[New RPG] A House Divided: Kaon (Decepticon)

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Aero Blade
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hovertruck - In Transit

Knock Out yelped briefly as Ramjet did his fist-in-palm punch, having been expecting the other Decepticon to actually hit him. After a moment, though, what he was saying started to sink in.

"W-wait...medical...?"

On the other side of the transport, Dirge was now leaning with the side of his chin in his hand, and his elbow propped up on his knee. So much for terrorizing the doctor with the idea of him being a foot soldier. "Nice job Ramjet, you spoiled the surprise."
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Borders, Praxus

Obsidian raised a skeletal finger to the side of his head, snapped out of his reverie by Megatron's call.

"Yes, the science team have departed to engage, as per what they claim to be your permission." Obsidian paused. "Of course they have not reported back, sir, but I had anticipated that and have sent a jet Vehicon to trail them. They are holding their own against the border guards, although there appear to be some resistance from individual enemy soldiers. Shall I order the Vehicon to send the feed to you?"

Obsidian paused. "If I may, sir, I'm assuming you are planning to send the rest of our forces in? In a strategic manner, of course."
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

Sixshot looked at Breakneck as Drivetrain explained. "I find it ironic one who shies away from all forms of danger has the name 'Breakneck'." The sixchanger turned back to face Drivetrain. "I should... probably do something similar after this campaign, so I do not scare other Vehicons. Not as much as I am now, anyway."

Sixshot tilted his head. "What is a 'nebulan', Drivetrain?"

He turned to Brick. "Nasty prisoners? Like them?" Sixshot gestured at several noticeably rowdy Decepticons -- definitely not Vehicons, nor were they roughed up enough to be one of Megatron's gladiators. They were also not congregating around the former Destrons, Renegades or other assimilated street gangs. These former prisoners glared at anyone who came near, throwing a couple of rocks at a bunch of Vehicons who approached them.

Sixshot shook his head. "I may be socially inept, but I do think that is rude, is it not?"
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Post by Warcry »

Hovertruck - In Transit

Ramjet ignored Dirge entirely to glare at Knock Out. "What, really? Are ya actually stupid enough that you believed this guy about being put out on grunt duty? You really think we'd go to all this trouble to capture a foot soldier?" He nodded toward the nearest Vehicon. "They've got a machine back home stamping ten of these guys out an hour and ya think we'd follow ya across four cities for that?"

He shook his head. "You know what? Yer that dumb, you deserve to be on the goon squad. I'll tell Megatron and he'll have you shipped off ta the front right away."
___________________________________

Shuttle - In Transit

Megatron made an annoyed sound. "My brother and his friends are not particularly good soldiers, are they?" he asked Obsidian rhetorically. "No, no, I don't care how they're doing. Sent the feed up to Shockwave on the Nemesis, though. He'll need it to plan the second prong of our attack. As for you and your troops...wait until the idiots have attracted as many Autobots as they're going to get, then surge forward to join the attack. You'll overwhelm the border defences so thoroughly that they'll have to send the bulk of their army to blunt your attack. Then when their guard is down elsewhere, Clench and I will lead the real attack."

As he spoke, he guided his shuttle into the Nemesis's main hangar, steering it around several troop transports being brought in via the skyhook's internal rail system.
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

"It's not ironic at all," Breakneck told Sixshot. "I love breaking other people's necks. Preferably from behind when they don't know I'm coming."

Drivetrain shook his head, laughing ruefully. "Oh, I can just see it now," he told Sixshot. "You walk into a bar, and half the civvies will oil themselves and the other half will run for the emergency exits. Us soldiers'll have the place all to ourselves." He laughed again. "Tell you what. You try that, bring me along with you. No matter what happens it'll be worth watching."

"Yeah, them." Brick openly glared back at the criminals. "Buncha jerks, they are. We should have left them in prison, you ask me."

"That's a mistake we can set straight," Drivetrain said, pounding a fist into his hand in anticipation. "We won't be moving out for a few minutes. That's more than enough time to show some dumb crims they ought to respect the badge. I say the three of us could take 'em in under two. Under three if we keep it non-lethal."

"Sounds like fun!" Brick agreed.

"Yeah, no," Breakneck said. "That's idiotic. What if they start shooting?"

