| abstract | - Trifid Nebula The Trifid nebula is a particularly beautiful stellar factory that glows with the blue light of scattered starlight, as well as the red light of hydrogen emission as it generates more and more new stars. The blue haze surrounds the red in a lovely display, each color distinct from the other. THEN Bumblebee, along with Fanfare and Warpath, patiently awaited the emissary of Relaxia to meet them on Monacus. Not only was this their delayed appointment for material acquistion, but supposedly the envoy had a very important warning to give them. Problem being, the emissary and his craft never showed. NOW Halfway around the galaxy, the Autobots still patiently wait inside the hull of the 'Gold Xaaron'. Bumblebee is currently playing a game of cards with some of the other bored occupants. Still three clicks off of Relaxia, any of their hails have yet to be returned with any measure of success. "It's as if the universe just up and swallowed the planet." one of the communication officers explain, before going back to his duties. "Do you think they're BLAM, screening their calls?" Warpath wonders. He relaxes against the back of the chair he's sitting in. "Seems awfully strange that they'd ZOOM, not be answering. Think it could be a trap?" Pondering his cards, he picks one off the top of the pile and throws another one away. "If so, WArpath, they'd now tae answer us, as we're supposed tae be meeting them." remarks Fanfare as he sits nearby, listening to music idly one leg jiggling up and down. "Ets' nae good when someone goes quiet all like that." "As Mainframe just said, we can't even get a proper fix on the planet itself.. let alone someone to ignore us." Bumblebee explains to his fellow mini-bot, taking Warpath's discarded card and exchanging it for one of his own. "Would ya look at that, rummy!" ole Hornhead laughs, laying his cards down at the table. Three of the other card players level him with apathetic glares, speaking in unison. "The game is called Blackjack." Casually tossing his cards to the tabletop, Bumblebee steps up from the make-shift ammo crate they'd used as a table. "Aww, nevermind. I still woulda won!" Meandering over towards a port hole view screen, the yellow minibot blankly stares out at the black expanse. "You know, you never really realize just how empty space is.. until it's staring you right back in the optics." Okay, lets be truthful here... No one really cares about the Relaxians themselves. But even amongst backwater corners of space an entire planet doesn't just go quiet without people noticing. Especially when your faction has some of the proverbial biggest audials in the universe. The point is, entire populations don't just go quiet, unless there's either Unicron or some sort of epic super weapon involved, which DOES have it's potentials. No, Decepticons don't really celebrate 'christmas'... but the gift of a new weapon would certainly sooth Galvatron's irrate core!... when he's found again. But there's only one little one-mech shuttle heading for Relaxia's coordinates though. Oh no. There would be no having to share the glory this time! No getting overlooked because some big green lugs with better known names sweep in at the last moment to steal it for themselves! Carjack was going to find that weapon of whatever mass genocide and get all the credit for himself for once! Though at the moment he's sitting a cramped tiny cabin grumbling about the accomidations as he flicks through the auto-pilot's charts to make sure it's actually going the right way. A visored valkyrie helm comes to view beyond the porthole before 'Bee. Autobot radios crackle. "<>" Fanfare nearly falls out of his chair in surprise, causing a deck-shivering THUD. "Yeah, I thought we were playing Rummy," Warpath says, "Why else is there a BLAM, pile and discard pile?" Arms swiveling around in small semi-circles, Bumblebee slowly falls back from the viewscreen.. startled by Jetfire's abrupt entrance. "SPACE GREMLINS!" he shouts in a fury, falling on his back. Craning his neck to look back out the view screen, between a crack in his fingertips.. the minibot sighs when it's just Jetfire. "For crying out loud, you could have given me a system seizure with that stunt!" Carjack looks to the star-map, up to the viewport, and back to the star-map again. Turns it upside down... and realizes there's oil and energon stains on it. "Oh slag and a half!" He crumples it up and throws it to the back of the cockpit.. only to have it bounce off the wall and hit the back of his head due to the small space. "Last time I buy an emergency map from Swindle!" Huffing he leans forward to peer out of the viewport again. "It should be around here somewhere, shouldn't it?"-Don't ask me, I'm just the auto-pilot- "That was a rhetorical question, it doesn't need an answer!" -Then why ask it?