A Day's Work

Log Title: The Future of Harmonex Characters: Starlock, Soundwave, Crawler, Sunder, Scourge, and Blast Off Location: Harmonex - Northwestern Cybertron Date: November 20th, 2019. TP: Harmony of Harmonex TP Summary: Starlock goes to work in Harmonex, only for a group of curious Decepticons to come looking it.

As logged by  Starlock

A pile of rubble shivers and a couple small rocks fall away from the pile. The pile then rise up a few inches and then the stones fall away showing crawler coming out of a hole in the dirt. The pillbug starts to crawl out touching the rubbel with his antennae. Crawler soon finds a piece of scrap metal, "Oh crawler found something? Is it food? Is it a friend? Crawler does not know.

Starlock has once more returned to harmonex to do cleaning, she's been going back and forth a lot, due to the fights... But also just throwing herself into all the work due to her ebbing feeling of not being wanted... She'd vent and approach the shield once more, considering she'd left the other day, only for the iacon raid to happen.... She'd stop a moment and note the pill-bug bot, and tilted her helm.

Soundwave has returned to Harmonex after being off-planet for a while. Hes going through a datapad just outside the gate, maybe waiting patiently to see if anyone who can let him through is about today. He pauses when he sees the pillbug. "Greetings: Crawler. Have you been having a godo scavenge?" He asks, i his monotone voice. He figures that's why the Insecticon is there.

Crawlers antennae twitch at the sound of soundwaves voice those compound eyes look up not seeing much being so weak. He lets go of the metal and crawls over to sound waves touching him with the antennae before crawling up his leg, "Friend Soundwave Crawler found no new friends yet but Crawler happy to see friend Soundwave."

Starlock perks up hearing soundwave, and the fact he's outside the shield as well, and waves to him. "...Well, Looks like I came here at the right time." She'd muse as she went over to him. "..You're new." She'd say looking down at Crawler with a tilted helm. "Nice to meet you." Starlock was a bot, but she wasn't being aggressive.

Soundwave feels the antennae and reaches down to touch Crawler almost affectionately. "Confirmed. Soundwave enjoys presence of Crawler." he looks to Starlock "Good evening. Starlock: Guardian of Harmonex. Meet Crawler. Insecticon scavenger."

Crawlers crawler leans into the petting as those antennae touch the hand and forearm. When Starlock speaks the little bot acks and falls to the ground curling up into a ball, "Crawler sense stranger crawler hide. Crawler may be in danger."

Starlock chuckles at Crawler, and smiles. "It's okay I won't hurt you, not here." She'd smile, and looked up at Soundwave and nodded to him. "Hello, and Welcome back, seen you were gone for a while, I and others have done a lot of cleaning in your absence."

Soundwave pauses. "Starlock is safe." he says. "Crawler is a scavenger. He is not combat oriented." he explains, continuing to pet the critter in ball form to let him know its safe.

Crawler slowly uncurls from the ball, "Not hurt Clawler? Are you Cralwers friend?" Those antennae touch Starlocks foot and then leg, "Crawler is Crawler and you're Cralwers friend." Those compound eyes look up at the Autobot.

Starlock smiles at Crawler, she's a mini-bot, her purple paint has some texture from the small ganuals of glitter mixed into it. "Nice to meet you Crawler~ I'm Starlock, I'm a doctor, I'm also helping clean up and rebuild Harmonex." She'd nod, and glanced to Soundwave. "Are you two looking to go inside?"

Soundwave pauses. "We would need an Autobot. Are you on your way in?" He asks. "You know factions correct?" Primus no not another Harbinger.

Crawler is a small bot himself only standing seven feet tall. He tilts his and then scurries to the Sheild touching it with his antennae, "Crawler can get in?" He starts to dig and he talks to him, "dig dig dig dig" As he digs his little bug butt wiggles.

Soundwave pauses. "Negative. Starlock can let us in. Digging udner the shield may cause difficulties in commuication."

