"Steeljaw, Phantomjaw, are either of you in there?"
"Yeah, come on in."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Nothing that can't wait till later."
"Great, because I have wonderful news!"
"What?"
"Octane knows of a planet that may be exactly what you're looking for!"
The triple-changer guided the Daytrader to the planet he had in-mind since Moonracer and the others summarized what their objective was. During that time, Steeljaw was perfectly invested in his work. Nobody could pull him away from his research and planning, not even his own brother.
When they do arrive, most of the bots are surprised by how much the planet looks like Earth; just replace maximum water and minimal land with minimal water and maximum land.
"Looks nice," Knockout commented. "Doesn't seem to be a dominant species..."
"Or any species for that matter," Starscream added.
"We still have to check, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hopeful," Bumblebee said. He looked over at Steeljaw. "So, what do you think?"
Silence.
"I agree with Knockout..." Steeljaw circulates his vents. "But it's not entirely my decision."
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Steeljaw, Bumblebee, Knockout, Moonracer, and Starscream are in a large room in a secluded part of the ship, far away from sensitive equipment and the hustle and bustle of workers. The room contains a bridge-portal, where their precious cargo has been timely sent through.
"You sure about this, Bee?" Jazz asked, waiting for Bumblebee to finish signing forms.
"I knew what I was getting into the moment Knockout started talking about it, and trust me, after all we went through..." Bumblebee gestured to his team-mates. "I am not backing out now."
Jazz smiled.
"Alright, Bee. I trust you."
As he was leaving, Jazz muttered, "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the aft."
Only Steeljaw heard that last part, but he didn't comment on it, because he completely agreed with Jazz. He's worried that this will all be for naught, and even if by some miracle it all works out, word is bound to get out, and trouble will follow, something he, for once, wishes to avoid.
The unmistakable hiss of stasis pods opening catches Steeljaw's attention, causing a whole new burst of worry to flow through him. Yes, this was his idea. Yes, having them around is an absolute necessity. Doesn't mean he has to like it.
Four very familiar mechs groggily exit the pods and step into view: a cobalt blue and dark gray Cervicon; a purple and gray Chompazoid with red detailing; a skinny mech with spiky purple plating, accompanied by a pair of color-matching mini-cons; and a rather colorful Insecticon with magenta, teal, and royal purple plating.
Coming to their senses, they looked around, confused, until their optics landed on Steeljaw.
"YOU?!"
"OF COURSE IT'S YOU! SINCE WHEN IS IT FRAGGING NOT YOU?"
"Thunderhoof..."
"DON'T THUNDERHOOF ME, STEELJAW! I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE DEALING WITH YOU AND YOUR SCRAP!"
"Thunderhoof..."
"WHATEVER IT IS YOUS ARE PLANNING, I AIN'T INTERESTED!"
Silence.
"Well, what excuse do yous have this time? I can't wait to hear it!" Thunderhoof demanded, vocalizer filled to the brim with salt.
Steeljaw didn't answer. He remained silent, a rather bored look upon his faceplate. Arms crossed, and tail wrapped around his pedes, the tip twitching as he waited. The lack of a response irritated Thunderhoof. He stomped right over to Steeljaw and towered over him, leering at him through slitted optics.
"Why ain't you answering me?"
"Depends. Are you done yelling?" Steeljaw retorted calmly, completely unfazed.
Silence.
"Is there somethin' wrong with your processor or something? Why ain't yous actin' like you normally do?" Thunderhoof questioned. The other Cons were wondering the same thing, but kept their thoughts to themselves and let the Cervicon take the lead for them.
"Believe me, Thunderhoof, that is a very long story," Steeljaw expressed, already feeling exhaustion creeping up on him.
"Well, yous better get started, then, cause I ain't goin' anywhere unless I know exactly what yous got us into this time."
"Don't worry, I will. But wouldn't it be better to tell in a more open and comfortable setting? And besides, when was the last time any of you had fresh Energon?"
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Damn Steeljaw to the Pits! He knows how to get what he wants just by words alone.
