#optical inventory

[amit112233]

optical software for wholesale and reatil shop

Optical Software includes all of the features, modules, and tools you’ll need to expand your retail & wholesale business more quickly than ever before It is the most widely used and trusted Optical Software on the market.

In optical business's complicated roll is optical communication, monitoring and majoring the whole process include the ensuring systematic management system running by the companies or shops, but in modern technological world we have an magical optical software for your business, Design and developed by our experience OPTICALGURU team and this optical software also have ERP system and less with all the management facilities include.

[opticalcrmsoftware]

Digital Marketing For Optical Retail Business can be a powerful tool for reaching out to potential customers and promoting your optical retail business. Create a website, Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of your website in search engine results pages. Marketing on social media: Social media can be an effective marketing tool for your optical retail business. Visit us on Instagram or our website- https://www.opticalcrm.com/optical-e-commerce-website-development/

[opticalcrm]

Let's discuss your concept for an Optical E-Commerce Website Development  Are you considering creating an online store for optical products? Complete Website Development Solutions are provided by Optical CRM. Many companies and chains have started their own optical e-commerce websites to sell eyewear online. It is really easy and affordable. Speak to a Professional Contact Us  for Process; Blog; Portfolio; About Us  and   Services visit our website

[tinydefector]

Rescued

Ratchet x human reader

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: pitfighting, injuries and swearing.

Ratchet masterlist

Start of the Ratchet fic series piece from my poll. I've got some more request I'll have. Look thought but enjoy the first part of Rescued.

________________

Ratchet was no stranger to the black market, it had been where he had gotten a lot of his medical supplies before the war, and even now he still had dealers he went to for better prices, the Dead End had been in desperate need back then. Now it was the fact he was hunting for very specific equipment he was hoping that one of the dealers had. One of his patients had gotten a backstreet modification done and now he was dealing with trying to undo it. 

He entered the seedy marketplace with cautious optics. Black markets were rarely safe, even for one as grizzled as himself, but sometimes they provided resources not found through official medcentres. Swindle was impossible to miss. The shifty salesbot sidled up with a grin. "Well well, if it isn't the good doctor. Haven't seen you in a while. What can I do for you today?" 

Ratchet cut right to the chase. "I need a class V field nanoscope, with magnetic containment and full genomic sequencing interface. Also a case of tri-hexal coolant and 50 units of med-grade energon. Shipped to my clinic" he states while processing his payment to the bot. 

Swindle's visor glinted as he perused inventory.  "I've also got some...shall we say, off-protocol hardware. Stuff no self-respecting medic would keep on their official ledger." 

The Chief Medical Officer's optics narrowed. What exactly was Swindle suggesting? While he wouldn't put anything past the seedy dealer, Ratchet had no interest in anything illegal or unethical. Still, sometimes one had to play the game to get what they needed. "Show me what you've got."

Their transaction goes as normal, his stockpile set and ready for transport. But the sound of small cries in the market. It has Ratchet  turning to try and locate the sound. More cries echo as shouting of bids echo out from a corner. Ratchet's audio receptors zeroed in on the distressed cries, and what he heard made his fuel run cold. Pushing past other mechs, he hurried toward the commotion and spotted the disturbing scene unfolding - a small human had been tossed from the fight ring like so much garbage, directly into harm's way. 

“useless little frag, I spent good shanix on you and your worthless” the bot growls out. 

Without hesitation, Ratchet leapt forward and caught the bot before he could stomp the  limp form of the small organic. He whirled on the perpetrator with a snarl. "What in the Pits do you think you're doing?!" 

Shoving the mech back, Ratchet knelt and gently scooped the injured human into his servos cradling them to his chest, his optics flared with barely contained rage. The other bot vents out but ignores Ratchet. “Keep the little scraplet it's worthless.” He huffs as he downs another cube of engex. “Swindle I'd get out of here for a while” Ratchet warns, it doesn't take much for the con to get the hint. “Pleasure doing business As always Ratchet” he states. 

Ratchet strode from the Alley, carefully shielding the human as he contacted an Enforcer unit. The human curls in on themself more making themself as small as possible in Ratchet's servos. They don't move much while Ratchet makes his way back to his clinic. “Shhh it's Alright, settle down ill get you taken care of” he tries to settle them as he begins unlocking the door to the clinic. His optics trace over them.  

Heavy sobs leave their small frame. Ratchet watched helplessly as the terrified human struggled in vain to escape his servos, Their fear and anguish tore at his spark. All he wanted was to help, He placed them gently on the medberth and remained crouched down, making himself as unintimidating as possible. On his shoulder, Ratchet pointed to the bright Cross emblazoned across his plating - the symbol of medical care and protection. But the human showed no sign of understanding.

“Please settle, I am a doctor, I'm going to check your injuries” he tries to explain while using his servos. But with the language barrier he had no way to convey that. 

Realising his words most likely sounded like static crackles, Ratchet instead used his Em field pulses to try to calm them but it just made them shrink away in fear.  Ratchet muttered and grumbled to himself as he dug through crates of old data chips and software modules. "Fragging Primus, where did I leave that translation suite?" he growled. "Probably tossed it with the last lot of broken junk I cleared out of here."

He upended another crate, sending chips scattering across the floor. His field pulsed with irritation. "Should have all the common dialects downloaded - but does anyone think to update them? Of course not!"

Sifting through the pile, Ratchet let loose a string of curses. "Pit-spawned, rust-eating, glitch-headed pile of... aha!" He held up an ancient-looking chip in triumph. "About fragging time, you piece of scrap." 

Popping it into his chip port, Ratchet ran initialization and compatibility protocols. After a minute, a handful of human languages lit up in his HUD along with helpful translation matrices. He vented in relief. 

"Alright little one, let me try this…”

“ Can you understand me now? I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." His voice was gentle once more. They continue staring at him half scared. Ratchet slowly filtered through the different Earth languages via his new translation software, trying each one to see if any would trigger recognition in the fearful human. 

//Can you understand me now?// Ratchet repeated gently. //I found an old program that allows me to talk to humans. I mean you no harm. I only wish to help treat your injuries.//

He kept his motions slow and unthreatening, hands open and palms up. //This place is a clinic. I am a doctor - my designation is Ratchet. Please, let me scan you and apply medical dressings. You are safe here, I promise. I will not let any harm come to you while under my care.//

Optics dimmed with compassion, Ratchet waited patiently for a response. He hoped reassuring words and this breakthrough in communication would help begin to win the traumatised human's tentative trust.

They move forward slightly, eyes trained on Ratchet. "How...?" They choke out almost shocked, they begin shaking lightly as they sit there panicking. Ratchet responded with patience and care to the little human's distress. "It's alright, try to relax. I know this must be frightening, but you're safe now." 

"I have translation software that allows me to understand many Earth languages. It took some digging, but I finally found an old data chip with yours among its databases. I'm Chief Medical Officer - communicating with patients is essential to my function, no matter their origin."

Keeping his voice low and modulated, Ratchet continued, "I need to assess your injuries, little one. May I scan you? It will not hurt, I promise. The scans will let me see if anything is damaged internally so I can treat you properly." 

They give a small nod not trusting their voice. Stasis cuffs, bandages, and other medical tools were scattered throughout the clinic. It doesn't settle the human but they sit There twitching as Ratchet slowly works on checking them. 

 Sitting there as tears slowly leak down their face. "Are you going to make me fight again?" They trumble under his touch, his cold digits against their skin have them almost running but they stick to their spot as Ratchet slowly cleans wounds on their back.   Ratchet's optics softened at the fresh tears. "Primus, no," he said gently. "Fighting is the last thing I want you to do." 

They continue sitting there half naked as Ratchet stitches their injuries, flinching each time his cold digits touch them and each time the needle threads thought their skin, the numbing agent helped prevent the pain but not the frightful reaction.

"I apologise for any discomfort," he states as he begins cleaning off the blood that had dried to their skin. "My hands were not made for such delicate work. But I will be as quick and careful as possible."

True to his word, Ratchet efficiently assessed and wrapped each injury with utmost precision. Cleaning up as he goes, the cold air of the clinic eventually gets the best of the nervous human as they shiver and shake. "There, all finished. You did very well,." His tone was soothing as velvet. 

He grabs a heavy thermal rag,tucking it gently around the human's shivering form. "Stay warm now. Rest, you are safe." 

Their eyes continue to watch him as Ratchet goes about checking other clients as they slowly begin filtering in and out of the clinic, even in their tired state they don't dare sleep, constantly watching the medic. It's only when the medications slowly take effect that they slump back against the table. 

______________

Taglist: @angelxcvxc

Please ask if you would like to be added to the tag list.

[fallout-lou-begas]

Not sure if you’ve been asked this before, but what are your favorite/essential mods for new vegas? I’ve only ever played it unmodded so I’m curious

Good question! I definitely have answered this before, but that was so many years ago. It's only now that I've taken the opportunity to overhaul and modernize my own mod set-up that I've been figuring out the answer to this question myself. But I can definitely talk you through the most important parts of my new load order.

First, however, every single person modding this game in this day and age absolutely needs to start with the Viva New Vegas modding guide, and follow every step to the letter. The recommendations are air-tight and the instructions are written and presented as if you, the reader, have never even seen so much as a computer before. It's amazing. The "Base" of VNV contains nothing but bugfixes, lightweight unofficial patches, performance optimizations, and other under-the-hood stuff designed to remedy FNV's infamous stability issues while maintaining a completely "vanilla" feel. This makes it absolutely necessary, in my opinion, even for people who don't actually want to play with any (other) mods. Especially crucial to this guide is its mandate to use Mod Organizer 2; if you're using Nexus Mod Manager, Vortex, or Fallout Mod Manager any time since Biden got elected, you are shooting yourself in the foot plain and simple. The best endorsement that I can give of Mod Organizer 2 is that it mods you game completely virtually, meaning that if you fuck your mods up beyond repair, you can just go to your actual FNV launcher in your root folder and boot up the vanilla game like nothing ever happened.

And the "Extended" section of Viva New Vegas consists of more modding tools, quality of life tweaks, content restorations, and a curated list of strongly recommended gameplay modifications that nevertheless all come down to your personal preference (though deviating from their provided list may make you use your brain a little bit when choosing the right compatibility patches, and so on).

