Autobot Intel Meeting

Transformers 2K5 - Prowl - mardi, août 19, 2014, 2:38 --

Meeting Room(#10303Rnt) - Decagon

The Decagon's meeting room is large and spacious enough to comfortably house the biggest of Autobots. This room is commonly used as a briefing room and the southern section of the room is filled with several rows of seats for Autobot personnel to sit in. The nothern section of the room is reserved for Autobot military commanders such as Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Fortress Maximus, Sky Lynx, and Jazz.

At the center of the room is a holographic projector capable of displaying data from the Autobots' military networks all over the galaxy.

Punch arrives from the Command Center to the west. Punch has arrived. Shiftlock has arrived. Arcee has arrived. Mute has arrived. Mute walks into the room.

Prowl is sitting near the holo-projector's controls and is currently watching public opinion and various polls about Tarn and it's citizens. He looks in deep thought but there is a microscopic twitch of a smile in there...or maybe it's just the lighting. The others should arrive shortly.

Arcee shows up, carrying her work tablet. She takes a seat across from Prowl. "Good evening..."

Entering quietly Punch has both hands behind his back. That's because he's got something in one and the other helps the symmetry? In any case Punch says, "Prowl, Arcee, good to see you both."

Silently sitting on top of some pillar or cabinet or something around the edge of the room (or he's sitting on an animation error), Mute watches as Bots assemble. Curious to see what gets discussed, and of course always ready to lend a helping hand. How long he's been there waiting is anybodies guess (though Prowl probably knows cause... well it's Prowl).

Shiftlock makes her way in quietly, carring her ever present datapad. The thing's been practically glued to her hands these days.

Defcon arrives from the Command Center to the west. Defcon has arrived.

Prowl nods at Arcee, Punch and Shiftlock. His gaze goes over Mute acknowledging the tape's presence. "Glad you could all make it." Then he gets straight to the topic "We are here because Tarn is becoming a problem. Tarn is basically a social problem but the unrest is starting to make it an intel problem, in others words MY problem. I have plenty to do so I would like to at least set things in motion to solve the Tarn situation in the mid-term." He checks his datapad and back to Arcee "I read your memo about 'Governor Iacon' and I agree with you." He motions to the others "If you care to share with them what you did with me."

"Very well, then..." Arcee nods in acknowledgment to Prowl and to those Autobots who have shown up (or are in the process of arriving). "Thank you for being here. For those of you not familiar with the situation in Tarn, it's been very tense for quite some time, and due in some part to recent Decepticon propaganda campaigns, the tensions have escalated. We have an Autobot government installed there to...keep the peace. The current governor's name is Lightsinger. He is very poorly regarded, and it reflects bad on us. And this is how the cycle in Tarn perpetuates."

Punch nods. When it's time to contribute he'll do his little show and tell. Meantime he's focusing on what's being said.

Defcon's head suddenly pops into view in the entryway as Arcee's midway through her little speech. He seems to be looking for something, and his optics light up a bit as he sees that yes, this is in fact the correct Meeting Room. Considering how time Defcon is usually on Cybertron, he rarely manages to memorize the base layouts.

But Arcee mentions a name he isn't familiar with. Probably either is anyone from Tarn. /With a name like Lightsinger? Was Twinklestar and Huggybear busy?/ He muses to himself. The Bounty Hunter wanders over to a seat, sitting down and then reclining his chair, leaning it back on two legs. It's a rare sight seeing him in an actual official meeting.

Since nobody seems to be using the rooms holoprojector, Mute supplies holos for Arcee. Above the table appears a map of Tarn as she speaks, with an image of the governor appearing next to it, both rotating slowly to let everyone present see them from all angles. Mute continues to watch.

Prowl nods to Defcon "As you all know there is talk of possibly building an entertainment disctrict in Tarn to give th population something to do besides work, recharge and brood. Which is not a bad idea but Arcee also raised the question of Tarn's governor and how him being there is causing more harm than good, The governor is seen as nothing more than a puppet. The solution is risky but can be...directed in the right direction. Obviously we need to 'recall' the governor at some point and replace him. If we simply put someone else in his place, it does not help. I thought that we could this with the population. Either Tarn's population nominates 3 candidates and we pick or...we hold a free election and hope we can steer it in the right direction..." He gives the others a few seconds to process "And yes the second option is more risky but not impossible."

