Transformers: Steel Reign

[General Havoc]

Hornet seemed as excited as ever by the prospect of everyone coming with him to see Wheeljack. "Let's go then!" he shouted and he immeiately took of running, weaving between the other bots, on his way towards Wheeljack's workshop. He did not stop long enough to exchange words with anyone on the way. There was no use having Deathstrike or Slipstream ruin his happyness with more talk of how useless he was.

It wasn't long before Hornet, hopefully with the others in tow, arrived at the entrance to Wheeljack's lab. The doors were open, and Wheeljack was presently adjusting them using some kind of sonic tool, and muttering to himself about the "Primus-damned blast doors".

"Ah, Hornet," he said as Hornet arrived. "And friends it appears. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke nodded to Crimson and turned around. He followed behind her as they reached Wheeljack's lab. "I guess we'll get you that pistol later, Crim." He said to her.

[LadyTevar]

"We'll have time before the mission..." she said to Stryke, then looked to WheelJack, figuring he needed to hear the bad news first. "WheelJack... Hornet's been assigned to the Fort Maximal mission. Prime just told us both to gear up."

[frigidmagi]

Armory

Usually I prefer to carry a pure load of anti-con missiles and leave fortication reduction to Bots like Shellshock. I am after all designed to destroy other warmachines not bunkers. In this case that does not seem possible. As a concession to this I am replacing half my load with anti-bunker missiles. I believe the firepower will be useful against any drones as well.

I did not take part in any arguments before or after Prime's briefing. There was strictly speaking no point in it. I know Shellshock, Deathstrike and Overload will not let such disagreements color their performance on the field of battle, I can only hope in regards to the others. I am currently running on the belief that they will leave such personality conflicts off the battlefield and behind the lines where it belongs.

I am deeply gratified by Prime's decision to include me in the task force, however part of me is filled with longing for my unit, the Headhunters. They would have been... useful.

I will simply have to make do.

[SirNitram]

Overload walked into the armoury, slowly examining the various weaponry and munitions arrayed about him. There was a soft, wistful sigh. "Ah, for the days when I only had Shellshock's heavy load to carry.." He said absently, as he hefted a sword too large for most Autobots to wield effectively. Gripping it two handed and giving some test swings, the hauler nodded to himself.

"Hey, kid." Came the comment when he noticed Breakout. "Heard good things about you. Gonna be an honour to fight alongside the first Autobot-built war machine."

[frigidmagi]

"Hey, kid." Came the comment when he noticed Breakout. "Heard good things about you. Gonna be an honour to fight alongside the first Autobot-built war machine."

I turn my head and grin at Overload.

"You're practically a warmachine yourself now. Enjoying the new body?" I ask.

[SirNitram]

"Haven't gotten the hang of landings yet." Overload admitted, and there was a shake of his head. "And I'm not. It's a Decepticon protoform, it's at least as strong.. Maybe more.. Than my old one, and before that I was a surly bastard who got some time in with the Wreckers. But I'm a civ-bot. Was built during the first Golden Age."

There was a longer pause. "...I'm not programmed like a war-bot. But you give me hope. Hope that you can be a warbot from manufacture and still be a good transformer, a good person. That having the damned purple slave-print on your chassis once doesn't make you like the other side, anymore than having the red one makes them like us."

[frigidmagi]

"I do not think Decepticons are what they were suppose to be. What warmachines were suppose to be." I replied. I look at the ceiling for a moment and consider.

"I was not around for the Golden Age. I was created during the 4th war. But my observations have led me to believe that the current warfare is a result of social flaws during the Golden Age. Military units were not meant to prey on civilian ones. Warmachines are meant to fight warmachines." I say carefully.

[SirNitram]

"Shellshock's told me such." Overload nodded gently. "That there's no honour, no glory in a kill against an enemy that's not equipped to fight you." There was a shrug. "I sure as the Pit wasn't meant to fight like I have. I can feel it, right down in my core consciousness, sometimes, when it's nice and quiet. When I'd sit on the tracks for years and I'd suddenly want to transform and fight when I heard the sound of human fireworks."

