Valuable Prisoners

Log Title: Valuable Prisoners Characters: Rartorata, Skalor, Snaptrap

Location: The Hatemaker

Date: May 12, 2017

TP: Seacons Arise TP

Summary: Rartorata visits Snaptrap in the brig of The Hatemaker.

As logged by Rartorata - Friday, May 12, 2017, 5:01 PM

The Hatemaker
An alarm goes off in The Hatemaker. It briefly indicates a hatch has been opened, but then is immediately silenced. A quiet buzzing noise is heard on one deck, and then another, as something dark moves through the ship. Finally all is quiet as a monstrous figure slithers into the brig. It is huge, deadly, and possesses multiple rows of teeth. By now Snaptrap should be familiar with its presence and its penchant for simply appearing without warning.

This time, however, Snaptrap has multiple methods of detecting the 'intruder' as he stands in the brig, facing a cell that is currently occupied. When Rartorata arrives, he nods briefly to the guest. "Welcome to the Hatemaker, cultist. I assume the situation has changed, or else you wouldn't be here." His voice is flat, completely emotionless, as per the usual. He turns away from the cell for the moment, needing to keep an eye on the monster more than the unconscious prisoner.

There's a sound of metal boots walking through some sort of viscous (and probably disgusting) fluid, seemingly dragging something along behind it. A black-headed seamonster comes skulking around the corner, growling to itself. It pauses as it spots the grotesquely misshapen creature standing in the brig... and after a moment, realizes it's not his reflection because it's talking to Snaptrap, and he hasn't said a word. His bulbous yellow optics blink in bewilderment.

The other monster pulls itself up to its full considerable height, its dorsal fin nearly touching the ceiling of the brig. A sickly green optics turns to look into the nearest cell while its mate stays locked onto Snaptrap. While one set of claws nearly drags on the deck, the other to picks something horrific out of its long yellow teeth. "Yess," it hisses. "It seems Cybertron is going through some sort of rebirth. No matter -- this new spring of life will end soon. Is this the sacrifice for which I asked?"

Snaptrap shakes his head. "No, this is another captive." He knows Skalor is near, thanks to tracking chips in the various Seacons, and he turns his head to his ally. "What is it, Skalor?" He then begins walking towards another cell, several doors down. "This is the one I acquired for you. Pathetic specimen, too easy a conquest. I'd wager even Nautilator could have done the job."

The visiting creature moves nearly soundlessly to the other cell, and gets very close to it. It leans as near as possible to the barrier keeping the Decepticon inside, and seems to inhale breath, as if smelling its prize even through the incarcerating forcefield. The monster then turns towards Snaptrap. It does something horrific with its face -- possibly intended as a smile -- and begins to literally buzz with excitement. "Yess," it hisses through its many teeth. "Thiss one is close enough in lineage to Megatronus to do. Care to witness the destruction of all life on Cybertron?" it offers gleefully.

Skalor leaves a trail of grease and noxious film on the deck behind him as he trudges toward the others. He growls, "Came down to check on the prisoners. Make sure they weren't dead." His lamprey jaws smack together, "Or had too much fuel in them..."

Snaptrap raises an optic ridge. "-I- am a life on Cybertron, as are my crew. I need your absolute assurance that the Seacons, the Seaclones and the Hatemaker, as well as our other special prisoner, will be exempted from this purge. I rather prefer to stay functional." He nods to Skalor. "These two are fine, but check the others." Evidently, there are more than just the two, though it's doubtful they are of any real importance.

Skalor's head bobs up and down at Skalor's words, turning toward the other cells, "I'll be they overate before they got here. I'll just go and... help them out." His tail swishes in anticipation as he trudges past Snaptrap and Raritoritator, leaving a wide swathe of ooze in his trail. If their guest isn't the observant type, he's liable to slip and die, and wouldn't that just be a shame?

The visiting monster waves a set of razor-sharp claws in a gesture of casual dismissal. "Of course," it hisses. "You, your crew, your prisoners, and alsso all that have sworn allegiance to Unicron will be sspared. I acknowledge that you, yourself, have made no such pledge, but you have shown yourself useful in other ways. You will get your promised rewards, and more. Now that I know you have done your part, I will complete the final preparations, and then summon you to bring the ssacrifice."

