| abstract | - Khabarovsk Krai An idyllic utopia -- if one can get past the snowfall, that is -- Khabarovsk Krai is a peaceful hamlet of metal spires and avant-garde architecture. Everything is smooth and curvilinear, the cityscape sliding in and out of what seem like abstract shapes. Moving walkways connect the city like a spider's web, set in covered tunnels that protect users from the snow and cold. In the center of the Krai is an anomaly amongst the futurist architecture -- a replica of the London Parliament building, where both the Russian and English flags are hung. Most people in Khabarovsk speak English, and do so with English accents, a byproduct of Russia's 21st-century identity crisis in its path toward becoming the world's resident socialist utopia. Like Quebec and France, the people of Khabarovsk have begun to consider themselves English and not Russian, and god bless them for it. Contents: Bluestreak Sunstreaker Swoop Avalanche Sunder Motormaster Russia's streets are all but empty by this time, following the recent blitz of Decepticon assaults across the Asian continent. The only vehicles on the move seem to be emergency ones, there to keep citizens safe in their homes, or designated evacuation centers. And, of course, those vehicles doing the assaulting. A massive black and violet semi rumbles across the landscape, scouting for any local resistance or Autobot interference, in this most recent Decepticon push for global dominance. "Local troops," he transmits on an open-broadcast channel, "report in... operation Kabah... Kha... hmph. Operation KK underway now..." Brawl rumbles along behind Motormaster in the rearguard, with the gumbies. He's not close enough to the vanguard to take part in the main battle. Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. Sweepcraft is flying overhead, approaching the area where Motormaster is. The impending conquest of all of Russia excites him. It felt so good to see the Empire expanding. Over the local broadband, Dirge hisses out, "Khabarovsk Krai." The experimental F-15 fighter jet soars several thousand feet off the ground, banking left and right to prevent getting too far ahead of Motormaster. Scouting the area for any signs of potential resistence. Suddenly, a streak of red and blue steel darts down past Dirge, missing him but causing a pocket of massive turbulance. It's Swoop, the friendly or coldest Dinobot (depending on who you ask), but most certainly the ugliest. He turns his head at Dirge and unleashes a piercing cry, as if to challenge the Decepticon jet. Datsun 280ZX races as fast as he safely can towards the noted disturbance, his tires barely finding purchase in the snow. Looks like just simple snow-tires aren't good enough, something he'll have to keep in mind for the future--although he hopes there won't be a need for it. He'd been trying to get to the fight that Hoist had gotten stuck at, but was too slow--and now this one pops up. He hears the familiar sound of aircraft and turns his sensors skywards, barely recognizing the outline of a jet-fighter and what appears to be a soapdish-like UFO, then notes the sounds of a semi-truck not that far away. /Oh man!/ He internally groans, transforming back to robot mode and finding some quick cover so he can start sniping as soon as possible. Bluestreak fluidly transforms to his robotic mode. So what, exactly, is Sunstreaker doing in Russia? Well... he's scouting. He doesn't /like/ Russia. It's cold and it makes his joints feel sort of achey. But! Here he is. He does notice something, however... people fleeing a city. He guns it and, probably not the smartest of moves, heads straight for the one he currently sees as a major threat: Motormaster. His engine revving, he lets its angry growl punctuate his arrival as he heads straight for the massive semi. Motormaster hears the rev of Sunstreaker's engine before he notices the glaring yellow of the vehicle heading towards him. A yellow that made him think of his right-hand (literally) Stunticon, and his own boastful challenges. Blaring his horn as if to respond to the Autobot's challenge, he guns his engine, thick black exhaust billowing from his smokestacks. A light shimmer blankets his front bumper and grill, as full ramming shields are engaged... and the Stunticon plows straight towards (and possibly through) the Autobot warrior... Motormaster strikes Sunstreaker with Head On Collision. Ahhh, what's this? Sweepcraft detects the signature of prey! And a familiar prey at that. The Sweep heads towards Bluestreak's position, picking the Autobot out easily with his sensitive