| abstract | - "Soundwave..." Astrotrain grunts, as he shoves a crate full of cables and sundry items out of a bunker, "...can stick his face in my exhaust." The big triplechanger s have been put on task by the Tape Commander, for his nefarious master plan of the week. The large, broadchested mech, veritable workhorse of the Decepticon Army is complaining to himself again. "Get a few sweeps out of supply hauling, I get suckered into this. Stupid drones can't even shoot straight, and I'm wearing out the grips of my joints keeping things running." He huffs to himself giving the supply crate one last shove, then stands back. His hands go to his hips as the ground crews start to get to work, their task to fortify the power station against enemy targets. Things are going down at Fort Scyk, deep in Decepticon territory, and the last thing Soundwave wants is a snag in the power transfers... Meanwhile Blitzwing dreams of eating dinner as a human in Washington State. Astrotrain's last pose: "Soundwave..." Astrotrain grunts, as he shoves a crate full of cables and sundry items out of a bunker, "...can stick his face in my exhaust." The big triplechanger s have been put on task by the Tape Commander, for his nefarious master plan of the week. The large, broadchested mech, veritable workhorse of the Decepticon Army is complaining to himself again. "Get a few sweeps out of supply hauling, I get suckered into this. Stupid drones can't even shoot straight, and I'm wearing out the grips of my joints keeping things running." He huffs to himself giving the supply crate one last shove, then stands back. His hands go to his hips as the ground crews start to get to work, their task to fortify the power station against enemy targets. Things are going down at Fort Scyk, deep in Decepticon territory, and the last thing Soundwave wants is a snag in the power transfers... << Attention all Autobots who are willing and able. Decepticon chatter in regards to the Drone network has picked up significantly, and intel indicates a very finite window has presented itself to us. I am opening up a beacon. Converge on my location for follow-on action. Intent is to capture, or outright deny, use of this location by all hostile forces. >> There's a thunderous roar of engines over Cybertron's landscape as Lynx closes out the communique , kicking up his engines to full to, quite literally, buzz the tower and give the occupants at Fort Scyk an excuse to desert their duty outright. "What is this? Not even a red carpet? I am outright insulted!" Wait... is that Astrotrain? There's a shift in both his mood and focus as he chuckles audibly. "And what have we here? The one shuttle that has to rely on rails and wheels to get a job done. Spectacular!" Combat: Exquisite Space Shuttle - Sky Lynx sets his defense level to Protected. <Decepticon> Chopshop says, "Cargo shuttle crashed and guards left?" <Decepticon> Buzzsaw says, "You've fallen and you can't get up?" <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "Nah, that blowhard Sky Lynx just showed up and buzzed us." <Decepticon> Chopshop says, "Not interesting." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "says you. You haven't been spending cycles in the back lines." AV-8B Harrier II is following right behind Sky Lynx as he approaches the Decepticons fort. At least, he's trying but he has trouble keeping up with the much faster bot. "It's him Lynx! I'm going to blow him off the sky, just watch me!". They aerialbot maneuvers to position himself behind the Decepticon shuttle, "Hey fat aft! Where do you think you're going like that?" While teasing the triplechanger, he makes sure to keep him right in the middle of his line of fire. Combat: AV-8B Harrier II sets his defense level to Protected. Combat: Slingshot takes extra time to aim his next attack. F-15E Strike Eagle scrambled as soon as Sky Lynx mentioned hostile forces, and he's hot on the commander's chemtrail. "Let's send them runnin'! Take their wings out first!" He dips low and snaps the fragile stalagmites over the plateau with erratic bursts of jetwash, then angles back skywards to get a better view of the goings-on below. Let's let Slingshot draw the aggro for a change... There's a brief flash of fire in the sky that soon peters out as the only blue Grumman X-29 on Cybertron flies over, Dogfight! And just like Air Raid, he was in the air pretty much the second he heard Sky Lynx's message. The Triggerbot's is being a bit stealthy though, because his afterburners aren't blazing as he descends to Sky Lynx's beacon. Yeah, he might have actually -learnt- from last time. I'm as shocked as you are. <> the Triggerbot radios through, flying down to the area. looks up as Sky Lynx brazenly buzzes the entire complex. He clenches his fist as he follows the great Dinobird's trajectory. "Heh...about time things livened up!" As the ground crews run for cover, not having enough time to set up the anti-air defenses, Astrotrain chooses the opposite tactic. He draws his Ionic Rifle, then turns as Slingshot calls out some taunts, "Eh? What're you babbling about? Sky Lynx, I didn't realize you needed kiddie-league assistance!" The Triplechanger changes