| abstract | - 7/12/2011 05:00 PM Image:Doac jpg.JPG Nova Black is sitting on her berth, relaxing, when she sees a small form enter. Her optics widen in surprise; if she hadn't seen the small one pad in, she would never have heard it. She looks down at the small mecha-fox, her wings twitching curiously. "Hey -- you're the one who was getting upgraded when I dragged Skywarp in for repairs after our sparring match, aren't you?" Shadow inclines her head toward Nova Black, and gives her a nod, before padding closer to her, stopping a comfortable conversational distance away. "My name is Shadow," she informs. Slipstream comes in after a patrol route, her optics are a bit dim, her wings seem to be physically drooping, oh and her steps are a bit sluggish. Ah the curse of energon punishment. She makes a bee line for the energon dispenser and gets her 'reduced ration'. A slight frown dips her lips and she vents softly, then takes a slow sip from the cube. Nova Black turns toward Slipstream, frowning in sympathy. Reduced rations have never made all that much sense to her. They might keep someone from fighting at her best. She waves hello to the other Seeker and then turns back to Shadow. "I'm Nova Black. How are those new paws working out for ya? I haven't really seen much like that before. Not until I got here, anyway." Shadow briefly turns her head to observe Slipstream's entrance. "They function smoothly," she replies. "Do you mean that you haven't observed quadrupedal robots before?" Slipstream offers a nod toward Nova Black and walks slowly toward the two as she takes another sip of her ration. Once she is near she leans against the wall that surrounds Nova's berthing area. Nova Black says, "Not up close, no. Knew they existed, of course, but never saw one with my own optics. Met a few 'Cons with segmented limbs, and a few of the repair drones had lots of 'em... but a form like yours, no, I haven't seen." She tilts her head to one side, studying Shadow. "Seems like you can move pretty quietly. Bet that's handy." She looks over at Slipstream again, her engine revving in concern. "You okay there, Slippy?"" "Indeed," Shadow confirms. She sits, and inclines her head to look up at Slipstream again, optics dimming slightly. Slipstream smiles weakly, "A little tire is all. Low energon levels from air patrols. I'll be fine once I get my ration in me." she replies, then looks to Shadow, "I've seen a few animal types. Not as small as you though." she points out. "Not that size matters." Nova Black nods to Slipstream, somewhat relieved. She wouldn't dare sneak the other Seeker more energon -- not until she knew she could get away with it, anyway -- but she wouldn't much like watching her new ally half-starve, either. "Oh, I knew one little 'Con who was probably even scarier because he was tiny. Medic. The one I was talking about before, with all the -- I guess they were legs. Sharpened so they could inject stuff. Good stuff if he liked you. Bad stuff if he didn't." She chuckles, remembering. "He took down a 'Bot by himself once. I wasn't there to see it, but I'd bet you two cubes that's how he did it." "Until recently, I was about the same size as either of you," Shadow says. "But I wanted to transfer into espionage and reasoned that being smaller would give me a significant advantage when carrying out my operations." Slipstream takes another slow slip of her ration, listening to Nova Black with a hint of a smile upon her lips. "Sounds like a medic I'd rather be on the good side of than the bad side. But then I haven't really miffed off a medic outside of one that's no longer going to be bothering anyone for awhile. Rob's determined to find out if the mech actually got his mental evaluation done." she comments. A nod given toward Shadow, "Different perspective from there isn't it? But I bet you can squeeze into better hiding spots." Nova Black nods. "Yeah, espionage -- heh. I could never do that kind of thing. I mean I'm --" her vocalizer hitches "-- I can hide, if I absolutely have to." Her optics blaze bright, determined crimson. "But I'm done with that. There's no sense hiding when you can fight." Then she smirks. "Dare I ask who that was, Slippy? Or is that somethin' else better left dead and buried?" "It takes some getting used to," Shadow admits. "Everyone looks like a guardian-class robot to me now. But I'm quite agile, and can hide practically anywhere, and slip into places undetected." Slipstream