Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Cas Coller is a massive gas giant planet circling a yellow star. The solar system is unremarkable with the other planets being close enough to their sun to be scorching hot or far enough away to be little more then balls of ice. The system was charted by early Cybertronian explorers millions of years ago. With the outset of the war exploration was largely forgotten with resource being poured into the war effort. It was only when forced to abandon Cybertron that documents regarding the system were rediscovered.

What made Cas Coller of interest was the variety of moons oribitting it. Six major moons in total circle the massive world, each a mini-planet in its own right. While devoid of life and much of an atmosphere the moons did possess a wide variety of mineral resources, including several used in vital starship systems. These moons, along with a rocky ring that encircles the gas giant, led the Autobots to build one of their primary shipyards in orbit around the gas giant.

Shipyard Alpha is the oldest and largest Autobot shipyard still functioning. It was here that the latest Ark series of vessels were first built. The shipyard has become a testbed for new starship designs and technologies ranging from deep space exploration to cutting edge warships. With the vast amount of construction and projects going on the orbiting station has become a floating city and often an R&R destination for Autobots after having completed difficult assignments. After Orbital Command Hub, Shipyard Alpha is the largest free floating Autobot structure in existence.

It is to this place that the Dinobots have arrived. Their mission: steal the Trion, the most advanced and powerful warship in the Autobot fleet, recently completed and preparing for her maiden voyage. It will take cunning, subterfuge and trickery for the Dinobots to make off with the powerful vessel. Do they have what it takes? We’ll find out in

Grimlock’s Four!

Bridge of the Ark-19, Approaching Cas Coller

Grimlock stirred from his command chair as he felt the vessel shift, dropping out of transwarp. To say the journey had been uneventful was an understatement. While he was glad there was not attempt at pursuit it didn’t exactly make for an interesting trip. He could only plot, strategize and contemplate so much before his patience began to wear thin. He could only imagine what the other Dinobots were going through as they didn’t really have the small amount of patience he did. At least the boring part was over now.

The Autobot vessel sped towards the orbiting shipyard as Grimlock punched in his recognition code on his command control panel. It would be sent out to the shipyard to verify that they were, indeed, actually Autobots and not pirates or Decepticons masquerading as Autobots. He had made sure that his codes were up to date before launching this mission and he doubted Prowl had done anything to change them. At least he hoped he hadn’t, it was a bit of a gamble on his part.

A message came back from the station and Grimlock punched it up on the main screen A gray smiling face appeared on the screen. “This is Countdown, commander of Alpha Shipyards. I welcome you and your crew. I had heard you were back on active duty Grimlock, but I didn’t expect to see you here. From what I’ve heard about you I figured you’d be on the frontlines as soon as possible.”

‘And hear we go,’ the Dinobot leader thought to himself. “Me wanted to, but command want me to get up to date with new technology. Me say it not change much, still point gun at con and pull trigger, but they not listen. So me bring Dinobots here to see new technology, learn how it works. Bring in damaged ship for repairs too so maybe it not total waste of time.”

Countdown glanced off screen for a moment. “Yes, I can see that your ship has taken some damage. Nothing we can’t fix though, but it will take a bit of time.” He looked back at Grimlock. “Of course you’re welcome to stay here until the repairs are complete. I’d love to hear what happened to you and your team; you were lost for so long. Anyway, you are cleared for docking at berth 6. You’re lucky we have an opening as no one told us ahead of time that you were coming.”

Grimlock shrugged his shoulders. “Me thought we get this over quickly as possible so we get back to fighting. Not want to wait for orders to go through.”

Countdown chuckled, “I understand. Welcome again to Alpha Shipyards. I’m sending Cosmos to guide you in to the berth and give you and official greeting and briefing on the station.”

Grimlock shook his head, “That not really nescess-“

“Countdown out.” The screen blinked off.

Grimlock let out a sigh and sat back. “Well we in it now Dinobots. Now real tough part starts. Swoop, take us into berth 6, maybe we can avoid having to talk to Cosmos.

Bridge of the Ark-19 - Approaching Cas Coller

Snarl had off-lined his optics for the duration of the trip to the Alpha Shipyards. Instead of actually being on the field of battle, he simply imagined he was fighting and tearing Decepticons apart with his bare hands, not to mention impaling them on the end of his spiked tail. The daydreaming had brought a smile to his faceplate more than once, something which would’ve caused any mech looking at him to wonder what he was so happy about. Being in the heat of conflict was the only thing that made the Desert Warrior happy, even if it was only a mere fantasy.

Snarl’s optics on-lined with the sudden shift of the Ark-19 as it came out of the transwarp wormhole. The Alpha Shipyards were dead ahead, signaling the end of the long journey that had been completely uneventful. With his dreams of battlefield carnage now over, the Desert Warrior’s sense of enjoyment subsided and was replaced by his usual unhappy self, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be seeing any kind of meaningful fighting in the near future. The shipyards were full of Autobots, which he was not eager to harm no matter how weak and pathetic they might be. Snarl would much rather smash 'Cons into stasis. Although, if push came to shove, the solar-powered Dinobot had no problem getting violent with his own comrades. He'd just have to make sure he didn't permanently damage any of them.

After listening to Grimlock’s exchange with Countdown, Snarl sat up in his chair at one of the weapons consoles and waited for Swoop to take them in to berth 6. Apparently, the first mech to greet them would be Cosmos. From what the Desert Warrior knew of him, the green minibot was not exactly the warrior type and posed no physical threat to any of the Dinobots. Still, if he caught on to their lies, Cosmos would create a whole slew of problems for them. “Me hope saucer-bot isn’t too bright to figure out real reason we here. Don’t want to waste energon pounding tiny mech into scrap already. Rather save strength for real challenge.”

Alpha Shipyards - Corridor outside Energon Bar

The large, yellow mech lay face down on the floor not far from the energon bar he had been a patron of only a few cycles ago. His optics on-lined as he let out a loud belch that came from deep within his fuel tanks. That was quickly followed by an even louder groan as the ship builder used his big arms to push himself up into a sitting position, resting his back against a nearby wall. A couple of ‘Bots that were walking past him paused briefly and stared down at the construction worker. He glared back up at them, a scowl clearly etched across his faceplate.

“What are you two fraggers lookin’ at?!” Grindcore bellowed in a deep, gruff voice. His vision was still a bit fuzzy and therefore he couldn’t quite make out their identities. “What’s the matter? Neither of you ever see a hungover mech before? Get the slag outta here!!” The yellow builder haphazardly swung his left arm out at the two Autobots’ legs, missing them by at least a yard. It was enough, though, to cause the two interlopers to continued walking and mind their own business. “That’s what I thought! Stupid techs think they're so much better than us builders!”

Using the wall behind him as a crutch, Grindcore managed to get to his feet, his thirty foot frame casting a shadow across the hallway. He let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his aching cranial unit. “I really need to learn to lay off the high grade.” It was then that the ship builder thought to check his internal chronometer and quickly realized what time it was. “Slaggit! I’m late for the start of my shift! Dammit!! The boss is gonna tear me a new aft section again!”

Not wanting to waste any more time, Grindcore started down the corridor, staggering at first until he finally regained his balance. The ship builder then broke into a jog, his heavy footfalls echoing off the walls as he hurried towards the primary dry dock, knocking any unfortunate mechs aside that he encountered along the way.

Alpha Shipyards – Weapons Engineering – Skyfall’s Lab

“No! I told you it’d be finished within the next mega-cycle. Soo, if you don’t get off my back it won’t get done at all! Now if you’ll excuse me…I have work to do.”

Skyfall cut the transmission before the ‘Bot on the other end could counter. He was sick. Sick of deadlines. Sick of nosey officials. But he was mostly sick of being stuck in the lab for hours on end. He needed some ‘me’ time. Well, there’s no time like the present.

He stood up from his stool and kicked it under his work bench. Skyfall took a quick look around taking note of all of the work that still needed to be done. Not to mention that quantum plasma cannon. He shook his head slowly and lowered his gaze to the scrap covered floor. After a moment his head lifted, optics brightened and he headed to the door.

“It’ll still be here tomorrow.”

Once again the weapons engineer had put off the work that had been due for inspection months ago. Yet his superiors believe him to be one of the premier engineers in this sector.

Medical Bay

Stocking storage cabinets. Could there be a more boring job? Wait, yes there was, he could be moping the floor after that last patient arrived. Two severed legs and a crushed actuator. It was times like these that Ambulon wondered why he even defected. But then there were the mechs that actually thanked him. That’s why I do this. Even if it is only one every vorn…it’s worth the effort.

Ambulon cracked a smile as he lifted the last container that held the remainder of the supplies. He was too engrossed in his work to even notice the arrival of Pharma. The CMO had been the one to finish the repairs on that almost mutilated mech and was just exiting the recovering room when he spotted Ambulon. He tossed the energon stained rag into the bin stationed at the entrance to the med bay and worked his way to the smaller mech.

“You know if you had tied off that fuel line it would have saved me half a breem in there.”

The light framed mech stiffened at the sound of his superior’s voice. But the observation only made Ambulon bristle. He had done what he could before Pharma had whisked the patient off to surgery. Optics glowing a deep red the medic turned on his heel to face the taller mech.

