| abstract | - Autobot Shuttle The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. This vessel requires Space-Pilot to use. Syntax: DO - IE. do east, do +profile, do attack scourge=laser. l/o - Looks outside. Contents: Jayson Redfield Grimlock First Aid is sitting in the pilot's chair, nervously tapping his index finger on the shuttle's dashboard as he awaits the piloting instructor who's going to oversee his exam to show up. He isn't sure which of the many capable Autobot pilots are going to be doing this, but he has faith in them all. The Sarikus is completely powered down per regulations for exams like this. Grimlock is the BEST PILOT EVER. Or, uh, at least the biggest one. He trompatrompatromps into the Sarkius, and hmms, looking over to First Aid. "Hnn. Kay. So it time for you to learn fly spaceships." he nodnods, "Me Grimlock bet you not be as good pilot as me Grimlock, but that just 'cuz me Grimlock am BEST PILOT EVER." and with that, he sits down in the co-pilot's seat, and begins to flick switches and hit buttons and what have you. Jayson Redfield skips along after Grimlock. It's exhausting traveling from one point to another all the time, but he's still full of energy and in high spirits. "I wanna watch!" he says as he bounds into the shuttle. "Can I, can I?" "Do you mind another student?" The voice of Galen rings out, clear and loud, from the base of the shuttle's ramp. "I would like to learn how to operate your Cybertronian spacecraft. It may be useful soon." The alien in an exo-suit lingers at the ramp, waiting for a yay or nay to board. First Aid stops tapping his finger on the dashboard, realizing how nervous it must make him look. So instead he nervously folds his hands together and waits. For several minutes. As his patience starts to dwindle and he wonders if maybe the exam has been forgotten, the Sarikus suddenly leans the slighest degree to one side. Grimlock is a heavy heavy mech. Whirling around at the sound of the Dinobot's voice, First Aid has a look that's a mix of shock and horror. "Oh, you're my instructor, Grimlock? That's..." he trails off. Whatever he was going to say, he switches gears as Jayson and Galen board the shuttle. "I... er... it might not be safe. I'm still a space pilot trainee. Junior grade." Grimlock glances curiously over his shoulder at Galen and Jayson, and hmphs. "Hurry up! Get on spaceship!" and this said, he turns back to the piloting pattern- he starts booting the ship into order- the engines hum and the airlock hisses shut. This done, he glances over at First Aid, and grumbles a bit. "Best way to learn is to DO." he nodnods. "So we do stuff!" "Tch." Jayson waves his hand dismissively. "I *live* for danger, man. This'll be nothin' compared to what I've been through." He grins at Galen and then heads over to one of the passenger seats. First Aid gulps and sits back down. "Ok, First Aid, you can do this," he says. He looks forward. There are a ton of display monitors, dials, buttons, and the viewscreen itself in front of him. He reaches forward and adjusts the rear view mirror. Then the side mirrors. Then the rear view mirror again. Then the other side mirror. Then the first side mirror again. Then he buckles up, looking back at each passenger expectingly until they follow suit. "Alright," he exclaims, looking over his shoudler as he summons up his courage. "Is everyone ready for a rocket adventure?" "Me Grimlock always ready for adventures!" And with that, as soon as the ship is ready, Grimlock makes it a point to hit the big red *LAUNCH* button, sending the shuttlecraft out into the great black void beyond! % This done, Grimlock glances over at First Aid, even as the ship begins to drift. "Is you turn now." Outside, You move to the Orion Pax - Corridor - Aft. Outside, Earth Orbit Outside, As you enter orbit above the blue-green surface of Earth, you peer through the clouds and see various possible landing sites... Outside, Contents: Autobot Flagship Risk - Harvest-One Risk - Copernicus Station Terran Sensor #8438 Moon Outside, Obvious exits: Outside, Starport <76> leads to Starport 76 -- Landing Pad. Outside, Escape Orbit leads to Terrestrial Planets . Outside, Eastern Hemisphere leads to Stratosphere above Eastern Hemisphere. Outside, Western Hemisphere leads to Stratosphere above Western Hemisphere. Outside, Ayotizinco Cairo Spaceport Houston Spaceport Autobot City New York City EDC Korean Spaceport "Yay, an adventure!" Jayson cheers. "Maybe we'll get to see space pirates!" Despite being eighteen, he's still a child at heart when it comes to these sorts of things. "Ok, here we go!" First Aid says with as much enthusiasm as he can. His reaches forward, hand passing over dozens of switches and dials. He opens up the glove box and pulls out a small booklet. The cover says 'Sarikus Owner's Manual'. Flipping the booklet open, First Aid ensures that he knows about the vehicle he is about to fly. "'Thank you for choosing the Sarikus Brand Space Shuttle , the finest make of shuttle since 2005,'" he reads. "'This manual includes all required information for the safe operating, maintenance, and troubleshooting needs for the Sarikus Brand Space Shuttle ...'" Meanwhile the Sarikus has already been launched thanks to Grimlock. It soars out of the Orion Pax on autopilot without incident, but First Aid doesn't seem to have noticed. Grimlock rumbles a little bit and leans back in his chair. "Hnnn." he pauses, and glances back at Jayson. "Space Pirates? Space pirates is jerks. Me Grimlock like punching