Thunderhoof and the others didn't trust him one bit, but considering how little they knew of the situation, opted to behave and comply. That, and inhibitors prevented them from being able to transform or activate any mods or weapons. They weaved through corridors without breaking for anyone. Those who were in the way quickly got out of it.
Except for one.
"Slipstream, you need something?" Steeljaw asked.
"Just wanted to get a good look at who you brought onto my ship is all," Slipstream shrugged, blocking the entrance to the galley.
"I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about! I'll make sure of it."
"You better, because if I see even a fragment out of place, and I find out one of your mechs caused the damage, I will tear off their plating and use it for repairs."
Ending with a threat, Slipstream pushed herself away from the door and left.
"She's scary!" Airazor and Divebomb commented from their hiding spot behind Fracture.
"More like annoying," Starscream muttered, crossing his arms and glaring in the direction his sister went.
"Runs in the family," Knockout teased, ducking just in time to avoid a claw swipe.
"Shut up, Knockout!"
"Oh Primus, not now," Bumblebee groaned, hiding his faceplate behind his servos. Moonracer looked just as disappointed.
Steeljaw would have been completely done with the display if he wasn't so focused on the more important task of getting his former packmates to sit down and listen to him.
"Come on, I've got some explaining to do, and knowing them, they'll be at it for a while," Steeljaw whispered, gentle claws grazing Thunderhoof's servo, beckoning him to follow.
Thunderhoof was a little put-off by the touch. It was something Steeljaw never was.
Careful? Yes.
Gentle? No.
"Yous heard 'im," Thunderhoof said to his comrades. They exchanged looks of uncertainty, but followed anyway, their curiosity getting the better of them.
Steeljaw opened the door to the galley and entered. He waited until the others had settled down before closing the door, leaving it unlocked in case someone else needed to get in. Considering his frame type, Underbite laid on his side with his backplate pressed against the wall. Leaning against his flank were Thunderhoof, Fracture and his mini-cons, and Saberhorn. Steeljaw grabbed them all freshly brewed Energon.
"I thank you for the hospitality, Steeljaw, even if the last time we saw each other you betrayed me, but that's all in the past," Saberhorn started, sounding as passive-aggressive as a nobleman – technically noble-mech – can be. "As for the present, I am quite intrigued by whatever is going on, and what part we play in all of it."
Fracture and Underbite agreed with the Insecticon. Airazor and Divebomb were in light recharge in the comfort of their master's presence. Thunderhoof remained statuesque.
"Like I said, it's a very long story..."
– one very long story later –
"And since this is, hopefully, going to be the new Decepticon homeworld, I need some help with the whole thing from those I consider..."
Steeljaw trailed off, trying to think of the right word.
"So basically what you're saying is that you want our honest to Primus opinion on this place, and that you also require our assistance in its development, at least the first stage of determining whether it's actually habitable for our kind," Fracture summarized. Everyone in the room except Thunderhoof stared at him.
"What?"
"Yes, that is precisely where I was going with all this," Steeljaw said. "And I know that none of you should do this after all the trouble I caused or dragged you into and whatnot, but I would appreciate it if you did consider it."
Fracture, Saberhorn, and Underbite looked at Steeljaw in shock, then turned to each other with the same expressions. To them, not knowing the personal details of what Steeljaw experienced, it was all so weird. Leading them back to square one.
"Why ain't yous actin' like you normally do?" Thunderhoof repeated, his voice much quieter than normal, lacking its typical spitfire.
"Things change, Thunderhoof," Steeljaw answered, shifting in place. If Thunderhoof dug too deep...
Steeljaw didn't want to think about that possibility.
"And in order to survive, we had to adapt, whether we liked it or not."
Thunderhoof didn't answer, but based on the flicker of his optics, it's clear that he's thinking.
"Still can't believe you agreed to work with an Autobot," Fracture grumbled, adjusting his position while taking great care not to wake his mini-cons. "With Bumblebee no less. And the others..."
"What about the others?" Steeljaw growled, immediately on the defensive. His former packmates flinched.
