Transformers: World War II

[frigidmagi]

"Coldstaph base, where we can assume robot mode. And where Deathstrike and a few others are. I'm ready to roll; this is as much of a load as they allow me. Damn secrecy, this isn't even a warmup."

"Excellent. Let's get things rolling then." I reply. It is good to be doing things.

[LadyTevar]

Pathfinder, as usual, lead the way into Coldstaph base, transforming once he was within the walls, giving Overload and Breakout plenty of room to roll in. Wonder of wonders, he even started unloading Overload's cargo without being asked.

[Charon]

Hunter looked through the log of supplies, noting if he got any new explosive ordinance before he turned around and headed back to Coldstaph on one of the many Jeeps.

He stepped out of the Jeep once he spotted Overload and Pathfinder and walked over to the cargo while directing a few Joes to assist in moving it.

[Cynical Cat]

"Well Hornet," said Deathstrike, "you're about to be able to ask the 'bot himself." The Decepticon warrior crossed the courtyard and inclined his head respectfully to the newly arrived Autobot. "Breakout."

[General Havoc]

Hornet gulped audibly, and glanced at Stephanie with a look of apprehension that was as plain on his face as it would have been on the human children he resembled. Only thereafter did he slowly follow after Deathstrike, moving towards the new Autobot commander. He hung back, half-concealed behind the Decepticon flier, torn between curiosity and trepidation. Only after Deathstrike had said hello (if that's what you could call it), did Hornet meekly approach.

"Hi," he said gamely, not even daring to raise his optics for more than a fraction of a second at a time. "I'm... Hornet."

[SirNitram]

Overload transformed back into robot mode, stretching a bit. He waved to the Joes. "I'll help with those in a second." He explained. "Autobots! No more slacking off and get your gearboxes over here, your new CO is here!" He barked. A tap of his forehead to Deathstrike and Hornet. Already present. "

[Agent Fisher]

MisFire had been wandering around when she heard Overload. She quickly turned around and headed for the gathering of giant robots.

As she arrived she gave a salute, like she had seen the humans do. "MisFire, reporting as ordered."

[LadyTevar]

Pathfinder set down the pallet he'd been unloading where the joes could easily unload it, and then walked over to Overload's side. Only then did he see MisFire, as he'd ran out before she landed. "Well hello there... sorry I missed your arrival."

[frigidmagi]

I nod back to Deathstrike, thankful for the moment that Prime made my face much less expressive then the Autobot standard. Deathstrike is... was? responsible for the deaths of many Autobots, I am fairly sure he was the origin of the plan that destroyed my offense back on Cybertron... Yet I do not... Cannot hate him. In human terms... It wasn't personal. Deathstrike and I for all our differences are fundamentally the same. Warmachines loyal to our creators and the factions that brought us up. I do respect him and hope that I am not wrong in my belief that he is no spy. I remind myself that if he is a spy then Megatron can foresee the future and the war is already lost.

Also, neither of us remember any age other then that of war on Cybertron. For the older bots and cons there are grudges and legacies of hurt feelings, personal betrayals, oppression, wrongs, slights and insults from before the war mixed into their feelings for every combatants. The few of us made after the war... Simply don't have the context to feel that way. I'm not sure if that makes us better... Or worse.

These thoughts burn through my processors in nano-seconds as I switch attention to Hornet. An Autobot hiding behind a Decepticon for comfort. This tells me much, none of it good. On the other hand, he already displays trust in half his fellow fliers. I suppose it will have to do.

Hornet's behavior is hauntingly familiar... I've seen this before... I have! I know it... Where?

I tower over the autobot flier. In every species this provokes feelings of intimation, which is counter productive to the relationship I need to establish with Hornet. For the role I need him to fulfill, he must trust me. Trust the others. I go down on one knee bringing my head closer to Hornet.

"Hello Hornet. My name is Breakout." I say as the other bots jostle.

[General Havoc]

Breakout seemed to consider Hornet for a moment, and then slowly knelt down, bringing himself down to Hornet's level, or at least closer to it. Even if he had no idea why, Hornet still appreciated the gesture. It gave him the impression, rightly or wrongly, that Breakout actually wanted to meet him. Very few Autobots ever really did that.

He blinked, his optics actually provided with mechanical wipers for the purpose, and seemed to smile cautiously, his curiosity at the new CO-bot almost visibly breaking through his trepidation.

"Hi," he said, and the word sounded more like his usual chirp than the first one did. He smiled then, a beaming smile (for a robot), and only after a second remembered plainly that this was supposed to be his commanding officer, and he was supposed to act formally and militarily.

Now if only he knew how to do that...

He blinked at Breakout, considering the larger bot for a second. "Are you a flier?" he asked. Belatedly he realized that sounded wrong, and quickly rephrased. "I um... I mean... are you a flier, sir?"

He gulped audibly and hoped Breakout wouldn't order him to peel potatoes.

