Work Text:
Guilt
/ Banter
These meetings aren't awful. But really they could’ve been a comm message.
When he'd created this alliance with Earth, he'd primarily communicated with Governor Nakamura. His understanding was that she was in control and command of a small section of a larger land mass, her domain being called Michigan. He liked her. She was no nonsense and direct.
He did not like the human man in charge of the larger land mass that Michigan resided within. His name evaded Megatron often, but his title of president was preposterous enough that he remembered that.
When the Autobots had joined the fold, that had also meant that Sentinel, who had snatched up the position of temporary Magnus as quickly as he could, would also be in the meetings. And when the human president was in attendance, it was like he and Sentinel were in competition on who could say the stupidest thing. Though thankfully, he was absent from their current meeting, having been too busy with something else to attend. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Sentinel.
Optimus sits to his right, tapping a stylus against his datapad. Technically he was supposed to be taking notes but considering Sentinel was on another tangent, that didn’t seem to be happening.
The only relief about this meeting was that Sentinel was here virtually. He was displayed on a massive vidscreen that took up an entire hangar wall, equipped with camera, microphone, and speakers. Megatron and Optimus had their own large table and chairs while Governor Nakamura was seated on a nearby platform, her own table and chair pushed right up to the railing. This hangar was used only for meetings like this, meaning they wouldn’t be interrupted.
Which Megatron would prefer. He would really like to be interrupted right now.
He thinks briefly on if he can discreetly yank one of the power cords to the vidscreen and cause them to “accidentally” lose their connection when he hears the governor sigh loudly. “With all due respect Sentinel Prime—”
“That’s Magnus! Sentinel Magnus!” Sentinel corrects her.
Out of the corner of his optic, Megatron can see how Nakamura’s grip on her pen tightens. Her voice stays steady as she says, “Sentinel Magnus, with all due respect, I fail to see how the finances of other planets within the Autobot Commonwealth relate to the current issues we are discussing here.”
“Well, you wanted trade routes! Only makes sense to just trade stuff that we need. I don’t see a point in trading stuff we don’t need,” Sentinel huffs.
“Right, and I understand that, but I have already informed you of what we are able to readily trade,” Nakamura says. “As I have explained, Earth simply does not have certain resources that you’re requesting.”
Sentinel sneers at the camera. “Are you sure? That mudball of a planet has to be useful somehow. You’ve got to have astatine deposits somewhere. Just look harder.”
She opens her mouth to counter when her phone begins buzzing loudly against her table. She glances down at it. “I have to take this. You can continue without me.”
Before Sentinel can protest, she’s grabbing everything off her table and walking away, the phone raised to her ear as she greets the person on the other end. Megatron watches her exit and wishes he was in her place.
“Sentinel, are we done? We’ve already touched on everything you said we had to talk about,” Optimus asks as he taps at his datapad. Megatron glances over at the scribbled notes. Sure enough, that infuriating little checklist Sentinel sends before every meeting had every box ticked.
“Yes, we did. But other issues have since come up,” Sentinel says, leaning back in his chair.
Megatron rolls his optics as he mutters, “Of course other issues have come up. We’ve been in this meeting for long enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if a new planet has formed.”
He can see the small smile that puts on Optimus’s face. Luckily the microphone didn’t pick up his quip so Sentinel marches blindly ahead as he says, “Now, we need to talk about oil export to the Nebulon Republic.”
“No we don’t. I just had a meeting with them yesterday about that,” Optimus says, pulling up the notes of the meeting on his datapad.
“Yes, you had a meeting. I didn’t so you need to catch me up to speed,” Sentinel counters.
“I sent you my notes and a summary of the meeting.”
“You did, but I want a comprehensive run down,” Sentinel says.
Optimus huffs. “Alright then.” He holds his datapad up and begins to read from it, “The Nebulon Republic has reviewed the attached proposed contract in conjunction with—”
“You can’t just read the summary you sent,” Sentinel interrupts him.
“Oh so you did read it. Good to know your optics still work,” Optimus says as he sets his datapad down. Megatron bites back a laugh.
“Don’t be insubordinate with me!” Sentinel shouts. The video lags behind the audio ever so slightly.