replies to Nova Black, "If you wish, look up the name Psykeout. Ask Shred about him sometime. Mech loved to mess with your neural net both literally and physically, even both if he could pull it off without raising suspicion. Certainly not a mech you'd want near your spark either." she does a full body shiver, "Shred's lucky Rob was around, and that's all I'll say about that." A smile toward Shadow, "Would be good to have someone in hiding during battles, telling us where the enemies are hunkered." Nova Black's faceplates twist into a black mask of disgust. "Think you told me quite enough right there. This little guy wasn't bad to anyone unless he had reason to be -- I could tell you why he got me, if you want a story sometime. But once all that was over, he fixed me up nicely a few times. Even gave me an upgrade." She grins. "Though here in Polyhex, that upgrade would probably amount to 'she's not falling apart.'" "I don't require as much energon as before, either," Shadow comments. "And yes, I could probably help coordinate battlefield operations that way." Slipstream nods toward Nova and says, "I sympathize with that situation. However, I am sure you will find being here better than where you were before. To be honest I think Shred and Rob are wonderful medics. I trust them both with my life." a grin to Shadow, "Shall hold you to that." Nova Black also grins, her optics gleaming again. "You find the vermin for us, we flush 'em out? Sounds good to me." "I'll see what I can do," Shadow promises. Slipstream finishes off her ration and straightens up, her wings perking up now. "Feeling better already." she reports. Nova Black smiles at her comrade. "Good to see it." Slipstream crouches down and looks at Shadow more closely, "So how many have tried to pet you?" she asks curiously, then a glance at Nova, "Say Nova, we should spar sometime." Nova Black's engines rev in noisy amusement in response to Slipstream's question. Then she smirks. "You're on, Slippy. Just tell me when." Shadow regards Slipstream oddly, unsure how to take that question. "None have attempted it. I did not have much use for this mode previously, and I haven't spent much time in Polyhex since being shrunk." Slipstream notes to Nova, "Maybe after I've had a decent recharge. We can practice some hand and foot combat." then to Shadow she says, "Well watch out for it. Knowing the mechs around here there may just be an attempt." Nova Black smirks. "Wouldn't be surprised if Skywarp tried it." She turns to Slipstream. "And you -- yeah, get your beauty rest first." She twitches her wings in playful challenge. "You'll need it." "I'll keep that in mind," Shadow says as she stands. "Excuse me, I have some things to attend to," she says as she begins moving away. Slipstream looks up at Nova and comments, "Oh I wouldn't call myself beautiful. But warning taken. I'll be sure to think up some interesting moves to try on you." she slowly gets up out of her crouch now, "Talk to you later." is offered after the small femme. Nova Black waves to the mecha-fox. "Later, Shadow. Good to properly meet you, and nice talkin' with you, too." Shadow gives her tail a twitch in response to the Seekers before turning a corner and disappearing from view. Slipstream watches Shadow leave and hmms, "Okay that was spooky how she vanished like that. No wonder she shifted to espionage." Nova Black revs her engines in agreement. "The quiet ones can be creepy like that. Not a problem, though, if they're on your side." Slipstream mms softly then intones, "I agree." a slight shift of her wings, "So where is your constant companion huh?" she asks with a slight smirk. Nova Black says, "Maybe he fragged off and got bored." She snickers. "I should be so lucky..."" Slipstream snickers too, "Maybe he fragged one of Robs' medical drones and Shred caught him." Nova Black winces. "Okay, that's just plain disturbing." Slipstream smiles broadly, "On no, that isn't disturbing at all. Now seeing a bunch of partially eaten Cybertronians hanging from the old radio tower.. THAT was disturbing." Nova Black shudders. "Partially... eaten? Dare I ask by what?" You say, "Would you believe a neutral that Megatron tried to lure to join us? Had a beast form."" Nova Black's optics widen. "And this Neutral managed to.... *eat* a bunch of 'Cons?" Slipstream shakes her head, "Luckily no. Did eat some neutrals though." she replies, "She scampered off not long before..." she drifts