Ratbat

The name or term Ratbat refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ratbat (disambiguation).

• Name: Ratbat
• Faction: Decepticon
• Species: Transformer
• Function: FUEL SCOUT
• Division: Intelligence
• Sub-Group: ConTapes
• Type: FC

“

The road is my dinner plate.

”

Ratbat's thirsty. But, then again, Ratbat's always thirsty . . . .

Ratbat has no friends, only business partners. His sole allegiance is to himself. The other Decepticons are aware of this, but cooperate with and tolerate Ratbat because of his vital and unique talent for locating fuel resources. So much do they value his services that they are willing to overlook his behavioral extremes. Ratbat prefers to refuel himself by plunging his mecha-fangs into the grime-free gas lines of brand-new cars; the better made the car, the better its gas tastes to him. This usually destroys the cars. Although many of the other Decepticons find this practice wasteful and disgusting, they are more than willing to help Ratbat indulge in his horrible habit by procuring cars for him. Besides, they know if Ratbat can't satisfy his fuel lust in that way, he might select one of them. And, given his importance, they are likely to let him.

I'd say something but, without a console to be loaded into . . .

In his bat mode, Ratbat's wings act as chemical sensors that enable him to locate and distinguish between fuels. They are able to detect the slightest trace of a fuel - their sensitivity records molecular concentrations as low as one part per quadrillion in the air. Within his mouth are retractable mecha-fangs that can puncture all but the strongest materials. He uses them to refuel himself. Micro-chemical processors within the fangs convert most fossil and alcohol-based fuels into a form he can metabolize. As a bat, he can assume the size of a normal bat with about a one-foot wingspan, or a larger version with a ten-foot wingspan. In either size, he has a maximum speed of 65 mph and a range of 200 miles. He is extremely maneuverable.

Ratbat's wings are his most vulnerable part. They offer little resistance to artillery fire.

History

Canonical/Pre-MUX/Theme History:

Ratbat was an independent operative on Cybertron who joined Soundwave during the Great War and was rebuilt by him to become a Con-Tape. During the Lost Years Ratbat served as Governor of Polyhex after Straxus's death, but as energy reserves continued to dwindle, Ratbat turning the leadership position over to Valour to focus in finding new fuel sources for the Decepticons.

Ratbat

In 1986 Ratbat joined Soundwave on Earth to help manage the fantastic new energy resources available on the organic planet.

MUX History:

Ratbat remains one of Soundwave's Intelligence operatives. In 2013 his offices in Polyhex were destroyed with the rest of the city by Hubcap and the Trans-Organics.

Logs/Posts

2016

• October 16 - "Den of Smugglers" - A group of neutrals tries to escape the doomed planet Cybertron.

Oct 17 - Incident report

A voice recording clicks on, audio only and Ratbat records...

Lord Megatron. Another incidence of attempted escapees was thwarted by the diligent efforts of Scourge and the Sweeps. I was present and identified the fuel store that one of those attempting to assist the fugitives had secreted as part of a pre planned cunning ruse...

The recording continues to run but there is an awkward, embarrassed silence. As there may be a lack of accuracy to his last statement...

...however, I feel there may be a more efficient way for keeping these types from so much as daring to flout that which should be so self evident. Thus, I request an audience with you mighty Megatron to see if my suggestion is of any merit. Please let me know at your at your earliest convenience my lord.

The recording ends.

November 10 - "Nightmare TP Finale"

Starscream uses Valour as bait to try to lure the dream entity known as Nemro into a trap.

2020

Oct 21 - The Auditor's Notepad: 1

"Good evening all, Fuel Auditor Ratbat here, F.A. Ratbat for short."

"I've decided to start up an opinion-based podcast, to provoke civil concourse between the masses, and ask questions worth asking. Tonight's subject is that of organic life forms."

