| abstract
| - Welcome to Not-Blot Station, formerly Copernicus Station, now under the thrall of the Decepticons. Once it was a proud bastion against the Decepticons, but now it serves their purposes as a base. Even so, all is not quite well right now. A large crate, the equivalent of a shipping crate for Transformers, is being lifted overhead to a storage area via a crane. However, the cable snaps and the crate slams into the ground with a deafening boom, and it pops open, with dozens upon dozens of faintly red-tinted energon cubes spilling out. The crate is marked "Sealed by order of Shockwave, handle with care." But who is this energon supposed to be for? Sinnertwin transforms into his robot mode. He's still ugly! "What the hell is this slag?" someone roars over the din of working Decepticons as he pushes his way through Decepticons gawking at the spilled energon. This individual turns out to be some sort of bizarre crab/ape/snake robot, Squeezeplay, and he doesn't look too happy as he stoops over the spilled cubes and picks one up with a claw. "Frag me, where has all this been? And look at this..." He points at something spraypainted onto the side of the crate. "Sealed by order of Shockwave?! Ratbat handles fuel rations, what the frag is this?" Experimentally, he sips at the cube. "Not bad, but why the hell ain't WE getting this stuff?" Repugnus has arrived. What was that, a crashing crate? Polarity looks over his shoulder (and past the Seeker vents somehow) at the sound, the minibot sized 'con he was shaking down for diddle-squat ener-rations and ammo suspended midair and upside down when he pauses. "Well, that sounds more interesting." Without looking back he gives a flick of his hand, tossing the gumbie haplessly into a storage locker and magnetically sealing it shut. Scoops up the few bullet clips and laser batteries he did bully off the guy and wanders down to the docks proper to see what the ruckus is about. Robot Tiger enters. "Eh, what's going on?" he mutters, "Did someone leave a TV on in here?" Not-Blot Station. An idiot name taken over by an idiot and run by an idiot. Not-Blot Station is an example of all that is wrong with the Decepticon Empire. It is inefficient, wasteful, sucumbs to frivolties (the name, if nothing else) and provides so little to the cause that it is embarassing. Worst of all, its position over Earth means it -can- be made useful. That is why Shockwave is here. His shuttle docked moments ago. He, his enforcer Sinnertwin, and any other Decepticons who want in emerge from the airlock. Motioning for Sinnertwin to follow, Shockwave begins heading towards the loading docks. This is where the trouble seems to be brewing. Fusion steps out from among the other seekers scattered around the loading docks, wandering over to Ratbat and the goodies. "Red energon? That's a new one." He produces a small sample-collecting vial. In Sinnertwin's opinion, Not-Blot Station is the best station the Decepticons have. Getting transferred there is probably the best thing that could happen because it's basically a free pass to do jack shit. But Sinnertwin isn't here to blow off work and dick around, he's actually here for a reason. Serving as Shockwave's enforcer for now, he follows close behind the big, purple, one-eyed freak; his grenade launcher at the ready should he find an excuse to blow something up. Squeezeplay has decided to just go ahead and chug the entire cube. "Man, this stuff is GREAT! Why the frag ain't we drinking it!? Who's it for!? I wanna know!" His chest pops open, revealing a Nebulan in power armor. "Hm, if I had to guess, Squeezeplay, I'd say this energon is NOT meant for Cybertronians like yourself," the Nebulan says. "The hell does that mean, Lokos? If it's not for us, then WHO?" Squeezeplay roars. "Ah, given the labeling, perhaps it is intended for Shockwave's Martian drones?..." Lokos offers tentatively. Squeezeplay looks aggravated at that. "Riiight," he snarls, and forces his chest closed again, eliciting a surprised yelp from Lokos. "So, it's for Shockwave's little toys, huh?" He stares off to the side as Shockwave himself approaches, and bares his fangs. "NNnngh." "Looks like someone busted the pinata," Polarity sums up the situation of spilled odd colored energon and various Decepticons giving it greedy, hungry looks. "And hording it to himself." He notes the other Seeker present, and gives Fusion an elbow nudge with a smirk. "Bet you could whip up all kinds of stuff for killin' Bots with a power source like that." Fusion is still staring at his sample, shaking it around, holding it up to the light, about to sniff and then maybe taste it when he's nudges. "Hm? Oh...yes, yes I suppose you're right. Unless it's corrupted, or even poisoned," he adds casually, now turning his gaze on Squeezeplay for signs of reaction. "Then it might make more sense just to feed it to the Autobots. I'll let you know." Polarity waggles a finger. "Poison or radioactive still counts as killing them~" he practically singsongs. Shockwave steps into the loading area, staring directly at the thieving Squeezeplay. His faceless head hides the slight confusion; what energon? Shockwave has many assets in play across the galaxy, but he personally knows the exact location and status of each. He does not know of any red energon cannisters here on Not-Blot Station. In fact, he had been avoiding this place ever since it was taken over. He has reason to believe everyone here is an incompetent thief, you see. Glancing to his side, he sees his enforcer. Shockwave reaches out and gently lowers the mech's grenade launcher. That's the last thing they need in an energon loading station. "Decepticons," he says, loud and clear. Expecting everyone's rapt attention, he continues, "This station has been run as a parasite on the Decepticons for too long. It is a situation I have come to rectify." He glares directly at Squeezeplay. "Where is the Commander of this station?" Polarity isn't a thief, he's a bully! There is a very specific difference, of course. Thieves are actually after goods. He just beats up people weaker than him for fun and if they drop anything valuable in the process its a bonus to his enjoyment. "Don't know. Does it even have one anymore? Bet someone's stabbed him in the back by this point," magna-seeker comments to no one in particular. Squeezeplay yells, "It's not poisoned, you morons! I had a full cube and I'm feeling fine. Hell, I feel *better!