7/30/2011 05:48 PM
Robustus Swiftblade Megatron Soundwave
Despite rumors to the contrary, the resident male medic does not recharge in the med bay. This is evident when the mech enters the barracks entry. His stride slow and relaxed. Robustus walks toward the ration cooler, offering polite nods toward those that greet him.
Swiftblade is rather absorbed in looking at a screen in her hands, though she does look up and see Robustus enter the barracks. Raising a hand she waves him a quick greeting.
Robustus gets his ration from the cooler and turns to stride toward Swiftblade. "Interesting read?" he asks curiously.
Swiftblade shakes her head. "Not reading, just keeping an optic open for news coming in," she says.
Robustus takes a sip of his ration before stating, "Perhaps I went off duty too soon." he intones tiredly. "I swear I get a moments rest and someone finds an Autobot to mess with and get injured by."
Swiftblade smiles faintly at this. "The difficulty of being a medic?" she asks. "Still, it's very valuable. We would run out of warriors really fast if we didn't have medics to put us back together." She shrugs her shoulders.
Robustus nods to her, "Yes. And thank you for saying so. So few realize how much they need us."
"Maybe they just don't like being reminded that they do need others sometimes. We have to feel we're tough or it would be hard to go into battle," Swiftblade says.
Robustus inclines his head to that, "Wise words from one so young." not meaning in a bad way, but in a good one.
Swiftblade smiles just a little more. "My creator, well, he saw a lot of problems, and didn't want me to copy them. So he taught me things." She looks up again from her screen.
Robustus sips on his ration, silver optics focused on the femme before him. Upon lowering his ration from his lips he states, "A wise creator then." he notes with a smile back.
"I think so, but I think I'm biased," Swiftblade says. "I won't really know until I find out whether he did a good job with my design or not."
Robustus chuckles softly, then observes. "Not unusual to have a certain viewpoint on the ones that made you Swiftblade. Just like when you fall in love, you will ignore the faults of your beloved in favor of seeing their good points."
Swiftblade tilts her head to the side. "I don't know anything about falling in love," she states. "Though I heard I was patterned a little after a femme that he was fond of."
Robustus takes another sip of his ration before commenting, "Highly possible. A reminder of what once was given a new form. A hope for the future made real. I hope one day to be lucky enough to say I had a hand in the creation of new life. For now, though, I am content to save life."
Swiftblade frowns as something not good shows up on her screen. "There's a problem," she states, already starting to move towards the exit.
Robustus follows the femme to see where she's going and find out what the problem is about.
Swiftblade enters with haste and little fanfare, but she does bow once she's a few steps in. "I have trouble to report, My Lord," she says, optics flaring up for a brief moment. Despite her haste, she doesn't sound overly ruffled.
Megatron had been brooding over a set of weather schematics showing the extent of the long acid rains. As transparently self-serving as Starscream was to point them out again, the Seeker was right that they've become a Serious Problem. And there are few better to determine what caused them and how to reverse it than someone who is both a flier and a scientist. But how well it's handled hinges on whether or not Starscream is prideful enough -- or stupid enough -- to sacrifice his own freedom to fly just to spite Megatron. It's an uncomfortable state of affairs, and he's not pleased.
His fingers hover over a commlink panel; Soundwave will know whether the impudent Seeker is bothering to do his duty or not.
Just as he is about to open the link, Swiftblade rushes into the throne room. He frowns at the breach of protocol, but if there is bad news, he wants it anyway. He turns to the young femme, fixing her with a bright, intense gaze. "Report."
While she would never try to be rude, Swiftblade believes that niceties should take a backseat to what is important. So although she is civil, she doesn't spend a lot of time fawning or making courtly gestures. "A little while ago there was a slight disturbance at a resource area near Polyhex, but word came back things were fine. Then moments later a cry for help. It seems a fair sized store of energon has been hijacked by the Autobots." She bows again. "What more can I do, My Lord?"
