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>>35857585
You sit on a soft plastic couch.Your silver, trident helmed head tilted back and black hands resting on your blue legs, you sort through your thoughts. Swindle hadn't been your prisoner earlier. At least from your perspective. From Gyros', the 'Con had been cooling his heels in the hold for a few days now.

Gyro sits at her desk, empty engex bottles now gone, busying herself with data projected into the air in a colourful blue light. Every now and then you detect the gangly brown business 'bot glancing your way.

You are unsure what to tell her. You're not even sure if it was real, or if she would believe you.

>The two of you need to talk about what you just experience.
>Time to interrogate Swindle.
>You need a moment to process, go for a walk around the ship.
>Drink some more.
>Other (please specify)

>>35857647
>>The two of you need to talk about what you just experience.
She probably won't believe us, but this way we could at least ask about the events of the last few days to see how they differ from our memory.

>>35857647
>>Time to interrogate Swindle.

>>35857647
>>The two of you need to talk about what you just experience.

>>35857701
>>35857769

Leaning forward you rub a hand over your face, causing your optics to cycle their light sensitivity.

"Kracken?" Gyro says softly.

Letting out a low growl you say, "I'm fine. I think."

"What happened?"

You ponder how to answer that and clasp your hands while resting your elbows on your knees.

"I... had a vision. Or something."

You growl at how silly that sounds.

"I saw things. Then... reality," You have a hand about, "Changed."

"What do you mean?" Gyro says patiently.

After a moment you say, "We didn't catch Swindle. Not originally."

You meet her incredulous gaze with a level stare of your own.

"He got away. Carnage got away. We had nothing."

"This was your vision...?"

"No. This was real. They got away, then I saw... time. Changing. Moving backwards and forwards. No that's..." You rumble in annoyance. "Astroclaw was there, and someone else. They changed something and NOW we have Swindle."

"That's..." Gyro starts, then sighs. "Chief that's impossible. I saw you teleport Swindle into that crate."

"No. He went through the space bridge, we fought Carnage and he escaped."

She just shakes her head.

You growl.

"Just... run over what happened." You say.

"We went into the energon storage room..."

"We? Us and the Monsterbots?"

"Yes. We went in, guns blazing. You got a hold of swindle and trapped him. I got my aft kicked by Carnage then he left through the space bridge."

"Alright."

Gyro shrugs. "And that was it. The mercs said to get in touch if we need them again. We killed a few Cons..."

You nod.

"Are you sure your alright? We could find someone to look at you. Your mind could have been altered when you were rebuilt."

You growl again. Mnemoscience was an experimental field last you knew, and you aren't sure if you want someone poking around in your head.

>Tell her to forget it.
>Try and convince her it was real.
>Ask how that would work, and how much it would cost.
>Other (please specify)

>>35858467
>>Try and convince her it was real.
She doesn't know carnage is a phase sixer or whatever in this timeline, right?

>>35858467
>>Try and convince her it was real.
Telll her about shit we saw with Carnage. Shit there's no way we'd know unless we blew him in half.

>>35858520
Oh, and the destination of the spacebridge. It was set for Ultimemecha and they were moving some new type of energon.

>>35858467
>>Ask how that would work, and how much it would cost.

>>35858520
>>35858594

"No."

"No?"

You shake your head.

"I know what happened. Swindle escaped." Standing now you pace the room. "He got away and we just couldn't kill Carnage."

"What?"

"He's... something. Some kind of Decepticon tech that made him invincible."

"No one's invincible chief."

"He took a Dimensional Decimator and kept coming." You snarl.

She says nothing.

"There were drones there, right? Along with a few Decepticons."

"Er, yeah."

"What else?"

"What?"

"Something changed. There has to be a reason things are different now."

"Kracken..."

You slap your hands on her desk. To her credit Gyro doesn't flinch.

"I need you to believe me on this. Astroclaw was up to something there, something big and messed up. We need to find out what."

Gyro sighs. "I agree on the last part, and I want another crack at Carnage, but please listen to yourself. This is crazy."

You snap your fingers at her.

"Energon."