*" There's a crowd of gumby cons circled around the fallen crate, all looking anxiously at the pile of cubes, but they also glance warily at Shockwave from time to time. "What, don't like energon or sumthin'? Have your fill!" he shouts at them, but they don't budge just yet. "Oh, yeah, and the Commander? Slipfrak or whatever his name was? Yeah, he mouthed off to me, so I threw him through the hull. He's probably still orbiting the planet, if he's lucky, haha!" "I don't think it has one," the Tiger opines, "I think it was supposed to be Hun-grrr. But he's been nowhere near this place for ages." "He is still orbiting the planet," Fusion remarks off-handedly. Then as if remembering something he turns his head slowly to peer at the nearest window. "Hmm. Shouting something about how he couldn't fly in space, now that you mention it." This place had a Commander? That's news to Sinnertwin. He merely frowns when Shockwave pushes his gun away, but when Rampage opens his mouth, he jerks his head around and glares daggers into the robot tiger. "You don't get to talk about Hun-Grrr, Predacon! Not in any context. Besides, he's got more important things to do than baby-sit this place." In all corners of the galaxy, Shockwave expects instant respect from all Decepticons. It is telling to him how much the conditions at this post have degraded for it not to occur here. The previous Station Commander... Slipfrak, Hun-Grrr, or whoever it might have been, no longer shows up in the station's registry. Shockwave takes a single step towards Squeezeplay. Just what is in that cargo container? He can see it has his name on it, but suspects this is fraudulent. Even worse: Misappropriation! "Sinnertwin..." Shockwave says, glancing at Squeezeplay. As Sinnertwin does what Sinnertwin does, Shockwave states, "This station is hereby transfered to my command, then. All Decepticons not attending to essential duties are to report to this loading area and fall into ranks. Copernicus Station will be on Level 5 Alert Status for the foreseeable future." Looking briefly at the grey Seeker, he adds, "What is the contents of that container, Fusion?" "Energon," Fusion finally replies, after seeing who's addressing him (and also straightening to a more formal military posture). He raises the vial to peer at it once more. "Not poisoned or irridiated or corrupted," he sounds almost disappointed. "I believe the unusual color comes from certain added stimulants. But otherwise not dangerous..." "Did we just stumble on Astrotrain's private stash?" the Predacon Tiger wonders. Polarity stands at attention, if only because he doesn't want to make someone like Shockwave upset at him. Lowly losers, sure, but gotta look good for the superiors... At least until Fusion speaks up again, and then he's back to leaning over the other Seeker's shoulder with renewed curiosity. "... I don't think. Astro don't strike me as the druggie type." Squeezeplay throws his arms up. "There, ya see? Not poisoned! Now stop being a buncha wimps and have your fill!" Still the gumbies don't move. "What? You gonna listen to that guy?" He points a claw at Shockwave. "He's a fraggin' failure. Kwarch, Decepticon Island. We got our tails kicked in both of those fights and THAT GUY just writes it off like he planned it. Like hell you did, Shockwave! And what does Shockwave do in the aftermath? He builds up his own little stash, but not for us, oh no! He sets it up for his DRONES! You see how he thinks? He values his DRONES more than US! So frag him!" And on that note, Squeezeplay picks up two cubes and begins drinking them simultaneously. The compartment on his chest opens again, and Lokos mutters, "Ah, Squeezeplay, perhaps--" But Squeezeplay is quick to cut him off. "SS*gargle*HUT UP!!" And, due both to the Decepticons on the station being accustomed to a lower standard of discipline AND Squeezeplay's agitating, the gumbies on the station start reaching for cubes and drinking them, too, all the while parroting what Squeezeplay said and adding things like, "Screw you, Shockwave!" Fusion looks back and forth between the chaos of the unruly mob and the order of Shockwave and his immediate followers. Oh wait, that's Sinnertwin. Scratch that part about the followers. The order of Shockwave. Finally Fusion lifts his vial of sampled energon to his lips, shrugs and then drains it. Sinnertwin knows what that means. He tucks his grenade launcher away and takes a moment to pop his knuckles and stretch his neck from side to side before taking a step forward and transforming into the terrible, two-headed alt mode of his. Drool, or whatever you want to call the nasty fluid coming out of his mouths, fling from snapping jaws as he bullies his way through the group of insubordinate gumbies. When he comes to the freakish Headmaster, he suddenly transforms, picks up a cube from the ground, and pours the entire contents down his throat.