a scarce few nano-kliks to bridge from their location to the mine, and then through the Decepticon's own ground bridge and into their fortress. Once the gate closed behind them, their only hope of escape rested in the success of their mission. They were sending some of their best, a gamble, but a necessary one. If they failed... they wouldn't fail.