She huffs angrily. "What?"

"You don't know, do you?" She raises an optic brow. "But you did. When we get Swindle to tell us about the energon they were transporting you'll know."

You storm out of her office.

"I'm not crazy." You growl.

>Head to the cargo hold to question Swindle.
>Go find Stiletto. Some insider intel could help you figure out this phase-six nonsense and help get Swindle talking.
>Other (please specify)

>>35859254
>>Go find Stiletto. Some insider intel could help you figure out this phase-six nonsense and help get Swindle talking.

More corroboration is always good.

>>35859254
>>Go find Stiletto. Some insider intel could help you figure out this phase-six nonsense and help get Swindle talking.
Maybe she'll know what's up.

>>35859254
>"You don't know, do you?" She raises an optic brow. "But you did. When we get Swindle to tell us about the energon they were transporting you'll know."
>
>You storm out of her office.
>
>"I'm not crazy." You growl.

You have a funny way of showing it, chief.

>>35859347
Side effect of temporal rearranging.

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>>35859430

>>35859254
>>Go find Stiletto. Some insider intel could help you figure out this phase-six nonsense and help get Swindle talking.

>>35859289
>>35859302

You march through the ships' corridors, grumbling to yourself all the while. You are old, and you have experienced a lot in your time. The launch of the first ark, the mutant uprising, Scorponoks' mad attempt at break in to Vector Sigma, the secession of Lithone, the Nightmare Engine, the wonders that were Omnicron and Velocitron. You had seen bad, and good.

Quantum mechanics are not an area your familiar with. Your had never believed time travel was possible.

You do know interrogation. How to get someone to say what you need to hear.

You seek out Stiletto just for that.

The ex-Con is busy roaming the ship with a datapad in her one hand, thumb flicking through its data.

The yellow and black transformer from the lounge is with her, chitchatting aimlessly. Stiletto only seems to be half listening.

"Stiletto." You say. "Come with me."

"Hmm? I'm kinda busy." She says, waving her datapad at you and tilting her head to her companion.

"Phase six. Your gonna tell me about it."

She makes a sour face them pushes the datapad into her friends' grasp and pushes him away at the same time.

"I'll be back." She says sweetly.

After a few turns, when she is sure there is no one following, she rounds on you.

"The slag was that for? You want everyone to know I was- what I was." She says in an angry whisper.

"It's fine. He seems to like you."

She rolls her optics. "Like that wasn't obvious."

>Ask about phase-sixer tech.
>Ask her what phase six means.
>Ask for anything she knows about Swindle and what he gets up to.
>Other (please specify)

>>35860119
>>Ask her what phase six means.

>>35860119
>>Ask about phase-sixer tech.
>>Ask her what phase six means.

These seem very related.

>>35860119
>>Ask about phase-sixer tech.
>>Ask her what phase six means.
>>Other (please specify)
Tell her we've encountered a Phase-Six. We've seen it eat a Dimensional Grenade and keep coming. And we're not making this shit up.

>>35860267
Do we add that we experienced it in another timeline? I mean, why not go all out.

On the plus side, we got that dimensional grenade we used back.

...Didn't we? We should check.

>>35860940
Actually, Gyro seems remarkably ok with Carnage getting away, compared to how she was in the original timeline. Maybe the point of departure for this was way back when we got ourselves blown up. Someone may be alive now that wasn't before.

>>35860940
Gyro probably lost her giant armor suit, though.

>>35861021
Maybe Copper is still alive.

>>35860147
>>35860158
>>35860267

"I want to know what phase-sixers are. What phase six is. I need a lever to pry Swindle open with."

She looks uncomfortable for a moment. "Where did you even hear that? Only the Decepticons and some Autobots know about those."

"Carnage is one. Saw him eat a Dimensional Devastator and he didn't slow down."

"Is that what happened down there. You're lucky to still be functioning."

"So what's this tech that made him indestructible."

"Uh.. well, I don't know."

You snarl.

"Well it's not like Command was gonna tell the grunts about their secret super science! But like, all I know is that you gotta be a point one percenter to even handle the junk." She takes a moment to gather herself. The subject is clearly uncomfortable.

