Transformers: The Iron Hunter

Cold Pursuit

Thessin. The wind itself was colder than ice. Combined with the harsh, freezing temperatures of the planet, Beroskar found it hard to believe any organism could live there. He looked down at a small, blinking device in his servo. The target was near. Though why they would choose a place like this to hide remained a mystery.

A lone bar stands in the middle of an icy mountain range, a thick layer of frost covering nearly every surface of the building. Inside, criminals, thugs, and lowlifes were gathered, speaking in various languages. One of them, Kiloton, had hoped that he was safe there. Bounty hunters, authorities, and bots who hated his guts chased him off of other planets. But today was not his lucky day.

The door slid open, and in stepped a twenty-foot silhouette. The device began beeping, the sound echoing off the walls despite the sheer number of bots and aliens in the room.
Beroskar walked up to the bar. "I'm looking for a Cybertronian," he said.
The bartender didn't look surprised. "Well, there's quite a few of 'em in here," they said. "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."
Beroskar placed a holo-emitter on the counter, displaying Kiloton's mug, name, and designation.

The bartender's expression didn't change. They pointed toward a corner of the room. "You'll find your target over there. He sits alone as to not disturb anyone else."
Beroskar picked up the emitter and stored it in his subspace compartment before slowly approaching Kiloton.

He nearly stepped on a Kalkar on his way there, the lizard-man swearing in his native language.
"My apologies," Beroskar responded.
The Kalkar reached for his holster, about to draw his blaster, when Beroskar quickly raised his. The tiny creature was not intimidated by the Cybertronian's weapon and fired at Beroskar's leg. The bolt ricocheted off and flew directly toward a nearby GoBot.
"Who shot me?!" Bad Boy shouted.

The Kalkar immediately hid in a metallic barrel, exclaiming something about how Beroskar shot the GoBot.
Bad Boy immediately pointed his blaster at Beroskar, ready to fire—but Beroskar shot first, dropping the GoBot to the floor.
The bounty hunter scanned the room. "Anyone else?" he asked.
Everyone else in the room exchanged glances for a moment, then bolted out the door, the Kalkar rolling in the barrel.
But Kiloton was wise. He knew he had no way off the planet unless he went with the bounty hunter. So he stayed.

Beroskar approached Kiloton, remaining silent, looking the target up and down.
"Here," Kiloton said. "Take my credits." He slid a small pile of shanix across the table. "All I ask in return is that you take me to Paradron." He then removed part of his armor, sliding it across the table as well. "I'll even give you this so you can say you killed me to get your reward."

Beroskar raised his blaster, pointing it at Kiloton. "I can take you intact," he said. "...or I can take you in pieces."
Kiloton weighed his options. He reattached his pauldron and returned the shanix to his subspace compartment. "I'd rather be online," he said, holding his servos out for Beroskar to cuff him.
Beroskar holstered his blaster and retrieved stasis cuffs from his subspace compartment, locking them around Kiloton's wrists before leading him out of the building.

They returned to Beroskar's ship—a modified Cybertronian cargo ship—where Beroskar strapped Kiloton into a seat before setting a course for Monacus.
Beroskar silently punched in the coordinates while Kiloton looked around.
"A Loadstar," Kiloton said, admiring the ship. "She's classy." He looked at the locked door behind them as the ship took off. "Mind if I use the waste processor?"

Not bothering to look back, Beroskar pressed a button, the door sliding open as Kiloton's seat belt unbuckled.
Kiloton rose, climbed down the ladder, and wandered around the depths of the cargo ship. "It might take a while," he said. "I've had this strange... blockage." He walked by a collection of other criminals—some were Kiloton's crew before the fled to Thessin. "You know, I thought I'd get to see my buddies this year for the Forge of Happiness. Guess that's not happening this stellar cycle."
Before Kiloton could say anything else, Beroskar was right behind him. "Yeah. Guess it's not happening," he said before quickly shoving Kiloton into a empty stasis pod.