After the Departure

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Goa Slipstream Firestorm
Goa (gooey) pages: Idly buzzing on the link, Goa seems moderately panicked -- the delicate sort of panic, like when one's traversing a thin bridge. In gale force wind.
Long distance to Goa: Slipstream sends a curious, "What are you freaking out?"
Goa (gooey) pages: <Starscream.> As terse as usual ... but you can wordlessly sense he feels himself in a situation convoluted enough to alarm even his maze of a CPU. <Barracks. Two breems. Please?> Goa falls suddenly meek. He's been absent, albeit for reasons beyond his control, and he knows it.
You paged Goa with 'I'll be there Gooey.'
----
Slipstream is in her berth, sitting there reading her data pad. The news report about the ship leaving is the interest story of the cycle, naturally.
Goa scoots past said berth, then backs up a little. Then looks down at Slip, hands laced. He appears none the worse for wear. But the motor rings under his optics seem like they ought to be visible, as shaken and tense as the mech is postured. He's standing up straight, which is rarely a good sign.
Slipstream looks up to Goa, studying him a few moments. She sets her data pad aside and pats the spot next to her, "Come and sit Goa." she says softly.
Goa turns about and sits, hunched forward over his laps. Hands lace under his chin now. He had ... he is thankful he can communicate in private, if he needs to, at least. But ... slag. Knowing too many people? This was going to be a stress-test of who he could trust. His head turns alone, to stare at Slipstream more wide-opticked than usual. "So how many lives do you think I've got left, Slip?" He grins a little, but it's forced. He mumbles quietly, "There was the thing off-world, that used up a good chunk of them. Spared for gross failure one..." he frees one hand to count on it, "... two, three, four... five or six times. Just spent another. So what?"
s/laps/lap/
Slipstream cocks her head a bit at Goa's demeanor as well as the words that come out of his mouth. She takes a moment to think it over, then states, "I wasn't aware we had lives to use up, Goa. But I'll presume since you mentioned Starscream that it has something to do with him. "You had your reasons for being gone, and frankly I have long since given up worrying about where you go and why. I don't need the stress when it comes to worrying. So long as I suddenly don't find myself no long spark linked to you, then that's all I can ask." she leans over and kisses him on the cheek, "I missed you."
Goa smiles blearily. "Yeah." That's all he seems present enough to say. He glances down at the data pad she'd been reading ... looks up at her with those newly-red optics, then back down at the data pad. He takes it and starts reading. <Up to speed.> The sort of multitasking he does when he doesn't want to acknowledge he's having a conversation. When he's afraid he's being observed. The basic facts, the events -- those that Goa both sees as relevant and remembers to squeeze in, anyway -- begin to form on the link as soundless images. His tour of the ship; Swivel's odd behavior, somewhere mentally off to the side; in detail what he was trying to convince Starscream of; various things he can bring to 'prove' that he was hunting Depth. Nonexistent timed charges. Nonexistent sabotage. The mech crosses his legs, resting the data pad on a knee demurely. <No one knows I was lying. Save you and Firestorm. Can only suspect.> He seems ... a little cross at the thought of her name.
Slipstream nods a little to the first thought over the link, she's always up to speed on what is going on. Noticing his lack of looking her in the optics though, she knows he's just not feeling like himself. Best she can do is send as much comforting feelings over the link as she can while she is sorting through the imagery you do show her. <Should have let him shoot the mech. In fact, should have yourself.. and Firestorm too.. just to make it look like you were sucking up to the alien to get close enough to do so. Now you both got to deal with whatever lies he tells Megatron to make it look like you are both traitors.>
Goa's antennae rise forward a little. He hadn't thought of attacking Depth himself. Not really a way to see a friend off, you know? But it's clear he's mortified that Firestorm stepped in before Starscream could act. For himself, for the both of them. It would at least hold water, since Depth had no problem overpowering Megatron, that Goa had his reasons for not doing anything straight-up... he ponders this. Now that he's calmed-down enough to ponder anyway. Slip helps. <Want to intercept him first. Would look desperate. Not an option...> He flips the 'page' on the pad. <Need something more convincing.>
Slipstream shifts her wings slightly on her back, considering those words carefully. She then smirks and offers, <Tell him the alien used mind control on you.>
Goa snaps his antennae back in. <Mind control?> He acts like he's seen something in the ... tap, tap ... work ads. He actually drifts off a moment to study them. <Useful for her. Not me. What?>
Slipstream shakes her head a bit, <Think about it Goa. Why would a Decepticon willingly hang around an alien that Megatron wanted either dead or part of his army. Starscream isn't that bright. Try the mind control excuse and see how it flies. Firestorm saying the exact same thing will only support what you say.>
The distinct sound of footfalls manages to echo throughout the barracks as Firestorm walks in, hands held bind her back while fingers tapped idly on the others. She didn't say a word to Goa or Slip as she passed them, optics kept ahead in thought as she heads to her bunk and takes a seat on it, sighing softly as she leans back against the wall.
Goa furrows his brow and looks over at Slipstream. <To gain his trust--> Oh. She was right. Maybe Starscream wouldn't be bright enough to buy a /legitimate/ answer like that. His alibi was effectively the same thing he did with Chimera, though, and he remembers how that went after she, too, escaped ... maybe he should make a policy about hanging around targets of the Empire, he realizes. It tended to be bad for the little bot's health. Firestorm walks by somewhere in the middle of this musing. He snaps his optics back into focus, "I'll run it by her." <Suspicious so soon? What do you think? Anyone asks, she's my sister...> Goa might be talking about running said idea by her /now/ instead of later. Such is rarely clear.
