#carrier onboarding

[logistiservices]

Streamlining Success: The Power of Carrier On boarding and Logistics Back Office Services in Supply Chain Outsourcing

Introduction

Businesses are more and more counting on strategic solutions like carrier onboarding and Logistics Back Office Services to optimize their operations in the age of complicated deliver chain dynamics. Together with supply chain outsourcing as a whole, these dynamic pair modifications the sport by using enabling organizations to acquire operational excellence and procedure optimization.

Carrier Onboarding: Quickening Collaborations

The first step in creating strong supply chain alliances is carrier onboarding. This procedure includes developing efficient conversation channels, ensuring compliance, and easily integrating new carriers into the community. Effective provider onboarding improves typical agility and hurries up the development of logistics networks, permitting groups to speedy reply to changes inside the market and client wishes.

Back Office Logistics Services: A Powerhouse of Effectiveness

Operational efficiency is powered by way of the back office of logistics. Businesses can deal with their middle abilities by way of outsourcing essential duties to logistics back workplace services, together with data access, documentation, and administrative paintings. By ensuring accuracy, compliance, and optimized approaches, those services employ era and industry information, liberating up important sources for tactical selection-making.

Outsourcing the Supply Chain: A Strategic Need

Back workplace logistics services and service onboarding are important components of the larger supply chain outsourcing plan. Businesses can gain a plethora of operational advantages with the aid of contracting out non-middle operations to specialized service vendors. Supply chain outsourcing allows agencies to address the intricacies of the deliver chain with accuracy, agility, and a strategic consciousness on growth. Benefits encompass fee financial savings and advanced scalability.

Conclusion

The strategic significance of combining carrier onboarding and logistics lower back workplace services becomes glaring as corporations negotiate the complicated net of supply chain control. These answers open the door to successful integration in the large supply chain outsourcing framework. Adopting this method places organizations in a position to meet or even surpass client expectations inside the dynamic international of contemporary logistics.

For Original Post Content: - https://myvipon.com/post/881392/Streamlining-The-Power-Carrier-boarding-Logistics

[nocternalrandomness]

Rudy 71 and Rudy 33 inbound to NAS North Island

[the-ace-with-spades]

Bradley and Natasha get platonically married a few years into service and confuse the crap out of everyone.

They do it for a multitude of convenient reasons - they've been friends since flight school, they both accidentally found out they're bi but leaning toward same-sex attraction more, and had been each other's cover any time someone would start to suspect something. It comes up after Bradley puts Natasha as his next of kin and pension beneficiary (in case of death) and Natasha is like, 'you know, people are going to start questioning why we're so close'

So they don't give people a reason for suspecting - they make it official before. Nat doesn't talk to her family anymore and also makes Bradley her next of kin, they get a tax rebate, their health insurance is cheaper, they can evoke spouse privilege and get prioritised for base locations, keeping together. Married couples qualify for better housing as well and no one questions if they get a two or three-bed house, because you know, they're young, maybe they're planning to have kids soon. No one can treaten them with a DADT because who is going to believe that they're gay if they're married to each other, they have enough space that they can bring whoever they're dating back home without feeling like they need to do everything in secret.

Maybe, you know, whenever they're both alone and feel like it, they have some platonic sex...

Sure, maybe they're a weird couple - not that affectionate, not that open, talk to each other more like bickering best friends than lovers, maybe years go by and they still have no kids, maybe Natasha kept her surname, etc etc but it all could be swiftly avoided. We tried for kids but it didn't work, don't mention it around Nat/Bradley, he/she still feels guilty. We're best friends first, spouses second. The surname swap is a stupid tradition anyways. PDA is awful to see so why would we do something we don't wanna see others do?

The only real downside is that they can't be deployed together anymore.

When Jake meets Bradley after he gets re-stationed, Natasha is on deployment. They get close and closer, there's some flirting going on, and Jake is like 90% sure Bradley is not straight and is somewhat interested in him.

Push comes to shove and Bradley and Jake get deployed together (while Nat comes back home) and things continue and Jake gets 99% sure because damn, Bradley is fucking brave with how open he is with flirting, given where they are.

Then something happens and Bradley has an accident while onboard the carrier and Jake is there in the treatment bay and their CO comes around and asks Bradley, "Do you want me to call your wife, Bradshaw?" and Jake's whole world gets swept from under his feet. Because, you know, he was this close to fucking a married man.

And the worst thing is when they come back ashore and he finds out who is Bradley's wife - because Jake and Nat knew each other pretty well in USNA and he's not going to come into the mess that is their marriage.

Scratch that - the worst thing is that he can see Bradley does love Nat and that Nat loves Bradley and he doesn't know if he should say something to either. (He just doesn't know they love each other platonically only.)

They do stay married, even after DADT gets revoked, just because they're used to it now, and because the benefits are good, and really, neither of them are dating anyone seriously enough to go through the hassle.

Jake only realizes when after the mission years later, he sees Phoenix and Halo making out at the Hard Deck and tells Bradley "I think your wife is cheating on you with a woman, Bradshaw" and Bradley is like, "Yes, that would make sense given that she is a lesbian and all that."

[esamastation]

Part thirty-one of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty

-

They've landed in Wutai after a frankly miserable plane ride in a windowless, seat-less troop carrier - which, why even call it a troop carrier when it's clearly not designed to be carrying people? The thing is filled with boxes and stuff, there was barely enough room to move!

Guess that's what happens with last minute takeoffs - you get what you get.

The first few minutes onboard were fine and kinda novel - being on a plane at all was kind of a mind trip, because, heh, plane, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky, eat your heart out! But then it became just hours upon hours of boredom in a rattling tube of metal. Sword flying is clearly a superior mode of transport.

"We will have your things delivered to wherever you're going to be staying," Reno says, waving them off the plane, hiis attention fixed on one of the bigger boxes. "Rude, come give me a hand with this…"

"We should -" Rude starts to say, looking at the SOLDIERs.

"Yeah, yeah, now come give me a hand with this."

Angeal gives them an awkward, slightly relieved smile and then claps Sephiroth on the shoulder. "We better get out of the way," he says, and together they exit the plane.

Sephiroth had been bracing himself for a warfront, Angeal had even told him what to expect, but he… didn't actually know what that entailed.

Shinra troops had taken over a small town at the foot of Tamblin Mountain sometime in the past and are now using it as their forward base. That's where they land - in a dirt runway cut into the forest, just by the town. And it's…

It reminds him of old movies, the mixture of vaguely mixed Asian style buildings, with these modern canvas tents pitched in between them and on the roads. There are trucks that totally aren't jeeps that have worn grooves into soft  streets, unprepared for such traffic, making everything messy and muddy. They've erected fences all over the place, sectioning parts off, and there are  floodlights everywhere. There's also  robots patrolling the place. 

In the distance, on the rolling hills somewhere to the west, there are rice paddies and behind them mountains. All around them there's a lush wall of green that looks almost like a rainforest. It actually might be rainforest! It would fit the allegory!

The mental, ethnic vertigo is so strong for a moment that Sephiroth doesn't know which way to turn to look. He doesn't know what to think. Mostly he just feels kinda… unnerved.

Angeal returns to his side before he even realises he'd gone somewhere. "I talked to the Colonel. Come on," Angeal says, clapping him on the shoulder. "They've set up a place for us. We'll… debrief there."

"... Hn," Sephiroth answers, and follows him.

There's a lot of Shinra troops milling about, infantry mostly, but some SOLDIER Seconds and Thirds too. They all stop to stare. Some of them look excited, but most just look tired and dirty and worn.

Sephiroth wonders if the Colonel is in charge of them. Actually, it might be that they're now in charge of everyone here! They're SOLDIERs First Class. Isn't that the highest rank? He can't remember if Sephiroth being a General was fanon or canon, but hasn't he been involved with the war since the beginning?

Would he have to give orders now, orders to march, to fight… to kill?

Angeal shows him to a house that was clearly someone's home before Shinra took the place over. It's a single room with tatami floors and rice paper walls, and the military bunks clash with the aesthetic horribly. Their pillows are clearly seat cushions.

There's a fancy looking kimono stand that's being used to hang bags and ammo satchels.

"What happened to the people who lived here?" Sephiroth can't help but ask, staring at the stand and wondering where the kimono had gone.

"They abandoned the town ahead of the troops," Angeal says.

Sephiroth looks at him and then at the room. Did they really, or is that a nicer thought than they were all executed? "... Right," he says and picks up the seat cushions from the bunk, piling them up in the corner - wondering if there was a table here, and what happened to it.

"Are you alright?" Angeal asks.

Probably not! "What's our mission here?" Sephiroth asks, picking up bags and satchels from the stand and carrying them outside.

"... We have a day to acclimate. After that, there's a number of things that need to be accomplished," Angeal says, subdued, and takes out his phone. "We can start slow - there's no major engagements being planned just now, no one will mind."

"Mn, and what does starting slow mean?" Sephiroth asks, as he picks up stuff around the hut and gets rid of it.

"Well, there's a number of monster extermination requests around here - Wutai wildlife is high-level, and it's rumoured that they're being intentionally bred by Wutai people. They've been attacking patrols."

Sephiroth gets rid of most of the random crap in the hut and then considers the bunk beds. They're ugly and probably unpleasant, but… they have to sleep somewhere. 

