Thunderdrum - Decepticon Transport Ship

[generalbri]

The purple transport ship has two hanger doors--one on it's left and the other on it's right side--that lower to allow crew members and visitors to board with the correct permissions. It's hull showing a purple Decepticon insignia in the center while the rest of the ship was adorned in purple, pink, silver, and gray color schemes.

Within the ship, dozens of hallways continue the color scheme from outside. Multiple rooms of different sizes and purposes lie hidden behind numerous doors; some with locking keypads while other more public rooms had open doors. The rooms included quarters, washracks, recreational such as lounges, along with military equipment storage and planning facilities. Hallways would normally be pretty quiet, with the occasional roaming crewmember.

Either way, the ship was very confusing to navigate; a way to protect it's inhabitants in case of any raids. Ones authorized to be there had access to a map.

One major room toward the front of the ship was the command post. Thunderdrum stayed here unless other duties arose. A main console overseeing all information was front and center, while past it were smaller posts for crewmembers that kept a keen eye on the ship's systems. To any visitor, half of the screens would not be in use. To a crewmember, these screens would show what looked like vital signs along with further information one might read when keeping track of a Cybertronian.




(Will probably edit and add further information.)

[generalbri]

Two Decepticons started walking up the ramp to board the ship. Fauxwing slightly ahead while Thunderdrum, the four legged purple mech, stayed slightly behind; making sure that the commander had room and wouldn't be kicked by accident with his legs. The purple mech guided Fauxwing first down a few halls before they reached the command post.

"At this time, I have about 23 crew members that vary between scouts, flyers, medics, and heavy types. I have let them know that your command is over mine now." Thunderdrum offered a data tablet to Fauxwing. "I will warn. You will get lost unless you use my maps. I also have them if you prefer data transfer."

Now they paused at the command post and Fauxwing would see all of the screens, even the ones that might not make much sense. "Here is where we keep track of all of the ship's systems. I am also able to access all information I need from my post here. But sometimes I am off taking care of other business."

"If you don't have any questions, I will take you to the map room and we can discuss further details and plans."

[Corvid]

Soaking in the sites of the ship, on their short trip to the command post she memorized every hallway they walked, every room they passed. At least, Fauxwing was convinced that she had memorized them. Enough so that when offered a data pad to examine maps of Thunderdrum's ship, she held a hand out to decline.

"A data transfer will do just fine. Airburst, my acquisitions officer, will oversee it. I'll have time to look them over another time," she bluffed. She wasn't sure whether she would even do that much. "Beside, I won't be directly presiding over the ship. It is still yours, after all." One of the details command had shared, and one that was to Thunderdrum's satisfaction, doubt.

She listened attentively to the rest of the captain's explanation about how his ship's operations carried on, occasionally offering a nod of recognition. Once he was finished, she waved a hand that motioned him to carry on to the map room as suggested.

[generalbri]

The captain gave a nod, "Affirmative."

They made it to the map room, the door closing and locking behind them with a noticeable click. "Now then, to go into more detail on the details that command couldn't share." Thunderdrum activated the holomap that showed the current star system they were in. "I will need updated maps as what I have is outdated and only what command had. I need to know every tiny detail of all whereabouts, missions, and current tasks. To be able to properly utilize myself and to help you. And I mean ALL details."

"How strict are you to secrets, Commander Fauxwing?" He looked to her intently, looking for subtle cues. "How much can I trust you, not as my now current commander, but as a fellow Decepticon equal?"

[Corvid]

"Airburst will see to it that you're provided with up to date maps of the region," she began, "But you will not be provided all details of Decepticon activities in the sector. Only with missions according to your current position.. Need I remind you, your ship is merely one of many in my fleet. You do not get to choose your assignments; I give them to you." She was sterner now, but only to a degree to match Thunderdrum's insistence. It felt like she could have gone much farther than that.

"Though I am not unreasonable. We may discuss your request once you have had more time under my charge. Only after I've had the opportunity to surmise the extent of your abilities." A dangerous look in her eyes gave the impression that she was being patient. It also betrayed that her patience was not limitless. She appeared to be speaking plainly to him, but Thunderdrum would have little trouble ascertaining that she felt he was overstepping his boundaries. The reason for this wasn't as clear to him. Perhaps it was because she did not yet trust him, or perhaps it was because she felt the need to flaunt her position over his and ensure that he knew his place. Whatever the case, her eyes told him that this wasn't a matter open for further discussion, and that it would be unwise to pursue it any further.

Things changed when he asked about secrets. A slightly furrowed brow was the only thing to denote her curiosity for the motives behind asking such a question. Her body language changed very little, the robust seeker holding herself in a dignified, restrained manner which did well to mask the true extent of her intrigue. She didn't look quite as curious as she was. She played along.