A button is pressed by Snaptrap, who quietly radios Nautilator to start following Skalor with a mop. He then nods to Rartorata. "Good." He looks to Skalor for a moment, considering the Seacon for a bit. "Skalor, you heard and saw -nothing-. Understand?" Then, back to Rahrahshishboombah. "And, just so we're clear, the promised reward was augmented power and a round-trip to the place where the Underbase can be found, correct?"

Skalor gurgles through his metallic gills, which briefly gush some kind of chemical, "Got it, boss." He glances back over his shoulder, "And survival. Don't forget survival." Before Snaptrap can remind him, he turns back on his determined path, waving a stubby, webbed forearm, "But I didn't hear nothin'!"

The visiting creature starts to melt towards the door, but stops in response to Snaptrap's question. "Who ssaid anything about round-trip?" it hisses, gesturing with its claws. "I will ssend you to the location of the Underbase. Once you sslay its current possessor and claim its power, surely a return will be simple business for you. The power to transcend universes will be yours... useful knowledge to be sure."

"I see." Snaptrap considers for a moment. There's many questions in his mind, and many secrets being kept by the Unicronian cultist, but those questions will be asked another time... and those secrets -will- be learned, again, another time. "Before you leave, I have one final request. It's a simple one. Your name. I prefer to know the name of those I do business with."

Skalor stops in front of the cells indicated by Snaptrap and spends some time scrutinizing the prisoners within. He mimics Rorator's gesture of sniffing at the barriers, growling, "Yeah... this one's got the most..." He reaches for the button, but his monstrous stature is just a bit lacking to reach. He grumbles, "Could use the secrets to transcend this button..." He steps a bit closer, sitting back on his tail, "This was not designed for the vertically challenged."

"Rartorata," the creature hisses. "I am called by many names, but Rartorata will do." It narrowblasts a databurst to Snaptrap. "This is a frequency at which I can be reached. I will contact you when I am ready. Have the ssacrifice prepared to move at once at my ssummons. I will have some leeway once the preparations are complete, but it's best not to wait too long lest we are discovered. At worst, your reward might be delayed..." It makes a hissing, buzzing, coughing-like retching sound.

"Got it. I will be ready when you are. But if this is all a trick, or a deception of some sort..." Snaptrap's optics narrow slightly, though his voice is still calm and cool. "Well, you get the picture. I sincerely hope, for your sake, that all goes as you claim it will."

Skalor pauses in his stretching, his monstrous head pivoting on the neck joint to regard the cultist. His jaws work for a moment as he tries to shape the syllables, "Rara-...tora...tora?" His optics then shift to Snaptrap, "Uh... Didn't hear nothin', boss!" He finally gives up on stretching and transforms, slapping the button with his gauntlet.

Rartorata hisses and makes that choking sound again. "As I've said, as long as you continue to be useful, you have no reason to fear me. It is in our mutual interest not to betray one another. It would be best for you to remember that as well." A buzzing noise emits from its body. "Have you any more questions before I depart?" He seems to take no notice of Skalor's antics, focusing his full attention on Snaptrap.

"You can trust me to continue to serve the best interests of myself and my crew. That is where my loyalties lie. I will not betray you, as long as the payout is worth our time. I have many more questions, but that will be all for now." Snaptrap thusly dismisses his guest and turns back to Skalor. "Correct, Skalor. You saw nothing, heard nothing... and know even less." It doesn't seem to be an insult, but more of an evaluation of Skalor's lack of knowledge of the situation. Ignorance, not stupidity, as the case were.

Rartorata bows deeply, in a mockery of respect. He rapidly clicks his teeth together before responding. "Very well. I will attend to what shall be needed and bother you no more until then." One of his optics flicks over towards Skalor, while the first remains on Snaptrap. Still bowed, Rartorata backs out of the room, and with a quiet buzzing sound is soon gone. He lets himself out of the ship, this time without setting off any alarms.