his mind, taking to the air. Moments later his head pulls into his frame, as he changes into his own flight mode, that of a space shuttle! Astrotrain roars up to start following Sky Lynx and Slingshot, hot on their tails. "I gotta take back what I was saying about being bored. Putting you two down'll really kick things up a notch!" Purple lasers fire from his sides as he starts a strafe of the two noted Autobots. Astrotrain looks up as Sky Lynx brazenly buzzes the entire complex. He clenches his fist as he follows the great Dinobird's trajectory. "Heh...about time things livened up!" As the ground crews run for cover, not having enough time to set up the anti-air defenses, Astrotrain chooses the opposite tactic. He draws his Ionic Rifle, then turns as Slingshot calls out some taunts, "Eh? What're you babbling about? Sky Lynx, I didn't realize you needed kiddie-league assistance!" The Triplechanger changes his mind, taking to the air. Moments later his head pulls into his frame, as he changes into his own flight mode, that of a space shuttle! Astrotrain roars up to start following Sky Lynx and Slingshot, hot on their tails. "I gotta take back what I was saying about being bored. Putting you two down'll really kick things up a notch!" Purple lasers fire from his sides as he starts a strafe of the two noted Autobots. Parts spin, wings extend and Astrotrain transforms into a huge purple space shuttle. Combat: Decepticon Space Shuttle misses AV-8B Harrier II with his Have a strafing run it's on the house. (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] Combat: Decepticon Space Shuttle misses Exquisite Space Shuttle - Sky Lynx with his Have a strafing run it's on the house. (Full-Auto) Area attack! [Pulled -1] MiG-25PD Foxbat-E anime-sleep-snot-bubble. The Global Pose Tracker marks that MiG-25PD Foxbat-E has 'skipped' his action for this round. AV-8B Harrier II attempts to shake Astrotrain off but he's not fast enough for that so, instead of accelerating, he just slow to a crawl and use his VOTL engines to simple force Astrotrain to pass him. "Nice try but I managed to dodge more better shot than you." He mocks as he resumes his chase of the triplechanger. As soon as Astrotrain crosses his line of fire, Slingshot unleashes a barrage of energy bolts. <> Combat: AV-8B Harrier II strikes Decepticon Space Shuttle with his Disruptor attack! Combat: You took 7 damage. Exquisite Space Shuttle - Sky Lynx watches the laser fire dance around him and utterly miss. "And this is why they kept you as a rear-echelon operative, Astrotrain. I've seen better performance from Misfire." He waits until Astrotrain has firmly settled himself on his own tail. << Slingshot, break right. >> Engines suddenly cut off as the Lynx transforms, becoming an aerial roadblock ready to sky-tackle the other shuttle as massive walls of Sky Lynx are wont to do when fast-moving Decepticons are headed his way, tail flashing as it comes crashing down to swat at the lackluster transport. "Best you sit yourself out for this one, Astrotrain. You are, as always, outclassed." Sky Lynx transforms into the wondrously phenomenal form of a Sky Lynx! Combat: Sky Lynx sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Sky Lynx misses Decepticon Space Shuttle with his You don't get to fly my friendly skies! (Grab) attack! F-15E Strike Eagle is buzzing the hell out of towers, pausing only to "glance" in Slingshot's direction as he urges him to watch. "Yeah that's great, let me know when he's actually going down in FLAMES! Tch!" He banks sharply and dives to raze a transport and the seekers surrounding it, lighting up the ground with lasers. The Global Pose Tracker marks that F-15E Strike Eagle has 'skipped' his action for this round. Grumman X-29 is also up in the sky, hunting down Seekers. However he's leaving most of the fighting the named (And therefore important) Decepticons to Sky Lynx and Slingshot. No sense wasting too much energy if they're got it sorted. The Grumman busies himself chasing down one particular Seeker from the group Air Raid scares, aiming to slice the Seeker's wing straight from him and leave him to crash to the ground... The Global Pose Tracker marks that Grumman X-29 has 'skipped' his action for this round. angles to the side as Slingshot pulls a Rick Hunter on him, shifting his position. He takes two shots right on the hull, leaving a small smoking spot for several moments. He sneers...well, he sounds like he's sneering, "Yeah yeah, hover mode. How great for you to be able to do what comes naturally to all Decepticons. Did Blitzwing finally pull a hoverpack out of his aft so you could..." That thought doesn't get finished, as he suddenly has to bank out of Sky Lynx's way. To avoid those seeking, grasping claws, he actually has to change back to root form, and the moment he does, his rifle is out. "And look, it's everyone's favorite bit of target practice, Air Raid. We're all still talkin about how you blew yourself up on a malfunction during that last raid at Autobot City. And don't you worry about me, I've got plenty in the tank to deal with a bunch of intruders!" He raises his oversized rifle, cracking off several shots