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| - Smoky Chasms - Thunderhead Pass - Nova Cronum Deep within the crevasses between the sharp cliffs are dark chasms filled with the particle-heavy smog-like mist. It may be best to close up your vents here. Without a light, mechs are left to their sensors, as no surface light reaches here. The ground is coated in silt, every step kicking up more dust and the occasional skeletal remains of an unfortunate fall. Low-light mechanimals roam freely, more likely scavengers than predators. Arcee is at Firebase Vigilance, where now that the badly-needed supplies have been put away, the energex has been brought out and a more festive mood takes over. Arcee partakes a bit, but she knows her limits. She wants to be within her limits in case there's another attack, but she doubts there will be one this cycle. Fireflight enters the firebase, and, after helping stow some crates, picks up a glass of what may or not be Energex. "So, um... what just happened?" "Hey, Fireflight! Long time no see!" Arcee greets the Aerialbot with a grin. "A bunch of us just helped Rod get through the gorge with a cargo full of supplies for the firebase here. Nova Cronum was taken by the Decepticons some time ago, but we're getting closer to winning it back. It's going to happen, you watch." Fireflight takes a sip, nodding at the same time and spilling a few drops. "I've been out of the area, doing a deep scan of a comet that dipped into Cybertron's atmosphere. Turns out it was nothing, but you never know what the Decepticons might try." He cocks his head slightly. "How long ago was Nova Cronum taken?" "It's been a while, now...what happened was that the Combaticons had a really good plan to capture the city, and once they got in there, they routed out all the opposition and maintained a really tight lockdown. The last firebase we had here, in fact, was orbital bombarded and destroyed by Blast Off." Arcee sips her energex. "But you know what? ...They can't be everywhere at once. We're COUNTING on that." Fireflight shakes his head. "They sure can't. What's our next move? I'm sure Hound and I can figure out where they are." "Ultimately? This is a tough one, and it has to be done right, because there's three or four different 'fronts' we'll need to conquer before we can actually win the city back," Arcee explains. "There's the wharf, which abuts the sea and is a port of entry. There's the railroad -- currently hijacked and being used for Decepticon transport. There's the gorge -- that LOVELY area us ground-pounders just had to drive through. And then there's the outskirts of the city, which is constantly patrolled." Fireflight sketches out a rough map on his datapad with one hand, taking a swig with the other. The map is... terribly out of scale, and only partially correct in the locations of major terrain features. Several notes are made on the map, such as "Decepticon strongpoint - 17 or so," "Gap in Decepticon patrol line," "At 8,000 feet, this mountain looks kind of like Norway" and "If you fly through this canyon upside down at Mach 1.73, the bottom seems to change color." (Fireflight's reconnaissance missions sometimes have tangents.) "So we just hit the gorge, or at least reinforced it. If we hit the railroad or wharf, could we try to draw some of the patrols away from the outskirts?" Arcee stares with wide optics at Fireflight's 'map'. ".....Hm, that's....you use that?" she asks incredulously, then she seems to 'snap back' into the present moment. "Maybe. Problem is, if we win back everything but one of those areas, we have a chance of losing the entire city again. Because Decepticons could use the railway or the wharf to ship supplies and reinforcements back in very easily." Fireflight nods, picking up another container of... it's definitely energex. "Sure. But if they were to spread out their patrols, and we dropped some hints that the wharf and railway attacks were decoys, they'd probably pull the forces back to the city, and be less likely to reinforce the other two when our _real_ attack happens." He starts doodling on his map, showing small red Autobot symbols feinting towards the port and rail-line, falling back as purple Decepticon symbols spread out to meet them, then advancing again as the Decepticon symbols pull back to the city, leaving the wharf and rail-line not undefended, but with less purple faces than they had before. He then pokes his finger at Nova Cronum, a few miles out of place and labeled "Crona Novum." "Then they'd be cut off from their supplies. A hard nut to crack, but better one front than four." Arcee can't make a great deal of sense out of Fire'flight's map, but his overall strategy seems...surprisingly sound to her. "Very true, because otherwise you know what will keep happening -- we'll get surrounded from all side, then an aerial assault -- a strong one -- unless it's pushed back, we're forced to retreat, which is what's happened the last few times." Finally making it to base, his slow altmode and drain on his reserves the culprit, Trailbreaker transforms and saunters in. Giving Fireflight a nod, the Autobot defensive strategist salutes Arcee. "Sir." he chuffs out, before dropping the salute. He peers around for something to drink. Toyota 4WD Camper Truck transforms into robot mode. Arcee grins at Trailbreaker. "Relax for a bit, you more than earned it out there. Help yourself to...well, whatever it is someone managed to stow away, I *really* don't think it was in the shipment Rod brought up here." Fireflight takes another glass of Energex, apparently having forgotten about his two half-full ones next to his