Tarn stared up at the caretaker from around the corner of a small datapad-shelf. The bitlet was frankly enthralled by the huge silver mech. He commanded RESPECT and Tarn LIKED him. Lots. It was just a matter of approaching the big caretaker with something intelligent to say. The sparkling let out a whine of frustration, sending a stab of pain through anyone in the vicinity. Little Tarn was frustrated, and the world would know of his ire.

ask-the-djd:

mightymegatron:

This one was of a similar build to Black Shadow, but seemed slightly older. The tiny purple and black grounder kept muttering and growling to himself, and the children near him were becoming distressed. Megatron closed the distance between them with a mere 3 steps and stared down at the little angry mechling.

“What seems to be the trouble…” such an unusual name. “-Tarn?”

The grounder had to keep his jaw from dropping open as Megatron came over. He was quiet for a moment, attempting to choose his words carefully and failing rather spectacularly, even in his own head. Well… If he couldn’t do it as well as he wanted, he could be direct.

“When I grow up,” the sparkling began, being careful to keep his Voice from hurting his teacher. It might have gotten the mech over but he didn’t wanna hurt him (something so bizarre that Kaon probably would have done a double-take). “I’m gonna marry you!” He declared firmly.

… Ah. Very uh.. nice, Tarn. Why don’t we get you a snack?

*He’s just a sparkling, he’s just a sparkling, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Distract him with food.*

Hollow

mighty-megatron:

Megatron wasted no time in pinpointing the false Prime, ignoring the chatter from his commlink in favor of speeding along the corridors in his alt-mode. Outside in the chaos of battle, it’s easy to spot the intruder unto their realm, the very sight offensive. How had he, had anyone, mistaken that mass of metal for his rival?

“Prime!“ He deserved the title even less than the real one, but Megatron would never call him Optimus. The call catches the imposter’s attention, and his shock is met only with a cold, venomous glare. How long the warlord had waited for this moment, to revel in the terror struck in the Prime’s spark at his return as he realized that all of the Autobots’ efforts had been in vain. Instead, he was met with this fake who had not earned the right to take the place of the first.

He felt nothing. This mech was simply another in his way. Megatron drew the Dark Star Saber from its place on his back and pointed it at his opponent. “You dare think yourself worthy of my ire, pretender? Allow me to test your metal.”

The Autobot leader’s optics narrowed. "No matter the universe, Megatron, I cannot allow you to continue your reign of tyranny on this, or any Cyber-!” A jagged purple sword cut off his reply as Optimus just barely managed to parry Megatron’s first blow with his own blade. The warlord would not waste any banter on this opponent.

The air hummed around them as the energies from the two swords were forced against one another, creating a near-blinding light between the two titans. Megatron never removed his gaze from the Prime, optics fixed on him in an analytical glare. He was clearly very strong, perhaps even stronger than the former gladiator- but from the hesitance in his steps as he drew the sword up, he was still unused to such a large frame, and unsure of its potential. This was noted.

Megatron backed off, firing a shot to the larger mech’s leg before spinning to slash the Saber in the air before him, its energy forcing the false Optimus to slide back has he blocked. He was not as agile as he once was. Precision would be a more effective method than outright power. He leapt into the air with a shout, cutting a gash in the air again running after the wave to collide with his opponent once more.

The impostor withstood the blow, and even managed to push his aggressor away. “Megatron, stop this! Our world has been granted another chance! I beg of you, listen to reason!” The warlord’s focused expression remained unchanged, like a predator stalking prey, deciding when it was best to strike. He could smell the exhaust, the wet rust and dried energon of the Kaon arena while he read this new opponent’s reactions and plunged forward again, looking to drive his blade into the false Prime’s spark.

Let’s see how he likes it.

shockwave-prime:

That caution had been one of the many reasons he’d chosen to follow Megatron. Too many in the Pits had been too rash to achieve anything. He was quiet as he thought of a way to answer the question.

“Your caution is wise. I am aware of what I am capable of. With proper motivation, I could be a serious threat.”

“Under normal circumstances, the most effective way to ensure that I do not turn on you would be to simply kill me. However, one I have come to associate with would likely seek revenge, and regardless of whether or not his attempts would be successful, at the very least they would interfere with your work.”

“I bear no ill will towards you." Perhaps a slight fondness. "To act as a hostile towards you and your goals would be to waste the majority of my life’s effort. Even I do not care to have the war be for nothing. It is my intention to make this my final visit. I would return to the Earth where I have taken residence and fade.”

