[New RPG] World at War: The Siege of Iacon

[Warcry]

Iacon Streets

Lugnut groaned. "You're not very bright," he told Grimlock. "If you slashed a gun like that you'd burst the pressure seals and--"

He was cut off when gun's pressure seals burst, sending a cloud of subatomic particles gushing out. It wasn't so much an explosion as it was a very fast leak, but the effect was much the same -- Lugnut was knocked back by the force of the pressure that was unleashed, peppered with bits of shrapnel that didn't pierce his armour but did hurt like hell. A smokey cloud of subatomic particles filled the crater, rendering visibility almost nil and making him lose sight of Grimlock.

Scowling, Lugnut activated the secondary optics clustered around his head at the same time as he shifted his main eye over to infra-red, which let him see Grimlock's flaming sword clearly through the fog.

Make fun of the extra eyes, will you?

[Blackjack]

Iacon Streets

"That point." Grimlock chuckled, the jump backwards allowing him to be relatively unharmed by the detonation of his sub-atomic machinegun. He was still flung backwards, though, barely holding on to the handle of his energo-sword.

He managed to flail and reorient himself to a standing position some distance away from Lugnut, or rather, the cloud which filled the air in the direction where the Decepticon was last seen.

It was an unexpectedly bad position for him, Grimlock realized, as he quickly killed off the glow from his blade and sheathed it... not that it was something he expected would happen. Grimlock never blew up a subatomic generator before. And his two guns are all somewhere in the rubble -- not that he's going to be able to look for them in this dusty atmosphere.

Oh well, since the Decepticon's probably seen him...

Grimlock moved away from his position -- standing stationary in the arena is suicide -- as he circled the cloud in a slow prowl. "You pretty tough. Other mech would die four times with what me Grimlock did to you."

[Aero Blade]

South-East Border

Terabolt hung tight as Scorponok tried to shake her off, determined to not allow him to electrocute anyone else with his tail weapon. Keeping all of her sets of claws dug deep into the armor, Terabolt focused on gnawing at the electrode with her teeth.


Iacon Streets

Dirge stayed at the ready with his weapons, but he did not immediately strike, waiting for either the autobots to come back at him again, or for something to happen between Kup and Ramjet, watching those two almost intently. He was very curious to see if Ramjet's body was as tough as he had been bragging about.

[Heinrad]

Atop a shattered wall, South East Border:


Bludgeon continued to watch, wondering how things were going to play out.

You want to help her.

"No, I don't", Bludgeon hissed quietly.

Deep in your spark, you do. You feel some bond.

"I did. Until you beat it out of me."

The best thing I could have done with you. I made you everything that you are today.

"The embodiment of the Ultimate Warrior who talks to himself. Way to go, Totsan."

The embodiment of the Ultimate Warrior? As I said, Ultimate Idiot. Even though I am dead, you still want my advice. That is why you talk to me. That is why I can not join my ancestors in the Great Void. Woe to my poor, wretched spirit, that my wastrel student will not let me rest.

"Can it, Totsan. I don't want your advice. You just won't leave me alone!"

**************************
The Senate:


Tracks looked down, watching the malestrom kicked up by Starscream's passage. "Invisible. I didn't sign up for this." He started firing his overhead laser cannons and black beam gun at the air, hoping he might either hit or blind whatever was coming towards him.

***************************
Warehouse District:


Hot Rod scrambled away, trying to dodge Zero's fire, rounds stitching across his right side and leg.

Nightbeat leaned out from cover, aimed at Zero, and opened fire.

[Warcry]

Iacon Streets

"I could say the same about you," Lugnut told Grimlock, keeping his voice low so that the Autobot (who had disappeared from sight when his sword had turned off) wouldn't be able to figure out his location from the sound of his voice. "Normally I'd have ripped your arms off and beaten you with them by now. If this was a sparring match, I'd call it a draw and shake your hand."

The Decepticon transformed to bomber mode and shot out of the crater.

"But it's not. And I'm afraid my master needs my attention to be elsewhere. So...have a nice nap."