off and frowns, ".. that green cowardly grounder." Nova Black's mouth plates twist into a scowl. "Same coward you told me about the other night?" Slipstream says, "Yes. I sort of think perhaps those two scarpered off together along with his twin sister. She disappeared around the same time. No sign of them on planet. Figured they found some neutral and left the planet, paid the pilot off to keep their names off the passenger list." Nova Black is silent a long moment. "You know why the bastards ran? Not that you have to tell me, even if you do know..." Slipstream rolls her shoulders, "I guess because they could. He and I shared a spark bond, I knew how he felt about being back here and what secrets he would share with me. He wasn't a power hungry Con. In a way, I really don't think he was ever suited to be one in the first place." Nova Black’s optics widen. "A spark bond? You must have been really into this mech." She whistles, then fixes her friend with an unflinching crimson stare. "And I don't know him. But I can tell you one thing. We're meant to be what we're meant to be. If he wasn't meant to be a 'Con, then he was gonna run, and that's that." She clicks her wings for emphasis. Slipstream nods, "I was for a short time, yes. Hard to explain why. We are no longer bonded though. I've been slowly healing from the separation, which is why I don't really want to be with anyone right now... also why I am not exactly eager to pick out trine mates." a pause, "Unfortunately though that little smegger polluted me with his ideals and sometimes I question myself." Nova Black nods. "I can understand that, not wantin' to be with anyone. Not sure I do, either. But as for you... sounds like you need some time to figure out who *you* are, without anybody or anything else." She pauses, then adds, "I've been there." Slipstream considers this point and murmurs, "I suppose you are right. I thought I knew myself, then he came into my life and tossed everything into chaos. He got in trouble with Megatron several times. Once I thought for sure the Emperor was going to shoot him dead. At the time we were bonded, I don't think you want to know what happens to the living bond mate." she shivers at the thought. A pause, peering at you intently, "Got a broken spark too huh?" Nova Black resets her optics. "No, no. Nothing like that. Can't say I've ever given my spark to anyone, though maybe, if I hadn't been called here..." She shakes her head. "Not worth thinkin' about now, though." Slipstream hmms, "Okay so how do you relate, if you don't mind sharing?" Nova Black smirks. "So I guess we are trading secrets, then." She quiets, considering. "Well, let me start at the beginning. I'm sure you've noticed I --" her mouth plate quirks into a deeper smile -- "get myself into deep slag sometimes?" Slipstream smiles a hint back, "Well, with a certain mech. Oh yes I noticed that." Nova Black shakes her head. "Still think I'm obsessed with 'Warp, don't you?" She huffs, expelling air noisily from her vents. Slipstream says, "More like him obsessed with you. I know the type. How do you think I got bonded? The slagger kept annoying me." Nova Black breaks into a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind." She thinks a moment and continues. "But it wasn't like that at all. It was my old unit -- I hated the mech who led it. Lazy slagger, hogging all the energon and not doing much else. And I hated one of the others even worse. Ugly red cone head, always sucking up, listening to us, reporting any time we dared complain. He and I got into a brawl one day." She looks down at her hands. "I swear I -- I just meant to rough him up a little. Just -- just show him I was tired of him makin' the rest of us look bad." Slipstream shifts on her feet slightly and then sits down on the berth opposite you, she doesn't interrupt you as she listens. A soft hmm given, then a nod to you to continue. Nova Black says, "Yep. Before I knew it I --" she transforms her hand and stares wordlessly at the purple, glowing dagger it has shifted to become. "Anyway. That might not have been so bad. Nobody liked him. But some 'Cons didn't like me, and they made a thing out of it. Rushed me." Her engine stalls and she looks down, frowning. "What could I do? I can fight. I can't fight all the 'Cons in the whole damn bar when some devious little slagger is goin' on about how they'd better take me apart for good. I turned to the ones who did, and