Megatron rumbles discontentedly as he listens to the young femme's report. "While it is good that you respect your superiors, young one, such hesitation has high costs -- as you yourself have learned today." He stares directly at her, his cannon glowing brightly. "The next time you receive word that something suspicious is happening, I expect swift action in response. *And* if you do not have the necessary information, I expect you to obtain it with all speed."
He turns to Soundwave. "Soundwave -- Swiftblade tells me that the Autobots have just raided our energon depot. Find out how much they took." He grips the hand rests of his throne in a grip powerful enough to dent them. "And find out who precisely reported that the situation was under control when clearly it was not."
Soundwave inclines his helm. "Symbionts dispatched. Report will be available momentarily, Lord Megatron."
Swiftblade bows again. "Then it is better to act and seem foolish than to wait and lose time," she says, half question, half statement. "I will know for next time." She stays in her bowed position and looks up. "Is there anything else you want me to do now, Lord Megatron?"
"Laserbeak reports that South Polyhexian energon depot has been raided. Enemy intruders: 3 femmes. Identification: forthcoming. Recording from distress call: available. Playback desired?"
Robustus had been quiet as the situation unfolded, having followed Swiftblade here to find out what had been going on. He frowns a bit at the cannon glow, but keeps his mouth shut.
Megatron nods to Swiftblade. "Battles are lost due to responding too slowly to enemy action." He fixes her with another penetrating stare, the air around him still crackling with energy. "I trust you will remember that, and no such losses will ever come about as a result of *your* equivocations."
He turns to Soundwave. "And here is an example of swift gathering of information. Play back the distress call."
"Control, we may have a problem down here." A mech's voice, followed by a thump.
Swiftblade responds: "Repeat that, Decepticon Pilot?" A femme's voice echoes from the com. "What was that noise?"
The sound of another thump, and a voice- not entirely identical to the first mech's. "Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal. We had a slight weapons malfunction."
Swiftblade nods her head. "Yes, My Lord," she says. "Everything I learn makes me better." And then she listens to the playback.
Robustus steps out of the shadows where he been standing to move beside Swiftblade. He waits to be addressed, knowing better to speak during a play back.
Megatron listens to the playback. "That gives no information that I don't already have." He frowns. "Except perhaps how gullible our young friend here is. Have those who raided the depot been identified?"
Still irritated, he turns to Robustus. "And why precisely are *you* here? Soundwave was summoned; Swiftblade had urgent news. But you neither came in response to a summons nor requested audience."
Robustus meets the mech's gaze, not even flinching. "Since Swiftblade was on her way here, I followed her in order to speak to you about your medical checkup my Lord. Also, I would like to speak on her defense in that I was speaking to her when that call came in from the shuttle. I distracted her, not knowing she was on monitor duty."
Soundwave turns silently, punching up a shaky, staticky video on a large monitor. "Footage: reconstructed due to firearms damage. Quality: poor. Additional enhancement: ongoing." The footage plays, though, showing three femmes- blue, pink, and dark gren- making their way through the giant ventilation fan to come out near the entrance to the energon depot, shooting a drone and the pilot of the shuttle, and making off with the shuttle.
Swiftblade is quiet now, since no one is really addressing her. She stays rather still, keeping a respectfully subordinate posture.
"So we do know who they are." He nods to himself. "But we still don't know what they took. No matter -- we will win it back soon enough." His cannon glows brightly. "And make them pay."
He turns to Robustus. "Checkup? Yes, Shred had reminded me I needed one." He growls, still irritated, not liking any reminders that some of the damage repaired at the time happened because Starscream shot him. "Unnecessarily -- I would have gone anyway. As for distracting Swiftblade: her attentions must be focused on her duties to the Empire at all times. Distracting her impedes that."
He turns to Swiftblade again. "But, young one, it is also your responsibility to remain focused *despite* distractions. When you are on duty, you should be focused on that alone. Do I make myself clear?"
Robustus inclines his head to Megatron. Saying nothing more and just awaiting to be dismissed.
Soundwave bows. "Clear, Lord Megatron."
Megatron says, "Then you are all dismissed."