This isn't going to cover every single thing that I play with, but here's everything that I would think to suggest to anybody who asked. With that said, here's Fallout "Lou" Begas's Mod Recommendations, 2024 Edition:

Viva New Vegas Extended: Lou's Preferences

VNV Extended recommends several gameplay modifications that come down to personal preference. I installed just about all of them, with a few exceptions (I don't care at all for B42 Optics, for example). Here's some specific details:

Just Assorted Mods has a hell of a lot of features but I actually enable are breath-holding, the vanilla sprint, and the loot menu (though I flip-flop often on using JAM's Bullet Time in place of V.A.T.S.). If you install VNV and boot up the game and wonder "what is all this fucking shit on my HUD," it's probably some of Just Assorted Mods's components. Just disable the ones you don't want in the in-game Mod Configuration Menu, which you will also have available if you followed the instructions for VNV Base.

Vigor is a modernized fork of JSawyer, the mod that was originally created by FNV's own director after the game's release that tweaked a lot of under-the-hood game settings and statistical balance to his personal preferences. JSawyer Ultimate Edition a more faithful modernization of the original JSawyer whereas Vigor is "a more lightweight alternative" that dials back some of the more drastic features of JSUE. Your choice of these, or none of them, is purely personal preference, and my preference is for Vigor. Any form of JSawyer is strongly recommended if you play in Hardcore Mode.

Simple Vigor Config is used in conjuncton with Vigor and is an intuitive and easy way to overwrite Vigor's gamesetting changes with your own preference. I use the config to adjust carry weight to a much more punishing (25 + 5*STR) formula that incentivizes the use of backpacks, mindful inventory management, and companion inventory space; and to increase the starvation, thirst, and sleep Hardcore Mode rates to 10, 5, and 14 respectively.

Desert Natural Weathers is the weather mod to end all weather mods, in my view, and it includes configuration for customizing the darkness and visibility of nighttime. This effectively obsoletes former dinosaurs like Darker Nights Ultimate Edition. Refer to the post that I made on DNUE's Nexus page here for a copy of my settings to darken those dang nights with DNW.

In AIStewie's Tweaks's nvse_stewie_tweaks.ini file, I set bCustomSpecialPoints = 1 and iNumPointsToAllocate = 35. This slightly reduced starting stat spread forces you to make tradeoffs in your character creation, because it starts with a perfect middle 5 in every stat. Every addition above average will require a subtraction below average. The "Essentials" INI included with VNV Base is all that most players will ever need, so this is my one specific personal tweak that'll keep you from scrolling through every single option in the whole damn thing (though I also recommend enabling the tweaks that hide all of your skill check tags in dialogue for more immersive and less gamified roleplaying in conversation: set bNoSkillTags, bRemoveFailedSuccessText, bRemoveRedOutline, and iRemoveTags to all = 1. )

Lou's Personally Valuable or Sentimental Tweaks and Fixes

Better Pause Menu Screen (Simple Blur). I play with an ultrawide resolution and the vanilla pause menu filter doesn't actually extend past 1920x1080. So this is really vital, lol.

Vanilla Animations Weapon Scale Fix. This mod will fix a common issue with custom weapons and animation mods where your weapon will become invisible because its scale has gotten stuck at 0.

Companion Carry Weight Fix. All companions in the game have an invisible attribute called "companion suite" that, among other things, halves their carrying capacity based on their actual stats. If you play with a super low carry weight formula like I do, you can see how this is a problem. Here's the solution.

Miscellaneous Tweaks Collection includes a few files that I get great use out of: No DLC Recipes Early (great unless you integrate DLC crafting ingredients into your base game somehow) and Vendors Have Throwables (why the fuck are throwing weapons so hard to find in vanilla!). There are others that I use as well but I recommend these two the most generally.

Lucky 38 Suite Upgrade Terminal Tweak is a very cute little mod that removes the ugly wall-mounted terminal and makes you purchase your suite upgrades from the actual computer on the desk in the master bedroom instead.

I Fought the Law - Simple NCR Start finally gives you a good reason to check out NCRCF if you're not siding with the Powder Gangers.

Hire Cass Early was my "dream mod" for the longest time, and thanks to some help, it's finally a reality. Simply pick up the letter that this mod adds to the Mojave Express office in Primm and you can recruit Cass right away (through the usual persuasive requirements) without ever stepping off the road from Goodsprings to the Mojave Outpost. Part of my ongoing "make @ikroah real" project.

Harder Strip Access. Getting into Vegas to finally confront Benny should feel like a tremendous accomplishment. This mod makes it so. Better pony up the caps or call in one hell of a favor, kid! With any kind of tougher economy mods, especially, this mod makes it wonderfully Herculean to just buy your way onto the Strip.

Balance Tweaks

Pseudo-Realistic Carry Weight - No Weightless Item Overhaul and Realistic Bottle Cap Weight. The former is actually an optional file; the main file just implements the the carry weight formula that I was coincidentally already using. The latter just forces you to think strategically about how much money you're walking around with. Can you tell that I love inventory management? Note that if you give bottlecaps weight, you should definitely let yourself drop them when necessary by editing Stewie's Tweaks (bShowCurrencyInContainers = 1).

Carry Weight Affects Speed, Med-Tek Trauma Kit (Lou's Version), and More Conditions to Fast Travel. The first appearance of my own mods on this list! These three mods in conjunction tie your encumbrance and your overall health to your mobility far more strictly. I love the balancing act of packing enough supplies for an excursion while leaving enough room for loot that I can still fast travel with, and the choice to get greedy with more loot than I can comfortably carry and just hope to not run into danger on my slow walk back toward a merchant. My tweaks to the classic Med-Tek Trauma Kit mod apply this level of emergent gameplay and resource management to your limb health, though it makes the game much more difficult unless your character specializes in Medicine. I haven't tried it myself, but Simple Healing System is fully configurable, modern mod that I've had my eyes on and that might be better for most general playstyles, and it might even be compatible in conjunction with my Med-Tek mod for extra intensity!

Better Charisma (Charisma Affects Dialogue Skill Checks) and/or Charisma Affects Reputation. I've always been very frustrated with how much of a meaningless dump stat Charisma is, and the phenomenon of the 1 CHA 100 Speech player character in general. These two mods, which you can use just one of or both together, give Charisma much more meaningful and palpable functionality.

Terrifying Presence (Lou's Version), speaking of Charisma, changes the requirement for this perk from Level 6 and 70 Speech to Level 2 and 6 CHA, making it much more accessible to more types of intimidating characters. This same mod includes alternate options to take it as a trait instead, with the drawback(s) of either tanking your Speech and Barter and/or increasing your addiction chance. See also: Less Snarky Terrifying Presence.

New Vegas Karma Rebalance is a great under-the-hood mod that makes FNV's nearly vestigial karma system less nonsensical without removing it or its effects on the player entirely. Thanks to this and Mass Ownership Tweaks, which is already included in VNV Extended's recommendation of Essential Vanilla Enhancements Merged, Cass won't hate your guts just for stealing a few things from Caesar's Legion at Cottonwood Cove, especially not after you've already killed them all.

Damage Multiplier solves the sluggish damage sponge problem that plagues Bethesda engine combat by simply multiplying all damage dealt globally, both by and to the player, by a factor of your choosing. I use 2.5x, which is usually enough to kill any level-appropriate human being with a single shot to the head. 2x should be the minimum. Combine with Combat Enhancer NVSE and NPCs Use Ammo for overall faster but much more ferocious and intense combat engagements.

Visuals and Animations

Third Person Camera Overhaul. Though I'm still getting used to its extremely specific configuration settings, this is vital for a third-person enjoyer like myself. It obsoletes any and all "dynamic camera" or "shoulder swap" mods of the past. Once you figure out how it works and what you like, you're set for life.

Realistic Movement and Dramatic Inertia. Although a little goofy, it has never felt better for me to physically move around in the game than it has before. I like the weight and get-up-and-go that this mod has for me as a player, but it's especially significant in firefights and other combat situations where, now, your targets can't dodge bullets by shifting direction instantly or stopping and turning on perfect dimes. For a single, less heavyweight alternative, try 360 Movement and Diagonal Movement together instead. Each pair of these mods is incompatible with the other pair, however.

B42 Loot, B42 Interact, and B42 Inject. I recommend a lot of the B42 family of animation overhauls in general (except B42 Optics, lol) because I just love seeing my character actually do the things they're doing. For B42 Loot, I use the included config file to disable the "force pull" effect, and for B42 Interact, there exists compatibility patches between it and its more third-person oriented counterpart Animated Ingestibles, but I'd only look into that if you know what you're doing (though, I do).

Character Kit Remake is a mod that I was turned onto recently. For a long time I have scoffed at character appearance overhauls out of nostalgia for those classic gamebryo engine potato-faces and what I thought was, to be blunt, the tasteless ineptitude of the actual overhauling. But I do really like this one, even if the showcase of screenshots do a really bad job of selling it. It looks a lot better in motion and in game, I promise. i think that these people are just not good digital photographers.

Height Randomizer. It's funny how much you can get attached to a minor character when they are, for whatever reason, especially tall or short. This lightweight mod just adds some height variance to all NPCs in the game that don't already have a non-normal 1.00 height setting in vanilla.

The Strip Groove. Dance on command. Endorsed.

Items, Economy, Crafting, Survival, Repair, Etc.

Gloves Galore (Lou's Version), Power Armor Gloves, Combat Armor Gloves, and White Glove Society Wear Gloves. Anyone who has followed me long enough on here should know that I have strong, totally normal feelings about gloves.

Armed to the Teeth Redux and literally any backpack mod. I've used this duffel bag forever, for example. I love these ones because I personally love when you can physically, literally see the things that a character is supposed to be carrying.

Flashlight NVSE. Another piece of Agnes Sands's arsenal, this is the one "old" mod that I can't quit. Even if it is a little janky, I've yet to find a better directional flashlight mod. Only install this is you think you can handle wrestling with it a little, and make sure your "Exterior" flashlight settings are all on the lowest quality regardless of computer specs (or else it causes flickering). It's a must-have for darker nights, too.

Famine is the last "loot scarcity" mod you'll ever need. Combine it with Harder, Barter, Faster, Stronger from the VNV Extended recommendations list for a really tough time affording even basic necessities without tailoring your build for mercantile success... which is just how I like it.