It takes just one swing of Masamune to improve the situation immensely.

"Um," Angeal says as Sephiroth finishes separating the beds and moves one of them to the other side of the hut. "... Why?"

"I am not sleeping in a bunk bed," Sephiroth says simply and looks around. "... Do you think they have folding screens around here?"

 Angeal arches his brows. "I don't know for sure. I suppose we could ask around? I think there's a storage house where they've put the collected, um," he clears his throat. "Things that will be sent to Midgar eventually. Maybe we can requisition some of it."

Things to be sent to Midgar…  that's nice. That's a nice way to say the spoils of war, huh. 

Sephiroth looks away. It's the way of war, he knows that, nothing unusual about it. It happened in PIDW too - cut out all the smut and stupidity, and all Binghe did was plunder and loot and pillage. When he wasn't being handed tributes, anyway. It's just par for the course! Right? Right…

"You…" Angeal starts and then sighs and puts the phone away. "How about I'll go get a screen for you, if there's any available. Do you want anything else?" He sounds very indulgent and understanding.

"Two screens. And a table," Sephiroth says without facing him, feeling like a sullen little kid being placated. "... Thank you. Can you ask someone to get rid of the - stuff outside?"

"I'll take care of it," Angeal promises. "You just… take a moment to make yourself comfortable, okay? There's no rush."

Aka, pull yourself together, man, you're looking really pitiful right now. Thanks, Angeal-bro.

Sephiroth's waits until Angeal is gone before sinking down to sit on one of the beds, putting his head in his hands.

Though they'd not seen much from the plane, what with it not having windows and all, he can see it in his mind's eye now. Burned villages smoking in the jungle, scorched fields, muddy paddies ruined. He'd never cared much for any kind of war stuff, but he'd seen his share of first person shooters and letsplays.

It all feels very real all of a sudden.

And he's supposed to be the Big Bad here! The Demon of Wutai! Who knows how many people he's already killed in this war! And sure, it is a war, and that's what happens, and yeah, he has killed before as Shen Qingqiu, but -!

Going to war on behalf of the America-allegory of the situation? The invader, the hostile occupier, the - the evil planet-sucking dystopian megacorporation?!

Dragging his hands down his face, Sephiroth sighs and looks up.

There are calligraphy scrolls hung up on each side of the door. One reads Integrity and the other Honour. Sephiroth stares at them miserably for a long moment.

Yeah.

He's so going to end up defecting here, isn't he? Four days, four days in this world, and he's doing to fuck up the whole plot, right here and now. It must be some kind of record! But where the fuck will be even defect to? The Demon of Wutai, hello?! The locals probably want his head on a spike!

"I am so fucked," he mutters wretchedly and hangs his head.

[isagrimorie]

So I wondered how big Voyager was in comparison to real-life ships, fortunately, youtube has an answer.

According to Generation Tech channel USS Voyager, Intrepid Class is as big as a Nimitz Class Aircraft carrier:

USS Voyager, Intrepid Class:

1,128.61 in length

426 feet in width

Crew Complement: 150 (ish)

Nimitz Aircraft Carrier:

1,092 feet in length

Flight Deck Width: 252 feet

Crew Complement: 5,000

Put it in real-world terms -- the Voyager isn't actually as mid-range as I thought. It only looks mid-range in comparison to the Galaxy Class.

The Voyager from stern to stem is a town/city in itself. So 150 crew on Voyager is really small but then the crew quarters are a lot bigger and I imagine the reason why there's so few crew onboard is that most of the shipboard functions are automated.

Janeway is commanding herself, in real-world terms a ship that's as large as one of the largest warships in our current time.

No wonder Voyager was an intimidating starship to cross various Delta Quadrant borders.

[lazypanartist]

Intrigued by the concept of sparklings & how they may function onboard the Nemesis..

Knockout x Breakdown x Sparkling! Reader

Like BABY baby bot

-----

The only other KOBD+Sparkling fic I've seen had Sire BD and Carrier KO

And ofc that's incredible

But like…

Sire! Knockout that watches as you explore your world, almost tripping over your tiny pedes in your excitement

Carrier! Breakdown that watches you closely, stopping you from running underfoot in busy areas

Sire! Knockout that starts teaching you his trade at a young age. "This is how you remove the chest plating to restore the most important energon lines a mech has."

No one on the crew wants to be at his mercy when he's teaching you.. they're afraid he may cut something vital in his effort to make a point

Carrier! Breakdown that literally carries you, even after your birth. He has a sparkling sling, as well as the option to store you in his subspace, and exercises both options accordingly

Vehicons get used to seeing you running around during meetings, then laughing as your carrier scoops you into his massive servos to calm your little steps

Parents Knockout and Breakdown who know what each of your little babbles mean, who both carry energon treats in their subspaces to soothe you when needed

Sire! Knockout, who only wants to see you grow up and stay by his side

Carrier! Breakdown, who only wants to see you grow up safely

[tgmsunmontue]

It's not who you know 3/4

YEAR 3 - Non-angsty Nepo!Baby Bradley and his years at the USNA and his head-in-the-sand approach to the nepotism and the fact that he ends up being known as the guy with the two hot dads instead...

YEAR THREE - 2003 - PART 3

                Bradley’s time in San Diego is now numbered in days rather than weeks and Tom helps him pack for his first extended stay on a cruiser. Tom wonders if his name was even put into a hat for a place on a submarine; unlike his relationship with Man and him, it’s no secret that Bradley wants to fly. If a carrier had been an option he’s pretty sure Bradley would have gotten that. He’s seen Bradley’s report though, knows he’s excelling in all areas, clearly determined to succeed and he’s so proud. Of course, Bradley still needs to take part in the standard summer activities, despite having grown up and having them happening around him constantly, getting dragged across the country to attend various things in his shadow.

                “You know I’ll be visiting the USS Princeton while you’re onboard.”

                “Yeah yeah, I promise not to have to be thrown overboard for insubordination.”

                “No, that wasn’t… I was more thinking that you might find yourself hearing things about me which are going to make you want to pop someone in the nose.”

                “Like what?”

                “Oh god, all sorts of shit. People think I don’t know what they say behind my back but trust me, I know.”

                “I haven’t heard anything!”

                “You’ve not done any active service yet. Fresh greenie not even a proper upperclassman yet. You’ll hear stuff.”

                The expression on Bradley’s face is equally angry and annoyed and Tom holds back a groan.

                “Bradley, I’m serious. You’re really going to have to hold back if you get angry. Don’t worry about my honor okay. You’ve spent the last couple of years pretending you don’t know me and Mav at all, don’t blow your cover over something stupid that doesn’t matter. You understand?”

                “Yeah. Thanks Ice. And thanks for going along with this whole thing, I know it probably feels a bit stupid some days, but it’s really nice knowing that the friends I’ve made are my friends because of me you know, not because of what connections I might have.”

                “Yeah kid, I get it. Fair warning they might feel pretty pissed when they do find out though.”

                “Nah, I’ve picked good friends. I reckon they’ll understand.”

                “Okay. Now did you need anything else? I know Mav has been riding you hard about your flight hours…”

                Mav of course has made the most of whatever spare time they’ve had and ensured Bradley built up his flight hours again so his license doesn’t lapse. Tom doesn’t think there are going to be very many other upperclassman with as much flight experience as Bradley. Talk about being overqualified. However he also knows it makes for a damn strong application so he’s supported Mav in his undertaking.

                They say goodbye to Bradley on the porch, tell him they’ll see him onboard when he’s mixing with the enlisted personnel and Tom wishes they could watch him board, feels like it’s another milestone he’s going to miss. Reminds himself firmly that he’ll see him again onboard the same damn ship and he’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future to wave Bradley off on deployment.

…             …             …

                He doesn’t punch anyone, didn’t even need the warning, wonders what Ice thinks people say about him. He’d heard them talk, but nothing more than him being brass and being very cool-headed in times of crisis. It’s all been pretty benign stuff really, and no-one had stopped talking when he entered a room or anything.

                For the first time ever he puts up a photo of Ice and Mav beside his bed. It’s weird, but he can see why people don’t see Admiral Kazansky. He’s got a few copies of the photo, Slider having printed him off a bunch in thanks for forwarding him the electronic file and that is probably going to come back and bite him in the ass at some stage. Now he’s back in Bancroft, preparing to help with Plebe Summer, this time older and not being expected to have to deal with people yelling in his face while not reacting. It’s going to be a cake-walk in comparison to two years ago and he’s looking forward to it.

                “You’re not meant to be in here,” Bradley says, seeing Natasha at the end of his dorm bed.

                “I was sent to collect you, I have permission,” she says, hand waving away his concerns. “Let me look at that photo. Holy shit… I thought your first dad was hot, but your other dad? I mean… wow. I know I told you I like girls more than boys, but these are the type of boys that I prefer…” she says, tapping the photo. “Huh. Maybe it’s just men and women, because to be honest I don’t find anyone here very attractive.”

                “Gross,” Bradley states, because he’s very firmly kept the company of his own hand when he’s been on base. His summers are probably a lot wilder than Mav or Ice think they are, but he tries to make use of every night he has home once they’re

                “To you maybe… pretty sure you’d find my brother hot.”

                “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

                “That’s because you’re repressed.”