As soon as he was clear of the crater he dropped a bomb -- a low-yield one (he really had developed a grudging respect for Grimlock and didn't want to kill him) designed to cause rubble to collapse in on itself, in the hopes of burying the Autobot alive. But just in case he survived that, Lugnut returned to robot mode, landed a few hundred yards away and aimed his missile launcher at the hole.
__________________________________

The Senate

Starscream hissed as Tracks blind-fired, at him, nearly hitting the Decepticon in spite of his invisibility.

"What, you're not having fun when the shoe's on the other foot? But it's perfectly okay for you to try and become invisible to me, I bet!"

Starscream scoffed as he pulled around, then dropped a cluster bomb on the top of the building. He intended to collapse the roof down into the senate chamber, not so much to kill the Autobots as to keep them from harassing them with aerial fire as they went down to fight Magnus.

[Aero Blade]

Main Entrance, Sentinel Prime Defense Base

Yoketron would slow as he approached the gates, transforming and walking through without breaking pace to stop, his head looking about the area around them for any potential threats.

"Moreso than already?" the elder Temple Knight would ask Orion. His dry tone made it impossible to tell if he was being humorous than not. "Stay at the ready."

[Blackjack]

South-East Border

Scorponok growled. The Primus-worshipping idiot on his tail was not going to let go. And transforming in an attempt to dislodge her is not an option at the moment, not with his leg twisted and his hands barely connected to his body. No Scorpobabies left to sic at the Autobots either.

In retrospect, maybe sending Predacon and Tarantulas off to do their own thing was a bad move.

Scorponok made an annoyed growl. Before her other two companions get help... Not able to do much other than to lash his tail around, he continued to do so, except now he swung it down towards the ground in an attempt to hurt Terabolt with the impacts, if anything to damage her before his tail or her teeth gave way.

Scorponok scanned the area. Vehicons are all in the city, engaging the forcefield or tunneling underneath it -- Obsidian's orders were effective and his Autobot counterparts evidently can't keep up. Of course, of them had a hole in his torso caused by Scorpnok's own stinger and is lying a fair distance away, so that's something to be proud of, at least... no. Vehicons can't help them. Terabolt and Jazz would make short work of them, while the airborne ones are busy doing whatever it is Obsidian is telling them to do.

He saw another Decepticon. Or someone who doesn't register as an Autobot on his cracked, ruined visors. Bludgeon. "You!" Scorponok called out, his voice garbled and laced with deep electronic beeps. "Decepticon. Are you not? I require assistance!"
___________________________________

The Senate

(OOC: Sorry, I forgot Skywarp and... and that other dude is supposed to be around here.)

Skywarp, having teleported behind and kicked the Elite Guard member that was partnered with Tracks down the hole he was aiming at Starscream from, looked around and espied Tracks shooting at the air.

"Why are you talking to the air, Autobot?" Skywarp teleported near Tracks and unleashed a hail of machinegun bullets, not aware whatsoever that Starscream was invisible and dropping a cluster bomb on top of them.
___________________________________

Warehouse District:

Nightbeat's shot tore through Zero's wing, forcing him to transform and land on top of a building. "You guys should give up." The former Renegade crowed. "Forcefields? Drone tanks? This was your guys' best shot at defending the city? Really pathetic. We should've invaded Iacon long ago!"

Mortar teams opened fire on the airborne Vehicons and was cutting them down, but Zero didn't give them much attention. He was focused at the Autobot who tore a hole in his wing. "Last chance, the two of you. Give up, and I might let you live with a broken face."
___________________________________

Iacon Streets

Grimlock growled. Between his head ringing from the most recent impact from his fight with Lugnut, and the Decepticon's low voice echoing off the debris in the collapsed street, Grimlock indeed couldn't point out where the Decepticon was in all the smoke. He did, however, come across his Galaxial Rocket Launcher in the rubble, the last weapon left relatively intact throughout the melee. Grimlock picked it up and latched it onto his back as he glared around the area.

"If this sparring match, yes, me, Grimlock will shake your hand without ripping them off." The former gladiator admitted grudgingly. "You gave better fight than your boss. Less dirty. Less use of illegal nuclear weapons."

