Verdant was laying on her back, legs sticking out from beneath the controlboard of her ship while the rest of her body was engulfed. One of her tentacles slithered out and blindly grasped around until a certain tool was located before returning to her technological cave.
A pair of pedes approached, small clicks echoing off the ship floor. Verdant's optics flashed white for half a second as she ran the sound through previous recordings of bots walking in her ship.
"Wheeljack," she acknowledged. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm bored," he responded. "Thought I could keep working on this hunk of junk."
She frowned up at the wires she was connecting. "If you keep calling my ship names, we're going to have a problem."
He chuckled. "What are you working on down there?"
"My signal receiver won't power up when it's connected to the hull's mainframe, so I'm rewiring it into the control panel's power system."
"Huh," Wheeljack tilted sideways and peeked into the crevice Verdant wedged herself into. "So you know how to handle circuitry too?"
"I know how to do a lot."
He grinned. "My kind of femme."
Verdant paused. "Wheeljack... about last night, I–"
"No need to say anything," he took a step back. "I think I know you well enough to have figured it out already. I'll be working on your thrusters. Let me know if you need anything."
Verdant pushed herself out from under the dash to follow him, but she saw Bulkhead's backside squeeze through the door.
"Oh," Wheeljack called out to her, "and I brought Bulkhead to help, hope you don't mind!"
Verdant sighed. "Nope."
Then she crawled back under.
Rewiring the signal receiver wasn't a difficult task. The hard part was already over, really. She needed to get the wires out of the hull mainframe and into this compartment, which required some patience and care while navigating the surrounding environment. The actual act of connecting the wires was rather simple.
Verdant finished up and scooted out before standing up and looking at the device embedded in her control panel. It was flashing.
An overload of power was perfectly capable of producing this outcome, but... Verdant frowned as she opened the channel. This was a genuine distress signal, originating from a set of coordinates travelling at a constant velocity in the upper atmosphere. The signal's signature was slightly odd, a mixture between cybertronian and... another familiar code rhyme unnervingly close to that of Earth technology.
But there was something else more urgent about this distress signal, Verdant realized.
She jabbed her servo into the control panel and downloaded the data while activating her comms. "Optimus Prime, sir, I've discovered vital intel on the location of the Decepticons. I would advise gathering your team in the base."
"Is there danger approaching?" he asked.
"Not for us," Verdant pulled out of the device and rushed to the door of her ship. "Not unless it is self-inflicted."
"Understood."
"Wheeljack, Bulkhead," Verdant yelled as she ran out of the hangar. "Follow me!"
A moment later, her comms activated, along with the communication systems of every other Autobot in the vicinity. "Calling all Autobots! Calling all Autobots! This is your leader, Optimus Prime. The humans have betrayed us."
I couldn't help it, I'm sorry.
A moment later, her comms activated, along with the communications of every other Autobot in the vicinity. "Autobots, report to the groundbridge immediately. We have incoming intelligence."
Verdant into the room, immediately locating Optimus, who was waiting for her next to the monitors. "Verdant, what have you found?"
"A distress signal, on an unusual frequency, but," she took a breath. "I am certain it is originating from the Nemesis."
"You know the location of the Nemesis at this very moment?" Ratchet demanded.
"I know what it's trajectory will be until the next time it changes its course."
Optimus frowned, ignoring the others as they arrived and gathered around. "Are you certain this signal is coming from the Nemesis? Won't their shields block it?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely certain. I would explain, but the amount of physics and reasoning required would take up time and be counterproductive."
"I see," Optimus nodded. "And the signal? Do you know who it originates from?"
"The signal isn't normal," Verdant shook her helm. "I'm not even sure of their faction?"
"A neutral?" Ratchet guessed.
Ultra Magnus stepped forward. "Or a trap."
"Both are possible," Verdant told them. "But guesswork will not provide answers."
Optimus's expression turned serious and he turned away from her, now addressing the others as a group with his baritone Prime voice. "Autobots, we have the opportunity to take the Decepticons warship by storm. After the fall of Darkmount, I am confident in our ability to succeed."
"What do you want us to do?" Bumblebee asked.
"Ultra Magnus, you will take the wreckers—the cybertronian wreckers—to the Nemesis's bridge and take control of the ship. Arcee, Bumblebee, you will both locate the source of the distress signal and make a judgement call on what to do with whoever is sending it out. Bulkhead, Smokescreen, you will come with me, and we will engage the enemy."
"Just the three of you?" Ultra Magnus questioned.
Optimus nodded. "We need not win, simply distract Megatron from your more essential tasks. If the Nemesis can be grounded and a possible ally removed from harm, our main objectives will be satisfied and we can retreat if necessary."