"Just, you know, a vain medic with a complicated history. The former Air Commander and Megatron's Second-In-Command. Then there's the femme..."
Fracture trailed off, fear bubbling to the surface as he witnessed Steeljaw's growing anger.
"I... I think I'll stop talking now."
"Wise choice," Steeljaw stated, tone of voice low and cold. Fracture shrunk a bit and wrapped his arms around his mini-cons.
Steeljaw quickly realized that he may have been a little too threatening, which was something he never worried about in the past. Now, though, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty regarding his actions. His new-ish persona was already confusing them. No need to add fear and intimidation back onto the equation.
"Apologies. I guess I may have gotten a little more attached to my current team than I thought."
Immediately, fear was replaced by confusion.
"Yeesh, you must really be out-of-character if they're reacting like this."
All mechs jumped, startled out of their plating. Of course, it was none other than Phantomjaw, just chilling in a corner of the galley.
"Phantomjaw, stop doing that!" Steeljaw snapped.
"Doing what?" The black and white Lupicon asked, unable to hide his creeping amusement.
"Showing up out of nowhere and... Wait, how did you even get in here without us noticing?"
"More like when. I came to get some Energon a while ago, but then I heard you guys and I figured I might as well stick around."
"You mean you've been here this whole time and you just decided to show yourself now?"
"Well, yeah, as if that isn't obvious."
Steeljaw face-palmed and shook his helm, grumbling curses to himself.
"Ey, uh, Steeljaw, who is this?" Thunderhoof asked, gesturing to Phantomjaw.
"You seriously told nobody about me?" Phantomjaw mused. His brother's mortified reaction made him laugh. "Oh, this should be good!"
The mechs outside the loop looked between the Lupicons.
"Steeljaw, old chap, care to introduce us?" Saberhorn asked.
"Primus, give me strength!" Steeljaw prayed into his cupped servos. He had to introduce his brother to his old pack mates, and he was dreading what the outcome would be.
"Everyone, meet Phantomjaw – my brother. And by my brother, I mean my actual brother."
"His split-spark, if you will," Phantomjaw clarified, grinning from ear-to-ear, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Silence.
"THERE'S FRAGGING TWO OF YOU NOW?"
Thunderhoof's sudden yet totally expected outburst shook the room and reverberated throughout the entire ship. The other Cons in the galley had to cover their audio receptors to dull the sound.
"WHY IS THERE TWO OF YOU? ONE OF YOU IS BAD ENOUGH! NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE'S TWO OF YOU?"
For the second time that day, Thunderhoof marched over to Steeljaw and towered over him.
"How's come this is the first we're hearing about this?"
"I have my reasons, none of which I need to explain to you!" Steeljaw defended.
"Oh, so now yous suddenly back to normal, eh? Why act different when you haven't changed a bit?" Thunderhoof shot back.
"None of your business, Thunderhoof! Now stand down before you cross a line I can't guarantee you will come back from."
The Cervicon snorted, pleased to finally be getting a reaction out of Steeljaw.
"Or what? Yous gonna rip my spark out or something?"
Instead of attacking, Steeljaw backed off and left, locking the door behind him.
Silence.
"So..." Underbite trailed, tapping his claws against the floor.
"That was different," Fracture inputted.
"Agreed," Saberhorn said. "Steeljaw is certainly not himself."
"What was your first clue?"
Saberhorn hummed, not dignifying his response with words.
"Hey, where'd the other one go?" Underbite suddenly asked. Everyone looked in Phantomjaw's corner, noticing that he is no longer there.
"He must've snuck out without us noticing," Fracture guessed. "Considering how Steeljaw reacted, I can only assume that's something normal or whatever."
Underbite scoffed.
"Can't believe he actually has a brother."
"Seems there's a lot more to Steeljaw than we could have possibly imagined," Saberhorn vented.
"No kidding!" Fracture sneered, then looked to the only Con who hasn't spoken since Steeljaw's leave. "You're awfully quiet over there, Thunderhoof. Everything alright?"
Silence.
"Thunderhoof?"
Silence.
"Thunderhoof!"
