Transformers: Alone and Unafraid

[LadyTevar]

Once again, Shimmer looked around the remains of the bridge, before nodding. "I can start transmitting a surrender message over the innercoms as soon as I find a functioning speaker. I'm assuming we're heading for engineering next, to prevent a scuttling of the ship?"

[Dark Silver]

Grindstone said nothing, the bridge was, as he expected, demolished.

A pity, as it would have made things a great deal easier.

"I will head to Engineering."

Grindstone looked to Shimmer for a moment, to ascertain if she was alright for now, before turning away from the wreckage of the bridge, and moved down the hall - his weapons primed to open fire on the first targets that presented themselves, and his scanners peeled for anything which should do so.

[General Havoc]

"So where in the pits is the Captain?"

The details of how one commanded starships and what locations were of value for such things were of purely secondary importance to Cavalier. His desire to target the bridge had been predicated not on the assumption that taking it would allow them to commandeer the ship, but on the assumption that those in charge of the ship would be present upon it. Whatever the status of the ship's AI or controls, taking out the command staff was, in Cavalier's opinion, the most reliable method for ensuring the surrender of the ship.

The problem? There was no sign of the command staff.

Oh there were pulverized bodies a-plenty in this place, pulped by the enormous shocks and forces involved in Deathstrike's obliteration of the blast doors, but even Deathstrike could not vaporize an entire Cybertronian with one shot, and certainly not with an overpenetrating strike not even aimed that way. While it was theoretically possible that the command staff had been comprised of nothing but the organic beings whose incinerated remnants were scattered about the room, they had already run into one enemy Decepticon, and no Decepticon would ever consent to being commanded by organics, no matter how loyal. No, the Captain of this ship had to be a Decepticon himself, if not the one they'd run into, then someone else. And if there had been a Decepticon here then they would know about it.

"Whatever the AI's status, if we want this ship, we need the Captain alive or dead, and I don't see anyone here who could pass for one. The 'cons don't strike me as the sort to take orders from organic slaves."

He turned to Grindstone, normally an occasion for gunfire, but for now he didn't have time to indulge in such fantasies. Grindstone was already on his way out the door, but Cavalier had a speaker that could project for a mile if need be. "Hold a second, Grindstone. That 'con you were dancing with back in the hallway," he asked. "Who was he? Do you think he might be the show-runner around here? And if the plan's to burn out anyone who won't cry uncle, then we need to figure a way of tracking him down, whether he's the captain or not, because a 'con willing to jump the four of us by himself doesn't sound like he's looking for opportunities to give up."

[Dark Silver]

Grindstone stopped mid-stride, as Cavalier spoke not just in general, but directly to him. Luckily, Grindstone had not gone far and heard it.

"The Decepticon is named Feral. And he attacked ONLY because I was isolated, with you having rushed ahead, and Deathstrike and Shimmer dealing with the Mechkan security team. He is a opportunist, and knew I was the easiest target to select. Feral does not command, Feral is best used to eliminate a foe. The only reason I still function is because Feral underestimated me, and my armor managed to protect my vital components."

Grindstone had little use for Transformers like Feral - he preferred to meet his foes head on when the opportunity presented itself, but he was not one to indulge in skull-drudgery.

"The Traitor Commander undoubtedly knew by internal scans who had boarded the ship, and our most likely course of action, which is why we faced the resistance we have so far. Undoubtedly, the Commander also transferred to Auxiliary Control, or to Main Engineering along with most priority command systems leaving these....things....behind as a sacrificial lamb to buy himself time to continue to impede us. The ships AI will be housed in it's Primary control matrix near Engineering - unless they have deviated greatly from standard Decepticon ship design."

Grindstone turned to face Cavalier wholly as he spoke, his face a most literal iron mask of no emotion, even as his voice remained steady and calm, "Anything else you would care to know, Cavalier?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Grindstone's analysis is likely correct," said Deathstrike. "Engineering is the next place to go. I will signal for reinforcements to secure the ammunition and power storage cells feeding the main armament in the unlikely event that they attempt to blow the ship with those resources." A tight beam data squirt did just that.

[LadyTevar]

"There will be more fire teams set up to delay us," Shimmer reminded them. "There's only one route we can take, while the smaller organics can and will be able to box us from side passages."

[Cynical Cat]

"Possibly," said Deathstrike. "It's one of the reasons I gave the orders to hunt down and kill all resistance on the way to the bridge. They may ambush us or they may hide in fear. Either way, we will deal with it."