Roadbuster has arrived.

"I would be concerned about corruption of the election process," Arcee says. "Things are very shaky there now...and you know what happens when 'free and fair' elections in new democracies fail."

Defcon glances around the room, curious to see who's here. He sits back and listens and doesn't give his two-cents yet. He's sorta interested in what the others have to say and what their opinions are. He crosses his arms and just observes for now.

"Perhaps dealing with some of the main factions pushing their respective agendas would stabilse things enough to hold a free election" Punch suggests.

Even in such a vast open room it was hard to miss a Bot as big as Roadbuster trodding into it. Trying to police Tarn better without turning things into a total cesspool was a job on several of the Wreckers' lists when not specifically 'being Wreckers' as it has been put, so he came in to see what's going on. Optic visor glances across the room, giving a nod specifically to Arcee and Prowl. And giving Defcon a slap on the shoulder as he tromps past the bounty hunter to find a seat big enough to hold him. Then takes the time to listen to where the conversation currently is. He's probably not going to say much until he actually has something to contribute.

Bumblebee has arrived.

Arcee looks at Punch. "Could you elaborate on that a little more?" she asks curiously.

Bumblebee has been seated quietly for the better part of the meeting...Not a lot of attention of him, but that was typically the way Bumblebee preferred things. He eyes Prowl as the strategist speaks, still a bit conflicted on his old friend's return. He *was* Prowl. That much was clear. But death and return had changed him.

Bee sighs quietly. Of course it had. Nothing could be given without giving something in return. Prowl had been given life, and lost a bit of Prowl in return.

Prowl holds his explanations to let Punch elaborate. He waves at Roadbuster and Bumblebee.

Punch manages to hide thefirst signal as now's the time. "Arcee wanted ideas as how to deal with the various groups, all using their version of Megatron's life story, to further their own ends. I thought some information that contradicted their stories would destabilised said groups. Since they've elevated Megatron to the status of a martyr, making his ghost as real and solid as anything else in that forsaken realm, then only one person's viewpoint would do . . . Megatrons. His personal logs to be precise."

Punch reaches forward with what he's been holding. The pain he's in betrays him and he does so with his left, and wrong, hand. The austobot Symbol, recently repianted and his arm are fine but from the wrist down to his fingertips his casings blackened and, in places, the endoskeleton's showing. "It's nothing. The last security measures protecting my little gift had many redundant circuits. One of those wasn't as redundant as I thought. As promised. Megatron's personal logs." Placing the data drive upon the table Punch quickly puts his hand behind him again.

There's enough there to contradict all the groups stories and, as it comes from the very one who they're using as a mouthpiece there's nothing to do but fold" Punch winces again as he steps back shielding his wounded hand behind him.

"I've done some scouting in Tarn already, prior to the incident with Swindle," Shiftlock says. "Some of the rebels there were willing to listen to me and talk to me because they recognized me as being part of a civilian resistance movement. If half of what they say is true, they might as well be living under Decepticon rule already - if I were one of them I'd probably be throwing in for a purple badge too. I did my best to put it in their minds to consider resisting oppression *period*, rather than trying to paint the Decepticons as the source of all evil. That isn't going to work; if we come in chanting the same old Autobot mantras they will tune us out and dig in their heels harder. The people have to be trained to stand for themselves - politically first, in unity, and then if needs be, against physical oppression."

Shiftlock leans against the wall, folding her arms over her chest after tucking the datapad into an outer thigh compartment. "An election at this point seems like a lose-lose for everyone but Cons. Unless the populace is stable and cooperative, democracy's a joke."

She smiles appreciatively at Punch and the mech's hard work. He gets the job done. "That right there might just happen. The terrans have a saying that 'mold won't grow in sunlight'. Truth seems like the best antidote to mythology."

Bumblebee frowns. "I don't know, Punch. A cult is a cult is a cult, no matter where the information we're showing them comes from." He waves his hand, activating a few holo images of the Megatron Masks throughout Tarn. "Truth and mythology mix so often with the Decepticons, they share the same recharge slab."

Bumblebee leans back. "Besides, where did you even *get* those logs? I can't imagine that's something Soundwave would part with easily."

