Ravage remains silent and motionless, conserving energon.

Jumpjet is impressed.  "Wow.  Gotta hand it to ya.  You're the only one besides Soundwave who can shut him up.  He'd even interrupt Megatron!"

But even that isn't enough to get Ravage to budge.  Jumpjet laughs!

Meanwhile, Prime is at work analyzing what data was stolen.  "Megatron will be targeting energy sources.  Looks like we're going to have to come up with a way to warn the power plant workers without alarming the general population."

  "another day being glad biting me is less painful for me than whatever has their teeth in me, but I don't think Ravage would let that stop him anyways" Ravage has 8 INT and clearly 11 Spite.

  He looks over to Prime, asking "Are we expecting Megatron to try and be subtle while shouting how superior to the locals he is and shooting everything on his way into a power plant?... Oh right, that's why he keeps soundwave around." Turbo Thunder can just imagine the monotone sigh as Soundwave blocks earth communications so nobody can report about Megatron flipping inferior earthling tables.

Gem nods to Turbo Thunder. "That and we'd like the power plant workers to not even be there when Megatron attacks them..."

Gem says to Prime, "We have human allies. Why not ask them?"

She then looks around to see if Spike is still nearby and... functional. "Spike? You still here? And is Sparkplug around...?"

Prime answers, "Subtlety isn't Megatron's style, but even he should realize that it would be more advantageous when he doesn't have a working ship."

Spike gives Gem a thumbs-up.  "Still here.  And we've got several ways to warn the others."

Sparkplug adds, "If you think it especially urgent, I can use radio."

Prime answers, "Affirmative.  Megatron will strike the nearest energy source to his location the moment he gets information on it.  Focus your transmission on power plants near where your oil rig was."

Sparkplug gets started, apparently already proficient in operating Teletran 1.  Enough to radio specific power plants, anyway.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:00, Tue 01 June 2021.

  Advanced computers that are harder to use are for pretentious loser aliens anyways. Cybertron tech is so good you don't even need any labels on the buttons to be user friendly!

  "Well, you all saw what happened to the oil rig even with us around to try to reduce the property damage the Decepticons caused. So yeah, urgent sounds about right."

Gem smiles to the humans. "Thank you, you two."

Gem strokes her chin in thought. "Optimus? I have an idea, but I don't want to say it in front of Ravage on the off chance he may escape."

She looks in Ravage's direction. "Who's on guard duty anyway...?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:48, Fri 04 June 2021.

"You betcha!" Spike answers cheerfully, "We live here, so anything we can do to help stop the Decepticons, we're all over it!"

Sparkplug adds, "Yeah.  Now that you mention it.  We're out a job thanks to those crank cases.  More than happy to help pay them back for that."

"Gears," Prime commands, "You'll be taking the first shift watching our prisoner."

"Why am I always stuck on guard duty?"

"Because you're good at it."

"Nice way to say I'm terrible at everything else, Optimus.  Thanks."

Prime nods to Gem and heads away from Ravage.

Jumpjet is torn.  On the one hand, morbid curiosity what sort of hairbrained scheme the entertainer has in mind.  On the other, being present when it is suggested means he'll probably be assigned to the part where he's herding Earth cattle for some strange reason.  Come to think of it, there's no getting out of it regardless because he's already a part of Gem's team.  Better to be present to shoot the idea down before he's simply ordered to do whatever insane task he's got to do.  So he tags along.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:01, Thu 10 June 2021.

  Ah, revenge. One of the most civilized of cultural instincts as an offshoot of spite. Maybe the locals will deal with Decepticon intentions a bit better than most.

  "Thanks Gears, don't taunt them up close or they will find some way to bite you through the bars."

Secretly, Prime knows that Gears is smart enough to stay the hell away from Ravage, but will torment him with non-stop complaints.  >:)

Gem looks at Gears and says, "Most of use are terrible at everything except our primary function, Gears."

