Predatory

Jury of Discord

Tarn had said nothing after he returned. I think he knew exactly what had transpired, yet why he did nothing remained a mystery too me. Surely he was angry with Overlord? Surely he cared enough about his team for him to defend them? Yet nothing. He simply nodded to us, and we followed him out of the brigg. 

Everyone remained silent for the entire treck back up to the ship. I hung behind the rest of the group, mostly because I was lost in my own thoughts. Who was the femme that Tarn and Overlord had spoken of? And what had happened to her? It wasn't really any of my business, and I knew that. But I was still curious. What ever had happened must have soured the relationship between the two brothers. Where was Overlord now? Who was Silverstorm, and what was her significance to Tarn?  What had caused the sparkling to die? Why did Overlord feel the need to get back at Tarn? What did Tarn do to Overlord for his team to be harassed so badly by his own brother? 

I was still lost in thought when we entered the ship. I jumped when I felt a firm servo on my shoulder. It held me back as the rest of the group continued down the hall in solemn silence. I looked up at Tarn, for that was who held me behind.

He gestured for me to follow him, and I did. 

We left the ship, and began to stroll out onto the walkway that connected The Peaceful Tyranny to Head Quarters. The sky just beginning to paint itself a pale pink as dawn started to break over the planet. And everything was bathed in the cool, crisp, calm of early morning. 

The dark purple almost black of headquarters seemed washed in gold and pink.  Even Tarn's faceplate seemed to glow several shades lighter in the light. He didn't seem so terrifying now. Dignified and powerful? Yes, most certainly. But not grotesque or frightening. He wasn't the monster everyone painted him as, whose only thought was of torturing and killing traitors.

 He was one of those rare people who you can rely upon as a solid foundation during a storm. I admired that. The entire time I had been with him, and with everything that had happened, he had yet to raise his voice once. Sure he would get frustrated, and yeah he was definitely scary at times. But he didn't get angry. His patience was truly something to marvel at. Weird how one's perception of things changes with a little more information. I was no longer scared to look at him, though I was still careful. I didn't entirely trust him, and he still unsettled me. I think a healthy respect for Tarn would be the appropriate phrasing for my feelings about him. 

Tarn was the one to shatter the silence. But it wasn't an unwelcome sound. His voice was still beautiful, even if it was deadly. So much so, that I wondered what it felt like to be talked to death. Was it peaceful, as it slowly lulled you into the dreamlike depths of death? Or did it burn you from your audio receptors like acid as it burned you from the inside out as you descended into hell?

"This week has hardly gone according to plan, as I am sure you are aware." Tarn began, a ghost of a smile flickered across my lip plates. That was the understatement of the century.

 "However our purpose remains the same. And while this wouldn't be how I wanted the week to go, we may as well make the best of the current situation." He produced a datapad that I hadn't seen him carry and handed it to me. 

"Here, this is the details of our new... invasive friend. As well as a chart that I made up, you need to fill it in, with my guidance of course, with the criteria we are going to look for in a traitorous Decepticon who would've given away a keycard, to the basement. There is also a file full of blank documents, you're going to fill those in with your plan on tracking down the culprit. As well as any other details that you find important or ideas you have that you aren't sure how they would work in your plan but that you think are important, or any observations you make which are going to go here." He opened a new window on the datapad. "This is your journal, I want at least four paragraphs of your thoughts per day everyday for a month in here. You'll find prompts and topics for every day, and then we'll meet and go over the discussion questions. Make sense?"