"Wasn't including you when I said 'three', Breaky-poo." Drivetrain looked up at Sixshot. "What do you say? Should we slap them back into line?"
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

"Very well. I shall send the feed to Shockwave." Obsidian briefly had a pang of what could be crudely described as envy as Megatron mentioned that he had someone else planning the attack, but Obsidian reined it in. Jealousy is for children; and what Megatron did was logical. If Megatron's words were taken at face value, then they had what is most likely to be a warship, probably several. And Obsidian knew not all of this...

Obsidian listened to the orders, then nodded. "By your will, Lord Megatron."

Obsidian gazed upon the troops. Two baits. Very well, then... it should be relatively simple. "Zero, Igern and... Hammer, break time is over. We shall march unto Iacon once the signal is given."
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

"That is indeed a rather efficient way to kill your adversary." Sixshot replied to Breakneck, his voice not sarcastic at all, and turned to Drivetrain. "That would be a desirable outcome to us soldiers, would it not? I'll bring you guys if I do visit a bar."

Sixshot was silent, and his eyes visibly brightened when Drivetrain counted him among the three. "Definitely." Sixshot stood up, pulling his weapons... then locked them back on his hips. "Although I take it that vaporization counts as a lethal act?"
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hovertruck - In Transit

The fearful timidness Knock Out had been showing was now replaced with angry annoyance. "Well I didn't hear you saying anything to corrected it when he started up earlier! You idiots think you can topple Iacon. Iacon! How do I know you have any sort of capacity to assign troops correctly!"

Knock Out was sitting there seething, Ramjet all but forgotten now next to him as he brooded over Dirge's trick. He knew the blue seeker was a lot of talk (he was good at that) but you didn't get reputations like his without being able to back up the talk every once in a while - there was no reason to not believe he'd been speaking accurately. Yes, Dirge was a cruel, vindictive being with sadistic tendencies, but he'd never known him to be a liar. Clearly this had to have come from his employment with Deathsaurus. Or maybe even the brief tenure now with the Decepticons. He had to get out of here.

"So this is all about needing an actual doctor, is it?" Knock out started. The agitation was gone, replaced by a more neutral tone, and some of his usual swagger starting to return. "You know there are far more civil, effective methods you Decepticons could've gone about with from the start - contacted me via the same channels everyone else does for starters. We could've had a nice little contract worked out and everything without all this trouble! In fact, it's still not too late for us to swing back to my clinic and forget that this nasty little incident...ever...happened..."

Knock Out had started to slow down speaking again, his swagger evaporating as Dirge started to give him a dangerous glare for his suggestion. Despite his best efforts, Knock Out began to frown and fidget nervously again.
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Post by Warcry »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

The transport came to a stop and the hatch swung open. Several more Vehicons came aboard to drag the conscripts out. Ramjet got up, popped Knock Out's restraints open and hauled the doctor to his feet. "Come with us, unless you want to let the Vehicons manhandle you and ding up your fancy paint."

Glancing over toward Dirge, he said, "You know, Shiny over here has a point. Why didn't we just, you know, hire him? I mean, I didn't need ta be corralled into a paddywagon to get convinced ta join. All they had ta do was ask." He chuckled. "Though this way was funnier, gotta admit."
___________________________________

Megatron closed the channel to Obisidian with no further comment, then strode down the shuttle's exit ramp with a scowl on his face. He inspected the last of the arriving troops, but found most of them wanting.

Conscripts...even less useful than the criminals we 'recruited', he thought with disdain. Nobody who has to be forced to fight for our cause can ever really be trusted. Half of them could defect to the Autobots tomorrow...so I should do something about that today.

Making a mental note to have his commanders use the conscripts as cannon fodder, he cast his gaze over the crowd.

Stiil, a few of them might make good soldiers, he admitted. If any of them survive the battle, I'll make sure their commanders are ready with orders that will ensure their future loyalty. Once they've been seen committing one of the Autobots' laughable 'war crimes', they'll know that the enemy will never accept them.

He saw Dirge and another cone-headed seeker moving amongst the crowd and headed in their direction, curious if this meant that Deathsaurus was actually going to join them in battle instead of simply watching from the sidelines as he had so far.
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

"See?" Breakneck told his comrades. "I told you the big guy was just waiting for a chance to kill some Vehicons!"

Brick sighed. "That was a joke, Wheels." Then he whispered to Sixshot, "In case it wasn't, yeah, vaporizing is lethal for most of us."

Drivetrain, meanwhile, had started striding purposefully over toward the knot of criminals. Picking out the nastiest-looking of the bunch, he barked, "Hey you! Show some respect for your fellow Decepticons!"