Fracture removed his mini-cons from his lap before rising and approaching the Cervicon.
"You experiencing stasis lock or something? Answer us!"
Fracture reached out a servo, about ready to jerk Thunderhoof back into the waking world...
"He's hiding somethin' from us."
Thunderhoof's words stopped Fracture in his tracks.
"Yous all saw it, too."
"You're gonna have to be more specific," Underbite said.
"When I asked him why he's been acting not like himself," Thunderhoof clarified, genuinely concerned – not that he'll ever admit it. "The second time, it was as if I was about to hit a nerve."
"How so?" Fracture questioned.
"I don't know! That was just the feelin' I's got, okay?"
"Interesting," Saberhorn mumbled, pondering the information and what it could all mean.
"What's interesting?"
Startled, the mechs swerved around to see Steeljaw standing in the open doorway. A resounding nothing followed his question, not that he was expecting an honest answer.
"Alright, then. Moving on. We need to run some things by you all as a group before we separate to explore the planet and come to a final decision. Let's go."
Thunderhoof and the others disposed of their empty cubes and followed Steeljaw. It wasn't until they were halfway down the hall that they noticed something missing.
"What happened to your new acquaintances, Steeljaw?" Saberhorn was the first to ask.
"I told them to go on ahead without me," Steeljaw answered in a neutral tone of voice.
"May I ask why?"
Steeljaw just shrugged.
"And they were perfectly set to leave you alone with us?"
"Do they seriously trust you that much?" Fracture questioned.
"Don't they know all the destruction that we could cause?" Underbite further questions.
"Yes, maybe, probably," Steeljaw answered bluntly, his irritation slowly returning, but his irritation was nowhere near on the same level as a certain mech's.
"Okay, that's fragging it!" Thunderhoof exclaimed. He rushed forward, grabbed Steeljaw, and shoved him against the wall. "Yous are going to tell us what the frag is wrong with you! Now!"
Instead of becoming angry, like his former packmates were expecting, Steeljaw fell into a pit of fear. His plating rattled, ears flattened, and tail tucked between his legs. Thunderhoof never saw Steeljaw scared before. None of them have. Ever.
"Eh, Steeljaw, you alright?" Thunderhoof asked, loosening his grip.
"Why would you ask that?" Steeljaw hissed, averting his gaze.
"Because..."
Thunderhoof vented. He was really regretting what he was about to say next.
"You ain't yourself, and it's not exactly the most settling thing in the universe to see someone like you be so damn scared of something."
That immediately caught Steeljaw's attention. His piercing golden gaze searched the blazing red optics staring right back at him. He neither saw nor sensed any sort of deception.
"You really mean that," Steeljaw stated quietly, barely above a whisper.
"Don't think that changes anything between us!" Thunderhoof reaffirmed, smirking as he let go of Steeljaw. "I still hate you."
"Likewise."
Steeljaw tried to move away, but found himself in the same predicament with Thunderhoof that he had when he and Phantomjaw reunited. No longer pinned, but unable to go anywhere due to being penned-in.
"Is there any reason you're still close?" Steeljaw questioned.
"Yous still need to answer my question," Thunderhoof pointed out. "We all wanna know."
Steeljaw kept his mouth shut.
"You want our help? Yous are gonna have to start trusting us with stuff."
"Easier said than done..." Steeljaw vented and shook his helm. "But fair, I suppose."
Before Steeljaw could bring it in himself to tell his former packmates what happened, Fodder appeared, telling them to hurry up before Slipstream comes down and drags them to the meeting herself. Not wanting to piss off the femme, they obliged.
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"Well, I'll give this planet one thing – no weird little humans," Thunderhoof admitted as he followed Steeljaw through the forest.
At the meeting, nearly half the ship was split into teams. Steeljaw chose Thunderhoof – for obvious reasons – and Acid Storm – also for obvious reasons. Phantomjaw decided to tag along to keep an optic out for his brother.
Right now, it's just Steeljaw and Thunderhoof. Acid Storm and Phantomjaw decided to split off from the pair, most likely sensing the tension between the two and figured it best to give them some space to sort out whatever it is they're having a problem with.