Grimlock was interrupted, though, as the sound of a jet engine ripping through the air boomed across the room. The force of Lugnut's takeoff and the noise disorienting him (shouldn't have maximized his auditory sensors, in retrospect), Grimlock was knocked backwards a little. "Oh." Grimlock said, optic band widening in understanding.

Grimlock knew Lugnut was going to drop a bomb, or something to that effect. He could shoot it out with his missile launcher, but the combined explosion could actually prove far more fatal to him. In any case, the dust makes aiming relatively a pointless action. Growling, the gladiator did the thing he hated most -- he turned around and ran away. After two steps, the Autobot transformed into his tank mode, several gears and cogs that were bent out of recognition in the fight with Lugnut groaning in protest.

Moving as fast as he can (opening fire with his backwards-pointing turrets to maximize his momentum) Grimlock managed to get relatively away from the bomb's killzone that he was merely flung across the chasm and sent tumbling away, crashing through debris and deeper into the city's underground network of wires and sewage pipes.

Finding himself upside down and covered by debris, Grimlock's tank treads spun uselessly.

Well, for all his big talk he only managed to slow Lugnut down a little... damn. Prowl's going to be pissed.

Although.

Although hanging around Prowl did give him some pointers. Lugnut was going to meet Megatron. Grimlock knew this for a fact. Should he do the unthinkable and follow Lugnut to where Megatron was? Prowl would like that. That was what that know-it-all coward will do.

Though how exactly was he going to do that without resisting the urge to roar and stab Lugnut in the neck a dozen times, Grimlock did not know.

Although the more important question at that moment was how he was going to get out of this pile of rubble in the sewer and get back to the collapsed street or wherever he was fighting with Lugnut moments ago.

[Heinrad]

South-East Border:


Scorponok's broken voice intruded on Bludgeon's internal argument.

Joining that bucket-headed maniac's crusade was foolish. Now all of the incompetents who follow him will want your help.

Bludgeon gave a brief mental shrug. "Give me a little credit."

That is more than I've ever been willing to give you.

Bludgeon stood, drawing himself up to his full(figure he's a head or two taller than Windcharger) height, and fixed Scorponok with a steely gaze. "A warrior needs no assistance. You have picked your battle. Your skill and determination will determine your outcome."

*****************
Warehouse District:


After seeing where Zero landed, Nightbeat pulled himself back into cover, looking over to where Hot Rod had scrambled behind some rubble. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I get shot all the time. Feels great."

Nightbeat scowled. "I was wondering if you were injured. No need to be snarky."

Hot Rod shrugged, wincing slightly as he did. "It's been worse."

Nightbeat sighed, muttering to himself about the youth element, checked his link to the drone tank, and that where he would be having it fire was a clear shot. Then he raised his voice. "Do we have your word that you won't kill us if we surrender?"

*************
The Senate:


There were things they trained you for. Getting strafed by fliers, getting charged by ground troops, getting entangled in red tape when requesting leave.

What they didn't train you for was dealing with cloaked opponents, one of whom had just blown by Tracks very fast, or dealing with teleporting opponents, one of whom had just materialized next to him and opened fire.

Ever the pragmatist, if only in his own mind, Tracks realized that standing and fighting might just get him killed. Which left him with only one recourse.

He dove off the roof of the Senate building, transforming to flight mode and red lining the turbofan jet engines, pulling up hard and shooting straight up into the sky.

[Warcry]

Iacon Streets

Lugnut flew away from the explosion, not even trying to conceal himself as he gained altitude. The thought that Grimlock would try to follow him simply didn't occur to him, since...well, since Lugnut himself never would have thought to do it without Megatron's orders. And so he flew directly toward the rendezvous point for the Decepticons' heavy assault force, where the forces under Clench's command would join up together after completing their individual assignments and meet with Megatron himself for the final push into Autobase.
__________________________________

The Senate

"A flying car?" Starscream made an incredulous noise as Tracks evaded his cluster bomb, though that idiot Skywarp had teleported into the blast radius and probably gotten himself killed.

"Well, at least Shockwave will be happy about that," the seeker grumbled.

With no further thoughts for his subordinate's safety, he dove after Tracks, firing machine gun rounds in the Autobot's wake.