The thug looked up at the Vehicon with a contemptuous sneer on his face. Drivetrain sucker-punched him before he could say any of the clearly nasty things that were running through his head.
___________________________________

Hammer acknowledged Obsidian's order with a nod. "How would you like me to array the Vehicons for deployment, sir? Motorcycle units are available for rapid deployment as an advanced scout. I also have several specialized bomber units ready if you would prefer to start the battle with a carpet bombing of entrenched enemy positions. I also have car and tank battalions on standby in case you'd like to launch a blitzkrieg."
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

"Because once the contract doesn't suit him anymore, he finds ways to skip out. And that makes the crimelords very unhappy, but with all his hidden clinics he can just keep hopping around to new locations while they're left chasing their tailpipes trying to pin him down," Dirge told Ramjet as he hauled Knock Out from his seat. With the other seeker holding him, Dirge leaned in very close, causing the doctor to try to shy away. With Ramjet right behind him, though, all he could do was push against the other seeker, utterly trapped. "No more running now, doc, and no breaking contracts. You've been drafted."

With Ramjet already holding Knock Out's arm, Dirge took hold of the other to insure he didn't run off, then helped Ramjet haul the doctor out of the transport. Knock Out made a few displeased noises as he tried one last time to pull away from them, then finally seemed to give up on escaping them.

Among all the activity in the hangar, one thing in particular would catch his attention, that of Megatron's form. Dirge had never been anywhere near Megatron, but he had seen him at distance, at various meetings with Deathsaurus. He seemed to have taken note of their presence, and that encouraged Dirge to approach him. For once he could finally meet the terrifying gladiator in person instead of being one of the security personnel on the fringes. With a smile, he started to lead Knock out in that direction.

The doctor must have taken note of Megatron as well, as Dirge could feel Knock Out try to balk, but it was a futile attempt with the two seekers holding him.
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

Sixshot turned to Breakneck. "In case you have not noticed, I was pointing my guns at the non-Vehicon people." Sixshot gave Brick a shrug. "It is an attempt at a joke, anyway. I suppose it's the delivery?"

Sixshot walked over to the group of thugs, and when Drivetrain engaged one, the other thugs all got up and attempted to attack the Vehicon. Sixshot grabbed the two nearest thugs by the heads and slammed them together (although he took care to modulate his strength), before dropping them, careful to note that there are still some thugs left for Brick.

He really could have taken all the thugs out at once by throwing the two he had just bashed together at them, but he... did not.

One of the thugs Sixshot had just attacked was conscious and struggled to get up to his feet, though he had a dent in his skull. "Why're you helping these drone scum? You-"

He did not finish his sentence as Sixshot brutally kicked him in the face.
___________________________________

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Hammer." Obsidian said, with genuine appreciation. Unlike the two others, who are merely content to shout orders to get the troops off their skidplates.

"The mad scientists already act as an advanced scout to probe their defenses. Zero, I want a squad of your Renegades to fly in and help their retreat so they can rejoin our forces. Have the motorcycle units hang back as support units until we breach the city, and once we have, send them rushing in to cause as much mayhem and sow confusion upon the Autobot ranks." Obsidian told Hammer. "I expect Iacon to have anti-aircraft cannons, so pick the fastest of your bomber units to shell and take out said cannons before we send in the rest of our airforce. Keep in mind -- it's easy to attack from the air, but it is equally easy to be shot out of if the enemy has the proper equipment. Thus we must eliminate that."

Why was he teaching this Vehicon? Oh well. Might as well groom the good soldiers of the Decepticons.

"Have the former prisoners not previously aligned with Destrons and Renegades with flight-capable changeforms fly in with the initial bombing team, but mix in some of your own troops in case they defect." Obsidian said. "I wish to weed out the weaklings from the non-affiliated prisoners, which are mostly an unknown quantity."