"I am as trustworthy a fellow Decepticon as any other." "Though not equal by any means," she thought pointedly to herself. "If not more so," she added. "You may speak your mind with me. Whatever it is, it does not leave this room." Another lie. One she hid well. If sharing his information suited to advance her position, or if the information given was a cause for concern to threaten her position, she would share it with whomever she felt like, so long as it benefited her.

Thunderdrum had no cause for concern. Yet.

[generalbri]

A deeper frown formed and the captain crossed his arms, leaning against the map console. "That's too bad then. A waste of resources and proper utilizing of a ship. The most complicated and valuable ship that has now joined your fleet."

The mech chuckled now, looking the other in the optics. Red optics flickered, "That makes me trust you less. If we cannot share equal information, then I will be forced to only be half as valuable as I could truly be.." As Thunderdrum spoke, a panel above Fauxwing along the ceiling silently transformed away. A silver metal, snake-like appendage slipped down behind her; it's biolights red and it's tip sporting a red lens with four claw like digits pressed tight to it's body. It dangled behind her, the red lens tip close by her helm.

Soon after the mech finished speaking and before Fauxwing could issue a reply, she would hear Thunder's voice behind her. The mech's mouth never moved, but the appendage was addressing her, "Equal exchange."

[Corvid]

What Thunderdrum was implying, that she couldn't put this ship to "proper" use as he could, was an insult that stung more than she thought it would. To think, he'd so quickly gained her good graces, only to dash it all to pieces. She let him finish before she spoke, finding it hard to fight the urge to end his rant prematurely: a mistake on her part.

The moment she opened her mouth to speak, Thunderdrum's voice sounded behind her. It startled her. Head whipping around sharply, not sure in the moment of pure reflex what she was looking for, she found herself face-to-face with a dangling, mechanical tendril.

Instantaneously she reacted; leaping back, the rest of her body turned to match her head as she not for an instant dared to tear her eyes from the unknown thing in front of her; her wings flared up well past her head, coming very close to scraping the ceiling above her in her skip; and most notably, the holos; the blue display screens of the room's holo maps began to fritz for a second before dissolving, and then reappearing, solid once again. Then, slowly, they began to course and flow, trickling like water to a point; the top of the holo map ebbed like receding water as pieces began to trickle to the sides like dripping water. Flowing away from their place, the holos moved independently, two streams of holo coursing from either side of the display, moving impossibly far from their source, and heading toward a point; Fauxwing.

Tall wings flared from her back, in a moment the once dreary room glowed like an alleyway to a city street, illuminated by the dim light of a half dozen neon signs. Surrounding Fauxwing's body were bright violet and magenta holo designs. These were not like her display earlier that day. The designs were each unique, creating an asymmetrical pattern around her body that frizzed and flashed, sparking into view one moment and disappearing the next; a chaotic display which matched the confusion in her voice as she hissed, shouting, "What is this!?" From either side of her, the two unconstrained streams of blue holo floated through the air like ghastly apparitions of water, encircling her before mingling with the pinkish hues of her body's own holos, her body now encircled with a mixture of the broken images; the holos of blue, violet, and magenta flowed together like water, bits disappearing and reappearing sporadically, flickering in a mad frenzy as Fauxwing stood on alert, attention trained on Thunderdrum's tendril.

[generalbri]

Internally, the mech enjoyed watching the reactions of his peers as they learned about how big he truly is. Showing a tendril was one way to start.

But Fauxwing's reaction was new. Most released weapons, others slapping the tendril away, but Fauxwing suddenly shifted the holograms in the room. He blinked, looking around as he watched the holos shift in ways he'd never seen before. He checked his systems to see if she was frying his holomaps, but nothing showed up. It was literally a light show morphing within the room.

He focused his attention back at Fauxwing, noticing her wings flare. He couldn't help chuckle, "Well, that's a little secret." The mech spoke at this time. The tendril's lens tip flickered, then the length wiggled and she could hear him from it. "And you don't give me a reason to trust you right now."

Thunderdrum stepped closer, putting his large claw on her shoulder and holding her still. "Command knows more than they let on. There's a reason why details were scarce. I need equal cooperation, or I'll find another mission."

[Corvid]

Dying down in activity once the initial shock had subsided, her holos became much tamer in appearance. Their patterns became more consistent, and the images were no longer as broken as before. The blues still swirled with her own holos' colors. When Thunderdrum placed a hand on her, she would have felt stiff. Rigid, still in anticipation of danger from the oddity before her, she nevertheless refrained from lashing out at the mech's touch. Gradually she willed herself to tear her eyes away from the hanging tendril, and returned them to Thunderdrum. Suspicious pink eyes stared Thunderdrum down, waiting through his repeated request for her resources. With a squint, they gave a hint of expectant curiosity behind her wariness of him and the situation she was in.