Cheaper Repair Costs. The vanilla formula for determining the cost of weapon and armor repairs at merchants is, in a word, fucked, where it literally costs twice the weapon's base value to repair it from broken. This mod lets you adjust that proportion so that you won't be better off literally selling and buying another gun in every single case. I play with a rate of 67% (which means that paying a merchant to repair a completely broken weapon from 0% health to 100% health will cost 67% of the weapon's base value).

Alternative Repairing does too much cool, practical shit to the base repairing system to even get into here. To keep it short, it intuitively incentivizes actually scrounging for all kinds of formerly useless junk that you can now scrap for spare parts. Check it out.

Water Overhaul. Ever play with a Universal Water Bottling mod and find things suddenly far too easy? Water Overhaul combines all the convenience and sense-making of bottling water anywhere with the much-needed tradeoff of truly purified water being much rarer. All that convenient H2O is now just radioactive enough to keep Goodsprings Source from singlehandedly breaking the survival economy of the game (not to mention the literal economy).

Cowboy Coffee and Coffee Grounds, my own mod that adds brewable coffee to the wasteland. While mostly just created because it's cute, it's really nice to have a reliable and palpable source of sleep deprivation relief when playing in Hardcore Mode.

Gun Oil From Animal Fat, another mod of mine that provides a cheaper, craftable, and less demanding but less effective repair option to complement Weapon Repair Kits. I patched this one recently to fix some old issues, and it's great for incentivizing emergent gameplay (since you need to hunt for meat, and cook the meat for fat, and combine the fat with loot to make the gun oil).

Sound

Less Constant Music and Passive Combat Music Tweaked do exactly what they say on the tin and are perfect for people who like to get immersed in the natural sound of their environment, especially if you're a chronically stealthy player like me and you've trained yourself to constantly listen for enemy footsteps. I do recommend keeping Less Constant Music disabled when you first start a game, though, because until I can figure out how to add an exception to it myself, it will remove the background music from character creation at Doc Mitchell's house more often than not, and I really like that music.

SPEAKING of Doc Mitchell's music, Try Not To Get Killed Anymore is one of the first mods I ever made and it has never left my load order. It simply replaces the musical sting that plays when you die with an emphatic, tolling bell and the refrain from Doc Mitchell's theme, plus an optional version that includes his ghostly voice telling you to try not to get killed anymore. Two of my other personal sound replacers are the Mysterious Stranger Level-up Theme, Simple Snap Sound Effects for Quest Updates, and Mechanical Camera VATS.

[ohdearlingwhathappened]

Tugging on Sparkstrings

TfP! Starscream x Male!human!reader Oneshot

Summary: The 3 times you said thank you to Starscream and the first time he did the same. WC: 3909

A/N: A gift for @sunlightera and beta'd by @staijey-the-creator Hope you all enjoy!!

Starscream missed the time before Megatron returned; three solar cycles surely wasn’t a long time for any Cybertronian, but the comeback of his “Master” made that time feel all that much shorter. A few months ago, he thought he had finally been rid of the merciless warlord after ripping that slagging shard of dark energon out of his chassis, but after the Autobot scum had tampered with his master’s frame, Megatron had come back to, and Starscream had payed for it dearly. And of course there’s the… newest addition of the Nemesis. A human who Knockout had picked up on one of his racing jaunts- only allowed to stay because Knockout was having a difficult time after the loss of his partner and he was apparently useful in the laboratory. 

Starscream would never admit to it outloud, but he rather enjoyed your company. 

You never failed to make the mech’s derma quirk upwards whenever he had to visit Knockout for a repair; something he’s fallen into the habit of doing far more often since he had gotten to know you.

“Well where is he?” Starscream scoffed, rolling his eyes when the resident doctor told him you were off ship for the day, his talons tapped at the medical slab beneath him while his legs were examined. He had reported to Knockout that he felt something jostling in his lower right leg, near his pede.

“I sent him to get more supplies, my inventory is running low.” Knockout raised an optical ridge and gave the lieutenant a once over. Slowly, a smirk formed on his face as he dropped Starscream’s leg, “Y’know… if I didn’t know any better, I’d start believing you missed the fleshy.”

“What preposterous- how could you- Why would you-” Starscream sputtered, not knowing how to cover his aft.

“You want to know how I know?” Knockout stood to his full height, servos on hips.

“...” Starscream didn’t acknowledge Knockout further, other than glancing at him.

“Because you only ever come in here for superficial things, like buffable dents or small pebbles somewhere in your frame. If you cared for your frame like I do,” Knockout gestured to his, probably freshly, buffed frame as he spoke, “then I might be willing to believe your supposed reasons for coming into my lab near daily, but considering you’re the same mech who left this same lab looking an absolute mess a few months ago, I’ve come to the conclusion that a sudden interest in cosmetics is not what ails you.”

Starscream sat absolutely shell shocked at the medic’s word, not sure how to proceed. The doctor had called his proverbial bluff, and he was undeniably embarrassed to have feelings for a squishy, but he wasn’t expecting what came from Knockout next,

“I’d tell him.”

“What?!”

“Oh please. You’re his favorite patient to help with. Why delay the inevitable? Now get out of my lab with your nonexistent rattling pebble, I’ve got actual things to do.” And just like that, Starscream was practically pushed out of the lab, the whooshing of the door behind him solidifying that their conversation was over.

After another moment of just standing in front of the door like a scraplet had just eaten half his processor. He started moving down the halls aimlessly, an occasional grumble escaped him about Knockout having his helm hit too many times on the battlefield. It was a quiet day on The Nemesis, Megatron was out checking on the energon mines- a job he no longer trusted to Starscream considering the last time he had hidden some away in an abandoned mine.

“Oh! Starscream!”

Scrap.

“Good afternoon! I hate to bother you, are you busy?” Screamer looked down to see you looking back up at him with a smile, a rare sight coming from anyone else on the ship. Normally, if anyone had asked him his business, Starscream would snap at them to mind their own, but he found himself weak to their gentle nature around the ship. It was nice… especially after a meeting with Megatron. “You don’t have to help, if you’re busy. This stuff is just a bit heavy.”

He snapped out of the thoughts going on in his processor and focused back on the human. The man held about five, large bags of different auto supplies, though it’s likely all high-grade polish for that pompous medic. Starscream leans down to take something from you. 

“I can spare some time, just this once… human.” 

You handed the giant mech three of the bags, bags that look so small and insignificant once they were put in his servos. You both noticed the difference, a small chuckle was drawn from you, the ridiculousness of the situation being anything but subtle. The absence of weight from the bags Starscream took allowed a spring to be put back into your step.

Once you both reach Knockout’s lab, Starscream put down the bags, not wanting Knockout to make another comment about Starscream craving your attention. He glanced back down at you, his arms crossing over his chassis, “Next time let me know if you need help once you get back on the ship. I shouldn’t have to find you struggling in the hallways.” 

You raised an eyebrow, a smile still on your face, “Good to know you’re so flexible with your schedule.”

Starscream found himself sputtering for the second time that day. It felt like everyone was determined to sass him one way or the other. He huffed and started his way down the hall, before hearing you call out to him again. His wings flicked, his anxiousness to get away before his vents turned on increasing by the nanoklik. 

“What is it?”

“Thank you for helping me.” Your smile is the last thing Starscream saw before you lugged all of the bags through the doorway, all while fussing at Knockout to carry his own polish from now on. 

Whirrrrrrr.

The sound of Starscream’s fans filled the hall, which pushed him to get to his habsuite to cool off his warmed frame as soon as possible. His derma formed a smile, his spark undeniably loved the way you said a simple ‘thank you’ by the way it tugged.

* * * * * *

“This is the second time in the past two decacycles that he has been missing from your lab, doctor. I suggest that you get your assistant in check before Lord Megatron deems him an unnecessary entity on this ship!” Starscream slammed a fist down on one of Knockout’s tables, an act that drew an unimpressed look to the medic’s face. Breakdown spared a glance from his place cleaning and organizing Knockout’s surgical and torture instruments, but he was decidedly too interested to participate in Starscream’s temper tantrum.

“Unstick your wings, Starscream, Y/n wasn’t feeling great today, so he is resting in his room, something that was already reported to our master, not that he paid the notice much care.” Knockout’s rolled optics return to their previous task at making sure the surgical-saw he was cleaning before he spoke again, “Feel free to visit him if you finally plan on doing something about your two’s mutual tension. At this point, I’ll be happy with whatever will light a fire under your aft and get you moving.”

“You’re out of line, Knockout! That human is nothing but a pest that doesn’t belong here in the first place. I would be more than happy to cease hearing him regard me so informally and treat me as if I am some friend.” The doctor moved his eyes from his superior and towards the ground behind him, not that Starscream noticed as he continued to rant, “I care about that irritating human as much as I do about whatever brand of polish you’ve deigned good enough from this disgusting planet- and to squish any unsightly, absurd theories you have come up with- is very little!” Starscream came within inches of Knockout’s frame and brought a talon to his chassis, the scowl on his face very much so prominent. “And I-”

“Well then…”

The energon coursing through Starscream went cold at the sound of your voice reaching his audials. Starscream whipped around, coming eye to optic with your scathing glare. You didn’t appear to be in the best of conditions- donning an oversized hoodie and sweats, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders, and a thin sheen of sweat marked your brow. Knockout “cleared” his throat to garner your attention, the sound forced you to finally break eye contact with the Second-in-command of the Decepticons, who also turned, hoping the doctor might help him out of the problem of his own creation. “I’m surprised to see you out of your room, Y/n. You looked downright debilitated a couple of cycles ago. Still do, really.”

“Yeah, well, I was finally able to choke down some saltines, and I was hoping I could borrow some of Breakdown’s time to get me some soup?” You looked up to the orange-faced mech who, upon seeing your weary form, gave you a grin and a nod.

“Sure thing, little man, we can go now, if you’d like.”

“Thank you.”

Breakdown made his way to you, scooped you up into a servo, and lifted you to his shoulder, like he normally does when you both would go out for supplies or recon. The door to the lab opened and Breakdown nearly began to speed down the halls before you tapped his shoulder with your knuckles to get him to pause. You turned around to face Starscream with one last smile, “And thank you for finally voicing your feelings, Sta- sir. I’ll be sure to address you appropriately from now on. We’ll see you in a little bit, Knockout.”