in quick succession at the Autobots. Decepticon Space Shuttle angles to the side as Slingshot pulls a Rick Hunter on him, shifting his position. He takes two shots right on the hull, leaving a small smoking spot for several moments. He sneers...well, he sounds like he's sneering, probably due to that gravelly voice he has. "Yeah yeah, hover mode. How great for you to be able to do what comes naturally to all Decepticons. Did Blitzwing finally pull a hoverpack out of his aft so you could..." That thought doesn't get finished, as a miscolored Astrotrain, painted in Blitzwing's colors, suddenly has to bank out of Sky Lynx's way. To avoid those seeking, grasping claws, he actually has to change back to properly colored root form, and the moment he does, his rifle is out. "And look, it's everyone's favorite bit of target practice, Air Raid. We're all still talkin about how you blew yourself up on a malfunction during that last raid at Autobot City. And don't you worry about me, I've got plenty in the tank to deal with a bunch of intruders!" He raises his oversized rifle, cracking off several shots in quick succession at the Autobots. In a chorus of shifting and spinning parts, Astrotrain's body spins and lifts up into his large robot mode. Combat: Astrotrain sets his defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Astrotrain strikes Sky Lynx with his Ionic Displacer Rifle attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Astrotrain misses F-15E Strike Eagle with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Astrotrain strikes Grumman X-29 with his Full-Auto Area attack! Combat: Astrotrain strikes AV-8B Harrier II with his Full-Auto Area attack! MiG-25PD Foxbat-E 's anime-sleep-snot-bubble pops as just nearby, Air Raid's strafing run razes a line of Seekers, rudely snapping him out of the vividly lucid, anachronistically accurate dream he had been having where he was bathing his two terrible sons, Blitz and Wing (which oddly is a Blitzwing-repaint of a chibi Air Raid), before putting them into stasis for their nightly recharge cycle. Blitzwing grumbles in coming out of his slumber, aloofly aware of the violence erupting all about him. "Eh? I fall asleep on guard duty and the place gets ran over with Autobots? Go figure!" With a sigh, the triplechanger streaks off after his nemesis, chasing after the Aerialbot's tailfins with a menacing chaingun that's just sprung out of his nosecone. Combat: MiG-25PD Foxbat-E misses F-15E Strike Eagle with his Vulcan Cannon (Laser) attack! <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "bout time you got to work. Let's send these amateurs packing already." AV-8B Harrier II is so busy preparing his next attack that he's not paying enough attention to Astrotrain. The triple changer manages to score a hit right on his left wing, leaving a smoking hole in it. The harrier dives towards the ground and Slingshot barely avoid the crash by transforming at the last moment and rolling onto the ground. Then back to Air Raid, <> he says as he points his neutron rifle at Astrotrain before firing a couple of bolts at him. The AV-8B Harrier II unfolds into the robot mode of Slingshot. <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Yeah, yeah! Bet a six pack I kill mine before you do yours." Combat: Slingshot strikes Astrotrain with his Neutron Rifle attack! [Pulled -2] Combat: Slingshot (Slingshot) used "Neutron Rifle": A Level 4 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 14 damage. <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "No bet. I've got three of them" <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Well stop hogging all of 'em!" <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "fine, you take the Sky Fink then" <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "What, did you stop keeping track? It's your turn to fight Sky Lynx." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "I fought him in space three weeks ago. This entire thing with Rumble and Soundwave. Its back to you....well actually it's Octane's turn, but you know how that guy is." <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Pfft I saw the vid-report. You two were basically making out in space." <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "It was uncomfortable to watch." Sky Lynx grunts. His armor takes a brunt of the blast from Astrotrain, but the large mech seems mostly unphased by it all as he turns his attention towards the wannabe transport. Still rolling out of his previous attack, he recovers fast enough to snap his tail back around for a second go, actually laughing as he watches Slingshot get the better part of another piece. "You may as well sound the retreat, Astrotrain! This will not last long at all." As Blitzwing stirs and starts his own attack, the commander scowls. << Heads up all forces, Blitzwing has joined the fight. Let's keep these two tied up and step up the assault in neutralizing this place. Whether we humiliate Astrotrain and Blitzwing or not is irrelevant; I just do not want them having this place operational. >> <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "yeah well...he does tend to get grabby..." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "I mean, it wasn't like that and you know it!" Combat: Sky Lynx strikes Astrotrain with his Batter up! attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Sky Lynx (Sky Lynx) used "Tail Swipe": A Level 3 AREA-MELEE attack. Combat: You took 14 damage. <Decepticon> Blitzwing makes kissing sounds over the channel. F-15E Strike Eagle actually doesn't know what Astrotrain is referring to. There were probably many times he blew up somewhere around Autobot City. But he's still insulted! "Whoa!" A-train manages to keep him on his wingtips and sends him spinning to avoid the shots, but Blitzwing is quick to slide in out of nowhere and chaingun his tail. Aaaand he's flying a bit too fast to properly angle himself, so he wavers and tries to brake painfully close to Dogfight's wing. "GAHH! Get out of the WAY DUMBAFT!" Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes Grumman X-29 with his Ram attack! <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "Ooffh!" Dogfight flips and stands up into his robot mode Dogfight remains busy hunting that Seeker, but all of a sudden, there's a ram from the side and the Grumman is suddenly not at the angle he wanted to be, before crashing on the ground. There's that typical venting noise Dogfight makes when he's angry, and suddenly there's the small Triggerbot with his guns in hand. Clearly aiming at Blitzwing, of course. Certainly not aiming at Air Raid. He's fuming all the same, though. Combat: Dogfight sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Dogfight strikes F-15E Strike Eagle with his OOPS HOW CLUMSY OF ME Area attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Dogfight strikes MiG-25PD Foxbat-E with his OOPS HOW CLUMSY OF ME Area attack! [Pulled -3] <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "Astrotrain, please. Do not encourage his behavior. We are space shuttles, that comes with a certain expectation of... classiness." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "yeah well, let me know how classy you're feeling after Sky Lynx tries to bite you in half again." <Decepticon> Chopshop says, "Think you're the only classy space shuttle I've ever met, Blast Off." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "....." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "There are MANY, Chopshop! Or... well, at least there USED to be.... back when I worked for the CEC, we shuttles had a reputation... of class and importance. Good times." <Decepticon> Chopshop says, "Huh. Must have missed that." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "It was... a very long time ago." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "right, Importance. Speaking of importance. HOW ABOUT SENDING SOME PRIMUS-DAMNED BACKUP?" <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "I'M ALREADY HERE" <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "I... I WOULD! I am... just sort of... busy. Deep space assignments, you know how they are...." MiG-25PD Foxbat-E 's chaingun now glows red hot, having laid out a smothering blanket of ammo in chasing after the Aerialbot. Though the triplechanger does not score a direct hit on Air Raid himself, the attempt of the attack is enough to drive Air Raid into Dogfight - and that in and of itself is a success! Take 'em where you can get 'em, man. Unfortunately, this paint-sharing-among-allies exchange draws Dogfight into the fray and Blitzwing must now contend with both of the Autobots simultaneously. Caught offguard by Dogfight's quick turn around, the MiG is slow on initiating evasive maneuvers, and as a result takes a raking along his port fuselage. "Gah!" Blitzwing growls, feeding a new ammo belt into his weapon systems, making for another pass at both of his opponents. <Decepticon> Chopshop says, "Planning. Insecticon business." Combat: MiG-25PD Foxbat-E strikes F-15E Strike Eagle with his Chaingun Area attack! Combat: MiG-25PD Foxbat-E strikes Dogfight with his Chaingun Area attack! <Decepticon> Buzzsaw says, "Requests for backup must be routed through proper chains of command, in triplicate to ensure the claimant's location is valid and easily charted. The current wait time for backup is: 48 Megacycles. If you have a grievance with this wait time, or wish to contest this wait time, leave a message after the beep. BEEEEEEEEEEEEP*click*" takes Slingshot's wound in retribution, right in his own wing. The Triplechanger, while quite the boss, isn't going to fare so well against two foes, especially one is Sky Lynx! He glances towards the great Dinobird, catching the tail in his back, sending Astrotrain forward into a mid-air tumble. He corrects himself, a wheeze in his breath as he takes pause. "If you think, I'm just going to cut and run...with my first bout of fun in a year." He manages a grunt of laughter, before shifting back to shuttle mode, "Then you're in for a real treat!" The shuttle roars into an upward arc, trailing some smoke. He banks hard during a twist, coming back towards Sky Lynx. The shuttle bears down on Sky Lynx then twists to turn over. The wings fold in as he turns into train mode, delivering some classic Car-Fu moves