| abstract | - Six Lasers - Grand Central Station New York copied us. Honest! Grand Central Station slowly orbits the Six Lasers sun in a preplanned flight path that keeps it in as close of proximity to the other planets as possible. It serves as the central hub for all traffic, and is a major habitat for visitors who want a safe place to stay while checking out the attractions. A gleaming white beacon, the station has four main arms reaching out from a centralized cylindrical hub. Each arm is unique in the modules it contains, though all have various antennas and docking ports jutting out at every angle. Several of the arms feature recent and ongoing construction. The station's interior is incredibly varied, able to service beings of every size and make. Even the gravity is modular. Habitat modules serve as gigantic hotels where one can check in. Recreation and theme park style attractions, including roller coasters, merry go rounds, bumper cars, and more exotic rides are available. Marketing is heavy here, as one cannot swing a Cassetticon without hitting a souvenir shop. Shuttles are available to every attraction that Six Lasers has to offer. For the lazy, the space station can be viewed here: Contents: Thrust Geist Auto-Healer Obvious exits: Space Bridge leads to Cybertron Olympic Site - Intersection. Space leads to Six Lasers Solar System. Sunder arrives from the Six Lasers Solar System. Sunder has arrived. Hot Spot has arrived. Thrust has disconnected. Silverbolt arrives from the Six Lasers Solar System. Silverbolt has arrived. Catechism is hanging out in the Grand Central Station, wandering around the place. The view out the windows of space is amazing. Idly, she checks her chronometer. Her full-combat fight with Sunder will happen soon, and she had better be ready for it. To that end, she sucks on a straw dipping into a cube of Krokade, the sports drink of choice for Decepticons. Sunder saunters in, sniffing around. Ahhh, there she is. "Are you prepared to face me once again?" the Sweep asks Catechism. He flexes his talons, checks his systems twice to make sure nothing is amiss, and levels a murderous gaze at the Seeker-ette. Catechism is not, technically speaking, an elite. She's no Bandit. Catechism's an officer, though. She holds up a hand and nods, her optics glittering. She replies, as her arm guns whine in warm-up, "Let's do this." A few gulps, and the Krokade is gone. Catechism crushes the remains of the cube against her cone. Hot Spot is sitting there, somewhat in the background... ...still paying attention no less to the combatants' entrance. Putting his book down, the Protectobot Commander wades out between the two Decepticons and places a rather large hand, it hovers in the middle of the two's faces. "I want a good clean fight... ...No outside interference will be tolerated." He spares a look at the two of them individually, sizing them up. "You cause any civilian casualties... ...and you answer to me!" Why of all the matches to judge, was Hot Spot chosen to look over this one? Most likely to make sure the Decepticons didn't get any lovely ideas about going crazy in a populated area. "Do you understand these guidelines I have set forth?" Silverbolt stands back from the fight about to commence and snickers lightly. He crosses his arms and simply watches until Hot Spot is ready. Sunder flexes his talons. "I'm in a generous mood," he purrs, "I shall allow you the first shot." He hopes the Curse of the First Shot/Last Hit manifests itself on Catechism, and thus perhaps turns the battle in his favor. Catechism looks over at Hot Spot, smirking slightly, and she replies, "Oh, I understand them completely." She also understands that Silverbolt and Hot Spot are not, technically speaking, civilians. However, the only one she intends to maim right now is the Sweep. She bows and murmurs lowly to Sunder, "How kind of you." Then, the Seeker kicks off a wall, filling into the air of the hallway and firing a shot at Sunder from an arm gun. You strike Sunder with 25-mm GAU-12 cannon . The Sweep attempts a dodge, and gets grazed by the shot. Growling softly, he knows he must gain an advantage, and quickly. He transforms, hoping he has plenty of room to maneuver, and opens fire with his disruptors. "Now, if you would be kind enough to hold still..." Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. You evade Sweepcraft 's disruptor attack. Hot Spot takes a few steps back, content that the two have decided to attack each other rather than himself. That's probably the closest to consenting to his 'rules' as he's likely to get. So, the Protectobot Commander makes his way over to Silverbolt... ...who happens to be the Aerialbot Commander... ...what a coincidence? "Greetings comrade, you turn out for this bout?" he gestures, pointing a thumb behind his back. Catechism impacts against the other wall as finishes her flip. She compresses her body against the wall, one hand and both feet flat to wall, and Sunder's shot passes behind her, just close enough that she can feel the electrical heat in the air. The Seeker springs off the wall and lands on the floor. Her momentum sends her skidding across the floor, and she strafes at the Sweepcraft with an arm gun. You strike Sweepcraft with 25-mm GAU-12 cannon . Well as it turns out, there wasn't much room to maneuver. The Sweepcraft can't get out of the way of the blast. However, he opens fire with his machine guns, to try to turn Catechism into swiss cheese. In the pit of his laser core he hopes this battle does not go the same way as the one prior. You evade Sweepcraft 's ballistic attack. Catechism vaults upward and flattens herself the ceiling, like a ninja. Anti-gravs are for horrid abuse, except for when, as a Decepticon, she forgets that she has them and is tricked into a lava pit by the Autobots. From the ceiling, she pushes off and attempts to stomp on the Sweepcraft on the way down. You strike Sweepcraft with Stomp. Silverbolt smiles and nods to Hot Spot. "hey Hot Spot. yeah....I came out here to watch two Cons beat each other up for a change. nice change of pace instead of the norm." he says before looking back to the bout. "what've you been up to?" The Sweepcraft gets an unwelcome passenger, and quickly he transforms. Attempting to grasp Catechism on her way down, he attacks with his claws. "You're quick!" he growls in frustration. Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. You evade Sunder's slash attack. Hot Spot shrugs, "Oh you know, the usual... ...sticking my 'nose' in human affairs." He grimaces at the strike Catechism inflicts upon Sunder. "Then there was my trek through the Himalayias recently... ...you should really accompany me next time, the scenery is astounding!" Catechism is vaguely annoyed that the Autobots seem to find her amusing, but she does not lose her focus. Idly, she comments, "I'm trained in aerobatics *and* acrobatics. It helps." As if to demonstrate, she leaps out of the range of Sunder's grasp. The Seeker then extends her knuckle spikes and tries to strike Sunder. You strike Sunder with Spiked Knuckles. Silverbolt says, "I was in the himalayas a couple of months ago. oddly it was when a human wanted to blow up Grimlock.....little success." Hot Spot shakes his head, "I can't imagine Galvatron blowing up Grimlock... ..." It seems that Catechism is completely owning Sunder in the fight, but who knows? Sweepers have shown some pretty impressive tricks before. "How are your Aerialbots doing?" The Sweep snarls as his evasive opponent smacks him again. Whereas he can barely lay a hand on her! He has second thoughts about letting the Battle-rage take him, since that would probably not help. He needs to focus. Lashing out with a foot, he attempts to kick Catechism and perhaps knock her down. Sunder strikes you with kick for 8 points of damage. Silverbolt says, "It wasn't Galvatron...it a terran named....Picard I think. someone like that. "The Aerialbots are doing fine. Fireflight's flitting around here somewhere. We had to fish Skydive out of the pacific recently, but he's all patched up now. Slingshot's been all right, but playing video games isn't helping his aim....and Air Raid....well....he's been snoozing standing up a lot." Catechism sees that angering the Sweep seems to improve his combat prowess, as she is knocked over by the Sweep's kick. She hits the floor with a resounding clang, and she brings up one of her legs, not for a kick, but to try to slap Sunder with her wing. Too many people forget their alternate mode components in robot mode. You strike Sunder with Wing Slap. Sunder was totally not expecting to be slapped by a wing! He grunts and tries to grab for it and dig his talons in. And under those talons are acid-injectors. And if he can reach the slippery Female, he can cause her internals to be corroded from the inside out. Perhaps that would slow her down some. You evade Sunder's Acid Claws attack. Catechism yanks her wing away from Sunder, and she eyes Sunder's acid claws with a bit of amusement in her optics. She hisses out, "Inefficient delivery method, that. Allow me to demonstrate." Catechism gets into a crouch, and from there, she takes aim at Sunder, as her acid rounds fill and chamber into her guns. Then, she unleashes her own form of chemical warfare. Sunder evades your Acid Strike attack. Hot Spot nods at Silverbolt, trying to pay attention to the combat before him. But one cannot lie, it's simply not that important. Now on the other hand, if it was an Autobot versus a Decepticon... ...he'd probably be a bit more attentive. The Sweep recognizes the acidic rounds and quickly launches himself into the