| abstract | - November 12, 2011, 12:50 PM (Bypass) --- The Decepticon outpost, perched on the steep side of the mountain covers the road below in the field of fire from their defensive guns- gun emplacements which were the first thing taken out by the attacking Autobot forces. The time it had taken the Autobots to take out the guns and climb the steep mountain had allowed the Decepticon reinforcements to begin arriving. The outpost itself is tiny- a tiny, walled building just large enough for a small contingent of Decepticons and a narrow but rich vein of energon being mined from the surface. Sludge roars loudly. He starts forwards - slowly at first, but beginning to pick up speed and inertia as the ground shudders under his feet. In his robot mode for now, he runs down alongside the vehicle forms of his Autobot compatriots, energy sword in one hand and huge-ass-gun in the other. He simply ran right forwards, trusting in his heavy armor to keep him from being taken down in the initial charge! Prowl crouches behind a piece of rubble scattered during the attack, doorwings twitching slightly as he runs a quick simulation through his battle computer. He frowns at the results that return, rerunning it before muttering a quiet curse to himself. //Autobots, there is a high likelihood of Decepticon reinforcements coming to defend this outpost. Hold your positions and prepare for a possible renewed assault.// With the amount of damage he'd already done, Hammerstrike was well within the battle mindset. The large mech had arrived on foot, his running speed, sadly, faster than his alternative mode. And now, upon his large block pedes, he is charging shortly after Sludge, being alert lest he should transform. He was already charging towards the outpost's gates when he received Prowl's message of caution. His pace could not yet be slowed. Instead he picks up speed to reach the actual outpost before reinforcements arrive. He also seems to be trying to keep close proximity to sludge, but not so close that most attacks would hit them both squarely. Warpath's engines rumble in excitement as he rolls after Sludge and Hammerstrike, heavy treads pulling him along the uneven ground steadily, if not quickly. When Prowl's warning comes over the comm, he transforms, veering off his initial course to start scrambling up the mountain for a better vantage position. "I'll show those BLAM Deceptiscum not to POW mess with Warpath!" He yells to nobody in particular, almost loosing his grip and tumbling back down. Starscream streaks into the area, snarling at the Autobot intrusion on /their/ territory. For all their prattle about peace, they sure were quick enough to destroy Decepticon outposts... The order from Megatron is clear. He's to repair the guns on the battlements, come fire or acid rain. His Lord was quite specific. He commed the others with a spitting of static. //Seeker forces. I will repair the guns. Slipstream. Concentrate fire upon the minibot with the large gun. Nova Black, Skywarp, provide covering fire while I enact repairs. If you've the opportunity, slag some Autoscum. Fly straight and well. Starscream out.// He swoops in low, transforming in midair, landing next to the slagged weaponry. Slipstream heard the comm by Megatron and since she was available and had not seen enemy action for awhile, she scrambled from the barracks. Once at the hangar she transformed, engines at full burn as she headed toward the west where there is action already in full gear. She scopes out the targets as the group of them approaches the area, then cues up her comms, "I get the hammer wielding Autobot and I'll show you all I'm no grounder kisser." Oh her lance would taste torso if she was lucky this cycle! She practically purrs in anticipation as she flies off of Starscreams' right wing. Then the Air Commander orders who her target should be and she comms back, "Yes sir." Skywarp speeds along off Nova's wing, looking for Autoscum to slag. //You bet, Scream!// He says happily, scanning the area for Autobot signals. Megatron rises into the air over the others. His optics flicker briefly as he watches Starscream zoom off toward the guns. Good. They'll need those operational if they want to win this. He has his own obvious target, though, and bellows his archenemy's name. "Optimus Prime! This is Decepticon territory. You do not belong in it." His optics flare. "You claim that we are destroyers, and yet look at what you yourself have done." Optimus Prime is standing to one side of the gates of the sealed outpost, rifle in hand as he watches the rest of the Autobot strike team make their way up the steep slope. "Prowl, get that gate open - I'll cover you." He scans the skies above as the scream of jet turbines announces the arrival of the Decepticons' backup. His optics narrow at the Decepticon leader's words. "Megatron! The energon vein that this outpost protects should be freely available to all who need it- not just those who swear loyalty to you!" Shark was having way too much fun already as he worked his way at a literal belly crawl up the mountainside, providingly less area for the Cons to aim for while he shot at the in place guns as he was ordered to do. Having a big target like