"Organic Life is an oddity that most of us haven't seen in the initial course of our lives. After the Great Exodus of (The Great Diplomat) Dai Atlas, a hundred million lives were thrust out into the stars, exposing themselves to lives beyond their ken. In the millions of astroyears since the initial discovery, there is still a stigma about organic life, whether it "counts" such as it is. I suppose the only way to really assess the situation is to examine what one dictates the principles of life. Sapience is clearly visible in a great deal of organic life, for we've seen their culture broadcast throughout the universe. What sort of justification is there that organic life isn't sapient, if it has culture, has art and music, even in its infancy."

"Art decorates space, and music decorates time. These words of Vococent the Maestro Prima are heralded in life forms a hundred thousand years past, ones who haven't even heard his work. This leads me to my first musing of the galaxy."

"Some things are so inherent, so true, that they have never needed to be taught, they have just needed to be understood."

"And with that, I leave you to your day."

Nov 03 - The Auditor's Notepad: 2

"F.A. Ratbat here. Today, our topic is hierarchy. Something very dear and near to my spark. The social structure in which privilege and responsibility go hand in hand, and is seen throughout hundreds of sapient species in the galaxy. So how is a leader chosen? Is the line of rule based on succession, or does fate's fickle hand play a role? Birthright or Destiny? Are they chosen for their wit, their intelligence..." His head lowers, his eyes glow red, "His fury and aggression?" Ratbat's eyes cease glowing. "The hierarchy demands certain traits to be presented, at least until societal upheaval. Interesting to note that society tends to be a 'self-healing' structure. When a society demands peace, upheaval only ceases when their leaders follow that mantra. Of course though, I can hear you lament, 'F.A. Ratbat, what of warlord leaders that rule over societies that wish for peace, but cannot achieve it?'"

"To that, I reply....You haven't achieved enough fury and aggression yet." There's a snicker of delight.

"And with that, I leave you to your day."

Nov 26 - The Auditor's Notepad: 3

F.A. Ratbat here.

With the Petrolidays upon us, I wanted to examine the concept of these days at their fundamental roots. What is a Holiday for? Sure you may not have to do drills that day, or you receive extra rations. Perhaps, that stay of execution you've wanted." Ratbat chuckles to himself. "But why do we have days to celebrate?"

Ratbat folds his spindly hands together, "The answer is that it propagates the culture that the leadership is promoting. The Autobot forces do not celebrate 'The Day of Ten Thousand Blades', no they view it as a tragic time of somber remembrance, and vigilance...for all the good THAT does them, but I digress. The concept of a reward being attached to a specific day promotes culture on a very base level. Certainly, morale is increased as well, always highly-sought in the market."

"Now, this does not necessarily mean that 'you are being deceived', but I feel the nature of rewards should always be examined. Examine all the good days you'd like, especially since the worst day may be when you're before a firing squad."

There's another snicker from F.A. Ratbat.

"And with that, I leave you to your day."

2021

Jan 14 - The Auditor's Notepad: 4

F.A. Ratbat here again. Today's topic is 'scarcity'.

As all Cybertronians know, a lack of resources lead people into dangerous and dire straits. Even the much publicized Terrans deal with these sorts of issues. Currently, energon itself is not as much an issue, but the topic of scarcity has always been of great interest to me. The question at hand is: Who is most deserving of resources during a scarcity? If energon is needed to produce new pumping equipment in hopes of ending the scarcity, is that more important than those who will surely die without meager rations? To what do we owe our choices, to the present or the future? Perhaps that energon's needed to keep a weapon loaded to stop the desperate from throwing themselves forward. Perhaps that energon's needed to leave the planet. Is feeding the weak surely the best use of a ration? They'll be hungry again tomorrow after all. What leads you to greatness? Tending to the least of us? Or ensuring that this scarcity never comes about again?

You Autobots speak of willpower, of the strength to protect. So feed your poor then, you know where all your energon goes. Every. Day.

"The lesson here is that your choices can lead you to a yoke in which you cannot escape."

"And with that, I leave you to your day."

Feb 02 - The Auditor's Notepad: 5

NOW PLAYING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZY5xYzfsyI

The scene is set as a fashionable office, complete with roaring plasma fire, and a highbacked chair. The camera shows an expensive bottle of enerwine next to a glass. The bottle pours a respectable splash into the glass, and a clawed hand picks it up. The camera shifts, showing a mechanical bat behind the desk. Ratbat.

