Rising Tensions

Rising Tensions

In the aftermath of “Cosmic Rust” Harrier has a few words with Megatron. But just because the diesase has been cured doesn’t mean everyone on Earthbase is the best of friends…

Command Center

This circular room was formerly the bridge when the base was a viable spaceship. Now used as the Command Center, it is dominated by the large central viewing screen. The screen is linked to the main computer system, and can display anything from energon production reports to tactical updates to topside weather information. The various other bridge control stations have been converted to monitor and control the various mechanisms and activities of the base. They curve around the room from the door to the central viewscreen.

A very curious and now rust-free Duke Harrier wanders into the command center, looking around...when he sees Megatron he stops dead in his tracks and snaps a sharp Valckastan-style salute.

Megatron, who was working at the computer, says: “At easy, Harrier..” He studies the Duke for a while. “I see you have fully recovered.”

Harrier does so. “Yourself as well, sir.” He seems a bit uncertain of himself in the presence of Lord Megatron, but is doing his best to put up a good show.

Megatron nods, turning his attention back to the computer. Suddenly he asks: “I hope, Tempest feels better too?”

Harrier sighs. “The rust is gone. She’s sleeping in her quarters...and hell of a time I had getting her to settle down and sleep, too.”

Megatron casually remarks: “You two share the same quarters?”

Harrier shrugs. “Why not?” He pauses, as if only then thinking of something. “Ah yes. The ettiquette around here is different than the Spaceways...I forget...” He tries to think of a way to explain it and says at last, “I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the fact that in the Spaceways, it’s quite dangerous to fall asleep alone, as you may not survive to wake up again...”

Megatron replies: “Oh, I know the rules in the space ways... I just wondered that no-one allocated you a room.” Is that really the reason?

Harrier shrugs. “So I thought, why bother making a burden of my presence when I stayed with Tempest for centuries already? And besides...” His expression seemed to darken. “I didn’t want to leave her alone.”

Megatron still looks at the computer. “That honors you.” He rubs his chin, studying the readings on the screen. “You were Tempest’s second in the spaceways, correct?”

Harrier nods. “Yes...oh, she’s warned you about me, hm?” He gives Megatron that warm smile. “We were together a long time,” he says softly, “before any of the others...” and the smile fades, the expression growing distant, “before that, it was her and me against everything.”

Megatron says, “You... were a couple?”

Harrier looks at Megatron in surprise and his optics narrow a little, as if trying to figure out what on earth possessed Megatron to ask that. “If you want to know if I am her mate...or was...the answer is no.”

Is there a sound of relief in Megatron’s voice. “It was just the eagerness she wanted to revenge you that made me think in that direction. You mean a lot to her.”

Harrier says, sounding quite convinced, “Tempest would never take a mate.” At the second comment he sighs a bit and says, “Yes...I suppose I’m her closest friend...or was.” His head shakes. “I don’t know any more. She’s changed, since I was...heh...dead for a while.”

Megatron says, “She has lot of potential, natural leading abilities. I am glad she joined our forces.”

Harrier shakes his head, amusement briefly lifting him from his thoughts. “You know, I’ve never heard anyone evaluating her that way before...” His expression becomes concerned. “You ought to be careful, though,” he says quietly. “She brings destruction wherever she goes...”

Megatron chuckles. “That is something both of us have in common.”

Harrier doesn’t quite get it. “What is?”

Megatron says, “I am known to bring destruction myself. They gave me the name Slagmaker.”

Harrier frowns a bit then straightens up...”Yessir, Lord Slagmaker Sir...” Unlike the typical Valckastan Harrier seems impressed by this sort of title. The young mech eyes the barrel of Megatron’s fusion cannon somewhat nervously, just making sure it’s not pointing in his direction. “Not meaning to disrespect your title in the least, sir, but...ah...well, perhaps I misjudged you, or perhaps you misread me..”

Megatron laughs. “It is not an officially used title. It was a name the enemy gave me. You can simply call me Megatron. Forget all that Lord or Emperor stuff.”

Harrier says, “Yessir Lord...uh...Megatron.” He forces himself to relax again. “ Then...may I ask your lordsh...um...may I ask you a question?”

Megatron places calmingly his hand on Harriers shoulder. “Relax, think, and than ask your question, Harrier.”