Roadbuster simply sits and listens for a long time. Politics wasn't a subject he was well read on, save where it sometimes overlaps with military matters. Which tends to be a messy thing, regardless of what species or planet you are talking about. The conversation goes back and forth from one participant to another, while he's sitting there, mulling it over.

"Tarn isn't ready for a fully 'free' election," the titanic Wrecker finally rumbles, the first thing he's said since arriving. "Too unstable, still too likely for less savory groups to try and undermine compatition. But giving them a say in arrangements, a show of faith and willingness to listen to their views."

Arcee smiles slightly as she sees Defcon and then Roadbuster bring their combined hugeness to the room. Bee just looks so tiny with *them* seated beside him. It's kind of funny. She quietly takes a picture of it from her point of view, to send to Rewind.

"I agree with Roadbuster, it's a great *goal* to work toward -- I would love to see it happen, but you *know* the Decepticons would find a way to corrupt the process, no matter how many failsafes we put into place. As for...telling Megatron's story, I think that's feasible if approached from a particular angle...Rewind's put together documentary films before so he has experience with a project like this," Arcee comments.

Prowl listens and makes a few notes. He turns to Shiflock "I knew things were not good but maybe not that bad. What do these people want...that we can realistically give them?" He nods at Roadbuster "I agree the place is unstable but undermining the competition is a door that swings both ways. If people always do the opposite of what we want. We just need to back the candiate we do not want. Some form of reverse psychology similar to what is used with terran children but fully applicable on a larger scale." He looks at Punch and the stare is a bit harder than usual...could it be about the arm thing? "As for Megatron's logs...We have to be very careful with that. Once they are out...there is no pulling them back in. Someone, somewhere will always have a copy."

"I had my orders and I have my sources." Punch says simply to Bumblebee. "However, were I to venture my own opinion, there's speeches and rants about 'purity' damning all the very things he became when accepting Unicrons bargain. Detailed tactical reports that tie in with open source records of his operations whilst in command. Most groups destabilising the area need Megatron's name to give them strength. Their individual capabilities without that trump card . . . are non existant." Looking for a spot further from view Punch sits, his maimed hand still hidden behind him, his expression showing a brief flicker of pain.

Arcee sighs, looking toward Punch nervously. She doesn't doubt the authenticity of those logs, at all.

Shiftlock moves a little closer to Punch, concerned over his injuries. She asides to Prowl, "They say they're monitored constantly - oppressive surveilance, that their government is composed of abusive overlords who make people 'disappear' for speaking out. They were terrified to even get near me or speak in the open about how they felt, and they wanted to try to find an alleyway or other out-of-the-way place just to speak their minds."

"Regardless of option taken, security is going to need to tight to prevent... complications," is the only other thing Roadbuster has to add at the moment. He doesn't really talk all that much at times like this. He's listening though.

Bumblebee just isn't convinced. "Megatron's reformatting didn't seem to be a problem for the entirety of the Decepticon army. Everyone knows Megatron was a son of a glitch. That's why they flock to him to begin with. Would any of you stop following Prime if I told you how many traffic violations Hot Rod broke on Earth?" He points to Shiftlock. "I think Shiftlock is on to something. The big picture is that we're sitting on a Decepticon city that we can't afford to relax on. We pull Lightsinger and his police force, we lose the city. We dig in, we lose the city. It's a mirror to the situation in Crystal City, and we're just hoping not to shatter the glass."

Prowl raises a hand to calm Bee "Hold it. We are talking about pulling Lightsinger but not the police force. They stay there until the situation stabilizes in the long term."

Punch has nothing to add. He gives the insight and meets the objective. Past that better people than he is get to struggle with. That's their burden. Punch has his own.

"Try changing the guard. Make sure we *know* who is on the force," Shiftlock suggests, standing near Punch now. "Maybe new faces might relax them. Until then, we need non-Autobots, or maybe some that aren't recognizable, to go into the area, collect information and gain the trust of those on the side of the resistance. Find out who the agitators are and call them out on what they're doing."

Defcon listens, but he figures it's not his place to speak up. He's less Planning and Stratedgizing and more Black Ops and Shooty-Shooty. Which isn't to say that he lacks an opinion on the matter, but simply that he doesn't voice anything right now. He is careful to observe and note the various opinions of the people here, reading body language and subconscious markers.