                “Rather be repressed than find either of my dads hot thanks!”

                “Okay. That’s fair. And you probably won’t be too ugly once you grow into your face…”

                “Wow, you really know how to flatter a guy…”

…             …             …

                Plebe Summer starts and Bradley throws himself into being the best role model he can. He knows that in the future some of these people will be his peers, maybe even be his superior, but right now they have to get through what he still considers the hardest summer of their life. Of course hardly anyone drops out, the selection criteria is far too difficult and physically rigorous to make it something someone would easily just drop-out from without serious consideration first. There’s friendly competition and even friendlier encouragement, the brigades working together.

                There’s one guy that keeps catching his eye and he’s not sure if it’s deliberate on the guy’s part, somehow magically putting himself nearly always in Bradley’s line of sight. Or whether he’s only got himself to blame, eyes just drifting to watch. Either way he’s really fucking horny and the guy is hot. Not that he will do anything, but it doesn’t stop him thinking about it.

                “Now there is a guy who doesn’t need to grow into his looks…”

                He silently agrees.

                God what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on him.

                Ah well. His own hands on his own body and his mind on another it is.

…             …             …

                “Do I have a sign on me that says to tell me if you’re gay? Or a lesbian? Or bisexual?”

                “Um… not literally. But there is the common knowledge that you have smoking hot dads and therefor okay with the gay.”

                Bradley groans.

                “I had another guy come out to me today. No reason. Just to tell me. Also he said he thinks we’re cute together.”

                “Ew.”

                “I just nodded and smiled.”

…             …             …

                Michael Williams sighs. It’s the second… complaint? Notification? Information? Tips? Regardless, they’re both about Bradley Bradshaw’s relationship with Natasha Trace. They’ve been spied coming out of rooms together, otherwise small, dark, empty rooms like the store rooms. Fraternization. Actions unbecoming. Fuck. The kid wants to be treated like all the other kids, he’d be getting pulled into Mack’s office for a dressing down, short and sharp. Both of them would be.

                Part of him wants to, still a little ticked off at the whole stunt Bradshaw is pulling. He’s not familiar with him outside of watching him last year, seeing a whole raft of his superior officers watch as Admiral Kazansky toured the campus dressed as a civilian. But also Bradshaw is good. He does everything well, more than well. And he’s cheerful and helpful and encourages the underclassmen and there had been no fault in any of his behavior.

                Until now.

                He walks down the corridor to Admiral Kerner’s office, nervous as he knocks on the open door.

                “Sir. Do you have a moment?”

                “Of course, come in.”

                He does, closes the door behind him and notes the eyebrow raise and the lean back in the chair. He has his full attention.

                “Sir. I need you to do a favor and make a call to your friend Kazansky.”

                “Why, what’s happened?”

                “I’ve got two instances of fraternization for Bradley Bradshaw and Natasha Trace.”

                “And you want to do what? Tattle on him to his uncle?”

                “No, I was actually after guidance on how I should proceed. I would pull them both into my office and give them a stern talking to, and a warning. Is that appropriate?”

                “Bradshaw and Trace are the same rank Captain, it’s not exactly forbidden, just heavily frowned upon. The fact you have had two complaints tells me that this is more likely a case of sour grapes on whoever is complaining, so I’d be having a talk with them as well. But let me see if I can get Ice on the blower…”

                Michael will never understand naval aviators and their call signs, but he stands and waits as Admiral Kerner dials, then asks to be put through. Obviously whoever it is on the other end knows not to mess with one Admiral ringing another. He listens to the one-sided conversation and watches Admiral Kerner’s face with interest.

                “Hey Ice, it’s Sli. Yes, well, I didn’t think I’d be speaking to you today either. Look. Yeah. This is about Bradley. Did you talk to him about behavior?” Face curious, openly contemplative.

                “Okay, so you covered that with him. Then why are we looking at two instances of fraternization?” Eyes narrowed and considering.

                “No, it’s with a fellow midshipman. Also an upperclassman.” Serious.

                “Yes, I’m aware it’s not actual fraternization.” An eyeroll.

                “Yes, it is.” Face back to curious, speculative.

                “Oh. Huh.” Surprise.

                “I did think it was maybe a case of sour grapes, jealousy at his general capabilities and the fact that he’s generally well liked amongst his peers. Except by a couple apparently.”

                “Yes well, he’ll be fine. We’ll pull them in and give them a heads up. Both of them. Midshipman Trace is equally talented and capable.”

                “Yeah, was nice talking to you too. Will have to have a proper catchup when it’s not about work.”

…             …             …

                Jake isn’t sure what he has to do to get the guys sole undivided attention, but he’s not going to give up trying. He’s so good at everything, competent in this easy way that turns him on in ways he’s never thought were possible, and he’s a teenager and being horny is pretty much a permanent state for him. Except when he’s too tired to even think, which unfortunately for his first year at USNA is a whole lot of the time. Either it gets easier or people just learn how to cope with everything better because Midshipman Bradshaw makes it look easy.

…             …             …

                “Oh god, it was horrible. I can’t do it again. How do they do it?”

                “What are you talking about?”

                “Submarines! Going under the water…”

                “Uh…” Tom exchanges a look with Pete and opens his mouth. Closes it again. Bradley is back home for part of summer, having just experienced his first dive and he’s at a bit of a loss.

                “Bradley. Buddy. Uh. You realize you’re in the Navy right? And that has, uh, a lot to do with the water?” Mav says.

                “But I’m going to fly planes!”

                “Maybe he should have joined the airforce,” Tom muses.

                “You wash your mouth out right now!”

…             …             …

                “Seriously, if I was going to fuck around I’d do it somewhere far less obvious than the fucking storeroom!”

                Tom winces, because clearly Pete has heard the rumors about Bradley and Natasha Trace. God he loves the rumor mill of the US Navy, bunch of gossipers the lot of them. He hadn’t bothered mentioning anything, because he knew nothing was happening. Mav is of course mentioning it. In the worst possible way. Clearly having forgotten that Bradley came out as gay several years ago and that Natasha Trace is a woman. He’s going to need a coffee.

                “Bradley! What do you mean Bradley? Don’t walk away from me young man!”

                “You said we leave our ranks at the door with our shoes, so this conversation is over! And I said if!”

                “I know what if means in this house, and it definitely means something definitely happened!”

…             …             …

                “Do I even want to know?” Tom asks, taking a quiet sip of coffee.

                “Mav’s scared I might be having sex.”

                Tom raises an eyebrow, he’s fully aware Bradley’s been sneaking out for the last couple of years. He guesses Bradley’s now feeling mature enough to talk about it. Good.

                “Are you being safe?”

                “Yes.”

                “Good enough for me. Don’t get caught.”

                Bradley scoffs.

                “I learnt from the best remember!”

                “He got caught plenty of times,” Tom says dryly.

                “I meant you Ice.”

                “Oh.”

                It’s been a long time since he’s blushed.

PART FOUR

[blazingstar29]

Headcanon that Slider and Ice love how smol pocket sized Maverick is. They do every thing they can to make sure they can always lift him up and plop him on their... hip 😏. So even when they have a full desk job, they are still the fittest of admirals around because y'know. And Maverick gets hot for how they can manhandle him whenever but he likes to give them a challenge sometimes so he gets really good at squiriming out of their hold.

*taking notes* manhandling maverick…

I have my own HC that Slider eventually becomes a commercial airline pilot, but even then…Just six foot something buff ex-navy commercial pilot and his maverick backpack- I mean personal carry on.

Slider is taller than Ice so he’s got more leverage for some more creative ways of carting Maverick around, though Ice still gets his entertainment in.

Maybe a year or so after TOPGUN and they’re bored on a carrier, they figure out they can play helicopter with Maverick because the guy just doesn’t get motion sick. They take turns spinning around whilst holding Maverick by his ankles and for some reason they guy finds it fun. There’s also no gym onboard so after a while the running gets boring and they figure out Mavericks around the same length as a barbell. And whilst he’s no where near the weight any of them lift on the regular, they all have great core because he moves around. It becomes normal to see Maverick sitting cross legged on Slider’s back as he does push ups or for him to be clinging to Merlin’s torso as the RIO does squats. Ice of course is the only one who’s allowed to bench him because of the…hand holds he has to use.

Eventually Maverick gets bored of being the equipment all the time so he decides to start getting his own back. Merlin is his own personal climbing gym, that guy is enormous. But he gets Ice to support his legs as he tries to learn to do near verticals push ups and hand stands.

And when they’re back on shore and all alone, there’s other less innocent ways of making use of their size difference…

[lonestarbattleship]

"Proceedings Photo of the Week: Sailors pet Lucky, a therapy dog from the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, in the hangar bay onboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76) as the ship prepares to depart Naval Air Station North Island, California."

Photographed by Charlotte Dudenhoeffer on August 10, 2024.

Posted on the U.S. Naval Institute Facebook page: link

[frostgears]

vigilant thing

you catch a glimpse of one of the carrier's scanners as her handler hauls her down the passageway in the opposite direction from you following yours. they're like you — augmented — but not the same way.

rare to see one, a little less rare to hear one. flight ops arranges direct links when necessitated by the tactical situation, scanner directly to weapon.

she might be the one that saved you from that buried skysweeper. there's no way you would have picked it up with your onboards before it surfaced to fire. she's crying, babbling, but her voice sounds familiar.

you risk a nod. one component to another.