Shockwave was right, of course. If he and Soundwave’s alternate had grown close, the traitor would stop at nothing to enact his revenge. Megatron was not afraid of such a challenge to his person, but he was fully aware of how much damage Soundwave could do to with a few lines of code uploaded to the Nemesis’ systems. Punishing a single deserter when the war was so close to finishing was hardly worth the trouble. Especially when Shockwave was being so Pit-damned reasonable. The warlord’s vents made a sound not quite like a sigh.

“It is not my wish for you to fade along with your intellect on some distant world. Cybertron will need as many engineers as possible to get even a single city restored to something like it once was. I would have liked for you to be among them.”

A helm peeks into the room tentatively before the frame follows it and performs a salute. “My Lord, unit ST-3V3 reporting. You requested my presence?” Now what could this be about? He doesn’t THINK he’s made any major screw-ups lately, but that’s not going to diminish the fresh wave of anxiety at all.

st3v3-the-eradicon:

mighty-megatron:

st3v3-the-eradicon:

mightymegatron:

Megatron comes to stand before the lone vehicon, datapad in hand.

“Soldier. Am I correct in stating that you are the one that created and distributed this document?”

Steve cracks a huge smile. At least until he remembers….

oh slag.

The next instant he’s devastated. Maybe he’d still die today. But at the very least their leader should know now rather than later.

“Um… Sir… about that… your ship…”

“What about my ship?”

"Er….”

Well frag.

“W-what you have to understand, my lord… The Autobots had our weapons medically deactivated… we had no real means of fighting them. Really all we were focused on when we left the ship was not reclaiming it but escaping their grasp.”

He gulps, hating to be the bearer of bad news.

“That being said… it was a loathsome thought to leave them with a fully functional warship. So we sort of… as the rest of us were fleeing, we set a bomb in the engine room… and blew it up.”

Silence.

“S-so they couldn’t use it! It… well it probably crashed… somewhere. I don’t know. Also don’t know if they’ve been able to repair the damage in that time. We haven’t seen the Nemesis since our departure.”

Megatron pauses, staring hard at the soldier for a moment. That explains why the ship had been on the ground when he’d scouted for it. A cold chuckle breaks the silence, and the warlord lays a giant servo on Steve’s shoulder.

"Clever. That puts them at just enough of a disadvantage…” Releasing the vehicon, Megatron straightens up and re-assumes his typical posture. “Assemble a group of well-trained and loyal soldiers. Those you trust. I think it’s high time that we reclaimed control of our home.”

A helm peeks into the room tentatively before the frame follows it and performs a salute. “My Lord, unit ST-3V3 reporting. You requested my presence?” Now what could this be about? He doesn’t THINK he’s made any major screw-ups lately, but that’s not going to diminish the fresh wave of anxiety at all.

st3v3-the-eradicon:

mighty-megatron:

mightymegatron:

Megatron comes to stand before the lone vehicon, datapad in hand.

“Soldier. Am I correct in stating that you are the one that created and distributed this document?”

The warlord flashes his sharpened denta.

“But of course! I cannot allow the Autobots to hold such an advantage over us. The technology on that ship is an asset that has been left in their hands for long enough. And I believe that even with our diminished resources, it can be reclaimed with a bit of strategy. They are all that stand between us and control of our home world, and nothing stands in my way for very long.”

Steve cracks a huge smile. At least until he remembers….

oh slag.

The next instant he’s devastated. Maybe he’d still die today. But at the very least their leader should know now rather than later.

“Um… Sir… about that… your ship…”

“What about my ship?”

Lord Megatron, how have you been faring since your arrival to Polyhex? Have your new accommodations been to your liking?

starscreamthefirst:

mightymegatron:

Starscream. Contact with him was now inevitable, although in this state, Megatron was understandably more hesitant than usual to initiate it. His resolve steels as soon as that all-too-familiar voice registers in his audials.

“As well as one would expect, Starscream. My accommodations matters little in the scope of what this reunion affords. Tell me- How did you all manage to escape and rebuild this facility?”

Starscream sees the warlord’s pede rising and braces himself for the expected blow. When no such pain comes, he stares up at the larger mech, watching him closely. Was Megatron in pain? It had been orns now since his injury. Was he still weakened from it? Most interesting. Starscream is now very intrigued by this newfound vulnerability, but he doesn’t say a word and keeps his faceplate neutral. He has no response for what his lord says anyway. Obviously Soundwave was the original second, but why did neither of them want him stepping down yet again? The communications officer had remained Third through various other crisis in the Decepticons’ history. So why all of the suspicion?