Starlock puffs her cheek in thought and knitted her ridges as she thought how to get them both in.. but it wasn't like he'd not done it /before/ so.. "Ah.." She'd look over as he starts digging and shakes her helm. "Just transform into your tape mode, if that's what it is, and ride in Soundwave's deck, can let him in, thus, you can also get in." She'd nod... That's how the other tapes got in, right?

Crawler stops digging and back out of the little hole he already gotten dug. He tilts his head at the two bigger bots, "tape?.... Yes Crawler has tape. Cralwer show! Crawler show!" you might get a hint that crawler not the brightest bot around. Crawler moves around in a circle like a dog chasing its tail. He picks up speed until he is just a blur, then starts to transform. It’s body unfolding and refolding into a new shape. This once Pill Bug folds into itself becoming smaller.

Soundwave pauses. "Good." he picks up the tape and holds it. "Now we can enter. Shoudl be easier this way." he looks to Starlock "Shall we?"

Starlock nods and offers her hand to Soundwave, once he takes it she'd lead them into, and passed the shield, and into Harmonex's outskirts.. the area was very much looking alot cleaner, broken crystals and other rubble sorted by material in piles, most the reusable stuff like the old crystals, or metal that can be smelted down, things that couldn't be or used for something else like concrete in another pile... course there was just a straight garbage pile.

Once inside Soundwave the little pillbug bot felt safe something it rarely feels outside.

Soundwave seems happier when the cassette is inside as well. "One of the newer cassettes" he admits, taking Starlock's hand. He follows her into Harmonex and then ejects Crawler. "There you are. Unless you'd rahter stay in."

Starlock smiles and takes a deep vent, and looks around at the work there, and... That smile fades, back to the tired, depressed and somber frown she'd been wearing of late, given it wasn't as heavy as before, she then started walking inward for the Cities center. "So how goes?" She'd ask the two.

Crawler pops out of Soundwave in tape form and lands on the ground for a long moment he stays in tape form then he transforms back into his pill bug form. He looks around antennaestart searching around, "Oh this is diffrent, It's cleaner, Crawler not sure if like. Less places to hide." Crawler form twists and folds as it makes the classic transformer sound. Soon Crawler is a little metal Pill Bug.

Soundwave pauses. "Was doing some work on Earth. Now I return." He nods. "Also more things to check for in abandoned buildings. Sure to find all sorts of abandoned things underground."

Crawler looks ar Starlock his antennaes twitch, "Crawler is good Crawler dug big tunnel got to cold area at bottom of the big dirt thing. Crawler made new friend but new friend no come with Crawler."

Starlock raises a ridge at that, and looks to Soundwave and then back and shook her helm. "Been cleaning I uh... also have some building designs made." she would admit.

Soundwave tilts his head "Indeed. What designs do you have?" he asks, keeping an optic on Crawler. "Be careful who you make friends with."

Crawler skitters over to one of the piles of the crystles. He finds a shard of crystle smaller then him and starts drag it away, "You will be Crawlers new friend. Crawler will find a good spot for you."

Soundwave pauses. "Good. Are the crystals active?" he asks.

Starlock nods and brings out her sketchbook, to first show something of dome with a park of some sorts in it's center? It's clearly designated for the center of Harmonex.

Crawler continues to drag the shard along unless someone stops him. Once in the clearing he starts to dig as he starts to talk to himself again, "dig dig dig dig

Soundwave watches Crawler work "Why are you burying that?" he asks.

Crawler stops and looks in the direction of Sounwave, "Crawler make tunnel. Attach to other tunnels. Crawler make his new friend a place and add this place as part of Crawler home."

Soundwave looks to the sketchbook "What resources will you need for the rebuild? Perhaps tunnels will be part of this as well." he considers.

Crawler nods, "yes tunnels are good. Tunnels keep Crawler safe." He starts to digging again, "dig dig dig"

Soundwave pauses. "Check to make sure nothing collapses. The area is ancient and may not be secure."

