Radio: The Illuminati Partyline

[Perceptor]

Okay, so he's fretting. And has given up on the whole "covert" thing. His ninja skills only go so far, really.

So. It's all in Starscream's hands now? Well, the likelihood that Skyfire will be alerted to the Decepticon's true nature has now, by his calculations, reached at least 99.387%; the Air Commander is certain to commit some sort of unrecoverable faux pas. Perceptor's concern, however, is that last partial percentage - and what Starscream may attempt in order to "recover" from whatever mistake he is certain to commit.

Yes, Perceptor has definitely given up on restricting the "too obviously" portion of his fretting. Even if he can understand the necessity of protecting the rest of the Autobots by restricting the shuttle-mech's access to further information by restricting attempts at communication.

// I... understand, // Perceptor replies with resignation.

// Synapse has additional samples and images from the debris field. Lacking additional materials to continue work on the fabrication unit, I will initiate a study to attempt to determine the cause of Gillanan IV's destruction, unless there are any objections? //

[Kup]

//Not from me, although if we find some way to start digging out data locally about what happened here, records or some such, we might want to go with that first.//

[Perceptor]

// I've made a request for any types of data and media storage to be collected, should those individuals engaged in salvage and collections happen upon such components. Ideally, media broadcasts of the indigenous populace may offer some explanation for, not only Gillanan IV's destruction, but for the desertion of this world, as well. //

[Perceptor]

// Cursory evaluation of the specimen does not provide any initial information as to a cause of Gillana IV's destruction, and, given the organic nature of the structures of this mechanism's construction, locating and removing any internal storage media may prove time consuming, // Perceptor observes. // I believe I will examine this communications structure for possible data stores, first. //

Unless anyone objects, that is, his tone seems to indicate.

[Kup]

//Aight, Perceptor.//

Kup doesn't object!

[Emirate Xaaron]

//So Skyfire is out of our hands, and it looks like there's a blown up planet. Smashing. Perceptor, I'm sending you Screwdriver. She's a... toymaker. Bit odd in the head. Humour her and find her something useful to make.//

[Kup]

//...Toymaker.//

Leaking Junkions.

//Anyway, figured I'd mention, going by what Jazz says, apparently he's pretty high ranked in his reality. His Optimus's chief lieutenant. This is assuming he's telling the truth, but it pretty much fits with the way the other folks of his reality have been reacting to him.//

//We may want to think about letting him in on these discussions. At least watching him for the possibility. Perceptor, you've already got his frequency, and I'm thinking maybe Xaaron and Nightbeat might, too. Turns out it matches my reality's Jazz.//

[Perceptor]

// A... toymaker? // Perceptor replies warily. // Xaaron, have you ever previously had the opportunity to interact with Junkions? // If Xaaron had mentioned the this before, the scientist has already forgotten the answer in his preoccupation with his own work.

// What a Junkion considers to be a toy could be anything from a simple block-based building set, to an entertainment console, to a Photon Concussion Blaster, to a Nova Implosion Bomb. //

Repair may not be his well stocked and meticulously maintained laboratory from back at home, but it's already become his Domain. He's none too eager to throw open the doors to the likely disorganization and... clutter common to most Junkions.

// I will make my best attempt at keeping her occupied and the destruction contained, // he finally sighs.

Kup's observations about Jazz, however, give Perceptor pause for thought. // Are we to become some sort of de facto governing and advising body, then? // he finally asks.

Not that he thinks such a thing is a bad idea, he's simply surprised to find himself included in it. He is accustomed to being the convenient tool that's called upon when there is a problem that he can assist with, and then tucked back away in his box until the next problem arises that requires his particular skills.

// You are in proximity to Jazz, Kup? Does he appear to be moving fluidly? // he asks, contemplation shifting to concern. He didn't spend that long on Jazz's repairs to be able to so easily set aside his worry for the mech. He trusts his own work, but he'd had to rebuild so much. And he... frets for the safety of this patchwork band of Autobots, but especially those whose internals he's already been elbows deep in. Particularly since he's certain that it won't be the last time he'll find himself in such a state.

[Kup]

//Oh, no, Perceptor,// Kup replies, voice heavy with exaggerated, mock innocence. //We couldn't do that. We haven't had our vote yet.//

//Speaking of which, just to give you guys a heads up, no matter how the actual vote goes, without a Rodimus Prime, Grimlock is liable to either insist I'm in charge, or that he's in charge. Luckily, if it's the latter, he'll likely still follow orders from me.// Probably. Kup, of course, has the ultimate weapon for keeping Grimlock under control: war stories.