scanners. He opens fire with his disruptors, to coax Bluestreak out of his hiding spot. Sunder strikes Bluestreak with disruptor. Experimental F-15 shakes through the Dinobot-generated turbulence, rolling out of it. "Ah.." Dirge hisses coldly over an open channel. "The Autobots have arrived." From two small ports on the back of his wings issues a spray of lasers, like machine-gun fire. "Dinobot, do not seek to challenge me in the skies. When you next meet the ground it will be as a burning shell." Dirge strikes Swoop with Dual Lasers. Bluestreak winces as he hears the tell-tale sound of a crash, although he can't quite see it from where he is. Also, a disruptor shot strikes the side of his helm, blasting off one half of his chevron, but causes not too much damage otherwise. "Ow! Hey!" He yelps, ducking down for a second to check the damage before firing a return volley of his own at Sunder, trying to keep his head down this time. Bluestreak strikes Sweepcraft with Blue Bolt Rifle . Swoop doesn't even flinch as a glancing strike of laser fire rakes across his body. He does a 180 and uses his momentum to come right at Dirge, icy blue optics regarding the Decepticon as so much as a next meal. He opens his mouth and issues a gout of flame as he passes the jet. Sunstreaker strikes [ansi(hx,Black Semi)] <[ansi(m,Motormaster)]> with electric shock. It's only by some miracle (and glance) that Sunstreaker actually /survived/ that. That hadn't been what he was trying to do... but eh. A fight's a fight, and he's a warrior. Getting banged up is what he's used to. Of course, it means his twin and Peacekeeper will have to hear his whining about his paint for the next several days, but...! Eh. He's rolled several times, but he transforms in the process, and there is that ever-familiar glint of battle readiness on his faceplate. Yes, he's hurting. Yes, he's looking like slag... but his face is still pretty, and hell if that's not what matters. "Hey, Motormaster!" he barks, darting to one side. "Overcompensating much?!" With that, he drags out an odd looking weapon, discharging it right at the thundering semi. Parts shift and flip, and in a neat and stunning show of robotics, Sunstreaker transforms to his attractive robot mode. Swoop strikes Experimental F-15 with magic dino halatosis. Sweepcraft wobbles slightly as the blast from Bluestreak's weapon strikes him. He quickly transforms and descends, intending to land right on Bluestreak. The Sweep grins, his fangs glinting in the light, and his talons are outstretched, ready to rend his intended victim's armor. Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. Sunder strikes Bluestreak with slash. Motormaster forces himself into a jackknife as soon as he plows through the Lambourghini (or nearly does so), begining the slow (and tortuously loud) conversion into robot mode as the Autobot lances the electrical ark directly at the semi. A long scorchmark scars the side of the Stunticon commander, leaving him with a significant stretch of melted, distorted armor along his left arm. Finally completing his transformation with an ear-grating grind of metal against metal, Motormaster glances down at the damage along his arm. "Damn Autobot," he growls. "That actually stung." Surging to a jog, he lumbers towards Sunstreaker, swinging his massive chrome sword in a lazy arc... With the terrible screech of grinding metal, Motomaster rises into his massive robotic form. Motormaster strikes Sunstreaker with Stunticon Saber. Experimental F-15 pulls up into a loop as the heat of the Dinobot's breath peels back a layer of armor on its left wing. "Very well," issues the emotionless, raspy voice of Dirge, "There will be war." At the apex of the loop, just as the F-15 is nearly vertical, it cuts its engines and stalls. The aircraft hangs in the air for a moment, then rotates around a half-circle to point directly at Swoop, sliding gently through the sky until its engines reignite and a hail of gunfire sprays into the space occupying the Dinobot. "And there will be death." Dirge strikes Swoop with Fear's Fury. Bluestreak shouts in surprise as he gets turned into a scratching-post /and/ a landing pad, as Sunder lands right on his abdomen and knocks him down flat on his back. At least the snow cushioned his fall. The talons tear across his chestplate armor, leaving two long gashes in their wake, but they don't seem very deep. He aims one shoulder-cannon at Sunder and fires. "Get off!" Bluestreak misses Sunder with his Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launcher attack. "Oh, you sonuva glitch..." Sunstreaker