“I did everything I could in the amount of time I had! You were the one who decided to wheel him off to surgery without making sure he was completely stable! So don’t go blaming me for your inadequacies!”

Pharma let out a low growl as he clenched his fists at his side.

“Don’t you dare accuse me of being inadequate! If anyone in this med bay is inadequate it’s YOU!”

The CMO stepped in close to his subordinate causing Ambulon to move away only to be obstructed by the storage cabinet behind him.

“Don’t forget, Ambulon, they gave you a chance to prove yourself…I didn’t. While you’re in MY med bay you’ll do as I say and nothing more. NO ONE matters but ME!”

As the mech turned and began to walk off he stopped and looked over his shoulder. A look of pure animosity focused on the much smaller mech.

“You may have been forgiven for your faction’s atrocities but that doesn’t mean we have to accept you. You’ll never deserve our patronage. You keep that in mind Ambulon.”

He kept his optics glued to the scowling former Decepticon before he turned his head and stalked off into his office. The confrontation was not new. In fact it seemed to occur on a regular basis. Come to think of it they seemed to be butting heads on a much more frequent basis.

“Primus. I think he’s losing it.”

The thought of Pharma actually doing something rash was the only thing running through Ambulon’s mind as he turned back around and went back to work.

Corridors

Stockade had been heading out to the main yard when one of the other weapons installation specialists stopped him. Stockade flashed his friend a broad smile before both mechs reached out and grabbed a hold of the others' forearm. Pleasantries were exchanged before Stockade leaned up against one of the walls.

“Nah. All you gotta do is make sure the backplate is secure then you can go ahead and bolt down the brace, just don’t overdo it or you’ll have a huge mess on your hands. Not to mention a lot of explainin’ to do to your superiors.”

With a grateful nod Stockade gave his friend a broad smile and latched onto his forearm once more. That done the other weapons specialist turned and started down the opposite corridor.

“Oh, Brighton, I almost forgot. I’ll be able to join you all after my shift. So save me a seat.”

Brighton gave a wave and disappeared into the gathering crowd. Stockade moved back in to the hall the smile he had flashed his friend now replaced by a deep scowl. He had to keep up appearances after all. If he appeared too nice his men would not respect his capabilities, not to mention they’d try and take advantage of him. Not on my watch.

Stockade had just made it out and amongst the crowd when he was slammed into hard. He let out an angry growl as he saw the mech who jogged right into him continue down the corridor. I don’t think so. Stockade took the two steps he needed and reached out. He caught a hold of Grindcore by the shoulder and pulled him back.

“I suggest you watch where you’re goin’ buddy.”

Alpha Shipyards – Energon Bar

"So I looked up to him and I said 'You may have six different modes, but all I need is one fist to beat you!' and BAM, I punched him right in that smug face of his."

Side Burn sat back in his seat, a smug grin on his face. The pink femme sitting across from him gasped in shock and amazement. It was a look he was used to getting from femmes. Sometimes he got it just from his good looks. Occasionally he got it from his exploits, be they charging ahead of the main Autobot force or racing down the roads of whatever base it he was stationed at. Of course with the latter he just assumed they were giving him looks of amazement. What he saw was basically just a blur at those speeds.

The time he most often got those looks though was while he was telling one of his stories. His exploits were the stuff of legend, at least to him. He always loved sharing them, especially with the ladies. While other mechs might appreciate a good tale, the femmes would give him those looks, maybe even hold his hand, or more, to show how much they thought of him and what he had done. Sure, maybe, maybe, embellished a little on his stories, but they were good for morale. He would do anything to keep up the morale of those lovely femmes. They were the backbone of Autobot society after all right? Life wouldn’t be worth living without them.

He was lucky to have scored some R&R here between assignments. Over at the command hub he was liable to get sucked up into something probably involving paperwork. Out here though he was far away from the bureaucracy but still in a good spot to do some relaxing, and once that was done, get sent right back out into the fight. As much as the ladies wouldn’t want him to go, he had to. There was still a war going on and it wasn’t just going to win itself.

“So then what happened?”

The blue Autobot snapped out of his thoughts as he looked back at the femme. “Uh, well, well you see, no one had ever done that to him before, just run up and punched him like that. The blow knocked him back a bit. Then he looked down at me, and he says ‘You are brave Autobot, braver then any I have known. I honor that bravery by leaving this battlefield.’ Then he transformed into one of his modes and took off. I’d heard he was an honorable type, but I’ll let you in on a secret.”

Side Burn leaned forward, the femme following suit. “I could see the fear in his optics. He was scared and ran away.” He sat back and smiled as the other Autobot placed her hands on his arms resting on the table.

“Oh Side Burn, you’re so brave!”

The Autobot nodded back at her. “I know baby, I know…”

Orbitting Cas Coller

In space, no one could hear Cosmos sigh. For the past cycle he had been stuck orbitting around the planet while one of the shipyard's communications satellites was being repaired. Being alone in space was bad enough as it was, but having to keep a synchronized orbit with the other satellites made it practically unbearable. Under other circumstances he could relieve his boredom and loneliness by zigging and zagging through and around asteroids and space junk, but for now he was simply stuck circling around the planet at a slow pace, just staring into space. As Cosmos wondered just how much longer he would be there, a signal came from one of the chief engineers that the repairs were complete.

"Oh, thank Primus it's done!", the flying saucer exlaimed to himself as his main thrusters burst to life, releasing him from Cas Coller's gravitational field and headed toward the orbital station. Just then he received a message from the Shipyard's commander, Countdown, as well as the coordinates of an Ark-class vessel. Much to Cosmos' delight it was an order to escort and greet a new arrival.

>>Certainly, Countdown, you know I'll be happy to welcome the Dinobots and show them around. I'll be there in about 30 astroseconds, Cosmos out!

Cosmos couldn't have been happier as he pushed his boosters to full power, zooming in the direction of the Ark-19. He had never met the Dinobots before, but they were practically legends and so he had heard much about them. From what he knew they were a rather rough group, but they had been missing for hundreds of vorns. They most certainly had to have a lot to say, and Cosmos would be more than happy to listen to their stories as he guided them around the station. It certainly beat staring at the vast emptiness of space.

"Ah, there it is, the Ark-19.", Cosmos said to himself as came in perpendicular to the Ark-19's trajectory. With his manuevering thrusters he matched the much larger ship's course, and used his boosters to increase speed to keep him just ahead of them. Using his superior manueverability the green flying saucer bobbed and weaved from side to side in front of the Dinobot's ship to get their attention.

>>Greetings Grimlock and Dinobots! This is Cosmos, and on behalf of all the staff and personel stationed here, I wish to welcome you to the Alpha Shipyards here on Cas Coller!<<

Having made the official greeting Cosmos steadied his course, staying just ahead of the Ark-19.

>>Well it seems you're already on your way to berth 6 with no problems, but I hope you don't mind if I tag along anyway, just in case. Countdown told me you're here for repairs and to learn about all the new technology that's developed since you went missing. Well, let me tell you that you've come to the right place! We've got more engineers and technicians than we know what to do with!<<

------------

Ark 19- Bridge

For the most part Sludge had just stood around during the trip, though a few times he had started kicking some of the chairs that weren't being occupied by his fellow Dinobots out of boredom. Once they came out of transwarp for the final time, Sludge felt a little relief as he continued to just stand, watch and listen to Grimlock speak to Countdown.

When he thought about it, there really wasn't much Sludge could do now, or during this mission. Thinking, acting, those were far from his specialies. His real strength lied in... well, his strength, and his impenetrable armor. He would follow Grimlock and the Dinobots anywhere, he would follow his orders and complete this mission as best he could, but this would be well outside of his comfort zone.

This mission will be hard for me, Sludge. Me Sludge would rather smash Decepicons, not lie to weakling Autobots. But Grimlock is strongest, Grimlock is leader, so me Sludge will obey.

------------------

Energon Bar

"Does His light guide your path?", Highcall said to a passing bot, trying to hand him a datapad, but the bot simply ignored him, "Do you wish to become one with the Allspark?", he said to another who again ignored him.

Despite how often many Autobots used His name, Highcall had found it difficult to enlighten others about Primus. Everytime he was off duty he would go to the station's bars and pubs and try to save a few sparks. Few even realized they needed saving, let alone would accept it. He would let it get him down though. Primus had saved him, and in return he would save as many Autobots as he could.

"Serving Primus will fill your fuel tank more than any type of energon!", the religous engineer said, though everyone in the bar seemed to ignore him.

Highcall checked the time- he still had several breems until his next assignment. To be honest he hadn't even finished his previous assignment, but for some reason the bot in charge told him he'd done enough and to take some time off. Maybe reciting the Datatracks of Beta-4 from the Covenant of Primus had shown him the light, realizing Highcall's time would be better spent making more true believers. Highcall would have to speak to him again sometime.

Looking around, Highcall noticed a couple of bots at a table that he hadn't spoke with yet. They seemed to be in a rather good mood, maybe they would be more receptive than the others. Walking to the table he took out a couple of datapads he kept, filled with texts from the Covenant of Primus- well, the ones that he had memorized, at least.