And now, to answer Perceptor's question, //Yeah, I'm right here with Jazz, Perceptor. Looks fine, moves fine. Seems a pretty cheerful fellow.//

[Emirate Xaaron]

//No, I have not run into any Junkions,// Emirate Xaaron admits easily. He continues, //But I catch on quickly. I think she's a weapons designer, but she reacts a lot better if you call things toys and talk like you're out of a trashy fantasy novel for the factory fresh. Something of an arrogant streak, too. I'm a bit worried what she might do around Holi and Wheelie. Even if she doesn't mean any harm, if she leaves a 'toy' lying around where they are and doesn't explain what it does, it could easily take off fingers. I'm more worried about what she could do if she has to rely on the Decepticons for her fuel.//

//I would really rather avoid a de facto governing body. Governments should be both transparent and accountable to their people, even if they necessarily hide who they are from the enemy. Did we not convene on the possibility of an enemy within us?//

[Kup]

//We did.//

//And good points. But we have to establish something formal. Now. You wanna do a vote, either we do it over the radio, or we all drop what we're doing and gather at the base. We keep delaying because more things keep coming up, but it looks like more and more things are going to continue coming up. We can't delay this anymore.//

[Perceptor]

// Thank you Kup. I will feel much more comfortable with everyone's repair status once the fabricator is online to produce purpose designed components, rather than adapting dissimilar technology to suit. Particularly for those of Jazz's reality. // Of course, as fussy as the scientist is about such things, he's likely the only one present thus far who can even tell that the parts being used - once he is done preparing them, that is - were not "purpose designed components."

Oh Xaaron, do you have any idea what you are doing here? There's barely even a Perceptor-to-Autobot dictionary in circulation... let alone a Perceptor-to-Screwdriver one! No good can possibly come of this.

Except, of course, everyone else's amusement as Perceptor makes his rather stilted and desperate bid to communicate with the Junkion, especially as he has no frame of reference; there's a rather pronounced dearth of "trashy fantasy novels for the factory fresh" in his databanks. You hate the scientist, don't you Xaaron? It's okay. You can be honest.

// A valid point. I would, however, be less concerned about a loss of fingers than I would a loss of limbs, // he replies. Junkions aren't exactly known for their caution and concern over physical well-being. When you can reattach everything and even recover from utter dismemberment, why bother worrying about a silly thing like... oh, say, blowing one's head completely off? // But, as you ask, I will attempt to provide her a means to keep her occupied in a relatively safe manner. //

Offering to "attempt" to keep her (and everyone else, by default) "relatively" safe is all he feels confident enough in promising for now. He'd learned his lesson from the last weapons-bent engineer he'd worked with - Wheeljack.

// Particularly with additional Autobots still arriving. Delaying will only complicate the matter further, and, with Decepticons present on this world, continued ambiguity could prove deadly. //

[Emirate Xaaron]

Emirate Xaaron does not hate Perceptor. He politely disagrees with a few of Perceptor's opinions, but Perceptor is still entitled to said opinions. Emirate Xaaron saves the hatred for people like Megatron, who subvert the very divine purpose of their species. He is not purposefully trying to make things hard for Perceptor. However, Swerve is out retrieving Bluestreak, Long Haul is even more naive than Perceptor is, Wedge is - where is Wedge? - and Emirate Xaaron does not yet know that Side Burn can repair things - and Side Burn is out finding Bluestreak, anyway.

//Thank you, Perceptor.//

There is then a poignant gap where Emirate Xaaron is speechless. Another thing that he hates? Being played.

//Clever, Kup.// He does not sound entirely approving.

So here Kup is, saying that Grimlock's only going to follow Kup. Kup says that he'll follow Emirate Xaaron, but he also hates politicians. Why oh why does this sound like Kup just wants a convenient figurehead in place that he can promptly ignore and then do whatever he wants?

Well.

Emirate Xaaron suspects he'll have to disappoint Kup, then.

[Nightbeat]

There is, Nightbeat would agree, something ever so slightly unsettling about the notion of a Grimlock only listening to Kup. Granted, Nightbeat trusts Kup, in as much as he trusts anyone. The old timer--at least the one he knew--was crafty as heck, and a darn good liar when he needed to be, but not the type to actually subvert authority.

//See now, this is why I like workin' alone. No politics but my fist and some guy's faceplate. 'course, nasty as they are, you can darn well bet the 'con with the biggest gun's probably already set himself in charge.//

[Perceptor]

// With no Megatron, as yet, to hinder his bid? Starscream. He will stop at nothing to lead, and will not let an inconsequential matter as dissension prevent him from seizing power, // Perceptor replies. // We can only hope that there has been dissension. //