Once inside the base and out of Ravage's (And Gears) earshot, Gem looks up at Prime and says, "So I was thinking; what if we created an energon source for the Decepticons to raid? Essentially controlling where they go? And then when they partake of the energon, the energon itself can either have nano trackers or some kind of stasis inducing agent in it so that when they imbibe, they conk out and we can swoop and take them all prisoner without having to resort to violence? On Cybertron, this idea would never have worked... but here on this alien world neither we nor the cons know about? What do you think, Prime?"

Gears shrugs.  "He does that I'll bite him back."

Jumpjet is pleasantly surprised at Gem's idea.  It isn't annoying for him directly.  Not that he can tell, anyway.  So may as well keep quiet this time.

Prime processes for a moment.  "That's a fine idea and the sort of thing that inspires innovation.  Right now we don't have the technology to pull it off.  Feel free to brainstorm with Wheeljack.  In the mean time, I need to focus on locating the enemy headquarters."

Prime heads for the spy-bots.

  "Normally I would be deeply questioning this plan, but if things work out with working with the locals then a plan consisting of 'waste energon' might not hurt us nearly as badly as it hurts the Decepticons even if it worked."

Gem ohs. Right. It would still need some means of being made. She kinda took for granted it would be easy for someone like Wheeljack or Perceptor.

She looks at Turbo Thunder and says, "That's the idea. Besides... we are now on a world that has abundant energy and are friends with a few natives. HOPEFULLY, this means we won't starve in the near future. But for the record, I am more than willing to go into stasis to conserve energon for everyone else."

That said, she quickly takes the cue from Prime to go aside with Wheeljack. "So what would an idea like that take, Wheeljack...? Soundwave can probably see through any normal corruption in energon, so I guess the real trick is having it go past sensors like him."

"Not sure exactly what would make Megatron more drawn to your poison energon instead of any of the other zillion sources scattered all over this planet," Jumpjet muses.

Wheeljack thinks, "Ya know?  I'm actually pretty surprised Shockwave or Megatron haven't used that sorta trick on us yet.  We'd've been pretty likely to fall for the bait back home.  That fact alone makes me think it's probably impossible using current known science.  But now that we're on an alien planet, who knows what neat resources and discoveries we'll find here that we've never encountered before!  Might just be possible.

"Great idea, by the way!  Keep thinking outside the box like that and I'm sure you'll come up with something amazing!"

Wheeljack pulls up technical data on energon's properties and starts to code a, "what happens to a transformer if you corrupt his energon with this Earth mineral," type simulator.

"Nanites..." he mutters, "Or maybe a shrink ray!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:33, Sat 26 June 2021.

  "Maybe they didn't want to give Starscream any ideas, considering it is also the sort of plan Megatron would shout at to deal with the technical details for him."

  For all the jokes about Megatron putting up with Starscream for the sake of those sweet sweet tech specs on his roster, it probably crosses a line to go 'Starscream! I order you to make some space poison, and to NOT poison ME with it!'

  "Also this might be the grunt work energon pumping experience talking, but... You might have a faster time by doing a bad job making the energon and going from there."

  We have removed the poisonous impurities creating out sustenance, and now to add poison impurities to our sustenance... why are you looking at me like that?

Gem's reaction to Wheeljack calling her idea a good one is much like the following image:

https://media1.tenor.com/image...r.gif?itemid=5561713

To Jumpjet, she says, "Convenience, Jumpjet. No matter whether you are Autobot or Decepticon, you go for the path of least resistance for the most gain. If we make the energon convenient for Megatron while making it appear totally natural for him to discover it, he will undoubtedly go for it."

To Turbo's comment, Gem ponders. "Wish it was that simple. The idea is to make whatever problem undetectable. Unless... Turbo, you ever get a bad batch without noticing it was bad until too late? If so, that data could be very useful."

Jumpjet shrugs.  "If it were me, a new, super-convenient energon source suddenly appearing would be suspicious."

Wheeljack, being who he is, doesn't really know how to process senpai reactions and focuses on his work.  "Then figure out a way to make it not suspicious.  Best thing to do in the brainstorm phase is to keep an open mind."

"Not a brain bot."

"Yeah?  So what?  Shouldn't stop anyone from trying."

"I'd say poison all the ones close to the Decepticons," Spike suggests, "It's not like us humans need energon."