"Primus has blessed this day!", Highcall smiled as he handed a datapad to Sideburn and the femme next to him, "Just as he has blessed us all! Have you ever felt there was more to life? That there was a greater power at work, guiding our paths with his divine light?"

Alpha Shipyards--Command Hub

Cloudburst leaned back in his chair, grinning as he looked over at Countdown.

"Well, that certainly was a surprise, huh? I didn't think I'd see anyone from Optimus' command crew around here for a long time. Usually it's us delivering stuff to them."

Not that he was complaining. The work they were doing here could--conceivably and hopefully--end the war. As Autobots went, admittedly it was not the Dinobots who tended to be interested in the sort of work they did here, but Cloudburst was happy that they were, just the same. It was the frontline warriors who would benefit most of all from gaining a better understanding of what they did here. After all, they would be the ones most likely to deploy it in the field, whatever it turned out to be.

"Hopefully Cosmos won't get on their nerves too much," Cloudburst added, grinning as he pulled up the feed on berth 6.
___

Energon Bar

"Another!" Warhaul growled, slamming his fist on the counter. "Work too slaggin' hard to not be able to soak up some good energon when I get the slagblasted chance. Now fill 'er up."

His energy levels were reading full. Slightly overloaded, actually, but it wasn't the good stuff and he could feel it. The bartender looked at him for a moment before obliging, refilling his container to the brim with a slightly off-colored pink energon derivative. What he was forced to survive on out here, it was almost criminal.

As he took another swig, most of the conversations swirling around him had no effect on the feisty maintenance tech. There was one subject he didn't talk about much though, and that was religion. So when he heard someone yakkin' on and on about Primus this and Covenant that, it immediately triggered something in his brain module.

"Don't g-go peddlin....t-that muck around here," he said, turning around slightly unsteadily on his stool to face Highcall. "Ain't nobody who wa...wants to become one with the Allspark yet."

Bridge of Ark-19

To say that Swoop was relieved to see Shipyard Alpha was a bit of an understatement. Over six hours of jumping from point A to point B wasn’t exactly his idea of fun, and unlike the others, he had to remain attentive as he piloted the ship. Multiple transwarp jumps before plotting course for the actual destination was standard evasive procedure, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t done it multiple times. After all, it would cause problems if the prick Prowl sent someone after them, so the jumps and, by extension, the delays, were necessary. The trip was boring, yes, but felt more sharply than the boredom was the anxiety.

The waiting before a mission was always the hardest part. Swoop hated waiting. He was a Dinobot, and patience was never their forte. True he wasn’t as bad as say Slag or Snarl, who craved action like energon, but with a mission like this Swoop would be hard pressed to not worry a bit. Subterfuge, like patience, was a little-know concept among the Dinobots, and thanks to their little hijacking stunt they could now be considered wanted mechs. At this point it wasn’t a question of whether they could pull it off. They had to pull off stealing the Trion or not. There was no other option. Screw this up and they’d be looking at a lifetime sentence in Garrus-9. The Dinobots couldn’t afford that; the Autobots even less. Once again it fell on them to do the job right. While the Autobots were flailing around in confusion over the chain of command the Decepticons were regaining potency by the day. Now was the perfect time to strike, and if Prowl or Ultra Magnus or Hot Rod Prime or whoever was in charge couldn’t see that then it was up to the Dinobots to take the initiative.

It’s good to be back, Swoop thought with a smirk as he eased them out of their final transwarp jump. Finally they could get this ridiculous charade over with and get back to the mudball planet before the Decepticons had time to fully organize. Honestly, the sheer incompetency of the entire Autobot high command never failed to amaze him. He watched Grimlock converse with the captain of the shipyard and felt a small measure of relief when it became apparent that Prowl hadn’t reported them yet. Strange when he thought about it considering how thorough the prick-bot was, as was the lack of pursuit. He briefly wondered if Grimlock had something to do with it but was pulled out of his train of thought when the bot in question gave him the order to dock.

“Rodger that,” with the pleasantries over, the bombardier began steering them towards the designated berth, hoping as much as Grimlock that they wouldn’t have to talk to this Cosmos person. His hopes would be for naught. Great. A chatty one. He trusted Grimlock to do most the talking during the mission but he had a feeling that the saucer would be asking just as many questions as answering them. Once again his dislike of deception reared its head, but he showed no outward sign of unease as he guided the Ark-19 into berth 6. The warship slowed to a steady crawl as she was eased into the docking cradle. The ship shuddered lightly as the docking clamps locked into place, then all was still again. “Ark-19 fully docked,” He announced. Now the hard part began.

Corridor

As Grindcore continued on towards the main dry dock, he became less and less concerned about the mechs around him and more about getting to his job before his boss made him a permanent part of one of the ships currently under construction. He had knocked into several ‘Bots along the way, but paid none of them any mind as his cranial ache continued to throb within his processor. However, one of those he had slammed into was not so willing to let the heavy lifter go without saying something.

Grindcore came to a sudden halt when he felt someone’s actuators grab ahold of his shoulder and yank him back. The green loader spun around and glared back at Stockade, who had made the suggestion that he watch where he was going. Normally, the Construction worker’s reaction would be to get right back into the weapons specialist's faceplate and tell him to stay the frag out of his way. However, common sense took hold quickly as the yellow mech realized that such a show of aggression would only lead to a fight and thus make him even later for his shift than he already was. Therefore, his response was much more restrained than what was usual for him.

“You’re Stockade, right? I’ve seen you and the other weapons bots around when my crew and I were building the Trion. Well, Stocks, sorry if I hurt you. I didn't mean to. I'm just late for my shift is all. You know how it is, right? I was just trying to get to the dry dock as quickly as possible so my foremech doesn't drill me a new afthole. Heh heh!" Grindcore patted Stockade hard on top of his shoulder plate, giving him a wry smile that hid the true irritation he was actually feeling. "Tell you what, maybe I'll buy you a drink later and make it up to you. Sound good, Stocky?"

Ark 19- Bridge

“Hopefully we not have to deal with him at all. We still have reputation, most Bots either not like us or afraid of us,” Grimlock replied to Snarl. “Unfortunately we gone so long, reputation might have faded, might have to remind some bots about it.”

Grimlock’s hopes of keeping a low profile were dashed when the smaller form of Cosmos began darting around on the forward viewscreen. The Autobot was apparently eager to gain their attention. Being stuck with a glorified tour guide was the exact opposite of what the Dinobot leader wanted. He would have to deal with it as best he could. If he started to lose his cool now there was no telling what would happen with the other, less restrained Dinobots. He had to set an example, one that he wasn’t really familiar with.

The Dinobot commander grunted before finally replying to Cosmos’s signal to them. >>”It good to be here. Looking forward to seeing what new weapons we miss while we were gone.”<< Hopefully that would be enough to keep the Autobot happy.

Grimlock stood up as Swoop announced that they had docked. “Finally. Come Dinobots, it time to get off this busted ship. Me tired of sitting here so long, it time to get this mission under way.” He turned and looked at all four of them. “Remember our cover, we here to learn about new technology. Focus on that, maybe do some relaxing too. Shipyard supposed to be good for that, probably have a bar. Just remember not to start any trouble.” The last bit was focused on Slag.

“Me try to do most of the talking. Rest of you know how to avoid talking already. If unavoidable remember cover story.” Grimlock was hoping the intimidating appearance, size and personalities of the other Dinobots would keep most other Autobots away. Certainly Slag and Snarl knew how to scare off other Bots and Sludge’s sheer size kept a lot of Autobots away. Swoop was clever and calm enough to talk his way out of any problems.

All of that considered they still needed to make this operation move as quickly as possible. None of them were actors or accomplished liars. Sooner or later the truth was going to catch up to them in some form or another. He just had to make sure they were well on their way back to Earth by the time that happened. Grimlock waved for the other Dinobots to follow him as he left the bridge. >>”Cosmos, we leaving the ship now and heading for shipyard.”<< He wanted to keep everything official and, hopefully, chase away the little Autobot.

*

Alpha Shipyards - Command Hub

Countdown nodded back at Cloudburst. “Very surprising, especially considering it’s the Dinobots. I think everyone assumed they were long since dead when the report came in that they were active again. I certainly never expected to see them here.” The Autobot leaned back in his chair. “Hopefully I can get a chance to hear their story. You don’t simply go missing for that long without a pretty interesting story to back it up with.” He offered Cloudburst a smile.

“Cosmos can certainly be... overly gregarious, especially since he’s been out there alone for so long replacing that communication satellite. He might annoy them, but he would be upset if I didn’t give him a chance to do the official greeting. Its one of the few bits of excitement he gets in his job.”

Countdown rubbed his chin in thought. There was just something…odd about the whole thing, an Ark class ship showing up unannounced, with the Dinobots on board no less. It wasn’t suspicious so much as it was just curious. He was definitely going to have to talk to Grimlock at some point. The Dinobots brought other concerns as well.

“The Dinobots always had a certain reputation, as I’m sure you know. Rough and tumble lot that play by their own rules and aren’t afraid of breaking Autobot rules. So the real question is, should I warn Kick-Off that they are here and get him all wound up from the start, or just let him find out on his own so I suffer the brunt of his annoyance?”