Wheeljack crossed his arms. "I've been take captive twice on this planet, once in the Nemesis and once in Darkmount. Neither times have my distress signals ever made it through. This is a trap."
Verdant frowned at him. "My receiver is better than Ratchet's. Not to mention, this signal is slightly human, which would explain how it surpassed the shields. The Decepticons' ship can't be detected through human means, so it basically doesn't exist. There won't be any resistance to a human signal leaving their ship."
"Regardless of it's origin, we have an opportunity that cannot be passed. Autobots, you have five minutes to ready yourselves before we leave," Optimus ordered.
The others quickly dispersed.
"Ultra Magnus, a word, please," Optimus called out to his second in command before looking at Verdant. "I need the issue between Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus at least temporarily quelled. This mission is too important to risk."
"How do you expect Verdant to fix it?" Ultra Magnus frowned. "Sir, I can handle Wheeljack without aid."
Optimus kept his gaze on Verdant. "You get along well with both of them, surely you have an idea?"
She pursed his derma and then nodded.
"Good," Optimus looked at Ultra Magnus and inclined his helm respectfully. "She has my permission to issue orders overseeing this problem."
Verdant looked around before spotting Wheeljack, then she walked towards him, leaving Optimus and Ultra Magnus behind her.
"Wheeljack," Verdant cleared her throat. "This is an important mission. Ultra Magnus will be leading you and Bulkhead against Soundwave, who is likely in command of the control bridge."
"Yup."
She frowned. "Can I ask for a favor?"
"A favor?"
"Please?"
Wheeljack turned to look at her. "What is it?"
"I worried, for Ultra Magnus," Verdant lied. "We've fought Soundwave before and he's not a better combatant. I think it's because... Soundwave looks like me. Just... Can you make sure Ultra Magnus gets out alive?"
Something in Wheeljack's expression shifted. "I... I can do that."
"Thank you," Verdant placed her servo on his shoulder.
Wheeljack smiled.
"Autobots!" Optimus called.
"Gotta go," Wheeljack pulled away and jogged over toward the Prime.
"Kick their butt for me, Bulkhead!" Miko cheered.
Verdant took her place at Ratchet's side as Optimus gave his team a strange, Primely pep talk. The other Autobots gathered around their leader, respect and confidence emitting from their frames.
Warriors.
"Ratchet, activate the groundbridge," Optimus ordered.
Two pairs of energon-blue optics looked back at her as the others walked forward, then they looked at each other, frowning lightly, a mixture of confusion and something unplaced. Then those two optics pulled out their weapons and disappeared into the groundbridge.
The swirling blue portal shut and the base went quiet.
"If everything goes right," Ratchet stared at where their team had disappeared, "we'll win the most important battle of the war today."
Verdant looked down. "And if it goes wrong..."
They didn't need an answer for that one. Every combatant on team Prime would be trapped on warship with their greatest enemies. No matter what the outcome of today was, there would be at least one faction in shambles.
Verdant hoped to Primus it wouldn't be theirs.
She was wrong.
"Arcee to base!" Arcee yelled through the speakers attached to the monitor. "I need a groundbridge! Now! Prepare the med-bay!"
Verdant pushed Ratchet back and took over the groundbridge controls, jamming her servo into the wires. Ratchet paused before taking off running toward the med-bay. The groundbridge opened and Arcee was inside the base before she could blink.
A flash of yellow and black snarled beneath her and Verdant's optics widened in surprise as Arcee rammed her blaster into Bumblebee's helm.
"What the frag!?" Verdant demanded.
Arcee looked up, her expression horrified. "You need to get the others out of the Nemesis."
Verdant furrowed her brows. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
"NOW!" Arcee shouted. "GET THEM OUT NOW!"
Verdant flinched back before sending a groundbridge to Ultra Magnus's team. "Wreckers, pull back. We are retreating."
"Why?" Wheeljack didn't sound happy. "The Nemesis is almost empty!"
"Are those Optimus Prime's orders?" Ultra Magnus asked, sounding equally displeased.
Verdant paused. "Yes. They are."
Arcee started dragging Bumblebee to the med-bay and Verdant switched her comms to speak to Optimus and his team. "You need to retreat, now. Hurry."
Optimus took a moment of respond. "Agreed. We need a groundbridge immediately."
Verdant waited for the wreckers to return before switching the groundbridge to Optimus's location, where the rest of their team ran through.
Optimus was carrying Smokescreen, whose neck cables leaked energon down his chassis.
"To the med-bay," Optimus instructed.
Verdant nodded and ran out of the room. What had gone so wrong in such a short period of time?