Decepticon Island (TF Aligned continuity AU)

TRANSFER AND TRIAL

"Steeljaw, Phantomjaw, are either of you in there?"

"Yeah, come on in."

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Nothing that can't wait till later."

"Great, because I have wonderful news!"

"What?"

"Octane knows of a planet that may be exactly what you're looking for!"

The triple-changer guided the Daytrader to the planet he had in-mind since Moonracer and the others summarized what their objective was. During that time, Steeljaw was perfectly invested in his work. Nobody could pull him away from his research and planning, not even his own brother.

When they do arrive, most of the bots are surprised by how much the planet looks like Earth; just replace maximum water and minimal land with minimal water and maximum land.

"Looks nice," Knockout commented. "Doesn't seem to be a dominant species..."

"Or any species for that matter," Starscream added.

"We still have to check, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hopeful," Bumblebee said. He looked over at Steeljaw. "So, what do you think?"

Silence.

"I agree with Knockout..." Steeljaw circulates his vents. "But it's not entirely my decision."

.

.

.

.

.

Steeljaw, Bumblebee, Knockout, Moonracer, and Starscream are in a large room in a secluded part of the ship, far away from sensitive equipment and the hustle and bustle of workers. The room contains a bridge-portal, where their precious cargo has been timely sent through.

"You sure about this, Bee?" Jazz asked, waiting for Bumblebee to finish signing forms.

"I knew what I was getting into the moment Knockout started talking about it, and trust me, after all we went through..." Bumblebee gestured to his team-mates. "I am not backing out now."

Jazz smiled.

"Alright, Bee. I trust you."

As he was leaving, Jazz muttered, "I just hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the aft."

Only Steeljaw heard that last part, but he didn't comment on it, because he completely agreed with Jazz. He's worried that this will all be for naught, and even if by some miracle it all works out, word is bound to get out, and trouble will follow, something he, for once, wishes to avoid.

The unmistakable hiss of stasis pods opening catches Steeljaw's attention, causing a whole new burst of worry to flow through him. Yes, this was his idea. Yes, having them around is an absolute necessity. Doesn't mean he has to like it.

Four very familiar mechs groggily exit the pods and step into view: a cobalt blue and dark gray Cervicon; a purple and gray Chompazoid with red detailing; a skinny mech with spiky purple plating, accompanied by a pair of color-matching mini-cons; and a rather colorful Insecticon with magenta, teal, and royal purple plating.

Coming to their senses, they looked around, confused, until their optics landed on Steeljaw.

"YOU?!"

"OF COURSE IT'S YOU! SINCE WHEN IS IT FRAGGING NOT YOU?"

"Thunderhoof..."

"DON'T THUNDERHOOF ME, STEELJAW! I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE DEALING WITH YOU AND YOUR SCRAP!"