And without further ado, Breakdown and you passed through the doorway, your large friend having already sent Soundwave a message about needing a groundbridge. Knockout’s expression had shifted throughout the interaction, moving from unimpressed to disdain.

“If you’re done insulting my assistant, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t further sully my lab with your presence… Fragging idiot.”

Shoved out of the medical bay for the second time in two decacycles, and it was the second time that it tugged against his protoform- only this time it was undeniably painful.

* * * * * *

A week or so later, you finally felt better, though you could admit to wanting to stay in your makeshift home on The Nemesis in order to avoid the lanky lieutenant who often stalked the halls, seemingly to avoid his own work. However, you couldn’t leave Knockout and Breakdown hanging, especially when they both have put their necks on the line for you to be allowed to live in this place- no matter how embarrassed you may be if forced to face the mech you’ve been fawning over for the past couple of months, only to be harshly pulled back to reality by said mech’s vehement speech on how your company is undesirable, to say the least.  

You felt a little ridiculous peeking around corners before fully committing to the turn, but once you made it to the lab without incident, other than greeting Steve with a good morning, the ridiculous feeling melted away into feeling vindicated instead. “Good morning to my favorite Decepticons.”

“Welcome back, for a moment I thought we were going to have to ask Megatron for a splinter of his “good stuff” if you weren’t back for another solar cycle or so.” Knockout smirked and Breakdown chuckled, working on something with his frame.

“Eugh, I’d rather you let me stay dead.” The idea of Big M’s equivalent to a purple crystal meth being anywhere near your skin, let alone inside of you sent shivers down your spine. Having given the room a look, you noticed nothing looked different, not surprising since it hadn’t been too long. You sat in a little chair Breakdown had created for you and gave yourself a little spin, “So what have you got for me to do today? I’m sure there are some things that smaller hands are needed for.”

Knockout and Breakdown looked at each other before they gave you their attention again and then went back to looking at each other with their expressions flickering here and there. The two of them were obviously using their telepathic thing, trying to figure out what exactly to say to you.

“Guys, just give it to me straight, what’s going on?”

“Well, S-”

“Starscream has been coming by everyday looking for you, and Megatron has taken notice. The Lieutenant has been instructed to meet Lord Megatron on the landing strip, and we have been warned there may be… upkeep following their meeting.” Breakdown started off fast, as if trying to rip the bandage off, only slowing when he basically admitted Megatron was blatantly admitting he was giving Starscream another round of punishments for insubordination.

You may not be happy with Starscream and his lack of tact, but your care for him didn’t evaporate over the course of a few days, so the news of him receiving a beating once again only filled you with dread.

“Well, we’ll care for him no differently than usual. His medical needs will be met by all of us… if he deems it alright.”

“He’s not the chief medical officer of this vessel last I checked, so whether he likes it or not, I will be using both of my assistants if it so pleases me.” He crossed his arms over his chassis and his smirk began to lean towards the mad scientist look, “And if he raises a fuss, I have more than enough anesthesia to keep him down during any procedures.”

“Cool it, doc. I doubt he’ll have too much to say after his ‘meeting’.” You used air quotes, not having wanted to fully believe that Starscream would once again be beaten within an inch of his life, but knew it was inevitable if he had been neglecting his job like Breakdown said. As if on cue, the lab doors opened and Starscream’s body was tossed in, like he was some after thought. His frame was dented, scratched, and marred dramatically- it resembled what Knockout told you of the punishment Starscream received when Megatron had finally been revived from his stasis.

“I trust you all will get our Second-in-Command back in working order quickly.” His hulking figure showed no signs of having just brutally harmed and dragged Starscream through the halls, “And doctor, I would recommend ensuring your pet’s knowledge on the need for productivity on my ship, and that it understands consequences.”

And with that, the leader of the Decepticons was gone.

“Alright, Screamer, let’s get you back up and running. Y/n, get your gloves- I can see small bits further in his frame than I can reach.” Knockout lifted Starscream’s limp frame, with Breakdown’s help, and put him on one of the medical berths. He turned around and can tell you haven’t moved an inch, your eyes glued to the unconscious mech. “Y/n, move. This isn’t the worst state you’ve seen a con in.”

“...Right.” You moved quickly to get your supplies, purely through muscle memory.. Ladders that were installed throughout the ship, but primarily the lab, helped you climb your way up to Starscream’s side. His visage was hard to take in, to say the least. Logically, you knew with Knockout’s expertise and perfectionism when it comes to his work, Starscream would be fine, but seeing the mech that you have fallen for, no matter how unrequited, unconscious and possibly struggling to keep his spark brought tears to your eyes. You kept your head down, no desire to look at your friends, and lower yourself into his chassis after Knockout removes the plating in your way, “Let’s get this over with.”

You hadn’t been in Starscream’s chassis like this before; his spark chamber glowed bright and strong, bringing an ease to your own heart. A shake of your head took your attention from the beautiful gleam of Starscream’s spark and back to the task at hand. Pieces of small metal littered the inside of his frame, so you got to work- each piece picked up carefully, not wanting to nick any circuits or vital points. You took one last look at the entrancing light before telling Knockout to help you up and out of the Starscream’s chassis.

“Knockout, let me know when you’re done with everything and are willing to go over his aftercare procedures when we’re on rotation.” Without waiting for a response, you left the lab, too caught up in your own thoughts to stay. The halls were quiet. 

_____________________________

Knockout had messaged you a few hours ago that Starscream was in a stable condition and he and Breakdown had to go for energon scouting. You responded back, acknowledging that you would look over the lieutenant in the meantime. And so, you had been looking over the mech who has yet to wake up for an hour or so.

You settled next to his frame, knowing if something went awry with his status, being anywhere else may make the difference between him staying as healthy as possible and a sudden decline. With a book opened on the datapad Soundwave had generously crafted especially for you, you try to focus on the words on the screen, but keeping your eyes from flicking to Starscream was near impossible. 

“You’re a fragging idiot, y’know…” You snapped at the non-responsive frame, the datapad abandoned on the medical berth before you stood and began pacing, “A primus-damned idiot! Inconsiderate! Self-involved! A downright misleading, conniving aft!”

In the midst of your yelling, tears started forming in the corners of your eyes and in a moment of rage, you harshly kicked the servo you stood by. You plopped back down with a groan and reclined your back so it met the berth, legs swung over the side, moving back and forth, “We sound like a bad joke- a robot-lover and a robot who hates him walk into a bar.”

Your laugh was dry.

“I lied.”

“Ah!” You sat up quickly and would have fallen right off the edge of the berth had Starscream not grabbed you by the collar of your shirt. Being lifted onto his chassis, his optics haven’t met yours, but he did grant you a couple of glances before he put his helm back and returned his optics to the ceiling. “What the hell, Starscream?! You scared the shit out of me!”

“Well, excuse me for attempting to clear the air- something I have in fact been trying to do for the past several solar cycles, for your information.” He didn’t move. In fact, he was oddly still in comparison to his normal gesticulations.

“The air wouldn’t have needed clearing if you had just told me you didn’t want me around to begin with.”

“I wasn’t aware that you went deaf in your time avoiding me- I lied, Y/n. Your company is- well, I mean you’re-... it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I lied about not enjoying your presence.” His optics flicked back and forth and to anywhere else that would keep you out of his vision.

“If this is your idea of an apology, you can-” You stopped and quickly crawled up the remainder of his chest plating and pulled on his chin, so he would finally face you, “You used my name.”

“What’s your point?” His eyes still occasionally flit away, easily giving away his embarrassment.

“You’ve never called me by my name. It’s always just been human or fleshy.” A smile, though small, graced your features, and Starscream felt that tug on his spark that he had been missing for weeks. After what he said in front of you, he supposed he had the subconscious fear he would never see that smile again. It was nice to see, comforting even. “Thank you.”

That stole Starscream’s attention, his optics looking into your big eyes, “Why in Primus’ name are you thanking me?”

“Well, I’ll admit your apology sucks, but the effort was there… besides, if I held on to every bad thing said to me on this ship, I’d lose my mind. Knockout isn’t exactly the easiest mech to get along with, and he and Breakdown are good friends now.” You gave him an awkward smile and shrug. 

“...What now?” Starscream quirked an optical ridge. While you were forgiving, he couldn’t believe you would just let everything go. 

“For now, recharge. We can talk more about this when you’ve just woken up from a royal beating from your megalomaniac boss.” You lied down, emotionally exhausted from the past few days. The relief Starscream’s words granted you also apparently left you ready to sleep. Your comment on the leader of the Decepticons drew a tired chuckle from the mech beneath you as you both finally fell asleep in each other’s comfort.

* * * * * *

“Wake up, Starscream.” You smile, pulling on one of his digits. He cracks an optic open, looking down to your form, hair still mussed from sleep. Seeing him awake, you climb up his frame and sit yourself on his Decepticon brand.

“That’s not my designation to you.” Starscream sneers, closing his optic and feigning going back into a recharge. “Try again, human.”

“Lieutenant?” You hum, bringing a finger up to tap your chin in mocking thought.

“Wrong.”

“Screamer?”

That got his attention, his optics opening and narrowing down at your smaller form, “You spend too much time with that imbecile doctor.”

“An imbecile doctor who had to kick us out of his lab at one point because someone couldn’t stop exaggerating his symptoms to get attention from his nurse, Starlight.” You lean down to press a kiss against his chin, finally using your name for him, smile widening to a grin when you see his own spreading across his derma.

“I have no idea what you could be talking about. The rocks on this planet easily stick in my frame, so I require additional attention.” Starscream brings a servo to your back, rubbing a digit up and down.

“Oh, is that so? Is that why you’ve stolen me away from the lab, so I can be your personal nurse?” Your laugh rings through the habsuite and Starscream’s chuckle reverberates beneath his chassis where you sit. 

“Perhaps.”

Reflecting on the relationship between you and your seeker, you can’t believe where you both were a couple of months ago in comparison to now- the spat between you both long settled after a lengthy conversation. After a day or so of caring for Starscream in the lab, Knockout had discharged him for monitoring in his habsuite, tired of having to hear the two of you going coyly back and forth. Megatron didn’t seem to care, just as long as Starscream doesn’t stand in the way of his plans. You’re snapped out of your reminiscing after a moment,

“Thank you.” His optics, no longer feigning sleep, look down to you with such warmth, a look you return but with furrowed brows and a slightly dampened smile. Your hands cup Starscream’s face to bring it into better view.

