Discussion with Rupture

Log Title: Discussion with Rupture Characters: Harbinger, Orion, Rupture, Valour

Location: Repair Bay - First Floor - Trypticon

Date: February 27, 2002

Summary: The Decepticons discuss the sacrifice of Autobot double-agent Uplift.

As logged by Valour - Wednesday, February 27, 2002, 5:26 PM

==Repair Bay - First Floor - Trypticon= Valour is in the medical bay, checking on those still not recovered from the Assault on Autobot City.

Harbinger steps out from the back storage area, datapad in hand and frowning slightly. "More parts to requisition from all over the cosmos," he mutters quietly to himself. "I knew the state of affairs wasn't exactly favorable here in MedTech, but this is getting ridiculous."

Rupture is currently seated on his table, kicking his legs about

Valour makes his way to Rupture's table.

Rupture's head flips to see Valour, and he attempts a salute, wincing. "Sir..."

Valour says, "How's it coming along, Airman?" Valour stops before Rupture, sizing him up.

Rupture gives a slight wince, before looking up to Valour. "Fine, sir, fine... I havn't seen Uplift, sir... is he okay?"

Valour says, "I didn't see him when we pulled out... he may have cut and run. Or died in battle."

Harbinger sits down at a nearby terminal. "He's currently located someplace in Metroplex... the Autobots made a point of taking him back inside. He was still alive as of that point, at any rate. Kept radioing Ghost incessantly."

Valour looks up, surprised a bit at Harbinger's report, and a bit creeped out to hear his voice again.

Rupture jerkily attempts to stand up, leaning heavily against the table as one of his legs chooses that moment to freeze up. "What? We've gotta rescue him then!"

Valour frowns. "Stow that, Airman. If Lord Megatron feels he's a security risk, he has many agents he can send in to eliminate the threat."

Rupture rubs his head slightly, in a jerkily motion. "Security risk? He nicked the Bot's transformation cog... if anyone's going to ice him, it's going to be them! We can't just abandon him!"

Valour says, "He was never a true Decepticon. In time, his Autobot brainwashing would have made him a security risk anyway."

Rupture shakes his head at Valour, and attempts a few steps towards Valour, something which doesn't go successfully, so he sits down shakily onto the table again. "That... that's not true, sir... he's not brainwashed, I can vouch for that..."

Valour makes a face, obviously considering Rupture to be naive.

Rupture stares at Valour. "Sir... he gave up everything to join us... can we do less?"

Valour says, "His capture demonstrates his weakness and lack of resolve. Were he a true Decepticon, he would have fought to the death rather than risk capture."

Harbinger says "He let himself be lulled into a false sense of security by a femme, Rupture. How's that for demonstrating 'giving up everything', Rupture?"

Valour glances over at the recently-revived Decepticon.

Rupture says "Yes sir... and I know that he risked everything for us, and we repaid him by abandoning him when he needed us most..."

Valour says, "Sacrifice is necessary to achieve victory, Airman. We don't let mere sentimentality guard our actions. That is an Autobot weakness."

Rupture attempts to stand again, and straining against his newly-defining circuits, actually achieves this. "Yes sir, but needless sacrifices are even worse..."

Valour says, "Uplift was a pawn; nothing else."

Harbinger turns to regard Rupture. "The alternative, if I understood Lord Megatron correctly, was for him to personally disintegrate Uplift. He was a tool, nothing more, nothing less... and not a trustworthy tool, at that. Once a traitor to your cause, always a traitor... no matter the cause."

Valour's gaze flickers to Harbinger, his royal purple face unreadable.

Rupture gives another wince. "Well, you may consider him a pawn sir... but in war, we're all pawns. And I must have missed the part where he betrayed /us/, sirs. It seems that we just betrayed him..."

Valour returns his gaze to Rupture thoughtfully.

Rupture fixes his stares to Valour. "Well, am I right or am I right?"

Harbinger says "Given half a chance, and he would have. The right choice was made: he was left to deal with the consequences of his own actions... with his own kind. No sense in Megatron wasting further energy after disintegrating Spectre to disintegrate the Autobot fool as well."

Valour says, "You will cease expressions of concern for the Autobot traitor immediately."

Rupture stops talking, and instead nods to Valour. "Of course sir... oh, and one more thing... do you know who salvaged me from the battlefield? It seems I have a debt to pay..."

Valour turns to Harbinger. "Is there a record?"

Harbinger says "Ghost and Thorn recovered what was left of him... which was barely more than a few pieces of internal superstructure and the laser core itself."

Valour looks over the fully-reformed Rupture, impressed as always at MedTech's work.

Rupture gives another nod. "I'll send them a box of chocolates or something then..."

Valour frowns.

