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Transformers: Mobian Chronicles Transformers: Mobian Chronicles (Arc 17: Living Stories)

TMC 17-12

Optimus had heard of the situation between Scattershot and Afterburner. He summoned both bots to his office. Both bots stood there, not looking forward to this dressing down. “…Well?” asked Optimus icily. “Any reason why I shouldn’t have you removed from the Autobots?”

“You’re well within your rights to do so, Sir,” answered Scattershot.

“I’m not talking about my rights! Answer my question!”

“We don’t have an answer!”

“Prime, we had our weapons set to stun…” offered Afterburner.

“You shouldn’t have even thought to pull your weapons out at all!”

“Sir, what we did WAS rash, yes…” replied Scattershot.

“Rash?! It was utterly stupid! And before you two even THINK on pulling out the newborn card on me, let me remind you two that you were born with adult minds! I have given you and your team a lot of leeway when it comes to training, but in case you’ve forgotten, we’re at war and we need functional teams with good communication abilities and all teammates with their heads set on a common goal! There is a limit to how far I will allow brotherly rivalry and you two just reached it! Until you all learn how to function as a team, you are not going to be deployed! Is that clear?!”

“You’re benching us?!” shouted Afterburner.

“Until you all learn how to function as a team, and that includes YOU as well, Scattershot, then yes, you’re benched! Dismissed!” Afterburner snarled, then turned away and left the office. Scattershot stayed behind. “…Didn’t you hear me?!”

“Yes, Sir.” Scattershot didn’t move, his face now a stony gaze leveled at Optimus.

“…All right, you clearly have something on you mind, say it! But know this, if you suggest that I only let you be deployed, then forget it! This isn’t something you can run away from so easily.” Scattershot steeled himself as he explained himself.

“I confirmed what Afterburner heard from Lightspeed and his reaction? It just proved that what I did was right in making sure they don’t need to know ALL the details! Now, I told him about my suspicions of us not being ready to use the Enigma, knowing full well he couldn’t handle the truth, and you know what? He proved me right.”

“Scattershot…”

“I don’t know what else to do! Strafe’s a big bag of nerves, Nosecone’s glued to his computer, Afterburner thinks with his thrusters, and Lightspeed’s always distracted by something new! I can’t get them all to work together, to think with one mind! How the hell do you get the Autobots on exactly the same page?!”

“I don’t, not anymore.” Scattershot arched an eyebrow. “I think I know the issue here. It’s what bricked my connection to the Matrix.”

“…I thought that was Nemesis Prime that did that.”

“This was way before all that, before the Decepticons even arrived here. During my first year here, I learned that Mobius has a mage-population of its own. I was starting to feel high and mighty after learning that. I was arrogant in thinking that my solutions were the best ones and the Primes severed themselves from me. I went on a journey as Orion Pax, it’s what led me to meet Sira and Natalie. Sira gave me a swift kick in the skidplate, told me I was turning evil, and got me to get my act together. I didn’t fill the Autobots on all the details and it led me to losing my magic. Scattershot, no one should demand that people think the same as you. That’s what the Decepticons believe. We all have our own goals. With me, once the war is over, I’m going to spend some time finding my successor and training them so they would be better than me at keeping the peace. For Prowl, he’s going to retire from the Army and resume his position of Praxian Chief of Police. For Ratchet, he’s retiring and going to live his remaining life in a little cottage. Goldbug, well, he saw his goal of getting Cliffjumper back to normal, so he’s clearly got a new goal in mind. I’m headstrong at times, but my bots get me to slow down and look at alternate avenues. Yes, sometimes we proceed with my original idea, but other times, their ideas are better than mine.”

“Then what’s the point of being a leader if your ideas aren’t the only ones?!”

“The point of being a leader is to guide many people to the rare one goal they have on their minds. The different points of view are what make a team strong. A good leader understands this. More importantly, a good brother accepts this. Right now, I need you to be a brother, not a mere leader, which is why no one on your team, not even you, is permitted to be deployed. You need to know what your brothers want from you as much as what you want from them. Dismissed.” Scattershot still had a look of doubt on his face, but it was softer than earlier. He turned on his heels and left. Optimus sat back at his desk and ran his hands over his face. He sat in silence for a few minutes until the door chime interrupted his thoughts. “Yes?” he called.

“It’s Chromia,” answered the person on the other side.

“Come in.” Chromia entered the office.

“You look like a commander who had to give his soldiers a dressing-down.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“I adopted the same look when I led a team of bots and had to discipline them once or twice.”

“I hate that I had to do it. I felt…I don’t know, wrong somehow.”

“It’s not a pleasant feeling. Although, your need to discipline them was justified. Mine, on the other hand, they were just idiots.” Chromia then smiled and giggled. “And I mean they were IDIOTS! The whole incident started when…” She then went into a coughing fit! Optimus got up from his desk and knelt by her. Chromia held a hand up as her coughing stopped. “I’m okay,” she gasped.

“You didn’t SOUND okay!” replied Optimus. “If we were organics, I’d say you were about to cough up a lung!”

“I assure you, it’s just a slight cough.”

“It didn’t SOUND slight!”

“Optimus, I promise you, I’m…!” Another coughing fit then cut her sentence off. She recovered in the same amount of time as the last.

“That wasn’t slight either. You’re not dying, are you?”

“No, no, I’m not gonna die.”

“You better see Ratchet about this. If it interferes with your combat capabilities, I might lose a valuable soldier.”

“I will. As soon as I get the chance, I will.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” Chromia nodded to Optimus, then left, leaving Optimus concerned for her.

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