GENERAL DADTRON POST

[towardspeace]

Who: Megatron; YOU
Where: MORE OR LESS ANYWHERE
When: expansive shrug
What: MISC
Warnings: NONE YET

With Tarn dealt with for the time being and his own systems running closer to 100% again, Megatron's been spending more time prowling around outside keeping an eye out for trouble than before, you know, just in case Tarn isn't as down and out as they thought, or anybody equally godawful decides to show up and stir shit, so that he can beat their heads in (he has kind of missed being able to beat in heads) and say 'I told you so' to any Autobots still dubious about his fool's energon detox decisions.

Well, OK, it's partially that and partially that he's got a lot on his mind right now and this is a reasonable excuse to spend some time alone with his thoughts. WHICH MEANS ITS AN IDEAL TIME TO INTERRUPT HIM, GET TO IT

(That said he may also be skulking around Maccadam's to make sure none of the people he's supposed to be responsible for are starting shit. Alternatively I am sure I can come up with an excuse for him to be anywhere you want so if you want something more specific feel free to hit me up/post whatever kind of starter u like, you know. im flexible and so is this post)

Comments

[crabcake]

Rampage's legs settle as he stares baldly at Megatron's chest. He may not have an Autobot symbol of his own - at least not one anywhere he can see. He wouldn't have put it past his creators to have branded him somewhere - but he knew what the two factions sigils looked like, and that was very clearly not an Decepticon symbol on his chest.

Is this really supposed to be Megatron?

Antennae twitching with confusion, he gives Sixshot an annoyed look. "He's an Autobot."

[ancillary]

"You look like something that just chewed its own leg out of a trap."

Miranda had walked over a bar stool that had been a challenge to climb up and was walking on the counter top at Maccadam's feeling more than a little diminutive but undeterred as she approached what was, in her opinion, the saddest of these creatures she had come across. And that was taking into account her exposure to Mayday's sniveling.

Here, she seemed to be entirely unconcerned by how comparatively threatening this character looked, hunched over with what reeked like broken pride and all. If this world was going to force into scavenging like she had been physically knocked back to an era more paleolithic barring the chrome finish, she was going to made use of every resource available. Information was a resource and so began her self-appointed task of questioning every synthetic she came across. There was no loss of confidence when it came to approaching these potentially hostile alien synthetics. While they were proving to be quite the chatterboxes, she always kept them at arms' length and never approached one without an escape plan with at least half a dozen iterations of said plan well in mind.

[milkruns]

"What do you mean, for the time being?" June narrows her eyes, giving him a penetrating look. She really wishes she could climb up on something high enough to talk to Megatron face-to-face for once. That would be a novelty. She's getting a little sick of this talking up at people, and she's starting to wonder if something can't be done to level the playing field. Maybe a...hoverboard, or something. Do Cybertronians do hoverboards? They look like they do hoverboards. "Please tell me that -- murderer isn't still walking around!"

[towardspeace]

He rolls his eyes a little. "I'm sure I can at least trust you to be candid."

[towardspeace]

He nods, considering – the hint of amusement is still there, and he says, "You're quite the confident judge of character, Valeria."

[towardspeace]

"I don't imagine he'll be back on his feet any time soon, no," says Megatron, frowning down at her. "But if you'd like to take issue with the fact that he's still alive you can join the queue."

[smarterthandad]

"I'm confident, period, in case you hadn't noticed." Some might say overconfident, but Val had no use for the opinions of that sort of lesser mind.

[towardspeace]

Rampage really doesn't look as if he's been shot any time recently. Megatron looks at him slightly too long, as if trying to determine where he's been shot.

"Yes, I am," he says flatly. He's beginning to reconsider, of course... "Where are you from, Rampage?"

[towardspeace]

"I'm well aware you're a good politician, Starscream," says Megatron flatly, folding his arms. "What do you want?"

[whippingboy]

"Believe it or not- and knowing you, the answer is most likely going to be a not- I want to help out with you and your gangs little..." he holds up fingers to make air quotes, despite never having heard anyone use this term before, "restoration operation."

Starscream hops down from his rubble perch and takes a few steps in Megatron's direction, smiling pleasantly. "See, I've been scoping things out here and seems to me like this is an "all in this together" kind of situation? But, I heard you were here too, and lets face it we've had our difficulties in the past..." he shrugs. "Figured I'd better touch base, give you a heads up and what not, since the last time one of us showed up announced to the other, the interloper tried to destroy the last civilized city on Cybertron using a gestalt."

[milkruns]

"Yes, I'd like to take issue with that!" June exclaims, although her own insistence on what is essentially the death penalty surprises even herself, and she's not totally comfortable with that level of conviction about it. She presses the heel of her palm to her forehead, drawing in a slow breath. "Look, I'm not generally a fan of violence as a solution, but -- "

She looks up at him, not quite glaring but certainly delivering an expectant look along the lines of I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed, if you could crank 'disappointed' up to eleven and lace it with disbelief. "Isn't killing people sort of your thing?"