[frigidmagi]

As the Cybertronians approached the engine room, they found themselves moving through an increasingly chaotic ship. Screaming and weapons fire could be heard as well as strut jarring impacts. Lights went out, blinked, went red and orange. Gases were vented. Once they had to reroute because emergency doors had been shut to prevent a plasma leak from spreading. The ship shuddered under their feet once as they reached engineering. The doors were sealed shut but badly the seal broken and smoke leaking from the crack.

At the sound of the clunking approach a voice screamed out.

"We surrender, we surrender, for Megatron's sake we surrender! Just open the Prime-loving door!" cried out a voice.

Meanwhile Farshot's smart fog had been... stymied for the first time in Farshot's existence. Heat and emission traces had been found right where Deathstrike had said they would be and continued for nearly 50 meters and then... vanished. It was as if Feral had simply ceased existing.

Shunt was greeted by a stranger sight as he stood in the hanger bay. A section of mechanical beings, snake like with a number of retractile limbs crept out into view. One took the lead, of it's 4 optic clusters, one had been ripped out a long time ago and carbon scoring and scarring was heavy along it's long flanks.

"High Lord, are you here to repossess the ship? Is the fighting over?" It asked cringing in a whisper.

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

Meanwhile Blastcap reached the top and found her unit ready to advance.

"Sir, all communications are spotty outside of 30 meters. We think there's a jamming field. We're hearing widespread fighting across the ship however." Reported her Lt.

[SirNitram]

"I'm nobody's 'Lord'." Shunt grunted. "But for you all, fighting's over. Get away from the means into the main ship." The Seeker's rotary guns extended and he swept the entrances to the hangar carefully.

[LadyTevar]

"Deathstrike, with the extent of the damage so far, whomever got trapped inside would be highly damaged and in need of medical assistance," Shimmer stated calmly, trying to get a good reading on lifeforms through the interference. "Even so, they could have set up a final blockade."

[General Havoc]

It could have been a trap. Cavalier had seen traps like this before, fallen victim to them before. But walking through life expecting traps everywhere was something he had promised himself he would never do, not when it meant condemning other people to being cooked to death. He didn't wait for Deathstrike's order or Shimmer's analysis, but stepped up to the door, his sword sheathed but his shield extended. Holding the shield in front of him as he did so, Cavalier grabbed the door to engineering with both hands, and pulled as hard as his massive frame could support, intending to rip the entire door off and hurl it aside.

If whoever was in there wanted to surrender, this would give them a way out. And if it was a trap, then Cavalier, and every ounce of his thick armor, would be the one to spring it. It was as it should have been.

[Dark Silver]

Grindstone watched Cavalier move to the door, and knew what the Autobot intended to do almost before he did it.

As Cavalier grabbed the door, Grindstone steppped up next to him, his own hands gripping the other, and added his strength to opening the door. If there was a trap, it was doubtful either of the two Tank-bots would be dropped because of it, much less both.

[Lys]

"Sir, all communications are spotty outside of 30 meters. We think there's a jamming field. We're hearing widespread fighting across the ship however." Reported her Lt.

"I noticed," replied Blastcap. "We're not going to be able to coordinate with the other units in attacking the command section, let us just hope they'll be be able to fight their way through on time. As for us, we shall head straight to the main bridge."

A couple of compartments opened in her body, and two drones crawled out of Blastcap, then down her torso and legs, and unto the floor. They began to skitter ahead of the platoon.

"It should be just up ahead, my drones shall scan for further traps and ambushes. My vehicle form has been immobilized, so we shall advance by a rapid bounding overwatch. I'll be one of the two forward squads, and the Lieutenant will lead one of the rear squads. Move out!"

[Cynical Cat]

"We'll see," said Deathstrike as Cavalier stepped into the breach. He was the logical 'bot for the job so Deathstrike said nothing and readied his weapon in case this was an ambush.

[LadyTevar]

Shimmer also said nothing while the two tankbots stepped forward to open the way. Like Deathstrike, she understood what they were doing, why they were doing it, and agreed they were the best bots for the job. If there were surrendering survivors, she would guide them out of the Cybertronians path. If a trap, her weapon was also ready.

[rhoenix]

Junk, Farshot thought, opening another secure comm to Deathstrike. "I don't see him yet, Commander - I'm going in through the hangar bay in the meantime."