growls, curling in to let his shoulder take most of the brunt. His missile launchers are undamaged, but... he doesn't want to use them. Not yet, anyway. No, he's going to deal with this very differently. If things get desperate? Then yes on those missile launchers. But not yet. Instead he takes advantage of the fact that he's been forced lower, and one leg strikes up quickly and suddenly in a sweeping motion toward Motormaster's midsection. He's not ready to die. Not tonight. Sunstreaker strikes Motormaster with Metallikato sweeping kick. Swoop manages to evade a good amount of the hellfire, but is struck hard when he stalls out at the top of own climb. His blue optics narrow as he kicks on his thrusters and swings in around behind Dirge, making a quick but neat barrel roll for added measure. His optics emit deadly blue laser beams at the fusilage of Dirge's jet form. Swoop strikes Experimental F-15 with ice-cold laser staaaaare. Motormaster misses Sunstreaker with his grasp attack. Sunder chuckles and lunges at Bluestreak, ducking under the incoming rocket and at the same time, baring his fangs. His jaws are agape. Suddenly the jaws go SNAP... Sunder misses Bluestreak with his bite attack. As Sunstreaker lashes out at Motormaster's midsection, the Stunticon can do little more than grunt, as the agile Autobot plants his foot squarely in the equivalent of his solar plexus. The scarred paint and shallow dent, though, are all that really remains from the attack... along with the semi's baleful stare. "Okay," Motormaster growls. "Two can play." With all the subtlety of a Dinobot in a china shop, the Stunticon returns Sunstreaker's kick - this time, a simple, straightforward blow at the yellow robot, all force and no finesse. Motormaster strikes Sunstreaker with Kick. Experimental F-15 streaks away under the glare of laser fire, holes appearing in his fuselage, breaking the sound barrier in seconds. Then it banks in a wide arc directly around at the dinobot. "This is unacceptable," he hisses sharply. The sound of his engines becomes a deafening whine, high-pitched and maddening in intensity, with distant echoes of screaming. "You cannot win, Autobot. The failings of your kind have been evident since the start of this long campaign." He keeps speaking, but the sound of his voice is rapidly overwhelmed by the increasing roar of engines. And then.. silence, leaving his voice clear and questioning, "What do you fear?" Waves of despair and disillusionment fill the space around him as he sails past Swoop. Dirge strikes Swoop with his Paralyzing Fear attack. Bluestreak sees Sunder baring his fangs and realizes what's about to come, since he's fought against this certain Sweep plenty of times before. /Ohhhh slag!/ He quickly rolls to the side to avoid the bite, kicking up snow in the Sweep's face in the process, and fires a much stronger blast from his rifle as he rapidly backpedals, trying to put distance between himself and Sunder--and also trying to ignore Dirge's engines too. Bluestreak strikes Sunder with Blue Bolt Rifle . Swoop does a small hop, flips, and transforms into his ugly yet strangely personable robot mode. Surprisingly, Sunstreaker doesn't appear particularly phased by the kick. He rolls back as soon as he's struck, landing in a crouch... and as soon as he's back in position, a second surprise. His missile launchers are primed and humming. "I'm close combat by trade," he states, grinning, "but in the case of /your/ ugly mug? I think I can make an exception." With that simple statement, he lets loose the missiles right at Motormaster. "Have fun." Sunstreaker strikes Motormaster with missile launch. Swoop transforms, and holds his head at the amazing and foreign feeling of fear takes him, as the image of a giant Mickey Mouse with fangs fills his vision. Sunder sputters as snow is flung into his face, so he does not have a chance to evade the rifle blast. "Gah!" he snarls, then reaches for his rocket launcher. Backing up somewhat to get a reasonable distance, he then fires a rocket-propelled grenade at Bluestreak. "Here, CATCH!" he shouts, hoping that the Autobot doesn't have a chance to get out of the way in time. Sunder strikes Bluestreak with rocket. Experimental F-15 spirals around his target, hundreds of yards away. It climbs up above Swoop, circling him like a vulture ready to swoop in and devour an old carcass. "Life begins in an instant, burns indeterminably, and then is snatched away by uncaring time. It is a pity we had to meet like this, Swoop. When you stand there on the cusp of Hell, looking down into the Abyss, give my