Radio: Skyfire to Starscream

[Skyfire]

[On Starscream's personal frequency]:

// Starscream, you're busy enough that I doubt we're going to get a private conversation anytime soon; radio will have to do. Do you have a few minutes right now? //

Skyfire suspects that much of his partner's distracted air comes from juggling multiple radio conversations--not surprising, given that he's in charge of this motley group of suddenly marooned warriors. However, he'd like to actually have Starscream's attention, so not being radio conversation #399 would be helpful.

[Starscream]

NO. Lying is COMPLEX and TIME-CONSUMING. Even to one who is so used to it. Go away.

//...Of course, anything for an old friend.//

[Skyfire]

// How much did you know, back then, about the Second Great War and the Autobots and Decepticons? // Skyfire asks.

// You remember that old merc we met in Far Astoria sector, the one that decked you and ditched us after you said something about his emblem? You knew what it was, and I didn't. We were so busy after that trying to get our afts out of that local war we blundered into that I never did ask you what you meant. //

// What else don't I know that I should? Just how much of our history was suppressed back then? // Skyfire asks, and there's a worried tone to his voice--or perhaps more than worry. History is the cousin of science, and to have skewed history, suppressed it, is as great a crime as falsifying experiments.

[Starscream]

//That was part of the problem, Skyfire. There was so much that was censored. All I know is that those that began calling themselves Autobots were trying to tell the Decepticons what to do. Which is why that mercenary was so aggressive - he was a sore loser. Presumably the Autobots demanded that history be erased to suit their purposes - they didn't want to be reminded of their folly. And now, we obviously realize that was just so that nobody would suspect them as they gathered their armies once more...//

[Starscream]

//...also, as an aside, we do NOT freely give out valuable information to those who might be our enemies. The next time you feel like sharing, talk to me first!//

[Skyfire]

// Starscream. Review what I actually said. Sell-Sword provided his position information to all and sundry. Unless your opponents are all complete idiots--which I doubt they are, if they've survived this long against you--they can calculate his position as well as I can.//

// I provided the public a standard reference grid. As it is the same standard geodesic that any scientist would calculate based on this world's physical parameters, it says nothing about our location. We now have Sell-Sword's location on the maps I provided you. Sell-Sword has a point in an unknown space; he has nothing until someone else gives him their position. The Autobots have Sell-sword's position on that grid, but they'd have it already from Sell-sword's babbling. It's reasonable to assume that they know where they are already. //

// I did not misplace my wits on the way here. I know better than to share information with enemies in wartime. I may have made that mistake earlier, when I did not know that they were our enemies, but not now. // The tone of his rebuke is gentle; in essence: I know it's been a while, but don't treat me like I'm an idiot.

[Skyfire]

Skyfire had heard several things of interest on the General channel; most revealing were various parties's reactions to events. One in particular disturbed him, given that Starscream was even now meeting with the mech.

// Starscream, I do not doubt that in the intervening years you have become far more skilled at assessing others, but I still feel obliged to advise you. Do not trust this Sell-Sword. He is a sadist, and a bigot. Such people are not reliable; he will underestimate people and situations that appear to fall into his stereotypes as being no more capable than his stereotypes, and you know why sadists are untrustworthy. // There is an undertone of distaste in Skyfire's voice.

// On the other hand, I find this Cannonball interesting. I'm not sure what he did, but judging from the comments, he caused a great deal of chaos with minimal casualties. //

[Starscream]

Minimal casualties. Hmf. //Yes, he is something special all right. I look forward to his debriefing.//

Starscream has already considered the sell sword issue. //I have issues with the bigotry too,// this is a lie, //but you have to consider the alternative. If he is hired by the Autobots they have an extra weapon to point at us. We can afford him, and it will cost us less to hire him for lesser tasks than it would to initiate the extra repairs needed.//

[Skyfire]

// Cannonball is one of ours, right? Shortround seems to think he's a neutral pirate or raider of some kind. I've heard evidence that he's one of our spies, as well, so I take it he's not another mercenary flying a flag-of-convenience? // Skyfire's tone is dubious, questioning.

---
OOC: in the interests of not holding things up, I'm going to assume that Starscream gives some kind of answer that reassures Skyfire that Cannonball is okay to assist.

[Starscream]

//Yes, he is one of ours. Despite his.. errm.. eccentricities, he means well.//

As long as Starscream pays him well, anyway.

[Skyfire]

// Starscream--Spinister has asked me to participate in his upcoming combat exercises, subject to your approval, of course. I told him I had no objection, but he seemed to think it important that you approve, so I am checking to see if you have any objection. //

// Second, as soon as you have a bit more fuel to spare, I'd like to do a survey of the local space infrastructure. I may need some assistance with the active automated defenses on the orbital platforms; if you can find someone skilled at hacking into or otherwise disabling automated weapons without destroying the platforms they are mounted on, that would be very helpful. I'd like to try to map the output power beams from the orbital arrays to ground receiving stations, as well as assess what else the inhabitants had up there. A look at the lunar bases would not be a bad idea. //

// Also... another suggestion: treat Hook well. He is astonishingly skilled, and not someone you want to alienate--which I suspect is quite easy to do. //

// Finally... // there's a long pause as Skyfire considers how to phrase this. // ...what are your long-term plans and goals here? //

[Starscream]

//Permission granted for the exercises. The exploration can wait, but it's a good idea. Our plan is to prevent the Autobots from expanding into other regions, and finding out the cause of what brought us here in the first place.//

//And Skyfire.. I do know to treat my own subordinates.//

[Skyfire]

// I guess you've had to learn, to be in command like this. I'd still like to hear the story of that, one of these days. You know me, I worry about people. I'm still impressed by Hook's amazing skill even under the pressure of field emergencies, and it was a privilege to work with him. // Yes, Skyfire is fanboying Hook just a bit.

// He would have made an effective member of a long-range exploration team. // "Thinks clearly in a bad situation", and "can improvise effective field expedients under pressure" are definitely part of Skyfire's checklist of "people I'm willing to take into space with me on a long mission".

// Regarding your goals, I might be able to work on the latter. Do we have coordinates for locations people have turned up, and any common experiences, diagnostic readouts, etc, for people that have arrived in various locations? That would be all of us, of course, but what has been noticed about the transition from 'back home' to here? //

[Starscream]

Starscream checks his radio for moisture content in case Skyfire's slobbering over Hook has made it over to his radio.

//Merely that we all appear to have 'awoken.' wherever we are. Starfighter, I believe, has documentation, though I'm not entirely sure.//

[Skyfire]

// Very well. I'll get started on surveying all our arrivals for information on how and where and when they arrived... probably I should coordinate with Spinister, since he has already interviewed quite a few people and may have some observations already. Also, I've heard that one of the arrival points is quite nearby; we should instrument that location and see what happens when people 'arrive'. Did anyone arrive, um, non-functional? Forensic analysis of their memory banks and diagnostics logs might prove useful. //