air. From there, he glares down at Catechism. "More efficient, you say?" he says, "I find it more effective to actually have a *hold* of one's opponent while trying to strike with that weapon." A red glow builds up in Sunder's headcannon, and suddenly it discharges at Catechism. If she's going to stay out of his reach, it might be prudent for him to stay out of hers. Sunder strikes you with Headcannon blast for 9 points of damage. Catechism gets shot, and she staggers back a bit. Her internal chemistry will need time to reset before she can use that attack again - she knew she shouldn't have bragged, she just knew it. Sighing, she cycles through her options. Her gun banks still need more recharging before she can chamber the heavier Gatling rounds. Grunting, Catechism just snaps off a quick shot at Sunder. Sunder evades your Zap! attack. Smokescreen has arrived. The quick shot is quickly dodged by the Sweep. He keeps firm control of himself, not even letting the barest of hints of Battle-rage creep into his processor. At least, not yet. He needed his full wits about him to battle this one, and he judges carefully what he needed to do next. He pulls out his disruptor rifle and fires his own pot shot at Catechism. Sunder strikes you with disruptor for 5 points of damage. Catechism gets hit yet again. She knows that she needs to get moving, and to get some hits in. As long as she gets more hits in than she takes, she can wear Sunder down. Catechism heads down the hallway for a stretch and then turns and runs at Sunder, unleashing a blast of destructive magnetism. You strike Sunder with Magnetic Mayhem. Smokescreen, as it would happen, is meandering through the medical center at JUST the right moment...only t catch sight of Catechism and Sunder blasting away at each other! "Gah!" says he, taking a step back so as not to get slagged. "Keep it in the arena!" he says..and then pauses, "...this -IS- a competition match, isn't it?" he asks, just to make sure. Boy, there'd be egg on his face if there was another Decepticon civil war and he hadn't heard about it... A powerful blast strikes the Sweep, one that he is unable to avoid. Howling in rage, he transforms, powering up his plasma cannons. Desperately trying to maintain control of himself, he takes careful aim. He shudders to think what the results will be if he misses. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. You evade Sweepcraft 's plasma attack. Hot Spot waves an arm at Smokescreen, "Over here!" Silverbolt waves to Smokescreen. "hey there!" There is always a miniature war between Sweep and Seeker. Catechism generally tries to be polite to the Sweeps. She even taught Geist how to make things explode. And yet, she gets all this 'prey yadda blah blah' from the Sweeps. She has to wonder why she bothers. Catechism calls to Smokescreen, "The world is an arena!" Then, one of her legs goes right, and the other goes left, as she sinks down in what looks like a very painful splits move. However, she's built and trained for such moves, and as soon as the plasma has passed over her cone, she rises to her feet and strides forward, trying to punch the Sweepcraft. You strike Sweepcraft with Smiting The Heathens. Smokescreen glances over at Hot Spot and Silverbolt- and then takes a step back just to make sure he's out of immediate smashing-range, just in case. "Oh, hey!" he says...and scoots back another step. "Well, that world that's an arena has other, smaller, more CONVENIENT arenas, and...why am I arguing with you?" he shakes his head. Sweepcraft desperately hopes he can transform in time to catch Catechism with a blow of his own. As soon as he's in robot form, he lashes out, attempting to claw at the Seeker. What did it matter that Catechism couldn't see the Sweeps as the Hunters they truly are? And right now that title was on the line. Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. Sunder strikes you with slash for 9 points of damage. Hot Spot nods to Smokescreen, "You expect them to come to thought out conclusions like /that/?" Silverbolt chuckles lightly. "You have no idea, Hot Spot. This is fun though. Let 'em shoot at each other." he then calls over. "Either of you deactivated yet?" Catechism has an ugly gash torn down her frame, to add to the dents and shot that score her frame. All the same, she does not fall, merely burbling up a bit of energon. Catechism is a soldier, at her core. She was built to fight. Catechism withdraws her whip and looks Sunder up and down. Command? Now that is something that Catechism has *learned*, and in an imperious tone, she demands, "Down, boy," cracking the whip at Sunder. You strike Sunder with Electrified Whip. Oh the indignity! Out comes the whip again, and Sunder gets the full brunt of the lash. A yelp, like a beaten dog, escapes unbidden from his vocalizer. He needs