regards to our old friends, fallen in these ages past." The missile under his wing silently glides out of its launcher, falls for a few moments, and then streaks around the circle, homing in erroneously on its incapacitated target. The Missile's impact certainly rocks Motormaster, as the Stunticon stumbles backwards. When finally the smoke clears, his outer chest armor is shown splayed open, shredded and scorched, the massive robot hunched over and 'breathing' heavily, his optics squeezed tight, showing only a sliver of golden light. Then he smiles. Motormaster begins to laugh, pulling his Atom-Smasher rifle from a compartment on his back. "Is that your BEST, Autobot?" he bellows, levelling the rifle at Sunstreaker. "You'll have to do FAR MORE to impress me!" With that, he opens fire, a brilliant beam lashing outwards at the yellow Autobot... Dirge strikes Swoop with Concussion Missile. Motormaster misses Sunstreaker with his Atom-Smasher Rifle - low attack. Swoop screams rage at the heavens as his mind is full of horrible visions, all involving Disney characters. The missile strikes him full, and he doesn't even notice. Suddenly, he cries out 'IT NOT GOOFY TIME!! NO WHEELJACK, NO!" before transforming back into his Dino form and unleashing a torrent of air to air missiles into Dirge. He seems to have gone over the top. Swoop raises his arms, extends his wings, and flips up his chest-beak. In moments, a terrifying flying metal dinosaur is there, emitting a mighty caw! Swoop strikes Experimental F-15 with air-to-air missiles. Bluestreak turns his back to the Sweep for one second, trying to reorient himself with his surroundings, and yelps in surprise as Sunder's rocket-grenade slams into his back, punching a hole through the roof and shattering his windshield. He nearly falls flat on his face from the force, but plants one hand and somehow manages to turn the 'fall' into an extremely sloppy spinning cartwheel to again face Sunder, ending up at a crouch. /Back at you, then,/ he silently grumbles as he returns fire with a solid rocket of his own. Bluestreak strikes Sunder with Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launcher . And again, those quick feet work in Sunstreaker's favor as he darts to the side again. Once more, his missile launchers prime... but this time with a different weapon as their payload. "Gonna have to do better than that, frag-face!" he sneers, lips curling back into a nasty grin. "Or is this the best you've got without your pansy-aft team backing you up?" Those words seem to be the trigger as this time, rockets blast from his pack. Sunstreaker strikes Motormaster with primary rockets. smoke of his own rocket attack. Uttering a sudden quick yelp as the attack hits, he grasps the hole in his shoulder momentarily. His optics glow red with anger and he charges up his headcannon. "You fought well," the Sweep snarls, "But I shall end this now!" Sunder strikes Bluestreak with Headcannon blast. The entirety of the experimental F-15 is obscured in a spray of brown and blue paint, armor, and a thick black cloud of smoke. Bits and pieces of an exploded Seeker engine trail to the ground. For a moment it appears that the Seeker is gone, but then he is visible again, perhaps only a few hundred feet off the ground. Dirge can be seen spiralling almost recklessly away from the site of the battle, ready to crash at any instant, trailing black and blue smoke from one engine and spewing gouts of burning fuel from the other. Dirge retreats from the area swiftly, outdistancing all pursuit and parting shots. Roaring in pain, Motormaster clutches at his abdomen, moments after the missiles found their target. With smoke billowing from his midsection, it's clear that he's definitley feeling the effects of this altercation. Coughing, he straightens his body, revealing the gaping chest wounds that Sunstreaker had managed to open. Motormaster, though, seems to have finally gotten serious about the fight. Re-drawing his sword, he growls furiously at Sunstreaker. "Damn Autobot... SPLIT YOU OPEN!" With speed belying his massive bulk, he rushes towards the yellow robot, sword held straight forward, looking to pierce Sunstreaker straight through the chest... Motormaster strikes Sunstreaker with Energo-Sword. Bluestreak gets socked in the abdomen with the headcannon blast as he stumbles backwards rapidly, trying to maintain his balance but eventually slipping on the snow and falling once again. "Awwww!" He winces and sits up, glaring at Sunder through narrowed blue optics. What is it going to take to finally take /down/ that Sweep? "Not