[aminerproblem]

Some reaction out of him was better than more deflated sighing. He was getting rather sick of the constant malaise.

"Apologies, I was unaware that you'd grow to be accepting of moronic traditions," he crosses his arms,"Besides, it won't be Autobot charity, it will be following their leader into a beneficial alliance."

[towardspeace]

Nice. More tiny organics, exactly what Megatron wanted in his day. Thanks. Thanks. He gives her a weary look that isn't really doing him a hell of a lot of favours on the 'not resembling a large, sad wounded bear' front, albeit if bears were prone to looking kind of sarcastic.

He supposes she's not too far off, honestly, but he doesn't say so, just frowns and sits up a little.

"Hm," he says. "And you are...?"

[towardspeace]

"It was," says Megatron curtly. "I'm sorry, June Darby, but the Autobot approach to this kind of thing doesn't involve executing your wounded, surrendered enemies, and I'm a bit more beholden to the letter of the law than most."

[towardspeace]

Megatron lifts his head slightly, his expression calculating as he looks his younger self in the eye. "You," he says. It's only sort of a question.

[milkruns]

June just directs an absolutely incredulous look at him, her mouth open to retort -- but she snaps it shut and she gives Megatron a scrutinizing look instead, still half-jogging to keep up with his pace. It's bad enough being so small and low to the ground -- she'll be damned if she's having this conversation from behind him.

"That's rich," she mutters, mostly to herself, because she feels entitled to just one more small jab. "Considering there were other Autobots who seemed perfectly fine with that solution."

Her expression grows serious then, though, less annoyed and more worried. She brings a hand up to her mouth, absently chewing at her thumbnail. "What if this happens again? What if he kills someone next time?"

[towardspeace]

Megatron pinches the bridge of his nose. Starscream smiling pleasantly is the worst thing he's seen since he got here, to be honest.

"If you're looking for my blessing to stick your nose in you're not going to get it," he says, with irritated resignation. "But I suppose there's not much I can do to stop you, either."

[towardspeace]

He stops, and turns around to look at her, optics narrowed. "Don't you think it might be a little hypocritical of me, June Darby, to decide it's up to me who needs to be killed and who doesn't? Don't you think people might be uncomfortable with that?"

[aminerproblem]

"I think so," he says, unsure of himself. Despite the biting remarks, he still had originally come here to ask for a counsel, of sorts.

"Tarn ignored me when I instructed him to leave the Autobots be. I'm fairly certain he wouldn't have attacked them if he had a stronger hand dissuading him."

[milkruns]

"Anyone would be uncomfortable with that," June snaps right back, her mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'm not talking about leaving the decision up to you. But you're the only one actually capable of doing it, aren't you?"

Then it seems to really settle on June that what she's talking so casually about is nearly murder in cold blood, and that really doesn't sit well with her. It's easy to talk about it, but the longer she considers it the less comfortable with the idea she is. Her fit of indignation subsiding, June just bites her lips together, looking slightly deflated. She's always been about saving lives where she could, not condemning them. If Megatron -- and the other Autobots -- really believes that subduing Tarn is enough...maybe it's better that way. After all, one execution like that could lead to...a whole lot worse. June lets out a short, huffy sigh and rubs a hand over her face.

"Look, I'm -- you're right. That was out of line. I'm sorry." She casts her gaze downward, her brow knitting slightly. "It's just...sort of terrifying to think about someone like him out there. If he's that dangerous to most of you...well, you can't really blame me for being a little scared, can you?"

[whippingboy]

"Well, no. There isn't. But." He holds his hands out and shrugs. "Does it count as your blessing if we just agree to a simple truce in order to get things done?"

[towardspeace]

He nods, slowly.

"No," he says, "he might well not have, if he thought your word was worth respecting." He taps his finger against his chin. "You might be what the Decepticons need." He himself might be what the Decepticons need, he thinks, but he knows he's blown his chance of holding onto the trust of the people he owes his support to; his younger self hasn't, not necessarily.

[towardspeace]

There's a pause.

"If it's any reassurance, I'm not sure that Tarn would bother with a human," Megatron says. "And I'm fairly sure Optimus could handle him, if he had to – but I don't think he will."

[towardspeace]

"No," says Megatron, as if explaining something simple to a child, "it counts as a truce. Assuming you actually intend to honour it, anyway."

[aerospacecommander]

Oh fine. Be that way, Megatron.

"Former gladiator turned warlord who promised conquest, but didn't deliver and instead turned everything into a psychotic obsession with Optimus Prime."

He folds his arms across his chest and gives Megatron a look. Is that good enough?