With that, he swooped gracefully toward the hangar bay, seeing Shunt there, and the sight before him - and his optics widened. He targeted the unknown bots properly with his forearm blasters, as he opened an encrypted comm to Shunt, and asked, quietly, "Do you need support?"

[frigidmagi]

The doors opened grudgingly, all present could hear the servos grinding and sqeuling as the two tanks ripped them open through brute force. Super heated smoke poured out like water from a broken dam and even Deathstrike and Shimmer could feel the wave of heat that accompanied it. Meckhanals began to stumble out, their optics singed, respirator fans chugging. Various other creatures, long snake like mechanials and humanoid biologicals stumbled out, cough and retching. Fires could be seen in the engine room, which was a hell of smoke, steam, flame and melted metal.

One stumbled up against Shimmer, who noted that it was a Ixn, an avian species native to the League. It gasped and warbled through it's pale slender beak.

"Oh... Oh... Please, there are people trapped in there.. They were... chained, please" She choked out before collapsing.

"I'm nobody's 'Lord'." Shunt grunted. "But for you all, fighting's over. Get away from the means into the main ship." The Seeker's rotary guns extended and he swept the entrances to the hangar carefully.

The creature cringed.

"Yes, Megatron's Metal, forgive our presumption." It said has it slid away.

"I noticed," replied Blastcap. "We're not going to be able to coordinate with the other units in attacking the command section, let us just hope they'll be be able to fight their way through on time. As for us, we shall head straight to the main bridge."

A couple of compartments opened in her body, and two drones crawled out of Blastcap, then down her torso and legs, and unto the floor. They began to skitter ahead of the platoon.

"It should be just up ahead, my drones shall scan for further traps and ambushes. My vehicle form has been immobilized, so we shall advance by a rapid bounding overwatch. I'll be one of the two forward squads, and the Lieutenant will lead one of the rear squads. Move out!"

The ship fell quickly, Blastcap force her way into the bridge to find the Meckhanal Captain had killed himself with a side arm. Most of the bridge crew had turned on one another. While the bridge was damaged, most of it was still there, unlike some ships.

[Cynical Cat]

There was no change in Deathstrike's expression as he strode swiftly into the smoke filled chamber, no hint of the violent disgust he felt upon hearing those words. They did not shock him. He had heard their like before, in memory files shared with him by comrades in the early days of Cybertrons bitter civil war. They were the reason he had been built. They were the reason he endured the presence of Autobots and their endless slights to his honor, insults, their pernicious white washing of history, and their disgusting cult of Prime worship which glorified the very 'bots who created the caste system that sentenced countless Cybertronians to endless hard labour so others could live in luxury.

"Cavalier, with me," he ordered as he stormed past. An ambush was unlikely in the extreme, but if their was one then Cavalier would be an unpleasant surprise for their attackers. And if there was no ambush, his sword would take care of any shackles that were beyond Deathstrike's strength. His laser would have sliced through even the toughest shackle with ease, but that weapon was ruined beyond repair and the exotic components and materials needed to built another were not readily available. The only use for his fusion cannon would be to grant a mercifully quick death. He had seen organics choke and burn. It was not a good way to go.

To be constrained by the presence of hostages was to reward the hostage taker and endanger you own soldiers and your own chances of victory. Without victory it would not change. The cycle would continue forever. An endless lineage of slaves toiling forever for the benefit of tyrannical masters. Autobots could not grasp this because they were forever on the other side of the divide. The Decepticons had waged total war with total ruthlessness not because they did not care for the lives that were destroyed, but because death was preferable to the endless reign of tyrants.

But the battle was over now and the destroyer no longer had a place. Now was the time for the breaker of chains.

[LadyTevar]

"Scrap..." Shimmer muttered as she gently caught the fainting Ixn. She turned to tell Cavalier, whom she knew would be the first in line to rescue hostages, but Deathstrike once again surprised her, stepping into the billowing smoke and ordering Cavalier to follow.

"Shimmer to Farshot, relay message to Command Ship please." the fembot finally broke radio silence. "Message as follows : We have captured bridge and engine room of target. Send fire containment and medical for wounded bio-sentients. Message ends."

[Lys]

The ship fell quickly, Blastcap force her way into the bridge to find the Meckhanal Captain had killed himself with a side arm. Most of the bridge crew had turned on one another. While the bridge was damaged, most of it was still there, unlike some ships.