"Mhm."
"Yous still going to talk, right?"
"Now?"
SABERHORN: {If it's not much of a bother, old chap.}
FRACTURE: {Not like we're going to be talking or anything. We're leaving that to you and Thunderhoof.}
UNDERBITE: {And don't block us! We want to hear everything!}
Steeljaw couldn't help the laugh that escaped his vocalizer.
"Okay, okay, you all sure are persistent!"
His expression turned grim when the subject matter was once again thrust upon him, but he pushed his reservations aside for the time being in order to retell the tale of his trauma.
– one retelling later –
"You wanted to know. Well, now you know. Happy?"
It was as if, in that moment, something snapped in the Cervicon.
"Are you fragging crazy? You ain't lyin' to us right now, right?" Thunderhoof yelled, rearing into attack mode, which confused Steeljaw.
"Why would I lie to you about something like that? And, what are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"It looks like you're about to charge someone who pissed you off."
Thunderhoof remained still for a minute, then cleared his vocalizer and stood back to full height.
"I's don't know what you're talkin' about! I just wasn't expectin' that to come out of your jaws or whatever."
Steeljaw scanned the mech before him. Now there was something off with Thunderhoof.
"You sure have a type, brother."
Caught unawares, Steeljaw and Thunderhoof swerved and spotted Phantomjaw hanging in a tree, looking down at both mechs with a wide grin.
"W...What's that supposed to mean?" Steeljaw stammered, flustered.
"I thought you were with that green flier?" Thunderhoof inquired, trying to ignore Phantomjaw's statement.
The black and white Lupicon shrugged, still grinning.
"I'm sure Acid Storm will circle around once he realizes I'm not following him."
"You just left him?" Steeljaw questioned.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine!" Phantomjaw waved-off. "Now, as for you, why didn't you tell me you had another crush?"
Steeljaw opened and closed his jaws, but no sound came out. Thunderhoof, ironically, looked like a deer in headlights. Meanwhile, Phantomjaw was getting a kick out of their reactions. The sound of an approaching jet engine drowned out Phantomjaw's laughter and snapped Steeljaw and Thunderhoof out of their shared stupor.
"There you are!" Acid Storm yelled over the roar of his engine and clicks of transformation. "We still have a lot of ground to cover, and yet here you are messing around!"
"I'm just checking on my brother! I was going to catch back up to you eventually!" Phantomjaw reassured.
Acid Storm just shook his helm.
"Wait..."
Thunderhoof's voice garnered their collective attention.
"What did you mean..."
The Cervicon points to Phantomjaw...
"When you asked about his other crush?"
Then redirects his servo to Steeljaw.
"You didn't tell him, either?" Phantomjaw asked. Steeljaw glared at him. "Oh, right, I forgot about that."
"Forgot about what?" Thunderhoof demanded, growing irritated with being left in the dark. He could only imagine what the others were thinking on the other end of the still open call.
"Nothing!"
"None of your business!"
Thunderhoof glowered at Steeljaw and took a threatening step closer to him, but this time, the latter showed no signs of backing down.
"Don't bother, Thunderhoof, I'm not going down that road of memories again, especially not with you!" Steeljaw stated. "Telling you what happened with the Star Seekers was one thing, but telling you about someone I care deeply for? That is not going to happen!"
Thunderhoof was rendered speechless.
Who the frag could Steeljaw possibly like? No, not like – that's too weak of a word. Love, I guess? Primus, Steeljaw being in love with someone? Since when does Steeljaw care about anyone other than himself? Was he really that different before any of us knew him?
"So you do have a lover!"
The four mechs looked up and saw none other than Thundertron, a little worse for wear, stalking out of the overgrowth.
"Of course, a small part of me already knew that, but considering all the Tox-En and Phorian spores we injected into your system..."
Thundertron chuckled.
"For all I knew, you were completely delusional and making up the weirdest things!"
With a malicious grin spanning his faceplate, Thundertron lumbered towards Steeljaw.