A soft sigh. "I hope it doesn't get you the same way. But it didn't seem to get Shellshock. He slept alot deeper than me before the Ark rebooted everyone."

[frigidmagi]

"I tend to experience disturbance more over the bots I have lost to enemy engagements honestly. As for the fighting, it is what I was created for, I do not regret it. I would have preferred a more... worthy conflict. There are opponents worth fighting out in the galaxy after all. Instead we turn on ourselves." I shrugged.

"Such is reality." I finish.

[Dark Silver]

Six Hours Later

Jetfire and Overload moved through the atmosphere, having been assigned to carry the Autobot strike squad and it's equipment. The Aerialbots flew escort duty for the two larger flyers. They were approaching the selected strikezone, already to their powerful sensors the Autobots could see the teeming swarm of human military, a basecamp that seemed to have been set up for months now.

"Optimus" Silverbolt spoke over Jetfire's internal comm system, "We're coming up the Basecamp Drangfire, We've been given permission to land in sector Bravo."

"Understood, you heard Jetfire, take us down."


To the untrained optic, the base would indeed seem like it had been here for months, massive prefab buildings where in place, military vehicles were fuled, armed and ready to proceed on a moment's notice.

It would surprise most of them to know the base had been set up just outside Decepticon patrol and sensor range only two days prior. A cursory scan of the perimeter of the base would detect unusually designed perimeter weapons, manned and unmanned missle platforms, in near constant rotation, what looked like particle beam turrents. It wouldn't take much logical thought to figure the Autobots had been helping humans out for months before the public announce in developing the designs and technology for these weapons. what would have been more surprising was the military men already in visible view, most of them had hard faces, cold eyes, as they watched the Autobots land and disgorge from their transports. More than a few grumbles of distrust would be heard by sensitive audio detectors.

Prime was the first off, directing his Autobots to set up their equipment, and prepare. The strike would occur before sunrise the next day. Optimus then moved off to meet with the human commanders, leaving Jazz in command of his Autobots.

---- 0 ---- 0 ----

Location: New Kaon

"Format process completed. Drone units being teleport via Space Bridge to all outposts."

"Excellent Soundwave. What is the status of Megatron?"

"Repairs continue, he will be functional within 57 megacycles."

"We must begin soon. I want this war firmly in our favor prior to his completion. Inform Chimera and Blackout, to begin the operation."

"Affirmative."

----- 0 ----- 0 -----

Location: Special Weapons Facility - Central Africa

"Understood Soundwave....For the Glory of Megatron and the Decepticons."

Blackout's harsh voice silenced as the comm line went dead, and he turned to Chimera. "Soundwave sends orders to move out. We are to be in position in seven hours."

Chimera looked down from the viewing center, the teeming Decepticons, awaiting the order.

"Transform and move out," he said in that sauve, aristocratic voice.

The very ground shook as the facility about him began to change form.

"Engage anti-gravitic thrusters, set course for the North American continent, Attack Point alpha. All ahead full."

The trees shook as the battle platform rose into the air, hovering over all, and then proceeded forward.

[LadyTevar]

Crimson's sensors were sensitive, so she heard the grumbles and saw the distrust ont he human soldier's faces. It concerned her enough to open a private channel to Stryke. "Is it because we lost the base ..," she asked, knowing he had more experience with humans. "... or because we brought the War to their planet in the first place?

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke looked down at the red fembot. "Both, and also, they're ticked it took us this long to give them weapons worth anything." He looked around. "Don't worry though, you'll get used to it." He said.

[LadyTevar]

"Their tech's further along than I'd heard," Crimson said, glancing around the prepared fortifications. "If we'd only agreed to help them recently, they shouldn't be this far along. Did they reverse-engineer it...?" She knew Stryke had been deployed with humans, so he'd have more knowledge of the human's military situation that she would. Yet she had to wonder how recently the tech transfer had started. To 'Bots who could function for millienia, 'recent' was a very broad term.

[Charon]

Shellshock saw the looks on the faces and peered down at them. No doubt the giant Autobot with the trademark red glow of a Decepticon was terrifying.