Roadbuster grunts softly. Or at least its softly for him. "Or turn them against each other. So we aren't being pressured from all sides at once. Get them to cull their own flak a bit instead of us looking... bad to them."

Rewind has arrived.

Prowl leans back in his chair for a second to process all this...Not many ways out. "Maybe...maybe we just start with the entertainment district plan. See how that affects morale. If there are bad apples, chances are they will try to sabotage our efforts. The entertainment district becomes bait while it is constructed." He looks back at Shiftlock "I was not aware of those disappearances. I knew about the patrols, checkpoints and such but making people just disappear for speaking their minds...That's a bit harsh."

Roadbuster shifts a bit to turn towards Prowl and Shiftlock. "That may not even be happening... But there have been arrests. People taken into custody. If they were vocal about things, it could be seen as removal for what they said rather than what they did, that others may not know all the facts of. Rumors start from lack of information."

"Maybe I should have a little cosmetic welding done, change my paint, and go live as a Tarnian for awhile," Shiftlock says with a wry smile. "I'll find out first hand."

At Bee's mention of Hot Rod's traffic violations, Arcee has this...unmistakable look of extreme embarassment for about a microsecond, until she composes herself once more. Always, one of her first memories of Earth will be of...the infamous 1998 tour through Los Angeles incident. And Hot Rod not telling her what traffic signals were, or what they signified. And the police escort to the jail, where they got mugshots, and Optimus had to post bond for them on *hundreds* of moving violations. And --

Arcee glances up from her tablet blankly, staring toward Shiftlock. "It would help to have a more permanent imbed in Tarn," Arcee admits. "Blurr and I ended up having to rotate them out, because they kept getting killed."

Rewind got a transmission and a picture from Arcee earlier, so the tape-bot has made his way to the room. Stepping inside the door, he pauses to look around and take in his bearings. Wow, that's a lot of 'Bots. But he's in Intelligence, so he's certainly got every right to be here. For now, he just watches.

"Hey, Rewind, come see what Punch was able to get. I think this looks like a project for an archival expert. Do you happen to know any?" Arcee asks with a grin.

Continuing to provide the holographic imagery, Mute's holos display various members of the Tarn police force.

"Hmm. Wonder how many of those guys are writing their own rulebook..." Arcee looks kind of disgusted by the whole situation in Tarn, even the police force looks...thuggish to her.

" 'Personal interpretations' " Roadbuster mutters in response to Arcee. "Bending the rules for your own favor only becomes a problem if you're caught." The big guy pauses for a insightful moment. "... Prehaps we should be inspecting our law enforcement on the inside as well. It doesn't matter if their corruption is their own, if they are acting under our enforcement, it reflects badly on us." Another grunt. "Errors of the soldier, often fall on those in charge of them."

Prowl checks his chrono "Allright people, concrete plan and action. If we want to get the ball rolling say...tomorrow. What do we start with? Which order should we do it? What do we have to do? What must we avoid?" He checks his datapad and begins reading: 1- Recalling Lightsinger and replacing him with a council which includes members of the population. 2- Send Shiftlock for on the ground imbed intel. 3- Census amongst the population for the entertainment district. 4- Megatron's log project 5- Inspect Tarn's police force 6- Have I forgotten anything?

"You need a face." Defcon finally says, after remaining quite for so long. "Champions don't just spring up on a whim. Sometimes they need a bit of a helping hand." He crosses his arms, still leaning back in his chair. "Need a face. A new one, not that old one."

Looking at Defcon, Mute says nothing, his faceless face screen showing only it's usual array of visualisations of the various sound waves present in the room.

Arcee looks like she's about to say something, then just stops herself and begins taking notes again.

Rewind perks up at Arcee. "Oh?" He steps in closer, looking over at Punch. "What'cha got?" He gives his fellow tape a nod, and receives and sends a radio message. He nods to Defcon. "Yes! Arcee, Punch and I were talking about the power of mythos earlier... a figurehead is a powerful way to pull in people and draw them in to support an idea. We need to make it a good one. And a compelling figurehead."

"....." Arcee dithers for a moment, tapping her stylus against the tablet. "...So...how about Magnus?" she says, as if she's trying to sell herself on the idea and failing miserably.