“I’m not being insubordinate, I’m just ensuring that the current ruling Magnus has a properly functioning frame,” Optimus snaps back. Sentinel’s jaw drops and he takes the opportunity to continue, “And all these concerns you sent, I could have just responded to all of them as a message. We didn’t have to have a meeting with the governor and Megatron. Frag, we didn’t even have to have a meeting!”
“Mismanagement of time is a silent killer of leadership,” Megatron says, making sure it’s loud enough for the microphone to pick up.
Sentinel glares at him. “Don’t insult me! I can nullify the ceasefire between us and you Decepticons right now!”
“No, no you can’t Sentinel,” Optimus says. “You need a council vote for that to happen and for a council vote to happen I would have to be on Cybertron. Then you’d need at least eighty percent in your favor and considering the amount of energon we’re exporting off Earth right now, I’d bet good credits that the vote would fail hard.”
“Not to mention the social impact it would have on Cybertron,” Megatron adds. “After all, with all of my troops either here or contained to our own Empire’s planets, Cybertron has no risk of Decepticon invasion. The general public and those residing on colony planets likely feel incredibly relieved and relaxed with the knowledge that we won’t invade Cybertron, lest we lose our share of Earth’s energon.”
“And all of that would be very bad for your popularity polls,” Optimus says.
“He has those?” Megatron snorts.
“Yup. They’re supposedly ‘anonymous’ surveys that get sent out to ‘random’ members of the public. Except that those random members often get sent a survey every time, until they give him a bad rating and then they never get a survey again,” Optimus says.
Sentinel is clearly fuming as he shouts, “I have done nothing of the sort!”
“Uh-huh, sure you haven’t,” Optimus replies as he leans back in his chair. “Is that also why footage of the ongoing conflict on Earth isn’t allowed to be shown on public broadcasting?”
“No, it’s so the public doesn’t get scared!”
“Sure, it has nothing to do with you clearly not being in them? Not helping in the fight against the Quintessons? Or it showing me fighting?” Optimus counters.
“A leader who doesn’t even lead the fight for the safety and wellbeing of his civilians is not one to trust and follow,” Megatron comments. He likes where this is going.
“You’re supposed to be fighting! You’re in charge of military!” Sentinel shouts.
“Unless the system has been overhauled in the last few millennia, I believe that is the Magnus’s job,” Megatron says. “Correct me if I am wrong, Optimus.”
“You’re not wrong. It’s written in the statutes, which Sentinel and I both studied while at the Elite Guard Academy, that the Magnus of the Autobots is the Commander in Chief to all military operations,” Optimus replies. His optics flick to the vidscreen. “I thought you would have remembered that Sentinel. Or maybe you didn’t, considering you cheated on most of your exams.”
“Not a good look for a current Magnus,” Megatron comments.
Sentinel looks furious and the video shakes as he must slam his servos on his desk. “This meeting is over! Optimus, I will deal with your insubordination!”
“Can’t wait,” Optimus replies sarcastically with a smirk.
Finally, the screen goes completely blank and the hangar falls silent. Optimus groans as he stretches his arms out. “Thank Primus. I thought he’d never shut up.”
“Hopefully the repercussions won’t be too annoying,” Megatron says as he stands.
“I’m just going to ignore them. What’s he gonna do, come all the way out there to scold me?” Optimus says as he stands as well, following the larger mech to the door of the hangar. “He can try but he’d be doing it in what is essentially enemy territory for him.”
“I don’t see why you put up with him,” Megatron says as they step outside. It’s progressed into the evening by now, the sun beginning its descent in the west and night beginning to break in the east.
“He is, unfortunately, really good at numbers,” Optimus sighs. “Plus, if I take his position, I’d have to stay on Cybertron and couldn’t be on Earth as often to defend it.”
Megatron hums in response. “Regardless, you’d make a much better Magnus than him. And I’m not saying that simply to stay on your good side.”
Optimus laughs and it’s a genuine one. Megatron smiles to himself. He had his doubts going into this weird little ceasefire situation with the Autobots and Earth. But he thinks moments like these, having just heckled that annoying blue menace and with the last warmth of the planet’s sun on him, show that everything will work out in the end.