-"Just shut up and fly the ship!" Slumps back in his cramped seat, folding his arms and sulking. "I did this alone to get away from the glory hogging rest of Engineering, I don't need a smart ass computer crossing my wires instead!" Jetfire taps the side of his valkyrie helm. "<>" The scientist backs away from the viewport, he can be seen fully clad in his more wholistic armor set. "<>" Fanfare sits up carefully and picks himself up off the floor, cherrry-red armor glistening still "He gave ME a minor seizure." he rumbles to Bumblebee as the music shuts off. He then peers out the window at Jetfire, waving to him. Jetfire waves to Fanfare from outside. "Oh, them.. uhh I withdrew. So since I did, probably Rotorbolt there." Bumblebee replies to Jetfire, leaning up against the bulkhead. From the forward cabin, the pilot comes on over the PA system. <> And before the pilot can finish his sentence, the cabin lights dim and a screen plops down from the ceiling. On which is displayed a tiny insignificant dot, a couple of zooms later.. revealing Relaxia. Or what's left of it, actually. The planet looks more like a piece of swiss cheese, than it does a rotund beauty of sustenence. Entire portions of the rock have been torn away, pieces of it circling around the planet in orbit. What appears to be actual bites out of the surface are revealed upon further magnification. Fanfare says, "... Ach." "WHOA!" Warpath exclaims, "Did someone build a ZOOM, giant Death Crystal Cannon and let loose on there? Because that's what it POW, looks like! Either that or one of those flying scorpion things had a snack!" Jetfire transforms and follows their ship parallel. "That's not good -- we must investigate this immediately!" And with that, thrusters activate and Jetfire blasts ahead of the group, ever so zealous, to find the answers to his questions. Jetfire transforms into Space Fighter mode. "What in the?" Bumblebee gasps, staring blankly at the viewscreen in front of them. Never has he seen such.. desolation, as he did inside of Unicron. Shaking the thought from his mind, the minibot marches up towards the front cabin and opens the door. "We're going in.. pronto!" -Arriving at Relaxia coordinates now.- Carjack pauses, then leans forward to press against the viewport again, optics narrowing in a squint. Then looks back over his shoulder... well more around his shoulder with the way they're constructed. "Are you sure? I don't see a thing!" If a computer could sigh, the auto-pilot would. -You are looking out the wrong side.- "... I knew that!" Carjack shifts to lean towards the opposite viewport. "It was just testing your spacial recognitio -- By Straxus! Something tore this beatnik place up but good!" He plops back into his chair, rubbing his hands together greedly. "A weapon that can do that much damage to a planet will win me some of Galvatron's fickle graces for sure." He punchs a couple of control. "Computer, land down there, pronto!" -Warning, other craft detected in the orbital vicin-- "I DONT CARE!" Carjack cuts the computer off. "Land, now, before I rewire you into a toaster oven and sell you to Pipes!" -.... Very well. Initiating landing trajectory- The little shuttle zips down towards the battered planet, unaware of the Autobots lurking nearby due to its pilot's impatience. "I hope that whatever it is, BOOM, blows up real good!" Warpath says, "I feel like beating up a Decepticon. Or whatever the BLAM, bad guy is!" He puts his cards down and gets out of his chair. "So I'm POW, ready!" As piloted, the 'Gold Xaaron' swoops into the orbit after Jetfire.. it's exterior heating up to a molten bright red before cooling down in the atmosphere a bit. Without much choice as to where to land, systems are pinging with structural alerts around every bend, when they finally do find a suitable locale to sit.. the craft eases to the surface, though it lands with a loud
* THHHRUNK*!! "We'll sit tight here and keep runing diagnostics, although I've never seen anything like it." Corsair, their pilot, remarks to Bumblebee. The minibot acknowledges with a nod, then moves for the bay door. "Saddle up Autobots!" Warpath says, "Yippee POW kayay!"" Jetfire transforms into Robot mode. Fanfare stands carefully, gripping a seat as he moves towards the door "Did ye want tae flie overhead before goin on land Bumblebee? " asks Fanfare as he focuses on the smaller one "That way ye wont fall through..." Jetfire stands outside awaiting his peers. He pounds at the bay doors to give the all clear. Awaiting for the bay doors of the shuttle to open, he looks about the immediate proximity through binoculars viewing the greater distances beyond the limits of his optical receptors. The doors on the craft open up, extending a tiny ramp to the planet's surface. "Thanks for the notice, Jetfire. Did