thems." he hmphs, and then takes a moment to look back over at First Aid. "No use manual!" and with that, he neatly plucks the tome from the medic's hands. "Me Grimlock no need one when ME learn! So you don't either!" a pause, and he looks out to the viewscreen as the shuttle drifts. "Me Grimlock think you maybe want actually do stuff now." Galen takes a seat in one of the human-sized acceleation chairs, ascending the ramp at a quick pace before it retracts into the hull of the ship. "Thank you. I'm sure I've seen far worse at the World Watch Academy, friend," he says assuringly to First Aid, fastening his safety harness just as Grimlock kicks things up a notch. The Nebulan's helmet is shoved forcefully back against his headrest by the shuttle's acceleration, causing him to grip the seat's armrests tightly with his metal-clad fingers. "An... interested approach to instruction, Grimlock!" He comments with a slight shout. Jayson Redfield giggles, then regains his composure. "Okay, then. If we do run into any pirates, I'll let you do the punching." He glances over to Galen. "'...in the upright position before take-off. This en'-hey!" First Aid exclaims as the manual gets snagged out of his hands. The Protectbot's optics flash as he looks around, noticing that they're now in space. Funny, he doesn't remember taking off. Maybe it's true what they say about how it all becomes second nature after a while. First Aid reaches forward and grips the flight steering wheel thingee. The manual has the proper term, but /someone/ took it away from him. "Ooooh no, if we run into space pirates we are going right back to the Orion Pax, no questions asked." The Sarikus stops drifting and now propels itself forward away from the Autobot mothership. Jayson Redfield pouts. "Spoilsport." Grimlock hmms, and leans back, clasping his hands behind his head. "Psh. Me Grimlock can fight!" a pause, and he takes a moment to survey the other passengers on the shuttle. A doctor, and two squishies. "...so maybe me Grimlock need do LOTS of fighting." he grumbles, and turns to *POKE* First Aid in the shoulder. "Make ship go faster!" Galen turns his visor towards Jayson. "There are space pirates in this sector? I haven't seen any intelligence to that effect." He cranes his neck, trying to get a glance at the instruments. The backseat really isn't the best place to learn anything, but baby steps... Jayson Redfield shrugs at Galen. "Could be. Actually, I hope so. I love that kind of excitement." Meaning, he just likes to fight. He doesn't want to admit that, however. First Aid winces as he gets poked. "Ow..." Grimlock pokes /hard/. "Ok, I'm increasing the throttle by 25%." He puts his hand on said throttle, but before actually doing so he glances over his shoulder, "Is everyone secure back there?" He doesn't want anyone to lose their balance just because he speeds up the ship without much warning. He'll wait until everyone says they're ready before actually speeding the Sarikus up. Grimlock arghs! Flying spaceships shouldn't be so...routine! "Gah! You First Aid DOING IT WRONG." he hmphs. "Spaceship flying not stuff you do with manual! What happen if you get distracted?" Well, Grimlock's got that part right. *PROD* "What happen if Septi-cons show up?" *PROD* "What happen if, uh...black hole try suck spaceship inside?" *prod* "That stuff happen sometimes!" "Curious. Do all humans thrive on conflict as you do?" Galen asks Jayson, his tone sounding neutral and not like he's trying to be a condescending space-man. "First Aid, do not worry about me. I am firmly secured and my exo-suit is surprisingly resilient!" He seems fairly proud of the walking iron lung surgically grafted to his body. He remains quiet while Grimlock imparts his "wisdom", nodding diplomatically and stroking his metal chin with one hand. "Hm." Jayson Redfield blinks. "Uh, no..." He ducks his head sheepishly. "Sorry. I just like the thrill. Forget I said anything." To First Aid, he says, "All secure, yeah." First Aid just knew there'd be a pop quiz during the flight, and so he's ready for it. "Well if the Decepticons were to show up I'd take evasive action. Maybe evasive maneuver... alpha? Or maybe beta. Gamma, perhaps. I'd have to look it up first depending on how many Decepticons and where they are. Black hole is easy: eject all the anti-matter cores and use the explosion to propel you to safety." That's rule #1 in the Miracle Engineer Worker's manual. Grimlock grunts. "You no have time to look stuff up when peoples is shootings at you!" Grimlock decrees. "Me Grimlock say, if septi-cons come, do...uh...THIS!" And with that, Grimlock grabs hold of the throttle with one hand and pushes it all the way forward, while the other janks his control stick off to the left, sending the Sarkius into a barrel roll! "Woooo!" Galen reaches over and grips Jayson's shoulder with a metal hand. "A warrior must take pride in his work," he says with a smile through his faceplate, trying to meet the bloodthirsty savage halfway. Grimlock then manages to snap him around like a ragdoll within his restraint harness, but the young space veteran just grips his harness at the chest, gritting his teeth and riding it out without so much as a grunt. "I guess...WHOA!" Jayson suddenly feels like he's on a roller coaster. And it leaves his hair in his face. "Jeez, Grimlock! Give us a little warning, would ya?" First Aid's opticsd widen and he gulps as the Sarikus twists into a rapid barrel roll. He grips the steering wheel thing (apparently called a yoke) tightly and keeps the Autobot shuttle flying in its roll as it spins. As it barrel rolls, the shuttle slowly makes a wide arc back towards the Orion Pax, passing over it and giving a beautiful view of the Autobot flagship. The Sarikus's engines roar loudly at this treatment. Raising his voice to be heard, First Aid calls out, "Are you two ok back there?" Jayson Redfield holds up two fingers in a V-sign. "We're good, no worries!" "Haw haw haw! Now you getting better!" Grimlock says, and hmms. "Who care 'bout tiny guys in back? Me Grimlock don't. Uh. Wait." he pauses, and turns, peering at the pair of passengers. "Which one of yous turn into him Fortress Maxypants head? 