to get some distance from her, as it was evident from the Gladiatorial match that being in close quarters with Catechism was dangerous. But first, he charges at her, pulling his dagger from subspace. But instead of physically stabbing her, he throws it at her, attempting to nail her from afar. Sunder strikes you with blade for 8 points of damage. Catechism gets nailed through a wing, but something that Sunder is going to learn the hard far is that Catechism is actually much more dangerous from afar than she up close. Fighter jets tend to be known for their firepower and ordinance load, not their lifting capacity and strength. She teases, "You're going to have to get that knife back the hard way," and she snaps off another shot at Sunder. You strike Sunder with disruptor. Smokescreen hmmms, and watches the bout with amusement- it's always fun to see Decepticons get hurt...and in a case like this, well, there's TWO of them! He hmms, and idly produces a small energon cube, which he sips from casually. "Five credits on the conehead." he comments to nobody in particular. Hot Spot looks at Smokescreen, and can't help but let a grin smear across his visage. "I'd take that bet, buuuuttt I think the comission would frown upon the ref betting on the combatants." Silverbolt grins. "I'm not the ref! I'll take that bet!" He says with a chuckle. Smokescreen blinks, and glances up at Hot Spot. "...You're the ref?" he asks, incredulously. "Because, well, you don't seem to be DOING much reffing...not that I'm complaining, of course..." he hmms, and looks back to the Decepticon brawl. "Hey! Whasserface! Fight dirty! Ref's not looking!" Sunder growls as the shot grazes his shoulder. "Indeed," he growls, "But not now. I'll wait until one of us is lying in a heap, waiting to be revived." He ponders his options and transforms again, preparing to charge at Catechism in the same way Ramjet likes to take down his opponents. He feignts a glow to his plasma cannons, to make Catechism beleive he is about to open fire, before hitting his engines full blast and barreling towards her. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. You evade Sweepcraft 's ram attack. Hot Spot says, "What's there to ref? I just wait until one of them drops unconscious. You know, honor amongst thieves and all that jazz." Smokescreen hmms at Hot Spot. "...Then what happens?" Catechism supposes that she should be flattered by Smokescreen's faith in her, although she is rather dubious, she must say. When The Sweepcraft comes barreling at her, she backs herself against a wall, letting Sunder pass her by. As for fighting dirty? Well, Decepticons usually do. She transforms, her fighter jet form barely fitting in the hall, and she unleashes one of her rockets at Sunder with a cry of, "Fox two!" F-35, Marine Corps variant, transforms into robot form. Catechism's feet unfold, her arms unfold out of her body, her nosecone rotates through her body and ends up on her shoulders to expose her face, and her wings rotate into position. You strike Sweepcraft with AIM-120C AMRAAM. Hot Spot says, "Then I declare a winner." Sweepcraft gets hit by the rocket, but isn't about to give up, despite the smoking engines and banged-up hull. Transforming again, flaring his wings, and growling, he streaks towards the jet, claws bared. He attempts to find purchase with his talons, and perhaps take a ride, like so many others who have taken liberties on his vehicular mode. Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. You evade Sunder's talon swipe attack. Smokescreen winces a bit as the spaceships & jets and the like start careening down the hallway- though one thing particularly takes his interest. "Fox two?" he asks. "...The Decepticons don't have their own counterpart to Foxfire now, do they?" Silverbolt says, "Maybe they have the foxcannon now. The bushy tail barrage?" F-35B Lightning II is stupidly agile as a jet, even in enclosed spaces. Her lift fan doors snap open, and she hovers up, her tailfins grazing the ceiling, allowing Sunder to come up short beneath her. Then, she transforms, a dagger in her hand, and she attempts to stab the knife into the Sweep as she falls. If asked, she'd say that Foxfire is the Autobot rip-off of Ravage. F-35B Lightning II transforms into robot form. Catechism's feet unfold, her arms unfold out of her body, her nosecone rotates through her body and ends up on her body, and her wings rotate into position at her hips. You strike Sunder with Standard Issue Stabbity. Hot Spot shakes his head. "I believe Fox two is a comment made during the launch of a missile, especially when dealing with an aircraft... ...Silverbolt?" Silverbolt says, "Usually it's Box 2.....but they can adjust it to whatever they wish." The Sweep howls as he's stabbed, and retaliates with his talons again, this time with