you catch anything from the skies?" Bumblebee asks, strutting down the ramp. Motioning for the others to follow, the minibot opens up a broadband frequency with the shuttle. <> Bumblebee informs them, trying to keep a straight face. As if that'd work on him. "No, I think we should stick together for now.. the crew will be running enough tests. I think a hands-on approach will suit us better." Fanfare pauses at Bumblebee, frowning in confusion "Errr, but if we're all inside oh me while ah carrie ye... we would be together." he notes, confused by what Bumblebee meant. STay inside, stick together, go out. What? "Awww, 'don't be a hero'? Way to be BLAM, Captain Bringdown," Warpath says, "Well, I guess when we're out in the middle of nowhere we have to be ZIP, more careful." Jetfire shakes his head. "Nothing unusual other than the obvious." He drops his binocs from his face. "I concur, staying as a unit would be wise if there is danger to be had." Carjack finds out the hard way that preprogrammed auto-pilots don't do well with heavily damaged terrain since they can't be reprogrammed on the fly. The one-mech shuttle thumps across the ravaged ground and wedging partway over the edge of one of the craters when it finally stops. Carjack punchs the controls to open the hatch and stumbles out, trying to get his bearings. "I AM NEVER COMPLAINING ABOUT ASTROTRAIN'S FLYING AGAIN!" Rubs his faceplate a few times with his hands, then brushes off his chestplate and recomposes himself. "Okay, back to business." Flips the visor to his helmet down over his optics, bringing its HUD on-line and assorted readings squiggle about the edges of his vision.... most of them useless since it's a medical scanner mainly. "Oh bother..." Guess he'll have to do some legwork. Literally as he starts walking around the edge of the crater. "Right." Bumblebee replies to Jetfire, shooting Fanfare a grin. "Don't worry Fanny, if things get thick.. you'll be flyin' us out of the hotzone!" Fanfare blinks "Fanny? ' he asks skeptically, but smiles as he steps out after Bumblebee and Warpath "Sounds good tae me sir!" he stares around outside. SEeing it not through charred windows was something else. "... Ach." Jetfire nods to Bumblebee. He'll be taking this adventure on foot with his fellows. The Autobot scientist points a strange looking datapad before him as they progress onward. "Yeah, if we stick together, we can BLAM, keep the nasties from sneaking up on us!" Warpath remarks. He follows Bumblebee and Jetfire. "With the place being so blown up, do you think the materials are still ZOWIE, here?" As shown from above on the cabin's viewscreen, Relaxia's surface is a roughshod of craters and smoldering wreckage. Metal I-Beams are half digested, bent this way and that.. littering the landscape. The planet itself, made up of strong metals like Polydurabilt and Thermacriontite, has literal chunks taken out of it.. in what appears to be mouthfuls. Fanfare rubs his bare head as he stands behind the other two. "... Ah dun ken if ah want tae meet what monster et THIS..." he comments aloud "Ach." as he carefully steps foot on the ground "Would tha ground be compromised ye think?" Jetfire blinks as he drinks the scenes of devastation in. "What could have done this!?" Jetfire seems quite perplexed, he gets this way when he has not a lead or a clue. "We must get to the truth in order to keep some other planet from suffering a similar fate." Carjack pauses to inspect some of the wreckage. Structural damage, now this was something he could relate to. "Whoever or whatever did this, they were -thorough-." Shoves some of the half-melted metal beams out of the way and climbs his way up over the pile of ruin. "From up here the craters almost look like giant bite marks in the grou--eh?" He pauses in his observation as he hears voices in the distance. "Ooo ho ho ho, prehaps there are some survivors to torture for information after all." He flips down his visor again and uses it to zoom in that direction. "Ack!" He cuts himself and ducks back down into the rubble to keep out of sight. Fortunately other than the tall shoulder units he's a small mech, and red black and white fades into the shadows decently well. "Slaggit it all to Charr," he mutters under his breath as he zooms in on the direction of the chattering. "The Autobots are already here? Must of gotten some goody-goody sob story about an entire planet going dead. Damn morals, always making people butt into things. This is why we don't have any...." "So, can anybody BOOM, scan anything? Any hostiles out there?" Warpath wonders. "Wouldn't want to ZAP, be caught by surprise!" "Easier said than done, Doc." Bumblebee sighs at Jetfire, leading the rag-tag group into the great beyond. Passing by smoldering foundation and giant craters, the Autobots can only feel