"It will be an honor to fight side-by-side with humans again." On the left shoulder of the massive bot could be seen several insignias. Most of them were foreign to the humans there, but two were noticeable, the first being the Autobot insignia, the second being the mark of the Royal Marines Siege regiment of World War I. The rest of the markings would be familiar to some of the Autobots, they were all markings from organic regiments across the galaxy that Shellshock had served with in his millions of years of service.

The giant 'bot stood tall again and continued on his way. He would have to schedule an appointment to request the permission to put the tags of the 103rd Mechanized Infantry regiment on as well.

[SirNitram]

Overload transformed, standing up next to Shellshock. Out of an internal compartment, he withdrew several insignia, before pulling out the Siege Regiment's emblem and attaching it with the proper pride. "Once more we fight." He spoke softly. "It is ever an honour. Though perhaps I will miss convincing the crew we are haunted."

[B4UTRUST]

Slipstream descended along with the other aerialbots, transforming as he landed.
"Primus, that took forever. I hate flying escort."

Slipstream glanced down at the humans who were giving the Autobots such dirty looks.
"Hey Overload, whats with the humans? Did we accidently step on one of their buildings or something?"

[SirNitram]

"We've been fighting a very brutal war here, Slipstream." Overload said darkly. "Since Megatron's new offensive, they've lost alot of their world to his madness. I'd be pissed too. Let's just get this done. I owe these people too much to want to incite more anger by overstaying our welcome."

[Charon]

Shellshock grinned at Overload. "Ah who knows, with as old as we are, we might be haunted, or be ghosts ourselves." Shellshock shrugged, still grinning. And then Slipstream spoke up.

The red optics turned on Slipstream, the joviality that had been there moments before now gone. "Boy, I will forget this once that you are an idiot, but if I have to do it twice we'll both end up in solitary." Shellshock didn't give Slipstream the time to make an argument out of the issue as he walked away to continue preparing for the assault.

[B4UTRUST]

Slipstream shook his head at Overload's statement.
"You should be pissed. In case you hadn't heard we've lost most of Cybertron too. It's pretty bad. As soon as Prime gives me my orders I'm ready. Waiting kills me."

[SirNitram]

"Yea, but I could leave Cybertron. I did. I could leave this world too, and these days, under my own power. Them?" Overload shook his head slowly, sighing. "They can't. This was our war, not theirs."

[B4UTRUST]

"You'd think they would have developed space flight by now. Haven't they even colonized their moon yet?"

Slipstream crossed his arms looking around.
"I hope this kicks off soon. I'm getting bored."

[Agent Fisher]

"Their tech's further along than I'd heard," Crimson said, glancing around the prepared fortifications. "If we'd only agreed to help them recently, they shouldn't be this far along. Did they reverse-engineer it...?" She knew Stryke had been deployed with humans, so he'd have more knowledge of the human's military situation that she would. Yet she had to wonder how recently the tech transfer had started. To 'Bots who could function for millienia, 'recent' was a very broad term.

"With this much hardware, I'd say we've been helping them for awhile, but still, most of them probably feel we should have given them the equipment as soon as we brought the war to their home." Stryke said, looking to see if he saw any faces that he knew.

[Dark Silver]

"Fuckin machines..."

"lousey peice of shit mechs...."

"Shoulda nuked their asses the second they woke up...."

The words could be heard pretty often in the crowd of humans, it was obvious they blamed the Autobots, and seeds of distrust was sown amoungst them.

But still, they were all soldiers, professionals, and they were given orders. They would have to work with the Autobots, but they'd be damned if they were going to like it.

Of course, it wasn't all of the gathered soldiers who felt that way, some looked at the Autobots in open awe, or with a sense of comradery as they had fought alongside the mechanical wonders times before.

Unfortunatly, these friendly humans were few....

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike walked through the staging area alone. The discontent of the organics was noted and filed for future consideration. Gratitude and loyalty did not appear to be one of humanity's virtues. He had been right to rule the Seressa firmly.

The other Autobots were ignoring him, undoubtedly cursing Megatron and all Decepticons while refusing to examine their own flaws. It was annoying, but didn't matter. Let the Autobots sing the praises of a paradise that never existed. Battle would come soon and for him, that would be enough.