"You know it's all rumor and hearsay. Only like, Megatron, Shockwave and the sixers know what went down cause they killed everyone else."

With a sigh you ask, "What is 'phase six', exactly?"

"Alrigh, well. Near the end of the war, after the whole dark energon thing, Megatron realized he needed more resources. This was hard to do because of the Tyrest Accord, he and the Autobots had to keep things as quiet as possible for political slag. So Command comes up with the Six Phase Infiltration strategy. Carefully orchestrated shadow games where small units would infiltrate worlds, steel anything they could, or take over as quietly as possible. They`d take over behind the scenes so it would seem legit when the world sided with the Decepticons, or they`d stripe the place bare before anyone knew what was happening."

"The sixers?"

"Well, when things got to loud or when it looked like they were gonna get caught, they would initiate phase six."

"And?"

She shrugs her one shoulder, "And no more problem. One of them would come in and just wipe everything out. These are guys who commit genocide as a day job."

"That seems like a waste. Why not have them hit the Autobots head on?"

>(continued)

>>35861063
Dammit I hope not.

>>35861182
> steel
> stripe
Come on, man

>>35861182
"Because then Tyrest would get the Primal Vanguard and the Galactic Counsel to take sides. Plus the sixers are pretty much walking WMDs'. They don't do small scale. I think I heard they would only be called in for defensive actions or something, like I said all I really know are mostly rumors."

You stare at her for a moment, she clearly knows something else.

With a sigh she caves. "Okay so I saw this one thing. It was an exhbition held by Overlord, heard he got in trouble for it. Him versus a hundred Autobot prisoners, all armed. Winner gets to go free 'Decepticons' Honour'," She says the last bit sarcastically, "It... was a slaughter. Overlord just took them apart."

You growl. "Carnage was tough, but not that strong."

"Well... if this Astroclaw guy has his own sixer, then you know he got the tech from the Decepticons. I doubt they gave him all their secrets."

"So if I`m gonna kill him..."

"If a DeeDee didn`t do it, your`re definitely gonna need something bigger."

After a moment she perks up. "I just thought of something."

"Hmm?"

"It IS possible Swindle gave him the tech, and went behind Commands` back doing it."

>Time to interrogate.
>Ask about Swindle some more.
>Other (please specify)

>>35861332
>>Time to interrogate.
Good cop, bad cop?

>>35861332
>>Time to interrogate.
>>Other (please specify)
You're a doll, you know this.
I'm going to enjoy crushing his balls.

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>>35861265
Ah crap, and here I am taking forever just to make sure that shit doesn`t happen.

>>35861332
>Ask about Swindle some more.

More things to hold over his head makes for an easier interrogation.

>>35861354
Good cop, horrifying monstrous cannibal cop.

>>35861500
>now, you can tell me everything you know
>or i can start eating you
>i'm fine either way, really

I'm not familiar with this setting when it's millenia after g1, whatever became of earth and humanity?

>>35861574
I dont think we're millenia after G1. I think we're in that space of time after the Ark crashed on earth and sat there for 65 Billion Years.
Transformers are fuck long lived.

So I was just reading the archive, where Kraken was drinking and eating the bottles. My question is, can he do that with his regular mouth or was he shoving the bottles into his shark-chest?

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>>35861354
>>35861378
Thanking Stiletto you head off.

The cargo hold is a pale blue affair. It is nearly empty, its blank walls lit by bright white lights. The only thing in there is an armoured container resting on its four wheels. You recognize it as the highly shielded container Swindle had escaped with in the original time line. You can't detect anything within, but an arythmic tapping tells you someone, or something, is inside.

Circling the container you wonder, there has to be something else in there. Swindle had to have a reason for taking it.

Impatient and curious, you turn to Gyro and the rotund bodyguard, who lean against the wall next to the door. The body guard cradles a scatterblaster in his arms

"Ready?"

Gyro nods then tosses you a small device. A hemisphere with small, needle like drills emerging from its domed side. You stick it into the keypad needle first. A button on its flat side flashes green and you press it. There is a hiss as the top of the container splits down the middle and folds open.