more force behind them. Unicron knows if he'll actually hit her; let alone do enough damage to even up this fight. But one thing is certain. After this performance, Sunder knows he's sorely in need of some upgrades. Sunder strikes you with evisceration for 9 points of damage. Smokescreen hmms, and watches the brawl still. "Ah, right. Air-jockey terminology." he muses. "Oh cool, they're fighting with knives!" he comments, watching the melee ensue. Catechism has yet another gash in her frame. If anyone every wanted to see the green-painted struts inside of her, they're there for all to see now. The green paint is kind of ugly, really, and will give humans lung cancer, but it stops corrosion like a charm. She brings up and arm gun and shoot at Sunder, trying to encourage him to get some distance or just play dead. Sorry to disappoint, Smokescreen. Sunder evades your 25-mm GAU-12 cannon attack. Sunder only lets the slightest hint of Battle-rage enter his processor now. He needs the added attack speed. He also needs the increased evasion, as evidenced by the incoming attack. Luckily he dodges it, and pares his fangs. Now's the time to try to get in close. But just as he appears to be going to bite Cate's hand off, he lashes out with his fist instead, aiming for her midsection. You evade Sunder's punch attack. Catechism kicks off the ground and vaults over Sunder to evade his punch. She twists in the air and lands behind him, facing him. There is the sound of her cracking her knuckles, and it rings in the narrow hallways of the space station. Her pistions all limbered and realigned, she pumps a fist at Sunder, hoping to hit him before her can turn to see his opponent. You strike Sunder with Smiting The Heathens. Sunder falls to the ground unconscious. Hot Spot was watching the combatants out of the corner of his optic, so when one fell... ...he's already half-way across the floor to declare the victor... ...and hopefully prevent any more structural damage to this facility. The Protectobot crouches near the fallen Sunder, running a diagnostic check on the Decepticon. Smokescreen ahas! "Knew it!" he says, fist-pumping as he watches Sunder fall to the ground. He does have to restrain himself, however, to not barge in and start shooting at the now-damaged Catechism. Old habits die hard, after all. Hot Spot pulls out a medical scanner and runs a check on Sunder. (Oh not again)Oo. The Sweep groans as Catechism bests him yet again. He slumps to the ground, his head swimming. Upgrades. That must be it. The Sweep needed more speed! And more agility! Smokescreen turns to Silverbolt, a wicked smile on his face. "Pay up, buddy. Should've known better than to bet against me." he notes. Hot Spot nods his head up and down, "Sunder's done fer. Catechism advances to round two in the competition." He stands up, about to congratulate the con... ...almost. Silverbolt chuckles lightly and gives Smokescreen the 5 creds. Catechism throws her head and arms in the air, whooping an ancient Decepticon battle-cry that she pulled out of Ramjet's old Academy class notes. It echoes down the hallways of the space station. The soldier and commander looks down at the fallen Sweep, and as before, she kneels and offers him a hand up. The Autobots and their antics draw a brief laugh from her. Any day that she makes an Aerialbot waste money is a good day. Smokescreen pockets the money, and hmms- eyeing Catechism for a bit- he then proceeds to rummage out a datapad, so as to take a look at the brackets- gambling opportunities abound, even when they're not on Monacus! "Yeah, still got it." he says, smiling to himself. Sunder takes the hand that is offered. "I should thank you," he murmurs, "I had been remiss in improving myself. Now I know what it is that needs to be upgraded." He flashes Catechism a wicked smile, fangs and all. "Perhaps it is best that you prevailed." Yeah. She can take the beatdowns from her round 2 opponents while the Sweep sits in the stands, sipping Bloody Seekers. The upcoming list of second-round opponents looked formidable, indeed. Silverbolt looks to Smokescreen. "took the bet to make it interesting. Hot Spot won't bet unless he's not the ref. and even then...you'd have to goad him into it." He then looks to Cate and Sunder. "I'd have rather bet on the Grimlock and Sky Lynx fight." Catechism is going to get thrashed. She knows that. She expected that Sunder would win, actually. Catechism shrugs and insists, "In the end, the Empire prevails." The individuals and the specifics do not matter. Smokescreen hmmms, "Grimlock vs. Sky Lynx, eh? Hmmm. I'm leaning a little towards Sky Lynx, myself- then again, it's really anybody's fight...I just know that -I- wouldn't wanna take on either of 'em." Or, he would- he'd just zap them with his electro-scrambers and then RUN LIKE HELL. There