[Heinrad]

Skies over The Senate:


Tracks was buffeted by shrapnel and blast waves from the detonation of the cluster bomb, earning him gouges and scratches to his paint.

Then the chatter of machine guns started.

Rounds started spinging, spanging, and smacking into the back of his vehicle mode, digging into paint, bouncing off the armored cowlings of the turbofan jet engines. The question was, where were the bullets that were damaging his paint job coming from? Aft sensors weren't registering anything, but he could scan the muzzle flashes.

He activated the pivot, the black beam gun lowering and swinging 180 degrees, setting to widest possible setting and fired, hoping to blind whoever was behind him.

[Aero Blade]

South-East Border

Scorponok began to thrash his tail around, and Terabolt hung tight, determined to not let him get control of it to use on her allies. Terabolt would be slammed into the ground with a first hard blow, but her armor held up and absorbed most of the impact. A second swing into the ground and Tera dug her claws in deeper into Scorponok's tail to hang on for the ride.

And then she spotted Bludgeon.

This time, distracted as she was, Scorponok nearly knocked her off. Terabolt quickly refocused and reaffirmed her grip - she needed to deal with her opponent first.

The damage had been done, though. She was not in a good position to hold onto Scorponok for another time, and he was already winding up to swing his tail again, at a particularly sturdy looking piece of rubble. This time when the tail started to come down, Terabolt would abruptly let go and leap off, bailing out just before the tail would come down.

((ooc: There ya go ))


Sentinel Prime Defense Base

Meeting no opposition in the immediate area, Yoketron would proceed into the base with Orion in tow. He headed for the War Room to look for Sentinel, to update him on the current situation.

((ooc: Do we have anyone currently active in the war room still? I know Ironhide was elsewhere trying to locate Sentinel))

[Clogs]

Iacon

There was rubble - lots of rubble - but the primary problem, as Glyph saw it, was the fact that her work was fundamentally underneath the rubble.

She had managed to throw herself, however awkwardly, out of her study chamber as the roof first cracked, then sagged, then caved in. Until that point, she had been so deeply engrossed with her recently-acquired artifacts that she had paid no attention to pretty much anything else. Now, she realised that she had been picking up, but not registering, the sounds of multiple crashes before the final explosion that had made her glance at the ceiling and then take immediate self-preservation action.

Dusty, with a few dents and scratches on her armour, she got to her feet to see what she could salvage.

[Blackjack]

South East Border

“Hn. Was worth a shot.” Scorponok gurgled after Bludgeon denied him assistance. He had more problems to worry about other than some upstart Decepticon warrior dressed in an archaic aesthetic. Like the massive beast biting his tail.

Scorponok continued to trash around, seemingly injuring Terabolt. Good. At least he can take another Autobot down with him. The fact that it’s one of those Primus groupies is a good bonus. Then she let go. Not good. Not good at all

Scorponok’s tail smashed onto the piece of rubble, the impact jarring the already-abused electrical generator in the tail loose. The resulting impact caused it to explode as well, sending a chain of reaction of explosions down Scorponok’s tail. The former Senator let out a loud roar of pain as his final appendage was disabled.

Then, he got his wits together and yelled, “I surrender!”
________________________________

Warehouse District

Zero chuckled as he cocked his pistol. Jet Vehicons landed and mimicked him, flanking him on both sides. Idiots, these Autobots are. “You have my word, yes. Now come on out, and the Vehicons will try their best not to manhandle you.”
________________________________

The Senate:

“Hey, you, blue Autobot guy! Stop running away!” Skywarp yelled, but Starscream’s missile kind of erupted.

As the flames of the explosion consumed the location where he had just been in a mere second ago (as well as the Elite Guard archer laying unconscious below him), Skywarp materialized next to where Starscream was hovering, folding his hands and sporting an irritated expression as his jet boots activated and kept him aloft. The heat and the shrapnel from the explosion rose up and scratched him, but Skywarp paid it no heed.

Starscream shot off after Tracks, and Skywarp sighed. “Why is everyone avoiding me? Sheesh.”