Unsurprisingly, Swindle jumps out first chance he gets. Only to find his head and arm locked in your grip as you slam him into the ground.

"Thank you for letting me out. Thankyouthankyouthankyou." His voice is strained, but sincere none the less.

You don't really care.

"Start talking Swindle. Or I start taking you apart, piece by piece." You growl into his audio receptor.

>Roll 4d100 Courage (Intimidation)

Rolled 1, 61, 75, 21 = 158 (4d100)

>>35862225
What's in the box Swindle? WHAT'S IN THE BOX!?

Rolled 53, 81, 4, 97 = 235 (4d100)

>>35862225

>>35861574

>>35861778 is correct. This takes place between the Fall of Cybertron game and G1 in a kind of mashup of the two along with elements from the comics. I know I gave numbers in the first few threads about timelines but those can be ignored. ie Krackens` age and whatnot. Only times stated in the actual narrative will matter.

>>35861842
His normal mouth has very sharp, shark-like teeth. Think Transformers Prime Megatron style.

Rolled 39, 55, 50, 50 = 194 (4d100)

>>35862225

>>35862266
>>35862391
I think we're good.

>>35862266
>Four successes! Crit success!

"Hey come on, we can make a deal!" He says.

"Like the deal you made with Astroclaw?"

You haul him up and slam him against the container.

"Peddling phase six tech?"

"What no! NOnonono. That's a big no." He says in a panic.

You trip him and transform. Swindle finds himself swept up in blue-ringed, black tentacles, with a red optic glaring at him sideways.

"Now," You rumble through your fanged maw, "Talk."

"Oh hey, it's you." He says through a forced smile.

You pull his arm hard enough to dislocate it, only a few wires keeping the appendage connected. You notice that several of his fingers are missing. Something clatters to the floor.

"Okay! Okay! I'll talk" He yelps.

You turn him upside down and slam him into the container again.

Gyro moves to pick up whatever it was he dropped.

"Is this a grenade? Made out of your fingers?"

Swindle just laughs nervously.

>Ask about Carnage and the phase six tech.
>Ask about Astroclaw.
>Ask about the cargo.
>Ask about the Decepticons.
>Ask about his business on Ultimecha.
>Other (please specify)

>>35862782
>Ask about Astroclaw.
Why does he want you dead, swindle?

>>35862782
>Ask about Carnage and the phase six tech
>Ask if he knows shit about quantum mechanical tech.

>>35862782
>>Ask about Carnage and the phase six tech.
>>Ask about his business on Ultimecha.
Let's start with these.

>>35862782
>Ask about the cargo.

Gotta make Gyro think we're less crazy than she fears.

>>35862858
>>35862888
"Carnage is outfitted with phase six technology. Tech you sold to Astroclaw. I want to know how to get around it, how to kill him."

"Have you tried a black hole, or a qwasar? OW! Listen ok? Its a secret! Some combination of heat, electricity, and kinetic stress breaks them down."

"What combination?"

"I don't know. The DJD knows. From what I hear they were specially designed to be able to take the sixers out! Other than that I figure you can hit their minds. Doubt that will work on Carnage though, Astro did somethin' weird to him."

Your growl at him. "What is it that makes him so tough?"

"It's this super rare element, like I mean crazy as all get out you could buy planets for a handful of the stuff rare! No idea where Astroclaw got it, he just needed the infusion process."

"And this element is called?"

"It's a uh, ununtrium. Yeah that's it."

You glance sideways at Gyro but she just shrugs.

"You're lying." You pull the rest of his arm off and devour it.

"Gah! Slag, no. It's the truth!" He cries.

>Ask for the locations of Decepticon labs where you could get more info.
>Ask about Astroclaw.
>Ask about the cargo.
>Ask about his business on Ultimecha.
>Other (please specify)

>>35863504
>>Ask for the locations of Decepticon labs where you could get more info.

>>35863504
>>Ask about his business on Ultimecha.
I'd like to know what's up with the new type of energon.

>>35863504
>>Ask about his business on Ultimecha.