is no running from Sky Lynx. Sunder nods. "I would have preferred to show the glory of the Empire through the Sweeps, but I shall have to do it another way. Perhaps next year, I will be powerful enough to prevail in the combat matches." Well, there was the Free-For-All still to come yet, too. His combat luck can't /all/ be rotten this Olympics, can it? Or was the Curse of the Last Hit still hanging over his head? He rubs his beard and runs off to see if he can appease whatever Last Hit deities there are that he may have offended. Xal demands worlds be terraformed in the image of Cybertron. Xal has high standards. Catechism points out, "You did well on the Ig-Yaks, I heard. Each of us have our talents." Sunder's talents just happen to be as a rodeo cowboy. Or as a Hunter. Well, if he wants to "hunt" Seekers he's going to have to be faster than that. A rumble in Sunder's fuel tank indicates his hunger. "Speaking of which, an Igyak burger sounds good right about now. Care to join me?" Sunder gets healed by Six Lasers Medicare. Catechism gets healed by Six Lasers Medicare. Catechism quirks an optical ridge at Sunder. Did he just ask her out for a bite to eat without her being on the meu? That's a strange enough opportunity that she just can't pass it up. She puts a hand on her hip and nods slowly. She grins and agrees, "Heh. Sure. Thank you. Why not?" Ahhh, Decepticons in love. Makes you wanna hurl, doesn't it? Silverbolt would hurl if he had a stomach. Sunder grins. She actually agreed! "Excellent. I believe the place they serve Igyak burgers is this way," Sunder says, and heads towards Cheyne. Smokescreen finds Decepticons far less interesting when they're not punching each other. So off he goes! After all, he's gotta find a bookie. Smokescreen vanishes out of reality. Smokescreen has left. Catechism follows Sunder off to Cheyne to try to the 'local' (read: over-priced) fare. [travel spam] Six Lasers - Cheyne Barrens The Cowboy Planet is right next to the Gangster Planet and the Nazi Planet. Cheyne would be still a sad sack of a barren wasteland were it not for Six Lasers. Trillions of credits and man hours have gone into terraforming this planet in order to provide a breathable atmosphere and capable of supporting life. The planet is largely flat, heavily reminiscent of Earth's old Wild West. Theme parks here promote the idea of Cheyne being on the wild frontier. You can catch a ride on the Bucking Broncho Coaster, grab a bite at the local Ig-Yac Burger Commander joint, or go rustling for space cattle. Saloons and old wooden buildings serve as the architectural motif. Visitors are encouraged to get into the spirit of the frontier. Contents: Mecha-Tiger Impulse Mobile Target Obvious exits: Ranch leads to Six Lasers - Cheyne Ig-Yac Ranch. Space leads to Six Lasers Solar System. Sunder arrives from the Six Lasers Solar System. Sunder has arrived. Rampage leaves, having had his fill of burgers. Rampage moves to the Six Lasers - Cheyne Ig-Yac Ranch. Rampage has left. Sunder is quite aware that tourist traps such as these Olympic venues do tend to be pricey. Luckily, he brought along plenty of Intergalactic credits. "I wonder if they've turned Trakker into sausage meat yet," he quips, as he goes into one of the joints. That was the Igyak he quite literally busted singlehandedly. It could not have turned out better if Sunder had actually been trying to hunt and kill the creature for his dinner. Catechism follows along after Sunder amiably enough, and she inquires, "How did the Ig-Yac busting go, anyway? I wasn't able to make it to that event." She had places to be and people to influence. Sunder rubs his beard, gazing at the menu. "It went well," he said, "Redshift took the top honors again, through sheer luck. I stayed on far longer than the others in the first round. I was bucked immediately on the second round, but then so was everyone else except Redshift, who managed to stay on the beast for only one round. Hence, his triumph. I managed to outride the remaining contestants, who were all Autobots. A strange quirk of fate, these results." He makes his decision, opting for an Igyak burger with carmelized energon sauce (the Transformer equivalent of barbecue sauce) and straw-onions. His mouth waters as his meal is brought forth. Eh, it was fast food, but it smelled good. Catechism watches Sunder order and looks at what he gets before making her own selection. Ig-Yacs are... organic creatures. Granted, she does vaguely understand that petroleum is derived from dead plants and animals, so she admits that there must be some way to create something edible to a Transformer out of Ig-Yacs. She asks of the cashier, "Uh, a... Flying Saucer?" It's an Ig-Yac burger doused in rocket fuel. Spicy! She listens to Sunder's account, and she asks, "What do you think are the critical