Obsidian paused. "Our objective is to stage an attack severe enough to draw out all Autobot forces, but not to severe so that our troops will suffer too much losses. Hammer, Igern, divide the ground troops into two groups, and have them attack from different sides of the city. We shell the Iacon walls and the wall defenses with the heavy-duty tanks, and swap in reinforcements in order to tire them out and draw their fire. Any ground-based Autobot troops will be taken out by a phalanx of car-type units and equivalents among the non-Vehicons to stop them from reaching the tanks. Igern, tell your man Girudo to take charge of three squads of ex-convicts, and sow chaos and confusion upon the enemy. Fly in a madcap manner in order to confuse them and cause disorder, so long as you do not get in the way of the bomber squads." Obsidian paused again. "That is all for now. No plan survives contact with the enemy; prepare for on-the-spot changes. We march in two minute-units."
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Nemesis

Post by Chip1123 »

"Lord Megatron," Clench said, sending his commander an update. "Shockwave reports that the Nemesis is almost ready to depart. Lugnut has arrived and will be helping to coordinate ground forces. Medics are waiting to heal any units that may get injured in the fighting. Once you give the order, we shall depart."
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Post by Warcry »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

"I ain't sayin' we'd stick to it," Ramjet told Dirge. "But it'd be a damn sight easier to flush him out in the open with a job offer than a hunting party, is all I'm sayin'."

The conehead took a moment to realize that the other seeker was leading them towards someone, and a moment more to realize just who that someone was. When he recognized Megatron, he shut his mouth and straightened up.

"Can we help you, sir?"

"Ramjet, is it?" Megatron gave him a surprisingly friendly smile. "I was glad to hear that you were among our newest recruits. The seekers are some of Cybertron's best warriors and we can't have enough of them on the team." He gave Ramjet a jocular slap on the shoulder before shifting his focus to the other seeker. "But I was actually coming to see Dirge here."

He gave Dirge the same well-practiced "mech of the people" smile, then asked, "A pleasure to finally formally meet you, by the way. Deathsaurus has many good qualities, but he does tend to treat his staff more like appliances than people. Are you still working for him?"

As he waited for a reply, he cocked his head to the side slightly and replied to Clench.

"Ah, excellent news," he told his field commander. "I've arrived myself, and I'm in the ship's hangar bay. It appears that the last of our assault group has arrived, so we are ready to depart. Please tell Shockwave that the Nemesis can depart whenever he's ready."
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

Drivetrain delivered another punch to the head of the thug he'd first grabbed, then dropped the other Decepticon to the ground. Another thug was rushing him, but Drivetrain ducked his punch and drove his elbow into the attacker's chest.

Brick, meanwhile, threw himself at two of the Decepticons who'd been planning to attack Sixshot from behind. While he didn't really think they'd pose a threat to his friend, he still didn't want to see him blindsided. He took the two other 'Cons down with a wide-armed tackle, hauling them both to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing, you mass-produced idiot?" one of the freed criminals demanded. "You don't get to attack real Transformers!"

"Yeah?" Brick grabbed the criminal's arm, then twisted it behind his body until he heard the shoulder linkages rip apart. "I don't know much, but I know that you're a dumbass who was pissing away his life in jail. And me? I'm one of the guys that let you out. Starting to have serious second thoughts about it, though."

He spun the damaged enemy around so that he'd absorb the sloppy punch that his comrade was about to throw.

"You're trash. And I don't look like everyone else because I'm a drone. Being a Vehicon is a uniform. I'm a soldier."

He wrenched the damaged arm even more, ripping it out of it's socket. Then he got back up to his feet and used the severed limb to clobber the other criminal to the ground.

"Maybe remember that next time you try throwing rocks?"
___________________________________

Hammer acknowledged Obsidian's orders. "Aye, sir. I'll dispatch your commands to the other Vehicon troop leaders. And I'll...keep your advice in mind, sir."

He was about to say something else when a disturbance near where he'd left Sixshot and Brick caught his attention.

"Sir, there appears to be a disturbance among the troops."
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

Sixshot whirled around when one of the criminals said things like 'mass-produced' and 'real Transformers', but raised an optic brow in approval when Brick tore the thug's arm off and beat him with it.

"That seems effective." Sixshot said, nodding, and lashed out, grabbing the hand of the thug that was attempting to jump him, and tore it apart, spraying linkages and energon out of the wound. "And surprisingly satisfying." Sixshot hit the now armless thug with his own appendage, sending him crumpling onto the ground. "Come on. Where is all that tough talk about being real Transformers, eh? Or has my brother's little speech shut you all up?"

Someone pulled out a gun and opened fire at the back of Sixshot's head. The sixchanger's head was kicked forwards slightly due to the near range of the weapon, and he let out an unearthly, metallic reverberating noise that was definitely not a happy noise as his vocalizer recalibrated itself from the sudden impact. Sixshot turned around, the blast to his head not fazing him at all.