an overwhelming sense of.. smallness. As described before, much like comparing yourself to Unicron. Destruction on this scale isn't easily digested. Jetfire blinks as the connections are made. "Wait..." Something returns to memory, and despite the euphoria of enlightenment, a sense of dread settles into Jetfire's expression. "Oh no..." Fanfare looks from Jetfire to Bumblebee and then back to Jetfire "Wot? Wot is it? " he asks, puzzled as he looks to Warpath, fidgeting nervously. It was too quiet for him. "Umm, Jetfire?" Bumblebee pauses, mouth agape. "Mind to share with the classroom?" Jetfire frowns. "These marks, they not unlike those left behind by..." He pauses and narrows his eyes, placing the datapad away and unslinging his rifle. "Meccanibals." Fanfare says, "ACH!" Carjack little delusional fantasy of claiming the big bad super weapon that did this damage for the Decepticons for his own glory has more or less gone up in smoke upon seeing all the Autobots lurking about. Suddenly doubting his coming alone, he hunchs down into the ruins to keep to himself. "Damn Autobots, always ruining everything--Ow!" A beam jarred loose from his climbing up and down drops on his head and then falls to the ground at his feet. "Stupid piece of debris!" He picks it up, gets up and winds his arm back to throw it... And stops as he notices something out of the corner of his optics. "Wait a click..." He lowers his arm, bringing the piece of metal up in front of him as he flips down his visor and keys up, yes, his medical scanner. "I think I reconize these bite marks..." He starts flipping through back-files of various injuries he's had to repair.... "Wait, hold on a moment. Let's not.. uhh, jump to any conclusions just yet." Bumblebee awkwardly mumbles, approaching Jetfire. In a stern, yet low voice, the minibot comes off more mature then he usually does in these cases. "Are you sure, I mean beyond a shadow of a doubt?" Fanfare keeps his optics peeled, those orange lights looking all about. He brings out his own pistol as he scowls, fidgeting anxiously in the silence. Tapping his free hand to his thigh rythmically Windshear is flying his shuttle back from some repair work on some nearby planet and of course, right as hes passing Relaxia, soemthing goes wrong and the SwindleOne falls toward the planet. Windy -- as he has so many times before, wrestles the ship down into something of a survivable landing. And then once everything comes to a stop and settles down, he runs some checks on both the shuttle and the planet. The Seeker gets up and heads out fo ths shuttle. "Ok... somewheres around here somethings going down." he rumbles to no one. I mean this is how it always works. Windshear looks at the destructon all around him and picking a random directon, starts that way. He's sure he can find some parts he needs... and some mess he knows hes about to walk into the middle of. Jetfire pauses as he levels his rifle. "As a scientist? No." The certainty in Jetfire's voice remains however. "Although I believe in a culture of evidence, the tell-tale clues are compelling and- and well..." He pauses as looks dauntingly onward. "I've a bad feeling. A very bad feeling." "Whoa, wait, Mecannibals?" Warpath says, "Does BLAM, bug spray kill them? Or Sharkticon-B-Gon? Or are we just going to have to BOOM, blow 'em away?" Fanfare responds to Warpath gravely "Aye." Carjack is busy flipping through various file images from his personal database on his HUD and super-imposing them over the bitten metal bar in his hand. "Sharkticon - no... Terrorcon - no... Predacon - no... Dinobot - Oh if only, that'd be hilarious... Repugnus - No, his beast mode doesn't even have teeth, just big pinchers... Insecticon - Wait aren't they all dead... Oh com'n on I know there's a match in here somewhe--AHA!" And promptly clamps a hand over his mouth before he yells too loudly. He's done cheering by the time he peers down at the title on the image file anyways. -Dental Profile Match -- Meccanibal- ".. oooo slag and a half..." "Well Jetfire, as much as I'd like to rely on your gut instinct.." Bumblebee trails, clenching and unclenching his small minibot fist. "It's just a, uhh.. awful big gap. Yaknow?" From the wreckage east, a small figure can be seen crawling from a hidey-hole. Fanfare peers at Bumblebee "Wot is, literally or figurratively? " he then blinks, optics flickering "'Ey! MEch aboot there!" Jetfire winces at some movement in the distance. "It's more than a gut instinct, 'Bee... it's an educated guess, hypothetical intuition if you will... along with gut instinct." His binoculars return to the level of his gaze to get a closer look at the motion beyond the wreckage. "I.. can sustain your scientist's thesis." the frail form croaks out, getting closer now. It's a Relaxian! The techno-organic being, his