*

Corridor

Kick-Off leaned nonchalantly against a support beam, a pad held out in front of him that most passersby would assume he was reading. They would be assuming wrong however. The head of security was actually carefully scanning all around him with his optics. This particular corridor was one of the main traffic points in the whole station, being near the energon bar and not far from where many of the working mechs reported for duty. Who knew how many Autobots walked this stretch of corridor each day, and when numbers were that big there was bound to be trouble.

As head of security Kick-Off was in charge of patrol assignments. It was unusual for the head of security to pull a patrol, but he was slagging tired of sitting behind a desk. Lots of Bots thought these patrols were boring, but they obviously hadn’t been in his spot. He didn’t like being inactive, and if the best activity he could get was patrolling then he was sure as heck going to take it.

Kick-Off’s optics were drawn to the two mechs who had bumped into each other. They were a couple of big bulky types, one just coming out of the bar and the other one obviously in a hurry to get to work. It had all the makes of a dust up, just the sort of thing he could use to break up the boredom. For now he ignored a call coming in about religious solicitation inside the bar. He knew that had to be Highcall and he wasn’t particularly interested in scolding that mech for the umpteenth time, not when something more interesting was developing.

*

Energon Bar

Side Burn was slightly taken aback by the newcomer preaching religion to the both of them. He took a hold of the pad offered to him and glanced at it. It was filled with all sorts of religious junk. Primus this, Allspark that, plenty of catchphrases like ‘Until all are one’ and the like. The blue Autobot wasn’t really the religious type. The closest he got to that was pushing his engine to the absolute limit, seeing how fast he could truly go. That was certainly a rush that he would consider a religious experience, but he suspected this Autobot would take offense to that.

Unfortunately the interruption has brought a screeching halt to his efforts to woo the pretty femme he was with. He was going to have to come up with someway to salvage the situation. After a few seconds of thought he had it. “You know, all this talk of religion reminds me of an old saying. You ever hear how they say ‘there aren’t any atheists in foxholes?’ It’s a good saying, and it reminds me of this battle where I saved my entire squad.” He smiled as he recaptured the femme’s attention. “So there I was, the commanding officer having been offlined by...”

Side Burn let out a frustrated grunt as he was interrupted by some mech who took offense to Highcall’s preaching. It seemed like everyone was being a blocker tonight. While he had been annoyed by Highcall’s sermon at least he tried to politely ignore him rather then calling him out. Hopefully he could shut up this other one quickly. He smiled at Warhaul, “Don’t worry about it friend, its nothing more energon won’t drown out eh? How about I get you the next round?”

Ark-19 - Bridge

“Me look forward to reminding all mechs of Dinobots' reputation,” Snarl growled back at Grimlock as the Desert Warrior stood from his chair while Swoop guided the Ark-19 into berth 6. “In non-violent way, of course,” the solar-powered mech added with a smile, preferring to demonstrate his raw power to the ‘Cons. However, he’d be more than happy to let all those Autobots loitering and working about the shipyards know just how strong the Dinobots still were regardless of how long they had been absent from battle. Just because they were off-line for a few hundred vorns did not mean they had gone soft. Not in the slightest. Any ‘Bot who thought different would be in for a rude awakening.

With the Ark-19 docked, Grimlock finally gave the order to move out, reminding everyone what their cover was for the millionth time. The Dinobot Commander also mentioned the possibility of some rest and relaxation, noting that the shipyards likely had an energon bar somewhere on the premises. Although, at the same time, Grimlock warned them all to not start any trouble. What a killjoy, Snarl thought as he glanced over at Slag almost on instinct and grinned. “Well, that may be hard for some of us, boss. Ha ha!”

Following Grimlock off the bridge, Snarl agreed to let his commander do all the talking. “Fine by me. Not like talking to puny ‘Bots anyway.” The solar-plated mech then turned to look over at the Jungle Warrior, the largest and least intelligent of the Dinobots. “Come on, Sludge! Me buy you drink when we find bar! Just stick with me, Snarl, and we have good time when not learning technical stuff.”

Ark – 19 Bridge

Throughout the duration of their trip Slag remained seated; his arms crossed over his chest, legs stretched out with his ankles crossed. Even with his head laying back and his optics shut down, Slag seemed to be the picture of total serenity. Of course that assumption couldn’t be more wrong.

Every word his comrades spoke filtered through his audios but he kept his vocalizer set to mute. There was no reason for him to interject in any way, shape or form. After all he would simply disregard anything pertaining to acting civilized or being cordial to the Autobots stationed at this despicable locale.

The communication that Grimlock had started with Countdown brought Slag back to the here and now. His head snapped back down while his ankles uncrossed and his knees were brought up. While the conversation continued the destructive Dinobot leaned over until his forearms where resting on his legs. No expression crossed his visage, no words crossed his lips. Instead he simply listened.

The behavior was strange but then again this was Slag, he was the epitome of unpredictable.

When the Dinobot Commander finally finished speaking with that windbag Countdown, Slag gave Grimlock his divided attention. While he wanted to abide by the rules that had been laid out, the flamethrower was simply too highstrung to keep a low profile.

Slag’s optics traveled from the hulking T-Rex and stopped when they settled on Swoop who had finally docked their ship in its designated slip. It’s about fragging time. He refused to waste any more time trapped in the suffocating confines of the craft, so with a guttural growl he pushed himself to his feet and stalked toward the nearest exit.
He stopped long enough to flash Grimlock a piercing glare and to offer his opinion of their current plans.

“I’m not making any promises. If I did I’d be lying.”

The fire breathing mech moved past the other Dinobots to make way for the door but he suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder at his comrades.

“And for the record…I don’t start trouble…I finish it.”

Corridors

“That’s right. I’m Stockade.”

The large mech crossed his arms over his chest and set his deep amber optics on the other Autobot currently across from him. The passersby seemed to ignore them but the weapons installation specialist could still hear their worried comments and snickers once they thought they were out of ear shot. He paid them little mind as the focus of his attention was currently standing in front of him.

While the other ‘Bot spoke trying to desperately make small talk and work on Stockade’s pity, the hulking form of the specialist stepped in just a little closer to Grindcore. His face twisted in disgust when he was hit by the husky stench of old high grade. Unfolding his arms Stockade moved in even closer to Grindcore invading his personal space and leveled his optics with those of the other mech’s. He was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke up.

“You’re drunk. Or were.”

Stockade pulled back and shook his head the way a parent would do when their child was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“I got no interest in tossing one back with yah, even if yah are paying. What I am interested in is you goin’ on duty and possibly causin’ havoc…or worse. I think what yah need right now is ta sober up. How’s about yah comm your supervisor and let me have a word with him?”

Alpha Shipyards – Energon Bar

Ahh, this was the life. His own private lab…all the supplies he could ever want or need and, best of all, the idolization of his superiors. Nope, it didn’t get any better than this.

Skyfall had abandoned his prized laboratory for the atmosphere that was the yard’s most popular watering hole. And since it was the most popular Skyfall just had to be seen there. The weapons engineer had found a cozy little table not far from the center of the room and settled in to watch and mingle.

Already he had had three visitors who wound up joining him for a drink to celebrate the approval of his latest design. He was rather proud of it, and why shouldn’t he be? He spent the better half of the last vorn perfecting it. Of course it would have been currently in production if those narrow minded fools had given their approval years ago, but they wanted to wait until it was put through further testing.

The thought of what he had to endure at the hands of that…that lynch mob was infuriating. Skyfall let out a grunt as he took a hard chug from the mug in his hands. Besides being reminded of his late great achievement, his well-wishers also questioned him on his latest piece. From what he was told most of the shipyard was currently taking bets on just what he was working on. Now that was an ego boost if ever he heard one.

Of course he gave nothing away including the fact that his new design was still being scrutinized by that damned committee.

Skyfall let out a low sigh as he took in all of the bar’s patrons. The sound of someone speaking about Primus and some kind of path caught the engineer’s attention. He looked around until his optics finally settled on Highcall. He didn’t know much about the mech save for the fact that he was a devout lunatic hell bent on converting everyone to the light of Primus or some such slag.

Skyfall let out a low chuckle as he watched the disciple of the God of Light try to hand out his beliefs only to be rejected at every turn.

Even more interesting was his attempt to convert Side Burn and the mech’s groupies. Skyfall let out a laugh trying not to draw Highcall’s attention to himself. The last thing he needed now was to be preached to. He grew quiet as he heard another mech’s voice drift over the din of the room.

His head twisted in the direction of the bar itself where he spotted Warhaul guzzling what might have been the one to send him over the edge. He had to have been the one to try and silence Highcall, he was obviously drunk enough anyway.

“This will certainly be an interesting night. I hope it plays out to a cliffhanger ending.”

Alpha Shipyards - Command Hub

Cloudburst grinned and nodded at Countdown's initial reply. Internally, the thought could not help but run through his head: No. No, you don't. He, too, would be interested in hearing the tale that accompanied the Dinobots' absence, regardless of whatever weight he might ultimately give it. As the base commander said, it would have to be a good one.