-"Yeah! Screw you Shockwave!" he shouts, wiping his face with the back of his hand. It was all that peer pressure, man. Riot.. Suck-Up.. Riot.. Suck-Up... Oh, the decisions one has to make. Then again, Polarity thinks as the mob dives in, who says he has to take the freaky doped up energon to enjoy the riot? Win-win situation right there! Visor flashes as the seeker wedges his way into the pack to grab one of the red cubes. "Some mechs just go for the cheap thrills I guess. How do the humans do this sort of thing ... oh yeah." He snaps an arm to the side and magnetically pulls a metal tube into his grasp. "With a -pipe-." He turns, shoves the pipe into the nearest no-name loser's mouth and magnetizes it there so he can't just pull it out, and stuffs the cube onto the end of it so the poor guy is forced to suck it through the pipe. Cue manic cackling from Polarity. They're all possible druggies in Shockwave's mind. Indeed, the cyclops has psychological profiles on every Decepticon here. Alternative Fueling Practice Likelihood is just one of the many things tracked. Your new Station Commander remains calm and emotionless on the outside as Squeezeplay mouths off to him. On the inside, Shockwave is running calculations. No amount of lax conditions could be responsible for Squeezeplay's sudden open rebellion. There must be something more to it. No matter. Sinnertwin will deal with Squeezeplay and they can find out what went wrong with him during the vivisection. Lord Zarak might complain, but it's well worth it. Really, the chance to take a Headmaster apart makes it all worthwhile. All Sinnertwin has to do is- what th-? Shockwave raises his head slightly as Sinnertwin suddenly switches sides. "Not dangerous..." Shockwave echoes Fusion in disbelief. Remarkable. Sinnertwin shifted even before tasting the tainted energon (it *must* be tainted). Does proximity do it? Shockwave is going to have a problem on his hand unless he acts quickly. "This is Shockwave to all station crew. A twenty astrometre quarantine zone is now in effect around the following coordinates." The coordinates are, of course, the energon stash with his name on it. "Any Decepticon caught within the quarantine zone will be subject to measures taken by the Decepticon Justice Department." Shockwave slooooowly enters an offensive stance, aiming his arm cannon at the energon. He also takes four steps back: exactly the amount he's calculated is required to exit the blast range. Surely Shockwave wouldn't. The hangar would be ruined, and numerous Decepticons would be maimed or killed. Surely he doesn't think you all *that* expendable, right? "You have ten astroseconds to comply. Nine..." Squeezeplay yells, "YEAH! Have your fill! YEAH!" as more Decepticons join in the fun. He laughs at the guy with the pipe magnetized to his face, and says, "LEMME HELP YOU WITH THAT!" and bashes his face, forcing the pipe down the poor gumby's mouth. That's not the only gumby he thrashes, of course, as he tosses around several more Decepticons, who are also fighting amongst themselves at the moment. Then he hears the countdown. Oh, that won't do. "He's gonna blow the stash! GET 'IM!" he yells, and as if he had some sort of hypnotic power over the rioting gumbies, they all swarm Shockwave, with Squeezeplay leading the charge. If they manage to grab poor Shockwave they'll try and throw him through a parked shuttle. Maybe even the one Shockwave took here! Combat: Squeezeplay sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Squeezeplay strikes Shockwave with his Wrath of the Mob (Grab) attack! Robot Tiger watches everything that's going on with a facepaw. "What do we do with these guys? Pound em into submission?" The truth is, Sinnertwin switched sides the second he learned there was drugs involved, he just waited until he was out arms reach before letting Shockwave know how it is. Like some kind of crazy junkie, he scrambles for more cubes, pouring red energon down his mouth as quickly as he can before some other jerk beats him to it. When some random, curious gumby gets too close to him, the Terrorcon lets loose a barrage of vicious punches; effectively beating the poor guy into an unrecognizable mess. "Shockwave sucks!" Sinnertwin shouts, chucking empty energon cubes through the air while the mob around him bumrushes the highest ranking officer in the entire station. Ahh, being a Decepticon sure is awesome, isn't it? "Don't worry about getting blown up, the guy can't shoot for shit." Polarity continues to laugh even more even as he backs up from the erupting chaos a bit. "Yeah, that's right, every mech for himself!" He doesn't -directly- contradict Shockwave but he is stirring the pot some more. Squeezeplay is doing a much better job of it, he's got to admit. Which is good, he'll take more of the heat!... Though it -does- give him an idea. Seeming to wander out of the riot Polarity sidles up to a terminal, taps in the command to turn on the docking bay's intercoms, then opens his cockpit and pulls out an MP3 player (it's more like a digital steroe, but TF sized it'd be like an iPod) and plugs it into the console. Scrolls through the menu a bit and then sniggers as he selects on and pushes play. Moments later the intercoms have been turned into an impromptu sound systerm. o/~ Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time. Turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach. Another clever word sets off an unexpecting herd, and as you step back into line a mob jumps to their feet! Now Dance *BLEEP*er Dance! You never had a chance! And no one ever knew it was really only you. And now you see the way. Take them out today. Nice work you did; you're