Harrier stares at Megatron’s hand as if he can’t quite believe that the Decepticon Emperor was being so familiar with /him/, and takes a deep breath. “I think maybe you misread me...I was trying to warn you about Tempest...you’ve got to be careful with her.” He takes in another gulp of air and asks. “If you had all the power in the universe...the ability to do anything...what would you do with it?”

Megatron says, “Rule the universe.”

Harrier nods. “Yes...then you do need to watch out for her...if she had her way there’d be nothing left.” He looks at Megatron seeming guilty, and frightened for a moment, “I’m not saying she’s a bad person...she isn’t...but...”

Megatron says, “But what?”

Harrier hangs his head and murmurs, “If she had her will, she’d cut down all the stars from the sky...destroy the whole universe as we know it and herself with it.”

Megatron says, “And how do you think she will make that?”

Harrier says, frankly, “She won’t...and may everything living be thankful...but...” He shakes his head. “So much hate packed in such a little airframe...so much rage.”

Harrier looks disturbed, as if wishing he could fix her and finding himself unable.

Megatron smiles. “I appreciate that you warned me and even more that you care for her. But there is no need to be worried about me. Tempest and I are more alike than you realize - and when I said she has potential, I meant that her abilities are much further spread than you may see.”

Harrier tilts his head at Megatron and says, “I sincerely hope, sir, that you think of others more than just yourself.”

Megatron says, “Depends on who you ask.”

Harrier looks at Megatron somewhat blankly?

Megatron says, “If you ask the Autobots, they will tell you that the only one I care about is me.”

Harrier laughs! “Oh, there’s not much of a chance I’d be asking /them/!” Harrier admits, “I don’t know much about Autobots, but considering they’re the reason I spent most of my life scratching in the Spaceways instead of inheriting what I deserved...what was mine by rights...that’s reason enough for me to have a, shall we say, distaste for them.”

Megatron says, “Not to mention that the one who had your laser core wore their symbol, Harrier.”

Harrier’s lip lifts in a snarl. “Yes. Defcon. I still owe that bloody bastard one for Beretta and Deuce.” Harrier says, “My memory was terribly hazy but Tempest filled me in...” He frowns. “I wonder why the hell that damned Enforcer picked /us/?”

Megatron says, “To have the entire Decepticon empire against himself in the end.”

Harrier laughs again! “I’m certain he will regret the fruits of his labours!” And then the jumpjet mech sobers up. He looks at Megatron frankly and says quietly, “I didn’t before have the opportunity to thank you for bringing me back from the dead, as it were.”

Megatron says, “Actually I did not do that for you.”

Harrier seems a bit surprised, and then says softly, “Still, I cannot argue with the results....”

Megatron smirked. “I thought, Tempest should have a bit more than just that little carving of a jump jet to stare at.”

Harrier takes a step backwards and says softly, “So she /did/ still think of me.” He pauses. “I confess I was a bit surprised that she came back to get me.”

Megatron answers. “She is a Decepticon, Harrier.” He looks up, as the door opens and smiles widely as he sees who enters.

Nightbird enters from the corridor, her optics sparkling as she spies Megatron. She glances at Harrier then bows slightly.

Harrier flashes his typical charmer-grin at Nightbird.

Megatron realizes Harrier’s grin. “Harrier, I think this lady already made her choice...” He walks over to the ninja.

Nightbird embraces Megatron and says “I believe he’s this way around all females. It’s well-intentioned, if somewhat archiac.”

Harrier looks up questioningly...then suddenly he draws the connection from theway Megatron and Nightbird look at each other...and cringes back a little. “My apologies...” which he seems to be directing towards Megatron more than towards Nightbird.

Megatron hugs Nightbird back. “I’ve missed that,” he murmurs.

Nightbird lets go of Megatron before too much of a public spectacle is created and turns toward Harrier. She rest her right fist against her left palm with her arms out, a kind of greeting. She says simply, “I am Nightbird.”

Starscream arrives from Access Corridor.

Starscream has arrived.

Harrier gives her a flourishing bow, “Duke Harrier of Val...ah, of Kilair,” and straightening up, he adds, “And possibly of Valckasta as well.”

Starscream steps into the room arrogently and heads for his station purposefully without a sound.

Nightbird glances behind her as Starscream enters, then turns her attention back to Harrier. “I wasn’t aware any terms of nobility were still used in the Empire. The history I’ve read makes them seem outdated.”