"don't bother," your handler says. you no longer question how she notices your every action. "she sees with the carrier's eyes, not hers. that's the trouble, isn't it, Becker? interface damage?"

"interface damage," her handler confirms. "running full suite for weeks, 24 on, zero off, should have been maintained days ago, but… seems like it hurts 'em worse not to be plugged in than anything else."

"you're soft," your handler says.

"maybe. scan's not armory. but maybe."

"don't want to sleep," the scanner sobs.

closer now, you can see oily blue tears, weeping from empty sockets.

"don't want to go back in the dark."

you pass each other. no reaction. she probably can't recognize you anyway. she's only ever seen you in your armor, in flight. □

[theoceanoasis]

I love your stories. Its something i look forward to everyday. I left two long asks just now & probably about to leave a third.

Love your work.

- cozy

Set in the transformers prime universe. You have to admit that soundwave is so attractive.

Maybe it’s Rodimus or Hot rod whichever you pick, who lands on Earth by accident. He wanted nothing to do with the war since he recognized it was pointless after the loss of their home world and neither backing down from what was now a personal fight rather than wanting the betterment for their respective sides.

Rodimus or hot rod was known for having joined the autobots side after the fall of Nyon but was even more known for his deep involvement and refusal to hurt Soundwave. The cons could see why the two never raised a blaster or claw to each other but the autobots couldn’t.

When his ship crashed he was badly injured and accidentally sent a distressed spark signal that both parties felt and recognized as a carrier in need.

Soundwave dropped everything and opened a warpgate directly besides hot rod/rodimus and immediately made grunting noises despite his oath as he tore apart the wreckage looking for his conjunx and spark mate.

Megatron already knew by the pulse of a carriers spark that it was soundwaves mate and ordered Knockout and breakdown to prep the medbay for a carrier and potential sparkling.

Just as Soundwave was about to reach Hot rod/rodimus Optimus himself emerged from a warpgate with ratchet and immediately fired at soundwave who sent out a sound pulse so violent it knocked the two back and took some of their finish off their frames before knocking them unconscious.

Hot rod/rodimus made a noise of distress and pain and Soundwave lifted him from the rubble feeling his spark latch on to his conjunx and the tiny life he realized he left within Rodimus/hot rod at their last meeting before coming to earth.

He rushed Hot rod/rodimus into the warp gate and took him to Knockout and breakdown and didn’t leave his side for a nano klik.

The sparkling was alive and needed transfluid donations but it was hot rod/rodimus who was in worse shape. Turns out he fled from an autobot ship that found out about the sparkling he was keeping secret. He was trying to reach a neutral territory when he ended up crash landing after being shot down since he was deemed a con carrying traitor.

Rodimus/hot rods tanks looked swollen like he was sparked but it was the beginning stages. Soundwave was understandably pissed and when Hot rod/rodimus woke up he was fearful and surprised. He didn’t know how soundwave would take the news and he was worried for his sparkling.

Soundwave gave him the transfluid donation he needed after making sure hot rod/rodimus understood to never keep a secret from him again and that his place was beside soundwave.

The nemesis now has to get used to having a carrier onboard and Soundwave being ten times scarier than usual on accident as he looms behind Rodimus/hot rod who can’t help his instincts demand he take care of the bots on board that don’t get enough fuel or recharge or have too much stress.

Megatron is very noticeably a lot less of a tyrant and more the freedom fighter he used to be while Starscream all together stops trying to murder their leader and settles for enjoying the attention of a carrier.

Breakdown has a new friend he can’t be rough with and knockout has someone just as pretty as he is who he can polish.

They all collectively don’t go near soundwave’s hab at night because of the telling clangs and headboard knocking.

They don’t want to picture their surrogate carrier getting fragged by a terrifying mech

"Please don't do this! Just let us go!"

He panicked begging the Autobots to let him go. He struggled against the handcuffs. Looking over in fear. He could see one of them holding a large knife.

"Please. Don't kill them."

"This was the choice you made. Fraternizing with the enemy is a capital offense. The thing inside of you is an abomination and needs to be exterminated.

"No their innocent!"

He sobbed. One of them growled slapping him in the face so hard he felt dizzy.

"That thing is part Decepticon. There is nothing innocent about it. Decepticons must be exterminated even half breeds like the thing inside of you."

"This is going to hurt a lot. Because you don't deserve pain meds for your crimes. But don't worry afterwards when we purge you of the halfbreed. We've got some special doctors here who'll make you all better."

He glanced over at the mnemosurgeon who grinned down at him.

"After my surgery you'll never love him or any Decepticon again."

"No! Stop!"

He struggled optics wide in terror.

Around him the Autobots ignored him as they prepared for surgery. He sobbed feeling the life inside of him that was going to be killed too soon.

"Our planet may be gone but our species will live on through carriers like you, but first we have to make you perfect."

He kept struggling when the ship was attacked. Alarms blared as the room shook. The Autobots cursed going to see what was happening.

He looked around desperately. Searching for a way to free himself. The cuffs he was wearing stopped him from using his outlier ability.

Noticing a knife laying nearby. He reached for it. Using the very end of his fingers. He struggled to push it closer.

"Come on just a little more."

He struggled. Sighing when he grabbed the knife. He then used it to free one of his hands and was about to free the other. When the door opened. His hand fell to his side. Spark pounding as he watched the mnemosurgeon. Hoping he didn't notice the knife laying nearby.

He looked angry about something and was cursing the Decepticons for ruining his plans. Walking over to him his optics widened when he saw his knives out.

"I won't let them take you from me. You're mine."

The mnemosurgeon leaned closer and he grabbed the knife stabbing them in the neck.

He quickly sat up pulling off the hand and feet cuffs, as the surgeon fell to the ground. Blood squirting from their neck as they choked on it.

He kicked him in the face on the way out because no one threatens to hurt his sparkling and gets away with it. Opening the door he easily took care of the guards stabbing them both.

He then ran down the hallway, looking at the other prison cells. They were all empty except for one. Opening the door his carrier gave him a relieved look.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He quickly broke the cuffs and his carrier looked him over making sure he wasn't injured.

"Did they hurt you?"

"They didn't get a chance. Are you okay?"

"Yes. I heard they were giving you the surgery first... And I was worried."

"Let's get out of here."

He wrapped his carriers arm around his shoulder and helped lead him to the escape pods. Occasionally the ship would shake from whatever the Decepticons were doing.

"I'm so sorry Hot Rod."

"It's not your fault."

He quickly reassured. Knowing his carrier felt guilty for having him. Because he'd be a tank carrier and would always be at risk.

In the optics of some they were an abomination that needed to be exterminated. Unless they could exploit it for their own gain.

Trying not to think about it. He focused on getting to the escape pods.

They ran into a few more guards. Which he quickly disposed of with the help of his carrier who took their weapons.

"We need to hurry. I don't know how long we have until this ship goes down."

When they finally made it to the escape pods they both sighed in relief. He helped his carrier inside and was about to climb in when he was grabbed.

"Not so fast. You two aren't getting away so easily."

He felt the guard squeeze his spoiler painfully and he struggled against them. His carrier shouted trying to reach for him.

"Hot Rod!"

"Step out of the escape pod now."

The guard ordered and he could see his carrier struggling to stand. Looking at the launch pad, he made a quick decision. Kicking it as hard as he could.

His carriers optics widened in realization as he yelled.

"No!"

Before being launched into space. The guard cursed looking angry as he shook him.

"You little brat. If you weren't so valuable I'd kill you for that."

The guard tried dragging him out of the room and he acted quickly. Stabbing them in the chest. They shot him in the arm which he barely noticed as the two struggled.

He fell to the ground. Hitting his head with the guards body on top. Pushing him off. He staggered into the nearest escape pod.

He'd just closed the door when more guards ran in and started shooting at the pod trying to stop it from ejecting.

One of their bullets hit the control panels causing it to spark.

He was suddenly ejected. Except instead of going to Cybertron. He was being taken somewhere else.

Around him sirens blared as he tried to fix the destination.

"No. No. No."

He felt a weird sensation through his body and then he was knocked unconscious.

Soundwave was working on the monitors like usual. When he got an alert coming from a crashed escape pod with an Autobot signal.

He went to tell Megatron, because whoever this mysterious Autobot is they could be trouble.

Megatron ordered a small team to assemble.

"Soundwave. You are the leader of this operation. Find out who this mysterious Autobot is."

He nodded, opening up a ground bridge. He along with some vehicons walked out securing the area.

Weapons drawn they surveyed the scene. Looking at the escape pod he could see an Autobot mark on it.

He could also see that it had been damaged from the crash. Walking closer. He looked into the glass and took a step back in surprise. Almost making a sound despite his vow of silence.

Using his tentacles he immediately opened the pod throwing the door to the side. He stared at Hot Rod in shock and awe. He thought he was dead after losing contact with him just before he went to Earth.

He mourned him. Wanting to end his life and return to the all spark. The only thing stopping him was Laserbeak who'd lost everyone but him. He couldn't do that to her.

Somehow he forced himself to live. Even though every day was agony without Hot Rod by his side. Now by some miracle he'd been returned to him.

He looked him over. Taking in all of his injuries that would need medical attention.

