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Part 5
Tarnished Victory
By Jeff "Bitstream" Tindall
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The small, faded sign outside read simply "Neutral Ground", but it wasn't what drew most of its clientele inside anymore. Neutral Ground was, of course, a bar. Located in a rather run-down (and, at one time, neutral) part of Cybertron known as "Stakeholder's Keep", it catered to most anyone who could get in to the sector's borders. To enter, you had to put aside whatever factional disputes you might have had and just enjoy yourself, but with the Autobot occupation, few Decepticons made it in. Neutral Ground's fare was as widely varied as its customers, ranging from simple energon (all varieties), to inorganic Cybertronian delicacies, and even to human-style organics (for which the proprietor acquired a taste for some years back). It was late afternoon and, just as it had been every day since the Autobot occupation two weeks ago, business was booming. Gone were the comfortable chairs in the fore bar room, replaced with stools half their size at the bar itself, and several new tables had been had been brought in throughout the entire bar. The game machines in back were out for repairs, having been smashed by a particularly rowdy bunch of Autobot grunts a few nights back. The computer terminals were still running fine, though a heavy firewall had been put up by the Autobot command to prevent 'Con hacking. Waitstate had been running the place for almost 8 years, and had never once had this much business. Neutral Ground was the only bar in the sector, and all of the Autobots stationed there had made it their new hang-out. He'd even had to hire extra help for the first time just to keep up with everyone's orders. The military blockade had ended the middle of that week, and now Autobot civilians were replacing much of the previously military-only crowd. It was an improvement, to be sure, but still not nearly as friendly as it had been before the attempted Decepticon siege two weeks back. The TV over the bar countertop was tuned to the Autobot VidNet. Its usual channel, local vidcast station CVIS, had been slagged along with the apartment complex that housed of most of its employees during the 'Con siege two weeks back. As a result, Stardrive was currently living in one of the small rooms in the same building that housed the bar. Unlike most of the small business owners in the area, Waitstate owned the building outright. CVIS wasn't the only property in Stakeholder's Keep that had been destroyed; there was massive damage to many buildings, especially around the borders. So, once the military occupation had thinned out, in came the Sector Reconstruction Committee. Like all committees, they were slow, and hadn't accomplished a great deal to date. One of the lower-echelon members of the Committee, a young and idealistic Autobot named Shadowpaw, was currently in the bar. She'd been there for some time and, most likely because she had a few more than a bot her size rightly should, she was quite animatedly (not to mention loudly) expressing her opinions on everything from the Autobot/Decepticon conflict, to her job as a member of the Committee. "...I mean, no one seems to care WHAT gets destroyed in a battle, unless it has some sort of 'strategic value'. I mean, people DIE, buildings that maybe someone put a LOT of work into get BLOWN UP, and people just go 'Oh, well. Casualty of war'. Casualty... HA! Casual maybe... Casual DESTRUCTION..." "Is that my pitcher?" asked Admiral Lilwall as Waitstate sat down with him at his table in the back. "Yeah." Waitstate looked up at the purple and black bot who was speaking. "She's quite dynamic, you know?" "She's drunk." "Heh... that too," replied Waitstate. "Who am I to judge though? So am I," said Lilwall with a smile in his voice. Waitstate just sighed silently to that. Lilwall had always been a fairly heavy drinker, but since that night two weeks ago, he'd gotten much worse. He refused to talk about what had happened, and Wait had been unable to find anything out about it in anyone the databases he had scanned so far. Changing the subject, Waitstate turned again to Lil. "Is Stardrive still hiding out in his room, or has he been out yet?" "Nope, haven’t seen him," said the Admiral, refilling his tankard. Waitstate started to say something, but at that moment he saw Stardrive's familiar blue and red for step out of a door in back. "Well, enjoy your pitcher. I better get up to the bar; he doesn't look too happy." "'K," said Lil, distractedly. The black and gray bartender weaved his way through the crowd, making it behind the counter just before Stardrive got seated. "Got anything that'll knock me unconscious for a few days?" "Hmm... I have an industrial-strength taser in back I think, but I doubt that's what you mean," said Waitstate, trying to cheer up his friend. Stardrive gave a weak smile, his normally good humor dampened quite a bit by the recent events. "I just can't believe it." "It's been two weeks." "Yeah, I know. But it's just now really sinking in. I had a great thing going you know? The perfect job, a nice place to live, and great friends. And now...." Stardrive leaned his elbow on the bar and sighed. "Hey now," said Wait, "You still have your friends. And the room in the bar isn't exactly Hotel Iacon, but it's the same as I have, and I like it well enough." "You're right... I just feel like I have no -PURPOSE- anymore." "Yeah, I do know what you mean. Listen, after, ug, *curfew* is called and the place clears out, why don't you and I have a talk in private? I have a project in mind, and I think you would probably be the best person to head it up," said Waitstate. "Umm... ok, I guess." Stardrive looked up at the wall chronometer. "Damn, it's only an hour away. I have to pick up some supplies before the shops close for curfew." "Ok... good. I'll see-" Waitstate turned as he heard a crash in back. "Slag! Maximus is drunk again. Gotta handle it... see you later." "Bye," said Stardrive, as both turned away to go in their respective directions. It was now night at the bar, and most everyone had gone home. The rest were soon to follow. A few groans were heard as the familiar green tank-bot entered the bar room. "Curfew time everybody. Everybody go home," announced the Autobot grunt soldier. "Aww, come on!" yelled someone in back. "No exceptions," said the tank-bot, slightly raising the cannon mounted on his arm. The room started to clear, till finally only one patron remained. Admiral Lilwall glared at the grunt while he finished off his drink, then quietly strode out of the bar. "That's everyone," said Waitstate. The green tank-bot eyed Wait suspiciously for a moment, then left. Stardrive, having used the back entrance (and who lived there now anyway), came out from his room. "So... what did you want to talk about?" Waitstate led him to a table, then sat down. "First off, I want to keep this a secret from everyone else for the moment." Stardrive nodded, and Waitstate continued, "Ever since the 'Con siege, stuff seems to keep slipping further and further down-hill. I have some ideas in mind and...." And they talked well in to the night. end |