"Welcome back to The Auditor's Notepad....here from my office, I thought it would be fitting to discuss today's topic." He rolls around the enerwine in his glass for a moment, then takes a light sip of the drink. His claw picks up an already lit cygar on the other side of the desk, "Because today's topic is Surplus."

"As with scarcity, there's many of the same concerns as to where it all goes. Because with a surplus, you draw attention. There will always be those..." He draws up the cygar and enjoys a puff of it, "who want what you have. I know that for a fact." With a chuckle he adds, "Usually it's me finding such secret caches. So what DO you do with a surplus, hmm? When you have a surplus, you require added security and storage to keep it. Assuming that overhead doesn't kill your actual turbobull market, you've got choices ahead of you. Do you shore up the bulkheads of your land? Venture forward into new and exciting projects? Or maybe you finally pay off your debts and your people's to raise morale." Ratbat sets down the cygar, and folds his little hands together, "Food for the masses is not a new use of surplus, but it is an effective and time-honored one. The canny supervisor knows that surplus used properly ensures loyalty far better than executions and crackdowns could ever manage. If you take a mech, point him to what lies over the wall, at the land of ruin or of savagery, and remind him of what he's got here. Well...self-preservation is a powerful motivator."

Ratbat takes another drink of his enerwine, "Ahhh. Now, you've secured your troops, you've secured your walls. What next? Where does your surplus go? This is a question that rulers have had since the golden age. The answers are almost always the same: You go forth. Even if its peaceable, you go forth. You explore the world or the galaxy. Because at this point, Glory is what you're projecting. To tame distant lands, to spread your words to the universe. Statues, music, new cities, arts...." He pauses, to add the next word, "Culture. To project your culture into the galactic system is the truest test of glory. Superprojects, explorers, statues, all of which demand the same thing. A steady foundation. Keep that in mind as you ponder your surplus."

Ratbat laughs, a hint of wickedness in his tone. "And with that, I leave you to your day."

Apr 09 - The Auditor's Notepad: 6

A familiar song plays...

NOW PLAYING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZY5xYzfsyI

The scene returns to Ratbat's office. The bat creature has a pair of reading spectacles on as he peruses datafiles, and signs off on two of them before muttering, "There's always something out there that'll bite you in the aftplate..." He looks to the camera and sets his data aside out of view, "Often, that thing is me." There's a soft chortle from the tape. "Today's topic is about Accountability."

"We're at war still, I'm sure you've heard that news. Most of you all were probably forged during it nowadays. Anyway, being at war. You always hear the quote 'Failure is not an option'. Oh but indeed it is." He chuckles again, "You also hear such things as...'Fool, you have failed me for the last time.' Now THAT usually is uttered with such finality that barring a miracle, you're bound for a grave marker. I've been witness to more than one cannoning in my day. Some deserved, some.." He pauses, takes his glasses off, and taps them to his maw. "Well, some seemed more gratuitous, but I don't wear the cannon. So whom am I to judge. So what can we see about accountability? From these two sides we see a scale of Success to Failure. Its simple enough, but where does one draw the line at destruction or in a more lackadaisical way, a 'firing'?"

Ratbat opens up his enerpez dispenser, it has Lugnut's face on it, then eats several candies at once. "Failure is cushioned by two things. Potential and your Record. If a leader values your skillset and sees your failure as a lesson learned, they're much more likely to let you attempt again. A wise leader always looks to failure as a learning opportunity. If the leader deigns you as being capable, as having potential, you'll probably skirt through punishment. If the leader considers you a fool, and your physical merits don't outweigh your mental merits...well, I'm afraid its the cannon for you. The same with your record. The record is the history of your potential. Past and Future. Have you served well in the past? Do you have a history of making poor life decisions? These are strong arguments to consider when judging your lessers. Together they form a broad picture of your character, and your accountability."

"Then there are those of us that survive by being a pain to most everyone." Ratbat laughs, his wings flapping a little. "And with that, I leave you to your day."