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>>35863630
>>35863667

Now that he is shaken you decide to try a different angle.

"What was your business on Ultimecha?"

Gyro looks on, confused.

"Was gonna trade with the squids! Give them somethin' that'll really mess them up! Get a little somethin' in return too." He grunts.

You slowly climb up onto the container. "Mess the Quints up? I don't think so. I think you were running before your bosses realize what you've done."

"No. Cripes! Be careful!"

Looking down you see the majority of the container is empty. A pair of struts secure a single dark cylinder in the middle. It is about the length and circumference of your upper arm.

"What is is, exactly? More ununtrium?"

"Crimson energon." He squeaks.

You growl. "What?"

He laughs nervously. "That freak Astroclaw synthesised it somehow. Dark energon mixed with red energon. Just imagine! One drop of this stuff will wreck any world."

You stop listening though, your glare firmly on the innocuous cylinder.

"Primus chief get down from there!" Gyro yells.

You creep down, a trio of tentacles binding Swindle tightly. Gyro has a very paniced look on her face and you see the grey bodyguard whispering into his communicator.

"Kracken, this is bad." Gyro says.

You can't help but agree. You also think you know how Astroclaw was able to make the stuff.

>Tell her to calm down, it has been secure so far and further measures will be taken.
>This stuff needs to be destroyed now.
>Crimson energon sounds like the perfect weapon to use on Carnage.
>Other (please specify)

>>35864722
>>Tell her to calm down, it has been secure so far and further measures will be taken.

I gotta head out QM, sleep is calling. Fun stuff happening, though.

>>35865068
"Calm down." You rumble as softly as you can.

"Calm down? It's dark energon! Mixed with red energon, that's insane!"

"It has been fine so far, and I'm sure we can keep it safe." You wave a tentacle at the bodyguard who trundles past to examine the container.

"It's not fine. This is a nightmare." She groans.

"Hey I spent almost a week in that box.' Swindle says. You quickly cover his mouth.

"We'll put it somewhere safe." You say. "I'm sure Cogsworth has a vault somewhere."

"A vault? Why do you want to store it somewhere? We should dump it in the nearest star!"

"It'll be fine!" You say more forcefully.

"No! It isn't!" Gyro says while storming out of the hold.

Glowering, you look to Swindle and feel his mouth form a nervous smile.

You wrap him in two more tentacles and carry him over to the armoured crate.

"Well?"

The bodyguard, on his tiptoes to look in, says. "Looks secure." His voice is raspy and low. "No fissures, leaks or damage inside. The boss has some of vaults he could throw it in. Doubt he'll keep it on the ship though." The bodyguard presses the button on the hacking device, causing the top to fold shut.

You detect another 'bot running towards the hold. The yellow and black fellow who had been with Stiletto enters the hold, carrying a few lengths of cable. Edging around you, he makes his way to the container where the bodyguard directs him in securing it to the floor, his hand tranforming into a rivet gun.

"You're gunna want to talk to the boss 'bout this." The grey 'bot says.

"I'll do that once I get this idiot locked up." You says while swinging Swindle around.

"Right right. Two holds over we got some cages. You can throw him in there." He says while tossing you some cable.

You nod to him.

>(continued)

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>>35866146
'Some cages' turns out to be an understatement. Dozens of them line the hold, stacked cieling high and cluttering up the place. The range from all sizes. Some the size of your hand, others big enough to hold three 'bots the size of Carnage. All made of sturdy material.

You bind Swindles' arms and legs and toss him in one. You lock the door aswell.

"Hey wait, let's make a deal!" Swindle calls to you as you leave.

You ignore him.

Returning to the previous hold you see the container is now bound tightly to the ground by half a dozen strong cables, its wheels also locked and riveted to the floor. The bodyguard wave you and the other 'bot out then enages the holds` lock.

You leave the two discussing security measures.

>Go talk to Gyro, try and reassure her.
>You nee to discuss this with Cogsworth.
>Go talk to someone else (Who?)
>Other (please specify)

>>35866174
>>Go talk to Gyro, try and reassure her.