The Seeker transformed into jet mode and shot off after Starscream, muttering unintelligibly under his breath.
________________________________

Iacon Streets

Grimlock grunted as he slowly navigated the underground sewer system, thinking problem of finding his way out solved by an elegantly simple solution: slicing his way up with his energo sword. In Grimlock’s defense, it seemed like a bright idea at the time. Instead of breaching the ground outside, Grimlock found himself in some kind of ruined room – definitely not the sewers or the underground tunnels. Some kind of... catacombs? Grimlock had seen (and torn down) some similar-looking rooms in Kaon.

He espied a single, small robot – Glyph – and growled. “Which way to the streets? Me, Grimlock, need to hunt down bomber plane.”

[Clogs]

Iacon

Glyph's head jerked round as more noise assailed her audials. "What the..," she exclaimed as the wall to her right erupted with a bright energy flash and a huge shadow ploughed through into her small sanctuary.

She hugged her cracked datapad to her chestplate and took a stumbling step backwards. Then deep, guttural vocals growled: “Which way to the streets? Me, Grimlock, need to hunt down bomber plane.”

Grimlock?

"Huh, there's a corridor. It goes straight on for about a half-klik. To an abandoned gravlift shaft. No power. Just the emergency ladder," she stammered. Then her annoyance flooded back and she snapped, gesturing at the mess, "Did you cause this?!"

[Warcry]

Star's Edge Upper Class Housing Complex

Syndex reclined in his chair and watched the news reports streaming in. With each new report of damage or destruction, he saw shanix signs floating in front of his optics as he pondered how much money he would make from the reconstruction efforts once these "Decepticons" were finally put back in their place.

"Uh, sir?" his aide asked. "I don't want to overstep, bot...shouldn't we get to somewhere a bit more...secure?"

"Oh, posh!" Syndex scoffed. "We're in a walled complex staffed by dozens of armed guards," he told the aide. "You tell me one place in Iacon that's safer!"

The aide started to speak, but all that came out of his mouth was a soft, pained squeak. Syndex gave him a strange look, then recoiled as the other Transformer collapsed to the ground.

"Strange thing about your guards, senator," a gravelly yet still oily voice told him, speaking from the shadows in the next room. "Turns out they're actually my guards."

"How dare you!" The senator jumped up from his seat. "I'll have you know that I am a businessmech first-class! Breaking and entering into my home carries a mandatory death sentence!"

"Does it, now? Enforced by whom? Take a look out the window, Senator. Your guards are all wearing Decepticon badges and getting briefed by one of my lieutenants."

Syndex humoured the intruder by glancing out the window, then feigned indifference. "So they are. I'll make sure their pay is docked."

"Oh, so you pay them?" The figure finally walked out of the shadows, but the only thing about him that Syndex recognized was the Decepticon logo. "More than you ever did for me."

"If that was meant to be a dramatic reveal," Syndex said, "it fell flat. I have no idea who you are."

"Really?" the stranger asked. "You don't recognize the miners' chassis? I was your slave, Syndex. One of the many protoforms brought online to work in your dangerous energon mines. But now the roles are reversed. You see, now I am the master and your life is in my hands."

"You're nothing but a common criminal who has let the lies of a demagogue trick you into thinking that you have a chance of success, Decepticon. You'll be dead within the day, not owning slaves."

"No," was the reply. "You misunderstand. I'm not trying to claim ownership of you. I own Cybertron and everything on it.

"I am the governor of Kaon!"

He rushed Syndex, then, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the wall.

"I am the leader of the Decepticons!"

The crown of his head smashed into Syndex's face, crushing it.

"I! AM! MEGATRON!"

He dropped Syndex to the ground, raising the cannon on his arm and placing the muzzle up to the socialite's head.

"And I do not forgive."
___________________________________________

Lugnut watched as the palace's windows flared with the light of a fusion blast. Moments later, Megatron walked out with a satisfied expression on his face.

"What was that all about, boss?"

"Personal business, Lugnut. Are our new recruits ready?"

"They are indeed." Lugnut glared at the dozen or so new Decepticons with his primary optic. "Stand at attention, maggots! You are in the presence of the glorious Megatron!"