He ultimately agreed with his commander's assessment of Cosmos. Though he could be a little annoying at times, he meant well and pretty much everyone knew it. That reality had gotten him off Cloudburst's radar a long time ago. There were any number of individuals that Cloudy suspected might sympathize with Megatron, but if it turned out that Cosmos was one of them...well...he'd turn in his badge and go live out the rest of his functioning days on some neutral world and call it good, because he obviously would have been the absolute worst judge of character and not fit for any other kind of service to the Autobot cause.

Cloudburst wasn't sure if Countdown's last question was rhetorical or not, but he figured he'd offer up an answer anyway.

"Speaking freely for a quick astrosec, you take enough grief for the job you do, sir. You don't need to be the brunt of anything extra. Let Kick Off's focus stay on Grimlock, and not some perceived chain-of-command comm slip-up, heh," Cloudburst chuckled, getting up from his station. "I think I'll head down and check out that ship of theirs."

Just in case they brought anything unwelcome along with them.

Outside Berth-6

Cosmos slowed down as the Ark-19 docked into the berth. He was disappointed that the Dinobots had only given him the bare minimum amount of communication during the docking procedures, but maybe they'd be more social when he saw them in person.

>>Understood, Grimlock. Tell you what, I'll meet you and your team at the docking bay entrance, and I can show you around the place. I'm sure you noticed we have a pretty big station here, so you and your team could probably use some help getting where you need to go.<<

Maybe Cosmos was being pushy, but he didn't think he was crossing any lines. The Dinobots were new here and they probably would need a hand in figuring out the layout of the shipyards. And despite their reputation, he wasn't going to give up on making new friends here.

As the docking clamps grabbed ahold of the Ark-19 Cosmos manuevered away from the large vessel, toward a set of doors just past the berth. After the flying saucer sent an electronic signal the doors opened, and Cosmos hovered into the station.

---------------------------

Energon Bar

To Highcall's relief, Side Burn didn't ignore him, and in fact actually took a look at the texts within the datapad. The religous engineer brought his hands together with joy as he believed he saw the signs of another true believer.

He hasn't told me to leave or threatened me! Primus be praised, another may see the light!

Highcall knew just what to do next- he would recite his favorite passage from the Omega Datatracks, about how Primus would give them light in their darkest hour. No doubt the bot and his femme friend would be moved, and two sparks would be saved!

"When all the stars have ceased to shine, and the sun itself is-"

It was then that Highcall was interrupted by Warhaul drunkenly complaining. Though deep down he felt insulted by the technician referring to his beliefs as "muck", deep down the engineer felt he saw a lost mech in need of guidance, guidance that only Primus could give. After Side Burn offered the drunken mech a drink, Highcall turned to the blue Autobot and his companion.

"That won't be necessary, I think I can help him.", Highcall offered, "And please feel free to keep the datapads. Read them some more, I think you'll find them enlightening."

Highcall walked away from the two mechs and toward Warhaul. As easy as it would have been to convert the ones who listened, it was the ones who kept their audio sensors shut and their vocalizers running that Highcall felt needed the most help.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he politely asked, sitting in the stool next to him before recieving an answer. Seated, he turned to face the drunken tech with a look of sympathy and compassion. He completely ignored the bartender who continued to stare at him with a scowl, all the while sending complaints to station security.

"I'm not trying to send anyone to the Allspark before their time. I just want to ensure that when their time comes, the Allspark will be waiting for them.", Highcall explained, looking deep into Warhaul's optics, "Vorns ago, Primus saved me from a Decepticon attack, and now I feel it's my duty not only to serve the Autobots, but to serve Primus as well."

The bartender placed a mug of energon substitute in front of Warhaul. Before the inebriated tech could touch it, Highcall took it away and kept it as far from Warhaul as he could.

"To consume more than you need is to embrace the coming of the Chaosbringer, from the Datatracks of Delta 7.", Highcall quoted, his optics still locked onto Warhaul, "Are you waiting for the all-consuming one, or is there something else that makes you forsake His light?"

-----------------------

Ark-19- Bridge

Unlike the others, Sludge didn't have much to say or think about Cosmos or his welcome. He didn't much care for small, know-it-all, talky bots like the Autobot flying saucer, but since Cosmos had said nothing threatening or disrespectful toward Grimlock or the other Dinobots, he could tolerate him. Once the Ark-19 was docked, Sludge stood quietly as all the other Dinobots had their say. Of course he listened carefully as Grimlock repeated his orders again, by now he had said it enough that the Dinobot's least intelligent warrior had their story memorized. Of course Snarl and Slag gave their usual response to orders of non-violence, which roughly translated to 'we'll try not to hurt anyone, maybe.'

"Me Sludge can keep quiet.", the jungle warrior assured Grimlock, "Me Sludge don't like to talk to weak little Autobots either."
With Grimlock's orders given, Sludge followed the rest of the Dinobots out of the bridge. Since the Dinobot commander hadn't told him specifically where to go, he walked close to Snarl and his offer of a drink.

"Okay.", Sludge replied, "Me Sludge will have a lot of good time, because me Sludge don't think me ever learn technical stuff."

---------------------

Alpha Shipyard- Berth-6 Corridor

Despite being inside the station now, Cosmos continued hovering in his flying saucer mode over the various drones and technicians that made their way toward the Ark-19. He wanted to be the first Autobot on the station to meet the Dinobots in person, and there was no way he could do it trying to waddle through a crowd in his awkward robot mode.

"Everyone clear a space for me to land!", the flying saucer announced as he neared the main entrance to the docked vessel, "Official greeter and guide coming through!"

Thankfully everyone heard him, and Cosmos was given a large enough area to land right in front of the door. Without incident his landing gear touched the floor, and what once was a green flying saucer had now changed into a short, stocky green and yellow robot.

"Just stay calm, Cosmos.", he said to himself, "They may be warriors, but they're fellow Autobots. Just keep cool and stay friendly and everything will be okay!"

Feeling as ready as he could, Cosmos pushed a big red button on the wall, and the door between the Ark 19 and the Alpha Shipyard slid open. Waddling his way down the hall, Cosmos tried as best he could not to look intimidated as five hulking mechs came toward him.

"Grimlock, it's an honor to finally meet you and the Dinobots in person!", Cosmos said as cordially as he could, his arms spread open in friendship, "I don't know if this is your first time here, but please allow me to show you around Alpha Shipyard!"

Corridors

Grindcore glared back at Stockade as he stepped into the heavy lifter's personal space and accused him of still being drunk. That glare grew into a deep frown when the weapons engineer subsequently rejected Grindcore’s offer to buy him a drink later before demanding to speak with the construction worker’s supervisor. It was bad enough to be accused of being a drunkard, but to be treated like a simple protoform that needed to be looked after was going too far. Still, Grindcore kept his cool as best he could before responding.

“For your information, I’m not drunk. I’m just hungover with a cranial ache, that’s all,” Grindcore corrected the intrusive Autobot as the yellow mech stood his ground, not allowing the weapons installation specialist to intimidate him. Stockade may be a big 'Bot, but Grindcore was just as large if not more so. “If you don’t want to have a drink with me later then that’s fine. It’s you’re loss. But there’s no need to contact my supervisor over this. I’m more than able to do my job just fine without causing any problems. Thanks for the concern, though. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to start my shift sometime this cycle.”

Grindcore then backed away from Stockade, a piercing look still etched across his visage. The construction-bot’s cranial ache had subsided somewhat until this encounter exasperated it again. The throbbing caused his optics to flicker slightly, but it didn’t stop the hungover mech from turning away from the weapons expert and hurrying on towards the main yard once more, hoping that Stockade didn’t follow him and press the issue even further.

Energon Bar

“Don’t worry about it friend, its nothing more energon won’t drown out eh? How about I get you the next round?” someone had said. His audio receptors couldn't precisely pinpoint the direction of where the voice had come from at first, but he eventually zeroed in on it. Some pretty boy mech, all polished. Femmes hanging on his exhaust pipe, just waiting for a puff. He knew the type. But slag, he'd offered to buy him a drink, so that overrode every other protocol in Warhaul's mind.

Free energon in this universe was hard to come by. Warhaul would soak it up every chance he got.

"Heh, y-yeah, sure, how's 'bout..."

But before he could even get what he wanted out of his vocalizer, the religious nut butted in again and offered to sit down.

"Yeah I mi..."

But there he was already, sitting across from him. Ohhhhhh slag.....here it comes. Warhaul wasn't sure what he'd ordered, but the bartender had took his cue and set something in front of him anyway. Warhaul didn't know what it was and didn't care. He'd drink it. As he reached out to take hold of the container, Highcall had swiftly snatched it away.

Ohhh...oh n-no the fraggin' hell you did not...

"Ain't...a-ain't nothin' waitin' for our kind except the scrapyard. If'n I can ride the wave a...a l-little higher than other 'bots 'fore I go down...s-so much'n th' better fer me." Warhaul paused, looking to find the right words.

Processing Units--101.0111%
Central Core--100.1101%
Auxilliary Fuel Reserve--98.1001%

His internal optic sensors were displaying that his systems were well overcharged, and he was loving every astrosecond of it.