the Dinobot around was certainly coming in handy. The large mech was a distraction in his own right! It also didn't hurt that Optimus and Prowl were obviously targets due to their standing in their army. The comm from the SIC is noted so he widens his scanners to keep him appraised while he shifts onto his side and keeps on shooting. /Understood, Commander./ Nova Black gives a longing look at Shark as she wings at full speed toward Starscream and the ruined guns. She owes the toothy 'Bot for that beating he gave her earlier. But maybe he'll come after her. Or maybe she can go after him once Starscream gets the guns working anyway... Sunstreaker is standing by the front of the Auitobot's forces, ready to strike whenever the order's given. His energon's boling in his lines and he can't wait to get even with the cons... They all deserve a beating! But his attenion's most focussed on the Seekers. He was going to have some fun with them... With the general sounds of battle going on, Prowl allows himself to huff out his vents, hefting his rifle higher. Of course the Decepticon leader himself would be amongst the reinforcements. He flicks his doorwings, as if that would shake off the annoyance and dread, kicking his sensors into high gear to monitor the battle around him. "Of course, sir." He answers Prime calmly, taking aim at the gate's hinges and firing. Prowl picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Calliope's strength. Prowl's roll succeeds! Hammerstrike had been rushing steadily towards the gates of the outpost, catching up to Prowl's position. After a blast breaks the hinges of the portal, there is little the rest of it could stand against a full body check from such a hefty mech. Hammerstrike plows through what is left of the door, sending the slab of metal flying. Admittedly, there was no time to slow down after the hinges were shot off. Warpath heaves himself onto a relatively stable outcropping, turning around to get a good look at the battlefield. He cycles his optics in surprise when he spots the seekers- when did /they/ get here?- but shrugs it off, instead sending the command to load his gun even as his targeting software locks on to one of the shiniest ones. Vocal indicators flashing like crazy in his glee, he fires, entire body jerking back slightly from the force. Warpath picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Starscream's agility. Warpath's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! Starscream screeches loudly and clutches briefly at the new hole in his fragging LEG, and moves next to the gun and studies it for a brief moment, processor swimming briefly with pain. Weaponry is something he's proficient with, as he's built several from the ground up. A tweak here, some rerouting there...he set the thing to restart, mentally crossing his fingers. While he waits for the thing to cycle up, he calls, "Mighty Megatron, they've breached the /gate/. That's rather more important than soliloquizing and chasing after the Prime, wouldn't you think? Of course, I wouldn't /dare/ question your command decisions, as astute as they tend to be." The sarcasm virtually dripped from Starscream's vocaliser, tinged with agony. Starscream picks up the dicebag and rolls his intelligence against Calliope's intelligence. Starscream's roll succeeds! Slipstream dives down toward the minibot in question, his cannon making him easy enough to pick out from among the grounders below. Weapons systems are already warmed up and ready to go, she waits to get closer to her target before letting loose with a volley of laser shots. The hammer mech will have to wait his turn, lucky him. "Going to pay for that Autoslag." she hisses as she passes over the tankformer, banking off to the right to circle around. Slipstream picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Warpath's agility. Slipstream's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! "Hey, watch it!" Skywarp squawks on the comm at Slipstream as she veers into the shot he had lined up on the minibot that just targeted his trineleader. He targets the big ... walking... dinosaur thing instead as he overshoots. Skywarp picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Sludge's agility. Skywarp's roll fails! Megatron snickers loudly, ignoring Starscream for the moment. Yes, more are needed at the gate, but that's where Optimus is anyway. "Are you implying that Decepticons have equal claim on any energon produced in Autobot territory, Prime?" His optics flare. "But even if you are, if you hope that I will agree to such ridiculous terms and turn this outpost -- or this energon -- over to you, here is your answer!" He raises his arm and fires, a lavender bolt of energy speeding toward his enemy. Megatron picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(his dexterity) against Optimus Prime's agility. Megatron's roll succeeds! Sunstreaker zored his optics on one of the fluying figures ahaed, his intents deadly and his optics shining with glee. He sees Starscream being singed by Warpath's shot, and the retaliating assault by Slipstream, and he narrow his optics at her. SHkywarp hadn't attacked yet... But he could wait. "Hey, you glitch up there! Here's a little something for you!" He shouts and aim, firing his weapon at her. Sunstreaker picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(its dexterity) against Slipstream's agility. Sunstreaker's roll succeeds! Optimus Prime oofs as Megatron's fusion canon scorches his right leg, staggering back to lean against the outpost wall while lining up a shot on the Decepticon leader of his own. "The energon belongs to all who need it, not for you to stockpile. Or has Polyhex started feeding the neutrals while we were otherwise occupied?" Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(its dexterity) against Megatron's agility. Optimus Prime's roll succeeds! Shark lifts his gaze up toward the sound of seeker engines and jet boots, taking in the Decepticons that have arrived to reinforce the ones within the outpost. Hm, who to pick on this cycle? Pulling his legs up and placing a hand down on the ground, he pushes himself up and shifts his legs again to get his knees under him. Then another shift and push to get into a low crouch as he looks back to where the other Autobots are located. Seeing that gate go skyward for a short distance makes him grin as he keeps shooting at the Cons inside the outpost. Sludge continued to barrel forwards, firing at any Decepticon that caught his optics. Then Skywarp fires at him, somehow MISSING the mech. He blinked a few times, and looks up at the Seeker "Hahah! you miss Sludge! come closer and try again!" he 'encourages'. His own weapon lifts to aim at skywarp overhead, firing at it liberally "Get down here NOW!" If he heard Prowls' warning, he gave no verbal response. "Sludge Crush decepticons!" Sludge picks up the dicebag and rolls his dexterity against Skywarp's agility. Sludge's roll fails! The gun that Starscream repaired whines to life and spins a few times, seeking an Autobot transponder signal to target. Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 6! The gun targets SLUDGE. Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Sludge's agility. Calliope's roll succeeds! Nova Black's engines give a little celebratory rev as the gunfire hits the huge Dinobot. /Do you still need me here, Commander?/ she comms, taking aim for Warpath as well since he's the one who had attacked Starscream, and she doesn't like what that gun did... and the sooner they can get the other gun working, the better. Nova Black picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Warpath's agility. Nova Black's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! Prowl's small frown deepens as the fight around him starts in earnest, pressing through the destroyed gate after Hammerstrike. His doorwings twitch once more as he registers the damage done to Prime, but aside from factoring it into his assessment he leaves it for now. The sound of the gun going off overhead draws his attention, and he barely refrains from muttering another curse to himself. //Somebody take that gun out, now!// He orders- even if he'd hoped for them to take the outpost relatively intact, defenses included, he couldn't ignore the risk that gun posed. Turning his attention skyward momentarily, he takes a shot at a passing seeker. Prowl picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Slipstream's agility. Prowl's roll succeeds! After taking a moment to come to a stumbling halt, Hammerstrike surveys the inside of the outpost. As soon as he spots the Decepticon's positions within the outpost, he gets out his hammer and goes after one of the two present (Redshirt #1). There isn't a lot of room to charge, but within the confines, he does his best to rush at the outpost operant, going for an overhead swing down upon the mech's helm. Hammerstrike picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his strength) against Calliope's agility . Hammerstrike's roll fails! Warpath snarls in pain as Slipstream's shot blasts through his right knee, forcing him to drop down into a kneeling position- just in time for Nova's shot to slam into his opposite arm and take his forearm clear off. "Oh come BLAM ON! I just got that POW fixed! YOUR WHAMMO CREATORS WERE CHEAP ZOWY PIECES OF SHAREWARE!" The last bit is yelled in the general direction of both the seekers shooting at him, but given that the first one takes two hits right in front of him, he decides to focus on the second. Reloading his gun as quickly as his systems would allow him, he fires at her, grunting as the recoil jarrs his injured systems. Warpath picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Nova Black's agility. Warpath's roll succeeds! Starscream rushes to the opposite side of the building and begins tinkering with the controls, rerouting power from a damaged targeting relay to an undamaged one, his fingers working with alacrity and deftness. Starscream picks up the dicebag and rolls his intelligence against Calliope's intelligence. Starscream's roll succeeds! Slipstream hisses in pain when the front liner tags her with his shot. But her orders are to go after the cannon grounder, so Sunstreaker too shall have to wait his turn. The verbal barb from Skywarp earns him a curtly commed, "You heard Starscream's orders, /I/ go after the minibot so stay out of /my/ way." Her circle complete, she lowers