Autobots: Intelligence is as good as gold

[Goldbug]

OOC: Okay, two quick notes.

1) Due to the larger nature of this thread, exact rotation need not be followed. Let's just chime in where appropriate.

2) This takes place after all the training and transmission, but before any other goings on off that.

Goldbug has already reviewed the interviews that Kup and Xaaron had done with the various Autobot arrivals, so he feels at least like he has a fair handle on the various individuals that had been placed under his command.

He'd be the first to admit that he'd never thought of himself as a leader, but with his rebuilding to Goldbug, there had come responsibilities that Bumblebee had not yet been ready for. It was as if, in many ways, he'd simple grown up over night. And that line of thinking had apparently been carried over here. Truth be told, he was better at managing smaller groups in action, as he had with Blaster and the Throttlebots, but he was willing to make the effort for the greater good of the Autobot team.

So he'd called for a brief "getting to know" you meeting between the troops underneath a small group of trees outside Autobase. He is currently leaning lightly against one, waiting for the others to arrive.

[Nightbeat]

And here's Nightbeat! Weird, for him, Goldbug's already been rebuilt into Bumblebee again (something to do with Ratchet prefering that form for him) as well as having a Pretender shell. Though that seemed to have disappeared after the incident with Thunderwing.

He'll be playing it cool for now, hanging back and waiting.

[Mirage]

Mirage got the memo, so he's here as well. He strolls to the coordinates given, not in any hurry. Once there he inclines his head politely at both Goldbug and Nightbeat, then finds his own tree to lounge against.

He does take a moment to ask a quick question of Kup via radio, however.

[Airazor]

Airazor also has gotten the message and flies in in beast mode. She finds a low, sturdy branch on one of the trees and perches on it, content to remain in beast mode. She notes that Goldbug, Nightbeat, and Mirage are already here, and she nods politely to them (as odd as it might look while she's in beast mode).

[Synapse]

Synapse arrives to the given coordinates, glancing at all who are gathered. Well, there's one, more familiar face in this crowd. The scout pauses giving everyone present a small bob before making hopefully-not-so-obvious beeline towards the tree that Airazor is perched in.

Above the area, his nodes pass in slightly erratic circles, mirroring Synapse's own nervousness.

[Goldbug]

"All right, so you're," and here he points as he talks, "Nightbeat, Mirage, Airrazor, and Synapse, right? For those of you I haven't yet had a good chance to meet yet, I'm Goldbug. The reason you might recognize my voice is because I used to be Bumblebee."

There's the slightest tone to his voice that suggests he'd rather not talk about it. "Officially, I'm from the same reality as Emirate Xaaron, sometime before it diverged from Rodimus's reality. Back home, I was the espionage director for the Earth-based Autobots."

Well, before going on the lam were Blaster, nearly getting devoured by scraplets, and any number of other issues, but that's probably best not to go into either.

"Which is why they've given the job to be here, while appointing Rattrap the second in command. Working together, I think we can provide the direction this department is going to need.

"So let me really begin my saying that I will always be open to suggestions from anyone else in this department. I know what it's like to be one of the little guys, to have skills, but to not feel like those skills are appreciated. Anybody has anything they think is remotely a good idea, just a suggestion, or anything like that, let me know. I don't promise to use every idea, but I promise to listen."

[Nightbeat]

Not much for Nightbeat to comment on in this, and "just let me go do things the way I know best" probably wasn't going to do much to endear him to his new superior officer.

He tosses off a salute. "You got it, Boss-Bug."

[Rattrap]

Rattrap, always one for a proper and timely entrance, arrived just soon enough to hear Goldbug's little warm-up even if he wasn't exactly prompt for the meeting kickoff itself. See? There he is, propped against one of these handy trees. He at least has the good grace to be here in robot mode; it seems to go over better with some of these Autobots. Sure, not the most impressive start as apparent second-in-command, but after that mess with Optimus not-dying at the Standing Stones, he isn't exactly leaping at chances for leadership. Up-shot is it looks like Goldbug is more than willing to step up. Agreeable guy, too, so maybe folks will go straight to him more often than to the grousing rat.

Works for Rattrap, even if he reflexively balks at the feel-good tone of the introduction.

"And if all else fails," he adds with a nod of acknowledgement for Goldbug, "we file away th' ideas we don't use now. Ya never know what might come in handy sometime later."

[Mirage]

No verbal acknowledgment from Mirage, just slight nod in Goldbug's direction. There is some curiosity on the spy's part as to what prompted what appears to have been an upgrade for Bumblebee, of course, but inquiring after it would be highly impolite, even without the warning in Goldbug's tone.

He can't help but quirk a browridge at Rattrap's almost-late entrance. Causal to a point, that one is.

[Holi]

Holi, peering hesitantly from behind a tree and trying not to look as ashamed as he feels, is only tardy because he was the one who went looking for Rattrap to ensure the spy wasn't late to his own division's first meeting. See where it gets him! He waves sheepishly if anyone cares to look his way but doesn't announce his arrival since Goldbug – his new immediate commanding officer – is busy speaking. It's rude to interrupt, after all.

"Yes, sir," he chimes dutifully, if a bit more quietly than he usually would, at Goldbug's invitation to take ideas. The Micromaster hasn't much in the way of suggestions right now, really. Well, except maybe one. "…Are we going to name our team anything?" It's a tentative question; Holi doesn't want to look silly, but he'd like to know one way or the other. He's so accustomed to team names (even for the bad guys!) that it only seems natural to pick one now.

[Goldbug]

Based on everything he's read in the files about Holi, Goldbug can't help but feel some sympathy for the Micromaster. He reminds him of himself, after all. The smallest guy around, eager to please, and sometimes seeming not as effective as the larger and more powerful Transformers. On the other hand, if he'd had the kind of friendship that Holi was reportedly developing with Wheelie and Grimlock, perhaps he wouldn't have grown up into such a bitter mechanoid.

An oddly sobering thought, that.

He nods, slightly, in acknowledgment to the newer arrivals to the party. "Holi's right," he says, "We do need a name. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any."

[Synapse]

Synapse peers at Goldbug. He doesn't know any Bumblebee, so there's not much familiarity at all with this commander. But a leader is a leader and Synapse isn't going to be questioning that any time soon. He isn't really sure what to say, command is asking them for suggestions and ideas? Here Synapse is hoping that perhaps if everyone stays quiet enough, the meeting will be adjourned and he can return to scouting.

But the mention of finding a team name causes his visor to flicker curiously, like a blink. A team name? Is that necessary? Obviously the intelligence network Synapse was a part of wasn't a very creative bunch. "We could just be I/C," says Synapse softly. Well, Synapse isn't known much for his creativity either.

[Mirage]

Mirage studies his fingertips rather intently, then drawls out, "I fail to see the point in any designation other than the one we already have. Though abbreviating it to simply CommIntell wouldn't hurt, at least for conversation purposes." He brushes an imaginary speck of dust off his chest. "It is not as if this group is likely to be sent charging together into battle, and if we were," he waves his hand," No offense meant of course, but I sincerely doubt a division name would increase our intimidation factor."

[Nightbeat]

Why? So we can all hold hands and sing about how great it is when everybody works together? Nightbeat thinks, though he's not quite cynical enough to voice these thoughts aloud.

"As they used to say back on Cybertron, Keep it Simple, Spanner." Though Spanner did end up being used to build the Space Bridge, so he didn't exactly keep it simple, now did he?

[Goldbug]

"A good point," Goldbug concedes to those who suggest keeping it simple. "No need to make it any more complicated than it needs to be."