"So............so I'm gonna do whatever I hafta do and when the end comes then I'll be ready for the nuthin' that's beyond," Warhaul said, grinning for a second as if every word he had just said made perfect sense. "Now...youuu're gonna gimme that drink or I'm g-gonna take it outta yer hide."

Ark-19 Bridge

Swoop stood and turned to listen as Grimlock reminded them of their mission once more. It still annoyed him that they were forced to resort to such deceptive tactics, especially against fellow Autobots, but he knew it was necessary. It still didn’t mean he had to like it though. Swoop was a warrior, not a spy; he didn’t do sneaky. While he may have been perfectly capable of subterfuge, the fact remained that he just enjoyed the simplicity of all-out war. Lying and acting was annoying and stressful, and the sooner they were off this station the better.

The Dinobot leader had mentioned relaxing and the possibility of a bar. Already Snarl was making plans with Sludge to stop by for drinks. Slag already seemed to be struggling to keep his temper in check, which Swoop noted with the barest hint of concern. The bombardier had long since learned to accept Slag’s inexplicable and constant rage, but he still had a feeling he would end up having to do damage control for his flamethrower teammate. Now wasn’t the time to start drawing attention to themselves but Swoop knew as sure as the Pit that Slag probably wouldn’t care about that once some Autobot pissed him off. Between worrying about his teammates, the mission, and taking his time to learn about the new ship, which he would probably end up piloting, the pterodactyl doubted that he would have time to relax at the bar.

Relaxing’s overrated anyway, he thought as he followed the others off of the bridge. He hadn’t really planned on trying to anyway. Swoop just wanted to get to the shipyard, learn as much about the Trion as he could, then leave with as little incident as possible. Upon being greeted by the green saucer-bot, however, he realized that he may have been asking a bit of a tall order. Primus, I hope the rest of the Autobot’s aren’t this friendly. It was actually a bit disconcerting to be honest.

Corridors

If looks could kill Stockade would be flat on his back. The glare he received from Grindcore was filled with nothing but contempt….that suited Stockade just fine though. Even with a hangover there were still plenty of opportunities where something could go wrong. No, allowing an inebriated mech to return to duty….even one just hungover… was not a viable option.

“Being hungover with a cranial ache is just as dangerous as being drunk. Your focus and attention to detail is compromised.”

Stockade cocked his head slightly when Grindcore moved on to what the weapons engineer had told him earlier about not wanting to join him for a drink. Here was a mech who was just coming down from being hungover and already he was more interested in having another drink as soon as he could. And the threat to contact his supervisor seemed to be something any drunken mech wanted to avoid, but in this instance it just seemed to be the best option…especially since Grindcore was oblivious to what just might happen.

After saying his peace Grindcore backed away, his optics giving off a slightly illuminated flash before he turned and set off toward the main yard. It seemed that his advice was going to go unheeded leaving Stockade with only one option.

>>”Ace. I’m gonna be a little while. Get everything in order and give the guys their assignments. And remember don’t take no slag from that greasestain Wheelwell. He’s already on my list.”<<

There was no audible response and Stockade hadn’t expected one. Right now his focus was solely on Grindcore’s retreating form.

“You’re not getting off that easy, buddy.”

Stockade waited a few astroseconds before he too made his way to the main yard. He’d have to be as tactful as possible if he was going to take care of this situation without incident. Yeah right. Easier said than done, Stockade. This guy finds out I ratted him out to his supervisor he’ll throw a hissy fit. Ah well, I’d rather take the brunt of his tirade than have him be the cause of some accident.

Medical Bay

It hadn’t taken too much longer after Pharma had stormed that Ambulon completed his task. The storage cabinets were fully stocked and in order. Everything in its place and within easy reach, just like Pharma requested.

Pharma. To Ambulon it seemed that with every vorn he was growing more and more unstable. The former Decepticon took a peek over his shoulder at the CMO’s office only to catch Pharma’s hateful glare. The two medics held each other’s gaze for nearly a breem before the CMO switched the privacy screen on hiding everything in the office from his subordinate’s optic sensors.

Ambulon let loose a heavy sigh before turning around and making his way to the surgical equipment that had been used on their their patient.

It had only been two cycles when the door to the med bay slid open and a group of mechs burst in with one mech strapped onto a hover berth screaming in what could only be described as pure agony. The sudden arrival nearly made the former ‘Con jump in surprise, but the writhing mech and his pained wailing served to focus Ambulon.

“Doc! Doc! You gotta help him!”

“Whoa! Slow down, what happened?! Details. I need details!”

The medic quickly grabbed one of the scanners on a nearby tray and deftly moved beside the ailing yard worker.

“He…he got caught…pinned… between a new engine block when the suspension cables snapped. Landed on his chest and the rest of his lower body! Please doc, ya gotta help him!”

By the time the near hysterical mech completed his rendition Ambulon had finished his scan and was not surprised at what he received given the severity of the accident. With his free hand he motioned for the small group to get the wounded ‘Bot to the surgical slab. He’d need to pull the mangled chestplates from his body in order to get a better look at his internal injuries….not to mention how badly damaged his spark chamber was.

Ambulon looked up quickly when a set of blue hands swiped the scanner from his grip. He hadn’t even heard the door to Pharma’s office open let alone hear Pharma’s footfalls.

“I’ll take it from here. You go gather the surgical devices.”

Ambulon gave a curt nod and shuffled off to do as told while the CMO moved in for a closer inspection.

“Alright, this isn’t as bad as it looks. You’re going to be just fine…” Pharma patted the ailing mech on the shoulder.

“It…hurtsss!”

“I know. And I’m going to fix you up so it doesn’t anymore.”

Pharma cast a glare at the other yard workers and then to Ambulon. Unfortunately he would need the assistance of the ‘Con, but the others would just be in the way.

“Alright all of you! I need you to clear out of here. I have to concentrate and having you here will just be a distraction. Head back to work and I’ll send word after I’m done.”

He waved his hand dismissively at the small group.

“Ambulon, get the name of their supervisor. I want to be able to contact him when this ‘Bot’s repairs are completed.”

The medic offered no verbal response instead he placed a tray stock full of tools next to the surgical slab and escorted the small group of workers out into the main med bay. Once outside one of the mechs provided the medic with all the contact information Pharma requested and then they were dismissed. Ambulon then stepped back into the surgical suite just in time to see the hurt worker slip into a deep recharge from the administered sedatives.

“What do you need me to do?”

Pharma looked up at his subordinate, the deeply embedded scowl on his face caused Ambulon to take a step back. He knew Pharma despised him, but that look was chock full of something more than hatred.

“What I need, ‘Con, is for you to back off. I don’t want you near my patient. You’ll keep your distance unless I tell you otherwise. Is that understood?”

Ambulon’s jaw lowered in shock but he was able to compose himself rather quickly.

“Yes…yes, sir.”

This is crazy. He’s getting worse. I only hope he doesn’t turn on any of our patients. Although if he keeps this up with me I’ll have no other choice but to report him. Primus, please don’t let things come to that.

Alpha –Shipyard – Berth - 6 Corridors

Slag had brushed past the rest of his teammates quickly in order to get off the ship but he stopped when he noticed Cosmos standing directly in his path. The Dinobot glanced down at the green mech and let out a deep growl. He had no need for pleasantries, much less for Autobot welcoming committees. What he needed right now was to find some action, and the only place to find it was to the bar.

“I don’t need no escort or a ‘bot-sitter to find my way around this fraggin’ dumpheap! Now move it before I use my foot to do it for you!”

Energon Bar

Highcall shook his head in disgust by Warhaul's way of thinking, regardless of whether it was the excess energon talking or not. Why any mech would refuse to believe there was something better, something more to their mechanical lives, he would never understand. Wasn't the fact that there had been countless datatracks over millions of vorns referring to Primus proof enough? One way or another, though, he would get the word of Primus into Warhaul's processors.

"If that's how you truly feel, then you're right.", Highcall said resolutely, "To those who fight against Primus or refure so believe in him outright, all that awaits your spark is eternal pain and emptyness. But it doesn't have to be that way."

Highcall took the technician's drink in his hand and went to an empty table nearby. Setting the energy drink down he took a few steps away and pulled out his laser pistol- something he rarely did.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this, but it's for your own good.", Highcall said to Warhaul before looking over to the bartender, "I promise that I'll pay for any damages."

Taking a few more steps away from the table, the engineer aimed his pistol at the mug. Composed, he fired one shot at the energon substitute. Instantly the mug shattered, and the liquid within exploded with a moderate boom. The table remained mostly intact aside from some heavy burn damage on the table top, shattered glass surrounding it.

Highcall holstered his pistol and went back to the technician. He was sure Warhaul would get the message.

"Instead of filling yourself with excess energon, let me fill you with the ever loving light of Primus."

Berth-6 Corridor

Grimlock kept quiet as the various Dinobots confirmed they would follow his orders, to varying degrees. It was what he expected though. Even under the best of circumstances the Dinobots were a difficult group to order around, especially out of combat. This situation was far from ideal. He would likely be reduced to just doing damage control at some point. It was another reason to get this mission completed as quickly as possible. The charade wasn’t going to last forever, nor was the Dinobots’ patience. He would need to get them back into battle as soon as possible.