"Maybe, as part of the 'inspection', some better training as well? Teach the law enforcement how to handle threats in more ways than use of force. Teach them.. to read what the populance needs to feel safe, not just respond to threats and violence with more violence." The big mech nods his head a bit, then sits back in his chair. The comments come at a somewhat staggered pace, as he's considering just how to say them. Not entirely in his comfort zone, but he's trying. "Prehaps.. frame such as efforts by the new 'face' to make reforms? If they feel the changes are being made for their benefit, prehaps they will ... give them a chance."

Bumblebee glances between Defcon and Roadbuster. "Mechs that respond to a force like Megatron might respond to the Wreckers. Maybe that face should be Roadbuster?"

"A face." Defcon says again. "Someone to look good. Cuz it ain't gonna be us. Not for a while anyway. When you kick Lightsinger out, whether you bring in a council or what, you need a face. Someone temporary. Temporary governor. Let the people know it's temporary, and there will be elections eventually. A face, a name, a heart. Someone people can like. Someone brave. Someone who's got charisma."

"Then start making progress. Take your polls. Check out the corruption. Send Shiftlock in. Get your intel. Then make with the Entertainment. Museums. Art. Zoos. And paint. Frak, the place is one giant three dimensional Deceptibrand. Colors can effect the subconscious and the emotions. Purple and black doesn't read happy, and neither does red. So make it colorful. Make contests for it. All while having Mr Face frontline everything. He can even josh the Autobots a bit, if it makes him more likeable. Gradually shift the focus from Mr Temp working for Autobots, to Autobots working for Mr Temp. Have press conferences. Public gives him ideas. He has us make the changes. He's Mr Temp but he's also their voice. They speak, he listens. He speaks, we listen."

"Do everything together. Like Roadbuster in battle. Hit em with every frackin thing you've got. Hit em from every angle. Use Shiftlock. Use Punch's info. Open the Colliseum and make it a giant free market or a public forum where people can speak their mind or recite poetry or whatever the frell else they want. Insert Megatron masks with goofy little adjustments until those masks are just a joke. I dunno. Something like that."

A pause. "And when it's time for elections, if we've done our job right, Mr Temp can become Mr Governor /if/ we've played our cards right. If not?" He shrugs. "We do the best we can. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, or without risk."

Roadbuster grunts a bit at Bumblebee. "I can help with the security matters, but I ain't no damn politician."

Shiftlock thinks outloud, "I'm going to have to find Halo. Maybe she knows what the typical Tarnian chassis looks like." When Defcon's finished speaking she nods. "It's worth it if we can gauge the genuine reactions of the populace."

"Maybe that's what will make the difference, Roadbuster," she suggests.

"Mr. Face. Hmm...okay, probably not Magnus, then," Arcee recants offhandedly.

Standing and shielding his hand from view Punch forces a smile through the pain and says to Rewind, "On the table, Megatrons personal logs. Enjoy." To Prowl he says, "One to five. Clear and six - I don't think so." Adding to the others " If none of you mind I have something to attend to." At which point Punch awaits to be dismissed. It's overly formal but Punch likes overly formal. It's him. That's important.

You say, "Punch...get that arm checked out. That is not a suggestion."

You receive a radio message from Shiftlock: Thank you. He can be stubborn about that.

Bumblebee gestures to Prowl. "There's fallout outside of Tarn to consider, too. Lightsinger isn't a soldier, but he's been loyal to the Autobots since there were Autobots to be loyal to. It's why he was assigned to Tarn in the first place. What are we saying to our territories when we pull him?"

Defcon looks over to Punch, "Yea, attend to that hand. Or get it replaced. I know a guy who can make a mean lightning gauntlet." He gives Punch a look as if to say 'trust me'.

Prowl looks at Defcon "So you are saying we make a play to make Bumblebee governor?"

"Well, it would depend entirely upon how he's...'pulled', I would think," Arcee mentions to Bumblebee. "What if we just gave him a...retirement? Something nice, an acknowledgement of that service. But he can't remain in there."

"Just the hand Sir, but understood." Punch says as he nods to Prowl and before he leaves he says, "I'll maybe see you about that Defcon."

Punch moves west to the Command Center. Punch has left.

"We might send the message that if you're an Autobot that goes crooked, we deal with you," Shiftlock adds.