The former guards stood up straight and raised their arms in salute.

"Excellent," Megatron told them. "My friends, your help here today will never be forgotten! The self-absorbed capitalist elite oppress the working class of Iacon as much as they ever did the citizens of Kaon, and -- in spite of the lies that they surely have told you -- we number you among our friends! But friendship with Megatron comes with a price. The time has come to overthrow the greatest bastion of Autobot oppression, their disgusting theocratic leader! The time has come to march on the War Academy and lay low their master, Sentinel Prime! If you wish to be a true Decepticon, you will join me in my assault! Who will march with me!"

"All hail Megatron!" Lugnut shouted.

Each of the former guards shouted back in unison, "All hail Megatron!"

Lugnut smiled. "We are with you, my lord."

"Excellent," Megatron smiled. "Then let's head to the rendezvous point and meet up with Clench's troops. The time has come to end this war once and for all!"
___________________________________________

Skies over The Senate

A beam of black...something shot through the air to the left of Starscream, missing him by several feet but coming far too close for comfort.

The Decepticon jet sideslipped, fired another burst and then dove, so that Tracks wouldn't be able to fire on him based on the direction his bullets were coming from.

"Skywarp, if you're still alive teleport in front of this joker and help me pincer him."

[Aero Blade]

((OOC: Let me know if I need to adjust anything Black))

South East Border

Between the awkward landing and Scorponok's tail exploding, Terabolt would take a bit of a tumble, but she was rolling back to her feet moments later, listening to the large Decepticon scream at his self-inflicted injury. She waited in a ready crouch, hearing his sudden plea for surrender. Terabolt's response would be sudden and swift, leaping at the wounded senator and tackling him to the ground.

"Surrender? You seek mercy? You think it is that easy?" At the same time that her vocoder was speaking the words, her beast-form's mouth would twist into a snarl, bearing mechanical fangs and uttering low, feral growl. "How many innocents have you trampled already with your organization's campaign? How many others have begged you for mercy, only for you to deny it?" She placed a paw on Scorponok's neck, letting her claws dig into the surface of his metal skin. "And now you ask it for yourself?"

She leaned in close to his face, fangs inches from him, letting him feel pressure on his neck from the weight of the armor of the beast now ontop of him. "Be very glad you are speaking to a Temple Knight."

[Heinrad]

South East Border:


Bludgeon watched the surrender of Scorponok impassively, folding his arms across his chest.

"I knew you would help her."

Help-? There's no satisfying you, is there.
"No."

***************
War Room, Sentinel Prime Defense Base:


This was not what he'd been trained for.

Small unit tactics, that he understood. Security teams generally worked in small teams, occasionally going offensive, but mainly playing defensive. It was a lot easier when you knew something was coming after a specific target.

Waging a war, though........ He had a basic understanding of troop movements, but it was a lot longer since he'd been a regular soldier than he even wanted to contemplate right now.

Tactics be damned, Ironhide thought to himself. The commanders who stayed back from the front lines threw their troops into the grinders without really caring about the cost. THAT, he remembered. What Sentinel had done was a perfect example of that.

But........ There was a better way. He hoped. What he had to do was figure it out.

---------

Orion trailed along behind Yoketron, optics and audio receptors as alert as they could be. The main gates had been breached. There must be Decepticons around here somewhere.

*******************
Warehouse District:


"Are you slagging INSANE?!?!?!?", Hot Rod hissed at Nightbeat.

Nightbeat simply shrugged. "No. Just much more aware of the surroundings. And there's a lot more of them than there are of us. Now trust me." He raised his voice. "I'm kind of new at this war thing. I'm actually a cop. I know zip about war." He stepped out of cover, tossing his gun on the ground, his gaze taking in Zero and his cadre of Jet Vehicon, one corner of his vision showing the feed from the drone tank, showing him a side on view of what was facing him. And sent the mental command to fire.

The drone tank's cannon roared, flinging it's destructive energies at Zero and the Jet Vehicons.

****************
Skies Over Senate:


Tracks dove, trying to zigzag, trying to figure out how to fight a cloaked Decepticon and a teleporting Decepticon. The only idea he'd come up with so far were deflector shields, which he wasn't equipped with.