even close," he replies with a bit more bravado than he feels before opening fire with his rifle once again, this time with machine-gun fire to hopefully turn the Sweep into Swiss Cheese. Bluestreak strikes Sunder with Blue Bolt Rifle . Sunstreaker grunts when the sword finds its mark, though he's not going to let that stop him. It missed his laser core... and most vital systems. His focus now is, of course, figuring out a way to get back from this. Jerking away, he presses his hand against his chestplate, coughing slightly, ignoring any vital fluids he may currently be leaking. "Fragging sonuva..." and the cursing continues. "You're gonna PAY for that!" With a mad sort of anger, knowing full well going in a head-to-head melee fight with Motormaster is his worst idea all day, he rushes the Decepticon, one hand drawn back for a strike. Sunstreaker strikes Motormaster with backfist. Swoop suddenly seizes up, freezes, and drops from the skies like a stone. He seems he's unaware of Dirge's departure, and in fact it appears that Dirge's fear attack has had an unexpected effect on the Dinobot's nervous system. Just before he hits ground, though, Swoop transforms into robot mode and hits the ground in a kneel, in front of Motormaster. He stands up slowly, and draws his thermal sword meaningfully. Swoop is deadly even in his voice as he points at MM and says "Me Swoop meet you again... Mickey Mouse!" His sword ignites in flame. ((no attack, things just got REAL)) Swoop does a small hop, flips, and transforms into his ugly yet strangely personable robot mode. The next attack hits Sunder pretty hard; there's clear indentations where the rounds hit his wings and shoulder. Hissing in pain, the Sweep glowers at Bluestreak. "Some prey doesn't know when to go down, it seems," he says sinisterly, before transforming and charging at the Autobot at full speed. Is Bluestreak goona get runover by a Soapdish? Sunder's head disappears into his chest, his wings fold around him, and now he is in Sweepcraft mode, his headcannon still visible. Sunder misses Bluestreak with his ram attack. Sunstreaker's blow was barely enough to make Motormaster flinch, let alone recoil in pain. The Stunticon master pulls one fist back to plow straight through the Autobot's face... before suddenly recieving a new challenge. Lowering his body slightly, he stares at the Dinobot - bringing his blade to bear. "That's MOTOR Mouse to you. Gah... I mean Mickey Master. I... rrr... SHUT THE HELL UP!" he roars, lunging forward. Feircely, he lashes out at Swoop's blade with his own, parrying it away as he lunges for a body-tackle of sorts against the Dinobot... Motormaster strikes Swoop with Stunticon Slam. Bluestreak tries to run to the side, but it doesn't look like he'd make it until... he trips over a rock buried in the snow. Or slips on the snow itself, one or the other. It doesn't matter how he falls face-first into the snow, though--point is, the Sweepcraft soars past overhead without touching him. The gunner quickly turns onto his side and snaps his rifle up to fire a shot at the Sweepcraft's engines, trying to ground the Sweep--permanently, preferrably, but he'd settle for making the Sweep retreat. Bluestreak misses Sweepcraft with his Blue Bolt Rifle attack. Swoop seems to take the blow in stride, his sanity (for the moment) completely gone. He snarls, takes a step back, and attacks MM with a flurry of sword swings, berserker fury running through his circuits. "DIE!" he screams. Swoop strikes Motormaster with hot swinging thermal sword action. With Swoop suddenly in the way, Sunstreaker figures it's probably time to get out of here. He took some heavy damage... and he's needing repairs pretty badly. He /does/ have a gaping hole in his chestplate. And it stings. It's actually making it sort of hard to move. He'll make up an excuse about pain later. For now, he makes his retreat. Sunstreaker begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Experimental F-15, Brawl, Bluestreak, Sweepcraft , Motormaster. Motormaster misses Swoop with his grasp attack. The Sweep isn't too happy that Bluestreak tripped and thus caused him to avoid being "run over", but it all works out in the end, since he's able to avoid the Autobot's incoming blasts. Sweepcraft banks and returns, bearing down on Bluestreak and charging up his plasma cannon. "I have a craving for barbecued Autobot," he almost purrs, "Which shall it be, then? Barely flame-kissed, rare, medium, well-done, or BURNT SACRIFICE?" Sunder strikes Bluestreak with plasma. Motormaster seems to have the tendency to get in over his head... first