metal parts being eaten/torn off of course, desperately crawls his way towards the group of Autobots. Windshear comes across a pile of rubble that looks like it might have been somethign mechanical at some point and he starts rummeging through it. After a few moments and tossing parts over his shoulder/wing he had no use for he comes across something that might work to patch up yet again whatever keeps goig wrong with his shuttle. He needs a refund on the repair work he just paid for thats for sure. He lights up an enercig and continues hunting around, somewhat surprised that he hasnt run across some TF situation so far. Maybe this crash will break the 'habit' of late. Carjack looks one way, looks the other way, and stuffs the chewed up hunk of metal into his storage space. Now he's got to get out of here, get away from the Autobots, and warn the Decepticons that the metal eating aliens are on a rampage of some sort. Before they all get eaten. Eyeing the Autobots in the distance, he creeps out of the pile of rubble he was hiding in, hoping they're distracted by the sudden arrival of a wounded local. He backs up slowly... back... back... And bumps into something. Or someone. His optics widen. "AUGH!" And promptly DIVES back into the rubble without bothering to look back. Or he'd of seen it was just the Seeker dumpster diving. "Whoa, POW, that's horrible!" Warpath says, "Now what do we do?" "Emissary Incognitus!" Bumblebee yells out, latching onto Jetfire's arm. Fanfare blnks a few times, staring at the mech crawling out "ACH!" he calls out, and starts to tromp his way over to the mech, carefully watching every step his black boots take. Jetfire gasps. "Primus!" Lowering his rifle at 'Bee's proclamation, he rushes forward selflessly to aid the survivor. Windshear had stopped and was busy looking through another pile of promising rubble when something hits his back suddenly. His wings fling back instantly and he spins around to see.. "Carjack?" hes not sure but it did look like a Transformer. Tossing the bits hes got into subspace he walks over toward where the mech dived. "Indentify yourself, mech?" he rasps as he powers up his weapons. Carjack ehs? "Windshear?? What are you doing here--Oh, nevermind!" Abruptly he's on his feet again, grabbing the larger Seeker and trying to push/drag him away. "Quickly, we need to get off this wreck of a dirtball, please tell me you have a ship or something!" He pauses to glance over at the crater edge were his auto-piloted ship crashed, just in time to see it finally topple over into the big gaping hole in the planet's surface. "Oh -please- tell me you have a drekkin' ship here!" It was then that the lone survivor, or last remaining member.. however you want to view it, springs from cover to snap at the Autobots. "HEY, I'M NOT DONE PICKING HIM TO THE BONE!!" the Mecannibal shouts, displaying his ferocious set of sharp teeth. This is an adult Mecannibal, almost edlerly. You can tell from the size, a dead giveaway. Orange in complexion, four tiny skinny arms jut out on his spherical body.. tiny talons afixed to each appendage. Lone Mecannibal has arrived. Combat: Lone Mecannibal sets its defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Lone Mecannibal strikes Fanfare with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Lone Mecannibal strikes Bumblebee with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Lone Mecannibal strikes Jetfire with its Just a Nibble! Area attack! [Pulled -1] Jetfire growls at the Lone Mecannibal in mid-dash for Incognitus. "Stay away from him, fiend!" Jetfire transforms and blasts forward, thrusters full, rocketing straight for the abomination. Jetfire transforms into Space Fighter mode. Combat: Jetfire strikes Lone Mecannibal with his Kamikaze Flight (Ram) attack! Windshear suddenly finds himself dragged half off his feet and who knows where. "Calm down, Carjack." he stammers trying to get his feet back under him, "Yes I have a shuttle -- one that always crashes where Im needed it seems... why are you freaked out?" Fanfare skids to a halt. Which for a mech his size isnt all that easy, abrupt or fast. REflectively one huge white hand swings out to slap at the Mechanniball "ACH!" Combat: Fanfare strikes Lone Mecannibal with his Backhand (Punch) attack! "Oh NO! Mecannibals don't BLAM, get away with cannibalizing! Why can't your rotten kind eat nonliving machines instead? Go back to the POW, pit where you came from!" He fires a laser blast from his tank barrel at the Mecannibal. Combat: Warpath strikes Lone Mecannibal with his Laser attack! The sudden and almost unnannounced attack knocks Bumblebee backwards, left deposited on his rear end. His head thrown back, it's almost the -perfect- view to see two Decepticons discussing ship matters a ways away. Jumping to his feet, the minibot