they -- well -- they turned away. Wouldn't attack me, but wouldn't defend me, either. So..." her vocalizer dissolves into crackling static. "I ran -- flew -- whatever."" Nova Black says, "I hid. Little Neutral settlement out in the middle of no place nearby that my old commander wasn't bothering to blow up because he figured he could threaten 'em into paying him an energon tax instead. Back then I -- I'd nicked a signal dampener and bought an electronic paint job with what little credits I had. It covered my insignia and changed my color, but it couldn't change my optics. And not every 'Con's optics are red, but if yours are..." She shook her head. "I had to do something, so I found some yellow ones and... She holds up a hand, fitting her fingers perfectly to the scars circling her optics. "Not a medic. Did it by hand. Didn't -- didn't think I'd ever be able to come back -- come home." Slipstream puts a hand out, placing it on top of the forearm from whence the dagger sprang. "We all make mistakes we regret in reflection Nova. Sometimes though idiots have to be dealt with and the choices can be few. In the rush of anger, that choice is the one you took." her fingers squeeze lightly upon your forearm, "You came back to the Empire, despite what happened. That is what matters now. You didn't run and stay hidden forever. You could have, and personally I would not have blamed you." she glances at your optics a moment, "Color of one's optics does not make a Con, Nova. Look at mine, they are not red." Nova Black lowers her hands. Her optics stare ahead, dim and unfocused. She hears Slipstream's voice and listens, more for the sound than for the words, until they begin to sort themselves into meaning. Then her optics flare brightly and she smiles. "I -- yeah -- Thank you." Slipstream retracts her hand slowly, and nods, "Just don't go back there, and hope none of them come back to Cybertron and are able to recognize you." she states truthfully, "If they do, then you'll need friends to back you up. I'd like to consider myself one to you." Nova Black smiles. "Well, you don't know the whole story. I actually did go back -- I found some evidence of Autobot activity that would have been damning if Lazy had ignored it, and managed to force him to let me back in. And some of my old friends realized they shouldn't have turned their backs on me. But I understand what you mean -- and again, thank you." She smiles. "I'm glad you have my back. And I've got yours, if Greenie ever shows up again." Slipstream looks at you a long moment, then says, "Got some titanium torsion bars to go back." then a chuckle, "Eh he's a softie, you'd win him over just with a smile and then just stab in him the spark." Nova Black grins. "Sounds fun. Let me know if you ever see him again so I can take care of that for ya." She gazes thoughtfully at Slipstream again. "But my point in telling you all this is -- sometimes slag happens, and in the face of it you've got to figure out who you are. It strips away everything else. Where you were built. Who you were with. What you expect. And the only thing that's left for you to do is look in your *own* spark -- the part of it that's yours and no one else's -- and find what's there and live it." Slipstream says, "You have a deal Nova." then she pauses and inclines her head, "I'm doing the best I can. I'm young yet, there's much to know and do. For now, I am refocused upon my goals. I want to climb the rank and order, perhaps be considered the best femme seeker commander this army has ever seen."" Nova Black smiles, clicking her wings in an encouraging gesture. "Go get 'em." Slipstream smiles back. "I will. Just watch me." a glance over at the others in the barracks, "For now, got to get in the Emperors good graces again." Nova Black snorts. "Hopefully he'll have better things to do than worry about missing reports soon." Slipstream considers, "That's true. We must do well at our next raid. Got to bring some energon back. Got to send some Bots home without parts." Nova Black flares her optics again. "Oh, I'm all for that. But we really oughta rest up now, if we want to be in tiptop shape then. Slipstream stands up from your berth, "Indeed. I'll leave you to your recharge Nova. I'm going to get one in too." Nova Black says, "All right then. Have a good one. And don't bother dreamin' about green cowards." Slipstream says, "Oh I won't."
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