I've Given Him His Empire

It sounds like a number of you are enjoying that racetrack. Though I am quite pleased with the new additions to my quarters.

No, do not stand on th-

[BZZZZZZ-squeak!-ZZZZZ]

... I don't suppose any of you know how to get a bee to stop... squeaking the plastic whale.

[He is carefully avoiding discussing the party on Halloween. HMMMM]

[What follows for several minutes is the ripping sound of duct tape coming off of metal and the soft thumps of wine corks into a drawer. Another thud as the drawer is closed, and Shockwave speaks up. The voice has the usual neutral tone and British accent back again, but is decidedly more female than usual.]

That is far better. The current change is less disruptive and irritating, at least. Though I'm curious. What sort of theories do the rest of you have on the reasons for the... unusual events that have been taking place?

(Locked to Mikaela//Unhackable)
Mikaela, are you doing any better today?
Also, would happen to have any polish on you or know where I can obtain some? I am afraid that Ironhide managed to scratch my chassis and gauntlets before I could do something.

((More the sex change than a gender-bender, really. Hey, I like the rhyming, don't be a playa-hata <3 Then again, he'd probably be the same sneaky, emotionally-repressed jerk that he is now if he was.))

[Anyone that still has their memory might recognize Shockwave's voice, though the voice is younger with an... American accent.]

This doesn't look like boot camp. Sentinel Minor, are you here, sir? Is this some sort of drill?

...

Oh dear. I-I seem to be lost.

[OOC: Meet "Longarm", Shockwave's better half, circa "Autoboot Camp"!]

[Shockwave's communicator cuts in abruptly with the sound of scraping. Interspersed is the crack of wood breaking.]

I find that it helps to analyze a situation, rather than panicking and flailing about like headless robo-chickens.

These are the facts - the captain apparently takes captives. He released one, and took three more. Rather than performing this action quietly, he announced it for all to hear, and all three have subsequently sent their own messages as they were captured. This suggests that he wanted us to hear and wanted everyone afraid.

However, we must also take into account that we have two sources of information that contradict each other - the crew, and miss Shayn. Without any other points of reference, both sources must be 'taken with a grain of salt' as the Earth saying goes.

The course of action seems clear, though I hate to have to reiterate some of the other passengers' points. Remain calm, and only travel in armed groups. Sending terrified messages with no point of reference serves little purpose but to make those you care about afraid or angry. If anyone is attacked, send your location and as detailed a description of your attacker as possible.

Above all, display caution.

[EDIT following this]

I have, perhaps, jumped the gun in linking Captain Redd with the kidnappings directly. There is a chance that these events are not linked with one another. Regardless, my advice to the other passengers remains the same. Particularly if the announcement has nothing to do with the taking, as it is possible that whoever is doing so will not stop at three.