The perpetrator, one of the thugs Sixshot had beaten down earlier, was shaking. "We're playing with guns, now, are we?" Sixshot growled, and began to stalk towards the criminal in question. "I could play with guns too. Could turn into a gun. But that just won't be sporting. Not to deal with animals like you."

Sixshot deployed his beast-mode claws from his knuckles, three curved blades jutting out, and slashed precisely three times. First the gun fell off in two neat halves, then the criminal's hand was severed at the elbow, then the Decepticon insignia sloppily tampographed on his other shoulder was peeled off. Sixshot made a satisfied growl, retracted his claws and delivered a punch into the criminal's stomach.
___________________________________

Obsidian whirled around mid-air to see a group of Decepticons surrounding what seems to be a rather massive brawl. "I see what is happening. You have been appointed into a higher rank, have you not? Deal with it, Hammer. I see the six-changer is involved -- if he is uncooperative, inform me. And regardless of the outcome, I wish to know the reasons for the conflict."

To know who to send first into the battle as fodder, Obsidian's tone would imply. Hopefully Hammer would understand it. Truth be told, Obsidian was... highly curious of Hammer's actions. Perhaps it's a leftover instinct from when he was mentoring Prowl or Onslaught. Obsidian filed this away. No time for sentiments.

He paused, a thousand different strategems running through his head. A thousand different contingencies his former apprentice might have set in place.

"The rest of you, begin marching. We head for Iacon." Obsidian said to the other Vehicon, Renegade, Destron, gladiator, and other commanders. No, Obsidian corrected himself. The Decepticon commanders.
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

Dirge also snapped to attention as Megatron reached them, standing firm and straight as he waited until Megatron addressed him.

"No, sir!" Dirge snapped out crisply in response, never once losing a tone of respect as he spoke. "Deathsaurus may have been comfortable kicking back in a safehouse and watching the action, but I wanted to be part of the effort."

Inbetween the two seekers 'escorting' him, Knock Out remained absolutely silent for once. He was too busy shaking in fright at Megatron's presence to do anything else.
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Post by Warcry »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

"I see," Megatron muttered after Dirge answered his question. "I have to admit I'm disappointed. Deathsaurus has been a valuable ally, but if he won't join our battle from the front lines he'll find himself being left behind."

He glanced between the two seekers, his optics narrowing as he focused on Knock Out. "And just who, exactly, are you?"
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

"As you wish," Hammer told Obsidian. Transforming, he rocketed up into the sky before looping down, taking stock of the situation before he transformed and landed in the middle of the fray in robot mode.

Though by the time he arrived, it could hardly be called a 'fray' anymore. Twenty Decepticons lay battered and broken on the ground, their hastily-applied insignias and generally scruffy appearances betraying their status as recently 'recruited' criminals. Sixshot, Brick and a car Vehicon (his ID transponder tagged him as 'Drivetrain') stood in the midst of the chaos, while another car (named 'Breakneck', apparently) stood off to the side with a horrified expression in his optic band.

"What exactly is the meaning of this?" Hammer asked, looking around at the scene.

"These Decepticons attacked us without warning!" one of the criminals exclaimed. "We did nothing to provoke--"

"Yes, I'm sure," Hammer cut him off, clearly indifferent to what the hooligan had to say. "You! Breakneck! You saw what happened. Explain!"

"The...the criminals...they were throwing rocks, sir." Breakneck looked terrified, as if he thought Hammer or one of his comrades would gun him down for saying the wrong words.

"They were throwing rocks," Hammer repeated. "At you?"

"N...no, sir. At another group of Vehicons. And they were s...saying things. B-bad things. Ab-bout Veh...hicons, sir."

"Zip it, you coward!" Drivetrain shouted. He turned to Hammer and said, "Sir, these -- I'll call them 'people', but that's being generous -- these people apparently decided that Vehicons weren't real Transformers and that they could attack and even kill them without repercussion. The senior officers were either blind to their actions, or supported them."

"I see," Hammer replied flatly. "So you decided to mete out 'repercussions' on your own." He glanced over at Brick. "Is that so?"

"That's pretty much the gist, yeah," Brick admitted. "Can't let 'em get away with stuff like that, or it'll spread. Pretty soon Vehicon wouldn't be able to walk down the street without getting attacked. Had to show 'em we had some backbone, you understand?"