'cuz that one not allowed to die." he nods at this, and looks back at First Aid. "Keep eyes on screen!" Jayson Redfield just facepalms. Galen offers First Aid a laugh to show that he is in good spirits. "Fortress Maximus could not do a maneuver like that on his best day!" He congratulates, reaching forward to pat First Aid's giant Transformer chair. "Your flagship is truly a marvel, Autobots. If we had had such a magnificent starship on Nebulos, perhaps the Decepticons would have left our planet well alone." He frowns slightly at Grimlock's comment, clearing his throat with a cybernetic cough. "That would be me, Grimlock. Thank you for your... Concern." He looks to Jayson, muttering, "He certainly speaks his mind, doesn't he." First Aid's optics snap back to the screen. It's telling him that one of the reactors is switching to a higher output level. Nothing serious but it needs to be compensated for. First Aid thinks he has the basic idea of what the pilot instructor is looking for. The Protectobot brings the Sarikus out of its barrel roll and brings it around in a controlled loop de loop around the Orion Pax, tilting its side slightly in a wing wave. All the while he looks like the sort of person who doesn't belong on roller coasters looks when... well, when they're on roller coasters. Grimlock leans back again- seeming a little more at ease now that First Aid's flying the ship...well, less strictly, even. "Hmm. That good." he says, "Not as good as me Grimlock, but us not dead." he hmms...and then leans forward again- at which point he starts randomly pushing buttons on the console. "Think it bad if me Grimlock do this?" Jayson Redfield nods to Galen. "Grimlock's really a good guy, though," he whispers. "You'll get used to him." "Yes! Yes!" First Aid answers as Grimlock starts pressing random buttons. The Sarikus suddenly chokes and jolts, and First Aid angles the shuttle away from the Orion Pax to avoid a potential collision. It's a good simulation of the shuttle getting attacked by an enemy vessel, and the doctor has to compensate for systems being switched on and off without warning. Battlestation leans forward with concern when Grimlock starts mashing buttons. "That he may be, but I believe he just pressed the Auto-Destruct Button..." He frowns again, looking around the shuttle's interior. "No countdown. I hope that's a good sign?" Grimlock hms? "We have auto destruct button? Hmmm. Me Grimlock no want a-splode..." and he flicks another switch. Somewhere, a toilet flushes. "Huh. That not it." he scratches at his helm, and peers at First Aid. "Which button make spaceship not explode?" he asks. This...might be a test. First Aid looks over at Grimlock as if trying to judge whether this is indeed a test or not. The series of buttons one would have to press to start the auto-destruct sequence, not to mention override the vocal and display countdowns is quite complicted. Grimlock couldn't have done that by accident, could he? Or... even on purpose for that matter? First Aid shoves the Sarikus into auto pilot, keeping it flying straight while he scoots his chair over. "Excuse me, Grimlock," he says. More at home with an engineering problem anyhow, the doctor inputs several commands into the computer, shutting down the auto-destruct (if there ever was one to begin with) Never underestimate a Dinobot's ability to destroy something. That's gotta be a rule somewhere. "Okay, so us no die now." he nods, and hmms, looking over at a handy clock on the console. "Hnnn. Me Grimlock think it time for flying lesson to be done!" he nods at this. "Is almost time for cartoons. Me Grimlock want watch. Land spaceship now!" "Y-yes sir!" First Aid exclaims, still a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal. He didn't think the driver's test would be so stressful! First Aid takes control of the Sarikus again and guides it back towards the Orion Pax. He has to resist the instinct to search for the Owner's Manual before landing. Toggling on the ship's radio, he says, "This is First Aid on board the Sarikus, requesting permission to land." There's a brief pause before a tinny sounding voice replies, <> Under First Aid's guidance, the Sarikus glides into the Orion Pax's hangar bay and touches down. First Aid leans back, clearly relieved as the shuttle undergoes its power-down sequence. He looks over at the Dinobot, "Er, so did I pass?" Grimlock is stomping around even as the shuttlecraft's still settling down onto the hangar bar. "Hm?" he asks, glancing over his houlder at First Aid. "Uh, sure. You fly shuttle good. Just no crash anything, 'cuz that make me Grimlock look bad!" and with that, he hops off the shuttle into the Pax proper! Jayson Redfield yawns. He looks like he's ready to fall asleep. "Well, that was fun." Poor, tired child.
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