Transformers: Cold Steel - Chapter 4
The Morning Star Cantina, Tarn.
"Even at that range, your weapon won't break through my armor," said Grindstalker. "So unless you have a fusion cannon pointed at the back of my head, I have nothing to fear."
"I know all about your armor," replied the one holding the gun. "I know who you are, I know all about your schemes, I know all about your past sins. So shut up and listen. You and I are walking out of here quietly, leaving your crew behind to play with the shanix you've planned to steal. Think differently and I'm more than ready to change your mind."
"You know all about my past sins, you say?" replied Grindstalker. He started to wonder who this person was and how he had wronged them. "I can tell you want revenge, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to make a point. Clearly, you're no assassin or else I'd be dead. I think maybe you're an Autobot. Whatever I've done, you've taken it quite personally. The question is, what?"
"You talk too much. Now keep your trap shut or we'll see what kind of an assassin I am."
Grindstalker felt the barrel of the firearm push the back of his head forward. He could tell it was a double-barrel weapon and that it might cause some damage at that range. If the opportunity to get the upper hand presented itself, Grindstalker would take it. He was not going to allow whoever this was to get the better of him.
The click of a comlink activating got Grindstalker's attention. He listened as the one behind him started talking to someone else. "Listen up. I have him at gunpoint. Get ready to leave but stay alert. If this goes sideways you know what to do. Chromia out."
"Chromia? So that's your name then," said Grindstalker. "Never heard of you. Regardless, I at least know what to call you when I ask how you wish to die."
"Very funny, slag-licker. We'll see how tough you are once I get you away from your friends downstairs."
Just as Chromia was about to lead Grindstalker out, the doors to the balcony slid open, revealing one of Grindstalker's troops. "Hey, Grindstalker, guess what? The owner had another chest of shanix hidden behind his bar. Hey, what the...?"
Grindstalker's chance was here. The gun against his head would be used against the Decepticon who had just stumbled upon the situation, allowing him to deal with this fool who thought she could take him on alone. However, Grindstalker's audio receptors exploded when Chromia fired both barrels at point-blank range. As his head was thrown forward, Grindstalker lost his balance as he felt himself go over the guard rail and fall from the balcony.
Chromia turned her focus on the newcomer. Before the Decepticon could gather his wits, his chest was perforated by a rapid-fire repeater she had in her other hand. With him out of the way, she rushed to the guard rail to deal with Grindstalker. With both weapons aimed over the side, Chromia cursed when she saw that Grindstalker wasn't there.
Down on the main floor of the bar, the Decepticons had heard the shots and were scrambling to figure out what to do next. That's when the front door slid open, revealing their extremely angry leader, holding the back of his head. "She's upstairs, you idiots! Get after her and make sure she is crippled before bringing her to me!"
With weapons drawn, the Decepticons ran for the upper level. Whoever had assaulted their commander was about to enter a world of pain.
Peering around the balcony's entrance, Chromia heard the Decepticons coming for her. Activating her comlink, she radioed her comrades, "All right, knuckleheads. Looks like you're going to see some action. I'm going to lead them outside then they're all yours. But remember, Grindstalker in mine"
Chromia received a double click, confirming her message was received and understood. As the first Decepticons made it to the top of the stairs, Chromia greeted them with a couple of shrapnel grenades thrown their way.
Ripping through Grindstalker's troops, the grenades made short work of their targets, causing the Decepticons to tumble back down the stairs and the others to think twice before venturing upwards. Walking towards the stairs despite the searing pain coursing through his head, Grindstalker began scolding his warriors as they were now hesitant to fight. "What are you standing around for? Get after her I said!"
To emphasize his point, Grindstalker pushed a Decepticon closest to him towards the stairs. As the warrior regained his balance, a laser bolt tore through his head, dropping him to the floor.
More laser bolts flew through the air as Grindstalker and his troops began flipping tables over to use them for cover. Sliding down the stairs on her side, Chromia let loose with her repeater as the Decepticons fired blindly from their position, hammering the wall behind her.
Staying low as he reached the floor, Chromia rolled across a table, knocking it over to use for protection and laid low as energy blasts tore through the top. Seeing as she was pinned down, she needed a way out. Seeing her chance, she made another throw, knowing it would get the Decpeticon's attention.