[frigidmagi]

He blinked at Breakout, considering the larger bot for a second. "Are you a flier?" he asked. Belatedly he realized that sounded wrong, and quickly rephrased. "I um... I mean... are you a flier, sir?"

Hornet's response triggers a memory.

“Okay, troops, this is Breakout, he's so new his gears still squeak. Newly made and all that. Breakout this is the Squad, they'll introduce themselves as we move along. Pay attention, follow orders and don't turn tail or I'll shot you myself. Otherwise we'll be fine. You Get Me Bot?â€

[General Havoc]

Hornet nodded sympathetically as Breakout explained that he wasn't a flier. "Oh... well that's okay." To Hornet, the ability to fly was one of the greatest gifts anyone could have, and he had always felt a bit sorry for any bot that couldn't fly. Not that he disliked them, not at all, but he felt that if he had been one of them, he'd be jealous of those bots who were endowed with flight. It simply didn't occur to him that anyone might see the matter differently.

Confused at the notion of "ground pounder" (Hornet couldn't SEE any pile drivers, but maybe they were hidden), Hornet elected in this case to pretend that he understood. "Are... are you in charge now?" he asked. He was fairly certain that was so, but Breakout had mentioned that he didn't have to call him 'sir'.

[Cynical Cat]

"The enemy have made no further attempts to assault our position in the last month," Deathstrike said. "Nor have we conducted any sorties against them. I stand at 110.2% of arrival performance , 68.8% of optimal performance."

[General Havoc]

Cavalier drove up at last in vehicular form, and switched back to humanoid form. The dent that Deathstrike had drilled into him had been knocked out somehow, no doubt a human engineer had provided assistance down by the offloading facilities.

He didn't say anything, not a word, as he resumed humanoid form and crossed his arms, watching the proceedings with Deathstrike, Hornet, Breakout, and the rest. It was plain enough from his expression that he held few hopes for what he was about to here. No doubt another lecture on how the first person who said mean things to the Decepticon would be executed or set to unpacking crates, or how the Decepticon was a nice and kind individual who deserved everybody's respect. It was enough to make Cavalier wish that he had a stomach so that he could puke.

He forced himself to calm down. Breakout had a reputation as a common-sense commander who was out to win battles, not make political theatre. Perhaps he ought to give him the benefit of the doubt. He stood at semi-attention and waited for Breakout to tell them all what they had been assembled for.

[frigidmagi]

"Are... are you in charge now?" he asked. He was fairly certain that was so, but Breakout had mentioned that he didn't have to call him 'sir'.

"Yes, I am. I will need you to fly soon as well. For now though Hornet, why not continue what you were doing before I interrupted. I'll come find you and tell you mission soon." I said and stood up. I gave Hornet one more nod and turned to Deathstrike.

"The enemy have made no further attempts to assault our position in the last month," Deathstrike said. "Nor have we conducted any sorties against them. I stand at 110.2% of arrival performance , 68.8% of optimal performance."

If I could smile. I would.

"Good enough for now. But we will be changing that. We're here for a reason after all." I reply to him and turn to the assembled Autobots. I am addressing a group of bots, not a unit. They need to be unit. I am going to attack as soon as I have targets to attack. If they're not focused on killing the Cons, we'll be the ones dying. This is bad.

I like being functional. Being functional is good.

"Bots. Please, gather round I don't like to repeat myself. Since everyone is here I will go ahead and get this out of the way. My name is Breakout. I am your new commanding officer. Overload will serve as my XO. I want to be clear that Overload has done a good job in securing this base and leading you against the Decepticon assault. So my arrival is in no way a comment on him. That said, I am taking over and that means some changes in our operations. I expect the best from everyone and I will get it even if I have to wring it out of you. On the flip side you'll get my best, no matter what." I pause and face the group squarely making eye contact with every bot in turn.

"Since I am taking over, everyone gets a clean slate. Let me make that clear, I don't care what happened before. I only care about what's going to happen. What is going to happen is that we are going to work as a unit to defeat the Nazis and the Decepticons. We are going to honor the promises that Prime and others have made to our allies. We are going to win this war. You do not need to like each other. You do not need to be friends. Hate each other all you want, but you will work together under my orders and behave professionally. Or I will make you wish to Primus himself that you had. I will not tolerate anything less. So whatever your personal problems with the bots around you, set them on the secondary protocol until after we've won the war and have taken Berlin. Because right now and right here we have no damn time for that. We are fighting a some of the better warriors Megatron has commanded backed up by a native war machine that is upgrading slowly to our level and numbers in the millions. I need every bot to perform at his or her best. Because we are going to take the fight to the enemy and we are going to hurt him. Even if I have deactivate half of you to do it. Am I clear?" I end quietly, again scanning the unit, I want them to know I mean every word I say.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike listened silently. The speech is predictable and fairly meaningless. It will change no one's opinions and actions. Hornet will still be mistrusted and shunned and he will still be the Decepticon traitor.
Breakout is only putting people on notice that he expects us to act like comrades. The Decepticon recognized the importance of us doing so, but it will take more than words.

