#i know i coulda written this better perhaps ill rewrite it at some point lmao since this is not

[eloquent-music]

Send a ‘💬’ to catch a glimpse of a memory my muse has.   For @lunara​ ‘s ask that i somehow like got rid of lmao

[ Memory Log Engaging . . . ]

A new medic had been introduced into the Delphi Facility in territory that Tarn had kept a stronghold over. The previous medical team was unfortunate enough to get on the wrong side of Tarn--trying to take advantage of his more reasonable ways. To break a contract, a promise. Tarn didn’t enjoy when contracts were broken. How many Delphi teams did he have to go through to get one that was actually worth the trouble. There’d been a small handful before but unfortunate accidents happened. 

Perhaps a different first approach might be different, he’d thought. He was the master of manipulation and torture so his processor was full of situations and techniques. 

He’d watched them for several cycles, exploring the general area around the facility. This new ragtag team. One was a traitor. It peaked his interest. Ambulon wasn’t near the top of the List but was on it for sure. His name marked, dotted, and crossed, along with all of his crimes that put him on the List. Most never knew that they were on this Deadly Hit List. 

The dark mech should have been seen throughout the vast blinding white landscape but was never spotted. Only once was music played while some of the crew was foraging outside Delphi’s walls. Only once did Tarn show his silhouette on the horizon when the crew was there with the new CMO. A show of power and control over the facility. Helex was by his side as well, a mech twice his size. A servo raised to gently touch Helex’s shoulder before they disappeared amongst the whiteout landscape.

The following time that Pharma had left the blast doors of the facility to grab one of the Autobot miners that Tarn so easily damaged and trapped. It was almost too easy to get these medics to come crawling out over their useless fodder of an army. When Pharma had come across him, he’d been badly damaged in a specific fashion. The Autobot was tortured and barely hanging on. A specific organ was even missing with a borehole right where his T-cog should be. Like a good little tortured bot, he released coordinates and a time for Pharma to meet the DJD Leader. Reluctantly agreeing, a smooth and sweet whistled echoed across the landscape from the camouflaged Tarn--a sweet release of music. The Autobot in the CMO’s grasp as he tried stabilizing him suddenly seized and offlined.

As followed, Pharma met between the cavernous bottom of a canyon one of full moon nights. Thing is, Pharma got there first before Tarn did. Once he’d entered, there was a display of dominance from the DJD Leader and for good reason. one of Messatines moons was right behind him, masking most of his appearance. His many biolights that adorned his frame twinkled and drowned Pharma’s white frame. He stood quite a bit taller than the flight medic as well. 

They exchanged words. At first there was no common ground which angered the Decepticon. He’d tried to reason with him but Pharma at first wouldn’t let up. To Tarn, he seemed bright, full of hope and passion. Optimism but also a hidden dark side of him. It took him a moment or two to realize whom this medic really was--he knew him from back at the Institute. For now, he left the thought to his own devices. Pharma was drowning in sorrow over someone and Tarn could feel it. Most of his manipulation tactics wouldn’t quite work here. 

Gritting his dentae under his harrowing and haunting mask, his Voice fluttered to life and began speaking to Pharma in his abilities. Grasping harshly onto his spark, plucking at those weakened yet stubborn strings. The medic clutched himself as Tarn explained himself. Tarn spoke words of a contract, an agreement, that he would leave Delphi alone and protect it if he followed the rules of this agreement even with a traitorous bastard under his watch. He was pardoned only if the rules were obeyed. 

Pharma agreed and Tarn let go of his spark immediately and knelt in front of Tarn on a bent knee, solidifying their agreement. 

For a while Tarn left Pharma alone till the time where the T-cog delivery would roll around. At first, he kept to his small quota. Happy with their exchange, Delphi was kept safe and not molested by the DJD. 

The first fuck up that was made angered the Decepticon. Tarn had lashed out at Pharma. Threatening words left his vocalizer. Servos damaged the medic’s frame while his Voice grabbed at that blue spark before releasing him in an act of mercy. Leaving him bloodied and sobbing--to leave him be to hobble back in whatever fashion back to Delphi to fix himself up.

It only happened a few times till Pharma learned. A few minor slipups would irritate Tarn but he kept his mercy to the medic and instead kept lashing back out on the Autobots in the mines instead to help assist in keeping that quota up. 

It would take time for Tarn realize that Pharma wasn’t so different than him that he almost started feeling something.

There was one spell where the mines had gone quiet and no way for Pharma to keep up with their agreement. Even if Tarn didn’t need that many T-cogs at a time, he couldn’t back down from their agreement or mend some of the rules. Presented with only a few, Tarn was visually seeping with anger and frustration but decided to back off. No words. No actions against Pharma. Nothing. Just utter silence for a while in a seemingly backed off way. What was he feeling? Who knew anyways. Most of his time had been much too preoccupied with being off world and being much too busy with other things than a quota for now. 

When they’d meet again to see the newly added T-cogs, Tarn never brought any of it up and kept strictly to business. Quiet and mysterious than at first. Perhaps a bit of a hidden passion was thrown here and there. A bit more of his true self would be shown. That would especially happen when his cogs had to be replaced. Unbeknownst to Tarn, medics caught on a lot more than he’d realize. the universe known torturer had become rather quiet in his actions and kept mostly to himself from then forward. something no one ever experienced except for his crew. 

A few small events tried to damage Delphi but not from Tarn and the DJD and Tarn kept to his promises of protecting Delphi. Not that the others of Delphi knew anyways. Invaders had tried to come onto Messatine and Tarn was always quick to extinguish said problems. 

Tarn caught a glimpse or two of the CMO flying ahead after exterminating said problems. Bloodied and damaged, he’d disappear with his trophies or by himself back to the Tyranny or their secret base on the planet’s surface. Thing is, he assumed that by now that Pharma figured out that the Decepticon truly wasn’t as terrible as he let on to be at first. to do all of these things, to show acts of mercy, and to even keep the planet safe even if they shared said planet. 

[ Memory Log Disengaging -- Interruption . . . ]