To relent control- to treat someone as her equal- it was unlike Fauxwing. It went against everything she stood for. Just the thought of it grated on her severely. Even so...

"Equal. All details. But if you think for a second that this means permission to operate completely autonomously, you're gravely mistaken. Now-"
"What is this?"

[generalbri]

Red optics looked back into hers, firm and unwavering. As if he'd done this before. But he released her shoulder, walking around her to stand by the tendril. "I will take your word. If I find out that you aren't good at this, well..." Thunderdrum shrugged, then he lifted the tendril with a digit. Fauxing would see the red lens flicker then turn purple. It stiffened slightly before relaxing and looking around, chirping questioningly.

"I call them tendrils. A cross between tentacles and feelers. Sentient, yet I can control them. The ship.. can control them."

He moved back to the hologram map, tapping on it. "Can I get my map back? If you want to learn more, we have much to discuss."

[Corvid]

Compromise accomplished, Fauxwing was first to back down the staring contest. Her body language changed as the tension in her frame seemed to leave her. She scoffed, unamused with the tendril.

"Quaint," she commented dryly. Walking around the room, examining the various consoles in search of the tendril's controls, "It doesn't work like that. Turn it off and on again," she answered absentmindedly By now she had begun causing the holos to fade out, the blue of the former map included.

Having failed to find the controls; "Do you operate them here, or from the command post?"

[generalbri]

Restarting the console fixed it, the map coming back up and showing now the ship and the hanger surrounding it. The map was showing a current view of their location, including anyone in the hanger. Some stopping by the ship before moving on.

"Neither."

He worked on the map more. Thunderdrum didn't plan to answer further about himself until she started talking to him. "What is one of the biggest troubles you are having right now with this colony?" Watching the map a little, he shrunk it down to show a more larger area around. It was only what he had been able to see when traveling that was shown. "Mm.. We might need to wait to discuss missions until I can get an up to date map."

Glancing to her, he smirked, "How about we discuss more over some high grade in the lounge? Or do you not know how to relax?"

[Corvid]

That one was easy.

"Purple Obsidian Outpost. It was recently attacked, assailants unknown." The only resistance the Decepticons had seen in some time. "I've sent two officers to investigate." The same two which she'd passed by on the landing platform. She presumed they'd report to her on their findings later.

Although she didn't seem particularly enthused about the drink (or his jab at her businesslike disposition), she nodded in agreement.

[generalbri]

Beckoning her to follow, they exited the room and started heading further down the hallway. "Mm, do let me know if I can help investigate. The tendrils can dig pretty deep. Plus.. if there's still energon there, I can excavate it. I am needing fuel, thankfully only half empty."

They walked for a bit again, turning down one hall and turning down another. Soon, the mech stopped in front of a door, wordlessly opening it.

Fauxwing would feel a strange sensation in her pedes, as if the floor had energy that was tickling her. Thunderdrum stepped in, making sure she followed. "A pitstop real quick, since you gave me more information." The door closed behind them and Fauxwing would feel the energy in the floor grow stronger slightly with each step further into the room.

In the center was a large purple Decepticon insignia. "Find yourself lucky. No other of your crew will ever get this opportunity." The mech grinned as the insignia split apart, starting to hide away under the floor plating. As it split, bright light suddenly started peering out between the cracks.

Once it finished opening, it revealed a massive super spark deep in the floor. It's electrical field brushing against Fauxwing's whole frame.

[Corvid]

She followed, waited, and watched.

As she entered the room, beneath her she felt something strange, yet somehow... familiar. It was something she'd felt before, she was certain. She just couldn't place what. And when they moved further in, the sensation intensified all around her. It was energizing. Retreating deep into the recesses of her mind, she searched for an explanation. Tried tying the sensation to an experience. A past memory, perhaps. But no such luck. It eluded her. Then, the Deceptibrand on the floor before her began to slowly part.

It came to her at once.

Awestruck, she stared, incapable of looking away at the spark before her. Easily dwarfing both Thunderdrum and her both, it was like no other she'd seen before. Too massive to fathom, her mind raced in a frenzy, desperately scouring the extent of her life's experiences in want of an explanation, only to find none. It was more than she'd ever considered possible.

When finally her concentration broke, her gaze fell once more onto Thunderdrum. Now a purveyor of secrets hitherto unfathomable, the look in her eyes had changed. No longer did she look at him with the same competitive, perhaps even spiteful arrogance she once held for her subordinate. Now, there was only wonder- even a measure of fear- at what this mech held in store for her.