scans the lifeform for weakpoints and hails the 'Gold Xaaron'. <> Combat: Bumblebee sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Bumblebee analyzes Lone Mecannibal for weaknesses Jetfire can exploit. "Is it broke -again-? Whatever, I'll fix it! We just need to get off of this planet." And that would be when his path takes them into an open space between two piles of ruins. After glancing off to the side, Carjack stops, grabs Windshear, and turns him in the direction the giant meccanibals attacking the Autobots. Points towards the fight. "Does -that- answer your question?" Windshear's mouth drops open, "What the slag are those?" he stammers and realizes he really needs to pay better attention to his surroundings, even when he doesnt think it matter. "And why do we care that they are attacking Autobots? And what are Autobots doing here? What are you doing here for that matter?" "Hopeless.. to fight against their might." Emissary Incognitus wails, overtaken by shock and grief to see his homeworld destroyed. "Hopeless!" His blows landed, the cocky Mecannibal is not prepared for the return fire.. a backhand, laser, and uber-powerful ram attack! The trio deposits him on his backside, which is rough to determine.. given that he has a round ball for a body. Which part is exactly his backside? Leaning forward and rolling to his claws, the creature launches himself at the mini-tank. "YOU WILL NOT SATE MY HUNGER, BUT I CANNOT RESIST THAT MIGHTY FINE RED COLOR.. WHO IS YOUR STYLIST??" he laughs manically, clamping down on Warpath's front end. Combat: Lone Mecannibal misses Warpath with its Zerg Rush! attack! "It's only fighting them because it hasn't seen -us- yet, and I'd rather keep it that way! You're the flyboy that hung out with space pirates, don't you know what a Meccannibal -is-?" Carjack takes a moment to recompose himself again.... by pulling out his syringe gun and giving himself a good jab in the neck joint with it, likely with some sort of cyber-sedative. "... Okay, better." He puts it away, and gives Windshear a nudge in the other direction again. "Those things do -not- travel alone, and they eat mechs like us for a light snack! See the damage around us? -They- did that. We need to warn the Decepticons, or Cybertron might be next, after all the hard work we've gone through to WIN IT BACK FINALLY!" Well, mostly, but he's not caring about specifics at the moment. "AUCH! You leave me friends alone!" bellows the huge Fanfare as he turns to jog after the mechannibal "Warpath, hold still mate!" as he winds up for a kick "Ets' time fer a little RUGBY!" Combat: Fanfare strikes Lone Mecannibal with his *PUNT* (Kick) attack! Windshear glances at Carjack jacking himself with something and then looks back at the Mecannibal. "I have heard of them but they are only legends -- well were." he corrects himself as he watches the Autobots deal wtih this 'legend'. He looks around as hes nudged then. "WE need to get out of here. My ships not far." "Decepticons to the back of us, Jetfire!" Bumblebee calls out, focusing his attention on the Mecannibal. "Warpath, if you can manage to land a direct blow with your cryo shells.. it should sufficiently incapacitate him!" Combat: Bumblebee analyzes Lone Mecannibal for weaknesses Warpath can exploit. Carjack is all too eager to agree with that. "Yes, yes, before we're noticed. Let's go lets go lets go." Sad how this is calmer than he was just a few moments ago. "Whatever is wrong with the ship I'll fix it lets just get out of here before we become a midnight snack." "No, tank-you!" Warpath says, as he dodges the approaching fender-muncher. "I'm going to BLAMMO, freeze you in your tracks! Let's see how you like being on ice!" He lets a frosty cryo-shell fly from the tank-barrel on his chest. Combat: Warpath strikes Lone Mecannibal with his Cryo Shells attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Lone Mecannibal's Agility. (Crippled) Jetfire begins to decelerate as he blasts through the Mecannibal. "That's just great..." Transforming, he lands and produces his rifle, taking quick aim and shooting a couple of shots at the mechanical atrocity. "Warpath, watch out!" Combat: Jetfire sets his defense level to Aggressive. Jetfire transforms into Robot mode. Jetfire secretly thinks how he hates it when his instincts are right on things like this... Combat: Jetfire strikes Lone Mecannibal with his Always Right attack! Combat: Lone Mecannibal falls to the ground, unconscious. Windshear nods and then pauses, "Wait did Bumblebee just notice us? I think he did." he notices Jetfire. "Im curious just why the Autobots are here though..." he looks at the mecannibal again. "You know they really are just myths where come from in a sense." <> Corsair radios to Bumblebee. With the knowledge in mind, the tiny golden hero of the Autobots