her angle of attack, waiting for Nova Black to clear out of the way, and then coming in with another volley of lasers aimed for Warpath. Unfortunately for her this exposes her to the shot from the SIC. "Slagger." she hisses, this time banking off to the left. Slipstream picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Warpath's agility. Slipstream's roll fails! "Screamer said for me and Nova to cover him; you're getting in my slagging way," Skywarp retorts over the comm. He fires at the shiny yellow bot. Skywarp picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Sunstreaker's agility. Skywarp's roll fails! Megatron staggers as Optimus's laser fire hits him in the chest. "Decepticon energon belongs to Decepticons who deserve it, Prime," he says, sneering as he sees his archenemy take cover behind the wall and firing again. Megatron picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Optimus Prime's agility. Megatron's roll succeeds! Sunstreaker easily dodged Skywarp"s sloppy shot and rushed for some cover. He narrows his optics at the seeker and turn his attention to the femme when she decides to ignore him, hissing a bit. They are both in his line of fire for now... And they'll get it, but the purple seeker's on his foicus for now. "As if I care what the Screamer says..." He aim his gun at Skywarp to retaliate. Sunstreaker picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(its dexterity) against Skywarp's agility. Sunstreaker's roll fails! "/All/ deserve the right of having their basic needs met, Megatron!" Optimus Prime retorts, returning fire again, staggering as anotehr shot from Megatron sears the leftside of his chestplates. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(its dexterity) against Megatron's agility. Optimus Prime's roll fails! Shark gets up out of his crouch as he takes aim with his rifle upon the gun that the SIC wants gone. Oh he's keeping a close 'eye' on his scanners to let him know where everyone one is positioned as he moves closer to the base. Shark picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Calliope's agility. Shark's roll fails! Ignored by the seeker he missed, Sludge was about to bellow at Skywarp once more when the powerful guns turn, blasting into him. He falls back, coughing, then pulls himself upright "THATS MORE LIKE IT!" he bellows, lifting up his gun to fire back. he continues to stomp forwards, blade glowing a hot, bright white and red color. But at the last minute, he turns to fire at Skywarp again overhead "WHy can't you shoot sludge like that??" Sludge picks up the dicebag and rolls his dexterity against Skywarp's agility. Sludge's roll fails! Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 3! Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 7! The guns on top of the building swivel to fire at Warpath and Sludge. Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Sludge's agility. Calliope's roll fails! Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Warpath's agility. Calliope's roll succeeds! Inside the outpost, Redshirt #2 is crushed by a piece of falling debris. Redshirt #1 screams like a useless thing and fires at Hammerstrike. Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Hammerstrike's agility . Calliope's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! Nova Black sees Shark firing on the guns Starscream has worked to get operational again. If they lose those guns, the Decepticons could be in a very precarious position. And she owes Shark for that pummeling he gave her. She zooms toward him, energy racing toward his weapons systems. "Those are ours, Teeth," she calls as she fires at him. "Best leave 'em alone unless you want them *and* me blowin' pieces out of you." Nova Black picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Shark's agility. Nova Black's roll succeeds! Prowl frowns as the second gun fires as well- if they're being reactivated, someone has to be up there to do so. Ignoring the panicking Decepticon, he heads for the access hatch to the roof, forcing it open and pulling himself up. He immediately turns his focus to the guns, frown deepening when he sees Starscream crouched by one. Raising his rifle and aiming, he fires at the mech's back. Prowl picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Starscream's agility. Prowl's roll succeeds! It is amazing how even panicked, one can get a lucky shot. After failing to hit the Decepticon within and smashing his hammer into a slab that acts as a cot instead, Hammerstrike turns to try again only to take a shot to the face. His lower face to be precise. The malleable material that makes up his face is melted cruelly, and half of his cheek and part of his jaw is blown right off, exposing some vital wires. His pain sensors are intense as he stumbles, quickly putting up an arm to guard the exposed area. Behind him on the wall is high velocity spatter. Hammerstrike's optics narrow dangerously as he takes up his hammer with only one hand and swings wide at the shrieking Decepticon. Hammerstrike picks up the dicebag and rolls -1+(his strength) against Calliope's agility . Hammerstrike's roll fails! Warpath manages to duck out of the way of Slipstream's next shots, though the