as he bears down on Sky Lynx! Astrotrain takes Slingshot's wound in retribution, right in his own wing. The Triplechanger, while quite the boss, isn't going to fare so well against two foes, especially one is Sky Lynx! He glances towards the great Dinobird, catching the tail in his back, sending Astrotrain forward into a mid-air tumble. He corrects himself, a wheeze in his breath as he takes pause. "If you think, I'm just going to cut and run...with my first bout of fun in a year." He manages a grunt of laughter, before shifting back to shuttle mode, "Then you're in for a real surprise!" The shuttle roars into an upward arc, trailing some smoke. He banks hard during a twist, coming back towards Sky Lynx. The shuttle bears down on Sky Lynx then twists to turn over. The wings fold in as he turns into train mode, delivering some classic Car-Fu moves as he bears down on Sky Lynx! Combat: Astrotrain sets his defense level to Fearless. With body twisting in place while folding up on himself, Astrotrain slams to the ground as a huge armored locomotive. Combat: Armored Locomotive strikes Sky Lynx with his A slow train named Payback pulls into the station attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily impaired Sky Lynx's Agility. (Crippled) Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 20 energon. <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "I can't stand those birds." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "Watch your fingers around Laserbeak... he seems to have an affinity for them...." "LYNX WATCH...nevermind" he shouts as the locomotive rams into the Autobot. He takes a moment to see how the other are handling Blitzwing...not too well apparently. "What are you guys doing? You're supposed to hit HIM! Not yourselves!". After those wise words, the aerialbot runs towards Astrotrain all guns blazing, "You should have listened you worthless piece of slag. You've got no chance against me! Hold on Lynx, I'm coming to save you!" Combat: Slingshot strikes Armored Locomotive with his Neutron Rifle attack! [Pulled -3] Combat: Slingshot (Slingshot) used "Neutron Rifle": A Level 3 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 8 damage. Combat: Slingshot's attack has damaged your Firepower! <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "I must be getting rusty, I'm already low on juice. Where's Octane when we need him?" <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Hiding. As usual." Sky Lynx gets landed on (?) by a freight train, but that's not quite enough to take him out of the fight. Not by a long shot. He takes the blow and wraps himself up with the train, smiling some. "Hah, is that the best you can do? I daresay, you and Blast Off both never can seem to figure out that being near my teeth is the worst place you could possibly be. Unless you view it from my perspective." He rolls so Slingshot can get that snapshot off without interfering before his teeth flash, massive jaws closing down on the freight train. If Lynx is going down to the ground, he's absolutely going to take a train down with him.... Because then things can really get fun. Combat: Sky Lynx strikes Armored Locomotive with his Shuttles taste horrible to be quite honest... attack! Combat: Sky Lynx (Sky Lynx) used "Eviscerate": A Level 3 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 16 damage. Combat: Sky Lynx's attack has damaged your Accuracy! Combat: Sky Lynx's attack damages your armor. F-15E Strike Eagle twists and tumbles aimlessly until he's caught in Dogfight's fire. It sets his metal ablaze with scalding fire that makes his paint boil and gears melt. Before he can recover and scream at the Triggerbot, Blitzwing comes at him hard and peppers his softened armor with more lead. "CAN IT!" he snaps at Slingshot. Cursing loudly over the frequency, he swoops around and climbs steeply to try and lead Blitz away from the action, firing a missile before burning atmosphere in earnest. "C'mon ya' piece a' scrap," he mutters. "Catch me if ya' can..." Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes MiG-25PD Foxbat-E with his AIM-9X Missile attack! <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "Mmh, there goes my good optical scanner." <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "You had a good one?" <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "Yeah, looted it myself, remember when those idiots crashed a...well nevermind, it can wait" Dogfight grins a bit darkly as both Blitzwing and Air Raid end up scorched. But, well, there's a fight to win, he can deal with Air Raid later. The Triggerbot transforms back and flies into the air, now pursuing the Triple Changer and attempting to get dangerously close. And once he does, Dogfight blasts the afterburners again, attemping to rake one of those bladed wings across Blitzwing. Swiftly, Dogfight shifts into his jet mode Combat: Grumman X-29 misses MiG-25PD Foxbat-E with his Just a little slice! attack! [Pulled -2] <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "I dunno about you, but I'm getting that 'outgunned' vibe." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "If *I* was there, you would NOT be. ....Again, my apologies... but I cannot be everywhere at once, unfortunately." <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "how convenient you managed to dodge this bullet." <Decepticon> Blast Off says, "I cannot /help/ it. I am scouting for the DJD, after all. ....They must be found." <Decepticon> Chopshop chitters... "Sure they don't have this channel?" <Decepticon> Blast Off *there's a sudden frightened *gah!* sound slams into the ground, after air-ramming Sky Lynx. The impact was rough, but worth it. The problem however, is he's now in a dragon's grip and shot in his power dynamo by Slingshot's crack aiming. The train groans, both vocally and via metal stress as he shifts form back into root mode to evade Sky Lynx's grasp again. The triplechanger's scowl might as well be permanently welded on his face as Slingshot roars in. He muses to himself, 'Gotta...get them off balance or something. That big buffoon's going to eat me if I don't watch myself.' He grunts sourly, "desperate times..." It was going to be a tough move, Slingshot was in flight after all, and all Astrotrain had on him now was the big blade. If he could SNAG the Aerialbot, that'd force Sky Lynx to give pause, then...well, they'd figure out something maybe. <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Really? I'm just getting warmed up." Armored Locomotive slams into the ground, after air-ramming Sky Lynx. The impact was rough, but worth it. The problem however, is he's now in a dragon's grip and shot in his power dynamo by Slingshot's crack aiming. The train groans, both vocally and via metal stress as he shifts form back into root mode to evade Sky Lynx's grasp again. The triplechanger's scowl might as well be permanently welded on his face as Slingshot roars in. He muses to himself, 'Gotta...get them off balance or something. That big buffoon's going to eat me if I don't watch myself.' He grunts sourly, "desperate times..." It was going to be a tough move, Slingshot was in flight after all, and all Astrotrain had on him now was the big blade. If he could SNAG the Aerialbot, that'd force Sky Lynx to give pause, then...well, they'd figure out something maybe. In a chorus of shifting and spinning parts, Astrotrain's body spins and lifts up into his large robot mode. Combat: Astrotrain sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Astrotrain strikes Slingshot with his Short on Odds long on hope! (Grab) attack! Combat: Gained 4 energon. MiG-25PD Foxbat-E is fast enough this time around to roll right over Dogfight, as the Triggerbot is dumb enough to draw the MiG within melee range (he ain't no Air Raid, after all). Unfortuantely, completely equivocating the Triggerbot puts Blitzwing directly in the line of fire of the Aerialbot, and one of Blitzwing's tail fins evaporates in a brilliant plume of thermobaric energy as Air Raid's missile achieves impact. "OW!" Blitzwing shouts, kicking in afterburners as he chases after the Aerialbot. "Eheheh! Catch? Sure! I'll put my little friends right on that!" The triplechanger cackles as two huge missiles detach from the undercarriage of his wings, drift in free fall for a moment, and then rocket off after each of his adversaries with a scream as they rip through the sound barrier. Combat: MiG-25PD Foxbat-E strikes F-15E Strike Eagle with his Concussion Missile attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily mildly impaired F-15E Strike Eagle 's Agility and Accuracy. (Dizzy) Combat: MiG-25PD Foxbat-E strikes Grumman X-29 with his Concussion Missile attack! Combat: That attack has temporarily mildly impaired Grumman X-29 's Agility and Accuracy. (Dizzy) Combat: Astrotrain takes extra time to steady himself. [Pass] Combat: Regained 11 energon. Slingshot is caught by Astrotrain because he sure wasn't expecting that. "Let me go you big loser!" The aerialbot does his best to free himself but the triplechanger is too strong! Time to use some dirty tactic he tells himself before slamming his head into Astrotrain's face. Combat: Slingshot sets his defense level to Fearless. Combat: Slingshot strikes Astrotrain with his Headbutt (Punch) attack! Combat: Slingshot (Slingshot) used "Punch": A Level 1 MELEE attack. Combat: You took 5 damage. Combat: Slingshot's attack has damaged your Strength! Grumman X-29 vents as Blitzwing manages to dodge his blades, but that suddenly turns horribly as Blitzwing lets loose the missile. Far too close to dodge, Dogfight is hit dead on, severely damaging the Grumman but, worse, knocking the systems he uses to stay stable offline. The unaerodynamic nature of Dogfight's altmode comes into play as the Grumman turns to the ground, however he blasts his afterburners on. If he's going down, he's at least giving Blitzwing a good scorching to remember him by... Sky Lynx watches as Slingshot gets nabbed by Astrotrain... and yes, it does cause him to pause. However, whereas Shockwave attempted this once, the difference here is that Slingshot is not incapacitated and incapable of defense. Lynx starts to stalk towards Astrotrain going so far as to transform once again. This time, he literally breaks in two, the ground-aspect of his form advancing on