Slipstream takes note of Firestorm entering, also that far away look she has since she passed them both without so much as a hello or a wave. <Speaking of your sister, fill her in on that. It’s something to try at least. Maybe even Megatron would buy it if you both make it sound convincing. It’s better than the truth and suffering his wrath.> She nods though at his explanation, <That would be excuse to use if mind control doesn't fly. Gaining someone's trust to stab him in the back, that would be classic and hard core veteran Decepticon sort of move. Though you still got to explain Firestorm's actions, which aren't as easy to explain away using gaining trust.>
"If you two are talking about me, might as well say it out loud." Firestorm's voice is heard softly from her bunk, aimed at the mech and femme not too far away. She was now laying back, her upper back propped against the wall while one leg bent close to her and slightly swayed side to side in a leisurely manner, one arm brought up to rest her hand behind her head.
<That's the idea.> Heh. Megatron buying anything Goa says at this point. That was a funny one. Though maybe he's being too hard on himself -- his reputation is for being stubborn, not mutinous, as the air commander put it. And what excuse did he have for being so stubborn when pressed for info about Depth? None. Unless he thought his plan was better than Megatron's. So he very clearly wants to avoid that conversation, if at all possible-- He startles as Firestorm speaks up. And he switches ... gears, patterns, wavelengths. Now speaking to her directly. <Not here.> "Sorry, Firey." He flips his antennae inward. Inverse V. <No trust. Not in the walls.> Then he does his best to replay the conversation he just had with Slipstream, while looking ... taxed. Zoned out, but she deserves to know. Even if his CPU felt like it was trying to claw its way out of his cranial superstructure.
Slipstream looks back toward Firestorm and offers a smile, waiting for Goa to fill her in without speaking a word for any audios or other devices to hear. She knows at least that they can talk to each other via their link. <You know... might benefit to have a three way link sometime in the future.. > it’s not a suggestion, more of an idle thought. Added protection for all of them. Killing one would kill the other two would it not...
"Wonder how long it's gonna take Starscream to run to Megatron. I didn't even attack him. Heh, I shot down Skystalker and no one did a thing. Funny how that works out." Firestorm muses to herself and to anyone else listening as she idly looks at her free hand. "Whaddya think Megs will do, if anything?" The femme rolls on her bunk, leaning her head out to peer at the others as a smirk graces her face. It was like she didn't even care. Like all of this amused her.
If his anxious, distracted frown is any indication, Goa takes Megatron a great deal more seriously than his sister; a dash of irony for the pot. He completes the data transfer of sorts and rubs his head. It seems that Slipstream said something that caught him off-guard as he blinks at her a couple of times before speaking. "I don't know." He hated saying that. Hope and experience were fighting for vocalizer priority. "Slap on the wrist if you play that off." And survival was definitely beating out any thoughtfulness for Firestorm's feelings for Depth...
Slipstream peers at Firestorm as she speaks, then shrugs slightly. "Maybe Skystalker didn't run to Megatron because he was too embarrassed that he got shot down by a femme. As for Starscream, I am sure he's tracking down the Emperor as we speak." she pauses though, considering, "A suitable punishment unless you explain yourselves well enough that he decides not to do so."
"I suppose I'll find out soon enough." Firestorm shrugs, moving to lay down fully. "See you two next cycle. I wanna get in as much recharge as a can before Megatron talks to me." And with that she'd dull her systems, soon slipping into recharge mode.
"Well enough..." Goa's optics flutter for a moment. "Slip, what /is/ well enough?" He rubs at the crest of his helmet. "I give up. I defer to your rank-and-file wisdom." He smirks. "Does Megatron like /anything/?"
Slipstream nods then explains, "Make yourself believable, that's well enough." adding via the link, <Even if you have to lie to his face.> then she hmms, "Troops that obey orders of all officers."
"Oh. Should I start giving away my stuff then?" Goa smirks weakly, then finally becomes comfortable enough to lean on the seeker's side. He's considering what the former point will take, if nothing else. <Protection?> He inquires, hailing back to the mention of a trinary bond. In his thoughts, it's recognized more as a weakness than a boon...
Slipstream feels the lean and puts an arm around your shoulders, she shifts her head to rest the side of her helm against yours. "No." she states in answer. <Yes.> Two answers, but in the order necessary so you get the point that no you won't be giving your stuff away but thinking protection is a good thing when it comes to links.
Goa's engine purrs quietly; hey, may as well enjoy life before he has to deal with the fallout from this. "I'll run it by her." He turns his helmet aside, against Slipstream's, and gets a smooch in by the audial. Then his shoulders slouch. "I'm gonna miss that alien guy," he mumbles, on the link considering something about trump cards. Partway into recharge, the glow of his optics starts to recede. Talking so much without flapping one's lips takes a lot out of a mech.
Slipstream smiles a little to the soft purr of your engine, then feels you slouch, she stands and pulls you along with her, pushing you along by your leg wheels and getting you into your berth. She gets you settled and kisses your lips softly, "Rest Goa." she murmurs softly, then steps back to her berth. She too should recharge.
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