“Now, what are you thanking me for?”

“For forgiving me… for loving me.” 

“Thank you for letting me.” With a kiss on his derma, you get comfortable on his chest and close your eyes, “I changed my mind, maybe we should stay in, at least for a bit.”

“Sounds good to me, spark tugger.”

[goatsludge]

Item added to inventory: [Unity FAST™ Riser]

+Being able to see over my fat fucking DBAL +NVG passive aiming height

-'Height over bore' more like 'flight over bore' -Wow you made the EOTech even heavier, good job! -Please remove optic to engage iron sights

[holylustration]

For the Kissing prompt

💐Gisla and Alaric (of course)

36) .... To give up control.

16) .... In grief.

💐Aurelia and Heinrix ( coz them too, of course)

20) .... On a scar.

#36. ...to give up control. (Alaric/Gisla)

He had descended from the Knight with a mouthful of blood and dripping oil, gasping for breath and stagginer. Blood vessels had burst in his eye, making them red as his optic, and even below the armor, Gisla could smell the cooked flesh of his skin.

It was a bad neural blow out; a fight between pilot and machine that the pilot always lost, in the end, even if they took control in the moment.

The spectators were screaming, but Gisla did not care. She had come down from the stands, pushing past the guards who thought they would keep her from her husband, and ran across the streaked sands to where Alaric was stumbling. She'd ripped the helmet from his hand, though it had burnt her hands, and thrown it aside, and had lowered him to the sands.

The children were away. Gisla had sent Heinrix with his sisters out as the Knight had faltered; she did not want to explain this to them yet.

Cradled in her arms, Alaric gazed up at her, his left eye twitching rapidly. His hand, jerky, reached up, fingers grazing her cheek.

"H-here," he rasped, barely audible over the crowd. "H-here, m-la-dy." Weakly, he drew her head forward, his lips pressing against hers.

Gisla almost screamed herself when he collapsed, his eye closed, the optic powering down. But his breathing evened, as the last remnants of the Knight faded away.

#16. ...in grief. (Alaric/Gisla)

They had lain the old cat to rest amidst the daisies that it used to chew.

It had lived a long life, this cat, and had sired many kittens. After twenty-two years, it became not a matter of if this faithful Sanctuary keeper would pass, but when. And on a sunny day in spring, it had curled up to sleep on the cogitator next to Alaric as he had been working on his Knight and never awoken.

Gisla had been inventorying the larder when Alaric arrived. The bellowing panic by which he had called her name quickened her footsteps to find him. He had come to her inconsolable. His face red, his mustache wet with tears, and clutched to his broad chest with oil-stained hands, the limp body.

Like the shepherd leads the sheep, she had brought him to a plush settee and sat him down. An arm draped over his shoulders and her lips upon his brow in a tender kiss, she had let him cry.

#20. ...on a scar. (Aurelia/Heinrix)

"And this?" Heinrix asked, his fingertips trailing up her calf to her knee, where a pink, slightly raised patch of skin resided. "What is this from?"

"An ill-conceived lesson," Aurelia replied, her chest rising and falling rapidly at how close Heinrix was to the skin of her leg.

"Elaborate," was the command, gray eye darting to her face.

"My... manners were poor." She did not elaborate on what those manners were, for it had been many years ago and she had been so young that the details largely escaped her, "and so my grandmother bade me practice my kneeling. On hot cobblestones."

Her husband's lips drew into a line so thin they almost disappeared from his face entirely. "And you have accused *us* of barbarism?"

"I am sure many a child on Guisorn III has been punished in far worse ways than anything I ever experienced," Aurelia replied, chin lifted and unwilling to take the slight against her people.

"I would debate you on the finer points of that, but," Heinrix's gaze fell once more to the patch of skin, "I don't wish to cause strife."

Aurelia had a snappy retort ready for him, which died at the misting of her husband's warm breath against her knee and the press of his lips against the scar there.

[usafphantom2]

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

The F-15EX's currently empty rear cockpit needs to be taken advantage of by adding a new kind of second crewmen, an Air Mission Commanding Officer.

Major Joshua “Soup” Campbell Posted on Jul 25, 2024 11:24 AM EDT Edited By Tyler Rogoway

F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.

PLA/USAF

Amidst strategic shifts in its force posture, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) faces pivotal decisions on the deployment of its next-generation fighter fleet. With plans to retire aging F-15C/D Eagles and scale back F-15E Strike Eagle operations, the USAF is poised to integrate a limited number of F-15EX Eagle IIs into the fleet. Yet, while the F-15EX boasts advancements as an evolution of the F-15E Strike Eagle family of fighters, current strategies overlook the aircraft’s rear cockpit potential.

The first F-15EX Eagle II delivered to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing, the first operational unit to receive the type, touches down in Portland in June 2024. 142nd Wing/Oregon Air National Guard

Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) advocates for multi-seat configurations to manage data-rich combat environments effectively. USAF plans, on the other hand, currently exclude utilizing the F-15EX’s rear cockpit, limiting its role to air-to-air missions and possibly limited air-to-ground missions sometime in the future.

In this era of transformative air combat, as the PLAAF pioneers new operational concepts with multi-seat fighters, the USAF stands at a crossroads, balancing legacy strategies with the imperative for adaptive, integrated command and control of unmanned systems and network-centric operations. With the F-15EX, however, the USAF has an opportunity to lead the way regarding future air combat by fully embracing the Eagle II’s two-crew capability.

The Eagle II Opportunity

With the pending divestment of the F-15C/D and reduction of the F-15E inventory, the USAF has committed to purchasing a relatively small number of F-15EXs to replace the F-15C/D in Japan, as well as at three National Guard bases with units tasked with U.S. homeland defense. The Eagle II, however, evolved from the Strike Eagle and subsequent F-15 derivatives, is capable of far more than what the legacy Eagle fleet previously provided to combatant commanders.

Given its modernized sensors, self-protection suite, fiber optics, future integration of an open mission system and digital open architecture backbone, more powerful engines, increased computing capabilities, and the inclusion of a rear fully-missionized cockpit, the F-15EX represents a significant advancement over both the F-15C/D and F-15E. Yet, current operational plans do not involve taking advantage of the rear cockpit, leaving it empty and unused, assigning the F-15EX to perform long-range and medium-range air-to-air only missions with minimal expansions into other missions sets the F-15EX is purpose-built to fulfill.

From left to right, an F-15C, an F-15E, and an F-15EX. USAF

The evolving character of air combat, however, demands that platforms do more amongst the growing complexity of high-end warfare. When considering the future of air combat, which places information at center stage in a high-end conflict, failing to utilize the rear cockpit would be a missed opportunity to expand future roles and responsibilities of the F-15EX, disregarding the investment that already exists in the aircraft’s capabilities.

By contrast, People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) assessments of the anticipated complexities of forthcoming high-end combat environments have led them to identify multi-seat, multi-role configurations as critical to operations.

Available information suggests that the PLAAF believes an additional operator offers the potential for more effective interpretation and utilization of the vast sensory data that could overwhelm the cognitive and processing capacities of a single individual, particularly in the future of contested air combat environments. Having made this assessment, the PLAAF is now moving forward in developing operational concepts for how best to employ multiple operators in a single tactical aircraft, like the J-16 and the two-seat J-20S variant (also referred to variously as the J-20B and J-20AS), beyond their traditional roles. The USAF could benefit from adopting a multi-operator approach like the PLAAF’s with the F-15EX.

A picture of a two-seat J-20 during testing. Chinese internet

Information Saturation

Any future high-end conflict will produce vast amounts of data that need processing. Both the U.S. military and PLA continue to develop robust integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) networks to facilitate combat operations and support long-range kill chains. As such, sensors within the land, sea, air, and space domains will provide more data than can be consumed by human operators to process — and make accurate — real-time tactical and operational decisions. Due to the rapidly changing environments in a future contest, these decisions will need to be made quickly and potentially at the forward edge of the battlespace.

In an anticipated information-saturated environment, the USAF advocates for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-to-human collaboration to alleviate the workload and cognitive demands on operators. While the incorporation of AI may process and distill information to provide operators with pertinent data, a saturated, complex combat environment full of adversary ships, aircraft, and coastal defenses employing deception and denial tactics will still likely result in an overwhelming influx of information for operators to process, leading to task saturation. Performing a multitude of missions and tasks — including controlling collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and managing other aircraft in formation — all the while making air-to-air and air-to-ground engagement decisions within a contested, degraded, and operationally limited (CDO-L) environment will challenge and could exacerbate cognitive processes for both humans and their AI agents. The PLAAF, on the other hand, seems to be intent on leveraging AI integration with more human operators, not less.

Public Domain

Moving Beyond Traditional Roles

A recent article published in January 2024 by Chinese state-owned outlet Ta Kung Pao Online in Hong Kong, titled “J-16 Leads the Air Force Aircraft Fleet in Preparations for Future Air Battles,” sheds light on the evolving role of the J-16 back-seater and its implications for the future role of the J-20S back-seater. The article outlines the traditional division of responsibilities between front-seat and back-seat operators in the J-16. It also underscores how, due to evolving characteristics of air warfare, the role of the backseat operator has evolved as combat has evolved, informing future J-20S operations.

A Chinese J-16. Japan Ministry of Defense A stock picture of a Chinese J-16. Japan Ministry of Defense

According to the article, the J-16 stands out as the primary two-seat fighter in the PLAAF’s combat air force. While the two-seat Su-30 Flanker exists in the PLAAF’s inventory, its fleet is smaller in size, whereas the J-16 contains more advanced avionics and is in continued domestic production exceeding 245 aircraft, leaving the PLAAF to rely heavily on the J-16 and its more advanced capabilities.

A Chinese Su-30MKK Flanker. Dmitriy Pichugin A stock picture of a Chinese Su-30MKK Flanker. Dmitriy Pichugin

Equipped with asymmetric, outsized weapons that don’t fit in the J-20’s weapons bay, the J-16 provides a broad array of operational capabilities, making it a versatile asset in various scenarios. Similar to the F-15E, the J-16 conducts long-range air-to-air engagements and attacks on ground and maritime targets where the back-seater serves as a weapons controller responsible for employing different types of weapons. The PLAAF, however, is beginning to adapt the J-16 to the expected information-dominated combat environment and evolving manned-unmanned teaming by developing new roles and responsibilities for the aircraft and its operators.