---

• 6-4 - "Ratbat Vs Ghost" - Now he's wanting what from Ghost?

Aug 23 - The Auditor's Notepad: 7

That familiar music starts playing...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZY5xYzfsyI

F.A. Ratbat sets his visual with two very large tanks of Energon in the background. He hangs from the pipes above this time, and flourishes his wings a little. "An Auditor's work is never done. Vast reservoirs of energon need meticulous evaluation to ensure that every drop goes to a worthwhile task at hand. It is a task I am most accustomed with. Which brings me to today's topic. Underlings."

Ratbat gestures around him below where a mosaic'd view below shows...something? He laughs lightly, "Ah of course I can't show you exactly what sorts of minions are around me, nor what they are doing. That, as they say, would be telling." He waves a single claw in a 'no you don't' motion. " But needless to say, there's plenty of minions out there in the world. And when you're the ruler of...oh, say, a vast Empire, you can't affect the day to day management of said Empire by means other than policy. Why, its simply too large an area to micromanage. So what does a despot do? Why, he has his own underlings to oversee such things. They provide oversight and focus into a department, and field questions and give orders to match with policy. Now. What is important here is how to choose an underling. The way I see it, the two main traits to weigh in on for such a role are Ambition and Loyalty.

"Some servitors have little ambition, they prefer to follow orders, do a good job, and seek the occasional praise for a job well done." Ratbat's flat delivery of the line suggests what he thinks of it. "Sure, they may perform admirably, but all things need to be challenged to grow, to evolve. You need underlings with ambition, even if they seek to depose you. This is a hallmark of a thriving business model. It forces them to work hard, and forces you to work harder. Neither party ever letting up on their schemes and scams."

"Now, I hear you saying, isn't loyalty counterproductive to ambition? It is, so there's a balance to be found. Someone too high in ambition but not enough in loyalty may choose to dispose of their superior by... oh, poisoning their morning energon, or blowing up their shuttle. Well, these sorts of things just don't do in the great Empire." He takes a drink of a quarter-cube of Energon, his eyes towards the camera. "Cunning must be tempered with brawn and strength. As such, ambition is tempered with loyalty. To have the goal of defeating your superior, quote the right way, unquote, in open combat usually. Anything else gives an appearance of weakness, and NOT of a rightful claim to..." Ratbat pauses, and coughs. His claws go to his throat as he drops his quarter cube. He pauses...then smiles at the camera. " Oh worry not, MY subordinates are far more leaning towards loyalty than ambition. I'm no fool." He laughs to the sky, "Skree skree skree!" His wings furl up around him, "And with that, I leave you to your day."

Oct 11 - The Auditor's Notepad: 8

There's that music again...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZY5xYzfsyI

F.A. Ratbat hums to himself, his back to the camera as he sits upside down off of a balcony, showing a city view beneath him. "Ah look at it. Kalis in all its humble splendor. Not as sophisticated as Tarn, or as fortified as Polyhex in its prime, but it's been a good city. Do you hear it?" He turns to face the camera, then beckons it further up towards him. A taloned wing gestures towards the city, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that is what we're here to talk about today. The Cessation of Hostilities. Cease Fires, both official and unofficial. Cease fires are as much a strategy as anything." He turns back to the camera and gestures, "Let's say that you and I are playing a game. You move all your pieces over to the right spots, and..oh no, you've launched a lighting fast assault on me. Pieces go everywhere, point numbers change, it's a tragedy!" He reaffirms himself and continues, "And then I come back and crush you back, punish you, and wound your side significantly. Then...it stops. So what's a player to do? Rebuild, of course! You'll show me yet, won't you? Why this time you'll get me for sure." Ratbat manages a flat look, "That'll teach me. Regardless though, the game is still being played. Forces still move, soft power comes more into play. Altercations still happen. People that overextend themselves look to fortify, Intelligence, Primus forgive, never stopped their war in the shadows." He says succinctly, "It's. Still. The. Game."