The Seeker endures the added weight and painful grinding, gritting his dent as he growls and digging his talons into the flow beneath him. Thankfully, his punishment ends there. He takes a few deep intakes of air when his vents are no longer being squeezed. As he brings himself to his pedes again, he listens closely to what Megatron has to say. That’s when it hits him.

Perhaps the truth is that this has less to do with the faction’s state as it does the state of their leader. Never before has Lord Megatron been in this dire of condition while still possessing the ability to decide the order of rank. Maybe what Megatron really meant was that Soundwave may choose to step down again when he himself was in a more stable position. It’s a very plausible theory that Starscream will have to keep in mind the next time he is with the lord.

“Completely clear, my liege.” he replies with a hint of bitterness to hide any signs of scheming. His helm bows low. He’s through testing his luck this day. “Am I dismissed, sir?”

“For now. I will call for a meeting soon. We must plot out our course of action. I do not intend to let the Autobots keep my ship.”

Megatron turns away, signalling that the seeker should take his leave. He had seen his weakness, and the warlord refused to give him further satisfaction.

A helm peeks into the room tentatively before the frame follows it and performs a salute. “My Lord, unit ST-3V3 reporting. You requested my presence?” Now what could this be about? He doesn’t THINK he’s made any major screw-ups lately, but that’s not going to diminish the fresh wave of anxiety at all.

st3v3-the-eradicon:

mighty-megatron:

mightymegatron:

Megatron comes to stand before the lone vehicon, datapad in hand.

“Soldier. Am I correct in stating that you are the one that created and distributed this document?”

No evasion. Very good. Either this mech was more practiced at deception than his spy, or he was being truthful. Still. Starscream not only showing compassion towards a mere soldier, but deferring glory to him? If they were not scheming against him together, then what could-

…Interesting.

“You claim that you do not wish for anything, and yet you have engineered the perpetuation of the Decepticons in my absence. Loyalty and determination like yours is something that cannot go unnoticed. I realize that your anonymity is a great asset when utilized wisely, but nothing is stronger than an idea. A symbol. I shall be thanking Sigma for his efforts publicly, as our plan to reclaim the Nemesis is solidified.” He turns back to Steve, smirking.

“If nothing else, I would like you to be involved, regardless of whether or not you choose to step forward before the troops as the focus of their gratitude.”

Steve calms just slightly when his leader’s suspicious tone dies back. Still.. he doesn’t handle praise when its from close friends. The fact that it’s Megatron claiming he’s “engineered” things and praising his loyalty…

The eradicon’s helm swims and he looses a chuckle that’s half nervous, half giddy.

“Aah… really m’lord, your approval is all I require…”

Then he realizes what’s just been said.

“Wait…. retake… the Nemesis? You mean… Lord Megatron do you mean to say we really are taking it back? Soon?”

If he wasn’t excited enough before…

The warlord flashes his sharpened denta.

“But of course! I cannot allow the Autobots to hold such an advantage over us. The technology on that ship is an asset that has been left in their hands for long enough. And I believe that even with our diminished resources, it can be reclaimed with a bit of strategy. They are all that stand between us and control of our home world, and nothing stands in my way for very long.”

Lord Megatron, how have you been faring since your arrival to Polyhex? Have your new accommodations been to your liking?

starscreamthefirst:

mighty-megatron:

mightymegatron:

Starscream. Contact with him was now inevitable, although in this state, Megatron was understandably more hesitant than usual to initiate it. His resolve steels as soon as that all-too-familiar voice registers in his audials.

“As well as one would expect, Starscream. My accommodations matters little in the scope of what this reunion affords. Tell me- How did you all manage to escape and rebuild this facility?”

“Then why so confrontational? You and I share quite a history. You know by now how I respond to disrespect…” He grinds the heel of his pede into the grey metal. Not enough to dent it, but little sparks fly from the friction.

Now Starscream groans and hisses in pain, turning his helm away to prevent any of the spark from hitting his faceplate. Now venting and vocalization is even more of a struggle. “Judging by that laugh you gave along with the closest thing to a compliment you’ve said to me, I’d say being a little daring earns more respect from you.” He tries to keep it up bringing the smirk back to his face. “Besides, it is not like groveling ever stopped you from treating me this way. Not when I tried to be the perfect, obedient soldier for you after I returned to the Decepticons. Just what did that get me? You split my rank with that damnable scientist and fed me to his science experiment that went horribly awry. And now you plan to completely demote me under Soundwave just because he is your intended.”

That last comment is about to earn Starscream another stomp into the floor, but instead, the warlord cringes, spark swirling in pain as his anger does its best to make him lose control.

