Part 3: Starscream

The six-wheeled, blue rover beeped and whistled furiously in place, spraying feeder oil as it imitated movements that approximate bipedal stomping. the big, red and blue robot gave the recently drenched rover's hood a pat, "Easy, Roller."

"Feisty li'l fella ain't it?" the red and light blue robot with distinctive shoulder intakes sarcastically interrupted as he nonchalantly shifted his cigarette, from left to right, in his vocal emitter.

Facing away from the antagonizing mechanoid, Big Red and Blue nodded at the blue rover, still bewildered from its involuntary swim in the feeder trough, and winked an optic. The rover obediently shifted gears into idle. As Big Red and Blue rose upright, two robots, also with those distinctive shoulder intakes, emerged from the bar entrance and flanked the red and light blue robot.

"You boys must be the welcoming committee, I reckon", drawled Big Red and Blue, cocking his hat.

"You could say that", the red and light blue robot annoyingly quipped. "We're usually quite the friendly bunch...but we don't take kindly to strangers. Especially ones who send in nosy reconnaissance drones."

"Drone? You mean li'l ol' roller here?" Big Red and Blue retorted mockingly. "Didja hear that Roller? They called you a drone." Blue rover whined a long, deep whistle in mock dejection (Amongst respectable folks, drone is somewhat of a euphemism around these parts. Some say it's almost as bad as calling somebody a Gobot).

"Tsk, tsk," sighed Big Red and Blue. "I do believe you folks hurt my friend's here feeling. We don't want to impose so we'll be on our way...just as soon as y'all apologize to li'l ol' Roller here."

The two robots flanking the annoying red and light blue robot burst in laughter at Big Red and Blue's request. One of them, in resplendent dark blue blurted, "Didja hear that, Skywarp?" stifling guffaws as he addressed the other robot, practically identical to himself but in black and purple, "He wants us to apologize! Haw haw!"

"Heh heh, this dude shore is funny! Ain't he funny, Starscream?" Purple and Black responded, passing the banter to Red and Light Blue. Red and Light Blue; or Starscream as the other two called him, was not amused. "Skywarp, Thundercracker, you idiots. He's disrespecting us..."

"Disrespect?" Big Red and Blue interjected. "Now why would I disrespect you fine folks, who'd bully poor, hapless rovers like lil ol' Roller here?" with a glint in his optic and a grin almost perceptibly forming in his face plate.

Starscream bellowed, "Enough of this charade! Skywarp, Thundercracker! Take him..."

Before he could finish his sentence four burst of plasma blazed past Starscream's shoulders and when he turned, Skywarp and Thundercracker were relieved off their armarments in the spot where they stand, their guns clattering on the sidewalk. As he turned back to Big Red and Blue, his face was greeted with the warm, fuming muzzle of a large bore laser rifle, with Big Red and Blue at the trigger:

"I reckon *now* you might have something to tell my friend Roller here?"

Next chapter: "Elita"