gonna go far kid! Wait and see! With a thousand lies and a good disguise; hit them right between the eyes, hit them right between the eyes! When you walk away, nothing more to say. See the lightning in your eyes; see them running for their lives! o/~ Shockwave can see it all now. Autobot Operations whips up a batch of energon that makes Decepticons turn into lunatics. Autobot Intelligence sneaks it into an energon shipment bound for Copernicus Station. Earth Defence Command launches a raid to retake their station and gain a central point from which to coordinate their efforts to defend Earth after the Long Night. "Eight," Shockwave states. It quickly becomes clear that the rest of the countdown won't be required. There's a brief hum as power is diverted to his arm cannon, followed by a pink blast that erupts towards the energon supply. One of the rioters, however, shambles in front. Was he protecting it deliberately? Was it a fluke? Either way, the rioter's head and torso melts, leaving his lower half to fall to the ground. Before Shockwave can fire another shot, the mob is on him. He reacts quickly, putting his fist through the head of one of the first who reaches him, but Squeezeplay manages to grab him. Shockwave lashes out with his arm cannon, smashing another rioter back into a wall. < Robot Tiger starts firing his gun ports at the rioters while making his way towards Shockwave's shuttle. "Ugh, isn't there any antidote for these mechs hepped up on goofballs?" There's a drunken cheer from the rioters as Shockwave is thrown into his own ride. And now that they're satisfied with this bit of violence--they hardly even notice that two of their number are dead--the rioters are happily going back to brawling with each other, dancing awkwardly to the music Polarity put on, and even lubricating on equipment. No, not like in Bayformers, you sicko! "For a Predacon you're being a real WUSS, Rampage!" Squeezeplay yells at Rampage, who manages to gun down a few rioters. "HERE! Have a cube, kitty cat!" Then he tries to clamp his claws down on Rampage's neck and force his face into the pile of cubes. "WOOO! OCCUPY NOT-BLOT! DOWN WITH AUTHORITY! WE RUN THIS STATION NOW!" Shockwave's suspicions, meanwhile, might have been dismissed as paranoia, but from the position he's been thrown in, Shockwave may spot a Decepticon scout ship parked in the hangar. And as it turns out, if he looks at the serial number, this ship was reported missing some time ago... Combat: Squeezeplay misses Robot Tiger with his Drink Up (Grab) attack! o/~ Slowly out of line, and drifting closer in your sightsHeo play it out I'm wide awake, it's a scene about me There's something in your way, and now someone is gonna pay And if you can't get what you want well it's all because of me. o/~ Polarity leans to the side, mimicing leaning on a wall that doesn't seem to be there as he listens to the song, wagging a finger along with the beat. But what's this? A couple of rioters have taken offense to his piping their buddy and charge at him!... only to bounce off the magnetic field he was leaning on to support himself. o/~ Now dance, *BLEEP*er, dance. Man, I never had a chance! And no one even knew, it was really only you. o/~ Polarity glances down for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I leave that on?" He turns and holds out his hand, picking up both of the dazed and drugged Cons with his super-magnetic powers. o/~ And now you'll lead the way, show the light of day. Nice work you did, you're gonna go far, kid... Trust, deceived! o/~ Then turns and flings them towards Squeezeplay and back into the masse of rioters! With a thousand lies and a good disguise; hit them right between the eyes, hit them right between the eyes! When you walk away, nothing more to say. See the lightning in your eyes; see them running for their lives! o/~ Combat: Polarity strikes Squeezeplay with his Drunken fighting with fighting drunks (Grab) attack! Combat: You took 0 damage. "This calls for a celebration!" Sinnertwin shouts, grabbing a passing gumby by the shoulder and sending his fist into his face a few times before letting him drop to the ground. The Terrorcon then shifts back into his horrible creature mode, one head unleashing a torrent of flame upon the hapless robot while the other snatches him up by the leg and swings him around like some kind of burning flag except it's not a flag at all, it's some guy who just happened to be the closest. "I LOVE THIS STATION!" Sinnertwin transforms into a two-headed monster. How terrifying! Shockwave climbs from the flaming wreckage that was once the Decepticon Shuttlecraft Kickback's port thruster assembly. Clearly everyone here hates Insecticons. The Commander's legs and back have been blackened by the ordeal, but if he's damaged beyond that he doesn't show it. "I do not know," Shockwave replies to Rampage. "Acquire a sample of the energon for me, Rampage. Exercise extreme caution and retreat should you feel yourself losing control." Better him than Shockwave. The original plan was to investigate the energon once Squeezeplay was on an autopsy slab, but that might not be viable in the near future anymore. As Polarity moves against Squeezeplay, hopefully opening a line for Rampage to move in on his new mission, Shockwave brushes himself off, takes aim at the head of Sinnertwin that just grabbed some hapeless fool, and attempts to shear it off with a concentrated x-ray burst. Although no doubt affected by the energon and no longer in control of his actions (NO DOUBT), the Terrorcon must be brought down. Combat: Shockwave misses Mechanical Orthrus with his Rewarded as a traitor deserves (Grab) attack! "YEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" Fusion emerges from a throng of rioting seekers, lifting into the air with an oversized bazooka-like weapon that's larger than he is balanced on one shoulder. He fires off huge chunks of debris, the recoil of each shot pushing back until he's just a few feet away from one of the hangar walls. "I"VE GOT YOUR SAMPLE RIGHT HERE!" One last blast is sent hurtling in the direction of Shockwave and his minions. Combat: Fusion strikes Shockwave with the Fusion-forged Rock-It Launcher Area attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Fusion strikes Robot Tiger with the Fusion-forged Rock-It Launcher Area attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Fusion misses Mechanical Orthrus with the Fusion-forged Rock-It Launcher Area attack! [Pulled -3] Robot Tiger is attacked, and fires back at the crowd. "Get a sample, get a sample. Got it." He darts through the crowd, finding a stray cube, grabbing it, and hightailing it back to where Shockwave is. Squeezeplay laughs uproariously as he tries to force Rampage to join the drunken horde, but his efforts are interrupted when the two rioters slam into him, sending him sprawling. As if on cue, the rioters pile onto him, but before long they're all flung off and sent in every direction as Squeezeplay rises back up onto his feet, claws upheld triumphantly. "YEAH! I'm the strongest!" he yells, smashing people aside like they were toddlers. Then he seems to realize something! That attack came from... "THAT GUY!" Squeezeplay yells, pointing at Polarity. "He hasn't had any drinks! Let's fix that!!!" And suddenly a horde of crazed drunks swarms at Polarity, beating at his magnetic field like zombies hungry for brains! "DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!" Combat: Robot Tiger strikes Fusion with his PEW PEW PEW (Grab) attack! Combat: Squeezeplay misses Polarity with his DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! (Grab) attack! Shockwave doesn't take the energon cube just yet as Rampage approaches. Instead he takes a quick moment to scan Rampage, looking for signs of infection. Shockwave's current theory is that the energon (if it even is the cause of the rebellion) works via proximity, since Sinnertwin wouldn't just turn on him just for a chance to party d- goddammit that actually makes perfect sense. Shockwave reaches out for it just in time for a piece of debris to smash into him. Shockwave shakes it off, though, because he's better than you. Grabbing the energon sample, he inserts it into a hip compartment. Analysis time. Composition, octane, energy quantity, volatility, additives, biological contaminates, and more are all among the things Shockwave is looking into. He wants a full breakdown of what went into this mysterious red substance. Fusion said there was nothing special in it, but he's a dirty traitor and probably an idiot. The first drunk to try and accoust Polarity gets a plam to the face and somewhat comically held out at arm's length while the guy flails about at the Seeker. Unfortunately, he's got back up. "Has no one heard of personal space around here?" Polarity retorts. "I swear. Hive of scum and villiany..." Slaps palm to his forehead. "Oh, duh. Decepticons!" Shrugs his shoulders and pushes the guy away as he takes a few steps back. "I guess it's time to bring down the house!" Well, not quite the house in a literal sense. But he holds up one hand and then makes a yanking motion... and one of the scafflings used for working on ships comes crashing down, somehow flipping over (due to his manipulation) to become more like a cage on top of the drunks, Polarity cackling the entire time as he does so. Combat: Polarity strikes Squeezeplay with his It's funny until someone gets hurt.... Then it's downright hilarious! (Grab) attack! Combat: You took 0 damage. Fusion gets blasted into the wall behind him by Rampage's barrage of shooting. He grunts, discards his launcher (which falls to the ground below with a tremendous CLANG) and then launches himself across the giant loading area at Polarity, arms spread wide for a big Seeker bear-hug. "We'll soon see about that!" he promises Squeezeplay. Combat: Fusion strikes Polarity with his Peer Pressure (Grab) attack! The mob charging at Polarity looks up just in time to watch the scaffolding fall on their heads. Most of them are pinned... except for Squeezeplay, who roars as he tears apart the scaffolding pinning him and emerges once again. This guy can really take a beating! "YEAH! LOVE IT!" And all around him, chaos continues. Here, a seeker takes a giant wing off of a shuttle and wields it over his own wing--and promptly falls over because it's too damn big. Another Decepticon makes a fort comprised of paint cans before someone with a bull altmode knocks it all over. And there another Seeker is spraypainting, "OCCUPIE NOT-BLAUT" over a Decepticon sigil. Their depravity knows no bounds! "SHOCKWAVE! You haven't had any drinks!" Squeezeplay yells as he rushes the cyclopean commander with a cube in hand. "DRINNNK!" he bellows, trying to seize Shockwave by the throat and force his face into the cube. Can Shockwave fight him off!? And if he can't, can he resist the Call of the Booze!??! Combat: Squeezeplay misses Shockwave with his DRINNNK (Grab) attack! "How can he drink, he doesn't have a mouth," Rampage retorts. It doesn't take Shockwave long to complete his analysis. The energon has definitely been altered, and given the fraudulent use of his name on the container it's clearly an external agent responsible. That will have to be dealt with later, however. Shockwave's contacts in Aerospace are confirming no sighting of any