datapad "map." "Which is why the first two assaults, on the wharf and railroad, will seem convincing at first. We're pushed back, no surprises." He nods back at Trailbreaker, and peers guiltily at his three partially finished drinks. "Then we send out a few transmissions about the real target, and the 'cons think that everything we've done up to now are just shaping operations for the city. Once the rail-line and wharf get hit for real, they'll anticipate another hit, take some hits, fall back... but this time, hopefully, we can hold them. Even if we can't, a few mines on the railroad, and some surprises in the harbor, and we'll have seriously disrupted their supply lines." "Leave it to Prime to forget the booze!" Trailbreaker laughs, finding a stash of old engex near the back. Digging through the crates, he returns to the others with an armful of the enerhol. "Guy can repel Unicron, send Galvatron reeling with one punch, and duck Datapop for cycles.. but he forgets to bring drinks for the afterparty." he grins, placing the large collection down. Nodding along to Fireflight's plan, not actively listening though, Trailbreaker breaks open the seal to a bottle of engex and takes a swig. "Anything that can get me back rubbing elbows with the rank and file, ma'am." he smiles to Arcee, offering her a swig of the bottle. "Tarn is nice and.." he trails, "..Chromia is great, but being secluded off in that city was giving me cabin fever!!" "Here's my concern...do we have the firepower, numbers, and the *energon* to pull this off? The strategy is actually pretty sound," Arcee admits to Fireflight, leaving the ADHD map business out of it for now. "But I could see this working, if we're *quick* and if we take them by surprise. If it goes on for too long, that's when we get Cyclonus, Galvatron, Shockwave and Scourge showing up all at once and then it's time to leave." "Thanks!" Arcee tells Trailbreaker, having a swig of good old engex. "Can't blame you for wanting out of that place, it would drive me crazy, too. You know, Rod would never touch this stuff, that's how I know he didn't bring it up here," she notes with a grin. Fireflight nods back to Trailbreaker. "I hear you, 'Breaker. Recon missions mean the open sky, something I'll never turn down, but being stuck in one place for too long... does things to you." His optics glimmer a bit brighter. "Orbiting around a comet for so long, with nothing to do but go over the sensor readout from it... well, it's good to be back." He finishes his glass, and absentmindedly picks up one of his half-empties. "I'll drink to that!" Trailbreaker remarks to nothing in particular, taking another swill of the drink. "I might be the old codger throwing the wrench in the works here, but we should think about strengthening our grip here before we go back on the offensive." he remarks about the grand scheme. Another drink down, and he's seated inbetween the pair on a crate. "Good to have you back, Fireflight!! About time we get the good ole flybots back in action, take back the skies." "Hey Arcee, Trenchfoot needs to talk to you," one of the gunners calls. "Mmhh. Business calls," Arcee sighs, as she reluctantly gets up. "Excuse me, not sure how long this is going to take. Don't let any of that drink go to waste, now..." Fireflight salutes as Arcee leaves, barely managing to remember to put his glass down first. "Whew," he whispers, "That was close. Almost disobeyed a direct order." He glances down at his datapad as she walks off. "Wait. That'll never work. This is upside down." He swipes the screen blank and tosses the device back into subspace. Finishing his drink with a couple of gulps, Trailbreaker tosses it into a waste disposal chute and stands. Cracking neck side to side, then his fingers, he meanders towards Fireflight. "I mean that though, great to have you back in active duty. Have you seen Air Raid since you've returned?" Fireflight shakes his head, abruptly stopping as the room shakes more than it should. "No, I just got out of orbit. I saw the flashes and sparks in the canyon, and figured I should check it out. I didn't know things had gotten this bad." Nodding, Trailbreaker gently pats Fireflight on the shoulder. "We've been stretched thin, between here and Earth and the other fronts of this war.." he trails, thinking of Chromia and their duty in Tarn. Less than a cycle ago he was complaining about being cooped up, now all he can think about is the duty he's left behind. Typical, when on duty in Tarn.. his attention is usually turned outward. Now that he's been given temporary leave, he can't help but think about what he left behind. "But I think we're pulling together for the big push!" Trailbreaker cheers, raising a fist to give the statement extra enthusiasm. Fireflight raises his fist as well, then slowly lowers it. "The thing is... whenever there's a big push, someone pushes back." He unconciously rubs his left leg, where a wingtip from his altmode is sheared away. He finishes his own drink, and disposes of the evidence. "But we can't stop. None of us can." "Which is why I'm gonna have to cut this reunion short." Trailbreaker nods along with Fireflight, making his way for the base's exit. While what he did here today was monumental in cementing the firebase Vigilance and Autobot presence in the vicinity, he still has a job to do. And if Chromia catches him off-site for longer than a couple cycles, she's likely to storm in here and drag him off forcefully. "I've got to get back to my post, good seeing you Fireflight!" Fireflight waves. "Likewise, Trailbreaker. I'll see you around."
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