“Nnngh… Need I remind you that Second in Command is Soundwave’s original post? He and I founded the Decepticons all those years ago and he stepped down of his own accord. For all we knew, he and I were the only two left after the attack! And even now, I would rather have him stand at my side in such critical times than I ever would you!”

Megatron applies a bit more pressure, grinding into the metal again, then removes his pede. Only a few scratches remain.

“Soundwave may choose to step down again when we are in a more stable position. It is his choice to make, not mine. Until then, none of us can be seen to falter. The soldiers look to us for their strength, and if we are united, then they will act accordingly.”

“Do I make myself clear, Starscream?”

A helm peeks into the room tentatively before the frame follows it and performs a salute. “My Lord, unit ST-3V3 reporting. You requested my presence?” Now what could this be about? He doesn’t THINK he’s made any major screw-ups lately, but that’s not going to diminish the fresh wave of anxiety at all.

st3v3-the-eradicon:

mighty-megatron:

mightymegatron:

Megatron comes to stand before the lone vehicon, datapad in hand.

“Soldier. Am I correct in stating that you are the one that created and distributed this document?”

His immediate reaction is to grin. There was obvious sincerity to his words, something that Starscream nearly always lacked in his grovelling. But if the soldier was indeed sincere, then the absolute fear and panic in his optics was something that shouldn’t be there. Was he really so terrifying to those most loyal?

“Calm yourself. I do not wish to take credit for your actions. You performed admirably, and deserve to be rewarded.” Megatron circles around to Steve’s opposite side as he speaks. The predatory nature of this act is largely unintentional. “Although, you come highly recommended by my ever-loyal lieutenant. Forgive me if I find this suspicious in itself.”

The eradicon’s legs tense up and even though he wants to stay facing the direction his leader is, he can’t move. ”Ah… I am flattered that the commander has mentioned me at all, M’Lord. I am truly undeserving of any praise though…” He doesn’t miss the sarcasm in his leader’s voice. That’s right… his berth-mate and their leader had a track record. Steve is momentarily tempted to deny much affiliation with him. But that would feel like a betrayal of the commander’s trust after how close they’d grown. And besides…

"I owe a great deal of thanks to Commander Starscream. It was he who found me after I crash-landed in Vos and tended to my recovery. I might have perished there had he not taken me in and shared what energon he’d managed to harvest with me. Please forgive me my lord… I don’t mean to arouse your suspicion.”

No evasion. Very good. Either this mech was more practiced at deception than his spy, or he was being truthful. Still. Starscream not only showing compassion towards a mere soldier, but deferring glory to him? If they were not scheming against him together, then what could-

…Interesting.

“You claim that you do not wish for anything, and yet you have engineered the perpetuation of the Decepticons in my absence. Loyalty and determination like yours is something that cannot go unnoticed. I realize that your anonymity is a great asset when utilized wisely, but nothing is stronger than an idea. A symbol. I shall be thanking Sigma for his efforts publicly, as our plan to reclaim the Nemesis is solidified.” He turns back to Steve, smirking.

“If nothing else, I would like you to be involved, regardless of whether or not you choose to step forward before the troops as the focus of their gratitude.”

✍♬◊✘✦

✍: For what my muse has written about yours in their diary.

I just know that something is going to happen to her. We are still at war, and there’s a sparkling wandering around a battleship. This was not supposed to happen… and it won’t. The troops’ morale is low enough as it is, I won’t let the death of the first child they’ve seen in millenia drag them down further.

♬: Would you care to dance? My muse has to dance with yours.

The main problem would be that Megatron is so much larger than she is. Provided the old warlord could somehow be persuaded into dancing at all, he would have to hold her servos between his digits and walk around with her standing atop one of his massive pedes.

◊: Your muse comes to mine, crying, how does my muse react?

As it’s been mentioned, Megatron doesn’t do well with crying. Children especially so. He does not know what to do so he ends up just kind of staring. Eventually he might attempt to speak with her, but his brand of tough love might be a bit harsh and end up making her cry harder.

✘: Scars aren’t very pretty- my muse has to show you theirs.

“What about this one, where’s it from?” Megatron smirks around the tiny servo against a scar at his mouth. “Praxus. That one, along with these,” he points out a few more about his face and helm, “-are from the shrapnel of a grenade blast.” “And this one?” “Ah, I deepened that one myself.” “Huh?!” “It would have faded on its own, but it was from the first real battle of the war. It was something I needed to remember.”

✦: My muse was attacked but yours saved them- how’ll my muse ever thank them?

“You’ve grown… into a fine medic after all…”