>>35866174
>You nee to discuss this with Cogsworth.
We'll save talking to her for later, give her a chance to settle down.

>>35866174
>Go talk to Gyro, try and reassure her.

>>35866235
>>35866298
You crawl through the ships' corridors, your tentacles creeping and winding over one another to propel you at a smooth, swift pace.

Mulling over these new events and grumbling quietly to yourself you arrive at Gyros' office. Seems your subconcious knows what you have to do.

You sigh and try to relax.

Entering, you find Gyro with her head held in her hands and elbows resting on her desk. An unopened bottle of engex sits infront of her. She looks miserable and worried.

"You shouldn't go around in your alt." She mumbles.

"Huh."

"Glitch will freak out."

You transform. Your feet hit the floor with a pair of soft thuds and your tentacles drape around your shoulders and sway as you move to take a seat on the couch once again.

The two of you spend a few minutes in silence.

"It's gonna be fine. I'll make sure of it." You say at length.

"You don't understand. We were so close..." She says while opening the bottle. "The ship was right there. Then dark energon. We were right at the end. Then Copper got swarmed by Terrorcons," She takes a pull, "and you trying to save him and that Carnage monster showing up and the Decepticon Warship..." She takes another long pull from the bottle.

"That wasn't..." But you stop. Things had changed. "...that won't happen again."

Another long moment of silence passes.

"You know you never told us." You say.

"What?"

"Why you came looking for a couple of old heaps rusting away in Uraya."

>Continued

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>>35867009

"Why? I'd lost everything. My company was looted by my workforce, my ships stolen. The only one I had left was crashed into Luna 2 by the Wreckers, slagged the only friend I had. And... and then I'm in Uraya, just drifting and I see you. You and Copper. You were thrashing some idiot gang members. 'cept you didn't kill them. You were probably the two strongest 'bots in the city-state and they were just punks jumped up on fear and cyberdrugs. It was so clear. Just keeping the peace, as peacfully as you could."

"Hmm. Then you tried doing it yourself. By yourself."

"Oh Primus that was a bad idea. I would have been scrap. Then Copper lands on the idiot kicking my aft. Lands on him. How did he get up that bilboard?"

"I have no clue."

"That old, bucket of bolts."

You both chuckle.

>Tell her your keeping the energon, it to useful and dangerous to just get rid of.
>Tell her you'll get rid of the energon.
>Tell her the energon is going to be locked away.
>Other (please specify)

>>35867034
> Other (please specify)
We hold onto it. Study it, know what exactly we're dealing with. Then we toss it.

Or do we know enough already?

>>35867034
Wait I fucked up those choices.

>Tell her your keeping the energon, it to useful and dangerous to just get rid of.
>Tell her you'll take the energon with you and go.
>Tell her the energon is going to be locked away.
>Other (please specify)

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>>35867204
You tilt your head back and sigh.

"We're keeping it for now."

Gyro remains silent.

"We need to know what we're dealing with. We don't know how much of it Astroclaw made. If it can be synthesized, there might be a way to... unsynthesise it. Or something. I want someone who knows energon to look at the stuff."

"They never found a way to counter dark energon. That stuff has existed since ancient times."

"Yeah well, you never know. Maybe they just didn't have the drive back then."

"Why would we now?"

"Cybertron is dead. Now, I don't know if you believe in the Guiding Hand, The Thirteen, or pulleies and levers. Unless something changes we are the last generation."

Gyro sighs and pushes the bottle of engex away. She then activates her desk and begins scrolling through data.

You begin thinking. Things have changed. For you, at least. Crimson energon and a new body being the least of it.

The Quantum Processor file comes up in your minds' eye.

Without a doubt the rules had changed.

--------------------------------------------

Gonna end it here as I'm burning out.

Questions, concerns, comments all welcome.

Thanks for joining me!

>>35867652
Thanks for running

>>35867652
So copper and arclight might not be dead, or at least we didn't kill them. Which is good.

One wonders why they didn't intervene back before the war killed Cybertron if they have time travel.

Fucking causality violations. We need to talk to a theorist or somehow who knows shit about this. Maybe our brother?