approaching enemy units to the station, and so this appears to be an isolated act of sabotage rather than a part of a larger coordinated effort to retake the station. The energon, very high octane, has had combat additives mixed into its supply along with the normal chemicals meant to be keep it stable. The end result is Decepticons who are instantly drunk... and instantly pissed off. Given proper medical treatment in a suitable facility, clearing the combat additives out of their system would be trivial. The drunkenness, however, is another matter... and there aren't any medical facilities around here anyway. Fine then, Shockwave decides even as Squeezeplay rushes up to him. The Decepticon Commander smashes the cube out of the Headmaster's hands with one swipe of his fist. It's likely it wouldn't affect him anyway. Rampage demonstrates why. Activating his boot thrusters, Shockwave soars up and backwards. There's one thing that'll cure any sickness, and in this case it's obscenely high powered blasts of gamma radiation from his arm cannon. Combat: Shockwave strikes Squeezeplay with his The Universal Cure (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: You took 0 damage. Combat: Shockwave misses Fusion with his The Universal Cure (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: Shockwave misses Mechanical Orthrus with his The Universal Cure (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -2] "AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Polarity howls with laughter at the results, holding his abdomen from laughing too hard with one arm while pointing with the other and the poor pinned and trapped blokes. One got a pole right through the stomach area, but he's just showing it off like it was some piece of trendy body piercing. A lot of them, now trapped together, are likely going to just start beating on each other. Except he's too busy laughing and doesn't see the other Seeker charging him until it's too late and Fusion is hugging him. "Dude, I know we're practically brothers by another motherboard and all, but no touchy-feely stuff! Not in front of everyone else at least." As two more rioters try to jump in on the fray Polarity retorts "Hold tight!" As he leans back on Fusion and kicks his feet into their chests... and then fires his heel-thrusters, sending himself and Fusion rocketing backwards towards the bulkhead wall. Combat: Polarity strikes Fusion with his Wallbanger (Grab) attack! Even though Sinnertwin makes absolutely no attempt to move, Shockwave's blast goes sailing harmlessly past him and instead blows up a group of gumbies punching eachother in the robocrotches. "HA!" The Terrorcon's two faces almost seem to smile as he stares up at the hovering Shockwave. "Just like I said, guy can't shoot for shit!" Robot Tiger keeps firing at rioters with his side-mounted riot guns. "Does this stuff wear off anytime soon?" he asks Shockwave. Combat: Robot Tiger takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] "ARRRGH!" Squeezeplay yells, shrinking away from Shockwave's wrath and gamma radiation, but mostly his gamma radiation. He holds up his arms to protect himself and the metal on them begins to boil away. Strange, is that... another layer of metal under those arms, painted red? How very odd! Regardless, Squeezeplay withdraws into the safety of the crowd as many other Decepticons are also forced to stop brawling and shield themselves with their arms or behind some cover. Some of them fall to their knees from the pain, others just roll around on the floor helplessly. It seems that perhaps Shockwave has prevailed over most of the rioters, but can he keep them subdued for long? Combat: Squeezeplay takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Fusion misses the 'cure' Shockwave sends his way (or is that the other way around?). Possibly as a result of Polarity pushing him across the loading dock once more to slam into the wall. "Off!" Fusion's grip loosens and he slides down the wall until he's seated on the ground below. "I'd say yes, it does...wear off." Fusion did take a smaller dose than most of the others after all. "I think it's safe to say some of the stimulants I detected are intended to heighten the subject's aggression and lower their normal sense of self-preservation." He casts a worried look in Shockwave's direction. Combat: Shockwave compares his Intelligence to 100: Failure :(Polarity blinks a couple of times as he steps away from Fusion slumped on the floor, the flickering of his optics to do so faintly visible behind his visor. ".. Self-preservation? Isn't a lack of that why most of them are up here?" Shockwave continues to pump gamma bursts down at the rioters. Fusion and Sinnertwin may avoid treatment, but there's a good dozen others that don't. The one of most note is Squeezeplay, who flees back into the crowd. That makes Shockwave feel a lot better about Sinnertwin's comment. "Polarity, Rampage," he says to his only two allies, "The energon is only dangerous when consumed. For those that received the full dose, it will begin wearing off within two hours, with the affects being negligent after five." Too much time to simply leave the rioters to their own devices. "Shoot to disable, not kill." That is actually a change in his previous strategy. Fusion seems to be snapping out of it. Hopefully they'll be getting some more allies soon. Squeezeplay looks around himself. Everyone's starting to snap out of it, albeit slowly and with considerable aid from gamma radiation, courtesy of Shockwave. And so, Squeezeplay begins to shuffle through the crowd, content not to raise a ruckus for the time being. Odd how he can control his emotional state