Hammer didn't respond to his former wingman, instead turning his attention to Sixshot. "And you? What part did you have to play in this? I can't imagine these degenerates picked a fight with you."
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

"Vehicle mode." Obsidian said as he folded into his twin-rotor helicopter mode and began to move at a relatively slow pace with the rest of the other troops, Decepticon jets shooting past him on both flanks. He moved slow enough to observe the general rowdiness of anyone that's not a Vehicon, and sighed.

These are not soldiers, after all. Probably some of the former terrorists and insurgents, but most of them is just rabble. Unstable rabble that should be culled once this is all over...

Obsidian looked down at the mess below, of the murderers and lunatics he is going to let loose upon Iacon and the civilians within... and a pang of regret washed over him.

Then he remembered the slums of Kaon, the Functionist Lobby, the Senate who sucked the Carburisia Energon Reserves dry for no reason other than greed... the sheer mess that they had made out of Cybertron...

Cybertron will survive, even if its people do not. There will be a new generation to replace those who had fallen. A necessary sacrifice. Hard decisions will be needed for a new Golden Age. His resolve hardened, Obsidian accelerated as he moved in pace with his troops.

"Onward!" Obsidian bellowed. "For Cybertron!"
______________________________

Sixshot looked around him, noting the defeated criminals that he, Drivetrain and Brick had defeated lay strewn all around them. Sixshot's sophisticated optic scanners were built in order to detect enemies that are still alive and thus targets to eliminate, and right now every one of the criminals were still alive.

Well, the three who have been disarmed by him and Brick are probably in bad shape, but Sixshot's optics aren't medical scanners, and they showed 'alive'. That's better than what they deserved.

Sixshot turned to face Hammer, inwardly impressed and proud at his brother's attempt to take charge of the situation. However, his face betrayed none of these expressions.

The six-changer gave Breakeck a look, slightly disgusted at the spineless Vehicon's attempt to explain matters, and was about to interject when Drivetrain beat him to the punch.

Sixshot was silent as both Drivetrain and Brick said their piece. Hammer addressed him, and Sixshot was silent for a moment, as if gathering the correct words to say. "They picked a fight with some of our brethren." Sixshot said calmly in his deep, reverberating voice. "I consider myself... a Vehicon as well, and thus when these scum abused other Vehicons, like Brick and Drivetrain, I too felt compelled to respond in kind."
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

Knock Out shrunk back as Megatron addressed him, but the two seekers held him in place. He didn't answer Megatron.

"This is Dr. Knock Out, formerly of Kaon before your boys started chasing him around," Dirge answered for him when he failed to speak. "Skyquake said you've been trying to get a properly trained medic for the troops for a while now, but he kept evading his draft notice."

Dirge took a moment to sweep Knock Out's leg with his own foot, intentionally tripping him. Still shackled from when he'd been first thrown on the truck, both feet went out from under him, and Knockout was sent sprawling to the ground at Megatron's feet. The blow caused a yelp from the previously silent doctor, before he quickly scrambled to orient himself again. The shackles didn't allow him enough slack to get back on his feet, though, and he was forced to sit up on his knees in a groveling position (thanks to the cuffed wrists). Stuck in that position, he started to do just that.

"P-please, Governor Megatron, sir, lord..." Knock out spoke quickly, unsure how to properly address the mountain of terror before him, and panicing. "I-I'm just a simple doctor! I don't have combat experience, never handled war wounds, battle fields...s-surely there's someone better suited to servicing your grand operation..."

Knock out was sweating lubricant, and too upset by the form infront of him to even worry about it leaving streaks on his finish.

Dirge was loving it.
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Post by Warcry »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

"I totally brought him down with a headbutt!" Ramjet bragged when Dirge told Megatron about Knock out.

Megatron gave the seeker a patronizing, "Good for you," before turning his attention to the newly-recruited doctor.

"You're right," he told Knock Out. "I just downloaded your file. You're a hack, an incompetent and a charlatan. "I know of at least eight doctors better-suited to the job than you, just from personal experience. And I'm sure there are dozens more that I don't know. There's only one problem -- they're all Autobots!" He balled his left hand into a fist, seething with quiet rage over how so many of the upper classes and professionals had fled from his new territories because of the reputation the Decepticons had gained for being low-brow, working-class hoodlums.

"If you know of someone I'm forgetting, I'd be more than happy to talk to them." He grabbed Knock Out's chin and turned the doctor's face up, forcing him to make eye contact. "Of course, you've seen far too much of our operation for me to allow you to go free, so if I do find a better doctor I'll have to kill you."
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

Hammer took note of Sixshot's glance at Breakneck, and truth be told he shared the sixchanger's disdain for the other Vehicon's cowardice.