In the middle of the main floor, the Decepticons heard something land hard in between them. "Grenade!" someone shouted, causing the shooting to halt as everyone hit the floor and repositioned their tables to take the blast.
Instead of an explosion, the sound of glass smashing broke the silence. Grindstalker rose to see that a window had been smashed out. Looking towards the area where the 'grenade' had landed, Grindstalker wasn't impressed when he saw energon leaking from the steel mug Chromia had thrown at them.
"She's making fools out of the lot of you," proclaimed the Decepticon commander. "Get outside and hunt her down And she's not alone.", The Decepticons hurried through the front entrance, scanning the area once they were outside, ready to open fire on anything that moved.
Chromia was nowhere to be seen. And no one else for that matter. There was no way anyone could have disappeared that quickly, not across the open area where the Decepticons stood. Grindstalker was about to order some of his troops back inside to search behind the bar when something fell at his feet.
The Decepticons nearly panicked before Grindstalker calmed them down, "Stand your ground! She threw another mug, she thinks we'll fall for the same trick twice."
As Grindstalker watched the mug roll away, something inside of it fell out and then exploded, blinding everyone looking in its direction. Decepticons began to stumble about and bump into each other as they tried to readjust their optics and compensate for the violent flash of light.
With his vision impaired, Grindstalker cursed the Autobot. How dare this fembot think she can get the best of him! Who did she think she was and more importantly, what did he do to earn her wrath? It didn't matter what he had done. Grindstalker was ready to extract the reason why she thought it would be a good idea to confront him as painfully as possible.
As Grindstalker's sight began to come back, he heard the roar of an engine up above.
"I gave no orders to go airborne!" shouted Grindstalker as he saw a blue helicopter rising into the air. As he realized it wasn't one of his warriors, the helicopter began to open fire on his squad, cutting down three of them before they recognized the threat.
The Deception's counterattack was a mess, as many soldiers hadn't completely regained their vision and fired sporadically into the air. Others ran about, trying to dodge the barrage of energy bolts fired from the helicopter. Those who did manage to fight back were frustrated as the helicopter avoided their shots, performing a half-crazed dance of evasive maneuvers.
Cussing that his squad had somehow turned completely incompetent, Grindstalker drew his heavy, automatic rifle from his weapon compartment. It was time to show these drunken rejects how to deal with these over-ambitious Autobots.
That's when Grindstalker heard his troops screaming behind him. He turned around to see two spinning drills coming for him after they had ripped apart one of his soldiers. Grindstalker jumped to the side, avoiding the sneak attack and watched as a tank wielding double drills tore into more of his soldiers.
Grindstalker stood in complete dismay. One by one, his squad was being taken down in a half-brazen, half-coordinated assault, which he couldn't make sense of. His troops would dodge one attack only to fall to another. When one avoided the tank, they fell victim to the helicopter and vice versa. It was the perfect ambush. Had their attackers had more numbers on their side, Grindstalker was sure he and his soldiers would have been dead by now.
"Back inside!" shouted Grindstalker to his troops. Heading for the doors of the bar, the surviving Decepticons scrambled to get inside, jumping over corpses and leaving their comrades behind. Once the last of them were inside, the doors were closed and locked tight.
Soon, the fighting outside stopped. The sound of transformations was heard and then nothing but silence followed.
Cautiously, Grindstalker looked over the edge of a window and saw nothing but dead bodies that used to be the soldiers. He ducked his head back inside and then looked at who survived the attack. He counted only four. How it was possible that a small squad of warriors, presumably Autobots, could decimate his kill squad so easily bewildered Grindstalker. He was furious but he had to remain in control. Same as the gladiators in the pits of Kaon, when their backs were against the wall, he had to remain calm and fight his way out.
"Give up Grindstalker and the rest of you can go free." The demand spooked the Deceptions. Not because of what it asked for. But because of where it came from.
Grindstalker and the rest of his troops turned their attention away from the windows and back towards the bar. From somewhere inside the Morning Star, Grindstalker knew the fembot was lurking. While they were distracted by the ambush outside, she had made her way back in.
"Don't any of you so much as think about it," said Grindstalker as he cast glares toward his troops. "Autobot! Let's see what type of metal you're made of. If you want me, come and get me!"