Suspicious Changes

-Quantum is wandering aimlessly around the Forge, not really knowing what exactly he is supposed to do, and kind of hating it. At times he wishes he could just go back to his merc life, but at the same time he knows what is coming...and if he doesn't side with someone, he might end up getting left high and dry, or caught in the crossfire. Which would not be good at all.
      Well...not that he won't do a few jobs here and there, behind closed doors and such.
-As for Swift Blade, she's much more focused, even though she doesn't have a specific mission. Right now her mission is one of self-improvement. Usually she's one of the more diplomatic femmes around. /Usually./ However, the moment she sees Quantum, out come the swords. "What are /you/ doing here?" she demands, her tone even but cold. This is one of those times she's just not feeling the diplomacy.
-No doubt a crash is heard before a mech goes running out one of the doors which apparently was blocked earlier. The sound of someone venting steam is heard for a moment before Brawls voice rings out, "FINE GET OUT OF HERE, COWARD!"
-Quantum does a double take and holds his hands up defensively when Swift Blade suddenly pulls her weapons. "Hey, hey." he chuckles. "Cool your tailpipes Swift, I'm on your team now." The spacer smirks and shows her his badge which he probably just got branded. He glances over at Brawl when there is a sudden shout, arching an optic ridge at him and...whoever he was yelling at.
-Swift Blade stares in disbelief at Quantum for quite some time. She doesn't even look fully away when the 'coward' goes running out of the room. "This had better not be a trick," she says with a frown, putting the swords away. Even after all that, she's still a bit too trusting...whether of Quantum or the other Decepticons isn't certain. Peering into the room she inquires, "What was all that about?"
-Brawl is still steaming a bit as his latest sparring partner runs off while listening to his comm. Stowing his hammer he says to no one in particular, "Can't wait till this war really starts. These mechs just run off." Finally noticing Quantum and Swift Blade he tilts his head, "Huh, forget if I met you two before."
-Quantum chuckles, though there is something unsettling about the look on his face. He shrugs. "Well if you think it's a trick, I guess I can't do too much about it." The mech looks over at Brawl. "Hm, I don't think I've met you either. Name's Quantum."
      He pauses. "So what all exactly do you guys do around here anyway? Just spar a lot? Fight in the arena...anything else?"
-"I don't believe we've met, no," Swift Blade says with the faintest trace of a smile. Extending a hand, she adds, "I'm Swift Blade."
She's not smiling at all when she turns to face Quantum. "I would have assumed that whoever let you into the ranks would have answered all such questions," she says, raising an optic ridge. "But as long as you're here to serve, then there should be no conflict between us." She can't speak for Blast Off though, so she doesn't even try.
-Brawl looks between the two before nodding, "Brawl, Combaticon, Ground Assault." He doesn't give his old registration number. Instead he listens to the pair saying, "At this part of the Forge thats what I usually do unless given orders. Otherwise can usually find myself at the Jump Joint. Can't speak for others and if you haven't recieved the latest orders you'll hear them soon enough."
-"Nope." Quantum replies cheerfully to Swift Blade's 'assumption.' He seems awfully content compared to how he was the last time she saw him. Which is probably somewhat creepy. Yes, of course he's here to -serve-! "Brawl, nice to meet you, I guess. So what'd you do before all this then?"
-Swift Blade smiles more this time; "Ah, so you are Blast Off's team mate then." Then she straightens herself up and looks somehwat dismayed as she glances to Quantum. On the other hand, Brawl certainly LOOKS like he can more than handle himself, so she relaxes again. "Pleased to meet you Brawl," she states, despite the fact that many have painted a somewhat negative picture of the mech. At least Quantum hasn't broken all her diplomacy.
Flicking her optics back towards Quantum, she merely studies him, not sure what else to say at this point.
-"I was originally part of the Primal Vanguard until we chose not to fight our fellow Combatrons. Was thrown into Garrus-1 for a while then put back out to right without the others.", "Brawl starts to reply studying Quantum, "They chose to lock me back up in Fort Syck for doing what I do too well, which is fight. Busted myself out and eventually came here." 
Nodding to Swift Blade he says, "Yeah I work with him. The whole teams back together."
-"Primal Vanguard, eh? Hah." Quantum shakes his head. "If these were different times I'd probably have a few choice words for you. You mechs were the -reason- my job sucked afterburner grease. And the reason I eventually got labeled as 'obsolete', too. Well a big part of it, anyway."
-Swift Blade inclines her head to Brawl. "That is good news, isn't it?" she asks, curious. She looks over to Quantum. "What /was/ it you were 'supposed' to be doing originally?" she asks. Other than his issues with Blast Off, she doesn't know much about the mech to be honest.
-Brawl raises an optic ridge behind his visor but shrugs and moves to lean against a wall saying, "Not my fault what the blasted Senate does to others." Looking to the femme he adds, "Yeah better then being seperated after all this time."
-"Well yeah, maybe the Senate were the ones who ultimately shut me down, but they did it because the Nova Prime and his -Vanguard- ruined our reputation with the rest of the galaxy." Quantum points out. "Didn't exactly have a choice, you know. Besides, it was getting rough out there--if I hadn't gotten grounded sooner, some of those oversized fleshbags probably would've tried to rip my spark out or something."
-"From the sounds of it the five of you have been through a fair bit together," Swift Blade says to Brawl. "Do you miss your homeworld?" she asks.