Megatron tilds his head as he hears the door open again. “Starscream? What a rare sight within the last few days.”

Starscream nods to Megatron, “ I have been busy.” He turns back to his monitor.

Megatron says,”I supposed so.”

Harrier looks curiously at Starscream, an individual he doesn’t know, and then says to Nightbird, “Valckasta is an ancient and deeply cultured city,” he explains, hoping he read the history files of his new home well enough, and then he murmurs softly, “And Kilair is not part of this Empire.”

Nightbird tilts her head curiously. “It is part of another?”

Megatron adds: “Not yet, Harrier.”

Starscream is not wearing the usual colors of Red/blue/white, that are normally his tradmark hues. Instead he is a two-tone gullgray with an air gray camouflage on his wings and earth jet markings throughout his form. For a Transformer he looks half dead but for an earth jet he looks like one from a middle east country.

Harrier says to Nightbird, “You could say so...or rather, what’s left of one.” His optics dart towards Megatron. He’s not sure /how/ to take that remark.

Nightbird says, “You were not created on Cybertron then?”

Harrier says to Nightbird, “I am the son of a Cybertronian duke who became governor of a small outport planet. The outport...no longer exists, I’m afraid, but I’m only one generation gone from Valckasta.”

Tempest arrives from Access Corridor.

Tempest has arrived.

Here comes trouble...slinking through the hallways, pressing her lips together at the sight of Megatron and Nightbird, and eyeing Harrier.

Megatron looks over to Starscream. “I see you changed your color scheme. That is how the jets look like in that other region of this planet, I presume.

Colossus arrives from Access Corridor.

Colossus has arrived.

Starscream nods, “In this region, yes.”

Nightbird looks back and inclines her to Tempest in greeting. She looks back to Harrier and says, “Interesting. I wonder how many other Decepticon planets there are.” Her optics begin to glow more brightly, indicating she’s thinking of something. Her masked features give away so little.. But she seems to be thinking quite intensely.

Harrier shrugs. “I’m probably not the one to ask. But there’s a number of robots of our design out on the Spaceways...some Cybertronian exiles, perhaps, though I’d hazard a guess a great many of them were built out there, some so many generations gone they don’t even remember their origin...” He glances over at Tempest as he says this.

Colossus stalks in, large powerful legs announcing his presence by the stompingon the metal floor. In one hand he has a small datapad, which he idly, occassionally glances at even while walking. His frame then rests against a conveniently placed wall that defines the doorway as he watches the proceedings.

Tempest gives Nightbird a rather stiff nod and pretends to be engrossed in the computer. What’s she looking up? Locations of energy stations...towns...possible targets. She shoots a glance at Colossus.

Nightbird bows more formally to Colossus as he enters. Respect for his rank perhaps.

Starscream hears Colossus come in/who couldn’t/ and would roll his optics if he could/ Instead he sets his jaw and continues his work, marvelling at the fact that everyone is still functional ...so far....

Megatron greets Tempest with a nod. Actually he does not know how to act towards her at the moment. He also greets Colossus as he enters shortly after.

Colossus shoots a glance back to Tempest. Seekers...why did there need to be Seekers. Snakes would almost be preferred. He bows his head towards Nightbird, “Lady Sensei.”

Harrier looks, rather nervously, at Colossus. He’s already gathered that Valckastans and Tyrians don’t get along....

Colossus bows to Megatron, “Rightful Lord Emperor.” Man, it’s a good thing Thunderwing isn’t here apparently.

Tempest senses something in Colossus’ look and /stares/ at him, rather aggressively, those ruby optics gleaming.

Megatron says, “Well, Colossus, any good news for us?”

Nightbird looks around, as if sensing the considerable amount of tension in the room. Starscream doesn’t like her, Colossus doesn’t seem to like Tempest, Tempest doesn’t like anyone it seems..

Colossus says, “Depending on what you would call good, Emperor.” Col doesn’t seem too fond of the seekers. No real extra hatred for Tempest beyond what distaste for the model. He holds out the datapad to Megatron, “We’ve taken some more land and secured it for the Rightful Empire. Ruse is assisting me in ways to holdthe land even more secure.”

Harrier, for his part, is also looking somewhat uncomfortable. Nervous around Megatron, making an idiot of himself in front of Nightbird, wary of Colossus, and not quite sure how to act towards Tempest...He summons up his courage and walks over to his former leader to ask her what she’s doing.