The Dinobot commander led his team onto the station, ducking underneath the somewhat low doorway. Few structures were built for beings as large and bulky as the Dinobots were, but it was something he was accustomed to. What he wasn’t accustomed to was the sight of a minibot coming at him, his arms spread as if to give him a big hug. He put his hand up as if to physically stop Cosmos from latching on to him. At the same time Slag made his feelings known about the other Autobot. They were already off to a rocky start.

Grimlock looked down at Cosmos. “Maybe you show us where bar is? It been long journey, Dinobots not used to being cooped up for so long. They can get drinks and relax while you take me to Countdown, me sure he want to see me. Then maybe we take official tour. Me want to see latest weapons and battleship to fight Cons with.” While putting the Dinobots in a bar probably wasn’t the best idea, it would give them something to do for awhile. He wasn’t lying about their need to unwind a bit either. At least if they did get in trouble in the bar it would be of the standard sort and not anything unusual. Running a bar in a station this big and you had to expect some disorderliness and the occasional brawl.

*

Energon Bar

Side Burn shook his head as Highcall snatched up the drink before Warhaul could claim it. That was one determined little bot, he would give him that at least. Unfortunately that determination was likely going to get him punched in the mouth here. While he didn’t know this Warhaul guy personally, he looked overloaded enough to do something stupid and violent. Slag, as it was they’d probably have to call someone in to tow him away as sloshed as he looked.

The Autobot got up from his seat as Highcall drew his gun. He could literally feel the tension in the room jump as he did so. Side Burn was careful not to make any sudden moves or even to draw his own weapon, although both of those thoughts occurred to him. He could probably move fast enough to disarm him safely, but violence just didn’t seem like what Highcall was all about. It wasn’t until he leveled his gun at the glass that he realized what he was doing. “Hey, wait a minute, I paid for that-“ and with a blast the container exploded in a bright flash.

The blue mech sat back down, his hand in on his forehead in frustration. Out of the corner of his optic he could already see the bartender calling security. It looked like his nice little night with a pretty femme was going straight to the pit, all because of a drunkard and a zealot. What was he being punished for?

He finally looked up at his companion who was wearing a startled and confused expression. Recent events had caught her off guard as well. He quickly flashed her the most confident grin he could muster. “Soooooo, do you have somewhere private we could go talk maybe?”

*

Command Hub

Countdown smiled at Cloudburst’s reply. “I like how you think. At the very least keeping an eye on the Dinobots, if they do anything or not, will give him something to do. I think his overzealousness is because of pure boredom sometimes.” He sat back in his chair and sighed. “I think a lot of Autobots here suffer from that.”

The commander perked up and smiled again as Cloudburst excused himself. “Of course, let me know what you find. I’m sure the repair crews would approach an initial assessment so they aren’t going in completely blind. Grimlock was short on the details, but then he isn’t exactly a technician is he?” He chuckled lightly before turning back to the console on his desk and began writing up a message to send to the security chief.

*

Corridor

Kick-off continued to observe the two large mechs as they exchanged some heated words. He could feel his body tensing, like a coil, ready to spring into action and break them up. They were obviously drawing closer and closer to a physical confrontation. That is until one of them abruptly left. The security chief felt his body relax like a balloon with the air let out of it.

He wouldn’t say he was disappointed nothing had happened. He was there to maintain the safety and security of everyone on the station. Still, breaking up a fight would have been something to do. Almost anything would be a welcome break from the monotony of this place. Security spent most of its time cleaning up the drunkards and dealing with industrial accidents then it did with any crimes or actual security issues. Sure there were a few places and objects that needed guarding but it would take a heck of a Con to get his close to any of that stuff, let alone steal it.

The security chief frowned as he got a message from Countdown. While he did want something to do, cleaning up after the Dinobots wasn’t what he wanted. Their rule breaking reputation pretty much guaranteed that he would be encountering them sooner or later. He was going to have to double the security shifts while they were here. His regular mechs were liable to just get tossed around like toys if they had to face the likes of an angry, drunken Dinobot. Actually, Primus help them if they did have to face an angry drunken Dinobot.

And speaking of angry drunks he received a call from the Energon Bar. The bartender was reporting a shot fired resulting in some furniture damage. Kick-Off let out a sigh. It was probably some drunk and stupid warrior on R&R shooting a gun into the ceiling. Wasn’t the first time that had happened, wouldn’t be the last. Still it was something to do, and any discharge of a firearm without authorization was a serious offense. Transforming into his alternate mode he tore down the corridor towards the bar.

Berth 6 - Corridor

As Snarl followed Grimlock off the Ark-19, he glanced back at Sludge and nodded as the Jungle Warrior agreed to getting a drink as soon as they could find the energon bar. The big lug was easy to please if only because he was the least intelligent of the Dinobots. As long as there was fun to be had, Sludge would be happy. “Yeah, me show you good time, Sludge. Once we get to bar, we fill tanks up with good stuff, not low grade garbage. High grade energon that put buzz in craniums! Ha!”

Snarl patted Sludge on the shoulder plate as they came to a stop in the corridor of Berth 6. Cosmos was there to greet them, but Slag had already threatened the tiny minibot if he didn’t get out of the way. Grimlock quickly took control of the situation and suggested that the saucer-bot take them down to the energon bar while the Dinobot Commander went to meet with Countdown to discuss more important business. The Desert Warrior was fine with the idea even though he’d rather be smashing ‘Cons. Although, if he got drunk enough, Snarl might mistake one of the bar’s patrons for an enemy mech and start smashing them into bits and pieces, instead.

“Me suggest you listen to Grimlock, little fella,” Snarl said to Cosmos as the solar-powered Dinobot stood alongside his commanding officer. “Otherwise, Slag here step on you good and make little green mess all over floor. Heh.”

Main Shipyard

Grindcore hurried into the main shipyard, being over a cycle late for his work shift. He glanced around, looking for any signs of his foremech. There was nothing except for a group of his fellow construction workers mulling about nearby. The hungover 'Bot raised his hand and waved to his comrades before making his way over to them. “Hey, guys, sorry I’m late. Got hung up by some mech name Stockade in the corridor. Wouldn’t leave me the slag alone, you know.”

“Yeah, we know, Grindcore,” his nearest co-worker replied. “You know the boss has been looking for you. He’s not happy.”

“He’s not?”

“Nope, not in the slightest,” another mech chimed in, shaking his head.

“Um...where is the boss now?” A nervous Grindcore inquired.

“GRINDCORE!”

“Oh, never mind,” the heavy lifter replied as he reluctantly turned around to face the music while the other ‘Bots quickly treated to safer grounds. Grindcore immediately caught sight of his foremech as the yellow and grey minibot walked up to him, stopping right at his feet with his small arms crossed over his chestplate. “Hey there, little boss-bot. I’m sorry I’m late again, I...”

“Spare me the apologies, Grindcore, I’ve heard them all before,” the tiny foremech responded as he glared up at the tardy construction worker who was twice his own size. “And my name’s Erector, not ‘little boss-bot’! You will do good to remember that! Understood?”

“Y...Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now, why are you late this time? Hungover again?”

“Ah, no sir! I mean, I drank a little last night but not that much. I swear!”

“You sure?” Erector pressed on as he strained his neck to look up at Grindcore. “I’ll be the judge of that! Now, hold still!” The foremech uncrossed his arms and grabbed a hold of one of Grindcore’s legs. Swiftly, Erector climbed up the front of his larger subordinate’s frame until he was holding on to the heavy lifter’s chest plate with both small hands. Erector was then able to stare directly into Grindcore’s optics to see if he was telling the truth. “Hmmm, you’re optics appear to be energon shot, not indicative of only drinking a little.”

“I...I’m fine. I promise!”

“You’re hungover!” Sniff, sniff! “And your breath stinks of high grade. This will not do, Grindcore. This will simply not do!” Climbing back down, Erector stood back from the larger mech and pointed a stern actuator up at him. “You need to stop this, ‘Core. You’re a good worker, one of my best, but you can’t keep overflowing your tanks like this. It’s going to get you into serious trouble some cycle. You’re supposed to be a heavy lifter, not a heavy drinker!”

“I’m...I’m sorry, boss,” Grindcore replied, looking ashamed of himself. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a similar conversation like this with Erector and it likely wouldn’t be the last. He just couldn’t help himself once he started drinking the high grade. It was like a drug. He couldn’t have just one shot. “I’ll do better. I promise.”

“I hope so, Grindcore,” Erector replied, lowering his hand to his side. “I’d hate to lose you over something stupid such as this. Now, you’re in no shape to handle heavy loads right now. I’m assigning you to maintenance work over on the Trion.”

“The Trion?! But that ship’s finished. There’s nothing left to build!”

“I know, that’s the point. The outer haul still needs a good shining. She’s got to look nice and pristine for her maiden voyage, after all. Grab an auto-buffer and get to work. That’s an order!”

Grindcore grumbled under his breath. He was a builder not a cleaner. This was not just demeaning, it was down right torturous. “Fine. But my abilities are wasted over there.”

“Yes, just as they’re wasted in the bar. Now go,” Erector said sternly as he crossed his arms once more. Having no other choice, Grindcore let out a heavy sigh before stomping off towards the Trion. “One cycle, you’ll learn, ‘Core. At least, I hope you do.”