Information-Dominated Combat Environment

In the context of the evolving landscape of networked and unmanned warfare, contemporary air combat will incorporate a multitude of systems where all combat elements are interconnected with vast amounts of information. Through data transmission and intelligence-sharing platforms, collaborative operations based on interconnected systems have become the predominant operational model, with the J-16 capable of assuming the central command role for entire formations. According to the Ta Kung Pao article, the J-16 back-seater, in this new environment, evolves from simply a “weapon controller” into an “air mission commanding officer.”

A close-up look at the pilot and the back-seater in a Chinese J-16. China Military Online/Liu Chang and Liu Yinghu

With this new evolution, the air mission commanding officer (AMCO) encompasses multiple roles and responsibilities in a high-tech conflict that includes overseeing air-to-surface weaponry, managing and disseminating multi-platform intelligence, and issuing operational directives. While this may seem similar to the USAF’s airborne Forward Air Controller-Airborne (FAC[A]), there appear to be differences in employment concepts between the PLAAF’s AMCO and the USAF’s FAC(A), particularly regarding the operational environments with which they are utilized.

Primarily employed in close air support (CAS) or strike coordination and reconnaissance (SCAR) missions, the FAC(A) is the airborne version of a joint terminal air controller (JTAC) in which both can nominate and mark targets, deconflict airspace, relay critical ground schemes of maneuver, and authorize airstrikes. The PLAAF’s AMCO, however, seems to focus on roles and responsibilities that leverage the PLA’s sensing network in a contested air interdiction environment.

Utilizing the PLA’s expanding sensing network to build situational awareness in the battlespace, the J-16 back-seater, assuming the AMCO role and plugged into the sensing network, is intended to direct coordinated efforts among various aircraft, in conjunction with ground and naval units, to execute comprehensive aerial attacks. Additionally, the back-seater’s role is to command and coordinate multiple drones acting as ‘loyal wingmen’ with the intent to amplify combat effectiveness through combined manned and unmanned operations.

Whether or not the PLAAF is actually proficient with this type of force package integration in a high-end combat environment remains to be seen. There is a distinct possibility that the PLAAF is overstating its capabilities in such an environment and much of this training is nascent or scripted, or this is the aspirational plan for future operations. However, the article points to recent footage from state-run CCTV that claims to showcase joint exercises involving GJ-2 drones under the command of J-16s enabling swarm attacks. Analysts, however, suggest that the articles and CCTV coverage of these events do not match reality given current PLAAF capabilities and likely reflect a desire for future capability. But while the PLAAF may be unable to conduct the defined roles and responsibilities of the AMCO in the current state, the PLAAF continues to move forward in preparing its endeavors. More importantly, however, the J-16’s implementation of an AMCO also serves as a testbed for future two-seat J-20S operations.

While the J-20S may lack the payload capacity of the J-16, the PLAAF anticipates that “stealth, high-speed, and advanced situational awareness” allow the J-20S to “penetrate enemy territory, gain air superiority,” and subsequently assume command over trailing aircraft like J-16s and J-10Cs. Moreover, the J-20S, like the J-16, will be able to coordinate and control CCAs to compensate for its magazine depth and weapons limitations, a task overseen by the AMCO in the rear cockpit.

Drawing parallels from the expanding roles of J-16 and J-20S back-seaters, incorporating a Weapon System Officer (WSO) into the F-15EX’s rear cockpit would expand its capabilities and enhance the lethality of USAF strike packages. With the advent of large, integrated sensing networks providing a vast amount of data, an F-15EX WSO, assuming a role similar to an AMCO, can coordinate and direct fires, provide mission-critical intelligence in the midst of mission execution to other platforms in a strike package, pass information of evolving situations between pulsed operations, and even coordinate with various naval or ground forces.

As highlighted in this picture, a two-person crew did fly the first F-15EX jet to Portland in June 2024. Oregon National Guard

Additionally, the F-15EX’s weapons array integration, including outsized weapons, allows it to perform an array of missions already being fulfilled by the F-15E, which includes long-range air interdiction. Moreover, it can be deployed to other environments in the event of horizontal escalation or low- to medium-tier conflicts, providing global firepower reach against smaller, maligned nation-states while still providing key capabilities in the high-end fight. Furthermore, the lack of stealth allows the F-15EX the ability to carry highly specialized pods that stealth assets simply can’t, or won’t, carry. Advanced pods can provide many warfighting-enhancing capabilities, from communications to sensing, electronic warfare, network redundancy, and edge computing.

A US Air Force F-15C Eagle carrying an infrared search and track (IRST) pod. This is one of many specialized podded capabilities members of the F-15 family, including the F-15EX, can carry. USAF

Finally, an F-15EX WSO can oversee the employment of groups of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) or swarms of other drones.

CCAs, AI, and Command and Control

Both the USAF and PLAAF view CCAs as a way of generating cost-effective mass. The intent is to augment attack formations with low-cost, AI-infused robotic wingmen to increase capabilities in the realm of firepower, sensing, electronic warfare, communications, and other capabilities that manned aircraft bring to the fight. Though both air forces promote heavy reliance on AI in CCAs, AI currently lacks intuition and the ability to infer information in a complex CDO-L combat environment that it is not accustomed to and lacks the ability to break from its given prescribed parameters to adapt. It is therefore expected that some level of human-to-machine interaction between manned aircraft and CCAs will be required to make decisions in a combat environment for some time. Due to the anticipated human interaction with CCAs, the PLAAF foresees multi-seat fighter platforms as an operational requirement.

In a document titled “Study on the Combined Manned Aircraft/UAV in Air Operations,” published around 2021 by Wang Danjing and Liu Ying of the Department of Combined Tactics Air Force Command College in Beijing, the discussion of command and control of CCAs described the task intensive nature of managing combat operations and CCAs simultaneously. When deciding the optimal manned-to-unmanned mixed formation characteristics, task management and cognitive performance were at the forefront of the author’s conclusion that the ideal formation to employ CCAs consists of pairing a two-seat aircraft with a single-seat aircraft.

Wang and Liu note that “U.S. scientists show that there is a nonlinear relationship between a person’s workload and work performance,” suggesting that adding management of CCAs to a pilot’s tasks could impact performance. The authors conclude that “the manned aircraft formation scope is better as a two-aircraft formation, with one being a two-seat aircraft tasked with tactical control of the UAVs, while the other is a single-seat aircraft tasked with executing the task of standing guard and attacking.”

While USAF tactics will almost definitely differ from the PLAAF’s regarding CCAs, utilizing an extra body in the backseat of the F-15EX can enhance the employment of CCAs, allowing the front-seat pilot to focus on other tasks or coordinate various functions in a combat setting.

Moreover, it is expected that CCAs will not always launch with their manned platforms to conduct missions in an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) scheme of maneuver or disparate basing environment like in the Pacific. Positioned between forward assets and bases, an F-15EX could take command of CCAs and transfer to forward fighter platforms or launch or recovery locations.

Take Aways

Although the U.S. military typically does not examine adversary strategy, operations, and tactics with the intention of replicating them, it is crucial to recognize the strengths of developing adversary capabilities and evaluate how they align with U.S. military operational principles.

Given the information provided above, it is imperative for the USAF to recognize and address the limitations of human cognition in future information-intensive environments and consider deploying additional operators to process the vast data available and manage new cognitive demands and new responsibilities like CCAs in a high-tech warzone. The PLAAF’s ambitious approach to utilizing its two-seat J-16 and J-20S platforms in complex, high-end combat environments may provide insights into how to maximize the F-15EX’s enhanced capabilities by incorporating a back-seater.

Similar to how the PLAAF intends to use the J-16 to cooperate with other fighter platforms, C2ISR platforms, and its kill-web to employ its outsized weapons, the F-15EX provides the range, payload, and sensors to do the same for the USAF. Additionally, with its fully missionized rear cockpit and large-area display, the F-15EX is capable of doing everything the multi-seat F-15E can do, and more.

The F-15EX’s fully missionized rear cockpit allows a WSO to conduct a multitude of mission-related functions, freeing the pilot to focus on other tasks at hand. Incorporating a WSO in the F-15EX would thus harness the intended capabilities the F-15EX is designed for. With no one in the rear cockpit, however, the F-15EX’s potential expansion of roles and responsibilities and overall effectiveness cannot be realized, leaving the Air Force unable to capitalize on the investment that is already paid for with each aircraft rolling off the line.

With every new set of roles, responsibilities, and mission expansion, however, comes new training requirements. For the F-15EX to adopt similar roles and responsibilities of the AMCO, the F-15E training pipeline can leverage existing training plans either by restructuring F-15E training flights that develop these specific tasks or by creating a new AMCO training pipeline in concert with the F-15EX syllabus being constructed to prepare future Eagle II pilots. Taking qualified F-15E WSO instructors into an AMCO pipeline that runs in concert with the F-15EX syllabus, the Air Force can fully realize a cohesive multi-seat aircraft ready for the high-end environment.

Unfortunately, however, the USAF has chosen to focus the utilization of the F-15EX on a single mission: long-range air-to-air. While capable of conducting close air support (CAS), combat search and rescue (CSAR), long- and medium-range air interdiction, maritime air interdiction, defensive counter-air, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and more, leaving the rear cockpit empty in this high-tech piece of machinery and conducting only long-range air-to-air engagements leaves all this potential capability on the table.

USAF

Equipped with outsized, long-range weapons and specialized pods, and the ability to command CCAs and swarms of other drones while directing combat fires and disseminating multi-platform intelligence from a multi-crew platform, the F-15EX offers a broader spectrum of capabilities beyond solely engaging in long-range air-to-air combat. Additionally, much of the necessary technology for these functions is already integrated into the aircraft.

For these reasons, it is imperative that the Air Force not let preconceived notions of traditional roles and responsibilities obstruct decision-making concerning the future of air warfare and the potential evolution of roles and responsibilities.

The character of warfare is evolving, necessitating the utilization of both machinery and personnel in innovative ways that align with the changing environment. The multi-operator platform direction currently pursued by the PLAAF yields operational insights worthy of consideration by USAF planners for the near- and mid-term, even as the USAF continues to develop advanced AI solutions for the long term.