He carefully picked him up. The vehicons going silent when they realized who it was.

Although Hot Rod had chosen the Autobots he never stopped loving him. They promised to never hurt each other. In case the war ended they didn't want their relationship to he completely destroyed.

Besides neither of them could hurt the other. They both loved each other too much. Despite being in different factions. Hot Rod was the love of his life and he'd always love him not matter what.

He stroked his cheek. Admiring his beautiful mate. Even though they were on opposite sides. They still found ways to meet up. They never shared any information about either side. They'd snuggle together. Reminding each other they were still alive and despite everything they would always love each other.

Megatron wanting to know what was happening sent him a message. He quickly told him the details and could feel his surprise through the message.

Megatron was aware of their relationship. Making sure Hot Rod was never injured during battles.

When they bonded Megatron had been their witness. It had been after a hard month.

They'd both had near fatal encounters while doing their jobs and needed each other. Realizing life was short and they never knew what was going to happen. They decided to bond their sparks together.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Hot Rod waking up. He moaned in pain. His field fluctuating as he reached out.

His optics widened when he felt a small unfamiliar light next to his beloveds. He stared in awe when he realized what it was.

Before he could reach out and feel his little one the Autobots showed up.

He glared, as Optimus fired at him. Acting all heroic as he told him to get away from his carrying mate.

Ratchet stood behind him taking in Hot Rods state and acting like he was the one who caused those injuries. Which he would never do. He'd rather kill himself than hurt his mate.

Ratchet turned to Optimus as though he was worried about Hot Rods safety and told him to get Hot Rod away from him. Which wasn't going to happen.

Worried about his mate getting hurt. He tried to open a ground bridge and at least get him out of there. Not wanting to put him or their sparkling in harms way. Of course the Autobots wouldn't let him and continued shooting.

Ignoring how they were putting one of their own in danger. When Optimus almost shot Hot Rod he realized they weren't trying to protect him. They were trying to keep Hot Rod away from him by any means necessary.

Angry they dared to hurt his mate. He used a sonic blast to blast them away. Causing some of their paint to fall off, as they were knocked unconscious by the blast. Hot Rod whimpered and he opened another ground bridge immediately rushing inside. Uncaring of Optimus or Ratchet as long as they stayed away from his family.

Knockout and Breakdown were already waiting for him. Megatron having called them in advance and telling them to prepare the medbay.

He carried Hot Rod to the medbay. Being as gentle as possible not wanting to make his injuries worse. Megatron followed after them. Worried about Hot Rod. Who'd been his friend before the war.

He informed them of Hot Rods condition while Breakdown and Knockout worked. Wanting them to be careful in fear of them hurting the new spark.

Megatron was surprised to learn Hot Rod was sparked and congratulated him through comms.

He nodded holding Hot Rods hand. Ignoring the looks Knockout and Breakdown shared.

The damage to Hot Rod was extensive. Not all of it was from the crash which made him angry.

When he found whoever hurt his mate he was going to make them pay.

Staying by Hot Rods side the entire time. He watched as Breakdown and Knockout worked on repairing his mate. Being careful not to hurt the sparkling.

When they were done, they left him to rest. While he sat by his side, waiting for him to wake up. Never leaving his side.

Hot Rod was out for a few hours before he finally woke up. Letting him see his beautiful blue optics.

"Hot Rod."

He stood up and his mate turned to him. Looking confused and disoriented.

"Are you really here?"

"Yes. I'm here."

He squeezed his hand and Hot Rod began to cry while reaching for his stomach.

"Is my--"

"The sparkling is fine. Although it needs transfluid donations. Something I will happily deal with when we get the chance."

"Where are we?"

"On the nemesis. You crash landed on a planet called Earth. Which is where we are staying for now."

"Is my carrier here?"

He frowned shaking his head.

"No. Why?"

"We'd been captured together."

"Captured? By who!?"

He looked at his mate startled. Because all the Decepticons should know better than to touch his mate.

"Autobots. They found out you were the sire and tried to kill our sparkling. They were kidnapping carriers and wanted to force them to have sparklings."

He growled. His tentacles snapping at the very idea.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I managed to escape with Perceptor. We got separated when we were trying to leave the ship."

Hot Rod looked sad likely thinking of his carrier.

"He could still be alive. Our people are spread all over the galaxy. Those who are here are just a small number."

Hot Rod nodded and he rubbed his spoiler soothingly.

"I wanted to tell you. I'd been planning on telling you until I was captured."

"It's okay. You're here now. I won't let the Autobots hurt you or our sparkling."

His mate nodded looking exhausted and he let him rest.

When he was feeling better and Knockout released him from the medbay. He carried him back to his room ignoring the crews stares.

Laying Hot Rod down the two made out. Exploring each other's bodies. They were both eager to reunite after so long.

He spent the night filling his mate with transfluid. Making sure he felt loved as the two came together. Reunited at last.

With Hot Rod here. It felt like everything fell into place. He was no longer an Autobot. Disgusted with his cause for trying to kill his sparkling.

He changed the Decepticons for the better. They didn't even realize how far they'd lost track of their goals. Until Hot Rod was there to remind them.

Megatron stopped using dark energon and got rid of any remnants onboard. Worried about it harming the sparkling which Hot Rod was grateful for.

After all these years the two seemed to pick up their friendship. Megatron's temper began to lessen. Not wanting to hurt Hot Rod or the sparkling.

Hot Rod who was unable to fight. Spent his days helping the crew.

Everyone seemed to be calmer. Starscream schemed a lot less. Letting Hot Rod groom him and take care of him in a way he hasn't had since his trine mates were alive.

His seeker instincts telling him their was a carrier who needed protection and to be looked after.

Knockout loved working on his paint job. He always wanted a sparkling but with the war he never had the chance.

The two would talk about racing and automobiles. Hot Rod even showed him a brush made specifically in Nyon. Which was helpful in getting small areas that were hard to reach. Something Knockout was excited to use.

Breakdown was happy his Conjunx was happy. He also liked being taken care of just like the rest of the crew.

The vehicons were often times doted on. Hot Rods instincts pushing him to take care of everyone. After battles he'd cuddle with them in his nest. Letting them vent as he looked after them.

The Decepticons benefited a lot from having Hot Rod around. Especially Soundwave who was never far from his mate.

While Hot Rod helped the crew. Soundwave would stand behind him as his threatening shadow. Making sure his mate and new spark were safe and being taken care of.

He was somehow scarier and not as scary at the same time now that Hot Rod was around. He was more protective and the crew saw him a lot more but whenever it came to Hot Rod he always seemed to melt. Putting a protective hand on his belly or lower back. Wanting to make sure everyone knew that Hot Rod was his.

He was also more relaxed and less stressed. He didn't even realize he'd been burning himself out until Hot Rod got here and forced him to take breaks.

Hot Rod needed a lot of transfluid to make sure their sparkling was happy and Soundwave was always happy to help. The crew always made sure to stay far away when that happened because those two were very enthusiastic.

Despite Hot Rod being sparked he was still able to interface for a long time. Megatron was suddenly reminded of the time he lived together with Soundwave when they were both gladiators.

The entire crew was determined to end the war quickly. Wanting to get revenge for the Autobots trying to kill Hot Rods sparkling and not wanting the sparkling to grow up in a war.

[nocternalrandomness]

Touch & Go's at NAF El Centro, California

[todays-problematic-ship]

They're doing something about this problematic ship

https://gcaptain.com/smit-team-set-to-begin-oil-transfer-from-decaying-fso-safer/

Today's Problematic Ship that has been Listening and Learning is the FSO Safer

The FSO Safer, which we have previously written about, is a very large crude carrier converted to floating oil storage. It was moored off the coast of Yemen and held more than one million barrels of crude oil when the war in Yemen broke out.

Already old (built in 1976) and in poor condition, the FSO Safer could not be properly maintained or offloaded due to the war. Particularly worrying was the ship's inert gas system, which displaces air in its oil tanks with inert gas. This prevents built-up oil vapours from exploding, e.g., because of electrical sparks. An onboard explosion or simply the rusting into pieces of the FSO Safer could have spilled one million barrels of crude oil into the Red Sea. An oil spill would threaten not only local ecosystems, but fishing water, desalination plants, and ports supporting millions of people with food and fuel imports. (Throughout the war, Yemen has already been one of the world's most food insecure countries.)

As of August 2023 the FSO Safer has been emptied, with its oil transferred to a replacement vessel, the Yemen, in a UN-led operation. The FSO Safer will be scrapped. The Yemen will be moored in place, effectively taking the FSO Safer's place. The reason for this is the disputed ownership of the oil by the warring parties, meaning the oil cannot be sold directly. The UN has offered to mediate negotiations to arrange a sale.

[lonestarflight]

"At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the new Space Shuttle, Atlantis, arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The shuttle is mounted atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified Boeing 747. Over the next seven months Atlantis will be prepared for its maiden voyage, STS-51-J. Atlantis, NASA's fourth space-rated shuttle, was named after the two-masted boat that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966. The boat had a 17-member crew and accommodated up to five scientists who worked in two onboard laboratories, examining water samples and marine life. Like its predecessors, Atlantis was constructed by Rockwell International in Palmdale, Calif. The spacecraft was transported over land from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base on April 3, 1985 for the cross-country ferry flight to Kennedy."