To Quantum she just nods her head. "It wasn't easy getting back here; I suppose the only reason I got this far was because I was alone and considered 'neutralized' through my years of slavery." She shrugs her shoulders. "Were you an explorer, or a transport?"
-Brawl crosses his arms, "All I did was follow orders as any soldier would. You can point blame towards me but you already stated who was the ultimate cause." He turns his focus on the seeker saying, "Combatron's gone so Cybertron's home now. Nothing can change that." He does seem to ponder a bit before adding, "But yeah I do."
-"Neither, I was an emissary. Diplomat. Smooth talk, and all that." Quantum replies. Yes, really. "Heh, yeah, I know what you're thinking, and yeah it was rough. Only got worse and worse as Nova Prime kept doing his thing. Anyway, wasn't saying it was your fault." he glances at Brawl. "Mostly Nova Prime's, since he called the shots. But anyway it doesn't matter any more. It's long past."
-Swift Blade nods her head to Brawl. "It is a sad thing to have happen to a planet; hopefully we will have better luck with Cybertron." Then she just stares at Quantum. "I am sad I didn't meet you in those days then," she says quietly.
-"We'll see what happens when it does. For now just another fight that has yet to be finished," is all Brawl says as he listens to the two.
-"Eh, it's no use talking about 'could have beens'." Quantum shrugs. "Hah...well I dunno, if we go to war like everyone's talking about, I really don't think there's a version of -that- story that ends well for Cybertron. Kind of ironic, talking about hoping things will be better for this planet, but at the same time trying to go to war with the government. But whatever," The spacer turns and starts to wander off, perhaps to explore some other aspect of the base he hasn't seen yet.
-Brawl is silence as he watches Quantum walk off. He glances towards Swift Blade saying, "So you have bit of a conflict with that mech?"
-Swift Blade watches Quantum go. When he's finally gone, she sighs and turns to face Brawl more directly. "Keep an optic on that one; he's tried to kill your brother more than once," she warns. "And he decided, at one point, that killing him wasn't enough; he tried to kill me instead because I am friends with Blast Off." She frowns. "And now that seems to be 'behind' him. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I'm afraid his sudden change of demeanor alarms me."
-Brawl tilts his head in Quantums direction, "Yeah hard for some to change so fast." Looking back to the seeker he nods, "Right if anything happens he'll end up scrap. Course Blast Off knows how to handle himself, least when he's focused. So how good of friends we talking?"
-"I'm not sure how to quantify that," Swift Blade says. "I spent most of nine million years as a slave; I didn't have the luxury of having friends of any kind." She gives Brawl a long look. "Suffice it to say, I joined the Decepticons when I realized I would never be able to fight against him or allow anyone to take him back to prison."
-"Slave huh, worse then prison even if you can't see the bars.", Brawl replies. Studying the femme he adds, "Huh, thats the best answer gonna get huh.", if his eyes were visible he'd be blinking as he listens to the radio.
-Swift Blade doesn't have her radio on for good reason. "That's the best the answer is right now. But, without perspective, I suppose it doesn't mean much. When I first got here, I was adamantly against choosing any side in the conflict." She shrugs her shoulders. "Besides, I learn by observing others; most of my experience with people up to this point has been strictly from a slave/master perspective." She pauses. "A lack of freedom is quite upsetting, yes, whether it is by bars or other controls."
-"Onslaughts methods are his own, so I don't bother questioning them," Brawl says. He ponders a bit before nodding, "Huh, well he hasn't talked in a while but he's probably ok. As for him teaching you how to shoot, not a bad choice for a teacher."
-"My ranged weaponry was removed during my years as a slave; I was bought to fight in arenas that are slightly similar to the ones here, only it was against organics in power suits rather than other Cybertronians...and there was a ban on ranged fighting," Swift Blade says.
-Brawl nods, "That would make anyone a little rusty with ranged weapons." He stands straight once again as he adds, "Well least you're out of there and won't be pushed back anytime soon."
-Swift Blade smiles. "The other reason that I joined the Decepticons. Freedom and equality mean much to someone who spent most of her life having neither."
-Brawl listens to his com, shakes his head. Regaining his focus he says, "Right now thats all that anyone here can want I guess. Yeah I was made for fighting, but doesn't mean I won't stop when needed."
-"I never fought out of anger," Swift Blade says, "so it has always been easy for me to stop when ordered to." She tilts her head to the side. "Am I interrupting something?" she asks, noticing the change in focus.
-Brawl shakes head, "Its nothing, Vortex just went to look for Blast Off. We both know he can handle himself. Just the radio noise."
-Swift Blade makes a bit of a face. "I turned mine off except for the frequency we get our orders by and the distress beacons," she says. "It is a little too chaotic for me. And...sometimes it's painful to listen to." She shakes her head.
-Brawl's faceplate is still closed so he currently shows nothing. He just nods sayig, "Can understand. Just a bunch of idiots right now." Doesn't state Starscream being among them as he adjusts, "Yeah better to have certain channels off."
-"Well, the planet is probably full of 'idiots'. I mean, look at the shape it's in. Idiots or those filled with malice, or a combination of the two, are likely the reason of such a downfall," Swift Blade says.
-"Don't know much on politics but thats the only answer we got," Brawl replies. Looking around he makes his way towards the exit he says, "It was good meeting you Swift Blade. But I'm going to head out. Till another time."
-Swift Blade nods her head. "Yes, it was nice to meet you too," she replies. "Take care of yourself; we're going to need people when things really get moving."