There's the sound of a flare, as Ratbat lights a cygar. His face is illuminated for a few moments before he takes a puff of the Cassettecon-sized cygar. "We all play a game, my dear listeners. Cutting advances in science? Well you're certainly trying to get there first, aren't you? Military trains constantly so they can defeat their enemies. Intelligence wants the latest reports of activity to prevent assaults. Even your Operation teams want the biggest stockpiles and heaviest fortifications they can muster." He smirks a bit and exhausts smoke. The fuel auditor coughs, and a claw goes to his chest to pat himself. "The point is, that if we were all fully at peace, this competition continues. In the halls of councils, in trade deals, in research and technology. There's always a competition. So ask yourself, is there ever /really/ a cease fire?" He laughs to the camera, "Skree skree skree!" His wings furl up around him, "And with that, I leave you to your day."

2022

• February 08 - "Unwelcome Guests" - Someone crashes the Cybertron peace meeting.
• Feb 8 - "In Peace We Trust" - The Peace Accords meeting doesn't end peacefully.

Mar 24 - The Auditor's Notepad: 9

NOW PLAYING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGD8D2Xsnsc

Ratbat surveys a series of blotched out...tanks perhaps of some kind. The entire scene is upside down. He looks to the camera, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Ratbat manages a shrug from his perch. "So what happens during a management shift. I mean, I'm not suggesting that this schism we have is going to go away anytime soon, except with..." He extends a paw towards the camera, and a special effect added in post, shows him pretending to fire a cannon from his arm. "Zort. Or whatever noise it makes. Point is, there's three sects in any sort of civil war or....reorganization. There's the Traditionalists, the Revisionists and those beneath notice."

Ratbat continues, "Now. Why stick your neck out to be chopped off? Plenty of dead Decepticons could answer that for you.." He makes a neck-cutting motion with a claw. "but the reasons generally come down to loyalty or career. If you back a side's play and they succeed, then you are rewarded for your loyalty and courage, because the new boss wants to encourage that sort of behavior in the future. If your side fails, well, depending on the geniality of the new boss, punishment can be anything from death, exile, punishment detail, to nothing." Ratbat pauses and folds his claws together, "Nothing. What does it mean when a ruler does nothing to those against him? What discourages future attempts then? If a ruler does NOT punish those against him..." A wicked grin spreads on the fuel auditor's faceplate, "It means they have no bite to them. Always look for the spineless ones who don't punish for failure, but reward the loyal. Those are the very best ones....to BETRAY!" Ratbat laughs to himself, his red eyes glaring. "And with that, I will leave you to your day."

---

• 7-27 - "Internal Conflict Resolution (Citadel Side)" - Megatron and Starscream bicker as the Decepticons attempt to take Vos.

2023

Megatron

• August 30 - "Decepticon Command Meeting" - A lot has happened, and Megatron is working to consolidate the fractious Decepticons under one rule (his, of course) to face the looming threat of Liege Maximo.

OOC Notes

A single "skree!" is worth a thousand words, maybe more . . . .

He can't speak humanoid unless in cassette form and loaded into something.

He has offices on Earth now, open to everyone, where people can come and do business with those that faction politics may not normally allow. Or to have fun! It's your tab after all.

The 'Where's Ratbat' picture book series never really got off the ground . . .

What-If Universe

An efficient concoction of 53 percent protein, 32 percent carbohydrates, and 15 percent vegetable matter. Dig in, humans, and enjoy your 3 minute break - sincerely - Ratbat.

Decepticon World

Ratbat was stationed on Earth to "integrate" humans into the labor camps set up by the Decepticons to harvest the Earth's resources and convert it into energon. Ratbat was awarded the title of "efficiency expert" - imposing such innovative practices as "offlining" humans who are ill more than two days in a row and devising a new carbohydrate/protein "paste" formula that is fed to workers three times a day. 

Players

Ratbat was played by huskey1861 from January to February of 2002. As of March of 2013, Ratbat was played by Matt-Bat. =)

• In 2020, Ratbat was taken over by Zerombr.

References

• Who's Who in the Transformers Universe

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