We need to attack. The north is important only in that it can be supplied by the Allied fleets. It is the farmland of Western Russia and the Ukraine, the energy rich oil fields of the Caucuses, and the industrial heart of the Soviet Union that matter. We have stayed here doing nothing for a month while the Decepticons have rearmed and repaired. If Deathstrike was running the offensive, Decepticon spearheads would have lead the Germans into the Caucuses and conducting daily strike missions on Soviet airfields and industrial complexes. They needed to do what Autobots were so reluctant to do. Attack.

[LadyTevar]

Pathfinder's lips twitched, but he kept silent. Secondary protocol ... yeah. Right. Deathstrike was still a 'Con, and Hornet was still ... well... whatever he was, he was damn near useless. But Pathfinder would play nice, because he knew that Breakout meant every word and would do just as promised.

"So what's your plan, Breakout?"

[General Havoc]

On balance, Cavalier wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, the speech didn't exactly blow him away, but then it didn't disappoint terribly either. He refused on principle to pretend to be the Decepticon's friend, nor to take his orders. He was, however, prepared to defer all further confrontations until after the end of this little war. It wasn't like there was a shortage of Decepticons to shoot at, and so long as Breakout meant what he said, Cavalier had no problem placing others atop his priority list.

Speaking of which...

"We've been cooling our radiators out here for the better part of a month," said Cavalier. "Scenic as this place is, I'm hoping we intend to perform some unpleasantries in the near future..."

[Agent Fisher]

MisFire had nodded at Pathfinder in greeting, staying silent through out Breakout's talk. She didn't have a problem with Hornet, except for the fact he could be a little clingy. As for Deathstrike, she had heard stories about him, and among the fliers she knew, he was a respected foe. While she wouldn't go so far as to consider him a friend, she could certainly work with him with no problem.

As for Cavalier and Pathfinder, well, she always had a bit of a disdain for non fliers.

[Charon]

Hunter crossed his arms as he listened to Breakout go on about the greater Cybertronian race. It was fairly inspiring to hear those words coming from him, though he had himself said similar words not more than a few hours ago. Of course, he was a Cybertronian, so they listened to him.

"That's all well and good. But where do the rest of your allies figure in your plans Breakout? You 'bots aren't here all by yourselves."

[frigidmagi]

"I need to speak to Pathfinder, Misfire, Deathstrike and Hornet. The rest of you are dismissed to your duties until further notice." Breakout said after letting everyone get their reactions in. Autobots needed to talk about things or else their performance suffered. Breakout didn't like that trait but a commander worked with what he had.

"That's all well and good. But where do the rest of your allies figure in your plans Breakout? You 'bots aren't here all by yourselves."

"Actually Hunter, after I breif my Bots, I'll be wanting to speak to you and the other Joe officers, as well as anyone we have who can represent the Soviet Forces." Breakout replied to the Joe.

[Cynical Cat]

"When do we begin reconnaissance flights?" Deathstrike asked. There was no point in dancing around the matter.

[LadyTevar]

"Hunter's got good ideas," Pathfinder quietly spoke up as he stayed behind as ordered. From a bot who had had little dealings with organics before, this was a major change. "There's also the Canadians who came with DeathStrike, you should speak with them as well, Breakout."

[General Havoc]

Not without some trepidation, Hornet waited behind, as instructed, as the others moved off. Breakout so far had seemed to be almost happy to have him here, but it was always a little actuator-racking to be told to hang back for a "consultation" by the commander.

[frigidmagi]

"When do we begin reconnaissance flights?" Deathstrike asked. There was no point in dancing around the matter.

"Deathstrike has it right. I want recon flights, if you can I want all of you fliers to start tonight. I am assuming that darkness will not impact your sensors, if it will say so. Also I would like one of you, you decide amongst yourselves, to hang back to aide anyone who is detected by Nazi patrols." I answer Deathstrike crisply. There is much work and it is best to be about it.

"Hunter's got good ideas," Pathfinder quietly spoke up as he stayed behind as ordered. From a bot who had had little dealings with organics before, this was a major change. "There's also the Canadians who came with DeathStrike, you should speak with them as well, Breakout."

"A good idea. We shall speak on it more when I am finished with the fliers," I say as an aside. I make a note of this, it is good that Pathfinder is not disregarding our biological allies. Whether I like it or not they will be doing most of the fighting.

Not without some trepidation, Hornet waited behind, as instructed, as the others moved off. Breakout so far had seemed to be almost happy to have him here, but it was always a little actuator-racking to be told to hang back for a "consultation" by the commander.

I turn my attention to Hornet.

"Hornet, do you understand what I am asking for when I ask you to do a reconnaissance flight?" I ask gently as I can. Hornet as far has we both know has no experience in war. It is best to make no assumptions.