so well, given what a maniac he was a few moments ago. Squeezeplay's huge claws tear open hole in one of the walls leading to a hallway, and the Headmaster steps through. Combat: Squeezeplay takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Polarity already has a lot of them trapped under the scaffolding. Think of it as an improvised drunk tank if you want. Not that it stops him from using an arm gun to shoot out some sucker's knee-servos, just because he's got orders allowing him to do so. "You'd be surprised what they can live through," he replies, snickering maybe a little too unhinged. And he didn't even drink any of the stuff. Combat: Shockwave compares his Intelligence to 100: Failure :(Fusion pushes himself to his feet, examining the nearest rioter. "Do you think they are, ah...going to remember what they were doing? Because my own memory circuits are showing a few curious signs of discrepency." Curious? Or conventient. You be the judge. "Ah yes, shoot to disable. Logical." He raises his own arm cannons and shoots to disable. By aiming at the rioter's knees. Zap! Zap! The tiger notices he doesn't have to keep shooting. "This stuff finally starting to wear off, now?" Shockwave touches back down on the ground. Most of the rioters have been disabled, but one of the ones that isn't runs past him, and so Shockwave crushes his head into the floor. Polarity has the right idea--He'll live. Unfortunately for him, and for the Decepticons in general, Squeezeplay has managed to sneak off into the crowd and exit the room. He's just one of many Decepticon rioters at this point, and so there's a chance he'll never get singled out for his part. "In a manner of speaking," he replies to Rampage as he blows a hole straight through the chest of another rioter. Since any remaining rioters are getting shot down, Sinnertwin quickly transforms into his robot mode and does his best to look confused, like he suddenly snapped out of his drug-induced rage. The truth is it wore off a while ago but it was a great excuse to set people on fire, Sinnertwin would be a fool to not take advantage. "Ohhh, Shockwave, sir, I'm soo sorry," he says, putting on his best performance. "It must've been the drugs. I swear I don't think you suck and I think you're the best shooter in the Empire." Sinnertwin transforms into his robot mode. He's still ugly! "Well," Squeezeplay says, walking down a hallway towards an escape pod. "That could have gone somewhat better. More destruction, more killing. Probably should have blown the cubes, but this wasn't supposed to be a suicide run. Eh. It was fun though! Watching those idiots hit each other. Yeah, so it was worth it for that much." Something inside his chest mumbles something. "Now now, Mr. Garath, your contract's almost over, then I'll send you back to Nebulos with your payment." He approaches a vacant escape pod. It's designed for a large group of humans, so he has to rip out a bunch of chairs before he can fit himself inside. "Ah, and that stuff was really good, though." At last Squeezeplay transforms, but the Nebulan inside him doesn't perch on his head... nor does he need to, for this MONSTERBOT has his own head! Clambering inside the pod, still clad in his disguise, Repugnus sits himself down and holds up a little cube in his hands, grinning at it. "Heheheh. Thanks for the brew Encore, it was a big help! Heheheheheh! Ahhh, and I'll have this last one for the road, hahahaha!" He seals the pod door shut and triggers the launch sequence, propelling him away from the station. "Hahaha, oh, and if you thought that screwed you up, Decepticons, that was nothing! Wait til you see my NEXT big act! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Polarity leans over to Fusion and holds a hand up to the side of his mouth as he mock whispers to the other seeker "I guess having two heads also gives him twice the ability to brown nose." Shockwave swiftly steps up to Sinnertwin. With no hesitation, he brings his fist around to backhand the Terrorcon with enough force to knock him through several walls. "You disobeyed my orders prior to indulging in the contaminated energon." Shockwave is still advancing on the wayward Decepticon. "Disobedience is not tolerated, Sinnertwin. Your complete failure in the face of your duty reflects on all Terrorcons, ald *all* will be punished." Robot Tiger does a perfect imitation of Nelson on the Simpsons. Sinnertwin was convinced that would work but apparently he was wrong. The force of Shockwave's slap sends him flying backwardsand leaves a fist-sized dent in the side of his face. "N-nonono!" he manages to sputter through a mouthful of broken teeth and pooling energon. "P-please understand, Commander Shockwave, I..I have a problem!" The Terrorcon frantically scrambles backwards, trying to put as much space as he can between him and Shockwave. "I can't control myself sometimes!" If Shockwave doesn't kill him, the other Terrorcons will if they get punished for something he did all on his own. Shockwave steps up to Sinnertwin as the Terrorcon pleads. Deeming it unnecessary to lower himself to Sinnertwin's position, Shockwave aims his arm cannon at Sinnertwin's face at point blank range. He waits for the Terrorcon to finish begging before replying in a low, even tone, "Your excuses are meaningless. If Hun-Grrr is unable to control you, then he will need to find a new left leg for Abominus." After a long pause, he withdraws the arm cannon. "Report to him and inform him of your failure." It needs to be complete, as Shockwave will be informing all the Terrorcons in the most ruthless manner possible. "I suspect that he will not be as forgiving as I." Fusion is