the hostage-taker whilst the airborne half whips around to assist Dogfight and Air Raid's plight. "Astrotrain, if you are unwilling to sound the retreat and surrender this place to us, then I shall have to simply convince you that such a stubborn act is absolute folly." His Lynx-part leaps to land itself optic-to-optic with Astrotrain, growling a soft threat. "Hostage takers have remarkably low mobility, and I will hold you down while Slingshot dismantles you." Skyward, the Dinobird simply harries Blitzwing, laughing all the while as he taunts, jests, and otherwise harrasses him...because he can. "Autobots, I do believe it is safe to say the battle is ours. Press on, finish these Decepticads off before they get smart and run like the cowards they are!" Sky Lynx transforms, his body separating into two. The top half retains his bird-like trademark shape, but his lower half sprouts a head and takes to the ground in Lynx form. Combat: Grumman X-29 strikes MiG-25PD Foxbat-E with his If I go down I'll let the world burn with me! attack! Combat: Dino Bird and Lynx inspires Slingshot, Grumman X-29 , and F-15E Strike Eagle with uplifting and majestic words! F-15E Strike Eagle tries his damnedest to keep his nosecone dry as he weaves and darts around the two other aircraft. It's getting very difficult. He cannot come up with a witty retort fast enough; Blitzwing's concussion missiles pack an extra punch this time and slam into his fuselage with enough force to send him whipping tail over nose, impossibly fast. It knocks him absolutely senseless, so much so that he can't even utter a curse about it. But naturally, Sky Lynx's urging brings him back to focus. Somewhat. His pylons fly open and out tumble bombs! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes MiG-25PD Foxbat-E with his Clusterfuuuuu Area attack! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes Astrotrain with his Clusterfuuuuu Area attack! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle (Air Raid) used "CBU-87 Cluster Bomb": A Level 6 AREA-RANGED attack. Combat: You took 17 damage. Combat: You are very aware that your life is in danger! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle 's attack has damaged your Firepower! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes Dino Bird and Lynx with his Clusterfuuuuu Area attack! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle 's Clusterfuuuuu attack on Slingshot goes wild! Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes Grumman X-29 with his Clusterfuuuuu Area attack! has made...a tactical mistake. These Autobots hate each other, and one of them can flank with himself. Things were supposed to slow down when he snagged Slingshot, get some breathing room. All he got for his attempt was scorn, mockery and pain. So he improvises, "That's not quite what I had in mind...." Air Raid's...complete and utter lack of checking his fire proves to be a turning point. When the Lynx moves to intercept on behalf of Slingshot, and why thank you Lynx for knowing which ones'd hit me, who was HOLDING Slingshot, you freaking turd, Astrotrain emphasises his point the only way he knows how. Code willing, he buries his blade into Slingshot, attempting to deal a mortal blow to him right here and now. This deep in Con country, it could just force the withdrawal...assuming he can survive Sky Lynx's inevitable retaliation...or get out of Dodge first. MiG-25PD Foxbat-E grins inwardly as his targeting computer eventually winks green, telemetry data indicating that both missiles have struck their intended targets. The MiG's ailerons immediately flare to break his ascent, and Blitzwing whips back around quickly to survey the carnage that he is solely responsible for. Laughing at the Autobots pitted against him, the triplechanger pivots to chase off after Air Raid, as the Aerialbot appears to be in a helpless tail-over-nose tumble that he'd love nothing more than to exploit. Before he darts off after his rival, however, Dogfight manages to twist in mid-air and coat Blitzwing's starboard side in a scorching ruin. "YOU LITTLE SHIT!" At once, Blitzwing reflexively shifts modes and reaches out to grab the jet next to him in his menacing mitt. Astrotrain has made...a tactical mistake. These Autobots hate each other, and one of them can flank with himself. Things were supposed to slow down when he snagged Slingshot, get some breathing room. All he got for his attempt was scorn, mockery and pain. So he improvises, "That's not quite what I had in mind...." Air Raid's...complete and utter lack of checking his fire proves to be a turning point. When the Lynx moves to intercept on behalf of Slingshot, and why thank you Lynx for knowing which ones'd hit me, who was HOLDING Slingshot, you freaking turd, Astrotrain emphasises his point the only way he knows how. Code willing, he buries his blade into Slingshot, attempting to deal a mortal blow to him right here and now. This deep in Con country, it could just force the withdrawal...assuming he can survive Sky Lynx's inevitable retaliation...or get out of Dodge first. Combat: Astrotrain strikes Slingshot with his Zord-Sword attack! Combat: Drained 8 energon. Combat: Astrotrain strikes Slingshot with his Zord-Sword attack! Combat: You are running low on energon! Combat: Drained 8 energon. Combat: Blitzwing strikes Grumman X-29 with his I'll Crush You With My Bare Hands! (Grab) attack! With the Triggerbot in tow, Blitzwing shoots off after Air Raid, winding Dogfight up inexorably like a Louisville slugger and ramming one Autobot into the other. Slingshot is stabbed and falls to the ground unconscious Astrotrain rips the blade out with authority, releasing Slingshot. "That one's a bleeder." Combat: Blitzwing strikes F-15E Strike Eagle with his Weaponized Autobot (Smash) attack! <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "stop playing with these guys and crush em!" <Decepticon> Astrotrain says, "because I do NOT need another month in recovery after I become a chew toy, and we both know what happened to YOU last time you got a whoopin." <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Workin' on it!" Grumman X-29 's wild turn actually managed to hit Blitzwing, much to his surprise. However, he's grabbed and, before he can react, thrown into Air Raid. The damaged Grumman vents and blasts upwards, corkscrewing in the air before attemping another slice towards the now robot mode Blitzwing, attemping to just slice right into the Triple Changer. Of course if any Aerialbots were aiming for him as well, this seems like a great way to get right in the way of any incoming shots... Combat: Grumman X-29 strikes Blitzwing with his I'm like a boomerang right back at you! attack! Dino Bird and Lynx surges forward...mainly to help defend Slingshot from a massive wave of explosives that seem to be lacking in their FOF capabilities... Of course, for his trouble, he ends up with a rather wounded Slingshot courtesy Astrotrain's lack of civility and common sense. Ignoring the mass of callouts over the radio, his flying half leaves Blitzwing to the others, whipping around to dive towards the Decepticon transport while the Lynx half barrels into him with claws flashing... This is twice someone used h is own men against him in battle. But this time, the culprit is due to get a severe thrashing. "That, Astrotrain, was a grievous error." Have you ever been ripped apart from two different directions? Whelp, that's about what's due to happen as the Lynx and Dinobird both literally accost their prey with intent to rip in two differing directions. Combat: Dino Bird and Lynx strikes Astrotrain with his Shockwave did it better... attack! Combat: Dino Bird and Lynx (Sky Lynx) used "Combined Attack": A Level 8 AREA-MELEE attack. Combat: You took XXX damage. Combat: Dino Bird and Lynx's attack has damaged your Velocity! Combat: Astrotrain falls to the ground, unconscious. Astrotrain screams as the Lynx grasps ahold of him, and as the Dinobird pulls, panic shoots through his features, "No! No N" And the mech is ripped in twain savagely, with all sorts of gorey descriptions that don't belong here! F-15E Strike Eagle slowly rights himself, just in time to see the bright blue of Dogfight's armor right up in his canopy. With a heavy crunch, Raid yelps and spins off to one side, wings trailing smoke and flames. He needn't see Slingshot get served, he can certainly sense it, and innately turns to take on Astrotrain, but Sky Lynx gets to him first. Thoroughly pissed off (but probably not as much as Dogfight), Raid tries to level a very angry, red-painted missile on Blitzwing. Combat: F-15E Strike Eagle strikes Blitzwing with the Apocryphacius-forged RAIN OF FIRE attack! Combat: Blitzwing falls to the ground, unconscious. As Astrotrain is ripped apart, Blitzwing is exploded. Autobots are the heroes... right? <Decepticon> Blitzwing says, "Clean up, aisle Mitteous Plateau...*SSSHTX*" Dino Bird and Lynx tosses what's left of Astrotrain somewhere his own team can recover him before working on his own recovery efforts. "Air Raid, Dogfight, collect anything that looks to be of value and destroy the rest. I want the most beneficial thing the Decepticons find here to be these two scrapheaps." While his Lynx-half picks up Slingshot, the Dinobird sets to depositing Blitzwing in a hapless heap along with Astrotrain. "This fight is ours. Roll out." Dogfight flips and stands up into his robot mode Dino Bird and Lynx tosses what's left of Astrotrain somewhere his own team can recover him before working on his own recovery efforts. "Air Raid, Dogfight, collect anything that looks to be of value and destroy the rest. I want the most beneficial thing the Decepticons find here to be these two scrapheaps." While his Lynx-half picks up Slingshot, the Dinobird sets to depositing Blitzwing in a hapless heap along with Astrotrain. "This fight is ours. Roll out." Despite having gone right through Blitzwing, Dogfight somehow managed to not get exploded by Air Raid's bomb. The Triggerbot transforms back to robot mode and holds his two blowtorch blasters ready. Oh, he'll be good on this demolition part... F-15E Strike Eagle can't even bask in the glory. He's just going to... land and sit there for a while, still smoldering. Air Raid goes home. Air Raid has left.
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