thebestdecepticonleader
The first problem was apparent to both teams when they first arrived at the base, before they even stepped foot inside. When a Unity greeting party came out to greet them (weapons stowed and friendly) Starscream, and several others, were visibly disappointed to see that Smokescreen wasn't there. Still, they couldn't refuse peace talks until one mech arrived, no matter how important he is.
The diplomatic mission would discover that Starscream had spared no expenses in making the base as comfortable for them as possible. It was still wartime, so the amount of comfort was limited compared to civilian life, but it was still nicer than anyone had seen in a long time. An entire wing of the base was devoted to the team for downtime, separated from the Unity members areas in hopes of preventing fights and other diplomatic disasters. Everyone had their own room, to be distributed as the Autobot commanders in the mission saw fit. Each room was a little bare, but they all had a sturdy desk and clean, decently comfortable berth. Their wing even had a rec room, complete with an energon dispenser and vid screen.
There was space for the military team too, though they weren't expecting to spend much time on base. Starscream offered the military team the use of the armory as well. The meeting room for the diplomatic team joined the two sides of the base, allowing mechs to easily retreat to their own sides, to cool down if needed. Once the tour of the base was finished, Starscream suggested that the Autobots have three hours of downtime to find their rooms and stow any equipment they brought, before the first peace meeting. Before parting, he took the Prime aside and insisted that, even if Smokescreen couldn't attend in person, for whatever reason, he needed proof that he was being treated "with the respect he deserves".
0.So, at the end of the first afternoon, Smokescreen got the call he was only partly expecting, into a room with a long table. On one side was the diplomatic team, on the other was presumably Unity's equivalent.
Smokescreen borrowed a small conference room for the meeting. He needs to see the body language as well as hear the tones to discern deception. When the signal came in however, the room presented itself in a very familiar way: Conflict resolution. Smokescreen's expectations suddenly fell apart. He's not here for the Autobots; he's here for Cybertron, just as he had told Optimus. Now he must take his own advice. He shifts about in the chair as if slightly uncomfortable as he shifts mindsets.
Smokescreen, as advisor, is in a listen-not-talk position. Since Optimus is present, by default he is the one to do all the talking. 'If we are ready to begin, we would like to first offer a full exchange programme, to help facilitate friendly relations and integration. As some Autobots will be staying here for a time, we'd like to invite some Unity members to stay and work with us in Iacon. Perhaps some technicians that need updating or certifications for immediate employment after discharge,' Prime laid down before Starscream could begin one of his long, pointless speeches.