lurking comfortably in the back of the pack of no-doubt chastised gumby Decepticons who indulged in the red energon. If Sinnertwin was capable of doing so, he would be shitting all of the bricks (all of them) the second that arm cannon is pointed at his face. He grits his teeth and looks away, expecting his life to end right then and there. His entire life flashes before his eyes and....there are a few things he would've done differently, like not turning his back on Shockwave so he could get high and or drunk off some crazy energon. But then Shockwave pulls away and tells him what he has to do. Honestly, he'd rather get his head blown off by one-eyed willy over there than deal with Hun-Grrr after he finds out what happened but he doesn't really have a choice. "Y-yes sir.." The only reason Polarity isn't laughing his aft off is because it'd probably get him in trouble too, and he's too damn amused right now to risk pissing off Shockwave when he's clearly already.. well, you can't use angry with Shockwave really but you get the general idea. Shockwave turns away from Sinnertwin, knowing that his punishment is only just beginning. The Cybertronian Commander steps to the center of the room, surveying all the damage that's been done. The place is a mess, his shuttle ruined, the equipment inoperative, the crew incompetent and lazy, and the entire station completely useless. Of course... aside from the shuttle, all of that was true even before the incident. Clearly, he decides, there will need to be changes. "Polarity, assemble what's left of the station's senior staff. Fusion, find out the status of the station's primary systems. Rampage, locate any other crewmechs who acted out even prior to consuming the tainted energon." Combat: Your COMBAT flag has been cleared. Robot Tiger nods at Shockwave and lopes away, off tracking down the miscreants to be dragged to Shockwave for examination. He knows what the stuff smells like and thus who'd been exposed to it, so it shouldn't take him long. Fusion hurries to follow his orders, activating the nearest computer terminal and then connecting directly to access the station's systems. Okay, fun time is over. Polarity may be a jerk and a bully, but he's also a soldier when he's suppose to be, and quickly snaps back to attention when Shockwave starts giving out orders. "Yes sir!" Though it doesn't stop him from giving Sinnertwin a good rasberry as he passes on his way out to find whoever's left that was in charge of the place and not drunk off their afts. Eventually Shockwave will get a report of where to find said senior staff. All stuffed and sealed in storage lockers like the first loser Polarity dealt with at the start of the scene. ============================================================================== ================================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/57 Posted Author Attack Not-Blot You Fools Sat Jun 16 Repugnus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Repugnus appears, apparently holding up a low-quality camera of some kind to record himself in... some kind of cramped metallic space. "Hey, morons. I just jettisoned myself from Not-Blot Station just a few seconds ago, will be landing somewhere in North America soon. I compromised their defenses and the station is vulnerable to attack, so, do that before the 'cons send them reinforcements. In case you're wondering, no, I didn't feel the need to inform you of what I was doing before-hand. And how is it compromised? Welllll, discipline there was already a mess before I got there, and now their morale is at rock-bottom, too, I'm sure. Multiple Decepticons there have been injured, killed or are at the very least badly hung over and wouldn't be able to shoot straight if their lives depended on it, which, of course, is the point. So! Yeah! Go get 'em, guys!" He smiles, and the video ends. ============================================================================== ================================= Decepticon ================================= Message: 2/34 Posted Author Copernicus Station Sat Jun 16 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was an incident on Not-Blot Station. Some sort of civil unrest. The rumours are all different, but the one thing they agree on was that it was some sort of civil disobedience against the Decepticon Leadership. Some say it was open rebellion, some say it was large-scale bouts of public drunkenness, and others say it was acts of outright sedition. The response, however, is swift. Shockwave has ruthlessly cracked down on Copernicus Station, as he calls it, executing numerous officers and exiling others to Charr depending on their level of incompetence, unproductivity, or lack of respect for the Decepticon cause. Copernicus has been largely ignored and seen an absence of leadership ever since the Decepticons took it over. Several positions of power on the station have been brutally eliminated, and public demonstrations of what happens to civil unrest have been constant. A fresh squadron of soldiers have been brought on board to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for any signs of disobedience. What was once a chaotic posting where those stationed there could expect to party hard whenever you felt like it is rapidly turning into a tightly controlled police state. The guards are well armed, security cameras are installed on every corner, and rumour has it that even the Decepticon Justice Department has gotten involved. A productive citizen is a happy citizen. Have a nice day. ==============================================================================
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