[Blackjack]

Iacon Catacombs

Grimlock glanced at the corridor, and then mentally memorized the instructions Glyph gave him. Goes on straight, and then climb up. Simple enough. "Me, Grimlock, climb. Thank you for help."

The little Autobot then snapped angrily and Grimlock shook his head. "Decepticons cause this. They destroying Iacon. Me, Grimlock, soldier. Me kill Decepticons, stop explosions. Me suggest you get out before whole chamber fall down on top of you." As another muffled explosion rattled the underground chamber, Grimlock shrugged. "Life more important than work."
_____________________________

Skies over The Senate

Tracks' black beam missed Starscream but hit Skywarp head on. Immediately the optical sensors in his jet mode ceased functioning, and the Seeker saw black. Instinctively Skywarp transformed into robot mode and braked into a stop with his jet boosters.

"I CAN'T SEE!" Skywarp screamed in panic, clawing at his optics, deactivated by the black beam gun. "Starscream! I can't see!"
_____________________________

South-East Border

Scorponok howled as Terabolt's mass slammed onto him, snapping his already-wounded leg clean off at the knee, and bending the other one at a horrendously painful and awkward angle.

Scorponok's pants of pain punctuated Terabolt's little speech, before the short, sharp voices started to turn into a pained chuckle. "Yes." Scorponok replied to Terabolt. "Innocents I've trampled? Countless. Money I've swindled? Countless. People I've killed in my experiments? There's a report in my office, somewhere. Indirectly killed by my creations? A whole lot of."

Terabolt's claws sunk into his armour, and while his ruined face was definitely reeling in pain as Terabolt leaned in, he was defiantly fearless. "But yes, I ask for mercy. Because that is what you Autobots and Temple Knights believe in. Something you believe vehemently in."

Scorponok's lips curled into a smile. "And I can relate to believing vehemently in something. That... that is the one and single thing I find I can respect about you Knights. Your belief. You stand by them, just as my ilk stand by ours."
_____________________________

Blink.

How long-?

How long?

Five seconds? Five minutes? Ten? How many troops had stood confused, not knowing what to do, bereft of instructions? How many people had died? Rapido is around, yes, but the surprise, the sudden change, would shock anyone.

The worry set in first. Then the pain.

Prowl let out a scream instinctively, but didn't manage to get anything out as energon gurgled and poured into his vocal circuits.

Training kicked in. Logic kicked in. His strategic mind kicked in. But the pain. The pain! It was hard to think. It was hard to segregate his thoughts. It was hard to even think of anything but the pain.

Prowl's own voice spoke in his head. The same voice he had used to speak to the men below him. Sentinel's voice. Obsidian's voice. It is merely a flesh wound. Do you know what will happen if you fall here? Do you know what you're letting the enemy do while you lie around in a pool of your own blood? You're the only one that can do this. Your wounds are nothing. You are nothing.

Prowl grunted as he balled his fists together. His gun- gone. Missiles- gone. His datapad- gone. Commlink- scrambled.

No, Prowl decided. He will not be defeated here.

He will not fall here.

As much as he had prepared, even war had taken him by surprise -- but he refused to keel over and die.

Prowl coughed loudly, expelling the coagulated energon on his throat. He slammed his fist onto the commlink receptor on the side of his helmet. "Prowl. To any surviving Autotrooper medics. Require emergency treatment."
_____________________________

Warehouse District

Zero laughed. "Seriously? This is way too easy. I don't-" The loud click of the drone tank's shell loading into place alerted Zero to Nightbeat's gambit. "Slagging spawn of a-"

Zero's gun arm snapped and aimed at Nightbeat, but the drone tank's shell slammed next to Zero and his group of Vehicons. Zero did pull the trigger, but his body -- the half that wasn't immediately torn to shreds by shrapnel, anyway -- was flung away by the force of the explosion, sending the laser blast flying far away from Nightbeat and Hot Rod.