"Oh, taking you as my own now will be even more satisfying than before!"
"Stay away from me!" Steeljaw growled, lowering himself onto all fours and backing away from the threat.
"We warned you multiple times, Thundertron, stop getting in our way!" Acid Storm moved forward to stand between Steeljaw and the pirate.
"Actually, your femmes warned me, and I don't see any of them here," Thundertron countered.
"Doesn't mean..."
Before Acid Storm could finish, Thundertron grabbed his wing, digging his digits in deep, and threw him away. The green flier cried out as he crashed into a tree and slumped to the ground.
"Flight-frames, so easy to break," Thundertron sneered. His glee didn't last as he was ambushed from above.
"DON'T YOU DARE GO ANYWHERE NEAR MY BROTHER!" Phantomjaw yelled, biting and slashing the pirate.
As those two fought, Thunderhoof could only watch, unsure of what to do. When it comes to brute strength, he is stronger than Steeljaw, but when it comes to agility or a quick switch in battle tactics, Steeljaw has him beat. Currently, he felt he was out of his depth. It wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances, but it's been half a day, and so much has happened already that Thunderhoof's processor is still spinning.
"Thunderhoof."
The Cervicon perked and looked at Steeljaw.
"Yeah?"
"If something bad happens, I need you to get my brother and Acid Storm out of here."
"You want me to do what?"
"If things go from bad to worse, I need you to protect the others."
"I..."
Thunderhoof barely started. He felt something slam into him and send him stumbling back. He regained his footing after a few seconds.
"Phantomjaw!" Steeljaw called out to his brother.
The black and white Lupicon was lying crumpled on the ground in a pool of Energon leaking from his flank, which was impaled in the crash.
"Frag," Thunderhoof hissed.
"Thunderhoof, get out of here, now!" Steeljaw ordered, fear buried as he took on Thundertron, hoping to buy the others time to escape.
As much as he hated it, and hated to admit that he hated it, Thunderhoof didn't put forth any sort of argument. He collected Phantomjaw and Acid Storm, the former lying in his arms bridal style and the latter clinging to him for dear life.
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The Daytrader became a madhouse of frantic bots. Despite their initial panic, the Ex-Cons – who alerted everyone else to what was going on due to being on the open commlink when everything went down – had calmed themselves. They huddled in a corner of the hangar.
"What the frag did we just get dragged into?" Underbite muttered.
"I'm not entirely sure," Saberhorn admitted.
"Steeljaw is by himself, and Primus only knows where Thunderhoof and the other two are," Fracture grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Getting 'em to safety, just like Steeljaw wanted me to," Thunderhoof said, joining the group.
"THUNDERHOOF!"
By now, everyone else had become aware of the Cervicon's presence.
"What happened out there?"
"How did you get back so fast?"
"Where's the rest of your group?"
Questions are blurted out right and left, and Thunderhoof is not in the mood.
"Ayo, listen 'ere!" Thunderhoof called to attention. "We were out exploring when Thundertron came out of nowhere and attacked us! Acid Storm and Phantomjaw were beat-up pretty good, so Steeljaw stayed behind to fight while I got 'em out of there. Steeljaw told me to, by the way. I's brought the injured to the medic. Also, he wanted me to pass along a message to other medical personnel that he's waiting for 'em to get their afts in gear and down to med-bay."
Knockout, Moonracer, and a couple Vehicons pushed through the crowd and ran off to work.
"How are Acid Storm and Phantomjaw?" Bumblebee asked.
"Broken wing for the flier, and Steeljaw's brother was impaled through the side," Thunderhoof recalled.
"Frag."
"Mhm. Anyway, if yous need me..."
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To get Steeljaw back."
"You're kidding, right?" Fracture scoffed.
When Thunderhoof turned around, the bounty hunter had the sneaking suspicion he wasn't.
"If yous think I'm gonna let some old, haggard, deranged freak make Steeljaw's life a fragging nightmare, then yous thought wrong because that ain't happening! Besides, we still have to pay Steeljaw back for all the absolute scrap he somehow talked us into."