Ultra Magnus, now a Dinobot. And yet, he still seems oblivious to the fact that he's outgunned and overpowered. Even as the rain of blades comes down upon him, he does his best to parry them all, be it with his sword, arm, or head... An attempted lunge at the Dinobot goes all wrong, as Motormaster stumbles off to one side... in an effort to salvage some of the situation, he lashes out, hoping to knock the Dinobot's knees out from underneath him... Motormaster misses Swoop with his Stunticon Smash attack. Swoop misses Motormaster with its grasp attack. Bluestreak doesn't have enough time to even get up, so the blast slams into his already-damaged back (as Sunder had managed to loop around to get behind him), causing very nasty damage to his already-damaged back. "AAAAAAAGH!" The force of the blast sends him rolling through the snow, which helps cool down his scorched back, and he glances up to see Sunstreaker also running for it--and not looking very good himself either. "No... not now..." He takes a deep breath, cycling the freezing-cold air into his systems as he glances up at the Sweepcraft. His warning alarms are going off, he can't really move that well, and... well, he has to make sure Sunstreaker gets out of here OK. "Swoop, get outta here!" He shouts as he barely manages to transform and makes a break for it, following Sunstreaker away from the area. Bluestreak seemingly collapses as he transforms into a Datsun. Bluestreak begins retreating, leaving himself vulnerable to parting shots from Experimental F-15, Sweepcraft . Swoop might have dodged the Stunticon's attempt to trip him up, something that (ironically) might have made him angry in a level headed fight, but he's far too mad to register what's going on. He eases up on swinging his sword in favor of a haymaker punch, instead. Swoop strikes Motormaster with five-knuckled fury of the pterodactyl. The Sweep transforms, growling and lashing out with talons at the escaping Autobot. He really, REALLY wants a piece of this prey. After the effort he put into trying to bring Bluestreak down, he at least wanted something solid to bring back to base, to prove he had bested the other. Sunder shifts into his fearsome-looking robot mode. Sunder strikes Datsun 280ZX with talon swipe. Too disoriented from the flurry of blows from both Swoop and Sunstreaker to react effectively, Motormaster simply endures the haymaker as only a heavily armored robot can. Grunting from the blow, he rolls with it, falling backwards some distance from the Autobot. To one watching from afar, his hunched appearance and slow movements might seem like that of a 'bot in intense pain The look in his golden optics, though, proves it all wrong... he's seething with barely restrained fury. "ENOUGH," he hisses. "THIS ENDS NOW!" Getting a moment's running start, he leaps into the air, anti-grav units lifting him up and above the Dinobot... where he suddenly begins the tortured-sounding transformation into a semi. Anti-gravs suddenly kick out, as a Kenworth K100 Aerodyne begins tumbling from the skies! Motormaster shifts and collapses into his Semi mode. Motormaster misses Swoop with his Sky Semi! attack. Datsun 280ZX shouts in agony as Sunder's claws dig into his right side and literally tears away his passenger-side door, hinges and all, and leaving a deep line of Sweep-claws down his side from nose to rear-fender. He fishtails in the snow, barely regaining control before continuing his exit away from here. It almost looks like Swoop isn't listening, so all he can do is hope for the best for him--and hope he isn't knocked out before reinforcements could possibly get here. Swoop screams back as he rushes in with his sword drawn back for a colossol overhand slice. "IT NEVER ENDS, MICKEY, IT- NEVER- ENDS!!" He leaps at the black semi and screams ruination upon it. Swoop strikes [ansi(hx,Black Semi)] <[ansi(m,Motormaster)]> with hot swinging thermal sword action. After squirreling away the ripped-off door into subspace for safekeeping, Sunder hears the order over the channel and charges to Motormaster's rescue. Not that he really likes Motormaster or anything, but because this is an important battle to win, and he doesn't want to lose. He gets out his blade from subspace and rushes at Swoop. Stabby-stabby... Sunder strikes Swoop with blade. Motormaster succeeds in grasping Swoop, throwing it off-balance. Motormaster roars in agony as the firey blade rips several holes in the upper sections of his trailer, even after he hit the ground with excessive force from his failed 'cannonball' attempt. Shuddering, he begins