Crawler pauses and looks up at soundwave, "Collapses? No Collapses Crawler makes good tunnels." He then goes back to digging, "dig dig dig." He soon vainishes under ground. Soundwave nods "Excellent. Keep Soundwave informed." he says as he wanders into the city to get more scans.

"Some sort of.. Glass, metals.. " She'd look to the broken crystals. "...Maybe some grass seeds and soil from earth to help it... sprinkler system, least for this." She'd muse, watching Crawler. "Was also recently speaking about Tunnels to another another project."

The Sweep Leader enters the area, noting what's going on and nods at the others. "Greetings. What have you discovered?"

In only a minute or two before the ground budges up near Starlocks feet and Crawler peeks his head and antennae. He feels Starlocks lead and looks up at her, "Crawler can make tunnels good. Crawler makes making tunnels!"

Starlock smiles at Crawler and kneels down, patting him with a chuckle. "THats good~ should make all kinds of good tunnels." She'd grin, her finials twitch at the new voice and looks around spotting the Sweeps, the Autobot medic stares a moment and smiles. "Hello, don't think I've met ya'."

Scourge grins at the Autobots on the other side of the shield. "I am Scourge. And I don't believe I've met you, either," he says, tapping the shield tentatively with a talon to test it. "This is my second-in-command, Sunder," he adds, pointing to the Sweep standing next to him. Sunder likewise grins at the Autobots. He takes notice of Crawler. "Now that's not something you see every day," he remarks, seeing the little mecha-pillbug digdigdig and pop up. "How handy."

Crawlers makes a happy little half chirp half purr sound when you pet him. His antennae twitch and point in the direction of the new voices, "ack danger. Crawler hides." He ducks his head underground again and in his new tunnel curls up into a ball, "No one can find crawler now. Crawler is so smart."

Starlock nods and gives a polite half-bow. "I'm Starlock of Harmonex." She'd glance down at Crawler. "This is Crawler, one of Soundwave's tapes." She'd nod, watching the two, slightly nervously... This was a neutral zone after all, and the shield kept people from fight, right? so.. Things should be fine, she watches the two.

"...Errm, Probably heard /that/ name already." She'd smile awkwardly, nothing like shooting Megatron off the roof to make a name... She'd giggle a little at Crawler.

"Oh, interesting," Scourge says, "Didn't know Soundwave had yet another tape yet. He tilts his head, gazing at the pair. The shield bounces his talon off as he taps it, so he just stands there watching what's going on within the other side. "So what are you both doing?"

Sunder takes a cue from the robo pillbug and starts digging with his talons near the edge of the shield. If a little mecha cassette bug can do it, why not him?

Starlock watches with some amusement, knowing the shield generators are under ground. "Cleaning up this place, what about you? What are you wanting to do here?" She'd ask with a tilt of her helm as she approached the shield.

Crawlers hears scrapping of claws on dirt with those antennae and uncurls and pops back out of the hole, "threat found Crawler! Crawler must hide better." He skitters behind Starlock and curls up in a ball again, "Better hiding spot for Crawler Big Friend will protect Crawler." "Patrolling," Scourge says, "Making sure everything is as it should be." He chuckles at the pillbug. "If you're truly one of Soundwave's creations, Crawler, you'll know Sunder is no threat to you. Nor am I."

Sunder digs anyway, because he's bored. Even if the shield generators are underground, he'd still like to test just how far it goes.

Starlock smiles at the pillbug and shakes her helm, but she will if she must~ She'd look back at the other two and raised a ridge. "...I can let you in ya know, long as you're not going to destroy anything, or wanna help clean up." She'd nod to them.

Sunder looks affronted. "Just because we're called "Sweeps", you think we're the clean-up crew?" he says with mild disdain.