"I appreciate your candor," he told Sixshot. "The rest of you as well." He glanced down at the battered and broken hoodlums, then back up at his brother Vehicons. "Officially, I need to reprimand you for this. We're on high alert and shouldn't be brawling with our comrades. We should be saving our energy for the Autobots, not wasting it on each other. Unofficially..." His faceplate twitched in a manner that strongly suggested a smile beneath it. "...good job. If this lot were being that undisciplined, then they were a risk to themselves and the whole unit. They needed to be set straight. Just try not to do it so publicly next time."

He kicked the nearest thug, gently enough not to cause any damage but hard enough to roll him onto his back so that Hammer could stare balefully down at him. "Don't think this gets you out of your duties. I've summoned a squad of Paramedic Vehicons to patch up your injuries. Once you're mobile, report to the forward operations infantry unit. The whole lot of you just volunteered as cannon fodder."

"But...you can't..."

"I can and I just did," Hammer snapped. "Next time, before you start picking on Vehicons you should make sure there aren't any nearby that outrank you."

"Go Hammer!" Brick whispered as he shared a gloating chuckle with Drivetrain.

As the Vehicon leader turned back to his troops, he said, "As for you...Obsidian has give the move-out order. Since the three of you work so well with him, I'm assigning you to Sixshot's command. Provide him with whatever backup, support or distractions that he needs."

Breakneck's horrified expression as he gave the order was almost work all the trouble they'd caused, Hammer decided.

"I'm assigning a pair of motorcycle scouts, two helicopter units and a paramedic to join you. Once we breach the city walls, Sixshot, you'll be expected to free-roam inside Iacon to take down high-priority targets."

As he gave out his orders, several of the Vehicon battalions nearby began to fall into formation and move out in response to Obsidian's orders.

(OOC: Over the weekend I'm going to need to make up bios and profiles for me growing army of Vehicon mauve-shirts so we can keep straight who's who... )
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Aero Blade
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Post by Aero Blade »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

Knock Out started to scowl as Megatron spoke, his pride as a doctor now being attacked. Just because his training came from Kaon didn't mean he was any less a doctor than any of those blasted Autobots! That looking down on him because of his background was a large part of why he didn't set up in a real hospital anyplace - whether he was in Iacon General or a shack at the edge of the Rust Sea, they were still gonna look at him as a back-alley hack because his degree didn't have a nice little Iaconian stamp on it.

Then Megatron balled up his fist in anger, and Knock Out paniced once again, fearing a blow was about to come down on him. He could do little more than duck his head and put his cuffed wrists infront of him to try to shield himself from the much larger Decepticon. Knock Out remained ducked in that position until Megatron pulled his chin up, forcing him to look back at him again.

Knock Out gulped hard as he was warned about what would happen if they did find a replacement. This was exactly why he had been afraid of being 'recruited' by the Decepticon forces, but now there was no other choice.

"Y-you're right, the only other barely qualified medics ran off to be Autobots, but that doesn't mean a thing! Any Autobot doctor that has an Iaconian degree just means they had enough money to buy their certification! Have their easy, by-the-book patient cases handed to them! They know nothing about doing real work in rugged situations, and that's why they ran off to the upper classes. But I stayed here! Where there was a real need for my skills, working with the masses. True my record may be a little.. tarnished by those that expected more of me than I was capable of given my meager resources. But in a grand operation such as this, you'll find no finer hands than mine! Those Autobots would never have the stomach to handle the real work this opportunity presented."

It had been a long time since Knock Out had to do so much begging to prove his worth - the crime lords could usually be bought off with a good upgrade job (and he'd never ticked one of them off directly anyways, though occasionally he'd cut corners on some of their favorite minions and gotten in trouble...) but that wasn't going to work here. If Megatron didn't accept this, he was as good as dead. Though some old fashioned begging might help smooth things over. And some boot-licking couldn't hurt either.

"Please, lord Megatron, allow me this opportunity to prove how wise and correct your decision was to come to me with this magnificent opportunity! I assure you, you won't be disappointed!"
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Blackjack
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OOC: Yay profiles! Sixshot approves of this treatment of Vehicons as people.

Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

Sixshot nodded at Hammer, his faceplate not quite as emotive as Hammer but his eyes giving the impression of a smug smile. "I'd argue that this being a public display will make others think twice about messing with Vehicons, but by your command. Sir."

