Optimal Performance (Optimus and Tiger)

Optimus Prime had been rolling out with his Autobots to greet the approaching Cybertronians when disaster had struck in the form of the Decepticons and his most hated of enemies; Megatron.

Their foes had the ability to warp to their destination but the Autobots sadly lacked that capability so they had to drive as fast as they could instead, hoping against hope that they would reach the scene in time to help. Of course by the time they were anywhere near the battle it was already over and the dozen Neutral bots and femmes coming with them back to bases were all that remained of the once sizable landing party.

Taking them back to the base had been an easy decision and now here he was standing in front of them in a cosy little meeting room, complete with rust sticks and oil-drinks,

"Welcome one and all... to planet Earth." he greeted them brightly, "I apologise for you welcoming party here... but as you can see, the Decepticons had reached the planet as well."

He paused for a moment before clapping his hands together,

"That being said, you are welcomed here by both the Autobots and the human race... Respect goes to you my brothers and sister."

Monite had been disgusted that they were just going to sit here while the Decepticons had a member of their own with them, two members in fact and would be doing to them all manner of things to get information about their cause out of them. What of Technick?! They would be sure to be getting more things out of her than information.

It did not sit well with her that she had left two of her friends to this fate.

It did not sit well with her that they were now simply sitting around just waiting for their signals to fade while she got to eat rust sticks and drink prime oil! Gritting her dental plates together she merely swallowed her tongue under the pointed glare of her leader who was busy trying to make nice with the Mechs who were higher up in the food chain here.

Of course she was enjoying being around new Mechs as well, all the other Mechs who had come with them were all her age and they weren't setting her spark alight although she wanted them to so very badly. Monite wanted a sparkmate, she had been waiting for that thrill of romance for Primus knows how long!

Her spark fluttered a little bit as Optimus Prime spoke to them. It calmed her to hear his baritone voice and she forgot her anger for a few moments. Nodding her head towards him she smiled and lifted a glass of oil towards him.

As their leader thanked them for their hospitality, Monite nodded again; "Thank you, indeed, for having us." she smiled lightly.

Optimus could already tell that he was perhaps not going to like the leader of the Neutral bots. For some reason the bot just seemed to rub him the wrong way. Like he was trying to be a politician and not be a warrior. And to be honest, you needed to be both in their society even before the war actually started. You needed the strength to fight for the words and your deeds after all.

Nodding to the man when he thanked him for the hospitality, Optimus paused when he heard one femme in particular thank him and the Autobots for having them. He paused as he just looked upon here, his optics making sure to take several pictures so that he would be able to see her in his processor whenever he wanted to.

Never had he been so taken by a femme.

Pulling himself together, Optimus nodded to her,

"It is an honour and a privilege." he assured her before he looked out at the group as a whole, "Now... the Decepticons have captured some of your own. Would they happen to have tracking devices attached to them?"

There was an unnerving silence and Optimus frowned before trying again,

"Would any of you be willing to fight side by side with me and my Autobots to retrieve your friends when they have been found?"

There was more unsettling silence and suddenly Optimus felt like he was going to be sick at the behaviour of these bots.

Monite felt sick to her stomach when she heard that nobody was going to actually help the bots that had been captured by the Decepticons. It made her jaw hinge loosen so much that it fell open in front of everyone! How on earth could they all be so selfish, so unthinking about their friends who would be in the most horrible situations now and possibly even dead!

Standing up from her seat and glaring at all of them with white hot optics, Monite couldn't hold herself back in check any longer;

"How can you all just sit here so calmly while two of our own have been taken?" she gasped "They could be doing anything to them right now and you're not even willing to offer simple information to help in the search and recovery of them, have your armours all turned to grease?!"

When their leader stood up and approached her, looking like he was going to most likely slap her around a bit for what she had been saying, Monite stood her ground, held her head high and decided that now it was time for her to stand up and say her piece. Their friends were dead and captured and their leader was content to sit here and let them be hurt!

"I will help in the fight to retrieve our friends. Even if none of my fellow bots will join me, and our leader shall not command their aid." she hissed, standing off against their leader who began a tirade against her for being so rude about himself, and for insulting the skill and bravery of those in the ranks below him. Which she ignored.

Turning to Optimus, Monite bowed her head;

"Sir, I will aid you as much as I can. I believe that Renegade was damaged in the Decepticon attack and his tracking device is likely damaged...but Technick's might still be online. Hers is less advanced though and requires her systems to be online for it to work."

Optimus Prime was usually a pacifist but when it came to the safety of his fellow bots it was clear that he didn't ever mess around. And yet here were a group of bots and femmes who seemed to care less about their fellows than they cared about the rust sticks and the oil drinks he had provided for them.

They sickened him.

But before he could open his mouth to berate them, someone else did. The woman he had been watching before seemed to let rip with all of the (admittedly harsher) words he would have given her leader. The boy seemed to be ready to attack her for speaking ill about him and when he raised his hand as if to strike her, Optimus growled and grabbed his hand,

"You would dare to hit a femme for merely speaking her mind? Her opinion carrying weight, no matter if you agree with it or not." he declared, his eyes narrowed, "I concur with her reasoning as well. There has never been any shame in being Neutral... in being pacifists. But there is great shame and dishonour heaped upon you for you are cowards."

When the femme turned to him and bowed her head he could tell that the other leader was about to object to the deal but Optimus raised a hand for the two of them to be silent,

"I will not discuss such an offer in the company of others." he explained before guiding the femme to the door, waving off the leader when he demanded to come with them. Entering a room that was more like an armoury, Optimus hummed, "I am intrigued by you and your offer to fight with me. But I do not yet know anything about you. Including your name."

Monite looked up at Optimus as he grabbed the hand of her leader when he went to strike her and her optics grew brighter with delight at the fact that he had decided to stick up for her after she had spoken her mind perhaps a little bit too bluntly. A soft blush ran over her facial plating while she felt his presence so close to her, but she dismissed it as merely the heat running from his body to her own, there was no other reason.

Finding that he agreed with what she had said made her all the stronger in her conviction that it was correct, she knew that if a Prime agreed with her then it must be the correct path of action to take. Monite knew that Primes were revered for their leadership skills and their ability to lead battles well. Optimus must think the cause worth fighting.

As she was guided to a door into another room, Monite felt her spark hammering softly as Optimus' hand was so close to being placed upon the small of her back and she wished, for a moment, that he had actually touched her there so that she might stop agonising over it.

"My apologies, sir, I am designation Monite, daughter of Autobot Asterix and Neutral Aura." she introduced herself with another bow before straightening again "I must further apologise for the actions of my people, their cowardice shames me."

Optimus had to admit that being so close to this femme was making his feel a little bit differently, like his settings were being messed around a little bit and urging him to touch her. Not that he would mind touching her... but that was probably the settings change talking! Except when he checked his settings... they were all stable and normal.

Whatever was happening with him was happening in his processor more than it was happening in the rest of his hardware,

"I am very pleased to meet you Monite. My name is Optimus Prime of the autobots." he declared before his expression softened, "And Asterix was a dear friend of mine. When I heard he had left for the neutral camp I knew only your mother could be the reason for it."

He shook his head with a small frown,

"It is a source of jest that they be cowards... but to see it in truth saddens me greatly." he admitted before shaking his head,

"But it doesn't matter. If you are with us we can locate your friends and with that knowledge we can lead an all-out assault on the Decepticons to try and save your friends. You have my word as a Prime that you will see them again."