Starlock quirks a ridge, the little spacer looks confused. "...What's a 'sweeps'?" She'd ask, genuinely confused. "Sounds like a type of bot like a spacer but I have.. no context as to what that is." She'd nod. "...I've been in space for a good number of millions of years, so gotta' pardon me if I've missed something."

Crawlers uncurls at hearing Sheilds, "Yes Crawler forgot strong sheild protect crawler. Crawler does not have to scare." He skitters over to the sheild and taps it with his antennae, "Crawler safe."

"We are elite hunters," Scourge says, "Creations of Unicron, but we serve him no longer. I suppose he named us 'Sweeps' because we can sweep up prey rapidly before they have a chance to react."

"You were safe anyway," Sunder says, "I have no intention of attacking a fellow Decepticon."

Starlock crosses her arms and looks thoughtful. "..I guess?" She'd say with a shrug and frowns of not attacking another Decpeticon, and tilted her helm. "And me...?" She'd ask carefully.

"You're safe for now," Scourge says, "We are, after all, in a Neutral area. You have nothing to fear for the time being."

Crawlers looks at Scourge, "oh are you Crawlers friend? Crawler is so lucky to have made so many friends today." Crawler antennae feel the shield looks at the two con on the other side, "All safe here, Crawler safe here."

Starlock hems, she's not sure to trust these two... She'd look back to the young, singing crystals that where regrowing and back to the two Decepticon sweeps. "Just here to see the sights then?" She'd ask innocently.

"Yes, that's correct," Scourge replies, "There are no threats here."

Meanwhile, Sunder has become entranced by the singing crystals. Being of enhanced senses, the Sweep Lieutenant starts to listen to it. "Very interesting sound," he says.

Starlock glanced back at the crystals, and then to the two, and clicked her jaw. "Well, We're currently in the process of cleaning up, and getting things set up, so can't let just anyone in at the moment, Soundwave's cassettes are... here because Soundwave is in here." Yeaah were Soundwave goes his cassettes go, that also reveals Soundwave is helping her... She's testing waters alright.

Crawlers nods, "yes there is a pretty sound here. It makes Crawlers antennae twitch in a good way."

"Yes, quite pleasant," Sunder agrees with the little pillbug. He stops digging, having grown disinterested in doing so. So, he sits and watches.

"Oh, well then," Scourge says, when he hears that Soundwave is allowing this femme to help him, "Carry on, then." He goes to patrol the edge of the forcefield, to see if anything is amiss.

Starlock lets out a vent of relife, thats was a pair of bullets dodge! ....She thinks, and puffs her cheeks watching the two... No need to let them know Soundwave is the one helping her... She looks down at Crawler. "...Well, if they don't wanna help, guess its you me for a bit, aye Rolly-polly?"

Sunder just lies down, half-napping, half watching the pillbug and the femme.

Crawlers turns and looks at Starlock those little antennae, "Crawler is Crawler not Rolly-polly. Silly friend not understanding names." He skitters over to her and rubs up against her legs with it's black metal shell.

Starlock chuckles and kneels down, patting the pillbug tape, before going to start cleaning away more of the rubble in the area, though she was clearly struggling with some of the bigger junk... Sunder and Scourge where probably getting an amusing show of Starlock using her legs to push heavy stuff around, or using her flying alt-mode to carry a bunch of small things to piles... That or just filming high onto some the larger broken crystals that were still in the ground.

Crawlers is "helping" more like getting in the way. A few times Starlock would find him pushing rocks and other stuff back into the places you just took it from. Other times he steals crystles shards and hide them underground, When you push larger stuff scaring him making him roll up almost getting crush a few times, and finally he always climbs into your alt mode taken up space. He seems to be having fun.

Sunder is reasonably entertained by the antics of Crawler, and he chuckles as he watches the little pillbug operate.