to transform, panels sliding and opening with the agonizing shriek of metal... ...But it's not Robot Mode that Motormaster ultimately has in mind. Instead, halfway through the transformation, he latches onto the Dinobot, drawing it into a cramped space that begins growing even more cramped... as Motormaster completes his conversion into Car Crusher mode "DIE, AUTOBOT!" he roars, squeezing with all his might... Expanding, Motormaster unfolds into a vicious-looking car-crusher. Motormaster strikes Swoop with Crusher - 40%. There is pounding, smashing, gnashing of teeth (relatively speaking) from deep within Motormaster, and then a moment of silence. Then, there's the omnious sound of Swoop's missile systems coming online. Motormaster has a few moments to reflect on this before something occurs they may both regret. ((delayed attack, will go immediately after Motormaster's next turn)) The grinding and squealing of the car crusher continues, slowly impacting the Dinobot within as much as it can, given the severely damaged nature of Motormaster. Roaring both in anger and pain, he presses on further, consequences be damned... and he would NOT be denied! Hydraulics begin to spray fluid as Motormaster exceeds his own safety limitations, putting his all into what he secretly felt would probably be his last strike... Motormaster misses Swoop with his Crusher - Maximum attack. Swoop seems to have halted the crushing somehow, possibly by sheer strength and rage alone. He screams triumpantly as his weapon systems prime and fire from deep within Motormaster himself! Swoop strikes [ansi(hx,Car Crusher)] <[ansi(m,Motormaster)]> with the worst bellyache Motormaster ever had. Swoop is blown clear of Motormaster, who ruptured in the point blank missile burst. He is thrown head over heels and his thermal sword is sent sprawling. He lands in a heap but still manages to get on his hands and knees... he looks badly scorched from his own missile burst, but still alive and kicking. Sunder succeeds in grasping Swoop, throwing it off-balance. Sunder knows he needs to help defeat Swoop quickly, so he aims his rocket launcher at the Dinobot. Climbing nimbly over Motormaster so as not to have the Stunticon commander in the line of fire, he lobs the grenade at Swoop. "Hey, Dinobot! I have a present for you!" he shouts, playing to the lack of intelligence and hoping that Swoop would actually *try* to catch the grenade. Sunder strikes Swoop with rocket. Swoop is hit full force by Sunder's rocket. But when the smoke clears, berserker Swoop is gone. "Hrrrrn. Me Swoop... hurt." He looks up, and takes in Sunder, and the wounded Motormaster. "Where him Dirge? Why Swoop on ground? HRRRGN!" He rushes at Sunder, his shoulder out, fighting on pure instinct and hatred of Decepticons. Swoop misses Sunder with its a good old fashioned shoulder smash attack. Motormaster shudders, slowly rising into his robotic form. He looks like hell, his armor bent and shredded, leaking hydraulic fluids and energon left and right. Most of his chest is completely GONE, and his left arm hangs totally limp and useless at his side. Jerking sideways, he widens his stance to avoid falling over. To any other robot, this state would almost certainly mean retreat or surrender was immenant. Not to Motormaster, though. He staggers forwards, scooping up Swoop's own Thermal Sword, then wheels back and sends it hurtling at the Dinobot. Heck... it might even manage to hurt him, somehow! With the terrible screech of grinding metal, Motomaster rises into his massive robotic form. Motormaster misses Swoop with his Return Delivery: Dino-Sword attack. Sunder quickly dodges the oncoming Dinobot shoulder-check. He had to keep his wits about him, or this could turn ugly very quickly. At the last minute, the Sweep leans out with a foot, attempting to trip the charging Dinobot as he rushes past. Then maybe Motormaster can pummel him some more... Sunder strikes Swoop with kick. Swoop catches his sword from Motormaster's toss and drives it at Sunder's chest, igniting it on the way. Swoop misses Sunder with its hot swinging thermal sword action attack. Growling at the Dinobot's supposed superiority, Motormaster 'runs' forward (where the run looks a lot more like a shamble than anything else), and swings his one good arm at Swoop. Maybe he couldn't DEFEAT the Dinobot - but he could knock him off-balance long enough to force a stalemate... Motormaster strikes Swoop with Punch. Sunder uses every bit of agility to his advantage, quickly dodging the sword that is hurled at him. He does not even bother to pick it up, instead he