"I guess they were dead scared after the heavy weapons company went up," Blastcap observed as her platoon expertly fanned out to secure the area until the other units arrived. "Lieutenant? I want the Tech Specialists working on disabling the jamming and getting control of any internal defence systems that remain functional. Then find any surviving bridge officers and persuade them to issue a general surrender for the whole ship. The battle is won and lost, any further fighting is pointless."

The Cybertronian's communication's systems reached out through space to contact her Commanding Officer, Deathstrike. "This is Blastcap to Expeditionary Force Commander. The 273rd Pioneers have control of the main bridge of one of the enemy's command ships, and will have complete control of the ship presently. She's got a few holes in her and is combat inop, but I got the bridge is mostly intact. Don't know the state of the databanks yet, but it looks like the bridge crew was too busy with fratricide to engage the bulk eraser, over."

[Dark Silver]

Grindstone watched Cavalier and Deathstrike stride into Engineering - Grindstone had not been told to enter, so instead he defaulted to keeping watch on the rear, and moving into a protective position to cover Shimmer.

[rhoenix]

"Shimmer to Farshot, relay message to Command Ship please." the fembot finally broke radio silence. "Message as follows : We have captured bridge and engine room of target. Send fire containment and medical for wounded bio-sentients. Message ends."

"Acknowledged, Shimmer," Farshot replied, just as he transformed outside the ship, and fired off the tight-beam encrypted comm message directly to the command ship. "I'm on overwatch outside," he added. "If anything gets out, I'll intercept."

[frigidmagi]

Deathstrike and Cavalier waded into the hellish scene that was engineering. While the heat of the steam and venting plasma was unpleasant, it wasn't actually dangerous for either of the Cybertronians, both of which were considered insanely durable even for their race.

Various laborers were chained in place, some singly and others in groups, a method used during battles to prevent desertation or sataboge. The chains parted easily, but many of the chained beings were beyond help.

Grindstone watched Cavalier and Deathstrike stride into Engineering - Grindstone had not been told to enter, so instead he defaulted to keeping watch on the rear, and moving into a protective position to cover Shimmer.

The various creatures (some began to scatter into the ship, panicky at being so close to angry Cybertronians) were for the most part to weak or confused to pose any danger. The few Mekhanicals were trying to enact some repairs on themselves or their fellows.

The Cybertronian's communication's systems reached out through space to contact her Commanding Officer, Deathstrike. "This is Blastcap to Expeditionary Force Commander. The 273rd Pioneers have control of the main bridge of one of the enemy's command ships, and will have complete control of the ship presently. She's got a few holes in her and is combat inop, but I got the bridge is mostly intact. Don't know the state of the databanks yet, but it looks like the bridge crew was too busy with fratricide to engage the bulk eraser, over."

"Commander Blastcap, this is Commodore Liaks. Deathstrike is off the comms right now, we have contact with his unit, he's engaged in liberation actions right now. Do you have control of point defense? If you do I'll send over the crackers and anaylists. Over."

"Acknowledged, Shimmer," Farshot replied, just as he transformed outside the ship, and fired off the tight-beam encrypted comm message directly to the command ship. "I'm on overwatch outside," he added. "If anything gets out, I'll intercept."

"We read you Commander Farshot, be advised that we're in the mop up phase. Enemy ships have been taken, crippled or fled. Are the point defenses down? Are we clear to send reinforcements? Please advise command actual that we are forming up to send a task force to the colony planet, they are still sending SOS signals." Came the reply.

[rhoenix]

"We read you Commander Farshot, be advised that we're in the mop up phase. Enemy ships have been taken, crippled or fled. Are the point defenses down? Are we clear to send reinforcements? Please advise command actual that we are forming up to send a task force to the colony planet, they are still sending SOS signals." Came the reply.

With a delay of approximately only a nanosecond, Farshot opened a tightbeam encrypted comm connection to Deathstrike, aboard the ship. "Deathstrike, I have a reply from Command," he said, as he then instantly replayed the message he'd received. "Standing ready to relay reply when ready, Commander," Farshot added, as his sensors swept the outside of the ship, looking for anyone trying to sneak out.

[SirNitram]

"Hangar is secure. I've got three who're cowing like I'm back home, but non biologicals. Stay sharp, if they have tricks, they'll hit when we're relaxing from victory."