gun manages to land a nasty one on his chest. He grunts, pain flooding his systems from the damage he's taking, but he tries to ignore it for now. He loads up another shot, tracking that fragging femme who keeps shooting at him. That hurt, slag it. He fires, engine stuttering slightly as his systems are shaken again. Warpath picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Slipstream's agility. Warpath's roll succeeds! Starscream takes to the sky in root mode, rising above the roof only slightly, sneering at the grounders below. He spies one of those slagging twins, Prime, and now Prowl in his face, backshooting him? "Autoslag! Thought you had more /honor/ than to shoot a mech in the back!" Pain arcs across his wing but is easily ignored- the pain in his leg is more insistent. He figures he'll even the odds a little, and cycles power to his null rays while watching Prowl carefully. //Skywarp, Nova Black. Autoscum have entered the outpost. Make sure they regret it! Defend the outpost as you see fit! Slipstream, continue as you will.// He fires on the Autobot tactician with his null rays, hoping to knock the slagger into stasis. Starscream picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Prowl's agility. Starscream's roll succeeds! Slipstream snorts at Skywarp's return comment, if that's how he wants to be then fine, she has better things to do than argue with the mech during battle. The minibot is pretty much toast now anyway. The hammer mech is out of sight, which means that Sunstreaker will get her attentions now as she comes at him with lasers blazing. Little did she suspect that Warpath wasn't done with her yet. Oops! Slipstream picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Sunstreaker's agility. Slipstream's roll fails! "You got it, boss!" Skywarp banks sharply and fires at the black and whtie Autobot that just showed up on the roof! Skywarp picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Prowl's agility. Skywarp's roll fails! Megatron chuckles as Optimus's shot goes wide. He watches his enemy stagger back and fires again. Perhaps if he gets enough hits in, he too can turn his attentions to the many enemies outside... Megatron picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(his dexterity) against Optimus Prime's agility. Megatron's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! SLipstream's shot missed him by an inch and Sunstreaker ducked behind a raise of the terrain close to the gates. He looked up at the sfemme with a snarl and sadistic glint in his optics. "Take it up your tailpipes, Femme!" And he shot at her, wishing she or any seeker would come lower so he can jump on them like they deserve. Sunstreaker picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(its dexterity) against Slipstream's agility. Sunstreaker's roll fails! Optimus Prime staggers backwards as Megatron lands another shot to his chassis. He glances upwards- Prowl has safely made it to the roof, and Hammerstrike is dealing with the remaining Decepticon inside of the outpost - the damages they are taking are too much, though- Warpath is nearly down, and he is not in pristine shape himself. "Autobots, prepare to fall back on Prowl's mark. Warpath, prepare an incindiary round to destroy the outpost." He fires another shot at Megatron and ducks further behind the wall. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(its dexterity) against Megatron's agility. Optimus Prime's roll fails! Shark knew that eventally the scarred femme seeker would come after him, it was only a matter of time really. His shot misses it's mark and the femme's shot impacts in his back. He grits his sharp teeth together and shouts up, "How about I take you apart first scarface!" Oh yeah, he so went /there/! His target though remains the guns upon the outpost, they need to be gone. Shark picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Calliope's agility. Shark's roll succeeds! Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 4! Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 6! The gun swivels again and fire at Prowl! Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Prowl's agility. Calliope's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! Nova Black's engines roar as she comes in for another pass at Shark. "Scarface?" she snarls, almost wanting to transform and come at him with her daggers so that he can see what he's insulted. But she tried that once before and ended up getting stepped on for her trouble. "You think I'm ashamed of myself, is that it? Pathetic vermin. You're the one who should be ashamed..." She streaks downward toward him, lasers blazing. Nova Black picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Shark's agility. Nova Black's roll succeeds! Prowl jerks back when the null-ray hits him, grimacing at the momentary system glitches the shot causes, though the impact actually causes Skywarp's blasts to miss. His battle computer takes a moment to reboot after the unpleasant shock, and he isn't fond of how the odds look. Then the guns go off again, and he's close enough that it rips one of his doorwings almost clean off. The pain is an even bigger shock to his system, but aside from the flinch he manages to stifle his reaction. "Unfortunately, there are times where I must sink all the way to your level, Starscream." He responds, tone calm and mild as he can keep it. //Autobots, clear the outpost immediately.