Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 4, 2008 14:48:03 GMT -5
Starscream paced around in the hallway outside his quarters. There was a lot to keep in mind. The Autobots need to be crushed by the new Autobots before he crushes the new Autobots, all the while keeping an optic trained on Shockwave. Meanwhile, his most trusted aide was dead or captured or otherwise AWOL.
Here he was, on the cusp of ultimate Decepticon victory. This is usually when Megatron shows out of the blue to blast him, some humiliating escapades follow and by this time next week they're back to the status quo.
Starscream just hoped things continued to go his way...
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 4, 2008 16:23:22 GMT -5
Spinister would prefer somewhere slightly more private for what he is about to do, but time is of the essence. There are few things worse than stale intel.
He creeps up on Starscream with footfalls that make the drop of a pin seem like the roar of jet engines. A datapad in his right hand, he reaches out with his left to tap Starscream on the back on one intake. Spinister breaks the silence with, "Lord Starscream."
He offers no excuses and no regrets, and he quite expects there to be a gun pointed at him shortly.
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 5, 2008 16:51:48 GMT -5
Starscream gets distracted from his pacing by the tap on his intake, only to do a double-take at Spinister.
"Wha--Where were you!?"
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 5, 2008 18:02:28 GMT -5
No gun yet. Is it coming?
"The new Autobots arrived here via a portal, Lord Starscream. I was on the other side of it," Spinister explains coolly. He holds up the datapad and points to it. What is on it probably doesn't make immediate sense, but if Starscream looks at it carefully, he'll see that it should make sense, although it'll probably take even a genius like Starscream hours to really piece it together. He flicks through pages and pages of semi-connected, cryptic writings before coming to some far more quantitative measurements and sketches of the actual portal device.
Spinister trusts that Starscream gets it.
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 6, 2008 15:38:19 GMT -5
Starscream's optics narrowed. "I've had Dead End shot for failing to communicate important information back to me, you know. Twice."
However, his intolerant attitude fades as Spinister shows what is revealed to be detailed specs on the portal. "This is their.. you managed to.." Starscream's optics darted from the form to Spinister.
He almost looked as if he might kiss Spinister with gratitude... but then gruffly snatches the datapad out of Spinister's hands. "The next time you're going to be jumping through a dimensional portal, I expect to be told."
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 6, 2008 23:34:32 GMT -5
Spinister's hands are now empty, and he offers, "Punish me if you wish - it is your due, but I told you up front how I operate, my lord. You give me autonomy, and I give you results."
Leave him alone, don't ask him what he's doing, don't ask him to report in, and he'll deliver you the most wondrous things. Hobble him with your petty desire to know what all your troops are doing at all times, and you know what? Spinister will say Screw it, ignore you, and not report back all the interesting things that he learned. There will always be someone who can make a better offer, someone who can deal with the fact that Spinister works under the assumption of plausible deniability.
"I also have specs on who the Autobots have left behind, some notes on their base - seems oddly similar to what Cannonball described - and some information from their Hook," Spinister adds. "He is a captive of their Omega Supreme."
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 8, 2008 6:07:41 GMT -5
Starscream scowled at Spinister. He didn't like his modus operandi when it meant he didn't know what his situation was, but he especially did not like the fact that there was little he could say about it now that Spinister has given him, well, like he said, results.
"I'll need all those, too. Were there any... encounters, with the Autobots? Or anyone?"
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 8, 2008 7:56:42 GMT -5
Has Spinister gone too far? Decepticon warlords are capricious and hard to judge. Perhaps he was too bold.
"It's summarised later." Spinister gestures at the datapad. He put all the shiny things first as a peace offering. The less splashy intel is after. "Their Hook is a captive of their Omega Supreme, whose idea of security is leaving Hook in a cage in a jungle. I impersonated my other self under the pretense of rescuing him to see what he had to say."
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 8, 2008 14:16:23 GMT -5
"That could have ended poorly," Starscream intoned. "There have been differences noted between our world and theirs."
Starscream paused for a moment. "Who else knows you're back?"
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 8, 2008 14:36:18 GMT -5
Please, Starscream. Spinister is a professional. He assures, "I observed myself prior. He's... talkative."
At the second question, Spinister points to Starscream and then to himself and his guns. Spinister went straight to the top. It's the Mayhem way.