Date: April 13, 1985

NASA ID: KSC-385C-1296-01, KSC-385C-1296-02, KSC-385C-169, KSC-385C-170, KSC-385C-1298-02, KSC-385C-1297-01, KSC-385C-1297-06, KSC-385C-1298-05, KSC-385C-1298-06

[nolita-fairytale]

call sign: tennessee whiskey | rooster x fem!reader & hangman x phoenix | chapter five

summary: to celebrate a job well done, the dagger squads skips the hard deck for the night and goes dancing.

warnings: fluff, enemies to lovers, swearing, mentions of death, military & aircraft carrier inaccuracies, second person pov

wc: 4.9k

listen to: un ratito - bad bunny | la bachata - manuel turizo |the playlist

a/n: this chapter was inspired by a night out i once spent salsa dancing in san diego, monica barbaro in 'at midnight', and that video of monica barbaro & greg tarzan davis dancing in the space cowboy suits that seems to now be deleted lol. if you're not familiar with bachata, 10/10 recommend checking this video out to get an idea of just how sensual of a dance it is. rooster x reader smut coming next!! who's ready to find out how she got her callsign?

chapter four | masterlist | chapter six

The USS Theodore Roosevelt docks mid morning, and everyone aboard is eager to sleep in a proper bed tonight. You’d take the XL Twin sized beds over sleeping on an aircraft carrier any day, especially if there’s a Rooster Bradshaw in one with you. You’ve been so preoccupied with Rooster post-mission, having stayed the entire night with him. You’d fallen asleep with him in the hospital bed and, despite protocol, the medics onboard didn’t have the heart to ask you to leave. 

It’s not until you return to your sleeping quarters to pack up your things while everyone else is at breakfast that you come up for air. You’ve been totally wrapped up in your own world post-mission, that it’s almost time to offboard. After packing up your things, you meet Rooster, recently released from the carrier’s infirmary. 

“You ready?” he asks, a smile on his face as soon as he sees you. 

“I’m ready,” you agree, taking his hand in yours. 

As the two of you walk down the ramp, the familiar faces and bright shine of the San Diego sun make you realize that you really have been in your own world with Rooster – one where only you and he exist. You spot Coyote walking down the ramp with Halo, but what you see next catches you off guard. It’s Hangman and Phoenix walking together in stride. You tug on Rooster’s arm, since you’re not too far behind them, signaling to him that you want to get closer. 

They’re not arguing… they’re not killing each other. 

They’re… civil. Nice, almost. 

And was that a smile? Did Phoenix just… smile at something the blonde had said?!

“Oh my god!” you blurt out. The gasp escaping your lips causes both Hangman and Phoenix to turn around to look at you. The rest of the crew that are also in process of offboard walk around the four of you, shooting disgruntled looks as you block the walkway. 

“Sorry,” Rooster mutters to a passerby, before motioning for the four of you to at least step to the side. 

You look from Hangman to Phoenix, and suddenly, you can’t stop laughing. 

An innocent bystander would have no idea, but you know the both of them like the back of your hand. 

And it’s written all over their faces. 

“Oh my god!” you repeat yourself, your voice higher pitched as your jaw practically drops onto the ramp. “You guys totally did it!”

Rooster snorts, thinking that this must be a joke. But when you continue laughing, when neither Hangman nor Phoenix fire back with some snarky remark or exclamation of denial, Rooster thinks you might be right. 

“Wait, what?!” he exclaims, looking from you, then to Jake and Natasha. “Seriously?!”

“Whiskey,” Jake groans, shaking his head. He exchanges glances with Phoenix before continuing with, “I swear to God, she's like a truffle pig but for hookups.”

His smartass comment only confirms your suspicions, and Nat is turning bright red, unable to make eye contact with you right now. Rooster’s jaw practically drops as you squeal with delight, ready to brag about your special skill. 

“It’s a talent,” you shrug, proudly. “That's how I knew all through the Naval Academy that Jake was a wh-.”

“Hoooooookay. You’re done Whiskey,” Jake cuts you off, practically dragging you away from Rooster’s grasp along with him so that he can give you a talkin’ to about what’s appropriate to say when. 

Rooster laughs again, watching as you and Jake bicker like siblings, before turning his attention over to Phoenix. 

“You wanna talk about it?” he asks, doubtful that she’ll say yes.

“Nope,” she answers, popping the ‘p’ sound at the end of the word. 

“Fair enough,” Rooster accepts with a nod. 

“What I do want to talk about…. is you two,” Nat redirects, nodding her head towards where you and Jake have moved to. “Don’t think I didn’t notice she never came back to her bunk last night.”

The way that Rooster smiles is all she needs to know, and she considers this a huge win, exchanging a look with her best friend. 

“That good, huh?” she smirks, raising an eyebrow. 

“No! We haven’t even-, you know,” Bradley blushes, suddenly shy. 

“Damn. You really are ready to settle down, huh?” Nat responds, as she reads his expression. 

Rooster nods, returning his attention back to you again. He watches you playfully punch Jake in the chest, causing him to double over. 

“She’s great, Nat. She’s… I don’t know. She’s really fucking great,” he sighs, completely and totally infatuated with you. 

By the time Rooster and Phoenix catch up with you and Jake, you and Jake have finished your conversation – one where you mostly congratulated him and told him that she was the best he’d ever get so he better not fuck up. 

“Breakfast, anyone?” Nat asks, her eyes moving from you to Rooster. 

“Not you,” she adds, by the time her eyes make it to Jake. 

He rolls his eyes at her comment, but inside, he loves the fire she has within her. 

“Uh… yeah. Give me a second?” you request, shooting Rooster a look. 

“Yeah, we’ll give you guys a second,” Nat says, practically tugging Jake along with her. 

You watch as they go, a few strides ahead of you and Rooster so you can talk. 

“So… that’s kind of wild,” Rooster mentions, in reference to Nat and Jake. 

“Yes and also sort of… not surprising?” you suggest, earning a quizzical look from Rooster. 

Instead of continuing the conversation about Nat and Jake, you’d much rather talk about what could happen when you get back to the barracks. You take a beat, ready to shift the conversation.

“You wanna get out here? I could… tell Nat no.  Skip breakfast…. We could catch up to Hangman and Phoenix… considering they beat us to the punch?” you propose, raising an eyebrow. 

Normally, you’d never cancel on a friend for a guy, but after two weeks and a near-deadly mission, the sexual tension between the two of you is palpable. 

“As tempting as that offer sounds, I gotta go to the medical center on base for a second check up. Make sure I get a clean bill of health on land too,” Rooster replies, unable to hide how disappointed he is that he has to do this first. 

“Ugh, leave it to me to get cockblocked by the US Navy… again,” you groan, eliciting a laugh from Rooster. “You want me to go with you? 

“No it’s okay. Go to breakfast with Nat,” he says, nodding his head towards her and Jake.  

You smirk, “You just want the hot gossip don’t you, Badshaw?”

“Fuck yeah. And you better send me live updates,” he begs, earning a laugh from you too.  

You reach out, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, before Rooster’s wrapping an arm around your shoulders and you’re heading back to the barracks. Nat’s already got a place picked out that she texts you with a message suggesting you invite Halo too. After changing into your civvies, you and Nat decide to head out together to the beachside diner only a few blocks from the Hard Deck. 

Hangman: So I make you cum twice and still don’t get invited to breakfast? What’s a guy gotta do?

Phoenix: Try for three next time and I might consider extending the invitation.

Hangman: So you're saying there’s a next time? ;)

Natasha rolls her eyes at the last text, putting her phone away as the waitress approaches your table with the drip coffees you’ve just ordered. You both mutter a quick, polite thank you before taking them, fixing your coffee just the way you like it. 

“Halo didn’t want to come?” Nat asks, curiously.  

“Said she’s FaceTiming with her girlfriend but will join us in a little bit when she’s done,” you answer. “But it’s good because it gives us time to catch up! You can’t keep me waiting like this and don’t even think you’re getting away with not telling me everything.”

“Everything?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“Okay, maybe not… everything,” you reply with a chuckle. “But enough is enough! Spill, bitch. What the hell happened between you and Hangman on that carrier?!”

She sighs, “I-, I have no fucking idea.” Taking a drink from her coffee mug, she leans back, cradling the hot cup of coffee in her hands as she racks her brain for any kind of explanation. “Maybe it was the high of the mission… or something… but we were both looking for you… and then we ran into each other. And… I don’t know. I was going to take a shower and he wouldn’t move out of my way… and then one thing led to another and suddenly we’re fucking in on the bathroom sink!”

“Oh my god!” you squeal, covering your mouth with your hand as you do. 

“I mean… it’s Hangman. I-, I think it was just a heat of the moment thing. Nothing serious,” she says, brushing it off as if there’s no possible way it could be anything more than that. 

“So… just a one time thing?” you ask, eyeing her curiously. You’re trying your best to get a read on her, but you’re not sure if she even knows how she feels about it. 

“Well. Technically a two time thing if you count the shower after,” she smirks, taking another sip of her coffee. 

“Natasha!” you gasp, a devilish smile on her face. 

“So… do you think it’s going to happen again? Do you want it to happen again?” you gush, excitedly. 