Major Joshua “Soup” Campbell is an F-15E Weapon System Officer (WSO) and graduate of the distinguished USAF Weapon School with 1,500 hours in the F-15E which includes 630 combat hours. He spent the last year as a Fellow at the USAF’s China Aerospace Studies Institute with a strategic and operational focus. He is currently attending Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies through the Department of Defense’s Strategic Thinker’s Program. He has worked in a variety of capacities at both the squadron level and MAJCOM staff positions.

[sxilor-1010]

Yule Log

Words: 1074

☾★☾★☾★

Getting caught up in work, it’s easy to forget to have time for yourself, especially during the holidays. She’s heard a lot of concerns and reminders from her coworkers, and all of them went by her head saying she’s “relaxed a bit.”

It was her day off, and she had been fighting off the urge to work through celebrating Christmas. Or, in her case, Yule. Now, she wouldn’t say she was a witch. She liked magic, but magic in a world full of technology isn’t known too much.

Why do magic when you have many robots already doing stuff for you? Well for starters, they don’t know how to make a proper Yule log. Which is exactly what Emilyn is doing to celebrate her day off.

Sure she had to go some shopping for some of the things needed, but a little shopping never hurt her. Her table was dawned in bright red plaid, courtesy of Djenne and its amazing fabrics, with a fresh wooden log and other things.

Emilyn hummed to herself, holding a knife as she approached the table. With the log in her hands, she began to carefully carve holes big enough for the candles to fit. The wood emanated a nice scent, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes to admire it all. Her mouth moved on its own, just mumbling a song she remembered hearing while scrolling through YouTube earlier.

“God rest ye merry, pagan folk,

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember that the Sun returns

Upon this Solstice day.

The growing dark is ending now

And Spring is on its way.

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy!

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy…”

Before Emilyn could continue singing, the distant noises of an aerial jet had caught the wind in her ears. Her hands stopped carving and she opened her eyes, looking towards a nearby window to see a familiar face smirk at her. “I didn’t think you’d stop by today, Starscream.” Emilyn approached the window, opening it to look at his face.

“My plans haven’t been the greatest this year, and I’m tired. What better way to relax than to accompany my little moon~?” He said slyly, Emilyn blushing just a bit as he moved a digit to caress her cheek. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood to handle your flirts. Might as well come in.” Starscream smirked, drawing back his digit and walking to her door. Emilyn closed her window and opened the door, the Decepticon now mass displaced.

It wouldn’t be long before Starscream took notice of Emilyn’s little project, and he walked over with curiosity. “What are you making here?” Emilyn turned, smiling just a little bit before taking a seat back down. “It’s a yule log, just something to celebrate for this year…” Her words slightly drifted when turning to face Starscream, confusion glinted slightly in his crimson optics. “Oh, right… You’re probably not aware of Yule or Christmas, huh?”

“No, I’m not. Perhaps you can give me some insight later…” The Decepticon spoke, grabbing a chair of his own to sit next to Emilyn. She chuckled, keeping that as a mental note in the back of her mind. “Alright well, you can watch what I’m doing if you want. Up to you.” With that, Emilyn got back to carving, and Starscream watched intently, curiosity soon drifting towards the other items around her. There were a few candles, greenery branches of pine and cedar, not to mention dried fruits and pinecones.

“Quite the inventory of primitive materials, but what does one do with all of this?” Starscream spoke, plucking a pine branch in between his fingers to get a feel. Emilyn turned towards him, grabbing that branch and placing it back into the nearby pile. “You decorate this log, and supposedly it brings good luck and warmth to those who light the candles. It also wards off bad energy from harming you.” Ah, superstitious stuff. He should’ve guessed. “Peh, superstitious and magical nonsense. Humans are weird.”

That was enough to have Emilyn frown at Starscream, who laughed and smirked. “Well, not nonsense to you, my dear.” She rolled her eyes, grabbing the nearby hot glue gun and the pine branch he was fiddling with earlier. “Does magic not exist as a concept to you guys?” She turned to face Starscream, who placed a couple of digits on his chin in thought. “Not as much as you’d like to think. It exists in concept, but it was never said to be shown.” Huh, so it did exist in some way at least.

“That makes sense, given you and the Autobots are from a planet of metal, right?” Starscream nodded, albeit frowned a bit at the mention of the Autobots. “Magic can’t exist in a place that has metal, or iron. One of the two.” Emilyn spoke, Starscream watching carefully with curious optics as she glued the various nature pieces she had gathered onto the log. “I like to believe that even within today’s times, there’s still magic in this world. Hell, there might be pixies and fairies dancing outside my house right now and I wouldn’t even know it.”

Starscream looked in quiet awe seeing the once naked log now adorned in pine branches and dried fruits, not to mention the interesting scent it gave off. It surely was something magical, but it felt like something was also missing. Luckily, Emilyn was just about to get to that when grabbing ahold of the long candles. “Alright, I’m gonna need your help on this one. You’re gonna hold these perfectly still while I add glue onto the bottom.” The Decepticon looked in confusion but grabbed one of the candles nonetheless. It felt waxy amongst his digits, but it was a nice shade of red. He watched as Emilyn took the glue gun, adding a nice warm dollop to the bottom.

“What do you do once you’re done with this… ‘yule log’?” He asked curiously, Emilyn moving the glue gun away to glue the sides of the holes she carved out earlier. “Well, you just kinda leave it somewhere nice to burn until the end of Christmas. There’s not much else to it.” He nods, Emilyn taking the candle and placing it on the far right. “Only two more and then we’re done.”

“Maybe after we’re finished, I can explain Yule to you.” Hearing that, Starscream smirked lightly and chuckled.

He’d appreciate that very much.

[lovelytayforce]

Soundrod scene

"Of Dreams and Mirrors" One day I'll finish it; Cyberverse @theoceanoasis Soundwave slumped a bit in his seat with the Autobot at his side, his servo swaying over the armrest. He could feel the contents of the cube move around. All of a sudden, his vision was filled with red and yellow. “Lemme take that from you before you spill it all over my floor.” She make me want to... Ah yes. More reminders of the fact he went over the border into Autobot territory against his leader’s wishes… The weight of the cube in his servos was gone. Just like his life… Go down lower, she make me wanna take it slower “You ruined me.” He spoke up suddenly as he leaned further into the couch, moreso listening than watching Rodimus move about his small area of a home. “Keep telling yourself that pal.” His audials picked up the signs of the sports car placing his cube down, now shuffling through his own inventory. “Come on. What’s wrong with you now? I thought you got over our whole different sides thing?” The slight slam of a cabinet seemed louder than it should have been to him. It's the thing that she do that got me on my knees yeah babe A charming laugh filled the room alongside the music that played on the radio. “Besides you know better than anyone, that no one is actually following the border rules.” “It’s not that.” The blue mech wanted to play music from his own speakers and get lost in the rhythm away from the realities of the world he lived in. Blue digits spread outward, touching nothing. There was a shift upon the couch, his helm lifted upwards to see Rodimus sitting on the armrest, looking down at him. “Then what is it? Sorry, but I can’t mindread like you can.” A gray servo met blue in the emptiness of the air. I’m here to give her and serve what she likes yeah “My leader is up to something,” Soundwave spoke simply, there was nothing else to say about it. He could tell, he’d known the mech long enough to see when he was desperate. And he was so very obvious in his desperation. He could feel the fans and warmth of Rodimus’ frame near his frame and he wanted to. She make it so good, I don’t want to leave yeah This wasn’t enough. He watched that beaming red helm tilt, azure optics squinting and looking down at him with a smirk he was becoming accustomed to. “Isn’t Megatron always up to something? That’s kind of his thing.” Their servos swayed with one another, and he focused on that. “That’s not the point..” His visor dulled a bit at the thought. “He’s up to something...without me…” Without telling me, informing me. It was all so different from what he was used to. “And that bothers you?” From what he knew. And yet, what did he know now? He knew Rodimus’ company was welcomed. Desired even. I may finish late but I’m on time “Yes.” He replied a bit more reluctantly than he had wanted but it seemed as if his spark wanted to give more and more to the Autobot that had led them through one of their darkest moments. He felt that shrug not only physically but through the other mech's nonchalant field. “Then why not talk to him or ask one of his friends what’s up?” Rodimus was pulling their intertwined servos from the emptiness and onto the armrest. Onto something physical as he leaned ever so closer to his lap. I know I’m breaking a sweat but I’m not losing “Does he even have friends?” His left servo finally reached out to that waist, past warm flames that held a spark he would very much refer to as Primely. Optimus Prime, be damned. He physically shook his helm as his optics met Rodimus’ “No. I’m not doing that.” That knowing smile just would not leave. “Why?” “Because. I don’t do that.” He was rewarded with a full-blown laugh from the Autobot. No, his partner. “Note to self, Decepticons are antisocial at spark.” And he kept his hold on the bright sports car pulling him closer and leaning his helm into the crook of his neck cables for what was to come next. He let the bass boost through his own speakers, ratting the plating between their frames. “Silence.” Because tonight you’ll be all mine

[3liza]

Do you have any tips on buying vintage combat/jump boots online, or have you made a post about it in the past (looked, can't find one)? Good brands, tags/markings to look out for, reputable sites, etc. You're super knowledgeable on both military surplus and good deals, so I figured I'd ask. eBay seems good based off of things you've said in the past and what I've seen looking around on my own, but I want to be sure. Thanks!

i dont think i have any particular posts about it but ive always had really good luck on Sportsmans Guide dot com. BudK is also ok but more fashy in their optics. i assume almost every ssource of milsurp will be fashy to some extent so i wouldnt worry about voting with dollars in this case. i think Sportsman may still be selling their huge inventory of czech combat boots. i got a pair that are slightly too large which is good for those because you need big socks to wear them safely/comfortably, and the soles were even worn in a supinating angle that perfectly corrects my ppronation. thank you czech national service conscript Tibor Bobik (he wrote his name in sharpie on the inside of the tongue)

edit: a good price for leather milsurp combat boots in wearable condition is, imo, <$40. cheaper boots will have a higher possibility of arriving with damage or mold but old boots are very easy to rehabilitate. vimes boots etc

[opticalcrm]

barcode inventory system in optical | Optical CRM

Are you looking for barcode inventory system in optical ? By scanning an item using Optical CRM, you can easily track its movement and add it to sales and purchase orders. To manage your inventory more rapidly, use barcode inventory system in optical. Highly customisable Tally Integrated ERP solution for controlling production and inventories. Simple & Effective 100% synchronisation with Tally! Immediately schedule a free consultation! To learn more, kindly visit our website: https://www.opticalcrm.com/9-strategies-to-dominate-optical-retail-sales/

optical inventory management system optical customer relation management software optical management system

[loveofbots]

Can I get a platonic MTMTE Megaton and Ravage x Human female reader? Where the reader can't reach something or involves poetry?