Sixshot did not feel any sort of shame at addressing or acknowledging Hammer as his superior officer. In fact, he hoped that this would help the other Decepticons to respect the Vehicon.

Sixshot watched as the thug was dragged away by a paramedic Vehicon who did not look the slightest bit interested in doing much of a decent job. Sixshot felt a sense of pity for the thugs, but then considered the fact that these scum would probably push Vehicons and other good Decepticons in the way of an incoming bullet, and any sort of compassion he might have had evaporated instantly, causing him to nod in approval while Brick and Drivetrain chuckled near him.

Cannon fodder... serves them right.

Sixshot's optics widened slightly, and nodded. He would work well with Brick, certainly, and he hoped Drivetrain wouldn't be... antagonistic like before. Sixshot certainly saw no reason why Drivetrain would still retain the slight antagonistic edge. If anything, he liked how Brick and Drivetrain argued with him... a rather stark difference to the cowering, and a somewhat welcome one. He couldn't resist the urge to let out a little snorting chuckle when he realized that Breakneck was included in their little party, but turned serious quickly. Turning back to Hammer. "So we hang back for now. I assume high-priority targets will be flagged for me when we get there?"
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Hangar Bay, Nemesis

"Is that so?" Megatron said as Knock Out disparaged the Autobot doctors, clearly not buying a word of it but playing along anyway. "Well, then it's a good thing I didn't recruit them. If I ever found out that one of my doctors wasn't putting in full effort...why, I'd have to kill them! I'm glad you're so dedicated to tending to my people."

He narrowed his optics. "Very well, doctor. Consider yourself hired. If you're being genuine, I'm sure you'll have a long and fruitful career as a Decepticon. But if some of the slanderous things in your file prove to be true...well, I'll just have to deal with that personally."

Megatron gestured to Dirge and Ramjet. "See him up to the ship's medical bay," he told the seekers. "My...bodyguard," he said the word as if the thought of it amused him, "is waiting for treatment, and he found the medics in Kaon to be lacking. I'm sure our good friend Knock Out will take excellent care of him, though. Won't he?"
___________________________________

Northern Border, Praxus

"Perhaps," Hammer considered Sixshot's point. "Perhaps you're right. But by fighting them here, now, it makes us look bad. If the Autobots were watching, if they have any spies nearby, they'd find out that we have divisions in the ranks. They'd try to exploit them. And worst of all...it might give them hope." The Vehicon shrugged. "Not that it matters. They can't beat us no matter how much hope they have. But on principle, we should never show weakness to our enemies."

He nodded in response to Sixshot's other question. "In principle? Yes. In practice, the situation will be chaotic and we might not be able to feed you targets as quickly as we'd like. If that's the case, I'll trust you to use your judgment to pick the next place to strike. Oh, and by the way..."

He transmitted several files to Sixshot.

"I've forwarded you some intelligence reports. I think you'll find the subject of them very interesting indeed."
___________________________________

Brick turned and addressed the new Vehicons as they rolled in. One paramedic, two helicopters and two motorcycles -- Buckshot, Impulsor, Scythe, Chopsaw and Dirt Rocket, respectively -- lined up around him.

"So that's the big guy, huh?" Dirt Rocket asked. "Eh, he don't look so tough. I mean, he's big and all, but from the stories...I dunno. I expected something Sentinel big, you know?"

"He's big enough," Impulsor replied. "All those modes, all those guns...I'm pretty sure he's my hero."
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Blackjack
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Post by Blackjack »

Northern Border, Praxus

Sixshot considered Hammer's words slowly, folding his hands. "I shall take your words into consideration, brother." Sixshot rumbled.

Do not let the Autobots have hope.

Kill hope.

Make them feel helpless.

Hammer and Creator Predacon preach the same thing. True. Yet the stronger among them would not lose hope. Not like that Magnus character he faced off against before... he, Sixshot thought, does not seem like the one to lose hope, division or not among the enemy ranks. Ah, how Sixshot hoped that the Autobot Magnus had made a full recovery... no. Treacherous thoughts.

Sixshot nodded, shaken out of his short reverie by Hammer's next words, "Very well." Sixshot received the files from Hammer, and perused them in his on-board computers, and his optics widened. "Hammer... this information is... accurate?" Sixshot tried to be as calm as he could, but there was a tinge of surprised excitement in his voice.

He glanced at the newcomer Vehicons, and gave them a quick nod, but turned his attention back to Hammer.
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