“I-,” she starts, before letting out a big sigh. “I don’t know.” You watch as she places her coffee mug down on the table, her eyes fixed to the ceramic mug. “Does that make sense?”

“Definitely,” you empathize with her, considering you’d probably find yourself confused in that situation too. “It’s Jake. I-. Definitely.”

“Let’s go dancing tonight,” she changes the subject, not wanting to talk more about Hagman. “What was that place we went to last time we’re in San Diego? Tango Del Rey? I know Rooster’s dying to see how you move.”

“Oh my god,” you groan with a playful eye roll. 

“But yes!” you agree. “Dancing sounds great. See if the rest of the Dagger Squad want to come with. Maybe end the night at the Hard Deck?” 

“Yeah,” Natasha replies. 

“Hi! Sorry I’m late,” Callie interrupts, as soon as she enters the diner in search of both you and Nat. “Unlike the two of you, I have a civilian partner that doesn’t understand half of what we do, and just needs to hear that I’m okay at the end of every mission. 

“The two of us?” Nat asks, thrown by what Halo has said. 

“Yeah, because you and Hangman are together, right?” she asks Phoenix, and you almost spit out your coffee. 

There’s such a genuine innocence in how she asks the question that you know she’s not trying to fuck with either of you. 

Nat’s face blushes a few shades darker while you try your best to get your coffee down without any of it coming out of your nose. You wait for your fit of laughter to pass before swallowing, giving you the freedom to now laugh out loud. 

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Halo asks looking from you to Nat, then back to you again. 

“No, Halo. No, you said everything right,�� you manage to get out, as your laughter continues to grow. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. I just thought you guys were together. I mean… he stayed with you overnight in the hospital after the bird strike and he’s so clearly into you,” she apologizes, explaining why she had come to the conclusion in the first place. 

Nat is glaring at you as you continue to laugh, like she hates the fact that you’re not the only one who sees this thing between the two of them. 

“Callie, you have nothing to apologize for,” you reassure her. You shoot Nat a glance, knowing that you’re stirring the pot as you continue with, “And you’d only have been wrong if you’d said something twenty four hours ago.”

“Whiskey!” Phoenix exclaims, shooting daggers at you for airing her dirty laundry. 

You snicker, on a power trip from the sweet, sweet feeling of being right. 

Natasha shakes her head, eager to change the subject. She stops paying attention to you, putting all of her attention on Halo as she says:

“Hey, Callie. What do you think about going dancing tonight? Think the Dagger Squad would be up for it?” she proposes, signifying that she’s done with this conversation about her and Jake. 

“I love dancing! Sounds like a great way to celebrate,” Callie agrees, eagerly. 

As the waitress comes back around, the three of you order stacks of pancakes and plates of eggs, potatoes, and bacon, decompressing in the beachside diner. It’s nice to take a breath, now that the mission is over – now that you have a whole week off, due to the mission being moved up. It’s not till the end of breakfast that you realize your heart and your belly are both now full. 

Your phone buzzes, signaling that you have a new text, unable to hide the smile on your face as you realize it’s from Rooster. 

“Uh oh. I know that look,” Nat teases, instantly knowing who it’s from. Halo’s eyes light up, catching on as well. 

“Ask him if he wants to go dancing!” Halo encourages, as you open up your phone to read the texts. 

Rooster: Looks like we got the greenlight. 

You: For all activities? ;)

Bradley: Yes ma’am. Anything in particular you have in mind?

You: How does dancing sound?

Bradley: … Dancing?

And that’s how Rooster Bradshaw ends up here, spinning someone’s abuela in a circle as the salsa band plays on. While most of the other aviators have found a dance partner in each other, or another attendee at the club, Bradley has, of course, found himself taken under the wings a group of older ladies made up of abuelas and tias who are teaching him how to salsa properly. 

You giggle, unable to take your eyes off of him, even though you’re technically dancing with Jake. You find it incredibly endearing that he’s managed to find himself adopted by the regulars – all of which continue to make comments like que guapo about him, his mustache and his printed shirts. 

Rooster’s eyes meet yours from across the room, practically beaming in your direction as the ladies cheer him on for mastering the three step dance. You smile back, grinning ear to ear. 

You cannot wait to get him alone tonight, but salsa is a social dance, so the stolen glances, the smiles from across the room, and all the sexy build up will have to do for now. 

Jake picks up on the fact that your attention is elsewhere, and he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t have something smart to say about it. 

“You’re not even paying attention to me,” Jake complains, twirling you around the dance floor as best as he can. 

“Awwww… who knew you were such a softie, Hangman?” you tease him, followed by a loud “ow!” when Jake steps on your feet… again. 

“Well, that’s what you get, kid,” he fires back, grumpily.  

“I’m trying to help you here, Seresin! But you’re not letting me,” you point out, an annoyed tone in your voice as you try to teach him the steps. “If you’d learn to follow for once, damn it!”

“I’m just saying… think these guys need to come down to Texas… we can show ‘em how it’s really done,” Jake grumbles, as you try to coach him into being better at this. 

“Hate to break it to you, bud, but two steppin’ isn’t nearly as sexy as salsa,” you point out. “And you can’t always just do things you’re good at, y’know?”

“Who says?” Jake asks, playfully. 

“Oh my god,” you groan, rolling your eyes at your best friend’s comment. 

Jake steals a glance in Nat’s direction. He knows you’re only trying to help – only trying to give him a little bit of a head start considering Natasha seems to be a pro at this. You know enough to get by, but Nat grew up competitive ballroom dancing, and she’s practically dancing circles around every single person in the dancehall. Turns out, Coyote is an incredible salsa dancer as well, the two of them taking the dance floor by storm like they’re a part of the competition team. They glide, spin, and shake their hips to the music in ways that you can’t even imagine, captivating anyone and everyone that watches. 

At the end of each song, Coyote and Phoenix have switched partners, sometimes dancing together for a few more songs, and other times sharing their gifts with other people here on the dance floor. It’s usually how it goes at these kinds of things. 

The song ends and Jake releases you. You can see that the band has finished their set, switching over to a DJ. Of course, in a place like this, the transitions are smooth, going right from the band to the stereo system seamlessly. You’re practically shoving Jake in Nat’s direction, partnering up with Fanboy before Jake can chicken out. He stands behind her, watching her thank her last dance partner, a man who seems to be on the competition team here at Tango Del Rey. 

Natasha Trace wears a white floral dress, with a long slit up the front, exposing her long legs – the ones he had his mouth on just yesterday. Her hair, softly curled, falls just above her shoulders, and her hair is parted, pinned back on only one side makes her look like an old Hollywood movie star. 

“Phoenix. What do you say we have that dance now?” Jake drawls, his voice causing her to turn around. 

“I should warn you,” she parrots, mimicking his language on the carrier as she takes a few steps forward in her heels. “I'm an incredible dancer.”

“I’ve noticed,” he replies, the corner of his lips curling into a crooked smile. 

“You think you’re ready for me, Bagman?” she challenges, holding her hand out to him. 

“Only one way to find out,” he smirks, grabbing her hand and pulling her in close. 

As the song begins, the DJ set starting off strong with a Bad Bunny hit, Nat finds herself surprised that Jake does pretty well for himself, leading her in the three step salsa. The way his hands feel against her feel like they’re burning her skin in the most delicious of ways. She feels him lift their conjoined hands so that he can spin her around, smiling as he does. She knows this one – listens to the lyrics as they move together, taking note of how appropriate the feel:

“It's just for a little while / Mami, don't get used to it / Because love can be so beautiful / But there's always somеthing that interrupts it.”

Because what the hell were they doing anyways? And how could Hangman of all people make her feel this way? And there was no possible way that this wasn’t just temporary. Was she even willing to take the risk on him?

Instead of saying something, overthinking it, fucking this up before it could even begin, Nat decides that tonight, she’ll just dance with him. 

Across the room, as the song ends, you thank Fanboy (also an incredible dancer), before going to find Bradley. You can’t hide the grin on your face as you see him thanking the ladies that seem to have taken him under their wing. 

“Ladies, I hope you don’t mind,” you begin, nodding towards Bradley.  

“Are you the girlfriend? La novia? He’s been talking about you all night,” one of the women exclaims, gleefully. 

“Not yet, Daniela. But I’m working on it,” Bradley replies, following his words up with a playful, ‘shhh!’ 

You giggle, “You wanna dance, Bradshaw?” 

You offer out your hand, and he takes it, earning cheers and smiles from Bradley’s new friends. You can’t take your eyes off of his chocolate brown ones as you lead him across the dance floor. You feel one of Bradley’s hands slide against your low back, pulling you in closer to him as you begin to move to the music. 

“Looks like you made some new friends,” you say, batting your eyes at him. 

“And you’re gonna thank me later because I learned a lot,” he replies, earning a flirtatious giggle from you. 

“This your thing? You make new friends everywhere you go?” you continue to banter with him. 

“Guilty,” he admits, a light blush running across his cheeks. “The supermarket. The gas station…” 

“Oh God, I bet you were popular in high school too,” you groan, jokingly.  

As he spins you around, taking you into his arms, you’re all smiles. You move your hips in perfect time with his. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest with every step – and it’s not the few beers you’ve already had. You’ve been waiting for this moment all night – not that dancing with the rest of the aviators hasn’t been fun – but you have to admit that Bradley Bradshaw makes your heart flutter. 