Starlock just watches Crawler, she really can't be mad at him, that's like getting mad at a puppy for being a puppy! ....Besides it's hard to be mad at something so cute. She'd couldn't help but grin. "You are a little trouble maker." She'd cuckle as she sat down one of the larger crystals, and sighed out, looking at the old ruins of the large city. "...Have such a long way to go."

Crawlers tilts his head when you call him and little trouble maker and then just rubs against your legs. When you sit down he Skitters over to Starlock and climbs up her leg to her lap, "Your Crawlers friend."

Scourge returns from patrolling the edge of the forcefield, and grins as he watches the pillbug interact with Starlock.

Starlock chuckles as she pets Crawler. "Yes, yes I am~ hopefully nothing will get in the way of that, are very sweet." She'd smile, and pulled out her sketchbook, and started sketching the three cons on one on of her open, blank sketchbook pages, and labels them with their names.

Crawlers looks confuse as you sketch him but holds still for you so you get all the details.

Starlock smiles and finishes his fawning and turns it around to show him. "Ta-dah~" she chuckles.

Crawlers tilts his head and moves closer to the pad feeling it with antennae, "Oh." He takes the pad in his mouth and starts to Skitter to the same hole he put the shards in.

Starlock yelps and goes after him. "Wait No! I need that! that's /really really important to me!" He looks to actually be panicking. "Please can I have that back?"

Crawlers tilts his head looking at Starlock his antennae twitching and then he comes over and drop the pad at your feet. It's still in good shape but two of the corners have been nibbled on, "Crawler thought it was food." Sunder chuckles as the pillbug suddenly makes a little bit of mischief. "Can you actually eat metal, Crawler?"

Despite the nibbles, she's relieved picking it up, and this is why she digitally saved all of her drawings. "Eheh.. Nono.. I draw in it, make art.. Pictures." She'd nod.. Some of those pictures inside this one are very important to her... She then gave pause at that, a little interested herself. "Do you have that sort of specialized system?"

Crawlers tilts his head, "Crawler does not know. What's metal?" He then feels the pad again with his antennae, "what is drawing?" "Metal is what you're made of, Crawler. Also what that padd is made of," Sunder points out.

Scourge takes a seat near Sunder and peers through the forcefield. "Imagine not knowing what metal is," he says, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Starlock looked around a moment, slipping her datapad into her subspace, she'd transform temporarily into her shuttlemode and got herself up onto one of the metal piles she'd been making with others while cleaning up the area, and finds the best sample she can, and goes back down and transforms back to her bot mode and brings it over. "This stuff, we're made of it." She'd smile at Crawler.

Crawlers moves the the scap metal and feels it with his antennae. He tilts his head, "Crawler made of this?" Crawler moves closer and with his little powerful jaws nibbles at the metal. He bites right through it and then continues to eat, "Crawler like this!"

"Just don't nibble on us, OK?" Sunder says to the little pill bug.

Blast Off has finally been repaired from the unfortunate ...er, event at Iacon that nearly offlined him. He's not up for heavy duty combat yet, so he's taken a patrol for now, taking him over Harmonex. Hmm. Blast Off is a mech who values sophisticated things and culture and he hasn't been here awhile, so he lowers altitude to get a look at the city. He notices Scourge and Sunder outside the shield and... wait, isn't that that shuttle he saw in Iacon earlier? Now he definitely has to take a look. The shuttle flies towards the Sweeps before transforming and stopping near them to look in. "Curious."

Starlock just blinks and knits her ridges... Oookay, don't let soundwave know about that. She'd sigh and shook her helm. "Don't eat Random metal you find, okay?" She'd say to the little decepticon tape.

She then looked over as the big brown shuttle comes into the area, her finials twitching upward, she looks over and.. Oh hey one the guys shooting at her the other day.. She looks guarded behind the shield but she doesn't seem hostile. "...This place does kinda attract that kind of attention huh?" She'd chuckle.

There has been a lot of cleaning going on, stuff moved into dedicated piles... Oh yes and the singing crystals are growing a new.