// He adds to Prime's order, raising his rifle and taking a quick shot at Starscream before dropping back through the hole. As soon as he hits the ground- jarring his already strained systems- he transforms, gunning it out of and away from the building. Prowl picks up the dicebag and rolls his dexterity against Starscream's agility. Prowl's roll succeeds! The warning does not go unnoticed as Hammerstrike misses yet again. He straps his hammer back on his back and fires a warning shot at the Decepticon to rattle them, and then speedily races for the exit. Starscream winces at Prowl's shot, as it scored his chassis in a left to right pattern. The coward had dipped back down into the access hatch after the guns had nearly remodeled a doorwing, though. Starscream snarls in pain and annoyance- his leg won't support his weight for walking, but he can still fly. Swooping around to circle toward the front if the building, he spies Optimus Prime sporting several fusion burns. Cycling up his null rays once more, he fires upon the Autobot leader, thinking of the gloating he could do over Megatron if he actually dropped the mech. Starscream picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Optimus Prime's agility. Starscream's roll fails! Slipstream isn't going to let the front liner tag her again so just barely evades his shot. "How about you take my lance square in the chest instead?!" she shouts in askance back at him. Coming around, she comes in lower still, her lance aimed at the yellow mech. She transforms about a half mile out, lance appearing in her hand. This is going to hurt.. if she hits him that is... Slipstream picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her strength) against Sunstreaker's agility. Slipstream's roll succeeds! Skywarp fires off a round at the orange autoslag as he heads out of the building Skywarp picks up the dicebag and rolls his dexterity against Hammerstrike's agility. Skywarp's roll succeeds! "Decepticons!" Megatron calls, watching several Autobots speed for the exit. "They're falling back!" He smirks evilly, his optics flashing, as he looks over at the blackened hole he's left in Optimus. "That should teach you to try to take what isn't yours," he snarls at the Autobots as he takes aim for Prowl, hoping to spread the pain around as his enemies leave. Megatron picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(his dexterity) against Prowl's agility. Megatron's roll fails! Sludge pauses as he hears the command. He growls upsettedly, but starts to back up slowly. Being unable to hit Skywarp, he focuses instead on one of the others - bright silver and red catch his optics "Hey you! Stop picking on me Sludges' friend Prowl!" he bellows instead, somewhat frustrated at being somewhat ignored as he pulls the trigger,s ending up a blast of power towards the Decepticon. He glances about, ensuring everyone else was still able to fall back "HEy Warpath! You need help falling back? "he shouts over. Sludge picks up the dicebag and rolls his dexterity against Starscream's agility. Sludge's roll fails! Sunstreaker hears Prime's call for a retreat and growl in anger. But he wasn't going to leave without leaving the femme a little something. "Eat this, Slips!" Sunstreaker picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(its strength) against Slipstream's agility. Sunstreaker's roll succeeds! Optimus Prime pauses at the edge of the gate to make sure that everyone is retreating in an orderly fashion, and takes one last shot at Megatron as he retreats down the hill. Optimus Prime picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(its dexterity) against Megatron's agility. Optimus Prime's roll succeeds! Shark takes the shot from the femme and forces a smirk, "Typical Con, thinking you know what your enemy intents like they were your own." upon the orders from the Prime and the SIC, he moves to go assist Warpath since he's the worst injured. "Time to hit the road, we did what we came to do." he notes to the minibot. Calliope picks up the dicebag and takes out a D7. Calliope rolls a 7! The remaining gun on the building fires at Sludge! Calliope picks up the dicebag and rolls her dexterity against Sludge's agility. Calliope's roll fails! "Thinking what? I'm thinkin' I owe you -- for the last time we met and for the insults." She fires a last shot at Shark's retreating form. Nova Black picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(her dexterity) against Shark's agility. Nova Black's roll succeeds! If they can't have it, no one can, huh? Works for him. //You got BOOM it, boss!