points an outstretched finger at both Carjack and Windshear's location. "You two better come forward right now, or we will treat you as hostiles. Cooperate, and you'll be treated with dignity!!" Looking to Fanfare, the minibot asides. "Please see to Emissary Incognitus, can't take my optics off these two." Fanfare glances to the Mini bot, his optics still a shade paler in orange than usual. "Aye aye, sah." he turns to tromp that way, kneeling his red body to carefully scoop the transorg up as gently as he could. "Careful.. I am the last survivor of Relaxia!" Incognitus cries out, delusional. Windshear starts laughing and points back at the minibot. "I think you have more problems then us right now. That thing doesnt look down for long... then what will you do? You might actually need us to save your afts... why should we?" Jetfire stands there with the smoking gun. He gives Windshear, in particular, a look. "Now we'll see what your honor is worth, Decepticon." He isn't shyy about brandishing his weapon either. "Hostiles?" If Carjack wasn't worried to his wiring's ends he'd probably laugh. "DUH! LOOK WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO!" However, he has no intent on sticking around long enough to let them prove that point. "Obviously they came to check out the destruction. They're whiny gotta save everyone Autobots for Straxus sake!" Regardless of Windsheer following or not he transforms and starts off in the direction of the ship. "Now for all that's dark and sinister in the universe, LETS GET OUT OF HERE!" Carjack hits the ground and folds into a rescue truck. Combat: Crash Response Truck sets his defense level to Guarded. "Now that's POW, teamwork!" Warpath whoops. The Mecannibal is taken down! "You don't get to chew on MY hide, buster! No BLAM way!" Then he turns. "Ok, you Decepticons want a POW, piece of this?" The look on Windshear's face freezes as he hears Jetfire's comment to him. His humor dies instantly and he looks back at the Autobot. After a moment the airelons twitch on his wings and he looks over at Carjack. He listens to him and then watches him transform. "You take my ship I will beat your aft -- Im staying..." and he boldly walks toward the Autobotsk keeping his gaze on Jetfire. "... Yea... then its even, right?" Jetfire lowers his weapon as Windshear behaves for now. He keeps a close eye still, much like he appears to be getting likewise. Mutual suspicion at its best. Crash Response Truck is just going to fix it, honest!... maybe. "Heh, good to see a Decepticon with an air of decency!" Bumblebee rumbles aloud, pacing forward to meet Windshear at the halfway mark. Fanfare nods at the survivor as he carefully makes his way bak towards the shuttle carrying the mech, putting on some soothing Hard Rock. "That's far enough, Decepticon. Now, if you'd kindly tell us what you and yours.." Bumblebee trails, nodding at Carjack for a moment. "Were doing here, are doing here.. I'd like to know. Also, you saw what that was.. you know what it can do.. no need to play games." "That's what I'd BLAM, like to know!" Warpath says. "And we'll send you packing with your POW, skid plates shot off if you try anything funny!" The red tank mech glares at Carjack and Windshear. The emergency response truck opens up into a robot. Carjack is ignoring the dirty looks in his direction. Fortunately he has a problem much more in his area of expertise to focus on for the moment, climbing ontop of Windshear's poor abused shuttle, pulling some random spare parts out of his storage and gets to work fixing the thing. Windshear pauses as the minibot tells him far enough and listens. "I crashed here..." he begins with a glances at the Mecannibal. "I dont know about Carjack. From the looks of it the lot of you are on some self rightous rescue mission I take it?" he hears a noise then and looks back to see Carjack mangling his poor shuttle. He narrows his optics and watches him for a moment before he realizes hes repairing it. Then he looks back at the bots but says nothing. Jetfire arches a brow at Windshear. "Crashed? Again? You're either the worst flier or the worst liar I know." "Self righteous? Seriously, you guys that brainwashed?" Bumblebee grumbles, staring up at Windshear. "Crashed.. right. Okay, I'll bite. So care to get your friend here to share in his findings, I know he's not two steps up from the primordial ooze.. he knows something." "And like it or not, we are allies now against this common foe." "Awww, do we have to?" Warpath grumbles, "Oh well, not like it hasn't BOOM, happened before." Maybe if they're lucky and they stumble onto more Mecannibals, they'll go for the Decepticons first. At least that's what Warpath hopes. Windshear gives Jetfire a dead pan stare. "It is unfortunate that our last two encounters involve me having mechanical