Shaking his cranial unit in disappointment, Erector turned and looked over at the other construction mechs who had been watching the proceedings nearby. “What are you fraggers staring at?! Get back to work or you’ll be joining him!” The minibot bellowed as the group of seemingly tough ‘Bots quickly dispersed, heading for there respective assignments. Erector shook his head again before walking back to the control room where he could closely monitor his subordinates.

Main Shipyard

Stockade didn’t have a difficult time following or keeping up with Grindcore as the hung over mech finally made it to the location he was stationed to work at. The construction worker had stopped upon his arrival and offered his fellow co-workers with an excuse as to why he was late for his shift. Of course Grindcore had to throw in his meeting with Stockade, but it was to be expected.

The weapons specialist stayed his advance when he heard the voice of Erector bellow through the yard. The minibot was someone with whom he’d met, but it had been quite a while since him and Erector spoken.

From his vantage point Stockade watched both foremech and subordinate as Grindcore tried in vain to explain what had happened, but it didn’t go over well. Stackade let out a sigh as he listened in further to what Erector had to say. This isn’t the first time he showed up drunk? Primus this mech is gonna wind up killin’ himself…or worse someone else.

Once Grindcore was dismissed and began to walk off to begin his new assignment, Stockade made for the minibot that was then retreating to the control room.

“Erector. It’s good to see ya.”

Stockade quickened his pace until he was walking beside the foremech.

“I’d like to talk to ya about one of your guys. Do ya have a breem?”

Main Shipyard - Control Room

As he made his way back to the control room, Erector’s attention was drawn away from his intended destination by the sound of Stockade’s vocal processor. Turning his head to look over at the weapons engineer, the minibot flashed him a quick smile. “Oh, hey Stockade. It’s good to see you, as well.” Erector slowed his pace somewhat to allow his fellow Autobot to catch up with him. It quickly became apparent that this was not a social call as Stockade was intent on speaking with the yellow and grey mech about one of his workers.

Erector let out a deep sigh as he came to a stop just outside the control room entrance. “Sure, no problem. Why don’t we talk inside where I can keep an optic on my guys through the video feeds. Sound good?” Not waiting for a response, Erector entered the control room and sat down in front of a series of monitors that allowed him to view the entirety of the shipyards. The large screens seemed to overpower his tiny form, but Erector was not bothered by it at all. From his small chair he could clearly see everything that was happening, including Grindcore’s movements as the hungover 'Bot continued on towards the Trion, having already grabbed an auto-buffer in order to accomplish his task. The heavy lifter appeared to be grumbling to himself, still unhappy with his new assignment. Grindcore’s feelings mattered not to the foremech just as long as the job was completed and overall safety was maintained.

Erector then swiveled around in his chair to face Stockade. “Please have a seat, my friend.” The minibot motioned towards a chair next to him. “So, this is about Grindcore, right? I know it is. I can tell just by the fact that you entered the yards soon after he did. What did he do? Punch someone, you perhaps? Damage one of your plasma cannons in a drunken stupor? Nothing you say would surprise me at this point. That big mech’s just lucky he’s one of my best builders when he’s sober. Otherwise, I would’ve shipped him out a long time ago.”

Erector shook his cranium as he waited for a response from Stockade. He was prepared for anything, or at least almost anything. A part of him dreaded the eventual answer he would receive while another part simply accepted it as just another chapter in the drunken existence that was Grindcore.

Alpha Shipyards – Energon Bar

Warhaul was normally alright. He had kept some of his more indulgent tendencies in check since being assigned to this Autobot out post and that was just as well, since most of them wouldn't work out too well amongst the upper muckety-mucks if he went too overboard. But he wasn't going overboard now. Not really. Over what he needed? Maybe. But they all needed to do that from time to time.

And then his drink was gone, in a flash of energy and energon.

“Hey, wait a minute, I paid for that-“ some voice from some other corner of the room said. Warhaul made it a point to remember it, so he could buy the same vocal signature a drink later.

This other 'Bot held the majority of his attention though, rattling on and on about Primus and his supposedly divine will. On top of all that, he had blasted his drink out of existence.

What in the slaggin' red Pit does he think he's...?

"How 'bout I fill you with the enlightenment of my fist?" Warhaul growled as he reached across the table and attempted to connect his fist with the other mech's cranial unit. If he wasn't going to get an energon overload, he was going to satisfy some other primal urge.

Berth-6 Corridor

Cosmos had always been one of the smaller Autobots, so he was used to having to physically look up at other mechs. Even so, he was nowhere near prepared for just how intimidating the Dinobots would be. Even the smallest of the group, Swoop, was twice his size.

Most unfortunately for Cosmos, the worst of them was also the first one to approach him. The short, stocky mech tried as best he could to keep a calm demeanor, but it was no good when Slag came growling and every bit as threatening as any Decepticon would be.

"Sorry!", Cosmos apologized as he moved to the side as quickly as he could, "I'm so sorry, there's no need for that! I didn't mean to offend you or anythihg!"

Next came the Dinobot leader. As Cosmos tried to regain his composure and give Grimlock the friendly greeting he had hoped to give, the hulking mech brought his hand up in front of the green mech. Though the Dinobot leader didn't physically touch Cosmos, the flying saucer had already been rattled enough that he lost his balance. Cosmos tried desperatally to stay standing, wobbling back and forth, only to comically fall down.

"OOF!", he exclaimed as his aft hit the floor.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Snarl stood over him, reiterating Slag's earlier threat if the flying saucer didn't do as their leader told him.

Sludge stood just behind the others watching the whole ordeal. He chuckled in his low, almost lizard-like voice as the other Dinobots bullied Cosmos. Maybe the little green mech was just trying to be friendly, but if Sludge had learned anything about his team it was that they didn't do friendly.

"Me Sludge like watching funny little spaceship Autobot.", he laughed, "Maybe he fall down more when he show us where bar is."

Cosmos dusted himself off and got back to his feet, hoping to save some level of dignity. He looked behind him and saw several technicians standing a good distance back. None of them wanted to get too close to the Dinobots, and a few were even laughing at Cosmos' fall. Cosmos looked back up at the Dinobots.

All right, they're in a grumpy mood, that's to be expected.], Cosmos thought, It was probably a long, boring trip. Maybe after a few drinks they'll be more friendly. Yeah, I'll just get them to the bar and show Grimlock to Countdown, then I'm sure they'll all be in a better mood.

"A-Alright Grimlock.", Cosmos answered Grimlock while barely hiding his nervousness, "I'll show your team to the station's energon bar, then take you to meet our Commander, Countdown."

Cosmos transformed in front of the Dinobots into his flying saucer mode. He hovered around the large mech's eye-level, making extra careful not fo get too close to Slag.

"I hope you don't mind if I'm in this mode.", the flying saucer said, "I'm pretty slow in normal gravity as a robot, so this way I won't be lagging behind. And hopefully you won't be as tempted to play 'Kick the Cosmos"

As the flying saucer hovered down the corridor, the Dinobots hopefully following behind, he sent a communication with the station's commander.

>>Cosmos to Countdown, I'm with the Dinobots right now. I'll be taking Grimlock to your office after I show the others to the energon bar, it'll probably take about a breem. You, uh, you might want to inform Kick-Off about them.<<

Sludge was disappointed when Cosmos had transformed.

"Aw, slag.", Sludge commented, "Me Sludge wanted to see short clumsy Autobot fall down more."

The jungle warrior shrugged and sighed. The trip there might not be as funny anymore, but it looked like they would still get to spend time at the bar. He looked around at the other Dinobots, then followed along as they went.

------------------------

Energon Bar

"You don't want to do that." Highcall tried to calm the angry drunken Warhaul down, "That's the excess energon corrupting your judg- OOF!!"

The religous engineer's head was turned to the side as the technician's fist connected with his face. Highcall staggered a few steps back, he brought his hand up to feel his face where Warhaul had hit him. Some light indentation, nothing serious. If anything Highcall was surprised that it hadn't hurt more, since Warhaul was significantly larger than him. All the excess energon substitute probably threw off the technician's coordination.

Highcall took a deep breath, shook off the pain, and stepped back up to Warhaul. Despite having been attacked he kept a calm demeanor. Regardless of whatever the technician did or say, Highcall would not lower himself to physically fight back. He was a devoted follower of Primus and he would not try to persuade a lost spark with a hit to the face or a shot in the chest.

"I understand you're upset that I destroyed your drink.", Highcall tried to calm him again, putting his hands out in front of him, "But all that drink would have down was further damage your internal fuel systems and continued your path of self destruction. You don't need to follow this path, there is a far better path that has already been laid before you."

Highcall jumped onto the stool, then onto the table. He stood up tall and proud, ignoring the fact that Warhaul could easily grab and throw him or hit him in the legs. Highcall wanted to make sure his words would be heard throughout the bar, that they would have more power behind them.

"For we are the servants of Primus, as he gave us life.", Highcall shouted as loud as his vocalizer would allow, "Our purpose is not to fulfill our own desires, but to carry out His will until the Final Battle has been determined! Until the day, when all are one, we shall follow His Divine Light, and cast...."