"The other Hook mentioned that their Autobots' Emirate Xaaron and Swerve - some red car, probably the one at the mesa battle - have run away. Weaklings, apparently."
|
|
|
Post by Needlenose on Apr 8, 2008 15:53:34 GMT -5
Needlenose, as luck would have it, had already been in his own room, entering some of his designs into the fabrication system. Thus, it's only a matter of opening his own door, and he's just down the hallway from the Commander and... Spinister?
Needlenose straightens and stares, optics wide, as his Nebulans look out through the doorway. "Oh, hey, they're not dead after all," observes Zigzag, tone almost bored. "Looks like we'll have to share the shelf again."
Sunbeam rolls his eyes. "Have a heart, dude," says the man who joined the would-be universal conquerors so he could find new places to surf. "What, you wanna spend all your time hanging out with Aimless?"
Zigzag crosses his arms, hunches his shoulders, and starts grumbling. He gets compared to Aimless a lot, much to his irritation. What others don't see is that there are several essential differences between the two. For one, Zigzag is actually trying to hit stuff.
"Shut-up," hisses Needlenose, as his optics narrow and he glares at Spinister. The circuit-designer stomps nearer his partner, seething.
"You jerk!" he shouts angrily, finger jabbed in Spinister's direction. In fact, if Spinister does not move, it'll jab forcefully into Spinister's upper chest. "What? It's not enough that you just vanish off the face of the planet without any kind of an explanation, but you can't even be bothered to let me know you're back?!"
Then Needlenose remembers something. Finger still held up, but arm slightly limper, he looks towards Starscream. "Oh, erm. Reporting for duty, sir."
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 9, 2008 3:51:23 GMT -5
Oh, good. Starscream knew someone who was distressed at the departure of Spinister.. and decided to order him to appear. And it hardly took long at all before Needlenose appeared.
When Needlenose remembers himself and begins to act professional, Starscream feigned innocence. "Oh, please, Needlenose. If there is some issue you need to resolve with Spinister, get it out in the open now. I would hate for you to miss an important detail because you were pre-occupied with any issue with your good friend Spinister."
And were Spinister to look at Starscream, Starscream would allow the tiniest of smirks to be seen.
Just because he couldn't yell at him or shoot him didn't mean he couldn't get back at him.
|
|
|
Post by Spinister on Apr 9, 2008 7:40:40 GMT -5
Spinister has a Needlenose all up in his grill. He stares down at the finger roughly poking his chest, as if he wonders how it got there. Spinister asks of Needlenose quietly, "You would place yourself above my duties to the Empire?" He sweeps a hand over to gesture at Starscream.
Well, if Starscream wanted confirmation that Spinister went to Starscream first, he has it.
There is a strangled noise coming from Spinister's flamethrower. Good friend?
We play Battleship sometimes, Spinister mentally grumbles.
Think yours is sunk, Singe snickers.
If Starscream wants to make a public spectacle of the results of an impromptu data-gathering mission, Spinister is just going to remain professional and boring, his greatest assets. He wants to see Starscream make Frenzy present Barricade with a bouquet in front of everyone. Like that's going to happen.
|
|
|
Post by Needlenose on Apr 9, 2008 9:11:49 GMT -5
Needlenose stares at Starscream for a moment as though he's suddenly sprouted a third arm. The Mayhem's dealt with crazy leaders - his last commander before being put into stasis had been Thunderwing, after all. But the idea of Commander who actually cares, one way or another, about his subordinate's personal business? That's a downright alien concept! Especially when that leader is Starscream.
He's got to be up to something. It's Starscream. He's always up to something.
But still, apparently that 'something' involves letting Needlenose yell at Spinister, so who is Needlenose to complain? "Erm, uhm, yessir. I'll take care of that."
Then he spins back towards Spinister.
"No, I'm not talking about putting myself 'above the Empire,'" he shouts, voice taking on a mimicking aspect at the words 'above the Empire,' "but dammit, Spinister, I don't think the Empire would have been hurt much for a quick, 'Hello! I'm not dead!' over the radio on the way back! Our room's soundproof, not RF-proof!"
|
|
Starscream
Major
"Sometimes I can almost feel it!"
strangely enough, male.
Posts: 945
|
Post by Starscream on Apr 9, 2008 14:58:44 GMT -5
Starscream can issue that order later. For now, he's having fun. Time to play the role of couples therapist.
"Needlenose makes some good points.." He says, tilting his head at Spinister.
|
|