failure -- either me or my ship --" and then he looks down his nose at Bumblebee, "Yes I did crash. Do you really Im that bad of a lier? Please...." he glances back at Carjack then back at Bumblebee, "I will not assume for him. You want to know what he knows you ask him." he just snorts at Warpath and looks back at the Mecannibal, "I really didnt know they existed till now. They were nothing but stories of legend where Ive lived for millenia before my return. Just how bad are they anyway?" "Look around you." Bumblebee offers up, turning his back on Windshear and meandering back towards the other Autobots assembled. "Warn your people, make them listen." the minibot shouts with his back to the Seeker. Pulling a page out of the dramatica book, ole Hornhead swivels on a dime and aboutfaces. "Because -this- threat is something we cannot face alone, not without unity.. strength.. determination." Turning to face his compatriots again, Bumblebee motions to pack it up and head for the craft. "Till all are one." Carjack looks up from his repair work, squinting a bit at the going ons. Then holds up one hand to his mouth to amplify his voice a bit as he shouts, "Don't worry, I've got more than enough proof of threat! Just be glad we've got our own safety to worry about so we don't throw the lot of you to them first!" Windshear listens to the speech and then looks around. "You mean those things did all this?" he asks surprised. Fanfare is back in the shuttle, having gotten their rescuee into stasis, or osmething "Well, those Mecannibals need POW, splattering, there's no two ways about that," Warpath says, "I don't think the Decepticons like the idea of their chassis being chewed on any more than ZOWIE, we do." Windshear looks back at Carjack and smirks then looks at Warpath, "From what I recall of the legends, they were robotic, not too far from us -- maybe demented Transformers for all we know, that will devour... anything and everything in their path. Why? Who knows. Who cares. And they are almost impossible to destroy?" hes trying to job his memory banks on this but thinks hes failing at this point. Jetfire nods to Bumblebee and begins to do so. Carjack jumps down from atop the shuttle. "Your ship is patched up Windshear, any time you're done convorting with the enemy!" He's still anxious to get out of here before -more- of those things show up Windshear nods back at Carjack and then looks to the bots as they seem to be leaving, "Well? Isnt anyone going to answer me?" Warpath shrugs at Windshear. "BLAM, I don't know," he says. Jetfire asides to Windshear as he leaves. "Don't know. Don't care." He tries to play it cold, but everyone knows Jetfire to know that he cares deeply and knows a lot... he's just not willing to share with the likes of Decepticons. Windshear's optics flare red suddenly, "Then you dont want out help too much with it do you? Dont throw honor back in my face either..." he starts to say something else but then changes his mind. The Seeker pointedly turns his back to the Autobots, almost daring one of them to shoot him and he starts heading back to his shuttle and Carjack. Carjack just rolls his optics as he lifts his visor from his face. "You really expected they would tell you more? Com'n, get this jalopy fired up and I'll explain on the way to anywhere but here." Windshear vents some air out of his intakes, "You know, Carjack...I dunno... seems if they are that hellbent needing help that they ask us, youd think they cooperate." he does a walk around on his shuttle checking stuff as hes talking. "I suppose I will make a report on all this when we get back to base.. leave it up to command to decide what to do..." once hes satisfied everythings ok he goes inside and starts firing up systemt to lift off. Carjack pulls out the chewed up piece of metal he kept, and the 'Meccanibal' dental file showing the bite marks match -exactly-. "That and a few shots of how badly this planet is eaten up is all the proof you need. These guys -are- gonna come for us. Those putzs do have one point." Carjack pauses to peer out a viewport. "They do -not- descriminate between Autobot and Decepticon. We're -all- food to them." "You have a POW, point there," Warpath says concessionally, before he leaves with Jetfire. Windshear looks at the chewed up metal and then back out of the main viewscreen as the shuttle nears lift off status, "At this point I dont think we can trust the Autobots -- not after this odd encounter. I need to really read up on these creatures. As I said all I know is stories." Carjack replies, "Remember, ever legend is based on some kernel of truth." Windshear nods as he slowly take the ship up and off the planet, "Agreed. And hey, either way, we know about this before they attack us at least."
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