Crawlers eats the metal then looks at Sunder, "Eat you? No Crawler no hunt, Crawler picks at thoses that don't move." Soon the metal is gone and then there is a loud grinding sound from inside the little bot and out the other end comes a compact cube of metal. He tilts his head seems the little bot works like a compactor, "why not tell Soundwave? Who is Soundwave?" Scourge nods at Blast Off when the Combaticon arrives. "Greetings, Blast Off," he says, "Patrolling seems to draw us all into one place, it would appear."

"You better not nibble us in our recharge naps either," Sunder says, watching in fascination as the little pillbug compacts metal. "Maybe your nibbling can be useful for tidying up fragments of scrap."

Blast Off looks down at the other shuttle, studying her a moment but soon turning attention away before it might get awkward. He clasps hands behind himself as he looks down in the bubble, seeing the sights. And... the bug. Hmm. Glancing to Scourge, he nods a greeting in return. "Looks like there's still some of this city left, hmm?" He thumbs to the shield. "What's this?" Hey, he's been out on a deep space mission until recently!

Starlock watches him, her finials twitching, the purple optic triple-changer is guarded, and rubs at her helm. "Was a ah, shield set up to protect the regrowing singing crystals, dominicons got control of it, and everything's kinda been wonky." She'd explain simply.

She'd then looked at Crawler and blinked. "Soundwave is the bot you came in with." She'd point out, as she pointed at Crawler.

Crawlers tilts his head, "you mean home friend? Once again friend has issues with proper names of friends again." He moves clsoer to Starlock, "it's okay Friend I like you anyway." Seems he has not notice Blast Off yet.

Eventually, Blast Off turns back to watch Starlock and Crawler. He states loudly enough that the others can probably hear him, "An Autobot and Decepticon just standing around and talking? I must've been gone from Cybertron longer than I thought..."

"It's something to do with the fact it's neutral ground and something about those crystals," Scourge explains, "For some reason Soundwave is assisting in the regrowing of the singing crystals."

Starlock chuckles at Crawler. "Yes, home friend." she'd nod... Then looked at blast Off flatly, the medic doesn't look impressed. "...Yep, this shield prevents fighting, and there is a way in, and it involves a bot and con cooperating." She'd explain. "...Sides Crawlers a non-combatant, i'm not gonna hurt him." She'd pout, and closed her optics, crossing her arms. Starlock opened an optic. "I'm Starlock, Starlock of Harmonex." The old femme introduces.

Crawlers finally notice that Blast Off is here. He acks and skitters to the nearest one of his holes, "Cralwer is danger! Crawler needs to hide." Once in his hole he curls up into a ball, "Crawler is hiding, Crawler is safe now. No one can find crawler, heh."

"Well, that makes sense," retorts the Combaticon. "Soundwave is a master of audio- of music. If those really *sing* then it makes perfect sense!" He looks back down at Starlock and Crawler. He looks like someone who is very practiced at looking down his nose at others. "How odd. What is this, the work of some war-hating softspark?" He huffs softly to himself, shaking his head like peace and cooperation seem silly to him. So, so silly! Totally. "Well, I suppose everyone must take a break from time to time." He tilts his head as Crawler scurries out of sight. "I know where you are, you know, Insecticon. You'd hardly be safe if I decided to orbital bombard you." He crosses his arms, going back to studying Starlock.

Starlock quirks a ridge at Blast Off. "Rude." She'd say simply in response to what he tells Crawler and puts her hands on her hip platting, which are actually thrusters.

The faint different notes of music from the harmonizing crystals could be heard through the shields, but they are muffled.... But they could be heard, /that/ is what mattered. "And yes, Soundwave is.. Rather protective, of this place, and I'm okay with that, being a native harmonexian myself."

Crawlers eeps, "Crawler discovered! Crawler needs better hiding place." He pops out his hole and skitters behind Starlock and curls into a ball, "Little Friend will protect me."

'To be continued... '