I had a dream and Megatron was in it, He is the definition of a Gilf

I did them both so I could do both parts of the ask!!

Warnings: none, just an old man and his cat

Ravage: 

You had been taking inventory as requested by Rodimus on the Lost Light. Shore leave was in a couple days and he wanted a shopping list of things he needed to get. Specifically for you, he said. 

“Can’t have my favourite squishy going hungry now, can I?”

God, you had rolled your eyes so hard at that. Now you were simply ticking boxes on a chart that Ultra Magnus gave you. The room was dim, but not dark. You could still read labels and such so long as they were in English. It was quiet as well. A stark contrast to the day to day hubbub you were used to. 

Soon you came across a box you recognized. No way, was it? Your favorite treats! Somehow Rodimus must’ve come across them at last shore leave. You could really go for some food right now too. If only it wasn't 20 feet in the air..

You let out a sigh of defeat. Maybe you could ask for some later. A sudden ka-clink caught your attention, turning to see a familiar looking cat. well, a cat the size of a puma but still a cat in your opinion. 

“Hello Ravage.” 

Poor thing always looked fed up with life and it’s bullshit. He seemed to tolerate you however, something you had grown to appreciate. 

“Something have you down, Fleshling?” Ravage stretched his joints and then plodded over to you, following your gaze. “Aaaah... A human energy treat. Are you sad you cannot reach it?” 

You nodded, like a disappointed kid being addressed by a parent. “I was gonna ask Mag’s or Ten to get it down for me, but both are busy right now.” 

Ravage seemed to mull something over in his processor as he stared at you, making you flinch when he suddenly scrunched up his lithe black body and leaped up the shelving unit. In a flash he grabbed you the treat and landed back down next to you, setting it gently on the floor. 

“There, now you can’t say I haven’t done anything for you.” The grumpy feline huffed, getting defensive over the kind act he did. 

You picked it up with a huge grin on your face. “Thank you Ravage!” 

“Yeah, Yeah. See you later Y/N.”

Megatron:

You and Rung had been talking about literature, comparing Earth literature to what Rung could translate for you. He was quite enjoyable to talk to! And had even recommended a few poems to you. 

And that had led you to here. Alone in Swerve’s bar with several tomes of Cybertronian literature that you couldn't read. The audible sigh you let out must’ve attracted attention, as a shadow fell over you. When you looked you saw the co-captain Megatron, regarding you with a gentle look in his optics.

“Is there something I can help with?”

Megatron was making an effort to be more outgoing to others, and had even come to you with some questions regarding how organics like to be treated. Other than that, you two hadn’t interacted maybe as much as you had liked. There was something fatherly about Megatron, something not many others appreciated.

“Yeah actually.” You moved over so the mech could take a seat next to you. “Rung and I have been reading cybertronian literature lately. But he translates everything. I can’t read the ones he ended up recommending me.” A sad look passed over your features, making the ex-warlord frown. Despite his many years hating organics, one look at your face and he felt his spark twinge with sympathy.

Right then and there he subconsciously decided that you, the only human aboard the lost light, were worth his protection and so much more. He had never had a sparkling, but you were pretty damn close. He took one of the data pads in his servos.

“I can translate for you, but only under the conditions you learn how to read our language.” It was only half teasing. Megatron thought that learning Cybertronian would be a very useful skill for you. You looked up at him with innocent eyes and beamed. Nodding your head. The old mech chuckled and turned the datapad on, his vents hitching as he read the first line of text… and the author.

“Oh.”

“What is it?”

He glanced down at you nervously, scooping you up in his servo to place you down on the table so he could read with you.

“This is one of my poems.” He seemed shy about it, not making eye contact. You smiled, he was still shy about his writing. It was very humbling to see your co-captain fidgeting nervously.

You spoke up to encourage him. “That just means you’re the best one to read it. Rung and I always try and interpret the meanings, but since you’re here you can tell me what inspired it!”

He smiled down at you, gently ruffling your hair with a digit. “You’re right, but I’d still like to hear your interpretations.”

[spymeister]

@citizensofcybertron ---------------- Stupid, fraggin', useless aft transport.

He knows that parts of the Decepticon -Autobot Front lacked resources and materials, but he never thought it would get this bad. Cosmotrail had been a decent mech, before an anti-transport shell had taken him down with extreme prejudice. Following the waste not, want not grittiness of survival— the now empty shell had been retrofitted into an actual transport.

Despite his own pragmaticism- it's HARD not to find it creepy.

He'd had a split second to deliberate the unfairness of his functioning before a secondary shell finished the first shell's job. The last half of the transport had been reduced to slag and super-heated metal, and forced the five odd mechs aboard it to jump ship or risk being killed. Shadowstep had been the last off, right before the retrofitted corpse had been destroyed in an explosion—

— and the first mech reduced to scattered parts as another shot took him out.

It'd been his light-and-sound show that had managed to distract the gunners long enough for him to engage his gliding panels- snarling as he weaved and wove his way through the streamers of tracing rounds as they tried to follow.

Behind him, two more of his team fell- their screams cut off in the shrill shriek of the plummet past his audials. One shot, luckier than the rest- is enough to send a round clear through his right shoulder. His secondary arm unfurls from its hiding place- snapping out to hold the first arm in place so that they remain airborne

The second pulls out a modified blaster and returns fire as he spirals closer to the ground.

The landing is far rougher than he likes- but he manages to slam into the surface of the planet beneath him behind a ball of debris. It's enough to shield him from the worst of the firefight long enough for him to get his bearings and do damage control and inventory.

Whipcord has also made it, but like his mission leader, he's likewise wounded. His audial vents flick this way and that, red optics swiveling to Meister as he holds his own wound closed with one hand.

::What's the op, Mes.::

Meister flicks his optics to him, then snarls- leveling his blaster out over their shoulder- and towards an Autobot behind him.

"Survive, Whip. S'what we do."

[alvie-pines]

Hmm tell me if u don't wanna get more asks about those two but dream from last night about opbee is hunting me. I honestly might make it into an au of sorts or small drabble???

I dunno but:

What if Bee and Optimus were paired for a reckon or some sort of spying mission were lying low is required and through that they slowly bond and fall in love.

I feel like the main scene of the dream would be the two discussing their feelings in Optimus office and being very close to each other, just very tender moment.

If I had to organise my thoughts it would be like randomly an idea floats around the ark about doing random pair work, maybe it stem from twins doing a prank too many in the med bay or to prowl or someone said something about Jazz special ops trainings, I dunno the main thing that stemmed from the even is that everyone in the ark gets randomly paired with different bot.

Essentially someone from science Division may end up doing special ops or surveillance mission or Prowl might have to do jet jitsu with twins.

Somehow, someway Bee and Optimus got paired together- Teletran-1 is strangely silent about it -which led to few grumbles here and there but those bits were quickly distracted when they got paired with people they hated or disliked. Bee is keeping it together but like barely BC damnit that's his crush and he gonna make fool of himself and just spirals down from there.

Whilst Optimus looks calms on the outside he is panicking like bumblebee, maybe worrying a bit more about this whole idea seeing the chaos but that ship had sailed. Anyway, whilst everyone gets chaotic first hour, bee and Optimus get to just know each other beyond leader and soldier.

Like maybe Optimus had paperwork or bumblebee had to do Inventory or something to that extend but just- They talk they learn they feel.Maybe there is opportunity for field mission for bumblebee and it's quite low key one so both Optimus and Bee get to go on it. Maybe it's spying on some decepticon mining facility or something but it goes well.

Untill it isn't well and the two have to hide.

Optimus probably reacted instinctively or maybe he was a lookout whilst Bee did most of the spying but the second he spots the approaching danger he grabs Bee and hides them in the shadows of the smaller caverns in the cave which forces them to be flush against each other.

Bee is confused at first when he was grabbed but second he spots the danger too he quietens down and listens out for it too, only realising how close he and Prime are when he tries to shift making Bee blush like crazy and it takes all of his will power to not make startled sound or for his fans to kick in.Optimus doesn't realise what happen untill much later when he has time to digest the day events in his quarters.

If he avoids Bee optics next day that's no one business but his.

Anyway just the two slowly bonding and having those lightbulb moments of "oh O H " untill the last day of the whole partnered up thing, in Optimus office as the two do their work, feeling so domestic so comfortable for maybe first time in eons of the war Optimus takes that final gamble. Slowly he putting the paperwork away, much to Bee confusion as his own files are taken and put away, Optimus looks at Bumblebee and lowers his battle mask- noting the way Bee optics widen and how mesmerized bee looks -and just speaks.

It's not like his usual usual speeches, crafted to the perfection and carrying words of encouragement for the wary troops, no. Optimus stumbles and backtracks and keeps it as honest as he can as he bares his feelings, ever the soldier ever the prime, despite wanting to look away, he can't as he watches for bee reaction.

Bee takes it in, the confessions, the actions, the words. Bee takes in Prime and realises that Optimus means it. He isn't taking pity he isn't joking he means it. And just as Optimus starts to doubt, Bee speaks. Offering his side, his confessions his actions as he lets the always cherry persona mask fall. Showing his weariness and the ugly he keeps away for benefits of others.Slowly but surely they talk they confess and discuss and they come closer and closer for their first kiss.

Whatever happens next is well up in the air.

I think it be funny if the two started dating but didn't try to hide it all that much and autobots don't pick it up untill after like final battle of the war where Bee or Optimus borderline make out in the battle field.

I dunno I just enjoy the trope where two people are dating without hiding it but people around them think they are oblivious to each other feelings or don't notice it untill it's spelled out to them.

But yeah :D

-@);-- R Anon

And once again I do apologise for any spelling or other mistakes, I am after work and not wearing glasses cause ouche

ahhhh yes im always here for more opbee, i love them