rushes at Swoop, talons bared and ready to rip. Well, ripping a Dinobot was going to be hard to do, but Unicron-dammit, he had to /try/. Sunder misses Swoop with his evisceration attack. Swoop is taking on two legendary decepticons solo, and he's supposedly the 'weakest' of the decepticons. Not today, apparently. He's giving all he's got, and he's doing it all for the sheer joy of fighting. He sheaths his sword, its power nearly expended, anyway. He puts up his fists, and tries to launch a kick into Motormaster's mangled form. Swoop strikes Motormaster with a savage kick. Motormaster misses Swoop with his grasp attack. Motormaster takes the kick square in the gut - and by that, I mean very literally, as the foot goes straight into his abdominal cavity. He coughs loudly, energon spraying across both his and Swoop's torsos, as he lunges towards the Dinobot's leg. Without the strength to hold on, he fumbles backwards, fighting to keep his feet. "Ah, slag it," he rasps, pulling out his sword one last time, brandishing it at his foe, before lunging forward in a desperation attack... Motormaster misses Swoop with his Stunticon Saber attack. Sunder is fortunate that Swoop has been concentrating on Motormaster...for now. But it didn't look like the Stunticon Commander could take much more of this. The Sweep desperately lashes out with talons again, hoping to weaken the Dinobot further and perhaps drive him off... Sunder strikes Swoop with talon swipe. Swoop stumbles back, the effects of the battle finally catching up to him. As much as he'd like to finish Motormaster and have sunder for dessert... any more and he just might powerdown. He screams and sneers at the two decepticons before transforming into his dino mode and retreating to the skies. Swoop raises his arms, extends his wings, and flips up his chest-beak. In moments, a terrifying flying metal dinosaur is there, emitting a mighty caw! Swoop unleashes its area_ranged attack on Sunder and Motormaster, striking Motormaster. Swoop begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Experimental F-15. Swoop's departing salvo - ostensibly to merely cover his escape - leaves quite an impression on Motormaster. Specifically, on his forehead. Collapsing to the ground, he lies flat on his back, seemingly too injured or exhausted (or both) to do much more than lie there... "Sunder," he wheezes, not even trying to move. "Report... *cough* ...report on... my victory... and summon... medical... assistance..." Bluestreak takes Sunstreaker. Sunder huffs softly in relief as Swoop is finally driven off. He turns and looks at the mangled form of Motormaster and rubs his beard. "Shall I carry you back to the medical ward? I doubt that anyone else can get you assistance on such short notice," the Sweep says. Experimental F-15 certainly isn't coming back to help Motormaster! Autobot Hovercraft arrives from the Tunguska to the west. Autobot Hovercraft has arrived. Motormaster ponders for a moment, then wheezes, "Yeah. Take me... to the... medical... ward... Sunder nods and picks up the Stunticon Commander in a Fireman's Carry. He then departs for the medical ward. Autobot Hovercraft skims across the ground towards the battlefield, much faster than any vehicle without atmospheric capabilities has a right to be. It heads directly for the Autobots still present, unsealing outer hatches and preparing to open the main hatch so they can climb aboard. Datsun 280ZX is idling a fair distance away from the battle-site, heavily damaged and apparently resting in vehicle mode next to Sunstreaker, who had apparently collapsed when trying to get away. His headlights flicker slightly as he spots the hovercraft, and he sighs in relief. He really just wants to get back to the City and get fixed. Autobot Hovercraft cruises over to Bluestreak and lowers a ramp for the car to drive aboard. Datsun 280ZX whirrs his engine slightly, probably trying to warm up a bit, and slowly drives up the ramp. He is just glad to be somewhere relatively safe, dry, and warm--even if he's going to have to move again once they get back to the City. From Autobot Hovercraft , Springer looks over at Bluestreak. "You look like you could use a trip to the repair bay." He hits the throttle. "Hope you can hold out for a couple of hours." Autobot Hovercraft retreats from the area swiftly, outdistancing all pursuit and parting shots. From Autobot Hovercraft , Datsun 280ZX flickers his headlights dimly. "I think I can manage," he replies quietly, just focusing on staying awake for the full trip back.
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