Of the Vehicons, two survived, wounded, and they transformed and shot away. Zero gagged as he slammed onto a building and slid down. "Backup." He said hoarsely into the commlink. "Backup, slaggers, there's a tank- there's a- there's-"
_____________________________

Obsidian watched coldly as readings showed Zero's life signs depleting. Good. Igern, Lenja, Zero, Crasher... the former leaders of the Renegades and Destrons have purposely been placed in the front lines. In places where they are doomed to demise. Obsidian had taken the liberty of instructing their personal Vehicon teams to abandon them should they be too wounded to battle. He was... thankful that he did not have to order them to pull the trigger.

For Megatron's rule to be successful, such anarchist leaders should not be allowed to survive. He will write off their sacrifices as propaganda, and install replacements that are far more... obedient.

Reports filtered in.

Sixshot had engaged the Autobot six-changer, but is still causing wanton destruction.

Lugnut had defeated Grimlock. Excellent.

Springer is still halted by the swarm of Vehicons.

The third fifth Elite Guard ground squadron had fallen to the Insecticons and the undead Decepticons.

Scorponok had been defeated, but had taken down Prowl in the process. Prowl! That fool had actually engaged the enemy. Obsidian thought he had trained that whelp better. How disappointing.

Starscream's squad has gotten rid of the Senate, and is engaging an Elite Guard team.

What now? What will Megatron do? He is winning. They are winning. A bit too easily. There were setbacks, of course, but they were generally winning. What are they missing?

The explosions and flames were reflected in Obsidian's red eyes as he gazed upon the once-golden spires and domes of Iacon. And he started to feel... doubt. But no, he told himself. This was for a necessary cause. He needed to do this. Needed to break the old system for the glory of Cybertron.

[Warcry]

Leaving Star's Edge

Lugnut trailed behind his leader, marvelling at the powerful, confident way that Megatron carried himself. The Decepticons' leader moved like a force of nature, his every movement flowing and graceful even as it oozed raw power. Even his transformation to vehicle mode seemed...smoother, somehow, as if his parts knew exactly how to fold and contort themselves without having to be told by his transformation cog.

He's like the gods of old, Lugnut mused, or one of the Thirteen that the priests always rant about.

For his part, Megatron wasn't just leading the growing assembly of Decepticons toward their target. He was also giving orders to their other forces, one commander at a time.

"Shockwave," Megatron said gravely, "have your scientists finished the modifications I asked you for?"

"They have," Shockwave confirmed. "Operation Purple Reign is ready to commence at your command."

"Good. Stand by."

Lugnut wasn't sure what 'purple reign' meant, though he was sure it was going to be symbolic and dramatic. Megatron was so good at those things, unlike plain, boring goons like Lugnut. That's why Megatron had been the most popular gladiator in Kaon while Lugnut never rose above a mid-card brawler.

Next, Megatron commed Obsidian. "General, I apologize for being out of contact. I had a...personal matter to tend to. Report the status of your forces, please."

How Megatron could be so polite to the old fossil, Lugnut could never understand. Obsidian was useful, to be sure, but nothing special in the big soldier's books. He could give orders, sure, but anyone could do that in the Decepticon army. After all, since Megatron was the one handing out the assignments, it's not like the commanders needed to do much thinking of their own.
___________________________________________

Skies over The Senate

"Skywarp, you idiot," Starscream snapped. "Teleport straight up and keep doing it every...let's say fifteen seconds or so until your eyes start working again. Or don't, and die in a fiery crash. At this point, I couldn't care less which one."

Turning his attention back to Tracks, Starscream decloaked -- it used too much power to run indefinitely, anyway -- and barked to the Autobot, "You can't win! Deactivate your weapon and land, and I'll let you leave."

Because killing Magnus will be way better for my career than spending the whole war tied down by a flying car with a silly gun.

[Clogs]

Iacon Catacombs

Grimlock had a point.

Glyph hugged her datapad even closer; if the artifacts were lost, at least she had a record of them, providing the pad could be repaired. The data was, she felt, important. Well, all data was important, of course!

"Um, I don't want to get in your way," she called, moving quickly to avoid some sagging metal spars. "But can I come with you?"

Though not, she added mentally, into a confrontation with Decepticons. I hope.