After a few songs spent in Bradley’s arms, he slows you down, leaning close, his lips just grazing the top of your ear lobe. You can feel both of his large hands on the small of your back, pulling you into him a little closer. 

“I know we just got started here but… what do you say we get out of here?” he whispers in your ear, the raspiness of his voice sending chills down your spine.

“What’d you have in mind?” you ask, unable to find the smile that spreads across your lips. 

“Maybe… one more drink at the Hard Deck… then how about we go back to my room?”

“Please,” you practically beg him, nodding along as encouragement. . 

And in that moment, you don’t care that everyone is watching, that you and Bradley have yet to begin, you kiss him right then and there in the middle of the dance floor. Your passionate lip lock earns a few looks from other dancers, and you can hear a few of the other aviators point it out with a few whoops, hollers, and catcalls in response. As you pull away from the kiss, his face still cradled in your hands, you ask him:

“Cool if I go find Jake and Nat? Say goodbye?”

“Totally. But I’d be careful if I were you. They were practically fucking on the dance floor a minute ago,” he replies with a groan. 

“Gross,” you scoff, even though you could care less. 

But you don’t find Jake with Nat, spotting her on the dance floor doing all kinds of tricks with Coyote again. You wonder where Jake went, pushing through a crowd of people before you spot him upstairs. You hurry up the flight of stairs that leads to the balcony, finding him perched there, leaning up against the railing and nursing a Lonestar. 

“Hey! Rooster said you and Nat were practically fucking on the dance floor. Anything I should know?” you comment, as you approach the blonde. 

He smirks, taking another drink of his tallboy. 

“So you and Rooster, huh?” Jake asks back so that he doesn’t have to answer your question.

And because, of course his best friend would fall for fuckin’ Bradshaw. 

“Yeah, me and Rooster,” you answer, truthfully, sliding into the space next to him. “We’re actually going to head out. That’s why I was looking for you. Didn’t want to go without saying goodbye.”

Jake searches your face. There’s nothing but genuine admiration and honesty, and it’s given you a glow. He can see how happy you are, and he’s not going to rain on your parade just because he and the guy have some kind of unspoken rivalry. Playfully, he bumps his shoulder against you, earning a giggle from you. You return the shoulder bump before returning to your previous question. 

You watch Jake, following his gaze out over the dancehall. Nat’s finally taken a break, crowded around the bar as Bob tells some wild story to her, Fanboy, and Payback. It’s so freaking obvious that it’s painful: he can’t take his eyes off of Natasha Trace. 

“You should tell her how you feel,” you chime in, bumping his shoulder with yours again 

Jake shoots you a glance from the side – the kind that says, ‘what the hell are you talking about?’

“You forget that I’ve known you since you were twenty, Seresin. And I've spent the last two weeks watching you pine after her,” you point out. 

“I do not pine!” he protests. 

“Yes you do!” you push back. 

He waits a few beats, thinking it over, weighing his options. 

“What if… she’s not into it?” he finally asks, dragging out each word like they’re heavy on his lips. 

“Why don’t you go find out?” you encourage. You give his shoulder a friendly squeeze before turning to go. 

“Be safe, kid!” Jake calls after you. 

“Thanks, Dad,” you scowl, your feet hitting the top of the stairs as you do. 

Jake enjoys the view and his beer on the balcony for a little longer, taking a few moments to himself. The DJ set is about halfway through, and he notices that the aviators, previously crowded around the bar, seem to have returned to the dance floor. 

It’s now or never, Seresin, he thinks to himself. 

He’s practically working himself up as his feet carry himself down the stairs and back onto the dance floor. He’s surprised to find Phoenix without a partner, just moving to the music as the song playing ends. He watches as her face changes, her lips curling into a smile as the new song begins. She throws her head back with a laugh, her eyes settling on Jake as he stands there in front of her. 

“This one’s not a salsa. Think you can keep up, Bagman?” she asks, holding her hand out, beckoning for him to join her. 

“Can’t be that difficult,” he says, looking around the room. 

“It won’t be. As long as you let me lead,” she fires back. 

“Ha!” he lets out an arrogant laugh, as he takes her hand. 

“You let me lead, and I’ll make you look really good,” she replies, almost as if it’s a challenge. 

“Deal,” Jake agrees. 

“So it’s kinda like salsa: three steps left, then three right,” she coaches him, lowering her voice so that she’s practically purring in his ear. Nat wraps an arm around his waist, pulling him close into her. The edges of their faces are pressed together, and Jake mimicks her, sliding an arm around her waist too.

“Only bachata…” she says, beginning to walk in a circle. She steps forward, so that they’re practically chest to chest, keeping the rhythm with her feet as she adjusts their positioning. “... is danced from here.”

Jake gulps, realizing that she’s practically straddling one of his legs, her forehead now pressed against his. He lets her lead, watching as she moves around him from this fucking close: a sway of her hips in perfect time, a circle with her shoulders till she’s body rolling against the front of him, and then they’re taking three steps right, and three steps left. 

“Jeez, Tash…” he groans, earning a wicked smile from her. 

He’s not sure where that came from. He’s never called her that before. But then again, they’d never let the tension between them go this far. 

There’s no way this is actually the dance. She’s totally fucking with me. Testing my patience, right? Jake thinks to himself, feeling his pants becoming a little bit tighter as she moves against him. 

But Jake looks around the room, shocked to see everyone on the dance floor moving this sensually too. Hell, she’s practically riding his thigh in front of everyone and he’s just letting her. 

“The hell’d you learn how to dance like this?” he asks, biting back a moan. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she smirks cockily. 

She holds up an arm for him to spin, creating distance so they both can. When she returns to Jake, this time, she presses her back against him, swaying her hips against his in perfect time. 

It’s pure fucking torture. 

“I-, I would,” he mumbles into her ear, ever sarcastic bone in his body giving way to the growing erection he’s got in his pants. 

She chuckles, spinning herself out, then back into his arms in their original position. 

“That’s not the question you should be asking, Bagman,” she says, glancing down at his zipper. 

He’s trying his best to focus on the steps – and not stepping on her feet – but his concentration is getting incredibly blurry with how she’s moving against him. With how close she is. With how fucking hot he finds this. As they move, three steps right, three steps left, his hands begin traveling lower, pressing her against him from her low back, from the top of her ass, and Natasha Trace knows exactly what she’s doing. 

“Fuck,” Jake groans, feeling as she rolls against him, the song beginning to end. He’s frozen in a moment in time and he can’t let go of her – not yet. 

“Can I take you home?” he finally asks. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” she replies, dragging her arm across his chest as she begins to walk in a circle behind him. Once she reaches his back, she pulls him in close, leaning in to whisper:

“Meet me in the car in five.”

read: chapter six

*

a/n: someone has to say it. halo is the hero of this chapter with her line: you and hangman are together right? now who's ready for some rooster smut!?

taglist: @not-two-shrimp @wishfulwithwine @hangmanscoming @thefourrealms@hlkwrites @dlea203 @translatemunson @starlightstories @genius2050

[starscoffeecreamer]

Tailgate would make a perfect little breeding cow for Cyclonus (and maybe Whirl if he's good)

He was made a disposable class for waste disposal, not really considered worth cold constructing more so they're just made incredibly fertile so they'll reproduce on their own. Tailgate would have been so excited to start carrying his own sparklings but then he gets lost. He's been waiting to be a carrier since he was activated, and now he's completely stuck underground alone, can you imagine how pent up he'd be?

He'd probably be open to anyone being a sire as soon as he's able, but Cyclonus wouldn't let anyone touch what he claimed as his, his roommate, his cow. He'd be the first to pump a litter into Tailgate just to mark his territory, and that would make the crew go wild knowing there's a perfect cow onboard already taken. After a couple pregnancies I think Cyclonus could learn to share, only because Tailgate is so needy he can't keep up. He's the Lost Light's cow, but Tailgate still has his conjunx as his favorite to sire

Just because no one else was allowed to breed Tailgate though doesn't mean no one can touch him. He'd be so needy for any physical attention, and when he's so heavy with sparklings he's waddling around deck he'd love anyone to carry him around and play with his swollen tiddies. He spends so much time with Swerve he'd let his friend milk him right there at the bar and serve it up. It'd just make Cyclonus even more smug that everyone else can look and taste his conjunx but not use him like he gets to, and Tailgate would love the relief, not to mention all the compliments and praise he'd get for being such a good cow would be great for his ego

Even when he's not carrying, you can tell Tailgate is made for it. After the first pregnancy his thighs and aft would fill out, and he'd always have a chubby layer of belly fat just past his thighs that'd be so nice to play with. His tiddies wouldn't fit in his plating after that, so it's either a reformatting or keeping them out all the time. With all the attention they get him and how nice it feels, he wouldn't mind leaving them out for his friends to touch and squeeze

ACK ANON YOUR IDEA, I love fat fertile Minibots they don't get talked about enough

Tailgate just happily waddles around, and everyone on board just stares at his fat thighs, big pouches, and baby bump. It's such a common sight now for them, but it never loses its appeal

Swerve's made an official drink for his pouch Energon too, and when he's gotta drain it everyone's scrambling to the bar trying to get a cup before it runs out

Cyclonus just smugly watching from the side as he carresses and squishes Tailgate and no one else can join in