Defcon looks to Bumblebee. "Tell them the truth. He's not what Tarn needs. He was there to do a job and he did it and now it's time to move on." He shrugs at Arcee. "Throw him a party in Iacon but not in Tarn then." Then shrugs at Prowl. "I dunno. I'm not that kind of Intel Operative." He makes a hand gesture resembling a gun. Bang bang. "I don't put people in power, Deadman. I take them out of it." He gives Prowl a kind of over-the-top wink. "If you think he's our face, then he's our face. That might require some extensive planning to figure out. Not my forte."

"Right, exactly, Defcon...*we* can acknowledge what he did but if we do that in or around Tarn, or they get wind of it, the mood will turn on that news," Arcee notes.

Prowl tilts his head a little bit "Yes, Bumblebee might be seen as even closer to us than the former governor. We need someone from the local populace but last ditch effort, do we have any activate Autobots hailing from Tarn?"

You say, "Also Defcon...do not call me that. I am alive and well."

Defcon gives him another kind of over-the-top wink. "Got it."

Bumblebee glances back and forth uncomfortably between Defcon and Prowl.

Roadbuster gives a slight cant of his head when Defcon uses him as an example, but at this point doesn't have much else to add to the matter. When they need him to do something, they'll ask. His attention drifts back to himself. To pass the time of the moment he opens a leg compartment and pulls out a sizable pistol. At least to him. To an average Autobot it would be more like a small handcannon. Don't worry, it's unloaded. All the same he slides it open to check the chamber, shuts it and checks the muzzle to be clear of obstructions. The same for the magazine port in the handle. Lifts it to his visor to check the sights, imagining a Decepticon cowering on the other end. Then lowers it and uses the heel of the other hand to rub some grit off of it before the dirt gets into something sensative.

It was a soldier's passive habit. If you're not fighting, you're making sure you're ready to fight. A misfire or worst in middle of heated conflict could make all the difference at a crucial moment. In the end it wouldn't stop the inevitable wear and tear Roadbuster can put a weapon through, but it at least it prevented the worst. Usually.

Looking back to Prowl, Mute considers how many Decepticons are intent on reversing the former deadbots resurection. Meanwhile his holograms have shifted into what appears to now be a campaign poster for 'Bumblebee for Governor'.

Arcee covers her grin quickly -- were they REALLY thinking of installing Bee as Governor of Tarn? Seriously?? ...Well, she could think of worse candidates. And he WAS pretty personable. Perhaps the charisma would be enough to turn the tide of public opinion. But she can't help but think it's really very amusing.

Prowl looks at his datapad "Allright here comes the orders."

"Shiftlock - You have a GO to imbed in Tarn and gather info from there. While you are there, check if you can find the new Face of Tarn. We will not pull the governor tomorrow but when we do, we need to be ready."

"Roadbuster, Defcon - You guys will run the audit and review of Tartn's police force."

Rewind, Megatron's logs. See what you can do with it. No rush on it but getting started would be good. Do NOT publish anything in there without discussing with us first. Work on the montage but that is it."

"The rest we process the info and plan our next moves. There is also another more pressing situation that needs dealing with. Punch is handling that one." "Any questions?"

"None here," Arcee says.

Bumblebee gives Mute's poster an odd look, listens quietly to the governor discussion, and sits back as Prowl ignores the concept entirely. He's not quite sure if that irritates him or relieves him.

Rewind 's optics light up at Punch's information, and he immediately heads over to the table to investigate. Picking the logs up, he starts perusing them briefly... "Oh, this will be an interesting read, all right!" He then nods to Prowl. "Got it! I'll get right on it, and let you know what I find."

Shiftlock salutes. "Will do, Prowl."

The providing of orders snaps Roadbuster out of the reverence of his weapon, returning it to its storage compartment as he hefted his mass back onto his feet. "Of course, sir." Won't be the deepest of possible slagpits he's had to wade through. "Hopefully it won't turn out like that time on Veronal III. Rooting out Deception plants in prelude to an invasion there got..... messy when they thought they could show off to their so-called future lords by tossing a misguided military incursion at the Wreckers."

Roadbuster doesn't go into details. You can probably imagine who that idea went badly for.

Bumblebee moves west to the Command Center. Bumblebee has left.