  "I mean, I was all alone on that stormy hunk of sea water and sharp rocks. So I couldn't really afford to let that happen with the lightning and thermal converters." Is Cybertronian purgatory working at an energon pump that nobody will ever come to?... Nah, not passive aggressive guilt themed enough.

  "Still, that does mean a long list of all the ways a bad batch could be processed before anyone stopped it... Okay wait a minute."

  Spikes suggestion was probably along the lines of 'screw with every power source in general', but... "We keep expecting to have to make it, but what if there really WAS energon on this planet already? If there was, then the Decepticons would go for that first no matter how much prank energon we made."

Gem ponders Turbo's comment and says, "Hmm... much as I want to help Wheeljack come up with methods for my idea, I think the best way we can help is to go over the energy sources in the area."

Gem then looks at Spike. "Mind going over those with me, Jumpjet and Turbo Thunder?"

Jumpjet isn't quite sure what to make of Wheeljack's retort.  Probably has been spoiled by Autobots with sense enough to keep dumb ideas to themselves.  Given the chance, Astrotrain would try and convert this world's public transporation into an army of drones.  Let alone the dumb ideas the others have.

"My idea is to abandon the thought of developing poisonous energon.  It sounds like something that'll end up backfiring."

"Is there a source of pure energon on Earth?" Sparkplug asks Teletran-1.

"Negative.  No naturally occurring sources of energon found on sensors."

"A stockpile!" Spike blurts out with a snap of his fingers, "You guys leak to the enemy the location of an energon stockpile you've been building up.  Where the defenses aren't quite completed.  That'll be a prime target, and they'll be congratulating themselves for getting the drop on y'all!"

Jumpjet is shocked that a boilerplate worker Earthling has such cunning.  But then their news feeds do suggest in spite of their loudly praising idealism, they're all Decepticons at heart.  Minus the ability to transform.  And made of squishy biology.  And tiny.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:47, Mon 19 July 2021.

  "I am kind of biased against ruining energon on purpose even if my old job was almost as painful as my new job, to be fair."

  Then Spike suggest just freaking lying. "Yeah we would have to have done something like that anyways huh? Otherwise we'd be sitting around with a pile of bad energon wondering 'why isn't anyone trying to steal this yet?'""

Gem says, "Hmm... I understand your bias, Turbo, but the main point of poisoning energon would be so that when the cons consume it, they wouldn't be able to fight and thus, we wouldn't have lasers and fushion cannons firing at us or fists flying. Just limp cons we get to detain without anyone being hurt."

She looks at Spike. "That said, time is of the essence and it sounds like Spike's idea will probably make the best use of time. And we can still lay a trap, just that it won't be the energon itself... the energon will just be bait. Good thought, Spike! Let's tell Prime."

She begins heading back in the direction Prime went.

Spike smiles and gives a thumbs-up.  "Glad to help!"

Jumpjet continues to be amazed at how different these Autobots are.  Like, just annoy your leader with whatever dumb idea and expect to not be punched for wasting his time.  And then for said leader to put his own dumb twist on the idea and call it his own.  And blame the enemy and middle management when it fails.  Come to think of it, the only reason the Autobots haven't already beaten the idiot Decepticons is because they're too blasted nice.

Wheeljack hmms.  "I'll need some test subjects once I find a way to make knock-out energon...  Ravage would do nicely.  Mention that to Prime for me, would ya?"

...OK most of the Autobots are too blasted nice.

  "...Okay so this is a secret plan, and you want to test it on the tiny decepticon spy who works for soundwave... But also I'm not volunteering, so I guess just handing secrets to Ravage is only the second worst option."

  Ravage is tiny in context of being a regular sized autobot. Sorry extra tiny humans.

Gem nods to Turbo's comment and says, "Either way, I'm going to see what Prime is up to. Luring the cons like Spike said sounds like a plausible idea that we can do with any energon, so I'm sure Prime will give it consideration."

With that, she smiles down at Spike and with a hand gesture, invites him to walk with her. Then looks expectantly at Turbo Thunder and Jumpjet.