skills in Ig-Yak riding?" Sunder has a seat, taking a bite out of his burger and savoring it slowly before replying. "One must always assert dominance over the beast," he says, "If the creature does not see you as the boss, it will do what it likes. If it sees you as dominant, you will have a much easier time controlling it. It all has to do with the delicate balance of the predator-prey relationship. I hear there are some humans that exploit this relationship in their dealings with their own beasts of burden." Catechism gets her burger, which she looks at doubtfully. Tentatively, she takes a bite of it, and she decides that it's just odd. The rocket fuel sauce is tasty, though, so she chomps away at the burger. The Seeker just mutters, "Uh... huh." She's a fighter jet. She thinks in terms of targets. Predator/prey concepts are inherently alien to her. Catechism doesn't want to eat things. She just wants to blow them up. Sunder chuckles. He can tell that Catechism doesn't comprehend the subtleties of predator-prey interaction. "Think of it this way," he says, "When a predator attacks, the prey fears for its life, does it not? And usually, it will try to get away. But if the predator behaves in a certain manner, the prey will know that it is not in imminent danger of being eaten. Likewise, even in Nature there are hierarchies of dominance. This would be akin to our concept of Rank. A higher-ranking beast is given deference by all lower-ranking beasts. If you carry yourself in a manner that a beast such as an Igyak can read as dominance, it will behave accordingly. Exuding the aura of a predator can help, but it can be a hindrance as well if it is carried too far and the beast thinks it will be lunch." He doesn't expect Catechism to understand completely, but he hopes she at least got the gist of it. He takes another bite of his burger, enjoying the flavor immensely. It was a rich flavor, since the meat was dark and tasty, almost like cyber-buffalo in taste and texture. Catechism rubs her chin and nibbles at her burger. Slowly, she processes what Sunder has to say, and she points out, "Wouldn't that work better if the Ig-Yak thought you were its squadron... er... herd leader? Rather than a predator?" Sunder takes another bite. "It's possible, but remember, the Igyak knows you are not of its kind. Your behavior denotes whether it regards you as a predator or as a prey. Doing something as simple as walking up to it directly will immediately identify you as a predator. And there are other cues. Even if you personally do not hunt and do not ingest flesh, you may behave in certain ways that mimic that of a predator. Most prey species do not have a direct approach. They instead like to have a round-about way of investigating strange things. And Herd Leaders also have this direct approach, but they have the advantage of smelling like their own kind. So it's moot, actually." Catechism muses, "Hey, if you eat enough of these, maybe you'll end up smelling like one of them." She taps her burger. Sunder laughs. "Most unlikely," he says, "Although, I suppose if one really wanted to smell like one, it would be possible to douse one's self in the extract of the creatures' scent glands. Not my first choice, however." Catechism shudders and agrees, "Mmm. Yeah. Not my first choice, either. I'm not a big fan of organic creatures, I gotta say." She really hates birds, in particular. Sunder nods. "Organic creatures can be most foul, especially when caught in one's engines." Not that the Sweep has ever had this problem, since the design of his engines preclude a big fat swan or goose getting sucked into them. But he's smelled the vile renderings when an unfortunate Seeker has had such a mishap. Burnt goose-grease and swan-grease were quite malodoriferous to the Sweep. "But many of them have their uses," he adds. Catechism actually winces. She's suffered birdstrike, but the birdstrike wasn't so bad as the fact that a Junkion then insisted on washing her. She shoots a pained smile at Sunder, and she says, "Ehm... yeah. Tell me about it. Good luck with your upgrades, eh? I have some battle plans I gotta go over." The Seeker stands and heads off into the dustry streets of Cheyne. The Sweep nods as Catechism departs. He then finishes his meal. He had a lot to go over, as well. =============================== 2029 Olympics ================================ Message: 37/25 Posted Author Sunder vs Catechism Sun Aug 10 Hot Spot ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even though Sunder spent half the match missing, it still turned out to be quite the fight, Autobot hecklers aside. Catechism wins the round and advances in the Full Combat competition. ==============================================================================
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