Rupture shrugs slowly. "Well, something for my appreciation, sir. Strange really, I didn't think Ghost liked me so much to salvage me in the heat of battle..."

Valour looks down at Rupture. "You are a Decepticon. We protect our own, not weak-willed Autobot traitors."

Rupture says "Yes sir, of course sir... just that it's got to take guts and cunning to single-handedly steal a transformation cog from a city, that's all. Not that I'm showing sympathy for Uplift, he deserved to be stabbed in the back by us for helping us..."

Valour's gaze narrows.

Rupture says "There a... problem with my assessment, sir?"

Valour says, "You will stow the insubordinative tone of your speech, Airman, or be facing questions from Intelligence about your own loyalty to the Empire."

Harbinger looks at Rupture, then at Valour. He pulls out a cylindrical object, depressing a button. An energy blade flares brilliantly to life as it reshapes itself into a scythe blade... a rather wicked-looking one, at that. "Oh, come now, Valour... that's no fun. I'm sure Soundwave is a bit too busy to deal with such mundane trivialities..." He looks back at Rupture, optics narrowing slightly. "I, on the other hand..."

Valour says, "...will not be touching one of my airmen outside the medical arena."

Rupture squints in Valour's direction, opening out his arms. "Sir... I meant no insubordination by my speech... just speaking the facts, though I would be glad to suppress them on your behest..." he pauses, then looks to Harbringer. "... and with all due respect sir, I'm sure that units are supposed to be fully recovered before being... damaged again..."

Harbinger hmphs. "This /is/ the medical arena, Valour. And if you aren't going to discipline your own airmen for speaking words that can be viewed as high treason by certain command members... I will. And then you can lodge whatever protests you wish."

Valour steps forward, maneuvering himself between Harbinger and Rupture. "I will choose how, when, and where I discipline my own troops, Harbinger."

Rupture shakes his head slowly. "I didn't express any opinions sir, simply facts... feel free to interpret them as you will..."

Valour mutters to Rupture, "I would learn to keep my vocaliser were I you, Airman." to Rupture.

Rupture mutters to Valour, "Actually, that might be a good idea, sir..."

Harbinger raises an optic ridge, the energy-scythe blade moving up slightly and angling towards Valour. "Then perhaps you might require a bit of Intelligence interrogation concerning your own loyalty... because I can make that happen in a Terran heart-beat. You will not tell me how I conduct myself... and especially not when you're speaking to an equal. I'm not the little corporal any more." o O (Starscream and Megatron and I are going to have a little talk about this...)

Valour says, "Your freshly-minted rank doesn't impress me, Harbinger. You spawned a traitor, and got your rank correcting your own mistakes. A rather dubious distinction, indeed."

Rupture resists the rather obvious temptation to facepalm at this new confrontation

Valour says, "You are not my equal, Harbinger, nor shall you ever be. Touch any of my troops at your peril."

Harbinger hmphs. "Unicron spawned a traitor. Trust me, the rank isn't something I expected. It's something Starscream and Megatron handed me because Scrapper and his ilk refuse to get the job done, and someone has to do it. Why they chose me, I don't know... but I do know this: continue your threats, and you'll be paying a personal visit to Soundwave for a few days, not to mention jeopardize the continued repairs of your idiot airmen."

Rupture decides to stay out of this argument. He doesn't want to be totally rebuilt /twice/ in a week. If only he could just slink off. Aaaaw

Valour says, "My threats only extend to you overstepping your new rank, Harbinger. Commander Starscream and I will deal with the need for discipline within the ranks of Aerospace. You stick to building your toys and fixing up the real warriors for battle."

Harbinger leans back. "The real warriors... how amusing... I suppose that means I no longer have to concern myself with spending valuable resources to piece your aft back together after you get trashed by the humans next time around. And as to rank... don't overstep your boundaries in an area where I have clear superiority over you. Stick to leading those idiot Seekers you call 'real warriors' into flaming fireballs as they crash into the ground because of your complete ineptitude, and don't tell your betters how they will perform their duty. Now, unless you have pressing business in here... you're dismissed." He turns around, tapping some commands into the computer.

Valour glowers, but not being the kind to continue infighting unnecessarily, he checks on Rupture (who seems to have passed back out), and checks the rest of his injured Seekers in silence.

Valour is checking on injured Decepticons, while Harby taps commands into his computer.

Orion pokes his head through the door of Medical Bay, peering around slowly to see who is in there.

Valour looks up as Orion pokes his head in.

Orion ers, and salutes a bit sloppilly, as he's at an awkward angle, "Quiet around here... where is everyone?"

Valour looks up, crimson optics burning. "Aerospace is on patrol." He straightens up, and strides from the room, pushing past Orion. He seems pissed about something, but it seems unrelated to the sentinel.