// Warpath responds over the comm, turning his focus to the outpost. Shuffling through his subspace, he chuckles darkly to himself as he loads one of his explosive rounds in preparation. "I can make it out of here just fine!" He yells back at both Sludge and Shark, just waiting for the right moment... As soon as he's (pretty) sure all the Autobots have cleared the area, he fires the shell, actually knocking himself off balance and flat on his back from the force. "...might WHAMMO need that help after KAZOWY all." He calls out, this time sounding much less coherent as he stares at the sky and tries to remember how to move. Oooh, that hurt... Warpath picks up the dicebag and rolls 2+(his dexterity) against Calliope's agility. Warpath's roll succeeds! Prowl somehow manages to avoid Megatron's shot, swerving out of the way and nearly fishtailing into some nearby debris. Murmuring a quiet curse to himself, he manages to right his course, gunning his engines yet again to pull away from the battlefield. //Autobots, assist those injured and evacuate the area immediately.// He orders, managing to keep most, but not all, of his pain out of his voice. There is a seering pain as Hammerstrike receives a blast to the shoulder, but it quickly falls off his sensors as the damage to his head takes precedence. The hit barely causes the mech to stagger. Unfortunately, not having a vehiclular mode faster than his robot form, he doesn't have much chance to clear the proximity of the outpost. As it is destroyed by Warpath's missile, flying debris and shrapnel imbed themselves in Hammerstrikes back, causing him to stumble forward somewhat, lurching forward. Before he can catch himself, Hammerstrike is tumbling heave of feet down the steep incline along the side of the mountain at an alarming speed, until he crumples into a pile at the base. Still, the mech gets shakily to his feet, stained, dented, and leaking. Hammerstrike procedes to hobble the rest of his retreat. Starscream hears the boom of Warpath's cannon striking the building instead of a mech. "Slag. They're bringing it down! //Seekers, fall back! It's about to explode!// he comms, transforming with a hiss of pain and flying at top speed out of probable blast radius. His processor seethed. On open comm, he snarls, //You lying Autoglitches! You'll pay for this!// Slipstream got the contact with her lance all right, but that opened her up for that attack from the front liner. She got her point across though and transformed back to jet form, lance back in place upon her nosecone. She circles around to rejoin the other seekers. Skywarp falls in off Starscream's wing with a parting strafing run at the Autobots on the field in front of the outpost, aiming for the big obnoxious one (again). Skywarp picks up the dicebag and rolls 1+(his dexterity) against Sludge's agility. Skywarp's roll succeeds CRITICALLY! Megatron sees Warpath's missile streak toward the outpost and flies away from it as quickly as he can -- not as quickly as Starscream and the others, but quickly enough. "So is that how it works, Prime?" he snarls. "The energon belongs to everyone or no one? You will pay for destroying Decepticon resources!" He scans the area for those Autobots who have not left yet and fires at the largest of them. Megatron picks up the dicebag and rolls 3+(his dexterity) against Sludge's agility. Megatron's roll succeeds! Sludge had turned his attention foolishly away from the Decepticons. His blue optics flickered as he saw Hammerstrike crumpling, and the huge mech lowered his sword. "Hey! Get up!" he shouts, turning to thump that was as fast as possible. And then Megatrons' cannon blast slams into his shoulder. IT was enogh that the Dinobot cried out in pain, staggering sideways as he dropped to a knee. Armour smoking from a dozen places, he blinked a few times, before giving himself a mighty shake. With a snarl, and a groan of snapping metal and complaining joints, his form bulks out - elongating and enlarging in all directions before his monstrous form emerged. Eye-lamps blinking on, he swings his neck towards Hammerstrike, grasping one arm gently in his teeth to pick him up. Then four legs start to churn up the ground as he starts to retreat more quickly towards the way they had come, knees and elbows working the soil for every meter possible. He shouts something again, but with a mouth full of Hammerstrike, whatever he said is known only to himself. Optimus Prime stops long enough to assist Warpath to his feet as the enormous cloud of smoke and dust bursts forth from the outpost. "Can you transform?" He asks the smaller Bot. Shark shrugs his shoulders a bit. "You attacked /me/ first makada!" he shouts after Nova Black, shaking a fist at her then backing away quickly from the building because things are looking mighty sketchy. Besides they were just told to get out of here. He's not going to ignore that direct order! Warpath winds up using Prime for support, still unsure about how well his leg would support him. He looks at where the outpost was, staring for a few moments before he just breaks out laughing. Still laughing, he nods in response to Prime's question, swaying a bit when he lets go of the much larger mech so he can transform. Nothing sits quite right when he does, given the areas that were damaged, but he manages to start moving under his own power, continuing to laugh to himself. Nova Black chuckles as Shark speeds away. She'd aim another parting shot at him, but right now she's focused on getting high enough into the air that the concussive blast doesn't do any damage she'd rather avoid.
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